April 12, 2003
After years of wrangling between NAPALM DEATH and Earache, peace finally reigns and Napalm and Earache are working together again co-ordinating a "Best Of & Rarities" 2 CD set for release in late summer 2003. The title of the comp, selected by Barney will be "Noise For Music’s Sake". Disc 1 of the set will be the best tracks culled from Napalm’s 10 album career with Earache. With Disc 2 being rare tracks, including long lost recordings from the early line-up with Lee Dorrian & Bill Steer. Napalm themselves will be supplying extremely rare tracks from the Bullen / Broadrick era. Liner notes for the set incorporating many unseen pics and momentoes from the bands members is being co-ordinated by Shane Embury.
Sweden’s THE HAUNTED return to American shores again this spring for a headlining tour with melodic metal-core legends Shai Hulud and Death Grinders Skinless. Also joining the tour for select dates are Darkest Hour and Bleeding Through. Before even being formally submitted to the execs at MTV2 and MuchMusic, The Haunted’s new video ‘D.O.A.’ was deemed too violent for airplay by a MuchMusic producer who cited one particular "tooth-pulling scene" as being "just too much". Taking the man’s advice, director Pete Bridgewater immediately started work on an edited version. Of course, the uncensored version will be viewable in all its glory on earache.com in the Videos section, and will be featured on a future DVD comp, but stay tuned to MTV2 and MuchMusic for the cleaner version, coming soon. The band’s new album, "One Kill Wonder", is now in its fourth week at #1 on all three of the crucial US Metal radio charts: the CMJ Loud Rock Chart, the CMJ Loud Rock Spins Chart and the FMQB Metal Detector Chart.
CULT OF LUNA have begun work on their first video, for the track ‘The Watchtower’, off their brand new Earache debut "The Beyond". At the helm is acclaimed UK director Pete Bridgewater, whose work can be seen all over the Videos page on earache.com — Bridgewater has been the man behind the camera for such clips as Mortiis’ ‘Parasite God’ and ‘Mental Maelstrom’, December’s ‘Host’ and most recently The Haunted’s too-grisly-for-TV ‘D.O.A.’.
DECEMBER have contributed a track to the new Blackfish Records Thrash tribute comp, "Thrash Or Be Thrashed", out now in the UK. December chose the 1990 Death Angel classic, ‘Seemingly Endless Time’, delivering an amazingly faithful cover of the blistering original and giving brutal screamer Mark Moots a rare opportunity to showcase his clean-vocal abilities. Also featured on the track is shredder Ryan Hall on lead guitar.
DEICIDE concluded their US headlining tour this weekend with a sold-out show at Brooklyn, New York’s hallowed metal venue, L’amour. The Deicide boys are now heading home to Tampa, Florida to finish writing the material for their as-yet-untitled debut album for Earache.
HATE ETERNAL have announced their first shows since the recent van crash that forced them to cut short their US tour with Dying Fetus. In the meantime, a group of labels, including Earache, Metal Blade, and Century Media, has donated items to a charity auction to help the band get back on their feet.
USURPER joined the ranks of Guns N’ Roses and Judas Priest this week as the Chicago beer-swillers were immortalized in a photo shoot by legendary rock photographer Paul Natkin. Over his 20-year career, Natkin has shot all the great rock and Metal bands, from AC/DC to ZZ Top… to Usurper! This is the guy who snapped the pic of Ozzy and Randy Rhoads that wound up on the cover of "Tribute"! Usurper’s new modern-day Metal classic, "Twilight Dominion", hits stores this month. www.natkin.net
Swedish Thrash Metallers CORPORATION 187 are to begin work on their first video in the coming weeks. The choosen track is ‘Perfection In Pain’ from their recent album of the same name.