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Summon Concert Sparks Brawl Between Band Members

Following a "devastatingly killer" performance in front of a packed audience at Detroit's Club 2500, members of Michigan's "satanic beer metal cult" SUMMON certainly lived up to their intense reputation as a fistfight broke out between founder and bassist Necromodeus and frontman Xaphan. The bloody brawl which ensued left Xaphan "permanently scarred" and the popular underground outfit in search of a new singer/guitarist.

Contrary to rumors stemming from a post on Xaphan's official MySpace page, SUMMON has not disbanded and are actively seeking a replacement for the former frontman.

In an official statement, band leader Necromodeus stated, "We're not going to quit because he did…again. We're looking for a replacement singer."

Most recently, the popular underground group issued "Fallen" via Austria's Napalm Records. Featuring appropriately wicked cover art from legendary artist Joe Petagno (MOTÖRHEAD, RITUAL CARNAGE) and allegedly being the first extreme metal album to be recorded in Dolby 5.1 sound, the record scored big with critics and fans alike, garnering rave reviews in the press and attracting a rabid audience to European concerts in support of GOD DETHRONED and U.S. appearances alike.

Currently, the group is preparing material for their next album and looking toward touring in October with Century Media recording artists INCANTATION.

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Belphegor Seeking New Label Home

Austrian death/black metal act BELPHEGOR is currently looking for a new professional company/management to represent them for the release of their recently completed new album. Interested parties should contact the band at belphegor@aon.at.

Commented guitarist Sigurd: "All options are open at the moment. We just started [talking to] some labels which seem to be interested [in] releas[ing] the 9 monumental sound collages in October 2006."

Added guitarist/vocalist Helmuth: "BELPHEGOR's sound has never been so massive and fresh, and I'm more than sure that this album gained a new dimension for the band. This album will be a new step forward for BELPHEGOR. I spent all my energy the last year on this album. A lot of new elements and a higher level of composition and structure are added as well. Besides you will hear the most aggressive and rawest vocal work I’ve ever done. No bullshit when I say we will give you the strongest opus we've ever made. Be prepared!"

BELPHEGOR's sixth album was recorded at producer Andy Classen's Stage One studios in Germany. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Throne of Sacrilege", "Flammandus Et Contemtus", "Bluhtsturm Erotica" and "Belphegor – Hell's Ambassador".

BELPHEGOR's fifth full-length album, "The Goatreich - Fleshcult", was released in Europe in February 2005 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Mastersound Studio in Fellbach, Germany and was the follow-up to 2003's "Lucifer Incestus".

BELPHEGOR recently returned from three triumphant shows in Mexico, where they were joined by British bassist Robin Eaglestone (ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, CRIMINAL). Eaglestone is expected to play with the band on all currently scheduled dates as well.

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Newsted Wants Supernova Singer To "Surprise" Him

Jason Newsted Wants Supernova Singer To "Surprise" Him

Launch Radio Networks reports: Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, ex-GUNS N'ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke and MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee bring their new band SUPERNOVA to TV tonight (Wednesday, July 5) in the season premiere of the CBS reality series "Rock Star". The trio has been working on music as auditions have continued to find the band's lead singer. As for what kind of frontman the group would like to find, Newsted told Launch they don't have any preconceptions. "We love Steven Tyler, we love Robert Plant, we love — you know, there's different cats that we would like to take elements of, but that's not the way it is," he said. "I would rather have somebody come in and surprise me. Show me some stuff that I couldn't expect. Bring something to the party that we don't have. Do something that none of the other people in the band can do. That's what would be the greatest."

Newsted says the contest is narrowed down to 15 vocalists, but the winner won't be decided until September.

SUPERNOVA will go on a full North American tour once the frontman is chosen and the band records its debut album.

Meanwhile, MTV.com reported last week that a California punk band called SUPERNOVA has hired lawyers to possibly take legal action against "Rock Star" for using the name. Bassist Art Mitchell says his group has legally owned the name for nearly 20 years and doesn't want it associated with a "bunch of washed-up metalheads."

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Slayer's "Eternal Pyre" Enters Finnish Chart at #2

SLAYER's new single, "Eternal Pyre", has entered the Finnish national chart at position No. 2. As previously reported, the US release date for "Christ Illusion" is August 8th. As it seems Germany will be lucky and will get the release 4 days earlier which will make it August 4th.

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The Binary Code Recording New EP

The Binary Code recently reformed (the group broke up in November 2005) and will be entering the studio next week to record a new five-song CD. The effort will be produced and engineered by Jesse Cannon (A Static Lullaby, Shai Hulud). Until they are able secure a label deal, the band will self-release the CD.

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Alexisonfire Signs with Vagrant Records

Vagrant Records announced today that the company will release "Crisis," the third full-length disc from rock band Alexisonfire. The St. Catharines, Ontario-based quintet have set August 22, 2006 as the release date for "Crisis", the highly anticipated follow-up to the band's breakthrough sophomore release, "Watch Out!," which reached Gold sales certification in only 12 weeks. Crisis was recorded at the famed Metalworks Studios and Silo Recording Studios and was produced by Julius "Juice" Butty.

"We are excited to release the new album through Vagrant," says vocalist/guitarist Dallas Green. "It's a fresh start for us in the U.S. and we're really proud of this record. We're especially excited about being on the same label as The Bled, and Moneen, who are great friends of ours."

Alexisonfire (alexis ­ on ­ fire) released their first full-length in 2002 on Distort Entertainment in Canada and quickly became one of the few hard rock bands to break into the mainstream market. The band, comprised of Dallas Green (guitar vocals), Jordan Hastings (drums), Wade MacNeil (guitar, vocals), George Pettit (vocals) and Chris Steele (bass), has been singled out for numerous awards including the 2005 Juno award for "New Group of the Year," a MuchMusic video award for "Best Independent Video" in 2005 and have had 5 of their videos in heavy rotation on MuchMusic. The band has toured the U.S. multiple times including national tours with Rise Against and Hot Water Music.

The band joins the Vans Warped Tour on July 12th in Los Angeles, CA and will be appearing every day on the Vagrant/MLB stage ­ the largest solo label stage in the history of the tour.

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Celtic Frost Announce Support On US Tour

Celtic Frost have announced the addition of renowned Norwegian black metal bands 1349 and Sahg for the group’s fall 2006 North American tour. The bands will support Celtic Frost from September 12 (Springfield, Virginia) to October 2, 2006 (Portland, Oregon). Norway’s cult black metal band 1349 features Satyricon drummer Frost, and doom supergroup Sahg features notable Norwegian black metal stars Manngard, 2005 Norwegian Grammy award winner Audrey Horne and former Gorgoroth members King and Kvitrafn. These will be the first North American shows for both bands.

Goatwhore will support the band from October 3 (San Francisco, California) to the end of the tour November 11, 2006 (Johnson City, New York). Additionally, American drone/doom stars Sunn O))) will join the tour for the Pacific Coast dates from October 3 (San Francisco, California) to October 9 (Las Vegas, Nevada). The North American tour runs for eight weeks. Here is the complete list of tour dates: More...

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Sprinkle Head MP3s Available For Free Download

New Jersey-based band SPRINKLE HEAD has made available several MP3s for download from the band's web site, sprinklehead.com.

SPRINKLE HEAD was well known in North Jersey club circuit, gigging with many metal acts from 1995 to 1998. In 1999 the band gained national attention via the original MP3.com web site, dominating the top spot in the metal category for over a month. The group is currently in discussions to perform some live shows in the North Jersey area.

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Modern Life is War Cancel Rest of Tour

Deathwish hardcore act Modern Life is War has been forced to cancel the rest of their ongoing tour due to "the death of their van."

