Detritus
Issue #502
Week of May 25, 2009
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Patrick Brower, Editor
patrickbrower@...

Sean P. Gahgan, Editor
spgahgan@...
http://www.lakeoffire.net/
http://www.myspace.com/visionlakeoffire

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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-Apologies if I've told this story before, but it's issue #502 so
you'll have to indulge me. When I was in college 20 years ago, in my
Marketing class' textbook there was a sidebar about a court case
involving Megadeth and a local band named Megadeath -- something about
the band name and copyright infringement. Obviously, Mr. Mustaine came
out on top. The way cool thing was the sidebar was on p. 502 of the
book. So why is this funny? Go check the track listing to Megadeth's
1988 album SO FAR, SO GOOD...SO WHAT! - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-Judas Priest Unleash New Live Album, A TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE

As the creators of a live release that is considered to be one of the
all-time great concert recordings in the realm of heavy metal (1979's
UNLEASHED IN THE EAST), whenever Judas Priest announce a new live
album, metalheads worldwide instantly take note. And on A TOUCH OF
EVIL: LIVE (due for release in July 2009 via Sony Music and Epic
Records), the mighty Priest -- which includes singer Rob Halford,
guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill, and
drummer Scott Travis -- doesn't disappoint. Focusing primarily on fan-
revered album cuts (all previously unreleased in live form on CD), A
TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE features absolutely scintillating renditions of
such Priest gems as "Riding On The Wind," "Beyond The Realms Of
Death," "Dissident Aggressor," "A Touch Of Evil," "Eat Me Alive," and
the set-closing "Painkiller." Also of note are the first live album
appearances of standouts from Priest's critically acclaimed 2008
concept double disc, NOSTRADAMUS ("Death" and "Prophecy").

Recorded by Martin Walker and Brian Thorene during the Judas Priest's
mammoth 2005 and 2008 world tours, A TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE also marks
the first Priest album that producer Tom Allom has worked on since
1988 (co-producing along with the band). It was such Allom-produced
albums as the aforementioned UNLEASHED IN THE EAST, as well as BRITISH
STEEL and SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE (among others) that made Priest not
only one of the premier metal acts, but one of the leading global rock
acts. As heard throughout A TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE, Priest remain a must-
see live act...and a must-hear one, as well.

A TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE track listing:

Judas Rising
Hellrider
Between The Hammer & The Anvil
Riding On The Wind
Death
Beyond The Realms Of Death
Dissident Aggressor
A Touch Of Evil
Eat Me Alive
Prophecy
Painkiller

For more information, visit:

http://www.judaspriest.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-Search With Kiss

Search With Kiss is a search engine powered by Google and Ask.com,
except that every Web search with Search With Kiss is a chance to win
"Swag Bucks" which can be redeemed for Kiss prizes and high-end
electronics. Simply make http://www.searchwithkiss.com/ your homepage
and use it every day just like you use Google and any other search
engine. Each day many random winning times will be selected, if you
search after one of these times and your search is a winner -- you'll
win a Swag Buck. You then simply redeem your Swag Buck at the official
Kiss Swag Store for the prize you want and it'll be shipped right to
your door!

http://www.searchwithkiss.com/
http://www.kissonline.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-Magic Circle Music Update

Sneak Preview Of New Song From Manowar!

Countdown! Two months from now, on July 18, 2009 at the Loreley on the
Rhine River in Germany, the Magic Circle Festival will open the gates
of Asgard!! Manowar is creating the music as Wolfgang Hohlbein is
writing the book, based on the tale of Thor, the God of Thunder and
Norse mythology. To celebrate the countdown to Asgard, we have a sneak
peak at Manowar in the studio at Magic Circle Music mixing new
material from the album that will be performed exclusively at the
Magic Circle Festival! We have smuggled the film footage from the
studio and are making it available for fans via a special video here!
Be sure to check it out and keep your eyes on the calendar... the
countdown begins now!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUi3O75MERo&fmt=18

Manowar Embarks On "Death To Infidels Tour 2009"

Scheduled to headline six of Europe's largest heavy metal festivals,
Manowar embarks on this summer's "Death To Infidels Tour!" The
undisputed Kings Of Metal have long crusaded to keep the spirit of
"true metal" alive. In 2009, the crusade blazes through Europe armed
with allies, HolyHell, and the legions of faithful metal warriors
following the call to raise their arms, lock their wrists and sound
the cry "HAIL AND KILL!"

"In every country in the world, there are the followers of 'false
metal.' Manowar and our fans are disciples of 'true metal' and feel
the need to wipe the infidels off the face of the planet through the
power of heavy metal Manowar style," said Joey DeMaio, bassist for
Manowar.

The band sets forth on the crusade to conquer false metal tyranny,
starting with Europe this summer while headlining Provissirock 2009 in
Seinäjoki, Finland on June 13, 2009, Hellfest in Clisson, France on
June 21, 2009, the Metalway Festival in Zaragoza, Spain on June 27,
2009, the B'Estfest Aftershock in Bucharest, Romania on July 5th, 2009
and the Norway Rock Festival in Kvindesal on July 10, 2009. The grand
finale of the tour will be Manowar's call to arms for true metal
warriors the world over, the Magic Circle Festival III on July 18,
2009 at the Loreley on the Rhine River in Germany where the world
premiere songs from their forthcoming CD, entitled HAMMER OF THE GODS
will be performed. The first installment of "The Asgard Saga," their
unique multimedia fantasy adventure with bestselling author Wolfgang
Hohlbein.

The "Death To Infidels Tour" promises to unleash the crusader in you!
For details and info on ticket sales, log onto http://www.manowar.com/
or http://www.magiccirclefestival.com/ . To learn about "The Asgard
Saga," visit http://www.asgard-saga.com/ .

Manowar
http://www.manowar.com/

Magic Circle Music
http://www.magiccirclemusic.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-Guitar Icon Vinnie Moore Releases Long Awaited Studio Album -- TO THE
CORE Out Now On Mascot Records U.S.A.

HOLLYWOOD -- Almost a decade has passed as the much anticipated Vinnie
Moore's solo release is about to invade the world -- TO THE CORE
released May 26th on Mascot Records U.S.A.

Moore's spent the last several years out on tour with British rock/
metal band UFO. Once off tour, Moore spent time orchestrating his new
album meticulously laying down the tracks to his newest guitar
instrumental masterpiece.

Choosing a very retro-contemporary rock style mixed with many other
styles and influences, Moore decided he would make it a good old-
fashioned rock 'n' roll instrumental album. It's just Vinnie Moore,
his guitar, and his raw guitar talent -- all the ingredients that make
this album a work of art.

TO THE CORE boasts such tracks as "Fly," "Panic Attack" and "Off The
Hook." All the songs take on unique tones has Moore takes you on a
journey track after track. "The only plan I had when making this
record was to do some things I have never done before," explains
Moore. I am into many types of music and wanted to make a record where
I could just let it all pour out without limitations. I am basically a
rock guy but all these other influences that filter into my music. You
can hear many styles from an R&B/Hip Hop vibe to one that is heavy but
has an indian vibe with lots of exotic percussion. I even have a
couple tunes with techno elements, some funk, some blues and some
bepop. Hell, there is even some motorcycles on it and I even played
slide guitar on 'Jigsaw' which is fairly new for me. The common thread
that ties it all together is probably the fact that it's me playing
guitar through it all."

TO THE CORE was recorded at The Core. John "JD" Deservio (Black Label
Society/Bass) plays bass, with Van Romaine on drums and Tim Lehner on
keyboards.

For more information please go to http://www.vinniemoore.com/ or
http://www.mascotrecordsusa.com .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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-Lacuna Coil: New Video Interview Posted Online; Headline Tour
Pre-sale Starts Today!

Italy's greatest musical export, Lacuna Coil, recently sat down with
NRV-TV.com for an exclusive video interview that touches on all the
band's current happenings. Be sure to check it out by clicking
http://nrv-tv.com/ now!

Also, be sure to catch the band's headlining tour in the U.S. this
July! Lacuna Coil has made a handful of tickets available for pre-
ordering right now via ArtistArena.com. Available for pre-sale are
General Admission tickets, plus special VIP packages that include 1 GA
ticket, a limited edition Lacuna Coil tour poster, T-shirt, meet &
greet pass, along with a commemorative VIP laminate! This package is
only $49.50 and will sell out quickly. Joining them on the road is
Kill Hannah, Sventh Void and Dommin.

Lacuna Coil
With Kill Hannah, Sventh Void and Dommin
06/04 Street Festival El Paso, TX
06/06 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, OK
06/07 Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO
06/08 Electric Park Ballroom Waterloo, IA
06/10 Intersection Grand Rapids, MI
06/12 Station 4 St. Paul, MN
06/14 Wilma Theater Missoula, MT
06/15 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA
06/17 Knitting Factory Boise, ID
06/18 Roseland Portland, OR
06/19 Neumo's Seattle, WA
06/21 Last Day Saloon Santa Rosa, CA
06/22 House Of Blues Los Angeles, CA
06/24 House Of Blues Las Vegas, NV
06/25 The New Oasis Sparks, NV
06/26 Senator Theatre Chico, CA
06/27 Slim's San Francisco, CA

Check out Lacuna Coil on MySpace and pre-order tickets to their
upcoming tour.

http://www.lacunacoil.it/
http://www.myspace.com/lacunacoil

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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-Frontiers Sets Release Date For Second Pathosray Album

TRENTON, N.J. -- Frontiers Records is delighted to announce the
signing of Italian progressive metal band Pathosray for the release of
its upcoming second album, SUNLESS SKIES.

