U.K. doom metallers MY DYING BRIDE have posted the following message on their official web site:

"[MY DYING BRIDE] have been locked up in the studio since the beginning of April and are busy recording their new album. According to the band, at least five songs have already been recorded with more in the pipeline. No details on song or album titles are available, yet. John [Bennett], the drummer from THE PROPHECY, with whom the band have played live in the past year, is also behind the kit in the studio, filling in for regular MY DYING BRIDE drummer Shaun Taylor-Steels (who is still having problems with his ankle after injuring it badly last year)."

MY DYING BRIDE's eighth studio album, "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light", was released in February 2004 through Peaceville Records. The follow-up to 2001's "The Dreadful Hours" was recorded and mixed at Academy Studio in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire with producer Mags.

German gothic metallers CREMATORY have released more information about their upcoming album, "Klagebilder", due on August 4 via Massacre Records.

According to a press release, "Back in 1996, CREMATORY established themselves as genrepioneers, as the release of 'Crematory – Das Deutsche Album' was not only praised but criticized. Nevertheless, the band consequently proceeded its way onwards and a German song has been presented on nearly every album since. It was clear that after 15 years of CREMATORY there has to be a special present for the fans and so the band decided to give the fans what they've been yelling for the last 10 years: A new German album!

"As the lyrics of the new album deal with very personal topics and experiences of daily human life, 'Klagebilder' features musical progress in perfection. A massive, uncomparable sound-wall combined with spheric and modern keyboardsounds. The production was taken care of CREMATORY themselves with the assistance of producer Christian 'Kohle' Kohlmannslehner while keeping a more precise focus on a distinguishable guitarwork.

"'Klagebilder' is an album with the expected amount of smashers with eardrilling refrains and clubhits to dance to, demonstrating that the hitfactory CREMATORY is without doubt powered by high voltage."

"Klagebilder" (view artwork here) track listing:

01. Klagebilder
02. Die Abrechnung
03. Hoffnungen
04. Kein Liebeslied
05. Kaltes Feuer
06. Der Morgen Danach
07. Warum
08. Höllenbrand
09. Nie Wieder
10. Ein Leben Lang
11. Der Nächste
12. Das Letzte Mal
13. Spiegel Meiner Seele

The LP will be available as a limited digipak, jewel-case CD and big-sized box set including a bonus CD.

French gothic metal band PENUMBRA have announced the addition of new female singer Asphodel (MySpace) to the group's ranks.

"Asphodel's beautiful voice perfectly suits the new musical direction PENUMBRA has taken since their last album, 'Seclusion' [2003]," the band write on their web site. "Jarlaath [vocals/oboe] also declared that she conquered PENUMBRA with both her great vocal talent but also with her personality. Asphodel already started touring with PENUMBRA and recently debuted live in Belgium and in the Netherlands in April 2006. She proved to be able to adapt the older songs as her own and her voice completely blended with PENUMBRA's atmosphere."

Check out pictures of the new PENUMBRA lineup performing live at The Basement (Nighttown) in Rotterdam, Holland on March 30, 2006 at Stratovana.nl.

PENUMBRA's "Seclusion" CD was released through the Season of Mist label.

ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has posted the follwing message on the band's official web site:

"I'm completely consumed in the writing process of what will be by far the most ambitious album(s) IE has ever done. Some of you probably know that the next two releases will comprise the full concept album of the 'Something Wicked' storyline, Part 1 & Part 2. I know it's taken quite some time to get this beast on its way to fruition, but it IS finally happening, and I really feel the time is right. The goal is to make this our most epic, dynamic, most melodic and heaviest CD ever. Because of the depth and detail of the story it would be impossible to do it on one CD, there simply is not enough time, so I'm writing both parts at one time so that the continuity is there. If I were to wait a year or two to start writing part 2 I would be in a completely different frame of mind and it wouldn't work nearly as well, so the best thing is to do all the writing at once. We'll get Part 1 recorded, mixed and released and then finish part 2 which will come out about 6 months later. That's at least the preliminary plan. We are still pretty early in the process but things are starting to move along nicely.

