Metal News for September 14, 2004
Last updated on October 4, 2025 at 3:07 AM ET
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Hot Topics
- Trivium Parts Company With Drummer
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- 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
28 news articles posted on this day.
Cropment Prepare For Euro Blast Your Violence Tour
Cropment embarks on their European Tour through Germany, Holland, Denmark, England, France , Belgium and Switzerland on September 23 with POPPY SEED GRINDER and TORTURE KILLER (as replacement for DEEPRED who unfortunately split up in July). They will hit the following clubs:
BLAST YOUR VIOLENCE TOUR with TORTURE KILLER , CROPMENT and POPPY SEED GRINDER More...
Metallica Add Five More Tour Dates
Metallica are continuing their reign through North America and have added 5 more shows. Check out the new dates below:
Oct 20 Philadelphia, PA (*Second Show*) - Public on sale 9/18 10 AM
Oct 25 Boston, MA (*Second Show*) - Public on sale 9/18 Time TBA
Nov 6 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Public on sale 9/18 Time TBA
Nov 8 Jacksonville, FL - Public on sale 9/18 12 PM
Nov 11 Nashville, TN - Public on sale 9/18 10AM
Textures To Tour UK w/ Alchemist & Cult Of Luna
Textures are hitting the UK with Alchemist (Relapse) opening for Sweden's Cult of Luna (Earache).
Their debut album "Polars" is being released in the U.S. through IDN distribution on Sept 28th.
Textures with Alchemist and Cult of Luna:
Oct. 04Oxford, UK @ Zodiac
Oct. 05 London, UK @ Garage
Oct. 06 Bradford, UK @ Rios
Oct. 07 Leicester, UK @ Charlotte
Oct. 08 Leeds, UK @ Josephs Well
Oct. 09 Sheffield, UK @ Corporation
Oct. 10 Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts
Oct. 11 Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
Oct. 12 Manchester, UK @ Academy 3
Oct. 13 Liverpool, UK @ Academy
Oct. 14 Birmingham, UK @ Academy
The Legion Completing New Album
The Legion is completing the follow-up to last year's debut "Unseen to Creation" for France's Listenable Records. 6-7 tracks are written so far and the new material is said to be more intelligent and inventive. Here's a heads up from drummer Dragu, speaking on behalf of the Legion camp:
We' ve really put some thinking behind these new songs and it' ll be interesting to hear what the people has to say about them. It's not really black metal (compared to my other band, Marduk), and it's not death metal; it's hard to put one's finger on what to call it. Well, it's brutal as fuck anyway and I don't think it will disappoint any of our fans.
Be sure to check out the band's web hole at www.legion.nu, where you can listen to a track from the debut album.
Ray Alder Joins Redemption
Sensory Records have announced that Ray Alder as Redemption’s new vocalist. He is currently recording vocal tracks for Redemption’s second CD, tentatively titled "The Fullness of Time," scheduled for release in early 2005. "I’m incredibly excited that Ray is our singer," comments the leader of the band Nicolas Van Dyk.
For more info, visit the Redemption website.
Lefay Goes Back To Morgana Lefay
Here is a statement by the band posted on their website:
Anyone who's been following the band over the years knows that Lefay is, and always has been Morgana Lefay. The name change was necessary in order to continue the band due to unfortunate business complications. Therefore we are pleased to announce that we have signed a new deal with our old label, Black Mark. In doing so, we have regained the right to our full name and shall from now on once again be named Morgana Lefay. We will begin recording our new album entitled "Grand Materia" in the near future."
Charles, Tony, Peter, Robin & Fredrik / Morgana Lefay.
Nasum Announce Album Release Date
Nasum's new album "The Shift" (view cover) will be released worldwide through Burning Heart on October 11 and to the US through Relapse on October 26.
The band has posted a sound sample here.
David Ellefson Posts Song From New Band Online
The band called F5 consists of David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth) on bass, Dale Steele(ex-Sick Speed) on Vocals, Steve Conley and John Davis on the guitars and David Small on Drums. Listen to their new song on their official website.
New Dead Soul Tribe Album Details
Here are the details concerning the new album of Devon Graves band, Dead Soul Tribe, entitled "The January Tree":
A tree in winter – naked, the leaves have fallen, it almost desparately stretches it’s thin branches to the cloudy sky. A good many people associate dreariness with such an image, others think of loneliness, hopelessness, emptiness or even romanticism. But at any rate, Devon Graves of Dead Soul Tribe was fascinated so much by this spectacle of nature that he used it as a basic idea for his new album “The January Tree.“More...
Draconian To Record New Album
Draconian will enter Studio Underground in September to record the follow-up to last year's "Where Lovers Mourn." The new album, "Arcane Rain Fell," comprises 9 tracks of dark, atmospheric metal, and is to be a luciferian concept album that relates the tale of the fallen angels.
Also, Draconian will perform at the Doom Metal event "South of Heaven in Olso on November 12, sharing the stage with Doom/Death Metal legends Esoteric, among others.
Dark Moor Announce Album Title
Dark Moor is recording an album that will be called "Beyond The Sea," and has also recorded the song "Mr. Crowley," which will be featured in an Ozzy Osbourne tribute album.
In the choirs of the album will be partipating Kiko (ex-Bethoven R, members of Arwen, Metropolis VI and also some friends of the band. Currently the band is in the New Sin Estudios(Italy), the recording will take place by the end of september and the album will be out at february 2005.
Blind Guardian Guitarist Breaks His Leg
Posted on the official Blind Guardian website by Hansi:
Hi everyone, this morning I got a phone call from Marcus who told me that he is in hospital for quite a few days. Pretending to be a skateboarder he finally stumbled and fell right in front of his house and broke his leg, last Saturday. Since a regular fracture is not enough, Marcus took the severe way and made it a little more complicated. The leg got broken 4 times. He is going to undertake some surgeries and some serious therapies before he will be able to use his leg normally. First surgery will take place somewhere during the week. I will keep you informed.
Another message was posted by Pedro:
You can leave a Get Well message for Marcus at the address: getwell@blind-guardian.com. We will send all messages to Marcus after a few days.
Europe Start From The Dark Tour Dates Confirmed
Europe’s official website (www.europetheband.com) has posted dates for the band’s upcoming tour in support of their new album, Start From The Dark, due for release through T&T/Sanctuary on September 27th. The album will be issued in Japan on September 22nd.
Upcoming Europe tour dates include:
October
14 in Helsinki, Finland at House Of Culture
16 in Link–ping, Sweden at Cloetta Center
17 in Sundsvall, Sweden at Hallen
19 in Oslo, Norway at Rockefeller
20 in Karlstad, Sweden at Lila Arena
21 in Stockholm, Sweden at Hovet
22 in Goteborg, Sweden at Scandinavium
24 in Hallen, Denmark at KB
26 in Flensburg, Germany at Roxy
27 in Hamburg, Germany at Fabrik
28 in Koln, Germany at Live Music Hall
29 in Nurnberg, Germany at Lowensaal
31 in Stuttgart, Germany at Longhorn LKA
November
1 in Munchen, Germany at Georg-Else-Halle
2 in Wien, Austria at Kurhalle
4 in Milano, Italy at Alcatraz
6 in Madrid, Spain at Aqualung
7 in Pamplona, Spain at Anaitasuna
9 in Barcelona, Spain at Razzmatazz
10 in Paris, France at Elysee Montmartre
12 in Atwerp, Belgium at Hof Ter Lo
13 in Tilburg, Netherlands at 013
15 in London, England at Hammersmith Apollo
Witchery In Mixing Mode
Witchery guitarist Patrik Jensen (The Haunted) has posted the following message at the Earth-Dog.com message board:
Alright, so where do I start... It's been a long time since Witchery has done anything... I think the last thing we did was the tour of Mexico we did together with The Haunted and To/Die/For... can't even remember when the Hell that was haha
"Oh well..anyways, after The Haunted had completed the new album, I guess the time was right, if not even way overdue, to get a new Witchery album done. Richard, Martin and myself had rehearsed a few times during my 2003 xmas visit to my old home town, so we had material for 3-4 songs floating around. However, we didnt get writing & rehearsing really going until late June, due to touring & festival obligations I had with The Haunted.
