METAL NEWS

Bill Ward is officially out of Sabbath!

2012-02-03T19:18:00.001Z

Tony, Ozzy and Geezer are continuing on with out Bill Ward on their new album after Bill posted a scathing assessment of recent contracts given to him about the recent reunion tour! An official statement follows:

We were saddened to hear yesterday via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current Black Sabbath plans...we have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open... We are still in the UK with Tony. Writing and recording the new album and on a roll... See you at Download!!!

- Tony, Ozzy and Geezer

Soulfly announce new line up and new artwork for upcoming release Enslaved!

2012-01-17T16:30:00.002Z

Soulfly have just announced their new lineup for their upcoming record Enslaved. Max Cavalera and Marc Rizzo will be joined by Tony Campos on bass and David Kinkade on the drums. Along with this latest announcement the artwork for Enslaved has just been released. Enslaved is released on 12th March through Roadrunner Records!

Its official! Iron Maiden announce EN VIVO!

2012-01-17T16:08:00.002Z

Iron Maiden have announced the release of a new live DVD, Blu-Ray and Double CD soundtrack En Vivo! The concert was shot on 10th April 2011 in Santiago Chile on the bands Final Frontier World Tour. The two disc DVD features the entire concert, a behind the scenes documentary, Satellite 15 ... The Final Frontier music video, The making of the music video and the Final Frontier world tour video intro! The DVD hits the shelves on 26th March in the UK and 27th in Canada and the US! Head over to www.ironmaiden.com for more info and comments from the band members!

Download Festival announces more bands!

2012-01-16T19:07:00.003Z

Download festival have just announced a whole host of new bands for this years festival at Castle Donnington. Here are the new additions:

Soundgarden

Chase n Status

Biffy Clyro

You Me At Six

Tenacious D

Machine Head

Trivium

Lamb Of God

Devin Townsend Project

Devildriver

Little Angles

Anthrax

Ugly Joe Kid

August Burns Red

What a mighty festival this is turning into!

Rise To Remain part ways with drummer and bassist!

2012-01-06T19:12:00.004Z

Rise To Remain frontman Austin Dickinson has shed light on the recent departure of Joe Copcutt and Pat Lundy. In a statement he says " It's very sad that things did not work out between us, but they are great guys and all of us wish them the absolute best in their futures". The singer also tells of his regret of having to pull out of the US Machine Head tour. " We apologise to all our stateside fans for this cancellation, we did not want to let you guys down, as this is obviously sudden news." He goes on to say that they are already audition for new members and that the US release of City Of Vultures will have four new and exclusive songs. The full statement is as follows:

"Hey guys, as you’ve probably heard we’ve parted ways with Pat and Joe. It’s very sad that things didn’t work out between us, but they are great guys and all of us wish them the absolute best in their futures.

As an unfortunate result, we’ve had to pull out of our debut US tour supporting Machine Head, and our album release date is now June 5th for North America. We apologise to all our stateside fans for this cancellation, we did not want to let you guys down, as this is obviously sudden news. However, we will be including four brand new and exclusive tracks on our US release of City Of Vultures, and we have got many more new and exciting things to announce over the coming weeks. We are in the audition process right now, and we are very much looking onwards and upwards.

Please say a collective thanks to Joe and Pat for everything they did in Rise, they are great dudes and they will go far in whatever they choose to do next. See you all in March for some mayhem, and thank you for everything,

All our love,

Austin"

Killswitch Engage part ways with Howard Jones

2012-01-04T19:32:00.002Z

In the past few moments Killswitch Engage have posted a notice on their Facebook stating that they have parted ways with vocalist Howard Jones. The band wish Howard all the best and state that who ever replaces him has big shoes to fill! However they have stated that they will not be discussing the reason for him leaving the band. This comes after news that the band were in the studio writing material for a new album! Killswitch say they are looking forward to returning with a new album "in the not too distant future". Their statement is as follows.

To our family, friends and fans: We have decided to continue on without Howard Jones as the singer of Killswitch Engage. We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we've had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well. He has left big shoes to fill, so we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of Killswitch, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward. Most importantly, thanks to all of you for all the support throughout the years and for sticking by us for all this time. We really do appreciate it and we very much look forward to having a new record for all of you in the not too distant future that we can all be proud of. Sincerely, Adam, Joel, Mike & Justin.

2012 Look ahead

2012-01-02T12:25:00.002Z

We are now into our second day of 2012 but what can we expect this year before the world supposedly ends in December?

Firstly bands that are due to release new albums for 2012 are: Lamb Of God, Periphery, Gojira, Eluveitie and Woods Of Ypres.

Lamb Of God are due to release the follow up to 2009’s Wrath.

The highly anticipated new album Resolution is due out on 23^rd January through Roadrunner Records who have already released a song from the album Ghost Walking which is available for download from digital retailers.

Having already heard the track (Ghost Walking), Resolution promises to be crushing album and possibly album of the year.

The Djentlemen from Periphery are also in the studio recording their second album and a concept album.

The concept album is to be called Juggernaut but no release date has yet been given and their second album is to be called Periphery 2:This Time Its Personal and again no release date has yet been given.

French band Gojira are also in the studio recording their new album, which is expected sometime in spring.

Folk Metallers Eluveitie are back with there new album Helvetios which is released on 13^th February.

Also released on 13^th February is the new Woods Of Ypres album Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light.

Although many people have heard the album due to it being made available freely because of the passing of frontman Dave Gold the album is going to be released properly through Earache records.

This is a very strong album from a not very well known band and should be checked out by those who are into the doomy side of metal.

Of course there is one album that we haven’t mentioned …

The new Black Sabbath album which is due out sometime in 2012.

This is the first Black Sabbath album with the original line up for 33 years. With Rick Rubin producing the album and Tony Iommi’s formidable riffing this is sure to be one of the highlights of 2012 by far!

Apart from new music there are also many events taking place this year.

Firstly Download festival, with Black Sabbath and Metallica headlining this has got to be the festival of 2012.

Just to see Black Sabbath is something but to have Metallica as well is just outstanding.

Not only is it great to have these two metal icons but it is even greater to have Metallica playing their entire Black album.

Sonisphere have yet to say who is headlining at Knebworth yet but it is fair to say that they are really up against it this year.

Also returning to the UK this year are the mighty Rammstein.

The crazy German industrial metalers are coming to the UK for an arena tour in February and March.

With their vivid displays and stunning performance this is a tour not to be missed.

Down under Soundwave festival is taking place with a whole host of insane acts (Slipknot, Machine Head, Mastodon, Lamb Of God, Trivium, In Flames and the reunited Coal Chamber to name but a few).

Other tours to look out for in the UK are: Dream Theater – Periphery, Mastodon – Dillinger Escape Plan – Red Fang and Rise To Remain – Heaven Shall Burn tours all coming to the UK very soon.

Looking back at this 2012 promises to be brilliant year!

2011 Look Back!

2011-12-28T12:01:00.003Z

Just a few of the 2011 releases!

Before it had even started we knew that 2011 be a strong year for metal. With Sonisphere Festival announcing that Slipknot would be returning to Europe for the Paul Gray memorial shows, the Big Four playing together in the UK for the first time and bands that were in the studio recording new albums such as Trivium, Anthrax and Devildriver we could tell that 2011 was going to be a year of metal monstrosity.

Sylosis came out with a new album and new frontman after vocalist Jamie Graham left the band. Graham was replace by guitarist Josh Middleton who fit the bill perfectly.

Their album Edge Of The Earth was released early in the year and since then the band has risen to new heights, most notably playing on the main stage at Sonisphere festival this year.

Even when the album was released in March we said that it was in contention for the album of the year and still is well in the top ten releases of 2011.

Trivium returned to form with their crushing album In Waves. After much delay and problems with studios and labels the album was released in August.

The album is the first to feature new sticks man Nick Augusto whose entrance to the band has clearly revived them to their former glory.

The old adversaries Megadeth and Metallica both released new albums this year and Mustaine finally beat Hetfield and co on the sales front however they did have the burden of Lou Reed on their backs.

Of course you can’t talk about 2011 without mentioning the disaster that was Lou Reed and Metallica.

Painful to listen to worse to watch, Metallica call it the best thing

they’ve done but we think otherwise.

However Megadeth capitalized on this by releasing Th1rt3en, which also saw the return of former bassist David Ellefson.

Worship Music, the album that was then wasn’t and finally was again.

After going through two previous vocalist Anthrax settled on Joey Belladona to release worship music with and dear lord it as worth the wait. Worship Music was a stunning album which gripped you from start to finish and has Belladona sounding better than ever.

Hats of to Anthrax for releasing such an epic album.

As we all know The Blackening was hailed album of the decade by Metal Hammer so when we heard that Machine Head were to release a new album we couldn’t wait to hear it.

Unto The Locust certainly lives up to the hype albeit a bit more diverse than its predecessor.

Machine Head have well and truly stamped their mark on heavy metal history by releasing these two utterly mind blowing albums.

Other notable albums that were released this year were The Hunter – Mastodon, Sounds Of A Playground Fading – In Flames, Beast – Devildriver and A Dramatic Turn Of Events – Dream Theater.

As well as albums there have been many stonking events taking place in the past year.

As previously mentioned this years Sonisphere festival just blew its competition out of the water.

Slipknot returned on their Paul Gray memorial tour and the Big Four of thrash metal played together for the first time in the UK.

This was by far the live event of the year in the UK but abroad there was something even better.

In the first week of December Metallica took over the Fillmore theatre for three nights to celebrate being together or 30 years.

This was not just a gig this was a celebration of what Metallica is.

They were joined by guests such as Brian Tatler, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, former bassist Jason Newstead, Bob Rock, and the original line up of Ron McGovney, Lloyd Grant and Dave Mustaine to name but a few.

Other events that were not to be missed were the Iron Maiden UK arena tour, Dream Theater’s headline performance at High Voltage the first ever UK headline appearance with Mike Mangini and finally to complete the year we had the Black Sabbath conference on 11/11/11.

In this press conference it was announced that Black Sabbath was going to reform for a world tour and a new album with the original line up.

As we can see 2011 has been a fantastic year for metal and we hope for much more in 2012.

Until then peace out: Charlie Day \m/(>_<)\m/

Black Sabbath Reunion

2011-11-11T18:41:00.004Z

Black Sabbath have just announced that the original line up is to reform! YES YOU HEARD CORRECT! TONI IOMMI, OZZY OSBOURNE, GEEZER BUTLER AND BILL WARD are getting back together for a new album and world tour!

A video was posted online stating a new album is coming produced by Rick Rubin! Sabbath will headline Download festival on 10th June 2012, with a world wide tour to follow.

Void - EP review

2011-11-11T14:26:00.003Z

Void

A few weeks back we recommended a band from Sweden called Void, so we thought we would review their EP (which is available on their facebook page!).

If you like harmonic metal then this band is definitely for you. Their song “Sunlight” is testament to this; it incorporates almost operatic vocals at the start before journeying its way to a full on metal ballad. Void use the trademark snarling/growling vocal on their songs, mixed with a thick guitar tone gives you a complete sounding band. Void also use some thrash techniques on songs like “Pulse of Armageddon” which is a mixture between early Trivium and Children of Bodom. Void also play off their Scandinavian heritage producing some killer doomy Viking anthems such as “Skies”.

Overall Void are a well rounded band, which try to incorporate harmony and all out crushing heaviness. And you should definitely check them out!

The Hunter - Mastodon

2011-09-30T15:38:00.001+01:00

The Hunter – Mastodon

Following the progtastic Crack The Skye Atlanta metallers Mastodon have unleashed The Hunter. The Hunter is very different from Crack The Skye in terms of the flow of the album, on Crack The Skye everything flowed and fitted but as the band have said the writing process was different on this album. It was a lot more spontaneous so there was no concept. In many ways this is a good thing as there are heavy songs such as “Blasteroids” or melodic songs such as “The Sparrow”. This is a great album for new fans as they get to see the many sides of Mastodon, fans of the first few albums will not be disappointed as there are some fast thrashy elements e.g. “Spectrelight” or the proggy fans will like “Creature Lives”. The best song on the album for me is “Curl Of The Burl” it has this classic rock feel (Sabbathesque) which really entraps you and a brilliant music video as well (see below). As for production on the album everything is perfect and crisp sounding, the best part of the mix is a huge sounding drum kit which adds huge depth. Overall The Hunter is full of different musical flares and is an exciting listen and will grip you from start to finish, the only tiny problem is could there be too much to take in? Give it time and you will love it!

The Hunter – Mastodon 9/10

Unto The Locust -Machine Head

2011-09-28T12:29:00.001+01:00

Unto The Locust – Machine Head

The follow up to the album of the decade is finally here! After much anticipation I can tell you that it lives up to its predecessor if not surpasses it! As stated in many interviews by the band it is not The Blackening 2 and it is clear listening to it that the band have moved on from it in a positive way.

Unto The Locust features the traditional MH 7-minute epics, which the band has become famous for. With only “Be Still And Know” coming in under 6 minutes this album is full of long instrumentals duelling solos. Many of the riffs on this album are based off harmonies, which are the core on this album “This Is The End” is testament to this. The album also features the obscure ballad like “Darkness Within”, which is my personal favourite , because it is different, it has a very moving spooky feel to it. The only song for me that doesn’t fit is “Pearls Before The Swine”, it just doesn’t feel right in terms of the rest of the album, compared to something like the starter “I Am Hell” it just doesn’t feel right.

However overall this album is almost perfect, the production is good but not perfect, had Colin Richardson been able to complete it then it would have been utterly amazing. Apart from that, it is by far the best album of 2011 so far! And I cant wait to see what they do next!

Unto The Locust – 9.5/10

A Dramatic Turn Of Events - Dream Theater

2011-09-20T10:59:00.001+01:00

Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events

Well finally the review is here after (excuse the pun) A Dramatic Turn Of Events. This album is the first by Dream Theater to not feature founding member Mike Portnoy. No matter what your view is on Portnoy’s departure it is clear to see from the efforts on this album that Dream Theater are soldering on with out him. The infamous Mike Mangini takes over on the drums, but stays true to Mike Portnoy’s style giving the album a very familiar feeling. “Build Me Up, Break Me Down” features a very strange techno intro/verse, which feels out of place but it the song is stabilized by having a classic Dream Theater chorus. In terms of how the album feels it is reminiscent of their older works fused with some newer styles, e.g. “Lost But Not Forgotten” sounds like it could have easily come off “Black Clouds And Silver Linnings”. A Dramatic Turn Of Events is a definite progression from the previous album, it is very broad in musical variety for example “Outcry” goes from almost ballad to 7 string heavy riffing from. As an album it feels more connected than some of their recent releases however there is something missing, some parts of the songs feel disjointed although there are some fantastic solos from Rudess and Petrucci. I feel that James La Brie could have pushed himself a bit further on this album as the passion is not there (apart from on “Far From Heaven”)

Overall this is a solid album and is much better than its predecessor but, you do get the feeling that had Mike Portnoy had an influence what could have it been like. Mike Mangini fits in well and as usual plays to perfection, but I think Portnoy’s influence could have made this album a lot stronger. The album is for fans of the bands older works, I think newer fans will struggle with this album but overall a solid effort.

A Dramatic Turn Of Events – Dream Theater: 7/10

Anthrax - Worship Music

2011-09-13T10:42:00.002+01:00

Well its taken three line up changes but Worship Music is finally here. Although it has taken a stupendous amount of time for this album to be released you won't be let down when you hear it. Joey Belladona is back in front of the mic and sure gives it all he's got on the album. Worship Music is not strictly thrash but more straight up metal with speed just playing a small part in this, but do not let this put you off, this is the best i have heard the band. Worship begins with a small intro before the blast beats kick in with "Earth is on Hell". Straight away you are drawn in to this monstrously heavy song which doesn't let up. The key player in "Earth is On Hell" is Belladona whose vocals cut through the noise with precision and elegance, by having that slightly high vocal range Joey gets all the notes with great affect. Other great songs on the album are "In The End" which features a guitar riff very similar to that of Trivium's "Chaos Reigns", "In The End" is one of my personal favourites as it shows you just how diverse the band is crushingly heavy but then again so harmonic. "Crawl" is another favourite featuring a very catchy chorus both lyrically and musically with the riffing of Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano. Anthrax are also famous for their large bass lines which Frank Bello produces effortlessly on this release. The album also features two instrumental "Hymns" which help to link the album together, these are effective and build the tension for the next song. "Judas Priest" is a brilliant piece of music showing off all the bands talents: thunderous drums, huge guitar riffs, a powerful bass line and harmonic vocals and a must listen for any Anthrax fan. My only gripe with "Worship Music" is that some of the songs are just a bit too long for a thrash band, but as previously mentioned you can't really class this album as "thrash". Apart from this the album is brilliant, whether you like Anthrax or not any metal fan will enjoy this album!

Anthrax - Worship Music 8.5/10

Ambersand - Intro's and Adverts

2011-09-11T16:01:00.002+01:00

From the leafy suburbs of Surrey comes Ambersand, their unique brit rock vibe mixed with 90's 00's American pop punk gives them the scope to create a whole new genre. Many people would argue that all that old pop punk stuff sounds the same but with intuitive thinking and broad musical talent Ambersand overcome this, and the result is phenomenal. Their EP starts with "Felicity" which features a instrumental intro which flicks my mind back Scale The Summit (technical instrumental band). The catchiness of old pop punk is there but there is a definite rock 'n roll feel to it. "Esteem on Ice" explains this well, an intro reminiscent of the early 00's indie scene but then the pace picks up with that pop punk feel. Ambersand are so different to any other style but then again have this familiar feel by pinching from so many different influences. If they were to have a catchphrase it would be "American influenced, unmistakably English". If there is just one song that you listen to from this review make it "Control We Thought We Had Lost", it will blow you away: 60's brit rock, reggae bounce, post pop punk and an incredible vocal line which the band should win an award for, the song is simply a switch on feel good song. The talent that is on offer here should not be passed up as each song holds a new surprise, "Coma State" is a prime example of this. You think you have heard it all but the band deliver completely unique songs every time. "Streets I Roam" starts slowly but builds into a fast paced chorus and then a ballad like bridge, this shows you the diversity of the band and how well they change from one style to another in no time at all. "Breaking Books and Paper Planes" is the last song on the EP has a more straight up rock vibe which the band are great at doing. This is a brilliant debut EP for such a new band! So if your a fan of 90's, 00's pop punk, rock and roll give Ambersand a listen!

Ambersand - Intro's and Adverts 9-10

https://www.facebook.com/ambersandofficial

Rise To Remain - City Of Vultures

2011-09-08T10:52:00.002+01:00

London based Rise To Remain have come out with a solid debut album in the form of City of Vultures. If you have heard their Bridges Will Burn EP this follows in that same vain, however you can tell that in the year since that EP was released they have matured and have become a stronger band because of it. Their recent signing to EMI has given them that boost which they needed propel them to the glory they deserve.

City of Vultures is a delight to listen to, full of meticulous guitar leads from Ben Tovey and Will Homer which almost border djent with their technicalities ("Illusions" is a prime example of this). Austin Dickinson belts out both super clean vocals and crushing screams, his talent is phenomenal, being able to switch between the to effortlessly is carried off live as well as on the album ("City of Vultures" shows this brilliantly). It is common in most metal bands that you can't hear the bass very well but this certainly not the case here Joe Copcutt is the key to the rhythmic blasts which lock in with Pat Lundy on the drums. Fans of the EP will not be disappointed with this effort and older tracks "Nothing Left"and "Bridges Will Burn" have been slightly been reworked and cleaned up a bit. The strengths of this album are certainly the fantastic guitar work and pristine audio quality however there are a lot of synths and effects through out the album which i personally feel are not necessary.

Overall this is a solid debut album and we are sure to be hearing a lot more of this band in the future. Check out Rise To Remain on their headlining UK tour NOW for tour dates check out www.risetoremain.com

City Of Vultures - Rise To Remain 8/10

To all of you: Thank You!

2011-08-18T16:09:00.002+01:00

Today I received my A-Level results and have got into Staffordshire University to study Music Journalism and Broadcasting! I was told as part of applying that it would be advisable to start a blog, which obviously I did and you were all kind enough to look at it and support me. I am more than certain that without your support I would not have been accepted into University. I would like to thank you all so much for your support! I never imagined that i would have this amount of followers from all four corners of the globe! Thank You so much! I don't know how much of this I will be able to do at Uni but i will try my best to keep you all updated! Plus look out for me in the future on the airwaves or magazines haha back to being serious Thank you all so much!

Keep it Metal!

Peace

Charlie

Black Sabbath RETURN!

2011-08-16T15:23:00.002+01:00

Heavy metal founders Black Sabbath are set to reunite and release a new album! Tony Iommi confirmed rumours that the band are to return stating that "We're really looking forward to it". The reunion will feature the original line up of Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler. Iommi and Osbourne have reportedly written new music during June for a new album to be released some time in 2012. The band also have plans to tour but depending on the condition of Bill Ward it is not yet certain whether he will continue to play.

More news as it comes!

In Waves - Trivium review!

2011-08-10T20:29:00.002+01:00

So the wait is finally over! Its here! "In Waves" is the fifth studio album from Floridian metallers Trivium. This album has been long in the making and exciting in prospect with it being the first Trivium album to feature new drummer Nick Augusto. It has been said in many interviews with the band that Nick has revitalised the band and this album is proof of this exclamation.

Tension is built up through "Capsizing The Seas" an instrumental that leads directly into the title track "In Waves". "Inception of The End" is a must listen for any new Trivium fan as it incorporates everything the band stands for; huge melodic riffing and enormous break downs enough to get a circle pit going in your living room! The album goes from two extremes: brutally heavy on songs like "Dusk Dismantled" to hard rock on songs like "Of All These Yesterdays" and "Caustic Are The Ties That Bind" has elements of both of these! After the bands huge success on the "Ascendancy" album they wandered between different musical directions but with this line up change Augusto has brought back the flare and passion which is found on Ascendancy and has managed to keep some of the newer styles! New single "Built To Fall" is a prime example of this, it has a brilliant groove vibe as well as including some great harmonies. The album features meticulous guitar riffing from Corey Beaulieu and Matt Heafy who also fronts the band by singing and screaming as if his life depended on it. Paolo Gregoletto does his duty on the bass and as previously mentioned Nick Augusto pounds the drums!

In terms of production Colin Richardson and Martin "Ginge" Ford produced and mixed this audio assault. Everything is clear and pristine, just make sure you have a good set of speakers or headphones to enjoy it properly! The album is very diverse and there is something for every kind of metal head, if you are looking for one generic style then this is not for you. Just sit back and take in the atmosphere created by the album as it will take you on a ride and leave you feeling at the end of it "Wow where's the repeat button".

In Waves - Trivium 9/10

Iron Maiden 5+6th August 2011 Review

2011-08-08T12:49:00.002+01:00

Wow where to start ... both nights were absolutely incredible, having seen Iron Maiden before i knew what to expect with visuals and top notch playing meaning their performance at these two shows in London would be incredible.

SUPPORT:

5th August: Dragonforce: DF hit the stage with a meagre crowd barely filling the first half of the O2. Give them their credit they put on a reasonable show but it was littered with mistakes, however it was a great opportunity for them to show off their new vocalist who did his best to get the crowd going. The set finished with the infamous "Through The Fire and The Flames" which got a warm response. Overall a decent performance from DF but, far too repetitive and irritating. 6/10

6th August: Trivium: Trying to do this review without being biased is very hard as i am very much a "Trivium fan boy" however bias aside the performance that they put on was incredible. Flying in from the States for Wacken Open Air and the O2 the day after then to rejoin the Mayhem tour back in the US for Tuesday 9th it was clear from meeting bassist Paolo earlier that they were all completely shattered! This was not the case when they took to the stage at the O2. Showing off new songs from "In Waves" (Out Now!!!), the band romped through their set playing classics (as well) such as "Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr" and "Like Light To The Flies". Trivium had a far bigger crowd than DF did the night before and their performance showed why, they were impeccable. Trivium are a band not to be missed if in your area so go and check them out! 9/10

Iron Maiden: The first night I was seated the second night I was at the barrier so I can give you both perspectives. Where I was sat you could see everything going on with out the need for screens so as the atmosphere built up during "Satelite 15" the crowd was on edge for the band to hit the stage and play "The Final Frontier"! As the crowd surged forward the band fed off their energy! Time flew by with hits like "2 Minutes To Midnight" and modern classic's such as "Dance of Death" and "The Wickerman". Visually the show was stunning a fantastic light show, awesome back drops and two appearances of Eddie. The shows slowed only for two brief moments while Bruce explained the tour and the dedication "Blood Brothers"to the victims of the Nowegian tragedy + to convert us all to Jedi. All in all the show was fantastic, the band were in harmony together and their unity reflected with a stunning performance! To end a tour like this only begs the question "Will they return?". Yes! Iron Maiden's gonna get all of you! 10/10

Unto The Locust Artwork and track listing!

