CIVILIZATION ONE will have its debut album, "Revolution Rising", released in Japan on September 26 via Spiritual Beast Records. This Japanese edition will include the bonus track "Out in the Rain". "Revolution Rising" was recently released in Europe, where it has received great praise from both fans and press alike.

CIVILIZATION ONE is an international musical entity creating timeless heavy metal with neoclassical, symphonic aggression. It features in its ranks vocalist Chity Somapala (ex-FIREWIND, AVALON), guitarist Aldo Lanobile (SECRET SPHERE), drummer Luca Cartasegna (ex-SECRET SPHERE), and bassist Pierre-Emmanuel Pélisson (MALADAPTIVE; ex-HEAVENLY).

"Revolution Rising" was produced by the bandmembers themselves, and recorded at studios in France, Italy, and Germany, with mixing and mastering by Markus Teske (VANDEN PLAS, DOMINICI, SYMPHONY X) at Bazement Studios in Germany.

Swedish metallers EVERGREY have announced the addition of former STRATOVARIUS bassist Jari Kainulainen.

Comments EVERGREY mainman Tom S. Englund: "We are extremely happy that we have found the perfect bass player. Jari came to Gothenburg for a rehearsal a few weeks ago. Afterwards me and Henrik [Danhage] talked and we both we got goosebumps. We ímmediately knew that Jari was the right guy for us. We are so much looking forward to the coming months of recording and playing and it honestly feels like a fresh start and the injection I think we needed."

Says Jari Kainulainen: "When I heard that EVERGREY was searching for a new bass player, I immediately contacted Tom to let him know that I was extremely interested! Then they asked me to come and audition for them. I can’t even start to explain how nervous I was. But everything just matched, and sounded great! And before we knew it we were all shit faced and celebrating the Scandinavian way! See you on the gigs!"

Jari will make his live debut with the band at Fosen Rock festival in Fosen, Norway (where EVERGREY are headlining) on August 25.

EVERGREY is currently seeking a new label home after splitting with Inside Out Music following the release of "Monday Morning Apocalypse".

EVERGREY's last CD, "Monday Morning Apocalypse" was recorded at Division One Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by the experienced production team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who have previously worked with such artists as RAMMSTEIN, BON JOVI, BRITNEY SPEARS and DEF LEPPARD.

Bassist/vocalist Graf von Beelzebub has left the German "dark Satanic metal" band MYSTIC CIRCLE to concentrate on his new band GLOOMBALL. GLOOMBALL is currently in talks with labels about the release of its first CD, which is expected before the end of the year. Audio samples are available on the group's Myspace Page.

MYSTIC CIRCLE is rumored to have split up following Beelzebub's departure although this has not yet been officially confirmed.

German melodic black/death metallers SUIDAKRA have issued the following update:

"After [the band's appearance at the] Wacken [Open Air festival in early August] we will stagger into the Gernhart Studio to record some old SUIDAKRA tracks and re-master the newer ones for a 'best-of' compilation. This album will be released together with a live DVD containing the Wacken 2006 show, the acoustic show at the Kielowatt Festvial 2006 and various other video clips. This fine package will be complimented graphically with artwork by Kris Verwimp, so this will surely be a must-have for every SUIDAKRA fan, and fans of the future!"

The third chapter of the KHYMERA project is about to be completed. The lineup this time is identical to the one that appeared on the second album, with Daniele Liverani on keyboards, Tommy Ermolli on guitars, Dario Ciccioni on drums and Dennis Ward of PINK CREAM 69 handling all lead vocals. The bulk of the songwriting was supplied this time by Jim and Tom Martin, who offered seven tracks on the previous album and wrote the classic "Ghost of Time" on the HOUSE OF LORDS masterpiece album "World Upside Down". An early 2008 release via Frontiers Records is expected.

Swedish electro-EBM masters Covenant are working hard on the upcoming DVD release ''In Transit'' which is planned for a release this autumn. It will contain 3 discs featuring a concert in dolby 5.1 surround, a bonus dvd with live clips, interviews and recordings from the 2006/2007 tour thorugh Europe, USA and South-America. Finally the package will also contain a live CD with all of the highlights of Covenant songs from this tour.

Australia's symphonic/gothic/classical act VIRGIN BLACK has returned home after a month of touring North America.

As part of its North American tour for the recently released album "Requiem - Mezzo Forte" (The End Records), the band played shows in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In a posting on their official site, singer/keyboardist Rowan London says, "I am honoured by the commitment of the North American people to this thing we call VIRGIN BLACK. No matter where it was and at what notice, at any given show, there were people willing to sacrifice to be there. And just as we are willing to shed blood, sweat and tears and travel ludicrous distances for this entity, it's heartening to meet people willing to do the same. Plans are already afoot for our return; and just quietly, a few people are listening to 'Requiem – Fortissimo', loudly."

