ong-running German death metallers OBSCENITY have parted ways with bassist Alexander Pahl and are currently seeking a replacement. "If you play bass and you love death metal, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at bassplayer@obscenity.de," the band writes.

OBSCENITY's seventh CD, "Where Sinners Bleed", was released earlier in the year through Armageddon Music. The follow-up to 2002's "Cold Blooded Murder" was recorded at Soundlodge studio in Rhauderfehn, Germany.

OBSCENITY were previously signed to Morbid Records, which issued the band's last four albums.

Finnish melodic metallers OLYMPOS MONS have issued the following update:

"The negotiations with our former label concerning the [already completed] new album ['Medievil'] has taken unexpected turns. OLYMPOS MONS is not satisfied how the distribution of the debut album, 'Conquistador' [2004], was handled. Neither are we satisfyed with the explanations provided, not to mention several other issues.We have reached a dead end. The album will be released but it is still uncertain by who."

Commented vocalist Ian E. Highhill: "There's been some interesting offers, but we're still waiting for as many as possible before we make a decision. We also hope that the fans will show patience since the release will be delayed."

For more information, including an audio samples from the upcoming CD, visit

Melbourne, Australia's ALARUM has announced the addition of drummer Rob Brens to the group's ranks. Brens joins the band as the replacement for previous skinsman Racca, who left ALARUM this past summer "to pursue other interests."

ALARUM is currently writing material for a new album as well as preparing for a gig supporting TESTAMENT in Melbourne at Prince Of Wales on February 7.

ALARUM earlier in the year completed a U.S. tour with NECROPHAGIST, ARSIS, NEURAXIS and CATTLE DECAPITATION. The band's latest CD, "Eventuality", was released in July 2005 via Willowtip/Earache. The album was recorded through 2004 at Back Beach Studios with Theron Rennison and assistant Rick Luke.

After three albums produced by Norwegian producer Terje Refsnes, French power metallers NIGHTMARE are ready for a new challenge. The recording of the group's sixth studio album will start May 7, 2007 at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL).

NIGHTMARE's follow-up to 2005's "The Dominion Gate" will be released by Sweden's Regain Records in the fall of 2007, followed by full European and U.S tours. The band has also joined forces with an international booking agent, MDM Concerts in Germany (in cooperation with Blue Steel Agency).

"The Dominion Gate" came out in November 2005 via Regain Records. The CD was recorded during April-May 2005 at Soundsuite Studio with Norwegian producer Terje Refsnes (TRISTANIA, SIRENIA, GREEN CARNATION) and includes special guest appearances by AFTER FOREVER's Floor Jansen and Sander Gommans, along with ex-PRETTY MAIDS guitarist Ricky Marx, who has previously collaborated with NIGHTMARE vocalist Jo Amore back in the '90s.

Montreal-based NEURAXIS has began the writing process for its next album. Guitarist Rob Milley comments: "We are only in the beginning stages but already it can be said that our new material is feeling more progressive and dynamic and at the same time we are making sure it will continue to be as vicious and brutal as ever. Everyone is excited to see where this new chapter will take us. We will keep you all updated as the songwriting progresses. "

NEURAXIS will take part in the European Domination Tour in February/March 2007 alongside ROTTING CHRIST, MALEVOLENT CREATION, CARPATHIAN FOREST, INCANTATION and HARM.

Finnish death metallers SCENT OF FLESH have set the track listing for their third album, "Deform in Torture", tentatively due mid-February 2007 via Firebox Records. It is as follows:

01. Living But Stillborn
02. At the Stake of Mercy
03. Deform in Torture
04. Last Act of Power
05. Relentless Hands
06. Delusions of Deity
07. One Holy Truth
08. Our Own Archnemesis

Check out the song "One Holy Truth", at this location.

SCENT OF FLESH previously released two full-length albums — "Roaring Depths of Insanity" (2003, Black Lotus) and "Valour in Hatred" (2004, Firebox) — plus a four-song EP, "Become Malignity" (2005, Firebox).

