The official lyric video for the song "Seven Wolves And The Daughters Of Apocalypse" from the Delaware/New Jersey sextet I AM HERESY can be seen below. Not only do you get the chance to read the words, but the clip also shows live footage from I AM HERESY's last European tour in March 2013.

"Seven Wolves And The Daughters Of Apocalypse" is taken from I AM HERESY's second full-length album, "Thy Will", which will be released on March 4 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was engineered and produced by John Ferrara at Portrait Studios, who also helmed I AM HERESY's "O Day Star, Son Of Dawn" EP. The new effort was mastered by Kevin Mattesky at Phantom Center Media.

The official video for the song "March Of The Black Earth" can be seen below.

I AM HERESY singer Nathan Gray had this to say about "March Of The Black Earth": "'March Of Black Earth', through symbolism and archetype, stands in defiance of the standard views of 'good' and 'evil.' It speaks of human exploration into a life without fear or reverence for imaginary deities, who are bent on suppressing our most natural desires. If those deities deem a lust for knowledge, freedom of our carnal self, and disobedience to be sinful, then let us become the best sinners we can be!"

He continued: "Each suffering character in the video represents self-sacrifice, killing what is left of our self-expression. The ominous beast in the plague mask represents each character's individual oppression. Their freedom is personified by the archetype Belial, or Baal ('without a master') who represents an infernal innocence, freedom, and mockery of self-imposed slavery. Hear the call... Free yourself from the bondage of self-denial, and accept the gift of sin!" I AM HERESY's sound is an eruption channeling the passionate hardcore/punk fury of early BOYSETSFIRE streaking ferociously down the middle of the metallic-tinged prowess and influences of fellow hardcore giants INTEGRITY and CONVERGE. Imposing. Frenetic. Unrelenting. And certainly unrepentant. After Nathan Gray (also of BOYSETSFIRE) ended THE CASTING OUT, the start of a new era was heralded when he teamed up with his son Simon Gray and a wild bunch of likeminded musicians to form I AM HERESY. They released a self-titled debut album that was followed by the "O Day Star, Son Of Dawn" EP shortly after in March of 2013. At about the same time, they did their first European tour as well as shows on the East Coast of the USA, including some with their new label mates of VATTNET VISKAR. Says Gray about "Thy Will": "A new ethos is born...Come ye daughters and sons of chaos and mystery! We intend to rebuild and create the archetypes of rebellion and revolution against self induced repression. Reveling in anthemic battle songs of lust, pride and indulgence in order to create a ritual purification from the stagnant impotence of servitude and self denial." I AM HERESY is:

Nathan Gray - VocalsJay Sin - GuitarSimon Gray - GuitarGregg Kautz - GuitarMatt Balog - BassCrumbs - Drums

Prosthetic Records has announced the signing of the acclaimed, genre-defying Brooklyn quartet SO HIDEOUS. The band's full-length debut, "Last Poem / First Light", will be released on April 29 on CD, cassette and 180-gram black vinyl. The CD was recorded at The Wild Arctic Studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Dean Baltulonis (LUCERO, MODERN LIFE IS WAR) and was mastered by Scott Hull (BOB DYLAN, GARBAGE) at MasterDisk. The albeffortum, which the band has stated takes influence from 20th-Century classical composers Phillip Glass and Arvo Part, also features support from the New York-based choral and instrumental ensemble The First Light Orchestra.

The album track "My Light" can be streamed using the widget below.

"Last Poem / First Light" track listing:

01. Rising 02. Stabat Mater03. My Light 04. Rhapsody 05. Last Poem 06. Glory

SO HIDEOUS, which features brothers Brandon (guitar) and Chris Cruz (vocals/bass) alongside longtime friends Danny Moncada (drums) and Etienne Vazquez (guitar), forms an emotionally diverse mélange of post-hardcore, symphonic black metal and experimental/shoegaze fused with classical influences.

Commented the group: "We couldn't be more excited to be working with the great team at Prosthetic to develop what this band started in 2008.

"2013 was a great year for us, but we're confident that 2014 has even bigger things in store for our fans.

"We greatly appreciate our fans, family and friends for helping us get this far. We're also extremely thankful to the team at Prosthetic for their confidence in us. We look forward to delivering our best work to date in the future." SO HIDEOUS recently performed alongside the likes of KYLESA, RIVERS OF NIHIL, BLACK CROWN INITIATE and VATTNET VISKAR, and will join forces with EAST OF THE WALL, MEEK IS MURDER and DIAMOND PLATE for a show in Brooklyn this Friday (Febraury 28).
Last Poem/First Light by So Hideous

Seattle deathcore heavyweights I DECLARE WAR will release their third studio album, "We Are Violent People By Nature", on April 15 via Artery Recordings/Razor & Tie. The CD was produced by BJ Sampson.

"We Are Violent People By Nature" track listing:

01. Quiet02. Tomb Sleep03. Blurred Vision04. Black Heart05. Noose06. Shadow Man07. A Dark Hole To Crawl Into08. The Band Man09. Eternal I Sleep10. We Are Violent People By Nature

The new song "Quiet" can be streamed below.

The band is currently on the "Die Without Hope" tour with CARNIFEX and supporting acts HERE COMES THE KRAKEN, ASSASSINS and LORNA SHORE.

Formed in 2007, I DECLARE WAR has released two full-length albums, "Malevolence" (2010) and "I Declare War" (2011), through Artery Recordings/Razor & Tie.

I DECLARE WAR is Jamie Hanks (vocals), Gordon McPherson (bass), John Winters (guitar), Jacob Hansen (guitar) and Colin Bradford (drums). The band is managed by Scott Lee and Cody Grup at Crimson Management.

PRONG's new album, "Ruining Lives", will be released through Steamhammer/SPV in Scandinavia on April 23, in Germany on April 25, in the rest of Europe on April 28 and in the U.S./Canada on May 13. It will be made available as a limited digipak version including one bonus track and poster, as a double gatefold colored vinyl version including one bonus track and the CD in cardboard sleeve, as a standard version and download.

"Ruining Lives" is the follow-up to the acclaimed 2012 release "Carved Into Stone" and continues to show the band on an upward trajectory, proving that despite having a long, illustrious career PRONG can still make records that matter and re-invent themselves without negating their roots.

With Tommy Victor in the producer's chair and Steve Evetts (HATEBREED, SICK OF IT ALL, SEPULTURA) once again coming in to put his trademark shine on the record, "Ruining Lives" has turned out to be a monster of an album. From the first riff assault of the opener "Turnover", the album takes you on an angst-filled roller coaster ride that marries some very old-school "Beg To Differ" elements with post-punk, industrial metal, hardcore thrash, all the while retaining a modern and current feel. Fans of the bands legendary, genre-defining "Cleansing" era and new fans alike will be thrilled.

Says Tommy Victor: "This is the fastest written and recorded PRONG album ever and it has more great songs than any previous PRONG record. I am particularly proud of the vocal performance and I think we captured some outstanding sounds on this album.

"There's a little bit of a throwback element here.

"'Ruining Lives' is almost a 'Force Fed' type of song.

"The album is a hybrid between New York hardcore and some very modern, song-oriented work.

"You will find some 'Rude Awakening' but also some solid, crushing riffs.

"I feel we have captured the best elements of PRONG on this album.

"'Come To Realize' is something new — we have never approached this kind of time signature. It really is math metal meets pure hardcore with a crazy-ass riff.

"What's exciting about the whole album is you have your hooks, your riffs and something innovative that makes the album very current.

"This qualifies as the hybrid nature of PRONG: marrying post-punk, industrial metal, hardcore thrash and modern elements — all of that with hooks and not just a bunch of screaming."

"Ruining Lives" digipak track listing:

01. Turnover
02. The Barriers
03. Windows Shut
04. Remove, Separate Self
05. Ruining Lives
06. Absence Of Light
07. The Book Of Change
08. Self Will Run Riot
09. Come To Realize
10. Chamber Of Thought
11. Limitations And Validations
12. Retreat (bonus track)

Jewel-case track listing:

01. Turnover
02. The Barriers
03. Windows Shut
04. Remove, Separate Self
05. Ruining Lives
06. Absence Of Light
07. The Book Of Change
08. Self Will Run Riot
09. Come To Realize
10. Chamber Of Thought
11. Limitations And Validations

Vinyl version track listing:

LP1 Side 1

01. Turnover
02. The Barriers
03. Windows Shut

LP1 Side 2

01. Remove, Separate Self
02. Ruining Lives
03. Absence Of Light

LP2 Side 1

01. The Book Of Change
02. Self Will Run Riot
03. Come To Realize

LP2 Side 2

01. Chamber Of Thought
02. Limitations And Validations
03. Retreat (bonus track)

One of the most misunderstood hard rock bands to come out of the '80s is returning with its first album in five years. WINGER — Kip Winger on vocals/bass, Reb Beach on guitar, John Roth on guitar and Rod Morgenstein on drums — will release "Better Days Comin'" in North America on April 22 via Frontiers Records. The effort is available for pre-order on Amazon.com in a standard and deluxe configuration. The deluxe edition comes in a glossy digipak and includes the bonus track "Another Beautiful Day" and a DVD including a "Making Of The Album" documentary as well as videos for the first single "Rat Race" and title track, "Better Days Comin'". An iTunes pre-order will be available soon.

WINGER has always been known for its incredible musicianship and the trend continues on "Better Days Comin'".

"On 'Better Days Comin'', we drew from our past to elaborate on our future," explains Kip Winger.

"The band is stronger than ever and very excited about the music on this record. We feel this album exemplifies the true sound of the band in every way."

From the opening riff of album opener "Midnight Driver Of A Love Machine" to the final outro lick of "Out Of This World", it is clear WINGER is back and better than ever. Hard-rocking songs like "Queen Babylon", progressive-rock movements like "Tin Soldier", and touching ballads like "Ever Wonder" show the band's diversity while always centering on great songs.

The debut single from "Better Days Comin'" is the adrenaline-fueled rocker "Rat Race" that showcases some of the band's best work of its 25-year career.

"Better Days Comin'" track listing: 01. Midnight Driver of a Love Machine 02. Queen Babylon03. Rat Race04. Better Days Comin'05. Tin Soldier06. Ever Wonder07. So Long China08. Storm In Me09. Be Who You Are, Now10. Another Beautiful Day (deluxe edition bonus track)11. Out Of This World

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on The Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since.

Vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD tells Radio.com that he is working on a piece of music for the Richmond Ballet. He says: Their New Works Festival, my buddy is choreographing that, he's a professional ballet dance. I'm composing that right now."

He continues: "I'm not a pianist or anything, but I have the ear to write music. I can't play guitar or whatever, but with the way digital editing is, you can compose little tiny bits at a time. It's a lot of fun and I think I’m going to get my buddy Alex Skolnick from TESTAMENT to lay some atmospheric guitar tracks on that, and we'll be in the ballet world!"

LAMB OF GOD recently entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Specticast (LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", Paul McCartney's "Rock Show") for its Don Argott-directed ("Last Days Here", "Art Of The Steal", "School Of Rock") feature film "As The Palaces Burn". Filming for the movie began in 2012 and concluded in March of 2013. "As The Palaces Burn", which should not be confused with the making-of documentary packaged with the recent re-release of the 2003 LAMB OF GOD album of the same name, was conceived to be a documentary focused on the power of music and its impact on cultures around the world and its ability to bring together people of all nationalities regardless of religious or political differences. After a worldwide casting call, filming took place in Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, India, and the United States. As filming reached its conclusion, the documentary was forced to take a major turn when the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with the murder of a fan in June 2012. Granted unique access to Blythe's saga, Argott's filming covered Blythe's 38-day imprisonment in Prague, his release and the band's return to live performances, and finally Blythe's trial for murder in Prague in February 2013.

Returning with the fifth full-length of their decimating career, there is no stopping the juggernaut that is WHITECHAPEL. Due on April 29 via Metal Blade, "Our Endless War" is the culmination of everything the Knoxville, Tennessee sextet has worked toward since its inception. A ruthlessly honed album that refuses to compromise on brutality, it is also by far their most streamlined, atmospheric, and emotionally powerful release, pushing every aspect of their sound to the next level.

"In typical WHITECHAPEL fashion, this CD takes the sound we have been developing over the past 8 years of our career and pushes it to new levels," says guitarist Alex Wade.

"We want each record we release to sound different, and this one is no exception.

"With dashes of every record we have done so far mixed with the intensity of a new sound, this record is sure to please fans of WHITECHAPEL, old and new."

Having progressed with every record, on "Whitechapel" the band took a stylistic leap forward, garnering a whole army of new fans and greater critical respect in the process. This determination is immediately apparent. Having started to "seriously" write in February of 2013, the album was a year in the making, the band letting the writing develop organically while putting everything under a microscope, working harder on perfecting every song than they ever had before.

Famed for their three-guitar lineup, the band has always packed a crushing sonic punch, but on "Our Endless War", they take greater advantage of this than previously. Frequently, the seven-stringers build dramatic, incredibly heavy walls of thrilling noise through interweaving their parts, making for a sonic richness that pulls listeners even further into the songs. As with all of WHITECHAPEL's releases, the heaviness does not just stem from the music but Phil Bozeman's lyrics, showing characteristic diversity across the record's ten tracks.

When it came to tracking the album the band considered no one beyond Mark Lewis, who helmed "Whitechapel".

"Making the self-titled record went so well, we loved the way it came out, our label loved the way it came out, and our fans kept telling us that it was our best sounding record so it would have been stupid not to work with him again!" laughs Wade. For the artwork, the band turned again to Aaron Marsh, who supplied "Whitechapel" with its stark, arresting imagery, but again they wanted to push things to the next level.

"With the sound maturing, we felt like the artwork needed to reflect that," says Wade. "We also introduced a new logo — our old logo is classic WHITECHAPEL, and that's not something we plan on getting rid of, but as the band grows and changes we felt like we needed the logo to represent the maturity of this new WHITECHAPEL."

Leading up to the release of "Our Endless War", WHITECHAPEL has confirmed a string of dates, including an appearance at this year's New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. These dates will being April 16 in Columbus, Ohio and run through April 27 in Birmingham, Alabama. These shows feature support from CARNIFEX, WITHIN THE RUINS and CRUELHAND. More dates including a North American co-headlining North American tour are in the works and will be announced shortly.

"Our Endless War" track listing:

01. Rise
02. Our Endless War
03. The Saw is the Law
04. Mono
05. Let Me Burn
06. Worship the Digital Age
07. How Times Have Changed
08. Psychopathy
09. Blacked Out
10. Diggs Road

According to Sick Drummer Magazine, drummer Gus Rios has left Florida death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION. He explains in a statement: "After several years, I have decided to part ways permanently with MALEVOLENT CREATION. The simple reason is personal differences.

"I appreciate all of the people I've worked with during my time with the band and want to thank all of them. I'm sure we'll work together again in the future with another band. Most of all, I would like to thank all of the fans who have supported the band! I'm sure you will continue to support. "This opens me up for bands in need of a touring and/or recording drummer, as well as a full-time position if the situation is right.

"I can be reached on my Facebook page."

Rios joined MALEVOLENT CREATION in 2008 as the replacement for Dave Culross. Rios recorded and co-mixed the band's tenth studio album, "Doomsday X", and laid down the drum tracks on MALEVOLENT CREATION's 2010 CD, "Invidious Dominion". MALEVOLENT CREATION recently finished recording its new album. The CD CD is expected to include the tracks "Corporate Weaponry" and "Face Your Fear", the latter of which can be streamed below. The song was recorded, produced and mixed at Rios' studio, Riversound Productions, except for the vocals, which were laid down with Jim Nickles at his Shredly Studios.

"We are still debating how we are going to go about releasing new music," Gus Rios told Decibel back in August 2013.

"For a band like ours, with 11 albums and more than 110 songs, it's just not making sense to record 10 new songs. We are thinking (still not 100%) that doing EPs might be the way. That way we can concentrate on writing five really good songs and play them all live as well.

"We don't want to be a band that has to rely on its past. We want to write songs that are good enough that people will want to hear them live, as well as the 'classics.' And realistically, we would only do about five songs off of any new album anyway due to the extensive catalog."

Regarding how MALEVOLENT CREATION has managed to retain its musical identity after going through so many lineup changes over the course of the last 20 years, Rios told Rádio Evil: "Since 1997, pretty much every single MALEVOLENT CREATION song anybody's ever heard, me and Phil [Fasciana, guitar] actually wrote. I live in Fort Lauderdale, and so does Phil, and that's the songwriting nucleus of MALEVOLENT. So as long as the two of us are still in the band, it's always gonna sound like MALEVOLENT CREATION, you know what I mean?! That's the consistency of the band — the primary songwriters. And then, of course, Brett [Hoffman, vocals]."

MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "Invidious Dominion", was released in August 2010 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records (in Europe through Massacre). The effort was made available in various territories as a regular CD; digipack with bonus material; and vinyl LP.

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN's February 23 performance in Sydney, Australia as part of this year's Soundwave festival can be seen below.

DOWN recently completed work on its new EP for a spring release. The CD was recorded at singer Philip Anselmo's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair and is the second in a series of EPs to be released over the next few years, each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

Speaking about the band's new material, guitarist Pepper Keenan told the "Metal Hammer" radio show: "It's kind of slight continuation of the first EP, but it's a little bit more… It's hard to say, man… It's more… I wouldn't say 'aggressive,' but it's definitely got some freaky guitar stuff on it. And it's definitely got a pretty good groove factor. And we spent a lot of time trying to make all the songs [fit together stylistically]. We had several songs that didn't quite match it, so we kind of [set them aside] and we're gonna move them to another EP. But it's got a super-heavy vibe to it, man. I mean, I'm really excited about it. Everybody in the band is excited about it."

He continued: "We wrote it kind of like we did the 'NOLA' record. Each one of us had some riffs and we got in a room and we just hashed it out like the old days — just going off each person's experiences and ideas. Everybody's ideas were valid, and it really ended up being well rounded and slamming. It was [a] very creative [process], let's put it that way. Actually, it was surprising some of us how much we really still got it."

Pepper also spoke about the cover theme for the next DOWN EP and how it will be connected to last year's "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP".

"When the second [EP] comes out, you'll see it as being an extension of the last cover," Pepper said. "So number 2 is gonna connect sideways to number 1, and you'll start to see a morphing kind of process. There's some kind of liquid light kind of thing that's kind of melding across as you go… I hate to quote the overall color, but I believe it's something like orange. I haven't looked at it in a while. It might not be orange yet, but it's heading in that direction."

Released in September 2012, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Guitarist Kirk Windstein left DOWN last fall and was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, the band's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY.

"I couldn't feel more blessed," Landgraf, 48, said in an interview. "Phil could've gotten anyone to play guitar, but I've been jamming with them during soundchecks, so they know we can play together."

"It's really a dream come true," added Landgraf. "It's what you're working for all those years."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Rob Zombie has revealed that he has scrapped his plan to make a hockey movie called "Broad Street Bullies" in favor of another movie in the genre he's most associated with, horror. Zombie told New Zealand's 3 News that despite working on his sports film for nearly two years, he suddenly came up with a new idea for a horror movie that his producers loved and immediately wanted to set up. Zombie explained, "That turned into a weird bidding war and that became the next film." Zombie admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it's been tough for him to break out of the horror genre. "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented," he explained. "You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it."

"Broad Street Bullies" was going to be about the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team of the 1970s that were famous for beating the Soviet Union's team at the time and notorious for their violent tactics on the ice.

Zombie did not divulge any details of the new movie's plot, but hinted that it may be in the same vein as one of his earlier films, the fan favorite "The Devil's Rejects". He said, "I think it's something fans of the other stuff will like. Probably fans of 'The Devil's Rejects' will enjoy (it) the most. It's not connected to that film, but it's more on that headspace."

Zombie's last film, "The Lords Of Salem", came out last year in limited theatrical release before heading to home video.

Zombie will kick off a 12-date run of shows on April 26 in Fort Myers, Florida at the Fort Rock festival, mixing other major rock festival stops with headlining shows before wrapping up on May 10 in Camden, New Jersey.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and legendary drummer of GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER and THE CULT, Matt Sorum will release his new album, "Stratosphere", under the moniker MATT SORUM'S FIERCE JOY on March 11 on Rok Dok Recordings via Kobalt Label Services.

"Stratosphere" is major departure from the hard-hitting rock Sorum is best known for. His intense passion for animal and human rights, and need to give back heavily influenced the narrative and acoustic orchestration of the album.

"Over the years, I've been influenced by my surroundings and sometimes that hasn't always been for the better," says Sorum. "But after years of soul searching, I organically fell into a different state of mind.

"With many lessons learned along the way, it seemed like the perfect time to do a record in my own voice, if you will. It's as real and exposed as anything I've ever offered my in my career, and I hope you enjoy it."

Besides stepping behind the mic for lead vocals, Sorum wrote the entire album, and plays acoustic guitar and piano.

"I've always played acoustic, so I wanted to use that as the feel of the record," Matt says.

"I chose the musicians I wanted by records they had played on, and diverse instruments such as mellotron, slide guitar and ethnic percussion.

"I always wanted orchestration, so this album was the canvas for that as well."

Pre-order "Stratosphere" now on iTunes and get an instant download of "The Sea".

Check out the first webisode (in a series of 5) about of the making of "Stratosphere" below.

MATT SORUM'S FIERCE JOY - "Stratosphere" track listing:

01. Intro - Stratosphere Part 1
02. The Sea
03. What Ziggy Says
04. For the Wild Ones
05. Goodbye To You
06. Gone
07. Lady of the Stone
08. Ode to Nick Drake
09. Blue
10. Josephine
11. Land of the Pure
12. Killers N Lovers
13. The Lonely Teardrop
14. Outro - Stratosphere Part 2

Speaking to The Street, Sorum stated about his inspiration for the "Stratosphere" CD: "I'm known as a rock guy, but I've always loved so many diverse artists. I was a huge Joni Mitchell fan; I remember listening to a lot of her records back to back. Neil Young, Tom Petty, THE BEATLES, of course, and I was a huge Bowie fan. I was also into progressive stuff, like early GENESIS, Peter Gabriel era. You can hear that influence on the new album; there are a couple of songs that have some interesting time changes.

"I've always dabbled on the acoustic guitar, and I wrote a couple songs for VELVET REVOLVER. In GUNS N' ROSES, Axl [Rose] and Slash looked to me for arrangements. I wasn't the predominant songwriter, but I've always been involved in the process.

"When I put 'Stratosphere' together, I actually had a lot of it on cassette. I'd been writing the songs over the years, and I wanted to do an album that was just coming from me, regardless of anyone's expectations."

Asked if MATT SORUM'S FIERCE JOY will go out on tour, Sorum said: "We're going to tour, but it isn't going to be a typical rock show. If I'm going to front a band, I can't see myself, at my age, jumping up and playing rock and roll the way Dave Grohl does. Dave pulls it off, running around the stage with an electric guitar. But would that feel right for me? How can I make this feel natural, a natural progression, growing into the man that I finally feel that I am, and saying what I want to say now?"

Sorum played a brand new solo song entitled "The Sea" on November 18, 2013 at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. Fan-filmed video footage of performance — featuring Sorum on guitar and vocals — can be seen below.

Sorum told The Street about the track: "I wrote that song on acoustic, then piano.

"I always heard the desert was a cool place to write, so I headed out to Joshua Tree. Then in my hometown, we used to go to a little beach getaway called the Surf and Sand, and I wrote the lyric to 'The Sea' there. I was sitting on a balcony, overlooking the ocean, thinking about life. I started thinking about the sea as a metaphor for spiritual awakening."

"Give Me Choco!!", the new video from 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 — can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's debut album, which was released today (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.

As previously repoted, BABYMETAL will become the youngest artists to ever appear at Tokyo Nippon Budokan when they take 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 will be usurped by Suzuka Nakamoto (16), Moa Kikuchi (14) and Yui Mizono (14), who hold a mean age of 14.6 years.

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.

BABY METAL is:

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

"Bones Exposed", the new video from the California-based rock quintet OF MICE & MEN, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's third studio album, "Restoring Force", which sold around 51,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on January 28 via Rise Records.

The follow-up to OF MICE & MEN's 2011's "The Flood", "Restoring Force" was recorded at House Of Loud in New Jersey and was produced by David Bendeth (PARAMORE, PAPA ROACH, A DAY TO REMEMBER, BREAKING BENJAMIN).

"What happens after a disaster? What happens after 'The Flood'?" asks the band's frontman Austin Carlile. "You return to normal. You find balance again. That's what we felt like we were doing with ['Restoring Force']. We wanted this record to bring equilibrium back to our band and music. We're letting everyone know that we're here to stay. We're 'Restoring Force'." "The Flood" was originally released on June 14, 2011 and received a re-release on July 24, 2012 and included four new tracks. "The Flood" debuted at No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart and was hailed by the New York Times as "one of the year's most bruising rock debuts." Alternative Press called the album a "genuine statement of artistic purpose." Rock Sound declared the release "a truly memorable, hip-shaking face-breaker of epic proportions." To this date, "The Flood" has sold over 125,000 copies and has been streamed nearly 16,000,000 times on YouTube, making it one of the most successful releases in Rise Records' 22 years of operation. The band has brought their memorable live show to audiences around the world having sold out multiple headlining tours domestically and internationally. OF MICE & MEN is Austin Carlile (vocals), Alan Ashby (guitar), Valentino Arteaga (drums), Aaron Pauley (vocals / bass) and Phil Manansala (guitar).

Tuomas Holopainen — the keyboardist and main songwriter of NIGHTWISH — has spent most of 2013 writing and producing his solo album based on a graphic novel called "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck", written and illustrated by Don Rosa.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" is scheduled for release on April 11 via Nuclear Blast.

The second trailer for the CD can be seen below.

Holopainen comments: "This is my longtime dream come true, 14 years in the making. And a homage to one of the best storytellers of our time.

"Thank you for sharing this celebration of life and adventure!"

This 12-chapter book tells the life story of Scrooge, from his early years in the 19th century Scotland to his adventures all around the world until the 1950s. The story contains such immense depth, detail, wit and emotional power that the moment Tuomas read it nearly 20 years ago, it instantly became a story of profound personal interest and love for him. The initial spark of "coloring" this story with music, i.e. creating a kind of "soundtrack" for the book, came to him already in 1999, and has ever since haunted the back of his mind.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" contains 10 songs, with total duration of approximately 60 minutes. The music is said to be in the soundtrack / classical / folk genre in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya.

Pip Williams did the orchestral arrangements for the "Life And Times Of Scrooge" disc, continuing his collaboration with Tuomas after the NIGHTWISH records "Once", "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginaerum".

There are a number of guest musicians appearing on "Life And Times Of Scrooge", including the London Orchestra, The Metro Voices (a choir from London) and four lead vocalists: Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tony Kakko. Other guest appearances include Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, bodhran), Mikko Iivanainen (guitars and banjo), Teho Majamäki (didgeridoo), Jon Burr (harmonica) and Dermot Crehan on the solo violin.

The recordings took place during August - October 2013, first at Angel Studios in London, then in various locations around Scotland and Finland.

The author of the book, Don Rosa, did the artwork for the album.

There will be a single release, for the track "A Lifetime Of Adventure", and a music video to go with it.

Holopainen recently spoke to Finland's YLE about "Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen". Check out the report below.

Tuomas previously stated about how the idea for the project came about: "It was back in 1999, during the 'Oceanborn' tour, that I remember first having the idea of writing a 'soundtrack' to my all-time favorite piece of Disney comic, 'The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck', by Don Rosa, the apparent heir of the almighty Carl Barks. This book has had such an overwhelming effect on me throughout these years, and finally I have the means and the time to make that dream a reality.

"It all started with a story called 'Last Sled To Dawson', which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck magazine in the late '80s. It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald stories and also introduced Mr. Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual 'Life And Times' opus, though, but 'a companion story,' set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12-chapter piece was released in mid-'90s, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading 'The Lord Of The Rings' as an 8-year-old, or seeing 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.

"With Scrooge, there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags.

"This is a book about life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It's about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It's about love and family, gain and loss, darkness and rebirth.

"And on top of that, well, it's just your good old-fashioned storytelling fun!"

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" track listing: 01. Glasgow 187702. Into The West03. Duel & Cloudscapes04. Dreamtime05. Cold Heart Of The Klondike06. The Last Sled07. Goodbye, Papa08. To Be Rich09. A Lifetime Of Adventure10. Go Slowly Now, Sands Of Time

Bonus track:

11. A Lifetime Of Adventure (Alternate Version)

British metallers ARCHITECTS will release their new album, "Lost Forever // Lost Together", in North America on March 11 via Epitaph Records. The CD will be made available in in Australia through UNFD and in Canada via New Damage Records.

After writing demos on their successful run on Vans Warped Tour 2013, ARCHITECTS (whose lineup includes chief songwriter Tom Searle on guitar/keyboards, his twin brother Dan on drums, Sam Carter on lead vocals, and Alex Dean on bass) took to Studio Fredman in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in the middle of the sunlight-starved winter. Working with producers Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd (both known for their work with BRING ME THE HORIZON and chosen largely because "we've always been big fans of how massive their records sound," according to Sam), ARCHITECTS spent a month living in the studio so that they could record whenever inspiration hit.

On "Lost Forever // Lost Together", the band artfully weaves in ambient elements that sometimes verge on gauzy and dreamlike. Take the instrumental "Red Hypergiant" that threads a sample of voiceover from a Carl Sagan film through an oceanic wall of sound, for example, while the album-closing "Distant Blue" starts out as a snarling, lead-heavy epic and then unfolds into spacey ethereality. Fans will notice the band deepen their blend of brutal, thundering metal and melody-spiked hardcore with heavier riffs and intricate arrangements inspired by THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, and even artists unlikely such as SIGUR ROS. With lyrical content delving into everything from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to Tom's recent bout with skin cancer, "Lost Forever // Lost Together" artfully delivers an emotional charge that's both devastating and glorious.

As for the album title, ARCHITECTS borrowed a lyric from the track "Youth Is Wasted OnTthe Young". As Tom Searle poignantly states, "We're all lost. Everyone's just trying to find their place, and hopefully we'll all get there eventually."

"Lost Forever // Lost Together" track listing:

01. Gravedigger 02. Naysayer03. Broken Cross 04. The Devil Is Near05. Dead Man Talking 06. Red Hypergiant07. C.A.N.C.E.R. 08. Colony Collapse09. Castles In The Air 10. Youth Is Wasted On The Young11. The Distant Blue

The song "C.A.N.C.E.R." can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

ARCHITECTS' last album, "Daybreaker", was released on May 28, 2012 in Europe and June 5, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records.

ARCHITECTS in 2012 released the "The Here And Now 2012 Special Edition" including "Devil's Island" and "Untitled" as well as all video clips ("Day In Day Out", "Learn To Live", "Heartburn", "Delete, Rewind" and "An Open Letter To Myself"), making-of footage for "Learn To Live" and "Heartburn" plus several previously released online clips.

Video footage of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, the Croatian cello duo known as 2CELLOS, performing a cover version of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" can be seen below.

2CELLOS became an overnight Internet sensation with their self-made music video of themselves performing MICHAEL JACKSON's "Smooth Criminal" on their cellos. Within days "Smooth Criminal" racked up over five million views on YouTube, and legend Elton John invited them to join him on his tour.

"We always try to put our own spin on it, do something different with the song and present it to the people in a new and fresh way," 2CELLOS told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "We try to add an extra classical dimension to those well-known evergreens through our cellos."

Hauser added: "We cover songs that we love and we play music that we are passionate about. These songs have to mean something to us, and of course, they have to sound great on the cello."

Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser have been playing the cello since childhood. Both completed their studies — Luka at the acclaimed Royal Academy of Music in London, Stjepan at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Luka has performed throughout the world at renowned venues such as London's Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Vienna's Musikverein and Konzerthaus. He has won a series of international prizes including first prize at the 2009 VII Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Warsaw. Stjepan has performed in numerous European countries, South Africa, New Zealand, Asia and the U.S., with debuts in London's Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, South Bank Centre and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. He was the last pupil of Mstislav Rostropovich. In his short career, Stjepan's accolades include winning twenty-one first prizes in national and international competitions and performing twice for Prince Charles in Buckingham and St. James's Palaces.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke to U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 2008 album, "Death Magnetic", tentatively due in 2015.

"We cannot think of any other reasons to procrastinate; of any other things to put on the calendar to push back [the start] date [for the new album writing sessions]," he said. "We're kind of backed up into the corner now, so yes, we have to start working on the album. And I'm excited. James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] has, like, 800 riffs. I only have 400, but there's not going to be any shortage of ideas. It's going to be interesting to see how it turns out."

He continued: "If we can write and record an album within a year's time, from January 2014 to, say, January 2015, I'm fucking up for it, man. That's something we have not done in a long time, and that would be a bona fide challenge for us to see if we could make an album in 12 months. We did it with Lou Reed, but that doesn't really count, does it?

"We don't have any songs yet. We have little bits and pieces of music earmarked to become songs, and really, that's all I can say about it. We're pretty psyched about it. We're only procrastinating because we love being at home with our families, but we really do love writing songs together and making an album."

Asked if he feels METALLICA has spent a bit too much time and energy on other projects this time out, Hammett replied: "It appears that way. We definitely have gone down a few different creative avenues that we didn't expect to do since the release of 'Death Magnetic'. That is a really, really long gap, but we've been busy pretty much the whole time throughout that.

"It remains to be seen whether or not we've taken too long. It seems like METALLICA's bigger now than we've ever been. I only say that because last year we went to a lot of far-flung places that we rarely go to, and we sold a shitload of tickets. From what we can gauge from ticket sales — and you can't really gauge this from record sales anymore, you know the whole story of declining sales for everyone — it seems like METALLICA is bigger now worldwide than it ever has been. That tells me there are still fans out there who care about us."

He added: "In the past few years, METALLICA has somehow morphed into not so much four guys in a band playing loud music, but more of a platform to do creative things under the METALLICA banner. We've gone down so many creative avenues in the last eight, nine, 10 years. We all like that position. We don't feel pigeonholed to be just a band. We've proven to ourselves — and that's the most important thing — that METALLICA can be a way to express ourselves in a lot of non-musical ways, and for me, that's a great place to be. When we've been successful creatively, it feels like we've climbed another mountain. It really is a healthy thing for us. It shows that we're multifaceted, it keeps us stimulated and hopefully it serves the music on the backhand, consciously or subconsciously."

In a 2013 interview with Kerrang!, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about the band's mindset going into the songwriting phase for its next album. He explained: "The only thing I can tell you is that there seems to be a consensus in the band that 'Death Magnetic' was a really good record that we're proud of, that had good legs on it — meaning that it still sounds really rocking five years later. And I can tell you that with most of the previous METALLICA records, I found any faults, I had any issues with them way, way sooner than five years. So the stuff that we've been jamming on is certainly not a million miles removed from where we left off from 'Death Magnetic'. But two years from now, when I sit and talk to you about the new record, it'll probably be a different story from the six-year-old looking for the ice cream shop."

METALLICA will emerge this spring for a tour of South America and Europe on which each night's set list will be chosen online by fans attending the gig.

The band's traditional 18-song set will include the 17 top voted songs along with a brand new track.

During a brand new interview with Rock Song Of The Day, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked what his expectations are in terms of the composition of the band's next album, both lyrically and musically.

"Every album offers something a bit different," Ellefson said. "I think [2013's] 'Super Collider' was this serendipitous moment that encompassed variety from our 30-year career, which was ironic since it actually was our 30-year anniversary last year. It wasn't planned that way, it just sort of happened. But, moving forward, there is a feeling within the band now to take a different approach on the next record, one that probably means new locations, new producers/engineers, and so forth."

Ellefson also spoke about MEGADETH's touring plans for 2014, which includes a handful of U.S. shows but sees the band focusing mostly on South America and Europe

"It's always exciting to see how music connects people in other cultures," he said. "It's like the things that often divide people (language, politics and religion) suddenly disappear when everyone comes together in the name of music, especially with heavy metal."

He continued: "As far as touring goes, there are certain challenges in terms of fatigue from traveling across time zones, language barriers, show production elements and creature comforts that can throw you off when traveling abroad. It forces you to roll with the punches. You learn to relax into the elements and absorb them rather than fight against them. The audience usually remembers the overall experience of the show and is usually not even aware of the details of things that aren't to your liking. So, it's best to just get on the stage and do your thing, especially in the larger festival settings.

