The previously announced re-release of DRAGONFORCE's debut album, "Valley of the Damned", has been delayed. Below is a statement from the band's manager Steve McTaggart.

"Regretfully, I have to announce that the release of the 'Valley of the Damned - Remixed & Remastered' album has been postponed until further notice. Difficulties were experienced at the mastering studio in Berlin due to the illness of key people which resulted in the original release date not being achievable. Subsequent to this, Sanctuary Records, who own the bands catalogue, has been bought by Universal Music and shut down. Work on the album is ongoing and will be completed and a new release date will be set once the business situation is clarified."

"Valley of the Damned - Remixed & Remastered" was scheduled to include a bonus DVD. The remixed debut and DRAGONFORCE's second album, "Sonic Firestorm", were also going be available for the first time on picture disc vinyl.

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li previously stated: "For some time now we've been thinking about how great it would be that one day we could remix and remaster the 'Valley of the Damned' album and re-release it. I still remember the amount of time and effort we spent recording that album, and financing it myself! Ignoring all the deadlines that were set for the delivery of the master tapes, we went into a lengthy recording period only to finally run out of money which meant we didn't have the time to give the songs the mix and production sound they deserve.

"Although many people thought the original release had a great production, it is uncomparable to the massive production sound on the albums 'Sonic Firestorm' and 'Inhuman Rampage'. To tell you the truth, the original release was mixed in only 36 hours as we spent most of the time working on capturing the best performances and improving the songs as much as possible.

"Now, after 18 months on the road, three times around the world for the 'Inhuman Rampage Tour', our wish is granted with a bigger budget, better gear, more time and more experience to bring new life to 'Valley of the Damned'.

"I know many old fans still consider 'Valley of the Damned' to be our classic album. It is an album full of great songs that a lot of our new fans still haven't discovered yet unless they see us live since we have included songs from our debut album in all of our shows.

"We have spent the last three weeks with producer Karl Groom remixing all the songs and giving more attention to detail than we previously had a chance to do. The final result is exactly what we want now, and beyond what was possible when we first finished 'Valley of the Damned' four years ago. We are including a DVD in this package because we want to give you, the fans, as much as possible on this re-release. One thing is for sure, this jam-packed DVD took way longer than I initially thought and I definitely under estimated the time it takes to put so much archive footage on it. This DVD will give you a feel of what was happening before we started to spend our lives on tour buses and airplanes!"

"Valley of the Damned - Remixed & Remastered" projected track listing:

Disc 1 – CD:

01. Invocation of the Apocalyptic Evil
02. Valley of the Damned
03. Black Fire
04. Black Winter Night
05. Starfire
06. Disciples of Babylon
07. Revelations
08. Evening Star
09. Heart of a Dragon

Disc 2 – DVD:

* Interviews
- Interviews with the band members and producer reflecting on the "Valley of the Damned" period and the remix
* "Valley of the Damned" Live
- Previously unreleased professionally filmed live video recording from their first Japanese tour.
- Commentary version from Herman and Vadim
- Commentary version from ZP and Karl
* Backstage Footage
- DRAGONFORCE home videos. See through the eyes of Sam and ZP in Japan on the day of the show.
* Recording "Valley of the Damned"
- Footage from the drum recording session in Denmark
- Commentary version from Herman and Vadim
* Remixing "Valley of the Damned"
- Get technical with Herman, Vadim and producer Karl Groom. See how they remixed the album.

KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood has issued the following update:

"Well, we have been very busy working with bassist Sean Tibbetts [temporary touring bassist] on the new songs and setlist. It's sounding super tight and the hard work will show at the shows. We are leaving today for London. It's been a while since we played there and last time was insane so we expect some crazy headbangers on Friday night!! We are going to be shooting lots of behind-the-scenes footage of all the shows coming for bonus material on a limited-edition DVD planned for 2008, so make sure if you see the camera you give us something good!"

Ex-KAMELOT bassist Sean Tibbets (ROYAL ANGUISH) has rejoined his former bandmates for their upcoming European and Japanese shows. Due to family commitments, current KAMELOT bassist Glenn Barry will not make the trip.

On October 26, 2007, Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL will release on overview of their years as a Century Media recording act (before signing with Atlantic for the U.S. and Roadrunner for Europe), "Seeking the Way: The Greatest Hits". Clocking in at over 60 minutes, the album contains 15 landmark tracks, including "Destroyer of Senses", "What Drives the Weak", and the Guitar Hero II track "The Light that Blinds" plus all-new mixes of "Crushing Belial", "Of One Blood" and "Fleshold" by Zeuss (HATEBREED, UNEARTH, THROWDOWN etc.). Featuring artwork and liner notes by Tom Bejgrowicz, "Seeking the Way: The Greatest Hits" is a fascinating introduction to SHADOWS FALL as well the best way to get all their hits on one disc.

"Seeking the Way: The Greatest Hits" track listing:

01. Crushing Belial
02. Of One Blood
03. Fleshold
04. Deadworld
05. Stepping Outside The Circle
06. Thoughts Without Words
07. Destroyer Of Senses
08. The Idiot Box
09. The Light That Blinds
10. Enlightened By The Cold
11. What Drives The Weak
12. Inspiration On Demand
13. The Power Of I And I
14. In Effigy
15. Seize The Calm

MIDNATTSOL, the band featuring vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes (the younger sister of LEAVES' EYES singer Liv Kristine), will enter the studio in November to begin recording its second album for an early 2008 release. The band will utilize the following facilities during the sessions for the forthcoming CD:

* Mastersound Studios (Germany): Vocals will be recorded with producer Alex Krull
* Klangschmiede Studio E (Germany): All instruments will be recorded with Markus Stock (THE VISION BLEAK).
* Antfarm Studios (Denmark): The album will be mixed by Tue Madsen.
* Finnvox Studios (Finland): The mastering will be handled by Mika Jusilla.

MIDNATTSOL's debut album, "Where Twilight Dwells", was released in 2005 via Napalm Records.

Sweden's PAIN OF SALVATION has issued the following update:

"The search is over, and a new drummer has now joined the band. The level of competition and skills among the few drummers who remained at the top of the crop was extremely high, but this guy outplayed everyone in the end. To the extent, it might be added, that the band even chose to go for the one non-Swede finalist.

"So who could this phantom be?

"Well, just to make things painful, it will not be made official who the new drummer is as of yet. Instead, the veil will fall live on stage next week, at the Motstoy Festival in Notodden, Norway, October 6th. This is not only the very last gig of the Sickening the World tour of 2007, but also the farewell show of longtime drummer Johan Langell. This will be the only chance to see both drummers on stage with PAIN OF SALVATION and, needless to say, those who have the possibility of attending this show will definitely be in for a special treat.

"To celebrate the event even further, the band will also perform some songs that the fans have not heard live in a long time. All in all, if ever there was a different and special show of PAIN OF SALVATION, this is bound to be it! Your one chance to say goodbye to the old king, and welcome the new one."

A third and final show has been added for Chicago's dark metal act NOVEMBERS DOOM in Europe this November. This performance will be held on November 12 at Rockconcern De ROTS, Antwerp Belgium. To build off the special evening of November 10, where the band will shoot their first-ever live DVD in Vosselaar, the show in Antwerp will be entirely acoustic, also a first for the band.

"There's always a list of songs in our catalog people ask to hear live, and we decided to try something a bit different, and play a different sort of set for the band," comments singer Paul Kuhr. "We will be performing the entire set, acoustically, and playing a large amount of songs we have never performed live before. We wanted to make our short trip to Europe a special one, and with all the focus being on the DVD shoot, this acoustic evening will be a great time for us, also giving the fans something unique from the band."

The live performance DVD to be released in early 2008 through The End Records.

Austrian melodic death metallers THIRDMOON will release their fifth album, "Dimorphic Cynosure", on November 23 via Maintain Records. According to a press release, "listeners can expect the most aggressive but also most melancholic THIRDMOON album, as well as lyrically and musically the most emotional release from mastermind Wolfgang Rothbauer. This concept album will be available as a jewel-case with a running time of 62 minutes at the retail market, and there will also be a limited edition coming as a digipack. Beside exclusive artwork, the digipack version will also have four bonus tracks. Among them are 'Bloodfield', an exclusive soundtrack for the 'Elite MarsBall' online game, and three acoustic instrumentals, which originated spontaneously during the recording of the album and are very important to the band since the emotional condition during the time of recording was set to music quite sentimentally, honestly and spontaneously."

THIRDMOON is:

Wolfgang Rothbauer - Vocals, Guitar
Matias Larrede - Guitar
Dominik Hindinger - Guitar
Simon Öller - Bass
Martin Zeller - Drums

German death metallers GRIND INC. entered Ezy Soundz Studio in Krefeld on September 22 to record their third album, tentatively due in early 2008. So far the drum tracks have been completed and guitar-recording sessions will resume on October 1. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2006's "Inhale the Violence" will include such tracks as "Voice of Premonition", "To Descendants", "Hole in the Ground", "Sudden State of Hate" and "Collateral Body Count".

