Ibanez, Tama, Revolver, and Lambgoat will be presenting the first annual Summer Slaughter Tour with Necrophagist headlining and support from Decapitated, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, The Faceless, As Blood Runs Black, Arsis, Ion Dissonance and Beneath The Massacre.
Founder Ash Avildsen has dubbed it "the most extreme tour of the year."

More information can be found online at this location.
Here's the latest schedule:

6/1 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
6/2 New Jersey @ Infest
6/3 Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
6/4 Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
6/5 Louisville, KY @ Headliner's
6/6 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (+ Daath)
6/8 Houston, TX @ Meridian w/ Daath (+ Daath)
6/9 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit (+ Daath)
6/10 Ft. Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theater (+ Daath)
6/11 Odessa, TX @ Dos Amigos Outdoors
6/13 Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
6/14 Las Vegas, NV @ TBA
6/15 San Diego, CA @ Soma
6/16 Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
6/17 Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
6/19 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
6/20 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
6/22 Ogden, UT @ Country Club Theatre
6/23 Denver, CO @ Cervantes
6/24 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
6/26 St. Paul, MN @ TBA
6/27 Chicago, IL @ TBA
6/28 Cincinnati, OH @ TBA
6/29 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
6/30 Milwaukee, WI @ Robot Mosh Fest V
7/1 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
7/2 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
7/3 Montreal, QC @ Foufones
7/4 Montreal, QC @ Le Studio
7/5 Quebec City, QC @ L'Anti
7/6 Worcester, MA @ Palladium
7/7 Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
7/8 New York, NY @ BB Kings

Read more ››

Source:

myspace.com

Diablo Swing Orchestra have made three songs from their highly acclaimed debut album "The Butcher's Ballroom", available for free download. Click the following links to check them out:

'Balrog Boogie'
'Heroines'
'Poetic Pitbull Revolutions'

"The Butcher's Ballroom", distributed by Guillotine Grooves, is also currently available via iTunes and at the following links.

For more information on Diablo Swing Orchestra go to their official MySpace page, here.

Read more ››

Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Diablo Swing Orchestra

You can check out a new song from Greek technical death metallers Sickening Horror, entitled 'This Cold Funeral,' online here.
The track comes off their upcoming new album "When Landscapes Bled Backwards", which is expected to be released later this year through Neurotic Records.

More info about the band on http://www.sickeninghorror.net.

Read more ››

Source:

smnnews.com

Finnish metal monsters Lordi have postponed their North American tour dates due to poor ticket sales and are now being rescheduled to take place around their Ozzfest dates here for those dates]. They are still confirmed for The Bamboozle festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 5 and 6.

The affected dates include:

April
20 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
21 - Hollywood, CA - Avalon
22 - San Francisco, CA - Slims
24 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
27 - Chicago, IL - Metro
28 - Detroit, MI - Harpo's

May
1 - Montreal, QUE - Le Spectrum
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
3 - Baltimore, MD - Recher Theatre

Also Lordi's concert on May 11th in Helsinki, Finland at Jäähalli has been cancelled due to scheduling problems.

Read more ››

Source:	lordi.fi
Band profile:	Lordi

A number of audio clips from Ozzy Osbourne's forthcoming album "Black Rain" have been posted online at Ozzy.com (Note: You have to scroll over and click on the books and other images on the main page to hear the audio. For direct links to audio samples, click here.).

The follow-up to 2001's "Down to Earth", was recorded with the same band that backed Osbourne on his scattered 2006 Ozzfest dates ? Zakk Wylde on guitar, Mike Bordin on drums, and former Rob Zombie bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson. The album has no official producer, although longtime Mutt Lange protégé Kevin Churko is serving as the engineer.

More Blabbermouth info here.

Read more ››

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Ozzy Osbourne

Dimension Zero has finalized the track listing for its third album, "He Who Shall Not Bleed", due later in the year via an as-yet-undisclosed label. The CD was recorded at IF studios in December and was co-produced by the band with Arnold Lindberg.

"He Who Shall Not Bleed" tracklisting:

01. He Who Shall Not Bleed
02. Unto Others
03. A Paler Shade of White (A Darker Side of Black)
04. Hell Is Within
05. Red Dead Heat
06. I Can Hear the Dark
07. Going Deep
08. Is
09. Deny
10. The Was
11. Way to Shine

Check out audio samples of the songs 'He Who Shall Not Bleed', 'Unto Others' and 'Hell Is Within' at the band's website.

Dimension Zero is a Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal band from Sweden, which features In Flames guitarist Jesper Strömblad on bass, former Marduk singer Jocke Göthberg, drummer Hans Nilsson (Luciferion, Diabolique) and guitarist Daniel Antonsson (Pathos)

Read more ››

Source:	dimensionzero.se
Band profile:	Dimension Zero

KNAC.COM air personality Junkman just checked in with the following sad news:

"Just got a call this afternoon stating that my friend, former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John, died this morning from a cerebral hemorrage. He was 51.

I have known him for a long time. I roadied for his band White Tiger, and just spoke with him at the recent NAMM show.

As soon as I fid out more info I will let you know. My heart goes out to his family. A very sad day.

Junkie"

Mark replaced Vinnie Vincent as lead guitarist for KISS in April 1984, following Vincent's falling-out with the band (Mark was suggested to Bruce Kulick was featured on the song, "Lonely Is The Hunter"). During work for the album, St. John clashed with the other members of the band, and eventually developed arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome), which caused his hands and arms to swell. He was all but unable to perform live as a member of KISS, and only played three (one in full) shows during the "Animalize" tour, with Kulick filling in for the rest. He was officially replaced by Kulick in December 8, 1984.

Read more ››

Source:	knac.com
Band profile:	KISS

The following announcement has been issued on the Sublife Productions website:

"Sublife Productions is proud to announce the signing of Chain Collector! Chain Collector released a very well received debut album through Sound Riot/Massacre Records and are now preparing to enter Dub studio (Blood Red Throne, Carpathian Forest, Green Carnation, Scariot, Communic, etc.) in May 2007 to record its follow up album.

The band also announce that Runar from Trail of Tears is now the new second guitarist in the band!!! We are looking forward to the new album and cant wait to see the band on stage in the later part of 2007!"

Chain Collector is a Norwegian Melodic Death Metal band formed in 2003 and features members from Green Carnation, Carpathian Forest and Trail Of Tears. They released their debut album "The Masquerade" in 2005.

More info about Chain Collector: official website - MySpace Page.

Read more ››

Source:	sublifeproductions.com
Band profile:	Chain Collector

Swedish doomsters Candlemass will release their new album "King Of The Grey Islands", on June 22 through Nuclear Blast Records.
A picture of the cover art can be found here. The track listing for the 9th studio album is as follows:

01. Prologue
02. Emperor Of The Void
03. Devil Seed
04. Of Stars And Smoke
05. Demonia 6
06. Destroyer
07. Man Of Shadows
08. Clearsight
09. The Opal City
10. Embracing The Styx

Bassist Leif Edling had the following to say about the concept behind the 10 new tracks: "The album is a concept story about depression and suicide in the modern society. The road to ruin for "many kings of grey islands" that can't stand the everyday life, and want to do something about it. No need to say this is Candlemass' black album!!"

You can read more info about the album at this location.

Read more ››

Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Candlemass

Several video clips of Deicide performing at the 1991 Milwaukee Metalfestival have been posted online at YouTube.
Click the following links to check them out:

Dead By Dawn (click)
Sacrificial Suicide (click)
Lunatic Of God's Creation (click)
Deicide (click)
Holy Deception (click)

Another live video for the song 'Desecration', off the latest album "The Stench Of Redemption", has been put available at this location.

Read more ››

Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Deicide

Finnish Folk Metallers Korpiklaani have pushed back the projected release date of their fourth album "Tervaskanto", to June 26 for the US and June 29 for Europe, via Napalm Records.

"Tervaskanto" cover artwork] was recorded at Fantom Studios in Tampere, Finland with producer Samu Oittinen.
The tracklisting is as follows:

01. Let's Drink
02. Tervaskanto
03. Viima
04. Veriset Äpärät listen]
05. Running With Wolves
06. Liekkiön Isku
07. Palovana
08. Karhunkaatolaulu
09. Misty Fields
10. Vesilahden Veräjillä
11. Nordic Feast

Read more ››

Source:	napalmrecords.com
Band profile:	Korpiklaani

MySpace.com has debuted Dimmu Borgir's new video, for the track 'The Serpentine Offering'. Check it out at this location.

"In Sorte Diaboli" is scheduled for an April 24th release in North America. More info regarding the worldwide versions of "In Sorte Diaboli" can be found here.

Read more ››

Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Dimmu Borgir

Info taken from the Shadows Fall Newsletter:

"Threads Of Life", the 6th studio album by Shadows Fall is hitting stores today, April 3rd. You can preview the entire "Threads Of Life" album now by logging on to AOL's website. Click here.

Here's the tracklisting again:
01. Redemption
02. Burning The Lives
03. Stormwinds
04. Failure Of The Devout
05. Venomous
06. Another Lost Hero
07. Final Call
08. Dread Uprising
09. The Great Collapse
10. Just Another Nightmare
11. Forevermore

Read more ››

Source:	shadowsfall.com
Band profile:	Shadows Fall

The following press release was posted on the official Seasons Of Mist website:

"The legend says that a mythical creature named phoenix could be resurrected from its ashes. It is also says that those who carry the spirit of "burning phoenix" are unstoppable, even by the flames of an "infernal sun", as they possess the "ophidian will" to carry on, beyond all obstacles. But enough with cryptic talks and hints... Let it be known that legendary Septic Flesh have returned! Greek daemons Seth, Chris Antoniou, Sotiris V. and Fotis Benardo are back as they decided that besides their experimentation with different projects and musical paths, the path of the Flesh was not completely explored. And they have more nightmares to share...

Septic Flesh will record their sixth full length album under the flag of Season of Mist. The yet untitled album will carry all the elements that made the sound of Septic Flesh so distinctive. There will be pale, strange guitar melodies, brutal and sharp riffing, the devil behind the mic, and of course the neoclassical arrangements that are trademark of Chris Antoniou.

For that purpose alone, Chris the "gothic maestro" will torture a full orchestra and choir respectively made of 80 musicians and 32 singers! The rest of the album will be recorded and mixed on what has become the temple of the past two musical rituals of Septic Flesh. Yes, once again they have chosen to invade the famous Fredman studios, with the company of Fredrik Nordstrom.

"On winds of smoke they are singing, their calling is the calling of the free, Fly with Us" - Burning Phoenix"

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

Singer Dario Grillo has once again left the Italian Symphonic Power Metal band Thy Majestie.

"I won't attend the next few live shows with them and I won't record the new album," Dario writes on his web site. "I don't want to explain the reasons of the split 'cause I think nobody wants to know about bullshit, problems or controversies. I apologise to the fans who believed in the reunion and waited for another masterpiece like 'Hastings 1066', but the situation with the guys couldn't be managed in a civil way. So the main priority is Violet Sun, the new band led by singer Alessandra Amata, Alex Grillo on drums, Doctor Max on bass guitar and me the guitarist and keyboard player, producer and composer of the album. Stay tuned!!!"

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Thy Majestie