Grammy-nominated hard rock juggernaut Mastodon have confirmed dates for their Spring North American Tour in support of their second album for Reprise Records, "Crack The Skye". This first tour behind the groundbreaking new album will sweep across the US and Canada playing to smaller theaters and clubs to insure a maximum and up close intimate environment in which to be exposed to brand new songs and old favorites for Mastodon fans.

Confirmed Mastodon tour dates with special guests Kylesa and Intronaut, as follows:

Apr. 10 - Workplay Theater - Birmingham, AL
Apr. 11 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Apr. 13 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
Apr. 14 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
Apr. 16 - Martini Ranch - Phoenix, AZ
Apr. 18 - Coachella - Indio, CA
Apr. 19 - Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
Apr. 21 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Apr. 22 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA
Apr. 23 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
Apr. 24 - MacEwen Ballroom - Calgary, AB
Apr. 25 - Starlite Ballroom - Edmonton, AB
Apr. 26 - The Odeon - Saskatoon, SK
Apr. 28 - The Garrick - Winnipeg, MB
Apr. 29 - Fine Line Music Hall - Minneapolis, MN
Apr. 30 - Metro - Chicago, IL
May 01 - Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
May 02 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
May 04 - Le National - Montreal, QC
May 05 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
May 07 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
May 08 - TLA - Philadelphia, PA
May 09 - Fillmore @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
May 10 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
May 12 - 9:30 Club - Washington DC
May 13 - Cat's Cradle - Carbarro, NC
May 14 - Orange Peel - Ashville, NC
May 15 - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Mastodon
Event:	Mastodon: N. American Tour

Official press release

Faith No More have always stood out as some sort of unique beast; part dog, part cat - its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members. When it all worked, it worked really well, even if the chemistry was always volatile. Throughout our 17 years of existence, the mental and physical energy required to sustain this creature was considerable and relentless. Though amicable enough, when we finally split, we all followed paths seemingly destined to opposite ends of the universe.

Yet during the entire 10 years that have passed since our decision to break up we've experienced constant rumors and requests from fans and promoters alike. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, none of us kept in regular touch, much less to discuss any possibilities of getting together.

What's changed is that this year, for the first time, we've all decided to sit down together and talk about it. And what we've discovered is that time has afforded us enough distance to look back on our years together through a clearer lens and made us realize that through all the hard work, the music still sounds good, and we are beginning to appreciate the fact that we might have actually done something right.

Meanwhile we find ourselves at a moment in time with zero label obligations, still young and strong enough to deliver a kickass set, with enthusiasm to not only revisit our past but possibly add something to the present. And so with this we've decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff... BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!

We can only hope that the experience of playing together again will yield results erratic and unpredictable enough to live up to the legacy of FNM. Who know where this will end or what it will bring up...only the future knows. But we are about to find out!

Faith No More are:

Mike Bordin - drums
Roddy Bottum - keyboards
Bill Gould - bass
Jon Hudson - guitar
Mike Patton - vocals

Source:	fnm.com
Band profile:	Faith No More

Powerwolf have posted the following update about their new upcoming album:

"As we just came back from Sweden with the final mix of the album in hands, we think it´s time to reveal some more information about the new opus: it will be entitled "Bible Of The Beast", and be released on April 24th."

For all of you who can´t wait to get the song titles - here´s the tracklist:

01. Raise Your Fist, Evangelist
02. Moscow After Dark
03. Panic In The Pentagram
04. Catholic In The Morning... Satanist At Night
05. Seven Deadly Saints
06. Werewolves Of Armenia
07. We Take The Church By Storm
08. Resurrection By Erection
09. Midnight Messiah
10. St. Satan's Day
11. Wolves Against The World

Source:	powerwolf.net
Band profile:	Powerwolf

February 23, 2009:

The Haunted have released a music video for the song "Trenches", which can you watch HERE in high quality. You can check it out in lesser quality on the band's site as well.

The song comes from the group's latest album ''Versus'', released in September last year.

