Belgian Booking Agency Apologizes For String Of European Tour Cancellations

Metallysee Booking Agency, the long-running Belgian company which was recently blamed for a string of European tour cancellations by such bands as FINNTROLL, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, MARDUK, ENSLAVED and UNLEASHED — has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"For all of those that have been writing in with their hate mail, let me take a moment now to explain the recent mishaps that have been happening at my company, Metallysee Booking Agency.

"First of all, my name is Johan De Mesmaeker and I am one of the owners of Metallysee. I have had this company for more than 22 years, and during that time I have put many bands on tour in Europe. Many who have gone on to become bigger acts and many that have gone on to other booking agencies.

"During the past year, I had to take a leave from running the day-to-day operations of my company due to personal reasons and in my place was my (former) employee named Henk Mol (of Vain Productions). Together with my business partner Gina, Henk was responsible for putting the tours together and making sure that things functioned as they should. Well, as we know now, things didn't happen exactly this way.

"With my sister not knowing anything about the business (or the bands),Henk was pretty much in control of everything. In the case of the Earthshaker Roadshock tour, he, and HE ALONE, made the cost of this tour so high that it was impossible to continue that tour. Some bands were contracted to be paid more than they should have, while other bands were contracted to be paid when in fact they should have been paying us tour support. The same was the case with the MARDUK tour.

"In order to keep my company alive, I had no choice but to cancel these tours to avoid myself going into bankruptcy and to be able to continue in a business that I've been involved in for many years.

"In the case of Henk Mol, on the eve of the Earthshaker tour he conveniently 'quit' his position (and even has the NERVE to go back to some bands on our roster to tell them how he 'left' Metallysee and is in the process of starting his own booking agency and would like to book their tours from now on).

"Now while I don't absolve myself from any responsibility of these recent errors, the fact remains that before I took my leave, I have been doing the No Mercy and X-Mas tours (for example) twice a year for the past nine years that were completely successful. As most of you know, some of these tours had up to 8 and 9 bands and they always went to the [end] and everyone was always paid in full.

"In conclusion, I hope that this answers some questions that people have been asking. Slowly, I will rebuild my company and continue to book tours for the European market.

"To the bands that these problems have affected — FINNTROLL, AFTER FOREVER, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, TAROT, MACHINE MEN, ALL ENDS, MARDUK, ENSLAVED, MELECHESH, KEEP OF KALESSIN, GOATWHORE, PANTHEON I, UNLEASHED and BELPHEGOR — I offer my sincere apologies and will make every effort in time to compensate them for their losses. To the fans, labels, managers and my longtime promoter partners, I also offer my apologies."