Norwegian black metal band IMMORTAL have posted the following announcement on their website:

“The new IMMORTAL album is finally recorded and will be released in the autumn. The album title is All Shall Fall. In two weeks, the band will return to the stage at this year’s Sweden Rock [festival, 6 June]. See you there!”

All Shall Fall was recorded at Grieghallen Studio in Norway and Abyss Studio in Sweden.

Also, check out MetalKult’s exclusive live coverage of Immortal’s 2007 show in NYC.

Brooklyn quintet HULL released their debut full-length album, Sole Lord, today via the End Records. The album, which was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side, contains ten tracks which are designed to be played straight through as one 44-minute slab of epic, dynamic metal.

Click the following link to download the album’s third cut, “Immortal.”

Sole Lord features artwork by Josh Graham (Neurosis, A Storm of Light), which is viewable below, along with the album’s tracklisting.

HULL’s album release show for Sole Lord is tonight, May 26th at The Charleston in Brooklyn along with Witches Tit and Flaming Tusk.

5/26/09 @ The Charleston – Brooklyn, NY w/ Witches Tit, Flaming Tusk

Polish extreme metal act BEHEMOTH will release their ninth full-length studio album, Evangelion (check out the art above), on August 7 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records and August 11 in North America through Metal Blade. The CD was mixed at Miloco Studios in London, England by Colin Richardson, who has previously worked with MACHINE HEAD, SLIPKNOT, NAPALM DEATH and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, among many others.

BEHEMOTH have been confirmed for the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, set to take place this summer. The band will perform on the Hot Topic stage alongside CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY and WHITECHAPEL on over 25 dates.

Norwegian melodic black metal band OLD MAN’S CHILD, which is led by guitarist/vocalist Galder (DIMMU BORGIR), has posted another new song, “Ferden Mot Fienden’s Land”, on on the group’s MySpace page. The track comes off OLD MAN’S CHILD’s new album, Slaves Of The World, which is scheduled for release on May 19 via Century Media Records.

The CD was recorded last fall at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, etc.), who had previously worked with the band on the In Defiance Of Existence (2003) and Vermin (2005) albums. The nine-song effort features Peter Wildoer (DARKANE, PESTILENCE) on drums.

Commented Galder: “So finally the new album, Slaves Of The World, is about to be released! It has been a long ride in preparing this but I am really proud of the results! It marks to be one of the OMC albums I put the most advance planning and dedication into! I can’t wait for you all to hear the record!!!”

Slaves Of The World will also be available as luxurious cross-shaped five-panel CD digipack including a re-recorded version of the classic song “Born Of The Flickering” from the Vermin album sessions (previously only released in Japan) as an exclusive bonus track. The digipack version also features different artwork to the standard jewel case CD, also created by Gustavo Sazes (FIREWIND, GOD FORBID, KRISIUN).

“Slaves Of The World” track listing:

01. Slaves Of The World
02. Saviours Of Doom
03. The Crimson Meadows
04. Unholy Foreign Crusade
05. Path Of Destruction
06. The Spawn Of Lost Creation
07. On The Devil’s Throne
08. Ferden Mot Fienden’s Land
09. Servants Of Satan’s Monastery

For 20 years now SUFFOCATION have been creating music that has become the very standard by which we judge all things extreme. Their fusion of technicality, groove and sheer unrelenting brutality has been imitated but never quite duplicated. Milestone records such as Effigy of the Forgotten, Pierced from Within, and Despise the Sun have influenced a wealth of today’s best musical talents. And now, with the release of SUFFOCATION’s Nuclear Blast debut Blood Oath, their legacy of unrelenting and unique heaviness continues for perhaps the genres greatest band!

In 2008, the band signed a world-wide deal with Nuclear Blast Records and began working on material for their label debut. By 2009, SUFFOCATION had entered Full Force Studios once again with Joe Cincotta (Internal Bleeding, Criminal Element), who the band had worked with to record their two previous efforts. Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth) was enlisted this time around for his mixing and mastering capabilities to capture the band’s ever-elusive live sound and intensity. The collaboration between all the parties involved has resulted in what is without a doubt their finest production to date! Add in the artwork and sick visualization of the Blood Oath concept by cult artist Jon Zig (Gorgasm, Deeds of Flesh) and you have the bands most complete all-around release yet.

The Summer Slaughter Tour Dates, featuring Suffocation:

06/05/09 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
06/06/09 The National – Richmond, VA
06/07/09 Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
06/08/09 Webster Theater – Hartford, CT
06/10/09 Amos Southend – Charlotte, NC
06/12/09 Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY
06/13/09 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
06/14/09 Jannus Landing – St. Petersburg (Tampa), FL
06/15/09 Plush – Jacksonville, FL
06/16/09 Club Firestone – Orlando, FL
06/17/09 The Hanger – New Orleans, LA
06/18/09 White Rabbit – San Antonio, TX
06/19/09 Java Jazz – Houston, TX
06/20/09 White Rabbit – San Antonio, TX
06/21/09 House of Blues – Dallas, TX
06/22/09 Lonestar Events Center – Lubbock, TX ç SUFFO SOLO DATE
06/23/09 Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO
06/24/09 Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
06/26/09 Marquee Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
06/27/09 Soma – San Diego, CA
06/28/09 The Grove – Anaheim, CA
06/29/09 House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
06/30/09 House of Blues – Hollywood, CA
07/01/09 The Grand Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
07/02/09 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
07/03/09 King Cat Theater – Seattle, WA
07/19/09 Irving Plaza – New York, NY

Destruction’s Schmier

April was a good month for live metal in New York City.

Led by founding bassist/vocalist Schmier (above), classic German thrash band Destruction hit B.B. King’s Blues Bar on April 7 for the last North American stop of their D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. – 25 Years of Total Destruction tour. This kick-started a two-day unofficial thrash-fest that culminated the next night when fellow countrymen Kreator hit Nokia Theatre, with support from Bay Area titans Exodus, Austria’s Belphegor, SoCal’s young thrashers Warbringer and Minneapolis’s melodic death metallers Epicurean. Here’s MetalKult’s account of those two totally destructive days. —Henry Yuan

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DESTRUCTION – Live at B.B. King’s Blues Bar and Grill 4/7/09
Support from Krisiun and Mantic Ritual

After weeks of intensive touring and the requisite glitches (Mike Sifringer had his Dean guitar stolen), Destruction finally made it to the Big Apple. But before the Germans hit the stage, we were treated to Mantic Ritual and Krisiun.

Pennsylvania’s Mantic Ritual kicked things off. I wasn’t that familiar with them, but I can say that the highlight of the night was definitely lead guitarist Jeff Potts. His guitar work was extremely fluid and technical and definitely stood out from the rest of the music. Lead singer/guitarist Dan Wetmore was an interesting enough frontman, telling jokes with a dry sense of humor in between songs.

Krisiun’s Moyses Kolesne

Next up was Brazil’s current death metal leaders, Krisiun. I had seen these guys before, so I knew what to expect. I can happily say that they exceeded my expectations and truly delivered the brutality. They came out with “Ominous” into “Combustion Inferno” and held nothing back. These three brothers are also masters of their instruments. Guitarist Moyses Kolesne’s solos positively rip and drummer Max Kolesne can definitely hold his own next to the likes of Inferno or Derek Roddy. Classics like “Murderer” and “Bloodcraft” never sounded better and the new material sounded great as well. From what I saw, they have a pretty big following here. I hope these guys headline here soon.

Destruction

Then, the reason why we were all there: Destruction. After a pretty lengthy set-up, the intro tape played and the band came out and delivered “Soul Collector.” Destruction appeared to be in great spirits and the sound was really good, especially for BB King’s standards. They played a few songs from their latest album, D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. (AFM Records) and most of their classics, like “Live Without Sense,” “Release from Agony,” “Tormentor”…the list goes on. Bassist/vocalist Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer announced that the show was being recorded for an upcoming live album, which explained why the sound was so good. I was real happy with their performance, and since it was my first time seeing them, I left with a great impression.

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KREATOR and EXODUS – Live at Nokia Theatre 4/8/09
Support from Belphegor, Warbringer and Epicurean

Kreator (Photo Rod | Le-HibOO.com)

After a brutal concert the night before, I was curious to see how the crowd reacted to this bill in comparison. Epicurean kicked off the night with a heavy slab of American melodic death metal. Their style of music was a bit off the wall for this tour package, but they seemed to get a good reaction. Bassist Eli Pete and singer John Laramy were on fire, while drummer John Gensmer was holding it down behind his massive drum kit. It was during “Lithograph” where the crowd opened up a pretty impressive pit, which is always a very good sign.

Warbringer

Warbringer was up next and, unfortunately for them and us, their drummer, Nic Ritter, had recently suffered a broken arm and his spot was filled in by Epicurean’s mega-talented Gensmer. It’s mind-boggling to witness just how well the band played despite this very last minute replacement (they only had one very short rehearsal prior to the beginning of the tour). While they cut their set a bit short, they did pull out fan favorites such as “At the Crack of Doom,” “Combat Shock” and “Total War.”

Exodus

After an intense and blackened performance from Austria’s Belphegor (Or at least as much I heard, since I got stuck in the bar line for most of it. Du’oh!) the time came for the mighty Exodus to thrash the stage. The band opened their set (and the pit) with the classic “Bonded by Blood” and the crowd couldn’t have gone crazier. Singer Rob Dukes is one of the most intimidating frontmen I have ever seen, and gives the band an extra push of brutality and aggression.

Classics like “A Lesson in Violence” and “Piranha” never sounded so strong and newer songs like “Children of a Worthless God” and “Deathamphetamine” proved that Exodus is still hauling ass. Of course, no Exodus set would be complete without the legendary moshing song “The Toxic Waltz,” which opened a truly insane circle pit. The set ended with the last song off Bonded By Blood, “Strike of the Beast.” Amazing.

