Old News - April 2006


Old News - April 2006 - Old News - More April 2006 News
April 26th, 2006	HIRAX RELEASE 2 HOURS OF LIVE MATERIAL ON FIRST DVD “THRASH TIL DEATH” LOS ANGELES- Keepers of the thrash metal torch HIRAX will release their first DVD, “Thrash Til Death,” on April 25 through Black Devil Records. “Thrash Til Death” features over 2 hours of live footage – the complete set from Minneapolis Mayhem 2, plus bonus footage from shows played in Germany (Bang Your Head Festival and warm up show), Sweden (Sweden Rock Festival), The Netherlands (Dokk’Em Open Air Festival), and San Francisco (Tidal Wave Festival and Thrash of the Quintana- KUSF 23rd Anniversary show at The Pound SF). The tracks compiled on this visual anthology span HIRAX’s entire career and were filmed using professional cameras, multiple camera angles, and high quality audio. The DVD also contains an interview with the entire band, “Hostile Territory” promo clip, a full visual discography including liner notes and artwork (by Pushead, “Mad” Marc Rude, and Craig Cummings), and even an Easter egg (hidden concert footage from Fender’s Ballroom in 1985). “We are very excited about the DVD,” said singer Katon W. De Pena. “It contains some of the most amazing performances the band has done up until this point. I wanted it to be something that HIRAX diehards as well as any fan of extreme metal would be proud to own. As a matter of fact, this DVD was compiled and edited by a huge metal fan, Eddie Boyd (aka “Sickthrash”), who has been collecting thrash memorabilia since the beginning.” “Thrash ‘Til Death” will be available through Century Media distribution as well as Black Devil Records. European and South American distribution is in the works. HIRAX is currently in the preproduction stage for their upcoming album “Assassins Of War.” Joining vocalist Katon W. De Pena are original HIRAX drummer Johnny Tabares, lead guitarist Lance Harrison, and bassist Steve Harrison. Running time: 144 min. Format: NTSC Track Listing: Minneapolis Mayhem Festival 2 May 6, 2005 Minneapolis, MN U.S.A. El Dia de los Muertos Massacre of the Innocent Blind Faith The New Age of Terror Hate, Fear and Power Hostile Territory Destroy Broken Neck El Diablo Negro Killswitch Walk With Death Barrage of Noise The Plague Bombs of Death Unleash the Dogs of War BONUS FOOTAGE FROM AROUND THE WORLD Bang Your Head Open Air Festival WARM UP GIG June 26, 2003 Balingen, GERMANY Blind Faith Warlord Command Bombs of Death Mouth Sewn Shut Demons Evil Forces Bang Your Head Open Air Festival June 28, 2003 Balingen, GERMANY Hate, Fear and Power Bombs of Death Mouth Sewn Shut (guest guitar Jake Starr) Sweden Rock Festival June 12, 2004 Solvesborg, SWEDEN El Diablo Negro Killswitch Bombs of Death Tidal Wave Festival June 19, 2004 San Francisco, CA U.S.A. Hate, Fear and Power Demons Evil Forces Walk With Death Dokk ‘Em Open Air Festival August 14, 2004 Friesland, HOLLAND Hate, Fear and Power Demons Evil Forces The Pound KUSF 23rd Anniversary May 13, 2005 San Francisco, CA U.S.A. Unleash the Dogs of War Backstage interview SWEDEN Rock Festival June 2004 Promo Video Discography 2004 Photo Gallery Catalogue Promo Easter Egg (1985 live video of “Demons Evil Forces” Fender’s Ballroom, Long Beach, CA U.S.A.) www.hirax.org www.blackdevilrecords.com GET OUT YOUR DEVIL HORNS! WARNER HOME VIDEO RELEASES “METAL: A HEADBANGER’S JOURNEY” Awarded Official Selection at the Toronto, Atlantic and Vancouver Film Festivals and will Screen at film festivals such as SXSW, Washington DC, AFI Music Documentary Series and San Francisco International Festival in Spring 2006 Featuring Interviews with Top Charting Metal Stars Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickison, Geddy Lee of Rush, Alice Cooper, Slayer, Slipknot, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Ronnie James Dio and Many More BURBANK, CA (March 13, 2006) – Heavy Metal has long been a stigmatized musical genre characterized by aggressive rhythms, dark lyrics and satanic worship. “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” is a ground-breaking film that explores the history of how these stereotypes came to be and explains the motivation and truth behind the music through candid interviews with Metal icons including Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickison, Lemmy Killmeister and many more. “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” 2-disc set will be released by Warner Home Video on May 23, 2006 for $24.98 just in time for Metal’s most popular music festivals such as Ozzfest, Gigantour and Sounds Of Underground kick off. Order due date is April 18, 2006. Sam Dunn, a thirty-year-old anthropologist, has been fascinated by the culture of Heavy Metal since he was twelve years old. In an effort to study its origin and cultural impact, he sets out on a global journey to find out why this music has been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned and yet is loved so passionately by its millions of fans. Along the way, Sam explores metal’s obsession with some of life's most provocative subjects - sexuality, religion, violence and death - and discovers some things about the culture that even he can't defend. Shot on location in the UK, Germany, Norway, Canada and the US, this documentary is the first of its kind. It is both a defense of a long-misunderstood art form and a window for the outsider into the spectacle that is heavy metal. “Heavy metal music has an enormous worldwide following that many people are unaware of because it has been overshadowed by images of violence and mosh pits,” said Tehya Kopp, WHV Senior Director, Special Interest Marketing. “This documentary digs into the stereotypes and misconceptions about the artists’ motivations behind the lyrics and harsh sound and explores the real side of Metal in a way that appeals to Metal and non-Metal fans alike. It’s an eye-opening documentary that is both informative and enjoyable to all audiences.” “Metal: A Headbanger’s History” contains over 87 minutes of special features including: -16 extended interviews with Metal Rock icons! -20-minute mini-documentary on Norwegian Black Metal -Footage with Lemmy from Motörhead at the Rainbow -Director's commentary. -Travel Out-takes -An awesome interactive metal history family tree, created specifically for the DVD. All on 2 discs! Important News For Retailers Supported with a theatrical release in limited markets, film festival screenings, targeted print, radio, online media, publicity and consumer promotions. THE CREDITS About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment. Norway’s SATYRICON Sign North American Agreement With Century Media Now, Diabolical North American Release Date Set Pioneering black metal artist SATYRICON have signed a North American licensing agreement with Century Media Records for their new album Now, Diabolical. Set for release June 13, 2006, the North American version will include a bonus track and enhanced video. Mixing the album with celebrated producer Mike Frasier (Metallica, AC/DC) in Vancouver, Canada, Satyr called Now, Diabolical, “a deeper dive in the abyss than ever before. [The album] is a catchy and aggressive record with a pitch-black heart. I think this is the kind of record that we and our supporters in America need to help steer the direction that no one has really set yet ‘over there’. America has produced some of the greatest metal bands of all time, yet Black Metal has very much been a European phenomena until now. It is gradually tightening its grip on the American metal scene and we want to be a part of it just like we were when it started in Europe” Centered around the backbone of band members Satyr (vocals/guitar) and Frost (drums), who formed the band in the early ‘90s, their progressive outlook has enabled SATYRICON to push black metal’s boundaries. Setting a new standard and developing the field beyond its traditional parameters SATYRICON have become one of black metal’s most respected and influential bands. Volcano, the band’s 2002 release received the Norwegian Grammy for Best Metal Album, the Alarm Award for Song Of The Year (“Fuel For Hatred”) and Metal Album Of The Year, as well as The Oslo Award for Best Overall Album. Debuting at #2 in the Norwegian National Music Chart, Volcano has set high expectations for SATYRICON’s new release. INFERNUM "The Curse" CD - SRP037 - out in March 17 One of Poland`s most highly-respected Black Metal hordes returns! Since the guitarist/vocalist Anextiomarus' reported suicide in 2004, this 2nd full-length album which was completed before their death, has remained unreleased — until now! www.soundriotrecords.com TRISTWOOD "The Delphic Doctrine" CD - SRP038 - out in April 21 Extreme new act coming from Austria combining the brutality and speed of the Black and Death Metal with the abysmal atmosphere of the Industrial. Apocalyptic Metal, a soundtrack for the end of the world! www.soundriotrecords.com DISSECTION, the legendary Swedish underground metal pioneers triumphantly return to the metal scene on May 16th, 2006 (April 30th in Europe on the band’s own label, Black Horizon Records) with the release of 'Reinkaos', an album regarded by the band as a work of Sonic Black Magic. The ritualistic and black magical work on ‘Reinkaos,’ which has taken 11 years to conduct as well as 11 months in the recording studio, has in the long hard road to manifestation been steadily accompanied with constant struggle, internal and external turbulence.Through all that has happened -- occult practice, murder sentences, scandals, Satanic crimes, media boycott and censorship, violence, death and chaos -- finnally ‘Reinkaos’ is ready to be unleashed! "We have invested our souls in this album, gone through fire and brimstone to make everything work", says singer and guitarist Jon Nödtveidt. Black Horizon Music (via The End Records in North America) will also re-release extended versions of the band’s back catalogue including the classics ‘The Somberlain’ (1993) and ‘Storm of the Light's Bane’ (1995). A documentary film about Dissection is currently in the making. Official website: http://www.dissection.nu The song entitled “Shortest Day,” from THE GATHERING’s forthcoming album Home, been made available for download at this location Home, the Dutch rock act's 9th studio release, is due on April 18, 2006 via THE END RECORDS in North America. Ever since their inception 15 years ago THE GATHERING have continued to evolve, never settling on one set style and rarely ever duplicating themselves. They have embraced change along the way and used it as a tool to feed their ongoing creative process. Like their previous groundbreaking releases — their classic "Mandylion" (1995), the electronic dabblings of "How to Measure a Planet?" (1998) or the trip-hop/atmospheric warmth of "Souvenirs" (2003) — their latest album "Home" finds the band heading back to a bit more of rock vibe, yet still maintaining the delicate nuances and passages that fans worldwide have grown to love. But the momentum here is not entirely based on emotional highs, as the band still manages to capture the dark spirit that most human beings have had to deal with from time to time. Variation has always been the key, case in point the diverse offering of such numbers as "In Between", "Shortest Day", "A Noise Severe" and the powerfully moving title track. Official website: http://www.gathering.nl Canada’s pioneering metal band VOIVOD have set “Katorz” as the title of their forthcoming album due out June on THE END RECORDS in North America and Australia. VOIVOD, who just finished mixing the album with producer Glen Robinson (Tea Party, GWAR) at Multisons studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, are now mastering the album in New York. The follow-up to 2003's "Voivod" is the first album in the band's 20-plus-year career that did not feature founding guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour working alongside his bandmembers in the studio. D'Amour died August 26, 2005 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer. In order to record “Katorz,” drummer Michael "Away" Langevin, singer Denis “Snake” Belanger and bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted utilized all of the guitar parts that Piggy had recorded for the record on his laptop with ProTools before his death. Artwork and a full track-listing for the album will be released in the coming weeks. In other news VOIVOD's Denis 'Snake' Belanger and Michel 'Away' Langevin were recently interviewed by Billboard.com about prepping the post-'Piggy' album. You can check out the full interview here: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002157718 Official site: http://www.voivod.com SHADOWS FALL - Unveil Fallout From The War Cover art, Release Date and Track listing! On June 12th 2006, metal titans SHADOWS FALL return with their much-anticipated new release, “Fallout From The War”. The record’s sessions were again produced and mixed by long-time friend, Zeuss (Hatebreed, God Forbid), at Planet Z Studios in the band’s home state of Massachusetts. “Fallout From The War” is a must-have for the band’s dedicated following as each of the album’s eleven tracks is either a brand-new, original SHADOWS FALL track, an exclusive, brand-new cover song, or a newly re-recorded version of rare material from over the years. Official “Fallout From The War” Track listing: 01. In Effigy 02. Will To Rebuild 03. Haunting Me Endlessly 04. Seize The Calm 05. Carpal Tunnel 06. Going, Going, Gone. 07. Deadworld 08. This Is My Own 09. December (Only Living Witness) 10. Mark Of The Squealer (Leeway) 11. Teasn', Pleasn' (Dangerous Toys) Brian Fair (vocals) spells out the details on the tracks from the new album: “Hello everyone! All of us in SHADOWS FALL are very excited to announce the release of “Fallout From The War” on Century Media. This album is meant to be a companion piece to our last full-length, “The War Within”, and it contains six originals songs written during the sessions for that very album. We returned home from an amazing summer on Ozzfest 2005 and decided to get together to record these songs as a perfect way to close out “The War Within” album cycle and give our fans a chance to hear some killer new material. The recording sessions themselves went incredibly well. We were able to realize the full potential of these songs and with the Zeuss’ help we were able craft an amazing disc with a wide variety of styles and emotions. These songs cover everything you have come to expect from us and it was also a chance to re-record a few tracks that had previously only been available