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Metallian Heavy Morbid Angel has announced its new album as Gateways to Annihilation. Recorded at Morrisound in Florida, USA some titles are To the Victor the Spoils, Still I Am and Ageless. Expect the album, featuring a Dan Seagrave cover, towards the end of September via Earache...Canada's Utopian Vision Music has announced the following up coming releases: a Mike Wead (Mercyful Fate, etc) solo album entitled Catharsis, Sonic Obliteration vol. 3 compilation and a release by gothic band More.ca...Devourment has written six songs and will enter the studio this September to record a new album...Sweden's Centinex is at the Black Lounge Studios recording an album called Hellbrigade. The album should be out this September on Repulse...Behemoth is in studio recording an album called Thelema.6.Inc. Some titles are Christians to the Lions and No Surrender, No Remorse...Replacing guitarist/ singer Tony Kocmut in Sins of Omission is ex - Mortifier Mattias Eklund...In Impaled news, the band is releasing a split 7' with Engorged and has two tours coming up. The band has a fall US trek which will be preceded by a string of European dates with Macabre, Incantation, Nile and Houwitser...Over in Brazil Evil Horde Records has announced the cancellation of the Goat Penis Trotz Verbot - Nicht Tot CD due to the break up of the band and a very bad sound on the tapes (originally recorded at a rehearsal!)...Prophecy is set to enter Triple Sick Studio in August to record a new album for Corpse Gristle Records. The album is entitled Our Domain...And Death Shall Befall Them is the title of the new Sanity's Void CD due out at the end of the year. The San Diego, USA band is speaking with several interested labels...Norway's Lengsel has signed to Black Sun. The band's debut Solace is described as technical progressive death...Pik has left Mighty Music...Pessimist has announced the following new members: drummer Dave Breazeal of Trokkar and formerly of Cauldron (which at one time featured Matt Barlow of Iced Earth), as well as bassist/ vocalist Ralph Runyan of Corrupture...The new Immolation album Closer to a World Below is done. The band expects to hit the road with Morbid Angel this September...Italian black metallers Mortuary Drape have signed to Avantgarde and are entering the studio in France. Some song titles for the coming album are Vertical and Dreadful Discovery...Here is Deadsun Records' release schedule: Umbakrail's In Unity Paienne and Kemet's new CD in October; Mental Aberration's next CD in December and Godless Truth's third CD and 7th Child's CD in 2001...Michael Smirnoff of Russia's Mental Home has actually been hospitalized in a 'mental home'...Thrash combo Carnal Forge is now on Century Media...Here is some news from Necropolis: In Aeternum's new album The Pestilent Plague and Rotten Sound's Still Psycho MCD which will contain live and video footage and are due August 15. Sadistic Intent's The Second Coming of Darkness has been pushed back again to some time in October. Also out in August are albums by Swedish band Maze of Torment called Death Strikes and Swedish thrashers Serpent Obscene. September 12 will see the release of Usurper's Necronemesis featuring guest vocals by Proscriptor of Absu and King Diamond and the release of Let the Violence Begin by Dreams of Damnation. Dod is the band of former Dark Angel guitarist Jim Durkin. The band is supposedly reminiscent of Dark Angel. Not forgetting black metal, there is a fall release for the album of Finland's Black Dawn...Cryptopsy has entered the studio to record And Then You'll Beg due out on 31.08...The Great Kat has released a new MCD entitled Rossini's Rape. Featuring a 1 minute 53 second version of Rossini's William Tell Overture, the MCD features both a live orchestra and MIDI instruments...Kreuzweg Ost is a new project by Martin Schirenc of Hollenthon/ Pungent Stench and Silenius of Summoning on Napalm Records...The next Malevolent Creation is called EnVenomed and is due this December...Sweden's Black Sun reports that contrary to rumours Ebony Tears is still together and will release a new album this fall...Belgium's In-Quest has replaced guitarist Wim Roelants with Douglas Verhoeven. Wim is regrouping his