Funeral Rain Press Corps

9/13/11 – Peter’s Room at The Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon

An Apology From Typhon… Kinda: I know. I know, I’m about three weeks late with this one. But if you had a screaming baby boy on one shoulder and averaging about three hours of sleep a morning, I think you’d shuffle around your priorities too.

On that note: I have the best fucking mate EVER!!! She squeezed out our son on September 12th and demanded that I attend this concert while she was still in the hospital. You see, she and I have been unable to attend every show that Alestorm played in the U.S. and she would be damned if we’d make it a hat trick. So even though I had a blast at this show, my mind was elsewhere most of the time.

Anyway, I arrived late so I missed the opening act…

The Agonist - Aside from the vocalist making a pass at me at the merch booth after their set, I don’t have anything to report about these guys. My friend assured me that they were awesome though.

Blackgaurd - I’d like to start a petition that would make these guys officially change their name from Blackguard to Children Of Dimmu.  I admired their energy level and their ability to easily sway the crowd who was obviously there for the two headliners. But overall, I was more interested in what was in those bottles behind the bar. They weren’t for me, but they had three quarters of the crowd in the palm of their hand. Kudos to you CoD.

It was around this time that I made my way from the bar to the floor. While wadding through the sea of pirate cosplayers and Kamelot t-shirts, I noticed something that kind of put me on edge: there were an awful lot of full blooded nerds there. You know the ones I’m talking about; acne, greasy hair, socially awkward, haunted by perpetual virginity, etc… I’m not sure whether or not I should of been surprised, really. Pirate Metal: Kinda nerdy. Christopher Bowes: Severally nerdy. Kamelot: Fuck! The gauge broke!

I managed to secure a spot about three rows of nerds back from the stage. Where I waited. And waited… and waited… and just as I needed to piss…

Alestorm - Scotland’s purveyors of plunderous pirate metal took the stage, but no prisoners as they played favorites from all three of their albums. They started off strong with Back Through Time and Shipwrecked, even though you could barely Dani Evans’s playful leads thanks to the primate that was tinkering with the sound board (a problem that continued throughout Alestorm’s set). After a bit, they slowed things down with Nancy The Tavern Wench which was accompanied by Blackguard’s Terry Deschenes on acoustic guitar. Not quite a ballad, but it had a few lighters/cell phones out and waving. There set wasn’t exactly a long one, but it sure make an impact on the newbies in the crowd.

I should add there there was a shit-ton of mosh pits,stage diving and crowd surfing during Alestorm’s set… um, yeah. Because when it comes to something that you should save for a D.R.I. concert, Wenches And Mead is the time to do it.

But, I digress since the point of any concert it to just have fun. Alestrom saw to that 100%.

Kamelot - I have got to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Kamelot since just about anyone who like Kamelot even the slightest, more than likely likes them for Roy Khan perfect pipes. But, since Roy departed the band right before this tour, a lot of us seemed to be skeptical about this no name guy taking over vocal duties.

Thanks to those of you who stuck it out through the sarcasm. Fabio Lione (of Rhapsody) grabbed the mic and nailed every note that Roy had laid down before him. I was relieved. I was also overjoyed since they managed to sneak every single one of my favorite Kamelot tracks into their set! When The Lights Are Down, The Haunting, March Of Mephisto, Nights Of Arabia, Forever, etc… And yes, Simone Simons was there to lend her haunting voice to ratchet up the Epic(a)ness! My night couldn’t of ended better!

In the ongoing campaign for their newest release, Poetry for the Poisoned, we are extremely pleased to announce that Kamelot have confirmed a full North American Tour to take place late this Summer!

The long-awaited trek, dubbed Pandemonium Over North America 2011, is in support of Kamelot‘s epic, Billboard-charting album Poetry for the Poisoned (peaking at #74 on the US Billboard Top 200!), which was released in September. Along for the ride are Pirate-metallers Alestorm, as well as Blackguard and the The Agonist.

Due to continuing medical and personal issues, Roy Khan will not be able to continue touring in support of Poetry for the Poisoned. To his fans he states: “Hello all. I am here in Norway still recovering from what seems to have been a severe burnout syndrome. I am getting better but still under medical care. My priorities at the moment are my health & family. My future endeavors in Kamelot and music in general are being evaluated, however at this time my focus is on getting back on my feet and spending time with family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes!”

With the news of Roy’s continued absence, we are pleased to announce that metal icon Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire) will be joining the tour and handling the lead vocal duties.

Fabio Lione is eager to get on the road, stating, “I am excited and pleased to be part of the next Kamelot tour. I always loved the sound of the band, and I think this will be a great experience for me, the band, and for all the fans of great music and Kamelot. See you soon on tour, and let’s rock!”

In addition to Fabio, throughout these shows there will also be special guest and vocal appearances from top artists in the scene, making this is a special and rare tour, not to be missed!

Kamelot – Pandemonium Over North America Tour 2011:
w/ Alestorm, Blackguard, The Agonist
8/26/2011 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
8/27/2011 Jaxx – West Springfield, VA
8/28/2011 The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
8/30/2011 The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
8/31/2011 The Palladium – Worcester , MA
9/02/2011 Club Soda – Montreal, QC
9/03/2011 Imperial De Quebec – Quebec City, QC
9/04/2011 Mod Club – Toronto, ON
9/06/2011 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
9/07/2011 Blondie’s – Detroit, MI
9/08/2011 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
9/09/2011 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
9/12/2011 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
9/13/2011 Peter’s Room – Portland, OR
9/14/2011 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
9/15/2011 House Of Blues – West Hollywood, CA
9/16/2011 Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
9/17/2011 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
9/18/2011 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
9/20/2011 Trees – Dallas, TX
9/21/2011 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
9/23/2011 The Club At Firestone – Orlando, FL