German Black Metal band ZARATHUSTRA will enter Swedish Necromorbus Studio (Watain, Funeral Mist) from 26th of February until 7th of March to record their follower of "Perpetual Black Force" (CD / LP). "Contempt" will be released as a mini-album to shorten the time until their 3rd album (Winter ’05). Await "Contempt" strictly limited and hand-numbered on CD (1000) and LP (500, including one bonus track). "Contempt" should see the day of light in April / May. More news at www.zarathustra-online.net
Italy’s NECRODEATH are set to deliver a "best of" album, entitled "20 Years Of Noise (1985 – 2005)", through Scarlet Records. The CD, also to be released in a limited digipak version, will feature as bonus material a BLACK SABBATH cover and the legendary demo "The Shining Pentagram". All tracks on the release will be remastered, including the songs featured on "The Shining Pentagram". "20 Years Of Noise" will be released in late March, 2005. Necrodeath are also working on new material for their next studio album. The band’s line-up features vocalist Flegias (CADAVERIA), guitarist Claudio, guitarist Andy (ANDRASTA), bassist John (CADAVERIA, DYNABYTE, RAZA DE ODIO) and drummer Peso (RAZA DE ODIO).
ARCTURUS have posted the following message at their official website (www.adastraenter.com): "Arcturus are, yet again, without a permanent singer as Øyvind left has the band." More details as they become available. Arcturus will play the 2005 Inferno Metal Festival, scheduled to take place March 24th – 26th at the Rockefeller and John Dee venues in Oslo, Norway. The Inferno Metal Festival’s full line-up will be presented at the Inferno London event on January 27th at Underworld in Camden (London), England. Acts performing at that event include Arcturus, RED HARVEST, GRIMFIST, MADDER MORTEM and ENSLAVED.
KAAMOS have revealed through their website (www.kaamos.nu) that Candlelight / PHD will release their new album, "Lucifer Rising", on February 28th. The album artwork can be seen here. "Lucifer Rising" will include the following tracks: ‘Black Revelation’, ‘Gnosticon’, ‘Inaugurating Evil’, ‘Theriomorphic Pandaemonium’, ‘Dark Void’, ‘Lucifer Rising’, ‘Sacrament In Red’, ‘Mysterious Reversion’, ‘Khthonic’ and ‘Outro’.
Swedish Black Metallers LORD BELIAL have posted the following update at their website (www.lordbelial.com): "Lord Belial is writing new material for their next, yet untitled, album which is set to be released later this year on Regain Records. The musical direction is meant to be a natural developed continuation of "The Seal of Belial". Los Angered Recording Studios will be used for the album, though no date has been set."
Norway’s GORGOROTH are scheduled to headline the Sirkkelirock Metal Weekend on Friday, January 7th at Tavastia in Helsinki, Finland. Other acts set to perform at the festival include CARPATHIAN FOREST, SOULGRIND, BEHEXEN and HORNA.
Sweden’s DISMEMBER have inked a deal with Regain Records. The label has confirmed that the band will begin recording their Regain debut sometime in 2005. More details as they become available. Dismember have been nominated in the Hard Rock / Punk category for their "Where Iron Crosses Grow" album for the 2005 Manifest Awards. Other nominees include: C.AARME for "C.Aarme", THE HAUNTED for "rEVOLVEr", KOMA for "Tsunami" and TOTALT JAVLA MORKER for "Maniskans Ringa Varde". The awards will be handed out on February 1st at Nalen in Stockholm, Sweden.
Chicago Death Metallers GORGASM have posted the following message at their official website (www.gorgasm.net): "Gorgasm is looking for a new drummer! We have festival dates lined up as early as May and more on the way. Serious responses only! If interested, please contact us gorgasmusic@yahoo.com or send a video / dvd and / or CD to: GORGASM c/o Paul Garcia, 4740 N. Lavergne # 3, Chicago, IL 60630, USA. We would like someone permanent or temporary, preferably permanent. All applicants must be ready, willing, and able to travel overseas and tour several times a year!"
Recently reformed Dutch Metallers GOREFEST are the latest act confirmed for the 2005 edition of the Wacken Open Air Festival which is scheduled to take place August 4th – 6th, 2005 in Wacken, Germany. Acts currently confirmed for the festival now include: ACCEPT, CORVUS CORAX, EDGUY, EISREGEN, ENDSTILLE, ENSIFERUM, FINNTROLL, GOREFEST, ILLDISPOSED, MARDUK, MERCENARY, NIGHTWISH, OBITUARY, OVERKILL, AXEL RUDI PELL, POTENTIA ANIMI, SAMAEL, SINNER, SUFFOCATION, TURISAS. More acts will be confirmed soon.
HADES ALMIGHTY have just signed a record deal with Dark Essence Records. They will re-release (2001’s) "The Pulse Of Decay" in mid April, and the album will include a DVD-section and some bonus material including the video for ‘Submission Equals Suicide’ and a cover of MANOWAR’s ‘Each Dawn I Die’. Also there will be new layout on the album. A tour is also planned after the release.
Swedish TERROR 2000 have joined forces once again and will record their new album in March 2005. Bjorn Speed Strid (SOILWORK), Klas Ideberg (DARKANE), Nick Sword (EL MAGO), Erik Thyselius (CONSTRUCDEAD) and Dan Svensson (HATELIGHT) are still writing new songs announced as "the most neck-breakin’, fast and aggressive recorded by the band!" No title for the new album is yet confirmed but the release date is planned for June 2005 through Scarlet Records.
Last summer NAIL WITHIN vocalist Yishai teamed up with Maor from the avantgarde Gothic Doom act SLEEPLESS to form a new band named MOONSKIN. Maor previously also used to be part of the industrial act VULTURES and some solo dark ambient / experimental projects (SCREENING and VECTORSCOPE). They were joined by drummer Matan Shmueli (from the Death Metal act ARMILOS) and guitarist Raffi Mor (of DISTORTED). In August 2004 MOONSKIN welcomed female opera singer Byana Kliyner, who has experience in classical opera singing and touring with the opera "Carmina Burana" in Europe. Keyboard guitar player Tal Glepsky from the progressive rock band RAIN completes the line-up. Musically the band’s material is supposed to be "melodic Dark Metal, full emotionally oriented, atmospheric and sad". MOONSKIN will record sketches for a debut album later this year and afterwards negotiate with several well established European producers for the production of their debut album, to be recorded this year. The band has already contributed a track (‘Raped By The Light Of Christ’) to the AT THE GATES tribute released by Drowned Scream Records / Goi Music. For more info check out www.moonskin.net
MALEVOLENT CREATION will return to Europe in 2005. They will be playing France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Iceland in March and the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic in April. Interested promoters should contact First Contact Agency at ae@firstcontactagency.com while some dates are still open. For further info check out www.malevolentcreation.cjb.net
PANDEMIA‘s third full-length "Riven" is recorded and mixed and scheduled to be released within Latin America in January through Hurling Metal (in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay) and Hybrid Music (in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela). Rawforce Productions will put it out in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Central America. Check out www.deathrowproductions.com for South American tour dates in 2005.
REQUIEM AETERNAM (www.requiem-aeternam.com) have played their debut gig on December 21 at NYC’s CBGB club. It was the first show with the new line-up (Jose Romero – guitars and vocals, Maciej Kupiszewski – bass and ex – IMMOLATION member Alex Hernandez – drums. The show was filmed and is going to be used for the ‘Wisdom’ video clip. Rawforce Productions has postponed the "Philosopher" South American release to January 15th, due to printing delays.
THORNAFIRE‘s debut album is currently being finished in Santiago’s Sade Studios with the band’s new drummer Juan Pablo Donoso producing. "Exacerbated Gnostic Manifestation" will be released by Ibex Moon Records in February / March. A tour of Chile and some shows in Brazil are planned for next autumn / winter. More info at: www.thornafire.cl
AURORA BOREALIS have started working on their fifth CD. Tony Laureano (Nile, Dimmu Borgir, Angel Corpse) will be drumming as well as collaborating on writing of the new material. Tony already played on the very first Aurora Borealis CD in 1996. The band will start recording on January 31, 2005 at Nightsky Studios. Interested labels etc. should contact Ron Vento at aurora4dth@aol.com
Legendary Black Metal band, DARKTHRONE, nominated in the Metal category for the highly coveted Norwegian Alarm Awards last Wednesday, has now been removed from the list of nominees. Darkthrone, one of five candidates in the Metal category for their outstanding album, "Sardonic Wrath", communicated their dissatisfaction at being nominated in an article published in Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten the day after the selected names were released to the public. "We play real and honest Black Metal", drummer Fenriz commented in the article. "And we have no interest in being part of the glitter and showbiz side of the music industry." Alarm Awards’ chief, Svein Bjørge was surprised by the band’s reaction but hasted to find a solution that culminated in the band’s elimination from the category altogether. On hearing the news that their wish had been granted, Fenriz commented – "I just wanted to say my piece about the whole Alarm nomination thing last week and whether they kept us in or not would have been no skin off my nose." "I have everything AGAINST awards for Black Metal", Nocturno Culto added. "What a fucking circus this has become." "I am not against awards in general", Fenriz concluded. "I just thought it was not for us."
FUNERAL PROCESSION are looking for a new session-drummer. He should musically be skilled and ideologically stable, especially for upcoming live shows, but also for new recordings (both scheduled for late winter / early spring 2005). Ole, who had been playing with them since 2002, decided to leave FUNERAL PROCESSION as he was no longer able to cope with the band timewise because of his studies and his main priority Hagal. www.funeralprocession.net
DEVILYN‘s new album "11" is set to be released after the first of the new year. Longstanding member, Bony, offers his opinions on the forthcoming disc: "After a few years, we return with an album that starts a new chapter in band’s history. After all that time, I managed to recreate DEVILYN, with people who perfectly understand my concept / conviction. We managed to bring all my visions to life. I think it’s exactly what I always wanted DEVILYN’s music to be like, and I find this material to be the best of all our albums. Words like dynamic, brutality, intensity and technique are not enough to describe "11". For me, it’s like turning to a different space of Death Metal. First of all, everything’s clear and much more understandable. We made a lot of changes in sound. Drums are very strong and clear, and Domin plays very fast. Guitars are really heavy and clear as well, due to Erian’s feel and Cyprian’s professionalism. The technical skills of Michal are first rate and the lyrics Tolovy wrote are easy to hear and understand. We’re completely satisfied with all we did during such a short recording session. We are proud of this album. It’s our own masterpiece." For more information on the band go to www.devilyn.metalkings.com.
Norwegian Black Metallers CARPATHIAN FOREST have issued the following update: "The Carpathian bastards are finally ready for the road again for a full European headliner tour – the first full tour since the 2001 tour with BEHEMOTH. With more than 50 classic CF Black Metal songs to choose from, the band have rehearsed a new live set featuring several old CF live classics as well as brand-new-never-played-live-before songs for the upcoming The Art Of Provocation 2005 world tour! The band is also very pleased to announce the return of Vrangsinn on bass!"
ANVIL‘s next release will be their 13th studio album. They may be calling it "This Is Thirteen", or TIT for short. They plan on having 13 songs on the CD and the cover will be a superstitious theme, as in a broken mirror, black cat and the anvil under a ladder.
According to cnn.com, ex – PANTERA / DAMAGEPLAN guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot during a show in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the entire report: A gunman opened fire Wednesday night during a heavy metal concert in Columbus, killing four people — including at least one member of the band — and critically wounding at least two others before a police officer shot and killed him, according to Columbus police. The attacker leapt onstage as the group, Damageplan, performed, and began "targeting members in the band," Sgt. Brent Mull said. Two others were injured in the incident, although the nature of their injuries was not clear. According to eyewitness accounts, the gunman initially shot and killed the band’s guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. Darrell, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul, 40, are former members of Pantera — a group they formed in the 1980s. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and western songwriter and producer. Police were notified of the shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on the city’s north end around 10:18 p.m. ET, Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was in the area slipped into the venue from a back entrance, confronted the gunman during the rampage and killed him. "If not for the officer who showed up, there would have been more dead," Mull said. Police have roped off a huge area of the nightclub’s parking lot, as 60 detectives question hundreds of witnesses. Police have brought in buses to keep the witnesses warm as they wait to be questioned. Calvin Bota said he saw the shooting from the mosh pit right in front of the stage, shortly after the band began playing. "Somebody came — I don’t know where they came from, out of the audience or whatnot — but they come onto (the) stage and… he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple of other shots and then he hid behind the stage a little bit," Bota told WSYX. "Everybody started scattering, you know, there’s mayhem everywhere. And then a police officer came into the building, you know, came in professional with his gun raised and then he proceeded to shoot the guy." Gerald Caudill told WSYX the gunman shot the guitarist at least four times. "I was up close to the stage and I just saw some guy run up on the side of the stage and I heard some shots and I saw (drummer) Vinnie Paul and somebody jumped on top of Vinnie, and the guy just stayed around the stage and started shooting other people," Caudill said. "I saw wounded people all over the place, out in the parking lot, inside," he said. "It just didn’t sound like gunshots or anything, it didn’t occur to me that something like that was happening."