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Iced Earth
Annihilator – Special Guest
Turisas – Support 
The Wicked World Tour – chapter 1 Europe
Kulturbolaget
Sweden
21/10 – 2007

Reviewed by: Anders Sandvall
Pictures by: Anders Sandvall

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Wacken Open Air 2007 

Wacken is a blessed mecca of the whole metal world. Again this year it was entirely sold out when ten thousands of metal manics travelled from all around the world to gather and witness plenty of ass kicking bands. The weather forecast for Wacken didn’t look that promising. The chaotic and muddy mess caused by long and heavy rains rampaged the ground during the whole summer. The  festival often provides a survival test to every visitor with its mud and crap. But but gods of metal had seen the light and blessed the whole three day metal inferno with tremendous extreme heat and a sunny weekend. Things could not be better…sun, metal and beer. That combination is nothing but an utter perfect way to enjoy the metallic mayhem at Wacken.

As usual, the true metal commando team from Metal-Rules.Com was there again witnessing a helluva lot of great bands and above all an unexpected huge fire in the main area. Feel, see and enjoy this article.

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Article and pics by Arto Lehtinen and Marko Syrjälä

(Addiotional comments by J. Huovila – Thanks)

Wow! This is the seventh time that the Finnish Metal-Rules squad made an invasion to the mighty Swedenrock festival. Almost 70 bands descended upon the southern area of Sweden for a festival that turned out to be an utter blast from the beginning to the end! The bill of Swedenrock festival 2007 covers a wide range of metal styles and even classic rock stuff such as Kreator to Black Oak Arkansas and everything between. Therefore, there was at least something for everyone who attended the festival. As usual, the whole festival was once again sold out with around 30,000 people at the area every day. The Swedenrock festival has always had tremendous luck with the weather every year. Once again the gods of weather had given their blessing for this rocking metallic heaven on the earth with an extreme hot and sunny weekend that burned red the skin of several festival goers.

As written in the first sentence, this is already the seventh time that the Swedenrock festival has been featured in the site of Metal-Rules.com, so it is quite logical for us to give an in-depth article of several bands performing at Swedenrock. However we are not able to cover every band, but hopefully you will have a pleasant reading moment… Enjoy !!!

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TIM “RIPPER” OWENS

Iced Earth is making a return to the limelight and has been booked to a few European festivals and will heading to tour as a supporter for Heaven and Hell. At the Swedenrock festival we got the great opportunity of having a small chat with the front man of Iced Earth as well as Beyond Fear, Tim Ripper Owens. Iced Earth will be unleashing their new album called “Framing Armageddon” via SPV. The album’s story continues of the saga of the trilogy from SOMETHING WICKED. Owens tells us more about the concept of the album and plans to get on the road again.  
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INTERVIEW AND PICTURES BY
MARKO SYRJÄLÄ AND ARTO LEHTINEN

Transcription by HannTu

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Tim “Ripper” Owens of BEYOND FEAR

Interview by Luxi Lahtinen & “The Sentinel” KILLgast
Live pictures by Luxi Lahtinen

Thanks to Sari Ikolampi for the help with transcription

The legendary New York Speed/Thrash Metal patrol Anthrax visited to Helsinki, Finland 21st of April on their “Cursed Earth” Euro-tour, bringing along Beyond Fear with them; a new band fronting no less than Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Winters Bane, ex-Judas Priest, Iced Earth, Brainicide). As most of you should be aware of the band by now, the band has been built around 5 experienced musicians off which two members, John Comprix on guitar and Dennis Hayes on bass, have also won their spurs in Winters Bane whereas Dwane Bihary (on rhythm guitar) has previously played in Missing Skin and Eric Elkins (on drums) destroyed his drumkit in such line-ups as Cyptkicker and All You Fear. 

As Beyond Fear´s self-titled debut album has already been impressing a large number of metal fans all around the world with its straight-forward, heavy, somewhat Priest-tinged yet honest modern sounding Heavy Metal approach, it became way too tempting to avoid meeting Mr. “Ripper” here in Helsinki, and ask him about the ground reasons for forming Beyond Fear. And that´s what we did eventually; sat down comfortably at the dressing room of the band and started inquiring a fair number of things about the band in sheer excitement.

Here´s the whole conversation with Tim “Ripper” Owens in its entire lenght yet uncencosed form in which we couldn´t completely avoid asking about Priest, Iced Earth or Winters Bane either.

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ANTHRAX
with Beyond Fear (feat. Tim “Ripper” Owens)
The 21th of April 2006
Nosturi, Helsinki
Finland

Review by Arto Lehtinen

Pics by Tero Honkasalo

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Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth / Demons & Wizards

Interviewed in March 2000 by EvilG

To me, Iced Earth are like the saviors of American METAL. They, and a small but growing handful of bands from the US, are playing what I consider to be REAL METAL. The latest piece of excitement for all Iced Earth and Blind Guardian fans is the much hyped (and deservedly so) collaboration of Jon Schaffer and Hansi Kursch called Demons & Wizards. I was given the opportunity to talk to Jon about this band and about what’s in store for us with regards to Iced Earth.

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Iced Earth – Interview With Jon Schaffer
Interviewed on Dec. 5, 1998 by EvilG

Iced Earth, a band that has been around for nearly 10 years yet still hasn’t made a noticeable impact in the USA. Why have they been the underdogs? I’ll tell you why, they have never sold out nor changed their sound to accommodate the flavor of the week. This is no bubble gum band and Jon makes no bones about it, Iced Earth are a heavy metal band.

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Interviewed by EvilG / Transcription by Duke
Questions by EvilG & Lord of the Wasteland
Promo Demons & Wizards Pics courtesy of Earsplit PR
Live Pics of Jon Schaffer by Lord of the Wasteland

The collaboration of Iced Earth songwriter/guitarist Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi K?rsch rocked the metal world in 2000 with the release of their self-titled debut. Now some five years later, they have found time to release another solid album entitled TOUCHED BY THE CRIMSON KING.  As usual, Jon is a great interview subject who gives lengthy answers without having to do any prodding. In fact, some of his detailed replies answered other questions I had for him! Since Jon was doing interviews in support of the new Demons & Wizards release, the bulk of this interview is about that band. However, I managed to squeeze in some Iced Earth stuff at the end.

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