Griffin will hit the road as support for King Diamond next year. Griffin starts the tour in Poland on May 9th.

Griffin has parted ways with lead guitarist Marcus Silver. The band wish him all the best for the future.

http://www.griffin.no

The following message is posted at Crimson Glory's website:

"It's been six years since the band released its last album, and 16 years since it performed with its classic lineup.

That will change in 2006, when CG celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first album with reissues of its back catalog, new releases of rare audio and video, and live performances, says founder/guitarist Jon Drenning.

"There's a tremendous amount of loyal fans around the world who love this band, and they're making it possible for this to happen, because they keep demanding more material from Crimson Glory," Drenning said.

Drenning has reassembled original members Midnight (lead vocals), Ben Jackson (guitar) and Jeff Lords (bass). The drummer has yet to be announced.

The reunion will include:
Remastered reissues of the band's self-titled first CD, originally released in 1986, "Transcendence" (1988) and "Astronomica" (1999), all on Black Lotus Records. All will contain previously unreleased tracks; "Astronomica" may include Midnight's vocals for the first time and a new video shot at the pyramids in Egypt.

A DVD featuring never-before-released live footage, including a 1989 concert at the Manatee Civic Center.
An anthology box set, "Valley of Shadows, Kingdoms of Light."
Live performances at various European festivals.
In addition, Drenning has signed a side deal with Black Lotus to distribute CDs by unknown American bands in Europe. Drenning, who books and promotes acts in various Bradenton clubs, has already made agreements with Gargamel! and Ripa Joda.

The band also plans on recording an all-new album for 2007, backed by a tour.

All this begs one question: Will Crimson Glory once again don the face masks synonymous with its name?

"Being that it's part of our history, I think we will to some degree," Drenning said. "Maybe for (concert) encores, we'll put the masks back on"."

Source:	crimson-glory.com
Band profile:	Crimson Glory

The following update has been posted on the band's official website:

"After more then 7 years, 4 albums(1999 "Negative Prevails", 2000"Bedtime for Mercy", 2002"Necrospective", 2004"Livid Corruption" ) and a couple of compilations, Natron officially part ways with their label Holy Records.

"Our deal still included an option but - some discussions later - we all thought better to anticipate the expiration of the contract as cooperation didn't satisfy both parts anymore.We thank Holy Records for helping somehow Natron to spread their music in the underground through the past years.

"Beside planning tours/gigs ( we're going to update the gig section really soon!), we're currently demoing new songs and planning to release a new album within the summer/fall 2006....in the meanwhile we're looking for a new label as well,stay tuned!"

Source:	natron.it
Band profile:	Natron

ATROCITY fans watch out! Additionally to the work on the follower to "Werk 80", ATROCITY are already busy with their next project: the first DVD of the band will be released in 2006! To present you the best possible retrospective of the more than 20-year-long band history ATROCITY need your support. Send them all the dates of concerts you visited, especially those in the first years of the band. They also ask you to send photos, videos etc. of their live gigs. The best stuff will be featured on the DVD!

Your ATROCITY stuff to:
info@atrocity.de
Mastersound Entertainment
c/o Atrocity History
Schorndorfer Straße 25
70736 Fellbach
Germany

Source:	atrocity.de
Band profile:	Atrocity

Century Media Records has announced the signing of German black metal hopefuls DARK FORTRESS. The group's fourth full-length CD, "Séance", will be released in Europe on January 30, 2006 and will feature the artwork by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, KATATONIA, OPETH).

"Séance" track listing:

01. Ghastly Indoctrination (7:39)
02. CataWomb (6:41)
03. Requiem Grotesque (6:50)
04. While They Sleep (7:11)
05. To Harvest The Artefacts Of Mockery (4:11)
06. Poltergeist (5:56)
07. Revolution:Vanity (5:14)
08. Incide (5:20)
09. Shardfigures (6:22)
10. Insomnia (6:34)

Total playing time: 62:05 minutes

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Dark Fortress

An update was posted at Marty Friedman's website, He, together with Paul Gibert, will appear on a special DVD of Young Guitar magazine. Also it reports that "Marty is making progress on his upcoming solo album. Engineer/co-producer Allen Isaacs (Sex Machine Guns, Mayo Okamoto) is in Los Angeles editing the first batch of tracks. Recording will commence in Tokyo in December."