"I know it's been some time since the release of 'The Glorious Burden' and I ask you to please be patient because what's coming next is going to blow you away. This is the album that IE fans have been waiting for.

"I want to apologize to the European fans for not making it over there for a headline tour on the last album. My back problems got too intense to be on the road and that really screwed things up for everyone, myself, the rest of the guys in the band, our crew, the promoters etc. We would have toured a lot more than we did had I not had these problems. The great thing is that the last surgical procedure I had in October of 2004 seems to have worked to make the pain much more tolerable. I did very extensive therapy for many months and am committed to being in the best shape of my life by the time we tour again. It's good to be enjoying life for the first time in a very long time.

"2005 was a very special year for me. My daughter was born and it's been by far the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. After so many years of ass-breaking work to keep this band alive and successful, it was time for me to take care of #1. So I devoted my time to my health and my family and it was great. My batteries definitely needed recharging. Things are in perspective like never before and I feel more determined and more focused than ever. I can say in full confidence that this is coming through in the music.

"Contrary to some rumors, IE is still very much alive and will be coming back with a vengeance, stronger and more driven than ever to spread our brand of metal. Tim, Bobby [Jarzombek, drums] and I are very much looking forward to getting these CDs in the can and getting back out to see you all again."

Legendary Swedish death metallers GRAVE have completed work on their new album, "As Rapture Comes", for a July 25 release via Century Media Records (one day earlier internationally).

Commented vocalist/guitarist Ola Lindgren: "The new album is finally completed. Nine tracks which can only be described as the most aggressive, evil and brutal stuff we have ever created both sound and song-wise. The album was recorded by ourselves at Studio Soulless and the final mix was made in the Abyss Studio with Peter Tägtgren. This one takes GRAVE into a new dimension while still staying true to our legacy of brutal, heavy death metal."

The artwork for "As Rapture Comes" was designed by the Polish artist Jacek Wisnieswki, who has previously worked with GRAVE on their "Back From The Grave" and "Fiendish Regression" albums, in addition to designing artwork for such acts as KRISIUN, VADER and DECAPITATED, among others.

"As Rapture Comes" track listing:

01. Intro - Day Of Reckoning (0:49)
02. Burn (6:24)
03. Through Eternity (3:45)
04. By Demons Bred (4:16)
05. Living The Dead Behind (6:26)
06. Unholy Terror (3:44)
07. Battle Of Eden (3:38)
08. Epic Obliteration (4:02)
09. Them Bones (2:32) (ALICE IN CHAINS cover)
10. As Rapture Comes (5:34)

In other news, GRAVE have confirmed a string of shows with ENTOMBED in Scandinavia for June, as well as a North American tour with DISMEMBER and VITAL REMAINS in the fall.

German thrashers DESTRUCTION have posted the following message on their official web site:

"After the return from their successful Latin America tour (sadly interrupted with some promoter problems as reported) the band is now preparing for their next release. After the North America tour starting May 26th the guys will hit the studio to record a 'best of the early years' album!

"As it's really difficult to get the old records those days and to avoid a 'best of album" with only old recordings in rather poor quality, we've have chosen the solution to re-record many of the '80s classix, including one or two tunes of the 'Crack Brained' album (where Schmier wasn't singing!!!). It's great fun to pick and rehearse the old songs at the moment. With a powerful sound and the brutal energy that the band delivers nowadays, there is no doubt that this will fuckin' shred!"

DESTRUCTION are continuing to tour in support of their latest CD, "Inventor of Evil", which is available in Europe on AFM Records and in North America on Candlelight Records.

