DEMONICAL, the new Swedish death metal band featuring past and present members from CENTINEX, GRAVE, REGURGITATE, INTERMENT, AMARAN, WORLD BELOW and DELLAMORTE, has parted ways with vocalist Ludvig Engellau due to "musical and personal reasons." According to the group, "DEMONICAL will continue on the marked out path with the help of a session vocalist so all booked and projected shows are going to happen as agreed. A new full-time vocalist will be announced during the first quarter of 2008."
DEMONICAL will support DISMEMBER on four dates in Finland in January.
The band's debut album, "Servants of the Unlight", was released in April via Germany's Cyclone Empire Records. The group toured Europe with NUNSLAUGHTER and NOMINON, and took part in Germany's Up From The Ground festival. They also supported GRAVE on select Scandinavian dates.
SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser has issued the following update:
"Yesterday we did another SEPUL-event, a benefit soccer game we do every year to collect food for charity. More than 3,000 people showed up, each one of them brought 1kg of non-perishable goods, it was a great afternoon! The game was organized by Paulo, our bass player, with his brothers, friends and also the support of a local TV station, local soccer clubs (Atletico MG and America MG, who is the owner of the stadium the game was realized, the Idependencia Stadium BH) and Topper, who made all the uniforms for both teams.
"The Sepultura And Friends team was a mixture of musicians and professional soccer players and the other team, Uniao Solidaria, was composed by veterans players, mainly from Atletico MG. The game ended in a draw, 6 to 6, a record-scoring game for us, SEPULTURA.
"Thanks for all the people involved, especially the crowd who came to see a good game and to help people suffering from hunger. Hopefully we will continue to do this game, every year, growing with the help and support from all.
"The game closed a great year of 2007 for me, my projects, solo album, SEPULTURA and my family. We feel a more mature band, especially with our new drummer Jean and now we are ready to write a new album for next year.
"Thanks for the support of you all, in our shows, on your comments, criticism and eulogies. I wish you all a great Christmas and a great new year!"
Legendary producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., LACUNA COIL, THE GATHERING, MOONSPELL) will attend the CD-release party for his band ENEMY OF THE SUN's upcoming album, "Shadows", on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at Europa in Brooklyn, New York (an event hosted by The End Records as part of the bi-monthly NWOBHM nights at the venue). Throughout the night Sorychta will meet fans while music from the "Shadows" CD is being played. There will also be live performances from RANDALL FLAGG, SUN DESCENDS, LAPDOG OF SATAN and GWYNBLEIDD.
"Shadows" will be released in North America via The End Records on January 22, 2007 with an exclusive bonus track called "Enemigo del Sol". The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Emptiness 02. Burning Bridges 03. Lives Based On Conflicts 04. Clearly Surreal 05. Carousel 06. Twenty Three Feet 07. Feel The Beating 08. Satisfied By Ego Purposes 09. Brain Sucking Machine 10. Weak 11. Liar 12. Lost In Time 13. Enemigo del Sol (US bonus track)
Says Sorychta about the band, "I call ENEMY OF THE SUN my family because in a family you have to feel comfortable. If not, it's not a good family. ENEMY is a good one. It's the way I wake up and feel the excitment about this band. It's the way I go to bed and want to stay awake because of this band. Music without limits, pure power saved in every note, deepest emotions bound in tones, burning pleasure in each single tune."
ENEMY OF THE SUN is:
Waldemar Sorychta - guitar Jules Naveri - vocals Daniel Zeman - drums Alla Fedynitch – bass
Australian atmospheric/gothic/doom metal band THE ETERNAL has issued the following update:
"This weekend Marty lays down the drum tracks for the new [THE ETERNAL] album 'Kartika'. Mark, Terry and Marty are heading to Mixmaster Studios in Adelaide tomorrow to met up with engineer Ian Miller and get this show on the road!
"It has nearly been three years since we recorded 'Sleep of Reason', so we are really looking forward to getting into the studio and laying down some new tracks!
"We have guitars & vocals locked in for the rest of December and January, so we are feeling pretty confident the album will be complete and ready to master in February 2008."
"Kartika" projected track listing (in no particular order):
01. Self Inflicted 02. Means for an Ending 03. Blood 04. Without Reason 05. A Pale Reflection 06. Illuminate 07. Walk Beside You 08. Brighter Day 09. Kartika 10. Silence 11. July 12. Lost Our Way 13. Inside the Grey 14. I've Seen The Dream Through Someone Else's Eyes 15. Sunshine 16. Frozen Sun 17. Last Embrace
MIDNATTSOL, the German-Norwegian band featuring vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes (the younger sister of LEAVES' EYES singer Liv Kristine), will release its second album, entitled "Nordlys" (translated: Northern Light), on March 28, 2008 via Napalm Records. The CD will be mixed by Tue Madsen while the mastering will be handled by Mika Jusilla at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.
01. Open Your Eyes 02. Skogens Lengsel 03. Northern Light 04. Konkylie 05. Wintertimes 06. Race Of Time 07. New Horizon 08. River Of Virgin Soil 09. En Natt I Nord 10. Octobre (limited-edition bonus track)
Portuguese metal/goth rock band HEAVENWOOD has inked a deal with Recital Records. The group will enter the studio in February/March 2008 to begin recording its third album for a late spring/early summer release.
After the departure in 2004 of main songwritter and guitarist Ricardo Dias, HEAVENWOOD went on a lengthy hiatus. Now Ricardo Dias has returned along with new drummer Luiz Ferreira (ex-SECRECY from Portugal).
HEAVENWOOD 2007 is:
Ernesto Guerra - Vocals Ricardo Dias - Guitars and Vocals Bruno Silva - Guitar Luiz Ferreira - Drums
HEAVENWOOD previously relelased two albums — "Diva" and "Swallow" — and played shows with IN FLAMES, ATROCITY, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY and LAKE OF TEARS, among others.
Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update:
"To coincide with our shows in the Land Of The Rising Sun [Japan], 'Haven' [2000] and 'Projector' [1999] will be released in new versions. Both albums will feature lengthy liner notes by sensei [Mikael] Stanne [vocals] detailing the writing and recording process as well as the inner working of the band at the time of creating the songs. 'Projector' will feature the extra track 'Exposure' — previously unreleased in Japan — and 'Haven' will be graced with 'Cornered' as bonus song."
DARK TRANQUILLITY and THE HAUNTED will team up for the "The Double Titans Tour In Japan" in January. Confirmed dates are as follows:
Jan. 16 - Osaka, JPN - Big Cat Jan. 17 - Nagoya, JPN - Club Quattro Jan. 18 - Tokyo, JPN - O-East
01. Emptiness
Australian atmospheric/gothic/doom metal band THE ETERNAL has issued the following update:
01. Open Your Eyes
Portuguese metal/goth rock band HEAVENWOOD has inked a deal with Recital Records. The group will enter the studio in February/March 2008 to begin recording its third album for a late spring/early summer release. 
Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update: