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23 сен 2009
DESERT: New Song Featuring SABATON Singer Posted Online
 Israeli dark power metal band DESERT has posted a new track, "Lament For Soldier's Glory", on the group's MySpace page. The song, which features a guest appearance by Joakim Broden, the lead singer of the Swedish band SABATON, comes off DESERT's upcoming debut album, "Star Of Delusive Hopes", which was recorded in June 2009 at Remaster Studio in Vicenza, Italy with producer Nick Savio (ex-guitarist for WHITE SKULL, also known for his work with acts like POWER QUEST, RAINTIME, CYBER CROSS and ELDRITCH, among others). The CD was mixed and mastered by Andy LaRocque of KING DIAMOND at his Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden.
"Star Of Delusive Hopes" track listing:
01. The Unsubdued
02. Massada Will Never Fall
03. Letter Of Marque
04. Victim Of The Light
05. Release Me
06. Soul Of A Wanderer
07. Whispers
08. Lament For Soldier's Glory (Order 227) (feat. Joakim Broden)
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23 сен 2009
ATREYU: New Album Artwork Unveiled; \'Storm To Pass\' Video In The Works
 Orange County, California's ATREYU will shoot a video this week for "Storm to Pass", the first single from the band's new album, "Congregation of the Damned". The song is currently streaming on the group's MySpace page along with the new cut "Stop! Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed it All".
The video for "Storm to Pass" will be shot September 22 and 23 in the desert near Palm Springs, California and will be directed by Sean Stiegemeier, who has worked with the band on clips for "Falling Down", "Doomsday", "The Crimson" and "Lip Gloss and Black".
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23 сен 2009
ALL ENDS Preparing To Enter Studio
 Swedish hard rock band ALL ENDS will enter the studio later this fall to begin recording its second full-length album for an early 2010 release. The forthcoming CD will mark the recording debut of the group's new singer, Jonna Sailon, who replaced Emma Gelotte (sister of IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte) in March. | 0 | |
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23 сен 2009
PARADOX: \'Riot Squad\' Trailer Available
 Long-running German metallers PARADOX will release their fifth album, "Riot Squad", on October 16, 2009 via AFM Records. The cover artwork was once again created by Claudio Bergamin and can be viewed below.
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23 сен 2009
NEVERMORE Putting Finishing Touches On New Album Recordings
 NEVERMORE's Warrel Dane and Jim Sheppard are on their way to Nashville, Tennessee to finish recording the vocals and bass, respectively, for the band's new album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", at producer's (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers studio.
The drum tracks for "The Obsidian Conspiracy" were completed in the group's hometown of Seattle with Wichers, who previously worked with Dane on the singer's solo debut, "Praises to the War Machine". Longtime friend and collaborator Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD) will once again be handling mixing duties.
Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Emptiness Unobstructed", "And The Maiden Spoke", "Termination Proclamation" and "Without Morals". The band is also recording two cover songs during the current sessions: "The Crystal Ship" by THE DOORS and "Transmission" by THE TEA PARTY.
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23 сен 2009
OZZY OSBOURNE To Receive Billboard\'s Legend Of Live Award
 Ozzy Osbourne, the rock music icon whose career spans four decades and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, will be presented the "Legend of Live" award at the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards on November 5 in New York. Osbourne will in person at the event to receive the honor.
The Billboard "Legend of Live" award recognizes an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions to live music and the touring business, and acknowledges the recipient's commitment to the art of performing live and reaching fans through the concert experience.
Previous award recipients include THE ROLLING STONES promoter Michael Cohl (2004), Cellar Door Concerts founder Jack Boyle (2005), Sir Elton John (2006), pioneering agent Frank Barsalona (2007), and the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (2008).
"Ozzy has altered the course of rock music and live performance through his work with BLACK SABBATH and as a hugely popular solo artist, and his continued commitment to playing live makes him the perfect choice for the Billboard 'Legend Of Live' award," says Ray Waddell, Billboard's executive director of content and programming, touring and live entertainment. "There is no doubt that Ozzy's impact on live music, including pioneering the multi-act rock festival touring with Ozzfest, will be felt for many years to come, and his efforts continue to shape the touring landscape in this century."
The Billboard Touring Awards honor the industry's top artists, venues and professionals for the year, based primarily on the Billboard Boxscore chart and on actual box office performance from January 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009. This awards reception will wrap the sixth annual Billboard Touring Conference taking place at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on November 4 and 5.
