VOIVOD - Total Rock reports that former
Voivod bassist / vocalist Eric Forrest is suing the band over injuries he suffered as a
result of a crash in Germany in 1998 which nearly left him paralyzed - Voivod has
announced that they are taking an extended break before thinking about a new album -
Forest is said to be working on new material in a project known as E-Force YNGWIE MALMSTEEN - the guitarist has announced a new lineup that will make its debut on the upcoming South American tour: vocalist Doogie White (Rainbow), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Kiss, Alice Cooper), bassist Mick Cervino (Blackmore's Night) and drummer Patrik Johansson (Stormwind) DIMMU BORGIR - Dimmu Borgir’s latest CD, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, brought together some of black metal’s finest musicians – including Nick Barker (drums, ex-Cradle of Filth), Vortex (bass, ex-Borknagar) and Galder (guitar, Old Man’s Child) – resulting in the band’s most successful release to date. BOLT THROWER - are recording right
now their long awaited new longplayer. The title of the album will be "Honour -
Valour - Pride" and recordings should be finished in the first week of September. The
band records in the Sable Rose Studios in Coventry. The band produces the album by
themselves, together with Andy Faulkner. The band says the direction of the album would be
"total BOLT THROWER", so we should take them by the word and expect a massive
killing longplayer which should be released on the 19th of November, 2001! ANGEL DUST - After an amazing 5 week tour in North America with Nevermore, Opeth and God Forbid, the German power metal act Angel Dust is back home working on the material for their next studio album. The record is titled Of Human Bondage and will present the band in a slightly heavier, more straight-forward direction than last year's successful Enlighten The Darkness. IN FLAMES - the Gothenburg death metallers have landed the opening slot on Slipknot's UK tour ATROCITY - guitarist Tosso has parted ways with the band for "private reasons" DIABOLIC - the death metal act has been picked up by Olympic Recordings THE GATHERING - The band recently emerged from the studio where they've been working hard on the new material. For the moment, 12 songs are being worked upon. In all probability, the band will continue writing new material well into 2001. SAVATAGE / OVERKILL - Overkill's Bobby
Blitz and Savatage's Chris Caffery will be working together GOD DETHRONED - has found a new drummer in Dutchman Ari�n van Weesenbeek, a third year conservatory drummer (Conservatory of Rotterdam) with the speed, power and precision to match "Ravenous" session drummer Tony Laureano. The band is currently rehearsing for the Summer festivals and a series of headliner shows in Holland. A European headliner tour is in the pipeline for October/November 2001, after which a U.S. tour will take place KRISIUN - The group new full-length, Ageless Venomous, was released on August 7th and holy phucking shit are you fans in for another brutal beatdown! Once again the band has delivered an extraordinary album full of excessive speed, inhuman drum bashing and staggering guitar solos. The group recently performed at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and the Milwaukee Metalfest. ANGRA - Vocalist Edu Falaschi, drummer
Aquiles Priester, and bassist Felipe Andreoli have joined founding members, guitarists and
main songwriters Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt to complete the new line-up of
Angra. The band is currently going through a very fruitful songwriting period. There are
several new tracks already completed, plus many others being finalized. They will be
heading into the studio in June to record the effort, with sights set on a late October
release. ARCH ENEMY -the band's tour schedule hangs in the balance as vocalist Angela Gossow has developed nodules in her throat - the vocalist will probably have to go under the knife before she is able to growl again SLAYER -the cover art for the forthcoming 'God Hates Us All' has been deemed unacceptable to display in some major retail outlets so the band has decided to conceal it behind a faux cover emblazoned with four gold crosses on a plain white background - the actual cover art will be revealed piece by piece for 13 days at slayer.net starting 9/28 HELLOWEEN - Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch have left the group - according to the official press release, "it was felt Roland and Uli were paying too much time and attention to their solo projects" - the rest of the lineup is now on the lookout for a new guitarist and drummer THE CROWN - are proud to announce that the new vocalist in The Crown is noone less than Tomas Lindberg (ex-At The Gates). Here�s what guitarist Marko Tervonen has to say: "I hope that this are good news for you, �cause it sure as hell are good news for us...The BEST possible singer next to Johan. We�ll record one hell of an album later this year (most likely during fall). And it will crush EVERYTHING!!! It�s time to dominate the WORLD!!!" CRYPTOPSY - the band has brought in Martin Lacroix formerly of the group Spasme to fill the vocal position BLIND GUARDIAN - German power metal veterans Blind Guardian are nearly finished recording their new album, The music is reportedly a straight progression of Nightfall In Middle Earth and Imaginations From The Other Side, though the band assures that there will be some surprises, of course. At least one song (the longest they have written so far: 13 minutes) will be dedicated to author J.R.R. Tolkien. A release date has not been scheduled for the album yet but stayed tuned for details. SATYRICON - not to be outdone by Cradle of Filth's major label coup, Satyricon has signed to EMI Norway for the Scandinavian Territories EARACHE RECORDS - the label has joined forces with the original founder of Candlelight Records, Lee Barrett, to form a new imprint called Elitist Records - the first band to sing on with Elitist is Italy's experimental black metal band Ephel Duath whose album "Rephormula" is expected in January 2002 ALTAR - drummer Sjoerd Visch has left the group due to his education and the fact that Altar has a heavy tour schedule lined up - Sjoerd will be replaced by William Vliereman (inri) BORKNAGAR - Borknagar finished recording their brilliant new album, Empiricism, in Fagerborg/Top Room studio in Oslo, Norway. The effort will mark the debut appearance of two new band members, bassist Tyr and vocalist Vintersorg (who replaces the departed ICS Vortex), on a Borknagar album. The album features nine songs and have a total running time of around 45 minutes. NOVEMBERS DOOM - Trouble's Ron Holzner will be laying down the bass tracks for the band's next CD - November's Doom will enter Studio One in Racine, WI in October with Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Queensryche, Dokken) MEMORY GARDEN - will play the 2000
Decibel festival on the 19th of May in Bengtsfors, Sweden, which is about 180 km north of
Gothenburg. Other bands on the bill are: Tiamat, John Norum, Therion, Memento Mori (with
Mike Wead from Mercyful Fate and Messiah Marcolin ex-Candlemass), Dismember, Nocturnal
Rites, Transport League, Carnal Forge. CHUCK SCHULDINER-the Death / Control Denied founder was brought to Los Angeles to take part in a trial for a still experimental chemotherapy agent called Vincristine - although the family was assured that the drug is virtually non-toxic in nature, the large dosage which Schuldiner received over the span of five days did indeed poison him causing residual difficulties and weakness which he has been recovering from since - these effects are all considered to be temporary and in fact Chuck is making progress and gaining his strength back day by day - it is believed that Chuck is now receiving follow-up treatments of a related but milder drug in an effort to eradicate any further cancer cells that remain, although the outcome of that treatment cannot be assessed at this time BAY AREA INVASION - Blabbermouth reports that the reunited Exodus, Vio-Lence and Forbidden are tentatively set tojoin forces in a combined package that is going under the moniker Bay Area Invasion - the tour is being put together by Walter Morgan's Deadly Embrace Productions (the people behind the Thrash Of The Titans concert) - according to Morgan, several US and Japanese dates are being planned during the coming months, with the possibility that additionalEuropean gigs will take place at a later time - although unconfirmed at this time, other possible additions to the bill include Death Angel and Legacy IN AETERNUM - the band has parted ways with drummer Jocke Olofsson and guitarist Paul Johansen - the split was amicable - the current lineup includes guitarist / vocalist David Larsson, bassist Andreas Vaple and drummer Peter Andersson BAPHOMET / HOUSECORE - Philip
Anselmo and Killjoy have just purchased the VHS rights to "Last House on Dead End
Street" and will be releasing it through Baphomet / Housecore in the Winter of 2002 |
