POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring Ville Laihiala (vocals, guitar, formerly of SENTENCED), Janne Markus (guitar), Marco Sneck (keyboards), Antti Remes (bass) and Tarmo Kanerva (drums) — have set "Lust Stained Despair" as the title of their long-awaited second album, due in the U.S. on August 22 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Escapextacy" was recorded in part at Tonebox studio in Oulu, Finland and was mixed and mastered at Antfarm studios in Aarhus, Denmark.

Laihiala had previously stated about the new album's musical direction: "The new one has the same spirit and theme that was on [the debut album, 'Escapextacy'], but presented with a lot more dirtier and rougher sounds without forgetting the melodies," he said. "But if you are waiting for a soft goth-rock album you'll be surprised."

POISONBLACK will be performing at the Qstock Festival in Oulu, Finland on July 29. Several new promotional pictures can be viewed at this location.

Brazilian thrashers SEPULTURA have yet to comment on yesterday's announcement that their drummer and co-founder, Igor Cavalera, has left the group due to "artistic differences." However, according to a posting on the band's official web site, guitarist Andreas Kisser, Derrick Green and Paulo Xisto Jr. have vowed to continue with the group despite this major setback. In the meantime, SEPULTURA's latest CD, "Dante XXI", will receive its long-awaited South American release (featuring two bonus tracks) next month. Tour dates in Brazil and North American are expected to be announced soon.

Igor announced earlier in the year that he was taking a break from the group's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January). Filling in on drums during the band's European tour with IN FLAMES was Roy Mayorga, who played with Igor's brother Max in SOULFLY for several years in the late '90s and again in 2001-2003.

Igor is the second Cavalera to leave SEPULTURA. In 1996, Max Cavalera exited the group after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as SEPULTURA's manager.

SEPULTURA have now officially selected Jean Dolabella (ex-UDORA) as their new touring drummer following Roy Mayorga's decision to join STONE SOUR as a full-time member.

Qntal will release it's new album Silver Swan this summer. The exact releasedate is just confirmed at 25 august 2006. The last touches to the production are now finished and the tour is already booked. It will be no suprise that the one responsible for the artwork of Silver Swan is Brian Foud, the designer of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The seal reminds of a secret door leading to a parallel universe. Perhaps the world where Syrah took the name Qntal from? This album is more ethereal and mysterious than before. Reminding of Dead Can Dance, Loreena Mckennit or Enya., but is recognizable as Qntal without doubt!

SIRENIA, the Norwegian gothic metal band featuring former TRISTANIA guitarist/vocalist Morten Veland, have posted the following message on their official web site:

"The song material for the upcoming CD is more or less complete; we are just working on the last details at the moment. It seems we will start the recordings by the end of July. The upcoming full-length album will consist of nine brand new SIRENIA songs — no cover songs or remix material this time."

SIRENIA recently announced the addition of 27-year-old Danish female singer Monika Pedersen (photo) to the group's ranks. "Monika has been dedicated to music all her life, and has loads of experience from from other bands, projects, choirs etc." the group wrote on their web site. "In addition, she has been working with several professional singing teachers in Luxemburg and Denmark. From now on she will have an important role in SIRENIA's music, and we all look forward to a future collaboration."

Pedersen joined SIRENIA as the replacement for Henriette Bordvik, who quit the band last September.

SIRENIA last year signed a new record deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band have released two successful albums to date (2002's "At Sixes and Sevens" and 2004's "An Elixir for Existence") and in 2004 toured Europe with TIAMAT, PAIN and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN will release "Miss Machine: The DVD" in North America on June 27 (with an international release on July 3). This low-priced limited edition DVD features a collection of behind-the-scenes footage, all the studio videos from the "Miss Machine" album and live clips spanning the band's worldwide tour. The tentative (unconfirmed) track listing for the DVD is as follows:

01. Panasonic Youth
02. Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants
03. Unretrofied
04. Sunshine The Werewolf (Live)
05. Panasonic Youth (Live)
06. Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants (Live)
07. A Perfect Design (Live)
08. Phone Home (Live)

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN have just released a digital-only EP, entitled "Plagiarism". The EP features "Unretrofied" (from "Miss Machine"), interpretations of NINE INCH NAILS' "Wish", MASSIVE ATTACK's "Angel", SOUNDGARDEN's "Jesus Christ Pose" and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE's "Like I Love You", as well as previously unreleased live material. Many of these covers have been heard during the band's live sets over the past several years but remained unrecorded until this EP. "Plagiarism" is available exclusively via iTunes.

