Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI have uploaded an audio sample from their upcoming fourth album, "Tervaskanto", at this location' .
"Tervaskanto" (view cover artwork at this location) was recorded at Fantom Studios in Tampere, Finland with producer Samu Oittinen. 11 songs were reportedly recorded for the follow-up to "Tales along this Road", tentatveily due in May via Napalm Records.
The cover artwork for OMNIUM GATHERUM's new album, "Stuck Here on Snake's Way", has been posted online at this location. Due on April 2 via Candlelight Records, the CD was recorded during November-December 2006 at Southeast Studios in Karhula, Finland with producer Teemu Aalto. An eight-minute video clip documenting the recording sessions for the album has been posted online at YouTube.com' .
"Stuck Here on Snake's Way" track listing: 01. The Snake and The Way 02. Into Sea (mp3)' 03. Dysnomia 04. A-Part of God 05. Undertaker 06. Bastard-O 07. The Third Flame 08. Just Signs 09. Truth 10. Drudgery 11. In Sane World 12. Spiritual (video)'
"Stuck Here on Snake's Way" marks the band's first release with brand new vocalist Jukka Pelkonen, who joined the group in May 2006.
A small version of the artwork that will appear on DARK TRANQUILLITY's new album, "Fiction", has been posted online at Century Media's official web site.
Due in April via Century Media Records, "Fiction" was mixed by the acclaimed Tue Madsen (HIMSA, THE HAUNTED) and encompasses all of the elements on which the band built their career: thought-provoking lyrics, shredding guitar work, captivating melodies and sheer brutality. This offering is perhaps best compared to a modern-day version of the group's revered classics "The Gallery" and "The Mind's I", only with more intensity behind it.
"Fiction" track listing: 01. Nothing To No One 02. The Lesser Faith 03. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive) 04. Blind At Heart 05. Icipher 06. Inside The Particle Storm 07. Empty Me 08. Misery's Crown 09. Focus Shift 10. The Mundane And The Magic 11. A Closer End (Japan bonus track) 12. Winter Triangle (instrumental) (Australia bonus track)
AFTER FOREVER guitarist/songwriter Sander Gommans has issued the following update on his HDK project:
Just returned from Germany, where we recorded some vocal parts of André Matos (ex-ANGRA, SHAAMAN, VIRGO) for HDK!!! I'm proud to be able to work with this experienced and appreciated singer in the metal world, and he has certainly contributed a lot to the versatility of the project! Some of the songs will have more melodic parts, some of the songs will be merely filled with screams and grunts and of course there will be combinations of different singers/styles. By the way, André is not only a great singer (and he can sing in an extreme way, you'll hear it), he's also a great person and together with Amanda Somerville [the American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who is better known for her collaborations with various European metal bands, including EPICA, AFTER FOREVER and EDGUY] we had a fantastic time in the studio where André, of course, had to make the famous Brazilian drink."
HDK's musical direction was previously described by Gommans as "modern trash/death metal with a lot of melodic influences." The following musicians are currently involved with the project:
Sander Gommans (AFTER FOREVER) – Guitar, Vocals Ariën van Weesenbeek (GOD DETHRONED) - Drums Peter Vink (STAR ONE, AYREON) - Bass Mike Scheijen (37 STABWOUNDZ) - Vocals Patrick Savelkoul (CALLENISH CIRCLE) - Vocals André Matos (ex-ANGRA, SHAAMAN, VIRGO) - Vocals
SIEGES EVEN will enter the studio in May to begin recording its new album, "Paramount", for a September release via Inside Out Music. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Paramount", "Duende", "Leftovers", "Tidal", "A Wallflower on the Day of Saint Juliana", "The Valparaiso Dreaming", "Where our Shadows Sleep" and "These Rooms Have No Memories".
SIEGES EVEN's current lineup consists of Arno Menses (vocals), Oliver Holzwarth (bass), Markus Steffen (guitars) and Alex Holzwarth (drums, RHAPSODY).
The cover artwork for DIMMU BORGIR'a new album, "In Sorte Diaboli", can be found at this location.
