Old News / Tours February 2005


Old News / Tours - February 2005 - Back - More February 2005 News
February 15th, 2005	BOBFEST 2005 The seventh and final edition of the legendary Metal Festival Bobfest will take place 11-13 March, 2005 in Linkoping, Sweden. This festival is the oldest running and most wellknown metal festival of its kind in Europe. What makes Bobfest unique is that it features some of the very best bands in the genre of christian metal. All concerts will take place in Cupolen, Folkets Park in Linkoping, Sweden. Participating bands this year are Tourniquet (experimental metal heavily influenced of thrash and classical music), Extol (technical thrash/death metal), Veni Domine (progressive and heavy doom metal), Crimson Moonlight (fast and brutal black metal), Seventh Avenue (classic and melodic power metal), Renascent (bombastic thrash/death), Inevitable End (thrash), grace.will.fall (metalcore) and Virgin Forest Mainspeaker during the festival is longhairy Metal Pastor Bob Beeman (who has given Bobfest its name). For more info visit www.bobfest.org THE END REECORDS and KISS OF INFAMY MANAGEMENT are proud to announce the signing of a multi-album deal with Canadian act THINE EYES BLEED. Their debut album, 'In The Wake Of Separation', is scheduled for an April 26 release. Highlighted by a disciplined ferocity and over-the-top instrumentation, the band fuses modern metal extremity with touches of dissonant, oddly-constructed riffing, engaging vocal variation, ripping guitar-soloing and memorable songwriting. The band was voted Best Underground Metal Band by Uranium.com and boasts an exceptional line-up, including former Kittie guitarist/technician Jeff Phillips, Justin Wolfe from Acacia and John Araya (brother of Slayer's Tom Araya). Having toured with Kittie, Superjoint Ritual, MTV's “Jackass/Wildboys” Steve O, Candiria, Twelve Tribes, 36 Crazy Fists, etc., they are now gearing up for extensive national touring in 2005! LINE-UP: Justin Wolfe \| Vocals Jeff Phillips \| Guitar Derek Ward \| Guitar Johnny Araya \| Bass Darryl Stephens \| Drums http://www.ThineEyesBleed.com A MALEVOLENT CREATION has return! The Return of Brett Hoffmann is Coming and the former frontman and Co-founder of MALEVOLENT CREATION wants to set the record straight... He's been very quiet over the last few years, Not saying a word while former band mates, friends and magazines talk or wrote things about him that may or may not be true. So now Brett wants to tell his side of the story and why he is no longer in MALEVOLENT CREATION. He wants to let people know how he feels towards his former band-mates, Why he moved back home to Buffalo NY, How his new band(DOWN THE DRAIN) is a breath of fresh air to him. So if you want to know Brett Hoffmann's side of all those stories and maybe more.. contact him at DOWNTHEDRAINMUSIC@HOTMAIL.COM and let the truth come out! www.myspace.com/downthedrain Metalmania 2005 Festival - 19th Edition Metalmania, the biggest heavy-metal music festival in Central-Eastern Europe will take place on 12th of March 2005 in Spodek in Katowice!! During 25 hours, on two stages 25 bands will play live shows. Stars of polish and world’s heavy metal will as usually play on the main stage. Cradle of Filth - demonic Dani Filth together with his band will play their premiere material form their newest record. Apocalyptica – Scandinavian kings of the strings are going to present their newest, exceptionally heavy pieces of music. Also on main stage one of the greatest polish heavymetal bands Turbo will celebrate their 25th anniversary which comes with new, fresh album called “Identity”. There will also be playing live: Napalm Death – the absolute metal legend, theatrical Arcturus, veterans form Metal Church red hot once again. The darkness will come along with Swedish quintet Katatonia and their compatriots form Dark Funeral . Peter Tagtgren and co. (Pain) will surely kick out some really heavy, sick and twisted gig.. Swedish Amon Amarth and polish Dies Irae i Darzamat also announce their presence. We’ll also have a chance to see what Russian metal scene has to offer with some dark riffs from ANJ On the small stage we’ll see: Pyorrhoea, Abused Majesty, Naumachia, Thunderbolt, Valinor, Mess Age, Hell Born, Supreme Lord, Quo Vadis, Hermh, Dead By Dawn, Hedfirst . GATES OPENING: 9:00 SMALL STAGE 9:30 MAIN STAGE: 10:30 Check the festival’s official website at www.metalopolis.pl/metalmania Tickets: pre-sale 30, - Euro For all the ticket info call at: tel.: 032/205 25 00 (ext. 101), e-mail: koncerty@metalmind.com.pl Online sale: 032/205 25 00 (ext. 187), shop@metalopolis.com.pl, www.metalopolis.pl DARKSEED - Press Release January 2005 The 6th album of the German gothic metal pioneers Darkseed is now available!!! Ultimate Darkness is released by Massacre Records and includes a free bonus-CD with 13 tracks (unreleased tracks from 1996-2005). The website www.darkseed.com contains 9 samples of Ultimate Darkness for your hearing pleasure. A signed copy can be ordered on the official band website. PRO-PAIN DVD SET FOR RELEASE CONFIRMED AS PERFORMER FOR N.E.M.F. Philadelphia: Candlelight Records confirms April 19 as the US release date for Raw Video, the first official dvd from metal/hardcore pioneers PRO-PAIN. The dvd's release will follow completion of the band's first US tour in many years alongside labelmates Entombed and Crowbar, set to launch February 7 in New York City and end February 28 in Phoenix. Raw Video contains PRO-PAIN's extensive catalog of promotional and conceptal video clips filmed 1992-2004 including "Pound for Pound," "In for the Kill," their latest video "Can You Feel It" and more. The dvd also contains a special live concert filmed at Die Rohre in Stuttgart, Germany during the band's 2001 European tour. In addition to Raw Video, Candlelight Records has confirmed PRO-PAIN as a performer at the 7th Annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, scheduled for April 22-24 at The Palladium in Worcester MA. It will be the band's first performance at the popular US festival. Formed by bassist/vocalist Gary Meskil (ex-Crumbsuckers), PRO-PAIN released their debut Foul Taste of Freedom in 1992. The record was an instant success and has since soundscanned over 60,000 units. Successive albums, The Truth Hurts (1994), Contents Under Pressure (1996) and Pro-Pain (1998) saw sales growth continue with combined album sales in the US breaking 100,000 units. In 2004, Candlelight released the band's latest album, Fistful of Hate. It has been described as the band's heaviest and most aggressive album to date. "Fistful Of Hate is without question our strongest production and contains some of our best work," says bassist Gary Meskil. "It's nice to know that we still have the same drive and passion about our music 12-years post inception and we hope that our fans share in our enthusiasm." All Music Guide says of the