Long-running German metallers PARADOX have set "Electrify" as the title of their upcoming album, due later in the year via AFM Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Second Over Third By Force", "Monument", "Portrait in Grey", "Hyperspeed Hallucinations", "Bridge to Silence", "Infected", "Disconnected", "Cyberspace Romance", "Electrify", as well as a cover of BLACKFOOT's "Good Morning". Check out the album cover artwork at this location.

PARADOX's current lineup consists of the following musicians:

• Charly Steinhauer - Vocals, Guitar
  
• Kai Pasemann - Guitar
  
• Fabian Schwarz - Guitar
  
• Andi Siegl - Bass
  
• Chris Weiß – Drums
  

Danish power metallers MANTICORA have announced the following release dates for their new album, "The Black Circus Part 1 - Letters":

• Japan (Art Union Group): August 23
  
• Europe (Massacre Records): August 25
  
• Asia (Melodic Heaven): August 28
  
• USA (Locomotive Music): August 29
  
• France (Replica Records): October 1
  

"The Black Circus Part 1 - Letters" was recorded at the Jailhouse studios in Horsens, Denmark with producer Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, TNT, PRETTY MAIDS, FATE). Check out audio samples at Manticora.dk. The "Part 2" companion CD was also scheduled to be recorded during the same session, although details on that release are currently unavailable.

MANTICORA's fourth CD, "8 Deadly Sins", is available now on Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Hyperion" (Scarlet Records) was recorded at Jailhouse and features artwork by Mattias Norén.

Finland's CHILDREN OF BODOM have set "Chaos Ridden Years – Stockholm Knockout Live" as the title of their upcoming DVD, due on October 10, 2006. The disc is estimated to contain over three hours of non-stop COB action, including a live concert, videos, and a rare documentary on the band from past to present.

Directed by Patric Ullaeus of the Revolver Film Company, the DVD will mainly focus on the February 5, 2006 live concert in Stockholm, Sweden, featuring over 90 minutes of live excitement. The track listing is as follows:

01. Intro
02. Living Dead Beat
03. Sixpounder
04. Silent Night, Bodom Night
05. Hate Me!
06. We're Not Gonna Fall
07. Angels Don't Kill
08. Bodom After Midnight / Bodom Beach Terror (medley)
09. Follow the Reaper
10. Needled 24/7
11. In Your Face
12. Hate Crew Deathroll
13. Are You Dead Yet?
14. Lake Bodom
15. Everytime I Die
16. Downfall
17. Outro

The DVD will contain every official COB video ever made! Here's a list of the videos:

01. Downfall
02. Deadnight Warrior
03. Everytime I Die
04. Needled 24/7
05. Trashed, Lost & Strungout
06. Sixpounder
07. In Your Face
08. Are You Dead Yet? (original version and alternative version)

Finalizing the material on this super-packed DVD will be two interviews/documentary-type films about the band's past, present and future directed by Yka Jarvinen (Indie Films OY), a "making of the DVD," and photo gallery.

SHADOWS FALL's new CD, "Fallout from the War", is available for streaming in its entirety at AOL.com. The album, which is scheduled for release tomorrow (June 13) via Century Media Records, was once again produced and mixed by longtime friend Zeuss (HATEBREED, GOD FORBID) at Planet Z Studios in the band's home state of Massachusetts. "Fallout from the War" is a must-have for the band's dedicated following as each of the album's eleven tracks is either a brand-new, original SHADOWS FALL track, an exclusive, brand-new cover song, or a newly re-recorded version of rare material from over the years.

"Fallout from the War" follows the group's most acclaimed disc to date, "The War Within", which originally debuted at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. It has since gone on to sell over 250,000 units in the U.S. alone, and features the Active Rock hit and Grammy-nominated track "What Drives the Weak".

Long-running New York power metallers VIRGIN STEELE have posted the following message on their official web site:

"The new VIRGIN STEELE album is truly on schedule! David [DeFeis, vocals] is literally one day away from completing all mixing and mastering, and I can now honestly tell you with complete confidence that it will be out in September. The name of the album is to be... 'Visions of Eden', and it is quite epic. It is I believe the group's longest album to date, clocking in at 79 minutes and 57 seconds. We hope you will enjoy it. More information, track listing etc., will appear in the weeks ahead..."

VIRGIN STEELE's last studio release, "Book of Burning", came out in 2002.

MOTÖRHEAD have revealed the track listing for their new album, "Kiss of Death", tentatively due on August 29 via Sanctuary Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Inferno" was produced by Cameron Webb, who also worked with the group on their last effort. A new MOTÖRHEAD track, entitled "Kingdom of the Worm", received its world premiere on May 19 during MOTÖRHEAD mainman Lemmy Kilmister's appearance on the "Jonesy's Jukebox" radio show on Indie 103.1 FM.

Lemmy is featured in the June 2006 issue of Maxim magazine as one of the top 10 "Living Legends of Sex." Also appearing in the issue are Jack Nicholson, Julio Iglesias, Gene Simmons, Charlie Sheen and Magic Johnson, among others.

"Kiss of Death" track listing:

01. Sucker
02. One Night Stand
03. Devil I Know
04. Trigger
05. Under The Gun
06. God Was Never On Your Side
07. Living In The Past
08. Christine
09. Sword of Glory
10. Be My Baby
11. Kingdom of the Worm
12. Going Down
13. R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

Drummer Igor Cavalera has officially announced his departure from SEPULTURA. In a statement released today (June 12) to the Brazilian media, Igor attributed the split to "artistic incompatibility" with his SEPULTURA bandmates — guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and vocalist Derrick Green.

"I believe my time in SEPULTURA has come to an end," Igor said in the statement. "I have a lot of pride in everything we have done, but I feel that the group's current formation does not meet my expectations as a musician and a person. Since my last tour with SEPULTURA, which took place in Europe in December 2004, I have sensed that my ideas were not compatible with those of the rest of the band.

"I would really like to thank all of the fans that supported me and continue supporting our music. I would also like to thank everybody that worked to make SEPULTURA the band that it had become."

Igor announced earlier in the year that he was taking a break from the group's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January). Filling in on drums during the band's European tour with IN FLAMES was Roy Mayorga, who played with Igor's brother Max in SOULFLY for several years in the late '90s and again in 2001-2003.

Igor is the second Cavalera to leave SEPULTURA. In 1996, Max Cavalera exited the group after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as SEPULTURA's manager.

SEPULTURA are rumored to have selected Jean Dolabella (ex-UDORA) as their new permanent drummer following Roy Mayorga's decision to join STONE SOUR as a full-time member.

BORKNAGAR mainman Oystein G. Brun has issued the following message regarding the group's current activities:

"We are right now finishing the production of our upcoming, acoustic-based album. The music is hard to describe in simple words, but you should expect an album with a heart and a nerve that is truly unique. We are really looking forward to unleash this epos of musical magic upon the world as we have been planning this album for ages...

"The album is set to be released during October through Century Media Records worldwide. A more specific release date will be issued soon. There will be nine songs on the album. The titles are: 'Earth Imagery', 'White', 'Cynosure', 'Human Nature', 'Grains', 'Acclimation', 'Signs', 'The Spirit of Nature' and ... a surprise. The album will contain one re-arranged/ re-recorded song from one of our previous albums.

"On this album we have had to pleasure to work with Erik Tiwaz (a.k.a. Tyr) once more. He was the man behind the brilliant basslines on 'Empirisicm' and has truly granted us with his magical low frequencies on this album as well.

"More news regarding a specific release date, additional guest musicians and the album title will be issued very soon!"

BORKNAGAR's sixth album, "Epic", was released in June 2004 through Century Media Records.

