Frontiers Records has set an October 10 European release date for the debut album from PLACE VENDOME, a brand-new project featuring former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske along with PINK CREAM 69 members Dennis Ward, Uwe Reitenauer, and Kosta Zafiriou, plus VANDEN PLAS ivory tinkler Gunther Werno.

PLACE VENDOME (named after the world-renowned square in Paris) is said to feature a straight melodic rock/AOR sound, "comparable to bands like FOREIGNER or JOURNEY," according to Kiske. Production duties were handled by Ward, who wrote the material with his bandmates David Readman

NACHTMYSTIUM begin recording their new full length album "Instinct: Decay" in June, 2005. This album will be released on CD and LP by Drakkar Productions (www.drakkarproductions.com) later this year.

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Swedish/German metallers ARCH ENEMY have posted the cover artwork for their upcoming CD, "Doomsday Machine", at their official web site. Check it out at this location.

The "Doomsday Machine" cover was designed by German artist Joachim Luetke (www.luetke.com), who has created arresting images for a variety of venues, including posters, ads and CDs. Born in 1957 in Germany, he studied art in Switzerland during the late seventies, and improved his unique, disturbing talent at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria from 1980 to 1986. He still l ...

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A trailer for MANOWAR's upcoming "Hell on Earth IV" DVD/CD set has been posted online at SPV.de.

"Hell on Earth IV" contains two video discs and one audio disc for a total of 4 1/2 hours of total viewing time. The complete track listing for the set is as follows:

Main Disc:

- Highlights of the entire 2002 "Warriors of the World" tour
- 1 hour and 30 minutes of main program
- 6 bonus songs equaling 30 minutes of additional material
- 11 full live songs
- Subtitles in 12 languages (Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese ...

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Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have issued the following update on their current and upcoming activities:

"Finally there's an official update on this site to let you guys in on what the Hell is happening at the moment and whatever else that we might be conspiring behind closed doors. We suspect most of you guys, our hardcore fanbase at least, wonder what's up our sleeve next, understandably so. There seems to have been quite a lot of 'confusion' lately, rumors back and forth, about this and that and whatnot, since the lack of information has been pretty evident the last couple of months. Perhaps we are partly to blame for that, one reason being that ...

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Montreal-based metallers NEURAXIS have finished recording their fourth album, "Trilateral Progression", with Yannick St Amand (DESPISED ICON). Mixing will be done by Jason Suecof (CAPHARNAUM, CROTCHDUSTER) and mastering will be handled by Scott Hull (PIG DESTROYER). A September 13 release through Willowtip Records is expected. A European release will follow through Earache Records. A North American tour is in the works for the fall.

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U.D.O., the German band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release their new album, "Mission No. X", on October 4 via AFM Records. The complete track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Mission No. X
02. 24/7
03. Mean Streets
04. Primecrime On Primetime
05. Eye Of The Eagle
06. Shell Shock Fever
07. Stone Hard
08. Breaking Down The Border
09. Cry Soldier Cry
10. Way Of Life
11. Mad For Crazy

A single/EP, "24/7", will precede the album on June 27. The track listing for the single is as follows:

01. 24/ ...

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Italian "extreme epic metal" act STORMLORD have parted ways with keyboardist Simone Scazzocchio. "There were no discussions or troubles with him, he was simply not interested in playing metal music anymore," the band write in a press release. "Our split has been friendly, we kept good relations and we wish him the best.

"After some months of auditions, now we are glad to introduce you Luca Bellanova, that's the new keyboard player of STORMLORD! Luca is 20 years old and a really talented musician, as well as a big fan of STORMLORD. He made his first appearance with the group at the recent show in Bergamo."

STORMLORD are curre ...

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According to a post at the official CRADLE OF FILTH website, keyboardist Martin Powell has decided to leave the band. An official statement follows:

"The latest news from the Cradle Of Filth camp is that regrettably, long-term keyboardist Martin Foul (Powell) has sadly parted ways with the band, releasing the following press statement detailing the reasons for his decision:

'Due to pressing personal reasons I have found myself unable to commit my best efforts and time to Cradle Of Filth. Despite five great years, in which I have acheived along with my colleagues (past and present) a myriad of goals and dreams I have decided to bow out from Cradle. Having played ...

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New masterwork of eliterian true black metal will be released by Northern Heritage, and is expected to be released within 3 weeks from now according to latest info.

The attacks won't seize.

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