New Song From Swarms' "Silver Hour" Online

Swarms is Kim Sølve, a visual artist behind acclaimed artwork for artists such as Mayhem, Darkthrone, Manes, DHG, Solefald, Ved Buens Ende, Arcturus, She Said Destroy, Nocturno Culto's The Misanthrope DVD and Ulver, paired with the very unorthodox bass player Petter Berntsen (Virus, Audiopain). Together they brush off the conventions of genre and subculture looking for pre-sound and pre-silence, painting a truly visual sound landscape, putting dreams and fears into a musical body and producing the recently released "The Silver Hour" (Vendlus Records). The title refers to the twilight, the time of in-between.

The recordings for "The Silver Hour" were made visiting remote and abandoned places where nature has reclaimed what once was human and trivial and made it obsolete. Guest contributors include Zweizz and Babyflesh.

You can download or listen to an MP3 from the effort here.

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Darkane Reveals "Demonic Art" Tracklisting

Swedish thrashers DARKANE have issued the following update:

"Finally the mixing of [the new DARKANE album] 'Demonic Art' is completed and the album is being mastered right now. 12 songs ended up on the final version, with about 48 minutes of pure aggressive, brutal, melodic, modern, technical, furious, fast, heavy and insane thrash metal! We are very proud of this album and we know for sure that if you liked what we've done before you won't be disappointed in any way this time either. DARKANE has developed in a way that hopefully will give us new fans as well, not meaning that we've turned softer or more mainstream... just better! ...and more humble."

This is the final track listing for Darkane's "Demonic Art":

1. Variations of an Eye Crush (instrumental)
2. Leaving Existence
3. Demonic Art
4. Absolution
5. Execution 44
6. Impetious Constant Chaos
7. Demigod
8. Soul Survivor
9. The Killing of I
10. Wrong Grave (instrumental)
11. Still in Progress
12. Wrath Connection

"We also have another song for the Japanese edition called 'Reborn In Greed' (as you know by now they always require an extra track).

"This upcoming Friday, we are going to play our dear hometown Helsingborg again together with SOILWORK and other great bands. We are going to play 'Leaving Existence' from the new album for the first time. The show will be held at Gröningen and since it's a part of our town festival there's no entrance fee.

"In other news, DARKANE are very impressed by this guy playing our song 'Secondary Effects' on his own created Guitar Hero: Metal Edition! Check out the video below. This is a custom game for Guitar Hero II on the PS2. He created a full game including 64 songs by metal bands who have never been in Guitar Hero before, new pictures for every menu screen, and even some new characters.

"To play this game, you must follow the instructions given on the Guitar Hero: Metal Edition website, and then play the burned disk in a modded PS2. If you're into Guitar Hero, and into metal, this game is crammed full of songs you'll love playing. Here's the link." More...

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Kataklysm Plans Headlining N. American Tour

Quebec’s KATAKLYSM has been creating quite a stir at this year’s Summer Slaughter tour with their show stealing performances all over the North America. Now after years of hard work and other successful tours, which most recently included runs with bands like DIMMU BORGIR and CHIMAIRA, they will finally play a headlining tour of North America this fall.

The trek will last from September 28th until October 28th and will cover much of the US and Canada. Joining KATAKLYSM on the tour will be Dying Fetus (Relapse Records), ELUVEITIE (Nuclear Blast Records), and KEEP OF KALESSIN (Nuclear Blast Records).

Vocalist Maurizio Iacono could barely contain his excitement when asked about what is sure to be one of the biggest metal tours of the year:

"We’ve waited a long time for this! No more 30 minute sets and pissing our fans off every time we play with people saying ‘why didn't you play this or that.’ We’re fucking stoked to have been given this opportunity to really give our fans the show they deserve.

"We’ve also brought an elite line up of bands and friends to join us out on the road. Our great friends and brutal death metal legends DYING FETUS. From Europe, we’re bringing PaganFest stand out band ELUVEITIE with their pagan folk metal that will turn many heads. Last but not least, Norway's new kings of progressive Black Metal KEEP OF KALESSIN! A full on metal package like that hasn’t been seen in a long fucking time!

"In addition there will be a special guest in regional markets that will be revealed soon…so expect a big show with full fledged KATAKLYSM devastation. The time has finally come!"

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Nuclear Blast Records To Be At Comic-Con

Nuclear Blast Records will be hosting a booth (#116) at this year’s Comic-Con International from Wednesday, July 23rd through Sunday, July 27th in San Diego, California.

Fans stopping by the table will have the opportunity to pick up free Nuclear Blast CD samplers, stickers, posters, postcards, band coasters and more! Also, fans will be able to purchase various band shirts (courtesy of JSR Direct) and many albums from Metal's best bands for the duration of the convention.

You can visit the official Comic-Con website here.

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Relapse Announces Distro Partnership w/ Noisehead

Relapse Records has announced a deal with Noisehead Records for exclusive distribution and direct sales of Noisehead releases and catalog for North America.

