US power/heavy metal band NINTH CIRCLE will release their new album, Legions Of The Brave, via Pure Rock Records on May 30th.

On their third album, Legions Of The Brave, the music moves between symphonic heavy/power metal and melodic hard rock with great technical guitar work. A spherical keyboard meets pushing double basses, while some guitar solos ('All Or Nothing' for example) reveals a closeness to the sensitive feelings of RITCHIE BLACKMORE (represented with a strong cover of 'Stormbringer'). Catchy riffs are also present on the album, as well as AOR influenced parts.
Tracklisting:

'Arcturus Rising Part 1'
'After The Rain'
'All Or Nothing'
'Living On The Sun'
'The Quickening'
'Legions Of The Brave'
'Arcturus Rising Part 2'
'Grinding The Bastards Down'
'Going Home'
'In Evil We Trust'
'Stormbringer'
'The World Burns Away'

Promo video:
'After The Rain':
Ninth Circle lineup:

Dennis Brown – lead vocals, guitar
Frank Forray – bass, backing vocals
Dave Davis – drums, backing vocals

Portugal's WE ARE THE DAMNED are streaming the new track 'Dreams Under Surveillance', featured on the band's upcoming Lifeforce Records debut, Doomvirate, due on the following dates:

May
23rd - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, digital world wide
26th - Portugal, UK, rest of Europe
27th - North America
Doomvirate tracklisting:

'Ghastly Humans'
'Dreams Under Surveillance'
'Revealing Morality'
'Imposter'
'The Threshold'
'Macabre Expedition'
'Angelsick'
'Flight Of The Phoenix'

'Dreams Under Surveillance':
Having released two EPs and two albums already, We Are The Damned aren’t rookies to the European extreme scene. With Doomvirate the Portuguese are putting out their first effort for Lifeforce Records. Following the path of their debut Resurrection Plague (2010) and the 2011 release Holy Beast the band brings together abrasive hardcore, punky crustcore, violent death rock, and massive metal. If you think of DISFEAR, NAPALM DEATH, MOTÖRHEAD, EYEHATEGOD or ENTOMBED this exactly is the direction Doomvirate is taking.

Formed in 2007, We Are The Damned are all about brutal and honest extreme music played with an authentic DIY philosophy. With their third album Doomvirate the band continues to deliver hard-hitting attacks and vivid eruptions. The underlying concept is based upon questions and thoughts regarding human and social rights as well as political corruption. We Are The Damned are angry and don’t hold back!

Humagination, the most recent studio album by Polish heavy metal band EXLIBRIS, was released in late 2013 and today you can watch another video clip promoting the album. 'Follow The Light' can be seen below.

“It probably won't win any award but we had fun while making it and that's good enough for us. We recorded it during several performances in Warsaw, Poland and one long day in the beautiful city of Brno, Czech Republic!” – comments Misiek ?lusarski, the bands drummer and author of the video.

Combining the energy of traditional heavy metal and hard rock with melodic hooks and complex arrangements since the end of 2003, Exlibris stands for rockin' guitars, distinct rhythms, epic orchestrations and powerful lead vocals. Humagination - 12 songs with fresh melodic heavy metal ideas, three guest appearances, stellar production, world-class vocals and catchy melodies – it’s an ideal album that should appeal to fans of DREAM THEATER, IRON MAIDEN and MASTERPLAN.

The album was produced by Mariusz Konik and Robert Wawro from HZ Studio. The mix and mastering was done by Tomasz Zalewski in ZED Studio. The artwork was prepared by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, known from his previous work for bands like NILE, BEHEMOTH, KAMELOT, VADER and DECAPITATED.
Humagination tracklisting:

'Follow The Light'
'Hellphoria'
'Astral Geometry'
'Of Fire And Thunder'
'Elemental'
'Left Behind'
'Dreamcraft'
'Another Day'
'Illumina'
'The Arrival'
'All Guts, No Glory'
'The Curtain Falls'

'All Guts, No Glory' video:
'Hellphoria':
Exlibris lineup:

Krzysztof Sokolowski - vocal
Daniel Lechmanski - guitars, vocal
Piotr Sikora – keyboards
Piotr Torbicz – bass guitar
Misiek Slusarski – drums

More on Exlibris at Facebook.

In honor of her 30th anniverary as a performing artist, German metal queen Doro Pesch celebrated with fans from all over the world with two separate-yet-unique shows on May 2 and May 3 at CCD Stadthalle in her hometown of Düsseldorf. She said: "We came up with something very special for our 30th stage anniversary, with two totally different shows that cover the entire creative spectrum of my band and me — from emotional and soft, to hard, raw and heavy."

The first anniversary show on May 2 was dedicated to Doro and the Classic Night Orchestra. Accompanied by brass, strings and her band, Doro performed her most beautiful, emotional ballads like "Für Immer", "1000x Gelebt" and "Let Love Rain On Me" in the stylish surroundings of CCD Stadthalle. On this night, big hits like "All We Are", "Metal Tango" and "Burn It Up" received a classical overhaul by the orchestra.

Fans have been waiting for this to happen for the past ten years, since Doro's last performance with the Classic Night Orchestra was in 2004, after her album "Classic Diamonds" was praised by fans and critics alike.

At the second anniversary show on May 3, Doro travelled through all 30 years of her incredibly successful career, delivering a three-hour, high-voltage set with all things rock and roll she has to offer.

At both shows, Doro welcomed several fantastic guests, including Biff Byford (SAXON), Chris Caffery (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, SAVATAGE), Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-ACCEPT), Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), Mr. Lordi (LORDI), Thomas "Angelripper" Such (SODOM), Marc Storace (KROKUS) and Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN).

Fan-filmed video footage of the two concerts can be seen below.

To coincide with Doro's anniversary concerts, Nuclear Blast released "Raise Your Fist - 30 Years Anniversary-Edition", containing the re-release of the "Raise Your Fist" record and a bonus CD, "Powerful Passionate Favorites", featuring new and unreleased tracks, as well as Doro's cover versions of aongs by some of her favorite artists, such as LED ZEPPELIN, TINA TURNER, METALLICA and DIO. Another highlight is the French version of her hit "Raise Your Fist In The Air" as well as a new mix of "It Still Hurts", a duet along with MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister.

"So Divine...", a brand new song from TESLA, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's new studio album "Simplicity", which will be released on June 6 in Europe viaFrontiers Records and on June 10 in North America through Tesla Electric Company Recording's arrangement with Entertainment One Music and distribution.

The Sacramento rockers are back with 14 new songs offering a ride of energy that doesn't come easy for a band of rookies much less a band whose been doing this for over 20 years. "Simplicity" is TESLA's seventh all-original studio album which follows a six-year creative break from the release of the previous album, "Forever More".

After a string of shows in the USA in 2013, the band went back into the studio in early 2014 and came out with a new album, which goes straight back to the TESLA roots. The bandmembers produced it themselves, as they did with "Into The Now", their successful comeback effort from 2004. Helped by the legendary Tom Zutaut, who was the man behind the best TESLA albums, this new CD rocks from start to finish, showing a variety of emotions where each song has its own twist — not sounding like another.

The first new song off the new album, "Taste My Pain", was released last summer digitally via iTunes and Amazon. The track was recorded during a two-day (June 5-6, 2013) session at J Street Recorders in Sacramento. The new song is, according to the band, "A heavier song with a hard-driving beat and TESLA trademark blazing guitars."

Guitarist Frank Hannon says about "Simplicity": "I must say that this new TESLA album is really gonna be awesome. We went in more prepared with the songs and ideas way more than 'Forever More', and the style is pure TESLA back to our roots. I truly believe you guys are gonna love it!"

"The opening track is called 'MP3'," continues Hannon, "and starts off with an opus intro that orchestrates into a heavy slow groove with lyrics about technology and how we miss simplicity, vinyl albums, family values...and has a heavy-ass riff! Then we segue into a rock and roll song called 'Ricochet' that talks about Uncle Ted... [I] can't wait to play this stuff live!”

"Simplicity" (European version) track listing:

01. MP302. Ricochet03. Rise And Fall04. So Divine...05. Cross My Heart06. Honestly07. Flip Side!08. Other Than Me09. Break Of Dawn10. Burnout To Fade11. Life Is A River12. Sympathy13. Time Bomb14. 'Til That Day15. Burnout To Fade (writing demo version) *

"Simplicity" was mixed by legendary producer Michael Wagener (SKID ROW, OZZY OSBOURNE, METALLICA, DOKKEN, ACCEPT, MÖTLEY CRÜE, WHITE LION, EXTREME, POISON, MEGADETH, OVERKILL, TESTAMENT).

* Bonus track

TESLA is:

Jeff Keith: Lead VocalsFrank Hannon: Guitars, Vocals, Piano, BassBrian Wheat: Bass, Vocals, PianoTroy Luccketta: Drums and PercussionDave Rude: Guitars, Vocals, Bass

QUEENSRŸCHE — Eddie Jackson, Todd La Torre, Parker Lundgren, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton — has already begun writing material for the follow-up to its critically acclaimed self-titled 2013 Century Media Records album, "Queensrÿche". The new CD is tentatively scheduled for release in early summer 2015.

"The QUEENSRŸCHE internal dynamic has certainly changed in terms of musicianship," states founding guitarist Michael Wilton. "It's more of a cohesive team and the chemistry we have now is making what we can do creatively limitless.

"For QUEENSRŸCHE, it was always about being able to write together as a band. We didn't have that for a long time but now that it's back, we feel extremely liberated.

"We've already begun the writing process for the next album and have a few songs demoed that we feel really good about. We're taking the songs in the classic QUEENSRŸCHE direction but maybe a little more progressive and heavier at times. The thing is, you never know what you really have until it's complete. We can't wait for the final outcome.

"Writing with such a dynamic group of individuals has been nothing short of amazing."

QUEENSRŸCHE recently reached a settlement in their dispute over the ownership of the QUEENSRŸCHE name and brand. Century Media has announced that Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton have successfully agreed to purchase Geoff Tate's portion of the QUEENSRŸCHE name. The band will buy out their former lead singer's share of the QUEENSRŸCHE corporation while allowing him the ability to be the only one to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety. He will no longer have use of the TriRyche logo or any other album images aside from the "Mindcrime" releases. He can only refer to himself as the "original lead singer of QUEENSRŸCHE" or "formerly of QUEENSRŸCHE" for a period of two years and that text must be at least 50 percent smaller than his name in all materials. After this two-year period passes, he can only refer to himself as Geoff Tate with no mention of QUEENSRŸCHE at all.

Geoff Tate will be able to finish any confirmed dates billed for his QUEENSRŸCHE lineup scheduled to terminate on August 31, 2014. As of September 1, there will be only one QUEENSRŸCHE entity and that will consist of Eddie Jackson, Todd La Torre, Parker Lundgren, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton. This lineup will continue to perform selections from their entire musical catalog, including songs from "Operation: Mindcrime". The band will be able to use all TriRyche logos and previous album artwork for any purposes as needed by the corporation. QUEENSRŸCHE is: Todd La Torre- VocalsMichael Wilton - GuitarsParker Lundgren - GuitarsEddie Jackson - BassScott Rockenfield - Drums

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released a lengthy statement regarding reports that a 16-year-old teen in the United Kingdom had committed suicide after listening to the band's music and watching their videos, as well as the group's older project, PINKLY SMOOTH, before ending his life.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's statement appears in its entirety below.

"To all of our loyal fans, friends, followers and supporters.

"Recently we heard about the tragic suicide of a 16-year-old from the UK who was listening to music and watching videos of, among others, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and an older project of some band members, PINKLY SMOOTH, in the hours prior to his death.

"We want you all to know that we are devastated and heartbroken for his family, friends and community. Their pain must be unimaginable and our condolences go out to them.

"Experts in the field of suicide have assured us that there are always many things that go into a tragedy like this, and while music can play a powerful role in someone's life, it does not cause something like this to happen, especially not alone. Research shows that 90% of those who take their life have a brain illness, or a mental illness, going on at the time of their death. This is something most people don't want to talk about and that keeps them from getting the good help and treatments that are out there.

"The news of this young man's death has shaken all of us in the band. Fan or not, no one should have to feel such hopelessness. It has also made us more committed than ever to do something about it so that it doesn't happen again.

"If you've been among our faithful followers, you know that we are part of a huge event coming up on May 10th — the Rise Above Fest. We couldn't be more honored and happy to be part of this event in support of SEETHER's efforts to help raise awareness about the realities of suicide. They have partnered with a great non-profit organization that is dedicated to suicide prevention — SAVE. Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, is one of the leading organizations of its kind in the world. We have reached out to SAVE and will do our part to join their fight against the stigma of suicide and mental illnesses. We want to make a difference and you can too.

"If you are in the Bangor, Maine part of the country on May 10th, come to the festival. If you can't be there, check out the online auction where you can find some autographed items that we have provided to help raise money for SAVE. Your donation will go directly to helping prevent another tragedy leaving so many to question 'why.'

"If you want to learn more about suicide prevention, visit www.save.org.

"On behalf of all of us in the band, our management, crew, and our families, please know that you too can get through it. Don't ever give up! Together, let's make sure no one else dies this way."

Hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T recently spoke to Flama's D-Stroy of "Left Unattended" about Ice-T's upcoming projects — including BODY COUNT's new album, "Manslaughter". You can now watch the chat at TheFlama.com.

"People have been asking me to do some music, and I haven't really been inspired to do hip hop for a while, 'cause hip hop kind of got really pop to me," Ice-T said. "But my band always wants to play, so we decided to do an album. We got signed to Sumerian Records. We finished the album. It's called 'Manslaughter'. We shot the [first] video. We did the album cover. It'll be out June 10. And it's brutal. It's brutal."

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas. The band's set included first-time airings of new songs "Talk Shit Get Shot" and the "Manslaughter" title track.

BODY COUNT 2014 is:

Ice-T - VocalsErnie C - Lead GuitarJuan Of The Dead - Rhythm GuitarVincent Price - BassIll Will - DrumsSean E Sean - Backup Vocals/Sampler

BODY COUNT will take part in this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off on July 5 in San Bernardino, California.

BODY COUNT's last album, "Murder 4 Hire", came out in 2006 via Escapi Music. Lyrically, the songs ranged from political ("The End Game"), personal ("You Don't Know Me [Pain]"), and religious ("The Passion Of The Christ"), to obsession ("In My Head"), armegeddon ("Dirty Bomb"), hate ("Lies") and relationships. A eulogy for fallen band member D-Roc was also included ("D Rocs [RIP]") as was a hilarious take on deep south rednecks ("Down In The Bayou"). The CD closed with "Mr. C's Theme", a show-stopping hard-rock instrumental.

John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came together in 1968 as LED ZEPPELIN. Over the next decade, the band would become one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. Their songs are some of the most celebrated in rock 'n' roll history that, to this day, resonate with fans young and old around the globe. Still, no matter how many times you may have listened to their music, you've never heard LED ZEPPELIN like this before.

With the June 3 release of deluxe editions of "Led Zeppelin", "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin III", the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its studio albums in chronological order, each remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. LED ZEPPELIN will also open its vaults to share dozens of unheard studio and live recordings, with each album featuring a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.

"The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of LED ZEPPELIN," says Page. "It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time"

"Led Zeppelin", "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin III" will each be available June 3 from Atlantic/Swan Song in the following formats:

* Single CD - Remastered album packaged in a gatefold card wallet.

* Deluxe Edition (2CD) - Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio.

* Single LP - Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP's first pressing in exacting detail. (For example, "III" will feature the original wheel and die cut holes.)

* Deluxe Edition Vinyl - Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.

* Digital Download - Remastered album and companion audio will both be available.

* Super Deluxe Boxed Set - This collection includes:

- Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve.- Companion audio on CD in card wallet.- Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing.- Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.- High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit. (Live tracks are 48kHz/24 bit).- Hard bound, 70+ page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia.- High quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.- "Led Zeppelin" will also include a replica of the band's original Atlantic press kit.

The LED ZEPPELIN legend began in January of 1969 with the group's eponymous debut. From the opening salvo of "Good Times Bad Times", on through to "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "Communication Breakdown" and "Dazed And Confused", the album introduced the band's unmistakable sound and left an indelible mark on the music landscape. "Led Zeppelin" has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales over 10 million and was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2004.

The companion audio for "Led Zeppelin" features a previously unreleased performance recorded on October 10, 1969 at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. The nine-song set features seven tracks from the album, including an epic 15-minute version of "Dazed And Confused", as well as "Heartbreaker" and "Moby Dick", which would debut on "Led Zeppelin II" later that month.

The band wrote and recorded nearly all of "Led Zeppelin II" while touring relentlessly to support its debut album. Incredibly, the album was released just seven months after "Led Zeppelin" in October of 1969. "Led Zeppelin II" features some of the band's most beloved tracks including "Ramble On" and "Heartbreaker" as well as "Whole Lotta Love", considered by many to be one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time. The album is certified diamond by the RIAA with sales of over 12 million copies.

The "Led Zeppelin II" companion audio gives fans the first peek into the band's recording sessions, with alternate mixes of five songs from the album, backing tracks to "Thank You" and "Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)", and the previously unreleased track "La La".

Following the whirlwind success of their first two albums and near constant touring, Page and Plant took to the now famous Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in Wales in 1970 to start the early composition of "Led Zeppelin III". They later convened with Bonham and Jones for rehearsals before entering London's Olympic Studios to begin recording in May 1970. Fueled by classic tracks such as "Immigrant Song" and "Since I've Been Loving You", the album soared to the top of charts worldwide upon its release in October of 1970 and has since been certified six times platinum.

The nine tracks featured on "Led Zeppelin III"'s companion audio continue to offer a window into the band's recording process with seven studio outtakes of songs from the album as well as three previously unheard compositions: "Jennings Farm Blues" (an instrumental forerunner of "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"), "Bathroom Sound" (an instrumental version of "Out On The Tiles"), and their take on the blues classics "Keys To The Highway/Trouble In Mind".

LED ZEPPELIN continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Jones, Page and Plant — along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham — took the stage at London's O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records' founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy Award as "Celebration Day", which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named "Best Rock Album."

"Led Zeppelin" track listing:

01. Good Times Bad Times02. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You03. You Shook Me04. Dazed And Confused05. Your Time Is Gonna Come06. Black Mountain Side07. Communication Breakdown08. I Can't Quit You Baby09. How Many More Times

Companion Audio Disc: Live At The Olympia - Paris, France October 10, 1969

01. Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown02. I Can't Quit You Baby03. Heartbreaker04. Dazed And Confused05. White Summer/Black Mountain Side06. You Shook Me07. Moby Dick08. How Many More Times

"Led Zeppelin II" track listing

01. Whole Lotta Love02. What Is And What Should Never Be03. The Lemon Song04. Thank You05. Heartbreaker06. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)07. Ramble On08. Moby Dick

Companion Audio Disc

01. Whole Lotta Love02. What Is And What Should Never Be03. Thank You04. Heartbreaker05. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)06. Ramble On07. Moby Dick08. La La09. Bring It On Home

"Led Zeppelin III" track listing

01. Immigrant Song02. Friends03. Celebration Day04. Since I've Been Loving You05. Out On The Tiles06. Gallows Pole07. Tangerine08. That's The Way09. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp10. Hats Off To (Roy) Harper

Companion Audio Disc

01. The Immigrant Song02. Friends03. Celebration Day04. Since I've Been Loving You05. Bathroom Sound06. Gallows Pole07. That's The Way08. Jennings Farm Blues09. Keys To The Highway/Trouble In Mind

An early, rough-mix version of "Whole Lotta Love" can be streamed below.

Page told The Pulse Of Radio that after all the success LED ZEPPELIN had, the real reward has been that the music has lasted so long. "The most satisfying, the most rewarding part of it, is having been part of music like that, which has stood up to the test of time," he said. "Every musician hopes that their music will hold up. And it's wonderful."

Page, who produced all of LED ZEPPELIN's live and studio albums, has served as the band's chief archivist and personally oversaw the remastering of the band's catalog back in the early '90s.

Ohio metallers MISS MAY I have released the following statement:

"As many of you will have heard, Alberto Scott, a MISS MAY I fan in attendance at our Webster Hall show [in New York City] on Saturday night [May 3], tragically died. We were deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news. We are awaiting a full report from the New York Police Department. In the meantime, we'd ask that all your thoughts and prayers be with his family. We have been made aware of a webpage that is raising funds to help pay for his funeral costs. We will be making a contribution and we'd strongly urge others to do so."

The Webster Hall told Brooklyn Vegan that Scott "did not die while stage diving. The patron collapsed while exiting the venue, as video footage and the police corroborate."

A photo of Alberto with MISS MAY I frontman Levi Benton can be seen below.

MISS MAY I's fourth album, "Rise Of The Lion", was released on April 29 via Rise Records. Benton recently told Metal Hammer about the band's decision to work with Date: "We chose Terry because we’re all huge PANTERA freaks. If you ever get the chance to work with him, you take it! We've always wanted to work with him but we was always out of our price range. He's the Bentley of producers and we could only afford a Ford. [Laughs]"

Regarding the musical direction of MISS MAY I's new material, Benton said: "A lot of it could be considered leftfield for us. I won't go into detail because when you do that, people expect something that they may not particularly hear, but when we finished 'At Heart', we were all stoked and thought we'd thrown everything we had into it. After a couple of years touring and growing, we've come back to writing and have been adding different influences. There's some slower, heavier stuff, thrashier parts and no two songs sound the same. We're doing something to challenge ourselves and our listeners but please both, too."

On Wednesday, April 23, the sixth edition of the Revolver Golden Gods awards took place at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. Prior to the event, Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! hit the "black carpet" to ask varios metal and hard rock musicians for their opinions on whether AC/DC should continue without Malcolm Young.

The following artists and music industry heavyweights appear in the video below:

* Wendy Dio (Ronnie's James Dio's wife/manager)* Neil Portnow (President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President/CEO)* Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR, ex-DOWN)* Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT)* Rex Brown (KILL DEVIL HILL, ex-PANTERA, DOWN)* Sin Quirin (MINISTRY)* Jason Hook (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH)* Evan Seinfeld (ATTIKA 7, BIOHAZARD)

As previously reported, AC/DC may have enlisted Stevie Young, the nephew of guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, to take Malcolm's place in the band as they gear up to record their 16th studio album. According to The Pulse Of Radio, an AC/DC fan named Jeff Lorenz posted a photo that he took of the band in Vancouver, where they are recording, saying that Stevie was visible in the picture. Another fan tweeted back, "Ok so there we have it. Welcome #StevieYoung to @AC_DC – all the best guys, do it for Mal!" The photo was later removed.

Stevie Young played with AC/DC once before during a 1988 tour, while Malcolm stepped out to deal with his dependency on alcohol.

Legend has it that Stevie resembled his uncle closely enough that many fans reportedly didn’t even know Malcolm had left the tour.

AC/DC confirmed widespread reports last month that Malcolm was stepping down due to an undisclosed illness, with some outlets reporting that he suffered a stroke.

The legendary Australian act stated that it will "continue to make music," and began recording sessions with producer Brendan O'Brien last week. Plans for a 40th anniversary tour remain unclear.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett is among the artists who appear on "The Gay Nineties Old Tyme Music: Daisy Bell", a limited-edition album featuring different versions of the same song, the 19th century pop standard "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)". Written in 1892, it was a hit song of the time and was later popularized in the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", in which it is sung by the HAL 9000 computer. Other artists set to appear on the CD include preeminent pop parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic, Tyler The Creator, Nick Cave, Katy Perry, DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh and ex-OINGO BOINGO mastermind Danny Elfman.

Printed in an extremely limited run of 999 hand-numbered and signed copies on 180-gram red vinyl, "The Gay Nineties Old Tyme Music: Daisy Bell" is the brainchild of artist Mark Ryden, who got his start in the music business as an album art painter, creating the cover for MICHAEL JACKSON's "Dangerous", RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' "One Hot Minute" and AEROSMITH's "Love In An Elevator" single.

The proceeds from the record, which will sell for $99.99, will benefit Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that supports musical education in disadvantaged elementary schools.

Half of the records are being sold at Ryden's new show, The Gay 90s, which opened this past Saturday, May 3, at the Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. The other half will be sold on the artist's web site beginning on May 13.

The official lyric video for the song "Until It's Gone" from LINKIN PARK can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Hunting Party", which is scheduled for release on June 17.

Aside from their 2004 EP "Collision Course", on which they collaborated with rapper Jay-Z, LINKIN PARK has never worked on studio recordings with other artists. According to The Pulse Of Radio, that's about to change on "The Hunting Party", which features guest appearances from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello, HELMET's Page Hamilton and SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Daron Malakian in addition to rapper Rakim's guest spot on the single "Guilty All The Same".

Vocalist Chester Bennington told New Zealand's 3 News, "We've collaborated with people for the first time, which was inspiring . . . When we got Page in, Mike [Shinoda, co-vocalist and producer] had written this chorus and sang it, and his voice had this tone, and it was unlike anything I'd heard from him before. And I was like, 'Dude, this is crazy, this sounds like a HELMET song! It's cool!' And we were like, 'Dude, why don't we see if we can get like Page in here?' You know? And if that's why the song says it's feeling like it should be, then why don't we just go straight to the source."

"The Hunting Party" track listing:

01. Keys To The Kingdom 02. All For Nothing (feat. Page Hamilton) 03. Guilty All The Same (feat. Rakim)04. The Summoning 05. War 06. Wastelands 07. Until It's Gone 08. Rebellion (feat. Daron Malakian) 09. Mark The Graves 10. Drawbar (feat. Tom Morello) 11. Final Masquerade 12. A Line In The Sand

Shinoda told The Pulse Of Radio that the band will work hard to make sure the songs translate to the live show. "We try to approach how we perform our songs with integrity, and the stuff we write in the studio can be really layered," he said. "There can be a lot of stuff in there — lots of tracks of cool sounds and samples and keyboards and multiple guitars and all this. And sometimes it's a big challenge to bring that to the stage, but we end up just finding a way to make it all work."

LINKIN PARK will hit the road in support of "The Hunting Party" on this summer's "Carnivores Tour" with 30 SECONDS TO MARS and AFI. The trek kicks off on August 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The official lyric video for the song "Sociopaths" from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman can be seen below. The track, a collaboration with REVOCATION guitar whiz David Davidson, is taken from Friedman's new solo album, "Inferno", which will be released in late May via Prosthetic Records (except in Japan, where the album will be made available through Universal Music).

"Inferno" was recorded primarily in Los Angeles with engineer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, CHILDREN OF BODOM) and mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH) — features what Friedman recently told Guitar World is "the most intense writing and playing I can do." The album also includes notable guest appearances by several artists influenced by Friedman, including flamenco/metal acoustic guitar duo RODRIGO Y GABRIELA, CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho, SKYHARBOR mastermind Keshav Dhar and David Davidson, as well as Friedman's first songwriting collaboration with Jason Becker since the pair played together in CACOPHONY, the pioneering duo of guitar mayhem.

In addition, "Inferno" breaks all genre rules and creates new ones with an exhilarating and musically daring mash-up with Jørgen Munkeby of the acclaimed "blackjazz" act SHINING, as well as two tracks featuring vocals by rock guru Danko Jones. Overall, "Inferno" is by fa Friedman's most thrilling and adventurous effort to date.

"Inferno" track listing:

01. Inferno02. Resin03. Wicked Panacea (feat. Rodrigo y Gabriela)04. Steroidhead (feat. Keshav Dhar)05. I Can't Relax (feat. Danko Jones)06. Meat Hook (feat. Jørgen Munkeby)07. Hyper Doom08. Sociopaths (feat. David Davidson)09. Lycanthrope (feat. Alexi Laiho & Danko Jones)10. Undertow11. Horrors (co-written by Jason Becker)12. Inferno (reprise)

"Inferno" release dates:

North America: May 27UK: May 26Rest of Europe: May 23Japan: May 21

"Steroidhead" — hailed by Rolling Stone as a "mix of searing solos and chugging prog-metal riffs" — was unveiled in January prior to the annual NAMM convention, where Friedman introduced a new Paul Reed Smith signature series guitar and performed live before capacity crowds at the PRS and Roland/Boss demonstration booths.

"I'm extremely proud of the work I've done with CACOPHONY and MEGADETH, but I was never interested in stopping there," Friedman said. "'Inferno' is the album that fans of my work with those two bands have always wanted me to make. I've finally made it, and completely on my own maniacal terms."

He added: "On the guests' songs, each would write a song from scratch, and then I would arrange it and add my parts to it," Friedman said. "That way, we were both invested in it, and it’s a little bit of a deeper experience than just banging out a guest solo."

"I wanted to create a new landmark to which my future music will be compared," Friedman said. "That idea of just going completely balls-out — knowing what the full potential of my music and my playing could possibly be, and actually making it a reality — was what drove me through the whole process."

"Sociopaths" lyric video: