Finnish epic power metal quintet CELESTY has found a new vocalist after a public search launched in December and is now officially a sextet again.
"We are proud to announce we have selected a new lead vocalist for the band," says drummer/composer Jere Luokkamäki. "We want sincerely thank all the singers who participated the search and sent us their tapes. The band was really happy to notice that there's so many extremely great singers out there! But, in the end, the decision was easy: Our new singer is exactly the man we were looking for!"
Below are links for two MP3 teasers featuring the new singer. Listen to the teaser samples, guess who the new singer is — and win an exclusive prize!
Sample #1:
Sample #2:
Send your answer by e-mail to rekry@celesty.net and you will be automatically entered into a competition where the winner will receive an exclusive CELESTY package, including merchandise, the latest album, "Vendetta", a meeting with the band, and two free concert tickets to a CELESTY show of the winner's choice.
The competition is open for only one week, so be sure to send your answers before February 19 at 0:59 p.m. Finnish time (UTC+2). The identity of the new singer and the name of the winner of the competition will be published at www.celesty.net the following day, February 20.
Veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL will release its ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label, "The Guessing Game", on March 26. The CD was recorded at the Chapel studios (THE DARKNESS, NAPALM DEATH, URIAH HEEP, WET WET WET, SIMPLE MINDS) in Lincolnshire, U.K. and was once again produced by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR). It also sports stunning new artwork from band collaborator Dave Patchett.
"The Guessing Game" track listing:
01. Immaculate Misconception (2:24)
02. Funeral Of Dreams (8:28)
03. Painting In The Dark (6:18)
04. Death Of An Anarchist (7:12)
05. The Guessing Game (3:08)
06. Edwige's Eyes (7:08)
07. One Dimensional People (2:30)
08. Casket Chasers (6:41)
09. La Noche Del Buque Maldito (aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead) (5:46)
10. The Running Man (8:46)
11. Requiem For The Voiceless (9:50)
12. Journey's Into Jade (10:36)
Puerto Rico's epic doom metallers DANTESCO have three albums scheduled for release this year. The band's new covers CD, "The Ten Commandments Of Metal", will feature songs from CANDLEMASS, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, MERCYFUL FATE, SANCTUARY, WARLORD, SAVATAGE, METAL CHURCH, SORCERER and MANOWAR, and will be made available via Cruz Del Sur Music. A new studio album, "We Dont Fear You God", will also be released through Cruz Del Sur Music and will include such songtitles as "Betrayer", "The Blood Of The Saints", "The Conqueror Worm" and "We Dont Fear You God". The album's cover artwork by Dimitar Nikolov can be viewed below.
Also on the DANTESCO front, the band's first demo, one previously unreleased cut ("La Fe") and four new tracks — "The Woods At Night", "Burning Times", "Rasputin" and "Purimos Polemos (Viriathos)" — will be made available via Stormspell Records under the title "Seven Years Of Battle".
ARCH ENEMY guitarist Christopher Amott has told AOL's Noisecreep that he is planning to release his first "proper" solo album, entitled "Follow Your Heart".
"It's not metal," Amott said. "It's more of a rock 'n' roll effort. It's pretty psychedelic. It's '70s-style and it's me singing. I think it's very intricate and diverse. It's also bluesy and funky."
According to Amott, "Follow Your Heart" will feature artwork that was designed and painted by the guitarist himself. "I started doing it [painting] seriously in recent years."
Amott continued, "I am going to keep painting and drawing. It will be big part of my life after ARCH ENEMY."
The second ("Embrace The Mystery") and third ("Three") albums from Christopher Amott's ARMAGEDDON project recently received a proper and domestic release outside of Japan, where they originally came out back in the years 2000 and 2002, respectively. "Embrace The Mystery & Three" was released as a two-CD set with upgraded artwork, several bonus tracks and liner notes on November 16, 2009 in Europe and on January 26, 2010 in North America via Century Media Records.
British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have completed the recording process for their new album at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas with producer Kevin Shirley. According to a posting on Kevin's official web site, "There's still work to do, but the band portion is complete and in the can, so to speak."
Shirley previously worked on the last three MAIDEN albums — 2000's "Brave New World", 2003's "Dance of Death" and 2006's "A Matter of Life and Death".
Swedish melodic doom/death metallers SLUMBER have finished recording the instrumental parts for their new album, entitled "Resonance", at Panic Room Studios in Skara, Sweden for a tentative late spring release.
Commented Ehsan Kalantarpour (vocals, synth): "Even though we spent five years preparing, four weeks were hardly enough for the massive nature of this album. But needless to say, maybe no time had ever been enough. Everything just keeps growing and growing. Now only vocals and mixing remains wich will be done witihin the month."
TARJA TURUNEN (ex-NIGHTWISH) has issued the following new blog entry from Petrax Studios in Hollola, Finland:
"We said goodbye to Doug Wimbish in the morning. He finished all the bass parts last night with success.
Including a beautiful solo for “The Crying Moon”.
Alex was recording yesterday and today guitars for many songs. He is using three different amplifiers in recordings, so that we reach bigger and bombastic sound. Here you’ll see them in the back.
It has been absolutely important that Alex has been here with us during the whole project. He has been arranging killer guitar riffs for many of the songs and they are sounding now much more modern, heavy and rocking!
But there is also space in the album for some delicate sounds together with the raw ones.
There have been quite many people visiting the studio while we’ve been here and all of them have agreed that this album sounds very promising. I am, of course, very delighted about this. We have worked in the whole process 33 songs from which I decided to record 17. The remaining ones took another path because of the music, lyrics or both. I am sure that I will give them a rest, but I will revisit them for other projects or for a future album.
Tomorrow I will start rehearsing and adjusting the vocal parts and getting my body ready for the actual recordings. These are about to begin.
We have been working long days. Every night the time to go to sleep has been more or less at 03:00 in the morning or later. The lack of sleep starts to affect all of us, but the good mood around helps us to keep ourselves in the right track. We are here for one purpose and everybody is giving his or her very best for it.
I am very happy to see the musicians really putting their heart into my music. I am really grateful to them."
Hungarian black metallers SEAR BLISS have issued the following update:
"Though some important changes happened in the SEAR BLISS camp last year, there was no official statement so far, as we decided to be in silence for some time. We didn't care to spread news about it. We concentrated only on the band, new songs, etc. instead.
"What actually happened is that due to the disagreement and lack of chemistry among the band members, the legacy of SEAR BLISS will be carried on by a new lineup, which isn't really new actually.
"The band, which is still led by Andras is joined by the original guitar duo from the classic lineup of SEAR BLISS, namely Janos Barbarics and Csaba Csejtei. Both of them played and took a very important role in SEAR BLISS from the very beginning, being responsible for the sound of the band. Janos played on 'The Pagan Winter', 'Phantoms' and 'Haunting' albums and was the member of the band from 1993 to 1999. Csaba played on 'The Pagan Winter', 'Phantoms', 'Forsaken Symphony' and 'Glory And Perdition' album and was the member of SEAR BLISS between 1994-1997 and 2001-2005.
"On drums we have Oliver Zisko, who played and was responsible for many of the songs on the critcally acclaimed 'Forsaken Symphony' album, though he played the keyboards back then. Being a highly professional drummer, his contribution will significantly raise the quality, intensity and power of SEAR BLISS' music.
"As for the brass, we have a very talented young guy, Balazs Bruszel, playing the trumpet. We already had a few shows with this lineup at the end of last year in Holland, Switzerland and Slovenia and the outcome was more than promising.
"We are heading to this new year with refreshed energy, unsurpassable perseverance and great plans, eager to show where we are after 16 years of existence with people who already proved they are capable for something really unique. There is a new album in the making, which we plan to record in the summer, again for Candlelight Records."
A unmixed version of a brand new track, "Obsessed By Sodomy", from DEATH BREATH — the Swedish old-school death metal project featuring former ENTOMBED drummer and main songwriter Nicke Andersson (most recently the frontman of rock 'n' roll band THE HELLACOPTERS) — is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song will appear on DEATH BREATH's new album, due later in the year via Psychout/Black Lodge.
TRIDENT, the Swedish death metal band formed by guitarist Johan Norman (DISSECTION, SOULREAPER), will release its long-awaited debut album, "World Destruction", on March 22 via Regain Records. The CD was recorded at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden.
