Friday January 31st 2003

Bride is writing their next CD. There is no release date set thus far but the band expects to take their time putting this project together. Bride will write a ballad or two. Even though Bride is a heavy metal band, they also have a sensitive side. But, the disc won't have no more than two slow tunes at the most. The band wants to reestablish themselves and bring back memories of songs like, Rattlesnakes and Would You Die For Me from the Snakes In The Playground CD.

Life In Your Way is working on new material. They will be recording a full length CD in
April at Zing Studios (Killswitch Engage, Norma Jean, From Autumn To Ashes). Negotiations have gone underway with some labels about putting that out.

The new album of Immortal Souls, Ice Upon The Night will be released in February 2003 by Fear Dark. Expect nine songs of melodic wintermetal in the vein of Children of Bodom and In Flames. Curious how it sounds like? You can download the song Welcome To North here.

Festival news:

The Flevo Festival announced the first names of bands appearing on this year's festival. The list contains following rock bands: All star United, Satelitte7, Prayer Chain, Seventh Avenue and Slechtvalk.

News from the Bob Fest. It's now settled which bands will play on Friday and which will play on Saturday. The final time schedule is yet to be determined. Friday: Narnia, Leviticus, Crimson Moonlight, Callisto. Saturday: Slechtvalk, Ganglion, Soapbox, Azure Skies, Pantokrator.

On Saturday March 29th 2003 the annual Owener Rocknacht will take place. Artists: Disciple, Kato, Quench, Judy Bailey, Crushead, Arson, Exakt and more.

Fear Dark is organizing a festival in Ede, The Netherlands, on March 8th. However, they will also do a Fear Dark Festival in Germany on Friday March 7th with the same line-up of: Immortal Souls, Slechtvalk, Brain:FAQ and Lightmare. This event takes place in the ZV Bunker in Chemnitz.

Friday January 24th 2003

If you've been wondering about Vaakevandring, here's some news. After the departure of guitarist Alexander Nygaard in spring 2002 the band decided to take a break. However, because of various reasons the decision was made in late 2002 to end Vaakevandring. Three of the members are now involved in Antestor. The five former members of Vaakevandring are still good friends and there is still hope that one day they will be able to record their songs and release them as a full length. As it comes to Antestor, this Norwegian band is still working on a new release.

You can now download the title track from the next Tourniquet album. Where Moth And Rust Destroy is more than seven minutes long and you can get it here. The album comes out on March 25th 2003 through Metal Blade Records. The band also hopes to release a DVD soon.

In February the new Armegeddon Holocaust album will see the light of day. Title: Radioactive Zone 245.

On January 6th Extol entered the Top Room Studio to record their next album. Title is Idiosyncratic Synergy. Most of it is recorded now and mixing starts next week. Extol also spent five hours taking about 400 photos. They even had their own stylist who cut and styled their hair.

Here's an update on the Stryper best-of album. This record will contain eighteen tracks, two of them being new. The tracks have been chosen by the band members. As it comes to the new material, Michael Sweet says: "These songs were two songs that I had written for a new project of mine to pass around to companies at some point...The deal with Hollywood went down so fast that there was no time for us to get together to put something together. These songs were already recorded and ready to be sent out to everyone to hear. We (Stryper) then re-recorded the tracks and added the vocals. A few effect guitars were flown over to the new tracks and everything worked together perfectly!"

The two new songs are entitled Something and For You. Michael: "We tracked drums and bass at Sound Station 7 on January 4th and 5th. We then tracked guitars and background vocals from the 6th to the 9th. Lead vocals were then tracked and then it was mixed. Everything went so fast. It seemed like a blur! The sound is very heavy and very modern yet we were able to stay true to what we do and have always done. There are some guitar harmonies, vocal harmonies and over all it's a very, very BIG sound!!!" The release is expected to be in Spring 2003 through Hollywood Records. Photos shot during the recording sessions can be found on Michael Sweet's website.

Michael's brother Robert Sweet has released the CD of his new band Blissed. Title of the record is Waking The Dead.

