Metal News for January 23, 2004
Last updated on October 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM ET
We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.
Hot Topics
- Enthroned To Release New Album In December
- Kreator To Release New Album In January
- Spite Premiere New Single & Music Video
- Carcosa (AngelMaker) Premiere New Single & Video
- Agnostic Front Premiere New Single & Lyric Video
- Potato Premiere New Single & Music Video "YUGE PP"
- Omnium Gatherum Drops "Walking Ghost Phase" Video
- Tailgunner Signs With Napalm Records
- Messa Shares New Music Video "Reveal"
- Stellar Circuits Premiere New Single & Music Video
14 news articles posted on this day.
Trail Of Tears Recording New Album
Norway's Gothic/Doom metal act TRAIL OF TEARS will enter Dub Studio on March 1 with producer Endre Kirkesola (Green Carnation, Blood Red Thtone) to begin recording their fourth, as-yet-untitled album. The band expect to spend 8-10 weeks recording the follow-up to 2002's "A New Dimension of Might", tentatively due this summer through Napalm Records.
As previously reported, TRAIL OF TEARS recently recorded a version of Dead Can Dance's "The Arcane" for the upcoming Dead Can Dance double-CD tribute album, "The Lotuseaters". The set, which will be released through Greece's Black Lotus Records, will include additional appearances by such acts as The Gathering, Ulver, Green Carnation, Septic Flesh, Helena Iren Michaelsen (Imperia, ex-Trail Of Tears) and Antimatter.
Headline News
Ex-Priest Drummer Found Guilty of Attempted Rape
BBC new reports that former JUDAS PRIEST drummer DAVID HOLLAND has been found guilty of trying to rape a teenage boy who visited his home for drum lessons.
Holland had denied the accusations Monday (January 19), saying the charges were "ridiculous." Holland said he had formed a "friendship" with the teenager, who is aged 18 but cannot be named for legal reasons, and had invited him to his house on several occasions. The drummer stressed that no sexual advances were made towards the teenager. He said he had never touched the boy's genitals or had sexual intercourse with him, and added: "I have never, ever, had sexual intercourse with another man. It is not something that interests me at all."
Meanwhile, Judas Priest was quick to post this statement online:
We are as shocked and stunned as everyone else by this news - however, we would like to point out that Scott Travis is Judas Priest's drummer and has been since 1989.
We have not see or heard from or had any contact with Dave Holland at all since we parted company with him over 15 years ago.
Dream Theater Offer Fans Exclusive Tickets
Dream Theater fans, get your "Premium" tickets for "An Evening With Dream Theater - Train of Thought 2004 World Tour" before they go onsale to the public! Tickets for the following shows will be available at:
http://www.fanfire.com/artistName=Dream+Theater&sourceCode=DRAWEB
For more information please check the Dream Theater Ticket FAQ. Specific questions about tickets, existing ticket orders, etc. can be sent to tickethelp@fanfire.com.
Here are the official US dates: More...
Tristania To Enter The Studio In April
Norway's TRISTANIA will enter Toproom studios in Oslo in April with producer Børge Finstad to begin recording the follow-up to 2001's "World of Glass", tentatively due this fall through Napalm Records.
In other news, the band have announced that they have signed with Continental Concerts for booking and management. All inquiries regarding the band (not fan mail) should from now on be directed to Continental Concerts.
Headline News
Bassist Paul Barker Leaves Ministry
Bassist Paul Barker has left MINISTRY after 18 years with the industrial-metal pioneers, according to MTV.com. Barker says his decision to leave the band was cemented by the death of his father on the final night of MINISTRY's summer European tour.
"Last summer Al was extremely enthusiastic about the possibilities of what the band could do, and I wasn't as excited. I thought, 'What are we going to do and what am I going to get out of it?' and I realized that now would be the perfect time to bow out," Barker told MTV.com.
Barker also said he plans to produce other groups and write music on his own:
"I wanna make big, ugly, heavy music because that's what I love," he said. "But it's pop music. It has verses and choruses. It's not abstract and experimental."
MINISTRY have hired John Monte (ex-MIND FUNK, M.O.D.) to replace Barker, and they're in the studio in Tornillo, Texas, working on the follow-up to 2003's "Animositisomina", titled "Houses of the Molé". A late spring release through Sanctuary Records is expected.
Seeds of Hate Play Last Show, Final Release
Today is the last show of German Black Metal band Seeds of Hate at Verloren Festival ( 24/01/03- JH KADEE- BORNEM -BELGIUM) along with Merrimack, Belenos and others. The band will release one split 7"EP with Norwegian ELITE and record their second album for Agonia Records which will be most probably the last one album recorded by Seeds Of Hate.
Glitched In The Studio
Today is the scheduled date to begin principle recording for the As Yet Untitled Debut CD from Northern California metal band GLITCHED in their brand new private studio, located in the home of dummer Mark Allen.
