Stéphan Forté, Kevin Codfert and Mats Levén are at the moment working on the composition of ADAGIO's fifth album at Kevin's XFade studio in Nanterre (France).

Says Stéphan: Hey everyone, here's some great news ! I'm at the moment at Kevin's studio working on the composition of Adagio's upcoming album, and for the first time, I will not compose the whole music and lyrics alone, as Mats, Kevin and the guys will also collaborate to the writing! It will definitely bring a fresher sound to the band, and so far, the experience is awesome.

Mats arrived here on Sunday, and we've started working right away on some ideas. Lots of great melodic vocal lines, heavy riffing and intense piano parts are coming naturally, so that's a very positive start...

Another big change, is since I've down tuned my Lâg 7 string to A for my solo album, I am now using that for Adagio's new stuff as well, so be prepared for some really heavy shit."

Further updates to follow.

Adagio have re-released their latest album Archangels In Black, initially released in February 2009, with new packaging featuring slipcase and exclusive multi-track content. The album was produced and mixed by Stéphan Forté and Kevin Codfert at Kevin's own studio in Paris. Björn Engelmann (RAMMSTEIN, MESHUGGAH) did the mastering at Cutting Room Studios in Sweden.

Archangels In Black Limited Edition Deluxe Version features three multi-tracks songs from the album allowing fans to remix the album any way they want.

According to a press release, "all you need to do is upload the tracks in your sequencer Cubase, Logic, or download Audacity for free here. Change all levels for bass, guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums exactly to your taste! You can also easily make solo transcriptions in no time. Furthermore, build up your own Adagio backing tracks an re-record the album tracks and post your links or videos to Myspace.com/adagioofficial or Youtube.com/adagioofficial. Each submission will be carefully listened to, and a monthly winner will be selected to win a free t-shirt and be featured on Adagio's official YouTube Channel."

An Archangels In Black Limited Edition Deluxe Version preview can be viewed below: