As of today people visiting Metal Storm will be seeing the banner of Green Christmas festival -- the biggest winter rock festival in the Baltics. Metal Storm has become one of the media partners for Green Christmas and thus we will try to keep you up to date as the event nears.

Green Christmas celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Event takes place in Rakvere, Estonia on 16-17 December. The headliners of the festival this year are Anathema and Die Krupps.

Tomorrow, October 1st the first tickets will go on sale.

The Estonian ticket services are Piletilevi and Statoil stations.
Prices:
* Oct 1 - Oct 31: 345 EEK
* Nov 1 - Nov 30: 395 EEK
* Dec 1 - Dec 15: 425 EEK
* At the door 475 EEK (one day ticket 300 EEK)

The Finnish ticket service: http://www.tiketti.fi
Prices:
* Oct 1 - Oct 31: 23 EUR
* Nov 1 -Nov 30: 26 EUR
* Dec 1 - Dec 15: 28 EUR
* At the door 31 EUR (one day ticket is 20 EUR)

In Latvia tickets can be bought from Bilesu Serviss http://www.ticketservice.lv and Statoil stations.
Prices:
* Oct 1 - Oct 21: 16 LVL
* Nov 1 - Nov 30: 18 LVL
* Dec 1 - Dec 15: 19 LVL
* At the door 21 LVL (one day ticket 14 LVL)

So, BE THERE!

Useful links:
Metal Storm festival page here.
Green Christmas on the net http://www.greenchristmas.ee
Piletilevi: http://www.piletilevi.ee
Finnish ticketservice: http://www.tiketti.fi
Bilesu Services: http://www.ticketservice.lv

Read more ››

Today, while idly browsing the net, I found myself at the Deadsoul Tribe forum in a topic talking about a new album. Yes, on 11th November 2005 Devon Graves is releasing another Deadsoul Tribe album on InsideOut -- "The Dead Word".

Tracklist:
01. Prelude: Time and Pressure 1:40
02. A Flight On An Angels Wing 4:31
03. To My Beloved… 5:56
04. Don't You Ever Hurt? 4:56
05. Some Sane Advice 3:57
06. Let The Hammer Fall 4:03
07. Waiting In Line 6:34
08. Someday 1:34
09. My Dying Wish 4:01
10. A Fistful Of Bended Nails 5:25
11. The Long Ride Home 4:20

Source:	deadsoultribe.com insideout.de
Band profile:	Deadsoul Tribe

Now you can pre-order DVD editions of Stream Of Passion's debut album 'Embrace The Storm' signed by the master Arjen Lucassen himself until October 15th.

Carefully read the information provided on the ordering page and follow from there on.
http://www.ayreon.com/streamofpassion/store

Source:	streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

Riverside would like to inform you that the worldwide premiere of "Second Life Syndrome" has been scheduled for the 31st of October 2005. The album will be released on Inside Out label worldwide and on Mystic Production in Poland. Both releases will have the same graphic layout designed by Travis Smith. Also, they hope you'll be pleased to hear that there are going to be 9 tracks on "SLS" and not 8, as announced before:

Riverside "Second Life Syndrome"

1. After
2. Volte-Face
3. Conceiving You
4. Second Life Syndrome
5. Artificial Smile
6. I Turned You Down
7. Reality Dream III
8. Dance With The Shadow
9. Before

They have also planned a few gigs for the autumn:
24-25.09.2005 PROGRESISTE CONVENTION - Spirit Of 66, Verviers, Belgium
13.10.2005 Bluescafe, Apeldoorn, Holland
14.10.2005 P60, Amstelveen, Holland
15.10.2005 PROG NOSE FESTIVAL
19.11.2005 ECLIPSED FESTIVAL - Aschaffenburger Colos-Saal, Germany

Source:

riverside.art.pl

The band are very thrilled and excited to tell you that Sony/BMG Benelux has signed Stream Of Passion. Sony/BMG is one of the biggest labels in the world and became very interested in Arjen Lucassen's new band after hearing the demo recordings this summer.

"Embrace The Storm" will be released October 24th, 2005 through Sony/BMG in the Benelux and InsideOut for the rest of Europe and the U.S./Canada. For Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic States, Stream Of Passion has signed with the label IronD.

Also, Stream Of Passion will hit the road for a European tour starting late January 2006. The band is already busy rehearsing and will perform songs from their debut album "Embrace The Storm", as well has songs from the Ayreon back-catalogue. Tour dates to be announced soon!

Source:	streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

Release date pushed back

Due to a number of unforseen circumstances, the release date for the Stream Of Passion debut album 'Embrace The Storm' has been pushed back to October 24th, 2005.

Bonus DVD

The new album will be available in a regular edition and in a special edition including a bonus DVD. Find out more about the contents of this DVD in the discography section on the band's official site: http://www.streamofpassion.com

Full MP3

Last but not least, you can download a full MP3 of the Stream Of Passion track 'Deceiver' taken from their forthcoming album from their official site.

Source:	streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

Arjen Anthony Lucassen's new band Stream Of Passion is going to release the debut album 'Embrace The Storm' on September 26th, 2005 through InsideOut.

Tracklist:
1. Spellbound
2. Passion
3. Deceiver
4. I'll Keep on Dreaming
5. Haunted
6. Wherever You Are
7. Open Your Eyes
8. Embrace the Storm
9. Breathing Again
10. Out in the Real World
11. Nostalgia
12. Calliopeia

The artwork is done by none other than Mattias Noren ( http://www.progart.com ) and can be seen on the band's homepage.

Source:	streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

The trailer for "Embrace the Storm", the debut album of Stream Of Passion, a new band by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, is available for download from their official site. http://www.streamofpassion.com

The band signed a deal with InsideOut Music and the album is scheduled for release on September 26th, 2005.

More information will follow shortly!

Source:	ayreon.com and streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

"Second Life Syndrome", for this is the title of the forthcoming Riverside album, will be released worldwide on InsideOut label! The album will consist of eight compositions, amongst which you will find "Reality Dream III," the track which has already been performed live. Lyricswise, "Second Life Syndrome" will continue the story from "Out Of Myself." Musicwise, it will show a bit heavier side of the band. The cover will be once again designed by Travis Smith. The album's premiere is planned for November 2005.

The band will report back on studio proceedings soon.

Source:

riverside.art.pl

The title of Elfonía's new album is 'This Sonic Landscape'. As the name suggests, English will be used for some of the tracks.

The singer Marcela, who also has sung on the last Ayreon album and is the lead singer for the new Lucassen's project Stream of Passion, says about the new Elfonía album: "We kept the thought in mind, and while writing the songs we felt some of them made better sense in English, so we went for it. We ended up with 3 tracks in English, 6 in Spanish and 3 instrumentals."

Stay tuned for more news!

Source:

elfonia.com

Great news are coming in. Arjen Anthony Lucassen has decided to form a band after 10 years of studio work and a small tour with Star One project.

Stream Of Passion will be a band blending mysterious gothic vocals, metal guitars and atmospheric trip-hop, with haunting pianos and live celli- and violin quartets.

Currently the band is formed of:
* Marcela Bovio - vocals, lyrics, violin
Young talented Mexican singer who performed on the latest Ayreon album, also fronting Elfonía.
* Arjen Lucassen - guitars, music
This man needs no introduction to fans of Ayreon.
* Lori Linstruth - lead guitars
Skilled American female guitarist residing in Sweden whom Arjen discovered via Yahoo Ayreon mailing-list.
* Johan van Stratum - bass guitar
Dutch bass player from the Rock Academy in Tilburg.
* Davy Mickers - drums
Dutch drummer who a year ago downloaded a special track from Lucassen's website to enter a musicians contest and used it to showcase his incredible drumming skills.
* Alejandro Millán - keyboards
Mexican pianist who with Marcela formed Elfonía.

The band is currently negotiating an album deal. So, all this can probably mean one thing, Arjen will probably go live soon!

To read more about this fascinating band, visit the homepage. It's not much yet but more is said to come.

Source:	streamofpassion.com
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

Ayreon newsletter arrived today earlier with some great news.

Firstly. New Ayreon single! The third single taken from the Ayreon album 'The Human Equation' will be released June 16th, 2005. It is called 'Come Back to Me', and is a slightly extended and newly mixed version of the song 'Day 7: Hope'. Other tracks include: 'August Fire' featuring Mostly Autumn's Heather Findlay; 'When I'm 64', a Beatles cover song; and 'Back 2 Me', a special remix. A video clip was shot during the summer of 2004 and is included on the single together with a 'making of' video. For more information and artwork, visit the site.

Secondly. It's been quiet for a while now... Consider it the calm before the storm, because the last few months have been extremely hectic in the Electric Castle. Arjen has been hard at work; inside his studio recording a new album, and outside his studio doing photoshoots and videoshoots, all for his latest musical endeavour: a band! The newsletter says that they have to keep us in suspense a little while longer before they can reveal details of this exciting new development.

Thirdly. Shadow Gallery's Gary Wehrkamp and Mike Baker have been good friends with Arjen for years now. Gary and Mike performed on various Arjen Lucassen projects and when Shadow Gallery began work on their new album, they asked for Arjen to perform a solo on one of their songs. He was only too happy and thrilled to play on the album called 'Room V' to be released at the end of May, 2005 through InsideOut. Arjen also sang and played guitar on a very interesting bonus track featured on the special edition of Room V. For more information on this album please check: http://www.shadowgallery.com

And lastly. For all those who would like to get their hands on the ProgAid project single, it is now available for ordering. Arjen contributed two guitar solos to this project that has many artists from the prog community participating to raise money for the Asian Tsunami Relief Fund. Arjen's solo spots are featured in the 'Definitive Mix'. More information on the project at http://www.ProgAID.com

Source:	ayreon.com
Band profile:	Ayreon

On the official site a message is posted concerning the release of Tiamat's DVD.

Century Media has scheduled a release of the Tiamat's DVD entitled "Church Of Tiamat" for September. It WILL be mixed in 5.1 surround sound by their favourite mixing engineer Siggi Bemm in Woodhouse Studios. The band are very pleased by that. They also say that "Still it's not too late to mail us your perverted dreams of bonus material!" So go ahead people and mail your suggestions, your wish might be granted.

Tiamat also state that they will start working on new songs.

Source:	churchoftiamat.com
Band profile:	Tiamat

Laura Jaeger returns again to sing on 2 songs for the new release. Arjen Anthony Lucassen will be performing a solo on one of the tracks and new performer, Joe Stone will be performing a solo on another track. Also appearing will be Libby Molnar. The bonus disk for the European release will also have performances by Jim Roberti and Mark Zonder along with Arjen Anthony Lucassen.

Watch for more exciting news and goodies to be released next weekend! Keep an eye on the site.

Source:

shadowgallery.com

The sessions/concerts that The Gathering will hold in Paradiso the 23rd of May will be recorded for a DVD, scheduled for realease at the end of the summer 2005. The title will be 'A Sound Relief' and will focus on the more easier songs of 15 years The Gathering. In 2006 they will work on a more rock orientated concert DVD, which will be called 'A Noise Severe'. In between both releases the band will work on a new album, no title yet. But first of all 'A Sound Relief'!

Source:	sandandmercury.com
Band profile:	The Gathering