Amon Amarth set to tour the states this April with support coming from Holy Grail & Eluveitie

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – February 18, 2010 – In continuing support of the band’s 2008 release Twilight of the Thunder God, AMON AMARTH has announced a spring, 2010 North American headlining tour, which marks the band’s first tour in the states since their April/May 2009 run with Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, and Lazarus A.D. The scheduled 15 date trek kicks off on April 8th at the House of Blues in Hollywood, CA. Support on the AMON AMARTH tour will come from Pasadena, California’s Holy Grail and Switzerland’s Eluveitie.

Amon Amarth comments: “We’re extremely excited to be hitting North American shores again for a final run of the Twilight of the Thunder God tour. We’re also happy to bring two great bands, Eluveitie and Holy Grail with us.”

AMON AMARTH Tour w/ Holy Grail and Eluveitie
04/08 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues
04/09 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom w/ Fear Factory, Dirge Within, Holy Grail, Eluveitie
04/10 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
04/11 Seattle, WA Showbox At The Market
04/12 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
04/14 Calgary, AB McEwen Hall University Of Calgary
04/15 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Event Center
04/16 Saskatoon, SK Odeon Event Centre
04/17 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Center
04/18 Saint Paul, MN Station 4
04/19 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium
04/21 Toronto, ON Opera House
04/22 Montreal, QC Metropolis
04/23 Quebec City, QC Imperial Theater
04/25 New York, NY The Fillmore

Twilight of the Thunder God features several high-profile guest appearances including Entombed singer L.G. Petrov (on ‘Guardians of Asgaard’), Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala (who shreds a fierce solo on the track ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’) and Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica (a guest appearance on ‘Live For The Kill’).

This week’s play list, as randomly selected by iTunes, pulled out some pretty good tunes to lift to:

“Termination Fields” by Audiopain
“Spit It Out” by Slipknot
“Invertopia / Class Warmth” by Trap Them
“Mental Misery (Gorefest)” by Avulsed
“Greed Killing” by Napalm Death
“When in Sodom” by Entombed
“Insane Oppression” by Guillotine
“Carnivore Necroposy” by Vomepotro
“Intro” by Putrid Pile
“Shame” by Trash Talk
“Sinners Bleed” by Entombed
“Black Steaming Cancerous Entrails” by Putrefied
“Revelation” by Trash Talk
“Red Tide” by Full Blown Chaos
“From My Cold Dead Hands” by Remembering Never
“In My Eyes” by Paths Of Possession
“Wasting Your Time” by Raised Fist
“The Mistake” by Trash Talk
“Pity For None” by The Promise
“Revel in Flesh” by Entombed
“Sick Salvation” by Bloodbath
“Walter Reuther” by The Harpoons
“Hate For The Weak” by Throwdown
“25 Cromwell Street” by Putrid Pile
“Rise Inside” by Killswitch Engage
“Angel Of Death” by Slayer
“Relinquish the Throne” by Abdicate
“Blasphemy My Ass” by Wormrot
“Between The Demons” by Raised Fist
“Jack Worm” by Entombed
“Cut-Throat” by Sepultura
“Never Ending War” by All Shall Perish
“Medusa” by Shattered Realm
“Rounding Up The Cattle” by Burning Skies
“Erosion” by Beyond Terror, Beyond Grace
“Zombie Blood Nightmare” by Gama Bomb
“Grinding Bestiality” by Putrefied
“Americon” by Slayer
“Fading Light” by Beyond Terror, Beyond Grace
“Argument of Kings” by Abdicate
“Hollowman” by Entombed
“Ear to Ear” by Whitechapel
“Another Day” by October File
“Mouth For War” by Pantera
“The Dead Will Walk The Earth” by Gruesome Stuff Relish
“Lobotomized” by Insect Warfare
“The Black Fuck” by Impiety
“Misconceived” by Suffocation
“Victim” by First Blood
“Overgrown Asshole” by Wormrot
“Carnival Justice” by Death Angel
“Buried in Collective Grave” by Vomepotro
“Black Ice” by Municipal Waste
“Jaworski” by Will Haven
“Premature Autopsy” by Entombed
“Crawl” by Entombed
“Heathen” by Whisteria Cottage
“Grind Wit” by Benighted
“A no-sided argument” by Napalm Death
“Buddy System” by The Harpoons
“Good Boy Benito” by Comecon
“Zero the Hero” by Cannibal Corpse
“The Hand That Feeds” by Trash Talk
“Tormenting Voices” by Bonded By Blood
“Hammer To The Skull” by Bone Gnawer
“Nefarious” by Flatline
“The Midget And The Duchess” by The Harpoons
“Black Hood” by The Banner
“God vs God” by Death Angel
“Lamentation” by Mirror Of Deadfaces
“Chestblood” by Avulsed
“Exhumed to Be Buried” by My Own Grave
“Open Wide” by Unleashed
“Ain’t Like You” by Blood For Blood
“Bird On Fire” by Red Fang
“5 Minutes Alone” by Pantera
“Hermod’s Ride To Hel – Lokes Treachery Part 1″ by Amon Amarth
“Bearing The Serpent’s Lamb” by Job For A Cowboy
“All Will Suffer” by Shattered Realm
“Eyes Of The Dead” by Rudimentary Peni
“Bullet Belt” by Gama Bomb
“Virus” by Gruesome Stuff Relish
“Self Termination” by Insect Warfare
“Abnormally Deceased” by Entombed
“You Should Be Longer” by The Harpoons
“Justice Replaced By Revenge” by Ringworm
“Sink Fast, Let Go” by Napalm Death
“Freedom To Act” by Wormrot
“Seasons In The Abyss” by Slayer
“Time Bomb” by A Perfect Murder
“You Fail Me” by Converge
“Slowly to Decay” by Axis Powers
“Evisceration Plague” by Cannibal Corpse
“American Hollow” by Martyr AD
“House Of Hell” by Ringworm
“Soul Eater” by Facebreaker
“Edgecrusher” by Fear Factory
“Totem (De Restos Humanos)” by Machetazo
“Another Disease” by Bonded By Blood
“Bitter Loss” by Entombed
“So Fierce For Fuck!?” by Wormrot
“11th Hour” by Lamb Of God
“Smut King” by The Haunted
“A Handful Of Dust” by Rudimentary Peni
“So Cold” by Full Blown Chaos
“Operation Grindcore” by Wormrot
“Two Inches From A Main Artery” by Through The Eyes Of The Dead
“Paranoia” by Insect Warfare
“Die/Live?” by Guillotine
“Blood Drive” by Municipal Waste
“Well Of Souls” by Trash Talk
“But Life Goes On” by Entombed
“People Of The Sun” by Rage Against The Machine
“Uncovered And Proud As Fuck” by Wormrot
“Disinterment” by Flesh Consumed
“Don’t Need Your Help” by Terror
“Drown” by First Blood
“Exterminate” by Wormrot
“This Love” by Pantera
“F.T.L.” by Insect Warfare
“Street Sweeper” by Insect Warfare

Danish Metal Award nominees HateSphere will hit North American shores later this month in support of newest album To The Nines with The Black Dahlia Murder, Obscura and Augury. Unfortunately, drummer Dennis Buhl is quitting due to severe back problems and the band is therefore forced to cancel their upcoming European tour with Hypocrisy. However, Dennis Buhl is being replaced by ex-Mercenary drummer Mike Park. Furthermore, Hatesphere has entered collaboration with Rune Walther from Dream Fire Agency, which from now on will act as the band’s management.

Guitarist Peter “Pepe” Hansen comments:
“This is indeed a new and exciting chapter for Hatesphere. After touring Europe for more than 7 years, we finally have the chance to visit The States. It is a huge opportunity for us and we look forward to play for our U.S. fans! A huge thank you to the guys in The Black Dahlia Murder, who were kind enough to invite us! Unfortunately, we have to cancel the European tour with Hypocrisy due to our change of drummer and personal reasons. However, it’s a pleasure to have Mike behind the drums. We’ve known him for several years, and he wanted to play fast for a long time and now it’s finally happening so obviously we’re happy! We promise to return both during the summer at the festivals and in the autumn. Last but not least, we’re happy to announce that Rune Walther from Dream Fire Agency will be taking care of the business as our new manager.”

Drummer Mike Park comments:
“I’ve always been a big fan of Hatesphere and I’ve known the guys for a long time so it was quite natural to take over from Dennis. The opportunity came as an extension of my break with Mercenary and I feel great sitting behind the drums in a hard-hitting and professional band as Hatesphere. I’ve already played my first three concerts with the guys and it was fantastic. The energy, the drive and comradeship is exceptional – just as it should be. Now I look forward to show the Hatesphere banner in the U.S!”

Confirmed HATESPHERE tour dates/venues:

Feb 24 Atlanta, GA @ Masque
Feb 25 St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater
Feb 26 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Feb 27 Orlando, FL @ The Social
Mar 01 Houston, TX @ Meridian
Mar 02 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Mar 03 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Mar 05 Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
Mar 06 Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy Theater
Mar 07 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
Mar 08 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Mar 09 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Mar 10 Boise, ID @ The Venue
Mar 12 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Mar 13 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Mar 14 Des Moines, IA @ House of Bricks
Mar 15 St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
Mar 16 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
Mar 18 Washington, DC @ The Rock and Roll Hotel
Mar 19 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Mar 20 New York, NY @ Santo’s Party House
Mar 21 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East – Downstairs
Mar 22 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar 23 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
Mar 24 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick

The End Records, under exclusive license from Sony Music Entertainment Germany, is pleased to announce the North American release of Helloween’s long awaited album UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary, out March 30th.

Helloween, one of the most eminent melodic metal bands worldwide and – along with the Scorpions and Accept – Germany’s ultimate metal export, got their start exactly 25 years ago. A total of eleven headlining world tours took the band all over the globe, and their sensational show at the Monsters Of Rock in Castle Donington in front of more than 100,000 metalheads. Spectacular tours alongside Iron Maiden, Dio and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as their MTV Headbangers Ball US tour with Anthrax and Exodus remain unforgotten. Helloween have sold more than five million record! s and garnered 14 gold and 6 platinum awards globally, receiving two gold records in Germany. Now Andi Deris (vocals), Michael Weikath (guitar), Sascha Gerstner (guitar), Markus Großkopf (bass) and Daniel Löble (drums) have set out to prove that their great anthems ooze that special Helloween flair even with totally new arrangements.

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary is Helloween’s ‘thank-you’ to millions of fans old and new and will prove their exceptional position on the international metal scene. Instead of putting together a regular greatest hits compilation featuring their most successful tracks to celebrate this anniversary, the five band members completely rearranged the greatest melodies they had written in the course of their career to date. The album features Supercharge’s exceptional saxophonist Albie Donnelly, Hellsongs’s vocalist Harriet Ohlsson, pianist Matthias Ulmer, plus the 70-piece Prague Symphonic Orchestra and the choirs of! the Gregorian singers!

As a special surprise, Helloween have come up with ‘The Keeper´s Trilogy’ a stunning 17-minute medley of the songs ‘Halloween’, ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ and ‘The King For A 1000 Years’, recorded in cooperation with the Prague Symphonic Orchestra and likely to send shivers of delight down the spine of every Helloween fan.

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary sees Helloween commemorate their 25th anniversary in their very own way. “We aren’t one of those bands who like to celebrate themselves,” says Weikath. “We wanted to say thank you in a special way to all our fans who have followed us through the past 25 years – to us, this album stands for an official celebration. We had a lot of fun recording our most important tracks in an entirely new ‘outfit’ and with new arrangements. Now we can’t wait to find out how our fans will react.”

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary Track Listing:
01. Dr. Stein
02. Future World
03. If I Could Fly
04. Where The Rain Grows
05. The Keeper’s Trilogy
06. Eagle Fly Free
07. Perfect Gentleman
08. Forever & One
09. I Want Out
10. Fallen To Pieces
11. A Tale That Wasn’t Right

Phoenix, Arizona’s LANDMINE MARATHON have unveiled the cover art of their forthcoming record “Sovereign Descent ,” due out March 16, 2010 on PROSTHETIC RECORDS, the same week the band will play Scion Rock Fest and South By Southwest. The cover art was handled by acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave, who’s done covers for acts such as Entombed, Dismember, Morbid Angel, Suffocation and many more.

Bassist Matt Martinez commented on the cover and working with Seagrave; “The artwork Dan Seagrave created is nothing short of amazing, and, in our biased opinion, some of his best work to date. We are extremely excited and honored to have been able to work with him.”

Pre-order is now available through the PROSTHETIC webshop. The CD can be pre-ordered for $10, a CD and T shirt bundle for $20 and a CD and long sleeve shirt bundle for $25. Check out the packages HERE. PROSTHETIC will also be giving away an MP3 of the track, “Exist” for one week. Follow @ProstheticRcds on Twitter to find out the details. twitter.com/prostheticrcds

“Sovereign Descent” was recorded at guitarist Ryan Butler’s Arcane Digital Recording Studios, where he’s recorded past efforts from the band, as well as Misery Index, Phobia, The Funeral Pyre and many more. The album was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Converge, Hatebreed, Dillinger Escape Plan).

Martinez continued about the recording; “We are beyond stoked and anxiously awaiting the release of ‘Sovereign Descent.’ We feel this is our strongest material to date, both in writing and in performance. We cannot wait for fans new and old to hear this album and see the songs performed live on the road.”

Landmine Marathon, whose sound has been compared to early Earache acts such as Bolt Thrower, Carcass, and Napalm Death, released two full lengths on Level Plane, “Wounded” and “Rusted Eyes Awake,” the latter which was reissued in late 2009 by Prosthetic Records and several split releases. Vocalist Grace Perry was recently featured on the cover of Revolver Magazine and is a frequent contributor to their blog. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Tragedy, Kylesa, Saviours, Book of Black Earth, Coliseum and many more.