All the news thats fit to print.

2004 Band News

December 19, 2005

In a recent fan posting on Raven's official message board, the band's frontman John Gallagher was asked about Raven's influence on other metal bands and whether he was aware that Voivod performed Raven's "Chainsaw" at their first-ever concert in early 1984.

Piggy's [Voivod guitarist] passing was sad," Gallagher wrote. "I did hear they were Raven fans but heard it in a crappy way — we were trying to get an opening slot on a tour — (any tour!) back in 1989 and we were up for what became the Voivod/Soundgarden/Faith No More tour. We were told that Voivod's stance was, 'We like Raven but they are not cool anymore.' Of course, I heard this third-hand and will take the high road...

"Anyone ever listen to the middle of 'Aces High' by Iron Maiden and compare it to part of 'Faster than the Speed of Light' [by Raven?] How about the chorus riff of Metallica's 'No Remorse' to 'Lambs to the Slaughter'??

"Makes me laugh...!"

In other news, a few photos from Raven's appearance at the Keep It True V festival, held on November 5 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, have been posted online at this location.

 

Avenger has written to let us know of their new website as well as some other very good news. The band will be entering the recording studio on the 9th of January, 2006 to begin recording their new album entitled "The Slaughter Never Stops". Track listing for the new album is:

Dry Guillotine
Shot To Hell
Lay Siege To Your Soul
Ghetto Messiah
Communion
Race Against Time
C.U.N.L.
The Killer In Me
F8
Losing Face
Devils Arithmetic
Midnight Mass

Tony J Liddle, who you may know from Blitzkrieg (Unholy Trinity/Absolute Power etc) has joined Avengers ranks in the last couple of months and is now firmly part of the guitar/writing situation within the band.

 

Venom have finished mixing their new album, "Metal Black", at the Townhouse Studios in London. The album contains 14 new songs, including "Antechrist", the demo for which can be heard at this location. A March 2006 release via Castle Records/Sanctuary Group is expected.

According to an official press release, "Metal Black" "sees original founder band member Cronos creating a new masterpiece of metal together with [drummer] Antton and [guitarist] Mykvs. With 14 brand new roaring and vital tracks, Venom are again taking the goat by the horns and reinventing their own original style . . . 'Metal Black' [is] an album that harkens back to the writing style of the '80s Venom with a powerful production to incinerate any sound system, truly demonic in every sense and with the delivery of a charging beast."

Commented Mykvs: "The album has a very raw feel. The intensity of the songs is awesome. We recorded the album as a live band, three demons bleeding for the heaviest metal we could create, and our new album will show that Venom keeps getting stronger and heavier. Lay down your souls, muthafuckers, we have returned."

"Metal Black" track listing:

01. Antechrist
02. Burn In Hell
03. House of Pain
04. Death & Dying
05. Rege Satanas
06. Darkest Realm
07. A Good Day to Die
08. Assassin
09. Lucifer Rising
10. Blessed Dead
11. Hours of Darkness
12. Sleep When I'm Dead
13. Maleficarvm
14. Metal Black

Venom are currently finalizing plans for some U.K. shows around next spring. The band are also planning some European dates after the U.K. and are also looking at hitting America by early summer.

December 15, 2005

Black Rose have released a new CD, entitled "Bright Lights Burnin' - The Anthology". Available on the Majestic Rock label, the album features 15 tracks taken from various recordings made in 1981-1987. These include the band's first-ever single, "No Point Runnin'", and tracks from both their studio albums, "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Walk It How You Talk It". Sleeve notes are by respected NWoBHM scribe John Tucker and the 12-page color booklet includes loads of photographs. The CD is available to buy from the Majestic Rock web site, priced £11.99.

Rekuiem, who feature in their ranks current Diamond Head drummer Karl Wilcox, have just shot two promotional videos for "Nightmare" and their "Ozzy- and Sharon-approved" cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", according to a press release.

The band — whose line-up also includes guitarist Steve Slater, bassist Gordon Denny and former Tredegar vocalist Paul Parry — will release their debut album, "Time Will Tell", on January 23, 2006 in Europe and January 25, 2006 in Japan through Majestic Rock. The Japanese edition of the album carries the exclusive bonus track "Death Row".

Venom have set "Metal Black" as the title of their new studio album, due in March 2006 via Castle Records/Sanctuary Group.

According to an official press release, "Metal Black" "sees original founder band member Cronos creating a new masterpiece of metal together with [drummer] Antton and [guitarist] Mykvs. With 14 brand new roaring and vital tracks, Venom are again taking the goat by the horns and reinventing their own original style . . . 'Metal Black' [is] an album that harkens back to the writing style of the '80s Venom with a powerful production to incinerate any sound system, truly demonic in every sense and with the delivery of a charging beast."

Commented Mykvs: "The album has a very raw feel. The intensity of the songs is awesome. We recorded the album as a live band, three demons bleeding for the heaviest metal we could create, and our new album will show that Venom keeps getting stronger and heavier. Lay down your souls, muthafuckers, we have returned."

December 5, 2005

The legendary NWoBHM squad Preyer are going to re-release their "Terminator" LP from 1986 (originally issued by Ebony Records) along with a couple of special bonus tracks and "fat" booklet. Few labels already showed interest in this piece of metal history, and the band's management is in the middle of negotiations (the label's name will be announced in forthcoming weeks).

Preyer is:

Peter Mackintoch - Vocals
Craig Thomas - Guitar
Phil Scourfield - Bass
Phil John - Drums
James Rees - Guitar

Preyer also have brand new web site at this location, where you can find three original videos from the '80s.

December 1, 2005

Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler has posted the following message on his official web site:

"Just a quickie! We're back out for a short pre-Christmas tour starting this Saturday 3rd December in Stockholm. Due to the U.S. tour being postponed, we didn't waste anytime and spent a couple of weeks trying a few new song ideas out. After the Christmas and New Year break, we aim to get into 'serious writing mode.' Obviously, this won't affect any touring schedules

"Other news: went and saw Motorhead down in Southampton. Once again, superb! Thanks to Phil, Lem, and Mikkey for the hospitality! The support, In Flames, were great too!

"On a final note, The Mad Men track, 'Cheers Murray' (aka 'Pit Stop'), is on the new 'They Think It's All Over...' DVD.

 

According to a posting on former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno's official web site, Di'Anno is about to shoot a video for his new album, to be released worldwide in the spring. No further information is currently available.

Comic Book Resources reported earlier in the month that a limited edition of the "Jenna" #2 comic book from Narwain Publishing will be packaged with an exclusive CD from Di'Anno. Di'Anno has crafted five songs in his signature heavy metal to serve as a soundtrack for the book. This limited edition is also packaged with a large poster that will be autographed by one of the book's creators. The special edition will be limited to only 1,000 copies, making it a rare must-have item for fans of Narwain's flagship title.

November 28, 2005

Apocalypse now have a website that, while still under construction, has a good bit of info on and about the band. You can visit their new website here.

November 21, 2005

Three members of the NWoBHM band Wrathchild are working on a new band, it was revealed in an interview conducted by Rockdetector.com with former singer Rocky Shades.

It appears that bassist Marc Angel, drummer Eddie Starr and guitarist Phil Volkins have assembled a new, as-yet-unnamed band unit. Volkins was Wrathchild's original guitar player, replaced by Lance Rocket (a.k.a. Lance Perkins) before the first album, 1984's "Stakk Attakk". Volkins left the band to work briefly with Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. You can read the entire interview here.

Buzz Elliot of Hammerhead has sent us a few pics from their gig with Diamond Head earlier this year. Buzz says, Hey, we are getting older but we still sound the same! Thanks for the pics Buzz!

 

November 15, 2005

News from the Elixir camp is that the new studio album has been recorded, and they just have the mixing to do now. It should be finished by the end of this year, and the band aims to get it released early next year. A single ‘Knocking on the Gates of Hell’ has been taken from the album, and should be ready by the time they play in Sweden next Saturday. This will be the first single release by us since 1985.

Also the Elixir Live cd is now out! Go to the bands website and order your copy now.

November 5, 2005

British heavy metal legends Saxon have now confirmed that they have postponed their previously announced U.S. tour. In a statement posted on the band's official web site, band manager Thomas Jensen writes, "I'm sad to announce that Saxon has to postpone and reschedule all U.S. dates into March. After having everything organized for the U.S. tour, the visas finaly did not get to us in time. The band was ready to leave Europe and is very sad not to go. Everybody was looking forward to it. We're trying our best to reschedule the tour as soon as possible. Saxon, although these circumstances are well beyond our control, would like to apologize to everyone for any inconvenience that has been caused by this delay. A big thank you to all our promoters, fans and agents for keeping the shows up to the very last minute. Let's try and make the best out of it. We'll be back with more informations next week."

Steve Annetts (vocals) for After Dark has written us to ask us post the following announcement on our news section here and we are more than happy to do so!

"I have had a lot of inquiries for the old vinyl stuff and also the cd album Masked by Midnight but i am finding it difficult to keep up with the demand so if you would be kind enough could you put a little apology from the band on your next old school metal show update, however we will be sending out copies as soon as we can source them."

"We are reforming the original band and are allready going to do some shows in the UK next year. We are also going to re - release the Masked by Midnight Album with new artwork and also with some previously unreleased songs. We are going to release the Original Evil Woman single on CD format with Johnny and Lucy and another unreleased track called Rock and Roller."

Excellent news! You can get a link to the bands website from our Links page.

October 30, 2005

Ian Toomy of Bitches Sin / Flashpoint has written to let us know that the work on the new Flashpoint cd is nearly complete. Release date is scheduled for January 2006. Ian has offered us here at the OSMS an advance copy so we can get it on the show, which we will very gladly do.

Legend have a new website and have promised an update to the site very soon. You can visit the new website here.

Tresspass have also changed their website to a new location and according to their new site, they plan to record new material and tour in 2006. For their new website, point your clicker to here.

October 19, 2005

Lee Payne of Cloven Hoof has written us with a bit of good news. They are currently autographing the first 1000 copies of their latest cd "Eye Of The Sun" for a limited edition pressing. Fans can go grab a copy of this collectors item if they go to the record label Ezec-Records website here.

Lee also let us know that he has spent the last several weeks writing a new follow up albm to "Eye" because of the strong demand for that cd. Lee has been busy in the studio laying down demo's for the new album. Also there will be some classic Cloven Hoof released next year.

October 18, 2005

Witchfynde have confirmed the following live shows over the Halloween period:

Oct. 29 - Heavy Metal Maniacs festival - Hoorn, NETH
Nov. 4 - Astoria - London, UK
Nov. 12 - Langley Mill Potter’s Bar - Nottingham, UK

Diamdon Head will be filming the London Astoria show on Friday, November 4 for the band's first-ever live DVD. It will be released by Secret Films next year. The set times have been revised for the show as follows for the 25th Anniversary NWoBHM show.

Jaguar: 5:10 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Bronz: 6:00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Praying Mantis: 6:50 p.m. – 7:35 p.m.
Witchfynde: 7:55 p.m. – 8:40 p.m.
Diamond Head: 9:00 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.

