MORGANA LEFAY drummer Pelle Åkerlind has issued the following update:

"We have been taking it a bit easy these last couple of months. Charles [Rytkönen, vocals] has been fishing (surprise), Peter [Grehn, guitar] has been spending time doing what he loves the most: crashing with his dirt bike and breaking bones, I've been performing with all the bands in the universe and Tony [Eriksson, guitar] and Fredrik [Lundberg, bass] have been relaxing. We are now ready to roll up our sleeves and get the MORGANA LEFAY monster moving again!"

German guitarist AXEL RUDI PELL confirmed during an interview with Sergi Ramos of TheMetalCircus.com that he's working on a new DVD set, to be released next year. The package will contain a live show recorded at the Rock Hard Festival earlier this year on one DVD plus a second disc containing behind-the-scenes and amateur footage taken from the musician's personal vaults.

Axel Rudi Pell has just released "Diamonds Unlocked", his first album consisting exclusively of compositions by other musicians. Axel Rudi Pell recorded ten cover songs, among them surprising new versions of real classics. "I have always stressed that I don't have a hard rock and metal fixation," he pointed out. "I don't think in terms of pigeonholes. If I like a track for whatever reason, I don't care about its stylistic direction. Every song on this album made me want to cover it at some stage when I heard the original."

"Diamonds Unlocked" was recorded by the tried-and-tested lineup consisting of Axel Rudi Pell, vocalist Johnny Gioeli, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, bassist Volker Krawczak and drummer Mike Terrana. Pell produced the album single-handedly, and Charlie Bauerfeind took care of the mix.

"Diamonds Unlocked" track listing:

01. The Diamond Overture
02. Warrior (RIOT)
03. Beautiful Day (U2)
04. Stone (CHRIS REA/THE LAW)
05. Love Gun (KISS)
06. Fool's Game (MICHAEL BOLTON)
07. Heartbreaker (FREE)
08. Rock The Nation (MONTROSE)
09. In The Air Tonight (PHIL COLLINS)
10. Like A Child Again (THE MISSION)
11. Won't Get Fooled Again (THE WHO)

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has issued the following update:

"I spent a few days in London and guys... I've met a few very interesting persons, namely the original line-up of COMUS, one of my all time favourite bands. Me and my friend Stefan Dimle (owner of the Mellotronen store) had dinner with them and I tell ya, it was amazing! Stefan is putting together a fantastic package for an upcoming gig, due to take place in March 2008 on a ferry cruise between Sweden and Finland. COMUS will play on this boat for the first time since 1974! I'm still in shock!

"I had Glenn Goring play 'The Herald' in front of my fucking face! I can't believe it...there's a clip on YouTube [watch the clip below — Ed.] that Stefan posted and I look like a grinning idiot! Wow! I have met Roger Wootton, my hero...the guy who've inspired me a 1000 times and more! I got a miniature boat as a gift from Bobbie Watson, who is probably one of the sweetest person I've ever met. I had Andy Hellaby insist on paying my beer after having slammed a copy of their ultra-rare 7" single on the table before my eyes. I guess you cannot understand my excitement if you're not.....me.

"Later that day I met Pete French, for me legendary for his vocal work in bands like LEAFHOUND (also playing on the boat), ATOMIC ROOSTER and CACTUS. Perfect gentleman and he told some great stories too! As I went to bed, instead of my usual dreams about filthy sex I was dreaming about 7" COMUS singles, LEAFHOUND original LPs and the chance of hearing 'Diana' live! Dreams can come true...sorry for that fucking cliché...really, sorry!

"Anyways, I had to share that with you.

"Also saw DREAM THEATER last night and they were great! Listening to..... 'Songs of Experience' by DAVID AXELROD! Great record!

"Playing 'Bioshock'....great game!

"Melinda [Mikael's three-year-old daughter] is now a big fan of KISS, and me and my wife have to listen to 'Dynasty' maybe 3-4 times a day. I have nothing to do with it, she's just a fan...now, all of a sudden. Anyways, good choice I must say...we bought her a personal vinyl copy of the album so she can listen to it as much as she wants."

As previously reported, OPETH will support DREAM THEATER on the prog-metal giants' next North American tour in April/May 2008. More details will be announced soon.

IRON MAIDEN's Somewhere Back In Time World Tour got off to a flying start today in Australia, where Sydney's Acer Arena sold out within 25 minutes of going on sale and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena sold out within 15 minutes, leading to promoter Paul Dainty immediately putting on sale second shows in both cities. He commented, "Sales for the tour have been phenomenal with over 40,000 tickets being sold in the first hour. Ticketek reported that the queues have been the longest at their ticket outlets for any on-sale for ages. This is a hugely anticipated tour here"

Australia is the first country on the 2008 tour to go on sale. Full details of the rest of first tour leg in February/March, in which the band, crew and equipment will travel in a specially customised 757 jumbo piloted by vocalist Bruce Dickinson, will be announced next month, with tickets for most countries going on sale in November.

Manager Rod Smallwood commented: "This is a great start to what promises to be a really memorable tour and year for the band. We haven't been to Australia for over 15 years but l guess the incredible demand for tickets shows that metal is truly back Down Under. And hopefully by returning there after all these years we can help re-establish it even more"

IRON MAIDEN Australian tour dates:

Feb. 04 - Perth, Australia @ Burswood Dome
Feb. 06 - Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
Feb. 07 - Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
Feb. 09 - Sydney, Australia @ Acer Arena
Feb. 10 - Sydney, Australia @ Acer Arena
Feb. 12 - Brisbane, Australia @ Entertainment Centre

Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have recruited Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN, SYSTEMATIC) to play the drums on the band's forthcoming album, tentatively due next spring via Nuclear Blast Records. 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.

Bostaph, who was a member of TESTAMENT for a brief period starting around February 2004, had previously played several live dates with the group in 1992 and appeared on the band's 1993 live EP, "Return to the Apocalyptic City". He also toured with TESTAMENT in 2006.

TESTAMENT's current lineup is rounded out by Chuck Billy on vocals, Alex Skolnick on lead guitar, Eric Peterson on rhythm guitar and Greg Christian on bass.

The band performed a brand new track, titled "The Afterlife", at the Earthshaker Fest in Germany on July 20 (view video below). "That's probably one of the more melodic, commercial-sounding songs," Billy recently told Metal-Rules.com. "The other songs are a lot more heavy, a lot more intense. That was one that just fell into place really quick and we knew we wanted to play a new song for that show so we decided not to give them everything but to give them something in the vein of what we were playing. I think it's a catchy song, a melodic song. But I don't think it represents the whole record, no."

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have issued the following update:

"As you probably know by now, we are currently holed up in IF Studios recording our new album. Things are going VERY well and we are making steady progress and are on schedule. So far 11 drum tracks has been laid down, six bass tracks with four more to be done over the next days, and we are also working hard with the guitar foundations. So far seven rhythm guitar tracks are finished and we are about to start with the solos this week.

"Thanks for all your support and we are looking forward to seeing you on the road next year with a brand new album to play you songs from!"

An exclusive Nuclear Blast Online Shop mailorder edition of the new SOILWORK album, "Sworn to a Great Divide", is limited to only 500 copies and comes in a 7'' gatefold-style package. The package contains the entire new album plus a bonus DVD with a live show, plus footage from the studio and more. Also included in this package is a 3'' mini-CD with two bonus tracks not found on the standard version of the album.

The official release date for the package is October 19.

A brand new SOILWORK track, entitled "The Pittsburgh Syndrome", has been posted on the group's Myspace page. The song comes off "Sworn to a Great Divide", which will be released in North America on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The vocals for the new CD were recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with the help of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD mastermind Devin Townsend.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Sworn To A Great Divide
02. Exile
03. Breeding Thorns
04. Your Beloved Scapegoat
05. The Pittsburgh Syndrome
06. I, Vermin
07. Light Discovering Darkness
08. As The Sleeper Awakes
09. Silent Bullet
10. Sick Heart River
11. 20 More Miles

Finnish metallers SHADE EMPIRE entered the studio on October 1 to begin laying down tracks for their third album, tentatively due on March 12, 2008 via Dynamic Arts Records. Most of the recording sessions are taking place at Studio 33 in Kuopio, Finland and this time the band is using a real choir to boost the sound. The vocal recordings at Perkele Studios will be overseen by producer and AJATTARA mastermind Ruoja (a.k.a. former AMORPHIS frontman Pasi Koskinen). The CD will be mixed by Sami Niittykoski.

