Alestorm update

You (should) know by now that Scottish pirate (folk) metal giants, Alestorm, are playing one show in New Zealand, May 15th at the Rising Sun on K Rd. (I've said it before- if you're from out of town and get lost- don't rely on looking for the place with guys in frilly, pirate like, shirts & costumes ;p it is, after all, K Rd.)

The promoter has announced local supports; Just One Fix, Sinate, and Dunedin's Scurvy Dogs

Tickets should be on sale now, or nowish.
Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183583911674724

**INITIAL POST: http://www.hardfastheavy.com/2011/01/alestorm-w-voyager-tour-oznz.html **


Just One Fix have two albums out now (The Price of Sellvation, Blood Horizon) and are working on writing album number 3.
Sinate have recently arrived back from an extended stay over in Europe, where they recorded their 3rd album. I don't know (or can't remember) when it's due out. http://www.myspace.com/sinate05
Scurvy Dogs are a Pirate themed band from Dunedin, you can check out some of their music (some, not sure if all) is available for listening/downloading from: http://scurvydogs.bandcamp.com/

An update & free music to waste away Auckland Anniversary weekend

Romanian Melodic Death metal crowd, Era Decay, is offering their album, "Ashes" for free download http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I2I77D09

Australian metallers, Shift, are also offering a version of their "Faceless" album for free, pay a mesley $4 (I assume this in Aussie dollars) to get better quaility, more songs and artwork.. http://www.shiftband.net/

U.K metal group Dead at the Scene have their album, "Sharktopus" available for free download at: http://www.sharktopus.co.uk/

If you check out: http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/section.jsp?departmentName=POD&podName=Metal you can download upcoming songs from Darkest Hour (song- The Human Romance) and Crowbar (song- Sever the Wicked Hand) both bands releasing their new albums in Feb this year. This is more than likely a time limited download, so hurry up.


The Haunted, who are due to release a new album "Unseen" in March this year via Century Media, have released the tracklist and artwork for it;
1. Never Better, 2. No Ghost, 3. Catch 22, 4. Disappear, 5. Motionless, 6. Unseen, 7. The Skull, 8. Ocean Park, 9. The City, 10. Them, 11. All Ends Well, 12. Done.

Playlist for 24th Jan 2011

Playlist for 24th Jan 2011
DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA- A Tapdancer's Dilema
DOG FASHION DISCO- Day of the Dead
BUCKETHEAD- The Hand
MOTORHEAD- Be My Baby
MACHINE HEAD- Aesthetics of Hate (Request- the chap who called up requesting this song started out with an apparently humorous accent but failed to maintain it throughout the phone call- for shame; if you're gonna be a funny guy atleast stick to it ;p )
KING DIAMOND- Abigail (Request)
MINISTRY- Jesus Built My Hotrod (Request)
DEATH- Zombie Ritual
DEATH- Spirit Crusher
ULCERATE- Cold Becoming (New)
EMMURE- Demons With Ryu (Upcoming)
LEGION- The Great Deceiver (New: download this song for free at the bands Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Legion/187761644586524)
BANE OF ISILDUR- Last Alliance (check out www.chaosnz.com for details on their NZ show this weekend)ALESTORM- Black Sails At Midnight (These guys are as good as confirmed as to play 1 NZ show: May 15th @ Rising Sun, K Rd)
THE OCEAN- Sewers of the Soul
FAREWELL TO FREEWAY- Rico's Roughnecks
THE VERY END- Death Ticket
SIKTH- Summer Rain
PSYOPUS- X And Y
ROLO TOMASSI- Party Wounds
ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS- Violence In Fluid Triceratops

Big 4 show in your country? complain about it? ok.

*Updated*
The big four (Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax) announce one big show in California recently, and yet there's already a post, essentially, complaining about it.
(A reader comment suggests the big four individual America wide tours would add insult to injury!! *hits sarcasm key* Yeah, seeing these bands headlining their own shows, but a few weeks apart, Sucks so much..)

Are the american audiences so used to any/all bands playing in their town/state etc that the mammoth-ness of the big 4 not doing a massive 100 date tour (or whatever) is an insult. Wow, reminds me of the spoilt kids you see in malls who throw tantrums when they don't get the latest expensive throw-away toy.

Granted, 1 date might not be enough to satisfy demand, and american metal fans might have phobias over flying or driving to California for it. Also, each band is likely to tour the states with their own festival type packages.


http://www.metalinsider.net/festivals/the-big-4-tour-is-a-big-letdown

The big Four doing a show in your country is a; DICK move? ....right....

Here's a screen shot of what metalsucks.net had to say.

Southern Deliverance 2011 at Galatos Feb 5th.

What better way to spend the night before Waitangi?
Two bands that I keep on hearing about from the south of the south Is, playing with the awesomeness that is Mothra and Arc of Ascent (who's 2010 album got in some top music countdown in the papers at the end of 2010).

Mothra will be on first at 9.30pm & might have a singer for a song or two.
 

Alestorm w/ Voyager tour Oz/NZ

**UPDATE/ADDITIONAL INFO: http://www.hardfastheavy.com/2011/01/alestorm-update.html **
**UPDATE: POSTER: http://www.hardfastheavy.com/2011/03/alestorm-oz-nz-tour-poster.html**
From the NZ promoter:
ALESTORM - One New Zealand show only - Sunday May 15th at Rising Sun, Auckland (5pm early start). 18+. Tickets on-sale next Monday January 31st from UnderTheRadar, Moshtix and Real Groovy. Supports and further details coming soon

I just recieved this email from the Australian side of things (i.e. Voyager may or may not be following Alestorm to NZ):

“BACK THROUGH TIME” AUSTRALIAN / NEW ZEALAND TOUR MAY 2010

Arrr! Those piratical badasses ALESTORM are sailing their way through the seas of time, to once again plunder our shores on an ale and wench raiding mission. May will be the month they drop anchor, paddle ashore and launch into the first set of swashbuckling shows, of their ‘Back Through Time’ world tour. ALESTORM’S third album ‘Back Through Time’ is an epic adventure with more drunken singalong anthems than you can shake a stick at. There are songs about midgets, songs about Wisconsin and songs about travelling through time to kill Vikings. And in an exclusive offer, Australian fans will have first opportunity to buy the new album anywhere in the world! So matey’s, don’t be a squiffy! Collect your dubloons, haul yourself down to the party and get your hands on a copy of ‘Back Through Time’ before any other scallywags can.

Appealing to a massive spectrum of music connoisseurs VOYAGER join the ranks as a mighty fine national support. Combining it all into a melting pot of incredible melodies and arrangements, VOYAGER’S latest offering "I Am The reVolution" is a journey into the overloaded information age, with a sound so versatile and unique that is is simply unforgettable... the reVolution begins HERE!

ALESTORM with Voyager performing at:

May 10^th -  Amplifier Bar, Perth

May 11^th - Enigma Bar, Adelaide

May 12^th - The HiFi, Brisbane

May 13^th - The Manning Bar, Sydney

May 14^th - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne

May 15^th - Rising Sun, Auckland – New Zealand

TICKETS ON SALE FROM MONDAY JAN 31^st & can now be purchased direct from www.soundworkstouring.com. All you need is a paypal account!

Or purchase from the usual outlets!

Perth - www.moshtix.com, 78 Records

Adelaide – www.moshtix.com

Brisbane – www.thehifi.com.au/brisbane

Sydney – www.moshtix.com , www.oztix.com.au

Melbourne – www.cornerhotel.com

Auckland – http://www.moshtix.co.nz/, Real Groovy, http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/

www.myspace.com/alestorm

www.myspace.com/voyageraustralia

www.napalmrecords.com  

www.moderninvasionmusic.com  

www.appareldirect.com.au

www.soundworkstouring.com

New album news round up

Mastodon start writing new material: http://www.metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/mastodon-writing-album

Iwrestledabearonce begin work on new album & launch a site to chart said work: http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=9484&IdCompany=2

