Morbid Angel and World Management have announced the band's full European tour festival schedule for this summer. Here are all the confirmed dates:

Aug. 5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
Aug. 7 - Kavarna, Bulgaria - Monsters Of Rock Festival
Aug. 12 - Svojsice, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Festival
Aug. 14 - Vienna, Austria - Planet Music
Aug. 15 - Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Festival
Aug. 16 - Belgrade, Serbia - SKC
Aug. 18 - Dinkelsbuehl-Sinbronn, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival
Aug. 20 - Tilburg, Holland - 013
Aug. 22 - London, England - Mean Fiddler
Aug. 24 - Bergen, Norway - Hole In The Sky Festival
Aug. 26 - Germunden Am Main, Germany - Up From The Ground Open Air

Source:	metaleater.com
Band profile:	Morbid Angel
Event:

BLIND GUARDIAN have announced a North American tour to support "A Twist In The Myth," their new album to be relseased September 2006 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The dates are as follows:

Nov. 08 - Marquee Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
Nov. 09 - House Of Blues - San Diego, CA
Nov. 10 - Galaxy Theatre - Santa Ana, CA
Nov. 11 - Avalon - Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 12 - Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
Nov. 14 - TBA - Vancouver, BC
Nov. 15 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
Nov. 17 - Avalon - Salt Lake City, UT
Nov. 18 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
Nov. 20 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 21 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
Nov. 22 - The Quest - Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 24 - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH
Nov. 25 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
Nov. 26 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
Nov. 28 - Salle Albert-Rousseau - Québec City, QC
Nov. 29 - The Medley - Montreal, QC
Nov. 30 - tba - New York, NY
Dec. 01 - Palladium - Worcester, MA
Dec. 02 - TBA - Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 04 - 9.30 Club - Washington, D.C.
Dec. 05 - TBA
Dec. 07 - House Of Blues - Orlando, FL
Dec. 08 - Roxy - Atlanta, GA
Dec. 09 - House Of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Dec. 10 - Meridian - Houston, TX
Dec. 11 - Backroom - Austin, TX

More dates will be announced soon.

Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Blind Guardian

Lamb Of God have set "Sacrament" as the title of their highly anticipated album release, due late Summer 2006 via Epic Records.

The group has been unusually tight lipped about the new recording, turning down all but a select few in-studio and pre-studio interviews. No listening sessions, demo recordings or audio samples have been granted or released.

News from March 2nd notes that the band had once again tapped friend and producer Machine ('Ashes of the Wake') to handle the production duties for "Sacrament".

At that time drummer Chris Adler had the following to say:
"Everyone wants to know what the new material is like or have us compare it to something. It's tough to do because when your proud of something you want to say it's better than something else or that it's more of this or that. I don't want to do that - every Lamb Of God album has been a snapshot in time, a puzzle that spelled out who we are as individual musicians and as a band. They each represent a certain amount of experience and ability - and without saying more, we now have more of both of those than ever. We have continued to raise the bar for ourselves in every aspect of what we do, and we are expecting more of ourselves than ever heading into this. We're looking forward to tracking and releasing this intense and very heavy release."

News surfaced that as of April 11th drummer Chris Adler had finished tracking drums at Spin Recording studios in Long Island City, New York.

All interviews with Chris and his brother Willie Adler were cancelled during the drum tracking session and several more have been cancelled as the band continues tracking guitars and vocals in Richmond, VA.

In the most recent news from the camp guitarist Mark Morton had the following comments on the recording and the material:
"There's an intensity to this project that feels heavier than previous records. The vibe around the sessions has been serious. Not in a conflict sort of way, just more focused and driven than ever before. We know we're onto something. I've done very few interviews over the course of these sessions and everybody wants to know titles and track listings and details like that, but we're not coming off of that kind of stuff just yet. It's too early. This record's way too important to us to allow anyone in until the five of us are in agreement that it's exactly how we want it. It's definitely not a casual approach this time around. We really want this album to have an impact....it feels like it will."

Read more ››

Source:	lamb-of-god.com
Band profile:	Lamb Of God

Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH have started recordings for their sixth full length album at Fascination Street studio (OPETH, SOILWORK - www.fascinationstreet.se) in their home country Sweden. The band have posted the following studio report at their official website:

"Around noon (yesterday - May 23rd) Ted (Lundström) finished all bass lines and added another level of heaviness to the production and, just to show his appearance, Thor brought on a little thunderstorm yesterday. It changed our bbq plans for the evening a bit, but we don't mind. Next up is Johan (Hegg) adding his powerful grunts. We have divided the vocals recording into two sessions so we will start with two or three days first. After that we take five days to lay down lead guitars and will continue with the vocals after that. This to make it easier for Johan's voice to last, since screaming 8-10 hours straight per day is not the easiest task!"

