Chicago's PELICAN is in the studio putting the finishing touches on its fourth studio album, entitled "What We All Come To Need". Described by guitarist Laurent Lebec as "the most perfect synthesis of everything we've done to date, sonically," the CD is "a giant step forward within the complex, intricate, beautiful and crushing sound PELICAN is famous for," according to a press release. The album features more guests than have ever appeared on a PELICAN album before: Greg Anderson of SUNN O))), Aaron Turner of ISIS, Ben Verellen of HARKONEN and Helms Alee and Allen Epley from THE LIFE AND TIMES and SHINER. Content-wise, Lebec says "there is a current of inspiration that feels particular to e ...

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Former MAYHEM frontman Maniac (also of SKITLIV, SEHNUCHT, BOMBEROS) has teamed up with Andrew Liles (CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND, SEHNSUCHT) and Czral (VIRUS, VED BUENS ENDE, AURA NOIR, DØDHEIMSGARD) to release an album that he and Czral began working on in 1996. The 14-track LP will have the title "Det Skjedde Noe Når Du Var I Belgia" (English translation: Something Happened While You Were In Belgium) and will be made available on the U.K.'s Dirter label.

Commented Maniac: "It wasn't something we expected to do at all. Czral and I had recorded the original material all those years ago but other commitments had meant that we were never able to get round to finishing it off and ...

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Sweden's KATATONIA has set "Night Is the New Day" as the title of its long-awaited new album, due in Europe on October 19 and in the U.S. on October 27 via Peaceville Records. 13 tracks were reportedly laid down for the follow-up to 2006's "The Great Cold Distance" (out of which 11-12 songs will make it onto the final CD), with the new material being described by the band as "our most varied, diverse and possibly strongest shit all together on one and the same album."

"The Great Cold Distance" was released in 2006 via Peaceville. The follow-up to 2003's "Viva Emptiness" was recorded at Fascination Street studios in the outskirts of Örebro, Sweden and was mastered at the Cutting R ...

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Century Media Records has set an October 26 European release date for "Where Death Is Most Alive", the new concert DVD/CD from Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY. The set will be issued as a limited-edition 2DVD+2CD set, as well as a double DVD and double CD.

"Where Death Is Most Alive" will contain footage of DARK TRANQUILLITY's October 31, 2008 headlining concert in Milan, Italy. The band was joined during the show by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Nell Sigland for renditions of the songs "The Mundane And The Magic" (a track that had never before been played live) and "Insanity's Crescendo".

Fan-filmed video footage of the Milan concert can be viewed below. ...

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Sweden's BURST has announced plans to disband following a "best-of" performance in the group home country in the fall.

Commented BURST: "Following a band meeting at the end of June, we have decided that it is time to let BURST sleep.

"We will honor our commitments, play the planned No Budget fest in Larissa, Greece as well as the U.S. tour, and a possible best-of show in Sweden in late fall. But after that and for the foreseeable future, BURST will lay down its arms. Whether it is definite or indefinite, we can't say. Thus, in accordance with modern Internet heavy metal news site lingo, we'll call it an 'indefinite hiatus.'

"BURST have made music in this con ...

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Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Mirror of Retribution", which will be released in the U.S. on September 1 via Spinefarm Records. It is as follows:

01. Autoscopy
02. Blooming Blades
03. Hearts Condemned
04. Venom in my Veins
05. The Aroused
06. Sing Linng Temple
07. 1947
08. Forty Nine the Urgy Chains
09. Rise of the Shadows
10. Bloody Waves of Sorrow
11. Spell of Setting Sun
12. Unlimited Taiwan

The song "Rise of the Shadows" is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

Formed in 1995, CHTHONIC (a name deriving from a Greek word signifying spi ...

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ANTHRAX's manager, Izvor Zivkovic of Split Media, has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"As announced last week, thrash legends ANTHRAX regretfully cancelled the first three dates on the second leg of their European tour due to new vocalist Dan Nelson's unexpected illness. An additional seven European dates are also cancelled, those scheduled from July 22 to July 30.

"ANTHRAX is thrilled to announce that they will play the August 1 Sonisphere festival in Knebworth, England, with their good friend John Bush [ANTHRAX's singer from 1992 to 2005] joining them for a very special one-off performance.

"The members of ANTHRAX have confirmed the d ...

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Swedish black metallers MARDUK will release their eleventh album, "Wormwood", before the end of the year via Regain Records. The CD was recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrköping, Sweden with engineer/producer Magnus Devo Andersson. The album's release will be followed by a world tour, dubbed "Funeral Nation 2009/2010", which will kick off in Europe.

The CD artwork can be viewed below.

Check out photos from the "Wormwood" recording sessions at this location.

MARDUK's last CD, "Rom 5:12", was released in North America in May 2007 via Regain/Koch.

MARDUK was formed by guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson with the goal of becoming the "most blasphemous band in the world." The group's musical style started out as straight-forward, death metal-influenced black metal, but as the years went by progressed into a fast and intense form of black metal.

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HYPOCRISY, the Swedish extreme metal band led by guitarist/vocalist Peter Tägtgren (also of PAIN), has set "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" as the title of its new album, due on October 23 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. Peter states, "I'm at the end of the recording and mixing; a few songs left to sing on. The rest are done mixing-wise. It's just been too busy with touring and recording bands, and I didn't wanna burn myself out totally." He adds, "We're happy [with] the result so far; it got everything a HYPO album should have in our own point of view."

Check out the CD cover artwork below.

HYPOCRISY will kick off a U.S. tour in support of "A Taste Of Extreme Divini ...

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German progressive black metallers SECRETS OF THE MOON will release their new album, "Privilegivm", on September 11 in Germany and September 14 in the rest of Europe via Prophecy Productions. The CD's cover art, which was designed by "France's best media artist" Metastazis, can be viewed below.

"Privilegivm" was was produced by Markus Stock and was mastered by Peter in De Betou at Stockholm, Sweden's Tailor Maid Production.

"Privilegivm" track listing:

01. Privilegivm
02. Sulphur
03. Black Halo
04. I Maldoror
05. Harvest
Part I: I Forgive Myself
Part II: The Tree Of Life
Part III: Exsultet
06. For They Know Not
07. ...

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