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Thanx to all people and bands involved that made yesterday’s completely SOLD OUT VOICES FROM THE DARKSIDE 10th Anniversary Festival such a big success!! We feel very sorry for all those of you who couldn’t get in anymore (next time we certainly have to book a bigger venue!) and for some of the technical problems. We hope you all still had the same fun as we had! Watch this space for an upcoming big feature on the whole event within the next couple of weeks.
Since last week, SODOM began putting stuff together for their first ever DVD release. Currently, they are working themselves through almost 200 hours of video tapes as well as boxes full of jurassic photos. One thing that already points out at the moment: it’s probably going to be a double-disc-set. As archives are not fully complete, the band is asking you for your help once more: they’re still seeking old / rare / obscure material, especially: fotos (promotional shots, live pics, backstage etc.), tourposters, rare releases (picture discs, digi packs, singles etc.), bootlegs (video and audio), video clips (especially the disappeared Ursel-video), TV appearances, interviews / reviews (magazines, TV). So, if you own anything of that kind, please contact them through konz@sodomized.info. Don’t forget some information e.g. year, label, tracklist etc. Five of you will be randomly picked to win one of five handsigned DVDs.
Sweden’s IN AETERNUM have a new website running. The new address is www.inaeternum.com. The band has also recorded two new songs that will appear on a forthcoming 7" or mini CD, to be released on Agonia Records sometime in March. The new line-up at the moment is: David Larsson – guitar / vocals, Daniel N Sahlin – 7 string lead guitar and Perra Karlsson – drums.IN AETERNUM are currently working on material for their next album to be recorded during the summer.
SUFFOCATION are currently recording their new album "Souls To Deny" at New York’s Full Force Studios with engineer Joe Cincotta. The band’s first full album of new material since 1995’s "Pierced From Within" also marks the band’s first full-length album for Relapse Records. Advance song titles include ‘Souls To Deny’, ‘Deceit’, ‘Subconsciously Enslaved’, ‘Surgery Of Impalement’, ‘Tomes Of Atrimony’, ‘Immortally Condemned’, ‘Demise Of The Clone’ and ‘To Weep Once More’. Vocalist Frank Mullen comments, "Souls To Deny" is one of our most brutal albums by far. I’m confident this album will not disappoint any of our fans — new or old". Drummer Mike Smith adds, "This is the cleanest, heaviest SUFFOCATION album to date… those who doubted our intentions are soon dead. On all assumptions." SUFFOCATION is rounded out by guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais and bassist Derek Boyer.
According to IN AETERNUM‘s David Larsson, yesterday’s BATHORY album title news should be considered nothing but a bad joke of Quorthon on all magazine editors around the world. The Swedish album title "Dra Ballen I Gruset Grabber" translated means something like "Drag your dick in gravel (dirt)"…
From Beyond Productions have signed the Finnish old school Black / Death Metal band INCRIMINATED and will release their second full-length album "Kings Of Misery" this spring. For further info, click here: Incriminated
Having renegotiated their contract with Nuclear Blast, IN FLAMES will now release their new album, "Soundtrack To Your Escape", through the label on April 6th. The release will be out in Europe on March 29th.
According to CHILDREN OF BODOM‘s official website (www.cobhc.com), the band are one of the nominees for the biggest annual awards in the Finnish music business, Emma-gaala. The band’s album, "Hate Crew Deathroll", will compete in the category Best Hardrock / Metal Album Of The Year 2003. The awards will be handed out on February 21st.
BLOOD RED THRONE are working on their new album, entitled "Altered Genesis". The album’s cover art is ready and the band are in the final writing stages of the new material. In related news, Blood Red Throne are now confirmed to take part in the VADER / MALEVOLENT CREATION European tour, set for June. Dates will be announced soon.
BATHORY have revealed that the working title for their forthcoming new album is "Dra Ballen I Gruset Grabber". Apparently all of the artwork and layout for the album has been completed, with only the recording left to do. The band will enter the studio this spring.
According to NAGLFAR‘s official website ( come.to/naglfar), the band will be playing live at Musikhuset / Sliperiet in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden on Friday the 13th of February. Other acts on the bill include AEON and BLACK SHINING DEATH.
YYRKOON (www.yyrkoon.net) plan to release their new album, "Occult Medicine", in March. In the meantime you can check out a sample from the album here: www.jacobhansen.com
Poland’s Still Dead Productions have recently announced the signing of PSYCHOMANTHIUM. This is the new band of former PROTECTOR vocalist Martin Missy. The line-up also features members of Arkham 13, Unearthly Trance (Rise Above Records) and Catastrophic (Metal Blade Records). Their upcoming debut CD will be called "Death Attack", named after Missy’s old band which PSYCHOMATHIUM is re-doing two songs of. Just like PROTECTOR, PSYCHOMATHIUM is musically also rooted in the old school Thrash Metal vein. For all further info check out www.stilldead.com.
