only band

The beginnings of Grave Digger date back to 1980. After various appearances at small festivals, the band, comprising Chris Boltendahl, Peter Masson, Willi Lackmann and Albert Eckardt, recorded a song for the compilation album “Rock from Hell” in 1983. A year later, Grave Digger released their debut album “Heavy Metal Breakdown”.

They released their second album “Witch Hunter” in 1985. After this album was completed, Eckardt left the band; he was replaced by C.F. Brank. Further festival appearances, a tour as the supporting act for Helloween, and a triple headlining tour with Celtic Frost and Helloween, followed before the release of the third album “War Games” in January 1986. Thereafter, Peter Masson gave way to Uwe Lulis; in 1987 the band's name was changed to Digger, the name under which they released the album “Stronger than Ever”.

This album hardly had anything in common with the earlier music of Grave Digger. It was more an attempt to reach the masses with mainstream rock like that of Bon Jovi or Van Halen. The album flopped, as it was not readily accepted by neither fans nor the masses. As a result, Chris Boltendahl declared the break up of the band at the end of 1987.

However, the band partially reformed in 1991. Chris Boltendahl and Uwe Lulis, along with two newcomers, Tomi Göttlich and Jörg Michael, who had been the drummers for Rage and Running Wild, released a comeback record, “The Reaper”. The title song returned to the true roots of Grave Digger. In the same year, the album “Best of the Eighties” was released and comprised a quasi Best-of-Album of their earlier songs.

The album “Symphony of Death” followed in 1994. In the meantime, Grave Digger, now with a new drummer, Frank Ullrich, toured Germany, playing as the supporting act for Manowar. In 1995, the album “Heart of Darkness” was released—a very dark album influenced by the early works of Annihilator.

In 1996, Stefan Arnold became the band's new drummer. This year also marked the release of the concept album “Tunes of War”, which dealt with the early history of Scotland. The album was part one of the Middle Ages Trilogy. The second album, “Knights of the Cross”, with Jens Becker on bass, was completed in 1997 and was about the rise and fall of the Knights Templar. The third and final part of the trilogy, “Excalibur”, completed in 1999, explored the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Shortly after the release of “Excalibur”, the band embarked on a world tour and was joined by keyboardist Hans-Peter Katzenburg, who later became a permanent bandmember.

In 2000, Grave Digger celebrated their 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they performed a sold-out concert at the Zeche in Bochum. This concert marked a defining chapter in the band's history, as Uwe Lulis left the band shortly before the show due to both personal and business-related differences.

A replacement was found in ex-Rage guitarist Manni Schmidt, who first appears on the 2001 Nuclear Blast release “The Grave Digger”. The works of Edgar Allan Poe served as an inspiration for the lyrics of the album. Their first live album, “Tunes of Wacken”, was released in 2002. It was coupled with the release of their first DVD, “Wacken Open Air”. About a year later, the next concept album followed. “Rheingold” centered around the opera “Der Ring der Nibelungen” by Richard Wagner.

After the successful Rheingold-Tour with Symphorce and Wizard as supporting acts, the band recorded a new album, “The Last Supper”. Several journalists hailed it as the best since “Tunes of War” or “Heavy Metal Breakdown”. For the cover artwork, the band turned to artist Gyula Havanscak. The album was released in January 2005. Less than a month later, the band embarked on a tour with Stormhammer and Astral Doors.

October 2005 saw the release of a live DVD recording of the Last Supper Tour and the Sao Paulo concert. The title, “25 to Live”, commemorates the band's 25th anniversary.
In early 2006, Grave Digger signed a deal with the Spanish label Locomotive Records. The single “Yesterday” was released on 29 September including a re-recorded version of the title track. As a special bonus, a live DVD was also included.

January 12, 2007 saw the release of “Liberty or Death” and later that year, Grave Digger performed at the legendary Wacken Open Air. In October, a new member joined the Grave Digger family. Thilo Hermann (ex-Running Wild) became the second guitarist.

After finishing the songwriting process for the band's latest album, Grave Digger entered Principal Studio in Munster to record the new songs under the guidance of the Resetti brothers, who have provided them with a sound so forceful and fresh like never before. Furthermore, Grave Digger split with Locomotive making way for a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records.

With the release of the MCD “Pray”, the legendary power metal institution delivers a taste of what is to come on their forthcoming album "Ballads of a Hangman" to be released on 09 Jan 2009. To make the wait bearable, the men around screamer Chris Boltendahl have assembled a genuine metallic package. Hellbent metalheads will be pleased to not only find three non-album tracks, but also the title track "Pray" as an exclusive extended version of the original to be featured on the upcoming longplayer. The direction the band takes is clear: Back to the roots including a killer version of Motörhead's all time classic "Overkill".

DIR EN GREY has conquered the Japanese rock scene with lyrics that convey sorrow, darkness and anger in modern society. The band has received international critical acclaim for their masterful translation of the lyrics to their dramatic and at times shocking stage show, which includes self-mutilation with bloodshed.

DIR EN GREY - vocalist KYO, guitarists KAORU and DIE, bassist TOSHIYA and drummer SHINYA - became extremely popular almost immediately upon forming ten years ago, when they caught the attention of the CEO of East West Japan. Their debut was marked by the simultaneous release of three singles, all of which reached the Top Ten. Five albums later, DIR EN GREY added to their international success by solidifying their presence in the U.S. with the 2007 release of THE MARROW OF A BONE.

THE MARROW OF A BONE continued to build on the sentiments that had become the band’s trademark over the past ten years and exemplified the band’s technical precision. The CD includes 13 aggressive tracks, where “the production is as crisp as new currency, and the thrash power-riffing throbs like a carotid artery awaiting puncture” (Detroit Metro Times, 2/7/07). Tracks included “Agitated Screams of Maggots,” the title track of the band’s EP which was released earlier this year as well as “CONCEIVED SORROW,” “THE FATAL BELIEVER,” “RYOUJOKU NO AME,” “DISABLED COMPLEXES,” “THE DEEPER VILENESS” and “CLEVER SLEAZOID.”
While singing mostly in Japanese, KYO, via his expressive voice, is able to transition effortlessly from a deep growl to theatrical vocals that transcend language barriers. The Los Angeles Times wrote that “Kyo is a staggering vocalist” and “has stockpiled an extreme range of vocal inflections, from a guttural mutter to a tonsil-ripping scream—no electronic effects needed”.

In January 2010, the band wrapped up two years of touring in support of 2008's UROBOROS by playing two sold out shows at Tokyo's legendary Nippon Budokan arena. Currently the band are preparing to release a CD & DVD set from these shows, titled UROBOROS -with the proof in the name of living...- AT NIPPON BUDOKAN. It will be released worldwide in late May of 2010 -- be sure to RSVP HERE and follow the official Twitter to get additional information (including cover art, tracklists, audio and video samples, pre-order links, and more) as we release it!
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Read more: http://www.myspace.com/direngrey#ixzz0thqNw1AB

Blooded Suicide was formed since the middle of September 2006. Blooded Suicide is started from Ian, Ibank, and Dado projects to make a decision to create a band. Blooded Suicide’s looking for a drummer and our friends offering Eddy as our drummer. Eddy has a band (Noise Addict) then Blooded Suicide is starting with covering songs from music as we know. Time is running up and it makes we should have a vocalist. By the time, Ian is offering Trist as a vocalist. Trist has been sign in Blooded Suicide since the last of November. With a new formation, we are starting to create a concept to make sure what kind of Blooded Suicide music in the future. Before Trist joined with us, we have 2 songs. Which are Destroy The War and Under The Grave I Stand. After Trist joined with us a new concept has make a color in Blooded Suicide. Blooded Suicide’s offering melodic death metal concept. With the new concept Blooded Suicide is creating new songs. At list, with melodious tone of the guitar, and little crunchy sound at the bass guitar Blooded Suicide’s starting to create new atmosphere in music scene. Hard beat and fast beat makes drum feel so fast but calm. To perfecting the music of Blooded Suicide, high and middle scream with deep growl make Blooded Suicide sounds feel so dark. Influenced by another melodic death metal band in the other country, Blooded Suicide had an idea to mix a modern melodic death metal sound with so much more bass and middle tone in guitar. That’s all mean Blooded Suicide was trying to give a concept in development of music scene.


