Swedish metallers Darkwater have issued the following update:

"We've understood that a lot of people are curious and would like an update on what is going on with Darkwater at the moment. It's now been a while since we released our first album and we quite recently parted with our bass player. So what is really happening in the dark waters?

Regarding the bass player spot, we have auditioned several people but still haven't found exactly what we are looking for. We will keep looking until we find the perfect match. In the meantime we will use Simon Andersson (ex-Pain of Salvation) as a session player. He is an amazing bass player with lots of experience, and a better substitute would probably be impossible to find.

And what is happening with the new album? For quite some time we've gone through all the music we've had laying around, re-written a lot of it and written a bunch of new songs. So right now we have far too many songs to put on one album, or even ten albums. But we are doing our best to choose the most fitting songs for this up-coming album. We still have a lot of lyrics to write and also some melodies, but we are planning to head into the recording studios later this year. So some time next year there will be a new Darkwater album out for you to enjoy."

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Darkwater

Dutch metallers Elexorien announced the departure of Iné Zijlstra as vocalist of Elexorien. Due to personal differences, we no longer feel we are a solid unit, and we were left with no other choice but to go separate ways.

Iné Zijlstra comments: "Although it hurts inside, I've made the decision to leave Elexorien. Due to some personal issues I feel like I can not put a hundred percent effort in this band at the moment. Being the singer of Elexorien has been an amazing experience; I absolutely love making music, being on stage, going on tours and having fun. The recent South-America tour is a fantastic memory forever. It was a great honour to perform for you, the fans. Maybe you will see me in other musical projects in the future. I want to thank Elexorien for all the good times we shared and wish them all the best for the future. I hope the band will be on stage again very soon!
Especially I would like to thank you, the fans, and everyone who helped me or Elexorien the last five years. You're the best, I will never forget you!"

We would like to thank Iné for the good times we shared and fun we had, and wish her nothing but the best in her future musical and personal enterprises.
Updates on Elexorien's future will be posted here soon. No need to panic - we will continue burning stages as soon as possible!

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Elexorien

The bassist of Tristania, Ole Vistnes has confirmed that the band are working on new material. The thirteen songs of the new album are mainly done and the band will book the recording dates soon.

The whole blog post of Ole Vistnes can be read at the band's official site in the news section.

http://www.tristania.com/

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Source:	tristania.com
Band profile:	Tristania

Official press release

Switzerland's Samael will no longer be appearing alongside Moonspell on their North American tour this October/November. Taking their place will be Century Media recording artists Divine Heresy.

Samael have issued the following official statement: "Unfortunately Samael will not be able come to North America this fall along with Moonspell. We've checked into every possibility with our booking agent and partners at Nuclear Blast but the financial costs are too deep into the red to make things work. We'd like to apologize to all our fans who were looking forward to seeing Samael live but rest assured that we are looking into coming over again in early 2010. We also want to express our deepest regret to our friends in Moonspell."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Samael
Event:	Moonspell: Night Eternal Above America Tour

Austrian symphonic metallers Visions Of Atlantis have posted the following update on their MySpace blog:

"Hey Guys and Girls!

After 2 months without any message from the band here are some news wich may interest you.

First the most important thing: Our bassist Mike and his girlfriend will become parents very soon and we all want to wish them the best with their little rocker. But that leads directly to some bad news: Mike will leave the band and will take a baby-break from music so that he can focus on his new role as father a 100%.

We all understand his decison completely and so we had a last big party last weekend where we played a little gig with a handful of invited close friends to release Mike in his baby-break. If and when he will return to the band is completely unsure at the moment which is also clear and we (the whole Visions Of Atlantis family) hope that you out there will understand Mike and also wish him the best!

This will have no affect on the recording process for our forthcoming album, which leads me to the next hot news: Maxi Nil does a great job in singing in the stuff for pre-production and except some very little stuff and some last guitar details finally everything is recorded now and in November we'll enter the studio to record our fourth album finally.

Very soon we will announce the studio for our new recording and we also got a name for our fourth album, but this is still secret and just no secret within the band.

As soon as there are news and details about studio in November and all other things concering the band and what's going on with Visions Of Atlantis we'll be back with a new blog...

So stay tuned, because when we're in studio we'll keep you informed by every possible ways (video, studio-diary, pics, etc...) directly from the band.

Best wishes, and as promised... 2010 will be the year for Visions Of Atlantis as everything seems to turn out good finally!"

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Visions Of Atlantis

Danish metallers Koldborn have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"Hi all! New song! Finally! We know it has taken us a while but it's been worth the wait! "Ashes" is the title of this dense, compact little fucker and it's one of the songs we recently recorded at Smart 'N' Hard studio with Bredahl. Let us know what you think.

