segunda-feira, 21 de julho de 2008

NIGHTWISH: No Plans To Return To North America In 2009

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have decided against returning to the U.S./Canada in the spring of 2009 for another tour in support of the "Dark Passion Play" album due to their massive and extensive European touring activities. The band's fall 2008 trek with SONATA ARCTICA will mark NIGHTWISH's final North American tour to promote the "Dark Passion Play" CD. Fans are urged to buy their tickets now as this will be the last chance to see the band in North America for at least two years. Tickets are on sale now at all ticketing outlets, venue box offices and EnterTheVault.com for reduced service charges.

Professionally filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH's July 6, 2008 concert at the Rock Werchter festival in Werchter, Belgium can be viewed below.

NIGHTWISH was recently honored with a platinum award in Germany for sales in excess of 50,000 copies of its "End of an Era" DVD. The disc, which was released in 2006, contains footage of the band's final performance with former singer Tarja Turunen, recorded in October 2005 in Helsinki, Finland.

The award was presented to the band at this year's Rock Am Ring festival, where the band played on the main stage in front of more than 80,000 people.

NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Dark Passion Play", was certified gold in Germany for sales in excess of 100,000 copies within a week of its release in September 2007.

NIGHTWISH recently topped the single chart in Finland with the band's latest release, "The Islander". The song's accompanying video was shot last autumn in Rovaniemi, Finland and was directed by Stobe Harju.

DARKANE: 'Demonic Art' Final Track Listing Revealed

Swedish thrashers DARKANE have issued the following update:

"Finally the mixing of [the new DARKANE album] 'Demonic Art' is completed and the album is being mastered right now. 12 songs ended up on the final version, with about 48 minutes of pure aggressive, brutal, melodic, modern, technical, furious, fast, heavy and insane thrash metal! We are very proud of this album and we know for sure that if you liked what we've done before you won't be disappointed in any way this time either. DARKANE has developed in a way that hopefully will give us new fans as well, not meaning that we've turned softer or more mainstream... just better! ...and more humble.

"This is the final track listing:

01. Variations of an Eye Crush (instrumental)
02. Leaving Existence
03. Demonic Art
04. Absolution
05. Execution 44
06. Impetious Constant Chaos
07. Demigod
08. Soul Survivor
09. The Killing of I
10. Wrong Grave (instrumental)
11. Still in Progress
12. Wrath Connection

"We also have another song for the Japanese edition called 'Reborn In Greed' (as you know by now they always require an extra track).

"This upcoming Friday, we are going to play our dear hometown Helsingborg again together with SOILWORK and other great bands. We are going to play 'Leaving Existence' from the new album for the first time. The show will be held at Gröningen and since it's a part of our town festival there's no entrance fee.

"In other news, DARKANE are very impressed by this guy playing our song 'Secondary Effects' on his own created Guitar Hero: Metal Edition! Check out the video below. This is a custom game for Guitar Hero II on the PS2. He created a full game including 64 songs by metal bands who have never been in Guitar Hero before, new pictures for every menu screen, and even some new characters. To play this game, you must follow the instructions given on the Guitar Hero: Metal Edition website, and then play the burned disk in a modded PS2. If you're into Guitar Hero, and into metal, this game is crammed full of songs you'll love playing. Here's the link."

DARKANE played its first show with new singer Jens Broman (CONSTRUCDEAD, THE DEFACED) in November 2007 at the ProgPower Scandinavia festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to Christofer Malmström, "Jens enjoyed every second of the show, and so did the rest of us. Our former vocalist Andreas was in the audience to support us, and he was very postive afterwards... along with the rest of the crowd."

DARKANE's upcoming DVD was shot in May 2006 in the band's hometown of Helsingborg, Sweden.

WHITECHAPEL: Sayreville Footage Posted Online

Metal Injection has posted video footage of the Knoxville, Tennessee-based death/grind metal band WHITECHAPEL's June 28, 2008 performance at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. Watch the clips below.