German electro-metallers OOMPH! — who recently finished a tour of their home country in addition to having performed at several festivals — will release the third single, "Die Schlinge" (The Noose), from their latest album, "GlaubeLiebeTod" (Belief, Love, Death).

The single, due out on July 28, is a collaboration with Finnish cello-rockers APOCALYPTICA, and is based on the harmonica-melody of Ennio Morricone's film music to "Once Upon a Time in the West". The signature harmonica line is not sampled, but was re-recorded anew with permission by the composer and was then combined with OOMPH!'s own songwriting contributions.

DEF LEPPARD's video for "Rock On", the first single from their brand-new release, "Yeah!", has been posted online at the band's official web site.

"Rock On" is a classic radio smash originally done by DAVID ESSEX in 1973, when DEF LEPPARD were just a bunch of young lads in England starting to learn about music. It's the perfect introduction to "Yeah!", a 14-song collection of glam-rock covers that serves as a long-awaited tribute to DEF LEPPARD's hard-rock heroes.

Captured in the desert climes of Placerita Canyon outside Los Angeles, the video, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nigel Dick, envisions the band getting ready to play a post-apocalyptic stage, with grit, grime and nothing but guitars, drums and the spirit of rock to guide them.

"We're really pleased how that came out," guitarist and vocalist Phil Collen says. "It was fantastic. It's 'Mad Max' meets something nasty and gritty and fancy and dusty. It's very iconic and we just love the way it turned out."

Legendary California rockers Y&T have officially parted ways with drummer Leonard Haze. The group's statement on the matter reads as follows:

"After numerous attempts at trying to resolve a musical performance difference, we (Dave, Phil and John) regretfully inform you of our split with Leonard Haze. This decision was painstakingly hard for us because of our love for Leonard as a brother. However for Y&T to continue performing and functioning as a band, it was a change we had to make. We want you to know that we didn't take this decision lightly, especially knowing how popular Leonard is with Y&T fans.

"Over the course of the last week and a half we auditioned many fine drummers from all over the country. We have selected a bay area drummer to fill the seat for the upcoming shows. His name is Mike Vanderhule and he’s a straight-ahead drummer with great chops. Mike is a student of Steve Smith and has been a favorite for many years in the local music scene. More info about Mike will be released in the coming days.

"While we know this will be a big shock to many of you, we hope after the initial reaction, you will indulge us the respect of having made a tough but necessary decision in order for the band to stick together and move forward into the future."

Y&T recently re-released their classic "Black Tiger" (1982) and "Mean Streak" (1983) albums with bonus cuts. Along with the original songs, each album contains an additional bonus track that was taken right from the 24-track master reel from the "Black Tiger" recording sessions and finished in 2005 with new lyrics, vocals and guitar solo, and then remixed.

Android Lust frontwoman Shikhee joins Christopher Jon (of I, Parasite) working on the new Cradle Of Filth album, "Thornography". Shikhee has been working on digital editing and spent Memorial Day weekend in the studio with producer Rob Caggiano, Christopher Jon, and Dani Filth. In related news the new Cradle Of Filth cover artwork for their forthcoming album was banned in the U.S. The record company, Roadrunner, insisted new artwork be produced, so the band have been hastily working on the new version. Coming soon as well is "The Order of the Dragon online fanclub". This will be an exclusive interactive pay site containing the official Cradle of Filth forum, a chatroom for advertised band chats, exclusive products, competitions and video clips from behind the scenes. Paypal will be needed to gain entry.

Danish rock magazine Revolution Music (web site) has posted a brand new 14-minute audio interview with ENSLAVED guitarist Ivar Bjørnson. Download it at this location (MP3, 7 MB).

As previously reported, ENSLAVED have posted the video for their track "Path to Vanir" at this location. The song comes off the Norwegian extreme metallers' latest CD, "Ruun", which was released in the U.S. on May 2 via Candlelight Records. "Ruun" was recorded at Amper Studios in Olso and mastered at the Cutting Room in Sweden. The album entered the official U.K. Indie chart at No. 38 last week.

Candlelight will release a limited edition two-LP version of "Ruun" on June 27. Limited to 500 copies for direct U.S. distribution, it is sure to be a highly collectable piece for fans. The label recently issued "Return to Yggdrasil-Live In Bergen", the band's latest DVD release.

