Paul Travers's Blog
Posted by Paul Travers
UK power metallers Dragonforce follow their current UK dates with trips to the US, Canada and Europe.
Main support on all dates are Finnish folk metal troupe Turisas, whose A Finnish Summer With Turisas DVD will be out in November.
US and European dates are as follows:
DRAGONFORCE + TURISAS US Tour
* = TURISAS headlining shows
- 03.11.08
- 04.11.08
- 05.11.08
- 06.11.08
- 07.11.08
- 08.11.08
- 09.11.08
- 10.11.08
- 11.11.08 US –
- 13.11.08
- 14.11.08
- 15.11.08
- 17.11.08 US –
- 18.11.08 US –
- 19.11.08
- 21.11.08
- 22.11.08 US –
- 23.11.08 US –
- 24.11.08
- 25.11.08
- 26.11.08
- 28.11.08
- 29.11.08
- 30.11.08
- 01.12.08
- 02.12.08 CA –
- 03.12.08 CA –
- 05.12.08 CA –
- 06.12.08
- 07.12.08
- 08.12.08
- 09.12.08
- 10.12.08
- 11.12.08
- 12.12.08
- 13.12.08 CA –
- 15.12.08 CA –
- 16.12.08 CA –
- 19.12.08 CA –
DRAGONFORCE + TURISAS European Tour
- 28.01.2009 (NL)
- 29.01.2009 (NL)
- 30.01.2009 (B)
- 31.01.2009 (F)
- 02.02.2009 (F)
- 03.02.2009 (ES)
- 05.02.2009 (PT)
- 06.02.2009 (ES)
- 07.02.2009 (ES) Bergara - Jam
- 09.02.2009 (I) Milan - Alcatraz
- 10.02.2009 (CH) Pratteln - Z7
- 12.02.2009 (HU)
- 13.02.2009 (A)
- 14.02.2009 (SK) Maribor - Stuk
- 16.02.2009 (D) Munich - Backstage Werk
- 17.02.2009 (D) Stuttgart - Die Roehre
- 19.02.2009 (F)
- 20.02.2009 (D)
- 21.02.2009 (D) Hamburg - Knust
- 22.02.2009 (D) Berlin - Kato
- 24.02.2009 (DK)
- 25.02.2009 (SE) Gothenburg – Brew House
- 27.02.2009 (NO)
- 28.02.2009 (SE)
- 02.03.2009 (FI)
- 03.03.2009 (FI)
Posted by Paul Travers
It's a bit of a metal mix 'n' match, as Virginian sluggers Lamb Of God pit their, uh, NWOAHM riffery against Dimmu Borgir's gloriously bompastic symphonic black metal pomp with another 'special guest' yet to be added. It's supposedly a co-headlining tour but Lamb Of God will be closing the show each night. Make of that what you will.
All dates are all ages, although under 14’s must be accompanied by an adult.
The tour dates are as follows:
- Wed 11th Feb -
- Thu 12th Feb - Birmingham
- Fri 13th Feb - Manchester
- Sat 14th Feb - London,
- Sun 15th Feb - Glasgow
Posted by Paul Travers
Described as 'Dillinger Escape Plan crashing into the Tate Modern' (Kerrang!) and 'indescribable prog-core hyper talent' (Plan B magazine) Sheffield teen jazzcore titans Rolo Tomassi will unleash their debut album Hysterics through Hassle Records on September 22nd.
That same night will see a free (first come first in) record release party show at the Old Blue in Shoreditch, London, followed by a full UK tour.
