Classic Rock magazine recently asked Charlotte from DELAIN who she would like to see in her fantasy band, and in an exclusive video clip, you can see her fill them in on who and why.

As you can see from the great write up the band get on the video page HERE it’s not just us who are enjoying the symphonic sounds of Delain.

Check out the bands MySpace page to hear some of the bands tracks from current album April Rain, which hit UK stores last week.

You can pick up the album online HERE and if you facy checking the band out live, they will do a run of dates in March. You can see the band at the following venues. Tickets are on sale now and you can pick them up online at our Tours page.

It’s Monday, and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for the latest video instalment from those crazy cats KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. In this latest snippet from their South American tour, the baseball rivalry kicks in… Yankees or Red Sox.

Friday night saw DOMMIN play their last UK show with lacuna Coil before heading in to mainland Europe. Vocalist Kris checked in over the weekend to let us know how the thought things had gone in the UK. You can check out his last UK tour update below.

In other news, to celebrate the release of their forthcoming debut Love Is Gone, Dommin are giving you the opportunity to win a bouquet of red roses to be sent to your loved one this Valentines Day. To be in with a chance of winning, head to THIS LOCATION to enter.

Day # 5 LONDON

It’s the last day of the Lacuna tour in the UK before we cross over into mainland Europe. We arrive in one of the world’s most famous cities at 2AM the night before straight out of Bristol. I don’t think any of us get to bed before 3AM and I have a very busy press day ahead of me. It will be my first VJ experience.

I wake up bright and early and go over the list of people I am to see and places I am to go. First stop, Scuzz TV, a video station that I’m told has been quite generous to Dommin with their airplay of “My Heart, Your Hands.” I arrive at the station to find out that I am basically going to be VJing two separate hours! First I got to pick from a long list of videos and take over the station and play what I want. Then for a Valentine’s Day Special, I did a countdown. It was an odd experience addressing a camera lens and I hope I came across well and not too dull. After I left, I thought of the many things I could have said and could have done. I’m learning.

Then it was off to do some podcasts and interviews at various places. On the way, I was able to be driven past Buckingham Palace. I thought the gates were beautifully ornate.

I arrived at the venue around 5 PM with just enough time to do some warm ups, settle in and set up my gear before the short soundcheck. The venue was quite beautiful inside. The Empire at Shepards Bush had two stories with very high balconies with an old theatre feeling. I think it was a better view from the stage than it was from the floor.

I was de-thorning the roses with the chance that I might give some away tonight and was stabbed in the thumb…

We hit the stage with high energy and the pressure was on. Any time you play New York, Los Angeles, or London, you can be certain there will be a good number of promoters, agents, record label people, journalists and photographers. But we are there for the fans. We are here to expose ourselves for what we are and let the interpretations fly.

I think we did well. Aside from my complaints: my guitar pick-up becoming unscrewed which was muting my guitar strings, changing to an untuned guitar, Cameron’s drum leg falling off and having our merch covered and hidden, it was a good show. We loved London and I think by the end of our set, London loved Dommin.

You can pre-order Love Is Gone online HERE.

As DOMMIN continue their trek up and down the UK with Lacuna Coil, frontman Kris continues his tour diary for Roadrunner UK…

Day off

Today was a much needed day of vocal rest. We spent a total of 8 hours in the van being driven to Bristol. However there was one quite huge highlight. On the way down we got spend a few hours and be just fans. We got to see Rammstein!!! They blew us all away. We also saw CombiChrist open for them which was cool to see since its been a year since our first tour when we opened for them. It was a great night and a nice unplanned break in the schedule.

Day #4. Bristol
We woke up in Bristol just around the block from the venue. After days without a real internet connection, we found a cafe with free WiFi. We were like addicts getting our fix. We spent a lot of hours that day fixing problems, responding to emails and getting in touch with people at home. I would occasionally have to step outside for a phone interview and Cameron had his first interview for a drum magazine but it was largely a very tame day, at least at first.

We woke up in Bristol just around the block from the venue. After days without a real internet connection, we found a cafe with free WiFi. We were like addicts getting our fix. We spent a lot of hours that day fixing problems, responding to emails and getting in touch with people at home. I would occasionally have to step outside for a phone interview and Cameron had his first interview for a drum magazine but it was largely a very tame day, at least at first.

We got to the venue and both us and the other opener, Dirty Little Rabbits, were crowded into one small backstage dressing room. Its funny when you have two considerate bands because the room stays mostly empty for not wanting to crowd the other band.

We took the stage and it was probably the most fun I’d had on stage since the beginning of the tour. I think it was more of a mental thing. As has been typical of the shows so far, the set starts out with a fairly mellow reaction, followed by people looking around wondering ‘who the hell this new band is’ and by the end being DOMMINATED!

After the set, we headed out to the merch booth to greet fans as we customarily do. I’m always impressed and amazed by the “I drove 4 hours just for you guys” stories I hear quite often. Its so very humbling and we are so grateful.

As we headed backstage, we were stopped in the hallways by DLR’s manager. Apparently, Stella, the bands rambunctious front-woman sliced her hand open during the set and was being tended to before heading to the emergency room. Not the best way to end the night. But we all sure hope she’s okay.

Miss the other updates? Check them out at the links below. For more info on Dommin, click here.

Day #3 Glasgow
Day #2 Birmingham
Day #1 Manchester

Debut album Love Is Gone hits stores Feb 15th. Pre order and get a free MP3 instantly HERE.

It’s no secret that RATT are back and raring to go. The band is proud to announce April 19, 2010 as the release date for their Loud & Proud / Roadrunner debut, Infestation, an 11-song opus that is their first studio record in 11 years. The first single, ‘Best of Me’, is scheduled for digital release on March 14th. You can listen to the track online HERE.

