Archive News Oct 10, 2001

UK's KILL II THIS have officially replaced recently-departed vocalist Matt Pollock with ex-PROFANE (Manchester) frontman Phil Bretnall. According to an official statement from the band, “after loads of auditioning, we easily picked out Phil as a strong contender, so we put him through some more gruelling auditions — the results of which are evident.. He was obviously the man for the job! The new songs are sounding awesome with Phil's presence and enthusiasm, and we can't wait to get back out on the road, starting with a small tour hopefully towards the end of November / early December, followed not long after by the release of our strongest material to date!” As previously reported, KILL II THIS are preparing to enter the studio to record their fourth studio album, tentatively entitled Mass.Down.Sin.Drone, for which they had completed at least half a dozen songs, including “The Universe In a Nutshell”, “Plan B”, “Spineglass”, “Frames of Mind” and “Perspectives (From A Hierarchy Of Insecurities' Needs)”.

The revamped SKID ROW, featuring new vocalist Johnny Solinger (formerly of SOLINGER),have decided to remix several already-recorded cuts and continue writing material for inclusion on the group's nearly-completed new CD, tentatively titled Thick Is The Skin, which is due to be released through an as-yet-undetermined label in early 2002.

The reunited HOLY MOSES has been all but confirmed for the support slot on the upcoming DESTRUCTION/SODOM/KREATOR German tour, which is scheduled to take place in December.

SEPULTURA have pulled out of the UK leg of the Tattoo the Planet tour for undisclosed reasons.

HAMMERFALL's Renegade CD has been certified gold in Sweden for sales in excess of 40,000 copies.

Contrary to what we posted here yesterday, it now appears that Norwegian black metallers MAYHEM have pulled out of the No Mercy Festival 2002 tour amid rumors that the band are about to split up. Although presently unconfirmed, it is believed that vocalist Maniac (aka Sven Erik Kristiansen) has now departed from the group, following an appearance in Finland with the act last week at which he left the stage mid-show due to a reported asthma condition, which prevented him from completing the gig.

IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith appeared at a charity gig at The Walkabout on Shepherds Bush Green in West London last night with tennis star and longtime MAIDEN friend Pat Cash. The funds from the event, which was raising money on behalf of London Fire Brigade, will be donated to New York Fire Department following last month's tragic events.

Welsh crew SKINDRED, featuring former members of DUB WAR, will be joining the Tattoo The Planet bill at Glasgow SEC on Thursday, October 11th. Other bands scheduled to appear are SLAYER, CRADLE OF FILTH, BIOHAZARD, and V.O.D.

THE REJECTS, a long-running project featuring vocalist Dizzy Reject, SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, and STATIC-X guitarist Tripp Eisen, is considering changing their name in time for the release of the group's long-awaited debut album, which is expected in early 2002. There are also plans for a possible live appearance in December or January, although nothing has been confirmed as yet.

Former DREAM THEATER and current YNGWIE MALMSTEEN keyboardist Derek Sherinian will be playing two shows in Hollywood, CA with ex-GUNS N' ROSES

guitarist Gilby Clarke and ex-STRAY CATS drummer Slim Jim Phantom. The dates are as follows:

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Oct. 18 – West Hollywood, CA @ Cat Club

Oct. 25 – West Hollywood, CA @ Cat Club

KID ROCK will release his new album, entitled Cocky, on November 20th through Lava/Atlantic Records. A first single from the album, titled 'Forever', is expected to be issued to coincide with the album's release. Recorded at The Clarkston Chophouse and mixed at The Mix Room in Burbank, California, Cocky features a number of guest appearances, including those from Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow, Eminem and Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun.

SLIPKNOT and SYSTEM OF A DOWN are strongly rumored to have cancelled their upcoming European tours due to the recent world events. Also pulling out of previously-scheduled dates are Swedish rockn'rollers HIVES, who cancelled their Australian tour “due to the current world situation”.

THE TOILET BOYS have announced a bunch of headlining dates and shows is support of THE DAMNED. The details are as follows:

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Headlining:

Oct. 17 – Montreal, QUE @ Buffoon Electric

Oct. 18 – London, ONT @ TBA

Oct. 19 - Toronto , ONT @ El Mocambo

Oct. 20 - Clifton, NJ @ Connections

Nov. 06 - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club

Nov. 07 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound

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w/THE DAMNED

Oct. 24 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle

Oct. 25 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade

Oct. 26 - Orlando, FL @ Saphire Supper Club

Oct. 28 - Tampa, FL @ State Theater

Oct. 30 - Tallahassee, FL @ Cow Hause

Oct. 31 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues

Nov. 01 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room

Nov. 02 - Austin, TX @ The Backroom

Nov. 03 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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SLAYER ANNOUNCES U.S. TOUR DATES

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American Recordings thrash-punk-metal group SLAYER will kick off a four-week headlining tour of the U.S. beginning October 29 in 'the Big Easy,' New Orleans, LA.