DevilDriver to be Filmed for HBB Episode
Former Coal Chamber front man Dez Fafara's new band DEVILDRIVER will be recorded in New York City on February 27th. The footage will be used in an upcoming episode of "Headbangers Ball" on MTV2. They will be playing Irving Plaza in NYC later that night with OPETH. The date for this footage to air is not known yet, but should be announced soon.
To add a little bit of my opinion to this article, everyone out there should check out this tour. OPETH is an extremely talented band, whether you like them for their raw metallic riffs, or for the pure genius and challenging intricacies put forth in their music. Along with DEVILDRIVER, MOONSPELL is also on this tour.
Century Media Welcomes ChaosBreed
ChaosBreed, the finnish death-metal band have officially signed a contract with Century Media Records. The group consists of vocalist Taneli Jarva (The Black League, ex-Sentenced), guitarist Esa Holopainen (Amorphis), guitarist Marko Tarvonen (Moonsorrow), drummer Nalle Österman (ex-Gandalf) and bassist Oppu Laine (ex-Amorphis, Mannhai).
Here's a quote from the band regarding the deal:
"We are very enthusiastic about collaborating with one of the biggest record companies within the metal genre. As the name Century Media is very much associated with quality due to its merits, we are very happy and proud of this contract. We wish that this partnership is fruitful for both parties concerned."
The band recently recorded their debut album at CCPC Studios. It was produced by Santeri Kallio and Niclas Etelävuori and mastered at Finnivox Studios. Keep an eye out for this album entitled "Brutal" it should be on shelves in late-spring.
As I Lay Dying Tour Dates
As I Lay Dying, Everytime I Die, The Black Dahlia Murder and Scarlet are set to tour together in March and April. Here are the dates:
March 23 - Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theater
March 24 - Detroit, MI @ Shelter at St. Andrews
March 25 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's Down Under
March 26 - Buffalo, NY @ The Continental
March 27 - Toronto, CA @ Club Rockit
March 28 - Montreal, CA @ Salle LX
March 30 - Providence, RI @ The Living Room
March 31 - New York, NY @ The Knitting Factory
April 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
April 2 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
April 3 - Richmond, VA @ Alley Katz
April 4 - Charlotte, NC @ The Casbah
April 5 - Atlanta, GA @ Echo Lounge
April 6 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
April 7 - Orlando, FL @ The Social
April 15 - West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go-Go
April 19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Albee Square
More dates to be announced soon.
Fall of the Transient
An official website has been launched for Transient, the space rock side project of Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair. You can check it out here. The site features various mp3's from the bands Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) produced demo and more. For now, Transient currently have the following shows lined up:
January 23rd Worcester, MA - The Lucky Dog (Feat. Seemless, Reverese, Stoneface)
January 30th Northampton, MA - Harry's (Feat. Melodram)
February 27th Fitchburg, MA - The Wallace Civic Center (Feat. Seemless, Frontrunner, A Loss For Words)
H.I.M. and Amorphis Join Forces
Members of H.I.M. and AMORPHIS have reportedly joined forces in a grindcore-style side-project called TO SEPARATE THE FLESH FROM THE BONES.
The band, who are opting to keep their identities a "mystery," recently recorded their debut EP, "For Those About To Rot", tentatively due in the spring. A full-length album should follow in the autumn.
"For Those About To Rot" track listing:
01. Infected Rectum (0:49)
02. Breast-Fed By Blood (0:54)
03. Rotten Vagina (0:29)
04. Filthy Cunt (0:52)
05. Genital Massacre (0:43)
06. Chainsaw Fuck (0:56)
07. Die Like A Wimp (0:53)
08. Flesh That Lies Beneath (1:38)
09. Fistfucked 'Til Death (1:05)
10. Spermjerker (1:02)
The group's current lineup is as follows:
Herr Archstein: Guitar & Vocals
Rot Wailer: Bass
Pus Sypope: Drums
Commented Rot Weiler, "On a spiritual level, the band has existed two years. In real life, we have rehearsed once and recorded our first EP, 'For Those About To Rot', in one day. We have no big plans, it's just fun to play grindcore. We are not too serious with this..."
Lamb of God To Shoot Video For Title Track
LAMB OF GOD will fly to Los Angeles to film the video for 'As the Palaces Burn' from February 5th through to the 7th with director Dan Rush, who also directed 'Ruin'. The video will premiere in late February.
Stratovarius Drummer Quits After One Week
STRATOVAIUS's new drummer Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL) has quit after one week in being the band, he's the statement from frontman Timo Tolkki:
"Anders gave me a call and said that he doesn't want to join the band permanently and that he is happy to be in HAMMERFALL playing True Metal. Since I am looking for a permanent member, we agreed in good spirits to go separate ways. I am very disappointed that he didn't want to join STRATOVARIUS permanently, but at the same time I wish him and the HAMMERFALL guys well and best of luck with their career. I suspect that the decision of Anders has something to do with my reputation. I can understand him very well, I wouldn't join a band in which I would be playing in. I have already contacted a Finnish drummer and I hope I can announce his name very soon."
In Metal, Timo Tolkki"
Navigate forward or backward through each day of news below: