Metal News for September 7, 2004
Last updated on October 6, 2025 at 2:37 AM ET
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35 news articles posted on this day.
Slayer Pushes Back DVD Release Date
The release date of Slayer's upcoming DVD, "Reign in Blood Live: Still Reigning," has been pushed back to October 26. The disc will feature, for the first time ever, the original Slayer lineup — Tom Araya (vocals, bass), guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, and drummer Dave Lombardo, who permanently rejoined the band in 2003 — performing an entire concert live. The cornerstone of the DVD will be the 1986, 28-minute classic album "Reign In Blood," performed in its entirety. During the final 45-seconds of the song "Raining Blood," "blood rains from the heavens," completely drenching the band, their instruments, and the stage. Hanneman unintentionally avoided the initial bloodbath as he stepped offstage for just a moment to handle a problem with his guitar, and missed the cue; but was deluged as he stepped back onstage.
"Still Reigning" was directed by Dean Karr (Iron Maiden's "Rock in Rio," the groundbreaking "Sweet Dreams" for Marilyn Manson), and was shot on July 11 at the Civic Center in Augusta, ME. Ten cameras, including three hand-held mini-DVs, captured Slayer throughout the day and evening, filming an abundance of footage and exclusive interviews shot backstage, on the band's tour bus, and live on stage. The DVD will have an approximate 75-minute running time and will retail for $14.98.
Slayer will kick off the Jägermeister Music Tour on October 29 in Springfield, MO. Also apprearing on the bill will be Killswitch Engage and Mastadon.
Rob Zombie Bassist Talks About New Project
Rob Zombie/ex-Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson recently spoke to Horror Rock Bass about his new project The Death Riders. Several excerpts from the interview follow:
Horror Rock Bass: Can you tell us a little about the band and how the project came together?
Blasko: "Jonny [Coffin, guitar] and I built a relationship through his company Coffin Case. We were hangin' out one day at the shop and he played me some early demo ideas that he and Danny [Daniel Gray, vocals] had been working on. At that moment I knew it was something that we needed to pursue. I thought the stuff was so dark and original, and I really wanted to put some effort into bringing the project to life. It basically became my 'side' project while I was in Rob's band. Once Rob decided to focus on movies, it became my 'main' project. Now here we are talking about it..." More...
Read the full article at Horror Rock Bass.
The Old Dead Tree Announce New Drummer
French gothic metallers The Old Dead Tree have announced the addition of drummer Foued Moukid (ex-Horresco Referens) to the group's ranks.
Moukid joins the band as the replacement for Franck Métayer, who left the group back in February.
The Old Dead Tree's original drummer, Frédéric Guillemot, committed suicide in 1999, shortly after the release of the group's debut mini-CD, "The Blossom."
Metal Movement Tour Dates Announced
Canadian metal band Kittie will be teaming up with Otep and Crisis for the Metal Movement Tour beginning on September 27 in Farmingdale, NY.
Kittie were forced to cancel several dates on their North American headlining tour last month after the band's drummer, Mercedes Lander, was hospitalized due to severe dehydration and exhaustion.
The group are touring in support of their latest album, "Until the End," which released in July through Artemis Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Oracle" was recorded during the month of March at Longview Farm Studios in Massachusetts and was produced by Steve Thompson (Korn, Anthrax).
Upcoming Kittie tour dates: More...
Beyond Twilight Cancel Plans To Work w/ Symphony X
Danish metallers Beyond Twilight have dismissed widespread rumors that their upcoming album will feature the vocal talents of Symphony X frontman Russell Allen.
"The rumors spreading like wildfire about Russell Allen as new vocalist in Beyond Twilight were true for a while, but have now been cancelled," the group said in a statement. "Because of Russell Allen's busy schedule with Symphony X, his solo project, numerous other projects and features on numerous other albums about to be released, the band has found it hard to work with Russell and have cancelled their plans with him as new vocalist."
Although the band's debut album, 2001's "The Devil's Hall Of Fame", featured Masterplan/ex-Yngwie Malmsteen frontman Jorn Lande, "Beyond Twilight have kept focus on getting a permanent member of the band — not a 'project singer' or a vocalist appearing everywhere, and has found what they were looking for," the group said. "Stay tuned for somewhat of a news bomb, as we'll reveal the dark secrets of the name of the new acclaimed vocalist."
With regards to the upcoming CD, the band write, "Finn Zierler [keyboardist/main composer] went out of his way to create the new masterpiece. The songs came together in three very different stages, which saw Finn isolated from the surroundings. The first stage took place in a dark attic for three days, then Finn was submerged into a cold lake for another couple of days, and finally walking around the streets of London, living in cardboard boxes for four days. No musical instruments were at hand during these sessions, so Finn wrote down all the music on sheet paper, thus creating what is going to become the new Beyond Twilight opus."
Recordings for the new album are taking place at Tommy Hansen's (Helloween, Pretty Maids) Jailhouse Studio in Horsens, Denmark and in Jacob Hansen's (Raunchy, Illdisposed, Ancient, Manticora, Mercenary) Hansen studio in Ribe, Denmark (Keyboards, lead guitar and drums were recorded at Jailhouse, while the rhythm guitar and bass were recorded at Hansen.) Finn Zierler, Tommy Hansen and Jacob Hansen have been acting as engineers and producers on the recordings.
In other news, acclaimed producer and Invocator mainman Jacob Hansen has joined Beyond Twilight as the band's second guitarist. "Jacob is a perfect fit for the band, and the recordings has gone just perfect," Beyond Twilight said. "Jacob has brought his great skills and energy to the recordings. Beyond Twilight are extraordinarily happy with the new reinforcement."
Korn's Greatest Hits To Include Bonus Live DVD
A limited-edition version of Korn's greatest-hits package, "Greatest Hits, Vol. 1", will be released alongside the standard version of the album on October 5 via Epic. The limited-edition disc comes with a DVD capturing the band's concert at New York's CBGBs last November. The tentative track listing for the DVD portion of the set is as follows:
01. Right Now
02. Here to Stay
03. Did My Time
04. Got the Life
05. Freak on a Leash
06. Falling Away From Me
07. Blind
Regarding the CBGBs gig, Korn singer Jonathan Davis told the Columbus, Ohio radio station The Blitz 99.7 FM, "We had a whole camera crew with us. It's really cool. It shows the events leading up to the show and the actual show. It was the most brutal Korn show you've ever been to. It was down and dirty. It's CBGB's and it rocked. It was one of those legendary shows. It was cool to be backstage and watching the kids walk by to go to the bathroom. It was like no gig I've ever done before. We had to have our security guards as barricades pushing the kids back — people getting crushed. It was insane — people hanging off the rafters. It was just a really good time. And everybody walked out of there saying that was the best Korn show they ever saw."
Musicians Speak Out On Anti-American Sentiment
Norway's Imhotep 'zine recently asked more than 60 heavy metal and hard rock musicians to answer the following question regarding the current political situation in the world:
What's your opinion on the rising tide of the anti-American sentiment around the world and to what would you attribute this?
Among the musicians that took part in this "survey" were the following: More...
Scorpions Singer Speaks To The Star Online
Scorpions singer Klaus Meine recently spoke to Malaysia's The Star Online about how the veteran German hard rock band has beaten the career odds and still continues to thrive with new material. Several excerpts from the interview follow:
The Star Online: How has the Scorpions survived this long?
Klaus Meine: "It is a mixture between talent and our philosophy of friendship. We've been through highs and lows in our career but the most important thing is that we've never lost our passion for music." More...
Fear The Future Forced To Delay Recording Sessions
Swedish black/death metallers Fear the Future were forced to postpone the vocal-recording sessions for their debut album, "The Bloody Beginning," after Sunlight Studios "suffered a technical failure which made it impossible to continue recording until this was solved," according to a posting on the group's web site. "As of today, it is just a matter of weeks before this will be done so the delay will not be that long."