There’s been a flurry of activity in the Ratt camp in the past few years. Vocalist Stephen Pearcy has returned to the fold and the band has since signed to Loud & Proud/Roadrunner. The legendary Los Angeles rock squad, also featuring guitarist Warren DeMartini, drummer Bobby Blotzer, bassist Robbie Crane and new guitarist Carlos Cavazo, engineered Hollywood’s much-heralded Sunset Strip sound in the 1980s.

“We wanted this to be like something that we would have written right after [1984’s] Out of the Cellar“, Pearcy said. “We definitely went back to basics with the mindset of a band with a lot of excitement and some great songs to get out.” Infestation was produced by Elvis Baskette (Chevelle, Alter Bridge.) in the helmer’s Virginia studio, marking the first time the band has recorded outside of Los Angeles. The album is full of attitude and of reflection, cycling through a range of emotions. There are party anthems that Ratt are known for alongside more contemplative, thoughtful tunes.

The track listing for the album is as follows:

“Eat Me Up Alive”
“Best of Me”
“A Little Too Much”
“Look Out Below”
“Last Call”
“Lost Weekend”
“As Good as it Gets”
“Garden of Eden”
“Take a Big Bite”
“Take Me Home”
“Don’t Let Go”

Las Vegas’s hottest new band, TAKING DAWN, are set to roll in to the UK this March as support to labelmates and Aussie rabble rousers, AIRBOURNE. Taking Dawn will open the show, so be sure to get their early to catch their set of high-octane, melody-laden, big-chorused rock anthems.

Debut album, Time To Burn is lined up to hit stores on Monday 12th April, but is already available digitally via i-Tunes and all good digital retailers. A digital ‘special edition’ is also available that features extra tracks not included on the CD version.

Check out the video for title track ‘Time To Burn’ in the player below. You can pre-order the CD HERE.

You can catch their opening slots at the following Airbourne shows. Get a ticket, and stock up on the Jack! Tickets can be picked up online HERE.

Mon 29 Mar – Portsmouth Guildhall
Tue 30 Mar – Bristol Colston Hall
Thu 1 Apr – London Hammersmith Apollo
Fri 2 Apr – Liverpool O2 Academy
Sat 3 Apr – Manchester Apollo
Mon 5 Apr – Edinburgh Picture House
Tue 6 Apr – Glasgow O2 Academy
Wed 7 Apr – Leeds O2 Academy
Thu 8 Apr – Newcastle O2 Academy
Sat 10 Apr – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Sun 11 Apr – Nottingham Rock City
Tue 13 Apr – Belfast Mandela Hall
Wed 14 Apr – Dublin Academy

Next week sees LAMB OF GOD hit the UK on their second headline tour of current album Wrath and being just a tad excited, we decided to get drummer Chris on the blower and ask him about the tour, what he loves about the UK and what we can expect from the shows. His determination to lessen the UK’s love affair with mayo however did take us a little by surprise. He’s evidently had a few too many experiences of heavy handedness in British chippies… Check the interview out in the player below.

The full list of dates is as follows, and there are still a handful of tickets left. You can pick tickets up online HERE.

Wrath is also available now and can be picked up HERE.

MUTINY WITHIN will make their forthcoming self titled debut available digitally later this month- on February 22nd- as both a regular and special edition. The CD release will follow on April 26th.

The tracklisting for the regular CD is as follows:

1.Awake
2.Images
3.Falling Forever
4.Year Of Affliction
5.Forsaken
6.Lethean
7.Oblivion
8.Undone
9.Hours
10.Suffocate
11.Reflections

with the special edition having the following bonus tracks:

12.Losing Sight
13.The End
14.Images (Live)
15.Lethean (live)

The digital albums will be available on all the usual platforms. The CD can be pre-ordered online now HERE.

If you have been to any of the recent Lacuna Coil shows, you will have caught an amazing new band opening the gig. DOMMIN are one of Roadrunner’s new bands for 2010 and they are kicking up quite a storm on the tour. They will return with HIM next month.

The band will release their debut album on the 15th of February. Love Is Gone will be released as a standard edition CD and digital release and a digital special edition. Tracklistings are as follows:

1. My Heart, Your Hands
2. New
3. Evenfall Hollow
4. Tonight
5. Love Is Gone
6. Dark Holiday
7. Without End
8. Within Reach
9. Closure
10. Making The Most
11. One Feeling
12. I Still Lost
13. One Eye Open
14. Honestly
15. Remember

The digital special edition will also include the tracks:
(I Just) Died In Your Arms
Heaven’s Sake
Awake

You can pre-order your CD and get an MP3 of Awake *now* by pointing your mouse HERE!

TRIVIUM are pleased to announce Nick Augusto as their new permanent drummer. Augusto was introduced to Trivium fans when he filled in behind the kit on last autumn’s “Into The Mouth Of Hell We Tour” US trek. He is now stepping in to permanently replace the departing Travis Smith.

Vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy commented, “We’re really happy to have our good friend and fellow Floridian Nick Augusto join the Trivium family. Nick’s drumming is very technical and diverse and he brings a real intense energy to the band and we can’t wait for everyone to hear the new song, ‘Shattering The Skies Above’, that we just recorded with Nick. I think it’s the best Trivium recording we’ve ever done; it’s raw, full of energy, and I think Nick’s drumming really pushed us to a new level.”

The ever industrious Trivium are wasting no time in the wake of this line up shift and are staying busy as they work their new skinsman into the fold. The band has recorded two brand new tracks: the aforementioned ‘Shattering The Skies Above’ will appear on the forthcoming, digital-only God of War: Blood & Metal EP being released by Roadrunner on March 1, as well as a cover of Sepultura’s ‘Slave New World’..

Check out footage of Nick at his kit in the player below: