Avenge Thee + Naime Album Release and UK Tour Dates

UK Sludge Metallers AVENGE THEE + NAIME have just announced a mammoth string of UK 

shows extending over FOUR MONTHS, keeping them on the road till the end of March 

2012!!
 
They also release their new album 'Open Carpet' THIS WEEK, which has already 

received rave reviews. The accompanying video to leadtrack 'Ear Of The Horse' has 

been causing waves at KerrangTV and should soon be gracing their channel! Check it 

out at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4FHrgeOEoo
 
The quintet, based in the quiet idyll of Canterbury, boast being one of only a 

handful of bands worldwide who have TWO DRUMMERS....for maximum heaviness....and 

conduct a strict anti-stage policy, refusing to ever play onstage but out in the 

crowd (for the real hands-on deal), even at BLOODSTOCK!!!
 
With a sound that is one part sludge groove heaviness to three parts MORE FUCKIN 

SLUDGE GROOVE HEAVINESS, AVENGE THEE + NAIME plough a skull crushingly intense 

path. Enormous doom styled riffs interweave with discordant and frantic passages 

to create a tableau of chest beating rage.
 
Catch the guys' brain damagingly intense live show at one of the following:
 

December
16th Bristol, Area 81 Rock Club
19th Folkestone, Lanterns,
31st Hull, Hollywood and Vine

January
6th Gravesend, Leos Red Lion
12th Portsmouth, Edge of the Wedge
14th Chatham, The Rafa
26th Guildford, The Star
27th France, Amien, Le Saint Honoure
28th France, Abbeville, Jukebox

February
3rd Sheppy, Ivy Leaf Club
7th Croydon, The Ship
11th Neath, Wales, The Dukes Head
12th Reading, Facebar
16th Northampton, The King Billy
18th Norwich, Brickmakers

March
1st Wakefield, Snooty Fox
2nd Hull, Hollywood and Vine
3rd Nottingham, Bensons
9th Hastings, The Carlilse
11th Maidstone, Babylon Lounge
17th Harlow, The Square
25th Southampton, Joiners

 
http://www.myspace.com/avengethee
 

CRASH STREET KIDS 'SWEET CREATURES' ALBUM STREAMING ON AOL LISTENING PARTY

left to right - Simon Cruz (CrashDiet), Ryan Mckay (CSK), Martin Sweet (CrashDiet), Ricky Serrano (CSK), Peter London (CrashDiet), AD Adams (CSK), Deuce (CSK) and Eric Young (CrashDiet)

(5 December, 2011 - Phoenix, AZ) Phoenix based glamsters the Crash Street Kids currently have their new album, Sweet Creatures streaming on the AOL Listening Party program. Available for listening throughout the entire week of Dec 5 (5th - 11th) fans can listen to the album in it's entirety or select tracks "on demand" to listen to as they wish.

"This is a great opportunity for an upcoming band like ours to get noticed a bit," says drummer, A.D. Adams. "In the era of people downloading music illegally, you might as give them a platform to check your music out for free legally, for a whole week, right?!"

Sweet Creatures is out though Vanity Music Group in the UK on 16 January and in the US on 17 January 2012.

Recently the band had a chance to hang out with their friends in CrashDiet when they met up in Tempe, AZ at CrashDiet's in store performance at Naked Dave's, as well as before and after their show at Club Red.

Krankschaft Release Chrimbo Single and Announce Live Dates!!

Acid - psyche legends Krankschaft have issued a free download Christmas single to bring a little 'Spirit of The Age' to the festive season.

The band, who formed as backing band for the late great Robert Calvert (former Hawkwind vocalist) in the early 1980's around the core of former Inner City Unit members Steve Pond and Dead Fred have recently expanded their line up with the addition of drummer Darren Butler and bass player Scott Myers, and the new single is the first recording to feature the new line up.

