Metal news

The Rotted have announced the following statement:

"The Rotted are to part company with bassist Wilson. New priorities in his personal life have made it apparent that he'll no longer be able to commit 100% to the upcoming plans and fast-moving future of the band, therefore he's taken the decision to step down as bass guitarist.

Says Wilson, 'It is with some sadness that I am announcing my departure from The Rotted. I've been with these guys through thick and thin for over 6 years, and had some of the best times of my life! When we reformed as The Rotted, the process was simple, that everyone would be firing on all cylinders in the same direction - I always said if my other commitments in life would hinder this, then I would step down for the greater good, and it is clear that this time has come! My last show with the guys will be at the Wacken festival - we play on the Wet stage on the Friday afternoon, so come down and raise a horn with me! I'm incredibly satisfied of what I have achieved with the guys, and the release of Get Dead Or Die Trying and the Wacken fest is finishing on a real high, what more could anyone ask for?

The Rotted will continue full steam ahead with 'business as usual' and they will announce a new bass player after Wacken Festival."

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	The Rotted

Swedish metallers Anata have issued the following update:

"Guitarist Andreas Allenmark, member since -97, has decided to leave Anata. According to the band, his primary reason seems to be that he has lost his passion for playing such technical music. At his last meeting with the band, he is said to have uttered things like "I just can't do this do myself anymore. I know the timing is very bad indeed, but it's like I don't have a choice. I just can't, sorry guys".

In his own words:
"Due to personal circumstances I have decided to leave Anata. This truly wasn't an easy decision to make and I really hope all the best for the other guys in the future. I would like to thank all the fans for coming to the gigs and for showing great appreciation through all the years that I have been in the band, it has really meant a lot to me!!!
Best regards,
Andreas."

At this very moment Anata is recoding their fifth (yet untitled) full-length album. As Allenmark leaves prior to having even started to record his bits, all guitar duties will be handled by the band's founder/guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Schälin.

Fredrik Schälin comments:
"We fully respect Andreas's decision to leave the band and we part as friends. If your heart's not in it, there's no way you can be part of a band as demanding as Anata. Of course the timing is quite bad, but still? we know that he would have recorded his parts on the new album if only he felt that he could. As you may know we have already started to record, and what we have achieved so far sounds extremely good! Conny, Henrik and I are in great shape, and even at an early stage as this, the album seems likely to become the most powerful and aggressive in the band's 15 years of history!
So when not recording I'm learning Andreas' bits, and I will also re-write the few leads he was supposed to play. As usual I play most of the leads so we're just talking about re-writing four or so. And since I write almost all of the music I have no problem recording all of the guitars. Doing this will of course be hard work, but we will have an exceptional result.
We thank Andreas for 11 years of friendship and commitment to the band, and wish him all the best in the future."

As soon as the new album is recorded, the band will start auditioning for a suitable replacer."

In other news, Anata proudly present two excerpts from the upcoming album [Link], both of these from the track entitled "Greed Conquers All". The album will be released on Earache later this year.and we hope that you will find these clips appetizing?

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Anata

Brazilian metallers Krisiun's latest album, "Southern Storm", can now be streamed in its entirety at the band's MySpace Page.

Due in the US on August 5th via Century Media Records, "Southern Storm" was once again recorded at Stage One Studios in Borgentreich, Germany with producer Andy Classen (Tankard, Rotting Christ, Dew-Scented), who previously worked with the group on 1999's "Conquerors Of Armageddon" and 2006's "AssassiNation".

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Krisiun

Death Metallers Asphyx have issued the following update:

"Good news, within a year after the first reunion show at the Party San festival Asphyx already has written 8 new songs, maybe 1 song more to go. The tracks include all typical Asphyx elements. Next week we'll record some kind of instrumental pre-production/demo for ourselves. We expect the unexpected release of a new album in 2009 at Century Media records! According to drummer and founding member Bob this new album could be one of the best Asphyx ever has released. So prepare for the new upcoming Brutality!!!!"

