Finland's KORPIKLAANI have issued the following year end update:

"In 2008 we have been quite busy. We have had two successful tours: the Paganfest Tour and the Finnish Fire Tour. We recorded and released our fifth album Korven Kuningas. In the whole we played over 80 gigs, that means about one gig in every four days. We had a lot of fun, met many old friends and made new ones. So, this has been a pretty good year for us.

2009 promises to become even better; a long cherished dream of us becomes fulfilled: we will tour the USA and Canada in Paganfest 2! We are invited for Wacken Open Air on their 20th anniversary festival, and many more gigs are in the works. In February we will enter the studio again, to record a brand new album.

These last days of 2008, we will make a small tour with IN EXTREMO in Germany, and end the year in Nosturi, Helsinki, on a new year's celebration concert with our friends from MOONSORROW and KIUAS.

We wish you all a happy new year and hope to see you around somewhere."

As previously reported, BW&BK; recently received the following press release:

Rock The Nation America has got some big news for the followers of 2009's PaganFest USA II!

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Rock The Nation is proud to announce the final tour line up of PaganFest USA: Part 2 with two brand new additions to the upcoming traveling spectacle: Finland’s folk freaks KORPIKLAANI as the new headliners, and straight off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey’s crazy Pirate Metal drunks, SWASHBUCKLE as the opening party starters throughout the tour!

This years PaganFest USA was a huge success, and according to Rock The Nation‘s manager and KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono:

“The hype is not over just yet! Like all the things I do in my life, whether I listen to what people say and what people want, there’s no way we would not top this years PaganFest USA with the next one, so we thought of the ultimate line up and went for it! This will be THE event to be at for 2009, that’s for certain. Please welcome Korpiklaani and Swashbuckle to the fold and raise your glasses and swords. Prepare for one hell of a good time! Cheers!”

The first set of tour dates will be announced in January 2009!!

Part 2 of this incredible saga will now present the following bands in such order: Finland’s Korpiklaani, Switzerland’s ELUVEITIE, Ireland’s PRIMORDIAL, Finland’s MOONSORROW, Canada’s BLACKGUARD (formerly known as PROFUGUS MORTIS) and New Jersey’s Swashbuckle to the horizon for mid 2009!

The tour everyone has anxiously been waiting for with high demand will be storming the stages of venues across North America once again!

For the fans who have been eagerly counting down the days for the return of this run, the first date of this unique trek has been exclusively revealed on the PaganFest USA MySpace as May 7th, 2009 at Chicago’s Powerfest!

Details and ticket purchase links for PaganFest USA: Part 2 will be updated on the official MySpace page as they come in so please keep checking back often!

Kataklysm frontman and Rock The Nation USA’s general manager Maurizio Iacono recently commented:

"As this years Paganfest was a great discovery for many people and a HUGE success, we are proud to bring it back again for 2009!

The demand for the tour is growing and people are really excited. We chose to bring the best and some new blood as well for the next run. We hope (like this year) that all the pagan followers will come back in big numbers and raise their drinks in the air and celebrate a majestic evening not to be forgotten anytime soon!

Cheers,

Maurizio /RTN America”

Brave warriors of the metal world, it is once again time for all to come together with your fist towards the sky and swords up high! Commence your pagan conquest with a night of pure splendor! Your journey continues at PaganFest USA!"

For more info on the tour, please visit www.myspace.com/paganfestusa.