Metal News for January 4, 2008
Last updated on October 4, 2025 at 3:07 AM ET
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Hot Topics
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27 news articles posted on this day.
Ribspreader Post New Song Online
RIBSPREADER, the Swedish "old-school death metal" band featuring guitarist/vocalist/bassist Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER, CARVE, HUMANITY DELETE), has posted a sample of the new song "Septic Severance" on the group's MySpace page. The track comes off RIBSPREADER's forthcoming album, "Opus Ribcage", due later in the year via the reactivated Dutch label VIC Records. "Expect nothing but classic Swedish death metal," says the band.
RIBSPREADER's "The Monolith" three-track EP is out on the Swedish label Blood Harvest. The group's "Vicar Mortis" four-track EP is available on the American label Midnight 666.
Fission Announce New Album Title
FISSION, the collaboration between BORKNAGAR/VINTERSORG frontman Andreas Hedlund (a.k.a. Vintersorg) and VINTERSORG live session drummer Benny "Hägge" Hägglund, has set "Pain Parade" as the title of its second album, due later in the year via Aphotic Records. The CD will be mixed beginning on February 1 at Ballerina Audio with Nils Johansson (VINTERSORG, NAGLFAR, TME). According to a press release, "Pain Parade" will contain "eight brilliant songs that mix the most of [what] metal has to offer."
FISSION's debut album, "Crater", was released in 2004 via Napalm Records.
According to Hedlund, FISSION's musical style can be described as "harsh and razor-sharp thrash metal, with a lot of melody and atmosphere. Some links can be made to bands like AT THE GATES — it has some of that melodism — but still has its very own identity. Vocally, the style switches between bone-chilling black-metal escapism, to soothing and calm voice-scapes, and the lethal dose of attitude in multiple parts are of course very present."
Epica To Perform A Classical Show In Hungary
Held in the Miskolc Ice Hall, Hungary, The Miskolc International Opera Festival will be featuring a special performance by Dutch symphonic metallers Epica: a classical show with symphonic orchestra and choir. At the "Epica: The Classical Conspiracy Show", the band will play a very specific musical program consisting of classical pieces by Mozart, Dvorak, Verdi, Orff, Prokofiev, Grieg, and Vivaldi in Epica's own style - and of course, symphonic versions of the band's own songs. A few Epica songs will be re-written especially for this event, tickets for which will set you back forty Euros. The Epica classical show will be held on the fourteenth of June, 2008, kicking off at 9pm. No news yet on whether an album or DVD will be made of the once-in-a-lifetime event, but more surprises are reportedly forthcoming.
Judgement Day Give Recording Update
Violin and Cello metal band Judgement Day has issued the following recording update:
"The new album is coming along. We finished tracking drums at Nu-Tone and took a week off for the holidays and now we’re going to get back into it. One of the biggest tasks we have ahead of us in the next couple of weeks is sorting through all of the jams that we recorded. There are over 3 hours worth of jams and a bunch of them are really sweet so we’ll definitely be finding places for some of it on the record. Here’s a video of Riki doing a dub mix of one jam (this one won’t be on the record):" More...
Incantation To Headline Mayhem In May Festival
Pennsylvania-based death metallers INCANTATION will headline day one of the Mayhem in May 3 festival, set to take place May 17-18, 2008 at Uncle Pleasant's in Louisville, Kentucky.
"We look forward to headlining this killer fest," stated INCANTATION mainman John McEntee. "Our friends in ESTUARY played it last year and had great things to say about it, so we are sure it will kick ass. We don't get many opportunities to play Kentucky, so we look forward to a kick-ass fest."
Also newly added to the bill is Philadelphia's legendary death metal band GOREAPHOBIA. John continues, "I have also been jamming with GOREAPHOBIA over the last few months and things have been coming together great. We have been working on some new songs and everything looks real promising."
In addition to McEntee, drummer Jim Roe (INCANTATION, MR GRIM, D.O.M) has joined the GOREAPHOBIA ranks. Look out for GOREAPHOBIA's debut album to arrive sometime in 2008.
Here is the Mayhem in May 3 festival billing: More...
Pyramaze Comments On Matt Barlow's Departure
The following statement from Matt Barlow was recently posted on Pyramaze's website regarding his future status with the band:
"Brothers and Sisters,
"In light of recent events, it is rather apparent that I need to address what's going on in my life as it pertains to Pyramaze and Iced Earth. As I'm sure you're aware, last week, my wife gave birth to our second son. We are all doing well, but it has taken a little time to get my thoughts together following that and the announcement of my return to Iced Earth. After Michael's statement, it became very clear to me that I must come to terms with the fact that I can not be in all places at all times. Obviously, there are some of you who had the same concerns. It just took me a little longer to figure that out. Well, the point is, I contacted Michael and let him know that I very much wanted to perform on the record, but that I would not be able to continue on with the band in a full time position as planned. I pointed out to Michael that I was extremely grateful to him and the rest of the guys for bringing me on board and I felt obligated to be up front with him on this. I did not want to do the record and then back out, leaving things on bad terms. Understandably, Michael was disappointed but ultimately understanding of the situation. Pyramaze is an extremely talented group of musicians, who's work is well known in the progressive metal community and will be in high demand in a short time. I am happy to say that I will be working with them, if only in a limited term. The music that Michael has written is going to make for a kick ass heavy metal record (KAHMR) and I give you my word that I will give everything that I've got to insure that. Thanks for your time...you'll hear from us soon!"
Guitarist Michael Kammeyer has also posted his, and the band's, statement on the website:
"Hello friends,
"As you can all read in Matt's statement, the term of our cooperation has changed due to the fact that he's back in Iced Earth. When Matt approached me with his thoughts and decisions, we had the choice of A. Letting Matt go and finding another singer right away, or B. record this album as planned and with the singer for whom the music was written. Matt let us know that he was still very hooked on recording this album with us, but that he would understand and respect our final decision, should we wish to terminate our cooperation right away. After discussing this with my band brothers we came to the conclusion that we've started the journey of recording our new album together with Matt, and we will finish this album together with him. After we have completed this new album Matt is going to be concentrating solely on Iced Earth again. So this will be a onetime cooperation between Pyramaze and Matt, and this album will be one for the books. We all understand and respect Matt's decision, and there's no bad blood here at all. Matt is a genuinely nice guy with a honest heart, and we are proud to be working with him. I will also encourage you to read Matt's other statement at www.icedearth.com to give you some more insight in the situation. I guess now is a good time to reveal the cover for our new album which is called Immortal. Let me also take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas and a rocking new year. We thank you all for your support."
Burning Human Post Another New Song Online
BURNING HUMAN, the resurrected death metal band featuring SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner, has posted another newly recorded song, entitled "Chemical Experimentation", on its MySpace page. The track comes off the group's forthcoming debut album, "Resurrection through Fire", which was mixed by legendary guitarist James Murphy (OBITUARY, DEATH, TESTAMENT, DISINCARNATE, CANCER, KONKHRA).
As previously reported, BURNING HUMAN has announced the addition of second guitarist Mike Stack to the group's ranks. "Mike has played in a number of local Troy/Albany, NY metal and hardcore bands since the early '90s, including local legends DYING BREED and POLITICS OF CONTRABAND," BURNING HUMAN writes in a statement. "Mike currently plays guitar in THE FINAL SLEEP, and plans to continue his double duty between both bands.
Odin's Court Post New Song Online
Another new song from the Lexington Park, Maryland-based progressive rock/metal band ODIN'S COURT, entitled "Obesite", has been posted on the MySpace page of ODIN'S COURT guitarist/vocalist Matt Brookins' studio D2C Studios.
"Obesite" comes off ODIN'S COURT's forthcoming album,"Deathanity", which is tentatively due in early 2008. The CD features a guest appearance by SONATA ARCTICA's Tony Kakko on the song "Crownet".
