02.11.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Seemingly unstoppable FRANZ FERDINAND have just added another two titles to their hoard of recent award wins, scooping a double-score of "Best Rock Act" and "Best British Group" at the Brit Awards in London. Leading the pack with nominations in a whopping five categories ("Best British Group," "Best British Album," "Best British Live Act," "Best British Rock Act" and "Best British Breakthrough Act"), the Mercury Music Prize-winning rockers fended off fierce competition from the likes of MUSE, KASABIAN, SNOW PATROL, KEANE and THE LIBERTINES to victoriously snag two of the night's most hotly-contested awards. Presented by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, FRANZ FERDINAND dedicated their "Best British Band" award to the late UK DJ and legendary music icon John Peel, while also cheekily making reference to Scotland's other famous music stars, THE PROCLAIMERS. "It's a long way from Glasgow to the Brits, but we would walk 500 miles and we would walk 500 more to pick up our Brit Awards," said FRANZ FERDINAND vocalist Alex Kapranos. Even Bob Geldof, who was being presented with an award for "Outstanding Contribution To Music," declared himself a big fan of the band, comparing them to his own group, THE BOOMTOWN RATS. FRANZ FERDINAND kicked off the night's ceremony with an energetic performance of their international smash hit, 'Take Me Out.' Their Brit Awards victory comes hot on the back of FRANZ FERDINAND's phenomenal Triple J "Hottest 100" score, topping the annual list with single 'Take Me Out.' The band are also in the lead-up to Sunday's Grammy Awards in L.A. this Sunday, where they will perform alongside fellow nominees THE BLACK EYED PEAS, MAROON 5 and LOS LONELY BOYS in the three-stage opening. FRANZ FERDINAND are up for Grammysin the categories of "Best Rock Performance," "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Best Short Form Music Video."
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02.11.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Syracuse, New York-based BRAND NEW SIN has been signed to a worldwide recording deal by Century Media. The group recently completed work on their sophomore effort, tentatively titled "Recipe For Disaster." The album's Summer release will be preceded by a series of performances alongside MOTORHEAD and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in March. "Brand New Sin is very pleased and excited to be part of the Century Media family," says vocalist Joe Altier. "Not only is the label comprised of hard-working mofo's, but they are truly fans of the bands they work with. We look forward to a long and successful run with them." The Southern-influenced Hard Rock/Metal quintet first burst upon the scene in 2002 with their self-titled debut, after which the group went on to earn a devoted legion of fans through relentless touring with a wide array of artists, from BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and SLAYER to BREAKING BENJAMIN and SALIVA. It's the stunning blend of Altier's captivating roar and melodic overtones mixed with the band's gritty, rock-solid rhythm section, stunning dual guitar solos and pummeling hooks that helps BRAND NEW SIN stand out and appeal to a diverse audience. In conjunction with their upcoming March tour, the band will release a four-track EP entitled "Black And Blue" next month, with the title track also serving as the first single from "Recipe For Disaster," while the other three songs will be exclusive to the EP. The group will also embark on a two-week tour of the Southeast starting on February 17th. "We can't wait to hit the road again," says Altier, "and to be doing it with Motorhead and C.O.C. in March is definitely a good way to start! It's almost as if we have come full circle, because when we did our first nationwide tour, it was with Motorhead. See you on the road!"
