When it comes to Blaze Bayley, the sincerity of his music ranks at the very top of his personal maxims, which explains his pride in his most recent studio recording. "Blood And Belief is one-hundred per cent honest and unaffected," he comments on the strengths of his latest offering.

"Every song that was played, every lyric, every vocal line comes straight from the heart. The tracks are heavy but at the same time extremely melodic, in other words: a perfect balance of power and soul." British-born Bayley takes up where his previous three releases, Silicon Messiah (1999), Tenth Dimension (2002) and As Live As It Gets (2003), which impressed his fans with similar directives, left off.

Blood And Belief is contemporary heavy metal full of energy, life-blood and honesty, produced by an artist who has put together his experiences from the last fifteen years into an impressively high-powered achievement. Blaze 2004 is stronger than ever before.

Tracklisting:
01 Alive
02 Ten Seconds
03 Blood And Belief
04 Life And Death
05 Tearing Myself To Pieces
06 Hollow Head
07 Will To Win
08 Regret
09 The Path & The Way
10 Soundtrack Of My Life

Line-up:
Blaze Bayley - vocals
Steve Wray - guitars
John Slater - guitars
Wayne Banks - bass

Source:	spv.de]
Band profile:	Blaze Bayley

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will be utilizing the services of bassist James Lomenzo (PRIDE & GLORY, DAVID LEE ROTH, WHITE LION) during their main-stage appearance at this year's Ozzfest, according to BlackLabelSociety.net. Since BLACK SABBATH have been announced as the headliners of this year's festival, OZZY OSBOURNE's solo band ? which features BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde on guitar ? will no longer be performing at the event.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will be touring in support of their latest release, "Hangover Music Vol. VI", which was released last month through Spitfire Records. The CD is mostly acoustic- and piano-based, much like Zakk's 1996 solo album "Book Of Shadows". Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS, OZZY OSBOURNE), Lomenzo and J.D. all share bass duties on the album while drummer John Tempesta (ROB ZOMBIE, TESTAMENT, EXODUS) makes a guest appearance on one track.

"Hangover Music Vol. VI" marks BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's final album for Spitfire Records under the terms of the group's present agreement with the label.

Source:	roadrun.com
Band profile:	Black Label Society

ICED EARTH have been forced to postpone their previously announced Japanese tour due to the recent departure of drummer Richard Christy. "Though we tried everything in our power to keep this from happening we have no other alternative," ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer writes on the group's web site. The affected dates are as follows:

May 25 - Osaka, JPN @ Shinsaibashi Club Quattro
May 26 - Tokyo, JPN @ Shibuya O-East
May 27 - Tokyo, JPN @ Shibuya Club Quattro

As previously reported, ICED EARTH's final show with Richard Christy will take place on Thursday (May 20) at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Replacing Christy for the second leg of the group's North American tour will be former HALFORD/RIOT drummer Bobby Jarzombek. ICED EARTH will resume touring on June 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Support on the upcoming tour will come from BEYOND THE EMBRACE and TRIVIUM.

Source:	roadrun.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

It's now official, after four years of collaboration and three outstanding recordings, Anorexia Nervosa has now left its label Osmose Productions.

The band is proud to announce that it has signed with Listenable Records for Europe, SoundHolic Records for Japan, and that a licence deal is currently being negociated with several important labels in the USA.

After a year spent on working on new songs, Anorexia Nervosa has finally hit the Drudenhaus Studios to record their long-awaited fourth album, as yet untitled.
Here are some exclusive track names :

- Antinferno
- Sister September
- Codex - Veritas

Here are also some few words that our beloved webmaster has succeeded in taking out from the band : "The orchestrations are the most powerful ones that we ever did. The album will feature choirs, horns, heavy riffs, trance-like moments. It will stay 100% Anorexia Nervosa, but with a new atmosphere, something very solemn, warlike, and at the same time completely histerical. This is probably the single most ambitious thing that we ever took part in."

The album will be mastered by Björn Engelmann from Sweden (Rammstein, Hypocrisy, In Flames) at the Cutting Room, and should be out somewhere around october 2004. The band will hit the road at the same time, be ready!!!

As for the longest-awaited "Suicide Is Sexy" hand-signed collector, it has FINALLY gone to press, and now nothing could prevent it from being released by the end of May!

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

The release date of DANZIG's eighth studio album, "Circle of Snakes", has been pushed back to the last week of August, according to the official DANZIG fansite The 7th House. A single from the album ? containing the title cut, "1000 Devils Reign" and another song to be announced later ? will surface by the end of June. The album will be released through Glenn Danzig's Evilive label in the U.S. and Regain Records in Europe.

"Circle of Snakes" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Skincarver
03. 1000 Devils Reign
04. Circle of Snakes
05. Netherbound
06. Hellmask
07. When We Were Dead
08. TBA (working title: "Devilsnight")
09. Skull Forrest
10. My Darkness
11. Black Angel, White Angel

The layout for the upcoming album is just about done. The cover features a "killer artwork piece and custom font, both designed by Glenn Danzig," according to a posting on The 7th House.

DANZIG will be playing dates in Europe in July and August. A "Blackest of The Black" U.S. tour will kick off late August and will run through September. DANZIG's current lineup (click here to view photo) consists of Glenn Danzig (vocals), Tommy Victor (guitar, PRONG), Bevan Davies (drums, COMES WITH THE FALL), and Jerry Montano (bass, ex-THE DEADLIGHTS).

Band profile:

Danzig

A recent interview with Ministry's frontman Al Jourgensen revealed a lot of important information about the band's future. Ministry wants to get rid of Bush so much on the next election that a special booth will be present on all of their US concerts which will be used to register voters agains Bush. Jourgensen himself is going to appear in this booth for two hours before every concert and do whatever is neccessary to convince young people to take part in the upcoming election (only 30% of the 18-29 demographic took part in the previous election).

Ministry is also planning a worldwide tour in support of their upcoming album, Houses Of The Mole, scheduled for a June 22 release. Supposedly, this might be a co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails, also scheduled to release a new album in the near future.

A video for the first single off the new Ministry album, "No W" is going to be shot in the first week of June and is supposed to put Jourgensen on the first place of the White House hate list.

In related news, Jourgensen and other members of the legendary industrial parody band Revolting Cocks are in the studio at the moment and recording material for an album to be released in August.

Band profile:

Ministry

As we all espected Andromeda has started recording their third album. This happened in last few weeks. It's still unknown how long will this take... I just can't wait to hear what band has to offer with their new work... Can you? I think that this waiting will pay off when new album is released!

Band profile:

Andromeda

The recordings for "NIGHTMARES MADE FLESH" are finished and the master has been delivered to Century Media that has scheduled it for an autumn release. We promise you a fukking brutal and varied piece of work with especially outstanding performances by the new members Axe and Tägtgren, proving Bloodbath is no longer a only tribute to death metal; it's death metal's very own elite.

A total of the following 12 songs to be featured on the album
of which 4 were written each by Blakkheim, Swanö and Renkse:

OUTNUMBERING THE DAY
YEAR OF THE CADAVER RACE
DRAPED IN DISEASE
CANCER OF THE SOUL
THE ASCENSION
EATEN
BRAVE NEW HELL
STILLBORN SAVIOUR
FEEDING THE UNDEAD
BASTARD SON OF GOD
SOUL EVISCERATION
BLOOD VORTEX

Read more ››

Band profile:

Bloodbath

SAMAEL's webmaster has sent out the following update:

"Samaël just finished the recording of their new album!

Three and a half months of hard work in two different studios, four different sound engineers (for electronic, guitars, vocals, and acoustic takes), co-produced by Waldemar Sorychta (who worked on most of the band's efforts in the past), this record is said to be the most complex and the heaviest recording the band ever produced.

Samaël are going to France this weekend to play at La Rotonde Festival and they will then fly straight to Stockholm to mix the album. The mixing duty will be assured by Stephan Glaumann (BON JOVI/RAMMSTEIN).

Some of the new tracks are: 'Oriental Dawn', 'Telepathic', 'As The Sun', 'High Above', 'Heliopolis' and 'Further'.

The album is set to be released on Samaël's own label, Galactical Recordings with exclusive licenses to Musikvertreib for Switzerland and Regain Records for Europe/Asia. An American deal still has to be worked out."

Band profile:

Samael

According to the French radio "Radio Mon Païs", which interviewed Christofer Johnsson last Thursday, we will certainly have a third new album soon.

In fact more than 30 songs are already done, 21 are already on Lemuria & Serius B, the last songs will be on a new album which could be released very soon .

More news to come...

Read more ››

Band profile:

Therion

EVERGREY guitarist Henrick Danhage recently spoke to KaffeineBuzz.com about the group's new CD, "The Inner Circle", and their current North American tour with ICED EARTH and CHILDREN OF BODOM, among other topics. Asked if they are trying to come across as "a more emotional power metal band instead of having a science fiction backdrop," Henrick replied, "I don't compare us as a power metal or a progressive metal band. I want to make a point about that - I think we're really different from all those bands. I'm not badmouthing any other bands, 'cause I believe what they play is what they want to do. But I don't want to get caught up in that prog metal shit, because we're not a prog metal band. I could call us a progressive metal band as far as I would say that OPETH or MESHUGGAH is a progressive metal band. But many bands equal standing up and jerking scales. In my book that has nothing to do with music. They're just fucking geeks. But I'm not dissing any bands 'cause they can do whatever they want."

With regards to how they're entertaining themselves on the bus while touring with ICED EARTH, Danhage said, "Alcohol, weed, women, you know - all the standard American stuff . I mean, we share a bus with CHILDREN OF BODOM. They're from Finland. We're crazy Scandinavians. I feel bad for the bus driver 'cause that's not a fun gig. You got 12 drunken people on the bus everyday . It's been good. ICED EARTH treats us really good. There's a lot of stories , but we went into this with a kind of blank eyes. We took it from zero, so we don't care because it has nothing to do with us."

Read EVERGREY guitarist Henrick Danhage's entire interview with KaffeineBuzz.com

http://www.kaffeinebuzz.com/interviews-evergrey.php

Read more ››

Band profile:

Evergrey

According to www.Bravewords.com, Candlelight Records have set a June 28th release for the reissue of EMPEROR's live DVD, "Emperial Live Ceremony". It's been remastered for better sound, and includes new material such as a photo gallery.

Band profile:

Emperor

According to Barnes & Noble and Circuit City, RUSH will be releasing an eight-song, all-covers EP on June 29 through Atlantic Records. Titled "Feedback" (view cover here), the CD's complete track listing is as follows:

01. Summertime Blues (EDDIE COCHRAN)
02. Heart Full Of Soul (THE YARDBIRDS)
03. The Seeker (THE WHO)
04. For What It's Worth (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD)
05. Mr. Soul (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD)
06. Shapes Of Things (THE YARDBIRDS)
07. Seven & Seven Is (LOVE)
08. Crossroads (CREAM)

RUSH will kick off a 30th anniversary tour on May 26 outside Nashville. The trek will mark RUSH's first concerts in Prague, Italy and several territories that were formerly behind the Iron Curtain.

Band profile:

Rush

San Diego extreme metallers CATTLE DECAPITATION have set a June 14 European release date for their new album, "Humanure".

Recorded with producer Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., SIX FEET UNDER), "Humanure" marks the recording debut with the group of drummer Michael Laughlin. The band parted ways with drummer David Astor in May of 2003 due to his inability to live up to the obligations of touring and regular necessities of the band.

In other news, the cover artwork for "Humanure" has apparently caused some trouble in Germany, where Metal Blade's distributor SPV has refused to put the album into the stores. As a result, "Humanure" will be available in Germany via mailorder only.
"Humanure" track listing:

01. Scatology Domine (intro)
02. Humanure
03. Reduced To Paste
04. Bukkake Tsunami
05. Cloacula: The Anthropophagic Copromantik
06. Chummified
07. Applied Human Defragmentation
08. The Earthling
09. Polyps
10. Lips & Assholes
11. Men Before Swine (outro)

The Swedish viking inspired death metal band, Amon Amarth, have now entitled their new full-lenght album, which is planned to be released late this year in a contract with Metal Blade. The title will be "Fate of Norns", referring to the three Norns or Godesses of fate : Urd, Skuld and Verdandi.
Some of the song titles that they have revealed in their site are :

· An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm
· The Fate of Norns
· Arson
· Sealed in blood
· The Valkyries Ride

They will be entering the Berno Studio in Malmö next monday to start the recording.

Band profile:

Amon Amarth