Pathosray was formed in 2000 by drummer Ivan Moni Bidin and vocalist
Marco Sandron, later joined by bass player Fabio D'Amore, keyboardist
Gianpaolo Rinaldi, and guitarist Alessio Velliscig. The band released
its self-titled debut album PATHOSRAY through Sensory Records in late
2007, gathering a great response from the progressive metal
communities all over the world.

In support of the release, Pathosray played a few selected shows
around Italy, and in September 2008 the guys went to Atlanta to
perform for the first time abroad in front of an enthusiastic
ProgPower USA Festival crowd. Two weeks later they played at ProgPower
Europe in Holland with similar responses.

The rest of 2008 was spent on writing and recording SUNLESS SKIES,
which was recorded at Artesonika Studios in Italy and mixed and
mastered in Sweden by Johan Ornborg and Jens Bogren at Fascination
Street Studios (Symphony X, HammerFall, Opeth, Katatonia, etc).

With a new record deal in place and an awesome new album to boot,
Pathosray is ready to climb the next step on the progressive metal
ladder. "We're all really happy and excited about the new album and
the way how our sound evolved during these two years," said bassist
Fabio D'Amore. "The new recording deals, with Frontiers Records and
Soundholic, will surely give SUNLESS SKIES an extra value with the
possibility to reach new fans and spreading our music in the best way
possible! We're extremely pleased to have the possibility to work with
such respectable companies, also thanks to the amazing job that
Intromental Management is doing for us!"

In connection with the upcoming release, set for May 25 in Europe and
June 9 in the U.S.A. on Frontiers/Super D, Pathosray has been
confirmed to play ProgPower Scandinavia Festival (alongside Pretty
Maids, Freak Kitchen, Mercenary, and more) in Copenhagen, Denmark, on
September 25.

"2009 couldn't have started better than this," said drummer Ivan Moni
Bidin. "The excitement for the invitation to play at ProgPower
Scandinavia in Denmark with such big names will give us the strength
to keep improving and set up the best show possible!"

The final track listing of SUNLESS SKIES is:

1. Crown Of Thorns
2. Behind The Shadows
3. Aurora
4. Quantic Enigma
5. In Your Arms
6. Sons Of The Sunless Sky
7. The Coldest Lullaby
8. Perpetual Eclipse (Interludium)
9. Poltergeist
10. For The Last Time (2009 Version) (bonus track Europe/U.S.A.)
11. Rainfall (bonus track Japan)

http://www.pathosray.com/
http://www.myspace.com/frontiersrecordsusa
http://www.frontiers.it/
http://www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-Metal Blade Records Announces Signing Of American Heavy Metal Act
Ravage!

Metal Blade Records is pleased to announce the addition of Boston
Massachusetts metallers Ravage to its roster. The heavy metal band
Ravage began as the idea of two young brothers from Boston
Massachusetts, whom fans would come to know as Al Ravage and Eli Joe,
who wished to form a band that could bring bombastic heavy metal back
to prominence and crush the insipid alterna-grunge music craze of the
mid-'90s. Though the barely high school-aged rockers had mighty
ambitions when they played their first gig in 1996, they quickly
learned that Rome was not built in a day, and Ravage had to work on
honing their sound and forging their way through the local underground
metal scene. Now in their early 20s Ravage is ready to show the metal
world what they're made of with their Metal Blade debut THE END OF
TOMORROW, which will drop in the summer of 2009 and features cover art
by none other than Ed Repka (Megadeth, Death, Austrian Death Machine).

"Everyone in the band is thrilled to have the opportunity to have our
music released by a record company that is not only one of the
greatest heavy metal record labels ever, but also a label that is
currently home to many of our favorite bands (such as Lizzy Borden,
Cannibal Corpse, King Diamond, Amon Amarth, etc). Metal Blade has
released some of the classic metal albums of all time and Ravage
welcomes the opportunity to make our own mark on the scene. Only Brian
and Metal Blade had the guts to put this deal together with a band
that has never bowed to trends or used gimmickry to fit in, a band
that has always forged ahead toward fresh musical ground in the face
of those who wanted us to become some sort of goofy retro-act or clone
of whatever was hip. So on behalf of the band, I'd like to thank all
the fans in the local scene, national scene and abroad who have stuck
by us thus far, the promoters who've dared book us, the small labels
who dared release our early work, those in the press who dared stand
up to the feeble-minded trendmakers, the [few] DJs who've played us,
and all the great bands we've played with. This is just another step
on a long road as we continue our mission to put out some quality, no-
bullsh*t, heavy metal music that real metalheads can be proud of. Keep
headbangin' with us and RAVAGE IN PEACE!!!" commented singer Al
Ravage.

"Ravage brings a fresh element to pure metal conveying a young and
modern vibe to old school thrash/power metal. It's this type of
musical resurrection that will break new ground for metal and we
couldn't be more excited to unleash them to the masses!" - Metal Blade

Ravage's new album seamlessly intertwines the sounds of New Wave of
British Heavy Metal, late '80s American Thrash Metal and late '90s
European power metal to showcase the band's signature style. THE END
OF TOMORROW is sure to be enjoyed by metal maniacs young and old as it
blends the soaring vocal and guitar melodies of Iron Maiden and
Helloween with the raw power of thrashers like Testament and Kreator,
presented in a crisply modern production-style.

Ravage is:
Al Ravage - Vocals
Eli Joe - Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Nick Izzo - Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Howie "The Mosh Pig" Snow - Bass
GTB - Drums

http://www.myspace.com/swwr

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*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
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-Author Greg Prato's Magazine Writing Showcased In New Book, "No
Schlock...Just Rock!"

In addition to being the author of three well-received books (2008's
"A Devil On One Shoulder And An Angel On The Other: The Story Of
Shannon Hoon And Blind Melon" and "Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin
Story," plus 2009's "Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History Of Seattle Rock
Music"), writer Greg Prato also regularly contributes to several Web
sites and magazines. His latest book, "No Schlock...Just Rock!"
(released through Lulu.com) collects most of Greg's writing for the
U.K.-based mags Classic Rock, Guitarist, Metal Hammer, and Record
Collector, between a five-year span (2003-2008).

Separated into three sections according to genre -- "Classic Rock,"
"Heavy Metal," and "Punk/Alt-Rock" -- the 276-page book includes
features that cover the entire histories of some of Greg's favorite
bands: Faith No More, Bad Brains, Soundgarden, the Meat Puppets, the
Raspberries, and the no-holds-barred tale of G.G. Allin. Also included
are articles/interviews on Rush, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Steely
Dan, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, the Ramones, and Queens
Of The Stone Age, among many other fascinating rock n' rollers (even
William Shatner!). You'll also find the three articles that eventually
led to Greg's Melon, Bolin, and Grunge books.

"No Schlock...Just Rock!" is the next best thing to experiencing live
rock n' roll -- minus getting fleeced for parking, unsanitary
restrooms, and having some drunk nudnik screaming in your ear. Or as
the author suggests in the book's foreword, "Kick back, relax, adjust
your iPod to the appropriate artist, read on, and most importantly...
LONG LIVE ROCK N' ROLL!!!"

Click here for ordering info and to read samples from "No Schlock...
Just Rock!"

http://stores.lulu.com/gregprato
--or--
http://www.myspace.com/gregpratopage [and click the "No Schlock"
banner]

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*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
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-New Neal Morse CD Available At Radiant!

Hello everyone,

Long time eh? We've been quite busy with all sorts of things. Neal has
been trying to finish two albums before we set out for Europe on June
1. But...we have good news... Neal's new worship CD, THE RIVER:
WORSHIP SESSIONS VOLUME 4 is done and ready to ship!

Here's the track list and some info:

Neal Morse - THE RIVER: WORSHIP SESSIONS VOLUME 4

Neal Morse never sleeps! In addition to co-writing and recording a new
Transatlantic album (for release later this year), Neal has also found
time to write and record a new worship album. Containing nine new
original songs and five covers and clocking in at over an hour, this
new CD is something that hopefully listeners of all tastes can enjoy.
"I think this is the best one yet...the tracks that really stand out
to me are 'The River' and 'Holy Is Our God'...but I like them all. I
don't think there is bum track on this record." Featuring the co-lead
vocals of Julie Harrison and the drumming prowess of Scott Williamson,
this is a world class worship record that even some prog fans might
enjoy. The sound quality on this one is amazing! Cuts like "Serve You
In The Fire" and "I Fall On You" have a certain rock flare while other
songs like "Jesus Knows" are heart felt and beautiful. Engineered by
Jerry Guidroz and Produced by Neal Morse.

Here's the track list:

1. Glory To Glory (4:02)
2. The River (5:38)
3. Serve You In The Fire (5:15)
4. I Exalt Thee (5:22)
5. Life (5:02)
6. Holy Is Our God (3:00)
7. Jesus Knows (4:56)
8. You Are Good (3:49)
9. He Came For Me (4:57)
10. I Fall On You (3:14)
11. Only Love Remains (4:02)
12. Go Light Your World (4:47)
13. Let There Be Singing (4:20)
14. Hallelujah (God So Loved) (3:37)

TOTAL TIME: 62:05

Sound samples available soon at http://www.nealmorse.com/ .

Available now at http://www.radiantrecords.com/ .

Inner Circle News

The new Inner Circle disc for May 2009, the DVD Neal Morse & Band -
LIVE IN ZECHE, BOCHUM has shipped! But you can still can this great
DVD by signing up for the Inner Circle (just go to
http://www.nealmorse.com/ , click on the IC banner and follow the
instructions) by signing up before June 15. This is a great DVD with
Neal and his killer European band performing "At The End Of The Day"
and "Author Of Confusion/I'm The Guy." Sign up today!!

Upcoming Live Dates

We are going to Europe soon. Here is our schedule. We hope you can
come out and see us!

Concerts With Band

Sweden Rock Festival
Neal and his touring band are playing the epic Sweden Rock Festival on
June 5th, a four-day rock and roll extravaganza with boatloads of
bands, including Dream Theater, ZZ Top, Journey, Marillion and
Foreigner. The dates are June 3-6 (2009) in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Live with Dream Theater
Dream Theater will host special guests Neal Morse and his band, on
June 24 (2009) at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen, in Gelsenkirchen,
Germany.
Click here for tickets:
http://www.nealmorse.com/pages/go.asp?date=20090624

Second concert with Dream Theater
Dream Theater will host special guests Neal Morse and his band, on
June 23 (2009) at Tollwood Musikzelt, in Munich, Germany. Click here
for tickets:
http://www.dreamtheater.net/buy/tickets.php?date=20090623

Worship Services Solo Acoustic

Thursday June 11th - An evening of worship and testimony with Neal
Morse
All Saints' Woodford Wells
Inmans Row, Woodford Green (London)
Nearest tube station: Woodford
Contact - Paul
http://www.asww.org.uk/ / 020 8504 0266 /
parish.office@...
Start time: 8:00 p.m.

Friday June 12th - Worship Service
Histon Baptist Church
Poplar Road, Histon
Cambridge CB24 9LN
England
Contact - Martin
http://www.newlifechurchcambridge.org/index.php?section=13 /
martin.wilde@...
Start time: 7:30 p.m. (free admission)

Wednesday June 17th - Worship Service
Ev. Gemeindezentrum Bergneustadt
Breslauerstr. 20 a
51702 Bergneustadt
Web site: http://www.ev-kirche-bergneustadt.de/
Start time: 7:30

Get Closer Weekend (A Special Weekend Event With Neal Morse)
June 20th - June 21st
Ev. Gemeindezentrum Bergneustadt
Breslauerstr. 20 a
51702 Bergneustadt
Web site: http://www.ev-kirche-bergneustadt.de/

Start each day: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Break: 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
next service time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Finish each day: 8 p.m.

The purpose of this weekend is for us to gather together and draw
nearer to God. There will be music, singing, special speakers...maybe
even you! Food and fellowship. Please come and be with us!

If someone needs a hotel room for the weekend check out
http://www.feste-neustadt.de/ (a very nice hotel in the historical old
part of the town approx 5 min. by car from the get closer location) or
http://www.booking.com/ .

Thursday June 25th
Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Landstuhl
Am Rathaus 5
66849 Landstuhl
Germany
Contact:
http://www.baptisten-landstuhl.de/ / Tel: 06371-16341
Start time: 20:00

Saturday June 27th - Worship service
Kelsterbach Petrusgemeinde/ Bistro
Kleiner Kornweg 7
65451 Kelsterbach (near Frankfurt)
Germany
Start time: 20:00

Saturday July 4th
New Life, vergadering van gelovigen
Bruijnstraat 16
3026 VD Rotterdam
Netherlands
Web site: http://www.newlife-rotterdam.nl/
Start time: 20:00

Wednesday July 8
YMCA
Einemstr. 10, 10878 Berlin
7:00 p.m.

Saturday July 11
"Live-im-Amadeus"
Youth club of a Baptist Church, Bahnhoftsr. 9, 12555 Berlin
7:30 p.m.

Sunday July 12
Church service
Christus-Gemeinde, Ecke Sandino-/Große-Leege-Str., 12055 Berlin
10:00 a.m.

Friday July 17th
Veranstaltungszentrum Novum
Josef- Wilberger- Straße 9
A-6020 Innsbruck
http://www.novum-ibk.at/
Start time: 20:00

Saturday July 18th
KUFA Bar
Feldgasse 12
A-6330 Kufstein
http://www.kufa.at/
Start time: 20:00

Sunday July 19th
At the Marktpatz (the market place in the center) in A-6380 St. Johann
in Tirol
http://www.efk-kitzbuehel.at/
Start time: 20:00

There are more to come...

Thanks and take care,
Cherie Morse

Radiant Records
http://www.radiantrecords.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
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-In This Moment Announce Details For THE DREAM (ULTRA-VIOLET EDITION);
New Single "Call Me" Online And Prepare For Warped Tour

As In This Moment prepare themselves to spend their entire summer as
part of this year's Warped Tour lineup the group returns with a new
offering, THE DREAM (ULTRA-VIOLET EDITION), which features their new
hit Active Rock single "Call Me." This stunning track will begin
streaming on the band's newly revamped MySpace page on June 1st.

THE DREAM (ULTRA-VIOLET EDITION), which is set for a June 30th
release, bonus disc also features "Dying Star" and "Sailing Away,"
which are two unreleased studio tracks from THE DREAM recording
session. It is rounded out with the "Forever" radio edit and "Call Me"
instrumental version, alongside a slew of bonus video material.

In This Moment kicked off 2009 with a bang embarking on a massive
North American trek alongside Mudvayne and Nonpoint. The Mudvayne run
comes on the heels of the band's most successful year yet which saw
Brink landing major cover features in Inked, Revolver and Metal Edge
as their latest album, THE DREAM, debuted at #70 on the Billboard Top
200 chart, marking the group's first Billboard entry.

Chris Howorth (guitars) further comments: "It's been an incredible
year for us and we just completed a week of headlining shows in Japan
and are currently enjoying a small break before flying back to England
for the Kerrang! Magazine Download Festival, alongside a couple of
shows with Papa Roach and Buckcherry. For those who don't know,
Download is the biggest bad boy of metal/rock festivals anywhere in
the world and for In This Moment to be invited back is a huge honor
for us, sharing the second stage with Motley Crue and watching Faith
No More headline is dream come true stuff. After the U.K. shows, we
have a week off before starting the mighty Warped Tour. This is really
cool for us because it's a chance to play for a brand new audience as
we've always felt like we are a band who could appeal to fans of all
different genres and Warped Tour is the perfect place for that.

"I also have to tell you how excited we are to announce the revamped
version of THE DREAM with all new artwork, unreleased songs that we
can't wait for everyone to hear along with some crazy video footage
that we have been compiling over the past year. 'Dying Star' and
'Sailing Away' are two songs that the whole band wanted to be on the
original release and we refuse to call them 'B-sides' because they
aren't 'B-sides.' We are really happy now that they are finally at
home with all the other songs on THE DREAM and we also recorded a
special cover version of Blondie's hit 'Call Me' that we tracked with
our producer Kevin Churko at Ozzy's house! That was such a bad-ass
experience. The song came out excellent, the vocals sound massive;
it's got big modern production and big guitars. Ultimately, we kept it
true to the original and just replaced the keyboards with dual guitar
solos adding our own flavor to it. We also shot a brand new video for
it in London last month, so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.
We can't wait to see everyone on tour this summer, we miss you guys!"

Check out In This Moment on MySpace now:
http://www.myspace.com/inthismoment

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
*
-Hibria: Canadian Tour After Concerts In Asia

On last Sunday, May 24th, Brazilian metallers Hibria finished their
Asian tour, which visited Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
With awesome concerts, interviews for local press and sold out
merchandise in just two concerts, the tour was a huge success.

After finishing the tour, Hibria already headed to Canada for their
next tour, having the support of Archon Legion band. Check out the
dates and all the informations available.

Tuesday, May 26th - Victoria, BC @ The V Lounge
Address: 3366 Douglas St.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Unleash The Archers, Reaver
Doors: 9 p.m., Show: 9:30 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: Lyle's Place, Sideshow, Aces 'n' Spades, and
http://www.hightideconcerts.net/

Wednesday, May 27th - Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
Address: 917 Main St.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Omega Crom
Doors: 9 p.m., Show: 10 p.m., Price: $15
Tickets Available: At the door

Thursday, May 28th - Penticton, BC @ The Orchard House (All ages)
Address: 157 Orchard Ave.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Sarcophagus, Bloodsquid
Doors: 6 p.m., Show: 7 p.m., Price: $12
Tickets Available: CD Plus

Friday, May 29th - Calgary, AB @ The Den in Mac Hall (All ages & Bar)
Address: 2500 University Drive NW
Lineup: Hibria, Divinity, Archon Legion, Sacred Ally, Striker, Viathyn
Doors: 5:30 p.m., Show: 6 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Saturday, May 30th - Edmonton, AB @ The Rendezvous Pub
Address: 10108 149 Street NW
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Guardians Of Power, SixGun, Kriticos
Doors: 7 p.m., Show: 8 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Sunday, May 31st - Regina, SK @ The Exchange (All ages & Bar)
Address: 2431 8th Avenue.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Kelevra, Lest We Fail
Doors: 6:30 p.m., Show: 7 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, CD Plus, Zeus or through
locals

Monday, June 1st - Winnipeg, MB @ Ozzies
Address: 160 Osborne St.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Tyrants Demise, Northern Shadows,
Hoarfrost
Doors: 8 p.m., Show: 9 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Thursday, June 4th - Toronto, ON @ The Kathedral (All Ages & Bar)
Address: 651 Queen Street W
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Borealis, Seventh Reign, Pyramid
Theorem, Crimson Shadow, Maridian
Doors: 6 p.m., Show: 6:30 p.m., Price: $15/12 in Advance
Tickets Available: http://www.ticketscene.com/

Saturday, June 6th - Kingston, ON @ Bar None (All Ages)
Address: 651 Queen Street W
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, guests
Doors: 5 p.m., Show: 6 p.m., Price: $10 in Advance
Tickets Available: At the Door

Sunday, June 7th - Ottawa, ON @ Cabana Supper Lounge(Bayou) (All Ages
& Bar)
Address: 1077 Bank St.
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Aggressor, Violated Rot, guests
Doors: 6:30 p.m., Show: 7 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Monday, June 8th - Montreal, QU @ Bar Katacombes
Address: 1222 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Aggressor, guests
Doors: 9 p.m., Show: 9:30 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Tuesday, June 9th - Quebec, QU @ Dagobert Nightclub
Address: 600 Grande Alee Est
Lineup: Hibria, Archon Legion, Aggressor, guests
Doors: 9 p.m., Show: 10 p.m., Price: $10
Tickets Available: At the door

Hibria
http://www.hibria.com/
http://www.myspace.com/hibria

Metal Brasil - Support the brazilian metal scene
info@...
http://www.myspace.com/metalbrasil

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #12 ***
*
-"Metal Fest TV" Needs "War Stories"

[Note: We stole this from HeadbangerNYC.com's mailing list. - Tim]

Bands,

"Metal Fest TV" is looking for your "war stories." "War Stories" are
the worst and funniest things that have happened to you before, during
or after a gig. The best stories will be featured on "Metal Fest TV"
and we'll promote your band while we're at it! Write it on our blog at
http://www.myspace.com/officialmeg .

I look forward to reading your stories!

Best Regards,

Rob Mason
Monolith Entertainment Group: Concert Promotion, Television and
Management! http://www.myspace.com/officialmeg

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #13 ***
*
-Tribunal Records Update

2009 Free Digital Sampler Available Now

We have teamed up again with our great friends at Sleepless Threads (
http://sleeplessthreads.com/revolution/ ) to bring you the new 2009
Tribunal Records Digital Sampler. It contains 21 tracks of metal,
hardcore, '80s thrash and hard rock from our current catalog and
upcoming release schedule.

New songs from Inferi, Vale Of Pnath, Iron Thrones, Killwhitneydead, A
Secret Death as well as unreleased material from Line Of Fire and
Blatant Disarray.

The sampler also features upcoming material from our Divebomb Records
reissue division. Preview tracks from Solitude, Dominance, Sargant
Fury, TKO and Dimage.

So go ahead and download it now, tell a friend, share it! All we ask
is that you TURN IT UP!!

Download here for free:
http://sleeplessthreads.com/tribunalsampler/

Tribunal Records On Twitter

We have joined the Twitter revolution. You can now keep up with us via
Twitter from anywhere you wish to do so.

PLEASE NOTE: The Tribunal Records and Killwhitneydead Twitter page is
one in the same. I don't have time to maintain two separate pages.
Plus, who REALLY wants to read more than one set of Twitter posts from
someone like myself?!

You can preview posts I have made thus far (before becoming a
"follower") and that will give you an idea of what it will be like
once KWD heads out on its upcoming 2009 Summer Tour.

DIRECT LINK:
http://www.twitter.com/Tribunal_KWD

New Releases Available Now

We have some new releases available now via our e-store as well as at
some select online retailers like The End Records (
http://www.theomegaorder.com/ ). Don't forget these releases will be
available in stores June 23rd!

Iron Thrones - VISIONS OF LIGHT (CD)
For fans of: Opeth, Between The Buried & Me and Cult Of Luna
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/ironthrones

Vale Of Pnath - VALE OF PNATH (CD)
Produced by Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage)
For fans of: The Faceless, Necrophagist, Between The Buried & Me,
Emperor and Death
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/valeofpnath

Inferi - THE END OF AN ERA (CD)
Mixed & mastered by Zach Ohren (Animosity, Suffocation, All Shall
Perish)
For fans of: The Black Dahlia Murder, At The Gates, Death & Arsis
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/inferimetal

A Secret Death - A SECRET DEATH (CD)
Produced by Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna)
For fans of: Cult Of Luna, Isis, Converge, Burst and Trap Them
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/asecretdeath

Canvas Solaris - SUBLIMATION: REDUX (CD)
Produced by Jamie King (Between The Buried & Me)
For fans of: Cynic, Dream Theater, WatchTower, Fates Warning and King
Crimson
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris

Tribunal Records
http://www.tribunalrecords.net/
http://www.myspace.com/tribunalrecords

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #14 ***
*
-Les Claypool On Summer Escapade Now!!!

OF FUNGI AND FOE Released On Vinyl May 12th

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Les Claypool is taking over the northern hemisphere
as his summer tour started today May 26th in Charlotte, NC. This is
the second leg of his year-long tour in support of his critically
acclaimed latest masterpiece OF FUNGI AND FOE out now on Prawn Song
Records.

OF FUNGI AND FOE is the expansion of material Claypool has recorded
over the past few years for the video game "Mushroom Men" and the
motion picture "Pig Hunt." Being inspired by these two projects
Claypool decided to keep creating and turn it into an album. The song
"Mushroom Men" on this release is a more in-depth version of the theme
song from the video game. Additionally a jam session with Gogol
Bordello's charismatic front man Eugene Hutz turned into the track
"Bite Out Of Life." The band is comprised of Les Claypool on bass/
vocals, Paulo Baldi (Cake) on drums, Mike Dillon (Ani Difranco) on
percussion, and Sam Bass (Deadweight) on cello.

A special collector's edition of OF FUNGI AND FOE came out on vinyl
May 12th. This is a MUST HAVE for all Les Claypool fans. This is a
limited run so go to http://www.clubbastardo.com/ and get your copy.

LES CLAYPOOL SUMMER TOUR DATES:

May
26 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
27 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
28 - Hilton Head, SC - Shoreline Ballroom
30 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheater w/ Matisyahu
31 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues w/ Matisyahu

June
1 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing w/ Matisyahu
2 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle w/ Matisyahu
4 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall w/ Matisyahu
5 - Ozark, AR - Wakarusa
7 - Dallas, TX - The Palladium w/ Matisyahu
8 - Houston, TX - House of Blues w/ Matisyahu
9 - Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall w/ Matisyahu
11 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
12 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
13 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre
19 Sacramento, CA - The Grove @ Radisson Hotel
20 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
21 - Medford, OR - Britt Pavilion
23 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
24 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
25 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore
27 - Edmonton, AB - Event Center
28 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
30 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings

July
1 - Fargo, ND - The Venue
4 - Rothbury, MI - Rothbury
5 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
6 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium
7 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theater
9 - Norfolk, VA - Norva
10 - Masontown, WV - All Good Fest
11 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
12 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
17 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues

For more information go to http://www.lesclaypool.com/ or
http://www.myspace.com/thereallesclaypool .

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #15 ***
*
-The Doors: FROM THE OUTSIDE

Brand New Documentary Featuring Those Who Knew The Group And Its
Members Best

Available On DVD July 14, 2009 Through MVD Visual

MVD Visual and Sexy Intellectual are pleased to announce the home
viewing release of The Doors FROM THE OUTSIDE for North American
distribution on DVD.

This brand new documentary film tells the story of The Doors, not from
the perspective of the surviving members -- as has been told so many
time before -- but from the recollections, memories, stories and
anecdotes of those who knew the group and its members best.

The panel is headed by a woman who was as close to Jim Morrison as
anyone ever was; his widow Patricia Kennealy-Morrison. Patricia has
rarely spoken on film about her relationship with Jim, or about her
own memories of The Doors. This is a once in a lifetime contribution
from someone who knew just about everything that went on.

Also interviewed is Billy James, the man who "discovered" Jim Morrison
and an early incarnation of The Doors. Billy signed them to their
first deal with Columbia Records, and gained the trust and respect of
the entire group. Here he tells all about those very early days when
The Doors were known only to a select few.

Richard Goldstein -- editor of Village Voice and close friend of the
band -- is on hand too with his anecdote-heavy version of events, as
is Mark Benno, the legendary blues musician whose searing guitar
graced the L.A. WOMAN album.

The very finest Rock journalists and writers, and those who lived
through and were affected by The Doors' music as it was being released
also contribute to this most original documentary film. In this
regard, we are joined by Robert Christgau, Johnny Rogan, Dave
DiMartino, Ritchie Unterberger, Doug Sundling, and Jim Morrison's
biographer James Riordan.

The program is further enhanced by the rarest footage of the band in
existence, classic live and studio musical performances, seldom seen
photographs, news clips, location shots and much more.

EXTRA: "Conversation With The Lizard Queen" featurette, in which
Patricia Morrison reveals her own views about Jim Morrison as an
artist, a poet and a visionary.

Hi Res Cover Art
http://files.dvdnote.com/images/300dpi/SIDVD547.jpg

Sales Sheet
http://files.dvdnote.com/pdfs/SIDVD547.pdf

Selection #: SIDVD547
UPC: 823564517292
Street Date: July 14, 2009
Retail: $19.95
Run Time: 139 minutes

MVD Entertainment Group
PO BOX 280
Oaks PA 19456
http://www.mvdb2b.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #16 ***
*
-Of The Archaengel Finishing Debut Album In Sweden

Sleaszy Rider Records, the label which will release Of The
Archaengel's debut THE EXTRAPHYSICALLIA, noticed that the album
release will be delayed since it will be finished in Sweden, at The
Cutting Room studio (Amon Amarth, Opeth, Gorgoroth, Pain, Paradise
Lost, Chrome Division, etc).