Commented Matt Brookins: "The first time I heard SONATA ARCTICA, I fell in love. Tony has such lush, unique vocals, and he has an instantly recognizable voice. And the band exhibits characteristics that make them stand out in their genre — infectious melodies, technical musicianship, and diversity. 'Ecliptica' and 'Silence' are two of my favorite metal albums, so to hear that voice on an ODIN'S COURT song is quite cool for me. With all the growth and success SONATA ARCTICA has seen in the past couple of years, I was honestly shocked and excited when Tony agreed to sing a song on our new CD! Such a nice human being with such a talent is rare. I can't wait for folks to hear what he brought to the table!"
ODIN'S COURT is currently an independant band in search of a label for its new CD, "Deathanity", a concept album about the direction in which the human race is taking the planet.
You can check out more audo samples on Odin's Court's MySpace page.
Hatebreed Frontman Bashes Malicious P2P Posters
Like most artists, Hatebreed frontman and former Headbangers Ball host, Jamey Jasta, isn’t too stoked about illegal downloading. But Jasta’s latest gripe with peer to peer networks has nothing to do with lost income or prematurely released songs, but with something even more potentially damaging — disinformation.
On a December 28 post on the band’s MySpace, Jasta attacked “some lame a–hole” who posted the 1998 song "Smash Your Enemies" as "Kill the Niggers" on various file sharing services. It’s not the first time the band has dealt with malicious downloaders. In 2004, a Hatebreed hater posted the 1998 song “Kill an Addict” on Kazaa under the same ugly title.
"This is why illegal music downloading is f—ed up," Jasta wrote."Any true Hatebreed fans know the real deal and know we would never have a song called that, but there are a lot of young kids that don’t buy music legally that went online to steal our music and saw this f—ed up song title and were offended and wrote us messages and hate mail. This is so lame. Hatebreed is a band with positive messages of respect for all… It offends us that people would even think for one second that we would have any racist, homophobic or sexist type agenda."
Withered Signs To Prosthetic Records
Prosthetic Records has announced Atlanta's WITHERED as the latest addition to the label's ranks. The band's forthcoming effort, "Folie Circulaire," is scheduled for a late-spring release and will be produced by Phillip Cope (Kylesa, Baroness, Black Tusk) through Prosthetic. "We're very excited to start this new chapter for Withered by joining the Prosthetic Records family," guitarist/vocalist Mike Thompson says. "We've put a lot of time and consideration into deciding which label we wanted to work with for our next album and Prosthetic have really proven their commitment to WITHERED's music and metal in general. It can be difficult to find a label that understands your band AND has the resources to help cultivate your music without compromising it. This is a natural step for Withered and we are quite eager to contaminate and disgrace everything Prosthetic Records has to offer."
The band's previous release, 2005's "Memento Mori," garnered critical acclaim and took WITHERED on the road with the likes of Mastodon, High On Fire, Dismember, Grave, Vital Remains, 1349, as well as new labelmates Skeletonwitch in the summer of 2007. A rough demo version of a song from "Folie Circulaire" is currently available on the band's MySpace page, along with several tracks from "Memento Mori."
Here are the latest WITHERED tour dates: More...
Impaled Cancel Rasputin Records Performance
California metallers, Impaled, issue the following announcement on their Myspace page:
"Due to the storm, Impaled has to cancel our performance at Rasputin Records. The store has expressed difficulty with the performance room flooding, and our guitarist, Sean, is stuck in Santa Cruz due to the mountain highways closing down."
"This confluence of events cannot be ignored... though neither sleet, nor rain, nor snow can stop Impaled, downed power lines and flash flooding can."
"We apologize sincerely. We hope everyone stays safe and dry through this storm so we can all rock out together once we reschedule the show. Thanks."
Pessimist Reunite With Original Lineup
The original PESSIMIST lineup from the first two CDs, “Cult of the Initiated” and “Blood For The Gods” — featuring founding members, guitarist Kelly McLauchlin (DIABOLIC, UNHOLY GHOST, EQUINOX), vocalist Rob Kline (PSYCHOTOGEN, FLESHTIZED), and drummer Chris Pernia (PSYCHOTOGEN, BEYOND THE SCAR) — has reunited. Handling bass duties for the group is Kelly Conlon (ex-DEATH, MONSTROSITY). Plans are underway to begin writing new music for release later in the year.
In the meantime, PESSIMIST will release a new CD, “Evolution Unto Evil” which features rare and previously unreleased tracks, early demos and live studio versions of songs which have never been released on CD, plus cover songs from POSSESSED, KREATOR, and DEATH. “Evolution Unto Evil” will feature artwork and layout from Morbid Subculture, and is set to hit the streets March/April 2008, a co-release on Grim Nocturnal Records and Pathos Productions.
Revengia Post Another Song Online For Download
Swedish metallers REVENGIA have made the song "Back to Hell" available for download at this location. The track comes off the group's new album, "Eraser", which was released in Japan on November 21 via Soundholic Records. Release dates for other territories have not yet been confirmed.
"Eraser" track listing:
01. Eraser
02. Back to Hell
03. Breathe Me
04. Sweet Dreams
05. Life
06. Holy Lies
07. Deny
08. Pain
09. Whore
10. Prince of Darkness
11. Hollow Soul More...
Cryptopsy To Tour Mexico In April
Canadian death metallers CRYPTOPSY will embark on their first-ever tour of Mexico in April. The dates are as follows (venue details to be confirmed):
Apr. 03 - Saltillo
Apr. 04 - Tampico
Apr. 05 - Monterrey
Apr. 06 - San Luis Potosi
Apr. 10 - Toluca
Apr. 11 - Guadalajara
Apr. 12 - Leon
Apr. 13 - Mexico City More...
Birds of Prey Unveil New Music
BIRDS OF PREY, the band featuring Erik Larson (ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY), Bo Leslie (THE LAST VAN ZANT), Summer Welch (BARONESS), Ben Hogg (BEATEN BACK TO PURE) and Dave Witte (MUNICIPAL WASTE), has posted two new tracks, "Turning Big Rocks into Little Rocks" and "Lice Halo," on the group's MySpace page. The songs come off BIRDS OF PREY's forthcoming album, "Sulfur and Semen", which is due on January 22 via Relapse Records.
"Sulfur and Semen" was recorded at Sniper Studio in Moyock, NC with producer Vince Burke and contains 11 songs; ten originals and a cover of IRON AND WINE's "Show Him the Ground". More...
Fear Factory Singer Talks About New Band
FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell recently spoke to MTV.com about his new band, ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS, which will release its debut full-length, "Numinosum", next month.
"I've never really considered myself a metal guy," Bell explained. "Yeah, I've been in a metal-industrial band, but the music I've always listened to has been much different, which is maybe why the vocals I did with FEAR FACTORY were different than those of other metal singers. But I definitely wanted to do something much different this time. The music is completely personal, and it lets me try techniques I haven't previously had the chance to explore. We used to always say we were expanding the boundaries in FEAR FACTORY. Well, now I'm really stepping out of the boundaries."
Regarding the current status of FEAR FACTORY, Bell said, "FEAR FACTORY is on hiatus. As far as I know, it's not over. I just wanted to work on some other stuff. I've been part of FEAR FACTORY since its inception, and 17 years later I need to do something else for a while. And FEAR FACTORY doesn't have a record deal, so there's no contractual obligation to move forward with that, so right now it's all about the WATCHERS." More...
Read the full article at MTV.com.
