The Gothenburg, Sweden-based metal band EVERGREY are prepating to enter the studio to record their sixth studio album, tentatively due in April 2006 via InsideOut Music. The production duties will be handled by the experienced team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who have previously worked with such artists as RAMMSTEIN, BON JOVI, BRITNEY SPEARS and DEF LEPPARD.

Commented EVERGREY mainman Tom S. Englund: "It feels amazing to work with such an experienced team and we are convinced that they are able to lift us even higher than before."

EVERGREY recently signed a new one-album deal with InsideOut Music. The band will also participate at the kick-off party for the Sweden Rock Festival at Annexet in Stockholm on December 3, 2005. Also scheduled to appear are SAXON, CLAWFINGER and KROKUS.

EVERGREY's "A Night to Remember" DVD topped the official Swedish music DVD chart in its first week of release last May.

"A Night to Remember" was filmed on October 9, 2004 in Gothenburg, Sweden with 15 high-definition cameras by video producer Patric Ullaeus (LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR) and includes all six of the group's videos to date. A second DVD disc includes backstage material, in-depth interviews with each of the members, gear-talk, live material from the beginning of their career, festivals, old demo songs and tons of pictures.

Legendary Swedish death metallers GRAVE have posted the following message on their official web site:

"GRAVE will perform at this year's Arnhem Metal Meeting [in Holland]. Sharing the stage with DISMEMBER, DESTRUCTION and CANDLEMASS will be a night to remember. Also added are the dates for the upcoming European 'The Domination Tour 2006'. Be sure to check out the dates for your chance to see CRYPTOPSY, GRAVE, DEW-SCENTED, ABORTED, VESANIA and HURTLOCKER. Probably one of the most brutal packages ever put together...

"We are currently writing new material for our upcoming album. Seven songs are finished and more are in progress. Two of the tracks have been recorded as a studio tryout and also to get an idea of what it will sound like as finished tracks."

GRAVE's latest album, "Fiendish Regression", was released in August 2004 through Century Media Records. The group's sixth full-length effort was recorded and mixed at Abyss studio with producers Tommy and Peter Tägtgren. 11 tracks were recorded for the album, including nine brand new songs, a cover version of the SAINT VITUS classic "Burial At Sea" and a re-recording of a old GRAVE song "Autopsied", which was originally written and recorded for promotion in 1989.

Former NIGHTWISH frontwoman Tarja Turunen will take part in a press day in Berlin, Germany on Monday, November 14 to discuss her split from the group and her future plans.

As previously reported, Tarja's final performance with NIGHTWISH — which took place on October 21 at the Hartwall arena in Helsinki, Finland — was filmed professionally for an upcoming DVD, "End of an Era", tentatively due in late 2006.

A 30-second video clip of NIGHTWISH's final performance with frontwoman Tarja Turunen, which took place on October 21 at the Hartwall arena in Helsinki, Finland, has been posted online. Check it out: Real Media, Quicktime. The concert was filmed professionally for an upcoming DVD, "End of an Era", tentatively due in late 2006. The group's setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Dark Chest Of Wonders
02. Planet Hell
03. Ever Dream
04. The Kinslayer
05. Phantom Of The Opera
06. The Siren
07. Sleeping Sun
08. High Hopes
09. Bless The Child
10. Wishmaster
11. Slaying The Dreamer
12. Kuolema tekee taiteilijan
13. Nemo
14. Ghost Love Score
Encore:
15. Creek Mary's Blood
16. Over The Hills And Far Away
17. Wish I Had An Angel

NIGHTWISH fired Turunen via an "open letter," which was given to the singer immediately following the Helsinki show. The group are currently seeking a replacement vocalist before entering the studio in September 2006 to begin recording the follow-up to 2004's "Once", tentatively due in mid-2007.

