Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH wil record several shows on their current European tour with 1349 for an upcoming live album, entitled "True Norwegian Black Metal". Scheduled for a late autumn release in 2007, it will mark and celebrate GORGOROTH's 15-year anniversary.

GORGOROTH's new album, "Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam", is tentatively scheduled for release early next year via Sweden's Regain Records. The band were most recently signed to Nuclear Blast Records, who released the band's last three efforts: "Twilight of the Idols" (2003), "Incipit Satan" (2000) and "Destroyer" (1998).

GORGOROTH last year inked a deal with the French label Season of Mist for the reissues of their first three albums: "Pentagram" (1994), "Antichrist" (1996) and "Under the Sign of Hell" (1997). All three were re-released earlier this year in a remastered, digipack version.

FIREWIND, the Greek power metal act led by guitarist Gus G. (DREAM EVIL, ARCH ENEMY), have posted the following message on their official web site:

"As many of you know by now from other online sources, Chity Somapala [vocals] has decided to leave FIREWIND due to 'personal reasons.' But this doesn't mean that FIREWIND stops right here! We're already working with an incredible new vocalist and have eight brand new songs that kick ass!!

"Due to Chity's sudden departure, our plans for an extensive European tour this fall had to be cancelled. But we will be back on the road as soon as the new album is completed. Although nothing's confirmed by now, we're looking at entering the studio in late January/early February 2006. More details and new singer info to follow soon."

Somapala originally joined FIREWIND in early 2004 as the replacement for Stephen Fredrick. Chity appeared on "Forged by Fire", which was produced by band leader/guitarist Gus G. and mixed by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. Guest musicians on the album included former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and ex-TESTAMENT/DEATH axeman James Murphy.

Gus G. recently toured with ARCH ENEMY on Ozzfest 2005 as the group's touring guitarist after Christoper Amott bowed out of that band in order to "fully concentrate on his studies at home in Sweden," according to ARCH ENEMY axeman Michael Amott.

BEYOND FEAR members Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals; ICED EARTH, ex-JUDAS PRIEST) and John Comprix (guitar; SPAWN, 13 FACES) will be traveling to Florida next week to put the finishing touches on the band's debut album, tentatively due in early 2006 via SPV Records. The final recording and mixing sessions will take place at the legendary Morrisound studios in Tampa under the watchful eye of Jim Morris (ICED EARTH, DEATH, JAG PANZER).

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "I Don't Need This", "And You Will Die", "It Is Me", "Telling Lies", "The Faith", "The Human Race", "Your Time Has Come" and "My Last Words". Joining Owens and Comprix in the new group are Dennis Hayes (ex-WINTERS BANE, SEVEN WITCHES) on bass, Dwane Bihary (MISSING SKIN) on rhythm guitar, and drummer Eric Elkins (CRYPTKICKER, ALL YOU FEAR).

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen has finished composing two new songs for the group's next studio album which is not expected to surface until 2007, the keyboardist revealed in a brand-new interview published in the Finnish newspaper Keskisuomalainen. According to Holopainen, the band are hoping to begin recording their next album in September 2006, but if need be, they are willing to push back the projected recording sessions for their next CD even further so that a suitable replacement for the recently departed singer Tarja Turunen can be found.

Like 2004's "Once", the group's next CD will likely take at least six months to record, which means that the new singer's contributions to the new album will not be put down on tape until sometime in early 2007 — giving the band more time to find the right person to replace Tarja.

Holopainen told the Keskisuomalainen newspaper that the band's style will not change now that Turunen is gone. The next NIGHTWISH album will follow the same musical path as the band's most recent releases, but with a new female vocalist.

"It will be interesting to see how many singers will apply for the position," Tuomas is quoted as saying. "After all, Tarja is is a first-rate singer, and replacing her will not be easy.

"The new singer will be chosen not only for her singing skills. She must also be beautiful, charismatic and she must possess a great deal of self-esteem.

"We will not necessarily pick a Tarja clone," Holopainen continued. "We will be open to a slightly new sound, especially when it comes to the vocalist."

Although the band's requirements for the new singer are high, Holopainen knows that the group's fan base will not necessarily welcome their return with open arms.

