April 2006 - I'm with the band newsletter

This newsletter contains the official newsletters for Cannibal Corpse, Darkane, Exodus, Fuelblooded, Soilwork, Nevermore, Witchery, Wichers Productions, Non-Human Level, Arch Enemy, Hypocrisy and Napalm Death combined into one mailing. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to one of these newsletters in the past. Since we work with a double opt-in system, nobody else is able to add or remove your e-mail address but you. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at any of the websites or at www.imwitheband.com.

Apologies if you received this newsletter this weekend. It accidentally went out when we were changing mailinglist services. This is the final newsletter and includes new tourdates and an exclusive interview with Michael Amott.

April, here it is. I know I am late, but on the brighter side, there's no April Fool's joke. I've got so much news I'm about to explode, so let's get started right away.

First of all, there has been too much news and not enough time to get all of the newsletters out on a steady, monthly flow. Now, since I have always been a big fan of efficiency, in a moment of clarity the idea came to me to merge all the newsletter into one giant newsletter instead. Since some lists were over 7 years old, it also seemed like the perfect time to maintanance check the mailinglists. That's why you received all these e-mails requesting to confirm your subscription. So apologies for the abundance of mails but from now on everything should be running smoothly.

Featured photographer
The mind-blowing live pictures in this newsletter all come courtesy of Mark Coatsworth. If they sparked your interest, check out more on Mark's work & services at www.markcoatsworth.com & www.jollyrogerinc.com. All the photos fall under explicit copyright and unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. If you want to use any of them, contact info[At]markcoatsworth[.]com

CANNIBAL CORPSE
Cannibal Corpse kicked off the first show of the No Mercy 2006 last Tuesday in Essen, Germany. With a new album and with the return of guitar player Rob Barret, the band were ready and out for the KILL and treated the crowd to 19 songs including The Time To Kill Is Now, Make Them Suffer, Murder Worship, Death Walking Terror, The Wretched Spawn, Decency Defied, Pit of Zombies, Devoured by Vermin and Fucked with a Knife.

It was a memorable night to say the least, not only was it their first show in support of the new album, but it was the first time in over a decade Cannibal Corpse played Hammer Smashed Face in Germany.

We have teamed up with Lowlifemedia who are on tour with the band and who will be filming all the on and off stage action, so expect to see some exclusive streaming footage in the near future.

The No Mercy festival also features KATAKLYSM, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, GRIMFIST & Tasmanians PSYCROPTIC. Afterwards, Cannibal Corpse will continue on a short headlining tour through the rest of Europe, with Prostitute Disfigurement and Aeon as support. Look for the band on the Sounds Of The Underground USA tour this summer. Other bands featured are: AS I LAY DYING, IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM, CANNIBAL CORPSE, TERROR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, BEHEMOTH, THE CHARIOT, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD.

If you have been living under a rock the past month, let me remind you that Cannibal Corpse released their new album KILL last month (around March 24, 2006, depending on where you are located). The European version of the first pressing includes a 77 minute long bonus DVD, featuring the Strasbourg (France) show, filmed at la Laiterie on the No Mercy on April 8, 2004. Limited edition of course, so better get your copy asap.

The complete KILL track listing:

KILL (2006 - Metal Blade)

01. The Time To Kill Is Now 02. Make Them Suffer 03. Murder Worship 04. Necrosadistic Warnings 05. Five Nails Through The Neck 06. Purification By Fire 07. Death Walking Terror 08. Barbaric Bludgeonings 09. The Discipline Of Revenge 10. Brain Removal Device 11. Maniacal 12. Submerged In Boiling Flesh 13. Infinite Misery

Bonus DVD - Live in Strasbourg 2004

01. Shredded Humans 02. Puncture Wound Massacre 03. Fucked With A Knife 04. Stripped, Raped And Strangled 05. Decency Defied 06. Vomit The Soul 07. Unleashing The Bloodthirsty 08. Pounded Into Dust 09. The Cryptic Stench 10. They Deserve To Die 11. Dormant Bodies Bursting 12. Gallery Of Suicide 13. Pit Of Zombies 14. The Wretched Spawn 15. Devoured By Vermin 16. A Skull Full Of Maggots 17. Hammer Smashed Face

The reviews so far have been very positive, including a 9/10 rating by metal.de and a 12/13 rating by Schwermetall. Even the blabbermouth sceptics rated KILL with a stunning 8,5/10.

If you are a firm believer of the 'try before you buy' concept, head over to the Metal Blade website and sample the KILL jukebox.

KILL CONTEST
Win the Full Cannibal Corpse Catalog, Posters and Tons More from HotTopic.com!

"Cannibal Corpse is everything you need to know about death metal. They've never been outdone when it comes to brutality." - Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying

His quote pretty much says it all, so get off your @$$ and enter this contest!

One Grand Prize Winner Will Receive: One (1) Full Cannibal Corpse Catalog, Including DVDs, 15-Year Box Set and the Latest Release, Kill One (1) Autographed "Creepy Guy" Poster Two (2) Cannibal Corpse T-Shirts (Size May Vary)

Two Runners-Up Will Receive: One (1) Cannibal Corpse 15-Year Box Set and Latest Release, Kill One (1) Autographed "Creepy Guy" Poster Two (2) Cannibal Corpse T-Shirts (Size May Vary)

The rest is up to you, so enter to win! This contest runs until April 17, 2006.

In final KILL news, we are extremely excited to announce that, for the second time in their long career, CANNIBAL CORPSE has debuted on the BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART at #170 with 6049 units scanned with the release of their highly anticipated and praised album KILL! In 1994 "Vile" debuted at #151 (with 6175 units scanned), making "KILL" the second highest selling debut in the bands storied 17 year career!!!

Metal Blade & Cannibal Corpse wish to thank everyone of their fans new and old who made this possible! We caught up with Alex for a small interview:

  1. You are about to release your next album, KILL. Are you still as excited as you were when say Butchered At Birth got released or Vile?
    Answer: Yeah, we're always really excited with the release of each new album. After so much hard work, we're always very anxious to see what people think of our new material.
  2. What happened to the cover art, where are your trademark zombies and gutted virgins?
    Answer: Well, we got an awesome piece of art from Vince Locke (the artist for all of our covers), but after some thought we decided to put it on the inside of the album instead of on the cover. After that, we worked with the Metal Blade graphic design guy to put together a simple and dark cover. This is a similar situation to what happened with "The Bleeding". We liked the art Vince gave us, but we preferred it on the interior of the CD packaging (for the cover, we used a close up of the main zombie's torso). Anyway, for "Kill" we felt that the simple cover and album title worked well together. This doesn't mean we won't have some seriously gory cover art in the future, but for this particular album a different approach seemed to fit.
  3. The European version of KILL comes with a bonus DVD, I'm sure all the US fans would like to know why their version doesn't...
    Answer: Well, that's a question our label would have to answer. The European and American branches of Metal Blade sometimes do things independently of each other, and I believe that was the case here.
  4. The fans on the site think "Make Them Suffer" will be the best song on KILL, is that true?
    Answer: Hard to say, but we definitely like the song a lot (we chose it to be the video song). Every member of our band probably has a different opinion on which song is their favorite, and these opinions can change from day to day. I guess with music, it's hard to give a concrete answer as to which song is best. We put a massive effort into every song on this album, so hopefully our fans will like all of them.
  5. You are heading towards Europe in April, to headline the annual NoMercy festivals. What other touring plans do you have lined up?
    Answer: After No Mercy, we are doing two weeks of shows with Aeon and Prostitute Disfigurement in Europe. Then in the summer we will be playing on the Sounds of the Underground tour in North America, which is a festival tour featuring killer bands from a variety of different extreme music genres. We are going to do a tour of Australia in October, but the dates are not booked yet. As soon as they are, they'll be posted on www.cannibalcorpse.net . After that, we are working on putting together a headlining tour of the USA, and then for 2007, we'd like to return to Europe to play all of the places we didn't get to in April of 2006. So the next year or so is going to be pretty busy!
  6. So for the last album, you went on a crazy marathon touring schedule. Since two of the guys recently became fathers, will that influence the amount of touring you will be doing for this album?
    Answer: It definitely influences our tour schedule. We're still keeping pretty busy, but with George and Paul being fathers now, they need some time at home too. You'll notice that none of our tours are back to back the way they were in previous years. This is a direct result of the new family obligations George and Paul have.
  7. Which do you prefer, Saw or Hostel?
    Answer: I like both, but Hostel is my favorite of the two. I believe they're making a sequel, and I look forward to that.
  8. Which do you prefer, 'I walk the Line' or 'Ray'?
    Answer: Again, both are good, but I prefer Walk the Line.
  9. Which do you prefer, leather or latex?
    Answer: Well I've never even owned anything latex, so leather it is. I have a leather jacket.
  10. Last question: Why should people buy KILL and not download it?
    Answer: Well, CD audio quality is better than mp3, and you get the packaging with lyrics when you buy the album. Obviously, if you buy the CD instead of downloading it, it benefits the band too. CDs aren't made for free, and to pay back the money spent on the budget for making the album, a lot of CDs must be sold. But I also understand why somebody might want to download the music, so hopefully we've made an album that's killer enough for our fans to deem worthy of purchase.

If you need more, more, more Q&A's, here are some more interviews to quench your thirst:
» www.decibelmagazine.com
» www.globaldomination.se

For everybody who is on MySpace (you know you are, but you don't have to admit to it) stop by our MySpace page and say hello. Please note, this is our only official band endorsed My Space profile.

Tourdates

NO MERCY 2006
CANNIBAL CORPSE, KATALYSM, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, GRIMFIST, PSYCROPTIC
04.04. D ESSEN @ ZECHE CARL
05.04. D LUDWIGSBURG @ ROCKFABRIK
06.04. D BERLIN @ FRITZ
07.04. D GLAUCHAU @ ALTE SPINNEREI
08.04.CZ PRAGUE @ ABATON CLUB
09.04. A WIEN @ PLANET MUSIC
10.04. D MUNICH @ BACKSTAGE
11.04.CH PRATTELN @ Z7
12.04. FR STRASBOURG @ LA LAITERIE
13.04. D FRANKFURT @ BATSCHKAPP
14.04. A DORNBIRN @ SPIELBODEN
15.04. FR PARIS @ LOCOMOTIVE
16.04. BL ANTWERPEN @ HOF TER LOO
17.04. NL TILBURG @ 013

CANNIBAL CORPSE, PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, AEON
18.04. UK LONDON @ ELECTRIC BALLROOM
19.04. UK BRIGHTON @ CONCORDE 2
20.04. UK CORK @ ANCRUISCIN LAN
21.04. IRL DUBLIN @ TEMPLE BAR
22.04.SCO GLASGOW @ GARAGE
23.04. UK MANCHESTER @ JILLYS
24.04. FR TURCOIGN @ GRAND MIX (tbc)
26.04. D HANNOVER @ MUSIK ZENTRUM
27.04. DK KOBNHAVN @ THE ROCK
28.04.SWE GOTHENBORG @ KOREN CNM
29.04. NOR OSLO @ BETONG
30.04. SWE STOCKHOLM @ KLUBBEN
01.05. SWE OSTERSUND @ GAMLA TEATERN

SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND
AS I LAY DYING IN FLAMES TRIVIUM CANNIBAL CORPSE GWAR TERROR THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER BEHEMOTH THE CHARIOT THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD
Jul. 08 - Cleveland, OH @ Plain Dealer Pavillion
Jul. 09 - Chicago, IL @ 1st Midwest Bank Amp. Parking Lot
Jul. 11 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
Jul. 12 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis ***
Jul. 13 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ Mid Hudson Civic Center
Jul. 14 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center Parking Lot
Jul. 15 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom Outside
Jul. 16 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Waterfront
Jul. 17 - Washington DC @ Merryweather Pavillion
Jul. 19 - Orlando, FL @ Tinker Field
Jul. 21 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theatre
Jul. 22 - Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete St. Amphitheatre
Jul. 23 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amp. Parking Lot
Jul. 26 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre *****
Jul. 27 - Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues ***
Jul. 28 - San Diego, CA @ Venue Tba *****
Jul. 29 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amp. Parking Lot
Jul. 31 - Denver, CO @ Universal Lending Pavilion
Aug. 02 - Sauget, IL @ Pop's Outside
Aug. 03 - Sterling Heights, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphithea
Aug. 04 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
Aug. 05 - Minneapolis, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Aug. 06 - Winnipeg, MB @ Convention Centre
Aug. 07 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Center
Aug. 08 - Edmonton, AB @ Northlands Agricom
Aug. 10 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pne Forum
Aug. 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Universal Amphitheatre

* w/ KILLSWITCH ENGAGE (special guest appearance)
*** AS I LAY DYING, IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM, GWAR, CANNIBAL CORPSE, TERROR and BLACK DAHLIA MURDER only (Montreal, QC and Las Vegas, NV)
***** w/ SHADOWS FALL, IT DIES TODAY and STILL REMAINS special guest appearance (Mesa, AZ and San Diego, CA)

Tickets for the 2006 SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND tour go on sale Tuesday April 11th at 3pm local time. if you are planning on going to a show, the boys and gals of the organisation have arranged for nice block of tickets to be available for presale for all the fans. These tickets will have service fees much lower than the usual outlets. Also, a portion of every service fee will be donated to Cure Autism Now. On top of that, people who purchase in blocks of 4 will receive a discount coupon good for the SOTU T-Shirt. get your tickets at on of the following sites:
» tix.artistarena.com/soundsoftheunderground
» www.soundsoftheundergroundtour.com

Links:
» Official Cannibal Corpse website
» Official Cannibal Corpse forum
» Official Cannibal Corpse MySpace
» Official USA retailer
» KILL E-card
» KILL jukebox
» Sounds of the Underground

EXODUS

"As thrash goes, this is about as good as it gets. I can't imagine anyone being able to create anything better than this in the thrash field, so it gets the highest marks I can give it. That may change over time, but for now I see nothing even close to this. SHOVEL HEADED KILL MACHINE does just that - it kills!"
10/10 pitriff.com

First of all, you might have noticed the website being off-line over the weekend. This was unfortunate but unavoidable due to a server/host move. The site has been moved and is fully hosted on faster and more reliable servers. This should take care of all the 'server timed out'-errors the forum was experiencing. The same forum which has grown into a formidable thrash community where people gather, hang out and discuss and share music. If you are a fan of old-school thrash (do we still use that term?), then you definitely want to check out the action: Exodus forum.

Exodus have been an unstoppable force ever since the release of the highly acclaimed Shovel Headed Kill Machine. Beating the odds and surprising everybody, Exodus released one of the best albums of 2005 and have been touring almost non stop ever since (Oh wait, I meant to write TOURING in CAPS). After a US tour with 3 Inches of Blood, Crisis and Watch Them Die and a European tour with Hypocrisy, the band headed towards Asia and Australia last month to rock Japan, Thailand and Australia.

"Hey all, long time no speak! Just thought I'd give everybody a little bit of info about our recent trip. Let's start with Japan. As always, it was amazing. To share the stage with our old friends The Haunted and our new friends Niles was a total pleasure. But more than anything it was one hell of a drum clinic. Paul, Per, and George all in one night! I felt more like a very lucky spectator than anything. Talk about three drum shredders, it was quite a sight to behold. The Japanese fans always score at the top of my list. They are some of the most amazing, gracious fans on the planet, and as always I very much look forward to our return.

Bangkok! What can I say about that! One of those places I never imagined myself going to let alone playing there, but it ruled. Hot as fuck though! We played a little bar called the Rock Pub and how they ever put three hundred people in there I'll never figure out. Packed and sweaty, just they way a metal show should be. But alas, the world's biggest Exodus fan, Tharsh, did not make it after all, and has still not seen Exodus! But what a trip, visited the Grand Palace, bought tons of shit at the market for next to nothing, and celebrated Paul's birthday there. Good times all the way around!

Off to Australia, and after a three day seperation, to be re-united with The Haunted. This was our first time down under and it surpassed any expectations I might have ever had. The reception we recieved from the fans in Oz was unbelievable. The treatment from Scorpian Entertainment, the promoters, was off the hook, on a par with Smash in Japan. First rate all the way. Every show was killer, with Melbourne the most insane. Although I did see some blood in Sydney!

I am telling you, playing with The Haunted is just too great for words to describe. Great friends, great band, and great fun to be around. The last show in Brisbane resulted in some end of tour pranks, mostly at the hands off Exodus. Cheese, Nutella, and Jensen just don't mix! The show ended with us taking over The Haunted's gear for a rendition of Pirahna with Per on drums, followed by The Haunted doing a medly of Bloodline and Reign in blood with Paul. Fucking killer!

And this was Rob's birthday so that made the day even more special. From there came the nightmare trip home (27 hours of flights with a overnight layover in Bangkok) but I could be doing worse things for a living!"

Gary Holt, Mar 13, 2006

» Exodus in Australia
» Exodus in Australia


© david caracandas

No rest for the wicked, since they are getting ready for another US tour, which starts on April 14, 2006 in Santa Cruz, CA at Catalyst. Support will come from Full Blown Chaos & Subzero. A few dates will also include Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Immolation & Skinless.

