NEWS  window

 2010 

Swedish hard rockers EUROPE have been confirmed to play at this year's iTunes Festival at the London Roundhouse on July 25, along with FOREIGNER.

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of the German metal queen Doro Pesch. Her first release for the label will be the 2DVD/CD set "25 Years In Rock", featuring the entire 25-year anniversary concert, including guest performances in front of about 10,000 enthusiastic fans in Dusseldorf as well as a China special, outtakes from Doro's 2500th concert and a whole lot more. A November release is expected.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS will embark on their first-ever headlining tour of Australia and New Zealand in October.

The dates are as follows:

Oct. 01 - The Kings Arms, Auckland, NZ
Oct. 02 - The Manning Bar, Sydney, AUS
Oct. 03 - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, AUS
Oct. 04 - The HiFi Bar, Brisbane, AUS
Oct. 05 - Amplifier Bar, Perth, AUS

Tickets go on sale on Thursday, June 17.

A teaser clip for "Another Way To Die", a brand new song from Chicago heavy rockers DISTURBED, can be viewed below. The track is the first single from the band's new album, "Asylum", which is due this fall via Reprise Records.

"Another Way To Die" will go for radio adds and be made available via iTunes on June 15.

"Asylum" is the follow-up to the band's 2008 platinum effort, "Indestructible", which spawned the Active Rock smash single "Inside the Fire".

As with "Indestructible", DISTURBED self-produced "Asylum", which the band began writing in September 2009 and recording in February of this year. Vocalist David Draiman describes it as "still identifiably DISTURBED, but showing more maturation. We feel this is one of the strongest bodies of work we've ever put together. It definitely goes in familiar areas, but with new levels of precision and skill."

Relapse Records has announced the signing Richmond, Virginia's COUGH.

COUGH formed in 2005 and independently released an EP, "The Kingdom", as well as a full-length album, "Sigillum Luciferi", via Forcefield Records. The band is currently recording its new CD, "Ritual Abuse", with producer Sanford Parker for a fall 2010 release.

Commented the band: "'Ritual Abuse' is the result of all the shit and suffering we put ourselves through to continue to write this music. Hopefully you all feel as miserable listening to it as we did creating it."

COUGH is about to embark on brief East Coast tour alongside ELDER. The trek kicks off tonight (Friday, June 4) in Richmond before working its way up the coast.

U.D.O., the German metal band fronted by former ACCEPT vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, will headline the second installment of the Stockholm Rock Out festival, set to take place September 10-11, 2010 at Gamla Tryckeriet in Alvik, Sweden.

The festival billing is now shaping up as follows:

GREAT WHITE (USA)
U.D.O. (DE)
LIZZY BORDEN (USA)
KEEL (USA)
PRETTY BOY FLOYD (USA)
BULLETBOYS (USA)
WIG WAM (NO)
TUFF (US)
SHAMELESS (USA/DE)
DIRTY PENNY (USA)
CHRIS LANEY (SE)
M.ILL.ION (SE)
STAR*RATS (SE/DK)
KILLING TOUCH (IT)
DYNAZTY (SE)
ROCK N ROLL ALLSTARS (SE)
KILLER CLAN OF F.U.N. (SE)

For more information, visit www.sthlmrockout.com.

MAY 2010 

Due to "contractual differences," British black metal pioneers VENOM have cancelled their appearance at High Voltage, the U.K.'s new rock festival, which is scheduled to take place July 24-25, 2010 at Victoria Park in London, U.K.

Commented the band's tour manager: "We announced the concert in February in good faith as we were informed that everything had been agreed in principle, although this is now clearly not the case.

"The band are very disappointed not to be playing at the festival, although their management are now looking at a possible replacement show in the U.K. for later this year.

"The band and management would like to apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused to any of their fans.

"Anyone who bought a ticket for the festival especially to see VENOM, and would now prefer to get a refund, should contact the ticket outlet where they purchased the ticket."

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based death metallers NEURAXIS will enter Wildsound Studio next week with producer Chris Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY, THE LAST FELONY, THE AGONIST) to begin recording their sixth album.

