[Classic_Rock_Forever] Rush, Tesla, Anthrax, Glenn Danzig, Blackmore's Night, Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news

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Mick Burgess of Metal Express Radio recently conducted an interview with RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Express Radio: In a few weeks' time, your latest album, "Clockwork Angels", will be released. Are you looking forward to finally getting it out?

Alex: Yeah, it's been a long project. We released a couple of songs before the last tour and that's the first time that we've done something like that where we've recorded a couple of songs from a record that hasn't been released yet. It was kind of fun to get those songs out, to work them and play them and have a peek into what the project was going to be. It was great for getting us back into writing, which we did last fall where we got into the bulk of the writing and where the whole story started to come together. That's where we got a sense of where the album was going.

Metal Express Radio: "Clockwork Angels" sees you really spreading your wings. There's elements of vintage RUSH in there with complex arrangements and mood changes while keeping that contemporary feel of your later albums. Was this the plan when you first started discussing ideas with Geddy [Lee, bass/vocals]?

Alex: I don't know, really. I'm never sure what the plan is. We sort of start on the day and it takes its shape and we kind of go with it. I think probably with this record, we really wanted to play and wanted to stretch out a little bit. We wanted to have fun playing and also to strip things down a little. I think "Snakes & Arrows", in retrospect, was a little bit dense, because it was written on acoustic guitar, which played a major role in the production. We layered a lot of acoustics and electrics and I think we got just a little cloudy at times. I really like the record, but with hindsight of living with it for a while, we realized that we kind of overcooked it a bit.

Metal Express Radio: "Clockwork Angels" is really a step or two on from "Snakes & Arrows" then?

Alex: Yeah, we really wanted to strip it down and have more of a three-piece feel to it. There's no rhythm guitar during the guitar solos and such like which are things you end up doing as you like the sound of it because you like all the color but it's not always necessary and I think the album comes across as a lot more powerful as a result.

Metal Express Radio: Nick Raskulinecz produced again. He's worked with artists such as the FOO FIGHTERS and ALICE IN CHAINS, and MARILYN MANSON. Did having someone young and in touch with current bands help to reinvigorate you as musicians?

Alex: To some extent, yes. There's something about the way Nick works; his enthusiasm is very infectious. He's very instinctive and has great ears. We've come to really respect his opinion. He's not always right, but he's never short on ideas and that's always a good thing to have. I don't think he wants to influence us by citing other bands or musicians. I think what he tries to do with all the artists he works with and I've spoken to a few. I played golf with Jerry Cantrell from ALICE IN CHAINS recently and he said the same thing, he brings what's in you, out. The thing that makes you what you are is what he hunts for.
 
 
For the first time ever, TESLA is going to give its fans the opportunity to take home the show they just heard, in the form of limited-edition, individually numbered CD sets available immediately after each show! The band has partnered with DiscLive Network, the global leader in producing instant content, and as of today, fans may pre-order the CDs online at DiscLiveNetwork.com, where they may opt to either pick up the CD at the show they are attending, or to have it conveniently shipped home to them. The CD sets are available to ALL TESLA fans, whether you are attending the shows or not!

This is the ultimate collectible — a high-quality audio recording of the show you just heard packaged in a heavyweight digipak — and a second disc containing extra TESLA bonus material! These are strictly limited edition in nature — only 500 per show will EVER be produced — so make sure and pre-order your copy now so you don't miss this amazing chance!

TESLA's video for the song "I Love You" can be seen below. The track comes off the band's latest album, "Twisted Wires And The Acoustic Sessions", which was released in July 2011 via Scarlet Records. The CD features six songs that were recorded back in 2005 at bassist Brian Wheat's J Street Recorders studio — which also serve as the last recordings with original member Tommy Skeoch — and six newly recorded tracks, including acoustic remakes of songs from TESLA's entire catalog and two brand new songs, "Second Street" and "Better Off Without You".

TESLA received the key to the city from Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson last December at the Sacramento Rock And Radio Museum.

Known as the originators of the "unplugged" craze of the '90s, California rockers TESLA launched the 20th-anniversary tour last year of their legendary "Five Man Acoustical Jam" in full acoustic fashion in support of "Twisted Wires And The Acoustic Sessions".

TESLA released a live album, "Alive In Europe!", in Europe on April 23, 2010 via Frontiers Records.

TESLA's latest studio album, "Forever More", sold more than 16,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 33 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 7, 2008 on Tesla Electric Company Recordings. The European version of the album, which was made available on November 7 via Frontiers Records, contains two bonus tracks not found on the American version.
 

Joey Belladonna: "We have something special going"

 
 
Congratulations on a successful comeback for both you and the band. For you it's the third stint with Anthrax. How does it feel to be back and what is different this time?

J.B.: It feels really great! We have a good camaraderie in the band right now and everybody is working together. What different is that we don't take things for granted and we are really committed. We don't want to waste this time, because you never know when you might have such a great lineup together again. We feel that we have something special going. We write good music and the shows are as great as ever. We really enjoy ourselves right now.

And as a sign of such great times a couple of months ago you have released Worship Music, which is your 10th album overall and first original material since 2003. You have dubbed it "the Most Emotional One". What makes it so special? 


J.B.: Just being away from it for so long. Some people are asking how did we pull it off, but to be honest it seemed natural from the get-go and at the end it came out like that. We enjoyed the music we produced, wanted to share it with everybody else and hope that they would dig it. That's what it boils down to.
 
Worship Music album cover
The new album contains plenty of tributes: from Occupy Wall Street protesters, through World War II veterans to Ronnie James Dio and Pantera's Dimebag Darell. There is also a "Judas Priest" song. Why so many shout-outs at once? 


J.B.: I guess overtime you wanna talk about things that are or have been near and dear to you, that you can relate to on a daily basis. These thoughts and ideas accumulate over time and pop up in your head when you write the lyrics. It's good to come up with songs that carry some message and meaning.

Metal-rules.com chose this album as the best of 2011. Other critics had similarly positive reviews. I am Alive was described as "catchy as hell", In the End as "pristine production and a chugging pace song". Which track is your favorite?

