German doom/gothic metallers LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE have set "Ave End" as the title of their sixth album, tentatively due in the summer through Austria's Napalm Records.

The recordings for the follow-up to 2002's "Fall, I Will Follow" will begin in February. Among the tracks set to appear on the CD are "Sarah Lou", "Phantom Ballad" and "To Bleed Or Not To Be".

Band profile:

Lacrimas Profundere

TESLA will release their eagerly anticipated new studio album, "Into the Now", on Sanctuary Records on March 9, 2004. The original lineup of vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, bass guitarist Brian Wheat and drummer Troy Luccketta spent more than two years writing and recording "Into the Now". TESLA co-produced the album with Michael Rosen.

"Into the Now" track listing:

01. Into the Now
02. Look @ Me
03. What a Shame
04. Heaven Nine Eleven
05. Words Can't Explain
06. Caught In a Dream
07. Miles Away
08. Mighty Mouse
09. Got No Glory
10. Come to Me
11. Recognize
12. Only You

Band profile:

Tesla

Holland's EPICA (formerly SAHARA DUST), the new group formed by ex-AFTER FOREVER guitarist Mark Jansen, ex-CASSIOPEIA guitarist Ad Sluijter and keyboardist Coen Janssen, have announced the details of their new single, "Feint", due on Thursday, January 8.

The complete track listing for the single is as follows:

01. Feint
02. Feint (previously unreleased piano version)
03. Triumph of Defeat (previously unreleased instrumental track)
04. Seif al Din

"Feint" and "Seif al Din" are both taken from EPICA's debut album, "The Phantom Agony", which was released last June through Transmission Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the expert guidance of the renowned producer and technician Sascha Paeth (RHAPSODY, KAMELOT, ANGRA).

As previously reported, EPICA will be playing a show with AFTER FOREVER on March 21 at Tivoli in Utrecht, Holland.

Band profile:

Epica

NOTRE DAME, the Swedish band featuring drummer Snowy Shaw (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, DREAM EVIL), will release their new album, "Demi Monde Bizarros", in February and not on April 1, as erroneously posted on the web site of the group's label, Osmose Productions.

According to Shaw, the forthcoming CD features songs "about sex, Satan and sadomasochism."

The complete track listing for "Demi Monde Bizarros" is as follows:

01. Munsters!
02. The Ride
03. The Stripper
04. My Ride Into Afterlife
05. Bon Voyage Mutherfucker
06. Hitmusic For Hitmen
07. Verbal Diarrhoea
08. Beyond The Threshold Of Pain
09. S/S Hellride
Bonus live tracks:
10. These Boots Are Made For Walking
11. The Wurld Is Sick

Finnish folk-influenced melodic death metal band ENSIFERUM have parted ways with singer/guitarist Jari Mäenpää. According to a posting on the band's official web site, "the reason why this happened is that Jari's solo project (WINTERSUN) is a priority in Jari's musical interests. If Jari had stayed in the band, ENSIFERUM had to cancel their most important (European) tour with FINNTROLL which starts in April, soon after the release of the second album. Also the other touring would have been decreased to minimal which would lead to the boredom and eventual break-up in the band."

Jari's official statement on the matter is as follows:

"I'm out of ENSIFERUM. The thing is that my and ENSIFERUM's schedules got fucked up and I couldn't be in two places at the same time.

"Here's my side of the story: I have made my own music aside of ENSIFERUM and even before I joined the band in '96. And it has always been more important thing for me. Since I am not the main songwriter in ENSIFERUM and ENSIFERUM has this one 'style' of music, I couldn't satisfy my musical needs and dreams. I'm very creative person and it was just matter of time, before I had to get my own material out inside of me.

"Last year I signed a deal with Nuclear Blast. I booked the studios last summer for March-April 2004 to record my album. I told the guys and our record company Spinefarm that I needed a break from ENSIFERUM to do my thing. (I would have probably needed a break anyway, 'cause I was very sick for months and stressed out in the ENSIFERUM's 'Iron' recordings.) Then Spinefarm booked a tour in April on top of my studio time and told me that I would have to move or cancel my studios. That wasn't possible and I wouldn't have done it anyway, if it would have been possible. Because I felt in my heart that I couldn't do anything, before I would have recorded my album, it had been boiling under for too long.

"So the rest of the guys and me had to make some difficult choices. The guys thought they wouldn't wait for me and they had to go on this tour, even without me. So they decided to try to find a replacement and kick me out of the band. I can understand their decision and I hold no grudge. I'm just sad that things had to go this way. I would have chosen both ENSIFERUM and my music, but since that wasn't possible, my choice was clear.

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Band profile:

Ensiferum

According to the STRATOVARIUS fan site www.truemetal.org/stratovarius, "Klaus Flaming, the host of the weekly Finnish metal radio show 'Metalliliitto' had a brief chat with Timo Tolkki at the afterparty of Sirkkelirock, the Finnish metal awards . Timo mentioned that the new vocalist is a good-looking and talented FEMALE. Interesting... I'd however take the comment with a grain of salt as it sounded as if Timo was a bit drunk while making it."

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Band profile:

Stratovarius

Polish death metallers VADER have commenced work on the material for their sixth full-length album, tentatively titled "Spiritual Disease", for a May/June release through Metal Blade Records. Among the tracks set to appear on the CD are "Out Of A Deep" and "Lead Us!"

The follow-up to 2002's "Revelations" will be recorded in February 2004 at PR Studio in Gdañsk with producer Piotr Lukaszewski and will mark the group's final release for Metal Blade under the terms of their present contract with the label.

In other news, PANZER X, the solo project of VADER vocalist/guitarist Peter, are in the middle of recording their promotional CD at Studio X in Olsztyn, Poland. Titled "Steel First", the CD will feature "four pieces plus two cover songs and something extra," according to a posting on VADER's web site. "Steel First" is being engineered by Szymon Czech and produced by Peter himself. Wojtek Blasiak, the artist who recently did some graphics work for MOONSPELL, will take care of the "Steel Fist" artwork and layout.

Band profile:

Vader

The 2003 installment of the Finnish Metal Music Awards (Sirkkelirock 2003) was held this past Saturday (January 3) at Tavastia Club in Helsinki.

Voting was open to all the metal fans in Finland and was presented through the various media outlets that were working with the event's organizers.

The winners are as follows:

Finnish Band of the Year: CHILDREN OF BODOM
Finnish Newcomer of the Year: MACHINE MEN
Finnish Album of the Year: KOTITEOLLISUUS - "Helvetistä Itään"
International Band: IRON MAIDEN
International Newcomer: EVANESCENCE
International Album: IRON MAIDEN - "Dance of Death"
Producer of the Year: Mikko Karmila
Metal Video of 2003: KOTITEOLLISUUS - "Minä Olen"
Metal Event of 2003: Tuska Metal Festival

In addition, Sirkkelirock presented a special Lifetime Achievement Award to CANNIBAL CORPSE for acknowledged work in metal music.

(Thanks: Imperiumi.net)

Finland's KALMAH have cancelled their previously announced Feb. 7 appearance at the Kaamos - Dark Metal Night festival in Oulu, Finland. According to a post on the band's web site, "We had problems with personal time schedules which was the reason for cancelling."

The band, who recently parted ways with keyboardist Pasi Hiltula, will now play at Loop in Oulu, Finland on Friday, February 13.

KALMAH released their third full-length album, "Swampsong", in Finland through Spikefarm Records and in North America through Century Media Records.

Band profile:

Kalmah

MARILYN MANSON and Norwegian black metallers MAYHEM were included in a list of the "100 most insane moments in rock" released last week by British music magazine Q.

Topping the list was the late WHO drummer Keith Moon, who was singled out for a life of excess that included countless drug-fueled brawls, a food fight with police in Flint, Michigan and an impromptu fireworks display on a U.S. television show.

The list, chosen by magazine staff, is an enlightening record of rock 'n' roll's wacky and weird moments, ranging from the bat-biting of Ozzy Osbourne to Michael Jackson conducting a voodoo ritual to fatally curse his enemies, via Elvis Presley's predilection for mounds of jam and peanut butter sandwiches, and Freddie Mercury's offstage sexual thrills.

