We're finished shooting the "pearl" video! It took us two days to get things right,- and it was just like the "24" series! The guys in Helmet Productions didn't sleep for like 48 hours, only working and working to get what they wanted! The locations were awesome,- really dark and spooky... But, it's probably the coldest experiences we've ever had!! It was snowing, and we were only wearing t-shirts... We are used to snow here in Norway, but this was like the Northpole! We had a an actress who stayed in ice-cold water for like 3 hours straight! We hope she didn't get sick!! The video is supposed to be finished in the beginning of January. We'll keep you updated!

Thanks to all the people involved;- Helmet Productions and crew, Silence the foe for letting us sleep on their floor, and all the actors,- especially Beate and Anne!

Have a blessed Christmas and a great new year everyone! This year has been really hectic in the Extol-camp, but we can't wait to see you guys on tour next year! We're so excited..

Tor

http://www.undeceived.net

Band profile:

Extol

After the tragic death of Windir frontman and founder Valfar in January 2004, the rest of the band decided to bury Windir with Valfar. But after encouragement from Valfar's family, the remaining members decided to do one last Windir concert. The concert took place at Rockefeller auditorium in Oslo at the 3th of September 2004, which is the day that would have been Valfar's 26th birthday. Rockefeller was sold out, and over 1200 people took a final Farwell with Windir.

This DVD contains the complete Windir concert from the 3rd of September 2004. Windir guitarist Sture did most of the vocals at this concert, but it also includes guest vocals from Cosmocrator(Mindginder) and Valfar's brother Vegard.

Besides the last concert, the DVD includes Windir liveclips from Gaupne(1996), Sogndal(2001&2) and the Infernofestival in Oslo 2002 to name a few.

It also includes some backstage material, an interview with Valfar from Norwegian national TV and a photo gallery. Vreid guitarist Ese has produced the DVD at Hváll's Studio 1184 this autumn. The Windir DVD is entitled "SognaMetal" and will be available through Tabu Recordings in February 2005.

http://www.windir.no/

Band profile:

Windir

The Grammy nominated heavy rockers from North Carolina will release an aggressive new studio album through Sanctuary's Mayan Records label in early 2005, to be followed by a worldwide tour. Working title for the new piece is "En los Brazos del Dios" (In the Arms of God).

http://www.noiserecords.com

KHANATE have suffered a few setbacks over the autumn including a broken leg and an arrest. Nevertheless, we have been preparing a new MLP of material titled "Capture & Release" for Hydrahead. The CD version of this should come with the long-awaited "Dead" videoclip, produced by Alan Dubin. We're moving into a more tonal field with this material... expect two long tracks of unorthodox harmony amongst the savageness.

http://www.ideologic.org

Hey dudes!!!
This is Johan Lindstrand speaking. You have now entered the world of
ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET.

Sorry for wasting your precious time here, but I have just a few words to say concerning my new actions.
Listen up metalheads!!!

In these dark days when people are shooting metal icons in cold blood it may seem stupid and insignificant to start doing promotion for your new band but I personally think it's the best time.
The world isn't nice. It's full of hatred and disgust and these bullshit matters must be crushed. What better way to kill the filth than to start a new metal band with new followers
that can support the good things in life.
Yeah, no matter what happens, if you're lucky enough to be alive, life is there for you to grab and do something with. It's not gonna wait for you. That's what I felt when forming this band.
I had so much positive energy and I felt nothing can stop me.
I think that feeling is reflected in how the songs turned out.
Yeah, you're right, this is the new band with me as lead singer and 4 other metalheads playing
all the sick tunes. Those other 4 members will be announced in a near future as the band's not complete yet. We're almost done with a Promo-CD that hopefully will get the band a record deal.
The songs are killer and I don't see any reason why that wouldn't happen. Well, time will tell.
Anyway, when it's done we'll put out some samples so you'll hear what we're all about and then you can judge for your selves.

Ok, cheers and thanks for stopping by.
/Johan Lindstrand

LOOK HERE!!!!
ONE MAN ARMY Is still searching for some members to fill a couple of empty seats.
A rhythm guitarist and a drummer is requested to join THE UNDEAD QUARTET.
If you think you're the right dude for the job. Feel free to contact Johan (fam.lindstrand@bredband.net)

http://escape.to/onemanarmy

Band profile:

The Crown

Solstice blessings to ye. On the shortest day of the year for the north, look to the sky and greet the moon as she vividly calls for the return of her muse, the solar eminence.

On December 9th SUNN O))) recorded our first Peel Session, sadly posthumously of Peel, but commissioned by him before his passing.

SUNN O))) "CANDLEWOLF OF THE GOLDEN CHALICE" (19'30") PEEL SESSION broadcasts live on 21st December 2004 on BBC1.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/johnpeel/
for more details.

This track is a fusion of live old and new SUNN O))) approaches, with power trio drone/riffing combined with a significantly blissful drone section featuring harmonium & tamboura! The track should be archived on the BBC1 site for some time if you miss the broadcast...

Lineup for this session:

Rex Ritter: Lead MicroMoog
Savage Pencil: Tamboura
Anthony Sylvester: Harmonium, Sruti Box
Greg Anderson: Axe, MicroMoog
Stephen O'Malley: Gloom Axe, Harmonium

Augury of CandleWolf via SAVX 04

SUNN O))) has been tracking for the next album, BLACK1, at Scott Reeder's studio in the CA desert. Expect dowtuned primitive sci-fi weirdness. We plan to have this mixed by summertime and a release sometime in the early autumn if all continues to go well.

http://www.ideologic.org

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Here's some MP3 links from upcoming releases. Most are available for the first time. They can be downloaded separately or just click on the last file to download all in one zipped file. Feel free to spread the word!

... Antimatter ? Legions (rough edit)
... Darkthrone ? God Of Doubt
... Epoch Of Unlight ? Aberrant Shadows
... Frantic Bleep ? But A Memory
... Novembers Doom ? Swallowed By The Moon
... Oathean ? Beyond The Memories I Lost
... Subterranean Masquerade ? No Place Like Home (exclusive for 2004)
... Ulver ? Xmas (rough edit sampler)

to listen go to: http://label.theendrecords.com/

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We are excited to announce our first signing from South Korea. This is possibly the most talented extreme metal band from Asia. A unique blend of death/black metal with folklore elements!
Media Quote: "It turns out that there's much more coming out of South Korea than (find encyclopedia and place country's main export *here*), since Oathean has turned out some above average melodic death/black metal." - ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Oathean "Fading Aways Into The Grave of Nothingness" is due out Feb 22nd and includes 2 bonus tracks!

http://label.theendrecords.com/

Crash Music, Inc. today announces that they have signed metal act Pure Sweet Hell to a four-album deal.

Pure Sweet Hell consists of Van Williams , who is also the drummer in Century Media recording artists, NEVERMORE, Christ Eichhorn, who has spent much of his time writing music and doing studio and live work with a number of bands, and Jim ³Ravenfeeder² Colson who has been in bands with Christ and Van in the past, now joins the duo as a member of Pure Sweet Hell.

Pure Sweet Hell's music can be described as a combination of thrash, black, and death metal which makes for a crushing sound.

Crash Music¹s Mark Nawara comments, "We are very excited to be working with Van and Christ on their project Pure Sweet Hell.

We look forward to helping develop the band into being a major success in the metal genre." Crash Music will release their debut full length album "The Voyeurs Of Utter Destruction As Beauty" on February 22, 2004.

http://www.pavementmusic.com

Band profile:

Nevermore

Masters of frenzy musical dissonance have finished editing a video for their new song and album title 'Harnessing Ruin' in New York with Dutch company LOW LIFE MEDIA. The video is NOW available for download (more pictures here).
'Harnessing Ruin' will be released in February on LISTENABLE records in deluxe limited edition digipack, jewel case CD and limited edition hand numbered vinyl LP. This new album will be the first participation of their new drummer Steve Shalaty.

http://www.listenable.net

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Band profile:

Immolation

HIGH ON FIRE are on tour now! HIGH ON FIRE (drummer Des Kensel, guitarist / vocalist Matt Pike and new bassist Joe Preston ) have completed their highly anticipated new album, 'Blessed Black Wings' with engineer Steve Albini (NIRVANA, NEUROSIS, JESUS LIZARD). Having just completed a week's worth of headling gigs, HIGH ON FIRE reunites with CLUTCH to close out 2004 culminating with the New Year's Eve show at Philadelphia's Trocadero Theater.

Current tour dates are listed below. All dates with CLUTCH unless noted otherwise.

December 27 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
December 28 Norfolk, VA The Norva
December 29 New York, NY Irving Plaza
December 30 Worcester, MA Palladium
December 31 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero (w/ Clutch)

HIGH ON FIRE's 'Blessed Black Wings' will be released on February 1st, 2005. An advance look at the album's artwork can be viewed at this location: http://relapse.com/preview/BlessedRGB.jpg. Equal parts molten metal and earthquake panic, HIGH ON FIRE's MOTORHEAD-meets-SLAYER roar is outrageously loud and absolutely punishing. With 'Blessed Black Wings,' guitarist / vocalist Matt Pike (ex-SLEEP) unleashes a devastating combination of bombastic guitar and howling war cries, weaving fantastical tales of supernatural beasts, forgotten battles and rivers of blood over an unstoppable bass and drum assault.

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Source:	Relapse Newsletter
Band profile:	High On Fire

The new album ROGUES EN VOGUE will be released on February 28, 2005 due through G.U.N./BMG Ariola.

