CIVILIZATION ONE, an international musical entity which features in its ranks vocalist Chity Somapala (ex-FIREWIND, AVALON), guitarist Aldo Lanobile (SECRET SPHERE), drummer Luca Cartasegna (ex-SECRET SPHERE), and bassist Pierre-Emmanuel Pélisson (MALADAPTIVE; ex-HEAVENLY), has signed a deal with Metal Heaven Records (RIOT, WINTERS BANE, BLOODBOUND, CLOUDSCAPE, CHRIS CAFFERY, ALTARIA, etc.). The group's debut album, "Revolution Rising", will be released in June.

CIVILIZATION ONE produced itself and recorded "Revolution Rising" at studios in France, Italy, and Germany, with mixing and mastering by Markus Teske (VANDEN PLAS, DOMINICI, SYMPHONY X) at Bazement Studios in Germany. The CD will feature 10 songs, including "Life of Agony", "Legends of the Past (Carry On)", and "Time Will Tell".

Audio samples of three songs from the forthcoming SCORPIONS album, "Humanity - Hour 1", are now available. Due at the end of May, the CD was produced by James Michael and co-produced by songwriter/producer Desmond Child, who has worked with such high-profile pop/rock artists as AEROSMITH, BON JOVI, ALICE COOPER, KISS, RICKY MARTIN, CHER, MICHAEL BOLTON and BONNIE TYLER. The "Humanity - Hour 1" artwork has been posted online at this location.

"Humanity - Hour 1" track listing:

01. Hour I
02. The Game Of Life
03. We Were Born To Fly
04. The Future Never Dies
05. You're Lovin' Me To Death
06. 321
07. Love Will Keep Us Alive
08. Your Last Song
09. Love Is War
10. Rise Again
11. The Cross
12. Humanity

FEAR FACTORY is currently working on another remix album, tentatively due later in the year. A first taste of the upcoming CD — a remixed version of the song "Supernova" (which appeared in its original form on the 2005 CD "Transgression") — can be heard on the band's MySpace Page.

FEAR FACTORY frontman frontman Burton C. Bell confirmed to the Edmonton Sun in December that the band has parted ways with Liquid 8 Records, the label that issued the group's last two albums — 2004's "Archetype" and 2005's "Transgression".

"Right now we're a completely independent band. We're free of labels and free of all sorts of things, so it's all about the music right now," said Bell.

Released in August 2005, "Transgression" was produced by Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, METALLICA).

German guitar hero AXEL RUDI PELL has set "Diamonds Unlocked" as the title of his upcoming "covers" album, due in September/October via SPV Records. Recording sessions for the effort will begin on April 2.

Commented Pell: "We will record 11 songs, ten cover versions and one self-written intro. I saw a few song suggestions from the fans here in the guestbook. But this will be a record containing songs which haven't been covered much. Also it is not my intention to record songs from other 'real' metal bands (with one or two exceptions), because the songs are already 'metal.' We wanna show how songs from other music genres could sound when a hard rock or classic rock band is covering 'em. That doesn't mean that the record will be strange sounding....no way! It will be typically AXEL RUDI PELL-ish and you'll not be disappointed, believe me!"

U.D.O., the band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, has finalized the track listing for its new album, "Mastercutor", due on May 18 via AFM Records. It is as follows:

01. Mastercutor
02. The Wrong Side Of Midnight
03. The Instigator
04. One Lone Voice
05. We Do - For You
06. Walker Of The Dark
07. Master Of Disaster
08. Tears Of A Clown
09. Vendetta
10. The Devil Walks Alone
11. Dead Man's Eyes
12. Crash Bang Crash

A specially edited version of MORTIIS' "The Grudge" video has been uploaded at YouTube. The edit by Charlie Deaux is backed by a soundtrack of the David Wallace remix of "The Grudge", which will appear on the forthcoming remix album "Some Kind of Heroin", released on April 16.

Commenting on the video, Mortiis explained, "Actually that video came as a surprise, I think Charlie wanted to showcase his creative ideas with this version of the video, really go all the way with it, and it caught me totally by surprise but I love it, as a matter of fact I love the unchained intensity of it, the fact that it's really frantic and fast really works with the remix Dave did, which also caught me by surprise. Dave really made that song sound like an 'old-school' Nineties industrial song, which I have always used as a big inspiration for a lot of the music I write, at least in the last couple of years."

MORTIIS will undertake a European tour in support of DEATHSTARS beginning early April.

Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY have announced that original guitarist Christopher Amott is rejoining the band with immediate effect. The group, having finished an intense 18-month touring cycle all over the world promoting the "Doomsday Machine" album and "Live Apocalypse" DVD, is currently busy working on songs for their new studio album.

Christopher surprised many by departing ARCH ENEMY at the end of the "Doomsday Machine" recording sessions in 2005, having been in the band for 10 years (starting with ARCH ENEMY at age 18). Christopher followed his urge to see the outside world and find what else is out there apart from music. Having done that, the time is right for him to return to the fold with a newly injected bite and focus and to resume his career.

Commenting on the re-grouping announcement he states: "This is very exciting for me, returning to ARCH ENEMY as a full-time member! Right now we are working on our forthcoming album and I'm very pleased about the way it's turning out. The new songs are fast and furious with lots of melody! To all the people who sent me kind messages while I was out of the band, thank you for your support, it helped me a lot. After this (much needed) two-year break, I'm looking forward to getting back on the road. I hope to see you all later this year!"

ARCH ENEMY mastermind Michael Amott complements his younger brother Christopher perfectly in style and chemistry and together they have become one of the most infamous and ripping guitar teams in extreme metal.

Comments Michael: "So, we are back with my brother Christopher on guitar — it's a huge rush to have him back playing in his signature style! He's jumped in at the end of the songwriting process for the new album and added some of his unique spice! I feel Christopher's playing has matured and is more precise and even faster than before! Guitar fans are going to freak on the stuff we are getting up to on the new album!"

The last two years have been the busiest and most successful touring campaign of ARCH ENEMY's entire career, so the many fans both old and especially new can now look forward to witnessing Christopher's return to the stages of the world.

In regards to Fredrik Åkesson, the Swedish guitar-wizard who has been touring with ARCH ENEMY for 18 months and who can be seen on the band's latest video clip for the song "My Apocalypse", Michael states: "I want to add that we are eternally grateful to Fredrik Åkesson, who did an outstanding job with ARCH ENEMY over the past 18 months while we dragged the 'Doomsday Machine' around the world a couple of times — YOU ARE FUCKING AWESOME!”

ARCH ENEMY has spent the last weeks locked in intense rehearsals at its homebase in Halmstad, Sweden, putting the final touches to the new material and integrating Christopher on the new songs for the forthcoming studio album. More news on this will follow in the next few days.

British gothic metal founding fathers PARADISE LOST have posted two songs from their upcoming single, "The Enemy" (due on April 13), at the band's MySpace. You can listen to a medley consisting of the single's title track, "The Enemy", as well as "Beneath Black Skies". Apart from these two tracks, PARADISE LOST's new single also contains the exclusive non-album track "Godless" plus a trailer for the band's upcoming documentary "Over The Madness", which was directed by Diran Noubar and is about to be premiered at the film festival in Cannes in May. The new single "The Enemy" will only be released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

PARADISE LOST's much-anticipated Century Media Records debut "In Requiem", was produced by Rhys Fulber (who also produced the last two PARADISE LOST albums as well as releases by FEAR FACTORY, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, etc.) and mixed by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, AEROSMITH, METALLICA, etc.).

"In Requiem" will be released in Europe on May 21 (June 5 in North America).

Veteran German hard rockers SCORPIONS will perform one new song from their upcoming album "Humanity - Hour 1" and their classic "Still Loving You" at a special concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of signing the Roman treaty, which became the basis for foundation of the European Union.

