Gelap Pekat

Finnish all-girl band INDICA has inked a deal with Germany's Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented the group in a statement: "It is very rare to see such enthusiasm that we have already witnessed with all the Nuclear Blast people about our forthcoming debut album in English. We can't wait to start to work with all of you, to get the album out and to start touring in Europe!"

Added Markus Staiger, Nuclear Blast President: "We are very proud to welcome this young band from Finland to the Nuclear Blast family. Those five exceptional girls have totally captivated all of us. With their magical and self-contained form of romantic and melancholic rock music we are trying to explore into directions which are new to us and and it will be a big but more than exciting challenge!"

INDICA's album was produced by NIGHTWISH mastermind Tuomas Holopainen, who has previously toured Europe with INDICA twice. He says, "INDICA has such sights to show you! You will be spellbound for lifetime!"

The new INDICA album, "A Way Away", is due in early summer 2010.

For more information, visit www.indica.fi.

After four years, HYPOCRISY — the Swedish extreme metal band led by guitarist/vocalist Peter Tägtgren (also of PAIN) — will finally be back on the road in Europe in January as part of the "Long Time, No Death… Europe 2010" tour with SURVIVORS ZERO and HATESPHERE.

To really give the fans something special, the band has decided to let its fans vote for their favoriate songs that they want to see performed live. The top-voted songs will be played on the upcoming tour.

For more information, and to place your vote, go to this location.

HYPOCRISY was recently forced to pull out of its North American tour with ENSIFERUM because it was unable to secure the proper U.S. working visas for all members of the band.

"A Taste Of Extreme Divinity", the new album from HYPOCRISY, sold 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 23 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" recently entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 62.

The CD was released in the U.S. on November 3 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The North American mail-order version of "A Taste of Extreme Divinity" features three exclusive bonus tracks.

HYPOCRISY's previous album, "Virus", came out in September 2005 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Cleveland, Ohio metallers ETERNAL LEGACY will release their new album, "Lifeless Alive", on December 8, 2009 via Auburn Records. The CD was recorded at the band's own Mercinary Studios in Cleveland and produced by guitarist/vocalist Jason Vanek. The album's cover art was designed by German artist Frank Fiedler, with additional art design by Alex Yarborough.

Commented Vanek: "This album has more attitude and power in a heavier more polished direction with less keys. It's a good mix of driving, dark metal with killer melodies and a heavier edge than our debut. The sound of LEGACY is born!"

"Lifeless Alive" track listing:

01. Purblind
02. Lifeless Alive
03. Souls Of Prey
04. Abbadon
05. Visionary Sin
06. Misery's End
07. Lost But Not Alone
08. Fight The Heavens
09. Wicked Glory
10. Braindead
11. The Dead Matter (bonus track)

"Lifeless Alive" will be distributed in the U.S. by The End, Century Media, Sentinel Steel, Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes.

The album's bonus track, "The Dead Matter", was written for "The Dead Matter" horror film, produced by Cleveland-based Midnight Syndicate Films. The movie is about a grief-stricken girl who looks to the occult for answers to her brother's death and gets far more than she bargained for when she acquires a vampire relic with necromantic powers. It is a classic horror film in the Hammer Horror Films style. In October, a sneak peek premiere of the film was shown in a major downtown Cleveland movie theater. Over 600 people were in attendance, including the entire cast and crew. The movie stars Andrew Divoff ("Lost", "Wishmaster"), Jason Carter ("Babylon 5", "Angel") and horror legend Tom Savini ("Dawn Of The Dead", "Lost Boys 2"). The film also includes cameo appearances by Jeff Hatrix (MUSHROOMHEAD, HATRIX, PURGATORY) and Auburn Records president Bill Peters.

A different mix of ETERNAL LEGACY's "The Dead Matter" will appear on a double-CD soundtrack called "The Dead Matter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" in 2010. The movie is scheduled to be released on DVD next year as well.

"From the first notes, ETERNAL LEGACY takes hold of you and then proceeds to drag you into the darkest depths with their 'The Dead Matter' track," says the film's director Ed Douglas. "A great SABBATH-influenced rocker that leaves you wanting more".

Douglas DJ'd a heavy metal show on WJCU in Cleveland from 1990-2003, the same station that hosts Peters' Friday night "Metal On Metal" program. His band MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE is regarded as the top producers of Halloween horror soundtracks that cumulatively has sold over a million CDs.

ETERNAL LEGACY is:

Jason Vanek - Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Shaun Vanek - Lead Guitar
Steve Dukuslow - Drums
Tim Frederick - Bass

ETERNAL LEGACY will play a special CD-release show in Cleveland, Ohio at Peabody's on November 27, 2009. Fans who attend the concert will be able to purchase the new "Lifeless Alive" CD in advance of the release date. The band will also debut its new bass player, Tim Frederick (WRETCH), who replaced bassist/keyboardist Spencer Phillips. LOWER 13, LAW OF DESTRUCTION (featuring guitarist John Comprix from Tim "Ripper" Owens' solo band and BEYOND FEAR), GROUND ZERO and LICK THE BLADE will open. The show starts at 8 p.m. Admission is free.

ETERNAL LEGACY was featured in the November 25, 2009 issue of Cleveland Scene magazine by legendary rock journalist Anastasia Pantsios.

Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST have set "Aealo" as the title of their new album, due on February 15 in Europe and February 23 in the U.S. via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Lunatach Studios in Katerini, Greece and will feature guest appearances by Greek-American vocalist Diamanda Galas and PRIMORDIAL frontman Alan A. Nemtheanga.

According to a press release, "Aealo" will delve deeper than ever before into ROTTING CHRIST's Greek roots. Frontman Sakis Tolis explains: "'Aealo' is the transcription of an ancient Greek word into the Latin alphabet. It means thrashing, catastrophe or destruction and reflects the musical and lyrical content of the album.

"The concept of 'Aealo' deals with the feelings of a warrior during a battle, therefore the album's title bears this sense of anger, fear and grief."

Nemtheanga recently stated about his collaboration with ROTTING CHRIST: "'Satanas Tedeum' was one of the very first black metal demos I got in 1989. I have been a fan since then so it was with pleasure and honour to sing with a band that I have been a fan of for 20 years and friends with from the old tape-trading 'zine network since 1991. We have toured together and I have visited Hellas many times over the years. Somewhere around the late '90s, the scene became fixated with Nordic metal and forgot that great music was still being made in South America, Canada, Australia, Asia, in Eastern Europe and that the Greek scene is one of the oldest. Some of us, however, do not forget so my contribution is to honour 20 years of great music and friendship."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ROTTING CHRIST material, Alan said, "It sounds classic ROTTING CHRIST although it sees them continue where they left off with 'Theogonia', further away from the older 'satanic' feel and more into the realm of the ancient Greek gods, mythology and folklore. I think and feel it is this influence that has in many ways unchained the band, giving them more freedom to explore their own heritage and culture. It invokes the proud spirit of history, just as PRIMORDIAL tries to do! In this respect we are like brothers!"

Added Tolis: "Collaborating with Alan from PRIMORDIAL on a song from the new album was an honour for our band. By including his great voice in our album, we believe he brought the mood we were seeking for this specific song: a Celtic mood that has so many similarities with the ancient Greek culture and atmosphere that this album exhales. Alan definitely lifted up the specific song because his voice is great and, most importantly, unique. We are honoured to work with the voice of Ireland!"

Diamanda Galas makes an appearances on ROTTING CHRIST's cover version of "Orders from the Dead", from Galas' "Defixiones, Will and Testament" album, for which Sakis wrote new music.

"It is a huge honour for our band to have Mrs. Diamanda Galas on our new album", Sakis stated. "Getting her approval to use her voice as it can be originally heard in her 'Orders from the Dead' song feels like we did the most successful cover in our career, with one of the most soulful songs in the history of music. The dead are still waiting for their justification..."