Arch Enemy start recording new album, "Khaos Legions": http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=9485&IdCompany=2

Suicide Silence, last seen (by us) at No sleep Til Auckland, Enter the studio with an album due (in our) winter: http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=9470&IdCompany=2

Similarly, 3 Inches of Blood have officially entered the studio: http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=9469&IdCompany=2

Decapitated enters the studio next month, penciled in for release late 2011 via Nuclear Blast; http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=152612

20 Jan, News

A new band out of Auckland are hitting the ground running. 'Legion' features many familiar names: Jesse Cleaver (Vocals), Josh Hughes (gat), Ross Mcdougal (gat), George White (bass), Corey Friedlander (drums).
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Legion/187761644586524

Behemoth front man, Nergal has been released from hospital to the care of his parents.
No doubt many NZ metal fans will be happy at the news, because as with any band who visits our shores and pummels the living snot out of audiences and aren't a pack of dicks- we tend to like them and their band just a little more.
http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/01/19/nergal-is-out-of-the-hospital/

Still on the metalsucks.net theme of things, as well as exclusively streaming the upcoming album of NZ's UIlcerate (after giving it rave reviews) they also have compiled a free 'album' download of various bands spanning various metal genres, all of whom are from the New York area (Metalsucks.net being based there..)
http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/01/18/free-download-for-your-listening-pleasure-nyc-sucks-volume-1-featuring-the-best-of-new-york-city%E2%80%99s-metal-scene/

White Wizzard enters studio, expect new release around mid year thru Earache Records.
http://earachenews.blogspot.com/2011/01/white-wizzard-enters-studio-to-record.html

Tasmanian's Psycroptic enter studio, after vocalist sits out of US tour (at the end of 2010)
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=152493

New Amon Amarth cover art

Sutur Rising, out 29th March via Metal Blade Records

Playlist for 17th Jan 2010

Playlist for 17^th Jan 2010

TOOL- Stinkfist (Request, check them out at the 2011 BDO)

TIMES OF GRACE- Until The End Of Days (New)

ALESTORM- Leviathan (FB tells us these guys will be visiting NZ May 15th @ Rising Sun)

RAMMSTEIN- Rammlied (Rammin' the Steins Remix By Devin Townsend) (Check 'em out at the 2011 BDO)

RAMMSTEIN- Zerstören (Check 'em out at the 2011 BDO)

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM- Take (Available free from Nuclear Blast website)

IRON MAIDEN- Prowler

IRON MAIDEN- The Number Of The Beast

ABYSMAL DAWN- Leveling The Plane of Existence (From an upcoming release)

KATATONIA- My Twin (Request)

ANTESTOR- Rites of Death (An Unblack metal song/band, played more to antagonise fans of traditional BM)

DETHKLOK- Laser Cannon Deth Sentence

IN DREAD RESPONSE- The Begotten (In Dread Response are taking the Mark of Man's place at the Zerstiren Gig at the Kings Arms on Saturday)

THE MARK OF MAN- The Albatross

DR. ACULA- Currently Sexting... (From an upcoming release)

DEVILDRIVER- Dead To Rights (Was available from Roadrunner records site on a time limited free download. From an upcoming release)

BELPHEGOR- In Blood - Devour This Sanctity (New)

AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH- Deadworld Reclamation

FAREWELL TO FREEWAY- Top Gun (New)

THE WARRIORS- Seize The Fire (From an upcoming release)

WHAT'S LEFT OF HER- When I Was Human

DEATHSPELL OMEGA- Have You Beheld the Fevers?

Scotland's Alestorm coming to NZ

From: http://www.metalobsession.net/14/01/2011/news/alestorm-announce-2011-australiannz-tour that quotes the bands facebook page, that hasn't yet been confirmed by a local promoter, yet:

ALESTORM have recently announced some amazing news via their forums which states they’ll be returning to Australian shores during the month of May this year. The tour will also see Alestorm hit the shores of New Zealand for the very first time.
The tour will be the first of many to support the band’s upcoming release, Back Through Time which has yet been given a release date. Chris Bowes (vocalist and keyboardist) posted the following message on the band’s Facebook page.

Greetings again my friends and fellow bawbags! Time for good news.
Today I’m happy to announce that we’re coming back down under! After the amazing success of Alestorm’s first Australian tour in June 2010, it’s been decided that we’re gonna grace your Antipodean shores for an even longer quest in 2011, including a show in New Zealand. Here’s the dates:
May 10th 2011 – Amplifier Bar – Perth, Australia
May 11th 2011 – Enigma Bar – Adelaide, Australia
May 12th 2011 – The HiFi – Brisbane, Australia
May 13th 2011 – The Manning Bar – Sydney, Australia
May 14th 2011 – The Corner Hotel – Melbourne, Australia
May 15th 2011 – Rising Sun – Auckland, New Zealand
Tickets are on sale now apparently! Support bands and other shite will be announced later. This is gonna be a special one for us, as it’s the very start of a massive world tour we’ve got planned for 2011 and beyond in support of our 3rd album “Back Through Time”. We’re going to plunder cities all round the world that we’ve never been to before, playing all the old favourites and a bunch of new songs too!
See you on the road!
Chris

Free new Flotsam and Jetsam

http://media.nuclearblast.de/download/gratisdownload/index.php?link_kampagne=FlotsamAndJetsam-Take

A new (and free) track from Nuclear Blast band, Flotsam and Jetsam. Just click the link above

album art, Obscura's Omnivium

Watch out for a Relapse Records bands', Obscura and their upcoming 2011 album Omnivium due out March 29th, the album art looks pretty bad-ass.
If you're the pre-order over the internet type, check out: http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=42749

Zerstiren + guests

3 bands from the unstable region of Christchurch, 2 from NZ's greatest megalopolis, Auckland. If you're in town for the Big Day Out, hang around.

Metalocalypse season 3

Dethklok season 3 is finally out in New Zealand, it's meant to be available in blu-ray as well as dvd (but when I went to the store to find it, I only found the DVD version)
Anyway, I'm not intending to do a fully fledged review of it, though I did watch the whole season last night.. But I will say that I will be watching it several more times, and I don't have buyer remorse. it's definitely one for deth-fans.

My thoughts etc on it:
Well, there's more 'band names as place names' (St Necrophagist Hospital & 3 Inches of Savings are two of my favourites)
More members of dethklok having their own non-dethklok songs about whats happening at that point in time: Toki, underwater friends, season 1 comes to mind..
I don't feel the writing has gotten tired, or like their struggling to come up with episodes, but having said that not all the ideas are original or unsurprising (though with ideas taken from real life bands, or what we might think would happen).
Also, I personally felt they've probably done their full with Dr Rockso and the dethklok mums in seasons 1 & 2, but I guess it's only fair for them to make appearances in the 3rd season.

Having watched all episodes, pretty much, back to back, (By then I was in a dethklok-zombified-haze) the final one came to an end kinda abruptly & I'm wanting season 4 now!

Melvins, High on Fire, Kylesa

From Moshtix.co.nz:
Saturday February 19th - The Kings Arms, Auckland
Sunday February 20th - ReFuel, Dunedin
Monday February 21st - Al's Bar, Christchurch
Tuesday February 22nd - Bodega, Wellington


THEN: another show is announced:
THE MELVINS built their career on adding a layer of sweat to the roofs of tiny clubs. Now they're going to do it to a pint-sized club on Auckland's K Road. Joining them will be California titans o' noise and fellow New Zealand tourmates HIGH ON FIRE. Rounding off the line-up are Savannah, Georgia psychedelic sludgers KYLESA, bringing their unqiue brand of mesmerising, bone-shattering southern stoner metal to New Zealand for the first time, and for one show only.

All of this under one seriously low ceiling in a K Road club that epitomises the term 'underground'. Tickets for this show are strictly limited - anyone who has ever been to the club will know why (and why this show will be so awesome), and are only available from www.undertheradar.co.nz .

Tickets are $70 and available at: http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/utr/tickets/ID/1389/MelvinsAdvanced.utr

The release of Ulcerates 3rd album is nigh

**UPDATE: Oct 2011 Ulcerate playing Rising Sun, December 4th http://www.hardfastheavy.com/2011/10/in-ulcerate-news.html **

As many of you will know, local lads Ulcerate are releasing album number 3 at the end of Jan via Willowtip records.
As previously reported the band has received international attention from metal-websites-slash-blogs. Next step up, just recently; Metalsucks.net is streaming the entire album (as they are doing for the new Deicide song)
http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/01/11/exclusive-full-album-stream-ulcerate-are-the-destroyers-of-all/

This album streaming has drawn the attention of other sites, including metalunderground.com http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=64000
At this time (around midday 12th Jan NZ time) blabbermouth hasn't picked up the story, last Ulcerate news was the Nov 9th 2010: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=149086

This attention is obviously incredibly good news for the band, and will hopefully draw attention to other local bands.

Playlist for 10th Jan 2011

Playlist for 10^th Jan 2011

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT- Awake!!

WHITE ZOMBIE- More Human Than Human (Request)

GWAR- The Uberklaw

TRIVIUM- A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation

VAN CANTO- To Sing A Metal Song

LEGION OF THE DAMNED- Night Of The Sabbath (New)

EQUINOX- Haunting the Chapel (The request was for the orginal version..)

OVERKILL- Bring Me The Night

BLACK SABBATH- Black Sabbath

BLACK SABBATH- Fairies Wear Boots

DETHKLOK- Birthday Dethday (This song went out to me, for having my Birthday over the weekend)

SLIPKNOT- People=shit (Request)

DEATHSPELL OMEGA- Abscission

ATHEIST- When the Beast

DAATH- Double Tap Suicide

OUR LAST ENEMY- 10,000 Headless Horses

THE ACACIA STRAIN- Beast

TERROR- Voice Of The Damned

NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW- To Hell With You

EX DEO- Legio XIII

GOJIRA- Yama's Messengers

LAMB OF GOD- Black Label (Request)

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER- Black Valor

a few free songs

For a free copy of a new Devil Driver song, from the upcoming new album "Beast"  http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com.au/

Free copy of Abysmal Dawn's new song from their upcoming album due out Feb 1st, http://www.metalmaniacs.com/ddMedia/AbysmalDawn.mp3

free Attackhead song, never heard of the band but there you go.
http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=63808

Playlist for 3rd Jan 2011

Playlist for 3rd Jan 2011, Interview with Chris of Darklight Corporation
FALCONER- Mountain men *
TURISAS- Rasputin *
KORPIKLAANI- Eramaan Arjyt *
AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE- Who told you, you could eat my cookies *
DIRGE WITHIN- Spit
DARKLIGHT CORPORATION- Down in a Hole *
CREAM- Spoonful The first in our series, "On the road to becoming a True Metal Head"
OUR LAST ENEMY- Decoy
PARADISE FALLS- Dead Rabbits Don't Fly
CHILDREN OF BODOM- Living Dead Beat *
I DECLARE WAR- Federal Death Alliance
DARKLIGHT CORPORATION- One Man Revolution *
ARCH ENEMY- I Am Legend- Out for Blood *
IN FLAMES- Vacuum *
AMON AMARTH- Prediction of Warfare *
GOJIRA- Rememberance *
TESTAMENT- More than Meets the Eye *
8 FOOT SATIVA- 8 Foot Sativa *
HATE ETERNAL- Hell Envenom *
DARKEST HOUR- Death Worship *
ULCERATE- Dead Oceans *
THE HAUNTED- Shithead *

The majority of the songs chosen for tonights show are all based around varying degrees of news of new material released in 2011 from the band- be it rumour, or album name/ release date/ cover artwork released- also, by 'new materail' we don't always mean a new album- such as the case for Gojira releasing an E.P, for charity or something.

All bands played tonight meant to be releasing material in 2011 are marked with *