SURRENDER OF DIVINITY completed their recordings for the upcoming "Manifest Blasphemy: The Abortion Of The Immaculate Conception" album as well as the tracks for the split 7" with MORBOSIDAD. Both releases will be out early next year through From Beyond Productions. Both CD and LP will have different and exclusive artwork. Click here for the LP artwork.
STRIBORG have signed with Displeased Records. Expect their new effort "Embittered Darkness" early next year.
German Thrashers VIOLENT FORCE finally have a new website online. You can check it out at www.violent-force.de
After 14 years Swiss old school Thrashers EXCRUCIATION are back. A brand new 12" picture disc called "Arise" was just released. "Arise" has been released as a 3-track picture disc, limited to 500 copies and as a limited edition CD in a six-page folder (limited to 66 copies). The songs are: ‘My Addiction’, ‘Arise’ and ‘Kissing Your Life Goodbye’. This picture disc is available through OSM Records in the United States, Canada and South America and can now be ordered at www.osmrecords.net/shop.html
Imperium Productions have released a limited edition vinyl version (1001 copies) of the latest KAAMOS full length "Lucifer Rising". For more info or ordering information contact the label at: imperiumproductions@t-online.de.
The new MANES EP "View" is now finally finished after various delays. It will include two new MANES tracks and two coversongs recorded at Godt Selskap studio (Necrophagia, Keep of Kalessin, Bloodthorn, Chton etc.) plus three remixes of which two were done by US noise-guru Cordell Klier and the last one by DJ Don Tomaso from Trondheim, Norway. It will be released by Aural Music (the Code666 mothership) in the beginning of february 2006 as a 999ex. limited digipak release. Cern comments that this EP is "our first, but certainly not last, collaboration with external sources". MANES can also announce that this will be the last release for Aural Music / Code666, and that MANES now is without any label. "We wish to thank all at Aural Music / Code666 for their hard work and open minds!" The tracklisting for "View" will be: ‘Cinder Alley’, ‘Terminus Rmx’, ‘The Neoflagellata Revision’, ‘Terminus Deconstructus’, ‘Knife & Kleenex’, ‘Title’ and ‘Terminus Dei Profundis’. Other news: The third MANES demo "Til Kongens Grav De Døde Vandrer" will be re-released on vinyl in a strictly limited edition. This demo was originally released in less than 50 ex., but will now re-surface in February 2006. MANES is currently in pre-production for two new seperate albums tentatively titled "Invention – Or How The World Came To An End And Why We Did It" and "Be All // End All". MANES is looking to co-operate with people within (but not limited to) the fields of programming, design and vj-ing for upcoming projects. Get in touch. More info: www.manes.info, www.myspace.com/manes
The Brazilian Thrash / Death Metal band VULCANO has lunched a myspace page at this location: www.myspace.com/vulcanobrazil. According to the last blog entry they’re planning a European Tour and a show in South America out of Brazil.
RESURRECTED will enter legendary Soundlodge Studio (Germany) to record the follow up to "Blood Spilled" in late May 2006. The still untitled album will a.o. feature the following songs: ‘An Obseding End’, ‘Hidden By Disguise’, ‘Bloodmarked’, ‘…And She Loves It A…’ and ‘Until You Kill Yourself’. The band is currently negotiating the terms of release with some labels. www.resurrected.net
BLOODY SIGN will record their next album at the end of January 2006 at Dissonant Studio (Italy). The release is scheduled for spring via Ibex Moon Records. The band is also looking for a European license, so interested labels should get in touch. www.bloodysign.fr.st
PENTACLE will headline a show in Colmar, France on January 06, 2006 together with French PHAZM and CALCIFERUM.
