Josh Nixon

Praise, hail Satan! Finally Australia has its own black metal fest!

Fans should be already eagerly awaiting the Black Mass Festival up in Sydney presented by Séance records. The eight band bill is on Saturday November 27 at the Newtown RSL on Enmore Road. Nazxul headline over Queensland’s comeback kings Astriaal, plus Drowning The Light, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Wardaemonic, Erebus Enthroned, Moon and Spire. The show is $30 bucks pre sale and $35 on the door. There will be stalls, giveaways and a promise that the DJs will play “only the darkest sounds from eve ‘til dawn”.

While on the black metal spear tip, don’t forget the Mayhem show in Sydney at The Factory, a bit further down Enmore Road than the above fest, on Friday September 24. Anno Domini will be in support.

Whilst we’re not getting the Big Four show (yet), Megadeth have announced they will be back to headline the No Sleep Til Festival, which seems to be setting itself up like a Soundwave-lite. The majority of the line-up consists of punk, hardcore and a good whack of bands that play breakdowns instead of songs, but NOFX, Dropkick Murphys and Descendents on their first Aussie tour suggest just the tip of an iceberg. For Metalise regular readers, GWAR’s first Aussie tour and Swede’s Katatonia might make the ticket an attractive one, along with Mustaine’s gang. The Sydney show is on Saturday December 18 in the old Big Day Out, and more recently Livid Festival’s, locale of the Hordern Pavilion and surrounds and you can get tickets at the Moshtix website.

The USA’s Acid King are confirmed for a Thursday October 7 show at The Basement in Belconnen along with Pod People, Looking Glass and I Exist. This is to make up for the lack of a local Doomsday Festival show also happening in October in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Sydney Doomsday show is at the Newtown RSL on Saturday October 2 with Acid King, Pod People, Looking Glass, Summonus, Clagg, Sons of the Ionian Sea, Fattura Della Morte, VAN and a late show from Adrift for Days and Mother Mars.

This weekend on Saturday September 4, The Basement hosts Taliesin, The Danny John Trio, ZZG and Paulie The Water Tiger. Joel’s birthday bash, The DJ Pea’s Birthday Show on Saturday September 25 looks great with shows from Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leicohtica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paulie The Water Tiger, Vertical Smirk and Jizz.

Baroness has announced sideshows from the Metallica touring juggernaut hitting Australia later in the year. Friday November 12 in Sydney is the date and the Annandale is the perfect venue, in my opinion, to “get” the intricacies of this great band in a live setting. Tickets on sale now.

I gotta recommend this album; I’ve been flogging in recent weeks. Norway’s Kvelertak play a brand of Turbo Negro-esque rock laced with black metal influences in vocal delivery, a few of their riffs, more hooks than a tackle box, and some super charming snow wog sounding melodies (see chorus of the one English titled song Sultans of Satan). It will have you air-guitaring and, should you speak Norse, singing along. I think not knowing the lyrics or song titles to the majority of the album has only enhanced my enjoyment of this record. Self titled album, stunning John Baizley artwork, check it out.

josh np: Blodtørst – Kvelertak – Kvelertak.

Deadlines are a funny thing. I normally struggle, at best, to meet our usual deadlines here at BMA, but managing to scrape in on time for the last issue, I noted my scepticism of either Slayer or Iron Maiden being a part of Soundwave 2011. An early deadline had me one day late on delivery, and about one day early from a text message from a spy in camp Slayer that reads as follows “Secret squirrel: Slayer and HOF on Soundwave, not 100% but pretty likely”. I considered calling our hard working editor to stop press, but it wasn’t definite, so I chuckled and forgot about it.

A week later and a day after the last issue hit our pavements, I was playing in Sydney and talking to the promoter and new label manager for Macabre. He lives and works in Australia and casually announced to me over a pie “oh dude, Soundwave is nuts next year” (chomp chomp). “Iron Maiden headlining, Slayer, Primus, Queens (of the Stoneage), Melvins, it’s gonna be crazy” (chomp chomp).

“High On Fire?” I asked? (chomp chomp) “Yeah, them too”. Then I told him what I wrote in the last column. He said I was a dickhead and on that much we could agree.

Fast forward to Thursday night and a leaked phone camera image of the double page Soundwave ad hit Aussie interweb forums like the plague.

“With more to be announced” at the bottom of the page it read. “Good God” was the title of the email I sent around to friends with responses ranging from “F$%k festivals, sideshows” to all out gibberish excitement.

Irrespective of your tastes, inarguably, the Soundwave 2011 line up represents a huge step up in quality for the heavy music fan that would normally need to travel to Europe for such a bill. It’s pretty nuts. Of the responses I got, many who attended this year’s chapter were reluctant about going again, and spoke in fear of attending the festival after roasting in the sun. I asked another Soundwave connection about the two main issues people had: “parking and heat”. But the Soundwave camp have responded, “blame the RTA for the parking situation and we’ve spent 250K hiring shade cloth for next year”. I might have to attend a festival, Good God.

Iron Maiden has already announced side shows across the country, with tickets on sale now for their Thursday February 24 show in Sydney. It’s going to be an insanely expensive six months.

Death Metal At The Maram III hits (no surprise) The Maram in Erindale on Saturday September 4, for the grand price of FREE! You get four brutal sets from Victorian act Insidious Torture, NSW’s Mass Burial as well as locals’ Tortured and Point 17. Doors open at 8pm for this over 18’s show.

Zeni Geva played one of the heaviest gigs the ANU Bar ever hosted back in the 90’s and I was stoked to see them announced back in for an Aussie tour in September. Japan’s long serving purveyors of extreme avant garde are playing at the Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on Thursday September 23 as a part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. The tour is presented by the perpetual Heathen Skulls promotions folks.

Acid King has confirmed for Doomfest this year and there’s talk of a gig scheduled for Thursday October 7 at The Basement with Pod People, I Exist and another band on the cards, but yet to be confirmed.

Josh – np: Splattered Cavities – Carcass – Reek of Putrefecation

The Soundwave rumours are in full swing for the 2011 run of the largest touring festival of heavy music in Australia, with more than a few sources predicting Big Four band Slayer and the return of Iron Maiden. If these turn out to be true (personally I don’t hold a lot of stock in them) metal fans are getting a second dedicated metal stage next year. The announcement of The Sword joining the tour is also welcome news.

There’s a tonne of big international shows coming up in the next few weeks to keep the summer festivals feeling too far out of reach. Let’s review <draws extremely large breath>

Testament are at the Manning Bar on Saturday August 7. Napalm Death are back again, this time with Dying Fetus and Extortion on Saturday September 4 at The Factory theatre down the bottom of Enmore Road in Marrickville, Sydney.

LA glamsters L.A. Guns are at The Forum theatre in Sydney on Friday September 3. Japanese sludge lords Coffins are at the Gaelic Club on Sunday September 19. Then we have Mayhem playing The Factory theatre in Marrickville on Friday September 24. Overkill play The Metro on Saturday September 25. Then Exodus play the Manning Bar on the Saturday October 2. Soilwork also play the Manning on Friday October 22.

All in all I expect to see a lot of longhairs either doing overtime or washing windows at the traffic lights in order to somehow pay for the accommodation, travel and merch expenses leading up to Christmas. Nuts.

On a local tip, Friday August 6 is the Dio Live Evil Tribute Show at The Basement which should be a big night to sink a few in RJD’s honour. Ignite the Ibex are looking for a new vocalist following Terry Crane leaving for a “life opportunity” in greener pastures. If you’re interested in fronting the tech death act, send an email to ignitetheibex@live.com along with recordings, Youtube links or any other evidence of your abilities [maybe keep it above the waist, though – AL].

The third Doomsday Festival is on again this year. To celebrate, the organisers have been scouring the globe for an international to headline, and fingers crossed it will be the formidable San Francisco three-piece Acid King. The dates for the two shows closest to us are on Saturday October 2 at the Bald Faced Stag from 3pm and in Melbourne at the Northcote Social Club from 7pm. Pod People, Clagg, Looking Glass and Summonus form the nucleus of the local contingent for most of the shows.

Halfway through 2010 already I thought I’d briefly reflect on a bunch of killer releases that have been keeping my ears warm this winter in case you’re looking for some new music or have slept on some of this year’s work. Abscess have been deactivated in favour of Autopsy’s reactivation, but Dawn of Inhumanity was awesome. High on Fire’s Snakes For The Divine is utterly essential. Cathedral’s The Guessing Game, Lair of the Minotaur Evil Power, Ufomammut Eve, Ramesses Take The Curse and Hooded Menace’s Never Cross The Dead are all worthy of your attention!

Josh – NP: Ufomammut – Eve Part III – Eve

Anyone watch the Big 4 show at the movies? Reading our local “Let’s Mosh” 2XX metal radio show host’s drunken accounts were more interesting to me. Don’t forget to tune into 98.3FM Thursday nights from 11!

Before another report on international bands coming to our fair shores, here’s a diary planner on some shows coming up at The Basement over the coming months.

Friday July 30 is Progfest with performances by Melbourne eleventy-piece band Ne Obliviscaris, Taliesin, Sleepmakeswaves, Nemesphyxia and more for a mere 12 bucks from 8pm. If that’s not enough prog for you, the following evening in Sydney at the Annandale Hotel, you can see the Sydney lineup that includes Ne Obliviscaris, Sleepmakeswaves, Shanghai, Pirate, A State of Flux, Anubis, Arcane, Paradigm, Space Project, Slimey Things, Godswounds and Mish.

Friday August 6 is the Dio tribute night to celebrate the life, music and passing of the elfin icon by tribute act Live Evil.

Saturday August 7 features a celebration of extreme with Demonic Tempest, Reign of Terror and Dark Nemesis.

Saturday August 21 is the CD launch for Our Last Enemy and features a huge bill including Inside The Exterior, 1 Shot Kill, Friend or Enemy, Na Maza, Sacred Truth and Boonhorse.

There are a lot of shows coming up, but also mark down Saturday September 25 for DJ Pea’s ‘Birthday of Filth’ that features Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leichotica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paul The Water Tiger (!), Vertical Smirk (!!) and Jizz Mist (!!!).

Soilwork are back for their third Australian tour in October to push their eighth studio album The Panic Broadcast. The tour kicks off in Brisvegas on Thursday October 21 with the nearest visitation for ACT Soilwork fans the following evening, Friday October 22, at the Manning Bar in Sydney. The supports for the show are Buried In Verona and Paradigm and you can purchase your tickets from Ticketek, Red Ant Touring or Oztix.com.au.

Lord are embarking on an extensive Australian tour before heading to Japan for the second time to tour with Doro and Jaded Heart. The tour is to launch their new EP Return of the Tyrant and it’s a doozy. The Tyrants Return tour is 22 shows including some jaunts out to Lord Tim’s hometown Broken Hill which will be pretty huge for the ‘silver city.’ Canberra is not missing out and the band will be hitting the Maram for an 18+ show on Saturday August 28.

Don’t forget Friday July 30 at the Bald Faced Stag (aka ‘The Wall’) is the first visit to Australian shores by my all time favourite murder metal act Macabre! The Chicago three-piece have been at it since 1985 and I still remember the first time I heard the pioneering double kick skills of their drummer Dennis the Menace causing my jaw to hit the floor. They’ve got a new album coming out later this year on Aussie label High Voltage with the working title Grim Tales. Playing with Pod People, Roadside Burial and Chaotic Impurity, don’t miss this show!

Josh Nixon – Serial Killer – Gloom/Grim Reality – Macabre

September is not shaping up as a good month for smaller promoters to put international shows on, given Metallica has sold out four shows in Sydney and Melbourne alone and tickets are going very quickly on the fifth show at Acer and Rod Laver Arenas respectively.

Recently announced were the two international supports for the shows, which sent another tonne of fans scurrying off to the interweb for tickets upon the news of Baroness and Lamb of God joining the tour. I believe at the time of this being written there are still tickets for the last Sydney show.

That hasn’t stopped the promoters of all things heavy sending out the international goodness.

Om’s tour here turned out to be a rumour unfortunately. You can see ‘em in Sydney at The Factory Theatre on Saturday July 17 with Blarke Bayer/Black Widow and Breathing Shrine. They’re also playing with Lichens as the headliner on Tuesday July 20 at the Red Rattler in Sydney with Blarke Bayer/Black Widow and special guests.

Overkill, one of thrash metal’s most revered acts and who are just one of the acts likely to be unfairly overlooked by cash strapped metal fans, are hitting The Metro Theatre on Saturday September 25 to mark their 25^th anniversary. Australian audiences can expect to see founders Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth and D.D. Verni, as well as newcomers Derik ‘The Skull’ Tailer, Dave Linsk and Ron Lipnicki, and of course their beloved mascot Chaly (the skeletal bat from most of their album covers). Tickets are selling fast, so do not miss this landmark tour. Mortal Sin are the supports.

While on the old guard of thrash, Exodus tickets for their Saturday October 2 show at the Manning Bar in Sydney are also moving along and according to Gary Holt, “I’m not happy unless I see someone out there in the pit, bleeding and smiling!” Tickets through Moshtix and Utopia Records.

Having played the first of the Utopia Records 30^th anniversary gigs a couple of weeks back at the Bald Faced Stag, the show was great, but I’m sure it won’t be a patch on the celebration of everything Sydney metal on Saturday July 10 when Mortal Sin, The Amenta, Daysend, Switchblade, Killrazer, Darker Half, Anno Domini, Norse and Hellbringer take to the Manning Bar with a musical 4 x 2. Get along for all the thrashin’ fun.

Macabre are at the Bald Faced Stag on Friday July 30 with Pod People, Roadside Burial and Chaotic Impurity. Tickets are 30 bucks beforehand and 35 at the door for the murder metal masters’ first Australian tour ever. www.gobookem.com has tickets if you search for the venue name ‘The Wall’ which is the name of the venue inside the Bald Faced Stag.

Bastardfest is a fledgling festival being run in three states this year with a view to expand in 2011, featuring the best of Australia’s heavy acts. Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are first on the menu with the Melbourne show featuring a stellar bill. Blood Duster, Psycroptic, Extortion, Mindsnare, Captain Cleanoff and The Kill will be hitting the Corner Hotel in Richmond on Saturday September 4. The Kill has also been included in the first announcement for next year’s Maryland Death Festival.

Josh – np: Doomsower – Reverend Bizarre – In The Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

Testament head the list of tour announcements this week with a three show run supported by Melbourne band Dreadnaught. Having thrashed their way out of the legendary bay area over their 25 year storied career with five studio albums, the band come back for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in early August. Tickets for the Sydney show at the Manning Bar can be purchased through Oztix, Moshtix or the Manning Bar box office for the show on Saturday August 7. Also appearing at Billboard in Melbourne on Friday August 6 and tickets through Moshtix. Keen to see Mr Bostaph on the kit again for the first time since he toured with Slayer on the Divine Intervention tour.

Don’t forget Paul Dianno doing his 30^th anniversary of the first Iron Maiden album in full this Sunday June 20 at the ANU Bar!

I was super chuffed to find out about the imminent arrival of one of my all time favourite bands in Australia in late July for their first ever Australian tour. Genre defining ‘murder metal’ legends Macabre bring their brand of sinister slaughter to Australia in late July for a pretty decent sized tour. The closest show is Sydney at the Bald Faced Stag on Friday July 30 (not “Stags” as the poster says that has been on the internet). The Melbourne show the following night is part of the reinstituted High Voltage fest and features a huge bill of bands aside from Macabre. Earth, Pod People, Depression, Dreadnaught, Cemetery Urn, Contrive, Internal Nightmare, Identity Theft and Embodied. All that for just 30 bucks!

Two-piece musical missionaries Om are touring Australia for the first time in their celebrated career. Supporting the God Is Good tour are the fine folks at Heathen Skulls. They’re playing with Lichens and Blarke Beyer/Black Widow in Sydney on Saturday July 17 at The Factory with Naked On The Vague. There is a RUMOUR at this stage of a possible show on Thursday July 22 in Canberra with the RUMOUR being that reformed Wollongong stoners Tumbleweed may be also playing. Be sure to check BMA next issue for confirmation.

From the ashes of Damage Plan with a sprinkling of Nothingface and a seasoning of Mudvayne, the combined result was party band with a “let’s tear the world a new ass” attitude in the form of Hell Yeah. Vinnie and pals bring the party to Sydney on Thursday July 29 at the Metro Theatre for a licensed all ages show. Tickets through Ticketek.

Alestorm’s show at The Gaelic is near sold out for the Friday June 18 show with Bane of Isuldur. Don’t delay if pirate metal is your thing!

cKy are touring in August too, at the Manning Bar in Sydney on Saturday August 14. Tickets from Moshtix.

Utopia Records celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year with a few big shows up in the big smoke to celemabrate. There’s a thrash night at the Manning Bar on Saturday July 10 with a big Sydney metal bill including Mortal Sin, The Amenta, Daysend, Switchblade, Killrazer, Darker Half, Anno Domini, Norse and Hellbringer. There’s also a doom/stoner night on Friday June 25 at the Bald Faced Stag with Pod People, Daredevil, Summonus and Bob Sledge.

Josh Nixon

NP: Three Water – Paul Chain – Alkahest

RIP Ronnie James Dio – 1942-2010. There’s a plethora of tributes out there for the man, but I simply send a twin horn salute to the man that invented it \m/ – RIP DIO –\m/.

Mayhem has announced dates for the balked tour that, if my foggy memory serves, was supposed to happen last year. With Atilla Csihar back in the fold, replacing Maniac who came out last time, I think this time has the potential to outdo their last performance at the ANU a few years back. Last time I thought the pig heads were more interesting than the set, but I don’t wanna disrespect one of black metal’s Norwegian founders. It only adds to a September that is shaping up to be a significant liver structural integrity test for the metal fan, with tours from Napalm Death, Coffins, Overkill and now Mayhem all in one glorious month. Mayhem hit The Factory in Marrickville, Sydney on Friday September 24 or The Hifi in Melbourne on Thursday September 23, depending on where you’d like to see the band.

Speaking of the Coffins tour, supports were announced by tour promoters Obsidian last week for the big weekend of fun and games taking in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney respectively on the weekend starting the Friday September 17. The Melbourne show is a monster. Gospel of the Horns, Cauldron Black Ram, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Clagg, Ignviomous and Whitehorse at The Hifi is just a HUGE bill no matter how you slice it! The Sydney show features Pod People, Rookwood playing their last ever show and Summonus. Moshtix is the website to visit for your Sydney ticket, the HiFi website or Missing Link Records for Melbourne tickets.

In more doomy related international tour news, audio travellers Om have announced a tour thanks to the fine folks at the Heathen Skulls label. So far a run of four dates have been announced, so the possibility of a Canberra show is there. Also coming out with the band is the solo project of Mr Robert Lowe, better known as Lichens, and the tour is supported by Heathen Skulls head honcho Robert McManus and My Disco/Agents of Abhorrence guiterroriser Ben Andrews with their Black Widow/Blarke Bayer project. The tour is slated for October with a show at The Hifi in Melbourne and a Sydney date at The Factory on Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16 respectively. More news on a Canberra show as it comes to light.

The Basement have a couple of big shows in June and the month also sees the departure of Mikey from the management team. A quick salute to Mike for all his hard work over the past few years, thanks mate! Anyhoo – Five Star Prison Cell bring their album launch tour to Canberra on Friday June 4 along with Never Trust A Bunny, Recoil, Friend or Enemy and Dawn Heist. Friday June 25, the venue hosts Melbourne band Aprocessof with Never Trust A Bunny, Na Maza, Inside The Exterior and fellow Melbournites The Devyles.

Josh Nixon – np: Illoomorpheme – Portal - Swarth

It was great to get an email from one of Australia’s pioneer metal gods Joel Green, ex-Armoured Angel, this week. Along with another of Canberra’s long serving axe slingers Tony Kirk (most recently of Kill For Satan infamy), the two have released their debut slab that was discussed in Metallise last year when Joel came to town to record it (he’s in Adelaide now). The project’s name is Wardom and the debut release is entitled When Darkness Reigns. If you’d like a preview of the album, check myspace.com/wardom666.

Unrelenting walls of international tours continue to cause the credit cards of heavy metal maniacs to suffer, particularly those heading over to catch the annual Maryland Death Festival at the end of the month (you lucky b%$tards know who you are). That said, those travelling eleventy thousand miles to see the likes of Autopsy, Pentagram and Entombed along with high profile slots for our own Captain Cleanoff, Blood Duster and Portal are likely to favour one of the following tour date revelations over the other.

Metallica tickets will go on sale roughly the day this ish hits the brutal frost-bitten streets of Canberra. Of course the ‘Metclub’ members have already had a feeding frenzy or two online for the band’s two part tour in October and November. The New Zealand and Australia tour starts in Auckland on Wednesday October 13, with shows in Brisbane and Perth on Monday October 18 and Friday October 22. Then a quick kangaroo patting gap until Wednesday November 10, where they play Acer Arena. If you can’t get tickets for that show, Thursday November 18 is the date for Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena. Good luck in the credit card ruck online and may eBay be kind to you if you miss out.

Really exciting news from Soundworks Touring this week on their new website, soundworkstouring.com. Napalm Death and Dying Fetus have announced a September jaunt around the traps with a five date tour starting Wednesday September 1 in Adelaide. The two closest shows for us would be either Saturday September 4 in Sydney at The Factory or Sunday September 5 at the Hifi Ballroom in Melbourne. In digging around the traps I’ve heard that Australian hardcore band extraordinaire Extortion will be the main support on the tour. May seem like a strange choice, but for those who don’t know, Extortion released their new album Loose Screws (and a fine album it is, BTW) earlier in the year which features guest vocals in the form of Mr Mark “Barney” Greenway on the final track Socially Inept. Tickets at Moshtix or the Factory and Hifi ticketing offices.

The Nile, Abigail Williams and Hate Eternal tour lands in Australia in a couple of weeks’ time and tickets are getting scarce for the Friday May 28 show in Sydney at The Factory. This much quality international brutality on one night is not to be missed, and you can try get a ticket from the Factory website. Don’t sleep on these, they will sell out.

The Coffins tour announced a couple of weeks back has a few more details on ticket purchase points. For the Sydney show at The Metro on Saturday September 25, you can get tickets from redanttouring.com, metrotheatre.com or Ticketek. Apparently there are also ‘VIP meet and greet’ packages available from the Red Ant Touring page.

