Polish black/death metallers BEHEMOTH are continuing work on their seventh full-length album, "Demigod", tentatively due in the fall through Regain Records (Europe), Century Media (USA and South America) and Mystic (Poland). Nergal (vocals/guitars) checked in with the following update: "We are very busy with song writing for our upcoming record, 'Demigod'. We have 10 songs in the making now?some are completed, some are not?anyway, from what we've done so far, I can easily say it will not disappoint anybody, who loved our last three records. Though I really hope that with this new album we'll enter new chapter. The official recording session starts on the April 29th. Tracks will be laid down in Hendrix studios in Poland, while mixing will take place in Dug Out in Sweden (MESHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, IN FLAMES) on June 21st. Expect an October release followed shortly after with a world wide touring campaign."

Band profile:

Behemoth

Irish folk metal band CRUACHAN will be celebrating the launch of their fourth full-length album, "Pagan", with a one-off live date in Dublin on April 6 at The Voodoo Lounge. Support at the show will come from CELTIC LEGACY.

"Pagan" is scheduled for release on April 5 through Karmageddon Media). The album was recorded and mixed at Radio Na Life Studios in Dublin, Ireland with producer Al Cowen and is the follow-up to last year's "Folk-Lore". The band recorded a total of 15 songs, of which 13 will end up on the final album and the remaining songs will be used as bonus-material. Among the tracks set to appear on the CD are "Michael Collins", "The Gael", "The March to Cluain Tairbh", "Viking Slayer" and "1014 A.D." Cover artwork for "Pagan" was created by John Howe, the leading JRR Tolkien illustrator and the conceptual artist from "The Lord of the Rings" movies

Band profile:

Cruachan

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman recently spoke to Australia's Guitar magazine about the possibility of him collaborating with Dave Mustaine again in the not-too-distant future. Asked what the latest word is on a potential MEGADETH reunion with him on guitar, Marty said, "There really is no word on that. I don't have any interest in that now. But I never say never. Who knows? The guys are all my buds. There is no debating the great chemistry between us." With regards to whether that means that he has changed his mind about the issues that originally influenced him to leave the band, he said, " great question, but you are thinking too deep into it. I would just need to see something musically exciting happening to even consider it. Something even greater than it was before. I am not at all interested in just picking up where the band left off. There would have to be some kind of interesting twist to it." Read the rest of the interview

Taken from Blabblermouth.net

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Megadeth

OPETH main songwriter and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt recently spoke to MetalReview.com about the drummer Martin Lopez's anxiety attacks, which caused him to miss a few dates on the band's recent North American tour. "We had to cancel a few shows and we feel very bad about that so we decided we were going to be very open with it," Mikael said. " basically suffered panic attacks and anxiety attacks and severe depression from working too hard and touring so much. It got to the point where he called me up the day before the first scheduled Jordan gig saying that he couldn't go and he was just a wreck. So we took some rest before this gig and then the same thing happened when we went to Frankfurt where we had a connecting flight to Canada and he said he couldn't go, he had to go home and we had to support him with that. He went back home, we missed 3 gigs. Well, he missed them, we did the gigs anyway with our drum tech and Gene Hoglan . He went to a psychologist and they did tests on him and it's actually some stuff in his blood that makes his heart beat faster and that's the reason why he's been depressed. Now he's getting medication and I think the biggest breakthrough for him was knowing what it was because he was literally going insane. And he was seriously thinking that maybe he'd have to leave the band and he was scared that we would fire him. But from Seattle, which was the first gig on this tour, he was back and I think he's happier now because he knows we've been doing this for such a long time and it's like a rejuvenation for him in a way to be back."

Mikael also commented on the recent online controversy surrounding DEVILDRIVER's addition to the OPETH North American tour over KATAKLYSM, who many people ? including KATAKLYSM themselves ? thought were a far better fit. "I like them," he said of DEVILDRIVER. "I've never heard them before, but like everybody I kind of had my mind made up about them before, but they were nothing like that. They're more of, I would say, a death metal band, and all the shit they're getting I think is pretty much uncalled for. People just slag them off because of Dez Fafara's past in COAL CHAMBER, and it's a shame and it's hard for them. At some gigs people are like 'Fuck Off' and 'You Guys Suck', and regardless if you don't like a band you just don't do that stuff at shows. I think they're great people and a tight, brutal band. KATAKLYSM, that thing I never got the offer for them to tour with us so I didn't know. All of sudden there are fights and stuff but I didn't know they were supposed to tour with us."

