After three years, UK death metal duo Mithras have completed work on their latest album, titled "Behind The Shadows Lie Madness".
The band's third record will be released worldwide by Candlelight Records and will feature art by Dan Seagrave who is known for his work with Morbid Angel, Entombed, Suffocation and many others. The release date should be announced soon.

The recording line up is as follows:
Leon Macey - guitars / drums
Rayner Coss - oratory / bass

Source:

mithras.org.uk

At the end of this year Metallica will be releasing a DVD collection of all of their promotional videos. It will be entitled "The Videos 1989-2004". It will be released on the 4th December everywhere except North America (where it will be released on the 5th December). Click here to see the cover of the DVD.

Here is the tracklist:
01. One
02. Enter Sandman
03. The Unforgiven
04. Nothing Else Matters
05. Wherever I May Roam
06. Sad But True
07. Until It Sleeps
08. Hero Of The Day
09. Mama Said
10. King Nothing
11. The Memory Remains
12. The Unforgiven II
13. Fuel
14. Turn The Page
15. Whiskey In The Jar
16. No Leaf Clover
17. I Disappear
18. St. Anger
19. Frantic
20. The Unnamed Feeling
21. Some Kind Of Monster

Bonus:
22. 2 Of One - Introduction
23. One (Jammin' Version)
24. The Unforgiven (Theatrical Version)
25. Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster Film Trailer

Here is a comment by the band: "We've been getting requests for many years to release all the promotional videos on DVD and it's finally happening! In addition to every video we've ever made, for the first time ever the "2 of One," release (which up until now has only been available on VHS) will be available on DVD. Also included is 'Mama Said' which never aired in North America, maybe not even anywhere in the world, and a few little extras such as 'The Unforgiven' theatrical version and the 'Some Kind Of Monster' film trailer. Plus, all the audio has been re-mixed in 5.1 surround sound".

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Source:	metallica.com
Band profile:	Metallica

The recording and mixing process for Doom/Death Metal band Swallow The Sun is now complete. The recording for their so far untitled third album was done at Seawolf Studios in Helsinki. The band have also announced that the mixing for the album will begin on the 16th October at by Minerva Pappi at Finnvox studios.

More information about the information is said to be announced soon.

In the meantime, Mikko and Juha will be on Radio X3M's Metallväktarna to talk about the recording of the new album and everything else next Sunday!

Source:	swallowthesun.net
Band profile:	Swallow The Sun

Royal Hunt's new live 2CD/ DVD will be released via Frontiers Records on December 8th. The band picked the historic stage of St. Petersburg's Music Hall to film their new "Live In Concert" DVD on. The event, which lasted about 2 hours, features a wide selection of songs from all of their releases since 1991 and some tracks from the latest one - "Paper Blood".

The DVD also includes some backstage footage as well as interviews with band members and their road crew, while the 2CD set is the ultimate Royal Hunt package, an essential item for all the long time fans.

DVD tracklisting:
01. Paper Blood
02. Time
03. The Mission
04. Never Give Up
05. Can't Let Go
06. Last Goodbye
07. Follow Me
08. Cold City Lights
09. Martial Arts
10. Surrender
11. Running Wild
12. Far Away
13. Lies
14. Wasted Time
15. Message To God
16. SK983
17. Epilogue

2CD Version tracklisting:
Disc 1:
01. Paper Blood
02. Time
03. The Mission
04. Never Give Up
05. Can't Let Go (sample)
06. Last Goodbye
07. Follow Me
08. Cold City Lights

Disc 2:
01. Martial Arts
02. Surrender
03. Running Wild
04. Far Away (sample)
05. Lies
06. Wasted Time
07. Message To God
08. Epilogue
09. Long Way Home (bonus track)

Royal Hunt website: http://www.royalhunt.com

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Source:	frontiers.it
Band profile:	Royal Hunt

Winterborn, Doro and Benedictum will team up for a European tour beginning in early December. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Dec. 05 - Italy - Florence, Flog
Dec. 06 - Italy - Traviso, New Age
Dec. 07 - Italy - Milan, Live Club
Dec. 09 - Germany - Affalter, Zur Linde
Dec. 10 - Germany - Braunschweig, Jolly Joker
Dec. 11 - Germany - Berlin, Postbahnhof
Dec. 13 - Germany - Bremen, Aladin
Dec. 15 - Austria - Wörgl, Komma
Dec. 16 - Germany - Kaufbeuren, All-Karthalle
Dec. 19 - Germany - Ubach-Palenberg, Rockfabrik
Dec. 20 - The Netherlands - Weert, De Bosuil
Dec. 21 - The Netherlands - Hellendorn, Lantaarn
Dec. 22 - Germany - Flensburg, Roxy
Dec. 25 - Germany - Speyer, Halle 101
Dec. 26 - Germany - Bochum, Zeche
Dec. 27 - Belgium - Antwerpen, Hof Ter Lo
Dec. 28 - Germany - Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal
Dec. 29 - Germany - Andernach, JUZ Live Club
Dec. 30 - Germany - Crailsheim, Jahnhalle

As commented Winterborn: "Winterborn is very happy to announce European Tour 2006 with Doro and Benedictum. And because of this, theres a few changes in gig dates in Finland. And some more gigs in Finland."

Source:	winterborn.info
Band profile:	Winterborn

On the 15th of November 2006, Sonata Arctica will release their second compilation "The Collection 1999-2006". This one has nothing to do with the compilation released in Japan earlier this year.
The compilation (cover art here) will include two re-makes and the limited version will include two live videos and one promotional video.

Tracklist:
01. The Ruins Of My Life
02. 8th Commandment
03. Don't Say A Word
04. Victoria's Secret
05. Tallulah
06. Wolf & Raven
07. Black Sheep
08. Broken
09. Kingdom For A Heart
10. FullMoon
11. My Land
12. The Cage
13. Last Drop Falls
14. UnOpened
15. San Sebastian
16. Ain't Your Fairytale
17. Replica

Limited Edition:
18. Wolf & Raven
19. The Cage
20. Kingdom For A Heart

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Source:	fanzone.fi
Band profile:	Sonata Arctica

Metal Mind Productions have updated their MySpace page to include the new video from Polish atmospheric Gothic/Black metallers Darzamat.

Head here to view the clip for 'The Burning Times'.

Darzamat filmed the video in cooperation with the film association GTW from Gliwice, Poland. The video, created to promote the band's new album "Transkarpatia" deals with the times of The Inquisition, the fanatic witch-hunts as well as with the war that the Church was declaring to everything and everyone who stood out of the one and the only appropriate vision that the Church presented.

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Source:	darzamat.art.pl
Band profile:	Darzamat

German Viking metal band Equilibrium has officially signed a multi-album deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
Comments the band: "A deal with Nuclear Blast? Wow. A dream came true. We´re looking forward to some cool years and even cooler records!"
Equilibrium will enter the studio in January to record a new album, titled "Sagas," which will hit streets next summer.

Website: http://www.equilibrium-metal.de

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Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Equilibrium

Santa Cruz based brutal death metallers Decrepit Birth have posted the following update:

"We would like to officially announce that Erlend Caspersen (Blood Red Throne, The All Seeing I), will be filling in as our touring and session bassist until a permanent bassist can fill the position. We are very happy to have him in the line up, as he is one of the most amazing young bassists in the scene. You can see him on the road with us in January across Europe, tour dates coming soon!

We are still looking for a permanent bass player who is willing to relocate to our area and be a serious and professional member of Decrepit Birth. All that are interested should contact decrepitbirth@msn.com"

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Source:	decrepitbirth.com
Band profile:	Decrepit Birth

Glenn Danzig has announced that his former Samhain bandmate Steve Zing will be the surprise bassist on the Blackest Of The Black live dates.

"I'm looking forward to being on stage with Glenn again and seeing all the fans," Zing stated. "It's gonna be a blast."

Danzig has also announced that guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly, both from Type O Negative, will round out his band.

The complete lineup for the 2006 Blackest Of The Black Tour features: Danzig, Lacuna Coil, The Haunted, Belphegor and Asesino. Dates are as follows:

November
17 - Seattle, WA - The Fenix
18 - Spokane, WA - The Big Easy
19 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
21 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
22 - San Diego, CA - Soma
24 - tba
25 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
26 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
28 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
29 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
30 - Fresno, CA - Rainbow Ballroom

Source:	danzig-verotik.com
Band profile:	Danzig

Saxon's manager Thomas Jensen has posted the following update on the band's official website:

"Unfortunately I have to announce that Saxon have to cancel all festival appearances in South America due to recording commitments. Please don't book any flights. I am really sorry to have to send this news."

The five cancelled gigs were scheduled to take place from October 7th to October 14th in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

However, Saxon still intend to perform in Belgium on November 18th.

Source:	saxon747.com
Band profile:	Saxon

More live bootleg Savatage footage has surfaced on YouTube. This time it's high quality single camera video of the band performing 'Agony And Ecstasy' from the "Streets" album. Go to this location to check it out.

A Savatage fan has uploaded his video library of band-related footage on YouTube. It can be found here. It includes two rare pro-shot Savatage performances. Go to this location to check out the band performing 'Tonight He Grins Again' at the Tampa Music Awards in 1992. The clip is believed to be some of the best existing live footage of the band's "Streets" album line-up (Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva, Steve Wacholz, Johnny Lee Middleton).

The second clip is from a special VIVA TV broadcast filmed during The Wake Of Magellan tour in 1997 in Cologne, Germany. Go to this location to check out 'Turns To Me' performed by the Savatage line-up of Zak Stevens, Jon Oliva, Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, Johnny Lee Middleton and Jeff Plate.

In addition, rare live footage of a 2002 festival performance featuring Annihilator guitarist Jeff Waters and vocalist Damond Jiniya is now available via YouTube. Click here to check it out. Waters was filling in for guitarist Al Pitrelli for a string of dates around this time and Jiniya was the replacement for Zak Stevens, now with Circle II Circle.

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Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Savatage

The 2006 Monterrey Metal Fest has finalized it's line-up for this year's festival to be held on Saturday, November 18, 2006 at the Coca Cola Auditorium in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Main Stage:

Blind Guardian (Headliner)
U.D.O. (Co-Headliner)
Cathedral
Edguy
Obituary
Deicide
Leaves' Eyes
Sadus

2nd stage:

Joe Stump's Reign Of Terror
Bludgeon
Hydrogyn
Vainglory
Maligno
Dimension
Souls On Fire
Solitude
Muluc Pax
Pentagram
Mutum

The official festival pre-party will be held on Friday, November 17, 2006 at the Cafe Iguana with mini-sets from bands that will be performing on the festival's main stage and second stage.

To view the official festival poster, visit the official festival websites: http://www.mmf.com.mx AND http://www.myspace.com/monterreymetalfest

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Source:	mmf.com.mx
Event:	Monterrey Metal Fest

Kreator's new video for the song 'Enemy of God' has been posted online. It can be watched here The clip comes off the German thrashers' "Enemy of God Revisited" album, where you will also find the 'Extended Terror Version' and the 'Making Of' video of 'Enemy of God'.

A re-release of Kreator's latest album, "Enemy of God Revisited" is due on October 30, 2006 (Germany: October 27; America: October 24). The album will be issued as a DVD + CD digipack, containing a CD featuring all the songs from the regular album, plus the two additional live tracks, "Toxic Trace" and "Coma Of Souls", both recorded live in Busan, Korea. The DVD features lots of exciting extras and previously unreleased recordings, its highlight consisting of footage from the Kreator show at the Wacken Open Air 2005, plus the brand-new video clip, "Enemy of God", the bootleg video "Kreator Live At The Rockpalast", making-of footage of "Enemy Of God", including the official clip of the title track, and the video "Dying Race Apocalypse". This worthwhile DVD is rounded off with a crystal-clear 5.1 DTS 96/24 audio mix of the whole album. On top of that, the package features new cover artwork and a comprehensive booklet.

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Source:	hailmetal.com
Band profile:	Kreator

Dutch Death Metal band Gorefest have posted the following update at their official website:

"Right, this really sucks. We were supposed to be going over to Turkey at the start of November to do two shows in Istanbul and Ankara. Last two weeks however, rumours came to our attention these shows were being cancelled. We knew nothing about this, but these people apparently were much better informed then us, since the promotor seems to have vanished into thin air. Emails are bouncing, phones are disconnected. To our Turkish fans, please let it be known we are not the ones fucking this up. We had a great time last year in Istanbul, and were all revved up and ready to go out and administer some frightfully heavy Metal to you guys 'n gals. I guess we'll just have to postpone it all again. Don't worry though, we WILL get there!"
Frank & Gorefest

Source:	gorefest.nl
Band profile:	Gorefest