About the collaboration, vocalist Alex Rodrigues comments: "When we
received the news about the delay, of course, we weren't very happy,
after all, we had booked the release of THE EXTRAPHYSICALLIA in a
concert with Opeth in São Paulo, and it looked like a wasted
opportunity, but when we heard the reason, everything else was
meaningless!

"We are very happy with the attention that we are receiving from our
label, specially when we remember the lack of interest of Brazilian
labels."

More information about Of The Archaengel and their forthcoming album
are available at http://www.ofthearchaengel.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/ofthearchaengel .

Of the Archaengel
press@...
http://www.ofthearchaengel.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ofthearchaengel

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #17 ***
*
-Pestilence Not Allowed Into The U.S.A.

Band Leader Patrick Mameli Makes Statement And Apologizes To The Fans

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- The innovators of Death Metal, Pestilence will not
headline today, May 24, 2009, at the Maryland DeatFest due to their
detainment at the U.S. border. Band leader Patrick Mameli and
guitarist Patrick Uterwyck were kept in custody for several hours and
sent back to the Netherlands late yesterday.

Upon entering the U.S. and stopping at customs they discovered their
paper work, which was sent to them, for their travels was not properly
completed for the required working visas. Originally they were told
all was in order and to proceed on the trip to the U.S. They spent a
total of 44 hours in flights and detainment -- the two artists had
flown the day before to give the U.S.A. metal-heads a skull-crushing
performance only to be disappointed.

"We are extremely sad and disappointed not being able to perform on
the MDF. Not having received the proper information on our visa
application, we were under the impression that what we received from
the securing visas and working permits office was the actual working
permits," explains band leader Patrick Mameli. "We were kept under
custody by the border security police for four hours trying to do
everything in our power to let us pass, but all our efforts failed.
They sent us home on the next plane. Hopefully we will be given
another chance to perform for you, our fans!"

For updated news on Pestilence click on
http://www.myspace.com/pestilenceofficial .

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #18 ***
*
-Supernatural Cat Release Update: Incoming Cerebral Overdrive, Limited
Ufomammut And Lento LPs

Italy's Supernatural Cat Records is proud to announce its next
releases; some very limited edition vinyl re-presses of two recent
releases, as well as the upcoming Supernatural Cat debut full-length
from the spastic Incoming Cerebral Overdrive.

Incoming Cerebral Overdrive - CONTROVERSO

In 2003, the band released a self-produced demo that helped break them
quickly into the local show circuit and also in the media, earning the
Top Demo from Metal Hammer Magazine and more. In August 2006 their
debut album CEREBRAL HEART (recorded at Fear Studio, mixed by Kurt
Ballou) was released on Italian label Myphonic Records, gaining the
band quite a bit of attention all over Europe.

Now it's time for CONTROVERSO... the next evolution in ICO's
destructive lineage. CONTROVERSO represents a new impulse of
uncontrollable nature. Constructed of eight tracks, the album evolves
through a conscious musical growing, breathing with the innovative
soul of Avant-garde music. Originating from the Mastodonic approach to
the riff, wholly rooted in a hardcore attitude, and overall developing
in something rather unique and multiform, their furious dynamics,
searing vocals, '70s Italian Prog reminiscence, and psychedelic
aesthetic show ICO's will to experiment on continuously mutating song
structures.

Track list:

1. Reflections
2. Oxygen
3. Controversial
4. Science
5. Magic
6. Sound
7. Colours
8. There

CONTROVERSO will be released in September in a very limited edition
packaging, hand-printed by Malleus, with colored LP and CD.

http://www.incomingcerebraloverdrive.com/
http://www.myspace.com/incomingcerebraloverdrive

Also available from Supernatural Cat now via mail-order only:

Ufomammut - SNAILKING limited edition

Coming soon... The double LP limited edition, super deluxe, hand-made
edition of Ufomammut's massive SNAILKING release, printed by Malleus.
Pressed on heavyweight 180-gram transparent wax, the record has been
re-mastered for this version, resulting in a crushingly intense tone.
This SNAILKING version is strictly limited to 100 copies and it's a
"MUST HAVE" for any record collector. This version differs from the
black vinyl version. Witness the beauty of this amazing pressing here:
http://www.supernaturalcat.com/eng/snailking.html

Lento - EARTHEN limited edition

Lento's organic earthmover EARTHEN will be repressed in very limited
LP versions as well. There are only 200 pieces on black 180-gram
vinyl, and a more limited version with 100 copies on red wax. All the
packaging was designed and hand-printed by Malleus, of course. See the
pressing coming to life here:
http://www.supernaturalcat.com/eng/lento.html

http://www.supernaturalcat.com/
http://www.myspace.com/supernaturalcat

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #19 ***
*
-Six Feet Under Bassist Terry Butler To Replace Derrick Ramirez On
Obliterhate Debut

Due to Derrick Ramirez's (ex-Dragonlord/ex-Testament) hectic schedule,
Terry Butler (Six Feet Under/ex-Death/ex-Massacre) will join the ranks
of Obliterhate and has recently laid down all the bass tracks at
Redneck Studios (owned by John and Donald Tardy of Obituary) for
upcoming debut, BLESSING IN DISGUST.

Comments Terry Butler: "It's a great honor to be part of something
with musicians of this caliber. I would like to thank Calvin for
offering me the chance to play bass for Obliterhate. He has written
some amazing tunes for this release! Describing the music I would have
to say that it's very heavy and riffy. There's a good mix of thrash
and death metal. The lead work is amazing, the drums are crushing and
what else can I say -- Dan Swanö on vocals! I had a lot of fun
recording the bass for Obliterhate. The bass tracks were recorded at
John and Donald Tardy's Studio -- Redneck Studios. If anyone is
looking to record, I highly recommend using Redneck Studios!"

States Obliterhate guitarist Calvin Chiang: "Having such an amazing
musician like Terry Butler be involved in Obliterhate was exactly what
I needed for this band. Not only does Terry have the solid groove
nailed down to perfection, his work attitude towards this entire
project was more than spectacular! Both of us spent several weeks
discussing the song structures and Terry treated the band like it was
his own. He wanted to make sure he got every single note figured out
before stepping into the studio. A true masterclass musician in every
sense of the word! I would have no second thoughts to collaborate with
Terry again if the opportunity arises in the future. John Tardy was
responsible for tracking Terry's bass tracks at their very own Redneck
Studios, and I would like to thank John for the total professionalism
shown throughout the entire recording and also for the patience in
sending over the edited bass tracks. The bass tracks that were laid
down sound huge and monstrous! I'm definitely very anxious to start
working on the album again after a long delay."

Obliterhate is:
Calvin Chiang (Raspatul) - Guitars
Dan Swanö (Nightingale/ex-Edge Of Sanity/ex-Bloodbath) - Vocals
Terry Butler (Six Feet Under/ex-Death/ex-Massacre) - Bass
Erik Sayenga (ex-Dying Fetus) - Drums
Mirai Kawashima (Sigh/Necrophagia) - Keyboards

James Murphy (Disincarnate/ex-Death/ex-Testament) - Guest guitar solo
Jeff Becerra (Possessed) - Lyrics
Rogga Johansson (Paganizer/Demiurg) - Lyrics and vocal arrangements

http://www.myspace.com/obliterhate

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-The Bang Your Head!!! festival is slated for June 26-27 in Balingen,
Germany, with 22 bands including Journey, Blind Guardian, Lita Ford,
U.D.O., Y&T, W.A.S.P., Sodom, and Tesla. See
http://www.bang-your-head.de/ for more info.

-Chickenfoot's debut album has reportedly leaked out on the 'net, and
now the album's official release has been pushed up to June 5. The
band -- Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith --
will appear on "The Tonight Show" that night. See
http://www.chickenfoot.us/ for more.

-Les Claypool's new video for "Red State Girl," from OF FUNGI AND FOE,
is available now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Y3lIr4Rks . See
http://www.lesclaypool.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/thereallesclaypool for more.

-Death On Two Wheels will make its Hollywood debut June 12 at the Roxy
Theater, opening the record release party for Rival Sons. DO2W will
play songs from its upcoming debut album, SEPARATION OF CHURCH & FATE.
See http://www.myspace.com/deathontwowheels for more.

-Elektradrive's LIVING 4 is out now on Valery Records. Hype says the
disc is a "mature concept album of modern/classy AOR with committed
lyrics about [the] environment, water scarcity and general concerns on
the state of our planet." Track list: "Evil Empire," "Feed The
Ground," "What We Still Don't Know," "Living 4," "Do It For Everyone,"
"Get Power From The Sun," "Pain," "Dirty War Of Bloody Angels," "The
Water Diviner," "You Are Always On My Mind," "W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G.," "In A
Superficial Way," "Fake News," "Son Of The Universe." Check out some
30-second song clips:

"Evil Empire"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/Elektradrive_4/00000001.mp3

"Feed The Ground"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/Elektradrive_4/00000002.mp3

"What We Still Don't Know"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/Elektradrive_4/00000003.mp3

"Living 4"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/Elektradrive_4/00000004.mp3

See http://www.elektradrive.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/elektradrive for more.

-There's a new interview with Epica vocalist Simone Simons at
http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/7B68 .

