BW&BK; has received the following VALIENT THORR update:

Valient Himself successfully donated one of his kidneys to his father on May 14th. Now back home recovering, the operation was a great success, with both father and son doing well.

Valient’s decision to take public what is a private family event stems from the National Kidney Foundation’s public outreach. As Valient Thorr is on a single-minded mission to spread their message of redemption wrapped in rock n’ roll, this is another chance to illuminate a critically important issue that people don't think about unless they are personally touched.

Says Valient, “If I can go from a hospital bed to playing in front of a crowd of 75,000 at the UK’s Download Festival in just four weeks, people out there might consider becoming organ donors as well. If they have family members who need a kidney, it's definitely something to think about; and if not, they can still learn about designating themselves as organ donors on their driver's license.”

More information on kidney donations can be found at www.kidney.org or www.livingdonors.org.

Says Catherine Paykin, Transplant Services Program Director, National Kidney Foundation, “We are delighted that Valient Himself has decided to take his donation story public. We hope that it serves to shed light on the lifesaving power of organ donation and encourages others to get involved. We wish him and his father a speedy recovery.”

Valient Thorr will perform at Download Festival on Sunday, June 15th, the day before the release of Immortalizer via Volcom Entertainment, and their appearance on a boat on the Thames as part of Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods Awards.

Valient Thorr have also announced the following club shows in the UK in June:

June

17 - Queens Hall, Nuneaton, UK
18 - Sawyers, Kettering, UK
19 - Little Civic, Wolverhampton, UK
20 - White Rabbit, Plymouth, UK

Immortalizer is released via Volcom Entertainment on June 16th, 2008.