Southern German gothic metallers CREMATORY will release their new album, "Antiserum", on March 4 in North America and February 24 in Europe via Steamhammer/SPV.

The video for the song "Kommt Näher" from the forthcoming CD can be seen below. The clip was directed by Dirk Weiler.

"Our fans can look forward to 'Antiserum', on which we have gone one step further than we did on our comeback album, 'Revolution', in terms of electronic influences," drummer Markus Jüllich explains.

"In collaboration with Elmar Schmidt of Hamburg EBM act CENTHRON, we have come up with a haunting mix of metal riffs and EBM keyboards. That's why I'd refer to 'Antiserum''s musical direction as 'EBM metal.'"

As homogeneous as the final product may sound, a great deal of effort was invested throughout to produce the desired result. Jüllich confesses: "In the beginning, it was more difficult than we'd thought. The sounds and samples that Elmar brought us had no really song structures, that's why we didn't have a central theme to start off with. It took us two or three songs to get into the groove, but from that point on, it was an extremely exciting process to work on the new material."

The CREMATORY drummer is referring to tracks such as "Virus", with its pulsating EBM flair, "Inside Your Eyes", which consistently and unashamedly professes the desired EBM elements, and the first single, "Shadowmaker", a veritable anthem which continues the long-standing CREMATORY tradition of including at least one real hit on each album. Jüllich says: "Even before the whole record was finalized, we knew that 'Shadowmaker' had absolute hit potential. We never had a moment's doubt that we had come up with the new CREMATORY anthem."

Along with this purposely experimental direction, "Antiserum" also features a number of tracks which see CREMATORY rely on their traditional strengths and familiar characteristics. The title song is a perfect example of typical CREMATORY ingredients, just like "Back From The Dead" and "If You Believe", which could also have been featured on either of the two most recent albums, "Pray" (2008) and "Infinity" (2010).

"We were even bolder this time than we were in 2004," Jüllich says. "We played even more with different sounds and have — in my opinion — cleverly combined real drum parts with electronic patterns. For me as the band's drummer, it will be really exciting to see how we are going to translate this in a live context. But since it works so well on 'Antiserum', I'm confident that it will be a really good mix live, too."

"Antiserum" will be released as a deluxe box set (including a flag, patch, poster, sticker, postcard), digipak (including two bonus tracks), 2LP gatefold colored vinyl version (including two bonus tracks), standard version and download.

"Antiserum" jewel case CD:

01. Apocalyptic Vision02. Until The End03. Shadowmaker04. If You Believe05. Inside Your Eyes06. Kommt Näher07. Irony Of Fate08. Virus09. Back From The Dead10. Welcome11. Antiserum

"Antiserum" digipak version:

01. Apocalyptic Vision02. Until The End03. Shadowmaker04. If You Believe05. Inside Your Eyes06. Kommt Näher07. Irony Of Fate08. Virus09. Back From The Dead10. Welcome11. Antiserum12. Shadowmaker - Elektro Mix (bonus track)13. Shadowmaker - Centhron Mix (bonus track) "Antiserum" 2 LP Version: LP1 Side 1

01. Apocalyptic Vision02. Until The End03. Shadowmaker04. If You Believe

LP 1 Side 2

01. Inside Your Eyes02. Kommt Näher03. Irony Of Fate

LP 2 Side 1

01. Virus02. Back From The Dead03. Welcome

LP 2 Side 2

01. Antiserum02. Shadowmaker – Elektro Mix (bonus track)03. Shadowmaker – Centhron Mix (bonus track)

"Into The West", the new video from the German "a cappella metal" band VAN CANTO — which consists of five singers and one drummer (no guitars, no bass, no keyboards) — can be seen below. The song is taken form the group's new studio album, "Dawn Of The Brave", which was released on February 7 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded with Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, HELLOWEEN, HAMMERFALL) and Ronald Prent (MANOWAR, RAMMSTEIN, WITHIN TEMPTATION).

Commented the band: "'Dawn Of The Brave' is our fifth studio album and it was important for us to go a little bit further than before. From the drum sound of Charlie Bauerfeind through to the choir recordings with over 200 VAN CANTO fans up to the mixing of Ronald Prent, who made the whole thing shine, as we always wanted to. The album will be bigger, fatter and more powerful-voiced than ever. We are thrilled to look forward to the release of the album and to play the songs live on tour."

"Dawn Of The Brave" track listing:

01. Dawn Of The Brave02. Fight For Your Life03. To The Mountains04. Badaboom05. The Final Countdown (EUROPE cover)06. Steel Breaker07. The Awakening08. The Other Ones09. Holding Out For A Hero (BONNIE TYLER cover)10. Unholy11. My Utopia12. Into The West ("Lord Of The Rings" soundtrack cover)13. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH cover)

"Into The West" video:

Fan-filmed video footage of RIOT V, the new band featuring the surviving members of the most recent lineup of U.S. metal pioneers RIOT, performing on February 7 in Brescia, Italy can be seen below.

RIOT V is continuing on in honor of the late great founding RIOT guitarist Mark Reale, who died from complications from Crohn's Disease in early 2012. The musicians decided to continue on with the blessings from the estate of Reale to keep the music and spirit of RIOT alive.

The continuing members decided to alter the name to RIOT V as the fifth chapter of the band's long history as well as Todd Michael Hall being the fifth singer following Guy Speranza (March 1956 - November 2003), Rhett Forrester (September 1956 – January 1994), Tony Moore and Mike Dimeo in the some 30-odd years of the band's existence.

RIOT V headed to Italy for a string of tribute dates starting in Brescia, ending in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 11, then returning home to start recording the new record slated for a summer 2014 release. The touring band for these tribute dates are longtime members Mike Flyntz (guitar), who has been Reale's guitar partner for over 25 years, and bassist/songwriter Don Van Stavern ("Thundersteel", "Privilege Of Power", "Immortal Soul"), new vocalist Todd Michael Hall (BURNING STARR, REVERENCE) and RIOT's "Army Of One" drummer Frank Gilchriest (VIRGIN STEELE, LIEGE LORD), who is stepping in as Bobby Jarzombek is fulfilling his duties with FATES WARNING and SEBASTIAN BACH.

Although Reale can never be replaced, RIOT V has recruited former student-turned-teacher at Mike Flyntz's guitar school in Long Island, New York, 26-year-old guitar virtuoso Nick Lee, to handle the lead-guitar duties on the current tour.

Said Flyntz: "The decision whether to add a guitarist or try it myself was very difficult. We did play some shows without Mark when he was sick. Although they went as well as could be expected given the circumstances, I felt it was better for the music to add a second guitarist, as Mark added me in 1989.

"It is very important to me that everyone knows that Nick is not Mark's replacement. Mark Reale can never be replaced. I [am] taking on Mark's parts and Nick [is] doing most of my parts.

"Nick studied with me weekly from ages 9 to 17.

"Nick has always been a perfectionist and has always poured his heart into his music. He is a great writer and performer. I am very proud of him. He lives and breathes music and is one with his guitar. He has met Mark and saw us play live.

"I know there is no one else better matched to come in and help us recreate the RIOT sound. After the first rehearsal, I was convinced that we are doing the right thing by carrying on Mark's music and legacy.

"At our first rehearsal playing our opener 'Narita', I actually shed a tear hearing the song that I had played so many years side by side with Mark, but know the band will shine on in his honor and not disappoint the diehard fans."

RISE TO REMAIN, the London, England metalcore outfit fronted by Austin Dickinson — the son of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson — is preparing the troops for its highly anticipated return to the live arena with a surprise present — a free download of the band's brand new single, "Over And Over". A ferocious, take-no-prisoners blast of coruscating metal, the track was debuted to an ecstatic reception on the Main Stage at Download festival last year, with the singalong chorus proving an instant hit. Now revealed in its full majesty, "Over And Over" encompasses everything fans have ever loved about RISE TO REMAIN; insanely skillful guitar solos, pummeling rhythms, epic vocals that veer between brutal roars and tuneful intensity, and a melodic hook that reaches into your skull and tears your brain to pieces. "Over And Over" will be played tonight on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show" with Daniel P. Carter. Says Austin Dickinson: "For our first track in a while, we wanted to redress exactly what RISE are about. Musically, it's fucking heavy, melodic and shreddy as hell, and lyrically it's about the ongoing cycle of battling to remain yourself.

