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MALEVOLENT CREATION vocalist Brett Hoffmann has been released from his 3 month stay in jail and has joined the rest of the band in Studio 13 with producer / engineer Jeremy Staska to record 3 bonus tracks that will be included on a re-release of the band’s recent release "Envenomed". The songs recorded were ‘Confirmed Kill’ (taken from their debut 87 demo), ‘Epileptic Siezure’ (from their 89 demo) and a blistering cover of thrash godz Dark Angel’s ‘Perish In Flames’. The demo tracks have never been released before except in their original demo form. Traces of their early thrash influences (Kreator, Slayer, Sodom, Dark Angel) are clearly noticeable. Expect an October release date for this limited edition re-release of "Envenomed" in digi pack form with new photos and liner notes. The band will embark on a full US Tour in late September-October and are planning to return to Europe in November-December. Interested bands, labels and promoters should contact (in the US) John Finberg at First Row Talent. In Europe contact Metallysee Booking Agency at Metallysee Booking Agency.
DEW-SCENTED will start recording their fourth album on May 28 at Stage One Studio with producer Andy Classen (Holy Moses, Ryker’s, Krisiun, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Crack Up, etc.). The new material is supposed to be the most kickin’ and violent, but also the catchiest of the band so far. The working title of the album is "Inwards" and it should include 9-11 tracks (possibly also a cover track of one of their fave bands ever). It is supposed to be releases sometime after Summer / early Autumn through Grind Syndicate Media / NBR. Also, the talented American artist Mike Bohatch (The Forsaken, Mangled, etc.) is working on the cover art. Feel free to check out his online galleries at www.eyesofchaos.com
MORTIIS‘ Secrets Of My Kingdom book will be released on July 10th through Earache. It includes The Stargate CD and is limited to 850 copies.
THYRFING will be entering Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala in the fall with producer Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARKANE, STUCK MOJO) to record the follow-up to last year’s Urkraft CD, tentatively entitled The Fourth Outrage.
AGATHODAIMON are currently occupied with the pre-production of their upcoming album. This time, they’re working with Kristian Kohlmannslehner in his Kohlekeller Studio. At the moment, it’s not sure yet which studio they’ll use to record the album. Also, the band is working with another band, NERVENBEISSER. It’s a one-time experiment, both bands will cover songs of each other. This won’t effect Agathodaimon’s new songs, which of course still are black metal.
GORGOROTH are currently working on material for their next album, which they’ll begin recording in September.
IMMORTAL plan to enter the studio in October or November to record a new album. The band have canceled their appearance at the With Full Force Festival on June 23rd and 24th. However, they will play the Metal Dayz Festival in Switzerland on August 3rd-5th.
MACTATUS will enter Abyss Studio 6 on January 2nd to record their fourth album, to be released in early April through Napalm. The album will be harder and more aggressive than The Complex Bewitchment was. The band will use a professional violinist for the classical / symphonic parts in the songs.
This summer Prophecy Productions will release Lords Of Chaos, the book by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Söderlind. Along with the book the label will release a double CD about the history of occult music with liner notes by Michael Moynihan.
BETHLEHEM will release their new album, Schatten Aus Der Alexanderwelt, in August.
Later this year IN THE WOODS will release a live album that was recorded in December 2000 in Kristiansand.
EMPYRIUM‘s forthcoming album, Weiland, will be released in a regular version and in a limited edition 3 CD box.
AUTUMNBLAZE will begin recording a new album in August.
DIMMU BORGIR‘s new album, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, entered the German sales charts at #16, the highest position ever reached by a black metal band. The band reached #23 in Austria, #16 in Norway, #84 in the Netherlands and #11 in Finland. Dimmu just completed the Spring Neck Break Tour supporting CANNIBAL CORPSE with THE HAUNTED and LAMB OF GOD. The band are now in Europe for a tour with label mates DESTRUCTION and SUSPERIA before taking a much-needed break in June. Tentative plans are under way for yet another American tour this September.
BLACK ABYSS will record their new album at the House Of Music studio in August. It will be produced by Achim Kohler (PRIMAL FEAR, BRAINSTORM).
France’s AD INFERNA have inked a deal with Last Episode. They will record their debut album for the label in Excess Studios in the Netherlands. The first part of the trilogy will be called Blind Depths Of The Muse.