2011-07-28T19:50:00.003+01:00

The artwork for the new Machine Head album "Unto The Locust" has been released in the last few hours along with the albums track-listing! The album will be released on 13th September, the song "Locust" off the new album can be seen below! Track listing as follows:

Standard CD:
'I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)'
I) 'Sangre Sani'
II) 'I Am Hell'
III) 'Ashes To The Sky'
'Be Still And Know'
'Locust'
'This Is The End'
'Darkness Within'
'Pearls Before The Swine'
'Who We Are'

Special Edition CD+DVD:
'I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)'
I) 'Sangre Sani'
II) 'I Am Hell'
III) 'Ashes To The Sky'
'Be Still And Know'
'Locust'
'This Is The End'
'Darkness Within'
'Pearls Before The Swine'
'Who We Are'
'The Sentinel' *
'Witch Hunt' *
'Darkness Within' (Acoustic) *

* Bonus tracks

DVD:
- The Making Of Unto The Locust Documentary

Iced Earth - Dystopia Cover art, release dates and track listing!

2011-07-27T15:10:00.003+01:00

Iced Earth have set Dystopia as the name of their new album! It will be the first album to feature new vocalist Stu Block, Dystopia will be released worldwide on 17th October! A full press release can be seen on the bands website www.icedearth.com Track listing follows:

Dystopia
Anthem
Days of Rage
Soylent Green
V
Boiling Point
Anguish of Youth
Iron Will
Dark City
End of Innocence
Equilibrium
Tragedy and Triumph

High Voltage 2011

2011-07-26T10:36:00.004+01:00

As you all know we were at High Voltage this past weekend checking out bands both metal and non metal, every band I saw there was a first so it was great to check out loads of bands that I had heard of but not seen and those which I hadn't heard of! For this review I will stick to the Metal Bands which I saw:

Sylosis: These guys are seriously on a role! Their crushing music gripped an avid audience right from the start of "Empyreal". The band were on top form and although only having a 45min set this did not stop them from having a good time. The set was combined with songs from their new album "Edge of the Earth" and their first album"Conclusion of an age". Although playing to a varied audience (many who had just come to see prog bands) Sylosis definitely won over some new fans with their performance.

Judas Priest: From a young age I was encouraged not to listen to Judas Priest by my dad who thought they were the devils spawn so I can't tell you an awful lot about them (I would like to point out that my Dad isn't tough on what I can or can't listen to now as I am my own person and heavy metal has won him over!), however for a band who has been going for nearly 40 years Priest certainly pull out all the stops to put on a good show. Rob Halford's vocal range is still there, and captivates the audience with his signature vocal style. New boy Richie Faulkner was received with a warm welcome and even had something over Glen Tipton at points in the show, nevertheless Judas Priest were incredible musically and visually with pyrotechnics and light shows which by themselves would keep anyone mesmerised!

Dream Theater: The pressure was on. Every one was eager to see how Mike Mangini would fit into the band but even before they hit the stage, Mangini's monstrous kit was put on-stage, this was a sight that made anyone weak at the knees. The band took to the stage and effortlessly romped through their 2 hour set! Mangini performed a five minute long solo which was just phenomenal, proving why Dream Theater chose him to fill Portnoy's shoes. Precision is paramount in a Dream Theater set with everyone having to be in time with each other but this was not a problem as the band were completely in tune with each other! James LaBrie pointed out that the band would be back in the future to support their up coming release "A Dramatic Turn of Events" which is due out 12th September! I was so happy that I had seen this sceptical and was sad to leave early to catch a train home! It seems no matter what you throw at Dream Theater they are unstoppable and therefore are not to be missed! Certainly the highlight of the weekend!

The Hunter - Mastodon news!

2011-07-26T10:10:00.003+01:00

Mastodon's new album "The Hunter" is to be released on 27th September. The album can now be pre-ordered at www.mastodonrocks.com and for those who do they will receive a free song "Curl of the Burl" which will later be released as a single. As well as all this information a new song "Black Tongue" has been released on youtube which can be seen below! Enjoy!

The Black Crown - Suicide Silence review!

2011-07-19T09:51:00.002+01:00

I have to admit although being new to Suicide Silence I have been waiting for this album to be released! It doesn't let you down; meticulous riffing, awesome guests, guttural growls and spooky harmonies make this album a great listen.

The band have been criticised for deviating from their "old" sound but to be honest, this IS Suicide Silence, there is still all the stuff that was on their other albums but with just a bit more melody. If a band didn't change a bit then it would get boring after a while so I see this as a move in a positive direction! The songs themselves are brutal with some of the best drops I've ever heard before picking up speed again, a great example of this is "Smashed". As previously mentioned the album features some brilliant such as Jonathan Davies of Korn on "Witness the Addiction", Alexia Rodriguez of Eyes Set To Kill on "Cross-Eyed Catastrophe" and Frank Mullen of Suffocation on "Smashed". "Witness the Addiction" is probably one of my personal favourites but, each song has a unique quality which makes them all a great listen.

The production of this album is top notch everything is audible and clear, my only slight gripe with this album is that some of the lyrics are a bit monotonous with everything being constantly repeated "Fuck Everything" is a brilliant example and the "UGGH" sound also gets slightly annoying. On the whole this is a brilliant album, if you are just getting into the band then pick this one up before the others. Check out "You Only Live Once" below to get a feel for the band!

The Black Crown - Suicide Silence 8.5 - 10

While we have been away!

2011-07-18T14:03:00.006+01:00

As you know most of the good stuff always happens when i am away from my computer! So here is a brief low down on what has occurred in the past 2 weeks!

Anthrax: The art work for Anthrax new album "Worship Music" has been released and can be seen below

The Big Four: Played their first shows in Europe.

Slipknot: Returned to the UK for the first time since the death of bassist Paul Gray. The concert is available for streaming and can be seen bellow:

Machine Head: Have made their new album available for exclusive pre-order with Metal Hammer! This includes a special book with the album for only £14.99. Link : http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/metal-hammer-presents-machine-head/

Machine Head have also played their new song "Locust" live on the Mayhem tour videos of which can be found on youtube.

Mastodon: Have released a teaser for a new song "Black Tongue" and artwork for their new album "The Hunter" which can be seen in the video below:

Megadeth: Have named their new album TH1RT3EN; being the 13th studio album and all the mysterious goings on during the recording of the album it seems only right that this should be the album's name. Dave Mustaine posted on twitter the other day that he was considering walking out on the mayhem tour, no reason was given but a few hours later he posted again saying that the situation had been resolved, drummer Shawn Drover also posted something elso to cover the bands back stating that all is well!

Trivium: Just before I left "Dusk Dismantled" was posted on youtube now "Inception of the End" has also been uploaded and can be seen below.

Suicide Silence: Have just released their new album " The Black Crown" a review will be up in the next few days!

However due to personal issues there will be no review of Sonisphere 2011 as we were unable to attend much of the festival! However I can tell you that Metallica absolutley killed Friday night!

If I have forgotten something I will edit this post! Hope your all having a killer summer! Peace Charlie \m/(>_<)\m/

MoCara debut EP "The Shallow South" Review

2011-07-18T13:55:00.001+01:00

MoCara – The Shallow South

Local boys MoCara recently released their debut EP “The Shallow South”. MoCara is something totally out of the blue and an assault on the senses at first listen, their fusion of punk-rock and groove makes this a very intriguing listen. The band features some very catchy guitar leads but then again some punchy rhythms supported by technical drumming. The EP starts with the punchy “We’ll Never Mention Tonight” , which is MoCara in a can. This song picks up on all of the features of the EP: Rapid rhythms, catchy leads, raw vocals, grooving passages, killer solos and a momentous breakdown. The next song “Love Has Grown” follows in the same vain and is a personal favourite of mine. Probably one of the more catchy songs on the EP “Love Has Grown” will have you humming the guitar intro within seconds! “Break Us Down” follows with a clean intro before throwing you back into that punchy punk rock vibe before returning to the former with great precision. “Apathy/Insanity” features the standard punk rock sound but also features an immense groove which flows through the entire song. Before you know it you’re onto the last track of the EP “Never Be Gone” which features another one of those fantastic catchy riffs balanced with a great groove. Overall the EP is testament to the band members own different talents, each track presents you with something different whilst remaining unanimously MoCara. The only slight criticism I have is that the lyrics are possibly a bit too samey with various mentions of drug taking (possibly a bit over emphasised), apart from that it is very solid considering it is a debut EP! Look out for MoCara, soon to be on iTunes. To hear MoCara’s music go to the bands facebook page!

MoCara is:

Stu Andrews – Guitar + Vocals

Gary Rendle –Guitar

Axel Olsson –Bass

Joe Colfar – Drums

Rise to Remain's début album news!

2011-06-22T12:09:00.004+01:00

Rise To Remain are set to release "City of Vultures" on September 5th through Roadrunner records. This is the bands first album and was produced by Carl Brown and Colin Richardson. To support the release of "City of Vultures" the band will embark on their first ever headline tour around the UK, dates are as follows:

September
07 Exeter Cavern
08 Yeovil Orange Box
09 Southampton Joiners
10 Brighton Hydrant
12 Oxford Academy 2
13 Bristol Fleece
14 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
15 Northampton Roadmenders
17 High Wycombe WAMA
18 Birmingham O2 Academy 3
19 Sheffield O2 Academy 2
20 Newcastle O2 Academy 2
21 Glasgow King Tuts
23 London Underworld
24 Cambridge Haymakers
25 Manchester Roadhouse
26 Leeds Cockpit
28 Norwich Arts Centre
29 Nottingham Basement

Sounds of a Playground Fading - In Flames

2011-06-21T12:20:00.002+01:00

Having only just gotten into In Flames this was a first for me. I was drawn in by their single "Deliver Us" which is a moody dark song with a very catchy chorus, however it is apparent that this one song is definitely not a song to base the whole album on! Overall the album is vary varied, some parts of the album are brilliant with melodic harmonies and more clean approach from vocalist Anders Friden such as "A New Dawn" and "Fear is Weakness" whereas other songs such as "The Attic" are very obscure. The final track "Liberation" is a dark horse, it has a very strange intro but has a heavy but almost poppy chorus (which is highly catchy and moving at the same time). You can tell that this album has a much more mainstream feel to it and is perhaps a move in a new direction for the band, but this has upset some of the bands more heavy fans who have downplayed the album on the basis of one song ("Deliver Us"). My advice is to listen to it again, there is a whole aspect to grasp with this album, the point is not to be stupendously heavy, the album rides on emotion which is portrayed well through guitar harmonies and Anders' unique vocal style. For fans of more heavier styles maybe stay clear of this one. The production on the album is very good, everything is audible. My only slight grumble on the production side is perhaps they could have record Anders a bit better as he sounds rather raspy in places where I feel there should have been a bit more emotion.

Sounds Of A Playground Fading - In Flames 7/10

In Waves - Trivium details released!

2011-06-15T17:02:00.004+01:00

Trivium's new album "In Waves" track listing and details have just been released. "In Waves" will be released on Roadrunner Records on 9th August. The CD will be released as a standard and special edition which will include a documentary on the making of the album, the title track's video and a special concert of the album filmed at the band's rehearsal warehouse. The track listing is as follows

01. Capsizing The Sea
02. In Waves
03. Inception Of The End
04. Watch The World Burn
05. Dusk Dismantled
06. Black
07. Built To Fall
08. Caustic Are the Ties That Bind
09. A Skyline's Severance
10. Forsake Not the Dream
11. Chaos Reigns
12. Of All These Yesterdays
13. Leaving This World Behind

for the special edition the track listing is different:

01. Capsizing the Sea
02. In Waves
03. Inception of the End
04. Dusk Dismantled
05. Watch the World Burn
06. Black
07. A Skyline's Severance
08. Ensnare the Sun*
09. Built To Fall
10. Caustic Are the Ties That Bind
11. Forsake Not the Dream
12. Drowning In Slow Motion*
13. A Grey So Dark*
14. Chaos Reigns
15. Of All These Yesterdays
16. Leaving This World Behind
17. Shattering The Skies Above*
18. Slave New World*

The album does have a concept but according to Matt Heafy it is something that shouldn't be taken too seriously as he wants the fans to make of the record what they want it to mean.

MACHINE HEAD TO RELEASE NEW TRACK LOCUST!

2011-06-08T16:12:00.004+01:00

We have just heard from Roadrunner records that Machine Head are to release a new track "Locust" on June 19th. The song is being released as part of the Mayhem festival's free sample album BUT it will be released in the UK on June 19th. According to Roadrunner the track is just under 8 minutes so those Machine Head fans out there ... you know what's coming :). The as yet untitled album is set for release on 27th September!

Dream Theater's new album details!

2011-06-08T09:36:00.003+01:00

It has just been announced that prog-metallers Dream Theater's new album is to be called: A Dramatic Turn of Events. The track listing for the album has also been released and is as follows:

On the Backs of Angels
Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Lost Not Forgotten
This is the Life
The Shaman's Trance
Outcry
Far From Heaven
Breaking All Illusions
Beneath The Surface

This will be the bands first album since the dramatic departure of Mike Portnoy from the band. Mike Mangini has been chosen to fill the vacancy. The album is expected to be released some time in September 2011. More info coming soon!

Check out Dream Theater at www.dreamtheater.net

UPDATE: A Dramatic Turn of Events will be released on 13th September 2011

Sonisphere day ticket system explained!

2011-05-11T15:09:00.003+01:00

Well we knew the news of Sonisphere day tickets would come BUT not in this format! Due to the overwhelming demand and limited amount of day tickets available, day tickets for 2011's Sonisphere festival will be available through a ballot system.

Here is what you have to do:

Those wanting a day ticket for Sonisphere must put in an application for tickets by 23rd May, you can enter for any day you want to increase your chances. The people who will get the tickets will be notified by 25th May and can proceed to by tickets from there!

Day tickets will cost £80 plus booking fee.

Go here to apply: https://kililive.wufoo.com/forms/sonisphere-day-ticket-power-ballot/

KK Downing retires!

2011-04-20T13:12:00.002+01:00

It is with great sadness that I bring the news that K.K. Downing has retired from Judas Priest. The news comes on the Eve before the bands farewell "Epitaph" Tour! The band are to continue with Lauren Harris guitarist Richie Faulkner and wish Downing the best!

Blunt Force Trauma - Cavalera Conspiracy

2011-04-01T15:32:00.002+01:00

The Cavalera brothers are back with their new album Blunt Force Trauma. It is easy for us to get hung up on Sepultura and constantly moan about why the band hasn't gone and reformed but as Max said in an interview recently that this is as close as it gets.

Blunt Force Trauma is a brilliant album with musical tastes varying from very melodic guitar solo's to huge chunky riffs. Warlord is the opening track to the album and after hearing this you just want more ... good job because theirs 1o more fantastic tracks. Killing Inside for me coins the whole album, its such an epic song with (as previously mentioned) some of the hugest riffs but a great melodic solo and awesome breakdown. Other songs such as Thrasher and I Speak Hate are somewhat repetitive and can actually be quite irritating. However this is a minor issue as the album also features many great tracks such as Rasputin and the title track Blunt Force Trauma. The musicianship on Blunt Force Trauma really is what Sepultura could have been today if Max and Igor hadn't left just with a more thrashy feel and more melodic sections. If you like Sepultura and just wish it was a tad heavier and faster then this is definitely for you.

Apart from a couple of the tracks being slightly annoying there is nothing you can fault this album for. It has a great mix and the songs are top notch apart from the ones mentioned above. Overall this a great metal album and is certainly one for the metal collection!

Blunt Force Trauma - Cavalera Conspiracy 8/10

Surtur Rising - Amon Amarth

2011-03-31T19:21:00.000+01:00

Surtur Rising

Viking metaller’s Amon Amarth return with their follow up to the mighty Twilight of the Thunder God. In a recent interview with the band they mentioned that on this new album their were finding a new sound for the band, experimenting with keyboards and acoustic guitars this album is a departure from Twilight.

The band is famous for their relentless riffs and guteral growls of vocalist Johan Hegg, something which is not lost on this album. Songs such as War of the Gods, Slaves of Fear and Live Without Regrets are testament to this. The album however seems very monotonous and doesn’t flow very well which its predecessor did with such fury and elegance. Some of the songs seem to drag and are very repetitive such as Destroyer of the Universe which in my opinion is probably one of the worst songs I have ever heard by the band. The Last Stand of Frej contains a rather strange drum sound something reminiscent of Metallica’s St. Anger, the song also contains some rather strange synth work. For some songs the slower beat works such as Wrath of the Norsemen which is a great step in a good direction but it is not good enough to save the album. The musicianship on the album is very good and as every other Amon Amarth album it features ridiculous guitar solos which are only rivalled by Children of Bodom.

Overall the album is a mixture of sorts. At points it is a great album but at others you are left wondering why the band have moved from such a great sound which they were famous for. Slaves of Fear is my personal highlight of the album as it follows off the same foot of Twilight but that is really it.

Surtur Rising – Amon Amarth 7/10

Edge of the Earth - Sylosis review!

2011-03-17T19:58:00.001Z

Sylosis – Edge of the Earth

When we heard late last year that Sylosis vocalist Jamie Graham had left the band we were eager to see what would happen to the band. Lead guitarist Josh Middleton took up the position and has arguably done a better job than his predecessor. The band have bounced back and released their second album Edge of the Earth.

Procession calm and serene start gives way to Sylosis’ sheer power. The song is full of great harmonic break downs mixed with some of the heaviest riffs out there. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album which follows in much of the same vain. Although it is a fairly long song you don’t lose interest due to the many time changes and various different feels. Sands of Time picks up where Procession left off however the song is quite a bit faster but as with Procession the song has many brutal breakdowns. Empyreal was made available on youtube before the release of the album and was one of the first songs I heard by the band. With its insane guitar solos/harmonies and a heavy rhythms Empyreal is a true modern great. Empyreal part 2 is really just a short clean outro to such an epic song. A Serpents Tongue is to be summed up by saying: Fast, snappy, melodic and great harmonies. Songs like these make you see that a lot of effort has been put into the writing and production of this album and that it has paid off. Awakening brings slower more chunky riffs to get your hands around before going back to the wondrous guitar solo’s that we have become used to. A clean singing section shows the true depth of this bands musical talent and is slightly Machine Headesque. Kingdom of Solitude starts with some great Trivium styled tremolo picking and easily sounds like it could have come off Trivium’s Ember to Inferno, so if you like Trivium but want to go slightly heavier then Sylosis is definitely for you!

Where the Sky Ends (an instrumental) reminds me a lot of the band Scale The Summit. The song is slower but has such a great feel with such guitar mastery which is unparalleled. This song is definitely entering into the realms of prog but in such a great way certainly a feel good song. Dystopia starts with an acoustic intro before being plunged into a brutally heavy main riff. Although very different from the previous song this song is testament to the bands skills whilst being super fast there are also super precise melodies. Apparitions is one of my personal favourites and has everything that I personally look for in a song: Great intro, Solid riff, great harmonies, bridge and immense solos this song has it all! Altered State of Consciousness is a straight up fast paced song with a great guitar line which is (as previously mentioned) a lot like Trivium. Like Apparitions this song has a great bridge/break down before going back to that great guitar line. Beyond The Resurrected although slightly slower in tempo has a great beat which will have your head bobbing and if this doesn’t then I don’t know what will. This is another song with a great clean section before returning to distortion for another fantastic new beat. Eclipsed has a slightly odd intro because of the choice of notes but for me its something that works well and the band have used it well to structure the rest of the song which follows this pattern, its very funky but is clearly metal. From the Edge of the Earth is another on of the albums longer songs which has a great clean intro before going into what I call the Metallica section as there is a certain riff that sounds similar to that of Orion from Master of Puppets before completely changing tack. This song perfectly combines metal and clean styles with the result being a brilliant progressive, dark and brutal song.

There are no real faults with this album; it is also spot on from a production side! For an upcoming band on their second album there is no greater that can be done that what they have just produced! This album is a stunner and we expect great things from this band.

Edge of the Earth-Sylosis 10/10

Iced Earth New singer, tour and album new!

2011-03-16T12:46:00.002Z

Iced Earth have just announced a variety of amazing things for the next year. Firstly Matt Barlow recently revealed that he was to retire from the band, so we were curious to see who would replace him. The band have announced that taking Barlow's place is Into Eternity singer Stu Block. Jon Schaffer the foundation stone of the band said that he was amazed by Block's range and asked him if he wanted to join the band. On the back of this announcement the two of them have announced a European tour and preparations to go into the studio for a new album! Dates below:
Iced Earth have just announced a variety of amazing things for the next year. Firstly Matt Barlow recently revealed that he was to retire from the band, so we were curious to see who would replace him. The band have announced that taking Barlow's place is Into Eternity singer Stu Block. Jon Schaffer the foundation stone of the band said that he was amazed by Block's range and asked him if he wanted to join the band. On the back of this announcement the two of them have announced a European tour and preparations to go into the studio for a new album! Dates below:

Iron Maiden From Fear to Eternity 1990-2010

2011-03-15T17:11:00.002Z

Iron Maiden have just announced that they are to release a best of CD called From Fear to Eternity The Best of 1990-2010. The CD will be two discs which spans from Iron Maiden's No Prayer for the Dying right up till the bands latest release The Final Frontier which the band are currently touring in support of. The CD will be released on May 23rd and the track list is as follows:

DISC 1
1. The Wicker Man 4.36
2. Holy Smoke 3.49
3. El Dorado 6:49
4. Paschendale 8.28
5. Different World 4.19
6. Man On The Edge (LIVE) 4.40
7. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg 7.22
8. Blood Brothers 7.14
9. Rainmaker 3.49
10. Sign of the Cross (LIVE) 10.49
11. Brave New World 6.19
12. Fear Of The Dark (LIVE) 7.41

DISC 2
1. Be Quick Or Be Dead 3.24
2. Tailgunner 4.15
3. No More Lies 7.22
4. Coming Home 5.52
5. The Clansman (LIVE) 9.06
6. For the Greater Good of God 9.25
7. These Colours Don't Run) 6.52
8. Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter 4.44
9. Afraid to Shoot Strangers 6.57
10. Dance of Death 8.36
11. When the Wild Wind Blows 11.02

Live at the Aragon - Mastodon

2011-03-15T08:09:00.001Z

Since the release of 2009’s Crack the Skye, Mastodon have been riding on a crest of good reviews and amazing live shows. When we found out that Mastodon were to release a live album with Crack the Skye played in its entirety we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it! So here’s what we think:

The album is played straight from start to finish with only brief pauses for guitar changes. The sheer epicness that is encapsulated in this DVD is amazing. Both top quality playing and top quality production make this live album an instant classic. Certain points that stick out are The Last Baron, The Czar and Divinations but it is so hard to mention specific parts as this DVD is amazing. The visual display is spectacular to say the least with a different movie for each song and a light show that nobody can match. Live at the Aragon also features some great older songs by Mastodon such as Circle of Cysquatch and Mother Puncher which show Mastodon’s broad musical influences from thrash to prog.

A few slight hiccups such as a buzzing drum tone and slight feed back but nothing drastic. The album takes you from start to finish making you wonder where that time went! Nothing else but good things can be said about this live performance and if you get the chance to see Mastodon live DO NOT pass up the chance as you wont be disappointed!

Live at the Aragon – Mastodon 9/10

Relentless Reckless Forever

2011-03-08T17:13:00.000Z

Children of Bodom are back with their seventh album Relentless Reckless Forever. The band comprised of wonder guitarists Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala set out on a mission to sonically bombard you and take no prisoners.

Not my funeral’s eerie intro sets the spooky vibe for the album. Mesmerising guitars guide you through this mixture of senses. One minute your hardcore the next you’re listening to poppy guitar leads. An unusual combination that seems to work well but might not be everybody’s cup of tea however there is one thing that you can rely on Bodom for, their insane guitar/keyboard duals. Shovel Knockout thunders into life with its pounding bass line and we are launched into an insanely fast song. The song is quite hard to get your head around and feels like it has been thrown together quickly and doesn’t flow very well. This might be what they are trying to achieve but it just doesn’t feel right but, as previously mentioned a great solo sustains the song.

Roundtrip to Hell and Back starts in a much better vain. The song takes you on a dark journey but again the vocals are awkwardly placed before ending abruptly. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide has a funky groove to start off before going back to a typical Bodom fast paced jaunt. This is a much better song and more what I had expected from the album. Relentless Reckless Forever takes you by surprise and draws you in with some catchy keyboard/guitar duals and then throws you off course amazingly reflecting its title well. Ugly is a welcome relief from the rest of the album. The song manages to be very heavy whilst also has a very progressive feel which is an interesting combination. It also has a very catchy chorus which will have you shouting “SO GODDAMN UGLY”.

Cry of the Nihilist has a great eerie feel to it which is comforting before the very quirky Was it worth it? The first single from the album was a delight to hear and was one of the things that got me interested in Bodom. The songs short sharp bursts and catchy guitar line get you hooked from start to finish with another insane solo, for me this is certainly the peak of the album so far. Northpole Throwdown is a fast paced song however, again not a strong point on the album.

Overall the album is very patchy and in some parts the songs don’t fit well. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide, Ugly and Was it Worth it? Are really what make this album good. There are no faults with the production everything is spot on apart from the songs with the exception of the above. Advice to those who liked the single Was it Worth it? Don’t go and buy the album on the strength of this song check out the others before buying to see if you like it to avoid disappointment. This album is certainly one for the hardcore COB fans.

