Welsh heavyweights Bullet For My Valentine have already been confirmed as Hammerfest’s headliners.

Run in conjunction with the people who brought you Hard Rock Hell, Hammerfest will take place on April 24-25 at Pontins Holiday Camp in Prestatyn, North Wales.

Hammerfest will feature more than 50 metal bands taking the stage across six arenas.

For details, go here.

In related news, the self-titled debut from British heavy rockers Jerusalem, produced by Gillan in 1972 and released on the Deram label, is to be re-issued by Vintage/Rockadrome before the year’s end. Meanwhile, the final studio album from the Mk III line-up of Deep Purple – David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and Jon Lord – is set for lavish re-release early next year. The Clog understands that the official European on-sale date for the album (titled Stormbringer, natch) is January 19, 2009.

The new festival will apparently be held at Knebworth and will take on Download. Stuart Galbraith (CEO of concert promoters Kilimanjaro) told eFestivals: “There’s one new festival, which we’re looking to launch next year, which at the moment I can’t tell you a lot about. It’s very much in the rock vein, to enter the marketplace in the same area as Download.”

The show serves as an apology to fans and family who were unable to attend their packed gig at La Cita in downtown LA last month. The band are reportedly planning a full-on tour next year.

Blabbermouth.net apparently received a tip-off from ‘a reliable source’ that RCA (a Sony BMG label) have decided to bin the Velvets, who of course feature former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. VR have been looking for a new frontman since dismissing Scott Weiland back in April.

In 1966, Beach Boy Brian Wilson took part in 17 recording sessions at four different recording studios, using over 90 hours of tape and dozens of session musicians to create a song that was to be known as Good Vibrations.

With an eventual cost of $50,000 it was rumoured to be the most expensive record ever made. If the record industry, music critics and Wilson’s teenage fanclub were sceptical, when they heard the finished single it all made sense.

The song was aural perfection: a multi-part mini-symphony filled with gorgeous harmony singing, a beautifully mournful middle section, and a chorus that just would not leave your head.

The song became the band’s first million-selling hit. It was, everyone agreed, time well spent.

So Then…

Has the 15 year gap since the last release from Guns N’ Roses (The Spaghetti Incident?) produced similar results? Has Axl been holed up in the studio demanding nothing less than perfection from his ever-revolving cast of Gunners? Has he made the rock equivalent of Good Vibrations?

Er, no.

But he’s been trying.

That we all know the length of time it’s taken to produce Chinese Democracy is one of the Achilles heels of the project. Such a long gestation has created two things: 1) Impossibly high expectations or 2) Intense scepticism. The finished product is not quite great enough to resist being overwhelmed by either mindset.

In short, those with high expectations will be disappointed – particularly if they have heard the leaked tracks and are eagerly waiting to hear what other tricks Axl has up his sleeve (the three tracks that haven’t been released in any form – Scraped, Sorry and This I Love – are possibly the biggest disappointments on the album).

And those with a sceptical mind will find plenty to seize upon: the album is ‘over-produced’, at times ridiculously overblown and cannot overcome one point: in the 70s, Axl’s heroes (Queen, Zep, Elton John, David Bowie) used to churn out albums better than this on a yearly basis, recording them sometimes in just weeks.

And yet… We loved the leaked tracks we heard last year and those songs are still as good today: epic, ambitious, thrilling rock music with some great lyrics, amazing singing and some of the craziest, sickest guitar playing around.

So here is our quick appraisal of Chinese Democracy: for our full considered review, see our next issue, onsale December 10th, and featuring a free GN’R supplement detailing the making of this extraordinary album.

Guns N’ Roses
Chinese Democracy
Released November 24 (UK)

1. Chinese Democracy – 4.42
The single. The one with the drum part like Smells Like Teen Spirit and the riff that’d tear your head off. With its atmospheric intro and thunderous verse, it’s a great album opener. The lyrics don’t make sense of the title (except maybe as a tease: “All I got is precious time”), and it doesn’t really seem to have a chorus, but who cares? Full on.