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23 сен 2009
POWER QUEST: More Lineup Changes Announced
 U.K.-based metallers POWER QUEST have issued the following update:
"Following on from the departures of long-standing members Steve Scott (bass) and Alessio Garavello (vocals) earlier in 2009, it is with great sadness that we bring you the news that Andrea Martongelli (guitar) and Francesco Tresca (drums) have also decided to call time on their tenure in POWER QUEST.
"Andrea has recently taken on a lot more teaching work in Italy and has also got a lot of work to do with his band ARTHEMIS and, as a result, felt he wouldn't be able to dedicate enough of his time to POWER QUEST as he would have liked and has done in the past. Francesco came to the conclusion that it would not make sense to have a drummer based in Italy when he realized that the new guys were more than likely going to be U.K.-based. He is now teaching drums regularly in Italy as well as working with his band HYPNOTHETICALL."
Founding POWER QUEST member Steve Williams commented: "Well, it's certainly been an eventful year! That's probably the understatement of the year as well! It was a wrench to see Steve and Alessio leaving earlier in the year but to hear from 'Doc' and 'Checco' that they were stepping down as well, it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer! However, I must point out that after working with these guys for so many years now, the split is perfectly amicable. Friendships have been formed that will last a lifetime and I wish the guys all the very best for the future and I look forward to hanging out with them again in Italy very soon!"
Your very last chance to catch POWER QUEST with Alessio, Andrea and Francesco will be on Saturday, September 26 at Metalfest which is being held at JB's in Dudley, U.K.
POWER QUEST's new lineup will be revealed on September 28.
POWER QUEST's latest album, "Master of Illusion", was released last year via Napalm Records/Avalon Marquee (Japan). Guest musicians on the CD include keyboardist Richard West from the U.K. progressive metal band THRESHOLD, Jorn Viggo Lofstad from the Norwegian power metal act PAGAN'S MIND and FOURWAYKILL singer Chris Neighbour. | 0 | |
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23 сен 2009
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD: New Album Details Revealed
 South Carolina death metallers THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD have set "Skepsis" as the title of their third full-length album. The CD, which will be released via Prosthetic Records, was recorded at New York's Gellar Cellar Studios and will be mastered by Alan Douches (CONVERGE, MISFITS, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, HATEBREED, MASTODON) at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York.
"Skepsis" track listing:
01. Parasite Throne
02. Dementia
03. No Haven
04. Perpetual Defilement
05. Inherit Obscurity
06. The Manifest
07. Defaced Reality
08. Siphonaptera From Within
09. Insomnium
10. Skepsis
Commented guitarist Justin Longshore: "The recording process for 'Skepsis' has been going really well. We really focused on writing a record that will satisfy fans of our previous two records along with pushing new boundaries. Danny is currently finishing up vocal tracking and we couldn't be any more satisfied with the way things are sounding. I'm really stoked for everyone to hear these new songs."
The cover art for the album was created by Paul Romano, who has previously worked with THE ACACIA STRAIN, MASTODON, and THE RED CHORD.
Stated Longshore, "We had Paul Romano do the artwork once again and it is easily one of my favorite pieces he has done. It really captures the concept and music that is behind the album. We wanted the art to really project and not look like every other metal album that you see at your local record shop." | 0 | |
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23 сен 2009
SATYRICON\'s \'The Age Of Nero\' To Be Reissued As 2-CD Package With Bonus Tracks
 Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON will headline a 24-city North American tour which begins on September 25 in Baltimore, Maryland. The influential outfit will also release a special-edition, two-CD version of its critically acclaimed latest album, "The Age Of Nero", on September 29 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The bonus material on this special "The Age Of Nero" package has never been available in North America before. Featuring eight live and rare recordings, this set is a must-have for SATYRICON fans.
In an April 2009 interview with Sweden's Loudfarmer web site, SATYRICON drummer Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad stated about the group's split with bassist Victor Brandt, "We had to [part ways with him]. Being in a live band means that you have to be a team player in addition to being an individual artist, and if you cannot really manage that talent and if you can't understand what it takes of you, then it's simply not possible to go on. You will, sooner or later, get into insolvable problems regarding attitude and how the band works together and eventually it will start to have a destructive impact on the music and the performance. You can only go so far with a very deconstructive air in the band, and we felt that we were getting there. If he comes to us and says, 'I don't really feel motivated to give my best now,' and 'I don't like the vibe in the band,' it's better that we just part ways, I think. And that's what he came to us and said. He was really at a point where he was telling us out straight that he couldn't really give us what we want. And, I mean, we're SATYRICON, and we cannot have an attitude like that, and I think that he cannot live with that either. So we have had a good co-operation; his style has been very suitable for SATYRICON. But sometimes when you work with musicians in a live band, you'll come to a point where the co-operation doesn't really work out anymore. And then you just have to end the co-operation and part ways, and that's what we did. Nothing very dramatic. We hoped to have a more stable lineup that would last for awhile, but we will move on and so will he."
