This was confirmed to me within the last half an hour by both Wendy Dio and Geezer Butler. He died this morning - May 16, 2010.
UPDATE: Here is the official note from Wendy Dio:
Message from Wendy Dio
Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.
Joe's forums are back up and You can visit this link to get to the Ronnie James Dio memorials area on his forum.
CATHEDRAL: New Song Available For Streaming - Mar. 2, 2010
"Edwige's Eyes", a brand new track from the veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL, is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off CATHEDRAL's ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label, "The Guessing Game", which is scheduled for release on March 26 in Europe and on April 20 in North America.
Produced once again by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR), who also took care of the band's last effort, "The Garden Of Unearthly Delights", in 2005, "The Guessing Game" is one wild and unpredictable ride with one of the most unique and exciting acts the metal genre has got to offer! For the first time in the band's history, they have recorded a double album that boasts thirteen tracks offering a colourful variety of musical styles and lyrical themes: "Requiem For The Voiceless", for example, is pure, down 'n' out crawling doom — and the first animal-rights song in doom metal history! Then you'll get classic stomping and grooving CATHEDRAL material with the catchy "Painting In The Dark", plus many songs wading through psychedelic and proggy waters — especially "Funeral Of Dreams", featuring none other than Alison O' Donnell of MELLOW CANDLE ('70s Irish folk rock band) fame doing guest vocals.
It comes as no surprise that this time around CATHEDRAL went as far as to include exotic instrumentation such as Mellotron and Sitar. And pay special attention to the lyrics of "Journeys Into Jade": Lee Dorrian and Co. are celebrating 20 years of CATHEDRAL with this one!
And what a way to celebrate this anniversary: traditional CATHEDRAL cover artist Dave Patchett came up with one of his finest artworks in the band's history, mirroring the themes and musical quirkiness of the album itself.
"The Guessing Game" track listing:
Disc 1:
01. Immaculate Misconception (02:24)
02. Funeral Of Dreams (08:28)
03. Painting In The Dark (06:18)
04. Death Of An Anarchist (07:12)
05. The Guessing Game (03:08)
06. Edwige's Eyes (07:08)
07. Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine (06:01)
Disc 2:
01. One Dimensional People (02:30)
02. The Casket Chasers (06:41)
03. La Noche del Buque Maldito (a.k.a. Ghost Ship of The Blind Dead) (05:46)
04. The Running Man (08:46)
05. Requiem for the Voiceless (09:50)
06. Journey Into Jade (10:36)
Last year, Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, was limited to 500 copies.
CATHEDRAL: More 'The Guessing Game' Details Revealed - Feb. 18, 2010
Veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL will release its ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label, "The Guessing Game", on March 26 in Europe and on April 20 in North America.
Produced once again by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR), who also took care of the band's last effort, "The Garden Of Unearthly Delights", in 2005, "The Guessing Game" is one wild and unpredictable ride with one of the most unique and exciting acts the metal genre has got to offer! For the first time in the band's history, they have recorded a double album that boasts thirteen tracks offering a colourful variety of musical styles and lyrical themes: "Requiem For The Voiceless", for example, is pure, down 'n' out crawling doom — and the first animal-rights song in doom metal history! Then you'll get classic stomping and grooving CATHEDRAL material with the catchy "Painting In The Dark", plus many songs wading through psychedelic and proggy waters — especially "Funeral Of Dreams", featuring none other than Alison O' Donnell of MELLOW CANDLE ('70s Irish folk rock band) fame doing guest vocals.
It comes as no surprise that this time around CATHEDRAL went as far as to include exotic instrumentation such as Mellotron and Sitar. And pay special attention to the lyrics of "Journeys Into Jade": Lee Dorrian and Co. are celebrating 20 years of CATHEDRAL with this one!
And what a way to celebrate this anniversary: traditional CATHEDRAL cover artist Dave Patchett came up with one of his finest artworks in the band's history, mirroring the themes and musical quirkiness of the album itself.
"The Guessing Game" track listing:
Disc One:
01. Immaculate Misconception
02. Funeral Of Dreams
03. Painting In The Dark
04. Death Of An Anarchist
05. The Guessing Game
06. Edwige's Eyes
07. Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine
Disc Two:
01. One Dimensional People
02. Casket Chasers
03. La Noche Del Buque Maldito (aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead)
04. The Running Man
05. Requiem For The Voiceless
06. Journeys Into Jad
Last year, Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, was limited to 500 copies.
