Italian experimental jazz metallers EPHEL DUATH have begun work on a new album to be released in 2008. The CD, entitled "Through My Dog's Eyes", will be a concept album in which a dog depicts his vision of various aspects of life, from casual things like nightmares or walks to deeper issues such as accepting death and the rules of nature that are unavoidable.

Guitarist Davide commented: "The pre-production is very promising, and we'll abuse it to grasp and magnify the potential of each track. We are sure that the album will not only please the fans but that it will also bring us new ones."

Talking about the concept behind "Through My Dog's Eyes", Davide stated, "Lyrics-wise, it is a first person narrative in the shape of various short novels. We are in no way attempting to prove any sort of superiority or draw a parallel between man and animal. All we intend to do is capture the essence of how we think dogs see life, hence the use of the first person, and all of this being speculation means that the texts deal with sheer fantasy. We'll push people to think about this concept as an ode to one of the animals with the most humanity in the eyes."

"Through My Dog's Eyes" will follow the release of the upcoming remix album, entitled "Pain Remixes The Known", which is due on July 23.

German death metallers FLESHCRAWL have finished recording their new album, entitled "Structures of Death".

For the first time in the band's history, FLESHCRAWL didn't record in Sweden, but instead used the Studio Toninfusion in their home city of Ulm with Martin Schmitt at the helm. Pelle Saether at Studio Underground in Västeras, Sweden mixed and mastered the album once again.

According to a press release, "Structures of Death" contains 12 "in-your-face, old-school death metal songs with a lot of variation. Killer melodies and smashing, neckbreaking riffs of incomparable catchiness make 'Structures of Death' one of the best death metal releases in 2007!"

"Structures of Death" track listing:

01. Skulls of the Rotten (Intro)
02. Structures of Death
03. Into the Fire of Hell
04. Written in Blood
05. A Spirit dressed in Black
06. Fleshcult
07. Into the Crypts of scattered Souls
08. Anthem of Death
09. Nothing but Flesh remains
10. Rest in Pain (R.I.P)
11. About Mortality
12. War of the Dead

Check out the cover artwork at this location.

The limited first edition will be released in digipack format and will include a bonus track ("Rockin' Is My Business" cover by THE FOUR HORSEMEN).

FLESHCRAWL is:

Sven Gross – vocals
Mike Hanus – guitar
Oliver Grbavac – guitar
Nico Scheffler – bass
Bastian Herzog – drums

"Structures of Death" will be released on September 21 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and September 24 in the rest of Europe via Metal Blade Records.

Parisian goth metallers THE OLD DEAD TREE have returned from Stage One Studio in Germany, where producer Andy Classen recently finished recording, mixing and mastering the band's latest opus, "The Water Fields".

Speaking about the new CD, vocalist/guitarist Manuel stated, "The band went further again, reaching a new stage in terms of songwriting and maturity. This album is much heavier and darker, but also more diverse and full of sheer emotion! Even the production of Andy Classen outdoes the job on our previous material."

Due on September 17 via Season of Mist, "The Water Fields" will contain the following track listing:

01. Start The Fire
02. Don't Wake Me Up (Those Who Never Wear White)
03. Dive
04. What's Done Is Done
05. The Water Fields
06. Is Your Soul For Sale?
07. A Distant Light Was Shining
08. Regarding Kate
09. Rise To The Occasion
10. Hey
11. This Is Now Farewell

Check out the cover artwork at this location

NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) legends BLITZKRIEG have posted audio samples of two new songs — "Theatre of the Damned" and "The Phantom" — on their MySpace. Both tracks come off the group's new album, "Theatre of the Damned" (cover), due on August 10 via Germany's Armageddon Music. The CD was recorded at Absurd Studio in Hamburg with producer Schrödey and co-producer Biff Byford (SAXON). According to a posting on the Armageddon web site, "Theatre of the Damned" "offers the same authentic heavy metal of the '80s along with a super freshness and total attitude."

Sweden's AEON has set "Rise to Dominate" as the title of its new album, due in Europe on September 10 via Metal Blade Records (September 7 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy). The follow-up to 2005's "Bleeding the False" (Unique Leader) was recorded at Empire Studio and will contain "twelve tracks of technical death metal," according to a posting on the band's web site. The CD was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY) at Unisound Studios.

CANNIBAL CORPSE bassist Alex Webster previously stated about AEON: "AEON's musicianship is among the best in death metal, but their songwriting is what truly sets them apart. It's rare to find a death metal band that is simultaneously crushingly brutal and infectiously catchy. AEON is one of those rare bands!"

"Rise to Dominate" track listing:

01. Helel Ben-Shachar
02. Spreading Their Disease
03. Living Sin
04. Hate Them
05. You Pray To Nothing
06. Caressed By The Holy Man
07. House Of Greed
08. Godless
09. When The War Comes
10. There Will Be No Heaven For Me
11. Luke 4-5-7
12. No One Escapes Us

Check out the album artwork at this location

Death metal juggernaut DYING FETUS has issued the following update:

"We would like to announce the addition of new drummer Trey Williams, from Baltimore, MD. We regret it has become necessary to part ways with Duane Timlin. However, we thank Duane for his contributions to the band and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. This lineup change will not have any effect on our tour plans, which will go ahead as scheduled. Trey gave us a fantastic audition; we have seen first-hand that he has the professionalism and dedication we would expect. We look forward to our next tour plans with great confidence. We feel the fans will agree that this change will be good for the band and our live performances."

WHITESNAKE/ex-DEEP PURPLE frontman David Coverdale has issued the following update via his official message board:

"I had to come on board and share this little incident that just transpired... There I was, standing in the kitchen, doing what most rock singers do when they ain't touring and posing...rinsing a cup, or two at the kitchen sink, as his wonderful housekeeper is on her [holiday]...windows wide open on this beautiful, balmy Tahoe day...when who pops up to say a surprising good morning...a HUGE black bear! Out of nowhere! Beautiful! Dude... I don't mind telling you I almost succumbed to involuntary bowel movement, I swear. Obviously the poor bugger was looking for food and was most intent on finding some in my modest 'Bide A Wee' pantry! Sorry, O Great One, says I and slowly, carefully closes the kitchen window feeling his/her breath on my hand and then proceeding to run around closing all access doors and windows while my persistent new furry pal explored all the potential avenues to enter my stately cabin by the lake. I'd like to think it was the smell of my fab cooking that seduced him/ her, but, it was only a slightly charred bagel! Man...what an experience... Lovely, I tells ya...just lovely. I'm leaving the pawprints, muddy tho' they may be, to show the ol' girl and whomever stoppeth by. Amazing stuff."

After more than 15 years, German melodic metallers BRAINSTORM and longtime bass player Andreas Mailänder have decided to go their separate ways.

"Since my working situation is not going to ease up in the long run, I won't be able to combine it with the upcoming touring for the new BS release," commented Andreas. "I'm left with no choice but to leave BRAINSTORM. Too often the guys had to do without me; in difficult times they always stood beside me as friends, as the BS family and supported me in every possible way. I don't want to strain this friendship any further."

The BRAINSTORM guys are now in search of a new four-stringer to fill the vacant spot. If you think you are the right guy for the job, send your application (including MP3 or CD, photo and info on musical history) to info@brainstorm-web.net or to Metal Blade Records, attn. Brainstorm, P.O. Box 1332, D-73054 Eislingen, Germany.

Metal Blade last month released the first-ever BRAINSTORM DVD, "Honey From The B's (Beasting around the Bush)". The box set was released in digipack format "with special metal effect."

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan gave a brand new interview to "The Big Rock Show" about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the group's new album and the band's future plans. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On what DISTURBED has been up to in the last few months:

"We've just been writing. We've been real busy. Our personal lives have been busy as well. Mike [Wengren], our drummer, just got married a couple of weeks ago, and I just had a baby boy a little over a month ago. We're all just kind of balancing family life and trying to get back in writing mode, which we've been kind of hitting it pretty hard. Before Mike's wedding and before the baby came, we wanted to get the majority of the material [for the next DISTURBED album] written, which we we seemed to be pretty successful at, so we're just kind of fine-tuning a lot of stuff right now."

On how the new DISTURBED material compares to previous albums:

"Definitely, as far as musically, it's a lot ballsier than we've written. There's gonna be those signature things that are us, just 'cause stylistically that's the way we perform, and David [Draiman], vocally, is always gonna sound like him, so… he's got some big melodic moments, but there's some still aggressive stuff — just a lot ballsier, I think. [We're] trying to get a good blend of the elements of the past three CDs to try to evolve into something fresh and new for us as well."

On the group's plans for the rest of the year and the possibility of live dates:

"Right now the gameplan is to hit the studio this fall. That's where our heads are at, that's where we feel… that we're ready for it, so as long as we get the green light from the record label to give us our budget and let us go in and make this record, then that's our main goal right now — just bang this out and get it ready. More than likely, we probably won't hit the road until after the first of the year, but I don't wanna rule that out — anything is possible in this business; things pop up all the time and opportunities pop up, but the main priority is, once we get into the stuio, it's highly unlikely that we're gonna leave until we're finished with the CD. I Once we get in that mode of recording, we like to just see it through and finish it."

To hear Dan Donegan's entire interview with "The Big Rock Show", download the podcast at this location (163 MB; the Donegan interview begins around the one-hour, 17-minute mark).

DISTURBED's latest album, "Ten Thousand Fists", has sold 1.45 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Belgian black metallers ENTHRONED have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Tetra Karcist", due in September via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded under the guidance of Harris Johns (SODOM, KREATOR, VOIVOD). Guest musicians on the CD include Ashmedi (MELECHESH), MkM (ANTAEUS), Verderf (ex-VERLOREN, OUROBOUROS), Harris Johns and Dungeon (ICONOCLASM).

"Tetra Karcist" track listing:

01. Ingressvs Regnvm Spiritvs
02. Pray
03. Tellvm Scorpionis
04. Deviant Nerve Angelus
05. The Burning Dawn
06. Through the Cortex
07. The Seven Ensigns of Creation
08. Nox
09. Vermin
10. Antares

A limited digipack edition will contain two bonus tracks: "Pantheon of Oblivion" and "I Reign Over You".

Check out the "Tetra Karcist" artwork at this location.

The album will be released on the following dates:

* September 26 in Finland
* September 28 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden
* October 1 in the rest of Europe
* To be announced - USA/Canada and rest of the world

Massachusetts-based metallers HELL WITHIN have announced the addition of singer Brian Roy to the group's ranks. Roy joins the band as the replacement for Matt McChesney, who left HELL WITHIN in June to front Daytona Beach, Florida's THE AUTUMN OFFERING.

Commented HELL WITHIN in a statement: "Tony, Isaias, Joe and Derek are still friends and brothers with Matt, as we always have been. We wish him the very best with his new project and future endeavors."

Brian will perform with HELL WITHIN on their upcoming East Coast tour beginning on July 28 at The ADC Center in Southbridge, MA.

HELL WITHIN's latest album, "Shadows of Vanity", was released in May on Lifeforce Records. The CD was tracked with longtime producer John Ellis and diligently mixed by Mark Lewis of AudioHammer Studios (TRIVIUM, BURY YOUR DEAD, GOD FORBID). Cover artwork was handled by acclaimed graphic designer and artist Paul Romano (MASTODON, TRIVIUM, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD).

HELL WITHIN's debut album, "Asylum of the Human Predator", was released in April 2005 via Lifeforce Records.

Formerly known as TWYTCH, the band released a self-titled debut album in 2001 (under their previous moniker), followed by the "Hatred" EP in 2003, before changing their name to HELL WITHIN and switching to a more brutal and technical direction.

Canadian death metallers KATAKLYSM and Nuclear Blast Records have decided to re-release the band's classic album "Shadows & Dust". Originally issued in 2002, "Shadows & Dust" is considered by many to be one of the modern death metal genre-defining albums, featuring songs like "In Shadows & Dust", "Illuminati", and "Face the Face of War".

KATAKLYSM will give the album a small facelift by giving it a new mastering job and hiring expert Alan Douches (HATEBREED, MASTODON, CANNIBAL CORPSE) to bring it up to date. Furthermore, the re-release will include the track "Inside the Material Flesh" as a bonus track from the "Shadows & Dust" sessions along with new packaging and the video clip for the song "In Shadows & Dust".

The new version of "Shadows & Dust" will be released in North America on November 6 via Nuclear Blast.

Italian gothic metallers MACBETH have set "Superangelic Hate Bringers" as the title of their new album. The CD was recorded in two different studios, including a private studio in Reykjavik, Iceland and New Sins studios in Italy, where the band also mixed and mastered the CD. The band's fourth studio album will feature 10 brand new tracks and will be released this autumn via Dragonheart Records. The digipack version of "Superangelic Hate Bringers" will also include the video clip for the song "Without You" (shot with Italian director Mirco Andreis).

Fan-filmed video footage of MACBETH's May 20, 2007 performance at the Darkfest in Bologna, Italy has been posted at YouTube.

MACBETH's last CD, "Malae Artes", was released in March 2005 via Dragonheart Records. The follow-up to 2000's "Vanitas" featured 10 tracks "in the vein of LACUNA COIL, NIGHTWISH and TRISTANIA," according to a press release.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian has told MTV.com that while he is currently concentrating on a solo career, he doesn't rule out a return to SOAD.

"We're all doing our own things right now and just taking time off," he said. "SYSTEM's always been there. We've been a band for 11 years. We're five albums in, and we're all friends. So anytime we want to get together and work, it's there for us. Otherwise, we're doing our own things."

Venturing out on his own has been an idea Tankian has fostered for some time, he said. For years, he's been stockpiling material not knowing what he'd do with it.

"I write music every day — for film, for video games, for whatever — and most of the songs I write, I don't know where they're going to end up, so I just keep on writing," he explained. "I like putting out different types of records. I like dabbling in many different things. But I had never done a full solo record. I had never written full songs for me to sing, where I play all the instruments and produce it myself. So I had all these songs that I felt really strong about, that I thought that I should be performing myself and not have them as songs for other people or for film or anything else. And that's [how] 'Elect the Dead' [Tankian's upcoming solo album] came about. It's been a fun, liberating process for me."

Serj Tankian, the visionary frontman for multi-platinum rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN, will release his debut solo album, entitled "Elect the Dead", on October 23 via Serjical Strike/Reprise Records this fall. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Empty Walls
02. The Unthinking Majority
03. Money
04. Feed Us
05. Saving Us
06. Sky Is Over
07. Baby
08. Honking Antelope
09. Lie Lie Lie
10. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
11. Beethoven's C*nt
12. Elect the Dead

REVEREND BIZARRE, SOLSTICE and UPWARDS OF ENDTIME are among the bands that are scheduled to appear on the "Knock 'Em Down To Size" 7" compilation, due later this summer/early fall via Germany's Metal Coven Records. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

* REVEREND BIZARRE (FIN) "Odinn's Men" (exclusive recording)
* UPWARDS OF ENDTIME (USA) "Circles" (remastered demo recording, first time ever on vinyl)
* GRIFTEGARD (SWE) "Pagan Altar Cometh" (exclusive recording)
* SOLSTICE (UK) "Protest And Survive" (demo recording, first time ever on vinyl)
* SPIRITUS MORTIS (FIN) "Sweet Oblivion" (demo recording, first time ever on vinyl)
* TORTURED SPIRIT (GER) "Vengeance Is My Way" (exclusive recording)

Swedish metallers CLOUDSCAPE have issued the following update:

"CLOUDSCAPE will enter the RoastingHouse studio [in Malmö, Sweden] in September to record their yet-untitled third album. 12 songs will be recorded and the band is really satisfied with the outcome and variation that the new album will bring. There are no release dates settled yet but, expect the album to be released sometime during early 2008. CLOUDSCAPE is also filming a lot during their journeys to gigs and backstage footage, so hopefully they will have a decent amount of filmed material for a 'possible' documentary that will be finished later this year. No details can be revealed about this just yet, but hopefully this can be released as an official DVD sometime in 2008... Who knows, but right now there is nothing settled and it is only the band that is planning this. There will be some real live recordings but, mostly 'behind-the-scenes' footage plus the promotional videos. More details about this as soon as it can be revealed.

"Mike (Anderson, vocals) and Carl-Johan Grimmark (NARNIA, ROB ROCK) recently started to work on a second PLANET ALLIANCE album so, hopefully there will be a new PLANET ALLIANCE album released in 2008 or 2009. News about this is easiest found in Mike's personal Myspace Page."

U.K. epic progressive metallers BIOMECHANICAL are currently putting the finishing touches on their new album, "Cannibalised", with legendary producer Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, THIN LIZZY) at Ecology Rooms in Kent, England. The group's bassist, Jon Collins, has issued the following update:

"John K and Chris Tsangarides were recording Chris Webb's solos when a strong smell of electrical fire started to fill the room. Right after that, smoke started coming out of the desk's power supply and it eventually caught fire! Chris ran out of the main room and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Thankfully it was put out straight away. Just a few more minutes and the whole thing would go up in flames! Just a small glitch…"

Both the band and the studio tapes are safe and sound. BIOMECHANICAL will re-enter the studio and continue recording "Cannibalised" in a few weeks.

"Cannibalised" is slated for a September 21 release in the U.K. The U.S. will receive the album later this fall.

CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henkka T. Blacksmith has issued the following statement regarding the reports that the band was planning a 10th anniversary celebration in Helsinki, Finland in November:

"Just letting you know; it's soon 10 years since [CHILDREN OF BODOM's debut album] 'Something Wild', but unlike the rumors say, we are not gonna have any 10 years anniversary party this fall.

"The newspapers, yellow press, took Alexi's [Laiho, guitar/vocals] words the wrong way. He had said that we thought about it some time ago and it would be cool to have this kind of thing, BUT we have no time and we NEVER WERE supposed to have time to arrange anything. All of our time is going to be dedicated to rehearsals and studio. That's why arranging a party/show/whatever is NOT possible.

"This rumor that got started in some newspaper has gone too far, so we don't want people to be disappointed or anything. I only heard about the whole thing when I read it in the paper, so there you go."

CHILDREN OF BODOM is tentatively planning to enter the studio in October to recording its new album for an early 2008 release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Tie My Rope" (which was recorded in May for Bam Margera's "Bam Margera Presents…Viva La Bands, Vol. 2" compilation), "Roundtrip 2 Hell And Back" and "Pretty For The Devil".

Danish thrashers HATESPHERE have issued the following update:

"We still have a few festivals to go before we start our insane fall program. We have a couple of headliner shows here and there, and then we will play main support for mighty BEHEMOTH in Poland. And then we have been confirmed as support for DIMMU BORGIR and AMON AMARTH throughout all of fuckin' Europe. Gonna be a blast! Thanks to DIMMU BORGIR and Direct [Management] for giving us the chance. Check the live section for the new dates.

"Our new video clip for 'Drinking with the King of the Dead' is finished. It should be on our site as soon as we get our own copy from the director."

Legendary vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) will release a new anthology via Sanctuary on September 3 in the U.K. Titled "Voice of Rock - This Time Around: An Anthology 1970-2007", the two-CD set will contain the following tracks:

01. Medusa (TRAPEZE)
02. You Are The Music (TRAPEZE)
03. Sail Away (DEEP PURPLE)
04. Holy Man (DEEP PURPLE)
05. You Cant Do It Right (DEEP PURPLE)
06. Gettin Tighter
07. La Cut Off
08. I Found A Woman
09. Muscle And Blood (HUGHES/THRALL)
10. Reach For The Sky (GARY MOORE)
11. No Stranger To Love (BLACK SABBATH)
12. So Much Love To Give
13. Burn (Live)
14. Coast To Coast (Live)
15. Coffee And Vanilla
16. I Don't Want To Live That Way Again
17. The Way It Is
18. Curse
19. Double Life
20. Midnight Meditated
21. Can't Stop The Flood
22. Don't Let It Slip
23. Secret Life
24. Dark Star
25. Soul Mover
26. Dopamine (IOMMI/HUGHES)
27. Steppin On
28. Justine
29. Song For You (Previously Unreleased)

German power metallers ANGEL DUST have issued the following update:

"The new album will be called 'VII', which is quite obvious. The seventh album will released in 2007. A exact date is not certain yet; the recordings are making very slow progress."

ANGEL DUST guitarist Bernd Aufermann (also of RUNNING WILD) previously stated about the material that is slated to appear on the follow-up to 2002's "Of Human Bondage", "I'm VERY satisfied with the way the guitar will approach in the music and the material is, in my opinion, the best we've ever written."

"VII" will feature the following tracks:

1. Before My Fall
   
2. Shoot The Needle
   
3. Marching – Stampeding
   
4. Alien Man
   
5. One More Time
   
6. Street Of Iron Will
   
7. Consumed
   
8. Fear No Evil
   

ANGEL DUST 2007 is:

• Dirk Assmuth (drums)
  
• Bernd Aufermann (guitar)
  
• Christian Pohlmann (bass)
  
• Steven Banx (keyboard)