German gothic metallers Crematory have revealed more details about their upcoming album Infinity, to be released on January 29 2010. Here's what the official press release says:

"Lyrically and vocally Crematory use again English lyrics on Infinity but also two german tracks have made it on the album. The splitted vocals of Felix and Matthias, the extreme duel of clean vocals and deep growls surely was kept and even improved.

Crematory deliver hot fireworks of their catchy trademark tunes, topped with massive guitar riffing which turned out heavier and darker than on their previous albums. Gothic-Thrash-Metal is exactly the right description for this new masterpiece.

A cover tune can never beat the original - Crematory know that too but they already proved quality versions of Sisters Of Mercy's "Temple of Love" and Metallica's "One" in the past which undoubtly have their own characteristic sound.

For this reason the cover of Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration" made it on the album, which not only refers to the songtitle. Crematory turned this classic track into a Gothic Rock´n Roll track which will gain massive attention for sure and is set for another club hit for the band.

Infinity was once more recorded at the Kohlekeller Studios with Kristian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner, who already did the chartalbums Revolution, Klagebilder and Pray with the band. Never change a winning team! Kohle as the band's producer again is a guarantee for a massive sound and an outstanding production with international standards. An album for infinity!

To present the album live to their fans the "Infinity over Europe" tour will be start in April 2010. In summer the band will play on several big open air festivals before the 2nd part of the tour will follow.

Afterwards the band will back out to work on their "Greatest Hits" CD and DVD which is set to be released in February 2011 celebrating the band's 20th anniversary. This one will include all the band's hits in picture and sound plus many specials and previously unreleased material."

Infinity cover art] tracklist:

01. Infinity
02. Sense Of Time
03. Out Of Mind
04. Black Celebration
05. Never Look Back
06. Broken Halo
07. Where Are You Now
08. A Story About...
09. No One Knows

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Source:	crematory.de
Band profile:	Crematory

Polish metallers Trauma will release their forthcoming album, Archetype Of Chaos, on February 2010.

The cover artwork for the CD was created by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, who is also responsible for new layout of the official Trauma web site.

Archetype Of Chaos cover art] tracklist:

01. Intro (White Architect)
02. Cortex Deformation
03. A Dying World
04. War Machine
05. The Slime
06. The Truth Murder
07. Tabula Rasa
08. Portrait Of The Lies
09. Destruction Of The Demented World

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Trauma

Danish metallers Dawn Of Demise will release their second full-length album, A Force Unstoppable cover art], on January 19, 2010 via Deepsend Records.

Also a new song, "Multiple Flatlines", which comes off A Force Unstoppable, is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Dawn Of Demise

Readers of the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet - one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries - have chosen In Flames' 2006 album Come Clarity as the best Swedish album of the past decade. In Flames got about a quarter of all votes, ending up as the only metal related band in the top 10. Four albums of Swedish rock band Kent appeared in the top 10 too. Top 10 results "Best Swedish Album Of The Decade" here.

Bruce Springsteen's 15th studio album Magic, released in 2007, was voted best album by a foreign (non-Swedish) artist, before Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Linkin Park. See the top 10 here.

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Source:	aftonbladet.se
Band profile:	In Flames

Original news, posted on 09.12.2009

Official press release

New York death metal veterans Immolation just announced the title and tracklist of their new album, marking the first one for their new label Nuclear Blast Records.

The album, scheduled for an early 2010 release, will be entitled Majesty And Decay.

Majesty And Decay tracklist:

01. Intro
02. The Purge
03. A Token Of Malice
04. Majesty And Decay
05. Divine Code
06. In Human Form
07. A Glorious Epoch
08. Interlude
09. A Thunderous Consequence
10. The Rapture Of Ghosts
11. Power And Shame
12. The Comfort Of Cowards

UPDATE

New York death metal legends Immolation just revealed the cover artwork for their upcoming 8th album Majesty And Decay.

Commented guitarist Bob Vigna: "Par Olofsson did an amazing job on this piece! It is so dark, twisted and bleak, and so realistic looking! He really captured the emotion of the album and what we were looking for. Together with the music it really sets such a unique mood and tone,... I think the fans are going to love it!"

Majesty And Decay is set to be released on March 5, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

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Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Immolation

Belgian metallers Gorath have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"New blood joins the ranks of Gorath. After some years of spreading the plague K. Deleener got replaced by B. Vanderheyden - Known from other bands such as Ill Fares The Land and Storm Upon The Masses."

The band's current lineup is as follows:

F. Dupont (guitar, vocals)
B. Put (guitar)
D. Grondelaers (bass)
B. Vanderheyden (drums)

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Gorath

US progressive power metal band, Armory, has officially announced that they are in the studio recording their second album. The album, entitled Empyrean Realms, will contain nine original songs. Compared to their debut album, The Dawn Of Enlightenment, Empyrean Realms is described by the band as having "more dynamic composing and arranging, with more colorful melodies, head-banging riffs, and progressive elements. The lyrics are also more articulate, centering on the themes of metaphysics, cosmology, and the power of human will. Cover artwork has been chosen which will enhance the cosmic scope of the album."

Empyrean Realms will be engineered by the band themselves and take place at Mystic Star Studio, based in Townsend, Massachusetts. The expected release date is mid-to-late 2010. On their official website and MySpace page Armory has posted a video compilation of the drum and guitar tracking to give fans a sneak preview of what their second album has in store.

Armory will also appear on two official tribute albums, due early 2010. A cover of the song "Where The Rain Grows" will be featured on HelloRay - A tribute to Helloween & Gamma Ray, to be released through Epicus Records. A cover of the song "Love Is Pain" will be featured on By The Gods: A Noble Tribute To Virgin Steele. Both cover songs have been posted on Armory's MySpace page.

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Source:	faithinsteel.com
Band profile:	Armory

Official press release

We are pleased to announce that with immediate effect Germany's Blast Corpse Promotions will handle all live bookings for the European region. We feel confident that we can now leave all this side of things in the capable hands of Blast Corpse Promotions's Mike Heinemann, and very much look forward to working with him.

Anyone wanting to book Shining should contact Mike directly mike bcp-agency com. Any requests regarding European bookings that come to the band page or to Patricia's page, will be passed onto Mike, therefore please feel free to bypass us so that your enquiry can be dealt with more quickly.

A short headlining tour in March has already been booked, dates as follows:

Mar. 05 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete
Mar. 06 - Erfurth, Germany - From Hell
Mar. 07 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Baroeg
Mar. 08 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
Mar. 09 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
Mar. 11 - Munich, Germany - Metropolis
Mar. 12 - Annaberg-Bucholz, Germany - Gleis
Mar. 13 - Berlin, Germany - K17
Mar. 14 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Shining
Event:	Shining: European Tour

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has issued the following long-winded and sappy update:

"I want to start with saying Merry Christmas to you all and I hope that you all have a wonderful, rewarding day. Anyway, I went to go get a Coronary Calcium Cat scan or in other words, a heart scan, and I have good news! They found one!!

All kidding aside, I had my heart scan done and my score was a mind blowing zero. This means that I have 0% plaque in my heart and my mom died from congestive heart failure, and that stuff is hereditary I hear, so I was worried.

I am so stoked about the result and I owe it to my family, band mates, and my advisors and handlers for inspiring me to get better, to be better, and to stay better. I can't tell you how much my team, even the label have really supported me and helped me understand what we can and cannot do, instead of what "I" can't do.

Believe it or not even the media and the press, both positive or negative have been instrumental in helping me become a better person. There have been a lot of life's lessons I haven't been able to learn until recently, but I can tell you I have NEVER felt this good in my 48 years of life on this planet.

Hell, some stuff can be changed and some can't. I just need to be smart enough to know which is which. My manager Mark has mentored me in a business that is constantly changing (he was very instrumental in helping make the Big Four happen - for that, my hat and prolly several thousand other's hats are off to you). Funny thing is that I have been praying hard that I would be friends with the guys in SLAYER again, and METALLICA too. Is it just me or does it seem like some prayers have been answered?

Now, I am just praying that all of the fans around the entire globe will get to see this tour. Personally, I wish we would hit every single country and every major city. That would rule!!!

One last thing and I will let ya go for Christmas. You are going to want to read this, if you have even read this far.

I have a friend who is a very successful and wise businessman. Yes, he is one of the 7 1/2 friends.

Anyway, he told me that he wants to know if he can have a contest for his company and run it through TheLiveLine. I said, "Certainly!" because TLL is running a contest for me now for a brand new signature Dave Mustaine Marshall 1960 DM-A or 1960 DM-B 4 x 12" speaker cabinet, and a contest for King Of The Ring (a Martial Arts company) to have a fly-away to Okinawa, Japan.

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Source:	megadeth.com
Band profile:	Megadeth

Gigantic Pictures will soon release "FIX", an "uncensored movie about Ministry". The film will be a documentary about the interaction with Ministry onstage and offstage their tour. Judging by the people involved and the age of the musicians, I think it might be the Filth Pig tour. The film will also feature interviews with Trent Reznor, Jonathan Davis, Maynard Keenan, Dave Navarro and many more.

You can go to http://www.fixtheministrymovie.com/ to watch a trailer. If you register, you get a free Paul Barker track for download. It's pretty good.

I wonder who directed this movie and if they have any affiliation with 13th Planet. Either way, the film looks like it might have some entertaining scenes of drunken/high debauchery.

-jupitreas

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Source:	fixtheministrymovie.com
Band profile:	Ministry

Aussie rockers AC/DC could have to cancel a sold-out concert because their big sound poses a danger to rare birds.

Animal rights campaigners are threatening legal action if the veteran band goes ahead with a gig planned for Wels airport in Austria in May. Hans Uhl of BirdLife said birds nesting in the area at the time would be threatened by anthems such as "Highway To Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long". "The second biggest colony of curlews in Upper Austria and various other ground-nesting birds must not become endangered," Mr Uhl said.

The event's 80,000 tickets were sold out within hours.

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Source:	dailytelegraph.com.au
Band profile:	AC/DC
Event:	AC/DC: Black Ice World Tour Returns To Europe

German brutal death metallers Resurrected have issued the following update:

"Our singer Carsten Scholz is forced to sit out both Portugal shows in January due to a chronical pneumonia he caught at Mountains Of Death Festival this year. His current cure does not allow to grunt more than two or three songs in a row. Chris Mieves from Grind Inc. will step in for both shows and he's already exciteted doing that job! We hope Carsten is fit again by April as we plan to arrange a little UK tour then. We'll keep you updated!"

29.01.2010 - POR, Porto, Metal Point (with Suffochate)
30.01.2010 - POR, Lisbon, Revolver Bar (Dead Meat, Bleeding Display, Carniphicine)

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Resurrected
Event:	Resurrected

French Heavy metal webzine Métal Intégral are self-releasing the new edition of the French Heavy metal anthology, Made In France 1978-2008 - Hard And Heavy.

According to the webzine, the 2008 edition will be the most complete overview of the history of French Heavy metal, covering 30 years of French-made metal. The anthology contains 120 pages, featuring more than 1000 bands. Over 250 LP's or EP vinyl, 290 7'' records and 1500 CD's and EP's are pictured and discussed.

Made In France only covers the traditional genres - heavy metal, hard rock, power metal and progressive metal from 1978 til 2008 - while there's no room for death, black, doom, thrash and nu metal. Some bands featured in the book include Resistance, Still Square, Salhem, Lonewolf, Blackrain, Ice Scream, Blaspheme, Holy Cross, Satan Jokers, Adx, Excalibur, Wolf's Gang, Mr Jack, Heavylution and many more.

Printed in an 80's fanzine set-up style, Made In France contains tons of black and white pictures of demo tapes, LP, SP and CD cover artwork; interview excerpts; exclusive pictures from the Explosion Metalliques Festival from February 1985 (feat. Vulcain, Attentat Rock, Nightmare and Bronx); a complete list of all 80's bands that recorded a video clip; and a French Metal historical overview, fully updated since the 2004 edition of the anthology.

Also an English edition of the book will be released.

A photo preview and all info about this release can be found at this location.

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Source:

metal-integral.com

Official press release

The 3rd full length CD, from traditional metallers Icarus Witch mysteriously entitled, Draw Down The Moon, will be released February 9th, 2010 through Cleopatra Records/Koch Distribution. The band was recently described as having a "Heavy influence of Iron Maiden combined with good old fashioned hard/rock metal production and great musicianship" by Don Jamieson, host of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show. Perhaps this assessment helped land the boys the opening slot on original Maiden crooner, Paul DiAnno's first American tour in over 15 years, commencing this January 27 in NYC.

Britain's Metal Hammer magazine recently drafted Icarus Witch for both their cover mount compilation CD as well as an interview on their feature about the explosive rise of traditional metal with the younger generation of bands, referring to the Witch as "One of the best new bands to take up the NWOTM (New Wave of Traditional Metal) standard and carry it triumphantly into the future. With such accolades, the pressure is mounting for the group to top their previous efforts, a feat which has been handily accomplished by the creation of this new album, their first since 2007's critically acclaimed, Songs For The Lost.

With a few years of regional headline touring under their belt as well as supporting everyone from Heaven And Hell and Coheed & Cambria to 3 Inches Of Blood and Trouble on the road, the boys honed their live chops and discovered the formula for what translates to a frenzied crowd and what passages are better left for the headphones. The end result is a nine song battle cry called Draw Down The Moon which sees the band in a more mature, yet increasingly aggressive song writing mode, stripped of the extraneous bells and whistles of synths & samples.

This is a back-to-basics, classic metal album with a raw, in-your-face production (once again with Eric Klinger at the controls) that owes as much to '70s Marshall overdrive and gothic tales of yore, as it does the 80s flash and modern metal trappings that have become de rigueur in this burgeoning scene Icarus Witch is alleged to have helped establish. Apparently the time machine has been set to reverse, and once you dig your teeth into the muscular framework of this future occult rock classic, you will forget about eras, genre tags and hype, and realize what truly matters most... this band knows how to fucking ROCK!

Draw Down The Moon cover art] tracklist:

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Icarus Witch

Although a band that were never any good at keeping fans up-to-date, John Macaluso the drummer of Ark posted a message on Facebook in August announcing the band were back together.

Now on the drummer's Myspace page, he lists the new Ark album, Aradiokaos, as already being recorded and "soon to be released".

The band only released two albums in their original run, but have since accumulated something of a cult following.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Ark