SLAYER kicked off their European tour last night (Wednesday, May 26) at the O2 Academy in Leeds, United Kingdom. According to Metal Hammer, the band's setlist was as follows:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Hate Worldwide
03. Cult
04. Disciple
05. Expendable Youth
06. War Ensemble
07. Jihad
08. Payback
09. Beauty Through Order
10. Seasons In The Abyss
11. Hell Awaits
12. Mandatory Suicide
13. Chemical Warfare
14. Raining Blood
15. Aggressive Perfector
16. South Of Heaven
17. Silent Scream
18. Angel Of Death

Bassist Jan Bünning of German power metallers PARAGON has issued the following update:

"We get asked many times these days when we will have a new album out and when we will do shows again. The problem is: We are still looking for a new guitar player but couldn't find the right one so far. We have some shredders who we will check out the next weeks but we are also still looking.
"So if anybody is interested in joining us, please contact us on MySpace or send an email guitar@paragon-metal.com. You should enjoy stuff like JUDAS PRIEST, (early) MAIDEN, ACCEPT, MERCYFUL FATE, OVERKILL, HELSTAR, AGENT STEEL, METAL CHURCH, SLAYER, CANDLEMASS, MANOWAR and W.A.S.P. and it wold be great if you live in or near Hamburg. We have a deal with Massacre Records, will record our 10th album soon and also will do festivals and other shows next year."

Guitarist Mark Morton of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has released the following statement regarding the passing of SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray:

"We're all in shock at the news of our friend Paul's passing. He was an immense talent, and this is such an incredible loss. Paul had a HUGE heart and lived and died for music he made. I will miss him and the world will, too."

Gray was found dead in an Iowa hotel room early Monday morning (May 24). He was 38.

The Des Moines Register reported that police were called to the TownePlace Suites hotel in Urbandale, Iowa, shortly before 11 a.m. after an employee discovered Gray's body in a room. There was no evidence of foul play, police told the newspaper, but the investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. A toxicology test will also be done to determine any contributing factors to his death.

Canadian extreme metallers KATAKLYSM have been forced to cancel their appearance at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-7, 2010 in Wacken, Germany.

Commented the band: "Unfortunately because of our extremely tight schedule between the new [KATAKLYSM] album, EX DEO's [the side project of KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono] European tour, Heavy MTL open air and Ozzfest all jammed together this summer, we just can't make the trip to Wacken this year. The organizers have been kind enough to rebook us for the next Wacken in 2011… of course, if the world still exists, so we apologize to all you maniacs that wanted to see us destroy Wacken this year…you'll have to wait 'till next year!"

KATAKLYSM's brand new album, "Heaven's Venom", is scheduled for release on August 20, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. Tentative songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Soul Made of Shrapnel", "Blind Savior", "Hail the Renegade" and "Push the Venom".

PAPA ROACH has parted ways with Interscope Records and has inked a deal with Eleven Seven Music, the independent record label founded by Allen Kovac, who is the CEO of 10th Street Entertainment (MÖTLEY CRÜE, BUCKCHERRY, DROWNING POOL). The band's new album, "Time For Annihilation", will feature 11 live tracks and five brand new songs, including a cut named "Kick In The Teeth" which the group has been performing at its most recent shows. A tentative August release is expected.

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE will return to their home country in October for their first Australian run of dates since 2007.

The details are as follows:

Oct. 22 - The Metro - Sydney, Australia
Oct. 23 - The Hi Fi - Brisbane, Australia
Oct. 29 - The Gov - Adelaide, Australia
Nov. 01 - The Hi Fi - Melbourne, Australia

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley, who currently fronts his own band, has issued the following update:

"As you all probably know, Anna [Di Laurenzio; manager] and Larry [Paterson; drums] have decided to leave the [BLAZE BAYLEY] band. This is for reasons we will not go into to respect their privacy. We wish them well in the future.

"First of all, our apologies for not coming out with this news first, but we are on road and didn't have the opportunity to do so.

"This will only be a short statement as we are facing a 12-hour drive today to Moscow.

"We would like to reassure you that this will not change anything for the band. We are going on with finishing the gigs that are booked and new bookings are still coming through. All recording plans for the next album stay on as well as all other plans for the future.

"We have found a good, talented replacement drummer in Claudio [Tirincanti], so hope that the fans will support him as well.

"So far we have had incredible reactions on this tour and hope that you will keep on supporting us as you have done in the past."

The organizers of the annual Download festival — which returns for an eighth year to Donington Park, United Kingdom from Friday, June 11 to Sunday, June 13 — have issued the following update:

"The rock world was in a state of shock [yesterday, May 16] when it was announced that Ronnie James Dio, one of the finest vocalists ever to walk the earth sadly passed away.

"The legendary singer, who fronted bands including BLACK SABBATH and DIO, had been battling with stomach cancer since the end of 2009.

"As our tribute to the great man, we've revealed that the second stage at this year's Download will official be called the Ronnie James Dio Stage."

Writing on his Twitter profile, festival organizer Andy Copping said, "The second stage at Download this year is to be renamed the Ronnie James Dio stage as a tribute to the great man with the incredible voice."

Vocalist John Tardy of Florida death metallers OBITUARY has released the following statement regarding the passing of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW):

"OBITUARY would just like to say what a huge influence Dio was to this band and to the face of metal! He was one of the good guys in music and will be greatly missed!

"We had the opportunity, only once, to actually talk with Dio. He came up to us and I was amazed that he even knew who OBITUARY were! In that one, short conversation, it was clear what a kind person he was.

"We no longer have Dio here with us, but we will have his music forever in our souls!"

Denver, Colorado-based technical death/grind metallers CEPHALIC CARNAGE have begun work on the follow-up to 2007's "Xenosapien" for a fall release via Relapse Records. The as-yet-untitled CD is being recorded at the band's own studio with longtime engineer/producer Dave Otero.

CEPHALIC CARNAGE will take part in this year's Summer Slaughter Tour alongside DECAPITATED, THE FACELESS, ALL SHALL PERISH, THE RED CHORD and more.

"Without Morals", a brand new song from Seattle metallers NEVERMORE, is available for streaming at this location. The track comes off the band's new album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", which will be released via Century Media Records on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia: Friday, May 28
Spain, Italy : Tuesday, June 1
Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, June 2
U.K., Benelux, France, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Rest Of Europe: Monday, May 31
North America: Tuesday, June 8

In addition to the album's standard edition, a limited box-set edition will be made available featuring featuring two cover versions — "The Crystal Ship" (THE DOORS) and "Transmission" (THE TEA PARTY) — and a bonus "Play The Guitar Like Jeff Loomis" disc containing "Your Poison Throne" and "The Obsidian Conspiracy" play-along videos and guitar tabs for both songs.

Disc 1:

01. The Termination Proclamation
02. Your Poison Throne
03. Moonrise (Through Mirrors Of Death)
04. And The Maiden Spoke
05. Emptiness Unobstructed
06. The Blue Marble And The New Soul
07. Without Morals
08. The Day You Built The Wall
09. She Comes In Colors
10. The Obsidian Conspiracy
11. Crystal Ship (THE DOORS cover; bonus track)
12. Temptation (THE TEA PARTY cover; bonus track)

Disc 2 - "Play The Guitar Like Jeff Loomis":

* "Your Poison Throne" - without guitar
* "Your Poison Throne" - guitar only
* "The Obsidian Conspiracy" - without guitar
* "The Obsidian Conspiracy" - guitar only
* Video Enhancement: Play-along video for the song "Your Poison Throne" with guitar-playing instructions from Jeff Loomis
* Video Enhancement: Play-along video for the song "The Obsidian Conspiracy" with guitar-playing instructions from Jeff Loomis
* Guitar tabs of both songs as PDF files

NEVERMORE will film a video for the song "Emptiness Unobstructed" during the band's May 18, 2010 concert at the O2 Academy Islington in London, England. The clip will be directed by Nigel Crane.

IMMOLATION will embark on a North American headlining tour this fall. Joining them on the trek will be VADER, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE and PATHOLOGY.

"We are very excited to announce this upcoming tour here in the States," commented the band. "It will be our first official tour for the 'Majesty and Decay' album and we are really looking forward to playing our full live set debuting material off the new record as well as a lot of our older material off our previous seven albums.

