March 06, 2001

VADER‘s Reign Forever World album is available in Japan with four bonus tracks. The exclusive tracks are: ‘North’ (live), ‘Forwards To Die’ (live), ‘Creatures Of Light & Darkness’ (live) and ‘Carnal’ (live).

Original SABBAT members Martin Walkyier (vocals), Frazer Craske (bass) and Simon Jones (guitar) will reunite at the Bloodstock 01 UK Metalfest in Derby, UK. They’ll be joined by newly recruited Jay Graham (drums) and Pete Wadeson (guitar) to perform as RETURN TO THE SABBAT.

NIGHT IN GALES new album, Necrodynamic, hits stores on March 26th through Massacre Germany.

ORIGIN will be on tour with CRYPTOPSY and CANDIRIA from March 15th through April 12th, hitting all major U.S. cities.

MARDUK have finally obtained proper North American distribution. Having made a move last year from Osmose to their own Blooddawn Productions via Regain Records, Century Media is licensing the group’s latest album, La Grande Danse Macabre. Produced by Tommy Tägtgren at Abyss Studios, the album showcases ten tracks of brutal black metal. Century Media have also licensed Marduk’s double live Infernal Eternal and the Obedience EP with exclusive bonus tracks. Both were released last year overseas. Since the band never officially released an album in America, they were never able to tour America. Century Media have already got the band scheduled to hit the road in May with DEICIDE. La Grande Danse Macabre will be out on May 15th, Infernal Eternal and Obedience will be released on April 17th. Tour dates will be announced soon.

BLOOD DUSTER‘s new album, Cunt, will be out this year through Relapse.

ARCH ENEMY‘s website, www.archenemy.net, has posted details on the band’s new album. Wages Of Sin was produced by Fredrik Nordstrom and Michael Amott and was mixed by Andy Sneap. The tracklisting: ‘Enemy Within’, ‘Burning Angel’, ‘Heart Of Darkness’, ‘Ravenous’, ‘Savae Messiah’, ‘Dead Bury Their Dead’, ‘Web Of Lies’, ‘The First Deadly Sin’, ‘Behind The Smile’, ‘Snow Bound’ (inst.) and ‘Shadows And Dust’. The album will be out in Japan on April 25th and later in Europe and the U.S. Arch Enemy’s Michael Amott commented some of the tracks: "We felt that ‘Enemy Within’ is a good opening song as it’s got a little soft piano intro, that slowly grows into a crescendo. This is actually the first time we have used any sort of intro, on our old albums it’s always been a case of hitting someone as hard as you can without warning… this time we give you a warning – THEN we hit you! The song itself is quite complex and has a lot of different tempos and riffs going on… not exactly a hit single… but it’s 100% Arch Enemy. ‘Burning Angel’ is based around a riff and melody that I came up with while visiting my parents one day… the melody just came to me suddenly and luckily there was a guitar around so I could work it out on the spot… Chris came up with the verse riff and there it was – some songs come together quickly like that! In the rehearsals we threw in a big solo spot for me, it’s rather a long solo by our standards and I tried to keep it melodic and memorable. The lyrics deal with something that’s been written about a lot in metal, witchburning in the dark ages, but I tried to write from the perspective of the woman being burnt and add a different flavor to it. Our new vocalist really went for it on this one in the studio and delivered some ripping vocals that really give the song another dimension. ‘Ravenous’ is one of the albums most intense and brutal songs, both musically and lyrically. This one goes for the throat and just won’t let go! From the schizophrenic intro riff through the slaughtering double bass drum attack of the verse to the catchy chorus with some madman solos thrown in for good measure. It’s a sick and twisted rollercoaster ride! It’s probably going to be the first video off the album. ‘The First Deadly Sin’ is probably the song on the album that has the most obvious death metal roots and therefore sounds a little bit like something off our first album, fast and furious thrash/death is something that’ll always be a part of the Arch Enemy sound!"