Apr, 14 - Santa Cruz CA @ Catalyst
Apr, 15 - Concord CA @ Bourbon Street *
Apr, 16 - Hollywood CA @ Key Club *
Apr, 17 - Santa Ana CA @ Galaxy Theatre *
Apr, 19 - Fort Collins CO @ Aggie Theatre *
Apr, 20 - Albuquerque NM @ Launchpad *
Apr, 21 - San Antonio TX @ Sanctuary * venue change
Apr, 22 - Houston TX @ Engine Room *
Apr, 24 - Ft. Lauderdale FL @ Culture Room *
Apr, 25 - Orlando FL @ Backbooth *
Apr, 26 - Atlanta GA @ the Masquerade *
Apr, 27 - W. Springfield VA @ Jaxx **
Apr, 28 - Poughkeepsie NY @ the Chance **
Apr, 29 - Worchester MA @ the Palladium **
Apr, 30 - New York City NY @ B.B. Kings ***
May, 01 - Bedford NH @ Mark's Place *
May, 02 - Montreal QC @ Foufounes Electriques ** venue change
May, 03 - Toronto ON @ Lee's Place *
May, 04 - Rochester NY @ Penny Arcade *
May, 05 - Cleveland OH @ Peabody's *
May, 06 - Detroit MI @ Harpo's *
May, 07 - Niles MI @ White House *
May, 08 - Columbus OH @ Newport Music Hall *
May, 09 - Nashville TN @ the Muse *
May, 10 - Chicago IL @ Joe's on Weed st. *
May, 11 - Lansing MI @ Temple Club *
May, 12 - Columbia Heights MN @ Star Central *
May, 13 - Cedar Falls IA @ Reverb *
May, 14 - Denver CO @ Bluebird Theatre *
May, 16 - Seattle WA @ Studio Seven *
May, 17 - Portland OR @ Rock n Roll Pizza *
May, 18 - Orangevale CA @ the Boardwalk *
May, 19 - San Francisco CA @ the Pound *

* W/ Exodus, Full Blown Chaos & Subzero ** W/ Exodus, Cryptopsy, Immolation, Full Blown Chaos, Subzero
*** W/ Exodus, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Immolation, Full Blown Chaos, Skinless, Subzero
Please note the venue change in San Antonio, TX and Montreal, QC

June will take the band back to Europe for a small European tour and a handful of festival appearances. Dates will be announced when fully confirmed but you can go ahead and write down these two dates:

Bang Your Head
Balingen, June 24 2006
» http://www.bang-your-head.de

Graspop festival
Dessel (B), June 25th 2006
» http://www.graspop.com

Now note that after all this excitement, there's still another 6 months to go in which the band plan to tour as much as humanly possible. Can things get any better? You bet, Gary is already in writing mode for the next album. No concrete songs yet but Exodus will probably head into the studio early 2007. With the new members having more time to prepare their parts this time, expect the results to be nothing less than mind-blowing (Ok, that was a direct quote from the management but it seemed appropriate).

If you feel you need to be more styling, then head over to the online store. A few new pieces of merchandise have just been added (including the ever so trendy wristband and beanie hat).

In case you need a visual reminder, check out the video for Now Thy Death Day Come. Make sure you have your Real Player installed though.

Final Exodus news: If you reside in the USA, pick up your copy of the April issue of DRUM magazine, which features an outstanding article on Paul Bostaph.

Links:
» Official Exodus website
» Official Exodus forum
» Official Exodus on-line store
» Official Paul Bostaph website

NAPALM DEATH

Others who have been touring non-stop it seems, are Napalm Death. After the release of 'The Code is Red, Long Live the Code', the godfathers of grind embarked on a world tour that has taken them from Europe to North America, to Latin America to Indonesia and back to Europe and the USA again.

"The tour with KREATOR has been really great for us so far, and in many places even better than we expected. In truth, I don't think NAPALM has ever really been a 'flavor of the month' band, but what has been good is that even KREATOR's more traditional thrash fans that might not really care for NAPALM, have been taken back by our intensity and have said they will check out our albums. It's been good and if we haven't seen you yet, we'll see you soon"

Barney - 10 Mar 2006

Any last words on the Kreator tour?
Barney: "That it was great fun and we all had a great time and we did the Rio Of Violence cover on the last day together with Kreator".

Appearently, Kreator agreed:

"KREATOR wants to thank everybody involved who made the 'Enemy of God Pt. 2' one of the best tours we've played in the U.S. ever! We had a fantastic time, made a lot of new friends, ran into old ones again and played many great shows, thanx to our North American legions — you rule forever!!! Touring with the legendary NAPALM DEATH was a great experience, wich ended with a performance of 'Riot of Violence', when both bands hit the stage together in a close to sold-out Jaxx in Springfield, Virginia. Having three guitars, two basses and two vocalists doing the song sounded just massive! We will post some photos and video material of this unforgetable night soon. We will return!!!"

Back on British soil, the band are currently in song writing mode. According to vocalist Mark 'Barney' Greenway, we are "working like crazy" on the album, with 6 songs ready to go and more to come soon. No song titles could be revealed yet but expect the new album to hit the usual socially engaged themes like politics and religion.

During the last lap of the USA Kreator tour, lean, mean grindcore machine Shane got us up to speed on all the current activities:

We start rehearsing for the new album on April then we head into the studio in Wales again to FOEL STUDIOS on may 12th with producer Russ Russell again to record the album which should be finished by June 18th.We have various festivals every weekend all over the summer including this years full force festival and the hole in the sky festival in Norway.

All being well the new album will be out in September followed by a trip to the states shortly after..

there may be a chance we will play the damnation festival in the UK in October we are just looking into seeing if its possible with our schedule

we are also working on when our much delayed live split album with Nasum can come out. This was recorded in Japan a couple of years ago again more news when I have it

Other related news one of my other projects VENOMOUS CONCEPT will be releasing a split ep with Japanese grinders 324 on HG Fact records from Tokyo, Japan which should be coming out at the end of this month. We are still looking into a label for Europe. The first album RETROACTIVE ABORTION is being issued on limited edition vinyl on CONSPIRACY RECORDS from Europe with unreleased bonus tracks.

As you might know, Shane might be the only grinder who has his very own Japanese action figure: GRIND KAIJU GARGA-DEATH

What is the GRIND KAIJU GARGA-DEATH?? Kaiju is Japanese for "monstrous beast" and Napalm Death is English for GRIND!! Put the two together and you get the GRIND KAIJU called GARGA-DEATH!!! Shane (Napalm Death) who is a lover of Japanese monster toys and films collaborates with the Japanese toy maker Gargamel to bring you THE MONSTEROUS BEAST of GRIND ... this is GARGA-DEATH!!!!!

We recently (alright, it was awhile ago) held a competition on the website for some lucky fan to win his (or her) very own GRIND KAIJU GARGA-DEATH. Congratulations to Anders Svahnström, whose name and right answered got pulled out of the digital hat. Coincidentally, Anders received the good news on his birthday. Coincidence? I think not. The Shane, he works in mysterious ways…*

GRIND KAIJU GARGA-DEATH is also for sale at the Century Media store

In more exciting news, with the band being so popular in Latin-American countries and Indonesia, www.napalmdeath.org will start offering the site's newsfeed in Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia as well.

If you want to know everything about Napalm Death and all the related projects, our forum would be the best place to start (and end). The official Napalm Death forum is a valuable vault of Napalm Death history and tracking, thanks to the community there.

Upcoming tourdates
30.06 - With Full Force Festival
Roitschjora, D

01.07 - Metaparty Festival
Vigo, I

02.07 - Nuvolari Festival
Cuneo, I

03.07 - Forte Prenestino
Roma, I

05.07 - Transilvania Live
Cagliar, I

Links:
» Official Napalm Death website
» Official Napalm Death Forum
» Century Media store
» Lockup 666
» Venomous Concept
» Brujeria

*Anders won the competition by sheer chance, so don't read more into that last remark. It was indeed a coincidence for him to win on his birthday.

ARCH ENEMY

Arch Enemy are currently in the US again for the Jagermeister tour, which they are co-headlining with Chimaira. Afterwards the band will head over to Mexico for their very first Mexican performance.

Michael Amott comments: 'Finally we are coming! We are super excited about this - looking forward to some METAL MADNESS...Mexico style!'

The man that never sleeps, he is Michael Amott.
Truly, even in the midst of a US co-headlining tour, Michael found the time to answer this month's Q&A.

