Metal news

The following message was posted on Gorgoroth's official website:

"Continuing on with the new agenda now forged for Gorgoroth, Gaahl and King have enlisted none other than Hellhammer (Mayhem) to join them on battery beginning in 2008.

Gaahl and King are creating a force which will only contain members of a strong and creative energy in honor of the art that is Gorgoroth and their renewed sense of destruction and war! Hellhammer possesses these ideals and he will add another dimension to this new and different beginning.

Please welcome Hellhammer to the battle!"

Source:	gorgoroth.org
Band profile:	Gorgoroth

Crematory will release their new album, "Pray", on February 1 via Massacre Records.
The production again was taken care of Crematory themselves in the Kohlekeller Studios with the assistance of producer Christian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner being the bands' long time companion since "Revolution" and "Klagebilder". A dynamic and massive sound of international standard is guaranteed!

The German tour under the motto "Pray Over Germany" starts in May 2008. In the summer the band will play some festivals all over Europe and a tour in various, selected countries will follow during autumn and winter 2008.

"Pray" tracklisting [cover]:

01. When Darkness Falls
02. Left The Ground
03. Alone
04. Pray
05. Sleeping Solution
06. Just Words
07. Burning Bridges
08. Have You Ever
09. Remember
10. Say Goodbye

More info can be found here.

Source:	crematory.de
Band profile:	Crematory

Swedish Melodic Death Metal legends In Flames will play Russia in January 2008 for the first time in their career! Check the dates below! Here´s a statement from the band: "This is the first time for In Flames in Russia and we are really looking forward to the shows. We have heard from friends in other bands who have recently played there, that is was great so we wanted to try it out and see for ourselves. See you in January"

26.01.2008 St. Petersburg - Port Club (RU)
27.01.2008 Moscow - B1 Maximum (RU)

In other news, In Flames are currently in the middle of the recording of the new album. It is being recorded in the bands own studio, IF STUDIOS. All drums have been recorded and most of the bass is done. Rhythm guitars are near completed and the solo's are about to be started on. This week the vocal recording will begin and In Flames are getting the help and expertise from Daniel Bergstrand, who has previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity". "Everything is going great and we are very happy and excited about the new songs and how they are turning out. We are really looking forward to let all you guys out there hear the new album and come and play live next year in a city near you" You can follow the recording process on http://www.myspace.com/inflames where a studio diary episode is being posted every Monday throughout the recording. There are currently 7 episodes available and more to follow. New studio photos has been posted here. (free registration may be required to view pictures)

Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	In Flames
Event:	In Flames: Russian Mini-Tour

Official press release from the Peaceville Records newsletter:

"Coming November 5th is the new studio album from Italy's atmospheric metal masters, Novembre. Entitled "The Blue", and undoubtedly the band's best work to date, it is an emotional journey of the highest order.

"Taken in tandem with last year's critically acclaimed Materia, The Blue looks set to raise their stock still further" - KERRANG!

The new Novembre mini-site is also now online - including the brand new video track for 'Anaemia' (Directed by Tobias Martinsson), desktop downloads, banners, plus audio previews of songs from the new album. From the site there is also a free mp3 download of the song 'Bluecracy', but only for a limited period. Check out http://www.peaceville.com/novembre.

Novembre will also be supporting Gothic Metal legends Paradise Lost on the following dates:

Friday 30th Nov - Alpheus, Rome, Italy
Sunday 2nd Dec - Garage, Glasgow, UK
Monday 3rd Dec - Academy 3, Manchester UK
Tuesday 4th Dec - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton UK
Wednesday 5th Dec - Islington Academy, London UK

Source:	peaceville.com
Band profile:	Novembre
Event:	Paradise Lost

The following album update was posted on the Napalm Records website:

"The German-Norwegian formation Midnattsol is currently running a recording marathon to finish the follow-up to "Where the Twilight Dwells".
Carmen Elise Espenaes will once again record her vocals in Mastersound Studios (Leaves' Eyes, Elis). The rest will be recorded with The Vision Bleak mastermind Markus Stock at Klangschmiede E Studios. Tue Madsen (Sirenia, Dark Tranquillity), one of Europe´s leading sound engineers, and the infamous Finnvox studios will guarantee a great production.
"Nordlys" will hit the streets in March 2008."

Source:	napalmrecords.com
Band profile:	Midnattsol

Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Satariel have announced the following message:

"Satariel have parted ways with guitarist Mikael Granqvist. Granqvist made the decision to leave the band because he no longer felt inspired to keep playing the guitar. Satariel has already secured a replacement guitarist in the shape of a well-known musician who has previously played with "some other great bands." More info will come soon."

More info about the band at http://www.myspace.com/satariel.

Source:	satariel.com
Band profile:	Satariel

Peaceville Records have launched a "mini-site" for Opeth's new live album "The Roundhouse Tapes". Check it out at this location. "The Roundhouse Tapes" was released in Europe on the 22nd of October and in North America on the 20th of November.

According to the site "The Roundhouse Tapes" contains "a captivating Opeth performance from the Camden Roundhouse, London, UK, on November 9, 2006, and sees the band in scintillating form churning out a selection of classics from their illustrious career.