"World Destruction" track listing:
01. The Trident
02. Jaws Of Satan (Spawns Of Hell)
03. Nemesis
04. Black Velvet Wings
05. Stockholm Bloodbath
06. Luciferian Call
07. Blackened Souls
08. Slaves To Anguish
09. World Destruction
10. Mephisto
Swedish glam-rock band CRASHDIET will release its third album, "Generation Wild", on April 14 through Gain/Sony Music. The 10-song CD was helmed by RamPac, the production and songwriting team formed by Johan Ramström and Patrik Magnusson, in Gröndal, Sweden and was mixed by Tobias Lindell.
"Generation Wild" track listing:
01. Armageddon
02. So Alive
03. Generation Wild
04. Rebel
05. Save Her
06. Down With The Dust
07. Native Nature
08. Chemical
09. Bound To Fall
10. Beautiful Pain
Commented the band: "We are extremely satisfied with this album. After writing over 50 songs, we have chosen the 10 absolute finest for the album. Now we're ready to tour the world!"
Finnish melodic metallers SENTIMENT, whose current lineup includes ex-THUNDERSTONE keyboardist Kari Tornack, have issued the following update:
"We spent some time in our dungeon to get a couple of songs ready for recording. The songs came out great and we hope that we can get a single out before summer. The songs are called 'Unleash The Night' and 'Where Have The Heroes Gone'. We are excited as hell!"
German guitarist AXEL RUDI PELL and his solo band will release a new DVD, "One Night Live", on February 22 via SPV/Steamhammer. The disc was filmed last year at the Rock Of Ages festival in Seebronn, Germany and it contains a full performance, including an incredible light show with over 80 minutes playing time. Filmed with 10 cameras in front of 5,000 fans, the DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.0 sound, contains a song selection and audio setup.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Tear Down The Walls
02. Strong As A Rock
03. Medley: The Masquerade Ball / Casbah / Tales Of The Crown
04. Drum Solo
05. Rock The Nation
06. The Temple Of The King
07. Mystica
08. Fool Fool / Eternal Prisoner
Norwegian extreme metallers BYFROST will release their debut full-length album, "Black Earth", in the spring via Painkiller Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Christian Sloan Hall — who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, DIMMU BORGIR and SLAYER — and can be viewed below.
"Black Earth" was recorded at the Conclave and Earshot Studios in Bergen and was produced by Herbrand Larsen (ENSLAVED) and Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR), who jointly own the studios together with ENSLAVED/AUDREY HORNE guitarist Arve Isdal. Isdal himself makes a guest appearance on the track "Desire".
"Black Earth" track listing:
01. Horns to the Sky
02. Black Earth
03. Night of Damnation
04. Lord Victorious
05. Desire
06. Wings of the Angel of Death
07. Evil Arise
08. Skull of God
Irish band STORMZONE has inked a deal with SPV/Steamhammer Records. The group's new album, "Death Dealer", will be released in Europe on April 26 (three days earlier in Germany).
Formed in 2005 in Belfast by vocalist Harv (John Harbinson), STORMZONE recorded its debut album soon after and secured a deal with U.K. rock label Escape Music who released "Caught In The Act" in 2007 (also released by Avalon/Marquee in Japan in the same year). The LP was a superb hard rock record was also essentially a "studio" band album with Harv and friends playing all instruments. The cover artwork for "Caught In The Act" was painted by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Rodney has also contributed the artwork for the new STORMZONE album "Death Dealer".
It was not until later in 2007 that the full STORMZONE lineup was formed, essentially to tour in promotion of the debut album with all the musicians being from Belfast. Most had previously played in local bands except drummer Davy Bates. He was the sticks-man for legendary Belfast band SWEET SAVAGE (immortalized when METALLICA covered their "Killing Time" opus as the B-side of "The Unforgiven").
For two years STORMZONE were on the road playing in Europe, including support slots with Y&T, WHITE LION, TESLA, GEORGE LYNCH, and L.A. GUNS. They also made appearances at various festivals, such as Firefest (UK), Sweden Rock, Lorca Rock (Spain), Z Rock (UK) and Raismesfest (France), before re-entering the studio in the summer of 2009 to record their second album.
