Archive News Oct 16, 2001

CANDLEMASS bassist/mainman Leif Edling has confirmed to BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the Swedish doomsters' most celebrated line-up—including Edling and vocalist Messiah Marcolin—have been officially approached by the organizers of the Sweden Rock Festival (Michael Ivarsson) to appear at next year's installment of the event, which is scheduled to take place on June 7-8, 2002 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. According to Edling, 'Yes, we have been officially approached by the people behind Sweden Rock and we are considering it. If the offer is right and if we can have a spot on the big stage before the headliners go on, I can't see why not. I still think most reunions do stink, but the [other] guys in the band are really keen on doing it and if we can rehearse a lot and make it sound like in the old days, it might work. I don't know about any other European festivals. If we do Sweden Rock, maybe we should do one or two other festivals as well to give the fans one last chance to see us before we finally say goodbye.” As for the possibility of the reformed line-up sticking around long enough to record a new studio album, Leif was not overly optimistic, although he didn't entirely rule out the possibility. “I don't think we'll do a record, but a couple of shows would be nice. But we'll see. We are not there yet', Edling stated.

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In related news, Messiah will be making a live appearance with a Gothenburg-based CANDLEMASS cover band at the Motala Metal Fest in Motala, Sweden on Saturday, November 17th, singing the same five songs he sang with the group at their club appearance last month. As he did last time, Marcolin will reportedly appear dressed in full monk regalia that had been become the singer's trademark during CANDLEMASS' heyday in the late '80s and early '90s.

Citing “inside sources in the METALLIcamp”, unofficial METALLICA site Inter Sandman has reported that former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted “has been asked by the band to rejoin them in the recording sessions for the new album, due sometime in late 2002.” In other news, METALLICA spokesperson Sue Tropio was quoted in a MEGADETH article that was published in The New York Post on Sunday, October 14th as saying that METALLICA and MEGADETH may end up touring together in the not-too-distant future. 'Anything can happen — there's a lot of love between METALLICA and MEGADETH right now,' stated Tropio.

TWISTED SISTER will reunite on stage in their full make-up glory on November 28th at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom for a concert benefit for the victims of the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy. According to informed sources, rumored guests at the show include KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, ANTHRAX and former SKID ROW vocalist SEBASTIAN BACH. WNEW hard rock radio personality Eddie Trunk will reportedly be sponsoring the show.

SLAYER frontman Tom Araya was quoted in the October 12th edition of the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet as saying that he's always been afraid to fly and that the terrorist attack on September 11th has increased this fear. SLAYER were booked to fly to Europe on Sept 11th, but had to reschedule the flight. Tom was still prepared to fly because the band's first reaction was to never let the fans down. When asked if PANTERA, who in a recent Swedish interview claimed that they're not afraid of anyone, aren't chickens for not daring to fly to Europe, Araya says: 'Their steel has started to wither, I guess.' Furthermore, in the interview, which was conducted on the tour bus at the October 2nd tour stop in Stockholm, Araya reveals that he doesn't share SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's enthusiasm for SLIPKNOT. “We're better than the new metal, or 'nu metal', as it's called. As far as heaviness and aggression [goes], no one beats SLAYER. A lot of bands suck.' When asked to name the specific acts that he was referring to, Tom stated: 'SLIPKNOT, LIMP BIZKIT, LINKIN PARK... MUDVAYNE are cool, though. INSANE CLOWN POSSE are crap. Standing up and screaming to pre-recorded music — anyone can sing karaoke.'

MACHINE HEAD will perform a headlining show under their not-so-secret moniker TEN TON HAMMER at the Pound in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 31st. AS they did back in 1998, when they last appeared under this name (when they were joined on stage by SLAYER guitarist Kerry King for a rendition of SLAYER's “South Of Heaven”),MACHINE HEAD will perform loads of covers and will throw in a bunch of as-yet-unspecified surprises into their set, none of which are part of the group's regular headlining performance.

MEDICATION, the Los Angeles-based band consisting of former MACHINE HEAD / SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, ex-UGLY KID JOE / LIFE OF AGONY vocalist Whitfield Crane, ex-SOULFLY drummer Roy Mayorga, ex-ADAYINTHELIFE guitarist Blunt, and ex-THE PIECE DOGS bassist Kyle Sanders, will be playing the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on Saturday, October 20th.

KREATOR have entered the German Media Control Album charts at position #38 with their latest release, Violent Revolution. In other news, KREATOR have completed a video for the title track to their new album in conjunction with Q-Film, a Hamburg, Germany-based video company that had previously worked with RAMMSTEIN, among others. According to the group's official web site, “KREATOR are currently working on a very detailed video show to visualize certain aspects in their music for the next tour”. Meanwhile, all the dates for the group's upcoming three-way co-headlining European tour with DESTRUCTION and SODOM have been announced. The details are as follows:

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Dec. 26 - Ludwigsburg, GER @ Rockfabrik

Dec. 27 - Bochum, GER @ Zeche

Dec. 28 - Zaandam, NETH @ De Kade

Dec. 29 - Hamburg, GER @ Markthalle

Dec. 30 - Halle, GER @ Easy Schorre

Dec. 31 - Osnabrück, GER @ Hyde Park

Jan. 02 - Offenbach, GER @ Hafenbahn

Jan. 03 - Dorndorf, GER @ Kulturhaus

Jan. 04 - Glauchau, GER @ Alte Spinnerei

Jan. 05 - Berlin, GER @ Music Hall Berlin

Jan. 06 - Warschau, POL @ Proxima

Jan. 07 - Katowice, POL @ Mega Club

Jan. 09 - Nürnberg, GER @ Hirsch

Jan. 10 - Dornbirn, AUS @ Conrad Sohm

Jan. 11 - Salzburg, AUS @ Rockhaus

Jan. 12 - Wien, AUS @ Planet Music

Jan. 14 - Ravenna, ITA @ Rock Planet

Jan. 15 - Pratteln, SWI @ Z 7

Jan. 16 - Andernach, GER @ JUZ Live Club

Jan. 17 - Cottbus, GER @ Gladhouse

Jan. 18 - Lübeck, GER Holstentorhalle

Jan. 19 - Motala, SWE Folkets Park

Jan. 20 - Oslo, NOR Betong

Jan. 21 - Gothenburg, SWE @ Kåren

Jan. 22 - Stockholm, SWE @ Klubben

Jan. 24 - Helsinki, FIN @ Nosturi

Jan. 25 - Tampere, FIN @ TBA

Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED have announced the dates for their forthcoming US tour with WITCHERY (THE HAUNTED guitarist Jensen's other band), CATASTROPHIC (featuring ex-OBITUARY guitarist Trevor Peres) and MARTYR AD. The details are as follows:

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Nov. 02 – South Amboy, NJ - Krome

Nov. 03 - Worcester, MA - Palladium

Nov. 04 - New London, CT - El N Gee

Nov. 05 - Alexandria, VA - Jaxx Night Club

Nov. 06 - Winston-Salem, NC - Ziggy's

Nov. 07 - Cleveland, OH - Agora

Nov. 08 - Detroit, MI - I Rock

Nov. 09 - Aurora, IL - Riley's Rock House

Nov. 10 - Minneapolis, MN - 1st Avenue

Nov. 11 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Bar

Nov. 13 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

Nov. 15 - Seattle, WA - Graceland

Nov. 16 – Vancouver, B.C. - Studabakers

Nov. 17 - Portland, OR - Meow Meow

Nov. 18 - San Francisco, CA - The Pound

Nov. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Whiskey

Nov. 20 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy

Nov. 21 - Tempe, AZ - Bostons

Nov. 23 - Arlinton, TX - Dream World

Nov. 24 - Houston, TX - Cardi's

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More dates will be announced shortly. In other news, THE HAUNTED are reportedly mixing a live recording of the group's performances in Japan for a live CD that will allegedly accompany a reissue of the band's acclaimed THE HAUNTED Made Me Do It release, which is due out shortly. All the mixing sessions are taking place at the Danish studio of KONKHRA mainman Anders Lundemark, Starstruck, the homepage for which can be found at this location.

Following the cancellation of MARDUK's headlining US tour due to “visa problems” earlier this month, the band have announced that the dates are currently being re-scheduled to start in mid-January. The routing is reportedly almost complete, and the official dates should be announced within the next several days.

KITTIE will be hosting the MTV2 Rock Show on Tuesday, November 13th at 9:30 PM EST.

KAMELOT will join AXXIS for a major European tour that will take place during January/February 2002. Among the countries that will be visited are Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France and Great Britain. Exact dates will be announced shortly.

Legendary Norwegian black metallers IMMORTAL have completed work on their new album, entitled Sons Of Northern Darkness, at Abyss Studios with producer Peter Tagtren. Recorded over a one-month period, Sons Of Northern Darkness will hit the shops worldwide on February 4th/5th of through Nuclear Blast Records. Bassist/vocalist Abbath Doom Occulta had the following to say about IMMORTAL's new material: 'Sons Of Northern Darkness is a metal war party from beginning to end and rise the banner of true f.cking metal up high!'. IMMORTAL will follow up the release of Sons Of Northern Darkness with a full European tour, starting in March, with labelmates HYPOCRISY (featuring the aforementioned Tagtgren).

LIMP BIZKIT are scheduled to hit the road in search of a new guitarist to replace the recently departed Wes Borland. The remaining members of the group—vocalist Fred Durst, DJ Lethal, bassist Sam Rivers, and drummer John Otto—will reportedly hold auditions/fan parties in approximately 14 cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in late November. 'It's just a great chance for us to be with our fans. We could be at a club, at your house, at the mall, at your high school, who knows,' said Durst in a statement released on Monday, October 15th. For more information, visit the group's web site at www.limpbizkit.com.

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'Wes was a big part of the LIMP BIZKIT you're used to,' Durst stated in an online posting. 'But his decision to leave has left us in a place where we know the best of LIMP BIZKIT is yet to come. We're gonna take this opportunity to take our song writing to a whole new level. At the end of the day it's all about the music and the music is all we're about. Life is unpredictable and though we're shocked, we're not discouraged. Thank you so much for sticking with us through thick and thin. Keep the faith and join us on this journey to the next level.”

HATEBREED have dropped off the upcoming God Hates The World Tour, headlined by SLAYER, for unspecified reasons (rumored to be related to the group's recording commitments for their upcoming major label debut, entitled Perseverance). An official announcement on the matter is expected shortly.

Finland's CHILDREN OF BODOM, featuring SINERGY guitarist Alexi Laiho, will embark on a South American tour during late November. Among the countries that are scheduled to be hit are Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile. Exact dates will be announced shortly.

Sweden's CLAWFINGER will support RAMMSTEIN on the next leg of the latter band's upcoming European tour. The dates are as follows:

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Nov. 10 - Paris, FRA @ Zenith

Nov. 12 - Prague, CZ @ Paegas Arena

Nov. 13 - Katowize, POL @ Spodek

Nov. 25 - Helsinki, FIN @ Ice Rink

Nov. 27 - Stockholm, SWE @ Solnahallen

Nov. 28 - Goteborg, SWE @ Sticky Fingers (CLAWFINGER only)

Nov. 29 - Kopenhagen, DEN @ KB

Dec. 02 - London, UK @ Brixton Academy

Dec. 03 - Amsterdam, NETH @ HH

Dec. 04 - Amsterdam, NETH @ HH

Dec. 05 - Amsterdam, NETH @ HH

Dec. 06 - Leuven, BEL @ Brabanthal

Dec. 07 - Nancy, FRA @ Zenith

Dec. 10 - Lisboa, POR @ Restelo

Dec. 12 - Madrid, SPA @ TBA (CLAWFINGER only)

Dec. 14 - Barcelona, SPA @ Valle Hebron

Dec. 15 - San Sebastian, SPA @ TBA

Danish metallers KONKHRA are preparing to enter mainman Anders Lundemark's Starstruck Studio to begin recording their fifth album, tentatively titled Third World War, which is tentatively scheduled for release through an as-yet-undetermined label in mid-2002. According to Anders, “we'll start recording drums for the next KONKHRA record as soon as [drummer] Johnny feels 100% ready” following his upcoming operation for hernia, which is due to take place sometime in November. Inspired lyrically by “the recent events in world history”, Third World War will contain the following cuts, among others:

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01. Fear Of God

02. Warmonger

03. Grapes Of Wrath

04. Parasite

05. Hellhound on my Trail

06. Eye Of Horus

07. Straitjacket Blues

08. Shut Up

Las Vegas' HEMLOCK have set Pigeon Holed as the title of their forthcoming CD, which was produced by SOULFLY guitarist Mike Doling (ex-SNOT) and which is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks through an as-yet-unspecified label.

Italian prog-metal band STRAMANIO have signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers / Now &amp Then Records and are scheduled to begin recording their sophomore effort shortly. STRAMONIO reportedly plays a mix between semi-complex prog metal mixed with melodic prog rock, often described as a mixture of YES, TOTO, DREAM THEATER and RUSH. STRAMONIO had previously released an acclaimed debut album, entitled Seasons Of Imagination, through Northwind Records, a small Italian indie.

DOG EAT DOG have added more dates to their upcoming European tour. The details are as follows:

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Dec. 27 - Conrad Sohm – Dornbirn, AUS

Dec. 28 – Stadtsaal - Wolfsberg, AUS

Dec. 29 – Stadtplatz - Lienz, AUS

Dec. 30 –Soulcity -Venue: Prater, Wien, AUS

Dec. 31 – Stadtsaal - St. Poelten, AUS

Jan. 01 – Orpheum - Graz, AUS

BIOHAZARD have posted a video clip for “Sellout”, the first single off the group's recently-released Uncivilization opus, online in streaming media at this location.

U.D.O., featuring former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, have made available for download two tracks off their upcoming Live From Russia CD at this location. The tracks in question are 'Holy' and 'Animal House'.

EMPIRE, whose line-up consists of Rolf Munkes (guitars), Lance King (BALANCE OF POWER, vocals),Neil Murray (ex-BLACK SABBATH, bass),and Gerald Kloos (drums),will release their debut album, entitled Hypnotica, on November 3rd via Lion Music. Additional appearances by Mark Boals (RING OF FIRE, vocals),Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL, drums) and Don Airey (ex-OZZY, RAINBOW, keyboards) are also included. The full track listing for the effort is as follows:

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01. Hypnotica

02. Fool In Love

03. Into The Light

04. You're All That I Am Looking For

05. Spread My Wings

06. Bad Bad Boy

07. Here I Am

08. I Will Always Be There

09. A Different Sign

10. Shelter

11. Back To Me

12. Another Place Another Time

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