Italian symphonic metal band RHAPSODY will enter the recording studio together with film legend Christopher Lee to re-record the song "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" from their latest release "Symphony of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret". The single will be released worldwide early next year. The song will be produced in four different languages (English, German, French and Italian) and will feature a duet by Lee and RHAPSODY singer Fabio Lione. Besides offering multiple versions of the song, such as an orchestral version, two brand new studio tracks will be included. More details about the two new tracks will be released shortly ...

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The band are very happy to announce that original vocalist Karl Willetts has rejoined them as a full-time member. Karl said, "It's fantastic to be a part of the mighty Bolt Thrower again. It feels great to be back with the guys, I can't wait to get my teeth into the new songs and get back on the road again. I've got some unfinished business to attend to...!

The now complete line-up of Bolt Thrower - Karl Willetts, Gavin Ward, Barry Thomson, Jo Bench & Martin Kearns will spend the next few weeks finishing off the new material and plan to go into the studio in the new year.

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Finland's NORTHER will enter Astia Studios in Lappeenranta, Finland in December to record a new, as-yet-untitled EP. The CD will include five songs.

NORTHER's sophomore full-length album, "Mirror or Madness", was released in 2003 through Spinefarm Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Dreams of Endless War" effort was recorded at Astia with producer Anssi Kippo.

As previously reported, NORTHER's Petri Lindroos has been named a permanent member of the Finnish folk-influenced melodic death metal band ENSIFERUM. Lindroos will handle the vocals and guitar in the group, who parted ways with singer/guitarist Jari Mäenpää earlier in the year.

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Norwegian black metallers MAYHEM have parted ways with singer Maniac (real name Sven Erik Kristiansen) and replaced him with Attila Csihar (TORMENTOR, ABORYM). Csihar had previously worked with the group on their 1993 release, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas".

"Although many rumors flourished over the past months, nothing was decided until now," reads a statement from the group's record label, Season of Mist. "The reason for this change in line-up lies in more private matters, but has also to do with Maniac's inability to tour."

The band commented in a statement: "Maniac was, and will always be a part of our legacy, and it has been an honour to work with him for the last 10 years. Respect!"

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Legendary rock producer and musician Bob Kulick (KISS, MEATLOAF) has finished producing an all-star tribute to IRON MAIDEN in honor of their 25th anniversary. Culling from his extensive contacts in the musician world, Kulick has assembled major hard rock and metal players to come together and put this tribute album together.

All of the tracks have been completed except for two key signature vocalists to come in and finish the job. Kulick has been using the rest of the finished material to shop around for a label to license the masters and put out the hottest IRON MAIDEN tribute of all time.

The album will feature the followi ...

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Sweden's DARK TRANQUILLITY have revealed the track listing and artwork for their new album, "Character", due in Europe on January 24 and North America on January 25 via Century Media Records. The band recently released an EP, entitled "Lost to Apathy", as a teaser for the upcoming full-length. It includes four songs, a video-clip (for the title track) and a screensaver.

"Character" (view cover here) track listing:

01. The New Build
02. Through Smudged Lenses
03. Out of Nothing
04. The Endless Feed
05. ...

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MANOWAR guitarist Karl Logan recently spoke to Mark Uricheck of NEPAtoday.com about his rise from a struggling musician in Northeastern Pennsylvania to a position in one of the world's most prominent heavy metal bands.

Logan recalls initially hooking up with the band via an encounter with bassist Joey DeMaio at a motorcycle shop. "We started talking and found out that we had common musical ground," he says. "I found out that their guitar player was leaving the group at that point. I was coming out of several bands in the area that I had played in and I was looking for so ...

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IMPALED NAZARENE singer Mika Luttinen has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"Here is the update about our live album and let me tell you, somebody out there seem to be against this album a lot.

"Original plan (as it was announced here earlier) was to record three shows in Italy. Things got, well, really fucked-up. Our first show was in Milan and we had flights via Paris with Alitalia. We arrive to Milan, our luggage does not. After spending (read fighting) hours there, we manage to get info that some of our luggage will arrive later that day. Well, we got some stuff but our guitars and bass remained in Paris.

"We b ...

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Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH made headlines in major Latin American newspapers after the audience rioted at their show in San Salvador (capital of El Salvador) on Saturday (Nov. 6). According to a posting on the band's web site, "the audience got so ecstatic over the presence of the first black metal act visiting their country that the situation got totally out of control. The security and the police could not handle the people outside the venue so they had to call in the special forces, 'del cuerpo de Proteccion a Personalides Importantes' (PPI). When the PPI reached the venue the masses of people not getting a ticket for the already sold-out show kicked in the entr ...

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METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo recently spoke to The Tennessean about the group's upcoming studio album, which the band hope to begin recording in February.

"We already have over 50 hours of song ideas recorded," he said. "There's some speed, some of it is kind of raw and funky, most of it has that heavy groove which I think is a stand-out ingredient for METALLICA. . . . James [Hetfield] is throwin' down some killer riffs . . . and whatever it is man, it's gonna be heavy. We're getting really excited about doing an album as this team."

Trujillo also commente ...

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