A huge blow for fans of Masterplan's first two (sensational) albums. This from the band's record label AFM Records:
"Sometimes ways can separate from each other: due to musical differences singer Jorn Lande has left Masterplan last week. During working on the new album the band had to experience that both sides were having different ideas and wishes for the songwriting. While Jorn would have loved to push the style of the band more into the melodic direction, the rest of the band wanted to go back to the metal-roots of the debut album. So the decision was made to go separate ways in the future.
Drummer Uli Kusch about it: "We are not really happy about Jorn `s decision, but on the other side it doesn `t make sense to continue if the ideas are that different. The music would suffer from it and the music is why we are doing it. We wish Jorn a successful future and want to thank him for everything he did for us. It was a great and interesting time!"
The band is currently searching for a new singer. "There are already some possibilities that might be interesting for us, but nothing is decided yet", Uli explains. "We hope that we can already present the new singer on the gigs we are playing this year. And for sure there won `t be any changes in the musical style of Masterplan. We are currently working on the songs."

Drummer Robin Engström of the Swedish "heavy doom progressive" metallers MORGANA LEFAY has officially left the band. Robin's statement on the matter reads as follows:

"I made the hard decision to leave MORGANA LEFAY due to personal differences. I know this might come as a surprise to many, but I have thought about this for quite some time and I'm sorry for any inconveniences. I'll try to make this statement as short as possible...

"I'd like to thank Charles [Rytkönen, vocals] and Tony [Eriksson, guitar] for bringing me in back in '98 and I owe them both a great deal of gratitude for giving me the chance to experience so much, I can't ever repay You guys for that, nor can I thank you enough, thanx for all the fun times though!!! Even more thanx to Peter [Grehn, guitar] for putting up with me for about 17 years totally, heh... damn, how time flies, huh? I will also miss playing with Fredrik [Lundberg, bass], definitely one of the nicest guys around and I wish all you guys all the best in the future!

"To all the MORGANA LEFAY fans and friends out there, I can't even start to explain what you have given me through the years and I hope that in some way I get to see you all somewhere, sometime again. I will not quit playing drums, that's a promise (or threat, haha). If you want updates on what's going on, check: www.myspace.com/korkil.

"As far as I know, MORGANA LEFAY will play the booked shows with a replacement drummer. For more info on that, I suggest You keep an eye on www.morganalefay.se.

"Thanx for one helluva ride!"

DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"As you see, we've been busy boys. We just got back from Mexico and it was a blast! The fans were awesome and they sang every song with us. Now I need to learn Spanish for them. The only bummer was I didn't get to see Pancho Villa's house but now I have an excuse to go back soon. The food there was awesome! Now we're off to Greece for three shows and a little vacation. We filmed Mexico and will also film Greece for a bonus DVD with our next CD, 'Lightning Strikes Again'. We had a great time last year in Greece so this time should be no exception. So Mexico and Greece in one week — now that's being rock dogs; we'll go anywhere to play for DOKKEN fans. I hope to see you all on tour this fall. Barry [Sparks, bass] and Mick [Brown, drums] will be out with uncle Ted [Nugent] until August as Jon [Levin, guitar] and I finish up our four — that's right, four — new projects: a new studio CD, a live CD, greatest hits CD and my solo CD. Other than that, we're just hanging out."

DOKKEN's latest CD, "Hell to Pay", was released in July 2004 via Sanctuary.

For the third time in 10 years, vocalist Jacques Belanger has left the Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER. "Due to 'differences of opinion' on many issues between Jacques and the rest of the band, he felt he could no longer continue as vocalist for EXCITER," reads a statement from the group.

"We are currently exploring our options but, we have, regretably, had to cancel shows in Europe, the USA and Canada that we had scheduled or been working on for this summer [including the Minneapolis Mayhem 3 festival in August].

"The writing for the new CD is complete and we have 10 new songs to record, but we'll have to find the voice to sing on these ripping new tracks first. EXCITER would like to thank all the die-hard fans, throughout the globe, who have supported us for many years."