-In Hades-related news, Non-Fiction -- featuring Hades band mates Alan
Tecchio (vocals) and Dan Lorenzo (guitar) -- will regroup November 7
for a one-off show at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ. Also, check out this
great piece on Hades and the band's new DVD, BOOTLEGGED IN BOSTON
1988, from our pal Mark Morton at Heavy Metal Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/x-5629-Heavy-Metal-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Exclusive-intervi\
ew-with-Hades-guitarist-Dan-Lorenzo-Bringing-Thrash-back-with-Bootlegged-In-Bost\
on
.

-Heaven's Touch's THE BEST 1985-1995 is out now on Rock Royce Records.
The sound is deemed "AOR/classic rock." Track list: "Foo Fighters"
(intro), "Screamin' For You," "Desire (How Much Does It Burn)," "Too
Much To Love You," "Shoot Me A Bang," "Lord Of Justice," "1483," "R.U.
In Love," "Change My Love," "Ambition To Rock," "This One's All Mine,"
"Take Me Home," "Don't Make Me Waste My Tears," "Another Kind Of
Love," "Next Stop Is Paradise," "I Want You," "Crazy Dream." Check out
30-second clips:

"Screamin' For You"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/HeavensTouch/00000002.mp3

"Desire (How Much Does It Burn)"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/HeavensTouch/00000003.mp3

"Too Much Love To Love You"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/HeavensTouch/00000004.mp3

"Shoot Me A Bang"
http://www.targetrecords.de/mp3/HeavensTouch/00000005.mp3

See http://www.myspace.com/heavenstouchband and
http://www.rockroyce.it/ for more.

-Check out an interview with Norwegian prog metal band Leprous'
guitarist Oystein S. Landsverk at http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/7B69 .

-Mystic Prophecy's FIREANGEL is out now on Massacre Records. Track
list: "Across The Gates Of Hell," "Demons Crown," "We Kill!! You
Die!!," "Father Save Me," "To The Devil I Pray," "Fireangel," "Fight
Back The Light," "Death Under Control," "Revolution Evil," "Gods Of
War," "Forever Betrayed." The limited edition version of the album
comes with a bonus CD featuring "over one hour of bonus material." See
http://www.mysticprophecy.net/ and
http://www.myspace.com/mysticprophecy for more.

-Primal Fear -- vocalist Ralf Scheepers, new guitarist Magnus
Karlsson, guitarist Henny Wolter, bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner, and
drummer Randy Black -- has a new album called 16.6: (BEFORE THE DEVIL
KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD) out now in Europe; it's due May 29 in Japan and
June 7 in the U.S. Track list: "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead,"
"Riding The Eagle," "Six Times Dead (16.6)," "Black Rain," "Under The
Radar," "5.0/Torn," "Soar," "Killbound," "No Smoke Without Fire,"
"Night After Night," "Smith & Wesson," "The Exorcist," "Hands Of
Time." A limited edition version includes the bonus tracks "Cry Havoc"
and "Scream" plus the video for "Six Times Dead (16.6)," and the
Japanese version will include a "special single re-mix" of "No Smoke
Without Fire." Check out the "Six Times Dead (16.6)" video now at the
band's regular and MySpace sites. Upcoming tour dates:

8/5 - Circo Valador, Mexico City, Mexico
8/7 - Industria Cultural, Santiago, Chile
8/8 - Teatro Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina
8/9 - Carioca, Sao Paulo, Brazil
8/22 - Rock Gone Wild, Alogna, IA
9/7 - Station 4, St. Paul, MN
9/8 - Key Club, West Hollywood, CA
9/9 - Jaxx, Springfield, VA
9/10 - ProgPower USA X @ Center Stage, Atlanta, GA
9/12 - The Blender Theater, New York, NY
9/13 - FouFounes Electriques, Montreal, QUE

See http://www.primalfear.de/ and
http://www.myspace.com/primalfearofficial for more, and check out song
clips at http://musicbuymail.eu/?i=27494 .

-A Yahoo! article regarding Queen's possible budding relationship with
"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert states that while the band
hasn't "yet" offered the gig to Lambert, Brian May told Rolling Stone
that he and drummer Roger Taylor "are definitely hoping to have a
meaningful conversation with him at some point," and that May would
"certainly like to work with" Lambert. Check it out at
http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/2461071/news/urn:newsml:tv.tvguide.com:20090525:\
1006316__ER:1
.

-The revamped Michael Schenker Group -- singer Gary Barden, guitarists
Schenker and Wayne Findlay, bassist Chris Glen, and drummer Chris
Slade -- has confirmed the upcoming North American tour:

6/6 - Santa Fe Station, Las Vegas, NV
6/9 - Key Club, W. Hollywood, CA
6/10 - Fat Cat, Modesto, CA
6/11 - Avalon, Santa Clara, CA
6/12 - Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA
6/13 - Angels Roadhouse, Yucaipa, CA
6/14 - 4th & B, San Diego, CA
6/16 - Club 101, El Paso, TX
6/18 - Pontiac Garage, Dallas, TX
6/19 - House Of Blues, Houston, TX
6/20 - Camargo Park, San Antonio, TX
6/21 - Aces, Austin, TX
6/24 - Blender Theater At Gramercy, New York, NY
6/25 - Jaxx, Springfield, VA
6/27 - Harpo's Concert Theatre, Detroit, MI
6/29 - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
6/30 - Pops, Sauget, IL
7/3 - Vinnie's, Concord, CA
7/4 - 19 Broadway, Fairfax, CA
7/7 - Element, Victoria, BC
7/8 - Studio 7, Seattle, WA
7/10 - Brixton, Redondo Beach, CA
7/11 - Galaxy Theater, Santa Ana, CA
7/13 - Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
7/14 - Element, Victoria, BC
7/17 - Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

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

-The pre-sale event for John Taglieri's LIVES E.P./book combo is still
ongoing, exclusively at Soundwave Merchandise. There's an E.P./book
bundle for $12.98 and an E.P./book/T-shirt bundle for $24.98. Check it
out at http://soundwavemerch.com/merchjohntaglieri.html . The "Lives"
project is scheduled to last for two years and will encompass four
E.P.s, books, and graphic novels, as well as "many extras." Check out
http://TheLivesProject.com/ for more information, including an offer
to join the "Lives" club for two years for $50; this will get you "all
four releases of the books and E.P.s, as well as the graphic novels,
acoustic version of the songs, extra blogs from the characters and
more!" The site also has links to find the main characters, Cate
Alston and Max Knight, on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger.
Meanwhile, Taglieri's main site JohnTaglieri.com and his pages at
Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have all been revamped. There's also a
fan page at Facebook: http://artist.to/JohnTaglieri . See
http://www.myspace.com/johntaglierimusic and
http://www.reverbnation.com/johntaglieri for more.

Thanks to Thomas Michel, Birgit Brackle, Chad Bowar, Robert Pancur,
Music Buy Mail, Mark Morton, Adam Bryant, Nancy B. Sayle, Roscoe, and
Bill "Marley" Kotowski for help gathering some of this information.

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

-Okay, so, anytime a favorite band releases a live album I get to carp
about song selection. I'm actually pretty happy with the contents of
Judas Priest's upcoming A TOUCH OF EVIL: LIVE -- I'm *very* happy the
band decided to ditch things like "Living After Midnight," "Breaking
The Law," and "You've Got Another Thinking Coming" in favor of newer
tracks and other chestnuts. I'm well pleased with the inclusion of
"Hellrider," "Between The Hammer & The Anvil," "Riding On The Wind,"
"Beyond The Realms Of Death," "Dissident Aggressor," "A Touch Of
Evil," and "Painkiller." I laughed when I saw "Eat Me Alive" -- this
is *such* a stupid song but you can't deny it brought the band some
notoriety during the days of the P.M.R.C. 25 years ago. And I'm still
not sold on ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION opener "Judas Rising"; I understand
it's heavy and all but I just don't think it's that dynamic of a song.
Now for the NOSTRADAMUS tracks... I have no quibble with "Prophecy"
but I think "Death" is a bad choice; it's just plain plodding and
dull. I'd rather have seen "Pestilence And Plague," the more
commercial "Visions," or the storming title track included. Ah well,
you can't ever by 100% happy with a live album. :) (And hey, a couple
of years ago didn't guitarist Glenn Tipton say live albums were kinda
on the outs, and that live DVDs would replace them?) Check out a cool
Billboard.com piece where singer Rob Halford talks about the album and
the upcoming summer tour at
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/judas-priest-digs-deep-for-evil-live-album-1\
003976524.story
.

-I've been listening to MSG's latest couple of discs, 2008's IN THE
MIDST OF BEAUTY and the new GIPSY LADY. (See my reviews below.) A few
observations that have nothing to do with the music... We know the
original "MSG" stood for "The Michael Schenker Group," and then when
he teamed up with singer Robin McAuley circa 1986 it stood for
"McAuley-Schenker Group." Then he reteamed with original MSG singer
Gary Barden for IN THE MIDST OF BEAUTY; the disc's cover has the
familiar red "MSG" logo surrounded by the words "Schenker" and
"Barden," and the spine of the CD indicates the group's name is "MSG -
Schenker-Barden." Rolls right off the tongue, eh? And now the acoustic
album GIPSY LADY's cover again has the red "MSG" logo, this time
surrounded by the words "Schenker Barden" and "Acoustic Project," with
the spine of the CD reading "Schenker Barden Acoustic Project." Any
way you slice it, it's still just The Michael Schenker Group to me. :)
Also, I saw on Michael Voss' Web site ( http://www.kidroom-music.de/ )
that GIPSY LADY is just Schenker's THANK YOU 4 (2003) disc redone with
new vocals and orchestration; but I don't think that's true. (And
don't even get me started on the record label... Is it "inakustik,"
"in-akustic," or "in-akustik GmbH & Co. KG"???)