Dates are as follows:
- Monday 22-Sep-08 London Old Blue with Macbeth afterparty / gig
- Tuesday 23-Sep-08 Bristol The Croft
- Wednesday 24-Sep-08 Birmingham Sanctuary
- Thursday 25-Sep-08 Leeds Brudenell Club
- Friday 26-Sep-08 Glasgow Barfly
- Saturday 27-Sep-08 Nottingham Bodega Social
- Sunday 28-Sep-08 York Junction
- Monday 29-Sep-08 Cambridge Portland Arms
- Tuesday 30-Sep-08 Leicester Firebug
- Wednesday 1-Oct-08 Hereford Jailhouse
- Thursday 2-Oct-08 Sheffield Fuzz Club - University of Sheffield Union of Students
- Friday 3-Oct-08
- Sunday 5-Oct-08 Bournemouth iBAR
- Monday 6-Oct-08
Posted by Paul Travers
The tour, in support of the band's forthcoming studio album All Hope Is Gone will run through the first part of December. The dates are as follows:
- Mon 1st Dec LONDON Hammersmith Apollo
- Tue 2nd Dec LONDON Hammersmith Apollo
- Fri 5th Dec CARDIFF International Arena
- Sun 7th Dec BIRMINGHAM NIA
- Mon 8th Dec GLASGOW SECC
- Tue 9th Dec MANCHESTER MEN Arena
- Thu 11th Dec NEWCASTLE Metro Arena
- Fri 12th Dec SHEFFIELD Arena
Posted by Paul Travers
All dates are as follows:
- Sat 4 Oct Milton Keynes Pitz Club
- Sun 5 Oct Birmingham Asylum
- Mon 6 Oct Bristol Croft
- Tue 7 Oct Plymouth White Rabbit
- Thu 9 Oct Nottingham Rock City
- Fri 10 Oct Middlesbrough Cornerhouse (SUMO CLUB)
- Sat 11 Oct Peterborough The Park
- Sun 12 Oct Cardiff Barfly
- Mon 13 Oct Manchester Musicbox
- Tue 14 Oct Glasgow King Tuts
- Wed 15 Oct Leeds Josephs Well
- Thu 16 Oct Southampton Talking Heads
- Fri 17 Oct London The Borderline
Support comes from Rinoa and Fei Comodo
Posted by Paul Travers
Okay, so personally I'd rather jab an apple corer into my eardrums than listen to the new P.O.D. album but there probably are still fans in the UK who will treat this news as the Second, or possibly Seventh Coming.
The rap-metallers seventh album, When Angels & Serpents Dance, was released in the States in April via Columbia but has only just secured a UK release date (6th October 2008) through the band's own DBR Records label.
The tracklisting for the album is as follows:
- Addicted
- Shine With Me
- Condescending
- It Can't Rain Everyday
- Kaliforn-Eye-A (featuring Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies)
- I'll Be Ready (featuring Cedella and Sharon Marley)
- End Of The World
- This Ain't No Ordinary Love Song
- God Forbid (featuring Paige Hamilton of Helmet)
- Roman Empire
- When Angels & Serpents Dance
- Tell Me Why
- Rise Against
Posted by Paul Travers
Dates are as follows:
September
12.09.08 Berlin, Germany @ Club Darkside
13.09.08 Bitterfeld, Germany @ Festung Bitterfeld
14.09.08 Hohenems, Austria @ Kästle
15.09.08 Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Orto Bar
16.09.08 Bologna, Italy @ For Sale Club
17.09.08 Roma, Italy @ Sinister Noise
18.09.08 Milan, Italy @ The Blue Rose Saloon
19.09.08 Luynes, France @ Le Korigan
20.09.08 Barcelona, Spain @ Thrash Em All Festival
21.09.08 Madrid, Spain @ Sala Midnight
22.09.08 Faro, Portugal @ Associação de Músicos
23.09.08 Lisboa, Portugal @ Lisbon Rock Bar
24.09.08 Porto, Portugal @ Metalpoint Club
25.09.08 Vigo, Spain @ La Fabrica de Chocolate Club
26.09.08 Bilbao, Spain @ Sanatana 27/Blue Room
27.09.08 Bordeux, France @ Heretic Club
30.09.08 Trier, Germany @ Exhaus Trier
October
01.10.08 Gent, Belgium @ The Frontline
02.10.08 Hengelo, Netherlands @ Metropool
03.10.08 Gothemburg, Sweden @ Club Booster
04.10.08 Stockholm, Sweden @ Club Blacksmith
06.10.08 Hamburg, Germany @ Haflenklang
08.10.08 Bremen, Germany @ Thing! Club
09.10.08 Arnhem, Netherlands @ Willemeen
10.10.08 Wurzburg, Germany @ Posthallen
11.10.08 Ieper, Belgium @ JOC Ieper
13.10.08 Sheffield, UK @ The Corporation
14.10.08 London, UK @ The Underworld
16.10.08 Bristol UK @ Bier Keller
17.10.08 Wolverhampton UK @ The Little Civic
18.10.08 Huddersfield UK @ The Parish
Posted by Paul Travers
The album is based on the life of the notorious Gilles De Rais, who was hanged in 1440 for allegedly murdering upwards of 80 people.