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Opeth

BOLT THROWER are currently writing new material for their 8th (as yet untitled) studio album. They plan to go into the studio in May, and the album will be released around October/November time on Metal Blade Records. The band plan to promote the release with a full European tour and hopefully their first US tour for 10 years!

Band profile:

Bolt Thrower

Gates of Metal 2004 - 31 of July, Folkets Park, Hultsfred, Sweden!!!

Gates of Metal can release two more bands to this years edition. It's the American band Morbid Angel and the Swedish band Facebreaker who is the final two bands that is confirmed.

Gates of Metal takes place in Hultsfred, Sweden on the 31 of July. It's 13 bands in total who will performe on the three stages. This years line-up is musically seen wider then last year, something we feel will be appriciated by the metal fans.

5 000 ticket has been released for Gates of Metal and can be purchased at Biljett Direkt, ticnet.se. There will also be buses going to and from Gates of Metal, more info about that on the official website.

Gates of Metal 2004

Running Wild
Morbid Angel
Within Temptation
Meshuggah
Sonata Arctica
Sodom
Sentenced
Finntroll
The Storyteller
Dragonforce
Pagan's Mind
Arise
Facebreaker

Gates of Metal
www.gatesofmetal.se

Skrikhult Production
www.skrikhult.se

Metropol
www.metropol.nu

SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala has confirmed in an online posting that that he has taken over the lead vocal duties in his side-project POISONBLACK.

"Yes, it is true," Ville wrote. "It was not an easy decision to make but as I have the whole album in my head and I can already have a vision about the overall sound, the roughness that my throat produces is what the lyrics will need to come alive. And now I am just going to concentrate to record the next album with the band... Yes, I could've asked anyone with a rough voice but the thing is that I do not want 'anyone' to do something that is important to me. And I truly think that I am the only person to voice for the new songs."

POISONBLACK's debut album, 2003's "Escapextacy", featured the vocal talents of CHARON frontman Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto. Juha-Pekka's touring and recording commitments with his main band eventually forced him to quit POISONBLACK, but not before completing all the touring activities in support of the group's debut CD.

POISONBLACK's follow-up to "Escapextacy" is expected to surface later this year through Century Media Records.

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Poisonblack

Israeli prog-metallers ORPHANED LAND recently hosted a hometown CD release party for their new album, "Mabool" (due in the U.S. on April 6 through Century Media Records). Vocalist Kobi Farhi checked in with the following update:

"Hello to all our ORPHANED brothers and sisters, we had the launch party release of 'Mabool' two days ago and it was a blast!! More than 1,200 people attended, and the event was completely sold out! 200 people unfortunately had to go home with no tickets...we played for an hour and a half and at the end of the show we wore costumes, because it was Purim's eve ? same as Halloween, and we played a few more songs and a funny cover version for the theme song from 80's TV series ? 'Transformers'!! We hope to see you all in the U.S. stages real soon."

ORPHANED LAND's next gig in Israel will be a semi-acoustic appearance on March 23 at The Third Ear CD Shop in Tel-Aviv.

Band profile:

Orphaned Land

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"After spending one week in countryside with my family, this is what I want to say:

"I have been shocked about the attack and the amount of ill will some people have directed to me. The festival in Spain was a very difficult thing to do after all those death threats. I got very drunk before the show and I also didn't feel that I received any support from the rest of the band. After the first song I left the stage because of the horrible sound and was waiting as they were fixing it. People were booing and started to throw things on stage. Then I returned and went to my mic and asked in English and Spanish 'What the fuck is going on?,' thus speaking aloud that sentence that I have had in mind since MissK joined the band and the amount of hatred this whole thing has generated. People started throwing things and 1 bottle hit me in the head. Once again it seems I am the bad guy and solely responsible for everything. Jens Johansson pissed on my leg in 'Forever'. I couldn't believe it to be true and he apologized later, which I accepted, once I understood why he did what he did.

"What happened the next day was something I never thought I would have to go through. All these 'conspiracy theories' about faked pictures sound completely alien to me. The wounds in my arm & face feel dead real and I am still convinced the guy was trying to kill me. He tried to hit me third time with the knife after I turned around, but I managed to grab his hand, so with his other hand he punched me in the face. All this nonsense about the pics is completely senseless. Jens took some pics to document what happened, for instance if we found the guy and needed to sue him. I am in the process in contacting Spanish police and report the thing, but not because I think the guy can be caught, but because of insurance policies. The guy can never be caught of course, he is gone and Jens was the only one who witnessed the attack.

"And all the time my only wish was to just get back home quickly to my wife and daughter.

"Since I returned home from the countryside I heard the speculation about the genuinity of the photos. This is unbelievable! Although I understand that my credibility has suffered lately due to some statements I have done under the influence of psychotic medicine and alcohol, I still cannot believe there are people who think this attack is fake. But let me explain to you what happened. I cannot be so super specific about everything, but this is what I do remember. The photo of stabbing wounds was taken straight after arrival to the hospital after Dr. Fernandez had sprayed some liquid to my arm. Then she cleaned the wounds and there were 6 stitches. The other picture released to the press by Sanctuary was taken the following day in Jens' room. By that time my eye and cheek was swollen and red from the hit, so I decided to cover all of that for the trip to home. Also the wounds in my arm were bleeding, so I did what Dr Fernandez asked me to do: changed the bandage.

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Band profile:

Stratovarius

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have commenced the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2003's "Winterheart's Guild", tentatively due later in the year through Spinefarm Records. In other news, SONATA ARCTICA drummer Tommy Portimo became the father of a "beautiful little baby girl" (46 cm, 2950 g) early in the morning on Saturday, March 6. "Both the child and the mother are doing well," according to a post on the band's web site. "The whole SONATA camp congratulates the parents and warmly welcomes the first newcomer of our 'extended family'!"

taken from Blabbermouth.net

Band profile:

Sonata Arctica

Atlanta's "artistic melodic dark metal" band LILITU have inked a deal with The End Records. The group will shortly be entering Ledbelly Sound Studio to re-record the rhythm guitars and began the final mixing process for their third CD, "The Delores Lesion". Mastering will be done at Glenn Schick Mastering and artwork will be provided by acclaimed artist Daniel Long. A June release is expected.

Band profile:

Lilitu

The new album will be realeased in June or July 2004. Epic features 12 new Songs, including one instrumental track, and promises not to disappoint anyone who is into this fantastic Norwegian band. Vocals once more were done by exceptionally gifted singer Vintersorg, who released another solo album through Napalm Records a couple of weeks ago. The band parted ways with bass player Tyr in a friendly manner before recording his parts of the album. All bass parts were done by drummer Asgeir Mickelson. Last weekend the band entered the studio to start the mix of Epic.

Band profile:

Borknagar

Italy's VOID OF SILENCE have completed work on their new album, "Human Antithesis", at Sick Lab's Studios in Rome for an April release through Code666 Records (via its Aural Music imprint). "Human Antithesis" marks the recording debut with the group of PRIMORDIAL vocalist Alan Nemtheanga, who replaced previous frontman Malfeitor Fabban last September.

"Human Antithesis" track listing:

I. Human Antithesis
II. Grey Horizon (M.P.H. MMIII)
III: Untitled
IV. To a Sickly Child
V. Dark Static Moments
VI. CXVIII

Band profile:

Void Of Silence

AFTER FOREVER frontwoman Floor Jansen is currently offering singing and performing lessons to interested parties. For more information, send an e-mail to multimusicfloor@yahoo.com and Floor will inform you personally about the possibilities.

As previously reported, AFTER FOREVER have set a March 25 release date through Transmission Records for their new album, "Invisible Circles". The group's last full-length effort, "Decipher", was released in 2001.

AFTER FOREVER have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Pinkpop festival, set to be held May 29-31 in Landgraaf, Holland. Also scheduled to appear are PIXIES and STARSAILOR, with more acts to be announced soon.

Band profile:

After Forever

Registered members of the MEGADETH forums at Megadeth.com can enter a contest to win a phone call from Dave Mustaine and an ESP guitar. The rules of the contest are to guess the correct lyrics for a yet to be released MEGADETH song "Blackmail The Universe". Daily winners receive a phone call from Dave himself, and the person who submits all the correct lyrics to the entire song will win a limited ESP DV-8r guitar. To enter the contest, submit your guesses to webmaster@megadeth.com and check the daily contest announcement in the MEGADETH topics forum. Check out the "Dave Speaks" forum for recent MEGADETH updates posted by Dave Mustaine!

Band profile:

Megadeth