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French Debemur Morti Productions will reissue BLUT AUS NORD‘s "The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion" on January 17 in Europe and February 08 in North America. The album is currently available on vinyl through the label’s website. Debemur Morti is taking pre-orders for the 2 CD version (the second disc features brand new material). A new t-shirt design is available as well. A bundle containing both the double CD and t-shirt is also available for pre-order. Debemur Morti is offering free postage for all bundle orders placed until December 31, 2010 at www.eitrin.com. Debemur Morti Productions has also made the vinyl edition of BLUT AUS NORD’s debut "Ultima Thulée" available for order. For more details or to purchase either release go to www.debemur-morti.com
INGURGITATING OBLIVION have signed a new deal with Diabolical Conquest Records. The band’s second full-length album, the follow-up to 2005’s "Voyage Towards Abhorrence" will be released in 2011. For more info check out www.myspace.com/ingurgitatingoblivion, www.diabolicalconquest.com
Ever since Century Media Records re-released the 1991 MORGOTH album "Cursed" in 2006 as well as a "Best Of" compilation-release one year earlier, there have been constant rumours circulating about an actual comeback of MORGOTH. These rumours as well as several offers from festival promoters have finally challenged the band to actively celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original release of the "Cursed" album by playing some selected festival shows in 2011. The setlist will consequently mainly consist of songs from the "Cursed" album as well as some cuts from the classic 1989 / 1990 EPs "Resurrection Absurd" and "The Eternal Fall". The band’s line-up for these special shows is almost confirmed by now as well and will consist of Marc Grewe (vocals), Harry Busse (guitar), Sebastian Swart (guitar), Thilo Mellies (bass) as well as a great drummer, soon to be announced. Vocalist Marc Grewe comments as follows: "Throughout the next months we will make sure to prepare a great show for us all to celebrate together in 2011. We seriously look forward to seeing old friends, peers and faithful supporters of the band again as well as playing to new audiences during the upcoming string of festival shows." The first confirmed date for MORGOTH in 2011 can now also be revealed: the band will appear on a headlining slot at the 5th edition of the Death Feast Open Air 2011. Death Feast takes places June 23 – 25, 2011 in Hünxe / Germany and other heavy-weight Death Metal acts to appear will be Grave, Vader, Pestilence, Krisiun, Misery Index and Gorguts, to mention but a few. More details can be found here: www.deathfeast.de. More MORGOTH shows will be announced in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for news here: www.myspace.com/morgothgermany
DEATH‘s seventh and final album "The Sound Of Perseverance" will see its official re-issue on February 21, 2011 internationally via Relapse Records. The first in a series of official DEATH re-issues slated for 2011, "The Sound Of Perseverance" has been remastered and expanded to include a second disc of previously unreleased demo material. The re-issue will also include enhanced artwork and liner notes from the original cover artist Travis Smith as well as liner notes from DEATH guitarist Shannon Hamm and never-before-seen photographs from "The Sound Of Perseverance" era. A special deluxe version of the re-issue will also be made available exclusively via Relapse Mailorder and digitally via iTunes. The deluxe version will include a third bonus disc of unreleased material. Additional re-issue details, including pre-order options, will be announced shortly.
After two years of silence Swedish AT THE GATES decided to play some well picked festivals and one of them will be the Party.San Open Air in Schlotheim / Germany.
Latvian old school, "sludge-laden" Death Metallers DISEIM have been signed by Abyss Records. The band was formed in 2007 by drummer Imants Vovers and guitarist Dmitrijs Bulavskis. In 2008 vocalist and main songwriter Sergey Stavro joined the band, adding his poignant lyrics and guttural growl to a sound already defined by breakneck percussion and grinding guitar riffs. In 2009 the line-up was rounded out by bassist Alex Makarovs. DISEIM frequently performs live and recently released their first five-song demo, "Sinner". The band is currently recording their full-length debut. More info at www.myspace.com/diseim
KING DIAMOND was rushed to hospital on November 29, where it was found that he’d had several heart attacks, and that the only way to unblock three clogged arteries was open heart surgery. Says his wife / bandmate Livia Zita of his current state of health: "King’s surgery took approximately seven hours. Everything went well, and King was taken to ICU for recovery. He was walking and eating solid food already two days after the operation, and he was the first one in the history of the hospital who walked on his own power from the ICU to normal care. 10 days after the ambulance took him to the emergency room, he is at home and is recovering well. It will be a few months before he feels completely normal and is without pain. In light of this, he will be taking a break from music and the music business altogether until further notice. He very much wants to write new music, finish the DVDs, and go on tour, but for now, all those things are in the distant future and he’s not thinking about them. Please understand that the Kind Diamond band is not stopping, disbanding or anything of the sort. King’s health is first priority, and when everything is going good with him, the music will resume."
ASPHYX has issued the following announcement about working on new songs for an upcoming album titled "Deathhammer": "ASPHYX is currently working on songs for the upcoming "Deathhammer" album. In January ASPHYX will enter the Sonic Assault studio again to record the first 4 tracks together with their sound engineer Frank Klein Douwel."
ARES KINGDOM has returned to their Very Metal Sound studio and pre-production rehearsals for an upcoming release titled "Veneration", through NWN! Productions. Release formats will include mini LP and mini CD. The selected covers represent a cross-section of ARES KINGDOM’s influences, as well as a couple of songs from their previous bands, VULPECULA and NEPENTHE: SLAUGHTER LORD – ‘Die By Power’, SACRILEGE – ‘The Captive’, NEPENTHE – ‘Oblivion’, R.U. DEAD? – ‘When Your Heart Turns Black’, VULPECULA – ‘Celestial’ and DOKKEN – ‘Without Warning/Tooth And Nail’. 2010 was ARES KINGDOM’s busiest year yet. It started with two shows opening for the reunited ORDER FROM CHAOS on January 2nd in Kansas City and January 16th in Los Angeles. The L.A. show also marked the release of the band’s second full-length album, "Incendiary" through NWN! Productions. The album has entered its second pressing and is available on LP, CD and ‘die hard’ picture disc. The nine-song album, described by guitarist Chuck Keller as, "’Return To Dust’ magnified in every respect", was immediately embraced by ARES KINGDOM’s Chaosmongers, with many reviewers wondering aloud why the band remains so deeply underground. These early-year shows were followed by an appearance in St. Louis with Zuul and Terra Caput Mundi on March 26th, and then Chicago on March 27th with ORDER FROM CHAOS. The following weekend ARES KINGDOM appeared with ORDER FROM CHAOS at the Destroying Texas Fest in Houston. The band played Minneapolis in June and Baltimore’s Defenders of the Old Fest on October 16th with Bloodfeast, Tyrant, October 31st, Extermination Angel and Sentinel Beast. The year’s live appearances culminated on November 20th when ARES KINGDOM subdued Berlin along side NWN Fest allies Order From Chaos, Blasphemy, Mystifier, Xibalba, Black Witchery, Proclamation, Blasphemophager, Bone Awl and Faustcoven – among others. For all further info, check out www.areskingdom.com
The first issue of the underground Metal fanzine MORBID ABOMINATIONS is out now. On 34 pages (A4 size, xerox/laser print, written in English, with an old school design) you’ll get interviews with BLACK WITCHERY, HORNA, ACRIMONIOUS, WATAIN, CONTAIGEON, THORNS OF HATE, PURIFICATION KOMMANDO, WOODS OF INFINITY and CULTES DES GHOULES, a few short biographies and articles about CRUX, TREBLINKA, ABRUPTUM, DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED, BESTIAL SUMMONING and GOATVOMIT plus several CD, LP and tape reviews. For more info, contact hexencave@gmail.com or check out www.hexencave.wz.cz
Italian Deathsters HUMANGLED have recently parted ways with bassist Tat0 and drummer Raffaele Pezzella due to pure logistic reasons. According to a statement from the band, there is no ill-will on either side and everyone remains close friends. HUMANGLED are fully committed to evolve as band and are pleased to announce that bassist Frank Nichols and drummer Valdaster have joined the fold. With this newly revamped roster, HUMANGLED are working hard on new material, following their "Fractal" debut album which was released earlier this year by Abyss Records. In other HUMANGLED news, the band has recently posted a video for the track ‘Liquidfire’, which can be seen at this location. The clip was directed by the award winning Vincenzo "Vinx" Ricchiuto and stars Italian actresses Arianna Neri Alice Lozzelli and Paola Giuntoli. ‘Liquidfire’ comes off HUMANGLED’s first album "Fractal", which was released on 31st May by Abyss Records. The CD was recorded in Italy and mixed / mastered in Sweden by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios. More info at www.myspace.com/humangled_nail
Swedish Death Metallers INSISION have inked a deal with the U.S. label Sevared Records. The band’s new EP was recorded at Off Beat Studio in Stockholm with engineer Anders Eriksson and is scheduled for release in early 2011. INSISION issued the following statement: "Sevared Records is one of the fastest growing Death Metal labels in the world and it feels good to find a label that stays true to and value classic brutal Death Metal. Also a big fuck off to goes to Dental Records, that wasted four years of our lives, time and energy… It has been brutal and fun working with this new material and we’re all exited about the release. Spent a week at "Off Beat Studio" located in Stockholm. Recorded, produced and mixed this MCD for you guys. We felt a need to get it out there while writing our next full-length album, mainly for the fans supporting us down the years as it has been just too fucking long since our last release. But now finally, we’re here..! This time it’s going to be a 5 track release giving you 4 completely new killer tracks, the fifth bonus track being a re-make of a song from our early days. We love this shit! It’s just a brutal beating, a package delivering brutal and aggressive Death Metal, the INSISION way of course!! This one will break your necks for sure!! See you out there soon" – INSISION Horde. For more info check out www.myspace.com/insision or www.sevared.com
In early 2011 China’s AreaDeath Productions will release a 3 CD + DVD set from Chicago Thrashers AFTERMATH, entitled "25 Years Of Chaos". It will feature the band’s complete discography, including all their demos, the full-length, live shows (including unreleased songs) and a comprehensive DVD loaded with archive footage, spanning the entire band career. The deluxe package will also have a 16-pages booklet and will be limited to 1500 copies only.
AreaDeath Productions will furthermore release a BRUTALITY collector’s box entitled "The Demos", which includes three CDs, featuring the ultra rare ABOMINATION demo (the first incarnation of the band, and one of those demos always mentioned by everybody but never heard by anyone), some DARKNESS demo recordings (how the band called themselves shortly, for the first time unearthed and delivered to the public), all official BRUTALITY demos, their unreleased 2003 demo and some rare outtakes, rehearsals and unreleased songs. All enriched by a DVD featuring footage from 1991 to 1996 and a 16-page booklet with an extensive interview. The box will be limited to 1000 copies only and should be out in early 2011 as well. More info at http://adp.areadeath.net
"Perdition’s Den", the first album by Brazil’s Death Metal squad POISONOUS, has just been released on CD by Genocide Productions. The LP version is about to follow soon via Blood Harvest Records. More info at www.myspace.com/poisonousdeathmetal
EXUMER have been confirmed to headline one additional festival date in Cuautitlan / Mexico, on December 18, 2010. The "Keep The Thrash Festival", will be second date on the band’s itinerary and will feature some of the bands that have been confirmed for the "Thrash Or Die Festival", in Tijuana / Mexico on December 17, 2010. This second date has been added, due to the requests by Mexican fans and on the recommendation of the Mexican promoters who want to expose EXUMER to as many Mexican fans as possible. Vocalist Mem V. Stein comments: "We were surprised and delighted at the same time when the Mexican promoters asked us to add another stop in Mexico. It proves the band’s popularity and cult status in Latin America. We will definitely try to cover as many countries in that region as possible when we return there next year. We have focused on playing live in Europe last and this year, which was important for the band’s re-establishment as a whole. However, North and South America are on our agenda for 2011, and that is where we would like to play the majority of our live shows." For more information go to: www.myspace.com/exumerwakingthefire
GRAVE RITUAL‘s debut full-length "Euphoric Hymns From The Altar Of Death" will be released on vinyl on December 10, 2010. It is limited to 500 copies (100 on maroon vinyl, 100 fire orange / black and 300 black). The LPs come with reverse board printed jackets, an 12" x 18" poster, and double-sided insert. Available through www.darkdescent.net, pre-orders are being taken now.
Dark Descent Records has recently completed a deal to release the complete CD discography from classic Swedeath Metallers TOXAEMIA. Set for a December 15th release, the CD will contain everything ever released by the band, including "Kaleidoscopic Lunacy", the "Buried To Rot" demos and the "Beyond The Realm" EP (released by Seraphic Decay), as well as previously unreleased material recorded during the "Buried To Rot" sessions (17 songs in total). The material will be sourced off of the original master tapes and remixed / remastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studio.