Angel of Eden Signs To Lion Music

Lion Music recently announced the signing of Roger Staffelbach's Angel Of Eden. Acclaimed for his unique style, aggressive rhythm playing and his considerable soloing skills over 7 albums with prog metallers Artension, guitarist Roger Staffelbach has served up a potent offering of first class song writing over the ten tracks on the debut Roger Staffelbach's Angel Of Eden album "The End Of Never".

Fuelled by Roger's virtuoso guitar work, the melodic soaring vocals of Carsten "Lizard" Schulz [Evidence One, ex Domain], keyboard wizardry of Mistheria [solo, Bruce Dickinson], the powerhouse drumming of Rami Ali [Evidence One] and thunderous bottom end of Steve Di Giorgio [ex-Testament,ex-Death] along with guest performances from John West [ex-Royal Hunt], David Shankle [ex Manowar] and Ferdy Doernberg [Axel Rudi Pell], "The End Of Never" is a first class album from some of metal most respected names offering lush vocal melodies, pulsating rhythms and virtuoso lead breaks within captivating songs.

Here is the complete "The End of Never" track listing:

01. The End Of Never
02. Dreamchaser
03. Angel Of Eden
04. Return Of The Pharaoh (Pt. I)
05. The Battle Of 1386
06. Into The Black
07. Return Of The Pharaoh (Pt. II)
08. Keys To Avalon
09. Stampede
10. Towards The Light

You can check out some of the band's material on their MySpace page.

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Testament Guitarist Places Amp Online For Auction

TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick is auctioning the amp that he used during the recording sessions for the band's "First Strike Still Deadly" album.

Commented Alex: "[This is the] Rivera combo amp which I used to record both ATTENTION DEFICIT albums (with Tim Alexander and Michael Manring), my SKOL PATROL demo (my first recorded attempt at jazz/improv) and the first step of my working with TESTAMENT again, the album 'First Strike Still Deadly'. Every track on every one of these albums was recorded on this amp. It's one of the best-sounding I've ever heard. I'm getting rid of it mainly because it's heavy and living in New York City, I need a more portable amp. But if travel is not an issue and you want an amp for home or studio, I'd honestly say you can't do much better."

For more information and to place a bid, visit the eBay auction page at this location. The auction ends on Monday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m. PST.

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Testament Frontman Talks New Album And Label

Luxi Lahtinen and Niko Karppinen of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal-Rules.com: You played a brand-new TESTAMENT track, titled "The Afterlife", at the Earthshaker festival in Germany on July 20th. Do you think "The Afterlife" pretty much also represents musically how your next album is going to sound like?

Chuck: No, that's probably one of the more melodic, commercial-sounding songs. The other songs are a lot more heavy, a lot more intense. That was one that just fell into place really quick and we knew we wanted to play a new song for that show so we decided not to give them everything but to give them something in the vein of what we were playing. I think it's a catchy song, a melodic song. But I don't think it represents the whole record, no.

Metal-Rules.com: As far as I know, you have eight songs ready for your next album. How many songs more are you going to write for your forthcoming album before you enter a studio?

Chuck: I want at least an hour of music before going into studio and now it's about 40 minutes so I guess we'll write another five or six more songs. This is the last trip of the year for us, then we go home and do nothing but work on the record and make plans to record it.

Metal-Rules.com: Have you already decided which studio you are going to use for these recordings of your new album?

Chuck: We will probably do the drums here in England and then do vocals and bass and maybe guitars in the Bay Area. We're actually moving into our old studio where we did "Demonic" and "The Gathering" and "First Strike Still Deadly". We'll do the vocals and bass there, I'm not sure where we will do the guitars, we'll see how it all turns out.

Metal-Rules.com: Will Andy Sneap produce it?

Chuck: Yeah, we signed with Andy yesterday and we're gonna start with the drums at his place.

Metal-Rules.com: TESTAMENT inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast this summer, and before that you had this deal with Spitfire...

Chuck: Shitfire!

Metal-Rules.com: What went wrong with them?