Blooded Suicide was release their sample songs which are :
Brain Apocalypse
Unblessed Burial

Blooded Suicide setup 5 songs in our EP Album, which are :

Mati
Whore's Massacre
Breakdown
Semua Mati
Fragrant Doesn’t Kill A Carcass

Shaman was formed in 2000, when Ricardo Confessori left Angra to form a new band.


Shaman means "the one who sees in the dark", and it is generally represented by priests that can heal using elements of nature.


With a mix of heavy metal, classical and world music, in the beginning of 2002, the band begun recording their first album called "Ritual."


The album was recorded in Germany, except for some parts that were recorded in Brazil and the United States, with the renowned production of Mr. Sascha Paeth.


"Ritual" was very well received in Brazil and all around the globe, being released in more than 15 countries. The World Ritual Tour lasted a year and a half, passing through Brazil and several other countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. There were about 150 shows, an excellent mark of dates for a debut album tour.


In 2003, Shaman was ranked on various 'first places' on the specialized media polls, and the big surprise was having "Ritual" winning as the best music album (and not only on the heavy metal style) of 2002, being chosen by readers of Folha de Sao Paulo. An accomplishment that happened again in 2004. Later that year, the band opened the Iron Maiden concert at Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, for approximately 45,000 people.


As a result of such huge success, the band recorded a live show at Credicard Hall in São Paulo with several special guests like Tobias Sammet, Sascha Paeth, Marcus Viana and George Mouzayek, Andi Deris and Michael Weikath. The release of a CD and DVD of "RituAlive" was received with great reviews and sales. According to Universal Music Brazil, "RituAlive" is the best DVD of the genre because of the quality and of the content.


In 2005, when the second album was almost finished and ready to be released, the band announced a change in the name, with the addition of a letter A, and now being called Shaaman.


During the following months, the second studio album called "Reason" hits the stores, bringing a much more 'direct' and 'in your face' sound. The album was recorded in Brazil with the same producer of the first album, Sascha Paeth, who said that "Reason is the redemption of all the feeling and spirit of the 80's heavy metal", and that "while Ritual favored the undeniable virtuoso musicians, Reason opened up space for their hearts and souls". Songs on the "Reason" album were much more organic, which helped to highlight the contrast between heavy guitars, classic keyboards and world music elements.


After the Reason Tour, that lasted over a year, some misunderstandings led to the departure of three former bandmembers, openning up space for Thiago Bianchi, Léo Mancini and Fernando Quesada to join the band. With the new line-up, the band entered the studio and, in September of 2007, released Shaman's third studio album called "Immortal". With the new Immortal Tour, Shaman played all over Brazil and in many countries of the Latin America.

In 2008, the band recorded a live DVD, called "AnimeAlive", on a show with an audience of nearly 20 thousand people. It was released in 2009, celebrating the successful tour of the "Immortal" album and the new phase of the band.

Also in 2009, Shaman was the headliner band on the Czech Republic's Masters of Rock Festival, and played with GOCMAN Orchestra. This amazing moment and show set a milestone in the history of Brazilian Heavy Metal: Shaman was the first band to perform and record a live DVD with an orchestra.

For 2010, Shaman is preparing many surprises: a new CD in progress, new shows being scheduled, and much more...
SHAMAN (formerly SHAAMAN) — the Brazilian melodic metal band featuring drummer Ricardo Confessori alongside guitarist Léo Mancini, vocalist Thiago Bianchi and bassist Fernando Quesada — released a new studio album, "Origins", in June via AFM Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Origins (The Day I Died)
02. Lethal Awakening
03. Inferno Veil
04. Ego Pt. 1
05. Ego Pt. 2
06. Finally Home
07. Rising Up To Life
08. No Mind
09. Blind Messiah
10. S.S.D. (Signed, Sealed & Delivered)

The song "Ego" is now available for streaming on the SHAMAN MySpace page.

Regarding the "Origins" lyrical concept, the band said in a press release, "This is the story of a little boy called Amagat, from a tribe in the far land of Siberia, home of the first Shamans that history ever heard of. His story begins at the moment he reaches the 'age of the warrior' — the age that his tribe believes to be the 'age of transition' from a child to an adult, a warrior. Amagat then runs away believing he's not part of all that. And during his journey into the unknown, he passes through ten stages that will lead him to enlightenment, and finally will bring him back to his tribe, where he will be received as a 'spiritual leader.'"

SHAMAN's previous album, "Immortal", was released in 2007 via Italy's Scarlet Records.

Former SHAAMAN frontman André Matos (also ex-ANGRA) released his debut solo album in August 2007.

, "LorVeteran German thrashers SODOM will release their long-awaited new DVDds Of Depravity - Part II", via SPV/Steamhammer on the following dates:

Germany: June 25
Rest of Europe: July 12
USA: July 13

The double digipak DVD with o-card will contain the following:

* DVD 1: the complete history 1995-2009 (approximately 200 minutes)
* DVD 2: Live features, video clips, deleted scenes (approximately 160 minutes)
Track listing / content:

DVD1

The complete history 1995-2009

* Intro
* Onkel Tom
* Tom Is Looking For New Members
* Reunion Sodom
* Til Death Us Unite (Recordings)
* Endzeit Festival
* Til Death Us Unite (Promo And Release)
* Summer Metal Meeting
* Lauchhammer
* With Full Force 97
* Wacken 97
* Lieder Wie Orkane
* Südamerika 97
* USA 97
* Ein Tröpchen Voller Glück
* Code Red
* Ein Strauss Bunter Melodien
* Desperados (How This Developed)
* Dynamo 99
* With Full Force 99
* Fuck The Millennium Tour
* Desperados (Release)
* With Full Force 2000
* M16 (Recordings)
* Bangkok 2001
* Wacken 2001
* M16 (Release)
* Hell Comes To Your Town Tour
* Japan
* One Night In In Bangkok
* Summer Open Airs 2002
* Moskau 2003
* One Night In Bangkok (Release)
* With Full Force 2003
* Bang Your Head 2003
* Summer Open Airs 2002
* Sofia
* Greece
* Summer Breeze 2004
* Lords Of Depravity/Sodom Rehearsals
* Ankara
* South America 2005
* Metalcruise
* USA 2006
* Sodom (Recordings / Release)
* Rock Hard 2006
* Japan 2006
* European Tour with FINNTROLL and LEGION OF THE DAMNED
* Eastern European Tour
* Final Sign Of Evil
* Klassentreffen (All Ex-Members Under One Roof)
* Death Of Chris Witchhunter
* Australia, Indonesia, Thailand
* Wacken 2007
* Outro

