May 22, 2012

Abyss Records will re-issue the out-of-print THE GATES OF SLUMBER debut full-length CD "The Awakening" this fall. Originally released in 2004, the Abyss Records re-issue will feature cover art (from the limited-edition double vinyl edition) painted by Ken Kelly (MANOWAR, KISS, CONAN) along with an exclusive bonus track. Here’s the complete tracklisting: ‘Resurrection From The Underworld’, ‘The Awakening (Interpolating The Wrath Of The Undead)’, ‘The Judge’, ‘The Jury’, ‘Broken On The Wheel’, ‘The Executioner’, ‘Blessed Pathway To The Celestial Kingdom’, ‘The Burial’ and ‘The Cloaked Figure’ (bonus track) In other THE GATES OF SLUMBER news, the band is currently on the road and will soon hook up with RWAKE and later HAIL!HORNET as support acts for CHURCH OF MISERY. More info at www.slumberingsouls.com

Swedish blackened Thrashers ANGREPP have started working on the follow up to their 2010 debut full-length "Warfare", as well as the addition of bassist Titan (BLOODBANNER, ex – HYDRA) to their line-up. The band’s official statement, made by vocalist Outlaw, is as follows: "ANGREPP at it again! We’ve got great news for all of you who follow us. First of all our brother Titan has joined ANGREPP to handle the bass, which makes us a complete line up again. We are more than certain that Titan is the right person to help us create even more brutal and furious hymns. Titan is an experienced musician with a lot of talent and we are proud to have him with us. Secondly, ANGREPP will enter Necromorbus Studio in September to record our second full-length album. Our friend Sverker Widgren will handle the recording, mix / mastering. and it will be released by Abyss Records. Cover and titles will be revealed in August. You won’t need to keep one eye open for this will be a true carnage. Cheers!" A video for the title track from Warfare can be seen at this location. More info at www.facebook.com/angrepp

Chile’s PENTAGRAM CHILE (formerly PENTAGRAM) is working on their first ever album, to be released sometime this fall via Cyclone Empire. Here’s a statement by the band’s vocalist / guitarist Anton Reisenegger: “First of all, many of you have heard rumours about a significant line-up change in the band. Unfortunately it’s true, as we have decided to part ways with our original drummer Eduardo Topelberg, a.k.a. “Eurynomos”. When we did the 2009 reunion tour, first in Chile and later in Europe, the chemistry within the band was great and we agreed to carry on and finally record our first studio album. Juan Pablo Uribe (guitar) and I got together months later to start writing, and the outcome was amazing. We wrote about 8 songs in the first weekend, which in our opinion totally live up to the standard set by the classic demo songs. We then set a date for January 2011 to track the drums in Chile, but when I arrived there, ready to record, I found out that Eduardo had experimented some very drastic changes in his life, which unfortunately affected his performance as a musician. We still went into the studio to give him a chance, but the result was just not good enough to end up on our long-awaited debut album. We all love Eduardo dearly and we wish him nothing but the best, but my impression is that playing drums is just not a priority for him any more. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong in the future, as he will always be part of the PENTAGRAM family, but we needed a change if we wanted to move forward. Enter Juan Pablo Donoso, a legendary Chilean drummer who has been active in the scene for almost as long as we have, and whose drumming skills have been the foundation of bands such as SADISM and THORNAFIRE. He has also lent those skills to a number of bands as a session drummer, plus he has produced / engineered tons of Chilean Metal albums in his own Sade Studios. Having witnessed those early PENTAGRAM shows in the eighties as a teenager, he immediately understood what we were looking for in a drummer. Juan Pablo has now finished tracking the drums for the album, and we feel that he has really taken those songs in and interpreted them with the original PENTAGRAM style in mind. No lightning-fast, sampled, quantized drums, but pure feeling, the same primitive, brutal, frenzied feeling of our early material. Now we can finally move on and finish what we feel is a historic debt: The first-ever PENTAGRAM stuio album. At this point I want to thank our label Cyclone Empire for their patience, understanding and support. Their comment: “It has taken so long for you to record and album that a year more or less doesn’t really matter!” On a different subject, we have decided to officially change our name to PENTAGRAM CHILE, fundamentally out of respect to the “other” PENTAGRAM (the original and true PENTAGRAM, if you will), led by Bobby Liebling. We actually met Bobby and the band at 2009’s Hell’s Pleasure festival (yes, two PENTAGRAMs on the same bill!), and they were really cool and laid back, and apparently didn’t have the slightest problem with us using the same name. However, I must admit that having the same name has caused some confusion here and there (like having a picture of the US PENTAGRAM in the Wacken program brochure when it was us playing). We think and hope that this solution will be accepted by everybody. Our fans in Chile and elsewhere will probably still refer to us simply as PENTAGRAM, but we want to make sure there is no more mix-ups in the future, as we intend to tour extensively with the new album. We just thought that changing our name to something completely different would cause even more confusion rather than preventing it. Last but not least, although we had decided to give priority to finishing the album and not to play live until it was done, we recently recieved an offer we couldn’t refuse. We are now confirmed for the tenth edition of the Maryland Deathfest to be held at Sonar in Baltimore at the end of this month. We are scheduled to play on Sunday, May 27th at 18:25 on one of the outside stages, in between Morgoth and Saint Vitus. This is going to be our North American live debut and we just can’t wait! Afterwards we will resume work on the album, which we expect to have completed by the end of the summer. Thanks everybody for your patience and ongoing support. You won’t be disappointed!” For all further info and updates please check out www.facebook.com/pages/Pentagram-Chile/78253131363

Serbian Black / Death Metallers BANE have released a video for the song ‘In Endless Silence’, taken from their upcoming album, "The Acausal Fire". The footage is a compilation of live performances collected in Spring 2012 during the "Keepers Of The Black Flame" European Tour and appearance at Sarajevo Metal Festival III. You can check out the video here. "The Acausal Fire" is set for a fall release via Abyss Records. A preview of the album including song samples and artwork, has been posted online at this location. More info on the band in general you may find at www.facebook.com/baneband

Germany’s EXUMER have a new website now. You can check it out at www.exumer.de

Paul Kuhr and Mike Feldman of U.S. Doom Deathers NOVEMBERS DOOM have started up a label for vinyl enthusiasts and collectors called CHARRED OWEN. Here’s an official statement from Paul: "Having a mutual love for what is collectable and a vinyl format now considered classic, NOVEMBERS DOOM members Paul Kuhr and Mike Feldman have brought to life a newly formed record label. CHARRED OWEN was created out of nostalgia and a desire to see our own work released on a timeless format, vinyl. Not only is it collectable, but no other format has even been able to capture the full beauty of cover art, along with a tonal warmth only vinyl could bring. We will start with a collaboration with The End Records to release select NOVEMBERS DOOM titles, starting with "Aphotic" available June 19th, but we won’t stop there. Plans for other releases in the future are already in the works, with other bands in consideration. As musicians in the Metal industry and fans of the same genre, our goal with CHARRED OWEN is to create collectable quality vinyl, from talented bands. We have many plans for the future, and we’re looking forward to seeing it all come to life." For more information please visit www.charredowen.com