-Jon

Alternine is a new band from France.  Fans of heavy hitting rock music should check out the review of their demo here.

These guys are from Turkey and I don't understand a word they are saying, but they still put out some kick ass music.  Be sure to read my review of their latest album here.

These guys are pretty damn good, so be sure to read the full review for their debut album here.

Italian goth-metal icons LACUNA COIL have set "Visual Karma (Body, Mind and Soul)" as the title of their first-ever DVD, due in November via Century Media. The double DVD, which is a celebration of all things from the band's "Karmacode" album and subsequent touring cycle, will include: * Remixed and remastered live performances recorded in 2007 at the Loud Park festival (Japan) and Wacken Open Air festival (Germany). * The bandmembers' individual personal mini-movie features. * All of the promo videos from the "Karmacode" album. * Behind-the-scenes tour features filmed around the world. * 10 competition-winning, fan-created videos. * A link and key to the band's new album preview website! A "limited-edition" four-disc package will include: * A 5.1 mix of the "Karmacode" album on audio DVD. * A bonus CD with the Wacken Open Air audio live material. A detailed track listing and art information will be released shortly. Commented band co-vocalist Andrea Ferro: "In the past, we've been asked a million times about when we were gonna put out a band DVD. Truthfully, we never felt like it was a priority, and we didn't want to release something just because the market was asking for it. The 'Karmacode' tour brought us to many different places around the world for the first time and we managed to record some of those great, outstanding shows, where the interaction with the people was just magic. This DVD is a beautiful reminder of where we have been in the past three years with all our body, mind and soul."

Wisconsin based metal band LUNA MORTIS are slated to return to Audiohammer Studios, FL on Sept. 1st to finish recording their debut Century Media offering. Producer Jason Suecof (All That Remains, Trivium) will be at the helm for the record.

This will be the band's second trip to Audiohammer this year as LUNA MORTIS spent time recording with Suecof in February of '08; laying down tracks originally conceived for a demo.  The tracks are unreleased with the exception of one song, "Ruin," that has been uploaded to the band's MySpace and will become a part of their new album. Head over to www.myspace.com/lunamortismusic now to check it out.

While at Audiohammer in February, the band documented their recording experience with a series of videos. The first of these videos has been released via YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtstQi9jzJo

Mary Zimmer (vocals) had this to say about returning to Audiohammer: "We're so excited to be returning to the studio to work with Jason.  He's a phenomenal producer and we adore working with him. The songs we recorded in February that we originally wanted to release as a 4-song demo, turned out better than anything we've done so far in our career. We've decided to put them on our debut record for Century Media and we're returning to Jason to finish the album starting September 1st.  For the demo we did in February, we did pre-production on the 4 songs with a wonderful producer named Don DeBiase who's worked with bands like Forever in Terror and Beneath the Sky. We aren't sure if we'll be able to coordinate schedules with him to do pre-production on the remainder of the album, because September is right around the corner, but we are 100% confirmed to start recording with Jason on the 1st.  We did release one song from our February session for streaming only on our myspace page. It's called 'Ruin' and we hope you like it. We can't wait to finish the album and bring some more metal to you all!"

Chaoswave has signed a deal with Nightmare records. The American label will release the band's second album "Dead Eye Dreaming" this November 25th.  The album will be distributed in Europe by SPV, the street date and other details about the European release are being worked out.  The album was mixed by Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND) and contains guest leads by Steve Smyth (NEVERMORE / TESTAMENT).

Dead Eye Dreaming tracklist:

1. 10 Years of Denial (4:55)
2. Fork Tongues and Foul Times (5:34)
3. How to Define a Race (5:26)
4. A March for the Dying (6:45)
5. Another Lie to Live in Vain (1:23)
6. Blind Eye Focus (4:46)
7. Dead Eye Dream (5:35)
8. Rise (5:07)
9. Picture Perfect (4:28)
10. Two Shadows (5:51)
11. The Evident (6:24)

Straight from the lady herself:

Dear all

It is with regret to announce that i have decided to part ways with Adastreia.

The time I’ve spent with the band means a great deal to me and I’m incredibly proud of the music we’ve made and what we have achieved however I now feel it’s time for me to move on to pastures new and explore some new musical directions.

A big thank you to everyone that showed support to me and the band, it really meant a lot!

I wish the band every success in their future and with whatever road they decide to take.

Alexandra

My latest review can be found on Femme Metal Webzine.  Here is a snippet from it:

Each track on Poles has its own beautiful and distinctive sound.  Mixing in progressive, gothic, and operatic elements, Jessica and Hugo provide a very captivating harmony. Overall the album is very easy to listen to and gives off an ethereal, fantasy-like atmosphere.  The amount of atmosphere packed into each track lifts the listener off to another world and does not drop them back down until the very end.

Click here to read the whole review.