As posted on the official website:

"Good news for you British folk... This will be a FULL PRODUCTION with actors, film, etc. Soon we'll be offering a special Fan Club VIP package on our website, so stay tuned. Until then, here are the new dates:"

06.13.2008 Glasgow Academy UK
06.14.2008 Newcastle City Hall UK
06.15.2008 Leeds University UK
06.17.2008 Manchester Academy UK
06.18.2008 Wolverhampton Civic Hall UK
06.20.2008 Norwich UEA UK
06.21.2008 Cambridge Corn Exchange UK
06.22.2008 London Indigo UK
06.24.2008 Bristol Colston Hall UK
06.25.2008 Southhampton Guildhall UK

Queensrÿche was recently forced to pull out of a UK tour with Thin Lizzy "due to a personal emergency". Read the full statement at http://www.queensryche.com.

Read more ››

Source:	queensryche.com
Band profile:	Queensrÿche
Event:	Queensrÿche: European Tour

Metal Blade Records press release:

Santa Cruz, CA's very own death metal masters Brain Drill have just announced the track listing for their Metal Blade debut, "Apocalyptic Feasting"! The band has also released the artwork for their 2/05/08 release and did a complete overhaul of their MySpace page! Check out the cover art and the band's MySpace page here.

Track listing for "Apocalyptic Feasting":

01. Gorification
02. The Parasites
03. Apocalyptic Feasting
04. Swine Slaughter
05. Forcefed Human Shit
06. Consumed By The Dead
07. Revelation
08. Bury The Living
09. The Depths Of Darkness
10. Sadistic Abductive

If you're in CA, be sure to catch the band on one of their West Coast stops! Brain Drill will be touring the US in support of their upcoming album so be sure to keep an eye on their site and the Metal Blade site for more info!

Brain Drill Tour with Diskreet, Burning the Masses, A Breath Before Surfacing:

12/06 Las Vegas, NV Sokal Studios
12/07 Downey, CA The Epic Lounge
12/08 Bakersfield, CA The Dome
12/09 San Jose, CA MACLA
12/11 Reno, NV Satellite Lounge
12/12 Fresno, CA The Exit
12/13 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction

Brain Drill is:

Dylan Ruskin - Guitar
Lord Marco Pitruzzella - Drums
Steve Rathjen - Vocals
Jeff Hughell - Bass

All info about the band on http://www.myspace.com/braindrill.

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Source:	metalblade.com
Band profile:	Brain Drill

German Power Metallers Brainstorm will do a new European Tour in March 2008 with special guests Pagan's Mind and Powerwolf.

The scheduled dates are as follows:

04.03.08 Copenhagen (DK) · The Rock
05.03.08 Hamburg (D) · Markthalle
07.03.08 Weert (NL) · De Bosuil
08.03.08 Memmingen (D) · Kaminwerk
09.03.08 Saarbrücken (D) · Garage
11.03.08 Pratteln (CH) · Z7
12.03.08 Ludwigsburg (D) · Rockfabrik
14.03.08 Paris (FR) · venue TBA
15.03.08 Vosselaar (B) · Biebob
16.03.08 Langen (D) · Stadthalle
18.03.08 Bochum (D) · Zeche
19.03.08 Nürnberg (D) · Hirsch
21.03.08 Vienna (A) · Szene
22.03.08 Budapest (H) · A Zene Haza

In other news, the new Brainstorm's album, entitled "Downburst" will be released 25th of January in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, on the 28th of January in the rest of Europe. The North and South America as well as Japan and South-East Asia release dates will be added soon. More information about this new album available here.

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Source:	truemetal.org
Band profile:	Brainstorm
Event:	Brainstorm: European Tour

Forget about going to YouTube - now you can watch metal videos without leaving Metal Storm!

How to find and watch videos:

The search box now includes the 'video' option.

Search the Videos section. Beside the MS search results, YouTube search results are now available as well, which take you directly to the video.

In Videos the links will take you to the video page, where you will be able to choose from several variants available on YouTube.

In band profiles, click on Videos in the submenu. There, you can see YouTube videos by clicking on video image, title or the 'Watch' button.

You can actually watch any YouTube video (even not metal-related), by using Search and then picking it from YouTube search results.

If you encounter any problems, please report them here.

Enjoy!

