U.K. metallers Bolt Thrower have issued the following update:

"We've spent the last year trying to write songs for a new album, planning to go into the studio this summer, unfortunately, after a lot of thought, we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone the recording indefinitely. We know everybody says that their new album is better than their last, but with us we really believed that. From day one we made it clear that we'd stop recording when we felt we'd written the ultimate Bolt Thrower album, we just never knew when that would be, we kind of took for granted that each release would get better and better. But we have realised now that our last release, "Those Once Loyal" turned out to be that album, and basically the new stuff we have written just doesn't match up to it. We have a lot of pride in our back catalogue, and we refuse to turn into one of the many bands (like the ones we grew up listening to) who end up releasing crap, and we're also not prepared to compromise by instead releasing an album of cover versions or a 'best of' album. Sorry to disappoint those of you looking forward to hearing new Bolt Thrower songs, but we always said that we would never release anything we weren't happy with or that, in our view, didn't at least match up to our previous work.

For those of you living in Holland, Germany and Belgium, you will get the chance to see Bolt Thrower live soon, as there are a few select shows lined up. The confirmed shows are:

7th August - Atak, Enschede (NL) - This is our second home, and we've played at Atak on every tour for the last 18 years. Sadly the club will be closing down this month and they will be moving to a new building in the Autumn. So we were chuffed when they contacted us and offered to re-open for one night, so we can say farewell to this cult club and be the last band to ever play there. We decided that the tickets will be free and we will be informing you soon on the line-up and how to get tickets.

8th August - Party.San Festival, Bad Berka (D) - As headliner we will play a longer set than usual, so expect to hear a lot of songs we haven't played for a while.

9th August - Hof ter Lo, Antwerp (B) - For this show we will be joined by the best and upcoming bands from the Benelux. The confirmed support bands are: God Dethroned, Born from Pain, The Setup and Anaphylactic Shock. Tickets are 11 Euros, and you can find more info here.

We'll post more info when we have it. Hope to see you at the gigs."

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Source:	boltthrower.com
Band profile:	Bolt Thrower

Kvarforth and company have posted the artwork and tracklisting for their eagerly anticipated sixth release and follow-up to the acclaimed work "V - Halmstad", entitled "VI - Klagopsalmer".

"VI - Klagopsalmer" tracklist:

01. Vilseledda Barnasjälars Hemvist
02. Plågoande O'Helga Plågoande
03. Krossade Drömmar Och Brutna Löften
04. Fullständigt Jävla Död Inuti
05. Ohm - Skoj Att Leva
06. Total Utfrysning

To be released by Osmose Productions in a not too distanced future.

For more info, visit this page

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Shining

Regain Records has launched a new and dedicated Lord Belial MySpace page featuring a streaming version of one track - "Sworn" from the Swedish black metallers' eighth studio spinner "The Black Curse", which will see a September release. According to their MySpace hype, this will be the album that qualifies them for the Champion's League of Swedish Black Metal.

As has been in metal news, Regain will re-release the old Lord Belial demos this month on one CD called "Ancient Demons". According to a press release, "Ancient Demons" are awesome on their own as something to crank up and revel in the old-school vibe, as well as a document of a watershed era in the history of extreme music, one that has yet to be topped for sheer creativity and boundary destroying."

Upcoming Lord Belial tour dates

Festival Shows 2008
19/07 Hell's Pleasure O.A Pößneck
31/07 Wacken Open Air Wacken

Black Curse Over Europe 2008 Tour
18/09 Club 2 Doors Baia Mare
19/09 Irish Pub Cluj
20/09 Live Metal Club Bucharest
21/09 Hristo Botev Com.Center Sofia
23/09 TBA Thessaloniki
24/09 TBA Istanbul
25/09 Castro Club Skopje
26/09 TBA Belgrad
27/09 Gala Hala, Metelkova Ljubliana
28/09 TBA Milano
30/09 TBA
01/10 TBA
02/10 TBA
03/10 TBA
04/10 TBA
06/10 TBA
07/10 TBA Prague
08/10 TBA
09/10 TBA Vienna
10/10 Avalon Club Budapest
11/10 TBA Timisoara

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Lord Belial

Century Media has issued the following update:

"Aborted's entire new album "Strychnine.213" will be exclusively streamed at their MySpace page from June 13th, 2008 on for one week! So, make sure you don't miss the chance to check out this deadly masterpiece.

Furthermore, the "European death metal butchers" have posted live footage plus a short backstage interview filmed at Neurotic Death Fest in Tilburg (NL) on May 30th, 2008 online. So, if you are ready for some intense live devastation, follow this link.

Easily the band's most diverse and intense effort to date, "Strychnine.213" will be released all across Europe via Century Media Records on June 23rd, 2008 in a special O-card packaging with alternate cover artwork and a blistering cover of "Slaughtered" (originally by Pantera) as bonus track."

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Source:	www2.centurymedia.com
Band profile:	Aborted

Aussie grinders The Berzerker have announced UK tour dates. Also, they yesterday (June 11) posted some details about their new release - their fifth studio album "The Reawakening" which will not be available in stores. The tour dates are listed on the band's profile, and here's a reminder of them;

UK Tour Dates:

25/06 The Attic - Sawyers Venue - Kettering, Northamptonshire
26/06 Junktion 7 - Nottingham
27/06 TJ's - Newport, Wales
28/06 The White Rabbit - Plymouth
29/06 Ghostfest - Leeds, England
30/06 Ivory Blacks - Glasgow, Scotland
01/07 Queens Hall - Nuneaton
02/07 The Underworld - London
05/07 Groundzero Festival (DJ performance) - Bussloo, Holland
19/07 Folkets Park - Trelleborg, Sweden
09/08 Judgement Day (DJ performance) - Newcastle, England
29/08 Barfly - Liverpool, England
30/08 The Garage - Glasgow, Scotland
31/08 Central Station - Wrexham, Wales
02/09 Corporation - Sheffield, England
03/09 Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, England
04/09 Wulfrun - Wolverhampton, England
05/09 Zodiac - Oxford, England
06/09 Islington Academy - London, England
07/09 Barfly - Brighton, England

Track List for "The Reawakening":

01. Wisdom And Corruption
02. Unforgotten Force
03. Caught In The crossfire
04. The Deception
05. Disassembly Line
06. Evolution Of Aggression
07. Your Final Seconds
08. Harvesting A Loved One
09. Internal Examination
10. Spare Parts

All info on how to get a signed copy can be found here.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	The Berzerker

Finland's Dark The Suns have posted the following brief update:

"Our drummer Markus has left Dark The Suns. We are going to play summer gigs with session drummer."

Upcoming live dates:

05.07.08 - Lapua, Finland - Välipuistorock
09.07.08 - Oulu, Finland - Hevimesta
03.09.08 - Lahti, Finland - Torvi (with Sinamore)

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Source:	darkthesuns.com
Band profile:	Dark The Suns

Ukrainian Metal band Holy Blood have posted the following message on their MySpace:

"The new Holy Blood CD "The Patriot", will be available on Tuesday the 30th of June. The group will release it at Cornerstone exclusively that first week. Watch for it at your favorite online site. All pre-orders will ship as soon as the band gets back from the festival."

"The Patriot" tracklisting:

01. In The Night Gloom
02. War For The Human Soul
03. The Patriot
04. Wind Of Death
05. Thirst To Live In Freedom
06. Well Tried Faith
07. Blood Of Christ
08. Meeting The Sunrise
09. Wind Of Death
+ The Patriot

A trailer for the album can be watched here.

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Holy Blood

Norway's In Vain have issued the following update on their MySpace page:

"The song writing process are done and we're 90% done with the lyrics. Once again we will enter DUB Studio in our hometown Kristiansand and have booked it for two months starting 1 July. All recordings will be done in DUB studio and for the mixing we have different options that will be consulted as the process goes on..

Now, we just hope to get together and practice a little the time that's left before the recording starts.. We aim at a playing time of 55 min, but most likely it will be over 60 min this time as well.. More info on song titles, music, etc to come.. "

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	In Vain

Swedish metallers Scar Symmetry's latest album, "Holographic Universe", can now be streamed in its entirety at the group's MySpace Page.

01. Morphogenesis
02. Timewave Zero
03. Quantumleaper
04. Artificial Sun Projection
05. The Missing Coordinates
06. Ghost Prototype I (Measurement of Thought)
07. Fear Catalyst
08. Trapezoid
09. Prism and Gate
10. Holographic Universe
11. The Three-Dimensional Shadow
12. Ghost Prototype II (Deus Ex Machina)

"Holographic Universe" is scheduled for release in Europe on June 20, 2008 and in North America on July 8, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Scar Symmetry

IcedEarth.com has posted the cover art Link] for the band's forthcoming full-length studio album, "The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II)" which continues where their 2007 release, "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)" left off. "The Crucible Of Man" features the return of frontman Matt Barlow who was Schaffer's original voice of choice to introduce the "Something Wicked" saga back in 1998 as a trio of songs which concluded their album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

While the 1998 album provided a general overview of the story Schaffer has been conceptualizing for well over a decade, the saga is being fully brought to life with the release of the back-to-back conceptual albums "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible of Man". While both albums provide answers to mysteries the previous releases would create, the timeliness of the story in today's world is guaranteed to keep people thinking and guessing. Schaffer's ability to convey the central themes and events of the story without always revealing exactly "why" characters' decisions are made and "how" events come to pass, will keep fans of the saga coming back as future mediums for the "Something Wicked" storyline are revealed.

