THERAPY? frontman Andy Cairns has issued the following update:

"The rumors are true, we've signed a worldwide deal with Demolition Records. We met the lads that run it, liked them a lot, the budget was spot-on and most importantly, it will be a worldwide release. We're working on the album at the moment and we're still at the writing and rehearsing stage, we hope to be in the studio in the next few months and release it in September time. It will be spandex-free.

"We can't wait to get cracking on this record and get out there touring again.

"Finally, as many of you know, we lost our dear friend Keith Baxter [former 3 COLOURS RED / THERAPY? / SKYCLAD drummer who died of liver failure on January 4]. We all attended to his funeral last week to pay our respects and along with a massive turnout we managed to help send the boy off in a style he would have loved. Many tales of Keith were told and much bad rock covers were played. Many thanks to Keith's family and to Rachel for everything."

A compilation of THERAPY?'s various BBC recordings was released in February 2007. It was available exclusively on iTunes for two weeks, and then through all good download stores.

"Hey guys! It’s Angela from Arch Enemy here. Over the next few weeks I’m gonna be checking in with updates from our U.S. Tyranny and Bloodshred tour. But before that madness begins on May 9 in Philly, I thought I’d give you a little taste of what’s to come. Below is the wrap up from our April 13-16 gigs, when we played Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Moscow.+++

We arrived in the Finnish capital Saturday evening. Helsinki - in sunshine - is a beautiful and lively city, offering interesting architecture, arts, beautiful parks and lots of bars, cafes and restaurants. Saturday night it was stormy, with heavy rain and darkness prevailing through. People were getting totally hammered, screaming and fighting in the streets. The runner from Tavastia club told me that the Fins start drinking from a very early age, about 12-14 years old. It’s the long and dark winters that drive them into depression and they fight it with excessive amounts of liquor. It is tragic to see very young, pretty girls falling out of a bar at midnight, completely smashed, a cig in their mouth, barely able to walk and cursing like old sailors.

Our show was Sunday evening in front of a visibly weekend-drained audience. Our 90-minute set felt slightly exhausting, as it was hard to get the energy back from the crowd. There were some very excited kids there, but too many tired soldiers in between. It was a bit disappointing as all the shows in Finland had been absolutely mad in the past. Next time we will come in on a Friday night, when everybody is still fresh and able to mosh!

Next morning, we have a brutal wake up call at 6AM. We are moving on to St. Petersburg, Russia. Driving into the city, a towering statue of Lenin and a WWII memorial site greets the arriving visitor. The weather is still gruelling and I feel like shit, so I retreat to bed for the rest of the day with a big bag of dark chocolate–covered marzipan. I am addicted to that stuff right now. We are all offline and resembling a horde of Zombies - I believe we all hit the sack no later than 10pm that night. Just look at [guitarist] Michael [Amott]’s face below, haha.



Waking up refreshed and excited about the St. Petersburg show! The venue ‘Port’ was located right opposite an impressive cathedral.



Our Lighting designer Richard in front of the venue.

We made our way through the crowd (I very much dislike venues with no way out in the back – there is a fire and we are TOAST) and got ready with banana milk meets Vodka with Chris backstage.

They caught me with “forbidden” food that night, but to my defence: There was no cheese on that pizza. It was vegan!



The show was killer! Loud and crazy, bodies flying and fists in the air! Check Darkside.ru’s pictures here and here.

The only “glitch” in the set was when suddenly an old lady appeared onstage and, obviously confused, tried to make her way down to the crowd. Armed with a big shopping bag and a wild stare. I couldn’t help but make a few jokes Thanx to darkside.ru, we got a good shot of it:



Here’s the set list for the St. Petersburg show:
Intro
Blood On Your Hands
Ravenous
Taking Back My Soul
Dead Eyes See No Future
My Apocalypse
Chris Amott Solo
Revolution Begins
Daniel Erlandsson Solo
Burning Angel
Bury Me An Angel
Dead Buried Their Dead
Vultures
Michael Amott Solo
Enemy Within
Nemesis


–Encore–
Snowbound
We Will Rise
Fields Of Desolation (Outro)

After the show we boarded the night train to Moscow. It was a hot and tight ride and none of us slept that much to be honest. But it’s a famous trip so you gotta do it – only once in my case, haha. That’s Michael below:



Check out the inside of the train: Train Cabin, Chris & Rich.

We decided to add “The Day You Died” to the set list in Moscow. It went down surprisingly well. We kinda thought it’s more of a “Japan” track – so emotional and melancholic. I think it will stay in for the next couple of shows now.

