Metallian Heavy

GLORIOR BELLI will release its newest full-length album, Meet Us Of The Southern Sign, on June 2nd through Candlelight Records.

France’s INKISITOR has signed to Osmose Productions. The death metal band had previously issued an EP through End All Life.

After a 15-year absence PESTILENCE has returned to release a new studio album, Resurrection Macabre. The album was recorded with producer Jacob Hansen in Denmark. The new incarnation of the band is comprised of original band member Patrick Mameli as well as CYNIC’s Tony Choy and drummer Peter Wildoer. Guitar player Patrick Uterwijk will join the band for shows.

COBALT’s Gin album is out now through Profound Lore Records.

Swedish black metal band MARDUK will tour North America this spring. Dubbed Blackenedfest, the band will pillage through 21 cities, beginning with The Fillmore in New York City on March 21st and closing at Les Foufounes Electriques in Montreal alongside Norwegian black metallers MAYHEM , CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION and WITHERED.

NACHTMYSTIUM was booted From the Scion Rock Fest bill after being deemed as politically fascist and a Nazi band. The band vehemently denies the charge and is threatening legal action.

Season of Mist has signed both ATHEIST and GNOSTIC both of which share members. GNOSTIC’s debut CD Engineering The Rule will be released before the summer while ATHEIST’s as yet untitled CD will be released later in the year.

DEAD EYED SLEEPER has signed with Supreme Chaos Records. The band emerged from the ashes of LEGACY and features some known faces. These include Sam from FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING on vocals, Stephan from AHAB on guitar and Corny also from AHAB on drums. The first result of the collaboration will be the album Through Forests Of Nonentities, which is available in stores in May, 2009.

AHAB has picked The Divinity Of Oceans as the title for its sophomore album, which is due in July through Napalm Records.

Century Media Records has issued an ARCH ENEMY compilation called Manifesto Of Arch Enemy in Europe. The CD features live versions of Blood On Your Hands and Taking Back My Soul.

CRIMSON FALLS’ Fragments Of Awareness is scheduled for release on April 3rd through Genet Records. The Belgian band’s artwork was done by Sven de Caluwé of ABORTED.

DEICIDE has cancelled its Australian and New Zealand tour claiming it is focusing on completing its debut for Century Media Records.

Archaic North Entertainment has released the second full-length album of Canadian black metal band EMPYREAN PLAGUE. It is titled Ancestral Embers Shall Burn.

Denmark’s VICTIMIZER is issuing an EP called Resurrected Abominations.

BEHERIT is back and will release a new album, called Engram, on April 9th through Spinefarm.

HEAVEN SHALL BURN has picked Bildersturm – Iconoclast II (The Visual Resistance) as the title for its DVD. It is out next month through Century Media.

ABORTED guitarist BST (Sébastien Tuvi) and drummer Daniel Wilding have a new death metal band called THE ORDER OF APOLLYON.

DIAMANTHIAN is in Foel Studio in Wales recording its album, Arcana Doctrina, which will be issued through Ossuary Industries.

1349 has announced May 25th as the release date for Revelations Of The Black Flame. It was co-mixed by Tom Gabriel Fischer formerly of CELTIC FROST.

VEMOTH will release its second album, The Upcoming End, next month through Dental Records.

Athera, whose real name is Pal Mathieson, the singer for SUSPERIA was rushed into Akershus Universitetssykehus Hospital in Lørenskog, Norway on March 9th after suffering from stomach pains and heavy bleeding. Immediate tests soon showed that the singer had suffered a heart attack caused by damaged blood vessels. He has successfully undergone open-heart surgery. All band activities have ceased. The band’s already completed album is due in the summer.

Inspired by KEEL? Dutch death metal band ACROSTICHON will co-headline Mario’s Metal Meeting festival on October 4th in Tilburg, Holland alongside the other KEEL devotees, HOLY MOSES.

