Metalunderground.com has signed on as a sponsor of local Maryland alternative-metal band Forwardhead's release party concert and forthcoming worldwide tour in an effort to spread the word about quality underground heavy metal.

Frederick, MD -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/17/2007 -- Metalunderground.com has signed on as a sponsor of local Parkville, Maryland alternative-metal band Forwardhead's release party concert and forthcoming worldwide tour.

Hard Volume recording artist Forwardhead, often compared to Tool both for their vocals and bass-heavy and sometimes spacey sound, recently released their debut full-length album "Pieces" on May 1, 2007.

The all-ages release party event will take place on May 26, 2007 at the Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, MD. Special guests for the event include Blind Rhetoric, Forgotten, Seventh Seal and Tommyhate. Forwardhead's new video for their first single, "Second Guess," will also be premiered at the show and every $15 ticket includes a free copy of the new release "Pieces," making this show one that fans of heavy music should not miss.

Hard Volume label owner Joe Natoli is vehement about the importance of the release party show on May 26: "This gig is our chance to show the naysayers that the only thing that truly matters is the music. It's an opportunity to prove that size is irrelevant, that the independent labels and musicians bring something to the table that's as good as (or better) than what the mainstream shoves down our throats every day."

The show will be the first show of the 2007-2008 "Taking Back the Suffering" world tour, which will see the band tour North America, Canada, the Netherlands and several other countries. The tour is still being booked and tour dates will be announced at a future date.

Metalunderground.com founder Doug Gibson commented on the sponsorship arrangement, "Supporting local bands is one of the best ways to support underground metal and Hard Volume has a number of quality metal bands from our area on their roster. Furthermore, Forwardhead has the potential to break through with their debut release and one of the most rewarding parts of doing what I do is seeing underground bands 'make it' and become successful."

About Metalunderground.com:
With a mission to help readers discover new metal music, Metalunderground.com has been faithfully serving mainstream and underground metal news for over six years. In addition to comprehensive news coverage, the site also features reviews, interviews, band info, live concert reports, photos and more, updated daily by a dedicated staff of die-hard metalheads. For more information on Metalunderground.com, visit http://www.metalunderground.com/ or contact owner Doug Gibson at pr2007[AT]metalunderground.com or 301-512-4495.

About Hard Volume Records:
An independent label showcasing all subgenres of Metal, Hard Volume Records is made up of dedicated warriors who refuse to be spoon-fed by major conglomerate record cartels and an uninformed mass media. Hard Volume is committed to exposing the masses to ear-shattering, life-changing music created by truly creative, passionate musicians. Hard Volume will not rest until original, independent hard + heavy music is given the respect and attention it so fiercely deserves. For more information on Hard Volume Records, please visit http://www.hardvolume.com/ or email info[AT]hardvolume.com.

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For the second year in a row, Metalunderground.com is helping to spread the word of extreme underground heavy metal by sponsoring the two-day Norwegian Hammerslag Vinterblot Festival.

Frederick, MD -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/01/2006 -- Metalunderground.com is once again sponsoring Norway's Hammerslag Vinterblot festival for the second year in a row. The festival, which is to take place on December 15 and 16, 2006, is a two-day showcase of extreme black, death and grind metal bands. Sponsorship of the Hammerslag Vinterblot festival fits with Metalunderground.com's mission of promoting underground heavy metal.

The two-day extreme metal festival, in its third year, takes place in Norway's oldest city, Tonsberg (est. 871). Friday night's show will be held at Rivals Rockpub and Saturday's at Eikhallen, a sports arena in Tonsberg. The Hammerslag Vinterblot festival features performances by some of Norway's best as well as underground black metal, death metal, thrash, grindcore and doom metal bands, boasting more than nine confirmed bands including Zyklon, Kampfar, Framferd, Cutthroat, Malsain, Sarkom, Abominat, Dead Man's Hand, and Pandemi with others in negotiation.

"Once again, we're happy to be part of the Hammerslag Festival and bring word of some excellent Norwegian and European extreme metal bands to our predominantly American readership," said Metalunderground.com owner Doug Gibson. "I'm even more excited this year to have a local journalist reporting directly from the festival for Metalunderground.com."

"Promotion of this event to an American audience benefits the Hammerslag Vinterblot Festival, the Norwegian Extreme Metal Scene, and metalheads alike," commented the festival's organizer, Bjorn Almar Rolstad Johansen. "We hope to bring the US and Europe closer together in the metal community so we can share all the great music being made in both continents. This year's festival is a much bigger production than in past years. The festival has outgrown the ancient church where it was held the past two years and has now moved to a bigger venue. We are thrilled that all of the hard work that has been put into Hammerslag is paying off and that this year we will be able to celebrate the darkest time of the year with even more metalheads."

Tickets for the Hammerslag Vinterblot Festival can be purchased at http://www.bilettservice.no/ or at the door.

About Metalunderground.com:
Metalunderground.com is a privately owned metal web site out of Frederick, Maryland that has been serving metal news for over five years. Its dedicated staff of metal-heads updates the site daily with metal news and band news as well as show reports, interviews, reviews and everything else that has made Metalunderground.com a great place to discover new metal and one of the top metal sites on the internet. For more information on Metalunderground.com, visit http://www.metalunderground.com/ or contact owner Doug Gibson at pr2006@metalunderground.com or 301-512-4495.

About Hammerslag Festival:
Hammerslag Festival is Norway's premiere black metal festival and the most extreme. The third annual festival spans two days, taking place on December 15 and 16 in Tonsberg, Norway featuring more than nine bands, primarily of Norwegian black metal. For more information, visit http://www.hammerslagfestival.net or contact Bjorn Almar Rolstad Johansen at dark.barj@c2i.net or +47 936 93 329.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm