News June/July 2003

Friday July 25th 2003

Less than a month to go for the next album from Stretch Arm Strong. One of the songs on the album entitled Engage is Devil Shoots Devil and you may want to download it from MP3.com.

The video for Infected from Demon Hunter will debut this Saturday on Headbanger's Ball in the USA. Infected was also spun on M2's Extreme Rock show two days ago. If you can't wait till Saturday, check out the video on MP4.com.

7 Hours Later has been chosen as the opening act for the west coast leg of
the Stryper 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour in support of their new CD 7 on Hollywood Records. 7 Hours Later guitarist Lynn Edward Glezen: "This is an absolute dream come true. We've been working on this for months, and now that it's official it's such a killer feeling!! We can't wait to get out and do this!"

The upcoming album from Petra is Jeckyl & Hyde on Inpop Records. You can download the title-track from the label's website.

Friday July 18th 2003

The guys from Blindside will be back in the studio to record a new album. Title for the new record is About A Burning Fire and it will be produced by Howard Benson. Blindside: "We are all very excited about this new record and the new opportunities it will bring. We have learned so much over the last year of touring and playing live, and we feel inspired by so many of you to make this record more than we can even imagine right now."

It's the band's intention to have the new album out this year. Also coming up is a full length DVD recorded at the Cornerstone Festival. This release will also include behind the scenes footage.

Speaking of DVD's, Threshold are currently in the Thin Ice Studios to mix the audio for their upcoming DVD and double live CD Critical Energy. The DVD will be mixed in 5.1 surround sound and will include a video documentary. The concert was recorded on June 6th at De Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Holland.

Side Walk Slam and Hangnail have a new split CD out. It contains two songs from both bands.

Drottnar will have their brand new EP Anamorphosis released in a few weeks on Momentum Scandinavia. Momentum Scandinavia is a new label that released The Defeat Of Satan from Antestor earlier this year.

Another upcoming DVD contains unreleased drum solos of Ted Kirkpatrick. This DVD is scheduled for release on September 1st. This DVD will contain additional footage like some rare archive footage of Ted's drumming before Tourniquet and some never before seen footage of drum tracking for Where Moth And Rust Destroy.

Five Iron Frenzy is calling it quits!  This fall they will head out on their farewell Winners Never Quit tour.

If you like black metal, you may be interested in downloading eleven songs from Sorrowstorm on their MP3.com page. Their Funeral Oath EP is sold out now. All three songs of this EP are available for download as well.

The title for the new single from Disciple is Wait. You can find this song on their MP3.com page.

Friday July 11th 2003

Mortification will be recording a new album at the end of the year. Expect an album that will be more in the death metal/grind vein, with hints of power metal and thrash. Steve Rowe: "I guess somewhat similar to Post Momentary but more Brutal." The release date will be in March 2004.

Jacks Of All Trades finally found a replacement for singer J-Blast. The new singer is Simo Ruuskanen. The band is currently rehearsing with him and working on new material. As soon as they're ready, they will re-enter the studio.

Elegant...And Dying is out now in the USA through The End Records. The release date for this new album from Virgin Black in Europe is July 28th (through Massacre Records) while a release date for Australia (through Extreme Noize) is yet to be set.

THT Productions released Introduce Us To Immortality of Kekal. This is the first best-of album from this Indonesian band. The disc contains 13 songs, filling 67 minutes.

The German power metal band Seventh Avenue is still in search of a bassist to replace Geronimo.

Calibretto 13 released Dead By Dawn, their new EP.

The Brazilian band Shaphal finished their new album.

The Spirit That Guides Us will do their last gigs to support The Sand, The Barrier in July and October. Right after the last show they will head back into the studio to record their next full length.

The British band Bloodwork have two new tracks available to download. You can listen to Bloodshed and Yet I Walk. You can find those songs on their MP3.com site as well. Bloodwork will be working towards an album by the end of the year.

Friday July 4th 2003

Blindside will be playing at the special July 4th celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Cornerstone Festival. Interestingly, Blindside will be filming and recording this show for release. They promise to play with "just that little bit more energy". Expect special announcements from stage and a few surprises.

One of the new releases on Melodic Mayhem Music is It's About Time from 7 Hours Later. This album features Jamie Rowe on vocals on the songs Distracted, Perfect and Resist. The song Perfect features Stryper drummer Robert Sweet as well.

Figure Four shot a video for Kill And Deceive at this year's Cornerstone Festival. Kill And Deceive is one of the tracks on their upcoming record Suffering The Loss.

You can help the hard rock band Stairway in an online contest. Vote for them at Aor Dreamzones in their contest of unsigned bands this month!

Friday June 27th 2003

Dust Eater Dogs released a new album. It's called Hardbiters Inn. According to singer/guitarist Benny Majabacka you can classify the music as southern hardcore folk.

As some may have heard, singer/guitarist Ben Moody of Evanescence had health problems on the European tour leading to his collapse during a show in Spain. This led to the cancellation of their show in 013, Holland. Better news from the band is that their album Fallen has been certified double platinum in the USA!

Facedown Records' band This Runs Through has a new mp3 posted on MP3.com. This is one of their two new songs will be on the Facedown summer sampler CD.

Also Life In Your Way has two new mp3's posted. They are from their new album The Sun Rises And The Sun Sets, And Still Our Time Is Endless. This record will be out on July 29th through Indianola Records.

Friday June 20th 2003

This week the sad news was published that the Dutch rock band Beam has decided to quit. Even though the recording of a new album was in an advanced state, the four members of the band decided it was time to cease all activities due to musical differences.

Tooth & Nail Records announced the signing of Spoken. The band recently recorded their Tooth & Nail debut in Vancouver, British Columbia with Garth (Rage Against The Machine, Mudvayne, Chevelle). The new album is A Moment Of Imperfect Clarity and it will be out on September 2nd. You can download one of the songs on MP3.com called Promise.

Deep South Entertainment announces the 2003 Stryper Reunion Tour, the band's
first nationwide performance junket in more than 12 years. The tour, starting in early October, will run across the United States and encompass approximately 30 concerts. While there is no officially scheduled release for another Stryper album, there are talks and a strong possibility for a Stryper live album and/or DVD recorded throughout the upcoming tour.

A new band on Massacre Records is Harmony. Their album Dreaming Awake is power metal in the vein of Narnia.

A new record label is Roxx Records. They released a limited edition live CD from Oil. The album is called Choice Cuts Off The Chopping Block and features a live show in Downey, California, USA. There are also two new studio tracks on this record.

Bushbaby is going back into the studio this month to record some new songs.

Here's your chance to hear a song from the upcoming live album from The Juliana Theory. A song was released on MP3.com. The album was recorded on October 13th 2001 at Club Laga, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The song you can download is Duane Joseph.

On July 8th 2003 the new album from Figure Four will see the light. This album, Suffering The Loss, will be out through Solid State Records. You can now download one of the songs from it on MP3.com. The song is called Kill And Deceive.

Friday June 13th 2003

Project 86 is writing for a new EP. This CD will be available through their website only. Project 86 will be recording five songs for release later this summer. It will come at an affordable price.

Since 1995 Kekal released four full-length albums. Now the band will release a best-of album called Introduce Us To Immortality. The album will contain digitally remastered songs as well as two previously unreleased tracks. This CD will not be available from European distributors until the end of 2003. In the meanwhile Kekal will make it available through their own mail-order and THT Productions.

One-21 are in the studio recording their new album Grenade. Release date is October 14th.

Life In Your Way recorded a new album called The Sun Rises And The Sun Sets...And Still Our Time Is Endless. It will be out on July 29th through Indianola Records.

On MP3.com there's a new song from Beloved available for download. Death To Traitors is a song from their upcoming album Failure On.

Tooth & Nail Records signed a new band: Fighting Jacks. This band from San Jose, California, USA, just recorded their new album. Fighting Jacks is said to be in the vein of Foo Fighters and Rival Schools. Their debut album The Dying Art Of Life will be out this fall. The album was recorded with Sylvia Massy (Tool, System Of A Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Friday June 6th 2003

Last week you could read in this column that Swirl participated in the Heineken Award contest. This is a talent search in the Dutch province Gelderland. Well, Swirl won!! In the very thrilling finals this Dutch rock band won from the other bands. With this victory Swirl will be invited to several Dutch summer festivals, including Huntenpop.

In April Side Walk Slam recorded their new full length album for Tooth & Nail Records. Title: ...And We Drive. It was recorded with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at the Blasting Room studio. The release date is set for September.

The Dutch black metal band Slechtvalk is looking for a stand in guitarist. Because of a wrist injury that guitarist Ohtar is suffering from, they need someone to take his place for live shows. More information can be obtained via: info@slechtvalk.com

Michael Sweet is still working on his hymn record. Throughout this month he's recording at the Mixed Emotions studio with producer Kenny Lewis. When Michael returns from the Stryper tour he will make the disc available.

Speaking of Stryper, they will tour in August. However, there are no plans to officially reunite. Michael Sweet still plans on continuing his solo career.

The Agony Scene will release its self-titled debut on June 10th. Their song We Bury Our Dead At Dawn has hit #1 on MP3.com's metal-core charts. Another song was added to the band's MP3.com page. It's called Habeas Corpus.

Angelskin Media will release Volume II in the Doxology series of hardcore band xDisciplex AD. This record will be called Benediction and it will feature the out of print album Imitation Of Love and No Blood, No Alter Now as well as some rarities. Benediction will be out on July 1st.

Celldweller is well received in the Film/TV/Video Game world: Both Switchback and Symbiont are featured in the new Enter The Matrix video game that was released on May 15th; The Last Firstborn, One Good Reason, One Little World and The Stars Of Orion are licensed for the futuristic motorcycle racing game XGRA; Dimension Films licensed So Sorry To Say for the film Mindhunters that's scheduled for early 2004 (featuring LL Cool J and Val Kilmer); Frozen was licensed for the pilot of the new show Out Of Order on Showtime; Stay With Me and I Believe You are licensed for two episodes in The Twilight Zone; The Last Firstborn, Stay With Me, Welcome
To The End, Switchback and Frozen are licensed for the new Steven Seagal film Our For A Kill; Switchback is licensed for the Warner Brothers' show Black Sash.

The Dutch black metal band Verdelger is no more. However, a new band was started called Borgazûr. The line-up is Knight Ilithrir on guitar, bass, keys and vocals, and Priest Lethrir on drums. On May 17th the band entered the studio to record a three song demo which Sneeuwstorm Produkties will release. Title of the demo: Het Tranendal Verlaten.

Another new black metal band is Melchizedek from Latin America. The band consists of Baruch on vocals and guitar, Abner on drums and Barnabas on guitar. Their first demo CD will be called Eterno Sacerdócio. It will contain seven songs plus a bonus track.

Former Balance Of Power vocalist Lance King can be heard on the new album from Shining Star. This Brazilian band will release their record soon.

For some time As I Lay Dying was #1 on the metal charts of MP3.com. However, they are pushed from the throne with the most downloads by The Death Campaign. You can download the tune The Knife from their MP3.com page. The Death Campaign is currently on tour with... As I Lay Dying!

On June 24th The End Records will release Elegant... And Dying by Virgin Black. The album contains nine tracks including Adorned In Ashes, Velvet Tongue, Cult Of Crucifixion and The Everlasting. You can already download the song And The Kiss Of God's Mouth Part II here.

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