The debut album from BEHELL “Confront Your Worst Fear, We Are Here”' will be released this winter through UK label and distro Supernal Music.

Behell have been honing their black art since 1994 to create a record that unearths the classic blueprint for a genre that is rapidly self-destructing. 'CONFRONT..' gets you in a headlock and drags you screaming back into the moonlit winterforests to study the battleplans carefully.
Fuck drum-triggers, classical instrumentation, and expensive production! This will make you want to strap on leather and steel, crack open a beer, and beg Supernal to press this onto vinyl too!!

Embrace the bleak British winter with some true UK black metal by a band who know how black metal should sound. Where other metal acts hit you like a fun musical 'beatdown', listening to Behell is more akin to being stabbed and pissed on down a dank back alley by a razor thin youth!!

http://www.myspace.com/behell666
http://www.supernalmusic.com

New EKKLESIAST album “...When The Dead Boughs Will Awake From The Dreams” is out now!!

The legendary band from Novgorod, Ekklesiast, returns with their new studio album, the track-list is containing songs from two earlier promos! The band have no previous official releases, only the popular demos "...When The Dead Boughs Will Awake From The Dreams" and "Touch of Snowstorm". The songs were re-interpreted, recorded and mixed in professional recording studio. The new Ekklessiast give life to old tracks and demonstrate their status as one of the best Russian bands in this genre. Internal dramaturgy with external pressure and powerful old doom metal riffs are combined in Ekklesiast's music.

Jordanian dark oriental metallers BILOCATE have unveiled the cover artwork for their forthcoming album, "Sudden Death Syndrome", The artwork was designed by Dennis Sibeijn, who has previously worked with such bands as DRACONIAN, CHIMAIRA and ABORTED.

Commented vocalist Ramzi Essayed: "During the mixing stage, we were working in parallel together with Dennis on the artwork idea and layout. It's ready now with the magnificent work of Dennis. He truly reflected the album spirit and concepts. A special thanks to him from BILOCATE for his efforts and support."

"Sudden Death Syndrome" was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studio in Sweden with producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, BLOODBATH, AMON AMARTH, SYMPHONY X, PARADISE LOST)

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Humans And The Dark Affiliation
02. Blooded Forest
03. The Dead Sea
04. Ebtehal
05. Inoculate
06. Pure Wicked Sins
07. The Stone of Hate

The song "The Dead Sea" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page www.myspace.com/bilocate .

Bogren previously stated about BILOCATE: "BILOCATE takes the qualities from the best epic death metal bands and blend it with their very own Middle Eastern touch, and out comes one of the most interesting metal bands I've heard for a long time You can hear that they put effort and thought in to every note and every scream!"

BILOCATE's Ramzi Essayed recorded the vocals for the new CD at the In the Mix studios with Nash Planojevic, who is known for his work as a monitor engineer for IRON MAIDEN and SAXON.
Stated Nash: "Refreshing, promising and definitely most tight project I ever done so far here in Dubai. On the other hand definitely most demanding task, guys know exactly what they want and that's the way to be!!! Looking forward together with Jens and guys from BILOCATE to open new horizons for the music coming from the region, and proof the fact that the good music lays deep down under the remains of Petra and sand dunes of futuristic Dubai!"

For more information, visit www.bilocate.net.

SVARTAHRID "Malicious Pride" out now!

This is the 4th album by one of Norway’s few elite black metal acts still out there.

This is the follow-up to their highly acclaimed “Sadness and wrath” album (Released through Soulseller Records in 2007), and it shows the absolute excellence these 3 Norsemen can produce! This is the perfect balance of tight riffs, the greatest melodies and the most powerful blastbeats. THIS IS REAL NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL!

Recorded at infamous Akkerhaugen Lydstudio (ao. Emperor, Zyklon B, Red harvest)

GHOULS announces  the imminent release of our debut album, scheduled for the end of October. The album, called 'Until it Bleeds' produced by Giuseppe Orlando in The Outer Sound Studios, contains eight songs of  Evil Perverse Death Metal, and will be released for the Italian Despise The Sun Records.
Visit our page on MySpace.com to listen to preview the opening track of the album, 'Menstrual Vaginal Cry'

Diachell Musik signs with SATANOCHIO

We are proud to announce that we have signed a deal with a great and promising band SATANOCHIO to release their second full-length album entitled 'From Beyond'. Album will contain 10 avant-garde Black Metal opuses... 'From Beyond' Album will be released on the 1st of December 2008 in two versions: regular jewel case edition and highly limited digipack containing a totally different layout. Expect a vocal contribution of Khvost (Dodheimsgard / Code)!