GORGOROTH’s Infernus has reported that he has won the lawsuit in the dispute regarding the ownership of the name of the band. Other band member, King Ov Hell’s, trademark of the band has been apparently overturned. The Oslo District Court stated that King Ov Hell and Gaahl excluded themselves from the band when they tried to fire Infernus in October, 2007. The losers, King and Gaahl, have launched GOD SEED.

Members of ENTHRONED and EMPTINESS have opened a professional recording studio in Brussels, the capital of Belgium called Blackout Multimedia.

California’s RUSTY EYE is putting the finishing touches to its new album Possessor. Recorded at Temple Studio in Chatsworth, CA, the album will feature 13 songs, which are mixed by Jeremy Blair (GUNS N’ ROSES and FEAR FACTORY) and
produced by Miss Randall, the band’s drummer and vocalist.

Inspired by KEEL? Singer/guitarist Luc Lemay has brought GORGUTS back. 2009 is the band’s twentieth anniversary. GORGUTS has enough material for a new album. ORIGIN and DIM MAK drummer John Longstreth is part of the new line-up.

GOLLUM, which recently signed with Rotten Records, will release its long anticipated The Core full-length on April 14th. The record is dedicated to late drummer Hunter Holland, who died suddenly of heart failure just a short time after he completed the drum tracks for the new record.

ARSIS has dropped off two tours in a row, namely one with THE FACELESS and one with CARCASS. Apparently, guitarist Jim Malone has been losing 100 pounds in a matter of months hence leading to his illness. Original drummer and founding member Michael VanDyne – who played on the band’s debut album, A Celebration Of Guilt, 2005’s A Diamond For Disease EP and 2006’s United In Regret – has returned to the band’s line-up. The old new man will not be touring the band on longer hauls because of his full-time career.

Jarmo Juurikka has decided to leave the stool position in GLORIA MORTI. The band is still working on an album called Eryx.

NEAERA will release its fourth album, Omnicide – Creation Unleashed on May 25th through Metal Blade Records. The album was recorded at the Rape Of Harmonies studio with producer Alexander Dietz.

Apparently Earache Records is still around. BLOOD RED THRONE has finished recording its next album, Souls Of Damnation, to be released on June 1st through the English label Earache Records.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of ANTHRAX’s Fistful Of Metal, Megaforce Records is releasing 2,000 vinyl copies of the album on May 12th in a 3-record set.

VOMITORY’s Carnage Euphoria album will be out on May 11th through Metal Blade Records. The first edition comes with a 90-minute DVD.

CANDLEMASS will headline 2010’s Keep It True XIII festival by performing a special 25th anniversary two-hour show comprised of the entire Epicus Doomicus Metallicus album with original singer Johan Langquist on vocals and another set featuring current singer Robert Lowe.

One-time BANE OF EXISTENCE guitarist Jim Ash has a new band called PROSTRATION.

SARKE, featuring Sarke (KHOLD, TULUS and OLD MAN’S CHILD) and Nocturno Culto of DARKTHRONE will release its debut album, Vorunah, on April 6th through Indie Recordings.

HELLFUELED has picked Emission Of Sins as the title for its next album, which is due in the autumn. The album was recorded at Leon Music studio with producer Rikard Löfgren.

DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER has parted ways with guitarist Lady Cat-Man who has been replaced with a Ady.

Guitarist Dallas Coyle has reportedly left GOD FORBID. The band has confirmed the departure and cited personal disagreements and a dislike for touring for the dparture. The Americans are touring as a four-piece. Kris Norris (ex-DARKEST HOUR) will join the group for the LAMB OF GOD and CHILDREN OF BODOM tour.

ZAO has announced the release of a new full-length called Awake? Produced at Lambesis Studios by ZAO’s own guitarist Scott Mellinger (with AS I LAY DYING vocalist Tim Lambesis and Daniel Castleman), Awake? is slated for release May 5th on Ferret Music.

TANKARD is releasing its latest album, Thirst, this month. The new album was produced again by Andy Classen at his Stage One Studio. A video clip for Stay Thirsty will appear on the limited edition of the record.

Sentinel Records has issued two new albums. MORPHOSIS’ Rise Of The Bastard Deities and SOL AXIS’ …To Mark All Ages compilation are out now.

California death metallers FATALIST is in the studio recording The Depths Of Inhumanity, its debut album for Ibex Moon Records.


Metallian Hard

BAI BANG's sixth album, Are You Ready, will be released on April 24th through Metal Heaven.

HAMMERFALL’s latest album, No Sacrifice, No Victory, is now out through Nuclear Blast.

GREAT WHITE’s newest album is called Rising. The band is touring the USA through the summer.

Trendy future mega superstars SONIC SYNDICATE have lost their singer Roland who was in charge of the clean vocals "due to personal reasons beyond our control."

FREEDOM CALL are working on a new album tentatively entitled Legend Of The Shadowking. FREEDOM CALL and bassist Armin Donderer have parted ways and the band has recruited a new man called Samy Saemann.

HONEYMOON SUITE has been confirmed for Firefest VI, which is taking place October 23 and 24th in Nottingham, England. Other bands are FM, DRIVE SHE SAID and TREAT among others.

MAGICA is back with a new album called Wolves & Witches, which is out through AFM.

Inspired by KEEL? The original lineup of ANACRUSIS — Kenn Nardi, Kevin Heidbreder, John Emery and Mike Owen — will reunite for an appearance at the Keep It True XIII festival, planned for April 23-24, 2010 in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany.

ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW has picked Children Of The Dark Waters as the title for its sixth album, which is due in May through Suomen Musiikki.

RAVEN will release its new album, Walk Through Fire, this month through Japan’s King Records.

ICED EARTH will release a full-length DVD entitled Festivals Of The Wicked in the autumn.

Former ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes, who has been in the USA for the last 25 years, has recruited friend Tim Laidlaw to form a new Christian band called 4 INCH NAILS. Baltes is also involved with Dan Spitz of ANTHRAX in another Godly band.

FIREBIRD, featuring former CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH man Bill Steer, has a new album called Grand Union through Rise Above Records. The band scheduled an album release party April 7 at Crobar in London, England.

PRIMAL FEAR will release its second post-Nuclear Blast album, 16.6, on May 22nd through Frontiers Records.

LOUDNESS will release a new studio album called Return To Forever – Aun with its new drummer on May 27th through Tokuma Japan Communications.

Has their sound also changed completely? The Dutch metal band EDGE OF ANGER will continue on as EDGE OF SERENITY. The band did not want to be confused with its namesakes. With two new band members (Jaco Dekker and Noud Smeets ) the band is about to issue its debut album this spring through Romulus X Records.

The proposed EVERGREY and NOVEMBRE tour of the Europe for April has been cancelled.

Metal Blade has signed Boston’s RAVAGE. The Metal Blade debut, The End of Tomorrow, will arrive in late summer of 2009 and features cover art by Ed Repka (MEGADETH, DEATH, AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE, etc.).

IRON MAIDEN’s documentary film IRON MAIDEN: Flight 666 is out in select cinemas on April 21st. In 2008 Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, the same guys who produced Metal: A Headbangers Journey, traveled with IRON MAIDEN to document the band's 2008 Somewhere Back In Time World Tour. IRON MAIDEN: Flight 666 is a full-length documentary film, about the first leg of the band's tour in February and March of 2008.

IRON MAIDEN’s Bogota, Colombia concert on Marc 7th degenerated into a near-riot with non-ticket holders on the one hand and attendees who attempted to approach the more expensive VIP section causing a raucous.

UFO will release its latest studio album, The Visitor, in June through SPV/Steamhammer. As reported here last month, the band has lost the services of long-time bassist Pete Way who is suffering from liver disease among other things.

FLASHBACK OF ANGER has signed to famous Limb Music. The debut album, Splinters Of Life, was recorded at the High Gain Recording Studio with Dirk Schlächter (GAMMA RAY). It will be out on April 9th.

HELIX is rehearsing for a new 2009 album due through AOR Heaven. The band is singer Brian Vollmer, guitarists Brent Doerner and Jim Lawson, bassist Sean Kelly and drummer Rob MacEachern.

Distinguished stupid! AMBOY DUKES, including proud animal killer TED NUGENT, will reunite with his former band mates in AMBOY DUKES for the first time in more than 30 years on April 17th and 18th for the annual Detroit Music Awards where the band is being presented the distinguished achievement award.

To commemorate ARMORED SAINT’s first tour of Australia Metal Blade is issuing a sampler of the band called 2009 Australian Tour Compilation.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY members singer Karl Agell and drummer Reed Mullin are back playing the entire 1991 album Blind with help from three other musicians. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – BLIND is currently touring. Bassist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin of COC have a new band called RIGHTEOUS FOOL.

EDENBRIDGE will release a live album on April 27th called LiveEarthDream. It was recorded in 2008 and will be available independently through the Edenbridge Fan Club.

CINDERELLA’s Authorized Bootleg: Live At The Tokyo Dome - Tokyo, Japan Dec. 31 1990 CD is out this month through Island.

DREAM THEATER has announced Black Clouds & Silver Linings as the title for its tenth studio album, which is due on June 23rd through its newest label Roadrunner. The band is shooting a video for the song A Rite Of Passage.

JUDAS PRIEST and WHITESNAKE are touring US and Canada together this summer. To celebrate the album’s thirtieth anniversary JUDAS PRIEST will perform the entire British Steel album.

EDGUY’s Fucking With F*** - Live DVD and a separate 2-CD set is due May 2nd through Nuclear Blast. The recordings stem from Brazil and 2006.

Sammy Hagar, JOE SATRIANI, former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith have a new band called CHICKENFOOT. The band’s self-titled album is due in May.

AJATTARA, featuring former AMORPHIS singer Pasi Koskinen (a.k.a. Ruoja), will release its newest album entitled Noitumaa this month through Ranka Recordings. The album was recorded at D-Studio in Finland.

After a ten-year absence Shadow Kingdom Records will release an IRON MAN album, entitled I Have Returned, this month.

AUTUMN HOUR is the band of singer Alan Tecchio (HADES, NON-FICTION) and WATCHTOWER, NON-FICTION guitarist Justin Jurman, bassist Clint Arent and HADES drummer Dave Lescinsky. The band’s Dethroned album is out on May 5th through Rock Ridge Music. The album is a concept about technology.

Inspired by KEEL? ‘80s Swedish heavy metal band TORCH has reunited and signed with Heart Of Steel Records. The band’s Dark Sinner album is out this month and feature rerecorded music and a couple of unreleased tracks, The Dark Sinner and We Will Fight.

SACRED OATH will release a self-titled album next month. The band has just signed an exclusive European distribution and publishing deal with CMM Marketing in Hannover Germany. The album will be released on May 22nd through H’Art Musik/SAOL.

Acetate Records will release RHINO BUCKET's The Hardest Town album on May 5th.

BRAND NEW SIN has seen the departure of singer Joe Sweet after only one year of service. The man wants to concentrate on is creative vocation as the organizer of Utica Music And Arts Fest. Guitarist Kenny Dunham has also decided that it is an opportune time to leave. Guitarist Kris Wiechmann has picked up the vocalist spot as a consequence.

Germany’s MOB RULES has picked Radical Peace as the title for its new album, which is due in October.

SLOUGH FEG will release a new album, Ape Uprising, this May. Release dates are the 8th of May in Germany and Europe, 11th of May in the UK and June 2 in USA and Canada through Cruz Del Sur Music.

STOLEN POLICECAR is a new Swedish band featuring former THE CROWN bassist Magnus Olsfelt. The band will release its debut album, Oh No!! It's A...Stolen Policecar, on March 27th through Ziekte-NL.

Singer Scott Jeffreys has left CONFESSOR following the band’s lack of progress and in order to focus on his career.

FORGOTTEN SUNS has signed a deal with American record label ProgRock Records for the release of its third studio album Innergy. The album will be available in Europe through SPV distribution and Ryko/Warner in the USA.

THE BLACK LEAGUE, featuring former SENTENCED singer Taneli Jarva, will issue a fifth album, Ghost Brothel on April 15th through a label called Brainbomber Records.

Metal Mind Productions is re-releasing GREEN CARNATION’s first ever DVD, Alive And Well… In Kraków, featuring the band’s show in Kraków in January, 2004.

PARADISE LOST has recruited Adrian Erlandsson (CRADLE OF FILTH, BRUJERIA, AT THE GATES, etc.) as its new drummer.

RATT has signed a deal with Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records with an album expected in September.

Drummer Jerry Mercer who was ousted from APRIL WINE in November of last year was left out of the band’s recent induction into Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.

Guitarist Aydan of ELVENKING has been forced to miss the band's shows in March after breaking his shoulder in a skiing accident. The band would not wait for him. It has recruited a new man called Leonardo for the shows.

Universal Music Publishing Group has signed a contract with the estate of JIMI HENDRIX to become the exclusive administrator of the guitarist’s catalogue for five years outside the United States.

HEAVEN AND HELL has signed with Roadrunner Records for territories outside North America. The band’s album is called The Devil You Know. The band is touring South America before hitting Europe in the summer.

TIM ‘RIPPER’ OWENS solo touring band now features former MEGADETH bassist Dave Ellefson, SAVATAGE guitarist Chris Caffery and BEYOND FEAR’s John Comprix and drummer Simon Wright of AC/DC and DIO fame. The man’s album is called Play My Game.

RHINO BUCKET’s The Hardest Town is out now through Acetate Records. The album features AC/DC and DIO drummer Simon Wright.

Versailles Records has teamed up former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland and PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION keyboardist Matt Dr. Fink on Crackerman as part of the label's Wicked Garden: A Millennium Tribute to STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, which is due in the summer.


Metallian Demos

BRAVE – MONUMENTS
The cover of this full-length demo CD gives a glimpse of the band’s gothic vibe. The band revolves around the vibrating voice of lead singer Michelle Loose. She is the force behind Brave, a band which insists on covering most of the musical spectrum be it goth, metal, rock, pop or folk. With Loose showing real emotion and range the rest of the band – comprised also of Michelle’s brother on guitar - surrounds her with a cornucopia of styles ranging with guitar-oriented hard riffing to lounging vibes that could be played at a mellow restaurant or public outing. The lyrics consistently remind one of a daydream. It is as if Michelle is singing about her dreams and visions. They sound surreal. It is obvious that Brave is attempting to avoid being pigeonholed, although on the downside the music here is difficult to recommend to one group or another. The band’s presence in Metallian is certainly a stretch. Please visit www.bravemusic.com for information or write to michelle@bravemusic.com. – Anna Tergel

NAME IN VAIN – Same
Name In Vain’s self-titled debut was sent my way because the band describes its sound as mixing “powerful hard rock riffs with brutal vocal power.” Sounds good and, to some extent, it is all true as well. The vocals of Matt Pelosi are ferocious and angry. The band stumps right behind him too. It has little in common with traditional hard rock or heavy metal however. While influences like Led Zeppelin and Metallica are named, Name In Vain (which also calls itself NIV) is sometimes hardcore, sometimes grungy and only occasionally hard rock. Imagine a band that takes its cues from Danzig, Madball and day-to-day anger. On a personal note, guitarist Bobby Klang is hot. He’s got the long hair, the looks and the chops. Check him out at www.nameinvainmusic.com or email the band at mail@nameinvainmusic.com. - Sheila Wes Det