» News Archive August 2006
Progressive Death Metallers AKERCOCKE have dived straight into new territory and filmed the video for the song ‘Intractable’ in an exclusive gentleman’s club in the depths of London’s Soho district. The idea for the video, shot by UK production company Multiplicity was developed from a storyboard drawn up by the band’s drummer David Gray, which can be seen here. Taken from 2005’s "Words That Go Unspoken" release, the video for ‘Intractable’ will feature an explosive performance from Akercocke in a club within the heart of London’s infamous Soho district. Fans can expect to see Akercocke blasting away to the audience, surrounded by the expected x-rated entertainment typical of Soho’s more ‘adult’ locale. ‘Intractable’ is expected to hit screens before the end of September but as ever the first place to see it will be on www.earache.com, stills from this week’s shoot can be seen online here and here.
Here’s an official press statement from SHINING: "There have been many rumours saying that our front-man, founder Kvarforth is dead, we wish these speculations to be put to an end by telling you what we know. A couple of days ago, we received a letter from a person very close to Kvarforth telling us that Kvaforth had decided to leave this world behind and also introducing as a kind off last will, a new singer to replace him for future events of SHINING. All that we know for 200% is that Kvarforth has been missing for the past 4 weeks and have, as his friend indicates, chosen to end his own life and for us, the band, this come as no surprise as he have been suffering from extreme anxiety and depressions the past 6 months and some truly extreme things, considering his own personal life, occurred dramatically right before he disappeared. However, we wish to send our deepest regrets to our friend and sadistical leader Kvarforth wherever he might be! Kvarforth did as mentioned, involve a new singer in the band without telling us before he left, his name is Ghoul and will be introduced on the release-show we are holding in December. No one of us, the band members have meet him yet but a contact have been established via letter-exchange, and as this was Kvarforth’s own will, we are now officially presenting our newest member, whoever this might be, Ghoul. It shall also be said that both me and the guys in the band have heard Kvarforths wish that SHINING should get a new singer if he died or disappeared but we never thought that it would come to this point!" – Conny, Official Spokesman of SHINING
Relapse Records will re-release INCANTATION‘s debut full-length "Onward To Golgotha" (originally from 1991) on October 31 (US) / November 6 (rest of the world). Founder and guitarist / vocalist John McEntee comments on the reissue: "I have been looking forward to this reissue for a long time now. I have great respect for my fellow "Onward…" band members Craig (Pillard – guitar / vocals), Jim (Rowe – drums), and Ronnie (Deo – bass) and am very proud of what we created. It’s amazing that true blasphemous Death Metal ended up being so timeless. When the idea of doing the reissue came up I wanted to make sure the other guys that played on the album would be involved with it. The album was truly a group effort and the reissue needed to reflect that. It was a great experience to get together with the other guys and remember all the killer times we had. We put this re-release together to make it special for all the long-time Incantation supporters and something that we feel represented the work we did as a band and time spent as friends." "Onward To Golgotha" was recently named as one of the 20 best Death Metal albums of all time as well as one of the most important records in the genre by Decibel Magazine. The re-issue will include a free DVD with three full live sets from the "Onward…" line-up, expanded artwork, and more. Incantation will release their seventh album "Primordial Domination" on September 5th on Ibex Moon Records. "Primordial Domination" was recorded at Mars Recording Compound with longtime engineer Bill Korecky during the spring with the band’s current line-up of McEntee, drummer Kyle Severn and bassist Joe Lombard.
