Metallian Heavy

NECROPHOBIC has picked Death To All… as the title for its full-length album, which is due in the summer through Regain Records. A couple of song titles are For Those Who Stayed Satanic and Revelation 666.

Singer and bassist Thomas “Angelripper” of SODOM
and his friend Detlef “Magic” Lauster have a new band called DIE KNAPPEN. The name means ’miner’ in German. As mentioned in a Metallian interview from 2006 Tom’s father was a miner.

MÅNEGARM has also signed a deal with Regain Records. The band’s next album is due this summer.

TRIDENT, a new Swedish death metal band formed by guitarist Johan Norman of DISSECTION and SOULREAPER, has signed with Regain Records. The group’s debut album, World Destruction, was engineered by Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. Expect the album in April.

Fresh off the Blood God Rising In The East World Tour 2008 which included a trip to China Germany’s DEBAUCHERY has announced a new album for April called Rockers & War. The album is due to arrive with a bonus DVD promising to feature lesbian porno.

Finland’s ABLAZE IN HATRED has released The Quietude Plains in Finland. An international release is planned for March, 2009.

RAVENS CREED is a VENOM-inspired band featuring former SABBAT bassist Frazer Craske, ORANGE GOBLIN’s Ben Ward, former IRON MONKEY Steve Watson and Jason Graham and is in the studio to record its debut album, Albion Thunder. Expect it in the summer.

After several years of inactivity and departure from the Season Of Mist roster Norway’s CARPATHIAN FOREST is back with plans for shows and a new album in 2009.

Selfmadegod Records has signed mathcore/metal band MOTHRA from Opole, Poland. In September of 2008 the band recorded seven tracks with producer Szymon Czech (ANTIGAMA, BLINDEAD, THIRD DEGREE, NYIA and UNSUN) for a full-length called Dyes to be released in the Spring of 2009.

INZEST’s Grotesque New World and NUCLEAR VOMIT’s Obora albums are now out through Mad Lion Records.

Danish/Italian band CHAOSWAVE will release a new album, Dead Eye Dreaming, on March 6th through Silverwolf.

Tour with INCANTATION coming? GOREAPHOBIA has completed the recording of a new album called Mortal Repulsion. The album features guitarist John McEntee (INCANTATION) and drummer Jim Roe (ex-INCANTATION). The album will be released on John McEntee’s (INCANTATION) label, Ibex Moon Records.

DARKANE, SOILWORK, DAYLIGHT DIES, WARBRINGER and SWALLOW THE SUN are touring Canada and the USA. DARKANE will release its fifth album, Demonic Art, in North America on February 10th through Nuclear Blast Records. The North American version of the CD, which came out in Europe in October 24 through Massacre Records, will contain a bonus track and a bonus DVD.

Season Of Mist will release the following albums in 2009: CANTATA SANGUI’s On Rituals And Correspondence In Constructed Realities, WATAIN’s Casus Luciferi & Rabid Death’s Curse, SEPTICFLESH’s Sumerian Daemons CD jewel case reissue and PUNISH YOURSELF latest release Gore Baby Gore.

DEICIDE has signed to Century Media records world-wide. DEICIDE led by original members Glen Benton (vocals and bass) and Steve Asheim (drums) has been busy at Audiohammer Studios with Mark Lewis (BLACK DAHLIA, CHIMAIRA, etc.) and is looking at a summer release. The group has reunited with legendary guitarists Jack Owen (ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, EX-ICED EARTH and DEATH) and is currently back from a European tour. Former DEATH/OBITUARY guitarist Ralph Santolla will rejoin DEICIDE for its upcoming Winterfest 2009 European tour, which also features SAMAEL and DEVIAN.

LAMB OF GOD will release its next album, Wrath, on February 24th through Epic in the USA and Roadrunner Records in Europe.

CARCASS will support IRON MAIDEN for two Mexican shows on the 25th and 28th of this month. The band will tour the USA again in March using the Exhumed To Consume II tour monicker.

Singer Martin van Drunen, guitarist Paul Baayens, bassist Wannes Gubbels and drummer Bob Bagchus are recording a new ASPHYX album which will also feature a DVD recorded at Party.San festival in 2007.

