Shining Replace Gorgoroth At Hellflame

The full line-up for SHINING’s one-off show at Oslo’s Maiden Club on Saturday 10 November has now been completed. Joining SHINING, will be Norwegian Black Metallers, ENDEZZMA, a band that features members of URGEHAL, RAGNAROK and VULTURE LORD. Opening for the bands will be the psychopunkers HAUST.

Described by front man and SHINING creator Niklas Kvarforth as a “very special ceremony”, the show will be the only appearance of the band on Norwegian soil in 2007, and, according to Kvarforth, possibly the only one for some time to come. With a door limited to only 300, ticket demand is expected to be high.

SHINING has also been confirmed to replace GORGOROTH as headliners at the Hellflame Festival due to be held in Osnabrück, Germany, on the 8th September. Never one to stint on either words or actions, Kvarforth has promised fans they can look forward to “a night of blood, fire and death”.

Tracks from SHINING can be heard on the band’s MySpace page.

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To-Mera To Enter The Studio Soon, Issue Updated

Lee Barrett, bassist of British progressive metallers TO-MERA, has issued the following update:

"Well, we've got eight new songs in various states of completion. Titles confirmed so far include 'The Lie', 'A Sorrow To Kill', 'Merry-Go-Round' and 'Asylum'. Working titles (i.e. these could change!) include 'Temptation' and 'A Silver Key'.

"We will start the recording process on August 21st, again using Brett Caldas-Lima who produced the debut 'Transcendental'. Recording will take place near Oxford, England at a purpose built rehearsal studio (which is a bit better than the 'back room of a pub' like last time, hehe).

"The music's definitely going in a heavier direction. I know most bands say this, but since Tom [MacLean, guitar] is writing a majority of the stuff with his seven-string baritone tuned to F# it's definitely true. The songs are also going to be considerably more complex and roundly structured than before. All the parts that have become 'typically' TO-MERA are still going to be there only much more so in every possible way. There's more fluidity and emotional depth to the new songs. We're all more than happy with the way things are working out.

"You may be pleased to know the average song time is still hitting the seven-minute mark!”

TO-MERA's debut album, "Transcendental", was released in Europe on September 11 via Candlelight Records. A U.S. release followed in early October.

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Fight Amp Signs To Translation Loss Records

Translation Loss Records has officially announced the signing of New Jersey's Fight Amp. Here's the official word from the label:

"Hailing from New Jersey, Fight Amp channels a sound and presence that harkens the days of old and is reminiscent of the AMREP/dirty dingy side of extreme music. Fight Amp (previously known as Fight Amputation) have spent nearly three and a half years toiling over their sound, traveling the country, self-releasing records, self booking their own massive tours, sweating in basements and sleeping in vans crafting what is now their highly refined and most focused effort to date, as well as their debut Translation Loss release, 'Hungry For Nothing.'"

"Hungry For Nothing," recorded by Phillip Cope (Kylesa, Baroness) at the Jam Room in South Carolina, will see an early-2008 release and will also coincide with a full US tour. You can hear a demo version of the song "Dead Is Dead" from the album here.

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Kosmos Post Promo Video For “Psycho” Online

A promo video for the song “Psycho” from the self-titled debut from Canadian prog/psych quartet KOSMOS (featuring VOIVOD’s drummer Michel “Away” Langevin), has been posted online here. The End Records has set a release date of September 4th, 2007 for the self-titled debut. More...

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Cattle Decapitation Announce More Headlining Dates

More dates have been released for CATTLE DECAPITATION’s upcoming headlining tour featuring THE TONY DANZA TAPDANCE EXTRAVAGANZA, ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS, and VEIL OF MAYA:

October 13 - Hollywood, CA @ Whiskey A Go Go
October 17 - Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry’s Pizza
October 19 - Orangevale, CA @ Club Retro
October 21 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
October 22 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
October 23 - Boise, ID @ The Venue
October 25 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
October 27 - El Paso, TX @ Chic’s
October 29 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rock

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Winds Post New Song Online

The track “Convictions And Contradictions” from Norway’s classical/progressive metal supergroup WINDS‘ upcoming album ‘Prominence And Demise‘ (out September 4th, 2007 on The End Records), has been posted at the official The End Records‘ MySpace page.

