Finnish power metallers Celesty have parted ways with guitarist Tapani Kangas. There was no friction or drama behind the scenes, the decision was deliberate and mutual.

Celesty is not looking for a replacement and continues as a five-piece. During the forthcoming live shows the rhythm guitar will be handled by Tuomas Laasanen. Celesty would like to thank Tapani for the past twelve years and wishes him successful career!

Guitarist Tapani Kangas comments: "12 awesome years, 4 albums, people, fans, shows and great memories. Unfortunately after a long concideration I have decided to separate ways with Celesty. I cant give the full concentration that the band deserves because of my personal schedules with work/music. Celesty and guys will always be in my heart, and these memories, years and friendship for life will never be taken away from me! Thank you and stay metal!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Celesty

US metalcore act Darkest Hour are about to enter the studio and they have announced that they are teaming up with renowned Soilwork guitarist and producer Peter Wichers. The band have put a lot of time and thought into choosing the right producer for this record and they're convinced they've found one. With records such as All That Remains The Fall Of Ideals and Soilwork's latest effort, The Panic Broadcast under his belt, Darkest Hour are quite confident in what Peter brings to the table.

Drummer Ryan Parish comments: "We're really excited about working with Peter on this album. It's going to be amazing collaborating with such an inventive and unique guitarist/musician to produce and document what we feel is the most emotional and melodic Darkest Hour album to date".

Vocalist John Henry adds: "Peter is someone we've admired and very much respected as a musician and producer for quite some time. Being a pioneer of the Swedish metal sound, (which has so greatly influenced our band) we hope to refine all of those classic elements with him and incorporate new methods to improve our songwriting".

Guitarist Michael "Mike" Schleibaum futher comments: "We have been working on these tunes ever since we left the studio last April. The Eternal Return was written during a very dark, bleak time for the band and I think that record matches that in both tone and character. Our vision was for it to be an in your face, no frill aggressive assault. The new material shares in that aggression and pushes Darkest Hour beyond the unknown."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Darkest Hour

Official press release

Massacre Records are proud to welcome German true metal kings Stormwarrior to the label. Being one of Germany's most upcoming metal bands the quartet has signed a long-term contract and already started with the works on their upcoming 4th album (working title is Heathen Warrior). The new album will be in stores end of this year as limited Digipak with bonus material, CD and numbered gatefold vinyl editions. Mix and mastering will be done by Tommy Hansen same as for their successor Heading Northe. Also the artworks will be again in the hands of Uwe Karczewski. Metalheads can expect another combination of explosive guitar works, catchy hooks but also some new toppings to the "typical Stormwarrior sound"!

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Source:	massacre-records.com
Band profile:	Stormwarrior

Trail Of Tears guitarist Pål Olsen has parted ways with the band after three years of service. The band issued the following statement:

"Our guitarist, party-hat chief and beer drinker extraordinaire, Paul, has informed the rest of us that he is leaving the band. His decision is based on lack of time and a general wish to concentrate on the band that he co-founded, Guardians Of Time. We think it sucks to lose a talented guitarist as well as a genuinely great guy but this decision is probably for the best both for Paul, as well as for the band and we absolutely respect it and wish Paul much luck and happiness in the times to come. Trail of Tears will not bring a new member into the family as we are very much content with how the situation is at the moment and so the band will continue as a 5-piece.
We also want to make it perfectly clear that this will not affect the upcoming festivals and shows, nor will it affect the writing and pre-production work for the next album, a process that we are well underway with."

Here are a few words from Paul: "Due to my commitment to Guardians Of Time, I can no longer give 100% of myself to Trail of Tears. Anything less than 100% feels wrong for me when it comes to such a great band, and I see no other option than to leave the band. My time in Trail of Tears has been a great run. I have been lucky enough to contribute to one of the band's best albums, Bloodstained Endurance, and we have played a lot of great shows together. My last gig with Trail of Tears at Metal Camp in Slovenia a few weeks ago was a good ending for me. We part ways as good friends, and I wish them the best of luck in the future."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Trail Of Tears

Swedish folk metallers Yggdrasil have issued the following update:

"Yggdrasil has been keeping quiet for some time now... but we are finally ready to share some news with you all!

The writing of the new and third Yggdrasil album is complete and the recording will commence in September. Expect nothing but the best! The new album is scheduled for an early 2011 release through Grand Master Music. The release date coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the band and we have something special planned to mark the occasion."

Stay tuned for more info.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Yggdrasil

Brazilian heavy metallers Scelerata have announced the addition of vocalist Fabio Juan to the group's ranks. Juan is known from his work with Helloween Cover Brasil, Midas Fate and Codinome S.K.

Fabio will travel with Scelerata in the Brazilian SkeleTour 2010, that will happen in August and September with Paul DiAnno, former lead singer of Iron Maiden. Scelerata will be the backing band for Paul and do the opening for all 20 concerts, passing through the five Brazilian regions. Following the tour, the band will enter the studio to record their 3rd album, to be released worlwide in the first half of 2011.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Scelerata

UK metallers Annotations Of An Autopsy have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"Sam decided to leave after te tour to follow home life with is girlfriend and loved ones, his heart wasnt into touring anymore so he made the decision to leave, we left on good terms and we wish that ugly prick the best of luck (Hate you Sam you burger loving fatty).