For more info go to: http://www.martyfriedman.com

The band inked a deal with UK label Candlelight Records.

The Band entered the studio to record a new, album entitled "As Everything Is A Tragedy", that is planed to be released in early 2006.

Source:

candlelightrecords.co.uk

The great label "Onslaught Records" (http://www.onslaughter.net/) just signed an Italian band in the direction of releasing their second Full Length album called "Decorations Of Pantheon".

The band is "Perfidy Biblical", a blasphemous Death Metal band located in Rome, This album will be released soon (maybe February 2006) and it's already making a lot of noise in the metal scene.

Metal Storm will follow this topic closely; soon you'll have more info available?wait for the Review too.

Check the band's sites:
http://www.geocities.com/perfidybiblical/
http://www.perfidybiblical.net/
http://www.myspace.com/perfidybiblical/

Finland's WALTARI have inked a deal with Dockyard 1, the new company formed by Dirk Putzke, Christine Stephan (both ex-Sanctuary/Noise Records) and Piet Sielck (IRON SAVIOR). The band's new album, "Blood Sample" (view cover at http://www.waltarimusic.com/all/bloodsample/bloodsample320.gif), is scheduled for release in March 2006.

Source:

blabbermouth.net

INBORN SUFFERING has just finished its first album entitled "WORDLESS HOPE"... more than one hour of doom/death in made line our first demo left last April & always available...

this album contains 8 titles, including one instrumental & the 3 titles of the demo in different versions this album was recorded & mixed between May & September 2005, by Andrew (heol telwen, the arrs, black god, bran barr, carnal lust, etc) in Hybreed Studio in Fontenay s/bois (France)...

Tracklist:
01. THE AGONY WITHIN
02. INBORN SUFFERING
03. AS I CLOSE MY EYES
04. STYGIAN DARKNESS
05. THIS IS WHO WE ARE
06. WORDLESS HOPE (instru)
07. MONOLITH
08. THORN OF DECEIT

...Taken from the Paris gig , april 14th (with Mourning Beloveth, Mar De Grises, Ataraxie)

enjoy:

http://62.193.235.178/video/INBORN_SUFFERING_stygian_darkness.wmv

mp3+pictures live, studio & promo on our website!

Tshirts & demos too

http://www.inborn-suffering.tk

Source:

Inborn Suffering

The new website of the Danish-American act Pyramaze is now launched.
Also, you will find the song "Souls In Pain" from their upcoming album "Legend Of The Bone Carver" in the MP3 section of the website.

Here's a statement about the release dates for the new album:

"We're pleased to announce that our record labels all over the world have decided on a common release schedule for "Legend Of The Bone Carver".

In Japan "King Records" will release the album on 22nd of February 2006. "Melodic Heaven" will release it in the rest of Asia on the same day. In France "Replica Records" will put it out in stores on February 27th, as will "Massacre Records" in the rest of Europe. Since the standard release dates in USA are Tuesdays, "Nightmare Records" will put it out the day after, February 28th 2006.

As you can see from the list above, we've changed labels in certain places. In Japan we're no longer signed to Toshiba/EMI, but have instead inked a deal with King Records. We'd especially like to thank our Japanese publisher, Mr. Koh Sakai at Burrn! Music, for his valuable help in signing with King Records.

In Europe, Replica Records have this time decided only to concentrate on France, thus leaving the rest of Europe for larger distribution / licensing through Massacre Records.

All of this should make it much easier to get hold of Pyramaze albums, no matter where you live. We're really happy about this, and we're looking forward to getting "Legend Of The Bone Carver" out in stores, and hear the feedback from fans and media."

Source:

pyramaze.com

Finnish folk-influenced melodic death metal band Ensiferum, now featuring in its ranks NORTHER frontman Petri Lindroos, have set "Dragonheads" as the title of their new EP, due in February 2006 via Spinefarm Records. The mini-CD is being recorded at Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki and will contain one new track, new studio recordings of several old demo songs, and a couple of traditional Finnish folk covers. The group's next full-length release is scheduled to be recorded in the summer of 2006. A European tour is tentatively slated to kick off in March 2006.

