METALLICA Announce Japanese Tour Dates

METALLICA have added two festival appearances in Japan to their upcoming “Escape from the Studio ’06” tour. The group’s schedule is shaping up as follows:

Jun. 03 – Nurburgring, GER – Rock Am Ring Festival
Jun. 04 – Nurnberg, GER – Rock Im Park Festival
Jun. 06 – Berlin, GER – Waldebuhne
Jun. 08 – Arnhem, NETH – Gelredome
Jun. 10 – Donington UK – Download Festival
Jun. 11 – Dublin IRE – Download Festival
Jun. 15 – Pannonia Fields, AUT – Nova Rock
Jun. 17 – Imola, ITA – Heineken Jammin Festival
Aug. 12 – Tokyo, JPN – Summer Sonic Festival
Aug. 13 – Osaka, JPN – Summer Sonic Festival

METALLICA Announce Japanese Tour Dates

METALLICA have added two festival appearances in Japan to their upcoming “Escape from the Studio ’06” tour. The group’s schedule is shaping up as follows:

Jun. 03 – Nurburgring, GER – Rock Am Ring Festival
Jun. 04 – Nurnberg, GER – Rock Im Park Festival
Jun. 06 – Berlin, GER – Waldebuhne
Jun. 08 – Arnhem, NETH – Gelredome
Jun. 10 – Donington UK – Download Festival
Jun. 11 – Dublin IRE – Download Festival
Jun. 15 – Pannonia Fields, AUT – Nova Rock
Jun. 17 – Imola, ITA – Heineken Jammin Festival
Aug. 12 – Tokyo, JPN – Summer Sonic Festival
Aug. 13 – Osaka, JPN – Summer Sonic Festival

THE BLACK CROWES’ Sold-Out Acoustic Tour; New Shows Added

Tickets for “Brothers of a Feather: An Acoustic Evening with Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes” have all sold out within minutes after going on sale. Fans eager to get up close to the renowned brothers on their first stripped-down tour scrambled to purchase all of the tickets for the four shows at Austin’s legendary Cactus Café, the two dates at Los Angeles’ The Roxy, the shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore, Bimbo’s 365 Club and Swedish American Hall, in addition to Brooklyn’s Warsaw and New York’s Town Hall. Due to overwhelming demand, a third and final show will be added Wednesday, April 26 at The Roxy in Los Angeles. Tickets for the third Roxy show will go on sale Saturday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m. PT and will be available only at the venue’s box office window. In addition, the two shows scheduled for Monday, April 17 at Austin’s Cactus Café have been relocated to the beautiful Texas Union Ballroom to accommodate additional fans and tickets will go on sale on Saturday, March 11 at noon CT at Heb’s, Erwin Center Box office (512) 477-6060 or texasboxoffice.com. The Tuesday night two-show engagement at the legendary Cactus Café will take place there as originally planned.

Chris and Rich will be performing a collection of their catalogue and influential covers as well as new material. All shows will be in a very intimate setting and will be recorded for a possible acoustic release at some point in the future.

Although THE BLACK CROWES have performed a few acoustic numbers in their electric sets in the past, this will be the first time the brothers have ever performed full-length acoustic sets in their 16-year career.

ROADRUNNER Announces Download And Grammy Achievements –

Roadrunner Records has announced a major achievement in independent label digital sales — surpassing the million-download mark for a single artist on a single track. In addition to this achievement in digital media, the label garnered its first Grammy award on the heels of its celebrated 25th anniversary year.

In the history of digital downloads, only six artists have passed the million-download mark, according to Nielsen SoundScan‘s release-to-date Digital Tracks chart. Major labels Interscope, Reprise, RCA, A&M and Geffen are represented in the Top 5. The sixth entry is the first independent label artist to reach that milestone — Roadrunner Records‘ NICKELBACK. NICKELBACK‘s track “Photograph” climbed to the top in 28 weeks, making it the second fastest climb in digital history. The album “All The Right Reasons” has already been certified double-platinum as NICKELBACK‘s new single “Savin’ Me” is exploding on to radio stations throughout the country.

