06/05/07

OMNIUM GATHERUM Completes Recording New Album
Finnish metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM recently began recording their fourth album at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland with Janne Saksa and SouthEastSounds studio to Karhula with Teemu Aalto.

Commented the band: "All the recordings of the new album are now done and the stuff are in the hands of Dan Swanö at Unisound Studio in [Örebro] Sweden at the moment as he will tweak the living daylight of the stuff and come up with the most powerful sound ever to grace a metal band! The rough mix already sounded a classic, so we'll be sure that we are delivering the goods here with this album!"

OMNIUM GATHERUM last year parted ways with bassist Janne Markkanen and replaced him with Eerik Purdon (Crystal Blaze, Amoral).

The band's latest CD, "Stuck Here on Snakes Way", entered the Finnish chart at position No. 31. The album, which was released on April 2, 2007 via Candlelight Records (one day later in North America), was recorded during November-December 2006 at Southeast Studios in Karhula, Finland with producer Teemu Aalto.

» Omnium Gatherum website
» Omnium Gatherum MySpace


DISTORTED studio report posted online
DISTORTED have uploaded the first part of the studio report from the recordings of 'Voices From Within' at Studio Underground on November 2007. Go here to view it.

View the Distorted ecard here

» Distorted website
» Distorted Myspace


MTV2/Headbangers Ball premieres new video from OBITUARY
MTV2/Headbangers Ball today premieres the new video from legendary death metal band OBITUARY. "Evil Ways" makes its online premiere via the programs popular blog and will make broadcast premiere this Saturday, May 3. The song comes from OBITUARY’s seventh studio album, Xecutioner’s Return, released via Candlelight last year.

"Evil Ways" was directed by outlaw filmmaker Hart Fisher (www.crimepaysinc.com) and filmed at Dan's Bar, a local watering hole in Gibtown, Florida. Vocalist John Tardy commeted to MTV, “we wanted a video that fit what the band is really like and in a location where you might find us having a cool one on any given day. I think the locals and regulars probably thought we were out of our minds, but Dan, the owner, was so cool it didn’t seem to faze him. He actually let us in and left us alone in the bar by ourselves to film.”

Kerrang Magazine notes, "Xecutioner's Return sees OBITUARY on form not witnessed since the early '90s. The distorted sludge and swampy groove that made them one of the most distinctive of death metal's first wave are well and truly intact."OBITUARY’s core of vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy and guitarist Trevor Peres came together in 1984 forming what would become one of death metal’s most successful and respected bands. Releasing the majority of their material for Roadracer, a now defunct division of Roadrunner, the band signed to London-based Candlelight Records in May of 2007. Since album release, OBITUARY have completed tours of Australia, a 5-week European tour and full US tour last fall. The band recently returned from a success South American tour and are now gearing up for an active European summer festival season and another extensive US tour this fall.

» Obituary website
» Obituary MySpace


IHSAHN: New interview on-line
Two years after the release of ‘The Adversary’, his first solo album, former Emperor maestro Ihsahn is back with a new one, ‘angL’. Darker, heavier and more intense than its predecessor, the album sees Ihsahn embrace the furious metallic sound that defined his earlier recorded works, while still indulging in some fascinating musical experiments and paying his respects to the traditional melodies and riffs of old school metal along the way. We spoke with Norwegian metal’s premier genius-in-residence shortly before he unveiled the new material. He took us through the album track-by-track and shared a few thoughts and insights about the songs and what they mean to him on a musical and personal level…[Read Interview]

» Ihsahn website
» Ihsahn MySpace


An addictive mixture of extreme metal, mathematical patterns and the brilliantly subtle implementation of acoustic guitars
Warring Factions is an addictive mixture of mathematical patterns with the brilliantly subtle implementation of acoustic guitars that strongly add to clarity in sound and the sense of threat and disaster. ANSUR combine fast parts with slower parts but complex and eerie ones that are especially stirring when things get twitchy.
Warring Factions is an intense and intriguing record. If ANSUR try and maintain this newfound course without falling into the pitfall of bombast, their future certainly won't look as grim as the world of Warring Factions. Having noticed this, it's almost unbelievable that the members from ANSUR are all still aged below 20 when hearing what they're capable of.
It difficult to place in one particular genre, since their music shows inspirations from a whole bunch of genres and bands. The overall sound is very cold and almost industrial, and the riff-work draws my minds to both newer SATYRICON and THORNS, as well as newer DØDHEIMSGARD or EMPEROR in general. However, the rhythm section tends to drift off into far stranger areas, and some parts almost fall into the technical and progressive metal-category.

» Ansur website
» Ansur Myspace


North Carolina-based DAYLIGHT DIES has issued the following update:
"Time is drawing near to depart for our North American tour with Candlemass. We've made the transition from recording to rehearsing and are busy figuring out setlists and running order. We plan on playing a couple songs off of the new album, 'Lost To The Living', despite the fact it won't be released until shortly after the tour ends (June 24).