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02.10.05 (RockAndMetal.com) R.E.M. fans will have good reason to 'Get Up' on March 1st, the release date for reissues of the band's entire Warner Bros. catalog in deluxe two-disc editions, all of which will include previously unreleased material. All nine CD/DVD combos ("Green," "Out Of Time," "Automatic For The People," "Monster," "New Adventures In Hi-Fi," "Up," "Reveal," "In Time: The Best Of R.E.M.," and "Around The Sun") will be available at all retail outlets or at www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $24.98 each. Every R.E.M. reissue will consist of the album as it was originally released on one CD, plus a DVD with a 5.1 surround sound version of the album remixed by Grammy-winning engineer Elliot Schiener, exclusive web links, an expanded booklet that features new liner notes and rarely seen archival photos, documentaries, and much more. "Green" (1989) marked R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. debut, and lifted the band to a new level of popularity, thanks to the hits 'Pop Song '89,' 'Stand,' and 'Orange Crush.' The bonus DVD includes an unreleased documentary video and two live performances from the "Tour Film" DVD. "Out Of Time" (1991) continued to broaden R.E.M.'s audience with one of their biggest hit singles, 'Losing My Religion,' as well as 'Shiny Happy People' and 'Radio Song.' The DVD includes the unreleased "Time Piece" documentary, which mixes band member interviews with commentaries about the songs. With "Automatic For The People" (1992), the band achieved their greatest commercial success as well as one of their finest artistic statements. The CD contains the smash 'Everybody Hurts,' and the audience favorite 'Man On The Moon.' The DVD features a short film set in Athens, GA, made to support the release, which includes segments showing the band playing portions of songs in the studio. "Monster" (1994) saw the band expanding its sound, creating an album featuring the aggressive rockers 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?' and 'Star 69,' as well as the delicate... [full story]
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02.10.05 (RockAndMetal.com) SIX FEET UNDER frontman Chris Barnes has checked in with the following update regarding the band's upcoming album, "13," slated to be issued March 22nd via Metal Blade Records: "Hey, just wanted to say what's up to everyone and let you all know what's comin' up... We're currently rehearsing here in Tampa for the upcoming No Mercy fests, and really lookin' forward to that. We're psyched to play a few of the new songs from '13,' which will be released on March 22nd. I have been listening to this CD at least 4 times a day since we completed it and I am now convinced that it is our 'Reign In Blood,' as in this is our best CD to date. I in no way, shape, or form mean to suggest that '13' is better than, sounds like, be as ground breaking, or will be remembered with as much regard in the history of metal as 'Reign in Blood.' To clarify for those of you who don't get it, and for those of you who are quick to dismiss us, let me break it down once again... In my opinion, this is our best most exciting work since 'Maximum Violence,' and I am thoroughly excited and proud of what we did on this CD and to those who doubt us, you would doubt us no matter what... And to our fans, you won't be disappointed. The proof is in the pudding and pretty soon you'll be face first in it. It's fucking insane... believe it. The video for 'Shadow Of The Reaper' is currently in the editing process with director Gary Smithson at the controls. We'll have a rough here in the next week or two. It was definitely the most professional video shoot we've ever been involved with, so look out for that - it's gonna be vicious. Another thing that's being worked on is a complete reworking of our website. All fans are urged to send any live pics or bootleg video of the band for use on the site should do so through our website. Some of the photos and footage may just end up in an upcoming special release, but more on that in a few months." - Barnes
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02.09.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Veteran experimental group THE RESIDENTS will release their new album, "Animal Lover," on March 21st via Mute Recordings. When Charles Darwin first proposed in the late 1800's that homo sapiens had evolved from and were in fact a species of animal, many humans were horrified. Humans suddenly had an unusual need to feel superior, something their fellow animal associates had never quite understood. When Sigmund Freud destroyed the accepted opposition between sanity and madness by defining "normality" via a sliding scale a few years later, humans were even more shocked. Taking a step beyond Darwin, he believed that the human was an animal in conflict, and informing the human of that very simple concept seemed to only increase the conflict. In THE RESIDENTS' "Animal Lover," the creatures who don't really mind if they are animals take an existential look at the upright animal whose normality is sliding toward the wrong end of the spectrum. The human beasts live in a world of primal darkness, their heads forever stuck in the ground like frightened ostriches living in a constant murky dream state. In creating this picture book of animal tales, THE RESIDENTS wanted to include a soundtrack that related directly to the subject of "animal love." The result is an imaginative CD whose rhythm tracks are based entirely on animal noise mating patterns generated primarily by cicadas and frogs. Also the actual sounds of mating whales and humans were used for longer tonal passages. THE RESIDENTS are now entering their fourth decade as faceless "anti-stars," existing in the dim outskirts of mainstream awareness. During that entire time, they've consciously kept their origins and personal lives shrouded in mystery. The creation of this obviously contrived "mystery" was one of the first decisions they reached after realizing that they had become a group - something they define as an organism with a mind, will and direction of its own.
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02.09.05 (RockAndMetal.com) SINERGY, the acclaimed Finnish Gothic Metal band featuring vocalist Kimberly Goss (Ancient, Dimmu Borgir, Therion) and CHILDREN OF BODOM members Alexi Laiho (guitar) and Roope Latvala (guitar), have spent the past few months quietly recording their fourth full-length album, tentatively due in late 2005. Goss posted the following message on the internet recently: "Sinergy does indeed still exist, though the absence of our website and having only played two gigs in the past six months may lead people to believe otherwise. Our fourth album will be called 'Sins Of The Past.' We started recording drums and bass in June of last year at Finnvox Studios, and have continued recording the rest of it at Beyond Abilities Studios (the studio of Janne Wirman from Children Of Bodom). However, we've had to record the album in separate sections due to Children Of Bodom's busy touring schedule last year. We've sometimes had to take several months off in between recording. Alexi just got his cast off last week 9after suffering a broken arm in a fall in December0, but still needs to wear a brace for another few weeks. He's able to play guitar now, but we're gonna wait until he's 100 percent recovered before he finishes his leads on the album. In the meantime, myself and Roope have been busy recording our parts. The album will then be mixed and mastered at Finnvox, then the recording is finished. All I can say is that we are hopeful that the album will be released sometime this year. We'll have a new website up once the artwork for the new album is finished." SINERGY was initially formed in the Summer of 1997 by original members Goss, Laiho, and IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Stromblad as a showcase for female vocals that are both aggressive and emotional, not whiny or angelic sounding, as is the case with many current Gothic Rock and Metal bands.
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02.08.05 (RockAndMetal.com) LOU REED has announced his full schedule of confirmed 2005 European Tour dates, including three newly added gigs in Finland. The legendary musician, whose career has spanned four decades from his very first album with THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, "The Velvet Underground And Nico," will be performing two rare concerts in the UK during his European visit. The confirmed line-up for the European tour includes Reed (vocals/guitar), guitarist/keyboardist Mike Rathke, bassist Fernando Saunders and cellist Joan Scarpantoni. Over the last 40 years as a composer, poet, lyricist, musician, vocalist and sound pioneer, LOU REED has constantly pushed the envelope with his art. Through his lack of compromise he has transformed many seemingly impossible barriers, and, in the process, has created not just one but several of the most groundbreaking albums of the past five decades. Recently, Reed signed an exclusive worldwide recording deal with Sanctuary Records Group. 04/14 Oporto, Portugal [Casa De Musica] • 04/16 San Sebastian, Spain [Kursaal] • 04/18 Paris, France [Grand Rex] • 04/19 Amsterdam, Holland [Concertebouw] • 04/21 Leicester, UK [De Montfort Hall] • 04/22 Liverpool, UK [Philharmonic] • 04/24 Frankfurt, Germany [Alter Oper] • 04/25 Berlin, Germany [Tempodrom] • 04/27 Hamburg, Germany [CCH] • 04/29 Bergen, Norway [Grieghallen] • 04/30 Stavanger, Norway [Concert House] • 05/01 Oslo, Norway [Concert House] • 05/03 Copenhagen, Denmark [Royal Theatre] • 05/04 Copenhagen, Denmark [Royal Theatre] • 05/05 Arhus, Denmark [Music House] • 05/07 Malmo, Sweden [Concert House] • 05/08 Gothenburg, Sweden [Concert House] • 05/09 Stockholm, Sweden [Circus] • 05/11 Lahti, Finland [Sibelius Hall] • 05/12 Tampere, Finland [Concert Hall] • 05/13 Helsinki, Finland [Finlandia Hall]

02.08.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Swedish Heavy Metallers TAD MOROSE have been tapped to headline this year's Chicago Powerfest at JJ Kelley's in Lansing, Illinois. After the band's commanding performance at Atlanta's prestigious ProgPower USA V last fall, they are thrilled to be returning to the U.S once again. TAD MOROSE guitarist Christer "Krunt" Andersson commented: "We finally have the opportunity to come back to the U.S., and it's going to be an amazing trip. We are excited that fellow Bollnas metalheads Morgana Lefay will also be playing, as it will be their first show in the USA. I want to personally send a big thanx to John Coyne for having the guts to make this happen. It's going to be great to meet up with our U.S. fans again. We have been longing to return ever since we got home from N.Y. and Atlanta last September." The band's monumental 2004 release "Modus Vivendi" has been somewhat of a celebrated press and fan favorite. Chicago Powerfest promoter Rob Such commented on why they chose to include TAD MOROSE as headliners for this year's festival: "Tad Morose are one of the more exciting acts in the underground metal scene, and are certainly deserving of headlining status. We at Chicago Powerfest are very happy to give them this opportunity to headline!" For complete information on this year's Chicago Powerfest visit the festival's homepage here. Tickets for the 21-and-over April 8-9 event are limited to 300, and can be purchased for $32 at JJ Kelley's, who also hosted the first ProgPower USA festival. Other bands scheduled to appear are WAR MACHINE, SILENCER, ARCHETYPE and MORGANA LEFAY on April 8th, with KATAGORY V, IMAGIKA, ION VEIN and TWELFTH GATE slated to take the stage along with TAD MOROSE on April 9th.
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02.07.05 (RockAndMetal.com) ROBERT PLANT has confirmed that he has signed a new recording deal with Sanctuary Records along with his band STRANGE SENSATION. Plant's eagerly anticipated new album, "Mighty Rearranger," will be released on May 3rd. Plant had this to say: "Myself and the band have received great encouragement from Sanctuary Records. We have made a very committed and powerful record and feel that Sanctuary's representation can be a great help to us in pushing these songs out into the great big music machine." "Mighty Rearranger" finds ROBERT PLANT working again with his band STRANGE SENSATION, who were so vital to his 2002 and Grammy-nominated "Dreamland" album. "Mighty Rearranger" follows Plant's definitive solo retrospective, "Anthology," an electrifying tour de force released in 2003 on Mercury Records. Sanctuary Group Chief Executive Officer Merck Mercuriadis commented: "It is a dream come true to have Robert on the label. Music fans know him as one of the greatest front men and rock icons of all time but 'Mighty Rearranger' proves that not only is he one of the greatest artists of all time, but that Strange Sensation are a vital new band." Joe Cokell, CEO of Sanctuary Recorded Music Worldwide said: "Robert has made a fabulous record that has excited everyone within the company, and our belief is that the album will be a worldwide success by the Summer." ROBERT PLANT is the keynote speaker at this year's South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, and is also slated to perform at the event. A world tour by Plant commences with the Tsunami Benefit gig at Bristol Academy in the UK on February 19th and 20th (along with Portishead, Massive Attack and other) and continues all the way through next February.

02.07.05 (RockAndMetal.com) The following message regarding their upcoming final album and the mutual dissolution of Finland's SENTENCED has been posted by guitarist Sami Lopakka on the band's official website: "We'd better put this out in the open before you hear it somewhere else. The title of the new album is 'The Funeral Album,' and with it we, Sentenced, are coming to the end of our road. This album will be our last one. The decision is mutual, thoroughly thought over and final. Metaphorically speaking, this is a mass suicide of 5, and the new album is the kind of note we want to leave behind. One last time around for good-byes. The decision was made during 2004. The reasons are many, and I don't feel any need to go into details here. I will say however, that everyone will walk away as friends. In my eyes we are even not splitting up, but ending our recording career together. And there is major difference between those two. Our wish was always to go out with style and at the peak of our so called success. I think with 'The Funeral Album' we will do exactly that. Once the album is released, there will be an undefined number of farewell shows. When, where and how many, those are questions that at this point remain open. Intense and long touring, however, will unfortunately not follow, and most of these shows will take place at festivals where we can reach as much people as possible at one time. At the moment, it seems that all of these funeral shows will be in Europe. If everything goes as planned, we will also make a live-DVD out of those last shows and include a lot of stuff from the past on it. Not to mention all the music videos we have done during the years. The working title for the DVD is 'Buried Alive.' After that, Sentenced is no more. There will not be a reunion, comeback, or any other pathetic and soap-operaish circus that seems to be in fashion these days. Sentenced will rest in peace." - Sami
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[Music News: 01.17.05 - 01.23.05]
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