October 17, 2005

Atomkraft have completed work on their new EP, entitled "Are You Looking At Me?", for a November release. The EP is a special edition limited run as a precursor to the (now delayed) new album, "I Couldn't Give A Fuck!". The EP will also be available as a vinyl release and through iTunes as well as Amazon.com and CDBaby.com. Click here to view the new cover artwork.

Are You Looking At Me track listing:

01. Dead Again!
02. Kristalnacht
03. Cold Sweat
04. Gripped

October 11, 2005

In the wake of the huge success of Saxon's "25th Anniversary of NWoBHM" German tour, where the British heavy metal legends played only the classic hits they recorded during the 1980s, the band have decided to do some more of these special club shows in December 2005. Confirmed "25th Anniversary of NWoBHM" dates are as follows:

Dec. 03 - Stockholm, SWE @ Globen - Annexet (Sweden Rock Kick Off)
Dec. 05 - Copenhagen, DEN @ Pumpehuset
Dec. 06 - Hannover, GER @ Capitol
Dec. 07 - Düsseldorf, GER @ Tor 3
Dec. 09 - Fulda, GER @ KUZ Kreuz
Dec. 10 - Karlsruhe, GER @ Schwarzwaldhalle (Festival)
Dec. 11 - Nürnberg, GER @ Hirsch
Dec. 12 - Aschaffenburg, GER @ Colos Saal
Dec. 14 - Praha, CZR @ Sazka Arena (Festival)
Dec. 16 - Pratteln, SWI @ Z7
Dec. 17 - Osnabrück, GER @ Hyde Park

October 6, 2005

Elixir are proud to announce the release their first live album, "Elixir Live", on October 31st. At a running time of 78 minutes, the album contains live versions of material taken from the band's first three studio albums, along with live versions of "Winds of Time", which featured on the B-side of the bands first and now highly collectable single "Treachery", and "Death Toll" which initially appeared on the band's very first demo tape recorded in 1983.

The band will also take time out from working on their brand new studio album "Mindcreeper" to appear at the Motala Metal Festival in Sweden on November 19th, to promote their new live album and the single/EP release of "Knocking On The Gates of Hell" taken from the new studio album, both of which will be released on the TPL label.

Saxon frontman Biff Byford has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"We're on the train from Berlin to Munich, we've just been putting together the film and soundtrack for the upcoming new DVD (working title 'To Hell and Back Again'). Tour is going great so far, first three shows sold out. Just one thing we'd like to know, should we play the '80 set all the way through the tour, or should we play the 'Lionheart' set in Belgium, England, Scotland and Holland, what do you think?"

"Looks like America is gonna happen, working hard on the new visa system after 9/11, as off today tour starts in Allentown 4th of November, unfortunately we have to put back south America yet again and some dates in the USA, we're really sorry for that, but we're working hard to get replacement dates."

"It's great having Nigel [Glockler, drums] back in the band it sounds like he never left. We've started writing and some recording for the new album that should be out next year. We think SPV are going to re-release the 'Lionheart' album and we're trying to put together some extra bonus material"

"That's all for now folks, keep the faith."

Ian Toomey of Bitches Sin has put up the Shred jingle used for the opening of the Old School Metal Show up for download from the bands website. You can visit the bands website here and download the Shred jingle for your very own! Also a 1 minute preview of the latest cd from Flashpoint - "Lazer Love" - all tracks - can be downloaded from the website as well.

Black Rose have posted on their website that the Majestic Rock compilation album should be ready and released by the end of October. On their newest cd they are recording now, 9 songs have been finished so far and they are working on a few more to finish the cd.

Syron Vanes have announced their latest release is coming along nicely and you can hear samples of a few of the new songs from their website. They also report a new member to the band, Michel Strand, who will be handling the bass gig.

 

October 4, 2005

Saxon frontman Biff Byford has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"Well, it's about time I said something!

"First of all, I would like to say 'Thank you' to everybody who sent messages after the fire it was a bad period in our lives but you have to go on and try and make something good from out of the bad. We are now in a new house much bigger than the last one and everybody is starting to put their lives back together. The fire started at five in the morning when we were all in bed [you may believe this or not?] But somebody or something shouted 'Wake up' really loud and I just shot up bolt upright. The room was full of smoke. I woke my wife and we got the children out of there bedrooms by this time the flames were dropping though the ceiling so we had a very lucky escape. Who it was I do not know. I have lost both my parents and some good friends along the way.

"Anyway, that's how it was."

"On a lighter note, Nigel [Glockler] is back in the band after 7-8 years we have been rehearsing in the U.K. and it sounds great like he never left! We have to say farewell to Jörg [Michael, Stratovarius] who has left the voyage early and we did not have time say a drunken farewell, but we will real soon, Jörg.

"Anyway, we are all looking forward to the tour."

Girlschool are the latest confirmed act for next year's installment of the Headbangers Open Air festival, set to take place July 14-15, 2006 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany. The festival billing is now shaping up as follows:

Blitzkrieg
Girlschool
Goathorn
Icarus Witch
Ivory Tower
Martyr
Metal Inquisitor
Miles Beyond
Ooctober 31
Order Of Nine
Pyramaze
Satan (Brian Ross + Guests)
Trinakius
Visions Of Atlantis

October 1, 2005

Contrary to a posting on the web site of New York City's B.B. King's Blues Bar & Grill, Saxon have **NOT** cancelled their previously rescheduled U.S. tour, the group's North American booking agent, Mark Hyman of Paradise Artists, Inc., has stated. "The band has had to postpone the three original opening shows for logistical reasons," Hyman said. "They plan to make those shows up at a later time to be announced. Other than that, the band is scheduled to begin their tour in Allentown, PA on Friday, November 4, 2005."

Saxon confirmed tour dates:

Nov. 04 - The Sterling Hotel - Allentown, PA
Nov. 05 - Double D's - Morristown, NJ
Nov. 06 - The Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
Nov. 07 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
Nov. 08 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 11 - The Galaxy - Dallas, TX
Nov. 12 - Sunkin Gardens - San Antonio, TX

September 30, 2005

Saxon have been confirmed for the Sweden Rock kick-off concert on December 3 at Globen Annexet in Stockholm, Sweden. Also appearing on the bill are Clawfinger and Krokus.

The next edition of the Sweden Rock festival will take place June 8-10 in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

From Phil Denton of Elixir, In the Elixir camp, our live album should be out next month, and a single from our new studio album should be available in time for our festival appearance in Sweden on November 19th. We are busy working on the rest of the new album, it will be ready for release early in 2006.

September 22, 2005

Girlschool have finished recording new versions of the songs "Emergency" and "London". Both tracks are going to be available as paid digital downloads sometime in November. If you want to hear a sample of either cut, check out the "Downloads" page of the group's web site.

Girlschool will play their final headlining gig of 2005 on September 25 at the Mean Fiddler in London before embarking on a U.K. tour supporting Motorhead beginning on October 30 in Bristol. The band were one of the special guests at Motorhead's 30th Anniversary show, which took place on June 16 at The Hammersmith Apollo in London, U.K.


Drummer Nigel Glockler has commented on his return to Saxon following the departure of Jörg Michael, who has since resumed touring full-time with Stratovarius.

Said Glockler: "I'd been mulling it over for a few months. We knew Jörg was leaving in August. I wanted to make sure that it was what I really wanted to do. The guys kept badgering me and I finally caved in when Biff [Byford, Saxon frontman] rang me from Spain a few weeks ago. They were doing some gigs with Deep Purple. Biff kept on at me in a roundabout way during the conversation. I just said, 'Go on then' — there was silence — then it hit him what I said. I won't repeat what he said but I think he was quite happy!!! And there we are! I rang Doug [Scarratt, guitar] the next morning. He said everyone was celebrating over there. Nibbs [Carter, bass] rang me from a bar so I told him to have a San Miguel for me! And Quinny [Paul Quinn, guitar] rang me from a restaurant that evening! The first people I rang to tell the news were Phil, Mikkey, and Lemmy [from Motorhead] — sorry for waking you, Lem!! They'd all been on at me to go back for a while!! You got your wish!!"

Saxon are continuing to tour in support of their latest CD, "Lionheart", available now on SPV Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Killing Ground" features artwork by Paul R. Gregory, who has previously worked with the group on the now classic "Crusader" album.

September 18, 2005

Diamond Head have inked a deal with Cargo Records. The label will be releasing the group's long-awaited new CD, "All Will Be Revealed", on October 31. Anybody who missed out on one of the pre-release copies will now be able to buy this commercially available version from all good record stores and online shops.

Upcoming Diamond Head shows:

Nov. 04 – London, UK @ The Astoria (25th anniversary of NWoBHM show w/ Witchfynde, Praying Mantis, Bronz, & Jaguar)
Dec. 02 – Birmingham, UK @ Edwards No 8
Dec. 03 – Bradford, UK @ Rio

September 14, 2005

Statetrooper have announced plans to return to the live stage in October. The band will be performing four shows in the U.K., supported by British melodic rock band Deadline. The tour is in support of their new single, "Don’t Say Goodbye", which is taken from their critically acclaimed album "The Calling". The single is released on October 31. The dates are as follows:

Oct. 07 – London, Garage
Oct. 09 – Stourbridge, Rock Café
Oct. 15 – Bradford, Rios
Oct. 16 – Nuneaton, Queens Hall

Statetrooper recently issued their album as an official download (as well as being released in the stores worldwide) and managed to spend a few weeks in the Weed Top 10 download charts. The band are planning a world tour for 2006, encompassing Europe, USA and Asia, and will be recording their new studio album. They have also recorded their recent appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival, which will result in a DVD and live album.

A very interesting letter came to us yesterday from Colin Bell of Charger. Charger is a band we have always liked here at the OSMS, particularly "Desperadoes" but we have never had any contact nor have been able to find a contact for the band, as much as we have tried. I think the letter has some very interesting information to it, so we will post it here.

"I am COLIN BELL, the writer of ALL Charger material."

"The single you have heard over the last 20 years was a promotional single for when Charger were trying to get a record deal in the late 70's. There were no web sites then or mobile phones! It was harder work than you can imagine. But it was still lots of fun anyway because it was ROCK AND ROLL!"

"This band won 'National Battle of the Bands', not local 'Battle of the Bands', for four years and we still could not get a record deal. But were playing concerts for 4 to 5 thousand people. WHY?"

"Many songs were written between this time and 'Deperadoes' and 'Are you Out There' were the early days of Charger. Over the years I have written many songs which were recorded and some were recorded live, that I personally kept and have now remastered on CD. Forunately, to your advantage I have footage of Charger on old video. This has now been remastered on DVD showing three tracks."

"I also have person photographs of the band. The original photographs from the Charger single, which, as you know, were all taken individually. But the best one was when we were all together in the tunics. The old black and whites were always the best,I felt personally."

"Things do change over the years, but the music does not. If you wish to contact me, it is not a problem. It just took me a long time to get in touch with technology!! Sometimes things move faster than CHARGER!!!"