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Australian Power Metal band Ilium have announced the departure of vocalist "Lord" Tim Grose on their MySpace page:

"As the release for "Vespertilion" draws near (should be next Dec 07), we now find ourselves needing to make an announcement. Lord Tim, who has worked with us since our first EP and sung lead vocals on our last two albums, will not be continuing with Ilium on future projects. We had all hoped that he would be able to sing on the next Ilium (originally he was only going to be helping us out on "Permian Dusk" and "Vespertilion", for which we're very grateful and overawed by his amazing performances on those) and it was going to be a case of trying to fit Ilium into his increasingly packed schedule. As fans of "Lord and Dungeon" ourselves we certainly did not want to make an impact on the time Tim could allocate to them and with several other personal projects in the pipeline it is only natural that he had neither the time or energy to commit to someone else's

We will be searching for a new vocalist, at this stage it will be for recording purposes only, but who knows. We do wish to say however that this decision was made simply as Adam and I are the driving force behind Ilium and it became increasingly apparent that it was simply not feasible for either party to continue an arrangement which had already outlasted the initial agreed period.

We are very grateful for Tim for the experience of working with him and we're excited both for future Ilium and Lord releases. We hope that you will continue to support Tim in his endeavours as we will, and that you will enjoy his incredible performance on our upcoming album '"Vespertilion"".

Read more ››

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Ilium

Rusty Cage Records, the label for Netherlands-based metallers Defender, has issued the following update:

"20 years after releasing their debut "City Ad Mortis", Defender will start recording their first full length CD. They will start recording in Holland's Legacy Studios the second week of December. The album will be released summer 2008."

Source:	rustycagerecords.com
Band profile:	Defender

The following message was posted on the website of Celtic Frost:

"There exist countless Hellhammer demo bootlegs, but they all utterly fail to capture the true aura, to represent the band as it actually was. They have been compiled from dismal multi-generation copies of the original tapes, and they are invariably riddled with factual and historical errors or outright lies. Former Hellhammer members Tom Gabriel Fischer, Martin Eric Ain, and Steve Warrior have decided to rectify this situation once and for all. "Demon Entrails" is the first official release of the legendary Hellhammer demos "Death Fiend"/"Triumph of Death" and "Satanic Rites" since the original limited cassette editions in 1983.

This release has been specially re-mastered from copies of the original master tapes under the supervision of Tom Gabriel Fischer, and the demos now represent Hellhammer exactly as the band sounded when recording these songs in June and December of 1983. Drawing from a wealth of previously unknown historical material and artwork as well as hundreds of unreleased Hellhammer photos from 1982 to 1984, "Demon Entrails" will also feature all lyrics and essays detailing the individual demo recording sessions.

"Demon Entrails" will be released as an opulent oversized double CD and as a gatefold triple vinyl album. Both versions will feature a lavish booklet and a poster. There will also be a third, bare-bones low-price CD version, designed to cater to markets which will not carry the standard CD due to its irregular size.

The release is scheduled for February 2008, through Prowling Death Records/Century Media."

Read more ››

Source:	celticfrost.com
Band profile:	Hellhammer

Finnish Melodic Death Metallers Naildown have posted the following statement on their website:

"As some of you have might witnessed on our last two gigs, we pulled those shows without Jarmo so it's time to tell the truth for everybody about the situation; Naildown has parted ways with keyboard player Jarmo Puikkonen. No big drama here, just a "little" different views of what being in a band actually requires.

Us, the remaining Naildowners feel sorry that things were gettting into this point but there was no other way, this decision was best for everybody. However, this have NO effect on our live performances. We will continue without a keyboard player as long as we find the right person for the job. And if we don't find anyone by the next album's session, that's not a problem either since we are fully capable to handle keyboard tracks in studio by our own. So, we are gonna consider carefully before making anyone an official member of the band. Later.."

Source:	naildownrock.com
Band profile:	Naildown

Two new songs from US Brutal Death Metal act Decrepit Birth, called "A Gathering Of Imaginations" and "Dimensions Intertwine" has been made available for streaming online at the band's official MySpace page. The track comes off Decrepit Birth's highly anticipated forthcoming new full-length "Diminishing Between Worlds". The album will be released on January 29th via Unique Leader Records.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Decrepit Birth

Vocalist/guitarist Gio Smet from Belgian Heavy Metal band Gitaron has informed us that the second edition of the Spring Madness Festival will take place on 17 May 2008. The cosy Belgian Metal festival will once again be held at Café Lindenhof at Beveren-Waas, Belgium.

