Swedish drummer Snowy Shaw (DREAM EVIL, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME) has posted the following message on his official web site:

"January 30th: SNOWY and DREAM EVIL = NO MORE. Less than a month before the scheduled recording of their fourth album, Snowy decides to pull the plug and quit, taking all his songs with him which he intends to use on his own...

"CAN(S)ELLED. The planned spring recording of Joacim Cans' [HAMMERFALL singer] second solo album which would see Snowy's participation both as the drummer and second lead singer as well as songwriter, has been postponed until further ...

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Sanctuary Records/Castle Music has set a March 24 German release date (March 27 in the rest of Europe) for British black metal pioneers VENOM's new album, "Metal Black". Check out the album cover artwork at this location.

"Metal Black" was mixed at the Townhouse Studios in London and contains 14 new songs, including "Antechrist", the demo for which can be heard at this location.

"Metal Black" track listing:

01. Antechrist
02. Burn In Hel ...

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Quebec City's progressive dark metallers MOONLYGHT will enter Nokturn Studio at the end of February to record their second album, tentatively entitled "Two". The CD will be mixed by mastermind Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, BLOODBATH) at his legendary Unisound studio in Sweden. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Middle", "Hazard" and "Parallels". A late 2006 release is expected.

MOONLYGHT re-released their first album, "Progressive Darkness" (originally issued in 2002 on the now-defunct Metal Disk Records), in 2004 via Sweden's Escapi Records.

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Finland's FINNTROLL have parted ways with singer Tapio Wilska (SETHIAN, ex-WIZZARD, former session vocalist for NIGHTWISH). Wilska's official statement on the matter reads as follows:

"With a heavy heart I bring you the following news: In a band meeting one hour ago I was fired as a singer of FINNTROLL. Reasons are many and for the most part private, but personal differences and lack of discussion have led my bandmates to doubt my commitment for this band. I believe this will be discussed widely in the following days and more info will undoubtedly be out soon for your viewing pleasure. I will only say the following: These past three yea ...

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SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva has posted the following message on his official web site:

"I know that I personally don't post here much.....ever. I can't type!!! But, I wanted to get on here and let everyone know that things in the studio are really going great!

"This [JON OLIVA'S PAIN] record is different from the last, very versatile, with lots of things going on, everything from heavy metal to progressive metal, to just all kinds of stuff. We're experimenting with lots of different things and all of us, the whole band, are really excited about it. Everyone has contributed music and ideas and it's just been a lot of fun! I know you guys will be blown awa ...

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Swedish metallers EVERGREY have set "Monday Morning Apocalypse" as the title of their sixth studio album, due on April 4 via InsideOut Music. The follow-up to 2004's "The Inner Circle" was recorded at Division One Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by the experienced production team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who have previously worked with such artists as RAMMSTEIN, BON JOVI, BRITNEY SPEARS and DEF LEPPARD. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Monday Morning Apocalypse", "Unspeakable" and "At a Loss for Words".

As previously reported, EVERGREY have been nominated ...

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A brand new QUEENSRŸCHE track, entitled "The Hands", has been posted online at Metal Express Radio (Windows Media). The song comes off the group's sequel to their platinum 1988 concept album, "Operation: Mindcrime", due in North America on April 4 via Rhino Entertainment. The CD mixing and mastering was completed earlier in the month and the track listing has been reworked a bit, with two new tracks having been added. "Freiheit Ouvertüre" is the infamous "intro" all the fans have been chattering about, while "Convict" ...

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MANOWAR will relerase a brand new single, "The Sons Of Odin", on February 27, 2006. This 10-minute epic, in classic true metal style, sets the perfect tone for the impending release of the yet-untitled full-length album, scheduled for April 3, 2006.

Entitled "The Sons Of Odin", the upcoming CD will feature MANOWAR's patented, lion-hearted metal riffs mixed with arena-rock stomping grooves and orchestral arrangements. The single will also feature a remixed and re-recorded version of last summer's first single, "King Of Kings", another fast and furious outing originally released only as a bonus on the band's latest DVD, "Hell On Earth IV".

In an interview with Tartarean Desire chief editor Vincent Eldefors conducted on January 16, 2006, SODOM frontman Thomas "Tom Angelripper" Such revealed that the title of the band's upcoming studio album will simply be "Sodom".

The follow-up to 2001's "M-16", "Sodom" has already been recorded and the mixing will take place next week with a tentative release date in April via SPV Records. In April the band will also undertake an East European tour, covering countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Summer festival appearances are possible, to be followed by more extensive touring in the fall/winter.

SODOM's current line up is:

Tom Angelripper - Bass, Vocals
Bobby Schottkowski - Drums
Bernemann – Guitar

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German power metallers RAGE have finalized the track listing for their new album, "Speak of the Dead", tentatively due this spring via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Soundchaser" (SPV/Steamhammer) was recorded at the VPS studios in Hamm, Germany.

"Speak of the Dead" (view cover here) track listing:

01. Mortituri te Salutant
02. Prelude of Souls
03. Innocent
04. Depression
05. No Regrets
06. Confusion
07. Black
08. Beauty
...

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