Blaas of Glory - Love in an elevator

The Sweet - Live in Cologne 1976, May 14th - Very Special Edition!

Children of Bodom - "Are You Dead Yet?" Spinefarm Records

Alice Cooper - Santa Claus is coming to town

Judas Priest- Painkiller with lyrics

Accuser - Black Suicide

Excrementory Grindfuckers - G.Punkt

HAMMERFALL - Bloodbound

HAMMERFALL - Bloodbound

Blind Rage - Egocentric (Cultureel Festival Baarn)

Keane - Somewhere Only We Know (Lyrics)

The Art of Classic Rock

Acid - Ghostriders

Therion - Sitra Ahra

Alice Cooper - I Love the Dead

Nena - 99 Luftballons 1984

The Cage / Vodka-Hava Nagila - Sonata Arctica

Overture - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Seven Ends @ Beringe 01-05-2010.mpg

Alice Cooper Guitarist, Glen Buxton Memorial

The Night Of Fear Has Arrived - School's Out

Savatage - When The Crowds Are Gone (Video)

1 Day Until Halloween - Under My Wheels

2 Days Until Halloween - No More Mister Nice Guy

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

3 Days Until Halloween - I Love The Dead

Alice Cooper - Black Widow

Rats @ Pitch Black Niederkruchten D

Thrash/Death metal band uit Limburgia!

15 oktober Rockcafé De Triangel, Weert
29 oktober de Splinter, Venlo
13 November Skullyfest, Geleen
20 November Lades Kaelder, Kopenhagen(DK)
27 November Barracude, Hilversum
Meer vette gigs komen er aan!!

Check ook de nieuwe live track Deathmachine!!!
Op dit moment bezig met het schrijven van nieuwe songs!

Ricardo - Gitaar
Cor - Drums
Noud - Bass
Jan - Strot
Leon - Gitaar

Grave Digger - "Ballad of a Hangman" Napalm Records

Ballad Of A Hangman

Scream and die - at the gallows pole
Where the hanged are singing songs of despair
Hope is the last what they have in mind
Songs of revolution are hanging in the air

The master of death, deep in their mind
Stealing their lives and leaving them blind
No mercy, no excuse for all of your sins
You will die in agony, the evil within

Run and hide
As long as you can
The race is started
Let the hangman begin

Kill you - at the gallows pole
Where the brave find their rest and pray for the dead
Ballads are sung and the earth starts to quake
The last supper starts for the slaughter you wait

Run and hide
As long as you can
The race is started
Let the hangman begin

Seven Ends live @ Wacken 2010.avi

Seven Ends is a Modern Thrash Metalband from the southern regions of The Netherlands. They’ve been causing local earthquakes since early 2009 with music you can describe as furious thrash/death metal. Speed and aggressiveness are the main ingredients, all flavored with a hint of melody and a grooving touch to it. Their live performance is always thight and fast, and presents a great atmosphere.

Seven Ends was formed in the darker months of 2007 by guitarist Ricardo, vocalist Jan and drummer Cor. Not long after, Noud joined bringing thunder with his bass, together with Tim on guitar completing the band. Tim’s presence was not very long lived, after about a year he was replaced by Leon, as is the current formation of the band.

Their first EP was recorded in 2008 and it was time to hit the stage. Reactions to EP and live performance were overwhelming from the start. In the first year Seven Ends was playing live with bands like Torture Squad, Legion of the Damned & Deicide, and proved that every Seven Ends show was one to see. Summer 2010 they got their chance at the legendary Wacken open air festival in Germany after winning the Dutch Wacken Metal Battle among the greatest names around in metal and rock. Again, audience and media reactions were unbelievable.

Late 2010 the recording of the first full length album will start. In the meantime Seven Ends will be playing live on various locations in Europe. Just make sure you’ll be there to see what the media calls:

"We’re dealing with a promising newcomer!!" – Lords of Metal

"Just what we needed!" – Zwaremetalen.com

"A band to look forward to!" – Metalfan.nl

"Seven Ends has managed to deliver a promising demo record!" – Metalrage.com

Current line-up: Ricardo Carta – Guitar
Cor Niessen – Drums
Jan Bieseman – Vocals
Noud van Erp – Bass
Leon Vinders - Guitar

Alice Cooper live in Detroit 1971 - Is It My Body

Alice Cooper has released the following statement on their nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame:

"On behalf of Dennis (Dunaway), Neal (Smith), Michael (Bruce) and the late great Glen (Buxton), we are honored to be nominated for induction in to the Hall. Anytime you are nominated in your chosen profession, it's definitely a compliment to be recognized.

It's hard to fathom possibly being in the same club as artists who inspired us originally, like the Beatles, the Stones, the Beach Boys, the Who, the Yardbirds, and Chuck Berry, and to be nominated the same year as legendary artists like my personal favorite songwriter of all time, Laura Nyro, as well as Donovan, who sang on our "Billion Dollar Babies" record, and our good friends in Bon Jovi, is a great feeling.

Five guys starting a band, just hoping to meet girls and drink free beer, rehearsing and playing local bars five hours a night for the first few years -- that was us. We came up with the theatrics and made every effort not to sacrifice the music one bit; we thought it was like our job to bring theatrics to rock 'n' roll. And then, amazingly enough, we were having a bunch of massive hit records which was proof that theatricality and rock 'n' roll could, in fact, be joined successfully. We've been told that we revolutionized the live concert experience and if that's truly the case and it's led to this nomination for induction into the Hall of Fame, the only thing to say is, of course, "There's no business like show business!" - Alice Cooper

Sabaton WWT #7 - Zaandam

Maandagavond 27 september arriveerden Jeroen en ik op tijd in Zaandam.
Na een hapje te hebben gegeten waren we klaar voor de World War Tour met Thaurorod, Alestrom en Sabaton.
De Kade is een klein zaaltje waar ca. 700 mensen in kunnen. Na een t-shirt en een sweater van Sabaton gescoord te hebben, konden we naar binnen en kon het feest beginnen…
Thaurorod opende de avond met alle nummers van hun nieuwe album: Upon Haunted Battlefields.
Dit album was de 24ste uitgekomen op het Noise Art Label.
Deze Finse band was enthousiast en speelde alle acht nummers van het album.
De zanger klonk af en toe als Bruce Dickinson en de sound stond als een huis.
Daarna was het de beurt aan onze Scottish Buccaneers uit Tilburg…
Zij openden heel toepasselijk met Heavy Metal Pirats, het eerste nummer wat zij zelf schreven, én zette daarmee direct de toon. Als zij even later hun cover van Wolves Of The Sea speelden, ging iédereen los en was er een grote trekkende, duwende menigte. Het werd ontzettend warm en het zweet sijpelde van onze gezichten. De setlist was leuk verdeeld, vier nummers van hun eerste album Captain’s Morgan Revenge en twee van Black Sails At Midnight, hun tweede album. Met Keelhauled vlogg een ander maal het dak eraf. Tevens speelde zij één nieuw nummer, toepasselijk Rum genoemd. Ook dit nummer was geheel in hun eigen stijl.
Daarna was het beurt aan Sabaton. Wat me bijgebleven is, is het enthousiasme en lol, wat van Joakim’s gezicht afstraalde. Deze Zweedse mannen hadden er zin in en dat straalde ze uit ook.
Het werd nog heter in De Kade…is er geen airco…?
Ze hadden een fantastische setlist, er werden nummers gespeeld van vijf verschillende albums (Metalizer, Coat Of Arms, Art Of War, Attero Dominatus en Primo Victoria).Deze nummers werden ook fantastisch gespeeld en bewezen zij ook een goede podiumband te zijn. Ook zij speelden een nieuw nummer en evenals Alestorm kunnen wij binnenkort ook van Sabaton een nieuw album tegemoet zien.
Joakim bleek deze avond een heuse komediant te zijn en maakte veel grapjes, regelmatig werd er niet gemoshed, maar gelachen.
Ik had dit voor géén goud willen missen, wat een fantastische avond met power, pirate en heavy metal…

Alestorm - Wolves of the Sea - Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the B...