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The tour is in support of SLAYER's eighth studio album, God Hates Us All, which was released in September. Already, press reviews have been glowing with many journalists calling the new CD SLAYER's best effort since its legendary Reign In Blood. According to the Los Angeles Times, 'Hard-core and hellish as ever, the godfathers of death metal solidify their place in the 'heavy hall of fame' maintaining the drama of their Reign In Blood-era sound a brutal blueprint for longevity that many of today's nu-metal grumblers would be wise to follow.'

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SLAYER's U.S. dates come on the heels of the band's Tattoo the Planet European tour which concludes this Sunday, October 14. 'In Holland,' remembers SLAYER's bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, 'the crowd went nuts when we came on stage. At one point, the audience - like 10,000 kids - were singing along so loudly, I just stopped and let them finish the song. It was just amazing.'

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For nearly two decades, SLAYER—Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, and drummer Paul Bostaph—has been acknowledged as one of the most uncompromising, crucial metal bands in music. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops paint an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side this correspondence has helped SLAYER's music stand the test of time better than the remaining Big Three ྌs thrash outfits (METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX).

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Confirmed dates for SLAYER's U.S. tour are as follows:

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Oct. 29 - House of Blues, New Orleans, LA

Oct. 31 - Edge 2000, Jacksonville, FL

Nov. 01 - The Ritz, Raleigh, NC

Nov. 02 - House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, SC

Nov. 03 - Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA

Nov. 04 - Norva Theatre, Norfolk, VA

Nov. 07 - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.

Nov. 08 - Metropol, Pittsburgh, PA

Nov. 09 - The Warehouse, Toronto, ONT CANADA

Nov. 10 - Metropolis, Montreal, Que CANADA

Nov. 11 - State Theatre, Portland, ME

Nov. 13 - Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT

Nov. 14 - Avalon Ballroom, Boston, MA

Nov. 15 - Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Nov. 16 - Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY

Nov. 17 - Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH

Nov. 19 - Bogart1s, Cincinnati, OH

Nov. 20 - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH

Nov. 21 - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL

Nov. 23 - Harpo1s, Detroit, MI

Nov. 24 - Eagles Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI

Swedish sleaze rockers HARDCORE SUPERSTAR will perform an acoustic set and sign their brand new CD, entitled Thank You For Letting Us Be Ourselves, on October 17th CD Specialisten in Gothenburg, Sweden. On Monday, October 15th, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR will perform an acoustic set and sign copies of the new album at Täby Centrum (outside Stockholm) at Mix Skivor.

A 1605 record release/Halloween party, featuring SIX and LOONY BINN, is scheduled for Tuesday October 30th, 2001 at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California. LOONY BINN's debut album, entitled Live At Eddie's Liquor, is scheduled to be released the same day.

Finnish black metallers ALGHAZANTH will issue their third full-length album, entitled Osiris-Typhon Unmasked, through Woodcut Records on October 29th. The full track listing for the effort is as follows:

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01. The Circle of Six

02. Mercurian Soulscapes

03. In Invidiam

04. My Twin of Disorder

05. Regained Planetary Possession

06. Antithesis

07. The Parody's Zenith

08. Horns And Feathers

09. Iconoblast

Finland's CHARON will release a new single in November, to be followed by the release of the group's as-yet-untitled third album, which is due in January. Both the single and the album will feature cover artwork by acclaimed artist Niklas Sundin (DARK TRANQUILLITY). As previously reported, CHARON have finished recording the aforementioned album and are currently at Finnvox Studios mixing the songs to the single with Mikko Karmila. The rest of the tracks will be mixed in December.

UNLEASHED POWER have recruited vocalist Tim Bouchee.

Germany's GRAVE DIGGER will play their first-ever show in France on October 31st at Entre Pot in Grenoble.

Finland's VIOLET HALO (formerly VIOLET VORTEX) will record their fourth demo/CD shortly. Three or four as-yet-undisclosed tracks are expected to be included.