Relentless, Reckless Forever – Children Of Bodom

6.5/10

Big Four Sweden

2011-03-02T13:38:00.002Z

Yes thats right the Big Four are coming to Sweden and guess what ... the SAME WEEK that Maiden are playing Sweden in the same venue. To clear that up Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax (known as the Big Four of Thrash metal) have announced that they are going to be playing at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden on 3rd July. This is the first time they will have played together in Scandinavia and so is something that is NOT to be missed. If that wasn't enough Iron Maiden are playing at Ullevi just two days before. So get your tickets for a week of metal mania in Sweden!

tickets for the Big Four show go on sale 07/03/2011 at 9 AM Swedish time.

Iron Maiden tickets are already on sale so hurry up!

Sonisphere new names added!

2011-02-28T15:33:00.002Z

Some more names for Sonisphere 2011 have been added they include:

You Me At Six

All Time Low

Sum 41

House Of Pain

Arch Enemy

Periphery

Grinspoon

Fozzy

Beast - Devildriver review

2011-02-24T15:42:00.000Z

Just over a year and a half has passed since the release of Pray for Villains and Devildriver are back with their follow up fifth album “Beast”. After Pray for Villains great success everyone was eager to hear what they would do next.

Dead to Rights certainly sets the pace for this album and is indicative of what is to come. Fast, unrelenting, full power, metal. Bring the fight (to the floor) starts in the same vain certainly one that will get your fist pumping. Operatic guitar sounds are something that gives this album a unique feel. There is such rhythmic intensity but, also a very clear eerie harmonic lead. Hardened starts slowly swirling to life but don’t worry, the beast is canny and soon pounces to life. The catchy chorus will have you yelling hardened at the top of your voice a potential live great with a very Pantera like ending.

Sh*tlist = a true masterpiece. Devildriver’s unique guitar tone, godly drumming and Dez’s crushing vocals make this a truly awesome song; this is the best we have ever heard Devildriver ... and it doesn’t end there. Talons out (teeth sharpened) follows with catastrophic power. Words cannot describe this song we thought Sh*tlist was hard to follow but this is even better. You Make Me Sick is a classic Devildriver song with a feeling much the same as Clouds over California (a classic by the band). The power and speed continues until a brief let up, before being plunged right back into the intensity.

Coldblooded has that same guitar feel (with and excellent solo to add) and catchy chorus making this a song that the band should be remembered by. When people ask you who Devildriver are you will play them this song as it captures everything they sound like. Blur has a brilliant mini intro before another fast paced powerful jaunt, will the intensity end? No! When you think it’s all over it picks straight back up again with that sinister intro/outro. The Blame Game has a little snappy pre-verse which gives way to groove before going to the classic hardcore, all out Devildriver.

Black Soul Choir(16Horsepower cover) is an odd one to say the least even more odd when you listen to the original. Whilst being totally Devildriver it’s also very quirky and reminds me of the Norse metal out of Scandanavia. Crowns of Creation is a return to form with a rocket paced verse and great clean interlude before kicking back into overdrive for the remainder of the song. For all you music buffs the song has a great triplet feel. The last song on the album Lend Myself to the night has you waiting on tenterhooks for the next album. A perfect song to round off a brilliant album, like the rest of the album it is Devildriver’s power and ferocity to the max with some great melodies to add.

From start to finish this is a top class album. If you’re a fan of Pray for Villains then you will love this. The mix of the album is perfect every note can be heard, the drums are brutal and are well worth the mention and Dez is his usual Dez fantastic. Certainly a great way to start 2011.

Beast – Devildriver 9.5/10

Big Four Italy

2011-02-22T10:14:00.002Z

The Big four have just announced that they are off to Italy for their next outing. This comes just a week after they told us they would be playing in Germany together for the first time. Italy its now your turn! The concert will take place in Milan on 6th July 2011 at Fiera Open Air Arena. Tickets will be available from www.ticketone.it on Friday 24th February 9:00 AM Italian time. At the end of the announcement they stated that one more is still to be announced. Keep your eyes peeled.

Iron Maiden support acts for UK tour 2011

2011-02-18T09:51:00.002Z

Iron Maiden have just announced the support acts for their upcoming UK tour in July-August. It is fairly complicated to explain but the acts are appearing on selected dates. The three support bands appearing throughout the tour are Airbourne, Dragonforce and Trivium. Now here is the break down of who is playing where and when:

Airbourne - will play the majority of the tour from Glasgow 20th July-Cardiff 1st August

Dragonforce - will appear on two shows of the tour in Belfast 3rd August and London 5th August

Trivium - Are only playing one show which will be the last show of the tour in London 6th August.

BIG FOUR GERMANY!

2011-02-17T14:33:00.002Z

The Big Four (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax) are to play an arena show in Germany this July. The show will take place at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen and will take place on the second of July. An official announcement was made on the Metallica site today stating that this and other shows are to take place.

Yes, that headline said "shows" with an "s." Keep watching here for a couple more announcements in the coming weeks. This taken from the Metallica site also states that there are more shows to be announced so watch this space! Tickets go on sale Saturday 19th February at 9:00 Am German time GMT +1

More Sonisphere acts!

2011-02-14T16:06:00.002Z

Sonisphere have added yet more names to the bill! And here they are: LIMP BIZKIT, THE SISTERS OF MERCY, GALLOWS, GOJIRA, INME, KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES, ONE MINUTE SILENCE, PROTEST THE HERO and VOLBEAT! These great bands will be playing alongside acts such as METALLICA and SLIPKNOT!

Jeff Hanneman forced to sit out upcoming shows!

2011-02-13T13:32:00.002Z

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman has been forced to sit out the bands upcoming shows in Australia. Hanneman is currently at home recovering from an infection which caused him to have emergency surgery on his right arm. The infection is thought to have come from a bite by a spider, Hanneman has shown signs of improvement and is well on the road to recovery. He will recieve further treatment such as skin grafts and is expected to make a full recovery. We wish Jeff all the best and hope that he is able to join his band mate out on the road soon. Until that time Slayer will recruit a guest guitar player whose identity is yet unknown but, will be reviled shortly.

source: http://www.killyourstereo.com/news/8880/slayer-guitarist-forced-to-pull-out-of-soundwave/

Sonisphere adds more acts!

2011-01-31T19:42:00.002Z

Sonisphere UK festival has added 4 more cracking bands for the July show! Airbourne, Architects, Diamond Head and Weezer have all been announced for the show which promises to be something spectacular!

Vinnie Paul rejects Pantera reunion

2011-01-28T09:00:00.002Z

Former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul has rejected rumours that there would possibly be a reunion of the band. His reason for this is that it would be disrespectful to the memory of his late brother Dimebag Darrell who was the guitarist of the band. He feels that it would be best to leave it as it is as it was such an amazing legacy to leave behind. Vinnie continues by saying that he is proud of the times he had with Pantera and that it should be left as it is. Former vocalist Phil Anselmo has repeatedly reached out to Vinnie Paul following the tragic loss of Dimebag in 2004 but has been shunned every time.

source: www.blabbermouth.net

The Big Four in the US

2011-01-26T19:56:00.002Z

On Tuesday we bought you the rumblings of something huge, that Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax were bringing their party to the US. Yesterday metal fans across the US prayers were answered with a one off US show in California in April. At this point in time it will be the ONLY US SHOW on this run of the tour so if want to see this amazing spectacle in the US for the first time ever together then be sure to get you tickets quickly. The gig will take place at Empire Polo Club - Indio, California and will take place on 23rd April 2011. Tickets go on-sale Friday 28th January at 10 am, as previously mentioned if you want to go to this BE SURE TO BUY THEM A.S.A.P. If we get any more info then we will pass it on!

20 Download acts!

2011-01-24T19:24:00.003Z

Download have been somewhat lacking in reply to the blistering announcements by Sonisphere this year but have just announced 20 more bands, but is it quantity over quality? The 20 bands are as follows:

Pendulum
Korn
Alter Bridge
Gaslight Anthem
Black Veil Brides
Bullet For My Valentine
Danzig
Alice Cooper
Buckcherry
Clutch
The Cult
The Damned Things
Escape The Fate
FM
GWAR
Hollywood Undead
Masters Of Reality
Mr Big
Rise To Remain
Thin Lizzy

You can buy your ticket now from www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Big Four US ... COMING SOON!

2011-01-24T15:36:00.004Z

Metallica recently posted something slightly extraordinary on their website today fueling speculation that the BIG FOUR (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) would be crossing the pond to do some American shows. All we know is that the announcement is (as it says on the tin) coming soon! UPDATE:MORE NEWS TO COME 25th JAN 8AM PST!

Mick Thompson on Slipknot's future

2011-01-24T15:20:00.002Z

Mick Thompson recently spoke out on the future of Slipknot and stated that they will return properly. He says that at the moment their main priority is to play the festival shows in Europe and take things from their. At the moment there is no plans for America but this could change in the future as he doesn't rule out the possibility. Mick was also asked about if/when they would return to the studio to record the bands 5th studio album, to which he stated that the band members were all off doing various things at the moment and that there are many things that need to be sorted out before they can return to the studio.

source www.blabbermouth.net

Arin Ilejay is the new Avenged Sevenfold drummer

2011-01-20T16:20:00.002Z

Avenged Sevenfold have just announced that Arin Ilejay will be their drummer for their current "Nightmare After Christmas" US tour. It is not know how long Ilejay will drum for the band after they stated that they would never fully replace 'The Rev'. A statement from Avenged Sevenfold follows:

We recently asked several friends who knew Jimmy and his style, and also knew our music and each of our personalities to suggest drummers to tour with us starting this year. Our long time studio drum tech, Mike Fasano, recommended Arin Ilejay. We've rehearsed with Arin and have been impressed with his technical skills, attitude and work ethic. We're very excited to tour with Arin and hope all of you will give him the warm welcome to the family we have.

source: www.avengedsevenfold.com

New Sonisphere additions!

2011-01-17T15:12:00.002Z

To start the year off, Sonisphere have added Motorhead, Mastodon, Inflames and Parkway Drive for their 2011 bash at Knebworth. The new additions make the bill a bit more aggressive and progressive and will sure be great to watch at Sonisphere!

Tickets are available here: http://uk.sonispherefestivals.com/buy-tickets/

2010 summary

2010-12-24T15:34:00.004Z

2010

If you had said to me last year “In a years time you will have set up your own music blog written your own reviews of CD’s/DVD’s/Gigs and been featured on well known music sites” I would have simply laughed. When I thought of becoming a music journalist I had no idea where to start and how I would get there but, with the help of family, friends and musicians I started this blog.

So 2010 in music has had its ups and its downs. We started the year pretty badly after loosing Jimmy Sullivan in December 2009, many thought that that would be the end of one of the best hard rock bands but Avenged Sevenfold came back with Mike Portnoy and released the chart topping album Nightmare. We have seen Megadeth win back David Ellefson and toured their Rust In Peace album on its 20^th Anniversary. Whilst on the topic of Megadeth we have also seen the greatest musical achievement of the past 20 years with the Big Four going out and touring together for the first time. It is a pure miracle that Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax have settled their differences and let the music do the talking by bringing such a spectacle to the European stage. This is set to continue in 2011 with the Big four playing for the first time together in the UK at Sonisphere Knebworth.

At Sonisphere this year we saw the triumphant return of Iron Maiden with their first show on British soil in two years. After a spectacular show the band released their 15^th studio album The Final Frontier which debuted at number one in the UK and many other countries. However with all these great things that have happened sadly worse things have also happened. In May we lost two great musicians Ronnie James Dio and Paul Gray. Firstly Ronnie was seen by many as one of the fathers of heavy metal and his works have influenced many people to become musicians and whose life has touched many others. Secondly Paul who was a part of one of the largest nu-metal bands of the past decade (Slipknot). Both Ronnie and Paul will be sorely missed but their legacies will never be forgotten.

In 2010 we have also enjoyed new releases from Stone Sour, Daath, Murderdolls, Dimmu Borgir, Disturbed as well as the others mentioned above. Apart from the studio we have seen live releases from Slipknot, Megadeth, Heaven and Hell and the Big Four.

2010 has seen lineup changes for Megadeth (as previously mentioned), Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium and Dream Theater. At the end of 2009 we heard that Travis Smith drummer of Trivium would be sitting out their upcoming US tour. As we got into 2010 we began to wonder if Travis would be back in time for the band to go into the studio to record their song for the game God Of War III. A statement was issued saying that Trivium would no longer be performing with Travis and that Nick Augusto would be taking his place. Trivium then went into the studio to record Shattering the Skies above with Nick for the God of War game. The song shows how much energy Nick has brought to the band and how they have developed since 2008’s Shogun.