In an update about the mp3 and the band, keyboardist Andy Winter says, “We are now only 3 weeks away from the release date of our new album ‘Prominence And Demise‘ and with that in mind, we think it is a suitable time to post one of the new songs on the web for everyone to hear. The new track is called ‘Convictions and Contradictions.’ All the tracks on the new record are distinctly different from one another and this track definitely contains some unique contributions from everyone in the band. It’s also what we in the band refer to as the ‘duet’ song, as it features synchronized vocals from Agnete (M. Kirkevaag; Madder Mortem) and Lars. In other news, we will be re-launching our official website on September 4th to coincide with the release date of the new album. I will be heading to The End’s offices in New York in a couple of weeks to do some promotion for the new record. Finally the moment is almost here for the new record to be unleashed!” More...

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Sol Asunder Book Studio Time

San Francisco melodic death metallers, Sol Asunder, have posted the following update on their myspace page:

"Next month we will be stepping into the studio again. We anticipate the release within three months. Prepare for a new sound in SOL ASUNDER with this one. It will comprise of a track list of entirely new songs. Guest artists are set to add some texture once again to this Sol installment...find out who! We will be bringing dynamics to this album not yet heard on any of our previous cuts. In short...we can't wait to show you the music we've been storing. The album will be entitled, 'MECHANIZE.' "

Sol Asunder's debut album, 'Horribly Human' was self-released last year. Samples from this album can be heard on their myspace page.

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Report

Summer Festival Slaughters New York City

On July 8th 2007 I went to see the Summer Slaughter Festival at BBkings in New York City. Of the venues in my area that book metal bands, BBkings has been one of my favorites for its amazing sound and size. It is never too loud that I feel like I’m going deaf, but still loud enough that I feel the music and rock out. The venue definitely has great tech guys running the soundboards and lights. With this in mind, I knew that I would get proper enjoyment of the bands and not focus on how much I can't hear a certain instrument or the vocals. I entered without knowing what to expect because I am not a fan of most brutal death metal, but there were a few bands I recognized and wanted to see how they were live, namely, Necrophagist, Beneath the Massacre, and Cephalic Carnage. I really wish I could have seen Arsis, but they had troubles with their van on tour and couldn't make it out. More...

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Level Plane Records to Release Tombs Debut

Level Plane Records has announced plans to release the debut EP/CD from New York's Tombs. The group features Mike Hill, of Anodyne and Versoma, on guitar/vocals, in addition to Justin Ennis (The Heuristic) on drums and Dominic Seita (Speedloader) on bass. Tentatively titled "Wasteland," the seven-song EP will surface late this fall. In the meantime you can check out the band here.

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Will Haven Set UK Headlining Tour Dates

Will Haven will headline a UK tour in November. Here are the tour dates:

11/2 Brighton @ Freebutt
11/3 Southampton @ Joiners
11/4 Exeter @ Cavern
11/5 London @ Academy
11/6 Cardiff @ Club Ibach
11/7 Birmingham @ Bar Academy
11/8 Leeds @ Rios
11/9 Nottingham @ Junktion 7
11/11 Liverpool @ Barfly
11/12 Sheffield @ Corporation
11/13 Manchester @ Music Box
11/14 Glasgow @ Kingtuts
11/15 Leicester @ Charlotte

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Candlemass Confirm More Support Acts

CANDLEMASS have confirmed more opening acts on their upcoming tour in support of their new album, King Of The Grey Islands. Their updated schedule is as follows:

August
31 - Malmoe, Sweden - K.B.

September
1 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Rock (with SATURNUS)
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle *
3 - Berlin, Germany - Kato *
4 - Nurenberg, Germany - Hirsch *
6 - Essen, Germany - Turock *
7 - Eindhoven, Holland - Dynamo *
8 - Würzburg, Germany - Soundpark Ost
9 - Rijssen, Holland - Lucky ***
11 - Leeds, UK - Rio's **
12 - London, UK - Dingwalls **
14 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix (with SERPENTCULT)
15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 *
16 - Milano, Italy - Transilvania
19 - Budapest, Hungary - A 38 (with STEREOCHRIST)
20 - Krakow, Poland - Studio (with CEMETARY OF SCREAM)
22 - Flensburg, Germany - Roxy (with STRONGHOLDE)
23 - Göteborg, Sweden - Sticky FIngers
24 - Linköping, SwedenvAtmosfär
26 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben
29 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Idrogios
30 - Athens, Greece - Gagarin 205

* support from POWERWOLF
** support from CENTURIONS GHOST, BATTERED
*** support from AGENT STEEL, VICIOUS RUMORS, AFTER ALL, OFFICIUM TRISTE, INHUME

