Spinefarm Records has signed Finnish metal act Amberian Dawn. Their third album End Of Eden will be released on October 20th.

Led by songwriter Tuomas Seppälä, in 2008 the band released their debut album River Of Tuoni, which was followed up with The Clouds Of Northern Thunder in 2009. Amberian Dawn have done 2 European tours with Epica and a new tour is in the plans after the album's release.

The band is no stranger to radio play either - Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson praised the band's music after they had toured the UK and gave AD lots of air time on his show on BBC6 during the release of The Clouds Of Northern Thunder. Music of Amberian Dawn is bombastic and melodic, singer Heidi Parviainen has been gifted with a magnificent voice that makes Amberain Dawn stand out from the ever growing crowd of operatic metal. Heidi is also responsible for the lyrics which are based on Finnish mythology.

Tuomas describes this new album to be heavier than its predecessors with a bigger, more polymorphic sound. Keyboard wizard Jens Johansson (famed for his work with for example Stratovarius and Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force) guest stars on the album as reported earlier.

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Source:	spinefarm.fi
Band profile:	Amberian Dawn

Heavy metallers White Wizzard have announced a series of dates in the UK. The tour dubbed "Over The Top UK Tour" is scheduled for Novermber. Over The Top was released in February 2010. Here are the confirmed dates:

05.11.2010 Wolverhampton at Slade Rooms
06.11.2010 Dublin at Academy 2
07.11.2010 Belfast at Auntie Annie's Porter
08.11.2010 Glasgow at Cathouse
10.11.2010 Sheffield at The Corporation
11.11.2010 Machester at Satan's Hollow
12.11.2010 Milton Keynes at Sno Bar
13.11.2010 Nottingham at Rock City
14.11.2010 London at The Underworld

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	White Wizzard
Event:	White Wizzard: Over The Top UK Tour

Bass player Mixen Lindberg is the latest member to leave Hatesphere. According to a short band statement, Mixen has chosen to pursue other projects. He will temporarily be replaced until the end of 2010 by former Hatesphere bassist Mikael Ehlert (ex-Artillery, Koldborn).

As previously reported, vocalist Jonathan Albrechtsen resigned back in February after three years of duty, and was temporarily replaced by Mevadio singer Morten Madsen. But now - after conducting auditions in Copenhagen - the band has finally found a worthy candidate to fill the open vacancy in the person of Esben "Esse" Hansen. The new Hatesphere frontman is known from his work for Danish metalcore outfit As We Fight.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Hatesphere

Swedish/Dutch "all star" prog death metallers Demiurg are happy to announce more details on the new upcoming record Slakthus Gamleby. The album is scheduled for release at the end of this month (July 30th). Slakthus Gamleby - mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at his famous Unisound-Studios - will combine old school Swedish Death Metal, razorsharp riffings, great melodies, harsh Grunts, surprising epic vocals, beautiful female vocals; courtesy of Marjan Welman of Dutch Goth-metal hopefuls Autumn and lots of dynamic and atmospheric variations that give the listener the chance to find new details with every listening run.

During the next few weeks the band will as well be posting some glimpses of the horrors the album has in store, starting with the pounding opening track "Life Is A Coma" and "Death Grasp Oblivion". Head over to MySpace to check these samples out.

Slakthus Gamleby cover art] tracklist:

01. Life Is A Coma
02. Death Grasp Oblivion
03. Travellers Of The Vortex
04. The Cold Hand Of Death
05. Cold Skin
06. From Laughter To Retching
07. Slakthus Gamleby
08. World Burial

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Demiurg

Just three months ago, after the departure of original vocalist Matthew Bizilia, the guys of Icarus Witch were joined by a replacement vocalist Christopher Shaner. However, due to contractual obligations Christopher had prior to joining Icarus Witch, he will be unable to join the band for the first 3 dates of the Y&T tour that kicks off next Friday in Portland, Oregon. The band has, however, found a temporary replacement in vocalist Jason Russo.

