February 26, 2002

Polish Death Metal veterans VADER have changed the title of their forthcoming album from "Epitaph" to "Revelations". The band’s first CD with ex-HUNTER four-stringer Simon (who replaced Shambo last year), "Revelations" is currently being recorded at Red Studio (the same studio where the group’s "Litany" and "Reign Forever World" CDs were recorded) with producer with Piotr Lukaszewski, and it will include 12 tracks, among them the following: ‘Torch Öf War’, ‘The Wolftribe’, ‘From The Ashes Thy Create’, ‘Devotion’, ‘Begotten Son of Fire’, ‘When The Fallen Rise Again’, ‘Epitaph’, ‘The Absolut’ and ‘I Am Who I Am’. In addition, two cover versions will be recorded, including a rendition of MORBID ANGEL’s ‘Immortal Rites’ for an upcoming MORBID ANGEL tribute album on Hellspawn Records (which will also include contributions from KRISIUN, EMPEROR, ANGEL CORPSE, and BEHEMOTH, among others). Although presently unconfirmed, ‘Immortal Rites’ may also appear as a bonus track on the Japanese or Polish edition of "Revelations". The follow-up to 2001’s "Reign Forever World" is scheduled for a June 3rd release through Metal Blade Records.

DIMENSION ZERO, featuring IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad are dismissing thoughts that they are just a "studio" group, and will be playing three Japanese dates in late May, and then the group plan on touring Europe.

Century Media are releasing NONEXIST, the new band featuring former ARCH ENEMY frontman Johan Liiva and ANDROMEDA guitarist Johan Reinholdz. Recorded at Studio Abyss (Hypocrisy, Destruction, Dimmu Borgir), the album "Deus Deceptor" is likened to the glorious ARCH ENEMY debut, "Black Earth" as Liiva confirms: "Black Earth" felt like an explosion of pent-up energy. I really want "Deus Deceptor" to have the same kind of feeling. You know, a bit like ‘do or die’".

The South American Thrash Of The Titans festival scheduled to take place on April 20th in Sao Paulo, Brazil will feature SEPULTURA, MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, EXODUS, VIO-LENCE, DEATH ANGEL, SADUS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (with Eric A.K.) and HEATHEN.

INTERNAL SUFFERING have finished recording and mastering their new album, "Chaotic Matrix", for Displeased. It’s due out on May 25th. The band are currently preparing for the North American Extermination Tour II 2002, which will take in over 20 US dates.

Belgium’s DEFORMITY have finished recording their second full length, "Superior", at Excess Studios in Rotterdam. Mastering will take place at Electric Studios in Brussels. The album is due out on May 25th through Displeased.

DEW SCENTED will be playing with DESTRUCTION, KREATOR and SODOM in Holland and Belgium, as well as one date in Leipzig, as part of the Hell Comes To Your Town Tour 2002 in April. A show has also been added for Ludwigsburg with IMMORTAL, HYPOCRISY and AGATHODAIMON. In other Dew Scented tour news, the shows in Bochum and Flensburg have recently been canceled by the promoters.

LUCIFERION are hard at work on their upcoming release for Listenable. The new album is scheduled for a September release.

CENTURIAN will be playing Poland in mid-February and will embark on a nine date UK tour with VADER in March.

DERANGED are working on their forthcoming album, "Plainfield Cemetary".

ABHORRENCE is currently recording the MOTÖRHEAD cover, ‘Mean Machine’, for a tribute album to be released in Brazil. They’re also writing new songs for their second full length album, to be recorded during the summer and released in early 2003.

GRIEF OF EMERALD’s Robert Bengtsson recently commented on the band’s forthcoming album, "Well what can I say, we’re fucking back! This CD contains 10 new tracks, bombastic guitar work, less melodic keyboards, blastbeats and a big dooze Death Metal. We still have our mid / fast tempos but this is more straight in your face. Some titles are: ‘Christian Termination’, ‘Raped By The Servant Of God’, ‘Scum’ and ‘Alas Spiriti Sancti’. We’re working a tour in late May. Robert is also engineering and mixing the album in his own studio".

