"Lawless Lands", the new video from US metallers The Sword, can be viewed at this location.

"Lawless Lands" comes off the band's latest album, Warp Riders, which was released back in August 2010 through Kemado.


Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	The Sword

German metallers Powerwolf have issued the following update on their MySpace blog:

"The wolves are currently busy writing the follow up album to Bible Of The Beast. We spent the last three months in the rehersal room working out stuff for the new album. Even though it's still in the making we can already promise the songs are 100% Powerwolf, taking off where Bible Of The Beast ended - there's furious stuff, there's epic stuff - and all of it is catchy as hell.

For the production we're going to team up with exactly the same crew as for Bible Of The Beast: Kohlekeller Studios for the recordings, any chapel we can haunt for organ and choir celebrations - and of course Studio Fredman and Fredric Nordström for mix.

The pack will invade studio in December and the recording process will last until February. Expect a tentative release midyear 2011. More details and updates will follow as we find a minute to draw a few lines."

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Powerwolf

Enochian Theory have announced UK tour dates for March 2011. More details will be revealed soon.

Announced dates are as follows:

March 01 - Sheffield - The Corporation
March 02 - Glasgow - Classic Grand
March 03 - Manchester - Moho Live
March 04 - Bristol - The Tunnels
March 05 - London - 02 Islington Academy 2

Source:	myspace.com
Event:	Enochian Theory: UK Tour

It's official! As was speculated last week, System Of A Down are indeed planning a string of reunion/comeback live dates for Europe, set to take place in June.

The official statement issued by the band reads as follows: "We are excited to announce that System will be playing some dates together in 2011.

We also want to thank you for your loyalty and support, not only to System Of A Down, but to all of our solo efforts as well. We have no master plan of sorts - we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans. We look forward to seeing all of you!"

06/02/11 - Italy, Milan, Milan Fiera Arena
06/04/11 - Germany, Nurnberg, Rock im Park
06/05/11 - Germany, Nurburgring, Rock am Ring
06/06/11 - France, Paris, Omnisports de Bercy
06/09/11 - Switzerland, Interlaken, Greenfield Festival
06/11/11 - UK, Castle Donington, Download Festival
06/13/11 - Austria, Nickelsdorf, Nova Rock Festival
06/15/11 - Germany, Berlin, Wuhlheide
06/17/11 - Sweden, Gothenburg, Metaltown Festival
06/19/11 - Finland, Seinäjoki, Provinssirock

More shows will - hopefully - be announced soon.

Read more ››

Source:	systemofadown.com
Band profile:	System Of A Down
Event:	System Of A Down

"Midnight Vice" is the new video of Swedish heavy metallers Enforcer, and can now be watched below.

The clip was filmed by Revolver Films, Sweden and directed by Patric Ullaeus. "Midnight Vice" comes off the band's sophomore release, Diamonds, released back in May through Earache Records.


Read more ››

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Enforcer

Irish rockers Castero are busy working on new tracks that will make up the band's second album after the release of Consequence Of Thoughts in April 2010.

The band sent in the following statement:

"The new album will be a step-up for the band as they now after just over a year and a half have settled and are a tight 3 piece unit. The focus for this album will be better tunes and it will be more of a Heavy Rock/Southern Rock album than the last as we feel we have found our way in terms of writing better tracks.

Three new tracks will be demo-ed after January 2011 and we will then find the right producer to help us create a special second album of real quality and of great tracks.

The band are also looking for someone to come in to help spread Castero's music to many different parts, this would be a label and/or a distro company. We are hoping to get the second album out with maybe a limited run of Vinyl and then CD... If anyone is interested in working with us please get in touch.

As always we are a hard working and honest band who try to give all in everything we do and hopefully 2011 will be as good a year as 2010 has been for the band!"

Find out more about the band on MySpace.

Read more ››

Source:

castero.net

Portugese dark-rock/metal band Heavenwood has tapped Christian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner (Crematory, Under Seige, Sieges Even, Agathodaimon, Benighted) to mix and master its fourth album titled Abyss Masterpiece in December at Kohlekeller Studios in Germany. The initial recording sessions for the CD took place at USStudios and editing at 213 Studio (Braga and Oporto, Portugal, respectively).

Heavenwood's forthcoming album (worked alongside with Russian symphonic classical composer Dominic G. Joutsen) will feature a guest appearance by singer Miriam Renvag of the Norwegian metallers Ram-Zet on a track titled "Leonor" and will be released earlier 2011 through an European label soon to be announced.

Abyss Masterpiece tentative tracklist:

01. The Arcadia Order
02. Fading Sun
03. Like Yesterday
04. Winter Slave
05. September Blood
06. Sudden Scars
07. A Poem For Mathilde
08. Leonor
09. Burden
10. Goddess Presiding Over Solitude
11. Morning Glory (In Manus Tuas Domine)
12. Her Lament

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Heavenwood

Taken from the Wretched Spawn blog

Hungarian extreme folk metal band Dalriada have recently finished recording their new studio album Igéret; which is pegged for a release date of February 11th, 2011 through AFM Records.

Fronted by vocalist Laura Binder, Dalriada are known for their use of poetry and European folktales in their lyrics; along with their incorpation of traditional Hungarian melodies and instruments into their sound.

Igéret, which is the seventh full-length in their discography; is said to feature not only feature instruments like the kobza and doublebass but also include appearances from fellow countrymen Fajkusz Band and Korpiklanni's Jonne Järvelä. In an official press statement on their website, the band have added that his guest performance shall be to sing sections of the epic "Kalevala" in Finnish; which compliments Dalriada's own choice to sing in Hungarian.

Although teasers of the lyrics are not yet available, it has been mentioned that the song material for the new album will be centred on melodies from the Carpathian basin of Central Europe; including a 450 year old song played with its original words and orchestration.

The cover artwork was already revealed earlier and can be watched here.

Read more ››

Source:	truecultheavymetal.com
Band profile:	Dalriada

Earlier this week Noisecreep premiered a brand-new Crowbar song, called "The Cemetery Angels".

The track comes off the band's upcoming effort Sever The Wicked Hand, to be released in February next year via eOne Music.

"The song has all the elements that Crowbar are about: speed, then a killer, hooky pre-chorus, a hooky chorus and then a stupidly heavy and sludgy slow ending," Windstein told Noisecreep, breaking the song down into its base parts.

"It's personal to me, because in New Orleans, the area is known for architecture in the cemeteries," Windstein explained. "Since the city is below sea level, the tombs are above ground and elaborate, and they say that cemetery angels watch over the tombs. I feel like angels are watching me as far as everything I've done. I'm not dead yet and have been sober for four months, and I have this whole new outlook on life and a brand new spin on everything."

Windstein also shed some light on the song's lyrical arc and its relation to his newly-acquired sobriety, saying, "The opening line is 'You gave me wings and took the sky away,' which is a line from an book. I am not a 'program person,' but that is precisely what alcohol did for me. It gave me wings and then took the sky away. Alcohol can make you feel good, but you are lost. So the lyrics are a spin on that."

Go to this location to stream "The Cemetery Angels".

Sever The Wicked Hand cover art] tracklist:

01. Isolation (Desperation)
02. Sever The Wicked Hand
03. Liquid Sky And Cold Black Earth
04. Let Me Mourn
05. The Cemetery Angels
06. As I Become One
07. A Farewell To Misery
08. Protectors Of The Shrine
09. I Only Deal In Truth
10. Echo An Eternity
11. Cleanse Me, Heal Me
12. Symbiosis

Read more ››

Source:	noisecreep.com
Band profile:	Crowbar

Chile-born, UK-based thrash masters Criminal have announced the departure of lead guitarist and founding member Rodrigo Contreras.

Band leader Anton Reisenegger (guitar, vocals; also in Lock Up) comments: "As some of you may be aware, Rod decided to go back to Chile a few months ago, leaving the future of the band uncertain. After much deliberation, we have now decided to replace him in order to be able to carry on as a band.

This is not something we wanted to happen, but we have to be realistic, and being thousands of kilometers apart wouldn't have allowed us to work as a functioning band. This is not a studio project, our music is meant to be played live, and we have many plans for the future which require the four of us to be geographically close.

Rod and I started this band almost 20 years ago and he wrote some of the band's best and most characteristic material, which made this situation extremely difficult for me personally. I feel, however, that we've done the right thing, as everything was talked through with all people involved, and Rod's departure happened in the most open, civilized terms possible.

We hope that you, the fans, will understand this decision. It's not an easy step for us to take, and it wasn't a rushed decision, but if the only other choice is to stop playing as Criminal, we'd rather take the flak and soldier on.

We may still play a few shows with Rod in South America next year when we celebrate our 20th anniversary, but nothing is set in stone yet.

Rod's replacement is Olmo Cascallar from the Basque band Gamora, who already did a fantastic job as a stand-in on our last few European dates. Not only is he an excellent guitarist with a great stage presence, we also feel he will contribute an entirely new approach to our songwriting."

Criminal will enter HVR Studios in Suffolk, UK in March of 2011 to record their seventh, as-yet-untitled studio album.

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Criminal

Ulver has issued the following band update on their MySpace site:

"Ok, so now we have been on the road, and it has been rewarding, all fear and loathing considered. We are a domestic pack these days. The children miss their parents and we miss them. So. We have decided to limit next year's touring to two shorter blocks, one before and one after summer, plus an odd festival here and there. We would also very much like to make a few apperances overseas.

2011 is the future, a Critical Geography, the new album of Ulver. The anthological presentation we've been hiding behind since Lillehammer is history after Warsaw.