Former TESTAMENT guitarist Glen Alvelais has left FORBIDDEN and been replaced by former TESTAMENT guitarist Steve Smyth. Alvelais is apparently not impressed by the lack of heaviness in the new FORBIDDEN album and will instead focus on the TENET project.

Xtreem Music has issued GOTHMOG’s A Step In The Dark album. The band is compared to DIMMU BORGIR.

Singer Kam Lee and drummer Curtis Beeson have left DENIAL FIEND due to personal differences. The band, featuring former DEATH Bassist Terry Butler, will continue. Lee will focus on BONE GNAWER and issue a new MASSACRE album. The band has instead recruited former DRI drummer Rob Rampy. THE ACCUSED’s singer Blaine Cook is also helping out.

DEATH ANGEL has recruited bassist Sammy Diosdado following the departure of Dennis Pepa. The new man is a former member of THE SICK and is in ALL TIME HIGHS with DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda.

Norway’s THE SICKENING has signed a two-album deal with Xtreem Music. The band, featuring ex-BLOOD RED THRONE drummer Beist, has an album tentatively called Death, Devastation, Decay completed for release for summer of 2009.

Seventeen years on Sweden’s LORD BELIAL has called it a day effective immediately. Drummer Micke Backelin has tinnitus and needs a medical break.

CONSTRUCDEAD will release a new album, entitled Endless Echo, in April through Black Lodge Records. Drummer Nicke Karlsson has already been kicked out and replaced by Chris Barkensjö of FACE DOWN.

Italian thrashers SOTHIS have picked Egod as the title for their next album, which will feature singer Alessandro Falà.

MITHRAS has recruited singer and bassist Sam Bean (of THE SENSELESS and ex-THE BERZERKER) to replace the departed Rayner Coss.

The End Records has signed KARL SANDERS, the man behind South Carolina’s Nile, and his solo band. The label will release Sanders’ second full-length solo album, entitled Saurian Exorcisms, on April 14th.

After eight years of absence drummer Roel Sanders is back in GOD DETHRONED. Moreover guitarist Susan Gerl of MURDER SYNDICATE has replaced Isaac Delhaye.

Session drummer Nick Barker will fill in for EXODUS’ Tom Hunting during the Americans’ upcoming European tour. EXODUS
claims Hunting is on a Mexican vacation then.

BLUT AUS NORD will release A new album, CALLED Memoria Vetusta II – Dialogue With The Stars, on February 23RD through Candlelight Records.

ARCH GOAT will release a new album, The Light-Devouring Darkness, this month through Blasphemous Underground Productions. The band hails from Finland and will issue the last release of the album.

ARCH ENEMY will begin a Latin America Revolution Tour 2009 in late April including trips to Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico.

Candlelight Records has extended its cooperation with Chicago-based Battle Kommand Records. Founded by NACHTMYSTIUM vocalist/guitarist Blake Judd in 2004, Candlelight will now look after the label’s catalog around the globe. Previously the deal was in place for only England and the European continent

SUFFOCATION has entered the studio to begin recording its Nuclear Blast debut Blood Oath. The follow-up to the 2006 self-titled record will once again be recorded with Joe Cincotta, who has worked with the band on its previous two releases.

Open Grave Records has signed Nevada-based death metal band I BUILT THE CROSS. The band was formed in the summer of 2008 and will issue a new album in the spring.

HELLSAW will release a new album, called Cold, in March through Napalm Records. The album is produced by DARK FORTRESS guitarist V. Santura.

Ousted DEW-SCENTED members, guitarists Hendrik Bache and Florian Müller have recruited singer Ercu, drummer Antek of REVOLVER and bassist Henrik formerly of REVOLVER and formed a new band called NEMESIS LOVE CULT.

DECREPIT BIRTH is in pre-production mode for its third full-length album entitled Polarity. The album is the band’s first release on Nuclear Blast Records and is due in the summer of 2009.

Singer Covan of DECAPITATED is asking for donations to go towards his recovery following an accident over a year ago. People can send virtual cash by contacting mstasto@yahoo.com.

Southern Lord Records will issue the third WITTR full-length Black Cascade on March 31st.

