On 18 April, 35 Wacken warm-up concerts will rock the globe! Almost 24 hours will pass between the first show in Japan and the last in Mexico – all of them fuelled by the best heavy metal music with celebrating fans coming together for this special event. A live experience carried by the legendary Wacken spirit. 

     The worldwide party is being organized by various promoters from the global community of the Wacken Metal Battle, the festival’s own band competition, which now includes 102 participating nations. Promoters from 35 of these countries have joined forces for the Wacken anniversary to celebrate the worldwide warm-up party. "The core idea is to bring the world together and unite it through what we love most: music! That’s what the Metal Battle community stands for, that’s what we stand for, and that’s what Wacken Open Air has represented since day one,” emphasizes festival founder Thomas Jensen.


     In Germany, the warm-up will be celebrated at Hamburg’s Betty club starting at 8 p.m. The Boston-based band Lansdowne will bring their hook-driven, energetic rock to the Hanseatic city. The international event “One World One Stage” is being organized by Salman U. Syed, who is responsible for the Metal Battle at W:O:A and has been shaping the global networking of the scene for years. “The sense of unity within the metal scene is strong worldwide, and bands as well as promoters in the individual countries immediately threw themselves into setting a powerful sign of unity while celebrating 35 years of Wacken Open Air together with us!” The event in Hamburg on April 18 therefore seamlessly joins the global chain of parties. The event stands for unity, passion, and heavy metal without borders.

​
Tickets and further information about the warm-up parties are available here. 

Additionally, impressions from the shows in all participating countries will be shared during the day via the social media channels of the Wacken Open Air. #oneworldonestage

     Australia’s progressive metal pioneers Voyager have announced their long-awaited international return to the stage with a special night of music, comedy, and connection with their fans.

     In summer 2026, Voyager will present two carefully curated ‘evening with’ performances following an extraordinary and challenging period for the band, including frontman Danny Estrin’s two-year battle with terminal cancer. Against the odds, Voyager returns to the stage to share a unique live experience that goes beyond a traditional concert - blending performance and storytelling. Join Voyager "Through the Storms and Stars" and be a part of their continuing legacy.


Dates:

29th July - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
31st July - Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK

Tickets on general sale Friday 30th January 2026 via: https://ffm.live/throughstormsandstars 


The band will also be performing a regular festival slot at UK's RADAR Festival on 2nd August.  This will be a deeply meaningful celebration of resilience, creativity, and community, honouring one of Australia’s most internationally respected heavy music exports following their landmark  Eurovision appearance.


Danny Estrin says: 

     “Every show I get to play with Voyager from now on is so special- to be able to do something so intimate and interactive as these two concerts is not only a celebration of music, but also a beautiful opportunity to share stories, laughs and tears with our amazing fans.”


     In addition to the above, this week Voyager released their 2025 Perth comeback show Voyager By Night - Live at Magnet House on YouTube for fans to watch: ​https://youtu.be/wXLCECMG054

Fans can purchase new merch designs from their new webstores at https://voyagerau.com


Voyager will be offering limited access to a two tiered VIP experience prior to the shows via Soundrink and you can purchase upgrades here: soundrink.co/voyager

Tier 1 = Soundcheck access (Limited to 20) = Fans will have the opportunity to:

Witness a part of Voyager’s soundcheck
Hear an exclusive song not in the set
Partake in a Q&A 
Meet the band + Have a professional photo taken
Be part of a group VIP photo
Receive a signed poster + Voyager goody bag
Have early access to the merch stand 


Tier 2  = Standard meet and greet (Limited to 30) = Fans will have the opportunity to:

Meet the band + Have a professional photo taken
Be part of a group VIP photo
Receive a signed poster + Voyager goody bag
Have early access to the merch stand 

​
Instagram https://instagram.com/voyagerau 
Facebook https://facebook.com/voyageraustralia 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/voyageraustralia 
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/16fltNcwTM5V9rnxIlcha4?si=z-RAbUTnTOCEytOFXCRPNw

     Unique Leader Records is proud to announce the UK / EU Unique Legion tour, featuring  Vulvodynia (SA), The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Bonecarver & Bound In Fear.


