Peaceville Records Press Release:

"For the past 21 years Darkthrone have been leaders of the black metal scene. To coincide with this anniversary, Peaceville Records are releasing the 3CD set, "Frostland Tapes" Small Cover] on June 9th 2008. This is a fascinating trip into the earliest years of the band and the first official release ever to contain all 4 of Darkthrone's demos in one place.

"Frostland Tapes" also includes a rare live recording from Denmark in 1990 (one of only a handful of live appearances that Darkthrone has ever made) and, perhaps most significantly, the previously unreleased version of the infamous 1991 Goatlord rehearsal session.

These songs were intended to feature on the proposed second album, before the band changed direction and the tapes were confined to the vaults. Vocals were subsequently added in the mid-nineties, but they are presented here as the recording sounded in 1991 - instrumental genius, showing the complexity and intricacy of a band with a great future ahead of them.

The set comes in a rigid digibook featuring an interview with the band, chronicling their early days, ambitions and inspirations."

Track Lists

Disc 1:

"Land Of Frost" Demo (1988)

01. Land of Frost
02. Winds of Triton
03. Forest of Darkness
04. Odyssey of Freedom
05. Day of the Dead

"A New Dimension" Demo (1988)

06. Intro: Twilight Dimension
07. Snowfall

"Thulcandra" Demo (1989)

08. Eon
09. Thulcandra
10. Archipelago
Extra track: "Soria Moria"

Disc 2:

"Cromlech" Demo (1989)

01. The Watchtower
02. Accumulation of Generalization
03. Sempiternal Past/Presence View Sepulchrality
04. Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadocia

Live From Denmark 1990:

05. Cromlech
06. Sunrise over Locus Mortis
07. Soulside Journey
08. Accumulation of Generalization
09. Sempiternal Past/Presence View Sepulchrality
10. Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadocia
11. Neptune Towers

Disc 3:

"Goatlord" - Rare Instrumental Version (1991)

01. Rex Darkthrone -
02. Pure Demoniac Blessing
03. (The) Grimness of which Shepherds Mourn
04. Sadomasochistic Rites
05. As Desertshadows
06. In his Lovely Kingdom
07. Black Daimon
08. Toward(s) the Thornfields
09. (Birth of Evil) Virgin Sin
10. Green Cave Float
11. A Blaze In The Northern Sky
12. Fenriz Drum Solo

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Source:	burningshed.com
Band profile:	Darkthrone

Underground thrash legends from Louisiana, Exhorder, have confirmed that this year will see the return of the band and in case that hasn't excited you enough, they'll be working on new music. The lineup for the reunion is as follows:

Kyle Thomas - Vocals
Vinnie Labella - Guitar
Jay Ceravolo - Guitar
Chris Nail - Drums

They are currently awaiting a permanent bassist to complete the lineup. A word from the band can be found here.

Exhorder's classics "Slaughter In The Vatican" and "The Law" are also to be re-released this year through Metal Mind. The following press release regarding the re-issues was posted on April 25:

"The 80's and early 90's metal scene was known for being overcrowded with thrash metal acts, one more repetitive than the other. But despite this generic flood, there were a few names back then that gave new meaning to the word "thrash". One of them was the Louisiana-based Exhorder, a band who had a massive impact on all of future thrash metal. The group released two classic albums - Slaughter In The Vatican and The Law, which to this day stand as the embodiment of sheer thrash power and aggression. While during their career they were rather overlooked, Exhorder resurfaced years later as a thrash metal legend, highly praised by heavy music enthusiasts for their two amazing albums. Rumors of a reunion still echo around the metal scene, but as always - nothing is certain.

Both Exhorder titles will be released by Metal Mind Productions on May 19th in Europe / July 8th in USA (via MVD). New digipak edition is limited to numerated 2000 copies. Digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on golden disc."

Track List for 'Slaughter In The Vatican':

01. Death In Vain
02. Homicide
03. 'Desecrator
04. Exhorder
05. The Tragic Period
06. Legions Of Death
07. Anal Lust
08. Slaughter In The Vatican

Track List for 'The Law':

01. Soul Serch Me
02. Unforgiven
03. I Am The Cross
04. 'Un-Born Again
05. Into The Void
06. The Truth
07. The Law
08. Incontinence
09. (Cadence Of) The Dirge

More about Exhorder on http://www.myspace.com/exhordernola.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Exhorder

Norwegian thrash/death metal band Pica Fierce won the "Norwegian Wacken Metal Battle" final this past Friday night (May 9). The competition was held in Trondheim and featured five of the most promising bands in the Norwegian metal scene today. The winner's prize is a slot at this year's Wacken Open Air festival which is being held July 31 - August 2 in Wacken, Germany.

Pica Fierce posted the following retrospect:

"We had a lotta fun and we will sure do our best to kick ass - representing the Norwegian underground metal-scene in the international finale of Wacken Metal Battle. A huge thanks goes to the jury, and Zone for giving us this great opportunity!"

Check out the winners at: http://www.zone-home.net

Pica Fierce's self-titled debut album, was mixed at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Katatonia, Pain Of Salvation etc.) in Sweden. The album was released in Norway last November.

As always, songs can be checked out at the band's MySpace page.

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Source:	myspace.com
Event:	Wacken Open Air 2008

Swiss electronic metallers Samael have launched a new project titled Above, which they have labeled the "first virtual metal band ever".

"For the story, Above was formed on the six of June 2006, it is the fruit of a collaboration between creative minds who wanted to focus on a common project. Described as "Merciless over the top Metal with an intensity rarely achieved."

Above's first song "Black Hole", can be heard on the new Above MySpace page.

In other news, here are the most recent tour dates for Samael, with more info available at this location.

Samael Tour Dates:

19/07 Kaltenbach Open Air, Kaltenbach
09/08 M'era Luna Festival, Hildesheim
30/08 Stodola, Warsaw
27/09 Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC
28/09 Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
29/09 BB Kings - New York, NY
30/09 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
01/10 The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
02/10 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
03/10 Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
04/10 Opera House - Toronto, ON
05/10 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
07/10 Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
09/10 Big Easy Concert House - Spokane, DC
10/10 El Corazon - Seattle, DC
11/10 Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
12/10 Slim's - San Francisco, CA
13/10 House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
14/10 Brickhouse - Phoenix, AZ
16/10 Ridglea Theater - Fort Worth, TX
17/10 Scout Bar - San Antonio, TX
18/10 Scout Bar - Houston, TX

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Samael

Toronto's black metallers Eclipse Eternal have issued the following update:

"Hail all. We are proud to announce that Orcus, previously of Panzerfaust, from here on forward will be our permanent bassist. This was an easy decision to make as he is an excellent basssit and a dedicated individual. We look foward to introducing him to live audiences in the near future. On that note, we will start booking shows starting in June outside Toronto. If you are interested contact us. Till we meet of the battlefield hold your head high and keep your weapons sharp."

Eclipse Eternal's new album, "Ubermensch: Evolution Beyond The Species," is out now. The album was mixed in Sweden by Fredrick Nordstom (In Flames, Dimmu Borgir, Hammerfall).

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Source:

myspace.com

Canadian metallers Threat Signal have posted the second part of their "Demo Diary" video series.

Threat Signal collaborated with award-nabbing director RT of 235 Films on April 10 for a video shoot for the song "A New Beginning." The track comes off the group's debut album 'Under Reprisal', which was released in North America on August 22, 2006 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Threat Signal recently uploaded a demo version of a new song, entitled "Beyond Recognition," on the group's MySpace page.

For more info on the videos and general band stuff, check out their Official Website.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Threat Signal

Baltimore's grinders Misery Index will enter the studio on May 6th to record their second album which is christened "Traitors." It is expected for a September release through Relapse Records.

The band have also posted a song from the new album, called "Ruling Class Cancelled" at their official Myspace.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Misery Index

Italian metallers Lacuna Coil have announced their first headlining Australian tour.

Tour Dates:

20/06 - Perth, AUS @ Metro
22/06 - Adelaide AUS @ Fowlers
24/06 - Melbourne AUS @ Billboard
26/06 - Sydney AUS @ The Enmore
27/06 - Brisbane AUS @ The Arena

Frontwoman Cristina Scabbia states: "AAAAAAH!" Hell yeah, that's EXACTLY what I yelled when I heard we were going back to AUSTRALIA!!!!!!! If you know Lacuna Coil you already know how many times we said we had a blast on the Gigantour with Megadeth and that we were just waiting to come back and kick ass again. This time we get to play more material for you, and spend more time hanging out with everyone in that wonderful place. Now it's the right time, and WE ARE COMING BACK! And trust me, it's gonna be FUN! Love you all, rock on!"

UPDATED

Tour cancelled.

Message from the band reads as follows: "Hello to all of our Australian friends! Please accept our most sincere apologies for taking so long to give you an official statement regarding our planned tour of Australia this June. Due to matters completely beyond our control, the tour has unfortunately been cancelled. However, we are thrilled to announce that we will be coming back to Australia this coming February to perform at the Soundwave 2009 Festival! We love Australia, and can't wait to rock with all of our amazing friends down under again!"

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Lacuna Coil
Event:	Lacuna Coil: Australian Tour [CANCELLED]

New York tech death metallers/grinders Psyopus have posted a song about siamese twins simply titled "2" on their MySpace page. The song comes off the band's latest effort "Our Puzzling Encounters Considered" which has been released last year in February.

In related news, Psyopus kick off with the following tour dates in the US with Dance Club Massacre.

US Tour Dates:

(also with The Crinn)

02/05 The Penny Arcade - Charlotte, NY

(with The Crinn and Epicurean)

03/05 Ghouolardi's - Lorain, OH
04/05 Flushing Masonic Temple - Flushing, MI
05/05 Von's (Vault 13) - Detroit, MI
06/05 The Static Age - Romeo, MI
07/05 Skelletones - Grand Rapids, MI
08/05 Rack N' Roll - Riverview, MI

(with Sons of Azrael and Epicurean)

09/05 The Underground - Sandusky, OH
10/05 Club W - Buffalo, NY

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Psyopus

Spanish metallers Sandalinas has issued the following update on their MySpace page:

"We're still more determined to keep on pushing so we'll start the recording of our new album in August with Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) behind the control desk. Andy will produce and record our new release. Rick, Alvaro, Mats and Jordi are focused in the writing process at the moment. The new release should come out around Summer/Autumn 2009. More details soon."

In other news, Sandalinas has recently pulled out of Spanish dates with Testament due to circumstances beyond the band's control.

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Source:	blog.myspace.com
Band profile:	Sandalinas

Boris have lined up the following U.S and Canada tour dates. Joining them will be Torche and Wolves In The Throne Room.

24/06 Casbah - San Diego, CA
25/06 The Clubhous - Tempe, AZ
27/06 Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
28/06 The Mohawk - Austin, TX
29/06 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
01/07 Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
02/07 Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL
03/07 The Social - Orlando, FL
05/07 The Earl - Atlanta, GA
06/07 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
08/07 Black Cat - Washington, DC
09/07 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
10/07 Webster Hall - New York, NY
11/07 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
12/07 La Sala Rosa - Montreal, QC
13/07 Barrymore - Ottawa, ON
14/07 Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
15/07 Tralf - Buffalo, NY
16/07 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
17/07 Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA
18/07 St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
19/07 Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
20/07 Union Park - Chicago, IL (Pitchfork Festival)
22/07 The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
23/07 Granada Theatre - Lawrence, KS
25/07 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
26/07 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
29/07 Neumo's - Seattle, WA

UPDATED on 29 April:

Wolves In The Throne Room have posted the following update:

"Due to personal reason we will no longer be touring with Boris this summer. Boris and Torche are still scheduled to tour the whole US June -August."

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Boris
Event:	Boris: N. American Tour

Örebro, Sweden's Coldworker - death metal band comprising of current and former members of Nasum, Relentless, Ruin and Phobos - have posted yet another new track to add to their recent postings, entitled "Seizures", at their website. The song is from Coldworker's upcoming album entitled "Rotting Paradise", which sees a US release on May 13 through Relapse Records.

Track List for "Rotting Paradise" again:

01. Reversing The Order
02. Citizens Of The Cyclopean Maze
03. Symptoms Of Sickness
04. The Black Dog Syndrome
05. Comatose State
06. Paradox Lost
07. The Last Bitter Twist
08. Seizures
09. The Machine
10. I Am The Doorway
11. Scare Tactics
12. Deliverance Of The Rejected

The Japanese version will include a 13th track, a cover version of Sepultura's "Necromancer".

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Source:	coldworker.com
Band profile:	Coldworker

The first version of "We Are The Nightmare," the new video from the Virginia-based technical death metal outfit Arsis, can be viewed here.

A second (animated) version of the video is currently in the works and will see the light of day in the next few weeks.

The song is the title track of the group's latest album, which was released on April 15 (North America) through Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced by Zeuss (Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Municipal Waste) at Planet Z Studios in Massachusetts and was mastered by Alan Douches (Kataklysm, Unearth, Shadows Fall).

"We Are The Nightmare" contains a bonus 45-minute DVD that includes the band's time in the studio, off-stage antics, and some general goofing around. Malone adds: "I can honestly say that this was the best recording experience that I have had in my years with Arsis. Not only was Zeuss great to work with, but Ryan (Knight, guitarist), Darren (Cesca, drummer), and Noah (Martin, bassist) all did an outstanding job. We all worked together to create what I feel is the most accomplished Arsis album to date. I can still listen to the songs, and that's a good sign."

For 3 more samples from the band's latest album, check out their MySpace page.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Arsis

Metallica has established a mini-site to promote the group's forthcoming studio effort. "Mission Metallica" will go live in May for the sole purpose of giving the fans a chance to "experience the new album before it's done."

Check it out at missionmetallica.com.

The band has been hard at 'work' recording the as-yet-untitled, long-awaited new album in Los Angeles with producer Rick Rubin. Motor-mouth Napster-hater Lars Ulrich recently announced that the group's follow-up to 2003's "St Anger" will be released this September.

While speaking with Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson on Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio show, Ulrich said, "We're just finishing up a record, we've got six weeks left and it should be out in September, that's the idea right now." He embellishes further, saying, "I like what I've heard so far. I'm not one of the great sellers of 'the new record's the best thing we've ever done and it shits all over the last record and it's way heavier'. I'm not a great believer in all that horseshit." To finish up, he adds a classic Lars statement that could easily have been taken from the St. Anger period; "I like it and I'm one of Metallica's harshest critics. So far it feels pretty good but there's still plenty of time to fuck it up, so let's see what happens."

Lars told Revolver magazine that the group's new material "is certainly a lot more dynamic and a lot more varied than the last couple of go-rounds," adding, "There's a lot of light and shade in these songs. There's heavy, fast, nutty stuff, and then there's some slowdowns and musical interludes." Ulrich also said that the album has more in common with some of the group's '80s releases than more recent offerings like "St. Anger" and "Load".
Ulrich wouldn't agree that the yet-to-be-titled disc is a total return to their thrashed up 'widdley-widdley leads' past, saying, "I hate to be that specific, because six months from now people are gonna go, 'What the fuck? Lars lied to us!' But it feels that way to me. It's been no secret that Rick suggested to us that we use a couple of those records as reference points ? that we spend some time kind of accessing that headspace. So when we would come to forks in the road, sometimes the exercise became, 'What would we have done at this point in 1985?"

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Source:	metallicabb.com
Band profile:	Metallica

After Washington's Metal Church split with their guitarist, Jay Reynolds, two months ago, they have recently announced the following:

"After much consideration and many qualified applicants we have come to a decision on a new guitar player. We have chosen Rick Van Zandt. Rick is a very gifted player who spent many years in the Seattle metal scene in bands like The End, Rottweiller and the Ronny Munroe Band. Some of Rick's influences are Steve Vai, Richie Blackmore and Eddie Van Halen.

Rick brings a whole new level of playing to Metal Church and we are all glad to have him and we are sure you, the fans will be as well. Get ready for some shredding! The new album really kicks some metal ass, every band says that but we mean it!!"

Metal Church are in the final stage of honing and fine-tuning their new album, "This Present Wasteland," which is scheduled for a fall release through SPV.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Metal Church