Metal News.

A reminder that local band Quasar will be celebrating their first anniversary as a live act with a show at the Jade Monkey on Fri 18 August. Coinciding with the birthdays of band members Baraath and DMT-2K5, the show will begin at 9 pm and will also feature R. Domain, Obdurate Seduction and One Step Beyond (who, if you haven't yet heard the bad news, lost guitarist and founding member Jeremy Lammas to a road accident last month).

On Sat 2 September, the Bridgeway Hotel will be playing host to the licensed all-ages launch of local metal band Officer Down's new CD. Supporting the band will be fellow locals UCD, A Red Dawn and Diatribe (who will actually be the last group to play), as well as Victorians, Sydonia. Doors open at 7 pm.

Also with a new CD out are fellow locals Obdurate Seduction, who've just released their debut, self-titled, five-track EP. Expect a launch for this sometime next month.

On Sat 9 September, there'll be a big, all-ages show called Hellfire at the Lizard Lounge. Headlined by Tasmania's Psycroptic, the show will also feature locals The Rivalry, Sarsekim, Meat Wallet, Juggermath, Quasar, Star Gazer and Darklord, the last two bands particularly worth catching as they don't play all that often. Doors open at 4 pm.

On the subject of Star Gazer, this band now have a new, full-length album out entitled 'The Scream That Tore The Sky' and also have a new drummer, having recently done a tour of Japan.

Well unfortunately it's been a very slow fortnight as far as local metal news has been concerned, so it's time to start providing a few more details about those upcoming international shows, I suppose.

First up, Sweden's Dark Tranquility - credited as pioneers of their country's famed Gothenburg metal scene - will be undertaking a long-overdue tour of Australia, the first they've done in their 16-year existence! The group's Adelaide show will take place at the Adelaide UniBar on Sat 16 September and will be an all-ages event. Dark Tranquility also have a new album 'Character' out on Century Media/Stomp.

Less than a week later, on Wed 20 September to be precise, New York hardcore veterans Madball will be doing a licensed all-ages show at Fowler's Live. The group also have a new album 'Legacy' out on Roadrunner Records.

Around the beginning of October (and if their vocal critics haven't succeeded by then in getting them barred from entering the country), Cannibal Corpse will be making a long-awaited return visit to Australia, doing their first tour here since 1994. The group will be making their Adelaide appearance at Fowler's Live on Mon 9 October and, unfortunately for their younger fans, their show here looks like it's going to be over-18s only. The group will be supported by Tasmania's Psycroptic and Western Australia's Plague and will be a somewhat different entity from the one that came by this way the last time, with original vocalist Chris Barnes, of course, having long since been replaced by Monstrosity's George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher and guitarist Pat O'Brien having since joined the band. In addition, another original member, Jack Owen, recently defected to fellow extremists Deicide. Cannibal Corpse also have a new album, their tenth, out in the form of 'Kill' which is available on Metal Blade Records.

Also making their first visit here in quite a while will be Seattle's Nevermore, who last came by this way in 1999. Like Cannibal Corpse, they'll be sporting a somewhat different line-up from that which played here before (the band recently recruited a new guitarist in the form of Testament/Dragonlord's Steve Smyth, while guitarist Tim Calvert has since left). They will be performing at Fowler's Live, their show there (another over-18s, unfortunately) taking place on Sun 29 October. Like all of the other overseas visitors, Nevermore have a new album out entitled 'This Godless Endeavor' which is available on Century Media/Shock. Tickets for all the above shows are now on sale.

James Brazel

Do you have any metal news you think we should know about? Contact James Brazel on his new email address: jbr09171@bigpond.net.au