  1. What's coming up for you guys, heading back over to the US again? You haven't toured Europe that much for this album, any European tours planned later this year? Apart from the summer festivals?
    We're just starting off our first tour of 2006, co-headlining with Chimaira in the US, really looking forward to that one! We're certainly hoping to get back to do a 'proper' European tour sometime in autumn/winter this year, we'll just have to see how things work out. The last one was a blast! But get yourselves down to the festivals anyway, just in case, ha ha!
  2. Which festivals will you be playing?
    We’ve got most places pretty well covered I think – we’re particularly pleased to be playing at not just one but two Swedish festivals this year (Swedenrock and Arvika), then there’s a main stage appearance coming up at Download in the UK, which should be amazing… France and Spain are covered too, then we’ve got a handful of the old favourites such as Graspop in Belgium, Wacken in Germany, Tuska in Finland, etc. There’s also gonna be a couple of new places for us such as Slovenia; we look forward to taking them apart as well!!

    But there are a couple still tbc so keep checking the ‘Tourdates’ section on www.archenemy.net for the final word… all festivals will be fully confirmed by the end of the first week in April or thereabouts..

  3. You recently introduced your very own signature ESP model, can you tell us a bit more about that? How did it come about and how involved were you in the designing process? Plus how has it been selling so far? Will it also come as an LTD?
    I started working on my signature model in 2003 with the people at ESP in Japan. The custom shops in Tokyo and Nagoya started working on my cryptic drawings and demented notes and after a few prototypes and modifications we finally arrived at what we call the ‘NINJA V’ – a flying V type guitar (the style of guitar which I was already playing). I got more and more involved in the design process – they kinda let me loose on it! But these guys who actually build these things and make the ideas a reality are amazing – hats off to them!! The ‘NINJA’ was obviously built with me and my playing in mind - but it’s just a super cool guitar that is very METAL. It’s just been made available in the USA as well; I am very proud and honoured that ESP is making it available worldwide! I think people will like it! The less expensive LTD version (the NINJA-600) is out too. Check www.espguitars.com for more details… There’s plenty of Michael Amott action there!!!

    I don’t really know how it’s been selling so far – it’s just out so… I’m sure they’ll tell me at some point…but I did end up sitting next to a guy on a plane recently who worked in a shop which stocked them, and he’d got rid of a couple that week – hopefully that’s the start of an avalanche of sales….or something!

  4. What's this about a DVD? What will it feature and when will it be out?
    Yes, the long-awaited DVD…it will be coming out worldwide this summer and it’s a real piece of work. It’s going to be quite something. There’s almost too much happening on in it to even go into here, suffice to say it wouldn’t all fit on one disc, so now it’s gonna be a double DVD release!!

    It’s mainly based around an awesome show we did at the very end of 2004 at The Forum in London, which is a cool 2,000 capacity venue. It’s also worth noting that it was the very last live show featuring Christopher on guitar, you could say that makes it a bit more of an ‘event’ in hindsight, though we didn’t know at the time that it would be his last show. Anyway, there’s also a whole load of extras including behind the scenes footage, several videos, interviews, multi-angle options, some intense footage of other shows we’ve played around the world in the last few years, some focus on the guitar and drum technical setup, etc etc. A pretty cool package, all-in-all!!

  5. How is that solo album coming along?
    No plans for that – ha! Arch Enemy’s keeping me busy and happy!
  6. You and Daniel attended the Frankfurt Musik Messe in Germany… Now you did NAMM a few months back, how was that? And are you open to the idea of giving clinics? Maybe releasing an instruction video?
    NAMM and Messe in Frankfurt were both great things to do, it’s an honour to be invited and it’s pretty cool to spend a few days hanging out with players at the top of their game, along with meeting some of the people at various companies who look after us so well; guitar companies, string suppliers, pickup manufacturers etc. There’s a lot of wheeling and dealing going on but I just prefer to hang out and see what’s going on, play around with new amps, meet a few new people, that kind of thing! Also there’s plenty of chances to pick up some new ‘toys’ – I’m always up for that!

    I’m not sure if I’m really a ‘clinics’ type of person, but I’ve done a couple of short instructional DVDs before (though they’ve usually been for cover mounts of Japanese guitar magazines or CD Rom stuff for Guitar World). Maybe if one day I get any spare time I’d think about it, but I’m not one of these guys who feels compelled to ‘teach’ other players. I mean, explaining how to play one of my riffs is one thing, but as a self-taught player myself, I think that people should just pick up on the kind of playing and players that inspire them, and then go on and strive to be the best in their own style, rather than just doing what someone else tells them. It’s much more interesting to find your own way.

  7. In Spiritual Beggars news, you just released a live DVD. Now with you touring so extensively with Arch Enemy and Per touring almost full time with Opeth, when will there be another SB tour?
    We don’t know yet. We were hoping we could do something later this year, but now I’m not sure how easy that’ll be.

    We were really pleased with the way the Spiritual Beggars DVD came out, and in fact I’ve got lots of songs for a new Beggars album, but at the moment it’s difficult finding the time to even record with Beggars, let alone tour. We do have some plans for next year, which could potentially be really exciting – all I can say right now to the Begheds out there is “don’t give up hope – we WILL be back!”

  8. What's the best thing about living in Sweden?
    When I speak in Swedish everyone understands me.
  9. Leather or Latex?
    Leather.
  10. Kill Bill I or Kill Bill II?
    'I' of course!
  11. Lost or 24?
    Can’t say I really care!

Catch Michael Amott, Fredrik Akesson and Angela Gossow at New England Metal & Hardcore Fest on Saturday April 29th at 4:00PM - 4:45PM where they will be doing an ESP guitars signing session

After the release of Doomsday Machine, the band embarked on a marathon world tour, touring almost every continent (seems like the thing to do, huh?). The first few months of this year have been used to recharge batteries and work on other projects such as the Spiritual Beggars DVD and the first Arch Enemy DVD. Plus don't forget plugging signature equipment (ESP NINJA V) at the NAMM & Frankfurt Musikmesse.

Ok, so what's happened 'round here? Well, we've actually been keeping busy and focused during our time home since the holidays. A lot of effort has gone into working on the first ever Arch Enemy DVD, 'LIVE APOCALYPSE' which is now very near completion. The DVD is shaping up to be an ultra cool 2-disc affair and I honestly couldn't be happier with it. The main show is from the Forum in London, U.K (December '04) and we also have footage from Manchester, U.K in December '05 (there'll be 3 songs included from that). It goes without saying that there's tons of extras/special features - as there should be!

Paul Smith - who's been editing all the concert footage has done a superb job, it looks stunning. I spent a couple of days in London recently at his studio and that was a blast…had a lot of fun annoying him! Andy Sneap's audio mix (5.1 and stereo) is HEAVY…it almost blew my speakers out. Andy really captured the live feel and power of the show, it's like you are right there in the audience! Brilliant. Rickard Bengtsson did a killer job on the stereo mixes from Manchester too...it all sounds mint! This DVD crushes some of my fave metal DVD's in my collection - and I have a sick collection… Once again, I am happy that we work with the best - they make us look and sound great! There will soon be more detailed information (including release dates!) on the 'LIVE APOCALYPSE' DVD.

In between all the tour chaos, the band was able to shoot their next video for 'My Apocalypse' which will be the first video to feature new guitar player Fredrik Akesson

We shot a video for the song 'My Apocalypse' on Monday. The shoot was smooth and fun. Our necks hurt for a couple of days though… 'Bang that head!!!!'. The director Roger Johansson tells us it will all look killer when he's done with the editing and special effects. Looking forward to seeing it. Should be on a metal show near you in a few weeks!"

"We also had Paul Smith come out and do interviews for the 'Live Apocalypse' DVD - that was a lot of fun… I just hope we come across like the wonderful human beings that we are…ha ha ha"

Right before the tour, Daniel shared his thoughts.

"Getting ready for the US/CANADA tour... 'Right now we're getting ready to start rehearsing with the whole band for the upcoming Jägermeister tour with Chimaira, I'm looking forward to seeing all fans and friends on the road! We'll play an hours worth of music every night (regardless if we are closing the show or not) on this tour. So if you're coming to the show, save some headbanging for us!'

'It's been a while since we rehearsed with the full formation, so that's gonna be fun! As you might know we've been working on completing the "Live Apocalypse" DVD during this 'break' and we shot a video for 'My Apocalypse' too. We've also written new material for the future, some really intense and heavy material I should add!'

'In other news, I'll be doing some signing sessions at the Frankfurt Music Messe on April 1st… I'll be at Pearl 11 AM, and also at the Sabian booth at 3 PM - hope to see all you drum freaks there!'

Stay Metal...