Chuck: They never supported the band. We were with theem for nine or ten years and not one time did a representative of the record company come to a concert. We even shot a DVD in London where their home base is and none of them showed up. That's really strange, isn't it? It was a weird situation with them. We were on a contract, but we wanted out. Nuclear Blast has wanted us for a long time but the time wasn't right. Once Spitfire got sold to Sheridan Square they said they wouldn't sign any more bands and that they would only do gospel so we don't fit in their plan. They asked what we wanted and we said we wanted to get off. So they sent us a letter and we got off and started calling all the labels to make them give offers. Nucelar Blast came right at the front, just stepped up with the right offer and the right deal. They're probably the best metal label for us. We've had problems with labels going bankrupt on us. "The Gathering" was probably our best work, we put our heart and soul into it just to have someone not care about it. It's kinda a shame but now I think Nuclear Blast are gonna do a great job. They believe in the band and I don't think they're going away anywhere soon.

Metal-Rules.com: What kind of hopes or expectations do you have towards your new label, Nuclear Blast?

Chuck: They're gonna do a great job in promoting and marketing, good budgets, good marketing budgets. All the guys on the label are fans and believe in this music. The very first show we did, everybody from the label showed up. That was more than we ever had in all the years with Spitfire and that was the first time we met them. They're really excited and so are we. It's gonna be cool, a good relationship I think.

Metal-Rules.com: You have now Nicholas Barker in TESTAMENT's line-up (former CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR member). How did he end up playing in TESTAMENT in the first place?

Chuck: We called Nick in England and asked him to come out and play "Over the Wall" with us. I met Nick like 15 years ago with CRADLE OF FILTH and he said even then, "Hey, I'm a big TESTAMENT fan, if you ever need a drummer, let me know!" We were like, "Yeah, whatever." Then we saw him in his hometown and he just came out and slayed, so we thought, "That's the guy who's gonna do the record." He's been in California since February working on the record. He's here to stay.

Metal-Rules.com: Don't you think there will be possibility that Barker could bring even some of his black metal blast beats in for the forthcoming TESTAMENT stuff?

Chuck: Yeah, I think so. I like a challenge, we've been doing something different with pretty much every record. This is just gonna be a new era for TESTAMENT again. We've got great musicians back in the band once again and I think he's gonna add just a little sparkle on the drums.

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Gene Hoglan Issues Update

Drummer Gene Hoglan formerly of DARK ANGEL, DEATH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and TESTAMENT has issued the following update:

"Well, hello everyone, GUESS WHAT? MY SHIRTS ARE FINALLY ON SALE! YAY!

"And Jeez, that was like pulling teeth! What was supposed to be a quick, simple little endeavor took over 8 months from concept to completion. Ho-LEE! All for some stupid SHIRTS!

"But, as you can see the designs, they're bad as fuck, and this initial run of T-shirts and work shirts will range all the way from size medium to 4XL (the 5XLs will be on the next order, ya BALLOONS!), and the girlie-T 'boybeaters' will run from medium to large. Plus, we've got the system down pretty good around here, so your order will get shipped out same day, next day at the latest. And, for those females who would be interested, I'm going to be running a 'Hoglan Hottie of the Month' section over on my website, and how that's gonna work is this; when you buy a shirt and it is delivered to you, take (or have taken) a few shots of yourself modeling it in as sexy a way as you see fit, send 'em in, and you will then be well on your way to that 'T-shirt modeling career' you've always wanted. It's gonna be awesome!

"To order one (or TEN!), just go back to my page, and punch up any of the 3 design pics, and it'll take you directly to my shop!

"Now, I gotta admit, we're still working out the bugs on the 'Shop' end (sorry Europe, for not being able to order shirts! I think we have that bug ironed out now), and that's the main reason I've been waiting to pull the trigger on this whole thing. But, since I just got impatient, and against my advisors here at GHI, I decided to damn the torpedoes and make my little announcement anyway.

"To go along with all of this, my website, HoglanIndustries.com is now also up and running, so stop by and check it out! That is DEFINITELY a work-in-progress, so, cut me some slack on that one. I also have a brand new GeneHoglanMusic page up on Myspace. You can find it here: myspace.com/genehoglanmusic. It'll soon be featuring tons of music from me you don't ordinarily hear too much. Except, right now it's got a buncha stuff you might have heard already, but I'll get one of my lab-coats here at GHI to fix that.

"Now, on to my DVD, 'The Atomic Clock'. I realize that I've been keeping relatively quiet about it of late, but I do want to say that we've completed the filming and editing of it, and it has come out great! I'm really excited! Now, for the last couple weeks while I was in Australia, New Zealand and Alaska with UNEARTH, the minions here at GHI have been finalizing the cover art for it, and it will be going on sale the first couple weeks in September, just past my birthday! What better present can ya give to Gene than by giving yourself the prescence of Gene in your DVD player? I'm all for it! Again, closer to it's release date, I'll be writing a much more detailed account.

