Cor Scorpii Sign To Descent Productions

Descent Productions has announced the signing of Norwegian extreme metal band COR SCORPII.

COR SCORPII is a new band formed by WINDIR keyboard player Gaute Refsnes. After ULCUS and WINDIR joined forces, Refsnes continued making music with a somewhat different approach, resulting in plans of a project of his own. However it wasn`t until the tragic death of WINDIR founder Terje "Valfar" Bakken and the following farewell concert, that COR SCORPII arose with a complete line-up

The band currently consists of five members. Gaute Refsnes, Stian Bakketeig (lead guiter) and Jorn Holen (also in Vreid) have been part of Windir and Ulcus, while Rune Sjøthun (rythm guitar) and Inge Jonny Lomheim (bass) have been a part of the local metal scene for a long time. The line-up is completed by the hellish screams and presence of Thomas S. Øvstedal.

Musically, COR SCORPII incorporate different styles with emphasis on melodies and aggression. The music has some influences from both classical and folk music, combined with the atmospheres of Norwegian extreme metal. The lyrical concept deals with the darker sides of existence and the human mind.

At the moment the band is working on material for their debut album, the release is planned for early 2007.

0 Comments - Discuss

Scariot Change Album Name

SCARIOT, the Norwegian metal band led by Død (a.k.a. Daniel Olaisen; BLOOD RED THRONE), had changed the projected title of its recently completed new album to "Momentum Shift" from the previously announced "The Grand Design". In addition, the group has announced that it has inked a deal with FaceFront Records to release the CD sometime in the fall.

"Momentum Shift" was mixed at Top Room studios in Norway. Drumming duties on the album were handled by Asgeir Mickelson (SPIRAL ARCHITECT, BORKNAGAR) while the bass tracks were laid down by Steve DiGiorgio (TESTAMENT, SADUS, DEATH).

SCARIOT's last studio album, "Strange to Numbers", was released in 2003.

0 Comments - Discuss

Cornell Excited To Take "Revelations" On The Road

Audioslave singer Chris Cornell tells AOL Music he can't wait to perform tracks off the band's third album 'Revelations' on tour. "Because we write our songs in a room, four people writing it live, playing it as we write it, we can perform it as a live song at the end of the rehearsal from the day of conception," he says. "That is probably my favorite thing about this band."

Read the full article at AOL Music.

0 Comments - Discuss

Mortiis To Support Genitorturers On US Tour

Mortiis is confirmed to support legendary industrial shock rockers the Genitorturers on their American tour.

Mortiis had this to say in a statement:

"We're really excited to be touring with the Genitorturers as I've personally been fascinated by and into them for years. We think our aggressive approach to industrial rock and energetic live shows will complement the Genitorturers sound and live show perfectly."

They added: "After we did the Blackest of the Black tour last year, we had some interesting US tours going on that unfortunately didn't happen, so we're really stoked to get back out to the US and hopefully to play to a lot of new people and also our old fans. We totally believe that our fans would connect with Genitorturers and vice versa."

Genitorturers and Mortiis tour dates: More...

Read more...  |  0 Comments - Discuss

Watch Flyleaf's "Fully Alive" Video Online

Flyleaf are out with the video to their latest single 'Fully Alive', from the band's self-titled debut. You can watch it at Yahoo! Music.

Flyleaf is currently on tour in North America with the Family Values tour with Korn, Deftones and others.

3 Comments - Discuss

Sodom and Finntroll Announced For End Of Dayz Fest

SODOM and FINNTROLL have been confirmed for the End of 2006 Dayz festival, set to take place Decemebr 29-31 at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland. The festival billing is shapimng up as follows:

SODOM
FINNTROLL
UNREST
MYSTIC CIRCLE
LEGION OF THE DAMNED

More bands will be announced soon.

0 Comments - Discuss

Slayer To Sue Demiricous?

Metal Maniacs magazine recently conducted an interview with SLAYER members Kerry King and Tom Araya. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal Maniacs: Kerry, you're notorious for keeping up with many of thew new extreme bands…

Kerry: "I like to know more about who we should be touring with and stuff like that. I'm very selective. There's a lot of good bands, but there's a lot of bands that sound just like everybody else. I like the ones that are unique. Without sticking my foot in my mouth, my favorite new band is DEMIRICOUS and they sound just like us. I love those guys. They're making up their own tunes, and yeah, they sound like us, but they're good songs. I saw them play and they're outta control! It was great."

Tom: "Kerry was praising them so I listened to tem and I was thinking, 'Can we sue somebody for plagiarism?' [Laughs] I even asked my manager that. I was like, 'Can we sue someone for sounding way too much like us?' They're way too… way too SLAYER. [Laughs] I even played it for someone and they said, 'If I didn't know any better and you were singing, this would be SLAYER.' I'm not too hip on that."

Metal Maniacs: But can that kind of worship be flattering in a way?

Tom: "To me, it's not. Flattery is when someone creates something but it's their own. When you fucking sound just like the band you love, that's not flattery… that's copyright infringement. [Laughs]

"Kerry really pays attention and is aware of the up-and-coming bands and he's on top of the [heavy] music scene. I like all music. Kerry's really into the metal. I'm not always on top of all that. I only hear what people send to me, you know? Sometimes I get discs and they just sit there. I don't even put 'em on unless someone says to me, 'You have to listen to this.' If it's really groundbreaking and new, and it's something you hear from various people, eventually you take the time and go, 'I need to listen to this; there's too much talk about it.' Unless it's something recommended by a number of people, I won't listen to it. I like music in general. I listen to all kinds of music, and that has a big influence, I think, in how I write lyrically and what I like musically."

Metal Maniacs: Do you think you'll ever play another record in its entirety live like the band did with "Reign in Blood"? "South of Heaven" perhaps?

Tom: "It's becoming a trendy thing now. I don't know. We have some really cool albums, but I don't think we'll ever do that again."

Kerry: "Probably not. And I just don't like enough songs off 'South of Heaven'."

Metal Maniacs: Really? That's interesting.

Kerry: "I hate 'Cleanse the Soul'. That's one of the black marks in our history, in my book. I just fucking think it's horrible. [Laughs] I hate the opening riff. It's what we call a 'happy riff.' It's just like 'la-lala-la-la-la.' I can't see myself playing it, but after that, where it gets heavier, I like that section. If we ever did a medley, I'd put part of that in there. Like 'Reign in Blood' is short — 10 songs in 30 minutes — it desn't take up much of your set. I would consider 'Seasons in the Abyss', but that's a little longer, so you're alienating anybody that may hate that record. 'Seasons' is 40 minutes long. You'd have to cut out two other songs [from the set] and people might be like, 'Damn, I wish they would've played that. But now that we did 'Reign', so many people are doing the same thing we did. I heard DIO did one ['Holy Diver']."

Metal Maniacs: ANTHRAX is doing "Among the Living" on a few dates this summer.

Kerry: "Yeah, I heard about ANTHRAX. METALLICA did 'Master of Puppets'. I'm like, 'C'mon, man, can't you guys get some original fucking ideas?' [Laughs]"

23 Comments - Discuss

Voivod On Katorz, Metallica and More

Justin Donnelly of Australia's The Metal Forge recently conducted an interview with VOIVOD/ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On how VOIVOD's new album, "Katorz", has been received by critics and fans:

"The reviews are something I definitely care about man. I try not to let it affect me too much, especially if there's any negativity, but thankfully there isn't that much for 'Katorz'! (Laughs) So far, it's been working out good! It's all been positive vibes from people, because they know that it's true.

"Fans of VOIVOD are real music fans. They're practiced and seasoned listeners. You have to be a little more than the everyday sort of music listener to really get into VOIVOD. It's those people that realize how cool this album is, and they've given us nothing but positive vibes.

"I think this album has every chance of being one of VOIVOD's biggest albums. I guess the reason I care so much is because I want for D'Amour's family, along with Bélanger and Langevin, to be able to reap what they really have deserved all along.