old band Reno Kyela...Next up on USA's Razorback Records are a full length CD from Australia's Intense Hammer Rage described as offensive gore/ grind and a tribute to Impetigo CD called Wizards of Gore featuring bands like CSSO, Blood and Impaled...Phoenix Rising is the title of the next Destroyer 666 album...Jimmy Preziosa (Whiplash/ Ogre) has banded together with Whiplash's Tony Scaglione and Channel Zero's Peter Iterbeke under the Mantra moniker...Denmark's Mighty Music has announced the following releases: A roster sampler called We'll Still be Metal and an album by the band Raunchy in September. October will see the release of the new album by death metallers Anasarca and a new one by Jerkstore. Finally expect albums by Enter My Silence and Parkinson in November...Lux Occulta has signed to Portugal's Maquiavel Records...Blood Duster's next album due out in September is entitled Cunt and is a return to the early grindcore style of the Aussies...Phil Fasciana's Arctic Music will release his new Hate Plow album The Only Law is Survival through Pavement Music on August 15. Some tracks are Shattered by Disease and Payback...In some older news Pavement Music has been cleaning house; Among others Internal Bleeding, Fleshgrind and Jungle Rot are dropped...Firebird is a new blues-oriented signing to Rise Above which features Leo Smee of Cathedral, Ludwig Wiu of Spiritual Beggars and Bill Steer formerly of Carcass. The band will open for Spiritual Beggars following the release of their debut in late July...Skullview's new album will be out in August...US black metallers Averse Sefira has signed to Lost Disciple Records...The Haunted has announced details of their new album, the follow up to their 1998 eponymous release. Entitled The Haunted Made Me Do It, expect the album in October featuring tracks like Bury Your Dead, Dark Intentions (opener), Leech and a bonus track for Japan called Eclipse...Following the current tour with Destruction, Dying Fetus will put the finishing touches to new album Destroy the Opposition...Decapitated has snatched up the opening slot on Lock Up's UK tour...Ad Noctum has changed its name to Secratain and is releasing a MCD...Death metallers Gurkkhas (formerly D.A.B) out of France have released a new album on Massacre Records entitled Engraved in Blood, Flesh and Souls...Painkiller Records has released Japan's Funeral Rites album called Necroeater....Russia's More Hate Production has the following three releases planned: Rossomahar's Imperium Tenebrarum album (symphonic), Tales of Darknord's Dismissed (death metal) and a Gerwelt/ Nargathrond split CD...In a surprise move crossover band Hirax has reformed with its original line up of Katon W DePena, Gary Monardo, Scott Owen and John Tabares. The band will be recording an album this September...Medireview - themed band Morgenstern has signed to Napalm Records. Their debut is called Feuertaufe...Austria's Darkside has announced the recording of album #4 entitled Cognitive Dissonance. The recording sessions, which were interrupted by the departure of the band's drummer and return of original sticks man Roach (Robert Grogler), will yield ten tracks with titles like Pontifex 666, Fifth and the title track. The band has also recorded a cover of Madonna's Frozen. Additionally members and back up singers of such bands as Moonspell and Therion are participating in a 65 minute recording for the band's side project called Noohoorsh...Union's John Corabi is going on tour with Ratt as their guitarist, following the departure of Keri Kelli to Slash's Snakepit...Formed in 1996, Xteria is a progressive Italian band who has released a debut called Outshine...Darkseed has left Nuclear Blast citing a lack of promotion as the cause. The band is planning a sampler of rare tracks for October.
Here is some news from Germany's Brainstorm: following the release of their new album Ambiguity, the band is planning on touring Europe this September with Armored Saint and Jacob's Dream. As well guitarist Torsten Ihlenfeld is working on a solo CD and the band is additionally rereleasing their older CDs...Germany's Reactor is planning a promotional tour with 2 new songs in tow. The band's new line up will also appear at the Truemetal Battle Tour in December with COE and Morbid Jester a.o...Jizzy Pearl of Love/ Hate is the new front man for Ratt following the decision of Robert Mason to stay with his band Shoulders of Giants...Nevermore is currently recording their next album at Texas' village Recorders. The album is entitled Dead Heart in a Dead World...During a recent show in Mannheim in central Germany,Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers fell from the stage during the encore track Number of the Beast and injured himself. Although the show went on, the band canceled the show in Essen the next day, as well as planned concerts in Greece and Bulgaria...Armed with a self-titled debut, Dark Avenger is a rising Brazilian band with exceptional guitar work...Germany's Subway has released its fifth album Don't Look Back in Europe and Asia through Ebola Records and has also hooked up with Polystar for North America for a summer 2000 release...Some new Hammerfall titles are A Legend Reborn, Always Will Be and Keep the Flame Burning which will appear on the forthcoming album entitled Renegade. Expected on October 9, the album will be preceded by the single Templars of Steel... Century Media has signed And Ocean...Carmine Appice (ex - Ozzy/ King Kobra, etc) has joined the reformed Thin Lizzy...Following the release of the Mogg/ Way album last year, Phil Mogg and guitarist/ producer Jeff Kollman have gotten together again finishing a bluesy Mogg solo album. Simultaneously Kollman is playing in an unsigned band called Truth and writing on the new Cosmosquad CD...French metal band Opium has just released a 4 track MCD called Enemy Inside...Joe Comeau has left Overkill to become the singer for Annihilator and is already working on a new album...Randy Foxe has left Manilla Road. The band is already booked for Wacken 2001...Italy's Scarlet Records has announced the release of the second album from Arachnes for the end of the year...Megadeth's next album is called Capitol Punishment...Scunthrpe, England NWOBHM band Gaskin is back together with a new album called Stand or Fall...Gurd is back on the scene. The band featuring long time underground musician V.O on guitars and vocals will release an album called Bedlam in August...Mike Hall and Jerry Finn of Killer Dwarfs are writing with Helix for a new album. As well Helix, Headpins and Lee Aaron are touring Canada...Rage guitarist Victor Smolski has a solo album called The Heretic...America's Diesel Machine has signed to SPV in Europe. Torture Test will be out later this summer...Adding extensive liner notes, Song Haus Music is re-releasing the Kick Axe albums this summer...Marc Vinckier The bassist for Belgian heavy metal band Double Diamond suffered a heart attack during rehearsals in May. The band is taking time off...Thin Lizzy is forced to postpone its European tour due to hand injuries suffered by Scott Gorham...Long lost Megaforce metallers TT Quick are back together and releasing an album called Ink...Sweden's Record Heaven has released the new album of Swedish hard rockers Lotus entitled Quartet Conspiracy. Produced by Brian Robertson (ex -Motorhead), who also plays guitar on the album, the record also sees an appearance from John Norum...The next Kamelot album is a live record called The Live Legacy...Former Impellitteri/ Axel Rudi Pell vocalist Rob Rock has released a debut solo album in Japan called Rage of Creation. The album is produced and co-written by Roy Z who used to be a fellow member in Driver and has recently worked with Rob Halford. Also on the album are drummer Reynold Carlson (Driver, Jag Panzer, Joey Tafolla), bassist Ray Burke (Life After Death and Forever) as well as Jake E Lee...In related news Rock has just finished laying down the vocals for a Warrior come back album due out this fall...State of Triumph is the title for the second Metalium album...The new UFO album is a double disc affair called Covenant with one disc being 1995 live recordings...USA's Spastic Ink has announced an American release for the out-of-print Ink Complete album which previously was released only in Europe. The reissue is on the band's own Eclecticelectric label. The band is working on a new album called Ink Compatible featuring Steve DiGiorgio, Sean Malone and many more...Terra Nova has split up...Mid - 90' s hard rockers Tuff are now Tuff 2000 and feature all new musicians...Heavy rock band Ricochet known for their 1980 single Midas Light is back together in the original line up...Warner Brothers has reserved the 'metal-god.com' domain name in advance of the up-coming, and officially untitled, Mark Wahlberg movie loosely recounting the story of Ripper Owens and Judas Priest. Editor Mike Exley has decided that the current issue of Fire Fight (No.7- $4 to 31 William Close, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 4UP UK ) is his final one! He will still contribute to other zines and might take his publication onto the internet, so is requesting everybody to stay in touch with him. In the mean while the new issue of the commercially-oriented fanzine features, among others, Celtic Frost, Misery Loves Co., Queensryche and Transport League...Here comes yet another Metalcore (No.28 - $1 to PO Box 622, Marlton, NJ 08053 USA). Chris Forbes has discovered even more females to interview (alas this issue's has nothing interesting to say) and still refuses after all these years to spell 'you're' correctly, but his perseverance and honesty when reviewing music continue to provide a tangible service to the metal scene. This issue features Bloodstorm (a conflict of interest), Vio-lence as well as New Rock Magazine and Shortwave Warfare fanzine...I suppose it's natural for the diction and writing to take a nose dive once you have to deal with so many writers. That, though, is the price for rapid growth, not to mention above average writing to begin with. Mention is of Canada's BW&BK (No.42 - $6 to 368 Yonge St., Toronto M5B 1S5) which has climbed the international ranks to become one of the best metal magazines currently. This issue: In Flames, Borknagar, Jag Panzer, etc. as well as tons of information and reviews...Blasting the airwaves is Lethal Mayhem (303 Adelaide St West, 2nd floor, Toronto M5V 1P7) on CIUT radio 89.5. Now also on virtuecast.com, the show brings you the underground every Saturday night at 23:00...Randy and his Inner Source zine are back. Expect a new issue after two years absence before the fall. Write to: 1899 St. Sink Hollow Road, Dixon, IL. 61021 USA. Select Top 5 Releases Ali "The Metallian" - Editor 1 - Bloodstorm - Pestilence from the Dragonstar - Soul Sold 2 - Running Wild - Victory - Pavement 3 - Coffin Texts - Gods of Creation... - Dwell 4 - Thy Serpent - Death - Spinefarm 5 - Immemoreal - Towards 1347 - independent Jill Girardi - Manager for Razorback Records 1 - Intense Hammer Rage - 'Devo...' - SKW 2 - Impaled - The Dead Shall Dead Remain - DeathVomit 3 - Deranged - III - Listenable 4 - Michael Kiske - Instant Clarity - Victor 5 - Helloween - 'Everything' - Noise Rick Fortune - Toronto Fan/ Lethal Mayhem Radio show 1 - Lividity - Age of Clitoral Decay - independent 2 - Malignancy - Uterine Cannibalism - independent 3 - Orth - Feed the Flames - Morbid 4 - Coffin Texts - Gods of Creation, Death... - Dwell 5 - Deranged - III - Listenable Metallian Demos Despite the band name, and a fantasy - based cover akin to Diamond Head's Borrowed Time, this Belgian band has little in common musically with the Britons. Despite tracks like Anubis and Another Sleepless Night the quintet is not very King Diamondish either. Instead these metallers concentrate on pure HM; not far removed from many NWOBHM outfits like Satan or Blind Fury. It's classic stuff, and hence a surprise that despite the years behind the band and their opening a string of shows for Hammer Fall the band has gained so little recognition. Not that all is positive here. The band begins with its most uneven track, Operation Desert Storm, where Lemmens' voice is high in the mix and a little uneven to start. Then there's the cheesy 'let's have a beer' spoken part by the female in Crime of Passion. However, having pointed these out, DD is a true metal band with lots to offer - specially in the guitar department - nice riffs, nicer solos. The band just suffered a set back with the heart attack of their bassist but this CD is still available for $14US from PO Box 91, B - 2100 Deurne 1 Belgium. SUICIDE CULTURE - HALLOWED BE THY AGONY Seattle's Suicide Culture didn't fare too well with me when they sent in their debut CD for review. MCD #2, featuring