Duration: more than 200 min
Format: 16:9 (NTSC)
Subtitles English/German
Audio: 2.0/5.1

DVD2

Complete 25th-Anniversary Concert at Wacken Open Air 2007 (featuring guest appearances by former bandmembers Grave Violator, Frank Blackfire, Michael Hoffmann, Andy Brings and Atomic Steif)

* Intro
* Blood On Your Lips
* Wanted Dead
* City Of God
* Axis Of Evil
* Blasphemer
* Proselytism Real
* Christ Passion
* Magic Dragon
* Tarred And Feathered
* One Step Over The Line
* Get What You Deserve
* Abuse
* Frozen Screams
* The Vice Of Killing
* Napalm In The Morning
* Sodomy And Lust
* Ausgebombt
* The Saw Is The Law
* Outbreak Of Evil
* Bombenhagel
* Outro

Video Clips:

* Fuck The Police
* City Of God

+ Deleted Scenes

Duration: more than 160 min
Format: 16:9 (NTSC)
Subtitles English/German
Audio: 2.0/5.1

Metal Injection has posted performance footage of the song "Outbreak Of Evil" from the "Lords Of Depravity - Part II" DVD. Watch it below.

Commented bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such: "Five years after releasing our first SODOM DVD, you're now holding the second part in your hands...

"To begin with, I want to thank you for your patience.

"In the meantime it happened a lot, which we want to give you an account of with this film.

"The story of 'Lords Of Depravity - Part I' ended in the year 1995, which included many ups and downs for me. It was a year I had to make a lot of decisions in, which were of essential importance for my career and further musical future.

"The last contractual album with SPV, 'Masquerade In Blood', blazed the trail for rebound.

"When drummer Atomic Steif and guitarist Strahli left the band after the accomplishment of this album, I thought about forming a completely new band or turn[ing] my back on the music business forever. I lacked the willingness to discuss each of my decisions with the band members. I had to look ahead. The numerous replacements of band members in the past unnerved me and tested my mettle.

"The idea to start a solo project emerged through many intense conversations with friends and my musical surroundings. Producer Ulli Pösselt also encouraged me to this enterprise. A record label, which evinced the willingness in supporting the project, was found straight. The Tom Angelripper — future ONKEL TOM — project came into being and released four albums through the label GUN Records.

"I realized quickly, that living without SODOM was inacceptable for me. The record label wasn't enthusiastic about perpetuating SODOM, the more so as the albums of the solo project worked out well in view of the circumstances at that time, even within the non-metal scene. I was advised to put SODOM on hold or to draw the curtain for good.

"To achieve a common purpose I convinced the head of the record label to recall SODOM to life with a completely new lineup. I became acquainted with drummer Bobby by fluke, later with guitarist Bernemann, who both roistered together in the bands CROWS and RANDALICA. The phase of us getting to know each other certainly is described at length in this film.

"After a couple of rehearsals we decided to go on together and record a new album. This seemed like a new birth to me, and we got down to work, 'cause finally there were a lot of live shows to be played again.

"Initially, all this was virgin soil to Bobby and Bernemann. Our first tour, which we were doing together with many top-class bands turned out to be a long-desired dream coming true for both of them.

"I finally made the attempt to establish a permanent lineup, which succeeded despite the hard time.

"The second half of the '90s has really been tough and confusing to the whole metal scene and music business. I don't want to speculate about the reasons here, but it was a time, when many bands resigned and split up. Many of them had to realign musically, which was a complete flop in many of these cases. The extant fans didn't want any change and turned away.

"To me it was a certain decision to go on like before and keep the comparatively steady fan community. It was worth it, since we outlived the lean period together with the help from our fans.

"We've always been a band, who crosses the scene with blinders. We never cared about what others were doing and we never let the record labels force us to change something to sell more records or become more commercial. Thrash metal was our way of doing something we were keen on and expressing openly what came into our heads without mincing our words. This is one thing which never changed to this day.

"A band has to be authentic and should not sell itself.

"In the following years, we travelled all around the world and soon there was hardly any country whose beer specialities we didn't give a try.

"I love thinking back of all these concerts... Whether it be in South America, Asia, Australia or Europe — everywhere we've been well received and celebrated properly.

"This film is going to let you look behind the scenes. At many shows a cameraman was [following] us, who tried to also catch the atmosphere backstage and during the tour.

"It's almost unbelievable how much material has been filmed, assembled and probably for the first time been released in this manner.

"I'm very glad that SODOM is still getting booked for being the cult band as such and is still regarded as the band most friendly towards their fans. Nowadays this doesn't seem to be understood by many others.

"Working on satisfying the fans is as much important as the music itself.

"We've always tried to get in contact with our fans after the show, signing autographs, having a beer together while chatting. We've never been that kind of 'rock stars' who leave their fans instantly after the show when being reputed to have done their work.

"My co-musicians always bolstered me and quickly understood what SODOM is all about. It's not about us — the focus is always on the fans. If they're happy, we're happy, too.

"Then, the early SODOM history caught up with us again. The record label wanted to re-release the debut 'In The Sign Of Evil' and asked me if there were any unreleased songs. At the third of our class reunions, I sat together with Chris Witchhunter and Grave Violator to talk about this. Grave Violator could remember that we've had material for one full-fledged album, but the record label wanted to produce a five-track EP only. This has been quite usual in the '80s. He still owned a recording of seven songs, which had been done in our old rehearsal room and which we had totally forgotten about. According to this, these songs had to be practiced anew in our old lineup. These partly very tragic years up to the release of 'Final Sign Of Evil' are reprocessed in this film by many interviews.

"Back then neither of us suspected Chris' disease to be progressed so far to be a lethal threat to him.

"Being on tour in South America with SODOM in 2009 I got a phone call which exceeded our worst apprehensions. This is a topic dealt with marginally in this film, because we closed it with our 25th anniversary.

"Now have fun watching 'Lords Of Depravity - Part II'!

"I hope you will encourage me in my idea of doing a third part.

"I thank you for your allegiant support, which hopefully will conduct us to our 30th anniversary."

SODOM will enter the studio this summer to begin recording its new album for a late 2010 release. Angelripper recently stated about the group's new material, "There has never been a SODOM album which is so wide-ranged, as powerful and as typically SODOM as this one.

SODOM issued the "Lords of Depravity - Part I" DVD in the U.S. on February 21, 2006 via SPV. The first of two double-DVD sets contained the SODOM history from 1982 to 1995 plus live footage from concerts in Sofia and at the With Full Force, Wacken Open Air and Rock Hard festivals.

"Agent Orange", the classic 1989 album from SODOM, was re-released on February 1 (Germany: January 29) via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD comes in a high-class digipack and will include a bonus disc. The extensive booklet contains rare photos and liner notes by bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such. The LP comes as a double gatefold album with printed inner sleeves and three bonus live tracks.

The band's latest album, "The Final Sign of Evil", was released as a double vinyl package on February 1, 2008 via SPV Records. The LP features re-recordings of the material from the German thrashers' classic first EP, "In the Sign of Evil", plus no less than seven bonus tracks, all of which were originally written during the "In the Sign of Evil" era or earlier but were never officially released. As a special bonus, the album featured return appearances by drummer Chris Dudek (a.k.a. Witchhunter) and guitarist Josef "Peppi" Dominic (a.k.a. Grave Violator), both of whom were featured on the original 1984 EP.

Leaves' Eyes, the name in itself has quite a musical ring to it. And it comes as no surprise that the world's most international band attracts all the attention in 2009. With their latest album “Njord”, the sextet revolving around Liv Kristine defends its position as the number one presence within the symphonic Gothic Rock/Metal genre.

On “Njord”, Leaves' Eyes finally opens a new chapter in Nordic mythology. With this new masterpiece, they are able to prove to what extent they have found their own style and developed it to perfection. In 2009, Leaves' Eyes present themselves rocking, up-to-date, sweeping, and free of all genre conventions.

As made evident by the debut album “Lovelorn” (2004), Leaves' Eyes came into being during a walk in the woods. The musicians are able to convert nature's impressions into music in an incomparable way. Thorsten Bauer and Mathias Röderer established an exceptional guitar sound with the first album that has been a band trademark ever since. However, it is Liv Kristine's unique voice that serves as the linchpin in Leaves' Eyes. On “Lovelorn”, Liv sings about a magical world filled with mermaids, love and tragedy. With this concept album, the band not only enthralls the ears, but in particular the imagination of the listener. The members of Leaves' Eyes do not merely write songs, their music tells of sagas and legends. Like no other newcomer band, Leaves' Eyes received exceptional feedback and coverage from the press (including interviews and cover stories). The fanbase continued to grow within a matter of weeks until the numbers filled the hall of the Wave Gotik Treffen 2004, celebrating the band's stage premier.

The spectacular and rapid success of Leaves' Eyes does not happen without a reason. Every band member had already been gathering professional experience in other musical endeavors for years before joining Leaves' Eyes. In the mid 90s Liv Kristine's voice was like a beacon in the gothic scene, while singing for Theatre of Tragedy. The Norwegian band established the marriage of Metal with the female voice, and their club hit “Tanz der Schatten” became synonymous with the direction and expression of a whole musical genre. In addition, Liv Kristine conquered the pop scene and sang the songs to TV hits like “Tatort” and “Schimanski”.

In Leaves' Eyes, Liv is supported by the band members of Atrocity. The metal heavyweights recently earned top honors for being the “most diverse Metal band”. With each and every album, Atrocity sets landmarks. This can be Death Metal (“Todessehnsucht”), “Electro (“Die Liebe”) or epic music “Calling the Rain”). Their series of “Werk 80” albums is a legend of its own and skyrocketed the band into higher chart positions (e.g. position 19 for “Werk 80 II”). Liv calls the members of Atrocity “the best musicians and friends in the world”, having the perfect partners at her side.

One year after “Lovelorn”, Leaves' Eyes made waves with the follow up “Vinland Saga” (2005). The single “Elegy” stays four weeks in the German charts. The elaborate animated video clip was broadcasted by TV stations all over the world and is the adaptation of the album's concept, which deals with the Viking Leif Eriksson. PRO7 used “Elegy” as the official song for the series “NUMB3RS”. Like the classic composers, Leaves' Eyes turn legends and tales into songs. The music on “Vinland Saga” invokes the mighty forces of nature and the fighting Vikings in the mind of the listener. Once again, Liv Kristine's love for heir native Norway shines throughout the compositions and it is clear that her band cohorts also long for the magic this country has to offer.

Leaves' Eyes is not just a studio band, despite numerous chart entries. They play live shows on a regular basis and traveled all over the world to bring their music to their dedicated fans. Since “Lovelorn”, it seems like the band has been on tour forever. In only four years, the band traveled through four continents, 34 countries and played 222 concerts. Fans from South America, North America, Australia, and Europe prove that a love for music transcends all borders. This comes as no surprise, as the band comprises members from Germany, Norway, and North America. The Live DVD “We cam with the Northern Winds/En Saga I Beglia” (2009) entered the German DVD charts at number 11. This exclusive package documented the exceptional history of the band. In addition, the DVD features the legendary concert at the Metal Female Voices Festival 2007. This headline show presented the fans with an impressive Viking ship on stage.

“Njord“continues the triumphs of the band, which long ago became one of the most successful Gothic Metal formations in the world. Already their first single “My Destiny” comes rushing out from the speakers and is so catchy, that it is almost dangerous! This song is the legitimate successor to the band anthem “Elegy”. Liv sings “I'm falling into the deep”, but aims for the stars at the same time. “Njord” could be the next big step for Leaves' Eyes. Once more the musicians go beyond every convention and reinvent themselves. The new album is more complex yet accessible, modern and unpredictable, and is able to surprise the listener every time.

Just as diverse and breath-taking as Mother Nature, “Njord” presents itself to the reader. The album is a loose concept about Nordic history and myths. The hymn “Through our Veins” alternates delicately between sonorous and more subtle tunes. The kettledrums and string sections give the title track an almost bleak and menacing feel, whereas the acoustic parts of “Irish Rain” give the song a fragile note. Catchy melodies like in “Take the devil in me” stay in sharp contrast to the magnificent opus “Frøya's Theme”, which is by far the most complex Leaves' Eyes song ever written. One of the emotional highlights on the album is the interpretation of the English traditional “Scarborough Fair” in which uilleann pipes and whistles create a magical atmosphere. Vocalist Alexander Krull is also the producer and make sure that the bombastic guitars leave enough room for the other instruments and numerous nuances. The music of “Njord” is enriched by the power of a choir and the virtuosity of the Lingua Mortis Orchestra directed by Victor Smolski (Rage). The classical elements emphasize the music's grandeur, while the artists elevate each and every song to an art form of its own.

However, it is Liv Kristine's vocals that transform the songs into masterpieces. On this album, Liv sings in no less than eight languages about Nordic deities, Vikings and history. In addition, the Grammy-nominated vocalist (for “Nymphetamine” with Cradle of Filth) sounds free and more confident than ever before. The fans will hear how much fun Liv had while recording her vocal lines and that the spectrum of her voice has gained more shades. Live Kristine's vocals are so emotional and tangible, that one inevitably becomes part of the sagas and legends of the North.

Leaves' Eyes is aware of the status they hold in the music scene. They are leaders and their dedicated supporters expect the highest quality. With their best and most mature album to date, Leaves' Eyes affirms the leading position and sets the highest standards for everything to follow. “Njord” will breeze through the summer days not unlike the North wind. And just like with Eriksson's discovery of America, nothing will remain the same.

Robert Suß

Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Christian metalcore quintet AUGUST BURNS RED filmed its June 4 concert at Warehouse 54 in Manheim, Pennsylvania for a forthcoming CD/DVD, "Home", to be released on September 28 through longtime label home Solid State Records. The DVD/CD shoot drew a sold-out crowd of 1,250 people who wanted to participate in the exciting performance, including some who traveled internationally, from as close as Montreal to as far as away as Amsterdam. Shot and edited by Space Monkey Studios, whose phenomenal work has been seen on releases by acts like COHEED AND CAMBRIA, LAMB OF GOD, EVERY TIME I DIE and more, the live show is accompanied by a documentary on the band detailing life on the road and at home and featuring many fans discussing the ways in which AUGUST BURNS RED have impacted their lives in a positive, meaningful way.

"We played our first ever show as a band in Manheim in April of 2003," explains guitarist JB Brubaker. "Between then and now, we've been fortunate enough to play all over the world. But when it came time for us to record our first live DVD/CD, it only made sense to do so back in Manheim where everything began. It was exciting for us to have people come from far and wide to the town where most of us grew up, and to be able to play such a special show in front of our families and close friends who have been supporting us since the beginning."

The powerful, pummeling performance featured many fan favorites from the band's three full-length albums — 2009's "Constellations", 2007's "Messengers" and 2005's "Thrillseeker" — which means that "Home" will appeal to both new and longtime AUGUST BURNS RED fans.

"Constellations", the third full-length album from AUGUST BURNS RED, debuted at an impressive No. 24 on The Billboard 200. Released on July 14, 2009, the LP also landed at No. 8 on Current Rock Albums, No. 2 on Top Hard Music Albums (less than 300 units behind NICKLEBACK!) and No. 2 on the Christian Market chart.

With sales of 20,000 copies in its first week, "Constellations" more than doubled the first-week numbers of its predecessor, 2007's "Messengers", which debuted in The Billboard 200 at No. 81 and went on to sell well over 80,000 copies. "Constellations" also hit the No. 1 New Music Release spot iTunes the day it was released, and entered the Top 100 at No. 6, nestled between a MICHAEL JACKSON best-of album and the movie soundtrack for a certain wizard named Harry.

BATTLERAGE is a true heavy metal band hailing from Santiago, Chile, born in 2002 from a personal project of the ex-STEELRAGE drummer, Francisco Vera, who wanted to play some tough and loud heavy metal. Vera left STEELRAGE and contacted Mauricio Cavalla (guitar, member of AFTERLIFE) to compose the first songs for this new-born band, and a few months later Christian Willembrinck (bass, ex-member of STEELRAGE) and Fox-Lin Torres (vocals, ex-DAMA NEGRA) joined Vera's project.

In February 2003, after the release of their first demo "Metal Slaughter", which got a very good reception among the fans of this genre, the band started to play some shows. A few months after the release of "Metal Slaughter" Alejandro Oliva (guitar, ex-member of AKRAMEN) joined BATTLERAGE and in December the same year recorded with the band their second demo "Return Of The Axeman".

2004 was a roller-coaster of good moments and line-up changes. The band signed a record deal with Highland Records/Octagon Music Group, but unfortunately Mauricio Cavalla had to leave BATTLERAGE due to personal reasons. Cavalla was replaced by Nicolás Arce before the recording of the debut full length, "Steel Supremacy" that was released in November 2004. This album, like the demo, got a great reception among the Chilean public. Not much later after this, another band member left. Alejandro Oliva parted ways with BATTLERAGE to work on his own project and was replaced by Daniel Roman (member of VALKIRIA).

Another good year for BATTLERAGE arrived in 2005. With many shows ahead and a new record coming, an EP called "Battlefield Belongs To Me" that is a sort of a "trailer" for a next full length album, their success in the Chilean metal scene was confirmed. Unfortunately this EP got delayed due to some label problems. Late in 2005, guitar player Nicolás Arce left the band to focus on his own band called LOST HIGHWAY (split in early 2006) and was replaced by Luis Arenas.

In May 2006 "Battlefield Belongs To Me" was finally released and gained many good critics again. Christian Willembrinck had to leave the band, being replaced later by Rodrigo de la Hoz (member of ABOHRRENT, ex-ANIMA IMMORTALIS).

Still in 2006 BATTLERAGE recorded what was to be their sophomore album, but sadly, due to the problems with their former label, this material has never seen the light of day.

The two demos from 2003 were limited to 200 copies and not available since a long time. Being the lucky ones who have had them, Metal On Metal Records thought it's a shame for these real heavy metal hymns not to be available for a wider audience and decided to reissue both demos on one CD in November 2008, remixed and remastered, under the title "The Slaughter Returns", with a new artwork, 20 pages booklet with lyrics and liner notes and with 2 additional songs.

2008 saw also the release of the limited audio tape "Living Slaughter" (Morbillus Records), containing live tracks from the band's show in February 2004 and in December 2006.

In fall 2008 BATTLERAGE entered the studio to record the songs from their never released second full-length once again. The fact that they had to do it, since they didn't own the rights to the old recordings, only worked in their advantage, because both the performance of the musicians and the sound improved. Meanwhile Rodrigo de la Hoz left the band.

Their long awaited new studio album "Blood Fire Steel" was finally released in September 2009 on Metal On Metal Records. Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Nicolás Arce who also played all bass on the this album, and adorned by a fitting artwork by Gonzalo Ordóñez, it sounds just like a real heavy metal album should sound like. The Axeman returned! This bludgeoning, epic slab of metal with slamming riffage, pounding drums, harsh vocals and shout-along choruses is bound to raise the fists of every true metal fan!

Norwegian metallers TOMORROW'S OUTLOOK have revealed the track listing and the final cover artwork for their forthcoming debut album, "34613".

Commented the band: "'34613' has been in the works for the past two and a half years, so it feels real good to complete the tracklist with a new song called 'Ice Mountain'.

"'Ice Mountain' is about one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. It's about how the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time (1912), struck an iceberg and sank.. resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.

"I guess you've all figured by now the song is about 'The RMS Titanic.' Graham Bonnet (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, ALCATRAZZ, RAINBOW) is upon our request writing the lyrics and he will also handle all vocals.

"'Ice Mountain' will not sound that far off something he did back in the days with ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI, and it will definitely be one of the highlights on the album.

"We are really overwhelmed working with one of our all-time favorite singers.

"Well, while we are waiting for Graham Bonnet to finish this last song, we are putting the final touches on the rest of the album. Right now we're recording some additional vocal harmonies and some additional guitar parts for a few songs.

"We're getting there, slowly but surely, just like good wine!

"We will start shopping for labels real soon so stay tuned for more news coming up shortly!"

TOMORROW'S OUTLOOK last year recorded a song with former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske. Entitled "The Ethereal Dream", it is said to be "not a heavy track, but there are some rocking parts with high vocals." Two different versions of this song will appear on the band's debut, "34613" — the original, which features the talents of Mike Gorham, while the "Kiske version" will be added as a bonus track.

"34613" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Gate To Freedom
03. Ice Mountain
04. A Song For You
05. Doubt
06. The Ethereal Dream
07. 34613 (instrumental)
08. White Lightning
09. Liquid Scream
10. Kill Again
11. March Of The Demons
12. Red Rum (LIZZY BORDEN cover)
13. The Ethereal Dream (feat. Michael Kiske)

The Silent Rage is a melodic power metal band with progressive elements heading from Korydallos, Athens, Greece. It has been formed up by guitarist/vocalist Nikos Siglidis & drummer Vasilis Chamos in February 2006. Soon Panos Labrou on guitars & Nikitas Papadonikolakis on bass joined the band. Under this line up the band has recorded on October 2006 a rehershal demo cd entitled "Perished In Flames", containing four tracks: "Perished In Flames", "Temple Of Fate", "Sinner's Confession" & "Litany Of Imprisoned Souls". Afterwards, the band faced numerous line up changes with only remaining Nikos from the very first line-up. Today, The Silent Rage is a five piece band including Nikos Sigldis on guitars & backing vocals, Christos Sevastopoulos on bass, Kimonas Limenidis on keyboards & orchestrations, Kostas Tokas on lead vocals & guitars & the newcomer Lefteris Moros on drums . The band has also a new stunning logo and symbol made by the famous Rainer Kalwitz, who has worked in the past with bands such as Shadow Gallery, Helstar, Metal Church etc. Currently the band is in the pre-production procedure of the forthcoming debut album, entitled "Inner Scars". Some titles are: "Perished In Flames", "Inner Scars", "Silent Rage", "Wings Of Tragedy" a.o. After the recordings of the EP, Lefteris Moros left the band and Panos Karadimas took his place behind the drum kit. Also the band is in search of booking also some shows. If you are interested contact The Silent Rage directly at niklasinferno@gmail.com or thesilentrageofficial@gmail.com

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/silentragegreece#ixzz0tTSsqOZ9

Sorrows Path was formed in November of 1993, being firstly inspired by doom metal bands like Memento Mori, Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass. They released two demos in 1995 and 1996 entitled “Sorrows Path” and “promo ’96” that made them known in the Greek underground as a band with truly personal and unique sound and influences.

There’s a really long story of misfortune and bad luck about this band. At the end of 1995 the one of the two founders died because of a serious brain disease! Sorrows Path continued their way until 1998 when they decided to take a break for about 2 years due to the mandatory military service that the band members had to undergo. In the rise of the new millennium and while the band started to work again, the other founder was almost paralyzed because of a neck problem which was caused a few years ago by a devastating motorcycle accident!

By the end of 2005 and when the co-founder partially recovered and his hands got stronger, the band was back in action in order to catch up with the time lost all these years. Old songs were being rehearsed once again with new songs and were put together for future release. That was the time when Sorrows Path decided to release the re-mastered version of their first demo along with their ’96 promo tape. On April 2006 Sorrows Path hit the stage after 9 whole years as the opening act for the Texan masters of Doom Metal, Solitude Aeturnus at Underworld Club, Athens, Greece. On the very next day the remasters were out from Eat Metal Records entitled “Resurrection”.

From that time and then, the band was back in full action…

Sorrows Path has performed many gigs all over Greece since their birth and their rebirth as well, either supporting well known metal bands like Memory Garden, Pagan Altar, Scanner and Brocas Helm, or sharing the stage with some of the most popular Greek bands. At the summer of 2008, they entered Fragile Studios in Athens to record their real first album with well known Greek metal producer, musician and composer Vangelis Yalamas. By the end of the summer 2009 everything was ready! The recordings, mixing and mastering was completed! All the artwork and photography for this album has been made by the most important of his kind in Greece, Seth Siro Anton.

The new album is doomed to be released… Stay tuned…

Crimson Glory (originally named "Beowulf") was formed in 1982 in Sarasota, Florida by by guitarist-Ben Jackson, Drummer-Dana Burnell, guitarist-Jon Drenning, bassist-Jeff Lords and Midnight.
The group spent the next four years in seclusion, rehearsing and developing their own distinctive look and sound.
This eventually led to the recording of their self-titled debut album, Crimson Glory, in 1986 on Roadrunner Records (Europe).
The band performed throughout Holland and parts of Germany immediately following the release of the LP in the fall of 1986, and were met with much success and acclaim.

The band recorded and released their much-anticipated followup LP, Transcendence, in 1989 for Roadrunner Records (Europe) and MCA Records (USA).
Transcendence contained the band's first hit single, "Lonely", a song that was at the top of the American Radio charts in several major market areas for over 24 consecutive weeks.
Transcendence received rave reviews abroad which led to a very successful tour of North America, Europe and Japan alongside Metallica, Ozzy Osborne, Queensryche, Udo, Doro and Anthrax performing for sold-out crowds everywhere.
The Metal Hammer Festival in Dortmund, Germany was the band's largest show at the time and took place in front of 20,000+ fans in the spring of 1990 with Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Queensrÿche.

Crimson Glory recorded and released their third LP, Strange and Beautiful, for Atlantic Records in 1991.
Immediately following the release of Strange and Beautiful, the band kicked off a headlining club tour in the United States which culminated with the biggest show of the tour at the end of the year in Los Angeles, CA alongside Ozzy Osborne, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains at the Concrete Foundations Forum.

Their three LPs, Crimson Glory (Roadrunner Records/1986), Transcendence (MCA Records/1989) and Strange and Beautiful (Atlantic Records/1991) have gained cult status as some of the best prog/power metal music ever recorded.

After a successful but brief US tour for Strange and Beautiful, the band members went their separate ways, taking a hiatus to pursue other musical interests.
The band's primary songwriters, Jon Drenning and Jeff Lords, formed the projects Erotic Liquid Culture (featuring vocalist David Van Landing of the Michael Schenker Group) and Crush (featuring drummer Ravi Jakhotia).
Ben Jackson and Dana Burnell formed the band Parish and afterwards Ben formed The Ben Jackson Group aka Avenging Benji.
Former lead vocalist Midnight retired from the music business to pursue other interests.

- 1995 The Parish Years w/ Ben Jackson and Dana Burnell *Update coming*

Toward the end of 1996, Drenning and Lords knew it was time to reunite and make another Crimson Glory record.
However, in order to create a record of astronomical proportions, the band realized they would have to trace back to their roots, back to the progressive-power metal style that they helped pioneer in the late 1980's.
With the addition of new frontman Wade Black (formerly the vocalist for Tampa-based Lucian Black), new drummer Steve "Doc" Wacholz of Savatage, and the launching of their official website, www.crimson-glory.com, the band was ready to re-emerge into the next millennium, delivering their own unique brand of music in the only way they knew how...with raw passion and power.
The band's most recent record, Astronomica, is the prog/power metal album for which all others have been judged in the new millennium...and beyond.

The reformed Crimson Glory started a tour in early 2000 with a couple warmup shows in Florida, then it was off to Greece with Kamelot and Evergrey.
This was to be their first and last tour as troubles began to brew, and upon returning to the US the band once again went their separate ways.

Ben Jackson and Wade Black teamed up in late 2000 for the short-lived project Sector 9, performing only a handful of live shows with Kamelot before Jackson decided to return to his solo artist status.
Black ventured off to record an album with the project Seven Witches.

Midnight resurfaced with a new website, www.midnightsattic.com (now defunct), and a new acoustic EP simply titled M in late 2001 which was indepentantly released through his website only.
Midnight also released an album entitled Sakada through Black Lotus Records in 2005.

Ben Jackson launched a website in 2001 as well, to support his Ben Jackson Group release entitled Here I Come.
The record is available through his website, as well as a Jeff Lords release entitled G-Lock released in 2003.
In 2005, Ben Jackson released the album All Over You.

Shortly thereafter, Crimson Glory made a major announcement concerning reunion and a possible new album, tenatively entitled Metatron, Lucifer and the Divine Chaos (as yet unreleased).

2006 saw the talks of reunion come to fruition with the Rockwave Festival tour in Greece, celebrating 20 years since the release of their self-titled debut record and featuring performances by both Midnight and Wade Black.

2007 brought Crimson Glory and Wade Black to the West Coast, co-headlining the first annual Bay Area Rock Fest in San Francisco, CA alongside fellow Florida-based band Jon Oliva's Pain.
The two-day festival sold out quickly, and Crimson Glory's performance was heralded as an extraordinary treat for West Coast fans and was met with excellent reviews.

On July 8th, 2009, founding member and original Crimson Glory frontman Midnight passed away from long-term health complications with his family by his side. He was 47 years old. Despite the various issues and conflicts between Midnight and the rest of the band, it was a devastating loss in its truest form for the remaining members. The shock of Midnight's early passing brought Drenning, Jackson, Lords and Burnell together again; following an offer to headline the tenth-annual ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, GA the band agreed that it would be a fitting tribute to their fallen singer to perform. Nearly 20 vocalists from a wide array of progressive and power metal bands were carefully selected to perform material from Crimson Glory's first two albums, along with Wade Black returning to perform a handful of songs from Astronomica. The show was a huge success and received high praise all around, from both fans and press alike.

It was during the rehearsals and subsequent performance that the band would find their new vocalist, Todd La Torre. Brought in on a whim to help out in rehearsal, it became evident very early on that La Torre was a significantly talented, if completely unknown, singer. Following the ProgPower USA show, the band yet again took a break, with Ben Jackson and Jeff Lords focusing much of their musical effort on their own side projects. During this time, the band was offered a headlining slot on the Triton Power Cruise, which unfortunately never came to fruition due to unforseen complications from within the cruise's organization, and the gig was cancelled.

Jon Drenning remained in contact with La Torre, meeting every once in a while for impromptu, non-band-related jam sessions. There was no question that La Torre had the sound that the band would desire to take them into the next incarnation of Crimson Glory, and following Todd's recorded performances of the band's original material, there was no doubt that La Torre was the guy for the job.

Finally in April of 2010 a decision was made to formally include Todd La Torre as the new frontman of Crimson Glory, and a press release was issued at the beginning of May, which included some of the audio tracks of Todd performing Midnight's vocal parts. The response from the Crimson Militia was nothing short of overwhelming; the fans have their band back with a vocalist who is eerily similar to Midnight, but with his own individual sound.

The elegant beast that is Crimson Glory once again raises high its noble head...are you ready?
Record Label Unknown Major
Type of Label Major

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/crimsonglory#ixzz0tRes94Ze

• George Fisher: Vocals


• Rob Barrett: Guitar


• Pat O'Brien: Guitar


• Alex Websterv Bass


• Paul Mazurkiewicz:
Drums
What more can be said, in this Year Of The Corpse 2009, that hasn’t already been whispered, grunted or screamed about the almighty Cannibal? They’ve smashed—nay, hammer smashed—every boundary set before them, defied every censor set upon them, and besmirched every country that would have them. After two decades of unending death metal torment, the band’s calling cards are many: the depraved lyrics, the blinding technical prowess, the dominating stage presence, the legions of dedicated fans, the million and a half albums sold. From their bloody Caesarian inception in 1988 and debut splatterfest Eaten Back To Life (1990), Cannibal Corpse have mangled the minds and stereo systems of death metal youth from Buffalo to Sydney to Tokyo to Tampa while playing a crucial role in inspiring a new wave of musicians like The Black Dahlia Murder and Cattle Decapitation.

In the far-flung death metal universe, the name Cannibal Corpse has achieved godfather status—not only for the band’s morbid musical legacy but because of their commitment to the scene as a whole. “Part of the reason we may have ended up in a leadership position in the scene is because we’ve been consistent,” bassist Alex Webster offers. “We’ve tried to stay 100% death metal in the kind of music we make, and we’ve always tried to take younger death metal bands on tour to help give back to the scene we’ve been so lucky with. So if we’ve become godfathers of death metal in any way, it’s because we care about the scene, and we’ve been consistently caring about it for our entire career.”

Indeed, the list of crucial Corpse slabs rolls off the tongue like something mangled and abscessed, but still vicious: 1992’s Tomb Of The Mutilated, 1994’s The Bleeding, 1996’s Vile—the album that marked the band’s new era under the gruesome vocal reign of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher—1998’s Gallery Of Suicide and 2006’s brutally effective Kill. The band’s mainstream breaches over those years are well-documented: the infamous appearance in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective; a cameo in the World Of Warcraft computer games (the series recently introduced a character named “Gorge the Corpsegrinder”); a sadistic live performance at the birthday party of Elijah Blue, the musical progeny of Gregg Allman and Cher. In recent years, Cannibal’s influence has spawned new levels of genuflection from underground acts like Cannabis Corpse, who bow in deference to the masters—and the leaf—with albums entitled Blunted At Birth and Tube Of The Resinated. There are even a couple of dudes in Detroit who call themselves Acoustic Corpse and do unplugged versions of Cannibal classics like “Fucked With A Knife,” “Dismembered And Molested” and “I Cum Blood.”

The band themselves, however, just keep on killing. Having hacked and flayed their way through hordes of flesh-eating carcass fuckers, blood-slicked suicide galleries and compulsive disembowelers, the mighty Corpse have seen fit to expand their killing field for a bit of the old mass extermination. Witness their eleventh studio album, Evisceration Plague, wherein the band mushroom-clouds their own homicidal visions to pandemic proportions. Deep, festering cuts like “Scalding Hail,” “Carnivorous Swarm” and the title track see an ossified populous summarily decimated by wholly unnatural disasters conceived in the unkempt minds of co-lyricists and original members Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums). “We wanted death on an epic scale, as opposed to the individual, murderer-stalking-his-prey stuff we’ve done in the past—although the album still has a few of those songs,” Webster explains with a laugh. “It’s not War And Peace or anything—it’s a gore story—but the body count is higher than ever before.”

Aided and abetted by guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O’Brien—not to mention the unmistakable throat of Mr. Fisher—Webster and Mazurkiewicz dismembered and reassembled their latest monstrosity at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida, under the expert eye of Hate Eternal mastermind Erik Rutan. “I think it’s the tightest and most musically competent record we’ve ever done,” Webster says. “Not that the other ones weren’t competent, but it would be hard to find flaw with the execution of this one—the performances are rock solid. Musically, the goal was to make cool, catchy songs that are just as brutal and heavy as any of the older, more obscure stuff we’ve done. Our mission is to be a brutal death metal band, and if we get there by writing a technical song or a catchy groove song, that’s fine, as long as it’s brutal death metal at the end of the day.”

September 10, 2009 – After finishing up a very successful run on this summer’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour that included the likes of Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, All That Remains, The Black Dahlia Murder, Job for a Cowboy, Behemoth, Whitechapel, and more, death-metal icons CANNIBAL CORPSE are now gearing up to hit the road again as a part of this fall’s Decimation of the Nation 2 Tour featuring CANNIBAL CORPSE as main support to Hatebreed. Supporting CANNIBAL CORPSE and Hatebreed on this month and a half trek across the US and Canada will be labelmates UNEARTH and HATE ETERNAL and Sumerian Records artist Born of Osiris. The Decimation of the Nation 2 Tour kicks off on November 6th at the House of Blues in Cleveland OH and finishes up December 20th in Philadelphia, PA. On the San Francisco and Los Angeles stops of the tour, the Decimation of the Nation 2 Tour will meet up with the Trivium, Chimaira, Whitechapel, and Dirge Within tour making it an all day metal event.

There are a galaxy’s worth of metal bands active today. But stare at all of those stars long enough and some lines start to form; everything starts to take shape. The Constellations begin to bloom.

Just two years ago, Lancaster, PA’s August Burns Red were, to the naked eye, just another young band jockeying for position in the modern metal scene. Then came Messengers, the band’s 2007 full-length release for Solid State Records, and a new frontrunner emerged. Without hype, devoid of any smoke and mirrors, the album debuted at 81 on the Billboard charts, going on to ever-so-quietly sell more than 80,000 copies. Fueled only by the honesty and dynamism of the music, fans multiplied exponentially, driving ABR’s MySpace plays well past the 17 million mark and flocking to the band’s 2008 headlining tour – which included sold-out venues across the country.

