Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Some of Sweden's finest heavy metal musicians will gather to pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio during this fall's edition of the Sweden Rock Cruise, set to sail on October 7, 2010 from Stockholm, Sweden for Åbo, Finland and return the following day. There will be a long tribute concert with a number of guest musicians performing classic songs from Dio's career with a main band consisting of members of LION'S SHARE.


So far the following artists have been confirmed to perform with LION'S SHARE at the event:

* Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH)
* Joacim Cans (HAMMERFALL)
* Björn Gelotte (IN FLAMES)
* Ian Haugland (EUROPE)
* Messiah Marcolin (ex-CANDLEMASS)
* Johan Edlund (TIAMAT)
* Mike Wead (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, BIBLEBLACK)

The show will end with all artists performing HEAR 'N AID's "Stars" (Dio was behind the HEAR N' AID project, a collection of metal artists who recorded the track "Stars" in 1985 to raise funds for African famine relief.)

On the cruise, Sweden Rock Magazine will donate SEK 25,000 to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, set up by Ronnie James Dio's wife Wendy Dio. Everyone attending the cruise can donate money, which will be sent to this cancer fund.

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Slipknot bassist Paul Gray found with pills

More details have emerged about the sudden death of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. According to The Associated Press, a maintenance worker at the TownePlace Suites in Urbandale, Iowa made a 911 call after discovering Gray’s body “slumped against a wall.”

In the call, the worker, Mike Kellow, told the dispatcher there was a hypodermic needle beside the bed and “all kinds of pills everywhere.” Keller told the operator that he checked Gray’s room following a phone call from Gray’s mother to the hotel ,because she was unable to reach him. Des Moines television station WOI-TV obtained the six-minute 911 call on Wednesday.


Urbandale police are still investigating the cause of death, but foul play has been ruled out. The autopsy, which was performed on Tuesday, was inconclusive and police are still waiting for the results of the toxicology test, which could apparently take up to six weeks. Police Sgt. Dave Disney told The Associated Press of the 911 call, “What was said on the tape is consistent with some things we found in the room, but that’s all I’m going to say.”

Gray was arrested on a drug charge in 2003 after he was in a car accident while under the influence, and has been open about his struggle with drug use in the past. On Wednesday the remaining members of Slipknot and Gray’s wife Brenna held a press conference to offer brief statements on his death and remember him.

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Slipknot bassist Paul Gray found dead

Slipknot's Paul Gray has died at the age of 38. The bassist was found dead in his hotel room in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier today (May 24).

According to MSNBC, Slipknot bassist and co-founding member Paul Gray was found dead this morning at 10:55. Police say a hotel employee found the 38-year-old Gray dead in a room Monday at the Town Plaza Hotel in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines. Foul play isn't suspected and an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.


Paul Gray was born in the city of Los Angeles, California but his family would later relocate to Des Moines, Iowa. He began his music career as a member of such bands as Anal Blast and Vexx, amongst others. He was one of only three founding members of Slipknot to remain in the recent lineup of the band, along with percussionist Shawn Crahan and drummer Joey Jordison. The news of his death is made all the more tragic by the fact that he was expecting his first child this year with his wife Brenna.

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Play Games For Girls Now!!

Recently, many people is search the games for girls in the market. But now, you don't need to play games for girls in the outside.


Free Online Dress Up Games & More from AddictingGames.com! There are thousands to choose from, developed by some of the biggest names around – Armor Games, Games2Win, and even yours truly, Addicting Games! There are also tons of reviews and ratings, so you’ll be sure to find hot new games everyday. No matter what skill level you are!

Free online dress up games, online Cooking Games, and online makeup games are some of the most popular on the internet and on the Addicting Games website. If you’re in the mood, look for popular titles like Addicting Dress Up, Naughty Elevator, Naughty Beach and Fantastic Contraption. So what are you waiting for? With tons of games to choose from, there’s enough fun for 24/7 gaming!

Can’t Get Enough? Embed Your Favorite Games! Add your favorite naughty games online and online kissing games to your Blog, MySpace or Facebook page, so you can play on your own website or webpage whenever you want! Just copy and paste the codes we make available here. But, check back often! We keep the list updated with the latest and greatest games!

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Green Day Profiles

Green Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass guitar, vocals), and Tré Cool (drums, percussion) for the majority of its existence.

Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street, Berkeley in East Bay, CA, United States . Its early releases for independent record label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label. Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the US. and 15 million worldwide.


As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States. Green Day’s three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectively. Green Day’s 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band’s popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S.The band’s eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009.

Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States.They have won three Grammy Awards; Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

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Matt Heafy Comments on Ronnie James Dio

Trivium frontman, Matt Heafy, has posted the following message on the passing of Ronnie James Dio:

"Trivium had the privilege of meeting Dio while touring with Heaven and Hell in Japan in 2007. We were just happy to be on the shows and didn’t expect to spend any time with any of the guys. Every single night of that tour Heaven & Hell blew our minds; we were fans in awe of how good they were. They had it all and to watch a group of musicians that deep into their careers so absolutely on top of their game like that was inspiring.


"One night after a show in Nagoya, I was able to pop in real quick to say 'hey' to Dio in his dressing room. I've been able to meet many heroes of mine in my life, but few have made impression on me like Ronnie James. He greeted me not as a support band member, but he welcomed me as a fellow musician and performer. He gave me a hug, invited a couple of us into his room where we all sat and talked and drank wine together. I remember our conversation crystal clear to this day. I told him how I met Bruce Dickinson on his BBC radio show and was asking Bruce about vocals and vocal techniques, and I shared with Dio that Bruce felt that I had started to develop my own vocal style and with work someday would further develop a stylistic similarity to Dio. Dio smiled and chatted about how he knew that Bruce was a fan of his voice, and from there we were able to just relax and talk shop about vocals and singing. Although it was a quick visit, Ronnie made me feel at home and was a really sweet dude. He gave us props, we finished our wine, we hugged and said 'See ya tomorrow.' It was amazing that I received vocal coaching from quite possibly the greatest metal voice of all time. I am truly grateful for the time he gave me and his personal insight into our shared craft. For that I will always be thankful."

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Bring Me The Horizon Get Van's Warped Tour

Bring Me The Horizon will also be embarking on the Van's Warped Tour starting in June. The complete list of upcoming Bring Me The Horizon tour dates are is as follows:

6/21 2010 Starline Fresno, California, US
6/22 2010 Jerry's Bakersfield, CA
6/23 2010 Area 702 Las Vegas, NV Find Tickets
6/25 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Home Depot Center Los Angeles, California, US
6/26 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Shoreline Ampitheatre Mountain View, California, US
6/27 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Seaside Park Ventura, California, US
6/29 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Cricket Pavilion Phoenix, Arizona, US
6/30 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - NMSU Practice Field Las Cruces, New Mexico, US

7/1 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - AT&T Center San Antonio, Texas, US
7/2 2010 Vans Warped Tour - Sam Houston Race Park Houston, Texas, US
7/3 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Superpages.com Center Dallas, Texas, US
7/5 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Verizon Wireless Ampitheater St. Louis, Missouri , US
7/6 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Verizon Wireless Ampitheater Indianapolis, Indiana , US
7/7 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - First Niagara Pavilion Burgettstown, Pennsylvan, US
7/8 2010 Vans Warped Tour - Time Warner Cable Ampitheatre Cleveland, Ohio, US
7/9 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Arrow Hall Toronto, Ontario, CA
7/10 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Parc Jean Drapeau Montreal, Quebec, CA
7/11 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Comcast Theater Hartford, Connecticu, US
7/13 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Comcast Center Masfield, Massachuse, US
7/14 2010 Vans Warped Tour - Darien Lake P.A.C. Darien Center, New York, US