LJÅ’s first works ever will be finally released on CD. This release comes with 4 bonustracks and includes over 50 minutes of raw norwegian Black Metal. It also includes maybe the most remarkable track of the band ever, "Skamslaadte Engler", which also surfaced on their split 7" with Koldbrann back in the days... Pre-orders for the CD is taken now!!! LP also coming later. The "Til Avsky For Livet" CD/LP is still available. www.ljaa.net

After years in the making, the second apocalyptic trance ritual Doom album from THE FUNERAL ORCHESTRA will be complete! "Opium De Occulta" is the name of the album which will be finalized in May, and released as a limited edition jakebox CD in September! A vinyl version is also very likely to be pressed of this one... www.funeralorchestra.com

Funeral Doomers WORSHIP are working on a conceptional trilogy of EPs called "Elemental Doom Trilogy". The first installment will be shipped in June, and canbe preordered today.

Interesting about the trilogy is that each EP focuses on a raw, primal theme, the first being "Wood” and both bands of the split 7" provide a song based on that theme.

The split partner on "Wood" is Persistence in Mourning (USA), known from the Thergothon Tribute CD.

Worship's contribution is "Baumvater", a song written in 1995 by band member Satachrist, constituting the band's first non-cover which was not written by The Doommonger. Who contributed the lyrics, though, partially in German in contrast to their latest release "Dooom". There are other differences too, as EPs allow for more liberty. We might hear some groove and some harder elements as well on this one.

The cover is designed by Gustavo Sazes (www.Abstrata.net), who already received huge praise for his Digipack artwork for "Dooom". The 7" comes in a nice cardboard sleeve. Although label Endzeit Elegies reacted to the speed in which some of the past EPs were sold out, the first EP on Worship's own label will still be limited, and preordering is heavily advised, starting today at their online shop: http://www.EndzeitElegies.com/catalog

Lithuanian extreme black metal legions in emigration are working amain: after a succesful CD split with Argharus last spring, LUCTUS leader Simonas has already prepared a new album, which will consist of eight or nine compositions, thoroughly selected from almost twenty songs created recently. It will be the first LUCTUS full-length album for Ledo Takas. A new work is entitled "Jaučiant Pabaigą Arti" [Feeling The End Is Near], whilst lyrics for the first time are entirely written in Lithuanian. New album topics continue themes already started before: all destroying war, the end of it all approaching, knell for the country, peculiar interpretrations of death, although everything is treated in a more personal and yet more devastating way.

Recordings of the upcoming album are planned for this summer, and in all probability it will happen at a famous Phoenix Studio in Latvia, with Gints Lundbergs at the knobs.

At the moment a new LUCTUS website version is in works too, that shall be revealed soon at www.luctus.net address.

Ukrainian Black Metallers BALFOR are due to enter the Blacklight Studio in Kiev on the 19th of February to begin work on their next full-length album.

Once the album has been recorded, mixing and mastering will be carried out by Boerge Finstad at Norway’s Toproom Studio (Mayhem, Bornagar, Arcturus, Vintersorg, Extol, Ulver, Tristania, etc.) Entitled “Barbaric Blood” the album will be the follow up to the 2006 “Pure Barbaric” MCD which the band released for free download on a net label.

This time the band will be looking for a label to release the album in the conventional way. Commented BALFOR’s founder, guitarist and vocalist Thorgeir “Our previous releases had been conventional, but releasing the MCD on a net label served its purpose very well. We needed to get more exposure and get more people to listen to our music, and for that it was perfect. But we wouldn’t want to go along that route for a full-length album. We still believe the traditional way is the best.”

BALFOR, who play what they define as “Barbaric” Black Metal will, continue to explore the theme of their country’s dark barbaric past, translating it into music that crosses the divides between Black, Death and Battle Metal. The front man went on to say: “I think you could say that up to now all our releases have shown certain musical influences, but the new album is pure BALFOR. We’ve come into our own with “Barbaric Blood”. We are interested in the warrior history of our country and the unquenchable thirst for freedom that you find in oppressed peoples. ANY oppressed peoples. In our music we try to portray that long and bloody struggle, and it’s our tribute to all those who waged that war against seemingly insurmountable odds: the ordinary people who suffered every kind of cruelty and indignity, and the warriors who gave their lives throughout the generations so that we could be free once more. It’s a universal story, and we hope the new album will touch the warrior spirit in all of us”.

Tracks from the "Pure Barbaric" MCD can be heard on the band's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/balforhorde , and the whole MCD, together with artwork and video can be downloaded for free at www.balfor.info

SOL INVICTUS signs contract with Auerbach Tontraeger: The beginning of spring brings good news for all fans of classic Folk noir: Mastermind Tony Wakeford's legendary British band SOL INVICTUS have signed a contract with Auerbach on the group's back catalogue and future releases. "Prophecy Productions/Auerbach is a rarity. A label that has, and deserves, its good reputation. I am very happy that Sol Invictus have found a home here," Wakeford explains his decision to go with the German label, adding, "Now can I have my cat returned to me as promised."
Fans will be familiar with the trademark black humour of the man who after a wild life - as a member of the cult Punk band Crisis and one of the founders of the ever mysterious Death In June, among other things - founded his own project SOL INVICTUS back in 1987. Under the banner of this ancient Roman solar deity, the last 20 years have seen more than a dozen albums charting a musical progression from raw, post-punk Dark Folk to ever more refined arrangements with influences from Early Music, Classical, Ambient, and Jazz. With changing musical collaborators, Wakeford presents in his unmistakable voice pessimistic visions that are equally inspired by ancient myths, modern writers, and deeply personal reflections on (the sorrows of) love and the vanity of things.
Many SOL INVICTUS albums today stand as landmarks of their genre, Tony Wakeford is considered one of the founding fathers of Apocalyptic Folk alongside Douglas P. of Death In June and David Tibet of Current 93. After some of their records have been deleted for years, Auerbach are pleased to present all studio albums by SOL INVICTUS in beautifully done re-editions to fans old and new. His future works will also attest to the fact that Mr. Wakeford hasn't lost his punch and that the original is always better than any copy

ANTIMATTER "Alternative Matter" 2008: An expanded version of ANTIMATTER's rarity compilation "Unreleased 98-03" is set to be released through Prophecy later in 2008. Mick Moss is already keen on this project and looking forward to its realisation: "The tentative title for this is 'Alternative Matter', and if all goes well should be making progress in summer this year. The DVD which is supposed to be included should be fun to compile, there are loads of bits lying around, the more I looked, the more I found."

Additionally the successor of last year's highly acclaimed album "Leaving Eden" is already in the works. Mick Moss: "I have another album burning holes in my head, and this year I'll be slowly sifting through that and refining the songs and motifs in there. The theme this time is the question of sanity in people's actions, and also the things that are likely to drive you to distraction in the modern political and social climate. Once again it's a shade different from the previous album. There's a nice piece of artwork lined up for the release, which I should start recording either the end of 2008 or the start of 2009."

Dagon, founder and front man of veteran UK Black Metallers HEATHEN DEITY, announced today that he will be joining forces with KOLDBRANN drummer Fordervelse to record the second demo for his Experimental Black Metal project FROSTWORK.

When Dagon first started FROSTWORK in 2007 he preferred to remain anonymous, creating much speculation as to who was behind the project, something that caught the front man by surprise. “I honestly did not set out to turn it into a guessing game. I simply wanted FROSTWORK to be judged on its own merits, and not be thought of as a spin off from HEATHEN DEITY”, he commented. “The two are totally separate, and musically bear no resemblance to each other at all. On the day we issued the press release announcing the band, I was stunned when FROSTWORK’S MySpace page went completely crazy, I think on the first day we had over 1,000 listens, with people trying to guess who was behind it. Most people seemed to have opted for Dani Filth, which is quite puzzling really!”

Work on the first demo to be titled “The Rites of Winter : The First Storm”, is nearing completion, and the workaholic Dagon is already writing and planning the second one, which will be recorded partly in the UK and partly at Fordervelses own studio in Norway. “My manager, who manages several Norwegian Black Metal bands and knows the scene well, suggested I ought to take a listen to Fordervelses drumming on the latest KOLDBRANN album, and the minute I heard him I knew I wanted to work with him in some capacity. I wanted to expand the material from the drum machine sound of the first demo, which is great as far as it goes, but I think a real drummer has his own take on things, and aside from giving the sound added dimensions, he can take the music in different directions that you might not have thought of yourself. I contacted him, and he liked what FROSTWORK was doing, so we decided to go ahead. It’s not a problem to record in the two different countries, that’s something I’m doing with HEATHEN DEITY anyway, since two of the members are based in Norway.

“The Rites of Winter : The First Storm” will be released shortly and tracks from it can be heard on FROSTWORK’S MySpace page on www.myspace.com/frostworkuk.

UK Black Metallers HEATHEN DEITY have announced a “new” line up that will both record the forthcoming album, as well as tour live.

“New” however is not quite the right description, as the band welcomes back into its ranks original guitarists Azrael (ETHEREAL FOREST) and Balen, and also drummer Sathan (PANTHEON I, ETHEREAL FOREST, TWISTED AUTUMN DARKNESS). Front man and founder Dagon will temporarily take on bass duties in addition to vocals, until a permanent bass player can be found.

Work is progressing well on preparations for the new album, which had been delayed partly because of Azrael and Sathan’s move to Norway and partly because of an accident that left Dagon, a veteran of the UK Black Metal scene, with a severely fractured ankle, virtually house bound, and barely able to walk for more than a year. Now that he’s fully healed and with two steel plates and four bolts in his leg as a memento, the band are ready to record, and it is anticipated that this will take place both in the UK and Norway.

“It might seem a retrograde step to bring back the original members,” commented the vocalist, “but in this case their leaving was never anything to do with bad feelings or dissatisfaction within the band. Azrael, who has always co-written HEATHEN’s material with me, had to move to Norway to be with his family, whilst Balen had to leave the band because of some personal reasons that he needed to take care of. Sathan had also moved to Norway, and has been very active with PANTHEON I, so it was particularly gratifying that he wanted to work with HEATHEN as well. It’s great to have everyone back together. It feels like we were never apart to be honest.

"It’s true that the accident delayed the album considerably, but I believe that one shouldn’t waste time regretting anything in life, and if this series of set backs had not happened, then this line up would not have been involved, as it’s only now that everyone is free to work together again. This album will be the true essence of HEATHEN DEITY. This time around we are going for a more raw sound than on the previous E.P, and you can be sure that even though some of the band live over in Norway now, Heathen Deity are still the essence of True English Black Metal, and this next release will prove it”.

Anyone interested in applying for the position of bass player should contact HEATHEN DEITY through their MySpace page on www.myspace.com/heathendeity

Warwickshire black metal two-piece, ETHEREAL WOODS have now released their third album through Supernal Music. The album is entitled 'Kenilworth' and has a distinctly Elizabethan theme. For more information visit www.myspace.com/etherealwoods

Inferna Profundus Records will release debut full length album of Polish black metal band ENCLAVE.

Album will be entitled “Paradise Of Putrefaction” and will contain 7 furious black metal hymns with mystic keyboard atmospheres. Debut CD will be released on the 1st of March in co-operation with Nocturnal Woodlands Productions.

CREST OF DARKNESS have just released their first videoclip taken from the new album "Give Us The Power To Do Your Evil" for the song "Druj Nasu". It is a very professional video produced by MONITORMEDIA (Norway) and available on the CD as bonus track

New HEAVY LORD album "Chained To The World" is out now.

Solitude Productions presents brand new (already third in a row) album by the Dutch riff masters of sludge/doom!Contribution of The Void Studio (known from such bands as Celestial Season, Motorpsycho, etc.) where the album has been recorded, mixed and produced made it possible for the band to reach a new level, presenting the listeners amazing and heavy sound.
Compared to the previous record: From Cosmos to Chaos, the music became more brutal and destructive. Presence of mature musical skills, make the band one of the representatives of the genre.
Finally, this release comes with a poster by Interzone.

TREMOR has uploaded a free downloadable track on the myspace site.
www.myspace.com/tremorband
The track, "A Pagan Journey to Impiety" was originally composed and recorded in 1992 by the then 14 year old Tremor mainman Ole Alexander Myrholt but was enhanced and rerecorded November 2007. It will also appear on the upcoming EP "The Poe Sessions" as a bonus.
 

HOUR OF PENANCE - New song posted on myspace

A brand new track entitled "Hideosly conceived" from the upcoming Hour of Penance album " THe Vile conception " has been posted on www.myspace.com/hourofpenance . The Vile Conception will be released via Unique Leader rec. next february 23rd 2008.
 

“En Ny Tid”, the new album from the Austrian band VALFEANOR, saw its release this week on the Black Tower Productions Label. Written by founder member Desderoth, and produced by Gregor Marboe of "Pungent Stench" and "Hollenthon", “En Ny Tid” is the band’s first release. and contains 9 tracks of Epic Black Metal, including haunting melodic instrumentals.

Aside from Desderoth on bass and vocals, the band comprises Anaroth on guitars, Mergol on drums and former VISION OF ATLANTIS keyboard player Christopher Kamper. The band is currently looking to expand its touring line up with an additional guitarist, and a session keyboard player to cover for Kamper, whose commitments make touring difficult for him. Given the complicated bass riffs used by the band, the possibility of using a session bass player is also being considered, in order to allow Desderoth to concentrate on the vocals.

Desderoth himself will take a short break from his VALFEANOR duties to join Black Metallers HELLSAW on their December tour with SHINING and Maniac’s SKITLIV. Commented the bass player “I joined HELLSAW in 2007 and the up-coming tour is something that I am very much looking forward to. With VALFEANOR I can write and play the kind of music that allows me to express my emotions, whilst with HELLSAW I can play the more “traditional” style of Black Metal that is also close to my heart. I can’t imagine doing anything with my life other than playing music, and the prospect of touring with SHINING and of course Maniac himself is pretty much a dream come true for most black metal bands. Maniac’s manager agreed to work with VALFEANOR after hearing our music, so there is that connection already and I’m sure the tour will prove pretty interesting to say the least”.

The band is currently working on material for the next album and will enter the studios in the spring of 2000 to start laying down tracks, but also plan to record a couple of songs in the meantime as a taster. Tracks from “En Ny Tid” can be heard on the band’s MySpace page on www.myspace.com/valfeanor.

Underground Chilean Doom/Death Metal band MAGNA VERITAS (formerly signed with Depression In Black – UK) is finishing the material for its forthcoming split demo with ENDIMION to be released under La Maria Del Tajo Pro Musica… more detail soon.

Possession Productions with a specially exquisite cynicism presents a debut album “Nuclear war for rescue” of Ukrainian Devastating BlacKaos Metal band BALANCE INTERRUPTION.

Strong, rough sound. Excellent industrialized arrangements and truly destructive concept. Perhaps it is the only group from Ukraine which didn’t start to flirt with NS-trends remains faithful to destructive essence of true Black Metal. The group which has pride not to sound as a project recorded “from mother’s bedroom, bow-legged and lame”; which

has faith and respect to its Dark Art.    

Having played dozens of concerts the band shared the stage with MARDUK, KHORS, BEHEMOTH and others though less eminent groups. Now band is preparing mini-tour over Belarus.

“Nuclear war for rescue” is varied but stylistically consistent and exceptionally aggressive Black Metal album.

“There is no avoiding war. It can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy” (Nikkolo Makiavelli)

Russian Black/Death metal band REDRUM is about to release their album entitled "Mephisto Opressor" under the Ukrainian label PaS Records….more info soon.

Norwegian Black Metallers SLAGMAUR, well known for their tendency to knock the hell out of each other while recording, have this time managed to complete work on their new album relatively unscathed; only to find that their argument this time is with their label rather than with each other.

Germany’s Black Hate Productions who recently released SLAGMAUR’s “Svin”, the third and final part of the band’s “Protocols of Fosen Trilogy”, and of which a reviewer said: “Norwegian Black Metal hasn’t seen anything as good as this in a long time!!” has voiced some concern over the General’s ideology as expressed in the forthcoming “Skrekk Lich Kunstler”. It is, apparently, “somewhat unusual”. Discussions are still taking place!

SLAGMAUR’s members have always been reluctant to talk either about themselves, or their music, and no one knows very much about the identity of its creator, the shadowy General Gribbsphiiser, and drummer Lt Wardr and vocalist Aatselgribb. Photos are rare and those that do exist only show the members heavily disguised. The band’s music has been pushing the boundaries of Black Metal, a genre to which SLAGMAUR avow a very strong allegiance, by creating distorted and sinister audio environments, and including surprising elements which challenge the senses on many levels and frequently only become obvious depending on the mood of the listener.

Further information about the band, and tracks from their previous releases can be heard on the SLAGMAUR website at www.slagmaur.com.

The first part (out of five) of the sequel to the acclaimed Norwegian/Swedish documentary "Cult of Aggression", focusing on the Norwegian black metal pioneers MAYHEM, has been posted on the band's official web site, for stream and download. Entitled "Pure Fucking Mayhem", the new documentary was financed by the film's director, Stefan Rydehed, and "will be shown at film festivals around the globe", according to Rydehed. "If any company wants to release it, they can contact me; otherwise it will be released through the Internet".

According to the director, "Pure Fucking Mayhem" covers MAYHEM's history from the early days to the present day and it is a totally new documentary. Included in the film is a brand new interview with singer Attila Csihar, conducted on February 4th, 2007 at the infamous SHINING gig in Halmstad, Sweden. "With the documentary there will also be a soundtrack for it - black metal songs played on piano", Rydehed says.

The original film, "Cult of Aggression", was released in 2002 and received its world premiere in 2004 at the Oslo Filmfestival, where it was shown twice.

"The first documentary about MAYHEM, 'Cult of Aggression', was about their history - mainly about their music, but, of course, if a band has such a bloody history as MAYHEM, you can't [leave] that out of the documentary", Rydehed previously states. "'Cult of Aggression' was mainly with Manheim and Necrobutcher but had a few parts about Dead when I used a voice-over and some folks who lived in Kråkstad when the band had their rehearsal / living place there. The new version of [the film], which will be totally new except Manheim's part, will still focus about the music, events, albums, members and session members and people who have been involved in the scene. So it will be a pretty huge documentary. Still underground!"

DARKTHRONE's Fenriz revealed the following information:

"We record the first tracks for our next album in thirteen days from now, which'll be a Saturday (October 27). My song is called “Hiking Metal Punx”; it has one Mötorhead style riff, one NWOBHM / speed metal riff and also a punk / Iron Maiden style riff. It's the way Puke from Sweden would do it, I guess (check out that band, who are my fave Swedish eighties Punk band). It may be more Punk again, but Ted says he writes more Heavy Metal now. It'll be exciting - for me, at least. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The whole interview can be accessed at www.lucemfero.com/darkthrone102007.php

British underground Black Metal band OLD FOREST have reformed.

Old Forest was originally formed in London (UK) 1998. Consisting of 3 members - Kobold (vocals & synth), Beleth ( bass & guitars) and the mighty Lord Grond (drums & percussion) - the music was reminiscent of and took inspiration from all the best Norwegian black metal from the early 90s (old Emperor, old Darkthrone, old Burzum & old Mayhem).  The music was considered primitive by some.

Old Forest recorded one demo "Of Mists & Graves", before signing to the defunct cult Black Metal label Mordgrimm Records.

The band released their only album "..into the Old Forest..." in 1999/2000. which was released and universally ignored - most notably gaining 1/10 in UK's Terrorizer magazine.  Old Forest then recorded the 2nd album which was never released and then split up as a band.

The members of Old Forest have now decided that they would reform in a time where the true ideals of the underground scene have been totally forgotten, and have vowed to continue their musical crusade against the current trends...

http://www.myspace.com/oldforestofficial

Egyptian artist Nader Sadek has invited Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel), Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, ex-Deicide, Death), as well as Middle Eastern legend Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Miles Jay (ex-Weird Al, Fathy S alama's Orchestra, Liron Peled (Raquy And The Cavemen) and Raquy Danziger to contribute to his multimedia installation "The Faceless" that opens 6th September at Michael Steinberg Fine Art in New York's Chelsea district.

These musicians worked with Sadek to produce a noise experiment moving in and out of independently conceived death metal and Arabic music tracks. This sonic composition accompanies Sadek's uniquely installed drawings which juxtapose the iconographies of death metal and Middle Eastern fundamentalism, which outsiders often associate with darkness, moon worship, and anti-Christian fervour. "The Faceless" startles the audience into rethinking connections between these two frequently misunderstood and villified cultures.

Having grown up a death metal fan in Egypt, Sadek works from the knowledge that the Egyptian state perceived both death metal and religious fundamentalism as threats to its power and legitimacy: death metal rebels against religious and political hypocrisy; piety rebels against a bureaucratic, commercialized, and godless world. Through sound, image, and space, "The Faceless" mingles these cultures in thoughtful, frightening, and uncanny ways.

Says Sadek: "For a while now, I've been interested in exploring what different cultures perceive of as extreme. 'The Faceless' grows out of years of walking the crowded streets of down-town Cairo dressed as a full-on death metal fan (i.e., long black hair, long-sleeve Morbid Angel/Deicide t-shirts, and an overall grungy look). Then, in a sort of twisted reversal, I decided to walk the streets of New York's Times Square in the black garb of a fully veiled woman. The intense reactions I got in each case confirmed for me the potential of this project. Those experiences inspired me to channel the popular paranoid fantasy in which the fully veiled woman is wrought from a dark death metal world, full of serpents, skulls, demons and dark mountains. I hope that by reflecting back to the audience their paranoid fantasies, which totally oversimplify the reality of Middle Eastern and death metal culture, that my work will get them to question their own prejudices and sense of the extreme."

The doom metal band DESOLATE WAYS had anoter line-up change. The drummer Ricardo Giordano left the band to dedicate his time to other musical projects. After several tests with other drummers they decided that the best option was to call Igo Menegaz, who returns to the band as the bassist Rodrigo Fernandes did last year.

About theis change the guitarist Elizeu Hainzenreder says: "We are very satisfied with the return of Igo as Desolate Ways' drummer. We are a band which has the luck that all the members were are childhood friends, it makes us a real family. The concerts to promote Tearful will continue untill the end of the year, when we will concentrate on the new album."

SLAGMAUR, one of the most original and mysterious of Norway’s recent crop of Black Metallers have released their latest album “Svin” on Germany’s Black Hate Records. “Svin”, previously released as a demo, forms the first part of the “Three Protocols of Fosen Trilogy”, and marks it’s completion - the other two parts, Skrekk, released in 2006, and Domfeldt, which included a track from APTORIAN DEMON’s Ghash, released earlier this year.

Know one knows much about the identity of the band which, aside from it’s creator General Gribbsphiiser, includes Lt Wardr on drums and Aatselgribb on vocals, and the only photos to have been made public have the members bewigged and heavily disguised. Rarely do they give interviews although they have been known to get a little heated with each other in the studio, and wreak a certain amount of havoc.

The music has been described as “twisted and sinister” and defies categorising. The band purposefully arrange the sound in a distorted audio environment, layer upon layer, in order to challenge the listener to separate the different elements that Gribbsphiiser imbeds into the compositions - the differing moods of the listener bringing different elements to the fore.

“Svin” comes in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, in a six panel DigiPak and an 8-page colour booklet, with Norwegian artist Robert Høyem having produced all the artwork. The first copies ordered will come with a special “church burning” matchbox as a tribute to the origins of Black Metal, the sound of which the band all grew up with and most admire. Tracks from the new album, and as well as from others, can be heard on the band’s website at www.slagmaur.com.

Former MAYHEM vocalist Maniac has recruited SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth to the ranks of his Doom Black Metal band SKTILIV - as guitarist for recording purposes. A big fan of Skitliv, to the extent that he has the band’s name tattooed on his arm, Kvarforth has already laid down guitars on several tracks and also plans to play live with the band whenever his commitments to SHINING will permit.

Commented Maniac “SHINING is, and always will be, Niklas’ priority, but recording with SKITLIV is no problem for him, and whenever the opportunity arises, he will join us on stage. Niklas is a real artist and an incredibly skilled musician; something people tend to ignore because all they ever seem to be able to focus on is the hype surrounding SHINING. His dedication to his music is extraordinary and working with him, and watching him create, is both a pleasure and an education. He has come up with some amazing riffs for SKITLIV, which have added a whole new dimension to the music”.