AMORTIS will be in the studio in May to record their new album. They plan on recording between six and eight songs with the usual length far beyond six minutes. Track titles include: ‘The Human Puzzle’, ‘Messiah’, ’19th Century Love Poetry’ and ‘The Obscure Dance Of Distress’. The album should be released in September.
GARDENS OF GEHENNA officially opened their own Anthrazit-studio with the pre-production of their new album, The Mechanism Masochism. Mastermind Bruno Kramm will complete the material in the Danse Macabre studio in the summer.
ISENGARD have posted clips of their latest demo at their official web site: www.tietoraitti.fi/mtm/isengard/main.html.
SACRIVERSUM are planning on re-releasing their eight track 1994 demo The Shadow Of The Golden Fire. The material has been completely remastered and the re-release will also contain four songs from the band’s very first tapes, Dreams Of Destiny.
KATAKLYSM have just finished work on their new album, Epic (The Poetry Of War). The album was recorded at Victor Studio and was produced by guitarist J-F Dagenais. The tracklisting: ‘Il Diavolo in Me’, ‘Shivers of a New World’, ‘Era of the Mercyless (Roma Part 1)’, ‘As the Glorious Weep (Roma Part 2)’, ‘Damnation Is Here’, ‘Manipulator of Souls’, ‘Wounds’, ‘What We Endure’ and ‘When Time Stands Still’. Nuclear Blast will also be releasing a surprise limited edition with the new album, celebrating the band’s tenth anniversary.
SOILWORK will use DAT for live performances instead of replacing the departed Carlos del Olmo. They get to try out the new arrangement this June, as they will be heading over to Japan for a series of shows. The band will play a series of festival dates throughout the summer, including Wacken in Germany, and are looking in to possible U.S. festival appearances as well.
DESTRUCTION have just finished the recordings for the new album in Peter Tagtgren’s Abyss Studio. The album is set for release on August 27th, followed by a possible tour in September / October with KREATOR.
GODGORY are currently recording songs for their upcoming album, Way Beyond, set to be released on August 20th.
HYPOCRISY‘s forthcoming Best Of album, 10 Years Of Chaos And Confusion, is nearly finished. It will feature some new, unreleased songs as well as the demo which made Nuclear Blast sign the band many years ago. The ‘best of’ portion of the release was compiled by the fans themselves.
IN FLAMES will release their first live album on August 6th. Recorded during one of their Japanese tours, Live In Japan will become a very important document in the history of the band. Some tracks include ‘Pinball Map’, ‘Bullet Ride’, ‘Moonshield’, ‘Gyroscope’, ‘Ordinary Story’ and many more.
PUNGENT STENCH will soon record a new album.
SOILWORK are working on new songs. They’ll soon record their fourth album.
CARNAL FORGE bassist Petri Kuusisto has replaced Johan Magnusson on guitar and Lars Lindén has stepped into the bass slot. The band will go into the studio in June to record a new album.
DYING FETUS‘ new lineup has been finalized. Vocalist / guitarist John Gallagher has been joined by drummer Erik Sayenga, bassist Sean Beasely (GARDEN OF SHADOWS), guitarist Bruce Greig (NEXT STEP UP, TOGETHER WE FALL) and vocalist Vince Matthews (SADISTIC TORMENT, MUCOUS MEMBRANE).
There might be a DVD by THE HAUNTED before the next studio album which isn’t slated until next year. Jonas Bjorler: "At least I have some new material, I don’t know about the other guys. I have enough for like three songs. There are a lot of festivals this summer, but after that we’ll concentrate on the next album. The next album won’t be out until February or March. We recorded live songs in Tokyo so that might end up on a DVD. That was shot with a lot of cameras. That would probably come up before the next studio album. It would make sense probably in October or something."
DECAPITATED have confirmed that they will be hitting U.S. soil this summer for their first-ever North American Tour.
On May 4th RAVENTHRONE concluded the recordings and mixing of the follow up to "Malice In Wonderland" entitled "Endless Conflict Theorem". The album was recorded in Vienna, Austria at the Vato Loco Studio, owned and operated by Martin of Hollenthon / Pungent Stench fame. Many of the stylistic elements that were used on "Malice In Wonderland" can be heard on this album as well. According to the band, they did however take the music a few steps further to create an album that sounds both traditional but at the same time experimental and fresh, using alot of normal, epic singing, progressive keyboard sounds and yet still maintaining an aggressive edge. The drums were played by Mike, who can also be heard on both Hollenthon releases, adding alot to the overall sound of the album. "Endless Conflict Theorem" will be released in late summer / early fall, by Avantgarde Music. For information, please contact them at greylife@tin.it An eerie new PAZUZU album is also in the works.