I'm sure this will come as a bit of a chock, but a few changes has occurred in the lineup: We're very pleased to announce that Martin Olsen from hellraisers As We Fight and Kim Jensen from fellow Danish death-monster Dawn Of Demise have joined the Koldborn camp. Welcome guys! A few shows are slowly being added, so we'll be seeing you all out there this autumn."

Koldborn's current line-up is as follows:

Lars Bjørn-Hansen - vocals
Henrik Jacobsen - guitar
Mikael Ehlert - bass
Kim Jensen - drums
Martin Olsen - guitar

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Koldborn

Swedish metallers Darkane have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"Whats up! Sorry about the lack of updates. Darkane has had some time off during the summer while Peter Wildoer has been busy touring with Pestilence. We played the Roskilde festival in Denmark and the Brutal Assault festival in the Czech Republic this summer, and they both felt very successful. Next up is the underground Thrashfestival in Oslo, Norway October 10th. We are also working on a very cool tour pretty far away from where we live, but it will be official when its 100% confirmed.

During the summer Peter, Klas and I have come with ideas and riffs for the next album, and Jens has written some lyrics. We have now started to gather together and put our ideas into actual songs. We are very eager to start recording the next album, and I think we have come up with some very cool stuff so far. Til next time, stay metal!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Darkane

Septicflesh have issued the following update regarding the new album, touring and the future:

"We are extremely pleased to announce the union of two forces for our future endeavors as a band. We've joined forces with the Agency Group for North American booking (Dimmu Borgir, Lamb Of God, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse etc..) and Hard Impact management (Kataklysm, Arsis, Blackguard etc..) for worldwide management.

The band is also hard at work composing the new songs and ideas that will eventually end up on the follow up to the critically acclaimed album "Communion". The plan is to go back to studio to Fredrik Nordström at Fredman studio next summer and also work with the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague. Tentative release is fall of 2010..."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Septicflesh

Belgian black metallers Enthroned have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"After a while here is some news from the Enthroned camp...

Nguaroth and Ahephaim decided to part ways with Enthroned due to a lack of time and availability, their future plans couldn't match with the writing - recording and touring schedules of the band.

Enthroned would like to salute the dedication both members showed and fulfilled during these last years!

After several auditions we are proud to introduce you Enthroned's new messiahs: Garghuf on drums, who is known for his previous work with Norwegian black metallers Gorgoroth and Neraath on guitars, coming back after five years of abscence!

Enthroned is now working with the full new line-up on their upcoming assault, "Pentagrammaton", which is scheduled to be released through Regain Records in early 2010!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Enthroned

Guitarist Shagrath has issued the following update on behalf of Chrome Division:

"Hail all you Rock 'n' Rollers out there! We thought it would be the right time for a little update from Hell, to all the Chromers out there. A lot of things are happening in the Chrome Camp these days, and not everything is ok for some...

First and foremost, we've decided to part ways with Eddie Guz, the voice of Chrome since 2005. He's out, due to lack of dedication and commitment to the band. Since the band is more active than ever, it would only slow down the tempo of achieving their future goals. This decision needed to be done for the benefit of Chrome Division. Eddie Guz will still remain a friend and a drinking buddy, but sometimes friendship and music don't always blend easily together. But we ensure our fans that there is no need to worry.

In February, Shady Blue (Athera of Susperia) stepped in for Eddie on a gig in Germany, and the result was very pleasing for both the band and the fans. So we are happy to announce that Shady Blue has now become a full worthy permanent singer in Chrome Division.

The breakup had some consequences in form of the cancellation of two festival jobs in Germany, which is totally unfortunate and really frustrating for the band, but sometimes the shit hits the fan for real... Nevertheless, a concert in London is booked for October 2nd and our hometown, Oslo, will get Chromed the 30th of November. So the live situation doesn't look too bad after all.

Anyway, we also want to enlighten and share with our fans that Chrome Division is in a full creative process of completing the material for our third album. Only a few more songs to complete before it's ready to be recorded. We're aiming for a release sometime next year.

A new member, new oil in the engine, new boost and a new era. Await the 3rd chapter of unholy rock n' roll!"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Chrome Division

"Evangelion", the new Behemoth album, is available for streaming in its entirety at the band's MySpace page. "Evangelion" will be released on August 7 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records and August 11 in North America through Metal Blade.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Behemoth

UK Death metallers Trigger The Bloodshed have issued the folowing update on their MySpace blog:

"Some of you may of heard rumors flying around over the recent weeks about Max leaving the band; we can now confirm that these rumors are true. For a little while Max has felt he has not been fulfilling the genre of music he wanted to persue with a band, although he has enjoyed every moment with trigger he just felt his heart was not in the music and has gone on to fill this void playing and creating music in a genre he is more passionate about. There are no hard feelings between Max and the band, he is still one of our best friends and we wish him all the luck and success in the world with his future projects.