"Well, that's about it for that subject for now. Oh, and by the way, for the Aussie fans who will be attended the UNEARTH shows, thanks for buying shirts!

"Speaking of which, I had a real good time jammin' with the boys down there. Ken, a big ball of loud, Slo, my bro and best roomie ever, Mr Phipps, the man commands respect when he walks into a room, and Buz, quite possibly the most hilarious dude to ever be on tour. It was a blast, and I wish them all the best in the future. Yehyehyeh!

"On a quick aside, the tour got off to quite an auspicious start upon touch-down in New Zealand. I'm cruising through customs, when they throw up an X-ray machine upon exiting. Who DOES that? Anyway, they X-ray my stuff, see my contraband, and freak. Alarms, sirens, dogs, screaming guards, high-powered rifles all pointed at my head, the whole shebang. All for the BURRITO I was 'smuggling' from LAX. I'd bought it, taken a bite, and shoved it down to the bottom of my bag, and promptly forgot about it. Oh yeah, I'm kiddin' about the dogs and guards and the whole freak-out part, but it woulda made a way better story if it did happen. Anyway, they take me into the corner and start hittin' me with, 'This is food, you filled out the card that says you're not bringing in food, yet this is food.' And the customs goof has apparently never seen a burrito before, 'cause he's lookin' at it like it's a Martian relic or something. Then he writes it up as a 'meat sandwich,' and I'm like, 'Hey! That's not a 'meat sandwich', it's a burrito!' And he's like, 'A baa…what? How do you spell that?' And I tell him, 'Hey, it ain't my job to teach you how to spell 'burrito', Customs Goof.' Anyway, I do not get off lightly. They charge me TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS right then and there. Jeez! I told 'em, 'I can get rid o' this evidence right here and now, Customs Goof,' but they wanted my dough, not my satisfied belly. Bogus…so, that was the Most Expensive. Burrito. Ever. Damn, I shoulda keistered it…

"Burrito-smuggling. Sounds pervy."

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Metal Gets Its Due On Massive Rhino Boxed Set

Heavy metal fans will be banging their heads in delight this fall with the release of Rhinos's "Heavy Metal Box," due Oct. 2. The four-disc, 70-song set boasts classic tracks from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Slayer, among dozens of others.

Arranged chronologically from 1968 to 1991, the compilation also boasts hits from bands like Deep Purple, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Pantera, Alice Cooper, Venom, Testament, Rush and Megadeth; the project will be packaged in a box resembling a Marshall guitar amp.

The liner notes will include extensive photos, track commentary and interviews with Ronnie James Dio and Lita Ford.

Here is the track list for "The Heavy Metal Box": More...

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Various Metal Stars Featured In NY Art Exhibit

Egyptian artist Nader Sadek has invited Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel), Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, ex-Deicide, Death), as well as Middle Eastern legend Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Miles Jay (ex-Weird Al, Fathy S alama's Orchestra), Liron Peled (Raquy And The Cavemen) and Raquy Danziger to contribute to his multimedia installation "The Faceless" that opens 6th September at Michael Steinberg Fine Art in New York's Chelsea district.

These musicians worked with Sadek to produce a noise experiment moving in and out of independently conceived death metal and Arabic music tracks. This sonic composition accompanies Sadek's uniquely installed drawings which juxtapose the iconographies of death metal and Middle Eastern fundamentalism, which outsiders often associate with darkness, moon worship, and anti-Christian fervour. "The Faceless" startles the audience into rethinking connections between these two frequently misunderstood and villified cultures.

Having grown up a death metal fan in Egypt, Sadek works from the knowledge that the Egyptian state perceived both death metal and religious fundamentalism as threats to its power and legitimacy: death metal rebels against religious and political hypocrisy; piety rebels against a bureaucratic, commercialized, and godless world. Through sound, image, and space, "The Faceless" mingles these cultures in thoughtful, frightening, and uncanny ways.

Says Sadek: "For a while now, I've been interested in exploring what different cultures perceive of as extreme. 'The Faceless' grows out of years of walking the crowded streets of down-town Cairo dressed as a full-on death metal fan (i.e., long black hair, long-sleeve Morbid Angel/Deicide t-shirts, and an overall grungy look). Then, in a sort of twisted reversal, I decided to walk the streets of New York's Times Square in the black garb of a fully veiled woman. The intense reactions I got in each case confirmed for me the potential of this project. Those experiences inspired me to channel the popular paranoid fantasy in which the fully veiled woman is wrought from a dark death metal world, full of serpents, skulls, demons and dark mountains. I hope that by reflecting back to the audience their paranoid fantasies, which totally oversimplify the reality of Middle Eastern and death metal culture, that my work will get them to question their own prejudices and sense of the extreme."

To preview photographs of the artists and artwork that will be on display during The Faceless event, click here.

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Video Of New Testament Song Posted Online

Fan-filmed video footage of San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT performing a new song, entitled "The Afterlife", on Friday, July 20 at the Earthshaker Fest in Kreuth, Germany has been posted on YouTube.

TESTAMENT recently inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

TESTAMENT parted ways with Spitfire Records earlier in the year (the Spitfire Records catalog was acquired last summer by Redux Records, the company formerly known as Sheridan Square Entertainment).

Spitfire released a TESTAMENT compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", in February. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour.
More...

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Testament, Exodus And Death Angel To Tour?

SMNnews can reveal that TESTAMENT are in talks with the management of fellow Bay Area thrashers DEATH ANGEL and EXODUS for a tour of the US, which would tentatively kick off sometime in 2008.

In an recent interview conducted by SMNnews with Chuck Billy, the frontman hints at what’s to come from the set of Nuclear Blast Records artists:

SMNnews: That could be the big tour next year with EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.
Chuck Billy: That’s funny you say that because that’s already been in the talks. We’re all gonna have new albums out!

You can read the full interview at this location

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Dethklok Album Due In September

According to MTV.com, the greatest metal-parody album since "This Is Spinal Tap" is coming our way. No, CROTCHDUSTER hasn't signed to Roadrunner Records — DETHKLOK are getting ready to infect the world with their debut. The stars of the animated Cartoon Network "Adult Swim" program "Metalocalypse" will release two editions of "Dethalbum" on September 25. The regular format will feature 16 tracks, including "Murmaider", "Briefcase Full of Guts", "Birthday Dethday", "Bloodrocuted" and "Deththeme". The double-disc deluxe edition will feature a second CD of six additional tracks, such as "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle", "Blood Ocean" and "Pickles' Intro - Kill You". The package will also feature the video for "Bloodrocuted" and the first episode from the show's second season, which debuts the last week of September. A DVD of the entire first season will be released October 2.

"Dethalbum" features a guest appearance by legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT). He previously stated about the CD, "What a killer metal record! I can't wait for everyone else to hear it, and since it has now been slated for a September 25th release, that is now gonna be sooner than later, especially with leakage. And yes, it appears that we are going on tour with it as well! The logistics are being worked on as we speak, but it looks like it's gonna be a real killer, multi-media show. I'm looking real forward to that, I've even suspended the booking of a ton of clinics to clear my schedule to be available."

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Dublin Death Patrol Footage From London Posted

Fan-filmed video footage of DUBLIN DEATH PATROL (DDP) — the new band featuring TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy and former EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza — performing at the Underworld in London, England on June 18, 2007 has been posted at YouTube.

DUBLIN DEATH PATROL made its live debut on June 3 at The Galaxy in Santa Ana, California. Check out photos of the concert at DirtJunior.com.

DUBLIN DEATH PATROL's debut album, "DDP 4 Life", is available now on Godfodder Records.

DUBLIN DEATH PATROL's lineup is as follows:

Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT, RAMPAGE, GUILT) - Vocals
Steve "Zetro" Souza (LEGACY, EXODUS) - Vocals
Andy Billy (SACRED DOG, RAMPAGE, GUILT) - Guitar
Greg Bustamante (RAMPAGE) - Guitar
Steve Robello (OUT OF CONTROL) - Guitar
Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE, DEATH PENALTY, METAL WARRIOR) - Guitar
Willy Langenhuizen (RAMPAGE, LAAZ ROCKIT) - Bass
John Souza - Bass
Danny Cunningham - Drums
Troy Luccketta (TESLA) - Drums
Eddie Billy - Bass More...

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Testament Debut New Song, Interview Posted

San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT debuted a new song, entitled "The Afterlife", during their headlining set Sunday night (July 15) at Jaxx in West Springfield, Virginia. According to one attendee, the track was "a mid-paced song that was very heavy and had some good, chunky riffs." Sitting behind the kit with the group was returning drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, FORBIDDEN), who was filling on short notice for Nick Barker (CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR).

TESTAMENT's setlist for Jaxx concert:

01. Eerie Inhabitants
02. The New Order
03. The Haunting
04. Electric Crown
05. Sins of Omission
06. D.N.R.
07. Three Days in Darkness
08. Practice What You Preach
09. Into The Pit
10. The Legacy
11. True Believer
12. Low
13. The Afterlife (new song)
14. Trial By Fire
15. Souls of Black
16. Over The Wall
17. The Preacher
18. Alone in the Dark
19. Disciples of the Watch

HeavyMetalSource.com has posted a video interview with TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy, conducted on Saturday (July 14) at the Sayreville, New Jersey stop of the Sounds of the Underground tour. Watch the 10-minute clip at YouTube.

Fan-filmed video footage of TESTAMENT performing at this year's edition of the Waldrock festival, which was held on July 7 in Burgum (Bergum), in the northern region of The Netherlands, has been posted at YouTube

TESTAMENT recently inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

TESTAMENT parted ways with Spitfire Records earlier in the year (the Spitfire Records catalog was acquired last summer by Redux Records, the company formerly known as Sheridan Square Entertainment).

Spitfire released a TESTAMENT compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", in February. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour.
More...

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Terror Syndrome Set To Release Debut Album

Canadian Prog/Metal act Terror Syndrome have finished recording of their first album Stupidity for All which was professionally recorded at The Amoury Studios (AC/DC, Drowning Pool/Kiss) and Greenhouse Studios (Nickleback/Queenstryche) in 2006/2007 by Shaun Thingvold (worked with Lamb of God , Fear Factory, and Strapping Young Lad) The exact song order for the album has not been decided yet but these will be the songs on the album :

1 - Stupidity for All
2 - Revolving Horror
3 - Thrill Pill
4 - Riot of Red
*Featuring Christofer Malmstrom (Darkane, Non-Human Level) - Lead Guitar
5 - When God Was Sober
6 - Motionless
7 - Rusty Trombone
*Featuring Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio) - Lead Guitar
*Featuring Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas) - Bass Guitar
8 - One Crime Closer to Hell
9 - Disposable Empire
*Featuring Byron Stroud (Fear Factory, SYL) - Bass Guitar
10 - For Your Amusement
11 - My Next Victim
12 - Spinning Backwards
*Featuring Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Band) - Lead Guitar
*Featuring Michael Manring (Attention Deficit, Session Bass God) - Bass guitar

Terror Syndrome started out as a vision for Ryan "RVP" Van Poederooyen (drummer for the Devin Townsend Band) , and quickly became an addiction to compose a new sound and create the ultimate metal band and has several names in the genre guest on their recordings and live performances.

The band is currently negotiating details around release and distribution to settle with a label and will keep us updated as things unfold. Songs from this release are up on the Terror Syndrome website.

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Testament Members Comment On Nuclear Blast Deal

TESTAMENT members Chuck Billy (vocals) and Eric Peterson (guitar) have commented on their new deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

"We are very happy that we are signed to one of the best metal labels in the world. It's a great feeling that we are in a house that will not crumble," said Billy.

"This is going to be our best record to date, and it will be the essence of what TESTAMENT is," added Peterson. "Nuclear Blast is the perfect label for us. They eat, breathe and sleep, metal. I am excited also because a lot of my favorite bands are on Nuclear Blast, giving us the opportunity to be labelmates with them. Finally we are coming home!"

The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

Original TESTAMENT members Alex Skolnick (guitar), Billy, Greg Christian (bass), and Peterson, along with new drummer Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH), have finished writing more eight or nine songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering".

In a recent interview with RockConfidential.com, Billy stated about the new TESTAMENT material, "The music is very heavy but it's very catchy. Eric's got some really catchy riffs. The vocals are real melodic with some catchy hooks. It's really heavy. It's something new. Nick, coming from a black metal background, is adding that spark that we needed. It's a fresh breath of life to our writing. In the past couple of years we've written some songs but they weren't up to par with 'The Gathering'. Those songs just went in the trash. We just started over when Nick came into the picture. We're on a roll and the songs are turning out really good. . . [Lyrically] it's gonna be covering a lot of stuff, things we've experienced in life. Especially my illness, the cancer, and what I went through. I had some healing sessions and did a lot of sweat lodges with some indians and medicine men. I'm sure I'll be talking about my experiences with the medicine men. My father and Eric's father both passed away within the past couple of years. The war in Iraq. We'll be talking about those issues. It's things that people deal with in everyday life. We've gone away from the cliche gloom-and-doom lyrics, the typical heavy metal lyrics."

TESTAMENT parted ways with Spitfire Records earlier in the year (the Spitfire Records catalog was acquired last summer by Redux Records, the company formerly known as Sheridan Square Entertainment).

Spitfire released a TESTAMENT compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", in February. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour.

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Gene Hoglan Checks In

Drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, ex-DARK ANGEL, ex-DEATH, ex-TESTAMENT) has posted this message on his MySpace page:

"What's happening, folks? Well, last Sunday, we visited our friends at The Armoury Studios here in Vancouver, to lay down the drum tracks for Jed's mighty TENET album. Now, I don't know why, but I was really nervous about tracking this one, mainly because I wanted to make sure I gave Jedly's baby the love it deserved, which was well-precluded by the 'up-to-my-eyeballs-ness' of my schedule up here in Van. Y'see, when my manager (and chief poobah here at Gene Hoglan Industries) Byron Stroud called me a month-and-a-half ago about this project, his last words were, "It probably won't even have a release 'til early next year, so we'll have plenty of time to get it done", so I thought, 'Okee dokee, piece o' cake!' Well, schedule-goblins being what they are, upon my return from the UNEARTH stint, I was informed that I was to be tracking in about two weeks. The bricks then appeared in my pants.

Gene: 'B-but Byron, I don't know if I'll have enough time to prepare for this, what with the DVD editing, the MECHANISM mixing/jamming, the MR. PLOW tracking, plus, don't forget about the carousing...'

Byron: 'Shut up and do it, ya fat fuck, or I'll SMASH ya.'

Ahh, the soothing nature of By's subtle persuasion.

So, I broke out the Kraft Extra Creamy peanut butter (Jed's fave), the cheese slices, the Stoli Razz (again, Jed's fave), fired up a buncha Jed's famous 'Thrash Metal Sandwiches' and hunkered down for a good ol' preppin' party.

And, it was just like ridin' a bike. All the songs came back to me, no problem. And I ended up tracking everything in the typical day-and-a-half. Figgers. Don't know why I was worried. I was just happy to hook my brother up. I love Jed, I'd do anything for him.

So, with that done, and hopefully Jed'll be psyched when he hears it (cuz remember, he was in Philly gettin' to know his little one during this entire process, tracking included), I've just been informed that, finally, my 'Gene Shirts' are ready! The girlie-T's were ready last week, but it took a little extra time to get the main T-shirt design right. So, the minions here at Gene Hoglan Industries (God, that cracks me up every time I say it), are finalizing 'the Store', and by Tuesday, we're gonna pull the trigger on the whole shebang. I'm also gonna figure out how to get the designs loaded up around here (little help?), so at least people can get a gander at the beauty that will be, 'My Face Across Your Manboobs'. And, oh, yes, the big brothers are gonna be taken care of as well, as the shirts will be available up to XXXXL.

Oh, by the way, Jedly, I've got an untouched bottle of Stoli Razz here for ya. And an extremely-touched jar o' Kraft Extra Creamy...

See ya all early next week!

Gene"

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Testament Sign To Nuclear Blast

Testament have inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

Original Testamentmembers Alex Skolnick (guitar), Chuck Billy (vocals), Greg Christian (bass), and Eric Peterson (guitar), along with new drummer Nick Barker (ex-Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth), have finished writing more eight or nine songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering".

Testament parted ways with Spitfire Records earlier in the year (the Spitfire Records catalog was acquired last summer by Redux Records, the company formerly known as Sheridan Square Entertainment).

Spitfire released a Testament compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", in February. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour.

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Chuck Billy Talks New Testament Album

Jesse Capps from RockConfidential.com recently conducted an interview with TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy. Here are some extracts from the conversation:

RockConfidential.com: What's touring looking like this year?

Chuck Billy: "We've got a few shows in July. We're gonna finish writing. We've got a few shows scattered through September. Between touring we'll be getting in the studio getting the record done."

RockConfidential.com: How many songs do you have right now?

Chuck Billy: "We have eight or nine. Alex (Skolnick - guitar) has a few himself. The hardest thing is none of us live near each other. Alex lives in New York, Nick (Barker - drums) lives in England, Eric (Peterson - guitar) lives about two and a half hours from me. Whenever we get together it's like this big, orchestrated plan. It's been working out really good. We've been rehearsing at my house. Everybody's been flying in and staying for the weekend. We live and write and breathe the songs all weekend long."

RockConfidential.com: I'm sure that keeps you on your toes, too. You probably don't waste much time while you're all together.

Chuck Billy: "We only practice a couple of hours a day if we meet at a studio. At the house we'll take a break and work on the record and then take another break and then work on the record. We're working on it all day and night as opposed to two or three hours in a studio. It works better because we keep focused on what we're doing."

RockConfidential.com: It's been eight years since the last studio record. I'm really anxious and curious to hear the new stuff. You could really do anything now...

Chuck Billy: "I really like the way 'The Gathering' record turned out. To me, vocally, it's got everything I imagined for vocals. I used about three different tones of voices. It added more life and dynamics to me. That's the direction we'll go vocally. The music is very heavy but it's very catchy. Eric's got some really catchy riffs. The vocals are real melodic with some catchy hooks. It's really heavy. It's something new. Nick, coming from a Black Metal background, is adding that spark that we needed. It's a fresh breath of life to our writing. In the past couple of years we've written some songs but they weren't up to par with 'The Gathering'. Those songs just went in the trash. We just started over when Nick came into the picture. We're on a roll and the songs are turning out really good."

RockConfidential.com: What about lyrically this time around?

Chuck Billy: "It's gonna be covering a lot of stuff, things we've experienced in life. Especially my illness, the cancer, and what I went through. I had some healing sessions and did a lot of sweat lodges with some Indians and medicine men. I'm sure I'll be talking about my experiences with the medicine men. My father and Eric's father both passed away within the past couple of years. The war in Iraq. We'll be talking about those issues. It's things that people deal with in everyday life. We've gone away from the cliche gloom and doom lyrics, the typical Heavy Metal lyrics."

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Thrash Metal Book To Surface In September

Zonda Books has posted this press release:

Garry Sharpe-Young's latest book, "Thrash Metal", is being readied for publication this September. In addition, Zonda Books publishes Garry's "Death Metal", "Black Metal" and "Power Metal" all before the end of the year. These MusicMight titles replace the 2001 editions, which have consistently ranked number 1 on their Amazon.com searches for five years and more.

Thrash Metal. At first mocked by the Rock traditionalists Thrash would swamp the hard n' heavy world propelling one of its own - METALLICA, to the very pinnacle of Rock's elite.

In the early 80s Thrash breathed new life into the Rock scene providing older acts with a much needed kick. This new force opened the floodgates to armies of teens armed with flying Vs, bullet belts and a sense of purpose that would fuel genres such as Thrashcore, Crossover and technical Speed Metal. Without Thrash there would be no Death Metal, no Black Metal. That explosion of aggression has seen subsequent afterblasts, most recently Europe and South America has seen a genuine renaissance of Thrash Metal.

Without doubt, Thrash Metal still continues to make its mark in the biggest possible way. The "big four" - METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER are all documented here in the greatest possible detail with full, up to the minute histories, exclusive photographs and global discographies, which include demos, albums, singles, chart positions, track listings and catalogue numbers. Over 400,000 words leave no stone left unturned in pursuit of knowledge of ex-members, rare recordings and career milestones. The author has interviewed all these major acts. Indeed, he interviewed METALLICA's late Cliff Burton just days before his passing. The early days of MEGADETH are straight from the mouth of Dave Mustaine.

Also covered are the legion of groundbreaking Bay Area acts such as METAL CHURCH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL and HIRAX. The European thrash explosion of KREATOR, RAGE, DESTRUCTION, SODOM, GRAVE DIGGER and HELLOWEEN is also covered in frightening detail. The Pagan Thrash of SABBAT, the avant garde eccentricity of CELTIC FROST and the Funk Thrash of MORDRED - it's all here. The second wave of thrash with major artists such as SEPULTURA, PANTERA and MACHINE HEAD takes the genre right up to the new breed of Thrashers, now a truly world-wide phenomenon. All examined in depth.

Having achieved its quarter of a century, Thrash Metal is not only alive, it is thriving. If you thought this rawest form of Heavy Metal was consigned to the past this book will deliver a rude awakening! Read the book, buy the records and bang that head!!

The scope of 'Thrash Metal' includes artists such as A.N.I.M.A.L., ABANDONED, ABATTOIR, ACCUSSER, ACID, ACID DRINKERS, ACID REIGN, ACROPHET, AFTERMATH, AGENT STEEL, AGONY, AGRESSOR, AIRDASH, AMEBIX, ANESTHESY, ANGEL WITCH, ANGKOR WAT, ANNIHILATOR, ANTHRAX, ANVIL, ANVIL CHORUS, APOKALYPTIC RAIDS, ARBITRATER, ARCH ENEMY, ARMORED SAINT, ARMOURED ANGEL, ARTILLERY, ASSASSIN, AT WAR, ATHEIST, ATOMIZER, ATOMKRAFT, ATROPHY, AZOTIC REIGN...

And that's just some of the "A"'s!

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Testament Announce East Coast Tour Dates

Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have announced several East Coast dates July. The group's schedule is now shaping up as follows:

Europe:
Jul. 06 - Mortegliano (Udine), Italy @ Festa in Tenda
Jul. 07 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands @Waldrock Festival

USA:
Jul. 13 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Jul. 14 - Sayreville, NJ @ Sounds Of The Underground
Jul. 15 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Jul. 16 - Southbridge, MA @ ADC Performance Center

Europe:
Jul. 19 - Rieden, Germany @ Earthshaker Fest

Asia:
Jul. 27 - Taipei, Taiwan - Formoz Fest
Jul. 28 - Incheon City, Korea - Pentaport Rock Fest

Europe:
Aug. 16 - Derbyshire, U.K. @ Bloodstock O.A. Fest
Aug. 17 - Oulu, Finland @ Jalometalli Festival
Aug. 18 - Notodden, Norway @ Metal Heart Fest
Aug. 19 - Gotenborg, Sweden @ TBC
Aug. 21 - Kolding, Denmark @ Godset
Aug. 22 - Antwerpen, Belgium @ Hof Ter Loo
Aug. 23 - Deventer, Holland @ Burgerweeshuis
Aug. 24 - Bergen, Norway @ Hole in the Sky - Bergen Metal Fest
Aug. 25 - Gemunden, Germany @ Up From The Ground Open Air Fest
Aug. 31 - Rimini, Italy @ Velvet
Sep. 01 - Palmaggio-Casserta, Italy @ Route to Hell Fest More...

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Testament Announce Asian Tour Dates

Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have announced two dates in Asia in late July:

Jul. 27 - Taipei, Taiwan - Formoz Fest
Jul. 28 - Incheon City, Korea - Pentaport Rock Fest

For a complete list of upcoming TESTAMENT dates, click here.

TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy, bassist Greg Christian, and guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, alongside ex-DIMMU BORGIR and CRADLE OF FILTH drummer Nick Barker, have finished writing more than half a dozen songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering". Tracking is scheduled to begin in July/August for a tentative late 2007/early 2008 release. "It's been a long time coming," Billy said. "This new album is like a good wine: You throw in the grapes and crush." More...

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Dublin Death Patrol Release Upcoming US Tour Dates

DUBLIN DEATH PATROL (DDP), featuring TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy and former EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza, have announced the following upcoming tour dates:

June
3 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
8 - San Francisco, CA - Fat City
9 - Concord, CA - Time Out Tavern
13 - West Midlands, UK - J.B.'s
16 - Biddinghuizen, NL - Fields Of Rock Fest
18 - London, UK - The Underworld
19 - Bradford, UK - Rio's

Dublin Death Patrol also features Andy Billy (guitar - SACRED DOG, RAMPAGE, GUILT), Greg Bustamante (guitar - Rampage), Steve Robello (guitar - OUT OF CONTROL), Philthy Demmelition (aka Phil Demmel, guitar - MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE, DEATH PENALTY, METAL WARRIOR), Willy Langenhuizen (bass - Rampage, LAAZ ROCKIT), John Souza (bass) and Danny Cunningham (drums).

The band's debut DDP 4 Life, is out now via Godfodder Records.

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