Morgen te zien in 'de Kade' in Zaandam...(óók door mij...;-)

Alestorm - Wolves Of The Sea

With a hi hi ho and a hi hi hey!
We're hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea

Don't try to run it's all set and done
There's treasure in sight
We are robbing you blind I hope you don't mind
We are taking it all tonight

Just walk away we'll count it all
Pirates will stand and the loser will fall

With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey
We're bound to be close to the sea
Our captain will stand on the bridge and sing
Pirates are all we can be

With a hi hi ho and a hi hi hey!
We're hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea

Down to the core we're coming for more
With a sword close at hand
We are scary and bold chest full of gold
We get sea-legs when sighting land

The hook of our captain is looking at you
There's no Peter Pan so what can you do

With a hi hi hoo and a hi hi hey!
We're hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea

Seven Ends - Painstream - 24.01.2010, Live At The Rock Temple, Kerkrade/NL

Beschrijving Café 545 is een supergezellig Blues Rock Café dat gevestigd is aan Parkweg 23 te Ede.
25 meter van treinstation Ede-Wageningen met voldoende parkeergelegenheid.

Bij Café 545 wordt er van alles georganiseerd, regelmatig treden er bands op uit binnen- en buitenland, er is een dartvereniging, klaverjaswedstrijden, er staat een poolbiljart en een gewoon biljart.
Vrijdagavond is metalavond en donderdag is één euro avond.
Ook organiseert Café 545 elke zomer een kroegentocht.
Kortom, voor elk wat wils!
Enne...
SEVEND ENDS WILL BE THERE....
TO PLAY THE HOUSE DOWN...

Alice Cooper - Freedom

Hot on the heels of Alice's comeback he again walks a more heavy metal path with 'Raise Your Fist And Yell' but with a great deal more success then seen on 'Constrictor'. While the likes of 'Freedom' and 'Lock Me Up' are pretty unessential, from 'Prince Of Darkness' onwards there is a marked improvement as Alice and Kane Roberts create a musical splatter movie to great effect showcasing just what the combination was capable of at its best. Once you get past the dreadful album cover this is all pretty good stuff, but little could have prepared anyone for what would happen next...

Mayhem - Deathcrush

When it comes to the definitive history of black metal, only one name has survived all the sensationalism. Through the church burnings, murder, imprisonments and myopic teenage nationalism, only MAYHEM has been able to channel the circus like atmosphere, which surrounded a core of fanatical bands, into a sustained musical career, in the studio and more importantly, on stage.
In '84 in the cold darkness of sunless winters, MAYHEM was born! The unholy trinity of Euronymous (guitar/vox), Manheim (drums) and Necrobutcher (bass/vox) perfected their black art away from prying eyes of metal scrutiny. In '86, after a single demo, the modestly entitled "Pure Fucking Armageddon", the band enlisted Maniac as a full time vocalist. His debut was a re-working of the demo material, christened "Deathcrush".
What should have been a triumphant time, directly after that first recording as a quartet, turned into a dark chapter, not only for the band, but for the burgeoning underground scene as well. A series of events from which many have never completely recovered. Following the release, Manheim and Maniac left the band, to be replaced by Dead on vocals and the band's current drum deity, Hellhammer. While that line-up could only muster a pair of studio compilations, Dead does appear on "Live in Leipzig", regarded by many as the first live black metal recording ever. It heralded something of a new era, as many of the fledging Norwegian artists disdained live performances, let alone an actual tour outside the homeland. After the tour Dead commits suicide.
As a twosome, Euronymous and Hellhammer recruited the infamous Count Grishnackh (Burzum) to play bass and Atilla to handle the tortured vocals on the debut, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", which was unleashed on an unsuspecting world in 1993.
After the murder of Euronymous and the subsequent arrest of Count Grishnackh, the details of which remain sketchy to this day, Hellhammer decided to continue MAYHEM. Both Necrobutcher and Maniac rejoin the band, and Blasphemer was chosen as the new guitarist. After several years of silence, a follow-up studio album was finally recorded. In 1997 the five tracks "Wolf Lair Abyss" hits the market. The MCD was the answer to "Deathcrush", Raw, Brutal and Evil. In 1999, "Mediolanum Capta Est", the second live CD, albeit the first with the new and current line-up, was released.
While "De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas" is seen as an album that set new standards in the world of metal, unlike many contemporaries, MAYHEM weren't content to rest on their laurels. The band sought to usher in the new millennium with a bold step, "Grand Declaration of War". The album picks up where "Wolf's Lair Abyss" left off, hence it starts with the paradoxically entitled, "Part II." The destruction continues through the fifth track. Thereafter, the recreation of MAYHEM, if not the entire black metal genre, takes off, devoid of instruments, like the emptiness of a battlefield without warriors.
2001 sees the release of the third live platter entitled "Legions". ("European Legions" in Europe and "U.S. Legions" in the States) The two CDs feature slightly different track listings and both feature raw studio tracks and outtakes from the GDOW sessions. These records and a subsequent DVD (recorded in SOM's homeland of Marseille, France) is a whirlwind of psychotic energy and punishing rhythms, MAYHEM live is a special sight and the DVD bears witness to that.
2004’s Chimera was a more conventional affair, although it still incorporates progressive elements on tracks like “Slaughter of Dreams.” It was embraced by many of the fans who denounced Grand Declaration of War. After Chimera was released, Maniac was fired from the band. His replacement was Attila Csihar.
The band completed work on Ordo ad Chao, its fourth album, in early 2007. Ordo ad Chao featured a much rawer and more traditional black metal sound than the rest of the band’s releases. Nonetheless, it continued the band’s exploration of more progressive songwriting, with “Illuminate Eliminate” being the band’s second longest track ever at 9’40”. Ordo ad Chao was exceptionally well-received both commercially and critically, and was the band’s first album to reach the charts (in Norway and elsewhere).
Blasphemer left the group I 2008, to focus on his other project, Ava Inferi, which led to the recruitment of guitarists Morfeus and Silmaeth as live musicians.
Mayhem will continue to evolve as a 5 piece band for the foreseeing future.

Dimmu Borgir - The Sacrilegious Scorn

Have I not
Been too long in your shadows of invention and creation?
As I rightfully behold the flesh
Fear of the conscious mind will have you facing away

My word and world holds ground and is real
Your world is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit from different tongues

It all seems like an eternity
This battle between us two
"Good and evil"
Me and you

Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me

My word and world holds ground and is real
Your world is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit from different tongues
You can never corrupt me again

Your world is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit from different tongues
You can never corrupt me again

I protect every man guilty of sin
The ultimate sin being me
The vapor from the plague
That infested my mind, body and soul
Obscured my view from wisdom
The mist that had me wonder

KAMELOT - March Of Mephisto

Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) :
Aspirat primo Fortuna labori
Me duce tutus eris
Vox populi vox Dei
Ad majorem Dei gloriam...
Ad infinitum

(Translation:
Fortune Smiles Upon Your Effort.
Under my leadership you will be safe.
The voice of the people is the voice of God.
For the greater glory of God.
For Infinity.)

Kahn:
You know just who I am
Don't be so distant
'cause When you're lost
I am solely there to share your grief

Khan:
Wailing your sorrow
is only my way to comfort you

Shagrath:
Reminders of innocent youth

Khan:
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude

Khan and Shagrath:
I speaketh the truth

Khan:
Now tell me all about your pain
Down to the detail
Don't say it's love
Your fragile heart feeds my contempt

Khan:
Wailing your sorrow
is only my way to comfort you

Shagrath:
Reminders of innocent youth

Khan:
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude

Khan and Shagrath:
I speaketh the truth


Khan:
Chase the heathen call
We belong...you and I
Unison in all you deny

Khan:
Wailing your sorrow
is only my way to comfort you

Shagrath:
Reminders of innocent youth

Khan:
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude

Khan and Shagrath:
I speaketh the truth


Khan:
I am the thorn in your side
That seeks accomplishment

Shagrath:
Reminding the mortal of death

Khan:
I am the spore of your pride
An angel heavensent

Khan and Shagrath:
The master of all
I am the urge of the flesh

Shagrath:
Reminding the mortal of death


Death!

AIRBOURNE - Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast

A great Rock & Roll band leaves you feeling like youve just been hit over the head with a big hard dose of rock, they give you such a good time that you just cant help but grin from ear to ear, and like nothing you ever experience again will feel the same. That is Airbourne.

Hailing from a tough Australian country town, these four boys have grown up with a healthy respect for the fine art that is Foot to the floor rock n roll.

Aged between 19-23 one would think that Joel & Ryan (brothers), Roadsy & Streety just havent had the years to have the kind of rock sixth sense that they have, but with hair flying and guitars blazing Airbourne know how to tear up a stage as well as any of the rock greats.