The 48th annual Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 8, 2006 saw Roadrunner‘s first Grammy winners, SLIPKNOT, take home the award for “Best Metal Performance” for their track “Before I Forget”. The band has received many nominations for their work over the years, but this well-deserved, much-anticipated win comes at the end of the touring cycle for their critically acclaimed platinum album, “Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)”. The album, produced by Rick Rubin, was a triumphant return to form for the band. It asserted SLIPKNOT‘s dominance in rock circles, yielding three Top 10 Active Rock tracks and one Top 5 Modern Rock track.

Roadrunner Records celebrated its 25th Anniversary year with a marked increase in the label’s market share. 2005 overall was a down-market year for the industry (down 9%). However, Roadrunner‘s share soared 14% to .73 market share, the label’s highest market share to date, which bested numbers of many indie and major labels alike.

THE CULT: More Details Revealed About INSTANT LIVE Concert Recordings –

THE CULT — set to hit the road for the first time since 2002 on Wednesday, March 1 — have announced that their “Return To Wild” tour will be available to fans worldwide via an exclusive deal with “Instant Live,” a division of Live Nation, that enables fans to immediately purchase a live recording of a concert as soon as the show ends. These recordings will mark the first live CDs to officially be made available in the iconic band’s career (a live DVD, “Music Without Fear”, was released in 2002).

THE CULT have also confirmed the line-up for the 2006 trek, which was jump-started with a Friday, February 24 performance of their hit “Wild Flower” on CBS‘ “Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson”. The tour, which runs from March 1 in San Francisco to March 26 in New York City, will feature singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy plus bassist Chris Wyse (JERRY CANTRELL, OZZY OSBOURNE) — who performed on THE CULT‘s last studio disc, 2001’s “Beyond Good and Evil” — and drummer John Tempesta (WHITE ZOMBIE, HELMET).

For the live releases via Instant Liveb>THE CULT and manager Tom Vitorino have announced that all shows are being recorded in SRS Circle Surround sound and sold as limited-edition releases at the concerts. These premium digipacks will include the hits, rarities, and acoustic versions of CULT songs. The Internet community can search Napster, the official online distributor, after each show, for immediately available downloads.

Vitorino says, “Instant Live removes the filter that has existed in the live recording arena between artist and audience. It negates the poor quality of bootlegging. This medium is not a ‘tour souvenir,’ but a high-end, expediently delivered package of the band in its purest form; and as art should be, totally uncensored.”

“We are excited that Instant Live is able to play a marketing and promotional role in the rebirth of THE CULT and are looking forward to offering their fans a chance to own a copy of each night’s show from this tour,” said Stephen Prendergast, General Manager of Live Nation‘s Instant Live. “Instant Live will also be providing recordings of both new and classic CULT songs to radio and media.”

THE CULT tour dates:

Mar. 01 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Mar. 03 – Las Vegas. NV – The Joint
Mar. 04 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Mar. 05 – Cabazon, CA – Key Club
Mar. 07 – Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
Mar. 08 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater
Mar. 10 – Dallas, TX – Ridglea Theater
Mar. 11 – Houston, TX – Warehouse
Mar. 12 – Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
Mar. 14 – Tulsa, OK – Cains Ballroom
Mar. 15 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Mar. 17 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theater
Mar. 18 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Mar. 19 – Detroit, MI – Emerald Theatre
Mar. 21 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Mar. 22 – Boston, MA – Avalon
Mar. 24 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Mar. 25 – Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues
Mar. 26 – New York, NY – Nokia Theatre