"Of course, we will get a few beer cans thrown on the stage when we fist start playing out with the new singer," Tuomas said. "Some of our fans are die-hard Tarja devotees and those people will never accept the fact that we can go on without her."

After a two-month adventure in Australia, bassist Stein Roger Sordal has rejoined Norway's GREEN CARNATION. Sordal will play all currently scheduled dates with the group following their trip to Finland in November.

"I had a great time in Australia, that's for sure. But it was a long time to stay away from the band and my wife," Stein Roger explained.

Australian band THE KARMA, whose demo Sordal had previously recorded and produced at his studio in Norway, were invited by an Australian management company to do a showcase for major labels, including Warner, Sony, EMI and Universal, at the end of September. And although Stein Roger admits the showcase went very well, he is not up to speculating about the future.
"Right now I'm just happy to be back home. Hopefully there will be a deal for THE KARMA, but probably it's going to take a while before we know anything

Stein Roger underlines the importance for him to have a rock'n roll band to play in:

"I have a big desire to play rock music, something with balls. And for me no bands are like GREEN CARNATION when it comes to that, with the versatility, the songs and the friendships within the band. I have never even thought about leaving the band, and right now I am just looking forward to what promises to be a very exiting 2006 for GREEN CARNATION."

GREEN CARNATION will spend much of next year promoting their new album, "The Accoustic Verses", which is scheduled for release in Europe in mid-January.

EIDOLON guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH) has posted the following update on the band's official web site:

"Here is an update to let you know where we stand with the progress of recording the new EIDOLON album, 'The Parallel Otherworld'.

"All that is left now are two bass tracks, my solos and Nils' [K. Rue, vocals; also in PAGAN'S MIND] vocals, which we will have in our hands in about three weeks' time.

"This will also be the first time that we mix and master the album in my studio, with the help of my great ProTools teacher, Tony Crea. Learning all these different things in ProTools is so cool, as it really opens the doors to many more possibilities in recording. through the process of doing this new album, right up to the completion, i will have really good handle on what i need to do for all the different stages of recording in the future!

"Anyway, my next post will be when the album is 100% complete!"

Songtitles set to appear on the new EIDOLON CD include "Strong Winds", "Spirit Sanctuary", "Arcturus No. 9" and "Ghost World". Also included on the album will be a cover version of MERCYFUL FATE's "The Oath", featuring guest appearances by MERCYFUL FATE guitarists Hank Shermann and Michael Denner.

Danish power metallers IRONFIRE, featuring singer Martin Steene (FORCE OF EVIL), have uploaded an audio sample of a new track, entitled "Wings of Rage", at this location.

"Wings of Rage" comes off the group's recently completed third album, tentatively due in early 2006 via an as-yet-undisclosed label.

IRONFIRE issued two full-length albums through the Sanctuary/Noise label: 2000's "Thunderstorm" and 2001's "On the Edge".

According to a posting on the band's official web site, Dutch rock act THE GATHERING have commenced the recording sessions for their eighth full-length album with producer Attie Bauw, who has previously worked with the group on their "How to Measure a Planet?" CD (1998).

Founding member/drummer Hans Rutten had previously said about the recording process for the follow-up the well-received electronic/atmospheric-tinged opus "Souvenirs", "We will start recording in an old church in the south of Holland by the end of November. We will build a studio, together with Attie Bauw, in the main part of this little church. How it will sound? We have no idea, it's an experiment, as always! [laughs] We will start recording end of November 2005 and have a possible release date by the end of March 2006. We will master half of the album by January 2006. It will be a huge return of guitars! Yes, a guitar-orientated album."

THE GATHERING have just released their double-DVD, "A Sound Relief", in the U.S./Canada via The End Records. The DVD was made available in Europe through the band's own label, Psychonaut Records. The two-disc set features a live concert the band recorded on May 23, 2005 at the famous Paradiso in Amsterdam, plus bonus extras like the band's own tour impressions caught on video, video interviews and a TV special about 15-year career of THE GATHERING. The bonus disc also showcases a collection of beautiful 3-D animation clips, which were especially designed for the band by promising Dutch and Polish 3-D artists Michel de Klein and Marcin Pazera.

A representative at the Warner/Rhino video department has confirmed to BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the new JUDAS PRIEST live DVD, "Rising in the East", will be released in North America on November 15. In addition, the DVD's artwork has also been confirmed to the image currently being displayed by most online retailers, including Amazon.com.

"Rising in the East" was recorded at the band's May 18-19, 2005 shows at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan and will include the following track listing:

01. The Hellion
02. Electric Eye
03. Metal Gods
04. Riding On The Wind
05. The Ripper
06. A Touch Of Evil
07. Judas Rising
08. Revolution
09. Hot Rockin'
10. Breaking The Law
11. I'm A Rocker
12. Diamonds and Rust
13. Worth Fighting For
14. Deal With the Devil
15. Beyond the Realms of Death
16. Turbo Lover
17. Hellrider
18. Victim of Changes
19. Exciter
20. Painkiller
21. Hell Bent For Leather
22. Living After Midnight
23. You've Got Another Thing Coming

In other news, JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently told the San Diego CityBEAT that no one in the band is thinking about the fact that they're on the downhill toward 60.

"When you start to think about that, you start slowing down, you start to diminish," said Halford. "People asked me 10, 20 years ago if I was done.... But I don't think JUDAS PRIEST will ever do a farewell tour. I think one day it will just stop. But as long as I can do the work at the right level, I'll keep going."

Former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske has confirmed that he has inked a new solo deal with Italy's Frontiers Records. The deal is over two records and "is an excellent option after the successful cooperation and experience with the label during the PLACE VENDOME project," Kiske writes in a statement.

Kiske will enter the studio in early November to begin recording his new solo album for an early 2006 release. The singer had previously issued three "solo" releases, including a 2003 effort with a band project dubbed SUPARED. The self-titled SUPARED CD featured songwriting collaborations between Kiske and guitarists Sandro Giampietro and Circio Taraxes, the latter of whom had previously contributed to the singer's first two solo offerings, 1996's "Instant Clarity" and 1999's "Readiness to Sacrifice".

NIGHTINGALE, the Swedish progressive-metal band headed by Dan Swanö, have been confirmed as one of the support acts for KINO (featuring members of such bands as MARILLION, IT BITES, ARENA, and PORCUPINE TREE) on December 17 at John Dee in Oslo, Norway. Also scheduled to appear on the bill is GAZPACHO.

As previously reporteed, NIGHTINGALE recently posted a live recording from their gig at Sweden Rock Festival 2005. The song "Into the Light" can be downloaded from the homepage of bandmember Dag Swanö (Dan's brother, a.k.a. Tom Nouga) at this location.

NIGHTINGALE completed their "10-Year Anniversary Tour" — covering Germany, Netherlands and Denmark — in April. A collection of re-recorded songs from the group's first three releases, "Nightfall Overture", was made available earlier in the year.

Finnish melodic metallers ALTARIA have finished mixing their third album, "The Fallen Empire" at the Black Lounge Studios in Sweden. Former DIO guitarist Rowan Robertson makes a guest appearance on a track called "The Lion" and keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg (SONATA ARCTICA, SILENT VOICES) is featured on a song called "The Dying Flame", which is an 8-minute epic. Other tracks set to appear on the CD include "Crucifix", "Abyss of Twilight", "Frozen Hearts" and "Disciples". An early 2006 release is expected.

ALTARIA, who recently announced the addition of guitarist J-P Alanen to the group's ranks, released their sophomore album, "Divinity", in May 2004 through AOR Heaven sub-label Metal Heaven Records. "Divinity" was mixed at Tico Tico Studio (SONATA ARCTICA, SENTENCED, FOR MY PAIN…) and was initially made available as a limited-edition digipack, featuring one bonus track — a cover version of ACCEPT's classic "Balls To The Wall" (including a guest appearance by ex-LION'S SHARE singer Andy Engberg).

German power metallers SYMPHORCE, featuring BRAINSTORM frontman Andy B. Franck, have issued the following update:

"Right after an amazing tour, Sascha [Sauer, drums] suddenly decided to leave after more than four years in the band. His decision was based on personal reasons. But since we have to take things as they come, we're proud to announce two guest drummers for the shows that are already booked and confirmed! We will be helped out by Andy Flache (who is well known as one of our chief roadies from hell) and Steffen Theurer (ex-CHINCHILLA, WOODPECKERS). We hope to get everything fixed in time and hope Sascha will find his way. We're looking forward to even more amazing shows and are ready to rock da house!"

SYMPHORCE's latest album, "GodSpeed", was released in September via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Twice Second" was recorded at House of Music studios in Winterach, Germany and features 10 tracks. A limited-edition version of the album includes a bonus DVD of approximately 45 minutes of "live and backstage" footage and the video clip for "Cause of Laughter". The cover artwork was designed by Travis Smith (ICED EARTH, NEVERMORE).

BATTERED, the new Norwegian band featuring former EINHERJER members Frode Glesnes (a.k.a. Grimar, vocals/guitar), Aksel Herløe (guitar) and Gerhard Storesund (a.k.a. Vivar, drums), have signed a deal with the Norwegian label Tabu Recordings. The group's debut album, which was recorded at Sifa Lydstudio this past summer, will be mixed next month and is set for release in Europe in February 2006. A U.S. release date will be announced later.

BATTERED's current lineup is rounded out by bassist Ole Moldesæther and vocalist Sigurd Olaisen (HEADBLOCK).

Tentative track listing for BATTERED's debut album (in no particular order):

01. Oblivion Awaits
02. New Lament
03. Industrial Killing
04. The Flagellant
05. Not One
06. Perfect Illusion
07. The Dig
08. Demagog
09. Parasight
10. Derelict

Often cited as the leading "viking metal" act, Haugesund-based EINHERJER released several albums and EPs (1994's "Aurora Borealis" EP, 1995's "Leve Vikingånden", 1996's "Dragons of the North", 1997's "Far Far North" EP, 1998's "Odin Owns Ye All", 2000's "Norwegian Native Art" and 2003's "Blot") before folding in May of 2004.

ContactMusic.com is reporting that Finnish goth-metal band H.I.M. prefer to indulge in group masturbation sessions rather than succumb to the allure of groupies, because they are scared of bedding a transsexual by mistake.

Frontman Ville Valo claims that joint viewing of pornographic channels on hotel televisions keeps their sexual desires at bay, and avoids any band members getting into embarrassing situations.

Valo says, "There's always temptation, but it's not hard to resist. In H.I.M. we synchronise our watches by having collective masturbation sessions. It keeps the urges down. Thank God for hotel porn. Why would I want to pick up a girl from the front row and go straight at it? Especially nowadays, you can never be sure — there's so many 'shemales' around. Plus, I'm not so fast that I could do it in one night."

On Monday, October 24, TANKARD's long-awaited very first double DVD, "Fat, Ugly And Still (A)Live", was officially released. The set contains a full live show that was recorded at the band's favorite location, the Batschkapp club in Frankfurt, and more than two hours of bonus material, including the following:

* All four of the band's promotional video clips
* Interviews
* Photo gallery
* Concert outtakes

TANKARD's most recent album, "Beast of Bourbon", was released in March 2004 through AFM Records. The follow-up to 2002's "B-Day" was recorded at Stage One studio in Bühne, Germany with producer Andy Classen and featured cover artwork by Sebastian Krüger, who had previously worked for the magazine Spiegel.

Former NIGHTWISH frontwoman Tarja Turunen has released the following statement to the media:

"Since last Sunday morning, I have been asked to express my position by magazines, newspapers, radio and TV stations, fan clubs and fans from Finland and from all over the world. So many in total that it is physically impossible for me to find the time to reply to them all individually. Hence I decided to put down a couple of words in this text to let my fans, family and friends and the public know how I feel after the recent events.

"This is a moment of grief and pain and I find it very hard to speak.

"At the moment I am in Argentina. I hope you can understand that after this shocking life change comparable to a divorce, I didn't want to stay alone at home in Finland. My husband had booked his tickets to Argentina many months ago and I decided to travel with him at the last minute. But the fact that I am in Argentina and the long distance should of course not be an excuse not to comment on the situation.

