Fan-filmed video footage of VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS' March 15 performance at De Pul in Uden, 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" track listing:

01. Lust And Lies02. Close To You03. Good Thing04. Breathing05. Steal Away06. Line Of Fire07. Out Of Reach08. Feel It09. Leave This Town10. One Step Behind11. Leeches12. Nothing Touches13. Sailing Ships

"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.

Finnish extreme metallers IMPALED NAZARENE will release their 12th studio album, "Vigorous And Liberating Death", on April 14 via Osmose Productions. The cover artwork was painted by Taneli Jarva and can be seen below.

"Vigorous And Liberating Death" final track listing:

01. King Reborn02. Flaming Sword Of Satan03. Pathological Hunger For Violence04. Vestal Virgins05. Martial Law06. Riskiarvio07. Apocalypse Principle08. Kuoleman Varjot09. Vigorous And Liberating Death10. Drink Consultation11. Dystopia A. S.12. Sananvapaus13. Hostis Humani Generis

Check out "Vigorous And Liberating Death" audio samples below.

"Vigorous And Liberating Death" was recorded at City Lights and S/Mental studios and is currently being mixed at Studio Fungus by the band's longtime sound engineer Max "Kosher/Kebab" Kostermaa, who also handled the previous album, "Road To The Octagon".

"Vigorous And Liberating Death" was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios.

"Vigorous And Liberating Death" will be available on CD, gatefold LP (with poster) and as a digital download.



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Post by Impaled Nazarene.

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 are in the process of being laid down right now. Founder and frontman Zel (a.k.a. Aphazel) will record vocals with Jacob Hansen (who also produced the "Proxima Centauri" album from 2001) in Denmark.

One song will feature guest vocals by Martyr Lucifer of HORTUS ANIMAE.

The mastered album is expected to be ready in April/May.

A label for the release has yet to be confirmed.

Some new songtitles include:

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

ANCIENT 2014:

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.

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL have set "White Devil Armory" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in July in North America via eOne Music and in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. Sogtitles set to appear on the CD include "Where There's Smoke", "Amorist" and "Pig". The effort is being tracked at Gear Recording and will be mixed by Greg Reely, who also worked on 2012's "The Electric Age".

Said OVERKILL in a statement: "We are still working on the new record, but this is gonna be worth the wait, with more old-school, face-melting thrash!"

Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated about the band's upcoming album: "The new record has a blend of what we've done over the past half decade. I'm noticing it's a more punchy heavy metal record with more dimension than the last record had. Where is it going to end up on the food chain? I really don't know. But my feeling is it's an eclectic collection of moments from us. 'The Electric Age' came across, to me, as kind of a two-dimensional thrash record. This one is punchy but has a whole different bunch of ways to go and things to hear on it."

OVERKILL released a very special limited tour edition of "The Electric Age" in Europe on April 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The limited 2CD tour edition included the regular album as well as a four additional live tracks on a bonus CD, recorded at The Metro in Sidney, Australia on September 25, 2010.

"The Electric Age" sold 6,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 77 on The Billboard 200 chart.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

"Heroes", the new album from Swedish metallers SABATON, will be released on May 16 via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the effort was created by Péter Sallai. A number of bomus tracks will be made available, including cover versions of songs originally written and recorded by METALLICA, BATTLE BEAST and RAUBTIER.

METALLICA - "For Whom The Bell Tolls"

Says SABATON: "All of us are old fans of METALLICA. The choice of the song was difficult, but we all could agree on that one. As an addition, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' was the first heavy metal song ever performed on a stage by Pär."

BATTLE BEAST - "Out Of Control"

Says SABATON: "BATTLE BEAST was our secret guest at our latest Sabaton Cruise and we all enjoyed watching them perform their songs live. We thought we wanted to support young and upcoming bands and decided to do a cover of them."

RAUBTIER - "En Hjältes Väg"

Says SABATON: "RAUBTIER are our brothers from the north of Sweden. We have played together countless times and in the past, and Thobbe used to be in this band. At a special concert in 2012, Joakim performed this song live together with RAUBTIER and it awoke the idea of doing a cover version. Seeing to the song title it was also a natural choice for our latest album, 'Heroes'."

"Heroes" track listing:

Standard jewel case:

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron Digipack and U.S. version:

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron

Bonus tracks:

11. 773412. Man Of War Digital only:

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron

Bonus tracks:

11. 773412. Man Of War13. For Whom The Bell Tolls Japan:

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron

Bonus tracks:

11. 773412. Man Of War13. En Hjältes Väg Japan - digital only:

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron

Bonus tracks:

11. 773412. Man Of War13. En Hjältes Väg14. For Whom The Bell Tolls Earbook:

CD 1

01. Night Witches02. No Bullets Fly03. Smoking Snakes04. Inmate 485905. To Hell And Back06. The Ballad Of Bull07. Resist And Bite08. Soldier Of 3 Armies09. Far From The Fame10. Hearts Of Iron

CD 2 (bonus):

01. 773402. Man Of War03. En Hjältes Väg04. For Whom The Bell Tolls05. Out Of Control

"We had the title in mind since before we even recorded 'Carolus Rex' and we already had ideas for artwork years ago," says SABATON bassist Pär Sundström. "We had a few different ones to choose from, but when we saw this one, we knew it was the right one for this album."

"Heroes" was recorded at The Abyss, the recording studio in Pärlby outside Ludvika, Sweden owned and operated by record producer and musician Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN).

"[Peter] still has some aces in his sleeves that we are sure will lift the new album," says Sundström.

SABATON played its first show with new drummer Hannes Van Dahl on November 16, 2013 at the Metal Hammer Paradise festival in Germany.

Regarding their decision to enlist Hannes Van Dahl, SABATON said in a statement: "For some time, there has been rumors about Robban [Bäck] coming back soon, or that Snowy [Shaw] would fill in for a while longer, or even take Robban's place permanently behind the drums.

"To put an end to these rumors we now present our new full-time member in SABATON: Hannes Van Dahl.

"Hannes has previously played in EVERGREY, which we have toured with in the past, and he has also worked side by side with us as drum technician for Snowy during his time in SABATON."

SABATON will return to the U.S. and Canada in April as direct support to American metallers ICED EARTH on their "Worldwide Plagues" North American tour. Opening each show on the six-week trek will be Dutch metallers REVAMP (featuring NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen).

SABATON's last album, "Carolus Rex", was released on May 22, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records. The lyrics for the CD, which was made available in both English and Swedish, deal with the Swedish Empire (referring to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721).

SABATON in 2012 parted ways with guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, drummer Daniel Mulback and keyboardist Daniel Mÿhr.

