February 9, 2009 will see the release of "April Rain", the eagerly awaited second album from DELAIN, the Dutch gothic rock/metal project founded by ex-WITHIN TEMPTATION keyboardist Martijn Westerholt (brother of WITHIN TEMPTATION's Robert Westerholt). "April Rain" follows the successful 2006 debut "Lucidity", which sky-rocketed the career of the band in their home country of The Netherlands. "The new album 'April Rain' is a real group effort, that's what we're most proud of," says Martijn Westerholt.

DELAIN has been Westerholt's project from the start and the debut, "Lucidity", was recorded with a star-studded cast of musical friends. He says, "The album was never meant to be played live, but the demand was strong, so we eventually got a live band together. That's the band we've recorded 'April Rain' with. Compared to 'Lucidity', I'd say that this album musically is more coherent and consistent because of the fact that it was recorded all the way through by the same musicians. Production-wise, this album has more of a metal feel to it, as opposed to the more 'poppy' production of 'Lucidity'. Also, the songs tend to be a bit faster. Less 'doomy' than on our debut. That said, that album was never intended to be played live and when performing we all felt that these kind of songs were missing in our repertoire. We can't wait to go out and play these new songs on stage! Another big difference is that there are almost no guest appearances on this album. There's only NIGHTWISH vocalist Marco Hietala, whom we also worked with on 'Lucidity', providing guest vocals on the song 'Control The Storm'."

DELAIN is currently in the studio working on the final details of "April Rain", which will is yet to be mixed and mastered. The remainder of 2008 and early 2009 will be spent on the road, beginning with a jaunt through Germany in December. Then on February 5 the album will be launched in Amsterdam at a special event at the Melkweg venue. Westerholt adds: "And after that we'll tour Europe with KAMELOT and do multiple headline shows throughout Europe.

"I'd never intended DELAIN to be a real touring band…but now that we've become one, I'm definitely enjoying it to the fullest. We're looking forward to seeing our fans again real soon!"

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update:

"We're proud to announce that DARK TRANQUILLITY again is a six-piece (or six-pack, if you will). Daniel Antonsson [DIMENSION ZERO, ex-SOILWORK guitarist] is now officially our new bass player, and we look forward to starting to work on the next album with such a talented musician in the ranks."

According to the Italian news blog Musica Metal, DARK TRANQUILLITY was joined by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Nell Sigland on October 31, 2008 during DT's headlining concert in Milan, Italy for a performance of the song "The Mundane And The Magic" (a track that had never before been played live). The entire show was filmed for an upcoming DVD, tentatively due in early 2009.

DARK TRANQUILLITY's setlist was as follows:

01. The Treason Wall
02. The New Build
03. Focus Shift
04. The Lesser Faith
05. Wonders At Your Feet
06. Lost To Apathy
07. Freecard
08. Inside The Particle Storm
09. Nothing To No One
10. Edenspring
11. Insanity's Crescendo
12. Lethe
13. Dreamlore Degenerate
14. Misery's Crown
15. Therein
16. My Negation
17. Yesterworld
18. Punish My Heaven
----------
19. The Mundane And The Magic
20. Final Resistance
21. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)

Photos of the concert can be found at Musica Metal.

Quality video footage of DARK TRANQUILLITY's performance in Milan is available below (clips uploaded by "ginmetal").

Century Media Records reissued DARK TRANQUILLITY's latest album, "Fiction", in May an expanded edition in conjunction with the start of the band's recently completed North American tour. The new version is composed of a CD/DVD and features a slew of new material.

Madison, Wisconsin-based, female-fronted five-piece LUNA MORTIS (formerly known as THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE) has posted a new song, entitled "Never Give In", on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's debut album, "The Absence", which is due in North America on February 10, 2009 via Century Media Records. The CD was tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM).

Singer Mary Zimmer commented, "We're very excited for our debut release on Century Media Records. This album is musically all-encompassing for us, as it branches into different styles and areas of metal. We feel there's something for everyone on this record and are looking forward to sharing it with everyone! We hope you'll be as excited as we are and we’ll see you all soon."

When you're trying to break into the international music scene from Wisconsin you're left to claw your way up yourself, and LUNA MORTIS did exactly that with the 2006 release of its self-produced LP, "Way of the Blade" (released under the original band name THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE). As the album made its way through the local grapevine the band had cemented enough of a regional reputation to generate label interest. They began a period of intensive demo production and showcasing, beginning with the recording of their EP, "The Answer: Does Not Exist" (also released as THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE), and culminating in the opportunity to cut four tracks with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, ALL THAT REMAINS). These efforts ultimately found LUNA MORTIS a home at Century Media amongst a literal pantheon of some of the band's most respected and admired influences.

