Iron Maiden UK Tour

UK Metal legends, Iron Maiden, have announced a full UK tour for next summer:

July
20 Glasgow SECC
21 Aberdeen AECC P&J Arena
23 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
24 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
27 Nottingham Trent FM Arena
28 Manchester MEN Arena
31 Birmingham NIA

August
01 Cardiff CIA Arena
03 Belfast Odyssey
05 London O2 Arena

Steve Harris:

“Everything in the Maiden camp has been so full on these last five years or so that we haven’t travelled around the UK to play for our home fans for almost that long.  These fans  supported us by coming to Twickenham Stadium, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Download and more recently Sonisphere so we thought we should get off our backsides and do the travelling this time and get round the country to see them all. We very much look forward to playing all four home countries and a couple of places we haven’t been for a very long time, Aberdeen and Belfast! And playing the O2 gets us as close to the East End of London where Maiden started off than we have been for many a year, probably since the Ruskin Arms! All in all l think this is going to be a very special series of shows and a wonderful way to end this whole world tour.

“We intend to take the full stadium show into the UK arenas and fit everything we possibly can into each venue. The set list will be different to this year’s tour. Of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we intend to include a healthy dose of older fan favourites too for those who haven’t seen us before, plus a spectacular light show and stage set, not forgetting, of  course, …Eddie!”

Iron Maiden Final Frontier Teaser

The video will be released on July 13th on the official Iron Maiden website.

Iron Maiden Countdown!

There has been a countdown on the Iron Maiden website for a while now.

Well, the countdown has expired and a brand new track, called El Dorado, began playing on BBC Radio!

Also the album cover has been revealed:

Final Frontier

And here’s the tracklisting:

1. Satellite 15…..The Final Frontier (8:40)
2. El Dorado (6:49)
3. Mother Of Mercy (5:20)
4. Coming Home (5:52)
5. The Alchemist (4:29)
6. Isle Of Avalon (9:06)
7. Starblind (7:48)
8. The Talisman (9:03)
9. The Man Who Would Be King (8:28)
10. When The Wild Wind Blows (10:59)

Final Frontier will be released on the 16th of August!

Steve Harris on their upcoming US tour:

“We’re hugely excited about this tour. I think the fans will really like the brand new stage production and lights and we will also be debuting one of the new album tracks , El Dorado. Our Texan fans will be the very first people anywhere to hear it live, so it will be interesting to see their reaction and how it goes down with the crowd on the night! Eddie has changed a bit for this tour but is possibly the most outrageous one to date… I can’t say too much about him as don’t want to spoil the surprise but I guarantee he will scare the hell out of you!”

Bruce Dickinson on the studio the album was recorded in:

“The studio had the same vibe and it was EXACTLY as it had been in 1983, NOTHING had changed! Even down to the broken shutter in the corner…same carpet….everything… It was really quite spooky. But we felt very relaxed in such a familiar and well-trodden environment and I think this shows in the playing and the atmosphere of the album”

More Tributes To Dio

Iron Maiden:

“It is with huge sadness we hear that Ronnie has lost his battle against stomach cancer, and our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Wendy and family at this terrible time.  From his earlier years in Elf, Black Sabbath and Dio, right through to his most recent days fronting Heaven and Hell, Ronnie, time and again, proved his genius as a frontman, always giving his all to his fans and his music. Ronnie was not only an incredibly gifted singer but also a wonderfully warm, intelligent and generous person and this shone through both on and off stage leaving a positive mark on everyone he came into contact with. A longstanding friend of Maiden, we played many shows together over the years and we will all miss him greatly.

The world has lost an irreplaceable talent and, first and foremost,  one of the finest human beings you could ever wish to meet.

Steve, Bruce, Adrian, Dave, Janick, Nicko and Rod”

Twisted Sister:

“The members of Twisted Sister, along with millions of metal fans around the world, mourn the death of our friend Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie not only was a giant in the worldwide metal scene, but he was also one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Beginning in 1983 when we first toured with Ronnie in Canada, and continuing over the last seven years when we played dozens of festivals around the world, Ronnie was one of the most supportive and gracious members of the music community.”

Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell):

“Yesterday 16th May my dear, dear friend Ronnie James Dio passed away at 7.45am LA time. I’ve been in total shock I just can’t believe he’s gone. Ronnie was one of the nicest people you could ever meet, we had some fantastic times together. Ronnie loved what he did, making music and performing on stage. He loved his fans so much. He was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I can honestly say it’s truly been an honor to play at his side for all these years, his music will live on forever. Our thoughts are with Wendy Dio who stood by Ronnie until the end, he loved her very much. The man with the magic voice is a star amongst stars, a true professional. I’ll miss you so much my dear friend.”

Iron Maiden Album Title Revealed

The new Iron Maiden album is to be called The Final Frontier and it is set to be released late this summer.

The band will also be on tour in the states and Canada with support from Dream Theater.

The only thing I don’t like about this is the album name… Final… Let’s hope not.

Iron Maiden Album Announcement in July?

The UK heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer are giving away a free Iron Maiden sticker book with this months issue. on the last page there is a space for a large sticker. It says:

“Mystery Sticker! All will be revealed in July 2010!”

This is purely speculation right now, but could this be used for Iron Maiden to announce their next album, give us the name or the album artwork.

I guess we will all have to buy Metal Hammer to find out.

UPDATE: Here is a picture of the page.

What Could It Be???

If anybody else has any ideas about what this sticker could be, feel free to leave a comment and I will add your opinion into this post.

42 Seconds Later & Warpath Albums Of The Decade

DN Favourites 42 Seconds Later and Warpath have told us their favourite albums of the decade.

42 Seconds Later:

Matt:
The Darkness “One Way Ticket To Hell”
The Darkness “Permission To Land”
AC/DC “Black Ice”  The best AC/DC since Back in Black and For those about to Rock
Megadeth” The System has Failed”  Great album that features the return of Chris Poland.
Chickenfoot “Chickenfoot”
Journey “Revelation”

Shari:
The Darkness “One Way Ticket To Hell”
Velvet Revolver “Contraband”
Lifehouse “Who We Are”
Journey “Revelation”

Cory:
Voices by Matchbook Romance
That album showcases some spectacular understanding of musical theory and a vast knowledge of where to use what chord progressions correctly. The entire album seems to be in a minor key, and it’s a very good album as far as “concept albums” are concerned. It starts with the moment you are in that state of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness, and descends into a nightmare before an abrupt awakening. Wonderful album.

Warpath:

1. Iron Maiden – Brave New World (2000)
2. King Diamond – House Of God (2000)
3. Eidolon – Hallowed Apparition (2001)
4. Children Of Bodom – Hatecrew Deathroll (2003)
5. Primal Fear – Black Sun (2002)
6. Arch Enemy -Wages Of Sin (2001)
7. Twilightning – Delirium Veil (2003)
8. Dissection – Reinkaos (2006)
9. Annihilator – Metal (2007)
10. Nile – Those Whom The Gods Detest (2009)

Pete: I actually found it difficult to choose just 10 albums from the past decade that not only kick ass but inspire or had a huge impact on me as a person and musician. I mean I couldn’t just put the last few Iron Maiden and Annihilator albums! I wanted to include some by Megadeth, Testament, Hypocrisy, Kataklysm, Nevermore, Nocturnal Rites even the new Whitesnake one is amazing, but this list above is my personal Top 10 essential albums for the decade!

Classic Rock Awards Winners

The annual Classic Rock awards were last night, heres a list of the winners:

“Best New Band”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Mean Fiddler
Winner: CHICKENFOOT

“Album Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Universal Catalogue / Lost Tunes
Winner: AC/DC – “Black Ice”

“Band Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Guitar Hero
Winner: IRON MAIDEN

“Best Reissue”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Live Nation
Winner: BLACK SABBATH Reissues

“DVD / Film Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Play.com
Winner: “Anvil! The Story of Anvil”

“Event Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Alchemy
Winner: Download Festival

“Outstanding Contribution”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Monitor Audio
Winner: Ronnie Wood

“Tommy Vance Inspiration Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Rhino
Winner: John Bonham

“Innovator”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Eagle Rock
Winner: Ginger Baker

“VIP Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Dannoff Premium Vodka
Winner: Doc McGhee

“Metal Guru”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Bravado
Winner: Biff Byford

“Spirit Of Prog”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Planet Rock
Winner: DREAM THEATER

“Marshall 11 Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Marshall
Winner: Billy Gibbons

“Childline Rocks Award”
Winner: Steve Harley

“Classic Songwriter”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Sony Music
Winner: Paul Rodgers

“Classic Album”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Provogue
Winner: AEROSMITH – “Rocks”

“Breakthrough”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Rock Radio
Winner: Joe Bonamassa

“Comeback Of The Year”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by EMI Music
Winner: MOTT THE HOOPLE

“Living Legend”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Marshall
Winner: Iggy Pop

Top 10: Cover Versions

Covers, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain terrible (Atreyu’s attempt at Bon Jovi classic “You Gave Love A Bad Name” for example), but i have compiled a list of the 10 most awesome covers ever recorded.