According to an online posting by NILE drummer George Kollias, the band will enter the studio tomorrow (Monday, February 26) to begin recording the follow-up to 2005's "Annihilation of the Wicked", due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

Said Kollias: "There is a lot of work to be done. The new songs sound REALLY great and tight. I can't wait to record!"

NILE's last album, "Annihilation of the Wicked" album, was released in May 2005 via Relapse Records. A video for the album track "Sacrifice Unto Sebek" was shot on location in Atlanta, GA by director Chad Rullman (MASTODON's "March of the Fire Ants", THE AGONY SCENE) for Supercollider Films.

NILE will embark on a headlining tour of Australia in May. Support at the shows will come from Polish technical death metal sensations DECAPITATED.

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers DARK TRANQUILLITY triumphantly return with "Fiction" in April 2007, a scorching effort that will undoubtedly add an exhilarating new chapter to the genre's storied history. The album was mixed by the acclaimed Tue Madsen (HIMSA, THE HAUNTED) and encompasses all of the elements on which the band built their career: thought-provoking lyrics, shredding guitar work, captivating melodies and sheer brutality. This offering is perhaps best compared to a modern-day version of the group's revered classics "The Gallery" and "The Mind's I", only with more intensity behind it. The blueprint of melodic death metal is now at your fingertips.

Niklas Sundin (guitars) further describes his thoughts on the new album: "Tue Madsen did a fantastic job with the sound, and the result is diverse and exciting enough to satisfy even the most critical of listeners. The 10 songs are extremely varied and showcase all facets of the D.T. experience while breaking new ground as well as reviving some elements that haven't been featured in D.T. songs since the early years. At the moment, we're putting the finishing touches to the packaging as well as preparing for the recording of the 'Focus Shift' and 'Misery's Crown' promo videos. Directing is once again Roger Johansson, who worked with us on the videos for 'Character'."

DARK TRANQUILLITY holds the esteemed distinction as being one of the bands responsible for founding an entirely new genre of death metal in the early '90s, which came to be known as "the Gothenburg sound." Their previous album, "Character", was hailed by critics and fans alike as the group's most savage and dynamic offering yet. They have solidified their fanbase through numerous tours alongside the likes of such genre titans as KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, KREATOR, IN FLAMES, OPETH and SOILWORK, among others.

In late March 2007, DARK TRANQUILLITY kick off the touring cycle for "Fiction" with a massive co-headlining U.S. run with THE HAUNTED and INTO ETERNITY followed by European summer festivals and a full length tour in autumn, revitalizing the genre they helped to create and further cementing their status as one of the scene's most influential metal bands.

"Fiction" track listing:

01. Nothing To No One
02. The Lesser Faith
03. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)
04. Blind At Heart
05. Icipher
06. Inside The Particle Storm
07. Empty Me
08. Misery´s Crown
09. Focus Shift
10. The Mundane And The Magic
11. A Closer End (Japan bonus track)
12. Winter Triangle (instrumental) (Australia bonus track)

The limited album version will include a bonus DVD with live songs, behind-the-scenes footage, last album's "The New Build" promo video and the brand-new "Focus Shift" clip.

Cover artwork was once again created by the band's guitarist Niklas Sundin.

Release dates:

North America: Tuesday, April 17
Sweden: Wednesday, April 18
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy: Friday, April 20
U.K., France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Rest Of Europe: Monday, April 23
Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, April 25
Australia, Japan, Rest Of World: To be confirmed

Danish power metallers MANTICORA have released a list of the guest musicians who appear on the group's sixth full-length album, "The Black Circus, Part 2". The companion CD to last year's "The Black Circus, Part 1 – Letters" was mixed at the Jailhouse studios in Horsens, Denmark between January 25, 2007 and February 1 with producer Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, TNT, PRETTY MAIDS, FATE). A May/June release via Locomotive Music is expected.