"As for tour dates, we've spent a great deal of time in North America these past few months so aside from a couple shows in Las Vegas and Tucson we are spending most of our year in other parts of the world."

"Super Collider" has sold less than 80,000 copies in the United States since its June 4, 2013 release. The CD arrived in stores via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).

"I think 'Super Collider' is kind of like a really broad [distillation] of what our whole catalog represents," Mustaine told The Morning Call in an interview. "There's aggressive stuff, there's thrashy stuff, there's kind of more of the heavy metal stuff. There are someof the more introspective lyrics. There are some simple lyrics and soon and so forth. I think that's what really makes the record refreshing is that it shows everything that we've done. It's almost like a biopic of our career. It's a pretty good slice of everything I've learned over the years."

MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicked off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota and wrapped on December 19 in Reno, Nevada.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera, is mixing its third album for a fall release via Napalm Records. The CD is being produced by John Gray, who has previously worked with SOULFLY.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY recently recruited Nate Newton of CONVERGE as its new bassist.

Says Gray: "This is by far the fastest and heaviest record I have ever had the pleasure of working on with Max Cavalera.

"Max, Igor and Marc [Rizzo, guitar] were on the same page musically from the moment they walked in the door, and recording this album was a very smooth process.

"I had never worked with Igor Cavalera before and I was very impressed with his ability to work out the arrangements with Max and get some extremely complex drum parts done live with hardly any re-takes necessary. Marc Rizzo, as always, was spot-on and a true guitar virtuoso.

"I love to work with Marc because he always pushes himself to perfection, but he is very down to earth and keeps things light when he's under pressure.

"What can I say about Nate Newton — he killed it on the bass tracks with very little back and forth. I'm really impressed with his talent, and I look forward to meeting him some day."

Adds Rizzo: "The new CAVALERA CONSPIRACY record was amazing to record... Definitely a brutal and fast third record!!!"

States Newton: "It was a lot of fun to be a part of this record. For me, it was a challenge to learn the songs sight unseen and record them. It was a pretty interesting look into the way Max writes songs and I am glad to have been a part of it."

Johny Chow, who had been touring and recording with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY for the past few years, in 2013 joined STONE SOUR as that band's new touring bassist.

Joining CAVALERA CONSPIRACY on stage last year for its tour of South America and Mexico was SOULFLY bassist Tony Campos.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY released the critically acclaimed and universally praised albums "Inflikted" and "Blunt Force Trauma" through Roadrunner Records.

"Blunt Force Trauma" sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 122 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's debut CD, "Inflikted", opened with 9,000 units to enter the chart at No. 72.

"Blunt Force Trauma" was tracked with ex-MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, who co-produced the LP with Max. Logan also mixed the effort.

Photo credit: Glen Laferman

Singer Björn "Speed" Strid of Swedish metallers SOILWORK has issued the following update:

"We are nothing short of super excited to announce the recording of our first live DVD ever. This very special and unique evening will go down in beautiful Helsinki, Finland, where SOILWORK have always had very loyal fans and shared some great success through the years. The show will take place at The Circus on the 21st of March.

"It's been a long time coming, considering we released our first album in 1998, but here it is!

"We can't wait to share this special moment with you, our fans! The show will bring you songs from each and every album of our career. We also have some very special guests invited for the show as well that we can't wait to announce. In addition to this, we will randomly draw 25 people out of the 500 first people to enter the venue that will join the band and the crew for an after-show party!

"Make sure you don't miss out on this... See you on the 21st of March in Helsinki, at The Circus. It's a date!"

The choice of location for the shoot of the first-ever SOILWORK audiovisual live document was an easy one since Helsinki has always been a second home to the band. The venue itself, Circus, was just the right one to offer a full-on SOILWORK show.

The show will mark SOILWORK's only Scandinavian show of the spring.

The DVD will be produced by Jouni Markkanen and directed by Ville Lipiäinen, who also helmed the most recent NIGHTWISH DVD, "Showtime, Storytime".

SOILWORK's ninth studio and first dual-disc album, "The Living Infinite", sold around 7,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 60. The effort also landed at No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Hard Music chart. "The Living Infinite" entered the iTunes Metal Top Albums chart at No. 1 and was the No. 1 most added album on the CMJ radio chart.

"The Living Infinite" was produced by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH) and boasts artwork by MNEMIC's Mircea Gabriel Eftemie. The CD features Justin Sullivan — lead singer of the English band NEW MODEL ARMY — as a guest vocalist on the track "The Windswept Mercy" and also marks the recording debut of longtime SOILWORK touring guitarist David Andersson (also of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).

SOILWORK released a lavish deluxe version of its 2001 classic breakthrough album "A Predator's Portrait" on October 18, 2013 in Europe and October 15, 2013 in the U.S. The effort was reissued as a digipack with an all new artwork and will contain two previously unreleased live bonus tracks.

Pioneering Canadian thrashers EXCITER have released the following statement:

"It is with a heavy heart that EXCITER announces the departure of guitarist John Ricci.

"After 30 ass-kicking years in the music business, John has decided to retire, leaving longtime members Rik Charron (drums), Clammy (bass), and Kenny Winter (vocals) to carry on the EXCITER legacy.

"As one of the founding members of the band, John was a driving force behind EXCITER's genre-defining albums including the ground breaking 'Heavy Metal Maniac' (1983), 'Violence And Force' (1984), and 'Long Live the Loud' (1985). As part of the modern era of EXCITER, his unique, manic, style propelled EXCITER's comeback album 'The Dark Command' (1996) along with 'Blood Of Tyrants' (2000), 'Thrash Speed Burn' (2008) and 'Death Machine' (2010).

"EXCITER wishes John the very best in his future endeavors and invites all you metal maniacs to continue pounding metal with us in 2014 and beyond!"

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", was released on October 29, 2010 via Massacre Records. The effort was made available as a standard CD, a digipak and a limited-edition (500 copies) gatefold LP.

In an interview with Music Legends, Ricci stated about the making of the CD: "The recording sessions for "Death Machine" were a little disjointed. We recorded all the instruments at different times because of scheduling conflicts and also the fact our singer, Kenny, lives in New York City, therefore it wasn't one smooth recording session. Kenny arrived to record vocals after all the music was done and he sang the songs for the very first time without really hearing the songs previously. Nevertheless, the album turned out good. Because we were trying to meet the deadline to complete the record, I think we rushed the mixing process as well. All in all, no matter what we do or what gear we use, we always get this raw garage or 'very analog' sound."

When asked where he finds the inspiration to write music, John replied, "EXCITER's inspirations to write music comes from everyday news events, mostly of violent topics. Killings, murders, etc. We live in such a sick world, with senseless killings and unprovoked violence. The lyrics I write do not glamorize violence but condone it. Of course, some song topics include witches and Satan, but these topics are strictly fantasy. For example, if you watch a horror movie, it's not for real only make-believe. The instrumental part of EXCITER's music is always from an angry point of view. As far as I'm concerned, metal has to be played with aggression and simple power chords to get the message across to the listener. This has been the EXCITER formula for over 30 years."

Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET have issued the following update:

"Since it's been around 10 years ago we recorded our first demo, we decided to re-release it (on our own) on limited-edition digipack CD. Martin Sweet has revisited the old original Cubase projects recorded in his home with Dave, Peter and Eric in Hallonbergen, Stockholm back in 2003. With enhanced sound and three bonus tracks not included on the original demo, we wish bring you back to a time where we were young and destroyed…"

Due on February 28, "Illegal Rarities Volume 1" is limited to 999 copies and is available now in the CRASHDÏET online store.

