Dani Filth Issues Band Update

Cradle of Filth front man Dani Filth has issued the following blog update about the band's current and upcoming activity:

"Dear readers, belated happy Hallowe'en! Well, has the endless wait been worth it? The album has been out a fortnight in Europe and a week in the US and has garnered all kinds of remarkable press, from the utterly brilliant to the shit and insane. I love it. The circus starts again. At least on the front of it it seems that again we have divided peoples opinions. Love/hate, loathe/adore, suckle/chastise us; it's all so deliciously Catholic.

"Firstly let me apologize for the slight delay people have had to endure for the limited edition box-set, I know it's not cool, but the production was held up by all kinds of issues, so all I can do is to offer you my sincerest regret. And a test tube full of my love juice." (Read More)

Crustacean Signs to Xtreem Music

Xtreem Music has issued the following announcement about inking a deal with Dutch thrash act Crustacean:

"Veteran dutch thrashers Crustacean have inked a deal with Xtreem Music for the release of their long awaited 3rd album Greed, Tyranny & Sodomy. Crustacean has been around since 1994 and has since released a mini CD Headcleaner ('95) and two full- length albums: Burden of our Suffering ('98) and Insaniac ('03). After a promotional tour the band spent time on other successful live projects only to re-appear in the best line-up ever in 2007. Since then the band has been focusing on writing their best and most intense thrash metal album ever, Greed, Tyranny & Sodomy." (Read More)

Judas Priest to Launch New World Tour in 2011

K.K. Downing, guitarist for the iconic British heavy metal band Judas Priest, recently published a new blog post on his official website. In the post, Downing revealed that Priest will be embarking on a world tour beginning in 2011. The official message can be viewed below:

"It seems that the time has come for us to put the touring wheels in motion for our next world tour in 2011!

"It's funny but these days around - about this time - I can't help but reflect on the past when we had to load the touring van ourselves. Sometimes in the ice and snow, being afraid that we would get frostbites on our fingers and not be able to play the gig!

"I remember one winter we had a gig at Hull City Hall in England. We were driving in heavy snow when we hit black ice and the car hit the motorway barriers so hard that it was never able to be driven again. However, it was fortunate that a passing farmer saved the day by letting us pile into his old Land Rover and was kind enough to drive us to the gig!

"It seems just like yesterday, as they say, that we were on tour with our good friends Budgie, Accept, Warlock, AC/DC, Saxon, Pantera...to name just a few. Very good memories indeed!

"Actually, I have just received a copy of Accept's new album Blood of the Nations. And was really happy that Wolf [Hoffmann] and the boys are still creating great classic metal. I think it was back in '81 that Priest and Accept hit the road together for the first time and what a great tour that was! I really hope that we can meet up with the guys next year, at least on some of the festival dates and have a good laugh when talking about the old times." (Read More)

Sorrows Path Announces Release Party

Greek act Sorrows Path has issued the following update regarding an upcoming record release show:

"Sorrows Path release live-party show for the new album The Rough Path of Nihilism, out from German Rock it Up Records! The band is back from Germany where they had their party for the new release in Karlsruhe and celebrate their official release at historical An Club in Athens, on Sunday, December 5! This time, they will also perform live the new songs plus some of their old, with very special guests and happenings.

"On stage, along with the band, there will be the well known fetish dancers, Zirconia, Alexia and Julia, with many participations in Greek and abroad show The guest vocalist of the new album, vocal teacher Eleni Danielson also taking part in backing vocals! Guest bands are the ex-EMI signed rock-metal doomsters Infidel, who are ready to release their new second album too and the mature progressive quartet Solid Faith, with some demos that earned great feedback in the past." (Read More)

HammerFall to Enter the Studio

Sweden's HammerFall is set to enter the recording studio in two weeks to record their follow-up to 2009's No Sacrifice, No Victory. Guitarist Oscar Dronjak reveals: "The new material contains a lot of fresh ways to look at the musical ideas, we're trying to preserve the essence of what HammerFall is while at the same time updating the execution and approach. Definitely heavier and less straight forward than the previous albums, yet remaining true to what we believe heavy metal is all about."

The band has decided to work with producer James Michael, who has worked with the likes of Mötley Crüe, Scorpions, and Meat Loaf. Oscar explains: "Working with James Michael is going to be very, very exciting. The two Mötley Crüe albums James has been involved in (songwriter on New Tattoo and songwriter/producer on Saints of Los Angeles) are great, and easily stack up against the classic albums of the 80s." (Read More)

The Gates of Slumber Prepare to Enter Studio

Doom metal giants The Gates of Slumber are set to enter England's Orgone Studios in late November with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. They will begin recording a new album which is scheduled for a spring 2011 release via Rise Above Records.

Recently, the band announced the addition of drummer J "Cool" Clyde Paradis. A New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor, Paradis previously worked with the likes of Sourvein, Substance Abuse, and the New Orleans blues act T-Bone and the Rhythm Makers.

Frontman/guitarist Karl Simon commented on The Gates of Slumber's sound saying:

"The new music is taking on a more troglodyte doom metal feel. With Clyde now in the band, the feel of things was bound to change; he's not only a different drummer, but from a totally different school of thought with regards to the drums. It's no secret that Saint Vitus' shuddering doom crawl was the root that inspired this band and we'd both felt that over three albums we'd taken the raw epic feel as far as we could. Now, it's time to get back to basics, shed some of the bulk and get ugly again. No warriors this time, no acoustic guitars, no keyboards, no lofty Nietzschean ideals. Just black bile and a bit of the old 'white magic; black magic.'" (Read More)

Shadow Eden Releases Debut Album

New York-based progressive metallers Shadow Eden have released their debut, self-titled album. Often noted for their incorporation of various musical stylings, including metal, rock, and jazz, the instrumental trio draw influence from the likes of Joe Satriani, Jaco Pastorius, Vinnie Moore, Kansas, and King Crimson, to name a few.

Recently, the band announced that it would be appearing at the 2011 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim, California. They will be guests of Charvel Guitars and Morley Pedals and will perform on January 14 and 15. More recently, Shadow Eden have been playing various dates in New York with guitarist and composer Joe Stump. Stump himself has commented on the band's stylings and debut album, saying:

"A power trio of excellent players, Shadow Eden combine elements of progressive rock, fusion and guitar-driven metal into well structured, highly musical, and very listenable tunes. Guitarwise Dave Mercado shows a great diverse range of styles in his playing as well as some killer take-no-prisoners technique. Their debut record will certainly appeal to a wide range of fans that enjoy virtuosic, guitar-driven music."

Shadow Eden's debut album is available via their official website. A variety of their tracks are also featured on the band's official MySpace page.

Shadow Eden are:
David Mercado - guitars
Kenny Weydener - basses
Kenny Lane - drums