ENSIFERUM will also film their New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) 10-year anniversary concert at the Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland for an upcoming DVD.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Ensiferum

Swedish epic/power metallers FALCONER have confirmed the departure of singer Kristoffer Göbel. In a posting on their official web site, the band write, "Well, once again the line up of FALCONER is changing. 'Now again!!' you might say. It does sound a bit unstable to do this every once in a while, I know.

"After realizing that changing vocalist was not that applauded by people nor was the musical change on the last album (isn't it great when people are open minded....) we thought: 'OK, sailing towards the wind is getting boring' (personally I would say a sense of cynicism started to grow), 'Why not sail with it instead in good mood?'

"After changing the new music into more folkish style (and loving the sound of it) Karsten and I thought, 'Why not go the whole way, it would really fit the music.

"So hereby we present you the return of Mathias Blad.

"So we thank Kristoffer for the years in the band. It's been a great time we allways will cherish and we assure you all that this has nothing to do with personal matters. We wish all the best for Kriss in the future.

"This kind of thing is about the worst things you can do to a bandmate if you're all friends but in the end, this is not a sand box, it's a band."

FALCONER's fourth studio album, "Grime Vs. Grandeur", was released in May via Metal Blade Records. The CD features guest performances by Snowy Shaw (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND, DREAM EVIL) on drums and Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND) on additional lead vocals.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Falconer

Some 18 years in the making, TunnelVision Brilliance, the debut solo offering from Scott Reeder, will be released by Liquor and Poker Music on Jan. 24, 2006. An MP3 of the albums "The Day Of Neverending" has been posted on the label's MySpace page, www.myspace.com/liquorandpokermusic .

As a member of two legendary underground bands, Reeder has made a considerable impact on heavy music. With The Obsessed a group Rolling Stone praises for "almost single-handedly inventing" doom metal and then as bassist for desert rock pioneers Kyuss (whom All Music Guide dubbed a "heavy metal Velvet Underground the blueprint often copied but never quite replicated by countless underground metal bands"), Reeder helped to lay the groundwork for a revival of organic and heavy yet musical rock championed to this day by both cult and mainstream icons alike.

The 13-track TunnelVision Brilliance is a solo album in the truest sense of the word, with all songs written and performed entirely by Reeder and Reeder alone. In addition, he produced, engineered and mixed the recording mostly in his own studio. It's a much more personal and intimate soundscape than his thunderously heavy past, an inspired (and undeniably psychedelic) trip through the subconscious of one of underground rocks brightest luminaries.

"It's weird, going at it alone this time without a bunch of other guys to mesh with," Reeder admits. "Finally, after 25 years of doing the band thing, I'm getting the chance to put out some songs I've recorded by myself along the way that never quite fit within the frameworks of my band stuff. Throughout my days in Across The River, The Obsessed, Kyuss and Goatsnake, I've been very proud of every recording I've contributed to, but I've never been anywhere near this excited about releasing anything. For me, this is as pure as it gets not a single other person was ever in the room when any of this was recorded, no one to argue with (except myself!), not having to fit into any mold or format. For better or worse, no compromise whatsoever."

Since Kyuss disbanded in 1995, Reeder might be best known for his high-profile auditions with Metallica (he appears in the documentary Some Kind Of Monster) and Tool (he's occasionally joined them onstage to cover a Kyuss tune), but his contributions to the music world have still been notable. He's produced cult favorites both up-and-coming (SUNN 0))), Bluebird) and long established (Orange Goblin, Goatsnake); he's continued to contribute to movie soundtracks (1996's 2 Days In The Valley, for example); and he's kept making and playing music, be it through performing as part of underground icons Unida and Nebula, guesting on the acclaimed 1998 debut by The Earthlings (which also featured Dave Grohl), or gigging with his new band, Butcher. Throughout his sonic journeys, Reeder kept a musical diary of the other side of his personality.

Read more ››

Band profile:

Kyuss

The Erfurt gig (02.12.05) will be recorded for an upcoming live DVD which also will contain "special material about the first Northamerica tour and many surprises". The release of the DVD is expected to be somewhere in 2006.

Also the band announced some finnish dates for 2006:

24.01.06 - HELSINKI, Tavastia
25.01.06 - TAMPERE, Pakkahuone
26.01.06 - KUOPIO, Työnkulma
27.01.06 - OULU, Teatria
27.01.06 - LAHTI, Sibeliustalo

Source:	apocalyptica.com
Band profile:	Apocalyptica