JOURNEY's management has reportedly shot down speculation that the band is in talks with its former singer, Steve Perry, about a possible reunion.

Late last month, Artisan News posted a video clip (see below) in which Perry was asked whether he has been in contact with JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon. "I haven't worked with Neal," he replied. "We're trying. It's tough. I'm doing my best in that area and I can only do so much."

According to MelodicRock.com, the speculation about a possible reunion between JOURNEY and Perry is "totally inaccurate." The site's webmaster, Andrew McNeice, writes: "I can one hundred per cent confirm there has been no business or reunion communication between the camps.

"While everyone is on good terms, with no issues, there are no plans in the foreseeable future.

"JOURNEY management stated to me today: 'No reunion plans; all is well in the JOURNEY camp. Big tour in the U.S. this summer — JOURNEY/STEVE MILLER and TOWER OF POWER.'

"I can add that Steve's recently quoted responses to media about his situation is basically a polite answer to the question he is always going to be asked. Watching him say it on video gives it better context than the quote in text.

"Don't get too excited, folks, my source states that any hype is just 'hot air.'"

Fans have been eagerly awaiting some type of answer from Perry after Schon posted an olive branch to him last July on his Facebook page. Schon, who along with keyboardist Jonathan Cain and co-founding bassist Ross Valory, parted ways with Perry in 1998, posted a YouTube link to a Perry radio interview along with a warm open message to his former collaborator, stating: "Great Steve Perry interview. I hope we can reach out to each other and connect once again. We had amazing chemistry together. I love him with all the love and admiration you could even have. Steve, let's talk soon. Neal."

Steve Perry left JOURNEY in 1998 rather than be forced into hip surgery so that the band could tour behind their hit reunion album "Trial By Fire". He's currently prepping his first solo album in 20 years.

JOURNEY's latest studio album, "Eclipse", featuring singer Arnel Pineda, was released in May 2011. The Walmart-exclusive CD debuted on The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 13.

Recently released is JOURNEY's latest compilation, "Greatest Hits - Volume 2", which was compiled by Steve Perry.

Artisan News video report:

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper's much-anticipated covers album, featuring songs that were originally written and recorded by THE DOORS, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and THE WHO, members of the so-called "Hollywood vampires" of the early and mid-'70s, will be released this spring prior to Cooper's stint as the support act on MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Final Tour".

Speaking about whether the record will feature some famous guests, Alice said: "It's gonna be all guests. Some of my backing band, but… almost all guests, and a really, really great bunch of guests… I'm really excited about this album."

Back in March 2013, Cooper said about the upcoming CD: "We do a thing in our show, which is a tribute to Hollywood Vampires, my drinking club. And it was Keith Moon, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Micky Dolenz — a very eclectic bunch of drunks. Half of them are dead, so we do four songs in the show in tribute to them. We do 'Break On Through', 'Revolution', 'My Generation' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxey Lady'. I just kind of said, 'We've never done a covers album, let's think about that.'"

Asked what some of the wish-list songs are, Cooper said: "I would keep it right to about '73, '74. I don't want to just go anywhere. I want to keep it right in that sort of drunk era, so it's specific. I would say 'Break On Through', that's a really good rock track there. The other ones, think of it — Harry Nilsson, there's a lot of good stuff there that could be rocked out. I think of songs as being clay. Take a song like 'Jump Into the Fire' and take that to a harder level, and that'll work."

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release "Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings", a 15-CD library box housing the rock guitar virtuoso's most comprehensive anthology ever, on Tuesday, April 22.

"Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings" will also be available as a collectible limited-edition USB drive exclusively on Satriani.com.

One of the most influential and respected instrumental rock guitarists to emerge in the past three decades, Joe Satriani is that rare "musician's musician" who's crossed over into the mainstream with music sublime and complex, appealing to a wide variety of tastes.

A true master of the six-string, Satriani worked as a guitar teacher in his early career, with a number of his students — among them Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett (METALLICA), Larry LaLonde (POSSESSED, PRIMUS), David Bryson (COUNTING CROWS), Charlie Hunter and more — achieving their own considerable successes.

While in considerable demand as a sideman throughout his career — he's toured with Mick Jagger, DEEP PURPLE and many others — Satriani has pursued his own musical vision over the years through a series of instrumental rock albums (many of them Grammy nominated) which chronicle his evolution as an artist and his eloquence as a guitarist.

All 14 of Joe Satriani's landmark studio albums, from "Not Of This Earth" (his 1986 debut) through "Unstoppable Momentum" (2013's masterpiece), are included in the new collection alongside "Added Creations And Bonus Tracks", a newly curated anthology disc of rare compositions and performances falling outside the purview of Satriani's official album canon, and "Surfing With The Alien", 1987's platinum-selling breakout.

"When the good people at Legacy approached me with the idea of a comprehensive box set featuring my studio recordings in their entirety, plus bonus tracks, all remastered, I answered with a resounding, 'YES!,'" said Joe Satriani.

"The only person who could pull this all together logistically and sonically was mastering engineer John Cuniberti.

"John and I have recorded quite a bit of music together going way back to the early '80s. I've made more records with John engineering and co-producing than anyone else, so who better to help me put this box set together the right way? His attention to detail has made this project exciting, illuminating and ultimately awesome sounding."

"Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings" presents brand-new digital masters, overseen by Joe Satriani, with each CD packaged in a replica cardboard jacket. The library collection is housed in a specially designed clamshell box with a booklet filled with photos and memorabilia from across the decades.

"Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings" is the ideal audio accompaniment to "Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir", Satriani's autobiography, also coming in April.

A tireless performer who draws strength and inspiration from live shows, Satriani is consistently one of the world's top concert draws. He is a core member of the rock supergroup CHICKENFOOT (with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith) as well as founder of the highly successful G3 tours, each teaming Satriani with a pair of top-flight guitarists with shows often featuring special guest artists and other musical surprises. A nearly annual event, G3 launched in 1996 with Steve Vai and Eric Johnson and has showcased a wide variety of axemen over the years, including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Yngwie Malmsteen, Robert Fripp, John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Neal Schon, Brian May, Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather and many others. Most recently, the G3 tour played South America in 2012.

Over his career, Joe Satriani has earned 15 "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" Grammy nominations alongside platinum ("Surfing With The Alien", "Flying In A Blue Dream") and gold ("The Extremist", "Time Machine") certifications for his solo recordings. He also racked up gold and platinum certifications for the DVD "Live in San Francisco" and two G3 DVDs, "G3 Live" and "Live In Denver".

Satriani is extending his decades-long relationship with Sony Music, signing a new multi-album deal with Legacy for future recordings.

"Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings" includes:

1986 - "Not Of This Earth"
1987 - "Surfing With The Alien"
1989 - "Flying In A Blue Dream"
1992 - "The Extremist"
1993 - "Time Machine"
1995 - "Joe Satriani"
1998 - "Crystal Planet"
2000 - "Engines Of Creation"
2002 - "Strange Beautiful Music"
2004 - "Is There Love In Space?"
2006 - "Super Colossal"
2008 - "Professor Satchafunkilus And The Musterion Of Rock"
2010 - "Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards"
2013 - "Unstoppable Momentum"
2014 - "Additional Creations And Bonus Tracks"

Los Angeles-based female-fronted metallers HELLION have inked a contract with London-based HNE/Cherry Red Records. The first of three HELLION albums set for release this year is a 2-disc anthology entitled "To Hellion And Back", which will be released on April 1, and the first 1,000 copies will be autographed by the band's singer, Ann Boleyn.

"To Hellion And Back" chronicles the band's beginnings from 1982, to the present, and features new music from HELLION. It features a collection of fan favorites, hard-to-find recordings, and previously unreleased tracks. Among the collection are also two songs that were produced by Ronnie James Dio at the legendary Sound City recording studio. The cover artwork was designed by Italian artist Gaetano Di Falco and inspired by the photography of P.G. Brunelli.

The musicians enlisted by powerhouse vocalist Ann Boleyn for the new HELLION include drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, Geoff Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE, DIO, DIO DISCIPLES), keyboardist Scott Warren (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL), Swedish import bassist Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DIO DISCIPLES), and up-and-coming lead guitarist Maxxxwell Carlisle.

HELLION's new tracks were produced by legendary British studio icon Ken Scott, who has produced iconic albums, including David Bowie's "Hunky Dory", "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars", "Aladdin Sane" and "Pinups". A top producer at Abbey Road Studios, Scott is also acknowledged as one of the five principal engineers for THE BEATLES. He has engineered countless classic works, including George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", Elton John's "Madman Across The Water", "Honky Chateau" and "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player". Other credits include gold and platinum albums by SUPERTRAMP, David Bowie, MISSING PERSONS and KANSAS.

Scott recently said of the comparison between working with David Bowie and Ann Boleyn: "Working with Bowie or working with Ann of HELLION, you've got sheer talent."

Acknowledging Boleyn as the driving force propelling the band, Scott notes: "Over the years, the musicians have changed. The one musician that has always been the same is Ann. So once again, it's new musicians. The one constant thing about HELLION is Ann, and her incredible voice."

Says Wright of working with Boleyn and HELLION: "She's tried to stay true to that heaviness and a certain darkness. She's sticking to the same formula, just different musicians, though."

"To Hellion And Back" track listing:

Disc One

01. Backstabber02. Driving Hard03. Don't Take No For An Answer04. Break The Spell05. Up From The Depths06. Run For Your Life07. Get Ready08. Witching Hour09. Screams In The Night10. Upside Down Guitar Solo /11. The Hand12. Bad Attitude13. Tower Of Air

Disc Two

01. Nevermore02. Exciter03. The Evil One04. Breakdown05. The Black Book06. Living In Hell07. Stormrider08. Demon Attack09. Resurrection / Will Not Go Quietly10. Shit (Is Gonna Hit The Fan)11. Dead and Gone12. Dream Deceiver13. Hell Has No Fury

The "To Hellion And Back" CD will be available for pre-order through The Omega Order.

In 1983, when the term "female metal singer" did not exist, HELLION's demo recordings (released as a self-titled mini-LP) climbed to No. 6 in England's rock charts. In America, HELLION, however, was regarded by the corporate music world as "too heavy" for a band with a female singer.

Despite never releasing an album on a major record label, HELLION was the first female-fronted metal band to be featured on MTV and VH1 and was also the first U.S. metal band to perform in the former Soviet Union on a Monsters Of Rock festival.

HELLION will tour in Europe in 2014 and is expected to appear at a number of major festivals.

Photo credit: P.G. Brunelli

Long-running Floridian death metal outfit RESURRECTION has inked a deal with Old School Metal Records for the release of the band's first full-length album since 2008's "Mistaken for Dead". Due out in March, "Soul Descent - March of Death" will coincide with RESURRECTION's "March Of Death" European tour, which kicks off in Germany and features stops in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic and Poland.

RESURRECTION's current lineup consists of founding member and guitarist John Astl, drummer Gabriel Lewandowski (EQUINOX, HELLWITCH, ACHERON), bassist and vocalist Damian Chavez and guitarist Mike Estes-.

"Mistaken For Dead" was released in North America in October 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD was issued in Europe in July 2008 through Massacre Records.

Icelandic death metal juggernauts BENEATH will release their second full-length album, "The Barren Thorne", on April 29 via Unique Leader Records. The CD was helmed by Polish producers Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawski, who previously worked with such acts as DECAPITATED, VADER and BEHEMOTH. The album contains 11 tracks of technical brutality, clocking in at 53 minutes.

"The Barren Thorne" track listing: 01. Depleted Kingdom02. Chalice03. The Barren Throne04. Putrid Seed Of Affection05. Iron Jaw06. Sovereign Carnal Passion07. Sky Burial08. Veil Of Mercy09. Mass Extinction Codex10. Storm Drainer11. Unearthed

BENEATH will be join DEHUMANIZED, MALIGNANCY and ABNORMALITY for the "Less Than Human" European tour starting April 18.

In February 2010, BENEATH released its debut EP entitled "Hollow Empty Void" on Mordbrann Musikk, which lead to them getting a record deal with Unique Leader. In 2012, the band released its first full-length, "Enslaved By Fear". The CD was mixed by Daniel Bergstrand at Dugout studios in Uppsala, Sweden. In 2013, singer and founder Gisli Sigmundsson left the band and was replaced by Benedikt Natanael Bjarnason (AZOIC).

TORCHE, the Florida-meets-Georgia quartet whose album "Harmonicraft" was proclaimed "one of the strongest guitar-rock records 2012 will yield" by Alternative Press, has signed with Relapse Records. "We're looking forward to working with a label that has stood the test of time while continuing to expand their diverse roster," explained TORCHE's Jonathan Nuñez, adding, "Releasing this record on Relapse lined up pretty well since it contains some of the heaviest songs we've written to date." TORCHE is often cited for its masterful combination of melodic songwriting and heavy music, with Spin dubbing the band's music "sludge-pop" and Filter saying the band proves "a heavy-rock band can be optimistic and sincere-without sacrificing any of the edge." TORCHE is currently recording its new album at Pinecrust Studio in Miami, with Nunez serving as producer and CONVERGE's Kurt Ballou set to mix. The as-yet-untitled CD is due this summer. TORCHE will play a celebratory, post-recording show on February 26 at St. Vitus Bar in New York.

Photo credit: Janette Valentine

Southern California's IN THIS MOMENT has inked a deal with Atlantic following the completion of its contract with Century Media, the independent record label which released the band's first four albums. The group will enter the studio later this month to begin recording the follow-up to its 2012 commercial breakthrough, "Blood". IN THIS MOMENT will once again be working with heavy rock producer extraordinaire Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, HELLYEAH), and singer Maria Brink couldn't be happier. "He's like a member of the band," she told The Pulse Of Radio. "He's a very vital, important part of IN THIS MOMENT to me. He really works well with me in the studio, he encourages me the right way, he lets me go crazy and then I cry in the studio, 'cause I'm all about really finding that raw, true emotion deep inside of you. He really supports me on the whole journey and he brings the best out in me."

The band is scheduled to start work on the album on February 23, with guitarist Chris Howorth telling Billboard.com that they want their fifth studio effort to be "bigger and better" than "Blood", while "still keeping true to that same vibe."

The group hopes to have a new single ready by the summer and intends either way to have new music available in time for a couple of summer tours that are under consideration.

"Blood" was IN THIS MOMENT's highest-charting album, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard album chart, while the title track became the band's first-ever Top 10 hit at rock radio.

IN THIS MOMENT recently released "Blood At The Orpheum", its first live album, while a DVD of the same concert where the disc was recorded is included in a deluxe reissue of "Blood".

"Blood" has sold 225,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based hard-hitters MASS MURDER MESSIAH have recruited former NEURAXIS frontman Alex Leblanc as their new singer.

Comments MASS MURDER MESSIAH drummer Sammoth: "Alex is a juggernaut on stage. He is the perfect fit for this band in all aspects. He's a great frontman, has years of experience on and off stage and he's just an overall great guy. We are VERY happy to add him to the MASS MURDER MESSIAH family."

Adds Leblanc: "It's good to be back in the game!!!

"After a two-year hiatus, I didn't realize how much I missed being in a jam room and screaming my heart out.

"MASS MURDER MESSIAH is a solid band and I can't wait to bring my special kind of mayhem to their style and terrorize crowds everywhere."

MASS MURDER MESSIAH will perform at this year's Amnesia Rockfest and is already working on the follow-up to 2013's independently released "The Rise Of Evil" album.

Victory Records has announced the signing of Poughkeepsie, New York's emotionally charged hardcore outfit MERIDIAN.

The band comments: "We're very excited to join the Victory roster.

"We're honored to be share the same home as so many legendary bands.

"We are excited to get to work on our full-length debut, which will be out later this year.

"We want to thank anyone who has come out to a show and supported us to get to this point. We couldn't have done it without you. We also want to thank anyone who took the time to read this and we look forward to seeing you at shows in the future!"

Look for MERIDIAN on tour throughout 2014.

MERIDIAN is:

David Mitchell - VocalsChris Evanko - Guitar/VocalsJuan Espinosa - GuitarChris Titer - Bass/VocalsRonnie Scocozza - Drums

A trailer for the vinyl version of "Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows", the recently completed sixth album from Finnish metallers AMORAL, can be seen below.

AMORAL will celebrate the release of "Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows" by playing a special show at Virgin Oil Co. in Helsinki on February 28. The concert — the band's first in almost a year — will see the group perform the entire new CD in sequence, followed by a set of songs from AMORAL's decade-long career.

"We got the itch to try and play the whole new album through live pretty soon after completing it," says AMORAL guitarist Ben Varon. "At least this one time. It's quite a challenge, starting our first show in ages with an hour of all-new music, but it's a challenge we welcome with open arms!"

"Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows" will be released on February 14. The effort will be available on CD, double vinyl and digital download. Aki Siltala, the artist behind the covers of previous AMORAL albums "Decrowning" and "Reptile Ride" is again responsible for the cover artwork.

"Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows" track listing:

01. On The Other Side Pt. I (7:14)02. No Familiar Faces (4:07)03. Prolong A Stay (7:39)04. Blueprints (4:20)05. If Not Here, Where? (9:15)06. The Storm Arrives (6:25)07. See This Through (6:39)08. On The Other Side Pt. II (9:14)

"'Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows' is a concept album, and 'If Not Here, Where?' sits right in the middle of the album and the story, marking a turning point in the protagonist's journey," says Ben Varon.

"We wanted the first taster to really represent the whole album. Also, 'If Not Here, Where?' being such a massive chunk of music, almost like two songs in one, it will take some time for listeners to digest it all."

AMORAL's fifth album, "Beneath", entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 30.

AMORAL is:

Ari Koivunen (RASKASTA JOULUA) - VocalsBen Varon (GREASE HELMET) - GuitarMasi Hukari - GuitarPekka Johansson - BassJuhana Karlsson (SHEAR) – Drums

"Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows" LP trailer:

Danish hard rockers STATEMENT will release their debut album, "Monsters", on March 17 via Mighty Music. The CD was recorded at Fastbeat Studio in Copenhagen, while vocal recording, mix and mastering was handled by internationally acclaimed sound wizard Tue Madsen at Antfarm studio in Aarhus, Denmark.

A video for the track "Keep You Alive" from the upcoming album can be seen below.

The story of STATEMENT started in 2011, when Niels Alex — drummer of now-defunct Danish metallers PILGRIMZ — met up with longtime friend and vocalist Jannick Brochdorf. Niels Alex was already an experienced musician on the Danish metal scene and has been playing in bands since 1994. With PILGRIMZ, he played shows alongside bands like MOTÖRHEAD, GOJIRA, CARCASS, THE HAUNTED and VOLBEAT, to name a few. But then Niels Alex wanted to do something else and ditched the drums in favor of the guitar and his love for classic hard rock. The lineup was completed with the addition of bassist Martin Poulsen from the death/grind band DRAB, drummer Peter Thomsen — who has supported EUROPE and TESLA with his former band SODE — and finally guitarist Jesper Steen Noachsen.

All five members were inspired by classical hard rock/metal acts such as SCORPIONS, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH and METALLICA. So even though the majority of the band had been playing extreme metal for about 20 years, they all went back with a newfound love for their musical roots and the times of exploration.

TWISTED SISTER will play a special warmup show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's "Stay Hungry" album on May 17 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. Also scheduled to appear is Stephen Pearcy of RATT.

The 25th-anniversary edition of "Stay Hungry" came out in June 2009 via Rhino. The set featured loads of bonus material, including one brand new track, "30", that the band recorded specifically for the anniversary reissue.

In a 2009 interview with Examiner.com, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider stated about the 25th-anniversary edition of the "Stay Hungry" album: "Twenty-fifth anniversary, and yeah, it's pretty amazing to think that 25 years have passed. It's amazing to see the significance of the record, you know, the original, and how many times I hear people saying, 'This was my primer to heavy metal,' or 'I was a disco boy or pop princess before I got my 'Stay Hungry' record and it changed my life.' And then you've got 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock', which sort of started — especially 'We're Not Gonna Take It' — to transcend even the genre and become almost folk songs. I may be a little over-exaggerating at this point, but everybody knows that song and it pops up everywhere — anybody that's got a complaint about anything: 'We're Not Gonna Take It!' So it's really strange to see it take on a life of its own."

He continued: "I remember, and plus it was weird, late one night on one tour when we were in Connecticut in a real urban area, and the bus had stopped, I had to make a phone call because there were no cell phones in those days. So it's like the middle of the night and I'm on a payphone and a carload of African-Americans drive by, and they look out the window and go, 'Hey, that's that guy from TWISTED SISTER!' And I was like, holy crap, talk about crossing genres.

"But I think for TWISTED, the video did the crossing over and took the song with it. Not that the song wasn't certainly embraced, and a lot of people think the video made the song, but the fact was 'We're Not Gonna Take It' was added at 145 radio stations the first week it came out and that was two weeks before the video even hit. And just so you know, that's a lot of radio stations to play a heavy metal band in 1984. So the song itself spoke for itself, but the video reinforced it; when it came to crossing the pop world and into the urban world and all these other communities, I think the video — you know, movies are a common bond — and people watched the movie and got hooked on the song. Plus it was groundbreaking — no one was doing videos like that.

"Whenever they have the 'Top 100 Videos of All Time', 'We're Not Gonna Take It' always shows up. And as a matter of fact — and this is a little-known fact about the video — when 'We're Not Gonna Take It' was delivered to MTV, I believe the guy's name was Les Garland, but I'm not sure, he hated it, he was hostile. The reaction was, 'This is not rock video, this is method acting.' And they never allowed 'We're Not Gonna Take It' to go out of medium rotation, and as much as, you know, that song that was medium rotation, but it had such a connection that people waited for that thing to come on. And the funny thing is when we delivered 'I Wanna Rock', which was basically the sequel to 'We're Not Gonna Take It', the reaction was, 'Ah, now this is a rock video!' So either the perception had changed within the company or they were just sort of covering their tracks from their denial of it being a real video into the first place. But then, of course, there were so many videos that started following our formula after that it was ridiculous."

Asked whether the TWISTED SISTER guys had any inkling at all when they were writing and arranging "Stay Hungry" that it was something special, Dee said: "You know, no. It's just like we were on a path. It was 'Under The Blade', and that independent record led to our major record deal with Atlantic, 'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll', and that broke in Europe, namely, and then it spilled over the United States. And we knew they were going to pull out all the stops on the record. As far as writing goes, I was just writing more music. And one thing a lot of people have said was, ''Stay Hungry' was TWISTED SISTER's go-commercial, selling out.' And I always laugh, because it was anything but. That album was written in 1982.

"What I would do is when we were working on 'Under The Blade', I was writing songs for the next album, and in all the down time between sessions, I was working the songs. So I was writing 'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll' when 'Under The Blade' was being recorded. When we were recording 'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll', I was writing 'Stay Hungry'. And we couldn't have been more broke, we couldn't have been hungrier. So there really was no commercialization or selling out or anything like that. I mean, the biggest hat-tilt towards commercialization was assigning Tom Werman, who was this pop producer, who was cleaning up people like Ted Nugent and MÖTLEY CRÜE, and they figured, 'Hey, we can clean these guys up too.' So I'll tell you what, I'm looking at something right here — I have this laminated and actually taped to my triple-platinum 'Stay Hungry' album on my wall in my studio where I am right now. And during the recording I was really having a lot of problems with our producer, Tom Werman, and we just didn't agree and I really felt like he was compromising the record, and it was a real struggle for me to try to keep the band's integrity. He wanted to clean us up even more, you know, and I was really frustrated and the engineer, Geoff Workman, who really is responsible for all of the positive things on that record as far as sound and everything. And he said, 'What's the matter, man?' And I said, 'Fricking Tom is killing my record, he's pissing me off!' He goes, 'Relax dude, this record is guaranteed to go platinum.' And I said, 'You want to put that in writing?' And he goes, 'Yeah, I'll put that in writing.' So what it says here on this laminated page — it's written on an old note sheet, it says: 'The record that I am currently working on with TWISTED SISTER [because we didn't have a name yet] is guaranteed to go at least platinum or I resign. Signed: Geoff Workman. Witnessed: Gary McGachan [who was the assistant engineer].' So, he knew."



(Thanks: NJthrasher)

Swedish death metallers EVOCATION have announced the addition of drummer Conny Pettersson (ANATA) to the group's ranks.

Comments Conny: "I'm proud to be the new drummer of EVOCATION and I have much respect for Janne and Vesa and the work they have done this far. Now I'm looking forward to face the challenges we have before us and excited to see what music we can create together!"

A video clip of Conny playing "Weak Aside" by BLOODBATH can be seen below.

EVOCATION recently recruited Simon Exner (AS YOU DROWN) as the band's new guitarist.

Simon and the other members of AS YOU DROWN have been close friends of EVOCATION since the reunion in 2005 and Simon has also worked for EVOCATION as a member of their crew and a studio engineer.

Commented Exner: "I've been a close friend with the band ever since 'Tales From The Tomb', following them on shows and also working with them on the tracking of their latest release, 'Excised And Anatomised'.

"When Marko approached me regarding the open spot as guitarist in EVOCATION, I didn't hesitate one second. We work great together in the studio and the new tracks written so far for the next album are truly KILLER!"

EVOCATION's "Excised And Anatomised" covers EP contained versions of songs that were originally written and recorded by BOLT THROWER, CARCASS, NAPALM DEATH, EDGE OF SANITY and AT THE GATES.

EVOCATION's fourth studio album, "Illusions Of Grandeur", was released in September 2012 via Century Media Records.

Ronnie James Dio is one of the most beloved figures in rock history. His gifts, both as a singer and songwriter, are instantly recognizable, whether he was with RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, or leading DIO. Sadly, Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010 but his towering voice and legacy live on.

To celebrate one of rock's most powerful voices, an all-star group of his friends and fans recorded 13 of their favorite tracks for a tribute album that will raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. Produced by his longtime manager and wife Wendy Dio, the album includes contributions by such metal heavyweights as METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, SCORPIONS, ANTHRAX, and Rob Halford, as well as appearances by many of the musicians who performed with Dio over the years.

"This Is Your Life" will be available from Rhino on April 1. A digital version will also be available.

Although the songs featured on the album touch on the different eras of Dio's career, several spotlight his time with RAINBOW, including METALLICA's epic, nine-minute "Ronnie Rising Medley", which combines the RAINBOW songs "A Light In The Black", "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer" and "Kill The King". SCORPIONS add a scorching take on "Temple Of The King" while MOTÖRHEAD is joined by Biff Byford from SAXON on "Starstruck". Rob Halford teams with frequent Dio collaborators Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, and Scott Warren for "Man On The Silver Mountain". The final lineup of Dio's solo band — Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo and Scott Warren — are joined by Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) for "Catch The Rainbow", a track from RAINBOW's 1975 debut.

ANTHRAX and ADRENALINE MOB honor Dio's memorable stint with BLACK SABBATH with their takes on "Neon Knights" and "The Mob Rules", respectively, as does a group, led by Oni Logan on vocals along with Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, and Brian Tichy, which performs "I" from "Dehumanizer".

"This Is Your Life" also includes songs from Dio's back-to-back platinum albums "Holy Diver" (1983) and "The Last In Line" (1984), with DORO's take on "Egypt (The Chains Are On)", HALESTORM tackling "Straight Through The Heart", Corey Taylor (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT) covering the classic "Rainbow In The Dark" and TENACIOUS D (Jack Black and Kyle Glass) putting their signature spin on "The Last In Line". KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's cover of "Holy Diver", a hit in its own right when released in 2006, is also included here.

Fittingly, Ronnie James Dio provides the finale (and the album's title) with his moving performance of "This Is Your Life". Originally released on "Angry Machines" (1996), the song's lyrics explore mortality and are backed by a stark and beautiful arrangement that features Dio accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist Scott Warren on piano. The song serves as a poignant reminder that we will never hear a voice like Dio's again.

"I'm letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it," Wendy told Artisan News in 2011.

"We reached out to Wendy Dio about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that's getting put together," METALLICA singer James Hetfield told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "We're very honored to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie's life and his great contribution, man."

In an interview with Guitar International, former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano stated that the band's cover version of "Neon Knights" "came out pretty smoking."

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.

"This Is Your Life" track listing:

01. "Neon Knights" - ANTHRAX * 02. "The Last In Line" - TENACIOUS D * 03. "The Mob Rules" - ADRENALINE MOB 04. "Rainbow In The Dark" - Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher * 05. "Straight Through The Heart" - HALESTORM * 06. "Starstruck" - MOTÖRHEAD with Biff Byford * 07. "Temple Of The King" - SCORPIONS * 08. "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" - DORO 09. "Holy Diver" - KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 10. "Catch The Rainbow" - Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren * 11. "I" - Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy * 12. "Man On The Silver Mountain" - Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren * 13. "Ronnie Rising Medley" (featuring "A Light In The Black", "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer", "Kill The King") - METALLICA * 14. "This Is Your Life" - DIO

* Previously unreleased

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization which has already raised more than $600,000 in its short history. Monies raised to date have been committed to the cancer research work of the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life.

"Lonesome Rider", the new Plastickid-directed video from Danish/American rockers VOLBEAT, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", which was re-released in a special "tour edition" on November 4, 2013. The new version of the act's fifth studio album contains new bonus tracks and a live DVD. The latter features footage of the group performing at a number of major summer festivals in Europe, including the Download festival in the U.K., Rock Am Ring and Rock'n'Heim in Germany, Hellfest in France and Denmark's Roskilde Festival.

Speaking about "Lonesome Rider", VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen told Ultimate-Guitar.com, "On that song, we have Sarah Blackwood as a guest singer. She's formerly known as the frontperson in CREEPSHOW, which is a Canadian rockabilly band, and now she's in a band called WALK OFF THE EARTH. We knew her from back when we wanted to bring CREEPSHOW on tour."

He added: "It may sound strange, but I'm not really into white female singers, I think they all sound the same; I'm so much more into black female singers when it comes to vocals.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, and there's going to be a lot of white female singers out there who will think I'm an idiot, but that's just the way I feel.

"But Sarah definitely has her own thing. She did a great job and her signing sounds beautiful on the record." "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" debuted at No. 1 in several countries when it arrived in April 2012, with the disc entering the Billboard album chart at No. 9.

"Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" has sold 180,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER has uploaded video footage from the Zagreb, Croatia and Ljubljana, Slovenia dates on the band's current European headlining tour. You can now watch the clip below.

DREAM THEATER's latest, self-titled album (available for purchase here) sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on September 24, 2013 via Roadrunner.

DREAM THEATER's "Along For The Ride" tour will pick up on March 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada following the band's European tour and then continues through the end of April where it will eventually wrap up in Guadalajara, Mexico on April 26.

DREAM THEATER's spirit of adventure and fearless musical virtuosity continues to reap dividends for the progressive metal titans who recently earned their second Grammy nomination, this time for "Best Metal Performance" for their single "The Enemy Inside" from their current self-titled album. The band — John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards & continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received its first-ever Grammy nomination in 2012 for "On The Backs Of Angels" (from their "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album) in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category.

Fugitive Edward Snowden, Miley Cyrus, disgraced Toronto mayor Rob Ford and Kanye West all "star" in "Spike In My Veins", the provocative new video from KORN that's based on the second single from the band's Top 10 album, "The Paradigm Shift". Government corruption, NSA spying tactics, political scandals, the cult of celebrity and more — the video's assaultive imagery underlines and comments on how the media projects chaos into our lives.

"We are the ones taking all the pain/Falling on our faces, they don't care anyway," KORN frontman Jonathan Davis announces in the opening lines of "Spike In My Veins", currently Top 10 and rising on the rock chart. Directed by David Dinetz and his team at Culprit Creative, the video can be seen below (courtesy of RollingStone.com).

KORN's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift" (Prospect Park), sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8, 2013 via Prospect Park.

"The Paradigm Shift" is the first KORN disc to feature guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror" and follows up 2011's dubstep experiment, "The Path Of Totality".

Welch told Rolling Stone that the new album has "the old KORN vibe, but with a new twist . . . The end product is a really good mix of old KORN mixed with some new elements. It's got a fresh new KORN 2013 sound."

Welch left KORN in 2005 after he converted to Christianity and got off drugs. He rejoined them for a handful of live performances in 2012 before officially becoming part of the lineup again in early 2013. KORN will kick off its new world tour in Australia on February 20.

A MEGADETH representative has shot down reports that the band was responsible for removing former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted's new project, simply called NEWSTED, from the lineup of MEGADETH's upcoming Australian tour. Earlier this week, a number of news outlets reported that NEWSTED had been booted from MEGADETH's side shows in Sydney and Melbourne while touring Australia on the annual Soundwave festival. Soundwave organizers claimed that Jason Newsted's band was removed from the dates "at the request of MEGADETH." However, according to MEGADETH tour manager Jim Carroccio, nothing could be further from the truth.

"[MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine is not responsible for booting NEWSTED off [the Soundwave festival 'off' dates]," Carroccio tells ABC New Radio. "Dave did not put [Jason] on the bill and did not take him off the bill."

He adds: "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."

Newsted performed the classic METALLICA song "Phantom Lord" with MEGADETH on August 11, 2013 at the final show of last summer's Gigantour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Newsted, who quit METALLICA in February 2001, is the frontman of NEWSTED, which took part in last year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by Mustaine.

Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

"Beloved", the first album in six years from the Australian metalcore outfit I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN, can be streamed in its entirety below. The CD will be released on February 18 in the U.S. via Epitaph Records.

By their own admission, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN have endured a decidedly checkered past. Over the years the band saw multiple vocalist changes and other personnel exchanges, side-project sojourns and moonlighting in other bands, hiatuses and break-ups. Yet through it all, their musical output both live and on record has remained thoroughly inspired.

For several years, the band lay dormant, as members went on to play in other bands. In 2011, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN reclaimed their sound, style, history, and legacy with an all-new lineup, and original member Jona Weinhofen, who spent time with BLEEDING THROUGH and BRING ME THE HORIZON. Joined by new screamer Jamie Hope (ex-RED SHORE), Shane O'Brien on drums (DEEZ NUTS), Kevin Cameron on guitar, Benjamin Coyte on bass, and of course, Jona bringing vocal choruses, guitar and keyboard to the mix.

I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN entered the studio in 2013 in Gothenburg, Sweden with Fredrik Nordström (BRING ME THE HORIZON, AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCHITECTS) to record "Beloved".

"We've really extended ourselves," says Weinhofen. "But we've done it in a way where it's tasteful and it makes sense with the music. It's not like we’ve gone from sounding like a metalcore band to sounding like DIMMU BORGIR. It still sounds very much like PROM QUEEN."

"Beloved" track listing:

01. Beginning Of The End02. To The Wolves03. Bright Enough04. Meilor05. Thirty One & Sevens06. Calvert Street07. Kærjrlighet08. The Beaten Path09. Nightmares10. No One Will Save Us11. Brevity

The "Thirty One & Sevens" video can be seen below. The clip, which was directed by Robot Army Productions (BODYJAR, ANBERLIN, THE AMITY AFFLICTION), is based in a post-apocalyptic world, and tells the story of two slaves that manage to escape and start a revolution after demonstrating to their slave compatriots that their captors can be defeated. It was filmed in a quarry in Anakie, just outside of Geelong, Australia.

