PARADISE LOST have parted ways with drummer Lee Morris due to "personal and musical differences." No replacement has been named as yet, although the new album will continue to be recorded as previously planned. "We are sorry to see Lee go, and wish him all the best for the future," the band said in a statement. Morris added, "I think it was always going to be difficult integrating myself into an already established set-up, and although we have always had a varying degree of opinions, attitude and ethics on things over the last nine years, we have usually always managed to find a happy medium. However, I think that over the last year, the divide has really grown to a point where compromise is no longer really an option for any of us to maintain a healthy working relationship. I have complete respect for the band on this decision at this stage in their career, and I want to wish them every success on the forthcoming album and thank them for the good times. As for me, I'm not sure what the future has in store yet, but I do believe that all things in life happen for a reason and as one door closes another opens, so here's to new beginnings."

Lee Morris can still be contacted by emailing: lee@paradiselost.co.uk

As previously reported, PARADISE LOST are tentatively scheduled to enter the studio in April with producer Rhys Fulber (FEAR FACTORY, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY) to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's "Symbol Of Life", tentatively due before the end of the year through G.U.N./BMG Records (in Europe). "Symbol Of Life", PARADISE LOST's ninth studio album, was produced by Fulber and was released in the U.S. through Koch Entertainment.

Band profile:

Paradise Lost

DARK FUNERAL have posted the following update at their official website (www.darkfuneral.se):

"The live album entitled De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine (April 19th via Regain) is receiving great response from the media worldwide. The fierce and aggressive scene presence together with the intense response from the South American fans makes this album without a doubt the grimmest black metal live album ever. So be sure not to miss this one.

The album will be released in the following formats: limited CD version packed in slipcase, 1000 copies double gatefold LP and 1000 copies double picture LP.

Other great news are that Dark Funeral will land one song, 'Thus I Have Spoken' (Diabolis Interium/2001) in the sequel of the up-coming Zombie trilogy, Die Zombiejager.

Die Zombiejager is a low-budget splatter/gore movie made by Jonas Wolcher and his great team at Too86 Entertainment (Sweden). Die Zombiejäger is the sequel of the Zombie trilogy, Zombienoid. A full-length movie in German (with a few lines in Swedish, English & Italian) with English subtitles. The movie is set for a release in September 2004."

In other news, as previously reported, Dark Funeral will embark on a mini-tour of Italy with DEFLESHED. Confirmed dates include:

March:
12 - Transilvania Live - Milan, Italy
13 - Krossover - Catania, Italy
14 - Vecchio Mattatoio - Rome, Italy

Band profile:

Dark Funeral

The guys are in the middle of the recording and has so far recorded all the drums, bass and most of the rythm guitars. The basic vocals on five tracks is also finished, as well as the keyboards on some of the tracks. Host of the recording this time is Studio Mega, Sweden (the Crown, Sator, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Beseech etc). The mastering is set to April 30!

Band profile:

Lake Of Tears

King Diamond off - Dio and In Flames on.
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Although previously announced, King Diamond will not be appearing at
Tuska-festival. The artist's representative apologizes for the
cancellation that came immediatly after the confirmation and for the fact
that King Diamond will not be able to perform for his finnish fans.
However, the Artist has personal matters which require him to remain on
the U.S. soil.

Despite the cancellation of King Diamond, the old-school metalheads have
a reason to celebrate as the legendary Dio take the stage on Sunday the
18th, led by their charismatic frontman, metal-icon Ronnie James Dio.
This influential veteran has released music since the early seventies and
has made a name for himself by performing vocal duties for Rainbow, Black
Sabbath and for the past two decades, Dio. Dio's latest studioalbum
Killing The Dragon was released in 2002. Last year Dio released an
anthology-album and a dvd titled Evil Or Divine.

The headliner for Friday the 16th of July has now been confirmed to be
one of the most popular Swedish metalbands at the moment, In Flames.
Their new album, Soundtrack To Your Escape will be released worldwide at
the end of March. The current In Flames -album, Reroute To Remain has
been both, an artistic and a commercial success and has made In Flames
one of the most successful bands of their genre.

Also performing at Kaisaniemi Park will be swedish gothgroup Beseech. For
domestic additions, deathmetal supergroup Chaosbreed, newcomer
Trollheim's Grott and melodic-metallers Charon have confirmed their
performances.

The search is still on for a few international artists and several
domestic ones.

Tickets for Tuska 2004 will go on sale in May through www.tiketti.fi,
www.lippupalvelu.fi and this year's new addition, www.menolippu.fi. Each
of them accept creditcards when buying tickets from abroad.

At this time of the year, the Tuska Line-up looks like this:

DIO (USA)
In Flames (SWE)
Nightwish
Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus
Suburban Tribe
Sonata Arctica
Soilwork (SWE)
Diablo
Dark Tranquillity (SWE)
Charon
Mokoma
Dew-Scented (GER)
Impaled Nazarene
Sinergy
Beseech (SWE)
Chaosbreed
Swallow The Sun
Trollheim's Grott
Machine Men
Kilpi
Twilightning

Additional information: www.tuska-festival.fi

The new Therion albums are called Sirius B and Lemuria and will be released the 24th of May, 2004. They will be relesed as two separate albums, but during a period of two months, there will be a double release available, so that people can get them both for more or less half the price. This release will be pressed as much as people buy it during these two months and after that what ever left in stores and distribution channels can continue to sell as long as it lasts. You can consider this special offers as a present from Therion to the fans.

Band profile:

Therion

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has formed a new band called F5. "The music is heavy, melodic, has a bit of old school in it at times as there are two guitar players who both rip, Steve Conley and John Davis," Ellefson told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "The drummer is David Small (web site), vocalist Dale Steele (ex-SICK SPEED) and myself on bass. Everyone is a kick-ass player even though they are unknown to most of the metal world.

"I founded the group, with Conley and Small, in 2002 and we've been writing all year and recording diligently with producer Ryan Greene, working toward a full-length release," David continued. " F5 is a kick-ass band that I get to finally lay out my creative ideas with players who work great together. When I started it, MEGADETH was over so I moved on with my life, thus this new band was born. It's a great relief for me, something I'm very proud of and can work with or without MEGADETH in my life, as many metal musicians do with other projects at this point in their career. I'm looking forward to everyone hearing and seeing the group soon."

Ellefson also addressed the recent Internet reports suggesting that he was asked by Dave Mustaine to join the newly revamped MEGADETH but turned down the offer for reasons that were never clarified.

"I am currently not involved in any new recordings at this point, even though I was ready, willing and able to do so when Dave approached me about it last year," Ellefson said. "It's unfortunate for all the fans that things did not work out with us on this go 'round. Not sure yet if this is a bump in the road or a permanent closure for me with MEGADETH."

For more information on F5, visit the band's official web site at www.f5theband.com (currently under construction).

Taken From Blabblermouth.net

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Band profile:

Megadeth

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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Band profile:

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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Band profile:

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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Band profile:

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