Moscow is basically history on every street corner! You don’t know where to look first, or where to go for sightseeing. As usual, our stay there was way too short, and we didn’t have much time to look around. But at least some of us made it to the Red Square:

Chris Amott! Again!
Our front-of-house guy Clem
Eddie, our drum tech
And our video director, the infamous Mr. Paul Smith

The venue DK Gorbunova is big and well equipped. The 1500 people in there filled it up nicely and got a good sweat going! I had a close encounter with security that night. A kid who crawled up onstage was trying to get back into the crowd—it was very tight up front and people were getting pressed into the stage rim. Well, the security obviously felt it was necessary to jump at him and get quite physical, pushing him all over the stage. I got in there and they actually let him go back into the crowd. Its not easy doing the security job, but there is a definite difference between being firm and getting violent. And violence against our fans is NOT something I like to see!

See for yourself:


Check out some more pix of the Crowd, Me with Flag and Me Onstage.

To see some more cool pictures from the show go HERE or HERE.

At the end of the show I did my little “shake hands with the front row” round…and almost got torn to pieces! All my wristbands were gone within seconds and my arm still looks a little mangled:



And here a few backstage impressions:

The paparazzi Angela at work!
Chris is awake at last.
Taking pictures with the promoters.
Catching the Three Musketeers in action!

Our exquisite video director Paul Smith came out to Moscow and filmed the show professionally. We will use it for a little clip and maybe as bonus material on the next DVD, which is already in the works!

The Russian promoters Andre & Igor and their assistant Sasha took great care of us – but it blew their mind that Michael and I are vegetarians. They made fun of it until the last day, when we met at noon in the lobby. Andre looked absolutely destroyed and I had the last laugh - strongly advising him to maybe try some fruit or vegetables at some point. He looked like a ghost and definitely was in desperate need of some vitamins – and not just lard. That’s me and Andre below.



When it was time to say goodbye, we laughed, we cried and then made our way to the infamous airport there, anticipating two shitty flights via Helsinki to Amsterdam. We got to the city of sin and weed in the evening. All about the red lights, sweet waffles and expensive supercharged chocolate in my next update then! I am getting ready to rock these Dutch stoners now!

//Piece Angela"

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET, the Swedish band featuring former THE CROWN vocalist Johan Lindstrand, has set "Grim Tales" as the title of its third album, due October/November via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will be recorded beginning on June 1 at the Black Lounge Studios in Avesta, Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY).

Commented Lindstrand: "'Grim Tales' is starting to shape up. Rehearsals are going great and time is ticking towards a nice studio session. We are fully prepared to make the best possible ARMY album yet and at the end of this year we will prove that to you all. We can't wait to unleash this monster upon you all. So check it out when it's done, will ya?!"

"Grim Tales" projected track listing (in no particular order):

01. Misfit With A Machinegun
02. Cursed By The Knife
03. Saint Lucifer
04. Bastards Of Monstrosity
05. Dominator Of The Flesh
06. A Date With Suicide
07. Make Them Die Slowly
08. Bonebreaker Propaganda
09. The Frisco Reaper
10. Death Makes It All Go Away

Check out the cover artwork at this location.

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET's sophomore album, "Error in Evolution", was released on March 9, 2007 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to the band's debut, "21st Century Killing Machine", was recorded at Deadline studios with engineer Valle Adzic.

Swedish melodic black metallers SIEBENBÜRGEN have announced the addition of guitarist guitarist Joakim Ohlsson and vocalist Lisa Bohwalli Simonsson to the group's ranks. This 22 year-old-female from Stockholm "just amazed SIEBENBÜRGEN with her vocal performance, resulting in a full membership in the metal act," according to a press release.

Commented singer Marcus Ehlin, "Our first decision was to exclude the female parts in our music, but after hearing Lisa's voice, we changed our minds."

SIEBENBÜRGEN will enter the studio on March 1 to begin recording its new album for a May 23 release via Germany's Massacre Records. Entitled "Revelation VI", the upcoming CD will be recorded at Studio 301 in Stockholm and Sonic Train in Varberg.

SIEBENBÜRGEN split up in February 2006, explaining at the time that "after 12 years, we sadly don't have the energy and inspiration to take the band any further and it would be wrong to us and to our fans to continue without the passion that SIEBENBÜRGEN deserve."

SIEBENBÜRGEN's fifth album, "Darker Designs & Images", was released in 2005 via Napalm Records.

Gino Alache from RockumRadio.com conducted an interview with SUFFOCATION drummer Mike Smith on Monday, February 11. During the 19-minute chat, Smith revealed the working title of the next SUFFOCATION album: "Blood Oath". According to Mike, the CD will be recorded by June for a tentative August/September release.

Roadrunner Records has just released a "best-of" collection from SUFFOCATION, appropriately titled "The Best of Suffocation". The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Liege Of Inveracity
02. Infecting The Crypts
03. Effigy Of The Forgotten
04. Seeds Of The Suffering
05. Jesus Wept
06. Marital Declimation
07. Prelude To Repulsion
08. Anomalistic Offerings
09. Breeding The Spawn (Re-Recorded Version)
10. Pierced From Within
11. Thrones Of Blood
12. Brood Of Hatred

Check out the cover artwork at this location.

SUFFOCATION's video for the track "Abomination Reborn", from their self-titled album, can be viewed here. The clip was shot in Brooklyn, NY with director Frankie Nasso (MUDVAYNE, HATEBREED, MISERY INDEX) and producers Dale Resteghini and Melissa Manousos of Raging Nations Films.

SUFFOCATION is currently seeking a new label home following the group's split with Relapse Records.

"Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal" — the much-anticipated documentary profiling the thrash metal scene of the early Eighties and its impact on the music scene — has had its projected DVD release date pushed back to August from the previously announced May.

"Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal" traces the rise, fall and impact of thrash metal, an extreme style of heavy metal popularized in the early 1980s by bands like METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and others. It is the story of the heaviest, hardest music of the '80s and early '90s as told by the bands that lived it, the fans and bands that grew up on it and by the artists that carry the "thrash metal" flag today. The documentary throws new light on an overlooked, yet incredible music scene and how it went from a simple rumbling in the underground to a loud, obnoxious and constant roar in the (almost) mainstream. The documentary is produced by Saigon1515 Productions in association with Kundrat Productions.

"Get Thrashed" was directed by Ernst and the documentary's associate producer is Rat Skates, founder and former drummer of OVERKILL.

The concept of taking twelve celebrated numbers from the LED ZEPPELIN songbook and reworking them sans vocals works wonders on "Get The Led Out! - Led Zeppelin Salute". Renowned for his great ears and studio expertise, producer guitarist Brian Tarquin assembled a sweeping array of classic ZEPPELIN covers as performed by some of rock's cutting edge guitar stars. Recorded around the globe reaffirming the international and timeless appeal of Rock Gods, LED ZEPPELIN with James Ryan cutting an instrumental "Black Dog" at his studio in Australia. Martin Winch recorded his version of "Kashmir" in New Zealand while Hal Lindes recorded "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" at his Venice Beach studio. To round out the richness of this collection there are four in four vintage tracks — three from 1970 with Jimmy Page, Daniel Edwards, John Bonham and singer David "Lord" Sutch and one from '68 with John Paul Jones and singer Keith de Groot — which is the icing on the cake for any true ZEPPELIN fan.

"Get The Led Out! - Led Zeppelin Salute" track listing:

01. Whole Lotta Love - CHRIS MAHONEY
02. Moby Dick - RANDY COVEN featuring LESLIE WEST
03. Four Sticks - HOWARD HART
04. Dazed & Confused - BRIAN TARQUIN
05. Immigrant Song - GREG RAPAPORT
06. Kashmir - MARTIN WINCH
07. The Battle Of Evermore - STEVE BINGHAM
08. Black Dog - JAMES RYAN
09. D'yer Mak'er - LARRY VAN FLEET
10. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - HAL LINDES
11. Friends - STEVE BOOKE
12. All My Love - DOUG DOPPLER

Bonus tracks:

13. Thumping Beat - JIMMY PAGE
14. 'Cause I Love You - JIMMY PAGE
15. Wailing Sounds - JIMMY PAGE
16. Burn Up - JIMMY PAGE

"Blooddrunk", the new album from Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM, has registered the following first-week chart positions:

Finland: #1
Japan: #2 (International)
Sweden: #8
Germany: #10
Ireland: #51

"Blooddrunk" was certified gold in Finland (for sales in excess of 15,000 copies) on pre-sales alone — before it was even officially released — a first for the band.

The CD was released in North America on April 15 via Spinefarm/Fontana International.

The video for the CD's title track, which was produced by Katapult Filmproduktion, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in the former Nazi barracks in Krampnitz in the vicinity of Berlin, Germany, where the Russian army was stationed before the German reunion.

Two songs from the Italian gothic metal band MACBETH will be used during all the 2008 Formula 1 Grand Prix season on Sky Sports channel (Sky channel 206)

MACBETH's latest album, "Superangelic Hate Bringers", came out on November 16, 2007 via Dragonheart Records. The CD was recorded in two different studios, including a private studio in Reykjavik, Iceland and New Sin studios in Italy, where the band also mixed and mastered the album.

According to a press release, "Superangelic Hate Bringers" is "the brilliant new and ambitious album by MACBETH that features ten pieces which go well beyond the confines of pure gothic metal." The album's first single, "Without You", and "To My Falling Star" are said to "offer a new interpretation of gothic metal" while tracks like "Watch Us Die" and "H.A.T.E." are "evidence of how much more aggressive the new sound is."

Video footage of MACBETH performing at the Italian Gods Of Metal 2008 festival can be viewed below.

Austrian symphonic extreme metal outfit HOLLENTHON will release its new full-length album, entitled "Opus Magnum", on May 30 in Europe and June 7 in North America via the Austrian record label Napalm Records. The CD will feature eight songs and a cover version, plus a video.

The band has scheduled a CD-release party in Vienna on Saturday, May 31 at Escape Metalcorner. A special release show has also been confirmed for Sunday, June 1 at Planet Music (formerly known as Rockhaus and Fritz), also in Vienna.

"Opus Magnum" tentative track listing (in no particular order):

01. Ars Moriendi
02. Of Splendid Worlds
03. Once We Were Kings
04. To Fabled Lands
05. Dying Embers
06. Misterium Babel
07. On The Wings Of A Dove
08. Son Of Perdition
09. The Bazaar (THE TEA PARTY cover) (limited edition only)
10. Son Of Perdition (video) (limited edition only)

Check out the "Opus Magnum" cover artwork at this location.

The "Son Of Perdition" video can be viewed below.

HOLLENTHON issued two critically acclaimed albums nearly a decade ago — "Domus Mundi" (1999) and "With Vilest Of Worms To Dwell" (2001).

The members of the North Carolina-based DAYLIGHT DIES are readying themselves for a busy spring with their upcoming tour alongside CANDLEMASS and release of their third album, "Lost to the Living". The tour, set to kick off May 19, finds the band in direct support to the Swedish metal legends and represents their second national tour since signing with Candlelight Records in late 2005. The cross-country tour wraps up two weeks prior to the anticipated June 24 album release date.

In the final mixing process at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA), "Lost to the Living" features nine new songs from the cherished doom metal band. Working with Travis Smith (OPETH, SOILWORK, KATATONIA) for the album’s packaging, it promises to be another fan and critic favorite.

Track listing as of press time (not confirmed running order) is:

01. Cathedral
02. Descending
03. A Subtle Violence
04. And a Slow Surrender
05. Last Alone
06. Woke Up Lost
07. The Morning Light
08. At a Loss
09. A Portrait in White

"Everyone is taking a little time to catch their breath after working hard on bringing 'Lost to the Living' to life," says DAYLIGHT DIES drummer Jesse Haff. "We've continued to refine the music up until the last minute it was recorded and we all feel confident this is the strongest album we've made. As stated previously, the material is a mix of beautiful melancholic leads and harsh dissonant rhythms; despair driven hooks and the overall dark atmosphere you've come to expect from us. After an exhausting recording process, the one thing on all of our minds is the upcoming tour. We can't wait."

As BLABBERMOUTH.NET first reported on August 13, 2007, FEAR FACTORY members Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) have officially announced that they have teamed up with vocalist Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL) in a new group called ARKAEA.

ARKAEA has just finished pre-production and is scheduled to enter the studio to begin recording its debut album. The CD promises to be as pummeling as anything the team of Olde Wolbers and Herrera has ever written.

Christian comments: "These songs were designed like the FEAR FACTORY songs that Raymond and I always wrote. However, we've been able to push the boundaries and go out of that context, while remaining heavy."

"Christian and Ray have been writing together for many years, so the music does have a lot of FEAR FACTORY elements," adds Howard. "However, we've been open to trying different things. It basically fuses what I have been doing vocally in THREAT SIGNAL with driving FEAR FACTORY rhythms, along with some of our own experimentation. The idea behind the project is to be heavy, but maintain melody at the same time."

Howard has been a part of the FEAR FACTORY family ever since Olde Wolbers served as producer for THREAT SIGNAL's debut, "Under Reprisal". Given that connection, the chemistry was there the instant the band started playing together.

The band's as-yet-untitled debut is due this fall on Koch Records. Touring activities are in the works in support of the record.

KnuckleBonz has announced plans to release limited-edition figures from BLACK SABBATH's Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi as part of the Rock Iconz sculpture series. Ozzy and Tony will be created as they appeared on stage in the early-to-mid-'70s when songs like "Snowblind" and "Hole in the Sky" were first assaulting our ears.

All collectibles in the Rock Iconz sculpture series are fully licensed, hand-painted, and numbered. All figures are limited editions and have a certificate of authenticity on the base of the collectible.

Order before the end of the month to get in ahead of the price increase across the KnuckleBonz product line.

British black metal pioneers VENOM have posted streaming audio samples of eight songs from their forthcoming album, "Hell". Click here to check out the following tracks:

* Hell
* Straight to Hell
* Stab U in the Back
* The Power & The Glory
* USA for Satan
* Evil Perfection
* Hand of God
* Dirge

According to a posting on the band's web site, the CD — which will be released in May via Universal — is "packed with 13 brand new malevolent tracks from the masters of black metal," including "Armageddon" and "Kill the Music".

VENOM will perform at the Hellfest (June 20-22) in Clisson, France. More shows will be announced soon.

A brand new VENOM band photo can be viewed at this location.

VENOM last year parted ways with guitarist Mykvs (a.k.a. Mike Hickey; ex-CARCASS, CATHEDRAL). "Personal unavoidable commitments in the U.S. have forced Mykvs to announce that he cannot commit 100% to VENOM's schedule," the band previously wrote in a statement. A new guitarist by the name of Rage has been drafted in to replace Mykvs.

With regards to the direction of the band's next album, VENOM frontman Cronos previously said, "VENOM will be even darker and heavier for the next release. The new song ideas that Antton and I have been composing over the last year will be exactly what the 'legions' expect from us, and will really test the abilities of the band members. There's going to be a lot of blood spilled making the next album. This band belongs to the fans and I'm going to stay true to the spirit of VENOM no matter what sacrifices have to be made."

Swedish metallers AMON AMARTH have issued the following update:

"We are back from our final leg of our world tour, and our shows in Australia and New Zealand were fantastic. We would like to thank Nic and Simon from JSR Productions for taking such good care of us during this tour. We'd also like to thank NOTHING for the great support and for putting on killer shows every night, but most of all we want to thank all you Australian and New Zealand fans who came out to the shows and made them bloody amazing! Thank you!

"Our touring is done for this time, and even though we do have a couple of shows coming up this spring, our main effort will be writing and recording a new album. The plan is to return to Fascination Street Studios in May to record the new album, once again working with Jens Bogren as engineer and producer."

Australian grind deviants THE BERZERKER have commenced work on their fifth album, tentatively due later in the year. A two-and-a-half-minute video clip featuring footage of some of the early recording sessions can be viewed below.

THE BERZERKER has so far released four full-length albums: "The Berzerker" (2000), "Dissimulate" (2002), "World of Lies" (2005) and "Animosity" (2007), all through Earache Records. During the early part of their career as a live act, band members were identified only as The Vocalist, The Guitarist, The Bassist and The Drummer, distinguishable on stage only by the intricate monster masks they wore. However, the group has since abandoned this concept.

A DVD documentary, "The Principles and Practices of The Berzerker" (2004), includes several hours of live concert footage, as well as the first public images of the band members without their monster masks.

New York's Goregiastic Records will soon release a SINISTER compilation CD, entitled "The Blood Past", featuring all the early, long-time out-of-print material released during the 1990-1992 period. It will include the band's two EPs from 1990, the 1990 and 1991 demos, the split EP with MONASTERY from 1991 plus special bonus tracks. It will come with a comprehensive booklet including all the EPs and demo covers, tons of pics, liner notes, recordings info and more. The cover artwork was created by Chris Moyen (INCANTATION, BLASPHEMY, VITAL REMAINS, MORTICIAN, SARCOFAGO, etc).

For more information, visit www.goregiasticrecords.com.

SINISTER will release its new album, "The Silent Howling", on September 26 via Massacre Records. Check out the cover artwork at this location. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Silent Howling", "If It Bleeds...", "The Kill To Come" and "Fortified Bravery". The album will be recorded in May at Soundlodge Studio in Germany.

SINISTER's current lineup includes Kloosterwaard, Alex Paul (guitar) and Bas van den Bogaard (bass).

Guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström of the Swedish death metal "supergroup" BLOODBATH has issued the following update:

"BLOODBATH just spent the last week at Park Studio in Stockholm where Axe [drummer Martin 'Axe' Axenrot] put down an (un)healthy doze of all the basic ingredients and more to get this death metal monster meal cooking in hell's oven. We're talking classic old-school skin-pounding, furious blast beats, double-bass drums, all kinds of tempos and a heavy load of killer fills, yeah you name it… This time it turned out to be 11 brand new songs on the menu for the band's still-untitled third album.

"So what direction does the material take this time? Well, it's definately taking off where we left with 'Unblessing The Purity'. The material represents nothing but hateful brutality, so there's surely a lot of speed countered with heavy groove. Riff-wise, we're playing a lot with dissonant harmonies for that feverish possessed feeling, but we also brought back the whole melodic yet haunting 'bee-swarming' theme concept from the past albums to represent the classic sound, so there's definately gonna be a good deal of variety on here which we hope to pack together in the most crushing production yet.

"The recording will now be moved to engineer David Castillo's newly built studio where we'll put down the guitars and bass over the next month while waiting for Mike [Mikael Åkerfeldt] to return from his touring in June to cut the vocals before we enter mix mode.

"The cover artwork will once again be handled by Dusty Peterson.

"The album has been set for an October 6th release, but the album title, songtitles, audio teasers and the cover artwork will show up during the summer.

"Stay tuned. BLOODBATH is here to slay, BLOODBATH is here to stay!"

BLOODBATH's live CD/DVD digipack, entitled "The Wacken Carnage", will be released on April 21 via Peaceville. The elegantly brutal artwork was created by Travis Smith.

"The Wacken Carnage" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Cancer Of The Soul
03. So You Die
04. Soul Evisceration
05. Ways To The Grave
06. Ominous Bloodvomit
07. Like Fire
08. Bastard Son Of God
09. Breeding Death
10. Outnumbering The Day
11. Brave New Hell
12. Furnace Funeral
13. Eaten

Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL have recruited guitarist Pontus Norgren (THE POODLES, TALISMAN, GREAT KING RAT) to replace Stefan Elmgren, who left the in early April to focus on his new career as a pilot.

"Pontus is a fantastic guitar player with musical roots in ACCEPT and neo-classical metal," commented HAMMERFALL drummer Anders Johansson. "I have known him for many years. I know how he works as a musician and as a person."

Pontus said in a statement: "I like HAMMERFALL. I think they have amazing stage shows and I like their songs, so when I heard they were looking for a guitar player I thought I'd give it a try. Playing in THE POODLES has been a wonderful experience in many ways, but I have always liked a little heavier music and have felt at times that this wasn't the right kind of forum for the music I'd most like to play. It's simply time to move on."

Singer Joacim Cans commented: "Replacing Stefan is not easy; he has a very characteristic way of playing and is a great guitarist. But Pontus will add a different style than Stefan since they are two quite different persons. I'm looking forward to see how we will mesh as a band during the coming months!"

HAMMERFALL will perform at the Heavy MTL festival in Montréal, Quebec, Canada on June 21 before entering the studio in July to begin recording a new album.

On June 27, two new HAMMERFALL releases will see the light of day: a DVD continuing chronicling the band's career, and a covers CD — a collection of all the covers recorded by HAMMERFALL to date plus three new, unreleased ones. Incidentally, this will be guitarist Stefan Elmgren's last release with HAMMERFALL.

* "Rebels With A Cause - Unruly, Unrestrained, Uninhibited" DVD:

The DVD will be a continuation of the previous two ("The First Crusade" and "The Templar/Renegade Crusades") and will contain newly recorded interviews with the band interspersed with footage from their own cameras. The time span is six years, from the beginning of 2002 until the end of 2007, and it's edited together as a documentary of sorts, i.e. one continuous film, but of course with chapters. Also included will be all six promo videos made during the time in question plus some behind the scenes, four professionally filmed live songs from Filderstadt 2005, five TV clips they have purchased the rights to from SVT (the Swedish national television network) and some more homemade stuff as bonus. The complete running time is estimated to be almost three hours.

* "Masterpieces" covers CD:

01. Child of the Damned (WARLORD)
02. Ravenlord (STORMWITCH)
03. Eternal Dark (PICTURE)
04. Back to Back (PRETTY MAIDS)
05. I Want Out (HELLOWEEN)
06. Man on the Silver Mountain (RAINBOW)
07. Head Over Heels (ACCEPT)
08. Run With the Devil (HEAVY LOAD)
09. We're Gonna Make It (TWISTED SISTER)
10. Breaking the Law (JUDAS PRIEST)
11. Angel of Mercy (CHASTAIN)
12. Rising Force (YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE)
13. Detroit Rock City (KISS)
14. Crazy Nights (LOUDNESS)
15. När Vindarna Viskar Mitt Namn (ROGER PONTARE)
16. Flight of the Warrior (RIOT)
17. Youth Gone Wild (SKID ROW)
18. Aphasia (EUROPE)

Finnish atmospheric doom metallers SILENTIUM have issued the following update:

"Recording sessions for the next album are booked and scheduled starting with choir (Jyväskylä female choir) and orchestral parts. The band itself will be recorded during the summer. The producer for the next album is the multi-talented mainman of WALTARI, Kärtsy Hatakka."

Commented keyboardist Sami Boman: "I'm very excited of this chance to work with him (Kärtsy). His innovativeness and unbiasedness is second to none. Kärtsy can reach the feelings behind the music, whenever it's fragile or vast, even brutal soundmass. I can't wait to get into the studio, I'm sure then'll the magic happen."

SILENTIUM's as-yet-untitled new CD is scheduled for release on October 29.

"Dead Silent", the latest video from SILENTIUM, can be viewed below. 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.

The official trailer for IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's upcoming supernatural horror-thriller, "Chemical Wedding" can be viewed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9rVv483BTA

"Chemical Wedding" will premiere at the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film at the Apollo West End Cinema in London on May 4. The film will also be unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival later that month.

"Chemical Wedding" will then be released in British cinemas in the summer.

Dickinson, a trained pilot, is due to fly invited guests to Cannes on the band's own Boeing 757 jet for the premiere on May 17.

"Chemical Wedding" wrapped principal photography in September with Julian Doyle at the helm. The film stars Simon Callow as a reincarnation of Crowley, once dubbed "the most evil man in Britain." Callow's character, Haddo, is a shy, stuttering professor.

"My experience with stages is obviously IRON MAIDEN and that sort of stuff," Bruce said. "I've directed a few videos over the course of my rock 'n' roll past and I enjoyed them, I enjoyed directing videos. Writing movies a completely different thing. I wrote a couple of absurd comic novels — that came out as well, and you know, they did OK actually. So, writing is something that's always sort of interested me, so this seemed like a good opportunity to learn the process, really."

Vocalist Sharon den Adel of the Dutch symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION has issued the following update:

"About a year ago we were approached by number-1 DJ of the world Armin van Buuren for a possible cooperation. Due to a lack of time nothing could be produced or written. I'm always looking for a new challenge and as you might know I have a broad musical interest. Now WITHIN TEMPTATION is starting with the creative process for the next album I decided to contact Armin as well. By that time he was busy finalizing his new album 'Imagine', but he did send me one track. I started working on it and wrote lyrics and a melody line for the song. Then we recorded the song which resulted in 'In and Out of Love'. The song became one of his favourite tracks on the album. The album will be released this Saturday."

Swedish metallers PAIN, who are currently on the road in Europe as the support act for NIGHTWISH, have issued the following update:

"We did five shows in France which all were awesome!

"A huge thanks to all PAIN and NIGHTWISH fans for your fantastic suport. I guess France is our friend.

"The last show in France was also the last show on the tour for Markku and Teemu, NIGHTWISH pyrotechnicians. They decided to have some fun on their last day of the tour so first they blow up our bus. They put some radio-controlled stageflashes under the engine and then asked our driver to move the bus. It's impossible to describe his surprised face when the pyro was detonated with a loud bang on shitloads of smoke while the whole NIGHTWISH crew laughed their asses off. Second, they decided to make a practical joke with us as well. It was accomplished when we played our last song during the evening and they trigged lots of pyro and propane flames during the begining and the end of the song. [see fan-filmed video footage below.] Guess there was some surprised faces both on stage and in the audience that evening.

"Thank you, Markku and Teemu, for adding splendour to the tour!"

Guitarist Christofer Malmström of the Swedish thrashers DARKANE has issued the following update from the recording sessions for the group's new studio album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records:

"Here's the sixth video blog. It includes the recording of the bass and some guitar solos. Enjoy! Also, we have now decided to name the album 'Demonic Art' after one of the songs. The lyrics are based on the same theme as on 'Organic Canvas' (from our previous album 'Layers of Lies'), about an individual planning his next exhibition of flesh.

"Here are a few more song titles:

* Variations of an Eye Crush (intro)
* Still in Progress
* Leaving Existence
* Exectution 44
* The Killing of I
* Sole Survivor
* Absolution
* Wrong Grave (instrumental)
* Wrath Connection
* Demigod

"Right now Peter [Wildoer, drums] and Klas [Ideberg, guitar] are mixing the new album. We are also rehearsing and preparing for our trip to Chicago and the Chicago Powerfest in a few weeks. You don't wanna miss that if you live in the area! We are gonna play in direct support to TESTAMENT May 3rd. This will also be Jens' [Broman, vocals] debut on American soil!"

According to a posting on the CHILDREN OF BODOM fan site Scythes Of Bodom, the band will take part in a tribute album to the Finnish group DINGO with a cover version of one of the DINGO songs. More details will be revealed soon.

DINGO is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982 which fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies. The group's success lasted only for a couple of years before calling it quits in October 1986. They regrouped in 1998 and continue to perform occasionally.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new album, "Blooddrunk", has been certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 15,000 copies. After a number one single last month, the band has again stormed the Finnish chart, with "Blooddrunk" going gold on pre-sales alone, before it has even been officially released — a first for the band.

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley has finalized the track listing for his new solo album, "The Man Who Would Not Die", due on July 7 via the singer's own independent label, with additional licensing to various countries. The CD was engineered by James Dunkley, produced by Blaze Bayley and it promises to take Blaze in new songwriting directions, ushering in a new phase of an already renowned career. It is also the first recorded showcase for Blaze's new lineup.

"The Man Who Would Not Die" (cover artwork) track listing:

01. The Man Who Would Not Die
02. Blackmailer
03. Smile Back At Death
04. While You Were Gone
05. Samurai
06. A Crack In The System
07. Robot
08. At The End Of The Day
09. Waiting For My Life To Begin
10. Voices From The Past
11. The Truth Is One
12. Serpent Hearted Man

Swedish metallers BLINDED COLONY have issued the following update:

"We would like to introduce and welcome a new member to of BLINDED COLONY. His name is Martin Bergman (ex-EVILDOER) and he will be the new guitar player next to Tobias [Olsson]. Of course this doesn't mean that Johan Blomström has quit the band; he will instead handle the bass from now on. You will get a proper introduction from Martin himself later on and some other really cool news."

BLINDED COLONY's sophomore CD, "Bedtime Prayers", came out in January 2007 through Pivotal Rockordings. The band followed up the release with a 38-day tour with EKTOMORF and KAYSER.

SINNER, the veteran German metal oufit led by Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR), has entered the House Of Music Studios to begin recording its new album, "Crash & Burn", for a September 19 release via AFM Records. The CD is being produced by Sinner and guitarist/vocalist Henny Wolter and is being engineered by Dennis Ward, It will be mixed by engineer Achim Köhler at his Indiscreet Audio studio.

Commented Mat Sinner: "We have a great time in the studio so far. Klaus Sperling finished drumming his tracks — we've planned to record 11 tracks and ended with 13. Thanks to AFM's Markus and Klaus for giving me a hard time in persuading me about a very old track. Working with Dennis Ward for the first time is great! Good mood and very productive. Henny and Christof [Leim, guitar] are starting with their guitar tracks."

FALCONER guitarist Stefan Weinerhall has issued the following update:

"The new album ('Among Beggars and Thieves') will be mixed in the end of May in Sonic Train Studios. The release date is set to the end of August. A music video will be shot for the song 'Carnival of Disgust'. Apart from the new album, 2008 will be a year off for the band. The activity will start in 2009 again, when we'll try to do a bunch of live shows again."

Weinerhall previously stated about the upcoming CD. "The lyrics will all be about Swedish medieval life and episodes. Not a concept album really but still something in that direction. What I decided early on what that it wouldn't become 'Northwind Pt. 2'. 'Northwind' is as good as it can be, therefore we'll make things a tad different this time."

FALCONER last year extended its deal with Metal Blade for another four albums.

The group's fifth studio CD, "Northwind" — the band's first since the departure of singer Kristoffer Göbel and return of Mathias Blad — was released in September 2006 via Metal Blade Records.