Vomitory have announced the following:

"The upcoming European tour in September together with Incantation has unfortunately been cancelled. Incantation has been forced to cancel due to personal familiy issues, which leaves us with no headliner for the tour. Vomitory will still play a few of the planned shows (see dates below). We are of course very sorry for the cancellation, but the things that have happened are beyond anyone's control, which makes it impossible to fulfil this tour. We apologize to our fans and all the promotors involved. We are aiming for a full European tour next year after the release of our next album, which is planned for a May 2009 release."

Vomitory will still play these shows just as planned:

11 Sept - DE, Berlin - K17
12 Sept - DE, Bischofswerda - Morbide Festspiele
13 Sept - DE, Bitterfeld - Festung
14 Sept - NL, Zaandam - Kade
27 Sept - DE, Essen - Essen Death Fest 7 / Turock

Other shows that are confirmed for the remainder of 2008 are:

24 Oct - SWE, Sundsvall - Club Destroyer (support: Dead Awaken)
25 Oct - SWE, Östersund - Hårdrocksklubben @ Gamla Tingshuset (support: Dead Awaken)
08 Nov - ES, Madrid - Trauma Fest

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Source:	vomitory.net
Band profile:	Vomitory
Event:

Dark Funeral's guitarist Lord Ahriman has posted the following MySpace blog today:

"So, finally it's time... On Monday Aug 18, Chaq Mol and I will enter the studio together with producer Örjan Örnkloo (Misery Loves CO) to begin the songwriting process of a new, yet untitled full-length album.

Exactly how long it will take is hard to say, but the plan is to be done with a pre-production within the next 3-4 weeks. We already have quite some material written so I feel that we are as pre-prepared as we can be at this stage.

We will only work in the studio during the weekdays. So every weekend when we're home we'll post a studio report to keep you updated. Anyway, time to get busy. Talk to you in about a week again."

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Dark Funeral

Metallica have announced the first leg of their upcoming North American tour:

"Time for a different sort of vacation... one right here on our home turf!! Now that "Death Magnetic" is complete, we're ready to start a proper indoor arena tour of the States and Canada and we can't wait to visit all of our 'Talli-fans here... it really has been too long (hey, what's four years amongst friends?).

Met Clubbers and Mission Metallica Platinum members will have first crack at 'em when tickets go on sale... dates, times and in general more on that later. But for now, we thought we would let you know where we'll be for the next couple of months... here's a complete list of cities and venues up through January 31, 2009!

Keep watching here for all ticket on sale dates and times... coming very soon. See you out there!"

All October/November dates with Down and The Sword :

October 21 - Glendale, AZ Jobing Arena
October 23 - Albquerque, NM Tingley Coliseum
October 25 - Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
October 26 - Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
November 01 - Portland, OR Rose Quarter
November 03 - Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
November 04 - Denver, CO Pepsi Center
November 06 - Omaha, NE Qwest Center
November 08 - Moline, IL iWireless Center
November 09 - Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
November 17 - St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
November 18 - Tulsa, OK BOK Center
November 20 - Houston, TX Toyota Center
November 22 - Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
November 23 - New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

All December dates with Lamb Of God and The Sword:

December 01 - Seattle, WA Key Arena
December 02 - Vancouver, BC GM Place
December 04 - Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
December 07 - Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
December 12 - Ontario, CA Citizens Bank Arena
December 13 - Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
December 15 - San Diego, CA Cox Arena
December 17 - Los Angeles, CA The Forum
December 20 - Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

All January dates with Machine Head and The Sword:

January 12 - Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
January 13 - Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
January 15 - Washington, DC Verizon Center
January 17 - Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
January 18 - Boston, MA TD Banknorth Center
January 26 - Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
January 29 - Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
January 31 - Newark, NJ Prudential Center

Read more ››

Source:	metallica.com
Band profile:	Metallica
Event:	Metallica: North America Tour

Florida Black Metal band Kult ov Azazel have updated their website with the following message:

"We were originally asked and prepared to do the Horna tour that many have been emailing about. There have been numerous bulletins and news sources on the internet stating we are on the tour. However, this is not the case.

We had to reschedule our studio time from August to October. We are now entering Mana Studio in Tampa, FL to record the next album titled "Destroying The Sacred" from October 28 thru November 11.

This not only put an end to us doing the Horna tour but also a few one offs that we had been offered. Rest assure, once the new album is recorded we will turn our focus to touring/regional shows and destroying all with force!"

Songs set to appear on "Destroying The Sacred" are as follows: "Prelude To Holocaust", "The Plagues Of Mankind", "Slaughter The Prophet", "I Am The Devil", "Sacrilege: Destroying The Sacred, Gutting Religious Heritage, Conquer & Annihilate" and "The Lucifer Principal".

Read more ››

Source:	kultovazazel.com
Band profile:	Kult Ov Azazel

Only a few month after bass player and founding member Daevas left Black Metal band Secrets Of The Moon, now also guitarist A.D. quits the band.

A.D., who had significant influence on the songwriting for the band's latest album "Antithesis" (2006), explains his decision: "Due to my all-dominant negativity I cannot extract a single good aspect from representing my music live on stage any more. Thus the time on the road has been horrible for me. After I hit rock bottom the last time I decided to stop it all."

S.O.T.M. mastermind sG finds himself distress in view of the situation: "I feel like a shadow these days. Humble, yet having the will to appear more potent than ever when all this struggle is endured one day. A.D.'s leaving is comprehensible for all people involved in the band, still it hits us with an intensity which consequences are not foreseeable yet." Still he forcefully denies rumors that the Secrets Of The Moon have split up or will do so in the near future.

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Secrets Of The Moon

Swedish Death Metallers Sanctification have announced their new album title as "Black Reign". Peter Tägtgren from the legendary Hypocrisy and Emperor Magus Caligula from the mighty Dark Funeral have contributed guest vocals on this new album and the tracklisting are as follows:

01. Thirst For Blood
02. Black Reign
03. Raw
04. Eternal
05. Hear This
06. Dead Forever
07. Flesh, Bone And Skin
08. Trucido Christianese
09. Storm

The band commented: "We are done and back home from the studio. The recording was nothing but a walk in the park, fun as hell!! Everyone in the band did a super job and everything sounds awesome! There have been some changes in the band as well; Kristoffer Hell is the new singer since Mohlin doesn't have the time that is needed. He has a big family and that is his life. So Mr. Hell is now in charge of both bass and vocals.

We are working on some even cooler stuff for the release so make sure to check in the Myspace site and the Global Domination forum in the future for updates.

The biggest thanx goes out to Peter and Tommy Tägtgren for making this one of the best death metal albums ever!"

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Sanctification

Therapy? are pleased to name Andy Gill as the producer/mixer for their forthcoming album. Andy has worked on a host of diverse projects as a musician, producer, mixer and songwriter (Gang Of Four, Killing Joke, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Futureheads, Young Knives, The Jesus Lizard) etc?

Versions of new songs like "The Head That Tried To Strangle Itself", "Low Winter Sun"," I Told You I Was Ill" and "Mingusisyphus" illustrate the classic mix of intense instrumentation and dark pop that has made Therapy? internationally renowned. Whilst most of their 90's peers have been content to follow the options of rehash/reform/rollover, the UK trio have always carved their own unique musical furrow bolstered by a formidable live reputation and a stream of chart hits.

With the first half of 2008 spent writing and demoing, this exciting collaboration for Therapy?'s 12th album proposes to be a career defining one. The as yet untitled album is due for release on Demolition Records early 2009.

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Source:	therapyquestionmark.co.uk
Band profile:	Therapy?

The title "Audible Minority" is based to the fact that the music on the album has mapped itself into the extreme minority status; something beyond recognition of the musical norms. "Audible Minority" is a stateless, nameless, and label-less manifesto made from all the bitterness and pain. The album that is entirely bleak, gloom and dark.

Almost 2 years in the making, "Audible Minority" has been constructed during various personal events in life. It all began in September 2006, before the release of "The Habit of Fire", and continued to shape itself up until May 2008.

Final Track-Listing:
1. The Vampire Song download the song at Last.fm]
2. Conditional Destiny
3. Against
4. Ceasefire Negative
5. Between Us
6. For The Greater Good and Evil
7. Narrow Avenue watch the video]
8. Virtue of Perseverance
9. Shuffling Biorhythms
10. All That Matters
11. Locust (A-ha cover)

First 8 tracks will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD (yes, no kidding, free download) with the option of paying some small donation. However, the "official", label-released versions (CD and digital) will have all 11 tracks plus some possible extras. After some discussion with the record label who will release the official version (CD and digital), we agree to push the release date to December 2008.

Updates from Jeff (Kekal guitarist/vocalist):

"Audible Minority" is a very difficult album for me, both technically as well as emotionally, because I had to use many different DAW programs, different places and different computers to record as well, even within one session/one song. There are lots of technical challenges and headaches (literal headaches). Emotionally, all those 'drifting' atmopshere made me feel like a nomad; taken-out-of-home and exiled. The good thing is that I didn't set-up any deadline, so let the music finishes itself.

To be honest, I don't see "Audible Minority" as a complete album, I see it as a continuing process, or as a bridge to the future unknown. This is an album which ends with a triple dots, not with a period. It is like snapshots of certain moments within a dark journey, and the journey continues. All of the band members were having their own personal struggles in life when the songwriting started, and it continued as the music shaped itself. Most of the (limited) communications between me and other members at that time were never about discussing the music, but all about sharing our own problems. I had to deal with all the songwriting and recording on my own this time, because of the geographical reasons as I was moving to a different country. There were times I thought that it was impossible to finish the album myself, and even there were times I thought about quitting the band as I was not having a good time working on this album. All I felt was the overwhelming sorrow, but I could not stop doing it. Making music is the only therapeutic way, to ease myself from the pain.

Read more ››

Source:	kekal.org
Band profile:	Kekal

Whyzdom has issued the following update:

"We are happy to announce that the recording of our first album is underway. We are now in the studio, recording 11 tracks. Some songs are quite long (up to 9 minutes!) and will probably be divided in several sections.

Here are the titles of the songs:

01. Daughter Of The Night
02. The Witness
03. The Train
04. On The Wings Of Time
05. Escaping The Ghosts Of Reality
06. Freedom
07. The Power And The Glory
08. Everlasting Child
09. The Old Man In The Park
10. Atlantis
11. Revolution

We are finished with Nico's parts and working on the bass guitar now with Tristan . We will record the guitars, the keyboard and the vocals in August. Then the choir and the orchestra parts in September/October. The album will be mixed and mastered in November/December. Our artist friends will normally work on the booklet artwork in September/October with new photos. We're very impatient to have everything ready!!!"

All info about the band on http://www.myspace.com/whyzdomproject.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Whyzdom

The concert of the legendary kings of metal, Manowar, on the opening night of Kaliakra Rock Festival 2008 in the Bulgarian "rock capital" of Kavarna on July 5 lasted for five hours and one minute. The performance was the metal band's attempt to break the world record for the longest heavy metal concert, which they themselves set in 2007 at last year's edition of the festival.

Joey DeMaio, Eric Adams, Karl Logan and Scott Columbus pleased a crowd of 20.000 people with a playlist of more than 40 songs, a selection reflecting the band's history and all its studio albums.

Тhis year, the self-annointed "kings of metal" had promised Bulgarian fans to beat last year's performance of three hours on stage, and had specially invited representatives of Guinness book of records to witness the unprecedented event.

Hundreds of fans of the legendary band have been waiting for their arrival at Kaliakra Stadium ever since 10am to pour inside in a frantic hurry to the stage after the gates were opened.

As was the case last year, the audience was warmed up by Holyhell, the power metal band produced by Joey DeMaio, performing tracks from their upcoming debut album and cover versions of classic hits by Aerosmith and Dio.

At 9.49pm, Manowar came out. The band began with classic hits from their earliest albums such as "Heavy Metal Daze", "Fast Taker", "Death Tone", "Dark Avenger", "Carry On", "Kings Of Metal" and many others.

"Bulgaria, we devote this concert to you," the informal leader and main songwriter of the legendary band, Joey DeMaio, said during the pauses between back-to-back hits. "Where it is written in Guinness' book of records about the longest heavy metal concert, it will be written that this was the concert of Manowar in Bulgaria," he said. The bassist added that Bulgaria was the place where people knew how to enjoy true heavy metal music.

At the peak of the concert, a classical string orchestra and a choir of the Sofia Philharmonics joined the musicians in performing some of their greatest hits, among which "Warriors Of The World", "Hail And Kill", and "Defender". In front of the Bulgarian audience, Manowar presented for the first time their new single, "Die With Horror".

With the concert approaching its end, Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev, known as "the metal mayor", congratulated the group and thanked them for performing in his town. Manowar promised to return to Kavarna whenever they were invited.

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Source:	sofiaecho.com
Band profile:	Manowar

Professionally filmed video footage of Primordial's entire June 25th, 2008 performance at this year's Hovefestivalen on the island of Tromøy, just outside the city of Arendal in Norway can be streamed here!

Primordial will be playing a couple of more summer festivals this year including prestigious events such as Wacken, Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault and Hole In The Sky.

