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7 ноя 2006


KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: 'My Curse' Video Posted OnlineKILLSWITCH ENGAGE's video for the track "My Curse" is now available for viewing at YouTube. The clip was shot last month with director Lex Halaby, who has previously worked with MUDVAYNE and IN FLAMES, among others.
As previously reported, a brand new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE track, entitled "For You", is available for free download at this location. Both songs come off the New England metallers' upcoming album, "As Daylight Dies", due on November 21 via Roadrunner Records. An e-card for the CD can be accessed at this location. The e-card includes graphics designed by bassist Mike D'Antonio, special offers for pre-ordering the album, a complete list of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's upcoming tour with ALL THAT REMAINS, HATEBREED, BURY YOUR DEAD and 2 CENTS, three different AIM icons, and two of the album's songs.
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7 ноя 2006


THE GATHERING Drummer Welcomes Addition To FamilyA video clip of THE GATHERING performing the song "Waking Hours" at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Holland on September 19, 2006 has been posted online at google video. The complete live show is still available for streaming.
In other news, THE GATHERING drummer Hans Rutten and his girlfriend are the proud parents of a baby boy, Bastiaan ( photo), who was born on October 20, 2006 at 11:40 a.m. Bastiaan was 49 cm long and weighed in at 3.07 kg. Mother, father and son are said to be doing fine.
THE GATHERING recently returned to the road in Europe after they had to cancel the first month of their European "Homelands" tour back in April due to vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen suffering an obstinate bronchial and sinus infection.
THE GATHERING released its latest album, "Home", in April on The End Records.
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6 ноя 2006


BATTLELORE: New Album Title RevealedGuitarist Jyri Vahvanen of the Finnish "fantasy metal" band BATTLELORE has posted the following message on the band's official web site:
"BATTLELORE's fourth album, titled 'Evernight', is almost mixed and ready for mastering at Finnvox Studios. The new album includes ten tracks of pure Tolkien metal with more bombastic and epic songs than before. And, as usual, there's going to be a limited edition digipack CD with bonus material. If everything goes well, we can expect the album in February/March 2007."
BATTLELORE's new album was recorded at MusicBros Studio. The follow-up to 2005's "Third Age of the Sun" was produced by Miitri Aaltonen, who has previously worked with the group on their first two CDs, "...Where The Shadows Lie" (2002) and "Sword's Song" (2003).
"Third Age of the Sun" entered the Finnish album chart at position No. 38 back in August 2005. The CD was recorded at SoundSuite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes (TRISTANIA, MORGUL, TURISAS). Mastering duties were handled at Finnvox studios in Helsinki.
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6 ноя 2006


EDENBRIDGE Signs With NAPALM RECORDSAustrian symphonic metal band EDENBRIDGE has signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.
Commented the group: "Napalm Records have been doing a brilliant job for their bands. Since last year they have been making a great effort to sign us and therefore we are extremely happy to work together with them for the next years to bring EDENBRIDGE to the next level together. It's nice to see again that a label has one hundred percent trust and therefore invests into a band. Thank you also to all the other labels who were making offers to the band and showed their big interest, and to Massacre Records for the cooperation in the past years."
Check out pictures of EDENBRIDGE signing its new contract with Napalm at this location.
EDENBRIDGE's first effort for Napalm will be released in the spring of 2008. Production on the CD is tentatively scheduled to begin next fall. Four songs have already been written and EDENBRIDGE will work with a renowned Czech orchestra for the first time in its career.
EDENBRIDGE's fifth album, "The Grand Design", will be released in the U.S. later on January 30, 2007 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Shine" was recorded at The Farpoint Station studio in Austria and the Thin Ice facility in England with THRESHOLD mastermind Karl Groom. Guest musicians on the album include Dennis Ward and Robby Valentine, both of whom were responsible for backing vocals and choirs on the new CD. A single, featuring the band's cover version of the James Bond classic "For Your Eyes Only" (originally sung by Sheena Easton), was issued in April.
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4 ноя 2006


SINNER Announces New Guitarist; New Album Track Listing RevealedSINNER — the German band featuring PRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner, his FEAR bandmate Tom Naumann (guitars), Frank Rössler (keyboards), and former PRIMAL FEAR drummer Klaus Sperling — has announced the addition of second guitarist Christof Leim of THE TRACEELORDS to the group's ranks.
Commented the band: "Welcome, Christof. We're proud to have you on board and let's have some metal and fun in the future!"
Leim performed with SINNER during the band's October 7 appearance in Reichenbach, Germany alongside PRIMAL FEAR, CHINCHILLA and TARGA.
SINNER is currently at Leon studio near Stuttgart with the engineering team of Achim Köhler and Samson Geiger mixing its new album, entitled "Mask of Sanity", for a January 19, 2007 release through MTM Music.
"Mask of Sanity" track listing:
01. The Other Side
02. Diary of Evil
03. Badlands
04. Black
05. Thunder Roar
06. The Sign
07. Revenge
08. Under the Gun
09. Can't Stand the Heat
10. No Return
11. Last Man Standing
SINNER will shortly film a video for the song "Diary Of Evil". "'Diary Of Evil' represents all SINNER traditional trademarks; even the song was penned by Mat and Roy Z. [HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON]!" the band writes on its web site.
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4 ноя 2006


TRAIL OF TEARS: 'Existentia' Release Date AnnouncedNorway's TRAIL OF TEARS will release its fifth album, "Existentia", in the U.S. on January 30 via Napalm Records (one day earlier internationally). The CD was recorded at Soundsuite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes and includes contributions from French female singer Emmanuelle Zoldan and Norwegian keyboard master Bernt Moen. Check out the cover artwork at this location (created by Jan Yrlund).
"Existentia" track listing:
01. Deceptive Mirrors
02. My Comfort
03. Venom Inside My Veins
04. Decadence Becomes Me
05. She Weaves Shadows
06. The Closing Walls
07. Empty Room
08. Poisonous Tongues
09. As It Penetrates
10. Shades Of Yesterday
TRAIL OF TEARS' last CD, "Free Fall into Fear", came out in 2005 on Napalm Records. The follow-up to "A New Dimension of Might" was recorded at Dub Studio with producer Endre Kirkesola (GREEN CARNATION, BLOOD RED THRONE).
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3 ноя 2006


DIMMU BORGIR Guitarist: New Album Will Be A 'Monster'DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Silenoz recently spoke to Revolver magazine ( web site) about the group's long-anticipated follow-up to 2003's "Death Cult Armageddon", tentatively due in early 2007 via Nuclear Blast Records. "All I can say," said Silenoz, "is it's gonna be a fuckin' monster."
The songwriting and recording process for the group's new album involves none of the intensive pre-production of their last two discs, no demos, and no gallinvanting around with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. "It's definitely going to sound way more epic and bigger than we thought, because Mustis [keyboards] has also contributed with his keyboard ideas," said Silenoz. "I have to admit that some of the keyboard things on 'Death Cult Armageddon' sound better on the demo version than [their symphony versions] on the album. I probably shouldn't say that, but it's true."
This will be DIMMU's first "concept album," a story set in always-epic Medieval Europe that also serves as a treatise on the modern-day political and social abuses of organized religion. "There's this dude that works as a priest's assistant, and after a while he just discovers that he has nothing to do with Christianity," said Silenoz of the storyline, which he conceived in full before even a note of music was composed. "He just sort of has this awakening and realizes that he has different abilities and different powers and is leaning more to the dark side."
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3 ноя 2006


CULT OF LUNA: 'Back To Chapel Town' Video AvailableSwedish art-noise collective CULT OF LUNA has released its video for "Back to Chapel Town". Filmed in Umeå near where the band are from, the clip took five days to make and is produced and directed by the band. Johannes Persson and Erik Olofsson came up with the concept and directed the video themselves. "It's about a dude," said Johannes, explaining the video's concept. "A man waking up in a world he doesn't know, he knows nothing of his past or where he is, people treat him like air or are very suspicious of him." When asked how he felt about filming his own video, Johannes said, "It took fucking ages to arrange. We shot for five days and I've never felt so out of my element, but it was fun, and definitely something I would like to do more in the future." The video mimicks the dark graphic feel of the album, and was even shot in the same kind of colour as the artwork on "Somewhere along the Highway".
To view the "Back to Chapel Town" video, click here.
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3 ноя 2006


EMPYRIUM "A Retrospective..." to be released As the title suggests, "A Retrospective ..." is a look back on the work of Empyrium. Aside from re-mastered songs from all four studio albums, the CD contains two unreleased new tracks, "Der Weiher" and "Am Wolkenstieg", as well as a newly arranged and recorded version of "The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence" (originally off "A Wintersunset...").
The CD will be released as a lavishly designed, gold-embossed Digibook. Many fans will be particularly interested in the in-depth band biography contained in the sixty-pages booklet of "A Retrospective ...". This text takes a closer look at the history of the band and all its influences music- and content-wise, and it will make transparent the whole artistic aspect of Empyrium and its changes in the course of years. Thus, it will contribute to a substantially deeper understanding of Empyrium.
In tandem with the regular release of "A Retrospective...", there will be a six-CD box encompassing the complete works of Empyrium, including the demo "...der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel..." and "A Retrospective...", in an elegant and identical Digibook design. Strictly limited to 500 copies. In addition to this, there will be re-issues of all previous albums in Digibook form, also limited to 500 copies each.
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3 ноя 2006


BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: 'The Poison - Live At Brixton' DVD To Receive U.S. Release In DecemberBULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's "The Poison - Live At Brixton" DVD will be released in the U.S. on December 19 via Trustkill. The disc, which was issued in Europe this past Monday (Oct. 30), captures the band's sold-out show in front of over 4,000 people at London's legendary Brixton Academy on January 28, 2006 (filmed with over 15 cameras), along with over an hour of bonus material, including the band's videos so far, EPKs and documentaries edited to songs from both "The Poison" and the "Hand Of Blood" EP, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the band performing at the Download Festival and the Metal Hammer Awards in the U.K. this summer. There are also eight mini episodes, which form part of Bullet TV and were edited from footage shot by the band themselves over the last 12 months on the road. As well as all that, there are lyrics to all tracks performed at Brixton Academy, and a photo gallery from the show. The audio was mixed by the legendary Colin Richardson (producer of "The Poison") and mastered in both stereo and 5.1 by Ted Jensen (METALLICA)
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3 ноя 2006


ICED EARTH: 'Alive In Athens' DVD Trailer AvailableCentury Media Records has posted a trailer for the ICED EARTH "Alive in Athens" DVD ( cover) at this location.
ICED EARTH's first and only live album, "Alive in Athens", was recorded at two sold-out shows on the nights of January 23 and January 24, 1999, at the Rodon Club in Athens, Greece. Originally released as a triple-CD and five-picture-vinyl set in summer 1999, "Alive in Athens" entered the German charts at No. 55 and stayed at No. 1 in Greece for two weeks, where it was quickly certified gold.
According to a Century Media press release, "Seven years after the release of 'Alive In Athens', a discovery was made when raw footage of the live show itself was discovered in a discontinued archive, and out of curiosity alone the footage was immediately converted to a modern tape format and examined. Although only three cameras were present at the show, the energy and atmosphere of the material was overwhelming, and only three of the 31 live songs ('Slave to the Dark', 'A Question of Heaven' and 'Iced Earth') were absent or unusable due to videotape changes of the camera team. Not having known that camera footage existed from such a legendary concert, the decision was made to share the material with the world in the form of 'Alive In Athens – The DVD'. The audio files have been re-mastered for 5.1 DTS surround sound to offer the best quality live feeling. While not as slick as the modern 16-camera, quick-cut DVD releases found today, the fact that fans can now share the visual experience of being at the show is one that will surely be rejoiced. Some backstage footage and a Jon Schaffer interview with the German music channel VIVA TV were also unearthed and added as part of this historical performance, leaving it without the standard bells and whistles but nonetheless delivering more than 2-½ hours of the best metal ever recorded live."
"Alive in Athens" DVD track listing:
01. Intro (01:53)
02. Burning Times (03:32)
03. Vengeance is Mine (04:07)
04. Dark Saga (03:30)
05. Last Laugh (04:15)
06. Cast in Stone (05:53)
07. Last December (03:28)
08. Pure Evil (06:16)
09. Desert Rain (06:29)
10. Dante's Inferno (16:20)
11. The Hunter (03:58)
12. Melancholy (Holy Martyr) (05:04)
13. Angels Holocaust (04:38)
14. Stormrider (04:45)
15. The Path I Choose (05:39)
16. Watching Over Me (05:12)
17. Diary (05:57)
18. Blessed Are You (05:08)
19. When the Night Falls (07:21)
20. My Own Savior (03:47)
21. Travel in Stygian (09:17)
22. Violate (04:38)
23. Stand Alone (03:23)
24. Brainwashed (05:43)
25. Disciples of the Lie (04:10)
26. I Died For You (05:01)
27. Prophecy (06:10)
28. Birth of the Wicked (05:44)
29. The Coming Curse (08:08)
30. Epilog (02:36)
Bonus:
31. Iced Earth Backstage (04:21)
32. Jon Schaffer in Athens (03:26)
Total running time: approx. 171 min
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2 ноя 2006


HEAVENLY: 'Spill Blood On Fire' Video AvailableFrench metallers HEAVENLY have posted their video for the song "Spill Blood on Fire" at this location. The track comes off the group's fourth album, "Virus", which is scheduled for release in France on November 13 via XIII BIS Records.
"Virus" was released in Japan in September. The complete track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. The Dark Memories
02. Spill Blood On Fire
03. Virus
04. The Power & Fury
05. Wasted Time
06. Bravery In The Field
07. Liverty
08. When The Rain Begins To Fall
09. The Prince Of The World
10. The Joker
11. Spill Blood On Fire (Japanese Version)
HEAVENLY's third album, "Dust to Dust", was released in January 2004 through Sanctuary/Noise Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Sign of the Winner" was mixed by Sascha Paeth and was described by the group as "more heavy metal and more symphonic" than the band's previous efforts.
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2 ноя 2006


AFTER FOREVER Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDSAlthough there has been no official confirmation by the band or the label, Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal outfit AFTER FOREVER appears to have inked a new deal with Nuclear Blast Records. An AFTER FOREVER page on the Nuclear Blast web site has been launched and is expected to be updated soon with details of the band's upcoming studio album, tentatively due in early 2007.
AFTER FOREVER's last album was "Remagine", which came out in 2005. The follow-up to 2004's "Invisible Circles" was recorded at Excess studio in Rotterdam, Holland and was mixed by Sascha Paeth and Philip Colodetti at the Gate studio in Wolfsburg, Germany.
AFTER FOREVER's former record label, Transmission Records, recently issued a two-disc compilation album containing the best songs from the band's first ten years of existence, plus previously unreleased material, non-album tracks, alternate takes, rarities and previously unreleased remixed versions. The set, which includes collaborations with such guest musicians as Sharon den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson (AYREON) and Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH), entered the Dutch national album chart at position No. 69 upon its release in June.
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2 ноя 2006


CATAMENIA Parts Ways With KeyboardistFinnish black metallers CATAMENIA have posted the following message on their official web site:
"To prevent the annoying speculations of how things went in European tour and why Tero [Nevala, keyboards] is not anymore in the band, we decided to make an official statement regarding the situation.
"When finishing the Russian tour, Tero informed at the train station of St. Petersburg he won't continue to the European tour with us, but he'll go back to Moscow. We do not know the exact reason for this, but we have seen how things turned out — he simply followed our Russian promoter there. Thank you for these years and good luck in the future, Tero.
"European Tour: Managers from XXXXXXX Productions/Romania were totally rip-offs and did not care about bands at all from the start. They broke every paragraph in the contract, but still we continued the tour for the sake of the fans and local promoters. Managers did not provide us decent breakfasts, meals and not even water. We had to sleep in a really small bus, guitars broke down cause of the madman drivers, one night spent in a parking lot in Switzerland waiting another bus to come 'cause the previous one broke down near Milan which caused that everyone of us got really sick. After the last show we went to Budapest where there should have been hotel provided from 24th to 27th of October as agreed, but guess what — NO! They just left us there, broke the promise and contract so we had to pay everything ourselves."
CATAMENIA's latest album, "Location: COLD", was released in August via Massacre Records.
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