DISFEAR, the Swedish "crust rock" outfit featuring former AT THE GATES/THE CROWN vocalist Tomas Lindberg and ex-ENTOMBED guitarist Uffe Cederlund, have posted the following message on their official web site:

"Dear friends. We finally have some news from you. Last month we moved to a new rehearsal room and this change has meant a huge boost in inspiration for us. We have started rehearsing big time and some new songtitles for the upcoming album are 'Phantom', 'Sharpen the Knives', 'One-Way Communication', 'Deadweight' and 'The Furnace'. These are still working titles and they may change. There might be a chance we will hit the Swedish road for a couple of dates to try some of this new stuff out, but more on this soon."

DISFEAR's follow-up to 2003's "Misanthropic Generation" is expected to surface next year via Relapse Records.

LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia recently spoke to Decibel magazine about "Karmacode", the group's long-awaited follow-up to their 2002 breakthrough album "Comalies".

"The album is a trip through different spiritualities, not specific religions," Cristina said. "We wanted to analyze how religion and spirituality can in our day coexist. Look at the title — we mix something generally spiritual like 'karma' with 'code,' which is modern and recent concept. The word is modern and spiritual at once."

"The music is the same and we did not change or become a different kind of band. It's an evolution, and it's precise. We spent three years on the road, visiting new territories, like the U.S., so we took different American influences and we mixed them with our European sound. We take the power of American bands and blend it with the romanticism and passion from Europe, so it's an interesting combination."

Scabbia insists that LACUNA COIL are in the most positive headspace of their career and that the recording was relatively relaxed.

"I think that the wrong thing for a band to do is to feel pressure from the label or even the fans," she said. "You have to be creative and do what you feel comfortable with. There is no set recipe for a successful album, so you don't stress about it. If you think you have to do this or that, it will never work. You have to be honest and put out the music you like. At the end of the day, we don't care. We're satisfied."

LACUNA COIL recently presented six songs from "Karmacode" to members of the world music press at the Galaxy Studios in Mol, Belgium. The band worked in the studio with Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper, whose previous credits include PORCUPINE TREE's "Deadwing".

The highly anticipated CD was co-produced once again by Waldemar Sorychta and was mixed by Ronald Prent (RAMMSTEIN, H.I.M., IRON MAIDEN). Songtitles set to appear on the album include "What I See", "Fragile", "In Visible Light", "Fragments of Faith", "Within Me" and "Our Truth".

"Karmacode" is tentatively scheduled for release in March 2006 via Century Media Records.

As BLABBERMOUTH.NET first reported on September 12, veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers VICIOUS RUMORS have now confirmed that vocalist James Rivera (HELSTAR, SEVEN WITCHES, KILLING MACHINE) has officially joined the band. The group have also announced the addition of guitarist Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER, OZZY OSBOURNE) to their ranks. A posting on VICIOUS RUMORS' web site reads as follows:

"Brad Gillis returns to metal and beyond with VICIOUS RUMORS for the next studio CD and tour. Brad blew everyone away when he took over for the late Randy Rhoads touring with Ozzy in '82 and '83 and did all the guitar work on the 'Speak of the Devil – Live' and then went on to platinum success with NIGHT RANGER. His mind bending guitar playing is perfect for the VICIOUS RUMORS guitar team and is sure to provide some scorching riff exchanges!

"James Rivera joins VICIOUS RUMORS, bringing soaring vocals and a true metal spirit to the band. James has performed, recorded and toured with many legendary metal outfits. He brings a powerful sound and creativity. A true pro, James has the tools to carry on in the VICIOUS RUMORS legacy."

Commented VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe: "This is truly a new and exciting time in VICIOUS RUMORS. I look forward to unleashing this new animal on the next CD and tour! The chemistry between the five of us is wicked!"

The recording sessions for the new CD will start in January 2006. A tour in support of the album will kick off next spring/summer.

A full-length MP3 of a new GREEN CARNATION track, entitled "Alone", has been made available for download at this location (3.4 MB). The track comes off the Norwegian band's upcoming release, "The Acoustic Verses", due in North American on January 24, 2006 via The End Records.

"The Acoustic Verses" finds the sextet successfully maneuvering through acoustic realms, peppered with passionate guitar riffs and eloquent melodies. It's a distant step from their prog metal/hard rock ways of previous material, but in many ways, it's what you’d expect from a band like GREEN CARNATION. Never one to stand still.

"The Acoustic Verses" track listing:

01. Sweet Leaf
02. The Burden is Mine... Alone
03. Maybe?
04. Alone
05. 9-29-045 (3 parts)
- My Greater Cause
- Homecoming
- House of Cards
06. Childs Play part III
07. High Tide Waves

THE GATHERING DVD "A Sound Relief" is now available in the shops! The DVD is available through Psychonaut Records in Europe and you can also order it via the Gathering e-shop. There are plan to have the DVD released by other licensers, such as Irond for
Russian market, but it will take some time.

Since a couple of days, we have video "Alone" available in streaming on http://www.gathering.nl, you can view it in high or low resolution and you'll have to make sure your browser accept popup windows from the website! Please
note it can take up to a minute for the streaming to start, this is normal.

The Gathering has now started the recording of their 8th full-length album with producer Attie Bauw ["How To Measure A Planet?"].

According to an interview Anneke gave for the website Vampire magazine, the album could be released at the end of the winter 2006: " I think the new album will be out in March 2006, don’t quote me on that but it should be around that time. And we would like to kick off the tour right after the release until the end of the year."

Until then you'll have to patient with the beautiful DVD "A Sound Relief" and for the people with nostalgia, Century Media is going to release 2 CDs edition of "Mandylion" featuring the regular "Mandylion" album, a new booklet
and a 2nd CD with demo version of the songs, which are the first recordings ever with Anneke on vocals! Let's hope it will feed your appetite until the next records comes out!

U.K.-based black/death quintet BAL-SAGOTH have issued the following update on the recording proces for their long-awaited sixth album:

"The musical instruments for the sixth BAL-SAGOTH album have finally been recorded after a long delay. The vocal session can now begin imminently, which will be followed by the final mix. Fans who are impatiently awaiting the much anticipated sixth album can understand that the band always seeks to ensure their work is of the absolute highest standard, and to achieve that standard sometimes takes a considerable amount of time. But finally, the album is almost complete and the wait is almost over!

"Just some of the highlights fans can look forward to on the sixth album are:

1) The thrilling second chapter of the epic 'Obsidian Crown' saga, which began way back on the second BAL-SAGOTH album 'Starfire Burning Upon The Ice-Veiled Throne Of Ultima Thule' from 1996! Fans who have waited almost ten years to find out what happens next in this thrilling story will finally get their wish!

2) The best and most dynamic organic orchestral synth sounds ever heard! Much time and effort has been put into refining the famousBAL-SAGOTH keyboard sound to its ultimate level, and every advance in modern audial technology has been taken advantage of. On the sixth album fans will experience amazing symphonic sounds which exceed every other release, sounding totally and uncannily genuine. Real orchestra! Real choirs! Real metal!

3) Incredible new artwork and expansive lyric booklet! The lyric booklet for the sixth album will be the biggest and most elaborate one yet. Multiple full colour pages, in depth text and amazing new artwork by renowned fantasy artist Martin Hanford. The packaging for the sixth album will be the best publication so far."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"What a freakin' busy week! I have spent almost every day sorting out my studio area, as well as the tremendous amount of work that is happening out of L.A. at Benchmark Entertainment, EMI, William Morris, Sony Signatures (merchandise company), wrapping up our year of touring with Haber Corp., and all of our Lampstand guys from the road returning and storing all of our gear from all over the world until the next tour.

"I am one week away from starting the actual tracking process of the next record's pre-production, and have quite a lot of other projects (some super top secret) to keep me busy in the meantime. Next week I have a few trips up the coast to review the Gigantour DVD that is in progress, as well as meet with EMI, and try to stop by Sensei Benny's to find a trainer down here in Fallbrook, which is actually in San Diego County. I also have my coveted Argentina live CD to review. And let us not forget, we close the contest for the Christmas card on the 7th of this month. We will decide and crown our winner that day and notify all our friends here.

"We should find out some time this month who some of our confirmed acts are going to be for Gigantour 2006, as well as where we are going outside of the U.S. and Canada. No rest for the wicked!

"Lastly, I have been lurking, as you have prolly noticed, and I must say that there is a girl who is making my snarl face in her avatar and I love it! Also, if people are new here, the MEGADETH topics board is pretty tame, and I prefer it like that for people who are getting to know us, or for younger Droogs who are coming here for their first time. So if you have something else to get off yer chest or whatever you prefer to call it, try the Bitch Board, Total Anarchy, or the PW Boards.

A video clip of OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt teaching the crowd how to growl death metal-style at the band's October 30 show in Worcester, MA has been posted online at this location.

OPETH are currently touring in support of their new album, "Ghost Reveries", available now on Roadrunner Records.

OPETH utilized the services of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD drummer Gene Hoglan during the bulk of this summer's Sounds of the Underground tour after the group's regular skinsman, Martin Lopez, went back to Sweden for treatment of a rare blood disorder he's had for most of his life. The band have since enlisted Martin Axenrot (BLOODBATH, WITCHERY, NIFELHEIM) to take over Lopez' duties until he's fully recovered.

Swedish technical death metallers ANATA have revealed the track listing for their new album, "The Conductor's Departure", due in early 2006 via Wicked World/Earache Records. The follow-up to last year's "Under a Stone with No Inscription" was recorded at StudioMega in Varberg, Sweden.

"The Conductor's Departure" track listing:

01. Downward Spiral into Madness
02. Complete Demise
03. Better Grieved than Fooled
04. The Great Juggler
05. Cold Heart Forged in Hell
06. I Would Dream of Blood
07. Disobedience Pays
08. Children's Laughter
09. Renunciation
10. The Conductor's Departure

ANATA's next live appearance will take place on November 25 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Also appearing on the bill will be VOMITORY. The group's previously announced show on November 5 has been postponed until a later date.

Swedish melodic power metal band INSANIA will enter Studio Underground in Västerås, Sweden at the end of November for a three-week recording that will culminate in the creation of the band's fourth album. Entitled "Agony - Gift of Life", the CD will be produced by Pelle Saether and is tentatively set for an April/May 2006 release through Black Lodge Records. The band's latest album, "Fantasy - A New Dimension", was mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios and was released in February 2003.

"Agony - Gift of Life" projected track listing (not final order):

01. Facing My Destiny
02. Hope
03. Dreams
04. Gift of Life
05. Fight for Life
06. One Day
07. Time Passes By
08. To Live Another Day
09. Alive
10. Valley of Sunlight
11. Time of Glory
12. How Does It Feel

German power metallers ANGEL DUST have recruited ex-EVERFLOW vocalist Carsten Kaiser as the replacement for the band's previous singer, Dirk Thurisch. As a result of this lineup change, the recordings for the group's new album have been pushed back to March 2006. According to guitarist Bernd Aufermann (RUNNING WILD), the new material will be a return to the sound on ANGEL DUST's "Enlighten the Darkness" album (released in 2000). "I'm VERY satisfied with the way the guitar will approach in the music and the material is, in my opinion, the best we'd ever written," Bernd wrote in a recent online posting. A tentative late summer 2006 release is expected.

ANGEL DUST's most recent album, "Of Human Bondage", came out in 2002.

Reactivated Finnish melodic extreme metal band ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW are continuing work on their as-yet-untitled fifth album for a tentative March/April 2006 release via Spinefarm Records. According to the band, "The material for the fifth album is heavier, much more diverse and more guitar-orientated compared to the fourth album 'A Virgin and a Whore' [2001]."

ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW's current lineup is as follows:

Altti Veteläinen - Bass, Vocals
Jarmo Puolakanaho - Guitar
Risto Ruuth - Lead Guitar
Janne Tolsa - Keyboards
Petri Sankala - Drums

Swedish black/death metallers THE LEGION, featuring current MARDUK drummer Emil Dragutinovic, have set "Revocation" as the title of their sophomore album, tentatively due in early 2006 via France's Listenable Records. The artwork was once again designed by Kris Verwimp (MARDUK, ABSU, IMMORTAL), who had previously worked with the group on their debut album, "Unseen to Creation".

"Revocation" track listing:

01. Grotesque Savior
02. Virtue of Sin
03. Annihilation Chaos
04. Horror Vacui
05. Impious Gathering
06. Bloodgate
07. Deadlight Afterglow
08. Carnal Harvest
09. Nocturnal Apparition

THE LEGION's debut album, "Unseen to Creation" was released in October 2003 through Listenable. The CD was recorded at Abyss Studios with producer Tommy Tägtgren and features "ten songs of complex and eclectic black/death metal, ranging in style from MORBID ANGEL to SETHERIAL."

According to their website, Finnish extremists IMPALED NAZARENE have decided to name their ninth studio album Pro Patria Finlandia. The band will head for Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland with producer Tapio Pennanen in mid-November. 'Cancer', 'For Those Who Have Fallen', 'KUT', 'Contempt', 'Hate-Despise-Arrogance' are among the cuts to be featured on the album. Osmose Productions has set March 28th as the street date for the album.
In other news, Impaled Nazarene will head for Latin American tour in late January 2006. Three shows in Mexico have already been confirmed and more to follow. Confirmed dates, venues will be announced soon.

Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL have posted the following message at their official website:

"It's not very often a black metal band hits the charts, but yesterday Dark Funeral entered the Swedish top 40 as # 35 and the Swedish Heavy Metal chart as # 3. Their new album Attera Totus Sanctus is receiving rave reviews from the press, and obviously from the fans too. Dark Funeral are currently planning a tour throughout Europe that will be handled by Dragon Productions. And this coming Saturday, November 5, they'll meet their fans and sign their new album in Gothenburg at CD-Specialisten (Kungsgatan)."

LEAVES' EYES have posted the following update at their official website:

"The last couple of weeks have made a lot of fun besides several stresses and strains. The shows just have been fantastic and we have met a lot of new people and friends. Of course we want to say a big thank you to all the fans that have celebrated with us!! We also want to thank the bands which we played with and our crew.

But, we also want to let you know some things that happened: After our accident in Detroit there have been several US shows that we couldn’t play or rather have been cancelled. This was beyond our discretion as well as the disastrous organization of the whole tour itself which was starkly in opposite to the great responses from the audience!! We want to apologize for all the people who came for nothing even though it wasn’t our own fault! We also want to say sorry for all the people who came to the show in Bochum that we played a shortened set after a 12 hour drive. A full closure of the highway was the reason and then we unfortunately couldn’t play any longer than one hour due to a strict curfew and a longer change-over. Metal Female Voices Festival in Wieze, Belgium has been a wonderful night, thousands of fans embraced all bands! Our first dates on the tour with SUBWAY TO SALLY have been gorgeous. We want to say another big Thank You to Subway to Sally and crew with whom we are going on tour in December again!! It was a very cool first trip with you guys and we are looking forward to the second part!! There will be several tour diaries in some magazines, keep your eyes wide open!! See you on tour soon."

Swedish metallers ENTOMBED have set "Serpent Saints" as the title of their new album, due on June 6, 2006 via Threeman Recordings. The upcoming CD will be the group's first without the contributions of guitarist Uffe Cederlund, who left the band in September.

