Norwegian black metallers WINDIR have announced plans to perform on final concert as a tribute to late frontman Terje "Valfar" Bakken, who tragically passed away in January. The concert, dubbed "Heidra Valfar", will take place on Friday, September 3 at the Rockefeller Arena in Oslo, Norway.

"The 3rd of September would have been Valfar's 26th birthday, and we would like to honour his memory by doing one last show," the band said in a statement. "Sture will be doing most of the WINDIR vocals. We are also glad to announce that 3 bands will be joining us this night. ENSLAVED, FINNTROLL and MINDGRINDER will be doing shows in honour of Valfar. The 3rd of September will also be the release date of the last WINDIR album, out on Tabu Recordings."

Tickets for the "Heidra Valfar" concert can be purchased at www.billettservice.no beginning on Saturday, March 27.

As previously reported, WINDIR's forthcoming CD will be a two-disc set. The first CD will include new material, unreleased material, tribute songs from other bands and live tracks, while the second CD will be a compilation of the music made by Valfar. It will include tracks from the first demo, "Sognariket", to the last album, "Likferd". All proceeds from this CD will go directly to Valfar's family.

Sweden's Symphonic Metal experts THERION are busy planning their next world tour. So far, only some dates at European summer festivals and in South America are confirmed yet, but the band will definitely figure out more possibilities to play live, especially in Europe and the USA/Canada.

THERION also have announced a talented new drummer, Petter (MASTER MASSIVE), who'll join the band on touring.

The band's new masterpiece, the double album "Sirius B / Lemuria", will be released on May 24th.

Band profile:

Therion

With "Hellfire Club", EDGUY already now have their most successful album ready to go! The single "King Of Fools" has been staying in the German single charts for already six weeks and got presented two times in the McDonalds Chart show on Pro7. On Monday, March 15th, EDGUY's new album "Hellfire Club" got in stores and hit the german charts on #26. Also the album reaches the following positions.

Here they are:

#22 Finland
#6 Sweden
#69 Austria
#81 Switzerland
#54 France
#35 Hungary

Band profile:

Edguy

The Bay Area thrashers Heathen are back with a new album that includes covers of Queen, Thin Lizzy and others, songs from Opiate of the masses demo, and a new song called "In Memory of..." that is dedicated to a former band member and his girlfriend as well as David White's brother.

The release is scheduled for march 31, 2004. The album will be called "RECOVERED", the track list is as follow:

01. Death On Two Legs
02. Holy War
03. In Memory Of...
04. Hellbound
05. Eye Of The Storm
06. Hypnotized
07. Opiate Of The Masses
08. Timeless Cell
09. Mercy Is No Virtue

Also the band is working in new material for what will be their next album in the near future. A DVD is ready to go out, that includes a new video, pictures, interviews and more.

For more info go to www.heatheninc.com

Band profile:

Heathen

MESHUGGAH have posted the following message at their official website (www.meshuggah.net):

"As most of you know, we've parted with bassist Gustaf Hielm. There's no hard feelings and we wish him the best of luck for the future! A million thanks Gustaf! You rule!

Last year we tried out a few bass players and as you might understand - this style of playing is not something a lot of musicians are familiar with. We got lucky though and found our "new bassman" in Dick Lövgren. We haven't been able to thoroughly rehearse all songs yet (due to recording), but we're very confident it will work out great!

So, dear fans and followers of fucked up sounds & rhythms, please welcome DICK!"

Meshuggah are confirmed for the 2004 edition of the Sweden's Hultsfred Festival (www.rockparty.se), scheduled to take place June 17th - 19th in Hultsfred, Sweden.

Band profile:

Meshuggah

A live video of Swedish death/black metallers NAGLFAR performing the track "I Am Vengeance" at Norrlandsoperan in Umeå, Sweden last December has been uploaded at the band's web site. Download it here (Windows Media, 15.1 MB): http://www.naglfar.net/downloads/031213.naglfar.i.am.vengeance.loq.wmv

NAGLFAR's most recent album, "Sheol", was released last March through New Hawen Records (formerly WAR Music) in association with Century Media Records. The CD, which was recorded and mixed at Ballerina Audio studios by Nils Johansson, features artwork by Niklas Sundin.