LUNA MORTIS is:

Mary Zimmer - Vocals
Brian Koenig – Guitars, Vocals
Cory Scheider - Guitars
Jake Bare - Bass
Erik Madsen - Drums

LUNA MORTIS' video for the song "Anemic World" can be viewed here (note: The clip was shot while the band was still called THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE).

The official newsletter from German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN includes the following update on the band's new studio album:

"While RAMMSTEIN are recording their newest studio album in sunny California, the first snow has fallen today in Berlin. You have sent us a lot of questions since news reached you via the RAMMSTEIN website about the recordings for the new album. Many rumours have flooded the internet since then. The production of the album will take some time and a release isn't planned before autumn 2009. If everything goes according to plan, we'll hear the first single before summer 2009 and be able to greet RAMMSTEIN at the beginning of their tour before the end of the year. This tour, which is to stretch far into the year 2010, will finally give you enough of a chance to see the band live again after the long period of waiting. Above all, there are some surprises in store for our loyal fans and Community members in the 2009/2010 tour year."

Video footage of Christoph Schneider from RAMMSTEIN laying down tracks for the group's new CD earlier this month at a studio in Los Angeles can be viewed here.

RAMMSTEIN is recording the initial tracks for the new album in Los Angeles with b>Jacob Hellner and the production team of Ulf Kruckenberg and Florian Ammon. A studio has been rented near San Francisco for the bulk of the main recording work.

RAMMSTEIN's "Völkerball" DVD was released in North America in September 2007. The disc features performances from France, England, Japan and Russia. The DVD was released in three different formats. The standard two-disc DVD/CD package contains a 140-minute live video and 75-minute live CD. The special-edition package also includes a tour documentary and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Reise, Reise". Finally, the limited collectors' edition contains four discs packaged in a 190-page book with photos from the tour.

RAMMSTEIN's last album, "Rosenrot", received its long-overdue U.S. release in March 2006 via Universal Music. The CD, which was certified platinum in Germany for sales in excess of 200,000 copies within two weeks of release in October 2005, topped the official album chart in Germany, Austria and Finland, and landed at No. 2 in Sweden and Denmark, No. 4 in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, No. 5 in France, No. 6 in Mexico, No. 11 in Italy and No. 29 in the U.K. In addition, "Rosenrot" achieved gold status in Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

Keyboardist Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg of the Finnish melodic metal band SONATA ARCTICA has issued the following update:

"Tomorrow is the last show of the European tour. I think we've all been surprised about the great turnout. After all, this was the second headlining tour with this album ('Unia'). Somehow these last days have gone by pretty fast and before we know it we're gonna be in Russia and then that's it... for now.

"I won't go into any extensive comments about the upcoming album, mainly because nobody knows how it will sound at this point, and the few songs I've heard by Tony [Kakko, vocals] can't paint the whole picture. It's gonna be really interesting to work with [new guitarist] Elias [Viljanen] in the studio and I'm sure we'll come up with something great.

"During the two months (December-January) when Tony is writing songs, I'll be playing the keyboards for Elias' new solo album, and in the spring we hopefully can play some shows in Finland."

Video footage of SONATA ARCTICA's November 16, 2008 concert in Munich, Germany can be viewed here.

OSI (OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE), the project featuring FATES WARNING guitarist Jim Matheos and ex-DREAM THEATER keyboardist Kevin Moore, will begin mixing its as-yet-untitled album in early December with engineer Phil Magnotti. A spring 2009 release is expected. OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt has contributed vocals to a song entitled "Stockholm" for the CD. The track was recorded by David Castillo at Castillo Sound studios.

Commented Mikael: "I was approached by Jim Matheos about the matter some time ago, and since I'm a fan of OSI, I said 'Sure!'"

He added, "It's a very moody song and completely unlike anything I've ever done before. I wrote the lyrics and the vocal lines for the piece that I simply decided to call 'Stockholm'."

OSI has spent the past several months working on its third album. According to Moore, "Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE) is playing drums on this one; he's nearly done tracking and it sounds great. Along with guitar, Jim is handling bass this time. I still get to sing but may get some help."

OSI's previous recordings featured DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy on drums.

The band's last release was the 2006 EP featuring three remixes of "Free" album tracks. InsideOut Music issued a CD version of the EP, which also included a video for the song "Free" (see here) directed by Andreas Nilsson.

OSI's "Free" album featured a guest appearance on five tracks by FATES WARNING/ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera.

"Stadig Verblind" (Slowly Blinded), the new video from Southern African metallers MIND ASSAULT, can be viewed here. The song comes off the group's debut album, "Stigma", which is available now from leading online stores like Nuclear Blast, iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon. The CD features mostly songs written in English but also includes tracks written in the local language of Afrikaans.

"Stigma" track listing:

01. My Donker
02. Prison Of Flesh
03. Innocent Blood
04. Paint My Mind Black
05. Hoekom
06. Suffer
07. Tranquil Thoughts
08. Rise Once Again
09. Veroordeel
10. Stadig Verblind
11. We Will Prevail
12. This Is TheEnd
13. Revenge

Released independently in South Africa in February 2008, the album was recorded at Shattering Silence Studios in Cape Town and was mixed by Jared Gunsten in Johannesburg.

MIND ASSAULT is:

Jacques Fourie - vocals
Francois Pretorius - lead guitar
Patrick Davidson - guitar
Donovan Tose - bass
Andries Smit - drums

Minnesota-based progressive metal/hardcore act AFTER THE BURIAL has announced the addition of vocalist Anthony Notarmaso to the group's ranks.

Commented the band: "After completing the Cleansing The Nation Tour with our longtime friend Anthony Notarmaso, it became very clear to us that he is exactly what we have been looking for. We are extremely happy to hit the road with our friends in BORN OF OSIRIS this month as our lineup is now complete. Writing new material with Anthony is already underway, and we are very excited for 2009."

AFTER THE BURIAL has just hit the road as part of the Progressive Damnation Tour with SHAI HULUD and the aforementioned BORN OF OSIRIS. The band received a full-page piece in the last issue of Decibel magazine that showcased the group's math metal dexterity, including its switch from seven- to eight-string guitars on AFTER THE BURIAL's latest album, "Rareform".

Swedish melodic heavy metal masters LION'S SHARE are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "Dark Hours", for a March 2009 release via Blistering Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Emotional Coma" will be mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (OPETH, SYMPHONY X, PARADISE LOST, AMON AMARTH) and features guest appearances by SYMPHONY X guitarist Mike Romeo (guest solo on "Behind The Curtain"), and drummers Conny Pettersson (from Earache Records death metal act ANATA) and Richard Evensand (CHIMAIRA, SOILWORK).

"Dark Hours" tenative track listing:

01. Judas Must Die
02. Phantom Rider
03. Demon In Your Mind
04. Heavy Cross To Bear
05. The Bottomless Pit
06. Full Metal Jacket
07. The Presidio 27
08. Barker Ranch
09. Napalm Nights
10. Space Scam
11. Behind The Curtain
12. King Of All The Kings (bonus track – limited-edition digipak and Japanese version)

The band states: "The new songs are simply awesome and everybody that has heard it thinks it's our best album to date. The red thread lyric-wise on this album is that all songs are about things that happened in the late Sixties; a decade known for many good things. However, we're not describing the happy times of the Sixties: We give you the 'Dark Hours'. Musically, it's more straight-forward and faster than ever. The songs are filled with energy and great hooks."

LION'S SHARE's most recent album, "Emotional Coma", was released in the U.S. this past January via Locomotive Music. The CD was issued by AFM Records in Europe and Spiritual Beast in Japan/Asia and features guest solos from ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, and ex-MEGADETH guitarist Glen Drover.

Check an an e-card for the album at this location.

Video footage of LION'S SHARE performing the song "Soultaker" at MANOWAR's Magic Circle Festival in Bad Arolsen, Germany on July 7, 2007 can be viewed here. The clip comes off the "Magic Circle Festival 2007" double-DVD set, which came out at the end of last year.

Italian melodic death metallers RAINTIME will enter the studio in March/April 2009 to begin recording their new album for a late 2009 release via Lifeforce in Europe, Replica in France, Soundholic in Japan and Bieler Bros. in the U.S., Canada, U.K. According to the band, "These are going to be the best songs we've ever written. There's a lot of energy, melody and passion in the new tracks."

At the moment, RAINTIME is setting up new shows in Italy, France, Czech Republic and Germany.

