Old school death metal from Japan? Yes please!

Official Pulverised Records press release

It is with great privilege to announce the official signing of Japan's upcoming Death Metal fiends GxSxD.

GxSxD (which stands for God Send Death) exploded into the Japanese Extreme Metal scene in 2002 and barely a decade into the band's career, GxSxD found themselves touring massively throughout their homeland and thus gaining widespread popularity as one of the most powerful Death Metal acts to have emerged from Japan. With an unforgettable trademark of the Japanese-tattooed twin brothers Yusuke and Yosuke Oka's synchronised windmill headbanging style; and with the unforgiving assault of heavily-induced Euro-Death Metal, GxSxD is definitely the perfect combination of flawless musicianship with an amazing stage presence.

The band commented: "Finally we have found our home!! We are very excited to work with Pulverised Records since we've been recognizing them as one of best label. We'll prove what we can do. Expect our Pulverised release."

States Pulverised Records A&R Manager Calvin: "I was instantly jaw-dropped by what I heard when I discovered GxSxD! Unbelievably tight and a literally vicious twin-guitar attack, GxSxD caught our attention and we knew they are an exceptional class of their own. After some discussions with the band, the deal was quickly sealed and plans are currently underway for their second full-length effort, which we should expect sometime this year. GxSxD is truly an unstoppable force and be prepared for their brand of barbaric Death Metal!"

Pulverised Records label manager Roy Yeo also added: "I had the pleasure of seeing GxSxD live in action when they stopped by in Singapore recently. The band is just visually stunning on stage and I was absolutely blown away! GxSxD is probably one of the most outstanding Death Metal band coming from Asia that I have heard in a long time, and also not forgetting that Japanese bands are notoriously known for producing real quality Metal. It is a great honour to have GxSxD as a part of the Pulverised family and we will expect nothing less than a devastatingly crushing album from GxSxD!"

I know you want more info about this band, so clickety click click!

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Source:

pulverised.net

Greek melodic power metal outfit InnerWish have released their video for the track "Burning Desires" online. The track comes off their forthcoming album No Turning Back which will be released in Europe and North America on May 28rd through Ulterium Records. "Burning Desires" was directed by Bob Katsionis (who previously worked for Firewind).


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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	InnerWish

Diego "Grom" Meraviglia, former drummer of Norwegian Melodic Black metal band Ancient and Italian Doom band DoomSword, has provided ear-shattering drumming for a track on the new Hexfire album. The recording session took place in Valencia (CA) with engineer Steven Leavitt. A few pics of the recording can be found here.

The band says: "Grom is an amazing drummer. We wanted him to record the fastest song from our forthcoming album because we were sure that he was the only man who could do the job perfectly! His style is exactly what we were looking for. That's why we asked him to record a song for us and he agreed! It's just amazing! We're so proud!"

Recently, Hexfire also tapped renowned metal drummer Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody Of Fire, Avantasia, Dol Ammad) to help bring some of the tracks to life, while Jonno Lodge (Biomechanical) will perform the rest of the drums.

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Source:

myspace.com

Decibel Magazine and Cynic are proud to announce the inaugural Hall of Fame tour. The "Hall of Fame" tour, titled Re-Traced/Re-Focused Live, will see progressive metal icons Cynic perform their first album Focus in its entirety, along with tracks from the group's lauded second album, Traced in Air, and more. Direct support comes from progressive masters Intronaut and Dysrhythmia.

"We're not only excited about this "Hall Of Fame" tour with Decibel, we're committed to giving Cynic fans a unique and memorable concert experience unlike ever before," says Cynic frontman/guitarist Paul Masvidal. "Focus will be performed in its entirety from start to finish, along with Traced in Air and beyond. It's going to be a journey directly into Cynic's pulsating, vibrant heart."

Read the full article on Decibel Magazine.

Re-Traced/Re-Focused Live: Cynic, Intronaut, Dysrhythmia

Jul. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
Jul. 23 - San Francisco CA - Slim's
Jul. 24 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne
Jul. 26 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore
Jul. 28 - Denver, CO - Marquis
Jul. 30 - Minneapolis, MN - Station 4
Jul. 31 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
Aug. 01 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
Aug. 02 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Aug. 04 - Montreal, QC - Café Campus
Aug. 05 - Boston, MA - Harpers Ferry
Aug. 06 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Aug. 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
Aug. 08 - Washington, DC - The Rock a - Roll Hotel
Aug. 09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
Aug. 10 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Aug. 12 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Aug. 13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Cynic
Event:	Re-Traced/Re-Focused Live

Absolve - the Montreal thrash/death metal band that recently signed to Panoptic Records - has unveiled the artwork and tracklisting for their first EP, Sadistic Crown.

The EP which is set to be released on June 8th 2010, was produced by Kim Gosselin (Blackguard) at Silver Wings Studios. Two songs , the title track and "My Wrath Will Follow You" are streaming on MySpace.

Sadistic Crown cover art] tracklist:

01. My Wrath Will Follow You
02. Sadistic Crown
03. Rot and Decay
04. Burn a Blind Eye
05. Helldust Impulse

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Source:

myspace.com

After months of silence from the Grave camp due to hard work writing and recording, the Swedish death metal trio of Ola, Ronnie and Fredrik is proud to present a track from the upcoming album Burial Ground, titled "Liberation". The track is available for streaming on Grave's MySpace page. Burial Ground is scheduled for release on June 14 through Regain Records.

Burial Ground cover art] tracklist:

01. Liberation
02. Semblance in Black
03. Dismembered Mind
04. Ridden With Belief
05. Conquerer
06. Outcast
07. Sexual Mutilation
08. Bloodtrail
09. Burial Ground

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Grave

All bands have their greatest hits and misses, Charon has A-sides, B-sides & Suicides. Charon will release their first ever compilation album A-sides, B-sides & Suicides on 23 June 2010.

The double album includes almost 40 songs and two and a half hours of music from the first demo tape to the latest studio sessions. In addition to the album cuts, there will be unreleased songs from recording sessions, cover songs and demos.

Charon will put out a teaser video every week in their official YouTube channel here. Videos will feature moments from the 17 year long history of Charon. The first teaser video is available below, and more details coming very soon.


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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Charon

Forbidden have announced headlining shows just prior and after their tour with Overkill this November. Support will come from fellow thrashers Evile, Gamma Bomb, and Bonded By Blood. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Forbidden, Evile, Gamma Bomb, Bonded By Blood:

11/04/10 Jaxx - W. Springfield, VA

KillFest Tour: Overkill, Forbidden, Evile, Gamma Bomb, Bonded By Blood:

11/05/10 Montage Music Hall - Rochester, NY
11/06/10 Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY
11/07/10 Club Hell - Providence, RI
11/08/10 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
11/09/10 Gil's - Virginia Beach, VA
11/10/10 Amos - Charlotte, NC
11/11/10 Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
11/12/10 Hooligans - Jacksonville, NC
11/13/10 Club Firestone - Orlando, FL
11/14/10 Culture Room - Ft Lauderdale, FL
11/15/10 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
11/16/10 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
11/17/10 Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH
11/18/10 Diesel Nightclub - Pittsburgh, PA
11/19/10 Rocko's - Manchester, NH
11/20/10 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ

Forbidden, Evile, Gamma Bomb, Bonded By Blood

11/22/10 Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
11/23/10 MOD Club - Toronto, ON
11/24/10 Blondies - Detroit, MI
11/26/10 Phoenix Hill Tavern - Louisville, KY
11/27/10 Reggie's - Chicago, IL
11/28/10 The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
11/29/10 Station 4 - St Paul, MN
12/01/10 Scout Bar - San Antonio, TX
12/02/10 Emo's - Austin, TX
12/03/10 Scout Bar - Houston, TX
12/04/10 Trees - Ft Worth, TX
12/06/10 The Rock - Tucson, AZ
12/07/10 U.B.'s - Mesa, AZ
12/08/10 Whiskey a Go Go - Hollywood, CA
12/09/10 Ramona Mainstage - Ramona, CA
12/10/10 New Oasis - Sparks, NV
12/11/10 DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Forbidden
Event:	Forbidden + Evile + Gama Bomb + Bonded By Blood

At the beginning of the month it was announced that original Agent Steel vocalist John Cyriis had returned to the band. Now the following update has been issued:

"Just checking in to let everyone know that we will begin rehearsals with vocalist J. Cyriis in the coming weeks here in Los Angeles. We're all very excited to fire up the engines and getting the gears turning to the Agent Steel machine! We will be revisiting the classic catalog of course, but most importantly; we look forward to begin work on new songs for future release.

As some of you know we have material already written in demo format that we look forward to reworking with J. Cyriis. We also have our first working title that Cyriis has been writing lyrics to that we can reveal at this time; "Behold... The Great Race". We're also in the middle of confirming South American live appearances for late August, and also European "exclusive shows" for late October, 2010."

Stay tuned for more details as they surface.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Agent Steel

According to Dio's website there will be a public memorial service for the late legend in Los Angeles.

"There will be a Public Memorial Service for Ronnie James Dio on Sunday, May 30th at 2:00 PM at The Hall Of Liberty located at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068. This will be a celebration of the life and music of Ronnie James Dio and is open to all of his friends and fans from around the world.

For those of you that will be flying in from out of town or out of the country, we are working with various local hotels to arrange discount rates. As soon as we have more information, we will make it available. "

In related news, organizers of Bloodstock Open Air in Catton Hall, UK and Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, have announced there will be a Ronnie James Dio stage as a tribute to the fallen metal icon.

Statement from Bloodstock: "We'd like to pay tribute to one of metal's leading and legendary lights, with the announcement of the renaming of Bloodstock's Main Stage as the Ronnie James Dio stage." A comment by Bloodstock founder Paul Gregory - responsible for the cover artwork for Dio's Angry Machines and Inferno - Last In Live albums - can be read here.

Statement from Sweden Rock: "Ronnie James Dio made five appearances at Sweden Rock Festival: three times with his own band Dio, and twice with Heaven And Hell - most recently just last summer. Ronnie always had a keen eye towards Sweden and Sweden Rock, and over the years we developed a good relationship to both him and his wife/manager Wendy... To honour his memory, we have decided to rename the Zeppelin Stage: this year it will be called Dio Stage. We are also planning a tribute ceremony on one of the main stages. More info on this will follow shortly."

In October, most prominent Swedish metal musicians will do a tribute concert on the Sweden Rock Cruise.

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Source:	ronniejamesdio.com
Band profile:	Dio

Soilwork just uploaded a brand new track called "Two Lives Worth Of Reckoning" to the band's official MySpace. The track comes off the bands highly anticipated new album The Panic Broadcast which is due on July 2, 2010 via Nuclear Blast!

Commented vocalist Björn Strid: ""Two Lives Worth Of Reckoning" is definitely a great teaser for the new album. We feel it has everything, a verse made for mosh, an atmopheric chorus and a jawdropping solopart, but wait, there's way more than that, check it out, enjoy guys and gals!"

The song can also be downloaded for free from this location (free e-mail sign-up required).

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Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Soilwork

After announcing an Australian Tour in 2009, then postponing it, then cancelling it altogether, the show will go on as Mayhem have annouced new 2010 dates. The Black Metal band will tour both Australia and New Zealand in September, playing five dates. Tickets went on sale last Thursday, so you can already book your spot at your town's show. Ticket purchasing information can be found on Mayhem's myspace page.

Here are all the dates of the tour:

September 21st, 2010 - Kings Arms, Auckland
September 23rd, 2010 - The Hifi, Melbourne
September 24th, 2010 - The Factory, Sydney
September 25th, 2010 - The Hifi, Brisbane
September 26th, 2010 - Capitol, Perth

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Mayhem
Event:	Mayhem - Australia/New Zealand Tour September 2010

It's official, May is definitely "metal massacre month" as the bad news continues to pile up. Just this morning atmospheric sludge/post-metallers Isis have called it a day. In a lengthy "good night!" message on their MySpace, the band writes:

"Isis has reached an end. It's hard to try to say it in any delicate way, and it is a truth that is best spoken plainly. This end isn't something that occurred over night and it hasn't been brought about by a single cataclysmic fracture in the band. Simply put, Isis has done everything we wanted to do, said everything we wanted to say. In the interest of preserving the love we have of this band, for each other, for the music made and for all the people who have continually supported us, it is time to bring it to a close.

We've seen too many bands push past the point of a dignified death and we all promised one another early on in the life of the band that we would do our best to ensure Isis would never fall victim to that syndrome. We've had a much longer run than we ever expected we would and accomplished a great deal more than we ever imagined possible. We never set any specific goals when the band was founded other than to make the music we wanted to hear and to play (and to stay true to that ideal), so everything else that has come along the long and winding path has been an absolute gift.

As with any momentous life-changing decision (which this certainly is for the 5 of us), we feel a very dynamic range of emotions about this and cannot express all of it within the space of a few sentences, and perhaps it's best to do what we've always done in and let our music speak for us. It is and has been the truest expression of who we are as a collective and in some ways who we are as individuals for the 13 years in which we've been together.

The last and perhaps most important thing we might say in relation to all this is how grateful we are for the people that have supported us over the years. It is a lengthy list that would include those who put out our records, those that played on them and put them to tape, the many bands with whom we shared the stage, all of our family, friends and companions who supported us in our individual lives and thus made it possible for us to continue on in the band, and most importantly those who truly listened to our music whether in recorded form or by coming to out to our shows (or both). It is quite true that we would never have done what we have without those people, that is many of you who are reading this. Our words can never fully express what we feel, but we hope that our music and the efforts made to bring it into being can serve as a more proper expression of gratitude for this life and for everyone in it. Thank you.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Isis
Event:	Isis

Guitar phenom Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind) has added his signature style and soloing to one of Kamelot's new songs that will appear on the band's upcoming CD.

Kamelot guitarist Youngblood comments: "Gus and I have been talking about working together for a few years now, I first met Gus when Dream Evil played with us on the Japanese Tour in a few years back. Since then Gus' band Firewind has toured with us in Europe and Japan and we have become great friends. I have always thought Gus' style was very special and very unique, its really great to have him on the new album!"

Gus G. adds: "Kamelot is a very unique band with a sound of their own and I've always liked them. To be invited to play on their new album is an honor and jamming on their track was a lot of fun. During the time our bands toured Japan and all over Europe together, Thomas and I became good friends. I have great memories from being on the road with the guys and I'm glad I contributed to their new album."

Kamelot is coming off of a hugely successful European Tour and will be playing several major Festivals this Summer before kicking off their North American Tour. More news about the new Kamelot CD coming soon, including more special guests, video news and more.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Kamelot

"Hammer Of The North", Grand Magus's new video is now available for viewing at this location. The song comes off the band's fifth and upcoming effort titled Hammer Of The North

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Grand Magus