Sanctuary Records/Castle Music has set a March 24 German release date (March 27 in the rest of Europe) for British black metal pioneers VENOM's new album, "Metal Black". Check out the album cover artwork at this location.

"Metal Black" was mixed at the Townhouse Studios in London and contains 14 new songs, including "Antechrist", the demo for which can be heard at this location.

"Metal Black" track listing:

01. Antechrist
02. Burn In Hell
03. House of Pain
04. Death & Dying
05. Rege Satanas
06. Darkest Realm
07. A Good Day to Die
08. Assassin
09. Lucifer Rising
10. Blessed Dead
11. Hours of Darkness
12. Sleep When I'm Dead
13. Maleficarvm
14. Metal Black

According to an official press release, "Metal Black" "sees original founder band member Cronos creating a new masterpiece of metal together with [drummer] Antton and [guitarist] Mykvs. With 14 brand new roaring and vital tracks, VENOM are again taking the goat by the horns and reinventing their own original style . . . 'Metal Black' [is] an album that harkens back to the writing style of the '80s VENOM with a powerful production to incinerate any sound system, truly demonic in every sense and with the delivery of a charging beast."

Commented Mykvs: "The album has a very raw feel. The intensity of the songs is awesome. We recorded the album as a live band, three demons bleeding for the heaviest metal we could create, and our new album will show that VENOM keeps getting stronger and heavier. Lay down your souls, muthafuckers, we have returned."

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton told Greg Prato of Billboard.com that the band will reconvene next month to begin writing the follow-up to 2005's "Angel of Retribution", which was the band's first album with singer Rob Halford since 1990's "Painkiller".

"We've had a break — we've been out for almost two years," Tipton said. "We all decided to take January off, and then we're going to start writing the new album in February. We are doing a charity show for the Teenage Cancer Trust at [London's] Albert Hall in April, and we are talking about some summer festivals [in Europe]. But our main priority is to write the next JUDAS PRIEST album — that'll be the number one thing on our agenda."

Regarding the upcoming reissue of his 1997 solo album "Baptizm of Fire" and the release of a collection of recordings made with THE WHO bassist John Entwistle and veteran session drummer Cozy Powell, Tipton said, "At the time I was with Atlantic, and in their words, they thought [the Entwistle/Powell recordings were] 'a bit old-school. They wanted me to work with some younger guys, and mix and match the tracks. I went to L.A. and worked with some young guys," including ex-DAVID LEE ROTH bassist Billy Sheehan and METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo.

"A really great album came out of it, but what it did was leave all these other tracks that I'd done with John and Cozy," Tipton said. "I always knew that Cozy was a great drummer, but I never realized what good a bass player John was, until he came down to the studio and started to play. I always felt that these tracks were valuable tracks, and deserved to see the light of day."

Finnish metallers PAIN CONFESSOR will release their sophomore album, "Fearrage", on March 3 via Megamania. The follow-up to 2004's "Turmoil" was recorded and mixed by Janne Saksa at Studio Sound Supreme and was produced by Janne Saksa and PAIN CONFESSOR.

"Fearrage" track listing:

01. Path to...
02. Ruin
03. Nemesis
04. Fall on Evil Days
05. Feardom
06. Life Keeps Bleeding
07. Another Door
08. Pathetic Little Soul
09. Butterfly
10. Powderburns
11. DNA of a God

Check out audio samples of the tracks "Nemesis" and "Feardom" at PainConfessor.com.

Finland's FINNTROLL have parted ways with singer Tapio Wilska (SETHIAN, ex-WIZZARD, former session vocalist for NIGHTWISH). Wilska's official statement on the matter reads as follows:

"With a heavy heart I bring you the following news: In a band meeting one hour ago I was fired as a singer of FINNTROLL. Reasons are many and for the most part private, but personal differences and lack of discussion have led my bandmates to doubt my commitment for this band. I believe this will be discussed widely in the following days and more info will undoubtedly be out soon for your viewing pleasure. I will only say the following: These past three years have been the best times of my life and I want to thank all the friends I've gained from this, crews past and present, supporters who came to our shows and shared the good and the bad times. I will always cherish you in my heart. Thanks for my now ex-bandmates for sharing this experience with me. Life goes on and wounds will heal. The future remains to be seen.

"Thank all of you and see you sometime, somewhere."

FINNTROLL recently completed a short North American tour with German thrashers SODOM. The band are scheduled to take part in the No Mercy Festivals 2006 European tour beginning in early April (along with CANNIBAL CORPSE, KATAKLYSM and LEGION OF THE DAMNED).

Norway's THEATRE OF TRAGEDY have revealed the final track listing for their new single, "Storm", due as a special digipack in Europe on February 27 and in Germany on February 24 via AFM Records/Soulfood.

"Storm" single (view artwork at this location) track listing:

01. Storm (album version) (audio sample)
02. Begin & End (album version)
03. Beauty in Deconstruction (unreleased track)
04. Storm (Rustflower Inc. tornado mix)

THEATRE OF TRAGEDY's new album, "Storm", will be released in Germany and Switzerland on Friday, March 24 via AFM Records. The rest of Europe will follow on Monday, March 27. A U.S. release date will be announced later. The CD was produced by Rico Darum and mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FEAR FACTORY, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY, etc.) at The Green Jacket studios in Richmond, B.C., Canada.
The limited edition will have one bonustrack called "Highlights". More soundclips will follow soon.

THEATRE OF TRAGEDY's new album will be the group's first to feature singer Nell (THE CREST), who replaced Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (currently in LEAVES' EYES) in early 2004.

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"Yeah, back home again... California was beautiful...and the NAMM show was crazy — very intense!

There were obviously all kinds of celebrities and stars floating around at the NAMM show, as you'd expect. Crazy to look around and see all these famous musicians etc — pretty cool!

The most rocking musical performance I caught during the weekend was a storming four-song set from TWISTED SISTER at the Epiphone Party' — they put on a great show!

Feels great to be back home though...I am so busy writing/rehearsing new material and working on the DVD ...and I love the snow actually! :-) Snow and ice is definitely more metal than palm trees! And now, back to the ARCH ENEMY rehearsal dungeon!"

Check out pictures of Michael Amott at NAMM at this location.

Birmingham, England's fathers of grindcore NAPALM DEATH will be embarking on North America's "The Enemy of God II" tour in late February with German thrashers KREATOR. Vocalist Barney Greenway had this to say about the upcoming trek: "Looks like we're coming back to North America to make a load of noise again. 'The Code Is Red…' was such a well-received album and we're disappointed that this is only the first time that we're getting to a lot of places, but we try our best, you know.

"What are the shows going to be like? Well, we will totally go for it, as ever, and hopefully you'll all enjoy. It'll be chaotic, spasmodic and hopefully a beautiful thing. There should be quite a bit of 'The Code…' stuff in there as well. There's also the small matter of the follow-up to 'The Code…', which we are each working on in our own little corners of the world. I have a few songs ready to go lyrically but nothing concrete to share with you right at this moment, unfortunately.

"I've been thinking about the general theme of the album a lot and what I'd like to project in this age of being dragged down paths of religious oppression is the spirit of free-thinking. I mean, believe what you want to believe if it makes you happy, but I still don't believe that mass governance via religious theories is wise, especially when the world is so fragile. The whole idea, just for example, of stickering school textbooks that try to explain the scientifically proven evolution of mankind with stickers that say 'This is not necessarily the truth' is entirely counter-productive.

"Anyway… we hope to hit the studio mid-May for a late-year release. See you all soon Stateside. Peace, love, equality."

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN will be releasing the third single from their "Rosenrot" album, "Mann Gegen Mann", in early March. A video by famed Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund (METALLICA, SATYRICON, MADONNA, THE PRODIGY) was recently shot and will begin airing soon. "Mann Gegen Mann" will be released in a limited digipack version and will contain the original version of the title cut, a live video of "Ich Will" recorded on the "Reise, Reise - Tour" 2005 as well as remixes by Vince Clarke (DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE) and Sven Helbig (Dresdner Sinfoniker). An exact release date for the single will be announced soon.

RAMMSTEIN's "Mein Teil" was nominated in the "Metal Performance" category at the 48th annual Grammy Awards, wich is set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles' Staples Center on February 8.