Belphegor Confirmed For Hellfest
Austrian extreme metallers BELPHEGOR have been confirmed for this year's Hellfest festival, set to take place June 20-22, 2008 in Clisson, France. More than 60 bands will perform on 2 stages. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ANATHEMA
ANAAL NATHRAKH
ANGRA
AT THE GATES
BELPHEGOR
BENIGHTED
BORN FROM PAIN
CARCASS
CULT OF LUNA
ELUVEITIE
FORBIDDEN
GHOST BRIGADE
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
MESHUGGAH
MINISTRY
MY DYING BRIDE
PARADISE LOST
SEPTIC FLESH
SHINING
SICK OF IT ALL
SONATA ARCTICA
TESTAMENT
THE OLD DEAD TREE
BELPHEGOR recently entered Andy Classen's Stage One Studios in Kassel, Germany to begin recording their new album for an April 11, 2008 European release via Nuclear Blast Records (April 15 in North America). The follow-up to 2006's "Pestapokalypse VI" is being recorded in three separate sessions lasting through the middle of January 2008.
BELPHEGOR recently completed a European tour with SIX FEET UNDER, NILE and FINNTROLL.
Amon Amarth Confirmed For Sandstorm Festival
Swedish metallers AMON AMARTH have been confirmed for the Sandstorm festival, set to take place February 2 at Hal Hippodroom in Kuurne, Belgium. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMON AMARTH
ASPHYX
AXAMENTA
BATTALION
DAYS OF DEMISE
DEDICTED
EMETH
ENDSTILLE
FATAL RECOIL
GRAVE
IMMACULATE
KLUDDE
Tokyo Dragons To Support Danko Jones In London
TOKYO DRAGONS will support DANKO JONES on February 12 at the Hoxton Bar & Grill in London, England.
TOKYO DRAGONS released their second full-length album, "Hot Nuts", last September via Escapi Music.
"Hot Nuts" was recorded at Seattle's legendary Litho (owned by PEARL JAM's Stone Gossard) and Avast studios with producer Kurt Bloch (NASHVILLE PUSSY, SUPERSUCKERS).
According to a press release, "Hot Nuts" "amalgamates more '70s American rock influences than its Brit-rock predecessor, especially the likes of CHEAP TRICK and TOM PETTY who can be found rubbing shoulders with the more familiar THIN LIZZY and MOTÖRHEAD influences, and a cover of TODD RUNDGREN's classic 'Couldn't I Just Tell You' seals the deal."
Edguy To Play Sweden Rock Cruise
Sweden Rock Magazine has confirmed that German metallers EDGUY will play this year's Sweden Rock Cruise.
The 24-hour cruise departs from Stockholm on March 27th. On board there will be three metal bars metal DJs, a record fair, metal karaoke, a pool/sauna area, casino, tax-free shopping, restaurants and much more.
Tickets are priced from 395 SEK and passengers must be 18 years or older.
Nemhain Drummer To Tour With Deathstars
Sweden's DEATHSTARS have comfirmed that drummer Adrian Erlandsson (NEMHAIN, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH) will join the band on their tour supporting KORN in Europe. Due to prior arrangements Adrian won't join the tour until January 25th in London.
Dates are as follows:
January
13 - Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador
14 - Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador
16 - Newcastle, UK - Academy
17 - Glasgow, UK - Academy
19 - Manchester, UK - Apollo
20 - Birmingham, UK - Academy
22 - Plymouth, UK - Pavillions
23 - Cardiff, UK - International Arena
25 - Brixton, UK - Academy
26 - Amersfoot - De Kelder
27 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
28 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Lotto Arena
29 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - HMH
30 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Romein
31 - Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hallen
February
1 - Gothenborg, Sweden - Scandinavium
3 - Oslo, Norway - Klub Spektrum
4 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
7 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Jubileyn
8 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
9 - Tampere, Finland - Ice Hall
10 - Tallin, Estonia - Saku Arena
11 - Riga, Latvia - Arena
12 - Vilnius, Lithuania - tba
13 - Warsaw, Poland - Torwar
15 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
16 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
17 - Münich, Germnay - Zenith
18 - Budapest, Hungary - AZH-Hall
19 - Ostrava, Czech Republic - Cez Hall
20 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
21 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
22 - Pordenone, Italy - Palasport
23 - Milan, Italy - Datch Forum
24 - Geneva, Switzerland - Arena
27 - Lisbon, Potugal - Atlantico Pavillion
28 - Madrid, Spain - La Cubierta (indoor bull ring)
March
2 - Leeds, UK - University
3 - Brixton, UK - Academy
4 - Wolverhampton, UK - Wolves Civic
3 Arrested In Connection With Alice Cooper Theft
According to Scott Colothan from Gigwise.com, three hotel employees have been arrested in connection with stealing a signed ALICE COOPER guitar that was due to be sold at a charity auction.