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Arch Enemy Report From Japanese Promo Trip

ARCH ENEMY members Angela Gossow (vocals) and Michael Amott (guitar) have issued the following reports from their recently completed promotional trip to Japan in support of their upcoming CD, "Rise of the Tyrant":

Angela Gossow: "Christopher [Amott, guitar], Michael and myself are sitting on the flight back home from the Japan promotion trip and feeling slightly psychedelic from 20 hours of travelling. A good moment to write an update…

"So many things happen in the ARCH ENEMY camp every day… Posting artwork/new songs/live dates really is only the tip of the iceberg. We have just spent 5 days in Japan to promote 'Rise of the Tyrant'. We did plenty of photo shoots, interviews and radio IDs… But the best thing was to be judges for the 'headbanging contest' at the 'Heavy Metal Championship'. Imagine 20 kids freaking out to 'Hang the Pope' from NUCLEAR ASSAULT and a medley of ARCH ENEMY songs ('Ravenous', 'Nemesis', 'Dead Eyes See No Future', 'Bury Me An Angel', 'Beast of Man', 'Enemy Within'…). Stacked up bodies doing windmills. Air guitar. One kid kept banging his head on our table. One came with a mask, the other with full corpse paint. Absolutely psychedelic. The lucky winner got one of Michael's LTD Ninja V guitars. We got all this action on video cam. In case we wonder if this ever really happened.

"We just got the confirmation we will co-headline the second day at the Loudpark 07 festival together with MARILYN MANSON this year. Cool! More...

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The Burning Signs With Massacre Records

Danish brutal thrashers THE BURNING have signed a worldwide deal with Massacre Records. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its full-length debut, "Storm the Walls", with producer Jacob Hansen (ABORTED, HATESPHERE, NIGHTRAGE, MERCENARY). Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Gospel", "Kill the Swine" and "Warhorse". "We are confident that this is the most brutal and heavy material we have ever written, and we can't wait to bring this one on the road," says vocalist Johnny Haven.

Three songs from the upcoming CD are available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. A November 9 European release date is expected.

Regarding the band's new record deal, guitarist Rasmus Normand (ex-PANZERCHRIST) said, "We are extremely happy about signing with Massacre. They have so many of the old-school bands we love, and we see eye to eye on a lot of things."

THE BURNING's 2006 demo, "Every Knee Shall Bow", received rave reviews and was supported by live appearances with such acts as KATAKLYSM, ABORTED, VOLBEAT and ENTOMBED.

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Amoral Bassist Departs, Band Comments

Amoral has released and official statement regarding bassist Erkki Silvennoinen's departure:

"The rumors are all over the net, so we might as well release this official statement ahead of schedule... Yes, Erkki is leaving the band. No big drama behind the scenes: he is simply involved in too many projects to keep up with our hectic pace. And especially now, with a new album coming out and tons of gigs and promotion to do, we need every member's undivided attention on Amoral.

"Not one gig will be cancelled because of this: we have a few qualified bass players in line to help us out if needed, and already some very potential candidates for a permanent band member. Though we are gonna take our sweet time before making anyone an official member of the band, that's for sure. You don't just walk right in the Amoral famiglia, you have to earn it...

"Erkki will play his last gig with us at Jalometalli, Oulu on August 17th. We wish him all the best with his future projects.

-Ben, Silver, Niko & Juffi"

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Satyricon Extend Roadrunner Deal

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON have issued the following update:

"We will return to Fredrikstad [Norway] Septemer 29. More shows scheduled for this coming fall will be announced in the next few weeks. The shows this [past] weekend at Brutal Assault [Czech Republic] and Sziget [Hungary] festivals wrap up the festival season for SATYRICON. Thank you for the support so far! [This] week we will return to our mountain resort to continue songwriting and record demos for the new album. All is going really well with that indeed! We have also extended our partnership with Roadrunner and next year will be a very exciting one for SATYRICON and our friends out there."

Guitarist Schoft of the brutal Dutch death metal band BRUTUS has reportedly been tapped by SATYRICON as the group's new touring guitarist.

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Tad Morose "Still Working On New Stuff"

Guitarist Christer "Krunt" Andersson of Swedish melodic metallers TAD MOROSE has issued the following update:

"No need to worry about what is going on in the TAD MOROSE camp. Anders [Modd, bass] is helping the WOLF guys out doing some live shows with them. And as some of you might have noticed, we don't really play live that often right now, so what the hell?

"There are not that much to tell about TAD MOROSE really...we're still working on the new stuff. Joe [Comeau, vocals] is writing the lyrics and melodies for the songs at the moment. He got a few done and a bunch more to do, and then... enter the studio!"

TAD MOROSE in March 2006 announced the addition of singer Joe Comeau (ex-ANNIHILATOR, LIEGE LORD, OVERKILL) to the group's ranks. Comeau joined TAD MOROSE as the replacement for Urban Breed, who left the band in December 2005.

Urban became TAD MOROSE's singer in 1995 following the departure of Kristian "Krille" Andrén. Breed appeared on the group's last four studio albums: 1997's "A Mended Rhyme", 2000's "Undead", 2002's "Matters of the Dark" and 2003's "Modus Vivendi".

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Sepultura Hopes To Release New Album In Spring

Vassil Varbanov of Bulgaria's Tangra Mega Rock recently conducted an interview with SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Tangra Mega Rock: How has the tour been so far?

Andreas: Great! This is the third time we're in Europe for the "Dante XXI" album and the reactions have been amazing. We also have a new drummer — Jean Dolabella — who's been together with us for a year now. He's doing a great job, and we're already planning a new album for next year. Now we're at the end of the touring for our current CD and everything's been great so far.

Tangra Mega Rock: Mentioning "Dante XXI", this is the fifth album you recorded with Derrick Green on vocals, and it's definitely the best one. How come?

Andreas: You know, it only takes time to reach a certain level. I think "Chaos A.D." and "Roots" are the best albums we did with Max, so back then it took time, too — I joined SEPULTURA in 1987, and we did "Roots" in 1995-96. As for Derrick, he joined us in 1997 or 1998, and we're doing "Dante XXI" now. It takes time to know each other, to play in a lot of different situations, on different stages and tours, to work in various studios with various producers... Now we're starting another new chapter with Jean, so... I mean, it's something very natural.

Tangra Mega Rock: This sounds a bit like the situation in a football team, where you can have superb players, but it takes time for them to match together well.

Andreas: Of course. Let's take the Brazilian national team on the last World Cup — we had the best players since Pele, but I think we didn't have team. All the training and stuff were done in a wrong way. You need some time and self respect to build a real team. It's the same thing within a band — you need to have a team spirit to work together.

Tangra Mega Rock: Now it seems that everything in the SEPULTURA camp is going fine, but I can't escape asking you about Max and Igor who left the band. Do you feel better today, without any Cavaleras around?

Andreas: Well, everything is alright. They made their choice, and I'm glad that right now we're having everybody in the band that we want to be here. The four of us are putting a 100% of effort and energy and enjoy what we're doing, which is the most important thing. Lately Igor was not really enjoying being on the road and on tour, he wanted to be in Brazil and wasn't playing the best way he could... Anyway, now everything's fine, and we're very excited to write new material and look forward to the future. It's a new challenge, and the whole SEPULTURA story was built on challenges.

Tangra Mega Rock: Let's talk about your new drummer, too. Jean Dolabella used to play in a Brazilian band, UDORA, that's from your hometown, Belo Horizonte. Did you know him since your early days?

Andreas: Not really. I know Jean for some years now. UDORA moved to the USA to try to get a contract some 5-6 years ago — like we did back then, although they're not metal, but more of some sort of a pop-rock style — and then Jean left them at the same time when we needed a drummer, so the timing was perfect. We didn't force anything, it just happened. Now UDORA are going on with a new drummer, and so do we. I actually met Jean only once at a SEPULTURA gig in Los Angeles.

Tangra Mega Rock: Finally, when should we expect SEPULTURA's new album?

Andreas: We'll go back to Brazil in the end of August and start writing songs immediately. Depending on how fast we work, we'll start recording the album by the end of the year or in early 2008, so hopefully we'll have in out by April or May next year.

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Deicide Gearing Up For New Album

Earache Records head honcho Digby Pearson has revealed that DEICIDE has finished demoing most of the material that will appear on the group's next album, tentatively due in early 2008. "Touring as been curtailed as Glen [Benton, bass/vocals] has some legal issues pending BUT that has given the main writer — Steve Asheim [drums] — plenty of time to get creative," Digby said. "Both Jack Owen [guitar; ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE] and Steve have been working on demo-ing some more 'rock- based' projects and Ralph [Santolla; guitar] was ousted during the turmoil, but he quickly resurfaced as OBITUARY's guitarist.

