May 2008 News Archive

 

May 31st Opeth Announce Details Of UK Tour Swedish progressive metallers Opeth have scheduled the following dates in the UK and Ireland: Nov 17th - Glasgow ABC Nov 18th - Dublin St. Vicars Nov. 19th - Birmingham Academy Nov. 20th - London Shepherds Bush Empire Nov. 21st - Bristol Academy Nov. 22nd - Nottingham Rock City Nov. 23rd - Manchester Academy The dates are in support of the band's latest album, Watershed, which is scheduled to be released on June 2nd via Roadrunner Records May 31st Black Stone Cherry Kentucky boys Black Stone Cherry have added a headline show in York, in between their shows on the Def Leppard / Whitesnake UK arena tour. The boys will now play York Duchess on Wed 25th June. The band release their second album, ‘Folklore and Superstition’ on 18th August. The album crackles with a down-home, feel good, rock ‘n roll vibe and was produced and mixed by veteran rock producer, Bob Marlette. The album was named after a local Kentucky tradition; story telling and superstitions. “We’re intrigued by and interested in history, roots and heritage, and we incorporate that into the band,” says drummer John Fred Young. Bassist Jon Lawhon concurs, “We are taking the Southern tradition and spreading it out to the rest of the world. They say, ‘Write what you know,’ so that’s what we’re doing, writing what we know.” The band had a stellar end to their debut album cycle last November, taking home a gong at the annual Classic Rock ‘Roll of Honour’ Awards. In a room full of the kind of musicians who had inspired them, such as Jimmy Page, Steven Tyler and Jeff Beck, the four Southern boys from a dry county in Kentucky, stepped up to the podium to take home the ‘Best New Band’ award. With this new album, and UK arenas to showcase some new tunes in, 2008 is looking like another good year for BLACK STONE CHERRY. Full BLACK STONE CHERRY show dates line up as follows: Sat 14th Jun – Isle of Wight Festival Tue 17th Jun – Glasgow SECC (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard) Wed 18th Jun – Birmingham NEC (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard) Fri 20th Jun – Manchester MEN Arena (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard) Mon 23rd Jun – Sheffield Arena (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard) Tue 24th Jun – Newcastle Arena (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard) Wed 25th Jun – York Duchess (headline show) Thu 26th Jun – London Wembley Arena (w/Whitesnake & Def Leppard)   May 31st Revolution Renaissance & Frontiers Frontiers Records have responded to the statement made earlier this week by Revolution Renaissance mainman & former Stratovarius alumni Timo Tolkki in which he indicated that the band had parted ways from the label. Tolkki commented that "I finally got confirmation that we are able to do this. They [Frontiers] simply were not the right label for us. That became absolutely clear in the last few months. I would describe the experience with Frontiers Records with the word 'interesting. I am currently negotiating with several labels, but I haven't made any decision yet. There is a lot of interest and that feels good. Frontiers have responded by issuing the following press release: Frontiers Records would like to inform that the forthcoming Revolution Renaissance album "New Era" is going to be released regularly on June 6th 2008. The first reviews on the album have been very favourable, with some standouts on the Internet such as: 4/5 Metal Temple: "Excellent" 91/100 Melodicrock.com: "A great collection of hard rock/melodic metal songs" 8/10 Rock Hard Germany Album of the Month - Rock Hard Italy Frontiers has however recently decided not to pick up the option for the next Revolution Renaissance studio album for purely business reasons and wishes the best of luck to Timo and the band for the rest of their career. There will be however one further release on Frontiers from Revolution Renaissance: an EP which will include the following track listing: Heroes (Album version), I Did It My Way (Acoustic remix), Angel (Acoustic remix), Keep The Flame (Acoustic remix), We Are Magic (Tobias Sammet version), Last Night On Earth (original Stratovarius demo), Revolution Renaissance (original Stratovarius demo) and Heroes (original Stratovarius demo) The new EP from Revolution Renaissance will be released after the summer, with further details to be released at a later. May 31st See You Next Tuesday In The UK See You Next Tuesday will tour Europe for the first time in August and September, kicking off at The Camden Underworld in London on August 16th, 2008. The Michigan four piece are more than ready for the trek as fuitarist Drew Slacik commets: "I guess basically not only are we stoked to finally go to Europe to see all new places and what not, but also ecstatic to play in front of all new people. I never really thoughtI would ever end up going to Europe, let alone tour there”. See You Next Tuesday are currently  busy writing their follow up album to ‘Parasite” which is due for release in Autumn on Ferret. Support on all dates come from Trigger The Bloodshed.   