Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) alongside vocalist Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL) — is available below.

ARKAEA will release its debut album on March 3, 2009 via Koch Records. The CD promises to be as pummeling as anything the team of Olde Wolbers and Herrera has ever written.

Christian comments: "These songs were designed like the FEAR FACTORY songs that Raymond and I always wrote. However, we've been able to push the boundaries and go out of that context, while remaining heavy."

"Christian and Ray have been writing together for many years, so the music does have a lot of FEAR FACTORY elements," adds Howard. "However, we've been open to trying different things. It basically fuses what I have been doing vocally in THREAT SIGNAL with driving FEAR FACTORY rhythms, along with some of our own experimentation. The idea behind the project is to be heavy, but maintain melody at the same time."

Howard has been a part of the FEAR FACTORY family ever since Olde Wolbers served as producer for THREAT SIGNAL's debut, "Under Reprisal". Given that connection, the chemistry was there the instant the band started playing together.

Touring activities are in the works in support of the record.

You can preview new music at www.myspace.com/arkaeamusic.

Guitarist Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen played his final Norwegian concert with the legendary black metal band MAYHEM this past Wednesday (August 6) at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo.

A Norwegian-language interview with Eriksen conducted by Lydverket NRK prior to the Øyafestivalen performance can be viewed below. Also available is a chat with Thurston Moore, singer and songwriter of SONIC YOUTH, in which he discusses his appreciation for MAYHEM's music and his connection to the black metal genre.

Eriksen announced his departure from MAYHEM in April, explaining, "The main reason behind this conclusion lies in the fact that I simply don't see any future for me in the band anymore, at least not a future I'd like to participate in over the coming years. I've been playing my part in the band now for more than 13 years already, having composed, produced and released several albums with great vision, dedication and craftsmanship, to arrive at this crossroad of opposites. Sooner or later, all things comes to an end, and in my case, this circle is complete.

"For some of you this might not come as the biggest surprise, as I've clearly stated in several interviews that I was not sure what the next step would be. These 'hints' were partly rooted in the fact that our latest album fulfilled all of the expectations, visions and aspects of negativity that I felt I wanted to express with this band, and also, of similar importance, that I felt tired of both the touring aspects, amidst its turbulence and personal differences, and also my role in the band."

MAYHEM was honored in the "Metal" category at the 36th annual Spellemann awards (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards) for their latest release, "Ordo Ad Chao". The largest and oldest Norwegian music awards show was held on February 2 at the Spektrum in Oslo, Norway and was broadcast live on the Norwegian channel TV2.

Vocalist Sharon den Adel of the Dutch symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION is featured on the new single from the Dutch trance DJ Armin van Buuren entitled "In and Out of Love". A video for the song featuring Sharon can be viewed below.

Sharon den Adel recently stated about her collaboration with Armin van Buuren: "About a year ago, we were approached by number 1 DJ of the world Armin van Buuren for a possible cooperation. Due to a lack of time, nothing could be produced or written. I'm always looking for a new challenge, and as you might know, I have a broad musical interest. Now [that] WITHIN TEMPTATION is starting with the creative process for the next album, I decided to contact Armin as well. By that time he was busy finalizing his new album 'Imagine', but he did send me one track. I started working on it and wrote lyrics and a melody line for the song. Then we recorded the song which resulted in 'In and Out of Love'. The song became one of his favorite tracks on the album."

WITHIN TEMPTATION will release a brand new double-DVD, titled "Black Symphony", on September 22. It will also be available as a double-CD and a special Blu-Ray disc.

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has issued the following update:

"Just got back from the two shows we did with [the Swedish death metal 'supergroup'] BLOODBATH! Great fun! We played at the Party.San festival in Germany and at the Pellavarock fest in Finland. I was really sick with the flu/sore throat and so was Axe [drummer Martin 'Axe' Axenrot, also of OPETH] so the two rehearsals we did for the shows was a drag, really! During the shows I had to blow my nose all the time, which probably isn't the best for death metal cred, but what the hell?

"The first show was pretty disastrous. The sound on stage was out of control and none of us could hear anything at all. Not a great show but fun nevertheless. They only gave us a 15-minute changeover so we didn't have time to do a proper line check. Loads of people there and I guess most seemed to enjoy themselves, but we really though it was horrendous, haha! The second one was way better...both me and Axe we're doing slightly better yet I still had to blow my nose all the time. It was a tight show with much better stage-sound yet a lot less people being a smaller festival in the woods.

"Our dress-code? Blood infested, mud caked, worn, torn shitty old t-shirts, black pants and some blood all over...the usual stuff.

"It was great times overall, I thought I'd be miserable being sick and being so busy with OPETH, I was on the verge of calling it off, but truly ended up having a great time.

"So, we'll go under the surface again now, but do check out the album once it's out....it's cool as....hell!"

Australia's THE ETERNAL will release its new album, "Kartika", in Finland on November 12 via Firebox Records. A release date for the rest of Europe will be announced shortly. "As for the rest of the world, we are currently negotiating the release in several different territories, so expect an update soon," the band writes on its web site.

The artwork for "Kartika" (see below) was created by Italian designer Diego Maniscalco at Unspire. The CD was mastered by John Ruberto at Crystal Mastering.

The first pressing of "Kartika" will come with a limited-edition bonus disc featuring unreleased demos & remixes; over 95 minutes of new material from THE ETERNAL.





The final track listing is as follows:

01. Silence (6.04)
02. Without Reason (4.47)
03. Lost Our Way (4.33)
04. Self Inflicted (3.59)
05. Blood (9.37)
06. A Pale Reflection (5.03)
07. Sunshine (4.02)
08. Illuminate (4.11)
09. Walk Beside You (4.55)
10. Kartika (2.30)
11. Means For An Ending (4.20)
12. Brighter Day (7.07)

Bonus Disc:

01. Frozen Sun (Unreleased demo) (6.16)
02. July (Unreleased demo) (6.09)
03. Inside The Grey (Unreleased demo) (4.29 )
04. Last Embrace (Unreleased demo) (5.02)
05. Inflicted Self (Self Inflicted Remix) (3.19)
06. Blood (Draconian Drone / Dark Insight Remix) (9.09)

According to the web site of the Belgian grind band AGATHOCLES, the group's bassist Tony Schepkens passed away on August 1, 2008 at the age of 35.

A posting on the site reads: "Best friend, radical hard head and mince core noise DIY militant. When the Earth trembes and shakes, we know you are making noise in Hell. When thunder and lightning strikes us, we know you are doing noise in Heaven."

AGATHOCLES recently spent time in the studio putting the finishing on its new full-length album, "Grind is Protest", for a fall release via Displeased Records. According to a press release, the new CD "will be even more brutal and in your face" than its predecessor, 2006's "Mincer".

"Carnival Of Disgust", the new video from Swedish metallers FALCONER, can be viewed below. The clip, which was shot at the medieval Vadstena castle on a windy and cold April day, "exceeds [all] expectations," according to a press release. The song comes off the band's new album, "Among Beggars And Thieves", which is scheduled for release later this month via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. 13 songs were mixed during the sessions, including two bonus tracks for the LP's first edition.

"Among Beggars And Thieves" track listing:

01. Field Of Sorrow
02. Man Of The Hour
03. A Beggar Hero
04. Vargaskall
05. Carnival Of Disgust
06. Mountain Men
07. Viddernas Man
08. Pale Light Of Silver Moon
09. Boiling Led
10. Dark Ages (bonus)
11. Skula Skorpa, Skalk
12. Dreams And Pyres
13. Vi Sålde Våra Hemman (bonus)
+ Music Video

FALCONER guitarist Stefan Weinerhall previously stated about the upcoming CD. "The lyrics will all be about Swedish medieval life and episodes. Not a concept album really but still something in that direction. What I decided early on what that it wouldn't become 'Northwind Pt. 2'. 'Northwind' is as good as it can be, therefore we'll make things a tad different this time."

Long-running Seattle metallers METAL CHURCH have posted several audio samples from their new album, "This Present Wasteland", on their MySpace page.

"This Present Wasteland" is scheduled for release in Europe on September 26 via SPV Records. The CD's artwork, which was submitted by a fan via a MySpace contest, can be viewed below.

"This Present Wasteland" track listing:

01. Killing Space
02. War Never Won
03. Meet Your Maker
04. Crawling To Extinction
05. Mass Hysteria
06. Breath Again
07. Deeds Of A Dead Soul
08. The Prophet And The Madman
09. Beneath The Silence
10. Tales Of A Stalker
11. King Of Lies
12. In The Company Of Sorrow
13. The Perfect Crime

Swedish "death-rockers" HELLTRAIN — whose members have spent time playing with such acclaimed outfits as SCHEITAN, THE EVERDAWN, GATES OF ISHTAR, DEFLESHED, BATTLELUST, THE MOANING, and RAISED FIST — have posted another new song, Hear Them", on their MySpace page. The track comes off the group's second album, "Rock 'n' Roll Devil", which is scheduled for release in September via Jimmy Franks Recording Company. The video for the CD's title cut can be viewed below.

HELLTRAIN's debut album, "Route 666", was released in 2004 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The band's lineup includes Pierre Törnkvist (vocals, guitar), Oskar Karlsson (drums, guitars), and Patrik Törnkvist (guitars, organ, piano, bass).

30-second audio samples of all the tracks that appear on the new SLIPKNOT album, "All Hope Is Gone", are available for streaming at the Nuclear Blast Musicshop.

In addition to the standard edition of "All Hope Is Gone", a special edition of the LP will be released featuring three bonus tracks, expanded artwork and a bonus DVD containing "Nine: The Making Of All Hope Is Gone" — a 35-minute documentary directed by SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

"All Hope Is Gone" track listing:

01. .execute.
02. Gematria (The Killling Name)
03. Sulfur
04. Psychosocial
05. Dead Memories
06. Vendetta
07. Butcher's Hook
08. Gehenna
09. This Cold Black
10. Wherein Lies Continue
11. Snuff
12. All Hope Is Gone

Bonus tracks:

13. Child Of Burning Time
14. Vermilion Pt. 2 (Bloodstone Mix)
15. 'Til We Die

U.D.O., the German band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, celebrated its 20th anniversary by playing two special shows in Germany on April 30 in Solingen at Cobra and May 3 in Tuttlingen at Stadthalle. The three-hour Tuttlingen concert was filmed for a DVD and live CD, entitled "Mastercutor Alive" (see artwork below), to be released on September 26 on ZXY Music in three different formats:

* Double DVD including bonus material and double CD
* Single DVD without bonus material in digipack
* Double CD

Check out pictures of the Tuttlingen show on the band's official web site: Part 1, Part 2.





The projected track listing is as follows:

Disc 1:

01. Mastercutor
02. 24/7
03. They Want War
04. The Bullet And The Bomb
05. Midnight Mover
06. Vendetta
07. Mission No. X
08. Midnight Highway
09. The Wrong Side Of Midnight
10. Breaker
11. Guitar Solo
12. Princess Of The Dawn
13. One Lone Voice
14. Winterdreams

Disc 2:

01. Living For Tonite
02. Thunderball
03. Drum Solo
04. Man And Machine
05. Animal House
06. Metal Heart
07. Holy
08. Balls To The Wall
09. Fast As A Shark
10. Burning
11. Outro
12. I'm A Rebel

Bonus material:

* Road movie Russia tour (15 minutes)
* Road movie South America tour (15 minutes)
* Concert Belarus (30 minutes)

The DVDs will feature 5.1 Surround Sound.

On September 9, Orange County, California's AVENGED SEVENFOLD will release a DVD/CD package, entitled "Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough" (see artwork below). The live DVD features the band's April 10 hometown show at the Long Beach Arena headlining the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour, while the CD contains previously unreleased b-sides that were recorded during the making of "Avenged Sevenfold", plus various covers, and other never-before-heard material. The DVD was directed by Core Entertainment's Rafa Alcantara, who also worked on the band's critically acclaimed 2007 road documentary "All Excess".

The track-listing for "Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough" is as follows:

CD:

01. Demons
02. Girl I Know
03. Crossroads
04. Flash of the Blade
05. Until the End
06. Tension
07. Walk
08. The Fight
09. Dancing Dead
10. Almost Easy (Remix)
11. Afterlife (Alternate version)

DVD:

01. Critical Acclaim
02. Second Heartbeat
03. Afterlife
04. Beast and Harlot
05. Scream
06. Seize the Day
07. Walk
08. Bat Country
09. Almost Easy
10. Gunslinger
11. Unholy Confessions
12. A Little Piece of Heaven

METALLICA premiered a brand new song called "Cyanide" during the band's co-headlining set at the one-day Ozzfest last night (Saturday, August 9) at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas. The track is the first taste of METALLICA's forthcoming album, "Death Magnetic" to be aired in a live setting. The official MetOnTour.com video footage of the song can be viewed below.

METALLICA's Ozzfest 2008 setlist:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Ride The Lightning
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
06. Cyanide (new song)
07. ...And Justice For All
08. No Remorse
09. Fade To Black
10. Master Of Puppets
11. Damage Inc.
12. Nothing Else Matters
13. Sad But True
14. One
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - -
16. (MERCYFUL FATE medley feat. King Diamond)
17. Seek And Destroy

METALLICA has officially set Friday, September 12 as the "worldwide" release date for "Death Magnetic". The CD will be available to download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the same day the album arrives in stores.

Legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth will release his first real rock record since 1985's "Beyond The Astral Skies" on September 23 via SPV Records. Entitled "Under A Dark Sky", the CD is the first official release in the long-awaited series of Symphonic Legends, which is a cycle of music written by Uli for his all-encompassing SKY OF AVALON project. Fans of the SCORPIONS and Uli Jon Roth alike will be in awe of the guitar master once again as he delivers his next masterpiece.

"Under A Dark Sky" track listing:

1. S.O.S.
2. Tempus Fugit
3. Land Of Dawn
i) Techno Man
ii) Land Of Dawn
iii) Lion Wings
4. The Magic Word
5. Inquisition
6. Letter Of The Law
7. Stay In The Light
8. Benediction
9. Light & Shadows
10. Tanz In Die Dämmerung
i) Destination Twilight
ii) Morgenrot
iii) Searchlights From Hell
iv) Seelenschmerz
v) Inside The Titanic
vi) Fama Errat
vii) Requiem For The Nations
viii) Morituri
ix) Rex Tremendae
x) Star Peace
xi) Tanz In Die Dämmerung
xii) Silence

METALLICA has posted the following message on its official web site:

"Today we finished mixing and mastering our ninth studio album of original material, 'Death Magnetic', which hits the streets worldwide on Friday, September 12. Plus, you'll be able to download every song from the album for 'Guitar Hero III' on the same day! Produced by Rick Rubin and recorded at Sound City Studios, Shangri La Studios, and our very own HQ. The first track and video, 'The Day That Never Comes', will hit the airwaves later this month."

Guitarist Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) is currently at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden co-writing and arranging songs for the third full-length album from SANDALINAS, titled "Circles".

SANDALINAS is the Spanish/Swedish band featuring Mats Rendlert (bass; DREAMLAND), Alvaro Svanerö (drums; LOCH VOSTOK), Jordi Sandalinas (guitar) and Rick Altzi (vocals; AT VANCE).

"Never Seen Before", the most recent video from SANDALINAS can be viewed below. The clip was shot at the Fortress of Varberg in Varberg, Sweden and features both indoor and outdoor footage.

According to Wikipedia, the Fortress of Varberg was built during 1287-1300 by count Jacob Nielsen as protection against his Danish King, who had declared him an outlaw after the murder of King Eric V of Denmark.

"Never Seen Before" comes off SANDALINAS' latest album, "Fly to the Sun", which was released in January via Metal Heaven. The CD features guest appearances by Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER) on keyboards, Chris Caffery on guitar and Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) on guitar.

"Fly to the Sun" was recorded and produced by Andy La Rocque at his Los Angered Recording (now Sonic Train) in Sweden.

Legendary Danish metal singer King Diamond (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND) joined METALLICA on stage during the San Francisco band's headlining appearance at the at the one-day Ozzfest last night (Saturday, August 9) at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas to perform a medley of MERCYFUL FATE classics. The official Metallica.com footage of the performance can be viewed below.

MERCYFUL FATE will be remembered for its unquestionable mark on the history of metal with its innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and its influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Entitled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of "Return of the Vampire" on the "In the Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.

STREAM OF PASSION has inked a deal with Napalm Records.

Commented the band: "From the beginning, we had a very good feeling about all negotiations and talking to the nice people of Napalm; now it's the time to let you all know that a new chapter in the STREAM OF PASSION history is about to be written! More news will follow soon regarding the release of our new album, tour dates, etc. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the years, we will soon see you back on the road!"

STREAM OF PASSION will support EPICA on October 16 at Paard van Troje in Den Haag, Holland.

As previously reported, STREAM OF PASSION has posted several new demo teasers on its MySpace page.

STREAM OF PASSION members Johan van Stratum (bass), Davy Mickers (drums) and Marcela Bovio (vocals, lyrics, violin) last year announced the addition of Stephan Schultz (guitar), Jeffrey Revet (keyboards) and Eric Hazebroek (guitar) to the group's ranks.

STREAM OF PASSION parted ways with founding members Arjen Lucassen (guitar), Lori Linstruth (guitar) and Alejandro Millán (piano), back in March 2007.

The band's debut album, "Embrace the Storm", was released in Holland in October 2005 via Sony/BMG Benelux. The CD was issued in the rest of Europe and the U.S./Canada via InsideOut Music.

Vocalist Mike DiMeo (MASTERPLAN, RIOT, THE LIZARDS) has announced the formation of a brand new project, TENPOINT. A sample of the band's music is available at the TENPOINT MySpace page.

Commented DiMeo: "I was approached by Steve Seigerman last year, but it wasn't until the last couple of months that we were able to sit down and write… It really is a mixture of ideas and sounds… but mainly it's just really heavy music with blues singing over it."

The band recently completed work on the initial demo recordings and is currently in negotiations for a worldwide release.

TENPOINT is:

Mike DiMeo - Vocals/Keyboards
Steve Seigerman - Guitars
Chris Kozikowski - Bass
Doug Bohn - Drums

DiMeo, regarded as one of the finest vocalists in the heavy rock scene, first came to prominence after joining the legendary New York City band RIOT prior to the recording of 1994's "Nightbreaker". He went on to record six studio albums and one live album with the group before departing to join MASTERPLAN for the recording of "MK II" in 2006.

PAIN, the Swedish band led by HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren, will release its new album, "Cynic Paradise", on October 31 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to "Psalms of Extinction", which was released in 2007 via Roadrunner, features "eleven gems offering a vast variety of styles and influences which are even new for PAIN," according to a press release. NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon makes a guest appearance on two tracks — "Follow Me" and "Feed Us". The artwork (see below) was created by renowned artist Travis Smith (AMORPHIS, OPETH, NEVERMORE).

"Cynic Paradise" will be available as a limited-edition digipack including a bonus CD.

German power metallers CUSTARD have parted ways with Mausoleum Records and have inked a new deal with Dr. Music. The group's new album, "Forces Remain", will be released on August 29. The cover artwork was created by Christian Klute of Beyond Creation, who was also responsible for the art on the band's "Wheels of Time" CD.

"Forces Remain" track listing:

01. Ancient Views (Intro)
02. The Dragonslayer
03. Creature
04. Heaven Strikes
05. Poke the Flames
06. Enter the World
07. Warcraft
08. Kind of Peace
09. Angel of Sorrow
10. Final Stand
11. For the Cross
12. God of Storm
13. Forces Remain (Outro)

Norwegian/British hard rockers TNT have set "Atlantis" as the title of their new album which will be available on September 22 via Bonnier-Amigo (Scandinavia) and Marquee-Avalon (Japan). More information will be made available soon.

The band's latest CD, "The New Territory", entered the Norwegian chart at position No. 11 back in May 2007. The album was released in Japan through Marquee Avalon with two bonus tracks: "Don't Come Too Near" and a live recording of "Harley Davidson" with video footage from Jevnaker in Norway. The CD, which was mixed in Bergen, Norway, was previously described by singer Tony Mills (ex-SHY) as "very diverse, with radio friendly tracks as well as the heavier side of life, some swing and some atmospherics. . . [It] has all the diversities that I personally had hoped for, with the balls of TNT and the elegance of QUEEN and the post-perspective of various '70s production attitudes."

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET, the Swedish band featuring former THE CROWN vocalist Johan Lindstrand, has inked a European deal with Massacre Records. The group's third album, "Grim Tales", is scheduled for release on October 24 and will be available as a limited-edition digipack containing a bonus DVD. The CD was recorded at the Black Lounge Studios in Avesta, Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY).

"Grim Tales" track listing:

01. Black Clouds
02. Misfit With A Machinegun
03. Saint Lucifer
04. Cursed By The Knife
05. A Date With Suicide
06. Death Makes It All Go Away
07. Dominator Of The Flesh
08. Bonebreaker Propaganda
09. Make Them Die Slowly
10. The Frisco Reaper
11. Bastards Of Monstrosity

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET has posted an audio sample of the song "Cursed By The Knife" on the group's MySpace page.

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET's sophomore album, "Error in Evolution", was released on March 9, 2007 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to the band's debut, "21st Century Killing Machine", was recorded at Deadline studios with engineer Valle Adzic.

"Bear The Cross", the new video from POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — can be viewed below. The clip was filmed at the end of June with Klaffi Productions.

"Bear The Cross" comes off POISONBLACK's third album, "A Dead Heavy Day", which is scheduled for release later this month. The CD was recorded at Soundmix Studio in POISONBLACK's hometown of Oulu with Kari Vähäkuopus and was mixed by Aksu Hanttu at Grooveland Studio in Lahti.

"A Dead Heavy Day" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Diane
03. Left Behind
04. Bear The Cross
05. A Dead Heavy Day
06. Me Myself And I
07. X
08. Human-Compost
09. The Days Between
10. Hatelove
11. Low Life
12. Only You Can Tear Me Apart

Commented Ville Laihiala: "As usual, it took a year of adventures in life and relationships to put my innermost feelings into the shape of songs. Everything is straight from inside of my head. Compositions and lyrics are supposed to support each other as good as possible to express my innermost emotions."

The first single, "Bear The Cross", will be released in Finland on August 13. It will feature two brand-new songs from "A Dead Heavy Day" as well as a semi-acoustic live track the band performed on Oulu's Radio Mega.

"A Dead Heavy Day" will be released through Century Media Records in Europe on the following dates:

* Finland: Wednesday, August 27
* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy: * Friday, August 29
* UK, France, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Rest Of Europe: Monday, September 1
* Spain, Portugal: Tuesday, September 2
* Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, September 3

POISONBLACK drummer Tarmo Kanerva previously stated about the new material, "On one hand, there is going to be some really melodic songs, and on the other hand, the heavy stuff is heavier than anything we have ever done before. Still, you won't need to be afraid of dramatic changes. It'll be the typical POISONBLACK sound."

Norwegian black metal band ISKALD will release its second full-length album, "Revelations of Reckoning Day", in Norway on September 15 and the rest of Europe on September 26 via Indie Recordings. The CD was recorded at a studio in Berlin, Germany with producers Stamos Koiousis and Vangelis Labrakis from Greece.

According to a press release, "With their new album ISKALD takes the step into the elite of black metal. Combine the complexity of EMPEROR with the groove and rawness of IMMORTAL, and we are closing in on what ISKALD are all about. The prestine production of Stamos Koliousis and Vangelis Labrakis adds another dimension to this killer album!"

"Revelations of Reckoning Day" track listing:

01. Ruin of Mankind
02. A Breath of Apocalypse
03. Warriors of the Northern Twilight, Part II
04. Endtime
05. The Orphanage
06. Det Stilner Til Storm
07. Tartarus
08. Journey to Hell
09. Dommedag

EPICA singer Simone Simons has confirmed that she will make a guest appearance on the upcoming debut album from SONS OF SEASONS, the new progressive/symphonic metal band led by her boyfriend, keyboardist/guitarist Oliver Palotai (KAMELOT, DORO).

As previously reported, SONS OF SEASONS has inked a deal with Napalm Records. The group's debut CD, "Gods Of Vermin", is scheduled for release in early 2009.

SONS OF SEASONS is:

Oliver Palotai (KAMELOT, DORO, BLAZE) - Keyboards, Guitar
Daniel Schild (BLAZE) - Drums
Luca Princiotta (BLAZE) - Guitar
Jürgen Steinmetz - Bass
Henning Basse (METALIUM, FIREWIND) - Vocals

Formed in January 2007, SONS OF SEASONS was launched as a "melting point" for all of Oliver Palotai's skills, as a musicians, composer and producer.

The group's first singer, Tijs Vanneste (OCEANS OF SADNESS), proved to be a great musician, but the band's future touring plans didn't fit the tight working schedule at his job, resulting in his departure. However, some of the songs on SONS OF SEASONS' debut album are said to have been inspired by his ideas.

Brazilian thrashers SEPULTURA have set "A-Lex" (Russian for "no law" or "without law") as the title of their new album, due in November via SPV Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Dante XXI" was recorded at in São Paulo, Brazil at Trama Studios and was mixed at Mega Studios. According to SEPULTURA, the CD — which features 18 songs with a total playing time of 60 minutes — was completed in record time because it is basically a recording of the band's studio jams captured over a period of three months.

SEPULTURA's forthcoming CD will be the group's first to feature drummer Jean Dolabella, who replaced founding member Igor Cavalera in 2006. Igor has since reunited with his brother and former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

"A-Lex" track listing:

01. A-Lex I
02. Moloko Mesto
03. Filthy Rot
04. We've Lost You
05. What I do!
06. A-Lex II
07. The Treatment
08. Metamorphosis
09. Sadistic Values
10. Forceful Behavior
11. Conform
12. A-Lex III
13. The Experiment
14. Strike
15. Enough Said
16. Ludwig Van
17. A-Lex IV
18. Paradox