band, "Pro-Pain has managed to carve a solid career niche for themselves, built upon a reliable mix of post-thrash precision, and the NYC hardcore code of ethics." MADSIDE’s “Enemy” makes an Early Push at Radio With the radio push not scheduled to start until February 1st , Madside’s first single “Enemy” is getting a head start. The first single for EVO Recordings’ flagship artist has already been added to regular rotation on a number of stations, including KQRC/Kansas City, MO and KRZR/Fresno, CA. Those spins combined with the early spins on the nationally syndicated “Hard Drive” radio program combined to give “Enemy” an impress #72 to #59 on the Mediabase/R&R Active Rock Chart. With the positive feed back from critics and the recent performance on radio it is almost a sure thing this is not the last to be heard from Madside. “unpredictable, yet highly entertaining” –Hit Parader “a debut album that is one of the major surprises this year.” 4 out of 5 stars -Alternativeaddiction.com “it was an easy add…sometimes the basics are all you need-a good rock tune that has a good hook-that’s a formula that works for me. Got phones right away…” -Dave Fritz, Assistant PD/MD KQRC, Kansas City “Madside have it all. They’re a promising new act - they’re quality musicians, the singer has great pipes, and they know how to write a good song. After seeing them live, I’m convinced they’re the total package.” Pat Martin, Program Director/KRXQ Sacramento The lawsuit filed by former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson against singer-guitarist David Mustaine, disputing the legitimacy of a May 2004 settlement agreement and seeking at least $18.5 million in damages, was dismissed by a federal judge in New York on January 13th, according to The Hollywood Reporter.com. The article also states that Ellefson's attorney has already filed a notice of appeal, and that a countersuit filed by Mustaine agains Ellefson remains pending. Metal Update TESTAMENT has announced they will re-release the 1991 documentary 'Seen Between the Lines' on DVD this spring. The documentary contains live footage, promotional music videos, rare video clips, as well as behind the scenes and candid footage. Metal Update Following the departure of Mark Zonder, FATES WARNING has announced the drummers for their upcoming European shows. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) will join them on drums for the Headway festival. Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard) will handle drumming duties for the scheduled February dates. Metal Update KATAKLYSM have parted ways with drummer Martin Maurais, citing "personal and professional reasons." Max Duhamel, who performed on five past Kataklysm albums including Shadows and Dust has been named as his replacement. Kataklysm will be direct support on the Danzig tour with Trivium and Eyes of Fire, beginning February 18th. Metal Update CRISIS have added drummer Ryan Ball to the line up. Karyn Crisis is one of the women featured on this week's episode, entitled "Chicks in Metal," of Uranium airing on Fuse beginning January 21st. Metal Update Vocalist Jason Keyser has been added to the SKINLESS lineup following the departure of Sherwood Webber. Keyser is the brother of bass player Joe Kyser. The new lineup will debut onstage in Providence, RI on March 4th. The band plans to enter the studio by the end of 2005 to record a new album for release through Relapse Records in 2006. The band recently released a DVD, entitled 'Skinflick.' Metal Update Simen Hestnæs (Vortex of Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar) recently joined ARCTURUS as lead vocalist. His first appearance with the band will be at the Inferno Metal Festival in London on January 27th. The band has signed to Season of Mist and will be entering the studio in February to record their new album, scheduled for an August release. Metal Update MERCENARY won all three of the Danish Metal Awards they had been nominated for: album of the year, vocal performance of the year, and guitarist of the year. An MP3 of the song "Firesoul" is available at the Mercenary and Century Media websites. Mercenary are currently on tour in Europe with Brainstorm and At Vance. Metal Update DOMESHOTS Continue To Tour Behind Impressive Debut Album SELF-TITLEDSan Francisco Bay Quartet Conquering The Country with its Do-It-Yourself Approach Untamed. Uncompromising. That's the best description of true hard-rock music. And that's just the attitude and approach taken by Domeshots, the up-and-coming quartet from the San Francisco Bay area.Vocalist Dan Alexander, guitarist Jim Seishas, bassist Eric Tamo and drummer Dave Criss released their debut album, Self-Titled, on October 12, 2004, on Rock Ridge Music/Sixthman.Domeshots is touring relentlessly nationwide, hitting California and the West Coast particularly hard. The band is playing as often as it can, anywhere it can. In 2002, Domeshots became one of the few unsigned bands to secure a booking deal with The Agency Group, one of the biggest booking companies in the music industry. Domeshots has played in prestigious venues such as the Viper Room in Los Angeles and the Fillmore in San Francisco, but the band is just as enthusiastic when performing elsewhere.Alexander, Seishas, Tamo and Criss thrive on hard work and they enjoy what they are doing. Domeshots earned every positive step, and the most satisfying thing is that everything the band has achieved so far has happened because the members stuck to their guns and absolutely did not compromise their vision in any way. And they certainly don't plan to start now. It's all part of the master plan to win over every single music fan possible.For more information, including all the latest news and up-to-the-minute tour date listings, visit www.domeshots.com. Upcoming Domeshots tour dates include: Friday, February 18th Redding, CA Serendipity Saturday, February 19th Eugene, OR Black Forest Tavern Wednesday, February 23rd Tacoma, WA Fenders Thursday, February 24th Seattle, WA Doc Maynard’s Friday, February 25th Portland, OR U and I Saturday, February 26th Portland, OR Solid State Friday, March 11th Oakland, CA Imusicast www.domeshots.com AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE TO RELEASE THE FEEDING THROUGH NITRUS RECORDS/DRT ENTERTAINMENT ON FEBRUARY 15TH With 11 songs of bludgeoning, neck-snapping, brutal rock, American Head Charge has returned to the volatile music scene armed to the teeth. The band is truly coming into its own. “We’re tired of sitting on our asses,” says bassist Mr. H.C. Banks III, “Now that we have ammo…the new album… we’re ready to get back out there.” Always a band to raise eyebrows and turn heads, American Head Charge debuted in 2001 with The War Of Art and immediately made waves, jumping onto Ozzfest 2001 and creating havoc whenever and wherever they could. “Guns…. Drugs…..We were totally out of control,” says Banks. The lineup, which consists of Banks, vocalist Martin Cock, guitarists Bryan Ottoson and Karma Cheema, drummer Chris Emery and keyboardist Justin Fowler, has been hard at work ever since to create something even more impressive. The result is The Feeding, an 11-song assault on the senses that presents an uncompromising look at life and the inner battles that this band has fought. “We all have issues and demons,” says Banks. “Can we work around it? I think we can. We are more open about it than most bands, but it’s not a selling point.” What IS a selling point is the amazing versatility of this band. Cock’s vocals range everywhere from tense whispers and soulful crooning to harsh yelps and infuriated screams. Banks and Cock served as the key songwriting team on previous albums (The War of Art / Trepanation), but The Feeding “was much more of a band effort than the last one, specially with the addition of strong song writing from Ottoson and Fowler” says Banks. After having written almost fifty songs, the band picked out fourteen that they felt were the strongest. “It was good for us to have a rigid framework this time around. We actually needed boundaries. The cream rose to the top and these fourteen songs really stood out among the rest.” Produced by Greg Fidelman (who has worked on production and engineering with such bands as Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, System Of A Down, Sick Of It All and Red Hot Chili Peppers), The Feeding has a crushing sound. “On the last record, I, personally, was more hands on. This time around, the band, with myself included, put our faith in Greg,” Banks explains. Songs like “Loyalty” and “Dirty” exude feelings of ferocity, helplessness, hopelessness and rage. If the subject matter seems at all unclear, Banks sums it up very well: “To me, it refers to the feeding of that thing inside yourself that can’t be satiated. A lot of our lyrics are intentionally ambiguous and open ended.” As for any recurrent themes, guitarist Ottoson says, “This album is about hitting fucking rock bottom. Period.” “Loyalty”, the first single from The Feeding, has enjoyed early adds at multiple radio stations across the country, including: KUPD in Phoenix, WZZN in Chicago, KXXR in Minneapolis, KISW in Seattle, WJJO in Madison, WI, as well as adds at Sirius Satellite Radio and Hard Drive. The band’s true talents will be displayed on the road as they head out with Otep, Candiria, and, The Autumn Offering. Expect to see some impressive musicianship, pure sonic brutality and most of all, expect the unexpected when this tour rolls through your town. Upcoming American Head Charge tour dates include: February 16th Agora Ballroom Cleveland, OH February 18th Crocodile Rock Allentown, PA February 19th Trocadero Theater Philadelphia, PA February 20th Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ February 22nd Webster Theater Hartford, CT February 23rd The Station Portland, ME February 24th The Bombshelter Manchester, NH February 25th The Knitting Factory New York, NY February 26th Northern Lights Clifton Park, NY February 27th Jaxx Springfield, VA www.headcharge.com IN AETERNUM are currenty finnishing recording of their 4th full lenght album in Abyss studio with Tommy Targtren behind the desk. The album is entitled The Dawn Of The New Aeon. Artwork has been created by Joe Petagno (Angelcorpse, Motorhead...) and guest solos on that album were recorded by Mike Wead of King Diamon. In Aeternum are launched to tour Europe side by side with Belphegor and Arkhon Infaustus in April / May. The new album will hit the market on the 21st of March!! Our most recent signing is FELDGRAU, a new band of Pete Helmkamp of Revenge, Angelcorpse and Bill Taylor of Immolation. The band signed to us for 2 full lenght albums and some sorter limited goods. Their debut album Mechanized Misanthropy is currently being finalized and is set to be released on the 21st of March. Expect a strong dose of Beherit / Profanatica influenced Black Death Metal tunes with strong nuclear background and death cold industrial rhymes instead of drums... MERENDINE ATOMICHE proudly announce the "Atomic Raw Party" that celebrate the 10th anniversary of the band. A special show will take place the tuesday february 22nd, 2005 @ Special Pub in Vicenza - Italy! An entire night with the best songs of the band remembering these great 10 years of Heavy Metal! After party will be with Dj Metal and some other nice surprises! New Merchandise will be available! The band, also, will announce many important news about the future of the band and all the infos concerning the new album they are preparing, so...don't miss it! All news and info at their official site www.merendineatomiche.com JAMES HETFIELD Says LARS Was 'Completely Authentic' During DAVE MUSTAINE Therapy Session - Jan. 26, 2005 Launch Radio Networks is reporting that among the bonus scenes included in the just-released DVD version of the METALLICA documentary "Some Kind Of Monster" is an extended version of the encounter between drummer Lars Ulrich and MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine, who was kicked out of METALLICA in 1983. The meeting took place on September 13, 2001, at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in San Francisco, California, and was refereed by band therapist Phil Towle. METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, who was in rehab at the time, said he found the encounter very insightful. "That's a really powerful scene, Lars and him," James said. "And it's really pretty revealing. I think that was the first time I really saw Lars being completely authentic. He didn't know what to do, which was great. And Dave, you know, still, it's amazing how much stuff he's carried around with him for so long. Well hopefully he can see through this mirror what he needs to see." Among the other bonus material on the DVD are an expanded bass player auditions and footage from a live show with producer Bob Rock filling in on bass before the group hired Robert Trujillo. METALLICA are planning to return to the studio this year to start working on a follow-up to 2003's "St. Anger". [Source: Blabbermouth.net] Metal Maniacs

