British power metallers Intense will tour the Netherlands and the UK during March and April which includes tour dates with NWOBHM legends Blitzkrieg. The confirmed dates are as follows;

21/03/2008 - Mukkes - Leeuwarden, Netherlands
22/03/2008 - Musketeers of Metal Festival @ Dynamo Club - Eindhoven, Netherlands
26/04/2008 - Metieval Feral Ball @ Dorchester Hotel - Hull, England
28/04/2008 - Ivory Blacks - Glasgow, Scotland (supporting Blitzkrieg)
30/04/2008 - Camden Underworld - London, England (supporting Blitzkrieg)
01/05/2008 - Rio - Leeds, England (supporting Blitzkrieg)
04/05/2008 - Hobbits - Weston Super Mare, England (w/Gripshift)

Intense in January signed a deal with Austrian label Napalm Records who released their new album, "As Our Army Grows" which was released in late March 2007.

Swedish death metal act Dismember have announced a tour of the UK and Ireland set to take place in late March. Joining them on the tour will be Devilish Impressions, Methedras, and Omnium Gatherum. The dates are as follows;

21/03/2008 - T.B.C.
22/03/2008 - T.B.C. - Manchester, England
23/03/2008 - T.B.C. - Brighton, England
24/03/2008 - The Night Owl Club - Cheltenham, England
25/03/2008 - Barfly - Glasgow, Scotland
26/03/2008 - The Limelight - Belfast, Northern Ireland
27/03/2008 - An Cruiscin Lan - Cork, Ireland
28/03/2008 - Voodoo Lounge - Dublin, Ireland
29/03/2008 - Rio - Leeds, England
30/03/2008 - Camden Underworld - London, England

Dismember will release their new self-titled album on March 24th, 2008 through Swedish label Regain Records. The album was recorded at the B.A.S. Studios with Nico Elgstrand (Murder Squad, Krux, Merciless, Entombed).

Experimental Swiss metal act Samael are set to tour Russia and Ukraine dubbed the "Eastern Crusade" tour according to the band's website. The confirmed tour dates are as follows;

22/02/2008 - Kalshnikov - Krasnodar, Russia
23/02/2008 - Podzemka - Rostov, Russia
25/02/2008 - Tochka - Moscow, Russia
29/02/2008 - CCA NAU - Kiev, Ukraine

Samael's current studio album is the 2007 album titled "Solar Soul" which was the band's first release under Nuclear Blast Records.

Texas death metal band No Souls Lost has announced that they have completed the recordings of their new album, "Hostis Humani Generis". Guitarist Jason Jaeckel comments; "After lots of personnel changes, lots of struggle, and lots of hard work, we feel this is an album you'll be very happy with".

After a long search, new vocalist Andrew Vasa joined the line-up shortly before the album was completed, and laid his vocals down just in time. The members hold his talent in high regard. "I had been doing lead vocals for a long time, but we wanted a front person that could interact with the crowd more effectively. It's hard to entertain the crowd and perform brutal death metal vocals when you're busy concentrating on highly technical guitar riffs.", Jaeckel said.

"Hostis Humani Generis" is tentatively scheduled for an April release through Open Grave Records. The songs "Metaphysics of Murder" and "Solstice" are currently available for listening at the band's MySpace profile which can be found at this location. The final track listing is as follows;

01. Hostis Humani Generis
02. Greater Pestilence
03. Dracolich
04. Metaphysics of Murder
05. 793
06. The Plane of Crossing
07. Enuma Elish
08. Catatonic Death Trance
09. Solstice
10. Impure Empire
11. Descent Into Madness
12. Heartwork (Carcass Cover)

Progressive metal act Kamelot are to re-issue the 2007 studio album "Ghost Opera" in Germany on March 28th with a European release date of March 31st, 2008. A North American release is scheduled for April 8th, 2008.

The re-issued titled "Ghost Opera - The Second Coming" will be released as a limited-edition double CD album, featuring all the original tracks from "Ghost Opera" as well as ten additional live songs recorded in Belgrade, Serbia. Also included is the bonus tracks "Season's End", "The Pendulous Fall", "Epliogue", and the remix of "Rule the World". Videos for the songs "The Human Stain" and "Memento Mori (live)" are also included in the reissue.

