"The Spanish portion of the 'Hellish Rock Tour' has started with a sold-out concert in Barcelona where the performances of all the three bands - Axxis, Gamma Ray, Helloween - have been filmed. While the performances of Axxis and Helloween will be used at a not confirmed later date, Gamma Ray will be using the recordings to update their long awaited DVD with the working title "Hell Yeah!!! The Awesome Foursome" which will now be released this year."
Norwegian black metallers Dimmu Borgir have posted the following on their myspace blog:
In support of their Billboard Top 200-charting album In Sorte Diaboli, Norway's renowned melodic black metal band, Dimmu Borgir, will be returning to North America as part of "The Invaluable Darkness Tour Part 2 - Legions Of The Chosen Few" headlining run with Poland's Behemoth and fellow countrymen, Keep Of Kalessin.
The 24-show trek will launch on April 2nd in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and will end on May 4th in Chicago, IL. Drummer Tony Laureano will continue to handle drum duties, as the 2007 injury suffered by Hellhammer still has him sidelined.
Danish metallers Mnemic has been nominated in the "Hard Rock" category at the annual Danish Music Awards (the Danish equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The 40th Danish Music Award show will be held Saturday, February 23 at Tivoli in Copenhagen, Denmark and will be broadcast live on Myspace TV.
The nominees in the "Hard Rock" category are as follows:
Mnemic - Passenger (Nuclear Blast)
The Psyke Project - Apnea (Bonnier)
Hatesphere- Serpent Smiles And Killer Eyes (SPV Records)
The Amon Amarth tour in Australia and New-Zealand has just finished, the band will now begin writing new material for their next album. The band states:
"Our touring is done for this time, and even though we do have a couple of shows coming up this spring, our main effort will be writing and recording a new album. The plan is to return to Fascination Street Studios in May to record the new album, once again working with Jens Bogren as engineer and producer."
Album cover, album title and tracklist to be announced.
Industrial metal legends from USA Ministry announced they will end their long and successful career this year. They are currently preparing for their last tour which will end 10th of July in Czech Republic at Masters Of Rock 2008 festival, where they will play their last concert. And then? Nothing more...
Masters Of Rock Official Homepage :
"Americans MINISTRY gained during their long music career enormous success. They were nominated for Grammy Awards several times, in 2000 they lost only with Black Sabbath. The last nomination is from 2007! Yes, Ministry is still very actual band and real legend! It's a cult of industrial metal. Ministry released a new album called "The Last Sucker" and goes on their last world's tour."
Onslaught have confirmed their appearance at the Lagoa Burning Live festival on their MySpace:
"We are very proud to announce that we have just been confirmed to appear at the Lagoa Burning Live Festival At Estombar, Algarve in Portugal, on 27th July 2008 alongside our good friends Obituary..
Also appearing at the festival will be:
Tankard
Grave Digger
Cruachan
Dark Moon
Dionysus
+ More TBA
Onslaught guitarist Nige Rockett comments: ''We cant fuckin wait to return to
Portugal especially to such a great festival as this one..It really is gonna be awesome with the Obituary guys there too..
Our last visit was amazing and we met so many cool people, this one promises to be every bit as special...''
Swedish metallers Steel Attack have announced on their website that they are done with recording the upcoming album, and currently the mixing session is underway. The title of the album will be "Carpe DiEnd" and the cover artwork can be viewed at this location. The album will be released on 22 February through Massacre Records and includes a bonus video clip of "Angels" directed by Owe Lingvall.
Vocalist Michael Sweet of Stryper has issued an update on the upcoming album:
"I'm still tracking vocals in my studio and we plan to start mixing by the first week in February. We should be finished mixing by the end of February and then we'll master, do a photo shoot and then the rest will be up to artwork department at Big3 to put it all together and package it."
Michael estimates that the album will be out in July/August followed by a tour.
"The record sounds amazing and it will have everything that you've always wanted a Stryper record to have - melodies, guitar solos, stacked vocal harmonies and screams. Sonically, it's our best to date. It's a very edgy record yet at the same time it retains it's melodic sense. I'll keep you updated as we progress."
German metallers Suidakra is confirmed to play at Chicago Powerfest May 2008, and after that the band will join Paganfest USA tour as a special guest on six west coast dates:
05 May - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
06 May - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
07 May - Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
08 May - Hollywood, CA - House of blues
09 May - TBA
10 May - Long Beach, CA - The Vault
The band states:
"Paganfest USA will be storming the stage with the likes of Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr and Eluveitie. It shall indeed be a unique experience for fans, as a blend of Viking/folk bands like this has never been seen in a tour on US soil before and we're happy to be a part of it for those six shows!
After Forever has posted the following statement on their website:
Dear fans,
as you might have noticed, After Forever experienced a lot in 2007. A new deal with Nuclear Blast and The Entertainment Group, the release of a new album, gigs in Europe and the U.S.A./Canada, all thanks to your support. Unfortunately, 2007 also had a negative side. Sander experienced the symptoms of a burn-out and had to stop playing with After Forever for a few months. After Forever did a good job doing the scheduled gigs with mainly George (ex- Orphanage) as grunter, making possible the album could still be promoted. After that, a European and an American/Canadian tour followed, with Sander this time, and his condition seemed to be ok. Unfortunately, just recently, Sander fell victim to a seizure attack in an airplane, and after research that attack seemed to be stress related. The doctors think this is a very serious matter, and they strongly advised him to not be involved with any After Forever activity for at least a year, to prevent a worse health situation. Because Sander is one of the formers, songwriter and co manager of After Forever, an After Forever without him is no option. The band has been able to solve his absence in 2007 live, but another year full of compromises would not be positive for the quality After Forever wants to offer. After Forever is a band that wants to give 100% and that's just not possible now. With pain in our hearts, we had to decide that After Forever has to take a break of at least a year and hope you will all respect that. It's terrible not to be able to do all the great gigs and activities we were planning, but it's even worse for After Forever to do those things with a compromise. We highly value everything the band has achieved, and we don't want to lose that. We also realise we ask a lot of our fans since we know what our gigs and music means to them. However, we will all still be active in the music scene. Because of this break everybody gets the chance to focus on projects. On our site and myspace sites we'll keep you updated about those projects.
Indie Recordings has announced the signing of Borknagar:
It is with great pride we announce the signing of Progressive Black Metal Legends Borknagar!
Borknagar has for nearly a decade been a leading star in the Black Metal community. Like no other band they have pushed the boundaries of what is possible within the genre, and now they will once again return to the dark side - to their roots, for a darker and heavier album to be released on Indie Recordings. It is an honour to add Borknagar to our rooster.
In a press statement the band comments the signing:
"After nearly a year of negotiating deals with different labels we are now proud to finally reveal the partnership that we have settled for our next 3 albums. In late December 2007 we inked a 3 album deal with the Norwegian label Indie Recordings. After the release of ORIGIN, our 12 years and 6 albums long partnership with Century Media Records came to an end contractually. The years have been a great journey, but sometimes changes are needed to evolve and it was time for a change now. We are really exited to start working with our new partners for the next albums to come. Indie Recordings is a relatively new label, but the crucial staff behind the company has been friends and fans of the band for many years. Their genuine dedication and high level of professionalism makes us totally confident that our collaboration in the future will be prosperous in many ways; for the band, our fans and other associates. We are currently in writing mode for our next album and we are aiming for a late 2008 release. This time around we will be back on track with a massive album including all our core elements that have formed our identity through the years. For our long run fans the album might represent a surprise or two. So beware!"
Finnish metallers Amorphis have been confirmed as the second headliner of ProgPower USA IX. America's premiere metal festival returns to Center Stage in Atlanta on Sept 26 & 27.
"Amorphis may not fit the stereotypical profile, but they truly are a progressive giant in this scene. From their death metal roots to the current moody atmosphere, they have done it all. Any band that can survive for sixteen years by doing it their own way deserves to be a headliner" said promoter Glenn Harveston.
Amorphis's last performance in the U.S. was in 2003.
The new drummer of Atrocity and Leaves' Eyes is Nick Barker, who was the former drummer of Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Testament.
Alex Krull: "It's with great pleasure that we can announce Nick Barker is joining the Atrocity and Leaves' Eyes family! We always were great fans of his way of drumming and we are happy that we will kick some ass in the future together! Nick was our No.1 choice! When we heard he would join us we invited him right away!"
Here's a first statement of Nick Barker about joining the two bands:
Nick, how long do you know Alex and the guys of Atrocity and Leaves' Eyes?
Nick: "I've known Atrocity for many years, I think the first time we met was on the Deicide/Atrocity tour in 1992 when I was the drum tech for support band Cancer, and since that time we've always ran into each other on the European summer festival circuit during the years that followed. Whenever I would play in the Stuttgart area with any of my previous bands, some of the guys would always be there and show their support."
British death metal veterans Bolt Thrower have been announced as headliners of this year's Party.San Open Air Festival, set to take place on August 7-9, 2008 in Bad Berka, Germany. The band has stated the following about their only festival appearance of the year:
"So, we're very happy to announce that the festival we have chosen to play this summer is the Party.San Metal Open Air Festival in Bad Berka, Germany on 7-9th August. Tickets are only 39.60 Euros, including parking and camping, and the festival is capped at only 10,000 visitors, so considering this and the already killer line-up, it looks like it will sell out in advance. So, we suggest that people who want to buy tickets on the day, should check the availability before they set off, to avoid the disappointment a lot of people had at last year's sold-out Summer Breeze Festival, where they got turned away.
Detonation has posted the following statement on their myspace blog:
"We regret to announce we have to cancel the UK dates that where scheduled for April. It's been a hard decision to reach since we've been looking forward to playing the UK again, but unfortunately the risks involved (from a business point of view) were too great.
We very much appreciate the efforts made by Dark Balance Records, Boltdown and all bookers involved to organise this tour, and are bummed not to be able to take part. We'd like to stress the cancellation is purely based on the situation Detonation is in at the moment, and does not have anything to do with the bookers, venues or bands we're playing with. We hope to make up for it very soon.
