Nuclear Blast America
2323 West El Segundo Blvd.
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Office Tel: (323) 418-1400
Fax: (323) 418-0118
http://www.nuclearblastusa.com
e-mail mail@nuclearblastusa.com
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*To Unsubscribe please reply to this e-mail with the subject: Remove
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NUCLEAR BLAST AMERICA NEWS
Darkane, The Defaced, Destruction, Dew-Scented, Helloween, In Flames, Kataklysm,
Sinergy, Sinner, Soilwork, Steel Prophet, Stratovarius, Tapping The Vein, Thunderstone, Warhammer
Table of Contents
1. Band News
2 . Release Schedule
3 . Tour Dates
Greetings,
Welcome to another exciting update from the world of Nuclear Blast. As you probably know we are in the midst of some amazing stuff here at NB starting with Meshuggah. Who would have ever thought that we, a little independent metal label, would ever have a band on Ozzfest? Their new disc, Nothing, that was released on August 6th shipped out more copies than any other disc in the history of Nuclear Blast America! And the first week SoundScans are shaping up to break some records as well. Then there is In Flames, out on tour with the legendary Slayer (with Dave Lombardo at the kit to boot). I personally can attest that at least the first 3 dates of the tour were amazing, the room might not have been packed yet, but those who were there to witness In Flames screamed, cheered and headbanged in acceptance. And with their new disc coming out in less than a month and a headlining North American tour to follow the Slayer tour they seem to be unstoppable.
So, its time get up outta your seat and watch proudly as independent metal breaks from the underground and rocks the hell out of the world. But dont just stand there and watch youve gotta join in this Bullet Ride.
Jill
_________________________
1. News
DARKANE - http://www.darkane.com
For Darkanes phenomenal 3rd effort, Expanding Senses, drums, vocals and mixing were done together with soon-to-be-legendary producer Daniel Bergstrand at Dug-Out Studios (Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, In Flames) in Uppsala, Sweden with guitars and bass recorded at the Darkane studio in Helsingborg. The sound is very brutal and fat, comments guitarist Christofer Malmström. The music feels much more alive than it did on Insanity. I think that the songs on Expanding Senses have everything that Insanity didnt have. Its more groovy. One song also features a guest vocal appearance by former singer Lawrence Mackrory. Andreas Sydow (vocals) is singing less death metal vocals and has more of a Chuck Billy style in his voice now, Malmström says. It fits the music better, but sometimes you will hear some very brutal death metal screams as well. The album is extremely varied. You will hear all kinds of songs, everything from heavy-as-hell to fast-as-fuck!
Darkane will be chatting online on August 28th at 2:00 PM EST. The web address is www.wallsoffire.com, so don't miss it! Expanding Senses arrives in stores on October 1st.
THE DEFACED - http://www.thedefaced.com
The Defaced entered Queenstreet Recording studios in Helsingbog, Sweden late last week to begin recording their second album, tentatively titled Karma in Black. The 11 new songs, being produced by Klas Ideberg (Darkane guitarist) and Rickard Larsson, will present a more fat, pounding and raw sound. The new material feels very good, according to the band, and follows in the vein of the melodic and hard-hitting, groovy tracks of Domination Commence. The Defaced are hyped and very excited about putting the tracks down and giving the metal heads a kick-ass album. The recording and mixing is expected to be finished in late September.
DESTRUCTION - http://www.destruction.de
Nuclear Blast recording artists Destruction will join Kreator (SPV) on a September/October tour of North America. The bands, who helped define the thrash metal scene in the 80s with classic albums like Infernal Overkill and Eternal Devastation (Destruction) and Terrible Certainty and Extreme Aggression (Kreator), have never toured North America together before. Cephalic Carnage (Relapse) and December (Earache) round out the bill.
Dubbed Hell Comes To Your Town, the pairing of these two bands is nothing short of a dream come true for thrash metal fans. The tour has already become legendary in the scene since it kicked off last December in Europe. North American fans have been eagerly waiting for their chance to experience two of the genres finest bands. After a short South American tour, Destruction storms American shores on September 12 at Club Krome in Morgan, NJ to begin a full North American tour.
Destruction are supporting their second album for Nuclear Blast, The Antichrist. The eleven tracks that comprise the album harkens even closer to the coveted 80s sound than their reunion album, 2000s outstanding All Hell Breaks Loose. The band knows their roots and exploits them to the fullest with destined-to-be classics like Bullets from Hell, Dictators of Cruelty and the thrash metal homage Thrash Til Death. The Antichrist will have you making room in your collection next to the classics from the 80s.
In September, total destruction will ensue as Hell Comes to Your Town. See dates below.
DEW-SCENTED - http://www.dew-scented.de
A few words from Dew-Scented:
Well, the last months have been pretty exciting for Dew-Scented, as we have played some great festivals such as Summer Rocks in Budapest, With Full Force (probably the biggest show in our band history so far!), as well as our first American show at Milwaukee Metalfest 2002. We actually just returned from the USA and we had an awesome time there! Thanks to everybody who hooked us up and helped us for the show - We had blast on stage and it was great to be able to make so many new friends over there! We would especially like to thank Rob Grohl & Milwaukee Metalfest, the whole great staff of Nuclear Blast America & Century Media Records, as well as the people we met, hung out and partied with: Misery Index, Arch Enemy, Silencer, Angel Dust, Jag Panzer, Macabre, Kataklysm, Tad Morose, Susperia, Onward and many others we got to know over there. We are definitely looking forward to coming back to North America sometime later in 2003 for a more extensive tour...so keep your eyes open
for that!!!
HELLOWEEN - http://www.helloween.org
Helloween are completing work on new songs in Hamburg, Germany in preparation for the recording, which begin at the end of August in vocalist Andi Deris Mi Sueono Studios in Tenerife, Spain. The as-yet-untitled disc will once again be produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who also recorded the most recent Blind Guardian as well as the upcoming HammerFall, Crimson Thunder. The successor to Helloweens highly acclaimed The Dark Ride will be released in early 2003.
IN FLAMES - http://www.inflames.com
In Flames are currently trekking across North America supporting Slayer on their H82K2 tour. The band have rehearsed 9 songs from their upcoming disc, Reroute to Remain, and are playing a different new song each night for the fans. Crowd response to In Flames has been amazing, as they turn on a new group of fans to their unique blend of metal. Be sure to check them out on a date near you, and stay tuned for details on a North American headlining tour beginning in mid-September. Reroute to Remain will hit stores on September 3rd.
In other news, guitarist Jesper Strömblad and bassist Peter Iwers recently added a new line to their resumes; they are now actors as well. The pair, joined by long time friends Fredrik Kreem (webmaster), Daniel Antonsson (Pathos, Dimension Zero) and Fredrik Johansson (guitarist/drummer, appears on The Jester Race), filling in for Daniel, Björn and Anders, preformed for an upcoming Swedish movie based on the book Till Sanningens Lov, written by Torgny Lindgren. The film will open in cinemas across Scandinavia in February 2003, and should be the biggest [Swedish] movies next year. You can check out pictures from the filming on the official In Flames website.
KATAKLYSM - http://www.kataklysm.net
Gearing up for the release of their next opus entitled Shadows & Dust, Kataklysm are out spreading the word by headlining the Death Across America tour. The tour kicked off at this years Milwaukee Metalfest and runs through August 24th at the Flying Machine in Lorain, Ohio. Be sure to catch the band as they storm through your town, and get ready for Shadows & Dust, which will be released on October 15.
SINERGY - http://www.sinergy.org
Frontwoman Kimberly Goss has been invited by Japan's leading hard rock/heavy metal publication Burrn! to start writing her own monthly column for the magazine. She will join Sebastian Bach, Paul Gilbert and Marty Friedman as the only four international artists to have their own monthly column in the magazine.
The search for a bassist has finally ended. Sinergy have recruited bassist Melanie Sisneros to permanently replace Marco Hietala, who departed to pursue Nightwish on a full-time basis. Melanie, who previously played in New Eden, will travel to Finland later this month to start rehearsing with Sinergy for their upcoming tours in autumn. Next spring Melanie will move to Finland from Los Angeles to start working with the band on their 4th studio album.
SINNER - http://sinner.rocks.de
The current incarnation of the long-running German act Sinner, Mat Sinner (vocals/bass, also in Primal Fear), Frank Rössler (keyboards), Fritz Randow (drums, Saxon), Henny Wolter (guitar) and Tom Naumann (guitar, ex-Primal Fear), have completed work on their new album, entitled There Will Be Execution. The disc, recorded at House of Music Studios in Winterbach, Germany, contains the following track listing:
1. Higher Level Of Violence
2. There Will Be Execution
3. Requiem For A Sinner
4. Locked & Loaded
5. Finalizer
6. The River
7. God Raises The Dead
8. Die On Command
9. Liberty Of Death
10. Black Monday
11. Crown Of Thorns
The band recently posted the following statement about the musical direction on the CD:
There will be riffs, power, drive and groove, endless enthusiasm, a lot of energy, and there will be execution! We promise the best guitar riffs Sinner have to offer in their long career, excellent world-class drumming by Fritz and outstanding lead guitars, courtesy of Tom and Henny.
