MORE 2011 SICKNESS (PART 10)

September is behind us. Here in Seattle, it was such a beautiful month that it seemed like nature’s compensation for how late the summer started. Unfortunately, with September’s end, we’re on a short track to the onset of winter, which means about six months of short, cold, grey, ceaselessly wet days. Ain’t that just fuckin’ great?

Well, bitchin’ about the winter ahead won’t change one fucking thing. I prefer to think instead about the deluge of new metal that’s headed our way and try (momentarily) to forget about the deluge of rain on the horizon. Which brings us to the latest monthly edition of METAL IN THE FORGE.

You know the drill:  In these posts, we collect news blurbs and press releases we’ve seen over the last month about forthcoming new albums from bands we know and like (including occasional updates about releases we’ve included in previous installments of this series), or from bands that look interesting, even though we don’t know their music yet. In this series, we cut and paste those announcements and compile them in alphabetical order.

Remember — this isn’t a cumulative list. If we found out about a new album before August, we wrote about it in previous installments of this series. So, be sure to check the Category link called “Forthcoming Albums” on the right side of this page to see forecasted releases we reported earlier. This month’s list begins right after the jump. Look for your favorite bands, or get intrigued about some new ones. As usual, also feel free to tell us about how we fucked up by omitting releases that you’re stoked about.

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: “Abigail Williams will begin recording their third full-length album today. The process begins in the band’s new home of Southern California as the band enter Keene Machine Studios with The Faceless’ Michael Keene and Abigail Williams’ mainman Ken Sorceron engineering. Former Abigail Williams and Black Dahlia Murder drummer Zach Gibson will be playing on the album, as previous band mate Ken Bedene focuses on The Aborted. . . . The new album has an anticipated January release, followed by additional US tours supporting Dark Funeral and then Deicide.”

AMON: “AMON, the resurrected Florida-based death metal band featuring former DEICIDE members Eric Hoffmann (guitar) and Brian Hoffman (guitar), will film a new music video on October 22 in Clearwater, Florida with director Chris Nemzek (former CROSSBREED guitarist). AMON has set an October 31 release date for its new album, “Liar In Wait”.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS: “Progressive instrumentalists ANIMALS AS LEADERS will release their second full-length album, “Weightless”, in North America on November 8, in mainland Europe on November 4 and in the U.K. on November 7 via Prosthetic Records.”

ANAAL NATHRAKH: “U.K. extreme metallers ANAAL NATHRAKH — consisting of Mick Kenney and David Hunt — are currently working on the follow-up to “Passion”, released earlier this year via Candlelight Records. Hunt commented from the studio, “The songs we’ve recorded so far have come out very well. They are stylistically quite heterogeneous yet somehow sounding focused at the same time. And there’s one section that’s completely from left field, which we’ve included as a personal tribute. It’s all still in a raw, hardly mixed and not-yet-mastered state, but it’s all sounding quite powerful.”

A PLEA FOR PURGING: “”The Life”, a brand new song from the Nashville, Tennessee-based Christian metal/hardcore act A PLEA FOR PURGING, can be streamed in a new YouTube clip. The track comes off the band’s new album, “The Life & Death Of A Plea For Purging”, due on November 8 via Facedown Records.”

BIOHAZARD: “”Reborn In Defiance”, the long-awaited new studio album from New York hardcore metal legends BIOHAZARD, will be released on January 20, 2012. The CD will be made a vailable via Nuclear Blast outside of North America, with a U.S. label partner soon to be announced. The band will celebrate the launch with a record-release party in its hometown of Brooklyn, New York before setting off on an extensive international tour.”

BLEEDING THROUGH: “Orange County, California’s BLEEDING THROUGH is working on material for its next album, tentatively due in early 2012 via the Portland, Oregon-based independent record label Rise Records.”

CANNIBAL CORPSE: “Cannibal Corpse has begun recording their twelfth studio album at Sonic Ranch studios in Texas with producer Erik Rutan. The band has spent months writing the album and has recorded at Sonic Ranch in the past, but never with Rutan at the helm. More details on the album, including art, songs, title and more will be revealed in the months to follow. For now, the band is hard at work forging their next death metal offering.”

CARNIFEX: ““Until I Feel Nothing” will be released on October 25 via Victory Records. Produced by Tim Lambesis (AS I LAY DYING), the follow-up to 2010’s “Hell Chose Me” “captures an in-your-face extremity that drips with malice and ferocity, solidifying the effort as the most anticipated album of the year,” according to a press release. The cover artwork was created by famed comic book illustrator Menton3 (Silent Hill, Monocyte).”

CITY OF FIRE: CITY OF FIRE, the band featuring Burton C. Bell (FEAR FACTORY), bassist Byron Stroud (FEAR FACTORY, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD), guitarist Terry “Sho” Murray, and drummer Bob Wagner, will enter the studio this week to begin recording its sophomore album.”

CLOCKWORK SPIRIT: “AMARANTINE, the Helsinki, Finland-based metal band featuring members of AJATTARA, KIUAS, LIE IN RUINS and HANGING GARDEN, have changed its name to CLOCKWORK SPIRIT to coincide with the release of its self-titled debut album. Due on October 28, the CD will be distributed by the German label Dance Macabre Records and will initially be available only in Europe.”

CRADLE OF FILTH: “The UK’s premier extreme metal antagonist, Cradle Of Filth, has revealed the track list and artwork for the band’s upcoming CD/DVD mini-album entitled, Evermore Darkly…. The follow-on from last year’s, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, will hit stores in North America on October 18 through Nuclear Blast Records. Artwork comes courtesy of Natalie Shau, whom also contributed the cover art for Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa.”

CYNIC: “Progressive rock/metal band CYNIC will release a new EP, “Carbon-Based Anatomy”, on November 11 in Europe and November 15 in North America via Season Of Mist. Unlike last year’s “Re-Traced”, this new EP consists exclusively of brand new material.”

DYING FETUS: “DYING FETUS, HAIL OF BULLETS, WACO JESUS, SUFFOCATION and LOCK UP are among the artists who are featured on the “Death Feast Open Air 2010” DVD. The set, which has a running time of almost two hours, was filmed and recorded during last year’s edition of the Death Feast Open Air festival on June 10-12, 2010 in Hünxe, Germany. As an extra bonus, the DVD includes a 30-minute special from Death Feast Open Air 2011. You can pre-order the “Death Feast Open Air 2010” DVD for 15 euros (plus shipping and handling) at the Death Feast Open Air shop. Delivery starts November 1.”

FINNTROLL: “Finnish metal marauders FINNTROLL will release a special tour edition of their last album, “Nifelvind”, at the end of September. The digipak tour edition comes with new artwork by the band’s guitarist, Skrymer, and an extra CD including three brand-new cover versions: “Insects” (OINGO BOINGO), “Can You Forgive Her?” (PET SHOP BOYS) and “The God That Failed” (METALLICA). The cover versions were recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump Studios between June 27 and July 4 by FINNTROLL and Nino Laurenne.”

GOATWHORE: “Video footage of New Orleans natives GOATWHORE performing a brand new song, “Beyond The Spell Of Discontent”, on September 16 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida [has been recorded]. The entire concert is available at Tyronehood.tv. GOATWHORE recently entered Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer with Erik Rutan to begin recording the follow-up to its most successful album to date, “Carving Out The Eyes Of God”. An early 2012 release via Metal Blade Records is expected.”

HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE: “With a newly rejuvenated lineup and its signature sound intact, San Francisco’s HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE has returned with “17th Street”, a brash and heartfelt song cycle, blending the best elements of NWOBHM, thrash, doom, and American folk music while somehow sounding unlike any of these. Due in Europe on October 24 (three days earlier in Germany), “17th Street” takes the band’s inimitable sound to a new level . . . . “I can see how someone could find it an upbeat record,” says John Cobbett, guitarist and producer of the band, also of underground metal legends LUDICRA and SLOUGH FEG. “There are glimmers of hope there. But if you listen carefully to each song, you’ll find that each one has its own point of view; you might find hope, or something very different, very dark.”

I DECLARE WAR: “Seattle’s I Declare War is back with their sophomore Artery Recordings album, the self-entitled “I Declare War”. The album will be released on October 11th. “I Declare War” is produced by Andreas Magnusson (The Black Dahlia Murder, Haste The Day). The album is the first the band recorded with new vocalist, Jamie Hanks.”

JOB FOR A COWBOY: “Arizona extreme metallers JOB FOR A COWBOY have entered Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida to begin recording their next album for an early 2012 release via Metal Blade Records. The band is once again working with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER), who helmed the group’s latest EP, “Gloom”.”

KORN: “KORN will release its tenth studio album, “The Path Of Totality”, on December 6 via Roadrunner Records. But this one is unlike any KORN record. It’s even unlike any record released before. “The Path Of Totality” is an experimental album which finds KORN shifting gears and exploring new territory. For “The Path Of Totality”, the band collaborated with some of the leading dubstep and electronic producers in the world, including Skrillex, Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise, and 12th Planet. The result is something completely new, yet utterly and definitively KORN.” 🙂

KRISIUN: “Brazilian death metallers KRISIUN will release their new album, “The Great Execution”, on October 31 in Europe and November 1 in North America via Century Media Records. The band’s eighth studio CD “musically expands KRISIUN trademark high-speed death metal violence with a heavily increased amount of diversity ranging from extreme tempo variations over distinct rhythm patterns to clean guitars and even Flamenco parts!” according to a press release.”

LIKE MOTHS TO FLAME: “Ohio-based metalcore quintet LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES has inked a European deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band’s full-length debut, “When We Don’t Exist”, is scheduled for a November 11 release.”

METALLICA/LOU REED: “The musical collaboration between Lou Reed and METALLICA, “Lulu”, will be released on November 1 in North America via Warner Bros. Recordsand one day earlier (October 31) in the rest of the world through Universal Music.”

MORBUS CHRON: “The fine folks at Invisible Oranges are currently streaming MORBUS CHRON’s full-length debut “Sleepers In The Rift” in its entirety! The latest offering from the Swedish makers of audio filth is set for release in North America via Pulverised Records on September 27, 2011. A throwback to crude, early ’90s death metal, the hellions from MORBUS CHRON rekindle the vital atmosphere of this genre. “Sleepers In The Rift” was produced by Nicke Andersson (ex-Entombed), features artwork by Spanish fantasy/horror artist Raul Gonzales (Deceased, Abraxas, etc.) and will prove to be one of the finest hours in blistering, old-school death metal; the mortuary is now open and no corpse shall be spared! Prepare to be gut-fucked. Slay your ears HERE.”

MY DYING BRIDE: “Following the release of Evinta earlier this year, in which the band marked 20 years of existence with a release of symphonic compositions re-imagining past My Dying Bride themes, the UK doom legend now presents its latest chapter in the form of new EP, The Barghest O’ Whitby, to be released November 7th through Peaceville Records on CD and limited vinyl. This single track, 25-minute epic represents the epitome of poetic grace and funeral soundscapes from one of gothic doom’s most celebrated acts. With a masterful blend of pounding guitar riffs and sombre atmospheric passages, My Dying Bride embarks on a chilling journey through superstition and folklore.”

NIGHTWISH: “Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH will release their new album, “Imaginaerum”, in Finland on Wednesday, November 30 and the rest of Europe on Friday, December 2 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will be made available in North America through Roadrunner Records.”

NOCTURNAL RITES: “Swedish power metallers NOCTURNAL RITES are currently rehearsing new songs and are preparing to start recording them in a few weeks or so. In the meantime, the band has released “a little trailer to let [the fans] know [the group is] still alive!””

REDEMPTION: “REDEMPTION, the U.S. progressive metal band featuring in its ranks guitarist/songwriter Nick van Dyk and legendary FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder, will release its fifth studio album, “This Mortal Coil”, on September 26 in Europe and October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music.”

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER: “Candlelight Records has announced the worldwide signing of thrashers RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER. The Philadelphia-based band is already working on its new album, titled “Ghostmaker”, expected for release early spring 2012.”

SHADOWS FALL: “Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL will enter the studio in October to begin recording their new album for an early 2012 release.”

SHINING: “Norwegian “blackjazz” outfit SHINING (not to be confused with the Swedish extreme metal band of the same name) will release its first-ever live DVD and CD, “Live Blackjazz”, on November 11 via Indie Recordings. The effort was produced by SHINING frontman Jørgen Munkeby and was mixed by Sean Beavan (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS, SLAYER). The mastering duties were handled by Tom Baker (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS).”

SLIPKNOT: “It’s been 10 years since SLIPKNOT unleashed its second album, “Iowa”, on the world. . . . To celebrate the album’s decade of existence, the band is releasing a special, tenth-anniversary edition of this landmark release, which will drop on November 1. . . . Disc One will comprise the original “Iowa” album along with a remix of “My Plague” as an added bonus track. Disc Two will include the full live audio from the legendary “Disasterpieces” DVD, where the band’s 2002 show at the London Arena was captured by 30 cameras and released as a concert film. The DVD will include “Goat”, a new film directed by M. Shawn Crahan featuring never-before-seen interviews and footage showing the madness that surrounded the “Iowa” era, plus four music videos.”

SOULDRAINER: “Swedish death metallers SOULDRAINER will release their second full-length, “Heaven’s Gate”, on November 25 via ViciSolum Productions. The follow-up to 2007’s “Reborn” was recorded at Empire Studio in Frösön, Sweden and was produced, mixed and mastered my Marcus Edvardsson.”

STORM CORROSION: “STORM CORROSION, the much-anticipated collaboration project between OPETH’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and PORCUPINE TREE’s Steven Wilson, has completed work on its self-titled debut album for an April 2012 release through an as-yet-undicslosed record label.”

SWALLOW THE SUN: “Finnish doom metallers SWALLOW THE SUN check in with the following update: ‘During the well-deserved break we took from shows this year, we’ve been preparing new music, and now we are happy to announce that we have entered Drumforest Studios at Viitasaari to record our fifth full length album, which will be released February 1, 2012 by Spinefarm Records.'”

TAAKE: “TAAKE’s fifth full-length album, “Noregs Vaapen”, was released in Europe on September 20 via Dark Essence Records and will be made available on November 1 in the USA.”

TERROR: “On November 1, Los Angeles hardcore/metal band TERROR will release the “Defining The Faith” DVD as part of the special deluxe reissue of the group’s latest CD, “Keepers Of The Faith”. Produced, edited, and authored by Carlo Oppermann and Ambitious.Films, “Defining The Faith” features a full live set that is composed of three different TERROR shows in three distinct settings: a small club, a big hall, and a massive European festival.”

TESTAMENT: “TESTAMENT has been spending time in the studio recording its new album, “Dark Roots Of Earth”, tentatively due in February 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.”

UFOMAMMUT: “Italian masters of thunderous psychedelic doom UFOMAMMUT have inked a deal with Neurot Recordings for the release of their next album. . . UFOMAMMUT is in the studio at this very moment working on their next epic.”

VENOM: “VENOM, the hugely influential U.K. outfit now celebrating a full 30 years since the release of its “Welcome To Hell” debut, will have a brand new studio album released on November 28 via Spinefarm Records/Universal. Titled “Fallen Angels” and featuring 13 fresh recordings produced by mainman/bassist Conrad “Cronos” Lant, this is the follow-up to 2008’s “Hell” release, and sees the trio (completed by guitarist Rage and drummer Dante) adopting a style highly redolent of classic early VENOM with modern studio technology employed only to increase the general level of nastiness.:

VOIVOD: “Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD are continuing to write and demo new material for their upcoming album, tentatively due in early 2012. The follow-up to 2009’s “Infini” will contain the band’s first music to be written with new guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain (MARTYR) following the passing of original axeman Denis “Piggy” D’Amour in 2005.”