Norwegian metallers Octavia Sperati have issued the following update:

"Dear all.

At our last band meeting, Octavia Sperati decided to put band activities aside/take a break. We have reached a point where we have decided to put more time into other projects both within music, studies and families among other things for a while. We will all continue playing music, but we will take a break from the normal "Octavia life". If there are any news from any of us, we will of course let you know as soon as possible.

We are all looking forward to playing the lovely outdoor festival Lost Weekend near our headquarters Bergen on Friday, August 1st and will take the break after that. We are sorry to say that we will have to cancel the Dames Of Darkness festival in Birmingham in September.

Hope you all have a great great summer!
Cheers.
Octavia Sperati."

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Source:	octavia-sperati.com
Band profile:	Octavia Sperati

Swedish metallers Andromeda will release their fourth album, entitled "The Immunity Zone", on September 16th via Nightmare Records.

"The Immunity Zone" cover] tracklisting:

01. Recognizing Fate
02. Slaves Of The Plethoria Season
03. Ghosts On Retinas
04. Censoring Truth
05. Worst Enemy
06. My Star
07. Another Step
08. Shadow Of Lucent Moon
09. Veil Of Illumination

Also the band adds: "Soon there will be previews to be heard right here on the Andromeda MySpace which is under new management. From now on it will be kept up to date, so check back for updates!"

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Andromeda

Swedish metallers Hearse have issued the following update:

"Finally something to report from the Hearse camp! Yup, the band has begun the recording of the fifth album. So far the drums has been recorded. 12 songs are planned to be recorded and most likely 10 of them will end up on the album. As soon as we get green light from our record label (depending on which one it´ll be) the recording will continue.
More info on the recording to follow. In the meantime check out some pics from the recording here."

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Source:	hearse.se
Band profile:	Hearse

Alice Cooper's entire new album, entitled "Along Came A Spider", is available for streaming on his MySpace page.

"Along Came A Spider" was co-produced by Danny Saber, Greg Hampton and Alice himself. The album will be released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland on July 25th (July 28th in the rest of Europe and July 29th in North America) via Steamhammer/SPV.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Alice Cooper

Norwegian metallers Kampfar will release their new album, entitled "Heimgang", on September 26th (October 7th in US and Canada) via Napalm Records.
The album was recorded at Silvertone Studio in Norway.

"Heimgang" cover] tracklisting:

01. Vantro
02. Inferno
03. Dodens Vee
04. Skogens Dyp
05. Antvort
06. Vansinn
07. Mareham
08. Feigdarvarsel
09. Vettekult
10. Vandring

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Kampfar

US metallers Intronaut will release their new album, entitled "Prehistoricisms", on September 16 via Century Media Records.
The drums for the album were tracked at Opera Studios in North Hollywood, guitars and bass were laid down at Castle Oaks Studios in Calabasas. Vocals were completed at Clearlake Audio in North Hollywood, and the whole process was engineered by Josh Newell (Jane's Addiction).

"Prehistoricisms" raw cover] tracklisting:

01. Primordial Soup
02. The Literal Black Cloud
03. Cavernous Den Of Shame
04. Prehistoricisms
05. Any Port
06. Sundial
07. Australopithecus
08. The Reptilian Brain
1 - Sleep
2 - Eat
3 - Shit
4 - Fight
5 - Fuck

The band adds: "We have also posted some footage of us jamming in the practice room."
Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3

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Source:	intronaut.net
Band profile:	Intronaut

Canadian metallers Into Eternity will release their new album, entitled "The Incurable Tragedy", on August 25th in Europe (August 29th in japan and September 2nd in US) via Century Media.
The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Touchwood Studios (Regina, SK), produced and engineered by Grant Hall and Johnny Gasparic, mixed and mastered by Grant Hall (mixing assistant: Justin Bender). The cover artwork was done by Mattias Norén (www.progart.com).

"The Incurable Tragedy" cover] tracklisting:

01. Prelude To Woe
02. Tides Of Blood
03. Spent Years Of Regret
04. Symptoms
05. Diagnosis Terminal
06. The Incurable Tragedy I
07. Indignation
08. Time Immemorial
09. The Incurable Tragedy II
10. A Black Light Ending
11. One Funeral Hymn For Three
12. The Incurable Tragedy III

As previously stated here, a new song entitled "Diagnosis Terminal" is currently streaming on the band's MySpace page.

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Source:	intoeternity.net
Band profile:	Into Eternity

US metallers Helstar have issued the following update:

"Yeah we know, we suck! We haven't kept up with the site, but hey we've been in the studio! That's right we have a new CD completed! The title is "The King Of Hell". The European release date is set for September of this year. The US release should be about 3 months later. Don't ask why, we don't even know. Keep checking back for a sneak peak of some of the new songs and for upcoming European Tour dates!"

"The King Of Hell" cover] tracklisting:

01. The King Of Hell
02. The Plague Called Man
03. Tormentor
04. When Empires Fall
05. Wicked Disposition
06. Caress Of The Dead
07. Pain Will Be Thy Name
08. In My Darkness
09. The Garden Of Temptation

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Source:	helstar.com
Band profile:	Helstar

Swedish metallers Burst have posted "(We watched) The Silver Rain" and "Cripple God" through their Myspace. The two songs come off their forthcoming album, entitled "Lazarus Bird" which will be released on September 16th in US (September 19th in Germany, September 22nd in the rest of Europe) via Relapse Records.

"Lazarus Bird" was recorded at Studio Bohussound (Status Quo, Abba) in Kungälv, Sweden. The follow-up to 2005's "Origo" was once again tracked with engineer Fredrik Reinedahl (Opeth, In Flames, Gadget).

The band adds: "We are shamelessly proud to offer you this preview of what we have been doing this last year. Look out for a couple of studio diary-style webisodes to be released shortly. Love from Sweden."

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Source:	burst.nu
Band profile:	Burst

According to a Listenable Records press release: "n0n", the long awaited follow up to the debut "Occasus", sees The Amenta redefining extreme music. Rather than relying on the cliché shit in which other bands are content wallow, The Amenta have constructed an album built on new ideas, new concepts, new sounds and new techniques. "n0n" is the fusion of whitenoise, shards of dissonant guitars and dense layers of radio chatter. Lyrically, "n0n" is a newscast, showing you the shit around you. Suicide bombers and evangelists, freeways and dead ends. "n0n" stands as an indictment on todays media and technology addicted society.

The album will be released on October 20th via Listenable Records.

"n0n" cover] tracklisting:

01. On
02. Junky
03. Vermin
04. Entropy
05. Slave
06. Whore
07. Spine
08. Skin
09. Dirt
10. Atrophy
11. Cancer
12. Rape

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Source:	listenable.net
Band profile:	The Amenta

A medley of new songs from Swedish metallers Falconer, taken from the band's forthcoming album, entitled "Among Beggars And Thieves", is available for download as an MP3 audio file at this location.

Due in August via Metal Blade Records, "Among Beggars And Thieves" was recorded at Andy La Rocque's (King Diamond) Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. 13 songs were mixed during the sessions, including two bonus tracks for the LP's first edition.

Also the band adds: "In about a month you will also be able to see the music video of "Carnival Of Disgust" on www.metalblade.de."

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Falconer

An-card for "Southern Storm", the new album from Krisiun, can be accessed at this location.
Due in Europe on July 21 (on August 5th in North America) via Century Media Records, the CD 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 "AssassiNation".

According to a press release, the album "offers everything the band's rabid fan base loves since day one: ferocious high-speed blasting, infectious double bass-driven grooves, razor-sharp riffs, devastating leads and a unique feel for combining catchiness with technicality. Tracks like the massive opener "Slaying Steel", "Combustion Inferno" or the band's rendition of the Sepultura classic "Refuse/Resist" are nothing but crushing death metal hits!"

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Source:	krisiun.com.br
Band profile:	Krisiun

Finnish metallers Elenium have posted two new demo tracks, entitled "Counterflare" and "Inorganic", on their MySpace page.

The band adds:
"We did a rough rehearsal demo of two brand new songs namely "Counterflare" and "Inorganic". Mikael Grönroos was very polite and took care of the recording duties. Thanks mate! These are the first new tracks we've recorded with our current line-up so all kind of feedback is very welcome. ...And yes, we know the first demo is always the best...
These versions will not be officially released since they are only for pre-production. You can still get a vague preview to our future releases.
Cheers!"

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Elenium

Indie Recordings has announced the signing of the Norwegian metallers Enslaved. According to a press release:

"Having worked with Enslaved before it is an honour to again being allowed to work with one of the absolute top acts in metal today. Their new album "Vertebrae" will be released September 2008, marking a quantum leap for Extreme Metal. "Vertebrae" is Enslaved's most important achievement to date, and will convince through haunting songs, the most powerful production and unmatched integrity. More details on the album itself will be revealed shortly. Enslaved is also widely acclaimed as one of the best live acts on the scene today - following the release, Enslaved will commence on an extensive European Tour, being supported by fellow Norwegians Stonegard and Krakow. See here for complete tour-list."

In a statement the band comments the signing:

"We've known the people behind the label for years, and have first-hand knowledge of their dedication, enthusiasm and professionalism. This signing makes perfect and utter sense to us; and we are proud to start off this cooperation with our strongest album ever."

In the meantime, Nuclear Blast Records is proud to announce the signing of Norway's Enslaved for the North American territory. Founding member & guitarist Ivar Bjørnson shares his thoughts on the new partnership:

"The U.S. and Canada have become increasingly important territories for Enslaved with their increasing sales and feedback from the fans and the scene both within and outside hard-line metal. The two tours we did in 2007 proved our live show qualities to the scene, and the scene proved its dedication to us. We are therefore extremely happy to be working with Nuclear Blast - a formidable force in the record industry. Having met members of the U.S. staff on several occasions, we know that their dedication and professionalism will take Enslaved a great step further. Vertebrae is by far our strongest album, one that we are extremely proud to present to the U.S., to Canada, Mexico, and all other territories. We are very pleased to present it in tandem with Nuclear Blast."

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Source:	enslaved.no
Band profile:	Enslaved

Nige Rockett , from UK metallers Onslaught, has issued the following update:

"Hi Ladies / Gentlemen

Hope everyone is doing good...?

Just to let you all know, Onslaught will now begin work on writing the follow up album to last years thrash assault "Killing Peace".......First track was written and completed early last year, but now over the next few months we will forge ahead to write the remaining slabs of 666% Pure Thrash....We have a choice of 3 titles for the new album and all of the basic song outlines are firmly in place...

We're all real excited about making this album, we have our own studio set-up and a whole new outlook on how to make this next record a screaming fucking monster...!!!! with Andy Rosser-Davies now in the band there's gonna be lots of fresh input and a slightly different slant to the 'Slaught'...He's a very aggressive player, very much like me, so the musical violence is gonna be increased considerably...with serious amounts of shredding.......!!!!!

We'll keep you all updated as we progress with each song and all other album related info...
Take care.
Nige"

Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Onslaught