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Source:	youtube.com
Band profile:	The Haunted

Evergrey will team up with Novembre for a European tour in April 2009. Here are the dates:

April 03 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
April 04 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
April 05 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
April 07 - London, UK - Underworld
April 08 - Paris, France - Nouvieau Casino
April 10 - Bergara, Spain - Sala Jam
April 11 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Caracol
April 12 - Barcelona, Spain - Mephisto
April 14 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
April 15 - Nova Gorica, Slovenia - Mostovna
April 17 - Budapest, Hungary - Diesel
April 18 - Beograd, Serbia - SKC
April 19 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
April 20 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp

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Source:	evergrey.net
Band profile:	Evergrey
Event:	Evergrey: European Tour [CANCELLED]

Alestorm and Týr are teaming up for a co-headlining European tour in support of Alestorm's upcoming effort "Black Sails At Midnight". The dates for the UK leg of their upcoming European tour have just been announced and are as follows:

04-24 - Prestatyn, Wales - Hammerfest
04-26 - Dudley, England - JB's
04-27 - Glasgow, Scotland - Cathouse
04-28 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Studio 24
04-29 - Nottingham, England - Rock City
04-30 - Leeds, England - Rio's
05-01 - Milton Keynes, England - The Pitz
05-02 - Petersborough, England - The Park
05-03 - London, England - Underworld

The rest of the Black Sails Over Europe Tour schedule, featuring Alestorm, Týr, Heidevolk and Adorned Brood, looks as follows:

04-08 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Rock
04-09 - Bad Salzungen, Germany - KW 70
04-10 - Pagney, France - Chez Paulette
04-11 - Hellendoorn, The Netherlands - Club Lantaarn
04-12 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
04-13 - Lahr, Germany - Universal DOG
04-14 - Osnabrück, Germany - Bastard Club
04-15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
04-16 - Ottweiler, Germany - Club Schulz
04-17 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Ragnarök Festival
04-18 - Lübeck, Germany - Treibsand **
04-19 - Poznan, Poland - Eskulap **
04-20 - Wroclaw, Poland - Alibi **
04-21 - Krakow, Poland - Studio **
04-22 - Berlin, Germany - K17 **

** without Adorned Brood

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Alestorm
Event:	Alestorm + Týr

Wolfchant finished the recordings for "Determined Damnation" this week and have announced more details. The album was mixed and mastered by Uwe Lulis, who also worked on the choirs. The new album will be released on April 24 via Massacre Records. A special limited digipak edition of the album will be available for purchase at the Ragnarök Festival, set to take place April 17-18, 2009 in Lichtenfels, Germany. Album cover can be viewed here.

"Determined Damnation" track listing:

01. Determination Begins
02. World In Ice
03. Until The End
04. Determined Damnation
05. In War
06. Fate Of The Fighting Man
07. Kein Engel Hört Dich Flehen
08. A Raven's Flight
09. Never Too Drunk
10. Schwerter Der Erde
11. Auf Blut Gebaut
12. Under The Wolves Banner
13. Devour (digipack bonus)
14. Warcry (digipack bonus)

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Source:	wolfchant-metal.com
Band profile:	Wolfchant

US metallers Crescent Shield will release their second album "The Stars Of Never Seen" this spring on Cruz del Sur Music. The album will be released on the 8th of May in Germany and Europe, 11th of May in UK and June 2 in USA/Canada. The first pressing will include a limited edition DVD of their entire performance at Germany's Keep it True Festival in April 08.

The artwork for the CD was again done by comic book artist Gerry Alanguilan and can be viewed here. The band is in the final stages of mixing the record with renowned metal producer Bill Metoyer, so the new album promises to be not only a step up musically but also sonically.

Tracklisting for "The Stars of Never Seen" follows:

01. Under Cover Of Shadows
02. The Grand Horizon
03. Tides Of Fire
04. 10,000 Midnights Ago
05. Temple Of The Empty
06. My Anger
07. The Bellman
08. The Endurance
09. Lifespan

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Source:	crescentshield.com
Band profile:	Crescent Shield

Delain have made the title track of the new album "April Rain", available online. You can listen to the song at this location . The song comes off the group's forthcoming album "April Rain", which will be released on March 30 via Roadunner Records.

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.nl
Band profile:	Delain

Brutal Truth have posted the first preview track from their brand-new album and first full-length in 10 years, "Evolution Through Revolution". The title-track, "Evolution Through Evolution", can be heard now via the band's MySpace page. "Evolution Through Revolution" is set for an April 14th North American release date (April 20th internationally) via Relapse Records.

Brutal Truth recorded "Evolution Through Revolution" cover artwork] at Watchman Studios in Lockport, NY with engineer Doug White (Psyopus). Additional song titles include: "Sugardaddy", "Get A Therapist... Spare The World", "Detached", "Global Good Guy", "Lifer", "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs", and "Grind Fidelity".

Brutal Truth have recently confirmed appearances at both the Auditory Assault Festival in Brooklyn and Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore. The band is currently planning many more international tour dates in support of "Evolution Through Revolution"'s release. Complete Brutal Truth tour information will be announced shortly.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Brutal Truth

Chimaira have announced more new details about their new upcoming album, entilted "The Infection". The album will be released in the spring on April 21 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork of the album can be viewed at this location.

Tracklist of the "The Infection":

01. The Venom Inside
02. Frozen In Time
03. Coming Alive
04. Secrets Of The Dead
05. The Disappearing Sun
06. Impending Doom
07. On Broken Glass
08. Destroy And Dominate
09. Try To Survive
10. The Heart Of It All

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Source:	chimaira.com
Band profile:	Chimaira

Official press release

Queensrÿche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band's twelfth studio release, the epic concept album "American Soldier". The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts - from World War II to Iraq - Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a soldier and the consequences of war. "American Soldier" will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital).

Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album in 2008 over the course of nine months. The idea for "American Soldier", Tate says, came from hearing stories from fans that are veterans, as well as his own father, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. "My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves."

Those stories resonate at the heart of "American Soldier", imbuing each song with vivid details about both the emotional and physical impacts of war, evoking war zone battles ("Middle Of Hell"), sacrifice ("The Killer"), loss ("If I Were King"), the longing for home ("Remember Me"), and adjusting to society after returning from war ("Man Down!").

Tate recorded many of his interviews with the soldiers, and some dialogue from these discussions is mixed into several of tracks, allowing the soldiers' own words to help tell their compelling stories. The band also brought a few of the soldiers into the studio with them to record vocals. The verses of the track "Unafraid" feature the voices of Chris Devine, a Vietnam veteran, and Sean Lenahan, a veteran of Somalia, recalling their war experiences while Tate provides the anthemic chorus. Also making a guest vocal appearance is Tate's 10-year-old daughter Emily on the gripping duet "Home Again," which examines the emotional toll of war from two perspectives, with Geoff singing from the soldier's point of view and his daughter singing from the viewpoint of the child left behind.

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Source:	queensryche.com
Band profile:	Queensrÿche
Event:	Queensrÿche: American Soldier Tour

Statement from the guys in Cloudscape:

"It is with sadness and grief that we must announce that our good friend and drummer Roger Landin have decided to leave Cloudscape. His descision to leave is personal and has nothing to do with Cloudscape and we are still the best of friends. We have recorded 3 albums that we are really proud of and we will miss Roger enormously both as a drummer, musician and as a part of Cloudscape. We have had a great time together that will never be forgotten. We'll wish all the best for Roger and his family in the future to come."

And the statement from Roger Landin:

"I have made an extremely hard decision. I´m leaving the great Cloudscape due to personal reasons. The band has been a big part of my life for many years, and it has been a wonderful ride. I will thank my great bandmates and of course all of you out there who have supported us over the years. Keep tuning in to this awesome band in the future. To my fellow comrades in the band: Best of luck!"

Cloudscape will still continue their crusade of melodic metal but, with a new drummer eventually. Cloudscape still will perform live s scheduled in their hometown (Helsingborg) at the venue called "The Tivoli" on February 27 so, if you have bought tickets or have planned to see Cloudscape then you don't need to worry because, a replacement for Roger Landin is already settled for the show. A presentation of a new permanent drummer in Cloudscape will be announced as soon as the band has decided who to hire for the spot.

Source:	cloudscape.se
Band profile:	Cloudscape

Prog Metal veterans Dream Theater are currently wrapping up work on their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the as-yet untitled album - their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's "Systematic Chaos" ? in October of last year.

Drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci are once again producing the CD, while engineer Paul Northfield will mix the record. Roadrunner Records plans to release the album in early summer upon which the band will immediately embark on a world tour to support it.

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Dream Theater

''Besser, Du rennst'', the new video from German metallers Subway To Sally, has been made available online.

''Besser, Du rennst'' comes off the band's upcoming album, entitled ''Kreuzfeuer'', which will be released on March 27th via Nuclear Blast.


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Source:	vids.myspace.com
Band profile:	Subway To Sally