as bonus tracks in Japan and Europe, including a new version of ‘Deadworld’ – a song that’s one of the first-ever Shad tunes (dating back almost 10 years!). This version is also the first one featuring Jason on drums allowing him to add his signature sound to the track. We also re-worked ‘This Is My Own,’ a track from The Art Of Balance sessions, with some new vocal harmonies and a few twists and turns. For the cover songs, we decided to dip back into our own history to shine some light on bands that were huge influences on us but never seemed to get the attention they deserved. For one, Only Living Witness was an amazing and highly underrated rock band from the Boston area and we covered their tune ‘December’ – and had a blast doing it! Next, we banged out a version of ‘Mark Of The Squealer’ by NYHC legends, Leeway. To me, Leeway was the ultimate metal/hardcore crossover band with sick thrash riffs and hard-as-nails lyrics. And finally, we recorded an updated version of Dangerous Toy's party anthem ‘Teasn', Pleasn'’ that features original D. Toys’ vocalist Jason McMaster singing along with myself. We went through a few thirty packs to make sure we got this one right! Good times indeed. This will be our last release for Century Media, who as a label have helped us to grow into the band we are and allowed us to achieve things we never thought possible. We see this as the perfect finale to our Century Media legacy and we hope you enjoy it.” In 2005 SHADOWS FALL played a very successful European festival tour alongside their buddies from Slipknot. The band kicked major ass at Rock am Ring (D), Rock im Park (D), Flippaut (I), Download Festival (UK) followed by club shows with Slipknot across the UK and Ireland. They once more convinced their dedicated European fanatics with a truly intense mixture of great songs, musical skills and last but not least the most important thing of all: METAL! “Fallout From The War” follows the group’s most acclaimed disc to date, “The War Within”, which originally debut at #20 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, has gone on to sell over 250,000 units in the U.S. alone, and features the Active Rock hit and Grammy-nominated track, “What Drives The Weak”. “One of the most anticipated albums of 2006.” -- Alternative Press (US) “SHADOWS FALL are becoming Iron Maiden for the Grand Theft Auto generation.” -- Spin (US) Official Website – www.shadowsfallrocks.com DIR EN GREY Sell Out LA’s Wiltern Theatre and NYC’s Avalon in Less Than 36 Hours! Japan’s Biggest Rock Band is Breaking all Musical Boundaries in the U.S. with Sold-Out Shows and American Album Debut Selling out two of the nation’s most-renown clubs in less than 36 hours without so much as a CD, radio play or even advertising support, Dir en grey has accomplished more in two months than most bands do in a lifetime. Recently signing their first U.S. deal with Warcon Enterprises in January, the label announced earlier this week that the band has sold 750 tickets for the March 21st show at the Avalon in New York City and 2,011 for the March 23rd show at LA’s Wiltern Theatre, both of which are the band’s first U.S. performances. Entitled Withering to Death., Dir en grey’s CD will be released in the States May 16th yet is already one of the most-anticipated distributed releases in WARCON history, with requests pouring in through the band and the label’s web sites. Bob Chiappardi, president of WARCON, says the buzz surrounding the shows and the CD release are like nothing he has ever seen. “Considering that band hasn’t even released their first CD here in the States, the response that Dir en grey is receiving from the American public is overwhelming,” said Chiappardi. “And it’s not just the Asian population that is gravitating toward them; it’s every one from average teenage girls to your typical punk kids that are showing support for the band.” Dir en grey has long been a powerful force within the Japanese rock scene, releasing five albums (including Withering to Death.) and touring continuously, since forming in 1997. Hailed as one of the best live performers in the world, the band has perfected the art of “visual-kei” which focuses on the aesthetic aspect of the stage show, giving each performance a visceral effect that is surpassed by none in the industry today. The band plans to bring their visually-stimulating show to the U.S. this March when they kick off their American dates at this year’s SXSW Festival and at the New York and LA dates. “We are also very thankful for this chance,” said Dir en grey. “No Japanese artist has actually succeeded in penetrating the U.S. market, so we can’t even begin to imagine how it will be for us. However, with faith in ourselves as artists, we will do our best, and hopefully we will achieve things far better than just success.” If their first shows are any indication of how the band will fare in America, it’s safe to say that they have nothing to worry about it. Withering to Death. will feature a bonus DVD with four videos as well as live concert footage. The tracklisting for the album includes: 1. Merciless Cult 2. C 3. SAKU 4. KODOKU NI SHISU, YUENI KODOKU. 5. ITOSHISA HA FUHAI NI TSUKI 6. Jesus Christ R'n R 7. GARBAGE 8. Machiavellism 9. dead tree 10. THE FINAL 11. Beautiful Dirt 12. Spilled Milk 13. HIGEKI HA MABUTA WO OROSHITA YASASHIKI UTSU 14. KODOU The bonus DVD will contain the following: Music Videos 1) Merciless Cult 2) THE FINAL 3) Machiavellism 4) SAKU Additionally, the DVD will contain the live performance footage from LIVE DVD, TOUR04 THE CODE OF VULGAR[ism]. For more information, please visit: www.direngrey.co.jp www.warconent.com GAIA EPICUS Speaks About Sound Riot Records ... Here are some shocking news about our X-Label Sound Riot Records.This is a warning to bands, labels, distro's and other people. Now you can read the facts seen by x-bands of this label. The reason for this press statement is to prevent other bands from making a BIG mistake signing with this label. Read the info: About Sound Riot

April 21st, 2006	ABACUS METAL TOUR Caliban, Sworn Enemy, Ion Dissonance, Embrace the End and Bleeding Kansas on select dates 4/28 Long Island, NY - Club Ritual 4/29 Worcester, MA - The Palladium - New England Metalfest 4/30 Baltimore, MD - Sonar - Maryland Metalfest 5/01 Virginia Beach, VA - Peppermint Beach Club 5/02 Raleigh, NC - The Brewery 5/03 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade 5/04 Orlando, FL - Island Oasis 5/05 West Palm Beach, FL - Ray's Downtown Blues 5/06 Tampa, FL 5/07 Tallahassee, FL - The Beta Bar 5/08 Baton Rouge, LA - The Darkroom 5/09 Houston, TX - Java Jazz 5/10 San Antonio, TX - The White Rabbit 5/12 Phoenix, AZ 5/13 San Bernardino, CA - NOS Events Center - California Metalfest* 5/14 San Francisco, CA - The Pound* 5/15 Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk* 5/16 Boise, ID - The Venue* 5/17 Ogden, UT - Club Boom Va* Legendary Swedish act DISSECTION sign with THE END RECORDS for North America Dissection, the legendary Swedish underground metal pioneers triumphantly return to the metal scene on May 16th, 2006 (April 30th in Europe on the band’s own label, Black Horizon Records) with the release of 'Reinkaos', an album regarded by the band as a work of Sonic Black Magic. The ritualistic and black magical work on ‘Reinkaos,’ which has taken 11 years to conduct as well as 11 months in the recording studio, has in the long hard road to manifestation been steadily accompanied with constant struggle, internal and external turbulence. Through all that has happened -- occult practice, murder sentences, scandals, Satanic crimes, media boycott and censorship, violence, death and chaos -- finally ‘Reinkaos’ is ready to be unleashed! "We have invested our souls in this album, gone through fire and brimstone to make everything work", says singer and guitarist Jon Nödtveidt. Black Horizon Music (via The End Records in North America) will also re-release extended versions of the band’s back catalogue including the classics ‘The Somberlain’ (1993) and ‘Storm of the Light's Bane’ (1995). A documentary film about Dissection is currently in the making. DISSECTION - Reinkaos TE067 \| May 16th, 2006 Tracklisting: - Nexion 218 - Beyond The Horizon - Starless Aeon - Black Dragon - Dark Mother Divine - Xeper-I-Set - Chaosophia - God Of Forbidden Light - Reinkaos - Internal Fire - Maha Kali Official Dissection website: www.dissection.nu INTO ETERNITY Tap Original Drummer For New Album Tim Roth of the Regina, Saskatchewan-based progressive metallers INTO ETERNITY has issued the following update on the band's curent and upcoming activities: "The new album is still underway for us. Right now we are looking at 11 songs for the new album. Each song is a bit more compact compared to what we usually have done in the past. Seven of the songs clock in at just over 3 minutes. I thought it would be different to try to fit in multiple time changes and riffs/solos in a shorter time frame. I know I have a low attention span when it comes to long songs, movies or whatever the case may be, so it is a small change for us. Every song is going to still have a lot going on, so our style will still be intact. "Now on to the main reason for this update. INTO ETERNITY would like to welcome back our original drummer Jim Austin, who will be playing on our new record. Everybody is familiar with Jim's drumming style from our albums 'Into Eternity', 'Dead or Dreaming' and 'Buried in Oblivion'. We are all happy that Jim is willing to help us out with this new record. "Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we should point out that this arrangement is just for the recording of the album. Jim has a good job now that we wouldn't want him to lose. I think that this will be a good step for us and it will help maintain our sound that we have crafted for almost 10 years now." INTO ETERNITY's new CD will mark the group's first release with singer Stu Block, who was previously a member of Vancouver's OMEGA CROM. The band's third album, "Buried in Oblivion", was released in February 2004 through Century Media Records. As was the case with their previous two albums, "Buried in Oblivion" was recorded at Touchwood Studios in Regina with ex-bassist Scott Krall, Grant Hall and Johnny "Sixpack" Gasparic handling the majority of production duties. IMPERIA SIGN WITH BLACK LOTUS RECORDS Helena Michaelsen’s main band IMPERIA inked a recording deal with Black Lotus Records! Helena already made a serious impact with ANGEL (who feature the same band member’s with IMPERIA, namely : Helena Iren Michaelsen - Vocals and choirs, Steve Wolz - Drums, John Stam - Guitars, Gerry Verstreken - Bass, Jan "Örkki" Yrlund - Guitars, Audun Gronnestad - Orchestrations) last June with her first “solo” – so to speak – album “A Woman’s Diary Pt I”. A record that introduced her ethereal vocals and the band’s unlimited song-writing talent to a wider audience in both the metal and non-metal music world. IMPERIA are ready to take on the next big step. Following their debut “The Ancient Dance Of Qetesh” (2004) they are currently in the studio finishing off the recordings of their second offering currently entitled “Queen Of Light” (working title – will probably change in the future). IMPERIA have recorded 12 songs with a total length of over an hour. The style follows their debut but is heavier and more varied. There are fast and powerful metal songs, slow ballads, heavy songs as well as a lot of serious guitar leads and oriental keyboards. It is a diverse album with crystal clear sound! More news on song titles, final release date, and tour dates will follow soon. www.helena-michaelsen.com MUSTPAIN is the dark side of Negative Creeps, one of the top thrash - metalcore bands of Greece. Negative Creeps have released two full-length cd's under Black Lotus Records and toured all over the country with bands such us Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh. They have also opened for bands like Biohazard and DRI in their live appearances in Athens.MUSTPAIN is a two-member, black/death metal band. Guitarist JB along with Tomek on drums created 8 metal tracks of evil and hate, in order to ease their tortured souls and continue to live their life as usual. No compromise has been made for this record. The recording sessions lasted for more than 8 months along with the writing of lyrics. The result makes the band worthy of a privileged place in hell. The self-titled debut proves that Greece is still a source of extreme black/death metal music!! It also features an unbelievable cover of the classic MADREDEUS song “O Pastor”! Release dates: Europe: 24/04/2006 USA: 25/04/2006 www.myspace.com/mustpain VARATHRON have a brand 10 new songs almost ready, for their upcoming – yet untitled – album. Recordings will start later this year and the release is scheduled for early 2007. Some songtitles are: Sacred Ahlat, The Depths Of Gnar, The Legion Of Profane Hate and A Scornful Mask. Stefan states: “This album will be more evil and dark than our previous albums! Hail erebus!” http://www.varathron.com/ CELTIC FROST - 5-30-06: Monotheist Metal legends, Celtic Frost, will be touring the US in support of their forthcoming (May 30th) album, Monotheist. Celtic Frost videos (.mpeg) - B-I-G files: Circle of the Tyrants Into the Crypts of Rays Third From the Sun Ozzfest.com has released the official lineup for this year's Ozzfest. It is as follows: Main Stage: OZZY OSBOURNE SYSTEM OF A DOWN DISTURBED TBA* HATEBREED LACUNA COIL **Major main-stage band to be announced on May 23 Second Stage: BLACK LABEL SOCIETY ATREYU UNEARTH BLEEDING THROUGH NORMA JEAN Second Stage (rotating): A LIFE ONCE LOST STRAPPING YOUNG LAD THE RED CHORD FULL BLOWN CHAOS WALLS OF JERICHO ALL THAT REMAINS BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME According to an official press release, OZZY OSBOURNE is set to headline just 10 shows of Ozzfest this summer. Why? "Because after 10 years I feel it's time to let someone else share the headlining spotlight. We want to shake it up a bit this year" says Ozzy. "I've closed virtually every Ozzfest performance for a decade now and I feel I can finally let other artists headline our festival and that's my intention for the future." This year's main stage lineup features headliner SYSTEM OF A DOWN and such formidable artists as DISTURBED, HATEBREED and LACUNA COIL. Fans can also expect a major main stage addition to be revealed on May 23. As testament to the tour's undeniable impact on the music world, each of the announced main stage act (other than Ozzy himself) started out in the trenches on Ozzfest's down-and-dirty second stage and subsequently won the approval of the festival's discerning followers. Both SYSTEM OF A DOWN and DISTURBED have gone on to enjoy multi-platinum sales for critically acclaimed albums that have entered the charts at #1. Headlining this year's second stage as a perennial favorite is the Zakk Wylde-led BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, who blew fans away on the main stage last year. Joining them are such high-decibel bands whose names alone underline their fiercely uncompromising vision: ATREYU, UNEARTH, BLEEDING THROUGH, NORMA JEAN, A LIFE ONCE LOST, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, THE RED CHORD, FULL BLOWN CHAOS, WALLS OF JERICHO, ALL THAT REMAINS and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. The tour will mark Ozzy Osbourne's first solo concerts in three years (having headlined Ozzfest with BLACK SABBATH in 2005 and 2004) and the 20th anniversary of guitarist Zakk Wylde being in his band. Ozzy will be debuting a new song at Ozzfest from the solo album that he's currently working on with Zakk (release date TBA). The as-yet-untitled disc will be Ozzy's first solo album of new material since 2001. Ozzfest has taken on a life of its own and has become a virtual breeding ground for rising bands. The festival has been instrumental in catapulting the careers of platinum-selling artists like SYSTEM OF A DOWN, DISTURBED, LINKIN PARK, INCUBUS, SLIPKNOT, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, DROWNING POOL, GODSMACK, CHEVELLE and P.O.D. "As we head into our eleventh year," says tour founder Sharon Osbourne, "Ozzfest remains committed to its original vision of sharing this vibrant music and lifestyle that was and is still overlooked by the mainstream media. It's something real that our audience understands — and demands and they're undying support for this music is the reason for Ozzfest's continued success. "Ozzfest has thrived because of repeat business," Osbourne continues. Fans of this music know firsthand that Ozzfest offers them a full-day of music. We give them a chance to see the best of the new bands on the second stage to the legends of the genre on the main stage. It's the only place to see all of these bands on one show!" Originally launched in 1996, the all-day extravaganza of music and deranged merriment is roaring louder than ever and has produced impressive figures. Number of bands to grace its stages: 146. Number of shows: 263. Number of fans: 4-and-a-half million and counting. In addition to drawing vital hard rock acts, Ozzfest has always attracted a variety of select sponsors devoted to the tour's core fan base. In addition to hosting the second stage, Monster Energy will be hosting a VIP/Hospitality area and will invite a limited number of fans to cool off and get re-energized with a cold Monster Energy. Hot Topic will be the festival's official soft line retailer. PlayStation will be out in force, giving fans a chance to play the latest software titles for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system while enjoying the hard sounds of the Village of the Damned at Ozzfest. F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment) is on board for the fifth consecutive year as the official music retailer and will host the FYE autograph tent giving fans the opportunity to meet some of their favorite Ozzfest artists. Trojan brand condoms will also have presence in the Village as the official condom of Ozzfest. Jagermeister will once again bring the backyard BBQ party back to Ozzfest and prove their commitment to metal music with artist autograph signings and tons of free swag for attendees 21 and over. Artist quotes: John Dolmayan (SYSTEM OF A DOWN): "We're thrilled to again be a part of one of the greatest American festival traditions. Ozzfest has always been an amazing time for SYSTEM OF A DOWN. We look very forward to the summer." David Draiman (DISTURBED): "Ozzfest is where we were born. It's been the breeding ground for many hard rock/heavy metal bands and it helped make us who we are. Sharon and Ozzy have both always been strong supporters of the band and we are honored to be doing this tour for a fourth time and to be sharing the stage with some significant Ozzfest alumni." Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY): "First off, the Ozzfest is the most slamming tour out there. I look forward to it every year. You get a chance to see some ass-kickin' new bands and legendary bands, as well. Aside of that, you can hang out all day and drink beer with your buds. Long live Ozzy and Sharon! Long live the Ozzfest!" Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED): "HATEBREED is extremely excited and honored to be a part of this year's Ozzfest. It is by far THE BEST tour we've ever been involved with and we are looking forward to joining up for our fourth year! We will be releasing our fourth album this summer and we plan on playing a bunch of new songs that we've yet to perform live and we're proud to have graduated to the mainstage where our heroes BLACK SABBATH, OZZY, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST and many others have performed. We have a lot of surprises in store! See you all this summer!" Sources close to the Ozzfest organization have told MTV.com that there had been discussions with both the KORN and METALLICA camps for the headlining slot at this year's festival, but that those talks were informal and never got passed the initial negotiations. A SEPULTURA reunion, featuring original frontman Max Cavalera, was also in the works, but the trigger was never pulled. TOOL and MARILYN MANSON were also considered. Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is believed that the last remaining main-stage band to be officially announced is AVENGED SEVENFOLD. Ozzfest 2006 dates (venues to be determined), according to the tour's publicist: Jul. 01 - San Francisco, CA Jul. 02 - Sacramento, CA Jul. 08 - Los Angeles, CA Jul. 14 - Kansas City, MO Jul. 15 - St. Louis, MO Jul. 16 - Chicago, IL Jul. 19 - Detroit, MI Jul. 21 - Columbus, OH Jul. 22 - East Troy, WI Jul. 23 - Indianapolis, IN Jul. 26 - Scranton, PA Jul. 27 - Buffalo, NY Jul. 29 - New York, NY Jul. 30 - Hartford, CT Aug. 01 - Boston, MA Aug. 04 - Camden, NJ Aug. 05 - Washington, DC Aug. 06 - Virginia Beach, VA Aug. 09 - Raleigh, NC Aug. 13 - West Palm Beach, FL The reunited ALICE IN CHAINS have lined up the following European dates during the spring/summer: May 26 - Super Bock Super Rock - POR May 28 - Madrid Festimad - Madrid, SPA Jun. 02 - Rock am Ring - Nürburgring, GER Jun. 03 - Rock im Park - Nürnberg, GER Jun. 04 - Gods of Metal - Milan, ITA Jun. 10 - Download - Donington Park, UK Jun. 11 - Download - Dublin, IRE Jun. 15 - Novarock Festival - Nickelsdorf, AUT Jun. 16 - Provinssirock Festival - Seinäjoki, FIN Jun. 17 - Hultsfred Festival - Hultsfred, SWE Jun. 24 - Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, BEL Jun. 25 - Hellfest - Clisson, FRA Jun. 26 - Razzmatazz - Barcelona, SPA Jun. 27 - Macumba - Madrid, SPA Jul. 01 - Waldrock - Burgum, NETH @ Holland Jul. 02 - Goffert Park - Nijmegen, NETH As previously reported, several new photos of ALICE IN CHAINS members Jerry Cantrell (guitar) Mike Inez (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums) rehearsing for their upcoming