30th May

ProgPower - UK Edition

For the first time ever, the successful 'ProgPower' festival franchise is coming to the United Kingdom. Recognising an upturn in the popularity of Progressive and Power metal here over the last few years, and offering a brand-new venue with unrivalled facilities and at a time of year not already over-subscribed with other metal festivals, we intend to do our European and US counterparts proud. With Therion, Threshold, Freedom Call, Orphaned Land & Firewind already confirmed, and two more bands to be announced, we hope to make this festival a great success.

Located at 'The centaur' - a unique indoor arena venue at Cheltenham in the UK, with excellent rail, road, and air links, only 2 hours drive from London, a massive 20m x 13m stage, and free all-day parking when you get there, ProgPower is like no other UK festival.

Tickets for the event go on sale from June 6th priced at £33 + £2.50 booking fee and the first 100 tickets sold will automatically entitle the holder to become Platinum Pass holders with exclusive benefits. Details on how to buy tickets and further information on the festival can be found at  www.progpoweruk.com.

30th May

Sebastian Bach To Rock Dudley

To coincide with upcoming performances at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival and the Demolition Ball, former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach, has confirmed details of a one off headline club date of his own in Dudley. The gig takes place on Wednesday 22nd June 2005 at JB's. Support for the show comes from Tigertailz, featuring Kim Hooker, Jay Pepper & Pepsi Tate.

Tickets for the show are priced at £15 and details of how to obtain them can be found at www.jbsdudley.co.uk/

Further information on the show can also be found via www.rpm-promotions.com

30th May

Cradle Of Filth Line Up UK Tour & DVD

Cradle of Filth have lined up a comprehensive UK tour during December. The confirmed dates for the trek are:

Dec 1st - Southampton Guildhall
Dec 2nd - Norwich UEA
Dec 3rd - London The Forum
Dec 5th - CCardiff University
December 6th - Birmingham Academy
December 8th - Glasgow Academy
December 9th - Newcastle Academy
December 10th - Leeds University
December 11th - Manchester Academy
December 12th - Nottingham Rock City

The band are currently putting together the as-yet-untitled live DVD, which was filmed over two sold out shows in Paris on April 2nd-3rd, 2005. The DVD will also include extra behind-the-scene's footage spanning the last 3 years of the bands ghoulish whereabouts. It will also feature promotional videos and exclusive band interviews and other extras. the DVD is currently scheduled for an October release.

30th May

Frontiers Release Further Details ABout Upcoming New Journey Album

Frontiers records have released more information with regards to the upcoming release of the new Journey album, 'Generations'.  The album will feature thirteen new tracks, with writing credits spread between all of the members. The detailed track listing is as follows with writing credits shown in brackets:

Faith In The Heartland (Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon & Steve Augeri)
The Place In Your Heart  (Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon)
A Better Life - Lead Vocals Deen Castronovo (Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon)
Every Generation - Lead Vocals Jonathan Cain (Jonathan Cain)
Butterfly -She Flies Alone (Steve Augeri)
Believe (Steve Augeri)
Knowing That You Love Me (Jonathan Cain)
Out Of Harms Way (Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon)
Self-Defense -Lead Vocals Neal Schon (Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon)
Better Together (Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon & Steve Augeri)
Gone Crazy - Lead vocals Ross Valory (Jonathan Cain, Kim Tribble & Neal Schon)
Beyond the Clouds (Neal Schon & Steve Augeri).
It's Never Too Late -Lead Vocals Deen Castronovo) (Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon & Jack Blades)

Frontiers Records will be releasing the first pressings of the album as a limited edition ecolbook version which will feature exclusive band pictures and an enlarged booklet. The album will also include an electronic press kit as an interactive bonus which includes footage of the recording session.

“Generations” will be released on Frontiers Records in Europe on August the 29th

30th May

Sonic X Choose Producer

Z Records artists Sonic X have hired Warren Cooper to co-produce and engineer the follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled debut CD. Cooper co-engineered the Sonic X debut CD and this time will have a bigger role in the overall recording and production of the new record, which is slated for release in the autumn of 2005. The band is thrilled to be working with Warren as he brings a lot of creative ideas to the sessions".

25th May

Edguy Plan New EP & DVD

German power metal band Edguy are currently hard at work in the studio recording five new tracks for what will be a new EP, entitled 'Superheroes' due for release in September.

Produced by Sascha Paeth at the Gates Studio in Wolfsburg, none of the featured songs will be found on any future albums, with the exception of the title track itself. With regard to the material vocalist Tobias Sammet comments: “Working with Sascha is incredibly refreshing. The new shit kicks ass, sounds cheeky at times but always fresh. An up to date production, still pompous and big. ... On the EP there will be five songs, one is gonna be an overlong up-tempo epic track, which we are maybe gonna invite some of my Avantasia-buddies for to share some vocals with me. This would suit this song so damn well, so it’s a must. That being said: We won’t need to hype it as an all-star super project, there have been much too many already anyway. And I think the stuff is strong enough to speak for itself.”

Edguy also plan on releasing their first ever DVD in Spetember featuring different material than what’s going to be found on the EP. Besides the video-clip of “Superheroes” the DVD will feature various live-tracks in 5.1 sound filmed at their show in Sao Paulo during their world tour 2004, when the band flew their whole big stage over to Brazil. Furthermore there will be a lot of never-before-seen “behind-the-scenes” footage. In fact, they have a camera team filming their recording sessions of the forthcoming EP and album right now.

The band explains: “You asked for it, so we do it! It will be some kind of a ‘special-item’ for our fans and ourselves to 'soothe the wait' for the new album. We will keep you updated on the plans. At this point our record label is considering changing the release date for the EP and DVD to September 5th. No problem for us, we are working at full tilt anyway. And it’s all feeling so great!”

Edguy will be playing live in the UK at this years Bloodstock Open Air Festival, Catton Hall in Derbyshire on June 25th

25th May

'A' Hit The Road Again

Although they are just completing their current UK tour, British rockers A have lined up another series of dates in October. So far the following shows have been confirmed:

Oct 4th - Glasgow Garage
Oct 7th - Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
Oct 8th - Bristol Anson Rooms
Oct 11th - Southampton University
Oct 12th - London Astoria

The band are due to release their new album, 'Teen Dance Ordinance' through Warner Brothers on 4th July. The album is likely to feature the following track listing:

Rush Song, Better Off With Him, The Art Of Making Sense, Someone Else, Die Tonight, 2nd Coming, Wake Up, Black Hole, Hey, Worst Thing That Can Happen, Afterburner and Wisdom

The album will be preceded by the release of a new single, in the shape of 'Better off With Him', which will be available from the end of June

25th May

Quiet Riot Press Release

24th May

Sheffield Rock Festival Update

An update on yesterdays story regarding the Sheffield Rock Festival that was due to take place on May 29th- with thanks to Pete Lakin of Double Cross

"The event, with headliners 'Statetrooper' will still be taking place this Sunday 29th of May but without some of the artists originally announced.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the originally billed "Sheffield Rock Festival" had several communication breakdowns between the promoter & the bands involved....This has been frustrating for all acts involved & several artists have had no other choice but to pull out.

Both Pride & Rocket have already made announcements concerning their withdrawal from the show, however 'Statetrooper' will still headline the evening with support coming from 'Deadline' & 'Double Cross'. (The three acts originally billed)

This will be Statetrooper's last UK gig before appearing at the "Sweden Rock Festival" in June. Deadline are keen to unleash their new line up,featuring vocalist Dale Radcliffe, on an unsuspecting crowd after their debut appearances with Soul SirkUS & and at Primed V went down a storm. Double Cross are also keen to impress after their recent UK stints with both Danger Danger & Dokken during April."

With the promotion for this show now completely in the hands of the three bands appearing, they are hoping for as much support as possible from the fans to make the event as successful as is possible. Tickets for the show, priced at only £8 are available direct from the Sheffield Boardwalk, who can be contacted on  (0114) 279 9090 or alternatively via the venue's website at www.theboardwalklive.co.uk. All tickets bought previously for this show are also still valid.

Doors open at 7.30pm and the set times for each of the three bands are as follows:

23rd May

Pride & Rocket Pull Out Of Sheffield Rock Festival

Both Pride & Rocket have pulled out of the Sheffield Rock Festival that is due to place on Sunday 29th May at the Boardwalk in Sheffield.

Citing insufficient communication from the organizers of the show Rocket have made the following announcement on their website with regard to their decision to withdraw from the show "Never treating the decision to pull out of a performance lightly, the band nevertheless feel that there has been insufficient communication from the organisers, leading to concerns regarding the likelihood of the event. They would, however, like to point out that this decision has nothing to do with the other bands slated to perform at the event, or indeed the venue itself; the band wish them all well, and would certainly welcome the opportunity to work with any of them in the future. Our apologies to any of our fans who intended to join us at the event."
 

Bass player Simon Farmery of Brighton based melodic rockers Pride said the following in respect of his bands announcement that they would not now be appearing at the festival "We are very disappointed to have to pull out of this show, but circumstances totally beyond our control forced us to review our position. We thought it would be an ideal opportunity to show our fans what we can really do after our shortened set at the Firefest show. We are sorry to any of our fans who were going to turn up to the show expecting us to play".

Current indications seem to suggest that three of the remaining bands on the bill, headliners Statetrooper, Deadline & Double Cross are pressing ahead with the show without the involvement of the original promoter. More news as we get it...

23rd May

The Darkness Split With Bassist

British rockers The Darkness have parted company with bassist Frankie Poullain.  In a statement on their website The Darkness have cited the usual  'musical differences' as the reason for the split and confirm that they will be announcing a replacement for Poullain over the coming months

23rd May

Def Leppard Confirm Title & Release Date of Covers Album

In a posting on their official website, Def leppard have confirmed that their covers album will be release with the title 'Yeah!' The album is currently scheduled to be released worldwide on September 20th of this year.