February 8th, 2005	Kult ov Azazel News In one month we will enter Mana Studio in Tampa, FL to start recording the next album "The World, The Flesh & The Devil". Due to personal obligations Nocturath has decided to leave the band but will continue to work closely with us in the future doing covers/layouts as he has done in the past. His replacement is VJS from the hordes Demoncy & Incursus, whose first official appearances will be on the split releases with Vrolok and Horn of Valere. As for the splits, the recording for both is complete. The only hold up right now is the art/layout for the 10" split with Horn of Valere and the enhanced video content for the split CD with Vrolok. The video portion will be completed within the next few days at which time everything will be turned over to Arctic Music for immediate release. No available information at the time about the release of the 10" through Abort The World Records. www.kultovazazel.com OVERKILL TO RELEASE 14TH STUDIO ALBUM RELIXIV ON EAGLE ROCK/SPITFIRE RECORDS MARCH 22nd It’s been a long road for Overkill. With 2005 marking the 20 year anniversary of their first record deal signing, and 14 full length studio albums under their belt, they have seen and done it all and are still creating high quality thrash metal music. When you think of the New York/New Jersey thrash/metal scene of the 80’s and 90’s you think of bands like Anthrax, Biohazard, Carnivore and Nuclear Assault. These bands were known for being down to earth. The kind of people you would expect to meet on the street or at a bar. Overkill are no exception. These New Jersey natives have always been the definition of “blue-collar” thrash metal, and they continue to present high-quality, no-frills, solid working-class thrash on their latest album ReliXIV. “We’re the real deal, and always have been. We feel that we have a common ground with our fans and we understand where they are coming from and in turn they understand us” says vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. ReliXIV is entirely self-produced by the band. “We’ve been putting out records for a while now and we’ve been paying attention. By now, we know how to do it ourselves,” says Blitz. “We wanted a dirty sound. We don’t want something that is over-produced. I think that in 2005, less can be more, it’s performance vs. process.” Indeed, Overkill are masterful when it comes to bringing their live ferocity to the recording studio. “We just push the record button and it all comes out. We try to bring the same attitude to the record as we do on stage” The core creative team of Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni has kept Overkill rolling fast and hard for over 20 years. “D.D. builds the house and I put the roof on” says Blitz. “When you listen to an Overkill record, you can recognize the band before I even open my mouth. I just put the icing on the cake.” In regard to the metal scene and image today, Blitz says “I’ve always thought the devil is more dangerous when you can’t recognize him. Metal is extreme, the more the better, but you have to do it tastefully.” Overkill live up to their own standards, rather than mimicking and following in others’ footsteps: “We are a listening band. We are always aware of what else is going on in the music world, and I’m sure it influences us, but we have to make ourselves happy, and do what we think is best. Change in music is a good thing and this record is about where we’re headed and where we’ve been. It’s introspective and personal. I’m not trying to make a big political statement, just saying what I feel.” With the closing track “Old School,” Overkill’s ode to their early days in the business, it becomes clear that this band have paid their dues and still know how to enjoy themselves. Blitz says, “We actually got (hard rock radio personality) Eddie Trunk and George Parente, who used to manage us and ran L’amours (the infamous club in Brooklyn that helped put Overkill on the map) to appear on that song. It’s about where we started. It takes us back to our punk rock days. I remember pogo-ing to the Ramones before I was stage diving with Slayer.” This nod to their past has always been a part of Overkill: building something new, while never abandoning what they already have built. “We have made an unwitting, unknowing progression without forgetting our roots.” A complete track listing for ReliXIV includes: Within Your Eyes Love Loaded Rack Bats In The Belfry A Pound Of Flesh Keeper Wheelz The Mark Play The Ace Old School NON-DIVINE's debut concept album "Asylum 45" has delays in the mastering process. Please be patient! NAPALM DEATH – Guests on album! More details unfold about NAPALM DEATH’s upcoming album “The Code Is Red… Long Live The Code” which will hit European shops April 25th. Word has already spread about guests in the studio who laid down some backing-vocals for the album: Jello Biafra, Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Jeff Walker (Carcass). KATAGORY V has currently finished with recording all the insturmentation, and are moving onto Lynns vocal tracks now. "I honestly don't think I've been this excited about recording my vocals before," says Lynn "Mike (producer) and Curtis have got a great sound so far, it's heavy, it's huge, and things are sounding really crisp. It's defaintly nothing like our previous albums, it's hard to explain, it's just big sounding and very melodic. I'm looking forward to putting my voice over the music." Katagory V have been recording the new album, tenatively titled "The Rising Anger", since October 2004 and are looking to wrap up production and mix the album down in Febuary/March for an early/mid summer release in 2005. www.katagory5.com MINE[THORN] SIGN WITH CODE666! We are happy to announce that Mine[thorn] from UK signed a deal with code666. Formed in 1999, Mine[thorn]'s larval stage was that of a brutal black/death metal hybrid band that performed a few gigs and fell dormant. It was in this period that The Axis of Perdition side-project came into life, but in the clotted bio mass and tangle of cables left over from the birth of blood and rust. something twitched, fed and grew and the current incarnation of Mine[thorn] was dragged into existence. Melding together ambient and industrial soundscaping, concrete heavy guitars with pounding percussion at times mechanistic others tribal, Mine[thorn] call what they create "Bio mechanical disturbance metal" the sound of city sized slabs of living ancient alien machinery descending from the sky and grinding across the face of the planet consuming all life to replace it with more of their own. Mine[thorn] draw their main inspiration from the industrial sprawl and urban deterioration of their native Teeside in northeast England as well as a plethora of writers and films harbour no particular spiritual, political or musical alliances Mine[thorn] simply wish to create music that is both crushingly heavy and rich with visual identity. Mine[thorn] : The sound of a 21st century city sized migraine code666 is a sublabel of Aural Music. THE AXIS OF PERDITION SET RELEASE DATE FOR SECOND ALBUM "DELETED SCENES FROM THE TRANSITION HOSPITAL" March 28th, 2005... The Axis of Perdition are taking you further in, whether you like it or not, in a more conceptually structured nightmare than before, following a sole character imprisoned in and navigating the dark labyrinth of the "Transition Hospital" (first alluded to on the previous mini-album "physical illucinations in the sewer of xuchilbara"), drawn inexorably towards his own ultimate revelatory terror. A more expansive, epic