appearance at the taping of an episode of VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!" have been posted online at Cantrell's official web site. COMES WITH THE FALL vocalist/guitarist and member of Jerry Cantrell's touring band William DuVall has been tapped to sing lead vocals with ALICE IN CHAINS at "Decades Rock Live!", a tribute to HEART that will take place March 10 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. It is not presently clear if DuVall will be joining the group on any of the other dates that are currently being scheduled. In a recent interview with MTV.com, Cantrell confirmed that "there will be some ALICE IN CHAINS shows this year — that's a fact." At this point, the guitarist said, all he can really say is that the band is active, and that the remaining members of ALICE will be taking the stage this summer to perform songs from the band's catalog. "We're making it up as we go along," Cantrell explained to MTV.com. "It's what we always did in the past. We're writing the book as we live it. We feel confident that we will have a good time and that it's something that will live up to the same level. It's an exploratory thing, and we're just having fun with it. We'd like to go out and play for the people that supported us and love the music as much as we have all these years. We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend." [Referring to late ALICE frontman Layne Staley, who died in April 2002 from a mixture of heroin and cocaine.] CANDLEMASS finish recording four new songs Swedish doomsters CANDLEMASS have recorded four new songs with producer Andy Sneap (NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD). The recordings took place last weekend at the new Polar studios in Stockholm, Sweden and the band say that they are very happy with the result. “The songs are pretty much in the same vein as the stuff on the [self-titled 2005] reunion album, maybe a bit darker," says bassist/songwriter Leif Edling. CANDLEMASS's next studio session will take place in May. The band's new album is tentatively scheduled for release in October 2006! NIGHTWISH 'best finnish artist' & 'top-selling album' NIGHTWISH were honored in the "Best Finnish Artist" and "Top-Selling Album" categories at the Emma-Gaala (Finnish equivalent of the Grammys), which was held on Saturday, March 4 at the Kulttuuritalolla in Helsinki. MALEVOLENT CREATION "doomsday x" in the making Long Running Florida Death Metal warriors Malevolent Creation are currently in pre production for they're 10 studio album "DOOMSDAY X" for Nuclear Blast Records.The band is currently home writing and demoing material for there new creation to be recorded in May and mixed in June.Recording's will take place in Pompano Beach,FL at Mercury recording studio's with producer/engineer Gus Rios and then off to Denmark with producer Tue Madsen for the mixing of the new if all goes well.This will mark the first time in the band's career that an overseas producer has been brought in for mixing,but Tue's track record speaks for itself and we feel that we will be in good hands' with Tue mixing the new album.We need to have a massive production for this 10th record because this recording mean's a lot to us and we plan on touring for the next 2 years in support of it.All the band's members are contributing to the writing of this new album so there will be a lot of different influences on this record.The music will be extremely heavy and insanely fast according to the band members.Malevolent Creation's line up now features original band members Brett Hoffman on vocals,Jason Blachowicz on bass.Jon Rubin on guitar,Phil Fasciana on guitar and drumming power house Tony Laureano on drums.Laureano has toured several times in the past with M.C. but now will make his debut studio recording with the band which is sure to be interesting.This line up will also do all upcoming tours in support of "DOOMSDAY X" which is expected to be released in September followed by a massive european tour with Disgorge and Skinless in support.Other touring options are being looked at as well.There is talk about a US Tour with Bolt Thrower in July -August but nothing is confirmed yet: In other news Malevolent Creation just recently returned from a 6 week tour of europe with Bolt Thrower,Nightrage and Necrophagist and would like to say that this tour was the best tour we have ever been part of in the last 15 years.Most of the shows were sold out and Bolt Thrower is hands down the best band we have ever toured with and without they're help this tour would never of happened for us.We would truly like to thank B.T.s tour manager Graham and Jo, Martin, Baz, Gavin and Karl from the band for all they're help.An extra special thanks goes out to Phil, Andy, Keith and Sabrine from B.T.'s crew for all they're help throughout the "Those Still Loyal Over Europe Tour 2006".You guys fucking rule!!!! Also,a big hello to our new friends in Nightrage and Necrophagist for being so cool and making this the best tour yet! Malevolent Creation March,2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FERMATA FINISHES "VESSEL" EP FOR RELEASE IN EARLY APRIL NEW VIDEO SHOT BY SHANE DRAKE COMING SOON Los Angeles Rock/Alternative band FERMATA announces the imminent release of their new 6-track EP "Vessel", for release on L.A.'s Doughmain Records. Produced by Mark Renk (Matchbook Romance, Panic At The Disco) and mixed by Fred Archambault (Avenged Sevenfold, Death By Stereo, Eighteen Visions), this recording marks the band's debut on a whole new level of musicianship and care for their craft. Named for the mark in music theory meaning "stop" or "hold" over a note, FERMATA has seemingly done nothing of the sort, as is demonstrated by their increasingly momentous list of performances alongside artists like The Vandals, Kottonmouth Kings, Alien Ant Farm and Prong. Enlisting the help of Shane Drake (Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, Halifax, Poison The Well, etc.) for a brand new video to coincide with the release, FERMATA is well armed for their full U.S. tour which launches April 1st http://justrockpr.com/fermata http://www.doughmainrecords.com http://www.fermatasound.com http://www.myspace.com/fermatasound http://www.purevolume.com/fermatasound TOUR: APRIL 2006 DATES: [MORE SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED] FRI, APR 21 DAVENPORT, IA @ LUMPY'S WED, APR 26 SEATTLE, WA @ CENTRAL SALOON THU, APR 27 PORTLAND, OR @ TONIC LOUNGE SUN, APR 30 WEST LOS ANGELES @ GOOD HURT THE OCEAN's AEOLIAN enters US radio charts AEOLIAN was released on March 7th in the US, Canada, South America and Japan. In the first week, Aeolian was #2 most added amongst stations that report to CMJ and #5 most added amongst stations that report to FMQB, with a debut on the chart at #43! DANTE XXI -IN STORES NOW! Tuesday March 14th SPV USA will release SEPULTURA's latest, 'Dante XXI', a monstrous thirty-nine minute concept album inspired by Dante Alighieri's epic poem "The Divine Comedy". The record has received an overwhelming response from critics worldwide. Blabbermouth.net calls it "powerful and original... A focused album of straightforward thrash metal leavened with the kind of progressive stylistic touches that SEPULTURA has always had a reputation for." "A thrash epic that leaves you desperately wanting more after a mere 40 minutes. Simply brilliant," declares AMP magazine. SEPULTURA are this month's cover feature for Metal Maniacs in which Ian Christe (Sound of the Beast author and host of Sirius Satellite Radio's 'Bloody Roots' show), details his three day adventure with the band in Sao Paulo, Brazil last November. While there Christe went to Mega Studios to hear the final mix of 'Dante XXI' and speak in depth with guitarist Andreas Kisser and frontman Derrick Green. Radio stations across the US and Canada embraced 'Dante XXI' with open arms by making it the #1 most added record on all of the Loud Rock charts. In it's first official week at radio the album debuted on the FMQB Metal Detector #9, Mediaguide Metal Specialty #4 and CMJ Loud Rock Select Albums #18. Three weeks ago a video for 'Convicted In Life', the first single from 'Dante XXI', was filmed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The video will be made available within the next few weeks. Photos from the shoot can be viewed here. Currently, SEPULTURA are on their way to Europe for the first of many tours to support their new album. They will be joining In Flames for a five week trek that kicks off March 12th in Oslo. For a complete list of dates visit www.sepultura.com A fall tour of the US is currently being routed. Dates and venues to be announced soon. SEPULTURA 'DANTE XXI' IN STORES MARCH 14th! (March 21st in Canada) www.sepultura.com www.myspace.com/sepultura ENTHRALLMENT - SMASHED BRAIN COLLECTION The spanish label Grotesque Prouctions is glad to present their next release, the full album of the bulgarian Brutal Death Metal band ENTHRALLMENT 1- Smashed Brain Collection 2- Carnal Affection 3- Experiment With You 4- Disgruntled 5- Total Zombie Domination 6- Mutant 7- Supporting The Chaos & Hate 8- Graveyard 9- Awaiting The Death Nine tracks in this first album with a dreadful force, brutality and intensity to the more pure American style of bands like Deeds of Flesh, Disgorge( USA ), Inveracity, etc.. Amazing cover art of hands of best Tony Khoel!! You can pre-order now for only 10 Eur/12 Usd Postpaid Also we have put a special combo pack with offcial and awesome shirts + CD + Poster. Pre-order now for only 25 Eur / 28 Usd Postpaid http://www.grotesquemusic.com NEVERMORE, EDGUY and GOJIRA are the final three bands to be confirmed for this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival, set to take place June 2-4 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): BEYOND FEAR BOLT THROWER BRAINSTORM CALIBAN CELTIC FROST CRUCIFIED BARBARA DIO EDGUY EVERGREY FATES WARNING FINNTROLL GOJIRA LEGION OF THE DAMNED NEVERMORE PRIMORDIAL SOILWORK VOLBEAT For more information, visit www.rockhardfestival.de. KREATOR and EDGUY have been confirmed for "Rock the Boat", a two-day floating rock festival travelling between Oslo, Norway and Fredrikshavn, Denmark. The festival billing is shaping up as follows: Friday, April 28: KREATOR EDGUY ENTOMBED PAUL DI'ANNO THUNDERBOLT HIGHLAND GLORY CIRCUS MAXIMUS Saturday, April 29: GLENN HUGHES STEPHEN PEARCY GILBY CLARKE FREAK KITCHEN ADLER'S APPETITE DOUG DOPPLER TRASHCAN DARLINGS FAN HELLER (VAN HALEN tribute) For tickets, boat departure time and further information, call the Stena Line call center at: (+47) 02010 or (+47) 23179100. For more information, visit www.rocktheboat.no. UNEARTH joins forces with Legendary Producer Terry Date to produce their next opus for Metal Blade Records. Tracking begins on March 8th with acclaimed producer Terry Date (Soundgarden, White Zombie, Pantera, Deftones), at Studio X (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam) in Seattle. Terry Date will mix the record as well. Unearth vocalist Trevor Phipps states, "If anyone were to tell me (when I was a kid) that my band was going to be doing a record with the guy that produced most of the Pantera, Deftones and Soundgarden records one day; I would have told them they were crazy. Working with Terry Date is another of the amazing accomplishments for us on a growing list of accomplishments. We have toured with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Slayer and with Vinnie and Dime. We have toured much of the world and we have shared the stage with all of the current heavy music leaders on all of the big modern day tours; and now, we are working with the leader of heavy musics producer and engineer, Terry Date. Unearth will forever sound like Unearth and we know Terry has an knack for bringing out the best qualities and sounds in the bands he works with and we could not be more stoked to work with him. There is no question that this next record will be our best to date." Known for raising the bar; Unearth are prepared to release their new album on August 8th With a solid foundation of 130,000 records scanned in the US of their monumental Metal Blade Records Debut the oncoming storm - this highly anticipated recording will be the blueprint for setting the standard for Metal and beyond. Unearth look forward to rolling out their huge tour plans for summer 2006 - Look out! Metal Maniacs THESYRE signs with Osmose Productions Quebec, Canada's THESYRE just inked a deal with the French record label OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS. The band's third album and first for the label will be titled EXIST! and is expected to be released later this autumn. In related news, THESYRE will soon team up with Norways AUDIOPAIN to release a (limited) split 7" vinyl through the Norwegian label WORSHIP HIM RECORDS. MP3 files, lyrics and various links: www.thesyre.com Metal Maniacs SHADOWS FALL Unveil Fallout From The War Cover art, Release Date and Track listing On June 13th, metal titans SHADOWS FALL return with their much-anticipated new release, Fallout From The War. The record's sessions were again produced and mixed by long-time friend, Zeuss (Hatebreed, God Forbid), at Planet Z Studios in the band's home state of Massachusetts. Fallout From The War is a must-have for the band's dedicated following as each of the album's eleven tracks is either a brand-new, original SHADOWS FALL track, an exclusive, brand-new cover song, or a newly re-recorded version of rare material from over the years. Click the link below to check out the album's striking cover art. www.centurymedia.com/SF/images/SF_smallcover.jpg Official Fallout From The War Track listing: 01. In Effigy 02. Will To Rebuild 03. Haunting Me Endlessly 04. Seize The Calm 05. Carpal Tunnel 06. Going, Going, Gone. 07. Deadworld 08. This Is My Own 09. December (Only Living Witness) 10. Mark Of The Squealer (Leeway) 11. Teasn', Pleasn' (Dangerous Toys) Brian Fair (vocals) spells out the details on the tracks from the new album: "Hello everyone! All of us in SHADOWS FALL are very excited to announce the release of Fallout From The War on Century Media. This album is meant to be a companion piece to our last full-length, The War Within, and it contains six originals songs written during the sessions for that very album. We returned home from an amazing summer on Ozzfest 2005 and decided to get together to record these songs as a perfect way to close out The War Within album cycle and give our fans a chance to hear some killer new material. The recording sessions themselves went incredibly well. We were able to realize the full potential of these songs and with the Zeuss' help we were able craft an amazing disc with a wide variety of styles and emotions. "These songs cover everything you have come to expect from us and it was also a chance to re-record a few tracks that had previously only been available as bonus tracks in Japan and Europe, including a new version of Deadworld - a song that's one of the first-ever Shad tunes (dating back almost 10 years!). This version is also the first one featuring Jason on drums allowing him to add his signature sound to the track. We also re-worked This Is My Own, a track from The Art Of Balance sessions, with some new vocal harmonies and a few twists and turns. "For the cover songs, we decided to dip back into our own history to shine some light on bands that were huge influences on us but never seemed to get the attention they deserved. For one, Only Living Witness was an amazing and highly underrated rock band from the Boston area and we covered their tune December - and had a blast doing it! Next, we banged out a version of Mark Of The Squealer by NYHC legends, Leeway. To me, Leeway was the ultimate metal/hardcore crossover band with sick thrash riffs and hard-as-nails lyrics. And finally, we recorded an updated version of Dangerous Toy's party anthem Teasn', Pleasn' that features original D. Toys' vocalist Jason McMaster singing along with myself. We went through a few thirty packs to make sure we got this one right! Good times indeed. "This will be our last release for Century Media, who as a label have helped us to grow into the band we are and allowed us to achieve things we never thought possible. We see this as the perfect finale to our Century Media legacy and we hope you enjoy it." Want to be the first to hear a track from the new SHADOWS FALL album? If you're at the Taste Of Chaos shows in the US, or other selected shows, you'll have a chance to pick up a Black Sampler Plastic Edition '06 card that features a code you can punch in after signing up at www.beyondthepit.net to hear This Is My Own from Fallout From The War. Fallout From The War follows the group's most acclaimed disc to date, The War Within, which originally debut at #20 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, has gone on to sell over 250,000 units in the US alone, and features the Active Rock hit and Grammy-nominated track, What Drives The Weak. www.shadowfallrocks.com Metal Maniacs ALL THAT REMAINS ENTERS STUDIO, OFFERS IN-STUDIO UPDATES Massachusetts' All That Remains has entered Zing Studios to begin tracking music that will become the follow-up to 2004's This Darkened Heart. Scheduled to stay in the studio into the early part of April, the band will be laying down 12 songs, including This Calling, a song the band debuted on its recent tour alongside Arch Enemy, and an updated take on Follow, a track from the band's debut record, Behind Silence and Solitude. "We're now at the point where we're the band I always wanted to us to be," Vocalist Phil Labonte says. "Musically, we're capable of doing what I originally wanted to do. As musicians, we can all live up to that, so this will be like a fresh look at that older material. It's a cool chance to make right some stuff after it didn't get the treatment it should have originally." The forthcoming album will also mark the recording debut of two new All That Remains members, Shannon Lucas on drums and Jeanne Sagan playing bass. "People aren't even ready for what the next record is gonna have," Labonte continues. "People have a certain idea of what this band is and when they hear the new stuff with Shannon and Jeanne, it will completely and totally be a new approach to our same style. The riffs and sound are similar, but you take the song dynamics, and these layers we're doing, and it's now a completely different animal. It's almost like a new way to look at an old friend." Production for the yet-untitled album is being handled by Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage), who was responsible for the sound of the critically-lauded This Darkened Heart. Peter Wichers (ex-Soilwork) will be in the studio with Dutkiewicz and the band to handle guitars production. Travis Smith (Iced Earth, Opeth) will handle the album's artwork. Meanwhile, Labonte has started a photo blog to keep fans updated through the recording process here (http://blog.myspace.com/philthatremains). www.prostheticrecords.com www.allthatremains.cc Metal Maniacs DIM MAK TO RELEASE NEW RECORD Straight from the mean streets of New Jersey emerges a truly titanic force of unparalleled aggression and intricacy that began nearly 20 years ago. Featuring ex-members of legendary psycho-thrashers Ripping Corpse, Dim Mak delivers a twisted cyclone of warp-speed technical death metal with their third album and Willowtip debut, Knives of Ice. Armed and dangerous with John Longstreth (Angelcorpse, Origin, Skinless) on drums, Knives of Ice sets a new standard for unrestrained musicianship that exposes the listener to a myriad of slithery Tetris-defeating rhythms, violent flurries of spitfire blast-beats, exotic, pyramid-melting leads, and infectious vocal lacerations. These elements combine to create an original, fluid songwriting style that actually means something and isn't afraid to flirt with some seriously skullcrushing slap-dash grooves. These men were the spearheads behind the scene that spawned Human Remains, Dillinger Escape Plan and Burnt By The Sun, and Knives of Ice proves to be more relevant and ambitious than ever. 1. Knives Of Ice 2. Seeing Crows In Silver 3. Great Worm Of Hell 4. Devil Finding Mirror 5. Incident At The Temple At Leng 6. Notorious Vectors Of Disease 7. Weakener 8. Windowpane 9. Perpetuating Corpses 10. Monolith MP3's for Seeing Crows In Silverand Incident At The Temple At Leng can be found at these locations: www.willowtip.com/store/product_detail.aspx?id=659 www.myspace.com/willowtiprecords Metal Maniacs ATTACKER'S "THE UNKNOWN" Vinyl Version Release Is Confirmed! Denis Gulby, founder and owner of SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS, has confirmed that the highly anticipated new album from the US cult metallers will be released on Classic Vinyl LPon Saturday April 8th in Europe and on Tuesday April 11th courtesy of EAT METAL RECORDS! The release date will coincide with the CD version which will see its world-wide release through SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS on the same date. The LP will have the same number of tracks as the CD version and will be limited to 500 copies in a Gatefold design. EAT METAL RECORDS will also be sponsoring ATTACKER's European tour which kicks off on Saturday September 16th at the SWORDBROTHERS FESTIVAL in Andernach, Germany. The trek, as previuously reported, will also show the band appearing in ITALY, GREECE and BELGIUM. Also, just a quick reminder that the album release show for "THE UNKNOWN" will take place on Saturday April 29th at DINGBATZ in Clifton, New Jersey. Showtime has been finalized to begin at 8:30 PM. Also on the show will be HALLOW'S EVE, RAVENSTHORN, MAGUS BEAST and ICARUS WITCH. No advance tickets will be sold for this event so get their early as the doors will open at 7:30PM. Further details about the show itself will be reported in our next update! As always...... Stay tuned.. -Hans Perlseig