DIMEBAG Art Tribute To Be Displayed At SXSW –

The “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott art tribute “Six-String Masterpieces”, which debuted late last month at Winter NAMM in Anaheim, California, will be on display as a featured attraction in the “93.7 KLBJ Rock Lounge” during SXSW (South by Southwest) Mar. 15-18 at The Hilton Austin, the official SXSW hotel. KLBJ, the sponsoring radio station of SXSW, will be hosting with live radio broadcasts, live music, guest appearances, a couple of cocktail bars and an amazing art exhibit of guitars hand-painted by some of the biggest rock stars and best tattoo artists in the business. An additional group of ten guitars from the “Six-String Masterpieces” collection are being featured at MusikMesse, an International trade fair for musical instruments, in Frankfurt, Germany Mar. 29 – Apr.1.

The “Six-String Masterpieces: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute” includes the following:

* A collection of 50 guitars, hand-painted by world-famous rock stars and internationally known modern artists, including members of METALLICA (Photo#1, Photo#2), KORN, LINKIN PARK, SLIPKNOT, MUDVAYNE, ROB ZOMBIE, DISTURBED.

* A charitable art auction to benefit a foundation dedicated to music, education and improving the lives of today’s youth.

* A travelling entertainment attraction hitting major U.S. markets in 2006.

* A highly-publicized tour that will feature an art opening party and VIP reception in each city attended by participating artists, press, celebrities and entertainment industry personel.

The guitars will be auctioned off with proceeds going to a foundation dedicated to furthering music education.

For more information, click here.

KAMELOT To Record New Album This Summer

American/Norwegian melodic metallers KAMELOT have posted the following message on their official web site:

“We are pleased to announce that KAMELOT will be returning to Norway for the Ragnarock Festival (web site) in August 2006.

“Work continues on KAMELOT‘s first DVD, ‘One Cold Winter’s Night’. The [disc] is tentatively [slated] for a fall/winter release and is sure to please all the fans. The incredible concert in Oslo includes special appearance from Simone Simons (EPICA), Sascha Paeth and Snowy Shaw, plus many more!

“Next album news! In a recent phone call, guitarist Thomas Youngblood stated, ‘We are now in full writing mode for the follow-up to ‘The Black Halo’. There are tons of ideas and we are very excited about what we are coming up with. We hope to be in Germany this summer recording the next album and once again we will have Sascha and Miro on board to produce the songs.’

“Many more live appearances are being planned including a possible North American tour.”

KAMELOT‘s latest album, “The Black Halo”, wa released in March 2005 through SPV Records. The follow-up to 2003’s “Epica” was produced by Sascha Paeth and Miro at Gate and Pathway studios in Germany and features guest appearances by Shagrath (DIMMU BORGIR), Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS), Simone Simons, Mari (MASQUERAID), as well as the KAMELOT choir, featuring Herbie Langhans (SEVENTH AVENUE), Amanda Somerville-Scharf, Miro, Gerit Göbel, Thomas Rettke (HEAVEN’S GATE) and Elisabeth Kjaernes, among others.

REBEL MEETS REBEL: First Single ‘Nothin’ To Lose’ Posted Online

A full-length version of the first single from the upcoming self-titled debut from REBEL MEETS REBEL, the project featuring three of the founding members of PANTERA (drummer Vinnie Paul, guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and bassist Rex Brown) together with legendary country singer/outlaw David Allan Coe, has been posted online at the band’s MySpace.com page. Check out the song “Nothin’ To Lose” at www.myspace.com/rebelmeetsrebel. The song starts off with the sounds of David and Dimebag playing slot machines, and then you hear the awesome crunch of that classic Dimebag groove. The single will go for radio adds on March 14. The full-length CD is due on May 2 via Vinnie Paul‘s Big Vin Records, which has secured a distribution deal via Fontana. A “mega-huge” CD-release party will be held at a “secret location” in Dallas, to be revealed at the last minute. Vinnie (and some other special guests) will be on hand to sign copies of the CD and play it in its entirety for the first time in public.

Described as a unique crossover of country, metal and rock, REBEL MEETS REBEL‘s self-titled CD (cover) was recorded and mixed over a four-year period (1999-2003) at Chasin Jason studios in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas and is set to contain a total of 12 tracks, including “Nothin’ To Lose”, “No Compromise”, “Rebel Meets Rebel”, “Cowboys”, “Panfilo”, “Heartworn Highway”, “One Night Stand”, “Arizona Rivers”, “New York City Streets” and “Get Outta My Life”. Audio samples of six songs are currently available on their official web site.

According to Vinnie, a possibility exists that a touring version of REBEL MEETS REBEL will hit the road this summer. Fans are invited to cast a vote on the site to make the tour a reality.

As previously reported, Big Vin will simultaneously be releasing “DimeVision – Vol 1: That’s The Fun I Have”, a tribute DVD to late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. The disc, “which remembers and celebrates the life of my brother,” according to Vinnie, will feature Dime‘s stellar guitar playing and offbeat brand of humor, and is sure to be a title every serious PANTERA fan will have to own. Check out the cover artwork at this location.

ALICE COOPER Joins Philadelphia’s Classic Rock Station WMGK –

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper joins Philadelphia’s #1 classic rock station WMGK, beginning Thursday, March 2, 2006. His show, “Nights with Alice Cooper”, will air weeknights from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. The program showcases classic rock, Alice‘s personal stories about his life as a rock icon, as well as interviews and special segments like the “OffBEAT News” with his counterpart, Mistress Kitty.

“Having Alice Cooper join Philadelphia’s #1 classic rock station WMGK is a perfect fit,” says program director Cruze. “His attitude, the great rock and roll stories along with the music he plays is an awesome way to round out our air-staff.”

“We are thrilled to have Alice join the MGK lineup — from ‘Alice’s Closet Classics’ to listener calls to his weekly interviews with classic rock artists, nighttime in Philly will never be the same,” adds John Fullam, VP/Market Manager — Greater Media Philadelphia.

Fans of Alice Cooper will have a chance to welcome him to Philadelphia this Thursday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at Chickie’s & Pete’s, located at 1526 Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia.

Metal Express Radio Updates

Wazzup Metalheadz!

 

Welcome to the Metal Express Radio Weekly Update!

 

Metal Express Radio has been hitting the globe for ways to keep our listeners happy and this week we managed to wrangle in our first contest give-away of 2006 …
 

New Joe Satriani Contest!
Metal Express Radio and Sony Music are rolling out a new contest this week to celebrate the release of Joe’s new Super Colossal CD (coming in March). Sony Music is offering up 5 copies of the new CD. Winners will be randomly selected from a pool of entries that contain the answer to the following “Satch” Trivia Contest:

           

 Joe was famous for including references to Marvel Comic’s alien superhero Silver Surfer in his music.

Name the Satriani albums that contained Silver Surfer references (i.e., dedicated tracks).

Email the correct answer to dan@metalexpressradio.com by 23:59:00 CET (5:59 p.m. EST) on March 10, 2006.  5 winners will be chosen at random from all correct entries received.

On Metal Express Radio This Week:

(click any links for schedules and details)

Special Feature:

This week’s Special Feature is:  Vox vs. Vox (Round 2) as we have different singers within the same band face-off against one another with their rendition of a particular track from the band.
Be sure to tune in each week at 15:00 and 21:00 Central European Time (9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) each Thursday to catch the latest Metal Express Radio exclusive interview!

Premiere Friday:
This week’s PREMIERE FRIDAY will feature the new JORN album, The Duke, which hit the streets on February 24th!

 

Be sure to tune in each week at 15:00 and 21:00 Central European Time (9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) each Friday to catch the latest Metal Express Radio exclusive 30-minute album premiere!
  

The 6th Hour Show:

Select tracks from the hottest new albums featured every 6th hour every weekday!

 

Some of the bands presented this week include:
Arachnes, Circle Of Pain, Main Attraction, Mystic Prophecy, Pyramaze, Red Circuit, Saracen, Section A, Stride and Tears Of Anger.

Be sure to tune in at 06:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00 Central European Time (6:00 am, Noon, 6:00 pm, and Midnight Eastern Standard Time) each weekday (Monday-Friday) to catch a track from the hottest new releases!

Hairbanger’s Hairspray:

The Ripper’s Hairbanger’s Hairspray Show is 60 minutes of music dedicated to that classic 80’s Hard Rock and “Hair Metal” sound, and also includes a cut by some of today’s bands (dubbed “Hair Apparent”) who have tried or seem to have recaptured that 80’s Metal spirit!

 

This week’s Hair Apparent is the band Street Lethal.

Be sure to tune in each week at 15:00 and 21:00 Central European Time (9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) each Tuesday!

Hairball John’s Radio Show:
We are very honored to have Twisted Sister guitarist Eddie O’Jeda joining this weeks show. Eddie will discuss his solo release Axes 2 Axes as well as his illustrious career with Twisted Sister. We will also be featuring new tracks from Zan Clan guitarist Chris Laney, an outstanding new compilation from Liberty and Justice, and a rockin’ track from Eddie O’Jeda with Ronnie James Dio on vocals.
 Be sure to tune in each week at 15:00 Central European Time (9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) each Wednesday and Saturdays at 21:00 CET (3 p.m. EST)!

For more details, check out this link:

 

Forthcoming Highlights:

• An interview Madam X’s Maxine Petrucci

• An interview with Glenn Tipton!

 

Did You Know?

That Metal Express Radio is adding tracks to the radio server all the time, even hard to get find releases by 80’s bands like Bangalore Choir and Hericane Alice?

Metal Express Interviews

Some of the latest entries are:

In Print: Jorn Lande, Dismember, Katatonia, Coheed and Cambria
 

Streaming Audio: Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate, Graham Bonnett.

The Metal Jukebox

Temporarily off-line!

 

The Review Section:

(click the links for details)

 

CD/DVD Reviews:

Some of the latest entries are:
 

                STRONGHOLD – Portal Of Illusion
                BLAKK MARKET – Hateful Affection
                ATA D’ARC – Call Of Peace
                MAJESTY – Hellforces

LARS ERIC MATTSSON – Earthbound

DAWNRIDER – Fate Is Calling (Pt. 1)

GUN BARREL – Bombard Your Soul
 

Live Reviews:
Latest added:
 
UDO – John Dee, Oslo
FINNISH METAL EXPO – Helsinki, Finland
SEVENDUST w/ NONPOINT, SOCIALBURN, WICKED WISDOM – Denver, Colorado USA
 

Don’t forget to check out the Classic Reviews as well!

 

Did You Know?

The new INFORMATION section on the Front Page now contains daily even hourly messages from our DJs, so be sure to keep an on that section when you’re listening to the Metal Express Radio stream! 

 

Music News:

Some of the bands covered by our roving reporters recently included:

Rhino Bucket, Jerry Cantrell, Guns N’ Roses, Dio, Bon Jovi, Tad Morose, Nightwish (Tarja Turunen) …

…

 

Live and Backstage Pictures:

The latest additions are:

                U.D.O.
               Torch
                El Caco
                Stonegard
                The Carburetors
                Deep Purple
                Kamelot
                Kamelot (Sweden)

 —————-

Ticket Give-Aways:
 

Click the link to see the list for future METAL gigs in Oslo and to win concert tickets to:

3/3/2006: Mayham – Rockefeller
3/23/2006: Monster Magnet – Rockefeller
3/31/2006: Staind – Rockefeller
4/4/2006: Fear Factory – Rockefeller
4/22/2006: King Diamond – Rockefeller
4/27/2006: Theatre Of Tragedy – John Dee
 

—————-

Wait! There’s more….

            Be a real Rocker, crank it to 11 … and visit: http://www.metalexpressradio.com