Whilst the title and release date of the album has been announced, what is still to be finalised is the exact track listing of the CD. Leppard have recorded over twenty songs that could make the final cut. The songs in the can and under consideration for Yeah! are:

10538 Overture (original by ELO)
20th Century Boy (original by T-Rex)
Don't Believe A Word (original by Thin Lizzy)
Drive In Saturday (original by David Bowie)
Hanging On The Telephone (original by Blondie)
Hellraiser (original by Sweet)
He's Gonna Step On You Again (original by John Kongos)
No Matter What (original by Badfinger)
Little Bit Of Love (original by Free)
Rock On (original by David Essex)
Stay With Me (original by The Faces)
Street Life (original by Roxy Music)
The Golden Age Of Rock & Roll (original by Mott The Hoople)
Waterloo Sunset (original by The Kinks)
American Girl (original by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
Heartbeat (original by Jobriath)
How Does It Feel (original by Slade)
Kick Out The Jams (original by MC5)
Roxanne (original by The Police)
Dear Friends (original by Queen)
When I'm Dead And Gone (original by McGuinness Flint)
Winter Song (original by Lindisfarne)

23rd May

THE BLACK LEAGUE NEVER DIES - NEW ALBUM WITH NEW LINE-UP IN THE MAKING

Finland’s Hard Rock outsiders The Black League are currently recording their fourth full-length album at Seawolf Studios in Helsinki. The band has undergone some major line-up changes during the last few months resulting in the departure of both drummer ”Sir” Kimmo Luttinen and basist Mikko ”Florida” Laurila. Relocated in Helsinki, old-time Sentenced vocalist Taneli Jarva (’92-’96) and guitar player Maike Valanne have drafted a solid body of serious players in their team to keep the name and flame of The League alive - quite contrary to the numerous rumours that circulated around the band’s presumed disbanding. Once again, ”the rumours of our death are greatly exagerrated!” Original guitar player Alexi Ranta can be heard on the new album as a guest lead guitarist on one song, while the rest of the old line-up will carry on under the name The Perforators back in the White Town , Oulu.

To make a fresh start downright crude, The Black League terminated all cooperation with their former record label Spinefarm and have recently signed a contract with indie visionaries WolfGang Records/MajorLeidén Productions, home for the likes of Hanoi Rocks, Wigwam, Blake and The Grammers. Their new album, tentatively entitled ”A Place Called Bad” is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2005 and will continue the Black League legacy with no intention whatsoever to call it an eve.

The Black League is:

T. Jarva - Vocals
Maike Valanne - Guitar
Heavy Hiltunen - Bass
Rale - Drums, Percussion
I.T. - Bass Guitar

20th May

Brian Howe SIgns With MTM

Brian Howe, ex lead singer with veteran rock band Bad Company, has inked a deal with MTM Records to record and release a new solo album. In a statement on the MTM website Brian Howe's comment on his new album:

"This is the record I have been wanting to make for many years.......No more "I love you" songs........."now I don't like you"..........and there will be injuries !!! Drawing from a lot of my influences but adding a cutting modern edge that if played loud will damage furniture !! No holds barred aggressive back to the roots rock n roll that will make you want to use your head as a bowling ball !!! Bluesy roots rock with more than just a twist of hate. Ever been angry ?? Then this is the record for you. This collection of songs is a punch in the face for wimp rock !! This record will come with a health warning........failure to observe will result in bodily injury."

Managing director Mario Lehmann / MTM Music enthuses about the signing: "Welcome on board my longtime hero Mr. Brian Howe! I’m a devoted fan of Bad Company" since they have started and my collection includes every Bad Company album. I think that Brian Howe was the best singer and songwriter the band ever had.”

20th May

Amen Reschedule UK Tour Dates, Release Live Album

American band Amen have rescheduled the UK tour dates they were recently forced to cancel due to an injury to singer Casey Chaos. The rearranged dates are now as follows:

July 08th - Rugely Red Rose
July 11th - Wrexham Central Station
July 13th - Glasgow QMU
July 14th - Aberdeen Kef
July 16th - Nottingham Rock City
July 18th - Leicester Charlotte
July 19th - Manchester Academy
July 21st - Sheffield Corporation
July 22nd - Newcastle Legends
July 23rd - Leeds Cockpit
July 25th - Bristol Bierkeller
July 26th - Southampton Nexus
July 28th - Milton Keynes Pitz
July 29th - Tunbridge Wells Forum

To coincide with the trek the band will also be releasing a new, live album on May 30th. The album entitled 'Gun Of A Preacher Man' was recorded at Manchester Academy in 2003 and features the following track listing:

Coma America, Refuse Amen, Justified, Piss Virus, Buy American, Whores Of Hollywood, D.R.I.V.E., The Waiting 18, Mayday, Gun Of A Preacherman, CK Killer, Price Of Reality, Under The Robe and Here's The Poison

The band will also release a live DVD on June 13th entitled 'Caught In The Act'

20th May

Opeth Sign To Roadrunner, Announce Trio of UK Shows

Opeth have confirmed details of a trio of UK shows that will take place in September. The Swedish outfit will play Birmingham Academy 2 on Sept 6th, Manchester University on Sept 7th before wrapping up the mini tour at London's mean Fiddler on Sept 8th.