Says Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth: "By far this is our most extreme, dramatic and deeply disturbing album to date. The legend of Gilles de Rais has been given fresh, vampyrical life in this conceptual meisterwerk, swathed in pitch-black magic and a viciousness unsurpassed in the annals of Cradle history. Screw what our detractors say, everyone who has heard this album has bruised their jaws on the pentagram-bejewelled floor."
The tracklisting for Godspeed on the Devil's Thunderis as follows:
- "In Grandeur And Frankincense Devilment Stirs"
- "Shat Out Of Hell"
- "The Death Of Love"
- "The 13th Caesar"
- "Tiffauges"
- "Tragic Kingdom"
- "Sweetest Maleficia"
- "Honey And Sulphur"
- "Midnight Shadows Crawl To Darken Counsel With Life"
- "Darkness Incarnate"
- "Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt"
- "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder"
- "Corpseflower"
Posted by Paul Travers
The dates are as follows, support acts to be announced...
October
- 4th London, Brixton Academy
- 6th Manchester, Apollo
- 7th Glasgow, Academy
- 8th Nottingham, Rock City
- 10th Birmingham, Academy
Posted by Paul Travers
The as-yet untitled album is due out on October through Metal Blade.
On the topic of the new album’s progress, guitarist Buz McGrath says: “All I can say is WOW! We are finishing up guitars right now, and if there were such thing as a “shred meter”, these riffs would've dropped an anvil on it! Combine that with the lyrical lava 'T-bone' Phipps is spitting on these tunes and you have the most epic Unearth record ever. I can’t remember the last time we were this excited about one of our records. A riff and a dream...get into it!”
'Course, we've yet to hear a musician claim that their newest work-in-progress is set to be the worst thing they've done and that they're all despondent about the prospect of finishing it but for now we'll just have to take the fella's word...
Posted by Paul Travers
The full tracklisting is:
- That Was Just Your Life
- The End Of The Line
- Broken, Beat & Scarred
- The Day That Never Comes
- All Nightmare Long
- Cyanide
- The Unforgiven III
- The Judas Kiss
- Suicide & Redemption
- My Apocalypse
Frontman James Hetfield has also explained the meaning of the record's title, saying: "It started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like (Alice In Chains frontman) Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there. Thinking about death...just like a magnet, some people are drawn towards it, (and) other people are afraid of it and push away."
"The concept that we're all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it's the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point."
Posted by Paul Travers
Soulfly's new studio album Conquer will be released on 28th July, followed by a short UK headlining tour and a previously announced slot at Bloodstock. The headlining dates are as follows:
- Fri 15th Aug – Bloodstock Open Air, Derby
- Sat 16th Aug – London ULU (Kerrang! Awards show)
- Sun 17th Aug – Dudley JBs
- Mon 18th Aug – Sheffield Leadmill
- Tue 19th Aug – Cambridge Junction
- Wed 20th Aug – Brighton Concorde 2
Posted by Paul Travers
They're billing it, rather grandly, as a 'live global concert'. What this actually means is that da Crue will be playing a gig in Las Vegaswhich will be available on jerky live stream to anyone with broadband and the will to register for a 'ticket' at DeepRockDrive.
The show is on August 1st 2008 and the band will be hitting the stage at 9.30pm PST/ 12.30am EST.
It's free but it's also first come first served so if you do want to watch, best dive in asap.
Posted by Paul Travers
Battle metallers Turisas are currently working on their first DVD release and will also be re-recording fan favourite Battle Metal, complete with a new promo video on which they intend to feature footage provided by fans.
Frontman Mathias 'Warlord' Nygard says: "In the last few years, we have noticed a growing amount of people showing up at our shows wearing war-paint, self-made outfits and other regalia. It is of course very flattering as these people have usually put down a lot of working hours preparing themselves for the shows - something not every band can expect from their fans. It is not something we see only in certain territories, but everywhere we've been whether it's the UK, US, Russia or Spain. This is why we want to give our fans the opportunity to participate on our upcoming DVD and music video, by sending us material of themselves as the red-black legion of Turisas at locations all around the world."
Material can be submitted on DV-tape or DVD together and must be accompanied by a filled out version of a short contract. The address to send these to and a PDF copy of the contract can be found at the Turisas website.