EXCITER's latest CD is "New Testament - Coven of Re-Recorded Classics", a collection of reworked early songs which was released in June 2004 through France's Osmose Productions.

German metallers MAJESTY have announced the addition of former NECROPHAGIST/DEFEATED SANITY guitarist Christian Münzner to the group's ranks. "[Christian] already impressively proved himself at his first show in Berlin (Germany) on May 6," the band write in a statement.

Münzner joins MAJESTY as the replacement for Rolf Munkes (EMPIRE, RAZORBACK, ex-VANIZE), who left the band in April.

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.

WINTERSUN, the band led by former ENSIFERUM singer Jari Mäenpää, have posted the following message on their official web site:

"We entered the studios [on May 2]. The day went setting up the drums, changing the drumheads, miking the drums, making the basic drumsound and Kai playing too fast all day long (and driving Nino crazy). Jiiiihhaaaaa! [On May 3] we [started] the actual recordings.

"In this studio session we will be recording only the drums, rhythm guitars and bass. I [Jari] will continue recording the vocals, solos and synths/samples at my home 'studio'/rehearsal place during the summer. The melody/acoustic guitars I will be recording with Teemu. The mixing will take place in autumn and the release is scheduled for the end of this year.

"The album will be called 'Time' and the track titles are:

01. Sons of Winter and Stars
02. Land of Snow and Sorrow
03. Time
04. Fire
05. One with the Shadows
06. Storm
07. Silver Leaves

"Seven epic songs and quite long ones, over 65 minutes of material. It's a theme album. The music has some new dimensions, but has also the recognizable 'WINTERSUN style.' So hopefully you will stay patient, the wait will be worth it!"

NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"What have we been up to???? Well, what's been happening in the NAPALM DEATH camp lately, I hear you ask. Well, we recently recorded a SICK OF IT ALL track for a 20th anniversary tribute album that will be released later this through Century Media Records. The track we recorded was called 'Who Sets the Rules' and I guess it turned out pretty good. Tomorrow [May 6] we will rehearse our 17th and final track for our new album, then practice like crazed lunatics before heading into the studio on the 13th of May to start recording our 12th full-length album...so I guess we have been busy!!!"

NAPALM DEATH's follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed album, "The Code Is Red… Long Live The Code", tentatively titled "Smear Campaign", is scheduled for release this fall via Century Media. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Persona Nongrata", "Smear Campaign" and "Call That an Option?"

More information has been revealed about keyboardist Derek Sherinian's (DREAM THEATER, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) upcoming fifth solo album, "Blood of the Snake", which will be released by InsideOut Music in Europe on July 27, in North America on August 1 and via Marquee/Avalon in Japan on August 23.

Sherinian was blessed to gain two top-notch guest musicians for the CD: Billy Idol and GUNS N' ROSES icon Slash. Sherinian already supported Idol on his previous tour and recorded MUNGO JERRY's classic song "In the Summertime", featuring guest appearances by both Idol and Slash. "That was my favorite song when I was three," Sherinian admits. "Billy sang this song when we were rehearsing in the studio and we immediately started jamming to it. All of a sudden we thought that this could be a good cover song. To me, Slash was simply perfect for it." Other tracks on this album were sung by Zakk Wylde, with additional guest appearances by Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Simon Phillips (TOTO), Tony Franklin (THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER) and Brian Tichy (BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE).

MANOWAR vocalist Eric Adams and Chester Moore — esteemed zoologist, outdoorsman, and wildlife journalist — have joined forces to create a unique and exciting look into the adventurous world of outdoor life on the "Wild Life and Wild Times" DVD, due in North America on June 27, 2006 through MANOWAR's Magic Circle Music (one day earlier internationally).

During the course of this visual excursion, Eric and Chester pursue such varied and exotic prey as emus, American bison, king salmon, elk, wild boar, and many more. They also investigate the unique phenomenon of rattlesnake roundups and venture into the night with television host Nathan Jones for a rousing bowfishing trip — which involves a unique bow and arrow rigged with a line and reel. "In the process, we used 33 arrows, 39 shotgun shells, 16 tree stands, four skinning knives, three sets of binoculars, four video cameras, 48 digital video tapes, flew more than 50,000 miles, drove 3,000 miles and gave 100 percent of ourselves every minute in the field and in the editing studio," they said in a press release. All of this — combined with a heart-pumping instrumental soundtrack composed and performed by Eric Adams — results in an outdoor adventure experience unlike any other.

Long-running U.K. extreme metallers BENEDICTION have sent the following update to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"BENEDICTION have had to put all rehearsing/recording/playing live on hold for a few months due to drummer Nick Barker [ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR] breaking his ankle after an 'incident' in Estonia!!! It needed plates and screws to keep it all together and seeing as Nick is a bit of a big lad, the doctors have strongly recommended that he sits on his arse for at least six weeks before putting any pressure on it. In the meantime, the rest of the band will take full advantage of this quality time and go out and drink heavily until Nick is ready to rejoin the band back in their Birmingham studio."

BENEDICTION's new album, "Killing Music", will be released via Nuclear Blast Records, with whom the band recently re-signed. The CD will mark the recording debut with the group of Barker, who was most recently a member of BRUJERIA and who played with ex-FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares in the short-lived DRIVEN BY SUFFERING (working name).

ANGRA vocalist Eduardo Falaschi's official web site has been updated with the following details of his upcoming solo album:

"ANGRA's vocalist Edu Falaschi is recording his first solo album. The project is called 'Almah' and it relies not only on Edu's talents as a singer, songwriter, arranger and producer but also on the likes of drummer Casey Grillo (KAMELOT), guitarist Emppu Vuorinen (NIGHTWISH) and bassist Lauri Porra (STRATOVARIUS). 'Almah' has participations of several guest musicians, such as Mike Stone (QUEENSRŸCHE's guitar player) and Edu Ardanuy (DR. SIN's guitar player), among many others, and was mixed in Brazil by producer Adriano Daga. Daga has worked with many artists during his winning career, including LENNY KRAVITZ and SILVERCHAIR. He's been awarded a Grammy in 2005. The release date of 'Almah' is set for mid-2006.

"Edu Falaschi appears not only as a singer. He wrote all the songs and lyrics of the album and recorded all keyboards and acoustic guitar parts by himself. Furthermore Edu came up with the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocal and orchestral arrangements. According to him, this was his main motivation when figuring the new project out: 'It's a completely new experience. I was able to fully explore my creative sides as a songwriter, lyricist, arranger and producer,' he said.

"Musically, Edu says that, even though the 'songs are pretty different from each other,' the album is not too far away from the heavy metal genre that's made him a successful artist worldwide. 'My main goal when doing this album was coming up with something that would not focus that much on the individual musicians, but rather in the music itself.' He believes the 'Almah' repertoire will work live pretty well too. 'After all, we're talking about songs with amazing choruses and exciting harmonies. I would say the melodies are really emotional and build an extremely positive atmosphere.'

"Furthermore, 'Almah' revolves around a very specific concept. 'It discusses our feelings basically,' says the singer. 'Almah is a so-called universe with a lot of different worlds, namely our feelings. Therefore, each person 'inhabits' and grows in his own world. To put it simply, some inhabit the world of greed, others the world of courage, hatred, love and so on. This is what defines the personalities of each one of us.'

"Each song from the album refers to a particular emotion. In order to illustrate that, Edu Falaschi approached different situations that were directly influential to the paths of history. 'I am not willing to resume a historical study of humanity. I'd rather focus on why these feelings occur and what leads human beings into the reactions to them.'

