Paramęcium will cease to exist! The two shows the band planned this year, will be their final concerts. However, the line-up of the band will continue under the moniker of inExordium. Musically they will depart from the doom metal path. You can expect melodic death metal from inExordium. The final chances to see Paramęcium songs performed are at the Blackstump festival in Sydney and the NordicFest in Oslo.

Rivel Records will be releasing albums from three new bands: Grimmark, Miseration and Essence Of Sorrow. All releases are planned for early 2007.

Grimmark is the band name of Carl Johan Grimmark's solo band. Grimmark is known for his work in Narnia and Rob Rock's band.

Miseration is an extreme metal band led by Jani Stefanovic (Divinefire, Essence Of Sorrow). Other members are vocalist Christian Älvestam (Scar Symmetry), Patrik Gardberg (Ammotrack, Divinefire) and Barry Haldan (formerly of Renascent).

Essence Of Sorrow is led by Jani Stefanovic too, who is working with Mats Levén (Malmsteen, Therion, At Vance), Christian Palin (Random Eyes) and Mikko Härkin (Wingdom, Random Eyes).

Torman Maxt is still working on their next album, The Problem Of Pain. Expect this record early 2007.

Recently Michael Sweet announced from stage that Stryper will start recording a new album. According to Sweet, the band will be going in a heavier direction than Reborn. The new album is expected to come out in spring 2007.

Bombworks Records signed the band Dagon. This American band plays Scandinavian death metal with American 80's rock and metal. They will be going into the studio shortly to record a full length follow-up to their independently released EP Secrets Of The Deep. The full length will be available in early 2007. Bombworks Records will be distributing Secrets Of The Deep in anticipation of the full length.

Scott Waters has left the band Once Dead. He is now replaced by Devin Shaeffer, the former vocalist for Fasedown. The release of the new Once Dead album has been pushed back to December 15th.

Razor Burn is the new album from The Awakening, coming out in Europe today. The record contains twelve new songs. Here are the song titles: Outside The Asylum, Arrow, Heaven Waits, The Neon Sky, Razor Burn, Darkness Calls, Razor Burn Part 2, Bleeding, Descent, Oblivion, Halo, Below, Asylum. Razor Burn is the band's eighth studio album. Fans in South Africa and the rest of the world will have to wait another week for the album to come out...

Rhino Records will release a greatest hits compilation of P.O.D.'s Atlantic Records catalogue. This compilation will be called Greatest Hits - The Atlantic Years. Rhino Records is known for bringing out box sets and greatest hits compilations, releasing material from notable artists such as Black Sabbath, The Cure and The Ramones. The P.O.D. compilation will have seventeen songs. Two new songs will be on it as well. One of them is a unreleased track from the Testify recording sessions. The other new one was recorded this week. Expect Greatest Hits - The Atlantic Records in stores on November 21st.

Some weeks ago P.O.D. announced their departure from Atlantic Records. The band is still considering whether to sign with another label or to work independently. However, the guys are planning to write and record a record throughout the Fall. Expect this disc out in Spring 2007. 

Anberlin is working on a new record. The tentative release date is February 27th. There's no album title yet.

Tourniquet have their new DVD out. This DVD is called Till Sverige Med Karlek - Tourniquet Live In Sweden and contains a registration of their show at the Bobfest in 2005. Some of the songs on the DVD are: The Test For Leprosy, Acidhead, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, Restoring The Locust Years, The Tomb Of Gilgamesh, Broken Chromosomes.

Bloodlined Calligraphy released their new album Ypsilanti. You can stream the entire album on Purevolume.com.

You can download the new Stairway album The Other Side Of Midnight on itunes.com. You can also download the single No Mercy.

MeWithoutYou releases their new album Brother, Sister on Tuesday. For a limited time you can download the new song O, Porcupine on Absolutepunk.net.

Kekal is offering some videos on the internet. You can view the video clip for A Dream For A Moment, a live version of Default, recorded at the Hedon, Zwolle, Holland in March 2004, a live version of A Dream For A Moment, a live version of Embrace The Dead, recorded at the Morbid Metalfest 2, in Jakarta, Indonesia, in December 2004, and the Road Trip to Acidity Documentary Intro.

Saviour Machine has announced the release date for the limited edition of Legend III:II. This album is the final episode of the Legend cycle that started with Legend I in 1997 by Massacre Records. And it's about time too. The previous part - Legend III:I came out in 2001... The release date for Legend III:II is June 7th 2007 (07-07-07).

Liberty n' Justice is back in the studio recording the follow-up to Soundtrack Of A Soul. However, this next CD will be an acoustic rock album called Independence Day. It will feature twelve all-star singers on eleven songs. Mike Layne will produce the album.

The Swedish band Pantokrator is still working on their next album called Aurum.

The British rock band Fono is currently in the studio mixing their new record with Alan Sanderson. Sanderson has worked with many artists, like The Rolling Stones and Green Day.

Once again As I Lay Dying has been nominated for Artist of Year in the San Diego Music Awards! You can help them win by voting for the band!

Norma Jean has a new album out called Redeemer.

Legendary black metal band Horde will play its first live show ever. Horde was a black metal band that was started in the early nineties. Sole member of this band was Anonymous. The only CD ever to come out, was Hellig Usvart, released in 1994 by Rowe Productions. This album is now considered as a cult release. Now Horde will do its first concert at the Nordic Fest in Oslo, Norway. This festival takes place November 2nd-5th. Other bands on the Nordic Festival are: Extol, Paramęcium, Laudamus, Pantokrator, Barricades, Showdown and Evergrace. 

The next Jacobs Dream album will be called Dominion Of Darkness.

Pacto de Sangre is working hard on their new CD called Moses Is Rising.

Yesterday, Bride released the first single from their new album Skin For Skin on myspace. The song is called Inside Ourselves.

Guideline Records finished their first DVD. This DVD contains interviews, live material and yet unreleased songs of their bands. There's no release date yet.

The guys in Opposition Of One will enter the studio in November to record their second longplayer. A release date is not confirmed yet.

Deliverance is back, again! Last Saturday the band appeared on the Up From The Ashes festival in California, USA. Band leader Jimmy Brown is considering the recording of a new album.

Ian Arkley recently reported the death of former Ashen Mortality bassist Tim Cooper. Cooper died on August 17th after battling leukaemia for the past two years. He had 2 young children, and was married to Julie. Ian Arkley: "Tim was a very close friend as well as being bassist in Ashen Mortality. Tim had to stop playing with the band in the end, due to his health."

Ashen Mortality was disbanded in 2005. The remaining members of the band started My Silent Wake who have an album out on Bombworks Records.

Monty Colvin of Crunchy opened his first Myspace.com website. You can listen to a couple of demos of new songs there. Colvin is still working on the third Crunchy album.

P.O.D. have left Atlantic Records. According to the band, Atlantic Records is not the same place anymore. P.O.D. sold more than 7 million albums through Atlantic.

Veni Domine is recording their sixth album, the follow-up to 23:59. The band is working on nine songs. As of now it's uncertain who will do the bass parts on the record as their bassist Gabriel Ingemarsson is still in Shanghai.

The Dutch ska rock band Make Up Your Mind is mixing songs for their next album. The guys will finish the album in the next few months in the Woodencup studio in Wilnis, Holland.

The mixing of the Fountain of Tears disc Fate has finally come to an end. Here are some of the song titles: Corruption, With My Fears, Forever Lost and Entropy.

Les Carlsen, Michael Bloodgood and Paul Jackson met again earlier this year to discuss the future of metal band Bloodgood. There is hope for a reunited Bloodgood. Bassist Michael Bloodgood reported that he and the other members have the intention to re-record classic Bloodgood songs to give them an updated sound. And then they will work on recording new material.

The Dutch band Skyrider have put up two new tracks from their upcoming debut album Driven To Deliverance on their myspace page. The album will be released at the end of September.

Pistis In Him Alone have released all the songs of their farewell EP on the internet for free! The EP is called Darkness Only Is The Absence Of Light and contains five songs. You can download the entire disc in a zip-file by clicking this link (save target as). You can also download four of the five songs individually from Purevolume.com.

The Dutch black metal band Borgazur is back together. They've recorded a one song demo. This single track is called Graven Image Of The Beau Ideals and can be downloaded from the band's website.

Another Dutch band, the progressive metal band Picture Of The Moon, will start recording a new CD in November.

The work on a Ukranian Christian metal compilation CD is done. The album is called The Silver Sky and will also contain three songs from Angel 7.

Tonight there will be no Art For The Ears radio show on Radio 90FM. On Tuesday August 22nd you can listen to the reiteration of the show on August 11th. Art For The Ears will be back with a live show on Friday August 25th.

Pyramaze will be recording a live DVD at this years Progpower USA in Atlanta, in September. The recording will include songs from both of their releases Legend Of The Bone Carver and Melancholy Beast.

A DVD re-issue of the Live Planetarium video from Mortification is out now. This DVD now also has bonus footage, including scenes shot during the recording of the Post Momentary Affliction album and footage from Cornerstone 1993 and a show in Germany in 1994. Mortification also has a new album out called Erasing The Goblin. At the album launch original members Jayson Sherlock and Mick Carlisle showed up on stage!

Threshold are now back at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey, England, to start recording their new studio album. The album is expected to be complete by the beginning of November and it will be released in early 2007. Interestingly, Threshold signed with Nuclear Blast Records for a four album worldwide deal.

This week, Michael Sweet (Stryper) released his new solo album Him. This is the first solo album in five years and it's the follow-up to Truth. Him contains well-known Christian hymns, done in a new version. You can expect songs like Take My Life, Alleluia and O Holy Night. While several selections maintain their traditional melodies, a high-energy tempo resonates throughout the set!

Blissed have their new album Corrosive ready.

You can hear Evanescence's new single Call Me When You're Sober on Evanescence.com. The US video premiere will be on August 7th on MTV. Evanescence's new album, The Open Door, will be available on October 3rd.

On Purevolume.com you can hear a new song from Bloodlined Calligraphy. The track is called Last Goodbye and it's one of the songs on the album Ypsilanti that will be out on September 19th.

Pop punk band FM Static released their new album Critically Ashamed this week! This record is the follow-up to What Are You Waiting For.

And the melodic punk rockers of Relient K are releasing their new album this fall. This will be their fifth full-length disc. Of the previous four albums, three were certified Gold in the US.