Deicide have cancelled the remaining dates on their European headlining tour due to a "family crisis" (believed to be the death of drummer Steve Asheim's father). The group's last live appearance took place on Friday, November 5 at at the Hard Club in Porto, Portugal, where the band reportedly performed for less than 45 minutes. Joining founding members Asheim and Glen Benton (bass/vocals) in the group's touring lineup were guitarists Jack Owen (Adrift, ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Dave Suzuki (Vital Remains). No further information is currently available.

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Deicide

According to official website:

Now that the album is completely finished, we are happy to announce the release dates for Actual Fantasy: Revisited. Since this release is an audio CD with a bonus DVD, there are two different versions. (It is a region free DVD, but there are two formats!).

Please note: You can already purchase the PAL edition of the new album at the Mega Record and CD fair in Utrecht from Millennium Records on the 20th of November. Arjen will be signing at the stand, and perform at the terrace of the Fair with Robert Soeterboek and Peter Vink.

PAL
* Netherlands:  November 25, 2004
* Rest of Europe: December 6, 2004

NTSC
* Through Plato.nl: December 6, 2004 (tentative) 
* USA/Canada: January 11, 2005

You can pre-order the album through Plato. Please note the different release dates of the PAL and NTSC versions.

www.ayreon.com

Band profile:

Ayreon

Nuclear Blast has confirmed the new SOILWORK album, Stabbing The Drama, will be released on February 28th, 2005. According to management, the band is looking into doing a headlining tour of North America starting in April.

As previously reported, the track list of the new album (in no particular order) is as follows: 'Stabbing The Drama', 'Nerve', 'Distance', 'Stalemate', 'The Crestfallen', 'Wherever Thorns May Grow', 'One With The Flies', 'Weapon Of Vanity', 'Observation Slave', 'If Possible' and 'Blind Eye Halo'.

Band profile:

Soilwork

SOULGRIND, the Finnish band featuring former LULLACRY frontwoman Tanja "Whisper Lilith" Kemppainen (a.k.a. Tanya), have completed the recordings for their new album, "The Origins of the Paganblood", and are currently mixing the effort for a late January 2005 release via France's Holy Records. The band have abandoned the idea of including a DVD with the new album due to a "lack of time and money," according to a posting on the group's web site. "All of the studio budget has been spent the forthcoming album to make it great," the band write. "We noticed that less is better. With a double budget we would have done the DVD and live album. BUT the live material shall be released someday through the Internet." Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Prophecy", "Northlander", "When Those Nights Have Circled Over", "Paganblood" and "Flesh Marionette".

In other news, SOULGRIND have negotiated a deal with Icarus Records for the rights to their 1997 album, "Whitsongs". "We are near the conclusion," the band write on their web site. "SOULGRIND shall get the rights for the album and we are planning to release it by ourselves or we shall re-release it through a cool label. Album has done well in South America, but due lack of advertising etc. rest is mystery. Interested parties should contact us via soulgrind@jippii.fi."

Source:

blabbermouth.net

There is a little message from Nick:

"Hey everybody!

Time for an update. We've finished tracking all of the music and vocals for the new CD and they sound incredible. We're very excited for you all to hear it! It came out very heavy, very song-oriented but quite progressive as well. And Ray, as I suspected, has taken it to a new level with his amazing vocals.

I'll have some mixing news for you in a few weeks. Thanks for your continued interest and support!

Best,

Nick"

http://www.ivorygate.com/redemption/

California-based "dark occult blackened death metal" act RESUSCITATOR will be performing a low-key show in mid-November, according to a posting on the group's web site. "Only to those on the mailing list will know where, when and with whom."

In other news, the release of RESUSCITATOR's new album, "A Warrior's Death", has once again been pushed back, this time to January 28, 2005. The delay is being attributed to "failures done by what we thought was a good, reliable studio," according to a posting on the band's web site. "Time was of the essence and charges will be pressed against them."

"A Warrior's Death" track listing:

01. In the Night's Silence
02. Blessings of Satan
03. Father of Obscurity
04. Legions from The Past
05. As We Conquer
06. A Warrior's Death
07. Initiation
08. Messengers of the Immortal Throne
09. Blackened Sky

Source:

blabbermouth.net

Belgian black metallers ENTHRONED have announced the addition of drummer Glaurung to the group's ranks.

The band have just returned from a South American tour in support of their sixth album, "Xes Haereticum", available now via Napalm Records.

ENTHRONED guitarist Nornagest has described the new album as having "a more mature, varied, and darker aspect than previous releases, yet more intense and aggressive than ever before." A limited-edition version of the CD includes three bonus tracks. Download an MP3 clip of the song "Crimson Legions" at this location (MP3, 2.8 MB): http://www.napalmrecords.com/mp3/enthroned04.mp3

In the band's site they made little update, this is what it says:

"Sorry for the long wait for some kind of update, Mark is still working on the new album and he hopes to have it finished sometime in January. They will be playing a few shows early next year, so keep asking your local clubs for RIOT. We are also still working on the new look for the site, so hang in there it should be up in a few weeks with new photos and more mp3's."

www.riotsweb.com

Band profile:

Riot

The German Pagan/Folk Metal band are in the "Powertrack-Studio" working on their 2nd album to be called "Götterlieder", the concept of the album will be based on the fisrt part of the God songs of the Edda.

