February 21, 2005

John Tardy, frontman for reformed US Death Metal icons OBITUARY has posted the following message at the band’s official website in early February: "After what seems like forever, we will be in the studio starting today! I feel really good and I think all the time we spent preparing for this will pay off. Everyone here really seems to like the new songs and all I can say is that they are heavy! We will be setting up and working on drum sounds today and tomorrow. Tomorrow we will also set up Big Al and get his sound ready. If that goes well we should be ready to start recording on Monday. I do have a surprise, it looks like along with working with Mark Prator that our good friend Scott Burns is going to be working with us on this CD. How cool is that! These to guys have done more studio work with us than anyone and we are all totally psyched and lucky to be able to have both of them with us! I will keep you all up to date with how thing in the studio are going and get you pictures of us as we go! I am also considering releasing some sound bites of the new stuff so keep in touch for that! On a separate note I do have a web-camera set up in our practice studio and, along with my good friend Paul, I am testing that out. I will keep you up to date and let you know when that we be up and running for all to see. The camera is awesome and I hope to leave it running 24/7 so that everyone will be able to see what goes on in our studio… the good, the bad and the ugly! It should be fun and I hope I can pull it off!"

Skyscraper Music is reissuing the long out-of-print KATAKLYSM "Vision The Chaos" 7" on CD, March 11th. Originally released in 1994 through Belgium’s now defunct Boundless Records, the title has been sold out for years. The limited edition vinyl 7" featured the following two tracks: ‘Vision The Chaos’ and ‘Shrine Of Life’. In other news, Skyscraper is also re-releasing the band’s classic EP, "The Mystical Gate Of Reincarnation". Details will be available coming soon.

The following update has been posted at GORGOROTH‘s official website (www.gorgoroth.org): "As previously reported Gaahl appealed last years sentence by Sunnfjord court, who initially sentenced him to 18 months in prison on charges of violence. He was also ordered to pay over NOK 100,000 in damages and compensation to the victim. Last week the appeal case started in Gulating lagmannsrett, Bergen. The final sentence of the trial will be posted when it is set." Gaahl was jailed in early May, 2004 in Norway for 18 months after being found guilty of beating a 41-year-old man who claimed he was the victim of ritual abuse.

Guitarist Alex Skolnick has issued the following message at his official website (www.alexskolnick.com) in regards to the upcoming TESTAMENT reunion tour: "It is with great anticipation and excitement that I announce my plans to take in an upcoming TESTAMENT reunion tour (dates to be announced). It seems we’ve all reached a place where we have respect for one another on a personal and musical level. For these and whatever other reasons, the time feels right to revisit what began some twenty (!) years ago. TESTAMENT was, is and will always be a part of me; everything I’ve done since has been largely possible due to my experience with TESTAMENT. I’ve never forgotten this, whether everyone realizes it or not. Just as my solo career was never meant as a rejection of TESTAMENT, or Metal in general, my reconnect with TESTAMENT is not a rejection of my solo career… The TESTAMENT guys have all come to see the Alex Skolnick Trio and genuinely seemed to enjoy the music. Similarly, the young guys in the trio are TESTAMENT fans and couldn’t be more thrilled to see me doing this tour. This is partly what it’s been all about for me: challenging conventional ideas about music and musicians themselves. Years ago, my heart told me to go find my own voice and I chose to listen. Now that I’ve found it, my heart’s telling me it’s a good tome to jump back in with TESTAMENT and have some fun. Of course, this brings up inevitable questions: what does this all mean? Will there be more TESTAMENT tours like this? A recording? We honestly don’t know and it would be unfair to ourselves and the fans to try to answer that. Let’s see how things go. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that music, and to a greater extent, life itself, is about being in the moment: not what once happened, not what might happen, but what is happening right now. And right now what I’m really looking forward to is getting back with these guys and playing some music!" According to a recent press release, TESTAMENT lead vocalist Chuck Billy and founding guitarist Eric Peterson recently announced that Skolnick, original bassist Greg Christian and previous TESTAMENT drummer alumnist Johnny Tempesta, are joining them for a Reunion Tour in Europe, May 7th to May 15th ONLY. The tour will last for 9 shows only. Chuck Billy is quoted as saying: "I’m in music to enjoy it, and playing with my old band-mates after all these years will be killer!" Eric Peterson adds "This reunion tour takes me back 20 years, the fans will freak seeing us together again!"

Norway’s ZYKLON, featuring ex-EMPEROR guitarist Samoth, have announced that their forthcoming new album, due out sometime this year through Candlelight Records, has the tentative title "Disintegrate". Songs to be featured among the album’s tracklisting include: ‘Disintegrate’, ‘Vulture’, ‘Vile Ritual’, ‘The Four Corners’ and ‘Scum’. In other news, ZYKLON have completed work on their new video, for the track ‘Core Solution’. It will be available soon online. The band are also planning to release a full length DVD, details as they become available. In live news, ZYKLON were recently added to the bill for this year’s Wacken Open Air Festival, scheduled to take place August 4th – 6th in Wacken, Germany.

DEAD OF WINTER, will release their debut album, "At The Helm Of The Abyss", in March via Profound Lore Records. The band is being compared to AXIS OF ADVANCE, CONQUEROR, BLACK WITCHERY, LEVIATHAN (US) and BLUT AUS NORD.

Germany’s Black / Death Metallers CRYPTIC WINTERMOON will release their new album, "Of Shadows… And The Dark Things You Fear", on March 28th through Massacre Records. The tracklist is as follows: ‘The Dark Things You Fear’, ‘Thrashomatic Overdrive’, ‘Portals Of Nightfall’, ‘Bonegrinder 1916’, ‘Synthetic God’, ‘Where The Oceans Meet Eternity’, ‘Grave Without A Name’, ‘Once, In The Windblasted North’, ‘War (Without Any Regret)’, ‘Heavy Armed Assault’, ‘Open Fire’ and ‘Grim Frost’.

RAZOR will be releasing a 20th Anniversary CD / DVD box set, due out later this year.

Australia’s RUINS have recently got signed by Neurotic Records. The band that already released a MCD on Blacktalon Media, delivers aggressive innovative Black Metal with dark eerie Death dynamics. RUINS features multi instrumentalist Alex Pope on vocals, guitars and bass and drummer David Haley (Psycroptic and The Amenta). Their debut full-length album "Spun Forth As Dark Nets" is already recorded and currently in the mixing phase. It contains 8 songs and some songtitles are: ‘The Ends Of The Earth’, ‘Feed The Emptiness’ and ‘No Trace Or Rumour’. The release is set for May 2005. An advance MP3 will be up on www.neurotic-records.com as soon as possible.

EISMALSOTT have split up. Guitarist Aínvar is going to continue solely with his project one day. In the beginning of March the 7" EP "Best Before: Spring", recorded in late 2003, will be released on Northern Silence Productions. The four left members have united to GEIST and will release the "Patina" album in April on Solistitium Records. A sample is ready for a listen on www.geist.cjb.net. The band’s next gig is held on the 26th of February on the Dawn of the Goat IV festival.