THE HAUNTED bassist Jonas Björler has posted the following studio report on the band's official web site:

" Dolving is almost done with the vocals for the album. He has screamed his way through 12 songs already this past week, and now there are only 3 songs to go. We'll go through the material on Friday to check for possible dubs etc, but everything sounds fine.

"This time around we only recorded 2 guitar tracks ? that way we get a very distinctive guitar sound with a little less distortion ? not like 'Stained Class' with JUDAS , but you get my drift.

"For the bass tracks I used my new ESP amp and a Warwick bass. It's the best sound I have ever had. Heavy as hell!

"We can also reveal some new titles to add to the ones you already know: 'Abysmal', 'Liquid Burns', 'Drowning' & 'My Shadow'....

"Here you'll find a link to video clip teaser recorded in the studio a couple of days ago: http://lagavulin.gotdns.com/mov/flik.html
Note that you'll need Flash Player 6 to watch the clip."

Read more ››

Band profile:

The Haunted

Swedish thrashers CARNAL FORGE have completed work on their brand-new, as-yet-untitled album, tentatively due in June through Century Media (Europe and USA) and Soundholic (Japan). 12 songs were mixed at Studio Underground for the follow-up to last year's "The More You Suffer", with the new material being described by guitarist Jari Kuusisto as " up from where the last album stopped. The new songs are a little bit more aggressive, but all of you that liked our previous albums won't get disappointed." The group's studio diary and photos can be viewed at this location: http://www.carnalforge.com/cf5_rec_diary.asp

The tentative track listing for the album (in no particular order) is as follows:

01. Decades Of Despair
02. Burn Them Alive
03. Waiting For Sundown
04. The Strength Of Misery
05. My Suicide
06. Ruler Of Your Blood
07. The Final Hour
08. Exploding Veins
09. Inhuman
10. Sacred Flame
11. Gods Enemy No.1
12. Totally Worthless

As previously reported, CARNAL FORGE recently completed work on their DVD containing footage from their January 2004 show in Krakow, Poland and clips from "The 2003 Metal Gods Tour" in New York and "Extreme Bleeding Japan Tour 2003" in Tokyo. A May release is expected.

Band profile:

Carnal Forge

UFO, DRAGONFORCE, INTO ETERNITY, STORMLORD and DARK LUNACY are the latest acts confirmed for the 2004 edition of the Gods of Metal festival, set to take place June 5-6 at Arena Parco Nord in Bologna, Italy.

The updated running order for the festival is as follows:

Saturday, June 5:

JUDAS PRIEST
STRATOVARIUS
UFO
NEVERMORE
SYMPHONY X
ANATHEMA
RAGE
T.B.A.
INTO ETERNITY
DARK LUNACY

Sunday, June 6:

ALICE COOPER
TESTAMENT
MOTORHEAD
TWISTED SISTER
W.A.S.P.
T.B.A.
SODOM
NAGLFAR
STORMLORD
DRAGONFORCE

Earache Records will be issuing a "best of" collection from legendary U.K. grindcore band CARCASS on May 17. Titled "Choice Cuts", the compilation contains over 20 tracks, including two full Peel Sessions broadcast back in 1989 and 1990. It also features a comprehensive booklet including an in-depth interview with drummer Ken Owen.

"Choice Cuts" track listing:

01. Genital Grinder
02. Maggot Colony
03. Exhume to Consume
04. Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency
05. Tools of The Trade
06. Corporeal Jigsore Quandary
07. Incarnate Solvent Abuse
08. Buried Dreams
09. No Love Lost
10. Heartwork
11. Keep on Rotting in The Free World
12. R**k the Vote
13. This Is Your Life
14. Crepitating Bowel Erosion (Peel Session, Jan. 2, 1989)
15. Slash Dementia (Peel Session, Jan. 2, 1989)
16. Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites (Peel Session, Jan. 2, 1989)
17. Reek of Putrefaction (Peel Session, Jan. 2, 1989)
18. Empathological Necrotism (Peel Session, Dec. 16, 1990)
19. Foeticide (Peel Session, Dec. 16, 1990)
20. Fermenting Innards (Peel Session, Dec. 16, 1990)
21. Exhume to Consume (Peel Session, Dec. 16, 1990)

View Cover here: http://www.earache.com/images/cd_covers/mosh220.jpg

Band profile:

Carcass

Veteran Dutch death metallers THANATOS have set a June 12 release date through Black Lotus Records for their fourth full-length album, "Undead. Unholy. Divine".

The follow-up to 2000's "Angelic Encounters" was produced by Hans Pieters and the band at Excess studios in Rotterdam, Holland and was mastered by Attie Bauw (JUDAS PRIEST, SCORPIONS, GOREFEST). Among the songtitles set to appear on the CD are "Lambs To The Slaughter", "The Sign Of Sadako", and "Born To Suffer". Famous Polish artist Jacek Wisniewski has contributed a "great painting" for the album cover of 'Undead.Unholy.Divine'. Additional artwork was done by Seth and Don Marco de Bruin.

According to the band, the album, which includes a guest appearance on backing vocals by Ashmedi (MELECHESH) and Ed Warby (STAR ONE, AYREON, ex-GOREFEST), "has a killer sound and features the band's strongest material to date ranging from slow, grinding parts to furious blast beats."

In other news, THANATOS drummer Yuri Rinkel will play more dates with Mesopotamian metal merchants MELECHESH in May (since MELECHESH's regular skinsman, Proscriptor, is unable to join the group for the dates), including shows in Paris and Israel.

Band profile:

Thanatos

PRIMORDIAL vocalist Alan Nemtheanga has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"The re-release of the now actually looks like it will happen before summer, the Karmageddon guys are just searching for a slot in their timetable right now. On a personal note, I finished the vocals for the VOID OF SILENCE album. In case any of you don't know, they are an Italian doom metal band I joined and went to Rome to record the vocals for their third album in Rome. It came out immense and I haven't stopped listening to it since I got it back, so dark I think some of you will be really surprised with it. It's out on May 10th through Code666 so check it out. As for the new PRIMORDIAL album, we are looking or rather I am pushing to record something during the summer and at least my working title, concerning the lyrics and concept is 'Harvest'. However, everything could change before then..."

Read more ››

Three more tracks from the forthcoming IN FLAMES album, "Soundtrack to Your Escape", have been posted online in streaming format at the German Metal Hammer web site. Listen to the songs "F(r)iend", "My Sweet Shadow" and "In Search For I" at this location: http://www.hammer-mag.de/audio_video/audio/2004/03/22/820372.shtml

"Soundtrack To Your Escape" is scheduled for release in North America on April 6 through Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will arrive in Europe one week earlier (March 29).

Moreover, IN FLAMES will be teaming up with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE for a co-headlining North American tour beginning on May 3 in the Midwest. The month-long run will tentatively wrap up on June 4 on the East Coast. Also appearing on the bill will be AS I LAY DYING.

Band profile:

In Flames

Finnish folk-influenced melodic death metal band ENSIFERUM have posted the cover artwork for their new single, "Tale of Revenge", at this location: http://www.ensiferum.com/Ensiferum_kuvat/disco_taleofrevenge.jpg

"Tale of Revenge" comes off the group's forthcoming album, "Iron", due on April 19 through Spinefarm Records. In addition to the title cut, the "Tale of Revenge" single features ENSIFERUM's cover version of METALLICA's "Battery".

The follow-up to 2001's "Ensiferum", "Ion" was recorded last summer at Sweet Silence studios in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen (METALLICA, ARTILLERY).

ENSIFERUM will be embarking on a European tour with FINNTROLL beginning on April 14 in London, England.

Band profile:

Ensiferum

Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have recruited Asgeir Mickelson (BORKNAGAR, SPIRAL ARCHITECT) as the session drummer for their upcoming live appearances, BLABBERMOUTH.NET can exclusively reveal.

Mickelson joins the DIMMU ranks as a temporary replacement for Nick Barker, who was unceremoniously "removed" from the group's lineup in January.

In his first interview since being fired from DIMMU BORGIR, Barker told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the group's decision to let him go came as a "total surprise" to him, with Nick attributing the split to "the distance thing ? me being English and those guys being Norwegians. And me commuting from England to Norway all the time. I guess they thought things just weren't working out. I think there might have been a few cultural differences, with me being English and those guys being Norwegians."

DIMMU BORGIR are scheduled to play a few live shows in South America in late April, to be followed by several European festival appearances and a much-anticipated main-stage slot at this year's Ozzfest.

Band profile:

Dimmu Borgir