DECAPITATED Announces First Shows In Three Years

Guitarist Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka of the Polish extreme metallers DECAPITATED recently tapped Austrian drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner (of THORNS OF IVY) as the replacement for Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka, who died on November 2, 2007 in a Russian hospital from injuries sustained in a road collision. DECAPITATED singer Covan (real name: Adrian Kowanek) was also hurt in the accident, which involved the band's tour bus and a truck carrying wood in Gomel, on the Russia/Belarus border.

Vogg has now issued the following update:

"It's time to come back! After a two-year break, DECAPITATED is coming back with new members. The official new lineup for DECAPITATED will be announced at the end of December.

"As you all know, the decision to continue the band was really, really hard for me, but everything I do now is to keep DECAPITATED alive. Covan's situation has not improved much and he is still in bed and unable to function on his own. He still fights to recover as we speak and we are all still 100% behind him and hope for the best. It has been the hardest thing for me to move on without Vitek by my side, but he would have wanted me to continue with the band.

"Finally, I have found some great musicians who can continue the work of Vitek and Covan.

"At the beginning of April, DECAPITATED will start to play our first reunion shows. We will visit the biggest cities in Australia and play some of the biggest summer festivals in Europe. Don't worry, we won't forget about the U.K.! After this, the band will concentrate on the making of a new album!

"I would like to thank all the people who have supported us all this time."

Maurizio Iacono of the artist management firm Hard Impact Music adds: "I feel very privileged to have been given the management duties of guiding this great band's future. DECAPITATED was a band on the verge of greatness until tragedy hit them and the band's world stopped suddenly. Today, we have a man on a quest to bring the glory back that was taken from them prematurely. Vogg, the band's last remaining founding member, has had the gut-wrenching task of forming a new line-up for DECAPITATED. You can bet that the mission has been accomplished and in honor of the fallen, their legacies will be given the justice they deserve. Our job at Hard Impact is to make sure that DECAPITATED are guided the right way back to the top."

Gerardo Martínez, Nuclear Blast USA's label manager, comments: "I don't think there's anyone happier to know that the legacy of DECAPITATED will continue and the fact that Vogg has overcome the biggest obstacle of his life. We all at Nuclear Blast are extremely excited about the news and know that 2010 and beyond will bring a new chapter for DECAPITATED in the shape of live shows and the imminent new album. The masters of modern technical death metal are back!"

DECAPITATED's Australian tour dates and Metalfest Open Air festival appearances are as follows:

2010 Australia/New Zealand tour dates:

April 01 - The Transmission Room - Auckland, NZ
April 02 - The Esplanade Hotel - Melbourne, AUS
April 03 - The Gaelic Club - Sydney, AUS
April 04 - The Hi Fi Bar - Brisbane, AUS
April 05 - Fowlers Live - Adelaide, AUS
April 06 - Black Betty's - Perth, AUS

2010 European festivals:

May 13 - Metalfest Open Air Austria - Mining
May 14 - Metalfest Open Air Switzerland - Pratteln
May 15 - Metalfest Open Air Germany - Dessau
May 22 - Metalfest Open Air Hungary – Budapest
May 23 - Metalfest Open Air Czech Republic – Pilsen

A North American tour is planned for the summer of 2010.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/decapitated.

Metal Mind Productions released the first-ever DVD from Polish extreme metallers DECAPITATED, entitled "Human's Dust", in June 2008. The DVD was made available in two versions: as a standard DVD and as a very unique star metalpack DVD edition limited to 3,000 copies. The main feature of the DVD consists of the band's October 2002 gig in Krakow, which was a part of their European tour with VADER and KRISIUN. Bonus material includes two live performances recorded during Ozzfest in Poland (May 2002) and Metalmania festival (March 2004),the "Winds of Creation" video clip, plus three interviews recorded at various locations: Kraków in 2002 (Vitek and Vogg); Ozzfest in Katowice, 2002 (Vogg and Sauron); Metalmania in Katowice, 2004 (Sauron and Martin). Also included are a photo gallery, biography, discography, desktop images, weblinks.