The track, entitled Everybody's Little Song Of Christmas, is a catchy little ditty in the traditional ICU / Krankshaft mode and can be download free from the bands website at http://www.doremi.co.uk/krankschaft/ 

To celebrate the release of the single Krankschaft have announced a couple of live dates. On Nov. 26th they are at The Man On The Moon, where they share the stage with classic festival outfit Here & Now, and then on Dec 3rd they appear at the Hydrant in Brighton as part of the annual Judge Trev Thoms memorial concert, where they will be play a set as Krankschaft, the they will be joined by Nik Turner to perform as Inner City Unit. ticket details for both shows can be found on the bands website (linked above)

source - Krankschaft press release

New Single From Italian Metal Kings

Following their highly successful UK tour with Attack Attack!, Italy's Hopes Die Last release the stunning video "Unleash Hell", taken from their much anticipated second album, due for release early 2012 on Standby Records.

Imperial Vengeance 20/4d ep release

Steam Metal Royalty Imperial Vengeance are issuing a new three track ep to acompany their acclaimed new album 'The Black Heart Of Empire' (full review here).

Containing a couple of tracks from the current album and a previously unreleased cut. This ep will be available as a digital download from Amazon iTunes and all the standard outlets in a digital format because, as the band say "wax cylinder or shellac, based vinyl is not really being played by so many folks these days,"

The ep is released on October 24th, for more details... www.facebook.com/ImperialVengeance

 

Mastodon UK Tour Dates Announced

US Psyche metal outfit Mastodon have announced a short UK tour in support of their acclaimed new album 'The Hunter'. The dates are...

February 5th                   Bristol O2 Academy

February 6th                   Manchester Academy

February 7th                   Glasgow Barrowlands

February 9th                   Norwich UEA 

February 10th                  Birmingham HMV Institute

February 11th                  London O2 Academy Brixton

…. Tickets are priced £17.50 regionally and £20.00 for London.  Tickets are available from www.kililive.com / www.seetickets.com

Support for the tour has not yet been announced 

(source; Roadrunner Records)

Uriah Heep UK Tour Dates.

Classic rock legends Uriah Heep have announced a ten date UK tour for December this year to support the release of their new live album 'Live In Armenia'. The tour kicks off in Wolverhampton on Dec. 1st and includes dates in Holmfirth, Brighton, Bristol, Bournemouth, London, Oxford, Glasgow, Newcastle and Milton Keynes.

Mackie Nose Op Forces Pallas to Cancel European Dates

Scottish prog legends Pallas have been forced to cancel their October European tour following vocalist Paul Mackie undergoing urgent medical treatment for unidentified growth on his sinuses.

The two gigs concerned are on 14th October at the Prog Resiste Festival at The Spirit of 66 in Verviers, the second in Den Bosch on 15th October. But the band hope Paul is recovered enough to play at this years Hard Rock Hell festival and their hometown Christmas show, both in early December.

Bassist Graham Murray issued a statement apologising to the bands fans, but insisted that the enforced time out will not be wasted and the band will use the break to continue work on the follow up album to this years XXV.

Pallas are planning a three week UK and European trek for March next year and the cancelled dates will be rescheduled for then.

(various sources)

Green Day Front Man In Saggy Pants Flight Ban Trouble

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says he was kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight Thursday night for wearing his pants too low.
The Bay Area rock musician was traveling from Oakland to Burbank when the incident occurred. He posted on his twitter feed.
"Just got kicked off a southwest flight because my pants sagged too low! What the f**k? No joke!
One eye witness said,
"Basically, all the passengers were already seated, we were ready to go, they had already told us to start to turn our cellphones off," they added that Armstrong was approached by a flight attendant and told to pull his pants up. Armstrong initially dismissed the request, asking, "Don't you have better things to do then worry about that?" When the flight attendant repeated the request and threatened to have Armstrong removed from the plane, Armstrong relied "I'm just trying to get to my f**king seat."
Armstrong and the person he was traveling with were then removed from the flight.
Southwest airlines had declined to comment at the time of writing.

(source - various news feeds)

Rush Sign Roadrunner Deal.

NEW YORK, NY (AUGUST 31, 2011) – Roadrunner Records is pleased to announce a new worldwide partnership with Anthem Records and rock trio Rush. The band will remain on Anthem/Universal Music in Canada only.

“We have tremendous respect for Roadrunner Records, and what Cees Wessels and Jonas Nachsin have built on a worldwide level. After years of Roadrunner pursuing the band, Tom Lipsky presented a deal that worked and the timing was right. We wanted to be at a label focused on the rock genre – and that’s Roadrunner,” said Ray Danniels, manager of Rush.

“In another life I worked with Rush and their great management team more than 30 years ago and to have Rush finally on the Roadrunner label is a dream come true. I am grateful for Ray Danniels’ confidence in this new partnership,” said Cees Wessels, Roadrunner Records Chairman.

“Rush has a tradition of excellence and independence, both in the studio and on the live stage, and they remain as prolific today as at any point in their career. We are excited to be their label partners,” said Tom Lipsky, President of Lipsky Music, LLC, who brokered the significant deal for Roadrunner.

The first release from Rush through this deal will be various live configurations, recorded during their highly successful Time Machine tour that wrapped earlier this summer. Details of the release will be revealed in the coming weeks.

(source Roadrunner Records)

Cauda Pavonis Announce Charity Single

Bristol 'darkwave' nobility Cauda Pavonis have announced they are all set to record and release a charity single in aid of The Forgotten Heroes.

Earlier today the band issued the following statement...

"Cauda Pavonis are pleased to announce that in October of 2011 they will be going back into the studio. Not for the new album but for a special 1 day recording session. They are going to be recording a new single, the proceeds from which, will go to The Forgotten Heroes charity. The charity is dedicated to assisting our wounded or injured Servicemen and women together with their families and carers whose lives have changed dramatically in the service of their country.

The download only single will be released on Armistice Day 2011 and every time it is downloaded or streamed it will earn money for the charity. As well as the band giving up 100% of its royalties and funding the studio session at Attic Attack studios in Portland Square, Bristol; the crew at the studio are giving up their time for free to help produce the single and reduce costs".


The title of the new single has not been announced, but we will bring you updates when we get them.

www.caudapavonis.com
www.theforgottenheroes.co.uk

Awake - Return with new studio album

Back 4 years after their label debut, UK progressive metal act Awake return with their brand new opus ‘Forever More’ via Lion Music on 14^th October 2011.

Taking a step onwards from their debut ‘Illumination’, Awake have delivered a heavier grittier sound second time round that retains the melodies and depth of its critically acclaimed predecessor. ‘Forever More’ also marks the first album recorded with new guitar duo, the brothers Andy and Steven Coles who have brought stability to the band not to mention bringing a new dimension to heavier sound heard on the new album.

With a score of live dates including tours with Evergrey and Magnum under their belts, not to mention live sessions on BBC Radio, Awake have been going from strength to strength in the run up to the new albums creation.

The journey for this album started around a year after ‘Illumination’ was released. The bands former guitarist left (Richard Hall) and the group were keen to move on with new members when writing the new album. After thorough and extensive auditioning Andy Coles joined around June 2008 and the early ideas for the new album were formed. ‘Release Me’ was the first song written and came from a keyboard ‘riff’ that Craig came in with. Steven Coles joined the band by February 2009 and a break in writing was taken for the band to go out on the road with Magnum again. After this writing resumed and the album took shape over the next year or so. Pre-production took place in February 2010, final adjustments were made (including the inclusion of female backing vocals-Jennifer Hardy), and full recording took place April/May 2010.

On ‘Forever More’ lyrical slant the band state, “we wanted to convey our own personal experiences with love and loss and the hardships you face when you lose someone close to you. We hope that this is something people in general can relate to and we hope they can find meaning within the songs”.

Forever More is an emotional album written by musicians that are fully dedicated to Awake and pushing the boundaries of what they do.  It can on one hand be perceived as a very sad album and there are moments that will touch the heart strings, but at the same time its extremely powerful and meaningful. It’s an album we all can relate to and interpret for our own situation, not just in the words but also in the use of keys and guitar. ‘Forever More’ packs a sonic punch musically and emotionally and it’s a package that will be warmly welcomed by music fans worldwide on 14^th October 2011.

(source - Awake management)

PALLAS MONSTER SONG GIVE-AWAY

Scottish Progressive rock legends Pallas, who have recently roared back to form with the excellent XXV album are re-issuing their single 'Monster' as a free download. With a brand new video to accompany the release, this is the bands way of thanking all the fans and followers who have helped relaunch the band following the departure of vocalist Alan Reed last year and his replacement with new boy Paul Mackie. In addition to the monster single Pallas are making another track available for free download. This is the instrumental Atlantean, a non album number than links the current XXV album with its 1983 predecessor The Sentinel. 


A spokesman for the band said - 'GOD ALL THIS FREE STUFF, YOU WOULD HARDLY BELIEVE WE WERE SCOTTISH!!!!!!!!'

Download the freebies from here - 
http://www.pallasxxv.com/page5/page5.html

The Video for Monster by Pallas

Warrent Vocalist Jani Lane Dead at 47

 Jani Lane who fronted the glossy rock band Warrent during the salad days of hair metal, was found dead in a motel room in Woodland Hills, Calif. Thursday evening of undetermined causes, police have confirmed. He was 47.

Details are scarce, but Lane was reportedly discovered at a Comfort Inn near Los Angeles. A message on his website reads, "Jani will be missed by all. Very unexpected and tragic news of his untimely death."

Known for his golden boy looks and a voice that hearkened back to the 1970s era of arena rock wailers, Lane penned many of Warrant's huge hits, including "Down Boys," "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the band's biggest charter, the 1989 ballad "Heaven."


He also preened and grinned in the band's most memorable contribution to popular culture, the brazenly sexist video for the 1990 camp hit, "Cherry Pie."
 
He left Warrant in 2004 and a year later a bloated Lane surfaced to clean up his act during the 2005 season of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club." A healthier Lane rejoined the group in 2008 only to leave it again months later, this time for good, over business matters. In recent years he has worked on a solo career and has acted as a hired gun as recently as 2010 for "Once Bitten Twice Shy" band Great White.

Lane was born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio on Feb. 1 1964  -- the name a nod to the president who had been assassinated the year before. His parents soon changed his middle name to Patrick. Throughout his youth he played the drums but his good looks and huge voice pushed him to the microphone.


He adopted his stage name around 1983 and a couple years later moved to Los Angeles searching for fame which he found after teaming up with core members of Warrant.

From 1989 to 2001 Lane appeared and was the primary songwriter for six studio albums. Two of them -- 1989's "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" and 1990's "Cherry Pie" -- went on to go double platinum. Like so many other hair metal bands, though, Warrant couldn't overcome the grunge juggernaut and they were never able to replicate their early chart success.

(source - Billboard)

RED ENEMY ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES

 

Fast becoming Ireland's best kept secret, Red Enemy are a force to be reckoned with on their home turf with their blend of hardcore / technical metal, and are set to unleash their pummelling EP, ‘What We Are Contained In, Is What We Are Worth’, on the UK on 10 October. 

Check out the EP's killer openner 'Where We Call Home' here :
http://soundcloud.com/holdtightpr/red-enemy-where-we-call-home

This month sees the band tour the UK for the first time playing dates with Save Your Grace, Once A Wolf , Visions and TesseracT, and promise to destroy every room here as they have done at home. catch them on the following dates:

Aug 13 - Basement 20, Liverpool w/ Save Your Grace

Aug 15 - Actress & Bishop, Birmingham

Aug 17 - The Hydrant, Brighton w/ Once A Wolf

Aug 18 - Backline Live, Guildford w/ Once A Wolf

Aug 19 - Wheatsheaf, Banbury w/ Once A Wolf

Aug 20 - Crawford Arms, Milton Keynes w/ TesseracT, Visions

Since forming in 2008 they have rapidly climbed the ranks with their powerful live shows, earning them support slots with Architects, Suffocation and Despised Icon and many more. Word spread and it wasn't long before they were packing out venues in Ireland themselves. This year has seen them tour their homeland with TesseracT and most recently Parkway Drive on both bands' Irish tour dates, as well as their own hugely successful headline tour.

(source - Hold Tight PR)

HELLISH OUTCAST SIGN TO TRANSCEND

Norwegian death/thrash ensemble HELLISH OUTCAST are pleased to announce that they have signed to UK label Transcend Music.

"I must say it's an honour to finally be able to spread our wings with this beast!" says Mads Lilletvedt of the signing. As a result, their new album YOUR GOD WILL BLEED will be released later this year.

YOUR GOD WILL BLEED is the next installment from Bergen's own; looming menacingly ahead, the sheer brutality, aggression and expansive approach to music displayed by the band on this release is perhaps only matched by a handful of fellow countrymen such as Blood Red Throne and Grimfist.

"Musically, we've stayed true to our nature for ten years - always trying to push the limits of what is healthy aggression. To combine pure Norwegian brutality with the fine British steel of Transcend Music is a venture we've been looking forward to!" Mads continues.

Transcend Music head honcho Rob Ferguson said: "it's great to welcome Hellish Outcast to our roster and they represent our most brutal signing to date adding significant strength and depth to the label as we continue to grow.  Can't wait to see them lay waste to Bloodstock following which we will light the pyre under this explosive release!"

Said release, YOUR GOD WILL BLEED, follows in the lyrical footsteps of their debut EP 'Raping - Killing - Murder' which launched an attack on modern warfare, politics and religious martyrdom. However, this time round, the aggression - the passion and frustration - will take you right to the edge, and right when it reaches the point of cataclysm, that is what HELLISH OUTCAST have captured. YOUR GOD WILL BLEED will take you on an exploration of the world as it is today.  The sight is not pretty.  In fact, it’s disgusting.  But the sound is breathtaking.

Hellish Outcast was first introduced as one of the underground’s unsigned rising stars, via the Terrorizer Fear Candy CD March '09 but this year, Hellish Outcast kick off a new phase, ten times stronger and with an album that will rip your face clean off with its sheer aggression and unique sound.

And they've already attracted media attention and secured themselves a slot performing at this years Blooodstock Festival, right here in the UK: "It's an honour to bring this monster of a band to Bloodstock, and I know its gonna be a killer crowd as always in the UK. Hellish Outcast will for sure show a new and fresh side of the Norwegian music scene!

    "...Your ears will bleed" promises vocalist and frontman Thebon.



(Source - Smash It PR)

ALEXISONFIRE SPLIT

After more than a decade, Alexisonfire has announced that the band will be going their separate ways. In a statement written by George Pettit and posted by the band on their website http://www.theonlybandever.com on August 5th, Pettit gets right to the point.  “There is no good way to put it so I’m just going to say it.  After 10 years, Alexisonfire has decided to part ways.”

 Hailing from St. Catharines, Alexisonfire rose up out of the Southern Ontario underground in late 2001.  With two members of the band still in high school, the band released their self-titled 2002 debut album and in the year that followed, the band had 4 videos reach Heavy rotation on MuchMusic and won an MMVA and a CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Awards).  With unwavering support from the band’s diehard fanbase, their debut managed to crack the Top 200 Soundscan chart and in 2004, Alexisonfire won New Group of the Year at the 2004 JUNO Awards.

 Alexisonfire went on to release three more hugely successful studio albums, Watch Out (2004), Crisis (2006), and Old Crows / Young Cardinals (2009), yet admirably maintained their “indie” status throughout their career, remaining loyal to the team of people that worked alongside them from their modest beginnings. Crisis debuted at an incredible #1 on the Top 200 Soundscan chart (Canada), and Old Crows / Young Cardinals debuted at #2, selling an impressive 15,500 copies in its first week and charting at #9 on the US Billboard Independent Album chart.  In fact, all four of the band’s studio albums achieved Platinum certification in Canada.  Furthermore, Alexisonfire’s success reached way beyond Canada’s borders.  The band topped charts, graced magazine covers, and sold out tours in Canada, US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

 To commemorate the band’s incredible 10-year career, theonlybandever.com will be transformed into a place for fans to share photos and videos they have taken with, or of the band over the years. Fans will be able to upload content directly to the site.  Alexisonfire will also be posting their own personal photos from tours around the world.  In addition, the band plans several special re-issues, releases and limited print vinyl around their 10-year anniversary.  Details will be announced as soon as they are available.

 “In closing, I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude to the fans of Alexisonfire around the world,” writes Pettit. “I’m forever grateful to anyone who has ever taken any interest in what we did. You were the coal that stoked our engines. You have given us a spectacular decade, rich with experience and joy. We love you all.”

(source - Roadrunner Records)