Metal News.

First up, apologies to anyone who, going on information provided this column, rocked up at the 'Cranker on the Thurs 6 July for the Russell Crowbar and Guantanamo Bay City Rollers gig, only to discover that it had been rescheduled for the Thurs 13 July. I was one of those people. On a more positive note, the show in question was quite good when it finally happened.

The line-up has at last been finalised for the second installment of Against The Grain (The Great Adelaide Trendkill!), to be held at the Bridgeway Hotel on Sat 22 Jul. Running from 2 PM to midnight, the licensed all-ages show will feature in order of appearance Dead Hours, Locura, Black Like Vengeance (VIC), Nothing Remains (VIC), Through His Blood, Synthesist (VIC), The Abandonment (VIC), Diatribe, Truth Corroded, Double Dragon and Daysend (NSW). Triple J's Andrew Haug will be filling the guest DJ slot, while there will be prizes and giveaways aplenty thanks to a whole heap of record labels. For further information, go to www.myspace.com/atgfest.

On Fri 28 Jul, monthly metal event The War Room will once again be hosting its annual Battle Royale super show, the line-up for which will comprise The Rivalry, Here I Die, The Occularise Infernum, Abandon All Hope and Coma Lies. Doors open at 8:30 PM. For more info, go to www.myspace.com/thewarroomaustralia.

Those living in the Barossa Valley region may be interested in a show being held at the Angaston Town Hall on Sat 5 Aug. The unlicensed all-ages event will feature Adelaide bands Murder Hill and Blood Mason, as well as locals Plug. Doors open at 6:30 PM

During the first half of next month, there'll be a couple of notable American acts playing here. On Fri 4 Aug, Cleveland's Ringworm will be doing a show with Mindsnare, The Dead Walk! and Stronghold, while on Fri 11 Aug, Municipal Waste from Richmond, Virginia, will be doing a show with Captain Cleanoff, Los Diablos and The Guantanamo Bay City Rollers. Both shows will be all-ages, will start at 7:30 PM, and be held at the Enigma Bar.

For a long time, I believed that, for all the fuss they used to make about it, none of the concerned citizens out there were terribly bothered about metal anymore, having long since redirected all of their outrage onto things like hip-hop. However, a recent press release concerning Cannibal Corpse seems to have proven me wrong. In case you haven't already heard, this band will be making their first visit to Australia in well over a decade. Although the group won't be coming out until October, numerous public figures in Western Australia haven't wasted any time in making their displeasure at the band's tour known. These individuals, who seem to take particular issue to the group's song, Necropedophile (from their 1992 album, 'Tomb Of The Mutilated'), have issued predictable and depressing calls for the group to be banned, and include State Shadow Police Minister Rob Johnson, who said in part, "There is enough violence and youth suicide in WA already without any encouragement from awful groups like this. I feel sick at the thought of those lyrics being sung to the youth of WA." Another individual who seemed to think that hysteria was a dignified response to news of the band's tour was Australian Family Association (now there's an ominous-sounding organisation) vice-president Gillian Gonzalez, who said of the band's lyrics, "I could hardly read them; they made me want to be sick. They [the band, I presume] are absolutely vile, and should not be allowed into the country." Personally, I think the most disturbing thing about Cannibal Corpse these days is the way all of their albums have started sounding the same.

Still, despite whatever musical faults they might arguably have right now, at least Cannibal Corpse have the decency to be including Adelaide in their tour plans, which is more than can be said for Fear Factory and Devildriver, the latest two international groups to be doing a big Australian tour that conveniently bypasses this city. I'd originally planned to give groups like this exactly the sort of publicity they deserve (i.e., none), but there've been so many already this year (The Haunted, Kreator, DragonForce, Static-X and Ill Nino, just to give a sample) that I can no longer keep my anger about them to myself. What makes this latest snub particularly galling is the fact that the two offending groups still seem able to find the time to go to Perth, in addition to all the usual cities on the Eastern seaboard. GEE, THANKS FOR NOTHING GUYS!

JAMES BRAZEL

If you have any metal news, please contact James Brazel on his new email address: jbr09171@bigpond.net.au