and vivid journey into their own unutterable darkness than they have attempted before, "Deleted Scenes..." sees the band more drenched in dark ambience than ever, the guitars more abstract and warped into unpleasant shapes, the vocals as cathartic and painful as ever. You have been warned: It just gets worse, and it's NEVER OVER... code666 is a sublabel of Aural Music. www.auralmusic.com MORBID ANGEL original vocalist and bassist David Vincent has rejoined Morbid Angel. The band is planning to begin a series of tours, starting with a U.S. trek with Soulfly, then on to Europe in March. Metal Update SHADOWS FALL vocalist Brian Fair will be filling in as host of Headbangers Ball for two episodes, airing January 29th and February 5th. The band will shoot a video for "Inspiration on Demand" in Puerto Rico at the end of the month with director Zach Merck. Shadows Fall will be touring in Australia, Japan and Korea throughout February, then returning to the States to begin their trek with Slipknot and Lamb of God in March. Metal Update On January 13th, vocalist Chris Barnes successfully underwent knee surgery. According to a post on the SIX FEET UNDER website he planned to have his doctor videotape the surgery and will be posting the footage on the site. Metal Update STRATOVARIUS has announced that their classic line up of Timo Tolkki, Timo Kotipelto, Jorg Michael, Jarl Kainufainen, and Jens Johansson is reuniting. They report that Timo Tolkki's health has been improving following his breakdown last April, and the band is currently working on new material. Metal Update Century Media Records has signed NAGLFAR to a new worldwide multi-album contract. Vocalist Jens Rydén is departing the band; current bassist Kristoffer Olivius will take over frontman duties, and Morgan Lie will take over bass duties at the start of their planned European tour with Fintroll in April. Their new album, tentatively titled Pariah is currently being recorded in the band's hometown at Ballerina Studios, the same studio where they recorded their previous two records. The album is scheduled for a spring release. Metal Update MAYHEM has been nominated for a Norwegian Grammy Award. The awards show will take place on February 26th. The other nominees in the metal category are Enslaved and Black Debbath. Metal Update AKERCOCKE guitarist Paul Scanlan is leaving the band. Akercocke will continue to write their new album following his departure. Metal Update On Thursday, January 20th, 100 bands performed live in a single day at various Virgin Megastore locations to raise money to aid the Tsunami relief effort.THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and GOD FORBID were among the bands that performed at the Times Square, NYC store. Metal Update KILLSWITCH ENGAGE / UNEARTH vocalist Howard Jones came down with laryngitis before the January 9th show in Mississauga, Ontario and was unable to perform. Unearth vocalist Trevor Phipps stepped up to the mic in his place. Metal Update DEVILYN - "11" is ready. The new album consist of 9 grinding songs. The portion of music served by Bony and his band is very mature and breaks the rules the band established and followed themselves before. It is much different from Devilyn's previous recordings, and turns out to be a revelation. BONY: After few years, reborn we return with the album that starts new chapter in band's history. After all that time i can say i managed to recreate devilyn with with people who perfectly understand my conception, i managed to bring all my visions to life. I think it's exactly what i wanted devilyn's music to be like, and i find this material to be the best of all our albums. Words like dynamics, brutality, intensity, technique are not enough to describe "11". For me - it is like turning to different space of death metal. First of all, everything is now clear and much more understandable. We made a lot of changes in sound. Drums are very strong and clear, and Domin plays very fast. Guitars are really heavy and clear as well, due to Erian's feel and Cyprian's professionalism. The technique skills of Michal are very high and all the lyrics Tolovy wrote are easy to hear. We are fully satisfied with all we did during such a short recording session. We are proud this album is our own masterpiece. www.conquerec.com HYPNOTIC FACE released the first video from an album "The End Of Sanity" It's for the song "From Hell" and is available at www.hypnoticface.com. FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING in search for new vocalist/frontman! Sam Anetzberger, our momentary main vocalist, who at first entered the band to become the exclusive frontman/main shouter (besides Stefan, as everyone knows) we never had before and could work with especially on stage, won´t be able to become an excluxive longtime frontman for Fragments Of Unbecoming due to his studies and being permanent member in his main band "Legacy". We already foresaw that we will have to take a final decision one day. Looking forward to the upcoming recordings, we definitely need someone working exclusively with us. That is to say, we now need a powerful frontman and we are excited to have someone entirely new in the band. The one to be chosen should be committed to shows, practices, forthcoming recordings and must have great stage presence (in any possible personal or special way). On principle, there is no matter to sound the same way Sam does, doubtless the one should be an extreme vocalist who perfectly fits to our music. If YOU are interested, please get in touch as soon as possible: via mail: sascha@fragmentsofunbecoming.com via website: www.fragmentsofunbecoming.com Until the time someone is trained doing the job and being able to enter the stage, Sam will continue supporting us. Anyway, we deeply thank Sam for his engagement and having become a very good friend of us! We also wish to thank our brothers in Legacy for their patience. MARDUK US RELEASE DATE SET Philadelphia: Candlelight Records confirms March 8 as the US release date for the new album from Sweden's Marduk. Titled Plague Angel, it is the band's nineth full-length studio album to see proper release in the US. Plague Angel is a punishing and uncompromising effort that stands as another robust testimony from a classic and influential band. Marduk's dominating power and aggression cascades through each and every track as their proclaimed and vitriolic deathmarch rages on. Recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrkoping, Sweden, the album is corrosive from start to finish. Chronicles of Chaos says, “Plague Angel ushers in a new era of songwriting maturity and misanthropic efficiency for the quartet.” Live4metal adds, “Plague Angel sees the band cocked and more than ready for action... an album that is both challenging in its barbarity and deadly serious in its tone.” Pre-recording line-up changes finds Plague Angel with new blood, (re)introducing bassist Magnus Devo Andersson (who produced the album) and vocalist Mortuus to the ranks. Founder/guitarist Morgan Hakansson and drummer Fredrik Andersson round out the album’s personnel. A visual assault, in the form of the newly filmed video for album track "Throne of Rats," was directed by director Roger Johansson (The Haunted, In Flames, Hammerfall) and has already been described as "a morbid masterpiece." Over a decade has passed since Marduk’s now infamous “Fuck Me Jesus” demo reared its blasphemous head. Despite death metal’s prevailing stature at the time, the recording found immediate worldwide acclaim for its innovative sound. Black metal would later rise to popularity and Marduk’s claim to royalty was instant. Derailed on their last several attempts to tour the US, Marduk are determined to crack the borders to enthrall stateside fans later this year. Track listing for Plague Angel is confirmed as The Hangman of Prague, Throne of Rats, Seven Angels Seven Trumpets, Life’s Emblem, Steel Inerno, Perish In Flames, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Waschau, Deathmarch, Everything Bleeds, and Blurache. Producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY, SKINLAB, MASTERPLAN) has finished remixing NEVERMORE's "Enemies of Reality" album for re-release via the Century Media label in the spring. Commented Sneap: "I finished the remixes [Saturday] night [Jan. 15] bar a couple of vocals that got lost somewhere between Seattle and the U.K. (only a whisper and a scream so Warrel [Dane, NEVERMORE singer] redid them [on Saturday]). It's sounding a lot clearer and really, REALLY heavy so I think [the fans will] be happy. I'm really enjoying listening to it myself, which says something because usually I'm fed up of an album once I've done it. "Don't know what the release date is but Century Media are anxious to get it so I'm presuming it'll be spring sometime. It usually takes 6-8 weeks minimum to get an album out from when masters are delivered." "Enemies of Reality" (2003) was originally recorded in Seattle with producer Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE, SLAVE TO THE SYSTEM, DOKKEN) and was widely criticized for its muddy, inferior production compared to that of its predecessor, 2000's "Dead Heart in a Dead World", which was produced by Sneap. NEVERMORE are expected to enter the studio with Sneap in the next few weeks to begin recording their follow-up to "Enemies Of Reality", tentatively due late summer/early fall via Century Media. With an updated sound and a revamped lineup, DISSECTION are prepared for the new millennium. After dissolving the band in 1997, vocalist Jon Nödtveidt has returned, enlisting the talents of guitarist Set Teitan (Aborym, Bloodline), bassist Brice Leclercq (Nightrage) and percussionist Thomas Asklund (Dark Funeral, Infernal, Dawn) in his quest to again dominate the world of dark, evil, black metal. As unforgiving and heartless as the climate of their Scandinavian homeland, the force of nature that is DISSECTION presents us with a tale of death and destruction, entitled Maha Kali. SUSPERIA NEAR COMPLETION OF SECOND VIDEO UNLIMITED CONTINUES TO BUILD Philadelphia: Norway's SUSPERIA are near to completion of their second video for the album track "Devil May Care" from their third full-length album, Unlimited. Released in the US during early summer 2004, the record continues to show growth; Unlimited close to surpassing soundscan figures of their previous album, Vindication, released by Nuclear Blast in 2002. "Devil May Care" will feature highlights from SUSPERIA's recent and most successful tour of Europe, including footage from their impressive performance at 2004's Inferno Festival. The clip follows "Chemistry," the album's first video still in rotation at Headbangers Ball/MTV2 and Havoc TV, among others. Formed in 1999 by then exiting Dimmu Borgir drummer Tjodalv, SUSPERIA quickly released their debut, Predominance. Tours in support of In Flames, Nevermore, Lacuna Coil and Dimmu Borgir would place the band in front of excited audiences throughout Europe, with their single US performance to date coming via the year's Milwaukee Metal Festival. The band’s second album, Vindication, would follow and equally impressed fans and critics alike. Signing with Tabu Records, US-partnership with Candlelight Records, in late 2003 the band would record and see release of Unlimited throughout Europe in March 2004, followed by the US release on June 29. Norway's prestigious Alarm Awards recently nominated Unlimited in its "Best Metal Album" category. Other nominees include label mates Enslaved, Red Harvest and Khold. SUSPERIA have confirmed their first live engagements of the new year, including participation at Norway's Hamar Metal Festival. The band is actively pursuing US touring opportunities. Revolver (US): "Chunky, old school thrash/death riffs collide brutishly with the harmonic guitar interplay and soaring vocals of modern metal." Rock Sound (UK): "a huge, gut-wreching slab of thrash metal that will have any real metal fan thrashing like a bastard." Terrorizer (UK): "Unlimited is a multi-faceted controlled beast.. purchase this clever work of metallic art." Scream (Norway): "Unlimited crushes all resistance that gets in its way!" Candlelight Records USA, with Metal Maniacs Magazine, proudly presents our first US label tour featuring ENTOMBED, CROWBAR, PRO-PAIN and introducing THE MIGHTY NIMBUS. Headquartered in London, Candlelight Records opened US offices January 2001 and since has seen overwhelming stateside development. Now entering its fifth year (US offices based in Philadelphia and distributed exclusively by Caroline Distribution), the label starts its 2005 release schedule Tuesday, January 25; first releases include new titles from VREID (featuring members of Windir), CALLENISH CIRCLE, plus catalog reissues of BLOOD RED THRONE (new album expected through Earache - springtime), and THE KOVENANT (new album expected through Nuclear Blast - springtime). The tour, set to kick off February 7 in New York City comes as the label sees release of CROWBAR's new album, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, and the self-titled debut from THE MIGHTY NIMBUS. The tour will conclude in Phoenix on February 28, shortly after the anticipated release of ENTOMBED's Swedish Grammy-nominated Unreal Estate. In March Candlelight Records will release MARDUK's Plague Angel, the 2cd (exclusive for the Americas) Zero Tolerance from Chuck Schuldiner (DEATH/CONTROL DENIED) and in the coming months will release new albums from CRIONICS, ShEAVY, PROJECT: FAILING FLESH (featuring former Voivod vocalist Eric Forrester), the special US-only 2cd reworking of BLUT AUS NORD's The Work Which Transforms God, plus the first dvd release from PRO-PAIN, debuts from KRYOBURN, OCTAVIA and more. Date Venue City 02/07/05 BB Kings Blues Club New York NY 02/08/05 Jaxx Nite Club Springfield VA 02/09/05 Trocadero Theatre Philadelphia PA 02/10/05 Webster Theatre Hartford CT 02/11/05 Northern Lights Clifton Park NY 02/12/05 The Chance Poughkeepsie NY 02/13/05 Penny Arcade Rochester NY 02/14/05 House of Blues Cleveland OH 02/15/05 Joe's Chicago IL 02/16/05 Station 4 St. Paul MN 02/17/05 Ranch Bowl Omaha NE 02/18/05 Gothic Theater Englewood CO 02/19/05 Lo Fi Café Salt Lake City UT 02/21/05 Fat Tuesday's Spokane WA 02/22/05 Graceland Seattle WA 02/23/05 Sabala's @ Mt. Tabor Portland OR 02/24/05 The Boardwalk Orangevale CA 02/25/05 The Pound San Francisco CA 02/26/05 House of Blues Los Angeles CA 02/27/05 Galaxy Theatre Santa Ana CA 02/28/05 The Mason Jar Phoenix AZ ENSLAVED/Isa (featuring bonus material for the US) in stores nationwide February 8. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com Escapi Music and Burnt Offerings To Release Seen Between The Lines for the First Time on DVD DVD Containing Intense Live Footage, Music Videos and Behind- the- Scenes Shots Set for March 8, 2005 Release TESTAMENT, who are renowned for their intense live performances and amazing musicianship , have announced that they will re-release the legendary Seen Between the Lines band documentary on DVD this spring. A fan–favorite for over a decade, Seen Between the Lines was originally released on VHS in 1991 and has been re-recorded in DVD format to enhance picture clarity and sound quality for today’s Testament followers. Seen Between The Lines contains a live set recorded during the band’s 1991 world tour, 4 promotional music videos, rare video interview clips, and exclusive behind the scenes and candid footage of the early years of this metal juggernaut. Featuring the ‘classic’ lineup of Chuck Billy (vocals), Eric Peterson (guitar), Alex Skolnick (guitar), Greg Christian (bass), and Louie Clemente (drums), this footage takes fans back to the day when Testament were in their prime: a hungry young metal band out to conquer the world. Seen Between The Lines is a visual documentation of how the band wowed fans with their technical prowess, coupled with their unbridled aggression, both in the studio, and on the stage. As soon as you place the disc in your DVD player, prepare to be blown away. This isn’t just a band. This is Testament. The live set list includes: Eerie Inhabitants Face in the Sky Greenhouse Effect Souls of Black Sins of Omission Disciples of the Watch Music videos include: Nobody’s Fault Practice What You Preach Souls of Black The Legacy www.testamentlegions.com

February 6th, 2005	DARK MOOR will release their new album "Beyond The Sea" on 4th March. Arise Records is also arranging the re-edition of their debut album "Shadowland" with a new cover artwork & graphic. This edition will contain a second Cd with the 2 official Dark Moor´s demos, "Flying" & "Dreams Of Madness", recorded in 1999. Both demos contain old unreleased stuff and different versions of "Shadowland" tracks. LABYRINTH new album "Freeman" will be released on 4th March Tracklisting: 1- L.Y.A.F.H. 2- Deserter 3- Dive In Open Waters 4-Freeman 5- M3 6-Face And Pay 7- Malcolm Grey 8- Nothing New 9-Infidels 10- Meanings DREAMAKER will release their new album entitled _Enclosed_ on 11th March. Brand new sound and killer production with rough guitars, a powerful rhythm section and a great variety of vocals melodies. Tracklisting: 01- I Live My Own Life 02- Reverse Universe 03- Over The Edge 04- Living In Fear 05- The End Of Your Suicide 06- Innocent Blood 07- W.W.666 08- Face To Face 09- Enclosed 10- Perfect Soul 11- Take Me Higher 12- Promised Heaven RAINTIME ink deal with Arise Records. This Italian metal act plays melodic heavy metal music mixing different vocal styles which even include a proper death voice. Their music is influenced by some classic and death metal bands like Children of Bodom, Iron Maiden, In Flames... Their debut album will be released in May. BLIND STARE the Finish melodic Death Metal act are just recording their debut album at Musamuusa Studios in Turku. More news coming soon. AXENSTAR have just started the recording of their 3rd album at Underground Studios. NEWS FROM THE AMORPHIS-CAMP The new Amorphis-vocalist Tomi Joutsen appeared on the stage with the band for the first time on Saturday January 8th at Nosturi in Helsinki. The band played 6 songs at the Tsunami-Benefit show. Amorphis started the search for a new frontman this September after they parted ways with former vocalist Pasi Koskinen. The band received more than a hundred demos from vocalists. For the record, Tomi Joutsen did not send in a demo. Currently Amorphis is preparing material for a new record and are scheduled to tour the U.S. in March. The U.S. tour consists of over 30 confirmed shows and Amorphis will be headlining the tour. THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER update from Trevor, band announces album title: Hey kids, we've got a brand new site for that ass. It's been a long time in the works, but lucky enough for us we've found ourselves a kick ass Webmaster by the name of Mike. You can contact him with any ideas/concerns for making this shit better. We should finally be up to date, as Dave and I are finally on the goddamn Internet again. For those of you who are wondering what blast master Cory Grady has been up to, he has now joined the ranks of the world's most dangerous band, Premonitions of War. Stop by their site and show Cory some love (http://www.premonitionsofwar.com/). We just got back from a tour of Europe with Marduk, Napalm Death, Fintroll, Vader and Belphegor. It was a pretty interesting experience. Big horns to anyone that came out to show BDM love. Just before we head into the studio, we have five days of support for the almighty Suffocation. Cattle Decapitation and Behemoth will also be thrashin'. Look to the shows section for more details. As for now, we're recording a new demo to show to Metal Blade and Andreas Magnusson. It will only exist on the lost form of Mini Answering Machine cassettes, so you goons won't be able to see what we are up to until its time to strike. The new album, Miasma, is now halfway written, and completely destroys anything we've done prior. We are very proud of the new songs, and are sure that our fans will not be disappointed. The direction of the new shit is noticeably heavier and far more intricate than our previous work. The album will be recorded in a dark scary basement of Richmond, VA, beginning March 10th with Andreas Magnusson (of Scarlet fame) at the helm. The album will then be mixed in April with the infamous Eric Rachel at Trax East studios, NJ. If all goes as planned Miasma will be available in the early summer months. We'll be out with King Diamond and Nile before the disc drops, kicking off another year of perpetual touring by your favorite road warriors. The heavily delayed "A Cold Blooded Epitaph" is now off at the pressing plant, and should be available in about two months. I apologize to those of you who have been waiting for this deluxe release. It has been re-mastered by Scott Hull, and features live bonus tracks (which will be the worlds first recorded glimpse at The Zach Dahlia Murder) and a live video from a killer set at The Palladium in Worchester, MA. The brilliant. Mark Riddick, who finally captured the essence of The Black Dahlia Murder in visual form, handled the cover art. We are 200% satisfied with the end result, and are eager to have them in our dirty paws. We'd like to thank Guy at Blackmarket for being so patient and helpful with the project. We are excited to be a part of such an amazing young label. For those of your who are artistically inclined and looking to make a few bucks, we are in dire need of some shirt designs. Send us your resumes. Serious inquiries only (therocklock@hotmail.com) We'll be working on the site constantly, and should have a web store up in a bit, as well as some new photos. Stay Metal, Trevor www.theblackdahliamurder.com Metal Maniacs THE RED CHORD's new record is 100% written and we will continue practicing after the new years. The album will consist of 11 tracks. We promise this album will be more brutal and in your face than the last album. We are going to start working on a new site very soon. We will be putting up a new web store with access to PayPal and all that junk. For now go to www.lumberjack-online.com to purchase some shirts. We start recording on January 6th for 3 weeks with Zeuss at Planet Z, which sets us at a May release date for the release of Clients. We have been working extremely hard on this record. We promise it will not let you down. The band will resume playing shows in February/March after the recording is complete and will probably be on the road for the majority of 2005. In other news…The new record from Japan's Sigh, entitled Gallow Gallery, will feature a guest appearance by Mike McKenzie or Gunface, as some of you know him. There is no release date set yet. "I was very honored to contribute a couple of guitar solos to the album, as Sigh has been an influence on my writing for a while now. I also contribute backing vocals on the new EP of Massachusetts based metal band, Norseth. Norseth plays an excellent blend of Swedish influenced death metal and traditional metal. Thanks to both bands for the opportunity to be a part of some exceptional music." – Gunface The new Norseth EP is called The Hexed Enigma, and is available now. You can check out some more info on them here: www.theredchord.com Metal Maniacs AS I LAY DYING brief update from the band: Two very big announcements! We start recording for a new album tomorrow. Preproduction is done and we are very excited about the new material. Secondly, we will be touring Japan & Australia in February. More info will be posted soon. www.asilaydying.com Metal Maniacs VEHEMENCE in search of new vocalist Vehemence is now in search for a new vocalist. Longtime vocalist/lyricist Nathan Gearhart has stepped down due to family obligations, and we now need a powerful frontman to fill his shoes. He will be missed, but at the same time we are excited to have some new blood in the band. We are currently looking for someone who will be fully committed to shows, practices, and tours and must have great stage presence. We DO NOT want a Nathan clone, and would prefer someone who can bring something new to our sound. No matter what 'scene' you are from, if you are an extreme metal vocalist, get in touch! The goal is to expand, and reach a wider audience with our new vocalist so if you are interested, please email us at: vehemence@vehemence.com. Sincerely, Bjorn, John, Andy, and Mark of Vehemence www.vehemence.com Metal Maniacs MERCENARY SCORES TOP MARKS Denmark’s progressive-death metal band MERCENARY have received top marks from the prestigious Danish Metal Awards, including Album of the Year (11 Dreams), Vocalist Of The Year (jointly to Mikkel Sandagar and Kral) and Guitarist of the Year (Martin Buus). Astounding press attention has accompanied the 2004 European release of 11 Dreams, resulting in a tie for 2004 International Album of the Year from Germany’s well-respected Metal Hammer and 10/12 from Heavy, Oder Was?! 11 Dreams will be released in the US on February 8 with two bonus tracks. Captivating North American press, the album has already received the following magnificent reviews: The band will be touring throughout 2005, including a spring European tour with Brainstorm and a festival performance at Germany’s esteemed Wacken Open Air. Metal Maniacs MNEMIC NEWS With last year's debut album, Mechanical Spin Phenomena, MNEMIC introduced themselves to the metal world impressively.Supported by keyboards, samples and guitar synthesizers, MNEMIC have coined their spacey atmospheric sound with the self-proclaimed “Fusion Future Metal” brand. Crushing songs like "Ghost" and "Liquid" got stuck in your head and the comparisons to bands like Fear Factory, Meshuggah or Strapping Young Lad were drawn.But MNEMIC are not a simple copy of those acts – they are a band with their own ideas and self-contained style.The latest release, The Audio Injected Soul, hit streets on October 5th, fulfilling the craving for fresh, heavy metal! SOILWORK, DARK TRANQULLITY, HYPOCRISY, MNEMIC Spring Tour Date 4/05 Buffalo Icon - Buffalo, NY 4/06 House Of Blues - Chicago, IL 4/07 Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI 4/08 Granada Theatre - Lawrence, KS 4/09 Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO 4/10 Lo-Fi Café - Salt Lake City, UT 4/12 Graceland - Seattle, WA 4/14 The Pound - San Francisco, CA 4/15 House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA 4/16 Key Club - Los Angeles, CA 4/17 Venue Of Scottsdale - Scottsdale, AZ 4/19 Back Room - Austin, TX 4/20 Engine Room - Houston, TX 4/22 Al Rosa Villa - Columbus, OH 4/23 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA 4/26 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA 4/27 The Social -Orlando, FL 4/2 Jaxx - W. Springfield, VA 4/30 Webster Theater - Hartford, CT 5/01 B.B. Kings - New York, NY 5/03 Le Capitole Theatre - Quebec City, QC 5/05 Opera House - Toronto, ON 5/07 Harpo’s - Detroit, MI Metal Maniacs MALEVOLENT CREATION European Onslaught Update Malevolent Creation will be bringing their Warkult on a European onslaught in 2005. The Southern Front will be opened in March and include offensive positions in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Iceland! The Northern Front will be opened in April and operations will be executed in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic. Look out for further information through the usual underground outlets. Interested promoters should contact First Contact Agency at ae@firstcontactagency.com while some dates are still open. www.malevolentcreation.cjb.net Metal Maniacs