Terje "Valfar" Bakken, vocalist of Norway’s Folk / Black Metal act WINDIR, was found dead on January 16, 2004. The reason of his death is still uncertain as of yet. Bakken only became 25 years old. Rest in peace! If anyone can get us a picture, we will gladly add him to our "R.I.P." section as well.
Bay Area Thrash Metal veterans TESTAMENT have been confirmed to play this year’s Bang Your Head festival at the Messegelände of Balingen, Germany, on the 25th and 26th of June. This addition gets the festival’s band line-up close to completion: 21 of the 22 bands scheduled to perform are officially by now, the last and second headlining act to follow soon. www.bang-your-head.de
In the beginning of 2004 Mlody, IMMEMORIAL‘s guitar player had to leave the band due to problems in his private life. His place was taken by Frost, the present bass player of IMMEMORIAL. The bass guitar duties during the second part of the "Final Resistance" Tour ’04 will be handled by a session musician. This tour through Europe has been finally confirmed for Febuary 2004. IMMEMORIAL will hit the road as guests of DIMENSION ZERO, the band of Jesper Strömblad, guitarist and main songwriter of IN FLAMES and Jocke Göthburg, ex-MARDUK vocalist. The other band on the tour is DETONATION (Osmose Prod.). The tour will begin in mid Febuary.
Due to the great response on "Impact" Nuclear Blast Records plans to give the latest DEW-SCENTED album an official, domestic release in South America via their office in Brazil by late January as well. Armageddon Products is releasing a double digipak CD on January 26th, entitled "Armageddon Over Wacken", which includes live songs from last year’s Wacken Open Air festival. Dew-Scented are featured next to acts like In Flames, Sentenced, Subway To Sally, Soilwork, Lordi, Sonata Arctica, Malevolent Creation, Rotting Christ, Holy Moses and many more. A live DVD release of the same event is scheduled for Summer 2004. More details on the releases at www.armageddon-over-wacken.com. And last but not least, Alexander Pahl from Germany’s Obscenity is now a fulltime DEW-SCENTED member. He already appeared on the band’s 2002 tour with Cannibal Corpse and has performed most of the 2003 shows (including the X-Mass festivals in December) as well. Right now, DEW-SCENTED are writing new songs for their next record which they plan to record by the end of 2004. www.dew-scented.de
Nuclear Blast has confirmed that former IMMORTAL / present GRIMFIST drummer Horgh has officially joined HYPOCRISY. Horgh replaces Lars Szöke who had been with the band since their debut "Penetralia" in 1992. HYPOCRISY hit the road with CANNIBAL CORPSE, EXHUMED and VILE on February 12 in Houston, Texas.
DONG OPEN AIR, scheduled for July 16th / 17th in Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany (near Krefeld), have confirmed the following acts: VINTERSORG, SUIDAKRA, MY DARKEST HATE and SERAPHIM.
FLESHGRIND, WACO JESUS and NECROTIC DISGORGEMENT are the latest additions to this years ILLINOIS METALFEST, being held August 13th and 14th at the Canopy Club in Urbana, IL. The band lineup so far is as follows: DYSCRASIA, LEUKORRIA LIVIDITY, DESECRATION, INTERNAIL SUFFERING, LUST OF DECAY, FLESHGRIND, SAPROGENIC, PUTRID PILE, SCREAMING AFTERBIRTH, DECRYPT, SLOUGH, VOMIT SPAWN, MUTILATED, EXPLODING ZOMBIES, PUTREFY, WACO JESUS, SEVERED REMAINS,, INCINERATE, NECROTIC DISGORGEMENT, GEMISAUDI.
CATTLE DECAPITATION bass player Troy Oftedal broke his wrist recently following a recent Metal Blade holiday party on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The "event" happened at the Whiskey when Travis (Ryan – drums) and Troy were in the pit. The recording of their second album, "Humanure", with producer Bill Metoyer has been postponed until late February, but the album should still be ready by summer.
THE HAUNTED have enter the studio today for the preproduction of four new songs. Some titles are: ‘Almost Alive’ and ‘Who Will Decide’. The band, complete with returned singer Peter Dolving are currently busy writing more songs for their fourth CD which will be recorded in Studio Fredman during 5 weeks in February-March 2004. "Everything is looking great indeed," commented bassist Jonas Bjorler.
Candlelight Records have announced that they have inked deals with the following artists: KHOLD, MITHRAS, CADAVER, BLUT AUS NORD and NIYA. The label will release albums from all of the above mentioned acts in the first half of 2004. Also releasing material through Candlelight this year are INSOMNIUM, 1349 and CENTINEX.
SKINLESS drummer John Longstreth has quit the band due to musical differences and he will be drumming for EXHUMED on their upcoming US and European tours. An official statement will be released soon.
IMPALED NAZARENE have posted a live video clip of ‘Nyrkillä Tapettava Huora’ from their January 9th gig in Nosturi, Helsinki www.impnaz.com/news.htm. The track is pulled from their 2001 release, "Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace". Their most recent album, "All That You Fear", will be out in North America on January 27th via The End Records.
According to a posting on their website (www.satyricon.no), SATYRICON have set an April 6th release date for their recent album, "Volcano", through Sony Music imprint EatUrMusic. The album was originally released in 2002 and has been readily available on import shelves (so don’t expect much of a sales surge!). As for the rumored opening slot on MORBID ANGEL’s forthcoming tour, the band says that "nothing is confirmed yet".
AETERNUS have posted the following message at their official website (www.aeternus.ch): "The first two gallerys containing pictures from fans are online. The pics where taken in Berlin (Germany) and Gent (Belgium) on the last tour. Thanks to the photographers Roman and Christiaens!"
THE CHASM has finally an official forum, created and hosted by www.SMNNews.com. You can register yourselves at the following direct URL: www.smnnews.com/board/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14. As for the news regarding the bands current activities, here’s some info directly from Daniel: "2004 has finally arrived, and with it a lot of projects will finally start to take shape. Most important the recording of the 7th chapter. The songs have been completed, 10 new obscure and menacing hymns of Death are just waiting to be put on tape. Next couple of months will be very busy in order to have everything fine tuned and tight as never before. We’ll have to work harder in the technique and last arrangements for the songs, artwork is finished as well and in the next few weeks some samples will be posted, as well as some tentative titles. We hope that this new year will be a very succesful and destructive for all those members of this cult of death, and may the real Metal, obscure and authentic prevail in our circle of the damned. Utter Death, Daniel."
Germany’s PARTY SAN FESTIVAL, which will take place August 12th-14th have now confirmed the following acts: DISMEMBER, CARPATHIAN FOREST, GOREROTTED, VOMITORY, ENSIFERUM, DISFEAR, ZYKLON, MISERY INDEX, HATESPHERE, PUNGENT STENCH, GRAVEWORM, PURGATORY, INCAPACITY. More acts will be announced soon.
The new Swedish Metal band DECEIVER, featuring members of MAZE OF TORMENT and SERPENT OBSCENE, will enter The Abyss studio with Tommy Tägtgren in May 2004 for the recording of their debut mini CD. It will be released through Singapore label Konqueror Records in August 2004. For more information please write to: deceiverwarrior@hotmail.com.
MISERY INDEX will be shooting a video for ‘The Great Depression’, the day and night of their January 31st show at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. Also on the bill are PIG DESTROYER, TRIAC, MEDIC and SHIT DOGS OF WAR.
DARK TRANQUILLITY (www.darktranquillity.com), IMPALED NAZARENE (www.impnaz.com), and DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED are the first acts confirmed to perform at the 2004 edition of Finland’s TUSKA FESTIVAL, to be held July 16th – 18th in Helsinki. More details on the festival will be announced soon.
ILLDISPOSED have revealed through their official website (www.illdisposed.dk) that they plan to enter the studio in February to begin recording their new album, due for release this summer. The band are also in negotiations for several festival appearances throughout the summer. They are already confirmed to perform at the Aarhus Fee Metal Festival, taking place in Aarhus, Denmark on April 30th.
The SICK AS SIN METALFEST is set to debut on Sunday March 21st at Club Fuel in Lowell, MA. The following bands are confirmed for the event: DYING FETUS, ALL THAT REMAINS, CANNAE, BEYOND THE EMBRACE, TRAUMA CONCEPT, BURNT BY THE SUN, MALIGNANCY, SULACO. Expect more bands to be announced soon.
AKERCOCKE have had their second album "Choronzon" been voted at #9 in the end of year poll of Kerrang! magazine. The band are currently on an Irish tour after which they will film a debut video clip for ‘Leviathan’ from the album.
France’s SETH have inked a deal with Avantgarde Music. The band are now in Holland’s Studio Excess recording a new album.
THROES OF DAWN have finished mixing their comeback album for Avantgarde, entitled "Binding Of The Spirit".
ASTARTE are currently awaiting the album art for their forthcoming album, "Sirens", to arrive from Polish graphic wizard Graal. The album was mixed at Finland’s Tico-Tico studio and will be released soon through Avantgarde. Guests on the album include DIMMU BORGIR’s Shagrath and ROTTING CHRIST’s Sakis.