ContactMusic.com is reporting that CRADLE OF FILTH will celebrate Halloween this year by releasing a book which tells a fictional tale about the band's supernatural adventures.

The currently untitled novel, written by music journalist Gavin Baddeley, includes popular myths about the group and each chapter is loosely based around one of the metal outfit's nine albums.

Frontman Dani Filth says, "It's going to be a coffee table book, the sort of thing you can just flick through.

"Gavin's really well-versed in the occult and black metal and everything. I've read the first part and it's excellent.

"The opening's about the rise of the evil British Empire. It references why Hollywood always places a quintessential English gentleman in the role of the bad guy — people like Alan Rickman."

The germal heavy metal band, Symphorce, has revealed the tracklist for the new album named "Godspeed" as well the artwork cover:

SYMPHORCE “GodSpeed”
01. FORSIGHT
02. EVERLASTING LIFE
03. NO SHELTER
04. NOWHERE
05. HAUNTING
06. BLACK WATER
07. WOUNDS WILL LAST WITHIN
08. YOUR COLD EMBRACE
09. WITHOUT A TRACE
10. THE MIRRORED ROOM
11. CRAWLING WALLS FOR YOU

Album cover can be viewed here
"GodSpeed" will be released as a special limited first edition including a bonus DVD with lots of live and backstage footage plus the video clip for "Cause of Laughter" (running time: 45 min. approx.)."GodSpeed" will hit the stores on September, 5th 2005!

A DISTURBED media player, featuring the group's new single, "Stricken", can be accessed at this location.

"Stricken" is scheduled to go for radio adds around July 25. The song is the first single off the group's upcoming third album, "Ten Thousand Fists", due on September 20 via Reprise. The album features the debut of new bassist John Moyer (ex-THE UNION UNDERGROUND).

As previously reported, Todd McFarlane will be creating the album cover for "Ten Thousand Fists". Aside from creating the wildly popular comic book character Spawn, McFarlane also designed the album cover for KORN 's "Follow the Leader" as well as the video for "Freak on a Leash" and PEARL JAM 's "Do the Evolution".

DISTURBED recently made a song called "Guarded" from their upcoming third album available online at both the iTunes store and myspace.com/disturbedofficial. DISTURBED frontman David Draiman told Launch that "Guarded" was released to give fans a taste of the band's new effort. "'Guarded' was put out there to just whet everybody's appetite. It's one of the more aggressive tracks on the record, just to remind everybody where we came from and who we are. Kind of give back to the core a little bit. It's a song that reflects what choosing this life forces certain people to do in a certain way — you have to remain guarded on a certain level."

The album's title track has been tapped to appear in the next NFL Madden video game.

DISTURBED will begin a six-week North American tour with ILL NINO and 10 YEARS in early August. The band will also headline the Jagermeister Music Tour in November, followed by the Music As A Weapon III trek in 2006.

DISTURBED 's debut album, "The Sickness" (2000) has sold 3.4 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Sweden's KATATONIA are currently Fascination Street studio, located in the outskirts of Örebro, Sweden, recording their new album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Peaceville Records. The band have posted the following recording update on their official web site:

"Mattias [Norrman, bass] is busy laying down the low frequency grooves and will wrap it up in a day or two. The shit sounds fukkin thunderous! Vocals and clean/lead guitars is next."

Check out pictures from the recording sessions at this location.

KATATONIA's last album, "Viva Emptiness", was released in 2003.

As previously reported, The End Records recently licensed through their sub-label Infinite Vinyl series KATATONIA's "Saw You Drown" — a mini album from 1998 that collectors regard as maybe the rarest and most-wanted item in KATATONIA's discography. The vinyl version is limited to 1,000 copies, all hand-numbered. It also features an unreleased band photo, lyrics to all songs, plus personal liner notes from the band.

Scene charity project Bruderschaft, the brainchild of New York City-based DJ Rexx Arkana, are hard at work on "Return", the follow up to the band's chart-topping debut, "Forever". This second incarnation of this collaborative artist collective features the programming talents of returning contributor Sebastian Komor (Icon of Coil/Moonitor), newcomer Johann Sebastian (State of the Union) as composer, new vocalist Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) and lyricist Rexx Arkana (FGFC820). "Return" is currently in the production stage, with lead vocals already recorded while two other new original tracks featuring music written by Arkana and "Forever" remixer/FGFC820 member Dräcos and vocalists yet to be announced will also be included on the new EP. To be released on Alfa Matrix ( www.alfa-matrix.com ) in Europe just like "Forever", no releasedate has been set yet. In the forum of www.alfa-matrix.com you can already add your favourite remixer(s) for the project! For people wanting to get the first release at reduction price, be sure to check out the label's sales section where you will find a huge selection at discount price, and this for a limited time only.

SOULFLY fan site SoulflyWeb.com has posted the following update regarding the upcoming SOULFLY CD, "Dark Ages", due on October 4 via Roadrunner Records:

"Billy Milano of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH [S.O.D.], who appears on 'Molotov', originally had a conflicting schedule with SOULFLY, and because the band could not wait for him, Max [Cavalera, SOULFLY mainman] called Billy and his piece was recorded via cellular phone. Also appearing on the album will be various noise and ambience that was recorded by Max using a mini-disc recorder on the streets of Turkey. And finally, 'Riot Starter', the tenth track on 'Dark Ages', was apparently originally written and recorded for SOULFLY's debut release in 1997 but wasn't used and was re-recorded for this release. It has also been made known that SOULFLY's first single and video will be for 'Frontlines', a track they began debuting live nearly half a year ago. Portions of the video were filmed during the rehearsal for the band's July 13th gig in Warsaw, Poland, and it is expected that they will continue filming in Serbia with a Serbian director later this week."

In other news, EYESBURN vocalist Kojot, who recorded guest vocals for the song "Moses" on SOULFLY's last CD, 2004's "Prophecy", will be appearing on the track entitled "Inner Spirit".

"Dark Ages" (view cover here) was produced by SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera and was mixed by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA and DEFTONES, among others.

Black flames records are about to release the debut album "Common ground" from Severe Illusion's side project Instans. On this album you will find 14 tracks of hard and monoton, sometimes danceable, always distorted beats. The album is expected to hit the stores in September. For more info be sure to visit www.instans.tk where updates will be posted. In related news, the band's other side-project, the dark ambient project Knös, is about to release a 2CD album called "Vägen till Natanz" on the newly founded Plutonium Distribution sublabel Modul3c. It contains 18 tracks recorded between 2002 and 2005 and comes in a DVD box. Info and sound clips can be found at www.plutonium-distro.com that will also release the band's third side-project Vanvård. The album "Liv i vårdens slutskede" is due for release on september 11th.

Yorkshire, England-based doom/death metallers THE PROPHECY have announced the addition of bassist Gavin Parkingson (TEFRA) to the group's ranks."All being well, he will be joining us for live performances in the near future," the band write on their web site. "Gavin will be continuing to play for his other band TEFRA. In the meantime, THE PROPHECY are still looking for a rhythm guitarist to complete the band lineup in preparation for a rigorous touring schedule in 2005. Applicants can e-mail theprophecy@{nospam}.tesco.net or PM the prophet or Matt Lawson on the doom-metal.com forum. Alternatively you can call 07929393621 to arrange an audition."

THE PROPHECY's video for "Killing Fields", which was shot in 2004 by Hamish Glencross of MY DYING BRIDE, is available to buy on the "Pure Blood" DVD which contains 10 videos by top British bands organized by the Bloodstock Festival.

A live recording of a new ARCTURUS track, entitled "Demon Painter", has been posted online at
this location (8.5 MB).

"Demon Painter" is expected to appear on the band's upcoming album, "Sideshow Symphonies" tentatively due in September via Season Of Mist.

ARCTURUS, whose current lineup includes DIMMU BORGIR bassist Simen Hestnaes (a.k.a. ICS Vortex, ex-BORKNAGAR, LAMENTED SOULS) on lead vocals, are planning to film a live DVD at their September 24, 2005 concert at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway.

Hestnaes' first appearance back with ARCTURUS took place at the Inferno Festival kick-off event at the Underworld in London on January 27.

Hestnaes had previously performed vocals on three tracks and written the lyrics for one song on ARCTURUS' 1997 album, "La Masquerade Infernale".

ARCTURUS announced in January that vocalist Øyvind Hægeland (SPIRAL ARCHITECT) had left the group. No reason was given for his departure.

A brand-new FEAR FACTORY e-card, featuring previews of the new FEAR FACTORY tracks "540,000 Degrees Fahreheit" and "Supernova", has been made available at
this location.

As previously reported, FEAR FACTORY's new album, "Transgression", will be made available in Europe as a limited-edition pack with a bonus DVD. The DVD is expected to include studio/rehearsal footage, three music videos ("Moment of Impact", "Transgression" and "Spinal Compression") and the whole album audio in digital sound.

"Transgression" is scheduled for release on August 23 (one day earlier internationally) via Calvin Records, an imprint of Liquid 8 Records.

FEAR FACTORY entered Track Record Studios in North Hollywood, California on May 5 with producer Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, SOULFLY) to begin recording the follow-up to last year's "Archetype". In addition to Wright, there is a list of guest musicians collaborating on "Transgression", including bass player Billy Gould of FAITH NO MORE fame. Billy contributes to two songs: "Echo of My Scream" and "Supernova". Also included on "Transgression" is "New Promise", which was co-written with Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD.

Swedish/German metallers ARCH ENEMY have posted the following message on their official web site:

"It's been a bad day today — in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 19) as the band were heading back to New Jersey from a successful off-day show in Burlington, VT, the bus broke down with transmission trouble. This had to get fixed properly which took some hours. Meantime, all efforts to get the band to the site on time to play their 2nd stage slot failed as there was just no way the distance could be covered in time, not even by plane.

"At the time of writing this the band are heading to the site to try and complete their signing and promotion commitments and hopefully they will at least be able to meet some of the fans who missed seeing them play today.

"Sincere apologies to all the fans at Camden, NJ who turned up today hoping to see ARCH ENEMY."

ARCH ENEMY's new album, "Doomsday Machine", is scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 26 (August 22 in Europe) via Century Media Records. Check out the cover artwork by acclaimed artist Joachim Luetke (DIMMU BORGIR, DESTRUCTION) at this location.

"Doomsday Machine" was co-produced by the band and Rickard Bengtsson at Slaughterhouse Studio in Sweden and was mixed by Andy Sneap at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, U.K.

German epic metallers BLIND GUARDIAN have announced a replacement for drummer Thomen Stauch, who left the band in April after 20 years.

The new man behind the kit is fellow German Frederik Ehmke, who is said to be "fairly unknown in the world of metal." A photo of the group's new lineup can be found at this location.

The band have released the following statement regarding Ehmke's addition to the group: "The seemingly endless time of waiting for a new drummer and speculations who could possibly be the new one has finally come to an end. We have found what we have been searching for…

"A few weeks ago an unknown guy who introduced himself as Frederik Ehmke applied for the job as a drummer in a fairly firm manner. His vital, expressive and skillful performances of some BLIND GUARDIAN classics ('Journey Through The Dark', 'Time Stands Still' and 'And Then There Was Silence') blew us away completely. Pretending not to be convinced, we invited him to do a shootout recording session under real production terms to check out if the creative chemistry would also work out fine. After finishing these recordings it was obvious to us: Frederik is going to be our new drummer!

"It was essential for us to find a musician, who on one side would be able to integrate old GUARDIAN trademarks in his playing, but on the other side would also be confident enough to bring in his own vision of the BLIND GUARDIAN drums in a tasteful and, for the music, suitable way. Frederik is a calm and handsome fellow, who's aware of his abilities and who also knows what he wants. For us he is the lucky draw.

"We are convinced you will be as impressed by his drum performance as we are. Now we are looking forward to starting the next album production. There is a good amount of work ahead of us but we are absolutely ready to go. You can expect a very interesting album with strong songs. We will keep you informed."

The production of BLIND GUARDIAN's debut album for Nuclear Blast Records will start soon with the help of producer Charlie Bauerfeind. No album title has been set as of yet, but it looks like the CD will contain a total of ten songs. Working songtitles include "Carry The Blessed Home", "The Edge", "In Search For The Lionheart", "Market Square", "Another Stranger Me", and "Otherland". The release of the first single is planned for February 2006, with the album to follow in April. A European tour will kick off in September 2006.

CELTIC FROST frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer has posted the following message on his official blog:

"As we approach the final, very intense stretch on the path to completion of this album, there are the CELTIC FROST-typical numerous and very vocal ponderings which center around assessments of music and progress, procedure, ideology, song selection, and so on. In many ways, this is as typical and important to the existence of this group as the music itself. And it is crucial in maintaining a fundamental bond to our history.

As we finalize the infrastructure around the album with regard to a variety of industry partners, our management requested that we provide further production demos to facilitate final negotiations and showcase what this project will sound like. But before sending the 20-plus CDs to Berlin, we took time out last night to consecrate every single copy by physically putting them in contact with the original cover of HELLHAMMER's 'Triumph of Death' demo, which Martin [Ain, bass] preserves at our rehearsal studio.

"For this is no less momentous to us all than the release of that demo was almost exactly 22 years ago."

CELTIC FROST have selected HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman Peter Tägtgren to co-produce their long-awaited comeback effort, tentatively titled "Dark Matter Manifest". The band willl enter Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany on August 1 to begin recording their first collection of new material since 1990's "Vanity/Nemesis". Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Obscured", "Incantation against You", "Ain Elohim" and "Temple of Depression".

CELTIC FROST, who have been mixing new demo material at Oakland Recording in Winterthur, Switzerland, have yet to secure a record deal for their upcoming CD.

HATEFRAME, the new Finnish thrash metal band featuring drummer Tonmi Lillman (ex-TO/DIE/FOR, SINERGY), guitarist Joonas Koto (MALPRACTICE, ex-TO/DIE/FOR) and bassist Make Kanki (ex-TO/DIE/FOR), will enter the studio in August to begin recording their sophomore album, tentatively due in early 2006 via Rising Realm Records.

HATEFRAME's debut album, "Sign of Demise", was issued in March. The group, whose sound is being described as "old-school thrash" in the vein of SLAYER, KREATOR and THE HAUNTED, have posted several audio samples from the CD at this location.

CHIMAIRA are looking for 100 fans to take part in the filming of their new music video, scheduled for this Thursday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. in Los Angeles.

To attend the video shoot, send your name, e-mail info, and phone number to the following e-mail address: chimairavideo@yahoo.com. A Roadrunner Records representative will immediately respond with the location address and other instructions.

A CHIMAIRA e-card, containing three tracks from the group's upcoming self-titled effort ("Nothing Remains", "Save Ourselves" and "Inside the Horror") can be accessed at this location.

The follow-up to 2003's "The Impossibility of Reason", "Chimaira" was recorded at Spider Studios in Ohio with producer Ben Schigel, who has described the new material as having "more of an epic kind of vibe. The songs are a lot longer, but we found a way to make them long without being boring. Now that it's coming together, it sounds way more brutal." Mixing duties were handled by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY, NAPALM DEATH). An August 9 release via Roadrunner Records is expected.

CHIMAIRA will be teaming up with SIX FEET UNDER, ALL THAT REMAINS and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD for a U.S. tour following the Sounds of the Underground trek. The tour will run from August through September and will be hitting a lot of areas CHIMAIRA have not played in a while or at all.

TERROR 2000, the Swedish thrash metal band featuring Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK), Klas Ideberg (DARKANE), Nick Sword (EL MAGO), Erik Thyselius (CONSTRUCDEAD) and Dan Svensson (HATELIGHT), have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Terror for Sale", tentatively due in October via Scarlet Records.

Commented Strid: "We decided to take thrash metal to where it never has been before and have no boundaries of what a thrash metal album should or shouldn't contain. So, it's all in there folks: This album is gonna be the most hilarious, intense, brainless, aggressive, silly, fast, immature and nerve-racking album you ever heard! An example: a thrash metal blues in 285 bpm called 'Bloody Blues Blaster'... Stay tuned."

"Terror for Sale" trakc listing:

01. Five Star Prison
02. Metal Mosh Massacre
03. Cheap Thrills
04. King Kong Song
05. Wrath of the Cookie Monster
06. Satans Barbecue
07. Flesh Fever Fiesta
08. Liquor Saved Me from Sports
09. Fed Up Anthem
10. Mummy Metal for the Masses
11. Stattena T(h)rash
12. Bloody Blues Blaster

TERROR 2000 released their first-ever live album, entitled "Slaughter In Japan - Live 2003", in December 2003. The 10-song CD was recorded during the band's first-ever Japanese tour in support of DESTRUCTION. The tour, dubbed "Thrash Disaster", consisted of two shows at Shibuya Club Quattro in Tokyo. The band's latest studio album, "Faster Disaster", was issued in 2002.

In a recent interview, STRATOVARIUS vocalist Timo Kotipelto defended the band's decision to tone down their trademark high speed, high-end vocal sound on their forthcoming album, simply titled Stratovarius.

“To be honest, the feedback is more postive than I expected it to be," says Kotipelto. "We’ve heard only good things about this album. But, I’m prepared for people not to like it because it’s different. It was a good thing for me especially that Timo (Tolkki/guitars) composed these songs, because if he would have suggested in December doing songs that were the same shit like on Elements Part 1 and 2 I would have told him ‘Fuck you, I don’t need this.’ I wanted to do something different.”

"Some fans are going to be pissed off, sure,” he concedes, “but we’ve done this power epic whatever-you-want-to-call-it metal for 10 albums and we’ve taken it as far as we can. There was no way. The next thing would have been Elements Part 3 with a 1,000 piece orchestra, extremely fast songs and dog-whistle vocals, so what would be the point of that? We’re not 20 year old kids anymore, so we don’t have to prove anything.”

The new album comes in the wake of a year long feud between Kotipelto and Tolkki following the singer's dismissal in 2003. Differences were patched up following Tolkki being diagnosed as a manic depressive. Watch for the full story in BW&BK.

The brand new Skylark album, 'Fairytales', is finally ready and scheduled for October 2005 under the same labels as 'Wings' and the compilation 'In The Heart Of The Princess': Scarlet Records in Europe/America and Soundholic in Japan. According to Eddy's presentation, this CD is composed by two different sections: one which reminds us the powerful rhythm and sounds of 'Gate Of Hell', especially showing the heaviest guitars never played before, and one connected to the complex orchestral metal of "Dragon's Secrets" whose core is the long suite (more than 18 minutes) 'Little Red Riding Hood'. The band is very proud of this record, conceived, as usual, on the most natural feelings coming straight from the heart.

EDGUY's upcoming EP "Superheroes" due on September 5 will feature a special guest appearance by former HELLOWEEN frontman Michael Kiske.

Commented EDGUY singer Tobias Sammet: "One of the tracks is a bombastic uptempo epic that's reminiscent of a mixture of heavy QUEEN, RICHARD WAGNER and AVANTASIA. So it was a MUST to ask Michael Kiske to do some guest vocals.To me, music is about goose bumps, and I had a lot when listening to Michi! To make it fair, we have decided that the CD shall be out in stores for the price of a CD single only! So make sure you persuade your friends that they buy it and don't copy it, maybe quality and value for money could be a promising kind of 'copy-protection!'"

The "Superheroes" DVD — also due on September 5 — will contain the brand new video clip 'Superheroes', a couple of songs filmed live in Brazil, plenty of "behind-the-scenes" footage, a slide show, an extensive studio report with interviews and a chance to follow EDGUY backstage. "Our fans will love the fun part of it and I'm sure to them it's a classic," states Sammet. "And I am sure EDGUY haters will hate us even more and will think we are a bunch of wanna-be-funny-gay-idiots."

The DVD will have a running time of approximately 80 minutes and will be available for the price of a DVD-single as well.

THE GATHERING and Century Media are opening their archives to present a luxurious double CD set full of rare and unreleased material. "Accessories - Rarities And B-Sides" will be released in Europe on August 22, 2005. CD1 offers "the b-sides" from all of their out-of-print CD-singles, including rarities like "Adrenaline" and "Theme From The Cyclist", as well as cover versions from TALK TALK, DEAD CAN DANCE and SLOWDIVE. CD 2 is full of unreleased demo recordings.

At the end of 1996, THE GATHERING recorded demos for their "Nighttime Birds" album with German rocker Eroc (GROBSCHNITT, etc.). For the first time ever, you can hear all of the alternate versions as well as two instrumentals that were not used on "Nighttime Birds".

Commented drummer Hans Rutten: "We love the sound of this demo Eroc mixed — crystal clear and with a lot of dynamics. Eroc had some great, crazy ideas, a pity we didn't work together on the album."

Added Eroc: "Quite often demos and pre-productions end up having a lot more of that 'special something' as compared with the corresponding final results — where endless weeks of trying to 'get things perfect' have a tendency to squeeze out every last drop of spontaneity from the music."

The other lost pearl from the band's archive are the so-called "Texel Tapes", with pre-production recordings for "How To Measure A Planet?", including great alternate versions. "Accessories - Rarities And B-Sides" also features detailed liner notes by the band, rare photos and a special packaging.

Starting as a raw, death metal-influenced band, and creating what later should be called gothic metal, THE GATHERING have been an extraordinary group since the early '90s. From their rough metal roots, to the atmospheric tunes "Mandylion" had to offer, to dreamy, profound songs on "Nighttime Birds" or "How To Measure A Planet?" to their latest adventures within the progressive/triprock field, the Dutch crew always remained true to themselves while building up a continuously increasing fan base.

"Accessories - Rarities And B-Sides" track listing:

CD One - The B-Sides:

01. In Motion #1 (live)
Taken from "Strange Machines" CD-Single
02. Leaves (live)
Taken from "Strange Machines" CD-Single
03. Adrenaline
Taken from "Adrenaline/Leaves" CD-Single
04. Third Chance
Taken from "Adrenaline/Leaves" CD-Single
05. Strange Machines (live w/Orchestra)
Taken from "The May Song" CD-Single
06. In Power We Trust The Love Advocated (DEAD CAN DANCE cover version)
Taken from "Kevin's Telescope" CD-Single
07. When The Sun Hits (SLOWDIVE cover version)
Taken from "Adrenaline/Leaves" CD-Single
08. Confusion (demo/ Eroc session)
Taken from "Adrenaline/Leaves" CD-Single
09. Shrink
Taken from "Liberty Bell" CD-Single
10. Frail (live)
Taken from "Liberty Bell" CD-Single
11. Theme From "The Cyclist"
Taken from "Rollercoaster" CD-Single
12. Leaves (live w/Orchestra)
Taken from "Rollercoaster" CD-Single
13. Life Is What You Make It (Talk Talk cover version)
Taken from "Amity" CD-Single
14. Amity (live at Isabelle)
Taken from "Amity" CD-Single

CD Two - The Rarities:

01. New Moon, Different Day *
02. Kevin's Telescope (instrumental) *
03. Shrink *
04. The Earth Is My Witness *
05. Diamond Box (previously unreleased instrumental) *
06. Nighttime Birds *
07. On Most Surfaces *
08. Hjelmar's (previously unreleased instrumental) *
09. My Electricity **
10. Probably Built In The Fifties **
11. Illuminating **
12. Red Is A Slow Colour **
13. Travel **

* Demo session for "Nighttime Birds", recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Germany. Mixed by Eroc November 1996.
** Demo session for "How To Measure A Planet?", recorded at Texel, the Netherlands, February 1998.