A RAINTIME e-card can be accessed at this location. You can preview blistering, new tracks from the band's latest CD, "Flies and Lies" as well as the video for the track "Rolling Chances" (which can also be viewed here).

"Flies and Lies" was recorded and mixed at Jailhouse Studios in Horsens, Denmark with producer Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, TNT, PRETTY MAIDS, FATE). Featuring twelve technically-brilliant metal tracks, "Flies and Lies" is sure to incite fans of IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER, and many more into a fevered listening frenzy!

Formed in 1999, RAINTIME consists of members Claudio Coassin (vocals), Michael Martina (guitar), Matteo Di Bon (guitar), Andrea Corona (keyboard) and is rounded out by the powerful rhythm section of Michele Colussi (bass) and Enrico Fabris (drums).

Atlanta, Georgia-based metallers BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE have posted a new song, "How Great Thou Art", on their MySpace page. The track comes off the group's third album, "Dichotomy", is scheduled for release on November 25 via Solid State Records. The CD's cover artwork, which can be viewed here, was created by Kristian Wahlin (AT THE GATES, AMORPHIS, BATHORY, DISSECTION, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THERION, EVERGREY).

"Dichotomy" track listing:

01. Mountain Of Souls
02. Dichotomy
03. Artificial Immortality
04. Self Existent
05. St. Anne's Lullaby
06. Ransom
07. Evil Unseen
08. How Great Thou Art
09. Deep Heaven
10. End Of The Age

The CD features guest appearances by Ryan Clark (DEMON HUNTER), Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and a soprano named Suzanne Richter. According to the band, "All three make appearances on the album in key places that enable the music to go one step further in their maturity."

BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE recently parted ways with lead guitarist Alex Kenis and replaced him with Jon Star.

BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE's second album, "The Physics of Fire", was released in Europe in June 2007 via Century Media Records. The U.S. release was handled by Solid State Records. The CD was produced by Rob Caggiano (BLEEDING THROUGH, CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX).

Long-running Australian thrashers MORTAL SIN have issued the following update:

"Our longtime friend Greg Morelli, guitarist of NAZXUL, was tragically killed in the early hours of Thursday morning, November 20th in a motorcycle accident. As many locals would know, a huge storm hit Sydney last night and Greg was riding his motorbike home and hit a greasy wet patch on Parramatta road North Strathfield.

"Greg's death will be a huge loss to the Australian metal scene and of course the international black metal scene. The new NAZXUL album had just been completed and Greg was really looking forward to getting back out on the road and we had also talked about the possibility of heading over to Europe for some shows next year. Greg explained to me that the new album was sounding like they finally wanted to sound like, and was really proud of what he had achieved.

"I hope all the black metal fans out there will raise their horns tonight for Greg.

"Rest in peace, mate, you're a fucking legend."

"Cult Of The Dead", the new video from the Dutch thrash metal band LEGION OF THE DAMNED, can be viewed here. The song comes off the group's new album, "Cult of the Dead", due on December 19 via Massacre Records. The LP will be made available in three different formats: as three-disc deluxe edition including a bonus CD and a bonus DVD; a limited-edition digipack with a bonus DVD and as regular jewel case CD. The three-disc deluxe edition will include a CD containing a recording of the band's performance at Germany's Rock Hard festival in 2006 and a DVD featuring footage of LEGION OF THE DAMNED playing the entire "Cult of the Dead" album in the band's rehearsal room plus interview clips.

ADRIFT — the Tampa-based heavy rock band featuring Jack Owen of DEICIDE/CANNIBAL CORPSE fame — is currently hard at work on new material. With three new songs already put into the live set ("The Abrupt", "Deeper" and "Full Fruition"), there is still a melting pot of riffage just waiting to be structured. Singer Dean Pskowski had this to say about the ADRIFT writing process: "We like to just get in a room and jam out the songs until we're happy with them. Sometimes I'll bring a song idea in and we'll just toy around with it until it becomes something we would want to share with the rest of the world." Drummer Kevin Astl added: "The new stuff is going to surprise a lot of people and I can't wait for everyone to hear what we have in store for 2009".

Video footage of ADRIFT performing the song "Back To Square One" on September 13, 2008 at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida can be viewed here.

ADRIFT's debut full-length album "Absolution", was recorded by David Burrill at The Sample Factory in Youngsville, NC, was mixed by Mark Lewis at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, FL, and was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Windsor, NY.