BLOODBATH, the Swedish project featuring Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH),Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA, OCTOBER TIDE),Anders Nyström (KATATONIA, DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE) and Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY),will record a full-length CD in the near future. A 2002 release is expected.

Finland's SUFFOCATION soundalikes DEEPRED will contribute a new song to the split 7' EP with DYING FETUS, which is due to be released through Relapse Records. In other news, the band is presently seeking a drummer, following the recent departure of Teemu Mutka.

ONE MINUTE SILENCE have confirmed two dates in Portugal during December. The details are as follows:

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Dec. 07 - Oporto, POR @ Hard Club

Dec. 08 – Lisbon, POR @ Paradise Garage

SICK SPEED guitarist Rich Ward (formerly of STUCK MOJO) has offered the following reaction to the recent World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings (as posted on the group's official web site at www.sickspeed.net): “I have thought long and hard about how to best respond to the terrorist attacks that occurred [in early September]. As the author of such songs as 'Give War A Chance', 'Throw the Switch' and 'Those Were The Days', I knew that I would receive quite a few e-mails and phone calls from friends and fans telling me what they thought and wondering what I made of all of it. I did. I would have written this earlier, but I wasn't sure what I felt and I didn't want to respond with a knee-jerk reaction. Sure, I wanted to stock up on 7.62 rounds for my AK 47 and my night vision goggles and my SWAT issue pistol grip shotgun seemed like they would come in handy as well. In the beginning I was stunned, it didn't seem real, like it was a Bruce Willis movie or an episode of the West Wing. It wasn't until I saw the footage of the people jumping to their deaths from the burning towers, that reality set in and I began to feel sick to my stomach. I'll leave it at that and save you from having to hear one more account of how 'emotionally devastating' this event was.

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“What do we do now? The fact is, not only do we swing the biggest bat on the block, but somebody spit on our mother. These people hate us. So what! I say, get in line, you aren't the first to call us 'The Great Satan' and you won't be the last. Maybe it's because we don't require our women to be fully covered and to be subservient to their husbands. Maybe it's because the poorest 10% of Americans can still afford color televisions, air conditioning, and most own their own cars. This being said, the motives of this attack should not concern any of us and cannot be justified. Americans of every religion and tradition are praying for those who have suffered. We are rightfully calling for the terrorists to be eliminated and that terrorism itself to be stopped in every nation of the world so that people everywhere may live in security. These people do not deserve their 'day in court'. They should be hunted like animals, flushed out of hiding and executed on the spot along with those who support them. Not to seek revenge, but to set an example to all others who may follow. I am in total support of the President and have confidence that he and his very capable and experienced staff will continue to do what is best for America. With this leadership in charge, our military moral is high and is ready to punish all that threaten our sovereignty. We have to accept that some of our soldiers will be killed and that innocent civilians may be killed as well. As regular citizens we must focus on not letting our emotions dictate our actions. The wise never let hateful people fill them with hate. As Americans we must show strength through unity and support of our leaders, our military and of each other regardless of our differences. I have never witnessed this level of national patriotism and pride. For years I have dedicated songs and entire albums to police officers, fire fighters and people who serve in the armed forces. It amazed me how many people reacted negatively to my dedications. It's a shame that hundreds of them had to die in the collapsed World Trade Center before they could get the respect that they deserve from all of us. These HEROES are often underpaid and unappreciated while they put their life on the line to protect us and save lives. I hope that as time passes (and when we go back to figuring out where Gary Condit hid the body) that we don't put our flags back in our garages, like decorations after Christmas. I hope that we still can maintain this level of respect, pride and unity. If not, then we didn't learn anything from this and will be vulnerable to other attacks on our freedom.

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“ 'Those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither.' — Thomas Jefferson”

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“ 'We are not brave because we are free. We are free because we are brave. — Rich Ward”

Norwegian rock'n'rollers GLUECIFER are completing work on their new studio album, which is provisionally due to be released in February through an as-yet-undisclosed label. 17 songs were reportedly tracked for the CD, with 11 or 12 tentatively scheduled to appear on the finished product. Song titles that are being considered to appear on the effort include:

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01. Black Book Lodge

02. Plastic Hand

03. Round And Round

04. Basement Apes

05. Done With The Easy Living

06. Little Man

07. Reversed

08. Ding Dong Thing

09. All The Young Droogs

10. It Won't Be Like You Want It To Be

11. Shotgun Seat

12. Not Enough For You

13. Losing End

14. I Saw The Stones Move

15. Powertools And Piss

16. Brutus

17. Gimme That Good Butter

18. Hammer And The Wheel

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