Another month has passed. Another Halloween has come and gone. Here in Seattle, we are looking forward to what is supposed to be an especially wet, dark, cold, sucktastic winter — which is really saying something, given that all Seattle winters are wet, dark, cold, and sucktastic. If they weren’t, we would have the population of Los Angeles, so there’s a silver lining to that massively dark cloud.

Yes, the seasons come and they go, the great wheel of life rolls forward, and we are all one month closer to our end, whatever it may be. But as time inexorably passes, new things happen. In particular, we find out about new metal gestating in studios around the world, struggling and kicking and yearning to erupt into the air, screaming like a banshee.

And that brings us to another monthly installment of METAL IN THE FORGE, in which we cobble together a list of forthcoming new albums, cribbing like rag-gatherers and lint-pickers from PR releases and metal news sites like Blabbermouth in order to construct a line-up of new music that at least we’re interested in hearing, even if no one else is.

What we do in this series of posts is update the list of forthcoming new albums we first posted on January 1. (All the other updates can be found via the “Forthcoming Albums” category link on the right side of our pages.) After the jump, in alphabetical order, is a list of still more projected new releases we didn’t know about at the time of our previous updates, or new info about some of the previously noted releases.

AFTER THE BURIAL: “Minnesota quintet AFTER THE BURIAL will release its new album, In Dreams, on November 23 via Sumerian Records. Commented the band: ‘We’ve spent the last year putting all of our hard work into this album, and we can assure you that the intricate dynamics of In Dreams will satisfy your appetite for the crushing guitars, driving drums and powerful vocals you’ve come to expect from us.’”

AGALLOCH: “Pacific Northwest band AGALLOCH will release its new album, Marrow Of The Spirit, on November 23 via Profound Lore Records. A track from the CD, “The Watcher’s Monolith”, is available for streaming at Stereogum.com.”

AKELEI: “Dutch doomsters AKELEI will release their full-length debut, De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane, at this year’s Dutch Doom Days festival, which is being held November 6-7 at Baroeg in Rotterdam, Holland. De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane contains five songs with a running time of 54 minutes.For more information, visit Akelei.org.”

BELPHEGOR: “Austrian blackened death metal outfit BELPHEGOR has set Blood Magick Necromance as the title of its ninth full-length studio album, due on January 14, 2011 in Europe and on February 8, 2011 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced by Peter Tägtgren (IMMORTAL, CELTIC FROST, HYPOCRISY, DIMMU BORGIR) at his Abyss Studios in Pärlby, Sweden and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren.”

BORN OF OSIRIS: “Born Of Osiris entered the studio late last month to begin recording their next album. Tracking has been taking place at BOTA Studio (Dirge Within) in Lake In The Hills, IL with an early-2011 release via Sumerian Records expected. As of Saturday the group had recorded six songs, with a total of fourteen planned.”

THE CHARIOT: “Georgia’s THE CHARIOT will release its new album, Long Live, on November 23 via the band’s new label, Good Fight Music. The CD was produced by Matt Goldman (UNDEROATH, MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE, FOUR LETTER LIE), who previously worked with THE CHARIOT on Wars And Rumors Of Wars (2009), The Fiancée (2007), Unsung EP (2005), and Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead And Nothing Is Bleeding (2004).”

DEFILED: “Seven years after their last collaboration, Season of Mist and Defiled are joining forces again! The label is pleased to welcome back the Japanese death metallers in the fold. Irashaimasu! ‘Our long awaited new album, In Crisis is finally at hand’, band leader Yusuke Sumita comments. In Crisis, Defiled’s fourth full-length, has been scheduled for a January 17th, 2011 (January 25th in the US) release. Expect nothing but pure technical and brutal death metal!”

EKTOMORF: “Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF will release their new album, Redemption, on December 17 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm studios in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen, who has previously worked with DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED and HEAVEN SHALL BURN, among others.”

EXHUMED: “Gore-metal originators Exhumed are currently in the studio recording their first full-length album since 2003′s Anatomy Is Destiny. Exhumed guitarist/vocalist/founder Matt Harvey, bassist Leon DelMuerte and guitarist Wes Caley are currently at Arcane Digital Recording in Arizona working with engineer Ryan Butler (Misery Index) to record vocals, bass and guitar tracks. Exhumed drummer Danny Walker previously laid down his drum tracks at Trench Studios with John Haddad (Abysmal Dawn, Intronaut). Mixing and mastering will be handled by Brian Elliott (Graves Of Valor) at Mana Recording Studios (Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore, Nile). All Guts, No Glory is expected to see a spring 2011 release date.”

GOD DETHRONED: “Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross, the title track of the new album from Dutch death metallers GOD DETHRONED, is available for streaming at this location. The CD was recorded at the Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany and will be released on November 23 (one day earlier internationally) via Metal Blade Records.”

GORGOROTH: “Norweigian black metallers GORGOROTH have issued the following update: ‘GORGOROTH will spend the following week in [drummer] Tomas Asklund‘s Monolith Studio to put the finishing touches on a project which has been kept secret until now: a complete re-recording of the band’s third album, Under The Sign Of Hell. It has long been Infernus‘ [guitar] wish to do such a re-recording, and now the work is close to an end. No release date has been set yet, but an early-to-mid-2011 release is likely.’”