KILLER BE KILLED, the new band comprised of Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, ex-SEPULTURA), Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Troy Sanders (MASTODON) and Dave Elitch (ex-THE MARS VOLTA), will release its self-titled debut album on May 13 (one day earlier internationally) via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur, whose credits include work with GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ESCAPE THE FATE, P!NK and STEVE EARLE. Cover art and packaging was executed by Ryan Clark of Invisible Creature Design, the Grammy-nominated design firm whose clients include ALICE IN CHAINS, FOO FIGHTERS, CHRIS CORNELL, DEVILDRIVER, MONSTER MAGNET, WOLFMOTHER and DEMON HUNTER.

"He's a Polish worker in the back of a dark truck, but he looked like a criminal to me," explains Clark about his choice for the cover's image. "Multiplying his face seemed to give him a sort of split personality/schizophrenic vibe, which feels like a good mesh. Not just for the band name but the idea of a (for the lack of a better term) supergroup." "Killer Be Killed" track listing:

01. Wings Of Feather And Wax02. Face Down03. Melting Of My Marrow04. Snakes of Jehova05. Curb Crusher06. Save The Robots07. Fire To Your Flag08. I.E.D.09. Dust Into Darkness10. Twelve Labors11. Forbidden Fire12. Ghosts Of Chernobyl (vinyl-only bonus track)

The songs "Wings Of Feather And Wax" and "Face Down" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

MetalSucks placed Puciato at #1 on their list of the Top 25 Modern Metal Frontmen, but he also expresses himself through the dark electro-pop of THE BLACK QUEEN, together with NINE INCH NAILS touring guitarist Josh Eustis of TELEFON TEL AVIV and Maynard James Keenan's PUSCIFER. Puciato made a guest appearance in 2012 with MIXHELL, the DJ project of Max's brother, SEPULTURA co-founder Igor Cavalera. Cavalera is no stranger to collaborations, of course, having invited multiple guests onto SEPULTURA's genre-defining "Roots" and SOULFLY's gold-selling debut album in 1998. One such SOULFLY guest, Chino Moreno, has often joined Puciato onstage with both THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and DEFTONES. Max was one-half of the incendiary NAILBOMB, together with English record producer and FUDGE TUNNEL mastermind Alex Newport. The pair released one studio album in 1993 and performed a blistering set at the Dynamo festival in 1995. "We did the song on SOULFLY's 'Omen' and then we started talking about doing an entire album together, the way he had with Alex Newport," Puciato explains. "We eventually got together with some riffs we both had and wrote a bunch more material in a 72-hour blast out in the desert. We left with about 15 demos we made using the same drum machine and four track Max used working on 'Chaos A.D.'" Cognizant of the reputation both of them have cultivated after working with some of the world's best drummers, Puciato called upon David Elitch, who had toured internationally with the mind-bendingly psychedelic group THE MARS VOLTA. His expertise in everything from jazz to metal has led to live and studio collaborations with a diverse range of major artists including Justin Timberlake, French electronic wizards M83 and Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør. KILLER BE KILLED has come together even as their main projects hit a collective stride: Max just released his ninth studio album with SOULFLY, "Savages", to many of the strongest reviews of his legendary career. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's "One Of Us Is The Killer" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Album chart earlier this year. MASTODON's most recent album, "The Hunter", was Album Of The Year in Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Total Guitar in 2011. MASTODON and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN have toured together many times. During one such tour in the U.S., in late 2011, Puciato was telling Sanders about the new project. Before too long, Sanders and Cavalera were meeting at a festival in South America for the first time: "Hey, I'm Troy. And I think we're in a band together." The electric chemistry was apparent the first time they all assembled. "Having met, created and recorded an album together, this experience has easily exceeded my initial expectations," says Sanders. "The collective energy and mutual respect for one another eased the entire process and has been very therapeutic for me." KILLER BE KILLED is: Greg Puciato - vocals, guitarMax Cavalera - vocals, guitarTroy Sanders - vocals, bassDave Elitch - drums

California blues rockers RIVAL SONS, who recently finished work on their fourth full-length album at LCS Studios in Nashville, have announced the addition of Dave Beste as an official member of the band, taking up position on bass.

Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Dave Beste moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue music professionally, and has previously performed with the likes of MAROON 5 and ROCCO DELUCA AND THE BURDEN among others. Beste has been touring with RIVAL SONS since last August following the departure of Robin Everhart, and plays on the band's new album, due to be released this summer on Earache Records.

RIVAL SONS frontman Jay Buchanan comments: "Personnel change in a band this tight can be a very worried thing. Suddenly, you have to reprogram yourself from hearing and doing things in a familiar way in order to move forward, sink into and appreciate the new. That 'new' is Dave Beste and he's been completely killing it. A close friend of mine for many years, Beste committed wholeheartedly to helping us out when we were in a tight spot and it didn't take long to see that the fit couldn't be more natural. Also, I can't wait for people to hear his playing on this new record because he delivered in spades. So, now it is official. Bonafide. Dave Beste is a Rival Son."

Dave Beste comments: "I'm thrilled to be joining RIVAL SONS as a member. Getting to travel with your buddies and play in a band you already dig is a really special thing. I couldn't be happier they asked me to join them in this endeavor."

FARMIKOS, the new Los Angeles-based band featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE and DAVID LEE ROTH guitarist Joe Holmes and vocalist Robbie Locke, will release four digital singles on Tuesday, March 18.

A sampler has been posted on the band's YouTube channel and can be seen below. "Scapegoat", "Kings Of Dust", "Exit Stencils" and "The Sound Of My Gun" mark Holmes' long-awaited return to the music scene after taking a lengthy break following his five-year stint with Ozzy Osbourne. Recorded at the Mouse House in Pasadena, California with engineer/mixer Rich Mouser (SPOCK'S BEARD, TRANSATLANTIC, VAST), the songs feature guest contributions by Holmes' former Ozzy bandmate, bassist Robert Trujillo (METALLICA), drummer Brooks Wackerman (BAD RELIGION), and writing collaborator Brent Hoffort (MY OWN MACHINE). States Holmes: "We've been thinking long and hard about the best way put our music out. Rather than going the conventional route and putting out an album, we are releasing these four tunes digitally and plan on making additional singles available at regular intervals.

"We want people to experience our music as we create it instead of holding it to release all at once. We're excited because this approach allows our audience to grow with us." Holmes goes on to say, "We had another really productive session recently when Robbie was back in town to lay down vocals and work on new material, so more music is in the pipeline ready to be unleashed, leading up to a full-length album later in the year." FARMIKOS is Joe Holmes' first venture under his own flag since first attaining local notoriety with TERRIFF, an L.A. band he formed after taking guitar lessons as a teenager from none other than original Ozzy axeman, Randy Rhoads. Holmes eventually went on to replace ALS-stricken Jason Becker on the 1991 David Lee Roth "A Lil' Ain't Enough" world tour. In 1995, Holmes was brought to the attention of Ozzy Osbourne who was looking for a new guitarist to take over Zakk Wylde's spot for the "Ozzmosis" album touring cycle. Holmes would go on to co-write three songs, "Facing Hell", "Junkie" and "That I Never Had", which appeared on Ozzy's 2001 album, "Down To Earth". Holmes spent the last several years raising his family and eventually started to put together ideas for what would become FARMIKOS. Holmes began collaborating and creating material with Brent Hoffort and then joined forces with vocalist and Arkansas native Robbie Locke in 2011. "I really wanted to do my own thing and once Robbie came into the picture things really started to fall into place," he says. "It's taken us a bit longer than anticipated to get to this point but we're proud to finally present FARMIKOS to the world and letting people hear what we've been working on."