A finalized tracklisting for "The Crucible Of Man" and audio interview with Jon Schaffer covering the new material will be featured at IcedEarth.com later this month. The band will begin rehearsals next week for a run of dates in June as direct support for Judas Priest in Europe (dates here), as well as the Hellfest, Bang Your Head, Graspop, and Gods Of Metal European festivals.

"The Crucible Of Man" is due for a late August or early September release on Steamhammer/SPV. The release will then be followed by a North American tour that kicks-off in September and features an appearance as headliner for the ProgPower USA IX festival in Atlanta, Georgia on September 27. The North American dates will be announced at IcedEarth.com when they are confirmed.

The single from the new album is titled, "I Walk Among You" and is being released worldwide this week by Steamhammer/SPV and features the new track, "I Walk Alone, " as well as three additional songs from "Framing Armageddon" with new vocal performances by Matt Barlow. All tracks can be listened to in their entirety at both the band's official website and MySpace page with exception of the track, "A Charge To Keep" which is an iTunes exclusive.

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Raunchy's entire new album entitled "Wasteland Discotheque", is available for streaming at the band's official MySpace.

"Wasteland Discotheque", which was recorded in Jacob Hansen's Studios, will be released on June 16 in Denmark, June 30 in the rest of Europe and July 7 in the U.S. via Lifeforce Records.

01. This Blackout Is Your Apocalypse (Intro)
02. Somewhere Along The Road
03. The Bash
04. Warriors
05. Straight To Hell
06. Welcome The Storm
07. Wasteland Discotheque
08. Somebody's Watching Me
09. A Heavy Burden
10. To The Lighthouse
11. Showdown Recovery
12. The Comfort In Leaving

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Raunchy

The Eternal has issued the following update:

"We would like to welcome Dave Langlands to the band as our new bass player. We just played our first show with Dave in Sydney and he did a great job. Dave is from New Zealand and has been active in the local scene for many years. Dave moved to Melbourne to work on various musical projects and we were lucky enough to bring him into the ranks of The Eternal. For our Melbourne fans we hope to be announcing a home show soon, so expect to see Dave and the rest of us shortly."

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	The Eternal

Lanfear have posted the followind update:

"It's official now! Our new album is titled "X To The Power Of Ten"! It will be relased on July, 25th in North America and Europe by Locomotive Records. Never before did we work that hard on our songs, the arrangements and the production and never before did we have to fight that many uphill battles to get everything done. Now finally we're in the fortunate position to say it was worth the blood, sweat and tears.

We also signed a contract with Tasmanian Devil Publishing and the guys already work on some pretty interesting things to come. A big sorry to our fans for the long waiting time and thank you for your continued support. We also want to thank our management Intromental for doing a great job. There'll be some earcandies for you within the next few weeks. Currently we're busy with the organization of our release party, more on that soon... "X To The Power Of Ten" is our personal statement to the metal scene in 2008 - be with us!"

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Lanfear

The Download Festival to take place in the spiritual home of rock Castle Donington that is set to kick off this Friday, is about to attempt the world record for "the Most People Made Up As KISS".

The message on the festival website reads:

"We have joined forces with FACE, the official body of face-painters who are providing at least of 20 professional face-painters in order to achieve our goal! - We hope to be able to set a record for over 400 faces painted within 3 hours.

Face painting by our accredited painters is FREE, please don't do your own make up - remember - in order to break the record, we can only accept faces painted by FACE members. Expert face paint makers, Mehron, are very kindly sponsoring the attempt by providing all the necessary paint...

The attempt will take place on Friday 13 June with face painting starting at 13:00 and finishing at 16:00. - The face painters stations will be based in and on the edge of 'Kidney Wood' which is the kidney shaped green area close to the day ticket entrance in the Main Arena.

The stations will be split into four sections concentrating on each of the faces - The Demon, Star Child, The Cat and The Spaceman.

Once you've had your face painted, you'll given details of where to congregate to be part of our mass KISS award-winning photograph!"

KISS are set to headline the first day of the festival, and also original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is set to play the second day with his solo band.

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Source:	downloadfestival.co.uk
Event:	Download Festival 2008

German metallers Silent Force have issued the short following update:

"Hey everybody, just a short update from the Silent Force camp. Alexander Beyrodt is having a very creative run and wrote 11 songs during the last 2 weeks for the next album. The material is very promising and will show once more how much potential Silent Force has."

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Source:	silent-force.rocks.de
Band profile:	Silent Force