Mini-site For Upcoming New Bloodbath Album Launched

The new Bloodbath minisite for latest album The Fathomless Mastery is now unleashed, to coincide with the October 6th (Europe) & October 28th (North America) release of this latest slab of brutality.

The minisite feature album information, downloads and much more. We also give you the chance to check out the world premiere of two complete audio tracks; ‘Slaughtering the Will to Live’ (currently up on the minisite) and the unholy anthem ‘Mock the Cross’ (currently streaming on Bloodbath’s myspace). The streamed song selections will possibly be changed weekly up ’til the release date, so keep checking back in.

Visit the minisite now by clicking HERE and visit Bloodbath’s myspace by clicking HERE.

Taken from Bloodbath.biz

The Katatonia Season

Here is some Katatonia news that may have been over-looked by some of you!



THE KATATONIA SEASON

We can hear many question….

"Why is there no new Katatonia album out by now???"

And you might rightfully think so, our 8th album (and the last in the contract with Peaceville) should have been done and put out "ages ago" if things would've gone according to plan… It's crazy how fast time goes by these days and that doesn't help us much when inspiration runs dry. We've been meaning to enter the studio on many occassions already since two years back and I think we ended up cancelling booked sessions twice. Although it worked successfully every time in the past, it just got us stressed out and pushed us into a phase of writer's block. From this we learned we better not book anything in advance as it stands, but focus on completing 100% of the material, be perfectly happy with what we got and first then hit the studio.

It seems we might pull things together for maximum devotion this time as all current and previous distractions are now gone. The Summer festivals are over and the level of live gigs for the next months are put to a minimum and Bloodbath - our Death Metal sideproject's new album is done too (to be released on October 6th, check it out or all our hard work was for nothing hah!).

So what about the music? Bits and pieces have been collected ever since The Great Cold Distance came out. It's just that we've been trying too hard, been thinking too much about the sound and direction. How can we top this and how can we change that. We've been stumbling around offroad looking for the answers and it ended up being a long walk. We don't find it meaningful to trace your own footsteps back from where you came, but we rather find the first nearest exit to the same road up ahead where we're at to get back on the map again.

I wont give away any hints just yet about how it will sound, but we hope to give you more light on the progress of this untitled embryo as we get closer. What's certain is that we've found a good equation to work with now and that my friends is that it's all about the 8th studio album and the autumn. Here comes the Katatonia season…

Taken from katatonia.com/

Spineshank Re-unite

This is probably old news to some of you. I had heard rumours that the mighty Spineshank had re-united, but only discovered their Myspace page, and this press release on there, today.

So this is the press release they posted up on their Myspace page the other week:

"After 5 years of silence, The Grammy nominated Spineshank have reunited. Original Members Jonny Santos, Tommy Decker, Mike Sarkisyan, and Rob Garcia, have been working on a new record. The band has completed 5 songs and plan on writing about 15 more before they start recording their new album. "All the bad blood and differences that led to the break up have all been put behind us" says drummer Tommy Decker. "It feels right again, were not being pressured to write a single or look a certain way, were doing it because we want to". Vocalist Jonny Santos continues, "I think splitting when we did might have been a good decision. We were at a high point in our career, we ended it on our owns terms." Spineshank played its last show to a sold out London Astoria at the end of the Roadrage tour in 2003. The band was nominated for a Grammy for the best metal performance that same year."

I saw them on that tour, in Glasgow, and they were absolutely brilliant live! Was sad to hear they had split, so I'm pretty happy to see they've got back together!!!

Make sure you add them to your friends on Myspace, here's the link: www.myspace.com/spineshank

Psycroptic OB(SERVANT)

Australia's own death metal elite, Psycroptic, are set to release their latest album Ob(servant) today in Europe, and October 14th in the USA, and October 18th in their home country. Shortly after the album's release, the band will embark on an extensive Australian (and New Zealand) tour, covering most of the country for 2 months. The dates are as follows:

30 Oct Branningan’s Gold Coast
31 Oct Rosies Brisbane
1 Nov The Sands Tavern Maroochydoore
6 Nov Sodens Albury
7 Nov The Gaelic Club Sydney
8 Nov Freshly Plucked Festival (All Ages) Orange
13 Nov Al’s Bar Christchurch
14 Nov Valve Wellington
15 Nov Oblivion Auckland
20 Nov The Pub Bendigo
21 Nov The Karova Lounge Ballarat
22 Nov The National Hotel Geelong
28 Nov Fowlers (All Ages) Adelaide
29 Nov The Old Jail (All Ages) Mt Gambier
5 Dec Brisbane Hotel Hobart
6 Dec Saloon Bar Launceston
7 Dec Brisbane Hotel (All Ages) Hobart
11 Dec Players Nightclub Mandurah
12 Dec Amplifier Bar Perth
13 Dec Leederville HQ (All Ages) Perth
18 Dec Home Tavern Wagga Wagga
19 Dec The Basement Canberra
20 Dec Hi Fi Bar Melbourne

Following this tour, Psycroptic well then head over to Europe and do a run of shows with Black Dahlia Murder, Cephalic Carnage and Sylosis. Full details on these shows can be found on the band's Myspace page by clicking www.myspace.com/psycroptic.

Australian Tour Flier
Click to enlarge

CD Review: "Shogun" by Trivium

Trivium have been through a hard time since the release of The Crusade, which was in some peoples view a mish mash of James Hetfield vocals and rehashed Metallica riffs. I could argue the pros and cons of that, but let me get straight to the point here. Shogun is not a Metallica Tribute album. Gone is the overuse of the Hetfield vocals - mostly, ranging from crushing metal growl to Ember to Inferno-esque melodies. I would actually go as fat to say Heafy's vocals have inproved and the musicianship is a hell of a lot tighter.

Although Insurrection has a hint of Metallica to it, it is still Trivium at their best. While the delivery of the line "it is I that sponsers fury, Torches ignite" is classic Hetfield, I'm not gonna hold that against Heafy, it's one of the only places I spotted Hetfield creaping into the vocals again. We see Heafy getting back to what he did on Ascendancy, but with a little more control to his voice.

The solo work and fret massage that takes place on this album is amazing. Standout tracks for this are Insurrection, Of Prometheus And The Crucifix and the title track Shogun. 3 tracks that would have many a metal fan hungry for more. The latter being a little over long at times, but it showcases the bands full use of metal riffs and melody.

He who spawned the furies is another exmaple of classic Trivium. This track would not be out of place on Ascendency. It is such a catchy track that I can see the kids either go mental in the pit or press themsleves against the barrier screaming this one back in Heafy's face.

My main concern is the repetitiveness that appears in places on this album. For example, Throes Of Perdition, Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis & The Calamity have the same sounding intro. A little quick picking fretworked intro. Nice, but no need to overuse it. Still, this does not take away too much from the album as a whole.

Other than that I feel this album may actually win over some Trivium detractors and call some of the wayward old school fans back to the flock. It mixes the best bits from Ascendancy and The Crusade with the end result being a solid album. Almost a full return to form. (8/10)

Shogun is set for release in the UK on September 29th. Check http://www.trivium.org/ for other release dates.

For a limited time you can hear the whole album for free on the bands Myspace.

Defenders Of The Faith 2

If you loved Defenders Of The Faith, then be prepared, because Metal Hammer have announced a second helping! Yes, next year there will be a Defenders Of The Faith 2!

This time around the co-headliners will be Lamb Of God and Dimmu Borgir! They will joined by Five Finger Death Punch and it appears another act, who will be announced shortly.

The dates for this megatour will be as follows:

11 Feb - Bristol Academy
12 Feb - Birmingham Academy
13 Feb - Manchester Academy
14 Feb - Brixton Academy
15 Feb - Glasgow Academy

First Acts for Wacken 09 Announced!

Next years Wacken will be the 20th Anniversary of the festival, which is pretty exciting in itself, but they have already started announcing some of the bands who will be playing in 2009!

The first two bands announced are:

Machine Head
Cathedral

Excited? I am!

CD Review: "Love and other Disasters" by Sonic Syndicate

Being relative new kids on the block, 2 albums in the space of 2 years after so much touring is a good trick to pull off. The question is, has this speedy output damaged the goods? I would say No, but others may disagree.

Love and other disasters is a prime example of a modern take on the "Gothenborg Sound" (also known as Melodic Death Metal). With bands like In Flames getting mellower with age, the sound they helped create was in no doubt going to get a little shake up. Sonic Syndicate may make the genre more accessible to newcomers, but they in no way dilute its key elements.

Songs like Jack of Diamonds and Power shift are stand out tracks that showcase MDMs classic use of harmony and screaming vocals. With chugging guitar riffs played along side melodic synths. Sing-a-long choruses are always a plus and this album has plenty to choose from. One song that sticks out above all others is the ballad-esque My Escape, with its use of strings and melodic vocals, it wouldn't be out of place on an album by the Used. Not that this is a bad thing. They are merely showing their is more to this genre than repeated riffs and growling vocals.

I do think that, although this is a great album, the songs will only be done proper justice when played live. There is a raw energy to most of these tracks that can only truley be unleashed on stage.

They haven't reinvented the wheel here and some will hold that against them. While others will be comforted by the fact that the winning formula from Only Inhuman is being used with a greater deal of skill and musicianship. All in all this is a solid 3rd album. A perfect addition to a quickly growing discography. It will hopefully go to show the detractors that this band isn't a one trick pony and are here for the long haul. (9/10)

Love and other disasters is out now in Europe and will be released in the US on 23rd September.

Catch them on tour with In Flames and Gojira!!


September
27 Glasgow Barrowlands Scotland/UK
28 Birmingham Academy UK
29 Manchester Academy UK

October
01 London Astoria UK
03 Luxembourg Den Atelier LUX
04 Cologne Paladium GER
05 Wiesbaden Schlachthof GER
07 Brussels AB BEL
08 Paris Zenith FRA
09 Tilburg 013 HOL
10 Nancy L’Autre Canal FRA
11 Lyon Tranbordeur FRA
13 Barcelona Razzamatazz 1 ESP
14 Granada La Copera ESP
15 Madrid La Riviera ESP
16 Bilbao Rock Star Live ESP
18 Fribourg Fri-son CHE
19 Munich Zenith GER
20 Vienna Gassometer AT
21 Milano Alcatraz ITA
22 Zurich Volkshaus CHE
24 Dresden Alter Schlacthof GER
25 Berlin Columbiahalle GER
27 Helsinki Cable Factory FIN
29 Stockholm Annexet SWE
30 Stockholm Annexet SWE
31 Oslo Sentrum Scene NOR

November 2008
01 Gothenburg Lisebergshallen SWE
02 Gothenburg Lisebergshallen SWE

Peter Wichers Rejoins Soilwork!

Oh yes, some excellent news (in my opinion) on the Soilwork front, with former guitar genius Peter Wichers rejoining the band. (Ok, that sounds very biased doesn't it?)

For full information, head to the Soilwork Myspace page:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=11970182&blogID=434118592&indicate=1

As you may have guessed, I am pretty excited about this news. Peter is a fantastic song writer, and after leaving Soilwork, he wrote the Out Of The Dark album as part of Nuclear Blast's 20th anniversary, which starred a number of guest musicians from the label. It's a fantastic album, and highlighted how good a writer he is (and perhaps indicated the reason why Soilwork's latest album lacked compaired to previous releases). I'm glad to see the return of such a fantastic musician to the band!

Sonic Syndicate Stream New Album

Swedish metallers, Sonic Syndicate, have been streaming their latest album through their Myspace page. Love And Other Disasters will be released on Monday (in the UK) through Nuclear Blast. Today might be the last day to hear the full album on their Myspace, as it was posted up last Saturday, so make sure you head on over and check it out!!!

http://www.myspace.com/sonicsyndicate