MrRock.net recently conducted an interview with Dimmu Borgir frontman Shagrath about his side-project Chrome Division (in which he plays guitar). A few excerpts from the chat:

MrRock.net: As a musician, how important is it for you to show all of your musical sides, and not just be considered a black metal musician?

Shagrath: Do you mean me personally?

MrRock.net: Yes.

Shagrath: Well, you know, I'm satisfied with my role in Dimmu. I create all of the music for Dimmu, which people probably don't know much about — they think that I'm just singing, but I also create a lot of the music for Dimmu Borgir. But a lot of the people don't see it like that. They see me more as a singer, but I've also played guitar for many years, I play keyboards for years.

MrRock.net: As a guitar player, who would you say are your biggest influences? I hear a lot of Ted Nugent in your monster guitar riffs.

Shagrath: I don't think that I take direct inspiration from any specific person, but I like a lot of different styles of music. I like AC/DC, Motörhead, some Black Labe Society, Monster Magnet, and bands like that. I don't try and copy anyone in those bands, but you can hear some similarities between bands like us and, say, a band like Motörhead.

MrRock.net: Is Chrome Division going to be doing any touring?

Shagrath: Well, you know, Dimmu is still my main responsibility and we are in the process of making a new album and writing new songs, so I have to prioritize that. But also, the other people in the band also have day jobs, families, and children. It's very hard to book a full tour. We have gotten some offers, but so far we have only played one show. But, if the timing is right, and everybody is able to do it, we'll try to take as many live jobs as possible. It wouldn't be like a full tour though.

MrRock.net: I know it's still early to tell, but will there be more Chrome Division music coming down the road?

Shagrath: Actually, we meet up once a week, and we already have 3 new songs written, and we're working on song number 4 for the next album.

Read the entire interview here.

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Chrome Division

Monday September the 4th the almighty Tivoli in Helsingborg celebrates its 10th aniversary. In the name of metal, Darkane will take the stage toghether with Soilwork, The Defaced and Carmina Burana. By the way, Darkane has just finished the U.S tour in support of their fourth album 'Layers of Lies', you can order your copy via Nuclear Blast.

For further info visit: Tivoli

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Source:	darkane.com
Band profile:	Darkane
Event:	Soilwork + Darkane

Thrash metallers Testament have posted online via their merch section of the band's website a new 'bootleg' in DVD format for sale. 'Testament - Live in Istanbul' , was filmed earlier this year by Deadly Embrace Productions and contains the following tracklist:

01. The Preacher
02. The New Order
03. The Haunting
04. Electric Crown
05. Sins Of Omission
06. Burnt Offerings
07. Souls Of Black
08. Into The Pit
09. The Legacy
10. Practice What You Preach
11. Trial By Fire
12. Over The Wall
13. Alone In The Dark
14. Disciples Of The Watch
15. Raging Waters

*ALL REGIONS*
U.S. $18.00 / Overseas $23.00
(+ $5.00 U.S.; $8.00 O/S Shipping & Handling each)

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Source:	testamentlegions.com
Band profile:	Testament

