Quite cool isn't it.

The Christmas number one is a big thing over here. Every year, even if you didn't normally listen to the chart show, people would tune in on their radio to find out what the UK Christmas number one was.

Since 2005 however, Simon Cowell and his popular TV show The X Factor has stolen Christmas and the number one spot with the TV show's winner's single. This year the show was won a week ago by a young lad called Joe McElderry and has released his first single "The Climb" (originally Miley Cyrus) in the hopes of fulfilling the X Factor tradition and be the fifth X Factor winner to steal the Christmas number one spot.

To some people this has taken some of the magic away from Christmas, and so a Facebook group has been campaigning to get people to buy none other than Rage Against The Machine's 1992 track "Killing In The Name" in the hope of getting it to the Christmas number one spot and being the "David to the X Factor's Goliath" as Tom Morello has commented.

It started as an unrealistic idea to protest against Simon Cowell and his stranglehold on the UK charts, but soon captured the nation's attention and right now the group currently has nearly one million members! The Christmas number one battle is back, and has been one of the top national stories all week.

The Rage Against The Machine song was at a slight disadvantage by only being available via download, where Joe's single was in every shop in the country as well as available for download sales.

And we did it! The people of the UK have made themselves heard as we made Rage Against The Machine and "Killing In The Name" Christmas number one 2009 and stopped Simon Cowell's run of the charts he has had for four years.

The Facebook campaigners can be proud of themselves for bringing the rap/funk metal anthem back into the spotlight and certainly making headline news tomorrow morning. History has been made this evening, the people have spoken!

Tom Morello has promised a free headlining Rage Against The Machine show in the UK next year to celebrate. Zack de la Rocha has commented that the money made is going to be going to a shelter charity, and confirms the band will do a free show here next year.

Also making a one-off appearance in the top ten was Journey, with their 1981 hit "Don't Stop Believin'" at number nine after a similar, smaller campaign to stop The X Factor single reaching number one.

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Band profile:

Rage Against The Machine

For any hopefuls in the U.K.:

Mithras are searching for a rhythm guitarist to play live shows with the band throughout 2010 and beyond (one-off shows, festivals and possibly short tours).

We're looking for someone who is familiar with our material with a decent level of live show experience. Applicants must have their own professional level guitar equipment and be able to travel to the midlands to rehearse. They must also be a resident of the UK and hold a full passport.

We use two different guitar tunings A# and drop C# (detailed on the Mithras forum in the FAQ section).

Applicants must send a link to a video (preferably) or send an audio recording in mp3 format of them playing the song 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' - full tablature available here:

http://www.mithras.org.uk/downloadrespository/Mithras%20-%20Worlds%20Beyond%20The%20Veil%20tablature.txt

Please send all submissions to guitar@mithras.org.uk

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Source:	mithras.org.uk
Band profile:	Mithras

The UK edition of Sonisphere will feature these bands:

Iron Maiden
Rammstein
Alice Cooper
Anthrax
The Cult
Iggy & The Stooges
Mötley Crüe
Slayer

Where these bands have confirmed for the other Sonisphere festivals:

Metallica
Megadeth
Slayer
Anthrax
Mastodon
Behemoth

For a list of all the festivals, visit the website: http://www.sonispherefestivals.com. For an overview of the festivals on Metal Storm click HERE.

Update: Megadeth which at first was not interested to be in the line-up will also do the tour.

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Posted on the band's new official website:

The Return Of...

Line-up:
Jonas Stålhammar - Vox
Marko Tervonen - Rhythm Guitar
Marcus Sunesson - Lead Guitar
Magnus Olsfelt - Electric Bass
Janne Saarenpää - Drums

Exit Dobermann - Enter THE CROWN
New album recorded, more news to follow.
Meanwhile, check out some new samples...

Audio sample 1

Audio sample 2

Read more ››

Source:	thecrownofficial.com
Band profile:	The Crown

Here are the names of the next lot of bands confirmed to be playing at the Hellfest Open Air in Clisson, France next year.

16 - ASPHYX - CANDLEMASS - CARNIFEX - CROWBAR - DECAPITATED - ELUVEITIE - ENSIFERUM - EX DEO - FREAK KITCHEN - GODFLESH (Only show in Europe) - IHSAHN - KATATONIA - KNUCKELDUST - MAGRUDERGRIND - MONKEY 3 - MY DYING BRIDE - NECROPHAGIST - OMEGA MASSIF - OVERKILL - PRIMAL FEAR - RAVEN - SABATON - SICK OF IT ALL - SKARHEAD - SOLACE - THE FACELESS - THE DEVIL'S BLOOD - UDO - ULVER - URGEHAL - WISDOM IN CHAINS

Tickets are on sale from today at the special price of 109? until the 31st of December 2009. Act fast as there are a limited number of tickets on sale at this price.
To take advantage of this offer, the site to purchase your tickets can be found at this location.

These bands join the likes of IMMORTAL, TWISTED SISTER and the festival's first confirmed headliner KISS in next year's line-up, plus many more. The complete festival line-up will be revealed in March 2010, including the other two headliners.

The Hellfest 2009 DVD is now also available to purchase. This can be found at this location.

Read more ››

Event:

Hellfest Open Air 2010

Posted on the Sabaton website:

Sabaton joins the Nuclear Blast family.

After 10 years as a band and 4 albums we have decided what the next step in the evolution of Sabaton will be.

A contract with the biggest Heavy Metal label in the world has been signed and the next album will be released by Nuclear Blast in the spring of 2010.

The last album "The Art Of War" touched the hearts of tousands and tousands of metalfans around the world, and with their help we are now ready to hit the studio and record our new album.

What way could we better end our 10th year?
-See you all in 2010 under the Coat of Arms!

--

"Nuclear Blast is very stoked to announce another great signing:
Sabaton - one of the most promising upcoming bands in heavy metal these days!

Although they have already released four great albums, they are still unknown to the majority of the metal legions - which is a shame!
We noticed the band's potential to become one of the leaders of nowadays metal scene - especially by visiting their festival appearances and club shows.

Together Nuclear Blast and Sabaton are prepared for the next step to bring the band on a much higher level!
-Watch out for their new album in spring 2010!"

(Jaap Wagemaker / A&R of Nuclear Blast)

Read more ››

Source:	sabaton.net
Band profile:	Sabaton

Posted on the band's official website:

With Evile having confirmed that they are carrying on as a band, they are starting to audition bassists for the new year. Doing such a tough task so soon, with so little time until the new year tours, they are simply looking for an experienced, friendly and skilled professional bassist/musician.

Applicants must be able to commit 100% to the band, be expected to be available for extensive global (w/ valid passport) touring from January 2010 onwards, be a resident of the UK (preferably close to Huddersfield, but not necessary) and have touring/performing experience.

To apply please E-MAIL the following to bass@evile.co.uk

Full Name
Age
Location
A quality link to a video of you playing the bass (Youtube, etc)
A few pictures of yourself (on and off stage)
Details of playing and gigging experiences
Detail why you want to join the band

All applications must be received by December 8th 2009.

Read more ››

Source:	evile.co.uk
Band profile:	Evile

Posted on the new band's myspace page today:

Out of Norway's biggest and darkest metal bands rises Ov HELL. This group of Satan's all-stars has been sharpening their teeth in some of black metal's most influential bands for many years. Known as key figures in bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Gorgoroth, Shagrath and King have come together to bring forward a new chapter in Norwegian black metal history. Ov HELL will carry on in the same tradition for which King and Shagrath are known, but the collaboration between the two will mark a new era for them both.

Frost, Ice Dale and Teloch have been recruited for the first full-length release. The album will contain all of the power and blast beats worthy of their evil pedigrees. Expect an assault on all false gods and hypocrisy that is of this world today.....

"The first Ov HELL release will contain music I've worked on in my Gorgoroth and God Seed years. It's been a little hell to actually see this music form into a band, so the name of the band is quite suitable. Through the first song I got from Shagrath I knew that he would be the perfect man to join forces with. He has strong individual qualities and a strong will to power. I am very positive that when we finish up this album it will be an album that won't sound like anything we have done before, and with a quality that won't stand back from anything presented in black metal earlier!" - King

"With both of our demanding music careers and other projects, timing was not on our side. After last years inferno festival, King and I yet again joined forces to brainstorm our need to collaborate our passion for dark art. Over the course of the past year, King sent me demo ideas that were so inspiring it made me put my skeptic feelings aside. I wasn't sure if I wanted to have another Black Metal project but my unquenchable thirst to explore my darkest beast, launched the birth Ov HELL. The majestic Ov HELL has become a band that reflects our roots, raw, ugly, arrogantly blasphemous with uncompromising truth from two influential Norwegian musicians needing to express our primitive side, straight out Ov HELL." - Shagrath

Two new tracks, "Devil's Harlot" and "Ghosting" from the yet untitled upcoming album, has been uploaded to the band's MySpace.

Studio Line-up:

Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir, Chrome Division) - vocals
King (God Seed, Gorgoroth, Jotunspor, I, Sahg, Audrey Horne) - bass

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Ov Hell

Martin Walkyier of Sabbat and Skyclad fame has posted the following message on the official Clan Destined website:

It is my great pleasure to announce that I am currently working upon writing and recording some brand-new material for The Clan Destined. Due to the literally thousands of emails and messages I've received from you kind people via the TCD website and my MySpace page, I have now decided that the time has come to compose a follow-up to the critically acclaimed "In The Big Ending..." c.d. and DVD release. I also promised my father that I would write something to honour his memory just one week before he died in February 2007; and as I'm sure you will all appreciate, this was a very heartfelt oath that I feel morally obliged to fulfil.

I am both honoured and privileged to have recently recruited the exceptionally talented guitarist and composer Jacqui Taylor to The Clan Destined cause. Jacqui is precisely the kind of musician that I have always dreamed of eventually meeting for very many years now, the type of person who takes her music as seriously as I have always done. Jacqui practices her guitar for at least eight hours per day, which is the kind of sincere dedication we're talking about here! Working together with Jacqui Taylor is truly a breath of fresh air and a brand-new beginning for both myself and The Clan Destined. Anyone who doubts what I'm saying is more than welcome to visit Jacqui's www.jacquitaylor.co.uk website to see just why I'm so intensely excited about our current collaboration. Despite the fact that I have never earned a vast fortune from making my music, my sincere and honest approach to my creativity thankfully means that I have the support of a small army of fans and a few loyal friends. One person undoubtedly worthy of mention is my old comrade and fellow band-mate in Skyclad and Return To The Sabbat, the drummer Jay Graham who presently is battering the skins with his band Ravens Creed. Jay will be recording the drums and percussion (and maybe also playing some keyboards) on the new recordings from The Clan Destined. I'm currently looking for people who have what it takes to join together with me in this creative endeavour, both in the studio and at live TCD concerts (you know who you are!). If you feel that you have what it takes to be a member of The Clan Destined, then please don't hesitate to get in contact me via the official website www.theclandestined.com

I've also spent the last few months setting-up my own 24-track recording studio, to facilitate the composition and recording of these new TCD demo tracks for you all. As I'm sure you can imagine, for a man normally accustomed to working with words, competent sound-engineering is a skill that I have as yet to acquire. Yet, as with my understanding of the German language; this is something that only time, patience, good ears and just the few active brain cells remaining to me will undoubtedly learn to fully comprehend. Many thanks to you all for taking the time to read this TCD press-release. All of my very brightest blessings to you and yours. May your guardian-spirits be with you always!

Read more ››

Source:

theclandestined.com

Taken from Tobi's official website:

Tobias has just decided that there is too much material to put it all on one album. So the next chapter of Avantasia will be spread over two albums.

"I have always given my very best, but this new chapter in Avantasia's history is too much and too ambitious to be just a regular album. I have worked on it for years now, and it has become even more than two albums! I don't know if I will release one first, or both simultaneously, or maybe even both in one special package. It's all up to whatever label is going to release it, we'll see. The production is so massive and I have so many guests this time. It's the continuation of the "Scarecrow"-story. I knew that story would be spread out over two albums back then when we started working on it in 2006, cause we had writtem a real Rock Opera of over 20 songs even back then. But since then we kept composing, and out came even bigger and better material. Sometimes you don't have a single good idea for months, whereas at another point it just keeps flowing. "The Scarecrow" was a huge success, with that success backing me up, it's inspiring to be able to do things big time! Looking at the music industry today with all the CD burning and downloading I guess in the near future many of us traditional Rock and Metal bands won't be able to spend such a production budget, I am afraid I won't be able to afford so many guests and such a big production with orchestration and a choir and all that. That's why this production takes so much time, it may be the last big epic I will be able to afford, and I want it to be the biggest piece I have worked on so far."

So far Tobias has confirmed the following musicians to be part of the forthcoming Avantasia opus: Klaus Meine (Scorpions), Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen), Eric Singer (KISS), Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Jorn Lande (Masterplan), Bob Catley (Magnum), Sascha Paeth, Felix Bohnke (Edguy), Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody, Sieges Even)... More guests will be confirmed soon.

Source:	tobiassammet.com
Band profile:	Avantasia

Dani has posted a lengthy blog on his myspace page. The blog states that Cradle Of Filth have started working on a new album with "the skeletal structures of a few songs laid out", sounding "very much like the 'Godspeed...' album thrust up a gear".

He once again emphasises how stupid it was to sell such "candy balls" at this year's Bloodstock Open Air, regarding the incident that happened.

And also reminds us that his new book five years in the making, "The Gospel Of Filth" is finally ready to ore-order from the band's website.

--

The full message can be read here:

Greetings to all you merchants of menace and skinny villainesses, Dani here again with a belated update on all things fantastic and filthy;

At the time of writing, September is almost through, with skies fire-paved and a gorgeous Indian Summer settling like a phoenix on the East coast of England, the last few weeks finding me extremely busy with the trivialities of being at home and working in a band at the same time. Thus creativity has flourished under this wonderful boon and the first ideas for a new Cradle album have started to creep and crawl in the far-flung shadows of our combined imaginations. Bearing in mind we have merely the skeletal structures of a few songs laid out, that Autumnal vibe is already spreading like a mist, and the tunes are sounding very malefic indeed. Very much like the 'Godspeed...' album thrust up a gear.

Paul has moved to a luxury apartment on the dockside quay in Ipswich, the apocalyptic vision of a reddened sun split by the thin silhouettes of bobbing yacht masts, highly inspirational, tempering his writing with furious abandonment. In the meantime Martin is hard at work on his practice kit back in the Czech Republic, providing the midi backbone to Paul's initial structures, which are then later embellished by guitars and keyboards. Luckily Dave lives in spitting distance of Paul's new gaff, so he's in partnership with the basic skeleton of every track, which is then flown past Ashley (who has just moved this week from Phoenix to LA...), who then goes all symphonic on it's rugged ass. Things therefore are moving well towards our new, as-yet-untitled album, with a possible studio start date of early January to be ringed in all gothic diaries. Bring it on!

Now I think everybody got to hear about the stupid happenings at this year's Bloodstock with the kilo weight candy balls and the cancelled set, so much so this will be the last thing I'll say about it. Period. It's just a crying shame that some idiot ruined for so many people, least of all and very selfishly, me, as it was the last of our Summer festival run, it was on home turf and friends and family were present. Plus the weather was damn near perfect and there was a really cool vibe amongst people as the sun slunk towards our headline set. Aside from the fact that Paul, in really bad pain, had to be whisked to hospital for a body scan, two children, one of whom was handicapped, were almost hit by these deadly projectiles. And who the hell sells these things at a fucking festival anyway? Stupid beyond belief.

Read more ››

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Cradle Of Filth

The band have announced that they will embark on their "Death To Infidels World Tour 2010" next year. Two German dates have been announced, the rest are to follow.

"That's right! The Kings Of Metal are hitting the road again. Marking Manowar's first world tour since 1998, Death To Infidels World Tour 2010 is sure to be a grand testament to one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. Don't miss the chance to see Manowar in all their glory as they take up the reins for their first globetrotting assault in more than a decade.

Tickets for some of the shows in Germany are already on sale! This is the first time Manowar goes on an indoor tour of Germany since 2007. Add to this up-and-coming Magic Circle Music artists HolyHell and Metalforce and the Death To Infidels World Tour 2010 is sure to be one of the "don't miss" spectacles of the New Year.

More dates, both in Germany and elsewhere will be announced soon!"

There will also apparently be "special surprises in store for those who attend the shows", where the details of this are to be announced soon.

"Make your pilgrimage to the altar of metal and bow down before the mighty Manowar.

Death To Infidels World Tour 2010 - Believe. Behold. Become."

Source:	manowar.com
Band profile:	Manowar

"Italy In Progress Tour 2009" YtseJam Kr + Twinspirits + guests

Twinspirits and OnStage Booking are pleased to announce the first leg of "Italy in Progress Tour 2009", which will kick off in December, bringing the band in some of the best rock live club around Italy:

"Italy In Progress Tour 2009"
YtseJam Kr + Twinspirits + guest

03/12/2009 "MILANO in progress 2009" Zoe Club - Milano
04/12/2009 "BOLOGNA in progress 2009" Ke Me Meo - Argelato (BO)
05/12/2009 "PADOVA in progress 2009" Country Star - Albignasego (PD)
10/12/2009 "PERUGIA in progress 2009" Urban Club - Perugia
11/12/2009 "CASERTA in progress 2009" Oddly Shed - Casagiove (CE)
13/12/2009 "ROMA in progress 2009" Locanda Blues - Roma

In these shows Twinspirits will play songs from their new album "The Forbidden City", lately released by Lion Music. Every show will be co-headlined by Ytsejam Kr, an impressive combo that held the "Official Dream Theater Tribute Band" title from November 25th 2006 until December 31st 2007.

But there's even more! Every gig will host a cool prog-metal local band as an opening act, for the best progressive experience ever! Just to mention some: for all the guitar freaks out there, Daniele Gottardo (Guitar Idol UK finalist 2008/2009, Steve Vai Guitar Idol Award winner 2009) will be the ice-breaker in both Milan and Padova, unveiling some fine tunes from his forthcoming solo release "Frenzy of Ecstasy" (soon to be released by Favored Nations). Chapter Zero will warm up the crowd in Bologna (Ke Me Meo club) with their complex-yet-melodic style.

Twinspirits have just released their second album The Forbidden City through Lion Music.

Read more ››

Band profile:

Twinspirits

Videos for the band's entire performance at this year's Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic have been uploaded onto youtube. This was the band's second show with new vocalist Sam Bean.

Videos can be found at these locations:

1/2 Lords And Masters / Under The Three Spheres
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlztUCG0_60
3/4 Tomb Of Kings / To Where The Sun Never Leaves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0_5IMqE8vE
5 Wrath Of God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aWoZcMlCw
6 Beyond The Eyes Of Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOvyCfRnb4c
7 Worlds Beyond The Veil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8av5Y3j_6y4
8 Behind The Shadows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec80ZQ2Yt4I

Read more ››

Source:	youtube.com
Band profile:	Mithras

Hammerfest is back. Hammerfest II is set to take place in the same place as the previous year at Pontins Holiday Village in Prestatyn, Wales.

The first bands announced for Hammerfest II are:

Iced Earth
Devildriver
Skindred
Panic Cell
Attica Rage

Follow these links for the review of this year's festival:

Day 1 - Day 2

Read more ››

Source:	hammerfest.co.uk
Event:	Hammerfest II