When Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne announced their plans to offer free admission to Ozzfest 2007, industry skeptics said the endeavor was doomed to fail. The fans proved the skeptics wrong. Nuclear Blast reports over 428,000 tickets were distributed to fans through Live Nation, the world’s largest live music promotion company. This marks the highest number of free tickets distributed in the U.S. in the history of the concert business. Ticket distribution was assisted by various sponsor sites such as Jagermeister, WWE, Monster Energy, FYE, Pilgrim Films and Hustler Lingerie. “Ozzy is the first to take an entire tour and make it free to his fans,." Sharon Osbourne was quoted. "How amazing is that?”
The 2007 “Freefest” sees Osbourne headline a bill to include
Lamb of God, Static X, Lordi, Hatebreed, Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Nile,
Ankla, Circus Diablo, The Showdown, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, Chthonic and
In This Moment. Starting July 12 at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle,
the tour will hit 24 cities in Washington, California, Arizona, New Mexico,
Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, New Jersey,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida.
Osbourne's new full length Black Rain sold 152,000 copies in the U.S. during
its first week of release, debuting at #3 on the Billboard Top 200. Down to
Earth in 2001 debuted at #4.
Sweden's Candlemass have parted ways with vocalist Messiah Marcolin. The singer, who lent his operatic talents to the underground classics Nightfall and Ancient Dreams, announced his departure from the band in 2006. "We could not agree on how to do the new album," Marcolin was quoted as saying on Blabbermouth.net without elaboration. An interview with Brave Words And Bloody Knuckles revealed that Marcolin was stricken with a vocal cord infection and ordered by his doctor not to sing for several months. While recording their new CD King Of The Grey Islands, bassist-songwriter Leif Edling and the band hired former Solitude Aeturnus vocalist Rob Lowe to fill the void left by Marcolin.
King Of The Grey Islands was recorded at Polar Studios while Rob Lowe's vocal tracks were recorded at Nomad Studios. Final mixing for the album was completed by Peter Tagtren of Hypocrisy and Pain. Edling describes the album concept: “[King Of The Grey Islands] is a concept album about depression and suicide in the modern society. The road to ruin for many ‘kings of grey islands’ that can’t stand everyday life and want to do something about it. No need to say this is Candlemass' Black Album!” In February 2006 Candlemass won a Swedish "Grammy" award for Best Hard Rock band, beating Hammerfall, Opeth, Meshuggah and Hardcore Superstar. The band's back catalogue; Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Nightfall, Ancient Dreams, Doomed for Live, and Essential Doom; is available on Candlelight USA.
Sonata Arctica lead vocalist Tony Kakko and keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg hosted a listening party for their current album Unia at NYC's Lit Lounge on April 2. The album, released on May 25, was played in its entirety from 8 to 11 pm. A 21-and-over event, the listening party offered free admission and Vice TV interviewers spoke with fans. Contacting Nuclear Blast from Finland, Kakko described the new album: "'Unia' means 'dreams' in our native tongue... The sound is so full and warm, heavy while being gentle... The production is so much bigger than on any other Sonata Arctica album with choir, strings, and weird instruments like the bouzouki [a pear-shaped string instrument with a long neck].
"Paid In Full," the first single from Unia, recently entered the Finnish music charts at #1! The promotional video for this cut can be viewed at youtube.com. Mixed at Finnvox studio in Helsinki, Finland, Unia was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm, Sweden. Sonata Arctica's third North American tour is scheduled to kick off September 12 in Fort Worth, Texas and includes an appearance at the eighth annual ProgPower fest in Atlanta, Georgia. A full tour schedule can be viewed at nuclearblastusa.com. Formed in 1996, Sonata Arctica were voted best Newcomer by the Finnish Recording Industry Association in 2001, saw their second CD Silence reach gold status in Finland, outsold Eminem on the Finnish singles chart in 2003, saw their Winterheart's Guild single "Victoria's Secret" hit #1 and toured Europe with Iron Maiden.
Entering the German music charts at #64 and the Swedish music charts at #22, Sonic Syndicate's current full length Only Inhuman established them as Nuclear Blast's newcomer of the year. The band's first German performance will be aired on WDR Rockpalast TV June 21, and they are scheduled to appear at several German metal festivals this summer including the With Full Force, Wacken and Up From The Ground fests. Their July 1 With Full Force appearance sees the band performing on the main stage. Sonic Syndicate's promotional clip for "Denied" premiered on MTV's Rockzone, and Only Inhuman can be previewed at myspace.com/sonicsyndicate. Only Inhuman was released to stores on May 22.
Since signing with Nuclear Blast in 2002, Graveworm released the critically acclaimed full lengths Engraved In Black and (N)utopia. During that time they appeared at several metal festivals like Wacken, Summer Breeze, Metalfest Vienna, Wave Gotik Treffen and Skeleton Bash, besides appearing on a successful American tour with Destruction, Kataklysm and Vader. The new album Collateral Defect, released June 5, was produced by Andy Classen (Dew Scented, Rotting Christ, Tankard) and has elements appealing to fans of thrash, death metal, black metal and goth metal. Maurizio Iacono of Kataklysm makes a guest appearance on “Fear of Hate” and Matze of The Sorrow guests on the track “Fragile Side.”
Black/death metal pioneers Samael are set to return with Solar Soul, a new
album produced by Waldemar Scorychta (Grip, Inc., Lacuna Coil, Tiamat) and
the band. Solar Soul promises to be Samael's finest moment yet with electronic
and experimental excursions and guest appearances by artists including Tristania's
Vibeke Stene, on "Suspended Time,."
Kataklysm drummer Max Duhamel recently finalized an endorsement deal with
Tama Drums and Vic Firth drum sticks. Earlier in 2007 Kataklysm signed endorsement
deals with Washburn guitars, Randall Guitar amps and Eden Bass amps. Details
of the contest Washburn launched to win a custom Heartbeast flying V autographed
by Kataklysm guitarist J.F. Dagenais can be viewed at kataklysmrocks.com.
This contest is exclusive to United States residents.
Tapping The Vein plan to mix their forthcoming full length on July 14. The band will be working at Chicago's Rax Trax with veteran producer Neil Kernon (Queensryche, Cannibal Corpse, Nevermore). Drummer Eric Fisher is quoted, "We're very excited to be working with Neil... Time and time again on tour, we were told we sound much better live. I'd have to agree the band is heavier and more powerful live. I think we were able to capture that this time around with Neil."
Visit nuclearblastusa.com for release info on Nile (Ithyphallic), Malevolent Creation (Doomsday X), Nightwish (End Of An Era), One Man Army and The Undead Quartet (Error In Evolution), Sonic Syndicate (Only Inhuman), Threshold (Dead Reckoning), Dimmu Borgir (In Sorte Diaboli) Dew-Scented (Incinerate), Primal Fear (Metal Is Forever: The Very Best of) Mendeed (The Dead Live By Love), Sirenia (Nine Destinies And A Downfall) and the forthcoming double CD compilation Nuclear Blast Allstars: Into The Light. Tour information on Agnostic Front, Exodus, Immortal, Sonata Arctica, Nile, Edguy, Scar Symmetry, All Shall Perish, Echoes of Eternity, Threat Signal and After Forever can also be viewed there.
For more by Dave Wolff, visit Autoeroticasphyxium Zine on the Internet (maxpages.com/aeazine2), along with the following webzines: Endemoniada Webzine (endemoniada666.com), Ruptured Zine (rupturedzine.cjb.net), Jen's Metal Page (jensmetalpage.com), Brutalism (brutalism.com) and Brainscab Zine (brainscabzine.com). These zines are worth checking out for their extensive information on extreme music scenes everywhere.