LOVEX has had to cancel their two sold-out dates scheduled in Russia this weekend. The shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow have been moved to the 2nd and 3rd of December respectively. The reason for the abrupt cancellation is due to problems encountered whilst applying for Visa's to the Russian Federation. Luckily, all problems have been resolved, and, thanks to the very co-operative and hard working officials at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Helsinki, Lovex will be issued Visa's for their upcoming visit at the beginning of next week.

LOVEX are extremely sorry and upset that this has happened, and sends out appologies to all of their Russian fans, as well as to all the people at Infernal Crystal Productions who have been working countless hours on these two shows.

NEW CONFIRMED RUSSIAN SHOWS
02.12.2008 (RUS) St.Petersburg, Arctica Club
03.12.2008 (RUS) Moscow, Gorod

Swedish melodic metallers HAMMERFALL have set "No Sacrifice, No Victory" as the title of their eighth full-length album, due on February 20, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in part at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden and includes an instrumental written by the group's latest addition, guitarist Pontus Norgren (THE POODLES, TALISMAN, GREAT KING RAT), as well as a song entitled "One of a Kind", which was composed as a collaboration between HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak and IN FLAMES axeman Jesper Strömblad (who was a member of HAMMERFALL in the band's earliest incarnation). The cover artwork was created by Sam Didier, while Thomas Ewerhard was responsible for the CD layout.

"No Sacrifice, No Victory" track listing:

01. Any Means Necessary
02. Life Is Now
03. Punish And Enslave
04. Legion
05. Between Two Worlds
06. Hallowed Be My Name
07. Something For The Ages
08. No Sacrifice, No Victory
09. Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11. My Sharona (THE KNACK cover)

A video for the first single, "Any Means Necessary", will be shot in Belgrade, Serbia next week.

Pontus Norgren joined HAMMERFALL as the replacement for Stefan Elmgren, who left the band in early April to focus on his new career as a pilot.

HAMMERFALL's "Masterpieces" CD — a collection of all the covers the band has recorded to date plus three previously unreleased versions of other artists' songs — entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 69. Meanwhile, HAMMERFALL's "Rebels With A Cause - Unruly, Unrestrained, Uninhibited" DVD chronicling the last few years of the band's career landed on the German chart at No. 81 (German chart rules allow music DVDs to enter album charts).

The band will embark on a European headlining tour in early 2009, with support from SABATON and BULLET.

"Amortean", the fifth album from Finnish atmospheric doom metallers SILENTIUM, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. The cover artwork for the CD can be viewed here.

SILENTIUM's new album was recorded at a studio in central Finland with the multi-talented mainman of WALTARI, Kärtsy Hatakka. The band previously stated about the new material, [We have] some major surprises reserved for [our] loyal fans, who have been more than patient in the wait for the new album. All the Silentians agree that the new material is the most impressive up to date! Prepare yourselves for a massive music experience. This fall, SILENTIUM will be back, more powerful than ever!"

"Amortean" track listing:

01. Leave The Fallen Behind
02. The Messenger
03. A Knife In The Back
04. The Fallen Ones With You Tonight
05. My Broken Angel
06. The Cradle Of Nameless
07. Storm Sight Solicitude
08. Embrace The Storm
09. La Fin du Monde

"Dead Silent", the latest video from SILENTIUM, can be viewed here. The track comes off the group's "Seducia" album, which was released in January 2006 via Dynamic Arts Records. The CD was the sequel to the "Frostnight" single, which came out in October 2005. According to a Dynamic Arts press release, the album "delivers bombastical, cold atmospheres" with a total running time of 48 minutes.

"Seducia" was the group's first full-length release to feature vocalist Riina Rinkinen, who joined the group in July 2004.

AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen introduces vocalist Jasper Steverlinck (ARID), who is featured on the new track "Epilogue: The Memory Remains" from the recently released AYREON 3CD + DVD compilation album entitled "Timeline" (cover).

Arjen Lucassen previously stated about "Timeline", "I've been asked many times before to release an AYREON compilation album, but it just didn't feel right to present fragmented bits of story by lifting individual songs out of their greater contexts. However, my attitude changed after I completed my 2008 album '01011001' in which I connected all the previous AYREON releases, musically as well as lyrically. Having completed the circle, so to speak, it seemed like a fitting time to put all things AYREON into perspective and create an AYREON timeline outlining the entire story."