2. Shackler’s Revenge – 3.39
Shades of Nu metal, Shackler’s sounds almost like White Zombie in places, while the breakdown sounds eerily reminiscent of a Crystal Method song: futuristic, but ironically rather dated. The guitar solo is a bit bonkers, very Tom Morello-esque: how the hell you play along with this on Guitar Hero we don’t know. A grower – we like it more than we did on first hearing it – it’s nevertheless a hard song to love.

3. Better – 4.59
One of the greatest of the leaked tracks, Better still thrills: an insistent pulsing riff propelling Axl into a tale of regret. The industial/nu metal feel remains, but is somehow less intrusive – maybe because it augments the song and not used to distract you from the fact that the song is very slender (like Shackler). Now featuring five guitarists, we presume it’s still Robin Finck providing the beautiful bluesy (um, Slash-like) outro guitar solo. A classic.

4. Street Of Dreams – 4.48
Big ballad with – editor Siân Llewellyn insists – “an intro that’s very Billy Joel before morphing into 70s Elton John”. (She means it in a good way.) Leaked with the title The Blues, Street Of Dreams is one of the most successful of the several ballads. The big orchestration is counter-balanced by a show-boating vocal from Axl and some great, kiss-offs: “What I thought was beautiful doesn’t live inside of you anymore.” Over-wrought? Bombastic? Well, yeah. Whaddya want? Babyshambles?

5. If The World – 4.55
With a flamenco guitar intro and funk rhythm track, If The World is the album’s first serious mis-fire. The R’N’B feel grates, and while there are some guitars to add a crunch, the song isn’t good enough to carry Axl’s ridiculous ‘Lad-di-da’ vocals and over-emoting. It’s thinks it’s a James Bond theme – in reality it’s Madonna’s La Isla Bonita as played by Limp Bizkit. A dog.

6. There Was A Time – 6.43
Another of the leaks, TWAT is another mid-paced number and another one that sounds like it should be on a film soundtrack. Very cinematic in scope, with an extended guitar solo outro and a very OTT choral ending. Gawd knows what he’s going on about or singing to, but he means it, man.

7. Catcher In The Rye 5.55
Very Queen-like, it originally had Brian May playing on it. Sadly, his work hasn’t survived. A poppy, slightly unconvincing (another ‘La-la-la’ section) and dated sounding track, like many of the songs it has no identifiable chorus.

8. Scraped – 3.32
Unheard until now, Scraped has a ferocious riff with weird vocoder-ish melody at the beginning. Axl alternates between falsetto and his regular voice. Full-on GN’R, it’s little bit reminiscent of …Jungle. After one listen, it’s hard to make a judgement.

9. Riad N’ The Bedouins – 4.12
Extended intro, samples etc, and a sound that makes you think your speakers might be on the fritz before it morphs into a brutal riff. Ironically, it wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Velvet Revolver’s last album: satisfying, exciting modern rock.

10. Sorry – 6.16
So he bloody should be. A big ballad with flange-y guitars, Axl’s pity-poor-me complex is well to the fore (and wearing thin) by this one. Our notes say: “Lots of acoustic, Flamenco guitars. Multi-layered vocals with Dire Straits-style guitar solo breakdown. Oh no’s. Very Silent Lucidity-ish (Queensryche). A moment when Axl sings ‘I don’t want to do it’ makes everyone in the room look at each other, startled. Urgh.

11. IRS – 4.30
Classic Rock differs on this one: some people seem to think it’s a highlight, others the worst out of the three leaked ballads (with Street Of Dreams and TWAT). No noticeable difference to leaks on the album version. Big, riffy. Could be accused of meandering.

12. Madagascar – 5.40
A mournful French horn parps in one of the highlights of the album: Axl’s defiant but bruised anthem (“‘I won’t be told any more/That I’ve been brought down in this storm/And left so far out from the shore that I can’t find my way back…”). Simple guitar lines, strings, and a barrage of samples from Martin Luther King, Cool Hand Luke (the ‘What we have here is a failure to communicate” sample also used on Civil War survives!), Braveheart and more add to the 21st century feel. He’s got 18 channels of shit on his TV to choose from and he just can’t get any solace. Brilliant.

13. This I Love – 5.36
Unbelievably, this song stems from 1993. How it survived, we’ll never know. Sounds like a bad show tune. Diabolical lyrics. Lots of piano and OTT strings. Overblown, over pretentious. Oh dear. There are rumours that the band recorded three albums worth of stuff: none of those songs were better than this? Really?

14. Prostitute – 6.16
“Why should I choose to prostitute myself/To Live with fortune and shame?” Despite having the worst tippy-tappy programmed drums in the universe ever, Prostitute (leaked as New Song 2) actually builds to something half-decent. An anti-climatic ending to the album though (in the playback, the CD stuck here and we had to listen to it three times. It was a new kind of hell…).

So there you have it – our first impressions. For a fuller and more considered review, get the mag on December 10th, with free GN’R supplement detailing the extraordinary story behind the making of the album.

Rock’s Greg Moffitt has come up with a typical day’s broadcasting rundown…

6.00am – 9.00am Looking For Today
The latest news, sport, business and weather with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. (Subtitled)

9.00am – 12.00pm Chatter Box
Uriah Heep guitarist Mick Box hosts a lively mix of chat, celebrity interviews, household tips, cookery and phone-ins. Today, Brian Johnson and Brian May join the fun.

12.00pm – 1.00pm Jon Oliva’s Pan
Rotund Savatage singer Jon Oliva helms a bizarre culinary odyssey, broadcast live before a studio audience. This week, cooking with cheese, getting creative with leftovers and lager tasting tips with guest Pete Way.

1.00pm – 2.00pm Holmes’ Under The Hammer
In the follow-up to the hugely popular series Stash In The Attic, ex-W.A.S.P. axeman Chris Holmes follows members of the public as they scour their lofts for hidden gems to sell at auction. This week, a set of bent Harley Davidson handlebars and a box of empty vodka bottles go on sale in Withernsea.

2.00pm – 3.00pm D.I.O. S.O.S.
It’s ratchets to the rescue as diminutive metal god Ronnie James Dio tackles DIY horrors head-on! This week, Ronnie visits the Midlands where KK Downing’s dodgy digging has caused the front of his house to fall down and the team help to create a shower-room with easy wheelchair access. (Repeat)

3.00pm – 3.30pm The Weakest Drink
Humorous and dangerous slapstick panel game with host Pete Way.

3.30pm – 4.00pm Animal Hospital with Ted Nugent
Right-wing firebrand, longbow ace and National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent puts some animals in hospital.

4.00pm – 4.30pm Ready, Steady, Puke
Humorous and dangerous slapstick panel game with host Pete Way.

4.30pm – 5.30pm Dickinson’s Real Deal
Bruce Dickinson and dealers Cheryl Hakeney, Simon Schneider and Clive Attrell fly to Evesham by charter jet hoping to seal great deals with the locals. At auction, a carved walking stick makes a big impact.

5.30pm – 6.00pm Hot Line
National and international news anchored by Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. (Subtitled)

6.00pm – 7.00pm Young At Heart
Following the fortunes of AC/DC duo Angus and Malcolm Young, and billed as ‘pensioners behaving badly’, Young At Heart is a fly-on-the-wall documentary like no other! At an age when most people are either dead or living out their last days in retirement homes, these guys are up on stage playing their hearts out about the big taboos surrounding old age: love and sex, loss of youth, loneliness, addiction, infirmity and death.

7.00pm – 7.50pm Rob’s Fashion Fix
Rob Halford hosts a brand new magazine series that rips the label off fashion to prove you don’t need to spend a fortune to look fabulous. In front of a studio audience, Rob takes on designer clothes chosen by the most powerful buyers in the fashion business with a collection he’s sourced entirely from the High Street. In a catwalk face-off the audience will vote on which is the best collection. Along the way Rob will teach us everything we need to know about what to wear this season and how to wear it. Each week Rob also rummages through the drawers of the stars in search of dirty laundry and style secrets. In tonight’s shows he visits Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine and Motorhead mainman Lemmy.

7.50pm – 8.00pm National Lobotomy Euromillions
Magnum’s Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin host the Euromillions draw… out of Clarkin’s voluminous hat.

8.00pm – 9.50pm This Is Spinal Tap
Nightly showing of the 1984 mock rockumentary directed by Rob Reiner and starring members of the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap.

