"Decayin' With The Boys", the new video from hardcore heroes EVERY TIME I DIE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "From Parts Unknown", which will be released on July 1 via Epitaph Records.

It could have been easy for EVERY TIME I DIE to go on autopilot. After sixteen years as a band they know what works and could go on doing the same thing — but that would be "boring and baseless," according to vocalist Keith Buckley. "Instead of making something that the kids can all sing along to, we wanted to make music that scares them," he says.

So EVERY TIME I DIE brought out the big guns and spent a month recording with legendary producer and CONVERGE co-founder Kurt Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts.

"Working with Kurt was stressful in the best way, like when your dad comes to watch you play baseball for the first time and you just want to make him proud," says Buckley. Ballou challenged the band to dig deeper, work quickly, and create heavy but catchy tracks. Vocals transverse from dark and light by swerving from scream to howl to like a fired-up war cry. Guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams, and drummer Ryan Leger cement their massive riffs, frantic rhythms, and brutal vocal work into a dozen of the most awesomely devastating songs the band’s created so far. Ballou has produced countless classic hardcore records for over 15 years, with recent releases including NAILS' "Abandon All Life", SKELETONWITCH's "Serpents Unleashed" and MODERN LIFE IS WAR's "Fever Hunting".

The "From Parts Unknown" title was initially inspired by a term used by wrestlers to increase their mystique, It ultimately references the more hopeful mood that creeped into the album's lyrics during songwriting.

"I didn't even realize I had that more positive outlook in me," notes Buckley. The positive outlook is especially impressive considering that a bout of laryngitis left Buckley laid up for much of the recording and forced him to tear through most of the vocal tracking in a single day. Adding to the already impressive state of this album, Brian Fallon of GASLIGHT ANTHEM and Sean Ingram of COALESCE lend their vocals to a few tracks as well.

"From Parts Unknown" track listing:

01. The Great Secret02. Pelican Of The Desert03. Decayin' With The Boys04. Overstayer05. If There Is Room To Move, Things Move06. Moor07. Exometrium08. Thirst09. Old Light10. All Structures Are Unstable11. El Dorado12. Idiot

"Decayin' With The Boys" video:


"Thirst" video:

"Gunfight", the new Jamie Brown-directed video from KXM, the project featuring drummer Ray Luzier (KORN), bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN), can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which sold around 9.800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"KXM" was released on March 11 via Rat Pak Records. The CD was produced by KXM and Chris Collier, who is known for his work with LYNCH MOB, Lita Ford and Tommy Bolin, to name a few.

KXM takes its name from the combination of the members' other projects: K from KORN, X from KING'S X and M from LYNCH MOB.

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Luzier, Lynch and Pinnick spoke about how KXM came together.

"I had a birthday party for my son and invited a bunch of friends and musicians," Ray said. "Doug and George ended up in my home studio picking up my guitars and jamming around a bit. George said, 'We should all do a record together sometime,' and I said, 'That would be a dream come true!'

"I've been a huge KING'S X fan for decades and have been following George and had respected his playing for decades. We just tried to figure out everyone's schedules to make it happen. I give it up for George for being so persistent in getting this going. KORN tours all year, every year, and with Doug and George's crazy schedules, it's just awesome that we made it happen. I'm very pleased with the result."

Pinnick added: "George was the instigator. Ray and I have known each other for quite a while and always talked about doing something together, but George brought it up at Ray's party and we agreed. George got after it and Ray did the same! Before I knew it, we were in a studio in the mountains, got a record deal, a video and a CD. As they say in Texas, 'You gotta get after it!' George has an incredible amount of energy and humor, and he gets things done. I've learned a lot from him. He's a true genius with the heart of a saint — and he comes up with some crazy guitar parts."

Lynch said: "When you're working as a pro musician in L.A., you're frequently running into other players who you know and respect. A lot of times, the 'dream band' conversation comes up. It's fun to talk about. A lot of times, it's the alcohol talking. But the reality for most of us is that we're locked into other commitments and obligations that in the cold light of day don't really afford us the time or flexibility to pull off these projects that look great on paper.

"I'm not trying to take credit here, but I gotta honestly say I was determined to follow through and at least push hard enough to see if we could get any momentum going. Ray jumped right in and was obviously really excited about making it happen, despite his insanely busy schedule with KORN. I think for Doug, it was sort of like, 'Well, yeah, sure, I'll invest some time and energy into this,' but I don't think he realized how profound and potentially musically rewarding and even important KXM could become. But as the writing and recording started to happen and evolve, he became like a little kid in a candy store!"

"KXM" track listing: 01. Stars02. Rescue Me03. Gunfight04. Never Stop05. Faith Is A Room06. I'll Be OK07. Sleep08. Love09. Burn10. Do It Now11. Human Friction12. Tranquilize (bonus track)13. Rescue Me (radio edit) (bonus track)

Fan-filmed video footage of SEPULTURA's entire June 6 performance at Dom Omladine in Belgrade, Serbia can be seen below.

SEPULTURA's new album, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", sold around 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD came out on October 29, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange").

"The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and was mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

In a 2013 interview with Live-Metal.net, SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green stated about the new album title: "We always have the simple one-word titles or very basic. And with this we knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to maybe make people think a little bit.

"I think we have become lobotomized, including myself, because I'm not putting myself outside of anything. I think a lot of times we live in a time where people are thinking actions or creating ideas — doing something in their head but going right to their hands. And they're missing the essential part, the heart and the compassion, that's behind what you are doing. And (the title) came from a movie called 'Metropolis' (1927) by a director called Fritz Lang, and it's a silent movie. And it's actually the first thing you see in the movie. And the meaning behind it is just that: It's impossible to be human without having the heart dictate what you're doing and why you're doing certain things.

"So I believe this album has that passion and drive and love for music.

"So many things I've been hearing are just about trying to be perfect, with the digital age and trying to make everything sound perfect. Like on albums and things like that, it doesn't even sound real. It doesn't sound human anymore. So this is something going back to really trying not to be perfect. We're trying to pull out that love and desire and just grabbing that moment, placing it on an album and recording it, and not being worried about those other things."

Rob Zombie joined Alice Cooper on stage during the legendary rocker's June 5 performance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Asked what it was like touring with Alice Cooper, Zombie recently told Fanpass: "I have known Alice for about 20 years. Doing a tour with Alice was one of the best tours. 'Cause usually, you're on tour with people and they might be your friends, but maybe… they're just your buddies, but musically, you're not compatible. That was the first time I remember being on tour and it felt like what I thought touring should be. In your mind as a kid in the '70s, like, 'This is what touring should be.' But the best moment of that whole thing was, one night we were playing and Alice was watching the show from the side of the stage, and the lights were dark enough and on him, he was just wearing his leather jacket and he had his shirt on, and he was drinking a Coke which looked like a beer, and it looked like a 20-year-old Alice Cooper watching us, and it was fucking weird, man. Even, like, with the guys in his band. We've done stuff. We did the Scream Awards once and they showed a tribute to Alice, or like at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I get so used to knowing the Alice as he is now that I forget when I watch clips when he's really young. I'm, like, 'Fuck, it's the same guy.' I forget sometimes, just because it's separated in your mind."