GRIND INC. started out in 2001 as a side project of HATE FACTOR and NIGHT IN GALES members. The point was "to make the most brutal music possible without neglecting groove and having shitloads of fun," according to the band's official bio. The group's debut album, "Executed", was released in May 2005.

Swedish metallers EVENTIDE have issued the following update:

"A recording date has been set for the new songs. On October 8th we will barricade ourselves in the studio. We haven't decided on the number of songs that will be included, but we have at least three finished songs. These three songs will be played live for the first time at Sportsbar in Åkersberga, Sweden on October the 20th. Don't miss it!!"

In other news, EVENTIDE has been confirmed for the Växjö Metal Festival III, set to take place November 3 in Växjö, Sweden. Also scheduled to appear are JORN, GRAVE, HEED, BLOODBOUND, LABYRINTH, ENGEL and PAGAN'S MIND, among others.

EVENTIDE parted ways with its record label, Cartel Media, earlier in the year.

Finnish doom/death metallers SHAPE OF DESPAIR, the band featuring ex-AMORPHIS/current AJATTARA singer Pasi Koskinen, is currently working on a 7" EP for Norway's Solarfall Records. More information will be announced soon.

SHAPE OF DESPAIR's self-titled album was released in August 2005 via Spinefarm Records. The low-priced CD contained rare and unreleased material from the group, including tracks from the band's first demo, "Alone in the Mist", and a new song called "Sleeping Murder", which was recorded over a four-day period late March 2005 at Sundicoop Studios in Savonlinna, Finland.

SHAPE OF DESPAIR's third album, "Illusion's Play", was released in Europe in September 2004 through Spikefarm Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Angels of Distress" was recorded at Hellhole studios in Helsinki, Finland.

THE BLACK LEAGUE, the Finnish band fronted by former SENTENCED vocalist Taneli Jarva, has posted a live video for the song "Bury Yer Brother" filmed at Virgin Oil in Helsinki on June 15, 2007. Watch it below.

"Bury Yer Brother" comes off THE BLACK LEAGUE's fourth full-length album, "A Place Called Bad", which came out in Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway and Denmark) in April 2006 via Playground Music.

The follow-up to 2004's "Man's Ruin Revisited", "A Place Called Bad" was recorded at Seawolf Studios in Suomenlinna (just outside Helsinki).

THE BLACK LEAGUE is currently writing material for its fifth album, tentatively titled "No Parole", for a summer 2008 release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Beast is a Riddle", "Ghost Brothel" and "Bipolar Meltdown".

THE BLACK LEAGUE's current lineup is:

Taneli Jarva - Vocals
Maike Valanne - Guitar
Kimmi "Heavy" Hiltunen - Guitar
Rale - Drums
I.T. - Bass

Video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach and rapper Kurupt performing the West Coast gangster classic "Doggy Dogg World" on the fifth episode of MTV's new weekly competition show "Celebrity Rap Superstar" is available for viewing at www.mtv.com.

"Celebrity Rap Superstar" kicked off on August 30. Bach is one of eight celebrity contestants culled from the worlds of music, film, TV and sports who are paired with their own rap mega-star mentor — Sebastian's is Kurupt from THE DOG POUND — who will share their respective knowledge and skills to prepare the contestants with the technique they'll need to be a master rapper. With help from his personal tutor, expect Bach to perform covers of some of the biggest rap songs of all time, create original raps and be tested in freestyle rap competitions, all in front of a live audience.

This isn't Bach's first foray onto the small screen nor with MTV. His reality show, "SuperGroup", which also starred Ted Nugent, Jason Bonham, Scott Ian and Even Seinfeld, and "Forever Wild" were very successful shows on VH1, and his "I Married...Sebastian Bach", also on VH1, was a number-one rated program. In addition, Bach spent five seasons on the popular CW series "Gilmore Girls", and made several guest appearances on the Canadian mockumentary series, "Trailer Park Boys"

Norwegian power metallers GAIA EPICUS have issued the following update:

"After a small break, we are now ready to get things moving again. Thomas [C. Hansen, guitar] has been busy with his solo album which will be released next month, but he has also had time to make new GAIA songs. In fact the songs for the next GAIA EPICUS album have been made and also demos for these songs (more news about the next album later...).

"The album 'Victory' has now been released in Russia and the Baltic states. There are no extra bonus tracks on this version but the cover picture has a Russian flag instead of the Norwegian one.

"We are still searching for a new guitarist and bass player, but we are going to play concerts soon even if we don't have any new members yet. While we are waiting for new players we will be using some friends of the band to play concerts with us."

German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell has posted the ninth MP3 snippet from his upcoming "Diamonds Unlocked" covers album.

Commented Axel: "This is the last snippet from 'Diamonds Unlocked', a track called 'Won't Get Fooled Again' originally written and performed by THE WHO.

"I knew this song when it came out first in the beginning of the '70s, but it called my attention again after watching 'CSI: Miami' on TV, because it's the title track. A great rock classic!"

Download the "Won't Get Fooled Again" one-minute sample at this location.

Axel Rudi Pell is scheduled to release "Diamonds Unlocked" on October 1, 2007 (Germany: September 28; USA: October 9), his first album consisting exclusively of compositions by other musicians, proving his expertise when it comes to the history of rock and pop music. Axel Rudi Pell has recorded ten cover songs, among them surprising new versions of real classics. "I have always stressed that I don't have a hard rock and metal fixation," he points out. "I don't think in terms of pigeonholes. If I like a track for whatever reason, I don't care about its stylistic direction. Every song on this album made me want to cover it at some stage when I heard the original."

"Diamonds Unlocked" was recorded by the tried-and-tested lineup consisting of Axel Rudi Pell, vocalist Johnny Gioeli, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, bassist Volker Krawczak and drummer Mike Terrana. Pell produced the album single-handedly, and Charlie Bauerfeind took care of the mix.

"Diamonds Unlocked" track listing:

01. The Diamond Overture
02. Warrior (RIOT)
03. Beautiful Day (U2)
04. Stone (CHRIS REA/THE LAW)
05. Love Gun (KISS)
06. Fool's Game (MICHAEL BOLTON)
07. Heartbreaker (FREE)
08. Rock The Nation (MONTROSE)
09. In The Air Tonight (PHIL COLLINS)
10. Like A Child Again (THE MISSION)
11. Won't Get Fooled Again (THE WHO)

A teaser for the upcoming debut album from AGUA DE ANNIQUE, the new Dutch band fronted by former THE GATHERING singer Anneke van Giersbergen, can be viewed below. Entitled "Air", the CD will be released on October 30 via The End Records.

"Air" track listing:

01. Beautiful One
02. Witnesses
03. Yalin
04. Day After Yesterday
05. My Girl
06. Take Care of Me
07. Ice Water
08. You Are Nice
09. Trail of Grief
10. Come Wander
11. Sunken Soldiers
12. Lost and Found
13. Asleep

Currently available for streaming on the label's official MySpace page is the song "Witnesses".

AGUA DE ANNIQUE is:

Anneke van Giersbergen - Vocals/Piano
Joris Dirks - Guitars/Vocals
Jacques de Haard - Bass
Rob Snijders - Drums

To coincide with the band's upcoming support slot for metal titans ICED EARTH and ANNIHILATOR, Century Media Records will release a very special version of TURISAS' "The Varangian Way" in the following formats with a slightly altered artwork:

* CD: "Director's Cut" including the hit single "Rasputin" and "To Holmgard And Beyond" edit

* Limited digipack, CD+DVD: "Director's Cut Extended Version": Including the hit single "Rasputin", "To Holmgard And Beyond" edit and bonus DVD including "Rasputin" video, "To Holmgard And Beyond", karaoke and 37-minute multi-camera live footage from Download, With Full Force and Rock Hard festivals 2007.

The new version of "The Varangian Way" will be released on the following dates:

Finland: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007
Germany / Austria / Switzerland / Benelux / Italy: Friday, Oct. 5, 2007
UK / Denmark / Norway / Rest Of Europe: Monday, Oct. 8, 2007
Spain / Portugal: Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007
Sweden / Hungary: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 200
France: Monday, Oct. 29, 2007

Norwegian power/progressive metal band PAGAN'S MIND has finalized the track listing for its new album, "God's Equation", due on November 9 in Europe and January 15 in the U.S. The CD was recorded by Espen Mjøen at his Mediamaker Studio in Skien, Norway, and mixed at Toy Town Studios in Stockholm by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN).

"God's Equation" track listing:

01. The Conception
02. God's Equation
03. United Alliance
04. Atomic Firelight
05. Hallo Spaceboy
06. Evolution Exceed
07. Alien Kamikaze
08. Painted Skies
09. Spirit Starcruiser
10. Farewell
11. Osiris' Triumphant Return

A limited release of "God's Equation" will include a bonus disc with six extra tracks, an MPEG video clip, poster, sticker and wallpaper.

CHTHONIAN, the black metal act featuring FINNTROLL frontman Vreth (real name: Mathias Lillmåns), has posted its video for the song "That'll Teach You" on YouTube. The clip, which was filmed on March 16, can be viewed below.

"That'll Teach You" comes off the group's latest album, "Of Beatings and the Silence in Between", which came out in March in Scandinavia through the Finnish label Woodcut Records.

CHTHONIAN is:

M. Lillmåns - Vocals/Bass
M. Rosenberg - Drums
J. Frilund - Guitar

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT are currently offering a new "bootleg" in DVD format for sale in the "Merch" section of the group's official web site. "Live in Taiwan" (view cover here) was filmed on July 27, 2007 in Taipei, Taiwan by and features the lineup of Chuck Billy (vocals), Eric Peterson (guitars), Alex Skolnick (guitars), Greg Christian (bass) and Nick Barker (drums).

"Live in Taiwan" track listing:

01. The Preacher
02. The New Order
03. The Haunting
04. Electric Crown
05. Low
06. DNR
07. Souls In Black
08. Into The Pit
09. Practice What You Preach
10. Over The Wall
11. Alone In The Dark

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, the band featuring former DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and his fiancée Candice Night, will release a new live DVD called "Paris Moon". Release date has been set November 2 for Germany, November 5 for the rest of Europe and November 6 for USA (the latter presumably in NTSC format). The DVD package will also include an audio CD. Track listing is as follows.

DVD (Format: DUAL LAYER DVD9 PAL; Screen Format: PAL 16:9; Running Time: 128 min.; Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital - 5.1 Dts - 2.0 Dolby Stereo):

01. Introduction
02. Past Times With Good Company
03. Rainbow Blues
04. Play Minstrel Play
05. World Of Stone
06. Under A Violet Moon
07. Soldier Of Fortune
08. Durch Den Wald Zum Bachaus
09. Diamonds & Rust
10. Minstrel Hall
11. Home Again
12. Streets Of London
13. Renaissance Faire
14. Keyboard Solo
15. Ariel
16. Loreley
17. The Clock Ticks On
18. Fires At Midnight
19. St. Theresa
20. The Village Lanterne

CD

01. Past Times With Good Company/Rainbow Blues
02. Play Minstrel Play
03. World Of Stone
04. Under A Violet Moon
05. Minstrel Hall
06. Home Again
07. Ariel
08. The Clock Ticks On
09. Fires At Midnight

Bonus tracks

01. The Village Lanterne (studio version)
02. All Because of You (radio edit)
03. The Village Lanterne (enhanced video track)

SHATTER MESSIAH, the band featuring former NEVERMORE/ANNIHILATOR guitarist Curran Murphy and ex-ANNIHILATOR drummer Robert Falzano, will release its second album, "God Burns Like Flesh", on October 29 via Dockyard 1. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Idolater
02. God Burns Like Flesh
03. Pathway
04. Stripped Of Faith
05. Dirge Of The Christ
06. Buried In Black
07. This Is The Day
08. Tomorrow Immortal

Check out the cover artwork at this location.

SHATTER MESSIAH lineup:

Greg Wagner – Vocals
Curran Murphy - Lead Guitar
Dusty Holt - Rhythm Guitar
Robert Falzano – Drums
Jason Chamberlain – Bass

According to a posting on the Thin Lizzy – A Rock Legend web site, THIN LIZZY's "Live and Dangerous at the Rainbow" is being reissued as a "deluxe edition) by Mercury/Universal on October 15 in Europe. The track listing is as follows:

01. Intro/Rosalie
02. The Boys Are Back in Town
03. Emerald
04. Dancing In The Moonlight
05. Massacre
06. Still In Love With You
07. Don't Believe A Word
08. Are You Ready
09. Sha La La
10. Baby Drives Me Crazy
11. Me And The Boys…

Bonus Material:

"Sight & Sound in Concert" – January 26, 1983 (BBC TX 5/2/83) - 45 minutes:

01. Jailbreak
02. This Is The One
03. Cold Sweat
04. The Sun Goes Down
05. Holy War
06. The Boys Are Back In Town
07. Rosalie
08. Baby Please Don't Go

"Top of the Pops" Performances - 15 minutes:

01. Whiskey In The Jar
02. Jailbreak
03. Dancing In The Moonlight
04. Waiting For An Alibi
05. Don't Believe A Word

+ Interviews with Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and Brian Downey - 25 minutes

Bonus CD:

Live Derby 1975:

01. Fighting My Way Back
02. Wild One
03. Still In Love With You
04. Suicide
05. Sha La La
06. Baby Drives Me Crazy
07. Me And The Boys…
08. Cowboy Song (Derby Blues)

Deluxe Packaging in hard slipcase with a 24-page booklet