9.50pm – 10.00pm N.I.B. – News in Brief
Round-up of the day’s events at home and abroad with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. (Subtitled)

10.00pm – 11.00pm Dave Murray’s Happy Hour
The genial Iron Maiden six-stringer conducts a faux pub chat with guests Biff Byford and Paul Di’Anno.

11.00pm – 12.00am Friday Night With Ross The Boss
The former Manowar guitarist presides over an hour of rambunctious and irreverent celebrity chat. This week’s guests are Gene Simmons, Dave Mustaine and Dave Lee Roth. Rick Wakeman provides the music.

12.00am – 1.00am Later With Dave Holland
Former Judas Priest drummer and convicted sex offender Dave Holland hosts an eclectic blend of live rock music with performances from Justin Hayward, Don Airey and Glenn Hughes. Dave joins Glenn on stage for a special set of lesser-known Trapeze numbers.

1.00am – 2.00am Blackmore’s Night Sky
Mercurial former Deep Purple and Rainbow guitar wizard Ritchie Blackmore presents all the current developments from the world of astronomy, including the latest images from the Flügelhorn probe.

The Notting Hill abode is now owned by trendy design guru John Hitchcox.

It’s rumored that Hendrix wrote his famous Purple Haze track whilst residing at the house.

All together now: ‘Purple haze all in my brain/Lately things just don’t seem the same/Actin’ funny, but I don’t know why/’Scuse me while I kiss the sky.’

One story goes that in 1966, after a big night out, Hendrix returned home to Notting Hill, at that time a rundown neighbourhood.

He saw the terraced house tinged in purple through, one imagines, a psychedelic haze.

The house has been done up a bit since Hendrix’s day. Hitchcox has installed a pool, gym, cinema, music studio, skylights and fireplaces (much like the Classic Rock office, in fact).

Read more here.

ined by a number of as-yet-undisclosed guests playing mostly covers.

“I’ve done a few gigs where I’ve very casually got a few friends together and played a few gigs,” Slash told Classic Rock after the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour on Monday. “I do it few and far between. But we got this offer to do it at a festival in Norway and I thought, ‘Yeah, that’d be sorta cool’. I’m not sure who’ll be on the bill yet, but I’ve got some ideas, so now I’ve just got to pull it all together and just play.”

Who has he played with in the past? “Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell, Fergie [of Black Eyed Peas], Jason Bonham, Chris Chaney [Jane’s Addiction], Billy Gibbons – everyone doing one or two songs, whatever.”

Like a one-man Camp Freddy? “Well, Tommy Clufetos [Alice Cooper] is an amazing drummer – so the backline sorta remains the same, with him and Jason trading drums.”

And what have Slash & Friends played in the past? “Anything from Whole Lotta Love to Use Me to Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well or The Thrill Is Gone – depends on who’s singing. I did Sweet Child O’Mine with Fergie – she’s got a great fucking rock’n’roll voice that girl. It’s a casual thing but at the same time now that you’re talking about it it’ll sound more serious than it is…”

The 2009 bill of The Quart is being put together by A&R legend (and the guy who signed Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue), Tom Zutaut who is promising some of the biggest and most exciting names in rock and metal.

For more (er, in Norwegian) visit www.quart.no.

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Hot on the heels of bassist Jack Bruce’s fierce criticism of Led Zeppelin at Monday’s Classic Rock awards, Ginger Baker has entered the fray.

The drummer is planning to drop his trousers in court to prove he didn’t have a sexual relationship with his assistant.

The 69-year-old Baker said he is willing to strip off to help secure the prosecution of Lindiwe Noko, who is accused of defrauding him out of £30,000.

Ms Noko claims that she was the musician’s lover and he gave her the money as a gift, but he says he can prove that they were never intimate.

“I’ve a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It’s there and she doesn’t know it’s there,” he told The Guardian’s People column.

Ginger refused to reveal details about the scar, unless Ms Noko found out.

“I’m quite prepared to strip. It may well come down to it,” he added.

Will Ginger unveil his nuts? Let’s hope he doesn’t Cream his jeans. Watch this space…

You can read more here.