When Jani Lane canceled his appearance at the upcoming Stockholm Rock Out -- set for April 30 and May 1 at Gamla Tryckeriet in Alvik, Sweden -- promoters decided to give ticket holders two for the price of one, replacing Lane with both Kix and Great White. Great White is billing the fest as an exclusive 25th anniversary show. For Kix, the stakes are much higher. That's because the Maryland rockers have never played Scandinavia.

"I think a few other European offers have been tabled in the recent past," Kix bassist Mark Schenker tells Noisecreep. "But the idea of playing in Scandinavia was really attractive and stood out for a number of reasons, so we accepted the offer."

A Saturday night in New York's Times Square is usually a pretty scary scene for the average metalhead. But on March 6, metal pioneers Voivod were in town. In my hood, that always changes everything about anything.

The band hit the stage and dove right into their self-titled song 'Voivod' with barely an introduction. Frontman Snake -- also known as Denis Bélanger -- danced around stage most of the night. Everyone seemed to be at their prime happiness. It took about half their set for people to start crowd surfing, but once they did, there was a nice stream of floating bodies.

Janus' 'Red Right Return' has been out since September and the Chicago quartet has been on the road since the album came out and show no signs of getting off! That said, the album, namely the single 'Eyesore,' boasts layers of sound, something that doesn't appear to be easy to recreate live. But the band has figured out a way to make it work and make sure nothing is lost in translation.

"You have that conversation with yourself when you make a record and you can focus on chords and one singer or you can shoot for the moon and we decided to shoot for the moon and to be creative live," vocalist David Scotney told Noisecreep during a February visit to our offices while touring with Chevelle. "We took an everything and the kitchen sink approach to making the record and wanted to fill the spectrum and make the best piece of art we could."

I've been a Demon Hunter fan since their self-titled debut impacted my world in 2002. Yet I've only seen them once, at New York City's Knitting Factory back in 2003, I believe. That's because they never tour the East Coast, which is frustrating for fans out this way. However, their lack of touring does work to the band's advantage, as a Demon Hunter show transforms into an event, since it's such a rare occurrence. But vocalist Ryan Clark assured me that his band will tour in support of 'The World Is a Thorn' this year, including some East Coast dates.

"My day job is prolific, very fruitful and rewarding," Clark said, referring to his work as art director for Solid State/Tooth and Nail Records as well as a freelance graphic designer. "The biggest factor is our jobs. It's also the byproduct of that being the case, like you said, when we do play, it is more of an event and that has worked in our favor."

Alice in Chains is one of those '90s radio bands that I thought I'd never get to see growing up. That kind of a show would be way too expensive for my lunch-money-counting butt, and my disco-loving parents wouldn't (and still don't) understand anything rock-related. So when I somehow got into Alice in Chains second show sold out at New York City's Terminal 5 on March 9 I was beyond stoked.

Fortunately, I also got to see the William DuVall version of Alice in Chains at Irving Plaza last September. The intimacy at that show was unreal. Yet, even though I'm all about small shows -- it's the reason why I cover many concerts in basements -- Alice in Chains at Terminal 5 was a much better experience.

Impending Doom are about to hit the road on a co-headlining trek with Through the Eyes of the Dead this spring. Chelsea Grin, Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza and Arsonists Get all the Girls will also be in tow. The band hits the road right after finishing the recording process for 'There Will Be Violence,' which is due out via Facedown on July 20.

"We are currently in the studio, and last week we finished up all the music on the new record. So all that's left is Brook's vocals, which is what we are working on this week," bassist Dave Sitting told Noisecreep. "The only thing I can really say is that the new record is titled 'There Will Be Violence,' and it's due to release this summer! On the upcoming Road to Metal Fest Tour, we will be playing at least one brand new song off the new record, which I'm very excited for."

Hockey and metal go together like skulls and crossbones. Over the past few years, several major artists have made their fandom known by slamming the boards for their favorite teams. In 2008, Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen wrote an official Chicago Blackhawks theme song, Darkest Hour recorded the fan song 'Let's Go Caps' on their MySpace for the Washington Capitals, and Unearth wrote an intro song for the San Antonio Rampage.

Now Philadelphia band Stygian are putting on the gloves and playing to Philadelphia Flyers fans for free. On March 11, the Flyers will take the ice against the Boston Bruins at Wachovia Center, and Stygian will play a tribute show at the AT&T Pavilion right near the venue. The concert will start at 5 PM, two hours before face off, and fans with tickets to the game will be offered free admission.