Archive News Aug 07, 2001

MACHINE HEAD's Supercharger CD has been pushed back to an October release through Roadrunner Records via distribution from Universal. It is believed that the label's recently-completed joint-venture agreement with the Island Def Jam Music Group is largely to blame for this most recent delay, which has resulted in several other releases getting pushed back, including DEICIDE's In Torment In Hell, which is presently set to be issued in the US on September 25th.

Former VOIVOD bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest has reportedly completed work on an eight-song demo with his new band E-FORCE, the musical direction of which is being described as MINISTRY-meets-VOIVOD-meets-SLAYER. Consisting of Forrest, two guitarists and a drum machine (for the time being),E-FORCE allegedly includes former members of ENTROPY and HOMICIDE, who are also involved with Eric in a cover band called THAT 70'S BAND, which occasionally jams out renditions of tunes by the likes of BLACK SABBATH, THE RAMONES, SEX PISTOLS and JUDAS PRIEST at various bars around Quebec.

If you are a “former” MEGADETH fan who “might be interested” in hearing from the group as they are now, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine wants to get your attention. In a rather bizarre posting on the group's official web site, Mustaine is asking fans of the band to help MEGADETH reintroduce some of the group's “former fans” back to the act. Mustaine doesn't clarify exactly how he plans on accomplishing this task, but he is asking everyone that knows “anyone that was once a fan but may have left the flock” to “please let us know who you are and if these person would want to hear from MEGADETH today. I am personally interested in your help.” To see Mustaine's actual posting and the responses from fans that have accumulated since the original message, click here.

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In related news, check out the following press release…

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FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE:

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MEGADETH is truly a band for the people. Always making generous efforts to provide something special and unique for their fans, the band kicked off the promotion of their Sanctuary Records debut The World Needs A Hero with an intimate (and free) exclusive mini-tour &amp listening party, where fans received not only a chance to listen to the new album in its entirety before its release, but they also witnessed the band performing a first-time ever, full acoustic set comprised of both new and fan-favorite material!

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Now it is time for the band to embark on a full North American tour in support of the album, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at an extremely respectable #16! How does MEGADETH express their thanks to their fan base for assisting in such a prestigious achievement? By allowing them to choose the set lists in each market they are performing!

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Frontman Dave Mustaine elaborates:'We evaluated our current position and relationship with American radio and our most loyal fans. We also wanted to continue our long-standing record of innovation and 'firsts' with the Internet and the online community. So we decided to permit the local stations to feature a link to our site, which would allow their users and listeners to join fans already familiar with www.megadeth.com and participate in choosing which songs we will be performing in their city. We will provide a list of 30 or more songs for the fans to choose from. Each show will consist of 24 songs and will be fully interactive with the fans, listeners and online community.'

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Also as an additional nod to their fans, each date of MEGADETH's tour will occur in the intimate locales of small halls &amp theaters. Opening for MEGADETH will be young Columbia/DV8 artist ENDO.

According to AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE's official web site, the current line-up of the forthcoming Pledge of Allegiance Festival tour, which is due to be co-headlined by SLIPKNOT and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, will also include MUDVAYNE and AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE. It is believed that one more act will be added to the bill, with current rumors indicating that SW1TCHED and NO ONE are strong candidates to fill the slot. Pledge Of Allegiance is set to start in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1st at the Thomas and Mack Center.

The upcoming “greatest hits” compilation from IRON MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson, entitled Catacombs — The Best Of Bruce Dickinson, is reportedly due to be released in Japan on September 21st, with the rest of the world due to receive the album on September 25th. As previously reported, Catacombs... is scheduled to include two brand new tracks, “Silver Wings” and “Broken”, written and recorded with producer/guitarist Roy Z, as well as various rare, live and unreleased tracks, spanning Bruce's whole solo career from 1990's Tattooed Millionaire to 1998's The Chemical Wedding.

COLD have lined up LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst to direct the video for their fourth single, 'Bleed'. The video is expected to feature STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis, who sings on the recorded version of the track on COLD's most recent studio release, 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage. COLD are set to hit the road in September with DOPE and LIFER. Dates will be announced shortly.

