Sturmgeist is currently mastering their second album "Über". The album, follow up of their debut released in 2005, is set to be released on 19 June 2006.

The album will contain a cover of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" in commemoration of the 250 birthday of Mozart, some other track tittles are: "Dobermann", "Party Über Alles", "Grimanic Guerillas", and "Hindenburg".

"Über" was recorded at TopRoom Studios in Norway; it's mixed by Børge Finstad and produced by Cornelius von Jackhelln.

Source:

season-of-mist.com

Earache Records are set to release a CD/DVD combo version of the landmark Death Metal album "Altars of Madness" by Morbid Angel on May, 30th 2006 in the United States.

Considered by many to be a defining moment in the genre, Altars of Madness was first released in 1989 and is still held in reverence by the majority of Death Metal fans.
The DVD portion of the Reissue features the long sought after November 1989 Nottingham Rock City show filmed on the bands first ever European outing, the legendary Grindcrusher Tour (alongside Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower and Carcass), and is the first Morbid Angel material to see an official DVD release.

A free replica ticket of this show is available with the first 5,000 copies pressed.

Source:	Earache Records; US Publicist
Band profile:	Morbid Angel

The following message was posted at Relapse Records website:

Seminal technical metal pioneers Atheist have regrouped for a run of exclusive live performances.

Guitarist/vocalist Kelly Shaefer has reassembled what is widely considered the bands classic recording lineup (Shaefer, guitarist Rand Burkey, bassist Tony Choy, and drummer Steven Flynn) for two exclusive festival performances; Italy's Evolution Festival and Germany's Wacken Open Air. Shaefer comments, "We're very excited to be able to get back on the stage and play these insane tunes again the proper way with Flynn, Burkey and Choy. It's going to be very exciting and something not to be missed!."

Atheist will take part on Evolution Festival (scheduled for July 16 and 17 in Brescia, Italy) and Wacken Open Air (scheduled for August 3-5 in Schleswig Holstein, Germany). These will be the first in a series of exclusive festival performances announced. Shaefer continues, "We would like to make a great festival run this year and expose as many as possible to the music we lived and died for. Many thanks to the Evolution Festival and Wacken for helping to give many people who never got to see ATHEIST live a chance to see us one last time. This is our chance to make the music we worked so hard to create come alive one last time, and we guarantee that it will not disappoint."

Source:	relapse.com
Band profile:	Atheist

Guitarist Hubi Meisel (Book of Reflections, Maeve of Connacht, ex-Dreamscape) announced the release date for his upcoming solo album "Kailash" that will be an concept album dealing "about the Himalayas & Tibet and ancient myths of the Buddhist/Hindu culture".

The Release of the album will be on 27 of February 2006 via Lion Records.

Source:

hubimeisel.com

Relapse Records has set release dates for the reissues of the three full-length albums (1989's Piece of Time, 1992's Unquestionable Presence, and 1993's Elements) by seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST.

Elements and Unquestionable Presence will be released officially on August 30 (North America) and September 5 (Europe). Piece of Time will follow with a September 13 release (North America) and September 19 (Europe).

Guitarist/vocalist Kelly Shaefer comments on the impending CD reissues; "We could not be more proud of the job done on these reissues by the folks at Relapse. When this ATHEIST re-issue project started unfolding, I wanted them to be treated with the same care as if they were new releases.

Shaefer continues, "Now that they are done I can say 110% that this is the quintessential ATHEIST collection! It includes all the original classics plus tons of bonus tracks, incredible liner notes, and photos even the band has never seen until now. The art is expanded and more vibrant than ever and the sound has been remastered to pristine metal standards! The attention to detail in these reissues is outstanding and even if you had owned the records in their original pressings, you MUST have this in your collection as they are the definitive versions of the ATHEIST records."

Additionally, Unquestionable Presence will be featured in the October issue of Decibel Magazine as part of its ongoing Hall of Fame feature. The Hall of Fame feature highlights influential and pivotal releases in metal history, and Unquestionable Presence will join of ranks of previously profiled classics such as SLAYER's Reign In Blood, SEPULTURA's Roots, and AT THE GATES Slaughter of the Soul among others.

- Relapse Newsletter -

Band profile:

Atheist

Due out on February 8 via Sony, the "Back In Black" DualDisc features AC/DC's "Back In Black" CD album on one side, and the other side is a DVD featuring the entire album in enhanced LPCM Stereo, the film "The Story of Back in Black", featuring interviews with the band, archival footage, and in-studio performances of "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", "Shoot to Thrill", and more.

DualDisc is an exciting new double-sided music entertainment product that combines audio and video content on a single disc.

With the first side of every DualDisc containing a full audio album, and the DVD side providing the same album in enhanced sound (such as 5.1 Surround Sound), along with such multimedia features as music videos, documentary footage, photo galleries, web links, and so on, DualDisc was created to bring the fan even closer to the creative artistic process. DualDisc will add an exciting new dimension to the consumer's musical experience. One disc, two experiences.

Suorce: http://www.blabbermouth.net

Band profile:

AC/DC

"A very special new signing... When the twisted seat of awareness, thought, volition and feelings of SOLEFALD mastermind Cornelius Jakhelln interests itself in patented German culture, Jagermeister, and old fashioned German Thrash, the result is a unique album entitled "Meister Mephisto".

Featuring members of SOLEFALD, BORKNAGAR, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, DIABOLIC...

On tour with CARPATHIAN FOREST and E-FORCE during February 2005!

To be released January 24th, 2005. Expect the unexpected!

Official band statement : "Through its crafted brand of Grim Germanic Thrash, STURMGEIST's (aka Cornelius von Jackhelln, founding member of Solefald) first solo album "Meister Mephisto" will take you on a hellride to Goethe's Weimar, through the Black Forest and over the mighty Alps. STURMGEIST blends the ambient aggression of Norwegian Black Metal with the affirmative attitude of the Viking virtues, presenting a lethal soundtrack to any hardcore party.""

http://www.season-of-mist.com

Band profile:

Sturmgeist

The techno-thrash gods of yore have decided to reissue their debut Energetic Disassembly.

The following update has been issued via the official WATCHTOWER website www.marathoncd.com/watchtower

Monster Underground (formerly Monster Records) will be releasing the first (and very hard to find) CD, Energetic Disassembly, and it will be available on October 5, 2004.
It will contain a 10 page booklet, featuring lyrics, photos, liner notes from Doug and Jason and a collage of 80s magazine quotes/articles!!!!

The song order is as on the original vinyl release.

Source:

wwww.exodusattack.com

For Ayreon fans the first news is the re-issues of the old Ayreon albums by InsideOut. One re-issue is already available in stores. The Universal Migrator Part 1 & Part 2 are no longer sold seperately, but as a special double CD edition for a single CD price. Check your stores now! Next re-issue will be 'Into the Electric Castle' with a bonus multi-media file and improved artwork.

As a sidenote. A third single is to be released early fall, 2004.

Source:	ayreon.com
Band profile:	Ayreon

According to www.Bravewords.com, Candlelight Records have set a June 28th release for the reissue of EMPEROR's live DVD, "Emperial Live Ceremony". It's been remastered for better sound, and includes new material such as a photo gallery.

Band profile:

Emperor

Frontman Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH has checked in with an update to the band's official website:

"What's done is done.

Droogies!
Today I officially finished the last song of MEGADETH and am on to the MD.45 record.
The news is that excluding Risk which will only have two, every other record is going to have four bonus tracks. I enjoyed watching all of the ring pieces say that I was holding onto songs for later release for the money.

Boy don't you look stoopid now. Yes, you do.

There are Randy Burns mixes, Paul Lani mixes, RIP demos with Chris Poland, with Marty Friedman, and just with me as guitarist before I started interviewing anyone. There are Countdown and Youth demos, Cryptic demos, alternate mixes of Cryptic and Risk and then there are unreleased tracks. And I know none of you have these suckas!
One track that I know none of you have or have ever even heard was the track that MEGADETH did for the KISS - Kiss my Ass record. Well, you will.
I am honored to have performed for all of you, and I am very proud of what has been accomplished here in the last couple of months. I hope you know, this has never been done before where a person re-mixed his enitre catalogue for re-release in this short amount of time, AND it not sounding like ca-ca!

And let me close by sayng that the MD.45 record is hella kewl! I was worried about not being able to do justice to the vocal parts that Lee did, but I just remembered that I sang some of them to him when we were in the studio anyways, and I got over it.

I know Lee would rather I re-sang this record AND have our music get out to the masses, then it just remain in a vault somewhere, unheard of.
BTW - The surprise that I said I was working on hasn't been mentioned in this or any post made by me yet.

Now go get a tissue; you're dribblin'!

MSGD!"

Band profile:

Megadeth

Sweden's DARK TRANQUILLITY have posted the following message on their official web site:

"Some good news for those of you having problems getting hold of our earlier releases:

"Both 'The Gallery' (1995) and 'The Mind's I' (1997) will be re-released in special remastered deluxe editions, featuring brand new booklet layouts as well as a massive dose of hard-to-find bonus material.

"During the years, we've been all too aware of the lack of availability of our earlier material in the US, and we've heard from a lot of people about how hard and frustrating it is to have to track down expensive import versions of the older albums in order to get the D.T. collections complete.

"We got so much positive response from old and new fans when Century Media licensed the 'Skydancer' (1993) album for the US territory a couple of years ago, so it feels great to finally have 'The Gallery' and 'The Mind's I' enjoying proper stateside distribution as well.

"The European versions of the deluxe editions will be released by Osmose Productions. More details regarding the exact contents of the CD's and their release dates will be posted in the near future."

Band profile:

Dark Tranquillity