In a move that will surprise many who bought into the rumours that there is no love lost between Maniac and Attila Csihar, current MAYHEM vocalist, Atilla, has joined former MAYHEM vocalist Maniac to record vocals for a track on the debut album from Maniac’s new band SKITLIV. Commented Maniac “Contrary to what a lot of people either say or believe, Atilla and I are actually very good friends, and always find rumours about how we are supposed to resent each other quite amusing”.

 Maniac said: “Amfetamin” started life as a pretty disturbing piece of music to begin with. Once Niklas joined in it became even more so, and now that Atilla has added his vocals, it’s taken on yet another dimension; his voice is used almost as an instrument”.

SKITLIV will be touring with Japanese all-girl band GALLHAMMER in the autumn, with dates already confirmed in Norway, Denmark, Germany and Belgium. A new raw, un-mastered version of “Amfetamin”, with Atilla’s vocals added can be heard on the official SKTILIV myspace page at www.myspace.com/skitliv777

Disarmoneous, founder member and creative force behind Brazilian Black Metallers IMPETUS MALIGNUM has reformed the band with new members Mortiferous (bass), Impious (drums) and Perversus (guitars), and has posted a new video, as well as three tracks available for download, on the band’s official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/impetusmalignum

 
The video, for the ‘Condemned Soul’ track from the forthcoming album “When Darkness Devours the Light”, is one of several Disarmoneous has been working on during the band’s recent hiatus, and it is hoped that once a label has been found, the videos can be incorporated into the album release in some way.

Aside from vocals and guitars for IMPETUS MALIGNUM, Disarmoneous is also front man for the Death Metal band LUCTIFERU, but he makes it very clear that his priority is bringing IMPETUS MALIGNUM to a larger audience: “It’s time for us to try and break into Europe, and I’m aware of the challenge this poses. There is a very blinkered outlook towards anything in the Black Metal genre that doesn’t come from Scandinavia. It’s not all that easy for European bands either, which is a pity because at the end of the day any band should stand or fall on its musical merit, regardless of where it comes from. But I believe that the band is now ready for the challenge and I’m certainly driven enough to try”.

HOUR OF PENANCE has just finished the songwriting of their forthcoming album entitled "The Vile Conception" out this fall for Unique Leader rec. The band will enter the 16th cellar Studio in Rome next july the 10th, with Stefano Saul Morabito as producer to record 10 new songs of insanely fast and twisted death metal. Here's what Giulio , guitarplayer and main compositor of the band stated :

"We worked very hard together during these months to bring you the best material we could achieve . What you will hear in the new album is the material of a renewed band, this time each member of Hour of Penance has contributed to give his best to the songs. The ten songs you will hear in the new album are simply the fastest , most brutal and tecnical songs ever written by the band. We're more than excited to enter the studios and record this heavy stuff!"

Artwork will be handled by mr. Par Olofsson so expect a killer piece of art! Preview of the artwork and complete tracklist will be announced soon as well , so keep your eyes open."

English label Todestrieb has released first album of Lithuanian one man ambient/black metal band “Altorių Šešėliai” (ALTAR SHADOWS)] called "Margi Sakalai" [Speckledy Falcons]. Album consists of 10 songs which has unique atmosphere, poetic feeling, acoustic interludes and original female vocal parts. Album has 8 page booklet, is professionally printed and has marvelous design by Vandenis (http://vandenis.projektas.lt/). You can get the album directlty from Todestrieb (http://www.todestrieb.co.uk/releases/Altar+Shadows/) or its distribution partners.

Norwegian extreme metal band ARCTURUS has posted the following message on its web site:

"A lot of rumours have been going around after our gig in Melbourne. Simen [Hestnaes, a.k.a. ICS Vortex; DIMMU BORGIR, ex-BORKNAGAR, LAMENTED SOULS] opened the concert with the words 'Welcome to the last ARCTURUS show ever.' This is a decision we made some time ago. We all have a lot of things going on in our carreers and our lives, and therefore cannot find the time to continue working with this band.

We are humble and grateful to all the people that have supported and loved us over the years."