The following message was posted on the Dreamaker site about Elisa's new French band Hamka:

Elisa and Will (ex-Fairyland) are proud to show you the new French metal band called HAMKA.

The band is signing a record deal with the Finnish label RISING REALM RECORDS for a worldwide distribution.

HAMKA is in studio to record their first album "UNEARTH" that will be realeased date is plan for late summer 2005.

The album will distribute in Japan by King Records end July 2005.
The band will also participate to the Megadeth's tribute available in June 2005.
You can listen 4 songs in the official website:

http://www.hamkaband.com

Source:	dreamaker.net
Band profile:	Dreamaker

The thrash band was confirmed to play on the Beyond The Mountains Music Festival, the following message was posted on the site of the festival:

"That's right, the mighty "D" has agreed to reunite one last time for what is turning out to be the lineup of a lifetime. Deliverance will play the fest on Saturday evening"

The other Lineup of the event is completed by Tourniquet, Holy Soldier, Whitecross, Guardian, Barren Cross, Once Dead, Sacred Warrior, Neon Cross, Recon, Saint, Ultimatum, Laudamus, Tower of Hundred, 39 Lashes, Reaching For Mercy and Demize.

Source:

beyondthemountain.com

Ayreon newsletter arrived today earlier with some great news.

Firstly. New Ayreon single! The third single taken from the Ayreon album 'The Human Equation' will be released June 16th, 2005. It is called 'Come Back to Me', and is a slightly extended and newly mixed version of the song 'Day 7: Hope'. Other tracks include: 'August Fire' featuring Mostly Autumn's Heather Findlay; 'When I'm 64', a Beatles cover song; and 'Back 2 Me', a special remix. A video clip was shot during the summer of 2004 and is included on the single together with a 'making of' video. For more information and artwork, visit the site.

Secondly. It's been quiet for a while now... Consider it the calm before the storm, because the last few months have been extremely hectic in the Electric Castle. Arjen has been hard at work; inside his studio recording a new album, and outside his studio doing photoshoots and videoshoots, all for his latest musical endeavour: a band! The newsletter says that they have to keep us in suspense a little while longer before they can reveal details of this exciting new development.

Thirdly. Shadow Gallery's Gary Wehrkamp and Mike Baker have been good friends with Arjen for years now. Gary and Mike performed on various Arjen Lucassen projects and when Shadow Gallery began work on their new album, they asked for Arjen to perform a solo on one of their songs. He was only too happy and thrilled to play on the album called 'Room V' to be released at the end of May, 2005 through InsideOut. Arjen also sang and played guitar on a very interesting bonus track featured on the special edition of Room V. For more information on this album please check: http://www.shadowgallery.com

And lastly. For all those who would like to get their hands on the ProgAid project single, it is now available for ordering. Arjen contributed two guitar solos to this project that has many artists from the prog community participating to raise money for the Asian Tsunami Relief Fund. Arjen's solo spots are featured in the 'Definitive Mix'. More information on the project at http://www.ProgAID.com

Source:	ayreon.com
Band profile:	Ayreon

Black Sabbath frontman and general global superstar, Ozzy Osbourne has been diagnosed with Parkin Syndrome, a hereditary condition that affects the nervous system.

It was widely assumed that the prince of darkness' famous tremors were the result of his drug fuelled past life, but it now appears that the condition is a medical one.

A quote from Ozzy said: "I'd always assumed it was the booze and stuff. Now I've found it all stems from the family. It's called Parkin but it's not Parkinson's. Anything to do with the central nervous system has the word Parkin in it. A doctor in Los Angeles tried to tell me I had multiple sclerosis. And I believed him until I had a second opinion. When I told my sisters she said, 'Not you as well? Mum had that and Auntie Elsie and your grandma.' I'm like, 'Thanks for fucking telling me'. Me walking around thinking I've got some drug paralysis."

Source:	drownedinsound.com
Band profile:	Ozzy Osbourne

The band posted the following update concerning the lineup, tours and new album:

"Psycroptic would like to announce that Jason Peppiatt is the new vocalist of the band. Jason did an amazing job on the recent European tour, and Psycroptic welcomes him to the band. His first live shows as a full member of Psycroptic will be on the Hate Eternal Australian tour in June. The material for the new as yet untitled album has almost been completed, with finishing touches currently being put on the songs. It is hopeful that the recording will start around august. A US tour is expected to take place in October with Deeds of Flesh - not July as previously stated. Thanks to Outbreak Studios, a new website design is underway and should be ready by May."

http://www.psycroptic.com

Drummer Erik Sayenga has left DYING FETUS "due to circumstances beyond his control," according to an official statement.

Commented Erik: "DYING FETUS are a great band and I want to thank the other members of FETUS, the cool people we have met on the road and all the fans for the good times.I am unable to continue playing in this band but I wish DYING FETUS all the best of luck in all they do."