Dates:
​

• Apr 21: UK London The Underworld
• Apr 22: UK Bristol The Exchange
• Apr 23: UK Birmingham The Asylum
• Apr 24: UK Derby The Hairy Dog
• Apr 25: UK Glasgow Audio
• Apr 26: UK Newcastle Anarchy Brewery
• Apr 27: UK Manchester Rebellion

 

• Apr 28: UK Leeds The Key Club
• Apr 29: UK Plymouth The Junction
• Apr 30: UK Southampton The Joiners
• May 02: FR Paris Glazart
• May 03: CH Aarau KiFF
• May 04: DE Munich Backstage
• May 05: CZ Republic Prague Underdogs

 

• May 06: PL Wrocław Liverpool
• May 07: DE Dresden Puschkin
• May 08: DE Berlin Cassiopeia
• May 09: DK Copenhagen Stengade
• May 10: DE Hamburg Logo
• May 11: DE Mannheim MS Connexion Complex
• May 12: DE Oberhausen Kulttempel
• May 13: NL Rotterdam Baroeg
• May 14: BE Gentbrugge Asgaard

Tickets on sale Monday 10 AM GMT at: https://www.avocadobooking.com/avocms/item/unique-legion-eu-uk-tour-2023


https://www.uniqueleader.com
https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords
https://www.instagram.com/uniqueleaderrecords/

     Desertfest Berlin has announced the first names for its 2023 edition, and is happy to welcome  Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, The Obsessed King Buffalo, Church Of Misery, Dozer, Blood Ceremony, L.A. Witch, Somali Yacht Club, Gnod, Ecstatic Vision, Daily Thompson, Gaupa and  Psychlona, with many more acts to be announced soon!

     Taking place between May 19 - 21, 2023 will see a venue change from the Arena to  Columbiahalle and Columbia Theater, with additional outdoor space & stage. Weekend tickets for Desertfest Berlin 2023 will be on sale this Friday, October 28th at 12PM CET via  www.desertfest.de   
​
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

     Slay bells are about to ring, as three-time Grammy-nominated hard rock heavyweights and platinum-selling band Killswitch Engage have announced a trio of holiday season shows.

     The band will play at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville NJ on December 28; at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on December 29; and a hometown show at The Palladium in Worcester, MA on December 30.


     Rivers of Nihil, Unearth, and a third opener to be announced will serve as support at all three shows. Get tickets here.

     "It's been a while since we've been able to do a holiday show so let's fix that," says singer Jesse Leach. "We are stoked to announce these three 'holiday-themed' shows, which will surely be fun and maniacal. Expect things to be out of control and crazy! It will be rounded out by the prolific — and a band favourite — with Rivers of Nihil, as well as our old school friends in Unearth. The sets, the stage, and the vibe will be like no other Killswitch show you have seen! This will be a perfect send off for us as we head into the studio for our new record! Let's do this my friends!"


KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ON TOUR:

12/28 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom*
12/29 — Huntington, NY — The Paramount*
12/30 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium**

*Rivers of Nihil main support, followed by Unearth and opener
**Unearth main support, followed by Rivers of Nihil and opener


     KSE are currently wrapping up a successful Fall 2022 tour with Lamb of God. Before that, the band enjoyed a sold-out North America trek with August Burns Red and Light the Torch.

     The band's latest album Atonement is out now via Metal Blade Records.

     Swedish metal heroes Sabaton have revealed their special guests for the UK and European leg of their upcoming "TOUR TO END ALL TOURS". Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.


     "We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023," says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."

     “If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”


     Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! MAJINAI (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album "Metal Galaxy" released October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at  Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, at Japan's extra show DARK NIGHT CARNIVAL.


SABATON - THE TOUR TO END ALL TOURS
Special Guest: BABYMETAL
Support: LORDI

• 14.04. UK Leeds – First Direct Arena
• 15.04. UK London – OVO Arena Wembley
• 16.04. UK Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
• 18.04. UK Glasgow – OVO Hydro
• 21.04. FR Paris – Zenith

 

• 22.04. DE Frankfurt – Festhalle
• 24.04. DE Hamburg – Barclays Arena
• 25.04. LU Esch / Alzette – Rockhal
• 28.04. SE Stockholm – Avicii Arena
• 29.04. NO Oslo – Spektrum

 

• 30.04. DK Copenhagen – Royal Arena
• 02.05. DE Hannover – ZAG Arena
• 03.05. NL Amsterdam – Ziggo Dome
• 05.05. DE Berlin – Mercedes Benz Arena
• 06.05. DE Leipzig – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
• 07.05. AT Vienna – Stadthalle

 

• 09.05. PL Lodz – Atlas Arena
• 10.05. CZ Ostrava – Arena Ostrava
• 12.05. DE Cologne – Lanxess Arena
• 13.05. BE Antwerp – Sportpaleis
• 15.05. DE Munich – Olympiahalle

​

• 18.05. EE Tallinn – Saku Arena
• 19.05. FI Helsinki – Ice Hall
• 20.05. FI Kuopio – Kuopio Hall

Tickets for the UK shows will be on sale from 10am Friday 21st October here:
https://www.sabaton.net/tour/

     No one would have thought, that they would recover from their singers withdrawal - but German melodic metal act Serious Black presents themselves stronger than ever before. Following their latest, much acclaimed studio album "Vengeance Is Mine", that entered the German album charts at rank 16  in a quite difficult week and also found its way into the international charts, finally, they announced an upcoming headliner tour, kicking off this November!

​
Says guitarist Dominik: 

     "We are so much looking forward to enter the stages and rock with you all again! We are proud to present you our new line-up live to perform many songs of our recent album "Vengeance Is Mine" as well as some classics from out the Serious Black band history! Get your tickets now, rock with us and lets spend an amazing evening together!“

Make sure to get your tickets now & don’t miss Serious Black live at the following dates:

• 24.11.22 (CH) Pratteln -  Z 7 *
• 25.11.22 (DE) Bochum - Matrix *
• 26.11.22 (DE) Stuttgart - Club Zentral *
• 27.11.22 (AT) Salzburg - Rockhouse *
• 29.11.22 (BE) Bilzen - South of Heaven *

• 30.11.22 (DE) Bremen - Tivoli *
• 01.12.22 (DE) Saarbrücken - Garage *
• 02.12.22 (DE) Schirnding - Gemeindehalle*
• 03.12.22 (CZ) Zlin - Winter Masters of Rock Festival **
• 04.12. 22 (HU) Budapest - Analog Music Hall **

• 06.12.22 (DE) Berlin - Privatclub **
• 07.12.22 (DE) Hamburg - Logo ***
• 08.12.22 (DE) Frankfurt - Nachtleben **
• 09.12.22 (NL) Tilburg - Little Devil **
• 10.12.22 (DE) Monheim - Sojus 7 **
• 11.12.22 (DE) München - Backstage**
  
  

* w. Skeletoon & Induction  ** w. Seven Thorns & Magical Heart
*** w. Seven Thorns, Magical Heart & Induction

     What better way to celebrate the festive period than with some live heavy metal? The inimitable  Forged In Black return to live action this December with two killer shows - one a hometown celebration at Chinnery's in Southend and one a NWOBHM extravaganza at The Cart & Horses  in  Stratford - the birth place of Iron Maiden!

     So, on December 9th Forged In Black headline a celebratory show at Chinnery's with support coming from ChemiQueen, Reverent Son and Virgin Witch. Find full details at the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/649072680161003


     Then on December 17th Forged In Black top the bill at the famous Cart & Horses in Stratford, East London, playing alongside reborn NWOBHM legends Marquis De Sade and Kev Riddles' Baphomet performing a set of classic Angel Witch songs!

Tickets for this special show are available from:
https://www.seetickets.com/event/marquis-de-sade-k-r-s-baphomet-forged-in-black/cart-and-horses/2434474


and further event details can be found at the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/6058839800796792


     Expect to hear a lot more from the band over the coming months as the forge is burning hotter than ever!

​Visit the Forged In Black website
Follow Forged In Black on Facebook
For more information on Forged In Black click here

     Iron Maiden will be bringing a new tour to Europe in the Summer of 2023 including arena shows in the UK & Ireland. THE FUTURE PAST TOUR will feature previously unperformed songs from the band’s most recent studio album, Senjutsu, along with a focus on 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts.
 
     Dates are as below. Tickets go on sale from Friday 14th October at 9am via LiveNation.co.uk. As always there will be an exclusive pre-sale for Iron Maiden fanclub members.
 

Says founder member and bassist Steve Harris,

      “Following the release of our latest album, Senjutsu, we updated the current Legacy of the Beast Tour a little by opening the show with the first three songs from it, with the Japanese Palace stage set. As it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repeat this for a Senjutsu album tour, we thought about other options and we’ve decided to revisit Somewhere In Time as that tour didn’t feature in the various retrospective history tours we’ve played over the years. They were based on our 80’s concert videos and sadly we did not film that tour (blame the manager!!). We have had lots of requests from fans over the years for many tracks on it so we are now going to play them, plus of course a few others we know you will like! It will also be particularly satisfying to finally get to play some of the more epic tracks on Senjutsu, it's been a long wait! 2023 is going to be an exciting time and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again in the UK, Ireland and around Europe”.
 

Manager, Rod Smallwood adds

      “This combination of the two albums we feel is very exciting. We know fans want to hear those epic cuts on Senjutsu for the first time live and we think that by combining it with an iconic album like Somewhere In Time it will make for another really special tour for fans old and new! Of course, for a new album tour in Europe and the UK we will go back largely to the relative intimacy of arenas and we know fans will be very happy about that too!”
 

The band are currently in North America in the final stages of their spectacular Legacy Of The Beast World Tour, interrupted for two years by Covid with many shows rescheduled twice. The tour actually started in Tallin, Estonia in May 2018, the first of 139 shows in 33 countries. By the last show in Tampa, Florida on Oct 27 this year the band will have played to over THREE MILLION fans on this epic world tour.
 

Support on the UK & Ireland tour will be announced at a later date. The shows are:
 

JUN 24                3 ARENA, DUBLIN                                                IRELAND
JUN 26                OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW                                    SCOTLAND
JUN 28                FIRST DIRECT ARENA, LEEDS                           ENGLAND
JUN 30                AO ARENA, MANCHESTER                                 ENGLAND
JUL 03                 MOTORPOINT ARENA, NOTTINGHAM               ENGLAND
JUL 04                 UTILITA ARENA, BIRMINGHAM                           ENGLAND
JUL 07                 O2 ARENA, LONDON                                           ENGLAND      
 

Other European shows also announced today are:
 
JUN 13                TAURON ARENA, KRAKOW                                  POLAND
JUN 19                HALLENSTADION, ZURICH                                   SWITZERLAND
JUL 11                 ZIGGO DOME, AMSTERDAM                                THE NETHERLANDS
JUL 13                 SPORTPALEIS, ANTWERP                                     BELGIUM
JUL 15                 THE RETURN OF THE GODS FESTIVAL, MILAN  ITALY
 
​
A previously announced headline performance at the August 2023 W.O.A Festival in Wacken, Germany sold out in record time.
 
Further dates for THE FUTURE PAST TOUR will be announced later. Keep up to date here www.ironmaiden.com
 
As in previous years there will be the opportunity to enjoy the Trooper VIP experience at many of the venues. Watch out for local details. 

     While She Sleeps revealed to a rapt audience at Alexandra Palace, whilst supporting Parkway Drive on Friday night, that they'd be headlining the very same venue in just under a year's time on 23rd September 2023. At the culmination of the electrifying set, the band's crew rolled out a handmade announcement banner, to an uproarious response. Tickets for the unmissable evening will be on sale this Friday at 10am.

     "We’re gunna be a bunch of fucking punx in a palace haha," say While She Sleeps of the event. "This show will be the embodiment of our entire life’s work. Prepare for the biggest Sleeps show imaginable. It’s time for us to take that leap & we’ve never been more ready. For us, headlining our first arena-sized venue is proof that if we can do this, YOU the people have the potential to do anything. We’re here to make our stamp on history, not wait around for permission."


     While She Sleeps released a special expanded edition of latest album ‘Sleeps Society’ via Search & Destroy / Spinefarm earlier this year, which included blistering new track 'Eye To Eye', for which the band self-produced and directed the most epic of cinematic music videos. 

     The original version of ‘Sleeps Society’ was released in April 2021, to critical and fan acclaim. The band chose a non-chart-eligible retailer local to them to push the album, which racked up first week numbers that would have landed them in the Official Charts Top Ten. Co-produced by While She Sleeps guitarist Sean Long and long-time collaborator Carl Bown, ‘Sleeps Society’ was nominated for Best Production at this year’s Heavy Music Awards with the band also nominated in Best Live Artist and Best UK Artist categories, and ultimately winning the inaugural "Innovation" award for their trail-blazing fan-oriented society itself. The album’s single ‘Nervous’, which features Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro on guest vocals, reached the BBC Radio 1 Playlist, provoking discussion around mental health struggles and coping strategies, drawing upon Sean Long’s own experiences with anxiety. 


     While She Sleeps have been flexing their profound live prowess worldwide this year, appearing at a plethora of European festivals including Hellfest, Graspop and Hurricane & Southside. They also supported Wage War in North America, as well as headlining Australia over the summer and currently touring Europe and the UK with Parkway Drive.  



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