Finnish black metal act Catamenia have announced eight German and one French tour dates in mid-February. Adorned Brood will take care of warming up the audience as support act.

Confirmed dates are as follows:
17/02/2007 Hamburg, Germany - Ballroom
18/02/2007 Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete
19/02/2007 Paris, France - Mains D'oeuvres
20/02/2007 Bonn, Germany - Klangstation
21/02/2007 Freiburg, Germany - Crash
22/02/2007 Aalen, Germany - Rock It
23/02/2007 Zwickau, Germany - Battle-Zone
24/02/2007 Berlin, Germany - Knaack

Catamenia's "Bringing The Cold To Poland" live DVD, will be released this month in Europe and worldwide in early 2007. All info about this DVD on http://www.catamenia.net.

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Source:	catamenia.net
Band profile:	Catamenia
Event:	Catamenia + Adorned Brood: Heldentour 2007

London based metal upstarts Ophelia have announced the addition of new vocalist Austin Dickinson, who happens to be the son of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson.

Says the band, "We have a new vocalist and guitarist we're gonna try out and see how things go. We're all really hopeful as to everything so hopefully new stuff will be happening soon!"

Keep up to date on the band via their MySpace page at this location.

Austin's MySpace page is online here.

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Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Bruce Dickinson

Andy C. has left Dark Moor due to incompatibility with his other musical projects. Dark Moor thank him for all the work and support dedicated to the band, and wish him good luck in his future musical career.

Roberto Cappa is announced the new drummer of Dark Moor. Roberto is from Madrid and he is an experimented live and studio performer.
He used to play in the spanish metal band Anima Sola.

Dark Moor have also recently signed a deal with Italy's Scarlet Records.
The group's new album, "Tarot", is said to be "an intriguing" conceptual effort about the major arcanes of the tarot, covering in depth the meaning of each arcane and the esoteric halo that surrounds it. Production duties were once again handled by renowed producer Luigi Stefanini (Rhapsody, Labirynth, Vision Divine). The impressive artwork was created by Derek Gores (Edguy, Kamelot).

The album will be out in late February/early March 2007
the complete tracklist is now available:

01 - The Magician
02 - The Chariot
03 - The Star
04 - Wheel Of Fortune
05 - The Emperor
06 - Devil In The Tower
07 - Death
08 - Lovers
09 - The Hanged Man
10 - The Moon

Source:	dark-moor.com
Band profile:	Dark Moor

Earache Records have issued the following update on UK based progressive blackened death metallers Akercocke:

Akercocke are gearing up for the recording of their fifth album. The suited ones plan to commence recording at their very own Goat of Mendes Studios in December.

Frontman Jason Mendonca describes the new material as "...a logical development from "Words That Go Unspoken". We are continuing to enhance and highlight the dynamics in our music. The contrast between light and shade is stronger in places although in essence, our new work promises to be our most violent. Expect hyperblast speeds that will shame the pretenders. Bludgeoning primitive death grooves, rancorous hate filled black metal and teutonic thrash assaults all seared with swathes of mind shredding electronica and dark, ancient textures."

Akercocke's last album, Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone, was released on Earache in 2005. The forthcoming album to be released in May, 2007 will be the band's third with Earache Records.

Source:	earache.com
Band profile:	Akercocke

Midnattsol have uploaded video footage their performance of a new song entitled 'Open Your Eyes' at this year's Metal Female Voices Festival, which took place in Wieze, Belgium on October 21st. It is the complete song, filmed by an in-house camera at the back of the room. Go to this location to check it out.

Midnattsol guitarist Christian Hector has launched an official MySpace page. Go to this location to check it out. In addition, a French Midnattsol fan forum has been launched at this location. It is also available in English.

Midnattsol are currently working on the follow-up to their 2005 debut, "Where Twilight Dwells". An early 2007 release is expected.

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Source:	midnattsol.com
Band profile:	Midnattsol

The band posted this on their MySpace profile:

"Sublife Productions has announced the exclusive and limited pre-release of Green Carnation's "A Night Under the Dam" concert on DVD. The DVD is scheduled to be released in February 2007, but a limited first pressing will be made available to the Norwegian audience through a December 11 release in all shops and to fans in the USA through The End Records mailorder. 100 fans from the rest of the world can order the DVD directly from Sublife Productions.

Teaser videos and photo galleries/slideshows have been posted online. Check the Green Carnation profile for links and further information.

About the DVD: This special concert event took place on August 3, 2006, almost 700 meters above the ocean, several kilometers into the Norwegian mountains, under a 30-meter-tall dam built in 1939. Together with guest artists and a string quartet, Green Carnation performed its entire "Acoustic Verses" album and other material in front of more than 500 enthusiastic audience members, some of them travelling all the way from the USA, Italy, Ireland, Germany and Holland. This DVD (PAL format only!) contains the entire live show, including two bonus songs ("Six Ribbons" and "Transparent Me"), extensive photo gallery (170+ images), a behind-the-scenes video and full 5.1 Surround Sound to ensure the best possible viewing and listening experience. This is the closest you can get to the "real thing," a unique concert event from by a unique band. This is a PAL-only DVD release. Region free (plays in all regions)."

the information on how to pre-order the DVD is on their myspace page

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Green Carnation

The gothic/power metal band, After Forever have posted this on their myspace profile:
"In March 2007 the new album of After Forever will be released in Europe! Keep checking www.afterforever.com for up to date info about the album and it's release in your country!" the exact date, and the name of the album, or cover art are still in the making.

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	After Forever

In a message (in French) posted at the band website, Anorexia Nervosa guitarist Stefan Bayle has announced that he has put the band in "stand-by" mode, fearing the group become "some sort of parody" of itself.

The decision comes following a failed search to secure a new vocalist for the band, following former singer Hreidmarr's departure from the group.

Although unable to predict when the band may resurface, Stefan hesitates to call this a split.

See Stefan's message at this location.

(Original source: http://bravewords.com)

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Source:	mother-anorexia.com
Band profile:	Anorexia Nervosa

Having recently re-signed with Dynamic Arts Records, Finnish death metal/thrash act Deathchain check in with the following update:

"We've been forced to cancel our show at Gloria (in) Helsinki, Finland (on November 25th).
(Guitarist) B. Undertaker is suffering from heart infection and bronchitis and the doctor's orders where loud and clear: He must rest and take it very fucking easy.
This is something we don't wanna fuck around with and we have no choice but to cancel the show.
It's a fucked up situation, but playing the show under these circumstances is just not worth the risk. We are truly sorry for this and we hope that everyone understands the seriousness of the matter."

Production on the band's third album has already begun under the title "Cult Of Death". Release of the upcoming album has been scheduled for May, 2007.

On the upcoming album Deathchain dwells into the darker sound of death/thrash metal. Some titles from the forthcoming album: 'Incantations Of Shub-Niggurath', 'Serpent Of The Deep', 'Deathammer', 'In The Crypt Of Vengeance ja Witchstorm'.

Dynamic Arts Records have released the previous albums Deadmeat Disciples (2003) and Deathrash Assault (2005).

Source:	deathchain.com
Band profile:	Deathchain

Finnish melodic death/thrash metallers Mors Principium Est have finalized the track listing for their third album, "Liberation = Termination", due in early 2007 via Listenable Records. The follow-up to "The Unborn" was recorded at Astia Studio in Finland and was mastered at Imperial Mastering in Concord, California.

"Liberation = Termination" track listing:

01. Orsus
02. The Oppressed Will Rise
03. The Animal Within
04. Finality
05. Cleansing Rain
06. Forgotten
07. Sinners Defeat
08. The Distance Between
09. It Is Done
10. Terminal Liberation
11. Lost Beyond Retrieval

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Mors Principium Est

Sweden's Therion have issued the following update:

"So, time to announce the singer that will be touring with Therion for 2007! She is called Lori Lewis and is from Minneapolis, USA. She is the singer of Aesma Daeva (a band that actually supported Therion on one of the shows on the US/Canada tour 2005). Thanx to John (Prassas) from the band for the recomendation and for lending her to us!"

Therion's upcoming album "Gothic Kabbalah" will be released on 12 January 2007.

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Source:	megatherion.com
Band profile:	Therion
Event:	Therion: European Tour

Season of Mist has set a February 19, 2007 European release date for the third full-length album (which will include eight songs of darkest Metal Magic) from Swedish black metallers Watain. A European tour will follow.

According to a press release, "Those who experienced Watain on stage can witness of a blood-soaked, rusty metallic machinery embodying every aspect of the traditional Satanic black metal cult, re-living and taking further the sinister legacy of Venom, Hellhammer and Mayhem. But believe us when we say 'you have seen nothing yet!'"

You can find a sample of "Storm of the Antichrist" at the band's official website here.

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

Season Of Mist has set a January 22, 2007 European release date for the new album from legendary Greek death metallers Rotting Christ, entitled "Theogonia". The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. The Sign of prime Creation
02. Keravnos Kivernitos
03. Enuma Elish
04. Gaia Tellus
05. Helios Hyperion
06. Nemecic
07. He, the Aethyr
08. Phobos' Synagogue
09. Rege Diabolicus
10. Threnody

Download the song "Enuma Elish" at this location.

Rotting Christ will embark on an extensive European tour in February 2007 beginning with the third edition of The Domination Tour.

The band also stated, that the tour announced for November of 2006 in the US will be postponned to March of 2007, due to bureaucratic problems with obtainng visas. As soon as the first dates are confirmed for this tour, they will be posted on the band's official website.

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Source:	season-of-mist.com
Band profile:	Rotting Christ

Celtic Frost's new video clip for the song, "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh", is to be featured as part of the program of the 42nd edition of the renown Solothurn Film Festival in Switzerland, January 22 to 28, 2007. The clip will be shown in the category "Sound & Stories".
"A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" was taken from Celtic Frost's first album in 14 years, "Monotheist", and the clip was directed by Jessie Fischer (no relation to Celtic Frost's Tom Gabriel Fischer), and filmed in Zurich, Switzerland, in mid-August 2006.

To watch the video clip, go to YouTube.

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Source:	celticfrost.com
Band profile:	Celtic Frost

The Canadian death metallers have posted the following message on their official web site:

"All the planets have aligned... The time has come to undertake one of the longest tour runs in our career, that will take the Kataklysm machine in over twenty two countries in five months, visiting three continents and playing - if we're still alive and not too abused after over a hundred shows in the first half of 2007. We started rehersing a long, effective and killer set list with absolutely no filler tracks. We will also be visiting some songs that we haven't played in awhile from five or six albums ago. We promise an explosive show like you haven't seen before from Kataklysm. We look forward to revisiting our old friends and playing the new countries that are planned and shaking the hands of our fans who have waited to see Kataklysm for so long. We come prepared, the question is... Are you??

All the best to everyone and enjoy your holidays. See ya next year!"
-Maurizio

Kataklysm has confirmed:

- January 2007: "Road to Devastation tour"
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic

- February/March 2007: "Trendkiller tour"
USA & Canada (coast to coast)

- April 2007: "Devastation Down Under"
Australia & New Zealand

-May 2007: "Road to Devastation II"
UK, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, France

Kataklysm is undergoing negotiations at the moment and is expected to also include the following next year: Iceland, Russia & South America

Source:	kataklysm.net
Band profile:	Kataklysm
Event:	Kataklysm: The Road To Devastation Tour