BLACK Featuring Members Of BLACK SABBATH, KING DIAMOND, HAMMERFALL: First Music Being Mixed

BLACK, the new project featuring vocalist Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH),bassist Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL),guitarist Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) and drummer Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM, TONY MARTIN),is mixing its first two songs at La Rocque's Sonic Train studios in Varberg, Sweden.

In an interview with Metal-Rules.com conducted earlier this summer, Andy stated about BLACK: "I talked to Tony just a few days ago and what we're doing right now is, like, he's going to redo some vocals for the first two songs and then we're going to send that out as a demo tape to a different few record companies and see if they might be interested in releasing the stuff."

He continued: "I met Tony about a year and a half ago, in Sweden, Gothenburg, and I invited him and Magnus down to the studio, because I wanted them to check out the few songs that I had and they liked that very much. So we decided to do like a cooperation. So I sent to Tony a few songs that he put vocals on, but he wasn't really happy with that, I believe. So he wanted to do it again, but then he was really busy with this other band THE CAGE, an Italian band. I can't remember the guitarist's name right now, but he was really busy with that, and he was busy with many other things, too. So he didn't really have time back then, and while we were playing at the Sweden Rock [Festival with KING DIAMOND], I kind of almost gave up on BLACK, because I thought nothing is going to happen with that. But then I got in touch with Tony again and he said, 'Hey, Andy, I'm ready now. I'm going to send you two new takes of the first two songs you sent me with some vocals.'"

One of the tracks completed during BLACK's initial writing sessions had the working title of "Deathless Soul" and was previously described by Martin as "very dark." However, the singer was quick to point out, "I don't expect it to be completely in that vein."

A photo of Martin, Rosén and La Rocque taken in February 2011 in Sweden can be viewed below.

La Rocque and Rosén previously collaborated in the X-WORLD/5 project, which issued its debut album, "New Universal Order", in North America in November 2008 via Locomotive Records. The group also included PAGAN'S MIND vocalist Nils K. Rue. La Rocque and Rosén were also involved with POWERHOUSE, the Swedish supergroup which included Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on drums, Mats Olausson (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on keyboards and Mikael Ågren (ex-NOSTRADAMEUS) on vocals and guitar.

Martin's last solo album, "Scream", was released in November 2005 via MTM Music. The CD featured legendary drummer Cozy Powell (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE) on the track "Raising Hell" as well as songwriting contributions by another SABBATH member, Geoff Nicholls.