Here’s a little update from SADISTIC INTENT‘s Rick Cortez concerning the band’s situation right now: "After finally getting our reels (masters) back from the last "producer" not so long ago, we searched for another studio and eventually found one! We recently entered this studio in which we are now working with Bernie Versailles from the band Agent Steel! Due to the fact that Bernie is in Agent Steel we can not work every day because of the busy schedule with his band among other things. Concerning the recording itself, unfortunately some of the actual tracks (not songs) recorded at the previous studio are partially or completely missing. It’s simply another obstacle we’ve come across and rather than get into that shit (of different possibilities and so forth…) we simply put this behind us to accomplish our personal best!!! Therefore, we have no choice but to do some re-tracking and of course the mixing. As much as we would like to announce a specific release date, at this stage we simply can not. However, really considering the limited amount of time we have available in the studio, perhaps by the Summer (2001). Although we are not finished yet, ascertaining from what’s been recorded so far we can tell this is going to be a monumental release of extreme and obscure musical art! We are very thrilled with the material on this recording up to this point, so for those of you who’ve enjoyed our previous releases, once again, prepare for "The Second Coming Of Darkness"!!!"
CRIMINAL haven’t split up! The band is still alive and well and will soon release their new album "Cancer" on Metal Blade Records in Europe, most probably in August, 2001. Here’s a statement from CRIMINAL’s Anton Reisenegger: "It is called "Cancer" because in a way CRIMINAL is like a cancer… It grows and mutates, and just refuses to die. We have been through such a lot of shit in the past couple of years, both personal and business-wise, that it’s almost a miracle that we’re still around. But all that shit has just made us stronger… I think a lot of the comparisons with SEPULTURA on our last album were really unjustified, it was just so obvious because both bands are from South America. With "Cancer" I hope there won’t be any comparisons at all, because I feel we’ve really progressed in the process of forging our very own style. I know the album is kinda short, but I’d rather have 30 minutes of killers than 60 minutes of fillers. I mean, some of the greatest albums in extreme metal are really short: just take "Reign In Blood" or "Wolverine Blues" for an example, which by the way are two of my all time faves. On stage is when CRIMINAL really comes to life… We just can’t wait to play live in Europe and show all the metalheads what this band is capable of. We wanna twist some fuckin’ necks!!!!! The work with Vincent Wojno on our last album really helped us. We learned a lot of studio techniques and tricks which we applied this time around. The guy who mixed the album (Mariano Pavez) is the top engineer in Chile right now, and I think he did a super job. I mean, looking back now, it’s amazing what a sound we managed to create in only two weeks of work. We chose to use our videos as bonus material for Europe because we put a lot of work into them, and I think it will help people understand where we come from and what we’re all about." (Anton Reisenegger, May 2001)
According to Metal Update, Canuck thrashers SLAUGHTER have signed with Nuclear Blast to re-issue their ’87 album Strappado with four bonus studio tracks and eight live tracks along with vintage photos and band liner notes. In addition, a 1988 unreleased second CD called "Paranormal" will be released with all new tracks.
DEICIDE‘s forthcoming album, "In Torment In Hell", has the following tracklisting: ‘In Torment In Hell’, ‘Christ Don’t Care’, ‘Vengeance Will Be Mine’, ‘Imminent Doom’, ‘Child Of God’, ‘Let It Be Done’, ‘Worry In The House Of Thieves’ and ‘Lurking Among Us’. The band took five days to record and mix their upcoming release, due through Roadrunner this summer.
DISSECTION‘s Jon has been allowed to bring some recording equipment to his prison cell and he is working on new material. Meanwhile, a live album recorded on the "Storm Of The Lights Bane" tour will be released.
The SATHANAS side project ETERNAL ECLIPSE will be releasing their new EP on IRE records. Go to www.irerecords.com for more info. Meanwhile, Sathanas are almost finished with their new full-length, "Thy Dark Heavens".