WHITECHAPEL's new album, "This Is Exile", was released on July 8 through Metal Blade Records. The CD was tracked by Jonny Fay (ex-guitarist of THE RED CHORD) of Backyard Studios in New Hampshire and was mixed by Zeuss, who has produced ION DISSONANCE, EMMURE, BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED, SHADOWS FALL and HATEBREED, among others. The cover artwork was handled by Colin Marks, who has previously worked with ABORTED, THE END, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and THE RED DEATH). "He [did] a phenomenal job and we are extremely pleased with the outcome of his work," the band previously stated. "He has done a wonderful job of portraying the concept of the record through his artwork."

WHITECHAPEL's debut album, "The Somatic Defilement", was released last year via Candlelight Records USA.

"Intro/Vicer Exciser":



"Eternal Refuge":

DROID Seeking New Bassist

Long Beach, California-based metallers DROID have issued the following update:

"DROID is of now looking for a bass player to be a permanent member of our band, who is willing to commit to our schedule full-time. We are not looking for someone to just be a hired hand or to fill in part-time. There is one major requirement for this position besides being a great bass player: we need you to be able to do heavy back-up vocals and yes that is a must! Please contact us and send us pictures and video of you playing bass to [our MySpace] or email us at droidaudition@yahoo.com. DROID is currently in the studio working on new music for the next record and will also be leaving for tour this July 27 and has other tours coming up before the year is over as well!!! We want to wish Duke [former bassist] the best of luck in his future endeavors."

DROID vocalist James "Buddy" Eason spoke to Ruin magazine last year about the band's debut album on Emotional Syphon Recordings, James "Munky" Shaffer of KORN's new record label.

"I always heard Chino Moreno's scream from '7 Words' in our song 'Vengeance Is Mine'," Eason exclaimed about his band's collaboration with the iconic DEFTONES frontman. "I couldn't believe it when he was there. It was game time, man. Just get in there, wrap the mic chord around your hand and rock this shit together. The second it happened I was like, 'Oh shit, it's happening.' I couldn't even believe it. It was like, 'Wow, I just did a song with Chino.' I love and respect his vocals so much. Dude, even if I didn't know who he was, I knew I wanted that guy to sing with me one time in my life. I pictured it. I would talk shit to him, and he'd talk shit back to me, and the whole song he delivered that scream. The contrast between the both of us is just sick. I love it!"

The Long Beach quintet, rounded out by guitarists Bruce Child and Jamie Teissere, and drummer Nick McWells, blends the syncopated, bludgeoning rhythm and riff assault of LAMB OF GOD with guttural HATEBREED-style screams for a volatile blend of metal. "We're aiming for a groove," Eason explained. "I'm a fan of real shred masters, but also bands with more of a groove like MASTODON. We're trying to fit our own little groove in there and stand out without having to copy everybody else. You don't really have to shred to be metal these days. You can shred with a groove too, and that's what we're going for."

DROID's video for the song "Fueled by Hate" can be viewed below.

MÖTLEY CRÜE Guitarist: 'We Understand Each Other A Lot Better Now Than We Used To'

Nick Snelling of Australia's Beat magazine recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

On how "Saints Of Los Angeles" stacks up against the band's back catalog:

"Most of it, I really like. There's a couple of songs on there, like every album that we've done, that I call 'fillers'. But for the majority, I think it's a really good direction and step that we've taken."

On the writing and recording process for "Saints Of Los Angeles":

"It was mainly constructed in the studio as a couple of the other guys had prior commitments to do other things, so Nikki [Sixx, bass] and I did a lot of writing, along with James Michael and DJ Ashba (Sixx's partners in the SIXX: A.M. project), using ProTools. It meant that we got to explore a lot of our ideas without any limitations. In the old days, we'd rehearse and then sit down to record it, and if we went 'oh, I wonder what it would sound like if put the chorus where the verse is' then we'd have to re-record it. Nowadays, you can just chop it, move it around, listen and go ‘oh no, that sucks' or ‘yeah, that works', you know? It gave us a lot more freedom.”

On MÖTLEY CRÜE's longevity:

"I think from the very beginning, even back in the early ‘80s when we were really naïve, our goal back was to be like the STONES and stay together. But what we didn't know about was all the rough spots along the way; drugs, alcohol abuse, egotistical stuff….but now, we've all reached a point where all four of us know where home is — and that's MÖTLEY CRÜE. Generally, I think we all share that goal now, and it also okay for us all now to go off and do other things, experiment, have solo projects, but there's always something in our minds saying 'this is our real gig, right here.'"