We parted ways with Brad recently do to a number of reasons, the main one being distance as he lived over 100 miles away from the rest of us and it made it very difficult for us to rehurse, that coupled with disagreements with certain band members made make the decision to part ways with him, He is currently looking for a new band within the london area and trying to go further with his MMA. You can reach him on his facebook if youre intrested in him drumming for you, just search Brad Merry.

So! here we go again, yep new members again you say? Well not so new.

Taking Sam's place we'd like to announce the return of Don Jones into the aoaa rank, Don is a guy who we've been playing in local bands with since we were all 14, for those of you who arent farmiliar with his name, he played on our Welcome To Sludgy City EP. The reason Don hasnt been with the band any longer than the ep was other commitments stopping him from touring, but now we finally have him and its great to be working with him again, His first show with us will be Ieperfest!

Taking Brad's place on drums is our long time friend Neil Hayward, we met neil a few years ago through playing some shows together, hes a great guy, likes skulls and that, metal and things. So please welcome him in! His first show will be at Ieperfest."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Annotations Of An Autopsy

Sepultura have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

Guitarist Andreas Kisser states: "We are happy to be at Nuclear Blast, especially in the year we are celebrating 25 years of history, and it is a great honor for us to join forces with the most metal label in the world. I am sure this will be a great journey for both of us and we are already working on new material while on the road. Let's go for another 25 years!"

Nuclear Blast A&R manager Jaap Wagemaker further comments: "Yes, you got that right! Another great thrash band has joined the Nuclear family! We have been following the band around Andreas and Derrick Green for quite some time now and every time when we saw them play live, we were equally impressed by the sheer energy that they create on stage! After inviting the band to come to Donzdorf (Germany; Nuclear Blast's worldwide headquarters) and having some talks with them, we soon found out that we are all on the same page regarding what would be best for the future of Sepultura!

After 25 years of forging high-class thrash metal, the band is more alive than ever and we at Nuclear Blast are very happy that together with Sepultura we will work on another successful chapter in that history! A new album will be out in 2011 and judging from what we heard from the band, the best is yet to come!"

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Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Sepultura

Official press release

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the signing of US Classic Heavy Metal band Benedictum for the release of a brand new studio album in early 2011. Since 2005 Benedictum has been heralded as one of metal's most exciting bands. Fronted by the awesome talent of Veronica Freeman, her raw and powerful vocals have been the driving force behind this international metal sensation.

This year proves to be a very intense and exhilarating time, as Benedictum are set to deliver their 3rd album of jaw dropping, head banging, female-fronted fury. After releasing two critically acclaimed albums (Seasons Of Tragedy & Uncreation), produced by internationally renowned producer and bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio & Foreigner), Benedictum is back to unleash their career defining release!

Benedictum is ready for the next step: with a new label behind them, they are currently working hard on the recording with Grammy Award winning producer Ryan Greene (Megadeth, F5, MXPX, NoFx). Benedictum is firing on all cylinders! Veronica is joined once again by lead guitarist extraordinaire, Pete Wells, bassist Chris Shrum, Tony Diaz on keyboards and drummer Mikey Pannone.

Benedictum's success and legacy have been well documented and the band have already earned their place at the head of the power metal genre. "There is really a feeling of excitement in the air for us, the new material will be another level in our evolution as a band and we have a lot of confidence in our new label Frontiers Records and their willingness to stand with us on our journey!" states Veronica.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Benedictum

Swedish Death Metallers The Crown have signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records.

Guitarist Marko Tervonen comments: "We are happy as hell to turn a new page in The Crown's history book...and to pick up the journey with Century Media Records supporting us feels great. We can't wait to unleash Doomsday King upon you all!"

Jens Prueter (Head of A+R, Century Media Europe) adds: "Some of the very early Century Media signings have been Unleashed, Grave, Tiamat, Asphyx, Morgoth - the glory days of the first Death Metal wave. We are still in love with Death Metal and are more than proud to announce the signing of Swedish Death Metal legends The Crown. They haven't lost any aggression since the early 90's and are still a guarantee for some Death Metal Holocaust! In case of doubt, go to one of the summer festivals and hear some new songs live before the album's fall release. We will be there as well. Cheers!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	The Crown

Official press release

The Floridian grind machine known as Maruta has officially solidified its line-up, with the addition of drummer Danny Morris.

Vocalist Mitchell Luna states: "We are all happy to announce that the search for a new drummer is over, and that Maruta is now 100% operational again! Danny is a solid as fuck drummer, and met all of the high standards that we were looking for in a new skinsman. He blasts hard and does some really creative stuff on the drums that will bring our sound to a new level. We are pretty picky bastards and this dude definitely keeps up with us musically"

The group is set to enter Mana studios next month, to record the followup to 2008's In Narcosis for Willowtip. This will also be the first time the band incorporates a bass player, so listeners can expect the new material to sound even heavier and more dissonant then ever.

