ADAGIO: Japanese Tour Report

Guitarist Stéphan Forté of the French progressive metallers ADAGIO has issued the following update:

"Just arrived back from Japan where we played three shows, did some promo and had lots of fun....

"Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make an official announcement before leaving and when I arrived I received lots of emails asking if Gus [Monsanto] was still the singer of ADAGIO.

"So, first of all, and before anything else: OF COURSE!!!!! Gus is still the singer and forever will be the fifth Archangel in Black!!!!

"What happened is one week before our departure for Tokyo we learnt that [Gus'] visa has been refused from Japanese embassy in Brazil and that he could not make it. We were devastated... So Gus proposed us to ask his great friend Kelly Sundown Carpenter (ex-BEYOND TWILIGHT, OUTWORLD) to replace him for those shows. It was first not that easy for us, as Gus is the singer, and doing a tour without your friend is quite... weird. But he said, (and he was right) that we had to go there and kick ass in order to go again next time with him. So our manager called Kelly, who had to learn the songs very quick, and he joined us directly in Tokyo on September 11th.We didn't had time to rehearse with him at all, so first reharsal was... the show in Tokyo !!!! Kelly did a great great job, has a very powerful voice and a great technique, and has been a very cool and funny friend. Also we had a loooooot of fun with the KORPIKLAANI guys, though it has been very difficult to beat them at the 'drinking game,' lol.

"We would like to thank all the fans there for their wonderful welcome, our Japanese promoter Avex and our record company in Japan Avalon Marquee for their incredible work and kindness, and the KORPI dudes for being so cool. Of course, we would like to thank our buddy Kelly for his great talent, and for his huge help on this one, we had a lot of great fun with ya... Arigato gozaimasu, brother!!!"

ADAGIO's Brazilian singer Gus Monsanto joined the band in 2004 as the replacement for David Readman (PINK CREAM 69),

ADAGIO recently entered the studio to record its fourth album, entitled "Archangels in Black". According to a posting on the group's official web site, the overall vibe of the tracks like "Archangels in Black", "Undead", "The Fear Circus" and "Twilight At Dawn" is "very dark and massive. The band came back to a more orchestral style of composition but kept the heaviness of songs like 'Dominate' or 'Children of the Dead Lake' from the previous album released in 2005 in Japan."

Commented Forté: "This album is a sort of tribute to dark arts, including horror movies and gothic literature. It's our own musical representation of what darkness is. I think the song 'Archangels in Black' would be a cool hymn for all those of us who enjoy sinister arts."

ADAGIO issued its latest album, "Dominate", in North America and Europe (outside France) in July 2006 via Locomotive Music. The CD — which was issued in Japan in December 2005 via Avalon/Marquee and in France in March through Double Vision (via Sony/BMG distribution) — was produced by Stephan Forté and Kevin Codfert, and was mixed at House of Audio Studios in Germany by Dennis Ward.

Watch ADAGIO's video for the track "Dominate":