IMPALED NAZARENE: “‘Enlightenment Process’, the new video from Finnish extreme metallers IMPALED NAZARENE, can be viewed [here]. The clip was written and directed by Aki Mäki and Aski Tolonen for Filmokratik. The song comes off the band’s eleventh full-length album, Road To The Octagon, which is scheduled for release on November 20 via Osmose Productions.”

JESU: “Hydra Head Records has confirmed plans to release Jesu’s latest on November 16th. Titled Heart Ache & Dethroned, the effort is comprised of a re-release of Jesu’s debut EP, Heart Ache, in addition to their recently completed Dethroned EP. Notably, the four tracks from Dethroned were actually conceived and partially finished in 2004, but not totally completed until earlier this year.”

MILKING THE GOATMACHINE: “German grindcore/death metal act MILKING THE GOATMACHINE will release its sophomore studio album, Seven… A Dinner for One, on November 26 via the band’s new label home, NoiseArt Records. The follow-up to 2009′s Back From The Goats… is said to be a concept effort about ‘the wolf and the seven kids’ and will contain the song “Like A Goatmachine”, which is apparently a remake of the JAMES BROWN classic “Like A Sex Machine”.”

MY FUNERAL: “Finnish thrashers MY FUNERAL will release their debut album, Carnal Obduction, on November 10 via Violent Journey Records. The CD was recorded at Studio Watercastle by Arttu Sarvanne and was mastered by Hannu Honkonen at Studio Noisework.”

MYGRAIN: “Finnish melodic death metallers MYGRAIN will release their third, self-titled album on January 12, 2011 via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Seawolf Studios in Helsinki with producer Janne Joutsenniemi (SUBURBAN TRIBE, STONE) and was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound studios in Örebro, Sweden.”

ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET: “The Dark Epic, the fourth full-length album from ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET — the Swedish band featuring former THE CROWN vocalist Johan Lindstrand — will be released in Europe on February 25, 2011. The CD is currently being recorded at Black Lounge studios in Avesta, Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, CARNAL FORGE).”

PITCHBLACK: “Danish modern ‘melodeath thrashers PITCHBLACK have posted 30-second audio samples of all the songs that will appear on their second album, The Devilty, tentatively due in early 2011 via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The CD was recorded at guitarist Thomas “Pede” Pedersen‘s Earplug Studio in Copenhagen and was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, SICK OF IT ALL,MNEMIC, HEAVEN SHALL BURN).”

SAMAEL: “Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL have signed a North American deal with Season of Mist. The band’s new EP, Antigod, will be released on November 19 as a digital download exclusive.”

SCALE THE SUMMIT: “Houston, Texas-based progressive-instrumetalists SCALE THE SUMMIT have entered Paint It Black Studios in Orlando, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (DEVILDRIVER, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) to begin recording their new album for an early 2011 release via Prosthetic Records.”

SODOM: “The digipack version of In War And Pieces, the new album from German thrash metal veterans SODOM, features the following:  CD 1: the studio album; CD 2: bonus live CD (Wacken 2007); 16-page booklet. In War And Pieces will be released in North America on January 11, 2011 and in Europe on November 22, 2010 via SPV/Steamhammer.”

THENCE: “THENCE, the new Finnish band featuring SHADE EMPIRE members Juha Sirkkiä and Erno Räsänen, will release its debut album, These Stones Cry From The Earth, in late 2010/early 2011 via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The drum tracks for the CD were laid down in 2009 by Sami Niittykoski (SHADE EMPIRE, SILENTIUM, MORIA). The album, which is a nearly hour-long epic consisting of only one song. was mixed by Aksu Hanttu (ENTWINE, POISONBLACK, KORPIKLAANI) and mastered by Hannu Honkonen at Noisework Productions.”

THULCANDRA: “THULCANDRA — the reactivated German black/death metal band featuring members of OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS and HELFAHRT — has issued the following update: ‘We are very proud to announce that we have almost completed the songwriting process for our upcoming release, which will be entitled Under A Frozen Sun.”

YES: “Grammy Award winners YES, one of the most influential and groundbreaking progressive rock and roll bands, has announced the signing of a new worldwide recording deal with the Italian record label Frontiers Records. Songs such as “Roundabout”, “I’ve Seen All Good People”,“Owner Of A Lonely Heart”, and countless others, have served to place the group upon the pantheon of rock and roll history. But history is still, yet to be written, because Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White, along with Oliver Wakeman (Rick Wakeman‘s son) and new lead singer Benoit David, will enter the studio to record the groups first new CD in a decade. It is anticipated for release before summer 2011.”

Another month has passed. The fall season is approaching — unless you live in Los Angeles, which is pretending that it’s Phoenix in August. Fuck is up with that? It’s like that town has been placed in a cosmic microwave and the user likes his burritos very well done.