"For a band that is growing and growing, and a fan base that is full of diverse individuals, I think this speaks to all of us.

"I'm so excited to share it with everybody; this is simply a taster of what is to come from us in 2014. Prepare yourself, Risers." And those lucky RISE TO REMAIN fans who manage to get their hands on tickets for the show at London's Borderline on February 20 are in for a treat . In addition to "Over And Over", they can expect to hear a batch of brand new songs that will feature on RISE TO REMAIN's second album. The follow-up to the band's acclaimed 2011 debut, "City Of Vultures", this new CD sees RISE TO REMAIN take their next great leap forward, transforming themselves from British metal's new heroes into a world-class force to be reckoned with. "Over And Over" is available right now as a free download on www.risetoremain.com.

MEGADETH has canceled its previously announced Australian tour dates after the promoter allegedly erroneously blamed the band for removing former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted's new project, simply called NEWSTED, from the billing of MEGADETH's "off" dates during this year's Soundwave festival.

A number of news outlets reported last week that NEWSTED had been taken off MEGADETH's side shows in Sydney and Melbourne while touring Australia on the annual Soundwave trek. The festival organizers claimed via Twitter that Jason Newsted's band was removed from the dates "at the request of MEGADETH." However, MEGADETH tour manager Jim Carroccio denied this, telling ABC New Radio: "[MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine is not responsible for booting NEWSTED off [the Soundwave festival 'off' dates]. Dave did not put [Jason] on the bill and did not take him off the bill."

He added: "Dave submitted a list of bands he was comfortable with and the promoter ignored the list.

"Dave and Jason are friends [and] this has blown up into something silly."

Earlier today (Sunday, February 9), Mustaine released the following statement via the official MEGADETH Facebook page:

"Due to circumstances beyond its control, unfortunately, MEGADETH has to cancel their Australian dates.

"MEGADETH's decision is unrelated to the fact that Jason Newsted is performing at Soundwave. Jason and I spoke recently and continue to be friends."

Mustaine added in a separate posting an hour later: "All I asked for was an apology for blaming me for something I didn't do. I am still willing to play, but the promoter would rather not apologize and prefers to say I asked him to lie, which I didn't.

"Am I the only one that sees how easy it is to fix this?

"[Australian touring mogul and Soundwave promoter] AJ Maddah that I know is a wise and caring man, and I don't know what has happened to my old friend.

"My bags are packed, Aussie fans."

Maddah has since responded to Mustaine via the following series of tweets:

"Dave, we have been friends for a long time and I love you. Your family is like my own. But the only people being punished here are the fans.

"We took instructions from your representatives and we acted on those instructions, as we would with any other artist.

"I realise that you fired your agent and manager and appointed new ones during the process… And that there may have been misunderstandings or miscommunications, but none of those were at our end.

"Despite [all] of this, I sent you a statement regarding possible misunderstandings / miscommunications, apologising to fans, etc. … even though my people did everything by the book and correct protocol was undertaken getting approvals for supports. There are strings of emails supporting this, including ones forwarded with instructions to remove certain artists.

"I am not sure where and how you believe you are owed an apology. And if you are, it should be from your own reps!

"All you are doing by cancelling is punishing the fans who have had no part in any of this.

"Your reps approved your supports and sent clear instructions. They even approved artwork and press release.

"If you have a quarrel, or you were not consulted, then your issue is with your reps and not Australian reps or your old friend!

"So here it is, Dave. I apologize for whatever slight you think I have done you.

"So, does this mean tour is back on?"



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Post by Megadeth.

Fan-filmed video footage of STONE SOUR performing a cover version of METALLICA's "Creeping Death" on February 3 at the Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado can be seen below.

As previously reported, STONE SOUR guitarist Jim Root has chosen to sit out the band's current North American tour so that he can concentrate on writing music for the next SLIPKNOT album. The Pulse Of Radio spoke with Root and asked him to explain his decision in a little more depth. "You know, unfortunately I'm only one person," he said. "I can't really be in two places at one time and the amount of focus that I need to put into SLIPKNOT makes it really difficult for me to be on tour with STONE SOUR. It's crushing and it's heartbreaking and I really don't like the idea of not being out there, but I don't really see any other way to really do it without — I mean, this is like the best way that we could come up with for a compromise." Root is being replaced for the month-long tour, which began on January 14 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, by Christian Martucci. POP EVIL and STOLEN BABIES are also on the bill.

The trek marks the end of the touring cycle for STONE SOUR and the band's two-album set, "House Of Gold And Bones".

SLIPKNOT's long-awaited fifth album will be its first since 2008's "All Hope Is Gone" and first since the 2010 death of bassist Paul Gray and this past December's dismissal of drummer Joey Jordison.

STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER, the revamped version of the cult '80s British metal act GRIM REAPER led by singer Steve Grimmett, will perform in the USA for the first time since 1987 on April 5 at the Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse festival at Reggies bar in Chicago, Illinois. The band's set will consist of many of the classic GRIM REAPER tunes but will also include new tracks from STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER's upcoming studio album, tentatively titled "From Hell", due out in the spring. Original GRIM REAPER guitarist Nick Bowcott will join STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER on stage for several songs, marking the first time Steve and Nick have performed together in more than 25 years.

STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER is:

Steve Grimmett - VocalsIan Nash - GuitarChaz Grimaldi - BassMark Rumble - Drums

The back catalog from GRIM REAPER was reissued in Japan in October 2008 via RCA/BMG. "See You in Hell" (1984), "Fear No Evil" (1985) and "Rock You to Hell" (1987) feature JVC K2 24-bit remastering and are available for order at this location.

JOURNEY vocalist Arnel Pineda has shot down reports that he has asked to leave the band in 2015 in order to spend more time with his family.

Said Pineda in a statement: "I am as happy to be in JOURNEY today as I was when I first joined the group.

"Next to my family in Manila, JOURNEY is my family.

"When I'm not working, I spend time at home with my wife and kids, and my Foundation.

"Now I am busy preparing for our tour with STEVE MILLER BAND and TOWER OF POWER.

"I wish whoever is making up these lies would put their time to good use and stop spreading these false stories."

Pineda was responding to a new story published on (and since removed from) the Classic Rock magazine web site, which quoted MelodicRock.com founder Andrew McNeice as saying Pineda's days with the group could be numbered. "The JOURNEY tours are being scattered and are fewer due to a request from Arnel," reads the quote. "He told the group it has gotten to be too much pressure leaving family at home and singing almost every night. He's asked to leave in 2015."

The Classic Rock magazine report added: "They got him a bus for him and his family, but his wife says it’s too hard to travel with two babies, and their boy has school. Arnel stated that he does not want to record a new album with JOURNEY because that would just mean more work. He is very stressed right now and angry with [JOURNEY guitarist] Neal [Schon]."

Schon has since dismissed those reports as completely false, telling MelodicRock.com, "Rumors couldn't be further from the truth.

"Arnel and I are solid… VERY SOLID.

"We are very much looking forward to getting out there this year and kicking some ass.

"We will be in rehearsal for three weeks prior to the tour and we will be revamping things to keep it fresh. I'm also heading to rehearsal with the original SANTANA band for a record to be recorded later this year titled 'Santana 4'.

"JOURNEY is solid as we are and planning on touring all through 2015 as well as 2014."

The Pulse Of Radio asked JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain if the band ever thought of simply asking Steve Perry to rejoin them, rather than always searching for the perfect sound-alike vocalist. "No, because he really sealed the deal back in '98 and said, 'Don't expect anything from me, y'know, we're done. You and I are done,'" he said. "So I know that he keeps his word and I would not make that call because I know that he's quite happy with the life he has. And it's pretty rigorous out here. What we do is very rigorous, and he doesn't need it. Why does he need it, y'know? His legacy is already there."

JOURNEY kicks off its 39-date spring and summer tour with the STEVE MILLER BAND and TOWER OF POWER on May 15 at Chula Vista, California's Sleep Train Amphitheater.

LINKIN PARK vocalist Mike Shinoda has posted an update online about the status of the group's sixth studio album, which he says the band is "pretty deep" into making. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Shinoda wrote at his personal web site, "As most LINKIN PARK fans know, the sound of each album is usually quite different from the last. The new album is no exception. But as usual, the album’s sound twists and turns as it is created, so any attempt at estimating what it sounds like today would be silly."

Shinoda told The Pulse Of Radio that he likes to set the direction once the band gets into the studio. "I'm kind of at the wheel, and I take it as my responsibility to make sure that we've got collectively a very clear vision of where we want to go, and that the inspiration and motivation levels are high," he said. "I want to feel like every record we make is really inspired and we feel good about it."

Shinoda added that he and the rest of the group are feeling "inspired" and "trying all kinds of things we haven’t before," explaining that they're working in a different studio than before, are largely self-producing the record and even trying different methods of writing and recordings.

He elaborated, "This album has been the product of a mix of focused experimentation and free form jamming. We’re even tracking parts to tape instead of going exclusively digital."

Shinoda concluded by saying that the band is trying to find a "bold and energetic" sound and hints that the record will be out this summer.

LINKIN PARK's previous three albums were co-produced by Rick Rubin, who doesn't appear to be involved with this project. The new disc will follow up 2012's "Living Things".

MÖTLEY CRÜE held a press conference on January 28 at Hotel Roosevelt in Los Angeles where they announced that the band will launch its "Final Tour" later this year, with the group planning to play 72 shows in North America in 2014 and more overseas in 2015. Making it official, the four members of the band had their lawyer draw up a formal "cessation of touring" agreement that goes into effect at the end of 2015 and prohibits the members of the group from going on the road again under the MÖTLEY CRÜE banner.

Asked why MÖTLEY CRÜE felt now was the right time to end the band, bassist Nikki Sixx told Time.com: "Now is better than later. We're at our peak now. We're making a movie of [the band's biography] 'The Dirt'. We are still selling out arenas everywhere we go around the world. It's the original four guys.

"The concept of hobbling off into the sunset with only two of the original guys in the band doesn't appeal to us. That's not the band that came up listening to the RAMONES and AC/DC's 'Dirty Deeds' and going, how do we make those two bands into our band?

"The very first show, Vince [Neil, vocals] and I ended up in the crowd in a fist fight! That kind of set a precedent for who we are and what we do.

"Being such huge rock fans, so many before us have let us down and been sort of embarrassing. You have to squint your eyes and they kind of look like the same band.

"We play a lot of festivals and I'll hear that so-and-so is on the bill and I'll run up to the side of the stage to see them and say, 'I know they're older, but I don't recognize anybody,' and Vince will say, 'Oh the only guy in the band is the drummer's brother.'"

Regarding whether it's safe to assume MÖTLEY CRÜE is planning something special for the band's last shows, Sixx said: "Yeah. You know, you don't want to reveal too much because it blows the surprise.

"I remember back in the '80s, bands would come to opening night and come to see what we were doing, because we were always changing it. Then they would fly back to L.A. and shoot their video and release it and we would see it on MTV and we would see it and say, 'That's our fucking show!' It was like, what the fuck! They just wanted to copy us. Music execs would even say, 'We need three guys with black hair and one guy with blonde hair and you guys need to be rebellious.' What is this, fucking 'American Idol' 1985?! So we started to be really private.

"The band has always prided itself — even when we were a club band — on pushing it as far as we could push it. If you look back to 1981 at shows at the Whisky [A Go Go in Hollywood], we played them like they were stadium shows, but they were only to 250 people. It's just what we do. We were doing it for no money, building stuff ourselves. Vince was an electrician and he would wire up some lights and build a drum riser — Tommy [Lee, drums] would cut the wood and me and Mick [Mars, guitar] would paint it. It was all about making our show bigger and bigger and bigger. It's something we continue to do, but now we incorporate technology and try to push the boundaries that way. That's where we are now — we're at a place where we are looking at what's out there and what we can use. Sometimes we go back and look at shit from the old days. We're looking at stuff from the '70s and '80s and mixing things to create a new breed of stuff. That's exciting to me and what I think is going to be different. Because this is it."