IRON MAIDEN has been touring in support of its critically acclaimed "A Matter of Life and Death" album since early October when they kicked off the trek in the U.S. (where the album entered the Billboard chart at No 9 and has sold 132,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan). By the end of the tour — which climaxes with two shows at London's Earl's Court Arena on December 22 and 23 — they will have played 44 concerts to half a million fans in 18 countries across North America, Japan and Europe

As a grand finale to the tour, EMI will release what has to be the ultimate MAIDEN tour souvenir on December 26, and is to release the band's first-ever limited-edition digital single.

Commented bassist Steve Harris, "We're having a fantastic time on this tour and the fans everywhere have been absolutely brilliant. The reaction to us playing the entire album from start to finish has been amazing. We're releasing this single with live tracks specially recorded on the tour, and our own version of FOCUS' 'Hocus Pocus' to celebrate all the fun we are having."

This exclusive digital single — a live version of "Different World" recorded during the European tour — will be available for a limited period only and will be deleted upon official release. The digital single can be downloaded day of release, December 26, in MP3 format that is compatible with PC, MP3 player, iPod and Mac. Fans who pre-order this exclusive digital single (and any of the single traditional formats digitally, as listed below) between midnight on Sunday, December 3 and Monday, December 25 will get to hear an exclusive interview with Steve Harris.

This unique offer is only available as a pre-order from the IRON MAIDEN Official Digital Store at www.ironmaiden.com. Pre-orders will be delivered on December 26, when the format will be deleted and no longer available. This exclusive live version is in MP3 format that is compatible with PC, MP3 player, iPod and Mac!

Three traditional collectable formats will be available from local record stores from Tuesday, December 26:

* Two-track CD — special souvenir price of £1.99 with previously unreleased live version of "Iron Maiden"

* Limited-edition 7" picture disc with previously unreleased live version of "Fear Of the Dark"

* Limited-edition DVD single with souvenir poster/2007 calendar. Includes the animated video directed by Howard Greenhalgh, and the previously unreleased live version of "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", and the new studio recording of FOCUS' "Hocus Pocus". There is also a full picture library of live photos from the tour for fans to enjoy.

All singles contain different tour photos, and live songs from "A Matter of Life and Death" European Tour 2006

As a special bonus to fans, Steve Harris' daughter Lauren Harris and her band have been added for all dates from and including Den Bosch Holland on November 26 through to the two nights at Earl's Court, London December 22-23.

Said manager Rod Smallwood: "Lauren supported MAIDEN in Japan on our first two European shows in Denmark and went down really well, so we have added her to the U.K. section of the tour. Lauren will play for about 25 minutes each night prior to TRIVIUM. This will not change the current running times of our shows or the sets played by IRON MAIDEN and TRIVIUM."

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET, the new Swedish band featuring former THE CROWN vocalist Johan Lindstrand, entered Deadline studios on October 18 with engineer Valle Adzic to begin recording its new album, "Error in Evolution". The follow-up to the band's debut, "21st Century Killing Machine", is scheduled for release on March 9, 2007 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The following update from Lindstrand has been posted on the band's MySpace page:

"There's not much new to say about the album that's not been said before. We've just started to mix the whole thing now and we will have a full master on Friday the 1st of December. And since it's just about mixing we will not give you more studio updates. This is the last one.

"Someone said, 'Do we really have to wait until March next year?' Yeah, I'm afraid so. We're so extremely satisfied with this album and we wanna play it for you now already. That's a shitty situation for sure, haha.

"Other news is that we had a break in the studio and went to do a festival show in Cologne, Germany. It was a small festival with five bands and us headlining. It felt great and we played the 'Christmas' song and also 'The Supreme Butcher' from the upcoming 'Error in Evolution'. People had a great time and we left Cologne with a smile."

Vocalist Stefan Zell of the Swedish melodic/progressive metal band WOLVERINE has issued the following update:

"Me, Mikael [Zell, guitar], Marcus [Losbjer, drums] and Per [Henriksson, keyboards] got together and jammed on some new stuff [last] weekend. After our short U.K. tour with ANATHEMA, we have been taking it real slow in terms of everything related to the band. Now we felt we had to get together again and I'm really glad we did. Marcus came in with a song that we worked on and it turned out really nice. Of course there's a lot more to do before the song is finished but we have the skeleton and it's a really nice skeleton. We also did some improvised jams that lead to some really interesting ideas.

