January 20, 2012

MORGOTH have announced to be returning to North American ground by appearing at Baltimore’s Maryland Deathfest on May 27, 2012. Furthermore the band will also perform at Neurotic Deathfest (The Netherlands), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) as well as the following events in Germany: Winternachtstraum (Arnsberg), Walpurgis Metal Dayz (Passau), Rock Harz (Ballenstedt) and Summer Breeze (Dinkelsbühl). MORGOTH are currently working on their first-ever live release, which is being mixed in Sweden right now by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studio (OPETH, DISSECTION, BLOODBATH, etc.). An international release date is expected for the summer of 2012 via Century Media Records. The band commented this as follows: "The "Cursed" Anniversary festivals 2011 have been an awesome experience for our fans and us! And that’s why we’ve decided to continue with MORGOTH and some more cool festivals in Germany as well as also in other countries in 2012. We are also very happy to announce that we are right now in the middle of the production process of our very first live album / DVD and expect to release it before the summer. We have listened to the first audio mixes already and it sounds very, very heavy! We are very pleased that we could get Dan Swanö on board for this project and he is doing an incredible job! See you at one of the coming shows…" MORGOTH’s 2011 live setlist consisted of songs from the "Cursed" album as well as some cuts from the classic 1989 / 1990 EP’s "Resurrection Absurd" and "The Eternal Fall" as well as a couple of selected songs off "Odium".

"Incurso", the first release for Swedish SPAWN OF POSSESSION under the banner Relapse Records, will be released in North America on March 13th. The band features current and former members of NECROPHAGIST and OBSCURA. SPAWN OF POSSESSION have already confirmed a massive European tour this March and April alongside OBSCURA, GOROD and EXIVIOUS. More info at www.myspace.com/spawnofpossession or www.facebook.com/SpawnofPossession

CANNIBAL CORPSE will unleash their twelfth studio offering "Torture" this March via Metal Blade Records. The album was again produced by HATE ETERNAL’s Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features cover art by longtime CANNIBAL CORPSE artist, Vincent Locke. Adds bassist Alex Webster on the outcome of the record: "We’re extremely happy with how "Torture" turned out. Erik Rutan did an amazing job with the production, and the songwriting and performances may be our strongest yet. We can’t wait until our fans get to hear the whole thing!" Here’s the complete tracklisting: ‘Demented Aggression’, ‘Sarcophagic Frenzy’, ‘Scourge Of Iron’, ‘Encased In Concrete’, ‘As Deep As the Knife Will Go’, ‘Intestinal Crank’, ‘Followed Home Then Killed’, ‘The Strangulation Chair’, ‘Caged…Contorted’, ‘Crucifier Avenged’, ‘Rabid’ and ‘Torn Through’. As a precursor to the release, CANNIBAL CORPSE will perform a special one-off show at the Culture Room in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 22, 2012 then head to the seas to take part in this year’s edition of the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise. The band will get a short break before a near month-long march through Europe on the Full Of Hate 2012 tour with labelmates BEHEMOTH. "Torture" will be released in North America on March 13, 2012. www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse

HOODED MENACE have entered the studio to record their new album (and first for Relapse Records), entitled "Effigies Of Evil". It is being self-recorded by the band at their very own Horrisound Studios, while the drums are being tracked at SF Sound. The band plans to complete recording in mid February for a Summer 2012 release. Guitarist Lasse Pyykko commented on the new recordings: "This album is the catchiest stuff we’ve done so far. On average it’s slightly faster (read: more mid-tempos) and a bit more melodic than the previous records but as always there’s still an unhealthy dose of down-tempo horror hammering. It’s crushingly heavy, dark and graceful music in all its gory glory!" www.facebook.com/HoodedMenace

BORKNAGAR‘s new studio album "Urd" will be released on March 26, 2012 in Europe as well as March 27, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records. The album’s artwork was designed by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, who has not only already worked on the band’s previous "Universal" release but also with artists such as SOULFLY, BELPHEGOR, EINHERJER or KEEP OF KALESSIN. BORKNAGAR’s mastermind Øystein G. Brun comments on the artwork as follows: "The cover and design for "Urd" is spot on when it comes to portraying the very core of the band. This time around we wanted an earthly expression through our cover and general design to support and empower the main themes on the album. You can almost smell and feel the texture of the old Norse wooden carvings – still there is a sophisticated and eclectic approach to the expression that entwines perfectly into the music. Marcelo Vasco enhanced our ideas into brilliance, he painted the face of the beast that is about to be unleashed…" BORKNAGAR have recently finalized mixing duties for the album with Jens Bogren at Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, KATATONIA, etc.). The tracklisting for the album will read as follows: ‘Epochalypse’, ‘Roots’, ‘The Beauty Of Dead Cities’, ‘The Earthling’, ‘The Plains Of Memories’, ‘Mount Regency’, ‘Frostrite’, ‘The Winter Eclipse’ and ‘In A Deeper World’. www.borknagar.com

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