You can follow the recording progress at www.zero-nexus.com.

Swedish melodic metal masters LION'S SHARE will release their new album, "Emotional Coma", in Japan on November 14 via Spiritual Beast.

LION'S SHARE's video for the song "The Edge of the Razor" can be viewed руку. The track, which features a guest solo from ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, comes off "Emotional Coma", which was released in Europe on June 15 via AFM Records.

According to a press release, "Emotional Coma" is "the heaviest and most powerful LION'S SHARE record to date" and it features guest appearances by Kulick, Glen Drover (MEGADETH) and Mats Levén (THERION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). The band features guitar player and founding member Lars Chriss, along with vocalist Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, WUTHERING HEIGHTS), bass player Sampo Axelsson (GLENN HUGHES) and well-known session drummer Richard Evensand (CHIMAIRA, SOILWORK, THERION).

we are proud to announce GRAVE DIGGER`S SECOND GUITAR PLAYER:

THILO HERMANN ....... ex FAITHFULL BREATH, ex RISK and ex RUNNING WILD.

The first show in the new line up will be at the 31st of October in the ZECHE BOCHUM. We can`t wait to hit the road again to show you the ALLMIGHTY GUITAR TWINS ... I can promise you THEY REALLY KICK ASS ... Two of the BEST GUITAR PLAYERS IN METAL IN ONE BAND ... that kills ...

Take a look on the picture of their rehearsels at Thilo studio last weekend!!!

M E T A L
Chris, Manni, Thilo, HP, Stefan and Jens

AYREON, the brainchild of Dutch guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen, has posted audio samples of the next three guest singers who will appear on the band's upcoming album, tentatively due late 2007/early 2008: Daniel Gildenlöw from PAIN OF SALVATION (mp3); Wudstik, a Dutch hip hop and soul artist (mp3); and Marjan Welman of the Dutch band ELISTER (mp3
). Other vocalists scheduled to appear on the CD include Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN), Steve Lee (GOTTHARD), Bob Catley (MAGNUM), Anneke van Giersbergen (THE GATHERING), Jonas P. Renske (KATATONIA), Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), Ty Tabor (KING'S X), Magali Luyten (VIRUS IV), Simone Simons (EPICA), Liselotte Hegt (DIAL), Phideaux Xavier and Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER). A total of fifteen singers have been confirmed to guest on the album, with more to be added.

AYREON's last CD, "Ayreon: The Human Equation", was released in 2004. It contained guest appearances by a number of acclaimed vocalists, including James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Mike Baker (SHADOW GALLERY), Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH), Eric Clayton (SAVIOUR MACHINE), Devon Graves (DEADSOUL TRIBE, ex-PSYCHOTIC WALTZ) and Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD).

Legendary Chicago doomsters TROUBLE will release their long-awaited "Unplugged" CD sometime in November 2007. Mastering has begun and should be completed shortly.

"Unplugged" will be available only through the NewTrouble.com web site.

The track listing for the "classic" portion of the "Unplugged" CD is as follows:

01. Misery Shows Act II
02. Flowers
03. Rain
04. Requiem
05. Tragedy Man
+ two new tracks

Norwegian "dark metallers" AETERNUS have issued the following update:

"We are glad to announce that we now have a new drummer. We found him through a tip from our original drummer, Erik, and we thank Erik for the tip! His name is Terris and he's working these with [AETERNUS mainman] Ares to get his drumming learned and tuned up for a future gig and then some.

AETERNUS parted ways with drummer S. Winter (FORLORN, A WINTER WITHIN, GEHENNA) due to the fact that "he lives too far away from [the rest of the group] and it became a too big burden to have that type of slow flow in the band," AETERNUS previously said. "It was a shitty decision to make, but also an important one. He's a great drummer and and truly among very few are so dedicated as he is and it made it hard to take this step. Nevertheless, it was done."

AETERNUS' latest album, "HeXaeon", was released last year via Karisma Records. The follow-up to 2003's "A Darker Monument" was recorded at Grieghallen Studios in Norway and was once produced by Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin, who has previously worked with ENSLAVED and MÖRK GRYNING, among others.