"Joining us on the tour will be our good friends of 22 years, VADER! VADER is a tremendous band that we have a lot of respect for not only for their longevity and immense contribution to the extreme music scene, but simply put, they are a great band and we are also huge fans! Also joining us will be ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE, PATHOLOGY, so we hope it will be something that will appeal to all fans of extreme metal.

"We look forward to seeing you all in September/October."

IMMOLATION, VADER, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE, PATHOLOGY tour dates:

Sep. 29 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
Sep. 30 - Farmingdale, NY - Crazy Donkey
Oct. 01 - Providence, RI - Club Hell
Oct. 02 - Manchester, NH - Rocko's
Oct. 03 - Montreal, ON – Foufounes Electriques
Oct. 04 - Toronto, ON - MOD Club
Oct. 05 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Oct. 06 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
Oct. 07 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
Oct. 08 - St Paul, MN - Station 4
Oct. 10 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Oct. 11 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
Oct. 12 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Oct. 13 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Oct. 14 - West Hollywood, CA – The Whiskey
Oct. 15 - Santa Ana ,CA - The Galaxy
Oct. 16 - Ramona , CA - Ramona Mainstage
Oct. 17 - Mesa, AZ - U.B.'s
Oct. 18 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
Oct. 20 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Oct. 21 - Houston, TX - The Warsaw
Oct. 22 - Tulsa, OK - Marquee
Oct. 23 - Louisville, KY - Uncle Pleasants
Oct. 24 - Raleigh, NC - Volume 11
Oct. 25 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct. 26 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
Oct. 27 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theatre
Oct. 28 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's Rock Club

EX DEO — the Ancient Roman-themed arsenal led by KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono — will be on tour this summer with Polish death metal legends BEHEMOTH and DECAPITATED. The dates are as follows:

June 20 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
June 21 - Bilbao, Spain - Rockstar
June 22 - Lisbon, Portugal - Cine Teatro
June 23 - Sevilla, Spain - La Sala
June 24 - Madrid, Spain - La Sala
June 25 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1
June 26 - Monza, Italy - Gods Of Metal
June 28 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo
June 29 - Marseilles, France - Poste à Galène
June 30 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
July 01 - Paris, France - Trabendo
July 02 - Essen, Germany - Turock
July 03 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Fortarock
July 04 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
July 05 - Bruneck, Italy - Ufo
July 08 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Metalcamp
July 09 - Novi Sad, Serbia - Exit Fest

GRAVE are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "Burial Ground", for a June 14 release via Regain Records.

Commented guitarist/vocalist Ola Lindgren: "We are in the very final stages now and will be finished within a couple of days."

"Burial Ground" track listing:

01. Liberation
02. Semblance In Black
03. Dismembered Mind
04. Ridden With Belief
05. Conquerer
06. Outcast
07. Sexual Mutilation
08. Bloodtrail
09. Burial Ground

ARCH ENEMY's previously announced U.K. tour, which was scheduled to take place at the end of April, has been postponed until later this year.

Commented the band in a statement: "Sorry to all our great U.K. fans, but the tour we had scheduled for next week has unfortunately been postponed 'till November 2010.

"As we all know, it's been a tough time in Europe with the volcanic ash shutting down airspace in 23 countries and causing travel misery for millions of people. One minute airports are open — the next they are not.

"We are determined to make these shows work, but don't want to disappoint our fans, so it has been mutually agreed upon that the best way forward is to postpone the U.K. dates 'till November.

"We'd like to thank all of the promoters who took on the shows, and also the support bands — everything was shaping up very nicely and their professionalism is obvious. We appreciate their willingness to make these shows happen later in 2010 and we're more eager than ever to do so.

"It's important to make it clear that this is not a cancellation — we just have to move the tour to a different time.

"Sorry, again, to all who planned to attend. Hope to see you in November!"

The new ARCH ENEMY U.K. dates are as follows:

Nov. 23 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
Nov. 24 - Glasgow, UK @ Garage
Nov. 25 - Wolverhampton, UK @ Wulfrun Hall
Nov. 27 - London, UK @ The Forum (w/ SABBAT)

All tickets will remain valid for the new dates.

CANDLEMASS have cancelled their appearance at this year's Keep It True XIII festival, set to take place April 23-24, 2010 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. According to the festival organizers, "[The members of CANDLEMASS] fear they will not make it in time home for their daily jobs on Monday [April 26]. Their flights are still on, but they do not want to use them. They also declined to drive by van, because one of them said he has back problems. Rob Lowe [CANDLEMASS singer] is already in Lauda and we try to get him on stage for a song or so with another band."

The organizers add, "OMEN will [now] headline the Friday [April 23]. Also ROXXCALIBUR will play a set on Friday and also EMERALD (NL), 'cause THOR seems not to come too. On Saturday we will have WARRANT (GER) playing instead of HADES and MORTICIAN (AUT) will open the Saturday.

Peter Steele, passed away on Wednesday, April 14 at the age of 48. No official cause of death has yet been released, but it is believed that Steele died of heart failure.

Back in 2005, many people were shocked when they logged on to the TYPE O NEGATIVE web site and saw a gravestone with the words "[P]eter Steele - 1962 - 2005 .... Free At Last" carved on it. According to Epinions.com, there were rumors at the time that Steele was sick (with anything from cancer to AIDS), was on his deathbed, attempted suicide ... and the list goes on. It turned out that Steele was very much alive and the gravestone was merely a joke.
Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. He stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.
Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

German death metallers DISBELIEF will release a 20th-anniversary album, "Heal", on May 21 via Massacre Records. The  CD will contain eight songs, including three cover versions and a remake of the classic track "Shine". The first album to be recorded and mixed by the DISBELIEF members themselves, "Heal" will also feature four original compositions which "are meant to be a tribute to bands who influenced us a lot over those two decades concerning their music and attitude!!" according to the group.

"Heal" track listing:

Covers

* KILLING JOKE - "A Love Like Blood"
* KING DIAMOND - "Welcome Home"
* CRIMSON GLORY - "Red Sharks"

Originals

* Certainty Of Reality
* The Eyes Of Horror
* The Last Force: Attack!
* Isolation
* Shine (title track of 2002 album)

"Heal" will be released with a bonus DVD containing footage of a complete DISBELIEF show from the Walpurgis Metal Days in 2009.

"The Eyes Of Horror" is available for streaming at this location.

Jason Rullo of North America's progressive  SYMPHONY X is scheduled to enter the studio today (Thursday, March 18) to begin laying down the drum tracks for the band's next studio album, tentatively due mid-2010 via their new record label, Nuclear Blast Records. The band's

SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo recently stated about the group's new material, "I put together some pre-production mixes for us to listen to, and it's all solid.

"We have over an hour of really good stuff that we really dig; there's more than enough stuff there that we can choose the best songs to go on the CD... but all of the songs are really strong. And there are two almost-done songs that we're going to try to wrap up in the next few days as well. One is shaping up to be 10 minutes plus.

"It's really cool stuff that we gotta use.
"I think everyone will like it," Romeo concluded. "It has a little bit of everything."

Finnish rock/metal act SUBURBAN TRIBE will release its new album, "Now And Ever After", on April 21 via Cobra Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. No Promises
02. Now And Ever After
03. Stay
04. Wheels Of Time
05. Smallest Little Things
06. Stretch Marks
07. Song Of The Whale
08. Gilded Cage
09. Silent Eyes
10. Point Of No Return
11. Hold On

Check out the cover artwork below. Also available is a video for the album's title cut.

SUBURBAN TRIBE is:

Alec Hirst-Gee - Drums
Janne Joutsenniemi - Bass
Roope Sirén - Guitar
Ville Tuomi - Vocals
Euge Valovirta - Guitar

The album-release concert will be held at Tavastia in Helsinki on Friday, April 23.

Montreal extreme metal purists ION DISSONANCE have completed the recording process for their new album, "Cursed", for an early summer release via Century Media Records. The CD was tracked at .357 Productions with ION guitar player Antoine Lussier (who also produced EMMURE's latest LP) at the production helm.

According to a press release, "Fans can expect a more refined and streamlined approach that just goes straight for the jugular with a frenetic assault of the band’s trademarked mathematic brutality."

SOILWORK will embark on a North American headlining tour this summer with San Francisco Bay Area thrash legends DEATH ANGEL. Joining them will be Quebec's tech-death masters AUGURY, Roadrunner Records recording artists MUTINY WITHIN, and pirate-themed thrashers SWASHBUCKLE.