The three-hour concert will take place on March 24 in Brussels, Belgium to the Northeast of the Heisel exhibition complex at the esplanade in front of the famous Atomium installation.

The site for the concert was carefully selected: the Brussels Atomium, a 102-meter high installation, weighing 2400 tons, shaped as the molecule of iron magnified 165 billion times, is the most well-known symbol of Belgium. It was erected in 1958, a year after the signing the Roman treaty, to coincide with the World Exhibition in Brussels.

The "Humanity - Hour 1" artwork has been posted online at this location. The CD, which is due at the end of May, was produced with songwriter/producer Desmond Child, who has worked with such high-profile pop/rock artists as AEROSMITH, BON JOVI, ALICE COOPER, KISS, RICKY MARTIN, CHER, MICHAEL BOLTON and BONNIE TYLER.

SCORPIONS' last album, "Unbreakable", was released in the U.S. in June 2004 through Sanctuary Records. The CD was recorded at Peppermint Park Studio in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at Wisseloord studios in Hilversum, Holland.

METALLICA started recording its ninth studio LP in Los Angeles this week. According to the band's site, this is the first time METALLICA has recorded outside of the Bay Area since they spent "an eternity" at One on One Studios recording their 1991 self-titled release, popularly known as The Black Album.

In the latest issue of the METALLICA Club (the group's official fan club) members-only magazine "So What!", guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked if there are any common musical themes running through the 14 songs the band is recording for its new effort. "There is a really unusual theme that's working its way into the music," he replied. "I'm not really sure how to react to it. Maybe it's someone else trying to tell us that we should react to it, but a lot of the music has an eastern harmonic flair to it, a harmonic minor flair to it, and when I say harmonic minor, that could be construed as like eastern sounding or Middle Eastern sounding or maybe Arabic? I don't know if it's just the zeitgeist, a sign of the times, or maybe because like, you know, Middle Eastern culture is so prevalent, or maybe the negative things about Middle Eastern culture. Maybe artists are conscious, just want to shine light on the positive aspects of Middle Eastern culture, i.e. the music. But there's passages that sound, that use harmonic minor and dominant, and those sounds are distinctly Arabic sounding or Middle Eastern sounding, and you hear them in all the songs. At the less likely times, all of a sudden they'll turn a corner and there we are, smack, right dab there in Syria or Iraq, as far as culture is concerned. We're playing notes that were played, have been played for thousands of years, that aren't born in western culture, and it's just a trip to see. And maybe I'm the first to really vocalize it, but it's just there."

Unlike the troubled, turbulent sessions for the band's last album, 2003's "St. Anger", drummer Lars Ulrich told Launch that pre-production for the new effort had a whole different vibe. "It's frighteningly tame (laughs)," he said. "The four of us show up and we hang out and we have a great time, and there are no psychiatrists in sweaters, there are no film crews, it's very much like it used to be. It's pretty mellow around here. All that 'St. Anger' stuff seems like a movie (laughs)."

The group plans to work in the studio until early June, take a break for its European tour, then finish recording in August. As for whether METALLICA will release the new album in 2007, Ulrich said, "I'd like to try and get it out this year, I hope we can get it out this year. If it doesn't come out this year, then it will be out at the very beginning of next year."

Sweden's MORIFADE has issued the following update:

"We just wanted to let you know that the reason for the long interruption in the newsflow is because unfortunately there's not very much happening. We are still trying to find a record label that can release our music. We are not by any means giving up; actually, we have song material enough for an entire full-length album at this point and the only thing missing is money for the studio time and for the release, and that is a record label. If things goes our way, it's not impossible that a new MORIFADE album could be released during 2007 or early 2008, let's just hope!"