"VOIVOD are one of the most underrated and unrecognized outfits in metal. You know it and I know it. They really deserve the recognition from this generation of metal music lovers who don't quite know about VOIVOD and their incredible influence throughout the years. This generation really needs to hear this, and realize where the bands they dig now come from. I mean, where did these new bands get their ideas for the dissonant chords and all those crazy sounds? That would be from D'Amour's unique and inventive tunings! He composed all of the one hundred and eighty odd songs that VOIVOD has ever recorded, so he really made VOIVOD's sound. He invented that stuff! (Laughs)

"There are so many bands that are influenced by VOIVOD. Ask the guys in TOOL about where some of their craziness comes from. Ask Dave Grohl from the FOO FIGHTERS where all those dissonant guitar notes comes from. You know where it comes from. They would tell you straight up where all that comes from. To see VOIVOD finally get that recognition would be really cool. That's the reward I would like to see the most, along with some financial rewards. It's not something I'm after. I only hope this album is success is purely for them."

On the planned two sequel DVDs to follow up 2005's "D-V-O-D-1":

"Langevin has been compiling all kinds of footage for those. I think he has a plan for three instalments, or at least that's what I understand. The mid-period with Eric Forrest (1994 to 2001) will most likely be next. I don't think I start coming into the picture until the third one, if he plans to do them in a chronological manner, that is. We have a lot of footage for the third one, including some footage from the 2003 Ozzfest tour. That was the big tour year for the band, which was the biggest one for VOIVOD in a long time. We were opening for OZZY OSBOURNE across North America, and did some really cool big shows. There was a lot of hype and excitement, partly because I was playing with Osbourne at the same time as well. It was a great offer, an honour, and I loved doing it. There was no question about that. But it was also something to completely help VOIVOD. I was willing to give whatever I had to push that album. That whole summer we had a lot of opportunities to film with proper cameras from local and regional people, along with some friends who came out with some proper gear too to specifically record some shows as well. So there's a lot of stuff to choose from with number three, actually."

On VOIVOD's long-term plans:

"When it comes to predicting the future, that's a really tough question to answer. The way I see it, speaking to you in July 2006, there's really nobody that can take D'Amour's place. We could plan one big show, or a couple of shows together where there would be guest taking his place on a few songs. People like Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS) and Josh Homme (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) would certainly like to do that. But in regards to a full-fledged VOIVOD tour, I don't know how it would be possible. The way that he tuned, the way that he played, and the way he constructed all of the seeds for all VOIVOD compositions, that's some unfillable shoes to me. VOIVOD will be forever. The thing keeps going back into the ice, only to thaw back out and come back stronger. It's obvious that the thing will not die — ever! We have a lot of recorded stuff, and we have a lot of cool stuff from the Chophouse that people have never heard before. There's no telling what we will end up doing with that stuff. There's a lot of other tracks with Piggy playing, including him doing completely different styles and stuff, so there's no telling what could happen with a cool compilation in the future. But right now we have a good record to go on, and we'll see how people enjoy it and just try to realize what its all about. We'll get together when we can to formulate things for the other tracks, and get that out there to share with people again. Then there's the VOIVOD DVDs as well. There's still a lot of material that we plan on releasing to keep VOIVOD alive. So that's another couple of years away. We'll just see what happens from there. Having said that, switching on the current generation of players with new VOIVOD really does bode well with the future, even if just within that thought alone. And as long as Langevin stays at the helm as the brains of the outfit, D'Amour the heart and Bélanger the voice, I think VOIVOD could be forever."

0 Comments - Discuss

Mordichrist Post New Track Online

The new MORDICHRIST track Villainy , which will be featured on the Swedish black metal band's upcoming limited-edition seven-inch single, has been posted online on the group's MySpace page. Due in September via Danza Ipnotica, the single will feature two songs, both of which will appear on the band's full-length CD, due in early 2007 via Regain Records.

MORDICHRIST previously issued a limited-edition (500 copies) 10-inch mini-LP via Danza Ipnotica.

As previously reported, MORDICHRIST singer Nenia is going lend her diabolical voice to the German black metallers CAEDES on their new CD. No further information is currently available.