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen told a Finnish TV station that the band has just finished shooting the third video from its latest CD, "Dark Passion Play". The clip for an as-yet-undisclosed song was shot in Rovaniemi, Finland with director Tuomas "Stobe" Harju. Ilkka Immonen of Lapland Studio Oy produced the video.

Commented Tuomas: "Initially we didn't intend to make a third video, a follow-up to 'Amaranth' and 'Bye Bye Beautiful', but when the city of Rovaniemi approached us and invited us to film it there, we just just had to jump at the opportunity.

He continued, "Rovaniemi offered us the perfect location to shoot the video. This kind of Lapp wilderness feeling really comes out in this video — a sort of Lapp wilderness combined with the surrealism of Salvador Dali.

"I don't want to reveal the song that we’re doing the clip for yet, but I can say that the video kinda goes hand in hand with the lyrics of the song, for once."

NIGHTWISH shot two videos in Los Angeles this past summer with Antti Jokinen, reportedly at a cost of 270,000 euros (approximately $362,000). "We saved time and money by doing two videos in one session," Tuomas Holopainen told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.

Finnish power metallers KIUAS have issued the following update:

"The historic recording sessions of the third epic KIUAS album will soon begin.

"For the last few months the band has been practicing and polishing the new material intensely and guitarist Mikko Salovaara has been working like Conan in his home studio. All the songs have been demo-recorded, processed and refined.

"This time the band worked on the songs with the aid of Janne Joutsenniemi (known as the driving force of bands STONE, SUBURBAN TRIBE and lately producing bands such as ENSIFERUM, ENTWINE, STAM1NA and GODSPLAGUE) and Nino Laurenne during the pre-production phase. The whole songwriting process has been going on for the past year, and now finally the songs are perfect.

"If all goes as planned, KIUAS will record 11 killer songs."

You can follow the band's progress in the recording studio at www.kiuas.net.

KIUAS' second full-length album, "Reformation", was released in May 2006.

KIUAS is:

Ilja Jalkanen - Vocals
Mikko Salovaara - Guitars
Markku Näreneva - Drums
Atte Tanskanen - Keyboard
Teemu Tuominen – Bass

German metallers BRAINSTORM have set "Downburst" as the title of their new album, due on January 25 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and January 28 in the rest of the world via Metal Blade Records. The track listing for the effort is as follows (not final sequence):

01. Falling Spiral Down
02. Fire Walk With Me
03. Stained With Sin
04. Frozen
05. End In Sorrow
06. Redemption In Your Eyes
07. How Do You Feel
08. All Alone
09. Surrounding Walls
10. Crawling In Chains
11. Protect Me From Myself

Commented the band: "We have spared neither trouble nor expense to deliver you the best-sounding, state-of-the-art BRAINSTORM album to date, can't wait to let you hear because this one will leave you with your jaw dropped, I'm sure! We are almost done with the mix and all I can say is that everything sounds f*#%ing amazing."

Video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach performing OUTKAST's "B.O.B." on the sixth episode of MTV's new weekly competition show "Celebrity Rap Superstar" is available for viewing at www.mtv.com.

"Celebrity Rap Superstar" kicked off on August 30. Bach is one of eight celebrity contestants culled from the worlds of music, film, TV and sports who are paired with their own rap mega-star mentor — Sebastian's is Kurupt from THE DOG POUND — who will share their respective knowledge and skills to prepare the contestants with the technique they'll need to be a master rapper. With help from his personal tutor, expect Bach to perform covers of some of the biggest rap songs of all time, create original raps and be tested in freestyle rap competitions, all in front of a live audience.

This isn't Bach's first foray onto the small screen nor with MTV. His reality show, "SuperGroup", which also starred Ted Nugent, Jason Bonham, Scott Ian and Even Seinfeld, and "Forever Wild" were very successful shows on VH1, and his "I Married...Sebastian Bach", also on VH1, was a number-one rated program. In addition, Bach spent five seasons on the popular CW series "Gilmore Girls", and made several guest appearances on the Canadian mockumentary series, "Trailer Park Boys".

OVERKILL's new album, "Immortalis", has just been released in Germany as a limited-edition digipack featuring a bonus DVD containing footage from the band's August 2, 2007 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The track listing for the DVD is as follows:

01. Rotten to the Core
02. Elimination
03. Necroshine
04. Thanx for Nothin'
05. Skull and Bones
06. In Union We Stand
07. Walk through Fire
08. Wrecking Crew
09. Old School
10. Fuck You

Before Evanescence or Within Temptation, this Dutch band blended elements of gothic and metal music with strong female vocals and lyrics that commonly centered around themes of the supernatural. With a nice variety of arrangements, top notch production, and stellar vocals, this band is one of the best in the goth/metal genre.

The Dreamside has been a major influence on the gothicmetal and fantasy influenced gothrock trend throughout their thirteen year history, which has included numerous tours and festival appearances throughout Europe and the US. The 13th Chapter is a chronicle of this journey and features new material, reinterpretations of classic tracks, remixes, a video, and more.

Released October 23, 2007 on Dancing Ferret Discs.

Track Listing:
1. Forsaken - Vigilante Remix
2. Die Hoffnung - Angels and Agony Remix
3. Into a Frenzy - Hungry Lucy Remix
4. Forsaken - Moog Bass Remix (Acid Planet Award winner Aaron Jasinski)
5. The Sirene's Feast - Lunascape Remix
6. In Longing - Satyrian Remix
7. Unforsaken - Storm mix by IlaNoiz
8. Above Below Around - 2007
9. Treasures - ft. 18Summers
10. Nuda Veritas - 2007
11. Unspoken - ft. Kenji Siratori & Born from Pain
12. In Longing
13. Sticks and Stones
Plus: Forsaken Live Video

Fans have told NME.com of their joy at getting tickets for the LED ZEPPELIN reunion gig.

The band's one-off show at the O2 Arena in London will take place on November 26.

Fans had to register at Ahmettribute.com for a ticket ballot, with over a million signing up hoping to get one of the 20,000 tickets available for the night.

Successful applicants were informed on Monday, October 1.

Speaking about the joy at getting tickets for the show Ross McGarry told NME.com: "To say I was excited when I heard about the gig doesn't really cover it. To open that email today and realise I had won was the best feeling.

"I can't really put into words how good it was, and I was panicking when it told me I had three minutes to fill this screen or two minutes for the next. Got everything paid and now I'm just deciding which lucky bugger is going to join me. I'll see you all there. Oh, that's right you didn't get tickets. I'll tell you all about it."

Stephen Furlong added: "Last night I logged into my PC and checked my email. To my disappointment, there was nothing but blankness. Thinking that it would be much of the same, I checked my work email (god love remote access), and to my shock surprise and amazement, there was confirmation of my ballot results, stating that I could order there and then.

"To say I am delighted would be an understatement. To see a band that not only are 30 years out of my era, but such a great band at that, is phenomenal. So all that's left to do now is sit back and get ready for what will be a once in a lifetime experience."

Meanwhile, Andrew Morgan said: "I found out when checking my emails on the toilet last night. My dad is suddenly my best friend."

UK's BAL-SAGOTH has parted ways with drummer Dan Mullins. Dan is replaced full-time by Paul "Wak" Jackson, who also assumed kit duties for the band during their two most recent live shows. Jackson is also the drummer for EXTREME MAGGOT INFESTATION and DECIMATION OF TRUTH.

BAL-SAGOTH's sixth album, "The Chthonic Chronicles", was released in March 2006 via Nuclear Blast Records.

BAL-SAGOTH performing at UK's Bloodstock festival in 2006 video is here.

ANGEL BLAKE guitarist Marko Tervonen (ex-THE CROWN) has issued the following update:

"I'm at this moment working on the final song for the yet-untitled album Nr. 2

"10 songs, ladies and gentlemen, 10 songs are planned to be recorded as soon as everything is 100% done with lyrics, titles and some bits and pieces here and there. About 45-50 minutes of music!! Hopefully it's recording time within a month.

"More info about the new label, release dates etc. coming up soon..."

Tervonen previously stated about the new ANGEL BLAKE material, "the final result actually gives me the shivers when I listen to it. I don't know if that's good thing concidering it's my own music, but that's a fact. I remember that happening years ago when I wrote 'Bow to None' and 'In Memoriam' for 'Possessed 13' (THE CROWN, anyone?)... The sound could be described as more heavy, higher pace, different vocal styles, more punchy production, some very gloomy moments, catchy hooks etc. The best feeling I get from listening to the new stuff is that I hear that the music has taken a giant leap forward, and that has always been a very (if not the most) important goal for me as an artist/composer... I don't want to repeat myself."

ANGEL BLAKE's current lineup is as follows:

Tony Jelencovich (ex-MNEMIC, TRANSPORT LEAGUE) - Vocals
Marko Tervonen (ex-THE CROWN) - Guitars
Janne Saarenpää (ex-THE CROWN) - Drums
Örjan Wressel - Contrabass
Anders Edlund (INCAPACITY, SOLAR DAWN) - Guitars

ANGEL BLAKE's self-titled debut album was released in North America on April 4, 2006 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Tervonen's Studio MT, which is located three kilometers from Trollhättan, Sweden.

British metal veterans SAXON are scheduled to release their new double DVD, "To Hell And Back Again", on November 19 (Germany: November 16; U.S.: November 20) via SPV. "To Hell And Back Again" comes in a top-quality digipak featuring over five hours of playing time and is a perfect example of an excellent price/performance ratio. The double DVD will be released in a 16:9 image format and 2.0 Dolby Digital & 5.1 Audio sound formats. DVD 1 consists of 15 chapters with lots of interesting glimpses of the band's life between two albums, starting with the "Lionheart" studio recordings and continuing with heaps of clips from the subsequent tour (the tour start in Kiel, sequences from the Graspop Metal Meeting and Wacken Open Air 2004 festivals, shows in London, Glasgow, Paris, and Pratteln, among others, plus the grand finale in Prague), and scenes from the video shoots for "Witchfinder General" and "Beyond The Grave". Most of the 15 chapters include at least one live track, the end of DVD 1 featuring full versions of each number. Makes over two hours playing time all in all.

DVD 2 includes the official "Beyond The Grave", "Witchfinder General", "If I Was You" and "Let Me Feel Your Power" video clips, plus the brand-new, previously unreleased "I've Got To Rock (To Stay Alive)" with guest appearances by Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), Angry Anderson (ROSE TATTOO) and Andi Deris (HELLOWEEN). The song will be available as an Internet single download from October 19. DVD 2 is rounded off with live cuts from Switzerland's Rocksound festival, the Rock For Asia event, and a live duet by Biff Byford and Doro Pesch (performing the JUDAS PRIEST classic "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"). Another three hours of SAXON pulling out all the stops!

A re-release of the album "Unleash The Beast" will be out on November 19, 2007 (Germany: November 16, 2007; U.S.: November 20, 2007). In addition to the eleven original songs on the album, there will be two live bonus tracks ("Crusader" and "Solid Ball Of Rock"), recorded in Germany during the 1995 "Dogs of War" world tour. The re-release is completed by fascinating liner notes courtesy of vocalist Biff Byford and a new booklet with previously unreleased photos.

Swedish melodic death/black metallers DEVIAN — who feature in their ranks former MARDUK members Legion (vocals) and Emil Dragutinovic (drums) after their departure from MARDUK — have posted the second "webisode" documenting the recording process for the group's debut album, "Ninewinged Serpent", due on October 22 via Century Media Records. Watch the three-and-a-half-minute clip below.

In other news, Legion has issued the following update:

"We are pleased to announce that in our ranks we now have one of my oldest brothers in arms, namely Roberth Karlsson [on bass] who some of you might recognize for his previous work in EDGE OF SANITY. I'm thrilled to work with Roberth again since it was with him I had my first black metal band 16-17 years ago, and to now hook up again after all this time for new metal onslaughts in DEVIAN feels fucking awesome.

"Our lead guitarist Marcus [Lundberg] has chosen to step off the ship due to personal reasons. The lead guitar duties are now handled by Tomas Nilsson who played bass on 'Ninewinged Serpent'. We wish Markus the best of luck for the future, and welcome aboard, Robert!!"

"Ninewinged Serpent" was recorded at Sweden's Art Decay Studio. Mixing duties were handled by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman (AT THE GATES, ARCH ENEMY, DIMMU BORGIR). The cover artwork was created by Greece's master of dark visuals Seth (PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK, OLD MAN'S CHILD).

"Ninewinged Serpent" track listing:

01. Serenade For The Fallen [Intro]
02. Dressed In Blood
03. Heresy
04. Scarred
05. Suffer The Fools
06. Fatalist
07. Gemini Is The Snake
08. Instigator
09. Remnant Song
10. Ninewinged Serpent

HailMetal.com has unleashed a new Top 50 list, this time featuring the Top 50 Death Metal Albums Of All Time. They have issued the following introduction to the list:

"HailMetal.com returns in full force with yet another Top 50 List. This time, the topic is death metal (if that wasn't already obvious to you). Why death metal? Well for much the same reasons as we did the thrash list, we are working off what we currently have the most knowledge of. Most of the staff here are fairly death metal savvy and as such we believe the ensuing list, whilst not going to please everyone, should have something for everyone, stir some heated debate and acknowledge as decent a breadth of death metal's contribution to music over the last 22 years (or thereabouts) as one possibly can, restricted to naming the Top 50 albums of all time.

The composition of the list was slightly different to that of the thrash list. Whilst in principal, it was the same idea (based on voting amongst the admins), weightings were implied on each of our individual knowledges and a hopefully less skewed or concentrated list has resulted (in English, unlike the thrash list, you won't see 4 or 5 albums by the big name acts). The change was in response to criticism of our thrash list, not that we think we got it incorrect, but just an acknowledgement to the fact that there are multiple approaches and interpretations of what could be considered 'the greatest' of all time.

Compared to the thrash list again, we have similarly taken a hard line as to what we consider eligible to death metal. Again there is room for interpretation, but to give you a flavour of how we drew the line in the sand, the most difficult was with the death / doom crossover - whilst KATATONIA, ASPHYX, AMORPHIS, OCTOBER'S TIDE were considered in, MY DYING BRIDE, MOURNFUL CONGREGATION, early CATHEDRAL, SKEPTICISM were all considered out. Other genre crossovers were less problematic, with only a handful of considerations such as DISSECTION and ZYKLON ever considered for the death metal list (but in the end left out). The line was drawn between death leaning towards the 'destructive' rather than having a 'reconstructive' purpose. Equally, we took a pragmatic approach and considered what the natural reaction would be when considering what genre the band fell into. Naturally simple aesthetics were key in making this distinction. And while I don't intend to define the genre, I suspect you could infer a definition from the above, and whatever your opinion with regard to some grey area bands may be, take solace in the fact that if it is included or excluded from this list, it will be relative to other lists we have or will compose.

The many difficulties in accommodating people's taste as well as some stubborn opinions (including my own) as well as our busy schedules made the list difficult to compose. Without dwelling on the latter, you will probably be able to instantly spot 'gaps' in the list. But these are not indeed 'gaps', but rather illustrations of a difference in opinion. For example, whilst I considered CRYPT OF KEREBOS' World Of Myths mandatory listening, Goran leaned towards BLOODBATH's Nightmares Made Flesh, Luke preferred THE ABYSS' The Otherside and Nick, GORGUTS' From Wisdom To Hate. None of the above made our list but were considered for the list and at the end of the day there unfortunately just wasn't enough room.

Furthermore, we have gone with an approach of acknowledging only one album per band. Therefore, where you may question why we don't have something like The Sumerian Cry or The Karelian Isthmus, it's not because we don't like the album, rather it was a case of saying that Death Metal, over 22 years has had more than 50 influential bands, and to try and narrow it down to less was more blasphemous than not individually acknowledging these aforementioned albums. We believe that the sentiment behind each album represented is also something of a representation of the bands full contribution to Death Metal as we know it. Furthermore, I will concede this Death Metal list has not been composed by 7 brutal death metal fans. Therefore, whilst there is some representation, brutal death fans are the most likely to be agitated by this list, but c'est la vie.

On that note, I will leave you with a list that will surely even rattle the very walls of hell with its unyielding respect for the most destructive forces in music death metal."

~ Mike [byrne]
HM Senior Staff