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Asphyx

Gamma Ray's long awaited DVD "Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome" will be finally out this September. The exact date will be announced soon. The tracklist for it has been revealed though:

DVD1:

Montreal, Canada '06:
01. Welcome
02. Gardens Of The Sinner
03. No World Order
04. Man On A Mission
05. Fight
06. Blood Religion
07. HMUniverse
08. Dream Healer
09. Heart Of The Unicorn
10. Fairytale (Acoustic)
11. The Silence
12. Beyond The Black Hole
13. Valley Of The Kings
14. Somewhere Out In Space
15. Land Of The Free
16. Rebellion In Dreamland
17. I Want Out
18. Send Me A Sign

DVD2:

01. History
02. Road Movie USA '06
03. Kai & Henjo Unplugged In Japan

Videos:
04. HMUniverse Melbourne
05. Space Eater
06. One with the World
07. Rebellion in Dreamland
08. Gammaray
09. Eagle
10. S.M.A.S

Wacken 03/06:
11. One With The World
12. Last Before The Storm
13. Rebellion
14. HMUniverse
15. Somewhere Out In Space

UPDATED on 14 September (thanks to Iron Priest):

The release dates for Gamma Ray's double DVD and double live CD "Hell Yeah - The Awesome Foursome" have been scheduled as follows:

Germany: October 24th
Europe: October 27th
USA: November 4th.

Read more ››

Source:	gammaray.org
Band profile:	Gamma Ray

German metallers Leaves' Eyes have posted online a trailer for their forthcoming double DVD, entitled "En Saga I Belgia". You can watch this trailer on YouTube at this location (or you can download it here).
"En Saga I Belgia" was filmed on October 20, 2007 at the Metal Female Voices Fest in Wieze, Belgium and included a special stage set — the Viking ship designed by the group's tech Leebee.

The band adds: "Leaves' Eyes are entering Wacken with their Viking ship and are playing as Main Act on the Party Stage on the 31st of July (Alex' birthday) at 8pm! Besides, Alex Holzwarth, who currently plays in Rhapsody Of Fire and Sieges Even, is the machine behind the drumkit. Miss this show by no means!"

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Leaves' Eyes

Therapy? are pleased to name Andy Gill as the producer/mixer for their forthcoming album. Andy has worked on a host of diverse projects as a musician, producer, mixer and songwriter (Gang Of Four, Killing Joke, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Futureheads, Young Knives, The Jesus Lizard) etc?

Versions of new songs like "The Head That Tried To Strangle Itself", "Low Winter Sun"," I Told You I Was Ill" and "Mingusisyphus" illustrate the classic mix of intense instrumentation and dark pop that has made Therapy? internationally renowned. Whilst most of their 90's peers have been content to follow the options of rehash/reform/rollover, the UK trio have always carved their own unique musical furrow bolstered by a formidable live reputation and a stream of chart hits.

With the first half of 2008 spent writing and demoing, this exciting collaboration for Therapy?'s 12th album proposes to be a career defining one. The as yet untitled album is due for release on Demolition Records early 2009.

Source:	therapyquestionmark.co.uk
Band profile:	Therapy?

Amon Amarth have revealed the cover artwork for their new album "Twilight Of The Thunder God" and details regarding the album's several special editions.

The artwork can be seen here.

The CD will be available in the following versions:

1. Jewelcase CD including full album and 24-page booklet.
2. Limited Deluxe Collector's edition three-disc-set in a special DVD-sized book including full album, a bonus CD and a bonus DVD. The "Summer Breeze 2007" CD and DVD have a playing time of 72 minutes each. The DVD features Dolby Surround 5.1 sound and 16:9 format. 40-page book on special offset paper with parchment pages.
3. Gatefold-2-LP on 180g with one side being etched vinyl including full album and a huge poster! Limited to 1,500 copies!
4. Picture Disc - full album - limited to 500 copies!
5. Limited Bubblehead edition including everything that's in the Deluxe Collector's Edition plus bubbleheads of each AMON AMARTH member plus the 36-page-comic book on high-quality paper plus a huge poster. Each bobblehead has a height of 18 cm (7"). This version is limited to 2,000 units worldwide.

An image of the fifth edition of the album can be seen here.

Source:	amonamarth.com
Band profile:	Amon Amarth

The following was posted on Watain's official site regarding a North American tour:

"Hark in woe, infidels! One and a half year after their triumphant display of magic and death upon North America, Watain shall now return to those lands on a headliner tour. Due to the strict prohibitions of anything Satanic and Criminal passing over the border to USA, a lot of compromises had to be made on the last US tour regarding both members and stage-show. This time however, the full artillery shall be brought across the sea, in all it's terrible glory."

This Canadian/USA leg will constitute the final part of Watain's Fuck The World tour. Below is a complete list of dates in North American date format:

10/03/08 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
10/04/08 - Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
10/07/08 - Boston, MA @ The Middle East
10/08/08 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
10/09/08 - Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st St Pub
10/10/08 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
10/11/08 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
10/12/08 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/13/08 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
10/14/08 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/15/08 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
10/16/08 - Portland, OR @ Rotture
10/17/08 - Oakland, CA @ The Metro
10/18/08 - Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
10/19/08 - San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
10/20/08 - Tempe, AZ @ The Sets
10/21/08 - Farmington, NM @ Gator's
10/23/08 - Dallas, TX @ Reno's Chop Shop
10/24/08 - Victoria, TX @ Mario's Ballroom w/ Ritual Killer
10/25/08 - Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/ Ritual Killer
10/26/08 - New Orleans, LA @ Red Dragon w/ Ritual Killer
10/28/08 - Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
10/29/08 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
10/31/08 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
11/01/08 - Allentown, PA @ Sterling Hotel

Source:	templeofwatain.com
Band profile:	Watain

On the 23rd of July Metallica announced the tracklist of the upcoming album Death Magnetic on their official website. Pretty much all of the information about this album is now known so only the music itself is a mystery.

Here are the song titles:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. Broken, Beat & Scarred
04. The Day That Never Comes
05. All Nightmare Long
06. Cyanide
07. The Unforgiven III
08. The Judas Kiss
09. Suicide & Redemption
10. My Apocalypse

Source:	metallica.com
Band profile:	Metallica

The title "Audible Minority" is based to the fact that the music on the album has mapped itself into the extreme minority status; something beyond recognition of the musical norms. "Audible Minority" is a stateless, nameless, and label-less manifesto made from all the bitterness and pain. The album that is entirely bleak, gloom and dark.

Almost 2 years in the making, "Audible Minority" has been constructed during various personal events in life. It all began in September 2006, before the release of "The Habit of Fire", and continued to shape itself up until May 2008.

Final Track-Listing:
1. The Vampire Song [download the song at Last.fm]
2. Conditional Destiny
3. Against
4. Ceasefire Negative
5. Between Us
6. For The Greater Good and Evil
7. Narrow Avenue [watch the video]
8. Virtue of Perseverance
9. Shuffling Biorhythms
10. All That Matters
11. Locust (A-ha cover)

First 8 tracks will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD (yes, no kidding, free download) with the option of paying some small donation. However, the "official", label-released versions (CD and digital) will have all 11 tracks plus some possible extras. After some discussion with the record label who will release the official version (CD and digital), we agree to push the release date to December 2008.

Updates from Jeff (Kekal guitarist/vocalist):

"Audible Minority" is a very difficult album for me, both technically as well as emotionally, because I had to use many different DAW programs, different places and different computers to record as well, even within one session/one song. There are lots of technical challenges and headaches (literal headaches). Emotionally, all those 'drifting' atmopshere made me feel like a nomad; taken-out-of-home and exiled. The good thing is that I didn't set-up any deadline, so let the music finishes itself.

To be honest, I don't see "Audible Minority" as a complete album, I see it as a continuing process, or as a bridge to the future unknown. This is an album which ends with a triple dots, not with a period. It is like snapshots of certain moments within a dark journey, and the journey continues. All of the band members were having their own personal struggles in life when the songwriting started, and it continued as the music shaped itself. Most of the (limited) communications between me and other members at that time were never about discussing the music, but all about sharing our own problems. I had to deal with all the songwriting and recording on my own this time, because of the geographical reasons as I was moving to a different country. There were times I thought that it was impossible to finish the album myself, and even there were times I thought about quitting the band as I was not having a good time working on this album. All I felt was the overwhelming sorrow, but I could not stop doing it. Making music is the only therapeutic way, to ease myself from the pain.

Read more ››

Source:	kekal.org
Band profile:	Kekal

Ville Friman of the Finnish metal band Insomnium has issued the following update on the Candlelight Records website:

"We are currently rehearsing new material, which will become fourth Insomnium album at some point. At the moment, we have four songs ready and lots of semi-ready material in store just waiting to be trained and arranged properly. We have also booked Fantom studio (where 2006's 'Above the Weeping World' was made) for March 2009 and the new Insomnium album is scheduled for autumn 2009 release. We know that it is long wait but at the moment we do not have any choices if we want to guarantee the quality over quantity.

Reason for such long interval in releasing albums is mainly due to touring and difficulties in getting a proper rehearsing place."

More can also be read here at the band's official blog.

Source:	candlelightrecords.co.uk
Band profile:	Insomnium

Whyzdom has issued the following update:

"We are happy to announce that the recording of our first album is underway. We are now in the studio, recording 11 tracks. Some songs are quite long (up to 9 minutes!) and will probably be divided in several sections.

Here are the titles of the songs:

01. Daughter Of The Night
02. The Witness
03. The Train
04. On The Wings Of Time
05. Escaping The Ghosts Of Reality
06. Freedom
07. The Power And The Glory
08. Everlasting Child
09. The Old Man In The Park
10. Atlantis
11. Revolution

We are finished with Nico's [Chaumeaux, drums] parts and working on the bass guitar now with Tristan [Demurger]. We will record the guitars, the keyboard and the vocals in August. Then the choir and the orchestra parts in September/October. The album will be mixed and mastered in November/December. Our artist friends will normally work on the booklet artwork in September/October with new photos. We're very impatient to have everything ready!!!"

All info about the band on http://www.myspace.com/whyzdomproject.

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Whyzdom

Psycroptic have officially announced the title of their follow-up to 2006's Symbols of Failure. Ob(Servant), the band's first album for Nuclear Blast Records and fourth overall, will be released sometime in late 2008. Ob(Servant) was mixed and mastered by former Machine Head and Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader and recorded once again by guitarist Joe Haley.

Drummer Dave Haley commented on their upcoming release: "'Ob(Servant)' is definitely our finest hour (well, finest 49 minutes and 49 seconds anyway). It's of course a cliché of every band to say that their newest album is their best and so on, but we are very proud of what we have done on this album. The writing process was a little different for this album, with Joe (guitarist) writing pretty much all the material. This gives the album a very cohesive and flowing feel, and this album is definately our most diverse material thus far. The artwork is also amazing, having been completed by Raymand Swanland (Deeds Of Flesh). Those not familiar with his work should check it out - you will be amazed!"

The cover artwork can be seen here.

He goes on to say: "It's a mixture of everything we have done, as well as adding in new elements to continue the progression we are on as a band. No point releasing the same album twice, right? Like "Symbols of Failure", Joe engineered the album, but this time we enlisted the help of metal guru Logan Mader to mix and master the album...and that was probably the best decision we have ever made. The album sounds huge! Since we are currently on the amazing Summer Slaughter tour in the US at the moment, we had been receiving mixes while on the road. After our LA show Logan took myself and Joe to his Dirty Icon studio and put the finishing touches on the mix. Huge is one word for the sound he achieved."

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Psycroptic

Solefald have posted the following update at their official MySpace:

"Solefald are planning the release of an eight-LP vinyl box including our entire discography and a book about the band's history. This object - if we do it - will probably be the most exclusive item in your collection - and maybe also the most expensive.The price would lie somewhere between 60 and 80 euros including freight, depending on the actual pressing cost - we will press 100 to maximum 300 signed and numbered copies. We need to know if anybody out there is interested? Raise your hands and say ah! Both Laz and me are dying for this project to see the light of day, but, unfortunately, we cannot do it all alone!"

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Solefald