SADISTIC INTENT are still alive and kicking! The band has been rehearsing with a new guitar player (Ernie Bueno) and already played a couple shows with him (the first one with Deicide and Vital Remains on April 05, 2006 and the second with Testament on July 13, 2006). They have a couple of out of state shows set up in New York (September 16, 2006) and Chicago (September 17, 2006). As far as the recording of "The Second Coming…" is concerned, the band has not been back in the studio for that. Guitarist Rick Cortez just told us the following about it: "We do not have the masters in our possession. Bernie Versailles (studio engineer) moved out of state and he took everything with him. It took a while to get in contact with him and to finally get a copy of the masters back but eventually we got them in a new studio and it turns out they are damaged. Since we’ve been focusing on getting ready for live shows (past and up-coming) with the new guitar player, we have not really made an effort at getting another copy of the masters yet. Bay and I spoke about the bad luck we’ve had with this recording and we’re considering to re-record the album or maybe do another MCD once again. On the positive side, Sadistic Intent is still alive and this delay with the album is not going to stop us!" Rick told us some sad news as well: "I just found out earlier today (technically yesterday) that Jesse Pintado has died. Last week I got a phone call telling me that he was in a coma and today I got a phone call with the news of his death. All I know is that he went to Holland to spend some time with his girlfriend and now he’s gone… I don’t know the details of Jesse’s death yet but I can tell you that he was doing a lot of drinking." Rest in peace, Jesse!
HATE ETERNAL will release their first ever DVD "The Perilous Fight" on October 16th 2006. The DVD features artwork from Paul Romano (Mastodon, Trivium) that you can check out here and also includes a live set filmed at The Garage in London on 4th June 2006, with a live audio mix by Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan. "The Perilous Fight" delves deep into the life of Erik Rutan, Randy Piro and Reno Killerich sharing their thoughts on Hate Eternal so far in an exclusive 20 minute interview filmed immediately following the June 2006 London show. The DVD also features a guided tour of Mana Studios in Florida by Rutan himself and three promotional videos from the band, including the exclusive unreleased ‘The Victorious Reign’ directed by Shane Drake (Panic! At The Disco, Trivium, Hawthorne Heights). The full tracklisting of "The Perilous Fight" will run as follows (main feature): ‘Two Demons’, ‘Servants Of The Gods’, ‘The Victorious Reign’, ‘Dogma Condemned’, ‘I, Monarch’, ‘Behold Judas’, ‘The Obscure Terror’, ‘To Know Our Enemies’, ‘Powers That Be’, ‘By His Own Decree’, ‘Sons Of Darkness’ and ‘King Of All Kings’. Promo videos: ‘The Powers That Be’, ‘I, Monarch’ and ‘The Victorious Reign’. Bonus features: interview and behind the scenes at Mana Studios.
DEICIDE‘s founding members, singer / bassist Glen Benton and drummer Steve Asheim, want to answer your questions and give you insight into the DEICIDE machine of darkness. To enter, formulate a pressing question for DEICIDE and email it along with your contact information (name, address, phone number, return email) to: deicideinquest@yahoo.com. On Friday, August 25, five questions will be picked and if your question is picked you will win a limited edition box set of DEICIDE’s new release, "The Stench Of Redemption". Answers will be posted next week. In related news, one of Sweden’s largest online music stores, Ginza.se have barred the sale of "The Stench Of Redemption", citing the blasphemous CD sleeve art, controversial lyrical subject matter and the fact that DEICIDE mainman Glen Benton has an upside-down cross branded into the centre of his forehead, as their reasoning. This has consequently led to Ginza.se taking the unprecedented step of removing all traces of previous DEICIDE releases from their online store as well.
Morbid Records and Soulfood Music have scheduled the release of "Endless Sea Of Loss", the upcoming fifth studio release by RESURRECTED, for Friday, October 13th 2006.
Here’s the official statement from DISSECTION concerning the death of Jon Nödtveidt: "As rumours have started to spread we feel obliged to confirm Jon Nödtveidt’s death. Jon Nödtveidt was a man who lived his life according to his convictions and True Will. A couple of days ago he chose to end his life by his own hands. As a true Satanist he led his life in the way he wanted and ended it when he felt that he had fulfilled his self-created destiny. Not everyone will have understanding or acceptance for his personal path in this life and beyond, but all must respect his choice. Those of us who have met him in his last days can assure that he was more focussed, happier and stronger than ever. It is our full conviction that he left this world of lies with a scornful laughter, knowing that he had fulfilled everything that he had set up for himself to accomplish. The empty space that he leaves behind will be filled with the dark essence that he manifested through his life and black-magical work. His legacy and Luciferian Fire will live on through those few who truly knew him and appreciated his work for what it really was and still is. As our brother’s goal in life and death never was to "Rest in Peace", we will instead wish him victories in all battles to come, until the Acosmic Destiny has been fulfilled. For the glory of the Dark Gods and the Wrathful Chaos! 218."
IN BATTLE drummer Otto Wiklund passed away on August 13, 2006. He played on the band’s albums "In Battle" (1997, Napalm Records) and "Rage Of the Northmen" (1998, Napalm Records). Rest in peace buddy!
The following press statement was just issued by Earache Records: UK music TV channel Scuzz TV has banned the new video for DEICIDE‘s ‘Homage For Satan’ condemning it for being offensive and derogatory. In a statement a Scuzz representative declared that "the lyrical content is religiously offensive, derogatory, and can be read as improper exploitation of any susceptibilities of the audience". They further commented "With regards the imagery itself, the inclusion of a priest or religious figure in any belief system is always a very touchy subject, but the possession of one such person, and the disparaging respect for the Christian Bible is in direct conflict with Ofcom regulations". The video, featuring blood-splattered zombies on a rampaging mission to capture a priest forcibly underlies Deicide’s explicit stance against religion, yet is a representation of Death Metal at its best. The banning of the video coincides with the eagerly anticipated release of Deicide’s highly acclaimed album "The Stench Of Redemption" and effectively removes the chance for extreme music to be represented to a mass audience. The outright banning of the video marks a worrying trend, as the station declares that they ‘generally don’t play Death / Black Metal on Scuzz anymore’ yet boldly label themselves as a ‘rock hard’ channel. To make your own mind up about the video you can check it out on You Tube.
DISSECTION frontman Jon Nödtveidt has committed suicide, informed sources have told Blabbermouth.net. More details will be made available shortly. Nödtveidt formed DISSECTION in 1989 and released two full-length albums with the group – "The Somberlain" (1993) and "Storm Of The Light’s Bane" (1995) – before he was convicted in Sweden of felony murder of 37-year-old homosexual Algerian Josef Ben Maddour in 1997. He was released from prison in 2004, at which point he restarted DISSECTION. DISSECTION announced in May that they would split-up immediately following their final performances in support of the recently released CD, "Reinkaos". The band was subsequently forced to cancel their two previously announced appearances in North America (Sept. 1 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA and Sept. 6 at B.B. King Blues Club in New York City) after Nödtveidt was denied legal entry into the United States as a result of his conviction. DISSECTION’s most recent album, "Reinkaos", was released in May on The End Records.
On Monday August 21 a special limited edition boxset of DEICIDE‘s new album "The Stench Of Redemption" will be released. In addition to the CD, this box features four band member art cards, a massive double-sided colour poster and a bonus track (a cover of DEEP PURPLE’s ‘Black Night’!!!). You can view the box here.
Coming November Brazil’s Death Metal masters INCRUST will record a new demo tape that will be entitled "Beyond The Dead Flesh". This self-financed recording will be limited to 66 copies again and is later on gonna be re-released on CD by Ibex Moon Records (re-mastered with bonus tracks, covers and maybe a live video for ‘Necronun Desecration’, recorded in 2004). The band is currently in the planning stage for their first European tour at the end of 2006 / early 2007. For more details and date updates make sure to check out their temporary website www.incrust66.cjb.net, where you can also find an unreleased version of ‘Necronun Desecration’, mastered on Clã studio, Brazil in 2003.
The two German underground zines MYSTICAL MUSIC and CARNAGE MAG, have joined forces for a one off split issue. The 104 pages monster features in-depth interviews with MASSACRE, Martin Van Drunen (PESTILENCE), HAEMORRHAGE, BENEDICTION, SINISTER, Bard Faust (EMPEROR / SCUM), AKERCOCKE, DEATHEVOKATION, TAETRE, DARK FUNERAL, MESSIAH, CYNIC, Alex Marquez (MALEVOLENT CREATION / SOLSTICE etc.), NOMINON, PENTACLE, MORGOTH, NECROVATION, FLESHGORE, SCENT OF DEATH, VERMIS, AVENGER OF BLOOD and of course a shitload of reviews. Every order receives a free MYSTICAL MUSIC vs. CARNAGE CD compilation (feat. bands like Nominon, Paganizer, Pentacle, Purgatory, Casket Garden, Vermis etc.). For ordering info check out www.mystical-music.de or www.carnagedeathmetal.de.
ARES KINGDOM will play their first show since finishing "Return To Dust" next Saturday (August 19) in Wyandotte, Kansas City at the American Ice House. The band will also play a "Death Metal showcase" at Jerry’s Bait Shop (its really a bar) in Lee’s Summit, Missouri the following Monday evening. These shows will be the first since Alex Blume took up bass duties (in addition to vocals) and Doug Overbay moved over to rhythm guitars. In related news, the gatefold LP and picture disc versions of "Return To Dust" will be released on August 29. The second pressing of the CD is due around the same time. ARES KINGDOM will furthermore have full color "Return To Dust" t-shirts available in about two weeks. A west coast tour is being planned for late October / early November. For more info head to www.areskingdom.com, www.myspace.com/areskingdom
SUFFOCATION will appear at the Cudgel Agency shop for a signing session on August 24, 2006 (4:00 – 5:00 p.m.). The address is: Cudgel Agency, Müggelstrasse 8, 10247 Berlin, Germany.
China’s Area Death Productions have just re-issued NUNSLAUGHTER‘s "Radio Damnation" CD with the following six additional bonus tracks: ‘Fire’, ‘Obsessed With The Visions Of A Satanic Priest’, ‘Atheist Ways’, ‘The Fucking Witch’ (all from 2001’s "Trifurcate" EP), ‘In The Graveyard’ and ‘Torment’ (from 2001’s "Satan Is Metal’s Master" split EP). The CD was remixed and is limited to 500 hand numbered copies. It features new artwork, a 12 pages booklet, 24×36 cm poster (with exclusive band pics), lyrics, a bio (written in Chinese though), sticker, bandcard and the first 100 CDs even get delivered with a t-shirt!!! For all further info check out http://adp.areadeath.net
NYC’s SUN DESCENDS have severed ties with their drummer Chris Torre. The band is looking for a replacement at the moment and encourages anyone who is interested to contact them at: mem@sundescends.com. Mem V. Stein: "It’s unfortunate that the drummer position in this band seems to be a revolving door but the good news is that we have completed 9 songs for the new album and are ready to record them as soon as we have found the right man for the job."
New Zealand-based Death / Grind outfit DAWN OF AZAZEL, who recently completed 23 dates on the the Decades of Death 2006 U.S. tour alongside VITAL REMAINS, INCANTATION and SIN OF ANGELS, has issued the following update: "Our first shows in the U.S. were defintely amongst the best we have ever played. We were defintely humbled by the response from the crowds on this tour. Despite what we had been told to expect, the crowds in the U.S. have been killer and very apprecative! A special thanks goes out to everyone who came out and supported us and and to everyone who put us up at their place or let us sleep on their floor on this tour – much appreciated! Brutal hails to VITAL REMAINS, INCANTATION and SIN OF ANGELS for being such killer tour partners and John Mcentee and Taylor Touring for the opportunity! We can’t wait to get back as soon as we are able! We are currently taking a short break to work on some new material, but we are currently working out the details for our second Australian tour for "Sedition" later this year. The second pressing of "Sedition" will be released in September and will feature a bonus video for the track ‘The Road To Babalon’ and with recieve full distribution in the U.S. and Canada through RED."