Out now: Corporation 187 - Perfection In Pain
Out now: The Haunted - One Kill Wonder
Out now: Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness (Reissue)
Out now: Morbid Angel - Blessed Are The Sick (Reissue)
Out now: The Haunted - Caught On Tape (DVD)
Out now: Society 1 - Exit Through Fear
Out now: Forest Stream - Tears Of Mortal Solitude
Out now: Mortiis - The Smell Of Rain (Remix Version)
April 22: Cult Of Luna - The Beyond
April 22: Usurper - Twilight Dominion

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ROLLING STONE HAILS CULT OF LUNA AS "THE NEXT SYSTEM OF A DOWN"

Cult Of Luna are featured in the May 1 issue of Rolling Stone (# 921) as the lead review in Ben Ratliff's "Metal Now" metal column. Ratliff hails Cult Of Luna as "the next System of a Down" -- in other words, the next heavy band bound to break out of the underground and gain mainstream recognition. He goes on to describe Cult Of Luna's Earache debut, "The Beyond", as a "tempest-tossed" record, featuring "long, slowly unfolding, ordered songs" built on "gristly" guitars.

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CULT OF LUNA "THE BEYOND" HITS STORES APRIL 22 IN U.S.

“’The Beyond’ is more than just an album; it’s an unforgettable experience... The music here echoes the breadth of vision and evocative power of Isis and Neurosis... This is a near essential example of an artist’s ability toaffect the listener on a profound emotional and physical level. Not since the sadly departed Swans released their‘Soundtracks To The Blind’ masterpiece has rock music sounded this huge, this dense, this final... Music rarelygets any better than this.”
-Kerrang!, KKKKK

Sweden's Cult Of Luna deliver a mesmerizing, hypnotic ode to the apocalypse with "The Beyond", their Earache debut, hitting US stores April 22. Through a solemn path of fleeting highs and unfathomable lows, Cult Of Luna introduce a new form of meticulous, soul-searching, head-caving sonic abuse.

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EARACHE.COM BREAKS QUARTER MILLION HIT MARK... IN ONE DAY!

On Tuesday, April 15, 2003, Earache.com received over 261,000 hits -- breaking the quarter-million mark and blowing our old record right out of the water. The reasons for the massive increase in visitors to the site are no mystery -- label founder Digby Pearson cites such recent improvements as "increased flow of late-breaking news, beefed-up Videos section featuring all the brand new Earache videos, and a rapidly expanding Mp3's section". Dig assures us the site will continue to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming months. "There's lots more in store, including in-depth interviews with Earache artists, Earache ringtones, and the continued heavy flow of news. We want Earache.com to be a haven for all extreme music fans," he declares.

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HATE ETERNAL ANNOUNCES SHOW WITH THE HAUNTED

Hate Eternal have added a show with none other than The Haunted to their string of east coast dates this May. This marks the first time the Florida death metal machine and the Swedish thrash masters have ever shared a stage. These shows will be Hate Eternal's first shows since the recent van crash that forced them to cut short their US tour with Dying Fetus.

May
14 - Connections - Passaic, NJ
16 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
17 - The Palladium/ New England Metal and Hardcore Fest - Worcester, MA
18 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA w/ The Haunted

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THE HAUNTED'S "ONE KILL WONDER" DESTROYS "...MADE ME DO IT"'S RADIO RECORD!

Congratulations to The Haunted whose new thrash epic, "One Kill Wonder", is now in its fifth week at #1 on all three of the crucial US metal radio charts: the CMJ Loud Rock Chart, the CMJ Loud Rock Spins Chart and the FMQB Metal Detector Chart. The Haunted's previous album, "The Haunted Made Me Do It", held the #1 slots for four weeks, so "One Kill Wonder" has hereby surpassed its predecessor! Congratulations to The Haunted for beating their old record, and many thanks to the metalheads at McGathy Promotions for all their efforts!

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THE HAUNTED HEADLINING U.S. TOUR WITH SHAI HULUD & SKINLESS

Sweden's New Kings of Thrash return to American shores again this spring for a headlining tour with melodic metal-core legends Shai Hulud and death-grinders Skinless. Also joining the tour for select dates are Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through, and Skinless. Check these latest updates for the show nearest you...

May
08 - Krome - South Amboy, NJ *
09 - Rainbow - Montreal, QC, CANADA *
10 - Club Rockit - Toronto, ON, CANADA * $
11 - Majestic - Detroit, MI * $
12 - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH +
14 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA *
15 - Bridge Street Music Hall - Syracuse, NY *
16 - Club Laga - Pittsburgh, PA *
17 - The Palladium/ New England Metal and Hardcore Fest - Worcester, MA
18 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA +
19 - Ziggy's - Winston-Salem, NC +
20 - Uncle Doctor's - West Columbia, SC +
21 - State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL +
22 - The Factory - Fort Lauderdale, FL +
23 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA +
24 - Tek World - Louisville, KY +
25 - Engine Room - Houston, TX +
27 - Emo's - Austin, TX +
28 - Tree's - Dallas, TX +
29 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM +
30 - Marquee - Tempe, AZ +
31 - Huntridge Theatre - Las Vegas, NV +

June
01 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA +
02 - The Pound - San Francisco, CA +
04 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO + # $
05 - Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS + # $
06 - The Quest - Minneapolis, MN + # $
07 - The Metro - Chicago, IL +
08 - Agora Ballroom - Cleveland, OH +
09 - Knitting Factory - New York, NY +

* - w/ Darkest Hour
+ - w/ Bleeding Through
# - w/ Kataklysm
$ - without Skinless

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MORBID ANGEL IMMORTALIZED IN HEAVY METAL BIBLE

According to author Ian Christe, his brand new heavy metal tome, "Sound Of The Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal", is "loaded with Morbid Angel info, amazing quotes from Trey, and photo evidence from the mid-1990s." Furthermore, the book contains a list of the 25 Best Metal Albums Of All Time which includes none other than Morbid Angel's "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh" amongst its exalted titles. Guitar World Magazine has hailed "Sound Of The Beast" as "a rousing three-dimensional account of metal and the people who made it legend".

www.soundofthebeast.com

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MORTIIS OFFICIAL RECORD RELEASE PARTY

The official record release party for the Remix Version of Mortiis' "The Smell Of Rain" is set for Sunday, May 4 at Chicago's world famous Exit nightclub. Presented by Alex Zander's MK Ultra Magazine and Earache Records, the party kicks off at 9pm and will feature DJ sets by DJ Bob and DJ Jeff Moyer, as well as massive Mortiis giveaways and cheap pints. For more info call The Exit at 773-395-2700.

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MORTIIS SLATED TO APPEAR ON CLEOPATRA COMP

Mortiis' "Mental Maelstrom" is slated to appear on Cleopatra Records' Unquiet Grave Volume 4. Also appearing on the comp are tracks from Lacuna Coil, Tiamat, The Gathering, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, and more, as well as side projects and remixes from such bands as Skinny Puppy, My Ruin, VNV Nation, and Cruxshadows.

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SOCIETY 1 ON THE ROAD

Society 1 have departed their hometown of LA and are currently en route to Seattle for the first show of their coast-to-coast tour with Pissing Razors, 40 Grit, and Luxt. Frontman Matt Zane promises this to be Soiety 1's most depraved endeavor to date. "The Dope tour was just a warm-up", he proclaims.

Check these updated Society 1 tourdates for the show nearest you...

April
17 - The Central Saloon - Seattle, WA
18 - Conan's - Portland, OR
19 - The Pound - San Francisco, CA
20 - The Showcase Theatre - Corona, CA
22 - Nakye's Stadium - El Paso, TX
23 - Sin 13 - San Antonio, TX
24 - Elysium - Austin, TX
25 - The Mac Stack - Wichita Falls, TX
26 - The Otherside - Tulsa, OK
27 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
29 - Aggie Theatre - Ft. Collins, CO

May
01 - Fat Tuesday's - Spokane, WA
02 - The NW Center - Great Falls, MT
03 - The Filling Station - Bozeman, MT
04 - Casey's Golden Pheasant - Billings, MT
05 - The Element - Salt Lake City, UT
07 - The Reverb - Cedar Falls, IA
08 - Mugsy McGuire's - Carbondale, IL
09 - The Duck Inn - Evansville, IN
10 - US Beer Co - Chicago, IL
11 - The Cancun - Ladd, IL
12 - The County Sidekick - Mappleton, IL
13 - The Otherside - South Elgin, IL
14 - I-Rock Night Club - Detroit, MI
15 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
16 - Obsessions - Randolph, NJ
17 - L'amour - Brooklyn, NY
18 - The Downtown - Farmingdale, NY
24 - Club Rockit - Toronto, ON, CANADA
25 - Foufounes Electrique - Montreal, QC, CANADA

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USURPER "TWILIGHT DOMINION" HITS STORES APRIL 22 IN U.S.

"Clocking in at close to an hour of total metal fury, Twilight Dominion is a pure crushing assault of metallic atmosphere, of the likes only Usurper can deliver. Back to piss off with a new lease on life, Usurper will show the metal community what it’s all about."
-Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles

Through ten years of existence, Usurper have stuck doggedly to their guns, remaining true to all that made the 80's underground scene so great. Taking their cues from the likes of Hellhammer, Possessed, Slaughter, Sarcofago and Venom, Usurper are all about more spikes, more leather, and more poseur-destruction than any other band. With classic, thrashing guitar work, an airtight rhythm section, anthemic metal choruses, and a steel-strength production job by world-renowned producer Neil Kernon (Judas Priest, Queensryche, Cannibal Corpse), "Twilight Dominion" is Usurper's stongest work to date. Divided into two “chapters”, reminiscent of Side A and Side B on our old metal LPs and cassettes, “Twilight Dominion” is not a mere collection of songs but a full metal immersion.

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USURPER OFFICIAL RECORD RELEASE PARTY

The official record release party for Usurper's modern-day metal classic, "Twilight Dominion", is set for Saturday, May 24, at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago. Prepare for a bruising, booze-drenched set of unfettered metal lust of the likes only Usurper can deliver. Also scheduled to appear are Disinter, Inflict, and more.

www.thebottomlounge.com

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Cult of Luna is the new System Of A Down? And thats a compliment?