In other Opeth news the band are reported (according to MTV.com) to have inked a new record deal with Roadrunner Records for the release of their eighth studio album that is due to be released in the autumn. Song titles set for inclusion on the new album include Ghost of Tradition," "The Baying of the Hounds" and "Isolation Years."

20th May

Stratovarius/Hammerfall Team Up For European Tour

According to Blabbermouth.net power metal heroes Stratovarious and Hammerfall are joining forces for a co-headlining European Tour in the autumn. At present the only UK date confirmed for the trek will take place at London Camden Palace on November 7th.

Stratovarious will be releasing their new, self-titled album in Spetember through Sanctuary Records. Hammerfall are touring in support of their recent Chapter V album and of course are already confirmed to play at this years Bloodstock festival in Derby on September 2nd

20th May

Chimaira Confirm Album Details

Chimaira have confirmed the track listing for their upcoming third studio album, due through Roadrunner Records later this year. The album, which will be called simply Chimaira will feature the following songs:

Nothing Remains, Save Ourselves, Inside The Horror, Salvation, Comatose, Left For Dead, Everything You Love, Bloodlust, Pray For All and Lazarus

The band, who are currently hard at work in the UK mixing the album alongside Colin Richardson, will play take time out from finishing off the record to appear at this years Download Festival on June 11th and also to play three headline shows of their own at London Camden Underworld on June 14th, Oxford Zodiac on June 15th and Colchester Arts Centre on June 16th

20th May

Tony Mills Releases New Solo Album

Tony Mills, vocalist with British rockers Shy, has a new solo album out, that initially is only available to buy through the internet via www.Heavyrock.co.uk or through his official website at www.tonymills.net. The CD, entitled 'Freeway To The Afterlife' features nine new songs and clocks in at forty seven minutes in length.

The full track listing for the record, which was two years in the making, is as follows:

Salvation In The City, Somebody Up There, The Healer, Don't Hurt Me Anymore, Sensational, Revelation, Airwaves, Gemini and Freeway To The Afterlife

19th May

Megadeth

Megadeth will release a new greatest hits packahe through EMI records on June 27th.  Enititled 'Back To The Start' thje album will feature seventeen tracks as chosen by fans of the band via a  poll on the band's official website, www.megadeth.com,

The limited edition CD/DVD package is also expanded to include approximately 40 minutes of video content, including a new Mega-Mix music video for "Kill The King," edited from past music videos and behind the scenes footage, seven previously unreleased live performance cuts from the band's 1999 Risk tour, and a preview for the forthcoming 2-DVD set, Arsenal Of Megadeth which will be released this autumn, Arsenal Of Megadeth is a new career anthology including videos, live performances, interviews and Dave Mustaine's home movies of the band on the road.

The full track listing for the audio portion of the 'Back To The Start' package is as follows:

Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, In My Darkest Hour, Peace Sells, Sweating Bullets, Angry Again, A Tout Le Monde, Trust, Kill The King, Symphony Of Destruction, Mechanix (2002 Remix), Train Of Consequences, Wake Up Dead, Hangar 18, Dread And The Fugitive Mind, Skin O' My Teeth, She-Wolf and Prince Of Darkness.

The DVD will feature the following cuts:

Kill The King Mega-Mix video, Prince Of Darkness, Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, In My Darkest Hour, Hangar 18, Sweating Bullets, Symphony Of Destruction, Peace Sells and a previews for 'Arsenal Of Megadeth'

Megadeth play the main stage at the Download Festival at Donington Park on Friday June 10th

19th May

Allen/Lande

Frontiers Records have announced details regarding the upcoming album from Symphony X's Russell Allen and Masterplan's Jorn Lande. Entitled  “The Battle”, the album is currently scheduled to be released on September 19th.

With songs written by Last Tribe and Starbreaker guitar sensation Magnus Karlsson and with  production courtesy of the Scandinavian studio wizard Anders "Theo" Theander (Pain of Salvation, Last Tribe, Urban Tale), the two monster vocalists unite for the first time unite on  a  record that could have been forged in the fires of mayhem!

Since 1995 Russell Allen has been the singer of  American Prog-Metal band Symphony X, and has released six studio records and one live album. Jorn Lande is the current vocalist with Masterplan and has a vocal capability that is world class, distinctive, rich and spans a huge range. Lande has been in high demand since he appeared on albums by bands such as Millenium, Ark, The Snakes and many others. He is also released three solo albums throughout his career, since the debut "Starfire" in 1999.

The cover artwork for 'The Battle' was specifically designed for the project by  Rodney Matthews, the legendary artist renowned for creating artwork for Magnum's "On A Storyteller's Night", Diamond Head's "Borrowed Time", Asia's "Aqua" and "Arena", Praying Mantis' "Time Tells No Lies" and many others.

18th May

Foo Fighters - new Album Details

The Foo Fighters have announced full details of the track listing for their new album, entitled 'In Your Honour' that is scheduled to be released via RCA on June 13th.

The package will be a double CD that is half rock and half acoustic. According to mainman Dave Grohl the album title was inspired by his time spent on the campaign trail with US Democrat presidential challenger John Kerry.

The full track listing for 'In Your Honour' is as follows:

Disc 1
In Your Honor, No Way Back, Best Of You, DOA, Hell, The Last Song, Free Me, Resolve, The Deepest Blues Are Back, End Over End and The Sign

Disc 2
Still, What If I Do, Miracle, Another Round, Friend Of A Friend, Over ‘N’ Out, On The Mend, Virginia Moon, Cold Day In The Sun and Razor

The Foo Fighters headline the Carling Weekend at Reading & Leeds on August 27th & 28th as well as playing the T In The Park Festival at Kinross in Scotland on 9th July

17th May

Statetrooper Announce new Bassist

Statetrooper, the band featuring former MSG singer Gary Barden have announced details of their new bassist. Joining the band is Gavin Cooper, who replaces Tony O'Hara who has helped the band out in recent months. In a statement via their website (www.statetrooper.co.uk) the band had the following to say about the addition of Cooper.

"Statetrooper are pleased to welcome new bass player Gavin Cooper to the band. Gavin has replaced our great mate Tony O'Hora who came in and helped us out for a few months and we would just like to say a big thank you to him for giving of his time in the the middle of his very hectic schedule. Gavin, who has previously been in Paul D'Ianno's Killers, Passion, Battlezone and Lionsheart, will play his first gig with the band at The Cartoon , Croydon, on 26th May as part of the preparation for The Sheffield Rock Festival and Sweden Rock."

As mentioned above the band play The Cartoon in Croydon on 26th May before heading north to headline the Sheffield Rock Festival on 29th May at the Boardwalk in Sheffield. Also playing the festival will be Pride, Deadline, Double Cross, Lost Weekend & Rocket.

17th May

Raging Speedhorn Lose Singer

On the eve of releasing their new album 'How The Great have Fallen' through SPV on May 23rd and heading off on a UK tour that will include an appearance at this years Download Festival Raging Speedhorn have announced that they are parting ways with lead singer Frank Regan. An official press release form the band made the following comments on the split::

"With Raging Speedhorn still being one of Britain's hardest working bands, Frank no longer feels able to commit fully to the rigorous schedule, and has taken the difficult decision to leave the band. John, Darren, Gareth, Gordon and Jay fully respect and back Frank’s decision to deal with private issues and spend more time with his wife and child."

A temporary replacement for Regan has been found in the shape of one time Hard To Swallow/Iron Monkey /Helvis vocalist Bloody Kev.

The band's new album 'How The Great have Fallen', which was recorded under the auspices of  Queens Of The Stone Age associate Joe Baresi, features the following track listing: A Different Shade of Shit, Oh How The Great Have Fallen, Dead Man Walking, Master Of Disaster, Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory, How Much Can A Man take, Fuck You Pay Me, Slay The Coward, The Infidel Is Dead and Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down.

The band play the following UK shows in support of the album release the UK throughout May & June:

May 27th - Bar Academy Birmingham
May 28th - Glasgow Barfly
May 29th - Manchester Roadhouse
May 30th - York Fibbers
May 31st - Liverpool Barfly
June 1st - London Barfly
June 2nd - Cardiff Barfly
June 5th - Merthyr Tydfil Rhydycar Leisure Center

16th May

Frontiers Records Update & Press Release

Terra Nova

Echoing the title of one of the eighties’ seminal recordings, the all new Terra Nova album is entitled ‘Escape’ and will include the following tracks:
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll; Rock Bottom; Hold the Line; Heaven Knows; Escape; War on War; You are the One; Sole Survivor; Lonely is the Night; Back in the Eighties; Part of the Game and Yesterday.

Music samples of the album have been posted already on the Frontiers Records website in the Multimedia Section.

16th May

Whitesnake Get New Bassist & Plan DVD Release

Whitesnake have also lined up the release of a live DVD and CD package recorded last year at Hammersmith Apollo in London. Fans can get their first glimpse of this extraordinary concert event when this special package is released early July on Coming Home Studios/Universal.

11th May

Jeff Scott Soto Solo Tour

Hot on the heels of the recently completed Soul Sirkus tour, frontman Jeff Scott Soto will be returning to the UK for a series of solo live shows in early September. The dates so far confirmed for this trek are:

1st September - London Camden Underworld
2nd September - Birmingham The Shed
3rd September - Nottingham Rock City
4th September - Manchester The Witchwood

11th May

Deadline Announce New Singer

Deadline, having just parted company with long time vocalist Steve Lunn, have wasted no time in recruiting a new singer into the fold. The man behind the mike will be Dale Radcliffe, formerly of Tikaboo Peak. Guitarist Andy Lindsay commented that "We threw him in at the deep end last night at the Soul Sirkus Sheffield show. The guy is awesome. I'm sure everyone will be impressed". As well as blooding the new singer at the Soul Sirkus gig Deadline also managed to debut a new song the revamped line-up had been working on and Lindsay goes on to say that the new line up are "gonna aim at a more hard edged sound with him. Still keep the melody, but with a more contemporary sound. I guess time will tell."