"Last Friday 21st of October was a day the whole band had been waiting for a long time. Practice started early in the morning. I was very sick and nervous because of the fact that I was not even able to sing during the rehearsals. Also nervous because the concert programme was going to be longer than usual for a NIGHTWISH concert. Furthermore we were going to have a special guest to perform with us, more wardrobe changes for myself than usual and for the first time big screens and bigger production on stage. Not to forget that the concert was going to be recorded and filmed. The five of us had finally made it to play Hartwall Arena.

"Even though every one of us knew in advance that the concert was sold out, finally on stage, we saw that screaming, applauding and standing people took every seat. The feeling was unbelievable. I will never forget how amazing it was to experience the Finnish audience's gorgeous reception.

"When the concert was over, I cried of happiness on stage. Happy tears because I was able to do my best as always even though I was sick. Happy tears because our long tour got the greatest possible ending and happy tears because of the best recognition an artist can get: applause and smiling faces. At that moment I didn't know that I was going to cry again soon.

"After the concert, the guys of the band invited me backstage to join them and asked me to hug altogether. This felt strange as it was the same kind of hug we traditionally came together for before every concert. That tradition remained between us, even though the tension and increasing pressure already existed since a long period of time.

"The immediate feeling in me was to thank them, which I did loudly but without any reply.

"After this, they gave me a letter and asked me to read it the following day. The same letter that is now public.

"I read it and was shocked. I didn't know what to say and still at the moment that I am writing these lines, I don't.

"I sense great anger in that letter and I continue to have very confused feelings about it, but I don't want to reply to this anger with an even greater anger. Private matters should never be taken to the public.

"I know this moment we are going through is very sad for everybody, including the guys.

"While there would have been so many different possibilities and ways to express what they wanted to tell me with the letter, I remain unable to understand the way they chose to handle this. I am sorry that the guys got me so wrong. I don't recognize myself at all from the way they described me.

"They mentioned mean things about me, but the fact that they involved Marcelo, my husband, crossed the line. He is the man I love, my friend and has been my biggest support over the last years.

"We have been band mates for 9 years, experienced good times and not so good ones. I thought I knew them, but I was wrong.

"Still everything that has happened is not enough to make them evil in my eyes.

"Now comes a time to calm down and reflect upon all of this.

"I need to put my feelings together again and I promise to come back to public soon.
I will announce a press conference where I will be talking about my future plans. This doesn't mean that you should expect this conference to be an instrument to attack anybody. It won't.

"The wonderful music we created together won't be touched by recent events.

"Thanks a lot to all the people who are supporting me during these sad times. My family, friends, colleagues, and the great number of fans. I love you and I really feel I have not failed you."

Long-running Floridian death metallers MALEVOLENT CREATION have reportedly parted ways with guitarist Rob Barret and bassist Gordon Simms. Replacing them in the group's latest incarnation are returning members John Rubin (guitar) and Jason Blachowicz (bass, also in DIVINE EMPIRE).

MALEVOLENT CREATION are currently writing the music for their tenth studio album, to be released sometime in the spring/summer of 2006. The band's latest album, "Warkult", was released in July 2004 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Liquid Ghost Recording Studio in Boca Raton, Florida by Phil Plaskon and mixed at Studio Wild in Quebec by producer Jean-Francois Degenais (KATAKLYSM). Mastering duties were handled by Bernard Belley in Montreal. A live album, "Conquering South America", was issued last year via Arctic.

The organizers of the Hammerslag Festival — a black/death metal festival set to take place on the longest night of the year, on December 17, 2005, at an old church in Tønsberg, Norway — have expanded this year's event to two days. Set to perform on December 16 are MINDGRINDER and SHE SAID DESTROY, with more acts soon to be announced. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

TSJUDER
MYRKSKOG
SVARTAHRID
GRAND ALCHEMIST
FRAMFERD
DRAUGSTAFUR
MINDGRINDER
SHE SAID DESTROY

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio has revealed during an interview with BBC Radio 2's "Masters of Rock" program that he will once again be collaborating with BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi.

"At this particular point — if all doesn't fall through, and I doubt that it will — Tony Iommi and I are going to write a couple of tracks together for a project that I think is called 'Black Sabbath – The Dio Years'," Dio said. "So that'll be two unreleased tracks which I'm sure will be interesting to old SABBATH fans, and maybe [even] the new SABBATH fans."