Commented SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid: "We are stoked to tour with the most vicious thrashers from the west, famous for their gin drinking and intense live shows. DEATH ANGEL is a classic band that we've wanted to tour with for a long time. A perfect fit for the bill and surely an awesome touring companion. The summer of mosh is upon us. Don't miss out!"

Drummer Marc Reign has left German thrashers DESTRUCTION due to "personal and musical differences" caused by "tour stress," according to a statement released by the band. The group adds, "Marc will concentrate on his rock project VOLCANO and wants to keep himself open for other musical styles. He wants to thank all the DESTRUCTION maniacs worldwide and the band for all the great fun and support over all those years!"

All previously announced shows will go ahead with a replacement drummer.

DESTRUCTION is currently writing new material that will "go more back to the roots," according to bassist/vocalist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer.

 "Rocket Skates", the new video from Sacramento's DEFTONES, is available for viewing. The song comes off the band's new album, "Diamond Eyes", which is scheduled for release on May 18 via Reprise.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Diamond Eyes
02. Royal
03. CMND/CTRL
04. You've Seen the Butcher
05. Beauty School
06. Prince
07. Rocket Skates
08. Sextape
09. Risk
10. 976-EVIL
11. This Place Is Death

WOE OF TYRANTS will release its third album, "Threnody", on April 13 via Metal Blade Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Tetelestai
02. Creatures Of The Mire
03. Venom Eye
04. Tempting The Wretch
05. Threnody
06. Bloodsmear
07. The Venus Orbit
08. Lightning Over Atlantis
09. Singing The Surrender
10. Descendit Ad Inferos (The Harrowing Of Hell)

The song "Tempting The Wretch" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

VENOM fan site Site Of The Hydra has published photographs that were taken during the pioneering British black metal band's very first concert in 1980. These pictures have never been seen before, and are probably the rarest VENOM photos thus far. Check them out at this location.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will release their third album, "Fever", in the U.S. on April 27 (one day earlier internationally) via Jive/Zomba.

"Fever" pairs BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE with producer Don Gilmore, best known for his work with LINKIN PARK and GOOD CHARLOTTE. "He totally beat me up to get the best songwriting out of me," Tuck told Rock Sound. "We needed someone to take us to another level even though we've had such huge success off our own backs."

The band — guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck, guitarist Michael Paget, bassist Jason James and drummer Michael Thomas — recorded the CD in studios both in its native Wales and Los Angeles.

MOTÖRHEAD, LORDI and KILLSWITCH ENGAGEare among the confirmed bands for this year's Gods Of Metal festival, set to take place June 25-27 at Parco della Certosa Reale in Collegno (Turin), Italy.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Friday, June 25:

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
FEAR FACTORY
AS I LAY DYING
ATREYU
JOB FOR A COWBOY
UNEARTH
36 CRAZYFISTS

Saturday, June 26:

LORDI
AMON AMARTH
SOULFLY
THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
BEHEMOTH
ORPHANED LAND
SADIST
EX DEO

Sunday, June 27:

MOTÖRHEAD
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CANNIBAL CORPSE
STEEL PANTHER
U.D.O.
LABYRINTH
SABATON

More acts will be announced soon.

Tickets are priced 80 euros (plus booking fees) for three days or 40 euros (plus booking fees) for one day. They will go on sale at noon on Wednesday, March 10.

Long-running Italian metallers SKANNERS have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-7, 2010 in Wacken, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

