21 of South Africa's top metal bands will perform at the MotherFUDD festival, set to take place March 12-14, 2010 at Malonjeni Guest Resort, South Africa. The event will also host what it claims to be "the first-ever official Guinness World Record for most people headbanging simultaneously" on March 13. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AGRO
ALL FORLORN
ARCHITECTURE OF AGGRESSION
BILE OF MAN
CHROMIUM
EMPERIUM
EREBUS
FRAGMENTED CHILDREN
HAGGIS AND BONG
INSTRAMETAL
JUGGERNAUGHT
LOATHE

In the underbelly of the Pretoria metal scene, at Full Moon Lounge, a venue that has become the local watering hole of leather-clad-spiked-gauntlet-wearing-children-of-darkness, AOA launched their brand new controversial album, Acts of God: 4000 years of Phallusy. The album takes on the three major monotheistic religions; Christianity, Judaism and Islam; and offers a different perspective on their ideology and influential grasp on society, modern and old. Deciding to document the full experience, we arrived quite early and were surprisingly met by hordes of fans eagerly awaiting the evening's proceedings, Black Labels in hand, devil horns in the air, so we had no choice but to blend in and get the party going. Couple tequilas later and after a rather blasphemous, yet amusing welcome speech by MC Chris van der Walt; long-time friends, and fellow Pretorians, RhutZ and Bile of Man opened up the event and got the crowd warmed up. That's if you can classify moshing your balls off "warming-up". Architecture came on to a screaming crowd, the anticipation had built up to a volcano of energy waiting to erupt at the first hint of a chord, and when that chord struck, chaos fell upon Full Moon. The pit went ballistic, the whole place seemed to start shaking, which could've also been the effect of countless labels and tequilas, but let's just credit the crowd for now. AOA's set consisted of the full new album, which is technical death metal at its brutal-est, and a couple all-time favourites, ending with what could only be described as the AOA anthem, GodKill. Pre-releasing the album

Unique American Extreme Metal outfit NACHTMYSTIUM have just confirmed dates for their upcoming European Tour in March/April 2010. The Band will be debuting new material from their forthcoming album ‘Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II’ which is set for release in June 2010. Having been around for a decade, Nachtmystium have progressed their distinctive raw sound by stepping away from it and embracing different influences within their sound, evolving into a more psychedelic and experimental territory. Nachtmystium will also appear at a number of selected European Festivals this year – please see dates below:

March
19.03 - (UK) Fighting Cocks, Kingston
20.03 - (UK) iBar, Bournemouth
21.03 - (UK) The Croft, Bristol
22.03 - (UK) Central Station, Wrexham
23.03 - (UK) Moho Live, Manchester
24.03 - (UK) Ivory Blacks, Glasgow
25.03 - (UK) The Well, Leeds
26.03 - (UK) Rock City Basement, Nottingham
27.03 - (UK) Islington Academy, London
28.03 - (UK) Engine Room, Brighton
29.03 - (BE) The Frontline, Ghent
30.03 - (D) Markthalle, Hamburg
31.03 - (DK) The Rock, Copenhagen

Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album “Highball Roller” in 2009, Sorry And The Sinatras are set to tour the UK in April 2010. the band are signed to Undergroove, the label behind acts such as The Ghost Of A Thousand, Hexes, Minus The Bear and Johnny Truant. Formed by frontman / guitarist Scott Sorry – who currently also plays a mean bass with UK rock legends The Wildhearts – Sorry And The Sinatras specialize in high octane, kick-ass punk rock – high on flair, punishing, driving riffs, and spit ‘n’ sawdust professionalism. SATS also features fellow Americans Lenny Thomas (drums) and Roger ‘Rag’ Segal (bass / vocals), as well as UK guitarist Dave Kerr. The Anglo-American twist gives this quartet a musical chemistry that is truly reflected in ‘Highball Roller’. ‘Highball Roller’ is an honest, in-your-face punk rock ‘n’ roll record that reflect this quartet’s personalities – unpolished, missing teeth and self-medicated! It’s an album born out of years of searching for and finding dreams. Says Scott: “Lyrically this record is about the years of couch surfing, addictions, heartache, and restlessness spent chasing a dream. It’s about guilt and coming to terms with the shit you’ve done while letting go of the shit you had no control over and laughing your ass off in the process. It’s not about feeling sorry for yourself, but embracing how chaotic life can get. These are the most honest songs we’ve ever written.” From the opening, infectious track ‘Black & Blue’, through the vitriolic snarl and fury of ‘Burns City Burns’, to the raucous anthems ‘Hated Heart’ and ‘Riverside’, to the aural cacophony of closer ‘She’s So Vaudeville’, Sorry And The Sinatras demonstrate just how good rock music can be.