Vocalist Jeffrey Eaton sums up the situation on his blog:

"We left denver at 8am bound for our show tonight in Lawrence, Kansas. At 9:30 our van overheated, sprung leaks and the headgasket blew just outside of limon colorado. So after getting it into a shop and realizing that it would take 2 days and at least a grand to bring the green limousine back from the dead we decided to bury the unfaithful bitch right here in this one horse town."

"I am now in the back of a u-haul cargo trailer with no windows for the next 12 hours. There is a sign that says what we are doing can lead to serious injury and death so keep your fingers crossed and we will keep ours crossed cause we really want to make another record and have more good times with friends and loved ones."

For those keeping track, this is the third of the band's vans that has succumbed to fate. The band is asking fans who want to help to check out the band's set at Marshalltown Fest or visit their online store and pick up some merch.

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The Divining Post New Track Online

Philadelphia metalcore act The Divining recently posted a new demo track called "Behind the Lies" on their MySpace page. "Behind the Lies" was recorded along with the track "Wasted" this past February at the Skylight (Bury Your Dead, A Life Once Lost) with Vince Ratti. The band's most recent release was Reprisal which came out last June on Dressed to Kill Records.

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Arch Enemy To Enter Studio In February

Finland's HardcoreSounds.net recently conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY drummer Daniel Erlandsson. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

HardcoreSounds.net: You have had the chance to tour almost everywhere. Which show has been the most memorable to you so far?

Daniel: "We have done so many shows so it's quite hard but quite recently we visited Mexico and we did two shows for the first time there. Mexico City was the second show and that was one of the best shows I have ever done."

HardcoreSounds.net: Why was it so special? Where there a lot of audience?

Daniel: "We played to a full house. We played for like something in between 2,500-3,000 people and we had an amazing crowd response. The whole place was jumping all the time. I was blown away."

HardcoreSounds.net: And maybe next year we will hear new material from you guys?

Daniel: "Definitely. That's the plan too. We will start recording the new album in February and hopefully we will get it released sometime in the summer or fall of next year. We have already started writing music and we have tons of ideas."

HardcoreSounds.net: Do you have any finished songs yet?

Daniel: "We have a lot of ideas which loosely fit together so we are gonna start making songs really soon instead of just jamming with riffs. Making an album is like a big puzzle where you try to add all the pieces into the puzzle while [rehearsing] songs."

HardcoreSounds.net: Where do you see the band in five years?

Daniel: "That's really a difficult question. If you judge ARCH ENEMY from the last five years from 2001 to this day the band has progressed with every album they have made, became bigger and bigger. If that continues we are going to be pretty big in 2011 and that's what I really wish."

Read the full article at HardcoreSounds.net.

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QOTSA Recording New Album

Josh Homme has revealed that Queens Of The Stone Age have started work on their new album.

The singer, currently working with his other band Eagles Of Death Metal, told NME.com Queens are currently writing new material in the studio, but refused to divulge the line-up of the band.

He said: "That's not a healthy question. You'll ruin the surprise. We've gotta keep our cool."

Homme also explained how he's been preparing for the return of Eagles Of Death Metal. He said: "We've [Homme and Jesse Hughes, Eagles' main man] been getting in touch with our feminine sides - we've been touching them every day - and we've been beating our inner child."

Last March, Chris Goss has told in an interview with Modern Guitars Magazine that he is going to team up with Homme to begin work on Queens of the Stone Age's follow-up to 2005's "Lullabies to Paralyze".

Also, in an interview on the Australian radio station Triple J, Death from Above 1979 bassist Jesse Keeler has revealed that he will play bass on the album, but said that he would more than likely not be touring with the band.

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System of a Down Malfunctioning?

Launch Radio Networks reports: Despite repeated assurances that their forthcoming "hiatus" is not a break-up, SYSTEM OF A DOWN reportedly acted like a band on the brink at the opening day of this summer's Ozzfest last Thursday (June 29) in Auburn, Washington, about 30 miles from Seattle. According to MTV.com, the members of SYSTEM arrived at the venue in separate tour buses. Guitarist Daron Malakian "seemed to be struggling to keep up with the rest of the band" and improvised lyrics during the first few songs of their performance. During the song "Lonely Day", while looking at vocalist Serj Tankian, Malakian crooned, "Such a lonely day, hanging out with the band/ This motherf***er, I can't stand."

