HARMANIC das Cover Artwork zu ihrem Debüt Longplayer "Chronicles of Devastation", der am 1. Oktober 2011 via Terrasound Records erscheinen wird.

Sänger Prabhin Velankanny hat zum Cover folgenden Begleittext mitgeliefert:

"Wir haben uns überlegt, wie wir die Grundstimmung des Albums grafisch festhalten könnten. Es gibt in thematischer Hinsicht einen vagen, roten Faden, der durch den Albumtitel "Chronicles of Devastation" gut zusammengefasst wird. Genau wie unsere Texte zwar einen roten Faden bzw. eine konkrete Form haben, aber trotzdem viel Platz für Interpretation und Reflexion lassen, so sollte auch das Artwork sein. In erster Linie sieht man dieses epische, gewaltige Bild, dass ganz eindeutig eine bestimmte Szenerie zeigt und natürlich kann bereits das alleine einem gefallen oder zumindest ausreichen. Doch wenn sich jemand mit dem "Wieso?" beschäftigen möchte und genauer hinsieht, wenn jemand wirklich mehr Einblick haben möchte und sich mit den Texten, der grafischen Darstellung und der Musik beschäftigen will, dann soll diese Mühe nicht unbelohnt bleiben. Harmanic möchten auf so vielen Ebenen wie möglich unterhalten und berühren."

"Vitaly S. Alexius, ein Kanadier mit russischen Wurzeln, ist mir bereits vor mehreren Jahren auf deviantart.com aufgefallen. Wir haben bereits 2009, als wir unsere EP "Forsaken Soil" aufgenommen haben, zu ihm Kontakt geknüpft. Wir waren begeistert von seinen Artworks, seiner Vision und seinem Können. Er war genau der richtige für unser grafisches Konzept!"

"This was one of the most detailed and most complex paintings I've undertaken, spanning many hours in shooting references for the people within the hand and drawing them. It was a lot of fun working on this cover. I'd like to thank Chico, Meeshka, Azim and Cedez for helping me with this painting."
Vitaly S. Alexius - www.svitart.com

as französische Black Metal-Kollektiv von GLORIOR BELLI freut sich, die erste Single 'Secret Ride To Rebellion' ihres neuen Werkes The Great Southern Darkness vorstellen zu dürfen! Erscheinen wird die Scheibe in Europa am 23./26. September auf Metal Blade Records. So brutal klang diese Band noch nie!

Sänger Gitarrist Julien über den Song: "'Secret Ride To Rebellion' begins furiously with the right mix of blackened tremolos, catchy melodies and wicked words. Then slowly, the track reaches a frenzy point over the last minutes of dark incantations. Sorry pal, you've just been exposed to the black light and there's no return from there!"

Hört euch 'Secret Ride To Rebellion' auf der offiziellen Landing Page, auf welcher die Platte auch vorbestellt werden kann, an: http://www.metalblade.com/gloriorbelli/

The Great Southern Darkness besteht aus elf Songs, die die besten Elemente von GLORIOR BELLI auf verdrehte, mutige und einzigartige Weise wiedergeben: Äußerst gewalttätig und schnell, gleichzeitig aber auch dunkel und versumpft dank der gebotenen Americana/Stoner/Blues-Einflüsse, die die Band auszeichnen.

GLORIOR BELLI wurden im Dezember 2002 von den temperamentvollen Vorstädten von Paris ausgespuckt. Was als berüchtigtes Duo startete, wandelte sich bald in ein wütendes Biest, das jedem den Weg außerhalb des Einflussbereiches des Demiurgs zeigen sollte.

Die textlichen Inhalte wurden mit der Zeit immer tiefgründiger - mit einer verstärkten Neigung zum Rebellentum. Heute hat sich die Band durch ihre außergewöhnliche Mixtur aus Desert Rock und brutalen, bedrohlichen, doomigen Black Metal schon einen guten Ruf in der extremen Musikgemeinde erarbeiten können. Aber man sollte gar nicht erst versuchen, das einzugrenzen, was nicht erfasst werden will, denn dies ist der größte Fluch des kosmischen Schemas…

Tracklist The Great Southern Darkness
1. Dark Gnosis
2. Secret Ride To Rebellion
3. They Call Me Black Devil
4. Negative Incarnate
5. Bring Down The Cosmic Scheme
6. The Great Southern Darkness
7. The Foolhardy Venturer
8. Per Nox Regna
9. The Science Of Shifting
10. Chaos Manifested

According to The Sun Chronicle, former COHEED AND CAMBRIA bassist Michael Todd has been indicted by a Bristol County grand jury for allegedly robbing narcotics from a local pharmacy hours before a concert in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Todd, 30, faces charges of armed robbery and possession of narcotic painkillers related to the holdup a Walgreens in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

He faces arraignment Sept. 8 in Fall River Superior Court, Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, said Tuesday.