The festival bill is shaping up as follows: Belgian Heavy Metal veterans Double Diamond are headlining the festival, while Gitaron will be the co-headliner of the day. Also the hardrockers of Red Ocean will be present. For more information about these bands go to http://www.myspace.com/doublediamondmetal, http://www.gitaron.be/songs.html and http://www.myspace.com/redoceanband.

An official festival website is expected to be online soon. Until then, you can visit the Gitaron website at this location for more information and updates about the festival.

Metal Storm would like to wish the Spring Madness Metalfest-crew good luck with the second edition of their festival!

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Source:	gitaron.be
Event:	Spring Madness Metalfest II

The following has been posted by Ole Bang on the official website of the band:

"Most regretfully we have to announce that King will not be able to tour North America as planned. King has over the past 6 month been suffering from a herniated disc in the spine, and has still not recovered to a satisfactory level. He was prescribed absolute rest for several months, and this appear to be more than half a year.

Following several visits to specialists and most recent MRI-scan; we have to realize that his condition need far more rest than expected in the first place. At the moment he can neither walk for more than an hour at a time, nor can he sit like you would do in a normal daily life; ie. there is no chance that he will fully recover in time for the tour start in March.

We deeply regret the inconvenience caused for everyone involved, for promoters, bands and fans; and most of all we're very very sorry that we can not go out and perform for the fans; who have been waiting for the tour to kick off.

Unfortunately life is unpredictable, and it's completely out of our hands when illness kick in, and no medicine, how harsh it might have been, can cure the situation. If anything could remedy the situation it would have been done, but for now we simply just have to wait, and let King get the much needed rest.

I will post news about any developments as soon as it's available. At this time we will also like to say Thanks, for all the kind words of a speedy recovery we have received."

Kreator also announced they will not tour alone. So the whole tour has been cancelled. An update by the band goes as follows:

"To end the rumours: Kreator will not be playing any of the King Diamond/Kreator tour alone! Here´s a statement from Mille!

"First of all: We are very disapointed that our tour in March/April is not going to happen! We were really looking foreward to see all our North American fans again and were preparing a killer show for you! But I must also say, that right now the most important thing is King Diamonds health. I want to see the King playing shows and producing albums for many years to come in good shape and so all I can say in the name of the whole band at this point is: Get well soon King and all the strenght and best wishes from Germany! All hail to the King!"

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Source:	covenworldwide.org
Band profile:	King Diamond

It's with great honour that we announce the signing of Dutch Death Metal supergroup Hail Of Bullets!

Hail Of Bullets was formed in late 2006 by former Pestilence/Asphyx singer Martin van Drunen, ex-Houwitser bass player Theo van Eekelen, Gorefest drummer Ed Warby and both Thanatos guitarists Paul Baayens and Stephan Gebédi. A mutual love for old school death metal bands like Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Massacre, Celtic Frost and Death resulted in the idea to form a band together.

In the summer of 2007 the band recorded a four-song promo-CD in Rotterdam, which was mixed by the infamous Death Metal guru Dan Swanö in Sweden. And Swanö stated it right: "If this promo doesn't get you guys a good record deal, I will eat my laptop!"

Dan's stomach is still in good shape since Metal Blade Records didn't hesitate to sign Hail Of Bullets. The band is ready to record their debut album in February 2008. The as-yet-untitled album is expected to be released by Metal Blade Europe in May of 2008.

Hail Of Bullets are looking forward to play selected summer festivals in 2008! Stay tuned.

The whole four-song promo-cd is available for streaming at http://www.myspace.com/hailoffuckenbullets - check it out and spread the word.

"When we heard the final Swano mix of the promo, the question for me was not if we got signed at all, but more to whom. We're all very experienced musicians and we knew that we created an awful fucken heavy piece of molten metal. A smart and appropriate A & R man/woman at a high quality label recognizes this immediately. So Metal Blade didn't hesitate. Important to me was that they let us free in performing in our other bands and they didn't have a problem with that at all. Of course as a young metalkid I saw this label rising from a little company 'til the standard that it has now; the name Brian Slagel always remaining in the back of my head as one of the pioneers. Always delivering quality metal bands and never a bad word in the press from whatever what signing. The Pact is solid. We'll deliver our old school death metal supreme, Metal Blade will do the rest. We're one of the best in what we do and they're in theirs. Blades meet Bullets!" (Martin van Drunen, vocals)

"The Hail Of Bullets promo was sent out to just a handful of carefully selected record labels. Metal Blade was my personal first choice, so when they actually made us an interesting offer, it was an offer I definitely could not refuse! Many classic metal albums have been released on Metal Blade Records over the past few decades, so an old school Death Metal band signing to a classic metal label can be seen as the ultimate metal marriage forged in the fires of Hades!" (Stephan Gebédi, guitars)

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Hail Of Bullets

Bassist Chris Lukhaup and drummer Moritz Neuner have parted ways with the band. The following was posted on Leaves' Eyes website:

Leaves' Eyes played their last show of the year together with Blind Guardian and Astral Doors in the Krefeld Hockeystadium in front of 3.000 people. Moreover, this was the final concert of Leaves' Eyes with bass player Chris Lukhaup and drummer Moritz Neuner; Chris Lukhaup had to leave the band due to personal reasons and Moritz Neuner is taking another turn in his working career. The band wishes them both all the best in the future. At the moment Leaves' Eyes are checking out new musicians - if you are interested and a killer bassist or drummer, please contact info@mastersoundentertainment.de

Liv also wrote an update on the band's activity and some personal news on Leaves' Eyes myspace page:

"Dear Friends & Fans,

It's already a week since we played our last show for this year in Krefeld, Germany, with Blind Guardian, and now we're back in the studio, composing songs for our third album. It was very, very nice to meet "the Guardians" again as we became close friends at our North-American tour earlier this year. Unfortunately I was feverish, struggling with the flu, however pain-killers are good in such a situation. The show has to go on, and yes, it was a good one.

Surprise: my sister Carmen Elise is having her vocals recorded for the next Midnattsol album. It's good to have my sister around at our studio.

Today my son and I been busy packing 17 boxes of clothes and toys which will be sent to children living on the streets or in children's homes in Romania. If you can help somebody in any possible way - do it, and share your luck, love, fortune and happiness with other people!

Here's some love from me to you, Liv"

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Source:	leaveseyes.de
Band profile:	Leaves' Eyes

Given the great response at the recent UK shows, the band decided to book a headline club tour in order to be able to play real full length sets to the ever growing legions of British fans.

These are the currently confirmed dates. More shows will most likely be added, and support acts will be announced in the near future.

Great British Fiction Tour 2008:

Feb. 2: Cardiff - Barfly
Feb. 3: Liverpool - Barfly
Feb. 4: Birmingham - Barfly
Feb. 5: Aberdeen - Barfly
Feb. 6: Glasgow - Barfly
Feb. 7: York - Fibbers
Feb. 9: London - Barfly

The band adds:
"These are small, intimate clubs, and the shows are projected to sell out, so make sure to play it safe by booking your tickets as quickly as possible at http://www.barflyclub.com."

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Source:	darktranquillity.com
Band profile:	Dark Tranquillity
Event:	Dark Tranquillity: UK Tour

The following message was posted on Firewind's website by guitarists Gus G.:

"Looking back on 2007 now I can say that I'm very happy with what we've accomplished with Firewind. We toured heavily for the "Allegiance" album and our world tour passed thru 22 countries and we did about 100 shows to promote it. We had great times touring with some of metal's premier bands such as DragonForce, All That Remains, Angra, Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, etc. through Europe, UK, North America and Japan. We even got to play in Tunisia for the first time!

After a successful Japan tour this October we're finally wrapping up our World Allegiance tour with two final festivals in Europe - one in Spain (Senderos Del Rock) and one in Denmark (Prog Power Scandinavia).

But you know, they say: no rest for the wicked! We're going back in the studio at the end of this year to record our brand new album and I can't tell you how excited we are. It really feels like it's time to record and play some new music! We wrote a bunch of material already and we're soon entering Sweden's Studio Fredman to record our fifth album. No album title yet, but here are some of the new song titles: Remembered, Life Foreclosed, The Silent Code, Mercenary Man, My Loneliness, Head Up High.

More info to come soon! Cheers, Gus."

The new album is expected to surface via Century Media Records in Spring 2008 and Firewind have just announced their first European tour to promote the new material for April/May 2008 when they will hit stages with Kamelot and support act Visions Of Atlantis.

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Source:	firewind.gr
Band profile:	Firewind