Long-running Swedish death metallers DISMEMBER will have their April 14 gig in Stockholm recorded for future broadcast via Sveriges Radio P3's "P3 Live" concert series. More information will be made available soon.

DISMEMBER's brand-new album, "Where Ironcrosses Grow", is scheduled for release in the U.S. on April 20 through Candlelight Records. The follow-up to 2000's "Hate Campaign" was recorded at Stockholm's Sami studio and features artwork by acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave (ENTOMBED, SUFFOCATION, MORBID ANGEL).

DISMEMBER will be releasing a double DVD, entitled "Live Blasphemies", through Escapi later in the year. The first disc will contain the group's live performance from May 27, 2003 at Klubben in Stockholm, while the second disc will feature a 90-minute documentary/home video spanning the group's entire career.

Band profile:

Dismember

Swedish thrashers CARNAL FORGE have set "Aren't You Dead Yet" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in June through Century Media (Europe and USA) and Soundholic (Japan). 12 songs were recorded and mixed at Studio Underground for the follow-up to last year's "The More You Suffer", with the new material being described by guitarist Jari Kuusisto as " up from where the last album stopped. The new songs are a little bit more aggressive, but all of you that liked our previous albums won't get disappointed."
The tentative track listing for the album is as follows:

01. Decades of Despair
02. My Suicide
03. Burn Them Alive
04. Waiting For Sundown
05. Exploding Veins
06. Sacred Flame
07. Inhuman
08. The Final Hour
09. Totally Worthless
10. The Strength of Misery
11. Ruler of Your Blood (Japan only)

Band profile:

Carnal Forge

The following message was posted on Devin Townsend's (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) official web site:

"The two records that Devin had intended to release before Christmas were delayed by his schedule. They are finished, just the graphics are being finalised now and they should be submitted for printing within a couple of weeks, available to order 4-6 weeks from there. Also, the tablatures that Devin was starting requires some sort of guitar module to do what he planned. The module has been ordered but he will be busy with production for at least the next 4 weeks.

"You probably read on the web that Byron has recently joined FEAR FACTORY for their upcoming tour and maybe more . However It doesn't affect his membership is and Byron is still a fervent LAD.

"Lastly, In order to clear room in the warehouse we posted a bunch of inventory on Ebay at reduced prices to clear it out . Unfortunately because of our water main (located in the stocked full storage space) that broke, the headquarters is under 2 feet of waters. we are very sorry to say that the majority of the cool stuff we had for you has been destroyed ? along with a hell of a lot of uninsured HDR inventory.

"Anyone want some slightly soggy compact discs? How about really sopping wet ones? Souvenirs of the great HDR flood? We will soon put a temporary merchandise page on the HDR site called 'flood memorabilia'. Devin will sign the damaged CDs and we hope that people may be willing to contribute to helping out by buying an autographed ruined CD

"To finish, we will soon launch the The Hevydevy Records Official Forums. The board is now finished, the transfer to a new domain has been done and we hope that a lot of fans will join the community. We'll keep you informed about the launching..."

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Band profile:

Devin Townsend

NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane has posted the following message on the band's official message board:

"We're doing a video for 'I, Voyager' within the next month, we just signed a new record deal , we're working on a headline U.S. tour at the moment and we're writing a bunch of new tunes." With regards to which label the group are now signed to, Warrel said, "we will announce that when all the paperwork is processed."

NEVERMORE's most recent studio album, 2003's "Enemies Of Reality", marked the final album under the group's previous contract with Century Media Records. The band, who feature in their ranks former members of the popular '80s power metal act SANCTUARY, were very vocal about their dissatisfaction with their previous label, whom Dane blamed for "cut budget down to shit for because we wouldn't re-sign with them until after the album was done."

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Band profile:

Nevermore

Thanx to all the people who voted for metalstorm in the online metal awards... Thanks to you all, metalstorm has ended up in fourth position, which is a really good result after only two years of existence. So congratulations to Ivan the founder, Dream Taster our great Webmaster and to all the staff and forum members and casual visitors for your great support... The first seat is in sight!!!

