Swedish metallers WOLF have announced the departure of bassist Mikael Goding. His final appearance with the band will take place at the Headbangers Open Air festival, set to take place July 12-14 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany.

Commented Mikael: "To put it simple: too much business and mini-van, and [too little] music. The reason we started the band was that we wanted to create great new wave of British

Legendary British/American heavy metal trio RAVEN has set "Walk through Fire" as the tentative title of its new album. The band is scheduled to return to the stu ...

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SPV has set the following release dates for ICED EARTH's new studio album, "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I":

Germany: September 7
Rest of Europe: September 10
North America: September 11

"Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part 1" (cover artwork) expands the "Something Wicked" storyline first introduced in the trilogy of the same name appearing on the 1998 release, "Something Wicked This way Comes". "Framing Armageddon" will be followed in February/March 2008 by the band's ninth full-length studio release, tentatively titled " ...

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Patrick Douglas of The Culture Shock recently conducted an interview with BEHEMOTH mainman Adam Michal Darski (a.k.a. Nergal). A few excerpts from the chat follow:

The Culture Shock: Tell me what you're feeling right now with the new album set to come out in the U.S. in a couple of weeks and the start of Ozzfest coming up. Do you feel like this will be a huge step in taking over the U.S. in terms of gaining new fans?

Nergal: Yeah, man. It seems like there's no turning back. This is the only option now. ...

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Greek melodic metal sensation FIREWIND has released the video for its new single "Breaking the Silence" in the following formats: Windows Media,

NAMM International has announced its tenth outing to find the "World's Fastest Drummer." This highly charged interactive event is a feature at this year's summer NAMM Show in Austin, TX. The contest, which consists of two categories — "Fastest Hands" and "Fastest Feet" — will be held each day on The NAMM Fastest Drummer 4th. Street Lobby Stage at the Austin Convention Center starting at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 27, with "heats" continuing through Saturday until 5.00 p.m. The top ten "Fastest Hands" and top ten "Fastest Feet" will compete in a "Finals Battle" of both categories held Sunday, July 30.

Included in this year's event will be technical demonstrations, insig ...

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Belgium's Studio Brussel conducted an interview with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich on Sunday (July 1) prior to the band's appearance at the Rock Werchter festival. In regards to METALLICA's new studio album, Lars said the backing tracks were done in May and that the band will start laying down vocals and overdubs in August in hopes of finishing the CD by October or November. Lars predi ...

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Finnish metallers KALMAH are currently writing material for their fifth studio album, tentatively due next spring. "Right now we have about seven songs ready and will enter studios in October to record the next swamp metal masterpiece. I guess the new material will represent heavier and even more riff-oriented KALMAH but the melodies and basic KALMAH sound has not been forgotten. The writing process has been firm and there has been no 'run-and-piss' hurry. There was a compulsory month break in the beginning of summer since Antti [Kokko, guitar] broke his wrist. The wrist has shaped up well and it seems there will be no permanent injury."

KALMAH's latest CD, "The Black Waltz", entered the Finnish national album chart in March 2006 at position No. 38.

The follow-up to 2003's "Swampsong", "The Black Waltz" marked the group's recording debut with keyboardist Marco Sneck (POISONBLACK).

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According to MelodicRock.com, VAN HALEN is preparing to hit the road in the U.S. beginning in September. The group's lineup for the trek is expected to include

San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

Original TESTAMENT members Alex Skolnick (guitar), Chuck Billy (vocals), Greg Christian (bass), and Eric Peterson (guitar), along with new drummer Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH), have finished writing more eight or nine songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering".

In a recent interview with ...

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