Iron Maiden to headline Rock Werchter

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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