Dale Radcliffe

Deadline will be showcasing the line-up at two more gigs during May. The band headline the Primed V Festival at Rotherham HLC on May 14th and then go onto to play the Night of Rock with Statetrooper, Pride, Rocket, Lost Weekend & Double Cross at the Boardwalk in Sheffield on May 29th.

10th May

Iron Maiden To Release New Live DVD/CD

To coincide with their headline appearances at this years Reading & Leeds festivals British heavy metal legends iron Maiden will be releasing a double live DVD/CD package on August 29th through EMI Records. Entitled 'Death On The Road' the album and DVD will document the bands 2003 Dance of Death tour.

The show was filmed at the Westfalenhalle Arena, Dortmund, Germany during the Dance of Death European Tour in December 2003 and fully captures the magnificent stage production and electricity of the band’s performance. Steve Harris once again took weeks personally editing the footage and like Rock in Rio this means thousands of cuts right into the heart of the action.

Says Steve Harris, “The shows on that tour were perhaps far more theatrical than some of our recent tours so it has a very different feel than that of, say, Rock in Rio which was a massive festival environment. The 115 minute show was originally filmed by VIVA TV in Germany to broadcast across their national TV network a few days afterwards. However TV and DVD are always very different mainly owing to the time restrictions. So we’ve spent time starting from the bare bones to create a full length concert feature that captures the excitement of the show but also the drama as well. I think when people see songs like Paschendale and Dance Of Death they’ll be blown away by the spectacle. At the same time there are some great moments in Journeyman that I think will surprise a few people. Iron Maiden with acoustic guitars?! I’m really happy with the end result as it captures the dark and lighter moments perfectly.”

The album and PCM Stereo / 5.1 Surround sound for the DVD has been mixed and produced by Kevin ‘Caveman’ Shirley and co-produced, as always, by Steve Harris.

The Double DVD also features a full 70-minute documentary directed by Matthew Amos charting the album’s creation and then subsequent preparations for the following tour. The feature length program includes candid and personal footage of the band during the recording and writing of the album, which is the first time it’s ever been filmed.

Says Manager Rod Smallwood, “The documentary is something quite special for the fans as it really is a very revealing portrait of how Maiden work together recording and it took me hours to persuade them to let the cameras in the recording studio. Previously they’d never allowed any of that to be filmed but this time we decided to have a camera floating around to try and capture the Maiden recording process. A lot of it was filmed by the Kevin Shirley and the band themselves. I think it’s a great representation of the talent, effort and humour of a Maiden recording session. The documentary also covers what it takes to set up a major World Tour and has various interviews with our Killer Krew and hopefully it will be as insightful and interesting as the well received Early Days documentary footage.

“As usual we have crammed as much as possible into the DVD’s with a host of extras including all of the promo videos from the album, footage of the band performing in South America, background interviews with members of the production crew and fans along the tour, artwork and photo galleries. Many hours of Maiden mayhem.

“Like Rock in Rio we have again decided to release a DVD and CD. Those who have DVD players will presumably opt for the DVD but we wanted to ensure all fans could get at least the audio of this tour and many countries of the World do not have widespread capacity to play DVDs.”

The full set list from the show is:

Wildest Dreams, Wrathchild, Can I Play With Madness, The Trooper, Dance Of Death, Rainmaker, Brave New World, Paschendale, Lord of The Flies, No More Lies, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Fear Of The Dark, Iron Maiden, Journeyman, The Number Of The Beast & Run To The Hills.

10th May

Vain

Vain, who tour the UK for the first time in over fifteen years later this month, will have a new CD available to purchase at the gigs. The album, entitled 'On The Line' features ten new scorching tracks produced and recorded by Davy and the Band. "This new CD encompasses all of the elements that fans have grown to expect from Vain's music: Pure, raw energy, emotion and attitude," says Jamie Scott.

The new CD will be produced entirely in Davy's recording studio, The Groove Room. The Groove Room features one of the most highly desired vintage microphone, compressor and outboard gear collections around. As Davy puts it, "I've always had a thing for the vibe and sound of classic recordings of the 60's and 70's." Jamie's take on recording at The Groove Room, "I think it's just been a natural progression of Davy's to aquire the vintage equipment that has produced some of the best sounding recordings of all time and at the same time create an environment that allows him capture his music on his terms. The Groove Room is an extension of that."

Vain play the following dates in the UK this month:

21st May - Nottingham Rock City
22nd May - Bradford Rios
24th May - Dudley JBs
25th May - Hull The Welly
27th May - London Mean Fiddler

10th May

Sum 41

Sum 41 hit the UK for a trio of live dates during July.  The band, who are touring in support of their latest album 'Chuck' ,which was released in October last year through island records, have confirmed the following shows:

5th July - Glasgow Barrowlands
6th July - Manchester University
7th July - London Astoria

10th May

Quireboys

The Quireboys have lined up a short UK & European tour during June. As well as playing dates in Italy & Spain the band have announced details of four UK dates and these are as follows:

17th June - Whitehaven Civic Hall
18th June - South Shields Amphitheatre
19th June - Edinburgh Exchange
24th June - Harlow Square

10th May

Power Quest

Power Quest have pushed back the release date of their new album 'Magic Never Dies. The CD that will be issued by Majestic Rock Records will now be released on July 4th as opposed to the planned original date of June 6th. The reason given for the delay is in order to maximize promotion in advance of the album and to add some additional DVD features and goodies.

The Japanese release of 'Magic Never Dies will still take place on May 23rd.

10th May

Mike DiMeo

Contrary to numerous reports floating around on the internet vocalist Mike DiMeo has not left Riot. In an official press release from Glass Onyon PR it appears that ' an unauthorized press release was issued recently concerning Mike DiMeo officially leaving Riot. This information is false. In actuality, Mike DiMeo is still an active member of Riot, and will be featured on their soon to be released CD. Although Mike DiMeo is singing for hard rockers The Lizards, who are currently on tour in Europe supporting UFO, he will continue to work with Riot.

The Lizards, featuring Bobby Rondinelli, will be playing a series of US dates in July with UFO. For more information check out:  www.thelizardswebsite.com

Only press releases issued from Glass Onyon PR, the official press agency for The Lizards, are authorized from the band and individual members.

Mike DiMeo

9th May

Michael Schenker Group

Michael Schenker has pulled out of the upcoming double header tour tour that was to feature both the Michael Schenker Group and Yngwie Malmsteen. On a posting on his website entitled 'To My True Fans Only' the guitarist had this to say about the situation:

"I am sorry to tell you that I have to cancel MSG's upcoming tour with Yngwie Malmsteen. It has turned out to be a catastrophe. The tour I agreed to was a co-Headline Deal with Yngwie closing the show. I was fine with this because he plays so loud and it would tend to deafen the delicate ears of my fans. However, reports have been coming in via e-mail, by phone, etc., that I was advertised only as a special guest. Yngwie himself was advertising it on his Website that way too. MSG was not even mentioned on the London Hammersmith tickets. This is an insult to MSG and myself

I consulted with my brother Rudolph and he who usually finds a positive way out suggested that I should not do these concerts. I was hoping that it could have been straightened out, but, to date this situation has not been corrected. I need 20 days to put this unique event-25 Years MSG Celebration set together and cannot at this late date. This tour could have been saved, but, people are not working in my best interest. I Co-Headlined with Joe Satriani in '97 and there is no reason why this Tour should have been any different and that is how it was presented to me.

The 25 Years MSG Celebration album - Tales of Rock'n Roll - is almost mixed. Leif and Chris are working on the last song and we will have all Singers of the total 25-year career of MSG on this CD. It is an exciting and fantastic album.

To the best Fans in the world ...all my love"

The dates affected by Schenker's decision are:

30th May - London Hammersmith Apollo
31st May - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
1st June - Nottingham Rock City
3rd June - Manchester Academy

At the time of writing the tour is still going ahead with Yngwie Malmsteen, however there is no word as of yet on any new support acts.

5th May

Journey Sign To Frontiers Records

3rd May

Tara's Secret

3rd May

Firefest

Only three days to go before the Firefest weekend kicks off in Bradford. For those of you still wondering whether or not to go, with a line up that features bands such as Soul Sirkus, TNT, Firehouse, Pride, and many more, then all we can say is 'How can you miss it?'

The weekend kicks off with the pre-show party at Bradford Town & Country Club 2 on Friday 6th May and features three sets from Dante Fox (20:00-20:45), Pride (21:00-21:45) and House Of Shakira (22:00 - 22:45).  As well as the three bands on stage, the venue will be open until late and most of the bands who are playing the main Firefest the next day will be in attendance making it a truly informal and fun evening, giving everybody a chance to catch up and debate the pro s and cons of the melodic music scene. Tickets for the Friday night party are now sold out, however there are still tickets available for the main event on Saturday 7th May.

The running order for bands on the Saturday is as follows:

12:30-13:05  Pride
13:30-14:10  House Of Shakira
14:30-15:10  Million
15:30-16:15  Legs Diamond
16:35-17:15  Casanova
17:40-18:30  Dare
19:10-20:10  Pink Cream 69
20:40-21:45  Firehouse
22:15-23:25  TNT
23:50-01:15  Soul Sirkus

So there you have it, ten bands over the course of thirteen hours and all for the ticket price of just £40 in advance or £45 on the day... Value For Money or what!!!!

If you haven't already got tickets for the event then they can be purchased in advance from the following outlets:

Loud 1, 144 Congleton Road, Biddulph, Stoke on Trent, Staffs ST8 6QN
Tel +44 (0)1782 522370 / Fax +44 (0)1782 765013 / E-mail: gez@loud1.net.
Z Roxx, PO Box 347, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1FB
Tel +44 (0)1342 300181 / Fax +44 (0)1342 321442 E-mail: sales@z-roxx.com.
RPM Mail Order, 2A Spark Street, Longwood, Huddersfield, HD3 4XB
Tel +44 (0) 1484 643392 / E-Mail mark.rpm@btinternet.com.
Destiny Records, PO Box 139, Fareham, PO15 7JE
Tel +44(0) 1489 603549 / Fax +44 (0) 1489 603550 / E-mail: destiny.records@virgin.net.
ST Records (Dudley) are now also supplying tickets for the Saturday Firefest show. Tel 01384-230726.

In addition to this tickets are also available directly from the promoter using either cheques or postal orders made payable to 'Bruce Mee' and sent to: Bruce Mee, Fireworks Magazine, 10 Dunnock Close, Offerton, Stockport, SK2 5XD, England. E-mail: Fireworks.mag@ntlworld.com.  Paypal payments for tickets can also be accepted by using the above e-mail address.

For those not in a position to purchase online, there is an an 'e-mail and reserve' system in place that allows you to e-mail the promoters and reserve a ticket at the advance price (40 GBP per ticket) that you simply collect and pay for on your way into the venue on the day. This system is only for persons wishing to purchase tickets for Saturday May7th. Those wishing to reserve a ticket using this method should address their e-mail to: firefest@hotmail.com, stating name and address as well as the quantity of tickets you wish to reserve. You will then receive a return e-mail confirming receipt of your order.

Lastly for those wishing to purchase tickets on the day of the show at a price of £45, the Box office at the Town and Country will be open from 12 noon until 6pm on Saturday May 6th to facilitate anybody wishing to collect reserved tickets or purchase tickets on the way in. If people are unable to make the show until AFTER 6 pm and DO NOT YET have a ticket it is advisable that they purchase in advance from one of the many retail outlets to avoid disappointment on the day. The only way into the venue after the box office closes is with a valid ticket which will be collected by security staff. There will be no facility for payment after 6pm.

3rd May

Danny Vaughn

With things being pretty quiet in the Danny Vaughn  camp since the conclusion of the Tyketto reunion tour back in November, the man himself has uploaded some rare DV tracks onto his website at www.vaughn.de for people to download and hear. Eventually there will be thirteen tracks available (six are uploaded at the minute) and with great versions of 'Soldiers & Sailors On Riverside', Wings and a live version of Nothing But Love recorded at the Camden Underworld in London on the Tyketto tour it is surely worth popping across and checking them out. On top of this there are also some comments from Danny himself with regards to the songs and their origins.

3rd May

Testament

Testament play a one off UK show in May  as part of their reunion tour. The band, which returns to the UK with its original line up for the first time in fifteen years play London Koko on May 8th with support from Superia, Panic Cell, Demolition & Divine Empire

3rd May

Z Records Update

Z Records have just announced their release schedule over the coming few months. First to hit the shops will be the Mitch Perry Projects album reviewed recently on HardRockHouse. This will be available from May 20th. Following this will be the third album from Prophet, entitled Recycled. This will be in stores from June 6th and finally in June comes the debut album from Soulskinner which is due to be released on June 20th

The releases currently planned for July on the label include the live War & Peace album (featuring jeff Pilson) recorded at last years Z Rock event and the Hell yeah album from Black 'N' Blue. You can find out more details on these releases via Z Records website at www.zrecords.com

3rd May

Ginger

Ginger, lead singer/guitarist with The Wildhearts has lined up a short acoustic tour of the UK during June. The dates so far confirmed for the trek are:

June 17th -  Rugeley Red Rose
June 18th - Glasgow Barfly
June 19th - Newcastle Archer
June 21st - Manchester Dry Bar
June 22nd - Leeds Josephs well
June 23rd - Liverpool Barfly
June 24th - London Barfly
June 27th - Southampton Joiners
July   01st - Hull Adelphi

3rd May

MTM Release Information

MTM's release schedule for May will feature albums from Refugee with 'Affairs In Babylon' (9th May), Edge of Forever with  'Let The Demon Rock'n Roll' (17th May) and Zenology II from Zeno which will be available from 23rd May.

Looking further ahead June see the  the label  release album from the likes of Return, Northern Light and Ole Evenrude, whilst July sees scheduled releases by BrokenBlue , Nightvision and Kick Axe

Looking more closely at the June releases; Return return with a new self titled album that is due t hit the streets on 6th June. The Norwegian band, which features bassist Tore Larsen, Steiner Hagen on guitar and voalcs, lead vocalist/guitarist Knut Erik Østgard, drummer Øyvind Hakonsen (drums),and keyboard player Henning Ramsethfirst got together back in 1980 and released their first single  'Sheila' in 1985. which made Return the winners of "Norwegian Champions of Rock" in that year. 1987 saw the release of the band's  first album "To the Top", which sold around 25,000 copies, and the   the single "Sing Me A Song", which hit No 7 on the Norsktoppen and stayed on that hit-list for over a year.

After eight album and a career spanning over twenty years the band are now back with a brand new album simply entitled 'Return'

The album will feature the following track listing:

Every Little Step, Save The Heart, All The Way, TV-Song, All That I See, Mr. President, Fallen Angel, Holy Water, Heroes And Knights and Walk It Like You Talk It