Amon Amarth's as-yet-untitled album is scheduled for release mid to end of September.

Source:	thegauntlet.com
Band profile:	Amon Amarth

Hammerfall guitarist Oscar Dronjak has posted this studio report on the band's MySpace page:

"We had a few beers and watched some stand-up comedy in the form of Eddie Izzard's 'Cricle' until late last night, but I woke up at nine-thirty feeling rested anyway. There were only two songs left for today, the instrumental 'Reign Of The Hammer' and the fast triplet song 'Genocide'. Saving the hardest for last, it was instrumental time now. It's a fairly simple song, and Magnus (Rosen - bass) had learned the stops well before hand. So, by one o'clock, it was triplet time again. Woo-hooo...

Being a first-timer with the pick, he had his work cut out for him, but Magnus came through beautifully. This Hammerfall album is going to sound more Heavy Metal than ever based on the pick factor alone! It sounds so much better, so much tighter, so much more ON it's ridiculous! The track was finished just in time for Magnus and me to make the departure from Lundgård in time to catch the ferry in Fredrikshavn (a three-hour drive, remember?).

It feels like we really have come a long way since last time, this album will be a definite improvement sound - and performance wise (provided that Charlie (Bauerfeind - producer) puts the rest of us through the same rigorous filet he did with the other two, but why shouldn't he?). I just hope the music itself will have improved an equal amount, but it absolutely feels like it. We shall see... Whatever the case, that's it from me for now. We'll return to Denmark on May 31, and I will continue to keep you updated on what's going on down here. Thanks for reading, hope you have found it entertaining and not a complete waste of your time. Cheers!"

Source:	metaleater.com
Band profile:	HammerFall

According to To/Die/For's official website, the band have finished the recordings of their new album, tentatively entitled "Wounds Wide Open". Recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, the album will now be sent to Abyss Studios where Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) will mix it.

"Wounds Wide Open" is set to be released in October. Tentative song titles scheduled to appear on the album include 'Wicked Circle', 'Guilt Ridden State', 'Quiet Room' and 'Liquid Lies'.

Source:	todieforlove.com
Band profile:	To/Die/For

Denmark's Mercenary, having just wrapped up mixing their August 22 release, "The Hours That Remain", with producer Jacob Hansen (Maroon, Hatesphere), who worked with the band on "11 Dreams", have finalized its tracklisting. Vocalist Mikkel Sandager commented on the album, "We made what we feel is the most powerful album in the band's history. Both the writing and the recording processes have really made us a stronger band as we faced quite a few challenges along the way. We can't wait for people to check out the new stuff, and look forward to playing it all live." The Hours That Remain will be packaged with beautiful artwork by Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth).

Additionally Mercenary have welcomed bass player René Pedersen, an active performer from Denmark's Transparent, as their new bass player. Pedersen's live debut will be this weekend at The Sägfestival in Greding, Germany. Speaking for the band Sandager said, "We are confident that René fits the bill perfectly, both as a musician and as a person. We have been rehearsing with him through the last month, and he is really kicking ass!" This will also be fan's first opportunity to witness material from The Hours That Remain live. The band will then appear at Germany's Rock Hard Festival, June 2, before joining King Diamond's spring tour.

Mercenary have also been confirmed for September's ProgPower USA VII and ProgPower Europe.

The Hours That Remain Tracklist (in no particular order) :

01. Redefine Me
02. Year Of The Plague
03. My World Is Ending
04. This Eternal Instant
05. Lost Reality
06. Soul Decision
07. Simplicity Demand
08. Obscure Indiscretion
09. My Secret Window
10. The Hours That Remain

Source:	mercenary.dk
Band profile:	Mercenary

Israeli metal band Orphaned Land have announced that Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, No-Man, Bass Communion...) will produce their next album, entitled "The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR".

Commented Orphaned Land vocalist Kobi Farhi: "We are a big fans of Steven's works, we are very much exited that we will work together and we are sure we will make an unforgettable album!"

Added Wilson: "I'm very happy to have the opportunity to work with Orphaned Land, one of the most unique and ambitious metal bands on the scene. I know we are going to make an extraordinary album together."