"P.S. The signatures on the back of the singles are not mine or the rest of the guys. The Japanese who say that they have posters of Charger are not real...no posters of Charger were ever printed!! I, on the other hand, have every photograph and every picture by the press or otherwise, at my disposal."

We have already been in touch. :)

September 7, 2005

Raven bassist/vocalist John Gallagher has posted the following message regarding the band's appearance at this past weekend's Bloodstock festival in Derby, U.K.:

"It was a blast!!! We were amazed at how well the festival was run, great venue, atmosphere and great audience. Most of the bands fell into two camps — Euro-metal a la Helloween...or female-fronted goth-Evanescence style — so we stuck out like a sore thumb, but we went down great regardless!! Mark [Gallagher, guitar] managed to fall off a front monitor during the second song, screwing his knee up, but you would never have known (they had paramedics check him out after the show). Can't wait to see the photos!!

"Thanks to everyone that was involved with the organization… and to the audience!!!"

Raven are continuing to write and demo material for a new album, their first new product since 1999's "One For All". The band was forced out of action in 2001 when guitarist Mark Gallagher suffered serious injuries. Songtitles set to appear on the upcoming CD include "Against the Grain", "Running around in Circles", "Armageddon", "Long Hard Road", "Bulldozer", "Breaking You Down", "Under Your Radar", "Attitude", "Burn Your Bridges", "Long Day's Journey", "The Stranger Inside", "Desperate Measures", "Strip Away" and "Wrecking Crew".

September 6, 2005

NWoBHM legends Blitzkrieg and Satan, along with Order of Nine, are the latest confirmed acts for next year's installment of the Headbangers Open Air festival, set to take place July 14-15, 2006 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany. Also scheduled to appear are Icarus Witch, October 31, Martyr, Trinakius and Metal Inquisitor. More information is available at www.headbangers-open-air.de.

September 3, 2005

Iron Maiden performed a special fund-raising concert for former Maiden drummer Clive Burr on Friday (September 2) at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The show, featuring songs from the band's first four albums ("Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number of the Beast" and "Piece of Mind"), marked the final date of the group's current tour and the very last time some of the songs in the set will be played live by the band. Check out pictures at this location.

In 2002, the members of Iron Maidenwere shocked to learn that their former drummer, Clive Burr, was suffering from MS. They played three nights in March 2002 at Brixton Academy in his honour, donating the £250,000-plus profits from the concerts and merchandising into a newly formed Clive Burr Multiple Sclerosis Trust Fund. The fund also received generous donations from the record company EMI and publisher BMG Music from the commercial single releases of "Run to the Hills" and "Number of The Beast" (which leapt into the U.K. charts at No 3 earlier this year). There were kind donations from all over the world of heavy metal, and tremendous support from the fans through numerous fund raising initiatives and very generous individual contributions.

Three years on, the money raised has helped enormously to provide treatment and support and to improve the quality of Clive's life. For example: the Trust has helped Clive to secure his house, funded specialist treatments in this country and with experts in Europe and the USA, has provided specialized equipment, assisted with transport and travel and helped Clive with his living expenses. The Trust was also able to help some other MS sufferers who have longstanding connections with the band by assisting with the provision of vehicles specially adapted to carry wheelchairs.

Augusst 29, 2005

Buzz Elliott from Hammerhead sent us a cd with a note attached that contained some great news. Buzz tells us that the band has signed a record deal with Sonic Age Records out of Greece to release their cd officially. As far as i know the title of the cd is "Will To Survive" and has been remastered to improve the sound and get rid of some of the vinyl background noise. Songs that will appear on the cd are:

BJ Special (Live)
Crying As I Fall
Don't Look Down
Heavy Handed
Lochnivar
Lonely Man
Time Will Tell
Ton Of Bricks
Will To Survive

Ian Toomey of Bitches Sin/Flashpoint write to let us know that recording for the new Flashpoint cd is going along very nicely. Also to tell us that a steady stream of downloads of the Bitches Sin album "Your Place Or Mine", that is a free download from the bands website has been a huge hit, especially with fans in Peru and Brazil. Excellent news indeed.

Elixir and TPL Records of Sweden have agreeded on a deal to release the bands new Live album. Recorded in the U.K. and featuring songs spanning the first three Elixir albums plus a couple of harder to find tracks, this album should be ready for release within the next couple of months. Track listing is as follows:

The Return (Intro)
Moonlight
Trial By Fire
Pandora's Box
Hold High The Flame
The Idol
Son of Odin
Sovereign Remedy
Born Loser
Winds of Time
Death Toll
Metal Trance
Visions of Darkness
Shadows of the Night
Deal With The Devil
Treachery (Ride Like The Wind)
Llagaeran

August 19, 2005

Ground Attack has sent us word that new mp3 files are available on their website. Visit their site to download their complete "Lost Tapes" in full mp3 format. No fillers here, just the real deal.

August 16, 2005

The Dio Message Board recently conducted an interview with Diamond Head guitarist Brian Tatler. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: What was it like playing in 1993 with Metallica at the Milton Keynes Bowl?

Brian Tatler: "It was the biggest gig Diamond Head have ever done. It was a great gig but we felt under pressure because it was being recorded for a live album and it was live on Radio 1 and MTV. Also I had shingles so it was not ideal! Metallica had been on tour for two years whereas Diamond Head had not played for 18 months and we had a new bass player. We were also on the verge of splitting up!"

Q: You'd recorded an album before [singer] Sean [Harris] left the band last year. Is this ever going to be released? There was a suggestion in your message board that it should be made available for Internet download. Is this an option?

Brian Tatler: "It will not be made available for Internet download. Sean wanted to change the name of the band and I didn't, so it may get released if Sean ever gets round to it. It's just sitting on the shelf."

Q: I saw you supporting Megadeth earlier this year. Great show. Your set was geared towards the heavier side of your material. Was this tailored specifically for the Megadeth audience, or is this the direction you'll be pursuing?

Brian Tatler: "Glad you liked the show. It was tailored on the heavy side, we mainly took songs from the first album and 'All Will Be Revealed'. We are doing a longer show now that includes 'To the Devil His Due', 'I Can’t Help Myself' and 'Paradise'. The set is still very powerful, it suits this lineup."

Q: The split with Sean doesn't seem to have been amicable. Are you still in contact? Do you know what he is doing these days?

Brian Tatler: "I am not in contact with Sean, but have no bad feelings towards him and wish him well with whatever he is doing. He is probably writing more songs."

Read the entire interview in the "Don't Talk to Strangers" forum at The Dio Message Board (free registration required).

August 11, 2005

Deaththrasher magazine recently conducted an interview with former Venom/Mantas and current Atomkraft bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Deaththrasher: Is Cronos [Venom frontman] a friend of yours?

Tony Dolan: "Friend? Well, at one time I thought we were kinda getting there, but I don't think he really ever liked me. Lots of reasons, but there you go! When we meet, we speak and that's about it. He likes talking shit about me, so I retaliate when he does. It's kind of a game now I guess! Boring as fuck to me, but he seems to enjoy it!"

Deaththrasher: Do you receive any kind of royalties when Venom performs a song in which you were part of the composition?

Tony Dolan: "Yes, always! VH1 in Europe has been playing 'Prime Evil' from the 1990 video, and that's paying nicely, thanx. The Venom management stole all the money from me and it took a long time to catch up with that but now they are destroyed and worthless and I have my royalties back and the money flows to me and no one else!"

Deaththrasher: What was the actual reason regarding your departure from Venom?

Tony Dolan: "The management stealing money, making decisions that were useless to the band but good for their pockets. I moved to London, started working with real managers and musicians and just drifted away from the same old shit I'd got bored with! The same shit back the 20 odd years ago is still going on up there now and with the same bands and people, [laughs]!!!! I'm so glad I'm out of it! [Laughs]!!!"

You can read the entire interview at this location.

August 10, 2005

Smack Management (Agony Bag) are both proud and pleased to announce Metal Heart, the new rock show. Metal Heart is musical mayhem that beats, beats, beats. Created by Clive Jones, David Armitt and Kevin (k-Boy) Brooks.

The new sensational musical killer chiller experience is a spine-tingling tale of manipulation, sexual frustration and murderous revenge with more resurrections (literally) than the bible. A battle of the bands leads to the bizarre deaths of 'rockster' Fozzie and the latest boy ''popster' Adam Sweet.

To find out more about Metal Heart and to hear samples of music from the show visit here.

August 9, 2005

Former Venom/Mantas and current Atomkraft bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan's web site has been updated with the following message from Dolan's webmaster:

"Tony is to feature in two more books to be released this year. The first is by legendary NWoBHM [journalist] John Tucker. The book, called 'Suzie Smiled', is scheduled for and end of summer release and is a from-their-own-mouths history of the NWoBHM in the 1980s. The second is a look into Slayer from the people who they met along the way to being 'THE' extreme band of their generation. More details to follow when I have them but the book will be out 2005.

"Tony has been interviewed and will feature on two more DVDs of music retrospectives, namely Green Day and U2. They will be out in the autumn and I will endeavour to do as usual and post the covers and all release info I get, should you be interested in these?!

"Tony has just completed presenting more series for Classic Rock Direct. 'The Rolling Stones', 'The Beatles' and 'The Ramones' will be released after the summer. We will keep you imformed and I will publish covers so you know what you're looking for should you be interested. These are added to the 'Deep Purple' release currently being edited."

 

French power metallers Nightmare have revealed the complete track listing for their new album, "The Dominion Gate", due this fall via Sweden's Regain Records.

The album was recorded during April-May, 2005 at Soundsuite Studio with Norwegian producer Terje Refsnes (Tristania, Sirenia, Green Carnation). The CD includes special guest appearances by After Forever's Floor Jansen and Sander Gommans, along with ex-Pretty Maids guitarist Ricky Marx, who has previously collaborated with Nightmare vocalist Jo Amore back in the '90s.

"The Dominion Gate" track listing:

01. Temple of Tears
02. A Taste of Armageddon
03. Messenger of Faith
04. Secret Rules
05. The Dressmaker
06. Endless Agony
07. Paranormal Magnitude Part II
08. Circle of the Dark
09. Haunting Memories
10. Heretic
11. The Dominion Gate
12. The Watchtower
13. K-141
+ one bonus track for Japan

Nightmare have already confirmed a few concerts to promote the album, including an appearance at the Raismesfest on September 11 in Raismes, France, as well as a co-headlining show with After Forever at La Loco in Paris on November 20 for the "Vibes In Paris Festival" (also featuring Magica, Malediction and Dornfall). Nightmare will perform a special headlining concert in their hometown of Grenoble in November before embarking on a full European tour with After Forever in early 2006.

August 8, 2005

A live recording of NWoBHM veterans Jaguar performing the track "Gulf War Syndrome" at the Keep It True III festival last November has been posted online at this location.

As previously reported, Jaguar will be teaming up with Diamond Head, Witchfynde, Praying Mantis and Bronz for the "The 25th Anniversary of NWoBHM" concert on Friday, November 4 at the Astoria in London, England.

Jaguar's most recent studio album, "Run Ragged", was released in July 2003 through Angel Air Records.

August 3, 2005

According to a posting on Saxon's official web site, drummer Nigel Glockler will be rejoining the band after the Budapest show on August 14. No further details are currently available.

Saxon are expected to return to the U.S. in November. The band were originally slated to embark on an American tour in May but ended up cancelling the dates as a result of frontman Biff Byford wanting to stay by his family's side after suffering a major loss in February when his house in the Normandie area of France burned down. In that incident, Biff, his wife and their children got out of the house at the very last minute and nobody was hurt

August 1, 2005

NWoBHM legends Diamond Head have posted the following message on their official web site:

"All of the tour edition copies of [the new album] 'All Will Be Revealed' have now sold out. The good news is that a record deal is imminent that will see a full commercial release of the album in the near future. More details of this as we get it.

"A small number of the acoustic CD recorded in 2000 have been found. There are only about 50 of these left, so it's a first come first served basis. These have now made through the site on the merchandise page, along with the current T-shirt designs.

"Castle have released a new three-CD box set, entitled 'Lightnin' to the Nations - 25th Anniversary of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal'. Diamond Head among the 58 tracks on this compilation with sleeve notes from Dave Ling. This was released on 13th June 2005.

"The band have been confirmed to headline a 25th anniversary of NWoBHM show on Friday 4th November. The event takes place at The Astoria in London with bands such as Witchfynde, Jaguar, Bronz and Praying Mantis.

"In addition to this date, they also hope to be back out on the road towards the end of the year."

July 26, 2005

Lee Payne of Cloven Hoof has written us to tell everyone that the new name of their upcoming cd will be "Eye Of The Sun". As previously reported, the band decided to change the name of their new cd, which was to be called "Absolute Power", in order not to conflict with another cd that was recently released with that name. We should have the artwork posted on the news here soon.

Lets see....what else....Oh yeah, did you know that were I live, right now at 11:30 pm, its 87 degrees outside with 65% humidity? Man that sucks. Oh back to the news....

Bitches Sin is offering a free download of their latest album "Your Place Or Mine" from their website. You can visit their site and download the entire album for free. Go do it.

Black Rose has announced they are about to sign a record deal with MajesticRock Records to release a "Best Of" cd with material released back in the 1980's. It will feature 15 tracks from both our 1st and second albums plus our first single our first ep and some bonus stuff.

New Demon T/Shirts with the "Better The Devil You Know" Eye, Long Sleeve, Short Sleeve and Girls Shirts Too are now available on line, plus all those hard to find CD's, please go to the merchandise page!!!

Someone please tell Holocaust that we need new news! Legend too.

Pagan Altar has announced the formation of the Pagan Altar Fan Club that has just started up. The website is currently under construction but do go check this out often and join in.

 

July 19, 2005

Steve Slater of Rekuiem has written us to tell about their new website of which we really appreciate his time in letting us know. There you can read about the latest news from the band and on their new upcoming album that should be released in the next few months. We should details on that soon. Tour dates, blog, phots and the latest news on the band can be checked out there.

A letter from Paul Gaskin from, of course, Gaskin reached us today and Paul gave a bit of an update what is going on with him and the band. "We've just played the Headbangers Open Air festival in Germany, and proved that good old Brit Metal is alive and kicking in Europe still. Most of the bands playing out there were fast and furious, and without being bitchy, started to all sound the same. Consequently I thought we'd go down like a bag of shite or be a breath of fresh air !! I'm pleased to report that it was the latter, and we attracted a large crowd for our performance, and went down a storm. In the process of recording a new studio album at the moment, but its going to take some time, so our last effort Stand or Fall will have to do for the time being."

Many thanks to Paul for the letter and the update.

This news is a week or so late...sorry! But Barry Fearon of High Treason has written us to let everyone know that the band has reformed and even had a gig in Hertfordshire on July 9th. This is excellent news for all the fans of the band (including us!) and hopeully some new material from the band shortly. Below are some pics from their latest gig.

 

 

July 15, 2005

As previously reported by us, Preyer has indeed reformed and will soon be releasing a 3 track demo onto the world. There is still a tremendous interest in their "Terminator" album with it still being sold in various countries around the world. So they are re-forming to set the record straight about how they will sound with an up-to-date production. Track listing for the demo is:

1. Razing Hell
2. Death Walks Tonigt
3. Taste Of Sin

Preyer also have a new wesbite which can be seen here.

Blitzkrieg, Witchfynde, Avenger and Predatür are among the bands that have been confirmed for Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival VI, a one-day event scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 29 at Manifesto in Hoorn, Holland. A statement from the festival organizers reads as follows: "This year it will be the 25th birthday party of the NWoBHM . Out of this movement came a lot of bands who became an inspiration for many other bands (for example, Metallica, to name one). Holland was one of the countries where the English bands had a lot of success. Some bands even played more in Holland than in the U.K. Reasons enough to organise a NWoBHM festival in Holland. Beside four original NWoBHM bands, we have added one young U.K. band who play in the same vein and two Dutch bands who were also around in the early '80s and can be described as New Wave of Dutch Heavy Metal."

Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival VI billing:

Blitzkrieg (UK)
Witchfynde (UK)
Avenger (UK)
Sad Iron(NETH)
Predatür (UK)
Conquest Of Steel(UK)
Blackout (NETH)

July 12, 2005

Former Venom/Mantas and current Atomkraft bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan's web site has been updated with the following message from Dolan's webmaster:

"I have been asked to state the following by the man himself as regards Mantas and the 'Zero Tolerance' video.

"The 30-second promo clip featuring [Tony] and Cherisse Osei [former Mantas drummer] was shown on the official Mantas site way back when they were still in the band and he feels there is no need to see it again, especially now with the band having shot their new version. That, I am afraid, is my mistake. I misunderstood, and as such apologise to Tony and to Mantas, the band.

"However, Tony has said that the point to be made was about the record company and how they threatened the non-release of the initial album if Tony did not leave and refused to release the original full-length video if he was not (along with Cherisse) fully edited out, it was NOT initially anyone's, except the label manager's and owner's decisions to threaten both releases. Their mugs were more than happy to have remained in place!

"May I also say, that after reading a comment on Blabbermouth.net in regard to the previous statement I made, the individual who seems to have commented about this being old news as he has seen the new video for the track and also the full Earthshaker video is telling somewhat tall stories, as the Earthshaker festival footage of Mantas 2004, featuring Tony and Cherisse, has not been made available to the band or label, so it is impossible!"

Tank bassist/vocalist Algy Ward was in the studio on July 5 recording five demo backing tracks for the group's upcoming alum, "Sturmpanzer": "Sturmpanzer", "Baghdad City", "Before the Eyes of the World", "Remember" and the Status Quo cover "Tune to the Music".

Tank will release a vinyl version of the "War of Attrition" live album in a limited edition of 500 copies via Maniacal Records later in the year. The release will be a double gatefold LP — 250 copies on white vinyl and 250 on 180-gram vinyl — featuring many old photos. There will also be an expanded-edition CD with five bonus tracks. The vinyl will contain two tracks that are not available on the CD, and the CD will have one song that is not available on the vinyl version. The bonus tracks will be "radio sessions" from 1982 and also a live recording from Lochen Pop in Holland in 1983. There will also be demo versions of two other songs — "The Man Who Never Was" and "Too Tired to Wait for Love" — and the "Filth Hounds of Hades" three-song demo.

July 11, 2005

Majestic Rock has just issued a six-song live EP from Waysted, the reunited semi-obscure mid-'80s British heavy metal outfit led by UFO bassist Pete Way (hence the spelling of the group's name). Entitled "Boot from the Dead", the CD was recorded during Waysted's brief four-song set opening for The Quireboys at London's Mean Fiddler on February 18, 2005. The concert marked the first time the band played London in nearly 20 years. The last two tracks on the EP are from the Japanese-only edition of the band's latest full-length CD, "Back from the Dead", and are re-recordings of the UFO classics "The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent" and "No Place to Run", featuring Paul Chapman (ex-UFO) on guitar.

"Boot from the Dead" (view cover here) track listing:

01. Toy with the Passion
02. Love Loaded
03. Night of the Wolf
04. Garden of Eden
05. The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent*
06. No Place to Run*

*UFO covers, featuring Paul Chapman (ex-UFO) on guitar

"Boot from the Dead" is available exclusively from www.majesticrock.com and strictly limited to 1,000 copies only.

 

Mantas, the new band featuring former Venom guitarist Mantas, are gearing up to record their second album through Demolition Records. This will be the follow-up to the group's acclaimed debut, "Zero Tolerance".

The initial plan was for the group to release a six-track EP, but "after an influx of new songs and ideas we have decided a new album should go ahead," the band write on their web site. "You can expect a release date to be set soon though an November/December date has been pencilled in."

After a huge delay, Mantas' video for "Zero Tolerance" has now been re-shot and edited. "You can video stream or download the video [at this location]," the group write on their web site. "Be patient though as it's around 75MBs.

"Delays occurred due to past band members wanting their mugs out of the video. This is cool, but it left us with nothing to edit, and in the process new band members Drew and Marthus had joined the ranks so the whole thing was shot again. We apologise for the delay……shit happens."

Meanwhile, former Mantas bassist Tony Dolan's (Atomkraft, ex-Venom) web site has been updated with the following update regarding the "Zero Tolerance" clip: "Word is that we may also be viewing, very soon, the original 'Zero Tolerance' Mantas 30-second clip promo video, featuring Tony and Cherisse Osei (now with chart band The Faders).

"Mantas has claimed on their official site that the hold up in the release of the video was because Tony and Cherisse didn't want their faces on there. However, as I am sure all of you are aware, it was the record company and their worrying label manager and owner that decided not to allow the release of the whole video unless Tony and Cherisse were edited out (of course, an impossible task), so now they have re-shot and are ready to release with the new members. But to prove Tony and Cherisse weren't the problem, we will be seeing the promo in its full 30-second entirety very soon. Stay glued!!"

 

Statetrooper have announced the release of their latest album, The Calling on downloads via their web site.

The band are using a new, legal P2P file sharing system called Weed to allow internet sales of the album. In essence the way the system works is that fans can download the track from the website (www.statetrooper.co.uk) and then are able to listen to the track three times before it deciding to buy. If the buyer sends their purchased file to someone else, who then buys the track, the person who originally sent it to them will receive a commission on the sale. And so on … every time someone sends a track to a friend, and the friend buys it, they receive commission! Weed is even giving new users to the system a start up voucher for $5! Fans can burn the album onto CD as well as give the whole album as a data CD rather than copy illegally.

Gary Barden says: "Its important to embrace new technology and with this system, we get the chance to give something back to the fans that have supported us over the years"

Statetrooper will be adding new and exclusive tracks for download very soon.

The band have just returned from a triumphant appearance headlining one of the stages at the Sweden Rock Festival and will be touring Europe in October. The tour will be backed up by the release of a single Don't Say Goodbye. Pictures and reviews can be found at the website.

 

July 1-11, 2005

VACATION - HOLIDAY!

June 30, 2005

Blitzkrieg will hold a launch party for their new cd "Sins and Greed" on Saturday, July 23, 2005 at The Office , South Shields Tyne & Wear.

According to the web site of the B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City, British heavy metal legends Saxon are scheduled to perform at the venue on Tuesday November 1, 2005. Two days later, on Thursday November 3, 2005, Saxon are scheduled to play the Jaxx nightclub in West Springfield, Virginia. Support at the Jaxx show will come from long-running American metallers Black Widow.

June 23, 2005

Bitches Sin have announced their latest cd titled "Your Place Or Mine" to be released very soon. See their website for more info. Song tracks from the cd are as follows:

1. Livin On The Highway
2. What The Hell
3. Fallen Star (Original Recording)
4. Over The Top
5. XF2894 (From a contact add)
6. Up For Grabs
7. Runaway (Original recording ahead of Predator - previously unreleased)
8. Ridin High (Original recording ahead of Predator - previously unreleased)
9. Overnight (From "No More Chances ep)
10. Abduhls Boogie
11. Destroyer
12. The Cry
13. Slaughterhouse

Trespass, The NWoBHM legends, interviewed on BBC Radio! Appeal for early years material! Trespass have been recently interviewed by BBC Radio. This is their first interview with a major radio station in 15 years. It will be broadcasted on 7 July between 18.30 - 19.00 GMT+1 (UK time). You can listen to the interview worldwide via internet by following a link from here.

Trespass are also looking for people who might have either photographs or recordings from their early shows in 1979-1981. Please e-mail Alex if you can help.

Trespass are currently writing material for their upcoming album, which will also feature some of the older songs, re-recorded.

A new Venom tribute album has been made available through Madskull Records. Entitled "Mayhem Without Mercy - A Hardcore Punkrock Tribute To Venom", the album features punk bands paying homage to the black metal pioneers. The complete track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. THE FELCHERS - Mayhem With Mercy
02. THE SHINING - Black Metal
03. THE HOUSE OF DESTRUCTO - Raise The Dead
04. TASKER - Nothing Sacred
05. BREZHNEV - Rip Ride
06. BLOODY SODS - Schizo
07. LIMECELL - Buried Alive
08. LIMECELL - Live Like An Angel, Die Like A Devil
09. RIOTGUN - To Hell And Back
10. THE NERDS - 1000 Days In Sodom
11. ULTRA GENIUS - Teachers Pet
12. G.O.H. - In League With Satan
13. HAMMERLOCK - Die Hard
14. DANDARE - The Evil One
15. SEVERED NUNS - Lady Lust
16. STOOL SAMPLE - Skool Daze
17. CHEMIKILLER - Dont Burn The Witch
18. THROWBACKS - Countess Bathory
19. BLOODSUCKING FREAKS - Chanting Of The Priests
20. ARKHAM - Warhead
21. MAIS MAN - Buried Alive
22. MILKMAN - Die Hard
23. BLOODY SODS - Burstin' Out
24. THE FELCHERS - Bloodlust
25. SATAN'S SLUTS - Witching Hour
26. HUMAN ALERT - Live Like An Angel, Die Like A Devil

For more information, visite the Madskull Records website.

June 17, 2005

Tank have revealed more details about the upcoming vinyl version of the "War of Attrition" live album that is scheduled for release later in the year in a limited edition of 500 copies via Maniacal Records. According to a posting on the TANK "This Means War" web site, the release will be a double gatefold LP — 250 copies on white vinyl and 250 on 180-gram vinyl — featuring many old photos. There will also be an expanded-edition CD with five bonus tracks. The vinyl will contain two tracks that are not available on the CD, and the CD will have one song that is not available on the vinyl version. The bonus tracks will be "radio sessions" from 1982 and also a live recording from Lochen Pop in Holland in 1983. There will also be demo versions of two other songs — "The Man Who Never Was" and "Too Tired to Wait for Love" — and the "Filth Hounds of Hades" three-song demo.

June 15, 2005

Tank will be releasing a vinyl version of the "War of Attrition" live album later in the year in a limited edition of 500 copies via Maniacal Records. The LP will contain "many bonus tracks (live, radio sessions and demos)," according to guitarist Cliff Evans's posting on the Tank"This Means War" web site. "I think it will be a double album with gatefold sleeve and many old photos," Evans writes.

June 13, 2005

New tour dates for Budgie in our 2005 Tour Dates section.

News from Mick Priestley of Buffalo: "We now have a new band member, Frank Knight, on lead vocals,who you might know from his past has sung with XWILD in Germany and has worked and collaborated with many other German rock acts.Frank has over 16 CD's to his credit!! We are currently working with Frank on a set of new songs for this year.Hopefully it will be released on CD later this year on the Buffalo Music UK label."

New tour dates for Diamond Head in our 2005 Tour Dates section. You can also read a Tour Diary from the band's tour with Megadeth here.

A little birdie has sent word to us at the Old School Metal Show that it appears that Preyer will be reforming and recording an album by years end. According to the birdie, the new album will be very very heavy and not for the faint hearted. Stay tuned for more news as it comes in.

Rob Matthew, formerly of Atomkraft, has sent word that he has formed a new band called Agankast and are in rehearsals now for an upcoming tour. According to Rob, offers from several labels have already come in.

Elixir have posted a new video clip on their website called "Don't Trust The Preacher". The clip can be viewed here. Phil Denton of the band wrote us to tell the recording for their latest album is nearly half way finished and they also plan to have a live album out to the public before years end.

Pagan Altar's latest album, 'Lords of Hypocrisy' (Miskatonic) is now to be a double album with the addition of a further two tracks 'The Witches Pathway' and the 'Flight of the Witch Queen'! The first 100 copies carry a Pagan Altar logo patch to brighten up even the most tatty of denim jackets so make sure you get your pre-order into Rich a bit sharpish when the time comes, metalculte@gmail.com.

The Tygers Of Pan Tang will be playing at this years Rock 'n Blues festival at Pentrich near Derby UK. We are playing on the 29th July along with Blackfoot, Frank Marino, Waysted, and Skinny Molly. Tickets can be obtained here: www.rockandblues.uk.com.

May 31, 2005

Jaguar have uploaded a pre-production demo recording of their track "Run Ragged" at this location. "It's an 8-track demo, recorded in July 2000, in a garage in Bristol, and mixed in Nathan's [Cox, drums] dad's house in Kingswood!!" the band write on their web site.

The original line-up of Weapon, Danny Hynes (Vocals) Jeff Summers (Guitar) Baz Downes (Bass) & Bruce Bisland (Drums), have reformed to do a series of festivals to celebrate what would have been their 25th anniversary, and that of the NWoBHM. Tour and show dates can be found in our 2005 Tour Dates section.

May 27, 2005

According to a posting on the Tank "This Means War" web site, Tank bassist/vocalist Algy Ward will be be in the studio in the next two weeks finishing off the demo backing tracks for the group's upcoming "Sturmpanzer" album.

The follow-up to 2002's "Still At War" (Zoom Club Records), "Sturmpanzer" will contain the following tracks:

01. Sturmpanzer
02. Baghdad City
03. Before The Eyes Of The World
04. Lianne's Crying
05. We Are The Dead
06. Four "O" Below Zero
07. Which Part Of Fuck Off Don't You Understand
08. Remember
09. The War Machine Don't Stop
10. Unleash The Filth Hounds
11. Healing The Wounds...
12. The Hunger
13. 45 Summers

There is no word regarding Ward's physical condition following a tumor scare last year. In a January 2004 online posting, Algy stated: "I haven't been diagnosed with a tumor as yet, but I'm waiting for the analysis, it could be a glandular problem (hopefully) the doctors don't know, but there's a lump under my skull, behind my left ear, all the same. I have had a tumor before, on my rib cage during 1995, and thankfully that one turned out to be benign, what I do know is that my hearing is in a state, and being near any noise at all is virtually unbearable, whether this is permanent, it is too soon to tell."

May 26, 2005

Official Blitzkrieg press release for their upcoming album "Sins & Greed":

Release Date July 4th 2005
Distribution (UK) Cadiz/Pinnacle
UK Dealer £7.59

Blitzkrieg are delighted to announce that work on the follow up album to 2002’s “Absolute Power” has now been completed and is currently being mixed and mastered ready for release on the 4th July through Metal Nation Records.

The new album is to be entitled “SINS and GREED” and features new bass player Paul Brewis who replaced Andy Galloway in early 2004, and Ken Johnson’s first studio album following his performance on “Absolutely Live”

'The album was recorded at Trinity Heights Studio in Newcastle Upon Tyne and produced by Fred Purser who was the guitarist with the Tygers Of Pan Tang , replacing John Sykes in 1982 when he joined Thin Lizzy.'

1 - HELL EXPRESS – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt / Paul Brewis / Phil Brewis
2 – STANDING STILL – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt
3 – RISE – Paul Nesbitt
4 – TRAITORS GATE – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt / Paul Brewis / Phil Brewis
5 – EXCESSIVE FORCE – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt
6 – ESCAPE FROM THE VILLAGE – Brian Ross / Ken Johnson / Phil Brewis
7 – EYES OF THE WORLD – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt
8 – CALM WATERS – Paul Nesbitt
9 – DESOLATION ANGEL – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt / Paul Brewis
10 – SILENT SCREAM – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt
11 – JECKYL & HYDE – Brian Ross / Paul Nesbitt / Paul Brewis / Phil Brewis
12 – HELL BENT FOR LEATHER – Tipton

Blitzkrieg will be playing dates in Europe and the US later in the year – dates will be confirmed once we know.
Jess Cox, Metal Nation Ltd, 2 Whitehouse Mews, The Green, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 7EP, England www.metalnationrecords.co.uk

May 24, 2005

Avenger, featuring original members Ian Davison Swift (ex-Atomkraft), Gary Young and Mick Moore, along with new additions Glenn S. Howes (ex-Tygers Of Pan Tang / Blitzkrieg and Liam Thompson (Death and Blood), will be the main support act on Y&T's upcoming tour of the U.K. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Jun. 23 – Nuneaton, UK @ Queens Hall
Jun. 24 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 3
Jun. 25 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Jun. 28 – Dudley, UK @ JB's
Jun. 29 – London, UK @ Mean Fiddler

Avenger are currently recording demos for a new CD, tentively titled "Screaming in Digital".

May 23, 2005

Atomkraft mainman Tony Dolan has responded to his former bandmate/guitarist Rob Matthew's claim that Rob wrote "half of the songs" in the group's early days — a fact that Matthew say he has never received proper credit for.

Matthew stated, ""It seems my contribution to Atomkraft is being totally underrated. In fact, half of the songs written were my own. Also, I was happy to hear that Atomkraft's 'Protector' was acknowledged as the fastest song to emerge from Britain during the '80s, a song which I wrote. I personally feel that I need to let it be known of my past contribution to metal and no more be undermined by my 'old friends'."

Dolan replied. "I'd like to respond to Rob Matthew Readhead's last posting regarding Atomkraft's music.

"I agree that Rob did write the track 'Protector' on the 'Queen of Death' EP [1986] and also that he wrote 'Teutonic Pain' (music only) on 'Conductors of Noize' [1987]. His contributions on 'Future Warriors' [1985] were mainly on the track 'Starchild' along with myself. The Atomkraft publishing is a mess and all members are credited with songs they had no part of in most cases!

"I must take issue with Rob's statement that he wrote half the catalogue! This is indeed not true. He wrote of all songs released three and the rest were written by myself with his contributory riffs in places over my existing songs and along with contributions by Ian Davison Swift [vocals], who wrote lyrics for 'Conductors of Noize' in parts but not wholly!

"This saddens me. Atomkraft was a concern long before Rob and 'Total Metal' was a track long before Rob.

"I want to take nothing away from him and his contribution to Atomkraft. I liked Rob and working with him was always a pleasure but his statement, whilst pained, is just not true. He was part — and a big part — of Atomkraft then and will always be so, but false claims to take issue is not the way to enamour yourself to anyone. You were there, Rob, and are on the anthology — it's there to see and hear, and the credits are there, true or false. You are credited, so do your new thing and prove to yourself and anyone your value then!

"Oh and read the Atomkraft history if you are really unsure what happened! I suppose Swifty will be next to add to this bollocks, then perhaps Ged Cook? LOL!!!

"Sorry to any real fans, but this is all so sad!"

Diamond Head will be playing at The Birmingham Carling Academy 2 on Friday, July 15. Tickets are £8 (advance) and are on sale now. Please note that Diamond Head will be on stage at 8:00 p.m. as there is a strict 10:00 p.m. curfew at this venue.

More upcoming Diamond Head tour dates are as follows:

Jun 10 - Solvesborg, SWE @ Sweden Rock
Jun. 18 – Dudley, UK @ JBs
Jul. 15 – Birmingham, UK @ Academy 2
Nov. 04 – London, UK @ Astoria (25th Anniversary of NWoBHM w/ Witchfynde, Praying Mantis, Bronz and Jaguar)

 

May 22, 2005

Former Atomkraft guitarist Rob Matthew has sent the following message:

"I just would like to let everybody know that I've returned to metal after almost 20 years. It's been a long time. The reason for the disappearance has been due to total disillusionment with the music industry... However, I know now that I, like many others, just had a bad deal. I would like to put the record straight, if you would allow me, because it seems my contribution to Atomkraft is being totally underrated. in fact, half of the songs written were my own. Also, I was happy to hear that Atomkraft's 'Protector' was acknowledged as the fastest song to emerge from Britain during the '80s, a song which I wrote.

"I personally feel that I need to let it be known of my past contribution to metal and no more be undermined by my 'old friends'...

"My new band is Agankast and we are, of course, old-school. I'm not going anywhere for a while yet..." In addition to Matthew, Agankast's current lineup includes Allan Scott (vocals, bass guitar), Jimmy Manningham (guitar) and Ava Robertson (drums). You can visit their website here.

 

Blitzkrieg have set their realease date for their latest cd "Sins & Greed" for July 4, 2005.

May 20, 2005

Nightmare shares this news from the studio as they work on their latest cd. Floor Jansen & Sanders Gommans (After Forever) as well as Ricky Marx ( Ex-Pretty Maids) to feature on new album as special guests! The band is currently still at SoundSuite Studio in south of France with norwegian producer, Terje Refsnes on the helm, recording fifth studio album, “The Dominion Gate”, to be released through Regain Records this fall.

Enclosed some new songtitles... The Dominion Gate - K-141 - Secret Rules - The Watchtower - Temple Of Tears - Circle Of The Dark - Before And After – Messenger Of Faith.

Nightmare have been also confirmed for this year's RaismesFest 2005, set to take place September 10-11 in Raismes, (north of France). More information is available at www.raismesfest.com . Another bands confirmed : Sonata Arctica, Anathema, Dragonforce, Manigance, Edenbridge.

May 19, 2005

A live recording Jaguar performing the track "Scrap Metal" at the Keep It True III festival in Germany last year has been posted online here. As previously mentioned, Jaguar will be teaming up with Diamond Head, Witchfynde, Praying Mantis and Bronz for the "The 25th Anniversary of NWOBHM" concert on Friday, November 4 at the Astoria in London, England.

The Dio Message Board recently conducted an in-depth interview with former Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

The Dio Message Board: You had an injury back in '98 which has prevented you from being in Saxon and being a full-time member yet you still work with the band. Can you tell us what happened back then and also how things "work" now with yourself and Saxon?

Nigel Glockler: "We had some gigs in Brazil in, I think, September/October '97, and it wasn't worth taking my kit all the way over there just for them so I used a hire kit. My kit can be set up within millimetres every night but the hire kit was a little unfamiliar and stretching that extra bit for a china cymbal one night ended up tearing a muscle between my neck and shoulder — I didn't feel it at first and we then went to Sweden (with my kit) and I started getting pains in my neck — I initially thought I had done something to my vertebrae in my neck so went to an osteopath and a chiropractor just after Christmas. Early in the New Year we went to Spain and it really started hurting — I then saw a doctor and he said I'd ripped a muscle and, having kept playing, it had kept tearing more and more — I was told I needed to have three to four months off from playing so I decided that the English gigs we had booked would be my last for a while. The band went to the U.S. and, during that time, I started writing the 'Mad Men' album and other bits of music — I've got a studio here at home for that purpose — a lot of the ideas for 'Unleash...' originally started off on keyboards here. Saxon then asked me if I'd write an intro for 'Metalhead' — I'd already done the play-on tapes for the 'Dogs…' and 'Unleash...' tours — the next thing was to get involved with the writing on 'Killing Ground' and, later, 'Lionheart'. I actually went up to the studio in Lincolnshire for 'Killing Ground' and played during the writing sessions — some of the ideas for 'Lionheart' were started here in my studio. The end result was that I knew my injury was healed but I didn't think it would be fair for me to do the recordings and let Fritz do the touring — plus the fact I'd started writing all kinds of stuff and was enjoying the creativity of being in a studio. I played a couple of songs at Wacken last year and also in London so I know for sure that everything's all healed up now!! One other thing is that we'll all be mates for life — when you're together for so long it would take something pretty drastic to break those bonds. We speak all the time."

The Dio Message Board: What do you make of the whole Saxon vs. Oliver/Dawson thing, surely they did have some right as they were in the band and songwriters?

Nigel Glockler: "I honestly felt that they had to be stopped just calling themselves Saxon— I was even advertised as playing at one gig!!! — and that's not fair on the fans. I went ballistic and contacted the promoters in case they didn't know — you've got to admit that using my name to try and help sell tickets is a bit of a con! — I didn't know anything about it until someone said they'd see me after the gig!!! I know they were songwriters but you can't have more than one band with the name going round plus the fact that I was in the band longer than Pete Gill and Steve Dawson — does that mean I could call a band Saxon too? Nibbs has been in the band longer than Steve as well. It's not as if Saxon split up and stopped touring/recording — they were still doing all this when the bogus one suddenly popped up! You have to ask yourself this — for instance, Ritchie Blackmore wrote with Deep Purple so could he have his own version going at the same time as the real one? What if he got Jon Lord and maybe Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale together? It would be crazy!!

"Anyway, I think it has been resolved now — I'm not that involved with it. Life is too short and I've recently spoken to Steve and Graham and, hopefully, some bridges have been built — I think so — it was good to talk again — but I will always say that they shouldn't have called themselves Saxon. It would have been a different matter if the band had split up but it was touring and recording — anyway, enough!"

May 17, 2005

Statetrooper have posted the following on their website: "Statetrooper are pleased to welcome new bass player Gavin Cooper to the band. Gavin has replaced our great mate Tony O'Hora who came in and helped us out for a few months and we would just like to say a big thank you to him for giving of his time in the the middle of his very hectic schedule. Gavin, who has previously been in Paul Di'Anno's Killers, Passion, Battlezone and Lionsheart, will play his first gig with the band at The Cartoon, Croydon, on 26th May as part of the preparation for The Sheffield Rock Festival and Sweden Rock."

May 12, 2005

Cover art for the new Blitzkrieg cd "Sins & Greed. More info as well as a new audio clip posted on their website.

Elixir have confirmed they will be returning to the famous Marquee Club on Friday, May 20, 2005. The band will be playing some of their old classics along with a good deal of new material. Elixir will be hitting the stage around 10pm with a local band opening the night and a house band closing the evening.

 

May 6, 2005

Demon have set May 16, 2005 as the official release date for their latest album "Better The Devil You Know." The album will contain the following tracks:

1.Better The Devil You Know. (D.Hill/R.Walmsley)
2.Dead of the Night. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
3.Standing On The Edge. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
4.Taking On The World. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
5.Temptation. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
6.Warriors (D.Hill/R.Walmsley)
7.Live Again. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
8.Obsession. (D.Hill/N.Ogden)
9.Change. (D.Hill/R.Walmsley)

Catalogue number SPMCD 13. The album will be available in most record outlets. Make sure you tell the shop or store the catalogue number and then they can order it from Plastic Head Music, U.K.

May 2, 2005

Good Lord, its May already.

Steve Bardsley from Black Rose has written to tell that the band are putting their final touches on their first Black Rose song in nearly 20 years. The title of the song is "Its Better To Burn Out (Than To Fade Away). The recording features Steve and Chris "WahWah" Watson from the original lineup along with Kiko Rivers on bass. Steve says the results of the recording have inspired the guys to go ahead and record a brand new album, which will begin immediately.

As seen here on our Guestbook (if you bother to read such things) Rimbert Vahlstroem of Syron Vanes announced they will be offering a new record this summer. No other details on this as of yet but as soon as they come in, you will be able to read it here.

April 28, 2005

A sample of the song "Escape From The Village" from Blitzkrieg's forthcoming album "Sins & Greed" can be heard here.

The official lineup for the forthcoming Cloven Hoof's album "Absolute Power" is as follows: Lead Vocals - Matt Moreton, Lead Guitar - Andy Shortland, Bass Guitar - Lee Payne and Drums - Orlin Radinsky.

Diamond Head have confirmed to play the Sweden Rock Festival in June. They will be playing on Friday, June 10th.

Andy Goodwin, longtime manager of the E.F. Band reports that a live cd of the band will soon be released on TPL Records of Sweden. The recordings were made in 1983 in Gothenburg and feature the classic "Deep Cut" lineup.

Elixir has entered the studio to start recording their new album of 10 brand new tracks. The band is also considering a limited edition vinyl release of one of the new songs before the album is released. In related news the band is selling a DVD of the Keep It True II concert. The DVD has 4 hours of material and features live performances of Manilla Road, Helloween, Blitzkrieg, Attacker, Cloven Hoof and of course Elixir. Other speical features are added as well. You can visit their online shop here.

The latest news from Nightmare on their recording of their new album. "We've just finished all the recordings of the drums and everything is fine so far... We will start guitars and bass next week and this evening, we will do the guitars sound... We have pre-produced 14 songs + one big surprise... Franck fits perfectly with the band and he has brought some killer riffs also... We even made for the first time, an epic song of 8 minutes which is the title track of the album, " The Dominion Gate "... We will reveal some more new songs later as we are still writing lyrics at that time... But... " A taste Of Armageddon ", " Before & After ", " The Watchtower " are already songs that will make a stir... Stay tuned for more... Jean Pascal Fournier (Immortal, Mystic Circle, Edguy... ), is in charge of the artwork and has made already a very nice preview of what will be the next cover! He will use the next two months to finalize it... Very promising for now to say the least!"

Great news from Pagan Altar of which Terry Jones had taken ill recently but has finally gotten a clean bill of health, at least for the time being, Lynn from Oracle Promotions reported on the bands website "Both vinyl albums imminent in the not too distant future, 'Judgement of the Dead' with printed bio (Black Widow) is now being pressed and printed and the 'Lords of Hypocrisy' (Miskatonic) is now to be a double album with the addition of a further two tracks 'The Witches Pathway' and the 'Flight of the Witch Queen'! The first 100 copies carry a Pagan Altar logo patch to brighten up even the most tatty of denim jackets so make sure you get your pre-order into Rich a bit sharpish when the time comes.

British heavy metal legends Saxon have been confirmed for Motörhead's 30th Anniversary concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, U.K. on June 16. Also appearing on the bill will be Girlschool.

In other Saxon-related news, the band have been added to the following Deep Purple dates in Spain:

Jul. 27 - Quijote Rock - Puertollano / Ciudad Real, ESP
Jul. 29 - Merida Rock Festival - Merida, ESP
Jul. 30 - Festival - Atarfe / Granada, ESP

April 7, 2005

Reformed NWoBHM band Atomkraft, featuring Tony Dolan, recently returned from Hardenberg, Holland where they performed at the Raise Your Fist Festival.

According to a posting on Dolan's website, "technical problems" plagued Atomkraft's performance and the band "fought" to keep the show flowing.

Commented Dolan: "This is nothing new. [Laughs] We never had it fucking easy the first time around, why should we now? Everything was perfect except the actual technics of the show — mics, monitors, a right-handed kit for our left-handed drummer. [Laughs] Just switch it, right? Oh, yeah, unless you are told absolutely it cannot be altered. My drummer is like 6-foot tall and, well, let's just say it was fucked up! Still, we have that age-old Atomkraft moral of 'Fuck it, nothing's gonna stop this from hitting you,' so to all that were there, I apologize we were not at our best, but we were not in control of that and when you see us again, we will kick a new fucking hole in where ever we may be, trust me!!"

Atomkraft recently announced the addition of drummer Steve Mason (Blinded By Fear, ex-Ironfire) and guitarist Payre (ex-Viperine, Hunter/Killer) to the group's ranks.

April 2, 2005

A new track listing for the new Soldier album, "Sins Of The Warrior" has been announced on their website. The list includes: In My Room, Storm Of Steel, Sins Of The Warrior, I Still Believe, Fire In My Heart, Murderous Night, Halfway There, Walls Come Tumbling Down, Darkest Heart, Natural Hight and Starhaven. Work is also continuing on another new album, "Politics Of Greed".

Paralax have a new website showcasing the history of the band, recordings, highlights and everything else related to the band.

It's now official: Nightmare have inked worldwide deal with Swedish label on the rise, Regain Records ( Samael, Behemoth, Overkill, Danzig, Marduk... ) www.regainrecords.com. The band also has a new guitar player and will enter the studio in a few weeks. Just before signing to Regain Records, Nightmare has changed line-up and introduce now, new 23 year old, guitarist and virtuoso, Franck Milleliri, who was a member of power metal outfit, Dark Light..He will replace co-founding member Nicolas De Dominicis who decided to quit after 25 years with Nightmare.

Jaguar now have an online forum on their website. Join the discussion about the band, news from the band and anything else related.

Cloven Hoof are announcing the possibility of a Greatest Hits cd to be recorded later in this year. The band is asking all of it's fans to submit their favorite Hoof tunes to the band as they will compile the votes to help decide a track list. You can email your favorite songs to the band here.

The title of the new Blitzkrieg album will be "Sins & Greed" and has a tentative release date of mid June or early July.. As reported before, the band is keeping a daily studio report on the album which can be viewed here.

Dave King of Battleaxe has commissioned Sid Smith to write a book about Battleaxe and the stories, exploits and biography of the band. This is an absolute must for any avid heavy metal fan or to members of new-found metal bands. With fresh interview and commentary from Dave King as well as using archive material, some of it published for the first time. Title of the book will be "Licensed To Rock." The book will be a 100 page CD-sized with free dvd of archive footage of the band in concert. You can view progress on the book from here.

David Bolton of Spitzbrook is announcing that their catalogue has been remastered and now available on cd. Included with the cd are sleeve notes and pictures of the history of the band. David would like for all the "Spitters" out there to know that the cd can be ordered from Avalon Music for the price of £10 + postage. You can reach David at his email here to order the cd. There is no word yet on the number of cd's available so don't wait too late for this one guys. Get it while you can.

March 28, 2005

Saxon's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"Unfortunately we have to notify you, that Biff Byford, the lead singer and founder of the band Saxon has undergone a serious tragedy at his home. Due a fire at his home in France, his house is completely burnt down. Apart from a few bits and pieces everything has been destroyed. Biff was able to rescue his wife and their four small children. They are all doing well at the moment, considering the circumstances. He has lost almost everything that he has gained the last 25 years including golden records, rare guitars, photos, souvenirs etc.

"We already needed to cancel and postpone the tour in Europe in March, but the situation forces us now to postpone also Dubai, South America and USA, which is a massive disappointment for our great fans.

"Unfortunately it is impossible for Biff to leave his wife and kids alone at home, because the children have suffered a traumatic experience and they are frightened that there will be more fires in the future (the youngest are 5 years old and cannot understand of course). So because of this Biff cannot expect his wife to cope alone. Everybody that has a family will understand how important this is.

"Saxon will postpone the tours in Europe (now already confirmed !), South America and USA to fall 2005 and will do the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai 2006!"

 

Legendary NWoBHM band Blitzkrieg have commenced the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2002's "Absolute Power", tentatively due before the end of the year.

The band have posted the following studio report on their official web site:

"Work began on the recording of the new Blitzkrieg studio album at Fred Pursers (ex-Tygers Of Pan Tang, Penetration) Trinity Heights recording studios in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK this past weekend.

"After loading the equipment in late morning and setting up the drum kit and bass guitar rig, firstly we set out to obtain a drum and bass guitar sound we were very happy with, then work got underway to record the drum, bass and guide guitar tracks.

"By Sunday, we had progressed along very well and all drum and bass guitar tracks had been fully recorded for all the tracks.

"Monday morning saw us set up and try different combinations of guitar rigs, as neither guitar would be using their normal live guitar effects processing pedals but going direct into the guitar heads.

"After finding suitable set ups for both guitars and ones that everyone was pleased with we spent throughout the rest of Monday with the recording of the guitar parts, both guitars laying down two rhythm guitar tracks.

"By Monday evening there had been guitar parts recorded for three tracks.

"Tuesday began where Monday left off , continuing with the recording of the rhythm guitar tracks. After lunch time on Tuesday we had recorded guitar parts for six tracks, and of them the rhythm guitar tracks had been completed for three of them ('Excessive Force', 'Standing Still', 'Escape From The Village').

"To have a break away from the recording of the guitar tracks we decided late Tuesday afternoon to set up the vocal booth and record some vocals, of these Brian's vocals were recorded and completed by Tuesday evening on two tracks."

 

March 24, 2005

British heavy metal legends Saxon have officially cancelled their previously announced dates in the USA, South America and United Arab Emirates.

According to the group's management, the cancellation came about as a result of frontman Biff Byford wanting to stay by his family's side after suffering a major loss in February when his house in the Normandie area of France burned down. In that incident, Biff, his wife and their children got out of the house at the very last minute and nobody was hurt.

Saxon are hoping to make up the cancelled dates in late 2005 or early 2006.

 

CliveAid.com has posted several reviews and pictures from the Clive Burr (ex-Iron Maiden drummer) benefit concert at the Ruskin Arms on March 19 this year. The night was headlined by Maiden tribute band Ironically Maiden and attended by Clive Burr himself.

Check out the reviews and photos here. Eddies.it has also posted a bunch of pictures at this location.

Burr is suffering from multiple sclerosis — a disease of unknown cause. The disorder is causing him intermittent numbness and can affect his balance. At present there is no known cure for MS, although he is helping test new drugs in the hope that his body response may contribute to a cure.

Clive joined the band at the very end of December 1979 and played on the first three albums — "Iron Maiden", "Killers" and "Number of the Beast" — and toured extensively with the band over this groundbreaking period before leaving in early 1983.

 

Veteran U.K. all-girl hard rockers Girlschool will embark on a five-date tour of Finland in April. Support at the shows will come from the "porn rock" outfit Erocktica. Confirmed dates are as follows;

Apr. 05 – Nosturi - Helsinki, FIN
Apr. 06 – Klubi - Tampere, FIN
Apr. 07 - Clubgarage / Hullu Pullu - Vasa, FIN
Apr. 08 – Qmaa - Lapua, FIN
Apr. 09 - Grand Arena - Lahti, FIN

March 17, 2005

British heavy metal legends Saxon have postponed their previously announced U.S. tour until November 2005. No reason was given for the postponement.

As previously reported, Saxon recently postponed their previously announced March European tour as a result of the band's frontman Biff Byford suffering a major loss when his house in the Normandie area of France burned down. According to a statement from the band's management, Biff, his wife and their children got out of the house at the very last minute and nobody was hurt. The European tour dates have since been rescheduled for September/October.

March 16, 2005

Veteran NWoBHM. all-girl hard rockers Girlschool have been confirmed for the 2005 edition of the Rock Hard Festival, set to take place May 13-15 at Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Girlschool will be the headliners on Friday, May 13.

Also UFO and Girlschool are among the bands confirmed for Borstrock 2005, a two-day festival set to take place May 20-21 in Nieuw-Vossemeer, in the south of the Netherlands. Also scheduled to perform at the festival are Trigger Finger, Tierra Santa and Jewel In The Mire.

March 12, 2005

More songtitles have been revealed for the new Blitzkrieg album, tentatively due late summer/early fall. The follow-up to 2002's "Absolute Power" will be recorded beginning on March 19 and will feature the following cuts: "Hell Express", "Standing Still", "Excessive Force", "Rise", "Eyes of the World", "Escape from the Village", "Silent Scream", "Traitors Gate", "Jekyll & Hyde" and "Desolation Angel".

 

Diamond Head guitarist Brian Tatler has posted the following message on the band's official web site: "Respect to the best U.K. rock DJ.

"Tommy [Vance] was one of our early supporters and friends. He recorded an interview with Diamond Head in 1982 for the b side of 'Heat of the Night' single, and he, along with Tony Wilson, invited Diamond Head to record a session for Radio 1's 'Friday Rock Show', I also fondly remember him when he was the guest DJ at an early Diamond Head gig at Walsall Town Hall in 1981, and he was throwing records out into the crowd. We all thought he was a thoroughly nice guy, so God bless you Tommy."

Diamond Head recently made their new album, "All Will Be Revealed", available for order online via their official web site.

"All Will Be Revealed" was produced by Brian Tatler and Karl Wilcox and is available in a limited tour edition.

Diamond Head recently completed a European tour with Megadeth— the group's first with new singer Nick Tart and rhythm guitarist Adrian Mills. The band's current lineup is completed by Karl Wilcox (drums) and Eddie Moohan (bass).

 

March 10, 2005

According to a posting on the Iron Maiden fan site MaidenFans.com, former Maiden drummer Clive Burr is scheduled to attend a benefit gig to help raise awareness and money for the MS (multiple sclerosis) society, which helps Burr in his illness.

This year's show, which is scheduled to take place on March 19 at Ruskin Arms in London, will see a wide variety of rock artists gathering to raise awareness and funds for the Clive Burr MS Trust. A number of groups will be performing from 4 p.m., ending with the Iron Maiden ttribute band Ironically Maiden. Along with a raffle featuring prizes such as a signed Megadeth drum head, a "Beast on The Road" tour jacket, a gold watch, CDs, DVDs and one "Eddie Archive" box set, there will be an auction with items that were given by Iron Maiden and Sanctuary, their management company/label:

1. A signed "Dance of Death" tour programme,
2. A very rare (numbered to 50) "Number of the Beast" artwork print signed by Mr. Riggs,
3. A limited edition red 7" vinyl of the recent re-release of "Number of the Beast", signed by the band and Clive,
4. A signed "Dance of Death" tour poster.

Burr is suffering from multiple sclerosis — a disease of unknown cause. The disorder is causing him intermittent numbness and can affect his balance. At present there is no known cure for MS, although he is helping test new drugs in the hope that his body response may contribute to a cure.

Clive joined the band at the very end of December 1979 and played on the first three albums — "Iron Maiden", "Killers" and "Number of the Beast" — and toured extensively with the band over this groundbreaking period before leaving in early 1983.

 

British heavy metal legends Saxon have added several dates to their upcoming U.S. tour, which is scheduled to take place early May. The dates will immediately precede the group's European summer festival run, which is scheduled to kick off May 21 at the Schwung Festival in Roeselare, Belgium. So far, the following U.S. dates appear to have been confirmed:

May 11 - Santa Clara, CA @ The Avalon
May 12 - Fairfield, CA @ Pepperbellys
May 15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
May 16 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
May 19 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx

March 8, 2005

Garry Sharpe-Young of Rockdetector.com has issued the following statement regarding the pasing of former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tommy Vance:

"If there's one person I really owe a debt to in my career it's Tommy Vance. It might be hard for those outside the U.K. to realize just how important Tommy was to the U.K. hard rock scene. Quite frankly, Tommy's uniquely 'deep and booming' (copyright 'Blackadder') voice made him one of a handful of celebrities that 99 percent of the entire British public could recognize instantly. More importantly, of course, was Tommy's contribution to hard rock, and particularly heavy metal music, in the U.K.

"I discovered Tommy's passion rather late, in the NWoBHM era, but he had already been championing metal bands for years beforehand. There were many, many times the BBC tried to axe his 'Friday Rock Show' but, no matter what the fads and fashions, Tommy (and his great ally and producer Tony Wilson) remained steadfast.

"There are very, very few British bands who do not owe Tommy. His 'Friday Rock Show' sessions gave national exposure to just about every NWoBHM band you can name. Every week Tommy gave an up and coming act hugely valuable airtime. On top of this, very often Vance and Wilson dedicated half an evening to a live gig — Judas Priest, Saxon, Dio, Castle Donington, etc, etc. Tommy never gave a damn if it was fashionable — if it was good, he played it. Two hours of solid heavy metal every weekend on mainstream, national radio. What a hero. The eventual killing of the 'Friday Rock Show' was one of the worst crimes perpetrated on British music — ever.

"Tommy Vance's impact on the rock world was just as great as the late John Peel's dedication aided indie rock. I will certainly miss my pre-teen years listening to the radio right against my ear so I could hear the latest metal!

March 7, 2005

British heavy metal veterans Saxon are the final international band to be confirmed for the Desert Rock Festival 2005, which will be held on March 25 at the Dubai Country Club (Rugby Field) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Reunited NWoBHM legends Witchfynde have lined up the following dates in June:

Jun. 17 – Goes, NETH @ Ragnarock 2005
Jun. 25 – Nottingham, UK @ Langley Mill Potter's Bar

March 6, 2005

It is with much sadness that we report the following:

Former Radio 1 DJ Tommy Vance has died aged 63. He died at the Durrant Valley Hospital, in Kent, following a stroke. The DJ who was best known for hosting VH1's Friday Rock Show was rushed into hospital three days ago after suffering his first stroke at home in Kent.

His agent Jon Roseman said Mr Vance would leave "an enormous void". "I had known Tommy for 35 years. He certainly had one of the most recognisable voices on radio," he said.

"He was a great bloke and he was held in very high regard for his knowledge of rock which was unsurpassed. Without Tommy there will be a hole that is not going to be filled."

March 4, 2005

Press Release from Trespass...

Trespass, the renowned NWoBHM band from Sudbury in Suffolk, UK, formed by Mark Sutcliffe, Paul Sutcliffe and Dave Crawte in 1979, celebrated no less than 25 years in the business in 2004. To mark the occasion major record company, Sanctuary Records, released a 25th Anniversary album entitled “One Of These Days - The Trespass Anthology” worldwide. With 33 songs on the double CD, including three versions of the band’s most well known hit and title track - One Of These Days, plus many other Trespass favourites such as Stormchild, Live It Up, Bright Lights and Visionary, and some fascinating and well written sleeve notes from John Tucker, the CD is definitely a “must have” for die-hard NWoBHM fans. It also features the much sought after BBC Radio One Friday Rock Show session hosted by Tommy Vance in May 1980.

Trespass have been working hard on plans to promote the release and are hoping to announce some live shows in the UK and Europe with the new line-up which includes Mark and Dave on guitars and vocals, Paul Martin on bass and Mike Carrington on drums. The band also have plans to record a new studio album in the summer which will include some new material, along with re-recordings of their most well known tracks from the NWoBHM era. More details to follow!

“One of These Days- The Trespass Anthology” was released on Sanctuary’s “Neat” label and the catalogue number is CMQDD957.

For further information or bookings please contact Alex Kitching at alex@sinisterheart.co.uk, +44 (0) 7919 378 091, or Sylvia Bird at sylvia@sinisterheart.co.uk, +44 (0) 7719 406 942.

February 27, 2005

Gary Young of Avenger is reporting the current touring lineup for their forthcoming UK and European tour as follows: Ian Swift (Satan/Avenger/Atomkraft), Mick Moore (Avenger/Blitzkrieg), Glen S Howes (Blitzkrieg/Tygers of PanTang) And Gary Young (Avenger/Blitzkrieg). This is the 1982/25 recording line up apart from Glen. some fanzines are mentioning that only Swifty and myself are from the original line up but its Mick too.

According to the San Francisco Bay Area rock station 107.7 The Bone and the official web site of the Avalon nightclub in Santa Clara, CA, Saxon are scheduled to play the Avalon on May 11. This show isn't listed on Saxon's web site, but the radio station has announced it over the air so it looks to be officially scheduled. If it happens, the concert will mark the first time Saxon have played in the U.S. since their "Metalhead" tour, and could possibly hint at future dates later this year.

February 22, 2005

According to TotalRock.com, Saxon have been forced to postpone their previously announced European tour as a result of the band's frontman Biff Byford suffering a major loss when his house in the Normandie area of France burned down. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, according to the report. The European tour dates are expected to rescheduled for the fall.

 

NWoBHM legends Diamond Head have made their new album, "All Will Be Revealed", available for order online via their official website.

"All Will Be Revealed" was produced by Brian Tatler and Karl Wilcox and is available in a limited tour edition. The track listing is as follows:

01. Mine All Mine
02. Give It To Me
03. Nightmare
04. Fallen Angel
05. Alimony
06. Lost At Sea
07. Broken Pieces
08. All Will Be Revealed
09. Dead Or Living
10. Drinkin Again
11. Come Alive
12. Muddy Waters

Diamond Head are in the middle of a European tour with Megadeth— the group's first with new singer Nick Tart and rhythm guitarist Adrian Mills. The band's current lineup is completed by Brian Tatler (guitar), Karl Wilcox (drums) and Eddie Moohan (bass).

February 18, 2005

From Behind, the new band featuring ex-Samson/Mammoth singer Nicky Moore and Locomotive Breath/ex-Overdrive guitarist Janne Stark, are negotiating a record contract with an as-yet-undisclosed label and will start recording their debut album in late March. Among the 13 tracks planned for inclusion on the CD, tentatively titled "Size Doesn't Matter", is a Venom cover.

The group, whose lineup is completed by Matthias Osbäck (guitars, vocals), Mikael Fässberg (lead guitars), Carl-Michael Hildesjö (drums), Ted Wernersson (drums) and Martin Wezowski (bass), describe their sound as a mix of "heavy blues riffs and some Southern attitude" spiced up with "some heavy metal power."

For more information, visit their website.

February 17, 2005

Reunited NWoBHM group Avenger, featuring former Atomkraft singer Ian Davison Swift and ex-Blitzkrieg drummer Gary Young, have been confirmed for the Headbangers Open Air warm-up show on July 7 at the Cantina in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany. Headbangers Open Air is scheduled to take place July 8-9 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany.

 

Girlschool have officialy been confirmed as one of the special guests at Motorhead's 30th Anniversary show, which is scheduled to take place on June 16 at The Hammersmith Apollo in London, U.K. Tickets are now on sale via Ticketmaster.

As previously reported, Girlschool will be teaming up with reunited female hard rockers Vixen for a small co-headline tour of the U.K. before Vixen head to Sweden to play this year's Sweden Rock Festival.

Kicking off on June 3 at The Mean Fiddler in London, these shows will continue the promotion of Girlschool's first-ever live DVD, "Girlschool Live at the Garage", and their 2004 album, "Believe", while introducing material from Vixen's as-yet-untitled new album, which should be released in May. Support at all dates will come from U.K. rockers Dante Fox. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Jun. 01 – Limelight – Crewe, UK
Jun. 03 - The Astoria – London, UK
Jun. 04 - The Tack Venue - Cannock, UK
Jun. 07 - Stourbridge Rock Café – Stourbridge, UK
Jun. 08 - The Kingswood Tavern – Nuneaton, UK