Aussie tech metallers FIVE STAR PRISON CELL have posted a preview track from their forthcoming “Slaves of Virgo” album, entitled “Obtuse: The Essence of Indifference“, at their MySpace page. The CD was produced by dw Norton at Back Beach studios in Rye, Victoria, Australia and is scheduled for release in early February through and Faultline […]

MASTERPLAN members Uli Kusch (drums) and Roland Grapow (guitar; both ex-HELLOWEEN) have started the recordings for the band’s third album. According to a posting on Kusch‘s web site, a replacement for singer Jorn Lande, who announced his departure from the group in early May, will be confirmed soon. The band’s final show with Lande took […]

According to a posting on the IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com, EMI Finland has announced that the new IRON MAIDEN album, “A Matter of Life and Death“, has sold more than 13,000 copies within just a few hours of its release on Friday (August 25) — just shy of that country’s official gold certification sales […]

HOLY MOSES have posted the following update at their official website:“Dear Holy Moses friends,Unfortunately, we have to let you know that our bass player Ozzy had to go into a psychiatric clinic unexpectedly. As soon as Ozzy will be back on his feet, he will be back in the band again, but for now we […]

WITHIN CHOKING RANGE‘s 2005 debut EP, “Most People Just Die“, has been made available for download in its entirety on the band’s MySpace profile. WCR put out the CD themselves (on their own label, Beserkfaced Records), limited to 1,000 copies, most of which have already been distributed. With that in mind, they made the decision […]

MANOWAR will release a new single, “The Sons of Odin“, on October 6, followed by a full-length DVD containing the historic Earthshaker Fest 2005 performance on November 10. “The Sons of Odin” will be available in two different versions — a jewelcase edition and a “special edition six-flap digipack” featuring a bonus DVD. Die bonus […]

Florida-based death metallers OBITUARY shot their first-ever live DVD shoot last night (Thursday, August 24) at the Stodola Club in Warsaw, Poland. The group’s setlist was as follows:01. Intro: Rain02. Redneck Stomp03. On The Floor04. Insane05. Chopped In Half06. Turned Inside Out07. Dying08. Intro09. Internal Bleeding10. Back To One11. Find The Arise12. Back Inside13. Threatening […]

Vitamin Records has set an October 10 release date for “Scorched Earth Orchestra Plays Metallica’s Master of Puppets“, an orchestral tribute to METALLICA‘s classic 1986 album.“Master of Puppets” came out in the spring of 1986 and was METALLICA‘s first gold album and mainstream success. It featured staples of the band’s live set such as “Battery“, […]

On September 12, 2006, Escapi Music — home to BODY COUNT, DIRTY RIG, WARRIOR SOUL, CACTUS, MAHAVATAR, DISSECTION and THE CARMINE APPICE PROJECT — will release the debut recording of KOTTAK (formerly KRUNK), entitled “therupy“.Fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jimmy Ratchitt, who, in another life, as James Kottak, drummed for KINGDOM COME and, for the last 10 […]

Groundbreaking Japanese act SIGH entered the studio today in Japan to commence work on its seventh album, titled “Hangman’s Hymn“, due out in 2007 on The End Records. The band will be working with engineer Takamichi Osada at Studio Moopies and will produce the album themselves.About the new album, SIGH frontman/leader Mirai Kawashima says, “It’ll […]