"Timeline" follows the thirteen-year evolution of the AYREON sound from the 1995 debut "The Final Experiment" to the release of "01011001" in 2008. In addition to selecting tracks from the existing AYREON discography, Arjen has also written and recorded a new AYREON song exclusively for "Timeline". Titled "Epilogue: The Memory Remains", this previously unreleased nine-plus-minute track introduces AYREON fans to the clear, powerful voice of Jasper Steverlinck (ARID). Lyrically, "The Memory Remains" provides further insight into the final chapter of the AYREON saga and what the future might hold for its characters.

In addition to "The Memory Remains", "Timeline"'s three audio CDs comprise 32 essential AYREON tracks (almost four hours of music), all carefully remastered specifically for this release. The accompanying DVD features nearly two hours of released and unreleased video clips, behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5.1 mixes, and live performances of AYREON tracks (STAR ONE and STREAM OF PASSION versions). To illuminate the AYREON story further, a timeline poster illustrating the AYREON universe and 56-page booklet containing many new photos, all lyrics, and notes on the story are included in the "Timeline" package. The cover is a specially commissioned painting by traditional AYREON cover artist Jef Bertels (see below).

"Timeline" was released through InsideOut Music on November 7 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and November 10 (rest of Europe). An early 2009 North American release is expected.

When asked what the release of "Timeline" means for the future of AYREON, Arjen explained, "I don't see this as the end of AYREON, but rather as a new beginning. I'll definitely be recording some side projects before I even start thinking about re-inventing AYREON. To keep things fresh for myself I've got to come up with a completely new concept for both the music and the lyrics. I hope I can do it...it will be definitely be quite a challenge!"

Check out the complete "Timeline" track listing at this location.

Olivier "Zoltar" Badin of UK's Terrorizer magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist Dave Chandler of the legendary U.S. doom metal band SAINT VITUS.

Terrorizer: Ironically, in between 1996 when you first split up, and 2003, the band's popularity had grown a lot. How do you explain it?

Chandler: The irony of it all is a friend whom I used to complain to that things were not happening for us in the '80s said to me that to become popular, all I had to do was to disband and reform five years later. How true. But seriously, I don't know what really happened. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that during the time we were gone the whole doom scene was finally blossoming, at least in Europe, and a lot of those bands were mentioning us as one of their main influences. I actually want to thank you guys at Terrorizer, because when you did that doom special thing spread over three issues, I know we got mentioned a lot and that did a lot for us. Or maybe we just lucky. I don't know. But it still feels weird. I work in a head shop here in New Orleans, I sell pipes you know. And few times, some customers who there looking to buy some stuff would all of a sudden just freeze in front of me and go like, "Wait a second, are you really who I'm thinking you are?" to which I would just answer like, "Errrrrr, I don't know." Usually, they would then rave on about me being in SAINT VITUS and being some kind of legend or whatever. And the only thing I'd tell then would be, "Really?"

Terrorizer: When you started considering doing the reunion shows, did you question which version of the band you'd reactivate?

Chandler: Well, the With Full Force guys explicitly asked for the "Born Too Late" lineup so we knew straight away this would happen with Wino at the mic, yeah.

Terrorizer: But you never thought there could be more than the two shows (Chicago and With Full Force)?

Chandler: Pretty much, yeah. I mean during our lifetime, we had only played in small clubs with punk bands whose fans usually hated us. So the idea was to do one big show and that's it. Plus, everybody's got to take care of their own lives, you know? Wino had THE HIDDEN HAND going on, I had DEBRIS INC. and Armando was playing in a heavy rock outfit called DIRTY RED, so…

Terrorizer: What about DEBRIS INC.?

Chandler: Oh, this hasn't been happening for a long time now. After we released our album in 2005, we did some touring but I then realized the conditions were as horrible now as they were back in the days and since I'm not that young anymore, I just couldn't stand them, really, so I kind of put the band to rest. Since then, I've been jamming from time to time with friends during weekends, but just for the fun of it, nothing really serious.

Terrorizer: Nowadays, everybody in VITUS is pretty scattered all over the country right?

Chandler: Yeah, I live in New Orleans, Armando and Mark are in California, and Wino is either in Washington or Maryland, I don't remember. Everybody's going to come down here for the rehearsals though. We're probably going to do a show prior to Roadburn as well, like when we played in Chicago in 2003, just to make sure everybody knows what they're supposed to do.

Terrorizer: A low-key DVD from your Chicago show was released in 2007. Are you going to record Roadburn as well?

Chandler: Well, the plan right now is to record both shows and maybe put out a sequel to our '90s live album. But you'd better ask my manager the details because I'm already too busy trying to re-learn those songs I wrote over twenty years ago.

Terrorizer: What about the setlist?

Chandler: Well, I can't reveal much right now but we're going to do mostly Wino songs, including a lot from "Born Too Late". But there's also going to be some surprises, even for our diehard fans, as we're going to play songs we never or rarely did live before.

Terrorizer: Any Scott Reagers songs planned, like from your final album "Die Healing" (1995)?

Chandler: We're going to do some of them, the ones most people see as "classic" VITUS songs but none from "Die Healing", no.

Terrorizer: Wouldn't it be the right time to, at long last, finally re-release your back catalogue? Even if Southern Lord did reissue "V" (1989) and "Live" (1990), your second album "Hallow's Victim" (1985), for example, has yet to be officially released on CD.

Chandler: That's one of the reasons why we want to record those shows coming up as some of those songs might end up on some of those re-releases as yes, I can reveal to you that we just got the permission from Greg Ginn (BLACK FLAG founder/guitarist and owner of SST Records, which released the band's first four full-lengths) to do it. The details have yet to be clarified — are they going be available separately or altogether in a box set, with or without bonus tracks, etc.? But it's going to happen, yes.

According to The Pulse of Radio, FLYLEAF will hit the studio no later than January 2009 to begin work on the follow-up to its 2005 self-titled debut, which went platinum after selling more than one million copies. Much of that was due to the band's relentless touring schedule, which kept them on the road for over two years and also took a heavy toll on singer Lacey Mosley's voice. The vocalist told us that having a long break before getting back to work was just what the doctor ordered: "I think this time off has been so needed and I think that the most important thing for you to do when your voice is so worn out like that is just stop singing for a while. For me it was like really relieving to get a lot of time to just rest and not have to sing every night the way that we do, and it's been good. And my voice is great, a hundred percent better."

FLYLEAF's more than two years of touring and promotion for its debut CD included stints with KORN and the Family Values Tour, as well as two rock radio singles, "I'm So Sick" and "Fully Alive".

The band is currently writing songs for the new album, which Mosley said were influenced by KORN and SHINEDOWN.

FLYLEAF will play a radio festival in Orlando, Florida on December 14 and may also appear at a few more holiday shows before the end of the year.

Daytona Beach, Florida's THE AUTUMN OFFERING will enter AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis on February 1, 2009 to begin recording its new album, entitled "Requiem". Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Narcosis", "Worn Out Wings" and "Obsidian Halo". A spring release through Victory Records is expected. According to the group, the follow-up to 2007's "Fear Will Cast No Shadow" will contain "by far the band's most ambitious and dense material yet. Longer songs, complex rythms, and dynamic vocals fill out this 11-track monster."

The band's video for the song "From Atrophy To Obsession" can be viewed here. The track comes off THE AUTUMN OFFERING's last album, "Fear Will Cast No Shadow", which came out on October 30, 2007 via Victory Records. The CD was recorded at AudioHammer with producer Jason Suecof (CHIMAIRA, TRIVIUM, BURY YOUR DEAD, DEVILDRIVER) and engineer Mark Lewis. The record was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York.

British extreme metal pioneers NAPALM DEATH recently finished recording their new album, "Time Waits For No Slave", with producer Russ Russell. Drums were tracked at Parlour Studios in Kettering and guitars, bass and vocals were done at Foel Studios in Wales. The band then returned to Parlour for the mixing sessions. Expect the new album to surface in February 2009 via Century Media Records.

"Time Waits For No Slave" track listing:

01. Strong Arm
02. Diktat
03. Work To Rule
04. On The Brink Of Extinction
05. Time Waits For No Slave
06. Life And Limb
07. Downbeat Clique
08. Fallacy Dominion
09. Passive Tense
10. Larency Of The Heart
11. Procrastination On The Empty Vessel
12. Feeling Redundant
13. A No-Sided Argument
14. De-evolution Ad Nauseum

NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury recently spoke to Paul Travers of Suite101.com about the band's upcoming thirteenth full-length studio album. "We've got about seventeen songs together," Embury said. "I guess it's moving on again from the last album [2006's 'Smear Campaign']. It's still very fast and hopefully heavy. There's a couple of strange kind of moments in the music, with a little more experimentation and a little more discordance in the guitar perhaps. I think Barney's [Greenway] trying to move forward vocally in some areas like he did on tracks like 'Smear Campaign' and 'Persona Non Grata'."

Fan-filmed video footage of NAPALM DEATH performing at the Way Of Darkness III Festival, which was held October 2-4, 2008 in Coburg, Germany, can be viewed below (clip uploaded by YouTube user "brophdefection").

VREID, the Norwegian band formed by former WINDIR members Hváll (bass), Steingrim (drums) and Sture (vocals, guitar), will release its fourth album, "Milorg", on January 5, 2009 via Indie Recordings. The cover artwork was designed by PC Groove and can be viewed here.

"Milorg" track listing:

01. Alarm
02. Disciplined
03. Speak Goddamnitt
04. Blücher
05. Blücher Pt. II
06. Heroes & Villains
07. Argumentum Ex Silentio
08. Milorg

VREID issued its third album, "I Krig (At War)", in Norway on May 8, 2007 via Indie Recordings.

"The Chain Reaction", the new album from the French metal band ANTHROPIA, will be released in France on February 16, 2009 through Adarca Records. The CD was recorded on the French riviera at Artmusic Studio, mixed by Francois Merle of MANIGANCE, and mastered by Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, PRETTY MAIDS, JORN) at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark.

ADAGIO keyboardist Kevin Codfert makes a guest appearance on "The Chain Reaction".

A video teaser for "The Chain Reaction" can be viewed here.

ANTHROPIA recently parted ways with Magna Carta Records, the label which released the band's 2006 effort, "The Ereyn Chronicles: Part 1 - The Journey of Beginnings".

German death metallers OBSCURA have posted a brand new track, "Anticosmic Overload", on their MySpace page. The song comes off the group's second full-length album, "Cosmogenesis" due in February 2009 via Relapse Records. The CD features guest appearances from Ron Jarzombek (WATCHTOWER, SPASTIC INK, BLOTTED SCIENCE) and Tymon Kruidenier (CYNIC, EXIVIOUS). "The new album sounds very intense and brutal", the band says in a statement.

OBSCURA was founded in 2002 by guitarist/vocalist Steffen Kummerer. After several lineup changes, Kummerer enlisted a new team of virtuoso musicians. Late last year, OBSCURA added drummer Hannes Grossmann (ex-NECROPHAGIST) and fretless bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling (ex-PESTILENCE) as new permanent members. The group's latest addition, guitarist Christian Muenzner (ex-NECROPHAGIST), came into the ranks earlier this year.

"Towards the Infinite", a new song from the Finnish "funeral doom" band COLOSSEUM, is available for free download at this location. The track comes off the group's sophomore album, "Chapter 2: Numquam" (cover), which is scheduled for release in early 2009 via Firedoom Music. The recording sessions for the CD commenced in July 7 at D-Studio in Klaukkala. According to the group, "the new songs are keeping a slow pace, but adding more variety with different new elements and showing even more symphonic approach to funeral doom metal than on the [band's] debut [album, 2007's 'Chapter 1: Delirium']."

"Chapter 2: Numquam" track listing:

01. Numquam
02. Towards the Infinite
03. Demons Swarm By My Side
04. The River
05. Narcosis
06. Prosperity

The cover artwork for RUSH's forthcoming "Retrospective 3" set can be viewed here.

Due on January 27, 2009, "Retrospective 3" will reportedly fulfill the band's obligation to Atlantic Records. Although denied by a spokesman for RUSH in a statement to Classic Rock magazine, it has been rumored that RUSH is negotiating a future contract with Rounder Records, who released the "R30" DVD in 2005.

"Retrospective 3" track listing:

CD:

01. One Little Victory (remix)
02. Dreamline
03. Workin' Them Angels
04. Presto
05. Bravado
06. Driven
07. The Pass
08. Animate
09. Roll the Bones
10. Ghost of a Chance (live)
11. Nobody's Hero
12. Leave That Thing Alone
13. Earthshine (remix)
14. Far Cry

DVD:

01. Stick it Out
02. Nobody's Hero
03. Half the World
04. Driven
05. Roll the Bones
06. Show Don't Tell
07. The Pass
08. Superconductor
09. Far Cry
10. Malignant Narcissism
11. The Seeker (live)
12. Secret Touch (live)
13. Resist (live)