EARACHE'S Extreme Stage Diving Application

Extreme Stage Diving is available wordlwide for iPhone and iPod Touch from the App Store at http://j.mp/er3e9r

Grab Earache Extreme Stage Diving now and play along to a killer soundtrack of thrash, death and heavy metal as you throw a pesky stage diver off a festival stage and into the crowd.  Throw the stage diver as far as you can and try to get a high score on the global leaderboards while avoiding objects such as bottles, merch stands and everyone's festival favourite - the portable toilets!

And unlike most apps, Extreme Stage Diving features FULL songs instead of just clips!  And not just one or two, but TEN ripping, full-length tracks!  Play along to:

Evile - Thrasher
At The Gates - Suicide Nation
Bonded By Blood - Prison Planet
White Wizzard - Over the Top
Oceano - District of Misery
The Haunted - The World Burns
Wormrot - Born Stupid
Decapitated - Spheres of Madness
Deicide - Homage For Satan
Brutal Truth - Walking Corpse

Earache Extreme Stage Diving features a fully integrated music player, so you can play along to the tunes you want, when you want.  The game also features a secret, unlockable track which can only be found in this app!

Earache Extreme Stage Diving is an essential app - for metalheads, by metalheads!  Head to the App Store and download it now for free at http://j.mp/er3e9r

PHILIP ANSELMO to Dissect True Crime Films at 2011 SXSW FilmFestival

International best-selling true crime author and MetalSucks contributor Corey Mitchell is proud to announce the esteemed speakers for his “Reel Murder: From Crime Scene to Big Screen” panel for the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, scheduled for March 15, 2011.

Mitchell has gathered together some of the biggest, brightest, and most controversial names in true crime filmmaking including (in alphabetical order):

PHILIP H. ANSELMO – former lead singer of Pantera/frontman for Down. Anselmo is a huge supporter of true crime-based films and composer of the underground cult classic, The Manson Family;

HART D. FISHER – the “most dangerous man in America” and notorious director of the indie serial killer feature, The Garbage Man. Fisher is the publisher of Boneyard Press comics and creator of the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer comic book;

AMI CANAAN MANN – daughter of Manhunt director, Michael Mann, and a rising new director with her upcoming true crime-based film, The Fields, about several unsolved serial killings along I-45 in Texas, featuring Sam Worthington, Chloe Moretz, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan;

JOHN McNAUGHTON – acclaimed director of Mad Dog and Glory and Wild Things. Creator of one of the most revered true crime-based films of all time, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer;

COREY MITCHELL, moderator – Los Angeles Times best-selling true crime author of several books including Pure Murder and Savage Son. Founder of Reel Crime and In Cold Blog, and former Hollywood crime blogger for the Discovery Channel. He also blogs for MetalSucks and
Bloody Disgusting.

WHERE: SXSW 2011 Film Festival
Austin Convention Center
Room TBA
WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Time TBA

In this incredible photo we can see Anselmo's soul exiting his body...

METALEPSIA, Self-Titled (Self-Released, 2010)

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from this Argentinian band. They are called Metalepsia. Maybe that's why I actually stopped, read thru the message and proceeded to download their record. Then, I made a post.

Unlike most bands that write me, they weren't asking for a review, they just wanted me to post their album in my spanish blog Discos Inauditos.  Which I did after I checked out their MySpace page and listened to the whole recording once.

The black and white cover artwork says it all. Metalepsia mix and match punk and metal. Which is pretty similar to saying that they play some kind of crossover. They kind of sound like Inepsy and Abigail. Check the dudes on the cover. They are both in shape. They are both obviously into alcohol. One is long-haired and bearded while the other sports a large mohawk. Both share the same symbol in their attire. If you have time, check out the MySpace page for Metalepsia. There we will learn that the scene they dwell in contains equal parts of punkers and metalheads and this is a move this band is backing. There, you will also learn that vocalist  Facundo seems to only own one t-shirt. Venom.

