NEUROSIS has just returned from Chicago where they completed the latest record with Steve Albini behind the controls. On January 2nd they played a show: BLOOD & TIME, STEVE VON TILL, and TRIBES OF NEUROT, followed by a listening event where the band played the newly-minted Neurosis album in its entirety. The yet-untitled album will be released in early summer 2004 on Relapse Europe and on Neurot Recordings worldwide. There will be an advance track on the upcoming Neurot Recordings compilation, which will be released with a bonus DVD.
Read what latest news KIND DIAMOND drumpounder Mr. Matt Thompson has to tell us! "I just finished my tracks for Single Bullet Theory's new cd (who btw supported King Diamond on the last USA tour) on Crash records, no release date set yet. It sounds like it will be extremely heavy and I had a great time doing it, they let me play whatever I wanted! During the same session I recorded "Spiritcrusher" for an upcoming Chuck Schuldiner tribute, with James Murphy at the helm. It was a great challenge negotiating Richard Christy's parts, and it is a huge honor to be included in this project." Meanwhile, another King's companion, Hank Shermann (MERCYFUL FATE, VIRUS 7), along with his new formation FORCE OF EVIL (on the picrture, actually, consisting of KING DIAMOND formers) has issued a debut self-titled album in mid-February through Escapi records. Moreover, the DVD is expected on April 13th (April 20th in the USA), which is promised to contain a live show dated back to November 2003 and extra material such as songs from their first concert in Cleveland last year, studio footage, interviews, promo video, image gallery, biography and more. Writing and recording of a new MERCYFUL FATE platter is about to begin... in several years....
At the moment BETHLEHEM is working at the 6th Studio Album called "Kavrassje Vrae". The album will contain 10 new songs and is a mixture of all BETHLEHEM albums. The instruments still are recorded, vocals will follow soon by new vocalist Kemna and Bartsch himself. Album release will be sometime in the end of 2004. Bartsch & Kehren (DEINONYCHUS) started working on a strange perverted electronic project which combines sick & bizarre moods with violent electronic beats, heavy guitars, bass and brutal vocals. Albums are planned for the future.
BORKNAGAR have completed work on their sixth epic genuinely dubbed... "Epic". General line, as it follows from an official statement, apparently continues the perfect one that's been started on "Empiricism" few years ago. The album will be finally out only in June under fair patronage from Century Media. Meanwhile, the band's line-up has crushed once again with a sudden departure of guitar maestro Jens F. Ryland (who's been around since 1997) and bassman Tyr (formerly on stage with EMPEROR). Who will replace them on upcoming tour, has not been stated yet.
Finnish "pagan battle metal" act TURISAS have parted ways with bassist Mikko Tormikoski. TURISAS are currently finishing up work on their debut album, entitled "Battle Metal", at Steel Track Studio in Finland and will be heading back to Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France to mix the album with producer Terje Refsnes (TRISTANIA, DESTROYER 666, MORGUL). A summer release through Century Media Records is expected.
Young Finnish metallers present us finest power metal with their album "Transition". In CIS and Baltian states it is released through CD-Maximum.
Tracklisting:
01. Skeleton Dance 02. Prince Of Heavy Metal 03. A 1000 Lifetimes 04. Withered Heart 05. The Fugitive 06. Ocean Girl 07. Homewardbound 08. Inside Four Walls 09. Transitional Stage 10. Into the Vortex 11. Touch Of A Prey
Power metal group АРДА from Russia was formed in 2000 by Pavel Okunev - ex-singer of famous Russian band EPIDEMIA, for which Pavel has recorded two albums. In autumn 2003 label CD-Maximum signed a deal with ARDA to release their debut album "O Skitaniyah Vechnykh I O Zemle". Line-up: Pavel Okunev (vocal), Dmitry Protsko (guitar), Igor Peskarev (guitar), Yaroslav Pastukhov (bass), Vlad Alekseenko (drums).
