According to a posting on SMASHING PUMPKINS' web site, the band have officially reformed and are currently writing songs for their upcoming album, their first since 2000. No release date has yet been set, but the group plans to begin recording this summer.

In early February, onetime SMASHING PUMPKINS bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur as well as an undisclosed source "close to the situation" confirmed to MTV News that PUMPKINS bandleader Billy Corgan has been working on material that will, at some point, surface in the form of a new SMASHING PUMPKINS album. "Everyone knows Bil ...

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Canadian extremists STRAPPING YOUNG LAD have set the tentative track listing for their new album, "The New Black", due in July 2006 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to last year's "Alien" was recorded at the Armoury and Profile studios in the band's hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia and is currently being mixed by Mike Fraser, who has previously worked with AC/DC, AEROSMITH and METALLICA, among others.

"The New Black" tentative track listing (in no particular order):

01. Decimator
02. You Suck
03. Antiproduct
04. Hope
05. Wrong Side
06. < ...

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The complete track listing has been revealed for the three CDs that will be included in the upcoming BATHORY box set, "In Memory of Quorthon", due on June 3 via Black Mark Records. As previously reported, the full package will contain three CDs, one DVD, a book and a poster. Börje "Boss" Forsberg — owner of Black Mark Records and father of late BATHORY mainman Thomas "Quorthon" Forsberg — had previously stated that the package would contain "Quorthon's and BATHORY's complete musical history."

"In Memory of Quorthon" track listing:

CD 1:

01. Song to Hall up High
02. Oden's Ride over N ...

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Norwegian symphonic metal band TRISTANIA have parted ways with vocalist Kjetil Ingebrethsen.

Commented Kjetil: "After four amazing years, I have decided to leave TRISTANIA. There is no bad blood between us at all, and we are still good friends. This is a choice I had to make, just for my own part, and it was the right time to do it now — before the new album.

"I just want to take the opportunity to thank all the fans I have met, and bands I have shared stage with, during tours and festivals. It's been a blast — you will truly be remembered!

"To the TRISTANIA 'family'; Einar, Vibeke, Kenneth, Anders, Ru ...

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SIRENIA, the Norwegian gothic metal band featuring former TRISTANIA guitarist/vocalist Morten Veland, have announced the addition of 27-year-old Danish female singer Monika Pedersen (photo) to the group's ranks. "Monika has been dedicated to music all her life, and has loads of experience from from other bands, projects, choirs etc." the group write on their web site. "In addition, she has been working with several professional singing teachers in Luxemburg and Denmark. From now on she will have an important role in SIRENIA's music, and we all look forward to a futur ...

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Canadian extreme metallers STRAPPING YOUNG LAD have completed recording their next album, "The New Black," which will see a release later this year.

In the meantime, the band's 1995 debut "Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing" will be reissued by Century Media on June 12th with the following bonus tracks:

"Japan" (originally a Japanese bonus track)
"Monday" (previously unreleased)
"Exciter" (European bonus track from original version/Judas Priest cover)

New artwork, liner notes and the video for the track "S.Y.L." will also be included.

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BEFORE THE DAWN, the melodic death metal band masterminded by Tuomas Saukkonen, will release their new album, "The Ghost", on May 26th via Locomotive Music. The CD was recorded and mixed at Villvox studios during the fall and early winter 2005 by Aleksanteri Kuosa. Mastering duties were handled by Minerva Pappi at Finnvox studios.

"The Ghost" (view cover here) track listing:

01. Disappear
02. Repentance
03. Away
04. Scar
05. Angel's Tombstone
06. Black Dawn
07. Enemy
08 ...

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JUDAS PRIEST have announced that they are creating their first conceptual album based upon the life and predictions of Nostradamus. The CD will be theatrically staged and performed in its entirety as an epic musical by JUDAS PRIEST.

JUDAS PRIEST made their only live appearance of 2006 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England on March 31. This was a special performance in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity and was a tribute to Tommy Vance (U.K.'s "Friday Rock Show") who passed away last year.

JUDAS PRIEST's "Rising in the East" DVD was recently certified gold in the United States by the RIAA (Recor ...

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Finland's FINNTROLL have secured the services of TWILIGHT MOON frontman Mathias Lillmåns as the group's new lead singer. Lillmåns is reportedly 23 years old, and like FINNTROLL's original vocalist, Katla Mathias, is Fenno-Swedish, with Swedish as his mother tongue. Check out pictures of FINNTROLL performing live with Mathias Lillmåns on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 at the Night Life Rock club in Helsinki at this location.

For more information on Lillmåns' other band, TWILIGH ...

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A representative for Dark Essence Records has confirmed that TAAKE frontman Hoest is doing time in a Norwegian prison at the moment. "He will be out in a couple of months, and will then finish the work on the new TAAKE release," the representative said. "Yes, there will be more coming from TAAKE in the near future! More info about that will come. We can also mention that C. Corax who plays guitar on the '...Doedskvad' and '...Bjoergvin...' albums, also is in prison at the moment, but for a bit longer time."

TAAKE's third album, "Doedskvad", was released last year via Dark Essence Records. The band had previously released two albums on the Wounded Love label: "Nattestid..." (1999) and "Bjoergvin" (2002). "Doedskvad" is the last installment in this trilogy.

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