new bassist Greg Hartung, is an improvement with a little more to chew on than the band's ill-fated debut. The band offers four originals and a Celtic Frost cover. It's all properly competent. What the band still lack though is any added excitement. As a self-professed doom/ thrash outfit, SC simply have to insert more time changes, more solos and more punch to their music. You've got the basics down, why not go over the top now? This one is cheap ($7 incl. postage): PO Box 70566, Seattle, WA 98107 USA. PRIMAL DAWN - same Formerly using the Evolutions End moniker, this Irish outfit has now shifted gears from thrash to death metal and released a four track CD. It is nice to hear this, as there really hasn't been news from Ireland since Morphosis' demise. PD need to beef up their sound and bring the drumming's expertise to a higher level. However the quartet have a good knack for ideas all the same and in their lead guitarist seem to have a man who dares to be adventurous. This is a nice launching pad, but there is lots of work to be done. IR£5 to 7 Glenville Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 Ireland. PYOPOESY - TYRANNUS I don't even know how to pronounce Pyopoesy, let alone what it means! The third demo of this Central European band has quite a few characteristics that would set it apart from the standard death metal fare. The band is obviously making an effort to create different tones and rhythms and operates at different tempos all the while. It pays off too as there is a lot to listen to on this tape. However it detracts from the pure and certain death metal that many crave. There is way too much melody here for that. Still as the lead growler and songs like Hatred and 6000 Bloody Crosses demonstrate this isn't for everyone either. Support the underground by sending $5 to Ceresnova 27, 97400 Banska Bystrica Slovakia. IMMEMOREAL - TOWARDS 1347 Now signed to Blackend over in England, Immemoreal is a great example of what I call No Fashion metal. Not surprisingly featuring current or former members of Ablaze My Sorrow, Prophanity (also on Blackend), Deification, etc, the five Swedes present a raging metal capable of competing internationally in terms of riffing, structure and dynamics. The latter especially being key with this bunch as they make sure the music never falls into a slump. However it is probably the screaming vocals of Goatnecro which does the band most favour with its fiery delivery. This demo is only $6 for a limited time from PL 5280, 44193 Alingsas Sweden. Watch for the band on the Sweden vs Finland compilation CD. LONG DREAM DEAD/ FUCK THE FACTS split tape It is probably stuff like this that separates the men from the boys! One side features an industrial noise band from Japan which mainly keeps things to the core by experimenting with ambient noise and loops. Ottawa's FtF, on the other hand grind their noise up a notch and vary the tempo a little more than those Suzuki engineers on Side A. I have it from an inside source that should the abuse continue, the international union of drum machines is calling for a strike mandate! Send $5 to 50 Rue Rene Levesque, Gatineau J8P 6Z5 and order gift delivery for a loved one. ART GORDON - same This three track MCD recently fell unexpectedly into my mail box and I must agree that there is some appeal to this despite its not being strictly a heavy metal offering. Art is apparently an independent, American singer/ guitarist/ song writer who has released a mixed demo here. As most independent artists the music featured is quite varied, as opener Sandy - a song about Art's wife, and one which probably reveals more about her than most people would about theirs - sounds quite melancholic, with vocals akin to Sisters of Mercy or even Bauhaus. Dark visions is a sombre number which again tries to establish a mood. Then there is Rockit Baby, with weaker vocals, but the more up beat and sleazy atmosphere. While the latter song will appeal the most to hard rockers, it probably is the opener which best typifies Art talent. I look forward to hearing more from this talented musician, albeit with a real drummer next time.Write to Art at 27 Cooper Ave, West long Branch, NJ 07764 USA. | |||||
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