Somewhere in deepest darkest New Jersey, 4 guys from Chicago are recording their new album! Yes MADINA LAKE are currently in the studio recording the follow-up to their 2007 debut FROM THEM, THROUGH US, TO YOU and vocalist Nathan has posted an update on the bands OFFICIAL MYSPACE.

We finished “pre-production” a few days ago which means Belvedere (that’s what we call Bendeth [the producer] cuz sometimes he reminds us of the grouchy yet omniscient butler from that 80’s sitcom) has signed off on the 13 tracks we’re recording and we begin drums. Jeezy [AKA Chizel, AKA Dan, drums] has been wailing…Anyhow, yes we’re doing 13 songs. Doesn’t mean 13 are going on the record per se . We have about 6 more that we’ll be recording in Chicago after, which we’ll use as B-sides and stuff like that we’ll sort it all out when we’re done. That is of course if I ever finish the lyrics. Like I said I’m neurotic and that means sometimes I don’t finish lyrics til the very last second…Belvedere loves that. Can’t wait to see you all on the road in 09!! –Nathan

You can read the full blog, including snippets about Nathan in the shower (eek!) HERE.

The album is pencilled for a release early 2009.

Check out more news from MADINA LAKE HERE

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KILL HANNAH?

KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES?

ATREYU??

Due to “permanent venue closure” STAIND will now play the London FORUM on January 26th 2009 instead of the legendary Astoria. The full dates are now as follows and tickets are on sale now:

Wednesday 21 January – GLASGOW Garage

Thursday 22 January – MANCHESTER Academy

Friday 23 January – SHEFFIELD Academy

Sunday 25 January – BIRMINGHAM Academy

Monday 26 January – LONDON Forum

It would seem therefore that the Astoria is indeed due for demolition in 2009. Rumours of it’s demise and saviour have been abound for many many months, but it looks as though it will now indeed be demolished for the development of London’s rail links and a shopping development around the Charing Cross / Tottenham Court Rd area of London.

The Astoria was built on the site of a former pickle factory and opened in 1927 as a cinema. It was later converted for theatrical use in 1976. It has since been the primary choice for well-established bands’ intimate club gigs in London. Big names to have played the Astoria include: Megadeth, Down, Killswitch Engage, Porcupine Tree, DragonForce, Stone Sour, Slipknot, Chimaira, 36 CrazyFists, DevilDriver, Nine Inch Nails, Napalm Death, Metallica, HIM, Nirvana, Muse, Funeral for a Friend, Foo Fighters, Pendulum, Lostprophets, Children of Bodom, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down…and many more. (source Wikipedia)

It’s a venue that will be sadly missed- despite it’s abundance of stairs, the difficulty of loading modern equipment into such an old building, the occasionally stinky hallways- due to it’s amazing history, electric atmosphere, accomodating staff and the many many good times had by many of the bands that have played there.

Lets rip it up at the remaining Roadrunner shows to play there before the year is out, and say farewell in style…

ATREYU- OCTOBER 15TH
KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES- OCTOBER 24TH
KILL HANNAH- (LA2) OCTOBER 29TH
AIRBOURNE- NOVEMBER 27TH AND 28TH

If you have never travelled to a show there, now will be the time to make the trip!

Multi platinum rockers NICKELBACK have revealed the artwork for their upcoming album DARK HORSE which is due for a release on the 17TH NOVEMBER.

Work on Dark Horse began in March, when the band traveled to the home of album producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange (AC/DZ, Def Leppard) in Switzerland to begin going over song ideas. The tunes came from a variety of directions; for instance the dynamically swelling “If Today Was Your Last Day,” had been around for awhile but hadn’t been finished. “Chad brought it out of the vault and the creative juices started to flow,” Mike Kroeger notes. Then there’s “This Afternoon,” whose acoustic, rootsy flavor, along with some downright country-style guitar licks represent a refreshing departure from the Nickelback norm. “It’s a big-time part of our background,” Mike Kroeger notes, “that whole laid-back, barroom kind of feel. Where we grew up everybody listened to country. I would say that song’s our ‘Friends In Low Places,’ y’know?”