"Illegal Rarities Volume 1" track listing:

01. Gimme What I Need02. Queen Obscene03. We Play It, You Scream It04. Miss Pain05. California White06. Get Ready For Tonite (bonus)07. Within The Sleaze (bonus)08. Too Hot To Stop (bonus)

CRASHDIET's original singer David Hellman (a.k.a. Dave Lepard) committed suicide in January 2006.

Hellman was found dead on January 20, 2006 at his apartment in the Swedish city of Uppsala, north of Stockholm. It was reported in several places that he hanged himself.

CRASHDÏET's fourth album, "The Savage Playground", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2. The CD was released on January 25, 2013 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22, 2013 in North America via Frontiers Records.

"The Savage Playground" was recorded during summer/autumn 2012 at Kingside Studios outside Stockholm with producer Otto Wellton.

CRASHDÏET released a DVD entitled "Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild" on December 4, 2012. The disc features three hours of live and behind-the-scenes footage complied by the band with Bear Productions.

Ernie Ball, one of the world's leading manufacturers of guitar strings and musical instrument accessories, is proud to launch a new digital series with the Grammy-winning, iconic guitarist and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame artist Slash and his band MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS. The innovative online series, titled "Real To Reel With Slash", documents the entire in-studio recording process of the iconic artist's forthcoming third solo album, along with world-renowned music collaborators Myles Kennedy, Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz, returning to the studio for a third time.

From the first day of recording to the last, the multi-segment fly-on-the wall series will follow Slash and THE CONSPIRATORS from pre-production at NRG Studios in Los Angeles to Studio Barbarossa in Florida, as they write, play, create and record the new album from start to finish. A new episode clip will be featured on the site for fans every week starting February 25.

Each clip will showcase a behind-the-scenes sneak peek inside the recording sessions, giving fans unprecedented exclusive access to some of the world's most legendary musicians. The segments will give viewers up-to-date, virtually real-time progress on the recording journey each week, along with commentary from the band members, gear talk, and more.

"We're incredibly excited to give music fans an inside look into the recording process of one of the most anticipated rock albums of the year!" said Brian Ball, Vice President of Ernie Ball Inc.

Both Slash and Kennedy emphasize that creatively, it is was crucial for them to bring the recording process back to basics, keeping it simple by capturing the essence of a classic rock band utilizing the often forgotten art form of recording to two-inch analog tape.

"I love the process of recording live in the studio and the sound of a rock n roll band recorded on 2" tape as opposed to digital," explains Slash. "I thought it would be cool to show some footage of us doing exactly that."

Fans can tune in to the first episode of "Real To Reel With Slash, Presented By Ernie Ball" below.

Ohio metallers MISS MAY I will release their fourth album, "Rise Of The Lion", on April 29 via Rise Records. The CD was produced by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA, DEFTONES, WHITE ZOMBIE and BRING ME THE HORIZON, among others.

MISS MAY I vocalist Levi 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." "Rise Of The Lion" track listing:

01. Refuse To Believe02. Lunatik03. Gone04. Echoes05. You Want Me06. Tangled Tongues07. Hero With No Name08. Darker Days09. The End Of Me10. Saints, Sinners, and Greats

"Rise Of The Lion" will be available in digital, physical CD and vinyl versions.

This Thursday, February 27, the band will launch the first single from "Rise Of The Lion", "Gone", as well as official album pre-orders.

The worldwide release of "Rise Of The Lion" will be supported by a brief headline tour of the United States this April and May, with support from FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS. MISS MAY I will stop in eight cities, including a closer in their home state of Ohio at Rock On The Range.

California thrashers HIRAX will release their new album, "Immortal Legacy", on March 4 (February 24 in Europe) via SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available as a CD, gatefold colored LP and a digital download.

A song from the album, "Hellion Rising", can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

"On our new album we more than ever felt an artistic obligation to our fans to give them a really big-sounding record," says HIRAX singer Katon W. De Pena.

"Our philosophy has always been to remember where we come from and stay true to our roots.

"Our fans know that we will never let them down and that they have helped to raise us up to a level with bands such as SLAYER, SODOM, KREATOR, EXODUS, OVERKILL, TESTAMENT, ANNIHILATOR and many others.

"This record proves that we are at the top of our game musically." According to Katon W. De Pena, the reason "Immortal Legacy" sounds so powerful is the fact that the members of HIRAX's current lineup agree 100 percent on the group's stylistic direction.

"Lance [Harrison, guitar] is a riff-writing master and a major force to reckon with," says Katon. "Nicknamed the Shred Baron for obvious reasons. He believes in heavy metal 100 percent." His younger brother Steve (bass) is an important part of the HIRAX sound. "Nobody plays bass like him," says Katon. "There is a unique sound and bond between Steve and his brother. As a bass player, he is a true musician."

Last but not least, there's Jorge Iacobellis (drums and percussions), who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Iacobellis is a seasoned veteran who plays with lots of heart and soul. Katon says: "The best way I can describe his drumming style is loud and powerful." The most unusual song on "Immortal Legacy" is "The World Will Burn" which has to be heard to be believed, according to Katon. His favorite track on the record changes daily, "but if I had to decide today, it would be 'Black Smoke', along with the title track, 'Immortal Legacy'. Once you hear them, you will never forget them."

"Immortal Legacy" was produced by Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, ARMORED SAINT, W.A.S.P., SACRED REICH) who previously worked with HIRAX in the early 1980s on their first two albums. Metoyer is a master of his craft and HIRAX feel honored and lucky to have him working with them. For Katon, Bill is a "musical wizard and his work on our new album is genius." The cover of "Immortal Legacy" was created by legendary artist Philip Lawvere (KREATOR, CELTIC FROST), marking his first oil painting in 25 years since coming out of retirement. He is the artist behind such classic album covers as KREATOR's "Pleasure To Kill" and CELTIC FROST's "Emperor's Return". Lawvere had done stunning illustrations for numerous albums and is best known for a slew of thrash metal offerings released on Noise Records. The HIRAX frontman comments: "We couldn't be happier to have Philip Lawvere illustrating the cover of our new album. After getting Bill Metoyer to produce it, this is truly the icing on the thrash metal cake!" With guest guitar players Jim Durkin (DARK ANGEL), Juan Garcia (AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD) and Rocky George (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, FISHBONE) on the album, Katon is excited about a real metal monster that his band has produced.

"This is our most epic-sounding record to date, sonically powerful and over the top," he says. "14 new raging thrash metal songs that will make you bang your head!!!"

He adds: "This is probably our most diverse album ever. I think there is something for every heavy metal fan on this record! Obviously I'm very proud of it."

CD Version:

01. Black Smoke (4:35)02. Hellion Rising (4:05)03. Victims Of The Dead (3:07)04. Thunder Roar, The Conquest, La Boca De La Bestia - The Mouth Of The Beast (4:54)05. Earthshaker (0:44)06. Tied To The Gallows Pole (4:05)07. Deceiver (3:42)08. Immortal Legacy (4:40)09. S.O.W. (intro) (0:57)10. Violence Of Action (3:36)11. Atlantis (Journey To Atlantis) (1:30)12. The World Will Burn (2:07) Online Version:

01. Black Smoke (4:35)02. Hellion Rising (4:05)03. Victims Of The Dead (3:07)04. Thunder Roar, The Conquest, La Boca De La Bestia - The Mouth Of The Beast (4:54)05. Earthshaker (0:44)06. Tied To The Gallows Pole (4:05)07. Deceiver (3:42)08. Immortal Legacy (4:40)09. S.O.W. (intro) (0:57)10. Violence Of Action (3:36)11. Atlantis (Journey To Atlantis) (1:30)12. The World Will Burn (2:07)

Bonus track:

13. Mephistopheles (5:16)

LP Version:

Side 1

01. Black Smoke (4:35)02. Hellion Rising (4:05)03. Victims Of The Dead (3:07)04. Thunder Roar, The Conquest, La Boca De La Bestia - The Mouth Of The Beast (4:54)05. Earthshaker (0:44)06. Tied To The Gallows Pole (4:05) Side 2

07. Deceiver (3:42)08. Immortal Legacy (4:40)09. S.O.W. (intro) (0:57)10. Violence Of Action (3:36)11. Atlantis (Journey To Atlantis) (1:30)12. The World Will Burn (2:07)

Bonus track:

13. Mass Hysteria (3:45)

HIRAX is:

Katon W. DePena - VocalsLance Harrison - GuitarSteve Harrison - BassJorge Iacobellis - Drums

U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider, has signed a new long-term contract with AFM Records. The new deal includes the release of three albums plus three DVDs.

"We feel very comfortable with AFM Records and we appreciate the good vibes," says Dirkschneider in a statement. "The mutual understanding is perfect and our individual wishes and ideas are respected and converted. This is obviously hard to find in the music business nowadays."

AFM managing director Jochen Richert is very proud that U.D.O. remains part of the AFM family. "We wanted such an extensive deal with U.D.O. because the cooperation has proved fertile in the past," he says. "U.D.O. is one of our biggest acts, sales figures have grown constantly; this proves that — together — we are successful!"

U.D.O.'s latest album, "Steelhammer", was released on May 24, 2013 via AFM Records. The CD was produced by Dirkschneider and Fitty Wienhold.

U.D.O. in 2012 announced the addition of guitarist Andrey Smirnov to the group's ranks. He replaced Stefan Kaufmann, who left the group for health reasons.

Stefan will continue to work with U.D.O. behind the scenes and produce other bands at his Roxx studio.

Kaufmann was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run due to health problems.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and has recorded nine albums with them.

"Live In Sofia", the most recent DVD+CD and Blu-ray+CD from U.D.O., entered the Music DVD chart in Finland at position No. 1 and in Germany at No. 4.

"Live In Sofia" contains footage of U.D.O.'s November 16, 2011 concert at Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria.

According to NBC San Diego, AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis pleaded guilty to his role in a murder-for-hire plot.

Lambesis, 32, entered the change of plea in court Tuesday, admitting that he hired a hit man to kill his estranged wife.

According to Radio.com, Lambesis' attorney offered no stipulated plea deal, which means the judge has the freedom to apply whatever sentence he determines appropriate, with a maximum of 9 years in state prison plus 4 years parole after release.

Sentencing is set for May 2 in front of the Honorable Judge Carlos Armor.

Prosecutors alleged Lambesis had twice told a man at a gym that he wanted his wife killed, then met with an undercover detective known as "Red", and gave the agent an envelope containing $1,000 in cash, photographs of his wife, and the security gate code to her house. He also allegedly told the agent the dates he would be with the couple's three adopted children, in order to give himself an alibi.

A number of witnesses testified for the prosecution during a September 2013 hearing, including the undercover officer who posed as a hitman. The officer explained that Lambesis told him, "Just to clarify, just so you know, I do want her dead."

Investigators say the undercover cop operation was staged after Lambesis told a man at his gym at Pure Fitness back on April 23, 2013 that he wanted his wife killed. Lambesis was allegedly complaining that she was making life difficult for him, that it was hard for him to see his children and that it was impossible for them to complete their divorce.

"[Lambesis said that] he wasn't allowed to visit his kids, he wasn't allowed to see his kids, he wasn't allowed to take his kids out of the state to go on tour with him, and that angered him," the undercover officer testified. "And the fact that his wife was gonna get a large portion — up to 60 percent — of his income [as part of a divorce settlement]."

The singer at one time has said he considered himself to be a Christian and acknowledged that he found inspiration for lyrical content from biblical texts.

Lambesis' attorney said the "gym culture" led to "changes in [the singer's] physiological and mental status," with Tim's bodybuilding obsession causing him to go from 170 to 220 pounds after first taking supplements, then steroids. "[He] was not the same person. He was irritable and lost God."

Tim's wife Meggan filed papers in September 2012 in San Diego Superior Court seeking a dissolution of the couple's marriage.

The couple had adopted three children from Ethiopia in recent years.

Lambesis was released on $2 million bail in May 2013 with the requirement that he wear a GPS monitor and stay away from his wife and kids.

"Lust And Lies", the new video from VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS, the Dutch rock band led by former VANDENBERG and WHITESNAKE guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, can be seen below.

VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS' self-titled debut album was released on February 24 via Mascot Label Group. An extensive European tour will follow.

"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, 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. Multi-talented 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. Mascot Label Group CEO Ed van Zijl is over the moon with signing Adrian Vandenberg's brand new band.

"Adrian is one of the most outstanding rock guitarists in the world," Ed said. "I have always followed his career and needless to say we are thrilled to finally be working with him. VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS are a fresh and hard rocking new band that will surely make an impact on the scene." Adrian Vandenberg rose to worldwide prominence with VANDENBERG, the melodic rock band that hit internationally with the powerful ballad "Burning Heart". Adrian solidified his status as one of the most talented rock guitarists around when he joined David Coverdale in the hard rock supergroup WHITESNAKE, co-writing many of its Billboard Hot 100-hits, like "The Deeper The Love" and "Now You're Gone", and supplying the legendary guitar solo to "Here I Go Again". After leaving WHITESNAKE, Adrian concentrated on his successful career as an artist, exhibiting his paintings in prestigious galleries all over Europe. Music however was always prevalent on his mind, so as soon as he had the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented young musicians, he started creating new music.

VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS is:

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

For more information, visit www.moonkingsband.com.

The official lyric video for the song "The Last One Alive" from Seattle-based Christian metallers DEMON HUNTER can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Extremist", which will be released on March 18 via Solid State.

"Extremist" track listing:

01. Death 02. Artificial Light 03. What I'm Not 04. The Last One Alive 05. I Will Fail You06. One Last Song07. Cross To Bear08. Hell Don't Need Me09. In Time10. Beyond Me11. Gasoline12. The Heart Of A Graveyard

Deluxe-edition bonus songs:

13. Waste Me14. Helpless Hope

DEMON HUNTER's sixth album, "True Defiance", sold 12,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 36 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 10, 2011 via Solid State Records. The CD was produced by Aaron Sprinkle (ANBERLIN, EMERY) and mixed by Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM).

"True Defiance" was released on limited-edition vinyl on July 31, 2012 via Solid State. Limited to a one-time pressing of 1,000 copies, the double LP, double gatefold package features stunning large-scale versions of DEMON HUNTER frontman and graphic artist Ryan Clark's beautiful artwork — making this a must-have for DEMON HUNTER fans and vinyl collectors.

DEMON HUNTER made headlines last year for its purported association with the Navy SEAL who killed Osama Bin Laden. In an article in Esquire, the anonymous SEAL said: "I wore my DEMON HUNTER patch on every mission. I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden."

"The Last One Alive" lyric video: