PURGATORY‘s bassplayer Torsten has left the band for personal reasons. Therefore the band is urgently looking for a replacement, preferable someone from the Dresden / Chemnitz / Leipzig era. Interested persons can get in touch through these addresses: purgatory666@web.de, www.purgatory666.de
PESSIMIST is currently in the writing stages for the next release and the band is expected to return to the studio this winter to record a 4-song EP, tentatively titled "For Stronger Than Death Is Hate". No shows will be scheduled during this time. Guitarist Kell McLauchlin has just finished recording leads for the new BLACK MASS CD, "Voices Of Fate". The album was recorded and produced by Roger Beaujard, drummer / guitarist for MORTICIAN and MALIGNANCY. Expected release date is February 01, 2003 on Primitive Recordings. For more info check out the BLACK MASS website at www.USBlackMass.com
Holland’s PENTACLE have become a fourpiece again. Their newest member is Alex Verhoeven, the younger brother of Mike. After some intense months of rehearsing he had to endure his baptism of fire on a Swiss stage (it was his first gig ever…), did a great job and from now on is a full-time member of the band.
Earache Records (www.earache.com) have posted an advance MP3 for THE HAUNTED‘s ‘Shithead’ track. It comes from the band’s forthcoming "One Kill Wonder" album, due out February 17th, 2003.
GORGOROTH‘s Ghaal has finally been released from Norwegian prison. Vocals for the band’s new album, "Twilight Of The Idols (In Conspiracy With Satan)", will be recorded before the end of 2002. A mid 2003 release is expected through Nuclear Blast.
HYPOCRISY are writing new material for their next album, with recording to begin in August for the early 2004 release.
Portugal’s Sound Riot Records have released DEMON CHILD‘s new album, "Shadow Cult". Clips from the disc’s tracks can be heard at www.demonchild666.cjb.net. The tracklisting: ‘Intro’, ‘In Darkened World’, ‘Supreme Cruelty’, ‘The Fallen One Has Arrived’, ‘The Order Of The Black Flame (The Fallen One Has Arrived, Pt.2)’, ‘Shadow Cult’, ‘Coldblessed’, ‘Path Of Fire & Blood’ and ‘Torch Of War’.
USURPER have completed the recording of "Twilight Dominion", their debut album for Earache, at Chicago’s Engine Music Studio with producer Neil Kernon. Says Usurper axeman Rick Scythe: "This album will kill all posers. This album is total Earache quality. TOTAL METAL LUST!!!" The album is set for release in March, 2003.
Sweden’s lengendary Death / Thrashers MERCILESS are back! After the re-release of the first MERCILESS album "The Awakening" on Osmose Productions back in 1999, the band not only played a couple of successful gigs, but also decided to start working on a new album again. So, in May 2002 they finally entered studio Dog Pound in Stockholm and recorded ten new songs for the fourth, self-titled MERCILESS album that will shortly be released on Black Lodge Records.
"Sectanik Neocide", the first album of French Black Metallers FORNICATION is now available. For further details, check out the following websites: http://fornication.bm.free.fr, www.battleskrs.wouaib.com
On December 13, 2002 SOULSGATE and SANGUINEUSare playing at the "A tribute to Chuck Schuldiner" benefit at "Headbanger’s Ballroom" in Hamburg, Germany. The earned money goes out to the Schuldiner Fond. The release date of Soulsgate’s forthcoming debut album "Delusion" is set for January 01, 2003. To order the CD, follow this link: www.soulsgate.de/order.htm. A release party will take place at the "Logo" in Hamburg, Germany on January 04, 2003. Supporting guests are Suffer Age and Apostasy. All further info at: www.soulsgate.de
The new album of SPAWN OF POSSESSION will hit the shops all across Europe in the beginning of 2003. You can already check out an advance mp3 at: www.uniqueleader-europe.com The band will embark on a European tour in February 2003 together with Disavowed, Mangled / Inhume and Vile. For the tourdates go here.
DECREPIT BIRTH, featuring Tim Yeung (ex-Hate Eternal / ex-Agiel) have recently finished off their recording sessions for their upcoming debut. The coverart of this album is done by Dan Seagrave, famous for his work with Morbid Angel, Suffocation a.o. To download an advance demo track from Decrepit Birth (featuring Kevin Tally ex-Dying Fetus / ex-Misery Index on drums) go to the mp3 section at www.uniqueleader-europe.com. The release is scheduled to be in stores across Europe somewhere in spring 2003.
Ryan Ragas Custom Guitars will now officially endorse all Unique Leader Records and Unique Leader Europe recording artists. First work finished is the custom "Deeds of Flesh – Mark Of The Legion" guitar for Erik Lindmark. Watch Erik use his brandnew custom guitar on their current U.S. tour with Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation and Macabre.
VICTIM will release their fourth CD through Eclipse Records, Japan (www.eclipserec.brutaldeath.net) next year. The band will enter the studio in spring, with a release scheduled for summer 2003. You can check out some mp3 on www.victim.de
If everything goes well, RAVAGER will enter the studio again in December to record their next album. Here’s the tracklist already: ‘Crestfallen Of Divinity’, ‘Hades Rises’, ‘Fore Told’, ‘In The Depths’, ‘Antagonist Grim’, ‘Of Fire Revealed’, ‘As Shadows Corrupts’ and ‘Nuclear Vomiting Warcraft’.
"Damage Assesment" will be the title for the upcoming HOUWITSER album. All further info you may find at the band’s new website: www.houwitser.com
DIVINE DECAY are currently finishing up final rehearsals and are ready to record the follow-up to their debut album "Songs Of The Damned". The new album is titled "Maximize The Misery" and will be produced by Janne Joutsenniemi and mixed by Mikko Karmila (Nightwish, Stratovarius, Edguy, Therion etc). The album will contain ten new tracks and a cover version of the Theraphy song, ‘The Knives’.
The COFFIN TEXTS dudes keep themselves quite busy. After Bobby had been touring Europe with DIABOLIC recently, now drummer Ariel is touring the US (ten shows) with MALEVOLENT CREATION. He’s also supposed to go to Europe with them later in February 2003. But don’t worry – COFFIN TEXTS themselves have recorded a new four song promo in the meantime (for further details check out our review section), which features the songs ‘To Manifest’, ‘Divination’, ‘Unseen World’ and ‘Throne Of Rhee’. All of them, plus two additional ones, will appear on their next studio album, which will be released by World War III Records early next year.
Directly after their "Infernal Live Orgasm Tour 2002" Austrias BELPHEGOR will enter the studio to create their new album which will be released in May 2003. After that another European tour with Netherland’s ALTAR is planned. For their new studioalbum BELPHEGOR are searching for a new record company at the moment. Interested labels should contact belphegor@aon.at or info@shadowsmile.de.
Israel’s Death Grind Crust act LEHAVOTH has been signed by Fadeless Records. The band has already completed the recordings for their debut album "Hatred Shaped Man" at Soundlab Studios in Sweden. It was produced by Mr. Mieszko Talarczyk from NASUM / GENOCIDE SUPERSTAR. "Hatred Shaped Man" is supposed to be out in February 2003. www.lehavoth.com
The re-issues of the first two VOMITORY albums are delayed. www.vomitory.net
The new EPHEL DUATH album "The Painter’s Palette" is being mixed right now and will be ready for production at the end of December. Peppe from Temn0.un.Art is putting together the album sleeve. The CD itself will be very special for computer owners, with an MPEG video of the track ‘The Embossed’ (taken from the "Rephormula" album), as well as a video report of the making of "The Painters Palette". Twan Sibon, known for his previous work with In Extremo and Cannibal Corpse, will put this together along with various photos, art, etc. The band have also been busy rehearsing with their whole new line-up and will be looking to play some shows around March / April in time for the release. www.ephelduath.net
Russian avant-garde experimentalists RAKOTH will be unleashing their new album "Tiny Deaths" in April 2003. The band has taken a bold new direction with this release, taking an almost cinematic approach to their song writing. The result is something more ambient and claustrophobic than their previous work, yet the Rakoth stamp runs through it all. The title track ‘Tiny Deaths’ is available for download from here: www.elitistrecords.co.uk/tinydeaths.mp3
Norway’s progressive Black / Death Metallers LUNARIS are presently writing new material for a new album that is tentatively scheduled for a late spring recording. Producers and studios are being considered for this as yet untitled opus. The band promise to make it heavier, faster and more technical than ever. Just altogether more aggressive through and through. The band also plans to tour extensively in support of this second album.
New Elitist signings FARMAKON are rehearsing like crazy as they’ll be recording their yet untitled debut album in February in their native Finland. You can check out a demo track here: www.elitistrecords.co.uk/farmakon.mp3
FIREBIRD, featuring ex-CARCASS / NAPALM DEATH guitarist Bill Steer, will issue their new album in late February 2003 on JVC in Japan. A European deal is near as well. The album already has been mastered, and the artwork is currently the main concern, they updated recently.
The INFERNO FESTIVAL takes place at Rockefeller Music Hall / John Dee in Oslo, Norway on April 17th – 19th, 2003. IMMORTAL and CHILDREN OF BODOM are confirmed to perform.
Century Media will issue a SAMAEL 2DVD set on January 27th, 2003. The as-yet-untitled set will feature last Summer’s Summer Breeze Open Air performance, a show from Poland shot on 1996’s "Passage" Tour, videos for ‘Jupiterian Vibe’, ‘Infra Galaxia’ and ‘Baphomet’s Throne’ and interviews and studio footage from the recording session for "Passage".
The sole UK date for the NO MERCY X-MASS FESTIVAL, originally scheduled for December 9th at the Electric Ballroom in London, has been moved to the Camden Underworld. Acts on the bill include MARDUK, IMMOLATION, HATE ETERNAL, KATAKLYSM, INSISION and DERANGED.
SLAYER will release their new DVD, "War At The Warfield", on February 11th. The set was recorded at The Warfield in San Francisco on December 7th, 2001, on the "God Hates The World" tour.
Japanese thrashers ABIGAIL are currently making their first appearance on US soil. The band’s current West Coast tour runs through November.
SATYRICON frontman Satyr will co-produce and mix DARKTHRONE’s forthcoming album, "Hate Them". The release will be recorded in December for a February release through Moonfog. Tracks to appear on the album include ‘Rust’ and ‘Fucked Up And Ready To Die’.
LORD BELIAL guitarist Fredrik Wester has left the band, feeling he needs more time to himself. The rest of the band wish him well. The band line-up is back to how it was in the beginning: Thomas (vocals / guitar), Micke (drums), Anders (bass) and Niclas Pepa Andersson (guitar).
SUMMONING will release an MCD, "Lost Tales", in February through Napalm. It includes two rare, unreleased tracks.
THY INFERNAL are working on new material for their forthcoming album, due out next Spring. For more go to: www.blackorchard.com/thyinfernal.
BLOOD RITUAL are finishing up their second album, due out next Spring. They have also written the larger part of their third album, which will follow shortly after the second. The new album features cover art by Magister Rex Church. A limited edition will be available with exclusive packaging.
JUDAS ISCARIOT have released their sixth full-length album, "To Embrace The Corpses Bleeding", through Red Stream. Coming soon from the band are a split LP with ABYSSIC HATE and a new MCD entitled "Moonlight Butchery".
WIND OF THE BLACK MOUNTAINS have released their new album, "Black Sun Shall Rise". The band are now in the studio recording a new MCD for The Cult Records and their third album, "Feasting Upon Christ", for Barbarian Wrath. Furthermore their "Sing Thou Unholy Servants" release has been reissued.
Finland’s SARGEIST are currently finishing the recording for their debut CD, "Satanic Black Devotion", scheduled for an early 2003 release. They have also contributed an unreleased track for a split 7" EP with MERRIMACK, out now and limited to 1.000 hand numbered copies.
MERRIMACK are back with a new 7" split EP with SARGEIST, out through Moribund. It includes a re-recorded version of the band’s unreleased track ‘Guardians Of Your Slavery’.
SUMMON will release their fifth album, "The Blood Runs Black", on February 4th, 2003.
GENOCIDE KOMMANDO‘s debut album, "Black Metal Supremacy", has just been released. A follow up is already in development for a Winter release. It was recorded, engineered and mastered by James Murphy (ex-DEATH, TESTAMENT).
The Cult Records have inked a deal with Drakkar Productions to release GRAND BELIAL’S KEY‘s "Judeobeast Assassination" album in the US.
AZRAEL have inked a deal with The Cult. The band’s full lenght debut is due out in February or March.
MACTÄTUS have re-issued their debut album, "Blot", through Moribund Records.