We are currently working on new songs for our upcoming 3rd album to be recorded around June of next year. The songs so far have a much darker and a more technical aspect than previous stuff. The best way to get and idea of our current direction would be on our latest 7" Pic Disc release with Lunar Gate. Understandably this release was very trying on the band as we were limited to the length of the song we could fit on the vinyl but it opened up new avenues for us and brought out some new talents. We will be playing a couple of the new songs next year on tour.

Band profile:

Mourning Beloveth

Polish black/death metallers BEHEMOTH have extended their contract with Olympic Recordings. The group have already commenced the songwriting process for their highly anticipated new album and will enter the studio in early spring with hopes for a late 2004 release.

This has been a breakthrough year for BEHEMOTH, who made their U.S. live debut at the New Jersey March Metal Meltdown festival, which served as the kickoff date for an extensive nationwide tour alongside DEICIDE and AMON AMARTH. From there, they appeared on the first three dates of the now-infamous "Metal Gods" tour headlined by HALFORD and TESTAMENT, as well as the inaugural "Blackest of the Black" festivals (also featuring DANZIG, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, OPETH, NILE and LACUNA COIL). BEHEMOTH capped off the year supporting SIX FEET UNDER on the "Un-Natural Born Killers" tour, and with the release of the limited-edition "Conjuration" EP, featuring one new song, two covers and several live tracks.

Nergal (vocals/guitars) recently checked in with the following update: "At the moment we are taking a short break before we strike again in a few days. After doing 31 dates with SIX FEET UNDER, SKINLESS and AS I LAY DYING we decided to stay a few weeks in LA. to take care of some important stuff. We are proud to announce that we finally signed a new two-album deal with Olympic Recordings for North and South America. It gives us a lot of opportunities for the future and from what we've experienced so far, the label does its best to push the band really hard. Now we are focusing on rehearsing the new set for the three last shows this year with EXHUMED and RISE and this time we're gonna play a longer set. There will be two shows in California and one in Mexico, and I'm sure it will be killer! See ya all there!!!"

Band profile:

Behemoth

Sonata Arctica posted the following message on their "new" website, www.sonataarctica.info

Finally we got our site back on-line!!! We had problems with our webspace provider(...#¤%X"@$£?!!!!) but now we are back at www.sonataarctica.info. Pass it around! www.sonataarctica.com is not in our use until further notice. But life goes on and we are still here!! Currently Tony is writing songs for the next album. We´ll enter studio in March and the album SHOULD be out around september 2004. Then we´ll tour the universe!

Sonata will play some festivals in Finland and abroad during the summer. The dates will be released as soon as they are confirmed.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2004!!

With Love,
Sonata Arctica

Band profile:

Sonata Arctica

Finland's STRATOVARIUS have officially parted ways with vocalist Timo Kotipelto and drummer Jörg Michael.

"Due to irrevocable and massive difficulties between the band leader Timo Tolkki and me, it has been agreed that this is the best thing to do to preserve at least some of the integrity the band used to have," Kotipelto said, according to the band's web site. "I will now fully concentrate on my solo album and I am convinced that this is the best way for me."

Jörg Michael says that his priorities lie elsewhere at the moment, but that the suddenly escalating trouble in the band is one of the main reasons he doesn't want to play in STRATOVARIUS anymore.

"I think this is the beginning of new era for STRATOVARIUS and that the future looks bright and promising," guitarist/leader Timo Tolkki commented. "I have composed some of my best songs during the last month. If anything good comes out of this, then I guess it will be the emotions I have managed to channel into new songs about this situation, which has been very heavy for all of us. I have been having quite bad mental problems lately, but I feel better now due to anti-depressive medication my therapist has prescribed me."

According to the group's booking agent, Continental Concerts, the current line-up is "100% certain" to fulfill all its obligations regarding festival dates next year even though there is a lot of simmering hate waiting to boil over.

Tolkki is currently talking to a German singer and a Finnish drummer about replacing Kotipelto and Michael, but he stresses that absolutely nothing is confirmed at this point. He adds that he is actively looking for replacements.

Band profile:

Stratovarius

Dutch gothic/atmospheric doom metal group AFTER FOREVER have set "Invisible Circles" as the title for their new full-length album, due in late March through Transmission Records. The group's recently released EP, "Exordium", entered the Dutch Album chart at position No. 56 and has since dropped down to No. 74 (view the whole chart here). AFTER FOREVER's last full-length effort, "Decipher", was released in 2001.

AFTER FOREVER will be teaming up with AMARAN, DARK MOOR and NIGHTMARE for a European tour beginning in mid-January.

Band profile:

After Forever

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has reportedly told the Finnish daily newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that keyboardist Jens Johansson will definitely continue to be a member of the band once the group have sorted through their current personnel "crisis". The situation with the band's drummer, Jörg Michael, however, is still up in the air. According to Tolkki, Michael's wife is due to give birth to twins in January and it is not presently clear if the drummer has enough interest and motivation to continue playing with the group.
While he has yet to publicly reveal the cause of their disagreement (due to "legal reasons"), Tolkki has indicated that the biggest problem in the band exists with vocalist Timo Kotipelto, with whom the guitarist is said to have a "very strained" relationship.

When asked by a fan on his guestbook if there are any plans for STRATOVARIUS to play shows in America, Kotipelto responded, "Good question. I don't even know if I am in the band anymore."

Tolkki, who was recently "forced" to hire two bodyguards after receiving e-mail and phone threats from unknown individuals, flew to Berlin late last week to hold discussions with the band's record company, Sanctuary Records, about STRATOVARIUS' future.

In late October, STRATOVARIUS signed a three-album contract with Sanctuary Records in what was said to be the biggest-ever deal completed for a Finnish rock band (reportedly worth over $3.5 million dollars).

Band profile:

Stratovarius

METALLICA's groundbreaking 1986 release "Master of Puppets" has been named one of the Top 40 albums of all time by USA Today music critic Edna Gundersen in the daily newspaper's Dec. 5 edition. Criteria for inclusion was albums that "stand as cohesive bodies of work ? not just fine collections of songs." The list was arranged chronologically and contained no rankings. Others albums that made the Top 40 include GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction" (1987), NINE INCH NAILS' "The Downward Spiral" (1994), NIRVANA's "Nevermind" (1991), and THE RAMONES' "The Ramones" (1976).

Band profile:

Metallica

Canadian technical death metallers CRYPTOPSY have been officially rejoined by original vocalist Lord Worm.

Lord Worm, who sang on the band's first two albums ? 1994's "Blasphemy Made Flesh" (Displeased) and 1995's "None So Vile" (Wrong Again) ? has announced his return to CRYPTOPSY via the following posting on the group's web site:

" 'Un mal pour un bien', I've heard it said, and those seven long years ago, unhappy though I was at leaving (for a private question of honour, not beer), it was nonetheless for the best. Now, we've come full circle, and again a private question of honour finds me back in the fold. 'It is so. It cannot be otherwise.' See you soon..."

CRYPTOPSY's most recent vocalist, Martin Lacroix (ex-SPASME) ? who appeared on the band's 2003 live release, "None So Live" ? left the group in October for undisclosed reasons. CRYPTOPSY are currently writing material for their fifth studio album, tentatively due in early 2004 through Century Media Records.

Band profile:

Cryptopsy

STRATOVARIUS leader Timo Tolkki has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"I thought I cheer you guys up by giving you a small report from the place where I have been writing songs for about a month already. I have already 10 songs written and I can give you some titles as well: 'And You Hate the World', 'I See Black', 'PopKiller' and 'Back to Madness' are amongst the songs that I have completed by now. The working title of the album is called 'PopKiller'.

"Because the situation of the band is unclear, except that Jens will stay in the band, I have no idea when this album will be recorded. We have also several festival appearances booked for the next summer and one Spanish festival at the end of February. I don't know how we are going to handle those because we are committed legally to do them. I am not thinking about that at the moment, I am just writing songs, which always has been a good therapy for me.

"This place is absolutely fantastic and I am completely surrounded by nature and there is a sea view as well. I will travel to Berlin this weekend and talk with the whole Sanctuary team. I hope next week brings the final solution to our problems. Thanks for you patience and understanding."

Read more ››

Band profile:

Stratovarius

Carpathian Forest will release their new album "Skjend Hans Lik" on April 19th, 2004 through France's Season Of Mist. The album contains new songs and the legendary demo recordings "Bloodlust And Perversion" from 1992.