Posted by Paul Travers
All dates are as follows:
BMTH EUROPE 08
w/The RedShore, Deez Nuts, Ignominious Incarceration
- 01.10.2008 France Nantes Le Ferrailleur
- 02.10.2008 France Paris Trabendo
- 03.10.2008 Germany Münster Sputnikhalle
- 04.10.2008 Germany Karlsruhe Substage
- 05.10.2008 Belgium Hasselt Muziek-o-droom
- 06.10.2008 Germany Hamburg Logo/Uebel & Gefährlich
- 07.10.2008 Germany Berlin Columbia Club
- 08.10.2008 Germany Leipzig Conne Island
- 09.10.2008 Austria Wien Arena
- 10.10.2008 Italy Bologna Estragon
- 11.10.2008 Germany München Feierwerk
- 12.10.2008 Switzerland Zürich Abart
- 13.10.2008 Germany Köln Underground
- 14.10.2008 Holland Amsterdam Melkweg
BMTH UK 08
Oct 16-19 – BMTH, The Legacy, Deez Nuts, Dead Swans
Oct 19- Nov 3 – BMTH, The Secret Handshake, Deez Nuts, Dead Swans
- 16.10.2008 Newcastle Academy
- 17.10.2008 Dundee Fat Sam's
- 18.10.2008 Glasgow Garage
- 19.10.2008 Stoke Sugarmill
- 20.10.2008 Sheffield Academy
- 21.10.2008 Oxford Academy
- 22.10.2008 Nottingham Rock City
- 23.10.2008 Norwich Waterfront
- 24.10.2008 Liverpool Academy
- 25.10.2008 Wrexham Central Station
- 26.10.2008 Brighton Concorde 2
- 27.10.2008 Leeds Cockpit
- 28.10.2008 Cardiff Ifwor Bach
- 29.10.2008 Yeovil Orange Box
- 30.10.2008 Bristol Academy
- 31.10.2008 Southampton Uni
- 01.11.08 London Astoria
- 02.11.08 Manchester Academy
- 03.11.08 Birmingham Academy
Posted by Paul Travers
Prog metal legends Dream Theater are to release a new DVD chronicling their recently completed Chaos In Motion world tour. Compiled by drummer and DVD creative director Mike Portnoy, the set will differ from their last few DVDs, which focussed on single shows, as Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 will feature material culled from the whole tour.
The package will be available in two formats (see below) and is scheduled to be released on September 29.
The official content and track listing for the DVD package is as follows (subject to change):
Double DVD Set:
Disc One:
‘Around The World In 180 Minutes’ live concert footage:
- Intro/Also Sprach Zarathustra
- Constant Motion
- Panic Attack
- Blind Faith
- Surrounded
- The Dark Eternal Night
- Keyboard Solo
- Lines In The Sand
- Scarred
- Forsaken
- The Ministry Of Lost Souls
- Take The Time
- In The Presence Of Enemies
- Medley: I. Trial Of Tears II. Finally Free III. Learning To Live IV. In The Name Of God V. Octavarium
Disc Two:
‘Behind The Chaos On The Road’ documentary.
Promo videos for: Constant Motion, Forsaken, Forsaken (In Studio), The Dark Eternal Night (In Studio)
Live projection films: The Dark Eternal Night (N.A.D.S.), The Ministry Of Lost Souls, In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2
Mike Portnoy Stage Tour
Mike Portnoy Backstage Tour
Photo Gallery
Deluxe Collectors’ Edition 5-Disc Set:
All the content from the Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 double DVD set plus:
3 CDs featuring the 14 live tracks featured on the DVDs, expanded artwork and more
Posted by Paul Travers
Below are dates for Apocalyptica's UK tour in December. All shows are 14+. The band will also release a new single, 'I Don't Care', featuring Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace (date to be confirmed).
- 02.12.08 UK – Oxford – Carling Academy
- 03.12.08 UK – Liverpool – Carling Academy
- 04.12.08 UK – Nottingham – Rock City
- 05.12.08 UK – Wolverhampton – Wulfrun
- 06.12.08 UK – Glasgow – ABC
- 07.12.08 UK – Newcastle – Carling Academy
- 08.12.08 UK – Bristol – Carling Academy
- 10.12.08 UK – Portsmouth – Pyramid
- 11.12.08 UK – Sheffield – Plug
- 12.12.08 UK – London - Astoria
Posted by Paul Travers
With excellent new album Watershed having picked up a host of stellar reviews, prog behemoths Opeth have announced a handful of UK dates as follows:
- Mon 17th Nov – Glasgow ABC
- Tue 18th Nov – Dublin Vicar Street
- Wed 19th Nov – Birmingham Academy
- Thu 20th Nov – London Shepherds Bush Empire
- Fri 21st Nov – Bristol Academy
- Sat 22nd Nov – Nottingham Rock City
- Sun 23rd Nov – Manchester Academy
Posted by Paul Travers
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Excuse the high-pitched girly e-scream but in two days’ time I’m off to Download, the UK’s premier noisy rock festival. Four days of metal, punk, rock, beer and minced up rat’s kidneys between two pieces of stale bread masquerading as quality burgers that are actually fit for human consumption.