Kreator

Finally, it was time to enter the Terror Zone with the almighty Kreator. This was their first tour in support of their crushing new album, Hordes of Chaos (SPV). As soon as the lights dimmed and “Choir of the Damned,” the intro track to the band’s second album Pleasure to Kill, started playing through the P.A. I suspected we were in for a treat. When the guys came out and kicked right into “Hordes of Chaos,” my suspicions were confirmed. The all-out-war continued with “Warcurse,” “Extreme Aggression” and “Phobia,” the latter which has been a live-show staple for years and still illicites the fan chants, “Is there something following you!” They also threw in “Voices of the Dead,” from 2005’s Enemy of God, which is a great song albeit a bit sing-along-y.

Kreator also covered “Pleasure to Kill,” “People of the Lie,” “Betrayer” and, one of my personal favorites, “Coma of Souls.” Throughout the set, mainman Mille Petrozza kept killing it; that dude has one of the most powerful voices and intense screams in all of metal. Period. The night closed out with a medley of their two fastest songs, “Flag of Hate” and “Tormentor.” Kreator’s performance that evening proved, once again, that after more than 25 years in the scene, they are still as strong as ever. Be it at a small club (L’amour’s), a giant open air festival (Wacken) or here at Nokia, no one is left unharmed when these guys hit the town.

Polish extreme metal act BEHEMOTH have finished recording their ninth full-length studio album, Evangelion, due out this summer through Metal Blade Records. Guitarist/frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski will fly to the U.K. on May 12 to join producer Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, SLIPKNOT, NAPALM DEATH, CARCASS), who is currently mixing the record at Miloco Studios in London.

“I’ve just finished tracking down the vocals for Evangelion,” says Nergal. “My cords are worn out and I can hardly speak but at the same time I’m sooo happy and satisfied with the way it turned out this time. I think there was something missing in my vocal performance on the previous record, ‘The Apostasy’. With Evangelion, I made sure it doesn’t sound just brutal… songs are more diverse and so are my vocals. There’s definitely more emotions and expression in it. You’ll be surprised!”

BEHEMOTH has been confirmed for the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, set to take place this summer. The band will perform on the Hot Topic stage alongside CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY and WHITECHAPEL on over 25 dates.

Southern Lord Recording artists PELICAN will be hitting the road in support of their new EP Ephemeral during the months of May and June. The Ephemeral EP features brand new PELICAN recordings and will be released exclusively on vinyl by Southern Lord during the first week of June. The band will have “tour only” cd copies of Ephemeral for sale at the shows.

PELICAN will be direct support to ISIS for these dates, with opening support from TOMBS. The band will be playing songs from the new EP as well as debuting new material that will be recorded for a forthcoming full-length on Southern Lord.

PELICAN Tour Dates:

5/16/2009 Ebisu Liquidroom – Tokyo, Japan – Raid World Festival w/ Mono
5/19/2009 Emo’s – Austin, TX
5/20/2009 Granada Theatre – Dallas, TX
5/21/2009 Meridian – Houston, TX
5/22/2009 Spanish Moon – Baton Rouge, LA
5/23/2009 Bottletree Cafe – Birmingham, AL
5/25/2009 The Social – Orlando, FL
5/26/2009 Common Grounds – Gainesville, FL
5/27/2009 Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
5/28/2009 The Earl – Atlanta, GA
5/29/2009 Cats Cradle – Carrboro, NC
5/30/2009 Black Cat – Washington, Washington DC
5/31/2009 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
6/02/2009 The Fillmore At Irving Plaza – New York, NY
6/03/2009 Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
6/04/2009 Pearl Street – Northampton, MA
6/05/2009 Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
6/06/2009 The National – Montreal, QC
6/07/2009 Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON
6/09/2009 Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
6/10/2009 20th Century Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
6/11/2009 Small’s – Detroit, MI
6/12/2009 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL

http://www.myspace.com/pelican
http://www.southernlord.com
http://www.myspace.com/southernlordrecordings
http://blog.southernlord.com

Photo by Ryan Russell.

Fresh from wrapping up their latest UK tour, the members of EVILE have entered the studio to record the yet-to-be-titled follow up album to their 2007 debut, ENTER THE GRAVE. Produced by Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR) and set for release later this year, EVILE’s new album promises to be a pure ass kicker according to guitarist, Ol Drake: “Today is the day we start recording our second album with Mr Russ Russell. The non-stop writing and improving upon already written material has been constant and grueling, but I absolutely can’t wait to get all this down and let everyone blast it out at 11.”

While holed up in the studio, Ol and the rest of EVILE are counting on YOU to keep their wits sharp after enduring long days of multiple takes by sending questions to their MySpace page. “We’ve set up another “Ask EVILE” feature via the Myspace blog where you can ask us any questions you want while we’re in the studio;” says Ol, who adds. “Keep your eyes peeled for updates on track listing, artwork (oh yes!) and other general album-y things.”