0 Comments - Discuss

Just For Fun

Fozzy Frontman To Sing On Celebrity Duos

FOZZY frontman and former WWE star Chris Jericho will be taking part in "Celebrity Duets" — an unscripted series that pairs singing stars with celebrities outside the music industry to make "beautiful music" together. The show will follow the professional singers as they instruct their partners, choose songs and perform duets in front of a panel of judges and a live studio audience. After each episode, viewers will vote for their favorite duets. The winning pair will emerge from the competition in perfect harmony, while the losers definitely will have to change their tune. The competition, which will be judged by producer David Foster, kicks off August 29. The celebrity contestants are as follows:

Chris Jericho - Wrestler (WWE)
Lucy Lawless - Actress ("Xena")
Cheech Marin - Actor ("Born In East LA")
Carly Patterson - 2004 Olympic Gymnast
Alfonso Ribiero - Actor/Director ("The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air")
Jai Rodriguez - Pop Culture Guru ("Queer Eye")
Hal Sparks - Actor/Comedian ("Queer As Folk")
Lea Thompson - Actress ("Back To The Future")

The contestants remaining in the competition will be paired with a different music superstar each week. Those singers include Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Aaron Neville, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick and Lee Ann Womack, among others.

11 Comments - Discuss

Unearth: We're Proud of Making Heavy Music

After stirring up chaos with a non-rotating direct support spot on Ozzfest 2006’s second stage , Unearth are excited to release their brand new album, "III: In The Eyes of Fire." With producer Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones, Soundgarden) behind the wheel, Unearth have put together their most promising record yet.

Always challenging the current stream of extreme music, Unearth thrives off their musical heaviness. Unearth’s vocalist Trevor Phipps states, “We’re just trying to prove that bands can still sell records and tour and have a career by making a heavy f-ing record.”

With Ozzfest wrapping up the summer, Unearth will soon embark on a headlining tour in support of their release.

3 Comments - Discuss

Stone Sour To Guest On Rockline

Stone Sour will be the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn Monday night August 21, 2006 at 8:30 PDT. For a station near you, and information regarding how to log onto the Internet for the broadcast, go to WWW.ROCKLINERADIO.COM

0 Comments - Discuss

Arch Enemy Updates On DVD and A Road Report

ARCH ENEMY's highly anticipated double disc DVD set, Live Apocalypse, is now available worldwide just in time for the group's triumphant return to the U.S. on Gigantour this September.

Some early reports from European DVD charts: German DVD-charts: 1st week : #12

Swedish DVD-charts: 1st week : #2 2nd week : #2

Michael Amott (guitars) comments: “Yes, the DVD is out all over the world now and the reviews are glowing and more importantly, the positive feedback from the fans is HUGE! On another note, we played our last summer festival show this year in Gothenburg last week. It was a really cool show with a great Swedish Metal crowd and tons of family and friends backstage – a great way to end this summer!

“We played a completely different kind of show in London, UK on Thursday, it was the ‘Kerrang! Day Of Rock’ and it was basically an in-store type deal in the basement of the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. We played a brief 30 minute set and thanks to the fans that came down and supported us it was actually fun. We’ve had a blast this summer playing the European festivals, the shows have been so cool and in some cases even AMAZING (Hello Wacken!). It’s been a real treat to meet all the ARCH ENEMY fans at the signing sessions of these festivals too – we love it!

“So now we have a little time off from the road before we head back to the U.S. for the Gigantour – we are all really looking forward to that. Hope to see you all soon.”

0 Comments - Discuss

Cannibal Corpse Add Another Date To Upcoming Tour

Another date has been released for CANNIBAL CORPSE's headlining North American tour with DYING FETUS, NECROPHAGIST, and UNMERCIFUL:

November 10 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
November 14 - Montreal, QC @ Le Medley
November 21 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
December 6 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues

1 Comment - Discuss

Alice In Chains Announce 2CD Vid Player Collection

Ten years after their last concert, ALICE IN CHAINS has decided to reclaim their heritage and embark on a surprise U.S. club tour as a warm up for their 5-month tour of the UK and Europe. They returned for several U.S. festival dates and will pick up again in the fall (dates to be announced soon). The band looks forward to its 20th anniversary next year with the release of The Essential Alice In Chains, which will arrive in stores September 5th on Columbia/Legacy, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertain­ment.

The first comprehensive two-CD collection ever issued on ALICE IN CHAINS is a chronological ascent from 1990 (four cuts from their debut album, Facelift, including "We Die Young," title track of the three-song Columbia debut EP released earlier that year) up through 1999, ("Get Born Again" and "Died," the two newly recorded tracks on their three-CD box set retrospective, Music Bank). The Essential Alice In Chains gathers its 28 selections from all four original albums they recorded, Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), the self-titled Alice In Chains (1995), and the live 'acoustic' MTV Unplugged (1996), as well as from their two EPs, SAP (1992) and Jar Of Flies (1994). Also included are remixes of their two songs from the Last Action Hero original motion picture soundtrack album (1993, the only band with two cuts on the album).

A video player for the collection can be found here.

0 Comments - Discuss

Tons of Dates Released For Norma Jean, BTBAM Tour

Dates have been announced for the Radio Rebellion Tour featuring NORMA JEAN, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, FEAR BEFORE THE MARCH OF FLAMES, MISERY SIGNALS, THE FULLY DOWN, and THE CONFESSION:

October 6 - Nashville, TN @ Rcktwn
October 7 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
October 8 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
October 10 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
October 11 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
October 12 - Montreal, QC @ Spectrum De Montreal
October 13 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
October 14 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
October 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
October 17 - Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
October 18 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
October 19 - Jacksonville, FL @ Martini's Music Hall
October 20 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
October 21 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
October 22 - Saint Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
October 27 - Cordova, TN @ Skatepark of Memphis
October 30 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
October 31 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
November 2 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
November 3 - San Diego, CA @ SOMA
November 4 - Hollywood, CA @ The Avalon
November 5 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
November 7 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
November 8 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
November 9 - Seattle, WA @ Fenix
November 10 - Vancouver, BC @ Croatian Cultural Center
November 11 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
November 12 - Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room
November 16 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
November 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
November 27 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's Down Under
November 29 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
November 30 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
December 2 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

2 Comments - Discuss

Info On Godheads Bonus DVD With New Album

GODHEAD has announced they will be including a bonus DVD with the purchase of their new album The Shadow Line, out August 29. On the DVD will be 3 music videos and a 25 minute documentary on the band, from making the album to making the video and other behind the scenes stuff. Both discs will be the price of the CD.

0 Comments - Discuss

Threshold Announce 2007 Release Date

One of Nuclear Blast's latest signings, THRESHOLD, from England, is now back at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey to start recording their new album. The record is expected to be complete by the beginning of November. In a recent post on the band's forum, keyboard player Richard West commented: "The writing's been going really well. We've been modernising the way we approach certain aspects of our writing, but we've still got the same core THRESHOLD values. We're really looking forward to getting everything produced and finished, hopefully it'll be our best album yet, with one or two surprises for you..." The album is scheduled for release on Nuclear Blast early in 2007, with a tour planned for next spring followed by festival shows.

0 Comments - Discuss

Hear Phil Labonte Unleashed On Sirius

ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte will take a break from the band's busy touring schedule to hang with his good friend and Hard Attack host Mario inside the Sirius sattelite radio studios August 16. Labonte holds nothing back, and will be talking about past band troubles, vocal influences, the band's spot on the second stage of Ozzfest, the band's new record, and of course some of his favorite bands. Make sure to tune in Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 9pm (eastern) to hear tracks from ALL THAT REMAINS record, 'The Fall of Ideals,' alongside hand-picked music from some of Labonte's favorite bands, new and old. The interview will also be re-broadcast Sunday, August 20 at 12pm (eastern) for those that can't catch it the first time

0 Comments - Discuss

Deftones Announce Album Tracklisting

The Deftones have set the tenative track listing for their upcoming new album "Saturday Night Wrist", which is currently due out in stores on October 31st through Maverick. The outing will feature guest appearances from System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian on the track "Mein" and Annie Hardy of Giant Drag fame on "Pink Cellphone". Here's how the effort will roughly shape up:
01 - "Hole In The Earth"
02 - "Fm"
03 - "Beware"
04 - "Cherry Waves"
05 - "Mein" (Feat. Serj Tankian)
06 - "Interlude"
07 - "Tilde"
08 - "Rats"
09 - "Pink Cellphone" (Feat. Annie Hardy)
10 - "Combat"
11 - "The Earth"
12 - "Comanche"

1 Comment - Discuss

Blender Interviews The Women Of Ozzfest

Blender.com has posted online a video interview with "The Women Of Ozzfest.". Included in the video is Candace from Walls Of Jericho, Marta from Bleeding Through, and Christina from Lacuna Coil.

1 Comment - Discuss