Britain's ANATHEMA has issued the following update:

"We have taken all of our recording equipment to a house in England where we have built a studio and begun the first of two records to be released this year. The recording has been going very well.

"This first record is a semi-acoustic recording of many of our most loved older tracks. This will be released on Peaceville Records. The working title is 'Temporary Peace'.

The songs to be included on 'Temporary Peace' are:

01. Angelica
02. Leave No Trace
03. Inner Silence
04. One Last Goodbye
05. Are You There
06. Fragile Dreams
07. A Natural Disaster
08. Temporary Peace
09. Flying

"The record will be a substantial work, arranged by Danny [Cavanagh] and performed and produced by the band, recorded and engineered by our own Les Smith, who was responsible for the recordings of 'Everything' and the other new songs released online last year. This will also feature the cello of Dave Wesling, who previously toured with Vincent and Danny in 2004 and is featured on the DVD 'A Moment In Time'. It may also include a reworking of one or two classic tracks from the very early days of ANATHEMA.

"In late winter/early spring, immediately following the recording of this semi-acoustic album, we will enter a studio to record the next full-length ANATHEMA album, which be produced by ANATHEMA and mixed by Steven Wilson, independently from a record company. Upon completion, the new album will be licensed around the world, giving us artistic and creative control and keeping the rights to the music in our own hands.

"All being well, you will see the release of two records from ANATHEMA this year. A semi acoustic classic tracks album, and a full-length new album.

"Then touring…"

EMIGRATE, the side-project of RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, will release a new single, "Temptation", in Germany on March 7. In addition to the title cut, the CD will include the previous radio singles "My World" and "New York City", along with videos for both tracks, as well as the non-album songs "Face Down" and "I Have A Dream".

In a recent interview with MTV.com, Kruspe stated that EMIGRATE allowed him to explore new artistic avenues on his own and take on the role of lead singer as well as guitarist.

"At the time I did these songs, I felt like something was missing in RAMMSTEIN," Kruspe said. "To work for that band is almost like working for a soundtrack. You have to work with no vocals because those are the last things that will appear on the song. For EMIGRATE, I started to work more as a traditional songwriter. Also, I was singing and writing lyrics in English, which allowed me to experiment with all these things I had never explored before. Basically, that allowed me to balance myself out again so I could go back to RAMMSTEIN and be the happy guitar player."

Finnish warmongers TURISAS are set to invade North American shores this upcoming spring as part of Paganfest 2008, which also features their fellow countrymen ENSIFERUM, TYR and ELUVEITIE. This Metal Maniacs-sponsored trek, which kicks off on April 25, is in support of the group's critically acclaimed new album, "The Varangian Way". The critically acclaimed disc is going to be re-released on April 29 and this special tour edition package features a bonus DVD jam-packed with live performance footage.

"The Varangian Way" bonus DVD content:

01. Rasputin (video clip)
02. Battle Metal (live) (recorded at Rock Hard Festival 2007)
03. To Holmgard And Beyond (live)
04. In The Court Of Jarisleif (live)
05. Battle Metal (live) (filmed live at Download Festival
06. Battle Metal (live) (recorded at With Full Force 2007)

Central to "The Varangian Way" is the group's concept of a journey through the East European river route through the lands of modern day East Europe. The Northmen who traveled this path in the 9th-11th centuries were called Varangians. Key to the album's concept is a search for self and identity, both of which are explored by the protagonist in "The Varangian Way"'s eight songs. Truly a display of the band's dedication to the conceptual elements of the album, TURISAS made sure to include cultural influences from the lands the Varangians would have traveled through.

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has issued the following update regarding his recently completed classical rock opera, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island":

"I would like to inform you about the following things regarding 'Saana': Due to the fact that Frontiers Records hasn't fullfilled its contractual obligations regarding 'Saana', I have terminated the contract between my production company Goldenworks and them. Regardless of that, they have notified me by email today that they are going to release 'Saana' anyway without my permission even though they don't have the material to be able to produce the CD at all. They only have MP3 files which are not adequate to produce a high-quality CD. Also they have absolutely no graphic material for the booklet, information regarding the songs or even the lyrics.