Aug 16th - London Camden Underworld Aug 17th - Hull Horrorfest Aug 18th - Huddersfield The Chapel Aug 19th - Glasgow Ivory Blacks Aug 20th - Aberdeen Drummonds Aug 21st - Leeds Rios Aug 22nd - Norwich Metalfest Aug 31st - Brighton Engine Rooms Sep 1st - Bournemouth The Gander Sep 2nd - Plymouth White Rabbit Sep 3rd - Newport T.J.s Sep 4th - Stoke The Glebe Sep 5th - Birmingham Barfly Sep 6th - Swindon Furnace Sep 7th - Liverpool Barfly May 31st The Outline Announce UK Headline Shows Experimental LA rockers The Outline have just announced a string of headline shows taking place here in the UK, sandwiched between their June tour with fellow LA indie-rockers Say Anything and July's tour with Texan rockers The Rocket Summer Having created a huge buzz in the States with debut album 'You Smash It, We'll Build Around It' , the LA three-piece unleash their opus into UK record stores on June 16th, to be followed by single 'Death To Our Enemies' on July 21. Produced by Chris Fudurich (Finch, Nada Surf) 'You Smash It, We'll Build Around It' has earned them a firm place on the Fearless Records roster (At The Drive In, Plain White T's) in the US. Their diverse musical appeal has allowed them to tour with the likes of My Chemical Romance, Saosin, Jack's Mannequin, Panic At The Disco, Ben Lee and the 5,6,7,8s. Having toured the UK at the end of last year with Aussie rockers Powderfinger, The Outline are eager to return with new touring partners Say Anything and The Rocket Summer! Catch them whilst you can! Supporting SAY ANYTHING 4 Jun Newcastle, Carling Academy 2 5 Jun Glasgow, ABC2 7 Jun Manchester, University 8 Jun Liverpool, Carling Academy 9 Jun Birmingham, Barfly 10 Jun London, KCLSU Supporting LOOK SEE PROOF 20 Jun Cardiff, Barfly HEADLINE SHOWS 21 Jun Southampton, Hamptons 24 Jun Derby, The Royal 25 Jun York, The Junction Supporting THE ROCKET SUMMER 28 Jun Yeovil, Orangebox 01 Jul Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms 02 Jul Newport, TJ''s 04 Jul Brighton, Concorde 2 05 Jul London, Astoria 2 06 Jul Norwich, Arts Center 07 Jul Stoke On Trent, Sugarmill 08 Jul Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 10 Jul Leeds, Cock-Pit 11 Jul Manchester, Academy 15 Jul Glasgow, Garage 16 Jul Birmingham, Academy 2 May 31st Ell Milano - New Single & Live Shows    ‘Laughing All The Way To The Plank’, released on June 23rd, is the latest single to be lifted from Elle Milano’s recent album Acres of Dead Space Cadets. These three young upstarts from Brighton have crafted a track in which they examine the IKEA generation with a glint of cheeky humour in their eyes.  It follows a recent touring stint across the UK, which included performances at Club NME.  The band certainly have eclectic influences and cite Radiohead, Biggie Smalls, Sonic Youth and Danny Elfman soundtracks as having an impact on them. Elle Milano are frank about their outlook on music-making and make no bones about saying it how it is - “We don’t know too much about anything, but we say what we see and believe we can bring a little passion and integrity to popular music.”  Laughing All The Way To The Plank includes B-sides Killin’ Time and Chess Tragedy. It will be available on limited edition 7” and download only on the Brighton Electric Label.  Live Dates: 12th June - Brixton Windmill 13th June - Brighton Coalition (Rock against Racism) May 28th Airbourne Announce UK Tour Aussie retro rockers Airbourne have announced details of a comprehensive UK tour set to take place in November. Touring in support of their Running Wild album the quartet play the following shows: Nov 1st - Cardiff University Nov 5th - Birmingham Carling Academy Nov 6th - Sheffield Octagon Nov 7th - Liverpool Carling Academy Nov 8th - Manchester Academy Nov 17th - Newcastle Carling Academy Nov 18th - Leeds University Nov 23rd - Cambridge Junction Nov 26th - Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall Nov 27th - London Astoria May 28th Exodus Re-Sign With Nuclear Blast Bay Area Thrashers Exodus, who recently finished an European Tour  together with Evile, have announced the following statement regarding their new deal: "Hey all, just kicking back at home for a bit before we head over to Europe late July, but I am pleased to announce that Exodus have re-signed to Nuclear Blast! We have been working on this since last October and I am happy to say that we'll continue our relationship with the greatest label in metal for some time to come! It's good to be with a label that we can call home after so many different stops along our career and we are psyched to move even further into the future. There is no telling how heavy things can get!" Gary Nuclear Blast A&R Manager Jaap Wagemaker stated the following: We are very stoked to inform the world that Exodus and riff master par excellence Gary Holt have re-signed with the devil… euh Nuclear Blast! Exodus is going through a second youth at the moment and are, on record and live, stronger than ever! After having released three of the most heaviest albums in their long lasting career, Exodus are back on the map of the metal scene. They are also responsible for bringing thrash metal back to the masses and single-handedly starting up a new worldwide thrash movement. The last couple of years have been a great ride working with Exodus and we are looking forward to the future. Exodus are preparing the songs for the follow up to their highly critically acclaimed album "The Atrocity Exhibition – Exhibit A" and Gary told us, it will be the meanest monster he has ever written! Whenever Gary says something like this, we always know that he will deliver. It is simply a pleasure and an honour to have the legendary Exodus on the label! May 28th Ronni Le Tekrø TNT guitar wizard Ronni Le Tekrø will release his latest solo album "Kingdom Of Norway"  through Escape Music on June 20th. In Norse mythology, Odin creates the world and all the elements within it, but what of Ronni Le Tekrø, that rare element himself? The truth is out there... The conventional story is that this exceptional musician Ronni Le Tekrø was born in Oslo Norway, but the unconventional tale, or rumour, has it that he is an alien. He is a man out of this space and time where the future, past and present are convergent. As the man and the musician, he won't be easily slotted into any predefined box, boundary or series of definitions. The moment one attempts such folly, Tekrø, in wizard-like fashion, displays yet another heretofore-unknown facet From an early age, music played an integral part of Rolf Ågrim Tekrø's life and by his young teenage years, the future course of this virtuoso guitarist was set. In those days, jamming in those first bands, that spark of genius was there to be seen and heard. Thor-Rune Haugen who, in The Big Bang -The Essential Collection liner notes writes of the jaw-dropping epiphany of hearing a 14-year old Ronni play for the first time, said it best when he stated as compared to the then-current music scene in Norway '(Tekrø) was like a shining champagne glass in a sink full of dirty dishes.' While a crystal glass sings and silver coins ring, one of the hallmark Tekrø signature sounds is a technique referred to as 'machine-gun'. Throughout his years composing and performing, that and a number of other equally impressive techniques have helped him to set a high standard of musical performance and creativity. The sound and tone, the language he speaks through playing is a unique signature. Tekrø has the true artists' ability to pick up any musical instrument and elicit a melody or rhythm. With his limitless versatility, he has been known on occasion to perform and record non-traditional instruments as well.So from what planet does this visitor amongst hail? Certainly one of colour, creativity, and emotion: Ronni's musical vision, the techniques with which he coaxes forth absolutely unique melodies to communicate emotion and feeling, continue to help set him apart from any peers. Recognized as a uniquely talented, his work has always received acclaim and admiration of musicians throughout the rock world as well as other genres. Ronni continues to express his musical creativity through projects that are diverse and even fuse those hallmark elements of various musical genres. The full track listing for Kingdom of Norway is as follows: Kingdom of Norway , Happy , Missing Mrs. Hippy and You, Kissing Disease , From a Bird's