As the Unholy Alliance tour continues to roll through the UK, Adam Curson sends us in this review of the Birmingham show. Thanks Adam! “Holy crap, How can you guys be involved in such hardcore tours? I’ve been to gigs for years and this was by far the best gig i’ve been to this year. I got into the venue ad got to a beer before mastadon, after hearing there new album i wanted to see them and they were impressive. After what seemed like only a few minutes Tear it down started and one of my favourate bands took to the stage. Hatebreed was insane, After seeing these guys live 4 times this was the best pit of there i’ve been a part of. They played loads off Rise of brutality but didn’t dissapoint anyone. The huge circle pit was a bit of a loss (like my front tooth) witch seemed to dissaper in the middle of it all. ALot of the crowd seemed to get into them and i’m sure hatebreed will have some new fans after a blazeing performance. Again after a really quick change over the masters music hit and Slayer took to the stage. An hour and 5 minutes of pure agression and all the classic track thrown in. I was told from the stands at one point there were 6 circle pits going. Words can’t describe how intense these guys are on stage and how everyone should see them at least once! With live tracks like War, Angel of death, South of heaven, Dead skin mask and raining blood in there set list the whole floor was moving. I missed the intro to slipknot as water was vital or i would have passed out. I got into the crowd half way through “the blister exists” They seemed to play alot from there new album and sometracks didn’t seem to go down with the crowd, but withe tracks like (sic) and eyeless sandwitched between them the crowdsurfers were flying across the crowd. The sound of thousands of slipknot fans singing duality was mindblowing! There were mosh pits aplenty during the encore wich consisted of people = shit, wait and bleed and surfacing. After losing my tooth, my hearing and 3/4 of my slayer shirt and gaining a ton of cuts/scratches and bruises i gotta say roadrunner you pulled out the plugs on this tour. how long till roadrage )” Adam Curson

Your reviews from the Unholy Alliance tour are great to read… we’re not sure which show Matt Frewin went to, but it sounds like an awesome time was had (even though you missed some of Hatebreed – shame on you)! Thanks Matt. “After arriving a little late, and missing half of Hatebreed’s set, we soon were rejuvenated by the immense presence of quite possibly the two best bands to ever walk the face of the Earth, Slayer and Slipknot. Whilst almost getting myself killed in a brutal moshpit during Slayer, I decided to get myself crushed to death as soon as Raining Blood began by running as far to the front as I could, leaving my friends oblivious to whether or not I was alive 🙂 I don’t know, just the sight of blood raining all over Slayer as they played an aptly titled track made me get as close as possible for the best effect. Shortly after being almost dismembered in the pit, during the break between Slayer and Slipknot I decided some re-hydration was in order. I found one of my friends and dragged him to the nearest bar for some cool beers. We couldn’t take any more than a step without seeing masses of die-hard fans screaming for what they all love the most. “SLAYER!!”, “SLIPKNOT” echoing around the arena like being in a battlefield. Everyone we talked to on the way were full of adrenaline, all of their pants already filled with poop from the greatness of Slayer. There was more to come… Piling back down towards the stage, we decided maybe we should chill out for Slipknot and stand back to watch their brilliant performance, being musicians and all we wanted to hopefully learn something from them! Unfortunately (well, not really) we soon decided that standing around was no place for us, and immediately charged straight back into the pit. It took us most of Slipknot’s set to get anywhere near the front, the closest being when I got one hand on the front barriers, only to be crushed between hundreds of crazy fans shortly after. Ending with Surfacing, Slipknot really rapped up the night for us, bringing us everything we had wanted from the gig. All in all, I wish I could go to every single date on the Unholy Alliance tour to see two bands that have conquered the Earth, and won’t be going away anytime soon. To play with them would be an honour and a dream, and one day maybe we’ll do it in our band. Until then, watching them play is more than enough to inspire us and millions of others around the world!!”

Another review of the Unholy Alliance show in Glasgow, this one by Richy Muirhead, about Hatebreed & Slipknot. “HATEBREED When Hatebreed came on the place just burst into madness! It was there first time playing in Scotland so they didn’t know what to expect from us. They opened with ‘Tear it down’, it got us all going! Hatebreed are really energetic live, there always moving from one side of the stage. They played a good range of songs from both Perseverance and The Rise Of Brutality. Oh it kicked ass! They played an older song and demanded to see the biggest circle pit, so the Scottish fans got to work and made a badass pit! The song kicked in and it was mayhem. Crowd surfers in every direction! The place was alive! They thanked us for being so kick ass and welcoming them onto the tour and to Scotland. They played there final song.í¢ä‰åŒ_my personal favourite, I Will Be Heard. This just made if for me! At the end Jamey Jasta through me the hornsí¢ä‰åŒ_.hatebreed played a brilliant set! I preferred it from the Donnington one and that was insane! SLIPKNOT The lights dimmed and the ringing of Prelude 3.0 on the PA system started the Slipknot set. Fans grew nervous and started chants throughout this intro. Soon enough the 8 members made the stage and opened with ‘The Blister Exists’ this really got the crowd fired with the build up! I was on the barrier and the crowd surfers just kept coming, more and more! It was crazy! After this they played sic, pulse of the maggots and three nil and everyone was just moshing and going nuts! Slipknot played a really good set. When ‘Vermilion’ came on they all appeared in their death masks. This was quite freaky at first but it was awesome to seeí¢ä‰åŒ_it fits the song so well. Everything they did when playing this song was slowed down. I remember Chris hitting the percussion slowly and gentle. It was weird! Mick was also starting at fans really freakish and still playing the song perfectly on guitar! It was ace! After this they played some older stuff like eyeless, disasterpiece, wait and bleed, heretic anthem, and spit it out. During the break down of ‘Spit it out’ Corey wanted us too all get down on the ground and when he says ‘jump the fuck up’ we all must do that! We all did it, and it was crazy! Everyone just jumped the fuck up! They also played Duality. The crowd was so loud for this one! Shawn was really hitting the drum at the break down with his bat! After this we had ‘Wait and Bleed’ its just a classic! I think everyone in the room appreciated it. Again everyone was being very loud for this one, it was great! They played their last song for usí¢ä‰åŒ_Surfacing. Our International Fuckin Anthem! Everyone, and I mean everyone in the venue had their middle finger in the air for the chorus of this song! It was so loud and perfect! Great song to end of the night with! The set was immense! Some really great songs. I think seeing Vermilion played live made my day, especially being on the barrier. Oh it ruled man! I hope the rest of the shows on this tour go just as well, if notí¢ä‰åŒ_better! All the bands rocked m/ I had a great night! m/” Richy Muirhead

We asked you to send in your reviews of the Unholy Alliance dates…. here is the first posted, from the Glasgow show. Thanks to Chris Robb for writing in. “I saw this show in glasgow! What can i say? If I wanted to kick myself in the testicles for days on end it wouldnt have been as brutal as this!! Mastodon- 20 minute set but this band will be seen raising hell for years upon years! if they had a longer set thye would have literally leveled the SECC! This just went from crushing rift to crushing rift with terrorising vocals. I havent heard much by them but i was very impressed. Hatebreed- When Mastodon announced they would be on i screamed as loud as i could! The guy next to me said take it you like hatebreed too? My answer F**k yeh! Well then its my first gig you better join me in the pit! Well this pit was unbeilevablely insanse! And this was as crazy as i thought it would get!! Bugger me was i wrong! The crushing songs This is Now, Beholder of Justice and Live for This *only songs i can remember because i had such a good time*. They destroyed the SECC. Bodies were everywher and wondering how they could cope with the next 2 bands! Hatebreed left a mark which would have to be met by the next bands to make this a gig to remember!! Slayer- I was dissapointed with this. Just because Slayer are loud as f**k and also fast as f**k dosent make you a great live band. They releaded so much on the lights to try and make it work it just didnt do anything for me. I actually went to the bar during this. BUt it got better as the set ended. apart from God Hates Us All the set seemed dead although everyone was pitting like a CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER and it was their last chance to live! Angel of Death, South of Heaven, Post Mortem and the best live song ever Reign in Blood * being condradictive i know but it is* sent me into a frenzy and the pits grew bigger and bigger. The set seemed to pick up. BUt it still lacked that killer instinct. Slipknot- Without Craig how would the 8 man wrecking machine destroy glasgow? With F**KING EASE! i have never EVER seen a set like this! Prelude 3.0 as an intro. Set the theme of the night. We might have new songs but we still tear every place to fucking pieces! The killer anthems Sic,Eyeless,3 nil, People equal shit all got crazier reactions than all the other bands put TOGETHER. Nothing could quite prepare anyone for Duality though. Corey gave a heartwarming speech about craig (or spikehead as he affectionately called him) and told the crowd to sing loud enough he’ll hear us in america. Well bugger me. I could just hear joey knocking the crap out of the drums. It was insane. Everyone knew word for word and boy did they sing it with power and passion! Spit it out saw the crowd kneel down and jump about 50 feet in the air!! Wait and Bleed set the crowd up for the amazing finish that is the New International FUcking anthem SURFACING! The crowd went even crazier because it was the last song! They walked off to Circle. Best gig ive ever been to. Nothing can touch this for power,passion and all out balls up heavy fucking metal! A gig should be more like this. Stripped back to the bar essantials and let the music do the talking! If you missed this then you missed a life changing moment! You saw the past,present and future of metal! Im glad its in safe hands and ill see great shows for years to come.” Chris Robb

Just posted: brand new live photos from the Mean Fiddler London show of 36 Crazyfists and Eighteen Visions! Check them out HERE and HERE on the band’s photo gallery pages! 36CF instore photos from Newcastle coming soon.

Fresh off the road, from touring in South America, Cradle Of Filth are back on UK soil again. And that means we sat Dave down with your questions from his Ask The Artist spot, and now his answers are in. Read them HERE. (And send in a question for Obituary too, while you are there.) In other COF news, the band posted the following message following the tour: “South American tour ended last night on a high note in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brilliant crowd and venue. The whole tour as been a great success and we want to thank all the great fans and people who have helped us make this first time down here so great. We hope to return again sometime soon to play more new songs from “Nymphetamine”, which should be released over the next few weeks in all the countries we have played. A tour report with pictures will be added early this coming week.” Do stop by the band’s website also, for the aforementioned Dave Pybus and bandmate Paul Allender have redesigned it!

While you are waiting for the new Slipknot single to be released, and perhaps nursing some bruises from the ‘Knot mosh pit, cast your eyes over this brand new Slipknot E-Card at: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/slipknot/rr. Test your ‘Knotledge in the Vermilionaire quiz, learn some new Slipknot trivia, check out the song lyrics, watch the video, win a personalised gold disc… and a whole lot more. Nine whole sections, for nine band members… (just click on each mask).

Do you like DevilDriver? Ever wondered what a band’s rehearsal space might look like? DevilDriver has a new video out for the song “Nothing’s Wrong?” which is a great old-school, no bullshit, pure metal video. Directed by acclaimed director Joe Lynch (KATAKLYSM, COAL CHAMBER), this new video was shot entirely in DevilDriver’s actual rehearsal space in Santa Barbara, CA. Lynch won “Filmmaker of the Year” in the Village Voice (Best of Long Island edition, 1999) for his horror shorts “mAHABRA” and “hiBeams,” Joe is known for his morbid, devious, and hilarious sense of humor, which he applies liberally to his videos. You can check out this fast paced, straight up metal video by going to the VIDEO page.

On December 2nd Satyricon kick off their second US Tour this year. The tour will include our very own Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls) playing drums for Satyricon! The never ending saga of Satyricon drummer Frost’s inability to enter the US due to heightened homeland security has united Satyr and long time friend Joey Jordison for this three-week run of dates. Satyr has questioned touring possibilities in the US, “Frost’s Visa to enter the States case has made everything extremely difficult for us and there have even been times I’ve thought to give up on touring America.í¢ä‰åŒ Satyr enthuses, í¢ä‰åñI’m just very glad that we have a new tour lined up. I think all of our fans stateside will agree that Satyricon deserve a better chance to establish the band and our style of music we believe in than, more so than we’ve had so far. I think our music, our effort and all the people who believe in Satyricon in the US want us to succeed and Joey Jordison is a good example of that. I never had to convince him that touring with Satyricon would be “cool”. It was rather a question of overcoming the practical obstacles with Joey being a key member of a very successful band. His enthusiasm and skills are exactly what Satyricon needs to raise the spirit in the camp. I have looked for drummers over here and most of them are afraid they can’t match Frost’s level of drumming so they pull out before we even get started with them. Joey and I have spent a lot of time making sure he is well prepared and it is nice to be able to fulfill the wishes of all the fans I talked to on the Morbid Angel tour who wanted to see us play in America. Satyricon is coming back!” Dates lined up so far include (subject to change): Thu Dec-02 – San Francisco, CA Slim’s/The Pound Fri Dec-03 – Los Angeles, CA House of Blues/The Roxy Sat Dec-04 – Anaheim, CA House of Blues Sun Dec-05 – Phoenix, AZ The Marquee Tue Dec-07 – Austin, TX Trees Wed Dec-08 – Houston, TX Engine Room Thu Dec-09 – Dallas, TX Back Room Fri Dec-10 – Tulsa, OK The Other Side Sat Dec-11 – St. Louis, MO Pop’s Sun Dec-12 – Chicago, IL House of Blues Mon Dec-13 – Detroit, MI Harpo’s Wed Dec-15 – New York, NY BB Kings Thu Dec-16 – Worcester, MA The Palladium Fri Dec-17 – Philadelphia, PA Trocadero/TLA Sat Dec-18 – Springfield, VA Jaxx Sun Dec-19 – TBA Mon Dec-20 – TBA Tue Dec-21 – TBA

So, if you dig deep in your memory banks you might remember we have spoke of the most awesome Thredz from Sensor Studios on this site before. (Now you’ll note that name on many RR e-cards & websites if you don’t.) Thredz & his buddy took in the very first show of the Unholy Alliance tour in Glasgow this past Sunday night. Yes, Mastodon, Hatebreed, Slayer and Slipknot. Now, Thredz has been to a fair few shows in his time… so what did he think of this one?? “Dude… seriously. My mate & I have been going to shows since we were 16. And in all that time, this has to be the most intense show we’ve ever been too. I swear, it’d have been cheaper just to batter myself with a baseball bat for 5 hours.” The Unholy Alliance tour steamrolls into Birmingham tonight… win tickets to the tour & meet the band at www.unholyalliance.co.uk Send us in YOUR reviews of the tour – best reviews posted win Slipknot stuff…