Swedish metallers EVERGREY have issued the following update:

"Just wanted to let you know that on Monday [August] 6th we will announce our new bass player! We are very excited and eager to let you know who it is and the Monday morning post will also consist of comments from him as well as a photo and more comments from us and I think some of you know him already from somewhere else.
I can tell you that the songs we rehearsed together have NEVER sounded better and made the rest of us also sounding more jaded than ever. His first show will be at the Fosen Rock Festival in Fosen Norway and we can't wait to tear it up live again!"

EVERGREY is currently seeking a new label home after splitting with Inside Out Music following the release of "Monday Morning Apocalypse".

Video footage of EVERGREY's April 21, 2007 performance at Preoteasa in Bucharest, Romania has been posted online at Metalhead.ro. A video interview with EVERGREY vocalist/guitarist Tom Englund and keyboardist Rikard Zander, filmed in Romania, is available for viewing online at Metalhead.ro. More than 200 photos from EVERGREY's Bucharest concert have been posted online at this location.

EVERGREY's last CD, "Monday Morning Apocalypse" was recorded at Division One Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by the experienced production team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who have previously worked with such artists as RAMMSTEIN, BON JOVI, BRITNEY SPEARS and DEF LEPPARD.

Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS debuted a brand new song, entitled "Last Night on Earth", during their appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival on Saturday, August 4 on the "True Metal Stage". Watch professionally filmed video footage of the performance here.

STRATOVARIUS recently entered Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland to begin recording its new album (the title of which consists of two separate words that both start with "R"). An early 2008 release is expected.

STRATOVARIUS' last, self-titled effort was released in the U.S. in September 2005 via Sanctuary.

After an enjoyable and successful European tour we are back home! After the European tour, singer/guitarist Mark Kelson went on to do six weeks touring in the USA as a session guitarist for Virgin Black, so the rest of The Eternal had a well earned break. We would like to thank all those that made our time in Europe very enjoyable, Musketeer of Death, Negative Art & Nemesis Promotions most of all for making all the shows happen, and of course all our fans that made it to the shows! With any luck you will see us again next year with a new album under our belts! Expect some new tour pics and video on this site in the next few months. To celebrate our return we will be doing a home town show at:

17 AUGUST 2007 - The Arthouse, Melbourne

We will not be doing to many shows for the rest of the year, so that we may focus on recording our new album. So please come down and spend an evening with us!

ALBUM UPDATE

Well pre-production for the new album, with the working title 'Kartika' is almost complete. 16 songs are written and at this stage it looks if the band will be using adelaide engineer Ian Miller alongside Mark Kelson to handle production duties. The band aim to head to Adelaide by November to lay down drums and should be tracking the rest of the album in Melbourne, Australia. At this stage we have not decided what label we will work with for the 'Kartika', more news as it comes.

Finnish metallers MY FATE are preparing to release a new EP called "MMVI".

"MMVI" is MY FATE's first record to feature Jukka Ruostila following the departure of Antti Ojanen last year. The songs on the EP were mostly written when Ojanen was still a member, but the lyrics and final arrangements have been done with Jukka. The result is a very interesting mix of old and new. It is a look back, but also a step ahead.

"MMVI" will be released in October on MY FATE's website, free for everyone to download. However, a small digipak CD edition will be available first, mostly for promotional purposes. A very limited number of the CD edition will be sold, hand-numbered, autographed and featuring extra material. This future collectible can be ordered right now on the band's web site

MY FATE has been around for seven years. The band's earlier works include two EPs and two full-length albums. Everything has always been done at the band's own expense on its own record label, My Fate Music.

AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen's webmaster has issued the following update:

"For a limited time only we've put up a 10-minute demo track [from the upcoming AYREON album] here for which vocals have not yet been recorded. Ben Mathot of the band DIS plays violin on this track. Ed Warby [GOREFEST], as always, plays drums. This demo will be deleted in a few days, never to be heard again, so check it out now!

"The third vocalist to be featured on the new AYREON has been announced: Ty Tabor (KING'S X). Magali Luyten (VIRUS IV) and Simone Simons (EPICA) were announced earlier. In total 13 vocalists have been confirmed, 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).

Finnish melodic death metallers CRYSTALIC have parted ways with guitarist Erik Grönroos. Erik has issued the following statement on the matter:

"It's time for me to leave the band. This wasn't easy decision for me but that's what life is, decisions. Some of them are easy to make, some of them are not. I don't have that much time, money nor energy for the band anymore that playing in a band and being a member of a band would require to. It's not fair to other band members either that one is hanging along with half impression while rest of the band loads themselves for the band 110 percent and I don't want to slow down the progress of CRYSTALIC as a band neither guys of accomplishing their dream. People change while the years go by and I don't feel that playing guitar in a band is the biggest thing for me in life anymore. Somehow my interest towards music has fade little by little a long time by now so I'm going to end band stuffs entirely, at least for now. I will be Crystalic.net webmaster still so I won't be completely gone. We have been friends with the guys before I joined to CRYSTALIC and we will be friends from now on. So no bad blood between us. Thanks for amazing moments and for hard times as well guys. You guys rule and I wish the very best future for CRYSTALIC. And guys, let the metal flow!"

Launch Radio Networks reports: SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian has set "Empty Walls" as the first rock radio single from his debut solo album, "Elect The Dead". The track will make its way to stations on September 10. Another song, called "The Unthinking Majority", will surface a little earlier on college radio and metal specialty shows. The album itself will arrive on October 23 through Tankian's Serjical Strike label.

Tankian told Launch why it was the right time for him to step out on his own with a solo project. "We've been a band for 11 years, put out five records, and myself personally, I felt I needed to do other things," he said. "I've been wanting to put out a solo record for many, many years and it's not about just the vanity of putting out your own record kind of thing. It's more about having songs and having a vision and having a place to voice that. So I've been looking forward to doing that and it's making me really happy doing that right now."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan and ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia both play on "Elect The Dead".

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has been on hiatus since last year while its members pursue individual projects.

According to the official THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN MySpace page, the band has added former HEADS WILL ROLL guitarist Jeff Tuttle to its lineup.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN recently entered the studio with producer Steve Evetts (SAVES THE DAY, EARTH CRISIS, SEPULTURA) to begin recording its new album, "Ire Works", for a late 2007 release via Relapse. The upcoming CD will feature the drumming of STOLEN BABIES' Gil Sharone following the departure of Chris Pennie (he now plays drums with COHEED AND CAMBRIA). Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Saigon Whore", "Doll Keeper" and "Party Smasher".

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN will embark on a European tour with MESHUGGAH in November.

French power metallers NIGHTMARE have finzlied the track listing for their new album, "Genetic Disorder", tentatively due late October via Regain Records. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producers Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd (IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY).

"Genetic Disorder" track listing:

01. Nothing Left Behind
02. Battleground For Suicide
03. Queen Of Love & Pain
04. Conspiracy
05. Leader Of The Masquerade
06. Final Procession
07. The Dominion Gate (Part II)
08. The Winds Of Sin
09. Forsaken Child
10. A Thrill Of Death
11. Wicked White Demon
12. Dawn Of Darkness

NIGHTMARE will embark on a headlining tour of France in November with special guests FREEDOM CALL, HYDROGYN and KRAGENS.

Swedish death metallers ZONARIA have posted their first single, "The Armageddon Anthem", on their MySpace page. The track comes from their forthcoming Pivotal Rockordings debut "Infamy and the Breed". A video for the track was shot by Standard Film Team.

"Infamy and the Breed" will be released on September 3 (U.K.), September 4 (North America), and September 7 (rest of Europe) through Pivotal Rockordings. The album was recorded by Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY) and mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY) at Black Lounge Studios in Gälve, Sweden.

Swedish guitarist Carl-Johan Grimmark (NARNIA, ROB ROCK, BEAUTIFUL SIN, SAVIOUR MACHINE, PLANET ALLIANCE, DIVINEFIRE, FLAGSHIP, ESSENCE OF SORROW) will release his first solo album, "Grimmark", on August 31 via Rivel Records. The track listing is as follows:

01. Pray
02. How Many Times
03. Hiding from the Sun
04. Free
05. Resurrection
06. Monkey Man
07. Save our Souls
08. The Kingdom
09. The New Song

German power metallers RAGE will embark on the "Metal Firestorm" tour of Russia in November. The dates are as follows:

Nov. 06 - Moscow - Apelsin-Club
Nov. 07 - Nizhniy Novgorod - [to be announced]
Nov. 08 - Vladimir - [to be announced]
Nov. 10 - Ryazan - [to be announced]
Nov. 11 - Tula - [to be announced]
Nov. 12 - Bryansk - [to be announced]
Nov. 14 - St. Petersburg - Roks-Club

As previously reported, RAGE has set "Carved in Stone" as the title of its new album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Nuclear Blast Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Carved in Stone" (described by the band as "a super hymn, which could open the live shows in future), "Open My Grave" ("very heavy and dark"), "One Step Ahead" and "Long Hard Road" and "Without You". Check out a studio report at the band's official web site.

Dutch doomsters DEINONYCHUS have issued the following update:

"'Warfare Machines' is the new title of the forthcoming DEINONYCHUS album which will be released on My Kingdom Music on the 12th of October 2007. Recorded and mastered in Italy under the guidance of Giuseppe Orlando [NOVEMBRE] (who also played drums on this album), this album is another progress containing a fine mixture of black/doom metal with up-tempo/blast and doom parts. First there will be a limited slipcase edition of 2000 pieces. The artwork was again done by Eric Massicotte who also did artwork for DARKTHRONE etc."

"Warfare Machines" track listing:

01. Krematorium
02. Carpet Bombing
03. Manoeuvre East
04. Napola
05. MG-34
06. False Flag
07. Nerve Agent
08. Morphium