Perspective, She Stole the Magic , Crazy 'bout You, 1976, Sweet Mother India and It's Life Itself. May 28th Spock's Beard - New DVD On The Way Spock's Beard will releases a new live DVD, appropriately titled "Live DVD", through SPV/InsideOut on July 7th. With their previous three releases, ´Spock’s Beard´, ‘Feel Euphoria’ and ‘Octane’, Spock’s Beard has proved that despite the departure of Neal Morse, they remain one of the best prog bands on the scene. Since Morse’s exit, the Californian quartet has continued to seek new forms of expression, with a focus on combining complex compositions with a more song oriented feel. With their latest album ´Spock’s Beard´ (2006) fronted by vocalist, drummer and guitarist Nick D’Virgilio, the band played a 15 dates tour throughout Europe in 2007. This extensive tour through eight European countries consolidated again the band’s leading position as a top live act on the scene. On 25th May 2007 the Spock’s Beard played the Dutch town of Zoetermeer. The local hall “Boerderij” has always been a home for progressive rock and for Spock’s Beard in particular. This concert was filmed and recorded for this DVD. An enthusiastic audience and a fantastic live band makes Spock’s Beard “Live” DVD a really special release. It features the entire concert with 19 tracks, including the full version of Spock’s Beard latest epic ‘As Far As The Mind Can See’ and other tracks spanning the entire career of this outstanding band. As part of the band’s European 2008 tour, Spock’s Beard will play the following UK dates: July 2nd - Cardiff Point July 3rd - London Islington Carling Academy July 4th - Manhester Academy July 5th - Leeds Rio's July 6th - Glasgow The Arches July 7th - Wolverhampton Robin 2 May 28th Slaves To Gravity Join Brigade On Tour London rockers Slaves To Gravity have just announced they'll be joining fellow rock merchants Brigade on their summer tour throughout July and August. With a full summer of touring already lined up - playing seven festivals, shows with the likes of Bullet For My Valentine, Ministry and Incase of Fire - this London quartet are an armour-plated gigging machine! With debut album 'Scatter The Crow' charting at #27 in the UK Indie Chart last month, two Top Three Singles under their belts and having just signed up with Madina Lake and Aiden's manager (John Germinario) for North America to facilitate their meteoric rise Stateside, these guys are most definitely worth checking out!! Catch them at one of their following shows: 01-Jun-08 Middlesbrough, MUSIC LIVE FESTIVAL 02-Jun-08 Wolverhampton, Wulfren Hall (supp Ministry) 10-Jun-08 Berlin, Columbia Club (supp Bullet For My Valentine) 13-Jun-08 Donington Park, DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 24-Jun-08 Lingen, Alter Schlachtof (supp Bullet For My Valentine) 04-Jul-08 Port Lympne, Wild Animal Park Z008 FESTIVAL 05-Jul-08 Guildford, GUILFEST FESTIVAL 08-Jul-08 Bristol, Louisiana (supp Incase Of Fire) 09-Jul-08 Birmingham, Bar Academy (supp Incase Of Fire) 11-Jul-08 Cheltenham, Upcote Farm TWO THOUSAND TREES FESTIVAL 15-Jul-08 Leeds, Cockpit (supp Incase Of Fire) 16-Jul-08 Stoke, Sugarmill (supp Incase Of Fire) 17-Jul-08 Nottingham, Rock City (supp Incase Of Fire) 19-Jul-08 Tinbridge Wells, Forum (supp Incase Of Fire) 21-Jul-08 London, Barfly (supp Incase Of Fire) 23-Jul-08 Norwich, Arts Centre (supp Brigade) 24-Jul-08 Southampton, Joiner (supp Brigade) 25-Jul-08 Oxford, Zodiac (supp Brigade) 27-Jul-08 Cardiff, Barfly (supp Brigade) 30-Jul-08 York, Barfly (supp Brigade) 31-Jul-08 Glasgow, Garage (supp Brigade) 01-Aug-08 Manchester, Roadhouse (supp Brigade) 02-Aug-08 Newcastle, Academy 2 (supp Brigade) 05-Aug-08 Cambridge, Barfly (supp Brigade) 08-Aug-08 Shakespeare County Racecourse BULLDOG BASH FESTIVAL 09-Aug-08 Newquay, Watergate Bay RIP CURL BOARDMASTERS UNLEASHED   May 28th Latitude Festival Press Release Spring has sprung and the cold nights are over, the warm embrace of the sunshine reminds us all that once again, it’s festival time! Henham Park on the Sunrise Coast is definitely the place to be this summer for the most diverse and original festival of the year; offering you the finest from all areas of creativity. Over the weekend you can experience some of the greatest bands in the world performing across three arenas, hear readings from some of the countries best loved poets and authors, see some of the finest theatre productions the UK has to offer and watch in amazement as the sun goes down and there’s still time for some cabaret! If that’s not enough then why not relax with a couple of drinks watching the astounding dance compositions on a floating stage on the lake? Latitude is a festival like no other and every year, it just keeps getting better!  Welcomed to Latitude are Nada Surf of whom you will find fewer bands with as dedicated a following, The New York based American Indie legends have toured relentlessly throughout their career spanning 16 years and the band’s 1996 debut album ‘High/Low’ is a cemented in history as ‘Surfer Rosa’ by the Pixies or Mudhoney’s epic self titled debut. Having released new album ‘Lucky’ in February of this year the band are still staying true to their name and playing as many gigs as is humanly possible and thus, the ever growing Nada Surf faithful remains as strong as ever. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness a piece of musical history in Latitude’s Obelisk Arena on Sunday afternoon.  The menacingly named Murder By Death met and reside in Bloomington, Indiana where they create dark and rumbling, drink hazed scenes of sin, redemption and guilt with an insouciant musical swagger and whiskey soaked lyricism. Their gothic snapshots of middle Americana, laced with a hint of blue grass, are threaded through with glorious vignettes of the underbelly of life. If Deadwood’s saloon had a band, it would be Murder By Death. Dark, sultry, rock n roll to love, dance and drink to in the Obelisk Arena on the Friday.   After a considerable hiatus of twelve years, many were surprised to see the return of The House Of Love in 2005. Instead of writing just another reformed Indie band record, they came up with one of the most critically praised albums of the year with ‘Days Run Away’. Since their reunion the band have gone from strength to strength, playing gigs across the UK and Europe, bringing back to life what made them great in the first place. Sing-along moments are going to be plentiful at Latitude this year but it will be hard to find one louder than when the band breaks into their greatest hit ‘Shine On’; be sure not to miss them on the Saturday in the Uncut Arena.  In the Uncut Arena Bristol quartet Gravenhurst will be bringing their dark and highly atmospheric sound to Latitude on Friday forming part of the festival’s soundtrack to the Summer sunshine. Having built up a large back catalogue and joining the ranks of the Warp records roster a few years ago demonstrates this act’s diversity and it will be very entertaining to see what the band bring to the Suffolk coast.  Electro-punk outfit Heloise & The Savoir Faire have had their live shows described by Disorder Magazine as a “great big flying disco ball swerving through a relentless shower of pink glitter and synth-lasers,”. Recently signing to Elijah Wood’s Simian Records the bands electrified collision of late-70’s disco-infused dance punk and 80’s synth-pop is backed up by two dancers who certainly know how to shake their thang! Heloise & The Savoir Faire have gained popularity in the UK after making TV appearances on The Graham Norton Show and The Friday Night Project. Their debut album features guest vocals by Debbie Harry (headlining the Uncut Stage on Sunday night as part of the legendary Blondie) who called Heloise & The Savoir Faire one of her favourite underground bands. See what all the fuss is about in the Uncut Arena on Friday.  As Latitude is dedicated to bringing the very best in emerging talent, the Sunrise Arena will host a line-up of tomorrow’s stars.   Broken Records have only been a band for just over a year but have already released their critically acclaimed debut EP, toured with the likes of Editors, Idlewild and Sons and Daughters and played a sold out 750 capacity hometown show! Drowned in Sound have described the band as ‘magical, engrossing and wholly enveloping, genuinely and excitingly bursting with commercial potential’.  Anya Marina whose debut record ‘Miss Halfway’ earned a San Diego Music Award for Best Recording with select tracks ending up on TV’s Grey's Anatomy as well as the show's soundtrack, and MTV's The Real World. The multi talented Marina DJ’s for her much loved San Diego radio station and can also be seen in her first feature-length comedy film ‘100 Girls’ in which she plays the eccentric and trichotillomaniac eyebrow-plucker, Rhonda. With material ranging from her upbringing to ex-boyfriends and all the after-effects, Marina’s razor sharp pop songs and beautiful voice will enrich your Latitude experience.   