Candlelight Records has signed Denver-based thrashers HAVOK. The band is currently completing its debut album titled Burn which is expected for release early spring.

HEIDEN’s Obsidian will be out on the third of March. The band’s fourth album is being issued through Naga Productions.

Napalm Records will issue HATESPHERE’s To The Nines in March. The album was produced by Tue Madsen.

VATICAN is a band featuring former members of ION DISSONANCE, TRAILS OF ANGUISH, UNQUINTESSENCE, THE CRIMSON SYNDICATE and DOPETHRONE, which has signed with Galy Records for the release of the Shotgun Evangelium EP. The band reckons itself hardcore and black metal.

AXAMENTA has thrown in the towel.

GORY BLISTER will release a new album, Graveyard of Angels, on April 6th through Mascot Records.

Contaminating The Divine, the third album of Denmark’s HORNED ALMIGHTY, is out now through Obscure Abhorrence Productions. It was produced by Jacob Bredahl.


Metallian Hard

LION’S SHARE will release its new album Dark Hours in late March through Blistering Records. The follow-up to 2007's Emotional Coma was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (OPETH, SYMPHONY X, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH) and features guest appearances by SYMPHONY X guitarist Mike Romeo (guest solo on Behind The Curtain), and drummers Conny Pettersson (ANATA) and Richard Evensand (CHIMAIRA and SOILWORK).

KINGDOM COME will release an album called Magnified this month through Planet Music. The band is main man and singer Lenny Wolf, guitarist Eric Foerster, bassist Frank Binke and drummer Hendrik Thiesbrummel.

LILIAN AXE’s new album, Sad Day On Planet Earth, will be issued by the band’s new label, Blistering Records. The album is expected next month.

Søren Nico Adamsen has left the frontman position in the CRYSTAL EYES campaign. The singer as cited a lack of time to devote to the band. Guitarist Mikael Dahl is resuming his double-duty as the vocalist. Dahl is also the singer for DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH.

LONDON (based in Los Angeles) will reunite for its first concert in over 20 years at Paladino's in Reseda, California on February 14th.

A new DVD called DEEP PURPLE Live 1974 (TV Recordings) is being issued this month. It features material trusted to the tape for German television in 1974.

Crash Music has announced February 24th as the release date for a digipack compilation of MALEVOLENT CREATION entitled Essentials. It features 38 tracks.

Norway’s ENSLAVED has inked a deal with Nick Storch and The Agency Group as its new booking agent for North America. The band is opening for OPETH in North America in May.

SKYCLAD has signed a recording deal with Scarlet Records and will issue its In The… All Together album in May.

QUEENSRŸCHE’s new album is called American Soldier. The topical album is being issued by Rhino on March 31st.

ABDULLAH is taking a break and will allow Jeff Shirilla to concentrate on a new project called THIS IS ANTARCTICA. The band just plated a goodbye show in Cleveland, Ohio.

CANDLEMASS has announced Death Magic Doom as the title for its next album, which is due on March 27th through Nuclear Blast Records. The album will contain eight songs.

Inspired by KEEL? Following a performance at Rocklahoma Tennesse’s TORA TORA has reunited to play a one-off in its home state on Saturday, March 7th.

KEEL has signed with Chavis Records and is releasing an album this summer. The band is appearing at Rocklahoma 2009.

Universal Records UK will release a triple-CD of DIAMOND HEAD in March. The set will contain remastered versions of Borrowed Time, Canterbury and Live At The Reading Festival. The release will also include bonus material.

NOVEMBERS DOOM is at Belle City Sound recording its seventh full-length CD, Into Night's Requiem Infernal. Tracking duties are handled by Chris Djuricic (engineer and band bassist) while the mixing of the disc will be handled by Dan Swano at Unisound. THESE ARE THEY, Featuring members of NOVEMBERS DOOM, EARTHEN, TRIALS, has signed with The End Records. The debut EP, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Chris Wisco at Belle City Sound, will be released later in 2009.

Former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH Singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser, F5 and former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former MEGADETH drummer Jimmy DeGrasso completed a short tour of Chile using the HAIL monicker. The group played metal classics as well as songs from their own repertoire.

Doro Pesch appeared at HOLY MOSES’ singer Sabina´s birthday party on stage last month in Niederkrüchten, Germany. The couple played the songs Celebrate and All We Are.

IN THIS MOMENT is kicking off 2009 with a North American tour alongside MUDVAYNE and NONPOINT beginning February 3rd. This tour will be preceded with three headlining dates, which begin tonight at The Clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona.

STRYPER’s next album is called Murder By Pride which is seeking a label home.

According to a report in UK’s Classic Rock magazine singer David Coverdale, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Glenn Hughes and keyboardist Jon Lord are thinking about reforming DEEP PURPLE MKIII. Incredibly this would constitute Blackmore’s return to hard rock and imply two DEEP PURPLEs would simultaneously be on the road. Drummer Ian Paice is, of course, in Mark II.

Following recent reports that the band is auditioning singers to replace Robert Plant the latest news has LED ZEPPELIN definitively calling it a day.

The reformed BELIEVER has announced Gabriel as the title for its album, which is now due on March 17th through Cesspool Records/Metal Blade. Cesspool is the label of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones' label.

IRON FIRE has picked guitarist Marc Masters (FORCENTURY) to join. The band's latest album, To The Grave, was released through Napalm Records.

Former ATTACKER singer Bob Mitchell and drummer Joe Hasselvander (PENTAGRAM and RAVEN) have recruited guitarist Pete Vorias and bassist Eric "Orion" Cabana (of HOUNDS OF HASSELVANDER) to form a doom metal band called BLACK HAG.

IMPELLITTERI will release its next album, Wicked Maiden, exclusively in Japan this month through Victor Entertainment.

FARFLUNG has been confirmed to play Walter’s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands in April.

MALTESE FALCON’s 1984 album Metal Rush and JAGUAR’s This Time are being re-issued by rerelease label, Metal Mind Productions.

ENTWINE’s Painstained album is out through Spinefarm Records.

AGATHODAIMON will release a new album, Phoenix, on March 20th through Massacre Records. It features new singer Chris "Ashtrael" Bonner.

The new ACHERON full-length Final Conflict: Last Days Of God is now complete. Displeased Records will issue it on April 30th.

SACRED OATH, the self-titled third studio album from the band, was produced and engineered by Rob Thorne at his studio Angel Thorne Music in Connecticut and will be issued this summer.

IRON MAIDEN will play at the Aucas Stadium in Quito, Ecuador on Tuesday, March 10th. This will be the Brits first show in the cental American country.

Singer Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB and WARRANT), drummer Brian Tichy (OZZY OSBOURNE), guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS and BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) and bassist Robbie Crane (RATT and VINCE NEIL) have a new LED ZEPPELIN covers band called SHRED ZEPPELIN. The band will do the rounds in California.

FATAL SMILE is opening for LORDI across Europe this month.

Former ONWARD guitarist Toby Knapp is filling in for DARKANE's own Klas Ideberg on the second half of the Swedes’ North American tour in support of SOILWORK.

EPICA has recruited guitarist Isaac Delahaye, formerly of PROJECT SIC and GOD DETHRONED, as replacement for Ad Sluijter. The new man had previously replaced Ad once in 2003 at a single show.

Guitarists Tymon of CYNIC and Michel Nienhuis, bassist Robin Zielhorst also of CYNIC and formerly of BLUE MAN GROUP and drummer Stef Broks of TEXTURES have formed a new band called EXIVIOUS. The band’s sound is described as metal/jazz fusion.

According to vocalist Rich Hornberger LOWBROW has called it a day. The band has apparently fallen victim to members’ different addictions.

DREAMSCAPE has cancelled its planned tour with LANFEAR following its inability to find a singer in time.

America’s HITTMAN has been forced to cancel its planned show at the Keep It True XII festival due to an unexpected family tragedy. The Dutch hard rock band PICTURE has been drafted as a replacement.

DOMAIN has announced March 13th as the release date for its next album, which is called The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow. It is a metal opera based on the novel Die Leiden Des Jungen Werther by the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

KORPIKLAANI has announced Karkelo (‘Party’ in English) as the title for its next album, which is due in the summer through Nuclear Blast Records.

ANACRUSIS’ 1987 demo, Annihilation Complete, is being released by Stormspell Records this month. This will be a CD/DVD set featuring the demo and bonus material from the early days.

After 20 years Dutch metal band MARTYR will return to release its double digipack, Fear The Universe. This package contains the re-mastered version of the band's debut album For The Universe and a new 5-track EP called Fear.

A VANILLA FUDGE DVD called When Two Worlds Collide is out now. The band was formed in 1967, but the footage stems from 2004. A CD version is also out.

JAG PANZER has picked The Scourge Of Light as the title for its next album. The band is playing a couple of European festivals simultaneous to its search for a new label.


Metallian Demos

SATANIC CORPSE - ALLEGIANCE OF DARKNESS
Talk about an ultra-Satanic band. The name Satanic Corpse, the demo title, songs called Comfort In The Darkness, Gloria Satan, She Drinks The Blood On The Battlefield and At The Altar Of Death are just precursors to the extreme noise that is this woman’s music. With corpse paint, a guitar shaped after a machine gun and pentagrams everywhere it is hardly a surprise that the music is noisy cacophony, wails and shrieks of incantation dominate and the guitars sound like a chainsaw on full distortion. Sadly, the piano and keyboards permeate near every song with Belita herself pictured on her favourite instrument. The minimalist music alternates between Classical pieces and extreme ritualistic madness. Nevertheless, this is extreme music and a source of personal amusement given her Las Vegas, Nevada home base. Let us hope she is real without having a few marbles loose like The Great Kat. Contact her through www.demonicarecords.com or email demonicarecords@aol.com. – Ali “The Metallian”

SON OF ERIC – EPIPHANY
If you have read about Impaler (US) or Torok on Metallian then you might have come across the names of a couple of members from Son Of Eric. A mid-range vocal, a rhythmic backdrop a chugging guitar and not much else power the band’s brand of no-frills hard rock. This is solid stuff, but one is glad to hear the guest lead guitar on select tracks, which go a long way in adding a new dimension to the disc. Lead player Todd Duane’s contribution to The Truth, Black Rain Falls and Born showcase a Van Halen-meets-Uli Jon Roth type of guitar doodling whose treble sound balance the band’s delivery. The band is a mix of Van Hagar and Whitesnake, which is fun to hear in the day and age of tuneless rubbish. It is both professional and rock-hard, but a little more of an edge would make a whole lot of difference to this band. Write to sonoferic66@yahoo.com or visit torokmusic.com or knock on the band’s door if you live in Minnesota. – Anna Tergel

AUTOBODY – THE MEAN LENGTH OF DAYLIGHT
The CD from the west of our country arrives courtesy of an American publicist and is something of a surprise. For one, Calgary is not known for producing a lot of rock music. Country garbage maybe, but hard rock? No. Secondly, the fact that bands with this style remain is something of a surprise. It is not that playing older styles is a bad thing, the ‘80s produced the best music we ever had, yet Autobody maintains the sound better associated with the early ‘90s. It is hard to classify it, but there is a little bit of those wacky Floridians called Cynic here, some rapping and funk like Rage Against The Machine and some hard beats. The music, like the vocals, is always changing. Perhaps a special mention should be given to the clear sound. The bass is especially sounding good. Alas, only of the trio has a longer mane, it is not too long, but he is the cutest of the lot. Please visit www.autobodycalgary.com or write to publicist saenz.pr@sbcglobal.net to obtain information. – Sheila Wes Det

WARATTAH – DISTORSION
OK, just to be clear neither the band’s name nor the demo disc’s title is misspelt. With that out of the way the four songs are so accomplished and professional it is a genuine surprise that these Frenchmen are not signed. The band straddles the familiar Meshuggah meets Sepultura line with all the unconventional riffing, thrashing, staccato and wailing that goes with it. This, however, is seriously skilled songwriting. The group is powerful and very tight. The layering and production reek of years of proactive and a good production budget, but on the flip side Skulls In a River Beds (grammatical ha?) is a trendy and veers too far into the core of the mall and suffers through a bout of clean boy band chanting. Too bad because everything is hard-hitting here. Check this band out at http://www.myspace.com/Warattah or write to khrissy@free.fr. - Anna Tergel