"I would like to remind you that the ONLY OFFICIAL place where you can buy 'Saana' is www.theground.com. As soon as their new layout is ready, you will be able to make pre-orders of 'Saana' from that site. They deliver to the whole world fast and reliably.

"The official release date of 'Saana - Warrior Of Light Part 1' is March 3, 2008. The configurations available to you are:

1. MP3/FLAC Album without copy protection (includes 24-page digital booklet and video) 7.77 ?
2. Jewel Box CD (with 24-page booklet) 13 ?
3 Jewel Box CD with bonus DVD (with 24-page booklet, three videos, in-depth interview of Jennifer Sowle, in-depth interview of Timo Tolkki and photo gallery) 18 ?
4. DVD (Includes the filmed story of 'Saana' album with Dolby Digital
5. 1 surround sound, making of documentary, interviews and photo gallery. No region code. May release) 20 ?

"I would like to ask you to boycott the possible Frontiers release of 'Saana' because it is not the official version of the record and its quality is likely to be extremely poor."

Tolkki wrote, mixed, produced and played all instruments (except drums, which were handled by Mirka Rantanen).

"Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island" track listing:

01. Saana Mountain
02. Saana's Theme
03. The End
04. Sadness of The World
05. 3 at 7
06. Silence of the Night
07. Sunrise at Saana Mountain
08. Journey to Crystal Island
09. Crystal Island
10. Freya's Theme
11. You've Come a Long Way
12. The Letter
13. Who Am I?
14. Freya's Teachings
15. Warrior of Light
16. Journey to the Azores

Norwegian progressive power metallers COMMUNIC have posted several video blogs from the recording sessions for their new album. Check them out below. The drums for the eight-song CD were recorded at Gimlekollen Studio in Kristiansand, Norway while the rest of the album was done at Jacob Hansen Studio in Ribe, Denmark, where the band's last two LPs were recorded. A May/June release via Nuclear Blast Records is expected.

COMMUNIC previously stated about the direction of the new material, "We are confident that we have some great slabs of metal ready for you. We have not changed — it's maybe more heavy, still long songs even though they are a tad shorter then we have done before."

The band last year toured Europe as the support band for UK progressive metallers THRESHOLD. Also appearing on the bill were MACHINE MEN and SERENITY.

COMMUNIC's sophomore effort, "Waves of Visual Decay", entered the German chart at position No. 66 back in May 2006.

COMMUNIC has been confirmed for the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 15-17 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire England.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry was the featured guest on Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM last night (Friday, February 15). Some highlights:

* Joe is doing two shows with his sons' band TAB THE BAND. They will play deep AEROSMITH cuts ("Combination"), some JOE PERRY PROJECT stuff, some covers, and more. These special shows take place at the Hard Rock in Boston on February 29 and Hard Rock Café in New York City on March 1. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

* AEROSMITH has had many starts and stops on a new CD. They will start very seriously recording a new CD in a month or so. Perry feels the band is better than ever as players and is ready to make a great new CD.

* Joe spoke about the value and chemistry of bands having original lineups. Making the point that AEROSMITH and CHEAP TRICK are the only two from the '70s still intact.

* Perry said he can understand why Eddie Van Halen would want to play with his son, but can not understand how they would not have had Michael Anthony back in VAN HALEN when they were that close to a true reunion and they could bury the axe with David Lee Roth.

PAIN, the Swedish band featuring HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren, is currently on the road in Europe as the support act for NIGHTWISH. The band has launched a tour blog at this location where the bandmembers promise to "keep you updated with news and share whatever happens during the tour. Everything you read or see on this blog is exclusively uncensored. Similarities with now living persons is total coincidence."

As previously reported, guitarist Marcus Jidell (ROYAL HUNT, HOUSE OF SHAKIRA) is once again part of PAIN's touring lineup.

IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers makes a guest appearance on two songs on PAIN's latest album, "Psalms of Extinction".

CHILDREN OF BODOM's video for the new single "Blooddrunk" can be viewed here. The clip, which was produced by Katapult Filmproduktion, 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.

Check out pictures from the video shoot at this location.

Spinefarm Records will release a digipack version of CHILDREN OF BODOM's new album, "Blooddrunk", on April 9. The set will include a bonus DVD featuring the songs mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound, the "Blooddrunk" video, a "making-of-the-video" segment, and a photo gallery. In addition, the CD will feature CHILDREN OF BODOM's cover of STAN JONES' "Ghost Riders In The Sky" as a bonus track.

According to STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki, tracks from Tolkki's upcoming classical rock opera, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island", have surfaced on various torrent sites shortly after the album's production master was stolen at a photo shoot in Helsinki, Finland.

Commented Tolkki: "We are trying to trace the originator, but it is really difficult. I am afraid that since the thief also has the production master, it might be that pirate copies will start to emerge very soon. If you (hopefully) don't want to support such activities, I would remind you people that the only place where you will get the MP3 album with goodies and the subsequent hard copies is www.theground.com that will be opened in few weeks."

Due in the spring via Italy's Frontiers Records, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island" is a multimedia adventure containing almost one hour of music and comes with a full all region bonus DVD that contains the whole story in film format as well. It also has lots of other extras and a brand new interview of Timo Tolkki about his past, present and future. Featuring the talents of Jennifer Sowle, Aino Laos, Heikki Poyhiä and Janette Sainio, this album is a breathtaking experience of emotions. They were all carefully chosen for their respective roles and they enhance the musical journey in a way that hasn't really been heard before. Timo Tolkki calls it "a classical rock opera."

STRATOVARIUS debuted a brand new song, entitled "Last Night on Earth", during their appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival on August 4, 2007 on the "True Metal Stage".

STRATOVARIUS last year entered Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland to begin recording its new album (the title of which consists of two separate words that both start with "R"). An early 2008 release is expected.

STRATOVARIUS' last, self-titled effort was released in the U.S. in September 2005 via Sanctuary.

DEEP PURPLE frontman Ian Gillan has penned an article about the band's private performance at The Kremlin on February 11.

PURPLE played a gig in Moscow as a farewell gift to Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of gas giant Gazprom and almost certainly Russia's next president.

The group performed at a show Gazprom put on at the Kremlin to mark the 15th anniversary of the firm's creation.

Said Gillan: "The younger guys and more junior staff were all up on their feet, although they were looking nervously over at their bosses to see whether they could loosen their ties. It was as if they were asking, 'How much fun are we allowed to have?' I’m sure I could have had everyone on their feet but I knew Tina Turner was on next and it wouldn’t have been cool to do that.

"When we had finished our show, Medvedev and Alexei Miller, the chief executive of Gazprom, came into our dressing room where we had a chat and a couple of drinks. Medvedev had this stupid grin on his face because he was meeting his favourite band. We had a nice chat but we didn’t talk about politics. All of us in the band have such wildly different opinions on religion and politics that we never get into it. "

Austrian symphonic metal band EDENBRIDGE will release its sixth studio album, "MyEarthDream", on April 25 via Napalm Records. The cover art was created by Anthony Clarkson, who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, among other artists.

"MyEarthDream" track listing:

01. The Force Within
02. Shadowplay
03. Remember Me
04. Adamantine
05. Paramount
06. Whale Rider
07. Undying Devotion
08. Fallen From Grace
09. Place Of Higher Power
10. MyEarthDream Suite (For Guitar And Orchestra)
11. MyEarthDream

Check out audio samples on the band's MySpace page.

The mixing sessions for the CD were completed at Thin Ice Studios in England with Karl Groom (THRESHOLD). The mastering is currently taking place at the Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland with Mika Jussila.

The orchestra recordings for the new EDENBRIDGE CD took place in Prague in October. EDENBRIDGE was reportedly supported by the 65-piece Czech Film Orchestra (consisting of musicians from the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the Czech State Opera Orchestra). The orchestra, which was previously involved with recordings for renowned Hollywood productions, is heard on nine out of ten songs plus the intro. Lanvall's (guitar, keyboards) orchestral arrangements were recently put into the final score.

In other news, EDENBRIDGE has recruited Dominik Sebastian (THIRDMOON) as its new touring guitarist.

According to IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, the group's concert in Tokyo, Japan tonight (Saturday, February 16) was filmed for an upcoming DVD. No further details are currently available.

IRON MAIDEN's June 10, 2007 headlining performance at the Download festival at Donington Park, Leicestershire, England was also professionally recorded for future DVD release. A clip from that show can be viewed here.

IRON MAIDEN's year got off to a roaring start with the February 4 international release of the band's long-awaited DVD "Live After Death" smashing straight into the UK music DVD chart at No. 1, not only outpacing its nearest competitor by three to one, but outselling the rest of the Top 6 combined!

Internationally it has been a similar story, with No. 1s in Australia (gold first day), France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Germany, where the DVD also spectacularly crashed into the Top 10 Album chart due to such unprecedented high sales. "Live After Death" also entered the music DVD charts at #2 in Portugal, Norway and Ireland and Top 3 entries from the USA and Canada.

UK hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE played a gig on February 11 in Moscow as a farewell gift to Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of gas giant Gazprom and almost certainly Russia's next president.

The group performed at a show Gazprom put on at the Kremlin to mark the 15th anniversary of the firm's creation.

"This is simply surreal," Medvedev said on NTV television after the concert. "I started listening to DEEP PURPLE when I was 13. At that time their music was banned. I never would have imagined meeting the famous group in the Kremlin Palace."

Footage of the PURPLE classic "Smoke On The Water", filmed at the February 11 concert, can be viewed
here.

"The Mirror's Truth", the new single from Swedish metallers IN FLAMES, is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. A video for the song was filmed last month at an abandoned factory site in Skellefteå, Sweden with the Swedish company Popcore (NORMA JEAN, UNDEROATH, KHOMA, CULT OF LUNA).

IN FLAMES will release the "The Mirror’s Truth" single on March 7 via Nuclear Blast Records. The European-only release will contain the following tracks:

01. The Mirror's Truth
02. Eraser *
03. Tilt *
04 Abnegation *

* Exclusive non-album tracks

IN FLAMES recently inked a deal with Koch Records for the North American release of the group's new album, "A Sense of Purpose". Due on April 1 (April 7 in most of Europe via Nuclear Blast), the follow-up to 2006's "Come Clarity" was recorded at the band's own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden and was mixed by Toby Wright (METALLICA, SLAYER). The group received assistance during the vocal-recording sessions from producer Daniel Bergstrand, who previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity". All artwork for the album was created by Alex Pardee for ZeroFriends. Alex also created the artwork for the first single, "The Mirror's Truth".

IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, JOB FOR A COWBOY and HIGH ON FIRE will play this year's Gigantour in North America beginning mid-April and running through the end of May. Headlining the trek will be MEGADETH.

SLAYER frontman vocalist/bassist Tom Araya has commented on winning a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, which was held Sunday night (February 10) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. SLAYER was nominated for the track "The Final Six", from the band's 2007 limited-edition "Christ Illusion". The song, written by Araya and guitarist Jeff Hanneman and produced by Josh Abraham, is a chilling look at an hypothesized end of the world. The track made its debut last July as the "Single of the Week" on MySpace where it has since accumulated some 750,000 plays, an astounding number for a song that received no commercial airplay.

"This is awesome," Araya stated backstage. "I guess we're part of the industry now, above ground. None of those tunnel diggings anymore. No, this is our second win actually. It's kind of exciting. We've been fortunate to have been around this long with no radio play. We've gotten support from satellite radio recently, MTV gave us minimal support, but it's all on word of mouth and people liking what we do and passing it on to their friends. We owe a lot of our success to our fans. The industry is great, but the fans are the ones that take the time to look you up to see what you're doing, wait for the record to come out and buy it so..."

SLAYER was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, which are being held tonight (Sunday, February 10) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. SLAYER was nominated for the track "The Final Six", from the band's 2007 limited-edition "Christ Illusion". The song, written by SLAYER's vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and guitarist Jeff Hanneman and produced by Josh Abraham, is a chilling look at an hypothesized end of the world. The track made its debut last July as the "Single of the Week" on MySpace where it has since accumulated some 750,000 plays, an astounding number for a song that received no commercial airplay.

A visibly nervous Araya accepted the award, stating, "Thank you very much. I don't know what to say. This is our second time. I have to thank Sony, first off, for reissuing the record and putting this new song on the album, and now I'm here again — we are here again, actually. Most of all, [I'd like to] thank Rick Rubin [producer and head of American Recordings], who's been with us, been there for us for the past 23 years, 24 years. Thank you. My wife, my two kids; Sandra [wife], Ariel and Tommy. They're here with me. Of course, my manager, who's been with us for a good 20 years now. Well, thank you very much. Thank the Academy. Thank you."

World-renowned Swedish multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, ex-BLOODBATH) is currently working on an album which he describes as "a cross between ALTER BRIDGE and MOONTOWER-style [Dan's 1999 project] stuff." He says, "I am writing it right now, and it will not be a MOONTOWER 2. I already have an album title and a cover in mind, but I won't 'leak' [it] 'cause it is so cool that it will most likely be stolen!!! I have written around 50 riffs already where maybe 10 will survive the 'filter.' There will be more normal singing there and not so one-dimensional like MOONTOWER. There will still be growls, but nothing fast and grinding. I will use a bunch of session musicians that haven't been playing this kind of stuff before and I am sure there will be a nice collision!"

As previously reported, Dan Swanö has finished laying down the vocal tracks for the upcoming OBLITERHATE debut album. Recorded at Unisound Studio (Sweden) in just two weeks, Dan's contribution on the vocals for OBLITERHATE is the first time in more than a decade that he has done vocals for a full-length intense death metal album.

Commented Dan: "I am ready happy with the way my growls sound and after a few days it felt like my throat surrendered and let me do this stuff without the throat pain and the blistering headaches, which is cool."

OBLITERHATE's debut album, tentatively titled "Blessing In Disgust", will contain nine songs and will be released sometime in 2008 via Pulverised Records. The project, which is said to follow a "more brutal and intricate direction" than RASPATUL, features contributions from some of metal's legendary and highly renowned musicians:

Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) - Vocals
Erik Sayenga (WARTHRONE, ex-DYING FETUS) - Drums
Derrick Ramirez (DRAGONLORD, ex-TESTAMENT) - Bass
Mirai Kawashima (SIGH, ex-NECROPHAGIA) - Keyboards
James Murphy (DISINCARNATE, ex-DEATH, TESTAMENT) - Guest guitar solo

The legendary Jeff Becerra from the mighty POSSESSED has penned down some lyrics for OBLITERHATE, and will appear on this debut album. The other part of the lyrical songwriting and vocal arrangements will be handled by Rogga Johansson, who is the mastermind behind PAGANIZER, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE, RIBSPREADER and DEMIURG.

A five-minute interview Finland's Sub TV conducted with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine on February 4, 2008 prior to the band's Helsinki concert can be viewed below.

During the interview Mustaine was asked for his opinion on "heavy metal" becoming "mainstream" again after being "gone" for 10 years in the Nineties. "Certainly, I appreciate it, because being in a metal band that's becoming mainstream again is gonna have certain benefits for us," he replied. "But I don't even know if we fit in the metal category anymore, because I heard we were moved from the 'metal' category to the 'classic rock' category in the Grammys. I was like, 'What?' I mean, you look at who they nominated for the Grammys this year — one band on there has only sold 10,000 records [referring to KING DIAMOND — Ed.], and I don't understand how we didn't get nominated. It's disappointing and it makes you… When you look at the facts, you just get so much disdain for that, because you know that it's a political thing and that somebody somewhere has bitterness towards me or towards my band. There's just no way that a band that's as successful as we are, with a brand new record that entered in the Top 10 in the Billboard charts, wouldn't get nominated for a Grammy when another band's in there that, like I said, has only sold 10,000 records. But you know what?! It's OK, because I've been nominated for seven Grammys and never won, so, frankly, to me, it's an elusive thing — it doesn't really mean anything to me."

According to The Sun Online, AEROSMITH's mega-ballad "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" is still the UK's favorite love song. In a survey conducted by Magic TV, the wrinkly rockers' anthem from the film "Armageddon" came top for the second year on the trot.

"The Nation's Favourite Love Songs: Top 100" can be enjoyed on Valentine's Day on The Hits TV at 2pm and Magic TV from 4pm.

According to Wikipedia, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained at No. 1 for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998, introducing AEROSMITH to a new generation of fans. The song also stayed at No. 1 for several weeks in several other countries. The song rose steadily up the charts in the UK, peaking at No. 4 in November 1998 and becoming AEROSMITH's highest-charting single in the UK to date.

According to a posting on the RUSH fan site RushIsABand.com, RUSH will release a new live two-CD set, "Snakes & Arrows Live", on April 8. The track listing is as follows:

Disc 1:

01. Limelight
02. Digital Man
03. Entre Nous
04. Mission
05. Freewill
06. Monkey Business
07. Larger Bowl
08. Secret Touch
09. Circumstances
10. Between the Wheels
11. Dreamline
12. Far Cry
13. Workin' Them Angels
14. Armor and Sword

Disc 2:

01. Spindrift
02. The Way the Wind Blows
03. Subdivisions
04. Natural Science
05. Witch Hunt
06. Malignant Narcissism - Drum Solo
07. Hope
08. Distant Early Warning
09. The Spirit of Radio
10. Tom Sawyer
11. Encore
12. One Little Victory
13. A Passage to Bangkok
14. YYZ

After a two-year break, Norwegian black/death metallers ANCIENT are preparing their return to the scene. The band has announced the addition of guitarist Morfeus (LIMBONIC ART, DIMENSION F3H) to its ranks and is currently seeking a new drummer.

ANCIENT will start touring again before the summer, although no dates have yet been confirmed.

ANCIENT's sixth album, "Night Visit" was released in June 2004 through Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Proxima Centauri" was recorded at Mirage and Alpha-Omega studios and was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, etc.). Mastering was done at Sterling Sound in New York City.

ATREYU will re-issue its latest album, "Lead Sails Paper Anchor", in an expanded edition on March 18, according to HardDrive Radio. The enhanced version of the band's major label debut will include a newly recorded song, DVD content and other bonus features. Frontman Alex Varkatzas told The Pulse of Radio more about the group's plans for the release. "We just really want to, you know, write a really cool song as part of the expanded edition of the CD, and we're gonna do some cool, like, DVD view segments, whatever that means, and enhance up the CD, stuff like that," he said.

"Lead Sails Paper Anchor", ATREYU's major label debut, arrived last summer and features the single "Becoming the Bull". The newest single from the disc is called "Falling Down".

ATREYU is getting ready to join AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE on this winter's Taste of Chaos tour, which begins on February 29 in Denver.

Legendary hard rock band WHITESNAKE will release its new album, "Good To Be Bad", through SPV/Steamhammer in Germany on April 18, the rest of Europe on April 21 and in North America on April 22. In addition to the regular jewel-case version, a limited-edition two-disc set will contain an extra CD in a cardboard sleeve, as well as a poster, photocard and sticker.

The track listing for the limited-edition two-disc version of "Good To Be Bad" is as follows:

CD (jewel case):

01. Best Years (5:16)
02. Can You Hear The Wind Blow (5:02)
03. Call On Me (5:01)
04. All I Want All I Need (5:42)
05. Good To Be Bad (5:13)
06. All For Love (5:14)
07. Summer Rain (6:15)
08. Lay Down Your Love (6:01)
09. A Fool In Love (5:14)
10. Got What You Need (4:14)
11. 'Til The End Of Time (5:32)

Bonus CD (cardboard sleeve):

01. Summer Rain (acoustic version) (5:21)
02. All I Want All I Need (radio edit) (3:58)
03. Take Me With You (live version) (7:51)
04. Ready To Rock (enhanced video) (4:19)

"Slave To The Dark – The Century Media Years" is the title of the luxurious ICED EARTH box set containing everything the legendary power metal act released via its former label home. Featuring marvellous artwork by Leo Hao (BLIND GUARDIAN, NOCTURNAL RITES), glossy print and embossing, the set consists of 14 CDs plus one DVD and offers you a total of 145 tracks, including all original album tracks as well as rarities and previously unreleased material.

CD 1: "Iced Earth"
CD 2: "Night Of The Stormrider" (+1 live bonus track)
CD 3+4: "Burnt Offerings" (plus entire album as alternative mix)
CD 5: "The Dark Saga" (+ 2 previously unreleased bonus tracks)
CD 6+7: "Days Of Purgatory"
CD 8: "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (+ 3 bonus tracks)
CD 9+10: "Enter The Realm Of The Gods" ("Enter The Realm" Demo + "Tribute To The Gods" album)
CD 11-13: "Alive In Athens" (+1 bonus track)
CD 14: "Horror Show" (+ 1 bonus track)
DVD: "Alive In Athens"

All CDs have been redesigned as lavish gatefold-vinyl replicas with enhanced artwork and thus "Slave To The Dark – The Century Media Years" is the best chance to get all the classic ICED EARTH albums in one comprehensive box.

To allow you to purchase only certain albums from this collection, Century Media will also separately release all of the aforementioned albums including the particular bonuses.

The "Slave To The Dark – The Century Media Years" box set and all reissues will be released on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy: Friday, February 22
UK, France, Denmark, Norway, Rest Of Europe: Monday, February 25
Spain, Portugal: Tuesday, February 26
Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, February 27

Poland's Metal Mind Productions will re-release the two albums from Texas doom legends SOLITUDE AETURNUS — "Through The Darkest Hour" (1994) and "Downfall" (1996) — on March 3 in Europe. Each remastered limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) will include one or more bonus tracks and will be made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.

"Through The Darkest Hour" (remastered + bonus tracks) track listing:

01. Falling
02. Haunting The Obscure
03. The 8th Day: The Mourning
04. The 9th Day: Awakening
05. Pain
06. Pawns Of Anger
07. Eternal (Dreams Part III)
08. Perfect Insanity
09. Shattered My Spirit

Bonus tracks: Live at Stodola Club, Warsaw, Poland, February 12, 2007:

01. The 9th Day: Awakening
02. Pawns of Anger

"Downfall" (remastered + bonus track) track listing:

01. Phantoms
02. Only This (And Nothing More)
03. Midnight Dreams
04. Together and Wither
05. Elysium
06. Deathwish
07. These Are the Nameless
08. Chapel of Burning
09. Concern

Bonus track: Live at Stodola Club, Warsaw, Poland, February 12, 2007:

01. Phantoms