Archive News Jun 17, 2001

Devin Townsend (i.e. STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) fans anxiously anticipating the release of the Vancouver whiz-kid's TERRIA project can download two of the album tracks — 'Mountain' and 'Canada' — via the multi-talented artist's MP3.com web site at this location.&nbsp

The July issue of Rolling Stone magazine confirms that EMINEM's collaboration track of 'The Way I Am', featuring MARILYN MANSON (remixed by NINE INCH NAILS' Danny Lohner) will appear on a reissue of the Marshall Mathers LP, which is due on August 20th.

SYMPHONY X vocalist Russell Allen has commented on his rumored collaboration with HELLOWEEN guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch in an as-yet-unnamed project that was initially announced via HELLOWEEN's official web site. According to Allen, 'I met with Roland at [SYMPHONY X's] Berlin gig, and I agreed to do a side project with him and Uli. I'm stoked about the project, and I hope that HELLOWEEN, SYMPHONY X, and metal fans everywhere are as excited as we are about this project. Hopefully we can complete it in time for the end of the year. Although it'll be difficult, due to our schedules with SX and HELLOWEEN, I'm sure we can get it done.'

Canada's CRYPTOPSY have announced the departure of vocalist Mike DiSalvo. According to a posting on the group's official web site, 'Mike has decided to leave the band for personnal reasons. His last live performance with CRYPTOPSY will be August 4th 2001 at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. We wish him success in all of his future projects. The band is presently seeking a candidate able to join its ranks. Auditions will be held in Montreal in the days ahead. The selected vocalist will make his first appearance at the end of August for the beginning of the European tour. Professionals, seriously interested, can contact Maurice Richard ([email protected], subject: CRYPTOPSY),CRYPTOPSY's manager, to let know of their intentions.'

Norway's ENSLAVED will be entering Greighallen Studios on July 30th to begin recording the as-yet-untitled follow-up to last year's Mardraum release, which is tentatively scheduled for release on October 15th.

According to an update posted on the official web site of current MSG vocalist Chris Logan, the upcoming MSG album has once again been delayed, with no official release date having yet been announced. Logan has been spending some of his free time recently working on a couple of outside projects, including an appearance on the forthcoming solo album from Yugoslavian guitar virtuoso Borislav Mitic, which is scheduled for release through Shrapnel Records later in the year. The vocalist has also started work on a solo project, which is 'in the early stage of production', with a tentative plan to release some product in early 2002.

BEYOND TWILIGHT, the new Scandinavian prog/power metal project featuring MILLENIUM/ARK singer Jorn Lande and TWILIGHT keyboardist Finn Zierler, will be issuing their debut album, The Devil's Hall Of Fame, on July 23rd. Produced by Tommy Hansen (PRETTY MAIDS, HELLOWEEN),the CD will include the following track listing:

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01. Hellfire

02. Godless And Wicked

03. Shadowland

04. The Devil's Waltz (instr.)

05. Crying

06. The Devil's Hall Of Fame

07. Closing The Circle (instr.)

08. Perfect Dark

WILL HAVEN guitarist Jeff Irwin (aka Jeff Haven) has posted the following update on the progress of the group's forthcoming studio album and the act's other activities via the band's official web site: 'We have been hard at work finishing the record and it is just about done. We are just in the process of mixing it now. It is turning out amazing!! We cannot wait to get it out to our awesome fans. It looks like it will be out either August 28th, or if there is any problems like there always with releasing a record, it will be September 25th. We are now starting to look at some tours for the summer and fall. It looks like we will be in the UK and Europe sometime in late August or September… Last but not least, I would like to inform everyone we now yet have another drummer. Dave Hulse decided not to go on with us, so for the past few months Mitch Wheeler, formerly of the band SEVERANCE, has been playing with us. He is now officially in the band. I gurantee you this will be the last time anyone will be replaced. He is an awesome drummer and a really great guy. He played on the record and did an amazing job. Everyone will be very impressed. We are very happy he is with us. Well that is it for now, Peace! Jeff Haven'

Dutch death metallers BLO.TORCH have recorded two new tracks for promotional purposes following their recent split with Wicked World Records. The promotional CD will include the two new songs — the 'fast n' furious' 'Razorjob' and the 'slow darkness' called 'Lightblockers' — as well as three tracks from the band's debut album (not re-recorded). According to the group, the two new songs 'represent a global insight into our new material, which is varied, intense, brutal and heavy in the BLO.TORCH tradition!'

Polish death metal legends VADER are tentatively scheduled to embark on a four-week of South America during November. The World Progress Agency from France is reportedly setting up dates that will tentatively begin on November 1st in Mexico, where VADER will play three concerts, and will also cover Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina and several other countries. Support for the whole tour will come from Brazil's REBAELLIUN, with the Brazilian dates also likely to include NEPHASTH. In other VADER news, the band have signed a contract with Metal Mind Records, who will re-release the group's first two albums — The Ultimate Incantation and Sothis — during September. The same month will see the release of the first metal DVD in Poland featuring the VADER concert available currently on VHS, known as Vision &amp Voice — a collection of video-clips, unpublished live footage, and interviews with the band members.