Already having slayed audiences at some of the worlds biggest festivals including Wacken (Germany), Mayhem (USA), Download (UK) & Big Day Out (Australia), Airbourne have also shared the stage with Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Rolling Stones and Motley Crue to name drop a few. If you havent seen this band live yet, dust off your air guitar and get ready to rock.

Hammerfall - Last Man Standing

HammerFall is een Zweedse Powermetal band die werd opgericht in 1993 door gitarist Oscar Dronjak, nadat hij de deathmetalband Ceremonial Oath verliet. Jesper Strömblad ging met hem mee.

Na vele wisselingen in de line-up (Strömblad besloot zich volledig te richten op In Flames), kwam in 1996 zanger Joacim Cans bij HammerFall. In datzelfde jaar werd het album Glory To The Brave uitgebracht. Met een eighties aandoenlijk geluid weet HammerFall publiek voor zich te winnen.

Kort daarna kwamen ook drummer Patrik Räfling, gitarist Stefan Elmgren en bassist Magnus Rosén erbij, omdat besloten werd dat de band niet langer als een project maar als volwaardige band moest worden gezien. Na vele optredens over de hele wereld, kwam in 1998 het tweede album Legacy of Kings uit.

In 1999 verliet Patrik Räfling de band en werd vervangen door Anders Johansson. Hiermee was de zogenaamde 'Renegade-line-up' compleet. In 2000 komt het album Renegade uit. Hiermee leek een nieuw, wat strakker en moderner geluid te zijn geboren, wat de band veel goed deed.

Na de release van Crimson Thunder in 2002, kwam in 2003 het eerste live-album van HammerFall uit. Dit is getiteld One Crimson Night en is opgenomen in thuisplaats Göteborg.

Hierna volgde in 2005 Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Een album dat onder fans maar lauw onthaald werd maar waarop toch opnieuw een erg succesvolle wereldtour volgde.

Nog steeds in dezelfde line-up nam de band in 2006 Threshold op. Dit album gaat opnieuw meer naar de sound van Glory To The Brave en Legacy Of Kings. In 2007 gaat de band opnieuw uitgebreid op tour.

Op 3 maart 2007 besloot Magnus Rosén om de band te verlaten, waarop hij vervangen werd door Fredrik Larsson, een oud lid van de band.

EDGUY - Superheroes

City lights are calling
slowly coming back to life
Speeding in the fastlane
Mama let us waste no time

Devil in the doorway selling any kind of hell
We're just coming out to play the game

We never cry for love - we're superheroes
We are back where we belong
We never cry for pain - we're superheroes
Make a stand where we belong

Way too long I've tried to be
what I could never be
For too long you've rolled the dice
but you can't control me
I ain't talking 'bout romance
you may fiddle I may dance
Anyway it's just a game we play..

We never cry for love - we're superheroes
We are back where we belong
We never cry for pain - we're superheroes
Make a stand where we belong we're superheroes

You gotta move to stay alive
We're gonna rock the bash tonight..

Cry for love-we're superheroes
We are back where we belong

We never cry for love...

Suicidal Tendencies-Institutionalized

Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the early '80s, the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken vocalist Mike Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on -- building a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the creation of skatepunk -- before turning their focus eventually to thrash metal. Early on, the group (whose original lineup included Muir, guitarist Grant Estes, bassist Louiche Mayorga, and drummer Amery Smith) found it increasingly difficult to book shows, due to rumors of its members' affiliation with local gangs and consistent violence at their performances. The underground buzz regarding Suicidal Tendencies grew too loud for labels to ignore though, as the quartet signed on with the indie label Frontier; issuing Muir and company's classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album quickly became the best-selling hardcore album up to that point; its best-known track, "Institutionalized," was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and was eventually used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man, as well as in an episode for the hit TV show Miami Vice (for which the group made a cameo appearance).

Suicidal Tendencies proved influential for future speed/thrash metal bands, but despite its early success, the quartet's reputation preceded them, as no other record label was willing to take them on (in addition, Los Angeles banned the group from playing around this time, lasting until the early '90s). Not much was heard from the group for several years afterward (leading many to believe that Suicidal had broken up), but Muir and company eventually found a home with Caroline Records. By this time, half of the original lineup had left; Muir and Mayorga were the only holdovers, while guitarist Rocky George and drummer R.J. Herrera rounded out the group. 1987 saw the release of Suicidal's sophomore release, Join the Army, which spawned another popular skatepunk anthem, "Possessed to Skate," as more and more metal heads began to be spotted in Suicidal's audience. Soon after, Suicidal was finally offered a major-label contract (with Epic), as another lineup change occurred: Mayorga exited the band, while newcomer Bob Heathcote took his spot; and a second guitarist, Mike Clark, was added as well. This Suicidal lineup's first album together, 1988's How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today, showed that their transformation from hardcore to heavy metal was now complete, as did a compilation of two earlier EPs, 1989's Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà

Suicidal's first release of the new decade, 1990's Lights, Camera, Revolution, was another success; its video for the explosive "You Can't Bring Me Down" received repeated airings on MTV's Headbanger's Ball program, while the album (in addition to the Controlled by Hatred comp) would be certified gold in the U.S. a few years later. The release also signaled the arrival of new bassist Robert Trujillo, whose penchant for funk added a new element to the group's sound. The group tried to broaden their audience even further by opening a string of arena shows for prog-metallists Queensrÿche during the summer of 1991. Their next release, 1992's The Art of Rebellion, proved to be one of Suicidal's most musically experimental albums of their career. Muir and Trujillo also teamed up around this time for a funk metal side project, Infectious Grooves (including several other participants, such as Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) and issued a debut release, The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move. Upset that the group's classic debut had been out of print for several years by this point, Muir decided to re-record the entire record with Suicidal's '90s lineup under the title of Still Cyco After All These Years.

But after one more release, 1994's Suicidal for Life, Suicidal Tendencies decided to hang it up. A pair of compilations were issued in 1997: a best-of set, Prime Cuts, plus Friends & Family. Muir and Trujillo continued to issue further Infectious Grooves releases (Sarsippius' Ark and Groove Family Cyco), in addition to Muir pursuing a solo career under the alias of Cyco Miko (Lost My Brain Once Again) and Trujillo touring and recording as part of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (appearing on Osbourne's 2001 release, Down to Earth). Muir formed a new version of Suicidal Tendencies in the late '90s (with Clark being the only other familiar face), resulting in such further studio releases as 1999's Freedumb and 2000's Free Your Soul and Save My Mind. Muir and Trujillo joined forces once more for a fourth Infectious Grooves studio release in 2000, Mas Borracho; while another Cyco Miko release surfaced, Schizophrenic Born Again Problem Child, along with a follow-up up to their earlier compilation, Friends & Family, Vol. 2. Now the band will be back with their brand new album for 2009.......

Line-up 2009
Mike Muir - Vocals, Mike Clark - Guitars, Eric Moore - Drums, Dean Pleasants - Guitars, Steve Brunner - Bassguitars

Avantasia - Lost In Space

Tobias Sammet became known amongst Rock fans all over the world as the singer and songwriter of EDGUY, one of Germany's biggest internationally acclaimed Rock bands in recent music history, having played numerous headline tours in Europe, Australia, Asia and North, Central, and South America.

In 1999 Tobias started his side project AVANTASIA. What was originally planned as a one-off studio affair, was revived in 2007. The album "The Scarecrow" was released in 2008 and was officially amongst the 20 best selling albums all over Europe upon its release, it entered the charts in 15 countries (Germany #8), featured the Top 10 hit single "Lost In Space" and producer Sascha Paeth received an award for "The Scarecrow" having been chosen "Best Rock Production 2008" by the Association of German Sound Engineers (VDT).

On the album Tobias had been working with fellow musicians like Jorn Lande, Eric Singer (KISS), Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS), Bob Catley (MAGNUM), Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske both ex-HELLOWEEN), Alice Cooper and many more. The unexpected success of the album resulted in a Festival-tour, climaxing with a headlining show at the prestigious Wacken Open Air in front of more than 85.000 people. When the tour was over AVANTASIA had played in Europe, Asia and South America in front of more than half a million people. Tobias later recalled: "Allstar albums are being recorded quite often, but I don't think the Heavy Metal circus has seen a giant allstar show like that travelling around the world."

To this date EDGUY and AVANTASIA have sold more than 2.5 million CDs worldwide - exclusively on Independent labels and to quote Tobias: "(...) without kissing ass in today's fast food music business (...)" Currently he is working on a new AVANTASIA album which is scheduled for the end of 2009. You can also see him touring with EDGUY this summer.