"O Skitaniyah Vechnykh I O Zemle" tracklist:
01. Vozvrashcheniye Gosudarya 02. Pervaya zima 03. V Pustote 04. Melkor 05. Radi Zvezd 06. Net Nikogo 07. O Skitaniyah... 08. Krylataya T'ma 09. Novaya Mechta 10. Fly Away (bonus track)
Bay Area thrashers DEATH ANGEL have announced the final tracklist of their upcoming album "The Art Of Dying":
01. Thrown to the Wolves 02. 5 Steps of Freedom 03. Thicker than Blood 04. The Devil Incarnate 05. Famine 06. Prophecy 07. No 08. Spirit 09. Land of Blood 10. Never Me 11. Word to the Wise
The record will be released on April 26th through Nuclear Blast.
Norway's kings of Black Metal DIMMU BORGIR have won the Norwegian Grammy award "Spellemannsprisen" for their current album "Death Cult Armageddon". The band outrivaled ENSLAVED and OLD MAN'S CHILD that were nominated in the "Metal" category as well. Congratulations!
Finland's symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have announced the complete tracklist of their upcoming album "Once" (due in June):
01. Dark Chest Of Wonders 02. Wish I Had An Angel 03. Nemo 04. Planet Hell 05. Creek Mary's Blood 06. The Siren 07. Dead Gardens 08. Romanticide 09. Ghost Love Score 10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan 11. Higher Than Hope
Three other new tracks – White Night Fantasy, Live To Tell The Tale and Where Were You Last Night (ANKIE BAGGER cover) – will be released as single B sides.
Finnland's melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have started recording their new album. The yet untitled follow-up to "Winterheart's Guild" shall be released later this year.
PAGAN REIGN have finished the recording and mixing of their new, third full-length album "Udely Byloy Very". Recording took place at Moscow, Russia studio "DAY Records". Jfficial release date is 15th March.
Tracklisting of new album:
01. Pervyye Strely Na Pole Bitvy 02. Radegast 03. Pravednyy Boy 04. Udely Byloy Very 05. Gnev Slavynskih Bogov 06. V Obyatiyah Zimy 07. Metel' 08. Bylina O Svyatoslave 09. Razgulyalos' Krasno Solnyshko 10. Slavyaanskoe Bratstvo
Last release of great Italian band is out for CIS and Baltian states through CD-Maximum. In this music combined dark metal, atmospheric, black, gothic. Firstly album was recorded in 1996, but group's mainman Lord Vampyr disliked the record. Now it's totally re-played and re-arranged.
Tracklist:
01. Vampyrisme... 02. Twilight 03. Beyond The Forest 04. In The Wood 05. Ancient Damned 06. Woods Of Walacchia, Part I 07. The Dark Domain 08. Walpurga's Night 09. The Snow Turns Red 10. The Impaler
Bonus
11. Kingdom Of Vampires 12. The Enchanted Forest 13. Lucretia 14. Lacrima Christi
Russian company CD-Maximum have licenced the debut album of Brazilian group VENIN NOIR, "Rainy Days Of October", which originally was released through Hellion Records in 2002. Band plays doom/gothic with some classic music elements in vein of NIGHTWISH, THE GATHERING, AFTER FOREVER, WITHIN TEMPTATION.
Tracklist:
01. Rainy Day Of October 02. Naughty Elegy 03. Damsel Of Grief 04. Desperanter 05. Reap The Grand 06. Buried Alive 07. A Deeper Gray 08. Vile Pledge
Moral Insanity Prods. from Brest, Belarus licensed the albums of legendary Austrian grindcore maniasc IMPETIGO, "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale" and "Horror Of The Zombies" on CD specially for CIS and Baltian states! These albums are the classic of gore grind style. All interested in distributing of our releases in different regions of CIS-states, contact please: ' .
Fans of legendary Russian band KRUGER were waiting for a long time the re-release of classic group's album "Rozhdennyy Mrakom" ("Born By Darkness"). Till this moment it could find this album only on vinyl in collections of metal music fans. "Rozhdennyy Mrakom" - second KRUGER album, which made the band the pioners of Russian death metal. Thanks to CD-Maximum album is avalaible for everyone.
Russian company CD-Maximum signed a license deal with British Blackend Records. In nearest future will be released some albums from labal's back-catalogue, among which: ADRAMELECH - "Psychostasia" AMORTIS - "Gift Of Tongues" AMSVARTNER - "Dreams" и "Trollish Mirror" DEVILYN - "Artefact" DISGORGE - "Forensick" ECLIPSE - "The Act Of Degradation" ECLIPSE - "Dorsacharms Venomous" EOSTENEM - "I Scream Your Suffer They Die" ENTHRONED - "Armoured Bestial Hell" ENTHRONED - "Apocalypse Manifesto" GOLGOTHA - "Melancholy Elemental" HECATE ENTHRONED - "Dark Requiems An Unsilent Mass" HECATE ENTHRONED - "Slaughter Of Innocence" HECATE ENTHRONED - "Kings Of Chaos" IMEMORIAL - "Temple Of Retribution" MISFORTUNE - "Forsaken" Endless Knot" PROPHANITY - "Stronger Than Steel" REIGN OF EREBUS - "Humanracist" REIGN OF EREBUS - "Of Blackest magic" REIGN OF EREBUS - "Inversion Principle" SKYMNING - "Machina Genova" SKYMNING - "Stormchoir" SKYMNING - "Artificial Supernova" THY PRIMORDIAL - "The Crowning Carnage" THY PRIMORDIAL - "Pestilence Upon Mankind" WAYLANDER - "The Light, The Dark And The
HOSTILE BREED have presented the tenatively tracklisting and ' of "The Second Cut" album. Moscow-based, Russia art-studio "Traum" worked on the cover and inlay. For creation of cover picture were used photos of real 3-D models, false eye, which band's participants stole from the morgue and gave the designers. April, 2004 release trough Irond Records is expected.
Tracklist:
01. Intro 02. Die Inside 03. Resonance 04. Visions 05. Promethean 06. Wound Of Soul 07. Show Me The Road (feat. Steev Esquivel) 08. Civilization Of Hatred 09. Color Of Freedom 10. Pseudo Life 11. Like A Bullet
AYREON, the brainchild of Dutch guitarist Arjen Lucassen (ex-BODINE, VENGEANCE), have revealed the cast of characters included in the storyline on the group's forthcoming CD, "Ayreon: The Human Equation", and the singers performing them. They are as follows: James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER): "Me" Marcela Bovio (ELFONIA): His "Wife" Arjen Lucassen: His "Best Friend" Mike Baker (SHADOW GALLERY): His "Father" Mikael Akerfeldt (OPETH): "Fear" Eric Clayton (SAVIOUR MACHINE): "Reason" Irene Jansen (KARMA): "Passion" Magnus Ekwall (THE QUILL): "Pride" Heather Findlay (MOSTLY AUTUMN): "Love" Devon Graves (DEAD SOUL TRIBE): "Agony" Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD): "Rage"
"Ayreon: The Human Equation" is tentatively due in May through Inside Out Records.
Norway's EINHERJER have officially called it a day. The following is the group's statement on the matter:
"After 11 years, 4 albums and 2 mini-albums, we've decided to split up EINHERJER. We feel that we've made the album we wanted with "Blot" and therefore a journey of 11 years has come to an end. We would like to thank everybody who has supported us through the years. For us, it is time to move on. We are definitively not retiring as musicians, so you haven't heard the last from us yet…" "Regards, Frode, Aksel & Gerhard".
MANTAS featuring Jeff Mantas - VENOM founder and guitarist and Tony 'Demolition' Dolan former ATOMKRAFT mainman and VENOM Bass/Vocalist have been, together with the rest of the MANTAS Band deep in rehearsals for their forthcoming appearences. The new album "Zero Tolerance" will now be released on April 26th through Demolition records.
The track list is as follows:
01. Zero Tolerance 02. Rage 03. Drill 04. Kill It 05. Look Who Died 06. Stone Cold 07. Original Sin 08. Rise 09. Insanity 10. Bring It On
The band are appearing in the USA at the New Jersey and Minnesota Metalfest's in March. They also play a series of shows in California, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Oakland. They will shoot the video single for Rage on the 6th and 7th of March. June will see the band on tour in Europe and back to the USA in July for the Milwaukee Metalfest. To end current speculation, Mantas himself is not recording any new VENOM material! Nor does he intend to at least with his last lineup! Abaddon is also not involved in the project as far as we have been told. There will be special Venom additions to the MANTAS live appearences so be there!
An MP3 clip of the brand-new NECARE track ' been posted online. "Ruin" comes off the Virginia-based doom/death metallers' debut CD of the same name, due out in the next couple of months through Finland's Firebox Records.
CRADLE OF FILTH bassist Dave Pybus has posted the following message on the band's official web site: "Hell-O Friends! As you may well have already heard CRADLE OF FILTH recently signed a worldwide recording deal with the mighty Roadrunner Records and we are now in the final stages of pre-production for our first full-length album with them, due out this summer, 2004. Currently titled 'Nymphetamine' (meaning: beast-like addiction to beautiful, classical women), it once again sees us pushing our own mentally deranged musical vision to the next ear-crushing level. The line-up consists of the same 5 core members of the 'Damnation and a Day' session (Dani, Paul Allender, Martin Powell, Adrian Erlandsson and myself) and the addition of James McKillboy as our second guitarist. As I write, we are demoing something like 15-16 tracks, albeit not all of which will appear on the finished album but will all be released in some shape or form over the next year."
The title track to SOULFLY's upcoming fourth full-length album, ' , has been made available for download in MP3 format. As previously reported, "Prophecy" is scheduled for release on March 30 through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by mainman Max Cavalera at The Saltmine Studio Oasis in Mesa, Arizona and was mixed by Terry Date (DEFTONES, PANTERA) at Studio X in Seattle, Washington.
PECCATUM, the Norwegian band featuring former EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn and his wife Ihriel, will release their new album, "Lost In Reverie", through Mnemosyne Records during the coming weeks. The follow-up to 2001's "Amor Fati" was recorded and mixed at Symphonique studio and was produced and engineered by Ihriel and Ihsahn. Mastering duties were handled at Strype Audio by Tom Kvalsvoll.
"Lost In Reverie" track listing:
01. Desolate Ever After (' ) 02. In The Bodiless Heart (' ) 03. Parasite My Heart (' ) 04. Veils Of Blue (' ) 05. Black Star (' ) 06. Stillness (' ) 07. The Banks Of This River Is Night (' )
Ukrainian doom/death metal band sent off the guitarist. New guitarist is now Oleg Baranov (SUBCONSCIOS VOID). Now group is fully in rehearsing with the new line-up. Next week musicians begin to record the demo tracks Dark Prophet and Law, which will apper on new album. In other news NOCTURNAL DOMINIUM will visit on the 19th of March Gomel, Belarus, March, 21st will play in native Cherhigov, Ukraine and then go to Moldova.
Dutch black metallers SAURON have set "For A Dead Race" as the title of their second full-length album, tentatively due in late 2004 through Neurotic Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Universe Of Filth" will be recorded at Double Noise Studio in April and will be "more mature, more diverse and most of all more angry" than its predecessor, according to the group. "Expect eight devastating black metal tracks with a variety of tempo changes." Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "For A Dead Race", "Prey For Destruction", "Scars Of Existence", "Dominions Of The Past" and "The Pestilantial March".
Swedish metallers WOLF have posted two MP3 samples from their third full-length album, "Evil Star", at their official web site: "Evil Star" (' ), "Black Wing Rider" (' ). "Evil Star" will be released in Scandinavia on February 25 through MNW/No Fashion Records. A U.S. release through Prosthetic Records is expected at a later date. The follow-up to 2002's "Black Wings" was produced by Peter Tagtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) at Abyss studios in Sweden and features artwork by Thomas Holm.
Sweden's LAKE OF TEARS will enter the studio on Friday, February 13 to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's "The Neonai", entitled "Black Brick Road". "The album cover will be done by the brilliant artist Kristian Wahlin, who [has] painted all of the previous LAKE OF TEARS covers except 'Forever Autumn'," according to a post on the band's web site. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Greymen", "Black Brick Road", "Making Evenings", "Crazyman" and "A Trip With The Moon".
Read what latest news KIND DIAMOND drumpounder Mr. Matt Thompson has to tell us!
BORKNAGAR have completed work on their sixth epic genuinely dubbed... "Epic". General line, as it follows from an official statement, apparently continues the perfect one that's been started on "Empiricism" few years ago. The album will be finally out only in June under fair patronage from Century Media. Meanwhile, the band's line-up has crushed once again with a sudden departure of guitar maestro Jens F. Ryland (who's been around since 1997) and bassman Tyr (formerly on stage with EMPEROR). Who will replace them on upcoming tour, has not been stated yet.
Finnish "pagan battle metal" act TURISAS have parted ways with bassist Mikko Tormikoski.
Young Finnish metallers present us finest power metal with their album "Transition".
Power metal group АРДА from Russia was formed in 2000 by Pavel Okunev - ex-singer of famous Russian band EPIDEMIA, for which Pavel has recorded two albums. In autumn 2003 label CD-Maximum signed a deal with ARDA to release their debut album "O Skitaniyah Vechnykh I O Zemle".
Russian group HOSTILE BREED has posted online two tracks from upcoming album "The Second Cut":
Norway's kings of Black Metal DIMMU BORGIR have won the Norwegian Grammy award "Spellemannsprisen" for their current album "Death Cult Armageddon". The band outrivaled ENSLAVED and OLD MAN'S CHILD that were nominated in the "Metal" category as well. Congratulations!
Finland's symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have announced the complete tracklist of their upcoming album "Once" (due in June):
PAGAN REIGN have finished the recording and mixing of their new, third full-length album "Udely Byloy Very".
Last release of great Italian band is out for CIS and Baltian states through CD-Maximum. In this music combined dark metal, atmospheric, black, gothic.
Russian company CD-Maximum have licenced the debut album of Brazilian group VENIN NOIR, "Rainy Days Of October", which originally was released through Hellion Records in 2002.
Moral Insanity Prods. from Brest, Belarus licensed the albums of legendary Austrian grindcore maniasc IMPETIGO, "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale" and "Horror Of The Zombies" on CD specially for CIS and Baltian states!
Fans of legendary Russian band KRUGER were waiting for a long time the re-release of classic group's album "Rozhdennyy Mrakom" ("Born By Darkness"). Till this moment it could find this album only on vinyl in collections of metal music fans. "Rozhdennyy Mrakom" - second KRUGER album, which made the band the pioners of Russian death metal. Thanks to CD-Maximum album is avalaible for everyone.
Russian company CD-Maximum signed a license deal with British Blackend Records. In nearest future will be released some albums from labal's back-catalogue, among which:
HOSTILE BREED have presented the tenatively tracklisting and ' of "The Second Cut" album. Moscow-based, Russia art-studio "Traum" worked on the cover and inlay. For creation of cover picture were used photos of real 3-D models, false eye, which band's participants stole from the morgue and gave the designers. April, 2004 release trough Irond Records is expected.
Norway's EINHERJER have officially called it a day. The following is the group's statement on the matter:
MANTAS featuring Jeff Mantas - VENOM founder and guitarist and Tony 'Demolition' Dolan former ATOMKRAFT mainman and VENOM Bass/Vocalist have been, together with the rest of the MANTAS Band deep in rehearsals for their forthcoming appearences.
An MP3 clip of the brand-new NECARE track ' been posted online. 
CRADLE OF FILTH bassist Dave Pybus has posted the following message on the band's official web site:
The title track to SOULFLY's upcoming fourth full-length album, ' , has been made available for download in MP3 format.
PECCATUM, the Norwegian band featuring former EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn and his wife Ihriel, will release their new album, "Lost In Reverie", through Mnemosyne Records during the coming weeks.
Ukrainian doom/death metal band sent off the guitarist. New guitarist is now Oleg Baranov (SUBCONSCIOS VOID). Now group is fully in rehearsing with the new line-up. Next week musicians begin to record the demo tracks Dark Prophet and Law, which will apper on new album.
Dutch black metallers SAURON have set "For A Dead Race" as the title of their second full-length album, tentatively due in late 2004 through Neurotic Records.
Swedish metallers WOLF have posted two MP3 samples from their third full-length album, "Evil Star", at their official web site: "Evil Star" (' ), "Black Wing Rider" (' ).
Sweden's LAKE OF TEARS will enter the studio on Friday, February 13 to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's "The Neonai", entitled "Black Brick Road". "The album cover will be done by the brilliant artist Kristian Wahlin, who [has] painted all of the previous LAKE OF TEARS covers except 'Forever Autumn'," according to a post on the band's web site. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Greymen", "Black Brick Road", "Making Evenings", "Crazyman" and "A Trip With The Moon".