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Wacken Open Air
Wacken, Germany
August 4, 5 and 6 2005
http://www.wacken.com

Wacken Open Air is celebrating its 15th anniversary!!
Especially for this occasion a history book has been released. The extraordinary designed book in a large format with the title Wacken Open Air History has a luxury hard cover and will be released at the 16th Wacken Open Air. It has over 120 pages, contains many pictures and tells the experiences and stories about the last 15 years.
You´re able to get the Wacken Open Air History for only 15,- EUR at the festival. After the W:O:A you can order it at www.metaltix.com (Phone: +49 (0) 4627 - 18 38 38). ISBN: 3-9809697-0-3

This year they have a great line up, with even some surprises in it. We will give you an introduction to each band performing on the main stage.
On day one this will be: Tristania, Candlemass, Oomph! And Nightwish.
On day two: Morgana Lefay, Sonata Artica, Metal Church, Edguy, Machine Head and Corvus Corax (& orchester)
On day three: Dragonforce, Overkill, Axel Rudi Pell, Hammerfall, Accept and then things will be heated up with the w.o. a. fire fighters.



Advance Sale – W:O:A 2005 – 16 Years Wacken Open Air 04.-06.08.2005


3-Day Ticket 04.08. – 06.08.05 just  72,- incl. Camping from 03.08.05

[ + 7,-  presale charge (no 10%) + P&P ]

The 3-Day Ticket includes:

> Free camping starting from 03.08.05
> Free entrance for the Wacken Swimming Pool starting from 01.08.05
> Camp directly at your car
> No limitations of drinks and food on the campingground
> Reservations of campingground for groups with more than 50 peopple
> Only grass surfaces, short ways to the festivalground and village

(** does not apply to the 1-Day-Tickets!)


> Min. 60 Bands on 4 Open Air Stages and a Tentstage (Headbangersballroom)
> Videoscreen, LED-Info-Systems
> Beer-garden
> Park-fee 20,- EUR per car (doesn't matter how many people inside) and much more

From now on you can buy Day-Tickets at the Metaltix shop.

2-Days-Ticket for the 5./6.8.05 - 60,- + 10% presale charge + P&P
1-Day-Ticket for the 4.8.05 - 36,-  + 10% presale charge + P&P
1-Day-Ticket for the 5.8.05 - 40,-  + 10% presale charge + P&P
1-Day-Ticket for the 6.8.05 - 40,-  + 10% presale charge + P&P

You can order the ticket at: www.metaltix.com

 If you want to order a ticket by phone, please call the following hotline number, or write an e-Mail.

HOTLINE and Tickets
Phone : +49 (0) 4627 - 18 38 38
FAX : + 49 (0) 4627 - 18 38 80
e-Mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Internet: www.metaltix.com

The Hotline is open Mo - Fr from 09.00 to 19.00.

Box Office = higher price!!
Get your tickets in the advance sale!



Tristania

Vibeke Stene - Female Vocals
Østen Bergøy - Vocals
Kjetil Ingebrethsen - Extreme Vocals
Einar Moen - Synth & Programming
Anders H. Hidle - Guitars
Rune Østerhus - Bass
Kenneth Olsson - Drums


Tristania was founded in 1996, by Einar Moen (synth & programming), Kenneth Olsson (drums) and former singer/guitarist Morten Veland. Moen and Veland decided to leave the band Uzi Suicide, which they were a part of. They managed to get Olsson to join them in their new band, Tristania. Shortly after, Rune Østerhus (bass) and Anders H. Hidle (guitar) joined the band.
In May 1997 the band entered the studio for the first time and recorded their demo in Klepp Lydstudio. In the meantime, Vibeke Stene had been recruited. She was supposed to contribute on the demo as a session musician, but the rest of the band were convinced on that her voice matched the band perfectly, and she became the 6th member.
After doing their first live shows outside of Norway as a support act for Lacrimosa in Belgium and on the Mind Over Matter Festival in Austria during the summer of 98, Tristania went on their first European tour in the autumn same year, together with Solefald and Haggard. And this wouldn’t be their last tour for they are still going strong. They have played at several festivals this summer, for instance at the Wave Gottic Treffen in Leipzig where they met a very enthusiastic audience and gave a great performance as I am sure they will also do at Wacken Open Air.




Candlemass

Messiah Marcolin – Vocals
Leif Edling – Bass
Mats ”Mappe” Björkman – Guitars
Lars "Lasse“ Johansson – Lead guitar
Jan "Janne“ Lindh – Drums

 http://www.candlemass.se/



It certainly broke the heart of many Doom Metal fanatics to see CANDLEMASS split up not once, but twice. But the time of mourning is finally over – Sweden`s finest slow-motion outfit has returned stronger than ever! Messiah, Leif and Co. are back to show their fellow Doomsters who the real masters of Epic Doom hymns are. Many listeners might be unaware that on CANDLEMASS` groundbreaking debut album “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” (which gave a name to a whole subgenera) the vocal duties were not covered by Messiah but by Johan Langquist.  Produced by CANDLEMASS bass player and songwriter genius Leif Edling, the new self-titled “Candlemass” opus embraces both a heavy, modern sound and the timeless CANDLEMASS trademarks that has won legions of fans since the bands early days in the mid eighties. Outweighing even the classic “Nightfall” album, “Candlemass” sees the band at their personal best: catchy melodies courtesy of Leif Edling, beautiful guitar work by Mappe Björkman and Lasse Johansson, and on top of it all soars Messiah`s unique voice, sounding stronger and more majestic than ever!
“Candlemass” covers all the different facets of the doom metal style: “Black Dwarf” and “Witches” are pure mid-tempo neck-breakers blessed with strong melodic hooks which will prove very popular in the upcoming summer shows. While the achingly beautiful “Seven Silver Keys” – a masterpiece of unheard intensity - approaches territories covered in the past by such timeless classics as “Solitude” or “At The Gallows` End”. More traditional slow motion Doom fanatics will indulge in the über-heavy “Assassin Of The Light” and “Copernicus”. Doom shall rise? Most definitely. Long live CANDLEMASS, long live Doom? Hell yeah!


Oomph!

Dero – Vocals/Drums
Crap – Guitar/Keyboards
Flux – Guitar/Sampling


Founded in 1989 this band has been growing even since. The first thing that comes to mind when the name of this band is mentioned are the penetrating eyes of Dero. You can see those even at the back of any venue they play at. They have recently released a new album. As usual, WAHRHEIT ODER PFLICHT was recorded in the band’s own studio without the help of an outside producer. For the first time in the band’s history, an Oomph! album contains only songs in German. “The English songs we wrote will be included in the Limited Edition of WAHRHEIT ODER PFLICHT. As regards subject matters, it is our most complex opus, because compared to nearly all predecessors, WAHRHEIT ODER PFLICHT is not a lyrical concept album but it reflects the whole range of my emotions and impressions of the last two-and-a-half years: from the relation-like melodrama “Wenn du weinst” to a Nietzsche-esque pastiche on the question of faith (“Tausend neue Lügen”) to philosophical brain trips (“Im Licht”), you can find nearly everything that has moved and touched me in recent times.”
The new self-assurance of the band is underlined by the fact that most of the new material emerged from common jam sessions (in contrast to former productions when each one of them separately worked on the songs). “Jamming, of course, produces ideas that differ from the works in your own demo studio at home”, Dero confirms. “Both versions are attractive, and even on WAHRHEIT ODER PFLICHT, you will find some tracks that were composed at home by the respective band members so that we could maintain our OOMPH!-typical complexity. But we are really looking forward to performing just the earthy, rocking uptempo songs live on tour in April and May 2004. The album is bursting with energy! It’s probably the most self-confident OOMPH! album ever!”




Nightwish

Tarja Turunen - Vocals
Tuomas Holopainen - Keys
Marco Hietala - Bass/Vocals
Erno (Emppu) Vuorinen - Guitar
Jukka Nevalainen - Drums


Nightwish had their hour of birth back in 1996 when Tuomas Holopainen and some friends were gathered around a campfire and improvised some songs that should become the band's first material. The very first three NIGHTWISH tracks were recorded between October and December 1996 with a line up consisting of Tuomas, Tarja Turunen and Emppu Vuorinen.
In May 1997, NIGHTWISH signed a record deal with Spinefarm and began, together with new entrant Jukka Nevalainen on drums, recording their debut "Angel's Fall First" which was released in following November. NIGHTWISH's trademarks – the mixture of highly melodic Metal with Tarja's soprano opera voice – brought fresh air in the scene and jockeyed them on position 31 of the Finnish album charts.
They have released many albums since, up to their latest album ‘Once’. This album sets new standards within the metal genre: Nightwish's sixth studio record "Once" exceeds all expectations! Never before the band has merged elements of classic and metal so homogeneous and created such a bombastic and powerful result. "Once" overflows downright with both strength and melody, manifested through the great effort of the band itself and the committed London Session Orchestra (well-known for e.g. the soundtrack of "Lord Of The Rings III"), which helped NIGHTWISH to produce an unforgettable long player. Beside the hit single 'Nemo', "Once" features ten more unbelievable songs in the same epical and majestic style, such as 'I Wish I Had An Angel', 'Planet Hell' or 'Higher Than Hope'. A moving journey through all different shadings of emotions you just can imagine!




Morgana Lefay

Charles Rytkönen - Vocals
Tony Eriksson - Guitars
Peter Grehn - Guitars
Fredrik Lundberg - Bass
Robin Engström - Drums




In 1989 the Swedish metal band DAMAGE decided to modify their name to MORGANA LEFAY. The first album "Symphony Of The Damned" appeared in 1990, self-financed and printed in only 537 copies. Here follows a complete biography of the band from the beginning to present day... But what have these guys been doing for the last couple of years?
1999/2000: The band entered the Soundcreation Studios, Bollnäs, Sweden to record the concept album "...---..."(SOS). Engineered by Per Ryberg, later mixed by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden.
2000: Various festival appearances like the "Bang Your Head" festival in Balingen, Germany being one of the larger ones. The band headlined the "Lost In Europe" tour supported by ANGEL DUST (GER)
STEEL PROPHET (US) and STORMHAMMER (GER). The co-operation with label Noise Records ended in Berlin over a cup of coffee and a biscuit with a bitter taste.
2001/2003: The band took a long vacation, but the addiction to play resulted in various stray-gigs in Sweden. Mikael Åsentorp left the band due to difference of opinion. He was replaced by Fredrik Lundberg (bass) former DIVINE SIN, FANTASMAGORIA, INCARNATED.
2004: The idea of a new album is taking form. Alot of rehearsals and brainstorming leads to the idea of a concept album. The working title is "Grand Materia". The band signs a new deal with their old label Black Mark in September. Leaving the past behind the band is once again MORGANA LEFAY. A funny idea of a homevideo is getting real. One song "HOLLOW" is recorded in October for that purpose. With the help of some really good friends and a budget of 500 000 Skr they create the most professional video in the history of music!
And now… They will perform at the Wacken Open Air festival!


Sonata Arctica

Tony Kakko - Vocals & Keyboards
Tommy Portimo - Drums
Jani Liimatainen - Guitar
Marko Paasikoski - Bass
Henrik Klingenberg - Keyboards


Sonata Arctica was born in 1996 on the edge of the world, in northern Finnish town of Kemi. The very first incarnation of the band was named Tricky Beans. As Tricky Beans, the group produced three demos (Friend till the End, Agre Pamppers and PeaceMaker) and played twice in Jyrki Sähkösirkus, a Finnish TV Battle of the Bands. After some personnel changes in 1997, the outfit changed their name to Tricky Means. Let it be known to the Metal community that initially the band experimented in musical styles far from heavy metal.
Turning the page in 1999, Tricky Means recorded a new demo "FullMoon" in Tico Tico Studios located in their hometown, Kemi. At the time of recording the line-up consisted of: Tony (vocals/keys), Jani (guitars), Tommy (drums), and Janne (bass). This new demo was the first exploration for the band in heavy metal waters. The band's trademark sound of fast, melodic and keyboard oriented heavy metal with clear and high vocals was born. As fate would have it, and with help from Ahti Kortelainen of Tico-Tico Studio, the "FullMoon" demo found its way to the premier metal label of Finland, Spinefarm. At the same time Tricky Means became Sonata Arctica. Sonata Artica, the metal band, was founded and has been doing some great business, they have for instance been on tour with Nightwish! Despite some releases being really close reaching the gold disc plateau, their album Silence was the first release in the history of Sonata Arctica reaching the gold disc status. With the first gold disc ever the band continues intensive touring and making even more high-quality melodic metal to be released. Sonata Arctica has so far got their hands attached tightly to the history of Finnish metal - and more will be done in the future!