MELECHESH will enter Woodhouse Studios (Samael, Grip Inc, Therion, Moonspell etc.) in Hagen, Germany to record their fourth full length album in January 2006. The mixing will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands with renowned producer Attie Bauw (a.o. Judas priest, Halford, Scorpions, Fight). The tracking will take 3 weeks and mixing circa 2 weeks. "Emissaries" is the chosen album name and some track titles are ‘Sand Grain Universe’, ‘Deluge Of Delusional Dreams: Act I. Cast Tempest From The East’, ‘Act II. Ashur’s Retaliation’ and ‘Touching The Spheres Of Sephiroth’. "Emissaries" will include approximately 10 – 11 tracks that will clearly carry the Melechesh flag thematically and musically. When asked on the subject matter Ashmedi stated "The album will encompass what Melechesh have always stood for: Sumerian / Mesopotamian and other dark Near Eastern mythos and mysticism including the cosmic connection and the Occult. Musically the songs will have the Melechesh characteristic sound with a variation and evolution just like we have done for every album; I am now busy with the pre production and demoing the last couple of songs , however, I prefer letting the music speak for itself." "Emissaries" is tentatively scheduled for a release circa April / May 2006 through Osmose Productions for Europe and the rest of the world(s), in North America the release will be through Osmose Productions / The End Records.
Contributors wanted! VOICES FROM THE DARKSIDE is still looking for reliable people (preferable from Germany) who can help us out with reviews, as we constantly get so much stuff that it’s getting more and more difficult to keep track in this department. So, if you have the necessary time, dedication and knowledge, get in touch with us for all further details here. If you’re running a magazine / zine on your own (or already contribute to one) outside of Germany, you’re more than welcome as well.
German Pagan / Black Metal act HELRUNAR has been confirmed for the 2006 installment of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 10-12 in Bad Berka, Germany. Also scheduled to perform at the festival are ENSLAVED, ROTTEN SOUND, ILLDISPOSED, WATAIN, SEVERE TORTURE and AKRIVAL. More confirmations will be announced soon.
IMPALED NAZARENE have finished the recordings of their next album "Pro Patria Finlandia". It will be mixed in January 2006 at Sonic Pump Studios with Tapio Pennanen and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. Street date (in Europe) is March 28, 2006. The coverart and lay-out is currently being made. Here’s the final track listing (in no particular order): ‘Weapons To Tame A Land’, ‘Something Sinister’, ‘Contempt’, ‘For Those Who Have Fallen’, ‘Cancer’, ‘Neighbourcide’, ‘This Castrated World’, ‘Leucorrhea’, ‘Kut’, ‘I Wage War’, ‘Goat Sodomy’, ‘One Dead Nation Under Dead God’, ‘Psykosis’ and ‘Hate – Despise – Arrogance’. Impaled Nazarene will be heading for a long European tour between April – June 2006. Interested parties should contact their booking agency Bruchstein Tours in case you would like them to play at your venue. Contact Falko / Bruchstein: falko@bruchstein-tours.de
"Symbols Of Failure", the third full length album from Tasmanian based PSYCROPTIC will be released on February 13th 2006 through Neurotic Records. Mastering has now been completed by Björn Engelmann at the Cutting Room in Sweden and the artwork has all been created by Pär Olofsson and is available here. An mp3 for the track ‘Alpha Breed’ is now available for download and the complete track listing for the album will be: ‘Alpha Breed (mp3 )’, ‘Missionaries Of A Future To Come’, ‘Merchants Of Deceit’, ‘Minions: The fallen’, ‘Repairing The Dimensional Cluster’, ‘Epoch Of The Gods’, ‘Our Eolutionary Architecture’, ‘An Experiment In Transience’ and ‘Cleansing A Misguided Path’. To celebrate the release of the new album there is a special limited pre-ordering package available for a special price on www.neurotic-records.com which not only includes the 16 page booklet and limited edition slipcase version of the "Symbols Of Failure" album, but also a full colour album cover design t-shirt as well as a full size full colour PSYCROPTIC poster. Negotiations for several touring options in support for "Symbols Of Failure" are already in full progress and the outcome will be announced shortly.
ANCIENT RITES have found a new record label in Season of Mist, also the home of bands like MAYHEM, ROTTING CHRIST and ARCTURUS. They started recording their new album on November 21st under the guidance and supervision of veteran AR producers Oliver Philipps and Christian Moos. So far, all drum and bass parts have been recorded, guitars are up next. The album will most likely be released before the summer of 2006, after which ANCIENT RITES, now a septet since the return of former members Domingo Smets and Raf Jansen last year, will once again play live in support of their new album. Concerts all over Europe and the U.K. are being negotiated and arranged, so expect the band to be out there in full blast next year.
A track from the upcoming CARPATHIAN FOREST album is being mixed in two different studios, and depending on the results, the band will decide on which studio to use for mixing the rest of the album. Mixing and mastering sessions are expected to be finished during December. Season of Mist will issue the as-yet-untitled new album on January 16th, 2006 in Europe and January 17th in North America.
DISMEMBER will hold a release party for their forthcoming new CD on February 3rd at Tantogarden in Stockholm, Sweden, according to a posting at the INSISION website (www.insision.com). Both Dismember and Insision are scheduled to perform at the party. Dismember have been recording their seventh album in Sami Studio in Stockholm, Sweden, which they plan to release in January through Regain Records.
The following CELTIC FROST update has been posted at www.celticfrost.com: "Celtic Frost were very honoured to meet close friends again on the occasion of the Swiss concert of Norwegian groups 1349 and GORGOROTH at La Chaux-de-Fonds on November 12th, 2005, which they attended upon invitation by 1349’s singer Ravn and drummer Frost. Ravn had long proposed that Celtic Frost’s Tom Gabriel Fischer join 1349 on stage to sing lead vocals for 1349’s version of the Celtic Frost classic ‘The Usurper’ (from the "To Mega Therion" album, 1985). It finally happened that night in the French part of Switzerland. The meeting of all three groups presented an opportunity to renew, reinforce, or establish a number of existing and new friendships. In the meantime, however, Ravn had also sung backing vocals on Celtic Frost’s ‘Temple of Depression’, a song scheduled to appear on the limited special edition of Celtic Frost’s forthcoming "Monotheist" album. Ravn’s contribution was recorded by Peter Tägtgren at Horus Sound Studio in Hanover, Germany, in August 2005, in the course of the final sessions for the new album. The photos show Celtic Frost’s Tom Gabriel Fischer on stage with 1349 (photographed by Sadhusatana from www.helveticpaganhorde.ch) and Gorgoroth’s Gaahl and Tom Gabriel Fischer backstage at La Chaux-de-Fonds’s Bikini Test venue (photographed by Nina Treml)." Celtic Frost have been confirmed to appear at next year’s edition of the Wacken Open Air festival. The band will perform a 90-minute "best of" show (with new songs) on the Black Stage on August 4th, 2006. Celtic Frost recently completed their new studio album, "Monotheist", their first in 13 years and the culmination of some three and a half years of songwriting and recording work. Although the album was largely produced by the band themselves and financed by their own production company, CELTIC FROST enlisted HYPOCRISY / PAIN mastermind Peter Tägtgren to co-produce with them the final recording and mixing sessions at Horus Sound Studio in Hanover, Germany, in August / September 2005. Negotiations with a variety of labels are currently underway, and the album is scheduled for a release in early 2006. Original Celtic Frost members Tom Gabriel Fischer (voice and guitars) and Martin Eric Ain (bass) are joined by Erol Unala (guitar) and Franco Sesa (drums).
