Metal News.

Well, after spending several weeks interstate, I'm back at last - did y'all miss me? I didn't get to see much metal while away, unfortunately, though I was able to witness Double Dragon make their (successful) live debut in Brisbane, at the Abducted Horrorfest held there in July. Thanks to Mark Grimshaw for keeping the column going in my absence.

On Sat 25 Aug, a Slayer concert in San Diego will be shown live on Slayer TV, a web-based TV station that can be accessed by going to http://yebotvgroup.com/slayertv.html. The show, part of a North American tour the band is doing with Marilyn Manson, will start just before 8pm over there (which means it should actually screen here on the 26th, around 12:30pm, though be sure to check this for yourself beforehand), and registration is required.

To celebrate the birthday of their drummer Johno, locals Omnium will be putting on a free show with Mythyca at the Crown & Anchor Hotel on Sat 8 Sep. Proceedings begin at 9pm.

In a rather silly bit of news, Gene Hoglan, who played drums for Unearth when that band toured this part of the world recently, received a $200 fine in New Zealand for trying to "smuggle" a burrito into that country. The offending item - which Hoglan had bought in LA and left half-eaten in his luggage - got the artist into trouble after he forgot to declare it upon arriving at the airport. Admittedly, things might not have gone so badly for him had he not kept addressing one of the customs officials as "Customs Goof".

Ville Valo, front-man for Finland's HIM, recently spent a couple of weeks in a detox clinic, deciding to "dry out" after realising excessive drinking was putting his life in peril. Citing work pressures as another reason for his self-imposed stint in rehab, the singer described his time there as his "first holiday in fifteen years".

Sacramento's With Passion has decided to call it a day, band guitarist Jeff Morgan blaming the group's decision to break up on financial difficulties. Morgan and various other members of the group's final line-up have decided to resurrect a band they were formerly involved with called Conducting From the Grave, while vocalist Fidel Campos plans to return to his old band, Cyanide Era. With Passion's latest release, 'What We See When We Shut Our Eyes', came out here a few months ago.

Nervecell, a death/thrash band from the United Arab Emirates who played here just before Easter, have enlisted Tasmania's David Haley (Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins) to play drums on their upcoming new album, 'Preaching Venom'. The album will be the follow-up to 2004's 'Human Chaos', and should be out early next year.

A Taiwanese melodic black metal band called Chthonic have used their appearance at this year's Ozzfest as an opportunity to promote awareness of their country's continuing struggle to be recognised by the UN as a nation in its own right, rather than just another part of China. While the band sing most of their songs (which revolve around their country's mythology) in Mandarin and Hoklo (aka Taiwanese), they've also written one in English - Taiwan UNlimited - which deals with their desire to see their country receive UN recognition. To find out more about Chthonic, go to www.myspace.com/chthonictw.

James Brazel

(jbr09171@bigpond.net.au)