The track listing is as follows;

CD 1: Ghost Opera
01. Solitaire
02. Rule the World
03. Ghost Opera
04. The Human Stain
05. Blücher
06. Love You to Death
07. Up Through the Ashes
08. Mourning Star
09. Silence of the Darkness
10. Anthem
11. EdenEcho
12. Memento Mori (enhanced video: Live in Belgrade, Serbia)
13. The Human Stain (enhanced video)

CD 2: Live in Belgrade
01. Solitaire
02. Ghost Opera
03. The Human Stain
04. Mourning Star
05. When the Lights Are Down
06. Abandoned
07. The Haunting (with Simone Simons/EPICA)
08. Memento Mori
09. Epilogue
10. March of Mephisto

Studio cuts:
11. Season's End
12. The Pendulous Fall
13. Epilogue
14. Rule the World (Remix)

The official press release is as follows;

"It's full metal mayhem on Talking Metal, an all-new hard rock/heavy metal series on Fuse bred from the #1 podcast on iTunes, Talking Metal. Hosted by ultimate metal geeks Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy, the show will feature exclusive interviews and field packages in the podcast's signature style. Follow Mark and John as they rock out with members of Guns N Roses, get tangled up with Kerry King's (Slayer) snakes, strum chords with Dave Mustaine and take a road trip to a New York City movie premiere with Rob Halford; then catch them in the studio with sidekicks Bud Friendly, Metal Mike and the Talking Metal fans."

"For more information about Talking Metal (plus exclusive video previews of musician interviews from the show) please head right here."

A trailer on YouTube can also be viewed at this location.

UK tickets website Ents24.com has confirmed two tour dates for Ronnie James Dio which are set to take place in May. The confirmed dates are as follows;

27/05/2008 - Carling Academy - Birmingham, England
28/05/2008 - Astoria - London, England

Dio's latest album is the 2006 double-disc live album titled "Holy Diver - Live" which was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dio's classic 1986 debut album, "Holy Diver". The live album featured guitarist Doug Aldrich who filled in for Craig Goldy on the Holy Diver tour in 2005.

Guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian thrashers Sepultura has issued the following update;

"We started the writing process for the Sepultura new album today in our studio in Sao Paulo (Brazil). All the equipament was prepared yesterday by our crew and today we tried some ideas for songs. We will follow kind of the same steps we did in our last album, 'Dante XXI', but this time we will be inspired by the book A Clockwork Orange, first released in 1962 written by Anthony Burgess and it's a movie, a classic, made by Stanley Kubrik. We will write our soundtrack for this story and Burgess' life will be an inspiration also to write the music, lyrics and for the artwork.

"Today at the studio, really good ideas came up, the vibe is great and the songs are coming in a easy and brutal way. Keep checking the news for more info soon!"

Sepultura's current studio album is the March 2006 release "Dante XXI" through SPV Records. The album was the last to feature drummer Igor Cavalera which initially took a break after becoming a father for the fourth time. Five months later, he announced that he left the band due to "artistic incompatibility".

Swedish heavy metal band Wolf have posted the following update on their official MySpace profile;

"We wanna fill you in on what's up in Wolf-land. Writing for the new album is well on the way and we're wrapping up the final things for a summer recording. We'll give you more details as things move along.

"On February 22-24, we'll be recording a cover tune in Toyas Studio Seven Sweden/Örebro for a special release by Century Media Records and the song we've taken on might not be the most obvious choice for a working class heavy metal band like Wolf, but rest assured, we're very excited and very proud to get a chance to record this song. Which one it is – we cannot reveal at this time, but we will do so soon.

"As many off you've seen when watching us onstage lately is that Tobias 'Hammershark' Kellgren is not with us anymore. It was a mutual decision taken way back in August that Hammershark was to leave due to lack of time to tour and personal issues, and we can't let that hold us back. But as you might have noticed, we haven't exactly been sitting around doing nothing. Nope, we've borrowed InSolitude drummer Uno 'Piranha' Bruniosson as live/session drummer for shows and upcoming February recording."

Wolf released their latest studio album "The Black Flame" in UK in February through Century Media Records. The album was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Swedish metal act In Flames have completed work on their upcoming studio album, "A Sense of Purpose" which is due for release on April 1st, 2008 through Koch Records in North America. In Europe, Nuclear Blast Records will release the album on April 4th, 2008.

Recorded at the band's new recording studio, IF Studios which is located in Gothenburg, Sweden, "A Sense of Purpose" was mixed by Toby Wright (Metallica, Slayer). The artwork was designed by Alex Pardee (The Used, Kid Robot) and it's surreal look ties in with the overall packaging and design, visually telling the tale of a titular character navigating through a labyrinth while avoiding various dangers (representing life’s difficulties) that pepper his journey. The artwork can be viewed at this location.

The final track listing for the album is as follows;

01. The Mirror's Truth
02. Disconnected
03. Sleepless Again
04. Alias
05. I'm the Highway
06. Delight and Angers
07. Move Through Me
08. The Chosen Pessimist
09. Sober and Irrelevant
10. Condemned
11. Drenched In Fear
12. March To The Shore

Swedish rock band The Hellacopters will be performing at the Peace & Love Festival in Borlänge, Sweden which takes place between June 23rd and 28th, 2008. Other band's confirmed to appear include; the Sex Pistols, the Cult, Entombed, the Haunted, Wolf, In Flames, and Opeth.

From 1995 to 2008, The Hellacopters rose from the ranks of the thriving Swedish music scene to become one of the most beloved and notorious bands of the Scandinavian rock movement. Years of shambolic, inebriated, and totally thrilling, life-or-death performances in tiny bars, clubs, and house parties across Europe earned them a near-fanatical fan base, and also the reputation of being the best band in the world.

The Hellacopters will release one last studio album title "Head Off" through Wild Kingdom and Sound Pollution, which will end their career. The band comments; "We feel like we wanna say one last Goodbye to you and throw in the towel with a bang, so we're aiming to do a farewell tour through Europe and Scandinavia sometime in the autumn. So you're not getting rid of us just yet."

The album is tentatively due in April.

Finnish death metal act Deathchain have parted ways with long-time guitarist Bobby Undertaker according to the band's official website. The posting reads; "We have decided to announce this due to all questions regarding this issue: Our long-time guitar player Bobby Undertaker has decided to step off from this roaring machinery. It did not come as a complete surprise but somehow it was inevitable, as one will find out when reading the Undertakers last obituary. It is with full understanding we part our ways with long-time friend and brother, so cheers to you and may Cthulhu guard your steps!!!"

Bobby Undertaker comments on his departure;

"Deathchain has come to a point where in order to grow bigger and more known as a band, more and more tours outside Finland must be done. It seems that Deathchain is going to be pretty busy on that matter. That means months away from Finland and for me, also months away from my day job. In my current situation in life, that job is something I just can’t afford to lose. Especially when doing tours as a support, usually there's no income of any kind and for me that situation is financially impossible. It's not fair that the whole band would be held back just because of me. Furthermore, I totally agree with the rest of the band that using someone to replace me on tours is totally lame and just plain stupid. Either you're in, or you're out and I'm sad to announce that under these circumstances, I am out of Deathchain.

"This is probably the hardest decision I've ever made. Deathchain has been a huge part of my life. We have done three albums and over 100 shows all around Europe, I've made a lots of friends on our gigs and met great bands, not to mention the fellow band members who have become one of my best friends. I will continue playing and with Corpse we have agreed to work together in the future. I wish all the best for Deathchain and thank you for the best years of my life."

Deathchain released their current studio album "Cult of Death" in May and June through Dynamic Arts Records. In their native Finland the album reached number 17 in the Finnish national album charts.

British metal act Biomechanical will appear at the 2008 edition of the MetalCamp Festival, which takes place between July 3rd and 9th, 2008 in Tomlin, Slovenia. Bands confirmed to appear at the festival are as follows;

Alestorm
Apocalyptica
Behemoth
Brainstorm
Catamenia
Celtic Frost
Dark Fortress
Drone
Fear My Thoughts
Finntroll
Gorila Monsoon
Hate
Heaven Shall Burn
Helloween
Herfst
In Flames
Kataklysm
Legion of the Damned
MachineMade God
Mercenary
Ministry
Morbid Angel
Mystic Prophecy
Penitenziagite
Perishing Mankind
Rage
Sahg
Skyforger
Soilwork
The Sorrow
Staub Und Schatten
Sybreed
Subway to Sally
Tankard
Wintersun

Hanoi Rocks will end their working relationship with their current drummer Kari Lahtinen, better known as Lacu. Lacu will leave the band after Hanoi Rocks' European tour, which will start from Stockholm, 14th of February and will finish at the Astoria Club, London 7th of March 2008. The change behind the drumkit will not affect the forthcoming Hanoi Rocks gigs or tours.

The new drummer will be announced soon.

Hanoi Rocks will tour in the UK in late February and early March on the following dates;

25/02/2008 - The Plug - Sheffield, England
26/02/2008 - Cathouse - Glasgow, Scotland
27/02/2008 - Moshulu - Aberdeen, Scotland
28/02/2008 - Academy 2 - Newcastle, England
29/02/2008 - Academy 3 - Manchester, England

01/03/2008 - Rio's - Leeds, England
03/03/2008 - Rock City - Nottingham, England
04/03/2008 - JB's - Dudley, England
05/03/2008 - Academy - Bristol, England
06/03/2008 - Concorde 2 - Brighton, England
07/03/2008 - Astoria 2 - London, England

British act Def Leppard have announced that their new album "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" has been pushed back to a May 5th release in the UK, and a May 6th release in North America. It was previously March 17th when the band announced the original tentative release date in January. The posting reads;

"Well, it's one of the constants in the history of Def Leppard, and we regret to inform you that it has popped up again: the release of the band's new album 'Songs from the Sparkle Lounge' has been pushed back (even though the date we mentioned two weeks ago was only a tentative date to start with). The album is now scheduled to come out on May 5th in the UK and May 6th in North America (international dates have not been confirmed yet, but it will probably be May 6 as well). I guess we don't need to tell you that these dates are also tentative and subject to change."

Def Leppard have announced 11 working song titles from the album which could appear on the final track listing. Those titles are as follows;

Nine Lives
C'mon C'mon
Go
Love
Cruise Control
Bad Actress
Hallucinate
Tomorrow
Come Undone
Only the Good Die Young
Give It Away

The Gorgoroth lead by Gaahl and King ov Hell have been confirmed as the headliners of Norway's Inferno Festival. The festival takes place between March 19th and 22nd, 2008 in Oslo, Norway. More information on the festival can be found at this location.

In August, Gorgoroth will appear at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. The current line-up of Gorgoroth currently consists of Gaahl and King ov Hell, who are joined by guitarist Teloch and Mayhem drummer Hellhammer.

Angel Blake - the band featuring former The Crown guitarist Marko Tervonen - has posted the following update on the band's MySpace profile;

"Light the cigars and poor up the finest whisky!!! The album is done!!! I'm listening to the mastered CD as I type this and feeling....well, empty I guess. I have lived with these songs for about year and a half, constantly thinking about them, and now it's done, I can't change anything about it anymore. Strange feeling. I'm feeling actually in a sense some separation anxiety when I realise that I don't HAVE to think about the songs. Ha, weird indeed.

"Now it's up to the record label to do their thing. Hopefully they make one hell of an effort to push the album and video world wide, 'cause there's so much blood, sweat and tears put into this one, and I believe that on this album you can find my finest compositions yet. The whole Angel Blake sound hasn't only taken one step forward, it has taken a giant leap. Everything has been raised to a higher standard, songwriting, performance, production, you name it. No fillers only killers!"

The currently untitled new album is tentatively due out in late April through Dynamic Art Records. The song "Defenseless" will be the first single from the album.

Norwegian modern metallers Black Comedy - which features ex-Dimmu Borgir member Tjodalv - will release their debut album "Instigator" through Season of Mist on February, 18th 2008 in Europe and February, 26th 2008 in the USA.

"Instigator" was recorded at Strand Studio in Oslo Norway during 2007 and was produced by Marius Strand and co-produced by Bjorn M. Borg. The album is described "as a display of massive guitar riffing, powerful drums, synthetic leads and ear-shattering epic vocals".

The album artwork features a futuristic concept from designer Vidar Hofmo Bjølgerud at This Fading Dream Design with the initial pressing coming in a limited edition deluxe metal box. The full tracklisting for "Instigator" is as follows;

01. The Emergence (Intro)
02. Favourite Hateobject
03. War Incognito
04. Sum Of All Shit
05. Prime Specimen
06. Civil Paranoia
07. At One With Decadence
08. Lord Of Locust
09. Inhale The Sulphur
10. Crawl To Exceed
11. Subtle Conversion (Sic Transit Gloria Mundi)
12. Story Of The God, The Beast And The Fools Between

Welsh metal act Bullet for My Valentine will appear at the HMV store in Oxford Circus, London, England on January 28th, 2008. The band will perform for 15-minutes around 6pm and then do the signing session according to the band's website. The posting reads;

"Please note due to security concerns that only 300 people will be allowed to get albums signed for next Monday HMV Oxford Circus PA (6pm). So make sure you get in the queue as fast as you can. (Obviously theres no limit on how many can watch the band perform)."

Bullet for My Valentine will release their new album "Scream Aim Fire" on January 29th, 2008 in North America. The European release date is January 28th, 2008.

Polish metal act Behemoth will tour the UK in February along side Suicide Silence, who replace Canadian metal act Kataklysm who had to pull out of doing the tour due to an over busy schedule. Rumours of possible cancellation have been strongly and officially denied by both the band and the record company Regain Records.

The confirmed UK tour dates are as follows;

03/02/2008 - Barfly - Birmingham, England
04/02/2008 - Barfly - Glasgow, Scotland
05/02/2008 - Corporation - Sheffield, England
06/02/2008 - Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth, England
07/02/2008 - Ulu - London, England

Behemoth recently inked a deal with Metal Blade Records for North America and Nuclear Blast Records for Europe.