1349
ALICE COOPER
ARCH ENEMY
AMORPHIS
ASTRAL DOORS
ATROCITY
BROILERS
CALIBAN
CANDLEMASS
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CORVUS CORAX
CRUCIFIED BARBARA
DEBAUCHERY
DEGRADEAD
DELAIN
DESPISED ICON
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DIE KASSIERER
EDGUY
EQUILIBRIUM
END OF GREEN
ENDSTILLE
ETERNAL LEGACY
EVILE
FIDDLER'S GREEN
GHOST BRIGADE
GOJIRA
GRAVE DIGGER
HACKNEYED
HANGGAI
HELLS BELLES
HOLY GRAIL
IHSAHN
ILL NINO
IMMORTAL
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ
IRON MAIDEN
KAMPFAR
KATAKLYSM
LAKE OF TEARS
LETZTE INSTANZ
MAROON
METSATÖLL
MÖTLEY CRÜE
NIGHTMARE
ORDEN OGAN
ORPHANED LAND
OVERKILL
PRIMAL FEAR
RAVEN
SCHELMISH
SECRETS OF THE MOON
SKANNERS
SLAYER
SMOKE BLOW
SÓLSTAFIR
STRATOVARIUS
SUICIDAL ANGELS
TARJA
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
THE NEW BLACK
THE OTHER
TIAMAT
TYR
U.D.O.
UNLEASHED
VARG
VOIVOD
W.A.S.P

Swedish metallers WOLVERINE have entered the studio to begin recording their new album, "Communication Lost".

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, DEFTONES, ALICE IN CHAINS, STONE SOUR, AS I LAY DYING and DEVILDRIVER are among the newly confirmed bands for this year's Nova Rock festival, set to take place June 11-13, 2010 on the Pannonia Fields in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria (near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian and Slovak borders).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

36 CRAZYFISTS
A DAY TO REMEMBER
AIRBOURNE
ALICE IN CHAINS
AMON AMARTH
AS I LAY DYING
BEATSTEAKS
BELA B
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
DEFTONES
DEICHKIND
DEVILDRIVER
FLYLEAF
GREEN DAY
HEAVEN & HELL
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HOT WATER MUSIC
JOB FOR A COWBOY
RAMMSTEIN
RED LIGHTS FLASH
RUSSKAJA
SKA P
SLAYER
SPORTFREUNDE STILLER unplugged
STONE SOUR
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
SUBWAY TO SALLY
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
THE HIVES
THE PRODIGY
THE SORROW
UNEARTH
WOLFMOTHER

More acts will be announced soon.

DESTRUCTION and NIGHTMARE have been confirmed for the Dokk'em open-air festival, set to take place June 11 and 12, 2009 in Raard (near Leeuwarden), Netherlands.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

DEJAFUSE
DESTRUCTION
DYLATH-LEEN
LANHANNYA
MANIC MOVEMENT
METHUSALEM
NIGHTMARE
PICTURE
REVAMP
STREAM OF PASSION
SKEPTICAL MINDS

For more information, visit www.dokkemopenair.eu.

Frontiers Records has announced the signing of legendary rock band WHITESNAKE.

Singer David Coverdale and the rest of the group have already started composing new material that promises to deliver one of the finest chapters in WHITESNAKE's career. "We are off to a very good start, with the new songs taking positive shape. It feels good, fresh and exciting," explains Coverdale.

Tampa, Florida death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE are gearing up to hit the road on the band's first headline run since they headlined the Hot Topic stage on 2009's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Joining CANNIBAL CORPSE on "The Evisceration Plague Tour" are SKELETONWITCH, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE and 1349 on select dates.

"The Evisceration Plague Tour" kicks off on Tuesday, April 20 in Orlando, Florida and finishes up in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, May 15.

Commented bassist Alex Webster: "We are very excited to announce our tour with 1349, SKELETONWITCH, and LECHEROUS NOCTURNE. This is a killer lineup of bands that we're sure our fans will love. Prepare for an evening of pure sonic brutality!"


The dates are as follows:

Apr. 20 - Orlando, FL - Club Firestone
Apr. 21 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Apr. 22 - Raleigh, NC - Volume 11 Tavern
Apr. 23 - Springfield, VA - JAXX
Apr. 24 - Worcester, MA - Palladium (New England Metal and Hardcore Festival)
Apr. 25 - Long Island, NY - Crazy Donkey
Apr. 27 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
Apr. 28 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Apr. 29 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Apr. 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Club
May 01 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
May 02 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
May 03 - Denver, CO - Gothic
May 05 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
May 06 - Los Angeles, CA - House Of Blues
May 07 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock (no 1349)
May 08 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater (no 1349)
May 10 - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock (no 1349)
May 11 - Austin, TX - Emo's (no 1349)
May 12 - Houston, TX - Wired Live (no 1349)
May 13 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues (no 1349)
May 14 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live (no 1349)
May 15 - Tampa, FL - Tate Theater (no 1349)