Complete results here: http://www.onlinemetalawards.com/

According to the YNGWIE MALMSTEEN fan site Guitar Alchemy, initial reports from the Joe Satriani camp indicate that Malmsteen will not be taking part in the planned European G3 trek alongside Satriani and Steve Vai. Instead the third slot will likely be filled by Robert Fripp of KING CRIMSON fame. No further information is available at this time.

The G3 DVD and CD sets ? entitled "G3 - Live in Denver" and "G3 Live: Rockin' in the Free World", respectively ? will be released on February 24 through Epic Records. To promote the releases, Satriani, Vai and Malmsteen will be participating in an MSN chat on Monday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.

Band profile:

Yngwie Malmsteen

Sweden's LAKE OF TEARS will enter the studio on Friday, February 13 to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's "The Neonai", entitled "Black Brick Road". "The album cover will be done by the brilliant artist Kristian Wåhlin, who painted all of the previous LAKE OF TEARS covers except 'Forever Autumn'," according to a post on the band's web site. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Greymen", "Black Brick Road", "Making Evenings", "Crazyman" and "A Trip With The Moon".

LAKE OF TEARS have scheduled the following summer 2004 European festival appearances:

Jun. 10/12 - Sölvesborg, SWE @ Sweden Rock
Jul. 02/04 - Leipzig, GER @ With Full Force
Aug. 19/21 - Abtsgmünd, GER @ Summer Breeze

Band profile:

Lake Of Tears

JUDAS PRIEST SCHEDULED TO RELEASE CAREER-SPANNING BOX SET 'METALOGY' ON MAY 4 ON SONY MUSIC/LEGACY RECORDS

FOUR-CD, 65-TRACK SET TOTALING MORE THAN 5 HOURS OF MUSIC INCLUDES HITS, RARITIES AND MORE ENCASED IN LEATHER-AND-STUDS DELUXE PACKAGING

LIMITED EDITION LIVE DVD ADDED BONUS IN INITIAL PRESSING

Judas Priest has reigned supreme for 30 years as the most influential and commercially successful pure heavy metal band, and the masters are being honored with the career-spanning, four-CD, 65-track box set 'Metalogy' scheduled for release on May 3rd for Europe and the UK and May 4th 2004 for the US and Canada, by Sony Music/Legacy Records. The worldwide reverence for Judas Priest has resulted in sales of 20 million albums and countless sold-out concerts.

'Metalogy,' the first-ever Judas Priest box set, was assembled with the full participation of the band and it covers music recorded worldwide for the Gull, Sony Music/Columbia, CMC International, SPV, Atlantic and JVC labels between 1974 and 2002. Remastered hits, fan favorites, live rarities, B-sides and a previously unreleased demo are included. And as a bonus, the initial pressing of 'Metalogy' will include a live DVD of a complete concert filmed on December 12, 1982, at Mid South in Memphis, TN, on the 'Screaming for Vengeance' tour. This show was released on home video as 'Judas Priest Live' but it has been out of print for many years, and fans have often requested that it be reissued. This new DVD is mastered in pristine 5.1 Surround Sound for the ultimate Priest live concert experience.

Fans will be thrilled with the packaging of 'Metalogy.' The 7"x7" box is appropriately wrapped in leather and metal studs. The 7"x7" full color book features a full discography, biographical essay, timeline and numerous previously unpublished photos.

The CD track listing is as follows:
CD 1
1. Never Satisfied (4:52)
2. Deceiver (2:44)
3. Tyrant (4:39)
4. Victim Of Changes (Live) (7:11)
5. Diamonds & Rust (Live)** (3:28)
6. Starbreaker (Live)** (7:19)
7. Sinner (6:40)
8. Let Us Prey (6:12)
9. Dissident Aggressor (3:02)
10. Exciter (5:33)
11. Beyond The Realms Of Death (6:51)
12. Better By You Better Than Me (5:19)
13. Invader (4:10)
14. Stained Class (5:12)
15. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) (Live)* (4:42)

CD 2
1. Killing Machine (3:02)
2. Evening Star (4:06)
3. Take On The World (3:03)
4. Delivering The Goods (4:16)

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Band profile:

Judas Priest

According to Flotsam drummer, Craig Nielsen: "...The DVD will come out late April/early May
and the Metallica tribute DVD should be scheduled for release very soon. A couple of different bigger labels are looking at picking it up..."

Swedish death/thrashers IMPIOUS have inked a deal with Metal Blade Records. The group plan on entering the studio this summer to begin recording their fourth album, tentatively due in October.

"We saw the band live when they toured with NECROPHOBIC in early 2003 and they kicked MAJOR ASS!" a spokesperson for Metal Blade Records Europe said in an official statement. "We see many shows each year, but this was one of the few moments we felt completely blown away. We didn't get into the albums they released before very much, but the pre-production with five brand new songs they sent us in late 2003 showed an explosion in songwriting and intensity. Much, no, MUCH better than all their previous stuff!"

IMPIOUS hail from Trollhättan, Sweden — the city that has already brought the "Deathrace Kings" THE CROWN to the world of metal. The music of this quintet is an intense and sharp combination of death and thrash metal.

"We are very excited about signing to Metal Blade," said guitarist Valle Adzic. "To be on the same roster as some of the finest bands in the extreme metal industry just feels fucking awesome. Very few record labels have such a good reputation, such an amazing history, and such a bright future. We're definitely looking forward to be a part of all that."

IMPIOUS lineup:

Martin Akesson - vocals
Valle Adzic - guitars
Robin Sörqvist - guitars
Erik Peterson - bass
Mikael Norén - drums

Band profile:

Impious

German power metallers IRON SAVIOR are scheduled to release their new album, "Metalizer", in May through Noise Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Condition Red", which is currently being recorded at Karo studios in Brackel, Germany, will feature songwriting contributions from new bassist Yenz Leonhardt, who joined the band in December.

Band profile:

Iron Savior

A brand new ORPHANED LAND track, titled "Ocean Land", has been posted online in Real Media format at this location: http://www.centurymedia.de/century/mainarea/audio.aspx?id=orphaned_land__ocean_land.rm.

"Ocean Land" comes off the Israeli group's forthcoming third album, "Mabool", due on February 23 through Century Media Records.

The group's first release since 1996's "El Norra Alila" features vocals that were partly sung by female and male classic as well as oriental choirs in five languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, Yemen and Latin as well as "a form of gibberish," according to an official press release.

Aside from the five band members, more then 30 guests appear on the album. Among them is a percussionist who plays more then 10 different instruments. Also, a lot of oriental instruments such as Oud, Saz and Buzuki are used besides violins, cello, piano and classic/acoustic guitars.

"Our music style is a mixture of all kinds of metal, from progressive to black metal. In general I would call it Middle Eastern metal," said vocalist Kobi Farhi.

Asked about their musical influences, the singer revealed more about the unusual recording of "Mabool": "We are influenced by all kinds music, from Indian music to Jazz. I even recorded musicians in the streets of India."

The official recording of "Mabool" took place between July and October 2003 in Zaza Studios for drums, piano, cello, violin, some of the choirs as well as the majority of the mix (handled by Simon Vinestock, who also worked as an engineer on the recording) whereas the rest was taken care of in Bardo Studio. A five-track bonus CD containing a recording of an acoustic show in Tel Aviv will be added to the first pressing of the album.

Band profile:

Orphaned Land

Former DIMMU BORGIR drummer Nick Barker has spoken exclusively to BLABBERMOUTH.NET about his surprising departure from the group.

Barker, a former member of CRADLE OF FILTH, joined DIMMU BORGIR in 1999 as a replacement for original drummer Tjodalv (a.k.a. Kenneth Åkesson). He has since appeared on two full-length studio albums with the band: "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" (2001, Nuclear Blast) and "Death Cult Armageddon" (2003, Nuclear Blast).

In an official statement announcing Barker's departure, DIMMU BORGIR indicated that "Nicholas has been removed" from the band's lineup and advised their fans to not "waste time speculating why," adding that "we have already moved on."

The following is a transcript of an exclusive question-and-answer session held between BLABBERMOUTH.NET and Nick Barker the evening of Monday, February 9:

Q: DIMMU BORGIR confirmed your departure from the group by saying that you were "removed" from the band's lineup. Most people would interpret that statement to mean that you were kicked out of the band, not that you left of your own accord.

Nick Barker: "That's right. I guess they let me go because they think it's the right decision for the band. And I totally respect their decision, and I have to go with it, obviously. And I just wish them all the best."

Q: Was this decision a long time coming? Were you surprised at all to learn of their decision to kick you out of the band?

Nick Barker: "It was a total surprise to me. But I guess they think it's the right thing to do, and all the best to them."

Q: But they must have given you a reason as to why they were kicking you out, didn't they?

Nick Barker: "I guess it's because of the distance thing ? me being English and those guys being Norwegians. And me commuting from England to Norway all the time. I guess they thought things just weren't working out. I think there might have been a few cultural differences, with me being English and those guys being Norwegians. I mean, we always seemed to get along, and we made some good music together.

Q: The way their statement was worded implied that there might have been some bad blood there ? like the split wasn't entirely amicable.

Nick Barker: "I don't know anything about that."

Q: So there were no band fights or internal disagreements that precipitated this decision to kick you out of the band?

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Band profile:

Dimmu Borgir

Frontman Nergal of Polish black/death metallers BEHEMOTH has posted the following message on the band's official website:

"We are extremly busy with the new stuff. It's going the direction we want, there is no doubt about it. Songs are the continuation of our latest album but it seems that the new stuff is gonna be way more intense and brutal. Some of it will be a bit slower, with a groove...but most of it is just unbelievably fast and technical. That's what we've already started on 'Zosâ?|'. But all the ideas will be pushed even further now...which in result will give you the strongest record we've ever made.

I've got tons of stuff written though there are no final versions of the lyrics for 'Demigod'," he continued. "But one thing is certain. It's all about things we experience in our lives... I think I'm not far from the truth if I say that it's gonna have the most vital energy of all the albums, with a very powerful and mighty approach to it. Some of the lyrics I'm working on right now have titles such as: 'XUL', 'Babylon 2004 e.v.', 'Sculpturing the Throne ov Seth'. There's also gonna be a song called 'Conquer All' which title speaks for itself. It's about how much we strive for greatness in our lives, compromising with nobody. It tells how much pain it takes to transgress into new beings, by leaving all the shit behind and taking only what's good and valuable. It's...all that gave me so much strength and self-confidence. I push myself thru snow and rain but in the end of the day I will get exactly what I want. The best of all there is..."

Pictures from the studio can be found here: http://www.behemoth.metalkings.com/misc_en.html

Band profile:

Behemoth

RUNNING WILD bassist Peter Pichl gave a lengthy interview to the band's official web site in which he briefly discussed the group's upcoming studio album.

"I can't tell you anything yet besides that it's going to be out summer," Peter said. "Rolf is still writing songs. He wasn't able to start his work on the album as early as scheduled, because it took a bit longer to build up his own studio. But he keeps on writing songs and about 20 or so are ready for recording. I'm also really looking forward to them (as much as all of you!). Rolf is really open-minded concerning ideas of the other band-members. If I should have some good ideas (which is sometimes the case), I am going to share them with Rolf, maybe he likes them as well. But I will not be disappointed if he doesn't." Read the rest of the interview here.

RUNNING WILD's last release was the two-disc compilation of re-recorded classics, "20 Years In History", which came out in 2003 through Noise Records. The group's most recent collection of new original songs, "The Brotherhood", was released in 2002.

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Band profile:

Running Wild