Archive News Mar 03, 2001 - update 1

Sweden's MORIFADE have a new guitarist: Robin Arnell, brother of the group's drummer, Kim Arnell.

HADES have finished recording their new CD, DamNation, due to be issued through Metal Blade Records this summer. In the meantime, the band have lined up a few shows prior to the album's release:

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April 06 - Wreck Room, Wallington, New Jersey

April 27 - State St. Tavern, Erie, Pennsylvania

April 28 - Angora, Cleveland, Ohio

May 12 - Jaxx, Springfield, Virginia

June 16 - Metal Festival, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Guitarist GARY MOORE and his band recently recorded the following numbers at the VH-1 Studios in London, for broadcast on the network throughout March and April: 'Enough of the Blues', 'Cold Black Night', 'Stormy Monday', 'Picture of the Moon', 'Walking by Myself', 'Still Got the Blues' &amp 'Parisienne Walkways'. Gary was also interviewed about the new album and the forthcoming UK tour.

Former VAN HALEN / EXTREME frontman Gary Cherone has almost completed work on the debut album from TRIBE OF JUDAH, featuring Cherone on vocals, Steve Ferlazzo on synths/programming, Leo Mellache on guitar, Tim Bissonette on guitar, Pat Badger (ex-EXTREME) on bass, and Mike Mangini (ex-EXTREME / ANNIHILATOR) on drums. The band finished mixing 10 songs a couple of weeks ago and have been rehearsing for about a month, gearing up for some live shows that will happen in May somewhere in the Boston area. There is currently no word on which label will carry the album or when it will be released.

Former RAINBOW keyboardist DAVID ROSENTHAL appears on 'Someone to Love Me', the first single from the forthcoming CD from dance artist LARISSA, which has been released and to date has reached #35 on the dance charts. David played keyboards and programmed the synthesizers for five of the tracks on this CD, including the aforementioned debut single.

German power metallers EDGUY have made all their demo recordings available for download via their official web site: http://www.edguy.nu

The following statement has been made by the UK's KILL II THIS following their recent UK tour that was marred by continual violence at shows. The various incidents included a number of serious fights, a bottling incident, an individual picking on and beating people up in the pit, a number of serious injuries, including a girl being rushed to hospital needing stitches for a leg wound and various fans that had been self-mutilating, supposedly inspired by KILL II THIS' lyrics: 'KILL II THIS were extremely upset by the numerous incidents of violence, aggression and even self-mutilation during our recent UK tour. Our lyrics, although fixed on the darker side of life, do not glorify violence in any way, shape or form. The lyrics to the song 'Twisted' from the Deviate album were written about mental scars and the slippery slopes of serious depression and DO NOT glorify self-mutilation, as some people have misinterpreted. We therefore seriously request that anyone planning to attend a KILL II THIS show with even the slightest notion of causing fights or trouble to please not bother—we would prefer that you stayed away.'

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In other KILL II THIS news, the band have been confirmed as the main support on the FEAR FACTORY UK tour, which is to be a three-band bill, also featuring SKINDRED (including ex-members of DUB WAR). The dates are as follows:

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March 18 - Northampton Roadmenders

March 19 - Portsmouth Pyramids

April 14 - London Astoria

April 15 - Manchester University

April 16 - Glasgow Garage

April 17 -Wolverhampton Wulfren

NEVERMORE is reportedly the first band in the history of the Greek edition of Metal Hammer readers' polls (which started in 1985) to beat IRON MAIDEN for the position as the best band in metal, in a year when IRON MAIDEN had released an album, no less! The results are as follows:

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Best Band:

NEVERMORE 1st - 16.5%

IRON MAIDEN 2nd - 15.4%

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Best Vocalist:

Bruce Dickinson 1st - 24.3%

Warrel Dane 2nd - 19.2%

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Best Guitarist:

1st - Adrian Smith (IRON MAIDEN)

2nd - Michael Amott (SPIRITUAL BEGGARS / ARCH ENEMY)&nbsp

3rd - Patrick Jensen (THE HAUNTED)

4th - Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE)

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Best Bassist&nbsp

1st - Steve Harris (IRON MAIDEN)

2nd - Steve DiGiorgio (ICED EARTH / DEATH / CONTROL DENIED)

3rd - John Myung (DREAM THEATER)

4th - Jim Sheppard (NEVERMORE)

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Best Album Of The Year

1st - IRON MAIDENBrave New World (14.5%)

2nd - NEVERMOREDead Heart In A Dead World (13.8%)

DIVINE SILENCE have parted ways with vocalist Anastasia. According to the band, 'things were ended mutually on good terms. She is still a friend to all of us and we wish her the best. Replacing her is our longtime friend and former singer Tiffany, who performed with us at our last show at Castle Heights.' Meanwhile, the group have announced that the cover art for their soon-to-be-released Promise You has been created by none other then the lead singer of MY DYING BRIDE, Aaron Stainthorpe.

Canada's ANVIL have announced several upcoming shows in support of their brand new studio release, Plenty Of Power:

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March 16 - El Mocambo Toronto, Ontario, CAN

March 30 - The Dungeon Oshawa, Ontario, CAN

April 5 - Castle Heights Jackson Heights, New York, USA

April 6-7 - Metal Meltdown III Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA (exact date to be confirmed)

June 15-16 - Classic Metal Festival Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA (exact date to be confirmed)

June 29-30 - Bang Your Head 2001 Balingen, Germany June 29-30 (exact date to be confirmed)

The UK black metallers AKERCOCKE have now completed the recording of their new 'epic work' titled The Goat of Mendes, featuring 12 new tracks and a new video. Included in the track listing are current live 'favorites' 'Menstrual Blood and Semen' and 'Masks of God'. Drummer David Gray describes their new opus as '....a holocaust, set to rape the minds of the listener.' Although a formal release date has yet to be set, band collaborator Simon Magus has said to expect a May release through an as-yet-undetermined label.

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AKERCOCKE are due to support HECATE ENTHRONED on Sunday, March 18th at 'The Wychwood' Ashton Under-Lyne in Manchester.

Florida's CROSSBREED will issue their debut album, Synthetic Division, through Artemis Records (i.e. KITTIE) on May 8th. The first single off the album will be a track entitled 'Underlined', and it, along with 'Seasons' and 'Painted Red', can be downloaded from the group's MP3.com site.

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