STORMZONE attracted many friends with the debut album including admiration from legendary producer/DJ Neal Kay who saw in the band the same early signs of stardom shown by another group he discovered, IRON MAIDEN! With the band playing live constantly they inevitably hardened up their sound so the new recordings came out much more aggressive than the first album but still kept the quality, melody and harmony of before. Co-produced by Neal Kay, the new album was finished towards the end of 2009. The recordings were sent by Davy Bates to Jess Cox, the managing director of Metal Nation Ltd. (Jess is the original TYGERS OF PAN TANG vocalist and previous owner of Neat Records, who also recorded the "Killing Time" SWEET SAVAGE album ten years earlier). He was so impressed he offered to manage the band immediately and shortly afterwards licensed the new album to SPV/Steamhammer in Germany.
"Death Dealer" track listing:
01. Death Dealer
02. Secret Gateway
03. The Memory Never Dies
04. Immortals
05. The Legend Carries On
06. Labyrinth
07. Wasted Lives
08. Stand Up And Fight
09. The Chosen One
10. World Of Sorrow
11. The Greatest Sacrifice
12. Final Journey
Reactivated Swedish old-school death metallers INTERMENT will release their debut album, "Into The Crypts Of Blasphemy", in April via Pulverised Records. The CD was recorded at Erebos Studios with Peter Bjärgo (TYRANT, CRYPT OF KERBEROS). The cover artwork, which can be viewed below, was created by Polish artist Rafal Kruszyk.
"Into The Crypts Of Blasphemy" will feature the following tracks:
* Torn From The Grave
* Stench Of Flesh
* Sacrificial Torment
* Dreaming In Dead
* The Pestilence
* Eternal Darkness
* Night Of The Undead
* Morbid Death
* Where Death Will Increase
* Torn Apart (CARNAGE cover)
DELAIN — the Dutch gothic rock/metal project founded by ex-WITHIN TEMPTATION keyboardist Martijn Westerholt (brother of WITHIN TEMPTATION's Robert Westerholt) — has issued the following update:
"We've got some big news. Recently we started working on our new third album, which we hope to release this year. Together with Roadrunner we are working on extending our cooperation, and together we're aiming for bigger, better, and heavier than ever before. An external producer, a real orchestra, and much more exciting stuff will be involved. We will work more extensively on DELAIN during this process, and we are very much looking forward to it. We will keep you informed with movie samples and blogs. However, because of DELAIN's development the last couple of years, it's becoming more time-consuming for all of us. That's why our bandmate Rob [van der Loo, bass] has decided to leave the band later this year. We will communicate more about his departure and his last show later on. Together with Rob we are already organizing his replacement. If you are also interested to audition you can contact us at delainauditie@hotmail.com."
Rob van der Loo has released the following statement regarding his decision to leave DELAIN:
"The last six months have been very hard for me. Lately I have graduated from the Rock academy. Therefore, besides DELAIN, I also do a lot of other projects as a musician and as a music coach. I'm a busy bee and don't have a 9:00 to 5:00 job. I feel privileged to be able to do this kind of work but it made it harder for me to combine it with such a time- and energy-demanding band as DELAIN.
"I had a great time playing with DELAIN and I never wanted to miss this adventure.
"DELAIN is a succesful band, and because of that, it demands more and more time. That’s why, after some good thinking, I decided to leave DELAIN. This wasn't an easy choice but simply the best one to make. This means that in the following months I'll have some more time for myself to get focused again and to make a fresh new start.
"I'd like to give a big thank to all (ex-)bandmembers, our dedicated crew and, of course, to all fans over the world for the incredible support!"
DELAIN's second album, "April Rain", was released in North America on June 30, 2009 via Sensory Records (with U.S. distribution through Ryko and Canadian distribution through Sonic Unyon). The North American version of the album features a bonus track — "Come Closer" — which was previously only available on the limited-edition digipack version of the LP.
Guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet of Christian hard rockers STRYPER has issued the following update:
"Wow! Typically (and historically) speaking, a new STRYPER record comes out every 2-3 years.
"I'm pleased to announce shocking news — we are starting pre-production at the end of February (of this year) and we begin recording the second week of March (of this year)! We will have a new record completed by early May 2010 and we will be planning for a release later in the year!!!
"I don't want to say too much at this time but I will write an update by next week describing what we're going to do and I can tell you this — it won't be what anyone expects and it will show a completely different side to STRYPER that the world has never heard before.