"We rehearsed all through the summer, and by the first week of August, we had all the songs written. We recorded the yet untitled album at the Berno studio in Malmö, Sweden (same studio as for 'Symphonies for the Devil'). We have 16 songs that are being mixed & mastered right now.
"Some song titles are:
01. Draw Blood
02. Plaguerider
03. Disturbing the Beast
04. Stigmatized
05. War Piece
"Hopefully, the album will be out before the end of this year... The album title will be posted, as soon as a title has been chosen
"And finally, to state the obvious, the Witchery home page has been terribly neglected lately. This will be rectified as soon as possible."
Van Halen 'Best Of Both Worlds' Certified Platinum
Van Halen's two-CD retrospective, "The Best of Both Worlds", has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying shipments of more than 1,000,000 units.
A 36-track overview of more than 25 years of Van Halen recordings, "The Best Of Both Worlds" contains three brand-new recordings with VH's second singer, Sammy Hagar, back on board.
As previously reported, Van Halen's classic live video, "Live Without A Net", has just received a DVD release in the U.S. The concert was filmed in New Haven, USA in 1986 during the band's first tour with then-new vocalist Sammy Hagar. The video remains a favorite among fans and to this day is a spectacular watch.
Headline News
Cancer Part Ways With Guitarist
Reunited U.K. death metallers Cancer have parted ways with guitarist Rob Engvikson following the completion of their recent European tour dates. "This was a totally amicable decision by both parties," reads a posting on the group's web site.
Commented Cancer drummer Carl Stokes: "There is no malice between the band and Rob, and we wish him well with his Asatru project, and we'll see him down the pub for a beer."
Stokes and Cancer guitarist/vocalist John Walker will spend the next few months writing material for a new full-length album, tentatively due in 2005 through Copro Records.
Cancer recently issued their comeback EP, "Corporation$", through Copro. Included on the effort was the group's cover version of the Celtic Frost classic "Dethroned Emperor".
Nightwish U.S. Version Of Once With Bonus Material
The North American edition of NIGHTWISH's latest CD, "Once", will include extra material not found on the album's original European release: the bonus cuts "White Night Fantasy" (originally released on the "Nemo" single) and "Live to Tell the Tale" (found on the Japanese version of "Once"), plus the "Wish I Had An Angel" video in MPEG format. In addition, the album's artwork will be slightly different. Check it out at this location.
The follow-up to 2002's "Century Child", "Once" has been certified gold in Germany for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. The album has also achieved double-platinum status in the group's native Finland for sales in excess of 60,000 copies.
Exhumed Frontman: Singing For Exodus Was An Honor
Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey has commented on his one-off stint as the lead singer for Exodus at their headlining gig in Mexico City last weekend. Writing to Exodus' official message board, Harvey said, "I don't usually post on boards and what-not, but I wanted to make some kind of statement about the weekend I just had.
"To say I was honored to even be considered to fill in for the show in Mexico would be a HUGE understatement. I've been a fan of Exodus since I bought 'Pleasures of the Flesh' in 1987 when I was 11 or 12 years old. The first metal show I ever attended was the 'Headbangers Ball' tour in '89 with Anthrax/Exodus and Hellween. Exodus is one of my favorite bands off all time and even though I've been mostly involved with the death metal and grind scenes for the past 12 years in Exhumed, my love of thrash and of Exodus has never faltered.
"I just want to thank Gary, Rick, Tom, and Jack for giving me the opportunity to front one of the greatest bands of all time on Saturday. I will never forget it as long as I live and I never would have thought that it would happen in my wildest 'heavy metal fantasy' (as Herr doktor Schnuggles would say). I also want to extend a massive thanks to all the Exobangers in Mexico City for making me feel welcome!
"I know that a lot of people were disappointed that Zetro didn't make it (myself included) but I know that the band didn't want to let the promoters and people involved, and most of all the fans, down. I hope that I didn't let you guys down up there — I did the best I could considering that we had only 5 songs' worth of rehearsal that day at soundcheck. I guess all those years of singing along with the albums finally paid off!
"Thanks so much for being an amazing crowd and making me feel at home, because I would be lying if I said that I wasn't really nervous up there! If anyone has any pictures or video, or audio for that matter I would love to see it.
"Thanks again to the Exodudes and their management and crew for making me feel welcome and especially to everyone at the show!"
Pantera's Best Of CD Certified Gold
Pantera's career overview CD, "The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits!" (Elektra/Rhino), has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of more than 500,000 copies in the U.S.
The 16-song "Vulgar Hits!" CD, originally issued in September 2003, was packaged with a bonus DVD boasting 12 videos, including two live performances. The bulk of the material was culled from the band's six major-label releases, but also included were non-album cuts "Cat Scratch Fever" (a cover of the Ted Nugent song that originally appeared on the Polygram soundtrack to "Detroit Rock City") and the Black Sabbath cover "Hole in the Sky", previously available only on import.
As reported here last month, Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power" (Elektra) was recently certified double-platinum by the RIAA, signifying shipments of more than 2,000,000 units in the U.S. since its February 25, 1992 release.
Velvet Revolver Video To Be Banned In U.K.?
According to the U.K.'s Daily Star newspaper, "Velvet Revolver are on a collision course with TV bosses over an explicit video. The promo to new single 'Fall to Pieces' is set to be banned because of its graphic content — the video recounts their singer Scott Weiland's battle with heroin and features scenes of drug-taking and nudity. A source close to the band said: 'They really didn't hold back and it gets pretty gory.'"
"Fall To Pieces" is the second single from Velvet Revolver's platinum-certified debut album, "Contraband". The clip, which takes place in a setting reminiscent of Hollywood clubs of the Seventies like the Starwood, not only features the band, but their wives as well. Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan said about the shoot, "Um, yeah, we had some of our wives in there, and [singer] Scott's [Weiland] wife, Mary, which the song was basically written around — the premise of his life falling down all around him, and he was separated from his wife and his two kids. And it was just, you know, kinda just — it's a family vibe. We're all in this together."
Detonation To Enter Studio In December
Dutch melodic death/thrash metal band Detonation are currently in pre-production for their sophomore full-length album. 11 new songs have been composed for the follow up to last year's "An Epic Defiance", which is due to be recorded in December at studio Excess in Rotterdam, Holland for an early 2005 release through Osmose Productions.
Commented singer/guitarist Koen Romeijn: "Expect nothing less than pure melodic death/thrash in the vein of our debut album...but this time the songs are more intense, more technical and better structured than before! There's also more variation to be found among the songs, it's going to be a killer!" Songtitles set to appear on the as-yet-untitled CD are as follows:
01. Beyond the Margin
02. Chaos Banished
03. Structural Deceit
04. End of Sight-End of Fears
05. Clinically Dead
06. The Source to Delve
07. Solitude Reflected
08. Lost Euphoria Part III
09. The Loss of Motion Control
10. Into Sulfur I Descend
11. The Discharge of Isolation
Soilwork Begin Recording New Album
Swedish melodic death thrashers Soilwork have entered Dug-Out Productions in Uppsala, Sweden with producer Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, Stuck Mojo) to begin recording their sixth album, tentatively due in early 2005 through Nuclear Blast Records. Next week, the recording sessions will be moving to the Fascination Street studios in Örebro.
With regards to the new material, Soilwork vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid recently said, "In my ears it sounds like a mixture between 'Natural Born Chaos' (2002) and our latest effort, 'Figure Number Five' (2003) with a slight and interesting development."
Exodus Guitarist Apologizes
Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has apologized for his "personal" attack against the group's former singer, Steve "Zetro" Souza, over the circumstances that led to Zetro's departure from the group. Writing to the band's official message board, Holt said, "I would just like to take a moment to apologize to all on this board for, as one already said, taking the low road here. While I stand by everything I said as the gospel truth I would also like to apologize for my personal attacks on Steve Souza. We have many of the same personal close friends and it's not fair of me to have maybe dragged them into the middle of this and as I am very fond of his family I regret possibly putting them in the middle of this as well. I am still VERY angry over this whole mess but I could have handled it in a more profesional manner.
"I do not think Steve will be easy to replace but it has to be done. A band cannot continue when you have a cancer in its midst. " More...
God Among Insects Uhr-Nazuur Video Posted Online
God Among Insects, the Swedish "old-school" death metal band featuring vocalist Emperor Magus Caligula (Dark Funeral), guitarist Lord K (a.k.a. Kenth Philipson) (The Project Hate), bassist Tomas Elofsson (Sanctification) and drummer Tobias Gustafsson (Vomitory), have uploaded the video for their track "Uhr-Nazuur" at this location. "Just remember it's nothing special really as we spent no cash at all on it, but at least you'll see some of the intensity we display live, with some other cool shit thrown in for good measures," the band write on their web site.
"Uhr-Nazuur" comes off the group's debut album, "World Wide Death", which was released in Europe on September 6 through Plastic Head Distribution. An MP3 of the album cut "A Gush of Blood" can be downloaded at this location.
Exodus Recruits Singer For South American Tour
Exodus will likely be utilizing the services of singer John Miller for their South American tour, which scheduled to kick off Friday (Sept. 17) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Miller is a local Bay Area singer who had previously played with Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Tom Hunting in Wardance, the ill-fated mid-'90s act that recorded a four-song demo and played several live shows before calling it a day.
Although Exodus performed a gig in Mexico City over the weekend with Exhumed's Matt Harvey filling in for the now-departed Steve "Zetro" Souza, Harvey is reportedly unable to take time off work to complete the tour, resulting in Miller's late addition to the group's current touring lineup.
A dynamic live performer whose stage presence has previously been compared — perhaps unfairly — to that of Philip Anselmo, Miller should have a relatively easy time picking up the Exodus material, having previously rehearsed several times with the group in early 2003 at the time of Zetro's last departure from the band. Miller was also responsible for penning the lyrics to the Exodus track "Throwing Down" (off their latest album, "Tempo of the Damned") — a reworked version of a song originally written for and demoed by Wardance.
Exodus first studio album since 1992's "Force of Habit", "Tempo of the Damned" (2004) has sold 14,382 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Fates Warning Singer Joins Redemption
Sensory Records recording artists Redemption have announced that Ray Alder, legendary vocalist of progressive metal icons Fates Warning and of his solo project ENGINE, has become the group's new vocalist. He is currently recording vocal tracks for Redemption's second CD, tentatively titled "The Fullness of Time", scheduled for release in early 2005.
"I'm incredibly excited that Ray is our singer," commented Nicolas van Dyk, Redemption's primary songwriter and guitarist/keyboardist. "He's always been my favorite vocalist in progressive metal and his voice sounds amazing with the new Redemption material."
Alder and van Dyk have been friends for some time. Alder was a guest musician for one track on Redemption's self-titled debut (released on Sensory in 2003), and he joined the group on-stage at Atlanta's ProgPower festival in September of that year to perform this song. The two also collaborated previously on a track on the first Engine CD.
When writing began for the upcoming Redemption CD, the band had planned to work with Corey Brown (Magnitude 9, Section XVI) who had stepped in to sing for the band at ProgPower. However, that changed when Alder heard the new material.
"When I heard the new songs that Nick had written, they immediately struck me as really heavy, and progressive but more focused at the same time," said Alder. "Not to take anything away from the debut, but this CD is a big step forward. They're just great, heavy songs and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of."
"I want to emphasize, Corey Brown is a talented friend and a true professional," said van Dyk. "The decision to work with Ray is in no way indicative of any discord with Corey, whose performance with us in Atlanta was awesome and who possesses an amazing voice. I was fully prepared to work with Corey and I would have been very happy with him in the band. But there was no way I was going to turn down the chance to have Ray in Redemption. It's a unique opportunity to work and perform with a vocal legend, as well as a close friend. I think Ray's voice will take Redemption to a truly special level."
Alder, of course, remains the vocalist for Fates Warning (who are releasing their new CD, "FWX", on October 5) and Engine. "Ray has a fair amount on his plate, and before we began work on Redemption together we had to make certain that his ongoing commitments to Fates Warning and Engine would still allow him to commit himself to Redemption as well," explained van Dyk. "I didn't just want to hire a session vocalist. Redemption is a band. Ray and I are comfortable that Redemption will fit into his schedule, both for recording and live performance."
Recording for the new CD, other than vocals, is nearly completed. "It's significantly heavier than the previous CD, but it's very melodic at the same time," said van Dyk. "It's still quite progressive but I think it's more song-oriented and the songwriting, both musically and lyrically, is much more mature than our debut. I'm really looking forward to people’s reactions — I think it's going to surprise a lot of people. We'll be letting people know a bit more about the CD, including its production details and track information, as the release date gets a bit closer."
In addition to van Dyk and Alder, Redemption's other members are guitarist Bernie Versailles (Agent Steel, Engine), and bassist James Sherwood and drummer Chris Quirarte (both of Prymary). Versailles has been a member of the band since its inception, while Sherwood and Quirarte joined for last year's ProgPower performance and have been members since that time.
The group's new CD will be released by Sensory Records, a division of The Laser's Edge.
Black Sabbath Not In Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Black Sabbath have once again been snubbed by the voting members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Ozzy Osbourne-fronted band were a glaring omission from the list of the nominees for induction in 2005 in the "artist" category, which were announced earlier today (Sept. 13).
Van Halen, who became eligible in 2003, also have yet to be nominated.
The nominees for the 2005 induction class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include U2, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Randy Newman and the O'Jays.
They are joined on the ballot by the Pretenders, Buddy Guy, Wanda Jackson, The J. Geils Band, Conway Twitty and Percy Sledge.
The Sex Pistols, The Stooges, Lynyard Skynyrd and the late Gram Parsons were previously nominated but remain on this year's ballot.
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria considered includes the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.
The foundation's nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the "artist" category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 700 rock experts.
Five years ago, Ozzy Osbourne attempted to take Black Sabbath's name off the Hall of Fame's 1999 nomination list, deeming the institution's nod "meaningless."
In an October 1999 letter to the Hall of Fame, Osbourne said: "Just take our name off the list. Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless, because it's not voted on by the fans. It's voted on by the supposed elite for the industry and the media, who've never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is irrelevant to me." He says, "Let's face it, Black Sabbath has never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine."
Lullacry Enter The Studio To Record
Lullacry has wrapped up their tour performing for sold out audiences nationwide with Nightwish. Photos from their enthusiastic sold out Los Angeles performance can be viewed here. Lullacry will enter Finnvox Studios (Nightwish, Stratovarius) September 13th to record the follow-up to 2003’s Crucify My Heart. Keep your eyes to the band’s website as they will be posting their studio diary. To hear the title track “Fire Within “ from the recently released 5-track EP click here (Real Audio).
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