PLACE OF SKULLS Hard At Work On New Album - Feb. 18, 2010
PLACE OF SKULLS, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based band featuring former PENTAGRAM guitarist Victor Griffin, entered Lakeside Studios in the group's hometown on January 25 to begin recording its as-yet-untitled new album. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include:
* Dayspring
* As A Dog Returns
* The Maker
* Breath Of Life
* Though He Stay Me
PLACE OF SKULLS' third full-length album, "The Black Is Never Far", was released in 2006 via Exile On Mainstream Records. The CD was recorded at Lakeside Studios with producers Travis Wyrick and Mike Dearing, and featured Griffin alongside Dennis Cornelius of REVELATION and OVERSOUL fame and drummer extraordinaire Tim Tomaselli. Longtime friend and original PLACE OF SKULLS/DEATH ROW bassist Lee Abney also made a guest appearance.
SAINT VITUS Guitarist Says 'There Is Talk' Of Recording New Studio Album - Feb. 3, 2010
JJ Koczan of The Obelisk conducted an interview with legendary SAINT VITUS guitarist Dave Chandler following the band's recent Los Angeles show about their ongoing reunion and future plans. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
The Obelisk: Are there differences between this and [the brief 2003 reunion]? Are there different crowds showing up?
Dave Chandler: Well, it seems like there's more younger people now than there was at that time, so that's cool. The crowds are getting more into it because our new drummer Henry [Vasquez] is such a powerful drummer, people are talking again how they can feel it in their chests and stuff like they used to do years ago. It's changed a little, but I noticed last night there was a lot of kids there, and that's kind of unusual.
The Obelisk: What do you think it is that's bringing those kids out now?
Dave Chandler: Most of them, their parents were fans, and they grew up listening to our records because that's what their parents played. They never got a chance to see this band that mom and dad played all the time, so when they do, they're like, "Oh, this is that band!" A lot of them come with their parents, which is really cool. We get introduced to these guys who saw us when they were 19 and now they're bringing their 10-year-old kid to see us. It's cool.
The Obelisk: What happened with [former drummer] Armando Acosta?
Dave Chandler: He's got some major health problems, and it's just restricting his playing. We had set up to do a really, really big show in France with 100,000 people, 80,000 — the Hellfest. We did Roadburn and like three German shows, and we were like, "Man, you gotta get help, dude," because we can't have something going on like this for the France thing, because that could open up a lot of doors for other things." We played between HEAVEN & HELL and MÖTLEY CRÜE, so we couldn't have stuff screwing up. Hopefully he'll attend to it. We all hope that he does.
The Obelisk: Is the door open for him to come back, pending that?
Dave Chandler: I don't think so. He said a lot of stuff that was on the Internet that was bad. There's a big wall between me and him right now and I don't want to deal with it. Henry's the better drummer anyway. I'm real comfortable with Henry. He's kick-ass, the way it should be.
The Obelisk: You're going back to Europe next month. Are there plans for more U.S. touring?
Dave Chandler: That I don't know exactly. Right now we're gonna do Europe, and that's like for people to see us so hopefully we can pop over there for some of the big festivals and stuff. Especially if tonight goes well, we're gonna want to play in some other cities in America that we haven't played since the day. We did a little on the East Coast and a little on the West Coast, and there's all that in between. Hopefully we'll do something.
The Obelisk: Are there any plans to do any writing or a new album?
Dave Chandler: Well, there's talk about it, but nothing is concrete yet. We're just kind of feeling stuff out and seeing how it goes. If people keep reacting to the reunion thing good, then you never know. You can't keep repeating something, so we're gonna do this thing [in Europe], then if we can do the festivals, then the only other reunion thing would be the States, because there's a bunch of states that haven't seen it. Then after that, it would be either, "Okay, we're retired again," or we would have to do the new record, because you can't just keep on doing reunion after reunion after reunion. That's just redundant. I wouldn't want to be one of those bands who has 50 retirement tours.
Quality video footage of SAINT VITUS performing the song "Look Behind You" on January 29, 2010 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California can be viewed below.
SHRINEBUILDER: New West Coast Dates Announced - Jan. 12, 2010
SHRINEBUILDER — the project that features in its ranks Scott "Wino" Weinrich (ST. VITUS, THE HIDDEN HAND), Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS), Al Cisneros (OM, SLEEP), and Dale Crover (MELVINS) — has scheduled the following dates:
March 02 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
March 03 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo
March 04 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo
March 05 - San Jose, CA - Voodoo Lounge
March 06 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
March 07 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
March 09 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
March 2-9 - With A STORM OF LIGHT
March 5-7 - With HARVESTMAN
According to a posting on SHRINEBUILDER's MySpace page, "the band will also be playing [New York] and the 2010 Scion Rock festival. Details on those dates coming soon."
Video footage of SHRINEBUILDER's November 11, 2009 performance at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California can be viewed below.
SHRINEBUILDER's self-titled debut album was released in October via Neurot Recordings. According to a press release, the CD is "a powerful culmination of its members' distinct styles that coalesce into an entity of its own. Comprised of five epic passages showcasing this group's grandiose merging of soulful doom dirges, spiritual mantras, monstrous buildups and chest-collapsing grooves, the debut is truly a must-hear album of 2009."
"Shrinebuilder" track listing:
01. Solar Benediction
02. Pyramid Of The Moon
03. Blind For All To See
04. The Architect
05. Science Of Anger
The record's stunning cover art from Josh Graham (A STORM OF LIGHT, NEUROSIS' visual media artist) can be viewed below.
CANDLEMASS To Release 'Ashes To Ashes Live' DVD - Dec. 21, 2009
Bassist/mainman Leif Edling of Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS was interviewed live on tonight's (Monday, December 21) edition of Greece's "Metalzone" radio show (web site) with Kostas Purevil Kyriakakis. One of the topics raised during the chat was the upcoming CANDLEMASS DVD, which will probably be out in late February/early March via Nuclear Blast. Tentatively titled "Ashes To Ashes Live", the disc will contain footage of the band's performance at this year's Sweden Rock Festival in front of 30,000 people as well as CANDLEMASS' entire October 2009 concert in Athens, Greece. Bonus material will include two large photo galeries and the interview Metalzone.gr conducted with the band when they were in Greece.
You can now listen to "Metalzone"'s interview with Leif Edling using the audio player below.
CANDLEMASS is among the five final nominees that are competing for the "Best Hard Rock" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards, which will be held January 15, 2010 at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm. The bands are all nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2009.
"Best Hard Rock" nominees:
* CANDLEMASS - Death Magic Doom
* HAMMERFALL - No Sacrifice, No Victory
* HARDCORE SUPERSTAR - Beg For It
* MUSTASCH - Mustasch
* RAISED FIST - Veil Of Ignorance
Last year's Grammis award in the "Best Hard Rock" category was won by in flames for the band's "A Sense Of Purpose" CD. The band also performed the song "Alias" during the ceremony, which was broadcast live on Swedish national channel TV4.
Edling is selling a "wonderful and unique" Manne bass guitar with cross inlays and CANDLEMASS skull on the body. It also says "Leif Edling" on the neck above the Manne logo.
Commented Leif: "[The bass] was handmade in Italy two years ago and you can't really put a price on a unique item like this!
"The bass is in pristine mint condition. Has a great tone! I used it on the 'Lucifer Rising' EP. Now YOU have a chance to own it!!
"So, a bit of info… every metal freak's wet dream with inlay crosses on the fretboard.
"The body is very light and made out of basswood, and the CANDLEMASS skull is printed in black over the satin black finish. The pick-ups are Manne's passive alnico V P/J's — all black, of course — as the hardware and Manne bridge. The neck is bolted on, made from ashwood with a multilaminated core. In all... an incredibly cool bass!!
* Starting price is SEK 12,000 (about €112 or $1,672)
* All bids must be posted in [the official CANDLEMASS forum]! (you must register for the forum!)
* Auction closes Tuesday, December 22.
* Winner will receive e-mail to the e-mail address registered at [the official CANDLEMASS] forum with more information.
* Payment through PayPal unless otherwise is discussed.
* Serious bidders only!!
"The Leif Edling custom Manne bass comes with a soft case.
"A Swedish winner can always pick the bass up in Stockholm, but for countries outside Sweden, it has to be UPS or similar. The cost for sending it to Europe somewhere is around €500 or below, and to the U.S. it is under $100. I think, anyway. We'll figure it out. The winner, of course, has to pay for the shipping, but it will be the exact freight cost and no extras."
Porcupine Tree Live IIT (Mood Indigo Festival) Mumbai 21st Dec 2009 Show Review.
Review by Khushal Bhadra
So today was the day where Mumbai city witnessed a wonderful performance by Porcupine Tree band from England led by frontman Steven Wilson. The whole experience of the venue to the performance of the band had a lot of shades to it. Myself along with my friend reached the venue exactly at around 3:30 pm. Checking out the environment it was pretty decent since its one of the biggest college i.e. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Mumbai) Mood Indigo festival. People from all parts of India were present to see the band perform live for the very first time in India, Mumbai. Earlier, in Asia Porcupine tree have only performed in Japan. So this was a treat for all progressive rock fans in Mumbai.
The only best part about this festival was the Porcupine tree show. The college guys, organizers and staffs were not able to manage the crowds. Security was a complete joke. These guys were so psyched that they did not allow people(fans) to get their Ipods and music player inside the venue. Many fans started to break lines and get inside the Open Air Theater as soon as possible. I would say it was a complete failure on the part of the college staff and organizers. Many of the security guys were so rude and had no knowledge how to handle crowds which certainly needs to be improved.
I am emphasizing on it because in future I would request bands to perform here in India, Mumbai City via better event organizers like DNA Networks, Oranjuice or Opium events who have had better experience to handle Metal/Rock artists from all across the world . Professional event management firm is a way to go for International Bands/Artists who are willing to perform here. So we were in queue from 3:30 pm expecting the gates to open by 5:00 pm but it wasn’t to be. The gates opened at around 6:00 pm yet the queue we were in, moved just few meters from where we started. Many of us fans missed even the opening act performance by India’s oldest rock band named Parikrama due the lack luster management as we reached the theater at around 7:30 pm. The only good part were the food counters which were perfectly managed by them.
Leaving that aside we were all eager for the performance of Porcupine tree and by 8:00 pm crowd started shouting “Steven Steven” and just after 10 minutes or so the band headed by Steven Wilson took command of the stage and started with the track called Occam's Razor from the new album The Incident. Being a fan and a audience I felt Steven Wilson was a bit nervous at start as 7,000 – 10,000 fans were screaming their lungs out and waving their devils horns to show their gratitude towards the band. The place was completely buzzing with all sorts of noises. After the first song the band were full of confidence and gave their best performance till date, even with some power and sound issues they encountered during the show. This was a path breaking concert for Steven and his clan. Steven was so impressed by the enthusiasm of the fans that he even promised that they will soon come back to perform here in India. Some of the songs that they played were Time Flies and Trains where even the audience started singing along with the band such was the performance by this brilliant band. I would like to describe the entire show as simply divine.
Setlist was as follows:-
Occam's razor
Blind house
Sound of muzak
Hatesong
Open car
Time flies
Blackest eyes
The start of something beautiful
Russia on ice
Anesthize
Lazarus
Octane twisted
The Seance
The circle of manias
Way out of here
Bread
Encore:-
Trains
Halo
I have few footage of the show which I managed to capture and I am sharing with all you fans pretty soon just to get the experience and buzz at the concert. Hope you’ll like my review and will also help bands to next time look for better organizers rather than college festivals for better experience for fans all across India.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/6655402/17287394
More bands added to PLANET CARAVAN festival - July 15, 2009
The sickest rock festival to hit North Carolina just got sicker! The promoters of the Metal Injection-sponsored Planet Caravan just announced additional bands for the two-day festival happening on September 18th and 19th. In addition to Clutch, Pentagram, Kylesa, Burst, Yob, Wino and others, just added are Tombs, The Gates of Slumber, Zoroaster, Bison B.C., Sourvein, Salome and our good buddies in Hull and Battilus. If you are in the area, it's clear this show is not to be missed. Tickets are available at the official Planet Caravan website.
Trouble And Pentagram To Tour Together - 06/01/2009
Doom metal legends Trouble and Pentagram will team up for the "Doom Over Europe" tour starting in late September. Confirmed dates are as follows:
09/30 - Knaack Club - Berlin, Germany
10/01 - The Rock - Copenhagen, Denmark
10/02 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
10/03 - Turock - Essen, Germany
10/04 - Glazart - Paris, France
10/05 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
10/07 - Diesel Club - Budapest, Hungary
10/08 - Masters Of Rock - Zlin, Czech Republic
10/09 - Rosenkeller - Jena, Germany
10/10 – [to be announced] - Bielefeld, Germany
10/11 - Nachtleben - Frankfurt, Germany
10/12 - Club O13 - Tilburg, Netherlands
10/13 - Kultuzentrum - Hanover, Germany
10/14 - Underworld - London, England
10/17 - Hammer Of Doom Fest - Wurzburg, Germany
Trouble will play a warm-up show for their Wacken Open Air appearance on July 24 at Chicago City Limits in Schaumburg, Illinois.
TROUBLE Writing 'Classic Doom' Album - Apr. 3, 2009
Legendary Chicago doomsters TROUBLE have set "The Dark Riff" as the tentative title of their new album, due later in the year.
Commented vocalist Kory Clarke: "I'm really excited about all the new songs Rick [Wartell, guitar] and Bruce [Franklin, guitar] have played me thus far and have been singing them real tough. Really enjoying the power and latitude I'm able to move in lyrically as well as melodically. This going to be classic doom! I love singing this stuff!"
Added Bruce Franklin: "I've written about five songs so far. One of my tests to know if the song is memorable is to not record the riffs and ideas. If I have no trouble remembering the song that I wrote, then that's a good sign. Even if a month or more passes, I should be able to remember the song in full. Of course, that's just the music."
Rick Wartell said: "I am extremely pleased with the new songs, and in the direction this release is taking. It has the vibe of earlier times. If I had to sum it up in one word, the word is DOOM... Having a great time writing for it."
A previous post on the group's web site stated: "As you can tell by the [new album's] title, IT'S HEAVY! The band is resorting to the root of what made TROUBLE in the first place and what they are best at, DOOM! This will no doubt be the heaviest TROUBLE release since the mid-'80s when they crushed the masses with what is now known as 'Psalm 9' and 'The Skull'.:
TROUBLE recently released a live recording from Los Angeles via their web site. "Live In L.A.", recorded on the band's last West Coast tour, has been mixed and mastered and is available at NewTrouble.com.
"Live In L.A." track listing:
01. Intro
02. RIP
03. The Sleeper
04. Touch the Sky
05. Plastic Green Head
06. The Eye
07. Simple Mind Condition
08. Mr. White
09. Endtime
10. Troublemaker
11. End of My Daze
In a 2008 interview with Rock N Roll Experience, TROUBLE guitarist Rick Wartell stated about the band's new material, "I know people have said this a million times and I know you've heard this a million times, but it's pretty fucking heavy, let's put it that way! The music end of it that Bruce [Franklin, guitar] and I are writing is getting heavier and heavier...it's getting heavier and then we want Kory [Clarke, new TROUBLE singer] to incorporate his style to what we are doing, that's basically all that we really want out of this."
Fan-filmed video footage of TROUBLE's July 9, 2008 performance at Slim's in Francisco, California can be viewed below (clip uploaded by YouTube user "Repro").
9/4/2009
Porcupine Tree play in India, Mumbai City
Porcupine Tree are happy to announce their first ever performance in India. It will take place on 21st December at the Mood Indigo festival, IIT Bombay, in Mumbai. More info soon on their official website.
Orange Goblin Tour Dates - 9/8/2009
After being locked away writing new material and laying waste to numerous European Festivals throughout the summer, the band is certainly ready to kick out the jams once more!
The live shenanigans kick-off on Saturday, 12 September, with the bands first show on British soil of 2009 at The Camden Underworld, London. This will be followed by a trip to the US to play at the mighty Planet Caravan Festival in Ashville, North Carolina, USA, on Saturday, 19 September, alongside doom and stoner legends such as PENTAGRAM, CLUTCH, KYLESA, YOB, WINO, SOURVEIN, and many more.
The band then continues the UK run with special shows at TJ’s in Newport (their ONLY appearance in Wales in 2009), Concorde II in Brighton (the ONLY South-coast appearance in 2009), The Roadhouse in Manchester (the ONLY Northern appearance in 2009), and finally the annual end of year Christmas show, this year to be held at The Scala, London on Saturday, 19 December. As in previous years, the support acts for the Christmas show have been hand-picked by Orange Goblin and this year we have the mighty New Jersey (US) sluggers SOLACE, Boston (US) rockers ROADSAW (who will be performing a set of KYUSS covers), London heavyweights CENTURIONS GHOST, and opening the proceedings will be London’s heavy-groovers SONS OF MERRICK. After the show there will be a rock/metal club in the venue (admission is free with a gig ticket) until 6 am, with members of ORANGE GOBLIN and the support acts DJ’ing until the early hours. It promises to be THE don’t miss gig of the year!
The full list of UK dates is as follows:
Sat 12 Sept: – London, UK - The Underworld, with SYMPHONY CULT, GU MEDICINE, GRIFTER, COLT 44, CARS ON FIRE
Sat 17 Oct: – Newport, UK – TJ’s, with TAINT, BUFFALO KINGS, REVOKER
Sat 14 Nov: – Brighton, UK - Concorde II, with SYMPHONY CULT, THOUGHTS COLLIDE,
CARS ON FIRE
Sat 28 Nov: – Manchester, UK - The Roadhouse, with SYMPHONY CULT, CHARGER, CARS ON FIRE
Sat 19 Dec: London, UK - The Scala, with SOLACE, ROADSAW, CENTURIONS GHOST,
SONS OF MERRICK
Work continues writing the next ORANGE GOBLIN album, the band`s first for new label Candlelight Records and the band plans to record in early 2010 for a spring release.
www.orange-goblin.com
www.myspace.com/theorangegoblin
SHRINEBUILDER Confirmed For Holland's ROADBURN Festival - Oct. 7, 2009
SHRINEBUILDER, the project that features in its ranks Scott "Wino" Weinrich (ST. VITUS, THE HIDDEN HAND), Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS), Al Cisneros (OM, SLEEP), and Dale Crover (MELVINS), has been confirmed for next year's Roadburn festival, set to take place from Thursday, April 15 to Saturday, April 17 at the 013 and Midi Theatre venues in Tilburg, Holland. An additional Afterburner event will be held on Sunday, April 18, 2010. SHRINEBUILDER will perform on Saturday, April 17.
Commented Scott Kelly: "As individuals, we are all veterans of the immense depth that the Roadburn festival brings to the world of sound and the electric church. As SHRINEBUILDER, we look forward to the opportunity to return once again to the stage at the 013. Only this time we step through a new door as reborn veterans of the psychic war and we bring all that we have taken and all that has been taken from us to lay it at the feet of the gods and ask for nothing in return but the opportunity to play these songs that were gifted to us for the people who will stand in the room with us on April 17, 2010."
A new SHRINEBUILDER song, "Pyramid Of The Moon", is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's self-titled debut album, which is scheduled for release on October 27 via Neurot Recordings. According to a press release, the CD is "a powerful culmination of its members' distinct styles that coalesce into an entity of its own. Comprised of five epic passages showcasing this group's grandiose merging of soulful doom dirges, spiritual mantras, monstrous buildups and chest-collapsing grooves, the debut is truly a must-hear album of 2009."
"Shrinebuilder" track listing:
01. Solar Benediction
02. Pyramid Of The Moon
03. Blind For All To See
04. The Architect
05. Science Of Anger
The record's stunning cover art from Josh Graham (A STORM OF LIGHT, NEUROSIS' visual media artist) can be viewed below.
Upcoming SHRINEBUILDER shows:
Nov. 13 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
Nov. 14 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL (8 p.m. and 11 p.m. performances)
Nov. 15 - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY
Nov. 16 - Emo's Outdoor - Austin, TX
Apr. 17 - Roadburn - Tilburg, NETH
Clutch Announces Off-Dates From Soundwave Fest - Oct 23, 2009
Clutch have recently released sideshow tour dates on their official website to coincide with the upcoming Australian and New Zealand Soundwave Festival tour next year. Here are the tour dates:
17/02 – Auckland – Kings Arms
19/02 – Brisbane – The Zoo
24/02 – Sydney – Gaelic Theatre
25/02 – Melbourne – Prince Bandroom
02/03 – Perth – Amplifier
CATHEDRAL: New Album Title Announced - Oct. 28, 2009
Veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL will enter Chapel studios (THE DARKNESS, NAPALM DEATH, URIAH HEEP, WET WET WET, SIMPLE MINDS) in Lincolnshire, U.K. in November to record its ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label. Entitled "The Guessing Game", the new CD will once again be produced by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR) and sport stunning new artwork from band collaborator Dave Patchett. Songtitles set to appear on the CD (among others) include:
* Journeys Into Jade
* The Casket Chasers
* Funeral Of Dreams
* Death Of An Anarchist
* La Noche Del Buque Maldito (a.k.a. Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead)
* Open Mind Surgery
"The Guessing Game" is scheduled for a March/April 2010 release.
Earlier in the year, Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, is limited to 500 copies.
CATHEDRAL's latest LP, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights", was released in Europe in October 2005 and in North America in January 2006. Produced by Riker, the follow-up to 2002's "The VIIth Coming" was said to be the band's "most varied effort so far." Using every stylistic device — from female vocals up to violins — and embedding it all in that typical CATHEDRAL brand of doom, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" was described as "a treat for every fan of the band, old and new alike."
SAINT VITUS: European, West Coast Dates Announced - Oct. 29, 2009
American doom legends SAINT VITUS have announcef the first of the confirmed dates for their upcoming February 2010 European tour featuring places that the band has never played or has not played in a very long time. A support band has not been chosen yet, but the preliminary dates are as follows:
Feb. 04 - Essen, Germany - Turock
Feb. 05 - Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
Feb. 06 - Wurzburg, Germany - Posthalle
Feb. 07 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
Feb. 10 - London, England - Scala (w/ ORANGE GOBLIN)
Feb. 15 - Wien, Austria - Arena
Feb. 17 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
Feb. 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Feb. 19 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
Feb. 20 - Oslo, Norway - Betong
Additional dates and support acts will be named soon.
In other news, SAINT VITUS will play Los Angeles and San Francisco for the first time since 1988. Dates with openers SAVIOURS are as follows:
Jan. 28 - Key Club - Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 29 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
SAINT VITUS reunited in 2003 for two select shows in Germany and Chicago. Earlier this year, they headlined the Roadburn festival in Holland, which expanded to a sold-out warm up show in New Orleans and three select club shows in Germany. The band then returned to Europe this past summer to play a one-off show at the Hellfest in Clisson, France.
In an interview with Terrorizer magazine, Chandler stated about the band's growing popularity, "The irony of it all is a friend whom I used to complain to that things were not happening for us in the '80s said to me that to become popular, all I had to do was to disband and reform five years later. How true. But seriously, I don't know what really happened. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that during the time we were gone the whole doom scene was finally blossoming, at least in Europe, and a lot of those bands were mentioning us as one of their main influences. But it still feels weird. I work in a head shop here in New Orleans, I sell pipes, you know. And few times, some customers who there looking to buy some stuff would all of a sudden just freeze in front of me and go like, 'Wait a second, are you really who I'm thinking you are?' to which I would just answer like, 'Errrrrr, I don't know." Usually, they would then rave on about me being in SAINT VITUS and being some kind of legend or whatever. And the only thing I'd tell then would be, 'Really?'"
PENTAGRAM, THE GATES OF SLUMBER To Team Up For U.S. Tour - Nov. 13, 2009
Two of doom metal's most acclaimed acts will team up for a two-week U.S. tour this winter as PENTAGRAM joins forces with THE GATES OF SLUMBER.
The 11 city tour will launch on January 15 in Springfield, VA.
The pairing of PENTAGRAM and THE GATES OF SLUMBER aligns two generations of doom metal majesty and will undoubtedly be a tremendous treat for both long time loyalists and wide-eyed newcomers alike.
Formed in 1971, PENTAGRAM has a long and storied history that continues to play out almost 40 years later. Led by wildly charismatic vocalist Bobby Liebling, the band has forged an indelible mark in the "heavy metal rock and roll" pantheon and continues to influence scores of modern day acts. THE GATES OF SLUMBER has emerged as one of modern day metal's most critically acclaimed bands whose decidedly throwback sound both pays homage to and builds upon "heavy metal" in its truest form. The band has been hailed as "a breath of fresh air within the doom / true metal underground" and its latest studio album, "Hymns of Blood & Thunder" (Rise Above) is in stores now.
Pre-sales for the tour go on sale today (Friday, November 13).
The initial routing for the trek is as follows:
Jan. 15 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Jan. 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Polaris
Jan. 17 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club
Jan. 18 - Richmond, VA - The Hat Factory
Jan. 21 - New Orleans, LA - The Howlin' Wolf
Jan. 23 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Jan. 26 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
Jan. 27 - Madison, WI - High Noon
Jan. 28 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Jan. 29 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
Jan. 30 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
SAINT VITUS: More European Shows Announced - Nov. 17, 2009
American doom legends SAINT VITUS have announcef the first of the confirmed dates for their upcoming February 2010 European tour featuring places that the band has never played or has not played in a very long time. A support band has not been chosen yet, but the preliminary dates are as follows:
Feb. 03 - UK - London - O2 Academy Islington
Feb. 04 - GER - Essen - Turock
Feb. 05 - GER - Leipzig - Conne Island
Feb. 06 - GER - Würzburg - Posthalle
Feb. 07 - NED - Rotterdam - Baroeg
Feb. 08 - BEL - Antwerpen - Trix
Feb. 09 - F - Paris - Nouveau Casino
Feb. 11 - ESP - Madrid - Penelope Club
Feb. 12 - ESP - Barcelona - Mephisto
Feb. 13 - CH - Winterthur - Gaswerk
Feb. 14 - ITA - Milano - Bloom
Feb. 15 - AT - Wien - Arena
Feb. 17 - GER - Berlin - Columbia Club
Feb. 18 - GER - Hamburg - Markthalle
Feb. 19 - DEN - Copenhagen - Loppen
Feb. 20 - NOR - Oslo - Betong
In late January, SAINT VITUS will play Los Angeles and San Francisco for the first time since 1988. Dates with openers SAVIOURS are as follows:
Jan. 28 - Key Club - Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 29 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
SAINT VITUS reunited in 2003 for two select shows in Germany and Chicago. Earlier this year, they headlined the Roadburn festival in Holland, which expanded to a sold-out warm up show in New Orleans and three select club shows in Germany. The band then returned to Europe this past summer to play a one-off show at the Hellfest in Clisson, France.
In an interview with Terrorizer magazine, Chandler stated about the band's growing popularity, "The irony of it all is a friend whom I used to complain to that things were not happening for us in the '80s said to me that to become popular, all I had to do was to disband and reform five years later. How true. But seriously, I don't know what really happened. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that during the time we were gone the whole doom scene was finally blossoming, at least in Europe, and a lot of those bands were mentioning us as one of their main influences. But it still feels weird. I work in a head shop here in New Orleans, I sell pipes, you know. And few times, some customers who there looking to buy some stuff would all of a sudden just freeze in front of me and go like, 'Wait a second, are you really who I'm thinking you are?' to which I would just answer like, 'Errrrrr, I don't know." Usually, they would then rave on about me being in SAINT VITUS and being some kind of legend or whatever. And the only thing I'd tell then would be, 'Really?'"
Fan-filmed video footage of SAINT VITUS performing at Hellfest in Clisson, France June 19, 2009 can be viewed below (courtesy of "ahabb616").
Amon Amarth and TEXTURES To Play India For First Time - Nov. 11, 2009
Dutch progressive tech metallers TEXTURES will make their Indian live debut at the Deccan Rock Festival on December 5, 2009 at Palace grounds in Bangalore, India. Co-headlining the event will be AMON AMARTH.
The band is excited to finally play India as there have been a lot of rumors the past year of the group touring this metal-loving country. This will be TEXTURES' last performance before hitting the studio to record a new album, which will be released in the fall 2010 on Nuclear Blast.
TEXTURES took India by storm earlier this fall in an unprecedented manner. Despite having never setting foot in the country, and without ever officially releasing a record there, the band was featured on the cover of the nation's biggest rock magazine, the Rock Street Journal (see image below). The mag contained a five-page interview with the band as well as a poster and a CD with three TEXTURES tracks. Within three days, every single one of the 50,000 copies of the magazine were sold out, and a re-print of the magazine was set to hit the shelves to feed the demand.