"Let the controversy begin...
"The band is incredibly excited about this project and the label is equally as excited...
ANTHRAX was supposed to release its new album, tentatively titled "Worship Music", last October. However, the set has been delayed indefinitely following the departure of singer Dan Nelson in July 2009 and the return of John Bush, who fronted the band between 1992 and 2005. Guitarist Scott Ian spoke to VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner about the record's current status. "It's all up in the air," Ian said. "We're kind of in a standby mode right now. John is committed to touring, we're going to Australia to next week for two weeks and we've got all the Sonisphere [European festival appearances] in the summer, but it's just kind of been like baby steps as far as moving forward creatively and working on this album again."
One issue with the effort is that it was recorded with Nelson, who is believed to have contributed vocal melodies and lyrics to the LP. Now that John Bush is fronting the band again, what does that mean for the album?
"It wouldn't be a case at this point of John just coming in and re-singing the record," Ian explained. "That's not going to happen. If John sings on this album, then we're going to go back in and re-write because John Bush would then be committing to it and we would go back in and re-write stuff the way we did just like 'Sound of White Noise' [1993] or 'Stomp 442' [1995] or 'We've Come For You All' [2003]. That's how it would have to be, so we're just kind of in a standby mode waiting to see how John feels about it and what he wants to do. Maybe after these Australia dates we'll have a better idea on what we're going to do with that."
Ian Harvey of U.K.'s Express & Star spoke with AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry about the band's current status and THE JOE PERRY PROJECT's upcoming U.K. tour with BAD COMPANY. When asked if AEROSMITH is still a band, Perry replied, "I never thought the band was broken up. It's hard because with the Internet now there are so many different people who will say something. They'll take a guess at something and somebody's taken that as gospel."
He added, "We've always said the band has never broken up, Steven's never left the band. He wanted to take off and do a solo thing and take some time off. I think that the shocker was that he never talked to anybody in the band about it, so we were kind of taken aback by that. We figured if he wants to take time off then we'll find somebody to sit in and sing until he does come back and that's pretty much it. We're still friends, we're still planning on getting back together and playing and touring and doing another record, I just don't know when.
"We're talking to some different people and right now I'm not sure which way it's going to go. All I know is if AEROSMITH doesn't go out soon and sing with Steven, we'll probably go out and have somebody else sing."
According to LedZeppelinNews.com, LED ZEPPELIN legend Robert Plant has set "It's Rude To Say No" as the tentative title of his new solo album, due later this year. The CD is reportedly being produced by Buddy Miller at a studio in Nashville and will feature a guest appearance by singer-songwriter Darrell Scott, "who played such instruments as mandolin and glockenspiel" on the album. He is one of a few key players in a tight-knit band appearing on the record.
Scott says of working with Plant, "Those two-plus weeks were some of the most memorable times I've ever had in the studio. The number one thing is that Robert loves music. You think they're posing and just getting through it, but I was humbled with how Robert Plant loved the music — old country, blues, rockabilly..."
The February 8 print edition of the Bergen, Norway-based newspaper Bergensavisen (BA) published a two-page interview with Tom Cato Visnes (a.k.a. King ov Hell; GORGOROTH, GOD SEED) about his new band OV HELL, also featuring fellow Norwegian musician Stian Tomt Thoresen (a.k.a. Shagrath; DIMMU BORGIR, CHROME DIVISION).
"The church is more satanist than we are. They are the ones who are concerned with Satan, not us," King is quoted as saying in the article.
The former composer and bassist of the controversial band GORGOROTH cannot relate to the media stories about black metal, church burnings, Satan worship and violence.
"It concerns me very little," he says. "Black metal is not a belief system. I anyway do not have much in common with most. My view is that the world in itself is not black or white, good or bad. It is the people who give values to the actions that surround them — a sort of subjective assessment where one makes oneself God."
OV HELL has just released its debut album, "The Underworld Regime".
"In the old days I used to go by an alias, King of Hell, without there being any deeper meaning to it," King says.
Bergensavisen: Are you trying to provoke?
King: "No. The music, the images, the lyrics — all this is part of an artistic expression. Many find it provocative and scary, yes, but to us it is only parables."
