Metal News.

The War Room will be having its first show for the New Year at the Enigma Bar on Fri 26 January, with a line-up consisting of locals The Rising Fight and Blood Red Renaissance, as well as interstaters The Black Lodge Sounds and a mystery guest! As always, DJs will be keeping the metal going between sets; given the show will be happening on Australia Day, there'll be an especial emphasis on songs by Australian artists. Doors open at 9 pm.

On the subject of The Black Lodge Sounds, this group will also be appearing at the Underground on Sat 27 January, along with Melbourne's Beyond Mine and locals Embured, Wishlist and Hesitate And Die. The show will be all-ages, with doors opening at 7 pm.

A reminder that Sat 27 January will also see monthly dark dance event Necromancy return for 2007 at the Enigma Bar. DJ Slaughter from Sydney's Deathrock Club will be a guest DJ on the night and there'll also be giveaways from Irving Baby. Doors open at 10 pm. For more info, go to www.clubnecromancy.com.

On Sat 3 February, Lotosoma will be holding the all-ages launch of their EP, 'Beyond The Warpath', at Fowler's Live with A Red Dawn, Shot In Paris, Judge Mental and Closed Casket. Doors open at 7 pm.

This March, Melbourne's Carpathian will be doing a tour of Europe with compatriots Parkway Drive. Before they go jetting off on that, however, they'll be doing an extensive national tour, playing here on Fri 16 February at the Enigma Bar. Supporting the band at the all-ages show will be Abandon All Hope and Bloodsport. In further Carpathian news, the band's debut full-length, 'Nothing To Lose', will soon be released in the UK on Golf Records.

On Thurs 22 February, locals Hekyl - who combine metal with pretty much everything else - will be doing a show at the Enigma Bar with Amundsen's Flag, Raw Ether and Black Knight. Doors open at 8 pm. As an added incentive to rock up, Hekyl bass player Michael promises that those who do may get to see themselves on TV. "Well, more accurately," he qualifies, "the good people from Night Live are offering you that chance and it will probably be the back of your head, but you'll still know it's you."

For those who haven't yet heard, Atlanta's Stuck Mojo have found themselves embroiled in controversy after posting a video clip of one of their songs on YouTube. The song in question, Open Season, is a declaration of war against Islamic terrorists; the controversy it generated arose after the YouTube site apparently refused to list it on its 100 Most Viewed list, despite it receiving more than enough hits to make it onto that list. Further controversy ensued when another Internet video site, iFilm, refused to allow the clip to be shown at all, yet posted a Jihadist-made music video containing graphic footage of US soldiers abroad being murdered (though that clip appears to have since been taken down). To view the Open Season clip, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymLJz3N8ayI. If you like the song, you can download it (as well as all the others from the band's new album, 'Southern Born Killers') for free at the band's website, www.StuckMojo.us.

After giving a bit of publicity to various metal bands from the Middle East over the last few months, I was astounded to discover that one band from that part of the world will soon be paying this country a visit. The band in question are Nervecell, who hail from the United Arab Emirates (although none of the current line-up were actually born there) will be playing at the Metalstock open air festival in Scone, NSW, this Easter. Nervecell combine thrash metal, death metal and hardcore (the last style the one they started out playing) and have put out a couple of releases: a two-track demo called 'Vastlands Of Abomination' and a five-track EP entitled 'Human Chaos'. Their material has received airplay in the UK and Germany, as well as at home, and they've played with the likes of Sepultura and Machine Head. To find out more about them, go to www.myspace.com/nervecell, or try their website, www.nervecell.net. On the subject of Metalstock, three local bands - Truth Corroded, Double Dragon and Mythyca - will also be playing at that show, so well done to each of them.

James Brazel