According to the official Opeth website, the (even more anticipated) HD filmed DVD will be released in early 2008. This will also feature (lots of) fan interviews, band interviews, soundcheck footage and live photos + exclusive menu music written by Åkerfeldt and Wiberg.

Source:	peaceville.com
Band profile:	Opeth

The following news has been posted on the MySpace of Belgium's razorgrinders Leng Tch'e':

"It is a well known fact that everybody in Leng Tch'e is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist (PS: John Myung, stop e-mailing me for tabs). So instead of looking for a second guitar player, Nicolas will return to his original position as guitarist, leaving the bass player spot indeed vacant. If you think you have the balls to play bass in Leng Tch'e, tons of motivation, your own gear and transportation, then send your application to [email protected]."

In other news, Death metal / Grindcore stalwarts Leng Tch'e will embark on their first foray into the UK in November in support of their latest album "Marasmus". Joining Leng Tch'e on this tour will be Glasgow's Man Must Die and London's Ted Maul."

The following shows have been confirmed:

Nov. 16 - Koksijde (BE) -De Pit (Leng Tch'e only)
Nov. 17 - Brighton - Engine Room
Nov. 18 - London - Borderline
Nov. 19 - TBA
Nov. 20 - Manchester - Music Box
Nov. 21 - Liverpool - Roadkill
Nov. 22 - Glasgow - Cathouse
Nov. 23 - Dundee - Westport Bar
Nov. 24 - TBA

Leng Tch'e's latest CD on Relapse Records, "Marasmus", was recorded in September 2006 at CCR studios in Belgium and was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström. Mastering was done by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New York.

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Leng Tch'e
Event:	Leng Tch'e: UK Tour [CANCELLED]

The following update was posted on Queensrÿche's official website:

"Rhino just released the official "Take Cover" E-Card. Here's your chance to hear full versions of 'Welcome To The Machine', 'For The Love Of Money' and 'Neon Knights' in their entirety. To view/listen to the E-Card please visit Rhino.com."

"Take Cover" will be released on November 13th, 2007. The line up includes Geoff Tate (vocals), Michael Wilton (guitar), Mike Stone (guitar, background vocals), Eddie Jackson (bass, background vocals), Scott Rockenfield (drums, percussion), album produced by Kenny Nemes & Karen Ahmed.

"Take Cover" tracklisting [cover]:

01. Innuendo [Queen cover]
02. Bullet The Blue Sky [live][U2 cover]
03. Synchronicity II [The Police cover]
04. For What It's Worth [Buffalo Springfield cover]
05. Welcome To The Machine [Pink Floyd cover]
06. Red Rain [Peter Gabriel cover]
07. Neon Knights [Black Sabbath cover]
08. Almost Cut My Hair [Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover]
09. Heaven On Their Minds [from Jesus Christ Superstar]
10. For The Love Of Money [The O'Jays cover]
11. Odissea [Carlo Marrale & Cheope cover]

Source:	queensryche.com
Band profile:	Queensrÿche

The following update was posted on Soulfly's official website:

"Soulfly entered the Porch Studios on September 12th to begin recording their next full length album, the followup to 2005's "Dark Ages", and here is the first studio update since the process has begun.

After recording up until the end of September, the band was able to complete nearly all of the basic tracking for the recording - including the majority of drum, bass, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar tracks. Working titles for some of the 13 songs which were tracked include 'Burndown', 'Enemy Ghost', 'Axis Of Wrath', and 'Blood, Fire, War, Hate'. For the time being, Soulfly has put recording at the Porch with engineer Tim Lau on hold; ever since they left the studio on September 29th, Max has been traveling throughout Egypt and Siberia with recording devices, and when he returns he will begin to mold the samples, noises, and music that he collects during his travels into the framework of the songs which he jammed out with Marc, Bobby, and Joe last month. Vocals and percussion have only been completed on a handful of songs, but Soulfly plans to go back to the Porch before the end of the year to complete tracking. After that, Andy Sneap will be doing the mixing on this one! As of now, you can expect the next album to be ready for release by early summer of 2008.

We leave you today with some photos from the band's last weekend of September in Florida! Keep coming back for recording, mixing, and promotional updates straight from the guys in the band until the release next summer!"

Check out some photos from the recording studio at this location.

Source:	soulflyweb.com
Band profile:	Soulfly

Nightwish kicked off its current US tour on October 15 at Jaxx in West Springfield, Virginia. The band revealed via their website the details of their upcoming spring 2008 North American run, which is scheduled to kick off in early May 2008.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

May 05 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
May 06 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
May 07 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ Chance Theater
May 09 - Quebec City, QUE @ Centre De Foire
May 11 - London, ONT @ Cowboy's
May 14 - Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Centre
May 15 - Regina, SK @ The Drink
May 16 - Edmonton, AL @ Starlite Room
May 17 - Calgary, AL @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
May 19 - Victoria, BC @ Sugar
May 20 - Vancouver, BC @ Croatian Cultural Centre
May 22 - Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
May 23 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
May 24 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
May 26 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
May 27 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada
May 28 - Sauget, IL @ Pop's
May 30 - Louisville, KY @ Headliner's Music Hall
May 31 - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room

Tickets are available exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until November 26, 2007. They will go on sale through all normal ticketing agents after that date.

Source:	nightwish.com
Band profile:	Nightwish
Event:	Nightwish: N. American Tour [CANCELLED]

Special announcement, from the official W.A.S.P. website:

"Dear fans, please DO NOT bring any cameras into the shows this fall as it is strictly prohibited to take pictures or recordings of the performance of W.A.S.P. Security Personnel at every venue will confiscate any cameras (including digital cameras and mobile phones with ability to record) from you before entering the venues. Please respect this request and enjoy the evening with The Crimson Idol.

Inquiries have been made as to whether The Crimson Idol will be performed only in select locations. The Crimson Idol Event will be performed every night in each of the cities in the Tour Schedule. After the Crimson Idol has been performed the band will take a 10 minute intermission and return to perform all the great W.A.S.P. classics you know and love."

Source:	waspnation.com
Band profile:	W.A.S.P.

UK Power Metallers Power Quest have announced the following news:

"After keeping everyone in suspense for so long we are proud to announce that Power Quest have signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records! We are extremely excited about the prospect of working with Thomas Steindl, Thomas Caser and all the staff at the label!

And of course...recording starts this week on the fourth PQ album "Master of Illusion"

Steve Williams and Steve Scott have just returned from the final pre-production sessions at the Power Quest rehearsal headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. Tracks have now been selected for the album and recording will begin at Remaster studios on October 25th."

Source:	power-quest.co.uk
Band profile:	Power Quest

The following update was posted on Battlelore's MySpace page:

"Hellos all! Thanks for reading my blurbs and keep those comments coming.

First of all, we have been working on the new songs lately and at the moment we actually have some 10 songs in very good "skeleton-phase". Looks extremely positive so far. The music is getting a few steps back in our history and a few steps forward to the future... At the moment it seems that there will be bigger, more epic parts in the vein of "Sword's Song" but also more harder, heavier parts in the vein of "Evernight". I'm quite sure that you fans won't be disappointed with this one. The album should be out sometime in June/July/August 2008.

We have some more gigs coming up. For all you cool North-Americans I must say that still no good news for you. We would love to come "over the deep waters" and play for all of you but it's really not up to us. You need to buy more albums and ask from the local organizers for us.... maybe someday then.

Finally we have a few more Finnish gigs coming up. Seems that our homeland is finally starting to get our idea... Our first UK gig in a long time is also confirmed to be in late February 2008 in Swansea, Wales. There is a big possibility for more UK gigs this coming December as we've been talking about a small tour around the middle December and that one should have some 5 or so UK dates. We'll keep you informed.

Ok, I think this is for the news for now. Have fun, have some beer, enjoy the life!"

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Battlelore

Taken from the Kamelot newsletter:

"After the release of their great new album "Ghost Opera", Kamelot will hit the road again and will do shows in main areas of Europe. The album entered a lot of charts in different countries. For example: Norway #25, Sweden #29, Finland #35, USA #48 Indie, Netherlands #51, Germany #61, France #83, Switzerland #83, Greece #23, Japan #13, UK #24 Indie.

With the success of the "Ghost Opera" album fans are demanding more, more, more! Melodic metal masters Kamelot return to select Europe cities for a once in a lifetime tour and stage show. Bringing with them as special guests the Greek heavyweights Firewind and the Austrian/American female fronted group Visions Of Atlantis, this package will be one of the highlights of the year.

Founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood adds: "The shows in connection with this album so far have been amazing, the fans and the band are as one everynight and there is an almost kinship between us. The shows will be something we will cherish forever!".

Singer/songwriter Khan adds: "This Ghost Opera Tour will be our last tour of Europe until the next studio release, so we are planning even more specials for the fans!".

Special guests on this memorable tour are Greek phenoms Firewind with virtuoso guitarist Gus G. at the helm. "I'm glad we're finally able to confirm a full European tour together with our buddies from Kamelot! As if the excitement wasn't enough when we announced the Japan tour with them, the idea popped up to do the full European run in 2008. What a great way to start the next year! We an't wait to come back and play for all our fans as well as make new ones. See you out there soon! Gus G./Firewind".

Also on tour will be female fronted gothic metal band Visions of Atlantis. This hybrid of America/Austrian members are making waves in the scene as one of the premier up and coming bands. "We are very excited to announce that we will be on tour with Kamelot through the whole of Europe! They are such fantastic and respectable musicians, and we are really proud to be partaking in this experience - this package simply rocks. It will be great to be able to play for our European friends again as well...it has been quite a while away from you all! Thanks to everyone for your support and thanks to Kamelot for giving us this wonderful experience!" Melissa/Visions Of Atlantis".

Check out the confirmed dates on Kamelot.com Tour Section"

Read more ››

Source:	kamelot.com
Band profile:	Kamelot
Event:	Ghost Opera European Tour Part II