((Metalepsia))

The Lost Art of Record Shopping - MALICE / POST MORTEM / DECEASED

Got off work an hour early on Thursday and headed off the opposite direction of home and to the record store where the man with no smile works. It has been about a month since I saw that shrinkwrapped copy of the Skid Row vinyl but I was quite sure that with the ignorance of all, it would still be there. I was greeted by a sickly blond kid with a Gospel t-shirt. He looked like a Belle and Sebastian fan (so am I but I do not) and he was rocking the skinny jeans to the point of bursting. As I entered I nodded my head. He blinked. I am not sure if that was a salute. I went up straight to the S section and there it was, Skid Row, price? $9.99. Took it in my arms and kept on inspecting.  

I have seen more than a few semi quality hardcore vinyls in this place. A bunch of stuff from Feral Ward. A bunch of stuff I have not heard of and that look-wise does not look half as good as most metal releases. There were a few Profane Existence releases there too. But I did not care. I crave metal. No matter how cheesy, I crave it. If it is old and in spinnable condition, chances are I like it. More chances are that I want it. I like hardcore too, but if I have to pick between the two, there is no contest.

My first find was Malice’s In The Beginning…. (Atlantic, 1985) Me and this band go way back. I was about 12 when I grabbed a hold of this shitty Mexican hard rock magazine that for some accidental reason had landed in South American soil. There was a lot of coverage of Mexican bands I have never heard of. Cristal y Acero. Ramses. Those are the two I remember. I have not heard either but about six months ago I went into YouTube looking for old heavy metal videos and I stumbled upon a Ramses video. It sucked. The music and the video. Both equally.  So I left a comment saying something along the lines of, ‘hahahahahahah, that’s one shitty song.’ A day later, I got a blast of Spanish e-mails mentioning my mother in terms that I did not appreciate.  

I can’t recall the name of the magazine. It was printed in black and white, newspaper quality, and small size. I remember seeing the cover of In The Beginning… in one of those pages. The author spoke highly of this Cali band and even went as far as to compare them to Judas Priest. There is little artwork in the cover so I forgot about them as soon as I turned the page. But I do not forget names, nor logos. Let alone heavy metal names. And when I saw this record last week I knew I had to buy it. Mint condition. Price? $12.99. Ouch! Fuck it.

((In the Beginning...there was shit))

I kept on searching and I didn’t have to look far for my next find.  By the time I got to the letter P I found my next purchase. The Missing Link (New Renaissance, 1987) by Post Mortem. Price? $14.99. Mega ouch! Especially considering that it was a tad beat and that this is a four-song EP. But I did not know that until I got home. Plus, how could I resist a record with a cover like this? I think the boys in Post Mortem used to hate Charlie Benante, that’s why they placed him in the cover, in between a T-Rex and cavemen, as if his ilk, his breed, his kind, the metalhead, was just that, the missing link between zero-neuron beings and the modern times. That has got to be Benante. Big belly. Wiry puffy hair. Slayer t-shirt. Hands in pocket. Looks like a dumbass.

((The Missing Link is Charlie Benante))

By then, it was about time to get home and I knew I wasn’t going to have enough time to go through every single letter in the alphabet. I took a look around me, a quick peek to all the vinyl racks and to the records positioned up front and there it was, a Deceased record. As the Weird Travel On (Thrash Corner, 2005) to be more precise. How could anyone miss it? The covers that  embellish this band’s releases are a work of art. Tasty delicatessen stuff for metalheads. Price? $15.99. Who said that shopping vinyl was a cheap pleasure? No one that’s right. And at four, that was three more than what I was planning on buying so I had no option but to return the Skid Row record to the rack. I can always come back next month. I am pretty sure it will still be there. 

It may be a policy of this store to be a dick or to be as articulate as a mannequin, but the sickly Gospel-loving blond kid did not utter a word when I bought these records. He didn’t say 'hi', or 'bye', or ‘the total is $45’. I had to look at the register to know the final price and handed my card. Then, I walked out quietly...

New PENTAGRAM Album Coming in April

MetalSucks contributor Leyla Ford recently spoke with PENTAGRAM frontman Bobby Liebling. Liebling shared some news about the band's forthcoming album, as well as what he's been up to nowadays:

ON THE NEW ALBUM:
You’re off to record the Last Rites album soon, I believe?
I leave Wednesday morning and we start recording the album this coming Sunday night [November 21].

I’m sure you’re pretty excited about it. Can you tell me a bit about the new record?
Actually, the songs on Last Rites are predominantly, I’d say two-thirds [of them are] songs I wrote in 1970, and if you’re familiar with any Pentagram stuff at all… you know each album is usually a sixty-forty split. Sixty percent is stuff that I did in the early ‘70s, and forty percent is collaborations and new stuff. The upcoming album is slated to have thirteen songs, but we don’t know if we’re going to be able to record all of them. We’re going to try to get it all in. It’s going to be a shorter album, but it’ll be part of a double-disc set with an hour-long live DVD from last year’s Maryland Deathfest.

Is there a definite release date for it?
No, not a definite date, but it’s scheduled to be released in early April. I was told by my superiors [laughs], as it were, that I shouldn’t talk about the record label, but I will say that we’ve got a multi-album deal and it’s with a significant, well, let’s say the largest label I’ve ever been on. 

That’s great, congratulations!
Thank you, it’s been long enough coming. 2011 marks Pentagram’s fortieth anniversary.

Wow, that’s a good, long run. Hopefully with many more years to come.
We’ll see! That’s why I’m calling it Last Rites, just in case! But there are four songs that are brand-new, and the other nine consist of several I wrote on my own, and a few I wrote with my original drummer, Geof O’Keefe. Those are the ones scheduled to be on there. But one of the old ones might go, as well as a new one. We’re doing a cram course, you might call it. All the other Pentagram albums that have been done were recorded over a three-month period. This album is going to be done in three weeks. We’re rehearsing it five days, that’s it, and these songs have never been played by anyone in the band [currently].
 
ON HIS LIFE THESE DAYS:

My life has changed in a great deal of ways. I met my wife, and the last three years I’ve had a very, very different life. I’ve been clean for the first time after forty years of drug addiction — that’s a long, long time. Now I have a baby, and a house, and a dog, and a picket fence and backyard and all that stuff! Being straight is a really new awakening for me, and it’s really fantastic. And some people might think it’s corny, but I just tribute it to the guy upstairs nowadays. Pentagram was never a “Satan” band like people think it was, it was always just giving you the layout, like the album says, of your choices, because you have to make a choice, and there are two ways you can go. The songs were sort of like warning,s and people mistook those for us being black metal and all that kind of stuff. Then came the eras of the death metal and black metal bands, a lot of them were influenced [by us] supposedly, and they tell me on tours and stuff, but, you know…

GLORIOUS TIMES Revised Edition Now in Print!

After MUCH tenuous effort, we are extremely proud to announce that our revised and extended edition of 'Glorious Times' is currently finished, and now in the hands of our new printer. It will be ready to ship from us at the end of November. This is not a history book, not a book like any other music book. These are the memories from those involved in the early days of the scene in their own words. The memories THEY chose to tell.

Bigger and better than before! 160 pages of massively rare and mostly unseen photographs, tied together with sentiment and reflections from the very people who lived the era - the GLORIOUS TIMES. We refused to conform to the publishers who wanted every band's story (written in THEIR words) rewritten by a third party. We refused to take out our rare pics and insert promo line-up shots as the publishers wanted. Instead we sought out other photographers from the old days and found even more never before seen pictures. At the same time we also sought out a few more bands to make this version even better. We now have added 11 bands with stories from such legends as Ron Sumers (Slaughter), Scott Peterson (Cryptic Slaughter), Eric Meyer and Jim Durkin (Dark Angel), Joe Caper (Righteous Pigs), Brian Lehfeldt and Shann Mortimer (Wehrmacht), Ross Dolan (Immolation) and also Rob Urbinati and Scott Watts (Sacrifice) among others. Included too are pictures from the personal collections of Ron Sumners, Scott Peterson, Brian Lehfeldt, Ross Dolan and a bunch of others.

In addition to the new bands every old layout has been redone using industry standard software and formats so this time there are no skewed pics, no typos, etc. Many of the original layouts that were redone also include additional never before seen pictures. The Hellwitch section also includes a new story from Jim Nickles and the Unseen Terror section includes a new story from Mick Harris.

Bands featured : Acheron, Autopsy, Baphomet, Brutality, Cannibal Corpse, Cryptic Slaughter, Dark Angel, Death, Deceased, Deicide, Derketa, Disharmonic Orchestra, Exmortis, Groovy Aardvark, Hellwitch, Hideous Mangleus, Immolation, Impetigo, Incantation, Incubus, Insanity, Lethal Aggression, Malevolent Creation, Massacre,Massappeal, Master, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Nocturnus, Nokturnel,Nuclear Death, Overthrow, Paineater, Possessed, Prime Evil, Revenant, Righteous Pigs, Ripping Corpse, Sacrifice, Slaughter, Soothsayer,Terrorain, Tirant Sin, Unseen Terror, Vomit, Wehrmacht and Where's ThePope?

Glorious Times can be purchased directly through us, for ordering info send an email to glorioustimesdeathbook@gmail.com and/or check out any of our sites:
www.myspace.com/glorioustimesdeathbook
www.facebook.com/pages/Glorious-Times/280760555286
www.pioneeringglorioustimes.blogspot.com

Glorious Times can also be purchased through any of these fine distributors:
CM distro www.cmdistro.com
F.O.A.D. records (Italy) www.foadrecords.it
Horror Records (Denmark) http://www.horrorrecords.com/

DIABOLIC Seeking Bassist / Vocalist

DIABOLIC have issued the following statement, following their appearance at Goregrowler's
Ball IV:

"DIABOLIC original member, Bassist/Vocalist Paul Ouellette has been ousted from the band, due to his drunken and unprofessional behavior, and walking offstage mid-song during the band's recent performance Fri, Nov 12 at Goregrowler's Ball IV in San Antonio, TX. Many of our friends and fans know that this is not our first episode dealing with Paul's drunken, often violent, destructive, and unprofessional behavior at shows. For DIABOLIC's frontman to behave in this way is inexcusable and after several warnings, we have no choice; Paul has been removed permanently from the lineup, and is no longer a member of DIABOLIC.

DIABOLIC continued to play our next several songs and finished our set without vocals, and we would like to thank all of our friends and fans who stayed to show your support, during and after our set! Many of you have said how much you enjoyed our set even without vocals, and that you respect us for finishing our set, in spite of what happened. For that we say THANK YOU!! And thank you to Goregrowler's Ball promoter, Aaron Mendiola (also vocalist of ENGAGED IN MUTILATING) for having us, and we look forward to the day when we can return to San Antonio, TX and bring you all DIABOLIC the way it was meant to be!!

Effective immediately, DIABOLIC are seeking a replacement Bassist/Vocalist. We are looking for pro gear, stage presence, and most importantly sick vocals and bass skills. We have a European Tour offer for 2011, so ability to tour is a must! Qualified applicants will live in or near the Tampa, FL area or willing to relocate. If you are interested and have what it takes, emailaantar@diabolic-deathmetal.com

DARK DESCENT Records to Release GRAVE RITUAL Debut LP + New Releases from the Label

Nine new heinous hymns from Alabama's resident death metal maniacs, Euphoric Hymns from the Altar of Death is Grave Ritual's full-potential realized on this murky and oppressive debut album. The long player is limited to 500 copies (100 on maroon vinyl, 100 fire orange & black, and 300 black). The LPs come with reverse board printed jackets, an 18" x 24" poster, and double-sided insert.

Dark Descent Records has set a December 15th release date and pre-orders are being taken now at http://www.darkdescent.net/

Unconsecrated 7"s are shipping.- The green vinyl is dwindling in numbers.

Three cassette tapes are now at press. Anguish - Dawn of Doom demo pro tape. Swedish doom metal featuring members of Veternus and Graveless
www.myspace.com/anguishdoommetal

Morbo - Eternal City of the Dead demo pro tape. Autopsy-ish death metal from Italy.
www.myspace.com/morbodeathmetal

Mandatory - In Torment demo comp tape. Two early demos compiled onto one new tape!
www.myspace.com/mandatory1989

Decrepitaph/Eternal Solstice 7". - New material from purveyors of old school cavernous death metal Decrepitaph and first Eternal Solstice recording in 13 years!
www.myspace.com/decrepitaph

Skeleton Plague Records Stock Absorption. With Skeleton Plague Records closing its virtual doors Dark Descent Records has absorbed its stock of over 300 titles.
Visit http://www.darkdescent.net/

