Metal News for February 1, 2010
Last updated on May 25, 2013 at 12:42 PM ET
We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.
41 news articles posted on this day.
STRUCK BY LIGHTING will be teaming up with The Gates Of Slumber, Weedeater and Black Tusk for a U.S. tour this spring. Here are the latest Struck By Lightning tour dates:
3/13 Columbus, OH @ Scion Fest
Struck By Lightning tour w/ Weedeater, and Black Tusk
3/19 Dallas, TX @ Skillman Street Bar w/ Black Cobra
3/20 Austin, TX @ Encore (Tone Deaf SXSW showcase)
3/21 San Antonio, TX @ Zombies w/ Black Cobra
3/23 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
3/24 Scottsdale, AZ @ Chasers
3/26 Los Angeles, CA @ Ultra Violet
3/27 San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room
3/28 Portland, OR @ Rotture
3/29 Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
3/31 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
4/1 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
4/2 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
4/3 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
4/4 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
4/5 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
4/6 Newport, KY @ Southgate House
4/7 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
4/8 Toronto, ON @ Wreck Room
4/9 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
4/10 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
4/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber
4/12 Washington, DC @ DC9 (no Gates Of Slumber)
4/13 Frederick, MD @ Krug's Place (no Gates Of Slumber)
4/14 Richmond, VA @ The Triple (no Gates Of Slumber)
Finnish metallers Amorphis have updated their tour schedule with the following upcoming dates:
2/19 2010 Helsinki Metal Meeting, Kaapelitehdas Helsinki
3/26 2010 Club HeVen Järvenpää
3/31 2010 Puikkari Kuopio
4/1 2010 Lutakko Jyväskylä
4/2 2010 Finlandia-klubi Lahti
7/3 2010 With Full Force Löbnitz
7/3 2010 Unirock Open Air Istanbul
8/6 2010 W:O:A Wacken
8/14 2010 Bloodstock Open Air Catton Hall/Derbyshire
Brazilian metallers Angra have issued the following statement about gearing up to hit the recording studio:
"Hey folks! We are very excited to bring you these news! We are almost done writing the songs for the new album, and we couldn't be happier! There is a general feeling that this is gonna be a really great album. Every time I listen to ourselves playing the songs, I can't help smiling. We are totally into every little detail and small part to make this one of the best Angra albums ever.
"The rehearsals are taking place at Ricardo's country house, near São Paulo. We don't have TV or internet, and phone signal is very poor, so we can't help but concentrate fully on the composition process, and this is intentional. We have a whole new set of challenges in the new arrangements, since every part of them is being taken to the next level, both technically and musically. We will enter the studio in mid February, and we'll keep you posted on the latest news."
Sweden's Assailant has issued the following update about recording new material:
"Hey guys and gals! We are still working hard in the studio with the demo songs which will be recorded for real this spring. After we are done we will start working on a release for our third album. We have no label right now so we will start the hunt this fall. Songs so far: 1. My Hate remains 2. Shades of Grey 3. The End 4. Calling 666 5. The Final Hour. Cheers!"
Assailant are also currently streaming several sample tracks online through their MySpace page.
Darkest Hour will be embarking on a North American tour supporting The Dillinger Escape Plan, I Wrestled A Bear Once, and Animals As Leaders. The currently confirmed tour dates are as follows:
3/11 2010 Irving Plaza New York, New York
3/12 2010 The Palladium Worcester, Massachusetts
3/13 2010 La Sala Rossa Cabaret Montreal, Quebec
3/14 2010 Opera House Toronto, Ontario
3/15 2010 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio
3/23 2010 The Social Orlando, Florida
3/24 2010 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
3/25 2010 Tremont Musical Hall Charlotte, North Carolina
3/26 2010 Greene Street Club Greensboro, North Carolina
3/28 2010 First Unitarian Church Phuladelphia, Pennsylvania
3/29 2010 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
3/31 2010 Diesel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4/1 2010 The Eagle Theatre Pontiac, Michigan
4/2 2010 Reggie’s Rock Club Chicago, Illinois
4/6 2010 Republik Calgary, Alberta
4/7 2010 Starlite Room Edmonton, Alberta
4/9 2010 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, British Columbia
London metallers De Profundis have issued the following update about streaming their entire new album online for one week:
"Hailz, even though our new album ‘A Bleak Reflection’ has only just been released today, we have already been informed that several sources, including Amazon.co.uk and Play.com have already sold out their first stock of the album. Thank you to everyone who has already ordered the CD so far – your support means a lot to us!! We are now making sure that all retailers have the second batch of CDs as quickly as possible. Fear not, however, there is no supply shortage - you can now also buy the album directly from us.