BIOHAZARD guitarist Billy Graziadei recently commented on the reasoning behind the numerous guest appearances (a list that includes PANTERA's Phil Anselmo, SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser, Igor Cavalera and Derrick Green, TYPE O NEGATIVE's Peter Steele, CYPRES HILL's Sen Dog, and members of HATEBREED and SLIPKNOT) that are featured on the group's upcoming CD, Uncivilization, which is due to be issued through SPV/SteamhammerRecords in Europe on September 10th and Sanctuary Records in the US on September 11th. According to Graziadei, 'In the hip hop world, it is fairly commonplace to have friends appear on your records. We've been respected for our union of otherwise conflicting styles of hip hop, hardcore and heavy metal, so we felt it only natural to utilize the contributing talents of friends, based on friendship (rather than a paycheck),who really vibed on what we were doing...people who are 'down for life'!'

On August 13th, BBC Radio's Lamacq Live will be broadcasting the story of SLIPKNOT, made with the band's co-operation and featuring fresh interviews with SLIPKNOT members Corey, Shawn and Joey along contributions from producer Ross Robinson, Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson and AMEN's Casey Chaos. The program can be heard at 11 PM (UK time) on August 13th (as part of Lamacq Live) and it will be posted online the day after.

SKID ROW drummer Phil Varone commented to Metal Sludge web magazine on the subject of which label will end up releasing the forthcoming CD from the group, the act's first without contributions from vocalist Sebastian Bach. According to Varone, “that's what we are waiting to see. We don't want to rush anything just to get a record out. Music is making a turn for the better, and in this business its all about timing. I am looking forward to the future right now.”

Finland's IMPALED NAZARENE are finishing up work on the group's seventh full-length studio album, entitled Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace, which is tentatively scheduled to be released through Osmose Productions on November 5th. According to vocalist Mike Luttinen, several guest appearances were originally planned for the album, but it now appears that none of them will come to fruition. Here is a rather interesting posting from the singer on the above subject:

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“1. Ville Valo (vocalist of H.I.M.) was supposed to sing on the track 'Nyrkillä Tapettava Huora'. This is NOT happening. I realized that the track is way too personal for me and therefore I am the only dude in this world who can sing it. Moreover, we started to get a lots of negative feedback from this so we just agreed that no guest vocalists.

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“2. Alexi Laiho [CHLDREN OF BODOM/SINERGY guitarist and a former member of IMPALED NAZARENE] was supposed to write a song for the album. Very much true, BUT his royal highness did not show it to us. We did get a message ONE DAY BEFORE entering the studio that he can show it to us...f.cking a, eh? We opted to stick with our own songs.

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“3. (And now my blood is boiling). Timo Tolkki of STRATOVARIUS promised us (on two separate occasions) that he will come to studio and do a lead for 'Nyrkillä...' track. Guess what? Correct, the wanker informs us (when we were already here) that it was just drunken nonsense talk. Well, a nice gesture from a guy, whose presence on this record would have been a f.cking dream for me.

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“Conclusion of all this: 1. Never trust anybody except your own band members. 2. Never announce the possible plans to anybody, make sure they actually happen (I was foolish enough to speak aloud about Laiho and Tolkki. Mr. Valo, on the other hand, announced himself that he will take part on our record).

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“All this sh.t leaves a bitter taste in my mouth...but then again, IMPALED NAZARENE has always stood alone in the metal field, nobody has helped us, we have never been the flavour of the week and this way it shall be. You can be assured that we shall NEVER again ask anybody to contribute or to take part in recordings for us. We have survived almost 11 years without extra guests and here is for the next 11 years to come.”

STAIND's Break The Cycle CD has been certified triple-platinum for sales of over 3,000,000 copies in the US since its release on May 8th. Also recently platinum-certified was ALICE COOPER's 1971 release Love It To Death, which has officially sold in excess of a million copies in the US.

QUEENSRYCHE will be embarking on a short Japanese tour during October. Here are the confirmed dates so far:

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Oct. 26 - Tokyo, JAP @ Air East

Oct. 27 - Tokyo, JAP @ Air East

Oct. 28 - Osaka, JAP @ Bayside Jenny

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A fourth show in Nagoya may also take place, but this has not been confirmed as yet.