Danish symphonic black metallers ILLNATH have posted the following message on their web site:

"We have started writing material for a new album, as we don't want to sit around waiting for [Japan's] Worldchaos Production [the band's previous record company] to get the finger out of their ass [and release the band's long-completed second full-length offering, 'Second Skin of Harlequin']. The new material will reflect the new situation we're in — new drummer and new bass player + almost three years since the last album was recorded.

"Regarding 'Second Skin...'. The latest rumours are that Worldchaos Production is working on the graphics for the backside of the booklet, and that the album should be released within 1½ months from now!! We haven't received this information personally — yet, but it comes from a reliable source. We will know the truth about the rumour, when the album is finally released. Until then we do not believe anything."

Rhino Records has set an August 29 release date for the new DREAM THEATER CD (cover) and DVD (cover), entitled "Score" (date may vary slightly in different countries).

The 3-CD and 2-DVD sets will be available separately. Both versions will contain the entire "20th Anniversary World Tour" grand finale recorded live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 1, 2006 (nearly three hours of music — over 90 minutes of which was performed with a full orchestra). The DVD will also contain a one-hour documentary tracking the entire career of the band from the very beginnings at the Berklee College Of Music in 1985 all the way to the Radio City Music Hall grand finale. It will also feature rare, never-before-seen footage and interviews with current and previous members of the band, plus several live bonus tracks from through the years taken from the archives of drummer Mike Portnoy.

DREAM THEATER's setlist for the April 1, 2006 gig was as follows:

01. The Root of All Evil
02. I Walk Beside You
03. Another Won
04. Afterlife
05. Under a Glass Moon
06. Innocence Faded
07. Raise the Knife
08. The Spirit Carries On
~~~intermission~~~
09. Overture
10. About to Crash
11. War inside My Head
12. The Test That Stumped Them All
13. Goodnight Kiss
14. Solitary Shell
15. About to Crash (reprise)
16. Losing Time / Grand Finale
17. Vacant
18. The Answer Lies Within
19. Sacrificed Sons
20. Octavarium
~~~encore~~~
21. Metropolis Pt. I

Note: The second set and encore featured a 20+-piece orchestra. Download an MP3 teaser for the upcoming CD at this location.

Portnoy has previously stated about the Radio City Music Hall show, "Without going into too much detail, I have to THANK all of you in attendance at Radio City Music Hall for helping to make [the April 1] show one of the most incredible evenings of my life. Of the hundreds of shows (maybe thousands at this point?) that we've done through the years, never before have I been moved on stage as much as I was [that] night. There were several points in the night where I was literally brought to tears by the power and emotion in the air.

"I just wanted to thank our AMAZING fans from all over the world that helped make [the show] so electric and magical from start to finish....you guys were the ULTIMATE audience [that] night! We always dreamed of playing with an orchestra one day and [that] night's performance surpassed my wildest expectations. Jamshied Sharifi (our beloved arranger & conductor) and the incredible musicians behind us rose to the occasion and lifted our music to a whole new orgasmic level.

"I cannot wait to share this evening with all of you that weren't able to attend via the upcoming DVD and CD sets. . . I truly believe last night was the PINNACLE of our 20-year career thus far and an incredible ending to the latest chapter in DREAM THEATER history.

"How the hell will we top it??????????? Give me some time, and I'll think of something!"

Screaming Ferret Wreckords has set an October 10 release date for NUCLEAR ASSAULT's "Louder Harder Faster" DVD, recorded during the band's performance at the 2005 Louder Harder Faster Festival. The DVD will feature three hours of footage, including the thrash legends' complete live set, as well as vintage footage, two new music videos, two unreleased songs, in-the-studio footage, slide shows and interviews. More information will be made available soon.

NUCLEAR ASSAULT's latest studio album, "Third World Genocide", was released in August 2005 via SPV/Steamhammer Records. The group's first collection of new material in ten years was previously described as "a rich blend of NUCLEAR ASSAULT's lethal, politically conscious metal and songs showcasing the band's wicked sense of humor."