Joshua Perahia has added two brand new videos on the band's website. The videos featured are Let Your Love Shine Down and Remembering You (acoustic version). Remembering You features in studio appearances by Alex Ligertwood (Santana vocalist), Jason Scheff (Chicago vocalist), and Keith Olsen (producer of such bands as the Scorpions, Whitesnake, Santana, and Heart).

Friday January 17th 2003

Bruce Fitzhugh has decided to leave Living Sacrifice. With Lance Garvin he was one of the original members of the band. As it comes out, the band has been deliberating their future since coming home from touring to support The Hammering Process. They chose to record their final record Conceived In Fire. Bruce decided to depart from the band while Lance will continue the band. Guitarist Rocky Gray is still in Living Sacrifice as well but he's currently also playing drums for Evanescence (from Wind-Up Records). The final chance to see Bruce live is on the Cornerstone Festival.

Balance Of Power announced this week they have parted company with vocalist Lance King. The band has since engaged a new, internationally known lead singer. Soon this will be made official. Balance Of Power is also working on the follow up of Perfect Balance. Working title is Heathen Machine. This disc will be produced by drummer Lionel Hicks.

Last week you could read in this column that the Stryper Gallery had posted photos of Stryper in the studio. However, they've been asked to remove them temporarily. The photos will be posted again in the near future.

The re-recording of All Else Failed by Zao will be out late February. While the original recording featured vocalist Shawn Jonas (now in Symphony In Peril), the new release features vocalist Dan Weyandt. You may also expect completely different recording and arrangements.

In March the next EP from Calibretto 13 will come out through Standard Recording Company. Title of this disc is Dead By Dawn and it contains seven new songs.

The organization of the Bob Fest have added Soapbox to their line-up. This band will also release a new disc on the festival and so will Crimson Moonlight and Pantokrator.

The Peacedog Summer Festival will take place on Friday July 11th and Saturday July12th. Yes, it'll be a two day festival!

Friday January 10th 2003

URGENT MESSAGE: Radio 90FM, the radiostation in The Netherlands airing the Art For The Ears Radioshow, is altering the frequency. Instead of FM 90MHz, the frequency will be FM 91.7 per January 15th!! People who are listening to the show via cable don't need to worry as these frequencies stay the same. Only the frequency through which Radio 90FM airs will change.

Disciple has decided to release their next album independently. Title of the CD is Back Again and will be out in February. A final date isn't confirmed yet.

News from the guys in Dust Eater Dogs. They are currently recording demos of the third full length album. While Oil was a theme album with strong elements of roots music, the new album will be very heavy. Rapcore elements aren't present on the new album which will probably be out during this year. Watch our for songs like Gecko Grip and Robot Bomb!

Further news from the Dogs: Some weeks ago Fullsteam Records, a new sub-label of Sitruunamaailma, released Motoroil. This is an album featuring the songs from both previous albums (Motor and Oil) plus a couple of bonus tracks (including a demo version of Gecko Grip).

The new Dutch band The Hope That Lies Within has opened its website. They are a hardcore band from Groningen featuring members of the now defunct rapcore act Dr. Bigfoot and emocore band Jet Set Ready.

On the Stryper Gallery you can now view a slideshow featuring photos from Strypers recording sessions last week in Rhode Island. This was the first time that Stryper has been in the studio to record new material in 11 years! They recorded two new songs that are scheduled to be released by Hollywood Records on a Greatest Hits CD this spring. The photos were submitted directly to us by Steve Murphy (also known as "Crash"), Michael Sweet's guitar tech.

Minus SF has been signed to Fullsteam Records. They intended on recording a demo for the album this week but due to renovation of the studio this had to be postponed.

The Finnish band Deep Insight will release a promotional single in February. And in April they will record an album to be released by Fullsteam Records in May/June.

Callisto, formerly known as Pulse, released a new EP called Ordeal Of The Century.

Silence The Foe hope to do an album this year. However, they are still looking for a record deal.

POD is nominated for two Grammy Awards! They are nominated for the best hard rock performance with Youth Of The Nation and for best metal performance with Portrait. In addition to this, POD have also been nominated for the Echo Award for best hard/alternative group of the year. Sonny and Wuv will be flying to Berlin in Germany to attend this years ceremony on February 15th.

Side Walk Slam are in the process of writing their third album. They will be heading back to the Blasting Room studio from April 18th through 28th. No release date is set yet.

On December 10th the extreme metal band Inversion played its first show. They hope to play regularly over the next months. They also have T-shirts and stickers available.

Endtime Productions finally revealed one of their upcoming releases: The debut EP by Vardoger. This disc will feature five tracks of black metal blended with neo folk influences. Two other releases are also coming up on Endtime.

MP4.com also features some interesting videos. You can find Bullet To Binary from Me Without You and August Winterman from Dead Poetics among others.

Former Klank members Pat and John return with a new project. This project goes under the moniker of 54. Their sound has many layers of influence from the beats of underground hip-hop to the introspection of indie rock, from the heaviness of Black Sabbath to the gentleness of John Coltrane. The band is named to re-live the vibe of
the famous dance club, Studio 54. The guys have written about 15 songs, and cite everyone from Pedro The Lion to Filter as influences.

Friday January 3rd 2003

First of all I want to wish everybody a great 2003! Hopefully this year will present us some of the best art for the ears there is!

Jacobs Dream is still searching for a new vocalist to replace David Taylor. In September it seemed they had finally found a new singer. Tragically, this person died in a car accident not long after that. David Taylor has showed interest in recording the new album with the band although he will probably not be available for touring afterwards. Jacobs Dream hopes to record the album sometime early this year.

The German metal band Ancient Prophecy also hopes to release a new CD later this year. They plan to start recording next month.

Friday December 27th 2002

Bad news comes from the band Dr. Bigfoot. After seven years they've decided to quit. Reason for this decision is that regardless of their musical changes, the band was often identified by the music they started playing originally. Three of the members of Dr. Bigfoot have started a new band with two members of emocore band Jet Set Ready. Name of the new formation is The Hope That Lies Within.

The Belgian black metal band Natan has changed its line-up. After the departure of singer Jonatan, the band got some new members while Ezra switched from drums to vocals and Daniel from bass to guitars. New to the line-up are Steven on drums and Laura on bass. Therefore, the only two persons who are still doing what they've been doing before are Dries (on guitar) and Claudia (on keyboards/vocals). They hope to release their first EP Akeldama in a few months. And in late Spring Natan hopes to be able to play live again.

The Brazilian band Shaphal has launched its website. This is the band of former South Diesel drummer Arnon Mello. The band offers some samples of songs from their upcoming EP.

Friday December 20th 2002

In March and April Stretch Arm Strong will return to the studio to record their third album. They are currently in the process of writing new material. It will be recorded at the Big Blue Meenie. Look for an early summer release date.

Finally Beloved is going into the studio. In January they will join producer Garth Richardson. Their CD should be out in early summer 2003 as well.

The Agony Scene, another band from Solid State Records, will be in studio in January too. They will enter the Zing Studios to record with Adam D. Expect a release date in late spring.

The Dutch metal band Morphia is asking for your help. They want you to vote for them for a Waldrock Festival poll. This might help them get on this Dutch metal festival. If you want to help, go here and vote for them. Interestingly, you can vote for more than one band, with a maximum of ten bands. You can only vote once though. So, pick out ten of them (including Morphia!) and vote (by clicking the button with the word "Stem" on it)! Other bands you might vote for, are: POD, Blindside, Extol, Slechtvalk, Tourniquet and many others.

Comeback Kid have finished recording their debut album Turn It Around. This album will be out on March 4th through Facedown Records.

In February Nodes Of Ranvier will enter a studio in Sioux Falls. They hope to record ten songs with metal core.

Seventh Star, another band from Facedown Records, is currently recording their new album Dead End at Studio 13. This album will be out in April.

Rob Rock is a name added to the line-up of next year's Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany. This festival is from the 27th to the 28th of June.

Friday December 13th 2002

Here's an update from Veni Domine, long overdue. A few years back you could read in this column about the band recording their fourth album. This new project was delayed when singer Fredrik Ohlsson was hit by an infection in the throat. Well, finally, this summer the band finished mixing the fourth effort. Veni Domine is still in the process of getting a release date.

The new Tourniquet album is called Where Moth And Rust Destroy. This new record will be out on March 23rd through Metal Blade Records. Now the band has finished recording, they have begun searching for a new guitarist. They prefer someone from the Chicago area. If you are interested and qualified, please send a video of yourself playing guitar to three or four Tourniquet songs and a bio to: Tourniquet, P.O. Box 373, Hartland, WI 53029, USA.

In April the guys from Side Walk Slam will hit the studio to record their next album for Tooth & Nail Records. The studio will be The Blasting Room and the CD will be produced by Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton. But if you can't wait, there's also a Christmas EP from the band containing three songs. And, they can't get enough of it, in January they'll be in studio to record three songs for a split EP with The Buffy's that will be out through Rally Records.

Last week you could read in this column about Stryper reuniting in the studio to record two new songs, written by Michael Sweet. Bassist Tim Gaines: "I just received my demo copy to learn the music, and it sounds like the new tunes will be winners. This is NOT a Stryper reunion, but it is a start of something that could turn out really good for all of us... fans and band members alike. Of course, my hope is to one day release a new Stryper album, with all new songs written by the whole band. This could lead to that if the response is positive. Keep us in your prayers over the next few months that God would lead in our lives."

Ken Tamplin will release a new album in February. It will be entitled Wake The Nations and features a whole bunch of guest appearances: Marty Friedman, Doug Aldridge, Kee Marcello, Jeff Scott Soto, Scott Van Zen, Reb Beach, Glen Sobel and many more.

Friday December 6th 2002

Big news comes from the Stryper camp this week. Though there's no official reunion, the band will be entering a studio in Massachusetts to record two new songs. These songs will be for an upcoming best of album Hollywood Records will release in the spring of 2003. The new songs are described as being heavy and modern. Pre-production will start on January 3rd. On January 5th the four original members of the band will enter the studio. The songs will be produced by Michael Sweet and co-produced by Kenny Lewis.

In further Stryper news, Stryper T-shirts might appear in a scene in the upcoming Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle movie coming to theaters in the summer of 2003. There will be a flashback scene with Drew Barrymore, and the shirts should be very visible!

You might also wonder about the status of the hymn CD Michael Sweet is supposed to be working on. Well, he plans to finish the CD over the next few months. It's still in the can!

Massacre Records has signed Seventh Avenue. They are going to release the new album Between The Worlds on January 27th 2003.

Immortal Souls finished recording their new album. Title is Ice Upon The Night. The CD contains nine songs. Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius visited the studio during the recordings. Expect the release in early 2003.

The next single from Blindside is Sleepwalking.

Joshua Perahia fell ill over the Thanksgiving Holiday and had to be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. Part of Joshua's large intestine was removed and he remains in hospital in fair condition. His diagnosis and prognosis have not been made public yet. His family and bandmates ask for your prayers and best wishes for his speedy recovery.

Here's an update from Jacks Of All Trades. The band recorded twelve new songs in September. These are demo recordings in preparation to the next album. They hope to put the new album out next year and release some singles before the summer.

The Bloodgood re-release of Alive In America and Shakin' The World on DVD is coming soon. The band hopes to have it out sometime this month.

Former soundman for Bloodgood and Barren Cross, Paul Doty, has recently released a CD-ROM called Rubber Meets The Road. The CD-ROM is a re-release of his 1994 book of the same name which gives a first hand account of happenings while touring with Bloodgood and Barren Cross. The CD-ROM contains over 500 photos, over nine hours of audio, and exclusive interviews.

Another blast from the past comes from One Bad Pig. They have released their first album on CD. A Christian Banned was originally released on vinyl in 1986. You can enjoy this classic in all of it's unremixed and unremastered glory!

You may have noticed on the concerts & festivals page that Stavesacre was coming to The Netherlands on December 14th. However, the band has decided to cancel their show in Ede. The band's replaced by Me Without You.

Satellite 7 won the Grote Prijs in The Netherlands. This is a national band contest.

The organization of the Bob Fest added two bands to their line-up: Callisto, a metalcore band from Finland, and Azure Skies, an industrial outfit featuring members of Mental Destruction and Sanctum.

In other festival news, the Brainwave Festival 2003 is cancelled.

And Fear Dark announced the four names of bands playing on their Fear Dark Festival: Brain:FAQ, Lightmare, Immortal Souls and Slechtvalk. See concerts page for details.