Wishing all our faithful readers and everyone that supports Metal Reviews a Happy Holiday season. Keep it safe so we all can enjoy the very best in metal music for 2004.

Your Metal Reviews Team

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Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles magazine, North America’s premier metal publication, is returning to The Odeon, in Cleveland, Ohio for another metal spectacular. June 4-5, 2004 will be the dates of the next BW&BK 6-Pack Weekend. Once again, 14 international bands will play over the two days, many making their debut in North America. For others, this will be their only appearance on the continent.

The first batch of confirmed acts includes:

GRAVE DIGGER - the Germans are making the first (and ONLY!) North American appearance of their career. Chris Boltendahl (vocals) is thrilled. “We are so proud to play in the States after 23 years of Grave Digger history. We’ll prese ...

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IAN PARRY, who fronted the Dutch progressive metallers over the later half of their eight album career (State Of Mind, Manifestations Of Fear, Forbidden Fruit and Principles Of Pain) contacted BW&BK with the somber news that the band has decided to call it a day.

“We are trying to get a deal to do a farewell CD and tour,” he announced. “Maybe Sanctuary will do it (formerly Noise Records, from Berlin, who worked with Elegy in the past). We are discussing the possibility of the original guitarist (Henk van der Laars) to join us on tour."

To date, the only North American show remains their appearance at the inaugural BW&BK 6-Pack Weekend, earlier this year. Outside of ELEGY, Parry has busied himself with the multi-guest musician CONSORTIUM PROJECT discs, the final part of the sci-fi trilogy, Terra Incognita, is currently available through Century Media Europe.

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Sweden's OPETH have announced the dates for their forthcoming North American tour, dubbed "Lamentations Over America Tour 2004".

Confirmed dates are as follows:

Jan. 20 – Edmonton, CAN @ Reds
Jan. 21 – Calgary, CAN @ MacEwan Hall
Jan. 23 – Vancouver, CAN @ Commodore Ballroom
Jan. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Graceland
Jan. 25 – Portland, OR @ Roseland
Jan. 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
Jan. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Jan. 29 - San Diego, CA @ Canes Bar & Grill
Jan. 30 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
Jan. 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Avalon
Feb. 02 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Feb. 03 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottle ...

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German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have been confirmed as direct support for ICED EARTH on their upcoming European headlining tour. Opening the show at all dates will be Finnish melodic power metallers THUNDERSTONE.

"Sometimes a band has to make decisions — a lot of people could be happy, some not," PRIMAL FEAR write in an official statement announcing their addition to the tour. "After days of negotiations, discussions and talkings between our live-management, record company, promoters and of course the band, we have to make a final decision and we accepted ICED EARTH's management's offer to join the metal tour of the year!

"Yes, PRIMAL FEAR will join ICED EARTH on their Euro ...

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STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has issued the following update regarding the group's search for a new singer and drummer:

"Dear Friends,

"Since the rumours are wildly speculating about the new STRATOVARIUS singer and drummer I have decided to tell you how things are going at the moment. First of all I have not been in contact with Michael Kiske about being the replacement for Timo Kotipelto. I know Michael well enough not to suggest anything like that to him and I have enormous amount of respect to him and his musical career. He knows what he wants and I am sure it is very different from what I want.

"I have received lot of ...

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Bassist Steen Mogensen and guitarist Jacob Kjaer have officially left Danish melodic/progressive metallers ROYAL HUNT. No reason was given for their departure.

Mogensen is expected to continue his collaboration with ex-RAINBOW/current YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist Doogie White in CORNERSTONE, whose third album, "Once Upon Our Yesterdays", was released last month through Germany's Massacre Records.

ROYAL HUNT's most recent CD, "Eye Witness", was issued in June through Frontiers Records.

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OZZY OSBOURNE is to have a 7-inch steel plate fitted to the back of his neck, it was revealed Monday (Dec. 15), according to Mirror.co.uk.

Surgeons will perform the delicate operation as soon as the former BLACK SABBATH frontman is strong enough.

It is understood they will insert the plate and take bone grafts from the 55-year-old singer's pelvis to reinforce the area in a three-hour operation.

The plate will help stabilize the vertebrae Ozzy cracked in a quad bike crash.

Doctors fear that without it Ozzy could suffer permanent damage if he fell on his head or neck again. He also broke eight ribs and his collarbone in the acciden ...

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IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson will get together with guitarist Roy Z in January/February 2004 for a songwriting session for a possible new Dickinson solo album, the singer revealed (Windows Media) during a Dec. 2 signing session aboard a specially chartered Dublin-London flight filled with MAIDEN fans. Dickinson's last solo album, "The Chemical Wedding", was released in 1998. A two-disc "best of" set followed in 2001.

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RUSH have revealed plans to mark their 30th anniversary year by hitting the road for a major global concert tour in 2004. The band's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee unveiled the news this week during a special appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline". While specific dates and on-sale info have yet to be announced, Lifeson and Lee did note that RUSH will hit amphitheaters beginning in June, for approximately 30 dates. In September, the group will visit Europe for the first time since 1992.

Sixty-three shows from RUSH's 2002 tour in support of its latest Anthem/Atlantic album, "Vapor Trails", gr ...

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