UMR News Wire

• News will no longer be delivered here, as there are now multiple other sites that carry the same (or more) info. A good one I would suggest is blabbermouth.net.

• Following the firing of lead singer Steve Souza, Exodus has been forced to postpone a South American tour.
• Longtime German rockers Gotthard are making some teutonic-TV appearances, and have a new CD out titled 'One Team One Spirit.'
• Lacuna Coil's 'Comalies' CD has recently passed the 150,000 sales mark, thanks to extensive touring of the U.S. on the Ozzfest (and other) shows.
• Blind Guardian guitarist Marcus Siepen recently broke his leg in a skateboarding accident, but the surgery and rehab both look promising for a full recovery.
• A new Dark Tranquility EP, entitled 'Lost to Apathy,' will be released in November.
• Flotsam and Jetsam are set to start recording their next CD (tentatively titled 'Crash') next month, with an early-2005 date set for release.
• The new Judas Priest CD, still untitled, is due on December 28th.
• Ayreon will be reissuing the 'Actual Fantasy' album in early 2005, with the kicker being that the new version will be in 5.1 surround sound.
• Silent Force's new alubm, 'Worlds Apart,' will be released on September 20th in the U.S.
• '80s rockers Bang Tango reportedly have a new album out through Roadrunner Records.

• Amon Amarth have finished recording their new album which is due out this fall.
• Nightwish will be touring the U.K. in July, and parts of Germany and Austria in October.
• Megadeth's new album, entitled 'The System Has Failed,' is slated for a September 14th release date.
• Jag Panzer has completed the recording sessions of their new album "Casting the Stones," with the disc due later this year.
• Doom-metal gods Trouble have finished up an acoustic, 8-song CD (featuring two new tracks), which is/will be offered through their website. A new album ("Seven") is expected in the fall.
• Judas Priest will be playing several off-Ozzfest dates with Slayer and Black Label Society, so keep your eyes open for shows in your area.
• The new album from the melodic-metal band Ten is due in Europe in late July. A North American release date has yet to be confirmed.
• Iron Maiden has announced that they will not enter the studio until late 2005, meaning no new material until Spring 2006, at the earliest. A solo offering from Bruce Dickinson, however, is a distinct possibility in the meantime.
• The power metal band Steel Attack, with new members at vocals and guitar, have released a song from their forthcoming album via their website.
• September 10th has been set as the release date for Chris Caffery's solo album. The guitarist has recorded with Savatage, Dr. Butcher, Metalium, and others.

• Nils K. Rue has been announced as the new lead singer of Eidolon. Rue is also the singer for the power/progressive band Pagan's Mind, and will front both units in the future.
• After first turning down an offer to return, Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has now signed on to perform with the band on this summer's Ozzfest tour.
• Steel Attack has added a new vocalist (Ronny Hemlin) and guitarist (Johan Jalonen), with the band's next album slated for October.
• The new Fates Warning album, 'FWX,' is scheduled for a Fall/Winter release.
• Steel Prophet has recently completed its new album, 'Beware,' which should see release towards the end of the summer.
• The tracklisting for Iced Earth's new 2-CD best-of collection, entitled 'The Blessed and the Damned' is as follows:
  Book One - ‘Burning Times’, ‘Wolf’, ‘The Hunter’, ‘Curse The Sky’, ‘Melancholy’, ‘Stormrider’, ‘Burnt Offerings’, ‘Travel In Stygian’, ‘Dark Saga’, ‘Written On The Walls’, and ‘Damien’.
  Book Two - ‘Angels Holocaust’, ‘Desert Rain’, ‘Last December’, ‘Watching Over Me’, ‘Pure Evil’, ‘The Path I Choose’, ‘I Died For You’, ‘Disciples Of The Lie’, ‘When The Night Falls’, ‘Jack’, ‘Iced Earth’, and ‘Violate’.
  The tracks are all remastered, and the set (slated for a July 27th release) will be accompanied by a 20-page booklet.
• Twisted Sister is planning a re-release for their classic 'Stay Hungry' album, complete with bonus tracks.