On the occasional squabbling between bandmembers:

"I think there's nothing wrong with it. Everybody's human, and there are days when we're all being a complete ass, having a bad day or whatever. But we've learnt to cope with that, because we all know each other really well. We still make mistakes, but the bottom line is we understand each other a lot better now than we used to.”

On the fact that he no longer parties as hard these days:

"The other guys have some fun, but Nikki and I have girlfriends that we really love, and although that might sound wimpy, it's just we choose not to. Put it this way, I have things I like to think about more than feeling bad the next day from getting high.”

On whether he has ever considered returning to his roots and making a blues album:

"Absolutely, and I am going to do that. My plans are a little different from what the other guys in the band have done with their solo stuff. Have you heard the albums 'Pet Sounds' by the BEACH BOYS, or THE BEATLES' 'Sergeant Peppers' or 'Electric Ladyland' by JIMI HENDRIX? Those albums have something more to them that just the music, something special that stands out. What I wanna do is record with a lot of my friends who I've met over the years, a bunch of really different talented musicians, to all come in and do something. Different singers, guitar players, bass players from all types of bands — kinda like what HENDRIX did on 'Electric Ladyland' — and then I'm gonna record it at Electric Ladyland studios, and you can only get it on vinyl. I've got it all worked out."

Read the entire interview at www.beat.com.au.

EPICA: New Dates In Mexico, South America Announced

Dutch symphonic, female-fronted metallers EPICA have scheduled the following dates in Mexico and South America:

Sep. 04 - Cafe Iguana - Monterrey, Mexico
Sep. 05 - Circo Volador - Mexico City, Mexico
Sep. 06 - Skyros Concert & Music Hall - San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Sep. 11 - La Alhambra - Valencia, Venezuela
Sep. 13 - Downtown Majestic - Bogota, Colombia
Sep. 16 - Theatro Novedades - Santiago, Chile
Sep. 18 - El Theatro Flores - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sep. 20 - Espaço Lux - São Paulo, Brazil
Sep. 21 - Vitoria - Ginasio Marista, Brazil

EPICA was originally supposed to tour Mexico and South America this past spring but was forced to cancel the trek after the group's lead singer, Simone Simons, was infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), also known as the hospital bacteria.

The band utilized the services of singer-songwriter and vocal coach Amanda Somerville as the stand-in vocalist for the band's North American tour with SYMPHONY X.

EPICA took part in a special concert dubbed "Classical Conspiracy" on June 14 at the Miskolc International Opera Festival in Hungary. The band performed a 45-minute set of metal adaptations of classical songs and movie soundtracks, accompanied by the orchestra and choir as well as symphonic versions of its own songs (including a few orchestral songs from singles and "The Score", which have never been played live before).

The band celebrated the five-year anniversary of the release of its debut album, "The Phantom Agony", by performing the CD in its entirety on May 16 at Tivoli in Utrecht, The Netherlands. After the regular set, EPICA returned for a four-song encore: "Veniality", "Sancta Terra", "Fools of Damnation" and "Consign to Oblivion".

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA performing the song "Sensorium" on January 11, 2008 at the Patronaat in Haarlem, the Netherlands can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthemetalflow").

Former HAMMERFALL Bassist To Join TARJA TURUNEN's Touring Band?

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen has reportedly asked ex-HAMMERFALL bassist Magnus Rosén to join her touring band for the upcoming fall 2008 trek. It is not presently clear if Rosén will accept the offer.

Rosén is continuing work on his solo album with the Swedish National Symphonic Orchestra (Göteborgs Symfoniker). One of the pieces that drummer Birger Löfman of the long-running Swedish metal band DESTINY plays on is called "Bluesman" and was written by Rosén, arranged for the orchestra by Jan Alm and conducted by David Björkman.

Rosénis scheduled to make a "solo bass" appearance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Footage of Magnus Rosén performing with Hvilakvartetten at Konserthuset in Gothenburg, Sweden on October 6, 2006 can be viewed below.