ATHEIST Frontman Preparing For Final European Trip

Vocalist Kelly Shaefer of the reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST has issued the following update:

"Well, we are about to embark on our final trip to the other side of the earth for three shows that promise to be amazing. We start in Bucharest, Romania, and then we do Graspop in Belgium, and Hellfest in France. Both of those are hummers, big ones!! The travel is a bitch, but once we are there, we will have a blast, I am certain.

"We will be coming with some new shirts. They have all of the shows that we have done on this reunion thing starting with Bloodstock last July! We are also bringing back the very popular multi-album design on this run, so save your pennies and grab 'em while you can at the shows. We want to meet as many of you as possible, so if you see us, say hello, OK?

"I wish to thank Decibel magazine for including yours truly in the top 20 death metal guitarists; that's a big honor, and I am humbled!

"Looking forward to meeting up with friends that we have made over the net in the last year, such as Matei. We will be having lunch at his granmother's house; isn't that cool? We are also looking forward to meeting Eva from Transylvania; she is a great artist that we met in Germany, and we have kept in touch. And hopefully our friend Rony from Israel; she will attempt to make the Romanian show.

"After all, this will be it, people. We hope you can all make one or all of the shows.

"Right now Tony Choy [bass] and the gang are up in Atlanta rehearsing. I will meet up with them in [New York City] for our 11-hour journey to Romania.We will post all of our pics and blogs when we return. If we get a chance to get to a computer, we will post from over in Wurope.

"We hope to get GNOSTIC [the Shaefer-manager band featuring ATHEIST drummer Steve Flynn] in the studio by September to record the debut monster of a record that will be."

ATHEIST will film its last-ever show for an upcoming DVD. The concert will take place in New York City on an as-yet-undetermined date.

ATHEIST will perform in Bucharest, Romania at The Live Metal Club on June 21. The band will also appear at this year's Hellfest in France on June 24 as well as Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium on June 22.

In January 2006, frontman Kelly Shaefer reassembled much of what was widely considered ATHEIST's classic recording lineup (Shaefer, bassist Tony Choy, and drummer Steven Flynn) to perform a select number of one-off shows to celebrate the re-issue of their wildly-influential catalog (1988's "Piece of Time", 1993's "Elements", and the 1991's legendary "Unquestionable Presence"). Among those shows were performances at such legendary festivals such as Germany's Wacken Open Air, Norway's Hole In The Sky, Italy's Evolution, England's Bloodstock Open Air, and the Los Angeles' Murderfest.