'kin Hell Fest - The Well, Leeds

Propah Bloody Messy Dahn T’t Yorkshire

Notorious Leeds-based troublemaker, Paulie P has put together quite the line-up. 13 of the UK’s heaviest bands come together for an all-day extravaganza of doom, death, black, grind, tech & slam. For only 8 of your English pounds advance, you can join the fun down at The Well on Saturday, 19th November. Doors are 12pm so get down early.

The final line-up is as follows:

• INGESTED (brutal DM / slam / core – Manchester)
• ASTROHENGE (metal / prog / classical / sludge / party / all! – London)
• KHUDA (epic / instrumental / riffage – Leeds)
• THE AFTERNOON GENTLEMEN (power violence / grind / crust – Leeds)
• SKULL BRANDED PIRATES (heavy metal / party times – Leeds)
• DIASCORIUM (extreme / tech / black / death – Leeds)
• FOETAL JUICE (old school grind / death / fun – Manchester)
• COLONEL BLAST (hc / metal / heavy – Chester)
• THE ATROCITY EXHIBIT (grind / crust / sludge – Northants)
• OBLIVIONIZED (tech / death – London)
• WIZARD’S BEARD (sludge / doom – Leeds)
• NINKHARSAG (black metal – Liverpool)
• DECAYED MESSIAH (mosh / DM / core – Leeds)

We’ll be making the trip down so we’ll catch you all there!

There’s sponsorship from Zero Tolerance Magazine, Give Praise Records, Eiger Music Studio & UK Extreme Metal plus some huge merch stalls so bring your pocket money. Email kinhellfest@gmail.com for any information & check out www.kinhellfest.webs.com for all the details.

Facebook event page:- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=214767711898473

Hell - On Earth As It Is In Hell

Well, it’s only taken them 29 years but NWOBHM stalwarts, Hell have finally got round to putting out a debut album. First single, On Earth As It Is In Hell is a tongue-in-cheek (oh god, I hope it’s tongue-in-cheek) tribute to the metal anthems of yore. Combining a dress sense that makes Cradle of Filth look conservative & an average age of around 600, they’ve roped in Andy Sneap to lay down some Priestian riffs for them. Sneap was taught guitar by the sadly departed Dave Halliday, founder & original Hell vocalist. Comedy aside, the track is fairly sexy.

Angered by Total Guitar’s hilariously shit Best Metal Guitarists poll, we thought we’d do a proper one for vocalists. Now get voting!

Merry Christmas, You Cunts

Merry Fucking Christmas

In a rare change from tradition, we have a band we actually like putting out a Christmas song. Oh and that cunt from Slipknot has one too.

Liverpool’s crossover kings, SSS have a Merry Christmasss, a 1:32 critique of the wasteful state of modern seasonal celebrations. It’s probably the perfect soundtrack if you are sitting down to a Christmas dinner of home-grown vegan mush before spraying anti-capitalist slogans outside HBSC & putting a window out of the local Nationwide. SSS are giving away their track in exchange for a couple of your personal details over at http://www.earache.com/xmaSSS/. I can’t be sure if this is for Earache’s own use or whether it’s getting added to a list of local communist sympathisers but either way, the track is a beast so go get it.

Corey Taylor is also at it & the chubby face of corporate metal seems to be having a personality crisis. He seems to be unaware of the fact that he’s not in Hell Yeah & goes for a comedy Southern accent that makes him sound even more like a dick. It features the lines :

If I ain’t hammered it ain’t Hanukkah
And all you motherfuckers go to hell
If I ain’t cock-eyed then it ain’t Quanza
Joy to the world of Jack & cokes
If I ain’t drunk, then it ain’t Christmas
Cos I ain’t ever anything but broke

This makes me suspect that Mr Stone Sour has a poor understanding of how time works. It manages to combine my 2 least favourite things novelty Xmas songs & brainless, middle of the road, American hard rock nonsense but the end result is something far more vomit inducing. It even ends with a cheeky “Hi Simon!” nod to Rage Against The Machine’s victory over the X-Factor Xmas single. If Corey Taylor expects he’s going to reach number 1 with this turgid slice of audio-feces, I’m going to have to shoot him. If it reaches number1, I’m going to have to shoot myself.

This song is being released as a single to make money for kids with cancer. Well, if they are lucky they won’t see another Christmas & won’t have to hear this fucking song again.

Just kidding, go buy it or better yet, give some cash to our favourite charity, Kidz wit Tumourz N Shit.

Look Out Ladies! And I mean that very sincerely.

Wa-chren

Unlike the rest of the Scottish nation, you can’t question Achren‘s work ethic. They’ve been working their balls of touring up & down the country with support slots for Vader, Hecate Enthroned, Sabbat & Cthonic. All this work certainly paid off with a victory in the Metal To The Masses competitions resulting a soggy, sweaty buy overwhelmingly erotic set at Bloodstock 2010. That’s going to be out on DVD in January & should tide you over until the start of August when Glasgow’s finest will join Judas Priest & some cunt from Black Sabbath in showing Germany how to do metal.

Frontman, Scott, had this to say :

The Metal 2 the Masses initiative has given us a great chance to take the band to a different level. The whole team at Bloodstock work so hard to make it the best metal festival in the UK and we can’t thank everybody enough for providing us with this great opportunity.

Their debut album is now complete & should be invading your ears some time in spring. For now, you can check out http://www.achren.com for a taste of things to come. As for us, we think it’s sexy that there’s a way for bands play the biggest European metal fests without letting major labels finger their bumholes & hire Ross fucking Robinson to make them a sound like KoRn. Now, go enjoy a suitably low-fi recording of our favourite Achren track, Bastards (on the Gallows or Bastards on the Rack).

