Entwine Part Ways With Keyboardist

Finnish gothic rock act ENTWINE has parted ways with keyboardist Riitta Heikkonen due to "personal reasons." "From now on the band will continue as a quintet, without planning a replacement for Riitta," the group writes on its web site.

ENTWINE has lined up the following dates during the coming months:

Dec. 15 - Madrid, SPA @ Sala Caracol
Dec. 16 - Barcelona, SPA @ Sala Mephisto
Dec. 30 - Tampere, FIN @ Klubi
Jan. 11 - Helsinki, FIN @ Tavastia
Jan. 19 - Mikkeli, FIN @ Kulttuurikeskus Töpäri
Feb. 03 - Väärä, FIN @ Tuomio Haapavesi
Feb. 23 - Ähtäri, FIN @B-52

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Insision Sign With Dental Records

Swedish death metal act INSISION has inked a deal with Dental Records. The group's third album, entitled "Ikon", is tentatively scheduled for release in March/April. The CD was recorded at Black Lounge studios (SCAR SYMMETRY, CENTINEX) in Avesta, Sweden. Mick Usher, who also worked on INSISION's last album, "Revealed & Worshipped", has designed the cover.

"Ikon" track listing:

01. A Ravenous Discharge
02. Unbind My Hands
03. By Habit
04. Depleting The Non-Being
05. Into The Cold
06. Breathing The Black Dust
07. Doubt Denied
08. Entangled In Thorns *
09. The Magnet Soul

* A remake of the song from the "Promo 2000" demo More...

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Unholy Prepares To Record New Album

Syracuse, NY metal band Unholy, featuring former members of The Promise, Godbelow, etc., will begin recording their debut full-length in January. Tracking and mixing will take place in January/February at Moresound Studios in Syracuse with Jocko Randall (From A Second Story Window) at the helm. The effort will hit streets in mid-2007 via an unannounced label.

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Novembers Doom Set Release Date

Novembers Doom will release their new album The Novella Reservoir on February 20. The disc was recorded with Chris Djuricic — who produced last year's Pale Haunt Departure — mixed by Dan Swanö and mastered by ex-Death member James Murphy. "We took a step forward in speed and aggression while maintaining the same sound we've had over all six CDs," singer Paul Kuhr said.

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Within Temptation Need Fans For Video Shoot

Within Temptation will be filming the video for their upcoming single 'What Have You Done' in London next week and are looking for Within Temptation fans to be in the video! If live near or you are able to be in London on WEDNESDAY 13th DECEMBER and would like to be in the crowd for a performance section of the video, then get down to KOKO in CAMDEN!!!!! You will need to be there from 11am until 6pm, and it is advised you bring yourself a packed lunch (as these things can tend to drag on a lil and stop and start- such is the nature of the ole vid shoot!) and something (non alcoholic!) to drink. When you arrive, you will be asked to sign what is known as a release form- this is just to say you attended voluntarily and you are happy for your mug to be in the vid and on the telly! So, if you are up for it, head on down!

Koko is located on Camden High Street, number 1a, London, NW1. Easiest way to get there is to get on the Northern Line on the Underground and get off at Mornington Crescent and Koko is just over the road! Here is a handy map.

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Watch Crossfade's 'Drown You Out' Video Online

Crossfade are out with the video to their new single 'Drown You Out', from the album 'Falling Away'. You can watch it at Yahoo! Music.

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Report

Blind Guardian Captures New York

On Thursday November 30th I went to see Blind Guardian at B.B.Kings in New York City, NY. Four years ago, I had seen Blind Guardian at the Birch Hill, a venue that used to be in Old Bridge, NJ. I expected to be further amazed by them this time, especially with the quality sound set up B.B.Kings has to offer. By the time I arrived, I saw a line of metal heads across the block anxiously waiting to get in. This is something I don’t see too often at B.B.Kings for a metal show. The show had obviously sold out the 1000+ capacity venue, yet I saw people hoping to still get tickets. One person drove from Buffalo, NY to see them and he didn’t even have a ticket. More...

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Headline News

Grammy Nominations In Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

This year's Grammy nominations have been announced and here are the relevant ones in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal:

Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

• Lamb Of God - Redneck (Track from: Sacrament)


• Mastodon - Colony Of Birchmen (Track from: Blood Mountain)


• Ministry - Lies, Lies, Lies (Track from: Rio Grande Blood)


• Slayer - Eyes Of The Insane (Track from: Christ Illusion)


• Stone Sour - 30/30-150

Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

• Buckcherry - Crazy Bitch


• Nine Inch Nails - Every Day Is Exactly The Same (Track from: With Teeth)


• System Of A Down - Lonely Day (Track from: Hypnotize)


• Tool - Vicarious (Track from: 10,000 Days)


• Wolfmother - Woman (Track from: Wolfmother)

In addition, Joe Satriani was nominated for Super Colossal in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance (for solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only). Underoath was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video (For an individual track or single promotional clip. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer.) for their video of "Writing On The Walls." Howard Benson (Every Man For Himself (Hoobastank); Flyleaf (Flyleaf); In With The Out Crowd (Less Than Jake); One-X (Three Days Grace); The Paramour Sessions (Papa Roach); Popaganda (Head Automatica); Saosin (Saosin) (A)) was nominated for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical (A Producer's Award. (Artists names appear in parenthesis.).