SKINLESS release their Relapse debut, Foreshadowing Our Demise, on March 20th. A limited edition picture disc version will be available soon on Morbid Records.

AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED are currently recording the basic tracks for Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope, their upcoming full-length on Relapse. Artwork for the release will come courtesy of legendary tattoo artist Paul Booth (SIX FEET UNDER, TODAY IS THE DAY).

DECEASED will be in the studio from March 15th – 22nd to record a new EP, Behind The Mourner’s Veil, set to be released this July. The tracklisting: ‘It’s Alive’, ‘The Mausoleum’, ‘Slow Infection’, ‘Victims Of The Masterplan’, ‘Zombie Attack’, ‘Plunging To Megadeath’, ‘Reaganomics’ and ‘Deathrider’. The band’s Up The Tombstones Live album has been licensed by Pavement for release in the U.S.

BONGZILLA will be entering the studio shortly to begin recording their second Relapse album, Gateway.

The release of IMPALED‘s Choice Cuts album will be delayed due to a squeamish manufacturing plant. The manufacturer deemed the cover artwork too disgusting and offensive to work with. Guitarist and vocalist Sean ‘Bloodbath’ McGrath stated: "It’s always been my dream to make underpaid factory workers curse my name while shaking their tiny fists in the air. Today my dream has come true." Adorned with images of a woman’s legs and a baby whose throat is about to be cut, this cover is sick. The album hasn’t even hit stores, and the censors are already at it again. The album features new material from the vinyl only split with ENGORGED, tribute compilation tracks from the IMPETIGO and CARCASS tributes, unreleased versions of songs from their debut album and the underground classic demo recordings for the first time ever on CD.

CEPHALIC CARNAGE are about to enter the studio to record tracks for a new 3" CD and various 7" singles.

Wicked World / Earache artists GANDALF get ready to drop their second album Rock Hell on March 20th. The label characterizes this Finnish foursome as "an unholy union of AC/DC and At The Gates." However, music journalists the world over seem to have differing thoughts, which frustrates drummer Nalle Osterman. "Many people have compared Gandalf to In Flames. With the first record, Deadly Fairytales, reviewers in Finland compared it to Sentenced, Swedish people compared it to In Flames and British people compared it to Carcass. It’s kind of funny, if you take all three of those bands, they are all completely unique to themselves. You can’t say that one sounds like the other. If you mix those three, you have in some people’s eyes, us. We never went in to write music that would copy anyone else. We write in our own style. If it sounds like In Flames it’s just coincidental, it was not intentional. It must have something to do with the vocals and maybe some of the melodies mixing with hard riffs. For the record, I’m not a big fan of In Flames. Recently I was in Sweden, in Gothenburg and In Flames was playing. That was the first time I can say that I enjoyed In Flames. They have a few good songs like ‘Episode 666’ and ‘Goliaths Disarm Their Davids’. I think we are in a different direction than In Flames, they may have the same influences as us."

VILE will hit the studio in April to record their new album, Depopulate.

REGURGITATE will soon issue a limited edition picture disc version of Carnivorous Erection on Morbid Records. They will also release a new split 7" single with Japan’s REALIZED on Stuhlgang Records.

According to digitalmetal.com, BORKNAGAR will record their yet-to-be titled album at the end of May. The band is set to work on their fifth full-length with co-producer Borge Finnstad at Fagerborg and Top Room studios. Finnstad handled the production duties for MAYHEM’s Grand Declaration of War. "I look forward to working with Borge Finnstad because he seems to be very professional and we have the best recording facilities available," said ringleader Oysten G. Brun. "Production wise we’ll head for the best to date possible!" The new album is also the first release with newcomers Tyr (bass) and Vintersorg (vocals). "I am exited in the sense that it will be a great recording session," Brun confirmed. "I am fully convinced that the constellation will result in a killer album!" There are a myriad of new forces in the Borknagar camp, but Brun reaffirmed that the album will still retain the essence of Borknagar. "Nobody should be afraid that we’ll do a sudden change of style or something," the guitarist said. "Compared to Quintessence it will be a bit more diverse. There will be a bit more of everything really. I think the new album will be slightly more epic than Quintessence, and a bit more complex as well. But how the final result comes out in the end of the day, we have to see as well."