Norwegian black metallers CARPATHIAN FOREST have uploaded two video clips, featuring new songs, taken from their recent live show in Helsinki, Finland. You can find the video clip for the song "Diabolism" here. The video clip for the song "Frostbitten Woodlands of Norway" is available at this location (half the song only).

In other news, CARPATHIAN FOREST have made their track "Frostbitten Woodlands of Norway" available for streaming through their official MySpace page at this location.

CARPATHIAN FOREST will release their new album, "Fuck You All!!!!", in Europe on June 19 via Season of Mist (June 27 in the U.S.). The CD will be available in a limited "metalpak" edition and regular jewel case. Other songtitles set to appear on the album include "Submit to Satan!!!", "Start Up the Incinerator (Here Comes Another Useless Fool)" (download mp3) and "Shut Up, There Is No Excuse To Live..." Check out the cover artwork by CARPATHIAN FOREST mainman Nattefrost at this location.

The Pacific Northwest's AGALLOCH — whose long-awaited and much-anticipated new album "Ashes against the Grain" is due out August 8, 2006 on The End Records — have filmed a video for the song "Not Unlike The Waves" with director Nicole Phillips and cinematographers Richard Stark and Juan Mosqueda. It is currently in the editing process. Over nine hours of footage was shot in three days and the results are quite stunning thus far. To film aficionados, the style of the video will call to mind the work of Ingmar Bergman, Mario Bava, and the German Expressionist movement.

For more information, visit the band's newly launched web site, www.agalloch.org.

PRIMAL FEAR have inked a new multi-album worldwide deal with Frontiers Records.

Filled with plenty of adrenaline, the steady PRIMAL FEAR lineup of vocalist Ralf Scheepers, lead guitarists Tom Naumann and Stefan Leibing, bassist and vocalist Mat Sinner and drummer Randy Black have started the songwriting for their upcoming new album which is going to be released before summer 2007, followed by a headlining tour.

Bassist and producer Mat Sinner commented: "After weeks of negotiations with a lot of well known record companies, we've finally decided to sign with Frontiers Records. Thanks to all the other labels for their interest and fairness."

Frontiers president Serafino Perugino added: "We are extremely proud and excited to welcome on the Frontiers Records roster a metal legend like PRIMAL FEAR. We plan to have a long-term partnership with them and our aim is to bring their career forward and to new heights!"

Commented guitarist Tom Naumann: "This is a new start for us and we will change a lot of business things. We have learnt a lot about the business and the human nature in the past days!"

Vocalist Ralf Scheepers added: "After a successful partnership with Nuclear Blast and six chart albums, we are all set and fully loaded for the next chapter of PRIMAL FEAR, together with a professional and such a motivated label like Frontiers Records! Of course we will have some drinks to celebrate this fantastic event and then we will directly stick our heads together to continue our songwriting for the new album and play some fantastic festivals during the summer."

SLAYER have set "Christ Illusion" as the title of their new album, due on August 8, 2006 via American Recordings/Warner Bros. Records (NOTE: The release date change was first reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET yesterday).

"Christ Illusion" is SLAYER's first new studio album since 2001, and the first recorded by the band's original line-up — Kerry King (guitars); Tom Araya (bass, vocals); Jeff Hanneman (guitars); Dave Lombardo (drums) — since 1990's "Seasons In The Abyss". "Christ Illusion" was produced by Josh Abraham and executive produced by Rick Rubin.

"Christ Illusion" deals with familiar SLAYER themes — god, religion, hate, and war. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include:

01. Flesh Storm
02. Catalyst
03. Eyes of the Insane
04. Jihad
05. Skeleton Christ
06. Consfearacy
07. Black Serenade
08. Catatonic
09. Cult
10. Supremist

Says Araya, "No one is going to be disappointed, it's going to blow everybody away. It's fast, heavy, and maybe faster than anything we've done before."

"It's a good mix of fast, brutal music and slower moodier stuff, it's pretty intense," added King. "It sounds like a damn SLAYER record."

A core player in SLAYER's history has also rejoined the team for the "Christ Illusion" project. Larry Carroll, who did the cover artwork for "Reign in Blood", "South of Heaven", and "Seasons In the Abyss", has painted an original piece for the "Christ Illusion" cover. Working only from the song titles and early lyrics, Carroll has produced a classic SLAYER masterpiece — a portrait of the Christ (check it out here) — whose forearms have been chopped off — standing in an ocean of blood surrounded by floating, decapitated heads. Carroll created the painting on a 4-by-4-foot slab of wood using a combination of mediums. King already has placed dibs on ownership of the original wooden canvas.

As previously reported, SLAYER frontman Tom Araya told George Stroumboulopoulous of CBC's "The Hour" on Tuesday (June 6) that the title of the band's forthcoming album will be "The Final Six". However, the SLAYER management representative has since informed BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the album title will not be finalized until sometime later this week.

When SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked by Kevin & Bean of Los Angeles' KROQ FM on Tuesday what the CD will be called, he replied, "I'm not positive it's been nailed yet. I think last week was the deadline and I'm not sure where it ended up, so I'm gonna have to take the fifth on that one. The way it was going, my vote was overlooked, so… That's why I'm not real thrilled about it. [Laughs]"

SLAYER's follow-up to "God Hates Us All", which was released on Sept. 11, 2001, is the group's first new album with their four original members since 1990's "Seasons in the Abyss". In a recent interview with MTV, Araya said about the new album, "It's fast — maybe faster than anything we've done before. No one's going to be disappointed. It's going to be brutal."

You would never think so from their youthful looks, but the Dutch symphonic gothic metal band After Forever has been around for ten years now. This has been a period in which the group manifested themselves on national and international stages, gave interviews for innumerable music magazines and were heard on various sound recording media. Four albums, one mini album and eigth CD-singles managed to find their way to the wildly enthusiastic fans.

2006 is more than just an anniversary year; it is also a turning point in the career of the band. You see, after six years After Forever’s collaboration with Transmission was terminated, the label that placed the band on the market and freed them from the constraints of mediocrity.

Mea Culpa contains the best tracks that After Forever recorded for the Transmission Label. Included you will find joint ventures with celebrities such as Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson (Ayreon) and Marco Hietala (Nightwish), complete with previously unreleased material, non-album tracks, alternate takes, rarities and previously unreleased remixed versions.

The double-album has been subdivided into two chapters. The first Chapter covers the period with guitarist / composer / lyricist Mark Jansen, at one time jocularly described by Jansen himself as “The Road To Epica.” Chapter 2 contains songs which the group recorded after Jansen’s changeover to Epica; a period in which After Forever masterfully spread their wings and proved themselves to be one of the most interesting and powerful female-fronted metal bands in the world.
Mea Culpa – the Latin title refers to the fertile Roman-Catholic native region in the South of The Netherlands from which the band originates, which proved to be the perfect cradle for an entire wave of gothic groups – is not, as malicious gossip may have it, the beginning of the end. On the contrary: this collection simply marks the end of the beginning.

Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Mea Culpa (a capellea)
2. Follow In The Cry
3. Yield To Temptation
4. Silence From Afar
5. Wings Of Illusion (non album track)
6. Beyond Me (duet with sharon den adel)
7. Forlorn Hope
8. For The Time Being (non album track)
9. Imperfect Tenses (duet with damian wilson)
10. Monolith Of Doubt (single version)
11. Intrinsic
12. Emphasis
13. My Pledge Of Allegiance
14. Who Wants To Live Forever (non album track feat. arjen lucassen)
CD2

1. The Evil Theat Men Do (single version)
2. Glorifying Means
3. My Choice (acoustic version)
4. Beneath
5. Digital Deceit (single version)
6. Two Sides (single-mix-version)
7. Sins Of Idealism (single version)
8. Eccentric (orchestral version)
9. Life's Vortex (unreleased single version)
10. Blind Pain (agressive version)
11. Being Everyone (single version)
12. Face Your Demons (duet with marco hietala)
13. Taste The Day (non album track)
14. Boudaries Are Open (single version)
15. Come
16. Attendance (unreleased industrial remix)
17. Live And Learn (non album track)
18. Strong (piano version)