Germany's finest Crust / Deathgrinders VIU DRAKH have a limited edition (500 copies) picture vinyl version of their awesome album "Take No Prisoners, Grind Them All And Leave This Hell" available. So, all vinyl junkies shouldn't hesitate for a second, but immediately get in touch with Xetal Records (xetalrecords@web.de) or their management (lizmail@t-online.de) for detailed ordering information.

Sweden's EBONY TEARS are back with a new album entitled “Evil As Hell”, which will be released on June 29. Their label Black Sun Records describes it as follows: "Imagine a cross between early Slayer, Meshuggah, Haunted, Strapping Young Lad and Testament and you get a pretty good idea of how this new album sounds like. Very complex and technical, with the incredibly fast, aggressive and tight drum and guitar playing that has become the trade mark of Ebony Tears, this album really rocks..." Pre-listening at www.blacksun.se

REBAELLIUN and DIABOLIC will tour Europe in September in support of BEHEMOTH. Plans for Rebaelliun to tour the US this fall are underway as well.

Russia's ROSSOMAHAAR have inked a 3 album deal with Last Episode. The bands second album, "Quarite Lux In Tenebris (Exploring The External Worlds)", will be released in August.

AEBA will release their third album, "Rebellion - Eden's Asche", in August. The band is still looking for a drummer and recorded the new album with a drum-computer. Interested drummers can contact their label, Last Episode at markus@last-episode.de

FUNEBRIS have finished work on their debut album, "The Triumph Of The Everlasting Fire".

AD INFERNA are set to enter the studio to record their debut album, L'Empire des Sens. SETH frontman Arkames wrote all of the lyrics for the album.

AMORTIS' new album, "Gift Of Tongues", contains 7 songs and runs 51 minutes. Tracks on the album include: 'The Human Puzzle', 'Messiah', '19th Century Love Poetry' and 'The Obscure Dance Of Distress'.

Canada's Black Metal pride and joy, BLASPHEMY, are working on new material. They have four songs nearly complete and according to Ryan Forster, there is tons of label interest. Expect something by the end of the year. In the meantime, Blasphemy will be playing two local shows this year, on Friday July 13th and one at the end of August with U.S. Black Metallers BLACK WITCHERY.

CARNAL FORGE have started recording their third full-length album at Studio Underground and have so far completed laying down all the drums and rhythm guitars. Following the completion of the bass tracks, frontman Jonas Kjellgren will record the vocals at his Black Lounge Studio before the band returns to Studio Underground in mid-July to put down all the leads and mix the album, which is tentatively scheduled for a late 2001 release through Century Media.

Any artists interested in creating the cover artwork for the next HATE ETERNAL album should contact the band directly via the group's official web site at www.hateterrnal.com. The band is asking all applicants to please NOT send large image files with your e-mail, but to instead, if at all possible, post your work/portfolio online and send them the web address where the work can be viewed. All submissions must be sent to both rutan@hateeternal.com and also webmaster@hateeternal.com

Spikefarm Records has signed Finnish Death Detal act DEMIGOD. The band's second album is currently being recorded for a late 2001release.

INTERNAL BLEEDING will be issuing "Alien Breed 1991-2001", a CD containing the group's "Invocation Of Evil" and "Perpetual Degradation" demos, a few songs from the band's 1991 "One Dollar" demo plus a brand new song, 'Alien Breed', through Olympic Records on August 12th.

As a few people may have heard, Damon Bloodstorm is leaving ABOMINATOR, citing a permanent break from the hectic schedule of band life. ABOMINATOR, who have just been signed by Osmose Productions,  is down to a two piece again and is currently looking for a bass player and possibly a second guitarist to continue their live assault. They have just completed their second full length, "Subversives For Lucifer" and are looking forward to introducing the material to their local crowd in a couple of months. The band is currently rehearsing and writing new songs for an upcoming third album! The title at the moment is 'Cascading Carnage'. Stay tuned for further details!

After one and a half years, HOUWITSER singer Arjaan "Djortzzz" has announced to leave the band. The main reason for his depature is that he couldn't find the time and devotion to continue. A replacement is already found in the person of Stan Blonck, a young guy from Rotterdam. With him the band will enter the Excess Studio on July the 28^th to record their new CD "Rage Inside The Womb". Official website: www.houwitser.net

KHOLD have an official homepage now. You can check it out at the following URL: http://www.khold.com

A new EIBON song is complete and can be listened at http://www.moonfog.no

SOILWORK have confirmed two Japanese dates in June on the 21st at Banana Club in Osaka and on the 23rd at On Air East in Tokyo.

KRISIUN and IMMOLATION hit the road in North America in August. In related news, Krisiun bass player and vocalist Alex Camargo is guesting on NECROMANCIA's new album, "Checkmate".

DECEASED have announced that drummer / vocalist King Fowley is stepping up to the position of vocalist in the veteran outfit. Ex-HATRED drummer Dave Castillo will now be behind the kit. Deceased will debut their new line-up at the Wacken Open Air Festival on August 3rd. The bands new album, "Behind The Mourner's Veil", will be available on July24th and will include an enhanced CD-ROM containing a video for 'Elly's Dementia' from their critically acclaimed Supernatural Addiction full-length.

Rumor has it that Sweden's DIMENSION ZERO, featuring IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Stromblad, ex-IN FLAMES axeman Glenn Ljungstrom, ex-MARDUK singer Jocke Gothberg, and LUCIFERION / DIABOLIQUE drummer Hasse Nilsson, have inked a deal Regain Records. The group's first release for Regain will be a full-length album, which is due to be recorded in September at Fredman Studios in Gotheburg, Sweden and issued in early 2002.

THE KOVENANT have tentatively titled thweir next album, "S.E.T.I (The Search For Extraterrestrial Existence)". Watch for the record in early 2002.

SIX FEET UNDER have made available two new MP3s, 'Impulse To Disembowel' and 'The Day The Dead Walked', from the group's "True Carnage" CD (due out August 7th on Metal Blade Records) for download via the band's official web site: www.sfu420

The musical mastermind behind Control Denied and Death, Chuck Schuldiner, is home again after receiving the first of several treatments with a fairly new and still relatively experimental drug called Vincristine (VCR). Vincristine belongs to a class of naturally occurring chemotherapy agents, which are extracted from the periwinkle plant and, unlike many chemotherapy drugs, bears practically no toxic side effects. Schuldiner was initially turned away at the door when the administrator of Cedar Sinai Comprehensive Care Center informed Chuck and his sister that he would not be brought in until they produced enough money, up front. Many more treatments will be necessary to restore Schuldiner's health and will most likely be in conjunction with other types of cancer treatments, which possibly include another surgery. The auction being sponsored by Hammerheart Records is now online and in need of contributions. For more information on how YOU can help make a difference in someone's fight for life, check the details at the end of this news block and act today! He is one of our own and we will NOT leave him behind.
Schuldiner, 33, was diagnosed on his 31st birthday after experiencing headaches and unusual symptoms while in the studio working on an album for his current full-time band, Control Denied. With the generous help of family, friends, and organizations such as MusiCares, Schuldiner was able to moderately control the cancer with various treatments and previous operations. In recent weeks, Schuldiner's condition has worsened. Both live and necrotic cancer tissue has built up in his brain and has started to infiltrate the cerebellum, causing Schuldiner’s health to decline rapidly. Schuldiner is rightfully considered the forefather of the Death Metal genre and a major innovator within Heavy Metal overall. Death formed in 1983 when Schuldiner was a teenager and has released seven albums worldwide. The band's early albums, including "Scream Bloody Gore" and "Leprosy," are cited by many as being the most influential albums in Death Metal. Schuldiner’s later work took on a more technical approach, cementing Death's status not only as one of the most brutal, but also as one of the most technically proficient bands in Metal history. After retiring Death in 1999, Schuldiner began concentrating 100 percent of his creativity on Control Denied, which he feels strongly is an extension, or natural maturation, of what Death has been for over a decade. He had, in fact, been working on the new Control Denied album, "When Machine And Man Collide,” when he was taken aback by this illness once again. In addition to the benefit auction, upon hearing about Schuldiner's situation from bassist Steve DiGiorgio (whose resume includes Death, Control Denied and Testament), Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who has also recently been diagnosed with cancer, volunteered to share the proceeds of a planned mid-August benefit concert in his honor with Schuldiner.
"Obviously, this act of selfless consideration has touched us immensely," said Schuldiner's mother, Jane. "Words really can't express the gratitude we feel toward Chuck Billy and his family for doing such an amazing thing for someone else in need when he, himself, is going through such a hard time, as well. He must be an amazing young man."
The online auction features an assortment of rare music memorabilia kindly donated by the music and Metal communities, and also includes one of Schuldiner's own guitars and a bass autographed by Steve DiGiorgio, as well as rare items from rock ‘n’ roll’s more mainstream artists such as Godsmack, Staind, Disturbed, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The auction, hosted through eBay and allbeat.com, may be accessed through Hammerheart America’s website (www.hammerheartamerica.com) by following links to the Charles Schuldiner Medical Fund Benefit. Donations to the fund are also accepted and may be wired, transmitted via PayPal, or mailed in care of Hammerheart Records. All funds will go to the Charles Schuldiner Medical Fund, and donations are tax deductible. Information to transfer donations directly into the bank is as follows:
Washington Mutual Bank, 500 East Alta Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, USA, Bank routing number: 321180748, Account number: 3513564696, Account name: Charles Schuldiner Medical Fund. Checks and money orders should be payable to Charles Schuldiner Medical Fund and mailed c/o Hammerheart America, P.O. Box 42323, Pittsburgh PA 15203.