Legendary progressive rock innovators CYNIC — consisting of guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, drummer Sean Reinert and bassist Sean Malone — will release their new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14 via Season Of Mist. The CD was produced by CYNIC at L.A.'s Perfect Sound Studios. The effort was engineered by Jason Donaghy (BAND OF HORSES, FEIST, ROB ZOMBIE, RYAN ADAMS), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (PETE YORN, LIZ PHAIR, TOMMY KEENE) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FATES WARNING, SEPULTURA, CATHEDRAL, INQUISITION, HALFORD).

The artwork for "Kindly Bent To Free Us" was created by longtime and sadly late CYNIC artist Robert Venosa.

"Kindly Bent To Free Us" track listing:

01. True Hallucination Speak02. The Lion's Roar03. Kindly Bent To Free Us04. Infinite Shapes05. Moon Heart Sun Head06. Gitanjali07. Holy Fallout08. Endlessly Bountiful09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track)

"Kindly Bent To Free Us" is now available for streaming in its entirety using the widget below. About the new material, Reinert said: "It's a bold new sound for CYNIC and marks a gigantic leap in the band's progression. We've had a lot of time to let this material develop and gestate, and it finally feels ready to be unleashed on the world. I've been in trio mode with Malone and Masvidal flushing out a zillion and one details, and couldn't be happier about what's happening with these songs. They are truly alive!"

In a February 2012 interview with Ireland's Molten magazine, Masvidal described the band's new music in the following way: "It's almost like, I don't know how to explain it, but if I had to put it in a box it's more sci-fi, futuristic and alien but at the same time very song-driven. It's kind of like, to me, coming into CYNIC's body more. It feels very modern and at the same time it just feels really cool. I'm big in the space. It's definitely new. It's not like anything we've done before. It's a new color, a new space. I think people will really take note of even the guitar stuff. I'm really shifting gears, I'm trying things in a different way and the way stuff is played. It's a new space for CYNIC, for sure. It definitely sounds like us, except completely new."

CYNIC's latest EP, "Carbon-Based Anatomy", was released in November 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced".

CYNIC was joined by Brandon Giffin on bass and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals during the group's North American and European tours in support of "Carbon-Based Anatomy".

"Like A Rockstar", the new video from Swedish hard rockers FATAL SMILE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by NOCTURNAL RITES drummer Owe Lingvall of Dreamday Media (formerly Village Road Film), who has previously worked with MESHUGGAH, KAMELOT and THE RASMUS, among others. The song, which was released digitally last November, is taken from FATAL SMILE's fifth album, "White Trash Heroes", due on April 7 via FS Records/GMR Music Group.

"We really think this is going to be our best album so far," the group said in a statement. "Expect the hardest, in-your-face FATAL SMILE album yet, recorded with huge balls and heavy sounds from hell!"

FATAL SMILE's last CD, "21st Century Freaks", was released in North America in early 2013 via Spectra Records. The effort, which was made available in Europe in May 2012 via FS Records/GMR Music Group, was produced by Mr. Y, engineered/recorded by Philty and mixed by the two of them together. The mastering duties were handled by Mats "Limpan" Lindfors at Cutting Room Studios.

LIZZY BORDEN's "Appointment With Death" lineup — Ira Black, Joey Scott, Marten Andersson and Lizzy Borden —reunited for a one-night-only performance on January 24 at the Epiphone party at NAMM at Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California.

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

LIZZY BORDEN's Dario Lorina recently joined BLACK LABEL SOCIETY as that band's new guitarist.

Said LIZZY BORDEN frontman and namesake: "We are extremely proud and happy for Dario Lorina on being selected as Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's new guitarist.

"It's been an amazing ride performing all around the world with Dario. He is a true professional and an incredible blues-driven artistic guitarist, adding so much to the BORDEN sound. Personally, it was a privilege for me to have him on my left side for the last four years and I know Zakk, his band and their fans are going to love Dario, as we all do.

"Dario will be missed in the BORDEN camp but he will always be one of us and we wish him all the luck in the world."

LIZZY BORDEN celebrated its 30th anniversary by embarking on the "30 Years Of American Metal" tour. The trek included "a brand new show, created from the ground up just for this monumental occasion. The new show encompassed songs from each and every LIZZY BORDEN record to date, including classic songs like "Me Against The World", "American Metal", "Master Of Disguise", plus songs the band has never performed live."

LIZZY BORDEN has spent the past few years working on material for the follow-up to 2007's "Appointment With Death"

Video footage of renowned Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend performing the song "Kingdom" at the studios of EMG TV can be seen below.

Devin Townsend played a special concert October 27, 2012 at the Roundhouse venue in London, England as part of a one-night-only event, dubbed "The Retinal Circus", that was recorded for both DVD and Blu-ray, and was released on October 29, 2013 in North America (Sepember 30 in Europe) via InsideOut Music.

"The Retinal Circus" was released on several formats, including a lavish and bonkers limited edition befitting of the man himself, and which took months of hard work to put together.

Devin previously described "The Retinal Circus" as "a retrospective of my career in music to date, with the central theme being a metaphor of how life and the adventures therein are a 'circus' of sorts. The show involves a cast of characters and guests that support this theme through carnival type performances. A story about how a troubled young man dreams of fantastic scenarios (illustrated through the music of my back catalogue), which ultimately crests in the characters realization that life is all about the relationships we have with each other."

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 a release this spring via Nuclear Blast.

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)

The official video for the song "A Lifetime Of Adventure" can be seen below.

As part of this year's Record Store Day on April 19, San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD will release a 10-inch vinyl single, with the A-side containing the "demo" version of a new song, "Killers & Kings". The B-side will be a cover version of the track "Our Darkest Days" from one of MACHINE HEAD's favorite bands, IGNITE.

The cover artwork for the "Killers & Kings" single can be seen below. Also available is video footage of MACHINE HEAD members Phil Demmel (guitar), Dave McClain (drums) and Jared MacEachern (bass) laying down backing vocals on the "Our Darkest Days" cover version.