V.O.D. have made available their new single, 'Southbound', for download via the group's official web site (www.vod.com). The track comes off the group's From Bliss To Devastation CD, which is due to be released on June 26th through TVT Records. V.O.D. has also added a host of new shows to their touring itinerary. The new dates are as follows:

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July 03 - Birmingham, AL @ TBA

July 10 - Pittsburg, PA @ Metropol

July 20 - Portland, ME @ State Theater

July 21 - Albany, NY @ Valentines

July 22 - Baltimore, MD @ Recher Theater

Aug. 18 - Newark, NJ @ Riverfront Stadium (WSOU show)

INCANTATION will be entering the Mars recording compound in late June to begin work on their debut album for Necropolis Records. The as-yet-untitled effort will be INCANTATION's fifth full-length release, and it is tentatively scheduled to be issued in the fall of 2001. According to the group's official web site, 'the new release will be another true to their roots INCANTATION style of punishing death metal. INCANTATION looks forward to working with producer/engineer Bill Korecky, as they have in the past for their previous three studio releases.'

Italian symphonic power metal band SKYLARK are scheduled to release their new album, The Princess' Day, on October 29th. In the meantime, the band are offering for free download a recording of the new track 'Symbol Of Freedom' in MP3 or Streaming Real Audio file format via their official Japanese web site:

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The full track listing for The Princess' Day is as follows:

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01. The Princess' Day

02. I Will Cry Tonight

03. Journey Through The Fire

04. Another Life

05. Rufus (intro)

06. Rufus

07. Symbol Of Freedom(Rufus II)

08. The Tragedy

09. White Warrior

10. Princess Of The Snow (orchestral version bonus cut)

GODHEAD and CROSSBREED will be the support acts for RAMMSTEIN's first US tour in two years, which is scheduled to begin at the end of the month. The complete itinerary is as follows:

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June 29 - Schertz, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

June 30 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre

July 01 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion

July 03 - Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues

July 04 - Hollywood, CA @ The Palace

July 05 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

July 06 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

July 07 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

July 08 - Boise, ID @ Speakeasy

July 10 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium

July 11 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre

July 12 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

July 14 - Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook Farm Musical Arts Ctr.

July 15 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

July 16 - Toronto, ON @ The Docks

July 18 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom

July 21 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club

July 24 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

July 29 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center

GRAND SLAM, the revamped version of Phil Lynott's post-THIN LIZZY band have postponed their appearance at London's Borderline, which was originally scheduled for July 12th, to an as-yet-unspecified date.

WESTWORLD, featuring TNT vocalist Tony Harnell and RIOT guitarist Mark Reale, will be holding a record release party at Don Hill's in New York City on August 1st.

According to Loud magazine, Australia's DREADNAUGHT and FRANKENBOK will kick off their Devastation Vacation national tour on June 29th in Melbourne. The labelmates will be hitting the road around Australia for shows in Melbourne, regional Victoria, Adelaide, Sydney, Newcastle, Perth, Hobart, Launceston and Brisbane.

Norway's ULVER are due to release their Silence Teaches You To Sing EP shortly in a limited run of 2,000 copies via the Jester Records web site (www.jester-records.com). Following its release, the band will reportedly be teaming up with Norwegian visual artist Bjarne Melgaarde for an as-yet-unspecified collaboration.

NICKELBACK have begun the mixing process for their sophomore effort, Silver Side Up, at the Armoury in Vancouver with noted producer Randy Staub (i.e. THE CULT, METALLICA, MOTLEY CRUE). The CD should be completed by June 30th, and the album's first single, 'How You Remind Me', should be hitting the radio airwaves sometime this summer. Silver Side Up is tentatively scheduled for release through Roadrunner Records in September.

Prog supergroup GORDIAN KNOT, featuring former CYNIC members Sean Malone (bass),Jason Gobel (guitar),and Sean Reinert, have replaced guitarist Ron Jarzombek (WATCHTOWER, SPASTIC INK) with former GENESIS guitarist Steve Hackett, who is reportedly recording his parts for the group's upcoming second album, Emergent. The CD is due to be issued through Sensory Records in January.

Holland's XYSTUS have changed their plans and will now be recording a full-length album instead of a mini-CD. The as-yet-untitled effort will likely contain nine tracks, including 'Lost In Misery' and 'The Everlasting Burden', plus other new songs and 'a new ballad', which will probably feature a female vocalist. XYSTUS plan to hit the studio sometime in March of 2002 for a summer 2002 release.

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