On the other hand, we’ve had way too many grey, chilly days in Seattle this September, which is traditionally one of the best months of the year. The weather gods have clearly dropped acid over the last 30 days and forgotten which end is up. But eventually they will get themselves straight, remember which season is approaching, and get ready to just blast the fuck out of our whole country with a vicious winter. Won’t that be fun?

No, it won’t be fun. It will suck like a new-born piglet at dinner time. But one pleasant constant will remain true — there will be new metal, regardless of how foul the weather becomes. And that brings us to another monthly installment of  METAL IN THE FORGE, a forge being the old name for a place where a blacksmith heats metal and works it into the shape of something useful.

And that’s what we’re interested in — new metal that will be useful in scrambling our brains, or uplifting us to a place where it really doesn’t matter what the fucking weather is doing.

What we do in this series of posts is update the list of forthcoming new albums we first posted on January 1. (All the other updates can be found via the “Forthcoming Albums” category link on the right side of our pages.) Below is a list of still more projected new releases we didn’t know about at the time of our previous updates, or updated info about some of the previously noted releases.

Once again, we’ve cobbled together news blurbs from other sites, or from press releases, about bands whose past work we’ve liked, or who look interesting for other reasons. Perhaps needless to say, these are bands that mostly fit the profile of music we cover on this site — the kind that would like to tear your head off.

So, after the jump, in alphabetical order, you’ll find our list of cut-and-pasted items from various sources since our last update about forthcoming new releases.

ABRAXAS: “ABRAXAS, the new death metal band featuring Makoto Mizoguchi (PYREXIA, INTERNAL SUFFERING, HATE ETERNAL) on guitar and bass, Mike Hrubovcak (MONSTROSITY, VILE, DIVINE RAPTURE, I.C.E., AZURE EMOTE) on vocals and Lance Wright (VILE, QUINTA ESSENTIA, TEMPLE OF BLOOD) on drums, has completed work on its debut album, Damnation, due later in the year.”

AGALLOCH: “Pacific Northwest band AGALLOCH will release its new album, Marrow Of The Spirit, on November 23 via Profound Lore Records. . . . At over an hour in length, Marrow Of The Spirit is AGALLOCH’s darkest, bleakest, most dense, detailed and aggressive album to date and in turn is the most accomplished album of their career.”

ATHEIST: “On November 9th, 2010, after 17 years the progressive aggressive forefathers reemerge more massive than ever. Atheist delivers Jupiter, a landmark return to earth of supersonically gargantuan proportions. In the late 80′s and early 90′s, this band, alongside fellow Floridians Death and Cynic, handcrafted the sub-genre that spawned bands such as Meshuggah, Between The Buried And Me, and Mudvayne.”

BURNING THE MASSES: After multiple delays, Burning the Masses will release their new album, Offspring of Time, on November 9.

CHILDREN OF BODOM: “CHILDREN OF BODOM recently entered Finland’s Petrax Studios to begin work on their as-yet-untitled seventh studio album. The band has enlisted famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET) to oversee the new recording and will remain in the studio through late September. The new record will see release in early 2011.”

CHROMIUM: “South African metallers CHROMIUM will enter Sonic Precision studios later in the year with producer/guitarist Jared Gunston (KNAVE, WAKE TO WONDER, VAN DIENS AF) to begin recording their third album for an early 2011 release.”

THE DAMNED THINGS: “According to Rock Sound and Metal Hammer, THE DAMNED THINGS — the new band featuring members of FALL OUT BOY (Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley), ANTHRAX (Scott Ian, Rob Caggiano) and EVERY TIME I DIE (Keith Buckley, Josh Newton) — will release its debut album in the U.K. on December 13. A U.S. release date for the effort has not yet been announced.”

DEICIDE: “DEICIDE‘s new album, To Hell With God, is being produced by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida and is scheduled for an early 2011 release via Century Media Records.”

DESECRASY: “Finnish death metallers DESECRESY have inked a deal with Xtreem Musicfor the release of their recently completed debut album, Arches Of Entropy. Due in November/December, the CD was recorded between January and August 2010 and ‘perfectly captures the darkness and heaviness of the 10 songs there included, resulting in one of Finland’s heaviest albums ever,’ according to a press release. DESECRESY was formed in 2009 by Tommi Grönqvist (all instruments) and Jarno Nurmi (vocals), both whom previously played with the now-defunct Finnish act SLUGATHOR.”

DIMENTIANON: “Paragon Records will unleash the third album from DIMENTIANON, New York’s masters of chaotic metal, on October 19. Entitled Collapse The Void, the CD epitomizes the turbulent mixture of black, death and doom metal that has become the band’s trademark style.”

EMMURE: “Directly following their Canadian tour this month, Emmure will enter the studio to begin recording their next album. The effort will be tracked by producer/engineer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Miss May I) and is expected to surface this winter via Victory Records (this is the final release of their current Victory contract).”

EVOCATION: “Swedish death metallers EVOCATION will release their third album, Apocalyptic, on October 29 via Cyclone Empire Records. The cover artwork was created by Xaay (BEHEMOTH, NILE, VADER) and it ‘fit[s] both the title, Apocalyptic, and our musical achievements just perfect,’ says the band. ‘We are blown away by the effort and feeling [Xaay] gave it.’”