Now comes the question of who is to replace him. After speaking to a few people and trying out a few promising musicians we were contacting drummer Dan Wilding of legendary death metal band Aborted who offered his services to fill in for us during our upcoming Dominatour, after e-mails back and forth Dan expressed interest in taking over the drums full time and it's as simple as that really.

"Dan learnt the songs, came to practice and he was the drummer for Trigger from the time the stick hit the skin for the first blast beat of the great depression. We are stoked to have Dan join the band and he has fitted in straight away and we can't wait to hit the road with him and play some fucking heavy riffs. Make sure you come check us out with Dan over the next month on the Dominatour along side Annotations Of An Autopsy, Burning Skies and Viatrophy.

And for those of you who don't know Dan or his skills on a kit hears a little video to wet your appetite.

More updates coming soon.
Cheers,
TTB"


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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Trigger The Bloodshed

Burst have issued the following update:

"We are glad to announce that Burst will embark on our first US tour immediately following our appearance at the intriguing Planet Caravan festival in Asheton, NC on september 19. The tour will go through to October 10. Half the tour Burst and opener Zoroaster will be gigging with the draconian French metal philosophers Gojira on their Metallica off-dates, half the tour we'll do our own shows with Zoroaster. See all the dates here (a few extra dates TBA soon).

At the same time, we'd like to announce that our first US tour will also be our last. Following a band meeting at the end of June, we have decided that it is time to let Burst sleep.

We will honor our commitments, play the planned No Budget Fest in Larissa, Greece as well as the US tour, and a possible best-of show in Sweden in late fall. But after that and for the foreseeable future, Burst will lay down its arms. Whether it is definite or indefinite, we can't say. Thus, in accordance with modern internet heavy metal news site lingo, we'll call it an "indefinite hiatus".

Burst have made music in this constellation for over ten years now, and while our creative urges remain intact, the energy and motivation it takes to be in a band that continues to grow and gets a lot of touring offers has slowly but continuously weakened over the last years. Why? Who knows.

There are a million and one reasons why we haven't been able to reignite ourselves following the release of "Lazarus Bird". We were so proud of that album, and we should have had all the power in the world within us. But something's been missing. For a while now our band has been shaky, unmotivated and prone to a lot of internal discussions, and all that has sucked the energy out of us. That's not how it should be.

We guess the most significant reasons are that we have different views on what our band should be about, how much effort we are able and willing to put into it, as well as individual band members' wish to prioritize other things in their respective lives. We are too proud of our band and our music to let it slowly wither or perhaps explode in a flurry of intra-band conflict. So, we'll end it now amicably and avoid what could possibly turn into a less friendly split. We might have separate views and wills, but there is no animosity between us now.

When you think about it, being in a rock band is a fucked up social experiment: five different persons are to agree on something as individual as creative visions AND have the personal chemistry to be able to spend a disproportionate amount of time together on tour buses and cramped backstage rooms. There are a lot of nasty smells to be digested, a lot of insane behavior to be handled, a lot of mundane issues to be solved.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Burst

Finnish power metallers Excalion have posted the short following update:

"Excalion will enter the studio and start recording the follow up to "Waterlines" in the end of august. Studio Watercastle will be the place where the magic happens once again. Every member of the band is thrilled to get the recordings going. Stay tuned for more info on the songs, schedule and release details."

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Excalion

Finnish metallers Manitou have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"After a long struggle and a lot of effort to give some rescue breathing to this band without much results we've decided to call it a day and say goodbye to the Manitou.

We had some new rocking songs ready for the recording and we even had a new bad-ass keyboard player Mikko Reinamo on board. Too bad that we failed to get the recordings done due to the lack of motivation.

Twelve years, three great albums and a big bunch of great gigs, ups and downs. A big thank you goes to all our friends, fans, co-operation partners and supporters, you know who you are!

The good news are that Ismo, Antti, Mikko and Markus are already working together on a new still anonymous project, which will in a way continue the legacy of Manitou with a new singer and drummer on board. More info coming soon on this case, so keep on checking the Manitou MySpace site for updates on what's happening in the family.

But we won't be leaving here quietly as we'll be still performing one last show and playing the Manitou farewell gig at the mighty local Dark River Festival on August 7 at Honkala Ski Stadium in Karhula.

So, be sure you won't miss this event as you really can't catch this later!

R.I.P. Manitou 1997-2009"

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Manitou