Metal News.

On Sat 16 Jun, locals Blood Red Renaissance will be launching their debut album 'Champagne Tragedy' (which will be appearing in stores on the same day) at the Lizard Lounge. Supporting the band will be Star Ten Hash, Mammoth and Satan's Cheerleaders, as well as Mr Tetanus, "the human pincushion".

Also on Sat 16 Jun, there'll be a big, licensed all-ages show happening down at the South Adelaide Football Club (1 Lovelock Dr, Noarlunga). Bands performing will be Stigmartyr, Skintilla, Alleyway Rape, Fatality Cries, Hesitate & Die, Asphyxia and Burial, and doors open at 5pm. Two of the above bands, Skintilla and Asphyxia, will also be appearing at an all-ages gig at the Underground on Fri 29 Jun with Saeturnum, This Side of the Massacre and Kathexus.

On Sat 23 Jun, new northern suburbs venue The Northern Sound System (corner of Woodford Rd and Elizabeth Way, Elizabeth) will be hosting Northern Metal Madness, a licensed all-ages gig featuring Double Dragon, Taunt and Splyne, as well as new outfits Left By The Wake and Ridiculed Belief. Doors open at 7pm.

Dutch band The Gathering will soon be parting ways with vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, who'll be doing her last show with the group in early August. Van Giersbergen, who was a member of the band for thirteen years, cited as her reasons for leaving a desire to spend more time with her family, as well as involve herself in other projects.

Have you ever wondered what Iron Maiden's The Trooper would sound like if someone farted it? Probably not, but seeing as I've confronted you with that vexing question, you may like to find out by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1WKYmx4i1Q. Admittedly, the artist doesn't actually fart the above song, but the unorthodox (not to mention astonishing) method by which he does play it (with his hands) does impart an undeniable "flatulent" quality to it.

Lovers of brutal old school death metal may be interested to learn that a group from New Jersey called Carnage - whose two-man lineup includes former Incantation member Craig Pillard - have made available for downloading their long sought-after 1989 rehearsal demo (the only thing they've actually recorded to date) on Myspace. To listen (and download), go to www.myspace.com/carnagenj

For this fortnight's obscure band plug, I came up with a few groups I figured would be suitable, only to have someone send me a couple of links to live clips featuring a group that immediately made me forget about the ones I'd chosen. The band in question are a Texan outfit called Complete, whose music could, I'm sure, be used by the likes of the CIA or Mossad to break even the most uncooperative terror suspect. Although their material contains metal influences, it's not clear that's what they're actually trying to play; indeed it's not really all that clear what they're trying to do full stop. For those who dare, a live clip of one of their songs can be found by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRnPE1u4ruM; if you somehow manage to survive that with your sanity intact, also try www.youtube.com/watch?v=P07Di283vfw&mode=related&search. To um... complete your Complete listening experience, go to www.myspace.com/completefanpage

James Brazel
(jbr09171@bigpond.net.au)