Fear the Future's debut is being produced by Tomas Skogsberg (Entombed, Dismember) for an early 2005 release through New Aeon Media, a subsidiary of Holland's Karmageddon Media (formerly Hammerheart Records). A total of 12 tracks are expected to surface on the album, including two cuts that originally appeared on the band's 2003 demo, "Demo I." Demo versions of the tracks "Dark Transmission on Dead Frequencies" (intro) / "Majestic Shadows" and "With My Eyes Wide Open" are currently available for download at the group's official website.
Earthride Teams Up With COC Bassist
Maryland-based doom rockers Earthride entered Sonic Wave Studios in Raleigh, N.C. over Labor Day weekend with producer producer/engineer Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity bassist) to begin recording their second release for L.A.'s Southern Lord Records.
"It's a good relationship," said Earthride vocalist Dave Sherman (Wretched, Spirit Caravan) of working with Dean. "We have a good rapport with Mike. Hopefully this will be one of the best releases of 2005."
Dean and Sherman got to know each other in 2001 when C.O.C. toured the United States with Spirit Caravan and their fellow Maryland residents in Clutch. Later, Dean and Spirit Caravan guitarist/vocalist Wino (St. Vitus, The Obsessed, Hidden Hand) contributed vocal tracks to Dave Grohl's Probot project, released earlier this year by Southern Lord.
Earthride's other members are guitarist Kyle Van Steinburg, bassist Rob Hampshire and drummer Eric Little (Internal Void).
When Dean asked Southern Lord chief Greg Anderson if any of his bands needed a producer, he mentioned Earthride.
"I was excited because of their connections to Spirit Caravan and Internal Void," Dean said. "I was even more excited when they set up their equipment and I heard the songs and realized it would be easy to make them sound tremendous because they already sounded tremendous."
Dean found time to work with Earthride during a break in C.O.C.'s schedule. Last month the band began recording its next release for Sanctuary Records with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore in his band's New Orleans studio. C.O.C. also recently completed recording their version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "On the Hunt" for one of Sanctuary's upcoming Skynard tribute albums, working with longtime producer John Custer in his Raleigh studio and at Sonic Wave.
Earthride's last release for Southern Lord, "Taming of the Demons", was produced by Chris Koslowski, who's also worked with Pentagram, Spirit Caravan, Internal Void and The Obsessed. The band's first release was a self-produced, self-titled four-song EP/CD that came out in 2000 on its own Earth Brain label.
"I respect Earthride for their abilities and their connection to the history of heavy rock," said Dean. "Their influences run deep and far back."
King Diamond To Release Live DVD
A live recording of the King Diamond track "Mansion In Darkness" has been posted online in MP3 format here.
"Mansion In Darkness" comes off the band's upcoming double live CD, "Deadly Lullabyes Live" (view cover), due on September 21 through Metal Blade Records. The album was recorded during the band's last U.S. tour and was mixed at guitarist Andy LaRocque's Los Angered studio outside Gothenburg, Sweden.
Regarding the upcoming live CD, vocalist King Diamond recently stated:
The new double live album simply KICKS ASSSSSSS!!!! Top-notch performance by everyone involved, including our amazing audiences. I don't think I have ever heard the old classic Diamond songs performed this well and this close to the originals. I speak for everyone when I say, that we have never had as much fun on stage as we had on this last tour, and it shows when you listen to the album. This is the ultimate King Diamond line-up at work ON STAGE. For my own part, my voice is stronger than ever, and singing old songs like 'Welcome Home' gives me more pleasure today than ever before. It's all there for our fans to hear, a King Diamond show from beginning to end, raw, in your face, loud, moody, brutal, horror, and awesome audience sing-alongs. It's King Diamond live!
"Deadly Lullabyes Live" track listing: More...
Mourning Beloveth Cancel Dutch Doom Day Appearance
In other news, the band has cancelled a performance at Dutch Doom Day 3 "due to unforeseen circumstances. The band plans to be out on the road again early next year.
The Equinox Ov The Gods New Line-up
The line-up of the band wasn't sinister enough so a murder of crows decided that help was needed to plague the world and a banshee was hired...
Susanne Fumei - vocals
Arttu Malkii - drums
Melker Ryymin - bass
Morgan Svedlund - guitar
Fredrik Wallin - vocals
Joakim Wassberg - guitar
Nightwish Reschedule Cancelled Tour Dates
Nightwish have begun to reschedule the three cancelled North American tour dates (Toronto, Montreal and Philadelphia), which occured back in early August. So far, the dates in Toronto and Montreal have been rescheduled, and a Philadelphia date is expected to be announced soon.
Here are the confirmed rescheduled dates so far:
Dec. 15 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Dec. 18 - Toronto, ON - TBA
Strapping Young Lad Post Studio Photos Online
Canadian metallers Strapping Young Lad have posted some new photos from the studio online here.
An official statement from Devin Townsend's website reads:
The guys are busy recording the new Strapping Young Lad album. The drums were finished late August at the Armoury in Vancouver. It took Gene only three days to pound through 11 tracks when they moved on to Greenhouse Studios, also in Vancouver, to do guitars and vocals. The remaining work will be done in Devin's studio in Maple Ridge (suburb of Vancouver). The SYL DVD is done and as posted last month, the release is set by Century Media for November 2nd. We will also be carrying it but we are not sure at this time when we will receive our stock. Devin is still working on the Devin Townsend band DVD so it will not be ready until sometime in the new year.
Trivium To Enter The Studio Next Week
Florida's Trivium have posted this message on their official website:
We head to Tampa 9/13 and will get started on our debut Roadrunner Records CD titled "Ascendancy" - we have between 12 – 14 songs ready for recording and have already done pre-production on most and had a chance to work with some of the new material on tour - which was cool.
We will head to Morrisound Recording in Tampa with Jason Suecof (who will be Producing our CD) Audio Hammer Studios, to lay down Travis's drum tracks – then we will head back to Audio Hammer Studios to record everything else. Once we complete the work with Jason – we will head over to the UK to work with Andy Sneap on the final mastering. Needless to say this will be a great experience – we are big fans of Andy's work and look forward to working with him.
We expect to be busy recording for the next couple of months - we will keep you posted on any news and information while in the studio. We will be updating the site periodically with news and pictures.
As always - Thanks for support - we will talk to you later.
Pre-order Jagermeister Music Tour Tickets
Currently on a headline run of the states with From Autumn To Ashes, Eighteen Visions, and labelmates 36 Crazyfists, KsE will be heading out this Fall on the Jagermeister Music Tour with Slayer and Mastodon. Now this ain't some mamby-pamby concert, this is metal as it wasintended to be, and you can pre-order tickets to this event as follows:
You will need a password to pre-order tickets starting 9/8 at 10am thru 9/9 at 5pm (local times). The pre-sale password is "blood" (case-sensitive).
The first 100 pre-sale purchasers over 21 in each market will receive a "Limited Edition Jagermeister Tour Bandana" at the venue the day of the show (all markets except for Dallas, Seattle, and Spokane).
Dates, venues, cities, and links for pre-ordering are listed below (note, you will need to do a search for 'Jagermeister' or 'Slayer' to find your city to purchase tickets): More...
Behemoth, More European Tour Dates Announced
Polish black metal outfit Behemoth will be embarking on a co-headlining European tour with Brazilian death metallers Krisiun this fall. Pennsylvanian death/grind heavyweights Incantation and Norway's Ragnarok are also on the bill. The trek, dubbed "Clash Of Demigods European Tour 2004", will kick off late October and will run through mid-November.