SCORPIONS, PAGAN'S MIND and DGM are among the confirmed bands for the Power Prog & Metal festival, set to take place April 10 at Lotto Mons Expo in Mons, Belgium.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

SCORPIONS (D)
PAGAN'S MIND (NORWAY)
DGM (IT)
DREAMSCAPE (D)
ADAGIO (FR)
DO OR DIE (BE)
YVANHOE (D)
ASTRA (IT)
VIRUS IV (BE)
PYTHIA (UK)
MAX PIE (BE)
MACHINE GUN (BE)
HTK (HAIRCUT THAT KILL) (BE)
NOBRAIN (BE)
ANWYNN (BE)
BURDEN OF FLESH (BE)
T.C.M.F.H. (THE CRAZY MOTHERS FUCKERS FROM HELL) (BE)

Doug Fieger, THE KNACK lead singer who co-wrote the new-wave band's biggest hit, "My Sharona", died Sunday (February 14) at his Woodland Hills, California home after a battle with cancer. He was 57 years old.

POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — has scheduled the following tour dates in its home country:

Mar. 20 - Raahe, Finland - Nightclub Gina
Apr. 02 - Kouvola, Finland - Rytmikatti
Apr. 03 - Seinäjoki, Finland - Rytmikorjaamo
Apr. 04 - Turku, Finland - Klubi
Apr. 08 - Pori, Finland - Bar Kino
Apr. 10 - Kuopio, Finland - Henry's Pub
Apr. 16 - Vaasa, Finland - Hullu Pullo
Apr. 21 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
Apr. 22 - Tampere, Finland - Klubi
Apr. 23 - Salo, Finland - Rockin' Hood
Apr. 29 - Jyväskylä, Finland - Lutakko
Apr. 30 - Oulu, Finland - Teatria

Swedish death/black metal band ZONARIA has completed the songwriting process for its new album and will soon enter the Abyss studio in Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, SONIC SYNDICATE, HYPOCRISY, CENTINEX, CARNAL FORGE) to begin recording the effort for a spring/summer release.

Finnish "dark metal" band THROES OF DAWN will release its fifth album, "The Great Fleet of Echoes", via Firebox Records during the Finnish Metal Expo on February 19. The CD will be made available as both a digiback CD and a limited double LP with 24-bit mastering. The double LP will include two bonus songs.

"The Great Fleet of Echoes" was recorded at Timo Kotipelto's (STRATOVARIUS) studio and was mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

DEVOURMENT, SUICIDAL ANGELS, VARG and NECROPHAGIST have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2010 in Bad Berka, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AURA NOIR
CANNIBAL CORPSE
DEMONICAL
DEVOURMENT
MÅNEGARM
MERRIMACK
MONSTROSITY
NECROPHAGIST
OFERMOD
SUFFOCATION
SUICIDAL ANGELS
THE CROWN
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
TRIBULATION
VARG
WATAIN

More acts will be announced soon.

CENTRAL   ILLINOIS    METALFEST

Music lesson web site PlayThisRiff.com is now featuring lesson videos from Ryan Waste and Philip "Landphil" Hall of the Richmond, Virginia crossover act MUNICIPAL WASTE.

At PlayThisRiff.com you will find the following lesson videos by MUNICIPAL WASTE:

* Acid Sentence (Bass Lesson)
* Death Ripper (Guitar Lesson)
* Landphil's Picking Style (Bass Lesson)
* Masked By Delirium (Guitar Lesson) Part One
* Masked By Delirium (Guitar Lesson) Part Two
* Masked By Delirium (Bass Lesson)
* Ryan's Main Guitar
* Wrong Answer (Bass Lesson)
* Terror Shark (Guitar Lesson)


The FREE printable tabs for the song "Masked By Delirium" are available at this location.

PlayThisRiff.com is owned and operated by Bob Balch of FU MANCHU.

After a quick break for the holidays, MUNICIPAL WASTE will be back out on the road. The first leg of the 2010 tour will find the guys in Europe, and then to South America in March. In May the WASTE will headline dates in Japan for the first time. Support on the trek will come from TOXIC HOLOCAUST and WARBRINGER.