Massacre Records have announced that Power metallers Rebellion plan to release a yet-untitled EP on October 24th of this year. Their next full-length spinner (the third part of their "History of the Vikings") is set for a January 9, 2009 release.

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Rebellion

The Melvins released "Nude With Boots" on Monday 8th cover art] and you can stream the entire album at Last.fm's website.

In other news, The Melvins and Mike Patton will collaborate for The Nightmare Before Christmas party series in London this December.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Melvins

Norwegian Power metallers Gaia Epicus have been generous enough to post a video of studio footage "from the recordings of the new album "Damnation" cover art], which is due out sometime this fall."
More info on the new album here.

The video is also available on their official website and their MySpace page.

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Source:	gaia-epicus.com
Band profile:	Gaia Epicus

Russian pagan folkers Arkona has posted a video for the song "Pokrovy Nebesnogo Starca" which comes off their new album, "Ot Serdca K Nebu". The fourth studio effort will be released through Napalm Records on the following dates:

02/07 - FIN
04/07 - GAS, Benelux, FRA, ITA, SWE
07/07 - Rest of Europe
29/07 - USA / CAN

More info available as always from the band's official MySpace page.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Arkona

Aussie's Melbourne brutal grinders The Berzerker have posted a new song, pre-production for our feedback, as well as footage of Todd Hansen's manic drum rehearsal. The UK tour dates flyer is also included:

"Hello all, We have added a brand new song Spare Parts (unmastered) to our page. Let us know what you think. "Spare Parts" has been taken from our upcoming album "The Reawakening" Available 1st Sept - Pre Order now.

We hope you enjoy it, you'll be able to check it out live on the UK tour."

Todd Hansen's drum rehearsal is online here.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	The Berzerker

Baltimore's grinders Misery Index posted the following exciting updates on Wednesday June 18:

"Relapse Contamination Tour this July/August - album done and on the way for September 30 release date - Exclusive Euro Show At Switzerland's Mountains Of Death Fest In August

...So while you are sweating away this summer, spending half your paycheck on gas, and find yourself in the trajectory of this US tour, why not come out and see some metal? Yes we are gonna do a summer tour with the Relapse brotherhood, so come on out, and hear some of the new songs from the forthcoming album "Chinese Democra..." no, oops I mean "Traitors"...which by the way, came out pretty smashing, we are in post-production now, more news on that soon. Apologies to those not in the West/Midwest, where most of the dates for the tour are, we will be back in your area as soon as the new album is out and we are touring for it full time...also, just confirmed an exclusive summer Euro headlining show at the Mountains Of Death Fest Switzerland come on out!"

Relapse Contamination US Tour Dates
02/07 Bobby Fisher Memorial Building (w/ Battlemaster,Triac, Condemn The Infected) - Washington DC
16/07 Lundr Haus - Louisville, Kentucky
17/07 Casa del Kotex - Indianapolis IN
18/07 Canopy Club, Central Illinois Metalfest - Urbana/Champaign, Illinois
21/07 Rockstar Nightclub (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - St. Louis, Missouri
22/07 The OPO (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Fayetteville, Arkansas
24/07 venue tba (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - show might be on the 23rd... Dallas, Texas
25/07 Sun Valley Ranch (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Victoria, Texas
26/07 Red 7 (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Austin, Texas
28/07 Chics (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - El Paso, Texas
29/07 Gator's (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Farmington, New Mexico
30/07 Modified Arts (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Phoenix, Arizona
31/07 Jumping Turtle (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - San Marcos, California
01/08 Safari Sam's (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Hollywood, California
02/08 The Metro (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Oakland, California
03/08 Satyricon (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Portland, Oregon
04/08 Riversdale Grange (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Roseburg, Oregon
05/08 Studio Seven (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Seattle, Washington
07/08 Club Vegas (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Salt Lake City, Utah
08/08 Black Sheep (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Colorado Springs, Colorado
09/08 The Jackpot (w/ Origin, Abysmal Dawn) - Lawrence, Kansas

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Misery Index

Birmingham, UK's 'music killing, metal riffing, punk rocking, beer drinking hell-raisers' Benediction have issued the following update:

"Right then, our label Nuclear Blast will be re-releasing our album back catalogue this summer. The better news is that it will be two albums in one package on the three releases: Subconscious Terror / The Grand Leveller, Transcend The Rubicon / The Dreams You Dread, Grind Bastard / Organized Chaos. All three releases will come in nice new packaging. The release date for all the double album releases will be August 8th.

For more information about these releases and where to buy them, click here.

As previously announced, Benediction's seventh brand new long-player Killing Music, will be released August 22nd. As well as the normal single CD release, there will be a limited edition digi CD with two bonus tracks and a 'warts and all' DVD of our time in the studio including footage of Karl from Bolt Thrower and Jock from GBH laying down their stuff on the cover songs on the album, a lot of fun! These extras will only be available on the special edition release."

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Benediction

Metal Blade's gore-grinders Cattle Decapitation will now commence writing their next album due in late August 2008. This will be the first recording with new drummer David Mcgraw (ex-Sleep Terror) who joined Cattle Decapitation in Fall of 2007. The studio effort will be produced by Billy Anderson (Melvins), with drums to be engineered by Zach Ohren (Animosity). Meanwhile, artwork will once again be provided by Wes Benscoter (Slayer).

"We're taking a short break from writing our next album to come out and adorn California in Gore!!! A couple notable shows are gonna be our first show in Years at the old Covered Wagon building, now called Annie's Social Club in San Francisco with our buddy Pete Ponitkoff's(singer of Benumb) band Agenda of Swine, our long awaited return to the Boardwalk in Orangevale - we regrettably missed the last show due to Travis being temporarily hospitalized for a panic attack - We Will Make It This Time!, and the big show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, CA with friends Phobia, Skarp, The Funeral Pyre, Watch Me Burn & many more!!!

We'd also like to announce that we'll be returning to the studio in August with Billy Anderson once again at the helm! We'll also be incorporating the abilities of Zach Ohren for the recording of the drums! The album's title is being withheld until we decide to warn the public, but so far here are a few choice song titles of which we'll be playing at all the shows this week "Tooth Enamel & Concrete", "Regret & the Grave", "We Are Horrible People" & "The Body Farm".

Once again Wes Benscoter will be handling the art and we've already done a truly disturbing photo shoot that yielded a bounty of gore and the brutality of human existence for use in the layout which will be done by our graphic guru, Cain!"

In other news, here's Cattle Decapitation's live dates for California:

19/06 The Exit (formerly The Belmont) - Fresno, CA
20/06 Annie's Social Club - San Francisco, CA
21/06 The Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA
22/06 Jump N Around - Salinas, CA
23/06 The Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
25/06 Club Karma - Victoreville, CA

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Cattle Decapitation

Bulgaria's death-grinders Enthrallment have entered Basement Studios, having signed with Slovakia's Metal Age Productions, with producer Emil Marinov (Ablepsia) to record their new full length album, "Immerse Into Bloody Bliss."

The band entered the studio on June 12 and will record until the end of August, coinciding with their live shows at the East Noise Attack festival. The songs will be mastered by Peter Number at Mega Wimp Sound Studio in Germany (Lividity, Sodom, Primordial, Septic Flesh).

Enthrallment will also film a video for one of the tracks, to be announced in the fear future.

Check out some songs, 4 videos and more info at their MySpace page.

Enthrallment will be playing at the East Noise Attack Festival in Varna. Here are the dates:

15/08 East Noise Attack Festival - Varna, Bulgaria
16/08 East Noise Attack Festival - Varna, Bulgaria
17/08 East Noise Attack Festival - Varna, Bulgaria

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Enthrallment

Kvarforth and company have posted the artwork and tracklisting for their eagerly anticipated sixth release and follow-up to the acclaimed work "V - Halmstad", entitled "VI - Klagopsalmer".

"VI - Klagopsalmer" tracklist:

01. Vilseledda Barnasjälars Hemvist
02. Plågoande O'Helga Plågoande
03. Krossade Drömmar Och Brutna Löften
04. Fullständigt Jävla Död Inuti
05. Ohm - Skoj Att Leva
06. Total Utfrysning

To be released by Osmose Productions in a not too distanced future.

For more info, visit this page

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Shining

Regain Records has launched a new and dedicated Lord Belial MySpace page featuring a streaming version of one track - "Sworn" from the Swedish black metallers' eighth studio spinner "The Black Curse", which will see a September release. According to their MySpace hype, this will be the album that qualifies them for the Champion's League of Swedish Black Metal.

As has been in metal news, Regain will re-release the old Lord Belial demos this month on one CD called "Ancient Demons". According to a press release, "Ancient Demons" are awesome on their own as something to crank up and revel in the old-school vibe, as well as a document of a watershed era in the history of extreme music, one that has yet to be topped for sheer creativity and boundary destroying."

Upcoming Lord Belial tour dates

Festival Shows 2008
19/07 Hell's Pleasure O.A Pößneck
31/07 Wacken Open Air Wacken

Black Curse Over Europe 2008 Tour
18/09 Club 2 Doors Baia Mare
19/09 Irish Pub Cluj
20/09 Live Metal Club Bucharest
21/09 Hristo Botev Com.Center Sofia
23/09 TBA Thessaloniki
24/09 TBA Istanbul
25/09 Castro Club Skopje
26/09 TBA Belgrad
27/09 Gala Hala, Metelkova Ljubliana
28/09 TBA Milano
30/09 TBA
01/10 TBA
02/10 TBA
03/10 TBA
04/10 TBA
06/10 TBA
07/10 TBA Prague
08/10 TBA
09/10 TBA Vienna
10/10 Avalon Club Budapest
11/10 TBA Timisoara

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Lord Belial

Aussie grinders The Berzerker have announced UK tour dates. Also, they yesterday (June 11) posted some details about their new release - their fifth studio album "The Reawakening" which will not be available in stores. The tour dates are listed on the band's profile, and here's a reminder of them;

UK Tour Dates:

25/06 The Attic - Sawyers Venue - Kettering, Northamptonshire
26/06 Junktion 7 - Nottingham
27/06 TJ's - Newport, Wales
28/06 The White Rabbit - Plymouth
29/06 Ghostfest - Leeds, England
30/06 Ivory Blacks - Glasgow, Scotland
01/07 Queens Hall - Nuneaton
02/07 The Underworld - London
05/07 Groundzero Festival (DJ performance) - Bussloo, Holland
19/07 Folkets Park - Trelleborg, Sweden
09/08 Judgement Day (DJ performance) - Newcastle, England
29/08 Barfly - Liverpool, England
30/08 The Garage - Glasgow, Scotland
31/08 Central Station - Wrexham, Wales
02/09 Corporation - Sheffield, England
03/09 Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, England
04/09 Wulfrun - Wolverhampton, England
05/09 Zodiac - Oxford, England
06/09 Islington Academy - London, England
07/09 Barfly - Brighton, England

Track List for "The Reawakening":

01. Wisdom And Corruption
02. Unforgotten Force
03. Caught In The crossfire
04. The Deception
05. Disassembly Line
06. Evolution Of Aggression
07. Your Final Seconds
08. Harvesting A Loved One
09. Internal Examination
10. Spare Parts

All info on how to get a signed copy can be found here.

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	The Berzerker

Keep Of Kalessin's recently shot video for the track "Ascendant" in Gothenburg, Sweden with director Patrick Ullaeus (who has previously worked with such bands as Dimmu Borgir, Sonic Syndicate, and In Flames) is now available for worldwide viewing!

Watch the video at MySpace Metal.

According to the band, it is a "?performance video shot on white screen / green screen" and "?will be one of the 'baddest' metal videos of 2008!"

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Keep Of Kalessin

Black-Sabbath.com has posted the artwork for Black Sabbath's upcoming five-disc boxed set, "The Rules Of Hell".

A press release posts the following:

"Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath were reborn in 1980 when founding members Tony Iommi and Terry "Geezer" Butler added vocalist Ronnie James Dio to the lineup. The band's short but memorable time together added an unforgettable chapter in Sabbath's storied history. Rhino relives the demonic fury conjured by the Dio era with "The Rules Of Hell", a boxed set featuring all three of the band's studio releases ("Heaven And Hell", "Mob Rules", "Dehumanizer") and their double live collection ("Live Evil") - each recently remastered for the first time. The set comes packaged in a deluxe slipcase with extensive liner notes featuring all new interviews with the band. This five-disc boxed set will be available from Rhino on July 22 at all physical outlets, as well as www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $54.98. The set will also be available the same day at all digital outlets for a suggested list price of $24.99.

Two years ago, Dio, Iommi and Butler and drummer Vinny Appice reunited to record a trio of new songs for Rhino's Black Sabbath: The Dio Years before launching a highly anticipated and greatly acclaimed world tour under their new moniker Heaven And Hell. Revitalized by the reunion, the lineup is back in the studio now recording the first ever full-length studio album from Heaven And Hell, set to be released by Rhino in early 2009. To whet the fans' appetites for the new album, Heaven And Hell will return to the road for a short stint on the Metal Masters Tour, a month-long North American trek with Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament. This blistering metal juggernaut will launch August 6 in Philadelphia.

The Dio-era's first effort, Heaven And Hell, hit the racks on April 25th, 1980. Greeted by ecstatic reviews, the album peaked at #9 in Britain. In the U.S., its Top 30 success gave the group its first platinum disc in six years. Opening with the chugging anthem "Neon Knights", the album also includes the epic title track, "Wishing Well", "Die Young" and "Lonely Is The Word".

The group's follow-up, "Mob Rules", was the first without original drummer Bill Ward, who was replaced with Appice. The album bristles with Iommi's signature dark riffs, Butler's elaborate bass lines, Appice's hammering behind the drums and Dio's inimitable growling. The album includes the high-octane tracks "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", "Turn Up The Night", and the title track - plus the mid-tempo rocker "Voodoo" and the slow-churning epic "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", a favorite among band members and fans alike.

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Source:	black-sabbath.com
Band profile:	Black Sabbath

Cali's reunited thrashers Forbidden posted the following:

"Forbidden proudly announces Mark Hernandez (Heathen, Defiance, Re-Ignition, Vio-lence, Torque, Technocracy, Social Unrest), as the drummer for Forbidden's upcoming European tour. Mark Hernandez is one of the most dynamic and solid drummers in Hard Rock/Heavy Metal today. His aggressive attack and technical ability shine. Mark has proven himself over and over from his time in one of the most respected thrash metal bands of all time Vio-lence and more recently with Heathen and the rebirth of Defiance. Mark will be one of the most watched drummers in Hard rock & Heavy Metal for years to come."

Statements from the band:

Glen comments, "Mark is a bro from the Bay Area. I've been waiting for the opportunity to jam with him for years, and here we are. Mark came in the first day and blasted through 5 songs like it was nothing!!"

Craig comments, "Yes, we're all very excited about going over to Europe with Mark Hernandez behind the kit. It took us a while to sort out all of the details, so we apologize for the delay. It was rumored that Chris Kontos, whom I already have the honor of playing with in SpiralArms, was going to be Forbidden's European drummer. But that did not pan out because Chris had other obligations with Attitude Adjustment and the Part Time Christians. So we had to try out some other drummers and Mark was on Fire for the gig! He knocked us over with his audition and showed us how good he really is. This guy is going to surprise a lot of people. He shocked all of us and really did his homework. I've known Mark a long time after seeing him play with Vio-Lence and Re-igniton and most recently Heathen so I knew he had some chops. The last thing we would do is put someone onto the Forbidden drum throne who could not handle the job and pressure of filling some mighty large shoes. Obviously Paul Bostaph and Steve Jacobs would be there if they could, but Paul's in Testament and Steve is unavailable in the time frame of this tour. So Mark won the job flat out and he deserves it! So let's show him some love and respect to Mark when he bashing behind the kit with us in Europe. Make him feel welcome!"

Matt comments, "We are fortunate to land another great drummer, one that can live up to the caliber of world class drummers that we and our fans expect"
Russ comments, "Mark is a bad ass drummer that deserves a chance!"

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Forbidden