"Clash Of Demigods European Tour 2004" dates:
Oct. 21 - 013 – Tilburg, NETH
Oct. 22 - Vera - Groningen, NETH
Oct. 23 - Biebob - Vosselaar, BEL
Oct. 24 - Locomotive - Paris, FRA
Oct. 25 - Underworld - London, UK
Oct. 26 - Whelans - Dublin, IRE
Oct. 28 - Doornroosje - Nijmegen, NETH
Oct. 29 - Exil - Trier, GER
Oct. 30 - Espace - Seichamps, FRA
Oct. 31 - N8 - Osnabruck, GER
Nov. 01 - Zeche Carl - Essen, GER
Nov. 02 - K17 - Berlin, GER
Nov. 03 - Musik Hus - Goteborg, SWE
Nov. 04 - John Dee - Oslo, NOR
Nov. 05 - Garage - Bergen, NOR
Nov. 06 - Tribute - Sandnes, NOR
Nov. 08 - Markthalle - Hamburg, GER
Nov. 09 - Rock It - Aalen, GER
Nov. 10 - Z7 - Pratteln, SWI
Nov. 11 - Rockstore (T.B.C) - Montepellier, FRA
Nov. 12 - Tunk - Irun, SPA
Nov. 13 - Ritmo & Compass - Madrid, SPA
Nov. 14 - Mephisto - Barcelona, SPA
Nov. 16 - Transilvania - Milano, ITA
Nov. 17 - Alpheus - Rome, ITA
Hades Early Albums To Be Reissued
Defunct U.S. metallers Hades have finalized a deal with Mausoleum Records to re-release the group's first two albums, "Resisting Success" (1987) and "If At First You Don't Succeed" (1988), in one package.
Commented vocalist Alan Tecchio: "This is a great opportunity for us since we still get e-mails requesting both of the first two Hades CDs. This demand of the fans is the reason we rereleased them back in the '90s (on a limited run on our own label). Those pressings like the originals, also sold out so it's been a long time now that this music has been unavailable. Hopefully this double CD will meet that need and give the fans a bit extra in the way of liner notes and other art." Added guitarist Dan Lorenzo: "I am also speaking with Mausoleum about the European release of my two solo CDs, 'Cassius King' and my new one, 'Nice Being Alone', which are both now available through my web site, www.DanLorenzo.net. Monster Records have also informed me they are still planning on releasing old HADES demos (as a CD/double gatefold vinyl LP) with original vocalist Paul Smith at some point down the road."
Belphegor Prepare To Record New Album
Austrian death/black metal act Belphegor will enter Mastersound Studio in Fellbach, Germany on September 13 to begin recording their fifth full-length album, tentatively due in March 2005 through Napalm Records. "The three recording sessions will last 'till the 10th of November," the band write in a newsletter. "In [these] three months (Sept./Oct./Nov.) the group is going to concentrate on their new album 100 percent and, for that matter, will not play any concerts in that period. The new album comes first of all." Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Goatreich – Fleshcult", "Crown Massacre", "Anus Dei", "Burn the Cross", "Swarm of Rats", "The Cruzifix", "Seth - Demon of Death", "Fornicationium Et Immundum Diabolus" and "The Stigmatized".
Commented vocalist/guitarist Helmuth: "Again we will break musical rules and borders and you can expect a very special, monumetal high-speed opus with violent twin-guitars and far more leads than on it's predecessor. Through 'Lucifer Incestus' we could learn a lot concerning studio and equipment and this time we gonna use and seize it all. Again we've added a lot of new elements and reached the next level of composition and structure, without sounding less massive. The material we are developing since Dec. '03, has really grown during that time and the speeds/drumtakes are more varied than ever, from 130 beats to 180/210 ('Blutsabbath' and 'Necrodaemon' speeds) up to the typical 220/250 Belphegor speeds, I think this is one of the most outstanding attributes of the still-untitled jewel. Also we got a mighty 190 soundcollage, that even can do without any blastbeat, therefore the hardness and intensity are lethal ...of course, we got a hyper-blastattack at 260 bpm speed at start as well. This album is going to be another strong death/black metal massacre, 'Lucifer Incestus' is the climax of our work so far, but #5 is going to be our 'Reign In Blood', so u demons...be prepared."
Belphegor will embark on a mini-tour with Disastrous Murmur in mid-November, to be followed by their appearance at this year's X-Mass Fest alongside Marduk, Napalm Death, Finntroll, Vader and Black Dahlia Murder. A Brazilian tour is tentatively scheduled to take place in February/March.
Edguy Commence Songwriting Sessions For New Album
Edguy singer Tobias Sammet has posted the following message on the band's official web site:
"Hi there people, It's been quite a while since we talked. But just because you don't get any news doesn't mean that we are being lazy these days. We had a little summer break, which meant some of us have been on vacation and some of us have been working on new material. Anyway, we rehearsed some new stuff and it sounds great, but you're gonna get the chance to check it out next year, I think we're gonna be ready to enter the studio in spring 2005. The first stuff sounds — in my opinion — really pompous, flamboyant and bombastic, but of course that'll be a matter of arrangements. Of course there are some whimpy pussy mid tempo pop-metal like 'Holy Water' ideas as well!
"Anyway, now we are doing the final preparations for the forthcoming leg of
the tour that will lead us to North- Central- and South America. New tourdates have also been posted. The reason why we always wait so long with posting new tourdates is that we wanna try to avoid posting dates that are not confirmed by our side yet. Unfortunately some dates as for example in Chile had been ready for confirmation and then been cancelled by the local promoter due to private reasons. Whatever the reasons are, we wish him all the best and hope that our German agency will find a way and come up with postponed dates in Chile. Mexico had been postponed as well, but it seems that shows will happen there in the middle of October.
"For all our German Fans: We have made a last minute decision to play an end-of-tour-show (actually the tour will go on, but not in Germany.) to say thank you for your loyalty. It's gonna be on the 27th of November in our hometown of Fulda at the Kreuz-Club. Just hopping on stage, plug in and play for two hours, maybe we're gonna get the chance to play some stuff that we didn't play on tour. However, tickets are gonna be available for 15,- Euro from the 20th of September on, for tickets dial: +49 661 240230. So, that's it for now, I gotta go back working on my little keyboard and come up with some melodies that are in the back of my head."
The Crown To Release Posthumous Three-Disc DVD Set
Defunct Swedish thrashers The Crown have announced plans to issue a posthumous three-disc DVD set in the near future. According to a posting on the group's web site, the upcoming set will be "a colossal damage to head and eyes!! This magnificent hail to the fans will take you on a dangerous rollercoaster-ride deep within the halls of hell. Forget everything you`ve heard. You have it all on tape here — the true story of The Crown. The final chapter, written in blood, sweat and tears on a shiny silver plate out to kill (the priest) one last time. WATCH OUT!!!!"
The Crown recently issued a posthumous CD, "Crowned Unholy", featuring a free bonus DVD, entitled "The Crown Invades Karlsruhe". The DVD, which is not to be confused with the above-mentioned separate release, is a full live show filmed professionally on The Crown's last tour in Karlsruhe, Germany on November 24, 2003.
"Crowned Unholy" is a remake of the band's fifth album, "Crowned In Terror", with re-recorded vocal tracks by Johan Lindstrand, re-recorded bass tracks by Magnus Olsfelt, a new version of the intro (originally written by guitarist Marko Tervonen, now programmed by drummer Janne Saarenpää), drum sound digitally enhanced by Janne, and cool synthesizer-spiced parts, all programmed by Janne.
Bassist Barry Sparks Comments On UFO Tour
Bassist extraordinaire Barry Sparks (Dokken, ex-MSG, Ted Nugent) has commented on the reports that he will be filling in for UFO bassist Pete Way on the band's upcoming U.S. tour after Way was denied a working visa "due to having overstayed the number of days he was there on his last visit."
Says Sparks: "Well, what can I say... my good pal and bass-buddy, Mr. Rocknroll himself, Pete Way, sadly did not did not get his work permit for the UFO tour dates in America. I am honoured to have been asked to step into his shoes for the American shows. I'm a big fan of UFO and have worked with them before, at Donington in 2001. I've also worked with [current UFO guitarist] Vinnie Moore. OK, so I call it 'work' but really it was all fun fun FUN! I'm looking forward to meeting y'all out on the road with UFO. Bring your friends along too, and make lots of noise!"
First "Battle For Ozzfest" Band Announced
Texas-based A Dozen Furies have been the first band to publicly announce their involvement in the forthcoming MTV reality series "Battle for Ozzfest." The band had this to say:
We are more than pleased to announce that ADF has been selected to compete in MTV's "Battle for Ozzfest" reality series. Unfortunately, that's just about all of the information we have at this point. We are more than honored to be chosen and are very excited to have gone this far! Wish us luck by buying lots of merch at shows!!! hehehe.
For more information on the band head to www.adozenfuries.com.
Diablo Sign With Drakkar Entertainment
Finland's Diablo have inked a European deal with Drakkar Entertainment. The group's latest CD, "Eternium," will be released in continental Europe on September 27.
"Eternium," available in Finland since January via the Gaga Goodies/Poko label, debuted on the Finnish album chart at position No. 3. The follow-up to 2002's "Renaissance" was recorded at Fantom studios and was described by guitarist/vocalist Rainer Nygård as "the heaviest Diablo album so far. There's lot of new elements on the album, like my clean vocals, but the fans of our previous album ['Renaissance'] will love this one, too." A video for the track "Read My Scars" can be viewed at this location.
Diablo are currently writing material for their fourth album, which they expect to begin recording sometime next year.
The Chasm Post New Song Online
A brand-new The Chasm track, entitled "Fortress," has been posted online at this location.
"Fortress" comes off the group's forthcoming album, "The Spell of Retribution," due in November through the Earache subsidiary Wicked World Records. Comprising 10 tracks with a running time of over 66 minutes, "The Spell of Retribution" represents The Chasm's "most adventurous and ambitious project to date, and firmly sets them apart from the rest of the current death metal scene by incorporating purposely lengthy songs dealing with intricate concepts close to the heart of frontman Daniel Corchado," according to a posting on the Earache Records web site.
Recorded at Soto Sound Studios in Illinois and then mixed by Corchado at Lux Inframundis, the album's recording was not without its problems, including at one point a studio fire that set the schedule back and led to the CD taking longer than anticipated to complete.
Upcoming The Chasm shows:
w/ Mortician, Akercocke, Vehemence, Anal Blast: Oct. 17 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4 (formerly The Lab)
w/ Mortician, Akercocke, Vehemence, Manticore: Oct. 18 – Chicago, IL @ Joe's
Face Down In Songwriting Mode
Face Down, the reunited Swedish outfit featuring former The Haunted singer Marco Aro, are currently in "songwriting mode and rehearsing will be resumed properly in early September," according to the group's latest newsletter. "If everything pans out the way we want it, we're gonna record three or four songs for a demo in October," the band writes. "It will feature a brand new track called 'Strife,' as well as a couple of re-worked older tracks. If we find the time we'll squeeze another new tune on it as well." Joining Aro in the new lineup are original members, bassist Joakim (Harju) Hedestedt (ex-Construcdead) and guitarist Joacim Carlsson (General Surgery), plus new drummer Erik Thyselius (Construcdead, Terror 2000).
Face Down's forthcoming album, due in early 2005 through Sweden's Black Lodge Records, will feature brand new material, as well as reworked versions of some unreleased old tracks.
In other news, Face Down have been confirmed for the 2005 edition of the 2000 Decibel Festival, tentatively set to take place next May in Bengtsfors, Sweden (180 km north of Gothenburg).