Noisehead Records, since its formation in 2006, has become the leading underground metal label in Austria. The label has released critically acclaimed albums by homegrown acts such as ARCANUM, DARKSIDE, and COLLAPSE 7, as well as Italy's NEPTUNE and Germany's ERBEN DES ZORNS.

Noisehead Records founder Uschi Jezik says of the partnership: "It's a privilege to work with Relapse Records, and we count ourselves lucky for getting this deal. We want to thank Relapse Records for the confidence they’ve shown in us and we want the best success for our team-work."

In addition to a catalog of over a dozen and a half releases, Noisehead has several new releases on the horizon. In late October, Madrid’s ENEMY OF MYSELF will release "The Fury" and Germany’s PARSIFALL will see the release of their "Tears Of Wine" EP. Additional releases include records from PRIORITY, ROZENHILL, NOCTEM, and more. A listing of releases currently available and additional information on Noisehead artists can be found here.

All Noisehead Records releases will be available through Relapse Mail Order and Relapse Wholesale. Noisehead Records is the latest addition to a growing list of labels distributed through Relapse Records including Black Mark Productions and Cogumelo Records.

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Watain Taps Withered, Book Of Black Earth for Tour

Prosthetic Records labelmates WITHERED and BOOK OF BLACK EARTH are proud to announce their involvement in the upcoming Black Metal Magic Tour later this fall supporting Swedish black metal titans Watain. The tour, sponsored by Metal Maniacs and BeyondTheDarkHorizon.com, will begin in Northeastern Canada in early October, head to the West Coast, then wrap up in early November in Pennsylvania.

WITHERED will be supporting the band’s recently second album, "Folie Circulaire," which has yielded critical acclaim since its June release. Recorded with Kylesa’s Phillip Cope and featuring artwork from Paul Romano (Mastodon, The Red Chord, Trivium), the album is the band’s eagerly-awaited follow-up to 2005’s "Memento Mori." WITHERED will be playing a free Los Angeles show sponsored by SCION and Vice magazine along with Today Is The Day in August as part of Scion’s Metal Show series. The show is free but reservations are required and early attendance is recommended. Fans can RSVP online here.

Meanwhile, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH will be touring in support of the Oct. 14 release "Horoskopus," the band’s second full-length and debut for new home Prosthetic Records. "‘Horoskopus’ is a concept album about the hidden astrological elements of the Christian church,” vocalist / guitarist T.J. Cowgill adds. “From its origins as a state sponsored religion in the fourth century to the present day, it has been guided by astrological concepts conceived centuries before Jesus Christ was mythologized as the ‘Sun’ of God."

Here are the Black Metal Magic Tour dates with Watain, Withered, Book of Black Earth: More...

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Extreme Posts New Song Online

Extreme have posted a brand new song entitled "Comfortably Dumb" online at Ultimate-Guitar.com. You can listen to it by clicking here.

The song comes off the bands forthcoming album "Saudades De Rock" which is the bands first studio album in thirteen years and will be released August 13th.

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Man Tazed At Sammy Hagar Concert

TheDay.com has issued the following report:

A Vernon man struggled with state police and was ultimately subdued with a Taser Sunday after security guards saw him smoking marijuana at a SAMMY HAGAR concert at Foxwoods.

Raymond M. Croke, 30, of 32 Ridgewood Drive, was charged with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, carrying a dangerous weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia, interfering with an officer, and being a fugitive from justice, based on an oustanding arrest warrant from the state of Washington.

Read the full article at TheDay.com.

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Acheron Signs with Displeased Records

US militant black death metal act ACHERON has signed with Displeased Records. Expect their new full length, "The Final Conflict: Last days of God" in early 2009. The band is currently finalizing the new material, which is to be recorded within the coming months.

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Octavia Sperati Go On Hiatus

Norway’s Octavia Sperati have issued the following update regarding their decision to take a break:

"At our last band meeting, Octavia Sperati decided to put band activities aside/take a break. We have reached a point where we have decided to put more time into other projects both within music, studies and families among other things for a while. We will all continue playing music, but we will take a break from the normal "Octavia life". If there are any news from any of us, we will of course let you know as soon as possible. " More...

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1349 To Return To The U.S. On Carcass Tour

As previously mentioned, Norway’s 1349 will return to the US to participate on the highly anticipated Carcass tour this fall. Beginning September 5, the tour, also featuring Necrophagist, Suffocation, Aborted and Rotten Sound, marks the band's third visit to America in support of their third and most successful album, "Hellfire." Seven performances as of press time are confirmed with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Earlier this year the band performed at the annual South-By-Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas as part of the Norwegian arts showcase. 1349 returns to the US as writing continues on their fourth, and still untitled, album.

Confirmed 1349 tour dates include:

9/05/2008 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
9/06/2008 Nokia Theater - New York, NY
9/07/2008 Le Medley, Montreal, QC
9/08/2008 Opera House - Toronto, ON
9/09/2008 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
9/10/2008 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
9/19/2008 The Grand - San Francisco, CA

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Dillinger Escape Plan Drops Off Monsters Of Rock

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN have posted the following update:

"Good news for Madison, Wisconsin... bad news for Calgary. We will not be playing Monsters Of Rock on the 26th of this month (July), travel difficulties, blah blah blah. We WILL however now be playing a show at the Loft in Madison, Wisconsin on that day, so we'll see all our friends there!

Anaheim at the Chain Reaction on the 6th of August is almost sold out. Don't be a fool. Go here to get tickets.

We just finished playing Baltimore a few hours ago and it was, as usual, OFF THE CHAIN! You guys in the DC/Baltimore area always make me proud! Best show of the tour thus far. No surprise there.

See you all soon."

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Atomine Elektrine Posts Song From New Album

A new song from dark ambient project Atomine Elektrine has been posted by their record label, Vendlus Records. The song is the title track from the recently released album, "The Deep Invisible," and can be downloaded as an MP3 here.

Peter Andersson is a must-know name in the world of dark ambient and industrial music. He's the man behind Raison d'être, Stratvm Terror, Bocksholdm among many, previously released by Cold Meat Industry, Essence Music and Old Europa Café. Atomine Elektrine is described as a "truly out-of-body, deeply layered and dynamic cosmic experience in the form of a masterful ambiance, filled with outbursts of energy and synthetic movements."

"The Deep Invisible" is his fifth album as Atomine Elektrine, running 50 minutes and in digipak packaging.

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Trivium Begins Shooting New Video

Trivium have announced that they have begun work on the video for their new song "Down From The Sky," which will be the first video from their forthcoming album "Shogun."

Trvium guitarist Corey Beaulieu has explained about the video: 'We want to make a video that will crush every single music video we have ever made. We want this video to capture our energy and establish us as a bunch of hot, tanned guys from Florida with baby arms in our pants.'

The group has also posted their latest webisode online which you can check out below: More...

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Abigail Williams Posts New Song Online

Abigail Williams have posted a brand new song entitled "Into The Ashes" online, which you can listen to at their official Myspace.

The song comes from the bands forthcoming full length album "In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns" which is due out in the Fall of this year.

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Motorhead Announces More Tour Dates

Motorhead have added some more dates to their Fall North American run which also includes Misfits, Airbourne, Valient Thorr and Year Long Disaster.

Motorhead will be releasing their brand new album "Motorizer" on August 26th in North America and September 1st in Europe.

The updated tour schedule is as follows:

Dates are as follows:

September
2 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
3 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
4 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
6 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
7 - N. Kansas City, MO - Harrah's Voodoo
9 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
10 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
12 - St. Paul, MN - Myth
13 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Orbit Room
14 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
16 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
18 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
19 - Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory
20 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
21 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Parking Lot

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Heavy Metal Under Attack At Rock The Docks

Tonya Traweek of Flint, Michigan metal band Girl Scout Hand Grenade has written in with the following disturbing account of the recent experience at Rock The Docs show in Port Sanilac, Michigan:

Saturday’s Rock the Docks sure didn’t rock for the seven bands hired to play the Port Sanilac event. Only two bands were able to perform at the July 19th celebration before police were called. The band, Girl Scout Hand Grenade (Flint), had just finished up their 30 minute set when rumors began to fly that the show had been “shut down.” No formal announcement was made over the PA by anyone associated with the event or police, however, Police Chief Rod Jaskowski found it necessary to tackle, assault, and arrest an innocent drummer who unintentionally began to warm up for what he thought was the next performance. Tazers drawn, police announced that if everyone “in a band” did not leave the premises in ten minutes they would be arrested. No reason was given for the shut down of the event though, some suspect a select few of the beer tent patrons, were unhappy with the type of music being played (Heavy Metal). Bass player Andrew Hargrove, was arrested for asking officer Jaskowski, “What are the charges?” as Jaskowski placed the drummer in handcuffs. Andrew was later charged with disorderly conduct for asking.

Of the bands that were hired to entertain at the celebration, a few were compensated, but five were robbed of the opportunity to perform. The events coordinators attempted to quell the chaos and prevent the musicians from being arrested to no avail. After being invited into town with the intentions of drawing a younger crowd to the festivities, all seven bands, some having traveled over two hours to get there, were ran out by police because of the music and art they choose to share with the world, heavy metal.

Prior to police invasion, there were no known disturbances, or altercations, as everyone in front of the pavilion appeared to be calmly, and soberly enjoying the show. Dissatisfaction was expressed very vocally however, from the beer tent located right next to the pavilion stage. Heckles and jeers were heard from the fenced in area where many patrons appeared quite intoxicated prior to the shows demise. No illegal activity, violence of any kind, rude or disrespectful behavior took place prior to the police disruption.

Anybody that was at the show on Saturday in Port Sanilac is asked to come forward and share what you saw, and also how you feel about what happened. Leave a comment on the band's MySpace page or send them a message.

Discussion is, of course, welcome here, but if you were at the event, you should contact the band directly in case they are not looking at this article and its comments.

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