Josh – np: From Their Coffined Slumber – Hooded Menace – Never Cross The Dead

Brutal hails and RIP Peter Steele of Carnivore. I’m sure more of you will know him from the other band, but Carnivore and their kooky Escape From New York meets Mad Max 2 post-apocalyptic themes will be my favourite Pete memory.

Overkill is celebrating 25 years with a world tour including three Australian shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – with the Sydney leg being at The Metro on the Saturday September 25. With a classic thrash band on tour, it comes as no surprise that Mortal Sin will be the support for the whole tour and fittingly so. You can get tickets at redanttouring.com, Ticketek or metrotheatre.com.au.

I mentioned last time a number of Australian releases due out soon and the first cab off the rank is Five Star Prison Cell and their new album M.A.T.R.I.A.R.C.H due to hit stores on Tuesday May 18. They’ve announced a run of over 30 shows to support the release of the record and the Canberra leg of the tour lands at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday June 4.

Alestorm’s “Plunder Down Under Tour” hits the Gaelic Theatre on Friday June 18 and the band has now announced Bane Of Isildur as the support. You can get your tickets at the Moshtix website.

Pod People are at The Basement on Friday May 7 with the awesome Sydney band Fattura Della Murte and I Exist. Fattura has parted ways with vocalist Benny and have recruited Bubsy, formerly of Sydney grind terrorists Ebolie, to fill in the lungsmith duties. I Exist have a new album entitled A Turn For The Worse that is supposedly due for release on the same day – check the band’s website for details on where you can pick it up. The following night, Saturday May 8, also at The Basement is the Welcome To Slavery show with a slew of delights in the form of Voltera, Sin City and Nobody Knew They Were Robots.

Contrive have had a busy six months preparing the follow up to the Fredrick Nordstrom mixed effort The Meaning Unseen. The new album, also featuring celebrity mixing duties by Canadian sonic experimentalist Devin Townsend, is entitled The Internal Dialogue and is due out soon. You can see recording footage, hear previews and pre-order the album at contrive.bigcartel.com.

Soundworks Touring have brought out a tonne of metal bands in recent years as well as handling the booking duties for Aussie heavyweights like Psycroptic. They’ve amassed a truckload of leftover tour merch and have a crazy run out sale to salivate over. If you didn’t have the cash to get shirts or posters on their recent tours hit this email up for a list – soundworkspromo@bigpond.com.

Damn am I stinging I’m not joining half of Australia’s metal bands on tour in the states next month. Portal, Captain Cleanoff and Blood Duster are all touring! Captain Cleanoff has just completed work on a new split 7” for the tour with Melbourne uber grinders The Kill. Also in Captain Cleanoff news, long time bass player Anand is leaving the four string duties behind on the US tour, with Jason P.C. of Blood Duster stepping in to take his place. The transition has already begun with P.C. playing a show recently to test the waters. Anand will play the much vaunted Maryland Death Fest… sigh… Autopsy.

Josh – np: Edwige’s Eyes - Cathedral – The Guessing Game

The Metallise sources are proving reliable of late as the rumoured Metallica tour has now been confirmed in interview, with Mr Ulrich announcing that the band will do a run of Australian and New Zealand dates in November this year before the band takes a break and begins a new record cycle.

For me though, the Metallica news wasn’t as nearly as exciting as the email that got arrived in my inbox from a good friend late last week. Why? Because of welcome news that the folks at Obsidian Records are bringing out one of my all time favourite Japanese bands, Coffins. If you have not heard albums like Buried Death or The Other Side of Blasphemy, then mete out some self-flagellation and get them at once, especially if you’re into Autopsy-style dirty old school death metal. The tour is due to hit Australia for three shows in September, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The Melbourne show is Saturday September 18 at The Hifi Bar and the Sydney show Sunday September 19 at The Gaelic Club. All shows are 18 and over as the kiddies might not be able to handle a band as brutal as a Tibetan sky burial (Google it). You can get pre-order tickets at the Obsidian Records homepage (www.obsidianrecords.com) or from Moshtix when they go on sale Friday April 23. Do not miss this tour.

On the local front this weekend, Friday April 16 at The Basement in Belconnen hosts a big lineup of local talent in the corpulent riffs of System Addict, Loud So Clear, Barbarian and Imperial. Saturday April 17 is a mix of interstate rock and metal acts with Melbournites House of Thumbs touring last years Crossing the Rubicon album with Heaven The Axe Spoil and Blindeyedgods.

Speaking of local albums, here are a couple of Australian releases to keep an eye out for that have just dropped. First is the monumental work of Orange (NSW) black metal band Arkheth. Their double album XI & I: The Quintessence of Algaresh has taken four years of hard toil and the band’s labours result in this huge double album out now through Obsidian Records. Algaresh provides the band a conceptual geographic platform for their concepts and the album is the long awaited follow up to 2003’s Hymns of a Howling Wind.

Also out this week is The Death of Utopia from Adelaide’s Space Bong. You may have caught their ungodly hate-filled doom dirge at the Doomsday shows late last year, but if you didn’t, the band’s blackened stoner/sludge is set to full uncompromising dirge on this record. You can pick it up for only 15 bucks through 65degrees.com. Albums from Five Star Prison Cell (M A T R I A R C H) and Astriaal (Anatomy of the Infinite) coming soon too; a big year for Australian metal.

I also note with interest that the Aussie metal band Gospel of the Horns have come back now more times than even John Farnham (thanks Geoffy) and touring Europe this winter.

Pod People will be at The Basement on Friday May 7 with Sydney band Fattura Della Murte who recently got themselves a new vocalist, I Exist and possibly another surprise act or two to come.

Josh np – Jaws of Life – Hatred Surge – Collection 2005-2007

Brutal greetings thrashers.

I’m thinking I’ll reverse the trend of announcing more international tours in the column by letting you know that the Paradise Lost and Stryper tours have been cancelled. The Paradise Lost tour due to ‘promotional problems’ – get your refund at the place of purchase. Stryper has been postponed, and to hell with devil if I know when they’re coming back but I shall persevere until I do.

There have been many rumblings of other long stay metal and hard rockin’ outfits coming out though, either officially or about to be announced. The Cult, for example. The band are bringing their Love tour to Australia to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the album with the same name and hit The Big Top at Luna Park in Sydney on Thursday May 6. Tickets at Ticketek.

On the rumours front, Metallica are dropping hints for a Q3 or Q4 Aussie tour and that’s looking more and more likely with the rumour coming from Lars himself.

A Metallise get well card to a pioneer and champion of the double kicks, Pete Sandoval, who is currently recuperating from an operation to relieve chronic back problems. Tim Yeung (Hate Eternal/Divine Heresy et al) will fill in for Sandoval whilst he recovers.

The Black Dahlia Murder and Unearth are heading down for a run of seven Australian shows in late May/early June. The Sydney show is all ages at The Factory Theatre on Monday May 31. The Black Dahlia Murder are touring their Deflorate record.

The Dillinger Escape Plan tickets have also gone on sale and for 64 smackers the band plays The Metro on Friday May 21 with Maylene and The Sons of Disaster. Ticketek has got you covered for these tickets and the show is licensed all ages.

Cunt Butcher, Grannyfist, Hell Mary and Teenage Skank Parade make an interesting combo for a live show and you can witness the grindin’ times at The Basement on Friday April 9. The following Friday (April 16), The Basement hosts a huge local show featuring System Addict, Loud So Clear, Barbarian and Imperial. The night after, Saturday April 17, there’s House of Thumbs, Melbourne rockers Heaven The Axe (featuring Steve Watts of Terrorust/Manticore on guitar), Spoil and Blindeyedgods.

The Vivid Live Festival is happening over two weeks in Sydney in May/June and whilst Lou Reed or Laurie Anderson may not float the Metallise boat too much, welcome news that Japanese champions Boris will be doing a show on Friday May 28. The whole fest is on at the Opera House and the Boris show is at The Studio for $35 bucks, if you don’t wanna go see any of the other festival performances.

The Red Shore is currently touring the country along with The Abandonment and Forgotten Rival. The tour includes an all ages show at The Jam Factory in Fyshwick on Wednesday April 28.

Marty Friedman, he of the poodle locks, the Megadeth, the Cacophony and the shred, is doing a guitar clinic tour of Australia that hits Alan’s Music on Tuesday April 27 at 7.30pm. If you’re looking to add to your box of thrashin’ tricks, you can get tickets at the Alan’s Music website, www.allansmusic.com.au.

Saturday May 8 at The Basement is an interesting show under the banner of Welcome to Slavery. The show features an eclectic lineup including Voltera, Sin City and Nobody Knew They Were Robots. I’ll track down some details in the coming weeks.

Josh – np: Sink to the Centre – Age Eternal – Middian

I thrust my horns in your general direction.

Last issue I was able to warn you of an impending boarding by Scottish pirates in the form of the Alestorm tour. Further rumblings from Europe have warned of an impending raid by Finland’s Turisas. Yes, the band named after the ancient Finnish war god are packing their fury underpants and battle axes to raid our shores. Darlings of the European summer metal fests, the show is bound to be a cracker and you can catch it Saturday May 22 at The Factory Theatre in Sydney and the show is all ages. You can find tickets on sale at justsayrock.com.au.

The Day Everything Became Nothing are at The Basement on Friday March 26 for a night of world class gore grind. The night after, Saturday March 27, at said Basement is also a huge local bill featuring The Darker Half, Templestowe, Dead Letter Opener and Forgery.

No strangers to our shores and equally as berzerk sans the costumes, The Dillinger Escape Plan are coming back. The tour is with Maylene, Sons of Disaster and The Red Shore and I’m still trying to determine if there are two shows on at The Metro in Sydney on the same day or if it’s a typo. I would assume that one show would be all ages and the other an over 18s show, either way, The Metro is the place and the date is Friday May 21 with Dillinger headlining one or both shows. I will do some more digging and let you know in a future Metallise.

Nick Oliveri is back for more acoustic shows at The Wall (345 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt) in Sydney on Wednesday March 24 with support from Blackie of The Hard-Ons.

Last time I reported that Paul Dianno was coming back, you may have sensed some cynicism in my reportage. Those that attended Dianno last time may have agreed with me after the legendary frontman from Iron Maiden’s first two albums left the stage with the shits that fans didn’t know the words to The Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop. Well, colour me impressed, in part, at the tour plans for this visit due to land at The ANU Bar on Sunday June 20. This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of Iron Maiden’s debut self-titled record, and to celebrate the landmark, Dianno and, I assume, the same band made of Sydney thrashers Killrazor will be back to play a set featuring said self-titled album in full along with a bunch of tracks from Killers as well. 25 bucks at moshtix.com and you can join in the celebration. If you’re a TRUE fan, you can pay for a 100 dollar VIP ticket. That will get you entry to the show, a merch bag, tour poster and a meet and greet with the man himself.

For those who prefer their metal a bit more core and tattooed, Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Wish For Wings and Lovers Grave play the Canberra leg of The Mistake Tour at The Jam Factory for all ages on Sunday May 2. The Jam Factory is at 4/9 Lithgow Street in Fyshwick and is available for bands looking for rehearsal space – call Chris on 0413 476 591 if you need somewhere to make a racket at very reasonable rates.