Read the entire interview at Time.com.

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna tweeted on February 5 that the band has made massive headway in the songwriting process for its next studio album, tentatively due later in the year.

"This band is on FIRE lately!" Erna wrote. "Finished 11 songs in two weeks so far. 2014 watch the f%#k out!!!

In a post on GODSMACK's official web site, drummer Shannon Larkin added: "We wrote a bunch of new songs in Florida while our new [headquarters] was being built in New England. Now here we are outside of Boston in a kick-ass studio surrounded by GODSMACK vibes and creating like maniacs!

"[We have written] so many cool new tunes that I can tell ya it's gonna be hard to narrow these down to the best ones!

"I can't give anything away at this point, but wanted to let you real fans know that we are DEEP into this and feeling great about positive attitudes and massive progress!"

GODSMACK's last full-length set of all-new material, "The Oracle", came out in May 2010, although the quarter also issued the concert set "Live And Inspired" in 2012.

Erna told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that playing live has always been important to GODSMACK. "That's probably the exciting moment for us, is to get out there," he said. "It is truly the thing that keeps us alive and keeps us doing this, is the feeling you get from live performances. It's what I look forward to the most."

The band took some time off in 2013 to recharge their batteries and allow members to work on other projects.

Erna played some solo shows, and also resumed his poker-playing career. He also acted in a film called "Army Of The Damned", playing a sheriff who uncovers more than he bargained for when he answers a domestic disturbance call.

Swedish metal veterans ENTOMBED are among twelve artists who have been selected as the inaugural inductees in the Swedish Music Hall Of Fame.

The artists were chosen because they all made "lasting contributions to Swedish music," organizers said in Thursday's (February 6) announcement.

"We want to act a bit like teachers, and demonstrate the history and significance of Swedish music," said music journalist Jan Gradvall, chairman of the three-person jury that picked the Swedish Music Hall Of Famers.

"We want to build bridges between genres and generations and give Swedish music the place it deserves," he added, according to The Local.

Other inductees include pop superstars ABBA, pop duo ROXETTE, punk rockers EBBA GRÖN, and jazz singer Monica Zetterlund.

Original ENTOMBED members Lars Göran Petrov (vocals) and Alex Hellid (guitar) attended Thursday's press conference announcing the first set of Swedish Music Hall Of Fame inductees.

Check out photos from DN.se, Aftonbladet.se.

Set to open on March 20, the Swedish Music Hall Of Fame is situated on Djurgården by the recently opened ABBA museum.

For an artist to be elected to the Swedish Music Hall Of Fame, 20 years must have passed since their debut album in order to "guarantee an enduring historical value."

As previously reported, original ENTOMBED members Alex Hellid and Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (guitar) joined forces with former ENTOMBED frontman Orvar Säfström to perform the band's classic second album, "Clandestine" (1991), on February 1 at Gävle Konserthus in Gävle, Sweden. They were backed by the 65-piece Gävle Symphonic Orchestra and a 40-piece choir.

Original ENTOMBED drummer Nicke Andersson was also supposed to take part in the concert but was unable to make the gig due to touring commitments with his current project IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC.

"Back To The Front", the album that was recorded last year by four members of the most recent lineup of ENTOMBED — Lars Göran Petrov (vocals), Olle Dahlstedt (drums), Nico Elgstrand (guitar) and Victor Brandt (bass) — will be released this coming spring via Century Media Records under the band name ENTOMBED A.D.

Petrov will only perform with ENTOMBED A.D. and will not take part in any upcoming shows announced under the name ENTOMBED.

Hellid did not participate in the writing and recording of "Back To The Front".

Century Media Records announced last fall that the release date of "Back To The Front" — which was originally supposed to be made available under the ENTOMBED moniker — was being pushed back to early 2014 from the previously announced October 29, 2013 due to "unpredictable technical problems."

