AJATTARA

New album in April

AJATTARA, the Finnish band featuring former AMORPHIS frontman Pasi Koskinen (a.k.a. Ruoja), will release its sixth album, "Noitumaa", in Finland on April 15 through Ranka Recordings. The CD was recorded at D-Studio in Finland.... More...

POWERWOLF

New song streaming online

Romanian metallers POWERWOLF have uploaded the first new song off their upcoming new album Bible Of The Beast. Check it out the song ‘Raise Your Fist, Evangelist’ at this location.... More...

GOD DETHRONED

New song streaming online

Dutch death metallers GOD DETHRONED are streaming the new song 'Under A Darkening Sky' at their official MySpace page. Frontman Henri Sattler comments about the track: "Like we told you, we went back to our roots and with Roel (Sanders) back on the drum throne, we had to break some speed limits again. Okay enjoy it and let us know what you think of it."... More...

RAVAGE

Signs with Metal Blade

Metal Blade Records has announced the addition of Boston Massachusetts metalers RAVAGE to its roster. The heavy metal band Ravage began as the idea of two young brothers from Boston Massachusetts, whom fans would come to know as Al Ravage and Eli Joe, who wished to form a band that could bring bombastic heavy metal back to prominence and crush the insipid alterna-grunge music craze of the mid-90's. Though the barely-highschool aged rockers had mighty ambitions when they played their first gig in 1996, they quickly learned that Rome was not built in a day, and Ravage had to work on honing their sound and forging their way through the local underground metal scene. Now in their early 20's Ravage is ready to show the metal world what they're made of with their Metal Blade debut The End of Tomorrow, which will drop in the late summer of 2009 and features cover art by none other than Ed Repka (MEGADETH, DEATH, AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE).... More...

CHILDREN OF BODOM

Take Home Emma Award for best metal album

The official CHILDREN OF BODOM fan site, Scythes Of Bodom, has issued the following update: "At the annual Emma Gaala awards ceremony (the Finnish Grammy award equivalent), held on March 14th at the Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Children Of Bodom were winners once again. The band had been nominated in no less than three categories - Band Of The Year; Metal/Hard Rock Album of the Year and Finnish Artist Of The Year and, during the televised ceremony, received the award for Best Metal Album, for their gold-selling Blooddrunk record.... More...

JUDAS PRIEST

Entire British Steel to be performed on US tour

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have issued the following update: "To celebrate the 30th anniversary of our album 'British Steel', we are very pleased to announced we will be performing the whole album in its entirety during our U.S. 2009 summer tour, plus some other PRIEST classics!!!"... More...

MNEMIC

In writing mode

Guitarist Mircea Gabriel Eftemie of the Danish modern metallers MNEMIC has issued the following update: "Since we took a break from touring in 2008, apart from playing a few shows with METALLICA (yes, I still mention this cause I'm damn proud of it!), things have been quite productive. We have definitely not been lazy, that's for sure. As we did recharge our batteries, in this break, we also fell the hunger for creativity and started writing new material. Already by now I can confirm that we have 11 brand new songs written, and we are still a long way from finishing. The plan is, of course, to write as many songs as possible until we are 110% satisfied with all the material.... More...

ALESTORM

New album announced

Scottish folk/power metal band ALESTORM will release its new album, "Black Sails At Midnight", via Napalm Records on the following dates: May 27 - Finland, Spain, May 29 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, France, Italy, Spain, Jun. 01 - Rest of Europe, Jun. 02 - USA, Canada. It will be available in normal jewelcase format, and also as a limited-edition digipack with different artwork and a bonus DVD featuring the band's gig from the Wacken Open Air festival in 2008.... More...

ANNIHILATOR

Honored at Canada's Independent Music Awards

Canadian metal veterans ANNIHILATOR were honored in the "Favorite Metal Artist/Group" category at the 2009 Indie Awards (Independent Music Awards), which was held this past Saturday, March 14 at the Royal York Hotel (Canadian Room) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Also nominated in the "Metal" category were BISON B.C., CRYPTOPSY, CURSED and FUCK THE FACTS.... More...

DARK FUNERAL

Guitarist issues songwriting update

Guitarist Lord Ahriman of the Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL has issued the following update: "Chaq Mol [guitar] and I are still hard at work on a pre-production for the new full-length album at my (yet-unnamed) home studio. The songwriting process is moving along just fine, perhaps not as fast as I could hope, but new and killer songs are at finally beginning to take some real shape. And it all sounds totally fucking KILLER (of course!). At this point, we have the core for six songs completed, and another two under progress.... More...

IRON MAIDEN

Flight666

"Iron Maiden: Flight 666" — the feature-length documentary film which follows the IRON MAIDEN bandmembers on the first leg of their "Somewhere Back In Time World Tour" in February and March of 2008 — had its world premiere yesterday (March 14) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Cine Odeon in the center of Rio was packed with 400 fans and 200 media and guests, with hundreds of fans outside welcoming the band to this first public viewing of the movie. MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson introduced the film's directors, Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, and drummer Nicko McBrain joined them after the movie for a lively question-and-answer session with the fans.... More...

CHIMAIRA

New album track-by-track

Cleveland, Ohio's CHIMAIRA will release its new album, "The Infection", in North America on April 21 via Ferret Music and in Europe on April 24 through Nuclear Blast. The CD was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City with Ted Jensen and Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, AGNOSTIC FRONT, TERROR, THE ACACIA STRAIN). "Sonically, this album sounds amazing," vocalist Mark Hunter wrote on the group's web site. "Ben [Schigel, producer], Zeuss [who mixed the CD] and Ted did an amazing job making our vision come to reality. The album has exceeded everyone in this band's expectations."... More...