Also Nattefrost, the Carpathian Forest mastermind, will release his debut solo album "Blood And Vomit" on February 23rd, 2004. Unlimited by the boundaries of being in a band, Nattefrost unleashes hatred on an unsuspecting and deserving world. Don't expect anything else but pure, raw, non-politically correct, and necro TRUE Black Metal!

Band profile:

Carpathian Forest

Ave!

We are proud to announce that that tight blood bounds have been tied
between us, Dark Funeral, and Swedish Regain Records. The co-operation
between Dark Funeral and Regain Records will commence on the 29th of
March with the release of our first, yet untitled, live album. Featuring
material that we recorded during our South American tour, Oct 2003
(Brazil, Chile & Colombia). The album includes the following tracks;

01. Intro
02. The Arrival of Satan's Empire
03. An Apprentice of Satan
04. The Dawn No More Rises
05. Thy Legions Come
06. Hail Murder
07. Goddess of Sodomy
08. The Secrets of the Black Arts
09. Vobiscum Satanas
10. Shadows Over Transylvania
11. Open The Gates
12. Ineffable Kings Of Darkness
13. Thus I Have Spoken
14. My Dark Desires
15. Armageddon Finally Comes

We are currently working on the CD layout and are still looking for
high quality and high resolution photos taken during our South American
tour (PLEASE NOTE! 300 DPI or higher only!!!). If you have some, please
let us know via e-mail. We will then instruct you how to send us a CD-R
with complete info on where they are taken and your personal
information. Send inquiries to: darkfuneral@chello.se.

We are also interested to get a hold of videos filmed during any of the South American dates.
Everyone who submit material that end up on the album will receive free
copies of the album among other things.

Read more ››

Band profile:

Dark Funeral

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has officially left OZZY OSBOURNE and has been replaced by ex-ROB ZOMBIE bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson. Newsted, who was with the band for less than a year, left due to undisclosed reasons.

"It's still settling in," Nicholson told MTV.com about his new gig. "It's something I never would have imagined. After playing with Rob Zombie, I was ready to go, 'OK, this is as far as I'm taking this bass-playing thing. This is the end of the road.' I was ready to kind of hang it up.

"But when this came around, it was very odd," he added. "I was almost like, 'There is no possible way that this could happen.' "

At least one other bassist ? FEAR FACTORY's Christian Olde Wolbers ? jammed with Ozzy, guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Mike Bordin in recent weeks, but Nicholson was hired after successfully completing two auditions.

"The first audition was a little intimidating, to say the least," Nicholson said. "Granted, I know Zakk and I've been on Ozzfest before. The situation wasn't uncomfortable, it was just intimidating, playing these songs that I had never played. But the second audition, I was a lot more prepared.

" 'Into the Void' is my favorite BLACK SABBATH song and Ozzy called it out," he continued. "At that moment, I realized, even if I don't get the gig, the fact that I got to play 'Into the Void' with Ozzy was the coolest moment of my life!"

Band profile:

Ozzy Osbourne

The writing of the long awaited sixth Bal-Sagoth album is continuing, and the new material is said to be sounding truly phenomenal. Recording is expected to begin during the depths of winter, with a release during the spring of 2004.

The cover artwork by renowned fantasy artist Martin Hanford is now complete, as are the interior booklet illustrations by both official artists Martin Hanford and Samuel Santos.

Band profile:

Bal-Sagoth

'As we haven't much new stuff to upload or tell you, we can just inform that we have now finished 4 songs for the next album. 2 songs are almost finished and we have 2 in working progress. This leaves only 2 songs to be "invented" as we will have exactly 10 songs on the new album (which according to the concept/theme cannot hold more than that amount of songs).'

Band profile:

Manticora

YOUR GODS, MY ENEMIES is the title for the upcoming Eternal Gray CD.
It reflects the best of what the album concept is all about.
The album will be recorded at Abyss studio Sweden, release date is yet unknown as we are working on getting a record deal.
The album songs are much heavier and fast, yet keeps all of the strong elements from Kindless.
We hope that you are all expecting it, as we are working really hard to provide you a strong, powerful and rich Death Metal, which we all hope will place Eternal Gray among the Elite of the Death Metal bands in the world.

Till then, take care and stay GRAY!

Band profile:

Eternal Gray