Nocturnal Rites bassist Nils Eriksson has issued the following update on the band's official website:

"Hey, we will fix our forum once and for all next week. Sorry about this crap, but we've been way too busy recording to even think about any website related stuff. Good news is that we will start mixing our yet untitled album on Monday!

Honestly, this album feels really different, fresh and new. Still it sounds like us, in some wierd way. Guess we can't escape the NR ghost. However, we have some REALLY cool songs on the way. Be patient.

Tons of stuff will be up here soon, like studio pics and whatnot. We will be back asap with tracklisting, release dates and whatever else we know by then."

Source:	nocturnalrites.com
Band profile:	Nocturnal Rites

Gothic Black metallers Graveworm check in with the following news:

"Hi there, it's time for some news.

We just finished the recordings for our new album at the Stage One studio with Andy Classen. The album, which will be released on May 11th through Nuclear Blast will feature some guest appearances by Maurizio Iacono from Kataklysm and Matze from The Sorrow.

Graveworm were just confirmed for two shows in Russia. This will be the first time for us. Look at the live section at http://www.graveworm.de for the latest show entries."

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Source:	graveworm.de
Band profile:	Graveworm
Event:	Graveworm

Swedish death metallers Vomitory have completed their new album. As announced on their official website: "It's finally time to unveil the cover artwork of the upcoming album, "Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize"! As you can see we've gone in a new brutal direction with this cover, using a photo instead something painted.

The rest of the booklet is also 100% photo-based and follows the same style, but certainly brings it to new sick and disturbing levels. Connoisseurs of gory death metal imagery will certainly have something extra to look forward to!

You can check out the cover here."

"Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize" was recorded, mixed and mastered at Leon Music Studio, Karlstad/Sweden during December together with producer/engineer Rikard Löfgren.

Tracklist for "Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize" is as follows:
01. Eternal Trail Of Corpses
02. Scavenging The Slaughtered
03. Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize
04. The Burning Black
05. Defiled And Inferior
06. March Into Oblivion
07. Whispers From The Dead
08. Heresy
09. Flesh Passion
10. Cremation Ceremony

"Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize" will be released the 20th of April (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) / 23rd of April (Europe). A North American release date will be announced soon.

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Source:	vomitory.net
Band profile:	Vomitory

Original Vicious Rumors bassist Dave Starr has once again left the band as of January 23, 2007.
Dave played bass on the first five Vicious Rumors albums (and was featured in several other Vicious Rumors DVDs, MTV videos, and band compilations). He returned to the band in 2005 to record the new "Warball" CD in 2006.

Commented Starr: "My history with Vicious Rumors goes back nearly 23 years, and in many ways the band will always be a part of me. However, it's time for me to concentrate 100% of my time and energy on my own music, my own band, and playing guitar. My band Wildestarr (along with incredible vocalist London Wilde) is something I have been working on for a few years now, and I took time off from this to work with Vicious Rumors again and record the "Warball" album. I am happy with the way the new Vicious Rumors CD came out, and thrilled with the response it has received so far from the fans and press. It was great to play and record with Vicious Rumors again. I remain on good terms with everyone in the band and wish them well in the future."

Vicious Rumors released "Warball" in the U.S. in October. Two short samples from "Warball" ? 'Sonic Rebellion' and 'Mr. Miracle' ? are available at the band's official website.

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Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Vicious Rumors

Season Of Mist Records have made a new Mayhem track, 'Anti', available for download at this location.

The track is to be featured on Mayhem's new album, "Ordo Ad Chao", tentatively scheduled for release in April.

Mayhem guitarist Blasphemer (aka Rune Erickson) recently commented on the forthcoming new album, stating: "The sound is raw and powerful, and listening to it, it reminds me of the Wolf's Lair Abyss era, only more varied and more philosophical. The album also contains the most aggressive songs in the Mayhem history as well as the most wicked and darkest."

Read more ››

Source:	season-of-mist.com
Band profile:	Mayhem

Hell yes...
Tamara Press (started by Daniel from Incision) will release on 23 of this month a huge nice 500 page book about Swedish Death Metal, containing a listing of about 900 bands, and many other information such as the fanzines that were active in those days, interviews of 30 of the most important characters in the Swedish Death Metal Scene including members from bands like Merciless, Grave, Dismember/Carnage, Treblinka/Tiamat... a huge number of pictures, etc...

All in all, A MUST for Swedish Death metal maniacs !!!!
The book is about 1,5 kg heavy and costs 50 Euro. 55 Outside Europe.

Release Party
An exclusive release party will be on the 26 of January at Kafé 44 in Stockholm. A party for invited OLD FARTS only. The flyier nicely claims "STRICTLY NO POSERS, HARDLY ANYONE UNDER 30 ALLOWED ENTRANCE" And will feature unique performances of Nirvana 2002, Grotesque and Internment.

For more info check the Tamara myspace.
Damn...

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Source:

myspace.com

Eternal Tears Of Sorrow have launched a video page on http://youtube.com/etoslive. Live footage from the band's December 31st show show at Teatria in Oulu, Finland is currently available for streaming. The songs currently on offer are "Blood Of Failth (Stains My Hands)' and 'Autumn's Grief".

Read more ››

Source:	eternaltears.info
Band profile:	Eternal Tears Of Sorrow

Finnish metallers Nightwish have updated their website with following message: "The auditions for the new vocalist have ended, with more than 2000 demos sent to us. (yesterday, 15.1. we received 120 demos!) A big thanks to everybody! So please don't send anymore demos, since now we need to concentrate on finishing the album recordings." The new vocalist will be announced at the end of May, together with the release of a new single.

Source:	nightwish.com
Band profile:	Nightwish

Pig Destroyer: "Writing and rehearsing for Phantom Limb are almost all done," Scott Hull says from his home in Virginia, as Pig Destroyer prepare to enter Omega Studios (immortalized by Bad Brains' The Omega Sessions) to record their fourth album. "Very different writing process this time around. I wrote and demoed all the tracks in my studio with the drum machine?not much differently than I would do with Agoraphobic Nosebleed?then presented all the songs completed to the rest of the band for practice."

The guitarist and producer has been doing a lot of practicing on his own as of late: "I've been doing a lot of studying at Omega with their engineers and in their rooms," he explains. "I'm slowly putting myself in the position to produce bands, which is something I've never really been prepared to do. I produced Phobia's Cruel this year and had a good experience. I've grown in the process of completing some movie scores as well. One of which, for a film called Sanctified, really put my music knowledge to the test as the score includes a lot of actual orchestral pieces I had to compose."

While the band's signature metagrind attack remains more or less intact, Hull notes that Phantom Limb will be "leaner, meaner than Terrifyer, more metal, a little burlier. At the same time I think the songs are better, just because of the change in the writing process. Plus, Blake Harrison, our noise and sample guy, really adds to the chaos. Not to mention, since Terrifyer we've really gotten eggheaded about gear and defining what sounds we want to get. As Todd Barry would say; 'This shit's going to be slicker than a YES album.'"

Source:	smnnews.com
Band profile:	Pig Destroyer

After just completing a North American tour, which the band found to be quite successful, Leaves' Eyes will be heading the same way in August/September this year. Joining Leaves' Eyes for the tour will be Power Metal band Kamelot.

Here are the dates for the tour:

17.08.2007 - USA - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
18.08.2007 - USA - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance Theatre
19.08.2007 - USA - New York, NY @ B.B. Kings Blues Club
20.08.2007 - USA - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre*
21.08.2007 - USA - Bedford, NH @ Mark's Place*
22.08.2007 - Canada - Montreal, QU @ Medley
23.08.2007 - Canada - Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
24.08.2007 - Canada - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
25.08.2007 - USA - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
26.08.2007 - USA - Detroit, MI @ I-Rock*
27.08.2007 - USA - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
28.08.2007 - USA - St.Paul, MN @ Station 4
30.08.2007 - USA - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
01.09.2007 - USA - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
02.09.2007 - USA - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club

* = Leaves' Eyes only

Source:	leaveseyes.de
Band profile:	Leaves' Eyes
Event:	Kamelot/Leaves' Eyes: North American Tour 2007

Nevermore guitarist Steve Smyth has posted the following update at his official website, after having a successful kidney transplant operation:

"The time has finally come to share a very important piece of news, directly related to my health. On December 12th, 2006, I had a successful kidney transplant! After 6 straight months on dialysis, changes to my lifestyle and diet, and a very thorough search for a suitable donor, by early August 2006, we had a preliminary match. Several rounds of blood and tissue typing tests had to be subsequently performed to ensure we were a perfect match for transplant; the main reason for my hesitance in saying anything publicly during those months.

The donor shall remain nameless, but my gratitude to him for his selfless act of kindness and friendship will endure forever! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me!

I am now on the road to recovery, as they say. This is mainly requiring a lot of adjustment to medications I will be on for the rest of my life, a small price to pay to be free from dialysis, and the restrictions it places on a person, both mentally and physically. I had no idea how much freedom I took for granted before all of this hit. 2006 was a big revelation of the frailty of human life for me, something I will not take for granted again.

Where does all this lead to next? I've been advised by my doctors that I will not be able to travel in any capacity for the next 6 months, as I have to adjust to immunosuppressant drugs to fight any possible form of rejection of the kidney, and my body needs time to recover from this operation, as well as dietary and lifestyle changes. All things that only make one stronger!

Obviously, my health must come first, but of huge importance to me is my loyalty to the rest of Nevermore, and as soon as I am deemed fit and ready to hit the road again, I will. I've already written 4-5 songs in various stages for the next Nevermore record, when the time comes to do one."

Source:	stevesmyth.com
Band profile:	Nevermore

VICE Films (Peter Beste) are now in Norway making a documentary about Gaahl and Gorgoroth. It will appear on a Vice DVD with several other related segments. The first pressing of this DVD is 100,000 units, and will be distributed in all major music retailers in the US, and most in Europe.

Gorgoroth has been nominated in the "Metal" category at the 35th annual Spellemann awards (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Norwegian music awards show will be held Saturday, January 27 at the Thalia Theater, Chateau Neuf in Oslo, Norway and will be broadcast live on the Norwegian channel TV2.

Gorgoroth have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 9-11, 2007 in Bad Berka, Germany.

Source:	Gorgoroth online newsletter 09.01.2007
Band profile:	Gorgoroth

Canadian technical death metal act Martyr have lined up the following tour dates:

Jan. 24 - Oshawa, ON - The Dungeon
Jan. 25 - London, ON - The Embassy
Jan. 26 - Peterborough, ON - The Red Dog Tavern
Jan. 27 - Toronto, ON - TBA
Jan. 28 - Hamilton, ON - The Underground
Feb. 23 - Moncton, NB - Manhattan
Feb. 24 - Halifax, NS - Pavilion
Mar. 09 - Jonquiere, QC - Côté Cours
Mar. 17 - Trois-Rivieres, QC - Maquisart
Mar. 24 - L'épiphanie, QC - Centre Guy Melancon
Apr. 06 - Quebec, QC - L'Impérial
Apr. 21 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Powerfest

Read more ››

Source:	martyr-canada.com
Band profile:	Martyr

Type O Negative will now play two nights at Anaheim, California's House Of Blues venue this month. The dates are:

January
21 - House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA
22 - House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA

The band's new album, Dead Again , is scheduled for release via SPV on March 13th - US/Canada, March 16th - Germany and March 19th - Europe.

Tracks to appear on the release include: 'Dead Again', 'Tripping A Blind Man', 'The Profits Of Doom', 'September Sun', 'Halloween In Heaven', 'These Three Things', 'She Burned Me Down', 'Some Stupid Tomorrow', 'An Ode To Locksmiths', 'Hail And Farewell To Britain'.

Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Type O Negative

Swedish Heavy Metal/Thrash band Morgana Lafey will release a new album in March 2007, according to a message posted atband's website:

So what's new?

Well, we will release a new album in march 2007. What do we have to do?
The album is recorded, so that is not a problem. And the name of the album is not a problem... anymore, so that is nothing to worry about.

By the way, the album title is "Primal Chaos".

And as a "sorry that we suck at updating our website" we have a few late christmas presents for you!!

TRACKLIST:

1. Delusions
2. Make A Wish
3. The Rush Of Possession
4. Depression
5. Caught In The Treadwheel
6. Reflections Of War
7. Face Of Fear
8. Where I Rule
9. In Shadows I Reign
10. Aberration Of Mind
11. Vultures Devouring
12. Over And Over Again

The band has also posted 2 new samples from the upcoming album online. You can hear them here: http://www.morganalefay.se/media/media.htm

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Source:	morganalefay.se
Band profile:	Morgana Lefay