KREATOR leader Mille Petrozza confirmed that an ’80s thrash triple bill featuring KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and SODOM is currently in the works. However, with three different labels and booking agents, Mille says that politics may delay the tour. KREATOR’s "Violent Revolution" is finished and is due out late summer. Expect a return to the band’s early heyday.
KATAKLYSM lead vocalist Maurizio Iacono is hard at work on his solo project L.O.S.T. An album will be recorded in July at Morph Studios in Hamilton and will be produced by Jean-Francois Dagenais. Tracks set to appear include: ‘Living On Sympathy & Trust’, ‘From The Guttter I Rise’, ‘Leaving Your Paradise’, ‘Destined To Crawl’ and ‘The Wake’.
DARKSIDE recently finished recording their new album, Cognitive Dissonance, in Exponent Studio in Slovakia.
SODOM have re-signed to SPV.
HYPOCRISY plan to release a new album and go on tour in spring, 2002.
THYRFING will enter Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala in the fall with producer Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARKANE, STUCK MOJO) to record the follow-up to last year’s "Urkraft" CD, tentatively titled "The Fourth Outrage".
GOD DETHRONED will begin auditioning drummers next week after Janne Saarenpaa (THE CROWN) returned to his full-time gig following the completion of the recent No Mercy Festivals.
Nuclear Blast will be releasing DEATH‘s first live album, "Live In L.A. (Death & Raw)". The set was recorded on the band’s 1999 U.S. tour and will be available on CD, Video and DVD.
MISERY INDEX are a new act featuring former Dying Fetus members Jason Netherton (bass / vocals) and Kevin Talley (drums) along with guitarist / vocalist Mike Harrison (AUTUMN DAWN, CADAVER SYMPOSIUM). The band is currently working on a demo scheduled for completion in July.
DARKANE drummer Peter Wildoer took a trip to Germany in March to lay down some drum tracks for an "instrumental shred album" that’s currently in the works.
After completing a European tour with THE HAUNTED, NILE and CARNAL FORGE, THE FORSAKEN bassist Michael Hakansson (also in EVERGREY), reports that everything is going smoothly recording-wise for "the second manifest" at the Abyss Studio with Tommy Tatgren. States Michael: "We really know how we want the new album to sound this time so I know that it’ll be great. We have no working titles for any songs, but I can say that as they sound now, THEY KICK ASS!!!".
FEAR FACTORY‘s "Digimortal" album sold 37.209 units in its first week, landing at #32 on the Billboard Top 200. Other positions from around the world are as follows: Canada – #17 (Top 200), #1 (Top 50 Hard Albums); Germany – #11 (Top 100), Finland – #25, The Netherlands – #69 (Mega Top 100 Album Charts), UK – #24 (National Album Charts). In related news, the May issue of Bass Player has a feature on FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. Read Christain’s story on how he actually became a bassist. Also, the June issue of Guitar World has a feature on Dino Cazares, a piece which gives you the whole Fear Factory story, from beginning to now.
Chile’s CRIMINAL have split up. The band played their farewell show in Santiago on April 28th, and will have their latest release, Cancer, issued in the U.S. though Metal Blade.
HATE ETERNAL, featuring MORBID ANGEL guitarist Erik Rutan and MORBID ANGEL fill-in bassist / vocalist Jared Anderson, are due to enter the studio this fall to begin work on a new studio album, to be released in early 2002.
The new SIX FEET UNDER album "True Carnage" will be released on August 6, 2001. It has been produced by Brian Slagel & Six Feet Under, engineered by Chris Carroll (Collective Soul, Megadeth, Iggy Pop) and mixed by Dave Schiffman (Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, NIN). Recorded and mixed at The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, Florida. Some song titles are ‘The Day The Dead Walked’, ‘It Never Dies’, ‘The Murderers’, ‘Waiting For Decay’, ‘Snakes’, ‘Impulse To Disembowel’, ‘Sick & Twisted’ (guest vocals by Karyn Crisis of Crisis) and ‘Cadaver Mutilator’. There will be eleven songs in total on the record. SIX FEET UNDER has teamed up with rapper and BODYCOUNT frontman ICE-T on ‘One Bullet Left’. According to frontman Chris Barnes, "it was a serious honor to work with Ice on this track. I’ve wanted to work with Ice since ’93 when I was still in CANNIBAL CORPSE and we opened for BODYCOUNT at Metalfest. I’ve been a fan of his music for years, and I want to let you all know this song kills!! Ice wrote some sick lyrics for his part of the song, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to this since we recorded the track. It’s very, very aggressive, and I’m really proud of what we did on this one. This is in no way rap-rock or anything like that."
For those who missed MTV’s report on CADAVER INC, check it out here!!! www.earache.com/video/CadaverIncV.html Excerpt from MTV2 News Report, March 30, 2001: Norwegian Death Metal band Cadaver Inc has had a run-in with Norwegian Parliament. Cadaver Inc’s new website jokingly advertised them as a murder clean-up service — e.g. you commit the murder, they’ll clean up the evidence. Cadaver Inc. listed the service’s address as that of the Norwegian Parliament, prompting Parliament to investigate the site. Head of Security at Norwegian Parliament, Gerrit Loberg, said "I went to the site myself and found it so ugly and scary that we had to go to the police with it". The band had no response at presstime but Cadaver Inc’s new record Discipline’ is in the stores now!!
ANCIENT CEREMONY will headline The Underworld in London, England on June 23rd. Other bands on the bill include BEHEMOTH, April ETHEREAL and EPITOME.
Soul Sold Music are set to release the new album from SATHANAS, Jaws Of Satan. The CD will include all of the band’s demo tracks, some live tracks and a cover version. The tracklisting: ‘Jaws Of Satan’ (demo), ‘Blood Sacrifice’ (demo), ‘Sathanas’ (demo), ‘Hail Lucifer’ (demo), ‘Jaws Of Satan’ (live), ‘Nocturnal Hell’ (SLAUGHTER cover, live), ‘Blood Sacrifice’, ‘Palace Of Belial’, ‘Into Darkness’, ‘Legion Of Hate’, ‘Congregation Of The Dead’, ‘Watch ‘Em Bleed’, ‘Wicked Prophets’, ‘Angels Demise’, ‘Demonic Force’ and ‘Amputate’.
DIABLERIE will soon release their debut album, Seraphyde, recorded at Sundi Coop studio in Savonlinna, Finland.
The tentative title of ARCTURUS‘ next studio album is The Sham Mirrors.
The new ARKHON INFAUSTUS album, Hell Injection, is delayed due to a problem of censorship at the labels printer. They refused to print the artwork, finding it ‘too shocking’.
NECROPHOBIC have parted ways with Black Mark Productions. The band will perform at the Under The Black Sun Festival, which will take place in Germendorf (near Berlin), Germany on July 6th – 7th.
DARKANE have been added to the line-up of bands performing at the Decibel Festival in Bengtsfors, Sweden on May 19th.
MORTICIAN will headline Relapse Records Contamination 3.2 at the Balcony Bar in Philly on May 25th
CEPHALIC CARNAGE are planning to enter the studio soon to record tracks for an upcoming 3" MCD on Willowtip, the tracks for the split MCD with ANAL BLAST to be released by Nightfall Records and also tracks for a couple of upcoming split 7" singles, including a split with LAUGHING DOG, to be released sometime this summer on the Relapse Single Series.
DECEASED just finished up the recordings of the Behind The Mourner’s Veil MCD and the originally announced track listing has been slighty altered. The MCD will now include three new songs: ‘It’s Alive!’, ‘The Mausoleum’ and ‘Victims Of The Masterplan’. The CDEP will also contain the following cover songs: ‘Zombie Attack’ (TANKARD), ‘The New Age Of Total Warfare’ (WARFARE), ‘Reaganomics’ (DRI) and ‘Deathrider’ (ANTHRAX).
After a nearly four year absence, the legendary Swedish death metal masters UNLEASHED have announced the following four shows in June: 8 – Mind Over Matter Festival, Wiesen, Austria, 22 – Tilburg, Holland, 23 – Graspop Festival, Dessel, Belgium and 24 – With Full Force Festival, Leipzig, Germany. Johnny, Anders, Tomas and Fredrik are currently working on a new album for an early 2002 release INCANTATION heads to Brazil for the first time ever, blazing a trail of blasphemous death metal with REBAELLION and various local Brazilian bands thru the month of May. This will be the first tour since the abrupt stop of the "World Of Darkness" US tour. United in Repugnance, Incantation returns with vengeance and fury to annhilate the tablets of judgement and deliver blasphemy to the death metal freaks of Brazil. For the exact dates check out our tourdates section.