You can view the massive list of 2006 Grammy nominations for all 108 categories here.

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Beneath The Massacre Reveal Tracklisting, Artwork

Canadian technical metallers BENEATH THE MASSACRE has revealed artwork and a full tracklist for the band’s upcoming full-length debut, due out Feb. 20, 2007 through Prosthetic Records. Artwork for the album, dubbed ‘Mechanics of Dysfunction,’ can be viewed at Prosthetic Records.com (Front, Back).

Beneath The Massacre's "Mechanics of Dysfunction" track listing is as follows:

1) The Surface
2) Society’s Disposable Son
3) The System’s Failure
4) The Stench of Misery
5) Untitled
6) Modern Age Slavery
7) The Invisible Hand
8) Better Off Dead
9) Long Forgotten
10) Sleepless

The 10 new tracks were recorded and produced by Yannick St-Ammand (Despised Icon, Neuraxis), mixed by Pierre Rémillard (Cryptopsy,Krisiun) and mastered by Alan Douches (Dillinger Escape Plan, Shadows Fall) and ‘Mechanics of Dysfunction,’ the full-length follow-up to the praised 5 track ‘Evidence of Inequity’ EP from 2005 will hit stores Feb. 20, 2007.

Tour dates, song samples and more information regarding BENEATH THE MASSACRE's Prosthetic Records debut will be available shortly.

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Chino and Will Haven In Pre-Production

Deftones singer Chino Moreno is in pre-production in Los Angeles with hardcore-metal band Will Haven. In February, the group will begin recording at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida. The yet-untitled disc is due in late spring or early summer.

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OpEd

Two Years Later: Remembering "Dimebag" Darrell

The saying goes that “time heals all wounds”, I find it to be an expression that fails to capture how slow and awkward the process of healing can be. It’s been two years since the unexpected passing of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and the metal community is still adjusting. Bands continue to fervently tribute songs and even entire sets and albums to the man. As a fan, hearing any Pantera song today summons more emotions than originally intended. It’s remarkable and somewhat amusing, to find oneself tearing up to “Five Minutes Alone”. Slowly however, I find that the more often I play a Pantera song, the less it feels like a part of the grieving process.

Metal Underground.com has become one of the many hubs where Dime’s creative impact and his passing still resonate. Virtually every thread relating to Pantera and Damage Plan boast a countless array of heartfelt sentiments from admirers across the globe. Coping has not come easily but fans continue to celebrate Darrell Abbott’s life by blasting his music at preposterous volumes and toasting with his patented Black tooth grin. Some find solace in the killer having been felled by a 12 gauge shotgun to the face, metal justice by anyone’s standards but poor consolation nonetheless. Most still ponder the hows and whys of the tragedy, while recieving little in the way of answers or closure. While fans will always be distressed and confused by the actions of one lone lunatic, it’s Darrell Abbott’s friends and family who have suffered the most.

Only recently have we seen any signs of recovery from the surviving members of Pantera and Damage Plan. Darrels brother, Vinnie Paul Abbott, has continued to keep himself busy with his advice column in Revolver Magazine. Last month he dubbed his newly formed supergroup Hell Yeah, which features members of Mudvayne and Nothingface. Similarly, Patrick Lachman went on to front the Mercy Clinic, while Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo have been hard at work on the next Down record.

Like all so called legends, Dimebag has a legacy of achievements that may eclipse -who- the man was. By all accounts, Darrell Abbott was a gracious and personable individual, known to wade amongst the masses at shows, personally handing out tickets, merchandise and even drinks to his fans. Dime was also in the habit of greeting new tour mates (read: total strangers) like they were old friends. Members of Shadows Fall, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Korn and Black Label Society have all been taken aback by Darrell’s outgoing hospitality.

In celebrating Dime’s monumental impact, it’s important that we as fans do not deify him. Darrell Abbott was many things to many people but no more or less human than anyone else. By living out his childhood dream and utilizing sheer force of will, he reinvented metal during the reign of grunge. It's conceivable that metal music might still be saving face from the extended glam farce of the 80's, if not for the cowboys from hell. We owe it to Dime and ourselves, to carry on his legacy but not with the sad bastard-fanaticism some reserve for Presley, Cobain, Hendrix and Lennon. On this, the second anniversary of his passing, the man who helped devise “Vulgar Display of Power” would rather us be banging our heads than hanging them.

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Mnemic To Open for Deftones On 2007 UK Tour

Mnemic are to open for Deftones on their 2007 UK tour. The tour dates are as follows:

March 8 - Liverpool University
March 9 - Leeds University
March 11 - Manchester Academy
March 12 - Glasgow Academy
March 13 - Newcastle Academy
March 14 - Nottingham Rock City
March 15 - Birmingham Academy
March 16 - Norwich UEA
March 18 - Bristol Academy
March 19 - Portsmouth Guildhall
March 20 - London Brixton Academy

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Daath Prepare To Mix Roadrunner Debut

With the February release of their debut album for Roadrunner, The Hinderers, fast approaching, Daath guitarist Eyal Levi had this to say about the results:

"Colin Richardson's mix is, as expected, CRUSHING! Working with him has been a blast and having Andy Sneap re-amp our rhythm guitars is no side note. This album is going to sound like we intended it to!"

Co-produced by Daath and death metal legend, James Murphy (ex-Obituary, Death, Disincarnate, etc.), The Hinderers provides a modern reinvention of classic death and black metal. sound that ruled the scene in the early '90s.

Daath are on tour with Cattle Decapitation, Goatwhore and Lair Of The Minotaur. The band will also be touring with the Acacia Strain in January - complete dates coming soon.

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Iron Maiden Perform In Milan

Iron Maiden performed in concert at the Datch Forum in Milan, Italy on Saturday and Sunday (December 2-3). You can watch fan filmed highlight clips from YouTube and check out pictures from WENN.

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Arcturus To Tour Australia In March

Norwegian extreme metal band Arcturus will embark on a tour of Australia in March 2007. The details of the trek, dubbed "Shipwrecked in Australia", are as follows: More...

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New Therion Album Available For Streaming

The new album of Therion entitled "Gothic Kabbalah", is now available for streaming here.

Due in North America on February 6, 2007, the CD was recorded and mixed in Stockholm by Stefan Glaumann and features Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw sharing the vocal duties with Mats Levén and two female singers Katarina Lilja on solo and choral vocals; and Hannah Holgersson on solo, choral, and soprano vocals.

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Katatonia's Czech Republic Gig Cancelled

Sweden's KATATONIA has issued the following update:

"The promoter Shindy Productions has cancelled KATATONIA's appearance for the upcoming Czech/Prague gig on December 15, according to their official explaination that reads as follows:

"'The problem is that we have beed forced to move the show to the smaller venue due to some problems with the original venue. As far as the new venue has restricted capacity we could not provide the show for all the bands we originally planned to.'

"As we've failed to find a replacement for this date, no show in Czech Republic will take place at this time, but maybe in mid 2007. The announced gigs in Hungary and Serbia are not affected by this and will go on as planned."

Peaceville Records bought rights to the masters of KATATONIA's back catalog previously released on Avantgarde Music and is remasterng and reissuing all the full-length albums in digipack format. First up was "Brave Murder Day" (1996), also featuring the "Sounds of Decay" EP (1997) as a bonus, along with revamped artwork and liner notes from the band. Peaceville has also bought the rights to some of the KATATONIA members' sideprojects, including DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE and OCTOBER TIDE, with reissues to follow in the near future.

KATATONIA's video for the track "Deliberation" has been posted online at YouTube.com. The clip was shot and directed by Charlie Granberg, who also worked with the group on their "My Twin" video.

"Deliberation" is the second single from KATATONIA's new album, "The Great Cold Distance". The follow-up to 2003's "Viva Emptiness" was recorded at Fascination Street studios in the outskirts of Örebro, Sweden and was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.

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Sevendust "Alpha" Tracklist Revealed

Billboard.com has revealed the track listing for the sixth SEVENDUST album, "Alpha", due on March 6. The quintet will release the set through its own label, 7 Bros. Records, which recently entered into a partnership with Asylum/Warner Music Group.

Produced by Joe Miller, John Connolly, Morgan Rose and Shawn Grove, "Alpha" will be the group's first effort since 2005's "Next".

"Alpha" track listing:

01. Deathstar
02. Clueless
03. Driven
04. Feed
05. Suffer
06. Beg to Differ
07. Under
08. Story of Your Life
09. Confessions of Hatred
10. Aggression
11. Burn
12. Alpha

SEVENDUST will embark on a 57-date tour in support of the release beginning Feb. 8 and running through April 28. The group will also go on a short tour after the Christmas holiday starting in Norfolk, Va., on Dec. 27 and ending with a New Year's Eve show at Jannus Landing in Tampa, Fla.

SEVENDUST announced in April 2006 that they and 7Bros. Records had officially parted ways with the Universal-affiliated WineDark Records. The band inked a deal with WineDark in early 2005 after a lengthy stint with TVT Records.

"Next" marked the recording debut with the band of new guitarist Sonny Mayo (ex-AMEN/SNOT). Mayo joined SEVENDUST in early 2005 as the replacement for Clint Lowery, who left the group mid-tour in December 2004, citing "personal issues." Lowery has since become a full-time member of DARK NEW DAY, the new "supergroup" also featuring Brett Hestla (ex-CREED, VIRGOS MERLOT) on vocals, Will Hunt (ex-SKRAPE, TOMMY LEE) on drums, Clint's brother Corey Lowery (ex-STEREOMUD, STUCK MOJO) on bass, and Troy McLawhorn (ex-DOUBLE DRIVE) on guitar.

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