HEAVEN & HELL's 'Dress Rehearsal' In Van Nuys: Report, Photos Available - Apr. 26, 2009

HEAVEN & HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar), Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass) and Vinny Appice (drums) — played a final "dress rehearsal" for its upcoming South American tour earlier today (Sunday, April 26) at a "secet" location in Van Nuys, California. According to one one of 50-80 people (including radio station contest winners) that attended the special showcase, "They had their full arena stage setup they're taking to South America. Everything aside from the drum riser was at ground level so I was looking Geezer in the eyes and looking down at Ronnie while they were playing 15 feet away from me.

"They only did four songs... which they'd apparently not done for an audience before that they were rehearsing for the tour. Of course, I was wanting a full set, but 30 minutes that close and that comfortable was still more than amazing."

Another person who attended the event added, "The power was raw, everyone was on game and energetic, and Dio was singing like the RAINBOW days. I was blown away."

HEAVEN & HELL's short set consisted of the following tracks:

01. Bible Black
02. Fear
03. Follow the Tears
04. Time Machine

Check out photos of the rehearsal:

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The video for "Bible Black", the first single from HEAVEN & HELL's highly anticipated new album, "The Devil You Know", made its worldwide debut this past Saturday night, April 25 on VH1 Classic. The animated clip, produced by 23d Films, aired following the premiere of the newest episode of "That Metal Show", which featured HEAVEN & HELL's Ronnie James Dio and Geezer Butler.

Yahoo! Music will have the exclusive online premiere of the video starting tomorrow (Monday, April 27).

The "Bible Black" video was produced by Joseph A. Russo II and James A. Fino from 23d Films, Inc. and was directed byBen Ceccarelli. The epic song was one of the first songs written for the new album and finds the quartet of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice in top form. "When you start off with a blockbuster like that, it makes the rest of the album so much easier because it gives you a benchmark to measure the other songs against," says Dio.

HEAVEN & HELL will make a rare in-store appearance at Best Buy in San Bernadino, California on Saturday, May 2. All four members of the group will be on hand to celebrate the release of "The Devil You Know". Best Buy stores will offer an exclusive version of the album featuring a bonus DVD with unreleased video of the band recording the album including studio performances, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes content. Fans who buy "The Devil You Know" at the San Bernadino Best Buy beginning on April 28 will get a wristband which will grant them access to get their copy signed by the band. Fans can also get wristbands for the event by purchasing the album at Best Buy stores in Burbank, Rancho Cucamonga and Riverside.

The details are as follows:

Saturday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Best Buy
888 Harriman Place
San Bernadino, CA 92480
(909) 885-4049

"The Devil You Know" is available for streaming in its entirety on VH1.com's The Leak.

"The Devil You Know" track listing:

01. Atom And Evil (5:15)
02. Fear (4:48)
03. Bible Black (6:29)
04. Double The Pain (5:25)
05. Rock And Roll Angel (6:25)
06. The Turn Of The Screw (5:02)
07. Eating The Cannibals (3:37)
08. Follow The Tears (6:12)
09. Neverwhere (4:35)
10. Breaking Into Heaven (7:03)

HEAVEN ABLAZE: New Song Posted Online - Apr. 23, 2009

London, Ontario-based melodic death metal band HEAVEN ABLAZE has posted a new song, "Parhelia", on its MySpace page. The group says, "We took some time off from gigin' to work on some new material and get some things in order inside the HEAVEN ABLAZE camp. So here is a taste of what we have been working on... here's a brand new song which we recorded at Ice House studios! [We] think this is a good song choice to give you a taste of what’s to come... We are all really fuckin' excited to get back on the road with this new material and start shredding again!"

HEAVEN ABLAZE's last album, "Proclamation Armageddon", was released in July 2008. The CD was recorded at Mindscape Studios in London, Ontario by Nigel Curly, vocalist/guitarist of EXCRUCIATING THOUGHTS and was mastered by Colin Davis at Imperial Mastering in Pacheco, California.

According to the group's official bio, HEAVEN ABLAZE's "unique style of death metal incorporates the aspects of heavy melodic guitar playing, captivating harmonies, explosive guitar soloing, heart pounding drums and guttural vocal melodies."

HEAVEN ABLAZE is:

Derek Haley (Lead Guitar)
Patrick Davison (Rhythm Guitar)
Jeremy Walsh (Bass)
Derek Lee (Vocals)

Discussing The Resurgence Of Metal Vinyl With Key Record Labels - Apr. 17, 2009

To commemorate this year's Record Store Day (April 18), Mark Morton of Heavy Metal Examiner coordinated a round-table discussion with several record label executives and got their opinions on the resurgence and collectability of heavy metal vinyl. Participating in this discussion were Paula Hogan (General Manager, Candlelight Records USA), Austin Stephens (Director of Sales, Roadrunner Records), Pat Egan (Director of Sales, Relapse Records), Tracy Vera (Senior VP, Metal Blade Records), and Simon Füllemann (General Manager, Metal Blade Records GmbH). An excerpt follows below.

Heavy Metal Examiner: What do you think of the resurgence in the interest in metal vinyl?

Paula Hogan: Vinyl and metal I feel is a "taste" fans never lose interest in. Metal is, for the most part, always a genre that is a consistent seller regardless of fashion or trends. Sure, it has its peaks and lulls, but it is always there. With vinyl, the packaging, oftentimes special artwork is something that feels so much more personal and unique in your hands versus a CD and the unphysical nature of the mp3. I think the resurgence in vinyl popularity is a combination of elements. First, as noted, is the uniqueness and the natural excitability factor of having a special/limited-edition piece of your favorite band, but second, the continued argument of labels and artists about the accessibility CDs give to illegal downloading, which for vinyl is far more limited.

Austin Stephens: Vinyl, in general, has made a huge comeback, relatively, compared to other physical formats. As far as metal as a genre for the format, I think there is something to be said for the level of musicianship that complements the genre, and though vinyl is still a product line that appeals to a much defined niche consumer, its growth is undeniable.

Pat Egan: The renewed interest in vinyl may be a passing trend, but in the metal world, it has never gone away. At Relapse, we never stopped pressing vinyl (unlike most of our peers). We knew all along that the metal fans loved the packaging that you can't get from a digital download or even a CD. There's something to be said about pouring over the liner notes inside a record, or how awesome that new BARONESS cover that John Baizley did. The major labels are already starting to screw up the vinyl format again, by over charging fans for a standard record. I mean $29.99 for the new Paul McCartney "Fireman" LP? Way to f*** the people who are actually willing to PAY for music. Sure there are 2 LPs in it and it may be 180-gram, but that is just pure major label greed.

Tracy Vera: It excites me and I love it.

Simon Fullerman: It is cool again to collect vinyl and, since you can buy record players with USB connection everywhere, this is an easy tool to put vinyl on your portable players.

Heavy Metal Examiner: When choosing what albums to offer on vinyl, what criteria do you look for?

Paula Hogan: Obviously, sales potential, but as well the artist itself, the artwork available and how it will work for the format.

Austin Stephens: We look at what genres / artists mean something to this consumer. The audiophile that leans more towards progressive metal is definite vinyl consideration and pretty much a no-brainer for artists like DREAM THEATER and OPETH within our roster. Specialty retailers like the Omega mail-order, Interpunk.com, and the Vinyl Collective are big voices for specific artists and genres, and we look to their trends as well when deciding what makes sense to release or re-issue. Any artist with a rabid and loyal fan base is in consideration for the format, though, as we don't want to limit ourselves or our artists in what their fans may want.

Pat Egan: For the most part, every new band that puts out new music will see it released on vinyl from us. It's not a fad for us. For bands on their second and third releases, it will depend on how well the previous record did. If we're sitting on a few hundred LPs in the warehouse, chances are we are not going to put out the new one. In that case, we will usually license that release on vinyl to another label. In many instances, those small labels are run by Relapse employees who care about the band and the packaging and just want to own a copy of that release on vinyl.

Tracy Vera: Hipness or coolness, like in the case of a new band like BISON, classic bands with a classic release, or releases like SLAYER, a visual quality like CATTLE DECAPITATION, and/or bands with really rabid fans like CANNIBAL CORPSE.

Simon Fullerman: Metal records. Bands that have been in it for a long time or bands that have big hype.

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE: 'Blood & Ashes' Pushed Back To May - Apr. 17, 2009

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE — the "horror-death rock" side-project of MARDUK guitarist Morgan Håkansson — has had the release date of its new full-length album, "Blood & Ashes", pushed back to May 11 from the previously announced April 13 (via Regain Records).

"Blood & Ashes" track listing:

01. Oceans Turn To Blood
02. Wicked One
03. Speak The Name Of The Dead
04. The Cult Of Death
05. Werewolf
06. Demons Of The Flesh/Tight White Ropes
07. Shadows Never Change
08. Smell Of The Ancient Ones
09. Face The Master
10. Werewolf Nation
11. Snakes Out The Mouth Of Hell

Check out the cover artwork below.

The track "Shadows Never Change" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

After a lengthy hiatus, DEVILS WHOREHOUSE, returned this past fall with the release of an EP titled "Werewolf". The effort was made available in three different formats — CD, 7" and 12" picture disc.

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE current linup:

Morgan - Bass
Makko - Guitar
Maelstrom - Vocals
Hrafn - Drums