-I don't know how we missed this, but Jorn Lande is back fronting
Masterplan. I was watching Jorn's new solo DVD, LIVE IN AMERICA, and
started pondering all the various tracks he performed live (you know,
he's been in roughly 237 bands), and I stumbled across a mention
somewhere that he'd rejoined Masterplan. I never heard that before. So
Steve "Master Researcher" Shumake went out and found info at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterplan ; turns out Mike DiMeo
confirmed in January that he'd left the band, and then last month the
rock mag Aardschok confirmed "the rumours about Jorn Lande's return"
to Masterplan. So the band's current lineup is set at Lande, Roland
Grapow (guitar), Jan S. Eckert (bass), Axel Mackenrott (keyboards),
and Mike Terrana (drums).

-Stratovarius is back? Looks like Timo Tolkki is the latest guitarist
to get the "Vinnie Vincent Treatment," basically having to leave his
own band so the other guys -- vocalist Timo Kotipelto, new guitarist
Matias Kupiainen, bassist Lauri Porra, keyboardist Jens Johansson, and
drummer Jorg Michael -- can continue on. Tolkki's now soldiering on
with Revolution Renaissance, and Stratovarius' new disc, POLARIS, is
out this week on Armoury Records. See http://www.stratovarius.com/ ,
http://www.eaglerockent.com/ , and http://www.ear-music.net/ for more.

-Do yourself a favor and check out the cover art for Hibria's album
THE SKULL COLLECTORS. It's freakin' COOL. I wonder if it's available
in 3-D?

-In my current playlist: Stratovarius - POLARIS (Armoury Records),
Sweet - LIVE! IN AMERICA (indie), Glittertind - LANDKJENNING (Napalm
Records).

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
DUSTSUCKER - DIABOLO DOMINATION (B) LMP/SPV, 2008
12 tracks (13th hidden), RT: 43:31
[ http://www.dustsucker.de/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/dustsuckers ]
[ http://www.limb-music.de/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/limbmusic ]
[ http://www.spv.de/ ]
[ http://www.spvusa.com/ ]
Let me get this out of the way first: the band's name is "Dustsucker?"
You gotta be kidding me. (Voice of Comic Book Guy:) "Worst. Band name.
EVER." Going by that alone, I feared the worst when I first dropped
DIABOLO DOMINATION into my player but thankfully, these Germans kick
out some pretty bad-ass dirty biker rock jams. This is one of those
discs that took a few spins before it truly sunk in, but when it did I
was glad I took enough time to give it a fair shot. This is good ol'
fashioned no frills party metal, coming across kinda like a more
metalized Monster Magnet (vocalist Max Count Farmer -- yes, really! --
is a dead ringer for MM's Dave Wyndorf). Joined in the studio by ex-
Grave Digger guitarist Uwe Lulis (who produced and plays bass on this
record in addition to his current duties with Rebellion), these guys
blaze through a dozen fast-and-furious songs that hit hard and don't
overstay their welcome. I especially liked "Let The Good Times Roll"
(not a cover of the Cars track, but an ode to remembering the good ol'
days of hanging out at the record store and causing youthful, rock &
roll-fueled trouble, similar to Saxon's "Denim And Leather" or
Megadeth's "Back In The Day") and "Land Of The King," which features a
guest guitar solo by Annihilator main man Jeff Waters. If no-frills
rock & roll fueled by whiskey and TNT is your thang, you'd be doing
yourself a favor by checking these guys out.
- Keith Abt (KeithAbt@...)

HADES - BOOTLEGGED IN BOSTON 1988 (DVD) (B) Cruz Del Sur Music, 2009
RT: 1:21:37
[ http://www.myspace.com/hadesusa ]
[ http://www.DanLorenzo.net/hades ]
[ http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/cruzdelsurmusic ]
[ info@... ]
New Jersey thrash icons Hades have been on ice for nearly a decade,
but they've recently announced that they will reunite for a live show
at Germany's Keep It True Festival in early 2010. Only time will tell
if the band will release any new music to coincide with the festival
appearance, but until that show (or the inevitable local "warm-up"
gigs that are sure to happen around Jersey beforehand), Hades fans
have something new to tide them over right now -- the BOOTLEGGED IN
BOSTON 1988 DVD, released through Italy's Cruz Del Sur Music. Old-
school fans should be more than pleased with this package, which
captures the band on stage at the height of their (unfortunately
short-lived) popularity opening for Manowar and Nuclear Assault in
December of 1988. The video quality is a bit "rough and ready" of
course (but then, what do you expect from a 20-year-old tape shot from
the audience by a guy with a camcorder? I've endured worse!), and the
sound could be better, but fortunately Hades happened to put on an
excellent performance on this particular night, which quickly
overcomes the limitations of the original video source. In other
words, them Hades boys were ON FIRE in Boston when this video was
shot!! The short live set (only seven tracks) pulls songs from their
first two albums, RESISTING SUCCESS and IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED,
and the band are clearly psyched as they blast through such favorites
as "I Too Eye," "Opinionate," "The Leaders?" and the classic
"Nightstalker." The washed-out video quality (which suffers from a
weird orange haze over everything, probably due to an overabundance of
reds in the stage lights) only heightens the old-school vibe of this
performance. Hades may have never gotten their due in the '80s but
they were a hell of a ferocious live act, and this video proves it.
The DVD also includes "Hades: Inside The Metal," a homemade "Behind
The Music"-style documentary (produced in 2000 to coincide with the
release of THE DOWNSIDE), where guitarist Dan Lorenzo and vocalist
Alan Tecchio (as well as other band members past and present) take the
viewer on a trip through all of the highs and lows of Hades history.
Some great cable-access TV appearances and vintage interviews are
sprinkled throughout this segment; I couldn't help but smile at seeing
some live clips that were shot at such long-gone Jersey metal dives as
Studio 1 in Newark and the China Club in Hillsdale. A bonus video of
Lorenzo's solo track "Frozen Planet" (from his CASSIUS KING solo
debut) tops the whole thing off. Oddly enough, some DVD retail sites
list this video as having a run time of over 120 minutes; so either
there are some super-duper secret Easter eggs on this thing that I
haven't found yet, or they're pulling that total out of thin air,
because by my watch, the combination of the 33-minute live set and the
46-minute "Inside The Metal" portion, plus Lorenzo's solo video,
totals shy of 90 minutes. Those 90 minutes do go by quickly, and as
long as they're not expecting crystal clear audio and video quality,
Hades fans should have a hell of a lot of fun watching BOOTLEGGED IN
BOSTON 1988.
- Keith Abt (KeithAbt@...)

INFERI - THE END OF AN ERA (B) Tribunal Records, 2009
10 tracks, RT: 54:18, multimedia section
[ http://www.myspace.com/inferimetal ]
[ inferimetal@... ]
[ http://www.tribunalrecords.net/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/tribunalrecords ]
Hailing from Nashville, Inferi is out with its debut album on Tribunal
Records, THE END OF AN ERA. The first track on this album ("The Ruin
Of Mankind") is an instrumental number, foreboding what kind of
brutality lies ahead. I was amazed at how similar vocalist Josh
Harrell sounds to Alexi Laiho of Children Of Bodom. It's uncanny! For
the most part, this album is pretty much straightforward death metal.
Eric W. Brown's drumming is menacingly fast, which complements the
equally rapid and insane guitar playing from Malcolm Pugh and Chris
Brocius! There are some unique fluctuations and ranges with the
vocalist, which brings some diversity to the songs. If you're not
really into death metal, then you'll probably find the lyrics hard to
decipher. It's not impossible, and if you pay attention, you'll be
able to hear them. Personally, I liked the delivery. "The Warrior's
Infinite Opus" is a song that stood out to me, due to its long length
and differing style from the other songs. There's some mad guitar
soloing played towards the beginning that will be sure to satiate any
metal fan's lust for a good riff. It's an all-instrumental song, and
it only gets better and better as the song progresses. Another one
that I particularly liked was "Forged In The Phlegethon" -- this is a
hallmark of what the band is all about. "Cursed Unholy" is a unique
song that opens with a somber and slow piano number, setting the mood
for a dark and perhaps cryptic song. As the drumming creeps in, the
song starts picking up speed and quickly mutates into death metal
mode. To complete the cycle, the song ends with another piano number.
I think this band has some real potential. Definitely above average,
and worth looking into.
- Stephanie Davison (Zatanna7@...)

JUNGLE ROT - WHAT HORRORS AWAIT (C+) Napalm Records, 2009
14 tracks, RT 41:24
[ http://www.myspace.com/junglerot ]
[ http://www.napalmrecords.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/napalmrecords ]
Jungle Rot is death metal band hailing from the Midwest and they are
out with their latest album, WHAT HORRORS AWAIT. There are 14 tracks,
but most songs barely reach three minutes and the longest one clocks
in at about four minutes. Their record label describes them as "Old
School Death Metal" and I found that to be a very accurate term for
them. The band cites influences such as Sodom and Slayer. As a huge
Slayer fan, I'm not too sure I'd compare Jungle Rot to the ranks of
Slayer, especially not from the vocal standpoint. The songs aren't
bad. They focus a lot on the death and danger and horrors of war. This
is a consistent theme throughout the album, which in turn makes the
album get a little repetitive and the lyrics become somewhat trite.
There are really no guitar solos or anything that I would call
amazing. Some of the drumming was hard and fast, which really
invigorated some of the songs. The vocals were deep and growling,
reminiscent of something primordial. To compare them to something I'd
say they're a bit of a cross between Sepultura and Amon Amarth, if
we're talking vocals. Instrumentally, it's very straightforward. Some
songs were catchier than others, like "Worst Case Scenario" and "What
Horrors Await." Listen to either one of these songs and you'll get a
feel for what this band is like. They're pretty much mediocre, but
worth looking into if you want some decent death metal.
- Stephanie Davison (Zatanna7@...)

VINNIE MOORE - TO THE CORE (A-) Mascot Records U.S.A., 2009
11 tracks, RT: 59:03
[ http://www.vinniemoore.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/vinniemoore ]
[ http://www.mascotrecords.com/ ]
TO THE CORE is Vinnie Moore's long awaited follow up to 2001's DEFYING
GRAVITY and finds the celebrated shred pioneer stepping even further
away from the note-dense neoclassicism of his early work in favor of a
more balanced blend of his rock, bebop, R&B, blues, and even funk
influences. Vinnie is obviously a big fan of Jeff Beck, as his playing
often includes familiar "Beck-isms" from the BLOW BY BLOW/WIRED period
-- check out opener "Fly" or "Tailspin" for good examples of this
approach. Fans of Vinnie's mind-boggling technique will get their dose
from "Panic Attack," "Off The Hook" and "Into The Open Highway," while
those into his always excellent melodic atmospherics will be carried
away by "Soul Caravan," "Remorse," and closer "Into The Sunset."
Vinnie keeps the rhythms relatively simple on this one, especially on
"Jigsaw" and "Over My Head," so a bit of the intricate drumming and
bass interplay found on THE MAZE is missed here, but it sounds as if
Vinnie's intent was to strip away some of the excess and go for feel
and groove over complexity. Overall, Vinnie has delivered to us
another stunning disc which should frequently find its way back into
the CD player...
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP - IN THE MIDST OF BEAUTY (B+) in-akustik, 2008
12 tracks, RT: 49:39
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP - GIPSY LADY (B/B-) in-akustik, 2009
12 tracks, RT: 47:02
[ http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/michaelschenkerhimself ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/bardenofmichaelschenker ]
[ http://www.a-minor-records.ch/ ]
[ http://www.kidroom-music.de/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/kidroommusicde ]
[ http://www.in-akustik.com/ ]
[ music@... ]
Don't ever try to predict Michael Schenker. He released a new MSG
studio album last year (IN THE MIDST OF BEAUTY), canceled some tour
dates, released a follow-up acoustic album (GISPY LADY), and is now
touring behind...the '08 release. Got all that? :) The great news is
IN THE MIDST OF BEAUTY sees Schenker reteam with almost the entire
original 1980 MSG lineup -- vocalist Gary Barden, keyboardist Don
Airey, and drummer Simon Phillips, plus bassist Neil Murray instead of
Mo Foster -- and it's great to hear these grizzled veterans rocking
out. Airey adds some Deep Purple moments with his B3 (check out "I
Want You," "A Night To Remember," and "Come Closer"), Barden's lower
register had me thinking David Coverdale (especially in "Wings Of
Emotion"), and of course Schenker's guitar playing is in fine form as
always. You'll recognize a few riffs from the old days, and it's nice
to hear an album kick off with four straight rockers. There's only one
true ballad ("Summerdays"), and the rest are a mix of up- and mid-
tempo numbers. Highlights include "Competition," "I Want You," the
insanely silly/catchy "Na Na," "I Am The One," opener "City Lights,"
and "End Of The Line." Now fast-forward a year; Schenker and Barden
are (thankfully!) still together, and have teamed up with
percussionist Kai Luennemann and utility man Michael Voss (Silver, Mad
Max, Casanova, Demon Drive; on guitar, bass, keyboards, orchestra
arrangement, and backing vocals) for the all-acoustic GIPSY LADY.
Schenker is no stranger to acoustic projects, having released
NIGHTMARE with Robin McAuley back in '92, doing a series of acoustic
instrumental solo discs called THANK YOU over the years, and including
unplugged sets in his concerts. For the most part what's here is an
expansion of the THANK YOU discs, but with vocals added (aside from
the instrumentals "El Grande" and "The Journey"). There are no solo
guitar tracks; each features a "full band" dynamic, and the addition
of female backing vocals, strings, harmonica, piano, flute, and even a
fiddle in a few places definitely spices up the works. Overall the
disc is rather laidback and it's a bit of a grower. True, the catchy
duo "Another Melody" and "Travelled So Far" jumps out at first, but to
be honest, I really can't decide if the songs are good-catchy or
goofy-catchy. But after repeat listens some other highlights began to
emerge: "Dance Lady Gipsy," the groovin' "Fight For Freedom,"
"Starting Over," "Can't Live On Love Alone" (dig that tasty solo!),
and closer "The Journey." It's great to see the Schenker/Barden
pairing back in action, and producing good, diverse material. Long
live MSG!
- Tim Wadzinski (tsw512@...)

SEPULTURA - A-LEX (C-) SPV/Steamhammer, 2009
18 tracks, RT: 54:22
[ http://www.sepultura.com/ ]
[ http://sepultura.uol.com.br/v6/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/sepultura ]
[ http://www.spv.de/ ]
[ http://www.spvusa.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/spvusa ]
Though I was firmly on board with Sepultura during their extremely
fertile late '80s/early '90s era (when they released the still-killer
triad of BENEATH THE REMAINS in '89, ARISE in '91 and CHAOS A.D. in
'93), I haven't crossed paths much with the Brazilian thrash/death
metal stalwarts over the past decade or so. The band and I began to
part ways after the release of 1996's watershed ROOTS; though it may
be one of their most popular records, that album saw the band dabbling
with too many groove/nu-metal stylings for my liking. Curiosity made
me return again for '98's AGAINST, which featured new American
vocalist Derrick Green replacing longtime throat Max Cavalera (who
split to form Soulfly), and though that album was a welcome return to
thrashier pastures for the band, I found Green's vox to be a bit too
one-dimensional and the band faded from my CD rotation after that.
Flash forward a few years and albums, Sepultura has now lost the other
Cavalera brother (drummer Igor) and the band has released their
eleventh album, A-LEX, which I probably would've ignored if I hadn't
heard that it was a conceptual piece (!) based on Anthony Burgess'
novel "A Clockwork Orange." The novel (and Stanley Kubrick's classic
1971 movie version starring Malcolm McDowell) was a favorite of mine
during my college days so I thought that perhaps Sepultura had finally
delivered something that would be up my alley again. Unfortunately, A-
LEX didn't hold my interest for long. First the good news: musically,
Sepultura still sounds as ferocious as ever. Guitarist Andreas Kisser
(who has become the band's driving force in the wake of both Cavalera
brothers' exits) has still got chops, and new drummer Jean Dolabella
may not be Igor C.'s equal but he can beat the skins with admirable
skill. However, Green's vocals don't seem to have improved or
progressed much since I last checked in at Camp Sep. He still has only
one vocal mode -- a deep, grumbling "WOOOOOORRRRRGH" -- which, by the
album's midpoint, simply sounds like you're listening to someone
repeatedly jam a lion in the ass with a sharp object. Additionally, if
you hadn't told me this was a concept album based on "A Clockwork
Orange," I never would've been able to tell just by listening to it.
Maybe it's me, but a concept album should have highs and lows, with
changes in style to represent different moods/story points. The songs
on A-LEX don't have any kind of flow, they just rage from one track to
the next without giving you the feeling that you're listening to any
kind of cohesive storyline. It feels more like you're simply being
beat over the head...until three quarters of the way through the
album, when the classical track "Ludwig Van," a Beethoven piece that
sounds like it wandered in from a Trans-Siberian Orchestra album by
mistake, gives you a brief respite from the brutality. I still think
"A Clockwork Orange" would be a GREAT inspiration for a metal concept
album. I just don't think Sepultura were the right band to do it. I'll
give them grudging props for their ambition here, but in the end A-LEX
was a disappointment.
- Keith Abt (KeithAbt@...)

SWEET CYANIDE (B+) Breakdown Lane Music, 2008
10 tracks, RT: 35:10
[ http://www.sweetcyanide.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/sweetcyanidenyc ]
[ http://www.myspce.com/breakdownlanemusic ]
On their self-titled debut album, New York based outfit Sweet Cyanide
start with a '60s rock foundation (Rolling Stones, Beatles), layer on
'70s glam (T.Rex, Bowie), inject a healthy dose of '80s sleaze (Hanoi
Rocks, Guns N' Roses) and top it all off with a modern power pop
flavor (Fountains Of Wayne, All American Rejects) to create a potent
and instantly accessible concoction. Check out the hard rockin'
swagger of "Crash Theory," "American Me" and "Under The Sun," then
marvel at the excellent pop craftsmanship of "Heart Breaker" and
"Between Us." Throughout the album you get a cool mix of edgy guitars
and strong vocals with really infectious choruses. A few songs run a
little too much into the saccharine side of things for me, but there's
plenty of poison to keep things dangerous. I think these guys have the
potential to be the next big thing, so watch out for 'em. Good stuff!
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*