"While we most likely won't be able to sell the album during the tour, we've put together a limited single which will only be sold on the tour and directly through Candlelight, and on DaylightDies.com if copies remain after the tour.

"The single is entitled 'A Portrait In White' and will contain the song of the same name from 'Lost To The Living', and two rare demos: 'Lies That Bind' (2004) and 'I Wait' (2001), as well as the 'Lies that Bind' video. The single will be strictly limited to 1,000 copies. Here is the cover of the single. We will also be selling tour shirts with this artwork on tour and may have some available on DaylightDies.com fairly shortly as well.

"'Lost To The Living' is completely finished and everyone couldn't be happier with the result. We hope to share a sample with you before too long."

"Lost To The Living" track listing:

01. Cathedral
02. A Portrait In White
03. A Subtle Violence
04. And A Slow Surrender
05. At A Loss
06. Woke Up Lost
07. Descending
08. Last Alone
09. The Morning Light

May
19 - (US) Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
20 - (US) New York, NY @ B.B. King Blues
22 - (US) Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
23 - (US) Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
24 - (US) Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
25 - (US) St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
28 - (US) Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
29 - (US) Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
30 - (US) San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
31 - (US) Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theater
June
01 - (US) West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky a Go Go
03 - (US) Brickhouse ,Phoenix AZ
04 - (US) Launch Pad ,Albuquerque NM
05 - (US) Scout Bar ,San Antonio TX
06 - (US) Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
07 - (US) Fort Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theater
08 – (US) The Muse, Nashville TN

Source: Blabbermouth.net

» Daylight Dies website
» Daylight Dies MySpace


IXXI sign to Candlelight Records
"The ultimate start of IXXI came in late 2005 when Acerbus and Nattdal decided to set up a line-up aside of their already existing engagements in other bands. Totalscorn joined as vocalist, having known Acerbus for about a decade in the Stockholm underground, Avsky joined on bass and Selin for the drums.
 
The line-up recorded its self-titled debut in the summer of 2006 in Studio Endarker, Norrköping, financed by Swedish indie-label THR (Total Holocaust Records) and technically superviced by none other than Devo Andersson of Marduk.
 
In the summer of 2007 the band was ready to record yet again, but had to swap label to Sigilla Malae of Germany since THR was unwilling and/or unable to keep up with this pace of creativity. The result of the 2007 summer recording was "Assorted Armament", a definate leap forward and crystalization of the potential of the line-up - earning the band broad praise, and finally the concrete interest from Candlelight. Another party unable to keep up was the band's drummer Selin, who saw himself replaced by Smoker on the battery for the second album (basically due to lack of own motivation).
 
In the present, IXXI has signed with Candlelight and is scheduled for a brand new album of gruesome-groove black metal in June 2008, a third time around in Studio Endarker. In preparation of this album, working title "Elect Darkness", the band has also recruited a third guitarist (Talon).
 
In the three years that IXXI has effectively existed, it has gone from being just something on the side for the people involved - overshadowed by the already founded projects of these artists (Ondskapt, Zavorash, Lifelover, Dimhymn etc) - to becoming the focus of said people's ambitions and creativity. The music has evolved from straight black and roll to an original post modern angle of black metal - not bound by any rules or norms, yet ever with the "blackness" in the right place."

» IXXI Website
» IXXI MySpace


GLORIOR BELLI sign to Candlelight Records
GLORIOR BELLI came out from the dark in 2002 with Antares & Infestvvs. The first demo, "Evil Archaic Order" was released in June 2004, followed by the first album "Ô Lavdate Dominvs" in May 2005.

Despite their exquisitely filthy & brutal nature, both records emit a mesmerizing otherworldly resonance that cannot be denied. An omnious rumble & surge. Always moving forward & to various points of tension & terror. Raging guitars, violent drums, blood & blasphemies... There's obviously some bestial qualities in their art. The whole thing though has a strangely melodic bent that helps it to stand out from other black metal records, an almost indie-rock quality to the melodies, somehow super catchy while at the same time being suffocatingly black & grim.

The band has already performed some live rituals, including the Blood Soaked Torment tour with Corpus Christii in October 2005 playing alongside bands like Inquisition, Merrimack, Watain, Hell Militia, Paragon Impure, etc...

» Glorior Belli website
» Glorior Belli Myspace


OCTOBER FILE - Tour with Dead Kennedys announced.
October File will be main support to punk legends Dead Kennedy's in May.

22 - (UK) Leeds, Rio
23 - (UK) Edinburgh, Liquid Room
24 - (UK) Newcastle, Academy
25 - (UK) Manchester, Academy 2
27 - (UK) Bristol, Academy
28 - (UK) London, Electric Ballroom
29 - (UK) Oxford, Academy

» October File website
» October File Myspace s