According to a posting on MANTICORA's web site, the following guest musicians appear on the CD:

* Jacob Hansen (INVOCATOR, ANUBIS GATE) on vocals
* Teddy Möller (LOCH VOSTOK, WUTHERING HEIGHTS) on growls
* Finn Zierler (BEYOND TWILIGHT) doing a keyboard solo
* Andreas Lindahl (WUTHERING HEIGHTS, ex-PLATITUDE) doing some keyboard leads and solos

As previously reported, MANTICORA recently recorded a cover of TANKARD's "Total Addiction" ("a real thrash metal classic!!!" according to the band) for a TANKARD tribute album, to be released later in the year by AFM Records.

The two-album "The Black Circus" concept project tells the story of the horrific perils of a traveling circus in the 19th century.

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON have issued the following update:

"As many of you already know, we are confirmed to perform at Germany's With Full Force and Battle of Metal [festivals] plus Brutal Assault in the Chech Republic. The actual day we are playing has not been set in stone yet at any of these festivals yet, but the time period of each festival is listed here.

"2007 is a year of songwriting and hopefully also recording, but we will make a few appearances here and there throughout the year. There will be a couple more festivals in the summer as well."

QUEENSRŸCHE has posted the cover artwork for its upcoming live DVD, "Mindcrime at the Moore", at this location.

The "Mindcrime at the Moore" DVD and accompanying live album was recorded at The Moore Theatre in the band's hometown of Seattle, WA on October 13-15, 2006. More information will be made available soon.

Showcasing the 1988 masterpiece "Operation: Mindcrime" and the 2006 sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety, Geoff Tate and company took fans on a three-hour journey of rock, revenge, and redemption. Joined onstage by a cast of characters, including Pamela Moore as Sister Mary, QUEENSRŸCHE presented a multi-dimensional experience of all that is "Mindcrime", including the answer to "Who Killed Mary?"

Finnish extreme metallers IMPALED NAZARENE have issued the following update:

"'Latex Cult' (1996) and 'Rapture' (1998) albums have (finally) been remastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studio. Needless to say, sound quality improved 666% to say the least. Ritual, our house artist, has already worked on cover for 'Rapture' and soon we will do 'Latex Cult' cover with him as well. All covers and layouts etc. will be brand new. We also added some bonus shit on both albums:

"'Latex Cult' has four live tracks ('Total War - Winter War', 'Soul Rape', 'Punishment Is Absolute' and 'Mortification/Blood Red Razor Blade'), recorded at La Laiterie club in Strasbourg in 1996.

"'Rapture' has LP version bonus tracks (cover of SODOM's 'Burst Command 'Til War' and 'Nuclear Metal Retaliation') plus eight live tracks ('Transvestite' [TERVEET KÄDET cover], 'Motorpenis', 'Bashing In Heads', 'I Eat Pussy For Breakfast', 'Whore', 'Violence I Crave', 'Goat Perversion' and 'Hoath: Darbs Lucifero') taken from Strasbourg show as well.

"Two of our albums, 'Nihil' and 'Latex Cult', have been taken under inspection by German government. They have a group called BPjM which, apparently, controls media and entertaiment industries. We got last October bunch of papers in German which stated that both our albums are under their review for being 'harmful to minors' or similar bunch of shit. We did send back our side of story and we were supposed to get verdict in two weeks after that. Instead, they keep sending same papers to us. Go fucking figure.

"We were told by various sources that this witch-hunt against us was initiated by Antifa movement and Mrs. Christa Jenkal. And that was a clever move from the person who originally initiated this whole mess. We have been misled from the start.

"We did some research of our own. Spoke to countless people. And got very interesting info.

"Should have figured it out earlier. Better late than never. We can 'thank' a certain journalist from a well-known magazine for all this crap. Everybody knows we have been on his shitlist since 1998. Now we know...

"Moving on to more positive things. We have started writing our 10th studio album titled 'Manifest'. Things are running smoothly, we have around 6-8 songs finished and more keep on coming. It will be brutal, fast, in-your-face material. We shall keep on bashing in heads! We will post more info about 'Manifest' soon.

"Last but least, we will release double 10" EP versions of 'Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz' and 'Ugra-Karma' later this year. Both will be limited to 300 copies only and will contain rare live material. From 1991 to 1995. All from our personal tapes. Exact track lists will be available soon."

IMPALED NAZARENE's ninth studio album, "Pro Patria Finlandia" entered the national album chart in Finland at position No. 38 back in March 2006. The CD was issued in North America on April 18 via The End Records.

"Pro Patria Finlandia" was recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump studio with producer Tapio Pennanen and was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios. Cover artwork was handled by Ritual. The group had previously described the new material as "fast, brutal as fuck, in-your-face IMPALED NAZARENE."

Finnish funeral doom band COLOSSEUM, featuring Juhani of YEARNING (harsh vocals, guitars, synths), Olli Haaranen (guitars, production), Janne Rämö (bass) and Sameli Köykkä (drums), has signed a deal with Firebox Records. The band will enter the studio in April to begin recording its debut album for a late 2007 release.

According to a press release, COLOSSEUM "continues the Finnish tradition of THERGOTHON, UNHOLY, SKEPTICISM, SHAPE OF DESPAIR etc., adding more symphonic touch and dark ambience. Infinite slowness and hypnotic walls of sound."

Check out three complete COLOSSEUM demo songs — "Saturnine Vastness", "Gate of Adar" and "Aesthetics of the Grotesque" — on the band's web site

Long-running New York death metallers IMMOLATION have uploaded a new track, entitled "World Agony", to their MySpace page. The song comes off the group's upcoming full-length album, "Shadows in the Light", due in April through Century Media and Listenable Records in the U.S. and Europe respectively.

"Shadows in the Light" track listing:

01. Hate's Plague
02. Passion Kill
03. World Agony
04. Tarnished
05. The Weight of Devotion
06. Breathing the Dark
07. Deliverer of Evil
08. Shadows in the Light
09. Lying with Demons
10. Whispering Death

According to a press release, "Shadows in the Light" is "aggressive, emotional and haunting. A powerful album that delivers all of IMMOLATION's attributes! Catchy as hell, very direct and to the point, the album devastates on all levels, from blasting madness and militant charges to sorrow-filled doom and depression. It is a very complete record with soulful solos, thunderous raging drums and vocals that lash right out at you!"

SAVAGE CIRCUS, the German/Swedish band featuring former BLIND GUARDIAN drummer Thomen Stauch and PERSUADER members Jens Karlsson (vocals, guitar) and Emil Norberg (lead guitar), will release a DVD, entitled "Live in Atlanta", on February 26 through Dockyard 1. The live footage was filmed last year at the ProgPower USA VII festival in Atlanta, GA and features the following track listing:

01. Tomorrowland
02. Evil Eyes
03. Waltz Of The Demon
04. IT - The Gathering
05. Between The Devil And The Seas
06. Beyond Reality
07. Ghost Story
08. When Hell Awakes
09. Born Again by The Night
10. Ca Plane Pour Moi

The DVD also features the "Evil Eyes" video clip and a 10-minute road movie, entitled "Savage Circus at Stone Mountain".

Check out the cover artwork at this location

Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS have issued the following update:

"In two days we are entering Sonic Pump Studios [in Helsinki] to record our 12th album. Jörg [Michael, drums] is flying in tomorrow [Saturday, Feb. 24]. We are keeping you updated with blogs and podcasts and we try to set up the webcam for you by Tuesday so you can see us actually playing in the studio. Blogs and podcasts you will find at www.stratovarius.com.

"We don´t know when this album 'R....... R' [two-word title, with both words beginning with the letter 'R'] will come out at this point, but sure thing is that not this year. Of course we will let you know when we know anything concrete. In the meantime, [Timo Kotipelto, vocals] and [Timo Tolkki, guitar] will be quite busy so you won't get bored."

Swedish melodic metallers NOCTURNAL RITES have finished mastering their new album, due later in the year via Century Media Records. According to bassist Nils Eriksson, the CD "sounds killer, of course." He previously stated, "this album feels really different, fresh and new. Still it sounds like us, in some weird way. Guess we can't escape the NOCTURNAL RITES ghost. However, we have some REALLY cool songs on the way."

Danish metallers MERCENARY have issued the following update:

"The time has finally come for MERCENARY to shoot the first video in support of their latest album 'The Hours That Remain'. The footage will be shot this coming weekend on location in Denmark. The song chosen for the first video is 'My World is Ending', and is expected to be ready for release in mid-March."

MERCENARY entered the national album chart in their home country at position No. 67 with their latest effort, "The Hours That Remain".

SLAYER was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, which are being held tonight (Sunday, February 11) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The nominees in the "Metal" category were as follows:

LAMB OF GOD - "Redneck"
MASTODON - "Colony Of Birchmen"
MINISTRY - "Lies, Lies, Lies"
SLAYER - "Eyes Of The Insane"
STONE SOUR - "30/30-150"

This was SLAYER's second Grammy nomination, the first being in 2002 for the track "Disciple" (from "God Hates Us All"), also in the "Best Metal Performance" category.

SLAYER, currently headlining a North American tour, did not attend the Grammys presentation, but vocalist/bassist Tom Araya had this to say about the win from his hotel room in Columbus, OH: "Jeff [Hanneman] and I put a lot into 'Eyes of the Insane' so we're thrilled that the Grammy voters took the time to listen to it, and then vote for it. We're out here on the road and we're all really, really happy."

BEFORE THE DAWN's new single, "Deadsong", has entered the Finnish single chart at position No. 2 this week, ahead of such competition as WITHIN TEMPTATION (#4) and THUNDERSTONE (#5). The single also scored higher than the likes of IRON MAIDEN, THE 69 EYES, CHRIS CORNELL and LIONEL RICHIE.

The "Deadsong" single features the title cut alongside the PLACEBO cover "Bitter End" and a re-recording of an old song, "Gehenna".

BEFORE THE DAWN's video for "Deadsong" can be viewed here. The band's current formation is as follows:

Tuomas Saukkonen - Vocals, Guitar
Juho Räihä (GLORIA MORTI) - Guitar
Lars Eikind (WINDS) - Bass, Vocals

The new BEFORE THE DAWN album, "Deadlight", is scheduled for release on April 4 in Finland via Stay Heavy Records.

Regain Records has set an April 30 release date for the seventh full-length album from Swedish black/death metallers LORD BELIAL, entitled "Revelation". Two tracks from the CD — "Unspoken Veneration" and "Vile Intervention" — are available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

"Revelation" was recorded at Los Angered studio (owned by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque) outside Gothenburg.

Italian prog-metallers DGM will release their fifth album, entitled "Different Shapes", in late March/beginning of April on Scarlet Records. DGM are also confirmed to take part at Gods of Metal 2007 festival, Italy’s biggest metal event, along with such celebrated acts as HEAVEN AND HELL, DREAM THEATER, BLIND GUARDIAN, DIMMU BORGIR, PORCUPINE TREE, SYMPHONY X and ANATHEMA. The Japanese version of the album will include a bonus video track.

"Different Shapes" track listing:

01. New Life
02. The Alliance
03. Some Day, One Day
04. Unkept Promises
05. The Fallen Angel
06. Peace Of Mind
07. Frontiers
08. Signs Of Time
09. Close to You
10. A Man I’ll Never Be

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have completed work on their new album, "Unia" (Finnish for "Dreams"), due on May 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed at Finnvox studio in Helsinki and was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm, Sweden. The final installment of SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henkka Klingenberg's studio report can be found at this location.

The latest single from SONATA ARCTICA, "Replica" — containing a new version of the title cut, which originally appeared on the band's 1999 debut, "Ecliptica", plus the songs "Draw Me" (instrumental) and "Respect the Wilderness" — entered the Finnish single chart in November at position No. 1.

Finnish melodic metallers OLYMPOS MONS have inked a deal with Italy's Scarlet Records. The group's sophomore album, "Medievil", will be released sometime this summer.

Commented vocalist Ian E. Highhill: "Our hearts are filled with hope and our teeth are sharpened. OLYMPOS MONS is also searching for booking agencies to work with in Europe! So if you have a agency and you think you have something you can offer the band please contact band manager Mats Nyström — manager [at] olymposmons.com."

OLYMPOS MONS' debut album, "Conquistador", was released in 2004 through Limb Music.

Progressive metal pioneers DREAM THEATER have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Systematic Chaos", due in June via Roadrunner Records.

"This album's got all of the elements we've become known for," reveals drummer Mike Portnoy, who co-produced the CD with guitarist John Petrucci (Paul Northfield engineered and mixed the effort). "The focus on musicianship, the skull-crushing riffs, the big progressive epics and the heart-wrenching melodies. We've got one of the strongest and most devoted fan bases in the world, and they should certainly be happy with the new material." The disc sports seven new songs, one of which runs 25 minutes.

"Systematic Chaos" track listing:

01. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.1
02. Forsaken
03. Constant Motion
04. The Dark Eternal Night
05. Repentance
06. Prophets of War
07. The Ministry of Lost Souls
08. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.2

DREAM THEATER had spent its entire career on Elektra and Atlantic, an arrangement that ended with the 2005 studio album "Octavarium". According to Billboard.com, The group has sold 2.1 million CDs in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.

The cover artwork for the upcoming NINE INCH NAILS album, "Year Zero", has been posted online at this location.

"Year Zero" comes out on April 17. The first official single, "Survivalism", will arrive at radio later this month. Two songs from "Year Zero" — "Survivalism" and "My Violent Heart" — have been posted online on the band's MySpace page. A trailer for "Year Zero" can be viewed online: Hi-Res (30 MB, Quicktime required), Lo-Res (3.5 MB Quicktime).

According to a posting on QUEENSRŸCHE's official web site, the group's upcoming "Mindcrime at the Moore" live release will be made available in two versions: a two-CD disc set (cover) and a two-DVD disc set. Aside from live renditions of songs from the "Operation: Mindcrime I" (1988) and "Operation: Mindcrime II" (2006) albums, there will be bonus material, the details of which have yet to be revealed.

"Mindcrime at the Moore" was recorded on October 13-15, 2006 at The Moore Theatre in the band's hometown of Seattle, WA.

The cover artwork for INSISION's third album, entitled "Ikon", is available at this location. Due at the end of April via Dental Records, the CD was recorded at Black Lounge studios (SCAR SYMMETRY, CENTINEX) in Avesta, Sweden. Mick Usher, who worked on INSISION's last album, "Revealed & Worshipped", designed the cover.

"Ikon" track listing:

01. A Ravenous Discharge
02. Unbind My Hands
03. By Habit
04. Depleting The Non-Being
05. Into The Cold
06. Breathing The Black Dust
07. Doubt Denied
08. Entangled In Thorns *
09. The Magnet Soul

* A remake of the song from the "Promo 2000" demo

OBITUARY frontman John Tardy has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"All is going well with the new DVD and we really appreciate all the support! 'Frozen Alive' [DVD] has sparked a bunch of new shows that we have set up! Here they all are and we are really looking forward to all of them. Some of the newer shows are in France, Mexico with Sadus and believe it or not we are finally going to make it to Australia! We have had offers in the past, but they just never worked out. This will be our first time in Australia, so for all of you that have emailed over the years about coming there, we finally will have a chance to meet! We also have some South American dates we are working on and as soon as I find out for sure I will let you know.

"We are still working on the new CD and are getting really excited about these new songs. This is some pretty sick shit! I still do not know what we are going to do about a record label. We are still talking with a few labels and trying to work something out! Hopefully something gets done soon, so we can move forward and concentrate on future events! We still plan on starting to record in March!!!"