Download Vs Sonisphere

With Download & Sonisphere both making their first line-up announcements, the internet is full of speculation, chatter & utter nonsense regarding which festival is better. We’ll start with a few facts, shall we?

Download got the ball rolling with it’s announcement of Avenged Sevenfold & System of a Down. Sonisphere responded by upping the stakes in the dead band members Top Trumps with Slipknot as their first headliners. The debate now rages over which is better, who has been more influential, who gets the best part of £200 this year? LiveNation or Kilimanjaro?

I’ll tell you who wins. It’s fucking obvious.

Bloodstock 2011

Coroner, Triptykon, Immortal, Morbid Angel, Lawnmower Deth, Angel Witch, Rhapsody. Barring fucking Therion, the line-up is pretty much untouchable. Short of Sonisphere announcing Van Halen with Hagar, Death & Artillery, there’s no way they’ll outdo Bloodstock. You might have also noticed that if you buy your Bloodstock tickets before the 15th of December, they are £95.00. That’s £95.00 to see Morbid Angel which is a fucking bargain & the rest are free! Buy Tickets For Bloodstock here & we’ll see you there!

Oh & if anyone tells you that Slipknot are better than Coroner, kick them very hard in the cunt for me.

Enforcer - Midnight Vice

Leave the Hall favourites, retro revivalists Enforcer have released a video for the track Midnight Vice taken from the blindingly good Diamonds. It is available now in Europe on limited edition digipak CD, regular CD and limited edition coloured vinyl.

Enjoy & catch Enforcer on their tour with Airbourne this December. Dates are as follows:

• 02 Dec – London, UK – Brixton Academy
• 04 Dec – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland
• 05 Dec – Belfast, UK – Ulster Hall
• 07 Dec – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia
• 09 Dec – Manchester, UK – Academy
• 10 Dec – Birmingham, UK – Academy

Airbourne & Enforcer

Cauldron - Burning Fortune

Burning Fortune

Canadian old school metal maniacs Cauldron are back with a new album which is due to be out February 14th, 2011. We’ve already heard it cause we are totally cool & down with Earache & it’s fucking tasty. We’ll be reviewing it some time for your reading pleasure but until then you can watch Jason Decay talk you through the album concept. The album cover features the lovely Lora Leigh of the Sirens.

Iron Maiden UK Arena Tour

For the first time in 5 years, Iron Maiden are hitting the UK for a full arena tour.

This is what Steve Harris has to say:

Everything in the Maiden camp has been so full on these last five years or so that we haven’t travelled around the UK to play for our home fans for almost that long. These fans supported us by coming to Twickenham Stadium, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Download and more recently Sonisphere so we thought we should get off our backsides and do the travelling this time and get round the country to see them all. We very much look forward to playing all four home countries and a couple of places we haven’t been for a very long time, Aberdeen and Belfast! And playing the O2 gets us as close to the East End of London where Maiden started off than we have been for many a year, probably since the Ruskin Arms! All in all l think this is going to be a very special series of shows and a wonderful way to end this whole world tour.

We intend to take the full stadium show into the UK arenas and fit everything we possibly can into each venue. The set list will be different to this year’s tour. Of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we intend to include a healthy dose of older fan favourites too for those who haven’t seen us before, plus a spectacular light show and stage set, not forgetting, of course, …Eddie!

This is what Leave the Hall has to say:

JIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Tickets go on sale on the 20th November.

JULY

• Wed 20 – Glasgow SECC
• Thu 21 – Aberdeen AECC P&J Arena
• Sat 23 – Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
• Sun 24 – Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
• Wed 27 – Nottingham Trent FM Arena
• Thu 28 – Manchester MEN Arena
• Sun 31 – Birmingham NIA

AUGUST

• Mon 1 – Cardiff CIA Arena
• Wed 3 – Belfast Odyssey
• Fri 5 – London O2 Arena

The Blood of Christ

Edinburgh is in for a fucking treat this Sunday (24th October). Bannermans & Eilean Dubh have put together an outrageously good gig featuring:

• Lazarus Blackstar – www.myspace.com/lazarusblackstar
• Ghast – www.myspace.com/souldustgrave
• Volition – www.myspace.com/volition666
• Burial – www.myspace.com/burialtheband
• Battalions
• Haar – www.myspace.com/haarsounds
• Jackal-Headed Guard of the Dead – www.myspace.com/headofthejackal
• Of Spire & Throne – www.myspace.com/ofspireandthrone
• Parole – www.myspace.com/parolecov

Tickets are only £8 & it kicks off at 3:30. See you there!

Tickets will be on sale from the bar, Tickets Scotland, or from any of the local bands.

Freedom Call Want You

Power metal’s most unintentionally hilarious band are hitting the UK in November in support of their 6th studio album,  Legend Of The Shadow King. In typically bombastic style, Freedom Call‘s latest album is a concept work inspired by the eccentric Ludwig II, King of Bavaria. Whilst he’s certainly not one of my favourite German kings of the 1870s, they still manage to churn out some cheese-laden power metal genius for us.

Freedom Call shall be calling (lol) at the following venues:

• November 4th – BOURNEMOUTH Champions (01202 75700 / ticketweb.com)
• November 5th – LONDON Purple Turtle (020 7383 4976 / 7734 8932 / stargreen.com)
• November 6th – MANCHESTER Satan’s Hollow (08444 771000 / ticketweb.com)
• November 7th – WAKEFIELD Snooty Fox (01924 374455 / snootyfoxlive.com)
• November 8th – GLASGOW Classic Grand (08444 771000 / ticketweb.com)

So Nile have announced a UK tour with German thrash heavyweights Dew-Scented & the rather magical, Israeli black metal sensation Melechesh among others. Unfortunately someone neglected to book a fucking Scottish date. Well, either that or Karl Sanders hates deep-fried 11 string guitars. Either way, we are fucking gutted because this has all the makings of a legendary evening.

Nile, Melechesh, Dew Scented & More

Dates are as follows & if you are going, I might have to give you a bit of a stabbing:

Nile UK Tour Dates : February 2011

• 8th : Cardiff – Millennium Music Hall
• 9th : Liverpool – The Masque
• 10th : Derby – Redemption
• 11th : Dublin – Button Factory
• 12th : Belfast – Spring And Airbrake
• 13th : London – O2 Academy

Best Metal Vocalist Of All Time

This Man Vo-kills Everything

I have to thank the lovely cunts over at Demon Pigeon for introducing us to this legend. If you can’t beat him, give up now, you’ll never be the best. Cheered me right up. Yes, I know we are about 3 years late to this party so I guess this is how 5 Finger Death Punch feel.

White Wizzard - Shooting Star

Yes, folks, it’s that time again. It’s time to play “Who is in White Wizzard this week?”. Oh, it’s Peter Ellis, ex-The More I See. To be fair, he’s done a splendid job on the new single, Shooting Star which is a tribute to the late, great RJD. The single is out on 18th October & it features a cover of the Dio classic, We Rock.

White Wizzard's Current Line-Up. Don't Get Too Attached, It Will Probably Last 2 Months

White Wizzard are hitting UK shores in November. Dates are below, along with the flyer. If you are catching them on the tour, be sure to grab a copy of the Limited Edition 7″ version of Shooting Star for extra cool points.

• 05 November 2010 – Wolverhampton, UK – Slade Rooms
• 06 November 2010 – Dublin, Ireland – Academy 2
• 07 November 2010 – Belfast, UK – Auntie Annie’s Porterhouse
• 08 November 2010 – Glasgow, UK – Cathouse
• 10 November 2010 – Sheffield, UK – The Corporation
• 11 November 2010 – Manchester, UK – Satan’s Hollow
• 13 November 2010 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City
• 14 November 2010 – London, UK – The Underworld

Get tickets for the shows from SeeTickets at http://bit.ly/cxBd35

White Wizzard UK Tour Dates

Skeletonwitch - Bringers Of Death

Everything about the new Skeletonwitch video is fucking brilliant. They’ve got machine gun toting mascots chasing zombies in trucks. Furry fetishists will be wanking into their fluffy little paws for day. Enjoy!

Skeletonwitch

Blastonbury 2010

This Line-up Will Dig Up Your Gran & Fuck Her Corpse

5th of December is going to be a messy one! Prostitute Disfigurement & Last Days of Humanity are laying waste to the capital, along with Scottish heavyweights Cerebral Bore, 1-man death grind projects Anal Penetration & Neonatal Death, Relinquished, Joe Pesci & Leave the Hall’s favourite child molesting, granny bashers Cancerous Womb. Tickets for this are selling out fast so we’d recommend you get yours before it’s too late!

Missing this would be a rather foolish thing to do!

The Absence - Enemy Unbound

We can’t get enough of The Absence at Leave the Hall. Here is their new video taken from the spectacular album, Enemy Unbound.

Enjoy!

Annihilator - Total Annihilation

Those lovely folk over at Earache have put out a free, download-only compilation of tracks from Canadian thrash metal pioneers Annihilator, called TOTAL ANNIHILATION, in conjunction with Metal Hammer. Unfortunately it only covers the less brilliant part of their career but it’s Jeff Fucking Waters & it’s free so go get it!

Earache Records is releasing six classic albums from Annihilator‘s back-catalogue as part of the “Total Annihilation” campaign, and to celebrate, the label is offering a completely free download-only compilation album featuring fourteen killer tracks.

Get your hands on the TOTAL ANNIHILATION compilation album for free at http://www.earache.com/totalannihilation

TOTAL ANNIHILATION features the following tracks:

1. The Trend
2. Ambush
3. Battered
4. Carnival Diablos
5. Back To The Palace
6. Nothing Left
7. Ultra-Motion
8. Ritual
9. King Of The Kill
10. Second To None
11. Ultraparanoia
12. Refresh The Demon
13. Tricks And Traps
14. Never Forget

The first three releases from the “Total Annihilation” reissue campaign, CARNIVAL DIABLOS, CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW and WAKING THE FURY, are available now in Europe, along with Annihilator‘s new, self-titled album. Get them now at http://earache.com/webstore/index.php/cPath/667_668_749

Annihilator have just added two dates in Greece to their upcoming European headlining tour. Catch the band live at the following shows:

• Oct. 05 – Paris, FRA – Divian Du Monde
• Oct. 06 – Antwerp, BEL – Trix
• Oct. 07 – Ludwigsburg, GER – Rockfabrik
• Oct. 08 – Luxembourg, LUX – Den Atelier
• Oct. 10 – Uden, NETH – Pul
• Oct. 11 – Frankfurt, GER – Batchkapp
• Oct. 12 – Cologne, GER – Stollwerk
• Oct. 14 – Berlin, GER – C-Club
• Oct. 15 – Hamburg, GER – Knust
• Oct. 16 – Copenhagen, DEN – The Rock
• Oct. 18 – Oslo, NOR – John Dee
• Oct. 19 – Gothenburg, SWE – Sticky Fingers
• Oct. 20 – Stockholm, SWE – Klubben
• Oct. 22 – Helsinki, FIN – Tavastia
• Oct. 23 – Tallinn, EST – Tapper Club
• Oct. 24 – Vilnius, LIT – New York
• Oct. 26 – Warsaw, POL – Progresja
• Oct. 27 – Krakow, POL – Loch Ness
• Oct. 28 – Prague, CZR – Retro Music Hall
• Oct. 30 – Wörgl, AUT – Komma
• Nov. 01 – Pratteln, SWI – Z7
• Nov. 02 – Nuremberg, GER – Hirsch
• Nov. 03 – Milan, ITA – Live Club
• Nov. 05 – Barcelona, SPA – Mephisto
• Nov. 06 – Madrid, SPA – Sala Live
• Nov. 07 – Bilbao, SPA – Kafe Antzoki
• Nov. 10 – Portsmouth, UK – Wedgewood Rooms
• Nov. 11 – Manchester, UK – Club Academy
• Nov. 13 – Newcastle, UK – Legends
• Nov. 14 – Glasgow, UK – Garage
• Nov. 15 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation
• Nov. 17 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
• Nov. 18 – Bristol, UK – Academy 2
• Nov. 19 – Birmingham, UK – Academy 2
• Nov. 20 – London, UK – Islington Academy
• Nov. 24 – Thessaloniki, Greece – Principal Club Theatre
• Nov. 25 – Athens, Greece – Gagarin 205 Club

Get tickets to see ANNIHILATOR from TicketMaster at http://j.mp/agadFc

Annihilator European Tour Dates

Mike Portnoy

Now here is a piece of news I never thought I’d be writing about. Drummer, founding member & leader, Mike Portnoy has part ways with his band of 25 years Dream Theater. Having asked the band for a break, they made the decision to carry on without him. The momentum they have built up in the last few years is impressive & they are now one of the biggest progressive rock acts in the world so it is understandable but it’s hard to imagine them without Portnoy’s silly beard & superhuman drumming ability. Let me be the first to say “FUCK YOU, AVENGED SEVENFOLD! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”.

I am about to write something I never imagined I’d ever write.

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater… the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision…it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so….

After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail!, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater.

Please don’t misinterpret me, I love the Dream Theater guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them… it’s just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.

Dream Theater was always my baby…and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985… 24/7, 365… never taking time off from Dream Theater‘s never-ending responsibilities (even when the band was ‘off’ between cycles)… working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that the Dream Theater machine was starting to burn me out…and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my Dream Theater spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a ‘hiatus’ to recharge our batteries and ‘save me from ourselves’…

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather… I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be…

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way…so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of Dream Theaterand I talked about ‘always following your heart and being true to yourself’… Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater…and I would simply be ‘going through the motions,’ and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come… I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played….

I’m sorry to all the disappointed Dream Theater fans around the world… I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work… I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)… but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.

You Dream Theater fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me…. (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)

The band responded:

To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness — regret — we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike’s stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band. While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity — and in the same musical tradition — that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

Fans and friends: File this episode under Black Clouds And Silver Linings.

As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we’ll follow that with a full-on world tour.

All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed.

Grave Digger - Hammer Of The Scots

Yes, the new Grave Digger song isn’t going to change anyone’s opinion of them but it’s not bad. We also get a slideshow of embarassingly awful pictures of them in full Braveheart gear from their latest video shoot. The song, Hammer of the Scots is taken from their forthcoming millionth album, The Clans Will Rise Again which will no doubt sound just like their last album & I’ll probably buy it.

Grave Digger - The Clans Will Rise Again

Hail Of Bullets - Operation Z

Leavethehall’s favourite death metal supergroup, Hail of Bullets have been teasing us with a track from their new album On Divine Winds which is out on the 11th of October. We are already far too excited about this album & this may just push us over the edge into a World War 2 themed wanking frenzy involving flamethrowers, gas masks & a very dead prostitute. Check out the other tasty, HoB treats Metal Blade have for you over at http://www.metalblade.com/hailofbullets/.

Hail Of Bullets

Bonded By Blood - Prototype: Death Machine

Border jumping thrash heroes Bonded By Blood released their new high budget video epic, Prototype: Death Machine guest starring Matt Lucas as the death machine himself. The new album is out now on Earache.

Bonded By Blood

Taken from last year’s brilliantly named yet slightly disappointing Massive Aggressive, Acid Sentence is Municipal Waste doing what they do best. It’s actually an exclusive debut to a site that’s not this one but I suspect that is an oversight on their part, rather than an intentional snub. Anyway, we nicked it & present it here for your audiovisual pleasure. It’s a bit of a gorefest, just the way we like things.

Municipal Waste Laying Um... Waste

Taken from their new album Maniacal Miscreation which is out now.

They are currently on tour in Europe with legends Devourment. We’ll let you know what we think of the album when we get our grubby hands on it but if it’s anything like this, there’s gonna be jizz everywhere by the time I’m finished listening to it. If you are on the continent, go check them out!

Bay Area thrash titans Exodus have released a video for the track Downfall take from their new album, Exhibit B: The Human Condition. The song is excellent, the video is pretty good & Gary Holt hates epileptics so enjoy. Watch it here & don’t drool on the keyboard!

Their last album was a well-received return to form following Dave Wyndorf’s near-fatal overdose in 2006.

Monster Magnet songwriter and front man, Dave Wyndorf, describes Mastermind;

“It’s a big, beefy ball of demented anthems and power rock. The music itself is exaggerated and muscular. Like classic rock gone insane! Giant hooks, giant sounds. The rockers are direct and intense. The ballads, trippy and strange. It’s guitar heaven. Well, the lyrics read like a fever-dream of life in the 21st century. Cynicism, optimism, satire, sex, deluded fantasies and dead-on reality. They’re all here – sometimes even in the same song! In my world, images, information and emotions tend to intertwine. I’ll describe the smallest details of my personal life in crazy, cinematic terms. When I write, the words play out in my mind like scenes from a movie and that’s the vibe I tried to capture on “Mastermind” – rapid-fire emotion. What can I say? I’m having a weird life and I have to write it down that way. In the end though, MastermindROCKS, and that’s what’s most important.”

The tracklisting is as follow:

1. Hallucination Bomb
2. Bored With Sorcery Dig That Hole
3. Gods And Punks
4. The Titan Who Cried Like A Baby
5. Mastermind
6. 100 Million Miles
7. Perish In Fire
8. Time Machine
9. When The Planes Fall From The Sky
10. Ghost Story
11. All Outta Nothin’

Monster Magnet

Monster Magnet are on tour in the UK in November but there’s a distinct lack of Scottish dates so far!

• 18th CARDIFF – Millennium Music Hall
• 20th SHEFFIELD – Corporation
• 21st READING – Sub 81
• 22nd SOUTHAMPTON – University
• 23rd BIRMINGHAM – HMV Institute
• 25th MANCHESTER – Moho Live
• 26th LONDON – Electric Ballroom

Blind Guardian Confirmed For Wacken 2011

Wacken 2010 might have just finished but the lineup for next year is already shaping up. German power metal legends, Blind Guardian will be playing their only German date of 2011 at the world’s biggest metal festival. Other bands confirmed are Mike Muir’s crossover kings, Suicidal Tendencies, power metal collective Avantasia & Finland’s cello based Apocalyptica. Wacken 2011 will run from the 3rd – 6th August.

Cephalic Carnage - The Incorrigible Flame

American grindcore mentalists, Cephalic Carnage are premiering their new song taken from their upcoming album Misled by Certainty which is out on Relapse Records at the end of August. Check it out here.

The Black Dahlia Murder European Tour

The Black Dahlia Murder ‘Deflorate European Summer tour 2010’ kicks off this week

The Black Dahlia Murder begin their ‘Deflorate European Summer tour 2010’ which kicks off in Germany on August 6, 2010 and includes three UK shows including a slot at Hevy Fest. They recently slayed the UK headlining the ‘Bonecrusher Tour’. They’ll be joined by Despised Icon playing their last ever European dates.

‘Deflorate European Summer Tour 2010’
The Black Dahlia Murder
Despised Icon

• 06.08.10 Germany Leisnig @ Suck N Summer
• 07.08.10 Germany Wacken @ Wacken Open Air (DI only)
• 08.08.10 UK Port Lympne Wild Animal Park @ Hevy Fest
• 09.08.10 UK Sheffield @ Corporation
• 10.08.10 UK London @ Garage
• 12.08.10 Czech Rep Jaromer @ Brutal Assault
• 13.08.10 Germany Aschaffenburg @ Colos Saal
• 14.08.10 Belgium Ieper @ Ieper Fest
• 15.08.10 Holland Rotterdam @ Baroeg (Matinee)
• 16.08.10 Germany Bochum @ Matrix, Summer Seek And Destroy *
• 17.08.10 Germany Saarbrücken @ Garage, Summer Seek And Destroy *
• 18.08.10 Germany München @ Feierwerk
• 19.08.10 Austria Wien @ Szene, Summer Seek And Destroy *
• 20.08.10 Germany Dinkelsbühl @ Summer Breeze
• 21.08.10 Switzerland Muotathal @ Mountains of Death (BDM only)

City Of Fire

It was early 2008 when the Cobalt Hotel in Vancouver hosted the reunion of Caustic Thought; a popular local band that had not played together for twelve years. Little did bassist Byron Stroud (Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmers Hole), drummer Bob Wagner (Econoline Crush), and guitarist Ian White know at the start that this special evening would light a spark that would take this reunion further than they initially expected.

After recruiting guitarist Terry Murray, the four decided to rearrange, write and record new material.As the writing came together Byron reached out to friend and band mate Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory, Ascension of the Watchers, G/Z/R, Ministry) and the final member was found. The spark that ignited on that very special night among old friends had now become a spirited new band… City of Fire was complete.

The bands self-titled debut contains eleven energetic and melodic songs that reflects the band’s immensely talented musicianship. Three additional songs were recorded earlier this year adding to the albums overall depth.

Bell recalls of the early sessions

“I have always loved Vancouver. During this session, my eyes were intensely aware that Vancouver is vibrant with life, like a raging fire. This is where the name of the band came from. I was inspired like never before and I believe it shows.”

Musically, City of Fire finds its roots in everything from metal to hard rock to punk, and boasts a more commercially-oriented sensibility; a sound reflective of the evolving maturity of its members and audience. Sonically hard yet groove heavy, the band has conceived a sound that distinguishes itself from the rest.

“Byron and I have always talked about music and realized that we had many similarities between us: the same music likes and dislikes, Byron knew that I would love the music he and the guys were creating and he was right. When I first heard the music, I was excited by the sounds I heard.”

Bell explained to popular music site Noisecreep.

City of Fire will see US release just as Fear Factory finish up their Canadian run of dates which will include their performance at Montreals Heavy MTL Festival where the band will appear alongside Megadeth, Slayer, Mastodon, Korn, Rob Zombie, Lamb of God and more.

Armored Saint

Legendary LA based metal band Armored Saint recently shot a video in their hometown on July 1st for the track Left Hook From Right Field off their current release La Raza with director Jeremy Schott of Mental Suplex.

Vocalist John Bush describes the video for ‘Left Hook From Right Field’:

“BAD ASS!!! That’s how I would describe this video. The photography is absolutely beautiful. Rene, the boxer, did a nobleman’s job and is convincing as hell. Jeremy’s team was awesome to work with and super efficient. Armored Saint was captured raw and with full power. Sometimes making a video, actually the majority of the time, making a video blows. Not this time!”

Bassist Joey Vera adds

“the video came out great and does justice to the song. We were going for a ‘Raging Bull’ look and I think we captured the vibe for sure. Most videos are pretty boring to make but this one was actually fun. We spent some time shooting scenes ‘on the fly’ and tried things out that were not in the story line, meaning we had a chance to improvise. The story line is a pretty good representation on the allegories that the lyrics paint. Good fun once again.”

http://www.myspace.com/armoredsaint1
http://www.armoredsaint.com/
http://twitter.com/thearmoredsaint

Powerwolf

German metallers POWERWOLF will headline the SOPHIE LANCASTER stage on Friday 13th August. The Teutonic terrors look forward to their debut UK appearance at BLOODSTOCK’s 10th anniversary event.

“It’s a big honour for us to celebrate the metal mass at this legendary festival. This will be our first time in the UK, and getting the chance to perform at the country’s biggest Metal festival is incredible. We can’t wait to unleash mayhem there!”

comments guitarist MATTHEW GREYWOLF.

Since 2003, the Metal Blade signed five piece have amassed a large and loyal fanbase with their highly entertaining live show, led by ATTILA DORN, half frontman, half evil minister. With a reputation across Europe as one of the most exciting bands out there, and BLOODSTOCK’s reputation for bringing the hottest new bands in metal to the UK for the first time, their addition to this year’s line up with this exclusive appearance is a no brainer, and we look forward to their Satanic Sermon on Friday 13th August 2010.

The BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR METAL FESTIVAL 2010 will take place at Catton Hall, Derbyshire from 13th – 15th August.

Weekend tickets are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com

Hail Of Bullets

Comments drummer Ed Warby:

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard on anything in my entire life, but it sure has paid off! Although ‘Of Frost And War’ is a tough act to follow, my ringing ears tell me we’ve succeeded in besting it on every level: songs, playing, production… at the moment Dan Swanö is putting the final touches on a mix that could squash a tank, and then it’s off to the pressing plant! All the main ingredients of our blood ‘n’ guts style death metal have remained intact and I honestly can’t imagine anyone that liked our previous work is going to be the least bit disappointed, on the contrary!”

The yet untitled album was produced by Ed Warby and like before the monstrous mix was in the capable hands of Mr Dan Swanö.

HAIL OF BULLETS nailed down 11 songs plus intro.

The limited edition of the CD will be released as a Digibook including a bonus-dvd. More details on this and the stunning new album will be posted soon!

..OF FROST AND WAR is out now on Metal Blade

The Absence - Enemy Unbound

In conjunction with the upcoming release Enemy Unbound from Tampa, FL area natives THE ABSENCE, Metal Blade Records is pleased to release the track-listing, cover art, and the first single from Enemy Unbound. The title track can be heard on metalblade.com/theabsence. From Your Grave has been on the stereo in the leavethehall offices more than almost any other album so we can safely say we are excited as fuck about this!

Track-listing for Enemy Unbound:

1. Vertigo
2. Erased
3. Deepest Wound
4. Maelstrom
5. Enemy Unbound
6. Solace
7. The Bridge
8. Wartorn
9. Hidden in White
10. Vengeance and Victory
11. Triumph

Enemy Unbound, available in the UK September 13!

In other news; original drummer and one of the founding members of THE ABSENCE, Jeramie Kling, has rejoined the band. Jeramie Kling and THE ABSENCE parted ways after a completing a heavy touring schedule for the band’s first release From Your Grave. Guitarist Patrick Pintavalle comments; “we’re so glad to have Jeramie back in the band. It feels right again.” Vocalist Jamie Stewart adds; “in spite of everything that’s been said and done, I’m glad to have my brother back. I look forward to having our collective magic restored.”

Jeramie had this to say about once again stepping behind the kit for the band that has been called Testament for the 21st Century. “It’s great to be back, I missed all my old friends. I can’t wait to play the new songs on tour; they are going to blow the roof off. I missed the road and I can’t wait to see all our fans out on tour. I am so pumped; it’s just great to back.”

About the band:
Tampa, FL area natives THE ABSENCE laid waste to an unsuspecting metal community with their debut Metal Blade Records album, From Your Grave, and after nearly two years of touring the guys returned in 2007 with their fan and critic acclaimed release Riders of the Plague. Riders of the Plague was recorded at Erik Rutan’s Mana Studios in February / March 2007 with Swedish producer Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry, Carnal Forge). THE ABSENCE has returned to the metal scene heavier than ever with their third full-length album, Enemy Unbound; a metal masterpiece full of the band’s brand of high flying guitar histrionics and melodies fans and critics alike have grown to love.

Vocalist Jamie Stewart continues to push himself vocally, spewing forth his grim lyrics with more force and violence than ever before. Guitarists Peter Joseph and Patrick Pintavalle deliver blistering solos, harmony-filled leads, and a level of technicality that is off the charts, growing as musicians with every album they deliver. Original drummer, and one of the founding members of THE ABSENCE, Jeramie Kling is back behind the kit and will be joining the band on the road as they tour in support of Enemy Unbound. Jeramie will undoubtedly continue where he left off, acting as the tight backbone needed to hold together the band’s speedy melodic onslaught. With their latest offering, Enemy Unbound, THE ABSENCE deliver a stylish and flavored melodic death/thrash metal album that is sure to please both fans and critics alike.

Enemy Unbound was once again recorded at the famed, Erik Rutan-owned, Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, FL in November 2009 with Brian Elliott engineering and Peter Joseph and Patrick Pintavalle producing the album. Going along with the saying ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,’ the band went to Sweden’s Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry, Carnal Forge) of Black Lounge Studios who handled both mixing and mastering on Enemy Unbound. Guest musicians on the album include Tom Englund of Evergrey and Andy Wood.

The Absence have toured with the likes Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Vital Remains, Goatwhore, The Red Chord, Vader, Kataklysm, Grave, Nuclear Assault, Destruction, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Entombed, Dismember, Vivisec, Unmerciful, Dead to Fall, and Ion Dissonance just to name a few. Each stop on every tour has earned THE ABSENCE legions of new fans, which is something that will surely continue through the release of Enemy Unbound as the band tours through the states, Canada, and Europe in support of their highly anticipated release.

The Absence is:
Jamie Stewart – vocals
Peter Joseph – guitar
Patrick Pintavalle – guitar
Jeramie Kling – drums
Mike Leon – bass

‘ENEMY UNBOUND’ is out on September 13, 2010 on Metal Blade

Metal Blade

The lovely, marvellous, splendid guys at Metal Blade have sorted us out with something money can’t buy. Well, we couldn’t find it in the shops anyway! In honour of our wonderful interview with death metal legend, snake lover Chris Barnes, they have sent us a Chris Barnes bobblehead pictured below. To win this exclusive prize, you need to do 3 things.

1. Go to the Metal Blade Facebook page & hit Like
2. Go to the Leavethehall Twitter account & follow us or the Leavethehall Facebook page & hit Like
3. Tweet this message “I’ve just entered the @leavethehall competition in conjunction with Metal Blade at http://www.leavethehall.co.uk/?p=888″ or share the competition post on your Facebook wall using either of the links below.

Tweet the message now? or Share on Facebook

Every tweet or wall post will give you another chance of winning. On the 6th August 2010, we’ll add every entry to a list & run it through our great mechanical randomising device & notify the winner. We’ll only be able to count tweets from non-private accounts unless you’ve already approved us to follow you or if your Facebook profile isn’t private.

For over 27 years, Metal Blade has been the backbone of the international metal community bringing us bands including Slayer, Metallica, Cannibal Corpse, GWAR, Six Feet Under, and King Diamond while developing acts like As I Lay Dying, Unearth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amon Amarth, Job For a Cowboy, The Red Chord, Hate Eternal, Shai Hulud, Soilent Green, Whitechapel, Goatwhore, The Ocean, Brain Drill. Recent releases from As I Lay Dying, Brain Drill, Armored Saint & Bison BC prove that Metal Blade are still the reigning force in metal.

Chris Barnes Bobblehead

Chris Barnes Bobblehead

Competiton is now closed. Winner is Stephen Fallows from Barrow in Furness.

Malefice Confirmed For Sonisphere 2010

Malefice have just been confirmed for Sonisphere 2010 which takes place at Knebworth between July 30th and August 1st 2010.

Dale Butler wants to see you down there:

“After working our asses off in Europe for most of the summer it was great to get home to this news. We’ve had a lot of kids on our facebook and myspace asking us to get on the bill, so we’re really looking forward to getting in front of everyone at a U.K festival again, and recreating the ass kicking we handed out at Hammerfest early in the year! See you at the front!”

Catch them on Saturday July 31, 2010 at 5:30pm on the Jaegermeister stage.

• 24th July – PETERSFIELD – Gedfest @ Festival Hall
• 31st July – KNEBWORTH – Sonisphere 2010
• 28th August – MARGATE – Westcoast

Check out the video for An Architect Of Your Demise here:

Dawn Of Reprisal is out now on Metal Blade

FireBug UK Tour

US psych-rockers FireBug will grace UK shores again this month for some rare club dates followed by an appearance at the, fast-becoming-legendary, Sonisphere Festival. With influences from Zeppelin to Pink Floyd, the four-piece, fronted by the captivating Juliette Tworsey, always get a great reception on our side of the pond, and this visit looks set to be no exception.

In preparation, the band have been holed up in the studio with Queens of The Stone Age producer Chris Goss, laying down tracks for their forthcoming, as yet unnamed, record. Goss brought the band further out of their shell during the sessions, having them experiment and execute some great new music. FireBug will be back in the studio this summer to complete the record.

Lead guitarist Jules Shapiro said;

“We always love performing in the UK! Our first tour back in 2007 went way beyond expectations. To be asked to perform at the legendary Sonisphere Festival has really got us spinning around. Playing alongside legendary rock bands like The Cult, Iron Maiden and Iggy Pop, is really a dream come true! And to do all that in the UK, a country so influential in making rock music what it is today, is great.”

Full details of the UK dates are as follows:

• 28th July – Dublin Castle, London
• 29th July – Riff’s Bar, Swindon
• 30th July – The Wilmington Arms, London
• 1st Aug – Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth

For more information on FireBug please visit:
www.myspace.com/firebug
www.4entertainment.biz

Bison BC & Coliseum & Kvelertak UK Tour 2010

The Canadian outfit featuring James Farwell: Guitar/Vocals, Dan And: Guitar/Vocals, Masa Anzai: Bass and Brad Mackinnon: Drums are promoting their Dark Ages album, released on Metal Blade in April 2010.

Check out the bootleg video of Stressed Elephant shot live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in March 2010 here:

Coliseum + Bison BC + Kvelertak

November 2010

• 17th LONDON – Underworld
• 18th STOKE ON TRENT – Sugarmill
• 19th GLASGOW – Ivory Blacks
• 20th LEEDS – The Well
• 21st NORWICH – The Marquee

DARK AGES is out now on Metal Blade

Fozzy

Heavy metal sensation Fozzy, starring WWE superstar Chris Jericho and Stuck Mojo hero Rich Ward released the video for “Let The Madness Begin” at midday.

It was shot in UK at live dates in May.

Fozzy, who also feature Sean Delson and Frank Fontsere, recently announced a full tour of the UK and Ireland and this week have announced three more dates at Camberley on October 9th, Middlesborough on the 12th and Margate on the 21st.

Rich Ward on why he just loves being here:

“How excited am I about Fozzycoming back to the UK? Where do I even begin? The birth place of heavy metal, the home of proper football, pub grub, curries, treacle sponge pudding and the craziest metal fans on the planet. Thank You Britain for your contributions to my life. I owe you and will be honoured to repay you with one of the best live shows you’ll ever see.”

Fozzy

October 2010

9th CAMBERLEY – The Agincourt
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.theagincourt.com/

10th CARDIFF – Millennium Hall
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://millenniummusichall.fatsoma.com/event.php?eid=28556

11th SHEFFIELD – Corporation
BUY TICKETS HERE: WWW.CORPORATION.ORG.UK

12th MIDDLESBOROUGH – Empire
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.theempire.co.uk/pages/fozzy.html

13th EDINBURGH – Studio 24
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.seetickets.com/see/price.asp?code=486295&userid=%7BA788298C-1F31-4434-AB6E-DDD55F579DA7%7D&filler1=see&filler2=rss&filler3=0

14th BELFAST – Spring and Airbrake
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.ticketmaster.ie/

15th DUBLIN – Button Factory
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.tickets.ie/event.aspx/fozzy-the-button-factory-dublin-15-October-2010/VLLRL

16th MANCHESTER – Academy 3
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/alttickets/home_fozzy.html

17th LEICESTER – Academy
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/alttickets/home_fozzy.html

18th NORWICH – Waterfront
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/events/fozzy.aspx

19th SOUTHAMPTON – Talking Heads
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e|artist=FOZZY&n|artist=null&resultsperpage=20&filler1=see&filler2=art-srch&orderby=date,time

20th YEOVIL – The Orange
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e|artist=FOZZY&n|artist=null&resultsperpage=20&filler1=see&filler2=art-srch&orderby=date,time

21st MARGATE – The Westcoast
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.westcoastlive.co.uk/

‘CHASING THE GRAIL’ is out now on Riot Entertainment
GET IT HERE:
http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/13506800/Chasing-The-Grail/Product.html
http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=313058

London’s finest are back with their new album, The Final Frontier. Check out the video here!

Not Advised

Following the release of their new album, After The Fight, UK rockers will be bringing their infectious brand of pop-punk & fashionable haircuts to a venue near you!

Guitarist Jack Fairbrother said;

“We’re excited for the August tour because these will be our first headline shows in some time. We can’t wait to get out and play a new set in both familiar cities and new places – to some old and new faces.

Fans can expect the best Not Advised show they’ve ever seen. We’re putting everything we can into these dates to make sure we play the best set – and more importantly make sure that everyone walks away after the best gig of their lives. That’s the aim!”

Dates:

• 30 July – LONDON, Slam Dunk @ Purple Turtle
• 1 August  – MILTON KEYNES, Crauford Arms
• 2 August – BRISTOL, Academy 2
• 3 August – BIRMINGHAM, Academy 3
• 4 August – NEWCASTLE, Academy 2
• 5 August, GLASGOW, Academy 2
• 7 August – ABERDEEN, Warehouse
• 8 August – DUNDEE, Dexters
• 10 August – MANCHESTER, Roadhouse
• 11 August – LIVERPOOL, Academy 2
• 12 August – LONDON, Islington Academy 2
• 13 August – SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners
• 15 August – SHEFFIELD, Academy
• 17 August – LEEDS, Cockpit

Their current single ‘The World’s Not Ready’ is on Kerrang! TV, Scuzz, Lava and Starz now!

The new album ‘After The Fight’ is available now on LAB Records.

For more information on Not Advised please visit:

www.myspace.com/notadvised

www.facebook.com/notadvised

www.twitter.com/notadvised

www.labrecs.com

Evile's Mike Alexander

New Wave Thrash Band Takes Metallica Worship Too Far

In a statement released by Earache records, Evile members Ben Carter, Ol & Matt Drake say:

This is so hard to find the words to express fully how we feel.  We can’t believe or accept what’s happened.  One minute we’re talking to our buddy, Mike, the next minute we can never speak to him again.There’s so many things rushing through our heads that we want to say, do and feel.  We half expect him to come round the corner and call us ‘dickheads’.  We can’t get our heads around it.

It upsets us so much that he was away from his family when this happened, although knowing Mike, we’re at least glad he was on tour doing what he loves.

We’re lost for words.  We all miss him so much already.  He was such a headstrong, genuinely nice guy who loved music and his family.  We’ve got so many brilliant memories with him.

Our hearts go out to his daughter, family and friends at this tragic, difficult time.

Mike is much loved and is sorely missed.

Rest in peace, brother

Evile were on tour with Amon Amarth following the release of their second album ‘Infected Nations’.