"Edu also explains the true meaning behind the word 'almah'. 'In Portuguese, the word is instantly linked to the Portuguese term for 'soul', which is 'alma'. The soul is the truest thing that emanates from one's inner self. And that's exactly the meaning of this project. As for the actual meaning of 'almah', some scholars say it means 'purity' or 'virginity' in Hebrew. Others sustain it actually stands for 'malice' or 'perversion', though. Anyway, this is the duality that inhabits everybody's actual existence, two sides that form the whole, ourselves. The soul.'"

Swedish Viking death metal heroes AMON AMARTH have entered Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden to begin recording their sixth full-length album. The band will record all through May until June 14 with producer Jens Bogren. There will be frequent updates with pictures from the recordings on their homepage, www.amonamarth.com. The as-yet-untitled CD is scheduled for release in September via Metal Blade Records.

As previously reported, Metal Blade Records were forced to postpone the release date of the AMON AMARTH DVD, "Wrath of the Norsemen", to May 15 (May 12 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland) from the previously announced April 24 due to "technical reasons." The three-disc set will be released in a deluxe 10-page digipack with special gold-laminated slipcase. The main body of the DVD is the Cologne show from last year — filmed with 11 cameras, this was the longest show AMON AMARTH have ever played (23 songs!). Bonus footage includes interviews, behind-the-scenes of the DVD recording and other stuff filmed around the Cologne show. Discs 2 and 3 feature professionally filmed shows from Summer Breeze 2005, the Metal Blade Rrroooaaarrr 2005 (a show with a really unusual setlist!), Wacken Open Air 2004 and the release show for "Fate of Norns" in Ludwigsburg (Germany) in 2004.

MINISTRY's new album "Rio Grande Blood" is featured on AOL's "First Listen" series where you can stream the entire album from May 1 to May 8. Check it out at this location.

Due on May 2 via 13th Planet Records/Megaforce in the U.S./Canada and 13th Planet Records/Soulfood Music Distrib GbmH in Europe, "Rio Grande Blood" was produced by MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen at 13th Planet Studios in El Paso, TX, mixed at The Saltmine in Mesa, AZ, and mastered at DNA Mastering in Studio City, CA. The album features guitarist Victor, Raven and drummer Mark Baker, with guest appearances by Jello Biafra (ex-DEAD KENNEDYS) and Sgt. Major.

Sweden's LAKE OF TEARS will embark on a mini-tour through Russia and Ukraine in early September, consisting of six dates, according to a posting on the band's web site. Upcoming LAKE OF TEARS shows now include:

Sep. 02 - L'vov, UKR @ TBA
Sep. 03 - Kiev, UKR @ TBA
Sep. 05 - Harkhov, UKR @ TBA
Sep. 07 - Rostov-Na-Donu, RUS @ TBA
Sep. 08 - Krasnodar, RUS @ TBA
Sep. 09 - Moscow, RUS @ DK "Gorbunova"
LAKE OF TEARS are tentatively scheduled to release their as-yet-untitled seventh full-length album on August 28 via Dockyard 1, the new company formed by Dirk Putzke, Christine Stephan (both ex-Sanctuary/Noise Records) and Piet Sielck (IRON SAVIOR).

LAKE OF TEARS' most recent album, "Black Brick Road", was released in August 2004 through Noise Records. The follow-up to 2002's "The Neonai" featured cover artwork by Kristian Wåhlin, who has painted all of the previous LAKE OF TEARS covers except "Forever Autumn" (1999).

ANGTORIA, the new Swedish/British orchestral/metal band formed by female singer Sarah Jezebel Deva (CRADLE OF FILTH, THERION, MORTIIS), composer Chris Rehn (ABYSSOS) and Tommy Rehn (MOAHNI MOAHNA), have announced the addition of CRADLE OF FILTH bassist Dave Pybus and MY OWN GRAVE drummer John Henriksson to the group's lineup. Both Pybus and Henriksson participated in the making of the band's recent video for the track "God Has A Plan For Us All" with up-and-coming, award-winning Swedish director Måns Berthas, while Pybus also made an appearance on the group's debut CD of the same name. A detailed video diary can be found at Angtoria.com.

