IRON LAMB - Grga is leaving the boys

After four years of  madness on stage, the Iron Lamb frontman Grga Lindstrom is no more part of the band.
Iron Lamb are currently trying out a few different vocalists, but nothing is set in stone yet.
The replacement for the gig in Linköping, 19/4 on RockbarLkpg will be Bragge (Tyrant, The Black)

(Bragge)

CUCHEMAR presents: ˝Tenebrario˝

The first full lenght from the Canadian Doom Alchemists CAUCHEMAR ˝Tenebrario˝ will be released in May 2013 on San Francisco’s Nuclear War Now! Productions.
Like the first EP, 2010’s “La Vierge Noire”, “Tenebrario” was recorded at Meatlocker Studios in Ottawa.
The amazing artwork was made by the italian painter Paolo Girardi.

Advance tracks can be heard here:
http://cauchemar.bandcamp.com/album/tenebrario

HELLSCREAM debuts with solo project

The BLEEDING FIST frontman Hellscream debuts with a self titled solo project, the first EP (7``) entitled DARKNESS IS RISING will be released soon via Doomentia Records.

HERDER to release a new EP

Bad ass motherfuckers must attract bad ass motherfuckers as it didn’t take HERDER long to find a replacement for singer Nico who decided to go fight kangaroos as a full time occupation in Australia. Ché Snelting is HERDER’s new singer and what better way to really introduce him than with some new tunes? HERDER recorded two new songs which will be officially released at Roadburn Fest 2013 where the band will most likely change the Green Room at the 013 venue to a bloody red room on Thursday, April 18. HERDER IS HARDER – FUCK OFF AND DIE!

Pressing info: 300 copies on black vinyl, 100 on clear vinyl and 100 on clear/black splatter (these will only be available at Roadburn Fest and comes with special cover art) You can pre-order HERDER – Doomed. 7” in the Reflections Online store. Expected shipping is either right before or right after Roadburn Fest 2013.

EVOCATION: 'Evoked From Demonic Depths - The Early Years' Demo Collection

Century Media Records will release the complete demo recordings of Swedish death metallers EVOCATION. Entitled "Evoked From Demonic Depths - The Early Years", it will feature the following tracks:

01. A Wind Has Risen
02. Through The Darkened Peril
03. The Ancient Gate
04. Desolated Spirits
05. On A Journey To Heaven
06. Where The Headstones Shine
07. Veils Were Blown
08. Spiritual Affinity
09. Outro
10. On A Journey To Heaven (rehearsal)
11. Where The Headstones Shine (rehearsal)
12. Spiritual Affinity (rehearsal)
13. Veils Were Blown (rehearsal)
14. Genesis

Video enhancements

15. The Ancient Gate (live at Gamlestaden, Gothenburg 1992)
16. Genesis (live at Gamlestaden, Gothenburg 1992)
17. Where The Headstones Shine (live at Gamlestaden, Gothenburg 1992)

Tracks 1 to 4 are taken from the "The Ancient Gate" demo, tracks 5 to 9 from the "Promo 1992" demo. Tracks 10 to 13 are previously unreleased rehearsal tracks and as a very special the band has recorded the unreleased track "Genesis", which has been written in 1992, but so far has never ever been available before (track 14). "Genesis" was recorded at IF Studios (IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED) by producer Robert Laghi. All tracks have been mastered at Fascination Street Studio (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, ENSLAVED, GRAND MAGUS and many more). The remastering of the demo tracks was done using the original master tapes. The CD version also includes three live bootleg video enhancements as a bonus.

Besides the historical musical content, the release is packed with in-depth information on the history of EVOCATION. A foreword has been written by Anzo Sadoni (Metal Hammer), Björn-Thorsten Jaschinski (Rock Hard, Legacy) and Frank Schenk (Chaos magazine) took a deep dive into EVOCATION's history from their start in 1991 until the reunion in 2005 and on until the release of the band's highly praised third studio album "Apocalyptic". Guitarist Marko Palmén comments on every song and gives not just a glimpse but a detailed view into the writing process of the demos. All this information gets underlined by an elaborate usage of band photos, concert flyers and other visual content from the years 1991 to 1993 and the noble and balanced layout by Xaay (NILE, BEHEMOTH).

"Evoked From Demonic Depths - The Early Years" will be released as CD with 32-page booklet and an O-card as well as on deluxe 2LP (180g vinyls, gatefold sleeve, printed inner sleeves) and as digital download.

The album will be released on the following dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway: Friday, June 22
* Spain, Italy: Tuesday, June 26
* Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, June 27
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, June 25
* Australia, New Zealand: Friday, June 29

EVOCATION recently entered IF Studios, the IN FLAMES-owned facility in Gothenburg, Sweden, with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR) to begin recording its fourth album for a late 2012 release via the band's new label home, Century Media Records.

SHINING To Release Covers EP

SHINING will release an EP of cover songs with a choice of material that will come as a surprise to many of the band's fans. The four-track EP, titled "Lots of Girls Gonna Get Hurt", includes tracks from KATATONIA, KENT, IMPERIET and POETS OF THE FALL, and is due for release on Spinefarm Records on May 16.

Cover art is by Pauline Greefhorst.

Commenting on the decision to release an EP of covers, as well as on the choice of material, SHINING's frontman and founder Niklas Kvarforth had this to say: "In no way should this EP be seen as a new direction for SHINING, and it is absolutely no indication of what you can expect from our upcoming eighth album. Like most musicians neither myself, nor the rest of the band, restrict ourselves to listening to only one genre of music. We all have eclectic tastes, and finding ourselves with some spare time in the studio, we recorded a total of six covers, and decided to release four of them. This EP simply represents some of the artists and music that we like. We know that those fans of SHINING who limit themselves to a narrow musical spectrum will hate the album, but that really is of no concern to us."

SHINING's as-yet-untitled eighth full-length album will be released in the fall.

GOD SEED To unveil New Songs At INFERNO Festival

In a two-hour lecture at the Inferno Music Conference during the Inferno metal festival in Oslo, Norway, King (bass) and Geir Bratland (keyboards) of GOD SEED will reveal how they have worked out a new path for their genre of black metal. They will give details and insight into the working process and the philosophy behind the upcoming GOD SEED album.

The attendees will be the first to be able to hear material from the upcoming album and a discussion of the thoughts behind the compostions.

Says King: "I'm really looking forward to presenting the new music I've been working on for the last two years. We have put a lot of work into creating something very unique. We will give some previews from the GOD SEED album, but more importantly, we will give a detailed presentation on how we have made the songs. Geir will demonstrate how he has created the noise and key arrangements on the recordings."

IRON LAMB working on a 12˝ split

IRON LAMB are currently in the studio recording for upcoming releases: Split 12" Maxi single with Motörbreath (Only Breath is Real) and full 7" ep. Some titles of new songs are Rip it Up, M.M.A and Center of the Universe.

MARDUK Confirm Russian Dates

Swedish black metal legends MARDUK have added a string of Russian dates to their Serpent Sermon World Tour 2012 with openers KATAKLYSM and VADER. Dates include:

May
11 - Irkutskt, Russia - Megapolis
13 - Krasnojarsk, Russia - DK Kraza
14 - Novosibirsk, Russia - Rock City
16 - Ekaterinburg, Russia - Tele Club
17 - Magnitogorsk, Russia - Universal
19 - Nizhny Novgorod, Russia - Premio Centre
20 - Moscow, Russia - TBA

WATAIN to release first ever DVD

The swedish black metal gods Watain are proud to announce that on the 7th of May 2012, the first Watain film will be released. Its title will be Opus Diaboli. Opus Diaboli is the commemoration of Watain's 13 year Anniversary. A visual and audial documentation of the ceremonial concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it.
90 minutes of wildhearted Satanic Metal!

Two versions will be made available; one regular DVD that apart from the DVD will also contain two bonus CDs including the audio recording of the full 13 Year Anniversary concert in Stockholm.
The second version of Opus Diaboli will be a limited vinyl box including the DVD, 2 audio CDs with the live recording, 2 LPs with the live recording, and last but definitely not least a historical photobook containing old flyers and never seen photos, most of them taken off stage.

This will be the first release of Watain's own label, His Master's Noise. Both versions are now available for pre-order through the official merch store WOLF WEAR.

The band comments;
˝This movie was first meant to be the recording of our 13 Year Anniversary concert, but as everything with Watain it took on a life on it`s own and became one of our most ambitious projects to date. It is a very personal and emotional piece of work and certainly not for the faint at heart. But for those who wish to explore the glimmering abyss of Watain further, this will be a rewarding release for sure.

Apart from the movie, we are also very proud of the photobook that comes with the box set. It was an overwhelming experience going through the massive archives in search of the photos that best summed up the storm of passionate turmoil that has been our journey,
especially since we wanted to stay away from live photos and focus more on moments off stage. The result was however very satisfying, a rare and spicy mixture of photos of which most have never been published before.

We can also announce that this will be the first release on our own label ˝His Master`s Noise˝, a name originating from Bathory's mastermind Quorthon who had it in mind for his own label back in the early 1980s. Just like with our own merch store wolfwear.net, this time we have chosen to stand by our own and do things our way, without corporate hands between us and our supporters.˝

DEATH WOLF Starts Recording Second Album

DEATH WOLF (formerly DEVILS WHOREHOUSE), the "horror-death rock" side-project of MARDUK guitarist Morgan Håkansson, has entered Endarker Studio in Östergötland, Sweden to begin recording its as-yet-untitled second album for a late summer release via Blooddawn Productions/Century Media.

