Dethklok, the virtual death metal band from the cartoon television show Metalocalypse are supporting And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead on a US tour of college campuses this fall, in promotion of the television programming network Adult Swim.

In his latest newsletter, former Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally announces the following:

" (...) and a thing which I can now officially reveal -- that myself, Bryan Beller and drummer Gene Hoglan (also of Strapping Young Lad) will be joining mastermind Brendon Small on the road as the real live Dethklok of Metalocalypse fame -- yep, we are bringing the metal from the TV screen to the stage. Beautiful madness. This is happening late October into November -- don't have an itinerary yet, but stay tuned. My voice can also be heard on several upcoming episodes of Season 2 of Metalocalypse, which airs Sunday night on the Cartoon Network -- don't know when the episodes I'm on are airing so you'll have to watch them all. (...)"

To read the full newsletter, visit this website.

Bassist Bryan Beller confirmed the news in the meantime with the following statement:

"BREAKING NEWS: Bryan Beller to tour with Brendon Small, Mike Keneally and Gene Hoglan as the real-life version of Dethklok, the stars of the animated Cartoon Network "Adult Swim" program Metalocalypse. Click here to read available details, and stay tuned for a Beller blog about how this will all play out. Who's Dethklok, you ask? Do a Google search and start from there..."

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Source:

keneally.com

As posted on the official Annihilator forum, Annihilator will return to Europe starting early October as "very special guest" to Iced Earth.

Guitarist/Mainman Jeff Waters says "We are looking forward to another great tour through Europe and, this time, courtesy of metal warriors Iced Earth. Ripper and I have been good friends for years and it was an honor to be asked to join them on this tour, spreading more METAL through Europe. See you all again real soon!"

Iced Earth + Annihilator:
Oct. 08 - Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall
Oct. 09 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk
Oct. 10 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Oct. 12 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 1
Oct. 13 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
Oct. 15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
Oct. 16 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
Oct. 17 - Wien, Austria - Planet Music
Oct. 18 - Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
Oct. 19 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
Oct. 21 - Malmö, Sweden - Kulturbolaget
Oct. 22 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
Oct. 23 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Tradgarn
Oct. 25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tirol
Oct. 26 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpenhuset
Oct. 28 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Oct. 30 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
Nov. 01 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Club 013
Nov. 02 - Antwerpen, Belgiium - Hof Ter Lo

This tour follows a 2 month European tour with Trivium and shows in Tokyo, Japan (Club Citta-Thrash Domination Festival) with old friends Nevermore and Destruction (+Nuclear Assault) on Sept. 22 and 23, 2007.

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Source:	annihilatormetal.com
Band profile:	Annihilator
Event:	Iced Earth + Annihilator: Wicked European Tour

British extreme metallers Anaal Nathrakh will release their fourth full-length album "Hell Is Empty, And All The Devils Are Here", on October 28 via the band's own record label, Feto Records.

The CD will reportedly include guest vocals from Circle Of Dead Children's Josama Bin Horvath and Dirty Von Donovan from Exploder, as well as Shane Embury (Napalm Death) on bass. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Castigation And Betrayal" and "The Final Absolution".

Instrumentalist Mick Kenney had this to say regarding the direction of the material, "These songs are gonna blow everything we've ever done in the past and will make you want to actually smash your own face in."

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Anaal Nathrakh

As posted on the band's website, Ensiferum has unfortunately suffered another member loss in the band as the band's long-time keyboard player Meiju Enho decided to leave the band. The band expresses their regret for her decision to depart the band, but despite the break-up the band will victoriously go on! You can read Meiju's afterwords here.

Emmi Silvennoinen from the band Exsecratus has been substituting Meiju from the beginning of this year (2007) and continues to act as the live/session keyboard player for Ensiferum until further notice.

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Source:	ensiferum.com
Band profile:	Ensiferum

The following message was posted on Atrocity's official website:

"Finally the waiting has an end! The new Atrocity album Werk 80 II will be released at the 8th February 2008.

Alex Krull: "On the 8th February 2008 Werk 80 II is gonna be released. A quite fitting date as we find! To be serious, we took a lot of time for the production to get the best result. All friends of the first Werk 80 will like the second one too. This time we have worked together with an orchestra and a choir. So the whole album has gained a bit more of a classical touch which I personally like a lot. Everything sounds very harmonic and organic. The work on this album has been intense and thrilling. On the first Werk 80 album we also used classical elements but we enforced this on the new one. Thus the electronic parts got moved a little bit into the background. We didn't want to do the same on this successive album but including new elements and developing our style. I promise you Werk 80 II is gonna be a class of its own worth waiting for it."

As on the first Werk 80 release the following up contains mega hits of the 80ies. Pictures from the choir recording sessions you will find here. The coverartwork will be a delicious case indeed. Alex continues: "This time we got a very special covermodel - we couldn't have chosen any better. The whole artwork is state of the art and dark at the same time. We won't say more at this moment."

In november there will be released an online single, check out further news!"

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Source:	atrocity.de
Band profile:	Atrocity

Keyboardist Phillippe "Phil" Giordana of French Symphonic Power Metal band Fairyland has issued the following update:

"I just dived into the song writing phase for the next album, with already 1 song finished 100% and 4 more that are at an advanced stage.

Fairyland will now present itself as a solo project, without any permanent line-up. Some posts, such as drums and rhythmic guitars, will probably be held throughout the album by the same guests in order to keep a main guideline. For the rest, many guests will bring their personal participation, giving a "metal-opera" touch to the different songs. The guests list is getting longer day after day, with already a few names that will be quite familiar to metal fans.

More news coming soon..."

Source:	fairyland-metal.com
Band profile:	Fairyland

Amorphis' new album "Silent Waters" is now available for streaming in its entirety at MP3.com, here.

Silent Waters - out November 18 in North America - tracklisting:

01. Weaving The Incantation
02. A Servant
03. Silent Waters
04. Towards And Against
05. I Of Crimson Blood
06. Her Alone
07. Enigma
08. Shaman
09. The White Swan
10. Black River
11. Sign (U.S. bonus track)

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Source:	mp3.com
Band profile:	Amorphis

On 4 September, Scottish metal band Mendeed have split up. Lead guitarist Steven Nixon has issued the following statement:

"Mendeed have regrettably broken up due to irreconcilable difference with our manager, we would like to thank all of our fans for believing in us and helping us get as far as we did. I really wish things would have turned out different for us. Thanks to everyone that had faith in us, we'll miss you all"

Source:

nuclearblast.de

New Jersey Thrashers Overkill, who recently inked a new deal with Bodog Music, will release their new studio album, entitled "Immortalis", on October 9th.

"Immortalis" cover art] features the following tracks:
01. Devils In The Mist
02. What It Takes
03. Skull And Bones Lamb Of God]
04. Shadow Of A Doubt
05. Hellish Pride
06. Walk Through Fire
07. Head On
08. Charlie Get Your Gun
09. Hell Is
10. Overkill V

Overkill have scheduled an in-store performance on Saturday, October 6th at 2 PM at Vintage Vinyl Records in Fords, New Jersey (51 Lafayette Rd. - 732.225.7717).

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Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Overkill

Obituary's new album "Xecutioner's Return" is available for streaming in full for a limited time on MP3.com.

The album has been released last week.

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Source:	mp3.com
Band profile:	Obituary

Bassist Henkka T. Blacksmith issued a small album update to the official Children Of Bodom fansite Scythes Of Bodom. The update goes as follows:

"Up to now, the band has seven finished songs and they will enter a studio in the second week in October to record the album. The plan is to record nine songs for the album and maybe even a tenth if the guys are satisfied with another song that is currently in the works. Most likely "Tie My Rope" will be re-recorded and the band is planning to record three or four cover songs which are already confirmed. This doesn't mean that all of them will be featured on one album, but these songs will be used as bonus tracks for different areas and markets such as Japan for example.

Henkka also revealed a few working titles of the songs. The band uses simple working titles like 1. "Eka", 2. "Bläkkis", 3. "Trioli", 4. "Trabant", 5. "Uusin" (in English: 1. "First", 2. "Blacky", 3. "Triplet", 4. "Trabant", 5. "Newest") during the songwriting process. Of course they shouldn't be taken seriously. It wasn't easy for Henkka to say how the songs sound like but he kept saying that he is very excited about the new material.

In addition he said that nobody should expect the second part of COB TV anytime soon because footage of the recording sessions in October will also be featured in it (of course only the lesser serious part of it). In reply to my question if the four recorded demo tracks, that the band recorded in May at Sonic Pump Studios, could be used as bonus tracks, Henkka answered that there are no plans for that. However, after thinking about it, he said that it wouldn't be a bad idea to use them for that if they sound much different than the final album versions."

To read more, click here.

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Source:	endlesswar.net
Band profile:	Children Of Bodom

The following message was posted on Tobias Sammet's website:

"The new Avantasia 6 track albums "Lost In Space Part 1" and "Lost In Space - Part 2" have been postponed and will now be released on November 16th.

"We have produced so much exclusive material for these two epics that we just needed the time. Except from the title track they contain completely different material, classy material, no bonus shit! In addition we decided to put some different video footage on each CD as well. We really had to postpone the release to warrant the Avantasia-quality. But it will be worth the wait: This is the resurrection a project like "Avantasia" deserves. Fans will get two major releases, each for the price of a single. Many thanks to my record company that supported the idea. I know it may be insane businesswise, but the fans will reward it."

The full story album "The Scarecrow" will be released at end of January next year via Nuclear Blast Records."

Source:	tobiassammet.com
Band profile:	Avantasia

Official The End Records Press Release:

The End Records has set a release date of March 4th, 2008 for the self-titled sophomore release from Canadian thrashers Thine Eyes Bleed.

In a band update, several members voiced their thoughts on the new album:

"This ain't your one-note-chug-along and dance to-gay-haircut metal. There is thought behind the music and passion behind the musicianship. Metal that isn't compromising or commercial. This is the real deal. All killer and no filler... no singing... no 'breakdowns'. Real metal for real metalers. Keep it brutal and stay heavy." - Johnny Araya, bassist

"We never really discussed the direction. We all just knew it had be honest, unrellenting, abusive, and evil. That is what metal was all about in our opinion. The outcome is violent and makes me smile from begining to end." - Jeff Phillips, guitarist

"We never set any direction for this album, we did it for ourselves... It's a much more focused album than our debut and it's going to show. It's an in your face metal album for the true metalheads out there.. the only way I can describe it is pure evil..." - Justin Wolfe, singer

To view a larger version of the album artwork, go here.

The band is currently scheduling some tour dates this fall across North America.

The band re-released their 2005 debut for The End Records, entitled "In The Wake Of Separation", in May of 2006. The CD included the bonus track "Better off Dead" (previously available only in Japan) and the video for "Cold Victim". Also last year, Thine Eyes Bleed took part in the mega-successful North American and European legs of the 2006 Unholy Alliance Tour, which featured Slayer, Children Of Bodom, Mastodon and Lamb Of God.

Official Thine Eyes Bleed website: http://www.thineeyesbleed.com

Official MySpace Site: http://www.myspace.com/thineeyesbleed

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Source:	theendrecords.com
Band profile:	Thine Eyes Bleed

You can check out Cephalic Carnage's new video for the song "Endless Cycle Of Violence" online here.
The track comes off the band's latest album "Xenosapien", released on 28 May 2007.

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Cephalic Carnage

UK Epic-Thrash metallers Biomechanical have announced the completion of their upcoming release "Cannibalised", mixed by famed producer Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest). The band have posted an exclusive advance track entitled 'Fallen In Fear' on their MySpace page for fans to get a taste of what to expect from the hotly anticipated release, currently streeting in February 2008.

To listen to the track head to http://www.myspace.com/biomechanical.

Biomechanical frontman John K, who recently recruited new members Jonno Lodge (drums) and Gus Drax and Chris Van Hayden on guitars, had this to say about the 'Cannibalised' project which is the closing chapter of the story which began with their 2003 debut release 8 Moons.
"There are no compromises on this album. It's Metal without boundaries and as much energy as we could possibly deliver. "Cannibalised" brings a dark closure to the debut and the Earache released album The Empires of the Worlds.
All the elements of the other albums are there but with a much heavier sound and more aggression. The songwriting follows the emotional pull of each individual track, going from heavily orchestrated tracks to full-on Metal. It was a long journey getting this album done but now it's completed with the help of Chris Tsangarides and Jon Ashley with whom we finally managed to deliver "Cannibalised". From the Cover Art side of things Nat Jones has astonished us once again! Huge thanks go to to these guys and looking forward taking this album on the road!!"

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Source:	earache.com
Band profile:	Biomechanical