Former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) has revealed to The Quietus that CELTIC FROST turned down a substantial amount of money to reform for an appearance at the world's biggest heavy metal festival, Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany.

"Two and a half weeks ago, I was actually offered €100,000 (approximately $140,000) for a one-hour show at Wacken as CELTIC FROST — Martin [Eric Ain, original bassist] and me being the main two; they said it wouldn't matter who was playing drums or second guitar, as long as Martin and me would put CELTIC FROST on stage at Wacken.

"And my response to them? The same as the one I gave you: It's a joke. So the answer's no."

He continued: "I invested an immeasurable amount of time, creativity and personal money into resurrecting CELTIC FROST, and in the end it ended really badly. I don't regret that I did it, but I'm not keen to set myself up for yet another huge disappointment and have it all end again in such a huge crash… I'm not keen to shoot myself in the face again. I would've loved to continue it, but it was impossible."

Fischer didn't completely rule out the possibility of a CELTIC FROST reunion in the future, but made it clear that if were they ever to reform, it would have to be for the right reasons. He said: "I think it's perfectly legitimate to reform a band; heavy metal is now becoming an older genre, many bands have been together for a long time and sometimes it's very necessary to split up — it can be a positive thing.

"If I think back to CELTIC FROST, it was overdue that we split up. In the Eighties, even, it was perhaps overdue — maybe we should've split even earlier. But, it was also very good when we came back, so I think it can be a legitimate thing. However, when you resurrect a band because a check is looming from your management or a record label or whoever, maybe it's better to leave it alone. We didn't want money to be the incentive. We worked for five and a half years [on 2006 comeback album 'Monotheist'] until we had the feeling that it sounded like the album that we wanted to make, that we should have made. Then we released it, financed again by ourselves, and we licensed it. We never became slaves; we never did it for money. So, then, I think we can say that it was a success on another level too, despite how the band ultimately ended."

In a 2011 interview with BigMusicGeek.com, Tom was asked at what point he realized that his tenure with CELTIC FROST was once again coming to an end. "To be quite honest, I had sensed it for some time," he replied. "I just didn't want to admit it.

"CELTIC FROST was much more than just a band to me. It was my life, my ideology and pretty much represented my entire being. Of course, I didn't want to see it destroyed again, so despite having all the inside information, I tried to disrupt its destruction and probably stayed too long even though it was fairly obvious that I couldn't face the band. Actually, I blame the final drummer of CELTIC FROST for the destruction of the band. If Martin has any part of this, it's his inactivity that opened the door to this. He simply did not want to involve himself in anything negative, which, on one hand, is commendable, but on the other hand, it's simply not realistic in this world or within a band that works under pressure twenty four hours a day. You simply have to be a man and be involved, especially if certain personal conflicts threaten the whole band. Martin was initially reluctant to become involved and that basically opened the door for one person to let his ego run freely until there was really nothing left of the band."

VIPER SOLFA, the new band featuring Ronny Thorsen (TRAIL OF TEARS), Miriam "Sphinx" Renvåg (RAM-ZET, ENDLING), Morfeus (MAYHEM, LIMBONIC ART, DIMENSION F3H), Endre Moe (TRAIL OF TEARS, DIMENSION F3H, CUTTHROAT) and Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (TRAIL OF TEARS, SPHERE), will enter the studio in May to start recording its as-yet-untitled debut album. Drums will be tracked at Strand Studio in Oslo, Norway before moving on to bass, guitars and keyboards/orchestration recordings. Vocals will be laid down at Soundsuite Studios in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes. The band states: "Stoked to get this train rolling!"

A demo version of the VIPER SOLFA song "Whispers And Storms" can be streamed below. VIPER SOLFA emerged in 2013 as an idea from TRAIL OF TEARS singer and frontman Ronny Thorsen. After nearly two decades of albums, worldwide touring, as well as guest appearances for TRISTANIA and BLOOD RED THRONE, the time seemed right to head into different musical territories. Thorsen was quickly joined by fellow TRAIL OF TEARS members Endre Moe on bass and Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow on drums. Not long after, the three of them found themselves in the creative company of Morfeus, who immediately took the role of main composer as well as handling guitar, keyboard and orchestration duties. With the material at hand, it became obvious that the sound needed a diverse, intense and highly skilled female voice and after auditioning over two dozen singers from around the globe, Miriam "Sphinx" Renvåg was recruited as the final piece of the puzzle.

With a lineup consisting of established and well-known members from vast musical backgrounds, the result is a merciless musical beast combining the best of the individual members' musical history. Nearly a year has been spent crafting the band's innovative brand of extreme metal, or as the band so fittingly labels it: poison music.

VIPER SOLFA is:

* Ronny Thorsen (TRAIL OF TEARS) - Vocals* Miriam "Sphinx" Renvåg (RAM-ZET, ENDLING) - Vocals* Morfeus (MAYHEM, LIMBONIC ART, DIMENSION F3H) - Guitar, Keyboards, Orchestration* Endre Moe (TRAIL OF TEARS, DIMENSION F3H, CUTTHROAT) - Bass* Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (TRAIL OF TEARS, SPHERE) - Drums

Italian death metallers HOUR OF PENANCE have unveiled a lyric video for "Resurgence Of The Empire", a new song from the group's upcoming album "Regicide". Check it out below. Due May 13 in North America and May 12 in Europe, "Regicide" features cover artwork (seen below) by Gyula Havancsák (ANNIHILATOR, DESTRUCTION, GRAVE DIGGER) which, like the album, revolves around the themes of destruction, rebirth and the killing of the king. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Rome's 16th Cellar Studios (FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE), the CD is described by the band as "a bone-crushing feast for old and new fans...more varied and brutal than everything we've done so far."

The album's first CD pressing will be a limited-edition digipak that will contain three bonus tracks. Those bonus tracks will also be available via download card to anyone who orders the album on vinyl or cassette, as well as anyone who orders the "deluxe edition" of the album on Bandcamp or other digital providers.

Exclusive pre-order packages featuring "Regicide" on CD, cassette and LP paired with either a t-shirt or zip-up hoodie are currently available at this location. All physical and digital Bandcamp pre-orders will also receive an immediate download of "Resurgence of The Empire".

