Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have issued the following update:

"Unfortunately tonight's (July 12) show at the Evolution festival in Italy was cancelled. [As BLABBERMOUTH.NET reported earlier today.—Ed] The cancellation was due to extreme rain and bad weather. The main reason for us having to cancel the show was that the rain found it’s way on to the stage shutting the monitor mixing desk down and also making it extremely dangerous to perform for the band and the crew. As we all know, water and electricity and don't mix well together…

"We are VERY sorry for having to cancel this show. We were really looking forward to play tonight but as you hopefully understand it is beyond out control.

"We'll be back in Italy on October 21st — Milano at Alcatraz so hope to see you all there!

"Again, our sincere apologies for having to cancel tonight's show!"

IN FLAMES will embark on a European headlining tour in October. Support on the trek will come from SONIC SYNDICATE and GOJIRA.

IN FLAMES's new album, "A Sense of Purpose", shifted 20,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release. This is slightly less than the opening tally of "Come Clarity" (Ferret), which sold just under 24,000 copies in February 2006 to debut at position No. 58.

One year ago Bloodpit was forced to call it quits. Now they are back with a brand new and brave line-up, pockets full of strong hits, the first due to be released on Recovered EP, out on October 1, 2008 (Backstage Alliance). Thanks to the intensive rehearsing period the new members, singer Antti Ravín and guitarist Pietu Hiltunen, now fit into the old Bloodpit frontier like they would have always played with guitarist Paavo Pekkonen, bassist Aleksi Keränen and drummer Alarik Valamo.

When the band decided to start a search for a new singer, Antti, a dedicated Bloodpit fan, was the first option. According to drummer Alarik Valamo, they wanted a person who would have enough courage to be himself. "We never searched for a replacement for Matthau Mikojan. Right from the beginning we wanted our singer to be as versatile and skilful as possible, with a clear and strong personal input".

"I wouldn't have been the right guy had the band been looking for Matthau the second, even if his singing actually was the reason why I started listening to Bloodpit back in the day. It's really great, but maybe not the easiest thing to sing in my favourite band now", comments Antti.



The new Bloodpit line-up just played their first gigs is Latvia, and will play their one and only gig in Finland this summer in Tampere, Dog’s Home, July 10. The gig is already sold out in advance. During the autumn the fans will see and hear a solid fivesome, which will easily fill the big boots they vacated themselves last summer when they had to send their singer home in a taxi from Karkkila's Sunset Beach Party and put the band on hold. Bloodpit's hectic autumn schedule will include, for example, a showcase on October 25 in Tampere, Musiikki and Media Music Expo's nightly Lost In Music festival.



The new Bloodpit line-up:
Antti Ravín – vocals
Pietu Hiltunen – guitar and backing vocals
Paavo Pekkonen – guitar and backing vocals
Aleksi Keränen – bass and backing vocals
Alarik Valamo – drums

The final artwork for the new SLIPKNOT album, "All Hope Is Gone", can be viewed here.

Apple's iTunes music store is currently accepting pre-orders for "All Hope Is Gone" featuring four bonus tracks, including one that will be made available exclusively to those customers who pre-order the CD.

The track listing for "All Hope Is Gone":

01. .execute.
02. Gematria (The Killing Name)
03. Sulfur
04. Psychosocial
05. Dead Memories
06. Vendetta
07. Butcher's Hook
08. Gehenna
09. The Cold Black
10. Wherein Lies Continue
11. Snuff
12. All Hope is Gone

Special Edition Tracks:

13. Child of Burning Time (Bonus Track)
14. Vermillion Pt. 2 (Bloodstone Mix) (Bonus Track)
15. Til We Die (Bonus Track)
16. iTunes Exclusive Track [Pre-Order Only]

"All Hope Is Gone" will arrive on August 26 via Roadrunner Records. The title track was made available last month, while "Psychosocial" arrived at rock radio last week.

SLIPKNOT's video for "Psychosocial" will premiere on MTV's "F'N MTV" program on Friday, July 18 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

As previously reported, SLIPKNOT nearly had to cancel the video shoot for "Psychosocial" on June 30 when band DJ Sid Wilson was hospitalized with a head injury before the shoot. According to the U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan explained, "Sid's building himself a studio downtown and got attacked by a door knob. Now he's got five staples in his head." Crahan himself was almost hurt during a recent photo shoot when the floorboards of an abandoned shack collapsed underneath him.

Injuries are common for the members of SLIPKNOT, especially during the band's intense, highly physical live shows. Crahan told The Pulse of Radio that he's compiled a long list of wounds from his job. "You know, for me it's always my face," he said. "Cuts in my eyes, cuts in my face and cuts in my hands. Broken bones, broken fingers, broken arms, clavicles, ACLs, pelvic bones, tailbones, ribs, vertebraes...injuries go on, but every band's got that. I don't like to really glorify it, as much as I like to just say, 'This is real.'"

SLIPKNOT revealed their new masks on July 1 with an exclusive set of photos at Spinner.com. Described as "creepy" and "intricate," some of the nine band members' masks have changed considerably, while others have been altered only a little.

Frontman Corey Taylor's mask has undergone the most drastic and disturbing change, now looking like it's made of "dried human flesh," as MTV.com put it. Crahan has built lots of leather and zippers into his disguise, calling to mind the "Gimp" from the movie "Pulp Fiction", while drummer Joey Jordison has added a crown of black thorns to his design.

SLIPKNOT reportedly rarely cleans their masks, despite the band's claims that they bleed, sweat and vomit into them during concerts.

SLIPKNOT will co-headline the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour this summer with DISTURBED. The trek kicks off on July 9 in Seattle.

BBC News reports that police say two people have been found dead at a music festival in southern Norway headlined by ALICE COOPER.

The victims were found in or near a bus at the Norway Rock Festival in Kvinesdal, 270 miles southwest of Oslo.

"We do not know exactly how they died, but we assume they suffocated on fumes while they were on the bus," said police spokesperson Asbjorn Enoksen.

Six more festival-goers were taken to hospital after being found outside the vehicle, he told the AFP news agency.

Preliminary hospital reports indicated carbon monoxide poisoning could have been a cause.

All of the victims were believed to be Norwegian citizens in their 20s and 30s, Enosken added.

Norway Rock Festival was scheduled to be held July 10-13 with the following lineup:

ALICE COOPER
MOTÖRHEAD
HELLOWEEN
TURBONEGER
DUMDUM BOYS
SOILWORK
PAIN
THE QUIREBOYS
HARDCORE SUPERSTAR
VOLBEAT
HAYSEED DIXIE
WE
STAGE DOLLS
BACKSTREET GIRLS
PAGAN'S MIND
AUDREY HORNE
THE LAST ROCK'N'ROLL BAND
RONNY LE TEKRÖ
K[NINE]
INSENSE

"Heroes Of Our Time", the new video from British extreme epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE, can be viewed below. The track comes off the group's new album, "Ultra Beatdown", which is scheduled for release on August 25 via Roadrunner Records.

The cover artwork for the CD can be viewed below.

"Ultra Beatdown" track listing:

01. Heroes Of Our Time
02. The Fire Still Burns
03. Reasons To Live
04. Scars Of Yesterday
05. Heartbreak Armageddon
06. The Last Journey Home
07. Inside The Winter Storm
08. The Warrior Inside

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Sam Totman stated about the group's new material, "It's not going to be majorly different. But hopefully the melodies will be nicer, the guitar solos will be better, the production will be better. You just try to improve in every area." Vocalist ZP Theart added, "There isn't much to change, but yet there is. The last three albums have been very much guitar-orientated, and this one probably will be as well, but I want to try to do some extra coloring in with the vocals."

Asked if the songs will be faster, guitarist Herman Li replied, "Bands always say, 'Our new album is faster and heavier,' and then it's never true, so we're not gonna say that. But playing fast just works for us. People who say we play too fast are probably right, but guess what? There's a million other bands that play slow. People listen to DRAGONFORCE and go to the show because they know that we're doing something other bands aren't doing."

DRAGONFORCE is taking part in the inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem touring festival alongside Roadrunner labelmates SLIPKNOT.

DRAGONFORCE's last album, "Inhuman Rampage", is still romping out of stores on both sides of the pond, thanks in part to the inclusion of lead track "Through The Fire And Flames" as the "advanced" level on the top-selling Guitar Hero III computer game.

According to RIA Novosti, British rockers DEEP PURPLE, one of the favorite bands of the current Russian president, are set for a tour of Russia this fall, a spokesman for the tour's promotion company said on Thursday.

Vladimir Zubitsky said the band, with a collective age of 297, would give performances in Russia's 12 largest cities, playing mostly old hits, with their final concert to come at the Olympiisky Stadium in Moscow.

"The tour will finish on October 27 with a grand concert at the Olympiisky Stadium — tickets have already gone on sale," he said, adding that the price for the concert tickets varied between 2,000 rubles ($86) and 10,000 rubles ($430).

Read the entire article from RIA Novosti.

French progressive-extreme metallers GOJIRA are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their fourth album, "The Way of all Flesh". Randy Blythe of American metal kings LAMB OF GOD has kindly offered to guest on one song entitled "Adoration for None".

In a recent interview with MTV's Metal File, GOJIRA frontman Joe Duplantier revealed that the group's new CD, which is slated for a Stateside release October 14, is a conceptual work, focusing on the morbid topic of death.

"That's the theme — it's about death itself," he explained. "It's also about the immortality of the soul. That's the main subject for us. Since we started to play and release albums, we've always talked about the same thing: the soul.

"This album's got a more dramatic feel to it, and some of the lyrics are almost cynical," continued Duplantier. "Usually, with my lyrics, I'm always positive. But on this album, I'm so pissed off with the situation on Earth right now, how we're abusing so much, and we take everything that we can take from the ocean, and we kill off endangered species. So in some of the songs, it's almost like a requiem for the Earth. This record is a lot darker — like, a lot darker, I would say. The music is darker and more violent."

Chicago heavy rockers DISTURBED recently shot a video for the title track of their latest album, "Indestructible", with director Noble Jones (HIM, SEVENDUST). The clip is expected to begin airing shortly.

DISTURBED's new album, "Indestructible", sold 253,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous two albums, 2005's double-platinum "Ten Thousand Fists" (first-week sales: 238,000) and 2002's platinum "Believe" (first-week sales: 284,000), both also debuted at No. 1.

DISTURBED's best-selling release to date is its 2000 debut, "The Sickness", which has shifted nerly four million copies in the U.S. alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

DISTURBED will co-headline this summer's Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour with SLIPKNOT, beginning on July 9 in Seattle.

POWER QUEST/ex-CELLADOR guitarist Bill Hudson has recorded a version of the STEVIE WONDER classic "Superstition" for an upcoming album entitled "Vernon Neilly and Friends - A Tribute to Stevie Wonder" which is set to come out via Boosweet Records. Other guitarists slated to take part in the tribute include Kiko Loureiro (ANGRA), Vernon Neilly and Greg Howe.

Hudson's track features the following lineup: Adam Sagan (COLDERA, ex-INTO ETERNITY) on drums, Carlos Zema (COLDERA, ex-OUTWORLD) on vocals, Bobby Williamson (ex-OUTWORLD) on keyboards and Fernando Giovannetti (AQUARIA, THE SUPREMACY) on bass.

Previews of all the tracks can be heard here.

Finnish gothic metal band TO/DIE/FOR is in the studio July 8-11 recording demos for its next album.

Commented the group: "Yesterday we recorded the first new song at Sonic Image Studios (Finland). It really sounds good and rocks. It is not named yet. On Friday, we will hit the studio again to record the second one. We are rehearsing and planning things all the time.'

According to the group, the upcoming CD will include a cover song from either THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH or from DURAN DURAN. In addition, the band has just written a new song called "Johnny the Vampire", which I said to be "a parody about a gothic boy."

In a recent interview with Metalraw.com, TO/DIE/FOR singer Jape Peratalo stated about the group's current label situation, "Our contract with Spinefarm expired and maybe there [was a] possibility to continue with them, I do not know. But we decided to start to looking for something new. Spinefarm Records is OK. But it seems like they have no interest or time for band like we are. They have too many bands to handle. That's why we felt like we are not getting enough things like promotion etc. There are some labels who are interested in us, but this time we are not gonna hurry. We need a company who is ready to work for us with huge motivation. At the moment, I am writing new songs for TO/DIE/FOR, also other guys are writing new stuff. We are gonna be alive in the future more than ever!"

TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV", "Wounds Wide Open" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).

Nuclear Blast last year reissued TO/DIE/FOR's "All Eternity" (2000) and "Epilogue" (2001) albums as a double-CD package. The cover art can be viewed at this location.

Legendary Los Angeles-based hard rockers ANGEL have just launched their official MySpace page at this location. According to a press release, the band is "drawing influence from its earlier albums" for its current songwriting sessions and may tour this fall.

In 1998, Frank DiMino (vocals) and Barry Brandt (drums) reunited as ANGEL and independently released their eighth album, "In The Beginning". The CD included contributions from various musicians as well guest appearances by Punky Meadows (guitar) and Felix Robinson (bass). Since then ANGEL has continued to tour and has been invited to perform at several major festivals, including Sweden Rock and Bang Your Head!!!

ANGEL's current lineup:

Frank DiMino - Vocals
Barry Brandt - Drums
Steve Blaze (LILLIAN AXE, NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE) - Guitar
Michael T. Ross (HARDLINE, ACCOMPLICE) - Keyboards
Randy Gregg (THIN LIZZY, LAUREN HARRIS) - Bass

A new audio interview with KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais of KATAKLYSM is available on Metal-Rules.com. An excerpt from the chat follows.

Metal-Rules.com: What is one of the best things about being on a big tour like the Summer Slaughter and what is one of the worst things about being on such a large tour?

Dagenais: The thing I don't like about these big tours is that there is so many bands and there is gear laying around everywhere. We're playing some big clubs, but some smaller clubs as well. When you get to a small place and there's barely enough space to fit everyone's gear, that's pretty rough and you feel like you are stepping over everybody's toes or something like that. But the good side is that the parties are amazing, there's so many people to party with afterwards. It's just a great time of hanging out.

Metal-Rules.com: Do you get to watch the other bands on tour or do you prefer more quiet time before you play?

Dagenais: I do watch some of them but I won't stand there all day because you get kinda tired at the end of the day form watching everybody then you have to go on and play. I'll pick a different band every day to go and see. One night I'll go see VADER, another CRYPTOPSY or DESPISED ICON, or I'll pick a different one and see a couple of bands every day. Just to feel the vibe of the place and see how things are going.

Finnish warmongers TURISAS are currently working on their 1st DVD which will be out later this year - but not only that: They are currently also rerecording their crowd favourite “Battle Metal”. Since it is high time to finally have an official video-clip for the song and also to pay tribute to their dedicated fans (without whom there is obviously no such thing as a crowd favourite) they want YOU, those fans, to take part in their video for “Battle Metal 2008”!

Read what the Warlord has to say himself on his call to arms:
"In the last few years, we have noticed a growing amount of people showing up at our shows wearing war-paint, self-made outfits and other regalia. It is of course very flattering as these people have usually put down a lot of working hours preparing themselves for the shows - something not every band can expect from their fans. It is not something we see only in certain territories, but everywhere we've been whether it's the UK, US, Russia or Spain. This is why we want to give our fans the opportunity to participate on our upcoming DVD and music video, by sending us material of themselves as the red-black legion of TURISAS at locations all around the world."

