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The first ever Israeli Metal festival METALIST FESTIVAL will take place at the "Hangar 11" in Tel-Aviv on the 16th of October 2003 – during "Sookot" holiday. The festival will host about 17 Black / Death / Thrash / Heavy Metal acts, 3 of them from abroad. This is also the first oportunity to see a spectacular show of the three most talented local guitar players, similar to the American G3 tour. The full line up for the METALIST FESTIVAL is: Ancient (Norway), Konkhra (Denmark), Aborted (Belgium), Shwotchtsechaye, Crossfire, Betzefer, Bartholomeus Night, Winterhorde, WhoreXcore, Spawn Of Evil, Hand Made God, Stone Of Tears, Chaos Rabak, Hangman, Tears Of Israfel, Hellfire and G Spot. All further info: www.metalist.co.il
HEADHUNTER D.C. have replaced bassplayer Alex Mendonça and drummer Thiago Nogueira with Zulbert Buery (formerly of Inoculation) and Daniel Beans respectively. The first gig with this new line-up already took place in Vitória da Conquista, BA on August 23 and the next ones are in Feira de Santana, BA on October 04 and at this year’s Brutal Devastation Metal Fest, in Belo Horizonte, MG on November 01. The band will enter the studio again in late 2003 or early 2004 to record their next album "God’s Spreading Cancer…" for World War III Records (USA).
Here’s an official press statement we just received from MORRIGAN: "After we saw, that Baldur stands totally under the command of his girlfriend, and that he has not the mental strength to break the chains of this amazonian masterhood we kicked him out of the band, because we don’t need such a weak subject in MORRIGAN! The new CD "Celts" will be the first, only and last realase of MORRIGAN where you can hear him! In the future we will work and play as in the times before Baldur… – as a duo. At the moment we do the final mixings on the new CD. "Celts" will be out in December. On our label horns of Cernunos Prod. – watch out for it!!!" – Balor of MORRIGAN
TORRENTIAL REIGN has completed writing material and is planning to enter D.O.W. Studios in November with producer Juan "Punchy" Gonzalez (MORBID ANGEL), to record the debut album "Torrential Reign", which is scheduled for an early 2004 release on Olympic / Century Media.
UNHOLY GHOST have returned from a very successful performance at this year’s Las Vegas Metalfest alongside such acclaimed acts as DEICIDE and SUFFOCATION. New live pics from the fest are posted on the photos page at the band’s website www.unholyghost.com
Due to pressure from German government ratings groups, Relapse Records German distribution partner SPV has been forced to withdraw EXHUMED‘s new record, "Anatomy Is Destiny" from distribution on the brink of its release and on the eve of the band’s European headlining tour. Ratings groups deemed the band photos inside "Anatomy Is Destiny" — EXHUMED’s signature ‘dead shots’ taken by acclaimed photographer Alex Solca — far too realistic and gruesome for mass consumption. EXHUMED vocalist / guitarist Matt Harvey comments: "Censorshit… here we go again. Well, censorship is nothing new to EXHUMED, especially in Germany. It never fails that someone there is hell-bent on filtering what people can see and hear. Ultimately, despite every effort on the part of both EXHUMED and Relapse to release "Anatomy Is Destiny" the way it was intended to be released, outside pressure from government ratings groups has blocked our record from being distributed in it’s current form." Harvey continues, "The criticism leveled at the artwork on "Anatomy Is Destiny" is that it was "far too realistic". The fact that we are encountering this is nothing but a sign that we’re doing something right — challenging the boundaries of morality and provoking an extreme reaction. It’s just a pity that all the Teutonic Necromaniacs won’t be able to experience it firsthand. Our aesthetic is meant to provoke a reaction, and hopefully to confront the absurdity and hypocrisy of western morality – but ultimately we are a Metal band whose primary concern is just to play Metal. It is not our intent to incite the record buying public into committing acts of violence or homicide, but hopefully to incite them to think for a moment about this disgusting planet we’re all mired in and the finite and fleeting nature of human existence. Apparently, what we are conveying is considered "a threat" to someone’s way of thinking and way of life. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have decided that the most important thing is that all the German Slaughtercultists actually get the record in their hands. Unfortunately, the album will reach all of the Necromaniacs in a butchered, truncated and amputated form, leaving the original intent of the album booklet as maimed and mutilated as the subjects of our songs. We have painstakingly created the best possible artwork and lyrixxx for our fans, only to have them consumed by petty, bureaucratic morality-mongering. This is precisely the kind of confrontation that is at the core of what we do- the ideas of the accepted "norm" meeting the grisly realities of our world- the cold, hard truth of the grave. And truth isn’t pretty, especially the way we present it. For those of you who aren’t content to see the album the way that "they" want you to, I encourage you to contact Relapse Records Europe (relapseeurope@relapse.com). See all of you in the morgue." – on behalf of EXHUMED / Matt Harvey. A new version of "Anatomy Is Destiny", devoid of band photos and lyrics, will surface in Germany-proper, in early October.
THE HAUNTED have issued the following message via their website, www.the-haunted.com: "The touring season for "One Kill Wonder" is now over. We’d like to thank all of our fans all over the world for supporting our tours – see you on the next tour. Right now, we’ve started rehearsing for our forthcoming 4th CD, so be on the lookout for some heavy The Haunted music in 2004".
Check out a teaser advertisement for SLAYER guitarist Kerry King’s new clothing line, KFK Industries, at the line’s official website, www.kfkindustries.com. The site will launch soon and more details on the line will be made available soon.
DIMMU BORGIR‘s new, relaunched website is now online at www.dimmu-borgir.com. As previously reported, Dimmu Borgir’s upcoming North American tour with CHILDREN OF BODOM, HYPOCRISY and NEVERMORE runs from November 7th at the Showplace Theater in Buffalo, NY through December 14th at Saratoga Winners in Albany, NY.
HATE FOREST‘s "Scythia" album will be reissued through Supernal Music in 2004 with enhanced layout and bonus tracks. Find out more about the band and download an mp3 from the following URL: www.supernalmusic.com/labels/supernal/hate_forest.htm
THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL‘s "Exhuming The Grave Of Yeshua", is set for an October release through Supernal. An mp3 is available at: www.supernalmusic.com/labels/supernal/meads_asphodel.htm
FLEURETY‘s second edition of "Department Of Apocalyptic Affairs", which will have completely new artwork, will be released later in the year.
CANNIBAL CORPSE will be heading back to the studio on September 15th, 2003 to start the recording process for the follow up to "Gore Obsessed". The band will once again record at Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, TX with Neil Kernon. More information including the album title will be announced shortly.
ARALLU have just released their 1st DVD entitled "Visual Chaos Invasion". The DVD features 12 live songs from 2 concerts and 2 promo clips. Arallu will enter Noise studio in Israel in October for the recording of their yet untitled 3rd album. The recording line-up is Butchered – Vox, guitar & bass, Avi – guitar and Yonatan – drums.
ETERNAL GRAY will enter The Abyss studio in October to record their 2nd album with Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel) and drummer Dirk Verbeuren (Scarve). For more info see www.eternalgray.com.
CRIMINAL are all set to enter Springvale Studios in Suffolk , UK , on October 3 to record the follow up to 2001’s "Cancer". The album will be produced by the band and engineered by Mark Harwood, whose previous credits include EXTREME NOISE TERROR and CRADLE OF FILTH. "Last weekend I went over to the UK and we got to finish the songwriting", says frontman Anton Reisenegger . "I think people are in for a real surprise when they hear the new material. We’ve incorporated loads of blast beats, huge harmonies and some really interesting ideas. In this respect it has been really great to work with [new drummer] Zac [O’Neil]. He can play anything he wants and has taken the band to a whole new dimension. I know most bands say their newest album is always their fastest, heaviest, etc., but this is for real! As for the keyboards, I know a lot of people are having a hard time trying to imagine CRIMINAL with keys, but we’re just using them to make things sound bigger and heavier. The trademark CRIMINAL sound is still there in full force!" The working title "Supersonic Death" has been scrapped in favor of a new concept, which the band will announce shortly. The cover design will be handled by Claudio Bergamin, who was responsible for the artwork on the European version of the band’s previous album "Cancer". CRIMINAL’s new album will be released in South America in late November through a major label that will be revealed once all paperwork has been signed. A European release will follow through Metal Blade Records in early 2004.
Brazil’s hyperspeed Death Metal act HORNED GOD have signed with Listenable for the release of their new album "Chaos Bringer Of All Revelations". The band features ex-REBAELLIUN guitarist Fabianno De Penna. The album contains 9 songs and an intro. Some titles are ‘War Goes On’, ‘Envenomed To Survive’ and ‘Calling Upon The 4 Spirits Of Knowledge’.
Sweden’s CENTINEX have finished the recordings of their new album "Decadence – Prophecies Of Cosmic Chaos". The full tracklist reads as follows: ‘Arrival Of The Spectrum Obscure’, ‘Misanthropic Darkzone’, ‘Hollowsphere’, ‘Target: Dimension XII’, ‘Deathstar Unmasked’, ‘A Dynasty Of Obedience’, ‘Mechanical Future’, ‘Cold Deep Supremacy’ and ‘New World Odyssey’. As previously reported ‘A Dynasty Of Obedience’ is an instrumental piece, written and performed by Peter Bjärgö (Arcana / Sophia). The album will be released in early 2004 through Candlelight Records. A preview of the artwork, soundclips etc. coming up soon at www.centinex.org. Drummer Kennet Englund has left the band, so interested individuals should get in touch with the guys as soon as possible. Furthermore there’s gonna be a 7"EP entitled "Deathlike Recollections" (with two tracks from the debut) which will be released through Sword & Sorcery Records in September.
TORTURE KILLER‘s album "For Maggots To Devour" got refused to be printed at the cd-factory. Official reason was that the artwork and the lyrical content were too shocking. But Karmageddon Media already found a new cd-factory, so the release will not be delayed any longer than necessary. Torture Killer from Finland plays groovy, old school Death Metal in the vein of bands like Massacre, Obituary and Bolt Thrower. The band started out as a side-project but has become a real band featuring members of Adramalech and Demigod. Their debut-album "For Maggots To Devour" will be released through Karmageddon Media on October 6th. The album was recorded at Popstudio in Loimaa (Finland) together with producer Mika Haapsalo. The complete track listing reads as following: ‘Flesh Breaks To Open Wounds’, ‘Sadistic Violation’, ‘Motivated To Kill’, ‘Necrophag’, ‘Fuck Them When They Bleed’, ‘No Time To Bleed’, ‘Torture Of Death’, ‘Gore Terror’ and ‘Strangulation’. For more info & lyrics check the band’s official website : www.torture-killer.cjb.net
You can now download the new DESTRUCTION video, ‘Desecrators (Of The New Age)’ at the band’s website, www.destruction.de. The track is pulled from the band’s forthcoming album, "Metal Discharge", due out through Nuclear Blast Germany on September 22nd and the first run will feature a limited bonus CD including demo material, cover tracks and an unreleased version of ‘Bestial Invasion’. The street date for North America is October 21st.
DECAPITATED have completed the recording of their new album, tentatively titled "The Negation", at Hertz Studio in Poland, with engineers Slawek and Wojtek Wieslawski. Although all of the recording is completed, the band will not mix the album until they have completed a mammoth September tour of their homeland as part of a double-header with VADER. Bassist Martin reports that the new material is "very very strong", with a thick guitar sound. Among the titles set for inclusion are ‘The Negation’, ‘Long Desired Dementia’, ‘Three-Dimensional Defect’, ‘The Fury’ and ‘Sensual Sickness.’ DECAPITATED ‘s new album is due out in February 2004 through Earache.
MORBID ANGEL has officially been added to The Blackest Of The Black Tour, with DANZIG, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, DEVILDRIVER, BEHEMOTH and more. Conceived by Danzig frontman Glenn Danzig, The Blackest Of The Black Tour kicks off in Fall 2003 and promises to be the biggest, most extreme metal tour of the year. Stay tuned for tour dates and more info. The Blackest Of The Black Tour marks the beginning of Morbid Angel’s extensive worldwide tour in support of their new album, "Heretic", out September 23 in the US through Earache. As previously reported, the album will be available on a 2LP set and a limited edition 2CD set. In other Morbid Angel news, the band have completed the filming of their new video, ‘Enshrined By Grace’. Shot on location in Tampa, Florida, by acclaimed UK director Pete Bridgewater, all we know about the video thus far is that there is lots and lots of pyro! Look for ‘Enshrined By Grace’ to appear around the time of the release of "Heretic".