September 21, 2000 – Just as the ink barely begins to dry on the Tattoo the Earth tour (which wrapped up August 13), 1500 Records is set to release a live CD that captures performances from some of the hottest heavy bands in the country who appeared on the inaugural rock-and-ink traveling festival.

Due October 24, Tattoo the Earth: The First Crusade features songs from artists including Slipknot, Sevendust, Slayer, Sepultura, (hed)pe and Mudvayne. Various band members are also scheduled to make a special appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program Rockline on November 6.

The CD serves as a document of this summer's Tattoo the Earth tour, hailed as a "diabolical experiment." The first alternative lifestyle festival tour to combine top hard music bands with world-renowned rock-and-roll tattoo and body artists, Tattoo the Earth created a unique, intensely visceral day-long experience for music fans and tattoo aficionados alike. "At our first show in Portland it was obvious that the mad experiment worked," states Tattoo the Earth creator Scott Alderman. "The camaraderie between the musicians, artists and fans was remarkable, and the music and art that came out of this first tour was groundbreaking."

In addition to garnering critical praise, the tour also caught the attention of bands including Stone Temple Pilots (who performed on the kick-off date in Portland, OR) and Metallica. The latter teamed up with the festival for a special sold-out New York-area show at Giant's Stadium where the New York Times praised the tour's ability to "illustrate a longstanding concept in rock: the steadfast commitment of serious devotees to life beyond the norm. Heavy rock is an outsider's pleasure, and tattoos are permanent emblems of the soul's insurrection" (Ann Powers, 7/22/00).

In addition to offering two stages and over 15 bands, Tattoo the Earth also featured a festival village which included acclaimed tattoo artists like Paul Booth, Sean Vasquez, Filip Leu and Jack Rudy as well as body piercers, body painters, henna artists, temporary tattoos and plenty of cool alternative vendors. "Nothing represents the counter youth culture like music and body art," says Alderman. "It is a statement of purpose and a passport to another way of living. We're simply creating a venue where it can be expressed." In a recent interview in Alternative Press, Slipknot's #6 talked about the band's interest in the tour and tattooing: "We're really into this theme. It's another form of artistic expression...There's the live music, and then there's art beyond the music. I don't even think you need to be a tattoo lover to really appreciate it."

"The first tour exceeded our expectations and we will only get bigger and better from here," says tour producer Paul Zukoski of Front Row Productions. "We're already working on Tattoo The Earth 2001 for the U.S., as well as tours for Europe and Australia. This crusade is going around the world."

The track listing for Tattoo the Earth: The First Crusade is as follows:

1. Slipknot "Liberate"
2. Slayer "Stain Of Mind"
3. Sevendust "Waffle"
4. Sepultura "Choke"
5. Hatebreed "I Will Be Heard"
6. Slipknot "Surfacing"
7. Mudvayne "Dig"
8. Slayer "Chemical Warfare"
9. (hed)pe "Waiting To Die"
10. Sevendust "Too Close To Hate"
11. Nothingface "Can't Wait For Violence"
12. Workhorse Movement "Keep The Sabbath Dream Alive"
13. U.P.O. "Dust"
14. Nashville Pussy "Go To Hell"