We’ve come to an agreement, which we strongly believe is for the best interest of the band. Unfortunately, this means that John will no longer be part of Knockturn Alley, however he will still play any upcoming shows until we find a replacement. So this means that we are still taking part in the Xtreme Metal Assault taking place on September 4th and 5th. It’s always sad to see a good friend leave but things weren’t really working out the way we wanted them and John wanted to take a different musical direction.

We’ve already started taking auditions with some drummers but we haven’t made up our mind yet, so we are still looking for the right person. If you think you could fill in John’s seat and enjoy hitting the skins hard, let us know. Send us an email, on Facebook, or at info@knockturnalleyband.com. Send us links of any recorded music which you have online, videos etc. and we can arrange an audition and give it a shot. The person chosen must be dedicated and committed plus of course gets the chance to work on the new tracks we’re working on for an upcoming record and any other future plans involved.

2 day festival in less than a month
I’m sure you’ve seen it on Facebook—a kick ass line-up of some of Malta’s top metal acts spread on 2 days, all for just €18. Definitely not one to miss. More info on flyer below.

That’s it for now…. see you at the Xtreme Metal Assault
Clint

Medusa review
Medusa has just received another good review, this time in Spanish. You can read the review here. The review is in Spanish but Google translate can help you with that. Cuernos Arriba

That’s all for now. Enjoy the video clip from Medusa (found below) and let us know what you think… see you very soon.

Stay safe
Clint

Paradise Lost will headline tomorrow’s show supported by The Lesser Gods, Nomad Son and Knockturn Alley. Doors open at 7pm and we will be on stage at 7.45pm sharp. We haven’t been to the venue yet but we’ve been told that it looks great plus the stage is huge!

Our merchandise will be available at the merchandise stall; our album Medusa will be selling at only €10 just for the night! The Sinner, The Martyr t-shirts will be selling for €15.

Below is the tv video promo used to promote the event. Buy tickets from here.

See ya all tonight!

Clint

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but at least we’re back with some great news! The Paradise Lost concert which was scheduled for April 17th—and had to be postponed—was surely our biggest gig. Luckily, SAM Promotions have managed to make this happen on 29th June—not only that—but Cannibal Corpse will be playing on the previous night of what has become a 2 day event.

Apart from giving us more time to prepare for the gig, this delay has also given us plenty more time to write new music.The new songs are taking somewhat a different shape than those on Medusa and we have also changed the tuning for a new heavier sound, but still keeping a very melodic and catchy feel as in all of our previous tracks.

So another thing we are looking forward to, is performing live the new tracks later on this summer. Now, we are putting all our energy and effort on the upcoming gig with Paradise Lost. And we are almost as excited for the Cannibal Corpse gig as much as for the Paradise Lost. It’s by far one of the biggest events for any metal fan to have the chance to see 2 legendary and world known metal acts in Malta! So if you’re reading this, make sure you don’t miss this opportunity!  For updates regarding the event follow Mediterranean Metal Gathering – Paradise Lost & Cannibal Corpse on facebook. Tickets can also be purchased online from maltaticket.com

over and out

//Thompa

Due to closed airports and airspace all across Europe the Mediterranean Metal Meeting with headlining British band Paradise Lost, which is supposed to be held on the 17th April at Montekristo Vaults, had to be postponed. “It’s very disappointing for everybody involved, especially the Maltese audience, but we had to make a decision early enough to inform people and not cause further financial damage to anybody. We tried our best to re-route the bands travel arrangement, but couldn’t get a guarantee they will make it in time. However, the management assured that they are going to play the event on a later date and we are already busy finding a new arrangement with the venue and the band. Neither the pope nor a volcano can stop the Metal Gathering and we are looking forward to welcome all rock‘n‘roll followers of the island for a great show in a few weeks. We kindly request all ticket holders to keep their valid ticket until a new date will be announced. If neccessary, tickets will be refunded at the place of purchase”, stated promoters William Cauchi and Holger Stratmann.

Promoting the Paradise Lost gig in Gozo wasn't as hard as we thought

First things first, I can’t give a big enough thanks to all the people who showed up to last week’s show in Gozo—being the second time playing there I guess all I have to say is “when’s the next one gonna be?”. It’s good to know that there’s always somewhere or someone that would make our gig a great night!

Now to this week, as many of you know, Paradise Lost will be in Malta this Saturday at the Club Renaissance in Luqa and on behalf of my band mates, I can confirm that we are all excited to be supporting such an influential band. If there’s one thing we’ve always been passionate about as a band, it’s performing live. So expect a good one!