Speaking to Sweden's Close-Up magazine, ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid had the following to say about the upcoming album, "Over the years we've built something, a name that is much bigger than its individual parts. Living up to that name is something we take very seriously. Of course, we feel an enormous pressure, albeit in a positive way, and a great obligation to maintain [the name] as well as live up to our own and other people's high expectations that come along with putting an ENTOMBED logo on an album."

ENTOMBED have no plans on replacing Cederlund and will continue as a four-piece, with Hellid as the sole guitarist. However, there is a possibility that former ENTOMBED drummer and current THE HELLACOPTERS frontman Nicke Andersson will contribute to the next album.

"I've just talked loosely with Alex and Peter [Stjärnwind, drummer] about it," Andersson told Close-Up. "I haven't really said anything, but they've basically asked me if I would consider being involved in one way or the other. Whether or not that's because Uffe has quit, I have no idea. . . .It's really down to having the time to do it. There are another thousand ideas I want to see through. But if it's possible, it would be a blast to do something [with ENTOMBED]."

Bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted (ex-METALLICA) has finished laying down tracks for the upcoming studio album from Canadian metal legends VOIVOD. Vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger and drummer Michel "Away" Lanegvin are expected to enter the studio in December with producer Glen Robinson (ANNIHILATOR, NASHVILLE PUSSY) to complete the recordings, which are tentatively due in early 2006 via The End Records.

In other news, Langevin is still in the process of scanning hundreds of drawings for his book, to be released early next year on Troubleman Unlimited. The book will consist of 300 black-and-white drawings and 50 colored pictures. Away is also continuing work on the group's next DVD release, "DVOD-2", which will contain footage shot during the Eric Forrest era of the band. A follow-up DVD release, "DVOD-3", will cover the band's most recent lineup, which included Newsted.

VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour died Aug. 26 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer. The surviving VOIVOD members — Snake, Away and Newsted — vowed to complete the band's 14th album as a tribute to the late guitarist, who recorded his parts for the CD prior to his death.

Sweden's WOLF have posted the following message on their official web site:

"Nick [Niklas Olsson, guitar/vocals] is playing the evil priest 'Hannias' in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in Stockholm right now. He's getting some great reviews, and the show seems to be a huge success. Very cool, and we are proud of him. His new vocal skills will show on the next WOLF album for sure. We are all looking forward to the recording.

"At the same time Tobbe [Tobias Kjellgren, drums; ex-DISSECTION, SWORDMASTER] is away on tour, working as a stand-in drummer for IN FLAMES. This means that Mumlan [Mikael Goding, bass] and Johannes [Losbäck, guitar] are the only Wolves at home right now. But writing is moving forward anyway. A couple of tracks have been put on tape and another bunch will be recorded as soon as Tobbe gets back home."

WOLF's third album, "Evil Star", was released in the U.S. in April 2004 via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to "Black Wings" was produced by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) at Abyss studios in Sweden and features artwork by Thomas Holm.

DIMMU BORGIR bassist/ARCTURUS frontman Simen Hestnaes (a.k.a. ICS Vortex, ex-BORKNAGAR, LAMENTED SOULS) has recorded a guest appearance on two songs on the sophomore album from French metallers DAGOBA, tentatively due in February 2006 via Season of Mist. "Shawter's vocals mixed with Vortex's voice sound amazing!" the band write on their web site.

DAGOBA's follow-up to their self-titled debut album was recorded at Antfarm studios in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HATESPHERE, MNEMIC). The group made name for themselves in France, where their EMI-distributed debut was a chart success. The buzz quickly spread, and step by step, the rest of Europe started responding (DAGOBA opened for MACHINE HEAD in Brussels, FEAR FACTORY in Amsterdam, and did a North European tour with SAMAEL; more recently they opened for KORN in France).

MARILYN MANSON has told MTV.com that he's been writing and recording in two different California studios with KMFDM guitarist and MANSON studio bassist Tim Skold, keyboardist and drummer Pogo (Stephen Bier Jr.) and an assortment of other musicians. Most of MANSON's still-untitled sixth LP has been finished for weeks.

"I feel as if there's more like three albums' worth of material, [because] I don't want to cram a long record into a place that doesn't have the attention span for that," he said. "I'd like to return to the old-fashioned records that had eight or nine songs [that] were all very important. Not to say that I made records that had filler material. They were all based around a central idea, and the central idea in this one is my pain and its ability to be unashamed to repeat itself."

As for the musicians he's been working with, Manson said, "It's hard to call [them] a band because it's open and developing in a way where anything can happen. The songs have been ... a collaboration between Skold and myself, but we're at the point now where the people who will fulfill the positions that need to be there to make the MARILYN MANSON of end times, the MARILYN MANSON that, if it had to be the last form, this is the way it should be remembered — those people will stand forward and make themselves appreciated, and I feel like I've created an environment where that will happen."

Finnish weekly news magazine Suomen Kuvalehti has published a brand-new interview with NIGHTWISH mastermind Tuomas Holopainen regarding the band's decision to part ways with their longtime singer Tarja Turunen. The brief question-and-answer session follows (translated from Finnish):

Q: Tarja Turunen has described the way you handled this whole affair as "cruel." Do you regret the way it was done?

Tuomas: "Not for a second. The decision has been a long time coming — since last January — and all points of view were thoroughly considered before we went ahead and took this step. Even though I am the person in the band who had to do the firing, the decision to part ways with Tarja was made jointly by all bandmembers."

Q: How did you end up using an open letter to let the world know of your decision? Wouldn't the usual "artistic differences" explanation have been sufficient as far as the public is concerned?

Tuomas: "If we had announced our decision in two sentences, it would not have not painted the right picture of us, and it would have resulted in me having to spend the next two months sitting on the phone explaining why we had to do what we did. I do not think our letter contained any details that were too personal."

Q: What kind of response did you expect from Tarja?

Tuomas: "I heard that she was shocked and she has accused us of lying, but every single sentence in the letter is the absolute truth. The way she has treated us for the past year has been at least as cruel as the way she claims we have been by making this letter public."

Q: How were you able to keep things together for so long even though there was so much tension within the band?

Tuomas: "I survived because the other people in the band are so awesome and we all share the same goals. There were obviously two separate camps in the band — Tarja and her manager/husband Marcelo on one side, and the rest of the group, the road crew and the band's manager on the other."

Q: What were the things that you had disagreements with Tarja about?

Tuomas: "We are on completely different planets when it comes to working morals and spiritual attitudes. I do not want to have any person in the band who tells me that she doesn't need the band for her career anymore."

Q: Why did you go ahead and announce your deal with the Finnish bank Sampo to have a new bank card issued with a picture of NIGHTWISH on it when you knew that the next day you would be firing your singer?

Tuomas: "The deal with Sampo was worked out in January and it was arranged by our manager. I had completely forgotten about it and was only reminded about it in the week prior to the announcement. The Sampo bank representatives took it very well."

Q: So Turunen's image won't be removed from the cards then?

Tuomas: "No."

Q: Your fans have been shocked to learn of your decision to part ways with Tarja. How will this affect your popularity in the future?

Tuomas: "If our next CD is of the same quality as the previous albums, I don't believe there will be a problem. If the CD sells 100,000 copies instead of a million, we will still be satisfied. Having huge commercial success is not our main concern."

Q: Is it possible that Turunen could block your upcoming book from being published or prevent band-related products from being sold based on legal issues?

Tuomas: "I really don't know much about this, but I asked our label and our manager if the split would result in legal problems and the response was that there wouldn't be any."

Q: Will your new singer be Finnish?

Tuomas: "I will not comment on this right now. I can only tell you that no decisions have yet been made on this issue."

Q: Do you foresee a scenario where Tarja Turunen could return to the band at some point in the future?

Tuomas: "At the moment, it is very hard to imagine. I wish her all the best."