Teaming up once again with producer Fredrik Nordström (OPETH, ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES) at the new Studio Fredman in Hyssna, Sweden, "In Sorte Diaboli" is DIMMU BORGIR's first concept album and a treatise on modern-day political and social abuses of organized religion. An epic tale set in medieval Europe, this first-person account of an acolyte is told through his own journal entries, depicting his personal struggle with the teachings of the church. Experiencing a life-altering epiphany, he abandons the church completely, and his spiritual victory is won through his rejection of the concept of god.
"In Sorte Diaboli" will be available in North America on April 24 in two different formats: a jewel-case CD and a limited edition digipak (+ bonus track, + bonus DVD with the Patric Ullaeus-directed video for "The Serpentine Offering", + "The Making Of In Sorte Diaboli" in-studio/behind the scenes footage). The complete track listing is as follows:
01. The Serpentine Offering 02. The Chosen Legacy 03. The Conspiracy Unfolds 04. The Sacrilegious Scorn 05. The Fallen Rises 06. The Heretic Hammer (exclusive North American bonus track) 07. The Sinister Awakening 08. The Fundamental Alienation 09. The Invaluable Darkness 10. The Foreshadowing Furnace
An instrumental version of "The Heretic Hammer" will be available on iTunes.com as an additional North American exclusive.
A virtual release party for MANOWAR's new full-length album, "Gods of War" will start at this location' on Thursday, February 22 at 23:59 (CET) and will last until 2:00 (CET). You can listen to music from the brand new album, continously streamed in a loop.
Directly after the Virtual Release Party, all songs from "Gods of War" will be available for paid download at the merchandise section of www.manowar.com.
MANOWAR has revealed the complete track listing for its tenth full-length album, "Gods of War", which is scheduled for release on February 23 in Germany (February 26 for the rest of Europe and April 3 for the USA/Canada). It is as follows:
01. Overture To The Hymn Of The Immortal Warriors 02. The Ascension 03. King Of Kings 04. Army Of The Dead, Part I 05. Sleipnir 06. Loki God Of Fire 07. Blood Brothers 08. Overture To Odin 09. The Blood Of Odin 10. The Sons Of Odin 11. Glory Majesty Unity 12. Gods Of War 13. Army Of The Dead, Part II 14. Odin 15. Hymn Of The Immortal Warriors Bonus Track: 16. Die For Metal
Finland's WALTARI has posted a video for the new song "Get Stamped" on its MySpace page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Release Date", due on February 26 via Dockyard 1.
According to a press release, the new CD is "darker" than 2005's "Blood Sample", "but also again crazier in the mix of possible styles and the general frenzy of these Finnish music innovators."
"Release Date" track listing: 01. Get Stamped 02. Big Sleep 03. Let's Puke Together 04. Cityshamaani a. Nightflight b. Morning c. Colgate Country Showdown d. The Incarnation Party e. Sympathy 05. Hype 06. THD 07. Sex In The Beergarden 08. Wish I Could Heal 09. Spokebone (featuring Värttinä)
MORGANA LEFAY will release a new single, entitled "Over and Over Again", on February 26 via Black Mark. Also included on the single will be the new cut "Face of Fear". Both tracks come off the band's new album, "Aberrations of the Mind", due on March 19. Check out audio samples at this location' . Two more songs from the CD — "The Rush of Possession" and "Reflections of War" — are available for listening on the band's web site, www.morganalefay.se.
The artwork for Australian gothic/classical/doom band VIRGIN BLACK's upcoming album "Requiem - Mezzo Forte" has been posted online at this location. Due on April 3 via The End Records, the album, which is part of the "Requiem" trilogy, will be the first installment (the second of the trilogy) released and will be followed later on this year by "Requiem – Pianissimo" and "Requiem – Fortissimo". An MP3 of the edited version of the lengthy track "...And I Am Suffering" has been posted online at the official The End Records' MySpace page' .
"Requiem - Mezzo Forte" track listing: 01. Requiem, Kyrie 02. In Death 03. Midnight’s Hymn 04. …And I am Suffering 05. Domine 06. Lacrimosa (I Am Blind With Weeping) 07. Rest Eternal
ANTIMATTER have just finished working on their fourth studio album "Leaving Eden". After Duncan Patterson left the band in 2005, Mick Moss gathered a number of guest musicians around him - among others Danny Cavanagh (ANATHEMA) - to record the most depressive and heaviest album of ANTIMATTER's discography. This is attested by the dynamics of "Leaving Eden", the increased use of electric guitars and forceful drumming. "Leaving Eden" will be released as a limited first edition in a Digipak on April 16th, 2007.
Final tracklisting: 'Redemption' 'Another Face In A Window' 'Ghosts' 'The Freak Show' 'Landlocked' 'Conspire' 'Leaving Eden' 'The Immaculate Misconception' 'Fighting For A Lost Cause'
Canadian metallers ANNIHILATOR have inked a deal with King Records for the Japanese release of their new album, "Metal". An April 11 release is expected.
The Japanese edition of "Metal" will contain a bonus track, a cover of legendary Canadian act EXCITER's classic "Heavy Metal Maniac", featuring original singer/drummer Dan Beehler on vocals and bassist Allan Johnson on bass.
According to Tangra Mega Rock, French-Austrian dark neoclassical act ELEND will release its long-awaited sixth full-length album, "A World in Their Screams", on April 23 through Holy Records.
ELEND is a dark ambient band formed in France in 1993 by composers and multi-instrumentalists Iskandar Hasnawi of France and Renaud Tschirner of Austria. The band's name is German for "misery." Their music can be described as gothic and orchestral music with post-romantic undertones, or simply neoclassical.
"A World in Their Screams" is the follow-up to 2004's "Sunwar the Dead", which was the second part of the band's new five-album "Winds Cycle."
Swedish black metallers MARDUK have set "Rom 5:12" as the title of their new album, tentatively due this spring. Check out the cover artwork at this location. The CD was recorded at Endarker studio and features guest appearances by ARDITI (the project formed by H. Moller from PUISSANCE and M. Bjorkman), Joakim Göthberg (who played drums on the first two MARDUK albums and sang on the group's second and the third LPs) on a track entitled "Cold Mouth Prayer", and Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill from Irish band PRIMORDIAL on the song "Accuser/Opposer".
Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have seet "Unia" (Finnish for "Dreams") as the title of their new album, due on May 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD is being mixed at Finnvox studio in Helsinki.
Vocalist Wade Black of the reactivated classic Florida metallers CRIMSON GLORY has commented on the band's split with original singer Midnight and their future plans, including two live dates in Florida in March.
CRIMSON GLORY parted ways with Midnight (real name: John Patrick McDonald Jr.) last month following the revelation that Midnight was arrested on January 20 in Sarasota, Florida and charged with "DUI [driving under the influence] with .20 [blood-alcohol level] or higher or having a passenger under 18" years of age.
Âritish gothic metallers PARADISE LOST have set "In Requiem" as the title of their 11th album, tentatively due for release in May via Century Media Records. The artwork for the CD will be created by Seth Siro Anton, who was the artwork designer for the group's last album, "Paradise Lost".
According to a posting on PARADISE LOST's official web site, "The band recently returned from Canada following completion of recording the new CD, produced by Rhys Fulber. The album has been mixed by Mike Fraser — who is well known for his work with bands such as METALLICA, AC/DC, VAN HALEN etc."
In other news, PARADISE LOST's April 12 concert at the Koko Club in London will be filmed for an upcoming DVD. More information will be made available soon.
A brand new SIX FEET UNDER track, entitled "Doomsday", is available for download at this location' . The song comes off the group's new album, "Commandment", due on April 17 via Metal Blade Records. The track listing is as follows:
01. Doomsday 02. Thou Shall Kill 03. Zombie Executioner 04. The Edge Of The Hatchet 05. Bled To Death 06. Resurrection Of The Rotten 07. As The Blade Turns 08. The Evil Eye 09. In A Vacant Grave 10. Ghosts Of The Undead