The following dates have been confirmed for Therion's World Tour 2007

Thu, Aug 2nd, 2007 Germany Wacken Wacken Open Air Confirmed

World Tour 2007 - Europe with Grave Digger and Sabaton

Sun, Feb 18th, 2007 Germany Hamburg Markthalle Confirmed
Sat, Feb 17th, 2007 Holland Groningen Oosterpoort Confirmed
Fri, Feb 16th, 2007 Holland Tilburg 013 Confirmed
Thu, Feb 15th, 2007 Germany Berlin Columbia Club Confirmed
Wed, Feb 14th, 2007 Poland Warszawa Proxima Confirmed
Tue, Feb 13th, 2007 Poland Krakow Club 38 Confirmed
Mon, Feb 12th, 2007 Czech Republic Prague Abaton Confirmed
Sun, Feb 11th, 2007 Germany Munich New Backstage Confirmed
Sat, Feb 10th, 2007 Germany Glauchau Alte Spinnerei Confirmed
Fri, Feb 9th, 2007 Switzerland Pratteln Z7 Confirmed
Thu, Feb 8th, 2007 Germany Langen Stadthalle Confirmed
Wed, Feb 7th, 2007 Germany Stuttgart Longhorn Confirmed
Tue, Feb 6th, 2007 DAY OFF
Mon, Feb 5th, 2007 Serbia Belgrad SKC Confirmed
Sun, Feb 4th, 2007 Hungary Budapest Petofi Hall Confirmed
Sat, Feb 3rd, 2007 Austria Vienna Planet Music Confirmed
Fri, Feb 2nd, 2007 Austria Saltzburg Rockhouse Confirmed
Thu, Feb 1st, 2007 Croatia Zagreb Boogaloo Confirmed
Wed, Jan 31st, 2007 Slovenia Ljubljana Vpk Mediapark Confirmed
Tue, Jan 30th, 2007 DAY OFF
Mon, Jan 29th, 2007 Italy Milano Alcatraz Confirmed
Sun, Jan 28th, 2007 France Toulouse SDF Ramonville Confirmed
Sat, Jan 27th, 2007 Spain Bilbao Santana 27 Confirmed
Fri, Jan 26th, 2007 Spain Madrid La Riveria Confirmed
Thu, Jan 25th, 2007 Spain Barcelona Razzmatazz 2 Confirmed
Wed, Jan 24th, 2007 France Lyon Ninkasi Kao Confirmed
Tue, Jan 23rd, 2007 France Paris Elysee Montmartre Confirmed
Mon, Jan 22nd, 2007 DAY OFF
Sun, Jan 21st, 2007 England London Mean Fiddler Confirmed
Sat, Jan 20th, 2007 Belgium Antwerpen Hof Ter Loo Confirmed
Fri, Jan 19th, 2007 Germany Lichtenfels Stadthalle Confirmed
Thu, Jan 18th, 2007 France Strasburg La Laiterie Confirmed
Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 Germany Essen Weststadthalle Confirmed

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Source:	main.megatherion.com
Band profile:	Therion
Event:	Therion: European Tour

Metal Blade Team has posted online an exclusive media player of the upcoming Amon Amarth's album 'With Oden On Our Side', featuring two songs from the new album, here is the link. You can pre-order your copy and find cool features.

The album is set to be released in Europe on September 25 at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden. Here is the cover artwork.

'With Oden On Our Side' track listing:

01. Valhall Awaits Me
02. Runes to My Memory
03. Asator
04. Hermod's Ride to Hel (Lokes Treachery Part 1)
05. Gods of War Arise
06. With Oden On Our Side
07. Cry of the Black Birds
08. Under the Northern Star
09. Prediction of Warfare

Limited Edition 2CD Digipack Disc 2:
01.Where Silent Gods Stand Guard (live at Wacken 2004)
02.Death In Fire (live at Wacken 2004)
03.With Oden On Our Side (demo version)
04.Hermod's Ride to Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1 (demo version)
05.Once Sent From The Golden Hall (Sunlight Studio Recording 1997)
06.Return Of The Gods (Sunlight Studio Recording 1997 - unreleased song)

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Source:	metalblade.de
Band profile:	Amon Amarth

Candlelight Records today confirms October 3 as the US release date of MoRT, the eagerly anticipated new album from French extremists Blut Aus Nord. The album adds to the band's trilogy of albums and growing stateside sales and fanbase.

With MoRT, Blut Aus Nord have crafted an album that is complex, haunting and sure to draw the band continued fan and media applause. A singular composition consisting of eight united chapters, MoRT contains the gruesome soundtrack that has quickly become the trios acclaimed hallmark. Nearly two years in the making, the album incorporates uniquely innovative guitar play (layering similar to early Emperor), a corrosive rhythm section and bitter vocals. Kerrang says it best when calling the bands music, "the sound of underground metal's black heart, twisted beyond all recognition."

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Blut Aus Nord

Candlelight Records today has added 'Carnage' from Entombed's EP 'When In Sodom' set for US release November 14 to the label's official MySpace page. Bring your browser to Candlelight Records on MySpace for your first listen.

Planned just prior to the bands upcoming US dates alongside labelmates/countrymen Dismember, 'When in Sodom' finds its awaited US release before the bands upcoming new full length, 'Serpent Saints', expected early 2007. It is the band's first new material since 2003 with this limited edition EP.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Entombed

Lord Ahriman posted the following on the bands official site:

"It just came to our attention that our scheduled show in Costa Rica on October the 3rd is cancelled. Apparently this is a result by the local promotor's refusal to share our flight costs with the other promoters, which is total bollocks if you ask me. We were totally looking forward to play Costa Rica during this forth coming Latin American tour, but unfortunately it won't happen. We understand that this cancellation will leave A LOT of you people very disappointed. And trust me, we all wish there were something we could do to change the situation, but we can't. We do however hope that there will be another chance for us to play Costa Rica in a not too distant future."

Source:	come.to
Band profile:	Dark Funeral

After many years of waiting, finnish melodic metal band Agonizer will finally step into the Astia-Studio in Lappeenranta, Finland, to record their debut album on September the 18th. The album will be recorded in a period of two weeks and it should be ready by the beginning of November. The name of the album and the song order are still in consideration but the songs are the following ones:

Prisoner
Harmless Hero
Everyone Of Us
Indifferent
Prophecy
Sleepless
Black Sun
Birth
The End

The album length will be about 40 minutes and it will be a self-release.

Source:	agonizer.org
Band profile:	Agonizer

According to Earache Records, one of Sweden's largest online music stores, Ginza.se, has barred the sale of Deicide's latest album, "The Stench of Redemption", citing the blasphemous CD sleeve art, controversial lyrical subject matter and the fact that Deicide mainman Glen Benton has an upside-down cross branded into the center of his forehead as their reasoning. This has consequently led to Ginza.se taking the unprecedented step of removing all traces of previous Deicide releases from their online store aswell.

This action follows quickly on from the news that U.K. TV channel Scuzz TV have also refused to play the video for Deicide's "Homage For Satan" due to its ? in their view ? offensive content.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Deicide

Los Angeles thrashers Slayer have cancelled their previously announced appearance at the third edition of the Monterrey Metal Fest, previously set to take place Saturday, September 23, 2006 at the Coca Cola Auditorium in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Slayer, who were scheduled to headline the event, cited "personal reasons" as the cause of the cancellation.
As a reaction the festival was set back, most likely until November. A new headliner and the exact date will be announced soon.

This year's Monterrey Metal Fest is being billed as "Hell and Heaven United" due to the fact that the festival will include appearances by reunited Christian hard rockers Stryper and Satanic death metallers Deicide. The concert, which promises to be the "biggest and baddest version yet", will feature eight of the biggest names in heavy metal music from all over the world on the main stage and 12 up-and-coming international and Mexican bands on the second stage.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Slayer
Event:	Monterrey Metal Fest

Roadrunner Records will release 4 best of records in September for Sepultura, Fear Factory, Type O Negative and Ill Nino. All four titles will be in stores and available for download on September 12th. Tracklists and covers are as follows

The Best Of Sepultura
1. Troops Of Doom
2. Beneath The Remains
3. Inner Self
4. Arise
5. Dead Embryonic Cells
6. Desperate Cry
7. Refuse/Resist
8. Territory
9. Slave New World
10. Biotech Is Godzilla
11. Roots Bloody Roots
12. Attitude
13. Ratamahatta

The Best Of Fear Factory
1. Martyr
2. Scapegoat
3. Scumgrief
4. Demanufacture
5. Self-Bias Resistor
6. Zero Signal
7. Replica
8. Shock
9. Edgecrusher
10. Resurrection
11. Cars
12. Linchpin

The Best Of Type O Negative
1. Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty Of Infidelity
2. Christian Woman
3. Black No. 1
4. Too Late: Frozen
5. Love You To Death
6. My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
7. Cinnamon Girl
8. Everyone I Love Is Dead
9. Everything Dies
10. Highway Star
11. I Don't Wanna Be Me
12. Life Is Killing Me

The Best Of Ill Nino
1. What Comes Around
2. Unreal
3. God Save Us
4. If You Still Hate Me
5. Liar
6. This Time's For Real
6. How Can I Live
8. Cleansing
9. Te Amo. I Hate You
10. What You Deserve
11. This Is War
12. Turns To Gray
13. Corazon of Mine

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Sepultura

According to livedaily.com, several updates have been added to the second annual Gigantour 2006. The trek now will get underway Sept. 6 in Boise and will not get to San Diego until Sep. 9. So as a result, the previously "officially" announced Sept. 9 show in San Luis Obispo, Canada is no longer on the schedule. Meanwhile, new stops have been added in Oklahoma City, OK; Boston; and Atlantic City, NJ.

Moreover, the second stage will not figure the three outfits, Into Eternity, Sanctity and The Smashup for the Phoenix, Oklahoma City and Boston stops. Those three bands as well as Overkill will not perform at the Las Vegas show, which is set to take place at the House of Blues.

Gigantour 2006 features main-stage acts Megadeth, Lamb Of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy. Here are the dates:

06.09.2006 - USA, Boise, ID
08.09.2006 - USA, Oakland, CA
09.09.2006 - USA, San Diego, CA
10.09.2006 - USA, San Bernardino, CA
12.09.2006 - USA, Las Vegas, NV
13.09.2006 - USA, Phoenix, AZ
15.09.2006 - USA, Salt Lake City, UT
16.09.2006 - USA, Denver, CO
17.09.2006 - USA, Albuquerque, NM
19.09.2006 - USA, Oklahoma City, OK
21.09.2006 - USA, Milwaukee, WI
22.09.2006 - USA, Chicago, IL
23.09.2006 - USA, Columbus, OH
24.09.2006 - USA, Detroit, MI
25.09.2006 - CAN, Toronto, ON
27.09.2006 - CAN, Montreal, QC
28.09.2006 - USA, Uniondale, NY
29.09.2006 - USA, Boston, MA
30.09.2006 - USA, Holmdel, NJ
01.10.2006 - USA, Atlantic City, NJ
03.10.2006 - USA, TBD
05.10.2006 - USA, TBD
06.10.2006 - USA, Tampa, FL
07.10.2006 - USA, Orlando, FL
08.10.2006 - USA, Sunrise, FL
21.10.2006 - AUS, Brisbane
22.10.2006 - AUS, Sydney
24.10.2006 - AUS, Melbourne

Click on the event link for exact locations.

Source:	livedaily.com
Band profile:	Megadeth
Event:	Gigantour 2006

Polish death metallers Vader have issued these following instructions on their website:

"Get Smart! - our Italian promoter has just informed us about two location changes. We will be playing on 20/10 - Colle Val D'Elsa (Sonar Club) and 21.10 - Este (Sottosopra). More info about Italian dates and Get Smart! can be found on www.getsmartagency.com. We would like to apologize for all inconveniences caused by these changes. Below you can find the proper dates and venues for Italian leg of Blitzkrieg 4 featuring Vader, God Dethroned, Severe Torture and Goddamned X. Please, update your bookmarks."

18.10 - Bologna @ Nuovo Estragon
19.10 - Rome @ Alpheus
20.10 - Colle Val D'elsa (SI) @ Sonar Club (new place!!!)
21.10 - Este (Padova) @ Sottosopra (new place!!!)

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Source:	vader.pl
Band profile:	Vader
Event:	Vader: Blitzkrieg 4 Tour

Abigor's "Orkblut - The Retaliation" mini-CD, which was originally issued in 1994 via Napalm Records, will be released on vinyl and as a limited-edition picture disc in October through Chaos Sacrum Records.

Audio samples of three instrumental demo tracks that are set to appear on the forthcoming album from the reunited Austrian black metallers, entitled "Fractal Possession", have been made available for streaming on MySpace.

Abigor's current lineup includes mainman Peter Kubik and co-founding member T.T.

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Abigor