Long-running Swedish death metallers DISMEMBER will release a brand new DVD, entitled "Under Bloodred Skies", on July 27 via Regain Records. The two-disc set will include footage of two separate concerts (one in the Netherlands and the other at last year's Party.San Open Air festival, which was held in Bad Berka, Germany) plus tons of backstage material and bonus features.
SUBSIGNAL, the new German band featuring former SIEGES EVEN members Arno Menses (vocals) and Markus Steffen (guitar), will release its debut album, entitled "Beautiful & Monstrous", on September 25 via GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music. The CD was helmed by co-producer Kristian Kohlmannslehner, who worked on SIEGES EVEN's 2007 release, "Paramount". The special edition of the album, which will have an approximate running time of 60 minutes, will come with a stylish digipack cover and one bonus track. The LP will also be released as a normal jewelcase version with rounded corners, and it will be made available on double vinyl.
"Beautiful & Monstrous" track listing:
01. Where Angels Fear To Tread 02. Paradigm 03. The Sea 04. The Trick Is To Keep Breathing 05. Walking With Ghosts 06. I Go With The Wind 07. To Hope The Road Is Long 08. Beautiful & Monstrous 09. The Last Light Of Summer 10. Eyes Wide Open 11. Rain Is The Most Beautiful Color (bonus track on special edition)
Swedish melodic progressive death metallers SCAR SYMMETRY will release their new album, "Dark Matter Dimensions", in October via Nuclear Blast Records.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. The Iconoclast 02. The Consciousness Eaters 03. Noumenon And Phenomenon 04. Ascension Chamber 05. Mechanical Soul Cybernetics 06. Non-Human Era 07. Dark Matter Dimensions 08. Sculptor Void 09. A Parenthesis In Eternity 10. Frequency-Shifter 11. Radiant Strain 12. Pariah
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Next Films — the newly formed film-production company launched by top reality TV producer Mike Fleiss — has signed a deal with BLACK SABBATH guitarist-songwriter Tony Iommi for "Black Sabbath", a horror movie franchise. The films won't be about the group but will use the title as a jumping-off point. Iommi also will score the movies.
Sweden's KATATONIA has set "Night Is the New Day" as the title of its long-awaited new album, due in Europe on October 19 and in the U.S. on October 27 via Peaceville Records. 13 tracks were reportedly laid down for the follow-up to 2006's "The Great Cold Distance" (out of which 11-12 songs will make it onto the final CD), with the new material being described by the band as "our most varied, diverse and possibly strongest shit all together on one and the same album."
Acclaimed British producer and SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) has issued the following update: "Well, I'm pleased— no, actually, absolutely thrilled — to announce I'll be flying to Nashville next month to meet up with Wolf Hoffmann [guitar] to discuss production, songs etc. for the upcoming ACCEPT album. Anyone who knows me will know what a fan of ACCEPT I am, even after [SABBAT ended up] getting kicked off U.D.O.'s first European tour after two dates (for being too heavy, I'd like to add). I still think they were/are such a killer band and although there's no Udo [Dirkschneider, vocals] or Stefan Kaufmann [drums], I personally think it's great that Wolf, Peter [Baltes, bass] and Hermann [Frank, guitar] are still playing together along with Stefan [Schwarzmann, drums] and Mark [Tornillo, vocals]. "This actually came together through a mutual friend, Ed Aborn, who runs the FOZZY website and also does some work for Wolf. When I first met Ed back in 2001, we got onto the subject of ACCEPT and basically we've never stopped talking about it. So this has come about through a bit of nudging and me going 'over here with that album' and it turns out they are as excited about the idea as I am. I'm also looking forward to doing some classic metal as opposed to out-and-out thrash and I think this could be a really heavy record if that's the direction the band want to go in. This, of course, is yet to be discussed and the whole reason why I'm clocking up yet more air miles next month." ACCEPT recently reformed with new lead singer Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK) and is planning to hit the road later this year.
Norwegian powerhouse hard rock singer Jorn Lande has confirmed that he has been in talks with his former band MASTERPLAN about laying down the lead vocals on the group's new CD. "We have discussed recording an album together and it's looking pretty good that it will work out," he told Germany's Rock Hard magazine. "We never had problems with each other, but professionally, we decided for to go separate ways for a while. Now some years have passed and we are talking about collaborating again. I have some song ideas for MASTERPLAN. However, I must focus on the promotion for my [new solo] album and upcoming JORN [Lande's solo project] live shows before we decide what to do next. Either way, I am happy that we are talking about working together again — mainly because the combination of MASTERPLAN's music and my singing was truly something special."
Century Media Records has set an October 26 European release date for "Where Death Is Most Alive", the new concert DVD/CD from Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY. The set will be issued as a limited-edition 2DVD+2CD set, as well as a double DVD and double CD. "Where Death Is Most Alive" will contain footage of DARK TRANQUILLITY's October 31, 2008 headlining concert in Milan, Italy. The band was joined during the show by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Nell Sigland for renditions of the songs "The Mundane And The Magic" (a track that had never before been played live) and "Insanity's Crescendo". DARK TRANQUILLITY will enter the studio in September to begin recording its ninth album for and early 2010 release via Century Media Records.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian has issued the following update: "I am in the middle of writing a follow-up to my poetry book, 'Cool Gardens'. The new collection of works is yet to be titled, but it will definitely feature illustrations by Roger Kupelian, the director of my music video for 'Honking Antelope' [see below]. I am looking to create a visual/interactive element to the new poetry book and more details will be released as they are available."
Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their upcoming tenth album. The band says, "We are very much looking forward to this new cooperation! The recording of the album is scheduled for October/November this year."
Swedish black metallers MARDUK will release their eleventh album, "Wormwood", in September via Regain Records (the exact release date has not yet been announced). The CD was recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrköping, Sweden with engineer/producer Magnus Devo Andersson. The album's release will be followed by a world tour, dubbed "Funeral Nation 2009/2010", which will kick off in Europe.
Petter Karlsson wasn't only taking care of the drums in THERION for over four years. He was also a singer, guitarist, head composer, co-producer and recording engineer on the band's 13th album, "Gothic Kabbalah", considered by many to be the best THERION album to date.
Over 200 shows later, it was time to create something of his own. He quit THERION and in the year 2008 he started HOLOCOASTER, an exciting, new project, and began composing new material.
Commented Petter: "The last year I've received hundreds of mails from fans begging me to come up with something new .This is the first time I've ever been able to put 110% effort, commitment, blood and tears into my music without any compromises."
NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders recently spoke to Greg Pratt of Exclaim! magazine about the recording process for NILE's new album, which is due in November via Nuclear Blast Records.
"Gruelling. Exhausting," Sanders said of the forthcoming CD. "This album has consumed 12 to 14 hours of my life every day since May. It’s now July and we are fucking tired. And we got another month to go.
"We started off in pre-production in Greenville, South Carolina, then relocated to Tampa to work with Erik Rutan [CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL] on recording drums. At the moment, we are in Greenville, just finished slaving away on rhythm guitars. When we finish vocals, bass, leads and so forth, we will go up to Chicago at Rax Trax to mix."
He added, "Musically, the new disc is unrelenting, overwhelming brutality, with lots of various Eastern influences. Lyrically there are new and interesting influences from various Middle Eastern cultures."
American/Norwegian melodic metallers KAMELOT are currently in recording mode at various studios — including the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany — under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth and Miro as producers. A spring 2010 release is being planned for the band's highly anticipated follow-up to their biggest selling record to date, "Ghost Opera".
"The new songs are really inspiring," states guitarist Thomas Youngblood. "We feel the long touring and time away from writing has been perfect for new ideas and an aggressive approach to the new songs."
Swedish metallers ASTRAL DOORS have issued the following update:
"One of Sweden's most beloved ice hockey teams, Leksands IF, celebrates its 90th anniversary this year and ASTRAL DOORS has written the official anniversary song, 'Hyllning Till Leksand'. It will be released as a single. It's a great honor for us and we hope that the fans, the players and everyone connected to the club will take the song to their hearts."
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD has entered Geller Cellar Studios in New York to begin recording its as-yet-untitled third full-length album. The band is self-producing the effort, with Eliot Geller engineering, for an early 2010 release via Prosthetic Records. The South Carolina-based group will then travel to Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida in late August to mix the album with Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, SIX FEET UNDER, GOATWHORE). They will be documenting the recording process with several webisodes on their YouTube page.
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD released "Malice" in 2007 and "Bloodlust" in 2005, both on Prosthetic Records.
Finnish folk metallers FINNTROLL will enter Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki on Monday, July 27 to begin recording their as-yet-untitled fifth album. Keyboardist Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali previously stated about the follow-up to 2007's "Ur Jordens Djup". "I personally think this will be our best album ever. Overall I can sense there's a lot 'punk' on it, lots of weirdness, a load of *riffs* instead of chord progressions, quite a bit of folkish parts and a lurking, evil atmosphere. In the terms of 'heaviness,' it's probably the heaviest album we've done, at least judging from the song material.
"I could pretty much safely say this sounds like a meaner and more wicked version of 'Ur Jordens Djup' with an occasional hint of the first album. For the dissappoitment for those who were waiting for songs sounding like 'Trollhammaren' or 'Jaktens Tid', I have to say that you probably should pick up the new KORPIKLAANI instead."
FINNTROLL is currently unsigned, having parted ways with Spinefarm and Century Media following the release of "Ur Jordens Djup".
Vocalist Jape Peratalo of Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR has issued the following update:
"At the moment, me and Tonmi [Lillman; TO/DIE/FOR drummer] are writing new songs. We have a lot of material and in August we will hit the studio in Helsinki for the first recordings.
"We have no guitarist(s) yet. At the studio we will use... someone. :) It is not that easy to find a human being who would be able to work with me and Tonmi, and especially he should not be 'a metal' guy at all.
"We are not gonna fill new songs with guitars! (Which does NOT mean that there is not guitars at all!) This time we will create something new, but it will sound as TO/DIE/FOR, for sure. Main idea is that it MUST be fresh!
"Most of the gothic rock scene is so fucking boring that we do not see any reason to continue on that road! So many bands sounds almost same. There is no new ideas. I do not mean every gothic rock band, but anyway... That is something we are gonna change! We will be melancholy and everything we have been before, but we will renew our music and ways to handle it.
"On our MySpace does not happen a lot for a while. We will create new sites when it is right time for it. Now we need all of our energy and time for the new songs.
"We are not gonna look for any record label for releasing this album! All we need is find right labels which we could sign license deals with. Now it seems that licenses for Russian, Japan and Finland are already in our hands. And I am looking for new license deals all the time. So... things will happen mainly through our own company."
TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).
Florida-based death metallers SIX FEET UNDER have entered the studio to begin recording "Graveyard Classics 3". According to the band, "We are about 60% finished with tracking. Everything is going great and we are having a lot of fun laying these new songs down."
SIX FEET UNDER covered AC/DC's entire "Back In Black" album for "Graveyard Classics 2", which came out in October 2004.
The original "Graveyard Classics" LP, was released in October 2000. It included cover versions of BLACK SABBATH's "Sweet Leaf", DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke on the Water" and JIMI HENDRIX's "Purple Haze".
Swedish black metallers MARDUK will release their eleventh album, "Wormwood", in September via Regain Records (the exact release date has not yet been announced). The CD was recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrköping, Sweden with engineer/producer Magnus Devo Andersson. The album's release will be followed by a world tour, dubbed "Funeral Nation 2009/2010", which will kick off in Europe.
NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders recently spoke to Greg Pratt of Exclaim! magazine about the recording process for NILE's new album, which is due in November via Nuclear Blast Records.
American/Norwegian melodic metallers KAMELOT are currently in recording mode at various studios — including the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany — under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth and Miro as producers. A spring 2010 release is being planned for the band's highly anticipated follow-up to their biggest selling record to date, "Ghost Opera".
Finnish folk metallers FINNTROLL will enter Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki on Monday, July 27 to begin recording their as-yet-untitled fifth album. Keyboardist Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali previously stated about the follow-up to 2007's "Ur Jordens Djup". "I personally think this will be our best album ever. Overall I can sense there's a lot 'punk' on it, lots of weirdness, a load of *riffs* instead of chord progressions, quite a bit of folkish parts and a lurking, evil atmosphere. In the terms of 'heaviness,' it's probably the heaviest album we've done, at least judging from the song material.
Vocalist Jape Peratalo of Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR has issued the following update:
Florida-based death metallers SIX FEET UNDER have entered the studio to begin recording "Graveyard Classics 3". According to the band, "We are about 60% finished with tracking. Everything is going great and we are having a lot of fun laying these new songs down."