AETERNUS Part With Hammerheart, Cancel European Tour

Norway's AETERNUS have left Hammerheart Records after having issued four full-length and two mini albums through the label. “We would like to state very clearly that no bad things have happened,” the group stated on their official web site. “AETERNUS finished their contract and were free to go. Hammerheart offered them a new deal but the band decided to look for a new record label since they felt that Hammerheart could no longer provide the band's needs. We would like to thank Peter & Guido from Hammerheart for the nice co-operation and the trust and hard work they have put into AETERNUS over the last years. This decision leaves AETERNUS free for all options so we advise all record companies to get in touch with Metalmania agency if you would like to offer AETERNUS a new deal or to retrieve more info.”

In other news, AETERNUS' projected European tour with MÖRK GRYNING, HECATE ENTHRONED and AGATHODAIMON has been canceled because of “problems with the booking agency”. According to the band, “AETERNUS was planning four shows in Belgium and Holland in January 2002. Unfortunately the band had to cancel due to a small hand-injury of drummer Erik. Another big reason for canceling these shows was that the band got an offer from a agency that call themselves World Progress to do a headline tour in March allover Europe together with MÖRK GRYNING, HECATE ENTHRONED and AGATHODAIMON. We decided to rebook the January shows to March, as it would have no use to play in the same country twice in two months. At first World Progress seemed a very reliable agency and they promised us many good things. World Progress would pay AETERNUS' flights from Norway to London (where the tour would start) + the band would receive a payment of 200 Euro every night for their expenses and to pay their own flights back. This is obviously no rock star behavior for a band that has four albums out and did numerous good tours in the past. World Progress agreed and started booking the shows. After a while, we noticed that a lot of the shows on the tour were still not booked and World Progress made up numerous excuses. After asking for a contract we finally received one last week, which was full of mistakes, and NONE of the agreed stuff was in it. AETERNUS would only get paid IF there would be a profit on the tour and the flights would be advanced by world progress, NOT paid, so to put it short, AETERNUS would have to pay their own flights back and forth, play for free and if money was left over we might get something to pay our flights and investments back. All the band members of AETERNUS are working and needed to take time off work so a steady payment every night is necessary to pay the rent and to pay our flight back home. We asked World Progress to change some stuff in the contract and all of a sudden they refused because they said that the band should take the risk and not the agency. Also this is no problem if 90% of the tour was already booked but three weeks before the start of the tour only half the shows were confirmed, therefore the risk was too big for AETERNUS and World Progress f.cked up big-time and left us no choice except to cancel the tour. We apologize to our fans and all the promoters and venues that believed in AETERNUS. It was not our choice to cancel but there was simply NO other way. We will strike back and find another company that can provide decency and honesty when it comes to European tours for AETERNUS in the future.”