Connecticut bruisers Blood Has Been Shed have confirmed 3 UK shows in September. These will be their first shows outside the USA í¢ä‰åäóì ever! 퉌æ Blood Has Been Shed features Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones and KsE drummer Justin Foley, together with Corey Ungar on guitar, and John Lynch on bass. 퉌æ Howard comments, í¢ä‰åñWe are looking forward to coming over and having some fun on the other side of the pond! We don’t play often, so we figured why not come to the UK? A couple of the guys have never been there before, we certainly have not played there í¢ä‰åäóì or anywhere outside of the USA – and I personally love the UK! With any luck a few of you will come out and have a good time with us!í¢ä‰åŒ 퉌æ Witness their extreme metal stylings at the following locations: Sept 28 í¢ä‰åäóì Birmingham Academy 2 Sept 29 í¢ä‰åäóì Manchester Academy 3 Sept 30 í¢ä‰åäóì London Mean Fiddler

Roadrunner Records is proud to announce the signing of Opeth. With a release planned for late summer 2005 — following a spate of international touring that includes the much-anticipated Sounds of the Underground tour in the US — Opeth has never been busier – or more excited about the prospect of things. “The combination of a strong label and our best album so far is quite lethal!” states Opeth singer and guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt. With a musical grasp that spans the baroque to the brutal, Opeth have spent the past decade honing a sound quite unlike any band in existence – 1994’s Orchid being the starting point in the evolution of a sound that encompasses elements of metal, progressive rock, folk and classical music. The name Opeth has become synonymous with a soaring, cathedral of sound that has netted the band a legion of loyal fans and scored them Grammy award kudos in their native Sweden for their album Deliverance and were nominated for their other acclaimed releases Damnation and Blackwater Park. With the release of their last album, 2003’s Damnation, the Swedish band cemented their position not merely as standard-bearers in heavy music, but one of the greatest bands of the present day. Since the merger of Opeth’s former label Music For Nations into BMG, Opeth have been one of the most sought after unsigned bands in the world. Opeth and its manager, Andy Farrow of The Northern Music Company finally struck a deal with Roadrunner Records. “Opeth is the sort of band that humbles you with every note,” states Roadrunner A&R man Mike Gitter who adds Opeth to a personal roster of artists which also includes the Grammy-nominated Killswitch Engage. “We’re excited and proud to be working with them.” “I think all of us subconsciously had our minds set from the very beginning about signing to Roadrunner,” says Akerfeldt. “For us it’s probably our biggest career move since we started. Roadrunner is/was the home of many of our favorite metal artists of all time.” He adds “As I’m writing this I am in the studio and we’re recording the new album, I know that this album is going to really KILL! It’s sounding incredible already, and we’re nowhere near finished.” Look out for the release in late Summer 05. Meantime, pick up your tickets for their ‘just announced’ shows in September: Tues 6th September í¢ä‰åäóì BIRMINGHAM Academy Wed 7th September í¢ä‰åäóì MANCHESTER Academy Thu 8th September í¢ä‰åäóì LONDON Mean Fiddler

Martin quits CRADLE OF FILTH His statement reads as follows: “Due to pressing personal reasons I have found myself unable to commit my best efforts and time to Cradle of Filth. Despite five great years, during which I have achieved along with my colleagues (past and present) a myriad of goals and dreams, I have decided to bow out from Cradle. Having played and written music with three greats of English metal (Cradle Of Filth, My Dying Bride and Anathema, I am certainly not giving up music in any respect but just need time away from the rigors of being part of a such a time consuming entity as Cradle Of Filth is. I shall endeavour to pursue and perhaps release my own music whenever I am blessed with the time and inclination to do so. I should like to thank Cradle fans and friends the world over for making my time with Cradle Of Filth incredibly enjoyable and memorable. I look forward to people hearing from me in the not-too-distant future.” The rest of the band have issued the following statement regarding the recent and upcoming events in the group’s camp: “The feeling in the Cradle camp of course is one of profound loss, though a resounding and heartfelt ‘all the best for the future’ accompanies this recent and unexpected personal turn of events. Obviously this leaves an opening for a replacement Cradle keyboardist, so if there is anyone out there who bares an iota of interest in joining the ranks of the ‘FILTH, then please feel free to send musical material and accompanying photographic/background information to the management email address as printed on the inside of the recent ‘Nymphetamine’ release. Anybody of any colour, creed or stature is welcome though ‘Phantom of the Opera’-esque mannerisms and creepy facial mask will definitely count in your favour. Note: This will not affect the recently announced U.K. tour dates in December! On the positive side however, is the very welcome news that former bassist Dave ‘Herr Pubis’ Pybus has now taken on the somewhat daunting task of webmaster for the Cradle Of Filth official website, a challenge that sits perfectly alongside Dave’s current preoccupation with the recently formed Sixsixsix Records label. So, from everybody involved with the band, a warm and very grateful welcome back.” In a similar vein, Dave is also accompanying the band to undertake the forthcoming ‘Viva La Bam’ MTV2 television performance in the U.S sometime in June, when the band will feature in a full-length episode culminating in a live performance of ‘Nemesis’ atop a multi-story parking lot somewhere in Philadelphia. This however does not exclude new bass player Charles Hedger, who has been helping write toward the new album in the recent rehearsal room sessions at Springvale. So far tentative titles for the new material are as follows -The Flora of Nightfall -The Fauna of War -Devil to the Metal -Cemetery and Sundown The band are expecting to be back in the studio in the autumn with a wistful release date of February 2006, though as mentioned elsewhere, the ‘Gospel Of Filth’ printed foray in to the darkside will be out in shops around Halloween as too will the forthcoming band DVD, recently shot over two nights in Paris and as yet untitled.

Check out this awesome review of The Agony Scene’s – The Darkest Red courtesy of musicOMH.com. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t judge a book by its film. And don’t judge a band by its image. Especially not where Oklahoman quintet The Agony Scene is concerned. Yes, they may look like the next bunch of skinny, overly coiffure-conscious, lostprophets-type merchants who peddle pop-pretending-to-be-rock but, in contrast, their second album The Darkest Red is bone-crushingly heavy, a pastiche of early ’90s Scandinavian death metal and 21st Century American metalcore.” CLICK HERE to read the entire article.

After a recent successful short UK run in support of their current ‘Nymphetamine’ album, CRADLE OF FILTH have lined up a full UK tour for this December. Catch the band’s black metal theatrics at the following shows: Thu 1st Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Southampton Guildhall Fri 2nd Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Norwich UEA Sat 3rd Dec í¢ä‰åäóì London Forum Mon 5th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Cardiff University Tue 6th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Birmingham Academy Thu 8th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Glasgow Academy Fri 9th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Newcastle Academy Sat 10th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Leeds University Sun 11th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Manchester Academy Mon 12th Dec í¢ä‰åäóì Nottingham Rock City Tickets are on sale now priced 퉌£14 regionally and 퉌£16 in London, from box offices and all usual agents.퉌æ You can also buy online at www.getlive.co.uk or www.ticketweb.co.uk Meantime, the band travel to the US in mid-June to feature on friend, Bam Margera’s MTV2 show, ‘Viva La Bam’. 퉌æ Cradle of Filth’s new DVD, featuring a live performance recorded in Paris on their recent European tour, plus assorted extras and behind the scenes footage, is set for release this Winter.

Our good friends at METAL Injection have an interview online with SOULFLY’s Max Cavalera where he answers questions about reuniting Sepultura, touring and if he likes it “rolled” or “bowled.” Click here to watch the interview. Also featured on the episode is a live version of “Roots Bloody Roots” from SOULFLY’s latest DVD release The Song Remains Insane in stores now.

Ferret A & R rep Paul Conroy gives his updateí¢ä‰åŒ_ The new MADBALL record sounds flat out amazing. I’ve been a huge fan of this band since ‘Set it Off’ and I can honestly say this is their best effort to date. The production on this record is very HEAVY, heavier then any of Madball’s previous records. However, the feel of the songs very much have the classic Madball feel. This is not the kind of band that will ever change up their style to cater to a certain trend (there are no Maiden riffs happening here!). Madball’s producer put it best, “This record sounds like Madball on steroids”. ‘Legacy’ is Madball’s first album for five years and should hit the streets at the start of August.

Name: Rotem Inbar Age: 23 Instrument: Bass guitar All time favourite record? Pantera í¢ä‰åäóì Vulgar Display of Power Greatest experience on tour? Supporting Fear Factory and Malevolent Creation Most horrible experience on tour? Playing some D.I.Y shows with 10watt amps Most embarrassing moment on stage? Don’t have any Do you have any sort of ritual before going on stage? Sure, drinking a cold one with my crew in the back stage, and getting wormed up With which band would you love to tour with? MESHUGGAH ! If I couldn’t be a musician, I would … Graphic designer Best advice you ever heard? Be yourself! With which famous person (alive or dead) would you love to spend some time and why? Will Farrel !! (Old school, The Anchorman)퉌æ퉌æ퉌æ One of the funniest actors ever What’s one thing you would like to achieve in life? Didn’t figured it out yet, but i guess i’m on the right way ! 🙂 Last Words: XXX-DXXX- and Fuckin’ ROCK AND ROLL !! REMEMBER: BETZEFER – DOWN LOW – OUT JUNE 6th

To celebrate the release of DEVILDRIVER – THE FURY OF OUR MAKER’S HAND – OUT JUNE 27th we are running club nights all over the country. This is a great oppotunity to listen to the whole album as well as getting your hands on some filthy swag, including posters and stickers. So pull some mates together and join us at some of the following venues. The dates are as follows: Thursday 17th June 퉌‡ Birmingham í¢ä‰åñKerrang Clubí¢ä‰åŒ @Subway City Thursday 23rd June 퉌‡ Nottingham Rock City Friday 24th June 퉌‡ London í¢ä‰åñRockí¢ä‰åŒ @Mean Fiddler 퉌‡ Swansea í¢ä‰åñFace Offí¢ä‰åŒ @Escape Saturday 25th June 퉌‡ Edinburgh í¢ä‰åñMissioní¢ä‰åŒ @Studio 24 퉌‡ Newcastle í¢ä‰åñRockí¢ä‰åŒ @The Arena 퉌‡ Liverpool í¢ä‰åñK2í¢ä‰åŒ @The Krazy House 퉌‡ Manchester @Jilly’s Rock World REMEMBER: DEVILDRIVER – THE FURY OF OUR MAKER’S HAND – OUT JUNE 27th

CHIMAIRA – NOTHING REMAINS As promised, yesterday (25/5) we put up a track titled “Nothing Remains,” the lead track off Chimaira’s upcoming self-titled release. Well, today the new music celebration continues. Please take another stop by our MUSIC section, the version of the track up there now is the mastered, final version (yesterday’s version was not). As well, tomorrow is frontman Mark Hunter’s birthday (Happy Birthday wishes to him, of course). As they say it is better to give than receive, Mark has asked that we post a higher quality encoded version of the song (192kbps as opposed to 128kbps, what is currently in the MUSIC section). The 192kbps encoded version of “Nothing Remains” can be downloaded HERE (7.76 MB). Enjoy. REMEMBER: THE MONSTER RETURNS AUGUST 2005 But… CLICK HERE for the oppotunity to meet Chimaira and to hear the album early!!!