Anthem Metalfest

infobox music festival
music_festival_name = Anthem Metalfest


location = Tel Aviv, Israel
years_active = 2008 – present
founders = Anthem Productions
dates = December (originally August)
genre = Heavy metal
Death metal
Thrash metal
website = [http://www.wacken.com/ www.anthemmetalfest.com]

Anthem Metalfest is a new one day annual Israeli music festival held in Tel Aviv, Israel, focusing on various forms of heavy metal and its subgenres. Although taking place in Israel, the festival is manily international and featuring big international metal acts, as well as smaller local acts. [http://anthemprodisrael.bigcartel.com/product/anthem-metal-fest-14-08-08]

The first annual festival was to take place on August 14, 2008, in the Hangar 11 venue on the Tel Aviv port, in Israel, and was to be headlined by Meshuggah and Opeth. It was then announced that it will be postphoned, probably with a new line-up.

The festival was founded by Anthem Productions whose past productions including Israeli concerts of Machine Head, Hatebreed, Obituary and Sick of It All. [http://www.anthemprodisrael.com/]

It was announced on August 7, 2008, that the festival will be postphoned to a later unknown date that will be announced in the coming days. It is heavily rumored that the proposed bands for the original August 14 date will not take part in the rescheduled event, although the production promises that a new band will join the festival's line-up. Reason for the event being postphoned is currenly being said as low ticket sales [http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3579248,00.html] .

On Meshuggah's offical website, it is said that their Israeli performance was cancelled due to "security issues" [http://meshuggah.net/news] . On Opeth's offical website it was said as well that the Anthem Metalfest on August 14 was cancelled due to "security issues" and that the band will not be able to play on the rescheduled date in December, but will indeed play in Israel a headlining show during 2009. [http://opeth.com/index.php/news/show/id/69]

2008 Lineup

The event is to take place on a currently undecided date (originally slated for August 14, 2008).

*Dark Tranquillity
*Nevermore
*Satyricon
*Salem
*Betzefer
*Distorted
*The Fading
*

Cancelled bands

*Opeth [http://opeth.com/index.php/news/show/id/69] (The band's performance was cancelled due to the original festival's rescheduling. The band will not be able to return to the rescheduled date but will return for a headlining show in Israel in 2009)
*Meshuggah [http://meshuggah.net/news] (The band's performance was cancelled due to the original festival's "cancellation", as said on the band's website and it is unknown if the band will return for the rescheduled date)
*The Haunted (The band's performance was cancelled due to the original festival's rescheduling. It is unlikely that the band will return for the rescheduled date)

2009 Lineup

To be announced

References

External links

* [http://www.anthemmetalfest.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/anthemmetalfest/ Official myspace]
* [http://www.anthemprodisrael.com/ Anthem Productions official website]