/Daniel"

Want more Daniel? You know you do! Drummer's Digest did an interview in December:

"Actually I have always played the guitar, but I've never managed to learn anything beyond a couple of rock chords. But this time I recorded a couple of demos with guitar, bass and drums which I presented to the others, and in the end a few riffs of mine ended up being on the album."

» drummersdigest.com

And last but certainly not least, Southpark step aside, Death Clock Metalocalypse have arrived. That is right, Death Clock Metalocalypse is a (forthcoming) cartoon about a metal band (who reminds me a bit of that band on Airheads) called DEATHKLOK. What's even better, they are a Norwegian black metal band. But for the best part: Michael Amott will be making an appearance on the show. In fact, Mike recorded his parts in two hours and got to try out several different voices and characters (which included nasty Swedish lines).

This is what my friend Wikipedia had to say on the matter:

Death Clock Metalocalypse is an animated show airing in 2006 on Adult Swim, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The show is greenlit for 20 episodes, and begins in August 2006. Described as "Spinal Tap meets Scooby-Doo meets Norway."

To check out the trailer: Trailer for Death Clock Metalocalypse

Tourdates

Jagermusic.com
Arch Enemy, Chimaira, Nevermore, God Forbid, Hate Eternal

03-Apr Mon Denver, CO Gothic Theater
05-Apr Wed Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre
06-Apr Thu San Diego, CA House of Blues
07-Apr Fri Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
08-Apr Sat Anaheim, CA House of Blues
09-Apr Sun San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11-Apr Tue Portland, OR Roseland
12-Apr Wed Seattle, WA El Corazon
13-Apr Thu Vancouver Croatian Center
14-Apr Fri Spokane, WA The Big Easy
15-Apr Sat Calgary, AB MacEwan Ballroom
16-Apr Sun Edmonton, AB Starlite
18-Apr Tue Winnipeg, MB Ramada
19-Apr Wed Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
20-Apr Thu Milwaukee, WI The Eagles Club
21-Apr Fri Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
22-Apr Sat Detroit, MI Harpo's
24-Apr Mon Chicago, IL House of Blues
25-Apr Tue Rochester, NY Penny Arcade
26-Apr Wed New York, NY The Avalon
28-Apr Fri Montreal, QC The Medley
29-Apr Sat Worcester, MA New England Metalfest headlining
30-Apr Sun Washington DC 9.30 Club
02-May Tue Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
03-May Wed Norfolk, VA Norva Theater
04-May Thu Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
05-May Fri Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's
06-May Sat Millvale, PA Mr. Smalls

Mexico 2006
08-May Mon @ Café Iguana , Monterrey, Mexico
09-May Tue @ Circo Volador , Mexico City, Mexico

European festivals 2006
May 28-30 2006 - New England Metal And Hardcore Festival
The Palladium, Worcester, Massachusetts

June 8-10 2006 - Sweden Rock Festival
Sölvesborg, Sweden

June 9-11 2006 - Download
Donington Park, Leicestershire, UK

June 23-25 2006 - Graspop
Dessel, Belgium

June 23-25 2006 - Hellfest
Clisson, France

June 30-July 2 2006 - Tuska Open Air
Helsinki, Finland.

June 30 - July 2 2006 - With Full Force
Roitschjora, Germany

July 13 -15 2006 - Arvika Festivalen
Sweden

21-22 July 2006 - The Earthshaker Fest
Germany

July 21-23 2006 - Metalcamp Festival
Tolmin, Slovenia

Remember Headbanger's Ball? I do vividly, I remember watching Vanessa Warwick, the Triple Thrash Treat and lots and lots of metal! Behold: MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge. This exclusive double CD features 38 tracks (2,5 hours in total) of the newest, biggest and baddest in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. And that includes Arch Enemy too of course.

Tune into this week's Headbangers Ball, which airs at 10pm EST, Saturday night, and watch nothing but videos for songs featured in the new, 2-disc, 38-track MTV2 Headbanger's Ball: The Revengecompilation, arriving in stores Tuesday, April 11th! Mike took the Headbanger's Ball questionnaire.

  1. Were you a fan of the original "Headbanger's Ball"? Do you watch the current one?
    Mike: "I never saw too much of the original U.S. version of 'Headbangers Ball'. There was a European version for a few years that actually was very good. MTV in Europe need to give METAL some love again! Living in Sweden Europe, we are not able to watch the show. Although we do tune in on the tour bus when we are on tour in the U.S. — it's always cool to check out the new metal videos."
  2. Have you ever been a guest on HEADBANGERS BALL? If so, when? How was it??
    Mike:“Yes, Arch Enemy have visited ‘The Ball’ twice in NYC, it’s always been cool… The interviews are very brief and really don’t get too in depth, but we are just happy to get that kind of exposure for our music! Jamey’s absolutely the right man for the job. He has credibility…and is a serious fan of heavy music.”
  3. Who are your 3 favorite bands on the CD (track listing below) and why?
    Mike:“Iron Maiden, Opeth and Mastadon. Simply because these 3 bands have their own signature sound.”
  4. Tell us a bit about the song you contributed to the album. What is it about? What album did it come from?
    Mike:"'Nemesis' is a good representation of the Arch Enemy sound, fast and aggressive â?? and has shredding melodic guitar. The song is obviously about revenge - hence the title. However, the song is also about unity - it comes off our latest album Doomsday Machine."
  5. Who would win in an arm wrestling competition - Rikki Rachtman or Jamey Jasta?
    "As I have never heard of 'Rikki Rachtman' supporting extreme Metal Iâ??ll go with Jamey Jasta!"

»MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge
»MTV2

And last but not least, Arch Enemy now have their very own official MySpace profile. MySpace, you either love it or you hate it, but there's no way around it anymore. It's sort of like Arch Enemy, so drop by and say HEJ!

Links:
 » Official Arch Enemy website
» Official Arch Enemy MySpace profile
» Official Arch Enemy Merchandise
» Official Arch Enemy Weblog
» Daniel at Pearl
» Michael at ESP

DARKANE

Swedish combo Darkane will be joining Sadus and Gory Blister for a European tour Starting next week. Now even though their current CD Layers of Lies has been out for awhile, this will be the first European tour in support of the album. Christofer elaborates:

  1. You are about to embark on your first European tour for Layers of Lies, can I say about time? What took you so long?
    We did a full US tour last autumn together with Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad and Soilwork, and then around New Year both Klas and I became first time fathers and couldn´t go on tour right away. We´ve also been waiting for a good opportunity, and now that opportunity has come with the Sadus tour.
  2. It's been awhile but how was the US tour for you? Will you be going back any time soon?
    We had a great time and playing in front of the American audience was really great! We felt that a lot of them had been waiting for many years to see us, and we felt very welcome. A lot of people showed up for us even though we were the opening act. Hopefully we´ll come back one more time this year. I know Nuclear Blast/America wants us back, and that is very positive!
  3. What did you like best about the US?
    I would say the fact that we could experience all the seasons in just 6 weeks. From freezing our asses off in cold but beautiful Toronto to chilling by the pool in hot Florida. Also the beautiful landscapes, from plain Kansas to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and everything in between.
  4. Christofer, you recently became a dad. How is that agreeing with you? Does your little girl like metal?
    Yes, but she doesn´t have a choice. I practise the guitar while she watches me, and she seems to enjoy it! See for yourselves: [Rocking out]
  5. On a scale from 1 - 10 rate the following items:
    -IKEA: 10
    -Kaviar in a tube: 10
    -SAAB: 5
    -Desperate Housewives: Desperate girls can never be wrong, 10 (but I don´t watch it).
  6. Ray or Walk the Line?
    I had to look up Ray because I didn´t know what that was, but it looks interesting, and I´ll check it out ASAP. Walk the Line was a cool movie and I enjoyed watching it, but sometimes it got boring.

After a highly successful US tour with Fear Factory, SYL and Soilwork and the birth of three Darkane babies, the band are ready to hit the road and rock on European soil to convince all the non-believers. So make sure you catch them if you get the chance.

Sadus, Darkane & Gory Blister:

April 14th Fri, Baroeg, Rotterdam, NL
April 15th Sat, Turock, Essen, D
April 16th Sun, Noordschok, Groningen, NL (festival)
April 18th Tue, Ubu, Rennes, F
April 19th Wed, Locomotive, Paris, F
April 21th Fri, Tor 3, Osnabruck, D
April 22nd Sat, Rocking Chair, Vevey, CH
April 23rd Sun, La Gabbia, Bassano Del Grappa, IT
April 24th Mon, Sonar Club, Colle de Val D'Elsa, IT
April 25th Tue, Circolo Degli Artisti, Rome, IT
April 26th Wed, Monastery, Vienna, A
April 27th Thu, Black Pes, Prague, CZ
April 28th Fri, Exhaus, Trier, D
April 29th Sat, Kings Of Metal, Arnhem, NL (festival) - Afternoon
April 29th Sat, Biebob, Vosselaar, B - Evening
April 30th Sun, 013, Tilburg, NL

Additionally, it's a home court advantage on May 4, 2006 when Darkane will be playing Tivoli in Helsingborg. On June 3, 2006 the band will head to Stockholm's Klubben for a one-off show. Support will come from Scar Symmetry and Hydrogen.

Links:
» Official Darkane website
» Official Darkane Forum
» Darkane on MySpace
» Christofer's personal site

SOILWORK

Speaking of Scar Symmetry... Remember when you could only dream of a tour which featured Hypocrisy, Soilwork, Amorphis, One Man Army & the Undead Quartet and Scar Symmetry? This could be your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see all five amazing bands live in one package and you will be able to say, "I was there!" Better get your shit together and make sure to attend at least one of the following dates.

Neckbreaker's Ball
 2006.04.11 AARHUS (DK) Voxhalle
2006.04.12 COTTBUS (D) Glad House
2006.04.13 HAMBURG (D) Markthalle @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.14 DORDRECHT (NL) Bibelot
2006.04.15 AMNČVILLE (FR) Le Galaxie @ Metal Therapy Festival **
2006.04.16 LICHTENFELS (D) Stadthalle
2006.04.17 KOELN (D) Live Music Hall @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.18 STUTTGART (D) LKA @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.19 PRATTELN (CH) Z7
2006.04.20 LINDAU (D) Club Vaudeville
2006.04.21 WIEN (AT) Planet Music
2006.04.22 LINZ (AT) Posthof
2006.04.23 MUENCHEN (D) Metropolis
2006.04.24 OSNABRUECK-GEORGSMARIENHUETTE (D) B51 Event Center
2006.04.25 PARIS (D) Locomotive
2006.04.26 WIEZE (B) Oktoberhallen

** Hypocrisy, Soilwork, Amorphis only

Expect another US tour this fall together with Darkest Hour, Mnemic & Threat Signal. This tour is still in the works and no further details have been announced. Since none of the dates have been confirmed, this means anything can happen. One thing you can look forward to (if you are in Europe this summer) is a whole lot of festival appearances!

Kill-retailposter.jpg

Hi there!

Been home now for a week after the eastern Europe assault: kick ass shows, no sleep, more booze than we could handle and looooong drives.. A big hail to our polish, Czech and Hungarian fans!!

Working on some songs with a shitty acoustic guitar, man gotta get myself a home studio.. anyways, it's shaping up good..

I have some other great news as well, it looks like i will get my ass over to Vancouver to record my vocals there with Mr. Devin Townsend for the next Soilwork album..how about it? We just have to figure out a plan since SYL are gonna tour like hell for the upcoming album.. anyways, i talked to Devin and he´s definitely up for it...I love that guy...

There´s a lot to work on with the upcoming new website, members section, webshop and much more, have patience..

Peace, Speed - 13 Mar 2006

You might have noticed the website being off-line over the weekend and only partially being up right now. This is all due to us moving servers and restyling the site at the same time. I am in the process of restoring everything and I should have everything up and running again by this weekend (what can I say, busy busy busy). I am hoping weird access denied errors and mysterious resetting of content comments will be a thing of the past (in case you were wondering, we did not delete your comments).

A new feature of the revamped website will be the integrated on-line store. Indeed, it's been a long time coming. Still looking for that one Soilwork shirt you decided not to buy at the show? www.soilwork.org will have its own shop up soon. The initial plan is to sell the left over tour merchandise first. Right now, the details are being figured out, more on this soon. And in website related news: we have a new moderator to watch over our forum. Welcome Damned Soilworker (what's in a name?) who's name actually means 'he who is sworn to protect the community against spambots and trolls'.

While you are at the site, stop by our impressive tattoo gallery. Now that's what I call insane metal! If you are sporting some Soilwork ink yourself, do not hesitate to send in a picture!

In Soilwork related news, Bjorn related to be more specific, the TERROR 2000 album, Terror For Sale just got released in the States. Two days ago to be exact, now that is fresh!

Who said Extreme Metal was not supposed to be fun? TERROR 2000, with their brand new opus, entitled Terror For Sale, prove this theory wrong without any difficulty whatsoever, especially with a lineup that still includes, among others, Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) and Klaus "Trofobic" Ideberg (DARKANE). The album cover artwork featuring a blood-covered cartoon character (who could have easily been a villain in one of the Marvel Comic Books series) and song titles such as "King Kong Song" or "Mummy Metal For The Masses", those Swedes want to make a point that they definitely have a wicked sense of humor.

-Metal Eater

Terror 2000 also features Klas Ideberg and Erik Thyselius.

Links:
» Official Soilwork website
» Official Soilwork forum
» Official Neckbreaker's Ball website
» Terror2000 Fansite

NON-HUMAN LEVEL

Note how all these pieces all seem related in one way or another? They flawlessly slide into each other...like so: Klas isn't the only Darkener one who's been dipping his nose in the side project honey pot. The album has been out for awhile now, but I thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless. Christofer released his solo-album under the name Non-Human Level last year through Listenable. The self titled album also features Peter Wildoer, who has taken on the vocal duties this time. So is it any good? Metal Eater rewarded it a 9.5/10!

  1. How has the response on the album been so far?
    It´s been really good! We´ve gotten tons of great reviews and most people seem to like it a lot. I only wish more people would know about the album because I guess that many potentional buyers will never know about it.
  2. Do you think you'll ever play these songs live, maybe with NHL maybe with Darkane?
    It´s not impossible that we will play live with NHL but it would require some work to get together and practise since the drummer Ryan lives in Vancouver, Canada, and the rest of us in Sweden. Darkane will probably never play any NHL song live.
  3. Is it correct that most songs were Darkane leftovers you had written? Do you think NHL offers a substantial diversity from Darkane material?
    I wouldn't call them leftovers since I traded some songs forth and back between the two bands. The song "Third" on the Darkane album "Insanity" was originally written for NHL, but Darkane liked it so much that I gave it to them instead. The song "Untrustable Surface" was written for Layers of Lies, but in the end I decided to record it with NHL instead. Some riffs fit Darkane better and some NHL.
    The difference between Darkane and NHL is first that it´s played by other musicians except for me. NHL is also more death metal with a lot of focus on guitar playing while Darkane is more thrash metal.

The complete NON-HUMAN LEVEL track listing:

NON-HUMAN LEVEL (2005 - Listenable)

01. Divine Creation Of Void 02. Personal Hell (mp3) 03. Windows On The World 04. The Second Plane 05. Instincts 06. Journal Of A Nightmare 07. Water 08. Unstrustable Surface 09. The Genetic Failure 10. Freaking Goose

Links:
» Official Non-Human Level website
» Non-Human Level at Listenable

FUELBLOODED

Fuelblooded just released their debut album Inflict the Inevitable through Copro Records. Recorded in Amsterdam, mixed in Denmark by Jacob Hansen and wrapped in the US by Travis Smith, Inflict the Inevitable is a release you can't afford to miss, especially if you like your thrash melodic and tight. Don't believe me? Check out the samples at www.fuelblooded.com or on this month's Terrorizer sampler.

The complete INFLICT THE INEVITABLE track listing:

INFLICT THE INEVITABLE (2006 - Copro Records)

01. Art of Life 02. Measure Swords 03. Dream Tech Inc. 04. Constructive Destruction 05. Inflict the Inevitable 06. Hate of a Thousand Ages 07. The Hangman's Burden 08. Dissector of Souls 09. Poisonous 10. The Silence

This is definitely a devastating album with an excellent production and an high quality of sound, I'm really speechless. Fuelblooded's music is pretty much direct, melodic death/trash metal, a genre keeping together various and different metal flavours. "Inflict the inevitable" is one of the top metal album of this year (2006) (...)

Ten aggressive songs for a granitic powerful release; who likes death and trash metal will not be disappointed, run out and buy "Inflict the inevitable"!!!

9/10 - Fire Alive

Do you pine for the days of 'And Justice For All'? Do you miss the heaviness of early Metallica before they churned out poppy ballads and had psycho-therapists visit them in the studio? Well meet Fuelblooded from Holland (...)

4/5 - Rock Midgets

The lucky British will have a chance to check out the band live next month, when the band cross the Channel for a UK tour together with Detonation as well as to opening up for the mighty Nile in London on May 10, 2006 at Camden Palace. If you are planning on attending this show (and what else are you going to do on a Wednesday night, huh?), make sure you get there in time. Michiel Rutten explains why:

  1. Describe your music style
    Fuelblooded play melodic death/thrash metal. Of course this sounds like a cliche, cause who doesn't these days? But we combine influences from the Scandinavian style with the old school style thrash the Bay Area bands (used to) play. Throw in a little Mercyful Fate, a touch of Death and some Megadeth and there's Fuelblooded.
  2. Your favourite song on the album and why
    Pff, that's a hard question... OK, I'll go with The Silence, cause it is probably the oldest song on the album, but every time I hear it, it is still music to my ears. But I really consider most songs on the album my favourite.
  3. Best album of 2005
    Damn! There's quite a few albums that come close actually. But the two albums that come to mind immediately are Nevermore's This Godless Endeavor and Symmetric in Design by Scar Symmetry. O, and Nile (Annihilation of the Wicked) of course! OK, I'll go with the latest God Forbid album, Constitution of Treason. Great album.
  4. Best movie of all time
    Hmm, good one... I am gone go with The Godfather 2. If I think long and hard I might come up with another movie, cause there's so many movies I like, but this one will always and forever be classic! And Robert de Niro rules!
  5. Tom Hanks' best role
    Tom Hanks has played so many great roles, but I think Bachelor Party is his top performance. Seriously now, I think his best role would be the role in what I think is his best movie. So for me that would again be a tie between Forest Gump and Road to Perdition. OK, Forest Gump it is...
  6. With the abundance of bands out there, why should anyone buy your album?
    Cause it is good of course! Of course there's lots of great albums out there, but we definitely have something of our own to offer to the crowd. The album is well produced, the music has its own identity and offers a lot of variation: super heavy riffs, good hooks, lots of leads, slow parts as well as fast thrash parts, deep grunts, screams and raw vocals... I think it could appeal to a lot of people. Check out the samples on our website and our MySpace site if you want to get an idea of what we're doing!

Links:
» Fuelblooded on MySpace
» Official Fuelblooded website
» Fuelblooded at Corpro Records
» Interview with Danny Tunker

NEVERMORE

In Dutch we have an expression, Godenzonen. Now unfortunately this term is associated with the AJAX football team because it might have been more appropriate for Nevermore who are currently out on the JAGERMUSIC tour, together with Arch Enemy and Chimaira. Note that they will only be on there for the first 8 shows, but they will be back on the road with In Flames next month. All in support of the superior This Godless Endeavor. I don't think I need to go more into that since I expect everybody reading this to own a copy by now.

Afterwards, it's back to Europe for the summer festival mayhem (who ever thought you'd wish you lived in Germany?) including appearances at the Gods of Metal and Sweden Rock festivals as well as at the legendary Wacken Open Air. Since everything that could be said about This Godless Endeavor has been said, I questioned Warrel the fabulous about movies instead.

  1. Warrel, you are such a movie buff, what's the last movie you saw?
    slither
  2. What's the best movie you saw last year?
    Crash
  3. Did you think Crash deserved that Oscar?
    Yes
  4. What's your favourite genre?
    Horror
  5. What's Tarantino's best movie?
    Kill Bill 1
  6. What's the scariest movie you ever saw?
    The Exorcist, when I was a kid it scared the fuck out of me, now as an adult it's pretty funny
  7. The best vampire movie is?
    Dracula with Bela Lugosi
  8. Saw or Hostel?
    Saw
  9. Kill Bill 1 or 2?
    Kill Bill 1
  10. Ray or Walk the Line?
    Ray by a long shot
  11. Basic Instinct 2:
    • boring
    • 15 years too late
    • must see
    Way too late, she can't show enough beaver to make up for 15 years
  12. Gladiator or Ben Hurr?
    Gladiator
  13. Tom Hanks' best role?
    As Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
  14. Travolta's best role?
    As Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction

Jeff
Always wanted to be more like Jeff, play like Jeff, sound like Jeff, look like Jeff? Now you can. Schecter Guitars will be adding a signature Jeff Loomis model to their extensive line of guitars. Other Schecter signature models include Jerry Horton & Robert Smith Jeff currently plays C-7 Schecter Blackjack & Schecter 007 Elite.

US tourdates

In Flames, Throwdown, Evergrey
05.05.2006 Buffalo Town Ballroom United States (NY)
06.05.2006 Burlington Higher Ground United States (VT)
07.05.2006 West Springfield Jaxx United States (VA)
08.05.2006 Myrtle Beach House Of Blues United States (SC)
09.05.2006 Jacksonville Planet Rock United States (NC)
11.05.2006 Cincinnati Bogart's United States (OH)
12.05.2006 Fort Wayne Piere's Entertainment Center United States (IN)
13.05.2006 Grand Rapids Orbit Room United States (MI)
15.05.2006 Lawrence Granada Theatre United States (KS)
16.05.2006 Colorado Springs The Black Sheep United States (CO)*
18.05.2006 Spokane Big Easy United States (WA)
19.05.2006 Eugene McDonald Theatre United States (OR)
20.05.2006 Chico Senator Theatre United States (CA)
21.05.2006 Sparks New Oasis United States (NV)
23.05.2006 Tucson Rialto Theatre United States (AZ)
25.05.2006 Tulsa Cain's Ballroom United States (OK)
26.05.2006 Memphis New Daisy Theatre United States (TN)
27.05.2006 New Orleans House Of Blues United States (LA)
28.05.2006 Tallahassee The Beta Bar United States (FL)

(*) In Flames, Evergrey only.

Summer festivals
02-04/06.2006 - ROCK HARD FESTIVAL
Gelsenkirchen, D

04.06.2006 - GODS OF METAL
Milano, I

08-10/06/2006 - SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL
Solvesvorg, SE

21.07.2006 - METALCAMP
Tolmin (SLO)

22.07.2006 EARTHSHAKER FESTIVAL
Kreuth, D

03-05.08.2006 - WACKEN OPEN AIR
Wacken (D)

05.08.2006 - MONSTERS OF ROCK FESTIVAL
Kavarna (BU)

18.08.2006 - RAGNAROCK FESTIVAL
Oslo (N)

Disturbed European tour
14.09.2006 München Zenith Germany
15.09.2006 Fürth Stadthalle Germany
17.09.2006 Berlin Huxleys Germany
18.09.2006 Copenhagen Amager Bio Denmark
20.09.2006 Hamburg Grosse Freiheit Germany
21.09.2006 Bremen Aladin Germany
23.09.2006 Tilburg Club 013 Netherlands
24.09.2006 Dortmund Westfalenhalle 2 Germany
26.09.2006 Amsterdam Paradiso Netherlands
27.09.2006 Köln Palladium Germany
29.09.2006 Newcastle Academy United Kingdom
30.09.2006 Glasgow Barrowland United Kingdom
02.10.2006 Manchester Academy United Kingdom
04.10.2006 Nottingham Rock City United Kingdom
06.10.2006 Birmingham Academy United Kingdom
07.10.2006 Liverpool Academy United Kingdom
09.10.2006 London Astoria United Kingdom
10.10.2006 London Astoria United Kingdom

Nevermore headlining show:
22.09.2006 Vosselaar Biebob Belgium

Latin-America
07.10.2006 - México City - Mexico
12.10.2006 - Armando Diego Maradona Stadium, Buenos Aires - Argentina
14.10.2006 - Anhembi, Sao Paulo - Brazil

Links
» Official Nevermore website
» Official Nevermore forum
» Official Jeff Loomis website
» Official Steve Smyth website
» Official Pure Sweet Hell website

WICHERS PRODUCTIONS
Now last but most certainly not least, Peter Wichers shocked the metal world last December when he announced he was leaving Soilwork. After almost a decade of Soilwork, Peter decided to leave the band to pursue his other musical interests: Music Production & Recording.

  1. Peter how have you been? I guess your departure shocked everybody. Looking back, how were the reactions?
    Well, I know that this came like a shock for everyone, but I had given my decision a lot of thought and I feel very confident with my decision. The reaction in the band was ofcourse shock, but the boys seemed to understand what I wanted and they were very respectful towards my decision. I actually expected a lot worse reactions than I received from both the industry and fans. I really feel grateful that so many people actually understood what I needed to do in my life and that I needed a break from the "bandthing" to actually be able to build up some sort of stability in m life.
  2. Were you scared?
    Yes! I spent a lot of sleepless nights tossing and turning thinking if I actually was making the right choice in my life. Luckily I have been surrounded by lots of loving family and friends that listen a lot to what I was going through. But after reaching the decision of leaving SOILWORK, I was sure that this was what had to be done at this time.
  3. So what have you been up to, what have you been working on? Update us on what's been going on.

    Well, I have actually been keeping quite busy, and I have thrown myself into the world of Music Production, that is both challenging and fun.
    It's a bit of a change from being in the studio with my own music, but I really feel as if I'm able to contribute with some cool ideas and different things to the different projects I have been working on.
    A part of the thrill is also to be able to work alongside with people that have been doing this for a while and learn some new tricks from every new studio that I come to.
  4. Any bands you listen to yourself which you can highly recommend?
    Alot of music has moved me lately, and among the few are:
    • The new Devin Townsend Band album, its amazing and probably is the best album of 2006.
    • The new Opeth record, the dynamics on this album is absolutely mindblowning.
    • Sigur Ros ( ), my good friend Adam D showed me this while I was working with him and its amazing how people from Island write music.
    • System Of a Down - Hypnotize/Mesmerize. This music was probably written by someone with Tourettes Syndrome, very enjoyable.
    • Mattias "IA" Eklundh - the Road Less Travelled. Maybe not the most easy listening album, but amazing guitarwork.
  5. I picked up anything about a solo album?
    Well, I would love to do that and I probably will, but right now Im trying to focus more on getting more knowledge for the future when it comes to Studio Work. I am writing a lot though and you will hear some of my stuff soon I promise he he!!
  6. You moved to the US last year, what do you miss most about Sweden, apart from family of course?
    I actually quite like living in the US, the weather is better and having your own business is a lot more easy here than it is in Sweden.
    But it is true I miss my family in Sweden and my friends, but luckily these days we have Internet and the communication skills of today really helps alot.
    I do miss some foods that is hard to come by over here like, Kalles Kaviar, Akvavit, Herring, Dark Rye Bread, and SWEDISH CANDY!!!!!! (Best in the world!)
    But luckily they have IKEA over here so I can get my Swedish fix when I need it he he!!
  7. Do you play guitar every day?
    I try to, but it's hard. I do play everytime that I get some time off.
  8. Ikea or Victoria's Secrets
    IKEA of course, but I don't mind Victoria's Secrets for my wife he he!!
  9. Absolut or Smirnoff
    Definitely Absolut, I'm a Swede aren't I?

Check out Peter's website where he keeps a blog on his activities. We are currently working on getting the site up and about, so stop by and say hej.
» Wichers Productions
» Wichers Productions RSS

HYPOCRISY

Okay, I don't have a whole lot of news on Hypocrisy but there are a few things worth mentioning. Like the upcoming Neckbreaker's Ball tour that kicks off next week.

Tourdates

Neckbreaker's Ball
 2006.04.11 AARHUS (DK) Voxhalle
2006.04.12 COTTBUS (D) Glad House
2006.04.13 HAMBURG (D) Markthalle @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.14 DORDRECHT (NL) Bibelot
2006.04.15 AMNČVILLE (FR) Le Galaxie @ Metal Therapy Festival **
2006.04.16 LICHTENFELS (D) Stadthalle
2006.04.17 KOELN (D) Live Music Hall @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.18 STUTTGART (D) LKA @ FUCK EASTER Festival
2006.04.19 PRATTELN (CH) Z7
2006.04.20 LINDAU (D) Club Vaudeville
2006.04.21 WIEN (AT) Planet Music
2006.04.22 LINZ (AT) Posthof
2006.04.23 MUENCHEN (D) Metropolis
2006.04.24 OSNABRUECK-GEORGSMARIENHUETTE (D) B51 Event Center
2006.04.25 PARIS (D) Locomotive
2006.04.26 WIEZE (B) Oktoberhallen

** Hypocrisy, Soilwork, Amorphis only

Russia & Ukraine
2006-04-28 Kiev, NAU
2006-04-29 Moscow, club Tochka,capacity 1200
2006-04-30 St-Petersburg, club Port,capacity 1000

Summer Festivals
2006-06-24-Nummirock Festival
Nummijärvi (FIN)

2006-07-22 Metalcamp Festival
Tolmin (SL)

2006-08-11 Party.San Festival
Bad Berka

Links:
» Official Hypocrisy website
» Official Hypocrisy forum
» Official Hypocrisy Merchandise
» Hypocrisy photos on the Nuclear Blast MySpace profile

WITCHERY

I feel a bit like the boy who cried wolf... Okay, last one for this month. For real! You might have missed it, but Witchery are back! Recorded 2 years ago, Don't Fear The Reaper was released on February 27, 2006 on Century Media Records (European release, US release was March 27, 2006). The forth in the Witchery backcatalogue, the first on CMR.
The album was recorded at Berno Studios and mixed by Tue Madsen at the Antfarm Studios (The Haunted, Heaven Shall Burn, Mnemic...). It showcases not only a cover-version of the Satanic Slaughter classic “Immortal Death”, but also WITCHERY’s feel for catchy and precise metal tunes. Something has come back from the dead…

Not ONE single song present on "Don't Fear The Reaper" is below excellent. So for the sake of space and your new millennium attention spans, allow me to mention just a few: "Stigmatized" and "Draw Blood" are both incredibly apt indications from the very beginning of the album that this is more than your average Black/Deathrash album. The guitars are very Thrash oriented, constantly riffing their way across a spectrum of head-bashing assaults, underlying Toxine's distinctly strong vocals with their syllabically-conscious delivery that make the vocals an instrument in their own right. It's not about repetition and monotony with this guy - there's as much musical sensibility and awareness in his delivery as you're likely to find in any genre, and the result is groove after terminally infectious groove from all.

9.5/10 - metaleater.com

With a line-up scattered over bands like Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars and Mercyful Fate (and that's just Sharlee!) and The Haunted and Opeth, where does that exactly leave Witchery? Jensen talks us through it:

  1. Your new album has been out since Feb 27th. How has the response been so far?
    Great. Withcery is fortunate to be that kind of band that has really die-hard fans.. and esp many fans that are in other bands themselves. Even though the wait has been long since the last album (Symphony for the Devil) they are still out there and haven't forgotten about us.
  2. Now, this is the first album on CMR, am I correct? How did you get picked up by them?
    We shopped around with the finished CD. We had a lot of offers, but we decided to go with CM. Sharlee and I are already signed to them, so we know them to be good people. Very dedicated, and fans themselves of the bands they sign.
  3. In between The Haunted for you, Arch Enemy for Sharlee and now Opeth for Martin, how much is Witchery a 'real' band and how much a side project?
    Witchery has always been a real band. I was in Witchery before I started The Haunted, Sharlee was in Witchery before joining Arch Enemy, and Martin was of course a Witchery member before being asked to tour with Opeth. We feel strongly for this band, and I would under no circumstances consider this to be a side project. I think its very regrettable that we don't have enough time for Witchery, but then again, I'm happy for the success that the individual members have with their other bands.
  4. Will there ever be extensive touring for Witchery?
    Not extensive, but yes, touring in some form. We have played al lot of places...like two North American tours, one long European tour, a Japanese tour and a smaller tour of Scandinavia.. We consider ourselves to be first and foremost a live band. We enjoy playing live immensely.. so we do intend on touring with Witchery on this album, yes.
  5. What about festivals?
    We have people looking into that. This is an easier way to get to play in front of a lot of people, without everyone in the band needing massive time-off from their other bands...
  6. Why should people buy your album, and not download it?
    Download it first, then make up your mind.. Metal fans want the real product, so I see downloading as a form of promotion. Acts like Madonna etc suffer more from this, cause one week she's on top of the lists, next week someone else is #1. Fans of this music only want that hit song.. and the new one next week, over and over again. Those artists suffer from downloading..not metal bands.
  7. As for yourself, what have you been up to?
    Touring 'til Death with The Haunted :-)
  8. You recently moved to Stockholm, how is the music scene over there compared to Göteborg?
    I'm not in Stockholm, I'm in Linköping...thats about halfway between Göteborg and Stockholm. [EDIT: Ahum, I feel so misinformed, thanks for the info Erin!] This is the city I come from originally.. Bands from here are...hrm..Witchery (hehe), Corporation 187 and Satanic Slaughter..
  9. Do you play guitar every day?
    Yes.. at least right now. Writing new material for the next The Haunted album
  10. Do you posses any hidden talents that people might not know about you?
    Nope, people already know about my Guinness Book of World Records entry
  11. Lost or 24?
    Neither... Carnivàle rules..

Links:
» Witchery on Century Media
» Century Media Bands on MySpace

Interviews:
» Room Thirteen
» Live 4 Metal
» Rockezine

Reviews:
» Metal Review [6/6]

For everybody who has managed to make it all the way to the end, I leave you with my favourite Wikipedia word: Heavy metal umlaut
» Wikipedia

Until next month,
Wendÿ

www.imwitheband.com - www.vertigoddess.net