Meanwhile, August Burns Red kept their heads down, conquering fans at Warped Tour, on the Take Action tour and at destinations from Dubai to Dallas, and increased their profile through placement of their beloved take on "Carol of the Bells" on the movie trailer for "The Spirit." The band also packed up their Phillies T-shirts and ever-present flip-flops and headed overseas for a tour of 12 countries throughout the UK and Europe. The star was shining bright. "It’s extremely encouraging to see your band growing," says guitarist and primary songwriter JB Brubaker with characteristic modesty. "It helps keep you motivated and forces you to set the bar higher so that you can continue to grow and put out the best music you’re capable of writing."

To that end – the band returned to the studio this past February to record its hotly anticipated follow-up with lauded producer Jason Suecof (Sevendust, All That Remains, Trivium). Fans flocked to the band’s in-studio Stickam site by the tens of thousands to observe the band recording the album in real time. The result was Constellations, the third full-length offering from August Burns Red, set for release on July 14. A crushing metal tour de force, the album pushes ABR’s trademark aural blitz into directions previously unexplored by the band. "We spread our creative wings a bit on Constellations," says JB. "But I can say for sure that this record will definitely be as unrelenting as our previous ones." Accenting the blistering guitar work and syncopated breakdowns that August Burns Red fans have grown to love are dynamics previously unexplored by the band. Constellations features more diverse tempos and cohesive song compositions than on previous ABR records, as well as the band’s maiden voyage to the land of guitar solos.

"We’ve managed to push ourselves as musicians, as lyricists and performers," says drummer Matt Greiner. "As a whole, I feel like we’re expanding, reinterpreting and refining our sound." That kind of sonic wanderlust has pushed August Burns Red since the members first united in 2003 while still in high school. Armed with fearless innovation, uncanny technical ability and an innate near-classical songwriting style, the band started turning heads immediately upon the release of its 2005 Solid State debut, Thrill Seeker. The band’s 2007 sleeper hit, Messengers, minted ABR as one of the pacesetters of the next generation of metal bands. The band has already proven to be the type that gets kids to put down Guitar Hero and pick up an actual guitar – look no further than the number of bands on MySpace that list ABR as an influence. With Constellations, that swelling army of fans will make sure that there’s a racket from day one. "I am probably as excited for Constellations to come out as our most diehard fans," Brubaker exclaims. "I’d like to think there is something for everyone on the new album."

Already one of the year’s most anticipated metal albums, Constellations will make good on the promise of the past two years, and will serve as proof-positive that August Burns Red’s success is no mere solar flare-up. This supernova’s here to stay.

Equal Vision Records has announced the signing of TEXAS IN JULY.

Defying any definitions of age, the band has already toured the country and back, sharing stages with everyone from THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and EVERY TIME I DIE to AUGUST BURNS RED and MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER — all before the entire band had graduated from high school.

With its two youngest members walking across the graduation stage this year, TEXAS IN JULY is about to charge headfirst out of Ephrata, Pennsylvania and into living out its dreams full-time. Balancing its sensitive expressions of faith with some of metalcore's most ferocious and in-your-face vocals and breakdowns, the band has already proven that it has what it takes to put small-town-Pennsylvania on the map.

Supporting their 2009 full-length release, "I Am", TEXAS IN JULY members Logan Maurer (guitar), Ben Witkowski (bass), Alex Good (vocals), Adam Gray (drums) and Christian Royer (guitar) have just wrapped up a U.S. tour with AN EARLY ENDING and are currently overseas on their first European tour. Upon returning, the band will tour throughout the U.S. and Canada, remaining on the road through mid-October.

With a lineup that sports several members that are still in high school, it would be easy to dismiss Ephrata, PA’s TEXAS IN JULY as a novelty act. To do so, however, would be a disservice to a band that is every bit as talented as many artists who have honed their craft for years.
In fact, in the year since the release of their 2008 debut EP, Salt of the Earth, TEXAS has created a growing buzz for themselves with their exciting groove-oriented take on modern metalcore, resulting in impressive sales (of a digital-only EP), packed tour dates, and a massive internet buzz leading up to the release of their debut full-length, I Am (In stores September 15 th on CI Records).

When the band uploaded the first preview track of I Am to their myspace page, the epic stand-out “Elements”, the song was played more than 10,000 times in the first day – an impressive number for a band who, at that point, had yet to leave for their first tour. In the following weeks, as the band traveled from town to town, they found people showing up and singing along to a track from a record that had yet to be released.

A quick search on YouTube will reveal guitarists and drummers playing along with songs from Salt of the Earth, trying to show that they can “keep up”. That’s some heady stuff for a high school student to process, but so far, says guitarist Logan Maurer, TIJ have managed to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.

“The key word in our band is ‘humble,’” he explains. “We want everybody to know that anyone could do this. We want them to know that we are just like them and that we simply stuck with our dreams. We try to stay humble and let the fans know that we love them and that without them, we wouldn’t be where we are.”

Produced by Carson Slovak of CENTURY (Prosthetic Records), I Am shows the maturation of a band already mature beyond their years. Armed with a prodigious chops and a song-writing prowess that belies their ages, I Am represents a band that is ready for national attention. From the brutal churning rhythms of “Elements” to the mathy angular guitar riffs of their hometown anthem, “Lancaster”, to the brutal “Satellites” (featuring GWEN STACY vocalist Geoff Jenkins), TEXAS IN JULY display an acumen for songcraft that comes only with dedication, commitment, and maybe a little help from above.

“The fact is,” Maurer continues, “Without God, none of us would have the ability to do anything that we do. He has blessed us in so many ways, so this is almost our way to return the favor.”

Soundgeist is a progressive – psychedelic band from Heraklion (Crete) - Greece. The band started from Emmanuel Zografakis (Guitar) And Antreas Anastopoulos (Bass) in May of 2004, working together some ideas. After a while Panagiotis Mavrakis joined the band on Drums.
The three of them started rehearsing intensively, the whole summer and autumn. In the end of the year they had the opportunity for a live, in order to make it happen they asked for the help of Emmanuel Fazos on rhythm guitars. In the beginning of the New Year they decided that the sound of synths suited them better, so Eleni Almpantaki came to the band, which she was replaced shortly after from Stelios Kanitsakis. A couple of months later Dimitris Skourtis took the place of Singer in the band. The summer of 2005 found the band to participate actively in the local festivals using the name “Devils Interval” (which was inspired from a musical term). In 2006 the band decided to record their first work “…the fine line between”. In October of the same year they started promoting their music in Greek and international music press, while they were searching also for a record deal. In June of 2007 they signed with M.P.& Records from Italy and carried on their live Appearances besides the difficulties they faced and the temporarily replacements of Antreas Anastopoulos And Stelios Kanitsakis from Michalis Serlidakis and Jason Grammatikopoulos, due to obligations of the original members. The CD will be published in February of 2009 and will have 6 tracks plus a bonus track, with more than 40 minutes of music totally. The name of the band comes from 2 words: the English “sound” and the German “Geist”(which means spirit). It was inspired from an article of a German web-zine , That used the word in a review of a band, to declare that they had captured the “spirit of sound” of that era. They decided that this name was more right for them, because it represented the image They wanted to show to their audience (that their music is based on imagination, psychedelia and love in music)

Genre: -
Location: - (Greece)
Releases: -
Awards: -

Line-up:

* Dimitris Skourtis: vocals
* Zografakis Manolis: guitars
* Kanitsakis Stelios: keyboards
* Anastopoulos Andreas: bass
* Mavrakis Panagiotis: drums