Says HOUR OF PENANCE guitarist Paolo Pieri: "'Regicide' revolves around the themes of destruction and rebirth and the killing of the king — be he your own fears, prejudices or dogmas that you build inside yourself to cope with reality. Only by letting go of those illusions and tearing down the walls of ignorance and fear that society, religion and every form of dysfunctional authority you interjected during your life, can you start to rebuild your own path as a free man that has no need for a king."

"Regicide" track listing

01. Through The Triumphal Arch02. Reforging The Crowns03. Desecrated Souls04. Resurgence of The Empire05. Spears of Sacred Doom06. Sealed Into Ecstasy07. Redeemer Of Atrocity08. Regicide09. The Sun Worship10. The Seas of Light11. Theogony

Bonus tracks:

01. The Uncorrupted Ones02. Frail As The Flesh Of Christ03. Monarch of Heresy

Since releasing 2012's acclaimed "Sedition", which Decibel lauded as a "hyper-blasting, inhuman, machine-like attack," HOUR OF PENANCE has annihilated fans worldwide with its fiery exuberance, playing well over 200 gigs alongside such acts as BEHEMOTH, SKELETONWITCH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER, PSYCROPTIC, MISERY INDEX, DEICIDE, BELPHEGOR and NILE.

HOUR OF PENANCE played its first show of 2014 at this month's Trondheim Metal Fest in Norway. The band will also be seen at several European festivals throughout the spring, including Neurotic Deathfest.

German melodic metallers EDGUY will release their tenth studio album, "Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown", on April 18 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2011's "Age Of The Joker". In addition to the regular CD edition, the effort will also be made available as a limited digibook containing two CDs. Also available will be a strictly limited hardcover earbook collectors' edition (28.5x28.5cm) containing the two discs, a photographic history with more than 130 photos from the band's archive, liner notes, touring history, and more.

"Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown" track listing:

01. Sabre & Torch02. Space Police03. Defenders Of The Crown04. Love Tyger05. The Realms Of Baba Yaga06. Rock Me Amadeus07. Do Me Like A Caveman08. Shadow Eaters09. Alone In Myself10. The Eternal Wayfarer

Bonus disc track listing:

01. England 02. Aychim In Hysteria 03. Space Police (progressive version) 04. Space Police (instrumental version) 05. Love Tyger (instrumental version) 06. Defenders Of The Crown (instrumental version) 07. Do Me Like A Caveman (instrumental version)

The official lyric video for the song "Sabre & Torch" can be seen below.

Comments EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet: "We recorded a pure epic heavy EDGUY album, our record label demanded a heavy metal cover artwork, so who are we to not obey?! It's got 1. Monster 2. Daredevil Action Hero 3. Fantasy Space Scape 4. Is Hand Painted 5. Fire (coming out of the…) 6. …Weapon

"Now, not giving a shit and getting away with it: THAT is metal!"

Regarding the musical direction of "Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown", EDGUY previously said: "We have focused on what makes this band unique and recorded what we believe is going to be the strongest and heaviest album EDGUY has ever recorded.

"We didn't waste any time with updates or distractions.

"There is no doubt that this album is going to be the album EDGUY will be measured against in the future. And it makes us proud to say that as a band that has been existing for over 22 years now, fully aware that the best is yet to come."

"Age Of The Joker" sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 21 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.

EDGUY's previous CD, "Tinnitus Sanctus", opened with 600 units back in February 2009 to land at No. 88 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

"Age Of The Joker" was released in Europe on August 29, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION have uploaded the first episode in the "Hydra" tour video diary. Check it out below.

WITHIN TEMPTATION's new album, "Hydra", sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.

WITHIN TEMPTATION's previous CD, "Unforgiving", opened with 12,000 units back in March 2011 to land at No. 50.

"Hydra" first-week chart positions:

#1: Netherlands, Czech Republic#2: Finland, Switzerland#4: Germany, Poland#5: Austria#6: United Kingdom#9: France#11: Portugal#12: Sweden#16: USA#17: Norway#22: Japan#25: Canada#26: Australia#28: Spain

"Hydra" was released in North America on February 4 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the new U.S. partnership between Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner Records A&R chief Monte Conner. The album was made available in several luxury formats. The cover artwork was created by Romano Molenaar ("X-Men", "Batman", "The Unforgiving").

The digital premium album, complete with digi-booklet, was made available on iTunes and includes 18 audio tracks and a music video. The digital premium album features bonus "Evolution Versions" of four new songs, which contain audio commentary from guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon Den Adel and give you unique access to the development of the songs, their lyrical inspiration and the sound of the initial demos and vocals.

In a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon Den Adel stated about the songwriting process for "Hydra"": "A lot of bands were inspired by the '80s at the time we were writing 'The Unforgiving' album. There was a lot of music based on the '80s coming out and it had a lot of '80s flavors. With this new album, even though we're only a few years further up the road, you can feel that music has changed again. Music is not inspired on the '80s, but more like there are different influences in the music again. Music's always organic, and you feel things are changing comfortably."

She added: "When people asked us after 'The Unforgiving', 'Are you gonna make another 'Unforgiving' album?" we said, 'Of course.' Because we were really full of it in a positive way. We really like the album a lot and still do like it a lot but we really feel there's an '80s feel to the songs. When we started writing this album, again we felt like we were already knowing we were gonna go a different direction also."

Reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN played their landmark 1994 "Superunknown" album last night (Thursday, March 13) at the iTunes Festival, which made its U.S. debut as part of the ongoing South By Southwest festivities in Austin, Texas.

The event was streamed live through the iTunes store and was available on all personal computers and mobile devices.

Fan-filmed video footage of SOUNDGARDEN's concert can be seen below.

Last month, SOUNDGARDEN announced that it will be releasing two special deluxe editions of "Superunknown". "Superunknown - Deluxe Edition", which will feature the remastered album as well as b-sides, demos and rehearsals, will hit stores on June 3.

"Superunknown - Super Deluxe Edition" will also hit stores on June 3 but will be a full five CD set with a hardcover book and photos.

SOUNDGARDEN forntman Chris Cornell told Billboard.com that the idea for a "Superunknown" show came about after the group put together the special 20th anniversary deluxe editions. "It's the idea of the reissue and recognizing it as an anniversary, which I don't think is our instinct, ever," Cornell explained. "But it seemed kinda to make sense for this album. If you can single out any of our albums as being, like, the most iconic one, it's obviously this one. I think it's an accomplishment, and I'm proud we did it. So it's kind of a cool thing to do and concentrate on."

As for the performance, Cornell opened by explaining to the audience: "I want to apologize ahead of time because there are so many different tunings on this album and when we sequenced it, we didn't really care about that… so we're going to switch guitars a lot on pretty much every single song."

The singer told Billboard.com: "When you start with the tunings, it seems like a more disjoined album than it really is when you play it in order, because each tuning has its own personality. But the whole album seems to flow naturally, but when you look at it closer it seems less fluid in a way."

"Melana Chasmata", the second album from TRIPTYKON — the occult/avant-garde metal project formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — will be released on April 15 (one day earlier internationally). The CD will be made available through a collaboration between TRIPTYKON's own label, Prowling Death Records Ltd., and renowned metal giant Century Media Records. This is the same label partnership already responsible for CELTIC FROST's final album, "Monotheist" (2006), HELLHAMMER's "Demon Entrails" demo compendium (2008), and TRIPTYKON's debut album, "Eparistera Daimones", and "Shatter" EP (2010).

Like its predecessor "Eparistera Daimones", the album was produced by TRIPTYKON's singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior and guitarist V. Santura and recorded and mixed at V. Santura's own Woodshed Studio in southern Germany as well as at TRIPTYKON's rehearsal facilities in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2013 and 2014. Those who have already heard "Melana Chasmata" have described it as "atmospheric, dark, diabolical, and dramatic", "diverse, epic, and doomy, but on an entirely different level", "a fierce boulder of abhorrence", or "very heavy and yet very aesthetic at the same time".

"Melana Chasmata" will feature the following nine songs, at a playing time of around 67 minutes:

01. Tree Of Suffocating Souls02. Boleskine House03. Altar Of Deceit04. Breathing05. Aurorae06. Demon Pact07. In The Sleep Of Death08. Black Snow09. Waiting

Among other formats, the album will be released as a 32-page mediabook (with lyrics and liner notes to every song, and with a special fold out poster), as a gatefold vinyl double album (with posters and large-format booklet), and for digital download. Additionally, Century Media is scheduled to issue a special box set, limited to 2000 copies. The box set will include the album, a TRIPTYKON silver pendant, a poster, postcards, a TRIPTYKON tote bag, and a cap.

To commemorate the unveiling of "Melana Chasmata", Century Media will release a collector's gatefold seven-inch vinyl single, featuring the songs "Breathing" and "Boleskine House". The single will be available on March 17, and be limited to a pressing 1000 (of which 200 will be in red vinyl). "Breathing" and "Boleskine House" will also be available as a digital single (including the option for a digital booklet), and they are now being streamed via the YouTube clips below.

The official listening and release party for "Melana Chasmata" will be held on Friday, April 11 at 10:00 p.m. at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

"Melana Chasmata" will be further distinguished by featuring, for the second time for TRIPTYKON, the extraordinary art of legendary Swiss surrealist HR Giger. Following "Eparistera Daimones", the group began to make arrangements for an entirely different cover for the second album. Completely unexpectedly, HR Giger approached Tom Gabriel Warrior in October of 2011 to express his appreciation of how TRIPTYKON had used his art on the first album and to propose a continuation of the artistic collaboration. This development thus marks the first time any musical artist has worked with HR Giger on three albums (CELTIC FROST's "To Mega Therion", and TRIPTYKON's "Eparistera Daimones" and "Melana Chasmata"), and it commemorates a collaboration that has now lasted for 30 years.

"Melana Chasmata" features Giger's dramatically mysterious "Mordor VII" (work no. 283, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on wood, 1975) as a front cover and Giger's "Landschaft XVI" ["Landscape XVI"] (work no. 209, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on paper on wood, 1972) as gatefold art.

After a lengthy hiatus, TRIPTYKON will return to the stage this year to promote "Melana Chasmata". Among the concerts so far scheduled are appearances at the celebrated Roadburn festival, at Rock Hard festival, and, pending the issuance of the proper visas by U.S. authorities, TRIPTYKON's return to the United States for an exclusive appearance at Maryland Deathfest.

TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass, vocals), and Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice, guitars).

Texas-based metal veterans HELSTAR will release their new studio album, "This Wicked Nest", on April 25 via AFM Records. It will be available on CD and vinyl.

"This Wicked Nest" track listing:

01. Fall Of Dominion 02. Eternal Black 03. This Wicked Nest 04. Souls Cry 05. Isla De Las Munecas 06. Cursed 07. It Has Risen 08. Defy The Swarm 09. Magormissabib

The song "Fall Of Dominion" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Bassist Jerry Abarca is taking an extended break from the HELSTAR for health reasons and was temporarily replaced for some of the band's recent shows by Mike LePond of SYMPHONY X.

HELSTAR released "30 Years Of Hel", a DVD containing footage of the band's March 24, 2012 30-year-anniversary hometown show at Warehouse Live in Houston, on October 2, 2012 in North America (August 31, 2012 in Europe) via AFM Records. The DVD+2CD set includes footage of the band performing songs spanning its entire career, including material from the often-overlooked "Multiples Of Black" release. The package also features interviews with each bandmember, as well as with the entire group, conducted by "Robb's MetalWorks" and focusing specifically on this milestone.

HELSTAR released its last album, "Glory Of Chaos", in November 2010 via Germany's AFM Records.

Formed in Houston in the early '80s, HELSTAR cut its teeth playing backyard parties and small club gigs. It soon became apparent that HELSTAR had much more to offer then its contemporaries. Combat Records snapped up the band and released HELSTAR's debut, "Burning Star", in 1984. Next came "Remnants of War", followed by HELSTAR's breakthrough album, "A Distant Thunder", in 1988. The success of "A Distant Thunder" ultimately set up HELSTAR's most critically acclaimed album, 1989's "Nosferatu".

SLAUGHTER lead singer Mark Slaughter will release a new solo single, "Never Givin Up", digitally on March 18 via Thunder Spirit Records.

An audio sample of the track can be streamed at Amazon.com.

SLAUGHTER's best-selling release date is the group's 1990 debut album, "Stick It to Ya", which spawned several hit singles, including "Up All Night" and the power ballad "Fly to the Angels". The album reached double platinum status in the United States.

The band's last studio CD, "Back to Reality", came out in 1999.

Death metal psychopaths ABORTED will release their eighth full-length album, "The Necrotic Manifesto", on April 28 in Europe and on April 29 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was completed with Danish producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, MERCENARY).

The "Necrotic Manifesto" song is available for streaming below.

Comments ABORTED frontman Sven De Caluwé: “Well, the day has finally come to unleash the first single of our new album, 'The Necrotic Manifesto', entitled 'Necrotic Manifesto'. Surprise!

"Anyways, we hope you enjoy the brutality as much as we did composing and recording this sucker. We couldn't be more proud of this whole album and trust us this is just the beginning!

"You will all be able to hear this one live on our upcoming North American tour along a few other tracks.

"Pre-orders will be launched on Monday so keep your eyes open for some really special goodies!" "The Necrotic Manifesto" features guest appearances by Phlegethon (WORMED) and Vincent Bennett (THE ACACIA STRAIN). The artwork was created by Pär Olofsson (PATHOLOGY, IMMOLATION, IMMORTAL).

"The Necrotic Manifesto" track listing:

01. Six Feet Of Foreplay02. The Extirpation Agenda03. Necrotic Manifesto04. An Enumeration Of Cadavers05. Your Entitlement Means Nothing06. The Davidian Deceit07. Coffin Upon Coffin08. Chronicles Of Detruncation09. Sade & Libertine Lunacy10. Die Verzweiflung11. Excremental Veracity12. Purity Of Perversion13. Of Dead Skin & Decay14. Cenobites In support of "The Necrotic Manifesto", ABORTED will tour North America with KATAKLYSM in April.

ABORTED will return to Europe in May for a handful of release shows before heading into the festival season. ABORTED is:

Sven De Caluwé: VocalsMendel Bij De Leij: GuitarDanny Tunker: GuitarJB van der Wal: BassKen Bedene: Drums

Doomy heavy metallers EXORCISM, who feature in their ranks guitarist Joe "Shredlord" Stump (RAVEN LORD, ZVEKAN, HOLYHELL), will release their debut album, "I Am God", on April 25 via GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Mario Bouffier (SACRED REICH, MEGAHERZ, LOU REED, IGGY POP), with additional editing by Axel Wiesenauer (KILLING MACHINE, RAVEN LORD) from Rock'N'Growl and logo by Anestis Goudas (DIMMU BORGIR, RIOT, KREATOR, RAVEN LORD, ZVEKAN).

All drums by Garry King were recorded at La Foret Groupe Studio, France. All guitars by Joe Stump were recorded at The Dungeon in Boston, Massachusetts and edited and processed by Franciso Palomo at a private studio in Boston. All bass guitars by Lucio Manca were recorded at Total Master Sound in Balearic Islands, Spain. All vocals, keyboards, synthesizers and additional rhythm guitars were recorded and edited by Csaba Zvekan. The slide guitar on "End Of Days" and additional rhythm guitars on "Voodoo Jesus" were recorded by Csaba Zvekan at Total Master Sound in Balearic Islands, Spain. The CD was mixed and mastered by Csaba Zvekan at Total Master Sound studios in Balearic Islands, Spain.

"I Am God" track listing:

01. End Of Days02. I Am God03. Voodoo Jesus04. Last Rock'N Roll05. Master Of Evil06. Exorcism07. Higher08. Stay In Hell09. Fade The Day10. Zero G

The song "Voodoo Jesus" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

EXORCISM's music is "doomy and lush while it flows lava like down your spine," according to a press release. "[It features] dark-themed lyrics and melodies that could haunt you for life."

EXORCISM is:

Csaba Zvekan (RAVEN LORD, ex-KILLING MACHINE) - VocalsJoe Stump (RAVEN LORD, HOLYHELL) - GuitarLucio Manca (RAVEN LORD, ex-SOLID VISION) - BassGarry King (ACHILLEA) - Drums

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY).

"We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."

Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic.

"This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."

Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life.

"Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says.

"When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album.

"Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!

"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'

"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

"Escape From The Shadow Garden" track listing:

Digipak Version CD

01. Live 'Til You Die02. Unwritten Sacrifice03. Falling For The Big Plan04. Crying In The Rain05. Too Many Clowns06. Midnight Angel07. The Art Of Compromise08. Don't Fall Asleep09. Wisdom's Had Its Day10. Burning River11. The Valley Of Tears

DVD * Bonus Features* Recorded Over Six Nights In Europe Live Footage (Black Skies - Freedom Day - All My Bridges - On A Storyteller's Night)* Extras (On Tour Footage)(Too Many Clowns - Dance Of The Black Tattoo) Jewel case Version

01. Live 'Til You Die02. Unwritten Sacrifice03. Falling For The Big Plan04. Crying In The Rain05. Too Many Clowns06. Midnight Angel07. The Art Of Compromise08. Don't Fall Asleep09. Wisdom's Had Its Day10. Burning River11. The Valley Of Tears

LP Version LP 1 Side One

01. Live 'Til You Die02. Unwritten Sacrifice03. Falling For The Big Plan

LP 1 Side Two

01. Crying In The Rain02. Too Many Clowns03. Midnight Angel

LP 2 Side One

01. The Art Of Compromise02. Don't Fall Asleep03. Wisdom's Had Its Day

LP 2 Side Two

01. Burning River02. The Valley Of Tears03. Dance Of The Black Tattoo (live; bonus track)

Check out audio samples using the SoundCloud widget below.

Three weeks after the release of "Escape From The Shadow Garden", MAGNUM will embark on a huge European tour.

MAGNUM's last CD, "On The 13th Day", came out in September 2012.

BABYMETAL — the heavy metal offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and death metal — became the youngest artists to ever appear at Tokyo Nippon Budokan when they took the stage at the famed venue on March 1 and March 2.

Sayuri Iwai, previous holder of the title, made her Budokan debut at 15 years old and one month. She was usurped by Suzuka Nakamoto (16), Moa Kikuchi (14) and Yui Mizono (14), who hold a mean age of 14.6 years.

A two-minute video report from CDET News (CountDown ET News), which was broadcast on Music On! TV cable television network, can be seen below.

BABYMETAL released its debut album on February 26 via Toy's Factory. The effort was made available in regular and limited editions. The CD includes five of BABYMETAL's singles that were released in 2011 - 2013, from "Doki Doki Morning" (digital single) to "Megitsune", their B-sides and three new songs.

BABYMETAL released its first-ever concert Blu-ray, "Live ~Legend I, D, Z Apocalypse~", on November 20, 2013 (the limited-edition DVD box was issued on October 19). The set contains footage of the band's performances at Shibuya O-East (October 2012), Akasaka Blitz (December 2012) and Zepp Tokyo (February 2013).

BABYMETAL last year embarked on the "Death Match Tour 2013" and was accompanied by a "full metal band."

In the spring of 2013, Suzuka Nakamoto graduated from junior high school and therefore had to "graduate" from the group SAKURA GAKUIN (which consists of girls of up to junior high). However, it was decided by the management that BABYMETAL would not dissolve and would continue their activities as a band.

BABYMETAL is:

Su-Metal - Vocals and DanceMoametal - Screamer and DanceYuimetal - Screamer and Dance

Chicago-based rock outfit THE LAST VEGAS will release its fifth studio album, "Sweet Salvation", on May 12 in Europe and May 13 in North America via The ILS Group. The follow-up to 2012's "Bad Decisions" was recorded at the end of 2013 in Los Angeles, California by renowned producer and engineer Roy Z. (HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON, JUDAS PRIEST, HELLOWEEN, SEPULTURA).

"Sweet Salvation" track listing:

01. Touch The Sky02. Come With Me03. Invicible Summer04. Lucky 13 05. Miss You06. Face In The Crowd07. You & Me (You Never Know)08. Death Style09. Sweet Salvation

Check out the video for lead single "Come With Me" below and grab a free download of the track here.

THE LAST VEGAS will embark on a 23-date European tour on May 15. The band will be visiting U.K., Germany, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium through June in support of the new album.

Formed in 2005, THE LAST VEGAS cut its teeth relentlessly playing in support of two independent releases. In 2009, the band burst on to the national scene when MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx saw them play live in Los Angeles and subsequently co-produced their third album, "Whatever Gets You Off". More touring followed, including a stint opening MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Saints Of Los Angeles" tour.

German thrashers DUST BOLT will release their sophomore album, "Awake The Riot", on June 10 in North America; May 30 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Benelux; June 4 in Spain, Sweden and Norway; and June 2 in the rest of Europe via Napalm Records.

Andrei Bouzikov, who is responsible for album covers from such bands as SKELETONWITCH and MUNICIPAL WASTE, created the artwork for "Awake The Riot".

The effort will be made available on standard CD, limited 2LP gatefold, and digitally.

"Awake The Riot" track listing:

01. Living Hell02. Soul Erazor 03. Beneath The Earth 04. You Lost Sight 05. Agent Thrash 06. Living A Lie 07. Awake The Riot - The Final War 08. Eternal Waste 09. Drowned In Blind Faith 10. Worlds Built To Deceive 11. The Monotonous - Distant Scream 12. Future Shock (EVIL DEAD cover)

DUST BOLT's debut album, "Violent Demolition", was released in July 2012 via Napalm Records. The CD featured a guest appearance by SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green.

According to a press release, DUST BOLT "demonstrate[d] with their debut album that they are hungry, bursting with energy and highly explosive! The love for Bay Area trash metal is evident in the songs of the German quartet, but the use of modern elements gives their sound a highly unique character. The songs are aggressive, furious and reminiscent of old classics by the likes of KREATOR, SLAYER and TESTAMENT."

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM were honored in the "Metal Album Of The Year" category at this year's Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent), which was held on March 7 at Barona Areena in Espoo, Finland. Other "Metal Album" nominees were BATTLE BEAST ("Battle Beast"), AMORPHIS ("Circle"), LOST SOCIETY ("Fast Loud Death") and RYTMIHÄIRIÖ ("Todellisuuden Mestari").

CHILDREN OF BODOM was unable to accept its fourth Emma award in person because it is currently on the road in North America, but the band's guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho showed the group's appreciation in the form of a video greeting, which can be seen below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's eighth album, "Halo Of Blood", sold 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was made available on June 11 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new album was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

CHILDREN OF BODOM kicked off a six-week major-market North American headlining tour on February 14 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and is hitting 32 markets across the U.S. and Canada before wrapping with a two-night stand at New York City's Irving Plaza on March 28 and March 29. The tour features support from folk metal heroes TÝR and represents CHILDREN OF BODOM's first Stateside headlining run since the release of the band's new LP, "Halo Of Blood".

New York fans will have the opportunity to see two unique CHILDREN OF BODOM shows, a different set each night. In addition, 100 two-night packages are available for New York City which include one ticket for each evening, early entry to the venue both nights, an exclusive show poster and access to the VIP Balcony section.



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Post by Children Of Bodom.

GODSMACK has officially entered the studio to begin recording its sixth album for a late 2014 release. The group's frontman, Sully Erna, tweeted earlier today: "Pre-production is finally over! We've officially started recording the new album! And it is going to be one badass record! Just sayin'…"

He added: "Off to the studio! Vocals start today. Rock and toll better watch out. 'Cuz here we come! AGAIN."

GODSMACK's follow-up to 2010's "The Oracle" is once again being helmed by Dave Fortman, how previously worked with SLIPKNOT and EVANESCENCE, among others.

GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin recently said about the band's forthcoming CD: "So many cool new tunes that I can tell ya it's gonna be hard to narrow these down to the best ones! I know it's been awhile since you've heard from us, but we will make it worth your wait!" With 20 Top 10 hits on the rock radio charts in 16 years, Erna told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he's proud of GODSMACK's track record. "You know, it is nice to know that we're creating stuff that's just kind of living on and that does really well in the active rock stations and the hard rock world and that kind of stuff," he said. "So we're in that middle ground. We're not quite as poppy as like AEROSMITH, but yet we're not as dark and metal as, you know, the SLIPKNOTs or the METALLICAs or whatever. So we're kind of like that in-between band."

Erna spent the last few years pursuing projects outside the band, including the release of his first solo album, "Avalon", as well as a starring role in a new horror film called "Army Of The Damned", now out on DVD.

Mark Abbattista, an attorney for the family of the late KISS drummer Eric Carr, has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"It came to our attention through a variety of different media outlets that a legal proceeding was filed against the band KISS purporting to be on behalf of the 'The Estate of Eric Carr' and the 'late KISS drummer's heirs.' This proceeding was filed by a non-related third party without any knowledge, authorization or consent of anyone in the Carr family. The filing party's attorney has been contacted and ordered to cease and desist from any further statements, actions or allusions purporting to be on behalf of, or in any way relating, directly or indirectly, to Eric Carr and/or the Carr family."

Abbattista continued: "[KISS leaders] Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons know that Eric's family is not involved in this matter. However, due to the litigious society in which we live and the unfiltered proliferation of inaccurate online discussion, it is imperative to address the matter publicly, set the record straight and let the fans know that we are unified in our response to preserve and protect the honorable and beloved legacy of Eric Carr."

Added an Eric Carr family member: "We've known each other for almost 35 years and we have the highest respect for KISS and keeping Eric's memory in a positive light."

Meanwhile, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley tweeted the following message after the news of the lawsuit broke yesterday: "Eric Carr's family is shocked by a lawsuit filed without their knowledge or support. We will deal with this attempted scam appropriately."

A copy of the complaint, filed on March 10 by attorney Robert Garson in New York County Supreme Court, can be downloaded as a PDF file for a $35 fee from the Courthouse News Service.

Carr joined KISS in 1980 after the departure of the band's original drummer Peter Criss. He recorded eight albums with the group, starting with "Music From 'The Elder'" in 1981. His last recorded appearance with KISS was "Hot In The Shade", released in 1989.

Video footage of BLACK STONE CHERRY's recent acoustic performance in the studios of the U.K. digital radio station Planet Rock can be seen below.

BLACK STONE CHERRY will release its fourth album, "Magic Mountain", on May 6 (one day earlier internationally) via Roadrunner Records. The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

The first single from "Magic Mountain", "Me And Mary Jane", hit radio waves last month to coincide with the band's sold-out series of intimate "fan-curated" U.K. shows.

Commenting on the making of the Joe Barresi-produced "Magic Mountain", BLACK STONE CHERRY said: "Not since before our first album have we felt the freedom and confidence that we felt while writing and recording this album.

"After touring the world behind three previous albums that we are extremely proud of, we feel this album best captures the live energy, honesty and vibe that encompasses our true musicianship."

