Veteran Polish death metallers VADER have issued the following update:

"We would like to thank to all the participants of our anniversary gig [on August 30 at Stodola Club in Warsaw, Poland]: bands [GRAVE, ROTTING CHRIST, DISMEMBER, GOREFEST, MARDUK, NILE, ENTOMBED and SAMAEL], fans and staff. Thanks to you all we were able to celebrate the 25th anniversary of VADER in so special way. Big thanks to fans for such a numerous presence, bands for fantastic shows they all played in Warsaw, guests for their appearance on this show and our crew for nearly 24 hours of hard work! It was a very important show for us, the mor ...

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According to a posting on SODOM's official web site, the group's original drummer, Chris Dudek (a.k.a. Witchhunter), passed away yesterday (Sunday, September 7). No further details are currently available.

Dudek made a special guest appearance on SODOM's latest album, "The Final Sign of Evil", which was released as a double vinyl package on February 1, 2008 via SPV Records. The LP features re-recordings of the material from the German thrashers' classic first EP, "In the Sign of Evil", plus no less than seven bonus tracks, all of which were originally written during the "In the Sign of Evil" era or earlier but were never o ...

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"D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.", the new album from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, has entered the Media Control chart in the band's home country at position No. 65.

The "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N." title track is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The CD was released on August 22 via AFM Records and features guest appearanaces by Gary Holt (EXODUS), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) and Vinnie Moore (UFO).

"V.icious Circle - The 7 Seven Deadly Sins", the new video from DESTRUCTION, can be viewed below.

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have parted ways with longtime bass player Michael Nicklasson. According to the band, "all booked shows will go on as scheduled with a session bassist. We thank Michael for his time in the band and wish him the best of luck in future endeavours."

Commented Michael: "After almost 10 years and tons of tours and festivals, I chose to leave DARK TRANQUILLITY for personal reasons.

"It's been so cool all this time to meet all the people and the tons of fans around the world, and all the friends that I got during this amazing journey — crew, fans and all the people I (we) worked with. I can't name everyon ...

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A brand new AMON AMARTH track entitled "Twilight of the Thunder God" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song is the title cut of the Swedish Swedish Viking metallers' new album and it features a guest appearance by CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Roope Latvala. A video for the track was recently filmed on the old Viking site, Jomsborg, home of the Jomsvikings in Wolin, Poland, with the Polish team Group 13 and director Dariusz Szermanowicz.

Check out photos from the video shoot at

"Ultra Beatdown", the new album from British extreme epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE, is availaboe for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page.

"Ultra Beatdown" is scheduled for release in North America on August 26 (one day earlier internationally) via Roadrunner Records.

"Ultra Beatdown" track listing:

01. Heroes Of Our Time
02. The Fire Still Burns
03. Reasons To Live
04. Scars Of Yesterday
05. Heartbreak Armageddon
06. The Last Journey Home
07. Inside The Winter Storm
08. The Warri ...

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According to News.com.au, die-hard AC/DC fans have sunk to a hilarious new low in rock and roll fandom.

Fans who attended a film clip shoot in London last week were among the first in the world to hear AC/DC's new single "Rock 'N Roll Train", and, instead of leaking an unauthorized recording, have set about recreating it themselves on YouTube.

One video shows a fan dressed as Brian Johnson singing "Rock N Roll Train" in his bedroom. Another clip features a fan "singing" the song's main guitar riff in a series of "nah, nah, nah" noise ...

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North Carolina thrashers SANCTITY — who recently parted ways with Jared MacEachern (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Derek Anderson (bass) "for personal reasons" — have issued the following update:

"We will hopefully be announcing our new singer soon. I cant give you a name or hints yet, but we have not been [so] happy in a long time. He is a sick-ass singer as well as a person. We are going into Audiohammer studios [in Sanford, Florida] in September to record some new shit, and as soon as we have it so will you."

SANCTITY guitarist Zach Jordan recently told BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "Our new stuff is more brutal — still fun to listen to ...

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Greek progressive act WASTEFALL has announced its decision to disband. The group's official statement on the matter reads as follows:

"The band's situation has not been really good the past few months, since Alexander [Katsiyiannis; guitar] was studying in Crete (island of Greece) far away from Athens. We did renew our contract with Intromental Management this year and after this we have had the opportunity to play at ProgPower Scandinavia in October 2008. Our drummer Kostis [Papaleksopoulos] passed his examinations and he will have to leave Greece this summer for a few years, since he will study in a musical university in England, so w ...

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After completing their highly successful European tour with SUFFOCATION and Century Media labelmates WARBRINGER, British grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH have entered the studio to record the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006's "Smear Campaign".

Commented vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway: "As always, when trying to decide when we should enter the studio, we threw a dart at a dartboard and, sadly, for all our sanities' sakes, it landed on a date which was sooner rather than later. It's all working out good with about 10-12 songs complete thus far. It will be intense, naturally, and like always we'll be looking to move things along a notch pro ...

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