French metallers DAGOBA will release their third album, "Face the Colossus", on September 29 in Europe and October 14 in North America via Season Of Mist Records. The CD was mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HATESPHERE, MNEMIC) at Antfarm studios in Århus, Denmark.

"Face the Colossus" track listing:

01. Abyssal
02. Face the Colossus
03. Back from Life
04. Somebody Died Tonight
05. The World in Between
06. Transylvania
07. Orphan of You
08. The Nightfall and all its Mistakes
09. Silence
10. The Crash
11. Sudden Death

Guitarist Martin Grimm and bassist Martin Albrecht have left MYSTIC PROPHECY, the melodic power metal band featuring VALLEY'S EVE vocalist Roberto Dimitri Liapakis. According to a press release, the split was amicable and can be attributed primarily to Grimm and Albrecht's desire to focus on family life. The duo will play their last show with group in October. In the meantime, MYSTIC PROPHECY has launched a search for Grimm and Albrecht's replacements. Interested parties can contact the group at:

MYSTIC PROPHECY
c/o R.D. Liapakis
P.O. Box 1130
87728 Bad Groenenbach
Germany

MYSTIC PROPHECY released its latest album, "Satanic Curses", on October 19, 2007 via Armageddon Music. A single, entitled "Dark Forces", preceded the full-length CD in August.

CDV Software Entertainment USA and Nuclear Blast Records USA have announced that Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich, lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the definitive power metal band BLIND GUARDIAN, will take part in an autograph-signing session in the Sacred 2: Fallen Angel area (Booth 5129) at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The bandmembers will be available on Friday and Saturday, July 25 and July 26, from 5 to 6 p.m. to meet fans and promote a new song written exclusively for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Fans will also be able to visit the booth to enjoy hands-on play time with Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, the action-RPG set to release this fall on PC and next-generation consoles.

"The opportunity for BLIND GUARDIAN to work on a popular video game is quite exciting alone," said singer Hansi Kürsch. "For us to contribute to and have our band exist within a game as rich as Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has been very rewarding for us, as gamers and fans of the Sacred series."

"We've been long-time fans of BLIND GUARDIAN's music," added developer Ascaron Entertainment's founder Holger Flöttmann. "The opportunity to have one of our favorite bands write a song and include their alter egos in-game has been a wonderful experience. It also signifies how great music and amazing games can fit together to deliver an even more enjoyable experience to gamers.'

"The members of BLIND GUARDIAN and their U.S. record label, Nuclear Blast, have been extremely easy to work with," indicated Mario Kroll, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for CDV Software Entertainment USA. "To have musicians of this caliber and popularity not only help and create, but also promote Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is something we're incredibly excited about."

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will be released on PC in September 2008. Console versions will be released in November. A Sacred 2 video trailer can be viewed below.

The Kerrang! Awards 2008 will take place at a top-secret location in London, England on August 21.

The nominees for the Kerrang! Awards 2008 are as follows:

Best British Newcomer:

DEAD SWANS
WE ARE THE OCEAN
SLAVES TO GRAVITY
ELLIOT MINOR
GO:AUDIO

Best International Newcomer:

KILL HANNAH
A DAY TO REMEMBER
FOUR YEAR STRONG
BLACK TIDE
ALL TIME LOW

Best British Band:

LOSTPROPHETS
BRING ME THE HORIZON
YOU ME AT SIX
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
BIFFY CLYRO

Best International Band:

30 SECONDS TO MARS
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
MADINA LAKE
COHEED AND CAMBRIA
AVENGED SEVENFOLD

Best Single:

30 SECONDS TO MARS - From Yesterday
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - Waking The Demon
SIMPLE PLAN - Your Love Is A Lie
KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES - Give Me What I Want
PENDULUM - Propane Nightmares

Best Video:

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - Waking The Demon
30 SECONDS TO MARS - A Beautiful Lie
WEEZER - Pork And Beans
COHEED AND CAMBRIA - Feathers
GALLOWS - Starin' At The Rude Bois

Best Album:

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - Scream, Aim, Fire
AVENGED SEVENFOLD - Avenged Sevenfold
IN FLAMES - A Sense Of Purpose
MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE - If
CANCER BATS - Hail Destroyer

Best Live Band:

30 SECONDS TO MARS
LOSTPROPHETS
MACHINE HEAD
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
AVENGED SEVENFOLD

Long-running German thrashers HOLY MOSES are streaming an eight-minute preview of their new album, "Agony of Death", on the band's MySpace page.

Due on September 29 in Europe (except in Germany, where it will arrive on September 26) and October 7 in the U.S. via Wacken Records/SPV, the CD was recorded at the Blue Castle Studio near Hamburg with producer/guitar player Michael Hankel.

"Agony of Death" will be made available in three different versions, each featuring the songs in a different sequence. The lavish digipack with a fold-out cover will include 12 songs plus all intros and outros in conceptual order. The regular jewel case will consist of ten tracks without intros and outros, or, as singer Sabina Classen calls it, "without frills and full in the face." The double vinyl edition will feature one intro and one outro per side, "sort of a golden mean between the opulent digipack and the straightforward jewel case," according to a press release. This allows every fan to choose the version they like best.

According to The Moscow Times, the Russian government is in the process of drafting a law to make emo and goth music illegal.

Last month a parliamentary committee was convened to discuss a draft proposal of the Russian government's "Government Strategy In The Sphere Of Spiritual And Ethical Education" bill, the details of which were leaked to The Moscow Times. Among other measures, the proposed legislation calls for heavy regulation of emo web sites and for banning young people dressed like emos from entering schools and government buildings.

The bill also outlines what it calls a "spiritual and ethical crisis" facing Russian youth, including the high rate of alcohol abuse, teen abortions and "negative youth movements."

Emo ideology encourages and justifies drug use and sexual relations among minors, according to the bill, which also lumps emos and goths together with skinheads.

"The point of the bill is so that by 2020, Moscow will have someone to rule its government," said Alexander Grishunin, an adviser to Public Chamber member Yevgeny Yuryev, one of the bill's three coordinators. "This is the first step in the public discourse."

The bill's sponsors hope that it will be passed into law by the end of the year.

German power metallers HELLOWEEN have issued the following update:

"The unforeseeable factor — the weather — affected HELLOWEEN's performance at this year's Metalcamp festival in Slovenia. Due to heavy rains and strong winds, the festival was stopped prior to the band's performance on Sunday, July 6. But thanks to the many capable helpers, the concert could be played and the band has been welcomed by many thousand thankful fans. A couple of days later, HELLOWEEN successfully co-headlined the Norway Rock Festival just before the performance of the headliner ALICE COOPER. July 13, HELLOWEEN were headliners at the new festival Rockin' Transylvania in Sibiu, Romania. Entering the stage after the German colleagues of AXXIS and DORO, the band finally could be there for their countless Romanian fans. As previously reported, the band's performance in Bucharest, Romania during the band's Hellish Rock Tour last year couldn't take place due to the loss of the venue through the local promoter."

Check out photos from the tour at this location.

German metal queen Doro Pesch's web site has been updated with the following message:

"On July 16th, Doro and her fans met in Bochum, Germany at the Zeche to sing the choir for her new song 'Celebrate'. Lots of fans had come to take part in this unique session. At 8:00pm the doors opened and the fans went inside, anxious what might happen next. A few minutes later, Doro arrived and welcomed the fans. Then she presented some information about the new song and producer Thorsten Sickert explained what the fans had to do. Each person got a copy of the lyrics and the song was played several times — this way the fans could learn the words and could aclear their throats and practice the words. After some rehearsals Thorsten started to record the choir. Everybody enjoyed the session and had a great time. Doro was very satisfied with the results and thanked the fans for coming and taking part. Lots of photos were taken and the Metal Queen wrote tons of autographs and took time to talk to the fans. 'Celebrate' will be the first single [from the upcoming album] and it will be in stores on October 31st."

Doro Pesch will celebrate her 25th anniversary as a performer with a special concert in her hometown of Düsseldorf, Germany on December 13 at the ISS Dome. Also scheduled to appear is LEAVES' EYES, among other acts.

AFM Records in November released "The Queen – In Honour of Regina Halmich", a collection of all "fight hymns" Doro recorded for her longtime friend, German boxing queen Regina Halmich.