MORIFADE last year announced the addition of guitarist Mathias Kamijo to the group's ranks. The band parted ways with guitarist Jesper Johansson in October 2005 due to personal differences. The group is currently unsigned following a split with Holland's Karmageddon Media (formerly Hammerheart Records), the label that issued the band's most recent album, "Domi<>nation". A new song, entitled "Fear Breeder", from their 2005 promotional CD, can be downloaded at this location

Canadian metallers THREAT SIGNAL have issued the following update:

"Our first headlining tour was amazing! East Coast U.S. sure knows how to kick some ass. We would like to thank everyone who came out to support us and all of the opening bands each night. A big thanks to the promoters and venues who booked us. Can't wait to come back! Look for another U.S. run this summer.

"Right now we are writing and demoing songs for the new album. Let me tell you it sounds fuckin' bad-ass! That's all I will say for now..."

THREAT SIGNAL was honored with the "Canadian Recording of the Year" award at the 2006 Hamilton Music Awards, which were held Nov. 19, 2006 in Hamilton, Ontario.

EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet has set "The Scarecrow" as the title of the third installment of his AVANTASIA solo project. The album is being produced by Sascha Paeth, who also played the rhythm guitar on the CD. The drums were laid down by KISS/ALICE COOPER drummer Eric Singer and the bass is being handled by Tobias himself.

Commented Sammet: "I am right now in the studio doing some vocal sessions. In about two weeks I am going to fly to England to work with a friend of mine on some vocals.

"Fans and record companies who are interested always ask me for the names of my guest musicians. I want you all to know that I am blessed to work with the best musicians, but I don't believe in making names more important than the music itself. I am working with some childhood heroes of mine and most important, with great personalities, true friends, and the greatest musicians you can think of.

"Producer Sascha and I just checked some new recordings and I have the feeling, that this is the strongest stuff we have ever worked on. It's hard to describe the material in a few words — it sounds very powerful, bombastic, very organic and alive. People who loved especially AVANTASIA Part 1 will love this one, although this time there is a lot more variation in style on there as well. Of course it's a metal album, but we even didn't stop at including some Celtic world music elements. But all that matters to me is that the music has to touch the soul and I swear to God: This material goes straight to your soul, because that's where it comes from. Sounds cheesy, but it's true. I am giving you my everything with this record and you will hear that in late summer!"

Check out photos from the recording sessions at this location..

The new AVANTASIA album will be a concept album featuring different singers singing different characters in a story. But the concept itself won't be a sequel to the first two AVANTASIA albums.

AVANTASIA's last release was the two-part epic called "The Metal Opera" (issued in 2001 and 2002), which featured an impressive array of guest vocalists playing the various characters of the opera, including Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN), David DeFeis (VIRGIN STEELE), Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY), André Matos (ANGRA, SHAAMAN), Timo Tolkki (STRATOVARIUS), Rob Rock (WARRIOR), and others.

Lithuanian pagan metal band OBTEST will enter Hertz studio in Bialystok, Poland in April to record its new album, "Gyvybes Medis" ("The Tree of Life"), due in the fall via Ledo Takas Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Šviesa" ("Light"), "Apeigos" ("Ceremonial"), "Tai Ne Pabaiga" ("It's Not The End").

In other news, Ledo Takas has announced plans to reissue OBTEST's full-length debut, "Tukstantmetis", to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the album's original release. Retitled "Tukstantmetis + 10", the new slipcase edition will contain an improved and enhanced booklet, as well as liner notes written by the band, revealing "the true story behind album recordings," according to a press release. An April 23 release is expected.

Legendary hard rockers KING'S X entered Wireworld Studios in Nashville, TN on January 31 with producer Michael Wagener (SKID ROW, ALICE COOPER) to record their 14th, as-yet-untitled studio album. According to guitarist/vocalist Ty Tabor, "the new KING'S X CD is going great! I couldn't be more pleased with how it is sounding and the songs in general. We took a few months off just to write new material to try to make the best CD we can. I can't wait for [the fans] to hear it! All I can say is that we are very happy with it."

This will be the second album in a row with Wagener manning the boards. Pleased with the results of 2005's "Ogre Tones", Tabor and his bandmates headed into the studio more prepared and creative than ever before.