Blind Guardian - The Bard's Song

With a steady evolution from their early days as a speed metal band to their current, renowned musical alchemy of glory, drama, and grandiosity, Germany’s Blind Guardian have long since made their mark as the world’s definitive melodic/progressive rock band. For many, they need no introduction, as the band possesses a track record and back catalogue of classic staples that perhaps only Iron Maiden can match. Called everything from heavy metal bards to modern-day minstrels, BLIND GUARDIAN possess the ability to transport their legions of fans to new landscapes with their majestic songwriting, fantastically themed lyrics, and their meticulous, emotion-packed music.

Founded under the name Lucifer’s Heritage in Krefeld, Germany by vocalist & bassist Hansi Kürsch, lead guitarist André Olbrich, rhythm guitarist Marcus Dork, and drummer Thomen Stauch, the band released only two demos – 1985’s Symphonies Of Doom and 1986’s Battalions Of Fear – before landing a record deal with No Remorse Records. Inspired by the Fates Warning album, Awaken The Guardian, band members decided to change their name to Blind Guardian and soon acquired new rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen. Produced by Kalle Trapp (Saxon, Grave Digger), their 1988 debut album, Battalions Of Fear, showed a heavy influence by Iron Maiden and Helloween. On 1989’s Follow The Blind (also produced by Trapp), they leaned toward Testament’s musical direction, but also experimented with orchestral parts for the first time. More significantly, the album served as their introduction to the Japanese market where they ranked high on the import charts for half a year, poising them for a possible breakthrough with their third release. The band’s reputation continued to grow via word-of-mouth, and when Tales From The Twilight World sold 30,000 copies in their home country alone, Blind Guardian reached the critical juncture in their career they had hoped for. Not only did they feel they had become better musicians and songwriters; they also penned a very distinct sound in the process, and record labels across Europe began courting them. Signing with Virgin Records in 1992, they were one of the very few metal bands to be signed on a major label.

Their Virgin debut, Somewhere Far Beyond, sold over 130,000 copies. After entering the international charts, Blind Guardian took their first trip to Japan to record their first live album, Tokyo Tales. Playing two sold-out audiences to over 4,000 enthused fans, the show captured how strong, special, and symbiotic the relationship between artist and audience can be. The summer of 1994 had BLIND GUARDIAN traveling to Sweet Silence Studios in Denmark to work with Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) on the Imaginations From The Other Side album. After its release, they toured throughout Europe and secured themselves a very special international honor: they became the third-ever heavy metal band (after Metallica and Bon Jovi) to play in Thailand and received a heroes’ welcome into the country. At this point in their career and with six successful albums in their discography, Blind Guardian opted not to release a standard “Best Of” compilation. Instead, to give their fans something truly special, they assembled The Forgotten Tales in 1996, a collection of a few cover songs (“Surfin’ USA,” “Barbara Ann,” and “Long Tall Sally”), a live version of the fan favorite “The Bard’s Song (In the Forest),” plus four acoustic versions and one orchestral arrangement of previously released Blind Guardian songs.

Self-professed perfectionists, Blind Guardian were becoming known for making fans wait a few years for a new album. Honing their creative talents with the production assistance of Rasmussen and drawing major inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Silmarillion, 1998’s Nightfall In Middle-Earth quickly became regarded as a pinnacle achievement in the band’s career. This carefully constructed collection of twenty-two tracks harnessed not only power and speed, but opulent orchestral arrangements, renaissance-styled acoustic sequences, spoken word, and flute & violin passages, all complemented by the jovial stroke of a traveling troubadour’s effervescent spirit. In Europe, Blind Guardian toured more than ever before, and performed for the first time in new territories such as Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. While the band was on the road gathering momentum and adding to their ever-expanding fan base, the demand for Blind Guardian’s music in new markets continued to grow. Thanks to a licensing deal with Century Media Records, Nightfall became the band’s first official release in North America and landed on the Billboard charts. Nightfall went on to sell over 300,000 copies worldwide. Securing a loyal international audience and increasing their album sales over ten times with six studio albums, Blind Guardian’s obviously lively combination of talent, drive, and unified vision helped them earn their laurels of success and granted them a much-revered reputation in the power metal realm that continues to this day.

Making good on a promise made in the spring of 1997, vocalist Hansi Kürsch flew over to the U.S. in June of 1999 to team up with Iced Earth songwriter & guitarist and long-time friend Jon Schaffer on the Demons & Wizards project (the two first met while on tour together in Europe and began a lasting friendship). After the self-titled album was released in early 2000 and following a short European D&W summer tour, Blind Guardian began to resume work on their seventh studio album, A Night At The Opera. With the amount of work ahead of them due to their extensive tracking and the epic nature of the band’s musical orchestrations, the album took nearly seventeen months to complete. Teaming up with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Angra) at the band’s own Twilight Hall Studios in Grefrath-Oedt, Germany, the new material showcased a more aggressive version of Kürsch’s strongly emotive vocals, and cleaner, down-tuned guitar sounds. While the storytelling aspect of the band and the epic & grandiose studio performances remained intact, noticeably absent were the Tolkien-themed lyrics, but that would prove to be no hindrance to the success that waited them.

The band’s first-ever North American single, “And Then There Was Silence,” (which clocked in at over fourteen minutes, featured fifty vocal tracks, thirty guitar tracks, and took over four months to record) debuted on Billboard’s Top 200 Singles chart with no radio airplay. Metal Maniacs hailed Blind Guardian as “one of the few bands that consistently create 10-plus minute epics that never bore.” A Night At The Opera went on to debut at #37 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, secured the #1 album position in Greece, #5 in Germany, #8 in Spain, and entered the Top 100 charts in Sweden, Italy, Austria, and France. Scoring a 9.5 out of 10 review and called “a pervasive and perennial slice of metal’s past, present, and future” by Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles Magazine, it went on to receive universal praise as one of the best albums in its genre. Even Billboard Magazine praised the band’s “larger-than-life sound, which incorporates the harmonies and drama of Queen with an aggressive, modern sensibility.”

The success of the album brought Blind Guardian over to North America for the first time, launched with an appearance at Atlanta, Georgia’s sold-out ProgPower III festival plus additional sold-out shows in major cities. Sparked by the avid interest of their fervent, ever-growing fan base to see the band perform in a live setting (laying credence to Metal Edge’s claim that the band has “reinvented classic metal for a younger audience”), Blind Guardian released a 2-CD live album, Live, in 2003 and a double-disc DVD, Imaginations Through The Looking Glass, in 2004. Of note is that the latter was filmed at the first-ever, two-day Blind Guardian Open Air Festival in Coburg, Germany with the career-spanning set list voted upon entirely by fans before the festival, which ultimately translated into a truly vociferous crowd of over 6,000 on both days.

Early 2005 brought along several significant changes for Blind Guardian. In addition to signing with Nuclear Blast Records, the band – who managed to keep the same line-up for almost two decades – welcomed new drummer Fredrik Ehmke into the fold following the departure of Thomen Stauch. Once again joined by producer Charlie Bauerfeind at Twilight Hall Studios and diving into production for their eighth studio album, the band set out to create another album’s worth of grandeur. The invigorating music on A Twist In The Myth satisfied on all counts, as demonstrated by the success of the “Fly” single, which debuted at very impressive international chart positions: #1 in Japan; #4 in Spain & Hungary; #29 in Sweden; #32 in Germany; #52 in Austria; and #94 in Switzerland. Debuting at #21 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums and #288 on the Top Albums charts, A Twist In The Myth was fueled by lyrics created from Kürsch’s love of reading and showcased the band’s drive to explore new musical terrain. Not only did Blind Guardian become the only band to play on all continents during the 2006/2007 touring season, but their audience attendance figures reached all-time highs. In 2008, the band crossed-over into the gaming world when they composed an exclusive song for the role-playing computer game “Sacred 2: Fallen Angel” and performed “on stage” as animated characters. This experience added extra creative fuel for what was to come as the band returned to their beloved Twilight Hall Studios in Germany.