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have written eight tracks for their forthcoming album, tentatively entitled Black Sun, and are planning on writing 10 more before hitting studio to record the effort, which is due in early 2002.

Canada's KATAKLYSM have cancelled their previously-scheduled Canadian tour for unspecified reasons. Here is a message from the group's vocalist, Maurizio, regarding this matter.

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'Hi everybody,

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'Due to some last minute circumstances and obligations, we have been forced to cancel our upcoming Canadian tour. The details for this situation will be given as soon as we will have the opportunity to do so. In the meanwhile the Toronto date this Wednesday the 8th and our Milwaukee Metalfest appearance on the 11th will still happen... but everything else is canceled.

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“We give our deepest apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused, everyone who knows KATAKLYSM knows that we don't let our fans down, so there are plans for this to be rescheduled immediately following our N. American tour in October.

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“Again we are very sorry for this cancellation!

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“Maurizio (KATAKLYSM)”

AMONG THIEVES, featuring former LIFE OF AGONY bassist Alan Robert and ex-AGNOSTIC FRONT drummer Will Shepler, will be performing a FREE show on Wed. August 15th at S.I.R. Studio (310 West 52nd Street, between 8th &amp 9th Avenues, NYC, Ne York) for music industry executives. Showtime is 8:30 PM sharp.

Former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/current TALISMAN vocalist Jeff Scott Soto will be appearing on an episode of Rock &amp Roll Jeopardy that will be airing on VH1 on September 1st at 11 AM.

Here's an official statement from Australia's ALCHEMIST regarding their freshly-inked deal with Relapse Records (as announced here yesterday): 'We feel pretty good about the deal, after 10 years of knocking on Relapse's door and 15 months of negotiating we are happy to have it signed,' said ALCHEMIST guitarist/vocalist Adam Agius. 'We are hoping that Relapse can give us the promotion and distribution that we have been looking for and also get us playing the states and Europe sometime after the first release for Relapse.'

DREAM THEATER'sthree-CD live album Live Scenes From New York entered CDNow's Top Sellers list at number 19 yesterday, and is now positioned at number 11.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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GLAM SLAM METAL JAM CANCELLED POISON BASSIST SUFFERS SPINAL CORD INJURY FORCES ENTIRE TOUR TO CANCEL

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POISON's Glam Slam Metal Jam 22 remaining summer concert dates have been cancelled as POISON's bassist Bobby Dall was rushed by ambulance to Omaha's University of Nebraska Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery on his back for an injury suffered while performing onstage. The operation was performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Singer. Dr. Singer replaced several discs in Bobby Dall's spine and says at least six months of rehab and recovery will be necessary.

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Says POISON vocalist Bret Michaels, 'On behalf of POISON, I apologize to our fans and the promoters for having to cancel these dates. Bobby Dall is my best friend and at this moment our only concern is for his well-being.'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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KILLER DWARFS REUNITE!

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The KILLER DWARFS, a four member '80s and early '90s hard rock band toured relentlessly in support of five different albums, became darlings of MTV and MuchMusic. The band members are: lead singer Russ Dwarf, drummer Darrell Dwarf, bassist Bad Ronald Dwarf and guitarist Mike Dwarf.

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Touring with the likes of IRON MAIDEN, DIO, MICHAEL SCHENKER and others, the DWARFS performed hundreds of shows worldwide. Their music is powerful, their performance is spirited and their message is one of overcoming adversity through supreme effort, in other words, the KILLER DWARFS are positive role models for any generation.

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On August 29th they will return, after a seven-year hiatus, to perform hits like 'Stand Tall', 'Dirty Weapons' and 'Doesn't Matter' which reached the top of the charts and resulted in Juno award nominations.

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HTZ-FM 97.7 will present the KILLER DWARFS live and in concert from Toronto's waterfront. Live wide-screen television of the show will be transmitted to simultaneous events in Winnipeg and Los Angeles. A pay-per-view schedule of the broadcast will be announced at a later date.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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ICED EARTH'S SCHAFFER MEETS HARLEY'S WILLIE G.