The organizers of the Magic Circle Festival, which took place July 9-12 in Bad Arolsen, Germany, have released the following statement:

"We were informed that there was an accident that occurred after the Magic Circle Festival where one of our fans was unfortunately struck by a moving vehicle outside the festival grounds, resulting in his death. We are all very sorry for the loss of of one of our true brothers of metal and we all send our deepest sympathy to his family and friends."

Over 35,000 rabid fans braved the cold winds and rain to witness the "Spectacle of Might" known as MANOWAR and their special guests between July 9-12. MANOWAR headlined the Friday and Saturday nights of the festival, performing their first six albums back to back. The highlight of their performance was the 20th anniversary of the "Kings of Metal" album, which boasted a 20-person men's choir onstage. In addition, they performed their new single, "Die With Honor", 20,000 copies of which were given away to those in attendance (in addition to 20,000 free beers and the giving away of four custom built choppers owned by the band).

Magic Circle Festival 2007 took place July 6-7, 2007 Bad Arolsen, Germany and was reportedly attended by 25,000 fans.

KREATOR mainman Mille Petrozza has issued the following update:

"The past few weeks have been very busy for us so there wasn't many updates on our activities. Tuska festival in Finland (where I've seen my all-time faves FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM live for the first time and even talked to Carl Mc Coy) and Rockin' Transilvania are history and it has been amazing. Thank you to Michaela and Olaf for the great organization in Sibiu and all the great people at Tuska. One of Europe's best festivals! Most of all thanks to all the fans that have been there! You have rules Tuska's pit!

"Some news about the [new KREATOR] album: This production will be the first time since 'Pleasure To Kill' that the band records in a live situation! Our producer, Moses Schneider, created the Smokehead — the biggest microphone in the world — exclusively to capture the band's organic sound for this record!"

KREATOR will enter the Titonus studios in Berlin on July 20 to begin recording the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2005 release "Enemy of God".

Petrozza previously stated: "The pre-production in our rehearsal studios went really smooth. Moses' way of working with bands takes place more on an emotional then on a technical level, which means the album will sound very raw and direct. We're trying to capture KREATOR's live energy and will be using nice vintage analog equipment for the recordings this time. Expect a massacre!"

The album, which will be mixed by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, SLIPKNOT) in London, will be released in January 2009, followed by an extensive world tour.

Swedish metal band CLOUDSCAPE will release its third album, entitled "Global Drama", on the following dates:

Aug. 18 (Europe) through Goldencore/Roastinghouse Records
Aug. 19 (U.S. and Canada) through Nightmare Records

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Mind Diary
02. Darkest Legacy
03. Cloak & Daggers
04. Pain in Blood
05. The Silence Within
06. One Silent Moment
07. Alogoas
08. Static
09. Fragile
10. Eyes of Jealousy
11. Ritual of the Blade
12. Justice

A promotional video is also in the works and will be released closer to the album release. Director Rainer Holmgren (PAIN OF SALVATION, ARSIS) will helm the clip, which will be shot in Lofoten, Norway and in the southern parts of Sweden.

As previously reported, 12 songs were recorded for "Global Drama", which will be "the most varied and interesting album by CLOUDSCAPE so far," according to the band. "It contains a few really hard and raw metal songs and there will also be a few more atmospheric and dynamic songs progressively spiced."

The CD was produced by Pontus Lindmark and recorded at RoastingHouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden.

An eight-minute audio sample containing parts of all of the songs from "Global Drama" can be heard on the band's MySpace page.

CLOUDSCAPE's sophomore CD, "Crimson Skies", was released in the U.S. in July 2006 via Nightmare Records. Artwork for the album was created by Mattias Norén.

According to the online sheet music retailer Music Dispatch, METALLICA's new album, "Death Magnetic", will feature the following track listing:

(UPDATE: The Music Dispatch page has since been deleted.)

01. Death Magnetic
02. That Was Just Your Life
03. The End of the Line
04. Broken, Beat & Scarred
05. The Day That Never Comes
06. All Nightmare Long
07. Cyanide
08. The Unforgiven III
09. The Judas Kiss
10. Suicide & Redemption
11. My Apocalypse

METALLICA has revealed the cover artwork for the band's upcoming ninth studio album, "Death Magnetic", at its official web site. The black and white etching features what appears to be an open grave, with lines emanating out from it and the band's logo and album title underneath. In an interview conducted in Norway on Wednesday (July 16) by VG TV, frontman James Hetfield explained the meaning of the record's title, saying, "It started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like (ALICE IN CHAINS frontman) Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there. Thinking about death...just like a magnet, some people are drawn towards it, (and) other people are afraid of it and push away."

Hetfield added, "The concept that we're all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it's the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point."

"Death Magnetic" is due out in September, although an exact date has yet to be announced.

METALLICA recently announced that every song on the album will be available to download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the same day the CD arrives in stores.

The band is offering the record for sale in numerous configurations, ranging from a digital-only release to a deluxe "coffin box" that will come with a bonus CD, a DVD, a T-shirt, guitar picks and other goodies.

METALLICA is currently on tour in Europe and is expected to begin a North American jaunt in October.

Peaceville Records has set an October 20 release date for the new album from the Norwegian black metal band DARKTHRONE, entitled "Dark Thrones & Black Flags".

DARKTHRONE's last album, "F.O.A.D.", was released in September 2007 via Peaceville. An EP, "NWOBHM" (New Wave Of Black Heavy Metal), preceded the full-length CD in July 2007.

DARKTHRONE released a three-CD box set entitled "Frostland Tapes" on June 23 via Peaceville Records. "Frostland Tapes" is described in a press release as "a fascinating trip into the earliest years of the band and the first official release ever to contain all four of DARKTHRONE's demos in one place. 'Frostland Tapes' also includes a rare live recording from Denmark in 1990 (one of only a handful of live appearances that DARKTHRONE has ever made) and, perhaps most significantly, the previously unreleased version of the infamous 1991 'Goatlord' rehearsal session. These songs were intended to feature on the proposed second album before the band changed direction and the tapes were confined to the vaults. Vocals were subsequently added in the mid-Nineties, but they are presented here as the recording sounded in 1991 — instrumental genius, showing the complexity and intricacy of a band with a great future ahead of them. The set comes in a rigid digibook featuring an interview with the band, chronicling their early days, ambitions and inspirations."

ALCATRAZZ featuring Graham Bonnet (ex-RAINBOW, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, IMPELLITTERI) is preparing to hit the studio and record some new material.

Commented Bonnet, "It's been hard getting started because of everybody's other commitments. I think it will be great when we can just concentrate on the band and put out some new stuff. I think though we have something a bit different this time around. We need to be new, that is, sounding. Bring the band into this century...but elements of the original sound of ALCATRAZZ in the mix with the new stuff. Hopefully we can start on that soon.'"

ALCATRAZZ featuring Graham Bonnet will headline this year's Berkrock Fest, set to take place July 24-26, 2008 in Berkovitza, Bulgaria.

ALCATRAZZ featuring Graham Bonnet is:

Graham Bonnet - Lead Vocals
Howie Simon - Guitar, Vocals
Glen Sobel - Drums
Tim Luce - Bass, Vocals

HEARSE, the Swedish "death 'n' roll" band featuring former ARCH ENEMY singer Johan Liiva and ex-FURBOWL drummer Max Thornell, has issued the following update:

"Album No. 5 is very much in the making right now. The drums were re-recorded in The Black Chapel in March (first recording got fucked-up) and guitars and bass have been recorded during the spring and summer. This time the band has also used the now legendary Swedish studio Studio Gubbsjuk for some guitar recordings. The Black Chapel has been booked again and the final recordings (vocals and guitars) are to take place in early September. There's no release date or album title so far, but as soon as there are it'll be reported."

HEARSE's fourth album, "In These Veins", was released in North America on September 18, 2007 via Candlelight Records. The follow-up to 2005's "The Last Ordeal" was recorded and mixed by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH).

Formed by longtime friends Thornell and Liiva, HEARSE recorded a demo before signing with Hammerheart Records. The band released a limited-edition 7-inch single, entitled "Torch", prior to issuing their debut album, "Dominion Reptillian", in 2003. A follow-up effort, "Armageddon Mon Amour", came out in 2004. The group's third CD, "The Last Ordeal", was released in August 2005 through Holland's Karmageddon Media.

Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of the Swedish progressive metallers OPETH has issued the following update:

"OK, so we're back since my run in with the (fucking) pox! I'm doing well now, only some scars in my face which looks kinda cool! Not really.

"Did a string of festivals and it was nice to be back on track, to be honest. First one was in Finland (Ruisrock) and it was amazing! Perhaps I have to move there sometime with my family as it's so insanely great there. Show was awesome! People were chanting 'Opeth!' way after we'd gone off stage! The crew behind the stage were amazed and they almost let us back up there to do another tune!!

"Next up was Slovenia and Metalcamp. Had a nice drive over there from the airport, but as we're getting closer, it started raining. Literally pissing down, and then thunderstorms and lightning like there's no tomorrow! We heard we might have to cancel, but luckily the second stage was in decent shape so we moved the gig from the main stage and played the smaller one. Was a cool, decent gig. I guess the people were pretty tired of the rain by then, but they soldiered on and made it a very memorable night for us. Didn't see any other bands but we got a bottle of tequila from Al Jourgensen's (MINISTRY) wife. A token of their appreciation for…something, I don't know for what!? Very nice gesture, however!

"Then we went to Greece and Rockwave, which was amazing. We had three days off at a four-star hotel right on the beach. Basically, it was a brief vacation for us going there. Had Greek salads, souvlaki and tzatzikis every day. Drank with CARCASS, shook hands with Patti Smith and hung out with some great peeps! The gig was great too! But the heat almost made me pass out! The Greek crowds has always been fantastic and this was no exception. Great times. Also met some of the dudes from JUDAS PRIEST who were headlining. Their show was good! Really enjoyed it even though I was on my ass from a few drinks too many.

"Italy and Evolution festival next. Had a pretty good time there. Good food, hung out with the dudes from PAIN OF SALVATION, IN FLAMES and DARK TRANQUILLITY. Well, ordinary Swedish type of 'hanging out'… basically cracked a few beers together. After our show (which was great), the skies opened up again and literally the worst hailstorm or tempest or whatever, I'd ever seen started. Forcing IN FLAMES to cancel their show. We had hail the size of golf balls bombing our caravans for a good 20 minutes. It was scary! What's happening with the world???

"I love Italy, I love our fans there and I love the food, but I hate the bootleggers outside the show. They're selling cheap-looking shitty OPETH shirts on massive stands and no one does anything about it. To be honest, I'd rather our fans there wouldn't wear OPETH shirts at all if the bootlegs were the only option. It's quite horrible! We've started up our own merch company called O-merch which will have the best qualities, the best prices and coming straight from us! Even designed by us! I have no problems with bootlegs when it comes to live albums and collectable stuff like that, but shitty looking, shit-quality shirts? Yes, that bothers me!

"Another bad experience in Milan, Italy was the international airport which I think is the worst in the world! We're so ripped off and treated badly I couldn't believe it! Ugh!!

"After Italy, we went on to Holland and Bospop which was a cool festival! It was held at the same site that hosted the Dynamo festival a few years back. Now we're playing alongside ZZ TOP, TED NUGENT and EUROPE, to name a few. Hung out with EUROPE a little which was cool! Cool guys and great band! They had a brilliant show!!

"The Nuge was walking around backstage picking up trash from the floor that us other bands had been leaving behind. Gotta hand it to him! Cleaning up after us kids! He's massive too! I wouldn't mess with him in a million years! I missed his show unfortunately.

"And now I'm back home again! The day after coming back I had a recording session scheduled. As some of you might now, we have a new BLOODBATH album coming out soon. It's called 'The Fathomless Mastery', and it's so massive! It's evil and it's straight-on DEATH metal! No fuss, nothing but death! Jonas, Anders and Sodomizer have come up with 11 great songs. I wrote some lyrics to some of them but other than that I had no input whatsoever. Anyways, I recorded the vocals during a day and a half and it sounds great! Went for the David Vincent approach and I'm quite happy! The lyrics are so evil it's insane! Not only mine, but Jonas and Anders wrote some pretty retarded stuff too! Don't know when it's released but it's coming out through Peaceville anyways. It's done now, just the other day. All the recordings are done and it will be mixed by David Castillo during the coming week, I reckon.

"Now, I'm relaxing and spending time with my family, but we'll start rehearsals soon, which will be fun. We're gonna go through a bunch of new songs and a whole lotta ol' material too!

"Fredrik will come over to my place so I can teach him some older riffs.

"Oh, went to see YNGWIE MALMSTEEN with my wife a few nights ago. Can't say I dug it! I used to absolutely love him, now I could barely stand being in the concert hall, and many others with me. The set list was nice enough but I think he overplays and slaughters every song pretty much. Band was OK but nothing spectacular. I will always think he's the greatest 'metal' player in the world, but that's because I know he can play with more emotion than all other widdly woo's out there. I mean, the song 'Marching Out' alone just send shivers up my spine. Now it's like he's competing and struggling to be 'the fastest!' I left the show bewildered and a bit sad, to be honest. He's a fucking icon to me, and it was like…. 'shrug!' Well, well……!

"Had a great night out with my wife anyways, can't remember the last time we went out for dinner and to catch some tunes."

Swedish metal powerhouse AMON AMARTH has completed work on its new studio album, "Twilight of the Thunder God", due on September 30 via Metal Blade Records.

"Twilight of the Thunder God" was recorded at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden and features "10 tracks of AMON AMARTH's menacing battle metal replete with swarming riffs and searing percussion that provides a monolithic backdrop for vocalist Johan Hegg's wracked howls and lyrics rife with Nordic mythology," according to a press release. Known for seamlessly combining the key attributes of death, black and power metal to create "fantasy-fueled sonic mayhem," AMON AMARTH (Elven-speak for “mountain of doom” in Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings") has eclipsed its previous efforts with "Twilight of the Thunder God", creating an album that places the band amongst metal's elite.

"Twilight of the Thunder God" features several high-profile guest appearances including ENTOMBED singer L.G. Petrov (on "Guardians of Asgaard"), CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Roope Latvala (who shreds a fierce solo on the track "Twilight of the Thunder God") and Finnish cello metal band APOCALYPTICA (a guest appearance on "Live For The Kill").

"Twilight of the Thunder God" track listing:

01. Twilight of the Thunder God
02. Free Will Sacrifice
03. Guardians of Asgaard
04. Where is Your God?
05. Varyags of Miklagaard
06. Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags
07. No Fear for the Setting Sun
08. The Hero
09. Live for the Kill
10. Embrace of the Endless Ocean

In Europe, "Twilight Of The Thunder God" will be released as a limited first edition three-disc set, including a bonus CD and a bonus DVD. This deluxe collector's edition comes in highly valuable packaging featuring special layout and the AMON AMARTH comic which is currently being published in several metal magazines all over Europe. The comic can also be viewed online at this location. The album will also be released as a limited edition gatefold two-LP on 180g etched vinyl.

Bonus CD "Live at Summer Breeze 2007":

01. Intro
02. Valhall Awaits Me
03. Runes To My Memory
04. Cry Of The Black Birds
05. Asator
06. Pursuit Of Vikings
07. Fate Of Norns
08. Without Fear
09. With Oden On Our Side
10. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard
11. An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm
12. Victorious March
13. Death In Fire

Bonus DVD "Live at Summer Breeze 2007":

01. Intro
02. Valhall Awaits Me
03. Runes To My Memory
04. Cry Of The Black Birds
05. Asator
06. Pursuit Of Vikings
07. Fate Of Norns
08. Without Fear
09. With Oden On Our Side
10. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard
11. An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm
12. Victorious March
13. Death In Fire

In support of "Twilight of the Thunder God", AMON AMARTH has announced a fall, 2008 North American headlining tour. The scheduled three-week trek will kick off on October 1 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Support on the AMON AMARTH tour will be provided by Helsinki folk-metal act ENSIFERUM, Austrian blackened death metal band BELPHEGOR and Tampa, Florida melodic death metal troupe THE ABSENCE.

Following the completion of the North American headlining tour, AMON AMARTH will embark on a month-long European tour as hand-picked support for thrash metal titans SLAYER and the band's "Unholy Alliance Chapter III" tour. Also appearing on the tour will be MASTODON and TRIVIUM. AMON AMARTH will also play four shows at Zeche in Bochum, Germany in late December under the banner "Bloodshed Over Bochum". The band will play one of its first four albums in its entirety each night along with a "best-of" mix from "Fate of Norns" (2004), "With Oden On Our Side" (2006) and "Twilight of the Thunder God".

Danish death metal lords URKRAFT have posted a four-and-a-half-minute medley of songs from their upcoming third album, "A Scornful Death", on their MySpace page. Due later in the year via an as-yet-undetermined label, the CD was produced by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, SICK OF IT ALL, HIMSA, HATESPHERE) at "various locations over the last four months, including our own rehearsal, where most guitar, bass and vocal tracks have been worked with," according to the band. Drums were recorded and produced by Madsen at the studio of Anders Lundemark (KONKHRA) in Copenhagen.

"A Scornful Death" tentative track listing:

01. The Power to Crucify
02. Intermezzo
03. Eternity’s Chamber
04. A Miracle Grotesque
05. The Murderer in All Men
06. Fed To Dogs
07. Ghost 08
08. Shrieking of the Mad
09. The Prophet & The Rose

URKRAFT's last album, "The Inhuman Aberration", was released in May 2006 via Earache Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm Studios with Tue Madsen.

Singer Simo Autio has left the Finnish melodic metal band HELION. According to the group, "Simo informed us that he's quitting music and with it, HELION. Unfortunately, the last resort to find the spark, joining HELION, wasn't enough to turn his mind around: 'I should have quit altogether a year ago. During the past couple of years… I haven't had the motivation to practice, to play.' Realities of everyday life and long distances didn’t help either.

The band continued, "It seems as if the latest album should have been named 'Bad Luck' rather than 'Bad Dreams', albeit both are quite adequate to describe the latest happenings. On the other hand, no one should act surprised anymore as some might have expected this tragicomedy happen one day or another. This time it just happened sooner than any of us could have expected.

"But we did achieve something good with Simo and 'Bad Dreams and Broken Shadows', as the album sounds like what HELION should have sounded years ago. That's something all of us can be proud of. We're glad that Autio was able to lend his talents to us and help the band evolve. There's no drama involved with this and everyone's equally bummed out by it. Thus, we wish him all the best. No regrets, no hard feelings. Thank you, brother!

"As for future, it remains to be seen. As it appears, we're back to square one, but fear not as The Phoenix shall rise!"

Swedish death metal band MY OWN GRAVE will enter the studio on September 1 to begin recording its new album, "Necrology", for a 2009 release via Pulverised Records. The recording sessions will take place at Studio Domsaga and Moshpit in Sundsvall while the mixing and mastering will be carried out at Unisound with legendary producer Dan Swanö.

MY OWN GRAVE's "Unholy" EP was released in March 2007 via Pulverised. The CD was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (MÖRK GRYNING, IN BATTLE, WATAIN) with producer Sverker "Widda" Widgren (DIABOLICAL) and contains a guest appearance by SETHERIAL singer Funestus in the black metal-inspired song "Cross after Cross".

MY OWN GRAVE's debut album, "Unleash", was recorded in December 2004 and released in January 2006.

British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH have set "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" as the title of their new album, due in October via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Thornography" is a 72-minute concept record about a legendary serial killer from the 15th Century, Gilles De Rais, a French nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc and accumulated great wealth before becoming a satanist, sexual deviant and a murderer.

"Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" track listing:

01. In Grandeur And Frankincense Devilment Stirs
02. Shat Out Of Hell
03. The Death Of Love
04. The 13th Caesar
05. Tiffauges
06. Tragic Kingdom
07. Sweetest Maleficia
08. Honey And Sulphur
09. Midnight Shadows Crawl To Darken Counsel With Life
10. Darkness Incarnate
11. Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt
12. Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder
13. Corpseflower

AVALANCHE, the new project featuring Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND), Jake E (ex-DREAM EVIL, DREAMLAND), Andy Solveström (WITHIN Y, EVILDOER, CIPHER SYSTEM) and Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION), has announced that IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers and EVERGREY keyboardist Rickard Zander will make guest appearances on the upcoming AVALANCHE album, tentatively due in early 2009.