Says MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn: "I remember growing up in the thrash scene and always wanting to hear the demo version of songs. You searched them out. Thankfully, my buddy Jim was a big 'tape trader,' and through trading, we had both METALLICA demos, EXODUS demos, bootlegs of songs sometimes 'years' before they came out.

"I knew how to play every note of 'Pleasure Of The Flesh' by EXODUS easily two years before the record was out. I had SLAYER's 'Reign In Blood' three months before it came out. I remember it still had the hi-hat counts starting the songs!!

"My friends and I would debate the merits of each (the demo was always better, LOL!).

"It's so much cooler to hear it BEFORE the album is out!

"So we're gonna do that for you.

"I can't wait for you guys to hear this stuff. Then you can debate it, haha!"

MACHINE HEAD will enter the studio in February to begin recording its new album for a late summer release via the band's new label, Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Other tentative songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Beneath The Silt", "Ojos De La Muerte", "Sail Into The Black" and "Night Of The Long Knives".

Says Flynn: "The new stuff is turning out better than anyone expected.

"We had THE breakthrough with the song formerly known as 'Back From The Grave'.

"I'd been working with the string section that played on 'Locust', Quartet Rogue, as well as multi-instrumentalist / keyboardist Rhys Fulber, and to quote [METALLICA drummer] Lars Ulrich (who was actually quoting Robert Trujillo), 'We're on some NEXT-LEVEL shit!!!'

"With that one song getting finished, I could totally see where the whole record is going. It opened up before my eyes.

"Nothing short of exciting!!!"

Speaking to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Flynn stated about the band's new material: "It sounds like MACHINE HEAD! It's definitely moving forward, which I feel like we're probably always gonna do.

"We're not a band that ever looks back. We do our thing and try to take the life experiences that we have and the musicianship that we've evolved and try to use it. Obviously, we have our sound and we have the MACHINE HEAD patented harmonics, the downtuned riffs and I sing the way I sing.

"I think Bob Dylan said it best: 'You just find new ways to say the same thing.'"

Speaking about some of the specific tracks and the lyrical themes covered on the new album, Flynn said: "I've got some pretty cool lyrics ready. There's a song called 'Night Of The Long Knives', and it's pretty fucked! It's about the Manson murders, and the lyrics are really dark and vicious.

"We've found some new twists to give to the MACHINE HEAD sound and some new fire and excitement."

Asked what the band's main aims were when they started composing music for the new CD, Flynn said: "Well, it's nice to try and have a plan, but music has a way of unravelling over time! [Laughs] You've just got to roll with it.

"With [2007's] 'The Blackening', I'd love to say I had this grand vision of nine- and 10-minute songs, but the first four songs we wrote were the four shorter songs on the record. For months, there was no indication whatsoever that we'd have 10-minute songs. That stuff came later.

"Human nature wants to control and dictate where things will go, but you can't. It won't let you! The more you try, the more it goes, 'Fuck you.' It's going some other way!" Regarding whether the songwriting process comes more easily after more than two decades as a band, Flynn said: "I just try and do my thing. With this record in particular, I've tried to discipline myself more with routine, writing a little bit every day, but for months I was in a riff rut. Every riff I wrote fuckin' sucked! Then we took a two-week break and I was writing my Facebook journals about the 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' [MACHINE HEAD's 2003 album] story, and that cleared my head. At the end of those two weeks, the floodgates opened and all hell of riffs poured out. I was so stoked! This torrent of riffs, this molten hot lava, was at my fingertips. It's such a good feeling." Flynn also revealed that MACHINE HEAD has "definitely got some ideas" for the artwork and imagery for the band's new album, but added: "It's weird, though, because who the fuck even buys albums anymore?

"An album cover is a necessary thing but for so many people it's justa little one-and-a-half-inch square on an iPhone.

"We're going to have a lot of worldwide special editions, so for the people who are still into that stuff, we'll have some next-level shit. Especially with our new label, Nuclear Blast, they can do all of that stuff. They're not afraid to do all these crazy, over-the-top special-edition things and big two-foot metal cases and all that.

"I'm a super-nerd collector and that shit rules to me!"

MACHINE HEAD's most recent studio release, 2011's "Unto The Locust", entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 22 — putting them in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's history.

Founded in 2007 and officially kicked off in 2008 by METALLICA, Record Store Day normally takes place on the third Saturday of every April and brings together artists and independently owned record stores around the world to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and sold in independent stores.

Resurrected 1990s Florida-based death metallers MASSACRE will release their long-awaited comeback album, "Back From Beyond", on March 24 in Europe and April 1 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded and mixed by Tim Vazquez of CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and features original MASSACRE members Rick Rozz (guitar; ex-MANTAS/DEATH) and Terry Butler (bass; OBITUARY, ex-DEATH/SIX FEET UNDER), as well as Ed Webb (vocals; ex-DIABOLIC/EULOGY) and Mike Mazzonetto (drums; ex-PAIN PRINCIPLE). The cover artwork was created by Toshihiro Egawa (CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN, DEVOURMENT) and can be seen below.

Comments Butler: "MASSACRE is very excited and proud of our new album, 'Back From Beyond'.

"We've worked hard over the past few months and we believe that the old-school and new-school fans will be pleased.

"Ed Webb and Mikey Mazzanetto are great additions to the band and did an amazing job on the album.

"This is Florida death metal at its best!

"We plan on making 2014 a busy year!!!"

"Back From Beyond" track listing:

01. The Ancient Ones 02. As We Wait To Die 03. Ascension Of The Deceased 04. Hunter’s Blood 05. Darkness Fell 06. False Revelation 07. Succumb To Rapture 08. Remnants Of Hatred 09. Shield Of The Son 10. The Evil Within 11. Sands Of Time 12. Beast With Vengeance 13. Back From Beyond14. Honor The Fallen

The song "As We Wait To Die" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

MASSACRE released a seven-inch single, "Condemned To The Shadows", on July 30, 2012. The single, which is available as a regular black-wax version, a transparent wax limited edition and a yellow-wax limited edition, contains two brand new songs — "Succumb To Rapture" and "Back From Beyond" — that were recorded in February 2012 at CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida with Tim Vazquez at the helm.