They’ve had better line-ups in recent years but still…Judas Priest! Motorhead! High on Fire! The Dillinger Escape Plan! Judas Priest! Biffy Clyro! Judas Priest! Testament! Within Temptation! Children Of Bodom! Municipal Waste! Judas Priest! And, uh…Kiss. Yeah, I’m a sucker for Strutter and everything else pre-make-up removal.
Scheduling’s a bugger though. High on Fire are on at the same time as Motorhead. Testament at the same time as HIM (What? You’ve gotta love a bit of the old love metal). Difficult choices lie ahead but we shall face them with a combination of steely determination and Magner’s Irish cider.
Hangover permitting, I’ll be back around this time next week.
Posted by Paul Travers
Widdlier than an incontinent tramp with a bladder full of cider and his finger trailing in a fast-moving stream, UK power metallers Dragonforce return with their new album Ultra Beatdown on August 25th. The release will follow a slot at the Download festival and precedes an autumnal UK tour with Viking metallers Turisas.
Their last album Inhuman Rampage has sold almost half a million copies, thanks in part to a finger-twisting appearance on the Guitar Hero 3 video game from the track 'Through The Fire And Flames'.
The track listing for Ultra Beatdown, which will be released through Roadrunner Records is as follows:
- Heroes of Our Time
- The Fire Still Burns
- Reasons to Live
- Scars of Yesterday
- Heartbreak Armageddon
- The Last Journey Home
- Inside the Winter Storm
- The Warrior Inside
Click here for an interview with guitarist Herman Li on the new album.
Posted by Paul Travers
Below are confirmed tour dates for the Metal Masters tour, headed by Brit metal legends Judas Priest and also featuring Motorhead, Heaven And Hell and rejuvenated thrashers Testament.
All dates are in August 2008
- Wednesday, 6th - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
- Thursday, 7th - Nissan Pavilion - Bristow, VA
- Saturday, 9th - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
- Sunday, 10th - Nikon at Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY
- Wednesday, 13th - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
- Saturday, 16th - Post Gazette Pavilion - Pittsburgh, PA
- Monday, 18th - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
- Tuesday, 19th - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Chicago, IL
- Friday, 22nd - Superpages.com Amphitheatre - Dallas, TX
- Saturday, 23rd - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, TX
- Sunday, 24th - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - San Antonio, TX
- Wednesday,27th - Journal Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
- Thursday, 28th - Cricket Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
- Saturday, 30th - Glen Helen Pavilion - San Bernardino, CA
- Sunday, 31st - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
Posted by Paul Travers
The thrash revival continues apace as Bonded By Blood release their debut full-length album Feed The Beast on Earache. Named after the classic Exodus album and playing a snarling, snapping old-school brand of metal that owes much to the Bay Area scene of the mid-80s, the Californians are set to join the likes of Evile, Fueled By Fire, S.S.S. and Municipal Waste in the vanguard of the new thrash pack.
The album fizzes by with a surfeit of aggression and youthful energy – ironic considering the musical template it uses is more than 20 years old – but is this much-heralded thrash revival really such a great thing? One school of thought is that such backward-looking tendencies stifle creativity: that a new generation really ought to be making their own noise rather than recycling music their parents might have been slamming to two decades ago. Another is that good music remains good music and personally I lean towards the latter idea. Music has never been so diverse, fluid or easily accessible and a bunch of kids dressing in sleeveless denims and white retro hi-tops whilst thrashing out riffs disinterred from metal’s murky past isn’t going to prevent the more adventurous minded from treading their own paths.
Besides, these things tend to happen in cycles, whether in metal, punk, pop or any other genre you might care to mention. And twenty years seems to be the average wavelength, meaning we can all look forward to a Limp Bizkit flavoured nu-nu-metal revival in about 2019.
Hopefully I’ll have gone deaf by then.
Posted by Paul Travers
Brighton's finest will return with a new album No Tears For The Creatures, released in the UK on June 2nd through United By Fate Records. The follow-up to 2005's In The Library Of Horrific Events, the new album mixes their metalcore bite with a scuzzier, pitch-black rock 'n' roll sound. There are still flashes of other bands here - think Norma Jean meeting Every Time I Die - but the Brit mob's own identity is getting stronger with every release.
Tour dates are as follows...
- Sun 29th June - Rio's, Leeds (Ghostfest)
Johnny Truant Headline Tour Dates
- Tues 1st July - The Doll House, Abertillery
- Wed 2nd July- Ifor Bach, Cardiff
- Thurs 3rd July – The Croft, Bristol
- Fri 4th July– Mr C's, Poole
- Sat 5th July– The Orange Box, Yeovil
- Mon 7th July– The Cavern, Exeter
- Tues 8th July– The White Rabbit, Plymouth
- Thurs 10th July– The Clipper Bar, Cambourne
- Fri 11th July - The Square, Harlow
- Sat 12th July– Student Union, Luton
- Sun 13th July– The Joiners, Southampton
- Mon 14th July– The Face Bar, Reading
- Wed 16th July– The Pitz, Milton Keynes
- Thurs 17th July– Queen Charlotte, Norwich
- Fri 18th July– The Barfly, Cambridge
- Sat 19th July 19/07- Rock City, Nottingham
- Sun 20th July 20/07 – The Sugarmill, Stoke
- Mon 21st July 21/07 – Victoria Inn, Derby
- Tues 22nd July 22/07 – Central Station, Wrexham
- Thurs 24th July 24/07 – The Corporation, Sheffield
- Fri 25th July 25/07 – The Park, Peterborough
- Sat 26th July 26/07 – Brickyard, Carlisle
- Sun 27th July 27/07 – King Tuts, Glasgow
- Wed 30th July 30/07 – Academy, Oxford
- Thurs 31st July 31/07 – Water Rats, London
- Thurs 7th August- Engine Rooms, Brighton
- Fri 8th August– Westend Centre, Aldershot
- Sat 9th August- Rip Curl Boardmasters Unleashed, Watergate Bay, Nr Newquay
Posted by Paul Travers
The face of metal changes but Iron Maiden, it seems, are eternal. Following a successful tour on which they played their then brand new album A Matter Of Life And Death in its entirety and a second leg which saw them splitting the set between that release and all-time classic The Number Of The Beast, the Brit metal behemoths currently have their feet planted firmly in their own past.
Having already embarked on the Somewhere Back In Time World Tour, playing material exclusively from their 80s back catalogue, the band will release a complementary compilation album on May 22. Titled Somewhere Back In Time – The Best Of: 1980-1989, the collection mirrors the current setlist and contains the following tracks…
- Churchill’s Speech
- Aces High
- 2 Minutes To Midnight
- The Trooper
- Wasted Years
- Children Of The Damned
- The Number of The Beast
- Run To The Hills
- Phantom Of The Opera – Live
- The Evil That Men Do
- Wrathchild -- Live
- Can I Play With Madness
- Powerslave
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- Iron Maiden -- Live
Somewhere Back In Time – The Best Of: 1980-1989 will be released on May 22nd through EMI.
Posted by Paul Travers
It's an oft-held theory amongst those without a taste for it and people with no ears that death metal - thrash metal's uglier, less well behaved younger sibling - is nothing more than untalented, unrefined noise. It's certainly noisy and it can be hard to get beyond those serrated guitars and vocals that sound like a bear crapping a wasp's nest but afficionados will also point out how technically accomplished, precise and demanding the form can be.
Floridian pioneers Death were one of its foremost exponents until founder member Chuck Schuldiner's untimely death from cancer in 2001. A massively influential guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Schuldiner helped shape the modern metal scene and Death's 1995 album Symbolic - one of the band's most progressive works but still possessed of that trademark brutality - stands as one of the scene's finest moments.
Remastered and with five bonus demo tracks culled from the album's recording sessions, the reissue serves as a reminder of the talent the metal scene lost. Chuck Schuldiner RIP.