Nuclear Blast America is looking towards an early 2003 release.
SOILWORK - http://www.soilwork.com
According to vocalist Speed Strid, the band have almost 4 or 5 songs ready for the next album. The sound is similar to Natural Born Chaos, but we are still developing to take Soilwork to the next level.
Soilwork will perform at the Summer Breeze festival in Germany on August 22-24 with fellow Nuclear Blast artists Dimmu Borgir and Hypocrisy. In October they head out on a full European tour supporting In Flames and Pain. We hope to bring them back to North America soon as well.
If you havent done so already, be sure to pick up a copy of Soilwork latest, Natural Born Chaos, available now, and catch the video for As We Speak currently airing on MTV2s Extreme Rock program as well as Much Music in the US and Canada. To make requests (and we urge you to do so) for MTV2 go to www.mtv.com/onair/mtv2/requests.jhtml. From there you can then fill in all of your information and proceed to make a request. For Much Music Canada go to muchmusic.com and then go to the Loud section. You can email all requests and comments to muchloud@muchmusic.com. For Much Music U.S.A., go to MMUSA.tv and click on the Uranium banner when it flashes by. You will go to a new screen. Hit the bottom color bar and that will launch the Uranium site. From there feel free to post to Julia all of your requests and comments. Show em all that the underground means business!
STEEL PROPHET - http://i.am/steelprophet
Steel Prophet have officially parted ways with vocalist Rick Mythiasin. The reason for the split is cited as musical and personal differences. Steel Prophet would like to wish Mythiasin all the best in his future musical endeavors. As for the future of Steel Prophet, bassist Vince Dennis says that the band is excited about the future and will continue on with a new vocalist as soon as possible. The bands fifth release for Nuclear Blast entitled Unseen will hit stores on September 17th. The album, which has been completed, will be the final release featuring Rick Mythiasin on vocals.
Vocalists that are interested in auditioning should contact Jeff Keller Management at jpkeller7@earthlink.net, or via mail at P.O. Box 485, Pollock Pines, CA 95726, USA.
STRATOVARIUS - http://www.stratovarius.com
Stratovarius began the mixing of their 9th studio album, entitled Elements Part I, at Finnvox studios in Helsinki, Finland. The band have been busy at work in the studio since March and the project is expected to be completed by mid September. Elements Part I will be released in early 2003 followed by a full world wide tour.
TAPPING THE VEIN - http://www.tappingthevein.com
Hot off the heals of their North American tour with Kings X, Tapping the Vein are currently out on a headlining run through the East (check the tour dates below). Fans of The Gathering, Lacuna Coil, Tiamat or non-metal fare like The Kidney Thieves or Garbage would be doing themselves a favor by checking out Tapping the Veins incredible debut release The Damage.
THUNDERSTONE - http://www.thunderstone.org
Thunderstones debut release, simply titled Thunderstone, is available in stores now. The disc, recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, was produced and engineered by guitarist Nino Laurenne. To insure a great mix that captured the intense power of Thunderstone, the band went to Mikko Karmila (Amorphis, Children of Bodom, The Black League) at famed Finnvox Studios (Sentenced, Moonspell, Stratovarius). The resulting album is sure to add ten tracks to the annals of Finnish metal that will be remembered for years to come. Well-known German artist Thomas Ewerhard (Hypocrisy, Sodom, Destruction) encapsulated the music with engaging artwork that completes the Thunderstone package. Fans in need of a Finnish prog/power fix neednt wait until Stratovarius returns next year, get your copy of Thunderstone now!
WARHAMMER
While most of the metal scene left their 80s roots behind, especially as the 21st Century drew closer, Warhammer stands as one of the few exceptions. For Curse of the Absolute Eclipse, their first domestic release, Warhammer have turned up the speed 20 notches resulting in a grinding concoction of aggression and brutality patterned after the death-doom template hammered out by Hellhammer way back in 84. Pick up a copy today.
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2. Release Schedule
August 20
V/A Beauty In Darkness Vol. 5 CD and DVD
September 3
In Flames Reroute to Remain
September 17
Steel Prophet Unseen
October 1
Darkane Expanding Senses
October 15
Kataklysm Shadows & Dust
October 29
HammerFall Crimson Thunder
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3. Tour dates
DESTRUCTION W/ Kreator, Cephalic Carnage, December
9/12 Krome - South Amboy, NJ
9/13 Lamour - Brooklyn, NY
9/14 Jarrods - Attleboro, MA
9/15 The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
9/16 Foufounes Electriques Montreal, QU
9/17 The Reverb - Toronto, ON
9/18 Emerson Theater Indianapolis, IN
9/19 Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
9/20 Harpos - Detroit, MI
9/21 Rock House - Aurora, IL
9/22 The Lab - St. Paul, MN
9/26 Studebakers Vancouver, BC
9/27 Graceland - Seattle, WA
9/30 Galaxy Theater Santa Ana, CA
10/1 Key Club Los Angeles, CA
10/3 Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
10/4 The Castle - Las Vegas, NY
10/5 The Mason Jar - Phoenix, AZ
10/6 Launch Pad - Albuquerque, NM
10/7 Canyon Club - Dallas, TX
10/9 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
10/10 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/11 Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
10/12 Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
10/13 Jaxx - Springfield, VA
10/14 Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
10/15 The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
IN FLAMES W/ Slayer, Soulfly
8/15 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
8/16 MId Hudson Civic Center Poughkeepsie, NY
8/17 Palladium Worcester, MA
8/18 Nation Washington, DC
8/20 Nautica Cleveland, OH
8/21 Promowest Pavilion Columbus, OH
8/22 Phoenix Center Pontiac, MI
8/23 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL
8/24 The Other Side Tulsa, OK
8/25 Canyon Club Dallas, TX ** In Flames Only
8/26 Sunset Station San Antonio, TX
8/27 Villa Real McAllen, TX
8/28 Concrete Street Corpus Christi, TX
8/30 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
8/31 Norva Theater Norfolk, VA
9/1 Armory High Syracuse, NY
9/3 L'agora Du Vieux Port Quebec City, QUE
9/4 Jarry Indoor Tennis Center Montreal, QUE
9/5 Hershey Center MIssissauga, ONT
9/7 Roy Wilkins Auditorium St. Paul, MN
9/10 Shaw Conference Center Edmonton, AB
9/11 Calgary Stampede Corral Calgary, ONT
9/13 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC
9/14 Paramount Theater Seattle, WA
9/15 Roseland Theater Portland, WA
IN FLAMES w/ Sentenced, Lacuna Coil, Killswitch Engage
9/16 Slims San Francisco, CA
9/17 Glasshouse Pomona, CA
9/18 Bash On Ash Tempe, AZ
9/20 Fox Theater Boulder, CO
9/21 Bottleneck Lawerence, KS
9/22 The Rave Milwaukee, WI
9/23 I-Rock Detroit, MI
9/24 Agora Ballroom Cleveland, OH
9/25 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
9/26 Jaxx W. Springfield, VA
9/27 Birch Hill Old Bridge, NJ
9/28 Lupos Providence, RI
KATAKLYSM On Death Across America
8/15 Groundzero - Spartanburg, SC
8/16 Creepy Crawl - St. Louis, MO
8/17 Rileys Aurora, IL
8/18 The Lab St. Paul, MN
8/20 Jaxx Springfield, VA
8/21 Nine Twenty Nine Richmond, VA
8/22 Obsessions Randolph, NJ
8/23 Lamour Brooklyn, NY
8/24 Flying Machine - Lorain, OH
MESHUGGAH On Ozzfest
8/15 Nissan Pavilion - Bristow, VA
8/17 Float-Rite Park Somerset, WI
8/19 Riverport Amphitheater St. Louis, MO
8/20 Sandstone Amphitheater Kansas City, MO
8/21 The Other Side Tulsa, Ok ** Meshuggah Only
8/24 Auto West Amphitheater Sacramento, CA
8/22 Pepsi/City Lights Denver, CO
8/25 Shoreline Amphitheater Mountain View, CA
8/27 The Gorge Seattle, WA
8/31 Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion San Bernardino, CA
9/2 Coors Amphitheatre - San Diego, CA
9/5 Cricket Pavilion Phoenix, AZ
9/7 Verizon Amphitheater San Antonio, TX
9/8 Smirnoff Amphitheater Dallas, TX
MESHUGGAH W/ Mushroomhead
8/16 Club Phenomenon Freeport, IL
8/18 Pig Pen Clinton, IA *w/Shadows Fall
8/23 DV8/X-Scape Salt Lake City, UT
TAPPING THE VEIN
8/17 Downtime New York, NY
8/18 Peabody's Down Under Cleveland, OH
8/19 Reverb Room Toronto, ONT
9/22 Jaxx Springfield, VA
9/23 Nine Twenty Nine Richmond, VA
9/25 Blue Cats Knoxville, TN
9/26 Exit Inn Nashville, TN w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
9/27 Peabodys Down Under Cleveland, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
9/29 Middle East Cambridge, MA w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/1 The Patio Indianapolis, IN w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/3 Peabodys Down Under Cleveland, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/4 Top Cats Cincinnati, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/5 Harpos Detroit, MI w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