"With the release of the new album "God Has A Plan For Us All, a brand new site design has been done to further enhance the release. The site will continue to grow over time as more information is gathered, but most of the
information on the old site has been transferred to the new site.

We are also happy to announce that Angtoria now have a complete line up! John Henriksson from the band My Own Grave, who did an excellent job behind the drums in the video despite getting only a couple of days notice to practice and learn the song, has been added to the band, as well as Dave Pybus who participated both on the album and in the video. In the "Diaries" section we´ve added a detailed videodiary done by Sarah + information and pictures from the making of the video for the title track of the album. There will also be a "behind the scenes" video clip from the making of the video available to download on the site shortly, we´ll keep you posted."

Norwegian symphonic metal band TRISTANIA have issued the following update:

"We are eager to announce that the new album is completely finished. We are all delighted with our latest creation, which has been named 'Illumination'. The planned release is in September. Some titles from the album are 'Sanguine Sky', 'Open Ground', 'Lotus', 'Down' and 'Mercyside', to mention a few. All titles will be revealed at a later date.

"True to tradition, we have made an album with a definite and unmistakably Tristanian sound, but which also brings a lot of new and fresh material. The album is another evolutionary step and lets us explore new areas while staying true to our roots.

"On every track, the moods and elements are plentiful; ranging from doom to industrial, from soothing synthesizer passages to technical metal riffs, from dark ballads to classic goth rock — it's all there. We've used a string quartet on several tracks, which attributed yet another dimension to those songs.
"'Illumination' sports some of the strongest vocal performances from both Vibeke and Østen. The extreme vocals are less frequent, but the parts appearing on the album are truly great. We wanted to get someone special to do these parts, and were lucky to get one of our personal favourites in the field to make a guest appearance on the album; namely Vorph from SAMAEL. His performance is truly of the highest standard.

"The music is written by Anders and Einar, with a couple of tracks co-written with producer Waldemar during the pre-production in Norway. Østen is the main lyricist, although Einar has written words for a few songs. Kjartan Hermansen has also once again shared with us his skills as a lyricist.

Italy's THY MAJESTIE have announced the addition of singer Matt Aub (TIMELORD) to the group's ranks. "Matt sent us a demo of 'Maiden of Steel' sung by him and... WOW, brilliant! Great 'heavy metal' voice," the band write on their web site. "So we decided to accept him, even if he lives thousand miles from us, in the U.S.A. More news later on!"

THY MAJESTIE recently parted ways with vocalist Giulio Di Gregorio (IRENCROS) due to "personal reasons." The band's latest album, "Jean D'Arc", was released last fall via Scarlet Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Hastings 1066" was mastered at The Mastering Room in Sweden by Goran Finnberg.

Tony Antunovich of MetalEater.com recently conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

MetalEater.com: Can you tell me what we can expect from the next ARCH ENEMY album?

Amott: "Well, we're going to be touring a lot for this record still, so it's not that sort of imminent. But we're writing a lot of material; nothing with vocals so far and nothing with full arrangements like that. I think we've got four or five songs that are kind of put together that are like done that we're really happy with. Then there's hours of music that's just floating around; well, it's not floating around, it's actually on that kind of hard drive. We're recording on the road; we sit here and just record our ideas. Daniel (Erlandson), our drummer, is really into the engineering part of it now, so we're recording with ProTools onto his laptop and then basically he programs some drum machine and we can mess around with arrangements and all kinds of stuff. So, I can't really say what direction... I mean, it's just going all over the place right now (laughs). We've got stuff that's like that and like this and it's pretty crazy. I think it's going to be very musical, actually. We're going to try and cram in as much music as possible in one and just have everybody going off. Yeah, I think we're just going to try and be a bit more crazy. I don't know. We went a little bit more that way on 'Doomsday Machine'. I think there's a lot of cool instrumental stuff. We don't really care that much anymore. I think we've just become a bit sort of... we're not really that content with what people are going to think about it. I think we have a kind of a signature sound now in a way. We feel pretty secure. There's a lot of confidence in this band right now — musically. That's all I can come up with (laughs). I can't really tell you what it's going to be like."

MetalEater.com: You have a new DVD coming out as well.

Amott: "Yeah, we do. It's a killer DVD. We put a lot of work into it. I think it stands up against any major DVD that I've seen. I collect lots of DVDs — I have tons of music DVDs. This isn't your underground metal act putting out a DVD; this is top of the line, so… It's definitely got killer sound, it's got fantastic visuals, very high quality; the editing is perfect. It's something to be proud of. It's one of the best things we've ever done as a band, I think. It's going to be two discs. It's got some interviews on there, which is awesome so they get to know the band a little bit — some one-on-one interviews. There's also select stuff about our equipment — stuff for the gear freaks, and all our videos that we've done. We've concentrated on the sort of Angela-era, or whatever you want to call it. We've got other plans for maybe the old stuff. But that's what people know, so. We've got stuff from the 'Wages Of Sin' album on there; it's got all that. It's got stuff like 'home footage,' or whatever you want to call that stuff that we filmed. That's what people expect nowadays; I mean, that's what I expect. If you're getting a great concert DVD and there are no extras you can't... like the JUDAS PRIEST one ('Rising In The East'). I haven't seen it, but apparently it's extremely good; well-shot, sounds great, but then there are no extras on it so people give it not such a high grade. So people obviously want more so we're giving them more. So it's two discs with quite a lot of stuff on it. I think that will be pleasing to a lot of fans because it'll be our first-ever DVD, and ARCH ENEMY being quite a visual band in many ways, it will be interesting for the fans to see. It's a cool thing for the fans that have seen us live, but it's also VERY cool for the people that maybe never will see us live. We put a lot of work into our studio albums and we wanted the DVD to be at the same standard; that people can expect the highest quality sound production, just killer sound, and a good visual representation of the band. I think that's important. We put a lot of money into it. It's called 'Live Apocalypse' — very original (laughs)."

MetalEater.com: The concert portion was filmed in Britain.

Amott: "Yeah. There are two parts for the concert. The one is actually Chris' (Amott; ex-guitarist) last-ever show with the band, which gives it a bit of an historic value without us really knowing about it at the time though. It was his last performance with the band. That was a great show. That's the big one that was filmed at the Forum in London. I was a sold out show — over 2,000 plus. That's quite a long concert — lots of songs. There are three songs that we did more recently that's got Fredrik (Åkesson), our new guitar player, as well that we shot in Manchester actually. It's got three songs from the new album; it's got 'Nemesis', 'Skeleton Dance' and 'My Apocalypse'. So people will get to see some newer stuff as well — bring it up to date a bit. That turned out really cool."

INSEKT was founded in 1989 by Mario Vaerewijck and Eric Van Wonterghem, members of the legendary Belgian 80's EBM pioneers VOMITO NEGRO and THE KLINK. Powerful rhythms, poisonous synthesizers, crashing samples, harsh vocals and cold melodies are the sounds that have become INSEKT's calling cards. The band spent the mid-90s on unofficial hiatus, with Mario focusing on his major label effort LOWPASS while Eric founded MONOLITH and, together with Dirk Ivens, SONAR. At long last, the two have prepared a new studio album, to see release May 12th 2006 on Johan Van Roy's NOISE TERROR PRODUCTIONS label. The new album, entitled "Teenmachine", contains not only the cold EBM for which INSEKT are known, but also more uptempo pieces that recall the industrial rock of NINE INCH NAILS and the electro-punk of BABYLAND. But never fear - there are no guitars here - the boys have stayed true to their EBM roots. The music of INSEKT has simply matured - and the band sounds fresher and more energetic than ever before. The album features two bonus remixes from FUNKER VOGT and SPETSNAZ.