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Source:	metalblade.com
Band profile:	Primordial

You can hear the first single "Heroes Of Our Time" from the new DragonForce album "Ultra Beatdown" at the official DragonForce Myspace page.

"Ultra Beatdown" cover art] will be released worldwide on August 25 via Roadrunner Records, and on August 20 in Japan.

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	DragonForce

Suidakra have posted the following update on their website:

"At first big thanks to everybody who attended Chicago Powerfest and one (or even more) of the six Paganfest USA West Coast dates to witness our first live appearance on the North American continent! We knew before that there were some SuidAkrA fans coming to the shows, but we were absolutely, positively surprised at how many people really knew our music. To see people start singing along made each show a big metal party from the minute we started playing ? it was a blast! There were people flying in from Alaska and even Japan to see us and it was a big pleasure to talk with them and a lot of other fans after the shows. Admittedly, there were also a number of people that hadn't heard of SuidAkrA before, but we felt that they also got into it and had a good time nevertheless... Read our tour report with tons of pictures here!

Right after the US tour we started working on new material again. We managed to nearly complete the whole new record musically! In addition we have finalized the vocal arrangements of 4 songs and therefore we can reveal the first song titles: "Scathach", "Gilded Oars", "Shattering Swords", "Isle Of Skye".

We will play some festivals this summer, but there won't be any new shows announced except what's online here already! Maybe we'll meet some of you at WACKEN this year, but for a change, we're not playing -just attending. Haha.

Last but not least there are 2 new guitar tabs for you to download: "Heresy" and "A Menhir's Clay", taken from our Best Of CD!"

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Source:	suidakra.com
Band profile:	Suidakra

Classic Rock reports that, Mel Galley, guitarist of Trapeze and Whitesnake, has lost his battle with cancer of the oesophagus. The Midlands-born musician was a member of Finders Seekers with bassist Glenn Hughes, and together they co-founded Trapeze in 1969. He had just turned 60 years old - the photo with Glenn Hughes Link] was taken at his 60th birthday party.

"Mel was my hero growing up as a kid in Cannock," Hughes tells Classic Rock. "He was four years older than me and along with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton was one of my guitar gods. He taught me music, and more importantly, how to live. After Cream, Trapeze were the greatest English rock trio." When Hughes reluctantly accepted an offer to join Deep Purple, a far bigger band, in 1973, Trapeze continued with Pete Goalby (later of Uriah Heep) on vocals. Along with brother Tom, Galley helped to guide the Phenomena project, which featured the likes of Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Budgie's John Thomas and current Deep Purple keyboard player Don Airey, before accepting an offer from David Coverdale to join Whitesnake. Though he toured with the band and played on 1984's "Slide It In" album, a freak arm injury seemed to have curtailed Galley's career. However, with the help of a specially developed spring and wire device that was fitted to his hand, affectionately called 'The Claw', he was able to bypass the problematic nerve endings. In 1986 he formed MGM with fellow ex-Whitesnake alumni Bernie Marsden and Neil Murray, then worked on another Phenomena record. However, after a 1991 Trapeze reunion that featured Hughes and drummer Dave Holland, by then a star in his own right with Judas Priest, plus Geoffrey Downes of Asia on keyboards, Galley elected to retire from performing. After a well-publicised fracas with a stalker - curtailed when Galley confronted the individual on the latter's doorstep - he had just begun playing music again when his illness was diagnosed.

In February, Galley announced that he was dying of cancer. Bravely, instead of wallowing in self-pity he made the most of the time he had left. "I have been very lucky," he wrote at his MySpace site. "I have seen some great bands, played with many great musicians and enjoyed some tremendous experiences. I am thankful that I can say a proper goodbye to all the friends I have made, who are now rallying round me."
Even as his condition worsened, Galley continued to post encouraging, amusing updates. When he was no longer able to go to the pub, "now the pub to me," he joked. "Friends visit me each day, I have drugs in me 24/7, and I have a plentiful supply of gin and tonic by my bedside. I even have my own ice machine! In fact it's just like my Whitesnake days." "What grace and dignity indeed", marvels Glenn Hughes.

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Source:	classicrockmagazine.com
Band profile:	Whitesnake

Indonesia's Kekal have issued the following update:

"We are giving away our 4th album "1000 Thoughts Of Violence" (2003) for free download, only on limited time until August 31st, 2008.

If you haven't got a chance to fully experience the album, now is the time! And to those of you who are opposed in getting the music for free, don't worry, we are also open for donations!

All the details and download links can be found at the following URL. Please feel free to download and re-distribute freely as you see fit."

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Kekal