In other news, Erik's new project WARTHRONE will begin recording their debut five-song EP soon. Joining Sayenga in the black/death-inspired project are Richard Johnson (ex-WITCH-HUNT, SANGUINARY) on vocals, and Kristel (ex-WITCH-HUNT, DARK PURITY) on keyboards and bass. Check out www.warthrone.net for more information.

http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net

Band profile:

Dying Fetus

Swedish metallers DESTINY have announced the addition of guitarist Michael Åberg (NOSTRADAMEUS) to the group's ranks. Michael will make his live debut with the band at their "Beyond All Sense 2005" CD-release party on May 13 at Hard Rock Café in Gothenburg. DESTINY will be on stage around 10 p.m. performing a selection of songs from the new album.

A re-recorded version of DESTINY's debut album (originally issued in 1985), "Beyond All Sense 2005" will be released in Sweden on May 11 and in Germany and Austria on May 16.

http://www.blabbermouth.net

We finished mastering the album yesterday so we are all done at our end with the new CD! Working with Tom Morrisound over at Morrisound was a pleasure and we are really happy with the way it turned out. We are still waiting for RoadRunner to give us a release date. Hopefully it will be the beginning of July at the latest!

Obituary

Band profile:

Obituary

Opeth has posted the following message on their website:

Per Wiberg has now officially joined Opeth as a permanent member of the band. As most of you know he's been touring with Opeth since their "Damnation" record. Spiritual beggars fans should not despair as he will continue playing and recording with them.

The band is currently hard at work in Fascination street studios. 9 titles have been recorded and at this moment Hammond organs and Mellotrons are being put down to tape. The recording is being supervised and engineered by Jens Bogren and produced by the band. Some song titles have been confirmed and will be posted here soon.

Several North American journalists will visit the studio in mid May for interviews and exclusive listening sessions.

We will soon confirm a handful of Scandinavian and European dates. The band will do a smaller trek round the key cities in Europe in September. This will be the first tour in support of the new album which is supposed to be released in late August/early September. More tour dates to come....

Have you forgotten...sorry for taking so much time...but:
We will soon confirm the winner of the drawing contest too. There have been hundreds of pictures sent in and we thank you for these. The winner will get the task of drawing the band picture for the next Opeth Cd.

Record label??? Opeth have decided which label to sign to and the contracts are being done as you read. We will announce it here shortly!

Source:	opeth.com
Band profile:	Opeth

Joost Van Den Broek, After Forever´s keyboardist, has already started recording his special guest on the debut album of Sagitta, named "Ohm". Former member of Sun Caged, Joost has already worked with Arjen Lucassen on the projects Ayreon and Star One. Influenced by Derek Sherinian, Steve Vai, Ayreon/Star One, Muse, Jamiroquai and Devin Townsend Sagitta fans can wait for a surprising work of this 22 year-old keyboardist , who has been playing since he was 11.

Philip Colodetti, "Ohm"´s producer, is in Germany to keep up the recordings of Joost, who will also take part in the CD´s orchestration, expected to be released next semester with very special guests. Despite the delay on the recordings - "Ohm" was expected to be released this semester - but the band musicians aren´t worried about it, they just wanna it the way they´ve planned. According to Alex Neves, the bassist, the delay on the recordings were also due to the scheduling of the special guests on this debut album of Sagitta.

It´s also important to remember that Cede Dupont, Freedom Call and Symphorce´s guitar player, came to Brazil last year especially to record his part and yet jammed with Sagitta at Blackmore Bar, in São Paulo (SP). The expectation is huge and the band hasn´t been on the stage for a long time to concentrate on this CD. "We can hardly wait to come back to the stages, and I miss the fans a lot", says Alex Neves.

Log in: www.sagittametal.com

-Sagitta Newsletter-

Band profile:

After Forever

Cornerstone has completed the mixes for the up and coming Cornerstone Live album that the band recorded on several dates on their debut tour of Europe January and Febuary 2005.

The album will be called "CORNERSTONE, IN CONCERT" and will be released firstly in Japan on YAMAHA COMMUNICATIONS on July 6th, and in Europe July 11th on MASSACRE RECORDS.

Included in the package will be a video clip of some live and backstage footage from the bands private videos.

The band are currently laying down ideas for the next studio album to be released in the spring 2006.

http://www.cornerstonemusic.dk

The band launch the new site http://www.ivorytower.de on 18.04.2005

The new album from the band is ready, and it's entitled "It", the band is currently looking for labels "for a possible release". There is a sample of the song "Piece of Mind", click here to listen to the song.

Read more ››

NAPALM DEATH guitarist Mitch Harris spoke to Australia's Themetalforge.com recently about the status of guitarist Jesse Pintado.

"He's out of the band," Harris said pointedly. "He didn't actually leave the band. We sent him home. He had some personal issues. We knew that being in the band wasn't the right environment for his current state of mind. So we sent him home to get some help and support from his family and stuff. We waited for two years for him to get his act together. For example, he didn't even play on Order Of The Leech (from 2002) or the covers album (2004's Leaders Not Followers 2). He just kinda disappeared on us and he became unreliable. There were a lot of issues which were holding us back and confusing the issue and we really just wanted to play ball and just get up there and do what we do, and it was really, really affecting the band in a negative way and it was affecting him in a negative way as well as us personally. We thought it would be best. We gave him 200 million chances and he came back after two years, and his condition hadn't improved and we decided to let him go because he just became unreliable. We have a really hard year ahead of us with lots and lots of touring. We thought it would be best for the band, for the album and also for the fans to just let him go which is a shame because we've been through so much. We've achieved so much together and he's been our room mate for years and just living together we've managed to remain good friends. He wishes us all the best as well as we wish him all the best. I can't put it in any more detail than that because it's his own personal kind of deal. It's his own business really. It's a shame,"

Their new album, The Code Is Red?Long Live The Code is the first album of original material that the band have written and recorded as a quartet since the late 1980s. It appears the idea of becoming a quartet was something they were forced to settle into some time ago.

"I do think the album didn't suffer in any way, shape or form," says Harris. "In the end, it was better for the future of the band I think. We've kinda come together as a four piece in a way that there's no turning back now. It's like, we've done what we've done and we're going to live with our decision. There's no point now. I mean, there was talk about getting another guitarist and of course lots of people suggest that. But it's not going to fill Jesse's shoes. It's not going to make up for the fact that he's not there. But at the end of the day, what we're doing now and the way it's written and the way it comes across, it is as solid and as intense as it needs to be. We're just gonna to continue as a four piece. There's just no point in going backwards at this stage. There's too much to be done. We're all much older now and we have lives to lead. The less confusion, the better. We're all totally on the same level so let's just keep it there."

Read more ››

Band profile:

Napalm Death

Metal titans ARCH ENEMY - whose dynamic mixture of melody and aggression has earned them massive critical acclaim, a rabid worldwide fan base and a slot on this summer's Ozzfest - have officially signed a new agreement that sees Century Media Records, in conjunction with band leader Mike Amott's Savage Messiah Music label, become the home for the group's future albums worldwide outside Southeast Asia.

The band is currently wrapping up work on their highly anticipated new full-length album Doomsday Machine, which is set for a July 25 release in Europe (July 26 in North America). "We have all been working hard in the studio to make the ultimate metal album," Mike says. "The drums sound totally amazing, as Daniel (Erlandsson, percussion) has excelled himself yet again and the grooves he's created are catchy but powerful as hell. People will be stunned when they hear what he has done.

"I think all great metal needs that killer mix of classic riffs and ripping solos, something that has been a bit of a dying art recently," he continues. "We are doing our best to recreate that mix on this new album, and one thing I can guarantee is that there will be tons of guitar for fans to headbang to. All in all, I am really happy with the songs and I believe we have found the right balance of melody and brutality - the Arch Enemy trademark! Welcome to the Doomsday Machine."

ARCH ENEMY, featuring the all-star lineup of Mike Amott (guitars), Chris Amott (guitars), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass) and Daniel Erlandsson (drums), first garnered praise with the metal milestones Black Earth (1997), Stigmata (1998) and Burning Bridges (1999). These albums were fueled by flawless dual guitar technical execution and a previously unheard of mixture of melody and aggression, which helped them quickly solidify their reputation as one of the genre's elite. However, ARCH ENEMY really began to develop their true potential once vocalist Angela Gossow joined the fold on 2001's critically acclaimed Wages of Sin.

The band's 2003 album, Anthems of Rebellion, was immediately hailed as a metal masterpiece. It was their second offering with Angela, touted by Metal Edge as "one of the most promising talents in years." The record proved to be a landmark release for Century Media, as it delivered the label its then-highest first-week U.S. SoundScan sales ever on the way to becoming one of its 10 best-selling albums of all time. Press raves continued to pour in, as Anthems scored an unprecedented 5/5 in both Alternative Press and Kerrang! while going on to land the #1 album of 2003 in Metal Maniacs Readers' Poll, earning them staunch recognition and high-profile U.S. tours with such acts as Slayer, Hatebreed, Cradle Of Filth and the legendary Iron Maiden.

Read more ››

Band profile:

Arch Enemy

The band posted the following message concerning the agreement with the label and made some comments on the upcoming album:

We are happy to announce the signing of a new agreement that sees Century Media Records, in conjunction with band leader Mike Amott's Savage Messiah Music label, become the home for our future albums worldwide outside Southeast Asia. We are currently wrapping up work on the new full-length album Doomsday Machine, which is set for a July 26 release in North America (July 25 in Europe).

"We have all been working hard in the studio to make the ultimate metal album," Mike says. "The drums sound totally amazing, as Daniel has excelled himself yet again and the grooves he's created are catchy but powerful as hell. People will be stunned when they hear what he has done."

"I think all great metal needs that killer mix of classic riffs and ripping solos, something that has been a bit of a dying art recently," he continues. "We are doing our best to recreate that mix on this new album, and one thing I can guarantee is that there will be tons of guitar for fans to headbang to. All in all, I am really happy with the songs and I believe we have found the right balance of melody and brutality - the Arch Enemy trademark! Welcome to the Doomsday Machine."

Source:	archenemy.net
Band profile:	Arch Enemy