ROGUES EN VOGUE will include the following songs:

01. Draw the Line
02. Angel of Mercy
03. Skeleton Dance
04. Skulls & Bones (a 7-minutes epic pirate-song)
05. Born Dead, Dying Worse
06. Black Gold
07. Soul Vampires
08. Rogues en Vogue
09. Winged & Feathered
10. Dead Man's Road
11. The War

The strictly limited edition will contain two bonus-tracks: CANNONBALL TONGUE and LIBERTALIA (LIBERTALIA was far more than just a haven for pirates. It was a utopia. Ours is a brave, a just, an innocent, and a noble cause; the cause of liberty.)

Read comments about every song here
(http://www.running-wild.net/forum/viewtopic.php's=1645 ).

You will get the opportunity to listen to each track before the release as well as there will be a release-party and a tour in 2005! We will keep you informed about that just in time.

Until then we wish you a few nice days and a good start into the year 2005!

http://www.running-wild.net

Band profile:

Running Wild

"Hello everyone, I'm amazed how rapidly this year has advanced, particularly as it equates to a new recording. It's been a gruelling year; the writing process has been very demanding. I know Rowan and I have faced our greatest challenge as writers. A week from now we will be entering the studio to begin the first part of the recording process. I look forward to sharing more with you as time goes by.
Keep us in your thoughts. The next album is partly dedicated to Narelle Carr. Murdered at the tender age of 26. 11/01/04 R.I.P. Love to you all,"

~SAMANTHA ESCARBE

http://thewhippingpost.tripod.com/index.html

Band profile:

Virgin Black

"Hello friends....well....the past 6 months have been a very productive yet frustrating time due to several minor and sometimes MAJOR production delays....a great deal has transpired....I will do my best to fill you in: "Phase 2" of recording was completed as scheduled at the end of May! The recording sessions in Sweden of the guitars, drums and lead vocals went very well....It was an intense, creative time....I am extremely pleased with the final tracking results! The Choral recording in Germany went VERY well also....these are BY FAR the best sounding choir recordings we've had! That was the good news! ; ) Here's where the "little" problems start....Upon my return from Europe at the beginning of June, I'd planned to take a few weeks off to rest and spend some quality time with my family....all the recorded material from Sweden and Germany would be transferred to DVD's and mailed to me within a few weeks....I'd "conceivably" start up production again in late June....well....unfortunately, some technical issues delayed the process and I didn't end up getting all the recorded material until mid-July! Ok....ready to start working again, right? Wrong....MAJOR computer issues then delayed the production another 4 weeks....finally, after purchasing and setting up an entirely new operating system, all issues were resolved and I was able to begin working on the production again in Mid/Late August....After spending a few days combining the recorded material from Europe with all the recorded material from the US (VERY boring, technical work ; ) I then began the grueling process of FINAL editing of all recorded material! Upon completion of final editing in late September, I began what has become my LEAST favorite part of production....EDITING VOCALS! Anyone who has ever worked with me, knows that I'm "a bit" meticulous when it comes to recording vocals....I've been known to record an ABSURD amount of vocal takes per song, per phrase, per line and even per word on occasion! ; ) So....to make a long (probably boring story ; ) short....I've spent the past 10 weeks editing 100's upon 100's of vocal takes....I assure you...I'm not exaggerating....several HUNDREDS of vocal tracks....what was I thinking? ; ) This process has inevitably become "Phase 2 1/2" of recording production and has delayed "Phase 3" (recording Bass, Piano and spoken dialog) by a few months....based on my current progress, (about 1/2 complete) I hope to complete ALL vocal editing by the end of January....Prayers are welcome! ; ) For anyone interested...(this is NOT at all intended to be a "sob-story" ; ) the amount of work on the production of this final SM album has now FAR surpassed the the amount of work that went into LPI, II and III:I combined! It does sometimes feel as if I'm producing 10 SM albums at the same time and I'd be lying if I said that the work never becomes a bit overwhelming.... BUT, in the end.... focus perseveres, progress continues and Faith endures!In closing, I will offer all of you my deepest apologies for any "false hope" I may have given you for a potential Fall 2004 release date....I will not allow myself to "project" a release date again....what I can do is assure you that I will continue to work as "diligently" as possible and I will promise you again (as I have from the beginning) that this album WILL be well worth the wait!!!!!!! Your patience and support is GREATLY appreciated! TCGB...."

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Band profile:

Saviour Machine

It has been a long time. It has been in hiding. It has been in seclusion. Plotting against all of humanity. But now, from the depths of a mind insane, IT returns...

MORGUL's 5th album "All Dead Here" brings back the familiar sound of twisted dementia and horror. 'Old' listeners will immediately recognize the heavy onslaught and eerie atmosphere that is the music of MORGUL. 'New' listeners will be stunned by the band's willingness to explore different genres and moods within their music.

With tracks such as "Sanctus Perversum, "The Need to Kill" and "Hategrinder" the listener is left with little to be desired. Other tracks include "All Dead Here", "Willingly Shakcled", "Empty" and "The Mask of Sanity". All of which are tributes to the abhorrent and anthems of disgust. Out on Season of Mist April 2005.

www.season-of-mist.com

Band profile:

Morgul