A brand new STRATOVARIUS track, titled "I Walk To My Own Song", has been posted online in MP3 format at this location (file size: 3.6 MB). "I Walk To My Own Song" comes off the Finnish neo-classical metallers' forthcoming CD, "Elements Part 2", due on October 27 through Nuclear Blast Records.

The album, which will once again feature artwork by Derek Riggs, will contain the following songs:

01. Alpha & Omega
02. I Walk To My Own Song
03. I'm Still Alive
04 ...

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SAXON, BOHSE ONKELZ, GRAVE DIGGER, NEVERMORE, AMON AMARTH and BRAINSTORM are the first bands confirmed for the 2004 edition of Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-8, 2004 in Wacken, Germany.

According to an official newsletter from the festival's organizers, next year's event (click here to view the official poster) will be a celebration of the festival's 15th anniversary with special performances by "new hits, old hits, reunions, newcomers and top acts." More confirmations will be announced soon.

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Swedish melodic metallers NOCTURNAL RITES will enter the studio in November to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's "Shadowland", tentatively due in early 2004 through Century Media Records. Working songtitles include "Against the World", "New World Messiah", and "The Icon". The group's bassist Nils Eriksson has previously described the new material as "pretty much like we've always done...[but] maybe just a tad better."

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It is with mixed emotions that we hereby announce the band’s decision to part with singer Liv Kristine. Having worked together for almost ten years, we have now reached a point where we find ourselves with differences of opinion that cannot be bridged, and completely incompatible sets of ideas for the band’s further development.

The rest of the band will continue working with full force under the name Theatre of Tragedy, and sees this as an opportunity for further musical experimentation and evolution. This also involves finding a new, permanent, female singer, although not necessarily a replacement for Liv.

Let it be said that there is no animosity from the band towards Liv, and we wish her all the best with her work.

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MANOWAR are in the final stages of mixing "Hell On Earth Part 3" video using the 5.1 surround audio technology. " 'Hell On Earth Part 3' and 'Hell On Earth Part 4' are certain to be instant heavy metal video classics," reads a post on the band's web site. "Famed film and music video director Neil Johnson is back at the helm as well as a huge MANOWAR fan himself and states, 'These videos cannot be compared to anything produced to date as they achieved a new standard for heavy-metal and music videos, a MANOWAR standard, which includes the newest technologies, featuring over 60 camera angles, live footage from across the world and the wildest, craziest and heaviest metal fans anywhere.' "

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A brand new ALICE COOPER track, titled "Novocaine", has been posted in Real Audio at this location. "Novocaine" comes off COOPER's latest release, "The Eyes of Alice Cooper", due on Sept. 23 through Eagle Records. The CD was produced by Andrew "Mudrock" Murdoch (GODSMACK, POWERMAN 5000) and represents "a conscious effort to capture the rock and roll sound that stirred and excited the minds, souls and spirit of a generation now past," according to an official press release. Recorded in a minimalist studio setting, unpretentious and live, with a ...

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HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak has posted the following message to the band's official web site:

"As those of you who have visited this site in the past two weeks know by now, I was involved in a pretty serious motorcycle accident almost two weeks ago. I am lucky to be alive, and even luckier that the only major injury was a broken arm. Traveling at 70 km/h and crashing into a non-moving car by all means should have ended worse. I broke my arm and managed to chip a few bone splinters in the elbow, got some minor cuts in the face and on the torso, various small injuries like a sprained thumb, wrist & toe. But this will all heal in a matter of weeks, (supposedly) without any future d ...

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Former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens has officially joined ICED EARTH as the band's new lead singer, according to a posting by ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer on the group's web site. Owens was previously said to have laid down vocals on the band's new album, "The Glorious Burden", but was not an official member of the group.

"Well everyone, it is official," Schaffer writes. "Tim Owens is the new frontman and lead vocalist of ICED EARTH and I couldn't be happier!

"There is no doubt that fate has played a big part in our lives in these last few months and I truly believe that this is the way it was meant to be. Everything happens for a reason!!

"Tim did an outsta ...

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DARK TRANQUILLITY’s first DVD is dubbed Live Damage, due out in September and clocking in at 195 minutes. The main feature is a live show that was recorded at Krzemionki Studio TVP in Kraków, Poland October 7th, 2002. Other features include bootleg songs recorded at Zeche Carl, Essen, Germany on November 13, 2002, Gagarin Club, Athens, Greece on October 20, 2002 and La Locomotive, Paris, France on November 19, 2002. Two videoclips include ‘Monochromatic Stains’ and ‘ThereIn’. The DVD also features an interview with vocalist Mikael Stanne and much more.

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A posting at BLACK SABBATH website www.black-sabbath.com reveals that a new studio album from the band could be released in 2004.

Although an album title or tracklisting have yet to be announced, it is rumored that one of the songs scheduled to appear on the release is ‘Scary Dreams’.

The posting at the site presumes that all songs on the release are written by the band and that the recording lineup features: Tony Iommi (lead guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Bill Ward (drums) and Geoff Nicholls (keyboards). The album is produced by Rick Rubin.

Apparently the band worked on material for the release in a UK studio in April 2001. The origi ...

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