Sweden's SOILWORK have set "Figure Number Five" as the title for their follow-up to last year's acclaimed "Natural Born Chaos" CD, due in North America on May 5 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album will surface in Europe on April 21.

The complete track listing for "Figure Number Five" is as follows:

01. Rejection Role
02. Overload
03. Figure Number Five
04. Strangler
05. Light the Torch
06. Departure Plan
07. Cranking the Sirens
08. Brickwalker
09. The Mindmaker
10. Distortion Sleep
11. Downfall 24

Recording began last December at Queenstreet Recording (THE DEFACED) in SOILWORK's hometown of Helsingborg with Fredrik Nord ...

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METALLICA have released the first eight officially confirmed dates for Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, the upcoming monster trek featuring METALLICA, LIMP BIZKIT, LINKIN PARK, DEFTONES and MUDVAYNE. They are as follows:

Jul. 04 - Detroit, MI @ Pontiac Silverdome
Jul. 06 - Foxboro, MA @ Gillette Stadium
Jul. 13 - Orlando, FL @ Citrus Bowl
Jul. 19 - Columbus, OH @ Ohio Stadium
Jul. 25 - St. Louis, MO @ Edward Jones Dome
Jul. 27 - Minneapolis, MN @ Metrodome
Aug. 01 - Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
Aug. 03 - Irving TX @ Texas Stadium

The following cities are still to be confirmed with dates and venues: Philadelphia, New York, Montreal, Houston, Seattle, ...

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Veteran German metallers RAGE have set "Soundchaser" as the title for their next studio album, which they plan to record in April at VPS Studio in Hamm. "Soundchaser" will be mixed and mastered in May by producer Charlie Bauerfeind at Mi Sueno studio (owned by Andi Deris of HELLOWEEN fame) in Tenerife, Spain. A late summer release is expected.

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Finland's SENTENCED have announced that they will be taking a "creative" break while guitarist Sami Lopakka tends to his newborn child. However, it looks like the break won't be a long one as the band are planning on enter the studio in the fall/winter to begin recording their next album for a spring 2004 release. Frontman Ville Laihiala and guitarist Miika Tenkula have already written several new songs and the band are going to record some demos with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa at the end of the summer. SENTENCED have also moved to a new practice place, "which is actually kind of studio where they can record new songs while rehearsing and check out immediately if those are working or not," acc ...

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Veteran German metallers HELLOWEEN are strongly rumored to have replaced drummer Mark Cross (ex-METALIUM) with ex-RUNNING WILD/ACCEPT skinsman Stefan Schwarzmann. Cross joined HELLOWEEN in August 2001 as a replacement for Uli Kusch but was unable to accompany the group during the recording sessions for their upcoming album after he was struck this past September by the malicious (EBV) Epstein-Barr virus also known as Mononucleosis. MOTÖRHEAD's Mikkey Dee laid down the drum tracks for the as-yet-untitled effort, which is currently being mixed by producer Charlie Bauernfeind at Mi Sueno studio in Tenerife, Spain for a May 5 release through Nuclear Blast Records. A North American release date has yet to be announced.

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STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki entered Finnvox studios Tuesday (Feb. 11) in Helsinki with Mikko Karmila to begin mixing the songs for the group's next full-length album, titled "Elements Pt. 2". Some vocal overdubs will also be recorded during the sessions. "Elements Pt. 2" is tentatively due for release in October and will include the following cuts, among others:

01. Alpha & Omega
02. I Walk to My Own Song
03. Awaken the Giant
04. Liberty
05. Season of Faith's Perfection
06. I'm Still Alive
07. Dreamweaver

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HALFORD will compete all current touring commitments in June and are tentatively set to begin writing material for their third studio album in July or August, according to the latest online posting from HALFORD manager John Baxter.

"It's important for me to explain a few things," Baxter began in his post to the forum section of www.robhalford.com. "The HALFORD Organization is one big family. We enjoy many laughs, good times, etc., and we struggle w. the same issues all bands struggle with.

"For example, the HALFORD band did mutually part ways w. [guitarist] Pat [Lachman] in Nov. 2001. But we approached our differences like most would, and Pat & the band chose to give it one more ...

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German melodic metallers Edguy have finalized the track listing for their upcoming double live album. Due in April/May through AFM Records. The complete track listing for the as-yet-untitled effort is as follows:

Disc I: 01. Intro 02. Fallen Angels 03. Tears Of A Mandrake 04. Babylon 05. Land Of The Miracle 06. Painting On The Wall 07. Wings Of A Dream 08. The Headless Game 09. The Pharaoh

Disc II: 01. Vain Glory Opera 02. Drum Solo 03. Save Us Now 04. How Many Miles 05. Inside 06. Avantasia 07. Out Of Control

In other news, Edguy are set to enter the rehearsal studio this week to begin the pre-production process for their new album, tentatively due in early 2004.

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Swedish thrashers THE CROWN, recently rejoined by original vocalist Johan Lindstrand, have booked studio time at Gotheburg's Studio Fredman for the recording and mixing of their forthcoming album, tentatively due in early September through Metal Blade Records.

The band will enter the studio on May 5 and should be "all done" by June 15. Among the tracks set to appear on the group's as-yet-untitled CD are the following:

01. No Tomorrow

02. Face Of Destruction/Deep Hit Of Death

03. Are You Morbid?

04. Cold Is The Grave

05. Kill 'Em All

06. Natashead Overdrive

07. Dawn Of Emptiness

08. Crown Of Thorns

According to bassist Magnus Olsfelt, "This time we are heading for the ultimate and so far it sounds very promising. The new material is pretty diverse but in general the songs have more POWER. Hard-hitting and straight forward, with more natural flow. So that the energy and force comes straight back to you."

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SEPULTURA have finalized the track listing for their upcoming full-length effort, due in the spring through various labels worldwide.

The CD, the title for which has already been decided but has yet to be revealed, will contain the following songs (in no particular order):

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

According to the band's official web site, there is "not much work left to finish the recording of the new album here in Rio de Janeiro. During the past week, [SEPULTURA v ...

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