Four years in the making, the shining master work that is At The Edge Of Time proves yet again how Blind Guardian’s faith in their craft never wavers or falters. The focus on Blind Guardian’s signature multi-track orchestral compositions (which do not need any synthetic enhancements) has remained intact and combines song writing excellence, distinct character, and the highest collaboration & levels of musicianship into one. The opening hymn and emotional chorus of “Sacred Worlds”, the regal vocals in “Tanelorn (Into The Void),” the melancholy construction and huge choirs in “Road Of No Release,” the 210 bpm of the hyperfast “Ride Into Obsession,” the beautiful string and flute arrangements in the folk-flaired “Curse My Name,” the anthemic thrust of “Valkyries,” the majestic elements of “Control The Divine,” the somber piano sequences and message in “War Of The Thrones,” the velocity that drives “A Voice In The Dark,” and the multi-instrumentations in “Wheel Of Time” all find perfect balance within the artful grandeur of each song’s composition, the massively meticulous orchestrations, and the full, expressive range of Hansi Kürsch’s inimitable voice.

“With every release, we want to define ourselves on a new level,” asserts Kürsch. Musically, only those with a solid sense of self and an insatiable curiosity to discover new aspects of themselves can initiate journeys of exploration. After all the worlds Blind Guardian have taken us to since 1988, few would believe there are still new lands to discover in their music. Thankfully, At The Edge Of Time frees us all from the concept of “terra firma” and transports us into the dimension of time, where imagination knows no limits, where all worlds exist at once, and where all existence is drenched in song for all time.

One - Apocalyptica

Since they formed in 1993, Finnish orchestral rock band Apocalyptica has released six studio albums featuring numerous cello-based instrumentals along with some vocal-based songs. Whatever styles they’ve explored – from atmospheric interludes to fast, battering rhythms -- their music has been gripping, dynamic and full of melody. But with their seventh album, 7th Symphony the band has composed an album that not just symphonic, it’s practically a symphony.

“The instrumental stuff is more instrumental than anything we’ve done before,” says lead songwriter and cellist Eicca Toppinen. “For the previous albums, we sometimes had songs which had the potential for vocal tracks, but turned out to be instrumentals. This time, the instrumental tracks are pure instrumentals with long, progressive passages. We wanted to write instrumentals where nobody’s feeling ‘Oh, it’s great, but where are the vocals?’”

At the same time, 7th Symphony contains songs that rock harder than anything they’ve done since 2001 when they released the epic, transfixing album Cult, their first album to contain mostly originals. In the same way that Cult caused fans to view Apocalyptica from a different perspective, 7th Symphony is the next forward step in the group’s creative evolution. Most of the songs on the disc were produced by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool) and two of the four vocal numbers were produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach).

“Joe told us, ‘You know guys, this album will bring your metal fans back’” Toppinen says. “It’s heavier and more exciting. It has a very dramatic classical-metal mixture. And the hard stuff is really hard.”

In addition to the six symphonic tracks, 7th Symphony features four songs with vocals that were co-written with other established artists. The first single, “End of Me” was co-written with Johnny Andrews and Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, who sings on the tune. “It’s definitely a cool rock song,” Toppinen says. “Gavin definitely had his own ideas and wanted to change some of the music and lyrics, but working with him was pretty easy. He’s a nice guy and he’s very professional.”

The other guest vocal performances are equally impressive. Brent Smith from Shinedown sings on “Not Strong Enough,” which was written by award-winning pop songstress Diane Warren (Aerosmith, Toni Braxton, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood) and produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach). Benson also worked with Lacey from Flyleaf on the song “Broken Pieces.”

One of the heaviest songs on the album is “Bring Them to Light,” a collaboration with Joe Duplantier, of the French extreme experimental/progressive metal band Gojira. Toppinen was introduced to Duplantier by his music publisher in France, who also works for Gojira. “He had a feeling that we would get along well and he was right,” the cellist says. “The combination is great. It doesn’t sound like Gojira, it doesn’t sound too much like Apocalyptica. It’s symphonic thrash metal and Joe makes vocal patterns in a way that he’s never done with Gojira, which is very exciting.”

Working with Barresi as the main producer, was rewarding for Apocalyptica for a couple reasons. First, after years of flying around the world to record, they were able to work home in Helsinki. More importantly, they appreciated Barresi’s ear for detail and creative ideas. “We used much more effects than we usually do and got a different kind of sound experience than ever before, but still I think the album is very organic,” Toppinen says. “The drums area more natural and there’s not so much sampling or editing. When we were tracking, we just found great sounds and recorded them right there. We didn’t fix them in the mix with punch ins like people do nowadays.”

One of Toppinen’s favorite songs on 7th Symphony is “Beautiful.” The all-orchestral number was recorded with three cellos and drummer Mikko Sirén on bass. “It was the first time Mikko played bass in his life,” Toppinen says. “It’s a beautiful acoustic song recorded in one take in the studio.”

If “Beautiful” sounds bare and vulnerable, it might have something to do with the way in which it was recorded. “We decided to play it naked,” Toppinen says. “It was a moment where there were four guys naked in the room just playing acoustic music. Being naked always brings good feelings. We tried with clothes on, and we were like, ‘Oh, something is missing.’ Mikko wanted to celebrate his bass playing by being naked, so he was already naked so we thought, ‘Okay, everybody else should get naked, too.’ Immediately, it was much more fun.”

Apocalyptica started writing 7th Symphony last fall and Sirén flew to Los Angeles in January to record the drums. But as soon as he arrived, Toppinen had a sudden burst of creativity back home. “I wrote three more songs after that,” he says. “So I was just sending him demos and he was tracking the songs. Then we recorded all the other parts, and it was strange to go into a studio to record songs that we hadn’t fully rehearsed and that didn’t even have the final arrangements. A lot of stuff was missing. But it was exciting because it made us do things in a different way and be creative all the time. And it made things fresher because it wasn’t like we went, ‘Okay, we did five demo versions of the songs, let’s decide which way to go?’”

7th Symphony is the musical culmination of 17 years of hard work. Apocalyptica started in 1993 as an outlet for Toppinen and three of his classically trained classmates at the prestigious Sibelius Academy. Three years later, they released their debut, Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos.

“When we made the first album, our expectations were, ‘Okay, if we sell 1,000 copies and get a few shows, that’s cool.’ Then, we got the requests to play a lot of shows after the first album and the sound changed totally. We realized, ‘Okay, the first album sounds horrible, so let’s make another one which is more exciting.’”

On 1998’s Inquisition Symphony Apocalyptica refined their approach and procured better production from Otto Donner and Hiili Hiilesmaa. Like their debut, the album featured Metallica songs, but it also included covers of songs by Faith No More, Sepultura, Pantera and three originals. “It was funny because after the first album everybody said, ‘Alright, this is cool for one time,’” Toppinen says. “And after the second album, people said, ‘Okay, now we have seen this thing. You can’t do anything next. Apocalyptica’s over.’ And still we are here.”

In order to remain relevant, Apocalyptica knew they had to make some changes. So, for their 2000 album Cult they only included three covers; the rest were Toppinen originals. Also, the band brought in vocalists Sandra Nasic and Matthias Sayer to sing on two of the songs. The album didn’t sit well with their record label, which wanted another full album of metal covers. Fortunately, Apocalyptica’s contract had expired and the label didn’t pick up their option in time.

“They wanted crazy cover versions of Motorhead and AC/DC, and we ended up ‘No, we don’t want to do that. The contract is over.’ And you can hear the emotion in the Cult album. That’s a passionate album. We were lucky that we got a new label in Germany and got the album released, but it wasn’t easy and it was a really important turning point. If we would have been following the guidance from record label to do a third cover album, I think that would have been the last album of Apocalyptica. That album created a new style.”

When Apocalyptica returned to the studio in 2003, they had a new direction and drive. They enjoyed the vocal tracks on Cult so much they asked pop star Nina Hagen to sing on a cover of Rammstein’s “Seeman” and Swedish celebrity Linda Sundblad to add vocals to “Faraway, Vol 2.” The follow up, 2005’s Apocalyptica was even more star-studded. “Betrayal/Forgiveness” featured guest playing by Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, “Bittersweet” included vocal tracks by HIM’s Ville Valo and The Rasmus’ Lauri Ylönen, who also sang on “Life Burns!”

But it was 2007’s Worlds Collide that turned Apocalyptica into an international phenomenon. As with its predecessors, the disc featured numerous guest stars: Lombardo returned for “Last Hope,” Slipknot’s Corey Taylor appeared on “I’m Not Jesus,” Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia sang on “S.O.S. (Anything But Love)” Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann performed on a cover of David Bowie and Brian Eno’s “Helden” and Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier sang his heart out on “I Don’t Care.” Radio reacted and “I Don’t Care” launched the band to number 59 on the Billboard Hot 200 and number seven on the Billboard Top Independent Albums and Top Rock Albums charts.

“It was really strange to have that kind of success,” Toppinen says. “The Rammstein cover we did with Nina Hagen was really successful in Central Europe. And the song we did with Ville Valo was really successful in Europe. But we had never had any type of real success in America. Even when we wrote ‘I Don’t Care’ and the first demo was finished, I thought, ‘Okay, this could be massive,’ but I never expected it to be so big.”

With a summer tour planned for the U.S. and Europe, the stage is set for 7th Symphony, Apocalyptica’s most eclectic and inspired album to date, one that places equal emphasis on beautiful melodies and heavy, bombastic rhythms.

“We worked really hard on this record and had a lot of fun doing it,” Toppinen says. “I think if you like instrumentals, you will like this the most and if you like the rock stuff you will also like this the most. This Apocalyptica album has something for everybody.”

Grave Digger - Highland Farewell (Official)

After various appearances at small festivals, the band, comprising Chris Boltendahl, Peter Masson, Willi Lackmann and Albert Eckardt, recorded a song for the compilation album Rock from Hell in 1983. A year later, Grave Digger released their debut album Heavy Metal Breakdown.
They released their second album Witch Hunter in 1985. After this album was completed, Eckardt left the band; he was replaced by C.F. Brank. Further festival appearances, a tour as the warm-up act for Helloween and, finally, a triple headline tour with Celtic Frost and Helloween followed, and all before the release of the third album War Games in January 1986. Thereafter, Peter Masson gave way to Uwe Lulis; in 1987 the band's name was changed to Digger, the name under which they released the album Stronger Than Ever. This album hardly had anything in common with the earlier music of Grave Digger. It was more an attempt to reach the masses with mainstream rock like that of Bon Jovi or Van Halen. The album flopped, as it was not accepted by fans or the masses. As a result, Chris Boltendahl declared, at the end of 1987, the break up of the band.
However, the band partially reformed in 1991. Christ Boltendahl and Uwe Lulis, along with two valuable newcomers, Tomi Göttlich and Jörg Michael, who had been the drummers for Rage and Running Wild, released a comeback record, The Reaper. This album returned to the true roots of Grave Digger. In the same year, the album Best of the Eighties was released; it represented a quasi Best-of-Album of their earlier songs.
The album Symphony of Death followed in 1994. In the interim, Grave Digger, now with a new drummer, Frank Ullrich, toured Germany, playing as the warm-up act for Manowar. In 1995 the album Heart of Darkness appeared; it was a very dark album with many influences from the early works of Annihilator[citation needed].
In 1996, Stefan Arnold became the band's new drummer. This year also marked the release of the concept album Tunes of War, which dealt with the early history of Scotland. This album was the first part of the Middle Ages Trilogy, completed in 1999. The second album, Knights of the Cross, with Jens Becker as bass guitarist, was completed in 1997 and was about the rise and fall of the Knights Templar. The final part of the trilogy, finished in 1999, Excalibur explored the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Shortly after this followed a world tour with the keyboardist Hans-Peter Katzenburg, who later became a permanent bandmember.
[edit] The Anniversary Years
In 2000, Grave Digger celebrated their 20th anniversary; to mark the occasion they performed at a sell-out concert at the Zeche in Bochum. Many of the band's most popular songs were played alongside other less well-known ones. There were also a number of different supporting acts appearing with Grave Digger. This concert also marked a defining chapter in the band's history, as Uwe Lulis left a short while before the concert because of personal and business reasons. Lulis finally called his new band Rebellion.
A replacement, in the form of the ex-Rage guitarist, Manni Schmidt, was found. Along with him and the new record label Nuclear Blast, the album The Grave Digger appeared in 2001. The works of Edgar Allan Poe served as an inspiration for the lyrics of the new album. Their first live album, Tunes of Wacken, appeared in 2002. This was coupled with the release of their first DVD, Wacken Open Air. About a year later, a further concept album, Rheingold, appeared, which centered on the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner.
After the successful Rheingold-Tour, the band recorded another album, The Last Supper, with Symphorce and Wizard; however, unlike previous albums, The Last Supper was not a concept album, despite several songs about the last days of Jesus. A few journalists described the album as the best since Tunes of War or Heavy Metal Breakdown[citation needed]. It was released on January 17, 2005. Less than a month later, the band began a tour with Stormhammer and Astral Doors in Andernach, the birthplace of Manni Schmidt.
October 2005 saw the release of a live DVD recording of the Last Supper Tour and the São Paulo concert. The title, 25 to Live, commemorated the band's 25th anniversary.
Grave Digger released their follow-up to The Last Supper, Liberty or Death on January 12, 2007. A Double-Headline Tour together with Therion followed, beginning January 17, 2007 in Essen.
In mid August, 2008, the band entered Principal studios with additional guitarist Thilo Hermann to record their 13th studio album entitled Ballads of a Hangman. It was their first album with twin guitars.
In February 2009 the band parted ways with Thilo Hermann. In October 2009 Manni Schmidt left the band due to ongoing disagreements with Boltendahl. An old friend of the band, guitarist Axel Ritt was chosen as a temporary replacement for Schmidt to play out the remaining tour dates. On January 12th, 2010, it was officially announced that Axel Ritt is now an official full time member of Grave Digger.
Since mid-May to mid-July 2010, the band finished recording their new album The Clans Will Rise Again which is set for release in Europe on October 1, 2010 via Napalm Records with a North American release following soon after. The album is a loose sequel of the Tunes of War album, but this time not a concept album about the Scottish history, rather a work about Scotland, its mysticism and its people.

Seven Ends - A Murderer's Diary - 24.01.2010, Live At The Rock Temple, K...

The band was founded in the winter of 2007/2008 by guitarist Ricardo, drummer Cor and vocalist Jan. Their old bands (Blacklist, Anger Alliance) weren't really going anywhere so they decided to combine their talents and visions in a new band called SEVEN ENDS.

The main goal since the beginning was playing straightforward modern thrash metal with some death metal influences here and there. A shitload of songs were written and the search for new members to complete the band had begun.

Beginning of 2008 they welcomed bassist Noud (ex-Blood Drenched) with whom they rehearsed and perfectioned their sound even more building the fundaments of SEVEN ENDS. Still there was a need for 2nd guitarist which was found in the person of Tim (ex-Destroyer of Senses).

Slowly but steadily they worked on their repertoire, getting ready do a couple of live shows and to record a demo. 4 of their most representive songs were chosen and in January 2009 they started with recording the drums at the Pit Studio. Followed by the recording of the guitars, bass and vocals in Februari/March in the Panzer Studio's.

The demo was presented to the public on april 4th in Niederkrüchten (Germany) on the Torture Squad metal battle which they won together with another dutch metalband Stronghold. This led to both bands being support act for Brazilian thrashers Torture Squad 2 weeks later. Reactions by the press and public to both their demo and live performances were all absolutely positive and overwhelming and sparked up the flame called SEVEN ENDS, turning it into a big fire!

Somewhere along the way the fire got a bit extinguished resulting in guitarist Tim leaving the band. Quickly followed by some fresh gasoline in the form of new guitarist Leon (Contradefused, Anger Alliance) to fire things up again and he turned out to be the best man for the job. So like madmen they began working on new stuff again and started to fill up their agenda with new live-shows. You ain't seen nothing YET!

Lake of Tears - Raven Land (official video)

Do you know what you fear of the ravens dark
Do you know what they hide, hide within their hearts
Can you see the sorrow within their eyes
Can you hear their cries, when the fiddle dies...

Mistletoe, friend of foe, so black upon the moor
Fallen leaves coloured red, blood of all the dead
Into mist they'll take your soul, they'll take your heart
And none of flames shall burn with the ravens dark

Raven land - mistletoe
Raven land - friend of foe

Whispering winds from the land of the nevermore
Bringing tales of the dead, dead in times before
Can you hear the shadows within the night
Can you see the flames, as the fire dies...

Mistletoe, not a toe, black friend upon the moor
And the leaves coloured red, tears of all the dead
In the mist they keep you soul, they keep you heart
And all of flames shall burn with the ravens dark

Savatage - Edge of thorns (official video)

Het is zover! Na wat halve verzamelaars en live opnamen, is er na bijna dertig jaar eindelijk een compleet overzicht verschenen van de Amerikaanse heavy metal formatie Savatage. Hun rijke historie is sinds deze maand te verkrijgen als dubbel cd. Op Still The Orchestra Plays (Greatest Hits vol.1 & 2) staan maar liefst 23 klassiekers uit het oeuvre van deze inmiddels legendarische band uit Florida.

Savatage werd eind jaren '70 opgericht door de broers Jon en Criss Oliva. De band heette toen nog Avatar, maar omdat er destijds al een band bestond met die naam, werd het debuutalbum 'Sirens' uit 1983 onder de nieuw verkozen naam uitgebracht. Aan het leven van gitaarvirtuoos Criss werd in 1993 abrupt een einde gemaakt door een dronken automobilist. Onder meer Alex Skolnick (o.a. Testament) en inmiddels Al Pitrelli (o.a. Alice Cooper) werden zijn opvolgers. De band had toen reeds zanger Zachary Stevens in dienst genomen. Dit had te maken met het feit dat Jon zich wat op de achtergrond had begeven en zich voornamelijk met de songwriting was gaan bezighouden. Rond die tijd werden de albums ook progressiever en werden de conceptalbums vervangen door ware rockopera's, zoals 'Streets' uit 1991. Deze verandering werd Jon door de fans van het eerste uur niet altijd in dank afgenomen, maar er werd tegelijkertijd ook weer nieuw publiek aangeboord. Jon ging zijn drang naar het bombastische uiteindelijk onder meer verwerken in projecten van producer Paul O'Neill onder de naam Trans-Siberian Orchestra, waarop ook andere leden van Savatage te horen zijn. Na het laatste studio album van Savatage 'Poets and Madmen' uit 2001, ging Jon verder met Jon Oliva's Pain, en bestaat er een groot vermoeden onder fans dat die band de blijvende voortzetting is van Savatage. Dit werd onlangs weer bevestigd, toen de andere leden en ex-zanger Stevens bekend maakten om met leden van Metal Church de nieuwe band Machines Of Grace te beginnen.
Over de kwaliteiten van de band valt weinig te discussiëren, over de samenstelling van deze verzamelaar wellicht wel. Het is duidelijk dat het ongetwijfeld met rechten van verschillende platenmaatschappijen heeft te maken. Zo zijn de eerste twee, met heerlijke speedmetalriffs overgoten, albums onderbelicht, behalve de song 'Out On The Streets', maar dat is een latere akoestische versie. Verder vind je ook geen nummers terug van 'Fight For The Rock' uit 1986. De verder chronologisch opgebouwde verzamelaar vangt aan met de titeltracks van twee fameuze albums, 'Power Of The Night' (1985) en 'Hall Of The Mountain King (1987), gevolgd door '24 Hours' en 'Legions', eveneens twee sterke tracks van het laatst genoemde album.

Na drie heerlijke songs van het album 'Gutter Ballet' volgen er evenveel van 'Streets'. Bij die laatste drie, opmerkelijk genoeg, geen 'Jesus Saves' en 'Agony and Ecstasy', nummers die wel voor eerdere verzamel/live albums werden gekozen. Gelukkig horen we wel 'Chance' van 'Handful of Rain'. Dat nummer laat goed horen dat de band rond die periode met meerstemmige zang experimenteerden à la Queen in de jaren '70. Wanneer ook de tweede cd het einde nadert, komen met name de epossen van de laatste studioalbums voorbij, zoals het ruim tien minuten durende 'Morphine Child'. Die laatste nummers geven duidelijk aan dat de band de hard rock en speedmetal van weleer reeds lange tijd achter zich heeft gelaten, en gekwalificeerd moet worden binnen de progressieve en symfonische metal.
Tot slot nog iets extra's, namelijk drie akoestische songs die nog niet eerder werden uitgebracht. Die zijn best aardig, maar de echte fan zal waarschijnlijk proberen de limited edition in de wacht te slepen. Daar zit een dvd bij, waarop de beelden van de eerder op cd en video verschenen 'Japan Live' uit 1994 eindelijk digitaal te zien zijn.
Hoewel niet een geheel compleet overzicht van hun werk, en soms wat opmerkelijke keuzes, laat deze verzamel-cd wel goed horen welke klasse de muzikanten bezitten, en hoe goed de songs in elkaar steken. Het blijven stuk voor stuk geweldige nummers, zeer technisch en zonder oeverloos gepiel. De muziek van Savatage blijkt vooral tijdloos te zijn, vaak het handelsmerk van goede muziek.

In Memory of MICK TUCKER

Michael Thomas "Mick" Tucker (17 July 1947 – 14 February 2002) was the drummer of the English glam rock band, Sweet.

Mick Tucker was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital, Acton Lane, Harlesden, North West London. He died 14 February 2002 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire from leukemia, aged 54. The funeral took place 25 February 2002; He is buried in an unnamed grave in Chorleywood House cemetery. It is marked by a sleeping angel. A wooden bench with a brass plaque funded by fans as a dedication to Tucker is also positioned in the grave's vicinity. He left behind a widow, Jan, and a daughter Ayston from his first marriage to Pauline (who died 1979). Sweet bass player Steve Priest said about Tucker: "He was the most underrated drummer that ever came out of England. He was the powerhouse of the band. He was technically marvelous. His timing was impeccable, but he had a lot of soul as well and he really felt what he was playing."

Rock Zottegem 2009 - Alice Cooper - Halo of flies

Leaves´ Eyes - Take the Devil In Me (Official)

I am drifting away
I've counted my last days
Between my lips a silent cry

I swore to the Gods
I will let grace win
The battle of my heart

I cry for angels to save me
Take the devil in me
Save me for I've been mistaken
Save one moment of my life
Take the devil in me

A mind at peace with every spirit
Before I leave I shall forgive

My heart stops beating
It makes me see how bright life could have been

Children Of Bodom - Sixpounder

Can you say what you don't know?
In darkness of the odds
The wrecking voice getting nearer
Awaiting the first sixpounder

Well, let me show you battle
That's from the path of hate
What it takes to bring you down
Like a spark resist you
Go Go!

War!
I refuse to be brought down by you
Praise is far away from what you do
Not only are you cranking on my reign
I'm ready to blow you away... 666 (...pounder)

Hey! Wanna see the darker time
A time that never ends
It'll be too late for you
When you try to persuade me by
Pain!
Go!
Load the sixpounder!

Can you say what you don't know?
In darkness of the odds
What it takes to bring you down
Like a spark resist you
Go Go!

War!
War!
I refuse to be brought down by you
Praise is far away from what you do
Not only are you cranking on my reign
I'm ready to blow you away... SIX SIX SIX!!

Sabaton - Re-Armed Editions!

Do you wonder what Sabaton did in the studio about 1 month ago?
Do you wonder why Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus, Metalizer and Art of War is so hard to get these days?

This is why...

To be able to continue to do what we all love, meaning to continue to play music and to tour the world, we have now purchased the rights to the Sabaton music.

And to celebrate this we want to make them available again to all of you in a unique cooperation between Sabaton, Nuclear Blast and Black Lodge.

Now what does this mean??

Well, first it means that when you buy a Sabaton album, more of the money spent on the albums will actually go to Sabaton and second it means that we want to celebrate this by making the first four albums available again, but in really cool new versions!
The 4 first original albums of Sabaton, complete with new artwork, new booklets, posters and of course: New music!
We have digged deep into the treasury of Sabaton to find unique, strange, funny and unexpected songs.

Every album on the RE-ARMED editions will feature new tracks and they will include some old demos, some coversongs, some live versions of songs, some really old and unheard songs and some completely new songs recorded in Studio Abyss.

They will all be re-released on the 24th of September...

Jaldaboath - Hark the Herald (Official)

Hark the herald, the war drums beating. Hark the call - the call to arms!
Sally forth and no retreating, saddle thy horse, raise the alarm!

The king hath decreed us knights do battle for the honour of his fair queen
Now we ride to meet the brutes on their own ground;
mace, steel and lance has vengeance found!

Kill! Burn! Waste the wenches! Hark the herald! The King wants blood!

Deep entrenched, Lord Asquith is hiding in his fort, portcullis is down.
Lay siege will we, and yeild will he, to declare the innocence of our queen (the whore!)

Kill! Burn! Waste the wenches! Hark the herald! The King wants blood!

Women crying - Witches saying
Banners flying - Knights dying!

Kataklysm - Taking The World By Storm

Corruption (corruption)
A poisoned apple
That feeds your loss
Weaken (weaken)
Reality is the greatest curse

Welcome to this
Ensuring soft will
I tried so hard
Through the impossible
Clenching my fists
This fight will never end
Nation rise
Taking the world by storm

Overcome the pain
Overcome, overcome
Take away the fear
Break away, break away
Kill the voice inside
Kill the light, kill the light

Destruction (destruction)
Words of wisdom played upon
Repent (repent)
the day you reach the sun

Welcome to this
Ensuring soft will
I tried so hard
Through the impossible
Clenching my fists
This fight will never end
Nation rise
Taking the world by storm

Overcome the pain
Overcome, overcome
Take away the fear
Break away, break away
Kill the voice inside
Kill the light, kill the light

Walk through fields of war
Face the spineless one
I give my life, spirit aside
I will conquer this life
I will conquer this life

Zaterdag 7 augustus 2010

Vandaag zouden we opnieuw de wereld rond gaan, en veel muziekstijlen tot ons nemen. Diverse Scandinavische en West-Europese bands stonden op ons programma.Ook zouden wij getuige zijn van wederom diverse muziekstijlen, die de metal rijk was. Tevens zouden wij vandaag opnieuw verrast worden….
Het begon allemaal met het Franse Nightmare, ouderwetse heavy metal, welke stond als een huis. Dit was een fantastisch opwarmertje.
Daarna volgde The New Black, ’n Duitse southern groove metal band. Dit klonk lekker apart, maar met een behoorlijke dosis metal.
Daarna gingen de remmen pas goed los met de melodische death/trash metal uit Zweden. Degradead zorgde ervoor, dat als er iemand nog slaperig was, nu zeker klaarwakker was. Degradead had power en bezieling. De W.E.T.Stage stond te schudden op zijn grondvesten.
Daarna hadden we nóg een Zweedse verrassing: Crucified Barbara.

Wie zich nog de Runaways kan herinneren mag ze gelijk weer voor altijd vergeten; nu was Crucified Barbara, vijf strakke meiden met nog strakkere heavy metal. Jammer dat ze maar een half uurtje konden spelen, van ons hadden ze nog wel een uurtje door mogen gaan. De energie spatte ervan af.
Daarna was het de beurt aan het Italiaanse Skanners, die ook gingen voor snoeiharde heavy metal. De toon was gezet, deze dag. Het was trouwens de enige Italiaanse band, die we gezien hebben, maar zij bewezen wel, dat ook Italië in de metal zijn deuntje meeblaast…en hoe…
Daarna gingen we kijken en vooral luisteren naar Delain. Je bent gewaarschuwd; hier gaan wij meer van horen. Een fantastische muzikale verrassing van Nederlandse bodem. Dag Nightwish, dag Within Temptation, hallo Delain!! Ondanks het feit dat zij dezelfde stijl als Tarja hanteerde, was dit véél beter (volgens mij). Twee bangende blonde, langharige gitaristen met een rode schoonheid ertussen, die net zo hoog zong als Tarja. Dit was de tweede Nederlandse presentatie op Wacken , waar bij ons de rillingen over de rug liepen. Achteraf had Jeroen wel dichterbij willen staan, maar of dit op haar zangkwaliteiten sloeg…?

Daarna was het tijd voor een aantal grote namen, te beginnen met W.A.S.P. met traditionele heavy metal/hardrock uit de U.S.A.. Zij speelden een gevarieerd programma, ook hun nieuwste album Babylon werd niet vergeten. Aan Blackie Lawless was te merken, dat-ie een dagje ouder wordt, maar dit werd ruimschoots goedgemaakt door de gitaristen, die als jonge honden rondrenden.
Daarna kregen we Finse melodieuze power metal van Stratovarius om onze oren.
Zij speelden veel nummers van hun laatste album Polaris. Na 26 jaar weten zij nog steeds prachtige nummers te spelen. Ook het publiek ging helemaal los…
Daarna was het de beurt aan Edguy. Eerlijke, heerlijke power metal uit Duitsland.

Zij speelden voor eigen huis, iedereen stond te juichen en te hossen. Er werden songs gespeeld van allerlei albums, die zij sinds 1992 gemaakt hadden. Nog steeds brandt het vuur bij Edguy, wat oversloeg op het publiek.
Na een korte blik op Lake Of Tears uit Zweden was ook deze dag ten einde. De progressieve doom-gothic metal stond als een huis. Opnieuw puilde de W.E.T.stage uit van schreeuwende en moshende metalheads…

De tweede dag in Wacken was een dag van muzikale tegenstellingen.
Het hele (bijna, tenminste) spectrum van de metal zou vandaag langs komen, uit landen verdeeld over de hele wereld. Bands uit Finland, Zweden, de U.S.A., Cananda en Duitsland zouden wij gaan bekijken én bovenal beluisteren.
Vandaag startten we bij de True Metal Stage, de heren van Amorphis gaven hier acte de présence.
Zoals elke metalhead wel weet, komt er veel goede heavy metal uit Finland, dus ook in dit geval.
Zij speelden hoofdzakelijk jong werk, want het oude werk, zoals doom en death metal speelden ze dit keer niet. Wij vonden dat absoluut niet erg. Zij waren, zoals zo vele bands, erg enthousiast en hadden een klik met het publiek, dat zich ook niet onbetuigd liet.
De volgende band, die wij konden aanschouwen was Astral Doors, heerlijke Zweedse heavy metal. De Zweden wisten het publiek op te jutten en er ontstonden verschillende moshpitts. Alle slaap was inmiddels uit onze hoofden gejaagd door de krijsende gitaren en raggende drums.
Daarna was Ill Niño aan de beurt: Amerikaanse nu-metal, die stond als een huis.
Cristian Machado, de zanger is de enige metal zanger, die dreadlocks draagt. Hoe bedoel je, in elkaar overgaan…Maar de sound van deze band stond als een huis, wat een power.
Daarna werden we overspoeld door de Canadese trash metal van Voivod, welke bestond vanaf 1981. Jammer genoeg was er weinig bezieling bij deze band (naar mijn mening). Dat vonden we erg jammer.
Maar treuren deden we niet, want de Amerikaanse symphonische power metal van Eternal Legacy maakte alles goed. Een relatief jonge band, uit 2003, maar vol energie en enthousiasme.
Voivod was snel vergeten.
Daarna hadden we een vrouwelijk tussendoortje, Hells Belles uit de U.S.A..
Zij speelden, zoals hun naam al doet vermoeden, alleen maar AC/DC covers. Het was niets meer, niets minder. Grappig, maar niet overdonderend. Zij vergaten allen het belangrijkste AC/DC nummer; Whole Lotta Rosie. Met Thunderstruck openden ze wel.
Daarna was Kamelot aan de beurt. Melodieuse power metal, opnieuw vanuit de U.S.A..
Prachtig, hier werden we stil van. Hier wilden we meer van. Fantastisch, ik had niet verwacht dat ze zó goed waren!!
Zij speelden veel te kort, maar ook dat werd weer goed gemaakt door Tarja Tarunen, de ex-zangeres van Nightwish. Heerlijke symphonische gothic uit Finland. Wat een stem had zij, we werden er allemaal stil van. Helemaal toen zij nog enkele bekende Nightwish nummers ten gehore bracht.
Daarna kwam de verrassing van deze dag: Grave Digger. Zij speelden de Tunes Of War, het verhaal van Braveheart. Doro zong hierbij ook nog een nummer. Wat een passie van deze, toch al wat oudere band, zij bestonden dit jaar 30 jaar!!
Als afsluiter deze dag hadden wij wederom een grote naam: Slayer. Ik had ze nog nooit gezien en wilde dit wel eens meemaken. Vette Amerikaanse trash, zij speelden het snelst van alle bands, die wij gezien hadden en nog zouden zien. Maar er was weinig bezieling, jammer genoeg leken de nummers erg veel op elkaar. Jeroen dacht zelfs twee keer Angel Of Death te horen, maar twijfelde later. Wat mij tegenviel, was het feit, dat mensen wegliepen bij Slayer. Dat had ik niet verwacht. Nu bleek dat Alice Cooper en Iron Maiden de échte trekkers waren van dit festival!
’n Duitse metalhead vertrouwde mij toe:”Sie haben nur eine cd gemacht, de rest is leer…”.
De grootste verrassing van deze dag was de taxi, die ons weer naar Brokdorf bracht: als wij instapten werden wij overspoeld door klanken van Children Of Bodom!!
Wauw, wat een dag!!