DARK TRANQUILLITY singer Mikael Stanne recently spoke with Portugal's LOUD! magazine about the band's upcoming album, "Character", due in Europe on January 24 and North America on January 25 via Century Media Records. The Swedish 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. Several excerpts from Stanne's interview with LOUD! follow:

On "Lost to Apathy":

"If you like that song, you'll like the rest of the album ...

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Former THE CROWN guitarist Marko Tervonen is currently working on a new project. No lineup details have yet been revealed, but according to Tervonen, he has already composed enough material for a full-length album. "If THE CROWN's music was more about high-energy, speed and aggression, this album is more about heaviness, fat riffing, melodies with a touch of melancholy," he wrote in an online posting. "Somewhere in the [vein] of [THE CROWN songs] 'Bow To None', 'Dead Man's Song', 'World Below', 'Death By My Side', 'Black Lightning', 'In Memoriam'... I guess you know where I'm going with this... The big difference is though, no death metal vocals. I got a very cool thing going on here..." An official web site will be launched soon.

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OPETH's live DVD, "Lamentations - Live At Shepherds Bush Empire", has reached gold status in Canada, according to a posting on the group's web site.

As previously reported, OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has started writing material for the group's next album, tentatively scheduled to be recorded sometime in the early spring of 2005. The band are currently unsigned as a result of having been dropped by BMG/Zomba after their previous label, Music For Nations, was folded into parent company Zomba Records Group (the world's largest independent music group).

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IN FLAMES are currently topping Sweden's Pepsi Live chart with their video for "Touch of Red". View the whole chart at this location.

The "Touch of Red" clip was shot in Los Angeles during late August/early September with director Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, CHILDREN OF BODOM and LACUNA COIL, among others.

To view the "Touch of Red" video, visit IN FLAMES' web site at InFlames.com. Also available on the site are photos from the group's performance at the club Quattro in Nagoya, Japan on September 14.

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DYING FETUS have announced the addition of session drummer John Longstreth (ORIGIN, SKINLESS, EXHUMED) to the group's ranks. Longstreth will be filling in for regular drummer Erik Sayenga, who "is unable to join us" on the road with GWAR, the band write on their web site. "We will certainly miss having Erik with us these two months, but we must say that John has done a great job of learning our set list for these shows with barely two weeks of daily rehearsals!"

As previously reported, DYING FETUS recently parted ways with vocalist Vince Matthews and are currently carrying on as a four-piece. A complete list of currently confirmed tour dates with GWAR and ALL THAT REMAINS can be found at this location.

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Swedish power metallers LOST HORIZON have posted the following message on their official web site:

"As many have surely heard, the label Music For Nations no longer exists. This is an effect of the merger between Zomba, who owned MFN, and BMG. Consequently LOST HORIZON has been released from their contract, and they are now free to negotiate with other labels.

"In relation to this, vocalist Daniel Heiman and guitarist Fredrik Olsson announce their leave from LOST HORIZON in order to pursue other projects. Since they have been pulling in a different direction than the rest of the band for some time, all six agr ...

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MEGADETH kicked off their "Blackmail the Universe" headlining tour of North America Saturday night (Oct. 23) at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nevada. The group's compelte set list for the opening-night performance was as follows:

01. Skin O' My Teeth
02. Wake Up Dead
03. In My Darkest Hour
04. Something I'm Not
05. Reckoning Day
06. Killing Road
07. Train of Consequences
08. Die Dead Enough
09. Angry Again
10. Kick the Chair
11. A Tout Le Monde
12. Hangar 18
13. Tornado of Souls
14. Trust
15. Symphony of Destruction
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16. Sweating Bullets
17. Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?!
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18. Holy Wars

EARSHOT were the opening act for the Reno show. EXODUS will join the tour on Monday (Oct. 25) at The Grove in Anaheim, CA.

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LILITU To Open For CRADLE OF FILTH/ARCH ENEMY; New Members Announced [Life in Black - 04.10.22 07:43:48]

With the recent release of their new album, The Delores Lesion (on The End Records), Atlanta dark metal wonder LILITU, have issued BW&BK with their latest update.

"Hi all! We know it's been a while since the last update, so here we go. Things are moving along rather well in the Lilitu camp. The new album, The Delores Lesion, has been getting great reviews from all over, and we are excited to see that it's being received so well. We have a new show confirmed for November 13th, 2004: The band is opening the Headbangers Ball Tour in Atlanta with CRADLE OF FILTH ...

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RUNNING WILD guitarist Bernd Aufermann has posted the following message on his web site:

"It's been a long time since you heard from me. During the last months I went through heavy seas with my family. My dad (you are the greatest) was found having a brain tumor. Out of nothing, out of the best life you can imagine. Things are not the same anymore so I got to have the time off to catch my breath and keep coming back to my life again. I was shocked and could not work since dad & me are tight and I still gotta cope this terrible situation.

"But now, slightly coming back to live, I have some news for ya:

"ANGEL DUST: Yup, we are back together again. Lin ...

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Former PESTILENCE bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling is currently preparing a flamenco-oriented studio project dubbed PROJEKT TABUN. The recording sessions are planned for December 2004, according to a posting on Thesseling's official web site.

Jeroen, who played on PESTILENCE's fourth album, "Spheres" (1993), joined the flamenco ensemble of the Dutch virtuoso guitarist Peter Kalb, EL PERIQUIN, in 2003. "The live performances with this group allowed him to show his impressive strengths by playing beautiful fretless chords, harmonic overtone slides and very advanced solo parts," reads a posting on Jeroen's web site.

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