Cooper was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2011 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria. Cooper was inducted by Zombie, who said during his introduction, "Alice Cooper invented the rock show. Before Alice Cooper, there was no rock show. They're more than a band. They were more like a murderous gang of drag queens — in a good way."

Zombie's first-ever concert film, "The Zombie Horror Picture Show", came out on May 19. The set features Zombie leading his band through longtime favorites like "Living Dead Girl", "More Human Than Human" and "Dragula". The movie was filmed during stops on last year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour in Houston on August 3, 2013 and Dallas on August 4.

A photo book by photographer Rob Fenn was published as a companion to the Blu-ray and DVD.

Zombie has also been working on a new studio album, telling Billboard, "It sounds fuckin' weird man. That's a really good thing… It's going good. I'll work on that for about a month and get as far as I can get. Then in July we have a little bit of a break where I'll probably finish the record, and then we have some more touring."

Zombie's fifth solo album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", came out in April 2013.

Professionally filmed video footage of EPICA's June 7 acoustic performance at the Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, The Netherlands can be seen below.

EPICA's sixth studio album, "The Quantum Enigma", sold around 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 110 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "Requiem For The Indifferent", opened with 4,800 units back in March 2012 to enter the chart at No. 104.

EPICA's fourth album, "Design Your Universe", registered a first-week tally of 2,100 back in 2009 to land at position No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Where the 2013 "Retrospect" performance reflected on a decade as one of the leading bands in the symphonic metal scene, "The Quantum Enigma" marks the beginning of a new EPICA: modern, heavy, and without compromises.

In a recent interview with Metal-Rules.com, singer Simone Simons stated about the making of "The Quantum Enigma": "Entering the studio two months after giving birth [to my son], being quite fatigued, it was a challenge being tired and being in this new state of mind. I put that to good use and kind of got strength out of the whole thing and I feel emotionally and physically a richer person than I did before and I put that in my vocals for the record."

Speaking to ThisIsNotAScene.com, Simons stated about how being a first-time mother has changed her outlook on being in a touring band: "Being in a band like EPICA isn't so much a job as it is a way of life.

"I always wanted to become a mother, so being away from my son is something that comes with being a touring musician.

"My husband [KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai] is also a musician, so [my son is] basically being raised with the idea that both his parents are touring musicians.

"Being a mother has really enriched my life as a human being and that's something you can also hear in the vocals on the new album.

"I miss him terribly when I'm touring, but then again, touring is the only way for our band to make a living and raising a child costs money, so in a way, it's a classic Catch 22 situation. I do have the best of both worlds. I'm a mother and a singer in very successful metal band."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich says that the band's isn't bothered by the negative feedback to its upcoming appearance at this year's Glastonbury, explaining that he and his bandmates are "respectful" of the fact that METALLICA is the first metal act to ever headline the event in the festival's 44-year history.

A petition was launched online last month calling for the removal of METALLICA as Glastonbury headliners after it was announced that frontman James Hetfield will be hosting a new series about bear hunting on the History channel. In addition, drummer Martin Bulloch of Scottish post-rock icons MOGWAI described METALLICA as "shite," while multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns added: "I can't wait to hear that guy [referring to Ulrich] play the drums again — unbelievably bad."

Ulrich tells U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine that METALLICA is able to deflect negative comments from naysayers, explaining (see video below): "Glastonbury is like the Holy Grail in England, and we're respectful to that. But if somebody sits there and talks about petitions or what some other guy says, there's a point that it just becomes ridiculous.

"We're fairly thick-skinned. Obviously if Mick Jagger [of THE ROLLING STONES] has something to say, or Alex Turner [of ARCTIC MONKEYS], or the nice guys in KASABIAN, it's cool. But if some guy in some other band… it's like, 'Huh? What? Who are you?'" METALLICA will close the show at Glastonbury on Saturday, June 28. Other headliners include ARCADE FIRE and KASABIAN.

During a recent interview with the BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show", Ulrich spoke further about the criticism METALLICA has received for its appearance at Glastonbury, saying: "The fact that everyone's got an opinion I'll take as a good thing because it means that people still care and are still interested and we still have one foot in relevance of some sort. It's comforting that 33 years into a career you can still manage to stir up a little bit.

"Glastonbury is the biggest, greatest festival on this planet and we're headlining Saturday night.

"Bring it on. We're going to show up and have fun, but all the hoopla is interesting."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Glastonbury is a very laid-back type of festival, with more of a hippie/indie vibe than most, which is why there has been so much controversy over METALLICA playing the show in the first place.

Mick Jagger of THE ROLLING STONES — who headlined the festival last year — recently shared his opinion of METALLICA headlining Glastonbury, saying: "I've seen them live and they're going to be great." Jagger added that his band had a "great time" headlining the event.

Norwegian black/death metallers ANCIENT are working on their seventh album, "Chapter VII: Back From The Land Of The Dead", for a tentative fall release. Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH) recorded the drums for the CD at Alpha-Omega Studio in Como, Italy, and the guitars were laid down in March. Founder and frontman Zel (a.k.a. Aphazel) recorded vocals with Jacob Hansen (who also produced the "Proxima Centauri" album from 2002) in Denmark.

Comments Zel: "[There are] by far the best vocals I have done for ANCIENT.

"Recording with Jacob really made me start to enjoy the vocalist role again, a feeling stronger than I have had for years now.

"Recording at the Hansen studios, with the great set ups, effects, etc., somehow brings out the beast in me again, you will hear!"

There will also be some guest vocals on the album, to be announced later.

Recordings of bass and keyboards will take place in June and July, and the album should be finished around the end of July.

Adds Zel: "The recordings have taken more time than expected, but the way it goes now, this album is turning out to be a serious masterpiece and we absolutely want to give it all the time and attention necessary before making the final master.

"The wait has been long, and stressing for us, but it will be very worth it."

"Chapter VII: Back From The Land Of The Dead" is being recorded in seven different locations, with the best studio selected for each instrument in order to give the very best production ANCIENT has ever had.

States Zel: "This album is the most aggressive Ancient album so far, a lot thanks to Nick Barker.

"As always, there are many dark melodic and atmospheric parts to be found, the sound ANCIENT is known for."

Songtitles set to appear on "Chapter VII: Back From The Land Of The Dead" include:

* Born In The Land Of The Dead* The Sempiternal Haze * The Ancient Disarray

ANCIENT 2014 is:

Zel - vocals, guitars, keyboards Dhilorz - guitar, bass Nick Barker - drums

ANCIENT's sixth album, "Night Visit" was released in June 2004 through Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Proxima Centauri" was recorded at Mirage and Alpha-Omega studios and was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, etc.). Mastering was done at Sterling Sound in New York City.

Dutch pop/rock radio station 3FM has uploaded a 30-second audio sample of "World On Fire", the title track of the new album from Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and his backing band, MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS. Check it out using the audio player below.

"World On Fire", the third album to be made available under the Slash solo banner, will be released on September 15 via Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through Roadrunner Records (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America). A total of 17 songs, including one instrumental, were laid down for the follow-up to 2012's "Apocalyptic Love" with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (ALTER BRIDGE, FALLING IN REVERSE, INCUBUS).

"World On Fire" track listing:

01. World On Fire02. Shadow Life03. Automatic Overdrive04. Wicked Stone05. 30 Years To Life06. Bent To Fly07. Stone Blind08. Too Far Gone09. Beneath The Savage Sun10. Withered Delilah11. Battleground12. Dirty Girl13. Iris Of The Storm14. Avalon15. The Dissident16. Safari Inn17. The Unholy

The cover artwork for "World On Fire" was designed by American contemporary artist Ron English and can be seen below.

"World On Fire", which features the blazing title track as the first single, will be made available four weeks in advance of the U.K. general release as a Classic Rock Fanpack, which consists of:

* The full album* 116-page magazine featuring exclusive interviews with Slash, the band, producer Michael Baskette and cover artist Ron English. A Slash and Myles track-by-track breakdown. Exclusive pictures from the recording sessions as well as a brand new shoot, competition and much more.* Giant double-sided A1 poster* Metal pin badge

Slash told Music Radar about the new CD, "I wrote the majority of the music when I was on the 'Apocalyptic Love' tour. You know, just sitting around in dressing rooms and hotel rooms for a year, I accumulated all these ideas. Then in September [2013] I sat down and went through everything I'd recorded on my voice memo on my phone and picked out about 20 different ideas then we went into pre-production in October and just started jamming. We were there for a couple of months, holed up in Mates rehearsal studio in Los Angeles. There was the whole writing process then once we had all the songs down we rehearsed the shit out of it, and then we brought the producer, Mike Baskette, in. And so we went through another phase of fine tooth-combing everything and getting the arrangements together. Myles came down and started working on his vocal parts… and by the time we were done with all that we were ready to go in and just bang the stuff out. It was a very quick process in the studio."

He continued: "The one thing about this record is that it was almost like it wrote itself, it was very effortless. And that happens very rarely, when there's a certain energy that carries the creative process and it's almost like you're not in control of it and you just ride that wave. That's how this record was. I can't think of any outside influence other than just going with this creative flow."

Slash also spoke about the musical chemistry between him and his bandmates, telling Music Radar: "I think basically everyone's a great rock 'n' roll player. They're real rock musicians at heart — deep down. So when we get together, we've built up a certain chemistry. We started out with a certain kind of chemistry and we're just evolving from there. At this point, everybody feels very comfortable just being themselves and doing what it is that they do best. It's just an unsaid, natural synergy that happens. For example, this is probably one of Brent's [Fitz, drummer] best records as a player, being able to do all the things he wanted to do. And the same with Todd [Kerns, bass] and the same for me. But having such a great rhythm section means I have to really fuckin' put together some great guitar bits on top of it. The other thing that's cool is Mike Baskette was great. One of the reasons why I really wanted to work with him was he just loves guitars and it's rare to get anyone who brings any ideas other than the ones you bring to the table as far as sounds and tones or anything like that. And that's a limitation: you can only do as much as you know how to do in the studio and sometimes you really need to work with an engineer who knows something in the recording studio that you don't know. That's what Mike brought into it. He was so enthusiastic about getting guitar sounds. He would put as much time into that as I could possibly put it in — sometimes more so. It was really inspiring. I haven't had that in a long, long time."

Slash released his first self-titled solo effort in 2010.

The legendary guitarist employed a different vocalist on each track of his first album, before settling on ALTER BRIDGE member Kennedy for both touring and eventually recording.

"Apocalyptic Love" earned Slash his two first-ever No. 1 U.S. rock radio hits with "You're A Lie" and "Standing In The Sun". The record's third single, "Anastasia", cracked the Top 10 at both Modern and Active Rock.

Slash and AEROSMITH will team up for a U.S. tour this summer.

"World On Fire" song audio sample:

W.A.S.P. is "about three weeks away from finishing" its new studio album, titled "Golgotha", for an early 2015 release. During a press conference yesterday (Friday, June 6) before the band's performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden, W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless stated about the lyrical inspiration for the upcoming CD (see video below): "'Golgotha' is Hebrew for place of the skull, and it's the hill where Christ was crucified. And it's interesting, when you see a lot of bands going around using Satanic images or images of death and things like that, and I'm thinking, all they need to do is look at the source, 'cause it's right there. I mean, if you want death, there's enough to go around there."

Regarding the musical direction of W.A.S.P.'s new material, Lawless said: "It sounds probably more similar to the last two that we've done [2007's 'Dominator' and 2009's 'Babylon']. And we've been working on this thing for four years now."

He continued: "I don't know if you guys heard, I had a little hiccup last year, and that delayed recording for almost a year. I broke my leg. And that, too, was an interesting trip.

"But there's one thing that I learned when I was doing [1992's] 'The Crimson Idol': if you make a record over too long of a period of time, you have to be very, very careful, because the record you start out making is not the record you end up finishing, because you've changed so much as a person over a three- or four-year period, you've gotta be very, very careful to hold on to that vision. But from what I'm hearing so far — and it's not completely mixed yet — it has definite overtones of the last two records."

Lawless was also asked about his statements in past interviews that he will never perform W.A.S.P.'s classic song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" live again because of his "religious faith."

"I look at it like this: I'm a representative of the most high God," he said. "But I have to be very careful about the things I say and do," he said. "I mean, I'm gonna answer one day for the things that I've done. And I wanna make sure that when I do, that my slate is clean. But equally as import as that, I think, is I've been given an opportunity to stand in front of people, and you're either gonna say something positive or you're gonna say something midnless; there's no in between — you're either one or the other. And I'm just trying my best. And I'm not saying that I'm doing it all the time, but I'm trying my best to say something that I think could help somebody's life."

He continued: "I remember on the first album [1984's 'W.A.S.P.'], we had a song called 'B.A.D.'. And a girl came up to me one day, and she says, 'I wanna thank you for that song.' And I said, 'What for?' And she says, 'Well, I used to be a really bad heroin addict. And when I heard that song, it changed my life and I don't shoot heroin anymore.' Now, that song had nothing to do with heroin; I don't know what she heard in those lyrics. And at the time, I really didn't wanna hear that, because, to me, I knew enough about what a statement from her like that meant. To me, that was the 'R' word, and I didn't wanna know about… The 'R' word, to me, was 'responsibility,' and I didn't wanna hear it. And I ran from that as far as I could. And then over a period of time…

"We got finished with the 'Inside The Electric Circus' record [1986], and I realized we had made one of the biggest piles of junk in the history of the recording industry. And I said, 'You know what?! That's it. I'm not doing that anymore. If I can't say something with the music, there's no point in me doing it.' And I thought, 'This girl is telling me she's not shooting heroin anymore, and I didn't even try. Imagine what I could do if I tried just a little bit.' And there's a ton of stories that you hear like that.

"You don't realize the impact that you're having on people. Because I'm one of those kind of people, I live in my own little bubble. I mean, I am one of the worst people to ask opinions about anything, because I just live in my own little space. If I'm not writing or in the studio, I live way away from everybody and I'm just in my own world. So you don't realize the impact you have on people a lot of times. I mean, when I'm at home, I have a ranch that… It's a pretty big piece of property, and I get out there and I just walk around and I'm just me. And I forget, a lot of times, until I go some place and somebody is interested, for whatever reason, in anything I might have to say. To me, that's always surprising. Because, quite honestly, I don't think it's that important. But apparently somebody does."

According to Lawless, the change in his lyrical approach happened with the 1989 release of "The Headless Children" album. He said: "There's a place, I guess, for all kinds of music, but for myself personally, I started looking around at what I felt was my purpose. And I thought music can be so much more than this. And I'm not saying that there's not a place for gusy to have a good time. But if I can do something to say something or help change somebody's life, I'm gonna sleep a lot better at night."

Blackie also spoke about his early life as a born-again Christian and his decision to leave the church at age 18, only to return to his Christian faith 20 years later.

"Like a lot of people, organzed religion was telling me things that I didn't see in the Bible," he explained. "And so, for 20 years after I left the church, I walked around with all these things that I had been taught, and I thought I was mad at God. And after 20 years, I realized I was not mad at God, I was mad at man for the institutionalized thinking that I had been indoctrinated with. And I discovered then, whether it's the Bible or anything else you ever wanna know in life, don't listen to somebody else telling you. You wanna find out, go find out for yourself, because ultimately you are going to be responsible for yourself. And so that's what I did. And when I did that, I realized, like, I wasn't mad at God anymore. These guys that had been telling me this stuff for the longest time, I realized that they had an agenda."

Florida-based technical metal pioneers ATHEIST will record their fifth studio album later in the year with producer Jason Suecof (DEATH ANGEL, JOB FOR A COWBOY, GOD FORBID, DEVILDRIVER) for an early 2015 release. Comments vocalist Kelly Shaefer: “We are happy to report that the fifth ATHEIST LP is in the works, and the band could not be more excited about the possibilities...

"[Returning bassist] Tony Choy will join us this go-around, and having the endless rhythmic possibilities will be amazing.

"We will be working with Jason Suecof on this record. He has such a vast wealth of knowledge of our history as well as our sound, and we were lucky to be able to have him mix 'Jupiter', but this time he will be involved in the recording as well as the mix so that will be beastly!!" Rounding out the current ATHEIST lineup are drummer Steve Flynn as well as guitarists Chris Martin and Jason Holloway, the latter two of whom joined the band on the past tours but who have not been featured on an ATHEIST recording yet.

ATHEIST has also signed a worldwide management deal with New York-based Extreme Management Group, Inc. (SUFFOCATION, ORIGIN, DECREPIT BIRTH, CATTLE DECAPITATION, CRYPTOPSY). Comments the band: "This is a brand new venture for ATHEIST as we have never had management in our 25-year career, and EMG seems to be the perfect fit.

"We are inspired to set sail, and move forward in this the next, very important phase of the legacy, and integrity of the band, as well as this new album forthcoming.

"They have done great work with bands we are familiar with and friends with, and it is something we had never been afforded in the past to create new ventures for the band, as well as field the ones available to us now." The first three studio albums from ATHEIST — "Piece Of Time" (1989), "Unquestionable Presence" (1991) and "Elements" (1993) — were re-released on vinyl in North America in June 2013 via Season Of Mist. The new editions are remastered on colored vinyl and limted to 500 copies per title worldwide.

ATHEIST's last abum, 2010's critically acclaimed "Jupiter""Jupiter" was released on November 9, 2010 (one day earlier internationally) via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at LedBelly studios in Atlanta, Georgia with engineer Matt Washburn and was mixed by Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER). The cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

Southern Lord Recordings has announced that influential, visionary metal act TODAY IS THE DAY has joined with the label's roster for the release of its tenth studio album, "Animal Mother", due later this year. Earlier this year, TODAY IS THE DAY's newest lineup was announced, as the foundation of the then-unnamed album was taking shape. Guitarist/vocalist Steve Austin welcomed Sean Conkling (REGRESSION, BURN YOUR HALO, SPRAWL) on bass as well as returning member Jeff Lohrber (ENABLER, ex-HARLOTS), Lohrber having previously handled touring drum duties for TODAY IS THE DAY many times in the past. Conkling and Lohrber tracked most of their parts in December and January at the founding frontman's own recording and mastering studio in Maine. Since then, Austin has been painstakingly layering guitars, vocals and more, and the final sessions for TODAY IS THE DAY's tenth studio full-length will take place later in June. "Sometimes things just dial-in and align perfectly," Steve Austin stated about signing with Southern Lord for the release of "Animal Mother". "Myself and TODAY IS THE DAY are extremely excited about working with Southern Lord Records and Greg Anderson. To me they have the right idea about the kind of music they release; heavy, real, experimental, integrity-driven music is what the label represents to me. TODAY IS THE DAY's 'Animal Mother' LP on Southern Lord in 2014... I don't think I could ask for anything more!”

Added Southern Lord owner Greg Anderson on the union: "Southern Lord is deeply honored to be working with TODAY IS THE DAY. Steve Austin has been a long time force in the underground and we're stoked to now be a small part of the TODAY IS THE DAY legacy." Regarding the album title, Austin offers: "'Animal Mother' means the embodiment of the prophetic gift of the shaman; it is the shaman's visionary power, which is able to penetrate the past and future."

Earlier this year, the frontman warned the public that the album would be "a fifteen-song rampage of bloody carnage fueled by hate, love and vile, raw emotion," continuing, "I feel it is my finest work to this date. It is the most complex and heavy record we have ever made. This is real — no bullshit Pro Tools crap; just pure violent energy and real band songwriting in the middle of the woods in Maine. It lies somewhere between 'Temple Of The Morning Star' and 'In The Eyes of God', and Jeff's playing is beyond incredible. I was determined to push the limits in complexity, musicianship, and creativity as far as we could and I feel we have put together a record that narrates the horror and pain that we have been living through.”"

For two and a half decades, TODAY IS THE DAY has woven Steve Austin's prophetic observations and noise-soaked chaos through a psychedelic, unique and unmatched battery of heavy styles. The outfit has spawned an incredible discography, forging its way to the forefront of Amphetamine Reptile, Relapse, Blackmarket Activities and many others.

Steve Austin has produced nearly all of TODAY IS THE DAY's releases, as well as groundbreaking albums for LAMB OF GOD, CONVERGE and DEADGUY, among many others.

Austin is featured in the "Color Of Noise" documentary about Amphetamine Reptile Records, and is currently scoring several independent films.

Norwegian black metallers EMPEROR are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their "In The Nightside Eclipse" album by making a number of festival appearances this year. In addition to performing at Germany's Wacken Open Air, the band will headline the 2014 edition of the the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place in August at Catton Hall, Walton-On-Trent, West Midlands, United Kingdom. EMPEROR members Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) and Samoth (real name: Tomas Haugen) are being joined by Bård Guldvik "Faust" Eithun on drums, and they are performing the CD in its entirety. There will be no new studio album or a worldwide tour — only a few exclusive festival appearances this year to mark the celebration of this landmark release.

Fan-filmed video footage of EMPEROR's June 7 performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden can be seen below.

EMPEROR's 2014 touring lineup:

Bård Eithun - DrumsTony "Secthdamon" Ingebrigtsen (MYRKSKOG, ODIUM) - BassTomas "Samoth" Thormodsæter Haugen - GuitarVegard "Ihsahn" Sverre Tveitan - Guitar/VocalsEinar Solberg (LEPROUS) - Keyboards

In a 2013 interview with Exclaim.ca, Ihsahn was asked, aside from the 20th anniversary of the "In The Nightside Eclipse" record, there was anything else that pushed him to make this moment the moment that EMPEROR played some songs again. "It's a celebration of 'In The Nightside Eclipse'," he replied. "We knew we would be playing that album and material from that era. That's it, really. That's my terms for doing it, and the added bonus of having the original drummer.

"It's no secret that I've been really reluctant to ever do anything with EMPEROR again. I'm so much more focused on my solo work that I was almost fighting my past in EMPEROR. I didn't want to be just a spinoff product of that. I wanted to build something totally on my own terms, and I waited three albums in before I did any live shows because I didn't want to go 50/50, an EMPEROR/solo show. I wanted to have three albums and pick the songs that were best and play that.

"This ['Das Seelenbrechen'] is my fifth album, I've done more albums now as a solo artist, not including everything else I've done, than I did with EMPEROR. Where I'm at now with my solo career, I think it's easy to just comfortably accept my past metal as part of my musical life as well."

He continued: "I would not do something like the stuff we did in 2006/2007 again. I didn't want to play those kind of gestalt shows. I wanted this to be a celebration of that album. Because for us, personally, obviously, this was the stepping stone for me to be able to have a 20-year career. Coming from Norway and being a musician is sort of far fetched in the first place. I should say, starting a black metal band in '91. It's more paying respect to the fact that this is our starting point.

"Even before we announced [the EMPEROR reunion], there's always a constant flow of offers for EMPEROR to do this, or EMPEROR to do that. I have to say, all this nostalgia and all these bands coming back is a result of the power of metal. You don't get the big '80s rock bands anymore because there is not enough time. With the Internet and everything is so widespread, you don't get the big superstars anymore. It's very hard for young bands to build a name for themselves. People tend to just go back to what they know. I think it's a result of that. Obviously, we wanted to reunite for other reasons. Not everybody can as easily get working visas to go to the U.S.

"I've been thinking that the reason why I've been able to have a 20-year long career, and the reason EMPEROR became the institution that it became. In my book, EMPEROR as a phenomenon is much bigger now than it ever was when we were in the band. I think the reason for that is we never compromised. I've had the privilege of doing my music without compromise for all these years and I'm not going to change that now. If I was exploiting markets or potentials in a cynical way like that, if I tried to make another EMPEROR album… that would just make everything we ever did into a lie. I don't see the purpose.

"Obviously as a solo artist, I am not as big as EMPEROR. These are different times. But I get by, and I'm pulling quite big crowds when I play. So to me, it doesn't make that much of a difference. As long as I can be a free artist, I prefer that any day."

Guitarist Gary Holt of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS has released the following statement: "As a band, we all had to make a very difficult choice to part ways with [our singer of the past nine years] Rob Dukes. We have nothing but love and admiration for him and the deepest gratitude for the hard work he has put in and the great work on some killer records. But at this time, Tom [Hunting, drums], Lee [Altus, guitar], Jack [Gibson, bass] and myself thought a change was necessary and the unanimous choice going forward was to welcome back Steve Souza [pictured] to the fold!"

Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004, adds: "I spent a great part of my life with EXODUS. That blood flows through me, [and] even not being in the band for the past 10 years, you can't erase that chemistry. I'm very excited!"

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005), "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007), "Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Back in March of this year, EXODUS entered a studio in Northern California with producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) to record its tenth studio album. A month later, Dukes told Patch.com about the material that was slated to appear on the CD: "This album is very fast and has more of a punk rock feel to it, whereas I think the last few EXODUS albums were metal epics, with longer songs. These songs are shorter and a little faster. It has a really different feel to it. It sounds great."

EXODUS last month played six shows as direct support to SLAYER (with openers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) before joining GUNS N' ROSES, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KID ROCK at this year's Rock On The Range festival.

EXODUS' next live appearance is scheduled for July 11 at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany.

Zetro left EXODUS in September 2004 on the eve of the band's South American headlining tour over what was described as long-standing business and personal differences. Holt subsequently issued a statement calling Souza "human crap" for pulling out the trek "only about twenty-four hours before were ready to leave." He added, "Yes, he did a killer job on the new album [2004's 'Tempo Of The Damned'], but mainly because we did not allow him to fuck everything up with his stupid Bon Scott impersonations anymore. We made him sing more like [previous vocalist Paul] Baloff. I tried to make it work. More than you can imagine. But he was (is) the most miserable pile of crap to be around."

After Souza made it clear in several interviews in 2011 that he wanted his old EXODUS job back, Holt — who has been pulling double duty with SLAYER for the past four and a half years — said: "I have nothing against Zetro; really, I don't. I consider him a friend, but the lobbying through the press for people to convince me to give him his job back just got under my skin, because Rob is NOT a placecard holder in EXODUS, he's our singer.

"Zetro's place in EXODUS history is solid, he made some great records with us, and had a good run with the band. But this is now, not then, and we do not plan on throwing away what we have to go back in time."

In a February 2014 interview with DeadRhetoric.com, Souza — who currently fronts and up-and-coming thrash metal band called HATRIOT — stated about the most recent version of EXODUS and whether he would ever return to the group: "I read an interview with Slash about a month ago and he explains it very well. He said, 'The new GUNS N' ROSES, they're great, but this version is not my version of GUNS N' ROSES,' just like this version of EXODUS is not my version of EXODUS, or this version is not Paul Baloff's version of EXODUS. To join would be going backward."

He continued: "Do I love singing those songs? Yeah, for the fans, it would be great. I sing some of those with HATRIOT. I've done so much work with this band, I can do everything my way…

"I would have to pass on [rejoining EXODUS] if that actually came up… I would say, 'Let's turn left.' [And they would say] 'No, let's turn right.' 'But if you turn right, you're going to fall off the cliff! Let's turn left, guys. Who's the most successful out of this business?' But Gary says: 'Let's turn right.' Okay, fine, we fall off the cliff. With HATRIOT, I get to turn left. I get to drive the Cadillac, and it's fine with me."

Asked if he was still on good terms with the EXODUS guys, Souza said: "Two weeks ago in Oakland, Robb Flynn [MACHINE HEAD] had a benefit show for someone who had an accident. I have an AC/DC tribute band called AC/DZ, I opened the show. Gary was there that night. We had a great conversation and talked very well, and it was awesome. It was awesome, and that's the way it needs to be."

He added: "Believe me, I do read the press, so I know. It was late that night and we talked about a lot of stuff, and it was cool. He said, 'I heard you were here and I was looking for you.'

"I don't have a problem with anybody. I'm good with everybody. I get along with everybody and don't have anything bad to say."

Earlier today, HATRIOT released the following statement regarding Zetro's return to EXODUS: "This is great news and we are very happy about it and this will not stop HATRIOT at all. Zetro will be doing both bands. We are still going to be creating music, playing shows and staying an active band. We look forward to the European tour next month."

Fan-filmed video footage of reunited thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performing on June 5 at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden can be seen below.

Commented DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan: "Boy, these DARK ANGEL shows have truly been incredible! To be playing again and hanging with the guys has been just awesome, as well as meeting all the fans! So many of you have so many great stories to share, it's been a real pleasure for all of us.

"Y'know, DARK ANGEL has always been a strong brotherhood, and getting together again with the dudes has just increased it. And hey, even my Dad got to come to the Sweden Rock show with us! That's fun! He got to see the brutality of the traveling metal musician real up close and personal, but Dad's a total trooper, and he had a blast!

"Next stop for us will be the Hellfest in France, where we get to share the stage as direct support for SOUNDGARDEN and BLACK SABBATH.

"We, as a band, would like to offer our condolences to MEGADETH's Dave Ellefson for the loss of his brother and their subsequent cancellation of their tour, without which, of course, we wouldn't be playing in their stead at Hellfest. Our respects to the Ellefson and MEGADETH family, and we greatly look forward to playing for all our French fans!”

DARK ANGEL's current touring lineup:

* Gene Hoglan (drums)* Eric Meyer (guitar)* Jim Durkin (guitar)* Ron Rinehart (vocals)* Michael Gonzalez (bass)

During an appearance on the September 8, 2013 edition of the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" radio show, Hoglan spoke about the DARK ANGEL reunion, saying: "The most important thing for, I think, any of us, and especially me, and I know a couple of the other guys that are involved that the legacy of the band is very important. And if the band has attained some of kind of underground legendary status over the years, then if we do wanna return, a lot of people have great expecations of us, we'd better exceed those expectations.

"Like Ron Rinehart said, the definition of 'good' is 'not bad.' [laughs] We don't wanna come out and even be great; we wanna be No. 1. And that's a very heartening attitude.

"If some of the people that might wanna get involved with this… You've gotta do it for the right reasons. This is for the fans. And we're gonna come out and disappoint the fans, don't do it. If we're gonna come out and make the fans go, 'Yes, I expected something great and I got godly.' Then there's a reason for doing it."

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — 1989's "Leave Scars" and 1991's "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992. Rinehart, Hoglan and Meyer reassembled DARK ANGEL more than a decade ago but were forced to abandon their reunion plans after health issues reportedly put an end to Rinehart's singing career.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon debuted two brand new songs — "Hiding In The Past" and "Strong" — and performed one cover, "Play Dead" (BJÖRK), during her June 6 solo appearance at the Kivenlahti Rock festival in Espoo, Finland.

Fan-filmed video footage of the "Hiding In The Past" performance — a song written by Olzon, WITHIN TEMPTATION keyboardist Martijn Spierenburg and BLOODBOUND keyboardist Fredrik Bergh — can be seen below, along with other clips from the show.

Olzon's solo touring band consists of the following musicians:

Patrik Borgkvist - DrumsMikael Mikey Nilsson - GuitarJohan Husgafvel - BassRickard Bonde Trumeel - Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar

Anette's debut solo album, "Shine", was released in March via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

"Shine", which was co-produced by Anette Olzon and Johan Kronlund, is a collaboration with some of the most successful teams in rock and pop in Scandinavia: Stefan Örn (songwriter and producer of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest-winning track "Running Scared") and Johan Glössner. The album was mixed by Kronlund, Nicklas Flykt and Ronny Lahti (known for his work with Loreen and Roxette).

Olzon previously stated about her solo CD: "The album is very personal with songs I have started writing already in 2009 but also very recent songs.

"The overall message of the album is that life can be really dark and filled with hardship and sadness, but you can always choose to see some light coming through, to make you stronger and full of life — making you shine… no matter what."

Regarding the CD's musical direction, Anette said: "In the end, it is a rock album. Well, a pop rock album, maybe, or would you call it pop metal?"

Olzon was fired from NIGHTWISH in September 2012 in the middle of the band's North American tour. She has since been replaced by former AFTER FOREVER and current REVAMP singer Floor Jansen.

Professionally filmed video footage of SUICIDE SILENCE's entire June 6 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburg, Germany can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

00:00 Unwanswered03:07 No Pity For A Coward06:32 Bludgeoned To Death10:10 Wake Up16:05 Disengage 20:26 Cease To Exist25:28 Slaves To Substance29:05 O.C.D.33:50 Fuck Everything38:14 You Only Live Once

SUICIDE SILENCE will release "You Can't Stop Me", their first album to feature new vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) and their first since the tragic loss of singer Mitch Lucker, on July 11 in Europe (except in the U.K., where it will arrive on July 14) and July 15 in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"You Can't Stop Me" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), who worked with the band not only on "The Black Crown", but also on some instrumental demos for the new CD just prior to Lucker's death in the fall of 2012.

"The long and short of it is this," says guitarist Mark Heylmun. "Mitch left behind a set of lyrics with the title 'You Can't Stop Me'. This gave us chills, to say the least, and we knew we had the title and title track. This filled us with inspiration for writing sessions to empower us and empower you, the supporters of SUICIDE SILENCE.

"We as a band (and Steve Evetts) worked tirelessly on this record and I'm not gonna say we can't wait for you to hear it. I'm gonna tell you that you have to hear it. You have to sit and listen from start to finish.

"I'm not gonna tell you this is our best record we've ever done. I'm gonna tell you this is the record we care more about than any record we've ever done. This is a record that we fought, bled, sweated, and fucking cried over."

Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach that Halloween night.

"We never talked about continuing and we never talked about quitting, so it was like an unspoken thing, 'cause with some people, a tragic happening, the last thing you want to do is talk about it," SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza told Music Feeds.

Ultimately, Garza explained, carrying on as SUICIDE SILENCE felt like the right thing to do. "I think keeping the SUICIDE SILENCE brand going and the name going keeps Mitch alive and I think it would be completely disrespectful to Mitch and everything that he worked for if we stopped going or changed the name," he added.