"It feels great to be back in writing mode again and in a way it's the most satisfying part of being in a band. I simply love it!"

WOLVERINE's latest album, "Still", was released in the U.S. in July via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded in part at Spacelab studio in Tönisvorst, Germany. The follow-up to 2003's "Cold Light of Monday" was produced by Oliver Philipps, Christian "Moschus" Moos and WOLVERINE and was mixed at the end of August 2005.

Norwegian doom band SYRACH has issued the following update:

"Two strong doom tracks being nearly finished as we speak. The new 12-minute song that we did at the gig in England has been titled 'A Mourner's Kiss' and a new Reichborn track influenced by early SABS and '70s prog is probably clocking in on 8-10 minutes. This track is in the working prossess and soon the vocal lines will complete this brilliant song."

SYRACH recently revealed the tentative track listing for its as-yet-untitled new album, tentatively due in early 2007. The CD, which is being produced by Herbrand Larsen from ENSLAVED, will include the following cuts:

01. The Firm Grip Of Death
02. Nine Fallen Men
03. Are You Able To Breathe Fire?
04. Semper Ardens
05. Stigma Diabolikum
06. A Death Tear
07. Come Daemons
08. The Twilight Enigma

Formed in 1993 in Kalandseidet (near Bergen, Norway — a region known to have spawned bands like IMMORTAL and BURZUM, to name a few), SYRACH's current lineup includes two new members: Suleiman on drums and Noralf Venås on guitar.

DIMENSION ZERO — the Swedish band featuring IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad (on bass), ex-MARDUK vocalist Joakim "Jocke" Göthberg, LUCIFERION/DIABOLIQUE drummer Hasse Nilsson, and PATHOS guitarist Daniel Antonsson — has begun recording its third album, tentatively due in early 2007. "At last all the drum tracks are finished," the group writes on its web site. "14 brand new tracks. Feels great to be back in the studio after two years of hybernation. Right now we are preparing for Joakim's arrival a week from now..."

Check out pictures and video footage from the recording studio.

STRATOVARIUS frontman Timo Kotipelto entered Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland in August to begin recording his third solo album, tentatively due in early 2007 via his own label, High and Loud Records. He has just issued the following update on the album's recording sessions:

"Most of the songs are mixed by now. Mikko [Karmila] is about to mix the last song in a couple of weeks and then the music is done. I don't have the title or the artwork yet. We also shot a music video for one of the songs. The song will be on a Finnish movie 'Vares 2' which will have its premiere January 12th, 2007. The song is a main theme and can be heard when the credits are scrolling at the end of the movie. The music video will include clips from the movie. Some of the actors who are playing the characters on these clips are my personal friends and are very well known in Finland."

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal outfit AFTER FOREVER has almost finished the recordings for its new, album for a spring 2007 release via Nuclear Blast Records. Produced by Gordon Groothedde (Dutch studio luminary), the record is believed to be titled "Energized", although this has not yet been officially confirmed by the band itself.

AFTER FOREVER has issued the following update on the album's recording process:

"Recording the choir: Since we were very pleased with the choirs on 'Remagine', we decided to work with the same choir again. After Joost made all the arrangements together with Floor, we had the first two days of November to record everything. Floor, Previn, Amanda and Rannveig came to the studio and after we'd set everything up and spent a little time rehearsing, we got the sound we wanted! We needed some more time to record this time, since the new album has quite a few more choirparts than 'Remagine', and there are also more versatile parts. Again we've managed to get the best out of the choir and we're very satisfied with the result...it sounds even bigger and more powerful than before!

"Recording the Prague Symphonic Orchestra: Since AFTER FOREVER is always searching for new and exciting things to add to our music, we've decided to work with a full symphonic orchestra this time. Since Joost studied arrangements at the conservatory, it was something we could do ourselves, and we could keep it close to our own style of songwriting.

"We got some tips about a famous orchestra in Prague that records a lot of music for Hollywood movies. Their sound was said to be amazing and their professionally in working and recording with bands had been proven. On the 26th and 27th of October, André, Sander, Gordon (Groothedde) and Joost spent two days in the beautiful city of Prague. One day was to enjoy the city and one day to record the orchestra. Both days were great, but of course the day of the recording was what we came for. When the orchestra started to play the arrangements Joost had made for the new songs, we were blown away immediately and we knew that this was going to give us a very cool result...exactly how we had it in mind! It sounded big, epic and very powerful! After we came back from Prague, Joost and Gordon started working on the edits and mixes. This will all be finished shortly. One thing is for sure...we can't wait to play the new songs in their full glory for our fans! And... what happened in Prague, stays in Prague."

AFTER FOREVER's last album was "Remagine", which came out in 2005. The follow-up to 2004's "Invisible Circles" was recorded at Excess studio in Rotterdam, Holland and was mixed by Sascha Paeth and Philip Colodetti at the Gate studio in Wolfsburg, Germany.

AFTER FOREVER's former record label, Transmission Records, recently issued a two-disc compilation album containing the best songs from the band's first ten years of existence, plus previously unreleased material, non-album tracks, alternate takes, rarities and previously unreleased remixed versions. The set, which includes collaborations with such guest musicians as Sharon den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson (AYREON) and Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH), entered the Dutch national album chart at position No. 69 upon its release in June.

CANNIBAL CORPSE will re-release its 1996 masterpiece "Vile" in March 2007. Entitled "Vile Live", the re-release will be part of a two-disc set which will include a bonus DVD containing live footage from the "Vile" era. The bulk of the concert material was filmed using three "old-school Hi8 cameras" on February 3, 1997 at San Francisco's Berkely Square, with four additional tracks shot the following night (February 4, 1997) using only two cameras.

The track listing for the bonus DVD is as follows:

February 3, 1997:

01. Perverse Suffering
02. Stripped Raped and Strangled
03. Covered with Sores
04. Monolith
05. Addicted to Vaginal Skin
06. Force Fed Broken Glass
07. Fucked with a Knife
08. Gutted
09. Bloodlands
10. Shredded Humans
11. Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead
12. A Skull Full of Maggots
13. Devoured by Vermin
14. Hammer Smashed Face

February 4, 1997:

01. Pulverized
02. Puncture Wound Massacre
03. Mummified in Barbed Wire
04. Orgasm Through Torture

Female-fronted Italian goth band THEATRES DES VAMPIRES will release a new double CD, "Desire of Damnation (The Addiction Tour)", in February 2007 via Plastic Head/Blackend. The set will include a CD with the audio version of the recently released DVD (Plastic Head Video) and a separate disc with four new studio songs, three remixes, one special version of a medley featuring "Vampyrica" (2001) and "Suicide Vampire" (2002), performed by the tenor voice Franco Carta (Vampyre Dionysus) and arranged and directed by composer Stefano Lazzoni. To promote this new album, THEATRES DES VAMPIRES will play several shows all around Europe next year. A release party will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at Slimelight in London.

Floridian death metal legends DEICIDE will release a brand new DVD, "Doomsday in L.A.", on January 22, 2007 via Earache. The set, which was filmed using multiple cameras on November 10, 2006 at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, features the group's new lineup of Glen Benton (bass, vocals), Steve Asheim (drums), Jack Owen (guitar; ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Ralph Santolla (guitar; ex-ICED EARTH, DEATH). The bonus material will incorporate exclusive interviews and promo videos, including the recent "Homage for Satan" clip.

"Doomsday in L.A." DVD track listing:

01. Intro
02. Dead By Dawn
03. Once Upon The Cross
04. Scars of the Crucifix
05. The Stench of Redemption
06. Death to Jesus
07. When Satan Rules His World
08. Serpents of the Light
09. They Are The Children Of The Underworld
10. Desecration
11. Bastards of Christ
12. Dead But Dreaming
13. Trifixion
14. When Heaven Burns
15. Walk With the Devil in Dreams You Behold
16. Homage for Satan
17. Kill the Christian
18. Sacrificial Suicide

DEICIDE will embark on a European tour beginning on January 5, 2007 in Eindhoven, Holland.

Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS has split up. The group's official statement on the matter reads as follows:

"It is with great regret that we announce that Jonathan [Perez; drums], Kjell [Hagen; bass], Runar [Hansen; guitar] and Kjetil [Nordhus; vocals] yesterday (November 28th, 2006) left TRAIL OF TEARS. The decision was taken with immediate effect, and thus the band does not longer excist. TRAIL OF TEARS will therefore have to cancel all forthcoming shows, including the X-mas [Festivals] tour dates in December, and we sincerely appologize for any inconvenience this might lead to. We would like to thank everybody that has supported the band from the start 10 years ago and of course especially our loyal fans all over the world. There was no longer the neccessary desire and energy left in the band to continue. And everything has an end."

Sydney, Australia-based metallers DAYSEND have issued the following update:

"After almost a month of solitude on the remote grounds of Backbeach Recording Studios in Victoria, Australia, DAYSEND have finished their follow up to 2003's debut album 'Severance', with producer dw Norton once again at the helm. Some tentative track titles include 'This Is A Warning' and 'The Violence Of Silence' and with the addition of Mark McKernan on vocal duties, the new album looks set to make its mark as one of the finest metal release of 2007."

Commented bassist Meredith Webster: "The songs are definitely in a heavier vein than 'Severance', but we have by no means lost the melodic touch. We've had a pretty full on few years, and it was bound to show in our music — the whole writing and recording process has been pretty cathartic for us all. We are going to bleed these tunes when we take to the stage again!"

Finnish pagan folk metal band TURISAS has issued the following update:

"We made our way back home to Finland after a six hour delay due to snowstorms. We had a great time over in the U.K. together with LORDI and the shows were amazing. We will most certainly be back next year, and all of you people who saw us now for the first time are definetly invited to join us then for a more full-scale show.

"We entered Sound Supreme Studios here in Hämeenlinna, Finland this week and are now finally in the process of recording our new album. More on the album and how things are proceeding (+ some general studio madness) can be witnessed in our studio diary which is posted at our UltimateMetal.com discussion forum and will be frequently updated. Use this direct link to go to the studio diary, and while there, feel free to take part in some of the blabbering taking place on our board."

TURISAS' debut album, "Battle Metal", was released in July 2004 through Century Media Records. "Battle Metal" was produced by Terje Refsnes (TRISTANIA, MORGUL) at Sound Suite Studios in Marseiile, France.

TURISAS has been confirmed for next year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival, set to take place May 25-27, 2007 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

MISERY INDEX's video for the track "Conquistadores" has been posted online at YouTube.com. The clip was filmed on location in Brooklyn, NY with director Rick Carmona and producers Kim Resteghini and Melissa Manousos of Raging Nations Films.

MISERY INDEX recently teamed up with SWARM OF THE LOTUS and INTRONAUT to cover ground in the North East and Midwest, and is scheduled to conclude its tour with an appearance at the Auditory Assault Festival on December 2 with ATHEIST, MONSTROSITY, CRETIN and more.

Finnish symphonic power metallers EXCALION have inked a worldwide licensing deal with Limb Music for the release of their new album, "Waterlines". The follow-up to 2005's "Primal Exhale" was recorded and mixed at Watercastle studio by Arttu Sarvanne and is scheduled for release in February 2007.

"Waterlines" (view artwork at this location) track listing:

01. Wingman
02. Life on Fire
03. Losing Time
04. Ivory Tower
05. I Failed You
06. Arriving as the Dark
07. Streams of Madness
08. Delta Sunrise
09. Between the Lines
10. Soaking Ground
11. Yövartio* (European bonus track)
12. Access Denied (Japanese bonus track)

* = Finnish version of the track "Arriving as the Dark"

The band previously stated about the new CD, "The new songs are very mature both musically and lyrically. The whole band has improved a lot since their debut album in 2005 and the vocals of Jarmo Paakkonen are more impressive than ever. The actual music is fully rich in the songwriting and playing; it isn't prog or power metal anymore; there are strong influences of Euro melodic metal and U.S. hard rock. We could say the band found their 'own sound' for now!"

MANOWAR's Magic Circle Music has announced the signing of German heavy metal act MAJESTY to an exclusive management agreement. MAJESTY was formed in 1997 and has released five albums, with 2006's "Hellforces" being the most recent release. Fronted by vocalist/songwriter Tarek Maghary, the current MAJESTY lineup comprises guitarists Christian Münzner and Björn Daigger, bassist Marcus Bielenberg and drummer Michael Gräter.

MAJESTY's third album, "Hellforces", entered the official German album chart at position No. 100. The follow-up to 2003's "Reign in Glory" was once again produced by Stefan Kaufmann (former ACCEPT drummer, current U.D.O. guitarist) at Roxx studios in Pulheim, Germany.

Danish symphonic black metallers ILLNATH will head back to Borsing Studios shortly to begin recording their third album, entitled "Three Nights in the Sewers of Sodom". The graphics will once again be handled by Wilhelm Steiner.

According to ILLNATH, the CD will be released on the group's own label following their split with Worldchaos Production (which was supposed to put out the band's long-completed second full-length offering, "Second Skin of Harlequin". "The new material will reflect the new situation we're in — new drummer and new bass player, plus almost three years since the last album was recorded," the group previously said.

Sweden's SHOT INJECTION will release its new CD, "World of Coma", mid-January 2007. The EP was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg and is expected to include the following cuts: "Convinced", "From A Bleeding Heart" and "In A Circle Between Fear And Loss". According to a posting on the group's web site, fans can "expect a high-quality release with a lot of new elements.'

SHOT INJECTION's last CD, "Eleven Triple Manifest", was recorded at Division One Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden and featured guest appearances by EVERGREY frontman Tom S Englund and M.A.N/ex-MNEMIC frontman Tony Jelencovich.

SHOT INJECTION earlier in the year parted ways with bassist Filip Svensson (ex-ROACH). His replacement, Erik Samuelsson, made his live debut with the group in July at at Henriksberg in Gothenburg.

Ferret Music has set a March 6, 2007 North American release date for the new CHIMAIRA album, entitled "Resurrection".

CHIMAIRA began recording "Resurrection" on October 2 with the production team of Jason Suecof and Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY). The group recently signed new deals with Ferret Music (North America) and Nuclear Blast (Europe) following its split with Roadrunner Records earlier in the year.

As previously reported, CHIMAIRA will film a video for the first single off "Resurrection" on December 6-7 in the Los Angeles area. If you are interested in appearing in the video as an extra, send an e-mail to resurrectionvideo@hotmail.com. Please only e-mail if you're serious about going.

CHIMAIRA will headline "Chimaira Christmas 7" on Wednesday, December 27 at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio. Also scheduled to appear are DEMIRICOUS, FOREVER IN TERROR and BOWEL.

CHIMAIRA's last album, "Chimaira", was recorded at Spider Studios in Ohio with producer Ben Schigel.

CHIMAIRA's "Threnody", a leftover track from last year's self-titled LP, has been posted online . The song appears on the "Masters of Horror II" soundtrack, which came out last month via Downtown Records.

The cover artwork for WITH PASSION's upcoming album, "What We See When We Shut Our Eyes", has been posted online at this location. The artwork was created by renowned artist and musician Dave Quiggle, who is best known for of his in-house work at Facedown Records and past collaboration with such bands as ATREYU, A LIFE ONCE LOST, SCARS OF TOMMOROW — all of which has landed on shirts sold through Hot Topic.

"What We See When We Shut Our Eyes", which features a guest appearance by THE RED CHORD vocalist Guy Kozowyk, was recorded at Mana Studios in Florida with Brian Elliott. A February 2007 release via Earache Records is expected.

"Wphat We See When We Shut Our Eyes" final track listing:

01. Triumph Over Tragedy
02. Through The Smoke Lies A Path
03. What We See When We Shut Our Eyes
04. Pale Horses Ride
05. Tales Of Sirens
06. Encryption
07. R.J. Mac Ready
08. Forgotten Amongst Screams
09. Vengeance In Departure
10. A Road For The Worthy

WITH PASSION's last Earache release, "In the Midst of Bloodied Soil", was hailed by musical critics as "balancing technically wowing AT THE GATES-style drama-shred with graceful, forlorn instrumental ruminations." WITH PASSION possess a unique disposition and retain youthful energy while delivering mind-blowing, tightly driven musical compositions that rival those of their predecessors.

German death metallers DEBAUCHERY have inked a deal with AFM Records. The group recently spent time at House of Music studios in Winterach, Germany with producer Dennis Ward recording its debut album, "Back in Blood", for a 2007 release. The new set will come as a double digipack, featuring a bonus CD containing seven cover versions of songs from RAMMSTEIN, MANOWAR and THE BEATLES, among others artists.

Austrian/American "epic metal" band VISIONS OF ATLANTIS has set "Trinity" as the title of its third album, tentatively due in March 2007 via Napalm Records. The CD's cover artwork was created by Anthony Clarkson, who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, HYPOCRISY and EXODUS, among others. "The band felt he could capture the essence of the new phase of the band, which he did beautifully," the group wrote in an online update.

With regards to the album title, the band said, "Trinity stands for many things. For one, it is the third album (most obvious). There are also three new members, and three new influences in the music making. The band all agreed in June that would be the title and thus, worked from there. [In addition] the album is due out in March 2007 (third month)."

On the subject of the band's musical approach on the new CD, the group wrote, "Expect something different from this music, heavier music, mature and more introspective lyrics, grandiose symphonic parts, yet still keeping the band roots for writing songs that are accessible and sing-a-long-able."

"Trinity" will mark VISIONS OF ATLANTIS' first release since the addition of professional soprano singer Melissa Ferlaak from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ferlaak graduated with a master's degree from New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts in 2003 for vocal performance and has worked in the operatic field, most recently as Musetta in "La Boheme", and has been singing with AESMA DAEVA.

As previously reported, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS has posted two video clips from the group's appearance at the the Metal Female Voices Fest 4 on October 21, 2006 at Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium:

"Send Me a Light" (video)
"State of Suspense" (video)

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS released its last album, "Cast Away", in November 2004 through Napalm Records.

German folk-metallers IN EXTREMO will release a 10-year anniversary album, entitled "Kein Blick Zurück" ("No Looking Back"), on December 8 via Universal Music in Germany. In addition to re-recordings of some of the band's "old and new hits with updated production" (including songs from the "Weckt Die Toten" record), the set will contain a bonus CD featuring cover versions of songs by SILBERMOND ("Die Gier"), GÖTZ ALSMANN ("Singapur"), KILLING JOKE, GRAVE DIGGER and the legendary German group OUGENWEIDE.

Based in Berlin, IN EXTREMO's musical style combines metal with medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal instruments with historical instruments (such as the bagpipes, harp, hurdy-gurdy and shawm). Versions of well-known traditional/medieval ballads make up the main part of their repertoire, but increasingly over the years, the band has also written its own material. Their own compositions are written in German, while the traditional songs are in a variety of languages, including (but not limited to) Spanish, English, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, French, Hebrew, Latin and medieval German.

Finnish "fantasy metal" band BATTLELORE has revealed the track listing for its fourth album, "Evernight", due in February 2007 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Third Age of the Sun" was recorded at MusicBros Studio and was produced by Miitri Aaltonen, who previously worked with the group on their first two CDs, "...Where The Shadows Lie" (2002) and "Sword's Song" (2003). The mastering duties were handled at Finnvox Studios.

"Evernight" track listing:

01. House of Heroes
02. Ocean's Elysium
03. Summon the Wolves
04. We Are the Legions
05. Into the New World
06. Longing Horizon
07. Mask of Flies
08. The Cloak and the Dagger
09. Beneath the Waves

According to guitarist Jyri Vahvanen, "Evernight" "includes ten tracks of pure Tolkien metal with more bombastic and epic songs than before. And, as usual, there's going to be a limited edition digipack CD with bonus material."

"Third Age of the Sun" entered the Finnish album chart at position No. 38 back in August 2005. The CD was recorded at SoundSuite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes (TRISTANIA, MORGUL, TURISAS).