Live Nation, X-Ray Touring and RATT have announced that they are postponing the European portion of their fall tour. Instead, the band plans to return in June of next year to perform at some of Europe's most popular rock festivals as well as several other key dates in the UK and Scandinavia. In addition, they are also exploring some other special high profile packages which will be announced shortly. The band's Japan and Australia tour stays as scheduled.

For further details and updates go to www.therattpack.com and www.myspace.com/therattpack

Evanescence has been nominated for two upcoming MTV international awards! The 2007 MTV European Music Awards have nominated EV for the ROCK OUT Award! Click here to vote now! Evanescence is also up for Best International Rock Artist at the MTV Latin America Awards! The award show will take place in Mexico City on October 18th. Cast your vote for EV here!

 Los Angeles Glam rock icons Spiders & Snakes are set to release their eighth studio album, 'Melodrama', on November 6th through Corporate Punishment Records (distributed by Koch Entertainment).

Corporate Punishment Records founder, Thom Hazaert, contacted the band directly thru their website and ensuing conversations led to a deal which would see Corporate Punishment Records releasing not one, but THREE albums by the notorious Hollywood rockers! (reissues of 'London Daze' and 'Hollywood Ghosts' are also included in the deal). “We are extremely proud to be affiliated with a band like Spiders & Snakes. Lizzie Grey is one of the true unsung Godfathers of Modern Hard Rock, and an incredible talent, as well as a true inspiration as one of those rare people who TRULY makes music because he loves to.” said CPR President Thom Hazaert. “And while it’s a little left field of the usual CPR release(s), S&S has made a 15 year career out of releasing brilliant, pure records, solely for the love of their craft, and it’s definitely an honor to be a part of that.”

The twelve tracks on offer highlight the band's affinity for 70's glam rock indulgence and his knack for writing hooks as wide as the Atlantic Ocean. Featuring a stunning cover of the Bay City Rollers' classic "Yesterday's Hero" (sung by drummer Timothy Jay), and highlighting Sluggo (of Oingo Boingo fame) on a terrific saxophone solo, 'Melodrama' also sees Spiders & Snakes covering themselves with "Fear Of Flying" which originally appeared on the band's 1992 release 'Arachno II', with rewritten lyrics by Spiders & Snakes co-founder Jay, The band has written a wealth of material for the new album, including tracks such as the Cheap Trick inspired "Shoot Me Down" (written and sung by bassist Phil St.
Vincent), the in your face hard rocker "Kicks", and the melancholic ballad, "Another Lonely Day"

With the release of 'Melodrama' Spiders & Snakes will be taking the new album to the masses with touring planned both on domestic ground as well as throughout the European territories in 2007 and 2008.

Dust off those air guitars, THE PLIGHT are here to f**k up your day! 

If you love your riffs classic, your vocals throaty and your beats thumping, then THE PLIGHT might just be your favourite new band. Imagine Black Flag getting trashed with Thin Lizzy at a Motörhead gig. Sound good? Well, that’s because THE PLIGHT are bleeding GREAT!

“I'd like to think we bring something new to the musical table.” explains John, sticksman. And that they certainly do. Why does Hardcore have to be so rigid? Wasn’t Punk all about breaking the rules in the first place? THE PLIGHT draw on a vast range of influences, from British classics like Black Sabbath and Led Zep, right through to American pioneers such as The Stooges and Scissorfight.

Formed in Leeds in 2004, their first practice was in the particularly rock and roll location of an abandoned office block on the outskirts of the city. THE PLIGHT began to tour the UK extensively, playing anywhere that would have them, their hard work paying off in 2006, when Leeds label Thirty Days of Night picked released their self titled MCD that summer.

  Since then, they have shared stages with the likes of Sick of it All, Bring me the Horizon, and a full UK tour with Gallows in 06. This incredibly hard working ethic and energetic mix of Punk & Rock and Roll has already raised many an eyebrow in the Rock press, such as Radio One’s Mike Davies, who invited the band to record a BBC Session in August 07.

