SEANCE (death metal’s answer to GUNS ‘N ROSES) has signed a deal with Pulverised Records. The group’s next album, Awakening Of The Gods (death metal’s answer to Chinese Democracy) is now due in January.
SUFFOCATION has signed with Nuclear Blast. Expect Blood Oath in January.
WARGASM DVD Knee Deep In The Middle East Live 2004 Reunion is now available through the band’s website www.wargasm.org.
ZONARIA will release its new album, The Cancer Empire, on October 17th through Century Media Records. It was produced by Fredrik Nordström.
DIABOLICAL
has signed a three-album deal with ViciSolum Productions. The group’s new album, The Gallery Of Bleeding Art, is out next month and follows its predecessor by six years.
GUILLOTINE’s second album, Blood Money, is due in November through Pulverised Records. The cover artwork is illustrated by Ed Repka who has previously worked with HEXEN, MASSACRE and DEATH.
AVULSED has just completed several festival appearances in Europe, namely the Death Feast, Metal Mania and FilthRock. The band has just announced the title for its 2009 album as Nullo (The Pleasure Of Self-Mutilation). The band is still signed with Metal Age Productions.
PUTREVORE’s Morphed From Deadbreath is out now. The band features Dave Rotten (AVULSED) and Rogga (PAGANIZER).
DARKEST HOUR has parted ways with guitarist Kris Norris. The man who toured with the DC crossover fiends, Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan, now has the job full-time.
SIX FEET UNDER has announced Death Rituals as the title for its new album, which is out on November 11th through Metal Blade Records.
THE RED CHORD has kicked guitarist Mike Keller out of the band following growing personal and musical differences.
Finland’s SKEPTICISM will release its fourth full-length album, named Alloy, on October 20th through Red Stream.
LENG TCH’E, KRISIUN and PAROXYSM have banded together for a tour of Canada in late October and November.
Norway’s EINHERJER will reunite for a single appearance at the Ragnarök VI Festival, which is scheduled for April 17-18, 2009 in Germany.
Drummer Chris Dudek (a.k.a. Witchhunter) formerly of SODOM died on September 7th. Witchhunter was the band’s drummer until 1992’s Tapping The Vein album.
Drummer Paul Bostaph (currently with TESTAMENT) appeared on stage with his original band FORBIDDEN on September 12th at Slim’s in San Francisco. Bostaph is still with TESTMAENT and appeared with FORBIDDEN as a one-off reunion.
BLOODBATH’s The Fathomless Mastery is out this month through Peaceville Records. OPETH’s Mikael Åkerfeldt is on vocals.
Black metal band HORNA
will release its seventh album, Sanojesi Äärelle, on September 29th through Debemur Morti Productions.
DARK FUNERAL
will release Attera Orbis Terrarum – Part II, the second DVD recorded during the band’s tour in support of the Attera Totus Sanctus album, this month.
Salem Rose Music Publishing has taken over the management of REVENANCE. The band was formed in 2003 and released an album, called Omen of Tragedy, on Permeated Records in 2006. Salem Rose will be shopping a new demo soon in order to secure a new deal for the band.
Dutch band CIRITH GORGOR has signed with Dutch company Displeased Records. Expect a new full-length in 2009.
Southern Lord Records will issue SUNN 0))) – Dømkirke double-LP next month.
ALL SHALL PERISH recently embarked on a 10-day tour of Russia which included four shows in Siberia. ALL SHALL PERISH claims to have made history by becoming the first American metal band to play shows in Siberia which included the cities of Irkutsch, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, and Omsk.
Canada’s SHADES OF DUSK has signed to Prodisk for the release of the band’s second album entitled Quiescence, which is hitting the stores on November 25th 2008 through Fusion3.
BONE GNAWER, the project of Rogga Johansson of DEMIURG/RIBSPREADER/etc. man and Kam Lee of DENIAL FIEND/MASSACRE, has signed a deal with Pulverised Records. The band is working on a full-length album. Work is ongoing at Erik Rutan’s Mana Studio in St. Petersburg.
Former NIGHTRAGE and current DESCENDING guitarist Constantine has joined the German power metal band MYSTIC PROPHECY
.