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During his visit to L.A. for a Harley Davidson Convention last month, ICED EARTH's Jon Schaffer not only had the opportunity to ride a Harley up and down California's famous Pacific Coast Highway, but he had a stunning stroke of luck in a chance meeting with Willie G. Davidson, grandson of the founding father of Harley Davidson Motorcycles, at the Harley Davidson store at Universal City Walk in Burbank, California. Quickly purchasing a t-shirt for Willie G. to sign, Jon smiled widely as he confessed, 'I'd only ask TWO people in this world for their autographs: Willie G. and [IRON MAIDEN bassist] Steve Harris!'

Guitar legend YNGWIE MALMSTEEN has announced the dates for the South American leg of his War To End All Wars tour. Here is how the schedule is shaping up right now:

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Sept. 12 - Mexico DF @ clinic at the band's hotel

Sept. 13 - Monterrey, MEX @ TBA

Sept. 14 - Mexico DF @ Salon 21

Sept. 15 - Mexico DF @ Salon 21

Sept. 16 - Buenos Aires, ARG @ El Teatro

Sept. 18 - Santiago, CHI @ Teatro Providencia

Sept. 19 - Santiago, CHI @ Teatro Providencia

Sept. 20 - Santiago, CHI @ Teatro Providencia

Sept. 22 - Bogota, COL @ Palacia Delos

Sept. 23 - Bogota, COL @ clinic at the band's hotel)

Sept. 25 - Sao Paulo, BRA @ TBA

Sept. 27 - Porto Alegre, BRA @ Baropinion

Sept. 28 - Curitiba, BRA @ Estudio 1250

Sept. 29 - Sao Paulo, BRA @ Via Funchal

Sept. 30 - Rio, BRA @ Garden Hall

Former RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist Joe Lynn Turner will be issuing his brand new solo album, entitled Slam, in September through MTM Music. In Japan, Pony Canyon will release the album on September 19th. Featuring the recording line-up of Joe Lynn Turner, Akira Kajiyama (guitars),Eric Czar (bass),Paul Morris (keyboards) &amp Kenny Kramme (drums),Slam will include the following track listing:

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01. Bloodsucker

02. Eye for an Eye

03. Deliver Me

04. Heart of the Night

05. Slam

06. Dark Days

07. Possession

08. Show Yourself

09. Cover Up (bonus track)

10. Hard Time

11. Evil

12. Always Tomorrow

Attending FOO FIGHTERS' “secret” show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California on Sunday, August 5th were RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith (who reportedly played the skins on a few tracks during the set of ATOMIC PUNKS, the VAN HALEN tribute act that headlined the show),Weird Al Yankovic, as well as members of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. The FOOS reportedly played a great set that included a brand new song, to be featured on the group's forthcoming fourth studio album, which is due in early 2002.

Texas' PISSING RAZORS will be supporting ANTHRAX at the following shows:

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Sept. 06 - Crocodile Rock - Allentown, PA

Sept. 07 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY

Sept. 08 - Birch Hill - Old Bridge, NJ

Sept. 10 - 3rd Street - Cedar Rapids, IA

Sept. 11 - Royal Grove Lincoln, NE

Sept. 12 - Starlight - Ft Colins, CO

KITTIE's forthcoming Oracle CD, which is currently being recorded in Ontario with producer Garth (GGGarth) Richardson, will reportedly include the group's cover version of the PINK FLOYD classic “Run Like Hell”.

Los Angeles-based 'progressive aggressive' metal band PROTOTYPE has signed with WWIII Music/AMC for licensing in the U.S. and Canada. The group's latest album, Trinity, will be released on October 23rd, 2001. PROTOTYPE will be perform at Ultrasound 2001, scheduled for September 7-9, 2001. This industry event will feature both metal and rock artists, such as FLOTSAM &amp JETSAM, ONWARD, SILENCER, STEEL PROPHET, OHM, and many many more. The location is set for the Burbank Airport Convention Center.

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