Dream Theater have also changed drummer with Mike Portnoy leaving the band. Mike asked the band if they could take some time off from touring/ recording and come back to the table fresh for the next album. The rest of the band were not willing to do so, and so Mike saw no other way than to leave. It was recently revealed by Mike that he tried to reconcile with the band after his time was up with Avenged Sevenfold but they would not have him back. This was a very sad end to the year but, we have lots to look forward to next year!

Things to look forward to in 2011:

The return of Slipknot

The Big Four coming to the UK

Iron Maiden’s Final Frontier world tour

New albums from Trivium, Children of Bodom, DevilDriver, Amon Amarth, Megadeth, Anthrax and many more!

Top 5 releases of 2010

Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold CD
The Final Frontier – Iron Maiden CD
(sic)nesses – Slipknot DVD
Audio Secrecy – Stone Sour CD
Big Four Live from Sofia – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax DVD

Finally I would like to thank you all for your support, encouragement and help throughout 2010. All that is left to say is Happy Christmas and bring on 2011!

Charlie Day \m/(>_<)\m/

New DevilDriver single to be released 23rd Jan

2010-12-23T14:26:00.003Z

DevilDriver are going to release the first single from their new album "Beast" on January 23rd 2011! The song "Dead To Rights" will be digitally available from all major online retailers, with the new album "Beast" due out on 21st February.

picture + source www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk

Megadeth + Slayer co headline "European Carnage" tour

2010-12-18T10:14:00.002Z

It has just been announced that Megadeth and Slayer will bring their "carnage tour" to Europe. This tour has travelled across North America and now its time to bring the carnage to Europe. The tour goes through many countries ranging from Russia all the way across to Portugal. Full tour dates bellow!

Date		City	Venue	Ages	Tickets
March	13	Kiev, Russia	Expo	TBA	TBA
	15	Moscow, Russia	Olimpiski	TBA	TBA
	16	St Petersburg, Russia	Jubileeny	TBA	TBA
	17	Helsinki, Finland	Ice Hall	TBA	TBA
	19	Stockholm, Sweden	Arenan	TBA	TBA
	20	Oslo, Norway	Sentrum Scene	TBA	TBA
	21	Aarhus, Denmark	SCC	TBA	TBA
	23	Brussels, Belgium	Forest	TBA	TBA
	24	Bamberg, Germany	Stechert Arena	TBA	TBA
	26	Paris, France	Zenith	TBA	TBA
	28	Madrid, Spain	La Riviera	TBA	TBA
	29	La Coruna, Spain	Coliseum	TBA	TBA
	30	Lisbon, Portugal	Pavilhao Atlantico	TBA	TBA
April	1	Barcelona, Spain	St Jordi Club	TBA	TBA
	3	Rome, Italy	Atlantico	TBA	TBA
	4	Padova, Italy	Gran Teatro	TBA	TBA
	6	Zagreb, Croatia	Arena	TBA	TBA
	7	Vienna, Austria	Gasometer	TBA	TBA
	8	Budapest, Hungary	Arena	TBA	TBA
	10	Prague, Czech Republic	O2 Arena	TBA	TBA
	11	Lodz, Poland	Sportshall	TBA	TBA
	13	Basel, Switzerland	St Jakobshalle	TBA	TBA

Source: www.megadeth.com

Mike Portnoy has left Avenged Sevenfold!

2010-12-17T16:03:00.002Z

Yesterday I bought you the news that Avenged Sevenfold were not performing at Soundwave Festival and that Mike Portnoy's position in the band was debatable. Late last night Mike announced that his time with Avenged Sevenfold had come to an end. He says that the band had decided to carry on into 2011 with out him and that he had had some great times with the band. Mike also looks forward to new musical opportunities that come his way for the future. As for Soundwave festival it appears that the band were unhappy with the time that they were scheduled to play, the festival organisers were unable to change the timings around and therefore the band went back on their contract and cancelled. The Nightmare after Christmas North American tour is still scheduled to go ahead, however no new drummer has yet been announced.

We wish Mike Portnoy the best for the future and hope that Avenged Sevenfold find a new drummer soon!

Avenged Sevenfold Will NOT perform at Soundwave

2010-12-16T16:44:00.003Z

A shocking announcement has been made which is that Avenged Sevenfold will not be performing at Soundwave festival's in Australia in 2011. In a statement (below) it mentions that they will be performing because they would not deliver a performance which the fans would enjoy. This is strange indeed and comes days after strange tweets from drummer Mike Portnoy. This is purely speculation which leads me to the view that something between Sevenfold and Portnoy is going on. Of course we hope all is well between both parties and hope that they are both ok! Statement and Tweets mentioned follow!

"Avenged Sevenfold regretfully announce they will not be performing at the upcoming Soundwave in Australia. After much effort, the band decided that they could not offer fans the live experience they have come to expect and didn’t want to disappoint them. Avenged Sevenfold will return to Australia soon to headline their own tour."

"There's alot of things going on in my life I wish I could openly & honestly talk about at the moment, but cannot...but when I can, I will..." Mike Portnoy via Twitter

"is sad...... : ( It's been a long, exhausting year (both physically and mentally) with many unexpected ups and downs and I think the most valuable lesson for me has been that the only people you can TRULY count on is FAMILY...thank you Marlene, Melody and Max for ALWAYS being there for me...." Mike Portnoy via Facebook

Judas Priest announce FINAL World tour!

2010-12-07T15:24:00.002Z

It is with great sadness that I write this post to you. Judas Priest have announced that they are to embark on their last world tour after brining metal to the masses for the past forty years. In a statement released by the band they promise to go out with a bang and to hit all major cities across the globe. The tour starts in Europe in June in Sweden and ending up in Germany in August for the end of the European leg (more dates will be announced soon!). Boys and Girls this is your last chance to see Judas Priest so be sure to get your tickets as you wont get another chance!

Tour dates so far:

9th June Sweden Rock Festival, Sweden
11th June Sauna Festival, Finland
17th June Copenhell Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
19th June Hellfest, Nantes, France
22nd June Gods of Metal Festival, Milan, Italy
25th June Graspop Festival, Belgium
23rd July HIgh Voltage Festival, London, UK
5th August Wacken Festival, Germany

Sonisphere 2011 1st Head liner is...

2010-12-03T10:50:00.003Z

Sonisphere festival have just announced that their first head liner of the 2011 festival will be SLIPKNOT! It will be an exclusive UK performance!

Another announcement will be made on Monday 6th December!

Slipknot will return

2010-12-01T11:12:00.002Z

Joey Jordison drummer of Slipknot has said that the band will return after the loss of bassist Paul Gray. He also has said that they have started writing for their next studio album and plan to record some time next year. Jordison said they will not replace Gray but will have someone to play bass for them off-stage. This news comes from an interview with Joey by Bilboard.

Iron Maiden to headline Rock Werchter

2010-11-30T09:08:00.002Z

It has just been announced that Iron Maiden are to headline Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. Maiden are set to play there on Sunday 3rd July 2011 in the middle of their Final Frontier world tour! Tickets go on sale 4th December 2010! For more info on this date go to www.rockwerchter.be and for information about the whole tour go to www.ironmaiden.com then click on the tour tab along the top.

Murderdolls Cancel US tour!

2010-11-30T08:53:00.002Z

Gory rockers the Murderdolls have been forced to pull out of their upcoming American tour. The Violent Night, Deadly Night tour has been cancelled but in a press release the band stated that they will be back soon. The reason for the cancellation is an "unforeseeable family emergency". We hope this sorts itself out soon so they can get back on the road as soon as possible. Full press release below from www.roadrunnerrecords.com

“Due to an unforeseeable family emergency Murderdolls have been forced to cancel the upcoming Violent Night, Deadly Night tour. These decisions are never easy to make and we did everything we could to keep from having to cancel, but this was unavoidable. We’ll do our best to make up the dates in 2011. For those who bought tickets, refunds are available from point of purchase. Sorry ghoulscouts but we’ll see you all soon!”

Download 2011

2010-11-29T16:24:00.002Z

Today we got our first snippet of what is to come at Download festival 2011. As rumours started to circulate earlier in the year it turns out that they were true and only fuelled the festival hype. Shortly before 9am this morning it was confirmed that System Of A Down are to reform and are to headline at Download festival in 2011. Also after a colossal tour with Stone Sour earlier in the year, Avenged Sevenfold are also to return to these shores for the Download festival. Although not headlining they will be a band not to be missed! These are the only bands announced so far and makes you wonder what else Andy Copping has up his sleeve.

COB New album details!

2010-11-24T19:29:00.003Z

Children Of Bodom have shed some new light on their upcomming release. The new album is to be called "Relentless Reckless Forever" and will be released on 08/03/2011. According to Blabbermouth.net a music video has already been shot for one of the songs of the new album. The song is called "Was It Worth It" is will probably be the first single from the album!

source www.blabbermouth.net

Chimaira Bassist Retires!

2010-11-22T15:29:00.002Z

Chimaira have announced today that bassist Jim LaMarca is to retire. In a statement released by the band his reasons for retiring are that he wishes to settle down and start a family. The statement also says that they wish him all the best for the future! A permanent replacement has not been found but for the remainder of 2010 Emil Werstler of DAATH will be playing bass for the band so no shows will be cancelled! This is very handy as DAATH will be supporting Chimaira on an up comming headliner tour!

Funeral For A Friend + Rise To Remain UK tour

2010-11-22T15:19:00.002Z

Funeral for a friend have announced that they are to embark on a huge UK tour! The tour is 15 dates long so you can be sure that they will be hitting a town/city near you! Full tour dates bellow!

March 16th – Aberystwyth Arts Centre
March 19th – Penrith Eden Arts Centre
March 20th – Glasgow King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
March 22nd – Bury St. Edmonds The Apex
March 23rd – Birmingham O2 Academy 2
March 24th – Manchester Academy 3
March 25th – London Relentless Garage
March 27th – Liverpool O2 Academy
March 28th – Stoke The Sugarmill
March 29th – Wakefield Black Flag
March 30th – Durham Live Lounge
April 1st – Poole Chords
April 2nd – Saltash Livewire
April 3rd – Wycombe Academy Of Music & Art
April 4th – Wrexham Central Station

Source www.metalhammer.co.uk

Iron Maiden European dates

2010-11-18T19:31:00.002Z

Yes more Iron Maiden tour dates for 2011! The Final Frontier world tour has some more mainland Europe dates. Maiden are to undertake a full arena tour of Germany and select dates in France and the Netherlands! In the press release it states that there are still more dates to come for Europe so if your country hasn't been announced yet DON'T PANIC! Dates are as follows!

MAY
Sat 28 - Frankfurt, GERMANY Festhalle
Sun 29 - Oberhausen, GERMANY Kopi Arena
Tue 31 - Munich, GERMANY Olympiahalle

JUNE
Thur 2 - Hamburg, GERMANY o2 World
Fri 3 - Berlin, GERMANY o2 World
Tue 7 - Stuttgart, GERMANY Schleyerhalle
Wed 8 - Arnhem, THE NETHERLANDS Gerledome
Mon 27 - Paris, FRANCE Bercy

Hatebreed and Rise To Remain to tour the UK

2010-11-18T19:08:00.003Z

Hatebreed and upcoming melodic metalers Rise To Remain are to tour the UK together. This comes just a day after Rise To Remain were confirmed to be touring with Bullet For My Valentine in Europe. There seems to be some confusion as to where Rise To Remain will be playing due to date and tour clashes. To clear this up THEY WILL NOT BE touring with As I Lay Dying, and instead will be playing in Europe with Bullet. The dates for the Hatebreed - Rise To Remain tour follow!

DECEMBER
06 - BRISTOL Fleece
07 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
08 - GLASGOW Garage
09 - SHEFFIELD Corporation
10 - BIRMINGHAM Academy 2
11 - STOKE Sugarmill
13 - LEEDS Cockpit
14 - MANCHESTER Club Academy
15 - PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms
16 - LONDON Garage

source - www.rocksound.tv

Tour news galore!

2010-11-16T16:40:00.002Z

Well today we have for you: Judas Priest going on a world tour in 2011 announced by KK Downing in a recent blog announcement! Trivium are to support Disturbed on their impending Australian Music as a weapon tour! Finally Amon Amarth and Children of Bodom are to tour the UK together.

Judas Priest: Legendary Axe wielder KK Downing has revealed in a recent blog post that the band are ready "to put the touring wheels in motion" for their 2011 world tour. The bad news is he doesn't say where or when :(. We will keep you posted on that one!

Trivium yesterday announced through RoadRunner records that they are to support Disturbed on their upcoming Australian tour. The tour is reportedly to be the first shows in support of the new album but, they have yet to start recording the album due to Colin Richardson being in the UK finishing the début album for Rise To Remain. Dates follow

Wednesday 20 April - Burswood Dome, Perth
Saturday 23 April - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Sunday 24 April - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Monday 25 April - Acer Arena, Sydney
Thursday 28 April - Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Saturday 30 April - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

Amon Amarth and Children Of Bodom are to tour the UK together in April next year. It is expected that both bands will be sporting new releases and will be playing new material from them. Certainly one to watch! Dates follow

Fri 1st April 2011 - Norwich U.E.A., Norwich
Sat 2nd April 2011 - Manchester University, Manchester
Sun 3rd April 2011 - O2 ABC Glasgow, Glasgow
Thu 7th April 2011 - Rock City, Nottingham
Fri 8th April 2011 - O2 Academy Birmingham,, Birmingham
Sat 9th April 2011 - HMV Forum / Relentless Garage, London

Big Four, Sofia DVD Review

2010-11-13T16:44:00.002Z

THE BIG FOUR, Sofia DVD

Although the concerts happened a couple of month ago now the hype for this tour is still massive with rumours of US and UK repercussions for late 2011. The DVD gives you great insight into the four bands and their experiences of this fantastic and historic metal moment.

Anthrax took to the stage first with the newly rejoined Joey Belladona. Belladona wastes no time in soaking up the atmosphere and celebrating with the fans the amazing spectacle that is taking place. Performance wise a flawless effort from Anthrax with the major highlight being the performance of “Indians” with the cover/tribute of “Heaven and Hell” to the late Ronnie James Dio.

Also buzzing from a recent return to the fold are Megadeth who romp through a soul crushing set. Since David Ellefson has rejoined the band Megadeth have been unstoppable. Pulling out many hits from the “Rust in Peace” album the fans are treated to an amazing set featuring both old and new material. The rain didn’t dampen their spirits and their enthusiasm is hugely admired. The highlight of Megadeth’s set has to be the Performance of the classic “A Tout Le Monde”.

Titans Slayer are up next, pounding onto the stage with the title track of the latest album “World Painted Blood”. Giving it all they have got Slayer drag you into their mesmerizing performance. Sadly this live performance is not one of Slayer’s best, with Tom Araya struggling with vocal issues and Hanneman not pulling off the solo’s he used to. However be wary, their presence is still enough to make you quake in your boots. Highlight of Slayer’s set has to be the last two songs of the set “South Of Heaven” and “Raining Blood”.

Three down one to go. Metallica add to the carnage all ready laid down by the other bands. All though it is called the big four tour you get the impression that Metallica were out to headline no matter what by having double the amount of time on stage. Another standard Metallica performance is really all that can be said. Nothing special, I have seen them perform much better than this. Credit to them for putting together another great set list full of classics and new songs. The performance picks up dramatically for the second half with songs like “One”, “Enter Sandman”, “Hit The Lights” and “Seek and Destroy”. Just three words complete this set “Am I Evil”. Joined by Anthrax, Megadeth and Dave Lombardo of Slayer the big four unite to play this classic “Diamond Head” song. This has to be the highlight of the DVD by far and possibly the whole year! Nobody would have thought this possible 10 years ago but here in 2010 and possibly the future it has become reality.

The overall production of the DVD is very mixed. Whilst the audio quality is pristine the visuals are far from it. Wobbly cameras, dodgy camera angles and numerous objects obstructing the view are this DVD’s downfall. Apart from this the DVD is well worth buying and would advise any metal fan to do so.

Anthrax 8/10

Megadeth 8.5/10

Slayer 7.5/10

Metallica 8/10

Overall 7.5/10

picture from www.jimdunlop.com

Nightmare After Christmas Tour!

2010-11-12T15:59:00.003Z

Avenged Sevenfold are to return to the US for a headlinning tour with Stone Sour as special guests. After the great success the band had on this years uproar festival tour they just had to return. The tour starts in Reading, PA on 20/1/2011 and ends up in San Jose, CA on 16/2/2011. This tour is not to be missed so be sure to get your tickets quick!

full tour dates are:

Date City Venue Onsale

January 20, 2011 Reading, PA Sovereign Center December 4

January 22, 2011 Lowell, MA Tsongas Center December 3

January 23, 2011 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena December 4

January 25, 2011 Huntington, WV Big Sandy Arena December 10

January 26, 2011 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Coliseum December 10

January 28, 2011 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena December 10

January 29, 2011 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena December 4

January 30, 2011 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium December 4

February 1, 2011 Moline, IL iWireless Center December 3

February 2, 2011 La Crosse, WI La Crosse Center December 3

February 4, 2011 Battlecreek, MI Kellogg Arena December 4

February 5, 2011 Detriot, MI TBD TBD

February 7, 2011 Sioux City, IA Tyson Center December 4

February 8, 2011 Grand Island, NE Heartland Events Center December 3

February 11, 2011 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena December 3

February 12, 2011 Kennewick, WA Toyota Center December 3

February 14, 2011 Euguen, OR TBD TBD

February 16, 2011 San Jose, CA San Jose Events Center TBD

Source www.avengedsevenfold.com

picture www.myspace.com/avengedsevenfold

Coming Home! IRON MAIDEN's 2011 UK ARENA TOUR

2010-11-11T16:03:00.002Z

The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived! The legendary metal titans our back to rock our shores but this time they are here for more than one show. Maiden are to embark on a 10 date arena trek around the UK starting in Glasgow at the SECC arena on 20th July and finishing up at London's O2 arena on 5th August. To add a twist to the announcement Maiden have revealed that this leg of the tour will be the last in support of the bands latest album "The Final Frontier and whilst featuring songs from the new album the tour will encompass most of the bands vast catalogue. Tickets for this monumentous tour will go on sale to the public on 20th November BUT if you're a part of the Iron Maiden fan club then the pre sale is on Monday 15th November! Tour dates as follows!

picture from www.ironmaiden.com

JULY Wed 20 Thu 21 Sat 23 Sun 24 Wed 27 Thu 28 Sun 31	Scotland, Glasgow SECC Scotland, Aberdeen AECC P&J Arena England, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena England, Sheffield Motorpoint Arena England, Nottingham Trent FM Arena England, Manchester MEN Arena England, Birmingham NIA
AUGUST Mon 1 Wed 3 Fri 5	Wales, Cardiff CIA Arena Northern Ireland, Belfast Odyssey England, London O2 Arena

Iron Maiden WORLD TOUR 2011

2010-11-02T18:16:00.004Z

Iron Maiden are to return in 2011 with a full blown world tour! The tour will focus on the bands latest CHART TOPPING release The Final Frontier and will reach many new place which the band have yet to play such as Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea. The tour will start off in Moscow 11/02/11 and then go through South East Asia before Australia, South Korea,Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, USA before finishing in St Petersburg in July. Bruce Dickinson mentions in the press release that they will play many songs from the new album and recent material but not forgetting the older songs! This tour IS NOT TO BE MISSED! Full dates below!

source and picture www.ironmaiden.com

FEBRUARY Fri 11 Tue 15 Thu 17 Sun 20 Wed 23 Thu 24 Sat 26 Sun 27	Moscow, RUSSIA SINGAPORE Jakarta, INDONESIA Bali, INDONESIA Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA Brisbane, AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA	Olympiski Singapore Indoor Stadium Stadium Utama Gelaro Bung Karno Senayan Garuda Wisnu Kencana Hisense Arena Entertainment Centre Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival) Eastern Creek Raceway (Soundwave Festival)
MARCH Fri 4 Sat 5 Mon 7 Thu 10 Sat 12 Sun 13 Thu 17 Fri 18 Sun 20 Wed 23 Sat 26 Sun 27 Wed 30	Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Adelaide, AUSTRALIA Perth, AUSTRALIA Seoul, KOREA Tokyo, JAPAN Tokyo, JAPAN Monterrey, MEXICO Mexico City, MEXICO Bogota, COLOMBIA Lima, PERU Sao Paulo, BRAZIL Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL Brasilia, BRAZIL	Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival) Bonython Park (Soundwave Festival) Steel Blue Oval (Soundwave Festival) Chamsil Gymnasium Super Arena Super Arena Banamex Theatre Foro Sol CC Sapo Estadio San Marcos Morumbi Stadium HSBC Arena Nilson Nelson Parking Lot
APRIL Fri 1 Sun 3 Tue 5 Fri 8 Sun 10 Wed 14 Sat 16 Sun 17	Belem, BRAZIL Recife, BRAZIL Curitiba, BRAZIL Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA Santiago, CHILE San Juan, PUERTO RICO Sunrise, Florida, USA Tampa, Florida USA	Parque De Exposicoes Parque De Exposicoes Expotrade Velez Sarsfield Estadio Nacional Coliseo De Puerto Rico Bank Atlantic Center St Pete Times Forum
JULY Jun 30 - Jul 3 Fri 1 Wed 6 Fri 8 Sun 10	Roskilde, DENMARK Gothenburg, SWEDEN Oslo, NORWAY Helsinki, FINLAND St Petersburg, RUSSIA	Roskilde Festival Ullevi Stadium Telenor Olympic Stadium SKK Peterburgskiy

Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold, Hellyeah Halloween review!

2010-11-02T16:41:00.000Z

Hellyeah, Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour: 31/10/2010 Hammersmith Apollo

The anticipation for this gig has been huge and no matter who headlined which night it was bound to be a truly amazing spectacle. With both Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour suffering recent losses (and of course Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul loosing his brother Dimebag four years ago) this was sure to be a moving event and a tribute to their fallen brothers. Even waiting outside before the doors opened there was the feeling that everyone was getting along and was there to support each other after the tragic losses with chants for Paul Gray, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, Dimebag Darrell and Ronnie James Dio. Once inside the crowd eagerly anticipated the start of Hellyeah, The Texan rockers powered their way through their set which featured greats such as “Hellyeah” “Cowboy Way” and “Alcohaulin’ Ass”. Vinnie Paul’s stage presence is what makes this band, their performance was admirable but not up to the standards of Vinnie’s legendary former band Pantera.

Then came in many peoples view the highlight of the show as Avenged Sevenfold took to the stage. The band arrived on stage with masks on for Halloween and romp into “Nightmare”. Everyone knew this song and was singing along (even the security guards were joining in) and were there to support the band after the tragic loss of The Rev. This certainly became apparent when M. Shadows dedicated the song “So Far Away” to him, the crowd responded by pulling out lighters and mobile phones before giving a “Jimmy” chant. This was a very moving part of the set and brought tears to many peoples eyes (me included). The energy that they bring with them is phenomenal with M., Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance and Johnny Christ tearing round the stage and of course not forgetting Mike Portnoy whos enthusiasm is unbeatable( not to mention toasting marshmallows on the pyros!) . The band ended with “Almost Easy” and stated that they will return in the future. In the spirit of Halloween the band then brought on stage boxes of sweets and each band member threw them into the crowd.

Next up were Stone Sour with a slightly gender confused Corey Taylor. Again with this being Halloween Taylor decided to dress in lingerie and a tutu, despite this and having to follow the astounding act of Avenged, Stone sour really pulled out all the stops. Their performance was impeccable and included a Corey Taylor solo performance of “Bother” which was a real show stopper. The show also featured the UK live debut of “Lets Be Honest” which was another highlight of a fantastic show.

Reflecting on all the bands it was a brilliant show and all performances were of the highest quality (apart from the occasional/unfortunate guitar break down for Synyster Gates). This tour having sold out far in advanced you could see why tickets were selling like hot cakes. If you get the chance to see any of these bands then do not pass up the opportunity as it was a fantastic show and one that you will never forget and not just because of Corey Taylor’s dress sense.

Overall rating 9/10

Murderdolls FULL UK Tour dates!

2010-10-26T10:30:00.002+01:00

Yesterday there were two today there are ten! The Murderdolls are out to destroy every city's hearing on there ten date trek around the UK! Tickets go onsale on Friday (29/10/10) at 9 am. Dates are as follows!

February 02 – Portsmouth Pyramids
February 03 – Norwich Waterfront
February 04 – Bristol Academy
February 05 – Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
February 08 – Middlesbrough Empire
February 10 – Glasgow ABC
February 11 – Manchester Academy 2
February 12 – London Forum
February 13 – Nottingham Rock City
February 14 – Exeter Lemon Grove

source www.metalhammer.co.uk

Cradle Of Filth NA Tour!

2010-10-25T19:54:00.004+01:00

Just when you though tour announcements were over for the day Cradle Of Filth announce a headlining tour of North America. The tour which has been named FEARnet and Decibel Presents: Creatures from the Black Abyss Tour will hit the US in February 2011 tickets go on sale on Friday but you can preorder them and get a meet and greet with the band from tomorrow through Artist Arena!

Dates are as follows:

Feb. 01 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Feb. 02 - Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
Feb. 04 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Feb. 05 - Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater
Feb. 06 - Las Vegas, NV@ House of Blues
Feb. 08 - Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia Live
Feb. 09 - San Francisco, CA@ Regency Ballroom
Feb. 11 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox Theatre
Feb. 12 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
Feb. 13 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Feb. 15 - Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Center
Feb. 16 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Feb. 18 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Feb. 20 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Feb. 21 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Feb. 23 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
Feb. 25 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
Feb. 26 - Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
Feb. 27 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Feb. 28 - Quebec City, QC @ Imperial de Quebec
Mar. 02 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
Mar. 03 - New York, NY @ Best Buy Theater
Mar. 04 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
Mar. 05 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Mar. 06 - Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street Ballroom
Mar. 08 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva Theatre
Mar. 09 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Mar. 11 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Mar. 12 - Orlando, FL @ Firestone
Mar. 13 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

source www.blabbermouth.net

DevilDriver new album title and release date!

2010-10-25T17:08:00.002+01:00

DevilDriver have announced today the title of their next album Beast. This is the follow up to Pray For Villains which was released in 2009. The album was recorded earlier this year and a total of 14 songs were recorded with an expected 11/12 to make the final version. The album has been produced by Mark Lewis who has worked with bands such as Trivium and All That Remains. Beast is due for release 22/02/11 via Roadrunner records.

source www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Darkest Hour 2011 UK Tour!

2010-10-25T16:47:00.002+01:00

Well today has been filled with 2011 tour news and yes as the title says another one is coming to Blighty! Darkest Hour have just announced a short UK tour with dates in London, Nottingham and Manchester! Let the monstrous riffage commence! Dates as follows!

28th January – Manchester Academy
29th January – Nottingham Rock City
30th January – London Garage

source www.metalhammer.co.uk

Murderdolls announce 2 UK shows for 2011

2010-10-25T16:40:00.002+01:00

Joey Jordison and the boys are back for another chaotic British rampage. The Murderdolls have just announced two date for 2011 so be sure to get your tickets as soon as they are released for these hell raising events. They are set to play Norwich Waterfront on 03/02/2011 and The Forum in London on 12/02/2011 leaving plenty of time in between the two for some more shows so watch this space!

source www.metalhammer.co.uk

Ozzy Osbourne to Headline Wacken 2011

2010-10-25T11:22:00.002+01:00

Wacken Open Air festival have just announced that the Prince Of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne will headline the Thursday night of this spectacular festival. He is going to be headlining the Thursday(04.08.11) night of the festival and it will be his only German Festival of 2011! So if you're in Germany and want to go to a festival in 2011 this is the one to be at!

picture www.wacken.com

Dååth's self titled album reviewed!

2010-10-19T19:38:00.004+01:00

When we heard that Dååth were going to release another new album we had to get there first and review it! The synth/black metal group certainly give you all they have to give with this latest effort making you wish for more after the chaos has ended.

Genocidal Maniac sets the scene for this monstrously heavy/quirky album, Squealing guitar solos and odd synth noises are your cue to buckle up as you’re in for a 45 minute roller coaster ride. Thunderous blast beats rain down all over this short but sweet opener. Destruction/Restoration was made available earlier this year on youtube and was given a well earned warm reception. Sweep picked soloing from guitarists Emil Werstler and Eyal Levi really give this song such depth, and catchy chorus also helps this song to stick with you for a long time to come. Indestructible Overdose is a real beast of a song with sheer ferocity and also calm acoustic guitar making it an irresistible concoction.

Since hearing Double Tap Suicide for the first time the song has stuck with me, it has the hallmarks of a classic Dååth song with heavy riffing and constant pounding drum beats provide the song with the attributes of a future favourite for band and fans. There is no decision to be made about The Decider just an outright answer –pure genius. Classic guitar leads, synth in the background and brilliant drum work (once again!) = enough said. A definite favourite of mine! Exit Plan provides no let up from the chaos which has set in. Sound quality on such a heavy album needs to be of high standard otherwise you would just loose the riffs under a blanket of distortion. The effort taken to get the sound right has paid off and makes it really easy to hear all of the heavy riffs on this brutal album. Oxygen Burn’s eerie intro of bassy synth gives the song so much depth even before the drums break through. The chorus just gives the song even more meaning which will provoke thoughts on the listener before ending in synth and whispers. We are jolted back to reality as Accelerant bounds on to the scene. A multi-paced song makes for and interesting mixture of feels and flavours. A huge bass thump jogs your mind to focus you back onto the raw power of the album.

Arch (Enemy) Misanthrope starts slower than the others but don’t be fooled, its only beginning of another beastly song. Again varying tempos and styles make for a brilliant song and will have all the fans begging for more. Manufactured Insomnia is more than enough to keep you awake. Another short but then again vast song making you wonder how they can fit so much into 2:50. Awesome lead guitar work signal the start of A Cold Devotion, a catchy chorus and gripping solo make this song hard to resist. Before you know it we are on to N.A.T.G.O.D. which is an intriguing overload of genres and sounds making it a real pleasure to listen to. A catchy main riff just adds to greatness of this song. Terminal Now is a perfect way to end a brilliant album! This instrumental outro mixed with heavy riffing and brilliant synth work give this song an amazing touch with even a tiny jazz element to it! As previously mentioned a perfect way to end an epic album

Overall this album is just brilliant. The song quality is amazing with every song having it own unique identity and sound quality of the highest standards. Considering it’s been just over a year since their last album came out it just makes the prospect of this album even greater with only taking less than a year to write and record. This album is fantastic and will keep you content no matter how long the wait until the next album!

Dååth – Dååth 9/10

photo- www.centurymedia.com

Disturbed Cancel US tour due to illness!

2010-10-09T19:05:00.002+01:00

Disturbed have had to call off their upcoming US tour due to an illness for vocalist David Draiman. Draiman (who's luck seem to just get worse) has picked up a throat condition which means that he cannot sing for a while. The illness is not permanent but Draiman needs to take time off for the illness to heal. Doctors have said that it will take up to four weeks for the vocalists condition to fully heal. If you have bought tickets for the upcoming US tour then refunds are being given from point of purchase.

The band have just released their fifth album "Asylum" (review also on this site!) which went straight to number one in America. We wish David a speedy recovery!

More to follow soon!

source: www.blabbermouth.net

The Boston Globe

(sic)nesses Slipknot Review

2010-10-03T12:20:00.001+01:00

(sic)nesses – Slipknot live at Download

Ever since the sudden and tragic death of Paul Gray the future of Slipknot has been in much doubt. According to Slipknot they were going to release this DVD even if Paul hadn’t passed away and from watching this epic concert it is very clear why. Great clear audio quality and mesmerising visual content combined; make this a live concert you will appreciate for a long time to come. This being one of the last concerts that Paul played in gives this DVD huge sentimental value. Numerous camera angles lands you right in the heart of the concert and grips you from the moment that (sic) starts. Fast paced songs means you charge through the set at breakneck speed. The atmosphere of this DVD makes it feel like the 80,000 festival goers are with you in your house. Slipknot has always been renowned for their visual interaction with immense light + pyrotechnic displays and of course not forgetting the signature drumming upside down of Joey Jordison in Spit it out. The sheer scale of this live DVD is phenomenal whether or not you are familiar with all of Slipknot’s work it doesn’t matter as the Slipknot family embrace you in this live extravaganza. There are a few minor issues with flags being in the way of cameras + slight jitteriness of the panning cameras. Apart from that this is truly an epic experience and IF, we don’t get to experience another Slipknot live concert then this is testament to their whole catalogue and what the band is all about.

(sic)nesses - 8.5/10 definitely worth buying.

Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Blu Ray

2010-09-22T15:38:00.002+01:00

So its been twenty years since Rust In Peace was released and Megadeth have decided to release a blu ray/CD+DVD of a concert from the anniversary tour to commemorate this occasion. The concert was filmed at the Hollywood Palladium on 31st March 2010 and features the whole of the Rust In Peace album and some other great Megadeth tracks! The concert is full of energy and of course the classic album. The vibe from this blu ray is great you get the feel that this Megadeth once again. The performance is awesome but the quality however is somewhat lacking. The sound quality is very thick and at points it is very hard to distinguish the higher parts. Chris Broderick also cannot be heard very well at some points. The camera work too is slightly dodgy with some of the concert not focussing on the person in the limelight or it is off-centre. Apart from that this blu ray is a classic and is one for the old and new Megadeth fans.

Rust In Peace 20th Anv. Blu Ray 7/10

picture from www.amazon.co.uk

Iron Maiden Nordic Tour 2011

2010-09-21T15:23:00.002+01:00

Today (21st September) Iron Maiden announced that they would be resuming The Final Frontier world tour in Europe 2011. The metal titans announced four shows in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. These shows will see them once again return to the Ullevi Stadium in Sweden which has become renowned for Iron Maiden concerts. Also the Denmark appearance will be at the Rosklide Festival which they have also previously performed at. The press release by the band states that more shows are to be announced in the next few weeks and months so watch this space!

Friday July 1st - Gothenburg Ullevi Stadium, SWEDEN
Wednesday July 6th - Oslo Telenor, NORWAY
Friday July 8th - Helsinki Olympic Stadium, FINLAND

PLUS June 30 - July 3 -Roskilde Festival, DENMARK

Source www.ironmaiden.com

Daath Artwork Revealed

2010-09-11T15:40:00.004+01:00

Daath have revealed the artwork for their upcoming album. The album is due for release on 26th October and was produced by Mark Lewis who also produced the stunning "Shattering the Skies Above" by Trivium. The album promises to a great follow up to the bands last album "The Concealers" and is comprised of 13 track one of which has been released on YouTube and the bands myspace (Destruction/Restoration). Full track list follows.

1.Genocidal Maniac

2.Destruction/Restoration

3.Indestructible Overdose

4.Double Tap Suicide

5.The Decider

6.Exit Plan

7.Oxygen Burn

8.Accelerant

9. Arch {Enemy} Misanthrope

10.Manufactured Insomnia

11.A Cold Devotion

12.N.A.T.G.O.D

13.Terminal Now

Source www.blabbermouth.net

Mike Portnoy has left Dream Theater

2010-09-09T08:32:00.002+01:00

Mike Portnoy has sadly made the decision to leave the band he created Dream Theater. He states in a press release that he was about to burn out and wished to have a break for a while. The fellow members of Dream Theater did not wish to wait for him and have decided to continue without him. Portnoy says that he had to leave to save his relationships with the other band members. Mike has also said that he has been having more fun with his side projects Hail, Avenged Sevenfold and Transatlantic. Could this mean that Mike will now become the permanent drummer of Avenged Sevenfold? We are saddened by this news but it could also be a blessing for the other acts mentioned. Full Statement below

"I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write:

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater...

Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break...

Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band...

But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a "hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"...

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes....

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about "always following your heart and being true to yourself"...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be "going through the motions", and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within....

You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

Sadly...
Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,
MP

"Move on be brave, don't weep at my grave, because I am no longer here...
But please never let your memory of me disappear...."
--- The Spirit Carries On"

From www.mikeportnoy.com

Robb Flynn has guitars stolen!

2010-09-08T13:52:00.002+01:00

Yesterday while Machine Head frontman was out picking his son up from school his house was broken into. Robb has stated that many items were stolen including a guitar which was given to him by the late Dimebag Darrell. If anyone knows anything about this then you should contact mike@machinehead1.com also if you come across the guitars Robb is offering a reward for their safe return. Full Statement from Robb Flynn below

"Today, Sept 7th, between the hours of 1:15 PM and 3:15 PM while I was picking my son up from school, my house (which is located in the Martinez/Virginia Hills area of California) was broken into and many priceless items were stolen. Items include my wife's jewelry, laptops, wakeboards, cash, and most importantly 4 of my guitars including the guitar that I recorded my first album Burn My Eyes with. Also stolen was a guitar that is priceless to me, that was a gift from Dimebag Darrell. The cock suckers even stole my son Zander's mini Flying V I got him for Christmas.

I am offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the Black Ibanez strat along with many stickers, a "Designated Drinker" sticker. Additionally I am also offering a $2,000 reward for the safe return of the blue Washburn Dimebolt prototype.

An APB has been put out to every Guitar Center in Northern California and the Police were able to get several fingerprints off of the 2 acoustics that the thieves handled, yet bizarrely left behind. Sightings of two suspicious vehicles have been reported, one a green/teal U.S.-make pickup truck, the other a white full-size work van.

If anyone sees or hears of anything on Craigslist, eBay, at their guitar shop... anything, anywhere! Please contact us at mike@machinehead1.com immediately.

-Robb"

source www.machinehead1.com