"We really enjoyed working with him on the last album," Tabor said shortly before entering the studio to record the new CD. "There was no pre-production on anything and we were pleased with how it turned out. This time, we're doing some pre-production, some writing together and we're going to try to outdo ourselves. We're going in this time with a complete and prepared attack."

Expect a summer/fall 2007 release on Inside Out Music.

Norwegian singer Vibeke Stene (ex-TRISTANIA, Photo#1,Photo#2) has shot down reports that she has joined NIGHTWISH as the replacement for Tarja Turunen.

Yesterday, Finland's biggest tabloid, Ilta-Sanomat, published the rumors that Stene accepted the job as new vocalist for the Finnish symphonic metal band.

However, according to Stene, "That is not true. I would not want to sing for NIGHTWISH," she told the Norwegian newspaper VG.

Stene believes that it might not be a coincidence that the rumors have surfaced around the time of the release of the new TRISTANIA album.

According to Vibeke, TRISTINIA's record label asked her a year ago if it was OK for them to put out the rumor that she was going to take over the singer slot in NIGHTWISH. This was in order to generate interest in TRISTANIA, which Stene quit three weeks ago "due to personal reasons."

However, "I said no," says Stene.

The only public information about the new vocalist that has come out of the NIGHTWISH camp so far has been offered by the group's manager, Ewo Pohjola (a.k.a. Ewo Rytkönen) of King Foo Entertainment. "She is getting along very well with the guys," he said. "She is very talented, clever and sweet."

The cover artwork for the upcoming "Black Sabbath: Live At Hammersmith Odeon" CD has been posted online this. Due on May 1 via Rhino Handmade, the collection features Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice getting hot one December night in London during SABBATH's 1981 tour for "Mob Rules". Previously unreleased, the concert spotlights SABBATH as they storm through 14 of the Dio-era's best including "Neon Knights", "Heaven And Hell", "Children Of The Sea" and "Country Girl". The band also performs several pre-Dio classics, including "Paranoid", "Children Of The Grave" and a white-hot version of "War Pigs". The album will be available from Rhino Handmade as an individually numbered limited edition of 5,000 copies, available only at www.rhinohandmade.com for a suggested retail price of $19.98.

"Black Sabbath: Live at Hammersmith Odeon" track listing:

01. E5150
02. Neon Knights
03. N.I.B.
04. Children Of The Sea
05. Country Girl
06. Black Sabbath
07. War Pigs
08. Slipping Away
09. Iron Man
10. The Mob Rules
11. Heaven And Hell
12. Paranoid
13. Voodoo
14. Children Of The Grave

All selections previously unissued

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have posted their video for the song "Focus Shift" on YouTube.com. The clip was directed by Roger Johansson, who previously worked with the group on the "Lost to Apathy" and "The New Build" videos from the 2005 release "Character" [2005]. The "Focus Shift" video will be featured on the limited-edition version of the upcoming DARK TRANQUILLITY album, "Fiction".

Due in April via Century Media Records, "Fiction" was mixed by the acclaimed Tue Madsen (HIMSA, THE HAUNTED) and encompasses all of the elements on which the band built their career: thought-provoking lyrics, shredding guitar work, captivating melodies and sheer brutality. This offering is perhaps best compared to a modern-day version of the group's revered classics "The Gallery" and "The Mind's I", only with more intensity behind it.

VADER entered Hertz Studio in Poland on March 15 to re-record 25 of the best songs from their entire discography for a 25th anniversary release, to be issued in 2008. The set will also include a DVD containing tons of bonus features, such as archival recordings, live shows, video clips and other special material.

Commented frontman Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek: "Me and Daray [drums] arrived to the Hertz Studio on 15th March to start recordings of an album, which is very special indeed. This is gonna be 25 songs taken from VADER's early records. We [are focusing] mostly on 'The Ultimate Incantation', 'De Profundis', 'Black to the Blind' [and] 'Litany' [albums], [and] also [the] mini albums released in between.

"2008 [marks 25 years since] VADER took its name and started to exist as a band...

"With such unusual material we'd like to enjoy the anniversary and close up the early days of VADER to the newest generation of our die-hard fans. For the first time, the songs from such differently produced records will be available on one album. All the songs we will [record] from scratch, so they'll sound more fresh [but will] more or less [be] re-arranged. Of course, we're gonna put some never-before-released very old stuff but... this is 'top secret' at the moment. Interesting might be also guests from world's metal scene, who will appear on the album on various songs. They are our friends and brothers-in-arms, who already made a lot for metal. What can I add is that we plan to do special edition of the album, including video shots from very early days or photo album with never released old picturies specially chosen for this anniversary release.

"Lotsa work, lotsa memories... but first of all — a lot of total massacre from over two decades of creation of unholy metal madness!!!!"

KAMELOT ready to continue their ascension to the pinnacle of metal royalty. After their biggest and most successful releases "The Black Halo" and the critically acclaimed "One Cold Winter's Night" metal pioneers KAMELOT return with another studio masterpiece; "Ghost Opera" will be KAMELOT's third release via SPV/Steamhammer Records.

"Ghost Opera" was recorded and mixed at Gate Studios and Pathway Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro. Artwork was handled by Mattias Noren with contributions by Alexandra V. Bach, Liliana Sanchez and Derek Gores. A limited-edition digipack version of the CD will include the bonus cut "The Pendulous Fall" along with a bonus DVD containing the video for the album's title track, "Ghost Opera", shot by director Ivan Colic of Serbia's Icode Team as well as the making of the "Ghost Opera" video. The Limited Edition will contain a special extended booklet as well.

Ghost Opera Limited Edition Digipak

"Ghost Opera" track listing:

01. Solitaire
02. Rule The World
03. Ghost Opera
04. The Human Stain
05. Blucher
06. Love You to Death
07. Up Through the Ashes
08. Mourning Star
09. Silence of the Darkness
10. Anthem
11. EdenEcho
12. The Pendulous Fall (limited edition bonus track)

KAMELOT's guitarist Thomas Youngblood states: "We are very excited about the new tour and album release this year. Ghost Opera is full of new and varied elements for us and the fans. This will be our most ambitious stage
show ever as well."

In good KAMELOT tradition "Ghost Opera" includes an array of guests, exotic instruments and dives into new musical territory. "This is certainly another leap forward for Kamelot, with what I think is our best, most exciting and important production to date." says KAMELOT vocalist Khan.

KAMELOT's current lineup is as follows:

Khan - Vocals
Thomas Youngblood - Guitars
Glenn Barry - Bass
Oliver Palotai Ц Keys
Casey Grillo - Drums

Kamelot's World Tour 2007-2008 kicks off this Spring March 29th in Europe.

12.05. RUS-Moscow - Tochka Club

SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid is putting the finishing touches on the lyrics for the band's upcoming album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

"I have started my two weeks of decadence, getting drunk and write lyrics... that's usually how i do it and it usually works just fine," he writes on the group's web site. "I have some finished songtitles. Thought I might as well share them with ya... We have 'Your Beloved Scapegoat', 'Light Discovering Darkness', 'The Snare Broken' and 'The Pittsburgh Syndrome' so far... Hmm, curious to see the reactions on that last songtitle..."

SOILWORK recently announced the addition of guitarist Daniel Antonsson (DIMENSION ZERO, PATHOS) to the group's ranks.

The vocals on the new CD will be produced by STRAPPING YOUNG LAD mastermind Devin Townsend, who previously worked with the band on 2002's "Natural Born Chaos".

SOILWORK's last CD, "Stabbing the Drama", is available now on Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Figure Number Five" was recorded at Fascination Street studios in Örebro and Dug-Out Productions in Uppsala, Sweden with producer Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, STUCK MOJO).

Guitarist Peter Wichers left SOILWORK in December 2005 to pursue a career in producing.