"As a way of saying ‘Thank you’ to everyone that has taken in interest in us, and to mark the occasion of the release of our second album on Kolony Records, we will be making the WHOLE album available to stream from MySpace and Last.fm. All the songs from the new album (totalling almost 70 minutes!) will be featured on our MySpace and Last.fm pages for ONE WEEK ONLY, after which the number of new songs will be reduced. This will give you the chance to check out the whole album – but as always, this comes with a catch – for a limited time only… Hurry while the stocks last!… or something like that. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the tracks. There should be some exciting news on the live front soon, check back soon…"
Down has issued the following update about their upcoming activities:
"Hey everybody, it's about time a quick rundown was put out about the status of Down and it's individual members. First, the good news is Down has tentative plans to meet in New Orleans shortly after the Super Bowl to map out 2010. This includes solidifying plans to record and release a 4th full length album! In the meantime, 4 of the 5 guys are celebrating the Saints' first Super Bowl berth. The 5th guy has to settle for celebrating the Cowboy's first playoff win in a looong time. We'll keep you up to date.
"In alphabetical order: Philip Anselmo: Hard at work with his record label; Housecore records, developing bands such as Warbeast and Evil Army. There are also plans to re-release the Crowbar albums through Housecore! More...
Finland's Excalion are currently streaming a new song online from their latest album "High Time," which was released on January 29th, 2010. The track "The Flags In Line" can be heard through Excalion's MySpace page.
The track listing for "High Time" is as follows:
1. Enter A Life
2. From Somewhere To Anywhere
3. Sun Stones
4. The Flags In Line
5. Bring On The Storm
6. The Shroud
10. A Walk On A Broken Road
New York's Hanzel und Gretyl have issued the following update about recruiting a drummer for their upcoming tour dates:
"Hanzel und Gretyl is uber proud to announce the addition of NYC's own Chris Kling as drummer for select dates in the U.S. And Europe in 2010!! You have seen herr kling pound out das beats the world over for bands such as Mortis, Acey Slade and the Dark Party, theo and the skyscrapers, and dangerous muse to name a few!! Now komm und bear witness to his merciless uber drumming fury with your own augen at the following showsinzees!!"
The currently confirmed dates are as follows:
3/5 - Peabody's - Cleveland, Ohio
3/6 - Sky Bar - Bowling Green Ohio
3/7 - The Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
5/1 - Graveyard Festival - Helsinki, Finland
Bay Area thrash band Heathen has posted another two tracks from the forthcoming album “The Evolution of Chaos.” The songs “Fade Away” and “Bloodkult” are both available for streaming in their entirety along with the 4 tracks added previously via the band's MySpace page. “The Evolution of Chaos” will be released in the U.S. on February 16th via Mascot Records. Heathen is currently planning a tour of Europe in support of the new album, with dates to be announced soon.
“The Evolution of Chaos” track listing is as follows:
1. Dying Season
2. Control By Chaos
3. No Stone Unturned
4. Arrows Of Agony
5. Fade Away
6. A Hero's Welcome
9. Red Tears Of Disgrace
10. Silent Nothingness
Italian death metal quartet Hour of Penance are the latest addition to the "Deathfest - The Second Coming" festival. They'll be joined on the Terrorizer Stage by London's Infestation while doom act Ramesses and sludge group Palehorse will perform on the PHD Stage. Brujeria, Immolation, Fukpig, Dawn of Chaos, and Volition are already confirmed for the two-stage event which will be hosted at Leeds University Union, on Sunday, May 2nd.
Festival director Gavin McInally said: "Hundreds of tickets have already gone and we're delighted to be able to repay that early support by adding another four top quality extreme metal acts. As promised, Deathfest - The Second Coming, will have a stunning bill of death metal on our Terrorizer Stage with the PHD Stage offering an alternative of filthy sludge, doom and unsavoury noise. With several slots still to be filled, fans can look forward to an unrivaled day of extreme music in the UK this May!"
Katatonia has issued the following statement about the support groups for their upcoming tour:
"We’re pleased to welcome our Finnish friends and dark heavyweights Swallow The Sun as the direct support for the New Night Over Europe 2010 tour. Opening act on the tour will be the hypnotic German instrumentalists Long Distance Calling. Both bands have featured guest vocals by Jonas Renkse and rumors say there might be a chance that Jonas will join them one of the nights for an extra performance. We think this is nothing but an excellent fitting package and we’re sure you all feel the same, so come out and celebrate the darkness and sing the songs with us! The show in at Doornroosje in Nijmegen, The Netherlands is sold out. Swallow The Sun's final show of the tour will be Leipzig on April 4th."
Katatonia's upcoming tour dates are as follows: More...
Swiss gothic metallers Lost Empire have issued the following update about recruiting a new drummer:
"We finally found a new drummer... We present you with great pleasure Valentina! We are sure he will make a great contribution to improving the songs and let us become a band with a capital. Continue to follow us and we hope to present potervela live as soon as possible. Stay lost!"
Samples of Lost Empire's music are available for streaming via the band's MySpace page.
Danish metallers Artillery have announced they will hit the road again to promote their most recent album “When Death Comes." The currently confirmed dates are as follows, with more expected to be announced soon:
2/20 Oostende Festival, Ostendfest – Belgium
3/27 Ramfest, Albertslund – Denmark
4/9 Slagelse Musikhus, Slagelse - Denmark
4/10 Kansas City, Odense - Denmark
4/16 Loppen, Copenhagen - Denmark
5/7 Walpurgis Metal Days, Hauzenberg – Germany
5/22 Rock Hard Festival, Gelsenkirchen – Germany
9/4 Thrash Metal Assault Festival Månen, Haderslev – Denmark
Estonian metallers Metsatöll have issued the following update about hosting record release shows for their upcoming album:
"On March 3, Metsatöll’s fourth studio album Äio will see the light of day. The band will present their new album on March 19th and 20th in Rock Café, Tallinn. What makes these shows special is that during the band’s longest set ever, Metsatöll, together with the National Male Choir, will present both all of the new songs as well as the songs from the Raua needmine DVD. In addition, the two-hour show will include pickings from all the previous albums. When we were recording the new album with the National Male Choir this past autumn, the guys themselves suggested that when it’s time to present the album, they will come and sing as well. More...
Oh, Sleeper has posted a new music video online for the song "The Finisher," which is the sequel to their previously posted video for "Son of the Morning." The video clip can be viewed below.
Christian rockers Stryper have issued the following road report:
"Hello Everyone! Looking back on the past five months I've realized that I've been a little more on the reserved side regarding updates and staying in touch. To be completely honest, it's been nice being more on the reclusive side but for some reason, I felt inclined to write today, 2/1, and I seem to have a lot on my heart so here goes........
"The tour has been a tug of war so to speak - pros and cons, ups and downs and an exhausting run that has certainly taken its toll physically and emotionally. Although we all enjoy our time on stage sharing the music and the message that God has blessed us with, the road life is very difficult at times and can be quite draining. Plain and simple - it can beat you up! We are all feeling the effects. I’m handling the touring life a little easier these days due to eating healthier, staying conditioned and taking care of myself (or at least trying to). God has taken care of us and answered prayer in terms of keeping us healthy and strong throughout the tour. There has been some sickness here and there but for the most part, by comparison, we've been healthier and stronger this time around. More...
Theatre of Tragedy has issued the following update about their "Forever is the World" European tour:
"Final tour dates! It is time to reveal one of the surprises for the upcoming tour. For the first time in 10 years Theatre of Tragedy will feature a live bass player. We have the privilege to announce that the talented Erik Torp from Lowdown will handle this duty around Europe. Special guests: Where Angels Fall. The limited edition 'Forever is the World' tour edition will be released on march 5th, with the 'Addenda EP' as a special bonus CD featuring unreleased songs, rarities and remakes for the last few years. The release is followed by a small, but intense tour. 9 days, 9 shows, 6 countries! This will be the only tour of Europe this year!"
The currently confirmed dates are as follows:
12.03.2010 Berlin, K17 (GER)
13.03.2010 Sittard, Fenix (NL)
14.03.2010 London, Underworld (UK)
15.03.2010 Paris, La Scene Bastille (F)
16.03.2010 Frankfurt, Batschkapp (GER)
17.03.2010 Marseille, Le Poste À Galene (F)
18.03.2010 Barcelona, Salamandra (E)
19.03.2010 Madrid, Caracol (E)
20.03.2010 Lisbon, Cine Teatro Corroios (PT)
Disbelief has issued the following statement about the release date of their upcoming album:
"The new Disbelief - album 'Heal' will be released on April, 23. 2010!!! We want to celebrate our 20th anniversary and recorded 4 new songs as a tribute to bands who influenced us a lot all over the years + 3 cover versions of really special bands, additional to that we re-recorded the title-track of the 2002-album SHINE to present it in a new sound shape!! Watch out for more details!!"
Disbelief also has the following upcoming tour dates:
3/12 2010 MUSIC HALL Autohof Strohofer Geiselwind
3/20 2010 Deep Rock Festival Westhausen
6/12 2010 Chronical Moshers Fest REICHENBACH
8/13 2010 Devils Night Altenfelden Bei Linz (AT)
German metallers Sniper have posted a series of photographs online from their recent trek to Sweden for a string of tour dates. The photo journal can be found at this location. You can also hear samples of Sniper's music via their official MySpace page.
Jasio, of Edmonton progressive metallers Shadowblade, has checked in with the following album update:
"I've made some nice progress in the last few weeks solidifying the ETA for "Frozen Serenity". I'm happy to announce that we have chosen to take our record down to the "promise land of metal" (as named by an interesting documentary) of Helsinki, Finland to have the record mixed at Sonic Pump Studios by Nino Laurenne and a colleague of his.
"You can recognize Nino's work on albums put out by bands like Ensiferum, Children of Bodom, Elvenking, Sonata Arctica, Wintersun, Stratovarius, Finntroll, Kiuas, etc... (the list is as long as it is impressive). Without saying much I think it is obvious why Sonic Pump was the place we chose to go with :) Our studio time is booked in May, which after mastering and getting the records physically manufactured will push the release date probably around the July 1st area. I do not regret that repercussion in the slightest, as I am just excited to let this beast out of its cage:)
"Plans are in the air for some CD release gigs in Edmonton and elsewhere in Alberta/British Columbia through the summer. These will be dealt with after I ensure the date of the record being available.
"I've got some more cool news, but I am going to hold off until things are 100% :)"
Leaves' Eyes will be playing a show at Santiago Alquimista in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 5th.
Guitarist Tosso comments: "It will be great to be back in Portugal and have a party with our Portuguese fans! Hopefully there is time to experience some Fado music as well. See you there!"
Here are the rest of Leaves' Eyes tour dates: More...
Century Media has posted the trailer for Finntroll's upcoming album, "Nifelvind," on YouTube.
"Nifelvind" was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland, and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The album cover artwork was done again by the guitarist Skrymer. "Nifelvind" will be released on February 22nd in Europe and March 9th in North America.
Swedish heavy metal outfit Arch Enemy has announced that they will be embarking on a headlining tour of the United Kingdom in April and they will be bringing two special guests with them in the form of legendary British thrash metal band Sabbat and Norwegian band Enslaved. A message from Arch Enemy lead singer Angela Gossow reads as follows:
"We strongly felt its time to visit the shores of The United Kingdom Of Heavy Metal again! We miss you, ladies and gentlemen!!! We only did the Bloodstock festival in 2009. It was a fantastic gig and reminded us of why we love the Amott brothers' homeland so much. Even better, we are bringing the U.K. cult thrashers Sabbat with us and the Norwegian sons of darkness, Enslaved! We will cook up a devastating setlist for this run and won't leave any prisoners behind. Get ready for the Metal Hammer Meltdown attack!"
Californian metal group As I Lay Dying has announced that they will be entitling their fifth studio album, "The Powerless Rise." The band are planning the album to be released sometime this Spring through Metal Blade Records. The band will also be hitting the road around that time to help promote the record. Stay tuned for further details.
Tribal influenced hard rock outfit Ill Nino has been confirmed as the latest band to perform at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. The event will take place between August 5th- 7th in the town of Wacken. Some of the other bands confirmed for the festival include Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Voivod, Alice Cooper, Immortal and Slayer, amongst many others.
Each week in "Unearthing the Metal Underground," we'll be putting a few quality underground bands in the spotlight in an attempt to get the word out about them. The column has returned for the new year to expose three more great projects from the Sri Lankan metal scene. Today I'll be introducing three more bands from Colombo, Sri Lanka, where the metal scene is the most active.
Back in the 90’s, metal was practically unheard of in Sri Lanka. Very few people were into rock music, which is what almost every Sri Lankan non-Metal fan calls any type of music with distorted guitar parts. At a time when the Internet was only available to the public very few places in Colombo and file sharing programs were unheard of, a very small, underground community existed who shared CD-R’s of videos and mp3 albums in a country which is known for its fairly conservative views that lead to society labeling rock music as the Devil’s music and the usual bullshit. This is, of course, nothing new in the realm of metal and its origins.
Then came 1999, the year which gave birth to a project who today are known as one of most significant metal bands in Sri Lanka, Stigmata. Responsible for Sri Lankan metal anthems such as "Andura" and "Jazz Theory" and after 1 EP and 2 Full Lengths titled "Morbid Indiscretion," "Hollow Dreams" and "Silent Chaos Serpentine" respectively, Stigmata is currently recording their third and yet untitled full length, which will hopefully be released this year. They are also one of the two bands (the other being psychadelic grunge unit Paranoid Earthling) who have performed outside Sri Lanka in countries such as Malaysia, Maldives and India.
Check out Stigmata on their MySpace page and the live video of "My Malice" below.
Canadian metal band Blinded By Faith has issued the following update:
"Good news! Blinded by faith will soon enter the studio to record three new songs (The pace of the race, Dead end and Drastic Medicine). With this demo, the band will try to catch the attention of international labels that could push the band further. During the process, the band will work with Antoine Baril (ex-Augury drummer), Yannick St-Amand (who recorded Despised Icon and Beneath the massacre, just to name a few) and Pierre Rémillard (Anonymus, Misery Index, Martyr…). We will keep you updated!"
Finnish gothic metal band Memoira has issued the following message welcoming their new singer, Kati Rantala [photo]:
"We are really happy to announce that Kati Rantala is our new vocalist. We were blown away by her vocal abilities and her work ethic! We received a lots of contacts from all around the world and we would like to thank everyone and wish you all good luck! We were surprised that how easy the whole process was and the amount of time that it took. We are excited and really looking forward to hit the studio after we have finished the song-writing process! Memoira wishes you all a happy new year of 2010!"
