KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood has posted the following update on the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to this year's "Epica": "I just got back from a whirlwind 3 weeks in Norway and Germany. We have written 5 new songs for the next KAMELOT follow-up to 'Epica'. Here are some working titles that may change on ...
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France's HEAVENLY have set "Dust To Dust" as the title for their third album, due on January 12 through Sanctuary/Noise Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Sign Of The Winner", which is being described by the band as "more heavy metal and more symphonic" than the group's previous efforts, is currently being mixed by Sascha Paeth ...
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German power metallers EDGUY have signed a long-term deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group's first release for the label — an as-yet-untitled EP — will surface in early 2004, to be followed by the band's new full-length studio effort, "Hellfire Club" in March. Singer Tobias Sammet describes the album as the group's "most diverse ...
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Century Media Records have licensed the new CONSORTIUM PROJECT III album for worldwide release. Gaining lengthy experience from fronting activities with acts like HAMMERHEAD, VENGEANCE, ELEGY and also appearing on Arjen Lucassen's AYREON, Ian Parry's third and latest rendition to the realms of symphonic, progressive power metal is realized with CONSORTIUM PROJECT III's "Terra Incognita ...
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ANGRA bassist Felipe Andreoli has issued a statement apologizing for his recent comments about Italian melodic metallers RHAPSODY in the pages of the Brazilian magazine Cover Baixo. In the interview, Andreoli and SHAMAN bassist Luis Mariutti implied that RHAPSODY were nothing more than a studio band and accused the Italian act of relying ...
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Italy's RHAPSODY have slammed Brazil's ANGRA and SHAMAN over the negative remarks made by the latter two groups in the Brazilian Cover Baixo magazine about the relationship between RHAPSODY and their German producer Sascha Paeth. In a posting to their official web site, www.mightyrhapsody.com, RHAPSODY guitarist Luca Turilli writes, "It's since 1997 that ...
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Greek "electronic art metal" act DOL AMMAD have enlisted RHAPSODY's Alex Holzwarth to lay down the drum tracks for the group's full-length debut, "Star Tales", tentatively due before the end of the year. The recordings will take place in August at Sascha Paeth's Gate Studios (RHAPSODY, ANGRA, KAMELOT, HEAVEN'S GATE) in Wolfsburg, Germany. DOL AMMAD ...
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Holland's EPICA (formerly SAHARA DUST), the new group formed by ex-AFTER FOREVER guitarist Mark Jansen, ex-CASSIOPEIA guitarist Ad Sluijter and keyboardist Coen Janssen, are currently filming a video for the title track to their debut album, "The Phantom Agony". "The Phantom Agony" was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the expert guidance of ...
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Veteran German power metallers HELLOWEEN have announced the dates for their forthcoming world tour in support of their recently released "Rabbit Don't Come Easy" album. The trek will be the group's first with new members Sascha Gerstner (guitar) and Stefan Schwarzmann (drums). Upcoming HELLOWEEN tour dates: South America Sep. 11 - Bar Opiniao - Porto ...
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Germany's SUPARED, the new group fronted by former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske, have finally secured a Japanese deal for their self-titled debut. The CD, which has been available in Europe through Noise/Sanctuary Records since late January, will surface in Japan on June 21 via JVC Records. It is not presently clear if the Japanese edition ...
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German melodic metallers EDGUY have set "Mysteria" as the working title for their next studio album, tentatively due in early 2004 through AFM Records. "We'll have some great surprises for you, so stay tuned," EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet wrote on the band's official web site regarding the new material. "Musically it's gonna sound like EDGUY ...
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Ex-HELLOWEEN and current SUPARED frontman Michael Kiske has once again dismissed the possibility of a future collaboration with his former bandmates, saying that a new HELLOWEEN album with his vocals "wouldn't have a real soul." "If I would get back to HELLOWEEN we would NEVER be able to do a really GOOD record because we ...
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Germany's self-proclaimed "Swedish-styled death metal" band FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING have signed a deal with Metal Blade Records. The group, who consist of guitarist/vocalist Stefan Weimar (ex-VENEREAL DISEASE), guitarist Sascha Ehrich (ex-MORTIFIED), drummer Ingo Maier (ex-VENEREAL DISEASE), and bassist Wolfram Schellenberg (ex-DISEMBOWLED), will issue their full-length debut, "Skywards", later in the year. FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING had ...
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TARAXACUM, the group featuring former STEEL PROPHET vocalist Rick Mythiasin, EDGUY bassist Tobias Exxel, drummer Franky Wolf, ex-HAGGARD guitarist Danny Klupp and ROUGH SILK/AXEL RUDI PELL keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, have been forced to cancel their previously announced appearance at Matrix in Bochum, Germany on April 17. According to Exxel, "Our sound engineer and owner of ...