The new mini album, the aptly titled BLACK SUMMER, will be released through Visible Noise on 8^th October 2007, and promises to be ram packed with their trademark mash-up of old school riffs and infectious aggression. Artwork comes from Visible Noise favourite Dan Mumford (Gallows, Architects, Johnny Truant). Expect a full headline tour around the October release. 

Frontiers Records have announced the signing of DANGER DANGER for the release of a brand new studio album during 2008!

Formed in 1987 by Bruno Ravel and Steve West, and rounded out by Ted Poley, Andy Timmons and Kasey Smith, it didn't take long for the band to be noticed by Epic Records' Lennie Petze, the guy who had earlier discovered Boston, Cyndi Lauper and Aldo Nova, to name a few. Released in 1989, the self-titled release struck gold.

After releasing another amazingly successful album such as “Screw It” in 1991, D2 recorded a third disc for Sony entitled “Cockroach” which, due to legal wrangling, wouldn’t see the light of day until eight years later. Upon completion of the album, the band parted ways with lead singer Ted Poley. Needing a replacement, friend and former Elektra recording artist, Canadian Paul Laine stepped in, releasing “Dawn” as the band’s independent album in 1995. Two more successful studio albums came out later: “Four The Hard Way”, the band’s triumphant return to the original melodic rock roots, and “The Return Of The Great Gildersleeves”, both greeted with stellar reviews from critics and fans the world over, further helping cement the band's reputation.

2004 saw the official return in the line-up of the original singer Ted Poley after an 11 year absence and this forthcoming album will be the band’s first studio effort with Ted since the “Cockroach” sessions! “”We are very excited to be recording with Ted again, as I know our fans are, as well”, says drummer Steve West who announces that “the new one will be a true Danger Danger record: a present for the fans who will surely be pleased”. DANGER DANGER line-up today includes also the other original member Bruno Ravel and guitarist Rob Marcello.

The band is looking forward to enter the studio, right after the special gig that DANGER DANGER will play in Ludwigsburg, Germany at the UNITED FORCES OF ROCK FESTIVAL next Sunday, September the 30th, where they will perform together with JOE LYNN TURNER, STAN BUSH, WHITE WOLF, SOUL DOCTOR, LAST AUTUMN’S DREAM and HUMAN ZOO.

“We're looking to have the record finished by the end of the year and we’re also looking forward to meet all our European fans in Germany” concludes Steve West!

So be there and let’s all wait the new year to rock again with DANGER DANGER!

Seven Witches return with the release of their seventh album, entitled 'Deadly Sins' which is scheduled to be released via Screaming Ferret on Nov 20th.

With a release date of November 20th, the completed album and artwork will also be released as a digital download - at midnight Oct 31st (Halloween) to be exact – exclusively at www.groovejunctionone.com. To celebrate the release a contest has also been announced, which runs from midnight 10/31 to midnight 11/20. Everyone that purchases the entire new album digitally within the two weeks prior to street date is automatically entered into the contest, there will be two winners drawn, with the lucky winners being contacted via e-mail on 11/21. The prize will include seven titles from the Seven Witches/Jack frost catalogue, including:

SW- Xiled To Infinity And One, SW- Year Of The Witch, SW- Passage To The Other Side, SW- Years Of The Witch (DVD), SW- Deadly Sins (CD copy), JF- Out In The Cold and JF- Raise Your Fist To Metal

In addition to Frost’s impressive six string skills, the album features two other metal giants in their respective fields – ex-Hades/Watchtower vocalist Alan Tecchio (who also appeared on Seven Witches’ ‘Amped’ release), as well as Armored Saint, Fates Warning, Anthrax bassist Joey Vera. ‘Deadly Sins’ turned out to be one of the trickiest Seven Witches releases to complete – a solid year in the making – due to the fact that it is a concept record (based on the “7 Sins of Mahatma Gandhi”). Additionally, other musicians lent a hand, including bassists Clint Arent (of Pain Museum), Kevin Bolembach (ex Non Fiction), and a drummer who goes by the nom de plum of ‘Troll.’