Also the band will have a performance with Enthroned, Riger and Asparagoth at:

25.12.04, Knaak Klub Berlin, 10. Fucking Christmas-Festival

http://www.odroerir.com/

"Manilla Road are currently working on their new album which again will be released by Iron Glory Records. It will be the most epic album of the band ever! You can expect a release by spring 2005.

Cult Metal Classix Records from Greece are still working on the artwork of the re-releases of Invasion, Metal and Out Of The Abyss."

http://truemetal.org/manillaroad

Masterplan, the new band featuring ex-Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow, ex-Helloween drummer Uli Kusch and former Yngwie Malmsteen/Ark singer Jorn Lande, have set "Aeronautics" as the title of their sophomore full-length album, due on January 24, 2005 via Germany's AFM Records. A four-song EP, containing two non-album cuts plus a multimedia section, will precede the album on November 29. The songs included on the EP are as follows: "Back For My Life" (single and album version), "Crimson Rider", "Killing in Time" (two different versions, non-album cut) and "Love Is a Rock" (non-album cut).

The material was produced by Andy Sneap (Machine head, Exodus, Skinlab, Nevermore) and was mixed by Mikko Karmila. Mastering duties were handled by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios.

Source:	wwww.blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Masterplan

"Part 5: From the day I left off till now...
3 days left of mixing

You would think the amount of time I spend skiving off in the studio that I would find the time to continue the diary I started back when we came in. What can I say, I'm like a kid with a shiny toy. quickly bored of it all and waiting for the next brightly coloured impulse purchase to attract my attention.
Well what can I say again, everything's done, we are mixing right now. or rather Billy is flinging himself headlong into the mix and we attempt to go home early and skive off to varying degrees.

It sounds massive, really heavy, dark and so tragic that I cant think of anything to compare it to. we trusted in the songs and right now I am pleased to say we are slowly being rewarded.
Well hey, that's just me
Perhaps its our cold lake, right ?.

So the cover and the pictures for it are starting to take shape and master Paul mccarroll from unhinged art and scald is going to be executing these ideas pretty soon. keeping it in the family bro'...
The DVD looms nearer and nearer and we have ten hours of footage shot to sift through as well.
joy.

Slowly but surely the wheels are turning and the gathering wilderness is complete.

more soon"

nem

http://www.primordialweb.tk/

In an statement made in their website the band talks about the new album:

"Hails and greetings metal heads….

We hope that you all are doing well and that you're hungry for some NEWS from us in Crimson Mooonlight. 040811 we entered the studio "Big barabom" outside Skara here in Sweden to record our new fullength album. We all had a great time there and we are very glad for the great opportunity to work with Thomas Johansson again and this time, also in a professional studio. The recording session turned out very well and we even had one day more off before we began to mix the songs. So all long traveling and hard work in the rehearsal place had made result. 040823 we started the mixing session and in the end of the same week Thomas mastered the new songs. And then all the music for the new CD were completed. We would like to say thanks a lot to all of you who have supported us in prayers and other kind of ways, we are really happy for it and we have felt that God has blessed us during the work with this songs.

The new album - "Veil of Remembrance" will contain 9 songs of uncompromising, furious blast attack - extremly fast and grinding blackmetal mixed with the heaviest elements of death and thrashmetal. Apart from the brutal speed the new CD are more guitar/riff-based and also more technical compared to our prevoius release. We have keeped the atmosphere of scancinavian melodies but skipped all the keyboards, since we realized that the production turned in to a more raw and hard sound without the keys. The vocals on this new album are more aggressive and a lot more intensive than before. Lyrically "Veil of Remembrance" is a very dark story: a lot about grief, pain and reflections of life, but also through all this chaos about a light that never fades away. All things that are written in the lyrics is "real-life experiences" in poetic form. Prepare for a pure brutal blackmetal holocaust…. This is the sound track of the great Armargeddon entitled:
"Veil of Remembrance"

Crimson Moonlight would also like to take the opportunity to thank Hubertus och Erik for their time in the band. Erik moved recently back to his home in southern Sweden and Hubertus wants to take more time for his own musical career and for his planed studies abroad. Both of them have brought a lot of good ideas, riffs and inspiration to the band. May the Lord bless you both.

"Veil of Remembrance" will hopefully be released in January 2005, but at last in March 2005. We´re sorry about the long delay with the release but it all depends on some abroad distribution contract. More info about the release date will appear on our homepage: http://www.crimsonmoonlight.com or our record company´s homepage: http://www.rivelrecords.com as soon as we know more about it !!"

Read more ››

Band profile:

Crimson Moonlight

"Another Year, another album. January next year 'Mortal will release the new album 'Project Bluebook'. The album will feature two new studiotracks and another new song performed live as well as four very different live versions of 'Mortal classics. Look for two new samples in the audio / video page."

http://mortal.info/

Band profile:

The 3rd And The Mortal

HATEFRAME, the new Finnish thrash metal band featuring drummer Tommi Lillman (ex-TO/DIE/FOR, Sinergy) and guitarist Joonas "Jope" Koto (Malpractice, ex-TO/DIE/FOR), have completed work on their debut album, "Sign of Demise", due before the end of the year.

The group, whose sound is being described as "old-school thrash" in the vein of SLAYER, KREATOR and THE HAUNTED, have posted several audio samples from the CD in their site www.hateframe.com

"Sign of Demise" track listing:

01. Crowned In Blood
02. Final Solution
03. Feeding the Flame
04. Sign of Demise
05. The Perfect Hate
06. Bloodfeast
07. Torment the Masses
08. Warfare
09. Hallucinate
10. Infection

Source:

blabbermouth.net