SCARVE will release their new Daniel Bergstrand produced album on March 7th. The band will tour France in April with NO RETURN, DEW-SCENTED and RAIN. Scarve is currently mixing a live recording for possible release later in the year and will shortly begin working on a video for the track ‘Emulate The Soul’

FLESHCRAWL are sad to announce that due to powers beyond their control, they will not be coming to America for their first American show. The band feels bad, and is looking forward to the next chance they have to come over.

NIGHT IN GALES release their new album, "Necrodynamic", this spring. The release will include bonus tracks taken from "Sylphlike".

NECRONOMICON will hit the stage again very soon with the new line-up: Rob "the Witch" (guitars / lead vocals), Dominik (bass / melodic voices) and Rick (drums & percussions). On February 27th, the band will share the stage with DIMMU BORGIR at the Medley concert hall in Montreal, with special guests KRISIUN and ONTOS ON. In related news, the band’s "Pharaoh Of Gods" has now been reissued by Unique Leader Records and is available through its worldwide distribution. Originally released via Hypnotic Records in 1999, the band’s debut full length album will see a new promotional campaign behind it.

MORTIIS will embark on his first ever European tour, in Spring 2002, in support of his album "The Smell Of Rain". The tour kicks off on April 9th at Marx in Hamburg, Germany and wraps up on the 28th at a yet-to-be confirmed venue in Sweden.

Japan’s TYRANT are finishing up their new album, "Legend". The release is set for April.

NINNGHIZHIDDA have finished recording mixing and mastering their new album, "Demigod", for Displeased. A release is set for April 25th.

UNLORD will disappear into obscurity forever after the release of their album, "Lord Of Beneath", due out in April through Displeased.

NAGLFAR have finished recording and are preparing to mix their new album, "Sheol", due out this summer.

From Beyond Productions is set to release the "Early Years" album from SATHANAS and BATHYM. With overlapping line-ups, both bands stood at the birth of the American Black Metal scene in the late 80s / early 90s. The CD will cover the demos and 7" releases of both bands, as well as tons of unreleased, live and rehearsal material. The release is due in late April.

Osmose have released HOUWITSER‘s "Rage Inside The Womb" album on LP in Europe.

NECRO SCHIZMA have reissued their late 80s demo, complete with a live gig as a bonus, though From Beyond.

Nuclear Blast Germany has reissued DESTRUCTION‘s "The Antichrist" and "All Hell Breaks Loose" as a double-CD package

On April 22nd Metal Blade will reissue two BROKEN HOPE double CD’s, each available for the price of a single CD. The titles are "Bowels Of Repugnance" / "Swamped In Gore" and "Repulsive Conception" / "Loathing". Both double CD’s will have fat booklets including liner notes and loads of previously unpublished photos of the band

DIVINE RAPTURE will soon be featured on a Morbid Angel tribute album entitled "Tyrants From The Abyss" alongside Zyklon, Vader, Krisiun and other bands. The album will be released by Hellspawn Records of Sweden. DIVINE RAPTURE will be covering ‘World Of Shit (The Promised Land)’ off of "Covenant" and have added their own flavor in the form of a few surprises in vocal patterns and arranging. The tentative release date is in Spring 2002. Due to Morbid Angel’s plans and Erik Rutan’s extremely packed schedule, DIVINE RAPTURE will enter the studio end of May / early June instead of in March as originally reported. They will still be traveling to Dimensional Sound Studios in Tampa, FL to record with Erik, but due to this development and an additional development, the sponsorship deadline has been moved to April 11th. Just to recap, the sponsorship program was put in place to allow any magazine, label, record store or other establishment to gain additional worldwide advertising through placement of their logo inside the forth-coming DIVINE RAPTURE full-length cd sleeve and on new DIVINE RAPTURE t-shirts, both of which will be distributed internationally in great quantities. Sponsors will also be advertised through a variety of other media available to DIVINE RAPTURE as true Death Metal supporters! A $50 donation secures a logo space on the back of the DIVINE RAPTURE shirt and an $85 donation secures a logo space inside the forth-coming cd sleeve as well. Any donation is welcome though and there are accomodations for friends of the band also. ALL proceeds from donations will go directly toward recording the new album!! Be sure to check out www.divinerapture.net or write info@divinerapture.net for other details. For snail mail correspondence: Divine Rapture, P.O. Box 159, Chester Heights, PA 19017 USA.