February 18, 2005
OPETH have posted the following message at their official website: "OPETH will be entering Fashination Street Studios (in Stockholm, Sweden) on March 15 to record their 8th yet untitled opus. The band are currently in rehearsal mode, which is a rare occasion having recorded the last four records without rehearsing. The recording will be overseen by the uprising recording mogul Jens Bogren. As of today no names for production duties have surfaced and it looks like the next record will be a band produced effort. Nothing has been decided regarding who’s taking care of the mix either so we’ll have to keep you wondering. Opeth and their management have spent the last month meeting the five top label candidates for the next Opeth recording contract. The names are still secret but a decision will be made very soon and obviously announced here earlier than anywhere else. Several Summer festival appearances have been confirmed and will be posted here soon. A Summer tour of the US has also been confirmed and will be posted here soon as well. The matters are still very "hush, hush" so we can’t say anything more at this point. What can be said is that the band will make a few low-profile apperances prior to the next release and several full blown headline tours all over the world after the release. Take your rest now!"
German Black Thrashers DESASTER (www.total-desaster.de) have inked a deal with Metal Blade Records. Their next album, "Angelwhore", will be released on CD format via Metal Blade. The vinyl version will be released via Iron Pegasus Records. The band is currently in the songwriting stage. The release is scheduled for August, 2005.
Sweden’s NASUM have posted the following update on their official website regarding frontman / guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk: "Today – Thursday, February 17, 2005 – we recieved a confirmation that Mieszko Talarczyk died in the Tsunami Disaster December 26, 2004. His body has been identified and will be transfered to Sweden shortly. His closest family and friends are in our thoughts right now. Mieszko will be missed by many. Nasum.com will be closed for at least a month. You know why. There will be a slight update in a couple of days with some information about the future of Nasum along with some personal words about Mieszko. Thanks a lot for your support and your thoughts. Now a new time begins, a time we must spend alone. Please respect this wish. Sincerely, Anders and Nasum."
According to a brief update at their official website, Dutch Thrashers THANATOS are "Busy writing new songs for their fifth full length album that probably will be recorded at the end of this year." The band issued their last album, "Undead.Unholy.Divine." via Black Lotus last year.
Candlelight Records will be releasing the PROJECT: FAILING FLESH debut, "A Beautiful Sickness" on March 22nd. The album was released in Europe in September 2004 through Karmageddon Media. As previously reported, the band – featuring E-FORCE frontman Eric Forrest on vocals – is busy working on their second album, "The Conjoined". Keyboards and vocals are expected to be laid down in the near future, at which point the album will be ready for mixing.
According to the official HOLY MOSES website, the announced title for the band’s upcoming album, "Strange Power Will Passion", is incorrect. The name of the new album will in fact be "Strength Power Will Passion". The band’s label, Armageddon Music, regrets the error. In other news, vocalist Sabina Classen is finishing up vocals for the new album, with backing vocals, bass and guitar leads scheduled to be recorded this week. A guest vocalist is going to be brought in to do some singing as well.
IN FLAMES have won the Swedish Grammy Award for the best Hardrock / Metal album of 2004, with their latest album, "Soundtrack To Your Escape". Nuclear Blast will release a digipak edition of the album on February 21st. This edition of the album will include a 5-track DVD containing the following videos: ‘The Quiet Place’, ‘Touch Of Red’, ‘Watch Them Feed’ (live at Wacken Open Air 2003), ‘Only For The Weak’ (live at Wacken Open Air 2003) and ‘The Making Of Soundtrack To Your Escape’ (feat. Daniel Bergstrand).