U.K. gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. In a career that has spanned over 17 years, PARADISE LOST has sold a staggering two million albums worldwide.

Century Media European Label Manager Antje Lange commented on the signing: "We feel very honored to welcome PARADISE LOST to The Century Family. PARADISE LOST are an extremely influential band with the creative potential for a very bright future. As their new record label, we look forward to working to expand their global fan base."

After reviewing several offers, PARADISE LOST chose to sign to Century Media ...

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OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt has checked in with the following update:

"We're trying to fix the visas for the Gigantour. Gonna start rehearsing eventually but we don't know how much time we'll get on stage. Have a few cool songs for ya if you're going. Done a little bit of writing too and it sounds...twisted.

"Listening to: SCOTT WALKER 'The Drift'...best record of 2006!"

As previously reported, the special-edition deluxe version of OPETH's "Ghost Reveries" CD will be released on October 31 via Roadrunner Records. Bonus material on the set will include the band's cover of DEEP PURPLE's "Soldier of Fortune" ...

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Seattle's premier metal outfit NEVERMORE has opened its chamber of secrets, unveiling previously unreleased material as well as various other rarities, which will be used as bonus content for its upcoming re-releases of "Nevermore" (1995), the "In Memory" EP (1996), and "The Politics of Ecstasy" (1996), due in Europe on September 11 (September 8 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux) via Century Media Records. The details of the reissues are as follows:

"Nevermore" CD reissue:

Original album:

01. What Tomorrow Knows
02. C.B.F.
03. The Sanity Assassin
04. Garden of Gray
05. Sea Of Pos ...

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Taken from the official DISSECTION website:

"As rumours have started to spread we feel obliged to confirm Jon Nödtveidt's death.

Jon Nödtveidt was a man who lived his life according to his convictions and True Will. A couple of days ago he chose to end his life by his own hands. As a true Satanist he led his life in the way he wanted and ended it when he felt that he had fulfilled his self-created destiny. Not everyone will have understanding or acceptance for his personal path in this life and beyond, but all must respect his choice.

Those of us who have met him in his last days can assure that he was more focussed, happier and stronger than ever. It is ou ...

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In a recent interview with Rocksomething.com, JON OLIVA'S PAIN / SAVATAGE founder/frontman Jon Oliva revealed that a lot of the songs on the forthcoming JOP album, Maniacal Renderings, were co-written with Oliva's brother Criss, who was killed in 1993 in a car accident. The following is an excerpt from the story:

“Writing’s not as enjoyable and it’s a lot harder without Criss,” Oliva admits. “After the accident, Savatage started to get away from the formula that we had going. We struggled to find the right balance and on “Hand Full of Rain” we beat our formula into the ground. I was feeling like we were getting into a rut and I decided to get away from that. The bi ...

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San Francisco Bay Area metal titans MACHINE HEAD have set "The Blackening" as the title of their sixth studio album, tentatively due in early 2007 via Roadrunner Records. The group will enter Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA on Monday, August 21 to begin tracking the effort, with vocalist/guitarist Robert Flynn returning to the producer's chair, and Mark Keaton once again handling engineering duties. Longtime MACHINE HEAD collaborator Colin Richardson (CANNIBAL CORPSE, TRIVIUM, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) will also be returning to mix the record alongside Flynn this October in London. Tentative songtitles for

A brand new INCANTATION track, entitled "Lead to Desolation", has been posted online at the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the long-standing death metal outfit's upcoming album, "Primordial Domination", due on September 5 via Ibex Moon Records.

The record — the band's seventh — sticks to INCANTATION's tried and true recipe for brutal death metal, complemented with more leads and a crushing production.

"We feel very strong about the new material," said guitar/vocalist/founding member John McEntee. "We never seem to run out of unholy dark metal movements."
...

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New-age Nineties progressive metal band FORTE from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — featuring MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP bassist Rev Jones and former OLIVER MAGNUM vocalist James Randel — has reunited with the Scott brothers (guitarist Jeff and drummer Greg) for a string of dates over the next couple of months. The next show will take place on Saturday, August 19 at The Hive in Tulsa, Oklahoma alongside BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and CELLADOR. Check out a flyer for the concert at this location. More dates will be announced soon. Also in th ...

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Texas doomsters Solitude Aeturnus and Massacre Records are eyeing a November release date for Alone, the follow-up to 1998's Adagio. There will be a regular edition and a digipak edition; there is no word on whether or not there will be bonus material. You can view a small version of the album artwork here; the artwork was once again done by Travis Smith (who also did the artwork for Adagio).

Track listing:

01. Scent of Death
02. Waiting for the Light
03. Blessed be the Dead
04. Sightless
05. Upon Within
06. Burning
07. Is There
08. Tomorrows Dead
09. Essence of Black

Demos from three tracks can be heard here: http://www.eternalsolitude.com

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Swedish epic/power metallers FALCONER have uploaded a low-quality MP3 "teaser" for their upcoming fifth studio album, entitled "Northwind" — their first since the departure of singer Kristoffer Göbel and return of Mathias Blad. Download it at this location.

Commented guitarist Stefan Weinerhall: "'Northwind', the fifth album of FALCONER, is a return to the folkish style after some experiment on the last one. Very melodic and catchy, and with Mathias back on vocals he gives the album that extra epic touch that none other can do. The album is not ...

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