A source at SYSTEM's record label told Launch not to read all that much into last Thursday's events, adding that the members have traveled on separate buses for a while now. Malakian himself recently said that the group's plans to take an indefinite amount of time off after Ozzfest don't spell the end for SYSTEM OF A DOWN. "I think when a band says, 'Hey, you know, we're not gonna shoot out records consistently for a little while,'people are gonna assume that we're breaking up," he said. "But people can call it whatever they want. We know what it is, and we're comfortable with that. If we were breaking up, we wouldn't be able to get onstage together on this tour."

Malakian is currently assembling a new group called SCARS ON BROADWAY and plans to record its debut album this fall. SYSTEM bassist Shavo Odadjian may participate and is also planning a collaboration with the WU-TANG CLAN.

Singer Serj Tankian will most likely continue to sign and develop artists on his own label, Serjical Strike, while drummer John Dolmayan is planning to launch an online comic book company.

SYSTEM and the rest of the Ozzfest lineup hits Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow (Friday, July 7).

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Metallica's "The Simpsons" Debut To Start Season

As previously reported, the members of Metallica are were in the studio back in September to record their voices for an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons" to air in 2006. It has now been announced that they will appear in the first installment of the show's eighteenth season, which commences in the US in September.

Metallica joins a long list of acclaimed musicians who have made cameos on the long-running animation, including the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Smashing Pumpkins, REM and Elton John.

The White Stripes are also set to appear in a forthcoming episode of The Simpsons.

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Indorphine Prepare For Release, Summer Tour

Indorphine are preparing to release their Rock Ridge debut album, “Glowsticks for Clubbing Baby Seals,” on July 11th. Orlando-based rockers Indorphine are thrilled to be releasing their new album on Rock Ridge Music, with whom they recently signed. Says Indorphine about working with their new label: "Rock Ridge Music does what every record label should by putting their artists first!"

Rock Ridge principal Tom Derr says: "Talent, fun, and creativity... Indorphine is just that, and that is what this business is all about!" Concurs Jason Spiewak, Rock Ridge principal: "It's great to work with Indorphine. The band is web-savvy, and the 'Spaghetti' video is already getting a huge response."

"Glowsticks For Clubbing Baby Seals" was produced by the band with some assistance from Jamie Shachno, which allowed the band to record the songs as they wrote them and as they intended them to be heard. Indorphine will be on the road for much of the summer. Here are the currently confirmed tour dates:

July 13 - Expo 5 Louisville, KY with Bobaflex, Psychostick and Stillkept.
July 14 - Al Rosa Villa Columbus, OH with Bobaflex, Psychostick and Stillkept.
July 15 - The Monkeybar Huntington, WV with Psychostick and Stillkept.
August 4 - Bourbon Street New Port Richey, FL with Bobaflex, Psychostick, Stillkept and Primative Astronauts.

You can check out the video for Indorphine's first single, "Spaghetti," here.

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Dragonforce Remains Strong On Charts

Last week metal heroes DragonForce debuted at #1 on the Heatseekers Top New Artist Chart with 9,672 units sold of Inhuman Rampage, their latest US release and first for Roadrunner Records. Concurrently debuting at #103 on Billboard Top 200 Chart, Inhuman Rampage, in its first week alone, has already out-scanned Valley of the Damned and Sonic Firestorm’s US cumulative sales. This week the band only saw a 24% drop (typical drop for metal bands is 60%) with 7,348 albums scanned, good enough for #2 on the Top New Artist Chart. As the band performs on Ozzfest’s mainstage and headlines their own off-dates.

Inhuman Rampage features songs such as “Operation Ground And Pound,” 'Revolution Deathsquad,” “Storming The Burning Fields” and the first single “Through The Fire And Flames,” the video for which is receiving spins on MTV2.

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