The shock-rocker stayed at the Ontario Hilton Hotel from the week beginning December 10 and left the Gibson Les Paul at the front desk so it could be forwarded on at a later date. It was estimated to raise $3,000 when it went under the hammer.
Ontario Hilton representatives notified police when they saw CCTV footage of 23-year-old Sarah Richards allegedly stealing the guitar on December 27.
20-year-old Jenny Duk and 23-year-old Matthew Johnson were also arrested on suspicion of stealing the guitar for Duk.
All three now face charges of burglary, theft and possession of stolen property. Police say it’s not clear whether any of them are Alice Cooper fans.
Nightwish Go Gold In Germany
Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have received a gold award for 100,000 sold copies of their newest album, Dark Passion Play, in Germany, within one week after its release end of September. The presentation of the award took place at the On A Dark Winter's Night Festival in Oberhausen, where Nightwish played in front of 6000 fans.
Dark Passion Play entered the German album charts on #1, just as it's predecessor Once from 2004. Other awards in the long list are triple platinum in their home country Finland, platinum in Switzerland, gold in Sweden, Austria and Poland.
Nightwish will release the second single out of Dark Passion Play called 'Bye Bye Beautiful' on February, 15 as a normal CD and a DVD with clips and specials.
Forgotten Empire Records Posts Year-End Wrap-up
Indie metal/experimental label Forgotten Empire Records - home to such bands as The Cargo Cult Revival and Swallow The Ocean - posted the following year-end wrap-up last week:
"Well, with a more than productive 2007 all but behind us, all of us at Forgotten Empire Records are geared up and ready for a BIG 2008!!!! In 2007 we released 13 albums and we are starting off 2008 with the release of Albino beach's debut ep, Swallow The Ocean's debut ep and The Cargo Cult Revival's re-release of their debut ep! We are very happy to announce all the Forgotten Empire titles past and present will be available through our new distributor Stickfigure Distribution out of Atlanta, GA. Starting late Feb our titles will be available at Amazon.com and many, many one stops across the country and Europe!! This means it will be easier to purchase our titles! There will be some big changes coming soon to Forgotten Empire that we are all excited about. Stay tuned!!! And thanks for the continued support! -Brandon/Forgotten Empire"
Doomriders Prepares New Album
Doomriders, featuring Nate Newton of Converge and ex-Cave In drummer JR Conners, has been writing material for a new album as of late. According to the group, "With everyone's schedules and other bands, it's been hard to write new songs, so we finally decided that we aren't going to play shows for a while and just focus on writing new material."
The band recently recorded some demos with Kurt Ballou at Godcity studios and "are very stoked on the direction the songs are going." Fans can expect a new album to surface later this year via Deathwish Inc.
Bhelliom To Return To Studio, Plan More Shows
Bhelliom will be taking a short break before heading back to the studio, laying final touches for the new album, ""Colossal Tragedy," and also to rehearsing for their first event for 2008 (WAKING UP THE DEAD) featuring local bands and an amazing guest band from Taiwan, Anthelion.
Less than a week later the band will be heading to Taiwan for a 3-city tour on the February 1-3 supporting Anthelion.
New Mob Rules Album In The Works
German power metallers Mob Rules have been working on writing songs for the upcoming album since November. The band reports that almost half of the material has already been finished and the current work concentrates on three to four songs at the same time. Next May, the band will be back in the studio to record the next album. The album, with no title yet, will be released in late summer, after that the band heads for a brand new tour.
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