With regards to the next album's concept, Farhi had previously stated, "The next Orphaned Land album will deal with the war of light and darkness. We've dealt with this topic in the past, yet this time the emphasis will be on the hero of this war ? The Warrior of Light (Lohem Ha'or in Hebrew).

Orphaned land have yet to set a date to begin recording the new album, as they are still working the new material for the new effort. More details will be made available during the coming months.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Orphaned Land

The End Records have set August 8th, 2006 as the release date for Agalloch's forthcoming album 'Ashes Against The Grain.'
"There will not be a digipack edition, however, there will be a special edition made. More information on that will unfold in the coming months," reveals the band in a statement. "The band will be extremely busy this summer with various projects to promote the new album including a record release show in Portland, as well as other performances. More detailed news will be posted as it comes."

Track listing:
1. Limbs
2. Falling Snow
3. This White Mountain On Which You Will Die
4. Fire Above, Ice Below
5. Not Unlike The Waves
6. Our Fortress Is Burning... I
7. Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds
8. Our Fortress Is Burning... III - The Grain

Source:	theendrecords.com
Band profile:	Agalloch

Dark Lunacy returns with "The Diarist", new album produced by Fredrik Nordstrom, already famous for the jobs with In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Children Of Bodon. The band will be protagonist of the next Evolution festival with Dark Tranquillity, Moonspell, Death Angel, The Gathering, Cradle Of Filth and many more.

Tracklist:
1. Aurora
2. Play Dead
3. Pulkovo Meridian
4. The Diarist
5. Snowdrifts
6. Now Is Forever
7. On Memory's White Sleigh
8. Heart Of Leningrad
9. Prospekt
10. Motherland
11. The Farewell Song

Source:	darklunacy.com
Band profile:	Dark Lunacy

A string of titles from the Uriah Heep back catalog will be remastered and reissued in limited edition paper sleeve editions with bonus tracks (Japan) on June 21st.

Titles to be reissued include:
Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble (1970, + eight bonus tracks)
Salisbury (1971, + seven bonus tracks)
Look At Yourself (1971, + seven bonus tracks)
Demons And Wizards (1972, + five bonus tracks)
The Magicians Birthday (1972, + nine bonus tracks)
Live (1973, + bonus CD)
Sweet Freedom (1973, + six bonus tracks)
WonderWorld (1974, + six bonus tracks).

Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Uriah Heep

Escapi Music has set a July 28 European release date (August 1 in North America) for the new Dissection DVD, entitled "Rebirth of Dissection".

With Jon Nödtveidt's release from an eight-year prison sentence on September 6, 2004, he recruited a completely new lineup. First to join the ranks was ex-Dark Funeral drummer Tomas Asklund, followed shortly by bass player Brice Leclerq (ex-Nightrage). After auditioning guitarists in the summer of 2004, ex-Aborym member Set Teitan finally entered to complete the lineup. Embarking on a vast European march of triumph, supported by Swedish black metallers Watain, Dissection's "Rebirth of Dissection European Tour 2004" turned out to be a huge success. This DVD includes lots of extras and bonus material recorded from this tour.

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Dissection

In honor of their musical heroes Avenged Sevenfold, The Dillinger Escape Plan have decided to change their names. From this point on they shall be known as:

G. Pirahna
Blaster Master Weinman
Bullwhip Benoit
Corpsefucker Pennie
Leafeater Wilson

They added, "Those are gonna be the names on our new CD. 100% serious. 100 PERCENT."

Only time will tell how dedicated they are to their new identities.

Source:	smnnews.com
Band profile:	The Dillinger Escape Plan

Norwegian metallers Susperia are scheduled to enter the studio in August to begin recording their new album, tentatively due in early 2007. The follow-up to 2004's "Unlimited" will reportedly contain 10 "very diverse individual songs with a lot of variation." One of the tracks that will appear on the CD, entitled "More", was performed during the band's recent appearance at the Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway.

Susperoa's most recent release was an EP entitled "Devil May Care". The band entered the single chart for the first time in their career in October when the EP made its debut at No. 21 on Norway's official "Hit List."

Source:	darksoul7.com
Band profile:	Susperia

The Finnish city of Rovaniemi says it will name a square after monster rock band Lordi, its surprise Eurovision Song Contest winners. The band was the first Finnish act to claim victory in the competition.

The mayor of Rovaniemi (the band's hometown) located on the Arctic Circle - said the town wanted to honour its sons for their success.
Both Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen have also congratulated the group.

Source:	news.bbc.co.uk
Band profile:	Lordi