Josh – np: Frosthammer – Snakes For The Divine – High On Fire

Hails and tortured wails. Not sure how the Australian Metal Awards turned out last weekend, be interested to know how Sadistik Exekution got along and I'll publish the winners list in the end of year edition. Let me know how it was if you went!

Lamb of God, Devil Driver and Shadows Fall have sold out their first show at the Big Top in Sydney on Saturday December 12 and have added a second licensed all ages show for Sunday December 13.

Porcupine Tree are coming back to Australia again in February with three Aussie shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The Sydney show is at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday February 6 and at the Palace Theatre in Melbourne on Sunday February 7. Ticketek will provide their services for your tickets.

While in prog-ish territory, Les Claypool of Primus fame is doing some solo shows in December including an all ages show in Sydney on the Wednesday December 2 at the Enmore Theatre and an over 18s show at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on Friday December 4. Check the info on his website, http://www.lesclaypool.com/tour/

Australia's proponents of the finest Swedish death metal flavour Earth have a new album about to hit stores entitled Fear of Tomorrow. The band is embarking on a national tour to support the record and the Canberra leg of that tour takes place on Friday November 20 at the Basement. Joining them are NSW band Code of Lies, Reign of Terror and Machete. The band then hit the Hume in the morning for a Harbour Cruise show the next day with Pod People and Anno Domini. I can't wait to check the new record out as both The Bleeding Fields and Star Condemned were excellent.

Also at the Basement this weekend, Friday November 13 (cue werewolf howl) is a great bill featuring Scapegoat, Futility, Inside the Exterior and Tortured. Adding to the local good time shows at the Basement, Friday November 27 is the band formerly known as Terrorust and Insidious Torture (Matty Skitz on drums) heading up from Melbourne to headline a super strong bill that includes Mytile Vey Lorth, Kill For Satan, Hell Itself and Forgery.

Portal, Blood Duster, Destroyer 666 and Captain Cleanoff are all announced on next year's Maryland Death Fest, better known as MDF. Autopsy reforming for the show alone has me severely tossing up over that show and the amazing Roadburn lineup announced for Holland next year. Portal has a new album out entitled Swarth and is the hellacious spawn of an utterly world class extreme metal act. The band are rumoured to be doing a Sydney show in February, so I'll keep an ear out for the date. Congrats to the Aussies on what is the US' absolute best underground metal festival lineup.

Josh NP: Equilibrium - Cathedral - Forrest of Equilibrium

With a good deal of you likely nursing sore heads and necks from Slayer/Megadeth last week and the Slayer Reign In Blood show this week, the thing to keep in mind is that it will keep you in good condition for a summer of thrashing.

While at the Slayer/Megadeth show, I had an opportunity to meet Slayer and hear some tracks from their World Painted Blood record. It's in keeping with the more 'traditional' Slayer sound ala the last album Christ Illusion but sounding a little more mid-paced. Also had an opportunity to hear the new record from my favourite heavy band at the moment, High On Fire. Suffice to say the forthcoming ten track album is going to lay waste when it comes out either late this year or early next.

It was a treat to watch the show from the side of stage and see the slick Slayer touring team go about their business. As you would expect from an international touring juggernaut, they make well oiled machines look rusty. I think they packed down both Slayer and Megadeth's gear in less time than it takes for a band to change over at some local shows I've been to!

Following the Big Day Out announcement, you will now know that Mastodon is the token metal act this year. At $147 per ticket, if you could get one in the schamozzle that was the ticket disaster this year, the Soundwave show is actually stacking up as the big summer festival ticket of choice for many metal fans. The Screamfest shows over New Year's offer the more discerning, extreme leaning ears another alternative. Plenty of choice nonetheless! Tickets for the latter two are on sale if you're up for it.

International visitors in the coming weeks include Arch Enemy with the ever brutal Suffocation and Winds of Plague at The Roundhouse in Sydney on Friday November 6, Obituary at the Manning Bar on Friday November 20, Amon Amarth at the Metro on Saturday November 28 with Eye of the Enemy and Bane of Isuldur, and Brutal Truth and Blood Duster at the Manning Bar on Monday December 21.

Locally, there's a few notable black thrash type shows coming up in Sydney as well. Nazxul at the Manning Bar this Saturday October 17 with The Veil and Erebus Enthroned, Destroyer 666 on Friday January 15 at the Metro, and The Amenta with Subtract (NZ), Demon Foetal Harvest and Our Last Enemy at The Bald Faced Stag on Friday October 23.

Also, regardless of what you might think of the awards component of the evening, The Australian Heavy Metal Awards are on Saturday November 7 at the Forum in Moore Park and a rare as hen's teeth performance by seminal Australian metal pioneers Sadistik Exekution make the show tempting. Good luck to Alchemist in their respective nominations.

Josh

Now playing: Shrinebuilder  - Pyramid of the Moon - Shrinebuilder

Slayer and Megadeth are sold out in Sydney and Melbourne for their Thursday October 8 and Friday October 9 shows but if you want to get onto the '80s metal ship, the Obituary tour has been announced now too. Thursday November 19 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne and Friday November 20 at the Manning Bar in Sydney. The new Slayer record, World Painted Blood, should be in stores by the time this goes to press.

Also announcing their raid on Australian shores in recent weeks are Viking warriors Amon Amarth. Playing Billboard the Venue in Melbourne on Friday November 27 and the Metro in Sydney on Saturday November 28, the band are nationally supported by Eye of the Enemy and Orpheus in Melbourne and Bane of Isildur (must be a Tolkien thing) in Sydney.

Black Cobra play the ANU Bar on Tuesday October 6. Normally I don't get into two-piece bands without a bass player, but everything I've heard from these guys tells me that there is plenty of bottom end to be had. Also appearing is Robert from Grey Daturas' musical experiment Blarke Bayer/Black Widow.

Screamfest is making January "metal month" by following up their massive New Years two day bash in Sydney with a slew of national dates. Bands you ask? *deep breath* Cynic, Dark Funeral, Destroyer 666, Destruction, Edguy, Rotting Christ, Sonata Arctica, Ensiferum and a list of acts that the Enmore Theatre will barely be able to contain over Thursday December 31 and Friday January 1. Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth will all get side shows in the first ten days or so of the new year so if you're too far away to make the New Years show there's plenty of opportunities in most state capitals to catch the international acts on the bill.

Not enough international fun and games for you? Brutal Truth are coming back! The band have reformed and made one of the year's best albums to date in the form of Evolution Through Revolution which was mixed by Australia's own Jason P.C. of Blood Duster, who once again are the national support for the tour. The show won't be coming to Canberra this time, but you can catch the band either in Sydney on the Monday December 21 at the Manning Bar or in Melbourne at the Hi Fi Bar on the Sunday December 20. I rang Fuller to ask about it and he said the Melbourne show will likely have a few more supports that the Sydney one, so if a bit of pre-Xmas shopping and brutal grindcore are your bag then get along.

Speaking of Blood Duster, they've begun pre-production tracking on their latest record which will be out early 2010. Also finishing off a recording at the moment is Contrive who are over in Canada with Devin Townsend who is filling in for Fredrik Nordstrom in the mixer's chair this time round. Alarum are also finishing up their new album Natural Causes in Melbourne.

Josh - NP: Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty) - Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy

Yo. Well, the interweb and word of mouth have spread the news -tickets have been on sale for a fortnight already for the thrash tour of '09. For those who have been hiding in a nuclear shelter for the last month, Slayer and Megadeth are touring together in October and are bringing their sharpened tools down on the heels of new records. World Painted Blood is the title of the new Slayer record, which guitarist Kerry King has compared to a more Seasons In The Abyss type of record, as opposed to the flat out Christ Illusion we got last time around. Megadeth's newy, Endgame, is also due out in September in time for the tour. Both bands have posted video previews of tracks from the record and having toured Canada together, we can expect a pretty slick show. I've had a look at some of the production stuff thanks to super secret spies in camp Slayer and the show is looking fantastic. Buy a ticket if they're still on sale for the Thursday October 8 show at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney or the Friday October 9 show in Melbourne at Festival Hall. Supports announced soon.

Equally exciting and possibly as redundantly old news to some is the announcement just after the last column of the return of Kreator to the Metro Theatre in Sydney on Thursday September 24. Once again the metalheads of Australia get a right spoiling from three of the '80s undisputed gods of metal. Should make for some sore necks and ringing ears 'til Xmas! Don't forget September also connects hammers to faces with Cannibal Corpse at the Roundhouse in Sydney on Thursday September 24.

Saturday September 12 marks the overdue welcome home show of Alchemist at the capital's metal capital, The Basement in Belconnen. The boys played in Brisbane at a big prog show last weekend and we can all be looking forward to finally getting our longest running and biggest metal export home for a big show. Joining them fresh from an extensive tour of Europe and the much storied Obscene Extreme festival in the Czech Republic is Adelaide's favourite grind sons Captain Cleanoff. Also along for this massive show is Templestowe to open proceedings. A huge night, be there.

Stigmata have re-branded themselves with the interesting name of Never Trust A Bunny. They've got a couple of shows coming up, including a spot on the excellent all ages bill to celebrate the Hard ACT To Follow launch at Woden Youth Centre on Friday September 25 with Friend or Enemy, Corgi Crisis and Inpowered. Only 5 bucks for that show. The guys also have a show at the Basement on Saturday October 3 headlining over Friend or Enemy, Escape Syndrome, The Third Estate and Perpetual End, which is an 18+ show.

Mudd Promotions have been beavering away with a few big bills coming up in the last quarter of '09 and the first is a show on Saturday September 26 at the ANU Bar. For a mere 20 bucks you can catch Paindivision, Switchblade, Our Last Enemy, The Vaine, Forgery, Never Trust A Bunny, Reign of Terror, Inside the Exterior and Black Eyed Gods. The good folks at Mudd have a mandate to make Canberra the metal capital again and we here at Metalize salute them.

JOSH NIXON
Np: Cats,Mice - Big Business - Mind The Drift

Big international death metal tours in Australia used to be the thing of many a Canberra thrashers' pipe dream, but these days it's like we can't club them away like so many rotten zombies. Mike Amott in particular seems to enjoy the flight and he's back again in November with Arch Enemy. Now while many will leap at another Arch Enemy show in Australia, this tour also brings out New York's super strangulation squad Suffocation too. With their sixth studio album Blood Oath (with requisite Jon Zig artwork) due to hit stores around the time this goes to press, Suffo will be bringing the fresh remains to The Roundhouse in Sydney on Friday November 6 and that show is licensed all ages. Also appearing is Californian Century Media act The Winds of Plague who will be touring their new album The Great Stone War.

Black Cobra are a two-piece LA band featuring Jason Landrian of Cavity and drummer Rafael Martinez, former bass player for Man's Ruin act Acid King. The band are about to release their third album Chronomega on US uber doom label Southern Lord. Why am I telling you this? Because they're playing the ANU Bar on Tuesday October 6! Also playing will be Blarke Bayer and Black Widow (featuring Robert from Grey Datura's). Whack that one on your gig diary.

Alice Cooper in Canberra on Wednesday August 26 should be awesome. The grandest granddaddy of all things shock and roll has forgotten more about stagecraft and putting on a killer show than most bands will ever know. The Royal Theatre is an appropriate venue for Mr Cooper to deliver the classics just like the record with a stage production that makes Mayhem's pig on a stick look like a thumb in a matchbox with some cotton wool and tomato sauce. Head along.

Brisbane stoner rockers Rollerball have leapt from the shadows to bless us with a blast of warm sunshine state riffage at the Basement on Saturday August 29 with Looking Glass. It's been some time since the guys came down to town so prepare for a huge night of big riffs.

Aforementioned in the last edition of Metallise was the Canberra leg of the Doomsday fest. Due to logistical hitches, the Canberra show is now in an abridged format due to a change in venue to the Basement in Belconnen. The lineup now consists of Pod People, Looking Glass, Agonhymn (VIC), Clagg (VIC), Summonus (NSW) and Space Bong (SA). That is on Saturday August 8 for a mere 15 bucks.

Don't forget to send your gigs and info to doomtildeath@hotmail.com to get your show in BMA as soon as you book it!

NP: The Silence of Heaven - YOB - The Great Cessation

I just stepped off a plane from Christchurch and boy is my hang-woah-ver throbbing. Plenty of local action coming up this winter to tempt you away from the lounge room.

Aeon Of Horus, Kill For Satan, Empyrean (QLD), Mytile Vey Lorth and Immorium put on a display of force with extreme prejudice on Saturday July 11 at the Basement in Belconnen. Speaking of Kill For Satan, bumped into guitarist Tony Kirk at a gig recently and he was with none other than Canberra metal legend Joel Green of Armoured Angel. Both were in town to make some new music together. With the promise of those two legends of the local heavy combining forces, Metallise will keep a tinnitus-ridden ear to the ground to keep you in the loop. With a double segue, speaking of Armoured Angel, I see Lucy of Raven Clothing is selling the legendary black 78 rickenbacker. Budding bass players needing a bass possessed by the dark lord can do no wrong - hit Lucy up next time you're up at Raven in town.

The winter brings the doom and this year is no exception. Having freshly returned from New Zealand, locals Pod People are looking to release a new vinyl at the ANU Bar on Friday July 3. In celebration of the longest pressing period in the history of acetate, Victorian uber-doomsters The Grey Daturas will also be in attendance to promote their new album The Return to Disruption (on both vinyl and CD through the excellent label, Heathen Skulls). Also along for the ride are a couple of great younger local bands. I Exist blew me away when I caught them recently in their crossover of several styles, with anger seemingly being the binding force. The superbly named Yok-Oh-No Band will also be along to kick off proceedings. Should be a good winter warmer for those looking for some diversity in their heavy shows.

Further, Doomsday Fest '09 is a new touring festival that will hit Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra this year with a feast of the slow and low featuring a slew of great bands. The lineups change a little from location to location, but 666 Entertainment has announced the line up. The ANU Refectory on Saturday August 8 will host Pod People, Looking Glass, The Grey Daturas, Agonhymn, Clagg, Summonus, Dread, Sore, Space Bong and Encircling Sea. Slow head banging will abound. Glagg have just wrapped up post-production on their latest full length album and so we should be able to get our hands on the new album soon.

Hot tour rumour: I have it on good authority that a certain member of the world's "big 4" metal bands, who are currently on the cusp of releasing another hated by god studio album in October, will be on their way soon. I'm not giving any more clues than that.

Josh - Now playing : Hallucinations - Attrocity - Hallucinations

Is there a harder working band in Australian heavy metal than Tasmania’s PSYCROPTIC? Let me firmly implant in your minds that that question was beyond rhetorical – these guys have absolutely smashed the frequent flyer miles in the last 12 months alone and, since signing with major metal label Nuclear Blast, the list of bands that the band work with continues to grow in number and stature.

Just in the last six months the band have done an extensive Australian tour in support of the latest record Ob(servant), played the Summer Slaughter tour easily matching their international contemporaries on the stage and in terms of audience reaction, played a slew of European dates with Cephalic Carnage and a six week jaunt in the US with death grind icons Carcass.

After a couple of aborted phone calls trying to tee up an interview with one of the undisputed masters of the skins, Dave Haley, it appears that not only is he constantly pounding blasts out for his own act, but also doing tech work for none other than, as Dave puts it, “the man who started it all for me,” Pete Sandoval of Morbid Angel. Not to mention beginning rehearsals for the new Blood Duster album and upcoming tour of Europe with Melbourne’s grindfathers.

Now on the cusp of 11 shows with the Amenta and Ruins before ANOTHER run of European dates with Misery Index and Hate Eternal, finding five minutes to talk to BMA is obviously nothing we can take for granted. I was curious as to how the band’s perception of touring has changed or differed now that they’ve signed with a high profile label. “The main difference to me has been that promoters are more interested in having us play in their part of the world because the distribution of our music is now taken care of,” Haley explains. “The first thing promoters always ask is ‘can I buy your music here?’ and if the answer is no then you’ve an uphill battle.”

“It hasn’t changed the way that we operate as a band,” he continues. “I live in Melbourne while the rest of the guys live in Tasmania, but we get to decide on when and where we play and make all the decisions. Touring nationally with brothers in metal Ruins, also guitarist Joe Haley’s band, and Sydney’s The Amenta, Psycroptic are once again displaying that insane work ethic that has earned them the gear endorsements and support from a label that is internationally renowned. At the same time they’re also noticing that the crowd is changing and growing. “We see the same faces at a lot of the shows, but on this album we’re seeing a lot of newer faces up the front and that always gets us fired up to play our best.” You can expect nothing less than that which they expect of themselves.

Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins and Punishment will unleash extreme fury onstage at The Basement on Friday June 19. Tickets through Moshtix. Br00tal.

Well knock me down like Ricky Hatton on the end of Manny Pacquiao’s lethal left hand if we don’t have another international tour to announce. Barely needing any introduction, the band whose music that save all but one of their ten studio albums until 2007 was banned from sale in Australia are touring! Yes brutal brutallisers, Cannibal Corpse have arranged a rendezvous for their hammers and your faces for a right smashing set of shows in Australia and New Zealand. All ages you ask of a band that you were not allowed to buy in a record store in Australia for like 15 years? Hold onto your butchered afterbirth it’s licensed all ages! The Roundhouse in Sydney on September 12. Ber-utal.

Of course in the next few weeks many hardy metal fans will inject money into the economy of the McDonalds’, KFCs’ and Hungry Jacks’ of the Hume Highway (Pheasants Nest on the way home for coffee or red bull for the night owls) for either or both of the UK’s Cradle of Filth’s twin nights at The Metro in Sydney, Thursday May 28 and Friday 29, with Sydney’s Synperium and Perth’s Naetu. Tickets through justsayrock.com.au if you’ve not got one yet.

Florida’s absolute deathliest of all death metal monstrosities Morbid Angel are not coming to town, but I’m sure our own local death kings Infinitum won’t mind their Mcstop on the Hume Hwy when they support Trey, Dave and Pete bring Destructhor of Norwegian band Myrkskog alongside Daemon Foetal Harvest. Friday June 5 also at The Metro and get their early to cast the horns skyward for the Canberra lads. Ticketek or Metro Theatre website for tickets.

Alchemist and the bastard child of three states, Captain Cleanoff (Newcastle, Melbourne and Adelaide) who will be relatively fresh from their appearance at Obscene Extreme this European summer are looking to do a local show at The Basement on September 12 and are looking for a local band to support. Got the chops? Got the tunes? Hit the Alchemist myspace (.com/alchemistau) up with your interest and you’ll be playing alongside two of Australia’s finest bands.

Speaking of The Basement, only a short few weeks ‘til we have the honour of hosting the voice of the only version of The Phantom of the Opera that I’ve ever cared for. The one and only Mr Paul Dianno graces the stage of Belconnen to bring the tunes to life that we didn’t get to hear on his old band’s tour last February as well as some choice cuts of his solo work. Of course Monday isn’t traditionally the most metal night for a thrash, but I can’t wait for the Monday June 1 show and a sore next Tuesday morning at work. Be sure to check BMA resident Iron Maiden expert Scott Adams’ chat with Paul on the next page. Sanctuary!

NP: Shotgun Boogie – Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy

New Years wishes to all the metal faithful and good news on the international gig front for local audiences to kick off 2009, starting with the distant yet unexpected show in June with none other than Iron Maiden’s original lungsman Paul Di’anno hitting The Basement in Belconnen for a night of classics and solo material. That will be very interesting indeed.

Chaos V is at The Basement on January 31 and February 1 with a selection of bands for every metal fan. The Bezerker and The Amenta will bring their respective world class sounds to both shows - the 31st being over 18s and the 1st being an all-ages show. Mytile Vey Lorth, Aeon of Horus and Ne Obliviscaris join Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Synpernium, Templestowe, Gasma, Deprivation and New Blood on Saturday. The all ages show features The Bezerker, The Amenta, Templestowe, Ne Obliviscaris and Leichotica. That’s a big weekend’s Basementing.

A few weeks back I was very excited to hear of France’s absolutely monumental Monarch coming out for an Australian tour. The band deliver an astoundingly dense blend of considered blackened doom metal at an orbital pace, layering bludgeoning, entrancing repetitions of riffs accompanied by an unholy shrieking female vocal presence in the form of vocalist Emilie. Think Corrupted’s long form doom with a more black metal like vocal performance. Their albums are crushing works of doom mastery and their show is essential attendance for all doom fans as they test the structural integrity of The Basement in Belconnen on February 21. They will be joined by our destructive 4Dead, Melbourne doom scientists Agonhymn and Bowcaster.

In more doom news, The Basement is also hosting a more death-doom inspired joint CD launch with Sydney’s Ironwood and Canberra’s Futility releasing their debut records. I got to hear some of the new Futility record at The Basement recently and it’s sounding the perfect summer compliment to fans of entrancing repetitions Evoken, Morgion and the like. Also along will be The Veil (Sydney), Nevetherym (Newcastle), and Tranquil Deception (Canberra).

Tickets are selling fast for the Summer Slaughter Fest so don’t miss out on grabbing yours to the Manning Bar in Sydney on March 13 for Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Aborted, The Red Shore and The Faceless. Check the myspace page - www.myspace.com/summerslaughteraustralia - for details. Also at the Manning Bar, this big international bill is followed up on April 7 with Deicide’s return to Australia, following a late scratching from last year’s heavy meal bill bonanza.

You really gotta try get down to Melbourne this weekend for the Grindcore 2009 show, which features pretty much every good grind band in Australia hitting the Corner Hotel stage on January 25. The bands playing are Fuck I’m Dead, Agents of Abhorence, Captain Cleanoff, The Kill, Roskopp, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Super Happy Fun Slide, Shagnum and Doubled Over, to put some sludge and slow to prepare for the day’s blasts ahead. Huge line-up.

Have a great year.

NP: Wino – Eyes Of The Flesh – Punctuated Equilibrium

It’s the end of year column which means also Top Fives, Tens, top eleventy seventies and so on. Gig wise this year, there could be nothing to top the Iron Maiden performance at Acer Arena on the first night. The atmosphere, affection and sheer excitement that was in the air this night was by far the most awesome atmosphere at a gig of anything ever. Judas Priest and Pig Destroyer were also fantastic. Fallout 3 wins my most brutal video game of the year award thanks largely to the V.A.T.S. system, however before going on the summer writing rest, it’s dutiful reportage that opens Metallise this Black 666mas.

Smashing The Basement over two days in Jan/Feb is Chaos Act V. Headlining both shows are The Amenta and The Bezerker who’ve both released new albums in the last couple of months (n0n and Re-Awakening respectively) and are touring the country together. The Chaos V shows coincide for an 18+ show on January 31 and an all ages on February 1. The over 18 lineup also features Mytile Vey Lorth, Aeon of Horus, Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Synperium, Templestowe, Gasma, Deprivation and New Blood. The all ages show on February 1 is The Amenta and The Bezerker with Ne Obliviscaris, Templestowe and Leichotica. All at The Basement in Belconnen for your brutal entertainment.

The Eternal have a great new album out called Kartika which brings their awesome album total to three out of three. More stocking stuffers for the discerning doom metal fan.

There’s another grindcore bonanza event coming up in Melbourne on January 25 with pretty much the entirety of the best in Melbourne grind. Fuck I’m Dead, Agents of Abhorrence, Captain Cleanoff, The Day Everything Became Nothing, The Kill, Roskopp, BTBG, Super Fun Happy Slide, Shagnum and Doubled Over. All shall crush at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, a good excuse for a late summer jaunt to Mexico.

Having had a go at this myself a few years back, it was welcome news to hear of someone else giving an Australian Metal Awards show a crack. http://www.australianmetal.com.au is the place for all the info; my only slight criticism is that bands wishing to be considered for awards need to register. Registrations opened at the beginning of December and run through til March ahead of the awards show next year.

Devil’s Kitchen is on again next year with the Sydney leg hitting the Annandale on January 31 with locals Pod People and Looking Glass joining Winnebago Deal (UK), Nunchucka Superfly, Midget, Fattura Della Morte (new drummer yay!) Hytest, Summonus, HWCT, Mother Mars, My Left Boot and Buzzard. Pod People will have their vinyl release of their new album in time for these shows.

I hope you all have a simultaneously brutal yet safe 666mas, take care on the roads and save your necks for thrashing it in ’09.

Josh – Electric Grave – Cathedral – The Carnival Bizarre.

Unfortunately there’s some sad news this column with the passing of Nazxul guitarist Greg Morelli due to a motorcycle accident in the early hours of November 20. The tragedy is only exacerbated by the fact he had just finished work on the new Nazxul record in Sydney and Greg had reportedly been very happy with the way the album had turned out and was looking forward to touring the new work here and overseas. Vale’ Greg Morelli.

On a more positive note, if there’s one thing that has become a welcome staple of the Metal column since I began writing it, it’s international bands touring. To kick things off, The Summer Slaughter Tour has recently torn strips off the UK, USA and Canada and now thanks to Soundworks Touring it’s Australia on the chopping block. Germany’s Necrophagist, the USA’s Dying Fetus and The Faceless are being joined by Belgians’ Aborted and Geelong’s The Red Shore as well as some local supports on each leg of the tour. Fittingly the Sydney leg of the tour takes place on Black Friday March 13 2009 at the Manning Bar and the show is an all ages one. Tickets through moshtix.com .

Also heading over in Q1 next year are the Swedish masters of doomy atmosphere’s Cult of Luna. Touring their fifth studio album Eternal Kingdom, it’s a dark concept album based on a diary they found in their rehearsal space, a former mental institution. They’ll be bringing tunes from this and their vaunted back catalogue to Sydney’s Manning Bar, Saturday February 14. Scorpion Entertainment presents this in a busy month of international tours along with the Death Angel/Armoured Saint tour in March.

On the local front, Herratik, System Addict, Temptris and Reign Of Terror are playing an all ages show in Goulbourn on Friday December 12 at the PCYC and then Herratik and System Addict back up the following night at the Basement in Belconnen with Machete and Tortured. Both shows cost a mere 10 bucks for a healthy slab of local heaviness.

The Day Everything Became Nothing have had an awesome 2008 with the release of their best studio album to date in Brutal and a very well received tour of North America. To cap off their annus brutalis, they’re recording a live DVD and album at the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on December 12 on a monster grind bill with Cut Sick, The Kill and Roskopp.

Finally, and whilst not a pure Metalise event, a good cause and a few heavy bands warrant a mention of the Rock for RADD drink driving awareness show at the Holy Grail in Civic on December 20. Following the loss of two friends in a drink driving accident two years ago, three of their mates decided to hold a show to commemorate their passing and to raise awareness at the festive time of year of the dangers on the road when you’ve been too merry. Aside from a 11 band bill that includes Gasma and The Veebees, there’s also a raffle for a signed pair of boxing gloves from Anthony Mundine and all donations raised on the night will go towards this worthy cause.

JJ – Cough – Sigillum Luciferi – 288 Years of Sin

Brutal Halloween greetings thrashers, the weather is warming up and there’s plenty to get a sore neck about starting on Friday with Pig Destroyer hitting The Greenroom for a fitting send off to one of Canberra’s best venues in recent years. Joined by Melbourne’s Terrorust, 4 Dead and Aeon of Horus, this is going to be close to the best metal show you will see in town this year. Tickets from Moshtix online or anywhere Moshtix are sold (Landspeed, The Music Shop etc).

If that’s not enough to smash your weekend, then the very next night at The Basement in Belconnen you will have the opportunity for a massive bill of local brutality. Helloween ’08 kicks off at 12.30 pm Saturday November 8 with a huge lineup of bands, from first to last, Reign of Terror, Tortured, The Devilz Work, Inside the Exterior, Taliesin, Barbarian Machete, System Addict, Templestowe and headlined by the almighty Mytile Vey Lorth. In between all the brutality, your eardrums will be kept conditioned for a caning by Regulators Metal DJ. Punters are encouraged to rock up in their most Halloween-brutal outfits and a BBQ will be on hand for this, the second annual event at Belconnen’s home of brutality and twice the size of last year’s event. Should be a great weekend for ACT thrashers, perhaps get a neck brace for the inevitable ‘bangover’ that will set in Sunday.

YOB have reformed. This may not mean much to many, but one of my absolute favourite bands of the past decade have decided to reform and that is good news for fans of doom everywhere.

For those undecided on which Grave show to go and see, the Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel in Richmond on December 7 will not only feature the Swede’s bearing riffs, but also the as announced this week, the last gig of one of Australia’s premiere Black Thrash outfits, Gospel of the Horns. Yes, sadly after 16 odd years of thrashing, the guys have decided to call it quits. The support in Melbourne is a fitting send off for one of this country’s best exponents of the style, and they’ll be sadly missed by this columnist. Of course if Melbourne is too $$$, then the Sydney Grave show is Thursday December 4 at the Gaelic Theatre, with tickets through Moshtix.

The Lynch Mob and Faster Pussycat are touring and on Thursday December 11 at the Metro Theatre in Sydney they’re having an all ages show, senior citizens welcome (sorry glam fans, couldn’t resist).

With the decline of CD sales particularly affecting smaller heavy acts, The Bezerker have announced they’re leaving their oft touted former international label in favour of their newly constructed label, Bezerker Industries. The band’s new album will never hit stores as their sales model works on one-to-one internet sales. www.berzerkerindustries.com is the place to purchase their new album.

Josh – np: Gore: The Kill: ‘The Soundtrack to your Violence’

With Judas Priest now a warm pleasant memory, onward to the warmer months and absolutely no slow down in the big bands heading out to ply their trade for our benefit. I loved Priest, sure there were a few more Nostradamus tunes than perhaps some of us were hoping to hear in lieu of some of their vast ream of classics, but Rob sang great and the guitar skills of Tipton and Downing are still razor sharp with the whammy-tastic solo in Sinner being a big highlight for me.

In case you didn’t know, the big news is that Pig Destroyer’s promoter has seen the light and added Canberra to their extensive array of Aussie shows. Not only that, but it’s on a Friday AND Halloween, October 31st.  Yes, The Green Room in Phillip will host one of the US’ absolute prime grind acts along with Melbourne’s Terrorust, 4 Dead and Aeon of Hours. Tickets through moshtix or Landspeed can do you a moshtix card to swipe on the night – it’s the way of the future I’m told. Huzah!

Further news to bring “Huzah!” from the senior set in metal is news that Sweden’s almighty Grave are doing their first ever Australian tour in December, they’ll be at the Gaelic Theatre (I assume this is the Gaelic Club) in Surry Hills on Thursday December 4. I believe Shackles and Terrorust (They’re everywhere!) are supports. The band released Dominion VIII recently and this is the catalyst for this tour of pure raw old school death metal ferociousness.

In continuing the war on metal heads’ wallets, the cavalcade of international shows continues, with The Haunted coming for another visit to our shores in November in support of the new album Versus. Supported by Double Dragon nationally, the tour is hitting Sydney on November 9 at The Manning Bar in Sydney.

Megafauna fortnight is upon us and the cancer benefit show at the ANU is huge. October 11 sees Melbourne’s The Nation Blue joined by a slew of quality bands with heavier tastes catered for with Pod People and Boonhorse bringing the sludge.

Make sure you head along to that one for a good cause. Only 20 bucks for a full day’s worth of entertainment kicking off at 2pm.

For those of us that missed the ever brutal Tasmaniac’s Psycroptic touring their latest exercise in brilliant brutality recently can rest safe in the knowledge they’ll be back at the Basement on December 19. Their album Ob(servant) is an essential purchase. Speaking of Psycroptic and Pod People, both bands are playing Freshly Plucked Festival in Orange, NSW Saturday November 8.

Soundwave Festival ’09 has announced their lineup and the near 60 bands including Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains and many, many more.  Check out all the info on the show at the website www.soundwavefestival.com and tickets for the Sydney leg of the tour go on sale Friday October 10.

Meshuggah hit Australia in October this year thanks to triple j and Blue Murder. Touring their latest record ObZen, the band bring their hyper kinetic stylings down under and the only band to do this tour are our own well-seasoned international vets Alchemist, who are doing the whole national tour support. Well done lads. In continuing the trend of international bands touring but not playing here, the closest date for you keensters is Monday October 13 at The Roundhouse in Sydney. It’s an all ages show. The Melbourne show is Wednesday October 15 the Palace Theatre, which used to be the Metro up the top of the city near Parliament House.

Whilst on international tour supports, Carcass tour supports have been named, the Sydney show on Sunday October 12 at The Metro will have Daysend and Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, and the Melbourne show on Monday October 13 features Terrorust and Picture The End.

Opeth are playing a combined all ages/licensed Sydney show at the Big Top on this Saturday September 6, but I’m sure you’re all wired onto that one already!

Kill For Satan have been quiet of late, but that certainly hasn’t seen Lucifer’s Assassins sitting around idling. The band has begun work on the follow up to Thy Kingdom Undone at Infidel studios. Eight songs with the promise of a surprise or two is the word from camp Satan at this time. Having just done a big show at the Lewisham Tavern with a slew of Sydney’s finest last weekend, the guys are primed for a show at the ANU Bar this Saturday night to help celebrate Raven Clothing’s Third Birthday Party. Also along for the ride are Sydney bands Shackles and Backyard Mortuary. You will also be able to catch the band at the Basement’s second annual Helloween show in early November.

In response to a heap of interest in the Pod People vinyl release of Mons Animae Mortuorum, the Goatsounds label have commissioned an extra special double album addition to the record’s already stellar artwork to include the full 57 minute album in its entirety, as well as the fourth side featuring even more grim etched artwork from Glenn Smith to further compliment the awesome artwork from the CD. The album will be available in late October or early November.

The new Metallica single The Day That Never Comes hit the interweb a couple of weeks back. Aside from some issues with the mix that were blamed on the source copy, the only thing Rick Rubin has bought to the mix so far is encouraging James Hetfield to sing like a cross between Johnny Cash and Waylan Jennings before trying to staple the corpse of their ’80s thrash glory onto the tail-end of the corpse of the songwriting style from Reload. It’s like Franken-tallica only even scarier than Mary Shelly’s classic novel. I guess when Death Magnetic hits the stores there’ll be a more informed place to gauge the claims of ‘return to form’ that the hype machine is endlessly shoving down our throats. I stopped listening on …And Justice For All; I don’t think this is going to start a revival.

They’ve been suspiciously silent in recent years, but after nearly five years enduring the slow and painful process of writing a new album, NSW black metal duo Arkheth - comprising Tyraenos and Skolthorn - have returned with Algaresh. An epic in every sense, this two-hour-long double disc marks a new chapter the band, who “has never truly given itself the chance to reach its full potential. Until now.” Originally formed after a split in symphonic black metal outfit Eternal Dark, veterans may remember the band from a pre-Metal for the Brain show a few years ago. They play The Basement on Friday September 5. Doors at 8pm, $12 entry.

NP: Pavarotti – A.C. – 40 More Reasons To Hate Us

What’s a Metalise in the past, like, two years without starting off with an international tour headline? Well this month I’m sure that this is belated, but a welcome reminder that this time it’s grind lords Pig Destroyer setting out on their maiden voyage and again keeping me broke. There’s three shows in range for Canberra thrashers in a tour that I’m a bit peeved we missed out on, considering the extent of the shows – i.e. if Hobart gets a show, then bloody so should we! However, Sydney’s Gaelic Club, Saturday October 25 along with Terrorust, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace and a special guest whom I believe to be Agents of Abhorrence - I’ll confirm next column (according to that most trusted of sources, the internet, it looks like there’ll be no Agents - ED). There’s two Melbourne shows, one at the Hi Fi with Blood Duster, Terrorust and Fuck…I’m Dead on Friday October 24 and another Thursday October 30 at the Arty (Arthouse Hotel, North Melbourne) with Gray Daturas (interesting choice), Roskopp and The Kill. Woo - perpetual financial embarrassment as the international caravan of metallic carnage continues!

Slaughterfest is on this weekend at The Basement in Belconnen and whilst I’ve written of it already, there’s been a late scratching due to the unfortunate limb breakage in Adelaide’s Space Bong. They’ve been replaced duly and the bill is now Blood Duster, Pod People, Ebolie, Roadside Burial and Clagg. 15 dollars will gain entry to this show on Friday August 8. As some may have heard on the triple j Full Metal Racket show last week (before that lucky arsehole Andrew Haug buggered off to Wacken… God that guy has some frequent flyers), with any luck Fuller will bring copies of the new Pod People album Mons Animae Mortuorum (”Mountain of the Souls of the Dead” in Latin) ahead of its official Australian release on August 9.

Pod People will also play Megafauna Festival on Saturday October 11 along with Looking Glass and the band that until a few weeks ago were know as LOG, but are now going by the moniker Boonhorse as recent personnel changes have altered the band’s sound. More on Megafauna soon.

Frankenbok have a new EP entitled The Last Ditch Redemption, which is apparently a concept EP about a journey in madness in which redemption can only be attained in helping those who cannot help themselves. This follows on the heels of their Murder of Songs album they put out recently and to celebrate, they’re hitting the road as they always do and dropping by town Friday August 22 at The Greenroom. They’ll be joined by Mytile Vey Lorth, Rake Sodomy and Point 17

More big shows coming up in Canberra down the track include the Chaos ACT III at The Basement, with Excruciate (QLD), Ebolie (NSW), Mytile Vey Lorth (ACT), Synpernium (NSW), People Die (QLD), Infinitum (ACT), Corpsickle (NSW) and Aeon Of Horus (ACT). This huge show is coming up on Friday November 24 for a mere $15.

I’m not one for classified ads, but this is one I couldn’t pass up for you guys. In the market for a new guitar? How about one of Jeff Haneman’s personal 2008 Signature models? Don’t ask me how, but I have a connection in camp Slayer now and if you want one you, can have one - signed if you like - for around $2,500 AUD depending on what the dollar is worth today. If you’re serious, you can email me at doomtildeath [at] hotmail [dot] com and I can hook you up.

NP: My Aftermath – Gigantic Brain – The Invasion Discography

Carcass. Yes, metalheads’ bandwidth has been eviscerated, much like a collage of post-mortem photos the English grind/death pioneers championed back in the day, with the news that Australia is in for a five shows in five days assault. Sunday October 12 in Sydney at the Metro Theatre and October 13 at Billboard in Melbourne are the two closest shows for Canberra keensters. The touring line-up is Bill Steer, Jeff Walker, Mike Ammott and Daniel Erlandsson, taking Ken Owen’s drum spot due to Ken’s ongoing health problems following a brain haemorrhage in 1999. Ken was seen onstage at Hellfest in France recently, coming out for a friendly wave. All the reviews from their recent festival shows have been glowing, so get along and grab a ticket through Ticketek, apparently they’re going fast.

Too follow on the great domestic releases this year such as The Day Everything Became Nothing’s Brutal and the Captain Cleanoff record Symphonies of Slackness, joining the grind parade later in the year will be reformed Melbourne grind three piece The Kill. Following a hiatus after releasing The Soundtrack To Your Violence, the core line-up of Roby on guitar and Jay (from Fuck… I’m Dead) on drums recruited Nik from Melbourne grinders Super Fun Happy Slide on vocals and rekindled perhaps the most unrelenting brutal one foot grind blasting machine this country has ever seen. Nik informs that the band will hit the studio with their album-ready material as soon as they can decide on which one they’ll do it in. Structural engineers should be recruited for that one.

Welcome news that Sydney band The Amenta have entered the post production phase on their new album n0n. This follows on from 2004’s very well received Occasus record and provides 12 tracks that feature no less than two drummers, two bass players and six vocalists. Lachlan Mitchell is working on the mixes ahead of mastering at 301 by Steve Smart. They’ll have their work cut out as the band are talking up using over 100 recorded tracks on some songs. Should be interesting to say the least!

Ahead of their new album in October, it’s awesome to see that Psycroptic, my favourite Tasmaniacs, have been picked up by uber label Nuclear Blast, with Stomp taking care of the domestic side of the equation. The band is ecstatic and they sure deserve it. Nuclear Blast are talking them up as one of the world’s premiere technical death metal bands and the label finally gives the lads a huge promotional platform to show the rest of the world what we all knew years ago!

A bunch of local thrashers have teamed up to pay homage to the work of Dio under the banner Live Evil. Formed by local guitar hero Matt Davis last year, the group comprise Jason Phelan (guitar), Russell Knight (bass guitar), James Irving (keyboards), Duncan Beard (drums) and the man himself on vox. They’re an accomplished set of musicians, with backgrounds as diverse as jazz, blues, punk and death metal, who’ve united over the bombastic rock of Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow. Following many hours in the rehearsal room, Live Evil have whipped together an exciting and grandiose live show that’ll illicit horns from the hand of any punter within earshot. After packing out The Greenroom a couple of months back, the boys are at it again, this time at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday July 18. Tickets are $15 on the door, so get in early, people!

I’m many of you will already have tickets for Meshuagah’s show Monday 13 at the Roundhouse in Sydney touring ObZen. Ticketek for your tickets if required!

Don’t forget the Slaughterfest show at The Basement. Blood Duster fans be aware this will be the last tour for a while, so don’t miss out. August 8, with Space Bong, Ebolie and Pod People.

Well, rumors that surfaced around the Iron Maiden gigs about a Halford-fronted Priest tour of Australia have come true. Yes, Judas Priest will play the Acer Arena in Sydney in September and, to further entice the cash from empty thrashers’ coffers, they’re bringing The Cavalera Conspiracy along for the ride so that we may finally taste the reunited Cavalera flavour in Australia for the first time since Max left Sepultura. (Note: just before their tour of Australia in 1997 - the Canberra show was on my birthday, bastards). Tickets are on sale June 13 and cost $150 for Gold and $100 for Silver spots in a similar price structure to the Iron Maiden shows. The date is September 12, and in addition to the brothers Cav, Daysend will also lend their brand of melodic death to proceedings. The whole Nostrodamus concept album doesn’t exactly make me sting for 150 buck Gold seats, but that said, Tipton and Downing anyone? Yes please!

Slaughterfest comes to town on August 8. It will feature Blood Duster, fresh from their US tour, Pod People, very possibly using it as a launching pad for their upcoming album, Ebolie applying Sydney grind with lashings of perversion, Space Bong unleashing their down-tempo blackened smoky torrent upon the unsuspecting hordes straight from their Adelaide coven, and Clagg, bringing darkened doom clouds northward with them from Melbourne. It’s at The Basement for a mere 15 bucks. An expanded version of this line-up, including (the band formerly known as) LOG - more on that parentheses next issue - and space rock gods Looking Glass, will take to the stage at Hermann’s Bar at Sydney Uni the following night, Saturday August 9.

Speaking of Blood Duster, I received a text from Fuller to rub in the fact he was currently watching Macabre at Maryland Death Fest where Blood Duster, The Day Everything Became Nothing and Fuck…I’m Dead were impressing all with their respective brands of Aussie grind. Fuck…I’m Dead in particular have been receiving the lion’s share of the praise on the message boards.

Now don’t get too hopeful, grind freaks, seeing what I thought was exciting news this week in the form of Japan GRIND gods Realized announcing an Aussie tour for August including Canberra on Friday August 15 at The Green Room, with Dad They Broke Me, Inappropriate Tough Guy Behaviour and Assassins. Of course it’s not the awesome GRIND version, it’s the still excellent Japanese HARDCORE band. I’ll be down for that show though!

Pod People’s new record will be called Mons Animae Mortuorum and will be out on Goatsound records in late July. The album title is Latin for ‘mountains of the dead’, which I assure you will make sense once you’ve seen the stunning artwork by Sydney’s Glenn Smith. There will be an extremely limited double gatefold vinyl run of the album, released on Rise Above Records in the rest of the world later this year.

STOP PRESS: At the less-extreme, larger-haired end of the spectrum, Sheffield’s own NWOBHM alumnus Def Leppard will be making their way to town at the end of the year. With 65 million plus album sales to their name, the lads recently added another LP to the canon - Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, their first new material in six years. The LP’s lead single Nine Lives, a collaboration with, er, country music superstar Tim McGraw, is currently shredding the charts in the US. Adding to the excitement is the announcement of Cheap Trick as support. My fists are already raised aloft in anticipation. Naturally, it all goes down at the AIS Arena on Tuesday November 11. Tickets go on sale Friday June 20 through Ticketek or 132 849.

Ho-hum, another Metalise column announcing yet another international band’s set of dates!

Lacuna Coil, possibly the most photographed band in metal of the past few years, are at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday June 25. The night before, they’re down in Melbourne at The Billboard.

Blood Duster have never shied away from causing controversy intentionally or otherwise. The band recently announced reissues of every album ’til now, featuring a slew of extras including video of line-ups at the time of their respective back-catalogue and live material, including covers. As an interesting look into modern PC society gone awry, not one but two major CD cover printing companies in Melbourne - Regency and Technicolor - have refused to print the sleeves due to photographs on the inner sleeve being too offensive for either the staff or the general public. Sounds to me like Jason PC has gotten out his medical dictionary of venereology for band photos again… Still, weird to think that Fisting The Dead came out 15 years ago now with artwork from the same book, as did the Yeest EP in ’96 and Str8OuttaNorthcote in ’98. I guess it’s good to see controversy still being courted after 17 years as a band.

Blood Duster’s drummer, Dave Healy of Psycroptic, has a busy year ahead. Aside from heading to the US in May for a three week run of dates with Blood Duster, he’ll be back in Australia for a run of Australian shows with Australia’s most potent death metal band Psycroptic in June. The tour comes to Sydney on June 7 at the Bald Faced Stagg with Daysend and Beyond Terror Beyond Grace. Check it.

Sydney grindcore seems to be enjoying a resurgence of late, with a fair bit of activity coming in the form of larger shows from the more notable locals, as well as some bigger festivals the bands are collectively organising in August. The first event costs a mere $10 and comes under the charming moniker of Tits & Grind. Featuring Syphilis, Ebolie, Cunt Butcher, Bombshell Girls (“half-time entertainment,” according to the press release, and one would assume the “tit” component of the gig’s title), Grannyfist and Skippy The Bush Kangaroo - possibly the most amusingly named metal band in Sydney’s history. It’s on Friday June 20 at the Live House in Lewisham with the doors opening 8pm. I don’t think this one is all ages…

To continue the grind report, The Day Everything Became Nothing have released their third album through uber grind label No Escape. Simply and accurately entitled Brutal, it sees the band pushing the boundaries even further into the recesses of bottom end gore-soaked grindcore. Hot on the heels of this release, the band is undertaking its first international tour in the US, and I can’t wait to hear the new record.

In late-breaking news, the final line-up for Chaos ACT has been announced! The fourth instalment of what is now Canberra’s largest metal fest sees 16 of Australia’s choicest heavy acts converging on The Basement in Belconnen on Friday June 6 and Saturday June 7. June 6 will see Mytile Vey Lorth, Synperium (NSW), Daemon Foetal Harvest (NSW), Templestowe and Rake Sodomy hit the stage from 8:30pm onwards. June 7 will kick off a bit earlier, with doors at 12:30pm and boasts Tasmania’s Separatist (playing their only show on the mainland) plus a posse of local and NSW-based acts including Infinitum, Futility, Antonamasia, Aeon of Horus, Red Valley, Sword Toward Self, Ironwood, Leicohtica, Epoch Of Inexistence and Punishment. There’ll be a number of metal stores on site, plus a BBQ on the Saturday too. Tickets are available from Landspeed, The Music Shop (Belconnen, Civic and Woden) and www.moshtix.com .

NP: Suicide in Progress – The Melvins – Nude With Boots

When you see your friends’ bands grow and go beyond the garage to hit interstate stages in the metal scene in this country, it has as much in common with Indiana Jones in the third film when he comes to the second challenge in uncovering the Holy Grail. Faced with a broad, seemingly impassable gulf between safety and certain death at the bottom of an apprehensively deep pit, a leap of faith is required.

ALCHEMIST have been taking that leap of faith, and like Indy, discovering and taking that leap has launched them onto a near invisible path that leads to one’s goal and tests one’s faith.

After 20 years, Alchemist have more than walked the invisible path; they practically forged it for many Australian bands through their work on the much missed Metal for the Brain festivals. Now, in a sign of heart-warming good karma, it seems the path is leading toward the next and ultimate challenge, the European summer festival circuit.

In speaking with Roy Torkington, Alchemist’s guitar slinger and artist extraordinaire, it seems the faith is being rewarded big time. Hellfest in France, Graspop in Belgium and Waldrock in Holland alongside bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer, Carcass, Motorhead and Morbid Angel to name a (very!) few; it represents the reward for their leap of faith to reach the pinnacle of the heavy metal touring circuit. How does it feel and how did it come about?

“There was a definite buzz for us in Europe last year and we were aware that some serious promoters were attending the shows and taking note. We really flogged ourselves on those tours and played as much as possible within the time we had. We are absolutely stoked to be added to these 2008 summer festivals - lucky and honoured. It is also reassuring as we have been focusing on Europe for some time now and Tripsis is our sixth record. In a way it has been a long time coming!”

The Prog Power festival in Holland has really helped to catapult the band to the next level and the types of festivals they’re playing now are obviously in the A division. Apart from the massive festivals, Alchemist are right at home in an intimate club atmosphere. Are there many smaller shows lined up this time? “We will be there for three weekends and two full weeks; we have agents trying to get us club shows or support slots presently in between the big weekend festivals. It is, however, a very competitive time and we are not expecting to have a show every day, as in the past. We have to wait and see what happens. It is definitely peak time over there for everything. Our big hope is to secure some Ministry supports as they are touring at the same time, but there is nothing confirmed as yet.”

Tripsis has been well received over there and a keen European fan has overseen its vinyl release, another benchmark in the band’s storied career. “We all grew up listening to records and it was always a goal for us to get some out there. We seemed to just miss the boat in the ’90s in that regard when the industry shifted to CD. The packaging and sound is as good as possible and it’s bound to become a collector’s piece. It is a limited edition of 500 copies, of which we have brought 100 or so home with us for Australia.”
So the guys take on a four show run of Aussie gigs in Brisbane (home to drummer Rod), Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, then to Europe and back to start on album number seven. “We have discussed some ideas and I think are all looking forward to writing again – I presume we will start on the next record when we return in July.”

Alchemist play the ANU Bar on Saturday May 3 with Pod People and Looking Glass. Doors 8.30pm, $15 entry. Tripsis is out through Chatterbox.

Double horns to you all.

Children of Bodom are touring in June. Finland’s brutal quintet are undoubtedly one of the bigger modern metal acts, if going by the sheer weight of advertising I see for this band and guitarist Alexi Laiho in magazines! Touring on the back of their brand new album Blooddrunk, the band’s tour hits The Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Sydney on Tuesday June 24 and is an all ages show. So hit mum and dad up now and start chopping and stacking the firewood so you can go.

When the pedigree of a band involves two of Canberra’s most all-time brutal death acts Psychrist and Dehuman, you KNOW that there’s going to be an unrelenting wall of quality brutality unleashed by local act Infinitum. The band have prepared a ten track album entitled Behold Eradication that was recorded and produced locally with Kimmo at KV Productions. The band is doing a self release while the album is shopped around labels. For more info or to order the record, check the bands’ websites, www.myspace.com/infinitumoz or www.infinitum.us .

Alternatively, you can buy the record from the band direct at a huge metal bill on May 9 at The Basement out in Belconnen. The Behold Eradication album launch will see Infinitum ably supported by Rookwood (Syd), Aeon of Hours, Ironwood (Syd) and locals Point 17. We’ll review the album next issue.

Alchemist are preparing to unleash their psychedelic uniqueness in their third and highest profile run of European shows with a performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium in June. Before the lads head overseas though, they’re doing a run of Aussie shows and of course no Aussie tour is complete without the hometown show. On Saturday May 3, the ANU will host Alchemist, Pod People and Looking Glass in an all-out sonic sensory assault.

Cut Sick feature recent gigging visitor Agents of Abhorrence drummer Max on skins and are playing at the Pot Belly in Belconnen on Friday May 16 with Hardluck, Eat A Brick and Eye-Gouge.

More international touring news with a modern flavour comes in the form of Drowning Pool, who tour Australia in May and June for the first time since their 2002 BDO spot. Along for the ride are fellow yanks Puddle Of Mudd. You can see both bands at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on June 3. Tickets on sale Friday April 18.

Saxon’s last-minute tour didn’t happen last year, but thankfully, one of NWOBHM’s best will be back Wednesday May 7 in Sydney at The Forum. Lord will ably support and all reports on the band live of late have been really good.

Korn, Biohazard, Chimaira, Throwdown and Bloodsimple running times for Sydney have been acquired in secret by Metalise for those that care to attend. I’m still scarred from seeing one of Biohazards’ onstage moshing crew smear poo into his chest on the first Slayer tour in Wollongong, so er, wish them well for me and maybe stand back a bit during their show. Running times: ticketed start - 6pm; 1st act - 6.30pm; Bloodsimple interval - 7pm; 2nd act - 7.20pm; Throwdown interval - 7.50pm; 3rd act - 8.10pm; Chimaira interval - 8.55pm; 4th act - 9.15pm; Biohazard interval - 10pm; 5th act - 10.30pm; Korn finish 11.45pm approx. NB: Times are subject to change.

NP: An Island Insane Part I – An Island Insane – Corrupted.

The cavalcade of carnage that is the Mayhem live experience returns to Australia in 2008 for a run of six shows. They’ll be nationally supported by Sydney black metallers Nazxul, who seem to pop out of the woodwork with a new line-up for international tours whenever they come around. This time the band won’t be bringing the severed pigs heads to town;
you’ll have to head up the Hume to Sydney on May 22 for an all ages show at The Metro Theatre which will also feature Sydney doomsters Lycanthia. They’re also in Melbourne on Tuesday May 20.

I have no idea how this will work, purely on the size of the room alone, but Café Macchiato in Civic is having a metal night on Saturday March 29, with free entry to boot.

Templestowe and Aeon of Horus are set to bring the cornerstone of Civic crumbling down with doors at 11pm and the Bourbon Bar open for business from 10pm ’til well after the shows. Interesting! Speaking of Aeon of Horus, the band is also playing with local blackened lads Mytile Vey Lorth, Chapel and Sobrusion at the revamped Greenroom in Phillip on April 26. It’ll be a 10 buck charge on the door that night. Good to see some local gigs springing up around the traps in some different venues.

Insect Warfare, Agents of Abhorrence and 4Dead destroyed the ANU last month. Awesome show promoters, more of the same please!

Alchemist are playing the European festival circuit this year, including a slot on the much vaunted Graspop Festival (www.
graspop.be) this year in Dessel, Belgium, sharing the bill with the likes of Iron Maiden, Kiss and Judas Priest among a slew of others. Not a bad gig! Possibly not as exciting, but a hell of a lot cheaper to get to, will be the lads’ performance this weekend at the Metalstock fest in Sydney, which is happening over Saturday and Sunday night at The Manning Bar in Sydney. Get along to Sydney this weekend for a huge weekend of Aussie metal and Canada’s Kataklysm.

In the modern internet quagmire of blogs, one site is standing out as a shining beacon of amusing metal bloggery. This may appeal to a slightly 25+ demographic, but there’s some gold humour throughout this site that you should all bookmark and visit regularly. I give you Metal Inquisition - you’re welcome.

Pod People’s follow up to the Doom Saloon album is slated for a July release through Melbourne label Goatsound. Captain Cleanoff and The Day Everything Became Nothing (TDEBN) also will have new albums out this year on the Goatsound label as well as reissues of the Blood Duster back catalogue. TDEBN and Blood Duster releases come in time for their US tour in May and slot on the Maryland Death Fest.

TDEBN will also be touring Europe and the states for three months with Tasmaniac’s Psycroptic.

JOSH NP: I’m Sick - Accept Death - Accept Death

METALISE

Aeon of Horus

No Mayhem for Canberra this time around.