THE GATES OF SLUMBER Recording New Album + Tour Dates

Celebrated “True Heavy Metal band” THE GATES OF SLUMBER will enter England’s Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Angel Witch) later this month to lay down tracks for its forthcoming new album. The follow up to the Indianapolis trio’s critically acclaimed LP Hymns of Blood and Thunder will see a spring, 2011 release via Rise Above Records.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER recently announced the addition of new drummer, “Cool Clyde” Paradis into its ranks. A New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor, Paradis joins THE GATES OF SLUMBER hot off stints in Sourvein, Substance Abuse and the New Orleans blues act T-bone and The Rhythm Makers.

"The new music is taking on a more troglodyte doom metal feel," exclaimed THE GATES OF SLUMBER front man / guitarist Karl Simon. "With Clyde now in the band, the feel of things was bound to change; he's not only a different drummer, but from a totally different school of thought with regards to the drums. It's no secret that Saint Vitus' shuddering doom crawl was the root that inspired this band and we'd both felt that over three albums we'd taken the raw epic feel as far as we could. Now, it’s time to get back to basics, shed some of the bulk and get ugly again. No warriors this time, no acoustic guitars, no keyboards, no lofty Nietzschean ideals. Just black bile and a bit of the old “white magic; black magic."

THE GATES OF SLUMBER is currently in the midst of a European tour as hand-picked support for legendary doom rock band Cathedral. The trek will run through November 20 in Paris, France. Additionally, THE GATES OF SLUMBER has been confirmed as one of the featured acts for the 2011 Roadburn Festival, set to take place April 14-16 in Tilburg, Holland.

Weaned on Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, the melodic might of Iron Maiden and a host of classic bands from Thin Lizzy to Rainbow to Mercyful Fate, THE GATES OF SLUMBER draws deep from heavy metal's most powerful blood and delivers doom metal in its purest form. The band has been called “a breath of fresh air within the doom / true metal underground.” The trio’s powerful songwriting and instrumental skull-crushing is heavy and chillingly bleak in an almost unrelenting way that hasn't been heard since Judas Priest's heyday (Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, etc.). Displaying a powerful focus and direction, THE GATES OF SLUMBER is at once powerfully compelling, tight in its grooves and unrivaled in its sheer power.

In addition to Simon and Paradis, THE GATES OF SLUMBER features bassist Jason McCash.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER tour dates:
 November 11 Pratteln, Switzerland Z7
November 12 München, Germany Backstage
November 13 Pinarella di Cervia, Italy Rock Planet
November 14 Rome, Italy Init Club
November 17 Madrid, Spain Heinekin
November 18 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2
November 19 Belfort, France La Pouderie
November 20 Paris, France La Nouveau Casino

Did Paul Speckman join The Gates of Slumber?

POOBAH Supports Let Me In Re-Issue By Pounding the Pavement‏

Jim Gustafson will be leading Poobah down the rock n’ roll highway in support of the re-issue of Let Me In (Ripple Music) throughout the rest of 2010 and well into 2011. With the first pressing of the album almost sold out, Gustafson is doing what all musicians should be doing to generate greater support for the record by working the only way that he knows how . . . playing the stuff live!

“It is deep in my blood to keep doing what I love, and after decades of playing in bands, it still excites me to perform,” explains Gustafson when asked what keeps him going after all this time, “I have a passionate love for playing guitar, singing, and writing songs. That’s what has driven me on. I am still inspired to be the best I can be.”

It’s remarkable that in an industry notorious for chewing up and spitting out the weak that this musician, without the commercial success of his peers, is still going after forty years. With ten albums, thousands of live performances, and countless boxes of unreleased material under his belt, Jim Gustafson is celebrating a life-long career with Poobah by bringing the party to as many who’ll take the time to listen. Over the course of four decades, Poobah has shared stages and hobnobbed with the likes of The Who, Canned Heat, Judas Priest, and ZZ Top to name but a few, and Gustafson has the unlikely distinction of performing at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame more than any other artist.

11/13/2010 Wilbert’s – Cleveland, OH  w/ Euporia
11/20/2010 YSU U-PIE – Youngstown, OH  w/ special guests
11/26/2010 Greenville Moose – Greenville, PA
12/11/2010 Nicolozakes Café – Fairpoint, OH
12/17/2010 Eagle’s Nest – St. Marys, WV
01/14/2011 Grandview Tavern – New Matamoras, OH
01/21/2011 Wrangler Tavern – Whipple, OH
01/29/2011 Marrieta Brewing Co. – Marietta, OH

More dates to be added soon!

ENFORCER Involved in Bus Crash in Sweden

Swedish heavy metallers Enforcer have been involved in a serious bus crash while on tour in their homeland.

The band, who are on tour in Europe supporting Australian hard rockers Airbourne, were travelling from Oslo to Stockholm in a snowstorm at around 3:00am on the morning of 10th November and were near their hometown of Arvika when their vehicle skidded on ice, crossed over to the other side of the road and experienced a head-on collision with a snow-plough.

Enforcer guitarists Adam Zaars and Joseph Tholl, bassist Tobias Lindqvist and the band's driver were battered and bruised, but miraculously all survived the crash with only minor injuries. A county police officer at the scene said, "They had a guardian angel".

The band's vehicle was destroyed in the accident, but their equipment, which was in a trailer attached to the vehicle, was luckily unscathed. Enforcer Olof Wikstrand and drummer Jonas Wikstrand were travelling in a separate car at the time and were not involved in the crash.

The band have regretfully been forced to cancel their appearances tonight in Sweden and on the 12th and 13th November in Finland and will be using the time to recuperate and recover from the nerve-wracking incident. They will resume the tour on 16th November in Berlin, Germany.

Enforcer have posted the following comment:

"We're all alive and well but we're really sorry to cancel the gigs in Stockholm, Tampere and Helsinki. We're working really hard to get back on the road again soon!"

CAULDRON Reveals BURNING FORTUNE Album Cover

Toronto bashers Cauldron recently finished recording their upcoming new album, titled Burning Fortune, in the band's hometown.

Cauldron recorded Burning Fortune, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2009 debut album, Chained To The Nite, at Rogue Studios in Toronto, Canada. The album is due to be released by Earache Records on February 14th, 2011.

The album cover for Burning Fortune features British model Lora Leigh, who also appeared on the Chained To The Nite artwork. Check out a new video with Cauldron frontman Jason Decay talking about the concept of Burning Fortune, along with a clip of a brand new song, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lko47_Gzwo

Catch CAULDRON live:
03 Dec 2010 - Toronto, Canada - Poor Alex Theater

Once again Cauldron lower the bar as far as awful artwork is concerned.

THRILL JOCKEY Welcomes LITURGY!

New Record Coming In April 2011.

Launch Fall Tour.

Thrill Jockey is very pleased to announce that Brooklyn's transcendental black metal band Liturgy, have signed to Thrill Jockey. Liturgy's music is an ecstatic affirmation of becoming. It is an assault on the floating malaise of contemporary information-age life. The ebb and flow of their churning, swarming rhythms and melodies both models and fosters the eternal flux. Their Thrill Jockey debut is slated for release in Spring of 2011.

Tour Dates

11/10 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
11/11 Richmond, VA Gallery 5
11/12 Charlotte, NC Snug Harbor
11/13 Asheville, NC Broadways
11/14 Athens, GA Farm 255
11/15 Atlanta, GA The Earl
11/16 Nashville, TN The End
11/17 Knoxville, TN Pilot Light
11/18 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
11/19 Washington, DC Comet Ping Pong
11/20 Baltimore, MD Golden West Café
12/03 Brooklyn, NY Acheron
12/09 Brooklyn, NY Glasslands

Their debut album Renihilation topped many 2009 year-end lists including those of Stereogum, Pop Matters, Impose, and the Village Voice.

Expect the next Burzum record via Sub Pop Records.

HYPNOTIC DIRGE RECORDS - Free Compilation 2010

To celebrate two-years of activity for Hypnotic Dirge Records we are releasing an extensive compilation album on November 7th, 2010 which will include audio, video, text, and visual components. The entire album has been created with a strong attention to detail and a working theme throughout. Within the compilation comes audio tracks exclusive to the compilation by some high-profile guests, some previously released HDR material, some upcoming stuff from future releases, as well as three music video premieres, some essays and short stories, and complete album artwork with a full theme, and notes from the artists and contributors. An extensive piece of work comprising many hours of work from many dedicated artists in multi-disciplinary fields. Make sure you are here to download to album for FREE on November 7th, 2010.

I - The Foetal Mind - Big Crunch

II - Funereal - Of That Which Lies Beneath...

III - Funeral Fornication - Stargates Eternal Beheld My Nightmares

IV - Exiled From Light - We Writhe As Worms

V - netra - Outside...Alone

VI - Ancient Tundra - The Shimmering Radiance of a Thousands Stars

VII - Njiqahdda - Nji taaevaasti vortaa est flaami

VIII - Neige et Noirceur - Croix de Feu, Croix de Fer

IX - Funeral in Heaven - Bhandhana

X - Autaric - Cremation Divine

XI - Old Forgotten Lands - Hour of the Wolf

XII - netra - La Page (Music Video)

XIII - Njiqahdda - Nji taaevaasti vortaa est flaami (Music Video)

XIV - Old Forgotten Lands - Hour of the Wolf (Music Video)

XV - The Foetal Mind - La Corde Rouge (Music Video)

XVI - Exiled From light - There is no beauty left here...(Promo Video)
XVII - The Foetal Mind - The Grand Contraction (Promo Video)
Text

XVIII -'The Origin of Values' Essay by: N. Skog

XIX -'The Bleak House' Short story by: Vultyrous

XX -'Nji taaevaasti vortaa est flaami' by: Njiqahdda

A note about the album:The 2010 edition of the annual Hypnotic Dirge Records compilation series is being released to commemorate two years of activity as a record label. Once again we are offering this album as a free download to showcase a unique and diverse group of black metal artists from a variety of different sub-genres. This year's edition has been named "Melancholic Epiphony (The Trance Formation is Shattered) Within the album, you will find a total of 11 tracks - 8 of which are from Hypnotic Dirge Records roster artists, offering a glimpse into past HDR releases, as well as a look towards some future HDR material. Asides from that, we are also featuring three diverse and respected guest artists on this compilation album - Funeral in Heaven, Njiqahdda, and Autaric. Also as a bonus on this year's compilation, we are also including some music videos as well, including the premiere of netra's first-ever music video for the track 'La Page' , the premiere of Old Forgotten Lands' 'Hour of the Wolf' video, and an exclusive video premiere from the mighty Njiqahdda.

As an addendum to the audio and video portions of this release, there is also three essays/short stories to accompany the album focusing on a variety of different topics both fiction, and non-fiction, as well as a complete 8 page booklet focusing on the larger theme of this compilation. Our desire was to release a compilation album that truly covered 4 different aspects of art: Audio, Video, Text, and Visual and we are pleased to showcase the works of a variety of different artists!

Over the past year, Hypnotic Dirge Records has evolved to become a more metal-based record label with less ambient artists on its roster, and more metal-based releases on the way. (see: netra, The Foetal Mind, Funeral Fornication, Neige et Noirceur, etc.) and this compilation is also an indication on the evolution of HDR. Of course, we will still be releasing ambient music as well, and most of our artists have an ambient edge to their music, but this compilation is a good example of the balance we strive to meet musically.

I would like to thank all of the contributors to this year's compilation for their dedication to this project, Marc Hoyland for his many hours of work on this compilation's artwork, and being able to transform my ideas for the theme of this record into perfectly constructed artwork. Asides from that, I'd also like to thank labels, promoters, reviewers, and fans for obvious reasons.

Eleven tracks from a diverse group of black metal artists - some of which are exclusive to the compilation, and some of which provide a preview towards future releases. Three brand new video premieres among a collection of videos, three unique and distinct text pieces/essays and a complete 8 page digital booklet featuring notes and insight into the songs from most of the artists themselves. And it's free!

Download this compilation, tell your friends, post the link on your myspace, facebook or twitter, upload the songs onto youtube. Post the download link on forums, post the album on your blogspot, burn a copy of it and give it to friends, review the album for your webzine/magazine, and play it on your radio show!

~Skog
HDR

Say thanks you Bastards!!!!!

SHE IS A DELICATE FLOWER

CANNIBAL CORPSE Release Guitar Tab Book; Kick-Off East Coast US Tour

Fans have been asking Cannibal Corpse how they play their songs for years. Finally, musicians and fans alike will now be able to see exactly how some of the most intense death metal is played in a new tab book from Cannibal Corpse! The new tab book, published by Hal Leonard, transcribes thirteen Cannibal Corpse fan favorites, including: Devoured by Vermin, Frantic Disembowelment, I Will Kill You, Make Them Suffer, Pit of Zombies, Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead, Vomit the Soul, The Wretched Spawn, and more. The 128-page book is available now at these links: halleonard.com, amazon.com, musicdispatch.com, and at your local music retailer. If your local music store carries tab books and doesn't have this in stock – make sure to ask for it!

Don't miss Cannibal Corpse on tour starting November 5th with Dying Fetus, Vital Remains and Devourment!

CANNIBAL CORPSE Tour brought to you by BC Rich, Metal Blade Records, Good Fight Entertainment, and Relapse Records
With Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, and Devourment
11/05 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox Laundrolounge
11/06 Charleston, SC Charleston Oasis
11/07 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
11/08 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theater
11/09 Nashville, TN Exit In
11/10 Lexington, KY Buster's
11/11 East St. Louis, MO Pop's
11/12 Des Moines, IA People's Court
11/13 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
11/14 Madison, WI The Annex
11/16 Columbus, OH Skully's
11/17 Williamsville, NY Infinity
11/18 Cleveland, OH Peabody's
11/19 New York, NY Santos Party House
11/20 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
11/21 Washington DC Rock & Roll Hotel
11/22 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel

MINDFLEX Sucks, Don't Fall for It

Allow me to take this short minute to bitch. I recently was told to watch a commercial concerning a toy that, well, is going to fucking suck. It's apparently been around for almost a year, but I can see them getting ready to pounce on the public with this trash for Christmas. DON'T FALL FOR THIS SHIT:

Really, do you think we're going to go for this? I don't even have to purchase this dreck to know it's ineffective. Mindflex is being touted as the "next big thing", and it's only one big thing and that's a big pile of shit. The picture here shows you the basic idea. By using "mind control", you can move a ball through a variety of obstacles like tubes, hoops, and so forth. By concentrating, you move the ball, or so they say. Check out a video on the official site by clicking here

If you watch, you'll notice they're quite slippery about how they approach the advertisement. First you're given popping text that suggests you're going to be "using your mind" to operate the device. KEWL. Then you'll see all this shit about how you're going to be AMAZED (text twitching) with people looking absolutely psyched to use it. But wait a minute, hmmm, what the fuck are their hands doing? Look closely around 42 seconds in that video. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Really, come on you assholes! The only flexing going on here is with your fingers. Granted, the machine actually is reading your concentration according to what I've read, but THAT'S FUCKING IT. In fact, several reviews online are suggesting this thing is just measuring contractions on your forehead or something just as stupid. By "concentrating", you can cause the ball to rise or fall, but that's all you're capable of doing. To get it to move throughout the course, you turn a small nob on the front that causes the FUCKING AIR VENTS under the ball to rotate so the ball "moves" around the various obstacles. What a fucking joke, and apparently people have been complaining it comes with no instructions and requires fucking C batteries to work. The bulk of the video revolves around "testimonials" of people using it and saying how awesome it is, but about 3/4 through you'll witness the actual explanation of how it works for a very abrupt moment. This is a joke, DON'T FALL FOR IT. Don't give them money! MAKE SURE MIND FLEX FAILS THIS CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Gimmicks like this are a dime a dozen, but this one is a bit disengenuous. No, that's being nice, it's a plain fucking rip off. The TV commercial is even worse because it barely explains the actual function, so it's clear they're banking on kids being like GIVE ME BUY GIVE BUY ME GIVE, and parents responding YES WILL BUY CHRISTMAS BUY COOL SOUNDS BUY. It sucks, don't give it a second, and save your kids from it before they learn too soon how disappointing life is. Watch the video and get a clue, Atari was thinking about doing something similar years ago but gave up the venture for a reason. Don't believe me? Read about it all by clicking here. Do yourself and everyone else a favor, spread the hate.