Get your video-cameras out and film you and your mates going NUTS. Please understand that just footage that you created on your own will be used, so no “borrowing” from movies, from the internet etc. TURISAS want YOU, their fans, in their video!
Please use the original tape or copy the footage to a DVD in the best possible quality and send the material on DV-tape or DVD together with a filled out version of a short contract until July 25th.
Please go here to get the mailing address as well as PDF for the aforementioned contract. If the contract is not included TURISAS will not be able to use the material. Still, if your material makes it into the video your name will also be mentioned in the booklet of the coming DVD!

Keith Carman of ChartAttack.com recently conducted an interview with CANIBAL CORPSE bassist Alex Webster about the group's "Centuries Of Torment: The First 20 Years" retrospective DVD. A few excerpts from the chat follow.

Alex Webster: "We did work hard on both the documentary and DVD itself. I know it seems long at first, but once you're watching it, you realize how hard it is to pare down 20 years of history — shows, albums, tours and everything else — into a couple of hours. You can only give so much attention to everything, and these great moments end up getting cut. But we're confident that what made it into the documentary will be entertaining to our fans. It is great that we even have Chris [Barnes, original vocalist] talking about the band in it. Most people thought we'd either skip over that or he'd want no part of it, but he was all for it. I think that because we ensured he's a part of things, fans will really appreciate the effort we put forth."

"This DVD is more of a celebration of what we've accomplished so far as opposed to saying, 'That's all we have.' This is by no means the end of CANNIBAL CORPSE's prolific output.

"We're working with [HATE ETERNAL singer/guitarist] Erik Rutan on our next album that we hope to have out in a few months.

"This is a celebration of two decades of CANNIBAL CORPSE. Hopefully the next two decades will be just as interesting."

Shocker Toys will bring the best and newest toys and exclusives to the Comic-Con International show in San Diego (July 24-27 at the San Diego Convention Center), including the "Metalocalypse" set. Limited to 500 sets, selling for $80 and available only at Comic-Con International Booth #3948, this all-new line features fully painted vinyl action figures of DETHKLOK, the undisputed greatest animated metal band in the galaxy featured on Adult Swim's hit series "Metalocalypse". The 5.5" collectible action figure line will consist of band members Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, Pickles and William Murderface and a secret pack-in!

For more information, visit www.shockertoys.com.

DETHKLOK's first album, "Dethklok: The Dethalbum", debuted at #21 on The Billboard 200 during its first week of release, making it the highest-charting death metal album ever. More than 195,000 copies of "Dethklok: The Dethalbum" have been sold to date, and more than 120,000 copies of the "Metalocalypse: Season 1" DVD from Warner Home Video have been sold since its release in October 2007.

"XXV", on Regain Records. "XXV" was specially recorded for VADER's 25th anniversary and features re-recorded songs from the band's history. The album was entirely recorded, mixed and mastered at Hertz Studio with the Wieslawscy Bros. at the helm, known for their previous VADER collaborations on such releases as "The Art Of War" and "Impressions In Blood". The regular double-disc edition of the album features 25 songs, including "Carnal", "Cold Demons", "Black To The Blind", and a previously unreleased song called "Tyrani Tyrani Piekiel" from the very early days of the band. A special digipack edition of "XXV" has been made available with an additional DVD featuring bonus songs (Polish versions of "Trupi Jad" and "Reborn In Flames") and some historical rarities in the form of video footage recorded between 1986 and 2001. All the graphics and the entire "XXV" layout was designed by Jacek Wisniewski, the Polish graphic artist resposible for the cover art of previous VADER releases "Black To The Blind", "Litany", "Revelations" and "The Beast".

"XXV" (cover) tracklisting:

Disc 1:

01. In Vaders (intro)
02. Chaos
03. Vicious Circle
04. Crucified Ones
05. Dark Age
06. Reign-Carrion
07. Silent Empire
08. Sothis
09. Incarnation
10. Reborn In Flames
11. Blood Of Kingu
12. Carnal
13. Fractal Light
14. Red Passage
15. Black To The Blind

Disc 2:

01. Kingdom
02. Wings
03. Xeper
04. Cold Demon
05. Final Massacre
06. Reign Forever World
07. Epitaph
08. Dark Transmission
09. Fear of Napalm
10. Wyroczmia (KAT cover)
11. Tyrani Pickiel

DVD:

01. Kingdom
02. Wings
03. Xeper
04. Cold Demons
05. Final Massacre
06. Reign Forever World
07. Epitaph
08. Dark Transmission
09. Fear of Napalm
10. Wyrocznia
11. Tyrani Piekiel

Check out audio samples at this location.

VADER has posted a trailer (see below) for the video for one of its classic songs, "Carnal". The song was re-recorded exclusively for "XXV".

VADER recently parted ways with bassist Novy (real name Marcin Nowak). Replacing him temporarily is former DECAPITATED bassist Martin.

German technical death metallers NECROPHAGIST have posted a preview clip of the forthcoming "Summer Slaughter 2007" DVD, recorded with six cameras at the The Opera House in Toronto, Canada on July 2, 2007 during last year's Summer Slaughter tour. Watch the clip below. Also appearing on the DVD are DECAPITATED and CATTLE DECAPITATION, among many others.

The "Summer Slaughter 2007" DVD will be available at the Summer Slaughter Canada 2008 merchandise booth. The trek, which kicks off in August, will also feature DYING FETUS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE, INTO ETERNITY, NEURAXIS, WHITECHAPEL, VEIL OF MAYA, DIVINITY and COMMON GRAVE.

NECROPHAGIST recently parted ways with drummer Marco Minnemann and replaced him with Romain Goulon (DISAVOWED, AGRESSOR, IMPERIAL SODOMY).

The End Records has set September 2, 2008 release date for the upcoming SIGH "A Tribute to Venom" (cover) CD.

The six-song tribute to legendary black metal band VENOM features the bass work of Dan Lilker (BRUTAL TRUTH, NUCLEAR ASSAULT) and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT).

Commented SIGH singer Mirai Kawashima: "We're excited to have these two guest musicians and friends of SIGH to take part in our tribute to VENOM. Their work has helped make the tracks stand out even more. Dan plays bass on 'Countess Bathory' while Shane is on 'Witching Hour'. It sounds awesome!"

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Black Metal
02. Schizo
03. Die Hard
04. Countess Bathory
05. Teacher's Pet
06. Witching Hour

Recording lineup:

Mirai Kawashima: Bass, Organ, Backing Vocals
Satoshi Fujinami: Drums, Guitar
Shinichi Ishikawa: Guitar
Junichi Harashima: Drums
Dr. Mikannibal: Vocals

Limited to one pressing, the album will released in a special collectible packaging (LP with etching + CD).

SIGH will embark on its first-ever extended North American headlining tour this September with ZIMMERS HOLE and UNEXPECT.

SIGH is preparing to record its eighth full-length album, entitled "Scenes from Hell / Tempore Belli / Vanitas". SIGH will work with a real string quartet and some brass players on the CD, which is scheduled for release this fall on The End Records.

Finnish "fantasy metal" band BATTLELORE will release its fifth album, titled "The Last Alliance", via Napalm Records on the following dates:

September 24: Finland
September 26: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Benelux, Italy, France
September 29: Rest of Europe
October 7: USA/Canada

According to the band, "The album consists of big, epic and atmospheric songs full of feeling and raging battles, taking you to an unforgettable journey through Middle-earth! As before, there will be a jewel case CD and a digipack with something extra. This time the digipack will include a DVD featuring the energetic live show at Metal Female Voices Fest in Wieze, Belgium 2007."

"The Last Alliance" (cover) track listing:

01. Third Immortal
02. Exile the Daystar
03. The Great Gathering
04. Guardians
05. The Voice of the Fallen
06. Daughter of the Sun
07. Green Dragon
08. Awakening
09. Epic Dreams
10. Moontower
11. The Star of High Hope

Bonus DVD track listing (recorded live at Metal Female Voices Fest 2007 in Wieze, Belgium):

01. Ghân of the Woods
02. Ocean’s Elysium
03. Into the New World
04. Buccaneer’s Inn
05. We Are the Legions
06. House of Heroes
07. Beneath the Waves
08. Sons of Riddermark

"The Last Alliance" was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, with producer Janne Saksa and was mixed and mastered by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, ex-BLOODBATH).

BATTLELORE is currently utilizing the services of drummer Enrico Annus (ELDERTHRONES, KHERT-NETER) for its live dates because the group's regular skinsman, Henri Vahvanen, "is on vacation and [isn't] able to play all of BATTLELORE's shows this summer," according to a posting on the band's web site.

BATTLELORE released its fourth CD, "Evernight", in North America on March 13, 2007 via Napalm Records.

Maria Vassileva of SofiaEcho.com reports that MANOWAR's July 5, 2008 concert on the opening night of Kaliakra Rock Festival 2008 in the Bulgarian "rock capital" of Kavarna lasted five hours and one minute. It represented the metal band's attempt to break the world record for the longest heavy metal concert which they themselves set in 2007 at last year's edition of the festival.

Joey DeMaio, Eric Adams, Karl Logan and Scott Columbus satisfied a crowd of 20,000 people with a setlist of more than 40 songs, a selection reflecting the band's history and all its studio albums.

?his year, the self-annointed "kings of metal" had promised Bulgarian fans to beat last year's performance of three hours on stage, and had specially invited representatives of Guinness book of records to witness the unprecedented event.

Hundreds of fans of the legendary band have been waiting for their arrival at Kaliakra Stadium ever since 10am to pour inside in a frantic hurry to the stage after the gates were opened.

Read the entire article from SofiaEcho.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of MANOWAR performing the new song "Die With Honor" on July 5, 2008 in Kavarna, Bulgaria can be viewed below.

French metal/gothic band AD INFERNA, which features SETH mainman/vocalist Arkames, has issued the following update:

"AD INFERNA will record in the next days a two-track CD. The drums are projected to record on the 21st of July, and the guitars as soon as the next day. The vocals parts will be achieved on Bordeaux (33, France). Then, we already can undisguised the titles of those both songs: 'Métamorphose' and 'You As My Own Drug'. The album's title and tracklist are already done, but all will be announced in the next few months."

AD INFERNA will enter Drudhenhaus Studio in early 2009 with producer Xort (ANOREXIA NERVOSA) to begin recording its second album, to be released later in the year via an as-yet-undetermined label. The group says, "AD INFERNA is back to give you one of the best French metal production ever."

AD INFERNA's debut album, "L'Empire des Sens", was released in 2002 via Silverdust Records.

AD INFERNA is:

V.Orias.A – Guitar, Bass
As-Mody – Keyboards, Bass
N.Aboriim - Drums
Arkames - Vocals

The album will be entitled "Tinnitus Sanctus" and Tobias Sammet has got the following news in store: "The title just refers to the wall of sound that will bulldoze you. Let’s be modest: We have ten extraordinary songs and this new album is gonna be our ticket to the hall of fame alongside with LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH and AC/DC. There won’t be a hit-single this time, not even a flop-single, haha; not only because most songs are too long for a single, but also because for a single we had to produce way more stuff, lose money and need a time frame to release it. The album would come later then and that would suck. For the record: Musically, we don’t go back to the roots. It's not the "Legacy of Mandrake part 2" and it’s not a little brother of Rocket Ride either. It's a new album and we’ve set off to new horizons once more! The stuff sounds really broad, very anthemic, heavy and ballsy. We've kept our trademarks and still there are a lot of elements that are different to anything we've done before. I know what some fans may think, because if my favourite bands would have come up with statements like that I would have been scared to death, but in our case I am sure this could be the album we'll be measured by in the future."

is due to be released in November 2008. Check www.edguy.net to find some extensive information about the forthcoming release of Tobias' main band

SINNER, the veteran German metal oufit led by Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR), recently finished recording its new album, "Crash & Burn", for a September 19 release via AFM Records. The CD was produced by Mat Sinner and Henny Wolter at the House Of Music studios features guest appearances by Dirty Sanchez (percussion), Dennis Ward (backing vocals, percussion) and Nena (backing vocals). The limited-edition digipack version of the album will include two bonus tracks — "One Night Only" (written by Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson) and "Fast Decision 2008" — and the video for the song "Revolution", which was directed by SINNER's longtime collaborator Katja Piolka in Stuttgart, Germany. According to a press release, "Fast Decision 2008" was "created under bizarre circumstances, as AFM Records A&R representant Markus and drummer Klaus forced Mat in the studio, to record a new version of the forgotten jewel again. Mat was irritated about their sick idea first, but after some shots of booze, Mat agreed to sing this song for one last time."

The final track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Crash & Burn (Mat Sinner/Igor Gianloa)
02. Break The Silence (Mat Sinner/Igor Gianola)
03. The Dog (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter)
04. Heart Of Darkness (Mat Sinner/Magnus Karlsson)
05. Revolution (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter)
06. Unbreakable (Mat Sinner/Igor Gianola)
07. Fist To Face (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter)
08. Until It Hurts (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter)
09. Little Head (Butch Walker)
10. Connection (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter)
11. Like A Rock (Mat Sinner/Henny Wolter/Tom Naumann)

The web site of Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh) — the former BURZUM mastermind who is currently serving a Norwegian prison term for the August 1993 murder of MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) — has been updated with the following message:

"Although Varg has been denied parole, he is allowed to leave the prison for a while to walk around Tromsø [Norway; where the prison is located] and visit his family: his mother, his wife, a one-year-old son and a fifteen-year-old daughter. Varg's wife is now pregnant and they both are waiting for an addition to the family. Varg owns a small farm in Telemark (Norway), where he is planning to move as soon as he leaves the prison."

"I'm ready for society — and I have been for many years," Vikernes told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet in a brand new interview which was published today (July 6). "I have learned from my mistakes and become older. Now I just want to be together with my family. My mind has never been in prison; I think all the time about what I should do on the day that I am released."

He added, "I have barely seen my son since he came into the world. Even though I hear his voice on the phone almost every day, it is very tough to not be present while he is growing up. I miss my family. And I look forward the day that I could work on my farm, create music, write books and be with the wife and kids around the clock — and live a normal life. I have received tremendous support from my family. It means a lot."

Check out new photos of Vikernes at this location.

Vikernes is serving a 21-year sentence, the maximum that Norwegian law allows, for murder and setting fire to three churches in 1993. Having spent the last 15 years behind bars and after serving two-thirds of his prison time, he has become eligible to apply for parole.

Case workers at the Justice Ministry fear that Vikernes will be unable to adjust to life on the outside after his years in jail.

In denying his parole for the second time, the Justice Ministry emphasized that Vikernes escaped from prison in 2003 and that he has ties to neo-Nazi groups.

"I haven't been in contact with them for a long time. Police security services know this," Vikernes previously told the VG newspaper.

Vocalist Amanda Somerville has issued a new video blog from the AVANTASIA world tour, which kicked off on June 5 at the Rocksound Festival in Huttwil, Switzerland. The latest installment features footage from the band's recent stop in Santiago, Chile.

AVANTASIA's touring lineup consists of the following musicians:

Tobias Sammet
Jörn Lande (ex-MASTERPLAN)
André Matos (ex-ANGRA)
Amanda Somerville (EPICA stand-in singer)
Olli Hartmann
Sascha Paeth
Miro
Robert Hunecke
Claudy Yang
Felix Bohnke

Amanda Somerville is the American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who was recently tapped to replace EPICA vocalist Simone Simons on the band's North American tour with SYMPHONY X due to Simons' ongoing health issues.

A Michigan native, Amanda has resided and worked mainly in Germany and the Netherlands since 1999. She has collaborated with several bands in the metal scene (EDGUY, AFTER FOREVER, EPICA, KAMELOT, etc.) along with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro, and co-wrote the rock opera "Aina". Her own music is of the pop-rock genre and she is currently focusing on her solo career.