Commented singer Jake E: "It's a great honour to have Peter and Rickard, both very talented musicians, featured on our songs."

The first song from AVALANCHE is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Commented Mörck: "AVALANCHE has for long been an idea between me and Jake E to break out of the mold of our past projects and create something new and fresh entirely and to give room for ideas not appropriate for the other acts and projects we are part of. The result is an onslaught of soaring melodies, heavy riffing and guttural screams from the netherworld, a result of having three singers in the band; Jake E on clean vocals, cabaret virtuoso Elize on female vocals and Andy on screams. The result is a quite distinct sound, especially combined with the music itself that draws upon influences from a varied spectrum of genres, all to create a thrilling experience for the listener. Another defining feature of AVALANCHE is the idea of a collective — everyone from superstars of the industry to just generally talented people will lend their unique skills to AVALANCHE on the coming album. This, however, won't stop AVALANCHE from being a tour de force in live shows and tours, since the core of this metal machinery is based primarily on the regular members. This project has just taken off, but we're quite excited to show you what we have so far, and a lot more will come in a very near future."

MASTODON bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders has shot down rumors that the band's as-yet-untitled new album will be a concept record about Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. Yes, band drummer Brann Dailor drew a mad-eyed image of Rasputin with the band's name tangled into his untamed beard (see below). Yes, the band used the image on t-shirts, posters and stickers. But no, Rasputin won't be the subject of MASTODON's next epic prog-metal opus.

"One big rumor gets out there, and it kind of spreads quickly, which is cool," Sanders told Headbanger's Blog. "I'm glad people are speculating on what the record's gonna be. We want to keep some of the mystery behind it until the record hits the stands. But the record is not based on the life of Rasputin."

Norwegian newspaper VG is reporting that DIMMU BORGIR's 31-year-old frontman Shagrath (real name: Stian Tomt Thoresen) will marry actor Nicolas Cage's 41-year-old ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton in September. (See photo of the couple below.)

Fulton (web site) was involved in a romantic relationsip with Cage during the '90s, and they have a 17-year-old son named Weston.

The wedding ceremony will take place in Prekestolen, which is said to be one of the most fantastic sites in Norway. Tourists come from all over the world to see this incredible site with magnificent views.

"We chose to get married there, because it is a special place," stated Thoresen, who added that there will be plenty of guests.

Thoresen and Fulton met four months ago through one of the singer's associates. According to the couple, it was love at first sight.

Fulton, who is an actress, is best known for her role as "Nico", the lead singer of the VELVET UNDERGROUND in Oliver Stone's "The Doors". She has appeared in over 17 films, including Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes", Abel Ferrara's "Dangerous Games" and the independent film "Lucinda's Spell", which earned her an award at Slamdance. She is currently developing her own reality television show, "The Single Mom Show".

Fulton made her directorial debut with the premiere of the documentary film "When Giants Collide", which received overwhelming critical acclaim for its depiction of wrestlers and the sport of wrestling.

In the coming years, the couple plans to split its time between the United States and Oslo.

Fulton recently visited Norway for the first time.

"I love Norway. It's so green and majestic here," she said.

Legendary British rock band URIAH HEEP will perform one of the most unusual shows of its illustrious career next week when it plays a free gig for the inmates of Rottenburg prison in Germany.

Housed in a former castle, the prison will also act as the location for the German launch of URIAH HEEP's first new album in ten years, "Wake The Sleeper".

The concert is being funded by the local city administration, the prison's director Wolfgang Willard announced last Wednesday in Rottenburg (District of Tübingen).

The band will play for one hour in front of about 500 prisoners, and actually had declined to receive a concert fee.

URIAH HEEP has been successful since the beginning of the 70s, with hits like "Lady in Black" and more.

"Considering the number of prisoners attending this gig, this can be considered a first", said Willard, who also emphasized the importance of such an event.

Vans has rolled out a shoe based on the IRON MAIDEN artwork for "The Trooper" from the band's 1983 album "Piece Of Mind". You can charge into battle and live to skate another day in this classic Sk8-Hi, featuring original artwork from the single's cover. Also available as slip-ons.

Vans is a Southern California-based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes and other shoe types catering primarily to the skateboarder/surfer youth market.
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