Oblige is proud to announce the addition of bassist Mike Bodkins (ex-Suicide Silence) and rhythm guitarist Greg Pewthers (ex-Impending Doom). The band has been busy finishing up their new album, with plans to record and release this year. A pre-production track has been posted online, and can be heard
British progressive metal band THRESHOLD has released a brand new digital single of the MUSE cover "Supermassive Black Hole." The song can be heard on the band's MySpace page.
Richard West comments, "'Supermassive Black Hole' was such a huge hit for MUSE, it's become a modern classic and it's still in the top ten of the UK rock charts after 150 weeks! I hope MUSE enjoy THRESHOLD's reworking of their song, we've stayed fairly true to the original but with some added THRESHOLD heaviness."
The band will also re-issue their latest effort "Dead Reckoning" including instrumental versions of all songs of the album as a bonus - the digital release of the package is scheduled for mid February. More...
Chicago's THE ATLAS MOTH will be touring the East Coast and Midwest this March with Coalesce and Harvey Milk. The tour dates are as follows
3/05/2010 Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
3/06/2010 Kung-Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
3/07/2010 The Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
3/08/2010 Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY
3/09/2010 Middle East [Downstairs] - Boston, MA
3/10/2010 Il Motore - Montreal, QC
3/11/2010 Wreckroom - Toronto, ON
3/12/2010 Smalls Bar - Hamtramck, MI
3/13/2010 Subterranean - Chicago, IL
THE ATLAS MOTH at SXSW 1010:
3/18/2010 East End Tattoo - Austin, TX @ Chronicyouth.com showcase
3/20/2010 The Metropolis - Austin, TX - early show
3/20/2010 21st CO OP - Austin, TX - late show
3/21/2010 Red 7 - Austin, TX - Goodbye Southby
Russian folk metal band Kalevala has posted an new song, "Tausen-rada," off their third LP album, "Ved'ma" ("The Witch"), on their MySpace page. The album was recorded and Mixed by Nikita Andriyanov.
A recent message from heavy metal legends Metallica has confirmed that Atlanta, Georgia based metal outfit Mastodon will be joining them on tour this Spring in Mexico and South America. The message reads as follows:
"After enduring the summer of 2009 on the road with us, our good friends in MASTODON have signed up for more! They will be joining us for two weeks in March of this year in Mexico, Central and South America.
"Hope to see YOU there too!"
Italy’s STIGMA has set "Concerto for the Undead" as the title for its follow up to 2008’s "When Midnight Strikes." The sophomore effort is due out via Pivotal Rockordings on the following dates::
April 30th in Europe
May 3rd in the UK
May 4th in North America
"Concerto for the Undead" features lyrics centered on the cult-classic comic book series "Tales From the Crypt" and includes guest vocal appearances by Jamie Hope (ex-THE RED SHORE) and Jon Hunt (ex-DEAD TO FALL). The tracklisting is as follows:
01. Chop His Head Off!
02. Prove You Are a Man!
03. …And They Died Happily Ever After!
04. A Monstrous Feeling
05. The Undertaker
06. What About a Terror Ride
07. 3000 Years and Still Keeping it Real
08. A Grave Situation
09. Beat Me Maestro, Eight to the Dead!
10. Doctor Skeleton More...
Heaven & Hell, the band featuring the "Mob Rules" era of Black Sabbath, are the latest band to be confirmed for the United Kingdom's Bloodstock Open Air festival which will take place at the Catton Hall in Derbyshire from August 13th - 15th. Other bands already confirmed include Fear Factory, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Children Of Bodom, Behemoth and Suffocation.
Slayer and Megadeth are thrilled to announce the new, confirmed routing for the American Carnage North American Tour, which will commence with the rescheduled Canadian Carnage East dates in Quebec City on Friday, July 23. Slayer will then head to Europe for a run of festival dates, returning to kick off the American Carnage leg in Albany, NY on August 11. American Carnage will play 26 dates across the United States and Eastern Canada up to the Labor Day weekend, ending in Portland, OR on September 4. Testament will be Special Guest on all shows. Tickets purchased for the American Carnage shows when they first went on sale late last year will be honored for these rescheduled dates.
Due to venue availability and other conflicts, the shows originally scheduled in El Paso, Houston, Nashville, Duluth, and Louisville cannot be rescheduled at this time, and ticket holders may obtain refunds at point of purchase. However, new cities have been added to the American Carnage itinerary, with dates now scheduled in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento. The confirmed, complete itinerary is below.
The American Carnage Tour, originally scheduled to take place in January and February, had to be put on hold due to Slayer's vocalist/bassist, Tom Araya's ongoing, minimally-invasive treatments for what was diagnosed as a Cervical Radiculopathy, an occupational hazard for the rocker who is known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing. Right after the first of the year, Araya made the difficult decision to undergo a surgical procedure, called an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion, a relatively routine practice with an excellent recovery rate. That surgery took place early last week.
"The doctors said that Tom's surgery went very smoothly and was a resounding success," said Rick Sales, long-time Slayer manager. "He's home now, doing really well, and he said the numbness in his fingers had already diminished considerably."
Shortly after the surgery, Slayer's Kerry King received a text from Tom: "Awake and feeling good, actually whatever he did, it feels better."
The American Carnage Tour will mark the first time that Slayer, Megadeth and Testament will have toured the U.S. together since 1991's epic "Clash of the Titans" tour.
Slayer recently announced the rescheduling of its headline tour in the UK and Europe, and Megadeth and Testament are currently on tour together playing U.S. cities that will not be on the American Carnage itinerary.
The complete, confirmed itinerary for the American Carnage North American Tour are as follows: More...
After nearly seven years, ASTRIAAL is ready to return with their sophomore album entitled "Anatomy of the Infinite." This next opus is due to be released in the Fall of 2010 via Australian label Obsidian Records. "Anatomy of the Infinite" is the band's follow up to 2003’s debut full length "Renascent Misanthropy."
Recorded at various studios within Australia and mixed at Mølla Lydstudio [Norway] with Knut Magne Valle [Arcturus], "Anatomy of the Infinite" features eight tracks comprising of haunting and dissonant passages interwoven with moments of epic black metal grandeur overlaid with lyrical themes embellished in Abyssal theology.
Here's the "Anatomy of the Infinite" tracklisting:
1. Blessed Are The Dead
2. Visceral Incarnate
3. ‘Neath The Bones Of Salvation
4. Ad Interim
5. The Scars Of Aberration
6. Foundations In Flesh
7. Relinquishment Of The Stars
8. …For The Day Will Come
ASTRIAAL will be previewing tracks from this album at their return show in Brisbane on February 19th at Rosies Live CBD. A preview track from the album entitled "Foundations In Flesh" can be heard at ASTRIAAL’s Myspace page.
Solid State Records has announced the signing of Greensboro, North Carolina's To Speak Of Wolves. "We're really excited to have the band from Greensboro, NC with us and think you'll be pretty stoked on them too," comments the label. You can hear some early music at MySpace.
The band was previously signed with Tragic Hero Records, under which they released and EP entitled "Following Voices."
Two of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal walked away with Grammy awards last night as British metal legends Judas Priest picked up the award for Best Metal Performance, beating Lamb Of God, Megadeth, Ministry and Slayer, with their song "Dissident Aggressor," taken from their live album, "A Touch Of Evil: Live." Australian based hard rockers AC/DC also scooped the prize for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "War Machine," which appears on their most recent studio album, "Black Ice" and the forthcoming "Iron Man 2" soundtrack. They were able to beat Metallica, Alice In Chains, Nickelback and Linkin Park in their category.
Iowa metalcore act Dead Horse Trauma unleashed their new full-length album "Infestation" on November 6th, 2009. The band is currently streaming three sample tracks from the album via their official MySpace page. Dead Horse Trauma's vocalist Eric Davidson took some time to explain to me how the band came together, the meaning behind their distinctive name, and the themes in their music. More...