Frost (who also co-produced the album, along with Joey Vera who also mixed the release) is proud of this lofty metallic accomplishment - “This is a major up step for us. A masterpiece that we all put our hearts and souls into. This record never gives you time to sleep, as its on 11 from the start to the end, truly the best work of my career."

The full track listing for Deadly Sins is as follows:

Deadly Sins, Science, Commerce, Worship, Knowledge, Pleasure, Wealth, Man of the Millennium, Politics and The Answer

Escape Music have announced the signing of the new rock band, Airtime, featuring the legendary multi-talented musicians Rik Emmett (ex Triumph / Solo artist) on lead vocals and all guitars and basses and Michael Shotton (Von Groove) on drums, percussion, noises, keyboards and background vocals. The title of the album is "LIBERTY MANIFESTO" and is scheduled for release in the week of 19th November, 2007.

As you would expect from two such highly respected musicians, their music is vibrant and exciting Classic Rock in the same style of Led Zep, Rush, and of course some elements of Triumph and Von Groove... with vocal melodies and harmonies that are sometimes reminiscent of Journey or Queen - but Airtime definitely has its own original and unique character, with fantastic hook lines!!

Produced by Rik Emmett and Michael Shotton the album features the following track listing:
Engineered by Michael Shotton

Edge Of Your Mind, Midnight Black & Blue, Liberty, Headstream, River Runs Deep, Find Your Way, Addicted, Code 9, Rise, Moving Day, Transmutation and Cryin' Shame.

The Poodles - “Sweet Trade", released October 1st

“Sweet Trade” the second Poodles album is already in the warehouses ready to go and the band are as excited as ever by the prospect of touring Europe and bringing their eclectic mix of Glam, Heavy Rock and succulent Metal to the masses. The band start touring as support to Gotthard in Europe on October 12th but we hope to have an announcement before then with good news for the UK. Singer Jakob gave us this quick statement last week…. Dear all; Unfortunately the possibility for us to meet our UK fans on The Thunderground Festival was put to ruin when the show was cancelled. We hope to find new ways to make it to the UK in the near future and extend the European tour that our promoter is working on right at the moment. We ask for a little patience and hope to be back with some good news soon. Get our album “Sweet Trade” and enjoy….!! All the best. Stay metal!”

Axxis - New Album

AFM hard rockers Axxis have announced details of their new album “Doom Of Destiny” which will be released here on November 19th. Featuring new guitarist Marco Wriedt the 11 tracks on show will once again drive home the strength and power of this exceptional band and their efforts have already been rewarded with a place on the Helloween / Gamma Ray tour that calls in at the Forum, London on the 8th of January 2008.

U.D.O. - “Best Of” Announced….

U.D.O., the German band led by legendary Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release a "Best Of" album on December 10th on top of announcing a teaming up in Europe with Primal Fear. U.D.O. will also embark on a North American tour in January/February 2008 although it’s not presently clear if this will be a package or a solo trek. The band is, would you believe, currently back in the studio writing once again. Fan-filmed video footage of the guys performing the Accept classics "Restless and Wild" and "Son of a Bitch" at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 8 this year has been posted at http://youtube.com/watch?v=0LG9i-JfH10.

Jon Oliva’s Pain.

Drummer Chris Kinder has issued the following update: "Fifteen songs have been completed (for the new Jon Oliva's Pain album) and we are now in rehearsals before hitting Audio Lab studios later this month. Kevin Rothney and I will take a week apart to solidify our own ideas before spending a few final days nailing the rhythm section to the floor!"

"Kevin and I have been writing, recording and performing together for more than 13 years. We know how to get it done in the least possible time, but unlike the last record (without all the stupid band turmoil), we will be very well prepared and the bulk of our ideas written in stone.”

"Jon Oliva and company have spent tireless hours recording, arranging, re-arranging, and more re-arranging. and boy, are their ideas now firmly in place! There is so much diversity and texture going into these songs folks!!. Some of the material will surprise and some will just make you smile knowing that Oliva's trademark stamp is alive and well. …. It’s just what you would expect from an Oliva/ Jon Oliva's Pain record."

"The title of the CD and artwork concept are complete. AFM Records has approved all of our ideas with great enthusiasm and we‘ll release this very soon. The schedule of events for the next 4-6 weeks is set. Oliva's solo gig at the ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, and our headling appearance at ProgPower Europe on Sunday, October 7 are coming up. But, from there in it’s all Jon Oliva's Pain album No. 3 until we turn in the final master at the end of November. A tentative release date is set for February 28th.”

The UK’s biggest, rockingest music-making event, Music Live 2007 returns to the Birmingham NEC between 2-4 November. 

And amidst the mountains of electric guitars, drums and amplifiers on display – from the likes of Gibson, Fender, Marshall, Paul Reed Smith and Yamaha – will be several big-name rockers visiting the show for meet-and-greet and signing sessions. Already confirmed for the weekend are Duff McKagan and Dave Kushner from Velvet Revolver, Slayer’s Kerry King and Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck.   

On the Live Stage the likes of This Is Menace, getamped, The Heights, Tyla and UK metal legends Blitzkrieg and The Tygers of Pan Tang will be serving up an eclectic mix of raucous rock and face-melting metal. 

And to kick it all off, Music Live 2007 (working in conjunction with Total Guitar magazine) will see an attempt on the world record for ‘Largest Guitar Ensemble’ – playing Smoke On The Water, naturally – on Friday 2 November. Around 1800 guitarists are needed to turn up to break the current record, a number that the organisers are confident will be reached. 

For more information on Music Live 2007 visit www.musiclive.co.uk, where tickets can be booked in advance at the price of £15 or call the booking line on: 0870 010 9026.

Lauren Harris as been announced as the support on Thunder's upcoming UK tour in Nov and Dec.

Daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris, Lauren joins the boys for the following shows:

Nov 24th - Newcastle City Hall
Nov 25th - Glasgow Carling Academy
Nov 27th - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Nov 28th - Bristol Carling Academy
Dec 1st - Manchester Academy
Dec 2nd - London Astoria
Dec 3rd - Sheffield City Hall

German power metallers Gamma Ray have revealed the track listing for their new album, "Land of the Free Part II". The CD will be a conceptual continuation of the group's 1995 classic "Land of the Free", and will contain around 65 minutes of music. The full track listing is as follows:

Rising Again, To Mother Earth, Empress, Rain, Into The Storm, When The World, From The Ashes, Leaving Hell, Real World, Hear Me Calling, Opportunity and Insurrection

Zico Chain are to release their debut album, entitled Food, on October 15th.

Zico Chain are three lads in their early twenties who are part of the new slew of UK guitar bands who are sick of (scr)emo-attention-seeking and are about to grab their slice of the pie. The trio have distilled the punk riffola of Motorhead, the druggy vision of QOTSA, the musical discipline of the White Stripes and a 21st century homegrown social consciousness to create a potent brew worthy of a hard-rocking, hard-living, hard-thinking east London outfit.

Touring with Alkaline Trio, Thursday, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Wolfmother, Velvet Revolver and recording their album in LA with godfather of rock Joe Barresi (Bad Religion, Tool, QOTSA), Zico Chain are smashing it both sides of the Atlantic, with their message of celebrate yourself, use your voice, get fucked up.

In support of the release the band will also be hitting the road with Cat The Dog on the following dates:

18-Nov - Southampton Joiners
19-Nov - London Underworld
20-Nov - Bristol Academy
22-Nov - Cambridge The Graduate
23-Nov - Brighton Barfly
24-Nov - Stoke Sugarmill
26-Nov - Birmingham Barfly
27-Nov - Cardiff Barfly
28-Nov - Nottingham Rock City Basement
29-Nov - Glasgow Barfly
30-Nov - Aberdeen Tunnels
02-Dec - Liverpool Bar Academy

This weeks Hair Metal Haven on www.rock247online.co.uk, sees Chris Nelson talking to Lee Small, new Vocalist for British Melodic Rock stars Shy. Lee's soon to be released solo album Through The Eyes Of Robert Lees will be played for the first time in its full entirety, with Lee Small introducing all the tracks, telling us how they came to life and what's happening in the Shy camp at the moment. The show airs on Saturday 29th September 17.00-19.00GMT/18.00-20.00 CET.

Seminal techno-rockers PITCHSHIFTER hit the UK next month for their much anticipated tour. Having announced plans to release a new studio album to celebrate their 20th Anniversary in 2009, an exclusive track from the tentatively titled '20 Years of Mayhem' album will be given away to fans only at their upcoming UK shows. The free 'Cohesion' EP is only available at these shows and, as well as their brand new track, it also features tracks from the three support acts - BRIGADE, THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND and SHAPED BY FATE.

In an exclusive interview on the band's website (www.pitchshifter.com) frontman J S Clayden states: "Pitchshifter is a habit none of us can kick. We love making music and we love playing live. We figured it's about time we made some new tunes and hit the stage again." Pitchshifter's "no bullshit" approach to fashioning their own brand of music has secured their legendary status in the international metal scene and to this day they maintain a loyal army of fans.  Next month the band will be returning to the place they are most at home - on the road in the UK - with two very special live shows.

Catch the guys at one of the following:

12 Oct London Astoria
13 Oct Nottingham Rock City

London rockers JOHNNY PANIC release their new single 'Dislocation' on October 29 and their second album 'The Good Fight' on November 12 on Repeat Records. Their accompanying video to 'Dislocation' can be seen on all good music channels or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-o50xy8a0k. It's an anthem to frustration. The refrain, "boredom turns me on", it's rumbling bass, squealing guitars and shouted backing vocals, explode the tightly wound tension at the heart of the song.

Scoring a British Arts Council grant to travel and play at this years South By South West festival, they also won ten grand from the Windows Live Spaces competition allowing them to self-finance the recording of their second album 'The Good Fight'. Singer Rob even collared Biffy Clyro and Therapy? producer Chris Sheldon in the street and talked him into producing and mixing the record! Last year they covered The Turtles 'Happy Together' for the NPower's 2006 cricket sponsorship theme tune! With a singer who's an Ultimate Cage Fighter (next fight set up for September 30!) these guys are determined to spend their lives fighting The Good Fight!! There's only one question to ask you: Which side are you on?

Live Nation, X-Ray Touring and RATT have decided to postpone the European portion, which was schedule to take place from October 5th - November 1st, of fall tour. All 21 dates across Europe will be moved to a later date in order to allow the band to stay on schedule to finish the writing for their new album, which they want to deliver in early 2008. The band also needs the time to honour some personal commitments. "All the members of the RATT organization apologize to their fans and followers but this rescheduling will also allow the band to incorporate some of the bigger festivals they have been invited to play next summer (Monsters of Rock, Donington and several others) into their touring schedule. "The band's Japan and Australia tour [in early November] stays as scheduled."

GU MEDICINE ANNOUNCE SKID ROW AND BULLETS & OCTANE SHOWS PLUS MORE!

Taking a break from recording their third CD, northern rock ‘n’ roll machine GU Medicine have just announced a number of shows with both Skid Row and Bullets and Octane on their up-coming tours, as well as making an appearance at The Hard Rock Hell Festival and playing a number of their own headline shows! The quartet are half way through recording the follow-up to last year’s ‘Saints Of Excess’ album, which, currently untitled, will surface in 2008.

Get a dose of rock at the following shows:

Sept 22nd -  London Camden Purple Turtle
Sept 29th - Kettering Sawyers
Oct 23rd - Sheffield Corporation (w Bullets And Octance)
Oct 24th - London 100 Club LONDON 100 Club (w Bullets And Octance)
Oct 26th - Barnsley Oxygen (w Bullets And Octance)
Nov 9th - Hard Rock Hell Fest - Butlins Minehead
Nov 21st - Milton Keynes Woughton Centre (w/ Skid Row)
Nov 22nd - Liverpool Academy (w Skid Row)
Nov 23rd - Sheffield Corporation (w Skid Row)

Chavis Records have announced that the Brazilian heavy meta