Tonight - KVELERTAK in Minneapolis, SANCTUARY in St. Paul

Hopefully you’re already aware of the three great shows taking place tonight. First, reactivated melodic thrash band Sanctuary will be playing Station 4 in St. Paul. Sanctuary was reformed by vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard following the demise of Nevermore. This is show is to celebrate The SwordLord’s 10th year promoting metal shows. Everyone in the Twin Cities area should be grateful for all of the great bands The SwordLord (Nathan Block) has brought to town over the years. Thanks, Nathan! Support for Sanctuary will come from Hollowstone, Avian, and Redshift. This is a 16+ show that starts around 6:00, and tickets are $25 at the door.

Nevermore performing December 11, 2000 in San Diego.

Watch the official video for "Future Tense" from the Sanctuary's 1990 album Into The Mirror Black.

RELATED CONTENT: You can download the audio of Nevermore on October 28, 1997 in North Kansas City here, and I’ve posted some old live pictures and promotional materials of both Sanctuary and Nevermore here.

Yes, visa problems forced Japan’s Loudness to CANCEL their show at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville tonight as reported in more detail last night. Local hard rock band Downtread will now do the show themselves with Arena. This is show is now free and the bar will have cheap beer specials. Downtread hits the stage at 10:00.

RELATED CONTENT: Check out the review (with pictures) of Loudness on May 19, 2011 at Ground Zero in Minneapolis, and you can also download the complete audio of the show.

Check out this great live video of Kvelertak performing "Spring Fra Livet" on Norwegian TV.

Another late show takes place tonight at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis where you can catch Norway’s confounding Kvelertak with Cancer Bats and Black Tusk. Showtime is 10:00 – it’s 18+ and tickets are $15 at the door.

RELATED CONTENT: Read the review of the new Kvelertak album, Meir, here (5/10).

LOUDNESS, HYPOCRISY Canceled

Loudness performing May 19, 2011 at Ground Zero in Minneapolis.

This is bad news, indeed - not one, but two big show cancellations. First, Loudness has cancelled their show tomorrow, Saturday, April 27 at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville due to visa issues. This was to be the first night of Loudness's short U.S. tour, and it's unclear at this time if this will force the cancelation of other dates. The promoter, Viking Rocker Productions has posted the following notice on the ticket sale page at Vital Culture:

"Viking Rocker Productions was just informed today that National Recording Artist Loudness has cancelled their appearance on Saturday April 27th.

"Our sincere apologies regarding the short notice due to visa issues that LOUDNESS will have to cancel the upcoming scheduled show with you 
Loudness Management" 

Pre-ordered tickets will be refunded as needed you MUST turn in your ticket to get a refund to place of purchase. 

Our Sincere Apologies
Viking Rocker Producitons"

Downtread will still perform tomorrow at the Hi 5 along with Arena - this will be a free show.

Hypocrisy performing May 23, 2010 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Visa issues today also forced the cancellation of the upcoming Hypocrisy tour as reported by Blabbermouth. The tour was scheduled to stop at Station 4 in St. Paul on Tuesday, May 7. According to this report Aborted has also dropped off the tour, but it will continue with Krisiun, Arsis, and Starkill. I'll post more details about this show when they are confirmed.

In Concert This Week - April 25, 2013

Looking ahead this week, Saturday, April 27 is huge night with three big shows around the metro. Over at Station 4 in St. Paul, the reformed Sanctuary makes their first area appearance with great local support from Hollowstone, Avian, and Redshift. Japan’s Loudness kicks off a short run of U.S. dates at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville with Downtread opening the show. Meanwhile, Norway’s new buzz band Kvelertak (their new album Meir is reviewed here, 5/10) play the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with Cancer Bats and Black Tusk. Fear not – Sanctuary will be done in time to get to the Hi 5 to see Loudness!!

Loudness performing May 19, 2011 at Ground Zero in Minneapolis. Click here for a review of this show with more pictures and the full audio download.

The audio of this old Nevermore show from The Politics Of Ecstasy tour is available here. A Sanctuary song was performed at this show!

On Sunday, April 28, locals Climactic are having an album release show for their Zerobudget Records debut Set The Rapture Ablaze at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis with Vessels For Our Ghost, We Are Legion, I Am Vengeance, and Earthrise.

For Misfits vocalist Michale Graves plays the Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 30 with Ripsnorter, Regenerators, and They Live. Across town at Station 4 in St. Paul the same night, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus headlines a show with Throw The Fight, Everysay, Imagine The Silence, The Phoenix Philosophy, and Charlie Siren.

The Garage in Burnsville has a huge metalcore bill on Thursday, May 2 with The Color Morale, My Ticket Home, Narrow Hearts, We Are The Blog, Broken City Skies, A Minor Set Back, Vessel For Tomorrow, In Search Of Solace, By The Thousands, and The Broken Are Crowned.

LOUDNESS - May 19, 2001

Loudness

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Ground Zero, Minneapolis, MN

Click any of the pictures to see more photos of Loudness performing live (37).

Japanese greats Loudness did a rare U.S. tour in the Spring of 2011 to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary. This show was a late addition to the initial batch of announced tour dates so this nearly missed my attention. Loudness never broke through in the U.S. and hadn’t toured here in over 20 years. I still remember all the hype in the mid-80s about guitarist Akira Takasaki being the “Japanese Eddie Van Halen”, so my expectations were high as I finally had a chance to see Loudness. The full show is at long last here for you to download.

Local industrial band As|Of opened the show followed by Mommy Sez No, who filled in for the last minute cancellations of Warmachine and Dirty Passion. The club wasn’t full, but there still was a good turnout by the time Loudness took the stage. As the intro music played the only thing visible was the LED lights from Akira’s fretboard before showcasing his shredding on the instrumental “Fire Of Spirit”. Vocalist Minoru Niihara then ran out as they launched into “Hit The Rails” and a crushing version of their most well-known song in the U.S., “Crazy Nights”. The intensity never let up for an instant as the band tore through a selection of songs from most stages of their long career. The guitarwork of Akira was simply insane as his fingers flew all over the frets seemingly without effort. Other highlights were the drum solo that led into “The King Of Pain” and the dramatic “Shadows Of War (Ashes In The Sky)”. An encore of “Let It Go” and “S.D.I.” closed out an amazing show.

This was easily one of the best and most memorable concerts in the last few years. It was also up there with Manowar as one of the loudest concerts I’ve ever experienced. The band was in great spirits throughout the night and fed off the rapturous crowd response. Loudness makes a return to the U.S. this month for a very limited run of dates that are not to be missed.

The download link is here. As always, please share, but share the link to this post rather than the direct Mediafire link. Enjoy!

Loudness

Thunder At Ground Zero

May 19, 2011

Minneapolis, MN, Ground Zero

mp3@192 kbps, 109 MB zip file (artwork included)

1. Intro/Fire Of Spirit (6:02)

2. Hit The Rails (4:36)

3. Crazy Nights (6:13)

4. Heavy Chains (5:12)

5. In The Mirror (4:13)

6. Never Change Your Mind (7:26)

7. Shadows Of War (Ashes In The Sky) (8:35)

8. Get Away (6:38)

9. Black Star Oblivion (4:20)

10. The King Of Pain (6:58)

11. Crazy Doctor (5:18)

12. Let It Go (6:04)

13. S.D.I. (7:28)

Total time: 79:03

Loudness performs Saturday, April 27 at the Hi Five Bar in Burnsville with support from Downtread.

Concert Announcements - March 15, 2013

Sludge rock band Jucifer, together with Witchden, play the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 24.

As was announced earlier, Japanese metal gods Loudness will put in a rare U.S. appearance on Saturday, April 27 at the Hi 5 in Burnsville with local support from Downtread.

Black Tusk has been added to the bill as support to the previously announced Kvelertak and Cancer Bats show on Saturday, April 27 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

Powerhouse L.A. vocalist Mandy Lion brings his band to Station 4 in St. Paul on Monday, May 13 with support from Hooligans Union and Crashmatic. Mandy Lion is best known for his work with the short-lived supergroup WWIII, which also featured guitarist Tracy G (Dio), bassist Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio), and drummer Vinny Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath). Their 1990 self-titled debut contains some of the most heavy, wicked riffs and vocals – check out “Time For Terror”. For the second WWIII album, 2003’s When God Turned Away, underappreciated guitar hero Joe Floyd (Warrior) laid down the riffs.

Prior to their May 21 in Rochester as direct support to Papa Roach, Escape The Fate headlines Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 11 with support from The Color Morale and Glamour Of The Kill. This is an all ages show, and tickets go on sale today, Friday, March 15 at 10:00 am.

Chicago metal band Hessler comes to Hi 5 in Burnsville on Saturday, June 15. Also on the bill the Judas Priest tribute band Electric Eye and Metal Witch.

Following his June 30 show at Buster’s in Mankato, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler brings his new band Adler to Station 4 in St. Paul the next night, Monday, July 1. VIP meet and greet tickets are available.

Last for this week: sure, it’s not metal, but fans of industrial metal will likely be interested in Depeche Mode. They will be playing the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Tuesday, August 27. Tickets go on sale April 6.