Dio recorded a total of three studio albums with BLACK SABBATH — 1980's "Heaven and Hell", 1981's "Mob Rules" and 1992's "Dehumanizer" — in addition to appearing on the classic live album "Live Evil" in 1983.

Dio is currently touring Europe with his solo band, which currently includes guitarist Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE) filling in for an injured Craig Goldy. Check out pictures from the group's headlining show Saturday night (Oct. 22) at the Astoria in London, England: Wire Image.

In the wake of the sacking of the group's lead singer, Tarja Turunen, in the form of an "open letter" posted on the band's web site, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen told the Finnish news agency STT on Monday (Oct. 24) that he and he alone owns the rights to the group's name.

The four male musicians of the band manage their business affairs through Scene Nation, a company founded in December 2003. The NIGHTWISH shop, part of Scene Nation, sells the records, videos, T-shirts and other merchandise to fans of the band.

"Tarja [Turunen] takes care of her business through the company of her husband," Holopainen told STT. Turunen's husband, Marcelo Cabuli, acts as his wife's manager.

Scene Nation had sales of 2.26 million euros (approx. $2.7 million) between October 2003 and the end of 2004. Profit had reached 1.4 million euros (approx. $1.67 million). The company has accrued debt of 580,000 euros (approx. $693,000).

Norway's GREEN CARNATION have decided to dedicate 2006 to promoting their new albums by playing more live gigs, which is good news for the fans.

"We haven't been the most active live-band of all times, and we see the need for ourselves to hit the road on a more regular basis," said singer Kjetil Nordhus. "Thinking back, it's a shame that we haven't had a full European tour to promote 'The Quiet Offspring' after the fantastic reception the record has had in the press and by our fans, and we are looking to do this in 2006."

GREEN CARNATION will spend much of next year promoting their new album, "The Accoustic Verses", which is scheduled for release in Europe in mid-January.

"I think the band is made for playing live, and we'd like to catch up with what we should have done in the past," Nordhus added. "And after releasing both 'The Acoustic Verses' and the EP, 'The Burden is Mine...Alone', we certainly have enough new or almost new material to present to the audience."

Kjetil Nordhus does not rule out a possible acoustic tour, but sees the combination of acoustic and non-acoustic parts within one live set as a more likely scenario.

Ex-NIGHTWISH frontwoman Tarja Turunen has commented on her former bandmates' decision to fire her following the final show of their "Once" world tour, which took place on Friday, October 21 in Helsinki, Finland.

Writing to the fan site Tarja Turunen Fan , Tarja said, "I don't have words to express my feelings at the moment. I am devastated. This thing happened in a way that I didn't have a slight chance to give my opinion about it. I got fired out of a band that represents the last nine years of my life and I am very sad about it. It has been very cruel the way the band handled this in public. This doesn't change the fact that we were doing amazing music together, but I will never forget the fact that they didn't give me the chance to say goodbye for the people as a NIGHTWISH singer.

"I love you and I really hope to see you soon in my concerts. Thank you very much for your kind words and support. I will never forget you."

NIGHTWISH recorded the final show of the "Once" world tour for an upcoming live release, appropriately titled "End of an Era". A NIGHTWISH book, which promises to reveal in greater detail the circumstances behind Tarja's departure, is scheduled to be published in May.

Following DEICIDE's current European tour, the band are looking forward to putting some newly written material onto record. "The new material is the heaviest shit we've ever written." said bassist/vocalist Glen Benton in a press release. "This is sure to be heaviest record since [1992's] 'Legion'."

Along with an upcoming recording session, the band have tentative plans to tour South America come January and February.

Some new blood has entered DEICIDE in the form of Jack Owen (ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Ralph Santolla (ex-ICED EARTH, DEATH). Glen Benton says that he is looking forward to continuing with the new lineup. "Everyone is getting along great. I'm excited to get out there and play again without any hassles," stated Benton.

DEICIDE — who last year parted ways with guitarists and founding members, Eric and Brian Hoffman — are touring in support of their latest release, 2004's "Scars of the Crucifix".

NIGHTWISH recorded "End Of An Era" -live release yesterday evening in Hartwall-Arena, Helsinki. As you can imagine, the atmosphere in the Arena was wild but also quite blue. This was the ending for a one and a half year lasting "Once" -World Tour. Nightwish wishes to thank everybody for an unbelievable tour.