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Brazil's SHAMAN, who feature in their ranks former ANGRA members Andre Matos (vocals), Luis Mariutti (bass) and Ricardo Confessori (drums), will film a live DVD during their performance at the Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 5. The very special concert will feature guest appearances by several internationally-acclaimed metal musicians, including EDGUY frontman ...
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German supergroup RAMMSTEIN are on the verge of splitting up, according to Britain's Metal Hammer magazine. A source close to the band says that "they feel as though they have taken their music/stage show as far as it can go" and are now "looking to pursue other musical projects." Guitarist Richard Kruspe-Bernstein is currently demoing ...
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HELLOWEEN have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Rabbit Don't Come Easy", due on May 5 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album will be released in a jewel case and there will be a limited edition in a very special digipack available, including the bonus track "Far Away". The first single off the ...
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Former HELLOWEEN and current SUPARED frontman Michael Kiske has been tapped to sing on the forthcoming album from AINA, the new project spearheaded by acclaimed German producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, ANGRA, RHAPSODY). Kiske, whose SUPARED debut is due on Jan. 20 through Noise/Sanctuary Records, has laid down his vocals on two of the cuts so ...
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KITTIE will release Safe, a seven-song EP featuring live tracks and remixes of the title song by KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko, on November 19. The original version of "Safe" appears on KITTIE's sophomore album Oracle, released October 30, 2001. "I am totally into doing this remix for KITTIE," said Konietzko. "My own project, KMFDM, has a ...
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RHAPSODY guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli are working on the material for the group's fifth album, which they describe as their "most 'cinema-oriented' album" to date. A summer 2003 release is expected. In related news, Turilli will be releasing a six-track EP, Demonheart, on September 30th as a "foretaste" of his full-length solo ...
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Germany's HELLOWEEN have finally confirmed, via the band's official webmaster, the addition of former FREEDOM CALL guitarist Sascha Gerstner to the group's ranks. Gerstner replaces Roland Grapow, who was dismissed from the band last year. HELLOWEEN are said to be nearly done with the recording process for their much-anticipated new album at singer Andy Deris' ...
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KAMELOT have set Epica as the title of their sixth full-length album, which is currently being recorded at Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro for a January/February release through Noise/Sanctuary Records. According to an official press release, "the new songs contain the KAMELOT sound with an emphasis on a lyrical ...
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Brazil's SAGGA have just finished mixing their new album, entitled Planetude, in Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro (i.e. RHAPSODY, ANGRA, SHAMAN) for a late summer South American release through Louder Music. The CD, which features a guest appearance by former ANGRA and current SHAMAN frontman Andre Matos, will soon be shopped to American ...
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HELLOWEEN are strongly rumored to have selected former FREEDOM CALL guitarist Sascha Gerstner to replace Roland Grapow, who was dismissed from the group last year. The band's revamped line-up is expected to head over to singer Andy Deris' studio Mi Sueno in Tenerife, Spain to begin recording their new album, due in early 2003. In ...
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Melodic metal gods KAMELOT will begin recording their as-yet-untitled follow-up to Karma in two weeks at a private studio in Tampa, Florida, where all the drums will be tracked, before moving over to Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, German for a two-month session with producer Sascha Paeth. A late 2002 or early 2003 release through Sanctuary/Metal-Is ...
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Former ANGRA and current SHAMAN frontman Andre Matos joined ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley and his new band BLAZE at the latter's headlining appearance in So Paulo, Brazil on Sunday, April 7th for a rendition of MAIDEN's "Man On The Edge". SHAMAN recently completed work on their debut album, entitled Ritual, in Wolfsburg, Germany with ...
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Brazil's SHAMAN, featuring former ANGRA members Andre Matos (vocals), Luis Mariutti (bass) and Ricardo Confessori (guitar), have been confirmed for the Vina Rock Espanha 2002 festival, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 27th at Auditorio Municipal in Villarrobledo, Spain. Other artists set to appear at the event include R.D.P. and BARON ROJO, ...
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KAMELOT have resumed the writing process for their as-yet-untitled new studio album, which will reportedly be the band's first concept release to date. Singer/songwriter Khan will be making a trip to Florida in March for the first of several meetings and writing sessions. The follow-up to last year's phenomenal Karma effort, KAMELOT's next CD “will ...
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Brazil's SHAMAN, featuring former ANGRA members Andre Matos (vocals), Luis Mariutti (bass) and Ricardo Confessori (guitar), have set Ritual as the title of their debut album, which is currently being recorded in Wolfsburg, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth for a summer release through an as-yet-undetermined label. In related news, HENCEFORTH, who feature in their ranks ...
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AT VANCE have parted ways with bassist Jochen Schnur “due to personal reasons” and have replaced him with Sascha Feldmann. In other news, AT VANCE have been confirmed for the upcoming RHAPSODY tour, which is scheduled to begin on April 1st. The confirmed dates so far are as follows: Apr. 01 – Pratteln, SWI @ ...
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