Archive News Mar 21, 2001 - update 1
March 21, 2001Ultra-talented Canadian madman Devin Townsend (i.e. STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, OCEAN MACHINE, PHYSICIST) has posted the following update on the progress of his TERRIA project, which is presently being recorded in Vancouver and is tentatively scheduled for release in the fall.
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'Update time! Man, it's been kind of stupid around here in terms of how busy it's gotten.
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TERRIA is being made amidst my involvement with three other records. It had gotten really slow for me, work-wise, about last October, so I agreed to project-after-project in order to get some work. Well, work I got! We started ZIMMER'S HOLE in November, and we're just finished the recordings now. I produced and mixed a project of [drummer] Gene [Hoglan]'s called JUST CAUSE, which we just have to master now, and finally, Gene's girlfriend 'Frygirl' did a record that's just finishing up as well. Technically, this was all supposed to be done ages ago, but we found that spreading it out too thin, but still getting quality work, takes a lot of time.
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REGARDLESS!! TERRIA officially started on January 28th I think, when, after 2 weeks of rehearsal with Gene, [M.I.R.V. bassist] Craig [McFarland] came up from San Francisco and we started rehearsals. Craig is intelligent, talented, funny looking, and has a huge ego, so he fit in perfectly with Gene and I. He got to see what our ridiculous little town had to offer, while fitting in one three-hour rehearsal a day in a FREEZING jam spot. Craig left after 10 days for a show in the Bay Area with his band M.I.R.V. (who rock wildly...),then returned on the day we started recording, which I think was Feb 12th. We set up and recorded all the bed tracks (bass, drums, and guitar...) in 7 days at good 'ol Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, recently revamped with a new/ old Neve board and some wacky outboard gear. Everything went smooth as proverbial silk, and both Gene and Craig proved themselves to be players of MONSTROUS calibre (again...),and we nailed the piss out of the tracks. I only lost my cool twice. Foot-in-mouth disease. I took a week off to do more work with ZIMMER'S HOLE, (the vocals, by Mr. Chris Valagao, by the way, shred all heavy metal wannabes),then went back at it at Greenhouse Studios, where I began the laborious task of background vocals. Since I wanted a really tight sound, I have chosen to do all the backgrounds alone, to keep it consistent. The result is one hard fucking week, much stress, and four glorious songs done. That brings us to now, which I'm just starting to get to. HAHA! Keyboards this week, before I head back to get more b/g's done (cool-guy speak for background vocals). The people that know how I work musically tell me that this one is special. I hope so. I do have a feeling you're gonna like this one though, maybe more so than the others. Enough of this. Go listen to CRAZY TOWN and PAPA ROACH. ...yummy!' - Devin, March 7, 2001
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The expected track listing on TERRIA's as-yet-untitled CD is as follows:
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01. Mountain
02. Canada
03. Earth Day
04. Olives
05. Deep Peace
06. Nobody's Here
07. Down and Under
08. The Fluke
09. Tiny Tears
10. Notes From Africa
11. Stagnant
12. Universal
Finland's THE 69 EYES have announced a few headlining shows and various festival appearances prior to and after their scheduled German support slot with PARADISE LOST during May. The dates are as follows:
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May 11 – Hamburg, GER @ Logo
May 12 – Berlin, GER @ Knaack Club
May 18 – Karlsruhe, GER @ Substage
May 25 - Helsinki, FIN @ Tavastia
June 09 - Turku, FIN @ DBTL
June 15 - Seinäjoki, FIN @ Provinssirock
June 17 - Losheim am See, GER @ Zillo Festival
July 13 - Helsinki, FIN @ Tuska Festivaali
Aug. 25 - Burg Altena, GER @ Burgrock Festival
The freshly reunited THE WILDHEARTS have been rejoined by Stidi on drums, thus “recreating the magic line-up of the classic Earth Vs The Wildhearts album”, according to mainman Ginger's official web site. THE WILDHEARTS look likely to perform at this year's Bulldog Bash, and will probably line up several headlining shows during the third week of June. The band was also recently turned down for the UK's Ozzfest and Reading festivals.
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In related news, Ginger's SILVERGINGER 5 project, featuring former ELECTRIC BOYS guitarist Conny Bloom, look certain to headline a Metal Hammer-sponsored night  between the 4th and 9th of June.
Australia's SILVERCHAIR will have their hit song 'Tomorrow' featured on a series of stamps being issued by Australia Post.
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The Rock Australia stamp collection celebrates hits of the '80s and '90s. From hard rock to pure pop, the 10 hit songs in Rock Australia highlight the diversity of the Australian contemporary music scene. All are great hits that found their way into the hearts of the music-loving public.
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This eagerly-awaited stamp collection was officially released today. As part of the promotion Australia Post has crafted a web site that describes all songs and stamps in full and even provides the opportunity for international customers to purchase the set. (Australians are able to purchase the stamps at their local post office)
PROFESSIONAL MURDER MUSIC's long-completed self-titled debut album will finally see its release through Geffen Records on May 1st. In the meantime, the band have lined up a few shows with AMEN.
 
March 20 - Hairy Mary's,  Des Moines, IA
March 21 - The Rave Complex  Milwaukee, WI 
March 22 - Cubby Bear Lounge,  Chicago, IL
March 23 - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH
March 25 - Ranch Bowl Ent'ment Center, Omaha, NE
March 26 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
March 27 - Colorado Music Hall, Colorado Springs  CO
March 29 - Nita's Hideaway, Phoenix, AZ
Sweden's WYVERN have completed work on their as-yet-untitiled sophomore effort at Gothenburg's Studio Fredman, the group's first with new vocalist Toni Kocmut, formerly of SINS OF OMISSION. WYVERN's musical direction is being described as  “progressive, symphonic power metal”. Song titles set to appear on the CD are:
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01.   Horizon of Glory
02.   The Liquid And the Metal
03.   Morningstar
04.   Starborn
05.   The Last Ordeal
06.   Like Dogs Climbing Up The Moon
07.   Defiance Of Fate
08.   Northern Union
09.   The Power of Wyvern
According to the Pimprock Palace, New York's DOPE are currently finishing up work on their sophomore effort with producer Josh Abraham (ORGY, CRAZY TOWN, COAL CHAMBER) in a Los Angeles recording studio. The group have reportedly tracked a total of 18 songs and will be selecting 11 or 12 of them to include on the album, which is presently scheduled for a late summer release through Epic Records. Tentative song titles include 'Let It Out', 'Crazy', 'Move It' and 'Now Or Never'.
Florida hard rockers  EYEWITNESS, featuring MILLENIUM / ex-DEATH axeman Ralph Santolla are planning to release new album at the end of the year. Tentatively titled Trinity, the CD will be produced by Jim Morris, with Ralph co-producing, and it will be recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. In related news, Ralph's “other” band, MILLENIUM (also featuring YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist Jorn Lande) will release an album of classic hard rock covers, entitled Long Live Rock N Roll, later in the year.
WESTWORLD, featuring TNT vocalist Tony Harnell and RIOT guitarist Mark Reale, are planning to record a live album at one of the upcoming New York-area shows and release it towards the end of the year, accompanied by a brand new song. According to Harnell, 'the band is sounding great live and I really want people who can't see us to at least be able to hear us on stage.”
Germany's GRAVE DIGGER have posted the following “open letter” to their fans via their official web site:
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“Dear fans,
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We would like to inform you that we had some internal problems with our former guitarist Uwe Lulis. As you might know, some months ago he presented a new band called 'GRAVE DIGGER' on his homepage. We regard it rather as a sort of panic reaction. Uwe did not, and will never, have any rights [to] the name GRAVE DIGGER, which still [belongs to] the original line-up from 1983.
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If Uwe starts [his] own band, we wish him all the best - and hopefully Uwe and Tomi [will] get along better now than in old GRAVE DIGGER days…
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GRAVE DIGGER consists still of the members Jens Becker (bass),Stefan Arnold (drums),H.P. Katzenburg (keyboard),and me - Chris Boltendahl - as singer.
Completed by new guitarist Manni Schmidt, we will play some festivals and single shows in the near future. Be sure: we will give you a complete metal-blast!!
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In autumn 2001, we will be ready to release our new album. We are still in [the] songwriting [stage] and have 8 songs finished so far. Tomorrow we well meet again in 'Graveyard Studio' to Holland, in order to complete the album. We promise that the new songs are really heavy and aggressive - Manni plays the hell of a guitar!!
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The album [is turning] out to be very [mystical-sounding], with a bunch of epic-parts, very heavy with cool melodies. And be sure - you will get what you want: 120% GRAVE DIGGER!!
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Of course, the new material differs a little from the days with our ex-guitarist, and we will definitely NOT record a second Tunes Of War. We do not want to become our own sort of cover-band, we want to bring in the outstanding abilities of Manni.
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The title of the album is: The Grave Digger. After 20 years history, we even wrote a song named after the band: 'Grave Digger'.
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The third era of GRAVE DIGGER has already begun! We are just as alive as one year ago, and after the last months of trouble, hungry as wolves!!
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THANKS TO ALL who gave us support us in the last months.”
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