Chimaira DVD Details
Chimaira's upcoming DVD, "The Dehumanizing Process" (view cover here), will feature seven live tracks recorded during a recent performance. The live songs are set to be as follows: More...
The Alter Boys To Release Debut Album In February
The Alter Boys, the project featuring members of Mushroomhead, Dog Fashion Disco, Unified Culture and the Original Pranksta, will return to Ohio's Mars Recording Studio in October to complete the mixing process for their long-awaited debut release, tentatively due in February 2005 through Fractured Transmitter Records (the label formed by former Mushroomhead vocalist Jason Mann). No further information is available at this time.
Ill Nino DVD Tracklisting Revealed
Roadrunner Records has revealed the artwork and track listing for the forthcoming Ill Nino DVD, "Live In the Eye of the Storm." Due on November 1, "Live In the Eye of the Storm" (view artwork here) will contain the following cuts:
Live in Pennsylvania while the band was on tour with Godsmack: More...
Dark Tranquillity Appearance Cancelled
Sweden's Dark Tranquillity have posted the following message on their official web site:
Some bad news — we just received information that the Metal Monster festival, on the 9th of October in Istanbul, was cancelled by the promoter earlier today. We're very disappointed by this and want to make it clear that the cancellation was the decision of the festival organizers and not the bands involved. We were very much looking forward to playing in Turkey again for the first time since 2001, and hopefully we can schedule a new gig a.s.a.p.
On a brighter note, the video clip for 'Lost to Apathy' is progressing very nicely. Have a look at some photos from yesterday's shoot here.
"Lost to Apathy" will be the first single off the band's upcoming studio album, tentatively due before the end of the year. "While it's too early to reveal any details, the end result promises to be a very different and unique piece of mayhem," a posting on the band's web site reads.
Special Guests Confirmed For Uli Jon Roth Concert
Legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth (ex-Scorpions) and his Sky Orchestra will be joined by several very special guests during their performance at the Renaissance castle Schloss Beck in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, Germany on October 9. Performing several pieces with Sky Orchestra will be Doro Pesch, Victor Smolski (RAGE) and Liz Vandall. The program will last for approximately three hours (with intermission) and will include a complete rendition of "Metamorphosis of Vivaldi's IV Seasons" as well as many pieces from all stages of Uli's musical journey. The multimedia event, dubbed "Rock Meets Renaissance," is going to be filmed, and part of the footage will be included on a DVD based on the music of the "Metamorphosis" album.
Circle II Circle Sets Tentative Album Title
Circle II Cirlce, the new band fronted by former Savatage singer Zachary Stevens, have set "Faces In the Dark" as the working title of their second album, tentatively due in early 2005 through AFM Records. The pre-production for the CD was completed at Cabin Fever Studios in Brooksville, Florida.
Owned and operated by hit songwriter Troy Montgomery, Cabin Fever Studios is known for its privacy, excellent writing conditions, relaxed atmosphere, and a great a collection of guns, bow and arrows, and wildlife.
Among the tracks set to appear on the upcoming album is a song penned by Stevens in collaboration with Running Wild guitarist Bernd Aufermann.
The Kovenant Work On New Album
The Kovenant are working on their new album "Aria Galactica." The band describes the album as "the most exiting, surprising, energetic and accomplished Kovenant record so far" and "a very characteristic Kovenant record."
Nile Bassist Goes Solo
The vocalist/bassist from Nile Karl Sanders is going to release a solo album on October 26 through Relapse Records. The track list of "Saurian Meditation" is as follow:
01. Awaiting the Vultures
02. Of the Sleep of Ishtar
03. Luring the Doom Serpent
04. Contemplations of the Endless Abyss
05. The Elder God Shrine
06. Temple of Lunar Ascension
07. Dreaming Through the Eyes of Serpents
08. Whence No Traveller Returns
09. The Forbidden Path Across the Chasm of Self Realisation
10. Beckon the Sick Winds of Pestilence
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