• Cathedral will release a 2-CD "best of" collection in July.
• Shadows Fall's new release will be titled 'The War Within,' and is due in September.
• Judas Priest will be playing a handful of off-Ozzfest shows, with Slayer and Hatebreed opening.
• Dio's forthcoming studio album is tentatively titled 'Master of the Moon.'
• A double-live Whitesnake album is in the works, as are remastered reissues of the band's back catalog.
• Former Balance of Power vocalist Lance King has been a part of several projects lately. He provided lead vocals on the new releases from the U.S. band Defyance and for guitarist Lars Eric Mattson, and appeared on five tracks on the Uli John Roth tribute CD. He also recorded tracks for Journey and Cheap Trick tributes, and his new band, Shining Star, will be releasing its debut later this year. And last but not least, he also provided the vocals on the new CD from the Danish band Pyramaze, due at the end of April.
• The Scorpions new (and heavier) release 'Unbreakable' has a June 15th street date.

• A movie adaptation is in the works for Motley Crue's band autobiograhy "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band." A release date of sometime in 2005 has been tentatively set.
• Kix will reunite for a string of shows in September. All members will take part in the reunion except for bassist Donnie Purnell. The rest of the lineup consists of guitarists Ronnie Younkins and Brian 'Damage' Forsythe, vocalist Steve Whiteman, and drummer Jimmy 'Chocolate' Chalfont.
• Slayer will be touring Canada in June with Damageplan as the opening act.
• Eric Capton's Crossroads Guitar Festival (June 4th-6th in Dallas, TX) will have a bonus for metal fans: Zakk Wylde, Jerry Cantrell, and George Lynch will head up a "Metal Clinic" portion of the weekend. Other performers that will be appearing during other segments include Neal Schon and Steve Vai, among many others.
• Guitarist Tracy G and drummer Vinny Appice (both ex-Dio and many other bands) are writing together for a new project.
• Ion Vein's bassist broke his hand recently, forcing the band to cancel a scheduled show. Their status for June's "Metal 6-Pack" festival in Cleveland, Ohio is uncertain.
• Van Halen's summer tour, set to begin in June, is setting the box office on fire with ticket pre-sells. The band recently added a string of shows -- some as second dates in existing cities, as well as new dates in September. The new 'Best of, Volume 2' CD will be released in early June. Tracks under consideration for the set include: "You Really Got Me," "Ice Cream Man," "Beautiful Girls," "Everybody Wants Some," "Mean Street," "So This is Love," "I'll Wait," "Hot For Teacher," "Best of Both Worlds," "Love Walks In," "Summer Nights," "Finish What Ya Started," "Black and Blue," "Runaround," and "Top of the World," in addition to two Gary Cherone tracks: "Without You" and "Fire in the Hole." New songs with Sammy Hagar could be recorded for the set, as well.
• With Kiss and Poison set to embark on an outdoor tour in June, word has surfaced that Kiss may comprise its setlist with a number of songs that have rarely (or never) been played live by the band before. Some of the tracks that are under consideration and currently being rehearsed: "All the Way," "Love Her All I Can," "Sweet Pain," "Flaming Youth," "Creatures of the Night," "Unholy," "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You," "Deuce," "Detroit Rock City," and "Rock n' Roll All Night." Along with a few other necessary hits, other obscure songs from 'Revenge' and the '80s releases may supposedly be added.
• Annihilator's 'All For You' album is set for release at the end of May, with a opening slot for Judas Priest confirmed in Europe.
• Steve Smyth has been officially announced as the new guitarist for Nevermore.

• Testament has reportedly split with guitarist Steve Smyth. The band is now in search of a replacement to fill in on their upcoming European tour dates. Word has it that Smyth has left the band to join Nevermore permanently. He has been playing with Nevermore in a session/touring guitarist capacity for the last couple of years.
• Steel Prophet is nearing completion on their forthcoming album 'Beware.'
• Rage will be releasing a double-DVD in September featuring live concert footage, video clips, and other goodies.
• Soilwork has extended its contract with Nuclear Blast, and will begin working on a followup to 'Figure Number Five' in the near future.
• The title of Motorhead's next album, due in late June, is 'Inferno.'
• Guns n' Roses 'Greatest Hits' album has hit #1 in the U.K., their first #1 record there since 1991's 'Use Your Illusion II.'
• King Diamond will be releasing a live album in the fall. It is still undecided at this time whether it will be a single or double-disc set.
• Flotsam and Jetsam has been added to the bill for the 'Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles' festival this June in Cleveland. Among the bands appearing are Grave Digger, Brainstorm, Primal Fear, Katatonia, Doro, and Seven Witches.

• Beyond the Embrace's new CD will be entitled 'Insect Song'. The band plans on starting the recording process in mid-December.
• Jack Owen of Cannibal Corpse fame has teamed up with ex-EPITAPH/RESURRECTION drummer Kevin Astl in a brand new band called ADRIFT.
• Fleshcrawl just finished the recordings of their new album "Made of Flesh" at Studio Underground in Sweden.
• Norwegian black metallers DIMMU BORGIR will have two songs featured in the trailer for the upcoming Hellboy movie. "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse" and "Eradication Instincts Defined," the featured tracks, are off the latest DIMMU BORGIR album, Death Cult Armageddon, which entered the Billboard charts at #169 on its September 9th, 2003 release date.
• NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury has confirmed plans to form a "grindcore" project with CATHEDRAL frontman (and ex-NAPALM DEATH member) Lee Dorrian.
• ARMORED SAINT update from Joey Vera - "Anyway, just a quick update on the progress on the new Saint DVD I'm working on: This new DVD will feature Armored Saint during the years 1991-2002. Mostly comprised of live bootleg videos from various tours, the total running program will be approximately an hour and 15 minutes. As of now I'm working on including 12 songs and various offstage foolishness interspersed throughout. The editing should be done in Mid December and I'll give out the complete track listing at that time. Also going to be included on the DVD's special features will be both production videos "Reign of Fire" and "Last Train Home", a Bloopers segment of the band screwing up video program ID's, a special look at our really exciting soundchecks, A photo gallery and more which has not been confirmed yet. The yet untitled DVD should be out in late Spring 2004.
• Some of the bands currently confirmed for the 2004 Wacken festival: Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Brainstorm, Cathedral, Children of Bodom, Cannibal Corpse, Destruction, Grave Digger, Nevermore, and Saxon.
• Threshold is set to release 'Critical Energy', a live DVD and double CD, in January 2004.

• Kamelot will be performing three live shows in Mexico next February with Cage as the supporting act.
• Members of the band Kik Tracee have formed a new band called Superfine and released their first CD. www.superfineband.com
• King Diamond will be touring Ohio, the East Coast, and Texas during the month of November. Entombed is the special guest.
• The "Dwell in Darkness" Fest will take place in Tempe, AZ on November 7th and 8th. Among the bands set to appear are Cage, Steel Prophet, Impaler, Crisis, Unida, 40 Grit, and Flotsam and Jetsam.
• Damageplan, the new group/CD featuring Dimebag Darrel and Vinnie Paul from Pantera, will be released on February 10th, 2004. Vocals are being handled by Patrick Lachman of the (former) group Halford.
• Deicide will be touring the U.S. in November with three other Death Metal acts in tow.
• Morbid Angel and Superjoint Ritual will team up to tour the East Coast, also in November.
• A recent email from former Angel Dust bassist Frank Banx: "I would like to let you know, that I left the band Angel Dust, Friday, October 24th, 2003, because of unbridgable personel problems with singer Dirk Thurisch. Also, I would like to declare, that I'm going to release "INTO THE DARK PAST", the Angel Dust debut from 1986, a.s.a.p. on my own label "Frank Banx Enterprises". Third: as soon as I received my visa for the USA, I will move to Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and I'm looking for highly ambitionated musicians to share the future success with me."
  Best wishes, Frank Banx.
• Three former members of the Texas band No Respect have formed Supercell. www.mp3.com/super_cell
• A few of the bands who have already been confirmed for the 2004 Wacken festival: Saxon, Grave Digger, Nevermore, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm, Destruction.
• Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative will be co-headlining a U.S. tour from mid-November until just before Christmas.

• Sweden's Falconer have finished the recordings for their third album, 'The Sceptre Of Deception,' due on October 6 through Metal Blade Records.
• Canada's Eidolon have completed their new disc, 'Apostles Of Defiance,' also due on October 6 through Metal Blade Records.
• Rob Zombie will release his first-ever career retrospective, titled 'Past, Present & Future,' on September 23 through Geffen Records. The two-disc set brings together a CD of 19 digitally remastered selections -- including two new recordings -- and a DVD of 10 music videos, including three previously unreleased.
• Finnish neo-classical metallers Stratovarius have finalized the track listing for their new album, 'Elements Part 2,' due on October 27 through Nuclear Blast Records. All music and words for the album were written by Timo Tolkki, except for "Ride Like The Wind," which was penned by keyboardist Jens Johansson.
• Finland's Children of Bodom have set a September 3 release date for their forthcoming "Best Of" album, titled 'Bestbreeder (1997-2000),' to be released exclusively in Japan through Toy's Factory Records. As previously reported, the album will include an as-yet-undisclosed bonus track that was recently recorded at keyboardist Janne Warman's Beyond Abilities studio.
• Silent Force, the band featuring ex-Royal Hunt singer D.C. Cooper, has parted ways with Inside Out Music America. They are currently recording their third album, 'Line Of Attack,' with producer Dennis Ward (Angra, PC69). The follow up to 2001's 'Infatuator' is due before the end of the year.
• Pantera's forthcoming career overview, 'The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits!,' will surface on September 23 through Elektra/Rhino Records, Billboard.com reports. The 16-song "Vulgar Hits!" CD will be packaged with a bonus DVD boasting 12 videos, including two live performances. The bulk of the material is culled from the band's six major-label releases, but also included are non-album cuts "Cat Scratch Fever" and the Black Sabbath cover "Hole in the Sky", previously available only on import.
• Primal Fear will release its long awaited DVD, "The History Of Fear", in late August, featuring their full Wacken 2001 performance, an October 2002 show filmed in Stuttgart, Germany on the "Black Sun" tour, plus a lot of concert and festival footage, all of the group's promo video clips, as well as footage of their Brazilian tour (Dec. 2002). The 160-minute DVD will come in a special package that will include a bonus 45-minute live CD.
  The band's next studio album will tentatively be recorded in October/November with a worldwide release planned for Feb. 22, 2004. A world tour in support of the album will kick off in March 2004.
• Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde were reportedly in the studio recently working on a new project for Ozzy's daughter, Kelly Osbourne. No further information is available at this time. In other Wylde-related news, the Black Label Society axeman is slated to play guitar on the next Rob Zombie album, tentatively due next year through Geffen Records. Zakk will also write and record the next Ozzy CD during the next few months. Osbourne, who will headline this year's Ozzfest beginning on June 28 in San Antonio, Texas, has yet to announce a new label home following his split with Sony earlier in the year.

• The new Iced Earth album, 'The Glorious Burden,' is now complete, and features former Judas Priest vocalist Tim Owens. Three soundclips have been posted on the IE website -- www.icedearth.com
• Rage will release its new album ‘Soundchaser’ on September 29th through SPV/Steamhammer.
• Arch Enemy’s follow up to 2001’s ‘Wages Of Sin’ is due August 26th through Century Media. The album is entitled ‘Anthems Of Rebellion’.
• Pink Cream 69 has signed a new deal with SPV/Steamhammer and will follow up its ‘Endangered’ disc with a new studio album to be recorded later this year. Look for release early next year.
• A recent Anthrax set: What Doesn’t Die/Black Dahlia/Got The Time/Caught In A Mosh/Safe Home/ Inside Out/Fueled/Antisocial/Madhouse/Black Lodge/Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)/Only/Metal Thrashing Mad/Bring The Noise/Indians.
• Morbid Angel’s new album ‘Heretic’ is due September 22nd through Earache Records.
• Roadrunner Records will be releasing several "best of" compilations on September 23rd including Deicide, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Life Of Agony, and several others. The King Diamond disc will include the following tracks: The Candle/Charon/Halloween/No Presents For Christmas/Arrival/A Mansion In Darkness/The Family Ghost/ Abigail/Welcome Home/The Invisible Guests/Tea/At The Graves/Sleepless Nights/Eye Of The Witch/Burn.
• Cathedral has signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records and will release a new album early next year.
• ’Bringer Of Blood,’ the new album from Six Feet Under, is due September 23rd through Metal Blade.
• Firehouse will release its new album ‘Prime Time’ in September.
• Rumors are starting to fly that Crimson Glory may be reuniting with original vocalist Midnight.

--Main compilation and comments by Michael Merrill
--Additional information by Andrew Smith