SpineShank: More Video Footage From The Studio Posted Online

The reactivated original lineup of SPINESHANK — featuring Jonny Santos (vocals), Tommy Decker (drums), Mike Sarkisyan (guitar) and Rob Garcia (bass) — recently entered Mid City Sound studios in Burbank, California to begin laying down some of its newest material, tentatively due before the end of the year via an as-yet-undetermined record label.

The third in a series of video blogs featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the current recording sessions can be viewed below.

SPINESHANK in 2008 posted a new track, "Born Conform Repent", on the band's MySpace page. Other new songtitles include "I Am Damage", "Anger Denial Acceptance" and "The Reckoning".

On the subject of SPINESHANK's current musical direction, Tommy previously said, "First of all, you don't have to worry about us abandoning our sound; there will be plenty of electronics/loops/synths on this record. Jonny is also singing better than he ever has, so there will be a ton of singing and melody as well. This will definitely be heavier than our previous albums but it will not be all bashing. I can wholeheartedly promise you that we will not be trying to be anything we are not. This is simply going to be SPINESHANK [several] years later. There will be a few new elements but it will be undeniably us (for better or worse!!!)."

SPINESHANK's third and last album, "Self-Destructive Pattern", was released on September 9, 2003. The album's lead single, "Smothered", was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Metal Performance".

Following his departure from SPINESHANK, Santos formed SILENT CIVILIAN, which released its debut album, "Rebirth of the Temple", in May 2006. A follow-up effort, "Ghost Stories", came out on May 18 via Mediaskare/Century Media.

Winterhorde Signs With Twilight-Vertrieb

Israeli melodic extreme metallers WINTERHORDE have inked a deal with Germany's Twilight-Vertrieb. The band's second album, "Underwatermoon", will be released in Europe on July 30.

Commented bassist Sascha "Celestial" Latman: "We're happy to be a part of Twilight family. Those guys are hard-working bunch of professionals and I'm sure that this co-operation will be fruitful."

"Underwatermoon", a conceptual album based on the story written by WINTERHORDE's bass player and co-founder Celestial, was recorded partly with German producer V. Santura (DARK FORTRESS, TRYPTIKON, OBSCURA) and Morgenrrot, WINTERHORDE's keyboards player. The CD was mixed and mastered by V. Santura at Woodshed Studio in Germany. The artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata Studio (ARCH ENEMY, OLD MAN'S CHILD, KRISIUN).

Commented Celestial: "'Underwatermoon' represents more-than-an-hour epic extreme metal art, blended with prog rock nostalgia and death-cold touch of North Atlantic Ocean. A must have for every open-minded metalhead who needs hunting journey through emotions in his metal."

"Underwatermoon" track listing:

01. The Shell
02. Wreckages Ghost
03. Underwatermoon
04. Hunting the Human
05. Execution
06. And Flames Wept to Heaven
07. The Curse of Gypsy
08. Delirium
09. Tenth Wave
10. Smoke Figures
11. The Martyr and Deliverance
12. Farewell

The debut WINTERHORDE album, "Nebula", was released in 2006 via Greece's Burning Star Records.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/winterhorde.

Apocalyptica Interviewed By Nikki Sixx; Audio Available

Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA were interviewed on "Sixx Sense", the new national radio program hosted by MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, at the fourth annual Rock On The Range festival, which was held May 22-23 in Columbus, Ohio. You can now listen to the chat below.

"Sixx Sense" airs nationwide from 7 p.m. to 12 p.m.

A complete list of radio stations carrying the show can be found at this location.

APOCALYPTICA will release its seventh studio album, "7th Symphony", on August 23. The majority of the album was produced by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, BAD RELIGION), with two other songs produced by Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH).

The CD's first single, "End Of Me", features Gavin Rossdale, best known as the vocalist of the British alternative rock band BUSH. The album also features a number of other notable guest performances: SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo plays on "2010", "Bring Them To Light" features Joseph Duplantier, singer and guitarist of the French death metal band GOJIRA, "Broken Pieces" is a cooperation with FLYLEAF singer Lacey Sturm and "Not Strong Enough" is sung by Brent Smith (SHINEDOWN).

Willy Ehmann, Senior Vice President Sony Music Domestic GSA, states: "We are very proud that APOCALYPTICA, one of the most innovative bands in the rock genre, is going to release its new album via Sony Music again — another of the band's excellent albums, that will once again not only include classical APOCALYPTICA elements but also a host of most interesting collaborations."

During their career, which began in 1996 with the release of the album "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos", cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Perttu Kivilaakso and rummer Mikko Sirén have so far released six albums across seventy countries. The band have sold more than four million copies worldwide. The last two longplayers — "Apocalyptica" (2005) and "Worlds Collide" (2007) — made it into the Top Ten in most of the European album charts. On top of that, "Worlds Collide" also scored the band’s first entry into the U.S. Billboard chart.

APOCALYPTICA's albums achieved gold or platinum status in virtually every European country.

The band is set to promote the release of the new album with a worldwide tour in 2010 and beyond.

Fan-filmed video footage of APOCALYPTICA performing a brand new song, "Beautiful", on March 20, 2010 in Oulu, Finland and then again on March 28, 2010 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine can be viewed below.

APOCALYPTICA is:

Eicca Toppinen - Cello
Paavo Lötjönen - Cello
Perttu Kivilaakso - Cello
Mikko Sirén - Drums

Essence Completes Work On Debut Album

Up-and-coming Aalborg, Denmark-based thrashers ESSENCE have completed work on their debut album, "Lost in Violence", at Medley Studios (ARTILLERY, PRINCE, RADIOHEAD, MARY J. BLIGE, KELLY CLARKSON, THE CARDIGANS) in Copenhagen. The CD was produced and mixed by Soren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Dave Mustaine, Mike Tramp) and mastered by Nikolaj Vinten at Vinten Mastering (COLDPLAY, D-A-D, DIZZY MIZZ LIZZY). The cover artwork was created by Justin Osbourn from Slash Design (ABORTED, SUICIDE SILENCE, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, MAROON, SKELETONWITCH) and can be viewed below.

"Lost in Violence" track listing:

01. Allegiance
02. Unlimited Chaos
03. Pestilence
04. Blood Culture
05. Night's Destruction
06. Oblivion
07. Shades of Black
08. Trace of Terror
09. Lost in Violence
10. Aggressive Attack

The song "Pestilence" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.