Metal Church

Kurdt Vanderhoof - Guitar    
Craig Wells - Guitar
Kirk Arrington - Drums
Duke Erickson - Bass
David Wayne - Vocals


Back with a new record and some new blood, heavy metal legends Metal Church are picking up where their aptly titled last release "Masterpeace" left off. Guitarist/songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof and drummer Kirk Arrington are gearing up to bring the faithful back to the Church. Metal Church is back with a super-charged live show and new album titled, "The Weight of the World." Born out of the West Coast Metal scene of the 80's, Metal Church quickly became one of the standout talents of the genre. After signing a deal with Elektra records, they released two critically acclaimed albums. Their self-titled release "Metal Church" postured the band as one of the pioneers of the thrash/metal scene. The All Music Guide had this to say about the debut: "The band's incredibly tight musicianship is a highlight all on it's own. This album remains an overlooked classic of straight-ahead American-bred heavy metal." With the heavy metal scene starting to rise in the U.S., Metal Church set out on a very successful tour with label mates Metallica. Next came "The Dark," the fury of its opening track, "Ton of Bricks" was championed as one of the premier metal releases of the 80's. The Dark also led to one of a few lineup changes with the departure of vocalist David Wayne. However, more success was yet to come. With the addition of former Heretic vocalist Mike Howe, and Metallica guitar tech extraordinaire John Marshall, the riffing became heavier and the subject matter deeper. They tackled political and social issues of the day with the releases of "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor." At a time when heavy metal bands moved from the underground and became part of the hair band/pop fad, Metal Church stayed true to their roots. During the mid 90's, the members of Metal Church headed in their own directions. Kurdt Vanderhoof worked on his namesake project, Vanderhoof, while Kirk Arrington was playing on various sessions including a recording with Sir Mix-A-Lot. 1999 led to a well-received reunion of the original Metal Church lineup with the release of "Masterpeace". The band went back to their classic sound and played several festivals overseas. Now, 2004 sees them back with new vocalist, Ronny Munroe, whose style has been described as "Rob Halford meets Dio", as well as Jay Reynolds (Malice) on guitar and Steve Unger on bass.




Edguy

Tobias Sammet - Vocals
Dirk Sauer - Guitars
Jens Ludwig - Guitars
Tobias Exxel - Bass
Felix Bohnke - Drums




In February, you got the "King Of Fools" EP, and now it's time for the full dose of Edguy – welcome to the wicked "Hellfire Club"! Within this full length album, the German jesters from Hesse don't only bring along their well-known mixture of fresh and funny Power Metal combined with bombast and catchy choruses, but also a new heavier facet: Groovy rhythms, harder riffs and a slightly dirty rock touch characterize "Hellfire Club" and those alterations just fit greatly to the band's concept of making music.
Being also friends of symphonic elements, Edguy additionally engaged the Film Orchestra Babelsberg to provide the songs not only with metallic strength but also classical feeling and power. And the all in all result is just amazing!
Fiery, vigorous and with a downright striking energy, those are the keywords for the band Edguy in the year 2004.
Edguy commenced as a schoolmate's band in 1992, playing traditional metal. Mainly intended to be a counterpoint to the Grunge music, which was incredibly popular at that time, the fourteen years old friends made the first musical steps with covering songs from their favourite bands Deep Purple, Kiss, AC/DC and Iron Maiden, but soon switched over to do their own thing. After almost five years, filled with attempts to attract attention of a record company, AFM Records finally gave Edguy the chance to prove themselves. Between 1997 and 2003, Edguy released five studio albums, each one an improvement to the predecessor, and parallel to that melioration the band gained more and more fans. Especially the fresh and saucy spirit of Edguy and their simpatico singer Tobias Sammet – live permanently fooling around – extended the band's popularity quickly. And within only a few years, Edguy got known as one of the most entertaining acts on stage.
"Mandrake" in 2001 became the band's "big hit": Brimmed with charming melodies, powerful riffs and great refrains to sing along, the record entered the top 20 in several European charts and led to Edguy’s first big headliner tour which took them to 23 countries on four continents (Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the USA). The tour lasted more than a year and bestowed Edguy absolute success all over the world. In October 2003 the Germans changed the record label, got signed to Nuclear Blast and produced "King Of Fools". Released in February 2004, the EP featured, beside the groovy title track, four high-class non-album-tracks only to be found on this CD. Value for money! First euphoric press reactions regarding "Hellfire Club" already pointed out the undeniable fact: With this new album, Edguy surpassed themselves once again and will definitely occupy high chart positions everywhere. No matter if you take the melodic heavy-smasher 'Mysteria', the riff-monster 'Under The Moon" or the happy 'Lavatory Love Machine', there's simply no blackout on this album. You want Edguy, you get Edguy – "Hellfire Club" is Metal for the new millennium!


Machine Head

Robert Flynn – Vocals/Guitars
Phil Demmel – Guitars
Adam Duce – Bass/ Backing vocals
Dave McClain – Drums




Empires rise and empires fall. All things must change, and all things must come to an end. But as they say, for every ending, there is also a beginning. And that is where Machine Head sits right now, one era having come to a close for the band, but another just opening up, spearheaded by the band's fifth studio album, Through The Ashes Of Empires.
Less than 2 years ago, Machine Head was saying goodbye to the American branch of Roadrunner Records, unsure about their future in their own country. But the band has now come out of that experience stronger than ever, and Through The Ashes Of Empires, phenomenally successful throughout the rest of the world, now arrives in the U.S. on... Roadrunner Records.
The American release of the album is the crowning achievement in an already dazzling run of events. Through The Ashes Of Empires stormed the album charts all over the world, debuting in the Top 50 in countries like Sweden, France, Austria, England (where it was #7 on the rock chart), Finland, and Germany (where it charted at #24). A triumphant, sold-out European tour followed, as the press acclaimed the album as "Album Of The Year" (Metal Hammer UK 2003 Critics Poll), "the best thing the band has ever recorded" (Kerrang!, AU.), and "classic Machine Head" (Total Guitar, UK).
In short, Through The Ashes Of Empires has been a fresh start for Machine Head in ways that the band could never have dreamed. “This album does feel like a new beginning,” says drummer Dave McClain. "Supercharger (the band’s previous studio release) now feels like an end to some evolution that was going on musically."
With a new album that harkens back to the aggression of old, plus a new guitarist with a historic connection to the band (Phil Demmel, who played with Flynn in the much-loved Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence), Machine Head is glancing back while still moving forward. And now that the band is back home on Roadrunner in America, the final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Dave McClain puts it best: "We feel that if Through The Ashes Of Empires was our first album, it would do the same things that Burn My Eyes did, in terms of establishing Machine Head as one of the best metal bands out there." For this band, a new empire is rising.


Corvus Corax

Harmann der Drescher - Percussion
Kalauer - Percussion
Castus - Vocals, bagpipes, flutes
Teufel - Bagpipes, flutes
Ardor vom Venushügel - Bagpipes, flutes
Meister Selbfried - Bagpipes, flutes
Hatz - Percussion
Wim (Venustus) - Bagpipes, flutes


With this band their line up with some German explanations about the members tells you a lot about what this band is all about. At the festival they will be performing their very special Carmina Burana. Actually the stage was too small for the entire band because…they were actually planning on brining some 169 people to the stage! For those of you who would like to see the full show, check out their website. Corvus Corax performances are always a party, let’s see if they can do the same at Wacken Open Air!




Dragon Force

ZP Theart – Lead and backing vocals
Herman Li – Lead and rhythm electric guitars, acoustic guitars
Sam Totman – Lead and rhythm electric guitars, acoustic guitars
Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboards, Piano, acoustic guitars
Adrian Lambert - Bass
Dave Mackintosh – Drums


Breaking the boundaries of melodic/speed/power metal as never before! DragonForce is somewhat of a rarity, based in London, England they play a style of music that is almost non-existent in the country where they reside. Formed in September 1999 and formerly known as DragonHeart, the band changed their name in December 2001 to DragonForce to avoid confusion with other bands, record labels and movies under the same name.
The band is powered by the twin guitar assaults of Herman Li and Sam Totman, vocalist ZP Theart and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov. This established core has recently been joined by bassist Adrian Lambert and drummer David Mackintosh. A standard line-up for a rock band it may at first appear but DragonForce features a uniquely diverse, multi-cultural line-up (Hong Kong, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Ukraine) never seen before from a young new band. Early DragonForce can best be described as a mix of modern melodic power metal with the fury of speed metal, since than, the band's style have evolved into a even more distinctive sound of their own. By combining all their favourite aspects of different rock and metal styles they like, ranging from – classic/power/thrash/speed/death/progressive metal/hard rock and video games music, played with a high octane energy, DragonForce's sound maybe best described as ‘Extreme Power Metal'. The supremely catchy and instantly memorable melodies that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some outrageous speed, power, complex twin guitar wizardry and extreme metal drumming are just some of the qualities that separate this band from the masses. This sonic fury in no way hides the bands greatest indisputable strength……their song writing ability.  A lot has happened with this young metal band in a short period of time, to find out why, check out Sonic Firestorm and DragonForce's unique energetic live shows!




Overkill

Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth - vocals
Dave Linsk - lead guitars
Derek Tailer - rhythm guitars
DD Verni - bass
Tim Mallare - drums

http://wreckingcrew.com/

20 years ago, Overkill's debut album, the classic and legendary "Feel The Fire" was released. Through this and its successors, Overkill has kept one foot on this landmark release, and let the other take further steps with each continued effort. "RELIXIV" being their 14th studio album, Overkill continues carving new and unexplored layers of the metal-face, yet embracing their traditional values. Overkill was early on labeled as a thrash metal band, but over the years, the band has proven over and over its sheer unwillingness to be categorized, matching the fans and the media's inability to do so. Anchor-points have always been a fine line between punk, hardcore and metal, but undoubtedly with metal as the enhanced part.
Overkill of 2005 sounds brutal as ever, fresh as today and well-built like the past. The band is a unit of five individuals, all adding to the recipe. "This album has it all", main man Blitz states: "Powerful and brutal, but always with a hookline in there". And right he is - Ellsworth's voice being the meat, Verne's pumping bass lines, Tailer's backbone rhythm guitars and Mallares ferocious drumming being the potatoes, and Link's guitar work as the gravy you would sacrifice your left nut for.
The diversity of "RELIXIV" says it all when it comes to this band - be it the pounding "Within Your Eyes" or "Love", the groove of "Loaded Rack" or "Bats In The Belfry", the haunting aggressiveness of "A Pound of Flesh" or the closing "Old School" - a little Ramonish nod to the New York roots. This band is a multiple opponent to the easy way of thinking, yet an essential companion to the art of satisfactory living.
OVERKILL has both tours and festival appearances lined up for the most of 2005, and if you haven't witnessed this beast live on a stage before, you can consider yourself invited. 2000+ shows down the gritty line, Overkill still ranks as one of the scene’s most ferocious live acts, and the band's importance is more paramount than ever.




Axel Rudi Pell

Johnny Gioeli - Vocals
Axel Rudi Pell - Guitars
Volker Krawczak - Bass
Mike Terrana - Drums
Ferdy Doernberg - Keyboards




Axel Rudi Pell, the German guitar wizard (date of birth 06/27/1960), has become a permanent Axel Rudi Pellpart of the German Metal scene since he released his first album with the German band "Steeler" (1984 - s/t). Three more albums followed ("Rulin' the earth" in '85, "Strike back" in '86 and finally "Undercover animal" in '88) until he decided to leave and start a solo career in 1989.
Even though "Steeler" has been a popular band in the mid-eighties, the solo project became even more successful. Besides the great melodic and fast guitar playing by Axel there has always been a lot of space for other members of the band to show their talents like the fantastic drummer Jörg Michael or new keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg for example.
The ARP band started to record the next studio album entitled "Shadow Zone" in late 2001. The album was released on April 29th, 2002 with another tour to kick of a week later. "Shadow Zone" hit the German album charts at # 22 and marked the biggest success for the ARP so far. The show in Bochum was recorded for a live 2-CD and DVD release on October 21st/ November 18th 2002. And if you want to know how they are doing now, just go and check out their performance!!


Hamerfall

Vocals: Joacim Cans
Guitars: Oscar Fredrick Dronjak
Guitars: Stefan Elmgren
Bass: Magnus Rosén
Drums: Anders Johansson




The Swedish templars of metal are on their fifth crusade and proudly present their new record “Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken”. HAMMERFALL stand for powerful, majestic, true and melodic Heavy Metal. This time Hector, the mighty warrior well known from all the HAMMERFALL covers, crushes trough the ice with his hammer. They are back and will once again serve their mission by fulfilling every metal heart around the globe with their Metal brew. The new single “Blood Bound” shows the traditional and heavy side of the Swedish act. A memorable chorus, straight and heavy riffs, thundering drums and the pounding bass power – and the outstanding vocals of Joacim Cans. The same can be said also for the other nine tracks on “Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken” – which will without any doubt become metal hymns for the eternity. Like on “Crimson Thunder”, HAMMERFALL had Charlie Bauernfeind (Blind Guardian, Helloween and others) in the producer seat. Yet again Charlie proved he ranks amongst the top metal producers ever. For a different twist this time HAMMERFALL decided to produce in Denmark at the famous Lundgaard studios in Veijen (Subway To Sally and others), while the mix was done at the Mi Sueno studios in Teneriffe. HAMMERFALL sound strong again – tracks like “Fury Of The Wild”, “Born To Rule”, “Secrets” or “Blood Bound” are the best example that they could even improve on the high standard set with “Crimson Thunder”. Yet listeners will be surprised with the variety on the new record with its progressive parts, classical and orchestral elements, symphonic influences, acoustic tracks and everything in between semi-ballads and Speed Metal monsters. HAMMERFALL have become one of the leading and most successful metal acts of our time. Their debut album “Glory To the Brave” entered the German charts on position 38; in a time when nobody thought about classical Heavy Metal. The following records reached even higher positions and even gold-record status in their home country of Sweden. Last year the live documentary “One Crimson Night” was released on 2CD and DVD, and it featured an unforgettable show in Gothenburg in front of almost 4.000 crazy HAMMERFALL fans. That night the band also received the gold-record for “Crimson Thunder” in Sweden. Now “Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken”” shows what the band has been working on during last year. Be aware of the hammer – and remember that a metal heart is hard to tear apart!


Accept

Udo Dirkschneider  - Vocals
Wolf Hoffman - Guitars
Peter Baltes - Bass
Stefan Kaufmann – Drums


Life - so the saying goes - starts with a birthday doesn't it? But in Accept's case an exact birthday is hard to pinpoint. There had been a band named Accept in existence since the early 1970's. Founded by Udo Dirkschneider, they had been playing on an amateur level in and around their hometown of Solingen, Germany. Although they had professional ambitions, things moved along slowly. Members came and went as they tried to find their identity and write their own songs.
It wasn't until 1976 that the pace began to pick up. They were finally recognized by a major record company at one of Germany's very first Rock Festivals - the legendary ROCK AM. After this, Accept has created a huge amount of metal history which is impossible to capture in just a short description, so if you want to read their entire life story, check out the website. For now just come and enjoy their show at Wacken Open Air!




Sources


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