SATYRICON's current session bassist is Anders Odden, whose experience includes stints with such bands as APOPTYGMA BERZERK and CADAVER, as well as touring with CELTIC FROST.
Commented Frost: "[Anders is] a very skilled musician. He has a very profound musical understanding and a very solid platform. It's a temporary solution, but . . . it's tight and he goes into this with everything he's got and the band has never sounded better, really, so it's good to have him there."
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23 сен 2009
DRAGONLAND: New Demo Track Posted Online
 A high quality pre-production version of a new DRAGONLAND song, "The Shadow of the Mithril Mountains", has been posted on the band's MySpace page. The song is expected to appear on the Swedish metal group's forthcoming album, tentatively due in early 2010.
Commented guitarist Olof Mörck: "It has been a couple of years since the release of 'Astronomy', and we have gotten a truckload of emails from people asking about the status of the band and when our new album is coming out.
"We have been at hard work with the new material since the release of 'Astronomy', and the songs are really beginning to take shape.
"Because of our long silence, and also because there is still at least half a year to go until the release of the next album we wanted to share a song with those of you who have been patiently waiting for new material. We are also quite excited about our 'new' concept for the album — an awe-inspiring journey back to the world we created with the two first albums, a land of aeon-forgotten whispered secrets and ethereal phantasy!
"We have striven hard to keep a mature and dignified approach to the dark fantasy theme, and we are thrilled to share the first piece of this saga with you — 'The Shadow of the Mithril Mountains'!"
DRAGONLAND's fourth album, "Astronomy", was released in November 2006 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Starfall" was recorded at Studio Fredman (IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, DIMMU BORGIR) in Gothenburg with producer Fredrik Nordström. The cover artwork for the CD was created by art wizard Niklas Sundin, who had previously worked with ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, and DARK TRANQUILLITY, among others. | 0 | |
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23 сен 2009
\'The Music Of KORN\' Box Set Detailed
 On September 29, Legacy Recordings will release "The Music Of Korn" box set ( cover) as part of "The Music Of" series, a specially priced line of three-CD releases packed with huge hits and top tracks by the biggest names in music history. For the first time, the classic recordings by these household names appear in a box set that virtually any household can afford.
"The Music Of Korn" track listing:
Disc 1:
01. It's On!
02. Right Now
03. Here To Stay
04. Ball Tongue
05. Good God
06. Falling Away From Me
07. Pretty
08. Somebody Someone
09. Helmet in the Bush
10. Sean Olson
11. Thoughtless
12. Predictable
13. Word Up!
Disc 2:
01. Blind
02. Got The Life
03. Alive
04. A.D.I.D.A.S.
05. Dead Bodies Everywhere
06. Bottled Up Inside
07. Trash
08. Shoots and Ladders
09. Wicked
10. My Gift to You (Live at Woodstock '99-Explicit)
11. One More Time
12. Y'all Want A Single
13. All In The Family
Disc 3:
01. Twist
02. Chi
03. Did My Time
04. Freak On A Leash
05. Another Brick In The Wall (Parts 1, 2 , 3)
06. Alone I Break
07. Make Me Bad
08. Clown
09. No Place To Hide
10. Dirty (live)
11. Faget
12. Play Me (featuring Nas)
13. Jingle Balls
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23 сен 2009
THUNDERSTONE: \'The Burning\' To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks
 "The Burning" ( cover), the sophomore album from Finnish power metallers THUNDERSTONE, will be re-released on October 5 in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and December 1 in North America through MVD. The digipack edition of the CD — which originally came out in 2004 — includes six bonus tracks and is limited to 2,000 copies. It was digitally remastered using 24-bit technology and will be made available on a golden disc.
"The Burning" (remastered + bonus tracks) track listing:
01. Until We Touch The Burning Sun
02. Break The Emotion
03. Mirror Never Lies
04. Tin Star Man
05. Spire
06. Sea Of Sorrow
07. Side By Side
08. Drawn To The Flame
09. Forth Into The Black
10. Evil Within
Bonus tracks:
11. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
12. Diamonds And Rust
13. Heart Of Steel
14. Let The Demons Free (demo version)
15. Voice In A Dream (demo version)
16. Me, My Enemy (demo version)
THUNDERSTONE's fifth studio album, "Dirt Metal", was released on September 9 via Sony Music Finland. A video for the CD's first single, "I Almighty", was recently filmed and is expected to make its online debut soon.
THUNDERSTONE was originally hoping to release the new album in April, but decided to push back the effort because they wanted to take their time creating what bass player Titus Hjelm has called the band's "heaviest, grooviest and all-around best album yet."
THUNDERSTONE recently posted a new song, "Star", on the band's MySpace page. The track showcases THUNDERSTONE at its heaviest so far and features guest vocals from AMORPHIS frontman Tomi Joutsen. The song was also released on Playground Music's "Dark Playground" compilation, which was made available for free at the Finnish Metal Expo on February 13-14.
THUNDERSTONE last year announced the addition of singer Rick Altzi from Sweden to the group's ranks. Rick has contributed his wonderful voice to many metal albums, most recently with German group AT VANCE (a band which he is still a member of). | 0 | |
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23 сен 2009
ROB ZOMBIE: \'Hellbilly Deluxe 2\' Artwork Unveiled
 Rob Zombie will release his fourth solo studio album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool", on November 10. "Hellbilly Deluxe" was the name of Zombie's first and most successful solo outing, issued back in 1998.
"Hellbilly Deluxe 2" track listing:
01. Jesus Frankenstein
02. Sick Bubble-Gun
03. What?
04. Mars Needs Women
05. Werewolf, Baby
06. Virgin Witch
07. Dream Factory
08. Burn
09. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs
Check out the cover artwork here.
Rob Zombie will kick off his upcoming North American tour on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, according to a press release. he will hit the road with the same band that toured behind his 2006 CD, "Educated Horses", consisting of guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D. and drummer Tommy Clufetos. Although Zombie is also busy these days directing movies, he told The Pulse of Radio he can always count on his current bandmates to return. "Whenever I'm making a movie they go off and do whatever they want, but they're all part of this band," he said. "We just did all of our photos for the tour and stuff. It's the same band, it's just that I know those guys get itchy to play."
Support on the tour will come from NEKROMANTIX and CAPTAIN CLEGG & THE NIGHT CREATURES. The latter band appeared in Zombie's latest film, "Halloween II".
The trek will include a very special Halloween event on October 31 in Hollywood, California hosted by Uncle Seymour Coffins, also seen in "Halloween II".
The "Hellbilly Deluxe 2" tour will mark Zombie's return to the road after moderate box office success as the writer and director of "Halloween II" (Dimension). His R-rated, animated feature, "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto", will be available everywhere on DVD and Blu-ray September 22.
Zombie will return to the stage on October 18, when he co-headlines Loud Park festival in Japan with SLAYER that will also feature PAPA ROACH.
"Halloween II", the follow-up to Zombie's successful 2007 remake of the original 1978 horror classic, came in at No. 3 in its opening weekend, earning $17 million at the box office. That's far less than the $31 million his first "Halloween" flick did two years ago.
Zombie's next film will be a remake of "The Blob", which he is slated to begin shooting in the spring of 2010.
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23 сен 2009
MEKONG DELTA Hard At Work On New Album
 Legendary German progressive thrash outfit MEKONG DELTA will take time off from recording its new album to perform at the Hard Rocker Festival II, set to take place September 26, 2009 at Mega Club in Katowice, Poland.
According to bassist Ralph Hubert, MEKONG DELTA's forthcoming CD, entitled "Wanderer On The Edge Of Time", will be a 50-minute concept piece that will be structured as a rondo, an instrumental form characterized by the initial statement and subsequent restatement of a particular melody or section, the various statements of which are separated by contrasting material.
MEKONG DELTA last year announced the addition of vocalist Martin LeMar (TOMORROW'S EVE) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR) to the group's ranks.
MEKONG DELTA's current lineup:
Ralf Hubert - Bass
Alex Landenburg - Drums
Benedikt Zimniak - Guitar
Erik Adam H. - Guitar
Martin LeMar - Vocals
"Lurking Fear", the latest album from MEKONG DELTA, was released in North America on April 22, 2008 via Locomotive Records. It was the first all-new studio album from the band since 1997.
"Lurking Fear" was made available in Europe in August 2007 as a standard jewelcase as well as a double vinyl album. The limited-edition digipack included a bonus DVD containing the band's December 21, 1991 concert in Frankfurt, Germany.
MEKONG DELTA's lineup on "Lurking Fear" included mainman/bassist Ralf Hubert alongside drummer Uli Kusch (ex-MASTERPLAN, HELLOWEEN), singer Leo Szpigiel (ANGEL DUST, CROWS, SCANNER, DUKE) and guitarist Peter Sjöberg (also known as Peter Lake from THEORY IN PRACTICE).
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22 сен 2009
HIGHLORD To Release \'The Death Of The Artists\' In October
 Italian power/progressive metal band HIGHLORD will release its new album, "The Death Of The Artists", in October via Scarlet Records. The Japanese version of the follow-up to "Instant Madness" will include two bonus tracks — a cover version of BILLY IDOL's "Rebel Yell" and a new version of "Zankokuna Tenshi No Te-ze", a song originally included in the renowned anime movie "Evangelion".
"The Death Of The Artists" ( cover) track listing:
01. Simple Man
02. Every Thrash Of Me
03. Canticle Of The Flesh
04. It Takes Some Passion
05. The Death Of The Artists
06. Dance In A Flame
07. The Scream ( Audio)
08. Slave To Darkness
09. A Queen In My Pocket
10. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL cover) (bonus track)
11. Zankokuna Tenshi No Te-ze (bonus track) | 0 | |
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22 сен 2009
GORGOROTH: Another New Audio Sample Posted Online
 An audio sample of another new GORGOROTH track, "Aneuthanasia", is available for streaming using the audio player below. The song comes off the Norway-based black metallers' ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", which will be released on October 21 in Europe and November 11 in the U.S. via Regain Records. The CD was recorded at Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio and features Infernus on guitar, Frank Watkins (OBITUARY) on bass, Pest on vocals and Tomas Asklund on drums.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" will receive a limited-edition picture disc vinyl release on Infernus' own label, Forces of Satan Records. More information on this will be posted at a later time at the label's web site.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" track listing:
01. Aneuthanasia ( Audio)
02. Prayer ( Audio)
03. Rebirth
04. Building a Man
05. New Breed
06. Cleansing Fire
07. Human Sacrifice
08. Satan-Prometheus
09. Introibo ad Alatare Satanas
Since Infernus wrote all the music for the album and extensive rehearsals and a pre-production recording had also been completed before second guitarist Tormentor rejoined the band last year, it was decided that it would be more convenient for Infernus to record all the guitars on the LP.
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22 сен 2009
AGUA DE ANNIQUE: New Single \'Hey Okay!\' Posted Online
 "Hey Okay!", the new single from AGUA DE ANNIQUE — the Dutch band led by ex-THE GATHERING vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen — can be streamed in the YouTube clip here. The song comes off AGUA DE ANNIQUE's new album, "In Your Room", which will be released on October 30. The 12-song effort was written entirely by Anneke except for two tracks: "Just Fine" was co-written with Devin Townsend and "Adore" was composed by AGUA DE ANNIQUE bassist Jacques de Haard and Cyril Crutz.
The "Hey Okay!" single will be made available on October 6.
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22 сен 2009
THY DISEASE Signs With MYSTIC PRODUCTIONS
 THY DISEASE have inked a three-album deal with Mystic Productions. The band's new album, "Anshur-Za", will be released in early November.
The follow-up to 2006's "Rat Age", "Anshur-Za" was recorded in three different studios and was once again produced by Tomasz Zalewski. The CD's artwork was created by Xaay, who has previously worked with BEHEMOTH. The album will also be made available as a digipack.
"Anshur-Za" will include two bonus tracks — cover versions of MADONNA's "Frozen" and DEPECHE MODE's "Sinner In Me".
"Anshur-Za" track listing:
01. Blame
02. Code Red
03. Collateral Damage
04. Nightmare Scenario
05. Moral Supremacy
06. Fog Of War
07. Freedom For Anshur-Za
08. Generals Speech
09. Rotten Structure
10. Salah-Dhin
Bonus tracks:
11. Sinner In Me
12. Frozen | 0 | |
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22 сен 2009
NOMINON Parts Ways With Singer
 Swedish death metallers NOMINON have parted ways with vocalist Daniel Garptoft. No reasons was given for his departure.
The band recently entered Necromorbus Studios to begin recording its fourth album for an early 2010 release. The vocals are currently being laid down on the effort by guitarist Juha Sulasalmi. According to the group, "It all sounds really promising."
The follow-up to "Terra Necrosis" will include nine songs.
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21 сен 2009
METALLICA\'s LARS ULRICH Says \'Big Four\' Tour Would Be \'Super-Fun\' To Do
 Nudge of the Dayton, Ohio radio station 103.9 The X conducted an interview with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich on Tuesday (September 15) before the band's performance at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On the rumors of a tour featuring the "Big Four" of thrash (METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX):
"I think that that's a story that definitely has gotten its own legs recently. I can trace it back to a night in London in, I think it was in March [2009], where a bunch of us were sitting around way later than we should have been sitting around [having] a bunch of very heavily red wine-induced conversations... It was right before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we were all very nostalgic. And the idea of doing that at some point came up in that conversation.
"I think it would be a super-fun thing to do. It's something that I would definitely support. It's something that I would love to encourage. It's something I love to be very proactive in putting together. But right now it's not something that really left that party; it's not something that's like hush-hush being worked on behind the scenes or anything like that.
"I read some of those Internet sites myself once in a while, and it's not something that's going down, but it's something that I would be totally for at some point if it could happen. And we would love to be a part of that at any level possible."
On when fans can expect to get a brand new METALLICA album:
"Are you familiar with the phrase 'Don't hold your breath?'
"When I think ahead of my life, I see more or less touring up through probably the end of next year — the end of '10. Then there's the obligatory six months of 'let's just catch our breath.' Then we'll probably get to making another record, start thinking about new songs, probably in '11. So based on... if you do simple math based on how long it's taken us in the past....
"Basically, the thing that's really different now is 10 years ago, 15 years ago, you'd make a record, then you'd go out on tour on it, and then you'd go home. And then you'd make another record, then you'd go out on tour on it, then you'd go home. And you would just do these cycles all the time. Now, as you get older, at least for us, being out and touring is a lot of fun, and it's also because we have a lot better of a handle on it than we used to. It doesn't turn quite as nutty as it used to in terms of driving us crazy and making us lose our minds and getting into all kinds of trouble. So it's like, going on the road now, we do it much more often but in much shorter spurts. So I don't really think that... this whole thing about, like, you make a record, then you go on the road, and then you're done.
"I think we're gonna keep touring and it's only about how long you take off in between dates, you know what I mean?! OK, now you do a bunch of dates and then you take six months off, and maybe three of those months you write, and then you go and do a summer run in Europe and then you write for another three months and then somebody says, 'Come and play in South Africa for two weeks.' And then you go play in South Africa and then you go in and record, and then somebody says, 'blah blah blah...' So it's like this thing now that seems to be much more of a mix-up. There's no particular cycle to it; it's just much more... You go tour when you feel like it, you write when you feel like writing, and that type of stuff.
"So, to answer your question a half hour later, I don't think there's gonna be a new METALLICA record until at least... I mean, the earliest would be '11, and that's even... But also, like, the record itself is starting to be sort of an outdated format, so who knows... We're out of our record contract, so we could go back to HQ [METALLICA's headquarters in San Rafael, California] and record something and then we could put it up on our web site and whoever wanted to download it could download it. [But] a new record full of 10-12 new songs, it's not gonna be for a little while, because we've still got a lot of touring. We've got another 30 dates here in America, we've gotta go to Japan, Australia, here, there and everywhere next year."
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21 сен 2009
THE KONSORTIUM Announces New Guitarist
 Norway's THE KONSORTIUM has announced the addition of guitarist Teloch (NIDINGR, UMORAL, NUNFUCKRITUAL, ORCUSTUS, GOD SEED, 1349, GORGOROTH) to the group's ranks. The band says, "We are dead certain that his authoritarian and razor-sharp riffing will fit perfectly with our music."
THE KONSORTIUM's full-length debut is tentatively due in early 2010 via Agonia Records. The group says, "Being one man short has unfortunately stalled the progress of the album recording. However, with this latest addition to our ranks, the first steps towards a finished album can be taken."
According to a press release, THE KONSORTIUM performs "black metal with various thrash, avant-garde and non-metal influences creating [its] own atmosphere and identity. THE KONSORTIUM features various members. Some of them better and some of them [not as well] known to the metal (but not only) community." | 0 | |
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21 сен 2009
DREAM THEATER Drummer: \'It\'s Impossible To Please Everybody\'
 Spiritech of Australia's PyroMusic.net recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
PyroMusic.net: How has the touring for the new record been going?
Mike Portnoy: So far, so good. All the touring we did this summer was totally awesome. We started with a month in Europe and basically spent the rest of the summer in America and Canada. So far it's been great, so now we're looking forward to a more thorough run of Europe through November and then making it down to your neck of the woods, your neck of Planet Earth in December.
PyroMusic.net: Great stuff, but we'll get to that later. Now, with songs such as "The Best Of Times" (written about Portnoy's late father) and "The Shattered Fortress" (the final chapter in the drummer's "12-Step Suite") this record must have been a rather personal experience for you. Was this a therapeutic album for you to write and record?
Mike Portnoy: (Pauses) Well, yeah, I guess it was. I mean, those two songs in particular were definitely heavy for me and very personal for me. I've been writing about my recovery from addiction and alcoholism for the last five albums, because there's been a 12-part series of songs that interconnect and it's taken five albums to complete. So finally completing that process with "The Shattered Fortress" on this album has definitely been therapeutic, to finally be done with that project, which has been kind of hanging over my head for eight years now. So that's a relief and definitely therapeutic to have written about all 12 steps. And the other song, "The Best Of Times", was a real heavy situation for me be to be going through during the making of this record. Flying back and forth from New York to California all throughout the making of it, visiting my dad who was sick and dying. Writing this song and being able to play it for him before he died was truly one of the most incredible gifts I was ever given. I wanted to write a song that was about our 41 years together and the good stuff; that's why it's called "The Best Of Times" even though it's about such a sad, sad subject. But yeah, being able to play that for him at his bedside before he died was unbelievably meaningful and powerful for me and something that I'll never, ever forget.
PyroMusic.net: To my ears, the new album strikes a strong balance between the progressive elements, the metal elements and some of the catchiest hooks you've ever written. I think the last time you really nailed that balance was on "Train Of Thought". Was that the aim with this record?
Mike Portnoy: To be completely honest, no bullshit, that's our aim with every record. I think that sometimes people get it easier than others, you know? You mentioned "Train of Thought" — I loved "Train Of Thought" and thought that we definitely nailed that album. But there are people that don't like that album and it was too heavy or whatever. Then there's people that love "Octavarium" and other people who say it wasn't heavy enough. It's impossible to please everybody. I mean, if you take a poll of a hundred DREAM THEATER fans, you're gonna get different answers from each one of them. So really, it's just our goal each and every time we make a record to have that balance of the three things you said — the progressive, the metal and the melodic. Every time we try to have all of those as strong as possible.
PyroMusic.net: Because of that, when an album gets a few negative reviews or some fans criticize it does it not really bother you simply, because they're just as likely to love the next album?
Mike Portnoy: Well, it bothers us, but at the same time we've come to know that we just can't possibly please everybody; it's impossible. So at this point of our career we just do whatever it takes to please ourselves first and foremost and hopefully the fans will stay for the ride. I'm probably the most fan-oriented musician you'll ever meet and I pay a lot of attention to what the fans say. I try my best to direct this band in a fan-friendly way and try to give the fans what they want. But there's such a diversity within our fan base that I can't possibly please them all, you know? (laughs) 'Cause some people like one side, some people like the other side, some people like the heavy stuff, other people can't stand it. So at the end of the day, we just do what we do, keep ourselves happy and try to make the fans happy, but we know we possibly can't please everyone.
PyroMusic.net: You mentioned the heavier elements and that aspect of your sound is definitely emphasized on tracks like "A Nightmare To Remember" on the new record, which almost flirts with black metal in certain passages, as well as utilizing your harsher vocals. Is this something we can expect DREAM THEATER to explore further on future albums?
Mike Portnoy: Well, I'm a huge fan of that stuff and I've always been really into heavy stuff and the metal world is a big part of my world. So that's something that has always been a part of DREAM THEATER, but I guess maybe more and more as time goes on... Metal is becoming so diverse, so we can be listening to OPETH or SLIPKNOT or TRIVIUM and it takes the music to all different places. But really, people who have listened to this album and said, "Why are you getting so heavy?" (laughs) But we've always had this heavy side to us. I mean, if you take the very first song from our very first album, "A Fortune In Lies", that could have been a thrash song! It was all fast and double-bass and chunky guitars, it just didn't have a big production. So I think maybe since our production gets bigger and better each album maybe it becomes more apparent. And as you pointed out, I've been injecting my more growl-y vocals, only because I think it suits the music better than James' [LaBrie] clean vocals would at times. Not all the time, but sometimes. So I think maybe it's more apparent, but really, that heavy side has always been a part of DREAM THEATER.
PyroMusic.net: Now, you're renowned for being involved in a variety of projects and one such rumored collaboration is one with Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) and Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE). Can you shed any light on if this project may actually happen one day?
Mike Portnoy: No, that's just talk. I mean, the three of us each mentioned wanting to work with each other years ago, and since then it's kind of been this rumor that won't go away. I think all three of us regret ever mentioning it at this point, but I think the hype or anticipation around it has surpassed anything we possibly could realistically deliver. So I think now all three of us are kind of hesitant to do it, because there's been so much hype about it. (laughs) This is an example of where the Internet can somehow be a bad thing and I think... that's why I try to keep as tight of a lid on things as possible when we're making a record, because anything that is said or leaked or heard, it opens up this can of worms of discussion and once people start discussing and discussing and discussing and dissecting and anticipating, they build up such a level of hype and expectations in their head that it's impossible to ever satisfy it. So that's one of the bad things about the Internet. In answer to your question though, I think we'd love to work together, but at this point, we just don't know when.
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21 сен 2009
WITHIN TEMPTATION: \'An Acoustic Night At The Theatre\' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed
 Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION will release a new live album, "An Acoustic Night At The Theatre", on October 30 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and November 2 in the rest of Europe. According to the band, the CD will contain a brand new song called "Utopia" as well as acoustic live tracks that were recorded during the band's sold-out theater tour in November 2008. "These were very special concerts, as we added an acoustic set to our live show, making our show more intimate," the group says. "Besides this we used film projections emphasizing the great theatre ambiance."
"An Acoustic Night At The Theatre" track listing:
01. Towards The End
02. Stand My Ground
03. Caged
04. All I Need
05. Frozen
06. Somewhere (feat. Anneke van Giersbergen)
07. The Cross
08. Pale
09. What Have You Done (feat. Keith Caputo)
10. Memories
11. Forgiven
12. Utopia (feat. Chris Jones)
On October 23, WITHIN TEMPTATION will release a new single containing the "Utopia" track, which is a duet between WITHIN TEMPTATION singer Sharon den Adel and Chris Jones. The single will also contain "Restless", recorded live at WITHIN TEMPTATION's 2007 show in Eindhoven, Holland.
WITHIN TEMPTATION states: "In April next year we will be doing a rerun of [the acoustic] tour, where we will be doing this particular show for the last time. After that, we will prepare ourselves for the new album, new show, etc."
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21 сен 2009
SKELETONWITCH: Audio Samples Of Entire New Album Available
 Audio samples of all tracks that are set to appear on SKELETONWITCH's highly anticipated new album, "Breathing The Fire", are available for streaming on Amazon.de. | 0 | |
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21 сен 2009
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21 сен 2009
METALLICA Performs \'The Shortest Straw\' For First Time In 12 Years
 METALLICA performed the song "The Shortest Straw" for the first time since 1997 last night (Saturday, September 2009) at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below.
The band's complete setlist was as follows:
01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. For Whom The Bell Tolls
04. The Shortest Straw
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Turn The Page
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Die, Die My Darling
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy
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21 сен 2009
METALIUM: \'Grounded - Chapter VIII\' Artwork Unveiled
 The cover artwork for "Grounded - Chapter VIII", the new album from German metallers METALIUM, can be viewed below. The CD will be released on September 25 via Massacre Records. Check out audio samples on the band's MySpace page.
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21 сен 2009
BURDEN OF GRIEF: New Album Bonus Disc To Feature TANKARD, HOLY MOSES Members
 German melodic death/thrash metallers BURDEN OF GRIEF have entered the studio to begin recording their new album, tentatively due in early 2010. Entitled "Follow The Flames", the follow-up to 2007's "Death End Road" is will contain 10 new songs. The limited-edition version of the CD will include a bonus disc featuring cover versions of the following eight metal classics:
* IRON MAIDEN - "Aces High"
* METALLICA - "The Four Horsemen"
* PANTERA - "Mouth For War"
* SEPULTURA - "Refuse/ Resist" (feat. Sabina Classen of HOLY MOSES)
* WHITESNAKE - "Fool For Your Loving"
* BLIND GUARDIAN - "Valhalla" (feat. Gerre of TANKARD)
* AC/DC - "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"
* THE DOORS - "Break On Through" (feat. Dan Swanö of EDGE OF SANITY)
The recordings are taking place in different studios in Germany, while the album will be mixed and mastered by Swedish producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH).
The recordings will be documented by several "studio diary videos." The second clip, which can be viewed below, contains footage from the drum-tracking sessions. | 0 | |
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21 сен 2009
SWALLOW THE SUN: \'New Moon\' Artwork Unveiled; Audio Samples Available
 Finnish doom metallers SWALLOW THE SUN will release their fifth album, entitled "New Moon", on November 10 via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH. Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, ex-ROTTEN SOUND) has been recruited to play drums on the album following the recent departure of longtime skinsman Pasi Pasanen.
"New Moon" tentative track listing:
01. These Woods Breathe Evil
02. Falling World
03. Sleepless Swans
04. And Heavens Cried Blood
05. Lights on the Lake (Horror Pt. III)
06. New Moon
07. Servant of Sorrow
08. Weight of the Dead
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21 сен 2009
MISERY INDEX To Hit The Studio In January/February
 Baltimore, Maryland metal masters MISERY INDEX have four songs "in the works" for the band's forthcoming follow-up to 2008's "Traitors", which they hope to begin recording in January/February 2010. More information will be made available soon. | 0 | |
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Desert
