Canadian cult-metal band THE EXALTED PILEDRIVER are dedicating the song 'Battle Axe', from their upcoming album 'Metal Manifesto,' to the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan.

The band's new album -- their first album in 22 years -- was mixed by veteran Neil Kernon (CANNIBAL CORPSE, NEVERMORE) and it follows up the classic cult discography of the band: Metal Inquisition (1985) and Stay Ugly (1986)

The Exalted One, in his best storyteller tone, explains the tale of how the dedicated song came to be: "In April of 2007, London's Heathrow Airport housed a toxin-tinged meeting of strangers that would lead to a Canadian cult-metal band dedicating a song from their new album to the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan. At the famous airport during a layover as he and his band headed out on a European tour, the lead vocalist of cult heavy metal band The Exalted Piledriver hankered for a nicotine fix and ducked into one of Heathrow Airport's toxin-yellowed smoking chambers. Little did he realize he was about to alter his world-view, for about to ask him for a 'light' was one Corporal Jeff Taylor of the Canadian Armed Forces, himself heading out on his own tour, his second, to serve in Afghanistan. Within 20 minutes of amiable chat and snapshot viewing, and many ciggies smoked, Cpl. Taylor had educated the vocalist on how much tangible good our men and women were doing in the war ravaged country. Cpl. Taylor recently wrote to the vocalist in an e-mail, "I wish the people of Canada could see the good things that we are doing over there, because in the six months that I was there, it was awesome some of the changes that we had seen happen, like kids flying kites. It was against the beliefs of the Taliban for kids to fly kites but a month before I left, everyday I would see lots of them flying in the air." So moved by the happenstance smoke-room interaction and follow-up e-mails was the metal 'vokillist', he announced that the song Battle Axe from his upcoming album Metal Manifesto will be dedicated "to the courage and valour of the men and women of our Canadian forces working so hard for what's right". Pile further commented, "After meeting Jeff, after seeing the pictures, and the pride on his face, after hearing of the wonderful differences these valiant people are effecting, and of the daily horrors our troops are presented with... it truly was the least I could do to honour their death-defying efforts on our behalf." In appreciation he added, "There wasn't a day on that tour that I didn't think about what they (our troops) were going through, knowing that our rock-n-roll-ride was but a stroll in the park compared to the hellish conditions Cpl Taylor. and his brothers and sisters in the Canadian and Nato Forces were dealing with merely a two-day's drive away from us." Pile also noted that his own father served in the Canadian Naval forces, and that his grandfather was a celebrated pilot in the RCAF. Who sez smoking only leads to bad things, eh?"

The Exalted Piledriver has announced that the song would be available as a free download until Remembrance Day November 11th, 2008 at the following links: www.myspace.com/theexaltedpiledriver, www.myspace.com/northernstormrecords.

The Metal Manifesto album will be released with a bonus DVD of the band's Auf Grosser Fahrt 2007 European Tour through Northern Storm Records on October 31st.

In other news, the band is playing a rare live show on October 13th, 2008 at The Opera House in Toronto in support of thrash veterans OVERKILL. More info on the show, tickets, etc please go here.