Todd was arrested for armed robbery on July 10 shortly before the band's performance at the Comcast Center as the support act for SOUNDGARDEN. Todd allegedly walked into the Walgreens and threatened to blow up the store with what was apparently a fake bomb unless he was given OxyContin. Todd made off with six bottles of the pain pill before police tracked the cab he escaped in. He was arrested outside Comcast Center and officially charged with armed robbery and unlawful possession of prescription narcotics.

Todd previously left COHEED AND CAMBRIA in 2006 in order to seek treatment for heroin addiction. After a stint in rehab, he returned to the group in 2007.

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA performed at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival on Saturday, August 6 in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. The concert, which was broadcast live on German TV station ZDFkultur, can now be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Intro / Arise
02. Refuse/Resist
03. Kairos
04. Just One Fix (MINISTRY cover)
05. Convicted In Life
06. Choke
07. What I Do!
08. Relentless
09. Troops Of Doom
10. Territory
11. Inner Self
12. Ratamahatta
13. Roots Bloody Roots

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was interviewed yesterday (Tuesday, August 9) by Cindy Scull of the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas radio station 97.1 The Eagle Rocks. You can now listen to the 10-minute chat at this location. A couple of excerpts follow below.

On why guitarist Marty Friedman won't return to MEGADETH:

Mustaine: "Well, first off, he's not welcome. I mean, it's not that he's not welcome, it's just that there's no position for him. And Marty's not as good as Chris [Broderick, current MEGADETH guitarist] is, second off. And Marty wanted to be a pop guitar player. He left to join a girl in a band in Japan. . . [The MEGADETH lineup featuring Friedman and drummer Nick Menza] wasn't the most important lineup anyways. The lineup that we have right now has achieved more than those guys ever did. If you think about it, the groundwork, the building the band back up from nothing… Marty and Nick got in the band when the band was already huge."

On his rekindled friendship with his former bandmates, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield:

Mustaine: "I've talked to Lars and James about me and David [Ellefson, MEGADETH bassist] doing a supergroup record with Lars and James. Well, James never said 'no,' but it's still kind of out there in the air. I'm gonna keep hammering on him. It's on my bucket list."

In a 2009 interview with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Hetfield was asked if he was glad to see Mustaine out of METALLICA prior to the recording of the band's debut album, 1983's "Kill 'Em All". "I don't know if 'glad' is the right word, but it was necessary," he replied. "There would have been myself, Lars and [Dave] all trying to drive and it would have been this triangulated mess. It's obvious that he had the same drive as us — he went on to do great things in MEGADETH. The way things are now, the character dynamics, Lars and I are one half of the scale with Rob [Trujillo, METALLICA bassist] and Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] on the other. They're great idea people but very good at being okay with someone else driving. It does take that, I think. They're very un-ego-driven and Lars and I are the other way, it seems. That's what I've been told. [Laughs] So back then Dave had to go."

Sweden's biggest rock radio station Rockklassiker 106.7 has published a list of the Top 666 songs of all time, as voted by the station's listeners. Fans voted in an online poll, submitting their top six tracks of all time, which was then built into a total top 666.

AC/DC and KISS had the most entries in the top 666 — 28 and 23, respectively — with METALLICA appearing 21 times, including twice in the Top 10. GUNS N' ROSES had 18 and IRON MAIDEN had 14, with DEEP PURPLE coming in with 11 and BLACK SABBATH following closely behind with 10.

Top 10 songs of all time as voted by the listeners of Rockklassiker 106.7:

01. DEEP PURPLE – "Smoke On The Water"
02. METALLICA - "Enter Sandman"
03. GUNS N' ROSES - "November Rain"
04. AC/DC - "Back In Black"
05. METALLICA - "Nothing Else Matters"
06. IRON MAIDEN - "Run To The Hills"
07. KISS - "Lick It Up"
08. AEROSMITH - "Janie's Got A Gun"
09. JIMI HENDRIX - "Foxy Lady"
10. QUEEN - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

"Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion", the new DVD from Swedish extreme metallers HYPOCRISY, will be released on October 14 via Nuclear Blast. The disc will contain footage of the band's February 27, 2010 concert at the Blue Box club in Sofia, Bulgaria. Guitarist Mikael Hedlund states, "It was a show that had everything! The crowd was helping us doing one of our best shows ever in our history and it was recorded with several cameras. The DVD will also contain a one-and-a-half-hour documentary that will show you our 20 years of chaos and confusion."

