The organizers for The 2008 Flight Of The Valkyries Metal Festival, which takes place on June 28th at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota, have issued the following press release:

"We had a good start to the festival with the 2007 show and I've tried to step it up a notch with the variety of genres and amount of high-profile bands we are placing on this year's bill," says Nathan "SwordLord" Block, Flight Of The Valkyries festival promoter and founder of SwordLord Productions. "It is with great pleasure that I announce the rising star of the Brazilian metal scene, Shadowside, as this year's Flight of the Valkyries co-headliner.

SHADOWSIDE, intense female-fronted power metal lead by the strong yet melodic vocals of Dani Nolden, has received widespread admiring reviews and is building a very strong and loyal fan base for their music full of personality, competence and solid instrumental work.

Additional confirmed bands for the 2008 FotV festival include DENDURA, progressive metal with a middle eastern/Egyptian infused sound and image, including a belly dancer as part of their live stage show, as well as Minnesota-based metal bands SOMETHING TO FEAR, dark heavy metal with a powerful blend of bluesy vocals and growling, and ARIA SHARP, an eclectic rock band whose not afraid to show their aggressive side.

Block recently announced the festival's headliner – "metal laboratory" UNEXPECT - earlier this month. As one of the most unique and diverse bands to come out of Canada, Unexpect mixes elements of black, death, core, symphonic, progressive and melodic metal; classical, operatic, medieval, goth, electro, ambient, psychotic, noise and circus music with an occasional jazzy touch.

"Unexpect has been a third-tier support act for various bands touring the US including EPICA and most recently Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS," says Block. "This will be a very rare opportunity to experience a full headline set from this absolutely indescribable metal act."

Additional bands will be confirmed and announced in the coming months.

"There are so many great metal bands with female lead vocals that don't get enough exposure or get it often enough," says Block. "Flight of the Valkyries is a chance for those bands to really shine. I'd like to continue this festival for many more years and I hope that the fans will support me in that!"

Tickets for the Flight of the Valkyries festival will go on sale on Saturday, February 16th at 10:00am. Ticket prices are $15 in advance or $20 on the day of show. Doors will open at 3:00 pm. The show is 18+.

Flight Of The Valkyries is the only music festival of its kind in the US devoted to metal bands with female lead vocalists. The festival showcases all metal sub-genres with the only unifying factor being that a female vocalist obviously must front the band.

The festival debuted in June of 2007, showcasing a variety of female-fronted metal bands such as Doro, VAINGLORY, EARTHEN, THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, VISIDEON, SPRITUAL DECAY and SIRENS OF TITAN.

For more information on the Flight of the Valkyries festival, please visit the festivals web site at www.femalemetalfest.com or on MySpace at www.myspace.com/femalemetalfest. For more information on SwordLord Productions, visit www.MySpace.com/SWORDLORD.