Italian Death/Doom flag bearers Into Darkness (ITA) to release First Encounters on 7" EP for the first time through the WolfKult Religion label. The two-tracker will be released on Saturday September 9th 2023 at their show with Dutch Ancient Death Metal stalwarts Pentacle and Spanish deathsters Apparition at Centrale Rock Pub located in Erba, Italy.

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Source:	facebook.com
Event:	Pentacle: Live In Erba

WiV Entertainment and Metal Storm are proud to present you with a Night of the Prog VIII ticket giveaway. Two of our lucky readers will get a FREE 2-day festival pass! Two other festival attendees (yes, sorry, that's the condition) can win either a festival T-shirt or a cap. All of the prizes will be claimed at the festival. Start making your travel arrangements and hope you are lucky!

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Event:

Night of the Prog Festival

After a week of voting on the best April Fools PM sent to staff the results are in.

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Source:

metalstorm.net

UK's prog band Pure Reason Revolution have announced that they are calling it quits after the final 6 shows in UK in November. The previously announced mainland performances in Ukraine at Moonloop Festival on August 14th, and two shows in Holland on November 11th and 12th have been cancelled. At the final UK shows the band will, however, also perform their highly acclaimed debut album The Dark Third in its entirety. Read more for the band statement and tour dates.

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Source:

myspace.com

Due to unforseen circumstances, namely our Internet service provider is relocating, we are forced to take Metal Storm offline for a couple of hours this Tuesday. Hence, your favorite website on the web, your source for all that is metal and cool, will be inaccessible for some hours starting 17:00 UTC+2. Take the time off, go out and play, and enjoy Spring.

Source:

metalstorm.net

BEM Agency was one of the biggest concert organizers in Estonia bringing state of the art rock and metal artists to Estonia and organizing Green Christmas festival in Rakvere each year. Tough times call for tough decisions and BEM Agency has decided to wrap their business up. According to the Gunnar Viese interview given to Eesti Päevaleht Online, the firm does not see any ways to continue. As Gunnar Viese stated, starting from last Autumn the number of concert visitors has dropped about a third. VAT raise at the beginning of the year has also played a big role in ticket pricing and further raise in ticket prices seems to be out of the question. Although there is motivation to continue, BEM Agency sees no way that the situation in this field is going to improve soon. Thus comes the tough decision to quit.

Metal Storm wishes the people of BEM Agency all the best and thanks for all the concerts BEM Agency has organized and helped us cover. Special thanks goes to Gunnar Viese.

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Source:

bem.ee

Fifth Rabarock is only a week away. Last year's edition was the meeting point for 12 000 people. This year's edition on June 12th and 13th will probably see even more. 2 days, 2 stages, 18 bands for various tastes. Among others you'll find such local bands as Pedigree, Metsatöll, No-Big-Silence. However, the real treat will be Static-X, Anthrax and KMFDM. The kick off is on Friday at 15:15 when the first band will hit the stage. The tickets are still available for about 50 EUR. For those who will not have enough of the scheduled program, night club will be open on both nights of the festival with additional bands performing for about 6-8 EUR.

For those who have not yet acquired the ticket there is still a chance to win the pass in SMS drawing. Just send SMS to number 1512 containing text RABAROCK your name age (for example RABAROCK Peeter Soo 25). The winner will be announced on June 12th. In addition, all senders will participate in the drawing to win the full package for two to Ruisrock festival by Wris Tours. The drawing will be held after the festival on June 14th. Unfortunately this SMS game is for Estonian numbers only.

Introduction to Rabarock and the bands playing can be seen on Estonian TV channels starting today. The schedule is as follows:
05.06.2009 - 00:20 Rabarock 2009 (Kanal 2)
06.06.2009 - 23:10 Rabarock 2009 (ETV)
07.06.2009 - 23:10 Rabarock 2009 (Kanal 11)
08.06.2009 - 15:35 Rabarock 2009 (re-run) (ETV)
08.06.2009 - 22:50 Rabarock 2009 (ETV)
09.06.2009 - 15:30 Rabarock 2009 (re-run) (ETV)
09.06.2009 - 22:00 Top10@10 Rabarock artists (MTV Estonia)
10.06.2009 - 10:00 Top10@10 Rabarocki artists (re-run) (MTV Estonia)
10.06.2009 - 21:00 "Kuulsuste edetabel" (MTV Estonia)
11.06.2009 - 23:10 Rabarock 2009 (ETV)
13.06.2009 - 15:05 Rabarock 2009 (re-run) (ETV)

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Event:

Rabarock Festival

Green Christmas Festival is looking for helping hands:

If you

are at least 16 years old
think that rock music is the best
can deal with unexpected
are a team player
understand and speak English (and of course Estonian)
are not afraid of dirty work
don't whine over small things

then you are awaited to join Green Christmas voluntary force who will find themselves occupied on the festival grounds - counters, coatroom, cleaning up, etc.

If you want to join, fill up the application before November 24th.

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Source:	Press Newsletter
Event:	Green Christmas

As Phideaux report on their MySpace page:

"The recording is finished!

Dang it! I listened through the whole blasted album today with maestro producer Gabriel Moffat. Number Seven is now finished. All 60something minutes... And all we have to do is mix it! Of course, that is the hardest part, trying to ensure that all the ingredients add up to souffle and not leftover stew!

And so, regard our crafty new advert to get a hint of Number Seven - the story of life's never ending battle between the land and sea. We came from the oceans onto land -- have we been trying to go back ever since? Are we in danger of being overtaken by a legion of crafty crayfish? Is there, in fact, more earth than sea?

All this and more will be answered in our thrilling new dose of Phideaux music. Carefully constructed with the help of computer simulations and scientific research, this album has been formulated to resemble as closely as possible all your favourites. We have utilized the finest style consultants to ensure that our NEW SOUND will blend in thoroughly with the rest of the top acts in our field.

And soon, you the listener, can bask in the fruits of our labour.

We can now reveal the song titles, and the approximate running times:

1. Dormouse - a theme (1:05)
2. Waiting For The Axe To Fall (19:20)
3. Darkness At Noon (4:00)
4. Gift Of The Flame (6:00)
5. Thermonuclear Cheese (2:30)
6. The Search For Terrestrial Life (8:30)
7. Love Theme from "Number Seven" (14:20)
8. Infinite Supply (5:05)
9. Dormouse - an end (2:00)

As promised, no animals (surf or turf) were harmed in this production. We also maintained a strict adherence to using only the musicians in the ten member band Phideaux. You will find NO PESKY ORCHESTRA here.

And the best news of all is that this album contains NO 20 MINUTE EPICS. The only thing we ask is that you consider whether you would vote for the Shrew or the Crayfish. It is a battle to the death, and you will want to be on the winning side.

Let us all hope and prey that this album can be mixed and mastered before the end of 2008. We don't want to break our run of an album every year!"

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Phideaux

The latest news from the Electric Castle is that Arjen has just put the finishing touches on the forthcoming Ayreon 3CD + DVD compilation album, TIMELINE.

"I've been asked many times before to release an Ayreon compilation album, but it just didn’t feel right to present fragmented bits of story by lifting individual songs out of their greater contexts. However, my attitude changed after I completed my 2008 album 01011001, in which I connected all the previous Ayreon releases, musically as well as lyrically. Having completed the circle, so to speak, it seemed like a fitting time to put all things Ayreon into perspective and create an Ayreon timeline outlining the entire story."

TIMELINE follows the thirteen-year evolution of the Ayreon sound from the 1995 debut The Final Experiment to the release of 01011001 in 2008. In addition to selecting tracks from the existing Ayreon discography, Arjen has also written and recorded a new Ayreon song exclusively for TIMELINE. Titled Epilogue: The Memory Remains, this previously unreleased 9-plus-minute track introduces Ayreon fans to the clear, powerful voice of Jasper Steverlinck (Arid). Lyrically, The Memory Remains provides further insight into the final chapter of the Ayreon saga and what the future might hold for its characters.

In addition to The Memory Remains, TIMELINE's 3 audio CDs comprise 32 essential Ayreon tracks (almost 4 hours of music), all carefully remastered specifically for this release. The accompanying DVD features nearly two hours of released and unreleased video clips, behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5.1 mixes, and live performances of Ayreon tracks (Star one and Stream of Passion versions). To illuminate the Ayreon story further, a timeline poster illustrating the Ayreon universe and 56-page booklet containing many new photos, all lyrics, and notes on the story are included in the TIMELINE package. The cover is a specially commissioned painting by traditional Ayreon cover artist, Jef Bertels (see the full painting here).

TIMELINE will be available from InsideOut Music on 7 November (G.A.S), 10 November (Europe), and early 2009 (N. America).

When asked what the release of TIMELINE means for the future of Ayreon, Arjen explains, "I don't see this as the end of Ayreon, but rather as a new beginning. I'll definitely be recording some side projects before I even start thinking about re-inventing Ayreon. To keep things fresh for myself I've got to come up with a completely new concept for both the music and the lyrics. I hope I can do it...it will be definitely be quite a challenge!"

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Source:	ayreon.com
Band profile:	Ayreon

Once again Metal Storm and Hellfest are glad to open a contest and give all our readers a chance to win one of the two 3-day Hellfest 2008 tickets in the drawing. All you have to do is send an e-mail to contests(at)metalstorm.ee with subject Hellfest 2008 Contest, supply your full name and address, answer the three questions and be sure that you will come to the festival if you win the contest! Submissions without the full name and duplicate submissions will be ignored. The contest will close 31 May 2008 23:59 GMT+2.

More details at the contest page.

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Event:

Hellfest Summer Open Air 2008

Loits is glad to announce a home video contest.

You can choose any of Loits' singles to make your home video and the band makes no restrictions to your imagination or your artistic visions. Just feel free to use any you like. Anyone can participate at the contest and the band is glad to give you some advice if needed. The winner will be chosen by the band itself. The winning video will be present on Loits' DVD which is going to be released on September 5th 2008.

Loits will award the winner with ten brand-new DVDs and Lasering music store certificate for 2 500 EEK (160 EUR).

See Delfi for detailed information. The contest ends on May 30th 2008. The winner(s) will be announced at the latest on June 2nd 2008.

So get ready and start filming!
http://video.delfi.ee/contests

Source: Nailboard newsletter

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Band profile:

Loits

Ayreon official website have published a press-release about a new Ayreon EP to be released at the end of April 2008 called "Elected."

On January 25, 2008 the rock operas of Arjen Lucassen and Tobias Sammet, respectively Ayreon's "01011001" and Avantasia's "The Scarecrow," were released simultaneously. The music press, always eager for a story, called this event the "Clash of the Titans," gleefully portraying the two musicians as bitter rivals and urging each to comment on the other in countless interviews. There was much speculation about which album would be more successful, but upon release both albums immediately charted in several countries around the world. When asked about the so-called rivalry, Arjen explains: "I'd not yet even heard Tobias's album, but when I found out he'd managed to get my all-time favourite artist Alice Cooper to guest on The Scarecrow, I totally freaked out and sent a hate-mail to Tobias's MySpace. Fortunately, he never received it."

Coincidentally however, Tobias, who was fed up with having to talk about Arjen in interviews, grudgingly decided it was time to get acquainted. He emailed Arjen, and in the stream of email and insults that followed "it turned out that Tobias hated me just as much for having got Bruce Dickinson to guest on an Ayreon album, haha!" Arjen explains. Despite their mutual hatred, the two musicians eventually hatched a plan to put some fuel on the fire created by the press by doing the unthinkable: recording a song together. The result is a mind-blowing over-the-top cover version of Elected, the original version of which was a big hit for Alice Cooper back in 1973.

The song "Elected" will be featured on a 4-track EP released by Inside Out Music/SPV (release dates: 25 April for Germany/Austria/Switzerland; 28 April for Europe). The 3 other tracks featured on the EP are an acoustic live radio session of the "01011001" track "E=mc2" with Marjan Welman on vocals, "Ride the Comet" taken from the album "01011001," and a touching piano-only version of "The Human Equation" track "Day Six: Childhood" featuring Joost van den Broek and Marjan Welman.

The cover can be viewed here.

In other news. The latest Ayreon album "01011001" will be released on vinyl.

As reported in the Arjen Lucassen newsletter #82, the new Ayreon album "0011001" is to be released on vinyl. It will be a triple-album set on clear vinyl. However, the mid-March release date has been postponed. The new (but still tentative!) release dates are as follows: Germany, Austria, Switzerland: 11 April; Europe: 14 April; USA: 22 April.

Read more ››

Source:	ayreon.com
Band profile:	Ayreon

Due to the compromised server security we had to take our server down for tracking events and maintenance. So far everything is fine. Metal Storm lives on! Furthermore, in the beginning of the next week we will be going offline again for some further upgrades, sorry for that inconvenience but it's for the common good.

Thanks for sticking around!

I.

Hello all!

As you've noticed over a past month we've been down a couple times. Since we've been on a shared hosting service we haven't had much to say on the matter and... well the server that has been hosting the site has simply chickened out on us on those times. Hence we've bought ourselves our own server and we'll be upgrading our Internet connection as well, as the current one is obviously lacking for some of you out there outside Estonia.

As of this news item no further news will be posted until the move is completed. Some time during tomorrow we'll turn Metal Storm into a read-only mode and you will all be forced to logout. You'll be able to browse but you won't be able to post, edit, rate, etc. On the top a corresponding message will appear. When we have switched over, it will take a bit of time for DNS records to adjust for the whole world. Once the message on the top disappears and you can log in again, you'll know that you've reached the new location.

Some problems may surface, so bear with us until those are resolved.

Cheers,
Ivor & Staff on the road to world domination