Regarding the direction of the new material, Heylmun told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine: "Eddie is quite a versatile vocalist and he's willing to experiment, so we're definitely exploring the horizons, but don't expect anything less than pure brutality throughout."

SUICIDE SILENCE 2014 is:

Hernan "Eddie" Hermida - VocalsChris Garza - GuitarMark Heylmun - GuitarAlex Lopez - DrumsDan Kenny - Bass

Fan-filmed video footage of CONQUERING DYSTOPIA, the new project featuring former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis and Portland, Oregon studio musician Keith Merrow, performing on June 1 at Trees in Dallas, Texas can be seen below.

CONQUERING DYSTOPIA's self-titled debut album was mixed at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER).

The recording lineup for "Conquering Dystopia" is completed by Alex Webster (CANNIBAL CORPSE) on bass and Alex Rüdinger (THE FACELESS) on drums.

Loomis previously contributed a guest guitar solo to Keith's second full-length instrumental album, "Awaken The Stone King", which came out in January 2011.

According to his official bio, Merrow's extreme style of guitar playing is a unique blend of traditional metal with a dash of obscurity. In May 2009, he released a self-produced EP titled "Lonestar Transcend". The six-song instrumental effort was a compilation of songs that were first heard on Merrow's YouTube page, where he posted play-through videos of the songs. Just six months later, in November 2009 came "The Arrival", which marked Merrow's first album that he wrote from start to finish.

Loomis and drummer Van Williams announced their departure from NEVERMORE in April 2011 due to personal differences with singer Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard. Their replacements have not yet been announced.

Fan-filmed video footage of VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS, the Dutch rock band led by former VANDENBERG and WHITESNAKE guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, performing on May 31 at the FortaRock festival in Goffertpark, Nijmegen, The Netherlands can be seen below.

VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS' self-titled debut album was released on February 24 via Mascot Label Group.

"Vandenberg's Moonkings" is a sensational mix of blistering rock songs and powerful ballads from the Dutch guitar hero Adrian Vandenberg, and includes a newly recorded version of Vandenberg's ex-band WHITESNAKE's classic "Sailing Ships". Special guest David Coverdale adds his unique vocals to the equation, to complement Vandenberg's powerful riffs for a welcome moment of nostalgia.

Asked how Coverdale's guest appearance on "Vandenberg's Moonkings" came about, Adrian told Myglobalmind: "Well, David has been pushing me a lot over the last ten years to record a record. Finally, when I told him that I was working on one, David said that 'it would be an honor for me if I could sing a song on your album.' I replied that the honor would be completely mutual. David was then on the road for the whole year, so we didn't have the time to write a new song.

"I always wanted to do another version of [WHITESNAKE's] 'Sailing Ships', because I wrote the song and the music for it actually for my mom. She was always saying for me to write another acoustic song for the album. I originally intended it to be a little more understated than it ended up on the 'Slip Of The Tongue' album. I really thought that I could add something to it by making it a little bit more melancholic and more reflective. Bringing in real violins, which I had always pictured with it, so I made it a little slower. I thought it would be great to do a different version and also what I like about how it ends up on the album is that it is like a symbolic nod to my years with WHITESNAKE. I thought that it worked great, because if I had put like a new track somewhere in the middle of the album it would have been strange. David in the middle with a similar song." Multi-talented Adrian Vandenberg — who has designed all of his album sleeves since his very first record with TEASER at the age of 22 — took care of the artwork for this record. VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS is:

Adrian Vandenberg (guitar)Jan Hoving (vocals)Sem Christoffel (bass)Mart Nijen Es (drums)

For more information, visit www.moonkingsband.com.

The official teaser for "Captivity & Devourment", the new album from ARMAGEDDON, the band led by former ARCH ENEMY guitarist Christopher Amott, can be seen below.

ARMAGEDDON first came to life in Sweden in 1997 as a studio project, with the release of "Crossing The Rubicon", a sci-fi themed concept album. Two more full-length efforts followed, "Embrace The Mystery" in 2000 and "Three" in 2003, both featuring different lineups and different musical directions, with Amott as the sole remaining original member.

ARMAGEDDON is now resurrected in its most powerful form. The band is based out of New York City, and has brought unto itself a crushing lineup of musicians. Together they have once again conjured up the force that is ARMAGEDDON.

Due later in the year, "Captivity & Devourment" consists of 10 awe-inspiring and ingeniously crafted songs, full of devastating riffs, soaring guitar leads and fist-pumping choruses. Heavy, melodic, technical, and groovy, this is creative metal songwriting with one foot in deep in the classics and and one eye gazing towards the distant future.

ARMAGEDDON 2014 is:

Matt Hallquist - Lead VocalsChristopher Amott - Guitar, Clean VocalsJoey Concepcion - GuitarSara Claudius - BassMárton Veress - Drums

Amott's latest solo album, "Impulses", can be purchased directly from his music store.

Amott in March 2012 issued a statement explaining that he left ARCH ENEMY to pursue his solo career. He said, "I'm gonna continue to be very active in music, working with all kinds of styles — this does not rule out metal."

ARCH ENEMY recruited American guitarist Nick Cordle (ARSIS) to replace Christopher.

Christopher Amott started his career in music in 1995 as a founding creative force and guitarist in ARCH ENEMY. In this context, he is known for his tastefully technical guitar work and memorably emotive playing style.

After garnering his early success, Christopher had the desire to express himself on a personal level in the same genre. At this time he began writing albums under the name ARMAGEDDON. Christopher wrote and recorded three albums over the next few years as ARCH ENEMY grew into an internationally recognized act, with his compositions featuring his own vocal stylings on the last album. This would be Christopher's first foray into singing and a spark of inspiration for his later musical ventures.

In 2008, Christopher began to consider his creative options as a mature musician. He began writing songs of an entirely different atmosphere, which saw his guitar playing focused less on technical ecstasy and more on a chord-based blues rock ambience as a foundation for more prominent vocal and lyrical ideas. These compositions developed into his next solo project; the album would be called "Follow Your Heart", released under his own name in 2010.

Photo credit: John Fell

"Captivity & Devourment" album teaser:


"Captivity & Devourment" song audio stream:

Swedish metallers EVERGREY will release their new album, "Hymns For The Broken", on September 26 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at a few different studios and mixed at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, EPYSODE, PRETTY MAIDS, DORO).

"Hymns For The Broken" track listing:

01. The Awakening02. King Of Errors03. A New Dawn04. Wake A Change 05. Archaic Rage06. Barricades07. Black Undertow08. The Fire09. Hymns For The Broken 10. Missing You 11. A Grand Collapse 12. The Aftermath

EVERGREY frontman Tom S. Englund earlier in the year stated about the band's decision to sign with AFM: "While the music might be the most contemplated and dark pieces we have written — and while the sheer amount of music we have the pleasure to choose from is more than ever — we are super psyched and pleased to have chosen a label that believes in EVERGREY!"

A trailer for the album can be seen below.

EVERGREY released "A Decade And A Half", a two-disc greatest-hits collection, in North America in November 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer. This deluxe package contained previously unreleased songs, live tracks and an extensive booklet. EVERGREY's latest album, "Glorious Collision", sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 49 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

EVERGREY's most recent lineup included Englund and keyboardist Rikard Zander alongside new members Marcus Jidell (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Johan Niemann (bass).

Doug Pinnick (KING'S X), Eric Gales (LAURYN HILL) and Thomas Pridgen (ex-THE MARS VOLTA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) loved the experience of collaborating so much that they quickly headed back into the studio to record a second album of psychedelic blues, hard rock, and progressive soul/R&B. Magna Carta honcho Peter Morticelli and his partner Mike Varney dreamed up the team and brought them together to collaborate on this second album just months after the first album was released to such critical acclaim among the press and the fans. As for the chemistry between the three, Gales said it all clicked almost instantly. "There was a lot going on and it was really exciting," he said. "We got together, collaborated and just pulled and tugged at each other and that's what came out. It was a beautiful outcome.” Doug was excited to work with Eric and Thomas again. "This time I don't know what's going to happen," he said. "We're going to start with a blank slate." The three wrote material together from bits and pieces of ideas that each brought into the studio. Pinnick is best known for his many albums with KING'S X, bringing with him his heaviness, smart lyrics and lush harmonies. Doug started playing a right-handed bass. "I started upside down, moving the low strings to the top," he said. Eric was born right-handed but learned to play the guitar left-handed from his brother. "I saw my brother play that way," he said. "I just picked up the guitar and it felt comfortable." He was heavily influenced by gospel music and traditional blues, and still prefers his rock with a blues edge. Thomas brought in his heavy-progressive rock playing, as well as his compositional background growing up in church and from playing on so many other people's records. Due on July 8 via Magna Carta, "PGP 2" contains all the stinging bite and all-out sonic boom of KING'S X, THE MARS VOLTA and the ERIC GALES band. In addition, fans of artists as far ranging as Jimi Hendrix, CREAM, LIVING COLOUR, Stevie Ray Vaughan, TOOL, THE WHO, Stevie Wonder and LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT might find something meaningful in these meaty, extended tracks.

"PGP 2" track listing:

01. Every Step Of The Way (4:32)02. It's Not My Time To Die (5:48)03. Psychofunkadelic Blues (4:20) 04. Watchman (8:23)05. Have You Cried? (5:54)06. Like You Used To Do (5:50)07. Build It Back Up (5:25)08. The Past Is The Past (4:48)09. LaDonna (0:52)10. I Ain't Got No Money (5:22)11. Down To The Bone (5:36)12. Jambiance (5:01)

EVIL UNITED — the Austin/San Antonio, Texas-based band featuring Jason McMaster (WATCHTOWER, DANGEROUS TOYS, BROKEN TEETH) on vocals, a double guitar assault of T.C. Connally (PB/DC, CULT TO FOLLOW) and John Valenzuela (PB/DC, URIAL) as well as the brutal rhythm section of Don Van Stavern (RIOT, S.A. SLAYER) on bass and "Shakes" West (MURDERDOLLS, NEUROTICA, SEBASTIAN BACH) on drums — will release its sophomore full-length studio album, "Honored By Fire", on August 12. The CD will be distributed in North America and Europe through MVD Entertainment Group.

Says the group: "Our second release brings us closer to were we want to be as a band. The production is heavier than our debut album but still keeps the original vibe of the band intact."

"Honored By Fire" track listing:

01. Dead Can See02. Caesar03. Ripping Flesh04. Grave05. Tomb Spawn06. Ab Initio07. Viking Funeral08. Mind Over Pain09. Ghost Crushed10. The Cottage11. Bloody Water

EVIL UNITED instantly delivers what fans expect and demand from the Lone Star state: intricate, heavy, pounding rhythms, screeching guitar solos and over-the-top power-screaming vocals. The band was described by Lior "Steinmetal" Stein of Metal-Temple.com as "fresh with an old-school orientation."

EVIL UNITED's self-titled debut album was released in September 2011 via MVD Entertainment Group.

McMaster previously stated about EVIL UNITED: "I think there are a lot of bands playing this type of metal right now, but I believe that EVIL UNITED has something different about it. There is a wide range of influence, lots of peaks and valleys to explore, without losing any of the extreme.

"It's a pleasure to work with Texas metal alumni such as these guys; they shred but they are paying attention to the thrash and power as well as the melody."

Official Metallica.com footage of the band's May 30 performance in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below. The 19-minute clip includes footage of the band warming up in the tuning room and both "Blackened" and "Nothing Else Matters" from the show.

The setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Battery02. Master Of Puppets03. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 04. Harvester Of Sorrow05. The Unforgiven06. Lords of Summer07. Ride The Lightning08. Sad But True09. Fade to Black10. ...And Justice For All11. One12. For Whom The Bell Tolls13. Blackened14. Nothing Else Matters15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Creeping Death17. Whiskey In The Jar18. Seek & Destroy

METALLICA played the song "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" live in its entirety for the first time ever on May 28 during the band's set at the Sonisphere festival in Helsinki, Finland. The group had previously played the song's intro many times before, but always went from that into another track entirely. The Helsinki performance was part of the band's "Metallica By Request" format for its current European tour, on which fans have selected each night's songs online.

"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" is taken from METALLICA's 1988 fourth album, "…And Justice For All". Until May 28, it was the last original song from the first five METALLICA studio albums that had never been performed live.

Prior to the Helsinki show, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told MTV about the "Metallica By Request" format: "It's really amazing because, at the onset of this, we thought that the fans would pick all weird stuff and kind of leave all the songs that we've been playing forever and ever alone, but as the results started coming in, people just voted for all the same stuff that we already played. Like, the top songs were songs like 'Nothing Else Matters', 'Enter Sandman', 'Sad But True', 'Creeping Death'… And in a lot of different places, it was similar, too, which was interesting to us. There have been, like, three or four songs that have come through that have been songs that we don't usually play, and we were hoping that we would get a few more of those types of songs, but we didn't. But when we looked at all the results — because we got the results before the tour started — we noticed that the most weirdest, most unusual request was from Finland, and it was for 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity'. And we thought, 'Yes! We have a place where they actually wanna hear 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity'.' Because we've never played that before. It was a song that we never paid much attention to, it's a pretty deep cut. So we've been rehearsing that song a lot, and we're gonna play it tonight for the very first time, and we're really psyched. I just hope that we'll be able to play it well, because it's so cold onstage. But yeah, I think it's gonna be pretty exciting, and it's gonna be a METALLICA first tonight here in Helsinki."

Bassist Robert Trujillo told CraveOnline.com last year that "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" was METALLICA's "most challenging" song to learn on bass.

Drummer Lars Ulrich told the Delaware County Daily Times about playing the song, "We're going to have sit down and spin that one around for an hour or two."

METALLICA spent some time this spring working on material for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic", but the band's 10th studio album is not expected out until 2015.