GENERAL CHAOS: “German metallers GENERAL CHAOS have inked a deal with Cyclone Empire Records. The band’s debut album, Calamity Circus, will be released on November 12. According to a press release, the CD ‘comes as a beautiful digipak with an awesome poster booklet and an artwork that shows a band and their love for detailed, humorous and cool artworks that never cross the border to all ludicrous or clownish crab and are 100% without any touch of stereotypes!’”

GOD DETHRONED: “Dutch death metallers GOD DETHRONED have finished recording their ninth album, Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross, at the Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany. . . . Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross will be released on November 23 (one day earlier internationally) via Metal Blade Records.”

GWAR: “Metal Blade Records has set a November 9 U.S. release date for GWAR‘s ‘newest and sickest’ album yet, Bloody Pit of Horror.”

HORNED ALMIGHTY: “Danish black metallers HORNED ALMIGHTY will release their new studio album, Necro Spirituals, in Europe on October 25 via Candlelight Records. Recorded in May-June 2010 and mixed and mastered by Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE, KOLDBORN) at Dead Rat Studios, the CD is ‘comprised of the strongest and most fierce material written in the band’s eight-year existence,’ according to a press release. ‘Yet again, crushing all doctrines and rules with their ‘don’t-give-a-shit’ take on black metal, as a testament to all that is extreme.’”

THE INIQUITY DESCENT: “Vocalist Mathias ‘Vreth’ Lillmåns of Finnish folk metallers FINNTROLL has launched a brand new extreme-metal project called THE INIQUITY DESCENT. The band recently spent time in the studio recording 11 songs, four of which will make up the group’s debut release. THE INIQUITY DESCENT will return to the studio in late October to begin mixing the material. In the meantime, you can check out rough-mix audio samples of three of the tracks on the band’s MySpace page.”

MESSENGERS: “Strike First Records has announced the signing of the Texas-based hardcore band MESSENGERS. The group’s debut EP, Anthems, will be released on November 9.
MESSENGERS pulled no punches this year when it charged onto the Dallas heavy music scene. In the band’s own words, they ‘just want to be heard,’ and playing music in the vein of CROWBAR, PANTERA and AGNOSTIC FRONT will get the job done.”

MIRROR OF DECEPTION: “Germany’s ‘doom metal kings’ MIRROR OF DECEPTION will release their fourth album, A Smouldering Fire, on October 15 via Cyclone Empire. It will be available in two versions: a regular CD and a digipack containing the The First 2 Decades bonus CD.”

NEBULAS FROST: “German/Swedish black metal combo NEBULAS FROST has uploaded its two-song ‘promo 2010′ to the band’s MySpace page. Recorded at various locations and studios around the world, the tracks were mixed and mastered by Swedish multi-instrumentalist/producer Dan Swanö at hisUnisound Studio in Sweden. NEBULAS FROST is recording its debut album for a 2011 release via the newly formed Mechanix Records (Sweden) and distributed throughout Europe by Sound Pollution. The CD will will once again be mixed and mastered by Swanö, ensuring that ‘this new monster will come with a powerful outfit,’ according to a press release.”

OCEANO: “‘Precursor To Enslavement’, a brand new song from Chicago deathcore heavyweights OCEANO, is available for streaming at AltPress.com. The track comes off the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Contagion, which is scheduled for release on November 9 via Earache Records.”

PHOBIA: “Phobia will see the release of a brand new EP, titled Unrelenting, this fall via Relapse Records. Unrelenting is seventeen new Phobia tracks clocking in at just over 14 minutes. The EP will be available on CD, LP, and digitally starting November 23rd in North America. A track taken from Unrelenting, “Out Of Control,” can be heard now via the band’s MySpace page.”

SHADOWS FALL: “Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL will release a new concert DVD, Madness In Manila: Shadows Fall Live In The Philippines 2009, in October via Everblack Industries/Ferret Music. The set will include over 60 minutes of footage that was shot on April 30, 2009 at the Pulp Summer Slam in Manila, Philippines as well as a live audio CD.”

SLIPKNOT: “Spain’s Rock Metal TV / MSN has premiered SLIPKNOT‘s live video for the song “Psychosocial”, recorded at last year’s Download festival in the U.K., where the band performed a parade of hits in front of 80,000 screaming fans. The clip comes off SLIPKNOT‘s (sic)nesses DVD, which will land on retail shelves on September 28 via Roadrunner.”

SODOM: “Veteran German thrashers SODOM have completed work on their new album, In War And Pieces, for a November 23, 2010 release (one day earlier internationally) via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, who has previously worked with TIAMAT, MOONSPELL, LACUNA COIL and SENTENCED, among many others. The cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.”

THE SORROW: “Austrian metallers THE SORROW will release their third, self-titled album in Europe on October 29 via Drakkar Records and in North America on December 7 through Artoffact Records. The follow-up to 2009′s Origin Of The Storm was recorded at Principal Studios (DIE TOTEN HOSEN, IN EXTREMO) in Senden, Germany with producer Toni Meloni and was mixed by Sky van Hoff. Mastering duties were handled by Jens Dreesen.”

SUICIDAL ANGELS: “Greek thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS will release their third album, Dead Again, on November 19 via NoiseArt Records. The winners of the Rock The Nation awards 2009, which was presented by magazines from all over Europe, the quartet has found itself a perfect home as the label is a division of Rock The Nation, which also serves as the band’s booking agency.”

SWEDEN UNITED: “A number of Swedish metal musicians came together to record and release a song as a way of raising awareness and taking action on the topic of bullying and harrassment in schools. Members of such renowned metal bands as MESHUGGAH, NIGHTWISH, SOILWORK, EVERGREY and CLAWFINGER have joined forces in SWEDEN UNITED, a one-off project whose new single, “Open Your Eyes”, will be made available on October 11 via Supernova Records.”

TIMES OF GRACE: “TIMES OF GRACE, the brand new project featuring KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach, has tapped director Robby Starbuck (AUGUST BURNS RED, SILVERSTEIN, A STATIC LULLABY, A SKYLIT DRIVE) to helm the video for the song “Strength In Numbers”. The track comes off TIMES OF GRACE‘s debut album, The Hymn Of A Broken Man, which is scheduled for release on November 9 through Roadrunner Records.”

UNLOCKED: “Three songs from from the upcoming debut album by UNLOCKED, the band featuring members of PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, VISCERAL BLEEDING, GORGOROTH and ENTHRONED, are available for streaming on the group’s MySpace page. Check out the tracks “Bloodcult”, “The Puppeteer” and “Dysphoros” at this location. The CD, which features a guest appearance by lead guitarist Peter Huss (SHINING, ex-SINERGY), was recorded at Blackout studios in Brussels, Belgium for a late 2010 release via Crossfirecult Records.”

THE WRETCHED END: “An e-card for Ominous, the debut album from THE WRETCHED END, the new Norway-based band featuring guitarist Samoth (EMPEROR, ZYKLON) and bassist Cosmo (MINDGRINDER) alongside Swedish drummer Nils Fjellström (DARK FUNERAL, IN BATTLE, AEON), is available at this location. Ominous will be released on October 25 through Samoth‘s own imprint label, Nocturnal Art Productions, and marketed and distributed worldwide by Candlelight Records.”

We’re now five months into 2010, and it’s time for another monthly update to the list of forthcoming new albums we first posted on January 1. (All the other updates can be found via the “Forthcoming Albums” category link on the right side of our pages.)  Below is a list of still more projected new releases we didn’t know about at the time of our previous updates, or updated info about some of the previously noted releases.

Once again, we’ve cobbled together news blurbs about bands whose past work we’ve liked, or who look interesting for other reasons. Needless to say (but we’ll say it anyway), these are bands that mostly fit the profile of music we cover on this site.

So, in alphabetical order, here’s our list of cut-and-pasted blurbs from various sources since our last update about forthcoming new releases. Look for the bands you like and put reminders on your calendar. Or if you’re old school like us, just get ‘em tattooed someplace you can see without a mirror (because reading stuff backwards is hard).

THE ACACIA STRAIN: “Western Massachusetts’ chuggernauts The Acacia Strain, have completed work on their new album, which will be released July 20th in North American and August 2nd in Europe via Prosthetic Records.”

ATHEIST: “Reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST will enter LedBelly studios in Atlanta, Georgia on July 5 to begin recording their long-awaited, as-yet-untitled fourth album. Engineering the session will be Matt Washburn. Additionally, the band has secured the services of one of metal’s most significant talents of the past decade, Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER), to handle the mixing of what promises to be a modern classic from the pioneers of technical metal. . . . ATHEIST‘s forthcoming album is tentatively scheduled for a late 2010 release and will be followed by a world tour in 2011.”   (more after the jump . . .)

THE AUTUMN OFFERING: “The Autumn Offering is nearing completion of the recording process for their new self-titled album. Vocals are currently being tracked and the effort will be mixed by Pete Rutcho (Bury Your Dead) in June. A September release via Victory Records is planned.”

BONDED BY BLOOD: “‘Blood Spilled Offerings’, a new song from Pomona, California thrashers BONDED BY BLOOD, is available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page. According to a press release, the track is ‘a charging juggernaut of a song that gives a look at the inner workings of the Crong. They are the alien race that have taken control of future Earth in the band’s original sci-fi tale. ‘Blood Spilled Offerings’ comes off BONDED BY BLOOD‘s upcoming sophomore album, Exiled To Earth, which is set 600 years in the future and tells the tale of the Crong, an alien race who were sent to Earth long ago with one goal: global domination. A skilled group of warriors must now face the impossible and overthrow the Crong to take back our planet. Exiled To Earth will be available in North America on August 10 via Earache Records.”

BRUTUS: “Dutch death metallers BRUTUS have inked a deal with Unique Leader Records and Deity Down Records for the release of their sophomore album, Murwgebeukt (Total Loss). Due on July 20 in Europe via Deity Down in collaboration with Alpha Prime Music and Unique Leader Records in the rest of the world, the CD was recorded with drummer Ploegbaas, who took his own life shortly after the sessions were completed. A song from the album, “Lijdensweg” (Living Hell), is available for streaming on the band’s MySpace profile.”

BURDEN OF GRIEF: “German melodic death/thrash metallers BURDEN OF GRIEF will release their new album, Follow The Flames, on July 2 in Europe via Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2007′s Death End Road will contain 10 new songs. The limited-edition version of the CD will include a bonus disc featuring cover versions of eight metal classics. The album was mixed and mastered by Swedish producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, OPETH, DISSECTION, BLOODBATH). The cover artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, SONIC SYNDICATE, GOD FORBID).”

COPROLITH: “Finnish ‘blackened death metallers’ COPROLITH will release their full-length debut, Cold Grief Relief, on June 17 via Violent Journey Records. The CD was recorded at Cut Circle Studio by Roland Nordström and was mixed by Jonas Eriksson at Second Floor Studio.”

DAATH: “Always one determined to abide by no preconceived industry standards and stray far from conventionality are the Atlanta based quintet Daath, who against all odds triumphantly return and enter the studio early next month to begin tracking their highly anticipated third full-length release. The drumming phenom Kevin Talley (ex-Chimaira, Dying Fetus) begins tracking in Atlanta on June 7th with renowned producer Mark Lewis (All That Remains, Trivium, Devildriver) and co-producer Eyal Levi (guitars) at the helm. . . . ‘We’re currently in the final stages of pre-production and begin recording with Mark Lewis on June 7th here in Atlanta. The release is planned for this fall.’”

EQUILIBRIUM: “Verbrannte Erde, a brand new song from German pagan/folk metallers EQUILIBRIUM, is available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page. The track comes off the group’s new album, Rekreatur, which is scheduled for release on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.”

GRAVE: “Swedish death metal legends GRAVE will release their new album, Burial Ground, on June 14 via Regain Records.”

HASTE THE DAY: “Indiana-based Christian metalcore band HASTE THE DAY will release its new album, Attack Of The Wolf King, on June 29 via Solid State Records. A brand new song from the album, “Dog Like Vultures”, is available for streaming via the band’s MySpace page.”

HATE: “Polish extreme metallers HATE will enter Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland on June 5 to begin recording their new album, Erebos, for a late 2010 release via Listenable Records. Erebos, which comes from ancient Greek and means literally “deep darkness” or shadow, will contain at least nine new songs, which are said to be a fusion of blackened death metal, industrial and ambient sounds, deathcore and heavy metal.”

HELMET: In a recent interview, vocalist/guitarist Page Hamilton of the alternative metal legends HELMET said that the release of the band’s new album (Seeing Eye Dog) “has actually been pushed back to August 24 as we try to finish artwork and finalize the tracks.”

HORNED ALMIGHTY: “Danish black metallers HORNED ALMIGHTY have finished recording their fourth album, Necro Spirituals, for a late 2010 release via Candlelight Records. The effort will once again be mixed and mastered by Jacob Bredahl (LAST MILE, ex-HATESPHERE), who previously worked with the band on last year’s Contaminating The Divine CD.”

IMMORTAL: “Norwegian black metallers IMMORTAL will release a concert DVD, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh, this summer via Nuclear Blast. The disc will include professionally filmed video footage of the band’s headlining performance at the 2007 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, which was held August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany.”

IN THIS MOMENT: “Century Media Records has set a July 13 U.S. release date for A Star Crossed Wasteland, the third album from Southern California’s IN THIS MOMENT. The CD was recorded at The Wolves Den studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH).”

ISIS/MELVINS: “The split 12″ from Isis and Melvins has now been slated for a July 13th release via Hydra Head Records. The split will feature two songs from each band. The Isis tracks are amongst the last recorded output to be released by the band. Both were recorded during sessions for the band’s Wavering Radiant album. Meanwhile, Melvins’ contribution is comprised of two tracks from their latest full-length, The Bride Screamed Murder. However, said tracks have been remixed and reworked.’”

KATAKLYSM: “Canadian death metallers KATAKLYSM have completed the recording process for their new album, Heaven’s Venom, for an August 24 release (one day earlier internationally) via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2008′s Prevail was produced by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais (MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX) and is currently being mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MNEMIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY).”

KYLESA: “Between extensive tours of Europe, Kylesa will enter the studio on May 31 to begin recording the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed album Static Tensions. The new album is the band’s debut for Season of Mist Records. The sessions will take place over the month of June at the legendary Jam Room in Columbia, SC with Phillip Cope (Baroness, Withered) at the helm as producer.”

MUSHROOMHEAD: “In a March 2010 interview with the ’Iron City Rocks’ podcast, Jeffrey Nothing revealed that the working title of MUSHROOMHEAD‘s new album is Slaughterhouse Road. The band recently finished mixing the CD for a tentative late August/early September release via Megaforce. Produced by co-founding member and drummer Steve ‘Skinny’ Felton, the album promises to be the band’s ‘most violent- and epic-sounding to date!’”

PRIMORDIAL: In an interview with The Obelisk (here), Primordial frontman Alan ‘Nemtheanga’ Averill disclosed that the Irish black/folk metal band plans to record its next album in June, with a  release projected for September or October 2010.

RAMESSES: “The psychedelic doom trio RAMESSES was spawned in the woodland of Dorset, England in 2003, and has been brutalizing its devoted fanbase ever since . . . . 2010 brings the next slab of raging doom from RAMESSES, in the form of their second mammoth full-length release, Take The Curse, which is set to infect the general public on the 2010 Summer Solstice, June 21. Releasing the album is new label Ritual Productions; the label formed by the band’s management.”

SERENITY DIES: “Melodic thrashers SERENITY DIES will release the Hacksawcracy EP on July 15, 2010. Taking inspiration from the likes of MEGADETH and METALLICA with a uniquely modern twist that emphasizes memorable songwriting, surgically precise riffing, and one hell of a rhythmic punch, the Maldives-based act sprints out of the blocks with refreshing vigor. The EP features guest appearances by Rob Caggiano (ANTHRAX) and Mikko Salovaara (KIUAS) who perform guitar solos on “Psycho Ride” and “Dystopian Law”, respectively.”

SEVERE TORTURE: “Dutch death metallers SEVERE TORTURE will release their fifth full-length album, Slaughtered, on June 29 (one day earlier internationally) via Season of Mist. The CD was recorded at Split Second Sound Studios in Amsterdam with producer Jochem Jacobs.”

SODOM: “The band will enter the studio during the coming months to begin recording its new album for a late 2010 release. Bassist/vocalist Thomas “Angelripper” Such recently stated about the group’s new material, ‘There has never been a SODOM album which is so wide-ranged, as powerful and as typically SODOM as this one.’”

SOTAJUMALA: ““Paratiisin kutsu” (The Call of Paradise), the new video from Finnish metallers SOTAJUMALA [is now available for viewing]. The song comes off the band’s new album Kuolemanpalvelus, which is scheduled for release on June 2 through Cobra Records. The CD was recorded at Studio Audio and Basement Alliance studios in Jyväskylä, Finland while the mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers in Helsinki. Kuolemanpalvelus is available for streaming in its entirety for a limited time at the Record Shop X web site.”

SPECIAL DEFECTS: “Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal recently began recording material for his second album (the first as Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects in 1997). The effort will likely be available later this year. Among those contributing to the album is Soilwork drummer Dirk Verbeuren.”

VINDICATOR: “Midwest thrash maniacs VINDICATOR will release their sophomore album,The Antique Witcheries, on August 10 via Heavy Artillery Records. . . . The Antique Witcheries is described in a press release as ‘a masterpiece of modern thrash metal mayhem sure to please fans of DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT andEXODUS.’”

WHITECHAPEL: ““Breeding Violence”, a brand new song from Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL, is available for streaming . . . . The track comes off the group’s third album, A New Era Of Corruption, due on June 8 via Metal Blade Records.”

ZOROASTER: “Atlanta, Georgia’s “psych metal” band ZOROASTER has completed work on its sophomore album, Matador, for a July 13 North American release via E1 Music.”

More than a month has passed since we posted our last update about the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise, and we figured it was time to check in again.

Since our last update, Exodus, Forbidden, and Testament have signed on. That’s a heavyweight injection of Bay Area thrash into this floating festival (we’ll give you the complete current line-up of 18 bands after the jump). Plus, in related news, the Swedes have gotten in on the act by putting together their own metal cruise (more on that after the jump too).

If you don’t know what this cruise is, we’ll fill you in: The organizers have chartered a cruise ship (Royal Caribbean’s “Majesty of the Seas”) capable of carrying 40 metal bands (which means they’re still targeting 22 more bands to fill out the line-up) and 2,000 fans, departing Miami on January 24, 2011 for a 5-day, 4-night cruise in the Caribbean, including a stop at the Mexican island of Cozumel.

The 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise has got great potential — both good and bad. It could be a truly awesome experience. It could also be a clusterfuck of cosmic proportions. And there’s no way to know which it will be until that cruise ship limps back into port, probably on fire, at the end of the voyage.

We’ve got some thoughts about what could make it orgasmically good, and what could make it suck big-time. But we’d bet the farm that unless Royal Caribbean is run by metalheads (not likely), they have no fucking idea what they’re about to get themselves into, and that increases the risk of suckage.  (more thoughts, and other related stuff, after the jump . . .)

By way of background, the promoters say that each band on the cruise will play twice at different venues on-board this massive 12-deck ship, with no two bands playing at the same time — which means, as the promoters have said, that the performances will ”essentially go round the clock.”

They’re also promising “bars that never close . . . and an opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison.”  Oh yeah, they also have this policy published on their web site:

“70,000 Tons of METAL has a zero tolerance policy regarding the use, possession, purchase or distribution of illegal controlled substances. Any violation of this policy will result in disembarkation from the vessel as well as the individuals being turned over to the local law enforcement officials for appropriate legal action. In such cases 70000tons of METAL shall not be liable for any refund or other compensation or damages.”

Also, it stands to reason (though we don’t know this for a fact) that the bands will be segregated on one or more of the nicer decks with security access points so that drunken metalheads like you and me don’t knock on their doors in the middle of the night looking for autographs or vaporizers.

So, with that background, here are our updated thoughts about what would make this gig orgasmically good — and what would make it a cosmic clusterfuck:

ORGASMICALLY GOOD

The bands mix together on stage and play impromptu jams (there are some potential super-group combos in this line-up that are mind-blowing to consider)

The band members actually do mingle round-the-clock with the paying metalheads down in steerage.

The on-board venues where the bands are scheduled to play are actually big enough to accommodate everyone interested in hearing them.

The drinks are cheap and plentiful.

The crew are friendly, tolerant sorts.

The percentage of assholes among the passengers is small.

The Mexican police on Cozumel are looking the other way.

Most of the passengers re-board in Cozumel without having contracted the tourista.

COSMIC CLUSTERFUCK

The bands hole up in their assigned quarters and don’t come out except when scheduled to play or sit at autograph tables.

You can’t get in to see the bands you most want to see because the ship-board venues to which those bands were assigned are too small, and you were too lazy or fucked up to get there early.

The cruise ship gouges you for every red cent you have for drinks and for other “extras” that you consider necessities.

The crew are hardasses and they really meant it when they said “no illegal substances on board.”

“Disembarking” you for violating the illegal-substance policy means pitching you over the side into shark-infested waters.

Every fellow metalhead you rub shoulders with turns out to be an asshole.

You get so hammered the first night out of port that you spend the rest of the cruise moaning in your bunk.

The cruise ship has the audacity to make you pay for the vomit stains on your cabin carpet.

The Mexican police on Cozumel decide that anyone who looks and dresses like you must have already committed some kind of fucking crime.

Half the passengers come down with explosive diarrhea after the visit to Cozumel.

The ship is assaulted by a rogue wave.

Like we said, there’s no way to know how much of the good and how much of the bad will happen until we’re looking backward at this thing after it’s over. But hey, that’s what an adventure is all about, right? Doing something potentially awesome even when there’s some risk involved. So, even though we’ve been having some fun at the expense of this cruise promotion, it really does sound like something worthwhile.

We promised to give you the complete current lineup, and we don’t lie:

AMON AMARTH
DEATH ANGEL
EPICA
EXODUS
FINNTROLL
FORBIDDEN
MOONSPELL
OBITUARY
RAVEN
SAXON
SODOM
SONATA ARCTICA
STRATOVARIUS
SWASHBUCKLE
TESTAMENT
TROUBLE
ULI JON ROTH
WITCHBURNER

[UPDATE:  For our latest update on this cruise, visit this location.]

Earlier in this post, we mentioned that the Swedes had gotten in on the act with a metal cruise of their own — though it’s a considerably scaled-down version of the 70,000 Tons of Metal outing.

It’s called the Close-Up Båten cruise, and it will leave the port at  Stockholm, Sweden on September 9 for Åbo, Finland, and return the following day.  For those of you who happen to live closer to Stockholm than to Miami and are getting hot about the idea of listening to metal over open water, here’s the line-up for that cruise:

MESHUGGAH
DARK TRANQUILLITY
THE KRISTET UTSEENDE
CRASHDÏET
GRAVE
CRUCIFIED BARBARA
RAUBTIER
HELLSONGS

It’s only a two-day outing, and we’re guessing that there might not be a lot of sun-bathing opportunities during September in the Baltic Sea — but Meshuggah? Dark Tranquillity? Grave? Hell yeah!

Blabbermouth ran the following story on January 12:

TROUBLE, AMON AMARTH and SODOM are among the confirmed bands for the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which is set to sail from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on January 24, 2011 and return four days later. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMON AMARTH
SODOM
SONATA ARCTICA
STRATOVARIUS
TROUBLE
WITCHBURNER

A posting on the festival’s web site reads, “Imagine starting the year in style. In January 2011, when everyone else is stuck with cold weather, snow and rain, 40 heavy metal bands and 2,000 fans will take over a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean for a five-day and four-night trip of a lifetime. Tons of onboard live shows on several indoor and outdoor stages, open-mic nights, bars that never close, a fun- and sun-filled day on the beautiful island of Cozumel and an opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It’s like everyone has a backstage pass. You might even need a vacation from this vacation when all is said and done!”

OK. Now imagine it’s about a year from now. The cruise was supposed to leave January 24, and return in four days. So, they should be back to shore by now. So here’s what we’ll be asking on January 28, 2011:

• Is there anything left of the ship?
• “70,000 Tons of Metal” — but what was the total tonnage of weed smuggled on board?
• How many people went over the side, never to be seen again?
• How many people were hospitalized along the way?
• How many passengers are still in jail on Cozumel?
• How many tourists signed up for this, thinking it was just a normal Caribbean cruise?
• Did Amon Amarth eat any of those tourists?
• Was the bilge big enough to hold all the projectile vomiting?
• Did anyone actually go up on deck into the sunlight?
• Have photos surfaced on the interwebs?

Can’t wait for January 28, 2011. Seriously.

UPDATE:  For our latest update on this cruise, go to this location.