Unfortunately the title "End Of An Era" also holds a deeper meaning. The open letter, which was given to Tarja after the show, tells it all.

Dear Tarja,

It`s time to choose whether the story of Nightwish ends
here or whether it will still continue an undetermined period of time. We`ve been working with this creation for 9 years and we are not ready to give up yet. Nightwish is a way of life, something to live for, and we`re certain we can`t let it go.

Equally certain is the fact that we cannot go on with you and Marcelo any longer. During the last year something sad happened, which I`ve been going over in my head every single day, morning and night. Your attitude and behavior don`t go with Nightwish anymore. There are characteristics I would never have believed to see in my old dear friend.
People who don`t talk with each other for a year do not belong in the same band.

We are involved in an industry where the business-side of things is a necessary evil and something to worry about all the time. We are also a band which has always done music from the heart, because of friendship and the music itself. The mental satisfaction should always be more important than money! Nightwish is a band, it`s an emotion.
To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with those emotions have become much more important. You feel that you have sacrificed yourself and your musical career for Nightwish, rather than thinking what it has given to you.
This attitude was clearly shown to me in the two things you said to me in an airplane in Toronto: ”I don`t need Nightwish anymore.” and ”Remember, Tuomas, that I could leave this band at any time, giving you only one day`s warning in advance”.
I can`t simply write any more songs for you to sing.

You have said yourself that you are merely a ”guest musician” in Nightwish. Now that visit ends and we will continue Nightwish with a new female vocalist.
We`re sure this is an equally big relief to you as it is for us. We have all been feeling bad long enough.

You told us that no matter what, the next Nightwish album will be your last one. However, the rest of us want to continue as long as the fire burns. So there`s no sense in doing that next album with you, either.
The four of us have been going over this situation countless times and we have realized that this is the thing we want to do in life. It´s all we can do. In December 2004, in Germany, you said that you will never tour again for more than two weeks at a time. You also said that we can forget about U.S. and Australia because the fees and the sizes of venues are too small.

In interviews I`ve mentioned that if Tarja leaves, that would be the end of the band. I understand that people will think this way. Nightwish is, however, a scenery of my soul and I`m not ready to let go because of one person. A person who wants to focus her creativity to somewhere else, a person whose values don`t match mine.

We were never bothered by the fact that you didn`t participate in writing/arranging songs, you never in 9 years came to rehearse the songs with us before going to the studio. Not the fact that while on tour you always wanted to fly, separately from us with your husband. Not the fact that you are an undisputable front image of the band.
We accepted and felt ok about everything except greed, underestimating the fans, and breaking promises. It was agreed by the five of us that Nightwish would be the priority in everything that we do during 2004-2005. Still so many things were more important to you. The ultimate example being the already sold-out show in Oslo, which you wanted to cancel because you needed to rehearse for your solo concerts, meet frieds and go to the movies. Those were the words Marcelo used in an e-mail explaining the cancellation. This being just one example of so many. I couldn`t think of a worse way of being selfish and dismissing our fans.

Nightwish is a way of life and a job with many obligations. To each other and to the fans. With you we can`t take care of those duties anymore.

Deep within we don`t know which one of you drove us to this point. Somehow Marcelo has changed you from the lovely girl you were into a diva, who doesn`t think or act the way she used to. You are too sure of your irreplaceableness and status.

It`s obvious that you blame your stress and misery on us four. And you think we don`t respect or listen to you. Belive us; We have always had the uppermost respect towards you as a wonderful vocalist and as a friend. And very often during the past couple of years the plans were made according to your decisions only. You were always the only one who wanted more money from the shows.
This ”compensation and more money from everything” –attitude is the fact that we are most disappointed of!

We wish that from now on you will listen to your heart instead of Marcelo. Cultural differences combined with greed, opportunism and love is a dangerous combination. Do not wither yourself.

This decision is not something we are especially proud of but you gave us no choice. The gap between us is too wide. And the decision is made by us four unanimously. We are beyond the point where things could be settled by talking.

All the best for your life and career, Tuomas, Emppu Jukka Marco.

Ps. This is an open letter for everybody."