Renowned as electrifying live, BLACK STONE CHERRY hit the road hard in support of "Magic Mountain", kicking off the album cycle in the U.K. with a series of intimate — and sold out — live performances dubbed "The Southern Hospitality Tour". The dates saw BLACK STONE CHERRY creating each evening's setlist from a list of fan requests, guaranteeing every night's performance was completely unique. The boys also broke the lengthy set to answer fans questions during an audience question-and-answer session, marking the shows out as a really special evening.

BLACK STONE CHERRY's previous albums, 2008's "Folklore And Superstition" and 2011's "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea", both topped the U.K. Rock Albums chart on their release and have since racked up silver sales certification status from the BPI (British Phonographic Industry).

BLACK STONE CHERRY is:

Chris Robertson - Vocals/GuitarBen Wells - Guitar/VocalsJon Lawhon - Bass/VocalsJohn Fred Young - Drums/Vocals

VALLENFYRE, the U.K. death metal band featuring Gregor Mackintosh, songwriter and guitarist of PARADISE LOST, alongside members of MY DYING BRIDE, AT THE GATES and DOOM, will release its second full-length album, "Splinters", on May 12 in Europe and on May 13 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD's simple-yet-striking cover artwork was created by Brian D'Agosta, who previously drew a logo for VALLENFYRE bassist Scoot's other band, EXTINCTION OF MANKIND, as well as artwork for many other bands.

For a first preview of "Splinters", a video trailer featuring part of the album's opening track, "Scabs", can be viewed below.

In 2011, Mackintosh announced that he would go back to his death metal roots with his new band, VALLENFYRE. The level of expectation was set high with a lineup consisting of Hamish Glencross (guitar; MY DYING BRIDE), Scoot (bass; DOOM, EXTINCTION OF MANKIND), Adrian Erlandsson (drums; AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST, THE HAUNTED) local friend Mully (second guitar) — and, of course, Gregor on vocals (for the first time in his career!). Their debut, "A Fragile King", was a reference to Gregor's father's (lost) battle with cancer; the harrowing, crusty death-doom found on the album was hailed as "a beast of a record" (Terrorizer) and "a sonic force that bites deep and hard" (Decibel). Simply put, "A Fragile King" is "old school to the bone" (Rock Hard).

"VALLENFYRE was something I felt utterly compelled to do," Mackintosh said. "It was almost like I didn't have a choice.

"I was told by a bereavement counselor that I should write down and vocalize my feelings. I did just that and then everything just seemed to take a natural course."

In addition to being the main songwriter in PARADISE LOST, Greg stepped up to being the frontman for VALLENFYRE and sang for the first time, citing Karl Willetts (BOLT THROWER), Chuck Schuldiner (DEATH), Oscar Garcia (NAUSEA, TERRORIZER), Peter Steele (CARNIVORE, TYPE O NEGATIVE) as influences. "A Fragile King" turned out to be a heartfelt, cathartic and therapeutic release, which now finds it continuation on the even more abrasive and extreme second full-length, "Splinters".

Inspired by the likes of HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST, AUTOPSY, ANTISECT, DISCHARGE, NIHILIST, early NAPALM DEATH, early BATHORY and CONFLICT, VALLENFYRE digs deep into the roots of extreme music, yet due to Greg's infallible songwriting skills, as well as the organic and absolutely crushing sound courtesy of Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, BLACK BREATH, BEASTMILK), "Splinters" is far away from mere nostalgia.

Stay tuned for a full stream of "Splinters"' first single, "Scabs", coming soon.

VALLENFYRE is:

Greg Mackintosh (PARADISE LOST) - Vocals, GuitarHamish Glencross (MY DYING BRIDE) - GuitarScoot (DOOM, EXTINCTION OF MANKIND) - BassAdrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST, THE HAUNTED) - Drums

The official lyric video for the song "Die & Rise" from Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new studio album, "Broken Crown Halo", which will be released in North America on April 1 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded Italy by producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) and engineer Kyle Hoffmann (P.O.D., BUSH, ZEBRAHEAD). The effort was mastered by Howie Weinberg, whose credits include RAMMSTEIN, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, DEFTONES and SHERYL CROW.

"Broken Crown Halo" is LACUNA COIL's seventh studio effort, and the highly-anticipated follow-up to "Dark Adrenaline", which was released in January 2012 and saw the band tour with acts including MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and SEVENDUST after debuting at No. 15 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

"Broken Crown Halo" track listing:

01. Nothing Stands In Our Way02. Zombies 03. Hostage To The Light 04. Victims 05. Die & Rise 06. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name)07. Cybersleep 08. Infection 09. I Burn In You10. In The End I Feel Alive11. One Cold Day

LACUNA COIL last month hit the road as a quintet as part of "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour" following the departures of guitarist Cris "Pizza" Migliore and drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati. Marco "Maus" Biazzi is handling all guitar duties on the trek while drummer Ryan Blake Folden is once again sitting behind the kit for. The band states: "Fans will already be familiar with Ryan, as he performed live with LACUNA COIL on the majority of the 2012 and 2013 'Dark Legacy' and 'Dark Adrenaline' tours."

Regarding the departures of Migliore and Mozzati, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia told U.K.'s Metal Hammer: "It's something we announced [in mid-Febraury] but knew for a few weeks, and honestly, I feel good, because we couldn't have a better — I don't even wasn't to use the word ‘split'; that sounds like, 'Oh, we had a big fight and we don't want to see each other anymore,' she said.

"It was something that was coming from the heart, very sincere. They just decided they wanted to change their lives. It's not like they didn't like the band anymore, but this lifestyle is not easy. You're on tour all the time, you don't have any private life anymore.

"Being on tour is really surreal, because time moves in a different way, so I think it's absolutely normal that after so many years together, some of us want to carry on doing what we do because we still enjoy it, and some of us would want to move on, keeping the great memories we have together. I mean, they're not planning to join other bands. It's not going to be a huge difference, because we will have the same songwriter, and we are determined to go on. So I'm sad that they're leaving, but we will continue seeing each other outside the band. They are happy, we are happy, everyone is happy."

She continued: "The drums [on the U.S. tour] will be played by Ryan Folden, who played with us for the last year while Criz was at home growing up his kid. And for guitar, we are going on with Marco only, and then we will decide.

"It's too early to think about replacements, and we don't even know if we want that. We might work with session musicians for a while, because even if we are serene and happy, it's hard for us, because we lost two brothers, so we don't want anyone to come into the family just like that. It would be wise, I think, just to go on with us four and then move on with friends like Ryan, who is a great drummer and very easy to get along with. And that's an important factor, because if you're going to share a tour bus with people, you have to be able to get along with them!"

The Revolver-magazine-presented "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour kicked off February 20 and features LACUNA COIL sharing a stage with SICK PUPPIES, Century Media Records labelmates EYES SET TO KILL and CILVER. The tour launched in Wilmington, North Carolina, and runs through March 20 in Anaheim, California.

"Die & Rise" lyric video: