Taken from a message posted on the Pain Of Salvation website :

"So, let it be publically known: on the 10th of March, after the Copenhagen show, Simon Andersson was welcomed into Pain of Salvation as a full member. He did an outstanding job on the tour and we are looking forward to the coming years with great anticipation. Since his girlfriend is a huge Pain of Salvation fan, we happily expect to see this decision put a little silver lining on their sex life as well, since she can now all of a sudden go to bed with a member of the band

Congratulations Simon, and welcome to the family!"

Source:	painofsalvation.com
Band profile:	Pain Of Salvation

Sweden's Pain Of Salvation has posted the following update on its official web site:

"The long-awaited 'Scarsick' album is now done, and is expected to hit the stores late January 2007, just a few weeks before the European tour that will start mid-February. The album is (of course) a concept album, and clocks in at 67 minutes, consisting of the following tracks:

01. Scarsick
02. Spitfall
03. Cribcaged
04. America
05. Disco Queen
06. Kingdom of Loss
07. Mrs Modern Mother Mary
08. Idiocracy
09. Flame to the Moth
10. Enter Rain

"The cover artwork and track titles have already spawned a lot of discussions in forums and lists around the net regarding the possibility that 'Scarsick' might actually be 'The Perfect Element' part II in disguise. Interviews with the band will undoubtedly start to pop up in magazines and online the following months, so keep your eyes and ears open...

"Now that 'Scarsick' is finished, the band will focus on finding a new bass player. The first auditions are already scheduled for December, but the quest will be 'as long as it takes to find the right guy.' Applications have been pouring in from all around the world, despite the band's request for a bassist living in Sweden. Thus, focus will be on the 'domestic' applications. But this also means that the field is still open, in case you are hesitating.

"The 'Scarsick' tour is taking shape. The European tour will be taking place in February/March 2007. The band says that more shows are planned for 2007 in other parts of the world, but nothing is 100% confirmed yet."

Pain Of Salvation tour dates:

Feb. 17 - Oslo, Norway @ John Dee
Feb. 18 - Gothenburg, Sweden @ Musikens Hus
Feb. 20 - Warsaw, Poland @ Progresja
Feb. 21 - Krakow, Poland @ Klub Studio
Feb. 22 - Budapest, Hungary @ Schiff A38
Feb. 23 - Wien, Austria @ Planet Music
Feb. 25 - Treviso, Italy @ New Age
Feb. 26 - Rome, Italy @ Alpheus
Feb. 27 - Milan, Italy @ Rolling Stone
Mar. 01 - Pratteln, Switzerland @ Z7
Mar. 02 - Amsterdam, Holland @ Paradiso
Mar. 03 - Paris, France @ Elysee Monmartre
Mar. 04 - Vosselaar, Belgium @ Biebob
Mar. 06 - Augsburg, Germany @ Spectrum
Mar. 07 - Aschaffenburg, Germany @ ColosSaal
Mar. 08 - Bochum, Germany @ Zeche
Mar. 10 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ The Rock

Read more ››

Source:	painofsalvation.com
Band profile:	Pain Of Salvation
Event:	Pain Of Salvation: European Tour

Because some of the members of the band and the crew caught cold and became ill, Lordi had to cancel the Spanish leg of the "Bringing Back The Balls To Europe" Tour. The tour will continue at Antwerp, Belgium, October 22nd.

"We are really sorry and disappointed of the fact that we had to cancel dates", says Mr.Lordi. "but there has been a furious flu going around the band and the crew for few weeks, that has´nt left almost anyone unaffected. Our support band, The Dogma, already had to cancel one date as a result of the same flu, and now, unfortunately, we had to do the same... Kita was really sick but is already getting better, Amen is just now coming down with it, Ox even had the ear infection, and now, Awa and myself became seriously sick. I went to the hospital once already almost two weeks ago during our German dates and we were able to continue, but now the disease stroke back even stronger. We deeply apologise to our fans in Spain, and we´ll definately try and make it up to them!"

Source:	lordi.fi
Band profile:	Lordi
Event:	Lordi: Bringing Back The Balls To Europe Tour

Mexican Death Metallers Brujeria will be touring Spain for three days this September. The band found their show at Viña Rock Festival in Villarobledo to be very successful, so they decided to embark on their own tour there.

Brujeria will be supported by Spanish band Hora Zulu who are promoting their new album, which is entitled 'El que la lleva la entiende'.

Here are the three dates:

Sep. 21 - Madrid, ESP @ Heineken
Sep. 22 - Bergara, ESP @ Gipuzkoa (Jam)
Sep. 23 - Barcelona, ESP@ Razzmatazz II

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Brujeria

Daniel Gildenlöw has posted the following message on the official website :

"The drums have now been recorded for "Scarsick". Me and Johan went down to Orebro and the Fascination Street Studio (previously Studio Kuling) for the recording. As usual, Jens was a true pleasure to work with. And, as usual, Johan pulled everything off with ease. The whole album was done in less than five days."

"I guess we are a bit old school when it comes to music. We still want the album to be played rather than trigged, fixed and quantized. This could slow things up, but on the other hand you are forced to learn to play and in the end you will be more effective after all. If we are to believe Jens, he hasn't been as relaxed and had such confident in a drummer since his school days, and no album recording had apparently focused so much on real playing for at least three years. I allow myself to be a bit cynical when I consider that, by a coincident, that happens to be just about the time when we were there the last time for the "BE" drum recording."

"Now, I am only longing to get the new drum files into my studio computer and start building the real album up. Only bad thing, as usual, is that in the coming process I am going to have to recreate all the mistakes from the demo recording since, by now, I have come to love them and would miss them if they were left out. As usual."

Source and pictures from the recording sessions : http://www.painofsalvation.com

Band profile:

Pain Of Salvation

Jon Oliva's Project "Jon Oliva's Pain" have inked a deal with AFM Records for the release of the a new album. The album tentatively entitled "Maniacal Renderings" is set to be released on Sepetmber 2006. The album was recorded (on more time) at Audio Lab Studios in Tampa, Florida.

Oliva Commented on the deal with AFM: "AFM was the obvious choice for us. Complete dedication to their bands, in both support and marketing, is the reason we have made this critical move. The next record for JON OLIVA'S PAIN is taking on a new and more intense direction. We needed a label that not only understood what we are trying to do, but embraced it with genuine excitement. Knowing that your record company is really pumped about the new music helps to drive the recording process to a whole new level of intensity....We're going to push every button possible!"

In a press release the album was described as: "a more progressive, complex and dramatic edge without sacrificing any of the song writing quality that fans have come to expect during Oliva's 25-year career."

Before the release of the new album Jon Olivia's Pain had announced some dates around europe, in which they will playing some songs from the new album for the press and "a few lucky fans" backstage.

The dates are the following:

Apr. 15 - Gysenberghalle - Herne, GER
Apr. 16 - Löwensaal - Nuremberg, GER
Apr. 18 - Planet Music - Wien, AUT
Apr. 19 - Wighwam - Budapest, HUN
Apr. 21 - Rainbow - Milan, ITA
Apr. 22 - Tempo Rock - Reggio Emilia, ITA
Apr. 24 - Backstage - Munich, GER
Apr. 26 - Deboerderij - Zoetermeer, NETH
Apr. 28 - Juz Live Club - Andernach, GER
Apr. 29 - Oktoberhallen - Aalst, BEL (Pestpop Festival)
Apr. 30 - venue TBA - Aalst, BEL (Acoustic show)
Jun. 23-24 - Bang Your Head Festival - Balingen, GER
Jul. 08 - Rock Harz Open Air Osterode - Dorste, Lower Saxony, GER

Read more ››

Source:	jonoliva.net
Band profile:	Jon Oliva's Pain

The upcoming Pain Of Salvation album will be entitled "Scarsick", the album will be recorded in the coming months, Daniel describes it as: "much more band oriented and down to the core. Threatening and disturbing". A fragment of the cover art was also revealed, you can see it here.

In other news, the band posted the following tips for the bass players who might apply to the position:

"The premises:
1. You are a very, very good bass player that masters slapping/tapping/finger/pick on both fretted and fretless 6-string basses.
2. You are a fast learner with a very good ear.
3. You have a good voice with a decent range and are used to singing harmonies.
4. You are driven and responsible and can learn the earlier albums basically on your own.
5. You live in Sweden, or maybe you are so rich that you can take a private jet there two or three times a week. In any case, there will basically be rehearsals that often, and you need to be able to be there somehow.
6. You are a nice girl or a boy of say 20-35 that loves music in many forms.
7. You don't do drugs, and you are very restrictive with alcohol (never a drop before a show).

The bonuses:
8. You feel at home on stage and can spend tons of energy without having your playing suffer.
9. You have a driver's license.
10. You take an interest in world issues and politics. You probably think that Gandhi's march for salt or his burning of passports were braver political actions than Bush's war on terror.
11. You look cool.

So, is this you, or anyone you know? In that case, you are welcome to introduce yourself to us, preferrably with some photos and sound samples. As already mentioned, we are in the process of recording the next album and we will most likely not bring a new member in before this album is done. However, we said the same thing back in 1998 but then we found Johan, so you never know...

bassplayer@painofsalvation.com "

Read more ››

Source:	painofsalvation.com
Band profile:	Pain Of Salvation

As posted on the official website:

Kristoffer leaves Pain of Salvation!

We are sad to announce that Kristoffer is of now no longer a member of Pain of Salvation. After having been the band's bass player since 1994, he has now kindly been asked by the other members to leave the band. The separation derives from growing difficulties to function together as a band since Kristoffer moved to Holland a few years back.

The band's own statement:
"We are a band who loves to play music together, and who values being a real band rather than a project that functions on distance. Being a tight unit welded together musically and personally is an important part of the band's soul; and constantly being decimated while composing, rehearsing, and even recording, simply proved impossible in the long run.
Kristoffer has grown to become a tremendous bass player during the years with Pain of Salvation and it is with sadness that we now see him go, but since this logistic situation will not change within the coming years, we unfortunately see no other choice."

Source:	painofsalvation.com
Band profile:	Pain Of Salvation

The following message was posted on the official band's site by Dan Lundberg:

"Hello all and sorry for the lack of updates. Since the "Posthumous" mastering I've hardly had the time to sit down and give the GENESIS OF PAIN project the attention is deserves. Last week I finally took the time to start up the writing process again and I hope there will be no more interruptions from now on. The plan is to finish recording music for 5 tracks and after that focus on trying out and recording vocal parts. More updates to come in a near future. Until then, take care!"

Source:

genesisofpain.com

Taken from Pain of Salvation website:

"For some time now the lyrics (the extended versions) of "BE" have been available here in the Kingdom. Now you will also find the source material (a long list of literature, links and other material), keywords, points of departure etc. You will also find a lengthy interview with Daniel and, for the first time available, the complete Animae narration as originally written for "BE". Check it out!"

You could find the complete background material on "BE" entering their homepage:
http://www.painofsalvation.com/

Band profile:

Pain Of Salvation

As an addition to their new album "Be", PAIN OF SALVATION will release a DVD with the same title at the end of the year. It's featuring a stage version of this thematic work which the Swedish have brought to the stage with the support of a orchestra in their home town Eskilstuna in summer 2004. There will also be a few more PoS gigs this year.

www.insideout.de

Band profile:

Pain Of Salvation

InsideOut set the date for the release of Pain Of Salvation album "BE" on 27.09.2004.
The tracklist is the following:

1. Animae Partus
2. Deus Nova
3. Imago
4. Pluvius Aestivus
5. Lilium Cruentus
6. Nauticus
7. Dea Pecuniae
8. Vocari Dei
9. Diffidentia
10.Nihil Morari
11.Latertius Valette
12.Omni
13.Iter Impius
14.Matius/Nauticus II
15.Animae Partus II

Band profile:

Pain Of Salvation

Dutch gothic/atmospheric doom metal group AFTER FOREVER have has been confirmed for the Lorca Rock Festival, set to take place August 14 at Antiguo Cuartel de Infanteria in Lorca (Murcia), Spain. Other groups scheduled to perform at the festival include EUROPE, MAGNUM, TNT, DREAM EVIL, AXEL RUDI PELL and the all-girl KISS cover band KISSEXY. More acts will be announced soon.

For more information on the Lorca Rock Festival: http://www.lorcarockfestival.com

AFTER FOREVER's latest album, "Invisible Circles", was released in March through Transmission Records. "Invisible Circles" is the follow-up to "Decipher", which was issued in 2001.

Band profile:

After Forever

FOR MY PAIN?, the Finnish "gothic metal" band featuring Tuomas Holopainen (NIGHTWISH) on keyboards, Altti Veteläinen (ex-ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on bass, Lauri Tuohimaa (EMBRAZE) on guitar, Olli-Pekka Törrö (ex-ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on guitar, Juha Kylmänen (REFLEXION) on vocals, and Petri Sankala (ex-ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on drums, have set a June 16 release date through Spinefarm Records for their new single, "Killing Romance". The CD, which was recorded at Tico Tico studio in Kemi, Finland, will contain two brand-new original songs plus an as-yet-undisclosed cover which the band promise "will be quite surprising in many ways."

"Killing Romance" (view cover here) track listing:

01. Killing Romance
02.
03. Too Sad to Live

Read more ››

Finland's Sonera Plaza has posted several photos of STRATOVARIUS performing at Spain's Piorno Rock festival on Saturday, including pictures of keyboardist Jens Johansson pissing (literally!) on guitarist Timo Tolkki during the opening notes of the song "Forever" (no, we're not kidding). Check them out here: http://www3.soneraplaza.fi/musiikki/artikkeli/0,3634,6197_200049,00.html

STRATOVARIUS' set list for the Piorno Rock performance:

01. I Walk To My Own Song
02. Reign Of Terror
03. Lord Of The Wasteland
04. Hunting High And Low
05. Eternity
06. I'm Still Alive
07. Speed Of Light
08. Granada (Spanish) / Season Of Faith's Perfection
09. Forever Free
10. Forever
11. Phoenix
12. Kiss Of Judas
13. Father Time
14. Black Diamond

Band profile:

Stratovarius