RUSH's new album has been pushed back a week to May 8th.

Following on from the band's plea Sony/BMG have withdrawn the live
DEEP PURPLE album.

Ex-DARKNESS vocalist JUSTIN HAWKINS is lining-up as one of six
entrants hoping to win the UK nomination for the Eurovision song
contest. He sings a duet with Beverlei Brown.

Congratulations to FISH who is now engaged to HEATHER FINDLAY

Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash is to collaborate with writer
Anthony Bozza on an autobiography for Harper Collins due next year.

Guitarist Tyson Schenker, son of UFO/MSG's Michael, and
vocalist/bassist Jesse Hunter, whose dad is Mott The Hoople's Ian,
have a new unsigned band called The Audio Cartel. They currently
seek management. www.theaudiocartel.com

ALICE COOPER has set "Along Came a Spider" as the title of his new
studio album, due in May. His backing band currently features
guitarists Keri Kelli (QUIET RIOT) and Damon Johnson (BROTHER CANE),
bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Eric Singer (KISS).

PRESS RELEASES

TRISTANIA is sorry to announce that Vibeke [Stene, vocals] has
decided to leave the band due to personal reasons. The band regrets
this fact, but respect her decision and wish her all the best in the
future. TRISTANIA is now looking to find a new female singer, as
they are anxious to start touring and promoting the new album.
Please send demos, along with a recent photograph, to:
Tristania
Askeladdveien 12
N-4019 Stavanger
Norway

GIG NEWS

JOHN MARTYN
19TH MAY - WARWICK ARTS CENTRE - COVENTRY
21ST MAY - ROYAL CONCERT HALL - NOTTINGHAM
22ND MAY - THE ANVIL - BASINGSTOKE
24TH MAY - BOURNEMOUTH PAVILION - BOURNEMOUTH
28TH MAY - OPERA HOUSE - BUXTON
30TH MAY - FAIRFIELD HALLS - CROYDON
1ST JUNE - PHILHARMONIC HALL – LIVERPOOL

RUNRIG
3RD OCTOBER - YORK OPERA HOUSE - YORK
4TH OCTOBER - SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY - SHEFFIELD
5TH OCTOBER - NEWCASTLE CITY HALL - NEWCASTLE
6TH OCTOBER - KING GEORGES HALL - BLACKBURN
8TH OCTOBER - ROYAL CONCERT HALL - NOTTINGHAM
10TH OCTOBER - PRESTON GUILDHALL - PRESTON
11TH OCTOBER - THE CIVIC HALL - WOLVERHAMPTON
12TH OCTOBER - NORWICH U.E.A. - NORWICH
13TH OCTOBER - REGENT THEATRE - IPSWICH
15TH OCTOBER - PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS - PLYMOUTH
16TH OCTOBER - DERNGATE THEATRE - NORTHAMPTON
17TH OCTOBER - LEISURE CENTRE - GLOUCESTER
18TH OCTOBER - COLSTON HALL - BRISTOL
19TH OCTOBER - SOUTHAMPTON GUILDHALL - SOUTHAMPTON
20TH OCTOBER - THE ANVIL - BASINGSTOKE
22ND OCTOBER - CORN EXCHANGE - CAMBRIDGE
23RD OCTOBER - SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE – LONDON

NAPALM DEATH
15TH JUNE - THE CHARLOTTE - LEICESTER
17TH JUNE - WATERFRONT - NORWICH
7TH JULY - MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY - MANCHESTER
18TH JULY - THEKLA SOCIAL – BRISTOL

MIKA
14TH MAY - SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE - LONDON
16TH MAY - BARROWLAND - GLASGOW
17TH MAY - CARLING ACADEMY - BIRMINGHAM
18TH MAY - LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION – LEEDS

THE SCORPIONS (with ULI JON ROTH) + MSG
July 29 - Manchester Apollo – Manchester, UK
July 30 - Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK

NEW YORK DOLLS
March 24 – St James, Auckland
March 26 – Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne
March 28 – The Metro, Sydney
March 29 – Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane
March 31 – V Festival, Sydney
April 1 – V Festival, Gold Coast
April 3 – Memorial Drive, Adelaide
April 4 – Sydney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

OZZY OSBOURNE
MAY
27 - Moscow Olympissky Stadium
29 - St Petersburg New Arena
31 - Riga Arena Riga
JUNE
2 - Lithuania Siemens Arena
4 - Estonia Saku Arena
6 - Helsinki Hartwell Arena
8 - Norway Lerkendal Stadium
10 - Norway Spektrum Arena
13 - Copenhagen Forum
15 - Sweden Hultsfred Festival
17 - Holland Fields Of Rock Festival
19 - London Wembley Arena
22 - Spain Monsters of Rock
24 - Belgium Graspop Metal Festival
26 - Prague Saska Arena
28 - Munich Olymialle
30 - Milan Idropark Festival

THE FOUR ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF ASIA
01 Falmouth Pavillion
02 Bournemouth BIC Pavillion
04 Liverpool Academy
05 Perth Concert Halls
06 Glasgow Academy
07 Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre
08 Frome Cheese & Grain
11 Nottingham Rock City
12 Newcastle Academy
13 Manchester Academy
14 Wolverhampton Civic
16 London Shepherds Bush

THUNDER
NOVEMBER
Saturday 24th Newcastle City Hall
Sunday Glasgow Academy
Tuesday Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Wednesday Bristol Academy
Thursday 29th Norwich UEA
DECEMBER
Saturday 1st Manchester Academy
Sunday 2nd London Astoria
Monday 3rd Sheffield City Hall

FIREWIND
Apr. 21 - Peterborough, UK @ The Park
Apr. 22 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Apr. 23 - Glasgow, UK @ Cathouse
Apr. 24 - London, UK @ Underworld

REVIEWS

THOUGHT CHAMBER `Angular Perceptions' Inside Out (2007)
www.insideout.de

Debut album by US based prog metal band Thought Chamber who have
enlisted the vocals of Enchant's Ted Leonard for this album.
After giving this a fair few spins the album does start to gell
plus it features Ted Leonard who does such a great job fronting
Enchant. The first two tracks are pure early Dream Theater and not
bad at all, whilst `Silent Shore' is a short song that nicely breaks
up the album. Musically they are very competent although maybe
reigning in now and then on the soloing could have given a tighter
sound.
Worthy of investigating if you're a fan of Enchant, although this
album features more soloing than Enchant and fans of epic based
progressive metal.

***1/2
Jason Ritchie

E.L.O. `Out Of The Blue' Epic (2007) www.ftmusic.com

A `must have' album as simple as that! This is ELO's masterpiece
and it gets a 30th anniversary re-issue with three unreleased bonus
tracks and sleeve notes from Mr ELO himself Jeff Lynne. Of the three
bonus tracks, one is a short alternative bridge for `Wild West
Hero', `The Quick and the Daft' is a jaunty string led number
and `Latitude 88 North' is a classic ELO pop rocker.
As for the original album it is a classic and only `The Whale' is
the only track I skip, although fans of the Moog will dig the weird
and wonderful effects on here. Hits aplenty with `Turn To Stone',
the definitive ELO song `Mr Blue Sky', `Sweet Talkin' Woman'
and `Wild West Hero', which features a wonderful chorus. Side three
in LP terms was `Concerto For A Rainy Day', four great tunes topped
off with `Mr Blue Sky'. The ballad `Steppin' Out' is simply blissful
(lovingly covered a few years later by former Move singer Carl
Wayne), whilst `Jungle' sees the band in silly mode with Tarzan
yelps and listen out for the tap dancing!
Get the digipack version and you get the model ELO spaceship
inside! If you only ever have one ELO album make it this on (mind
you I would personally say get them all bar maybe their early more
progressive years which is an acquired taste). Music doesn't get any
better than this…

*****
Jason Ritchie