James

a random gozo pic just cos blog posts with pics look cooler

In 6 days we’re having our second gig ever in Gozo. When we played there last November I didn’t have any high expectations whatsoever. I mean, the scene on main land is quite limited, so how good could it be in Gozo?! Well, I was wrong ’cause here we are just days away from our second show there in less than 5 months. I have to confess that before moving to Malta, I didn’t even know there was a metal scene at all, but nearly 6 years later I’m glad to be part of it.

Anyhow, we were happy with the turnout of the gig and especially with the warm reception we were offered before and throughout the gig. This time Gozitans Inner Grey are joining us, so thanks to the guys for accepting and check out their myspace if you haven’t yet.

So I’m looking at Gozo from a more positive point of view than the previous gig and I have a feeling that it’s gonna be even better (and hopefully we’ll get even more drunk) than last time. Also looking forward to meet the guys from Inner Grey!

over and out!

/Thompa

Hello everyone!
We’re back with some fresh updates from the alley. Just last week it was announced that Knockturn Alley will be supporting Paradise Lost, alongside Nomad Son and The Lesser Gods. Paradise Lost need no introduction and having just released their 12th studio album, Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us the band are currently on tour — Malta being one of their stops for this year.  The date is confirmed for 17th April; more information and a flyer will be available very soon.

Back to Gozo

We’re very happy to confirm that once again we will be playing a show in Gozo and we’re actually playing at the same venue — the Prekursur Band Club in Xewkija. This time though, Gozo’s very own Inner Grey will be joining us for this event. There will also be offers at the door for this gig. You will get free entrance on purchasing our album Medusa. We had this offer for our launch gig back in May last year so we decided it’s only fair to repeat it for our friends in Gozo. So if you haven’t bought the album yet, make sure you take advantage of this offer. Pay €12 for the album and get in for free. Simple. More information about the gig in flyer below and follow gig updates on the Facebook event page.

What’s Next?

So, apart from the gigs mentioned above, we have some eventful times ahead. We have already starting writing new songs, and we’re hoping that more will follow soon. The writing is still in a very initial stage but we promise you that once we have something finalised, it will definitely make it to our current play list as we are more than excited to perform the new sounds. We’re also planning on some shows for the summer plus more things which we are currently still taking into consideration.

More news will follow soon. Until then, stay safe.

Back from the tour last month and we’re back to our normal everyday lives. We met some great people along, played with some amazing musicians and most importantly, we had a great time. Check out some of our pics from the tour on our Facebook page to have a taste of what it was like. We also got a new t-shirt design printed just in time for the tour, which is now added to our Merchandise page, where you can buy it using your PayPal account. If you are thinking of buying one, think no more and buy it now cause there are only a few prints left!

Just a week after the tour we also played a show at Rookie’s in Bugibba to end 2009 for Knockturn Alley. Now, a very short break before we start another busy year.

So as we end 2009 here’s a round up of our personal top 5 albums for the year:

Thomas

1. Architects – Hollow Crown
2. Paradise Lost – Faith Divide us – Death Unite Us
3. It Dies Today – Lividity
4. Raised Fist – Veil of ignorance
5. Mastodon – Crack The Skye

Daniel

1. Mastodon – Crack the Skye
2. Darkest Hour – The Eternal Return
3. Between the Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect
4. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate
5. Despised Icon – Day of Mourning

James

1. The Mars Volta – Octahedron
2. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
3. Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
4. Everytime I Die – New Junk Aesthetic
5. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Clint

1. Architects – Hollow Crown
2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
3. Every Time I Die – New Junk Aesthetic
4. Raised Fist – Veil of Ignorance
5. Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage

John

1. Dream Theater –  Black Clouds & Silver Linings
2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
3. Paradise Lost – Faith Divide us – Death Unite Us
4. Killswitch Engage –  Killswitch Engage
5. Katatonia – Night is The New Day

2010
We’re planning on writing new music as soon as we’re back in the rehearsal room and lay our hands on the instruments again. Hopefully we’ll play some of the new stuff in the next show, which, of course is on the 9th of February. For the sixth time running, Pre-Valentine’s Massacre is back! Together with Loathe and Seismic we shall bring you a night of metal frenzy on this yearly event, and those who have been to a Pre-Valentine’s Massacre before know what they’re after. See you very soon at Remedy.

New t-shirts

Inspired by the track The Sinner, The Martyr below is the final design for the t-shirts which will be on sale on our tour from tomorrow and we should also have it on our blog and myspace very soon.

Gig in December

A week after we’re back from the tour we will be playing a show at Rookies, Bugibba. Saturday 4th December is the date and the flyer will be in the next few days.

Medusa Tour

So… the Medusa tour starts tomorrow with the first show in Prague. We will try to keep you posted with all the happenings and put up some picture and videos. More info about the tour can be found on our myspace.