The Top 10:

01. Keith Moon
02. Prince ? proselytizes door-to-door for Jehovah's Witnesses
03. Marilyn Manson ? covers fan in meat
04. Michael Jackson ? puts curse on Steven Spielberg
05. Elvis Presley ? flies 879 miles (1415 kilometers) for peanut butter and bacon sandwiches
06. MAYHEM ? Norwegian band's bassist kills guitarist
07. Courtney Love ? lies down semi-naked in London street
08. Marion "Suge" Knight ? career of oft-jailed rap impresario
09. Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown ? troubled marriage
10. Freddie Mercury ? QUEEN frontman's backstage antics

Band profile:

Mayhem

Swedish "dark death metal" act RUNEMAGICK have completed work on their new album, "On Funeral Wings", at their own Magick Sound Studio for a spring release through Aftermath Music.

As previously reported, RUNEMAGICK's new material is said to be "much in the vein of the latest album 'Darkness Death Doom', with some new ideas and dimensions."

The complete track listing for "On Funeral Wings" is as follows:

01. Monolithic Death
02. Rise of the 2nd Moon
03. On Funeral Wings
04. Dragon of Doom
05. Hyperion
06. Ocean Demon
07. Emperor of the Underworld
08. Trifid Nebula
09. The Doomsday Scythe
10. Riders of Endtime
11. In a Darkened Tomb
12. Black Star Abyss
13. Wizard with the Magick Runes

Total playing time: 73:52

The "On Funeral Wings" front cover can be viewed during the flash intro at www.runemagick.se.

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Band profile:

Runemagick

IMPALED NAZARENE and DARKWOODS MY BETROTHED have been confirmed for the next installment of the Tuska festival, which will take place July 16-18, 2004 in Helsinki, Finland. Also scheduled to appear at the festival are DARK TRANQUILLITY. More confirmations will be announced soon. Tuska 2003 took place July 11-13, 2003 in the Kaisaniemi park in the center of Helsinki and featured appearances by TYPE O NEGATIVE, THE HAUNTED, STRATOVARIUS, SENTENCED, AMORPHIS, ARCH ENEMY, CHILDREN OF BODOM, EDGUY, FINNTROLL, LULLACRY, MINISTRY, SENTENCED, and SOULFLY, among others.

Band profile:

Impaled Nazarene

VIRGIN STEELE singer David DeFeis and guitarist Edward Pursino performed a special set consisting of acoustic interpretations of the VIRGIN STEELE catalogue New Year's Eve at DeFeis' residence on Long Island, New York. A "review" of the show, which was described as "a very intimate, private showcase," has been posted online at this location: http://www.virgin-steele.com/ny.asp

Band profile:

Virgin Steele

THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving recently took time out to answer a few questions on the band's official forum. The following are some of his responses pertaining to the progress of the songwriting sessions for the group's new studio album and the band's future plans:

On the new material:

Peter Dolving: "The new songs? Jeez, that's hard. Expect less serial-killing themes, and a meaner attitude all over ? more 'song'-songs, less 'riff-o-mania'. I really don't know how to describe it ? more live-oriented?"

"These songs we've been working on now have been built in a very old-fashioned rock 'n' roll way of making songs ? comes up with something ? someone else picks up on it we jam, discuss, jam some more go home and think about the stuff, then go back and work it 'till it feels cool.

Peter Dolving: "The aim is to make us all puke ? and I mean that in a good way..."

On the next album's possible release date:

Peter Dolving: "I have no idea when it'll be released, I don't see it as my job to worry about that kind of stuff ? I write and sing."

On upcoming live performances:

Peter Dolving: "Live, as always we'll play old and new stuff. I won't even try to sing in Marco 's style - I can't sing like him, he's got more of a brutal growling approach. Me, I guess I'm more of the angst-ridden -screamer I always was."

On whether THE HAUNTED is his top priority at the moment:

Peter Dolving: "THE HAUNTED is indeed my No. 1 priority from now on. I will definitely continue releasing albums and tour with the PETER DOLVING BAND, but only in relation to what works with THE HAUNTED schedule."

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Band profile:

The Haunted

ZUUL FX, the French band featuring former NO RETURN singer Steeve "Zuul" Petit, have completed work on their debut three-song demo at Soul Sol studios in Paris with producer Francis Caste (DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE drummer).

The track listing for the demo is as follows:

01. Behind The Light
02. Devil Star
03. God Bless Them

The group's debut album, which is due next summer, will be recorded over a one-month period in April. Pre-production for the as-yet-untitled CD is scheduled to take place in March at Studio 440.

Band profile:

No Return