Metal Storm logo
Metal news




The End Records signs Novembers Doom

From The End website:

THE END RECORDS are proud to announce we have signed a wordwide deal with the acclaimed US act, NOVEMBERS DOOM. Hailing from Chicaco, IL NOVEMBERS DOOM have established themselves through the years as one of the top doom acts in the world and possibly the most prominent one in North America. The initial release will be a re-issue of the last full length "To Welcome the Fade." It will contain a bonus CD with unreleased material such as live songs from our tour with The Gathering, the entire and long out-of-print EP "For Every Leaf That Falls," as well as some other possible surprises. Look for it in stores everywhere this October.

The writing process for the 5th full length CD is complete, and will be recorded in October 2004, for an early 2005 release. The early plan is to once again utilise the talents of Grammy winning Neal Kernon for the final mix of the CD. Entitled "The Pale Haunt Departure" it will contain 8 songs, at close to an hour of music. Tracklisting in no specific order: The Pale Haunt Departure, In the Absence of Grace, Dark World Burden, Swallowed By the Moon, The Dead Leaf Echo, Through a Childs Eyes, Collapse of the Falling Throe, and Autumn Reflection.

Plans are still in the works for a live performance to be pro shot for a DVD release in 2005. The band has lots of old footage, and some great handheld camera shows from the last tour, so the bonus material will be plenty. A video shoot for the new CD is also being planned, and possibly something containing old material compiled of old handheld camera clips to also be included.
Posted: 07.07.2004 by Undercraft | Comments (0)


Release date upcoming album & concert impressions

From Lake of Tears website:

The release date for Black Brick Road has been set to August 30.

The gig at the Sweden Rock Festival was a sucess! It was the first gig in seven(!) years and the band was overwhelmed by the great audience (~3000 people). Daniel: "We would like to thank everyone who attended the gig... we had a fantastic time and it was all thanks to you!".
After being called in a second time to play "Headstones" as the encore, the band met up with the fans in front of the stage for a short signing/photo session. Worth mentioning is that it was the first time Magnus Sahlgren played with the band live.

Setlist:
Boogie Bubble
Cosmic Weed
Making Evenings
Crazyman
Hold on Tight
Pagan Wish
The Greymen
Encore:
Headstones

Band profile: Lake Of Tears
Posted: 06.07.2004 by janhuss | Comments (0)


Iced Earth: Guitarist leaves, joins Sebastian Bach

Guitarist Ralph Santolla has officially left ICED EARTH and joined SEBASTIAN BACH's solo band. "There are several reasons for this decision, and for the moment I will keep them to myself," Santolla writes in a statement sent to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "The other guys know my reasons, and hopefully this won't turn into a public pissing match. On the other hand, if it does, at least execution by musketry has gone out of style. I made some great friends, played some great, albeit difficult (!) metal tunes, and learned a lot from the experience. Whatever anyone else says about Jon , he IS a phenomenal rhythm guitarist.

"On a different note, I am the new lead guitarist for Sebastian Bach. We start playing July 22nd, and I can't wait. We'll do a new album later this year, so look for that, and I hope to see some of the cool people I met on tour with at some of these gigs. I am also in talks with Steve DiGiorgio , Gene Hoglan , and Tom Englund from EVERGREY about making an epic, orchestral metal album called 'ex Cathedra'. More on this later."

Read more ››

Band profile: Iced Earth
Posted: 05.07.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)


Opeth begin work on new material

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has started writing material for the group's next album, tentatively scheduled to be recorded sometime in the early spring of 2005. In other news, Åkerfeldt recently visited No Man Studios in Hemel Hampstead, U.K. to lay down some guitars and backing vocals for the next, as-yet-untitled PORCUPINE TREE record. Mikael plays guitar on one track and sings backing vocals on another five songs. The album is due for release late this year. Also on the OPETH-related front, it is likely that OPETH will put out an audio version of the Shepard's Bush (DVD) concert. If this becomes a reality, there will be some "fantastic and super-exclusive extra features," according to a posting on the band's web site. With regards to their label situation, the band write, "Music For Nations is likely to close their doors within a near future, leaving their roster in the hands of BMG. What will happen to the bands is so far unknown, but it's possible that OPETH will be without a record contract in the near future. This is an effect of the massive merge between Zomba Records and BMG."

