RAGINPIT MAGAZINE

Here's a little nugget that some of you might care about: Arch Enemy and producer Andy Sneap have completed work on The Root of All Evil, the new album from the band which will contain absolutely no new material. What will it contain, you ask? Re-recorded songs from the band's first three albums Black Earth, Stigmata, and Burning Bridges, all released prior to current vocalist Angela Gossow joining the band. I've found myself to be something of a Johan Liiva (the band's original vocalist) loyalist, especially when it comes to that material, but she does a fair enough job with them in the live setting and I'm always willing the give these types of albums a chance. The older tracks should get a bigger punch as well from bassist Sharee D'Angelo (who joined for Burning Bridges). Other than that, their lineup has been consistant enough that this endeavor is almost redundant. But, the band wants to bring these older tracks to a new audience with the benefits of 2009 technology and retrospect and bring some of them into the band's live set for future tours.

Speaking of tours, there are a lot on tap: Europe (current), Mexico (August), Asia (October), and Australia (November), the latter including three dates with Suffocation.

The release date for The Root of All Evil has been announced for Europe on September 28th and North America a week later (October 6th), but no announcement as of yet about which tracks have been re-recorded.

http://www.archenemy.net
http://www.myspace.com/archenemy

Borknagar have completed work on their new album, Universal. The band, who handled their own production duties, as always, have stated that the album "will appeal to the most primal side of man, yet there is complexity and atmosphere that will challenge the most sophisticated parts of mind." So, basically, it's business as usual, since Borknagar have never been one for tradition and as such have a tendency to incorporate numerous musical elements into the mix. An official release date through through new label Indie Recordings has not yet been set, but should be expected in Fall/Winter due to an announcement that three European shows have been scheduled "prior to the release." In a constantly evolving extreme metal scene, Universal should show if there is still a place in it for a band that has been largely silent for the past five years.

http://http://www.borknagar.com/
http://www.myspace.com/borknagar

Hot on the heels of their signing with Prosthetic Records, Arizona's Landmine Marathon have announced that the label will be reissuing 2008's Rusted Eyes Awake and 2006's Wounded, allowing those who missed them the first time around - particularly in Europe and Japan - to indulge. Rusted will land on shelves again in August (around the time that the band hits the road with labelmates Book of Black Earth), with Wounded soon to follow. With all this happening, one could almost overlook the fact that they are also working on a brand new album, which they hope to wrap in October for a late winter release.

http://www.myspace.com/landminemarathon
http://landminemarathon.blogspot.com

Industrial rock band Hell On Earth "breaks their silence" on September 9th with "Right as Rain," the first single from their first full-length album in six years. The band gained most of their notoriety when they announced that their vocalist would perform an act of cannibalism live on stage. The controversial, much-publicized event, by all accounts, was incredibly anti-climatic. Musically, their industrial sound evolved from a much more aggressive metal sound and, at the very least, it will be interesting to see where they land on the musical spectrum this time around.

http://www.hellonearth.net
http://www.myspace.com/hellonearth