The remastered Symbolic will be released through Roadrunner on June 16th
Posted by Paul Travers
- Jul 01 West Palm Beach FL US Cruzan Amphitheatre
- Jul 03 Tampa FL US Ford Center
- Jul 05 Charlotte NC US Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Jul 06 Virginia Beach VA US Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
- Jul 08 Wantagh NY US Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
- Jul 09 Buffalo NY US Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
- Jul 12 Philadelphia PA US Susquehanna Bank Center
- Jul 13 Washington DC US Nissan Pavilion Coming Soon
- Jul 15 Detroit MI US DTE Energy Music Theater
- Jul 16 Chicago IL US First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
- Jul 18 Indianapolis IN US Verizon Wireless Music Center
- Jul 19 Milwaukee WI US Marcus Amphitheater
- Jul 20 St. Louis MO US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
- Jul 22 Houston TX US Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
- Jul 23 San Antonio TX US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
- Jul 24 Dallas TX US Superpages.com center
- Jul 26 Albuquerque NM US Journal Pavilion
- Jul 27 Denver CO US Coors Amphitheater at Fiddler’s Green
- Jul 29 Salt Lake City UT US USANA Amphitheater
Posted by Paul Travers
- Aug 01 Phoenix AZ US Cricket Wireless Pavilion
- Aug 02 Los Angeles CA US Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Haven
- Aug 05 Sacramento CA US Sleep Train Amphitheater
- Aug 06 San Francisco CA US Shoreline Amphitheater at Mountain View
- Aug 08, 2008 Seattle WA US White River Amphitheater
- Aug 09 Portland OR US Rose Garden Arena
- Aug 11 Vancouver BC CA GM Place
- Aug 13 Edmonton AB CA Rexall Place
- Aug 14 Calgary AB CA Pengrowth Saddledome
- Aug 15 Saskatoon SK CA Credit Union Centre
- Aug 17 Winnipeg MB CA MTS Centre
- Aug 19 Cincinnati OH US Riverbend Music Center
- Aug 20 Cleveland OH US Blossom Music Center
- Aug 22 Boston MA US Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
- Aug 23 Holmdel NJ US PNC Bank Arts Center
- Aug 24 Uncasville CT US Mohegan Sun Arena
- Aug 28 Toronto ON CA Molson Amphitheatre
- Aug 29 Albany NY US Saratoga Performing Arts Center
- Aug 30 Scranton PA US Toyota Pavilion
- Aug 31 Pittsburgh PA US Post-Gazette Pavilion
Posted by Paul Travers
Okay, so the last time I saw da Crue, the tightest thing about the band was Vince Neil's waistband. This inaugural Crue Fest thing also boasts a pretty weak line-up. I'll give them Buckcherry and concede that Crue fans will at least have an interest in Nikki Sixx's Sixx:A.M. project but...Trapt? Papa Roach? What were their advisers thinking?
All that said, to some degree the support doesn't really matter that much. This isn't Alien Ant Farm we're talking about. This is Motley f***ing Crue and if they haven't tarnished their legend by now they're certainly not going to do irreparable harm with this.
Just as exciting for Crue Fans is the fact that they're also releasing their first album with the original line-up for over a decade in Saints Of Los Angeles, apparently based on riotous autobiography The Dirt.
Now get your fingers out and sort a European leg, you big girls' blouses.
Click here for the list of confirmed tour dates.
Posted by Paul Travers
My brother was a git. Sorry Mark, sorry Mum but it's true. Five years older than me, he missed no opportunity to tease, torment or otherwise make my life a misery. Occasionally he and his mates would give me a 10-second head start then set off to hunt me with pellet guns.
One thing I'll always be grateful to him for however is for giving me (strictly controlled) access to his vast record collection. And what did I find there? Van Halen. UFO. Black Sabbath's eopnymous debut album, which drew me in straight away with its tolling bell and eerie opening vocal. And, the record that I returned to most, sitting in my bedroom with earphones the size of two watermelons clamped to my head - Judas Priest's Unleashed In The East. It was the start of a love affair with metal that would last...well, it's still going strong now actually. But don't tell punk rock, my other paramour; she'll only get jealous.
All of which is a long, convoluted way of introducing myself as the new feature writer for metal music here at Suite 101. I hope to be covering metal in all its myriad guises, from traditional heavy metal through thrash to black and death, plus all the mutant offshoots - from grind and metalcore to industrial metal and beyond. Feel free to drop me a line, start a discussion or tell me what gets your devil's horn signs aloft.