Asked in an interview with France's MetalChroniques.fr if the omission of Hellid's name from the ENTOMBED biography accompanying a promotional copy of "Back To The Front" was a mistake on the record label's part, Petrov replied: "I do not want to speak publicly about this at the moment; this is something we want to keep internal and private for now. But this is not an error in the biography. Next question?"

Hellid did not accompany the Petrov-fronted lineup of ENTOMBED when the band performed at the Manizales Grita Rock festival in Colombia in August 2013.

"We are very happy to announce that our good friend Michael Kadnar from New York will be the new face behind the drums of Downfall of Gaia and all of us couldn't be more excited to have him on board! We got to know Mike on our last tour through the United States with his other band Black Table and the chemistry just felt right! Around that time we had no idea that we will meet up again so soon! It might sound weird to some people to add a drummer from New York to a band that's based in Germany, but for us it feels like the right and best decision! Plans for 2014 have been made and the flights have been booked! Some amazing stuff is coming up in the next couple of months and we are looking forward to a new chapter! The songwriting for a new record will start in a few weeks and a new record can be expected for later this year!"

Candlelight Records has announced the signing of the Irish occult metal act ABADDON INCARNATE. The band's fifth album, "Pessimist", will be released later this year. The CD was recorded and mixed in three days, with the vocals and music being done in one take to maintain a level of live intensity and maximize a very real and frantic feel. Artwork duties have fallen to Manuel Tinnemans (DEATHSPELL OMEGA, PENTACLE) and the lyrics on the album are the most dark and honest the band has done to date.

Says the band: "We are pleased and excited to announce that we are signing to Candlelight Records for the release of our fifth album, 'Pessimist'. We have been fans of the Candlelight roster for many years and we feel Candlelight's extreme metal background, professional attitude and proximity to Ireland make them the best choice to release our latest album. We are looking forward to working with them!" Formed in 1994 from the ashes of death thrashers BEREAVED, ABADDON INCARNATE came together with the intention of becoming the fastest, most brutal band in Ireland. It was a mission thoroughly accomplished within the Irish underground by the time they released their brutal death metal debut, "The Last Supper", on Season Of Mist. "Nadir" was the follow-up and marked ABADDON INCARNATE's evolution into an uncompromising grindcore act, whilst also maintaining their occult lyrical themes. In 2003, "Dark Crusade" was released, selling an unprecedented amount before the band went on an enforced hiatus. ABADDON INCARNATE re-emerged in 2007 with new drummer Johnny King (ALTAR OF PLAGUES) and bassist Steve Finnerty and since then has completed successful tours in Europe, Russia and South America, and released its fourth full-length, "Cascade", and a split with legendary Orange County grinders PHOBIA. With four full-length releases and a split behind them, ABADDON INCARNATE, led by founding members Bill Whelan and Steve Maher, are looking forward to the future.

ABADDON INCARNATE is:

Johnny King (drums)Bill Whelan (vocals, guitar)Steve Maher (vocals, guitar)Steve Finnerty (vocals, bass) The ABADDON INCARNATE track "Fear" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Scottish folk/power metallers ALESTORM have entered Lasse Lammert's LSD Studio in Lübeck, Germany to record their fourth full-length album, "Sunset On The Golden Age", due in the early summer via Napalm Records.

"This is gonna blow all your expectations as to what an ALESTORM album is all about," comments ALESTORM's Christopher Bowes (vocals/keytar).

"Over the past couple of years we've been writing non-stop, and we've come up with a ton of badass material.

"Some of this stuff is catchiest pirate party anthems you've ever heard, with choruses that'll make you want to raise a pint of rum up high and sing your guts out. And for the fans of the epic stuff, we've got some songs that hit the 10-minute mark, with lyrical themes about historical events and crazy mythological madness. It's gonna rule!"

ALESTORM's "Shipwrecked" video was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic, who has previously worked with EPICA, KAMELOT and KATAKLYSM. The song comes off the band's third album, "Back Through Time", which was released in June 2011 via Napalm Records.

"Back Through Time" was produced by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studio. The effort was made available as a jewelcase, mediabook, LP, and special-edition boxset "featuring bonus tracks and other mad shite!"