2323 West El Segundo Blvd.
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Office Tel: (323) 418-1400
Fax: (323) 418-0118
http://www.nuclearblastusa.com
e-mail mail@nuclearblastusa.com
____________________________________________________________
*To Unsubscribe please reply to this e-mail with the subject: Remove
____________________________________________________________
NUCLEAR BLAST AMERICA NEWS
Darkane, The Defaced, Destruction, Dew-Scented, Helloween, In Flames, Kataklysm,
Sinergy, Sinner, Soilwork, Steel Prophet, Stratovarius, Tapping The Vein, Thunderstone, Warhammer
Table of Contents
1. Band News
2 . Release Schedule
3 . Tour Dates
Greetings,
Welcome to another exciting update from the world of Nuclear Blast. As you probably know we are in the midst of some amazing stuff here at NB starting with Meshuggah. Who would have ever thought that we, a little independent metal label, would ever have a band on Ozzfest? Their new disc, Nothing, that was released on August 6th shipped out more copies than any other disc in the history of Nuclear Blast America! And the first week SoundScans are shaping up to break some records as well. Then there is In Flames, out on tour with the legendary Slayer (with Dave Lombardo at the kit to boot). I personally can attest that at least the first 3 dates of the tour were amazing, the room might not have been packed yet, but those who were there to witness In Flames screamed, cheered and headbanged in acceptance. And with their new disc coming out in less than a month and a headlining North American tour to follow the Slayer tour they seem to be unstoppable.
So, its time get up outta your seat and watch proudly as independent metal breaks from the underground and rocks the hell out of the world. But dont just stand there and watch youve gotta join in this Bullet Ride.
Jill
_________________________
1. News
DARKANE - http://www.darkane.com
For Darkanes phenomenal 3rd effort, Expanding Senses, drums, vocals and mixing were done together with soon-to-be-legendary producer Daniel Bergstrand at Dug-Out Studios (Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, In Flames) in Uppsala, Sweden with guitars and bass recorded at the Darkane studio in Helsingborg. The sound is very brutal and fat, comments guitarist Christofer Malmström. The music feels much more alive than it did on Insanity. I think that the songs on Expanding Senses have everything that Insanity didnt have. Its more groovy. One song also features a guest vocal appearance by former singer Lawrence Mackrory. Andreas Sydow (vocals) is singing less death metal vocals and has more of a Chuck Billy style in his voice now, Malmström says. It fits the music better, but sometimes you will hear some very brutal death metal screams as well. The album is extremely varied. You will hear all kinds of songs, everything from heavy-as-hell to fast-as-fuck!
Darkane will be chatting online on August 28th at 2:00 PM EST. The web address is www.wallsoffire.com, so don't miss it! Expanding Senses arrives in stores on October 1st.
THE DEFACED - http://www.thedefaced.com
The Defaced entered Queenstreet Recording studios in Helsingbog, Sweden late last week to begin recording their second album, tentatively titled Karma in Black. The 11 new songs, being produced by Klas Ideberg (Darkane guitarist) and Rickard Larsson, will present a more fat, pounding and raw sound. The new material feels very good, according to the band, and follows in the vein of the melodic and hard-hitting, groovy tracks of Domination Commence. The Defaced are hyped and very excited about putting the tracks down and giving the metal heads a kick-ass album. The recording and mixing is expected to be finished in late September.
DESTRUCTION - http://www.destruction.de
Nuclear Blast recording artists Destruction will join Kreator (SPV) on a September/October tour of North America. The bands, who helped define the thrash metal scene in the 80s with classic albums like Infernal Overkill and Eternal Devastation (Destruction) and Terrible Certainty and Extreme Aggression (Kreator), have never toured North America together before. Cephalic Carnage (Relapse) and December (Earache) round out the bill.
Dubbed Hell Comes To Your Town, the pairing of these two bands is nothing short of a dream come true for thrash metal fans. The tour has already become legendary in the scene since it kicked off last December in Europe. North American fans have been eagerly waiting for their chance to experience two of the genres finest bands. After a short South American tour, Destruction storms American shores on September 12 at Club Krome in Morgan, NJ to begin a full North American tour.
Destruction are supporting their second album for Nuclear Blast, The Antichrist. The eleven tracks that comprise the album harkens even closer to the coveted 80s sound than their reunion album, 2000s outstanding All Hell Breaks Loose. The band knows their roots and exploits them to the fullest with destined-to-be classics like Bullets from Hell, Dictators of Cruelty and the thrash metal homage Thrash Til Death. The Antichrist will have you making room in your collection next to the classics from the 80s.
In September, total destruction will ensue as Hell Comes to Your Town. See dates below.
DEW-SCENTED - http://www.dew-scented.de
A few words from Dew-Scented:
Well, the last months have been pretty exciting for Dew-Scented, as we have played some great festivals such as Summer Rocks in Budapest, With Full Force (probably the biggest show in our band history so far!), as well as our first American show at Milwaukee Metalfest 2002. We actually just returned from the USA and we had an awesome time there! Thanks to everybody who hooked us up and helped us for the show - We had blast on stage and it was great to be able to make so many new friends over there! We would especially like to thank Rob Grohl & Milwaukee Metalfest, the whole great staff of Nuclear Blast America & Century Media Records, as well as the people we met, hung out and partied with: Misery Index, Arch Enemy, Silencer, Angel Dust, Jag Panzer, Macabre, Kataklysm, Tad Morose, Susperia, Onward and many others we got to know over there. We are definitely looking forward to coming back to North America sometime later in 2003 for a more extensive tour...so keep your eyes open
for that!!!
HELLOWEEN - http://www.helloween.org
Helloween are completing work on new songs in Hamburg, Germany in preparation for the recording, which begin at the end of August in vocalist Andi Deris Mi Sueono Studios in Tenerife, Spain. The as-yet-untitled disc will once again be produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who also recorded the most recent Blind Guardian as well as the upcoming HammerFall, Crimson Thunder. The successor to Helloweens highly acclaimed The Dark Ride will be released in early 2003.
IN FLAMES - http://www.inflames.com
In Flames are currently trekking across North America supporting Slayer on their H82K2 tour. The band have rehearsed 9 songs from their upcoming disc, Reroute to Remain, and are playing a different new song each night for the fans. Crowd response to In Flames has been amazing, as they turn on a new group of fans to their unique blend of metal. Be sure to check them out on a date near you, and stay tuned for details on a North American headlining tour beginning in mid-September. Reroute to Remain will hit stores on September 3rd.
In other news, guitarist Jesper Strömblad and bassist Peter Iwers recently added a new line to their resumes; they are now actors as well. The pair, joined by long time friends Fredrik Kreem (webmaster), Daniel Antonsson (Pathos, Dimension Zero) and Fredrik Johansson (guitarist/drummer, appears on The Jester Race), filling in for Daniel, Björn and Anders, preformed for an upcoming Swedish movie based on the book Till Sanningens Lov, written by Torgny Lindgren. The film will open in cinemas across Scandinavia in February 2003, and should be the biggest [Swedish] movies next year. You can check out pictures from the filming on the official In Flames website.
KATAKLYSM - http://www.kataklysm.net
Gearing up for the release of their next opus entitled Shadows & Dust, Kataklysm are out spreading the word by headlining the Death Across America tour. The tour kicked off at this years Milwaukee Metalfest and runs through August 24th at the Flying Machine in Lorain, Ohio. Be sure to catch the band as they storm through your town, and get ready for Shadows & Dust, which will be released on October 15.
SINERGY - http://www.sinergy.org
Frontwoman Kimberly Goss has been invited by Japan's leading hard rock/heavy metal publication Burrn! to start writing her own monthly column for the magazine. She will join Sebastian Bach, Paul Gilbert and Marty Friedman as the only four international artists to have their own monthly column in the magazine.
The search for a bassist has finally ended. Sinergy have recruited bassist Melanie Sisneros to permanently replace Marco Hietala, who departed to pursue Nightwish on a full-time basis. Melanie, who previously played in New Eden, will travel to Finland later this month to start rehearsing with Sinergy for their upcoming tours in autumn. Next spring Melanie will move to Finland from Los Angeles to start working with the band on their 4th studio album.
SINNER - http://sinner.rocks.de
The current incarnation of the long-running German act Sinner, Mat Sinner (vocals/bass, also in Primal Fear), Frank Rössler (keyboards), Fritz Randow (drums, Saxon), Henny Wolter (guitar) and Tom Naumann (guitar, ex-Primal Fear), have completed work on their new album, entitled There Will Be Execution. The disc, recorded at House of Music Studios in Winterbach, Germany, contains the following track listing:
1. Higher Level Of Violence
2. There Will Be Execution
3. Requiem For A Sinner
4. Locked & Loaded
5. Finalizer
6. The River
7. God Raises The Dead
8. Die On Command
9. Liberty Of Death
10. Black Monday
11. Crown Of Thorns
The band recently posted the following statement about the musical direction on the CD:
There will be riffs, power, drive and groove, endless enthusiasm, a lot of energy, and there will be execution! We promise the best guitar riffs Sinner have to offer in their long career, excellent world-class drumming by Fritz and outstanding lead guitars, courtesy of Tom and Henny.
Nuclear Blast America is looking towards an early 2003 release.
SOILWORK - http://www.soilwork.com
According to vocalist Speed Strid, the band have almost 4 or 5 songs ready for the next album. The sound is similar to Natural Born Chaos, but we are still developing to take Soilwork to the next level.
Soilwork will perform at the Summer Breeze festival in Germany on August 22-24 with fellow Nuclear Blast artists Dimmu Borgir and Hypocrisy. In October they head out on a full European tour supporting In Flames and Pain. We hope to bring them back to North America soon as well.
If you havent done so already, be sure to pick up a copy of Soilwork latest, Natural Born Chaos, available now, and catch the video for As We Speak currently airing on MTV2s Extreme Rock program as well as Much Music in the US and Canada. To make requests (and we urge you to do so) for MTV2 go to www.mtv.com/onair/mtv2/requests.jhtml. From there you can then fill in all of your information and proceed to make a request. For Much Music Canada go to muchmusic.com and then go to the Loud section. You can email all requests and comments to muchloud@muchmusic.com. For Much Music U.S.A., go to MMUSA.tv and click on the Uranium banner when it flashes by. You will go to a new screen. Hit the bottom color bar and that will launch the Uranium site. From there feel free to post to Julia all of your requests and comments. Show em all that the underground means business!
STEEL PROPHET - http://i.am/steelprophet
Steel Prophet have officially parted ways with vocalist Rick Mythiasin. The reason for the split is cited as musical and personal differences. Steel Prophet would like to wish Mythiasin all the best in his future musical endeavors. As for the future of Steel Prophet, bassist Vince Dennis says that the band is excited about the future and will continue on with a new vocalist as soon as possible. The bands fifth release for Nuclear Blast entitled Unseen will hit stores on September 17th. The album, which has been completed, will be the final release featuring Rick Mythiasin on vocals.
Vocalists that are interested in auditioning should contact Jeff Keller Management at jpkeller7@earthlink.net, or via mail at P.O. Box 485, Pollock Pines, CA 95726, USA.
STRATOVARIUS - http://www.stratovarius.com
Stratovarius began the mixing of their 9th studio album, entitled Elements Part I, at Finnvox studios in Helsinki, Finland. The band have been busy at work in the studio since March and the project is expected to be completed by mid September. Elements Part I will be released in early 2003 followed by a full world wide tour.
TAPPING THE VEIN - http://www.tappingthevein.com
Hot off the heals of their North American tour with Kings X, Tapping the Vein are currently out on a headlining run through the East (check the tour dates below). Fans of The Gathering, Lacuna Coil, Tiamat or non-metal fare like The Kidney Thieves or Garbage would be doing themselves a favor by checking out Tapping the Veins incredible debut release The Damage.
THUNDERSTONE - http://www.thunderstone.org
Thunderstones debut release, simply titled Thunderstone, is available in stores now. The disc, recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, was produced and engineered by guitarist Nino Laurenne. To insure a great mix that captured the intense power of Thunderstone, the band went to Mikko Karmila (Amorphis, Children of Bodom, The Black League) at famed Finnvox Studios (Sentenced, Moonspell, Stratovarius). The resulting album is sure to add ten tracks to the annals of Finnish metal that will be remembered for years to come. Well-known German artist Thomas Ewerhard (Hypocrisy, Sodom, Destruction) encapsulated the music with engaging artwork that completes the Thunderstone package. Fans in need of a Finnish prog/power fix neednt wait until Stratovarius returns next year, get your copy of Thunderstone now!
WARHAMMER
While most of the metal scene left their 80s roots behind, especially as the 21st Century drew closer, Warhammer stands as one of the few exceptions. For Curse of the Absolute Eclipse, their first domestic release, Warhammer have turned up the speed 20 notches resulting in a grinding concoction of aggression and brutality patterned after the death-doom template hammered out by Hellhammer way back in 84. Pick up a copy today.
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2. Release Schedule
August 20
V/A Beauty In Darkness Vol. 5 CD and DVD
September 3
In Flames Reroute to Remain
September 17
Steel Prophet Unseen
October 1
Darkane Expanding Senses
October 15
Kataklysm Shadows & Dust
October 29
HammerFall Crimson Thunder
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3. Tour dates
DESTRUCTION W/ Kreator, Cephalic Carnage, December
9/12 Krome - South Amboy, NJ
9/13 Lamour - Brooklyn, NY
9/14 Jarrods - Attleboro, MA
9/15 The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
9/16 Foufounes Electriques Montreal, QU
9/17 The Reverb - Toronto, ON
9/18 Emerson Theater Indianapolis, IN
9/19 Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
9/20 Harpos - Detroit, MI
9/21 Rock House - Aurora, IL
9/22 The Lab - St. Paul, MN
9/26 Studebakers Vancouver, BC
9/27 Graceland - Seattle, WA
9/30 Galaxy Theater Santa Ana, CA
10/1 Key Club Los Angeles, CA
10/3 Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
10/4 The Castle - Las Vegas, NY
10/5 The Mason Jar - Phoenix, AZ
10/6 Launch Pad - Albuquerque, NM
10/7 Canyon Club - Dallas, TX
10/9 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
10/10 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/11 Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
10/12 Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
10/13 Jaxx - Springfield, VA
10/14 Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
10/15 The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
IN FLAMES W/ Slayer, Soulfly
8/15 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
8/16 MId Hudson Civic Center Poughkeepsie, NY
8/17 Palladium Worcester, MA
8/18 Nation Washington, DC
8/20 Nautica Cleveland, OH
8/21 Promowest Pavilion Columbus, OH
8/22 Phoenix Center Pontiac, MI
8/23 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL
8/24 The Other Side Tulsa, OK
8/25 Canyon Club Dallas, TX ** In Flames Only
8/26 Sunset Station San Antonio, TX
8/27 Villa Real McAllen, TX
8/28 Concrete Street Corpus Christi, TX
8/30 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
8/31 Norva Theater Norfolk, VA
9/1 Armory High Syracuse, NY
9/3 L'agora Du Vieux Port Quebec City, QUE
9/4 Jarry Indoor Tennis Center Montreal, QUE
9/5 Hershey Center MIssissauga, ONT
9/7 Roy Wilkins Auditorium St. Paul, MN
9/10 Shaw Conference Center Edmonton, AB
9/11 Calgary Stampede Corral Calgary, ONT
9/13 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC
9/14 Paramount Theater Seattle, WA
9/15 Roseland Theater Portland, WA
IN FLAMES w/ Sentenced, Lacuna Coil, Killswitch Engage
9/16 Slims San Francisco, CA
9/17 Glasshouse Pomona, CA
9/18 Bash On Ash Tempe, AZ
9/20 Fox Theater Boulder, CO
9/21 Bottleneck Lawerence, KS
9/22 The Rave Milwaukee, WI
9/23 I-Rock Detroit, MI
9/24 Agora Ballroom Cleveland, OH
9/25 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
9/26 Jaxx W. Springfield, VA
9/27 Birch Hill Old Bridge, NJ
9/28 Lupos Providence, RI
KATAKLYSM On Death Across America
8/15 Groundzero - Spartanburg, SC
8/16 Creepy Crawl - St. Louis, MO
8/17 Rileys Aurora, IL
8/18 The Lab St. Paul, MN
8/20 Jaxx Springfield, VA
8/21 Nine Twenty Nine Richmond, VA
8/22 Obsessions Randolph, NJ
8/23 Lamour Brooklyn, NY
8/24 Flying Machine - Lorain, OH
MESHUGGAH On Ozzfest
8/15 Nissan Pavilion - Bristow, VA
8/17 Float-Rite Park Somerset, WI
8/19 Riverport Amphitheater St. Louis, MO
8/20 Sandstone Amphitheater Kansas City, MO
8/21 The Other Side Tulsa, Ok ** Meshuggah Only
8/24 Auto West Amphitheater Sacramento, CA
8/22 Pepsi/City Lights Denver, CO
8/25 Shoreline Amphitheater Mountain View, CA
8/27 The Gorge Seattle, WA
8/31 Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion San Bernardino, CA
9/2 Coors Amphitheatre - San Diego, CA
9/5 Cricket Pavilion Phoenix, AZ
9/7 Verizon Amphitheater San Antonio, TX
9/8 Smirnoff Amphitheater Dallas, TX
MESHUGGAH W/ Mushroomhead
8/16 Club Phenomenon Freeport, IL
8/18 Pig Pen Clinton, IA *w/Shadows Fall
8/23 DV8/X-Scape Salt Lake City, UT
TAPPING THE VEIN
8/17 Downtime New York, NY
8/18 Peabody's Down Under Cleveland, OH
8/19 Reverb Room Toronto, ONT
9/22 Jaxx Springfield, VA
9/23 Nine Twenty Nine Richmond, VA
9/25 Blue Cats Knoxville, TN
9/26 Exit Inn Nashville, TN w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
9/27 Peabodys Down Under Cleveland, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
9/29 Middle East Cambridge, MA w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/1 The Patio Indianapolis, IN w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/3 Peabodys Down Under Cleveland, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/4 Top Cats Cincinnati, OH w/ Impotent Sea Snakes
10/5 Harpos Detroit, MI w/ Impotent Sea Snakes