AUTOPSY To Unleash 'Born Undead' DVD

AUTOPSY will release a new DVD, "Born Undead", on May 28 in Europe and June 5 in the U.S. via Peaceville Records.

The "Born Undead" DVD charters AUTOPSY's birth, death and rebirth with an extensive documentary conducted with the bandmembers themselves, as they describe how the beast came to be, and the impact their music has had on the metal world over a span of more than 20 years. The film also documents the band's long-awaited return to the studio and stage, and includes rehearsal footage of both new tracks and old classics for their live comeback assault. The trio of 2010 reunion shows are all featured here, with all the best classic tracks from Maryland Deathfest, Party.San Open Air festival and Hole In The Sky in Norway, where the trio of Chris Reifert, Eric Cutler and Danny Coralles was joined by Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH) on bass.

With hours of footage as well as extras, including the band's promotional video for the song "All Tomorrow's Funerals", "My Corpse Shall Rise" and more, "Born Undead" is the ultimate set for all AUTOPSY and metal maniacs alike. The DVD also contains artwork from Kent Mattieu, who had collaborated with the band on their early classic (and often controversial) album covers.

GRAND MAGUS: 'The Hunt' Cover Artwork Unveiled

Swedish heavy metallers GRAND MAGUS will unleash their new album, "The Hunt", in Europe on May 25 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The CD's cover artwork was created by Arik Roper (CATHEDRAL, HIGH ON FIRE, SLEEP), who also handled the art on GRAND MAGUS' "Iron Will" LP.

Commented GRAND MAGUS frontman Janne "J.B." Christoffersson: "Arik Roper is a super-talented artist and we've had the pleasure of working with him before when he did the cover art for our album 'Iron Will'. This time around with the overall feel and lyrical themes of our new album 'The Hunt', Arik was the perfect choice once again. We basicallly just gave him the title and he created one of the most haunting and suggestive images ever seen. He totally nailed what the album is all about. To say we are pleased is a gigantic understatement! This piece of art will stand the test of time and become classic."

GOD SEED Announces full line-up

The thaw has arrived for God Seed. No longer frozen, Gaahl and King have regrouped with a new line-up.  Joining ranks with Gaahl and King are:

Sir (Trelldom, Djerv) - Guitar
Kenneth Kapstad (Motorpschyco) - Drums
Geir Bratland (Dimmu Borgir) - Keys & Noise
Lust Kilman (The Batallion, Grimfist) - Guitar

A new album via Indie Recordings is in the works.  All music is already written and recorded at various locations in Norway.  Gaahl is currently working on lyrics and vocal arrangements.  No release date has yet been set.

"All members of God Seed has been carefully picked for their musical skills and devoted personalities. We aim to release an album which will sound different than what we have done in the past. The new members have been very important for creating a sound that hopefully will come across as unique and defining the new God Seed sound. From this moment God Seed should not be viewed as a duo anymore, but as a band with 6 members." - King

BLEEDING FIST to unleash first ever live album

Haliaetum Records, in conspiracy with MORIBUND RECORDS, today release BLEEDING FIST's official "bootleg," entitled Bestial Black Metal over Berlin. Recoded in Germany at Blackland Festival on October 2, 2011, Bestial Black Metal Over Berlin is being released on digipack format and with the following tracklist:

I. INTRO
II. MORBID PSYCHOTIC DISTORTION
III. INVOCATION INTO DEVIL’S FLESH
IV. DEVIL’S FEROX
V. DEFENDER OF SATAN’S HONOR
VI. FORCE THE DEAD TO CONFESS
VII. SPIRIT, DUST AND MAGIC

A preview of this live album can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shl0vfGEQs0&feature=youtu.be

For more info, consult www.bleeding-fist.com and www.moribundcult.com.

MARDUK: The new album SERPENT SERMON to be released in May

MARDUK will release their 12th studio album, "Serpent Sermon", via Blooddawn Productions/Century Media Records on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway: Friday, May 25
Rest Of Europe: Monday, May 28
Spain, Italy: Tuesday, May 29
Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, May 30
Australia, New Zealand: Friday, June 1
USA/Canada: June 5

"Serpent Sermon" track listing:

01. Serpent Sermon
02. Messianic Pestilence
03. Souls For Belial
04. Into Second Death
05. Temple Of Decay
06. Damnation's Gold
07. Hail Mary (Piss-Soaked Genuflexion)
08. M.A.M.M.O.N.
09. Gospel Of The Worm
10. World Of Blades

The song "M.A.M.M.O.N." is now available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Metal-Hammer.de).

The album will be made available as standard CD, vinyl and limited-edition media book with an exclusive bonus track entitled "Coram Satanae".

IMPIETY To Release 'Ravage & Conquer' In May

IMPIETY are ready to unleash their eighth studio album through Pulverised Records on May 8. Offering up eight grisly tracks, including a cover of BATHORY's "Sacrifice", the aptly titled "Ravage & Conquer" was recorded, mixed and mastered over a course of two weeks at Studio 47 in Singapore and features cover art by renowned illustrator Lord Sickness (SABBAT, WITCHAVEN, ZYGOATSIS).

According to a press release, "Ravage & Conquer" is "savagely innovative, technical, and uncompromising."

Led by frontman Shyaithan, IMPIETY's covenant of chaos remains impenetrable, delivering some of the harshest and most vicious brand of blackened death metal the world has witnessed.

"Ravage & Conquer" track listing:

01. Revelation Decimation
02. Ravage & Conquer
03. Weaponized
04. The Scourge Majesty
05. War Crowned
06. Legacy Of Savagery
07. Salve The Goat
08. Sacrifice (BATHORY cover)

IMPIETY is:

Shyaithan - Bass, Vomit
Nizam Aziz - Lead Guitars
Dizazter - Drums

ACEPHALIX To Release 'Deathless Master' In April

San Francisco's malevolent death metal overlords ACEPHALIX are preparing to release their second official full-length album via Southern Lord this April, delivering with it some of the most uncompromised, old-school death metal brutality of the year.

While their first few releases bore a more metal-edged crustpunk sound, the ACEPHALIX attack has undeniably shown more death metal influence with each passing release. After the cult crust/metal scene success of their "Aporia" LP, released via Prank Records in 2010, the band dropped two brutal demos — 2010's "Interminable Night" and 2011's "Flesh Torn In Twilight", Southern Lord brought the two demos together and released a one-time CD pressing of 2000 copies which sold out rapidly. Over the past two years ACEPHALIX have toured relentlessly, doing the Western U.S. with Danish death metal horde UNDERGANG and also taking part in the "Power Of The Riff" 2011 summer tour alongside BLACK BREATH, WINTER, NOOTHGRUSH, EYEHATEGOD, PENTAGRAM and more.

Now officially a part of the Southern Lord roster and a major priority for the label, ACEPHALIX are preparing to assault the planet with their second official full-length, bringing out their most pulverizing, low-end deathcrushing riffage and cavernous vocal malevolence yet with "Deathless Master". With an incredibly evil, thundering delivery, the eight hymns harnessed on "Deathless Master" were recorded with VÖETSEK's Jef Leppard, who also recorded "Interminable Night". While their punk/crust heritage is still detectable in their songwriting, but the primal delivery of the riffs and guttural, horrifying tone of the vocals on "Deathless Master" sees the band make the final transition from into a full-fledged, disgustingly behemoth death metal unit.

"Deathless Master" will hit North America April 24 on CD and sometime in June on vinyl. Expect massive touring from ACEPHALIX beginning in the months just ahead and all through the year.

"Deathless Master" track listing:

01. Bastard Self
02. Deathless Master
03. Tomb Of Our Fathers
04. On Wings...
05. Raw Life
06. Blood Of Desire
07. In Arms Of Nothing
08. The Hunger

HELL MILITIA just signed a deal with Season of mist

Season of Mist is proud to announce that French black metallers HELL MILITIA just joined the ranks of the Underground Activists division.
"Hell Militia are really enthusiastic about that new signing with SOM. We join many of our comrades and have known some of the SOM guys for quite a long time so it had to happen someday. There has been a lot of work on the new album, and it was composed in a very special way, far from everything, and even now we are still hard at work on the mix. We can't wait to have the final result in our fucking hands, for sure the sickest opus of Hell Militia. A small animal suffocated by mean children. Hallelujah Motherfuckers!"

The band's third full-length, which title is yet to be unveiled, should hit the stores later this year.

INQUISITION just inked a deal with Season of Mist

Black metal powerhouse INQUISITION just inked a deal with Season of Mist! The Americans' sixth album will be released on the Underground Activists division.

Frontman Dagon issued the following statement: "For many years INQUISITION has loyally walked upon the path of Black Metal deeply devoted to its spirituality and magic while growing and maturing our craft, yet always preserving the essence that ignited us since our beginning, always keeping us rooted in the elements that make us what we are now and who we were in the past. Time is relativity and this relativity is affected by choice and selection during our time of existence as INQUISITION. Therefore our careful choice of a new label as a means to take us further into our journey, and your journey, extending this path we walk upon into deeper dimensions and allowing us to heighten our potential will be placed in the hands of Season of Mist. At this time we are heavily devoted to the composition and arrangement of our next opus. We know what we want, we know what you expect and we look forward to 2012 being the year of creation and production of this upcoming ritual. With pride we announce this new relationship and with pride we will continue to deliver INQUISITION at its finest... Hail the cult.