The mysterious troubadour Billy the Kid and his Barbaylios Brothers preach full-blooded tales of tough love, hard luck and the triumph of romance against the odds. Their gritty urban folk from Teeside has already been snapped up by the same management as Oasis and are definitely ones to watch in 2008. See what you think of them on the Saturday afternoon in the Sunrise Arena.  The Beggars fuse all the best bits of La’s esq raspy voiced scally jingle jangle and wrap it in a poetic delivery that could be at some points be likened to Morrissey. You’ll be able to feel the bands declamatory wail on their cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Future’ which they’ll be playing at Latitude in the Sunrise Arena on the Sunday.   Southampton’s Thomas Tantrum features chiming guitar which effortlessly blended with jerky rhythms and soaring melodies. Their enchanting sparkle is a breath of fresh air in an indie scene saturated with electric guitars and synth lines, and Megan Thomas’ distinctive vocals will swirl around your head for days.  Brighton four piece Hold Fire inspire the same sense of wellbeing as a brisk walk on the seafront on a sunny day with their upbeat summery pop rock. They've also made a few friends at Radio 1 and XFM, having gained exposure from the likes of Steve Lamacq, Claire Sturgess and John Kennedy as well as being one of the most requested bands on local radio.    Headlining this year’s event on the Obelisk Arena, Scottish art-rock heroes Franz Ferdinand play their only English festival show exclusively at Latitude on the Friday night; the majestic and soaring Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Rós head up Saturday’s line-up and New York titans Interpol close the arena on the Sunday with their unique brand of powerful and atmospheric inventive indie rock. Friday night over on the Uncut Arena will see an incredibly special performance from “Africa’s funkiest band” (Evening Standard), the remarkable Amadou and Mariam and throughout the rest of the weekend the Obelisk and Uncut Arenas will host stunning performances from Nick Cave’s Grinderman, the beautiful poetry of Martha Wainwright, epic musicians The Mars Volta, the charming Death Cab for Cutie, the superb Elbow, legendary alt rockers The Breeders, legendary performer Julian Cope  and grime, hip-hop, electro pop queen, M.I.A.  Boasting four Music Arenas, the Obelisk, Uncut, Sunrise and The Lake Stage span a wide range of genres and music hand-picked especially for the festival; bands and artists are chosen with the essence of Latitude in mind. More established bands play in harmony alongside the freshest new acts and with so much more to be announced – it only gets better!   But of course, Latitude is so much more than a music festival. This year’s Latitude can boast the exclusive involvement of Michael Nyman and BAFTA in the Film and Music Arena; a quite astonishing comedy line-up including Omid Djalili, Ross Noble, Frankie Boyle and Rich Hall in the Comedy Arena.  The Literary Arena is packed full of top authors including Simon Armitage, Hanif Kureishi and Iain Banks as well as Latitude favourites Vox ‘N’ Roll, WordTheatre and Marcus Brigstocke’s The Early Edition. The National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, RSC and The Bush all bring exciting new shows to the Theatre Arena. Plus stellar poets Adrian Mitchell, John Hegley and Carol Ann Duffy are all confirmed for the Poetry Arena hosted by Luke Wright. The Cabaret Arena welcomes the ever hilarious and inventive Vauxhallville with plenty more exciting performances to announce in the pipeline. And that’s not to mention the awe-inspiring Sadler’s Wells who will perform their world class dance on a beautiful stage floating in the middle of the lake as will The Irrepressibles with their orchestral brilliance.  TICKET INFORMATION Weekend tickets £130 plus booking fees. Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £55 plus booking fee. Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping. Days include car parking only. C/Card line 0870 060 3775Or online at www.festivalrepublic.com, www.seetickets.com, www.latitudefestival.co.uk  For a full list of National and Regional outlets please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk May 27th Scorpions Hit The UK Legendary Germanic rockers The Scorpions are heading to the UK for a series of shows in October. The full list of dates confirmed are as follows: Oct 12th - Newcastle Academy Oct 13th - Glasgow Academy Oct 15th - Manchester Apollo Oct 16th - Southampton Guildhall Oct 18th - Hammersmith Apollo Oct 19th - Wolves Civic May 27th Napalm Death Added To Bloodstock Line Up Napalm Death have been added to the bill for Bloodstock Open Air 2008 which takes place at Catton Hall in Derby on AUgust 15th, 16th & 17th 2008. Napalm Death’s origins stretch right back to 1982 when the band was formed near Birmingham by the duo of Nic Bullen and Miles Ratledge. Although the early line-ups gigged locally and recorded various demos, it wasn’t until 1986 that Napalm Death - by then featuring Bullen alongside Justin Broadrick (later of Godflesh and Jesu) and Mick Harris (later of Scorn) – arrived at the high-speed, high-intensity sound with which they would take the music world by storm. ‘Scum’ – the band’s debut album – appeared in 1987 and was compiled from recordings of both the Bullen/Broadrick/Harris line-up and of the new look band which then featured Bill Steer on guitar and Lee Dorrian on vocals. This ‘classic’ line-up was completed by the recruitment of bassist Shane Embury who joined just prior to a tour in support of ‘Scum’. ‘From Enslavement To Obliteration’ followed in 1988 and continued the band’s whirlwind grindcore assault, albeit with improved production, but the subsequent EP ‘Mentally Murdered’ – although one of the best things recorded by any Napalm Death line-up – heralded the departure of both Steer and Dorrian who went on to fame with Carcass and Cathedral respectively. The pair were replaced by guitarist Jesse Pintado and vocalist Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway. After taking part in record label Earache’s ‘Grindcrusher’ tour alongside Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Morbid Angel, the band added second guitarist Mitch Harris. The twin guitar capability saw the band change their sound to a predominantly death metal style on ‘Harmony Corruption’, a change which foreshadowed much of their future career which saw them blend grindcore and death metal styles in varying degrees. The following years brought continuing success to Napalm Death, despite the departure of Mick Harris, the untimely death of Jesse Pintado and controversial experiments such as ‘Fear, Emptiness, Despair’, and in recent times, albums such as ‘The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code’ and their most recent effort ‘Smear Campaign’ have proved their ability to get back to basics with some serious blast-beat laden grind. A new album is expected soon.   May 27th AOR/Metal Heaven July Releases Announced Michael Vescera - Sign Of Things To Come Michael Vescera rose to metal popularity at the age of 18 years as the legendary vocalist of the band Obsession. After recording anEP and two full length studio records with Obsession and numerous tours, Vescera was approached by the Japanese super group "Loudness" to front the band. After auditioning in Tokyo, Japan he became the first Western vocalist to front a Japanese group and recorded two studio records, various singles, MTV videos, and one live DVD "Live at Budokan" with Loudness. After 3 years it was time to move on due to complications within the organization. He then began what would later become MVP, but had to put it on hold after being approached by Yngwie Malmsteen to be his vocalist. Vescera recorded 2 full length studio records with Malmsteen as well as an EP, various videos and also a "Live at Budokan" DVD. Both studio CD's with Malmsteen received Platinum Awards. After 3 ½ years of recording and touring with Yngwie, Vescera started his solo career. MVP (Michael Vescera Project) released 3 CD's and toured South America and the States. During this time the charismatic singer also fronted the group formed by Roland Grapow (guitarist of Helloween, Masterplan). Michael Vescera has recently finished recording his soon to be released solo CD "A Sign Of Things To Come". Joining Michael on this CD are Jimi Bell and BJ Zampa (House of Lords), Chris McCarvill (Obsession, Jeff Scott Soto), Mats Olaussen (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ark), Scott Boland, John Bruno and Jay Mezias (Obsession), Todd Kennedy and Tony Mei (XFactorX). On this CD he will be introducing two of the world's newest "guitar master" discoveries. Joey Concepcion, a 17 year old guitar prodigy from Connecticut and Ango Tasso, a newly discovered shredder from Taiwan will also be featured. The album was produced, engineered & mastered by Michael Vescera himself "Toy Room North" (Milford, Conneticut) and the "Toy Room South" (Nashville, TN). Vescera co-owns both studios and recently has moved to Nashville. "A sign of Things to Come" will be released by Metal Heaven, and the excitement is mounting with a July 26th, 2008 release date. The full track listing for Sign Of Things To Come is as follows: Between Heaven and Hell, Sign of Things to Come, Shine On, Something to Believe, Crossing the Line, Hands of Fate, I've Seen the Light, Make Your Move, (When You're) Cryin',  Say the Word, Pain, and Thrill of It All Elevener - When Kaleidoscopes Collide Elevener came to life as childhood friends Johan Bergquist (vocals, keyboards, bass) and Andreas Brodén (guitar, drums) joined forces in 2005 to make new music sounding as if the 90's never had existed. Johan & Andreas had played in numerous bands together during the mid- & late eighties and then moved on to pursue new musical adventures. Throughout the nineties Johan developed his love for progressive rock and was the lead singer/keyboardist for Swedish progsters Scenario for five years. During those years Andreas went to the USA and came back to Sweden as a slick soul & funk guitarist and earned his stripes doing studio sessions and playing clubs in Stockholm. As a keyboard player, Johan appeared on the Hammerfall album "Crimson Thunder" as well as on Stefan Elmgren's Full Strike (both released in 2002). In 2002 Johan became the keyboard player for Swedish metal/hardrock band M.ill.ion who released the critically acclaimed "Kingsize" in 2004 and among the gigs that followed was a well received performance at the very first Firefest in 2005 and also a UK tour with MSG. In May 2008 M.ill.ion will release "Thrill of the Chase" (on AOR/Metal Heaven), an album that was recorded by Johan who also was very much involved in the song-writing (as on Kingsize previously). At the dawn of the new millenium Johan & Andreas got together and soon realised that they both had gone full circle and returned to the music the grew up with; melodic rock/AOR. New songs were written and in 2005 the project known as "Elevener" was born. As the project rolled on it became a more & more serious matter and finally the album "When Kaleidoscopes Collide" was recorded and soon after that a deal was signed with AOR Heaven who will release the album on July 26th, 2008. The Elevener debut-album "When Kaleidoscopes Collide" was mixed by Tobias Lindell at Studio Bohus and mastered by Dragan Tanaskovic, also at Studio Bohus. The album contains 11 tracks of pure AOR, with the unique blend that is the sound of Elevener. Tracklist: 1. This Heart Of Mine, 2. Say If You Want, 3. Shooting Star, 4. I Still Remember, 5. A Thousand Girls, 6. All I Did, 7. Her Eyes, 8. All Of My Life, 9.Waking Up Without You, 10.Could It Be You, 11. There She Goes   May 27th Lion Music Release John Jeff Touch's First Touch "First Touch" is the beginning of John Jeff Touch's solo career. The album is a collection of melodic / experimental rock numbers with impressive vocals and solos; combined with a unique atmosphere where the arrangements transcend the listener into another place. Each song has its own colour and mood and is a different part of John Jeff Touch and his life. The other musicians of the album are some of the finest of Europe. They added their own colour and the most suitable for this album. John Jeff Touch is one of the most promising singers inEurope. Expressiveness, wide vocal range and a big variety of sound colours characterise his singing. John's taken part in 3 European vocal contests where he's been awarded with many prizes. In 2004 he worked with Lars Eric Mattsson and his band Vision for the album "On The Edge" (Lion Music); and in the following years has worked with many musicians in Europe including S.I.N., Cosmicray (album "Love Is" released on Plus REC/Universal 2007) and many others. One of the most important moments of his life was when he met the guitarist Sotiris Gogo. Jeff calls him "one of the most talented guitarists in Europe". They pair then started working together and Sotiris' guitar work can be heard over John's compositions on "First Touch". The last few years have seen John composing and arranging his own material which is now released as "First Touch". A collection of memories from John's life was the inspiration and is now released for the first time. The full track listing for First Touch is as follows Message, Loving U, Sometimes, Spirit, Crystals, Can't Live Without You, Each Day, We Feel, Moments, Between 2 Worlds and Sometimes (acoustic)