Posted by Hansi on the official site:

Here is a short update about what is going on at the moment:
Frederik did some kick ass drum arrangements for the new songs and now Oliver Holzwarth has started working on the bass arrangements. At the same time André, Marcus and I are fixing final arrangement issues but basically we have finished the biggest part of composing. We are going to start the production for the new album somewhere during the last days of August. As you can imagine everyone is highly motivated, excited and of course ready to go.

This is a a very rough schedule for the next months:

Late August - End of November:
Recordings
Mixing of the first single
Videoshooting

December - January:
Mixing

February/March:
Promotion
Release of the first single

April/May:
Release of the album and Warm up shows

June - August:
Warm up shows
South America
Japan
Release of the second single

September - October:
Europe

November:
Japan
Australia

December - February:
USA, Mexico and Canada

Source:	blind-guardian.com
Band profile:	Blind Guardian

BATS (Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society, http://www.thebats.co.uk ) writer/director Danni Segal has contacted BW&BK with the following news...

Dream Theater's acclaimed 1999 concept album "Scenes From A Memory" is being turned into a full-length stage play. Adapted and directed by long-time Dream Theater fan Danni Segal, this is a prose play, not a performance of the CD.

The play runs for four performances from 17th - 19th of November, 2005 (that's 3 evening performances and 1 Saturday matinee) at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, East Sussex (between Hastings & Eastbourne in South-East England).

As this may be the only time this is ever done, anyone interested is warmly encouraged to come along and see it while they can.

Full details can be found at the BATS website at http://www.thebats.co.uk , which will be regularly updated as work progresses.

Source:	bravewords.com
Band profile:	Dream Theater

The explosive Southern California quintet Manntis have officially signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The group’s debut album, “Sleep In Your Grave”, is set for a October 17th, 2005 release in Europe. The disc was produced by Cameron Webb (Danzig, Motörhead, Social Distortion) and features blistering tracks of unrelenting metal intensity. The group have been influenced by a diverse number of bands ranging from Meshuggah and Pantera to Hatebreed, to name just a few, and their pummeling sound reflects the combination of these influences.

Manntis originally formed in 2000 and immediately began playing anywhere and everywhere possible. Their stunning stage presence was undeniable and overwhelmed anyone that stepped in front of them. The buzz spread quickly throughout the underground, but their biggest break would come in 2004 when they gained worldwide recognition from their participation on the hit MTV show “Battle For Ozzfest.” The group are now out to prove that they can easily go head to head with the genre’s elite.

Jake Sirokman (vocals) further conveys his excitement over the recent signing: “We're extremely happy to be with Century Media Records. We love the other bands on the roster and are proud to be alongside them for years to come. One thing is for sure: some people may have heard about us because of the 'Battle for Ozzfest' show, but we're a dedicated band with over five years in the scene, not just some reality show poseurs looking to extend our 15 minutes of fame. No doubt that ‘Battle for Ozzfest’ was a great opportunity, but we're grateful that CM saw through smoke and mirrors of TV and saw us for the band we are. Bottom line, we're here to bring the fucking metal. See ya on the road."

Manntis recently embarked on the “Battle For Ozzfest Tour,” in the USA with A Dozen Furies and CYN, the show’s other two finalists. A European tour is following as of November, 2005 with The Haunted and God Forbid.
Official Website http://www.manntis.com

Source:

centurymedia.de

Canada's "Annihilator" have set the following 2005 worldwide release dates for it's 11th studio alBUM "Schizo Deluxe": Japan (Marquee Inc.) on October 21, November 8 in North America (Locomotive/Warner) and in Europe (AFM Records) on November 14.

Says guitar-legend Jeff Waters: "This cd is dedicated to our fans and all metal fans. This time around, I went right for the throat: 100% thrash metal with an attitude. No ballads. No breaks in the insanity. "Schizo Deluxe" is what alot of metal fans have been screaming at me to give them this time: brutal guitar riffs and solos, second-to-none musicianship and back-to-the-roots thrash/heavy metal metal song-writing."

Source:	annihilatormetal.com
Band profile:	Annihilator

Century Media Records is proud to announce the worldwide signing of Belgian death/grinders, ABORTED! "It's been a very hectic, intense and heavy year for ABORTED," says founder and lead vocalist Sven De Caluwé. "Yet a year in which we have done tons of amazing things, went to amazing places and met a lot of cool new people. One of those amazing things is being signed to a label we believe will be able to lift this band to new heights. They believe in us 200% and are going to help us take the next step in our careers."

The band is gearing up for a North American tour this fall with Suffocation, CRYPTOPSY and DESPISED ICON. This will serve as the band's first full U.S. tour ever! As anyone who saw the band at their Maryland Deathfest appearance can attest, you do not want to miss out on this historical event!

"With our North American tour we will finally be able to get out to the U.S. and Canada and do some damage," De Caluwé says. "Needless to say we are extremely thrilled to hit the road and to be a part of the growing Century Family, a company that stands for nothing but quality releases and that strongly supports every cool act under their wings."

ABORTED's latest offering, The Archaic Abattoir, was licensed in North America via Century Media/Olympic Recordings on May 17th. It has been called "an epic in its own right" (Outburn) and a "highly proficient slab of ultraviolence" (Decibel). Hear and see what the fans and critics have been raving about starting September 28th at a venue near you!

Source:	centurymedia.com
Band profile:	Aborted

Norwegian Black Metal masters DIMMU BORGIR and their longtime label NUCLEAR BLAST have extended the record deal that spawned albums like " Enthrone Darkness Triumphant", "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" and "Death Cult Armageddon"!

The History of Black Metal continues?

The next release will be a revamped version of "Stormblast", which originally appeared in '96. It was recorded again during this year, augmented with bonus track and produced by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY). Expect a way better and sinister sounding album. "Stormblast" will available Nov 7.

Souce: http://www.nuclearblast.de

Band profile:

Dimmu Borgir

Canadian epic doom band Passage have released their long awaited debut album through Portuguese label Exorcize Music.

As no official distributors can be announced at the moment (they will be announced shortly), people can order the album directly by contacting Exorcize Music at exorcize@worldwidemystica.com. Orders for Quebec only will be handled by Passage for the moment, so please send an e-mail at your_passage@yahoo.ca. A"buy online" section will soon be available on this website.

In other news, a "live" Passage line-up is building at the moment. The band plans to do some touring in the near future to promote the debut album. More news on this soon.

Source:

le-passage.ca

Former Iced Earth frontman Matt Barlow ? who is currently employed a police officer in the Georgetown Police Dept. in Georgetown, Delaware ? has resurfaced as the lead singer of the First State Force Band.

According to a posting at FirstStateForce.org, First State Force Band "was comprised of law enforcement members from different departments throughout the State of Delaware. These law enforcement members through their dedication, performed concerts several times a month to the children of Delaware using music to stress the importance of staying drug free and to stay away from violence. The band was on a serious mission. The first three years the band had performed for every school district in Delaware."

Check out a recent photo of Matt Barlow at this location. Pictures of the entire band can be found here.

Read more ››

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Iced Earth

all news posted by Manticore on the official website.

Behemoth launches the new site (<A]http://www.behemoth.pl</A])

Hello f(r)iends!. Finally, after months of intense work we can proudly announce that Behemoth has a revamped and fully redesigned website. Our graphic designer Graal (Tomasz Danilowicz) and webmaster Manticore (Maciek Gruszka) have completed a monumental effort on this. For each album, we want the graphics on our website to perfectly correspond with the current cover artwork . We really think we did a great job and are truly satisfied with the way it turned out. Although I have to say that we are really sorry for being delayed, as we had planned and promised ourselves and fans that it would have been ready for the album release date. Anyway, we can assure you all that this refreshed website will motivate us to work even harder on any updates, reports etc. in the future. Thank U all for endless support and hope you will visit us often and enjoy the brand new virtual world of Behemoth!

On behalf ov Behemoth
Nergal

- - - - -

"Slaves Shall Serve" Tour EP completed, track list revealed

This strictly limited edition (3000 copies) 6 song release will be available exclusively during their European tour in September. View the cover art <A HREF="http://www.behemoth.superhost.pl/cutenews/data/upimages/sss_ep.jpg"]here</A].

Track list:
1. Slaves Shall Serve (album version)
2. Entering The Pylon Ov Light (non album song)
3. Penetration (The Nefilim cover)
4. Until You Call On The Dark (Danzig cover)
5. Demigod (live from Sweden Rock festival)
6. Slaves Shall Serve (live from Sweden Rock festival)
7. Slaves Shall Serve (enhanced video clip)

- - - - -

Behemoth finish shooting the new video clip for "Slaves Shall Serve", Stills from the filming available

Behemoth once again joined forces with Joanna Rechnio, one of the leading video producers in Poland (who also directed Behemoth's "Conquer All" clip), to shoot the new video for "Slaves Shall Serve" from their latest album "Demigod".
Due to controversial scenes in the clip, MTV has reportedly requested a "soft" version for possible airplay. <A HREF="http://www.behemoth.superhost.pl/reports_en.php'subaction=showfull&id=1122242995&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&"]Below</A] read Nergal's comment on the issue and check stills from the filming <A HREF="http://www.behemoth.superhost.pl/misc_en.html"]here</A].

Read more ››

Source:	behemoth.pl
Band profile:	Behemoth

Hi bards,

This time it fortunately is on me to deliver some good news. Very good news in fact!

The seemingly endless time of waiting for a new drummer and speculations who could possibly be the new one has finally come to an end. We have found what we have been searching for?

A few weeks ago an unknown guy who introduced himelf as Frederik Ehmke applied for the job as a drummer in a fairly firm manner. His vital, expressive and skillful performances of some B.G. classics ("Journey Through The Dark", "Time Stands Still" and "And Then There Was Silence") blew us away completely . Pretending not to be convinced we invited him to do a shoot out recording session under real production terms to check out if the creative chemistry would also work out fine. After finishing these recordings it was obvious to us: Frederik is going to be our new drummer!

