HAMMERFALL has been nominated for a Grammis award (Swedish Grammy equivalent) in the "Regeringens Exportpris" category. According to the band, "this is an award presented by the Swedish government to someone who they feel has done a lot to give Swedish music exposure abroad."

The Grammis awards show will be held January 9, 2008 at Globen in Stockholm. The show will be broadcast on Sweden's TV4 beginning at 8:00 p.m.

HAMMERFALL's two-CD "best-of" set called "Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory" last October entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 53. The set also landed on the Swedish chart at No. 15.

Massachusetts-based death/doom metallers SHROUD OF BEREAVEMENT have announced the addition of lead female vocalist Katie Bunting to the group's ranks. "Katie, previous lead singer for the band TWELFTH OF NEVER, will be lending her beautiful vocal styling to SHROUD's already somber and enigmatic music," reads a statement from the group.

Following the success of its debut album, which came out this past August, SHROUD OF BEREAVEMENT has began writing music for the new CD, entitled "A Beautiful Winter", and will be hitting the studio sometime this summer. Expect "an hour of neo classical death/doom metal of the darkest fashion imaginable."

The cover artwork for HATE ETERNAL's new album, "Fury and Flames", can be viewed at this location (artwork by Paul Romano, who has previously worked with MASTODON, ANIMOSITY and THE RED CHORD). The follow-up to 2005's "I, Monarch" is said to be the band's most diverse and emotionally fuelled record to date, due mainly in part to the passing of bassist and good friend Jared Anderson.

HATE ETERNAL founder and vocalist/guitarist Erik Rutan recently did an interview with MTV.com where he stated, "Jared was one of my best friends, and his passing away really affected me and influenced this record a lot. It's a very dark and heavy record — not just heavy as in 'heavy metal,' but heavy-hearted as well."

"Fury and Flames" features new members Shaune Kelley on second guitar and Jade Simonetto on drums. The addition of Shaune means that this will be the first time HATE ETERNAL will be able to perform as a four-piece live — something fans will be able to experience when the band heads out with labelmates THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. Alex Webster of CANNIBAL CORPSE fame stepped in on bass for the recording, but due to his hectic schedule with CANNIBAL will not be able to tour with the band.

Due on February 19, "Fury and Flames" will feature the following track listing:

01. Hell Envenom
02. Whom Gods May Destroy
03. Para Bellum
04. Bringer of Storms
05. The Funerary March
06. Thus Salvation
07. Proclamation of the Damned
08. Fury Within
09. Tombeau (Le Tombeau De La Fureur et Des Flames)
10. Coronach

SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE mastermind Tomer Pink has issued the following update:

"Some songs are already recorded without vocals while some others are waiting to me to finish demoing. I do some of the recording in my studio thus I allow myself to take the time and rearrange things conveniently to make a hell of an album! For now I can revel that the third piece in 'X' trilogy will be entitled 'In Pastille Colors'. I've been traveling the world quite a bit the past few years so you could expect to hear some of these influences along with the regular SUBMASQ twist.

"Honestly, I do take the time and hoping to make an album I will be happy with for years to come. In the meantime, I promise to let you guys hear some new stuff soon. There is one song from the 'Suspended Animation Dreams' session that was never released (our heavier one yet, I think) so I might release this along with some new tracks. We'll see!"

Hailing from various parts of the USA, SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE was originally formed in 1997 by Tomer as a means of self-expression of his deepest and darkest thoughts and emotions.

Pacific Northwest band AGALLOCH has issued the following update:

"We've recently posted a new song ('Sowilo Rune') from our upcoming EP, 'The White EP', to be released by Vendlus Records on February 29. As with all of our EPs and limited releases, this is not necessarily a sign of things to come. We envision small releases as opportunities to experiment and try new things without the weighty demands of a full-length release. So, expect a different sound, but also expect something that sits nicely with the rest of our work. You may pre-order 'The White EP' here.

"In the meantime, we are looking ahead at a fourth album and will post updates when necessary. Lastly, we've postedour cover of 'Kneel To The Cross' by one of our favorite groups, SOL INVICTUS. If you have yet to hear the original, we encourage you to seek out their album 'Death of the West'. However, most of us agree that SOL INVICTUS' best album remains 'The Blade'."

"The White EP" is the follow-up to 2004's "The Grey EP" and completes a dichotomy of releases for Vendlus Records. "The White EP" contains seven dark folk and ambient works written and recorded over the past three years.

"The White EP" track listing:

01. The Isle Of Summer
02. Birch Black
03. Hollow Stone
04. Pantheist
05. Birch White
06. Sowilo Rune
07. Summerisle Reprise

AGALLOCH last year parted ways with drummer Chris Greene and replaced him with Aesop from LUDICRA.

AGALLOCH released its critically acclaimed album, "Ashes Against the Grain" in August 2007 via The End Records.

Finnish metallers SHADE EMPIRE will release their third album, "Zero Nexus", on March 12 via Dynamic Arts Records. Most of the recording sessions took place at Studio 33 in Kuopio, Finland and this time the band used a real choir to boost the sound. The vocal recordings at Perkele Studios were overseen by producer and AJATTARA mastermind Ruoja (a.k.a. former AMORPHIS frontman Pasi Koskinen). The CD was mixed by Sami Niittykoski.

"Zero Nexus" track listing:

01. 9 In 1
02. Adam & Eve
03. Blood Colours The White
04. Flesh Relinquished
05. Harvesters Of Death
06. Serpent-Angel
07. Whisper From The Depths
08. Ecstasy Of Black Light
09. Victory

An early video report from the studio can be viewed below.

According to a press release, SHADE EMPIRE has created a sound which cannot be easily categorized. Their music contains industrial and symphonic elements while still staying true to its death/black metal roots.

SHADE EMPIRE's follow-up to 2006's "Intoxicate O.S." (which landed on the Finnish chart at position No. 25) will contain nine songs and two videos will be produced from it. The video production will be handled in part outside Finland and will be overseen by director Ari Reinikainen.

SHADE EMPIRE's "Slitwrist Ecstasy" single — taken from the "Intoxicate O.S." CD — entered the Finnish chart at No. 3.

Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI have posted an audio preview of their new album, "Korven Kuningas", on the band's MySpace page.

"Korven Kuningas" is scheduled for release on March 21, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records. Check out the cover artwork at this location. A new single, "Keep On Galloping", will precede the full-length effort on February 14, 2008 in both CD and 7" picture vinyl formats. It will also include the track "Paljon On Koskessa Kiviä". View the single cover artwork at this location.

"Korven Kuningas" track listing:

01. Tapporauta
02. Metsämies
03. Keep On Galloping
04. Northern Fall
05. Shall We Take A Turn?
06. Paljon On Koskessa Kiviä
07. Ali Jäisten Vetten
08. Gods On Fire
09. Kipakka (Japan bonus track)
10. Kantaiso
11. Kipumylly
12. Suden Joiku
13. Runamoine
14. Syntykoski Syömmehessäin
15. Korven Kuningas
16. Nuolet nomalan (digipack bonus track)

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have set "A Sense of Purpose" as the title of their new album, due in Europe on April 4 via Nuclear Blast Records. "We are extremely happy with the end result and so proud of what we have achieved with the new album and can't wait for you all to hear it," the band says in a statement.

IN FLAMES' follow-up to 2006's "Come Clarity" was recorded at the band's own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. The group received assistance during the vocal-recording sessions from producer Daniel Bergstrand, who previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity".

A new IN FLAMES track, entitled "Abnegation", is featured on the "Viva La Bands, Vol. 2" album, which was released on September 4, 2007 via Ferret Music and Filthy Note Records. The CD features exclusive tracks, written and recorded for the CD/DVD combo from some of Bam's favorite acts like CLUTCH, CKY, CHILDREN OF BODOM, VIKING SKULL and VAINS OF JENNA. A U.S.-exclusive track from SHINY TOY GUNS and music from other faves like GWAR, THE SOUNDS, DIMMU BORGIR and KILL HANNAH also appears on the compilation.

IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, JOB FOR A COWBOY and HIGH ON FIRE will play this year's Gigantour in North America beginning mid-April and running through the end of May. Headlining the trek will be MEGADETH.

Finnish metal cellists APOCALYPTICA have scheduled the following dates:

Feb. 04 - Auditorio Coca Cola – Monterrey, MEX
Feb. 05 - National Auditorium - Mexico City, MEX
Feb. 06 - Teatro Diana – Guadalajara, MEX
Feb. 25 - Oktybrsky Hall - St. Peterburg, RUS
Feb. 26 - B1 – Moscow, RUS
Mar. 05 - Den Atelier – Luxembourg, LUX
Mar. 06 - L'Olympia – Paris, FRA
Mar. 07 - The Forum – London, UK
Jul. 02 - Grosse Freiheit – Hamburg, GER
Jul. 04 - Metalcamp Festival – Tolmin, SLO

APOCALYPTICA's new album, "Worlds Collide", had its U.S. release date pushed back to March 18, 2008 from the previously announced February 5, 2008. The CD, which entered the Finnish chart at position No. 8 and also landed on both the German and Swiss charts at No. 10, was made available in standard and "deluxe" versions, the latter of which is described as "truly a work of art both in its artwork and its content." The "deluxe" edition contains two bonus tracks — "Ural" and "Dreamer" — as well as a DVD. The DVD contains the "I'm Not Jesus" video along with the "making of" footage, plus an interview from the listening session in Berlin and a photo gallery.

"Worlds Collide" features guest appearances by Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Till Lindemann (RAMMSTEIN), Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL), Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), and Adam Gontier (THREE DAYS GRACE).

Guitarist Eric Peterson of the veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT recently spoke to Decibel magazine about the group's forthcoming album, "The Formation of Damnation", due in North America on April 29 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The band recently spent time recording the effort with producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.

"The album is very traditional-sounding," Peterson told Decibel. "The ideology of what we're doing is like 'The Legacy' [1987]. But the musicianship's a lot better, so it's like 'The Gathering' [1999]. As most bands record their first, second and third albums, they're developing, developing, developing… until they've got their sound. Then they get worse. As a rule, you get good when you're starving and start slipping as soon as you're eating well. We never really made it to the big time. But, then again, we didn't fail. Because we've always been on that borderline, we've never had to make the kinds of compromises that end up killing so many bands. As we see it, we're better off doing what we do best, especially since things seem to have turned full circle. Kids even have long hair again."

TESTAMENT recently recruited Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN, SYSTEMATIC) to play the drums on new CD. The group was previously rehearsing and writing new material with British drummer Nick Barker (CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR), but Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and international work visa issues have prevented Barker from continuing to be involved in the project.

IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers has issued the following update:

"I trust and hope you all had a really good new year and X-mas — I know I did. Me, the girlfriend and child went to Mexico city for our friends' wedding. It was fantastic, I've never been on a wedding in Mexico before and it was beautiful. The next day we all went to Acapulco for New Year's and had a really good time. It was hotter there than I've ever experienced before. A truly magnificent place, I recommend you to go there some time. Now I'm back in Sweden, where it's cold and snowing finally. I've longed for the snow for a long time now so I'm happy. The last few years we didn't get snow until March or something 'cause of the global warming thing. Kind of scary that everything about the seasons is changing more and more for every year."

IN FLAMES recently completed work on the follow-up to 2006's "Come Clarity" at the band's own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. The group received assistance during the vocal-recording sessions from producer Daniel Bergstrand, who previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity".

According to Showbiz Spy, rumors of a duet between Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne at this year's the Brit Awards (the British equivalent of the Grammy Awards) have been shot down by the award show's bosses.

The legendary music gods were reported to be collaborating on a unique version of Bond theme "Live And Let Die" for the music bash at London's Earls Court on February 20.

"It is not true at all," says a spokesperson. "Someone made it up."

58-year-old Ozzy — who will be hosting the ceremony with wife Sharon, 55 — is still nervous because he's concerned about making a fool of himself in front of his idol.

"The Brits have been playing on Ozzy's mind," a pal told Britain's Daily Star newspaper. "He's worried about coming a cropper in front of Macca."

Sir Paul, 65, will receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music gong at the award show, to be held in London later this year.

Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (NEMHAIN, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH) will play drums for the industrial goth metal band DEATHSTARS on their upcoming European tour as the support act for KORN. However, due to "prior arrangements," Adrian won't join the tour until January 25 in London.

DEATHSTARS' regular drummer, Bone W Machine, is sitting out the tour due to "personal reasons." "I hope you all understand this and don't throw an EMO fit [over the fact that I am not doing the tour]," Bone writes in a statement. "And no, I am not leaving the band."

DEATHSTARS entered Metrosonic Recording Studios in New York City on October 29 to begin recording of their new album for a spring 2008 release via Nuclear Blast Records. According to the group, "this album will start another chapter in [DEATHSTARS'] history of vanity, darkness, blood and sleaze."

The band adds, "The recording sessions will continue throughout November and December and the mix is set for January so get prepared for a 2008 filled with exploding deathglam!"

HEADHUNTER, the reunited German band featuring DESTRUCTION frontman Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, STRATOVARIUS drummer Jörg Michael, and guitarist Schmuddel (ex-TALON), is currently mixing its comback album, "Parasite of Society", with Achim Köhler in Stuttgart, Germany. According to a posting on the DESTRUCTION web site, "this pure metal masterpiece will be released in April 2008 via AFM Records in Europe, Candlelight Records in the USA, andKing Records in Japan."

HEADHUNTER had its trio of albums originally issued during Schmier's years away from DESTRUCTION — "Parody of Life" (1990), "A Bizarre Gardening Accident" (1992), and "Rebirth" (1994) — re-released on September 7, 2007 via AFM Records.

HEADHUNTER has been confirmed for next year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Wacken, Germany.

Former IRON MAIDEN/WOLFSBANE frontman Blaze Bayley has released a "best-of" collection through his own label. The CD, which can be ordered via the Planetblaze.com webshop, features the following track listing:

01. Born As A Stranger
02. Ghost In The Machine
03. Stare At The Sun (Live)
04. Silicon Messiah
05. The Launch (Live)
06. Kill And Destroy
07. Land Of The Blind
08. Living Someone Else's Life
09. Tenth Dimension (Live)
10. Leap Of Faith
11. Blood And Belief
12. Ten Seconds
13. Hollow Head
14. Soundtrack Of My LIfe
15. Alive (Live)

Swiss folk metal band ELUVEITIE has posted a new song, entitled "Inis Mona", on its MySpace page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Slania", which is scheduled for release in Germany on February 15, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records. According to a press release, the CD is "the perfection of the first album, but still there is enough room to give some new influences a chance. Expect nothing less than a masterpiece of hellish heavy folk metal with an 'x' factor!"

"Slania" track listing:

01. Samon
02. Primordial Breath
03. Inis Mona
04. Gray Sublime Archon
05. Anagantios
06. Bloodstained Ground
07. The Somber Lay
08. Slanias Song
09. Giamonios
10. Tarvos
11. Calling The Rain
12. Elembivos

German melodic metal band POWERWORLD, the brainchild of former FREEDOM CALL and MOON'DOC bassist Ilker Ersin, will release its self-titled debut album on March 28 via Metal Heaven.

After his departure from FREEDOM CALL in the middle of 2005, Ersin decided to follow a different musical path and started to work on an album that contained more grooves and less power metal influences.

POWERWORLD is:

Steffen Brunner - Vocals
Ilker Ersin (ex-FREEDOM CALL) - Bass
Nils Neumann (ex-FREEDOM CALL) - Keyboards
Barish Kepic (ex-JADED HEART) - Guitar
Jürgen Lucas (AT VANCE) - Drums

"Powerworld" track listing:

01. The Dark
02. Creatures
03. Lake Of Eternity
04. Fight Fire With Fire
05. Signs In The Sand
06. I Reach The Light
07. Dancing With Angels
08. Your World Is Not Mine
09. I Died In Your Arms
10. Breaking The Silence
11. Don't Walk On Broken Glass
12. Our Melody

BBC News reports that QUEEN has beaten THE BEATLES to be crowned greatest British band of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

They pipped the Fab Four in a live contest, trouncing other finalists THE ROLLING STONES, OASIS and TAKE THAT.

The bands were judged on songwriting, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship.

More than 20,000 listeners voted by email, text and phone. The five finalists had been selected over the previous week by Radio 2 listeners.

DJ Mark Goodier then hosted a three-hour live New Year's Day show in which a host of celebrity guests, including boy band MCFLY, joined listeners in debating who should win the title.

After all the votes had been totted up, the winner was then announced live on air — and it was revealed that QUEEN had beaten THE BEATLES by just 400 votes.

Long-running German metallers ATROCITY have posted an audio sample of their cover version of ICEHOUSE's "Hey Little Girl" at this location. The track comes off ATROCITY's long-awaited new album, "Werk 80 II", which is scheduled for release in Europe on February 29, 2008 (March 4 in the U.S.). Like the first "Werk 80" release, which came out in 1997, "Werk 80 II" features ATROCITY's interpretations of hit songs from the '80s.

"Werk 80 II" track listing:

01. People Are People (DEPECHE MODE)
02. Smalltown Boy (BRONSKI BEAT)
03. Relax (FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD)
04. Don't You (Forget About Me) (SIMPLE MINDS)
05. The Sun Always Shines on TV (A-HA)
06. Hey Little Girl (ICEHOUSE)
07. Fade To Grey (VISAGE)
08. Such A Shame (TALK TALK)
09. Keine Heimat (IDEAL)
10. Here Comes The Rain Again (EURYTHMICS)
11. Forever Young (ALPHAVILLE)
12. Feels Like Heaven (FICTION FACTORY) (bonus track for special edition)

FACE DOWN, the reactivated Swedish outfit featuring former THE HAUNTED singer Marco Aro, has issued the following update:

"After joining the band in November, new guitarist Rickard Dahlberg has proven himself to be a great asset to the band. In only two months this riff-master has blasted out no less than five songs. FACE DOWN is on schedule and will soon hit the studio once again."

Commented Aro, "We just can't stop rehearsing. I never felt this way before."

FACE DOWN last year uploaded a brand new song, entitled "Irreversible", to the group's MySpace page. The pre-production demo, which was completed in late 2006, was the first studio recording to feature new drummer Christofer Barkensjö (KAAMOS, BLACKSHINE).

Shortly before Christmas, German power metallers RAGE shot two video clips for their new album, "Carved in Stone", featuring the songs "Lord of the Flies" and "Open My Grave". According to the band, "while 'Lord of the Flies' is a dark and occult clip with a lot of actors and guests (like singer Jen Majura), 'Open My Grave' presents more the musicians of the band on their instruments. The location was a very old basement cavity from the beginning of the 18th century, which is located under a whorehouse! You can imagine, that the boys had a couple of guests while their stay. The clips were produced by Katja Piolka, who had RAGE in front of her lenses already before."

Check out photos from the video shoot at this location.

RAGE will release "Carved in Stone" in Europe on February 22, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.

RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski previously stated about the upcoming LP, "From the beginning we decided to compose the songs for this CD more straight, concentrating on cool riffs and catchy melodies. Actually, with our new lineup it was easy to realize everything, as we pulled together with André [Hilgers; drums; AXXIS, SILENT FORCE] perfectly! All the recordings with our co-producer, sound engineer and almost fourth bandmember Charly Czajkowski runs perfectly, as well as the final mix with Charlie Bauerfeind. From my point of view I promise you brutal guitar riffs with fancy soli. In one song, I've hidden a modification of a real famous melody — the one who will first recognize this melody will get a present! At 'Open My Grave', my sitar guitar came into operation, at 'Lord of the Flies', I've contributed a phat keyboard arrangement."

Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Carved in Stone", "Drop Dead", "Gentle Murders", "One Step Ahead" and "Without You".

RAGE's new DVD, entitled "Full Moon in St. Petersburg", was released on February 23, 2007 via Nuclear Blast. The double DVD set was filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2006 in front of 15,000 fans. "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" contains the complete concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, plus a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and material from personal archives.

Guitarist Shannon Hamm (DEATH, CONTROL DENIED) has issued the following update:

"Jonathan Lee (THE AUTUMN OFFERING, ex-ACHERON; ex-DEATH drum roadie for Richard Christy on DEATH's 'The Sound of Perseverance' tour), Scott Clendenin (bass on DEATH's 'The Sound of Perseverance' album), Bobby Koelble (guitarist on DEATH's 'Symbolic' album), and myself (guitar) have begun the writing process for a new metal project which is sure to be revolutionary! At this point we've not yet decided on a name, however, we are currently accepting demos, recordings, promos, or whatever from anyone who may be interested in auditioning for the vocalist position. This way we will already have an idea of who we want by the time the record is complete. Unfortunately, we really aren't sure yet what direction the vocals will take, so send anything you have. We are wide open, male or female, no particular preference. However, we all really like the vocals of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE if it is any help in the elimination game. Someone with versatility, powerful, melodic, clean, nasty, aggressive, all in one. Feel free to contact me via MySpace with any questions reguarding submissions. 2008 is going to KICK ASS!!!"

Koelble, Hamm, Clendenin and Lee took part in last month's benefit concert to honor late DEATH/CONTROL DENIED mastermind Chuck Schuldiner, which took place on December 12, 2007 at the Theatre Imperial in Quebec City, QC, Canada. The concert — which featured the local DEATH cover band SYMBOLIC alongside a number of guest musicians — was filmed for future DVD release.

LORDI's new single, "Beast Loose in Paradise" is available for free download at this location. The single's cover artwork — which is a tribute to KISS' classic "Creatures of the Night" cover — can be viewed here.

"Beast Loose in Paradise" was released as a downloadable single on December 24 and will be made available as a physical CD on January 9. There will be two edits of the song: "Radio Edit" and the "Dark Floors Version". The "Dark Floors" version will include a longer intro.

"Beast Loose in Paradise" — which is one of two new songs the band recently recorded — will appear in LORDI's upcoming feature film "Dark Floors".

LORDI recently postponed its previously announced December 14 hometown gig at Lappi Areena in Rovaniemi due to ongoing post-production work on "Dark Floors". Tickets already purchased for the December concert will be valid for the new show. Tickets will also be refundable at the point of purchase.

TOXIC TASTE, the side project of RUNNING WILD mainman Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek (who goes by the name T.T. Poison in the new group), has posted several audio samples on its official web site.

T.T. Poison's official bio describes him as "a man of composed character, who has a sense of very subtle humor. On stage he is like a raging volcano. He loves music and life in general and takes revel in both to the full. T.T. Poison takes away his audience by his superior presence he is so well known for. He is a downtown Neon citizen by birth."

TOXIC TASTE's lineup is rounded out by Marc Acid (vocals), Andy Caustic (guitar), Bob Beastly (drums) and Francis Cauter-Rize (bass).

In other news, a previously unreleased RUNNING WILD track, entitled "Skulldozer", can be heard below. The song, which was recorded during the sessions for 1992's "Pile Of Skulls", never saw the light of day because songwriter Stefan Schwarzmann kept on to the track and used it on the first X-WILD album under the title "Skybolter".

The reformed lineup of the Dutch death metal outfit ASPHYX — Martin van Drunen (vocals), Wannes Gubbels (bass/vocals), Paul Baayens (guitar) and Bob Bagchus (drums) — has issued the following update:

"ASPHYX will record two songs at the end of January 2008 at the Harrow studios: covering CELTIC FROST's 'Os Abysmi Vel Daath' from their 'Monotheist' album and one new ASPHYX song, called 'Death... The Brutal Way'. It will be in the vein of 'Serenade in Lead' (from the album 'Last One On Earth'. Expect fast and furious death metal! Maybe we will put this song on our website when the recordings are done."

ASPHYX will headline the "Triumph Of Death" concert on March 29, 2008 at Knaack Club in Berlin, Germany. The billing for the event is as follows:

ASPHYX (Holland)
NECROVATION (Sweden)
DROWNED (Germany)
TRIBULATION (Sweden)
DEAD CONGREGATION (Greece)
SLUGATHOR (Finland)

Swedish metallers SABATON will enter Abyss Studios with producer Peter Tägtgren on Friday, January 4 to begin recording their new album, entitled "The Art of War". The follow-up to 2006's "Attero Dominatus" will be released on May 30 via Black Lodge Records.

"The Art of War" track listing:

01. Sun Tzu Says
02. Ghost Division
03. The Art Of War
04. 40:1
05. Unbreakable
06. The nature of Warfare
07. Cliffs of Gallipoli
08. Talvisota
09. Panzerkampf
10. Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)
11. The Price of a Mile
12. Firestorm
13. A Secret

A video clip of STREAM OF PASSION keyboardist Jeffrey Revet working at his studio on some of the songs for the band's upcoming sophomore album can be viewed below.

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.

STREAM OF PASSION'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.