MORBID ANGEL, now on tour with PANTERA, will head to the U.K. in April for a club run between the 11th and 15th.

ARCHAEAN HARMONY have released a new album, Nihility Mundane Soul. For more on the band check out www.darkmetal.com/archaean

DYING FETUS will be touring the U.S. this March and April with support from SKINLESS and GORGUTS.

EXHUMED‘s Slaughtercult album will be re-issued this Summer as a limited edition saw-blade shaped CD containing a bounus track. The upcoming Japanese version of Slaughtercult will be re-named Slaughtercult… Fester Forever. It contains four bonus tracks and completely new artwork.

NASUM will tour Sweden, Norway and Denmark in March with THE HAUNTED and NINE as part of Close Up magazine’s Close Up Made Us Do It Tour. A limited LP version of the band’s Human 2.0 album is out now on Sweden’s Distortion Records. The Japanese edition of the album has been renamed Human 2.01 due to it containing the tracks from their recent split 7" with WARHATE as bonus tracks and altered artwork.

ANATA will release their second album, Dreams Of Death And Dismay, through Relapse this May.

MORTICIAN will be on the No Mercy Festivals tour. The European jaunt also includes MARDUK, VADER, GOD DETHRONED, SINISTER, MYSTIC CIRCLE, … AND OCEANS and BAL SAGOTH. The band’s forthcoming album, Domain Of Death, will be out on April 17th. A limited edition picture disc version will also be available.

AEGRIMONIA have lost their new vocalist, Mijnheer Massakre. The band are currently looking for a new singer.

ENTHRONED will release their new album, Armoured Bestial Hell, this March. The band plan to tour in May and June with support from RAGNARAK.

MAUDLIN OF THE WELL have finished the recording sessions for their new double CD for Dark Symphonies. They will begin mastering the new material immediately with a release date set for early Spring.

MYSTIC CIRCLE release their new album, The Great Beast, on March 26th through Massacre. It will be available on CD and limited edition vinly LP.

According to digitalmetal.com, THORIUM are gearing up to record their second album, Unleashing The Demons, this Summer. "It’s faster, more brutal and much more insane, but still with a twist of melody," said frontman and WITHERING SURFACE vocalist Michael H. Andersen. "So far we have around nine new songs ready, which will not dissapoint the fans of our debut Ocean Of Blasphemy!" According to the band’s website, the album will be recorded at Exponent Studio in Slovakia and will include a CANCER cover, ‘Cancer Fucking Cancer’.

YATTERING will be recording their new album next month at Red Studio in Poland. It will be produced by VADER’s Piotr Lukaszewski. Watch for it later this fall on Relapse in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in Europe.

OPETH are gearing up for their debut North American tour, in support of their new album, Blackwater Park, out on March 13th. The band will be in North America for two months and will take in two festivals, New Jersey’s Metal Meltdown 3 on April 6th and the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in Worcester, MA. on April 14th, as well as their tour with AMORPHIS and NEVERMORE. The regular dates with Amorphis and SHADOWS FALL kick off after Metal Meltdown on April 7th at the Kathedral in Toronto, Canada and run through April 13th in Cleveland, OH. Following the New England Metalfest, the gigs start up again on April 22nd at The Showbox in Seattle, WA. This leg of the tour, with Nevermore, God Forbid and Special Guests, wraps up at The Cactus Club in San Jose, CA on May 20th. For more info go to: www.opeth.com

The Japanese edition of NASUM‘s Human 2.0 album includes four bonus tracks exclusive to that edition. The tracks are: ‘And You Were Blind To What Lay Beyond’, ‘Stolen Pride’, ‘Silent’ and ‘Losing Faith’.