In a statement on their MySpace blog, the band says: "We first had the pleasure to hear this guy wail a few years back when he was fronting Lifeforce Records artist, Herod. Since that time we also played a show in Cleveland with his band, Darkling. With a voice somewhere between TNT & Helloween on the high end and a ballsy growl that would make King Diamond proud, he's the perfect fit for this temporary fill in. We are most grateful that he's agreed to take this challenge on such a short notice. Portland, Seattle & Spokane are in for a rare treat. Don't take our word for it; check out his pipes at here."

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Icarus Witch

As it turns out, also US stoner/drone metallers Om will be touring Australia. The band announced the following dates for July:

Jul 11 - Geelong - National Hotel
Jul 15 - Adelaide - Fowler's Live
Jul 16 - Melbourne - The Hi Fi Bar
Jul 17 - Sydney - Factory Theatre
Jul 18 - Brisbane - The Hi Fi Bar

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Om
Event:	Om: Australian Tour

The guys and gal of Landmine Marathon have unleashed the brand new video for "Shadows Fed To Tyrants," from their latest album, Sovereign Descent which came out back in march. The video is available for viewing at this location. The video was shot in Phoenix with director David Brodsky (The Black Dahlia Murder, Gwar, Goatwhore)

The band also recently collaborated with filmmaker Brian Taylor, co-writer/director of Crank, Crank: High Voltage, and Gamer, amongst others, on a version of their song "Skin From Skull" with Taylor providing lead guitar solos. The song is being offered as a free exclusive download at Taylor's website

Taylor commented on the collaboration; "I saw Landmine at a show in LA last year and they turned my guts to jelly. Grace Perry is a beast from hell. When I found out they were Crank fans I knew we had to get something going? my approach to "Skin From Skull" was simple: just fucking shred. Grace's vocals peel the skin off your face - the solo should do the same. Straight up the ass."

Landmine Marathon guitarist Ryan Butler added; "It was so awesome to have Brian Taylor do a solo over Skin From Skull. The Crank movies are insane and I am looking forward to seeing Jonah Hex, as I'm a total comic dork. He definitely brought the shred on this solo! It was really cool to hear something that I probably never would've come up with over it."

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Source:	prostheticrecords.com
Band profile:	Landmine Marathon

Legendary German heavy metallers Accept have finally released all the details for the forthcoming Blood Of The Nations.

The album is set to be released via Nuclear Blast Records on August 20 in Europe, and September 14 in North America. Blood Of The Nations ? which also marks the recording debut of the band's latest addition, vocalist Mark Tornillo ? was recorded at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England with acclaimed British producer and Sabbat guitarist Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Exodus, Arch Enemy, Masterplan).

Regarding Tornillo's addition to Accept, Hoffmann previously said: "It all happened in minutes. Peter and I were working on some tunes in a studio in New Jersey. Somebody suggested we give this guy Mark a call to see if he would join us on vocals. So when he arrived we started jamming on some old Accept tunes ? just for fun. As soon as Mark started singing we looked at each other and realized the impossible just happened: we found a new voice for Accept! The timing could not have been better! Now or never... We are re-energized and excited..."

Blood Of The Nations cover art] tracklist:

01. Beat The Bastards
02. Teutonic Terror
03. The Abyss
04. Blood Of The Nations
05. Shades Of Death
06. Locked And Loaded
07. Kill The Pain
08. Rollin Thunder
09. Pandemic
10. New World Comin'
11. No Shelter
12. Bucketful Of Hate

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Accept

Sweden's Spiritual Beggars finally return to the spotlight with their first new studio album in five years, Return To Zero. Once again, the Beggars effortlessly manage to confirm they are a band that continues to defy musical boundaries and that delivers Classic Heavy Rock at its very best! The artwork of the upcoming album is done by the well known Brazilian artist Gustavo Sazes.

Spiritual Beggars's guitarist Michael Amott (Carcass, Arch Enemy) states: "I'm extremely pleased with the Return To Zero cover! To me, it's the quintessential Spiritual Beggars artwork. The artist really managed to capture the essence of our band, the new album and the constant flow of cryptic ideas I was throwing at him! As I'm old school, I can't wait to see this in its full glory on the vinyl LP... But hey, it'll look cool as a minuscular image on your iPod too!"

Return To Zero will be released in Europe on August 30th via InsideOutMusic.

Return To Zero cover art] tracklist:

01. Return To Zero (intro)
02. Lost In Yesterday
03. Star Born
04. The Chaos Of Rebirth
05. We Are Free
06. Spirit Of The Wind
07. Coming Home
08. Concrete Horizon
09. A New Dawn Rising
10. Believe In Me
11. Dead Weight
12. The Road Less Travelled

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Spiritual Beggars

German Pagan folk metal act Black Messiah and Russian Viking metallers Nomans Land are the latest bands to join the Black Trolls Over Europe Tour which takes place later this year. The tour also features Negură Bunget, Adorned Brood, Dyrathor and Heathen Foray, with special guest Wolfchant on select occasions. The currently announced dates are as follows:

08.10.2010 - DE - Bonn, Klangstation
09.10.2010 - DE - Gera, Sächsischer Bahnhof
10.10.2010 - DE - Darmstadt, Steinbruchtheater
11.10.2010 - DE - Hamburg, Headbangers Ballroom
12.10.2010 - DE - Flensburg, Roxy
13.10.2010 - DE - Essen, Turock
14.10.2010 - DE - Ludwigsburg, Rockfabrik
15.10.2010 - CH - Uster, Stadthofsaal
16.10.2010 - DE - Ruhla, Waldeshall Festival
17.10.2010 - NL - Rotterdam, Baroeg
18.10.2010 - TBA
19.10.2010 - TBA

More dates to follow next week. All info available here.

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Source:	myspace.com
Event:	Black Trolls Over Europe Tour

Shining will make a rare appearance in their home country of Sweden when they headline the Forlorn Festival which is scheduled to take place on the 26th and 27th November at the Fabriken, in Umea, Sweden. According to the organisers this will be Sweden's first ever Black Metal festival, and the line up will feature some of the country's leading Black Metal bands, many of whom, like Shining itself, rarely get to play in their own country. Line up up for the Forlorn Fest is as follows:

Shining, Ondskapt, Sorgeldom, Valkyrja, Elimi, Chainsawtan, Rev 16:8, Hypothermia, Orcivus and Thornium.

Shining's much anticipated seventh album VII / Född Förlorare is due for release on Indie Recordings later this year. The band will be appearing at a number of festivals over the summer, and will embark on a series of European dates with Enthroned during October and November.

More info about the festival at this location.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Shining
Event:	Forlorn Festival

The news is already a tad old, but just in case you missed this moment of rejoice, gore-metallers Exhumed have reformed after a five-year hiatus!

The band will feature founding and original member Matt Harvey on guitars and vocals along with returning members Leon DelMuerte (Phobia, Muder Construct) on bass and vocals, Wes Caley (Uphill Battle) on guitars, and Danny Walker (Intronaut, Muder Construct, (Uphill Battle) on drums. The band will begin recording a new full-length and follow-up album to 2003's Anatomy Is Destiny this fall for a spring 2011 release.

Harvey recently commented on the reformation: "I'm totally fucken psyched to be making music with Exhumed again, it's been way too long. After a few years off and away from the Death Metal scene, I feel rejuvenated and ready to hack, maim and kill once again. I wanted this to be a continuation of what the band was doing and was on its way to doing, not a reunion or some weird nostalgia thing, so the first person I started talking about this with was our guitarist Wes (Caley), who has been writing some great songs for the new album, and once he got the ball rolling with Leon (DelMuerte, bass, vocals) and Danny (Walker, drums), it come together quickly and easier than ever!"

"We've been writing for the past few months, me in Hawaii , and the other guys in California , and now that I'm back on the mainland we'll be getting things together for album number four. We're all really excited about the new shit, it should combine the directness of "Slaughtercult" and the intricacy of "Anatomy..." so it's definitely gonna be our strongest record yet."

The band has confirmed that their first North American appearance will be as part of Maryland Deathfest 2011. To commemorate the band's return to the stage, they are asking for fans to pick their set list.

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Exhumed

Wisconsin's emissaries of death, Jungle Rot, are taking the fight to the streets this summer, touring the US & Canada in support of the band's latest album What Horrors Await, via Austria's Napalm Records. The Tour dubbed "Driven To Conquer" will be supported by up and coming Metal Blade artists; Lightening Swords of Death and Woe Of Tyrannts. The dates confirmed are below:

07/28 - Station 4, St. Paul, MN
07/29 - The House Of Rock, Eau Claire, WI
07/30 - The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
07/31 - Reggie's, Chicago, IL
08/01 - Blondies, Detroit, MI
08/02 - Pirates Cove, Cleveland, OH
08/03 - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN
08/04 - Opera House, Toronto, ON
08/05 - Petit Campus, Montreal, QC
08/06 - Rocko's, Manchester, NH
08/07 - Championship Bar & Grill, Trenton, NJ
08/08 - Buddas Place, Newport News, VA
08/10 - The Muse, Nashville, TN
08/12 - Emo's, Austin, TX
08/13 - Marquee, Tulsa, OK
08/14 - Reno's Chop Shop, Dallas, TX
08/15 - War Legion Underground, Amarillo, TX
08/16 - U.B.'s Bar, Mesa, AZ
08/17 - Ramona Mainstage Theater, Ramona, CA
08/18 - Whiskey A-Go-Go, Hollywood, CA
08/19 - Modesto Virtual, Modesto, CA
08/20 - Satyricon, Portland, OR
08/21 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Jungle Rot

German metallers Suidakra will embark on their first ever Turkish tour later this year. The band will play the following three live shows:

15/10 - Instanbul
16/10 - Ankara
17/10 - Izmir

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Suidakra
Event:	Suidakra

The brand new album of Atrocity - featuring Yasmin Krull - will be called After the Storm, and it will be released in September.

According to a press release, "this is, without doubt, a very special album based on a cooperation between the band and guest female singer, Yasmin. Admirers of the legendary and just re-released Calling the Rain EP won't have to wait any longer. Atrocity is surely the only metal band which attracts fans from the metal scene as well as from ethno, folk and world-music genres.

Alex Krull states: "Fans and musicians of the band have been waiting much too long for the continuation of Calling the Rain. Now time has finally come and we just can't wait to let our fans hear and enjoy the new songs. We are incredibly happy with the result. The songs contain great rhythms, the music is sounding very special and organic, moreover, the energetic vocals together with the mythological based lyrics convey a magic atmosphere. Well, once more it's time to take blinkers off! Just listen, and it will take you away!"

The latest Atrocity feat. Yasmin album After the Storm does not simply repeat the collaboration(Calling the Rain), but elevates the songwriting and production to a new level. All instruments were performed live and a huge amount of percussions allows for a tapestry of complementary rhythms. The driving and tribal-like beats are the foundation of Atrocity's music and allows for an intense and fascinating atmosphere. The string instruments and vocals harmonize perfectly with the mood of the individual songs and with the whole music respectively. Besides wonderful atmospheric songs such as the title track "After the Storm" or the emotional "Silvan Spirit", true rock songs like "Black Mountain" or the anthem "Transilvania" show a completely new side to a Metal band. With the mystical songs "A new Arrival" and "As the Sun Kissed the Sky" or the music turned Celtic legend "The Otherworld" Atrocity, together with the exotic vocals of Yasmin, takes the audience into a mythological world. The band featuring the singing siblings Alex and Yasmin switches to high gear with the catchy song "Call of Yesteryear"! No listener will remain untouched. The music of Atrocity feat. Yasmin can only be described with one word: unique!"

The album was produced by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studio and Artwork by Stefan Heilemann. And will be released on the following dates:

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Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Atrocity