J.B.: It's gotta be In the End, because of that whole, different vibe and vocal approach. It's neat to do this type of thing and it makes this song fun to play live.
 
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Despite all that positivity the record was not born painlessly. First it was to feature Don Nelson, then John Bush, who openly admitted that "it conflicted him, since he was not a part of creating it". Why did you say yes? 


J.B.: I always thought that we should do it when we had a good enough reason for it. It took a long time for that to happen and to be honest with you I don't even know where all that time went. But at the same time I don't have any bad feelings. We finally got on the same page and once we decided to make it right it was easy enough from then on.

Back to lead vocalists - you have a history of frequent changes at your this role. Why is this so?


J.B.: I couldn't really tell you that. It's a big mystery to me as well. All I know is that it had nothing to do with me since I never wanted to make any changes. But even though it is hard to be on the other end of it I don't like to go there anymore. I try not to think about what happened, concentrate on what we have and good music that we produce. Right now we have what we need and what it takes to forget about the past.

But these changes did not always fair well with your fans, who at one time held a "Bring Back Bush" campaign. What do you say to them? Will they have a reason to miss John?

J.B.: I don't know anything about the campaign, but I also don't care about him. I have never even met him. We both are different and have our own unique styles, so maybe at that time it was what the band needed. But I am not going to dwell on it since I don't have any control over what happened in the past. Right now we are flying high and there is plenty of things for me focus on.
 
 
You have been back with the group since the very first show of the Big Four Tour in 2010. Do you remember where was it held?

J.B.: Of course! Poland!

Great memory! What do you remember about this show and how do you recall polish metal fans, who previously received such high praises from e.g. Metallica or Pearl Jam?

J.B.: Oh, everything was incredible! I remember landing in Poland and the great reception we got at the airport. It was cool to get to know the area and learn some of the history of this country. The show itself was awesome and the crowd was just enormous. It really was some show! We were overwhelmed and realized how great it was when we left. We were like: "WOW!"

Back then in Poland Slayer's Kerry King said that only his band stayed loyal to a trash metal genre, accused Metallica of being a pop-band and pointed out that both Megadeth and Anthrax have some sins on their own. What was he referring to?

J.B.: I have no idea.
 
 
 
 
Perhaps he meant your mutual work with such artist as Public Enemy? What is your take on Anthrax being pioneers in rap metal? 

J.B.: You know what? Now that you mentioned it it kinda did pop in my head, but hey, at that time it was cool to try all different things. It was not only Public Enemy, we did all sorts of things e.g. we've toured with Living Colour. It was interesting back then to test these things out and it's too late to worry about that now.

You might be able to ask Kerry that question this summer, because both of your bands will be touring the US with the Mayhem Rockstar Energy Drink Festival. Other big names include Slipknot and Motörhead. Looking forward to sharing the spotlight with Lemmy?

J.B.: I am totally looking forward to sharing the spotlight with him! He's such an awesome guy – I have toured with him before with my own group Belladonna. This year we will be seeing each other a lot, because after Mayhem we will get to go to England with them as well in November.

At Mayhem you will be headlining the Jaegermeister Stage with As I Die Lying and Devil Wears Prada as your openers. What would be your advice for these new metal bands on how to be successful?

J.B.: Uff, there's a lot of things to take into consideration, but the most important one is staying true to your style and your band. You also have to be productive, put music together that has quality. Lastly don't give in to something that might be causing you problems too easily. Keep starting anew, keep fighting for it, don't back off from things too soon.

What's your perfect, best ever, all-star Anthrax lineup?

J.B.: Well, that's gotta be with me! I don't have anything against the other guys, they were both outstanding. In the past I had no preference, but right now I like Anthrax with me.

Do you still play drums? 


J.B.: Yeah, I have been playing as often as I can with my own cover band. It's a good thing to be able to sing and play some drums for a change.

What was that whole hoopla with the name change when America was terrorized by anthrax-filled envelopes? 


J.B.: Well, it really was a though scare for us and a difficult situation to be in. We never wanted to change our name and we never did, but we had to deal with it in a freaky way. We altered our site to include information on the bacteria and we joked about changing the name to something more friendly like a Basket Full of Puppies. The media world took off with it, but we never really considered it.

Which Native American tribe were your ancestors from? Do you follow any customs, traditions?


J.B.: My mother is Iroquois. I don't really follow anything, but I am very sentimental about it. I am always very happy to see someone showing interest in this important part of my life.

In the early days you guys were known as pranksters. So here's a funny question for you - what color is Scott Ian's hair?

J.B.: (…hesitation…) Brown

Will have to google that. Speaking of Scott, how important is he to Anthrax?

J.B.: He's very important to the band. He's the original piece of the puzzle and a true base of it. I admire his ambition and drive to keep the band running for over 30 years now. He's put in tons of hard work, which is very cool. I love that about him.

If there was a Heavy Metal Hall of Fame - do you think that he should be inducted?

J.B.: Himself? Hmm, I don't know about it. I think it would be hard for the band to be there if such thing existed, let alone individuals. The band as a group might definitely have a better chance of getting there.

Who was it that came up with the band's name? 


J.B.: I don't remember exactly, but I think Ian and somebody else came across the name Anthrax at school studying biology. They thought that it sounded evil enough and that's what we became.

You have mentioned that the band has been around for over 30 years. What are some of the obvious challenges with being/staying on top of the game despite the problems with metal genre?


J.B.: We have to stay together and focused. We have to put trust in our abilities and styles. A lot of it comes from experience as well: knowing how to get from A to B, how to be prepared to do this thing day in and day out. Nowadays you have to be sufficient in what you do.

The word is that some of you are Depeche Mode fans? 

J.B.: I think we all listen to them. We like their stuff. But I think Charlie (Benante, drummer – TM) is their biggest supporter.

Interview by Tomek Moczerniuk, Tuesday May 22nd, 2012
 
Come see Joey and Anthrax this Summer at Rockstar Mayhem Festival in the Tri-State area!

Dates are as follow:

July 27: Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ - buy tickets
July 28: First Niagara Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA - buy tickets
July 31: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY - buy tickets
Aug 04: Toyota Pavilion, Scranton, PA - buy tickets
Aug 05: The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT - buy tickets
 
Danielle Bacher of LA Weekly recently conducted an interview with Glenn Danzig. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

LA Weekly: You were punched in the face by NORTH SIDE KINGS singer Danny Marianinho after a gig in 2004. What led to this altercation?

Glenn: That was him trying to get me on camera punching him so he could sue me or some shit. I forget what it was. When everyone was breaking it up, he coldcocked me. What are you going to do?

LA Weekly: So he had planned to hit you?

Glenn: Yeah, those were his guys with the camera. No one knows that. Well, back then they did. It was a setup.

LA Weekly: Did it hurt?

Glenn: No. [Laughs].

LA Weekly: You had a pretty crazy stalker incident on Halloween a few years ago. Have there been any other incidents when you have felt threatened by a "fan?"

Glenn: Well, that was kind of weird — the entire LA Weekly thing. It was blown out of proportion. I always have crazy people that I have to deal with, you know? I don't even know if these people are fans. They are just weird, disassociated people.

LA Weekly: Is that not what happened?

Glenn: No, it was all a miscommunication. It was an amalgam of a bunch of different things made into one incident.

LA Weekly: Did you actually find photos of your head pasted onto naked bodies in porno magazines in the stalker's backpack?

Glenn: No, that did not happen. The pictures were of naked people and he would cross their faces out.

LA Weekly: Did he write in his diary that he was going to kill you?

Glenn: Well, one of them, yes. He didn't say he was going to kill us. I forget what he was calling it. It wasn't just me. It was David Byrne and all these different people.
 
When BLACKMORE'S NIGHT rolled in to York, England, on September 30, 2011, the heat scorched the medieval streets and the sunlight bathed the old city walls. Inside the Grand Opera House, Ritchie Blackmore, Candice Night and their band of minstrels were generating their own heat as they took their devoted audience on a musical journey through the ages with songs from their two new albums, "Secret Voyage" and "Autumn Sky", such as "Locked Within The Crystal Ball", "Darkness" plus a new interpretation of "First Of May" — a rarely played ballad, originally done by the BEE GEES, and an additional smattering of songs from earlier albums, most notably the classic "Fires At Midnight".

The third BLACKMORE'S NIGHT DVD release, "A Knight In York", captures all the magic of this stunning BLACKMORE'S NIGHT show.

The Band:

* Candice Night: Lead vocals, Renaissance wood winds, pennywhistles and tambourine
* Ritchie Blackmore: Electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, mandola, hurdy - gurdy
* Earl Grey of Chimay: Bass, rhythm guitar
* Bard David of Larchmont: Keyboards and vocals
* Squire Malcolm of Lumley: drums and percussion
* Gypsy Rose: Violin and harmony vocals
* Minstrel Albert: Various medieval woodwinds
* Autumn: Special Guest

Formats:

* DVD + CD Digipack (CD rack size) - UDR0200 DVD+CD
* DVD (Amaray) - UDR 0203DVD
* CD (Jewel Case) - UDR 0204CD
* Double Vinyl LP 12" (Gatefold) - UDR 0205LP
* Blu-Ray - UDR 0206BR
* Digital (audio) - UDR 0207
* Digital (video) - UDR 0208
* D2C - UDR 0209BOX

"A Knight In York" track listing:

01. Locked Within The Crystal Ball
02. Gilded Cage
03. The Circle
04. Journeyman
05. World Of Stone
06. The Peasant's Promise
07. Toast To Tomorrow
08. Fires At Midnight
09. Barbara Allen
10. Darkness
11. Dance Of The Darkness
12. Dandelion Wine
13. All The Fun Of The Fayre
14. First Of May

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's latest album, "Autumn Sky", came out in 2010.

In addition to being known for its unique sound combining traditional instruments, guitars and Candice's enchanting lyrics and vocals, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT is also known for its fabulous live shows, many of which have been performed at castles and other exceptional venues that add to the mystique and warmth of its performance.

Recorded during Candice's pregnancy, Candice and Ritchie dedicated the "Autumn Sky" album to their daughter Autumn Esmerelda Blackmore.

Ritchie, 67, and Candice, 41, were married on October 5, 2008 at a small gathering of friends and family at Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown, New York.
 
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/blackmoresnightknight.jpg
American melodic metallers KAMELOT have inked a new deal with Steamhammer/SPV. The agreement covers the entire world except Japan, where KAMELOT will remain with King Records.

KAMELOT is currently recording the drums for its new album at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida with renowned engineer Jim Morris before travelling to Wolfsburg, Germany's Gate studios to complete the CD under the direction of producer Sascha Paeth (EDGUY, AVANTASIA, RHAPSODY).

The title of KAMELOT's new album will be revealed at the end of June, along with the name of the band's new vocalist. However, according to guitarist Thomas Youngblood, one thing is certain: "Our fans can really look forward to our new record, because it represents KAMELOT in every way!"

Youngblood on the style and content of the concept album: "The new songs sound more symphonic and melodic than our last two studio recordings. The material brings to mind albums such as 'Karma' (2001) and 'The Black Halo' (2005). In addition, this will be the best production that KAMELOT have ever delivered. Because while other acts tend to opt for low-budget productions due to the difficult market situation, we have gone the opposite way: the new album will be a real statement, in terms of our compositions as well as in terms of our sound."

"Our new album marks another step and a new chapter for KAMELOT and our amazing fans!

"We are very pleased to be working again with the entire SPV team on this very exciting release."

"We are more than proud to welcome back one of the best metal bands around here at SPV," says SPV/Steamhammer A&R representative Olly Hahn. "From 2005 to 2009 we had already the pleasure to work very successfully with Thomas Youngblood and Co., which we will continue and increase with the new masterpiece coming in September 2012."

Andreas Rennmann of Brinkmann & Partner adds: "I'm absolutely proud to welcome KAMELOT back at SPV. We all believe in the fantastic history of the band and are absolutely sure that this upcoming release will be one of the most successful albums!"

KAMELOT's new album will be released on September 25 (one day earlier internationally).

KAMELOT will support Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on a North American tour in September and October.

For more information, visit EnterTheVault.com.

KAMELOT's recently completed North American, South American and European tours featured guest singer Fabio Lione of RHAPSODY OF FIRE following the departure of KAMELOT's longtime frontman, Roy Khan.
 
"Stones Grow Her Name", the new album from Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA, has been certified gold in the band's home country for sales in excess of 10,000 copies.

Commented SONATA ARCTICA singer Tony Kakko: "This is amazing! This is our ninth gold disc from Finland. Kiitos Suomi."

"Stones Grow Her Name" was released in Europe on May 18 and was made available in North America on May 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in several studios all over Finland, mixed at Sonic Pump Studios by Mikko Karmila and mastered at Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck. The effort was released as a limited-edition digipak, standard jewel case, vinyl and download.

"Stones Grow Her Name" track listing:

01. Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)
02. Shitload of Money
03. Losing My Insanity
04. Somewhere Close To You
05. I Have A Right
06. Alone In Heaven
07. The Day
08. Cinderblox
09. Don't Be Mean
10. Wildfire II
11. Wildfire III

The "I Have A Right" video can be seen below.

Commented SONATA ARCTICA frontman Tony Kakko: "'I Have A Right' was the very last song I wrote for this album. At that point Tommy had already played his last track for 'Stones Grow Her Name', gotten ready to go to sauna AND opened his first beer for that night, when I SMS'd him to check his e-mail and record yet one more 'easy track.' He was mildly pissed. And perhaps fueled by that he nailed the song on the first take. It was a very emotional moment for him, I was told. The song hits home, if you know the subject and can relate to the subject. To put it short, it's a song about how we should not pass the burden we get from the past generation on the shoulders of our future offspring. Children's rights subject. Not the most metal subject ever, I suppose, but then again I think it fits our band well and is pretty universal. Funny to actually have fans from each age group this songs speaks about. Let's see what comes of it.

"Choosing the first single and video from this album was not very easy this time around as we had so many candidates. The best possible problem to have! 'I Have A Right' won the vote.

"The playing parts for this video were shot in our home town Kemi, here in Finland. The location was an old, abandoned school building. Somehow spooky and COLD. It was mid-March. Could say we were lucky the weather was unseasonably warm, yet way below zero.

"Director Tuukka Temonen and his crew did a great job with editing and all the additional footage. All in all, from my point of view, this was the easiest ever SONATA ARCTICA video to make. No 12 hours standing in a room filled with bird shit, no freezing my ass off on the ice in the middle of the sea from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., or running in the woods in the middle of the night and not sleeping for 48 hours... had all that with the past videos."
According to the Swedish-language newspaper Dalarnas Tidningar (DT), former SABATON members Rikard Sundén (guitar), Daniel Mullback (drums), Daniel Mÿhr (keyboards) and Oskar Montelius (guitar) have formed a new band, CIVIL WAR, with singer Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE) and bassist Stefan "Pizza" Eriksson (VOLTURYON). The group is currently writing songs for its debut album.

"It came pretty naturally," Mullback stated about CIVIL WAR's formation. "We always thought Patrik had a good voice and he accepted our offer when we asked him to join the band."

"I had no hesitation about getting involved," Patrik said. "ASTRAL DOORS certainly has a solid fan base, but we are a little more underground. I see this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience."

The four ex members of SABATON were never involved in the songwriting process with their former band since those duties were usually handled by vocalist Joakim Brodén. But in the new band, everyone is contributing ideas.

"This has been a reawakening of sorts," Mÿhr said. "I have never been in a situation where there has been so much creativity. We became a full band a week and a half ago and we already have 6-7 songs in the works."

CIVIL WAR will continue writing songs during the summer with the hopes of releasing an EP this fall. A full-length album is tentatively due early next year.

When asked how the new band will sound, Johansson said, "The one thing we all agree on is that we want to have good melodies. We can rock as hard as ever, but the melodies are important."

On the topic of whether CIVIL WAR will continue SABATON's tradition of focusing on war-related themes in its lyrics, Mÿhr said, "No, we won't. Now the lyrics can be about anything. [CIVIL WAR was just] a good name that sounded good."

Although the details behind SABATON's split with Sundén, Mullback, Mÿhr and Montelius have not been fully revealed, the group's former members make it clear that they have not spoken with Brodén and SABATON bassist Pär Sundström since they went their separate ways.

"There have been rumors that we did not want to continue playing together anymore but that is simply not the case," said Mullback. There are also many people who believe that we are not playing on the new SABATON album, ['Carolus Rex'], that it's the new band that recorded the tracks. But that's not true either. It is us."
 
Trystan MacDonald of Lithium Magazine recently conducted an interview with former EXODUS and current HATRIOT singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Lithium Magazine: Given your life long history with thrash metal, what is it about the genre that has kept you so inspired throughout the last two decades?

Steve: I would say just being one of the pioneers and one of the innovators of it. It was in my blood back then and it is in my blood now. To me, back in the day, it was like a cross between the hard rock bands and punk bands. I loved the aggression of it back then and that has not left me to this day. I don't ever see myself not doing thrash metal.

Lithium Magazine: With your newest band you've clearly gone back to the roots of 1980s Bay Area thrash metal. What made you decide to return to that very raw sound?

Steve: I had done other things with DUBLIN DEATH PATROL and TENET. Those bands are not traditional thrash. HATRIOT is a definite return to that classic sound of EXODUS and LEGACY. This is definitely my signature sound. I hear people say all the time, "Oh, I wish you were back in EXODUS." Well, this is the next best thing because it is in the same vein. Now fans get to enjoy two bands that have similar elements to their sound.

Lithium Magazine: For all the thrash metal fans out there that have yet to hear Hatriot, how would you describe the band's sound and what can we (the fans) expect from the band live?

Steve: HATRIOT takes the classic thrash sound that people are familiar with, to the next level. It is a continuation of where I left off with EXODUS in the "Tempo Of The Damned" era. The guys in the band are much younger, so they incorporate a lot of modern elements, such as blast beats, into the sound. I think these guys are some of the best players I've worked with; live we are a machine. The fact that the guys in the band are real young adds to the aggression of the band live. They feel like they have something to prove at every show and they go out and kick ass.

Lithium Magazine: With the departure from EXODUS and the creation of Hatriot, would it be correct to say that your history with EXODUS is over? Do you see yourself collaborating and/or returning to EXODUS given the band's lengthy history of lineup changes?

Steve: I'm not the type of person that will shut out any avenue for any reason whatsoever. I can't say that "it is over" because I'm not dead yet. In five or ten years down the road, who knows what can happen? I will say that I am in good graces with the guys in EXODUS, and I would be open to working again down the road. They have a solid band right now, and Rob Dukes has been their singer for over seven years now, so I think they have it together. I am 100% committed to putting HATRIOT on the map right now. That is my main focus, but I don't have a crystal ball. I can't say what will happen down the road, but I will say that I don't burn bridges or shut out opportunities. You just never know!
 
The latest installment of the CANDLEMASS biography "Candlemass Chronicles" has just been released. In this fifth issue, focus is set on the self-titled album (Nuclear Blast Records, 2005) and the period from the band's reunion in 2002 up until the final split of the classic lineup in 2006. Former vocalist Messiah Marcolin has been kind enough to go on the record for the first time about his final time and ultimate exit from CANDLEMASS. So in this issue and nowhere else, CANDLEMASS fans will get the entire story told from both sides. The people interviewed in this issue are Marcolin, lead guitar player Lars Johansson, rhythm guitar player Mats "Mappe" Björkman, bass player Leif Edling, drummer Janne Lindh, recording engineer and co-producer Pontus Norgren and album cover artist Tomas Arfert.

The issue can be ordered using PayPal via candlemasschronicles@yahoo.com. Price is 7 U.S. dollars. Postage is 2 dollars (within the U.S.) or 6 dollars (rest of the world).

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/candlemasschronicles.

Established in 2008, the purpose of the Candlemass Chronicles is to create an in-depth biography of the legendary Swedish doom metal band CANDLEMASS in the form of magazines. Each issue focuses on one album from the CANDLEMASS catalog and goes into great detail about the recording process and that particular period of the band's history. Albums that have so far been covered in previous issues of Candlemass Chronicles are "From The 13th Sun", "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and "Chapter VI" and "King Of The Grey Islands".

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/candlemasschronicles.
 
KREATOR and MORBID ANGEL will join forces for a European tour with support from NILE and FUELED BY FIRE.

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 01 - BE - Antwerp, Trix
Nov. 02 - DE - Giessen, Hessenhalle
Nov. 03 - DE - Geiselwind, Music Hall
Nov. 04 - NL - Eindhoven, Effenaar
Nov. 05 - FR - Rennes, L´Etage
Nov. 06 - FR - Paris, Bataclan
Nov. 22 - HU - Budapest, Club 202
Nov. 23 - AT - Wien, Arena
Nov. 28 - SK - Bratislava
Nov. 30 - DE - Leipzig, Hellraiser
Dec. 10 - SE - Stockholm, Lilla Arenan
Dec. 11 - SE - Gothenburg, Traedgarn
Dec. 12 - DK - Copenhagen, Amager Bio
Dec. 13 - DK - Aarhus, Voxhall
Dec. 14 - DE - Hamburg, Große Freiheit 36
Dec. 15 - DE - Stuttgart, LKA Longhorn
Dec. 16 - NL - Leeuwarden, Schaaf
Dec. 19 - DE - Saarbrücken, Garage
Dec. 20 - DE - Hannover, Capitol
Dec. 21 - DE - München, Backstage
Dec. 22 - DE - Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle

KREATOR's new album, "Phantom Antichrist", will be released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK, DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH).

On February 24 (February 28 in North America), Season of Mist released a compilation of remixed tracks from MORBID ANGEL's latest album, "Illud Divinum Insanus". Far from being just revamped versions of the seminal extreme metal band's newest songs, this collection presents the work of 39 artists from the electro / industrial, techno and club scene.

MORBID ANGEL's latest album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 141. The effort marks MORBID ANGEL's first CD to feature bassist/vocalist David Vincent since 1995's "Domination".
 
 
Metal As Fuck recently conducted an interview with former DRAGONFORCE and current I AM I singer ZP Theart. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On his split with DRAGONFORCE:

ZP Theart: "It's still a legal matter, so I'm not really prepared to talk about it just yet. It was just a completely different setup, mate, [to the current one]. It wasn't personally for me very comfortable. It's like any office job: if you can't stand the people around you, or you know you're not happy in your job, fuck, you gonna stay there and be unhappy or you gonna move on [and] get a new job? So there you go — I got a new job."

On whether he has ever regretted leaving DRAGONFORCE in the two years since his exit:

ZP Theart: "Not for a second! I seriously needed the time off, I think, for myself. We had been crazy busy for the six years before that and I needed time off for myself, to find myself again and to know what direction I wanted musically to have with my life. Yes, that was a year well spent and I made up my mind... I'm back with a vengeance!"

On I AM I's debut album, "Event Horizon", which is being released this weekend:

ZP Theart: "It's a big departure from my previous work. This time I've had 100 percent input in everything that went down, from all the melodies, all the lyrics. Everything is done within my comfort zone, and it sounds kick-ass, I think!"

On releasing "Event Horizon" entirely on USB:

ZP Theart: "Mate, the world's moving on very, very, very fast; everyone's trying to keep on top of the game. But we're also trying to get our feelers around being in front of the game...everybody's on the computer these days and USB is just a very handy little thing."

On the I AM I band concept:

ZP Theart: "It's a period of the human history where a lot of people are starting to wake up to a lot of shit these days. Everyone is very much concentrated on the self and a lot of people are waking up within themselves, seeing shit going on around them and waking up to it and the I AM I whole thing is pretty much a culmination of that, just people waking up and... standing your ground, standing up for yourself. I think a lot of people can associate with that whole thing so that was the whole idea: to give people something they can associate with."

On the musical direction of "Event Horizon":

ZP Theart: "There's influences of every different style you can probably imagine [on the album]. My reason for being really into the '80s music was the catchy melodies and they were all bands with balls, even if they looked poofed-up with fucking make-up and the hair standing on end. It was still ballsy and it had attitude and energy. You could feel the music. That's the whole reason I'm still really big time into '80s music is just for that reason. But 'Event Horizon' has some catchy, catchy, fucking catchy melodies, mate! There's some progressive bits in there; it caters for a wide variety of personal styles. I think we will convert a hell of a lot of people with this album. This will be the one to cross the divide...it's heavy rock, it's not 200 miles an hour, it's not 100 miles an hour, it's somewhere in between! It's got energy, it's got the attitude and it rocks, man! Fuck, I can't wait! May 26th feels like years away and I just want people to hear this shit now."
 
Italian metallers DEIMOS will release their new EP, "TerminUs", on June 6. The album features guest appearances by Chris Caffery (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, SAVATAGE) contributing a killer guitar solo to "Gates Of Babylon"; Raffo Albanese (FROM THE DEPTH, 5TH ELEMENT, E.X.S.) providing lead vocals on "Stonetears"; Antonio Pecere (BETOKEN, RAPID, FIRE) leanding his voice to all the other tracks; Paola Gemma (LISA MEETS JACK, BEGGARS FARM) contributing lead vocals to "Locked Heart" in a dramatic duet with Antonio.

"TerminUs" track listing:

01. Wargreed
02. Gates Of Babylon
03. Vultures Lead Our Way
04. Locked Heart
05. Stonetears

"Stonetears" is available for streaming using the ReverbNation widget below.

DEIMOS is:

Federico Lanterna - Guitar, Vocals
Luca Gabrieli - Guitar
Santo Clemenzi - Bass, Vocals
Massimo Goletti – Drums
 
Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE, JON OLIVA'S PAIN) will be the featured guest on "Play The Pawn", the new single from Syrian metallers THE HOURGLASS. In addition, THE HOURGLASS will open for JON OLIVA'S PAIN on June 26 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Commented THE HOURGLASS guitarist Rawad Abdel Massih: "We are extremely honored to announce that the Mountain King, Jon Oliva, the mastermind and the voice of the legendary SAVATAGE, will appear as a very special guest in our new single, 'Play The Pawn', that will be released in nearly 3-4 weeks, And on the 26th of June, we will be opening the show for JON OLIVA'S PAIN in Dubai, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of metal masterpiece 'Hall Of The Mountain King'. This is a huge news for us and we can't thank enough Jon Oliva for accepting to work with us. This is the biggest step in our life."

Added THE HOURGLASS manager Sharbel Kanoun: "The band wanted to record a new song with guest vocal and the idea came with the show opening for JON OLIVA'S PAIN in Dubai. Christopher Kinder [JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer] was very helpful and he is putting everything together. We are now in the process of recording the instrumental and the song will be ready soon. This is the first time in the Middle East and Syrian history that a legend such as Jon Oliva appears on a song for a Syrian band, so we are extremely proud of this project. We are very grateful to Jon and Chris to give us this opportunity."
 
German thrashers DUST BOLT will release their debut album, "Violent Demolition", at the end of July via Napalm Records.

Commented DUST BOLT vocalist and guitarist Lenny: "The record deal for our debut album is an important step in our career. We are more than happy to cooperate with such a well-respected and established label. It was hard work to find a suitable label for our debut, 'Violent Demolition', but now it's gonna be unleashed! 'Violent Demolition' will bring you a serious whiplash! Come to our shows and get a dose of Toxic Thrash! Prepare for toxic attack!"

DUST BOLT's "Chaos Possession" EP was released in 2010.
 
Eclipse Records has announced the signing of SAINT DIABLO. The band, which blends together elements of metal, hardcore, and Latino influence so well that the end result far exceeds the sum of its individual parts, has just completed work on its self-titled debut album for a summer release.

SAINT DIABLO is currently working on a video for the album's first single, "Watch Me Kill", with director David Brodsky of MyGoodEye (IN THIS MOMENT, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, BLEEDING THROUGH).

In the beginning, SAINT DIABLO was compared to bands like ILL NINO and SOULFLY (mostly due to their Latino roots). However, since their recent string of support slots opening for bands such as SLAYER, DEVILDRIVER, MUSHROOMHEAD, FEAR FACTORY and GWAR… It's easy to see that there's much more to this central Virginia quartet than meets the eye.

Consisting of Tito Quinones (vocals), Justin Adams (guitar), Trent Priest (drums), and Justin "Lefty" Randal (bass); SAINT DIABLO is poised to spearhead the front lines of hardcore metal, thanks in part to the band's Latin heritage. Their use of unpredictable melodies and interesting time signatures add a whole new dimension to their legacy, making this their strongest album yet, and with the release of this album, SAINT DIABLO prove that they are much more than "just another heavy band".

SAINT DIABLO prides itself by performing on stage, and bringing a raw energetic live show to the fans every night! "It could be a venue with just the door guy and the bartender or an arena that's slam-packed with people… we will rock it the same" says Justin Adams (guitar). Touring is the band's lifeblood, and being known as "tour dogs" is what this band is all about… Sharing their life's work with a devoted fan base that stretches all over the country, they think of their fans as friends and family.

SAINT DIABLO is:

Tito Quinones - Vocals
Justin Adams - Guitar
Trent Priest - Drums
Justin "Lefty" Randal – Bass
Early-Nineties Seattle thrashers BITTER END will reunite for a one-off hometown concert on July 14 at The Funhouse. Tickets can be purchased at this location.

In February of 1990, under the guidance of producer Randy Burns (MEGADETH, KREATOR), BITTER END recorded "Harsh Realities" at Dodge City Recording in Studio City, California. The album was released in June of 1990, receiving an 83 from Metal Forces magazine, and three out of five stars from Kerrang! In Europe, the album was issued on the Music for Nations imprint, and was produced in both CD and vinyl formats. The band went on the road in support of D.R.I., touring the Western United States, Canada, and Mexico in the heat of the summer, and played with other up-and-coming thrash bands such as EXCEL. In late fall 1990, the band again took to the road, this time in support of SACRED REICH for another tour of the West, accompanied by ATROPHY. And in 1991, with financing from Metal Blade and working with videographer Tom Ensign, the band produced a black-and-white video for "Harsh Realities" that received airplay on MTV's "Headbangers Ball".

In early 1991, disagreement over next steps led the band to request a release from their recording contract, and they amicably parted ways with Metal Blade. The rest of the year was spent gigging, incorporating the more thrash-friendly rhythms contributed by Russ Stefanovich, composing new songs, and preparing to go back on the market. During this time, they played local and regional gigs with THE ACCUSED and SOUNDGARDEN, as well as touring acts such as ANVIL, HEATHEN and SCATTERBRAIN. The band tracked a number of songs at Robert Lang studios in Seattle that were mixed by Jack Endino, and prepared to start shopping for a deal. But metal's stock within the larger music industry was falling, and by the time NIRVANA released "Nevermind" late that year, it was clear that heavier forms of music were headed back underground. No label deal was imminent, and the members of the band felt the pull of other musical possibilities and life paths. After seven years of effort, one commercial label release, touring the Western part of North America, and a great ride, BITTER END played its final gig in August of 1992.

BITTER END's current lineup:

Matt Fox (vocals and guitars)
Russ Stefanovich (guitars)
Chris Fox (bass)
Harry Dearinger (drums)
 
Italian symphonic metallers SINHERESY have commenced the songwriting process for their full-length debut, tentatively due in early 2013. Davide Sportiello, the band's bassist and mastermind, says: "We are very satisfied of the new material we're working on. After the excellent results gained with the EP 'The Spiders And The Butterfly', we are paying attention to every detail. The new CD will includea collaboration of several guests, among them a polyphonic choir."

SINHERESY's "Temptation Flame" video can be seen below. Filmed by Marco Tessarolo and Mario Orman, the "gloomy" and "gothic" clip "puts an end to the lyric-based story, giving the protagonist the chance to take her revenge for being betrayed," according to SINHERESY singer Cecilia Petrini.

"Temptation Flame" comes off SINHERESY's debut EP, "The Spiders And The Butterfly", which came out last December via Revalve Records. The CD was recorded in June 2011 at Studio 73 in Ravenna., Italy with producer Riccardo Pasini, who has previously worked with EXTREMA and EPHEL DUATH, among other acts.

"The Spiders And The Butterfly" track listing:

01. Temptation Flame
02. The Spiders And The Butterfly
03. Merciless Game
04. Forever Us
05. When Darkness Falls

SINHERESY is:

Cecilia Petrini - Vocals
Stefano Sain - Vocals
Davide Sportiello - Bass
Lorenzo Pasutto - Guitar
Alex Vescovi - Drums
Daniele Girardelli – Keyboards
 
Earlier today (Friday, May 25), Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault conducted an interview with Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD after their press conference in Bangalore, India ahead of the band's concert at the city's Clarks Exotica tomorrow. A couple of excerpts from the question-and-answer session follow below.

Metal Assault: LAMB OF GOD is such a popular band these days that you play big shows everywhere. Do you guys sometimes miss the smaller shows that you used to do back in the day?

Chris Adler (drums): We started the "Resolution" touring cycle in January. We did a week-long run of the U.S. East Coast doing smaller shows, and it was a lot of fun to get back to that. It was good for us to get warmed up again because we had taken time off to write the record and we needed a bit of practice live. But yeah, for me personally, those shows are great, and even the small theaters are great. When we get into the festivals, those are great picture opportunities and great to tell your mom about [laughs], but it's not very exciting for the metal fan. The energy in the smaller places and theaters is really tangible. It's a special event for the band and for the fans, because the energy is trapped in such a small place. So for me that's a lot more fun. Of course, I'm not going to say no to a METALLICA arena tour, but the stuff that we choose to do in the U.S. normally stays in those smaller-sized venues.

Metal Assault: You guys mentioned in the press conference that you're shooting a documentary on this tour. But, of course, I've seen your old documentaries like "Killadelphia". So I was curious to know, when the crew is shooting you guys, does that affect you? Does it change your way of going about things while touring?

Willie Adler (guitar): I think we've come to a point that the camera and the cameraman are almost invisible. They're basically one of the five of us. This is me personally, but when we were shooting "Killadephia", not that we've been shooting that long on this current one, but when we did all the work with Doug Spangenberg, he was basically part of the family and part of the crew, where the camera became invisible. It didn't even feel like there was actual filming going on.

Metal Assault: That's cool. But is it important for you guys to keep it real? Sometimes band documentaries are glorified, and it doesn't give you the real picture of what it's like.

Chris Adler: Yes, it is very important. We were talking about the "Killadelphia" DVD earlier, and I think some of the stuff that we decided to keep in the DVD did more for our music career than any album did. And that was by keeping it real and not just showing the limos, girls and stuff like that. There's fist fights and band drama all the time. That's what real life is about, no matter what you do. But this new documentary is a little different than that one. We're not really focusing on the band. We're focusing on the fans a little bit more. Of course it will show the band, but not in a glamorous way. Most of the places that we're going to with the film crew are places like here, Israel, and we just did South America. So it's not the big Los Angeles "rich-people" kind of scene. So it will show a different side of the world, and hopefully it will also show a different side of the band as well, as we interact and learn more about ourselves and the people we're playing to.
 
German pagan metal pioneers ADORNED BROOD have inked a deal with Massacre Records. Vocalist and bassist Frost, drummer Mischa, guitarists Thorsten and Jan, keyboardist Niklas and flutist Anne are working on material for their eighth album, tentatively due in the fall.

Commented the band: "We are looking forward to work with such an established label like Massacre Records, which has faith in us and supports us. It's an honor to be signed to the same label that EISREGEN, LEGION OF THE DAMNED and WOLFCHANT are signed to!"

When they started in 1993, ADORNED BROOD were just a few young metalheads who loved metal and who wanted to create their own unique sound by combining elements of extreme metal on the one hand and folk elements, like flutes, on the other.

ADORNED BROOD underwent several lineup changes, but they always stayed true to themselves.

Besides performing at Germany's Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze and lots of other festivals, the band played countless gigs, some of them as support for bands such as SUBWAY TO SALLY, TYR, ALESTORM, TURISAS and KORPIKLAANI.

ADORNED BROOD will perform at Germany's Wave Gotik Treffen festival later this month.
Alaskan metallers 36 CRAZYFISTS have announced a handful of shows where they will perform their 2002 debut album, "Bitterness The Star", in its entirety in celebration of the CD's tenth anniversary.

The details are as follows:

Aug. 03 - Chilkoot Charlie's - Anchorage, AK
Aug. 04 - Alyeska Day Lodge - Girdwood, AK
Aug. 10 - The Alibi - Homer, AK
Aug. 11 - Hooligan's - Soldotna, AK
Aug. 17 - Hell's Kitchen - Tacoma, WA
Aug. 18 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR

Drummer Thomas Noonan recently left 36 CRAZYFISTS to focus on other projects. A replacement drummer has not yet been announced.

36 CRAZYFISTS's latest album, "Collisions And Castaways", sold around 3,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 161 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Collisions And Castaways" was written and recorded between October 2009 and May 2010. It follows on the heels of 2009's DVD, "Underneath a Northern Sky", and is the band's second straight effort to feature Steve Holt in the producer's chair and Andy Sneap handling the final mix.
Australian industrial djent metallers SYNTHETIC BREED will release a new EP, "Zero Degrees Freedom", on May 29 via the San Francisco, California-based indie metal label Rogue Records America. The four-piece signed with the label in September 2011 and the new five-track EP is their first release for Rogue Records with new material. The digital-only release will be available for purchase through Amazon, Bandcamp, and other digital retailers. The EP package comes complete with PDF booklet, desktop background and Facebook timeline banner.

"Zero Degrees Freedom" was mastered by Mike Spreitzer of DEVILDRIVER at his studio in Santa Barbara, California. Having heard the band, thanks to his friendship with Rogue Records founder and President Dean Martinetti, Mike was eager to get on board and lend his hand to the production. The EP contains five blistering industrial metal cuts fronted by stand-in female vocalist M. Refalaeda. In addition to completely reworking fan favorites like "Resilience", the EP also contains the brand new single "Dimension Zero".

Commented SYNTHETIC BREED drummer Daniel Luttick, "It's been a couple of years since we've released new material. It's a great feeling to be releasing new and re-worked material. I'm a big fan of DEVILDRIVER and Mike's work adds a bit of polish that really brings out the best of what we've done. 'Zero Degrees Freedom' is just preview of what people can expect from our next full-feature album."

Rogue Records previously released the double album "Convergence" and "Perpetual Motion Machine" digitally. The latter album was also released for mail order through Rogue Records physical distribution with Century Media's CM Distro.
 
Montreal's progressive death metallers AUGURY have released the following statement:

"It is with great pleasure that we announce the return of [bassist] Dominic 'Forest' Lapointe and [drummer] Étienne Gallo to AUGURY. The writing process has begun with all the original members, and the band is focused 100% on the new album.

"We wish to thank Antoine Baril, Christian Pacaud, and Sébastien Pittet, for their loyal services and for the incredible help they've been to the band, as well as live musicians Tommy McKinnon and Robin Stone.

"The time has come for AUGURY to birth a new interplanetary opus, faithful to the original spirit of the group, which made its reputation with its two first albums, 'Concealed' and 'Fragmentary Evidence'."

Formed in Montreal, Quebec at the end of 2001, AUGURY immediately made an impact in the Canadian death metal scene with its technical/classically inspired progressive death metal attack. The unit entered the studio with Yannick St-Amand (MARTYR, UNEXPECT) in 2004 to record their "Concealed" debut. The record was mixed by Jean-Francois Dagenais (KATAKLYSM, MISERY INDEX) and then set loose upon the anxious public. After the release of "Concealed", AUGURY signed with Nuclear Blast Records, who in 2009 unveiled the band's critically acclaimed 2009 album "Fragmentary Evidence", further cementing the band's name into the upper ranks of the progressive death scene.

AUGURY 2012 is:

Patrick Loisel - Guitar, Vocals
Mathieu Marcotte - Guitar
Dominic "Forest" Lapointe - Bass
Étienne Gallo – Drums
Austrian blackened death metal outfit BELPHEGOR will enter Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 29 with producer Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE) to begin recording its as-yet-untitled new album for a January 2013 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The recording sessions and the mixing/mastering process will be completed by mid-October.

Commented bassist Serpenth: "All right, a new chapter. These are the last days before we hit the Mana studios in Florida. We're all set. The nine sound collages are faster and more aggressive than on the previous album, 'Blood Magick Necromance'."

Added guitarist/vocalist Helmuth Lehner: "The last rehearsals turned out fantastic. We get every arrangement to its highest audial potential. Added alot of new haunting and compelling structures/ rhythm parts and tritones intervals: tones that were forbidden by the damn church in middle ages. We're on fire. Expect more shredding, more magick, more of everything."

Rutan previously stated about the upcoming CD: "I am very excited to be recording and mixing the new BELPHEGOR album at Mana. After many discussions with Helmuth and hearing some clips of new material, I know that the band is very focused and determined on making a harmoniously evil extreme masterpiece. We shall make one beast of an album that the fans have come to expect from BELPHEGOR!"

Several photos from the rehearsal sessions can be found at this location.

BELPHEGOR's last album, "Blood Magick Necromance", was released in January 2011 in Europe and February 2011 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast Records. The album was produced by Peter Tägtgren (IMMORTAL, CELTIC FROST, HYPOCRISY, DIMMU BORGIR) at his Abyss Studios in Pärlby, Sweden and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren.
 
 
 
 

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