Karl Logan, lead guitarist of heavy metal powerhouse MANOWAR, was injured on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 in a motorcycle accident. Logan sustained severe injuries to his left arm, which will prevent him from performing for an as-yet-unknown period of time. "MANOWAR will have to reconsider all of our plans, but the good news is that Karl is OK and he'll be back stronger than ever," says MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio.

Logan was preparing to record his lead guitar parts for the upcoming, as-yet-untitled MANOWAR album, the release of which will now be delayed. Touring plans are also expected to change as a result of this unfortunate turn of events. However, MANOWAR will soldier on. "We don't have any more information at this time," says DeMaio. "But nothing ever has, or ever will, stop MANOWAR."

More information will be released as it becomes available.

MANOWAR were previously scheduled to release a brand new single, "The Sons of Odin", on February 27.

MANOWAR have sold over eight million records worldwide. The last studio album "Warriors of the World" was a critically-acclaimed chart topper throughout the world, reaching gold status in Germany.

The upcoming MANOWAR album will be released on the band's own label, Magic Circle Music.

Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM have finished recording a five-song pre-production demo at Woodbine Garden studio in Pyhtää, Finland. The tracks laid down during the session are as follows:

1. City Red Light
   
2. Remember The Frozen
   
3. Neither Dead Nor Alive
   
4. My Hands Were Tied
   
5. Das Wegrecht
   

Diaries and photos of the sessions can be found at the band's official web site.

OMNIUM GATHERUM describe the new songs in a press release as "the best material we've ever done, really!"

As previously reported, OMNIUM GATHERUM have been confirmed for this year's installment of the Bloodstock Festival, set to take place September 29-30 at the Assembly Rooms in Derbyshire, England. Also scheduled to perform at the festival are the reformed lineup of the classic U.K. thrash outfit ONSLAUGHT, PRIMAL FEAR, AXEL RUDI PELL, MACHINE MEN, DIED SMILING, ENEMY UNKNOWN, BEYOND AFTERLIFE and STEEL TORMENTOR. About 25 bands in total are expected to appear at the event.

As previously reported, OMNIUM GATHERUM have uploaded their covers of MEGADETH's "Hangar 18" and DEATH's "Suicide Machine" on their MySpace.com page.

OMNIUM GATHERUM's latest album "Years in Waste", was released in the U.S. in March 2005 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Spirits and August Light" was recorded at Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland with producer Nino Laurenne and engineer Teemu Aalto.

Acclaimed Swedish prog-metal band ANDROMEDA have uploaded several samples from their third album, "Chimera", at this location. The CD was released in Japan on January 21 via Marquee/Avalon. A release date for North America, Europe and the rest of the world has not yet been announced.

"Chimera" track listing:

01. Periscope
02. In the End
03. The Hidden Riddle
04. Going Under
05. The Cage of Me
06. No Guidelines
07. Iskenderun
08. Inner Circle
09. Blink of an Eye

ANDROMEDA's debut album, "Extension of the Wish" (2001), was re-released in Europe via New Hawen/Century Media. The new version features vocals by new singer David Fremberg, a new mix and two bonus tracks, previously only released in France by NTS. The title of the re-release is "Final Extension (Re-Release of 'Extension of the Wish')".

First Type O Negative release for four years – a big break in the career of this legendary band, due to a very long forced stay in hospital of its charismatic leader Pete Steele.

The Symphony for the Devil Live DVD features a concert at the Bizarre Festival in Cologne/Germany in 1999 and comes in 5.1 sound. It also includes over 2 hours behind the scenes footage, a previously unreleased interview, a gallery, commentary track, biographies and animated menus. All bonus features have been recorded around the world and give an overview across the musical work and the personalities behind this band. Additionally, this DVD comes with a Bonus CD-single containing never-before-released material. The DVD is in PAL, Region Code 0 (the world).

Tracks ‘Live At The Bizarre Festival’, Germany, 1999

DVD:
01. In The Flesh
02. Cinnamon Girl
03. Waste Of Life Intro
04. Too Late: Frozen
05. In Praise Of Bacchus
06. Kill All The White People
07. Cornucopia
08. Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia)
09. Everything Dies
10. My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
11. Are You Afraid?
12. Gravity
13. Black Sabbath Intro
14. Christian Women
15. Love You To Death
16. Black #1

- DVD Extras (approx 135 mins!!!):
01. Behind the Scenes Material
02. Previously unreleased interview with Fuse TV
03. Special Gallery with 40 Pictures
04. Commentary Track
05. Bandmembers Biographies
06. Four Animated Menus.

Tracks CD Single:
01. Evil Ways
02. Oye Como Va
03. Black Magic Woman

Legendary Canadian experimental metallers VOIVOD are putting the finishing touches on their much-anticipated new album with producer Glen Robinson (VOIVOD's "Nothingface", TEA PARTY, GWAR) at Multisons studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Frontman Denis "Snake" Belanger has checked in with the following update:

"Glen gave us a mix down of all the songs for us to listen to. Guess what? I was actually listening to the new VOIVOD in my car while I was driving home tonight. What a feeling! I was driving fast. It reminds me of when Piggy and I were driving back home after the 'Angel Rat' mixing sessions, listening to the whole thing. All excited banging our heads on the dashboard. I can tell you this... Piggy was riding with me tonight. Comfortably sitting next to me...with a big fat joint! Also we did an interview with Sang-Frais tonight. Sang-Frais is Quebec's No.1 metal magazine. Check out the next issue. The guys from Sans-Frais were the first test-listeners of this new album. They had a big smile on their faces."

The follow-up to 2003's "Voivod" is the first album in the band's 20-plus-year career that will not feature founding guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour working alongside his bandmembers in the studio. D'Amour died August 26, 2005 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer.

In order to record the album, Belanger, drummer Michael "Away" Langevin and bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted are utilizing all of the guitar parts that Piggy had recorded for the record on his laptop with ProTools before his death.

VOIVOD's as-yet-untitled new album should surface sometime later this year on The End Records in North America.

Finnish power metallers TWILIGHTNING have parted ways with keyboardist Mikko "Nasse" Naukkarinen. "We have talked things through with him a while ago and understood his reasons to leave the band," the group write on their web site. "Although this sucks ass, we are all happy for all the years we have spend together. Thanks! TWILIGHTNING will go on without a keyboard player at least for now."

TWILIGHTNING have just released a new EP, "Bedlam", via Spinefarm Records. Check out the cover artwork at this location. The CD was recorded at Astia studios in Lappeenranta, Finland and was mixed at te Finnvox facility in Helsinki.

"Bedlam" track listing:

1. Space of Disgrace
   
2. Rolling Heads
   
3. Sex Jail
   
4. Plague Overload
   
5. Train to Bedlam
   

TWILIGHTNING's sophomore full-length album, "Plague-House Puppet Show", was issued in 2004.

LEAVES' EYES/ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY frontwoman Liv Kristine has revealed in a posting on her official web site that the song "This Is Us", which appears on her "Fake a Smile" solo single, was composed by none other than HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman Peter Tägtgren.

Commented Kristine: "Alex [Krull, Liv's husband and member of ATROCITY/LEAVES' EYES] and I have known Peter Tägtgren for years and we know that he is a fantastic composer. A while ago, we asked him if he would write a couple of songs for my solo album and I was 'over the moon' as I received the three tracks. I called them 'This is Us', 'Over the Moon' and 'Trapped in Your Labyrinth'. The first-mentioned song is the oldest one. However, it was re-recorded in connection with the release. The lyrics were written at the time when Alex, spending one romantic weekend in a castle at the Czech border, asked me to marry him!"

Florida-based metal/hardcore legends PRO-PAIN are currently writing material for a new album, due before the end of the year. The band have tentative plans to play concerts in Greece, Romania, Holland, and other select markets in April, before entering the studio in late spring/early summer to begin recording the new CD. Extensive tours of Europe and the U.S. in support of the new CD are planned for later in the year.

In other news, PRO-PAIN will be included on an upcoming DVD release of DIE BÖHSE ONKELZ' farewell concerts at Eurospeedway/Lausitzring. PRO-PAIN will be featured in the form of three live tracks ("Make War Not Love", "Shine" and "Terpentin") and an interview. Also on the PRO-PAIN-related front, the group's drummer J.C. Dwyer will marry his fiancée Jamie Burnett in May.

PRO-PAIN's most recent studio album, "Prophets of Doom", was released in June 2005 via Candlelight Records.

hrobbing Gristle have completed their first new studio album in 25 years entitled "Part two". The release is scheduled for worlwide release on March 20th 2006. There will also be a limited edition presented in 4 different version as they will include one of a series of four different Throbbing Gristle Totemic Gifts in either copper, bone, rubber or wood. The gifts are built into the "Part two" CD jewel case. The Totemic Gifts were handmade under Peter Christopherson's personal supervison in Thailand. Each of the Totemic Gift CDs comes in an edition of 1000. "Part two" track listing: Vow of Silence, Rabbit Snare, Separated, Almost A Kiss, Greasy Spoon, Lyre Liar, Above The Below, Endless Not, The Worm Waits Its Turn, After The Fall.

Brazilian extreme metallers EMINENCE, who feature in their ranks former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo Guedz on bass, have apparently had a change of plans and will now record their new album at the Ferretti Studio in their hometown of Belo Horizonte. The follow-up to 2004's "Humanology" will be recorded with engineer Stanley Soares (SEPULTURA's "Dante XXI") and will include such cuts as "Enemy Inside" and "Written in Dust". A three-song pre-production demo will be recorded soon. Check out a demo version of "Enemy Inside" at this location.

As previously reported, EMINENCE recently uploaded a live video of the track "Hawking Radiation", recorded on the band's 2005 European tour at TSR in Geneva, Switzerland. Check it out at this location.

EMINENCE's most recent CD, "Humanology", was released via Switzerland's Timeless Productions. The follow-up to 1999's "Chaotic System" was recorded at Sonic Ranch studios in Tornillo, Texas with veteran producer Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE) and marks the band's first release with new singer Wallace Parreiras (ex-SOULLESS).

THE PROJECT HATE, the Swedish band featuring Lord K. Philipson (GOD AMONG INSECTS, ex-LEUKEMIA), Jörgen Sandström (ex-ENTOMBED, GRAVE), bassist Michael Håkansson (EVERGREY), guitarist Petter S. Freed (2 TON PREDATOR) and singer Jo Enckell (IGNORANCE BLISS), have posted the following message on their official web site:

"We haven't heard anything more about the planned video that some friends of Threeman Recordings wanted to do, so we'll see what happens with that. We are sure it'll be cool if it ever turns out though. Besides that, we are just doing some interviews and have started composing for album number 5 now. We haven't entered full writing mode just yet since we are in no rush, and the latest album is still kinda 'new,' but bits and pieces are being put together now at least. There are also some cool plans regarding the next album, but this is way too early to announce anything concrete since alot of things will happen down the lane."

The follow-up to 2003's "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate", THE PROJECT HATE's latest album, "Armageddon March Eternal (Symphonies of Slit Wrists)" was released in Europe last October via Threeman Recordings. The CD was produced by Dan Swanö.

Austrian "angelic bombast metal" act EDENBRIDGE finished recording their fifth, "The Grand Design", on December 17. After a short Christmas break, the band began mixing the effort on January 8 at Thin Ice Studios, England together with THRESHOLD mastermind Karl Groom. The follow-up to 2004's "Shine" was recorded at The Farpoint Station studio in Austria and the Thin Ice facility. Guest musicians on the album will include Dennis Ward and Robby Valentine, both of whom were responsible for backing vocals and choirs on the new CD.

Commented EDENBRIDGE guitarist/keyboardist Lanvall: "'The Grand Design' has evolved to our biggest production so far and just the recordings took nearly 3 months to complete. It's the most vocal-orientated album of our band history, which especially can be heard in the many choir and backing vocals. Robby Valentine has done up to 64 voices in the 2 longtracks of the album which bring a totally new dimension into our sound. It was a great experience to record with him in Holland. Besides he played a fantastic piano solo in 'Terra Nova'. Also Dennis Ward did a brilliant job again. It's simply amazing to have musicians of such quality on the album. I am really looking forward for the mix with Karl Groom, who will surely bring some new components into our sound. He also recorded a fantastic solo for 'Terra Nova'."

The first single from the upcoming album will be "Evermore". As a special bonus on the single, EDENBRIDGE will include their first cover version ever — the James Bond classic "For Your Eyes Only", originally sung by Sheena Easton. A late spring release via Massacre Records is expected.

MANOWAR will relerase a brand new single, "The Sons Of Odin", on February 27, 2006. This 10-minute epic, in classic true metal style, sets the perfect tone for the impending release of the yet-untitled full-length album, scheduled for April 3, 2006.

Entitled "The Sons Of Odin", the upcoming CD will feature MANOWAR's patented, lion-hearted metal riffs mixed with arena-rock stomping grooves and orchestral arrangements. The single will also feature a remixed and re-recorded version of last summer's first single, "King Of Kings", another fast and furious outing originally released only as a bonus on the band's latest DVD, "Hell On Earth IV".

The 2005 festival season marked MANOWAR's most outrageous appearances to date, with the metal warriors headlining Europe's biggest festivals, including a three-hour-long concert at the Earthshaker Fest in Geiselwind, Germany. The band's performance included a 200-piece choir and orchestra and special guest appearances by all former MANOWAR members. Encouraged by the rabid fan reaction, it seems clear that the upcoming MANOWAR album will feature a well-balanced combination of die-hard metal headshakers as well as monumental ballads in the vein of "Heart Of Steel" and "Courage".

MANOWAR will continue their "Demons, Dragons and Warriors World Tour" in Europe beginning in late March, featuring Italian epic-metal legends RHAPSODY as special guests and introducing the newest female-fronted superstar group HOLYHELL to the world.

The upcoming MANOWAR album will be released on the band’s own label, Magic Circle Music.

Three brand-new PRONG demo tracks — "Worst of It", "Looking for Them" and "Disregard the Truth" — have been posted online at the group's MySpace.com page. Check them out at www.myspace.com/prong.

PRONG bassist Mike Longworth recently told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the group have abandoned the search for a second guitarist and have chosen to stick with the "traditional" three-piece format. "We've done several shows at the end of 2005 [as a trio] and it's sounding tighter than ever!!!!" Longworth said.

PRONG are currently seeking a new label home while continuing to write material for the follow-up to 2004's "Scorpio Rising" (Locomotive Music), tentatively due before the end of the year.

PRONG's current lineup is as follows:

Tommy Victor - Guitar, Vocals
Mike Longworth - Bass
Aaron Rossi - Drums

Swedish metallers EVERGREY have set "Monday Morning Apocalypse" as the title of their sixth studio album, tentatively due late March/early April via InsideOut Music. The follow-up to 2004's "The Inner Circle" was recorded at Division One Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by the experienced production team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who have previously worked with such artists as RAMMSTEIN, BON JOVI, BRITNEY SPEARS and DEF LEPPARD. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Monday Morning Apocalypse", "Unspeakable" and "At a Loss for Words".

As previously reported, EVERGREY have been nominated for a Swedish "Grammy" in the "Best Music DVD" category for their "A Night to Remember" set, which came out last year. Other nominees in the "Best Music DVD" category are ABBA, CORNELIS VREESWIJK, MARIT BERGMAN and TIMBUKTU.

Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SOUL SIRKUS) and bassist Marcel Jacob (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOHN NORUM) are busy writing and recording a brand new TALISMAN album, tentatively titled "Bar". Recording is taking place at Ulf Wahlberg's XTC studios in Stockholm, Sweden and the recording line-up will also feature longtime members Fredrik Åkesson (ARCH ENEMY) on guitar and Jaime Borger (ex-TREAT) on drums.

Commented Jacob: "The material is extremely melodic and groovy. Very little metal... and we are working on some ballad material."

"Bar" is tentatively planned for a late summer release and the band is considering some possibilities for live appearances in the fall.

British "folk metal" act SKYCLAD are currently working on a special EP that will be released in time for the band's tour dates in April. The CD will feature a brand new recording of the instrumental track "Jig-a-Jig", along with the songs "The Roman Wall Blues", "They Think It's All Over - Well Is It Now?" and "Mr Malaprope" from the "A Semblance Of Normality" sessions. This EP will not be available in any record stores — it will only be available from the band's webshop and on tour. Meanwhile, SKYCLAD are also working on a new album which is to be recorded over the summer and released before the end of the year.

SKYCLAD's most recent album, "A Semblance Of Normality", was released in 2004 through Demolition/Dreamcatcher Records. The album was mixed and mastered at the Damage Inc. Studio in Italy by Dario Mollo, who has previously worked with ANATHEMA, CRADLE OF FILTH, TONY MARTIN and GLENN HUGHES, among others.