Hard Rock Hell IV, proudly sponsored by Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Rock Radio will take place back at Prestatyn Sands, on 3rd / 5th December 2010, actually, after last years sold out Thursday night, it will start on the 2nd for the Die Hard HRH Loyal. The Line up and theme has again been down to the punters vote (HRH Vets), which will be leaked out over the next few months, it will contain, Glam, Sleaze, NWOBHM, Young Blood, Thrash, Metal and loads of Classic Rock. It will stage about 60 bands over the three days, so be rest assured you’ll get, yet again, another 360 HRH experience. Combine that with the crowd and camaraderie that goes down there and you get an idea what HRH is all about. All three of HRH’s previous events have sold out in record speed and this one has sold more than 40% in the first 6 hours of going on sale. HRH has had the honour of many legends and heroes over the years which have included, Twisted Sister, Saxon, Black Label Society, Thin Lizzy, Queensryche, W.A.S.P, Monster Magnet to name a few. This years will boast some special exclusives and one off performances. First bands up include; New Jersey legends Skid Row and German Axe hero Michael Schenker’s MSG, start the stage soiree followed by a Sleaze n Glam trio which includes Enuff Z Nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd and LA Guns…There will be quite a few boys from the NWOBHM era, so to start with we have a rare appearance from TANK and the legendary Diamond Head. This years HRH has been themed as …”Pirates from Prestatyn”…again the peoples choice, so you can expect some wild dressing up all through the weekend. VIP packages include the Thursday night as per last year but has already SOLD OUT, For anyone who’s booking Silver or Gold, they can add this on for a simple 25 GBP per person , which will get you another nights accom, plus loads more bands and nutty fancy dress fun. HRH IV is on sale already and is unbelievably already over 40% sold,
 

On April 6th the two brand new AVANTASIA albums "The Wicked Symphony" and "Angel Of Babylon" will be released via Nuclear Blast records. With previous efforts immediately hitting the charts in over 15 countries, expectations are high for this latest work. Like the former masterpieces, there will be breathtaking performances of numerous guest stars for the fans. This time around, names include like Klaus Meine (Scorpions), Eric Singer (KISS), Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest), Jon Oliva (Savatage), Bob Catley (Magnum), Jorn Lande (Masterplan), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Jens Johansson (ex-DIO, Stratovarius), Andre Matos (ex-Angra), Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS, ex-Meat Loaf) and many more.  Produced by Sascha Paeth, the result is a stunning collection of epic rock, spread over two albums - ”The Wicked Symphony” and ”Angel Of Babylon”. The two albums be released separately, but also in a deluxe edition featuring both albums in two digibooks with two beautiful booklets plus an additional book with interview, history, biography, linernotes and the download code for exclusive bonus material. Now is your chance to listen to the first track off the album, a short edit-version of the track "Dying For An Angel" featuring Klaus Meine of the Scorpions as guest vocalist, Tobias on vocals and bass, Sascha Paeth on guitars and Eric Singer (KISS) on drums. Click on www.tobiassamet.com and let it rock!

We want to inform you of an outstanding project we are working on to commemorate the life and achievements of legendary performer, arranger, producer and musician Mick Ronson. Mick was born in Hull, England on the 26th May 1946 and played in many legendary bands including David Bowie's band, Spiders From Mars as well as along side Bob Dylan. He arranged numerous songs, co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer, played guitar on many of our most beloved records and was voted one of the Top 100 Guitar Players of All Time by Rolling Stone. Mick died of cancer on 29th April 1993 and to commemorate his life and legacy we are organizing three fundraising events around his birthday this year to raise funds to site a permanent tribute of Mick in his hometown of Hull. Working with Mick’s wife, Suzi Ronson, daughter, Lisa Ronson, the Hull City Council, Mick’s immediate family and adoring friends and fans, we are looking to attract the very best quality bands to headline and take part in one of the three events in June. 

Dates:
4th June – Large Hull Venue TBC (up to 1600 capacity in consultation with main act)
5th June – Springhead, Hull (250 capacity)
6th June – The Welly, Hull (650 capacity)

NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has issued the following update via her official blog: "I have held a little secret for you all for some time now, but today I feel I want to share it with you all. "As you all know, I am very private and don't want to share to much about my personal life, but due to some speculations and since I am so happy I have decided to tell my secret: "Last autumn in the middle of my demo recordings of my solo album, I started to feel very, very tired and also nauseated. I took a pregnancy test and guess if me and my boyfriend [Johan, which some fan sites have speculated is actually bassist Johan Husgafvel of the Swedish metal band PAIN, although Anette has never publicly confirmed this — Ed.] was really surprised to see that I had gotten pregnant. Since I had decided to not have any more children than my son [eight-year-old Seth], it was totally not planned, but after the very first shock, it felt really, really good. "Now I have almost done half the pregnancy and I am feeling extremely good, but it's due to this I decided to not do the solo this year. I am sure you all can understand this decision better now and I do promise to release the songs at another time."  A short question-and-answer session with Olzon about her pregnancy follows below.....

"Buried Alive", a brand new song from POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The track comes off POISONBLACK's fourth album, "Of Rust And Bones", which will be released via Century Media Records on the following dates: 

* Finland: Wednesday, March 17
* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy: Friday, March 19
* Spain: Tuesday, March 23
* Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, March 24
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, March 22

Norwegian masters of progressive/experimental metal ENSLAVED are currently recording thier new CD at Duper, Earshot (keyboardist Herbrand Larsen and lead guitarist Ice Dale's facility) and Peersonal Sound (owned by rhythm guitarist Ivar Bjørnson) studios in Bergen, Norway. Commented guitarist/songwriter Ivar Bjørnson: "As we are recording, we are also filming quite a lot — from the actual recordings in the studio, as well as around the studio discussing gear, bringing along the camera for the occasional trip to the pub for beer sampling, celebrating Herbrand's birthday with Demonaz [of IMMORTAL] and other friends, filming trips to festivals, and on tour while the album is being made. It is all going to be some kind of 'behind-the-scenes' thing that we will release in connection with the release. More details on that later. "We are at the stage where things are starting to really take shape. All 'basics' are in place: drums, bass and rhythm guitars. [Lead guitarist] Ice Dale and I have been through a round of adding some dubs, melodic leads and effects; we'll do some acoustics next before the keyboard, organ and vocal departments overtake the studio for a while before [adding] additional percussion. Ice's leads and my wacko-effects will be the last thing to be added. "Parts of April will have other focuses: we are artists in residence at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg (NL) and will do a short week's worth of supporting ARCH ENEMY on the Metal Hammer Meltdown Tour of the U.K. Coming back from all that, we will be heading for Örebro [Sweden] and Jens Bogren's Fascination Street for the mixing. "We are pretty confident that we have found a golden ore in terms of the production. "It can be a hassle setting up the recording ourselves, but having the technical competence of Herbrand combined with the really strong convictions on how we should sound within the band is the best combination for the recording at the point we're at. I am not sure it is the right way to go for every band. It probably wasn't the right way to go for us some years ago — but now we've come to the point were certain aspects of the creation needs to be fully controlled by ourselves in order to take that extra leap forward. "Again, it will be me and Grutle [Kjellson, bassist/vocalist] doing the lyrics. Grutle's the first one to have complete lyrics ready and they look great. "Again, we have deeply resonating and multi-layered, metaphoric lyrics with his unique mythological references. My own scribbling is slowly taking shape, and I feel we have found our strongest, most ambitious and most challenging concept so far. It should be interesting both as just words to music as well as trigging more 'philosophical' contemplations. You chose." Fans sent in their questions via Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and ENSLAVED answered them during their time in the studio during the recording process for their upcoming album. Watch the results in four parts below.

"Majesty And Decay", the eighth album from New York death metal veterans IMMOLATION, is available for streaming in its entirety at MetalKult. Due on March 9 in North America (one day earlier internationally) via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was recorded Millbrook Sound Studios in New York with longtime producer Paul Orofino. Mixing duties were handled by Zack Ohren, who has previously worked with DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION and ALL SHALL PERISH, among others. IMMOLATION's new album contains "10 songs [plus two intros] of the strongest material we have ever written," the band said in a statement. "The new material is more violent and aggressive, with fast sections that take us to a new level of speed and intensity, while complementing the dark and sullen heavier moments. There are plenty of miserable and militant movements to please the diehard and new IMMOLATION fans alike." 

Fightstar will give fans a unique opportunity to see a one off acoustic show at Dingwalls, London as part of the MTV Presents series on the 4th March 2010.

2009 was a successful year for Fightstar, they had a top 20 album with their third record, “Be Human”; played two sold out headline tours; racked up 2.2 million MySpace profile views and drew huge crowds at the Download and Reading and Leeds festivals. The recording of “Be Human” was self-funded and saw the band collaborating with renowned arranger Audrey Riley (Coldplay, Muse), featuring a 22-piece string section recorded at George Martin’s legendary Air Studios. Released in April 2009, the album became their most successful release to date. Now, as thanks to their fans and to tie in with their current tour, the band will be releasing a CD/DVD deluxe version of the album “Be Human” “Be Human” deluxe limited edition will have all new artwork, and includes FIVE new tracks plus a live DVD entitled ‘Fightstar: Unplugged at the PictureDrome’ recorded in Northampton on Dec. 13th 2009.  The new deluxe version of “Be Human” is due to be released on March 1st 2010 to tie in with this rare chance to see Fightstar stripped back with MTV Presents: Fightstar on Thursday March 4th 2010. 

Fightstar plus support
Thursday 4th March 2010 - Dingwalls, Camden
Tickets are £10 plus booking fee and are available through Mtv.co.uk/presents or www.seatwave.co.uk

WHERE DEATH IS MOST ALIVE PART II - EUROPEAN TOUR 2010
INSOMNIUM w/ DARK TRANQUILITY
23.09.10 Germany Hamburg Grunspan  
24.09.10 Germany Leipzig Conne Island  
25.09.10 Germany Münster Sputnikhalle  
26.09.10 Germany Köln Essigfabrik  
27.09.10 Holland Tilburg 013  
28.09.10 UK London Underworld  
29.09.10 Belgium Vosselaar Biebob  
30.09.10 France Paris Trabendo  
01.10.10 France Montpellier Salle Victoire 2  
02.10.10 Spain Bilbao Rockstar  
03.10.10 Portugal Porto Teatro Sá da Bandeira  
04.10.10 Portugal Lisbon Incrível Almadense  
06.10.10 Spain Madrid Sala Heineken

Panic Cell are set to release their third studio album through Undergroove Records (G.U. Medicine, the Ghost Of A Thousand) on April 5th 2010. “Fire It Up” saw the band enter the studio with long time producer Will Maya (The Answer, Breed 77). The album commences a new chapter for the band after 5 years of global touring which has seen them sharing stages with Billboard No.1 artists Disturbed & Staind as well as the likes of Mudvayne, Testament, Devildriver and Black Label Society. With exstensive touring the band have built up a dedicated following and loyal fanbase. Their critically acclaimed second album ’What Doesnt Kill Us’ (4/5 Kerrang, 8/10 Metal Hammer, 4/5 Guitarist, 4/5 The Sun) and debut album ‘Bitter Part of Me’, which showcased anthems like ‘Save Me’ and ‘Away From Here’, have helped cerment Panic Cell’s status as one of the UK’s leading hard rock outfits.  ”Fire It Up” sees a band at the height of their powers. From the brutal salvo of album opener ”Burden Inside” to the riffage of ”Splitting Skulls”, from the powerful vocal performance of ”Right Here Waiting” to the album closer ”To Die For Lust” this is an album that merges a taut rhythm section with driving guitar and the powerful boom of vocalist Luke Bell.
Tracklisting:
1 Burden Inside
2 Unbroken
3 Lie To Me
4 Splitting Skulls
5 To Die For Love
6 Jaded
7 Down To The Next Time
8 Black Juice
9 Right Here Waiting

G.U. Medicine are set to release their third studio album “Lords of Oblivion” on the 12th April 2010 through Undergroove Records (Panic Cell, The Ghost Of A Thousand). From the Danzig groove of album opener “Pure Motorized Instinct” to the Sabbath-esque riffing of title track “Lords Of Oblivion”, from gentle instrumental of “Glass Eye” to the balls out rock of “Alcoholocaust”, the album encapsulates the classic British groove laden riffs of the seventies, the vocal attitude of 80’s punk whilst maintaining a contemporary resonance that brings it firmly into the modern era. Described by the band as “a hot slab of pure molten rock rolling down the side of the volcano towards your house. You can't stop it, it's going to crush you, and burn you, and crush you, a satanic pyroclasm.” The album was produced by Jason Sanderson (Sorry and the Sinatras, Rolo Tomassi, The Plight). G.U. Medicine recorded sessions for BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show and Ian Camfield’s XFM show of the back of their first LP in 2004. In 2007 their video for “A Meeting With Foul Play” won the Scuzz TV “New Blood” competition. An established live draw, G.U. Medicine have toured with the likes of The Wildhearts, Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator, Skid Row, My Ruin and Year Long Disaster. The band are set to play the below dates with more still tbc..

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR has announced a further three bands, including the final remaining headliner slot. BOA is thrilled to confirm the final headline slot for the 10th anniversary festival will be taken by legendary US metallers TWISTED SISTER. Capturing the spirit of rebellion, the multi-million selling New Yorkers enjoyed a hugely successful career, adored by metal fans and feared by the “moral right”, before disbanding in the mid-80’s. Re-uniting in 2001 to headline the NEW YORK STEEL benefit concert in the wake of the Sept 11th attacks, the band made their first steps towards returning to the stage after fourteen years, delighting fans across the world.  Now BLOODSTOCK is honoured to have Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, A. J. Pero, and Mark "The Animal" Mendoza for their first UK outdoor festival performance since 1983’s MONSTERS OF ROCK. Never failing to deliver anything short of a spectacular live set, the foundations of Catton Hall are set to shake as classics such as “I Wanna Rock”, “Leader Of The Pack”, “Burn In Hell” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” have all in attendance singing their hearts out. Finnish warriors ENSIFERUM bring the battle back to BLOODSTOCK in 2010 making a welcome return to the main stage. These heroic Viking Metallers are no strangers to BOA, having laid waste to the stage in 2006. With four albums worth of aural artillery, these Finns are well-equipped to rally the metal warriors in attendance, ensuring victory at BOA’s Decennial celebration, at this exclusive festival appearance. German power-metallers EDGUY also make a welcome return to the BLOODSTOCK stage, which the band are excited about gracing again. Charismatic frontman/metallic maniac TOBIAS SAMMET is especially looking forward to returning to the UK for EDGUY’s only UK Festival appearance:  “We've played Bloodstock twice and I am more than happy to be part of the 10th anniversary edition of the festival once more. I love playing England because I feel they understand us so well. I mean, despite the accent. I seriously love: Magnum, Robin Hood, tea, Def Leppard, John Wayne, I love England. I love the Indian cuisine, I admire mostly British bands, I love to hear proper English, and who am I to tell you are driving on the wrong side of the streets?” 

Finnish metallers KALMAH will film a video for the song "12 Gauge" later this week. The clip will make its online debut in late February/early March. "12 Gauge" is the title track of KALMAH's sixth album, which is scheduled for release on March 3 via Spinefarm Records. The CD, which which will be made available in Japan on February 24, was recorded between June and August 2009 at Tico Tico studio in Kemi, Finland and was mastered at the Cutting Room in Sweden. Nine new songs and one cover version were laid down during the sessions which "went [smoothly], as always, even though this time the recordings were done in three different time periods within a half a year," according to the band. The Japanese version of the CD will include a cover version of THIN LIZZY's "Cold Sweat". Two songs — "Bullets Are Blind" and "One Of Fail" — are available for streaming on KALMAH's new MySpace page. Regarding the new album's musical direction, lead guitarist Antti Kokko stated, "It is very KALMAH-like, but we haven't forgot to introduce new tuning here and there." KALMAH's fifth studio album, "For The Revolution", was released in the U.K. in July 2008 via Spinefarm. "For the Revolution" in May 2008 landed at position No. 17 on the Finnish national album chart. This was the band's strongest chart showing to date in Finland. The CD's cover artwork was designed by former SENTENCED drummer Vesa Ranta, who was also responsible for the artwork of KALMAH's previous album, "The Black Waltz".

Vocalist Hansi Kürsch of long-running German metallers BLIND GUARDIAN has issued the following update: "I would like to tell you what is going in the GUARDIAN camp. We are progressing [with the new album recordings] quickly! Even I, who is always last in line, can sense the end of the recording session is close at hand. Maybe another four weeks and we should be done with all recordings. "Apart from some minor guitar, bass, percussion, flutes and effect parts the time mainly will be used for vocals. I have to sing two more songs, which would be 'Curse my Name' and 'Song 12'. As some of you figured already this hardly will be the title of the song once vocals are finished, even though we have had a live album, which carries the provoking title 'Live'... "Back to 'Song 12'. After counting all songs (and I did that again and again) I finally figured we only have worked on eleven in total. Don't blame me, blame André [Olbrich; guitar]. He has called it 'Song 12'. What can I do? Well, I do have two choices. I either call it 'Song 11' from today on or I keep it as it is. To create no further confusion I call it the 'Eleventh song which is called Song 12' for now. It is another nice one, to say that much. "To finish the 'still- to-do-list': We will end up recordings with some gigantic choir sessions, which will take some time to be completed. :-) "Anyway, the stuff so far turned out even better than expected. Keep in mind it is me saying that and I partly have been involved. "By now I assume it is no secret anymore that we twice have traveled to Prague during the last months for orchestral recordings. What can I say? It sounds brilliant. We have heavily used orchestration in 'Sacred' (yes, the song will be on the album in an even longer and certainly better version) and naturally for 'Wheel of Time' as well as in some other parts on the album. "As probably said before, this will be our most bombastic and epic album so far. Whether there will be 8 or 9 songs on the album I do not know, by now. But each and every song has a completely different approach in comparison to each other and one complements the other in a perfect way. Except probably for 'Song 5' and 'Song 10'. Or was it 'Song 10' and 'Song 8'? I can't remember. So it won't matter, right? September you will know what I mean. :-) We may show mercy and provide you with some small samples, before. If I don't forget. "What was I talking about?