Sweden’s GENERAL SURGERY have issued the following update via their website (www.generalsurgery.nu): "It’s been a while since the last update, not that anyone may have noticed, but here we go… Just to let you know, the time is drawing near. That’s right, we’re entering the studio to record our first full-length album which we cleverly enough have entitled "Left Hand Pathology". We know, it’s thoroughly stupid, but lowbrow morons that we are, we still find it hilarious in our own special way. As we’ve mentioned, the album will be recorded at the newly rebuilt Off Beat Studio just outside Stockholm. Mastering duties will be handled by Peter In De Betou at Tailor Maid mastering facilities. The artwork is currently being put together by Dr Sykes himself, and it looks quite spectacular indeed. Look forward to something really different for this particular genre. Well, we can pretend it’s different and special, since nobody will say otherwise. Nobody whose opinion matters anyhow. Either that or we’ll just stick our fingers in our ears, thus not hearing any criticism, legitimate (yeah, right) or otherwise. Rest assured it won’t be totally generic. Some 15 or 16 tracks are slated to appear on this monstrous release, and to keep things interesting we’ve opted for a slightly different tracklist on the CD and LP versions, which also gives us an opportunity to milk this cash cow for all it’s worth. Here’s a list of songs we intend to record, in no particular order: ‘Arterial Spray Obsession’, ‘Capricious Provisional Cadaver Grater’, ‘Autopsy Induced Amnesia’, ‘The Admirable Teachings Of Burke & Hare’, ‘Fulguration’, ‘Mucopurulent Mayhem’, ‘Ambulance Chaser’, ‘Convivial Corpse Disposal Methodology’, ‘If These Walls Could Talk’, ‘Viva! Blunt Force Trauma’, ‘Necrodecontamination’, ‘Mortuary Wars’, ‘Cold Storage Fever’, ‘The League Of Extraordinary Grave Robbers’ and ‘Decomposer’. If we by some strange coincidence manage to stay coherent enough, you will get some kind of studio updates as we progress. Hopefully they’ll be more informative than ‘I’m incredibly drunk and I swear to fucking Christ I’ll kill the entire band as soon as I get the chance’, which is what you’d most likely see if Dr. McWilliams gets a chance to document his musings. Hopefully we’ll manage to keep him securely sedated and away from any computers during this period. Anyway, check the blog for updates. We’re also going to try to document as much of the proceedings as possible on video and still pictures. Be very afraid (on a side note, if we’re lucky, one of our previous vocalists might appear as a special guest on a cover song. You’ll just have to wait and see if it works out or not). As witnessed by the lucky bastards who attended the Bloodshed Fest back in October, we now have a few new shirt designs that are going up in the Gore Store shortly. Check back in a couple of days. In other news, we’re preparing a smaller European tour in late March / early April next year with Italian gore-hounds GRIMNESS 69. As soon as the list of dates is complete, we’ll announce the tour."
Sweden’s VOMITORY have issued the following update via their website (www.vomitory.net): "We are very eager to get in touch with the guy who filmed our whole show in London at The Underworld on November 9th! Please get in touch with us! We are also looking for any pictures and videos from our November shows in the U.K., Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden to make it available here at vomitory.net. Please e-mail us at band@vomitory.net. Thanks! We want to thank every single one who attended our November shows in the UK, Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands and the two Sweden shows in Gothenburg and Västerås! Also, big thanks goes out to all promotors and all supportbands involved! But we want to send the biggest thanks of them all to our partner in crime, Lord fucken K Philipsson, for helping us out with handling the second guitar flawlessly on these shows. Tack som fan Kentha! There is a clip from the Gothenburg show on November 25th, featuring the song ‘Redemption’, available for download at this location. There are also some pictures from the shows in Hengelo / Netherlands, Gothenburg and Västerås here (photo credits: Efil, Somliga and Mark Akerboom). More pictures, including the UK / Ireland tour, will be posted here soon."
According to a press release, as of November 28th, 2005, Deathgasm Records and United Guttural Records have merged. The combination of Deathgasm and United Guttural will create one of the largest independent extreme M etal labels in North America. After two months of negotiations, Rich Lipscomb of United Guttural Records and Fleshgrind sold the company to Evan March, CEO of Deathgasm Records. "Deathgasm / United Guttural looks forward to leading the US Death Metal scene with brutal music, great service and unparalleled treatment of our artists" said Evan March. United Guttural releases will be kept in circulation and Deathgasm / United Guttural will continue with the scheduled releases including the FLESHGRIND demos CD. The company plans to combine the Deathgasm and United Guttural websites by spring 2006 in order to streamline the company and make online shopping more convenient for customers. Deathgasm Records was founded in 1997 to provide the underground Metal scene with extreme Metal music at affordable prices. In December 2003, Deathgasm Records opened the first and only all Metal record store in Georgia. In the process of expansion Deathgasm Records has taken over several record labels including Extremist Records, Warhammer Records, Skeptic Productions and Metal Merchant USA (ex – Gutted Records).
According to an update at their official website, OPETH visited the legendary BBC studios in Maida Vale, London, UK to record a couple of songs scheduled to be aired on BBC radio 1 sometime soon. The songs will also be included on the planned special release of "Ghost Reveries". The songs recorded: ‘The Grand Conjuration’, ‘When’ and ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ (DEEP PURPLE cover).
On November 26, Sweden’s NECROPHOBIC have started the recordings of their fifth full length album. No titles of either the album or any songs are available at the moment, but as soon as it’s time for it, they will be published on the band’s website www.necrophobic.net. The studio they’re using (Dark Voodoo Studio) is a totally unknown studio, which is supposed to bring a fresh touch to the Necrophobic sound. The engineering parts will be done by Anders Bentell and Fredrik Folkare (the latter known for being the guitarist and producer of Unleashed). NECROPHOBIC recently ended the deal with Karmageddon Media (ex – Hammerheart Records), so the album will be released through a new record label. More info on this as well as the release date soon.
FUNERAL PROCESSION have returned from the studios where they have finished the recordings of twelve songs. These are the songs in detail: ‘Beholde The Stars Fall From The Heavens’, ‘Bloode Of The Elder (Building The Anti-Kosmos)’, ‘Doom’, ‘Heavenlie Aeons Grimlie Torne Apart’, ‘Millennium Of Revenge’ / ‘Jerusalem In Ashes’, ‘The Death Empire On Burial Ground Pt. I’, ‘The Death Empire On Burial Ground Pt. II’, ‘When Moonshine Is The Only Light’, ‘Schmerz Aus Licht’, ‘Futurum Obscurius…’, ‘Under A Funeral Moon’ (Darkthrone cover) and ‘Mountains Ov Might’ (Immortal cover). Four mp3s (edits of 2:00 – 3:30 length) have been made available in the download section of the band’s website www.funeralprocession.net. ‘Mountains Ov Might’ was recorded for the upcoming "Epimythion – A Tribute To Immortal" album which is going to be released through the Greek label Townsend Avalanche in March 2006 and will feature among others Sunn O))), Blood Tsunami, Vreid and Wrathage. ‘Schmerz Aus Licht’, which was originally meant for the cancelled split album with Kältetod, will be released as a mini CD through the German label K:A:IN Productions. In good tradition, this mini CD will come in special packaging. The playing-time will be more than 16 minutes, as ‘Schmerz Aus Licht’ has probably become the slowest and most depressive song the band has ever written. Eight of the remaining songs (playing-time approx. 43 mins) will make up the forthcoming debut-album of Funeral Procession. For the time being, it is not clear which label is going to release that album as negotiations are on the way for the CD- and the LP-version. It is very likely that the vinyl version will be released by or in cooperation with Franconian Nightfog Productions who also had released the vinyl version of "Legion Cymru" earlier in 2005. A label for a possible tape-release (preferably not in Europe) is still being searched. Speaking of "Legion Cymru", after the MCD boxset sold out very fast, the limited vinyl version and the MC version are close to having sold out as well. Final copies are available from the band, Nightfog Productions and Intolerant Rekords. This might be the last chance to get hold of the release. The "Solar Eclipse" demo is meanwhile completely sold out from the label (Devil Worship Records) as well. It is unclear if the announced compilation by the Greek label Underground Tapes has already been released or will ever be released as the label never replied after the CD with the song had been sent.