Hammerheart Records is about to re-issue a bunch of releases within the next couple of weeks. On June 18 PRIMORDIAL's  "Imrama" and "A Journey's End", followed by the legendary Hellspawn Records compilation VARIOUS ARTISTS - TRIBUTE TO BATHORY and on July 3rd REBAELLIUN's "Bringer Of War" / "Burn The Promised Land" (both releases on one disk - reissue for North America only). 
Brandnew albums will be available from DIABOLIC ("Subterraneal Magnitude") on July 23rd, THRONEAEON ("Neither Of Gods") on August 6th and REBAELLIUN "Annihilation" (on August 7th in the USA and Canada and August 20th in Europe).

SATARIEL have recorded their new album "Phobos & Deimos" with Daniel Bergstrand (a.o. Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, Darkane) at the board. The album will feature a special guest-appearance by legendary Candlemass singer, Messiah Marcolin.

THYRFING will most likely record their new album with Daniel Bergstrand by the end of the year.

DIMENSION F3H have signed with Hammerheart Records recently. DIMENSION F3H is actually Morfeus of Limbonic Art and could be roughly described as a more primal version of Limbonic Art with very futuristic and technology-laden overtones.

Sweden's DEMONS OF DIRT have also been picked up by Hammerheart. The band is supposed to appeal to fans of At the Gates and The Haunted. 

The final tracklisting for SLAYER's forthcoming "God Hates Us All" album is as follows: 'Darkness Of Christ', 'Disciple', 'God Send Death', 'New Faith', 'Bloodline', 'Threshold', 'Exile', 'Seven Faces', 'Cast Down', 'Warzone', 'Here Comes The Pain' and 'Payback'. Two additional tracks, 'Addict' and 'Deviance', were also recorded and may be considered as B-sides for future singles or overseas releases.

TERROR 2000, the side project of DARKANE guitarist Klas Ideberg, have started writing new material and have begun rehearsals with a Stockholm-based drummer by the name of Erik. The band hope to record the follow-up to "Slaughterhouse Supremacy" later in the year for a 2002 release.

NAPALM DEATH are going to do a co-headlining tour with DIMMU BORGIR and two other TBA bands in the fall. It will be much like the CANNIBAL CORPSE tour, but Dimmu will be last on this time. Nick Barker wanted LOCK UP to be the third band on the bill but they decided against it because it would be too strenuous. As for the new LOCK UP album, it features 16 songs, clocking in at 30 minutes. It will come out on Nuclear Blast.

ILLDISPOSED's new album, "Cocanium", is due out on August 27th through Diehard.

HOUWITSER's cover version of POSSESSED's 'March To Die' will be issued on a 7" single through Displeased Records backed with a demo version of 'Shredded to Pieces'.

According to www.andysneap.co.uk, the new KREATOR album, "Violent Revolution", is now finished. Producer Andy Sneap and the band tracked the drums and bass in Celle, Germany and then did the rest over at Backstage Studios in the UK. Sneap added that he just finished mixing the new BENEDICTION album which will be released through Nuclear Blast in early autumn. It was tracked by Paul Johnson over at Rhythm Studios in Stratford On Avon and again mixed at Backstage.

SHADOW, Japan's answer to IN FLAMES (and signed to Century Media for worldwide release), will be opening for DIMMU BORGIR on their tour through Japan. The band opened for NAPALM DEATH during their Japanese tour in March.

According to their website, CRADLE OF FILTH have signed a deal with Epic/Sony for the release of their next full-length, due out in 2002. It will be released under the imprint of the band's AbraCadaver. Meanwhile, their brand new album, "Bitter Suites To Succubi", is due out through PHD in Canada and Spitfire in the US on July 3rd.

ANCIENT's new album, "Proxima Centauri", will be released at the beginning of October. The album was recorded at Andy Laroque's Los Angered Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. It will be mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City in the first week of June. After the release a U.S., European, South American and possibly Asian tour will take place.

Norwegian satanic black metallers RAGNAROK will enter The Abyss Studios on August 1st to record their new album entitled "In Nomine Satanas". In the meantime you can check out a sample of a new song recorded in the bands home town of Sarpsborg on the band's website at http://angelfire.com/id/RAGNAROK/.

INSISION have been signed by Wicked World / Earache to a worldwide deal. The band, hailing from the Scandinavian Death Metal hotbed of Stockholm, Sweden, have steadily been making their presence felt with shows across their homeland with the likes of Hypocrisy, The Haunted, Amon Amarth, Dark Funeral and countless others. Insision offer up putrid, rotting, sickoid Death Metal that relies heavily on a backbone of blastbeats and twisted, rhythmic riffing, leading a burgeoning underground grind scene brought up on a diet of classic Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation. With one release already under their belts in the form of 1999's 'The Dead Live On' MCD, and a split release with Inveracity on the way (including a cover of Death's 'Zombie Ritual'), Insision will record their debut album for Wicked World in October, for release in early 2002. In the meantime the band have a number of Swedish dates lined up for the summer which the 5-piece will use to nail down material for the debut album.

SLAUGHTER's classic 1986 debut "Strappado" will be re-released through Nuclear Blast Records with four additional studio tracks out of the legendary recordings, a complete live show plus a rehearsal as bonus. Furthermore their never released second album "Paranormal" (recorded in the original three piece-line up Sadler / Sumners / Hewson) will also be released, including the "Not Dead Yet" album as a bonus. "Not Dead Yet" was originally released after a few line up-changes under the name STRAPPADO as a cassette only release. This re-release will also feature some additional live stuff. Both CD's will be digitally remastered by Alexander Krull (ATROCITY), and re-released in a fine Digipack-version, including liner notes from the band and lots of rare pictures. For more info check out the SLAUGHTER homepage http://interactive-1.rogers.com:80/terrysadler/TERRYSWORLD/ 

Denmark's THORIUM will play at this years Nuclear Storm Open Air Festival (Cz) http://nuclear.dynamix.cz/ and have finished 9 tracks and a cover of CANCER's 'Cancer Fucking Cancer' for their second album, which is gonna be entitled "Unleashing The Demons". Their website www.thorium666.dk was also updated and now features downloads, games, reviews and merchandise. Bassplayer Jakob Hansen was kicked out of the band, cause of his recent sentence. He's now serving 4 years in jail for rape and drunken boxing. THORIUM are currently working with the bassplayer who stood in for Jakob on their recent tour. VADER's Peter has already agreed to produce the next album which might be recorded at Red Studio (POL), where VADER's "Litany" was recorded. 

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