Metal Up Your Ass - December, 2007

Christmas eh? If there's just the slightest chance that you feel like ripping off your woolly snowflake jumper, want to stop rotting your teeth on the bumper tin of Quality Street, escape the endless squeal of cellotape ripping off the roll and get the fuck away from Lulu and her smug Morrisons advert chums, these few shows could be just the shilling at the bottom of the stocking for you.

We'll start with a dusting of Humanfly at Henry's Cellar Bar in Edinburgh on 1 Dec. The Leeds prog-metal riff-wielders appear with Jackie Treehorn and Secta Rouge for a mere £4 from 7pm.

Friday 7 Dec sees the end of a hardcore colossus in the form of In Decades Decline. Their final Edinburgh show takes place at The Ark on Edinburgh Waterloo Place with support from Broken Oath.

Perhaps the uber-parodied Marilyn Manson is your ticket to freedom from the braying aunties and helping the old man put up the tree. The much-maligned make-up loving 'shock' rock Goth will be shaking down a medley of hits at Braehead Arena on Saturday 8 Dec.

Funeral for a Friend sidle up to Dundee's Fat Sams on 17 Dec and Atomgevitter play Satchmos in the City of Discovery on 29 Dec with support from Wasted Nation.

And, because Metal Up Your Ass likes the idea of something a bit bloody different, try and get along to see Korpiklaani at The Cathouse on Thursday 20 Dec. Metal riffs, with pan pipes, folk-style organs and fiddles with Finnish lyrics. Support comes from Battlelore and Edinburgh's own Man of the Hour.

Beat that, Lulu!