We are stoked to say that our blood-brothers Virus have accepted the offer to play their debut concert with us at London-palace Koko, as a kick-off spectacular. This is Virus' Lillehammer, and they are a bit apprehensive. We are certain though, that if you show them the same courtesy that you showed us, this will be one to remember.

An announcement from the band: "Apprehensive is not the word. Plain terrified, is more like it. We used to feel safe and sound inside our little bubble, being a non-live band, barely daring to release albums. We've gotten tons of propositions over the years, but when Ulver approached us it all seemed to fall right into place, to create the best possible condition for both us and our fans to finally do this thing. We couldn't think of a better way of taking that next step - bringing our mischief to the stage - than under the wings of our friends, who've been in the exact same spot we are now."

The Koko gig will be a further reunion of the old-school rebels, in that our red-bearded buddy Zweizz will be opening the ball. He will also be travelling with us to a quite a few of the other venues announced. See you in the wild."

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Ulver

Burning Fortune, the brand-new offering from Canadian traditional metal act Cauldron, comes out on February 14th in the UK and February 15th in the US via Earache Records.

A new track, called "All Or Nothing" can now be streamed over at the band's MySpace page.

Burning Fortune cover art] tracklist:

01. All Or Nothing
02. Miss You To Death
03. Frozen In Fire
04. Tears Have Come
05. I Confess
06. Rapid City/Unchained Assault
07. Queen Of Fire
08. Breaking Through
09. Taken By Desire

Read more ››

Source:	cauldronmetal.tumblr.com
Band profile:	Cauldron

Dutch symphonic metal outfit Within Temptation has announced that singer Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt are expecting a baby. The band's upcoming tour, which was scheduled from February through April 2011, has been rescheduled to the fall of the same year. Already acquired tickets remain valid for the new dates, which can be found below the official statement.

States Sharon den Adel:
"As we are all gearing up for the release of our new album I have news which might come as a surprise: Robert and I are expecting a child. To be honest, this was not planned at all, but we're very happy about it as we experience our kids as an enrichment of our lives.

I'm happy to tell you that the release of our new album will not change: March 2011! The recordings for the album are completed and the songs are being mixed right now, all preparations for the release are in full swing, so there is no reason to put things on hold.

However, we couldn't avoid rescheduling our tour as it will be impossible for me to deliver a great show for you while being in the final months of my pregnancy. Also due to the complications during the previous pregnancies it is dangerous for our baby and for me to be very active in these final months.

The tour dates have already been re-scheduled to the fall of 2011. The tickets you have bought will remain valid for the new dates which can be found on this page . We understand that the re-scheduling of our tour is a blow for you and we can only sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused as we very much appreciate the fact that so many of you have bought tickets for the shows early on.

We hope for your understanding and support and we'll do everything to make the up-coming tour the best you've ever seen from us yet!"

The new tour schedule reads as follows:

21-09-2011 - NED, Heerhugowaard, Waerdse Tempel (originally scheduled for 25-02-2011)
23-09-2011 - NED, Tilburg, 013 (originally scheduled for 27-02-2011)
25-09-2011 - NED, Tilburg, 013 (NEW SHOW)
27-09-2011 - NED, Amsterdam, Paradiso (originally scheduled for 28-02-2011)
28-09-2011 - NED, Amsterdam, Paradiso (originally scheduled for 01-03-2011)
29-09-2011 - NED, Groningen, Oosterpoort (originally scheduled for 06-03-2011)
06-10-2011 - FRA, Lille, L'Aéronef (NEW SHOW)
07-10-2011 - FRA, Nantes, Zenith (NEW SHOW)
08-10-2011 - FRA, Lyon, Transbordeur (NEW SHOW)
10-10-2011 - ESP, Madrid, La Riviera (originally scheduled for 25-03-2011)

Read more ››

Source:	within-temptation.com
Band profile:	Within Temptation
Event:	Within Temptation: European Tour [Rescheduled]

After eight years and two well-received releases, it is with regret that Old Season announces Frank Brennan's departure from the band. They would like to thank Frank for his contribution to the music over the years and wish him all the very best in the future.

Source:

facebook.com

Courtesy of Blabbermouth:

Wendy Dio, the wife/manager of late heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, has told VH1 Radio that she encourages the surviving members of Heaven And Hell ? Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice ? to work together again under a different moniker.

"I don't know what they're doing right now," she said. "I know that Geezer's been asked several times, and he's just... he took it very hard. I don't really know what they're doing right now. They should do something else, with Vinny, too. I mean, the band was amazing, an amazing band and they should carry on to do something. It won't be called Heaven And Hell but whatever they call it, it will be great, it will be amazing."

On July 24, 2010, Iommi, Butler and Appice performed together at the High Voltage Festival at Victoria Park in London as a tribute to their fallen bandmate, Ronnie James Dio. Back then they were joined by legendary former Deep Purple/Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes and Masterplan vocalist Jorn Lande - who recently released his own tribute to Dio.

Read more ››

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Heaven And Hell