A new demo track will be posted in a couple weeks, as well as a handfull of dates in september. Keep up here."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Maruta

German metallers Deadlock have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"Hey people,

We are in the final steps of the pre-production for our new album and can't wait to record the new stuff! At the moment we work hard on the last fine-tuning of the songs but be sure that the yet unborn child will rock your ears off! Due date for the baby will be in early 2011.

If you are as Deadlock-addicted as we are, kill your time with our cover version of Running Wild's "When Time Runs Out" on our MySpace player.

Please check back regularly for the latest information.
We'll keep you updated.

Now & forever dead to-the lock!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Deadlock

Official press release

UnSun, band led by ex-Vader guitar player, Mauser, has recently signed a worldwide deal with Mystic Production (home label of Behemoth and Riverside, among others). The band, who released their debut album, The End Of Life in September 2008 via Century Media Records, has entered studio this spring to record sophomore album. Vocal tracks were recorded in Studio X in Olsztyn and soon after Unsun moved to Hertz Studio (Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated) to record all instruments. After 5 weeks of hard work the album is currently being mixed and mastered.

The band has just uploaded first studio report which can be checked at Mystic Production YouTube channel.

UnSun's new album was given Clinic For Dolls as working title. This album will feature 10 new songs (and a bonus track for Japanese edition) and will be released on 10th October via Mystic Production in Europe. American release date will be announced soon.

The band comments on the recordings and new label: "Work on our second album is almost finished. We recorded 10 fantastic songs. At the moment we are listening to first mastered tracks. It's metal, it's powerful, heavy but at the same time melancholic and thrilling. You can expect also some softer tunes four one moving ballad. We are 100% satisfied with what we've done - so the plan was fulfilled. Now we are also focusing on photo session, video, etc.

After fantastic reactions on our first album The End Of Life we signed a contract for the second album with Mystic Production, which is our exclusive European partner. Mystic Production is not only a successful music label, this is a bunch of fantastic people totally devoted to music and their artists. These are people with lots of experience who do their best to promote and support the bands. We are sure that this contract guarantees us the straight way to success. The faith in us and the support that Mystic Production gives us made Unsun even more motivated and determined. We will inform you about next steps soon - meanwhile please check the first part of our studio report."


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Source:	mystic-production.com
Band profile:	UnSun

Vocalist Silje Wergeland has issued the following update on behalf of The Gathering:

"As I write this a little storm is coming in over Holland. It has been some amazing summer days here, and now it seems like Thor (or Tor as we say) is riding across the sky with his hammer smashing clouds. We are having a BBQ so fingers crossed he is off for some sleep or go for some mjød soon!

Saturday we played in Roermond for the first time. The nice people behind Rockschool Open Air put up this festival for the first time and had no one less than their major and people from the local government attending. All festivals needs some time to establish, and there are always a few hiccups here and there. This year someone - I think he has a Norse origin - were a bit too enthusiastic behind his drum kit kicking through the bass-drum skin (how metal is that!). It took some time to get a new one, so the sets of the bands later had to be cut a bit short. We had a nice time there though, and especially for me meeting up with the Bergeners of Batallion. If you have ever met anyone from Norway, you know the Viking way of drinking. There were no exceptions Saturday...

This gig was our last before the summer kicks in. The plan is now to fully focus on making a new album. We already have around 7 songs we are working on and we are all super enthusiastic about them! We are in a very creative place at the moment, ideas are flowing! We found a new place we will do preproduction of the new songs. Very cool and relaxing place. It is really fun for me this time to be part of this song making process from the beginning. A few days ago Frank and me sat down with a brand new song we ended up really happy about. Today I am off to work in the studio with René on some other new songs. I can't tell you much about the direction of the songs, but I can say it is going really well! And one more thing: the Gathering never stops surprising."

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Source:	gathering.nl
Band profile:	The Gathering

German Thrash metallers Exumer announced the departure of guitarist/vocalist Paul Arakaki, as well as session drummer J.P. Rapp. Guitarist H.K. and drummer Matthias Kassner, who were both recruited for Exumer's last European tour, have replaced Arakaki and Rapp as permanent additions to the band's ranks.

Vocalist Mem Von Stein comments: "It has been an amazing 2 years for us since our re-formation in 2008. We have been able to play all the festivals and shows we wanted to in the past 2 years, even without label or industry backing. We are now looking forward to return to Europe in autumn and are excited to appear at this year's Way Of Darkness festival.

Unfortunately, Paul cannot be a part of this band's journey anymore, since he has decided that the travel/touring requirements from his native Hawaii are too rigorous for him. We accept his decision and support him with all his future plans. However, we are pleased to welcome guitarist H.K. and drummer Matthias Kassner to the fold. Both of them helped us out tremendously during our last European tour earlier this spring. H.K. and Matthias are more than capable musicians in their own right and will surely contribute to the band's future endeavors, especially with recording the new Exumer album that is scheduled to be released early 2011."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Exumer