7/15 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Toyota Pavilion Scranton, Pennsylvan, US
7/16 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, New Jersey, US
7/17 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, New York, US
7/18 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Monmouth Park Racetrack Oceanport, New Jersey, US
7/20 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, Maryland, US
7/21 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Verizon Wireless Ampitheater Virginia Beach, Virginia , US
7/22 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Verizon Wireless Ampitheater Charlotte, North Caro, US
7/23 2010 Vans Warped Tour - Vinoy Park Petersburg, Florida, US
7/24 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Cruzan Ampitheater West Palm Beach, Florida , US
7/25 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Firestone Amphitheater Orlando, Florida, US
7/26 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Lakewood Ampitheater Atlanta, Georgia , US
7/28 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, Ohio, US
7/29 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Marcus Ampitheater Milwaukee, Wisconsin , US
7/30 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Comerica Park Detroit, Michigan, US
8/1 2010 SONISPHERE FESTIVAL, KNEBWORTH PARK Knebworth, UK, GB
8/5 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Northlands Grounds Edmonton, Alberta , CA
8/7 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Utah State Fairground Salt Lake City, Utah , US
8/8 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Invesco Field Denver, Colorado, US
8/10 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Cricket Ampitheatre San Diego, California, US
8/11 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Pomona Fairplex Pomona, California, US
8/12 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Sleep Train Ampitheater Wheatland, California, US
8/13 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Idaho Center Ampitheater Nampa, Idaho , US
8/14 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Gorge Ampitheater George, Washington, US
8/15 2010 VANS WARPED TOUR - Washington County Fairgrounds Hillsboro, Oregon, US
9/5 2010 Challenge Stadium Perth, WA, AUSTRALIA
9/7 2010 Thebarton Theatre Adelaide, SA, AUSTRALIA
9/9 2010 Festival Hall West Melbourne, VIC, AUSTRALIA
9/10 2010 Hordern Pavillion Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA
9/11 2010 The Riverstage Brisbane, QLD, AUSTRALIA
9/21 2010 Academy 2 (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Oxford, UK, GB
9/22 2010 Waterfront (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Norwich, UK, GB
9/23 2010 Academy 2 (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Birmingham, UK, GB
9/24 2010 Garage (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Glasgow, UK, GB
9/25 2010 Cockpit (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Leeds, UK, GB
9/27 2010 Club Academy (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Manchester, UK, GB
9/28 2010 Arts Centre (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Colchester, UK, GB
9/29 2010 Concorde 2 (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Brighton, UK, GB
9/30 2010 Lemon Grove (+ Cancer Bats + Tek-One) Exeter, UK, GB
10/1 2010 Relentless Garage (+ Tek-One) London, UK, GB

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Lars Ulrich Issues Letter To Ronnie James Dio

Metallica drummer Lars Ulric has issued the following open letter to the recently deceased Ronnie James Dio:

"Dear Ronnie, I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you've passed on. I'm kind of in shock, but I wanted you to know that you were one of the main reasons I made it onto that stage to begin with. When I first saw you in Elf, opening for Deep Purple in 1975, I was completely blown away by the power in your voice, your presence on stage, your confidence, and the ease with which you seemed to connect to 6000 Danish people and one starry-eyed 11 year old, most of whom were not familiar with Elf's music. The following year, I was so psyched when I heard the results of you joining forces with my favorite guitar player. You guys sounded so right for each other and I instantly became Rainbow's #1 fan in Denmark.


"In the fall of 1976, when you played your first show in Copenhagen, I was literally in the front row and the couple of times we made eye contact you made me feel like the most important person in the world. The news that you guys were staying in town on your day off somehow embedded itself in my brain and I made the pilgrimage to the Plaza Hotel to see if I could somehow grab a picture, an autograph, a moment, anything. A few hours later you came out and were so kind and caring... pictures, autographs and a couple minutes of casual banter. I was on top of the world, inspired and ready for anything. Rainbow came to Copenhagen a couple more times over the next few years and each time you guys blew my mind, and for a good three years were my absolute favorite band on this planet.

"Over the years I've been fortunate enough to run into you a half dozen times or so and each time you were as kind, caring and gracious as you were in 1976 outside the hotel. When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007, even though I may not have let on, I was literally transformed back to that little snot nosed kid who you met and inspired 31 years earlier and it was such a fucking honor and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven and Hell. A couple of weeks ago when I heard that you were not going to be able to make it to the Sonisphere shows that we would be sharing this June, I wanted to call you and let you know that I was thinking of you and wish you well, but I kind of pussied out, thinking the last thing you needed in your recovery was feeling obligated to take a phone call from a Danish drummer/fan boy.

"I wish I'd made that call. We will miss you immensely on the dates, and we will be thinking of you with great admiration and affection during that run. It seemed so right to have you out on tour with the so-called 'Big Four' since you obviously were one of the main reasons that the four bands even exist. Your ears will definitely be burning during those two weeks because all of us will be talking, reminiscing and sharing stories about how knowing you has made our lives that much better. Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me. Thank you."

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Ronnie James Dio Passes Away

As confirmed by his wife, Wendy who has posted the following message on Ronnie James Dio's official site and official Facebook, Ronnie James Dio dies at age 67.

“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal... with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever. Wendy”

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) lost his battle with stomach cancer and passed away at age 67. Dio made a name for himself when he fronted the Ritchie Blackmore led band Rainbow, who released their first album in 1975. After leaving Rainbow, Dio was asked to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, to which he agreed. With Black Sabbath, he recorded two highly acclaimed studio albums in the form of "Heaven And Hell" and "The Mob Rules." After leaving Black Sabbath, he formed his own self-titled band and became one of the biggest draws in heavy metal during the 1980s.


Dio briefly reunited with Black Sabbath in the early 1990s, releasing the "Dehumanizer" album before leaving once again to concentrate on his own band. Another reunion with Sabbath followed in 2006, this time under the new moniker, Heaven & Hell, reulting the acclaimed album, "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer late last year and the band recently cancelled their tour dates in Europe as a result of Ronnie's health.

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The Black Dahlia Murder Updates Touring Schedule

The members of The Black Dahlia Murder have their bags packed and are jetting over to Japan to start their tour with label mates Unearth. This tour will take them through Japan and to New Zealand before spending a week in Australia. The dates wrap up with a show that features The Black Dahlia Murder with local acts on June 9th at the Loft in Honolulu, HI. The Black Dahlia Murder's upcoming tour dates are as follows:

05/23 Osaka, JP Club Quattro
05/24 Tokyo, JP Club Quattro
05/25 Nagoya, JP Club Quattro
05/28 Christchurch, NZ The Bedford
05/29 Auckland, NZ Kings Arms

05/31 Sydney, AU The Factory Theater
06/01 Brisbane, AU Hifi Bar
06/02 Brisbane, AU Hifi Bar
06/03 Adelaide, AU Fowlers Live
06/04 Melbourne, AU Hifi Bar
06/05 Melbourne, AU Hifi Bar
06/06 Perth, AU Amplifier Bar
06/09 Honolulu, HI The Loft w/ local acts, no Unearth

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AVENGED SEVENFOLD: New Album Title Revealed

Orange County, California based hard rock outfit Avenged Sevenfold has revealed that the name of their forthcoming new studio album will be, "Nightmare".

"Nightmare" (the album) is reportedly dedicated to the memory of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's late drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and although it's not exactly a concept effort, its lyrical themes do revolve around The Rev. According to HardDrive Radio, "the eeriest thing about it is there is a song on the album called 'Fiction' (a nickname The Rev gave himself) which started out with the title 'Death'. The song was the last track The Rev wrote for the album and was completed three days prior to his untimely death.

Guitarist Zacky Vengeance wrote at the band's official Twitter page, "There are no words that will ever describe the feeling of listening to this album while driving home alone at 4 a.m."


DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy recently issued a statement about being tapped to work with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on the band's new album. Portnoy filled in for James "The Rev" Sullivan, who died in late December. Portnoy said, "Even under normal circumstances, I would've been happy to help the guys out in any way I could as I think AVENGED SEVENFOLD are a great band...but under these incredibly sad and tragic circumstances, I must say I am truly honored to have been asked to play with them and I didn't even have to think twice about saying 'yes.'"

Portnoy added, "These guys are a true family and it is an incredibly emotional experience to be here with them for the first time without their lost brother. But they have welcomed me into the family with open arms and there's a real excitement to make the record they had set out to make."

Portnoy also said, "I am treating my participation on this album with the utmost respect for Jimmy's memory and am remaining as true as possible to the drum parts that he wrote for the songs and the record he wanted to make."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced Portnoy's participation in their fifth album on February 17, calling him Sullivan's "all-time favorite drummer. "

Portnoy has confirmed that he will sit behind the kid for AVENGED SEVENFOLD on all the band's tour dates through the end of 2010. He said in a statement, "After having had such an amazing experience recording my drum tracks for the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD album, we all knew it would be awesome if I'd be able to do some touring with the band after its release."

Portnoy added, "Although I wish I could stay on board with AVENGED SEVENFOLD in a more permanent capacity . . . I will need to resume work with DREAM THEATER to start a new album at some point in 2011. However, I will be able to join my brothers in AVENGED SEVENFOLD for at least the duration of their touring throughout 2010, and hopefully this will give them the time to continue to heal and get comfortable back on the road."

Sullivan was found dead at his Huntington Beach, California home on December 28, 2009. The cause of death has not yet been announced.

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Job For A Cowboy Track Added To Rock Band Network

Glendale, AZ based act Job For A Cowboy is one of the latest artists to make tracks available for play in the “Rock Band” franchise of video games. “Unfurling A Darkened Gospel“ from Job For A Cowboy's latest release "Ruination" is now available for download on the Rock Band Network. The song can also currently be heard via the band's MySpace page.

The upcoming Job For A Cowboy tour dates are as follows:


5/15 2010 Fox Theater Pomona AND The Glass House Pomona, CA
5/15 2010 The Fox Theater - Pomona Pomona, CA
5/16 2010 The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA
5/17 2010 The Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
5/18 2010 El Corazon Seattle, WA
5/19 2010 Heliconian Hall Pocatello, ID
5/20 2010 In the Venue Salt Lake City, UT
5/21 2010 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
5/22 2010 Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
5/23 2010 The Hanger Wichita Falls, TX
5/24 2010 Emos Austin Austin, TX
5/25 2010 Dos Amigos Odessa, TX
5/26 2010 Launchpad Albuquerque, NM
5/27 2010 Clubhouse Music Venue Tempe, AZ

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Heaven Shall Burn Profiles

Heaven Shall Burn was formed in autumn 1996, under the name ‘Consense’. With the recording of their second demo in early 1997 the band changed their name to ‘Heaven Shall Burn’. The name is taken from a Marduk album titled “Heaven Shall Burn… When We Are Gathered”. In an interview with the band at decoymusic.com, the band said: “It’s not that we’re huge Marduk fans, but we liked the name. It sounds a bit provoking and so people ask us again and again for the meaning behind our name.

It has been like that since the very beginning. We use the term “heaven” as a metaphor for some kind of a fake paradise that people create in their heads. Some people close their eyes and don’t see the truth surrounding them. So this kind of fake heaven should burn. Some people might think that our name is an anti-religious statement, but it isn’t.”


In 1998 the band released an MCD entitled “In Battle There Is No Law” followed by a split-LP with “Fall of Serenity” in 1999. Following these releases the band signed to Lifeforce Records for their 2000 debut album “Asunder”. It was followed by a split-CD with their long-time friends Caliban in 2000 as well as 2002’s album “Whatever It May Take”. In 2002, “In Battle There Is No Law” was re-released through Circulation Records.

Upon the release of ‘Whatever it May Take’ , Heaven Shall Burn toured through England and South-America, and finally to Iceland. There they met Olàfur Arnalds, who wrote three classical interlude parts for their album ‘Antigone’.

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Chino Moreno Speaks On His Thoughts Of Quitting Deftones

The latest issue of retrospective look at the career of the Deftones and Chino Moreno reveals that he came close to quittingthe Deftones around the time of ‘Saturday Night Wrist’.

From the early days of playing the Sunset Strip with Korn through battles with drink and drugs, the accident that nearly cost them one of their bandmates and dearest friends to the light at the end of the tunnel that is this year’s incredible ‘Diamond Eyes’ album, this is a comprehensive round-up of everything you ever wanted to know about one of the most important metal bands of the past 20 years.


Metalhammer spoke to Chino Moreno at great detail about his personal troubles and he revealed to us that things got so bad that he considered quitting the band during the recording of ‘Saturday Night Wrist’.

MetalHammer: Did you think about quitting the band?

Chino Moreno: “Yeah. I thought about it a lot during those times. During the self-titled and also during Saturday Night Wrist. When I was finished with my vocals on ‘SNW’, I told the producer that it was the last Deftones album that I would ever put vocals on.”

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Joey Belladonna Anthrax Reunion Confirmed

After rumours began to strengthen last week, it has been confirmed that Joey Belladonna has rejoined Anthrax. Get full details inside.

After many rumours, it has been confirmed that Joey Belladonna has rejoined Anthrax. Not only will Belladonna play all of the band’s ‘Big Four’ shows this summer and Anthrax’s appearance at this year’s Sonisphere festival, Joey is also expected to appear on the forthcoming Anthrax album.

“I am super-excited about this,” said Scott Ian. “Joey and the rest of the band came to see me play at a club in New York, I hadn’t seen Joey for years, since the end of the reunion tour. Joey taps me on the shoulder, instant big hug, it felt like no time had gone by. The band dynamic is an interesting one — in Anthrax, Joey and I spent so many years of our lives together, we grew up together, we know each other so well, so it was like no time was lost.”


“We’re going to do these summer shows and gel as a band,” explained Charlie Benante, “get comfortable playing with each other again, and the energy from that should go right into making new music.”

Belladonna, an essential part of Anthrax’s lineup from 1985 to 1992, sang on some of the band’s most popular albums including Spreading the Disease, Among the Living and Persistence of Time. He had reunited with original members of Anthrax for the 2005 – 2007 “Among the Living Tour,” but this situation is different.

Explained Belladonna, “I had been in touch with Charlie and Frank, then I got a call from their manager who said that everyone wanted me back in the band. I thought, ‘are you guys for real? You want me up there, fronting the band like it was before?’ I was thrilled. We’ve already started to reconnect with the old ways of having conversations. Everything is easy going and feels really good.”

Following the UK leg of this year’s the Sonisphere run, Anthrax are expected to begin writing and rehearsing for a new album, with an early 2011 release pencilled in.

“We’ve got an unusual luxury of hindsight,” added Ian. “We finished an album a year ago, we’ve lived with those 12 songs since then, and we can look back on them and see what we really love and what we can make even better, especially with Joey back in the fold.”

Added Benante, “There are five or six songs from a year ago that we don’t want to change, we love them the way they are, other than having Joey making them his own with his vocals. Then there’s another five or six that we may want to rework, and then there are a bunch of other tunes that are still in the early stages, that we want to finish.

“The band has been on an emotional roller coaster since last summer,” Benante continued, “but I think everything that we’ve had to deal with during that time was pushing us toward this, to Joey being back in Anthrax, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect or appropriate. To have Joey with us playing these shows with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth is the way it should be — as Anthrax’s vocalist from ‘85 to ‘92, he was part of the ‘Big Four.’”

“John was a real stand-up guy about the situation,” said Ian, about John Bush, Anthrax’s vocalist from 1992 to 2005 and for some of Anthrax’s most recent live shows. “He knew we wanted to move forward at full speed, that we needed a total commitment to Anthrax, and he knew that wasn’t what he wanted. We certainly wish John well. We’ve had so many great times with him, and we appreciate his stepping in last summer at the last minute, and performing with us since then. He will always be an integral part of the Anthrax family.”

We’ve been asking you to vote on who you would like to see fronting Anthrax and you can still vote in our poll on the right-hand side of this page.

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Trivium’s Matt Heafy: My Top Ten Essential Metal Albums

Matt Heafy of Trivium spoke to Hammer, telling us what his Top Ten Essential Metal Albums are.

This is a web exclusive, but you can read the Top 300 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die now. Those who give their top tens include members of HIM, Killswitch Engage, Cypress Hill and many many more.

Matt Heafy:
1) I’m going to start with Martyr’s Warp Zone. This has been a hugely influential album on me, and they’re a band that I feel are way underrated. They’re a band so many people haven’t heard about but this album is truly a gem. Everyone’s putting technical and jazz elements of things like virtuoso guitarist Alan Holdsworth in there, but these guys were doing it before all of them and Martyr don’t do it for the sake of it, they do it for the sake of new sounding songs. The band incorporate jazz, thrash, death and tech and so much more. They really have their own sound. Next has to be Opeth with Blackwater Park.


2) Other Swedish bands were taking folk and acoustic and blending it with death metal and influencing US bands, but Opeth draw from 60s/70s prog and a bit of the Stockholm sound and took it to a whole new level. These guys truly have their own sound: when you hear an Opeth song you know it’s Opeth. As many amazing albums as Opeth have Blackwater Park has always had something extra special: the vibe, the riffs, the songs (particularly Harvest), the textures and the way they use singing and screaming, electric and acoustic. So many nice juxtapositions. When I heard it, it was a sound I didn’t know was possible in the extreme metal world.

3) I’m not super into power metal but Angra’s Temple Of Shadows should be in there. There is something special about this record. All the musicians are amazing players in their own right – the vocalist has a range like no other I’ve heard – but the thing is that not only can they all really play, they can write great music, which is rare amongst virtuoso players.

4) Nevermore’s Dead Heart In A Dead World has always been one of my favourite metal albums and one of my favourite tones. I’ve always loved the way the guitars and drums sound. I love the riffs too. Jeff Loomis is a great lead player and a great rhythm player – which you don’t always see. There are few singers who can just sing and make it as dark as the screaming, but the lyrics are amazing, and these guys have it.

5) It’s really hard to pick a favourite from In Flames, but Jester Race is the one I always come back to. If it weren’t for that record I would never have started writing like I did. The only things I’d heard when I first got into In Flames were more US metal – the melodies were nothing like I’d ever heard. This record helped spawn songs like Requiem and Fugue – the early things as we bridged into that melodic death metal range.

6) I have to put Arch Enemy’s Wages Of Sin in there too. Arch Enemy took the Swedish melodic death sound and added a really interesting element to it. It’s a clean production, a bit slower and more groovy than a lot of the other Swedish bands but still brutal. I love the really big Michael Amott solos and the trade-offs between him and Chris. Big influence on my playing.

7) There’s a whole slew of bands that I never really mention that were a big influence on me for the Ascendency style, particularly Underoath and their They’re Only Chasing Safety album. In interviews we would talk about our ‘metal’ influences, but lately I’ve been wanting to shed some light on the other end. …Chasing Safety showed me more of the non-true metal depictions of sing/scream, soft/heavy: having ridiculously heavy parts straight after a soft, clean melodic part. This album really did something for me and it really has a special place for me in my heart.

8 ) Killswitch Engage’s Alive Or Just Breathing is probably the most influential CD since it came out. It influenced everything from nu-metal to hardcore to melodic death to pop punk to emo. It’s basically everyone’s favourite record at one time or another. If it hadn’t been for this record we definitely wouldn’t have sounded the way we do.

9) Next is Machine Head’s Through The Ashes Of Empires. They were the first metal band I saw as a kid. You can hear tons of MH influence in Trivium. There are things in songs like Imperium, that had they not written we wouldn’t have written Pull Harder…

10) And finally, I’ll say Death’s The Sound Of Perseverance. Death are a huge part of our sound as they are so many bands’ sounds. They did so much more with death metal, incorporating prog and melodicism. The tones are great, the drumming is incredible and the artwork is great too – it’s a perfect metal record.

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Dying Fetus Updates North American And Australian Tour Schedule

Dying Fetus will join Napalm Death for a week-long Australian tour this September. This follows up Dying Fetus’ visit down under as part of last year’s Australian Summer Slaughter tour. A listing of confirmed tour dates and cities can be found below. Dying Fetus is touring in support of the new album, "Descend Into Depravity," that was released late last year. "Descend Into Depravity" is currently streaming in its entirety at this location.

***Facemelter 2010 tour with Arsis, Misery Index, Conducting From the Grave, and Annotations Of An Autopsy***
5/11 Austin, TX Emo’s (w/ CANNIBAL CORPSE)
5/12 Ft. Worth, TX Ridglea Theatre
5/13 Albuquerque, NM The Compound
5/14 Mesa, AZ UB’s

5/15 Pomona, CA Fox Theatre (as part of California Metalfest)
5/16 San Francisco, CA Modesto Virtual
5/17 Bend, OR Bend Event Center
5/18 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
5/19 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
5/21 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
5/22 Des Moines, IA House Of Bricks
5/23 Milwaukee, WI The Rave (as part of Midwest Fuckfest)
5/24 Minneapolis, MN The Rock
5/26 West Dundee, IL Clearwater Theatre
5/27 Louisville, KY Phoenix Hill Tavern
5/28 Indianapolis, IN Emerson Theatre
5/29 Detroit, MI Harpo’s
5/30 Windsor, ON Chubby Pickle
5/31 Toronto, ON Mod Club

6/1 Quebec City, QC Imperial
6/2 Montreal, QC Foufounes
6/4 Cleveland, OH Peabody’s
6/5 Pittsburgh, PA Smiling Moose
6/6 Long Island, NY Crazy Donkey
***With Napalm Death***
9/1 Perth, Australia Amplifier Bar
9/2 Adelaide, Australia Fowler’s Live
9/3 Brisbane, Australia The Hifi
9/4 Sydney, Australia The Factory
9/5 Melbourne, Australia The Hifi

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Deftones Announces More U.S. Tour Dates

In addition to taking part in the BlackDiamondSkye tour this fall, Deftones has added a number of dates to their tour schedule to round out the end of May. Here are those tour dates:

May 27 - Des Moines, IA - Peoples
May 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
May 30 - Amarillo, TX - Aztec Music Hall
May 31 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
June 1 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre

Here are the latest BlackDiamondSkye tour dates, featuring Deftones, Alice In Chains, and Mastodon, including the just-added show in San Diego, CA:


Sep 16 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sep 17 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sep 18 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Sep 20 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Sep 22 Boston, MA Agannis Arena
Sep 24 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Sep 28 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Oct 1 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Oct 4 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Oct 7 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
Oct 8 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Oct 9 Portland, OR Rose Quarter Memorial Coliseum
Oct 15 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
Oct 16 Las Vegas, NV The Joint

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Dream Theater Drummer Mike Portnoy To Tour With Avenged Sevenfold

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, who filled in on Avenged Sevenfold's new album after the death of James "The Rev" Sullivan, has issued the following statement about performing live with Avenged Sevenfold for their 2010 tour dates:

"After having had such an amazing experience recording my drum tracks for the new Avenged Sevenfold album, we all knew it would be awesome if I'd be able to do some touring with the band after its release.


"I am happy to say that the timing worked out perfectly that my touring cycle with Dream Theater (and Transatlantic) was coming to an end just as A7X's was scheduled begin! (well, perfect for everyone except my poor family!) Although I wish I could stay on board with A7X in a more permanent capacity, the reality is that I am committed to Dream Theater as my main priority (that is my baby after all!), and I will need to resume work with DT to start a new album at some point in 2011. However, I will be able to join my brothers in Avenged Sevenfold for at least the duration of their touring throughout 2010...and hopefully this will give them the time to continue to heal and get comfortable back on the road....

"You can look at me like the band's 'rebound drummer' to buy them some time until they are comfortable and ready to make a commitment to somebody new for full-time relationship in their future! In the meantime, I am real excited to hit the road with the boys...to bring my drumming from their new album to life on stage and to honor The Rev with all of their older material.... Hey, do I get to have a cool, bad-ass stage name now?"

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Paramore, Drake Rock Into the Night at New Jersey's Bamboozle

During the daylight hours of the two-day New Jersey parking-lot festival known as the Bamboozle, attendees wander around the Meadowlands grounds, scoring rides on the Ferris wheel, signed merch or a free hug. But the nighttime portion of the festival is all about the performances, and this year Saturday night's focus was on the slightly battered institution that is American pop music.

As the sun dipped below the Jersey horizon, the Maine-bred MC Spose, whose self-deprecating debut single "I'm Awesome" blipped into the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this spring, played a brief set to a small but frenetic crowd. Aided by a hypeman, he seemed almost like an homage to the early '90s, with overzealous posturing borrowed from the Beastie Boys and unabashed tales of slacking that brought to mind Green Day's "Longview."

The miscreant pop star Ke$ha — who is also playing Sunday's installment of the fest — performed a brief set during which she ran through most of her debut Animal with a fair amount of expletive-filled energy (and two extremely enthusiastic backup dancers). Problems with the mix rendered her hits "Your Love Is My Drug" and "Tik Tok" overly bass-heavy and a bit lost outside of their studio-crafted context.


Heavily hyped MC Drake, whose career path from Degrassi: The Next Generation to the pop-rap world was assisted by Lil Wayne, came out for a set that felt a little bit like a disjointed mixtape: The first half relied heavily on run-throughs of the verses he's added to hits like the steely-eyed Kanye West/Eminem/Lil Wayne collaboration "Forever" and the Young Money showcase "Bedrock." Drake took on the seductive pose of the latter song for most of his set, inviting a young woman from the crowd up on stage for a bit of flirtation during slow jams like "A Night Off." He also noted to the women in the crowd that he would make dinner, light candles, run a bath, and give a massage to whichever lady could cure him of his single-guy status.

Drake dedicated his set to his jailed mentor, asking the crowd to rap along with Weezy's verse on his track "I'm Goin' In" to get it replayed on Hot 97, which he claimed was Wayne's prison listening of choice. The crowd obliged him. Perhaps buoyed by that response, Drake couldn't stop performing, coming out for multiple encores. As a result, his set didn't finish until about 30 minutes after it was scheduled to end. While this sort of enthusiasm would have been appreciated at a show headlined by Drake, the tight scheduling of the evening meant that each one of his indulgences delayed the night-closing set by Paramore on an adjacent stage. (To his credit, he did apologize to his "homeboys in Paramore" at one point, although he then proceeded to play for another 15 minutes.)

Once Paramore did take the stage, however, they blew away any memories of ungracious co-headliners. Despite some technical problems early in the band's set, the crowd was enraptured, hanging on every word by spitfire frontwoman Hayley Williams. Williams played the role of grateful rock star to the hilt, commanding the crowd in sing-alongs and taking some time out to sincerely thank the audience for sticking with her and her band through a series of Bamboozles (the band first played the festival in 2005).

The flame-haired Williams is one of the very few young frontwomen in rock these days, and it was hard not to think that the heavily female crowd singing along with Paramore hits like "That's What You Get" and "crushcrushcrush" was not only enjoying the guitar-heavy pop, but happy to see one of their own commanding the spotlight. At the show's end, Williams invited a young woman from the audience onstage to sing the bridge of the band's big hit "Misery Business" — a hard task for any singer, let alone one plucked out of a crowd with no warm-up. But she matched Williams' octave-leaping, and as the two of them closed the show with a hug, it was as if the young role model was sending a message: rock's glass ceiling is ready to be shattered once again.

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All That Remains Offering Streaming Video From The Studio

All That Remains have announced a peek into the recording process as the band enter the studio to begin recording their fifth album to be released by Prosthetic Records / Razor & Tie this fall.

To engage fans in the recording process, Phil Labonte (vocals), Oli Herbert (guitar), Mike Martin (guitar), Jeanne Sagan (bass) and Jason Costa (drums) have set up a streaming video site set up in their recording studio.

Fans can look to the bands' social networking sites for detailed broadcast schedules, giveaways, and weekly chat sessions, but the feed is constantly streaming and any of the band members as well as the album's producer, Adam D from Killswitch Engage, may pop into the chat room at a random time.


While fans wait for the new album, they can find several of their favorite songs from the band's latest album Overcome on the Rock Band Network for the Xbox Marketplace. The new songs that are now available for download are "Days Without," "Undone," and "Forever In Your Hands."

All That Remains will also be embarking on a five date tour from June 8th through June 12th with Fear Factory throughout the Northeast/Tri-State area. Phil Labonte said, "We're really pumped to be getting out on the road with Fear Factory. We're having an amazing time in the studio working on the new album but it's always good to get out there in front of the fans and just perform. We've been cooped up in the studio so getting out on stage will be a nice break so once we get back in we'll be recharged to finish this heavy-ass record. Arrghhhh!!!!"

ALL THAT REMAINS TOUR DATES
(With Fear Factory)
June 8 - South Burlington, VA - Higher Ground
June 9 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
June 10 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
June 11 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
June 12 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom

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Angels & Airwaves Biography's

Angels & Airwaves (also known as AvA) is an alternative rock band created by blink-182 and former Box Car Racer guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge. The band consists of former Box Car Racer guitarist David Kennedy, former Offspring, former Rocket from the Crypt drummer Atom Willard, and former 30 Seconds to Mars Bassist Matt Wachter, who replaced Ryan Sinn in early 2007.


The band released their first single, “The Adventure” on May 18, 2006 and their debut album, “We Don’t Need to Whisper”, on May 23, 2006. Recorded and produced at DeLonge’s Never Pants Ranch, the album is a mix of huge production values and anthemic songwriting sounding nothing like the pop-punk sound that earned DeLonge huge amounts of credit for his work with blink-182


The band released new album “I-Empire” On 5th November, 2007 which gained fast popularity, climbing to the number one spot on iTunes almost overnight. The first single from the new album, “Everything’s Magic”, was leaked onto the internet, and on August 25, 2007 it was the most requested song on California radio station KROQ. Angels & Airwaves began streaming the song on their myspace profile on August 28, 2007. I-Empire debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No.9 with sales of 66,000 in its first week. On November 16, 2007, Tom announced on Modlife.com that “Breathe” will be the next single/music video off of the I-Empire album. A documentary by the band entitled Start The Machine has also been released.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Tom Delonge tradmarked the name “Angels and Airwaves” on June 24, 2005. The name apparently occured to him whilst driving in his car. Realizing this would be frequently abbreviated to “AAA”, he decided to move the middle letter upside down for a more unique and personally meaningful “AVA” as his daughter is named Ava. This was amongst the lingering confusion of Blink-182’s “indefinite hiatus” which later led to a confirmed split and the beginning of the band.

In an interview with British magazine Kerrang!, DeLonge commented about the band’s beginning:
”Just before all the blink-182 stuff happened when we were in Europe, I had a really weird epiphany. My heart was beating about a hundred miles a minute for three weeks straight and it had never happened to me before in my life. I really felt like I’d been touched by something and I felt I was meant to do something massive.”

Originally, “Valkyrie Missile” was stated for release via iTunes on December 13, 2005, DeLonge’s 30th birthday. However, due to discussions with their record label, Geffen, the band decided to push the release date back to a later date. Instead, the Angels & Airwaves website produced the first ever glimpse at the movie currently in production, a 1-and-a-half minute long trailer featuring portions of the delayed song.

Angels and Airwaves released both a music video and a short film for their first single, “The Adventure”; the band also released a short film for “It Hurts” via the band’s official website. Both are short sci-fi films and together form the first part of a proposed ten-part series, following the cast’s struggle through an unfamiliar world. On October 3, 2006, the band released the third installment in the series, “The Gift”.

“Do It for Me Now” was released in the US as the second single and “It Hurts” was released in the UK as the second single at the same time. The music video for “It Hurts” is in fact the short-film released on April 18th and was available to select on the UK music television channel Kerrang!.

In 2006, the band embarked on their first full-length tour, which was headlined by Taking Back Sunday and supported by Head Automatica and The Subways. Numerous one-stop dates at the Give It A Name 2006 festival were played with the likes of My Chemical Romance, Lostprophets, We Are Scientists, Hundred Reasons, Panic! At the Disco, The Bled, Thrice, Billy Talent, Goldfinger, Underoath, Paramore, The Ataris, Aiden and Atreyu. The band also played on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 15, 2006. The band headlined a tour in the US, supported by The Sounds, which ended with a stop in Mexico City, Mexico. After that tour, the band went to perform in Japan and Australia.

They also performed at two shows at London’s Hyde Park and in Manchester supporting the Foo Fighters on their successful In Your Honor tour. Over 100,000 people over both days. Other bands they played with over the two days included The Strokes, Eagles of Death Metal, Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Juliette and the Licks, and Brian May and Roger Meddows-Taylor from Queen.

Among the plans for a big future, AVA have announced they are planning on releasing a film involving their music. The World War II-based movie is being created primarily through the use of CGI. This “story” is apparently based upon Tom’s life and will give viewers insight into the hiatus of blink-182. Currently, the only known cast member is Michael Ostman.


Tom DeLonge stated in his PR Editorial Review:
”So preachy, I know. And I don’t mean for it to be. I wanted it to be the recording of an emotional event in my life. I love the idea of an album doing that, because I knew that if I could get 150,000 people in an arena to have the same feeling at the exact same moment, it would end up feeling like a religious event. I really want the room to be dark, with black light or a candle. People should have headphones on, and they should be really comfortable, maybe sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. I spent a year and a half working on this record, trying my hardest to give people a moment of escapism. All I ask is 50 minutes of a lowered heart rate.”

On 16 July 2007, the Angels & Airwaves website was updated to feature a teaser trailer in the startup. The trailer features the song Star Of Bethlehem playing over concert footage, quotes from critics about “We Don’t Need To Whisper”, and members of the band riding on motorcycles and riding in a truck.


24.12.2009

Hallucinations is the first track to be released off of Angels & Airwaves new album, Love. Released via their website it was made available as a free download. Initially planned to be released at midnight christmas eve 2009 pacific time, the band could not wait and posted it 8 hours early much to the delight of fans.

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Haste The Day Streaming New Song "Travesty"

Christian metallers Haste The Day are currently streaming a new son online titled "Travesty." The track, which is off the band's upcoming album "Attack Of The Wolf King," can be heard through the Haste The Day MySpace page. The new album is set to be released on June 29th, 2010. The upcoming Haste The Day tour dates are as follows:


5/16 2010 Ridglea Theater – Fiesta De Furia Ft. Worth, Texas , US
6/4 2010 Crocodile Rock // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Allentown, Pennsylvan, US
6/5 2010 Championship // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Lemoyne, Pennsylvan, US
6/6 2010 First Unitarian Church // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US
6/7 2010 The Crazy Donkey // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Farmingdale, New York, US
6/8 2010 Upstairs @ The Palladium // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Worcester, Massachuse, US
6/9 2010 Webster Underground // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Hartford, Connecticu, US
6/10 2010 Underworld // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Montreal, Quebec, CA
6/11 2010 The Annex Wreck Room // Attack Of The Wolf King Toronto, Ontario, CA
6/12 2010 Lost Horizon // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Syracuse, New York, US
6/13 2010 Xtreme Wheels Skatepark // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Buffalo, New York, US
6/15 2010 Peabody’s Down Under // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Cleveland, US
6/16 2010 The Basement // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Columbus, Ohio, US
6/17 2010 Ichthus Festival 2010 Wilmore, Kentucky , US
6/18 2010 Fubar // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour St. Louis, Missouri, US
6/19 2010 The Arbor (w/ The Devil Wears Prada and Gwen Stacy) Cordova, Tennessee , US
6/20 2010 The Village // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Little Rock, Arkansas, US
6/22 2010 Warehouse Live Studio // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Houston, Texas, US
6/23 2010 White Rabbit // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour San Antonio, Texas, US
6/24 2010 House Of Rock // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Corpus Christi, Texas, US
6/25 2010 Emo’s // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Austin, Texas, US
6/26 2010 The Conservatory // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US
6/29 2010 Rhino’s // CD RELEASE PARTY // Haste The Day VS Haste The Day Bloomington, Indiana, US
6/30 2010 The Mixtape Café & Music Venue // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
7/1 2010 Blue Moose Tap House // Attack Of The Wolf King Tour Iowa City, Iowa, US
7/2 2010 Cornerstone Festival 2010 Marietta, Illinois , US
7/20 2010 Merriweather Post Pavilion // Warped Tour 2010 Columbia, Maryland , US
7/21 2010 Virginia Beach Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 Virginia Beach, Virginia , US
7/22 2010 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte // Warped Tour 2010 Charlotte, North Caro, US
7/23 2010 Vinoy Park // Warped Tour 2010 St. Petersburg, Florida , US
7/24 2010 Cruzan Amphitheater // Warped Tour 2010 West Palm Beach, Florida , US
7/25 2010 Firestone Amphitheater // Warped Tour 2010 Orlando, Florida , US
7/26 2010 Lakewood Amphitheater // Warped Tour 2010 Atlanta, Georgia , US
7/28 2010 Riverbend Music Center // Warped Tour 2010 Cincinnati, Ohio , US
7/29 2010 Marcus Amphitheater // Warped Tour 2010 Milwaukee, Wisconsin , US
7/30 2010 Comerica Park // Warped Tour 2010 Detroit, Michigan , US
7/31 2010 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 Tinley Park, Illinois , US
8/1 2010 Canterbury Park // Warped Tour 2010 Shakopee, Minnesota , US
8/2 2010 Sandstone Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 Bonner Springs, Kansas , US
8/5 2010 Northlands Grounds // Warped Tour 2010 Edmonton, Alberta , CA
8/7 2010 Utah State Fairgrounds // Warped Tour 2010 Salt Lake City, Utah , US
8/8 2010 Invesco Field // Warped Tour 2010 Denver, Colorado , US
8/10 2010 Cricket Wireless Amphitheater // Warped Tour 2010 Chula Vista, California, US
8/11 2010 Pomona Fairplex // Warped Tour 2010 Pomona, California, US
8/12 2010 Sleep Train Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 Marysville, California, US
8/13 2010 Idaho Center Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 Nampa, Idaho , US
8/14 2010 Gorge Amphitheatre // Warped Tour 2010 George, Washington, US
8/15 2010 Washington County Fairgrounds // Warped Tour 2010 Hillsboro, Oregon , US

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Keane To Release New Album

Keane is preparing to release their new album Night Train on May 11th, an album that drummer Richard Hughes says was recorded entirely at different points during the band’s last tour in support of their 2008 release Perfect Symmetry.

“It was recorded over the course of the last 18 months [during] touring,” Hughes told Alternative Addiction. “We just stopped off at various studios in various continents, and at the end of it we had enough to release this album.”

Many of the tracks were never intended to be part of an album; Hughes says the band was just using the studio time to break the monotony of touring.

“Oddly enough, touring can be sort of stifling, just playing songs again and again. Getting into the studio and playing some new songs is a nice break.”


What started out as the band just toying with some different musical ideas, eventually evolved into the eight tracks that would comprise Night Train.

“Most of the songs were just ones we wanted to do for fun, and we were just really happy with what came out,” explained Hughes. “It was a much more sort of relaxed process than we have ever done before. Usually in a studio there is that bit of nervousness or pressure that we didn’t really feel on this, we just sort of went for it, and if it sounded good, it stayed.”

Hughes said that due to the nature and atmosphere that the album was recorded in, fans should still take the album seriously, but not too seriously.

“It should be taken seriously, but again it’s us going into studios while on tour having fun,” said Hughes. “It’s definitely a different thing for us, but with each of our albums there has been a progression.”

Some of the highlights of the album include two collaborations with Somali rapper K'Naan and Japanese funk MC Tigarah. The album also includes the first track Keane has ever recorded with songwriter/pianist Tim Rice-Oxley singing lead vocals.

Following the release of the album, Keane is expected to announce plans for a US summer tour in support of the new album, although the band is not expected to continue touring into the fall.

“Towards the end of the year we’ll probably hit the studio and start on another new record, and then hit the road big time in 2011.”

Night Train is due in stores in the US on May 11th.

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Alter Bridge Eye Fall Release Of New Album

Alter Bridge is nearly finished with their as-of-yet untitled third album, which is currently being mixed. In a post on the band's website, they said they are targeting a September release.

"The next step in the process is mixing, which already began in mid-April, in New York," the band stated in a post on their website. "The mixing will probably take a few weeks and once that is finished, we will begin the difficult task of deciding which songs will make the album."


The post also stated the band plans to tour Europe in October starting with dates in the UK.

Last fall Alter Bridge lead singer Myles Kennedy announced plans to release a solo album, while his band mates tour with Scott Stapp and Creed. Earlier this month Kennedy stated that his solo album was put on hold to focus specifically on the new Alter Bridge album.

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As I Lay Dying Streaming Entire New Album "The Powerless Rise"

As I Lay Dying's new album "The Powerless Rise," which is set to be released on May 11th, 2010 via Metal Blade Records, is currently streaming online in its entirety. The album can be heard through the official As I Lay Dying MySpace page. All 11 songs will be available from today through Monday, May 10 at 6:00pm PST.

While As I Lay Dying cross the U.S. on their headlining tour with Demon Hunter, Blessthefall, and War Of Ages, the group has announced a day-of-release in-store at Rolling Stones Music (7300 W. Irving Pk. Rd. Norridge, IL 60706). The in-store signing will begin at 3:30 PM sharp and continue until before the band's headlining show later that night at the House of Blues (329 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL).


The upcoming As I Lay Dying tour dates are as follows:

05/07 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock
05/08 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
05/09 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
05/10 Nashville, TN Rocketown
05/11 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
05/12 Minneapolis, MN The Cabooze
05/13 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club
05/14 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
05/15 Magna, UT The Great Salt Air
05/16 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
05/17 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
05/18 Eugene, OR Mcdonald Theater
05/20 Reno, NV Knitting Factory
05/21 San Diego, CA Soma
05/22 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues

Cool Tour 2010 w/ Underoath, Between the Buried and Me, Blessthefall, The Acacia Strain, Architects, Cancer Bats, and War of Ages

07/12 Orlando, FL House of Blues
07/13 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
07/14 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
07/15 Charlotte, NC Fillmore
07/16 Baltimore, MD Sonar
07/17 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
07/18 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
07/20 Boston, MA House of Blues
07/21 Sayreville, NJ Starland Parking Lot
07/22 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
07/23 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
07/24 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
07/25 St. Louis, MO Pageant
07/27 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless
07/28 Dallas, TX Palladium
07/30 Mesa, AZ Mesa Amphitheatre
07/31 Los Angeles, CA Palladium
08/01 San Francisco, CA Warfield

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Lamb Of God Reveals More "Hourglass" Details

American heavy metal outfit Lamb Of God has revealed some more details regarding their forthcoming new compilation release, "Hourglass." The career retrospective will be released in several different formats including CD, digital, vinyl and two special editions. The releases include:

Hourglass: Vol 1 - The Underground Years: 13 of the most choice Lamb of God songs from their early years. Culled from their first album "Burn the Priest," their debut as Lamb of God, "New American Gospel," and their breakthrough album, "As The Palaces Burn."

Hourglass: Vol 2 - The Epic Years: 13 of the most choice Lamb of God songs from their career on Epic Records to this point. Both Grammy nominated songs "Redneck" and "Set To Fail" are surrounded by fan favorite anthems and other songs from "Ashes Of The Wake," "Sacrament" and 2009's #2 debut "Wrath."


Hourglass: The 3 CD Anthology: The ultimate Lamb of God retrospective. 44 tracks on 3 CDs. Vol 1 and 2 join Vol 3 containing 18 rare or never heard before songs. Included are Japanese issued bonus tracks, multiple rehearsal demos, along side the 8 songs recorded prior to Burn The Priest.

Hourglass: The Vinyl Box Set: All 6 Lamb of God Studio albums for the first time on 180 Gram vinyl in a Linen-wrapped collector’s box. Includes "Burn The Priest," "New American Gospel," "As The Palaces Burn," "Ashes of the Wake," "Sacrament," and "Wrath."

Hourglass: The USB Box Set: All 6 Lamb of God studio albums on individual USB drive in a cigarette box shaped collectors package. Includes "Burn The Priest," "New American Gospel," "As The Palaces Burn," "Ashes of the Wake," "Sacrament," and "Wrath."

Hourglass: The Deluxe Set: The collectors set including The 3 CD Anthology, The Vinyl Box set, The USB Box Set, and a Linen bound 144 page book of the art of Lamb of God as created by K3n Adams including designs for tour passes, albums, t-shirts, and his commentary on them.

Hourglass: The Super Deluxe Set: The limited edition definitive collectors set including The 3 CD Anthology, The Vinyl Box Set, The USB set, the Book, a Mark Morton Signature Series Jackson Dominion D2, A 4’x6’ Pure American metal Flag, an Hourglass sticker, and a signed 8x10 in a personalized Lamb of God Coffin Case.

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Emo Is The New Hair Metal

Yes, we all hate emo. The whiny vocals, guitar-lite riffs and ridiculous fashion. Oh, and it’s massively popular. Just like hair metal. Read our blog on what the future might hold…

In the 80s, metal heads – true metal heads – hated hair metal, glam, sleaze and all it stood for; which wasn’t much of any substance – drugs, girls and looking good, all the trappings of narcissism and hedonism. While bands like Britny Fox and Pretty Boy Floyd sang about the ‘Girlschool’ and the ‘Gangster Of Love’ Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Iron Maiden were singing about war, the occult and society. Hair metal borrowed much of what metal had found for itself – from the music to the fashion – and appropriated it for millions of ‘rock tourists’ who needed something to pose to. A generation of metallers hated their younger brother, the skinny androgynous air-head sibling with lipstick on.

Likewise 25 years on hardcore, punk and metal created a monster. This time it was emo. The story of ‘emotional hardcore’ is much told, and remains as convoluted and contentious in its detail as that of hair metal (for whom we can variously blame Van Halen and/or Motley Crue and/or Aerosmith and so on…). Emo filled the same gap that hair metal did in the late 80s: deemed cool by the cooler end of the mainstream – ie: not very. While its lyrics are less about sex, drugs and partying, the sentiments of emo feel just as hollow and certainly vicarious: ‘I’m sad’, ‘misunderstood’, ‘things are bad (I hear)’ etc etc. But the music speaks to the X generation kids (you will be, as many of us at Hammer are) who, with their liberal parents of the 60s, had to strive harder to self-define and rebel: ‘a lip piercing? That’s cool son’.

We metal heads are – as humans – complex in our emotions, and while we want the world to love metal and understand our music, we kind of still want it for ourselves. We are by definition underdogs and Annotations Of An Autopsy on Radio 1 would ruin that. It is a statement, opting out of mainstream culture its gods and its mores. So emo was an unwelcome sibling the moment it was born.

Most things only become uncool and hated soon after the fact. Electro seemed so cool until 1986, as The Prodigy did in 1993 and Limp Bizkit in 2000. We just didn’t talk about it for ten years afterwards. But hair metal and emo were/are hated at their zenith.

So to recap, the similarities of emo and hair metal are:
real metal fans hate the music
real metal fans hate the fashion
And they hate it at the time, not afterwards

I also predict that just as no one mentioned hair metal in the 90s (not even the hair bands stuck up for it – Def Leppard to Skid Row, they all tried to convince the world they were relevant and never used hairspray) and made a massive comeback in the 00s, so emo will be a cool, ironic/non-ironic influence in ten or 15 years. And mark my words, it’s happening to nu-metal as we speak: old bands will make comebacks and new bands will inject nu-metal bounce. In retrospect things feel more fun and less threatening than when the thing you hate is/was a monkey on your back. I am reminded of Robb Flynn and I talking about the difference between ‘good hair metal and bad hair metal’ while having a wee at the Golden Gods aftershow some years back. I wonder if we’d have had the same conversation in 1996? Sure Kerry King won’t be extolling the virtues of Pretty Boy Floyd, but when asked for their guilty pleasures, bands like DevilDriver and Five Finger Death Punch are happy to cite Fall Out Boy.

And it’s not just the mainstream and the crossover that does it – thrash and hardcore anyone?

So get ready for an emo-comeback in 15 years or so. While it’ll be ironic to like the awfulness of Madina Lake and All Time Low you may find yourself discovering genuine treats that were tarred with the same brush. For every Nitro there’s a Motley Crue. So for every Hawthorne Heights there’s a… well, you’ll have to wait and see.

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The Used Cancel Download Performance

Bert McCracken and posse will not be making it to the UK for this year’s Download festival.

Utah emo-rockers The Used have cancelled their forthcoming European and UK performances, including their slot at this year’s Download festival.

A full statement from the Used reads: “It is with great regret that we have been forced to cancel our upcoming appearances in Europe, UK and Russia, due to unforeseen circumstances resulting in a parting of ways with our management team. We deeply apologize to our fans who were looking forward to these show. We will reschedule these shows as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have begun writing and recording for our upcoming album. We look forward to returning with a new album and tour dates soon.”

Bands confirmed for this year’s Download festival thus far: AC/DC, Aerosmith, Rage Against The Machine, Them Crooked Vultures, Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots, Bullet For My Valentine, Stone Sour, Megadeth, Motorhead, Slash, HIM, Airbourne, Steel Panther, Billy Idol, Lamb Of God, Volbeat, Five Finger Death Punch and many, many more to still be announced.

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Megadeth Checks In With New Road Report

Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine has checked in with the following statement about arriving in Chile:

"Droogies! I just landed in Santiago, Chile and lemme tell you we are so pumped to be back here, it's sick! Last night in Buenos Aires, Argentina we had another of those once in a lifetime shows, and the funny thing is that Chile and Argentina are so close together geographically that you can't come to one country and not play the other. And as far as the fans go, Chile has always been a proud audience, and we have always loved them, and they have always been up at the top of our list with the Argentinians. Which brings me to something very important, and that is loving our fans, and the idiots who spread rumors about us canceling shows. On this tour we are going to several new countries, and some that we have only played once before. And never do we cancel a show once we are in the country, and in this case South America.

"You see, there has been a rumor floating around that we are not coming to Quito, Ecuador, and that is the biggest mountain of horse manure I have ever heard. It must have been started by someone who is very, very afraid of Megs!

"I just want you to know that you better go get your tickets now! Because when we get there and you say, 'I don't have a ticket' or 'I didn't trust you,' or 'I didn't believe that you were coming to this country,' it will be too late once the tickets are all gone. What does Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, have right now that Ecuador doesn't? Tickets to one of the best Megadeth concerts ever. I mean, if you are going to miss a concert, miss some other band, don't miss the 20th Anniversary of RIP because it won't be back here ever again."

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Track Listing Announced For "The True North Loud And Free" Compilation

Canada's Misguided Aggression has issued the following announcement about appearing on the upcoming "The True North Loud And Free" compilation:

"Hey guys! An awesome Canadian Metal compilation CD is going to be released May 11th, 2010 through Sonic Unyon’s online store! The compilation will feature bands from Year of the Sun, Diminished 5th, Galy and CDN records! The digital download of this is available to anyone in the world and we suggest you check it out! There are some rad bands on this so take some time and download it! It is free after all!"


The compilation's track listing is as follows:

1. Derelict - "Summoning The Firestorm"
2. Neuraxis - "The Apex" (Live)
3. Bloodshoteye - "Killing Time"
4. Odium - "Population Zero"
5. We the Undersigned - "Pangaea Mind"
6. Starring Janet Leigh – “Ex You”
7. The Last Felony – “Quandary”
8. Misguided Aggression - "Mustard Gas and Roses"
9. Reanimator - "Standards of Failure"
10. Rusted Dawn – “Where Turns the Tide"
11. Deadwalk - "Conqueror"
12. Vatican - "Dysangile"
13. Thy Flesh Consumed - "Devout Heathen"
14. Drudgery – “The Uprising” (Previously Unreleased)
15. The Daisy Anthesis - "m.m.b.m.m.b."
16. Endast - “Pray For Rain”

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Cradle Of Filth Signs To Peaceville Records

Cradle Of Filth is set to unleash their latest release through Peaceville Records in October of 2010. Peaceville issued the following statement about the signing:

"Never shy of embracing the epic, Cradle have constantly sought to push the boundaries of their art. Whether through elaborately theatrical stage shows (incorporating giant lumbering puppets, fire-breathing dancers, freaks and stilt-walkers from the notorious Circus Of Horrors), provocative merchandise (including the now legendary ‘Jesus Is A Cunt’ t-shirt), breathtaking artwork or the weighty subject matter of their albums (their latest one was a concept album telling the story of a French Lord who fought alongside Joan Of Arc, before embarking on a horrific killing spree), this is a band who have refused to be confined by the labels that have been placed on them.

"The band enters Monkey Puzzle studios near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk this month to start work on their new album, the follow up to 2008’s Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder. Cradle Of Filth remain stalwarts to the satanic horror ethos by again composing a fully blown concept album, this time based on Adam's first wife, the lascivious Demoness Lilith; throwing Medieval nuns, Knights Templars, Greek mythology and lashings of sex, occult lore and violent bloodshed into the smelting pot, to create a darkly erotic nightmare set to their unique scope of supreme vampyric metal.


"For this release the band wanted mastery of their own destiny, choosing to release the album on their very own AbraCadaver label in conjunction with Peaceville Records, home to such illicit luminaries as Darkthrone, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Bloodbath and Gallhammer amidst many others.

"Vocalist Dani Filth has described the move as being 'a choice to move away from the artistic restrictions/mindless inhibitions imposed by dwelling on a major label' and cites the current financial clime as 'the perfect opportunity to start doing things our own way again, with the added benefit of being a far bigger fish in a proverbial pool, surrounded by people who have been handpicked to get the job best done. And more importantly... who still are hungry for the taste of music'.

"Having recently published the long-awaited 'Gospel Of Filth' grimoire of all things ghastly and ghoulish, the band will finish the new album, undertake it's heavy press schedule and then embark on a full world tour in its support. Whatever the future holds, you are guaranteed that the alliance between Cradle Of Filth and Peaceville records will be mad, bad and dangerous to know... The cradle will fucking rock!"

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Ryan Knight Offering Guitar Lessons In Chicago

The Black Dahlia Murder guitarist Ryan Knight has issued the following announcement about offering guitar lessons in the Chicago area:

"Hey peoples, Ryan here. I will moving to the Chicago area soon (Lakeview area specifically), and will be giving guitar lessons. Those who are interested in learning technique (palm muting, legato playing, tapping, sweeping, alternate picking, hybrid picking, hammer ons from nowhere), basic theory (scales/modes, intervals, relative major/minor, triads), song/solo structure, ear training, and timing I think will find these lessons quite useful.


"I am a mainly self taught musician myself, and I think this would be a fun opportunity to share what I have learned over the years. Lessons will be 25 for half an hour, and 30 for a full hour. I'm primarily interested in teaching those who consider themselves in the beginner to intermediate levels, but I'm not opposed to advanced students either. If you are interested, please contact me with your info and what you would like to learn here ryanktrade@gmail.com."

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