Slayer Bassist Speaks To The Tucson Citizen

Slayer vocalist/bassist Tom Araya spoke to the Tucson Citizen about their show on July 11 in Augusta, Maine, which was recorded for an upcoming live DVD. The band played "Reign In Blood" in its entirety, however, was focused on just the final minute of "Raining Blood," the closing song on the 10-track record.

"It's kind of like little kids waiting for a new toy. 'Here it comes. Here it comes,' " singer Tom Araya says, laughing. "The effect we were trying to achieve only happens at the end of the album, the last minute .... And when it happened, it was great."

For all those Slayer fans who were unable to make it to Agusta to witness the original lineup of the band - drummer Dave Lombardo rejoined in 2003 - performing its influential speed metal treatise, fear not: The show was filmed, and it will be in the "Reign in Blood: Still Reigning" DVD, scheduled to be released on September 28.

"Reign in Blood" was Slayer's third album and the first produced by Rick Rubin for his Def Jam label. Araya wants Rubin to produce Slayer's next album, which he hopes will see the band in the studio by the end of the year.

"If not Rubin, someone like Rubin, who will work like Rubin. In other words, who will be a part of the process," Araya says, adding that Rubin is very hands-on and acts, necessarily, like a "referee" for Slayer. Rubin was somewhat involved in the band's 2002 album, "God Hates Us All," in terms of financing and suggesting who should do the final mix.

Read the full article at Tuscon Citizen.

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Pro-Pain Frontman Speaks To ElectricBasement.com

Pro-Pain frontman and band founder Gary Meskil spoke to ElectricBasement.com about their new album "Fistul Of Hate," touring plans and the difference between the European and U.S. scenes. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

ElectricBasement: "Describe how the new album all came together, any new processes or approaches?"

Gary Meskil: "The writing process was a little bit more of a collaborative effort than previous records, and a large amount of the recording was done in our new studio - Crimelab Audio - in Sarasota Florida. We wanted to achieve a state of the art recording for Fistful of Hate, and we also wanted to experiment a bit more with our style. I think we succeeded in those regards."

ElectricBasement: "Where do you find more enthusiasm, USA or Europe and why?"

Gary Meskil: "I've seen equal enthusiasm from both. However, the main difference is that Europe has a healthier live music scene in my opinion. Underground music is in good and professional hands in Europe, and I can't say that's true for the scene here in the States."

ElectricBasement: "Why do you think heavy music gets less exposure in America than in Europe?"

Gary Meskil: "I don't think heavy music gets less exposure in the States. It's just that the scene is dominated by a select few nu-metal bands who are signed by majors, and everything else is underground. I think Europe supports it's music scene more than the U.S., including underground bands with no money behind them. That's part of the reason there are many more "heavy" bands touring Europe than in the U.S."

ElectricBasement: "What does the rest of 2004 look like for Pro-Pain?"

Gary Meskil: "We will tour Europe again in September, and we hope to tour the US before years end. I expect we will be writing some new material as well, so stay tuned!!"

Read the full article at ElectricBasement.com.

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Pegazus Announce New Bassist And Anniversary Show

Pegazus guitarist Johnny Stoj has posted this message on the band's official website:

Hail Pegazus Warriors,

Wow! Time does fly!!! Yes, It has been awhile since the last band news update. So many things still going on and keeping us very busy in the background as usual. There is no news just yet on the forthcoming Pegazus DVD but hopefully we can have something to announce to you on this sometime soon.

However, we can now confirm the new bassist for Pegazus , his name is Joe Fata. Joe is the ex-bass player/member of another cool Australian Metal band Black Majesty. He was also the Pegazus lighting guy for the past couple of years as well. We have known Joe as a friend for quite awhile now and after having a few fun jam sessions together over the past couple of months, he has really slotted into the band so well. The new band member profiles are now available online for all to see, so you can read up and check out info on the two newest members of Pegazus, drummer Ange Sotiro and bassist Joe Fata. Photo's of the new members and new lineup are in the process of being done very soon, so these will also be online in the coming weeks.

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Brujeria Singer Interviewed By Mexico's "Telehit"

The official Brazilian Brujeria web site has posted a video of Brujeria singer Juan Brujo being interviewed by the Mexican TV show "Telehit." Download the video here.

Brujeria will play two shows in São Paulo, Brazil at Hangar 110 on August 5 and 6. Opening acts on August 5 will be Criminal, Subtera and Are You God? and on August 6 - Criminal, Confronto and Hutt.

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Lord Belial To Release New Album In August

Swedish black metallers Lord Belial will unleash their new album, "The Seal Of Belial," on August 30 through Regain Records. The album will also be released on limited edition vinyl, which will be set to 500 copies.

The track listing:

1. Prolusio; Acies Sigillum (Intro)
2. Sons Of Belial
3. Chariot Of Fire
4. Abysmal Hate
5. Legio Inferi
6. Mark Of The Beast
7. Armageddon Revelation
8. Scythe Of Death
9. Postmodum (Outro)

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Vehemence Announce 2004 Tour Plans

Vehemence is embarking on some upcoming touring in support for their newest album called "Helping The World To See" released April 6, 2004.

Dates are announced below:
Jul. 30 - El Paso, TX - The Key Lounge
Jul. 31 - Juarez, Mexico - Planet Rock
Aug. 02 – Houston, TX- Engine Room
Aug. 03 – TBA
Aug. 04 - TBA
Aug. 05 - Harlingen, TX - Smiley's Ballroom
Aug. 06 - TBA
Aug. 07 - Fort Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater
Aug. 19 – Phoenix, AZ - The Mason Jar
Sept. 10 – Texas – TBA
Sept. 11 – Houston, TX – Texas Murder Fest
Sept. 12 – Dallas, TX – DFW Metal Fest

TBA dates are unconfirmed off-Ozzfest dates with Superjoint Ritual & Devildriver. Vehemence will be on tour with Vital Remains for one week at the end of August. Another upcoming tour in the beginning of September will include a tour with Crematorium, All Shall Perish, and Animosity. Vehemence will be supporting the Mortician and Akercoke full U.S. tour in mid September through October. A European tour is also being arranged by Bruchstein Tours for April 2005 with Abscess. More dates and info will be available on www.vehemence.com.

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Avulsed To Record New Album

Spanish death metallers Avulsed have entered VRS Studios in Madrid to begin recording their fourth full-length album, entitled "Gorespattered Suicide," tentatively due in October/November through Metal Age Productions. The recording sessions will last 10 days, after which the tapes will be sent over to Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, ex-Morbid Angel) to mix and master the album at his own Mana Recording Studios in Florida during the first week of September. "Gorespattered Suicide" will include 11 own songs, plus a cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades."

The cover artwork and complete CD design will be done by Sven de Caluwé (Aborted singer) of Dirged Design (www.dirged.be). In other news, the group's label, Metal Age Productions, has acquired the rights to the album "Yearning For The Grotesque," which will be reissued by the end of the year. Also scheduled to be reissued is a double CD collection of the works "Seven Years Of Decay" (demos and rarities) and "Bloodcovered" (cover songs), complete with bonus tracks.

The complete track listing for the CD is as follows: More...

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Cryptopsy Begins Pre-Production For New Album

The band will spend three days at Wild Studio in St-Zenon, Quebec next week (August 6-8) working on the pre-production for the fifth studio album tentatively due in early 2005. Producing the effort will be Pierre Remillard, who has previously worked on None So Vile (1995), Whisper Supremacy (1998), And Then You'll Beg (2000) and None So Live (2003).

The upcoming CD will mark the group's first collection of new material since the return of vocalist Lord Worm, who replaced Martin Lacroix (ex-Spasme) earlier in the year.

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Update From Bal-Sagoth

The writing of the long awaited sixth Bal-Sagoth album is now at last nearing completion, and additionally some preliminary recording has commenced. The majority of the recording phase is scheduled to commence in full during the early autumn. A detailed press release concerning the sixth album will be unveiled exclusively at the Official Bal-Sagoth Website and nuclearblast.de to coincide with the official commencement of principal recording. Expect a release through Nuclear Blast during the first quarter of 2005.

Bal-Sagoth are pleased to announce the recruitment of new drummer Dan Mullins, who will forthwith be assuming all drumming duties with the band. Dan's first appearance with Bal-Sagoth will be the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in August. Details of the Bal-Sagoth appearance are as follows:
DATE: 7th August.
TIME: 12:00-12:30 PM.
STAGE: Black Stage.
For further information on the event, visit www.wacken.com

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Sonata Arctica To Have In-Store Autograph Session

Wednesday, August 18th, Sonata Arctica will have an autograph session in the Nuclear Blast shop in Donzdorf, from 6-7 pm. Attendants will also get the chance to have a listen in advance to their upcoming single “Don’t Say A Word.”

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Jag Panzer Album Update

The cover artwork for Jag Panzer's new album, "Casting the Stones," has been posted online at the web site of acclaimed artist Mattias Norén. Check it out here.

"Casting the Stones" is scheduled for release on October 19 through Century Media Records. Said to be "a more aggressive version" of 2001's "Mechanized Warfare," the new album was recorded in part at Tampa's Morrisound Studios with producer Jim Morris. Download two complete tracks from the upcoming CD: "Battered & Bruised" (mp3) and "Legion Immortal" (mp3).

"Casting The Stones" track listing: More...

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Lamb Of God Announces Album Release Date

The new Lamb of God album "Ashes of the Wake" will be released on Tuesday, August 31, 2004.

The Epic Debut “Ashes of the Wake,” is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2003 independent release on Prosthetic Records, “As The Palaces Burn” which Revolver Magazine calls “Album of the Year” and Rolling Stone praised “a meticulously crafted metal assault.”

Produced by Machine, the new Album” Ashes Of The Wake” includes guest appearances by Megadeth’s Chris Poland and Testament’s Alex Skolnick.

As this goes to press all basic tracks have been laid down - Drummer Chris Adler tells us: “The tracking sessions have been very intense and the vibe in the studio is exciting to say the least. My drum tracks were done in Jersey in May and Randy is done as of today. It's been a giant sonic puzzle and as Willie, Mark, John and Randy have layered onto the basic drum mix - you can feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's like feeling the ground as a train approaches, you can tell how massive it is - and its coming fast. It's surreal at times - I think everyone involved knows we have a monster on our hands.”

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Dragonforce To Play Festival Without Li

London-based "extreme power metal" band DRAGONFORCE will perform without their guitarist Herman Li at this year's Gates of Metal festival, set to be held Saturday (July 31) in Hultsfred, Sweden.

"Unfortunately, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li has missed his flight to the Gates of Metal show in Sweden!" reads a posting on the group's web site. "All other flights from London are fully booked, there is no way Herman can get to the show on time. The band will still play the show with only Sam [Totman] on guitar."

DRAGONFORCE's sophomore album, "Sonic Firestorm" was released in April through Noise Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Valley Of The Damned" was recorded primarily at Thin Ice Studios, Virginia Water, Surrey, England with producer Karl Groom. All guitars were recorded at guitarist Herman Li's own private studio in West London.

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Rammstein Deny Suing German Fansite

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have issued a statement denying reports that they have filed a lawsuit against top German RAMMSTEIN fan site, RammsteinFan.de, over allegations that the site's owners are capitalizing on the band's name. The group's statement reads as follows:

"It has been posted in various forums and websites that the domain owner and webmaster of Rammsteinfan.de is being sued by RAMMSTEIN and its management. Many sites even mention a 14-page notice a high monetary claim for damages.

"The following facts are correct:

"The domain owner and webmaster of Rammsteinfan.de simply received a 3-page warning, in which he was asked, among other things, to cease the distribution of audio recordings and images, as well as using these for the advertisement of services, products, etc. The remaining three pages of the letter consisted only of a statement of cessation that he is supposed to send back.

"Because the repeated demands of the management were only partially or occasionally met, the management saw itself forced to give its demands more weight with a letter from their lawyer."

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Download MP3 of Cradle Of Filth's 'Gilded Cunt'

A brand-new CRADLE OF FILTH track, entitled "Gilded Cunt", has been posted online in MP3 format at this location.

"Gilded Cunt" comes off the British extreme metallers' new album, "Nymphetamine", due on September 28 through Roadrunner Records.

The follow-up to last year's "Damnation and a Day", "Nymphetamine" (roughly translated as the druggish beast-like addiction to beautiful, classical women) was produced by ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano, who has previously worked with the group during the mixing stage for "Damnation…". Mixing duties were handled by Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH).

Here is the "Nymphetamine" track listing:

01. Satyriasis (Intro)
02. Gilded Cunt
03. Nemesis
04. Gabrielle
05. Absinthe with Faust
06. Nymphetamine (Overdose) (feat. Liv Kristine)
07. Painting Flowers White Never Suited My Palette (Instrumental)
08. Medusa and Hemlock
09. Coffin Fodder
10. English Fire
11. Filthy Little Secret
12. Swanson For A Raven
13. Mother of Abominations

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Neoblast Records Sign Vicious Circle

Neoblast Records has signed New Jersey based death metal veteran VICIOUS CIRCLE. The band will release their first Neoblast full-length in late 2004.

Vicious Circle (Darrell - vocals, Vinny - guitar, Dave - drums and Mel - bass), formed in 1989, has become a brutal and relentless entity within their genre and have made a severe impact on the Metal scene over the past 15 years.

The track listing for the presently untitled CD is 'Dead Scent', 'Written in Flesh', 'Live Long and Suffer', 'Lord of Shit', 'Neurotic Reminders', 'I Remain in Filth', 'Wishing the Djinn Away', 'Phantom Pains', 'Phantasia Through Agony', 'Spiritual Deformity', 'Unfullfillment' and 'Triple Murder Suicide'.

The album will be released in North America on November 2nd, 2004 and in Europe on November 15th.

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Leaves' Eyes And Atrocity Team Up For An Euro Tour

Alex Krull and his wife, Liv Kristine Espenæs will be touring Europe with their closely cooperating bands- ATROCITY and LEAVES EYES'.

Confirmed dates include: More...

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