Finnish cello metallers Apocalyptica announced on their official website that the dates previously scheduled for Brazil and Chile have been cancelled due to issues with the promoter.

In a New Year update, the band stated: "A Happy New Year to all of you! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas time with your friends and family as well as a blasting night to start 2012! We are super excited to start our Latin American tour in a few days. It has been years since we met all of you in this part of the world... Unfortunately within the last weeks we faced many difficulties with the concert promoter who was hired to do the shows in Chile and Brazil."

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Source:	apocalyptica.com
Band profile:	Apocalyptica
Event:	Apocalyptica: Latin America Tour 2012

"Cathedral Walls" (feat. Anette Olzon), a new video from Finnish melodic death/doom metallers Swallow The Sun can now be seen below. The song for the video is taken from the band's upcoming album Emerald Forest And The Blackbird, which is scheduled for release on February 1st. The video was directed by Tage Rönnqvist. More album details here.

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Swallow The Sun

The German death metal assault Lay Down Rotten has set February 24th as the release date for its upcoming album Mask Of Malice, and follow-up to 2009's Gospel Of The Wretched.

The album was recorded and mastered by Thilo Krieger in Desert-Inn Studio.

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Source:	laydownrotten.com
Band profile:	Lay Down Rotten

About the band's upcoming 7th album and follow-up to 2009's Children Of The Dark Waters, Finnish extreme power metallers Eternal Tears Of Sorrow issue the following update.

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Source:	eternaltears.fi
Band profile:	Eternal Tears Of Sorrow

"A Rose For Epona", a new track from Swiss folk metallers Eluveitie is now streaming online.

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Source:	eluveitie.ch
Band profile:	Eluveitie

Summer Breeze Open Air has a Christmas calendar of its own and has announced its first round of bands for the 2012 edition, a few on each day before Christmas.

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Source:	summer-breeze.de
Event:	Summer Breeze Open Air - 15th Anniversary

German gothic metallers Darkseed have announced that Mike Schmutzer is their new frontman and singer.

The band states: "Why a new singer? In Harry's eyes, there was no chance to reconcile live dates and his job. When we started to plan new live activities, his sight of the things came to surface... unfortunately after we announced him as our new singer and did the Poison Awaits album with him. Due to intolerable interferences like this, there was no other way than to break up with him."

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Source:	darkseed.com
Band profile:	Darkseed

Swedish folk metallers King Of Asgard will hit Sonic Train Studios in early March to record the follower to their debut album Fi'mbulvintr, which was released back in 2010.

The band comments: "We're glad to get back there in early March and to get some new stuff on tape. This also being the first time recording with Lars on guitar. The material for this coming release is a natural step forward for King Of Asgard. It differs quite a lot though the foundation of our musical roots still are very present. A natural progression of the sounds on Fi'mbulvintr! Song titles include "Gap Of Ginnungs" and "Plague-ridden Rebirth".

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Source:	kingofasgard.com
Band profile:	King Of Asgard

Finnish melodic death metallers Tracedawn have released a new music video for their song "Breed Insane". The song is taken from the band's upcoming release Lizard Dusk due out in February and the first one with their new lead singer Niko Kalliojärvi. The video can be viewed below.


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Source:	tracedawn.com
Band profile:	Tracedawn

US metallers Killswitch Engage announced on their official website that the band decided to continue without vocalist Howard Jones. The band is now making preparations for the upcoming album, due to be released at some point later in the year. The band issued the following update:

"To our family, friends and fans: We have decided to continue on without Howard Jones as the singer of Killswitch Engage. We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we've had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well. He has left big shoes to fill, so we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of Killswitch, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward. Most importantly, thanks to all of you for all the support throughout the years and for sticking by us for all this time. We really do appreciate it and we very much look forward to having a new record for all of you in the not too-distant future that we can all be proud of. Sincerely, Adam, Joel, Mike, and Justin."

Thanks also to CHEF METAL HEAD!

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Source:	killswitchengage.com
Band profile:	Killswitch Engage

Les Voyages De L'Âme, the brand-new upcoming album from French blackgaze act Alcest is now streaming in its entirely at this location.

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Alcest

Swedish experimental extreme metallers Meshuggah has set March 27th as the release date for their, as-yet-untitled, 7th full-length album and follow-up to 2008's obZen.

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Source:	meshuggah.net
Band profile:	Meshuggah

The team of Metal Storm would like to wish all of you a happy new year. We hope your Christmas has been as good as ours and are looking forward to another year with the best metal community out there.

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The final details of Incurso, the first album for Relapse Records from Swedish tech-titans Spawn Of Possession have been announced.

Now confirmed to infest North American audiences on March 13th, Incurso was recorded with engineer Magnus Sedenberg at Pama Studios in Kristianopel, Sweden, and offers up nearly an hour's worth of the band's layered death metal urgency.

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Source:	metalunderground.com
Band profile:	Spawn Of Possession

As it is another open air festival with a Christmas calendar, we don't want to keep the With Full Force Open Air 2012 Christmas announcements a secret.

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Source:	withfullforce.de
Event:	With Full Force Festival 2012