BLIND GUARDIAN have set a May 26 release date for their as-yet-untitled live album. The two-disc collection, which is currently being mixed at a German studio, will contain 20 songs recorded last year on the band's world tour.

The full track listing for the CD is as follows (in no particular order):

01. Into The Storm
02. Welcome To Dying
03. Nightfall
04. The Script For My Requiem
05. Harvest Of Sorrow
06. Valhalla
07. Majesty
08. The Soulforged
09. Under The Ice
10. Born In A Mourning Hall
11. Lord Of The Rings
12. Punishment Divine
13. Time Stands ...

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More changes have been made to the lineup for the DANZIG-headlined "Blackest of The Black" festival mini-tour, set to take place in early May.

Sweden's MESHUGGAH, who were previously said to be participating in the package, have now dropped off the event and have been replaced by OPETH and LACUNA COIL.

The revamped lineup for "Blackest of The Black" now looks as follows:

DANZIG
SUPERJOINT RITUAL
NILE
OPETH
LACUNA COIL

Other groups are expected to be announced soon.

Confirmed dates so far are as follows:

May 02 - Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Ampitheatre
May 03 - Los Angeles, Ca @ Universal Ampitheatre

If these shows are successful, a full-length "Blackest of The Black" U.S. tour will take place in November, featuring a completely new lineup of bands (with DANZIG as the headliner).

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NEVERMORE are nearly done tracking their new CD, "Enemies Of Reality", at a Seattle studio with producer Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE, SLAVE TO THE SYSTEM, DOKKEN). According to drummer Van Williams, "drums, bass, guitars are finished except Warrel [Dane] has to finish up vocals. So far It's turning out great, I don't think it will disappoint!" A June 17 release through Century Media Records is expected.

The follow-up to 2000's "Dead Heart in a Dead World", "Enemies Of Reality" marks the final album under NEVERMORE's present contract with Century Media Records. The band, who feature in their ranks former members of the popular '80s power metal act SANCTUARY, are believed to be entertaining ...

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FINNTROLL/IMPALED NAZARENE guitarist Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta died this morning in Finland at the age of 25. A message posted on FINNTROLL's official web site states simply, "Our dear friend and guitar player passed away on Sunday morning. This is a extremely heavy blow for us and everyone who ever knew this man. We hope that fans and the public won't speculate, more information will be available when things calm down." FINNTROLL recently completed work on an "acoustic/experimental" CD, titled "Visor Om Slutet" (the group's first with new singer Tapio Wilska), and were set to embark on a European tour next month with KATATONIA. It is not presently clear if the band will proceed with th ...

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Former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford's forthcoming U.S. tour, The 2003 Metal Gods Tour, will be a multi-band package featuring Rob's blazing quintet HALFORD, co-headliners TESTAMENT, IMMORTAL, DARK TRANQUILITY, AMON AMARTH, CARNAL FORGE and more.

The 2003 Metal Gods Tour is set to kick off April 25 in Chicago, and will wrap up on the west coast by mid-June. This will be Rob's first full-length tour of North America in nearly three years.

"The tour is quite remarkable," Halford said. "Over the last decade, hard rock and heavy metal have fragmented into all these unique sub-genres, ...

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Sweden's LOST HORIZON were forced to cancel tonight's gig at Hamnmagasinet in Umeå after their van crashed en route to the gig, according to the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. Two individuals were reportedly hospitalized for injuries sustained in the accident. No further information is available at this time.

LOST HORIZON's second full-length album, titled "A Flame To The Ground Beneath", was released last month through Music For Nations Records.

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BLIND GUARDIAN have announced their set list for the inaugural installment of the Blind Guardian Open Air festival, which is scheduled to take place on June 13-14 at BGS Open Air Arena in Coburg/Bamberg, Germany.

As previously reported, BLIND GUARDIAN will headline the festival on both evenings with two different sets, which were chosen by the fans via the group's official web site.

BLIND GUARDIAN will play the following songs at the Blind Guardian Open Air festival (note: the first five songs on the list will be played both nights):

01. Mirror Mirror
02. And Then There Was Silence
03. The Bard's Song (In The For ...

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FORCE OF EVIL is the name of a new Danish all-star band featuring guitarist Michael Denner (ex-MERCYFUL FATE), guitarist Hank Shermann (MERCYFUL FATE), bassist Hal Patino (KING DIAMOND), drummer Bjarne Holm (MERCYFUL FATE), and vocalist Martin Steene (IRONFIRE). The group are scheduled to enter the studio on March 24 to record their debut album, due on June 15 through an as-yet-undisclosed label. "This CD will be loaded with evil-riffing and lots of guitar solos," Denner and Shermann said in a joint statement. "11 songs are finished and we are now ready to nail them down." Check out a band photo here.

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SEPULTURA have set "Roorback" as the title for their upcoming CD, due in May through SPV/Steamhammer Records in Europe, JVC Records in Japan, and FNM/Universal Records in Brazil. The group are still negotiating a North American deal following their split with Roadrunner Records early last year.

The complete track listing for "Roorback" (which apparently stands for "a false or slanderous story used for political advantage") is as follows:

01. Come Back Alive
02. Godless
03. Apes Of God
04. Corrupted
05. The Rift
06. Leech
07. More Of The Same
08. Activst
09. As It Is
10. Urge
11. Bottomed Out
12. Mindwar

As prev ...

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Finland's NIGHTWISH and Germany's RAGE have been confirmed to make their American debuts as headliners of ProgPower USA IV, which returns to Atlanta's Earthlink Live on September 5 and 6.

"It is always exciting for us as a band to take on new areas and see how our stuff goes down there," said NIGHTWISH bassist Marco Hietala. "This time it's also quite flattering because we know that the USA and Great Britain are very hard places to win when you come from out of their native language areas, and to play as a headliner for our first time ever in the US... Wow, we'll do our best!”

After two decades together, RAGE will make their long overdue first appearance on U.S. soil. “It's g ...

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