Bergensavisen: You are still met with a lot of prejudice?
King: "That is how it is when you take the 'life lie' from people and question established beliefs. We are reflective about the things we do. Take the church. They have chosen Jesus as their heroic character. But at the time when he was alive there were lots of other heroic characters who possessed the same abilities. The church chose one of them, and started writing about him 40 years after his death. That the church has been serving people lies and constructed a false sense of values is a much bigger violation than us praising something which is life-giving."
Bergensavisen: You mean Satan?
King: "No. The so-called Satanist circle in Bergen was created by a journalist from BT [the newspaper Bergens Tidende]. I have never related to it, nor have I related to the Varg Vikernes character. The church is much more concerned with Satan than I am. We take seriously what is dark in nature and the human mind. Concervative Christian forces are much more dangerous."
King does, however, see how some can be provoked by former GORGOROTH singer Gaahl's philosophy that there is nothing wrong with church burnings.
"That is, anyway, not a matter that concerns me," King says.
Bergensavisen: Gaahl was supposed to sing on the new album?
King: "The album has its basis in songs which I wrote in 2005-2006. These were originally meant for GORGOROTH, but after the trial this was not an option anymore. Then I thought Gaahl could still do the vocals. But suddenly he withdrew from extreme metal — he more or less retired.
Bergensavisen: That's when Shagrath appeared?
King: "We had spoken for years about working together. I have always played in many bands and with different musicians, so we entered the studio. And we got Frost (SATYRICON), Ice Dale (ENSLAVED) and Teloch (GORGOROTH) to come with us. But it is doubtful that this will be our live band."
King believes that he and Gaahl will collaborate more in the future. "We have not ended the cooperation, just put it on ice," King tells Bergensavisen.
King and Gaahl were involved with GORGOROTH from 1998 to 2007. But when they tried firing founding guitarist Infernus, all hell broke loose. A legal dispute ensued, and Infernus was awarded the rights to the band name while King and Gaahl formed GOD SEED.
"There were conflicts of interest between us and Infernus, so it is not a problem for us that it ended, or that he keeps the name," King says. " But we had spent a lot of time and energy on the music, which is why it was important for us to look after our interests."
Bergensavisen: So today's GORGOROTH has nothing to do with the past?
King: "No. Infernus did not participate in the inner life of the band, nor did he write songs. The fans know what's what."
Gaahl being gay is of little concern to King, nor is the fact his former bandmate will be performing in the musical "Svartediket" at DNS (the renowned Norwegian theater Den Nationale Scene).
"I probably would not have done it, no, but I may still check out the musical," King says. "Gaahl and I are very different, but musically we worked together very well."
Bergensavisen: What about the criminal convictions for violence and GORGOROTH's shocking concerts?
King: "A lot of this is just myths that have lived on. We who know the truth have a different view on what is real."
GORGOROTH, DIMMU BORGIR, IMMORTAL, SATYRICON, ENSLAVED and others have achieved great success abroad. That is why there is a lot of buzz when musicians from several of these bands join forces in OV HELL.
"I don't think most people in Norway understand how big black metal is abroad," says King.
"Our album will be released in all countries," King says. "Big product campaigns are being made. And the major players in the business are working for us."
The Bergen-based composer also plays in SAGH. He is also a former member of AUDREY HORNE, and wrote half of the Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy equivalent) award-winning album "No Hay Banda". "I also have a project with people from ANTHRAX and CRADLE OF FILTH," King says. "I write music constantly, for different musical genres. I previously did a lot of jazz work. I used to be a teacher for many years, but now all my concentration is focused on writing music."
The sixth full-length from Swedish black metallers SETHERIAL will be called "Ekpyrosis". Drummer Alastor Mysteriis states, "We have now recorded six drum tracks and this time we decided to go for a full acoustic drumsound using no triggers or other modules. This week we will continue with the drums and also continue with the guitars and vocals.
"We are aiming for a much more organic production with this album since it fits the overall concept and the pre-productions we’ve done sound extremely promising.
"The lyrical theme of 'Ekpyrosis' is about a metaphoric connection to the unavoidable conflict of the universe, through the Satanic angle and perspective.
"The 'Ekpyrotic' universe draws its name from the ancient Greek word ekpyrosis, meaning 'conflagration' (disastrous fire or conflict). A tribute to the complete obliteration spiral of all particles that is ever created where the all-seeing/all-destroying eye of Satan's singularity is represented by the destructive forces and dark energy of this vast, unknown universe.
"We are also working with different ideas for layout and will present them to the public soon."
Belgian metallers AFTER ALL have parted ways with vocalist Piet Focroul and bassist Erwin Casier and have replaced them with Sammy Peleman (SEPTEMBER SYN) and Frederik Vanmassenhove (ex-ABORTED), respectively.
Swedish death metallers SYN:DROM (formerly BLACKBREATH) will release their debut album, "With Flesh Unbound", on April 30 via ViciSolum Productions. The CD was recorded at Nevo studios in Sundsvall, Sweden and was engineered and mixed by the bandmembers themselves.
"With Flesh Unbound" track listing:
01. Intro (Devoured)
02. Scorned Messiah
03. The Marked One
04. Obsolete Gods
05. In Utter Contempt
06. Trapped Beyond
07. A New World Order
08. Smashing The Face Of Belief
09. Hands Of Vengeance
10. Winds Of Disease
In the early hours of Friday, February 12, EPICA's tour bus crashed on Canadian Highway 1 while driving in the Rocky Mountains when a car lost control and went spinning for the bus. The bus driver, Dave Mabry, managed to avoid a head-on collision by running the bus against the rail-guard.
Although the car was totaled and the bus suffered severe damage and some band and crew members got thrown out of their bunks, no one was hurt.
After a few hours' delay and some on-the-spot repairs, the bus was able to continue the journey to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
A brand new song from Santa Cruz, California technical death metallers BRAIN DRILL entitled "Monumental Failure" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's second full-length album, "Quantum Catastrophe", which is scheduled for release on May 11 via Metal Blade Records.
"Demoralizer", the new video from Boston, Massachusetts grind metalers THE RED CHORD, can be viewed below (courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting.com). The clip was shot on vocalist Guy Kozowyk's property in abandoned ceramics factory on Halloween and showcases some pretty gruesome illustrations by artist Tim Kellen, which were animated and brought to life by director Dave Brodsky of MyGoodEye. The artist used charcoal, meat, grape jelly, and chicken guts in his illustrations, giving the "Demoralizer" video a truly bizarre appearance.
DEATHDESTRUCTION — the new Swedish metal "supergroup" featuring members of EVERGREY, HAMMERFALL and DEAD BY APRIL — will enter IN FLAMES' IF Studios on Monday (February 15) with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, LOK, SONIC SYNDICATE) to begin recording its debut album. The band states, "It's going to be just awesome! We're so pumped up and excited for this to happen!"
Video footage of DEATHDESTRUCTION — the new Swedish metal "supergroup" featuring members of EVERGREY, HAMMERFALL and DEAD BY APRIL — performing the song "Washed Away" on Decemebr 4, 2009 at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg can be viewed below.
DEATHDESTRUCTION is:
Jimmie Strimell (DEAD BY APRIL) - Vocals
Henrik Danhage (EVERGREY) - Guitar
Fredrik "Loppan" Larsson (HAMMERFALL) - Bass
Jonas Ekdahl (EVERGREY) - Drums
M.A.N — the group formed out of the ashes of Sweden's TRANSPORT LEAGUE (featuring former MNEMIC frontman Tony Jelencovich) — has posted a new song, "Logocide", on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off M.A.N's third album, "Massive Audio Nerve", which will be released on March 26 via the German label Tiefdruck Musik. The CD was recorded at Grand Recordings in Gothenburg, Sweden with engineer Svein Jensen and was mixed by Ulrich Wild, who has previously worked with WHITE ZOMBIE, STAIND, STATIC-X, DEFTONES, PANTERA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others. The mastering was handled by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in Encino, California. The band states, "The sound is insanily good; we are very VERY happy with the outcome."
"Massive Audio Nerve" track listing:
01. Logocide
02. Identical Abuse
03. Don't Wake Up
04. False Memory Syndrome 1.0
05. Loveless
06. Vivid Heart
07. Slave Program
08. Mock At My Motion
09. False Memory Syndrome 2.1 (instrumental)
10. Dead Set
11. Last Light Drains
Celesty
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