DEICIDE has picked up Kevin Quirion from ORDER OF ENNEAD (which features two DEICIDE members) as a touring guitarist.
NECRODEATH has made guitarist Pier Gonella a permanent member. Simultaneously, bassist John has left NECRODEATH for the standard “personal reasons.”
Mighty Music will issue Funeral Phantoms, EXMORTEM’s fifth album, at the end of this month.
THE RED DEATH has thrown in the towel and the members will concentrate on bands like DEVIL HIS DUE.
BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY is the name of the new band of ANGELCORPSE
guitarist Gene Palubicki. The album Devil’s Mayhem is out next month through ANGELCORPSE label Osmose Productions.
ARKAEA, the band of FEAR FACTORY
’s Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera, as well as singer Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL) will release its debut album on March 10th, 2009 through Koch Records.
CHILDREN OF BODOM
’s singer and guitarist Alexi Laiho and bassist Henkka Seppälä of CHILDREN OF BODOM have a clothing line now called Wildchild Industries.
RESURRECTION bassist Scott Patrick has quit the band in order to dedicate himself to ORDER OF ENNEAD. He also claims to be better off not being in RESURRECTION. The band was apparently not informed of his departure. The band’s Mistaken For Dead is out next month through Massacre Records.
Candlelight Records has signed the reunited bay Area thrashers DEFIANCE. The band is due to release a new album in May.
Singer John Tardy and drummer Donald Tardy of OBITUARY have formed a project called THE TARDY BROTHERS. The band is completing a demo called Bloodline.
KONKHRA has signed with Denmark’s Target Distribution for the release of its sixth album, Nothing Is Sacred. The album deals in large part with the recent controversy surrounding the publishing of images of Islam’s prophet Muhammad by Danish newspapers.
DARKSIDE has lost drummer Lukas Siska right before a series of shows. The band is assessing its future.
AT THE GATES is busy putting together a video documentary of the band including its recent tour with THE HAUNTED, DISFEAR and others.
Vancouver’s TERROR SYNDROME, featuring THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, has said goodbye to singer Denton Bramley and replaced him with ANNIHILATOR’s Dave Padden. The new singer will front both bands.
BEHEMOTH will release an EP, called Ezkaton, next month through Metal Blade Records. The EP will feature seven tracks including old, new and live songs.
DIES IRAE, featuring former VADER members, will release a DVD+CD called The Art Of An Endless Creation on October 27th through Metal Mind Productions.
ZERO HOUR has had to cancel its upcoming performance at ProgPower Scandinavia in Denmark. Troy Tiptun has been struggling with Tendonitis for many years and in the last year the pain in his Ulnar nerve and tendons has pushed him to mandatory surgery. Troy has already run up a large amount of medical bills this year.
SISTER SIN, LEAVES’ EYES and MERCENARY are opening for ARCH ENEMY at the latter band’s December Tyranny Tour 2008. ARCH ENEMY’s Tyrants Of The Rising Sun: Live In Japan CD and DVD is due in November.
American band DREAMING DEAD has signed with Ibex Moon Records. The group’s first album will be called Within One and will be released in January.
GOJIRA’s The Way Of All Flesh is out this month through Listenable Records.
Salem Rose Music Publishing has signed AVENGER OF BLOOD. The Las Vegas-based band released Death Brigade earlier this year through Heavy Artillery Records. Since then the group has overhauled its line-up with the addition of bass player/vocalist Chris Rodriguez and guitarist Mike Videtto. The band has entered the studio with Salem Rose’s Marco Barbieri producing and Lance Swain engineering to record Hell Patrol. Marco Barbieri has also launched M-Theory Audio, a new label. The release of PAPSMEAR’s Music To Kill By, a band compilation, is the label’s foray.
MARTYR and former DESPISED ICON drummer Patrice Hamelin will join fellow Canadians QUO VADIS on tour and in studio for new material.
DIMMU BORGIR’s The Invaluable Darkness DVD, a three-disc package of 2 DVDs plus a bonus audio CD is scheduled for North American release on October 14, 2008. On September 10th there was a Question-&-Answer session with the band’s Silenoz launching the set.