STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson (ex-DIO) has agreed to play on SONATA ARCTICA's next studio CD if the group don't find a replacement for the recently-departed Mikko Harkin in time for the upcoming album's recording sessions. "I really love [SONATA ARCTICA] the way they were," Jens stated in a post on the official STRATOVARIUS message board. ...
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Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have parted ways with keyboardist Mikko Harkin. "For personal reasons, a time has come in my life when I have to make a decision in order to be able to go on," Harkin explained in an official statement announcing his decision to leave the group. "I've been fortunate to share ...
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IN FLAMES, NEVERMORE, PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER and DARK TRANQUILLITY are among the artists set to appear on A Tribute To The Four Horsemen, a METALLICA tribute CD currently being compiled by Nuclear Blast Records for a December 2nd worldwide release, BLABBERMOUTH.NET can exclusively reveal. The following is a list of the artists and song selections ...
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Finnish melodic metal band ALTARIA, featuring SONATA ARCTICA guitarist Jani Liimatainen, have signed a two-album contract with the German label AOR Heaven. The group's 11-track debut album, entitled Foundation, will be recorded at Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki during September for a February/March 2003 release through the AOR Heaven sub-label Metal Heaven. A Finnish tour ...
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Norwegian black metallers IMMORTAL were forced to cancel their appearance at Finland's Tuska 2002 festival due to undisclosed "delicate family matters," according to an official statement from the group. "The band deeply feel bad about this, but promise to come back later in the year for another gig instead," continues the statement. As previously reported, ...
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THE PROJECT HATE, featuring Jörgen Sandström of ENTOMBED/GRAVE fame, and fellow Swedes 2 TON PREDATOR will play at Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland on July 12th as part of the Tuska 2002 festival. In its fifth installment, Tuska 2002 festival (which is scheduled to take place on July 12-14 in the Kaisaniemi park in the ...
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Finland's ALTARIA, featuring SONATA ARCTICA guitarist Jani Liimatainen, have signed a management deal with Germany's GerMusica Promotion & Management and have made available for download their most recent Feed The Fire four-song demo CD via the group's official web site at this location. ALTARIA are currently shopping the above-mentioned recording in hopes of ...
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IMMORTAL, IMPALED NAZARENE and MUSTASCH are the latest acts to have been confirmed for the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, which is scheduled to take place on July 12-14 in the Kaisaniemi park in the center of Helsinki, Finland. In its fifth installment, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival is expected to draw in excess of ...
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BRUCE DICKSINSON and DIABLO are the latest acts to have been confirmed for the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, which is scheduled to take place on July 12-14 in Helsinki, Finland. In its fifth installment, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival is expected to draw in excess of 10,000 attendees over a three-day period. The confirmed ...
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SENTENCED, AMORPHIS and SONATA ARCTICA are among the artists that have been confirmed for this year's Nummirock festival, which is scheduled to take place on June 21st and on June 22nd in Nummijärvi, Finland. The complete list of acts currently set to appear at the event is as follows: EVERGREY AMORPHIS SENTENCED TIMO RAUTIAINEN & ...
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Sweden's THE CROWN, featuring former AT THE GATES frontman Tomas Lindberg, will have been confirmed for the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, which is scheduled to take place on July 12-14 in Helsinki, Finland. Other acts set to appear at the event include MACHINE HEAD, NIGHTWISH and SONATA ARCTICA, among others. ...
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MACHINE HEAD, NIGHTWISH and SONATA ARCTICA are three of the acts that have been confirmed for the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, which is scheduled to take place on July 12-14 in Helsinki, Finland. In its fifth installment, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival is expected to draw in excess of 10,000 attendees over a three-day ...
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STRATOVARIUS frontman Timo Kotipelto has officially signed with Century Media Records for the release of his debut solo offering, entitled Waiting For The Dawn, as exclusively reported here on February 22nd. Due out in May, the album will be issued in Finland via Timo's own High And Loud label, and will be preceded ...
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Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will issue their first-ever live album, entitled Songs of Silence - Live in Tokyo, in Finland on July 1st. The full track listing for the effort is as follows: 01. Intro 02. Weballergy 03. Kingdom for a Heart 04. Sing in Silence 05. False News Travel Fast 06. Last Drop ...
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STRATOVARIUS frontman Timo Kotipelto has set Waiting For The Dawn as the title of his forthcoming debut solo album, for which he has struck a deal with an as-yet-undisclosed major metal independent label (strongly rumored to be Century Media Records) for a May release. As previously reported, the album will be issued in Finland via ...
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STRATOVARIUS vocalist Timo Kotipelto is presently negotiating with several record labels regarding the release of his upcoming solo album, and if all goes according to plan, the CD will receive a worldwide release in April/May. As previously reported, the album will be released in Finland via Timo's own High And Loud label, and will be ...
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Finnish power metallers SONATA ARCTICA have announced the details of their upcoming Brazilian tour. The dates are as follows: Mar. 20 Porto Alegre, BRA @ Bar Opiniao Mar. 22 Curitiba, BRA @ Studio 1250 Mar. 23 Belo Horizonte, BRA @ TBA Mar. 24 Sao Paulo, BRA @ Directv Music Hall ...
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Finnish melodic power metallers SONATA ARCTICA have finished mixing their live album, entitled Live In Japan 2001, at Finnvox Studios with Mikko Karmila. The band are due to enter Tico Tico Studios shortly to record a couple of new songs, which may or may not appear on the aforementioned live CD as “bonus” cuts. A ...
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Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have lined up the following dates in their home country: Jan. 25 - Tampere, FIN @ Pakkahuone Jan. 26 - Lapua, FIN @ Lapuahovi Feb. 08 - Paimio, FIN @ Tillintupa Feb. 09 - Turku, FIN @ Kåren Feb. 22 - Seinäjoki, FIN @ Uimahallin Urheilutalo Feb. 23 - Jyväskylä, ...
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STRATOVARIUS vocalist Timo Kotipelto's recently-completed debut solo album will be released in Finland via Timo's own High And Loud label in March/April. No US or continental European release information has yet been made available. Among the tracks that are set to appear on the as-yet-untitled CD are the following: 01. Battle Of The Gods 02. ...
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APOLLYON SUN, featuring former CELTIC FROST mainman Tom Gabriel Fischer, are currently composing and demoing new material for the group's upcoming sophomore full-length album at the band's own rehearsal studio facility (where the act have just upgraded the computer-based recording system) and at Oakland Recording, the group's long-time home when recording in ...
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Here are some of the latest sales figures for various metal/hard rock releases in the US, as reported by Soundscan for the week ending November 25th, 2001 (number in parenthesis indicates the number of weeks the title has been on the sales chart):
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KID ROCK – Cocky: 223,062 (1) ...
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SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser will be joining former IRON MAIDEN vocalist Paul Di'Anno on stage as a very special guest at the latter's headlining appearance at the Manifesto Bar in Sao Paulo, Brazil on December 11th. Kisser will reportedly perform with Di'Anno at the first show of the singer's three-night stint ...
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Ex-VOIVOD bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest has denied that he is personally suing his former band for expenses incurred in relation to the near-fatal road accident in Germany in August 1998 that resulted in Forrest being thrown out of the band's van (who were on tour at the time) and suffering broken bones and internal damage. ...
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Contrary to the official statement posted by METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Venaderhoof on the group's official web site (as reported here yesterday), the ongoing METAL CHURCH “dispute” involving Vanderhoof and vocalist David Wayne appears to be far less of a “united front” against the singer on the part of the band than the guitarist ...
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DESTRUCTION's brand new studio album, The Antichrist, will be released through Nuclear Blast Records in Europe on Monday, August 27th. Like its predecessor, last year's All Hell Breaks Loose, The Antichrist was recorded at Sweden's The Abyss Studios with producer Peter Tagtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN). In other DESTRUCTION news, the band have been added to the ...
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Popular '80s Bay Area metal band DEATH ANGEL will reunite for a one-off performance at the Thrash Of The Titans benefit concert for TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. As previously reported, Thrash Of The Titans will be taking place on Saturday, August 11th at San Francisco's Maritime Hall, and it ...
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COAL CHAMBER have recruited Ross Hogarth to produce their forthcoming third full-length album, which is tentatively titled Dark Days and is scheduled for release on October 8th in Europe and October 9th in the US. Hogarth is a virtual unknown in metal circles, having primarily worked with pop and rock acts in the past, including ...
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The members of TESTAMENT — including the cancer-stricken vocalist Chuck Billy — were spotted at THE HAUNTED's show at Slim's in San Francisco on Thursday, April 26th. Billy, who was was reportedly in very good spirits, made it clear to everyone that TESTAMENT would continue and that he was confident he would beat the cancer ...
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