It was essential for us to find a musician, who on one side would be able to integrate old Guardian trademarks in his play, but on the other side would also be confident enough to bring in his own vision of the Blind Guardian drums in a tasteful and, for the music, suitable way. Frederik is a calm and handsome fellow, who's aware of his abilities and who also knows what he wants. For us he is the lucky draw.

We are convinced you will be as impressed by his drum performance as we are. Now we are looking forward to starting the next album production. There is a good amount of work ahead of us but we are absolutely ready to go. You can expect a very interesting album with strong songs on it. We will keep you informed.

Later,
Hansi

Also, a new website is now up.

Source:	blind-guardian.com
Band profile:	Blind Guardian

Seminal avant-garde metal pioneers Celtic Frost announce the completion of their new studio album, tentatively titled "Dark Matter Manifest", their first in 13 years and the culmination of some three and a half years of songwriting and recording work. Although the album was largely produced by the band themselves and financed by their own production company, Celtic Frost enlisted Hypocrisy/Pain mastermind Peter Tägtgren to co-produce with them the final recording and mixing sessions at Horus Sound Studio in Hanover, Germany, in August/September 2005. Negotiations with a variety of labels are currently underway, and the album is scheduled for a release in early 2006.

Having declined innumerable reunion show propositions over the years, Celtic Frost once again deemed it essential to manifest themselves creatively with a new album before embarking on the live circuit next year.

Original Celtic Frost members Tom Gabriel Fischer (voice and guitars) and Martin Eric Ain (bass) are joined by Erol Unala (guitar) and Franco Sesa (drums). The band are now managed by Antje Lange for The A Label in Berlin, Germany (info@thealabel.com). For real-time exclusive information and rare visual glimpses, see Celtic Frost's official website at http://www.celticfrost.com and Tom Gabriel Fischer's blog at:
http://apollyonsun.blogspot.com.

Source:	celticfrost.com
Band profile:	Celtic Frost

Leprechaun, the side project of singer of Elvenking Damnagoras and bass player of Stormlord Francesco Bucci have decided to sell their demo CD, "The Ultimate Dance" as they're waiting for a good record deal to release their debut album.

Damnagoras stated in the band's website: "After I joined Elvenking back, lots of people were asking about Leprechaun's future. So it's time to clear things up a bit! As everybody may know, we have released a demo-cd for record companies only, called "The Ultimate Dance"...then we carried on writing songs and at the end we had 11 songs. So the first album is ready from the songwriting point of view. During this year we had some contacts with various record companies...but unfortunately nothing happened. We'd really like to release the first album but we will do it only when there'll be the right opportunity with the right company. Anyway we will keep on trying!
In the meantime we feel that, waiting for this "possible album" to be released, it would be cool to give to our fans the possibility of listening to the demo songs. So that's why we decided to sell "The Ultimate Dance" (write to info@leprechaun.it for info).
Talking about the line-up, for the moment there is no real line-up, but of course if something will happen in the future, me, Francesco Bucci, Whisperwind and Enrico "Soilmaster" will carry on with this, possibly with some help from our friends.
So...if you want to have news about the band, visit these pages and you'll surely know what's going on."

Source:

leprechaun.it

Dear followers,

Because of personal issues and the fact that Niklas has problems with constantly recurring health problems we have taken the painful decision to leave the band.
All our friends are telling us that it's a bad idea to leave the band now when it's starting to get big, but you may come to a point in your life where you have to make a choice.

We have now come to this point in our lives and the choice we have made is to put more time into our families and work.
We've known for a long time that the bigger Dream Evil becomes the more time it will take from the other important things in our lives and in time it was inevitable to make a decision.
Therefore we have decided to leave Dream Evil.

There are no hard feelings between us and the other guys in Dream Evil, We're still the best of friends and they totally understand the position we are in.

So it is with the best confidence we now pass over the mantle to the new members Jake E Berg and Tommy Larsson. They have our blessings and we are confident they will fill our shoes just perfectly and leave nothing for the fans to be desired.

We wish to thank all fans for the support through the years and for making the time in Dream Evil a memory for life.

Stay Evil In The Night
Peter and Niklas

Source:	dreamevil.se
Band profile:	Dream Evil

Stratovarius just performed at Wacken Open Air 2005.

This year's "Wacken Surprise Act" was Stratovarius.

Three songs were played: Hunting High and Low, Black Diamond and Maniac Dance.

Says singer Timo Kotipelto: "It was great to be back on stage!"

Says guitar player Timo Tolkki: "Hey Jens stop updating that stupid web page and come and DRINK!!!!!"

Says new bass player Lauri Porra: "Drinking????? WOOHOO"

Source:	stratovarius.com
Band profile:	Stratovarius

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will shoot a video in support of their latest album, Dreams Of Death', in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday August 14th. The video will be for the song 'Straight To Hell'. The clip is expected to be finished late August and ready for national and regional video outlets by September 1st.

Source:	flotsam-and-jetsam.com
Band profile:	Flotsam And Jetsam