Dark Horse’s other songs — recorded during the summer at Chad Kroeger’s converted barn studio in Vancouver — traverse a wide terrain, from the arcing melodic ebb and flow of the first single, “Gotta Be Somebody” and the metallic groove of “Burn It To The Ground” to the heavy riffery of “Something In Your Mouth” and “The Next Go Round” and the inspiring balladry of “You’ll Never Be Alone” and “I’d Come For You.” “We’re a rock band,” Peake says. “We like to get heavy and we do like to write stuff that’s melodic and maybe a little more mellow. It’s nice to have both, and it’s nice to have both accepted by the fans. There are some bands that can only put out one kind of thing, but our fans are pretty open so we don’t get stuck in one place.”

“I honestly think that with every song you release you have to keep winning your own fans over again,” Chad Kroeger explains. “I want every single song to be amazing. That’s what I want to hear, so that’s what we have to try to provide to our fans.”

First single GOTTA BE SOMEBODY will be released on the 10TH NOVEMBER, and will be available to stream from ROADRUNNERRECORDS.CO.UK from WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8TH.

CRADLE OF FILTH will celebrate the upcoming release of their new album GODSPEED ON THE DEVILS THUNDER (which is set for an October 27th release) with the re-launch of their official website- CRADLEOFFILTH.COM.

The new site, which will be as much an online COF community as an information portal, will enable fans to build their own profiles, interact with each other and load their own content to the site.

The site will launch at 4pm UK time WEDNESDAY 8th OCTOBER and to celebrate the launch, a previously unheard track from the new album will be premiered on the site. MIDNIGHT SHADOWS CRAWL TO DARKEN COUNSEL WITH LIFE is the longest track from the album at just 2 seconds shy of 9 minutes long!

Also on the site will be a selection of the stunning images from the artwork for the album which was put together by artist DAVID HO.

GODSPEED ON THE DEVILS THUNDER is a dark fairytale of a concept album centering on Gilles de Rais, the French nobleman who carved out his place in history as a brother-in-arms of Joan of Arc, as well as a prolific, sick and twisted serial killer who began his life as a devout, pious man before devolving into full-fledged evil. This, their 8th studio album, marks the 10th Anniversary of their first concept album ‘Cruelty and the Beast’, which was based upon the life of Elizabeth Bathory.

The band will showcase tracks from the album at their upcoming headline show at London’s Forum on December 1st.

Pre-order the new album, which is available as a digital download, standard CD and a Special Edition 2 CD set (which features 10 rare and some previously unreleased tracks) HERE.

SATYRICON have made thier upcoming single BLACK CROW ON A TOMBSTONE (which will be released on the 20TH

AIRBOURNE will release a special tour edition of the current album RUNNIN WILD to coincide with their November UK tour.

The tracklisting of the CD/DVD set will be as follows:
CD 1 Stand Up For Rock ‘N’ Roll 4:01
2 Runnin’ Wild 3:38
3 Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast 3:42
4 Diamond In The Rough 2:53
5 Fat City 3:26
6 Blackjack 2:42
7 What’s Eatin’ You 3:36
8 Girls In Black 3:15
9 Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women 3:10
10 Heartbreaker 3:56
11 Hellfire 2:20

DVD
Live Video Tracks From Wacken Festival:
Hellfire
Fat City
What’s Eatin’ You
Girls In Black
Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women
Heartbreaker
Blackjack
Runnin’ Wild
Music Videos:
Runnin’ Wild
Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Diamond In The Rough

It will hit stores NOVEMBER 3rd.

The UK tour will commence on the 1st of NOVEMBER and the dates will be as follows:
Sat 1st Nov – Cardiff University
Sun 2nd Nov – Bristol Academy
Wed 5th Nov – Birmingham Academy
Thu 6th Nov – Sheffield Octagon
Fri 7th Nov – Liverpool Academy
Sat 8th Nov – Manchester Academy
Mon 10th Nov – Dublin Ambassador
Tue 11th Nov – Belfast Mandela Hall
Thu 13th Nov – Inverness Ironworks
Fri 14th Nov – Dundee Fat Sams
Sat 15th Nov – Glasgow Barrowlands
Mon 17th Nov – Newcastle Academy
Tue 18th Nov – Leeds Metropolitan University
Wed 19th Nov – Stoke Victoria Hall
Thu 20th Nov – Nottingham Rock City
Sat 22nd Nov – Oxford Academy
Sun 23rd Nov – Norwich UEA
Mon 24th Nov – Cambridge Junction
Wed 26th Nov – Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
Thu 27th Nov – London Astoria *SOLD OUT*
Fri 28th Nov – London Astoria

KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES have confirmed a third in-store signing as part of the upcoming ATTICUS.

The band will now be appearing in the following stores:

Friday 17th October
EXIT, Manchester
3.00-4.00pm

Saturday 18th October
EXIT, Leeds
2.00-3.00pm

Monday 27th October
UNDERGROUND FASHION, Southampton
4.30-5.30pm

The guys will be hitting these towns as part of their UK tour which kicks off on the 15th October:

Wed 15th Oct – Edinburgh Liquid Room
Thu 16th Oct – Glasgow QMU
Fri 17th Oct – Manchester, Club Academy/Academy 2
Sat 18th Oct – Leeds Cockpit
Mon 20th Oct – Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
Tue 21st Oct – Nottingham Rescue Rooms/Rock City
Wed 22nd Oct – Sheffield Leadmill
Fri 24th Oct – London Astoria
Sat 25th Oct – Oxford Academy
Sun 26th Oct – Cardiff University Solus
Mon 27th Oct – Southampton University
Wed 29th Oct – Northampton Roadmenders

As you may well know, TRIVIUM released their new album SHOGUN this week. It’s racking up some cracking reviews:

KERRANG! KKKK “[Shogun] proves their tallent and justifies their ambition.”

METAL HAMMER 8/10 “Trivium are back with a fucking vengence.”

FHM 5/5 “Trivium have massive, shiny, heavy balls.”

Here, we bring you some more of Matt and Corey showing you some of the killer riffs from the album. Check out the media player below for all the riff updates to date…

PICK UP SHOGUN AT THE RR STORE FOR A FREE BEER MAT TOO!!!

Norwegian extreme metallers SATYRICON will release a digital single ahead of the release of their new album THE AGE OF NERO, which will see a release on the 3RD NOVEMBER.

The single, which will be titled BLACK CROW ON A TOMBSTONE, will be released on all the usual platforms on the 20TH OCTOBER, and you will be able to premier the track right here on ROADRUNNERRECORDS.CO.UK on MONDAY 6th OCTOBER!!

Don’t forget that they also play 3 shows on our fine island in November. You will be able to catch them at the following venues:
Mon 24th Nov – Birmingham Barfly
Tue 25th Nov – Leeds Rio’s
Wed 26th Nov – London ULU

PRE ORDER AGE OF NERO HERE.

Thrash titans MEGADETH have teamed up with British metal icons, Judas Priest for a co-headline run in February 2009 dubbed ‘The Priest Feast’. Bay Area outfit, Testament also feature as special guests.

Tickets for the mainland UK dates go on sale at 9am on Friday 3rd October from www.ticketmaster.co.uk, with the Belfast and Dublin date following at 9am on Monday 6th October at www.ticketmaster.ie. Full dates read as follows:

Tue 10th Feb – Dublin O2 Arena
Wed 11th Feb – Belfast Odyssey Arena
Fri 13th Feb – Sheffield Arena
Sat 14th Feb – Birmingham NEC
Mon 16th Feb – Glasgow SECC
Tue 17th Feb – Manchester MEN Arena
Wed 18th Feb – Nottingham Arena
Fri 20th Feb – Cardiff CIA
Sat 21st Feb – London Wembley Arena

MEGADETH are about to commence work on their brand new studio album with British producer Andy Sneap. This new opus will be the first to feature new guitarist, Chris Broderick, alongside the legendary guitarist, frontman and band visionary, Dave Mustaine. The CD will follow 2007’s ‘return to form’ release, ‘United Abominations’ and this year’s Metal Hammer ‘Golden God’ Awards, that saw Dave Mustaine pick up the ‘Riff Lord’ Award.

Expect a late Spring ‘09 release.