Band profile: Opeth
Posted: 04.07.2004 by Undercraft | Comments (0)


Death - Chuck Schuldiner Tribute

Even if it's quite late, here is a notice from James Murphy about the development of Chuck Schuldiner tribute album.

"JUNE 07, 2004

Update from James:

Hi Everyone,

It's been a good while since my last update and I apologize... been quite busy with the Within The Mind project, which for those who don't already know is the star studded tribute to Chuck Schuldiner and Death that I have been working on, as well as a few guest appearances which you will be able to read about here on my personal site.

Here's a list of everyone who has recorded so far... this includes all the way to back to the start of the project and brings us right up to date as of last week:

Richard Christy (drummer from Death, Control Denied, and Iced Earth)
Mark Hunter (vocalist from Chimaira)
Matt Thompson (drummer from King Diamond)
Matt Difabio (vocalist/guitarist from Single Bullet Theory and Pissing Razors)
Bill Mezic (bassist from Single Bullet Theory and Seven Witches)

and most recently...

Jason Bittner (drummer from Shadow's Fall)
and
Matt Bachand (guitarist from Shadow's Fall)

Yes!! A couple weeks ago I traveled to Albany, NY where I was picked up at the airport by Jason Bittner and we headed directly over to Hydrostatic Recording Studios to begin setting up the drums and getting tones for the session.

We started recording the drum tracks and rough guitar tracks for 3 Death songs (not telling yet)! The following day and Shadow's Fall guitarist Matt Bachand showed up a little later that morning to be on hand to record guitar parts for one of the songs.

The session went very smoothly and it was easy to tell that Jason had been playing the songs for quite a while and when you finally hear his performance on the CD there will no doubt as to why Modern Drummer Magazine recently awarded him the #1 Up And Coming Drummer Award. Matt and Jason both kicked ass on the tracks and once again the high standard set by Richard Christy at the beginning of the project was maintained!

Next up I'll be heading to the NY area again to record for the project with Dave Culross, Brett Hofmann, Ross Dolan, and others.

Check the tribute site for pics from the session.

Thanks... I will also soon be sending out a personal update and a Disincarnate update.. thanks again!

~James Murphy"

sources:
http://msanthrope.com/jamesmurphy/index2.htm James Murphy's web page.
http://www.msanthrope.com/deathtribute/ Death Tribute site.

Band profile: Death
Posted: 02.07.2004 by janhuss | Comments (0)


New Album by the Dillinger Escape Plan

The Dillinger Escape Plan set the release date to his new album "Miss Machine" to July 20 in the USA, and August 2nd in the rest of the world.

Check the E-card and listen to some music from the new album here: http://www.relapse.com/ecards/dep/
Posted: 26.06.2004 by Music4TheSpirit | Comments (0)


KOTIPELTO at ProgPower USA V

Century Media is proud to announce that ProgPower USA V's Special Guest will be Timo Kotipelto (Kotipelto, Stratovarius). Kotipelto, whose new album Coldness was released in early 2004 by Century Media Records, will be signing autographs, hosting a meet and greet, and will also be attending the ProgPower pre-Party on September 16th. Excited to be included in the festivities Timo said, "I have heard a lot about ProgPower USA, as some of my friends have played this festival. They have told me about the great atmosphere and the cool crowd. I've never been to the U.S. before so I am really looking forward to seeing the bands and meeting a lot of fans. See ya there! Rock on!"

The festivals promoter Glenn Harveston is thrilled that Kotipelto will be a part of ProgPower USA V, and says, "It's an honor to finally get Timo over here. Hopefully we will be able to convince him to come back in a performing manner next time. Special thanks to Century Media for stepping up to the plate and making a great event even better."

As ProgPower's Special Guest, Kotipelto follows in the footsteps of Fates Warning's Ray Alder 2001, Iced Earth's John Schaffer 2002 and Savatage's Jon Oliva 2003.

Source: centurymedia.com and www.progpowerusa.co...
Band profile: Kotipelto
Posted: 23.06.2004 by janhuss | Comments (0)


Into Eternity - Tour Impressions From Tim Roth

From the Century Media website:

Into Eternity has just returned from Europe where they performed at Germany's Rock Hard and Italy's Gods Of Metal festivals, in addition to three dates with Sweden's Naglfar. Guitarist Tim Roth kept a tour diary and sent this message to fans worldwide:

Hello Everyone....
Well, we made it back from our tour in Europe. It was a brutal flight to get there and it took at least 20 hours of traveling. Melanie and Century Media picked us up at the airport and took us to a four star hotel. After check in we made it to the Rock Hard Festival to see Exodus, Gamma Ray and others, it was a very cool night.
Our first show: Day two of the Rock Hard Festival. There must have been about 5,000 fans. We played as hard as we could and we won over the crowd. After the show, we did a signing session and after a half hour the fans had to be told it was over. I feel bad for everyone who didn't get something signed, as the fans treated us so well in Germany. Also, the press was extremely cool and has really supported Buried In Oblivion.
After a day off, we started our mini-tour with Sweden's Naglfar, who are extremely cool guys. We all bonded instantly as they share the same sick sense of humor. Our first stop was Hamburg, a small show, but the fans packed in really tight and enjoyed it. It was 120 degrees onstage. We also got to hang out with Mike from Rage, and he was a great guy as well.
Next stop: Berlin. The show was cool and fans showed up to support both bands. I was a bit worried at first, but the crowd was great to us. Our hotel was across from the Berlin Wall, so we got photos of it. The one problem was staying up all night drinking with Rob, Marcus and Andreas from Naglfar. My stomach was sore from laughing all night. The tour manager was surprised to see us up at breakfast. We said we wanted an early start! I don't think he believed us.
Osnabruck was the next gig. It was supposed to be a four-hour drive, but turned into eight because of crazy traffic and construction. The club was nice, though. Small, but everything was all done in marble. The show was really good and Century Media staff came out to watch us. Actually, we even took an encore, even though Naglfar was headlining. After the show we said our good byes. It was sad to see the Naglfar guys go: hopefully we'll tour with them again soon!
We then were off to the airport to catch a flight to Italy, and we ran into Rage again there and talked to them the whole flight. Italy is an amazing country. The weather is perfect and the people are beautiful. Again we stayed in a four-star hotel. The Gods of Metal Festival must host 20,000 + fans. It was Into Eternity's biggest show to date, and the show itself was a lot of fun! The only time I got nervous was when I looked over and saw the guys from Nevermore and Symphony X watching us! After we played we hung out backstage and met all the bands. Our dressing room was by Anathema, Judas Priest, Rage and Symphony X, so it was amazing company. One of the coolest guys there was Jason Bonham. He is a guy who is already well off but he's still out there touring. You've got to respect that. I had a long talk with him and he was a real gentleman. Also hanging out with Nevermore was a real treat, as they put on one hell of a show!

Read more ››

Source: centurymedia.com
Band profile: Into Eternity
Posted: 23.06.2004 by janhuss | Comments (0)


Stratovarius: Reconciliation?

Former STRATOVARIUS singer Timo Kotipelto has revealed via his official website that he and the band's guitarist/founder Timo Tolkki are now on speaking terms following months of slagging one another in the press: "I can announce that I am talking to Timo Tolkki and actively trying to come to terms with what happened between us. Despite what many people would wish, I can not confirm that I am back in the band, but whether I do go back or not, at least I can say that we have some sort of dialogue now and that we all are trying to help solve all the many problems that his mental illness has caused. Recently (promoter) Olof Wikström from Skrikhult had a real emergency when Running Wild dropped out of their commitment to headline Gates Of Metal. I have agreed to sing more show with Stratovarius, partly because I want to help Olof, partly because I want to help Jörg, Jens, Jari and Timo, and of course also because I love to perform live. This means that I will be at Gates of Metal in Hultsfred on July 31st with Stratovarius, and with my solo band at Ankkarock on August 1st instead of the previous day. So, hope to see you there on either concert! Timo"

Kotipelto was given the boot last year along with drummer Joerg Michael following some severe disagreements within the band. The hiring of AURORA K singer Katriina Wiiala as Kotipelto's replacement was met with a brutal thumbs down from the fans, and Tolkki ended up checking himself into a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown. Through all the upheaval, however, the beloved Stratovarius line up of Tolkki, Kotipelto, Michael, bassist Jari Kainulainen and keyboardist Jens Johansson - together since 1995 - honoured all of the band's live commitments.

Band profile: Stratovarius
Posted: 23.06.2004 by Undercraft | Comments (0)


Aura Noir return on new label

New Label Signing and Release Date
In the dark Norwegian mountain range Aura Noir have have just signed a contract with Tyrant Syndicate (sub-label of Peaceville/Snapper). The new Aura Noir "Merciless" is the first release on this label. The label is run by Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone and administratively by Peaceville/Snapper.
Fenriz of Darkthrone and Nattefrost of Carpathian Forest will contribute with their hate and alcohol infested throats. Dirge Rep (Orcustus ex Gehenna/Enslaved) has offered us lyrical blasphemy with "Funeral thrash". Other confirmed songtitles are "Condor","Hell's Fire","Black Metal Jaw" and probably a title track called "The Merciless".
"Merciless" is due to be released sometime in August.
Posted: 22.06.2004 by Søren | Comments (0)


Kataklysm

KATAKLYSM will spread their deadly hyperblast all over the metal word in autumn:
The Canadians are planning a huge Europe and US headliner tour in October 2004!

The dates shall be announced soon, before the tour you have the chance to catch KATAKLYSM in August at the Up From The Ground festival in Gemünden, Germany.
In 2005, KATAKLYSM will take most of the time to put together a new album.
"Hell we want it to be our Masters of Puppets, our Reign in Blood!!!" says a very excited singer Maurizio Iacono about plans and expectation for the new record. Brutality flowing to the next level - watch out for more information about the new KATAKLYSM material soon!

Band profile: Kataklysm
Posted: 22.06.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)


Nightwish: no.1 in Germany

NIGHTWISH have entered the German Media Control Charts on # 1 with their new album "Once"! That marks the biggest success for the band thus far and also for record company Nuclear Blast, as this is the first number 1 album in the label's history! The current single "Nemo" remains in the German Top 10 as well with a strong 9th place (top position so far: # 6) NIGHTWISH songwriter Tuomas Holopainen reacted to the great news as follows: "Holy fuck! I will get drunk now!"

"Once" also captured the rest of the European charts:

Finland: # 1 (platinum record for more than 30.000 sold copies!)
Norway: # 1
Greece: # 1
Slovenia: # 1
Hungary: # 1
Switzerland: # 4
Austria : # 4
France: # 9
Netherlands: # 11

Band profile: Nightwish
Posted: 22.06.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)


Dissection to play in Stockholm

Sweden's groundbreaking Death metallers DISSECTION are going to play a comeback gig on October 30th 2004 in Stockholm. It's the band's first concert after seven years. As supporting act, Industrial newcomers DEATHSTARS - featuring Jon's younger brother Emil Nödtveid on guitar - have just been confirmed.

Because of the overwhelming demand it's now also possible for fans all over the world to order tickets for the show. For more information, please visit http://www.dissection.nu

Band profile: Dissection
Posted: 22.06.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)


Gates of Metal: Running Wild out, Stratovarius in!

Stratovarius will replace Running Wild at the Gates of Metal festival.

Late last night it was confirmed that the Finnish power metal band will come to Hultsfred in the end of July.

- Stratovarius is a very good band, it feels nice to have a replacement act of this size confirmed with so short notice. This is an exclusive appearance in more than one way. It's Stratovarius only show in Sweden this year and it might be their last show in Sweden ever. Nobody knows the future of Stratovarius.
Posted: 21.06.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)


Rammstein: New album title and tracklist

According to a posting at ReleaseMagazine.net, German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have set "Reise Reise" (which roughly translates to "Journey Journey") as the title of their new album, tentatively due late September. The tentative track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Reise Reise
02. Amerika
03. Los
04. Wo Bist Du
05. Mein Teil
06. Dalai Lama
07. Keine Lust
08. Morgenstern
09. Amore

The album's first single, "Mein Teil" (written about the man who was willingly eaten by a cannibal in Germany), is set for a June 28 release and will feature a remix by the PET SHOP BOYS. Commented Release magazine contributor Johan Carlsson: "The album feels more natural, and the electronics â?" while still present â?" are taking a backseat. Strings and choirs beef up the sound at times, and even some blues can be found on one track. They haven't lost the heavy RAMMSTEIN sound though."

EDIT: Latest news about the single, Mein Teil:

"The release date of the new single"Mein Teil" has been delayed again due to controversial discussions between the band and record company. The single will be released at the end of July / beginning of August. As soon as there is a definite date, you will be informed here."

Band profile: Rammstein
Posted: 21.06.2004 by Unknown user | Comments (0)