GWAR frontman Dave Brockie (a.k.a. Oderus Urungus) has released the following statement to MetalSucks:
"It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their longtime guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred.
"At this point, there is no word on arrangements and the disposition of the remainder of GWAR's current North American tour, nor are there any details regarding long-term plans. "At this point, we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today. "We ask that our fans and the media be respectful of our request for privacy for those that have suffered this terrible loss.
A full statement will be coming in the next day or so. In the meantime, please give your thoughts and your prayers to Cory, his family, and all the people that love him."
As if the the Polish death metal band DECAPITATED, have not had a rough go of it the past few years, they have now survived a plane crash too. Four years ago almost to the day drummer Vitek passed away after bus accident in Russia.
Decapitated have canceled their performance at the U.K.'s Damnation Festival this weekend after surviving a crash landing. The musicians were flying back to their native country from the United States when the plane they were on landed on its belly at Warsaw airport after trouble opening its landing gear. None of the 230 people aboard were hurt in Tuesday's accident, which caused the closure of Fryderyk Chopin Airport to arrivals and departures for more than 30 hours.
The pilot told passengers four hours into the flight from Newark, New Jersey that the plane faced technical problems, said another female passenger. "The pilot addressed us a number of times and said we should follow instructions. Later, a flight attendant said there might be a fire, and at that point people began to get nervous and uncertain," she said.
A representative for promoter DNA Networks has told Pollstar that the cancelation of METALLICA's performance at the Indian Formula 1 motor racing Grand Prix show on October 28 in Gurgaon (a suburb of Delhi) was caused by an "unruly" section of the crowd climbing over safety barriers and damaging the stage set.
Karuna Prithvi from the DNA's press department told Pollstar it's difficult to explain what sparked the fuss because "it was all so quick." Prithvi says the company always has barriers in place for its shows and the problem was caused when fans broke through them. She said unruly fans "vandalized and destroyed" a lot of stage equipment, which meant it was impossible to fix it and get permission for a new show within 24 hours.
Other media reports, however, claimed fans became unruly when the gates opened several hours later than the scheduled opening times. Still other media reports said fans became angry after DNA sold more tickets than the venue's estimated 30,000 capacity and because the organizers failed to inform ticket holders of the cancelation.
METALLICA issued a statement on its web site, explaining it was "deeply disappointed" about the gig's cancellation. The band added, "We arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play our first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However, immediately at the end of our afternoon press conference at a hotel near the venue, we were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans."
Police arrested four executives of DNA Networks over the weekend on reported fraud charges. The police have asked DNA's local bank to freeze its account while the investigation is still ongoing (although during preparations, DNA had given the local authorities a bank guarantee of $200,000). METALLICA performed Sunday in Bangalore, India, at the Palace Grounds before an estimated 50,000 fans. METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the crowd, "India has been a life-changing experience for us."
Gigantour will make its return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine — will kick off January 26 in Camden, NJ. Before wrapping February 28 in Denver, Colorado, the tour will make stops all across the U.S. and Canada including a January 28 show in New York and February 24 in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale beginning November 4. MEGADETH has also teamed up with VIPNation.com to provide fans with Ultimate VIP packages including premium tickets, meet-and-greets, exclusive gifts and more. Gigantour is a chance to, as Mustaine says, tour with like-minded artists "that play heavy music in a high-energy environment," with a fan-friendly ticket price.
Gigantour 2012 dates:
Jan. 26 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Jan. 27 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jan. 28 - New York, NY - Theater at Madison Square Garden
Jan. 29 - Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena
Feb. 01 - Glens Falls, NY - Glens Falls Civic Center
Feb. 02 - Quebec City, QC - Colisee Pepsi Arena
Feb. 03 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
Feb. 05 - Kingston, ON - K-Rock Centre
Feb. 07 - Oshawa, ON - General Motors Centre
Feb. 08 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
Feb. 09 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
Feb. 10 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
Feb. 12 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Feb. 14 - St. Paul, MN - Myth
Feb. 16 - Saskatoon, SK - Prairieland
Feb. 17 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre
Feb. 18 - Calgary, AB - Big 4 Building
Feb. 20 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Ent & Sports Centre
Feb. 21 - Kent, WA - Showare Center
Feb. 23 - San Jose, CA - Events Center
Feb. 24 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre
Feb. 25 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
Feb. 26 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
Feb. 28 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