He adds, "We would like to give our fans the true story of the past and give them all the details what have happened on our journey over all these years. There are secrets that never have been told plus pictures and clips that never have been shown. This DVD will give you the full cover of HYPOCRISY!"

A report on the DVD shoot can be found at Tangra Mega Rock. Photos are available at this location.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Valley Of The Damned
02. Hang Him High
03. Fractured Millennium
04. Adjusting The Sun
05. Eraser
06. Pleasures of Molestation / Osculum Obscenum / Penetralia
07. Apocalypse / The Fourth Dimension
08. Killing Art
09. A Coming Race
10. Let The Knife Do The Talking
11. Weed Out The Weak
12. Fire In The Sky

Encore:

13. The Final Chapter
14. Warpath

Encore 2:

15. Roswell 47

Eternal Image, Inc., a public company engaged in the design, manufacturing and marketing of officially licensed, brand-name memorial products, today announced that the first of its official KISS cremation urns is now available for purchase.

KISS is famous for its explosive live performances and outrageous rock and roll style. In their forty year career, the band has achieved record-breaking tours, album sales in excess of 100 million, a huge "KISS Army" fan base, and the most memorable look in all of rock history.

"We call this particular KISS urn our 'Monument' model," said Donna Shatter, VP of operations for the company. "This urn offers fans a unique expression of their passion for the legendary rock band. It features full-color images of the band members and the KISS flame logo — all displayed against a striking black metallic finish."

The Monument model KISS urn is eight inches tall. The company plans to release three additional urn models later this year.

STRYPER frontman and accomplished solo artist Michael Sweet announced his departure from legendary rock band BOSTON today in order to devote his full attention to his longstanding role as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for rock outfit STRYPER — a band he co-founded in 1983. Sweet joined BOSTON in 2008, sharing lead vocals and playing guitar on a headlining tour of North America, performing the band's classic hits like "More than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Amanda" and "Don't Look Back".

Following the BOSTON tour, STRYPER released the 2009 studio album, "Murder by Pride" (featuring a cover of BOSTON's "Peace of Mind"), which led to a yearlong world tour with all of the original members. In 2010, STRYPER released "The Covering", and another world tour recently concluded. STRYPER is currently in the studio working on an untitled release for 2011, with tour dates already announced for this fall.

"My focus and my loyalty lies with STRYPER, the band that I've committed almost thirty years of my life to," says Sweet. "The guys in STRYPER are my brothers and I'm excited about our future together. The music of BOSTON helped shape who I am as an artist, and the opportunity to be a part of their musical legacy is overwhelming. It's been an honor to share the stage with them, and a bigger honor to call them my friends."

In addition to the increasing demands for STRYPER, Sweet has been spending some of his time off the road in Nashville, writing with A-list songwriters such as Blair Daly (RASCAL FLATTS, UNCLE KRACKER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD), Luke Laird (CARRIE UNDERWOOD, BLAKE SHELTON, TIM MCGRAW), Britton Cameron (STEEL MAGNOLIA, LONESTAR, EDEN'S EDGE) and others.

After a triumphant tour with JOURNEY that saw FOREIGNER play to tens of thousands of new fans and earn great critical acclaim, FOREIGNER announces the release of a brand new album, "Acoustique".

FOREIGNER first saw success throughout the world with their groundbreaking debut album that featured chart hits such as "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice", and scored multiplatinum sales and a world tour. The band went on to sell over 70 million albums, driven by some of the most important songs in the classic rock era. "I Want To Know What Love Is" was a worldwide number one hit and "Waiting For A Girl Like You" is in the Top 50 of Billboard magazine's "All Time Greatest Pop Songs." The rocking side of FOREIGNER was always key to their success, and songs like "Hot Blooded", "Dirty White Boy", "Urgent" and "Juke Box Hero" took the band to new levels.

"Acoustique" will be released on Edel's international rock label, earMUSIC, on September 23. It takes a fresh look at some of FOREIGNER hits and offers some unique surprises. The stripped down version of these great songs shows FOREIGNER in an entirely new light, and the release will be supported by unplugged tour dates and multiple television appearances. FOREIGNER inject new life into all their hits, pay tribute to Elvis Presley with a unique recording of "That's All Right" and throw in a couple of previously unreleased tracks. "The Flame Still Burns" was co-written by Mick Jones for 1998 cult rock movie "Still Crazy", where it was performed by Jimmy Nail. Mick won the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for that song. The album features a brand new song, "Save Me", which was co-written with Mick Jones' stepdaughter and well-known DJ and musician, Samantha Ronson.

"Acoustique" will also be available in a special limited-edition box set that includes a DVD and a CD of brand new full rock versions of FOREIGNER's greatest hits by the current line-up. The DVD features a full-length live concert in high definition that was recorded in Chicago earlier this year and some bonus features that include one of FOREIGNER's first acoustic performances at Schloss Kronberg in Frankfurt that inspired the making of the "Acoustique" CD.

"Acoustique" features Mick Jones on guitars and vocals; Kelly Hansen, lead vocals and percussion; Jeff Pilson, guitars and vocals and Tom Gimbel, guitars, saxophone and vocals. The quartet is joined by Michael Bluestein on keyboards and vocals, and Mark Schulman on drums for the rock recordings of the hits and the DVD.

CD: Acoustique - The Classics Unplugged

01. Long, Long Way From Home
02. Cold As Ice
03. The Flame Still Burns (brand new song!)
04. Double Vision
05. Fool For You Anyway
06. Say You Will
07. Starrider
08. Waiting For A Girl Like You
09. Feels Like The First Time
10. Juke Box Hero
11. That's All Right
12. Save Me (brand new song! electric version)
13. I Want To Know What Love Is (electric version)
14. When It Comes To Love (electric version)

Limited-edition box set:

CD1: Acoustique - The Classics Unplugged

01. Long, Long Way From Home
02. Cold As Ice
03. The Flame Still Burns (brand new song!)
04. Double Vision
05. Fool For You Anyway
06. Say You Will
07. Starrider
08. Waiting For A Girl Like You
09. Feels Like The First Time
10. Juke Box Hero
11. That's All Right

CD 2: Juke Box Heroes - Brand New Rock Recordings Of Foreigner's Greatest Hits

01. Save Me (brand new song!)
02. Feels Like The First Time
03. Cold As Ice
04. Long, Long Way From Home
05. Hot Blooded
06. Double Vision
07. Head Games
08. Dirty White Boy
09. Urgent
10. Waiting For A Girl Like You
11. I Want To Know What Love Is
12. Juke Box Hero

DVD: Live In Chicago 2011 85 min. show filmed in HD + bonus material

01. Double Vision
02. Head Games
03. Cold As Ice
04. Waiting For A Girl Like You
05. When It Comes To Love
06. Blue Morning, Blue Day
07. Dirty White Boy
08. Starrider
09. Feels Like The First Time
10. Urgent
11. I Want To Know What Love Is
12. Hot Blooded
13. Juke Box Hero

Relapse Records has announced the signing of the blackened death metal juggernaut WEAPON.

WEAPON (Vetis Monarch: guitars and vocals, Kha Tumos: bass, Apostle VIII: guitar, The Disciple: drums) previously released two full-length albums, including the acclaimed "From The Devil’s Tomb" (2010).

WEAPON is currently writing the follow-up to "From The Devil’s Tomb" which promises to be a more vicious strain of the group's all-out-evil blackened death.

Vetis Monarch commented on the recent signing and upcoming album: "WEAPON is ready to take over the world, and our signing with a legendary label like Relapse Records is a key element in achieving that goal.

"We are in the process of writing the follow-up album to 'From The Devil's Tomb', and all our supporters can rest assured that the new material is a direct continuation of the sinister and violent music we have delivered thus far."

WEAPON has confirmed a handful of western Canada tour dates for later this month alongside TOXIC HOLOCAUST and HOLY GRAIL. The band will also perform at this year's Rites of Darkness Festival in early December in San Antonio, Texas

Reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST have canceled their previously announced European tour which was scheduled to take place this month.

Commented the band: "Unfortunately, ATHEIST drummer Steve Flynn was forced to remain in the U.S. for an unavoidable personal commitment. This happened at the very last minute and has been communicated to you all as quickly as possible. Several options were entertained — fill-in drummer, shifting dates and others. However, on such short notice, these proved to be impossible. The band wishes to express its most heartfelt apologies for this happening. ATHEIST will do whatever it can to make it up to the fans and promoters who have worked so hard to support the band for these 25 years."

The cover artwork for former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman's new solo album, "Tokyo Jukebox 2", can be seen below. The track listing for the effort is available at this location.

Stated Marty: "[The cover shot] was NOT Photoshopped — I had to put that kabuki makeup on again!! Made me really appreciate what KISS did thousands of times; a MAJOR pain in the ass!! Serious props to all the people who made it work; it was quite a task matching the [original] 'Tokyo Jukebox' cover.

"Tokyo Jukebox 2" will be released on September 14 via Avex in Japan. The CD picks up where Friedman's 2009 effort, "Tokyo Jukebox", left off, with even more adventurous arrangements of his favorite Japanese songs. Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, the album features Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL) on drums.

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton says that he hasn't undergone any new surgery this year despite a report from a Texas TV station which may have suggested otherwise.

KSAT-TV, the local ABC affiliate television station in the greater San Antonio area, reported on Friday (August 5) that Hamilton was treated using a radical medical procedure after his tongue-base cancer came back and extended into his voice box.

Writing on his Twitter profile earlier today (Tuesday, August 9), the bassist said, "I did not undergo any surgery... this year. All this news is about 2009. Thanks for the wishes though!"

Hamilton sat out a number of AEROSMITH shows in 2009 due to what a press release at the time described as "non-invasive surgery." Band pal and JOE PERRY PROJECT musician David Hull filled in for Hamilton while he recuperated.

The bassist was first diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2006 and said he was cancer-free later that year after undergoing treatment.

AEROSMITH is scheduled to kick off a South American tour in Lima, Peru on October 22 before heading to Japan for an eight-date tour in late November.

SS's "Kissology - Vol. 4" DVD box set will be out in late November, and will include footage from the band's current tour. Four discs and a bonus disc will be included in the first, limited edition.

Content will include:

1976 - Houston full "Destroyer" show
1977 - Cobo Hall
1980 – "Kids Are People Too" segment
1983 – U.S. Armed Forces segment on Lick It Up Tour
2002 - Winter Olympics
2007 - "VH1 Rock Honors"
2009 - Cobo Hall full Alive35 show
2009 - "Modern Day Delilah"
2010 - Wetten Dass Medley

Massachusetts rockers STAIND will release their self-titled seventh album on September 13 via Atlantic Records (one day earlier internationally through Roadrunner). Produced by Johnny K – known for his work with 3 DOORS DOWN, DISTURBED, and SEVENDUST, not to mention his Grammy Award-nominated collaboration with STAIND, 2008's "The Illusion Of Progress" — and mixed by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge, the CD stands as STAIND's most intense and powerful work to date. The album is heralded by the new song, "Eyes Wide Open", as well as "Not Again", the first official single from "Staind".

Standard CD:

01. Not Again
02. Eyes Wide Open
03. Falling
04. Wannabe
05. Throw It All Away
06. Now
07. The Bottom
08. Take A Breath
09. Paper Wings
10. Something To Remind You

Special-edition digipack CD/DVD:

01. Not Again
02. Eyes Wide Open
03. Falling
04. Wannabe
05. Throw It All Away
06. Now
07. The Bottom
08. Take A Breath
09. Paper Wings
10. Something To Remind You
11. Spleen (Live)
12. For You (Live)

+ Bonus DVD including "Making Of The Album" documentary

Video footage of resurrected German death metallers MORGOTH performing on August 5, 2011 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germanycan be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Body Count
02. Exit To Temptation
03. Travel
04. Resistance
05. Suffer Life
06. Under the Surface
07. Burnt Identity
08. Sold Baptism
09. Pits of Utumno
10. Isolated
11. White Gallery

Steve Williams, keyboardist for U.K. metallers POWER QUEST, has released the following statement following the third night of rioting, looting and massive destruction of property in London, England (initially triggered when a 29 year-old-man was shot dead by police, leading to a protest outside Tottenham Police Station on Saturday):

"Is this what we call being civilised?"

"Watching the recent events unfolding in London and elsewhere in the country has compelled me to put my thoughts down on paper.

"I cannot believe that in the 21st century, and in a supposedly civilised society, we are witnessing such disgraceful and shameful acts of criminal damage, violence, theft and intimidation.

"I was listening to the BBC coverage into the small hours this morning and was appalled, not only by the perpetrators themselves, but also by those who were just standing by and watching and generally getting in the way of police and other emergency services who were just trying to do their job and deal with what was, and still is, a horrific situation.

"There is no justification for stealing someone else's possessions or trashing their property that they have worked so hard for over the years. Running amok and wearing masks is not only disorderly but cowardly as well. If violence is your belief system, then at least have the courage to show your face!

"Moreover I even saw on one live broadcast from Croydon people laughing and joking in the background while the reporter told us of homes being destroyed and businesses being razed to the ground. It just beggars belief in my humble opinion.

"I would like to say that my thoughts and those of [the other POWER QUEST members] Paul, Andy, Rich, Gav and Chity are very much with those affected by these shameful acts and I hope that we don't see the violence spreading further across our country although, sadly, it seems that this has already happened. The vast majority of U.K. residents are peaceful, decent people and between us we will never let hooligans and thugs dictate to the rest of us.

"If you listen to fools..... the Mob Rules".

WARDRUNA — the Norwegian folk project featuring Einar "Kvitrafn" Selvik (GORGOROTH, JOTUNSPOR, DEAD TO THIS WORLD) and Kristian "Gaahl" Espedal (GORGOROTH, TRELLDOM) — will play a special concert on August 27 in Bergen during the Hole In The Sky festival. They will perform at Logen Teater and it will be no ordinary concert: WARDRUNA will play with an expanded lineup; thirteen musicians will make WARDRUNA's already powerful and magical musical expression even more massive.

As previously reported, WARDRUNA recently released its very first self-made music video. Since the inception of WARDRUNA, the band's vision was that videos and other visual elements would be an important part of the project. This is merely the first step in that plan and WARDRUNA intends to continue developing this aspect of the project towards their next album.

As far as the progress of the recording sessions for the next WARDRUNA LP goes, Kvitrafn states: "The recurring question of when the next album will be finished is not easy to answer. I am well underway with the recordings and there is good progress in the work. Having said that, I must add that because of the demanding concepts behind these albums, I cannot rush this process. I hope to be finished with the recordings next summer, but I can obviously not give any promises now. The only thing that matters now is to make music that I am satisfied with, no matter how long it will take."

WARDRUNA's debut album, "Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga", was released on January 19, 2009 via Indie Recordings.

Nearly six years in the making, WARDRUNA's debut album is the first part of the planned "Runaljod" trilogy which will musically interpret the runes of the elder futhark. This highly visual music is hard to place into any specific genre, and there isn't really much to compare it to. The style can perhaps be described as a curious blend of folk, world and ambient music, but without being limited by the sometimes restricted scope of these genres.

"Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga" has a very profound and unique sound that consists of a wide array of instruments, some of which are rarely used. A few examples: deer hide frame drums, mouth harp, goat horns, lur, Hardanger fiddle and tagelharpe ("viking fiddle"). Sounds of more unorthodox ‘instruments’ like trees, stones and fire are also incorporated into the music, and it's all topped off with powerful vocal performances from no less than three vocalists.

The album was produced and engineered by Kvitrafn himself in his own Fimbulljóð studio. Many of the recording sessions were executed outdoors at carefully selected locations with instruments or natural sounds that are relevant to the different runes.

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to their new album, "Imaginarium", but also planning a movie of the same name. If all goes well, the CD will be released in early 2012, to be followed by the movie at some point further down the line. The first single off the album as well as the trailer for the film should arrive well before the end of 2011.

A new video teaser for "Imaginarium" can be seen below.

Swedish death masters VOLTURYON have officially announced Alexander Högbom as the band's new vocalist. Replacing Olle Ekman, Högbom is in for a baptism by fire as Volturyon performs with DEMONICAL on the Eastern Death Infernal Tour.

Says Volturyon guitarist Andreas Olander about the new addition: "We've known Alexander for a while through his band SPASMODIC and his occasional guest appearances with us. His vocals impressed us from day one. It's with great anticipation we look into the future."

"I first made contact with Volturyon when they mailed me their promo-CD, Blood Cure," says Högbom. I was running a rock club in Ludvika by the name Cavum back then, and they wanted me to book a gig for them at the club. I listened to their promo and was really impressed, so I arranged a gig for them in August of 2008 in Ludvika. Ever since I have been a fan of Volturyon. After a few years with no further contact I received a text message from [drummer] Christian Netzell, wondering if I wanted to join the band and do the east-Europe/Baltic tour with them, and I said yes. It is quite an honor to have been chosen to do the vocals in Volturyon and to play with such skilled musicians."