Pearson continued, "DEICIDE DID look to be going nowhere — BUT — incredibly, out of the blue, we just received eight new DEICIDE songs in demo form, and they are incredible, like 'The Stench of Redemption' [2006] material but now even faster, if such a thing is possible. The band — Glen, Jack, Steve and probably Dave Suzuki [of VITAL REMAINS] (ex-guitarist Ralph Santolla might just appear as guest soloist?) will more than likely enter Morrisound Recording in September to record the new album. Earache will officially announce its release nearer the time, probably in stores around January 2008.

"As ever with DEICIDE, all information is subject to change."

"The Stench of Redemption" was released in August 2006 via Earache Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Scars of the Crucifix" was recorded at Morrisound in Tampa, Florida and marked the first DEICIDE recording following the departure of the Hoffman brothers.

DEICIDE released a DVD, "Doomsday L.A.", on February 6, 2007 via Earache. The set, which was filmed using multiple cameras on November 10, 2006 at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, features the group's most recent lineup of Glen Benton (bass, vocals), Steve Asheim (drums), Jack Owen (guitar; ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Santolla. The bonus material incorporates exclusive interviews and promo videos, including the recent "Homage for Satan" clip.

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Dark Haven Preparing For U.S. Tour

Temecula, California's DARK HAVEN, who earned the #1 spot in BW&BK's 2006 list of Brave Underground indie submissions, have issued the following update:

"Okay everyone, you have been messaging us and asking us to get out to your town and now we have begun booking for our October tour!

We do have some dates already confirmed so if you are a venue, another band, or a promoter that can help us land some of these dates, please contact our manager Rob at killboxmedia@gmail.com for all the details!

We look forward to filling in all these dates!

Unfortunately, we realize this may not bring us to the east coast like we had hoped but we have to just get out there again and spread the word of the new Dark Haven!"

Confirmed dates are as follows. Venues will be announced soon:

October
6 - Central CA
7 - Northern CA
8 - Oregon
9 - Washington
10 - Boise, ID
11 - Logan, UT - Club NVO
12 - Salt Lake City, UT
13 - Denver, CO
14 - Omaha, NE – Shea Rileys
15 - Kansas City, KN – El Torreon
16 - St. Louis/Springfield, MO
18 - Nashville, TN – The Muse
19 - Memphis, TN
20 - Dallas, TX – Fat Daddy’s Sound Shack
21 - Lubbock, TX
22 - El Paso or Albuquerque, NM
23 - Phoenix, AZ
24 - San Diego, CA
25 - Orange County, CA
26 - Riverside/San Bernardino, CA

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Pestilence's "Spheres" To Be Reissued As DigiPack

Metal Mind Productions reports:

"PESTILENCE doesn't require any introduction. Known for mixing various influences, from thrash to jazz, from fusion to classic death metal, the band has become a legend long before its final split-up in 1993.

"Patrick Mameli (guitar, vocals), Randy Meinhard (guitar) and Marco Foddis (drums) recorded their first demo, Dysentery, in 1986. However, it was only after The Penance, recorded in 1987 with a new member, Martin van Drunen (bass/vocals), that the band caught the attention of Roadrunner Records, who agreed to release their first official album, Malleus Malficarum (1988).

"Pestilence released four studio albums during their career. The final one, Spheres from 1993, brought along a thrilling mixture of jazz-fusion elements with death metal and, thanks to the extensive use of synth guitars, constituted a totally new quality in aggressive music.

Today, Metal Mind Productions presents the re-release of Spheres: classic material from Roadrunner Records' archives, released in a new digipack edition, limited to numerated 2,000 copies. The new version includes bonus material. It is released with new artwork: this, in fact, is the original artwork, done by UK artist Dan Seagrave, that wasn't used on the first pressing of the album.

Digitally remastered using 24-Bit process, released on a golden disc.

Release date: August 20th (Europe), October 10th (USA, via MVD).

Spheres tracklisting: 'Mind Reflections', 'Multiple Beings', 'The Level Of Perception', 'Aurian Eyes', 'Soul Search', 'Personal Energy', 'Voices From Within', 'Sphere', 'Changing Perspective', 'Phileas', 'Demise Of Time'. Bonus tracks: 'Demise Of Time' (Remix), 'Soul Search' (Remix), 'Mind Reflections' (live), 'Multiple Beings' (live).

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