Frontiers Records will release "Delivering The Black", the tenth studio album from German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR, on January 24 in Europe and January 28 in North America.

After some very intense songwriting sessions and pre-production schedule, the band started to record the new CD in summer 2013 at the House Of Music studios in Germany, with bassist/producer Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). The band then moved to Denmark in September to finish the album, with acclaimed producer/engineer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, AMARANTHE) handling the mix at his Hansen studio in Ribe.

"Delivering The Black" combines the strongest PRIMAL FEAR moments ever, with a well-balanced typical PRIMAL FEAR trademark riff vibe, crushing songs and some very ambitious musical journeys. The centerpiece of the album are two epic tracks, "When Death Comes Knocking" and the 10-minute opus "One Night In December", spiced with big orchestral arrangements and complex sound designs.

Classic and ultra-fresh PRIMAL FEAR riff-rockers like the title track, the album opener "King For A Day" or the groove monsters "Alive And On Fire" and "Road To Asylum" hit the bulls-eye just like the untamed speed killer "Rebel Faction". The outstanding ballad "Born With A Broken Heart" shows a new side of PRIMAL FEAR with an acoustic guitar vibe and the addition of Liv Kristine (LEAVES' EYES) on backing vocals.

Says PRIMAL FEAR singer Ralf Scheepers: "We worked hard to create our best album ever. I already felt the vibe during the pre-production that we were working on something very special this time. And now the result is just an amazing metal album I'm extremely proud of!" Sinner adds: "The songs, the production, the sound — this album is a very special one for me and my career. In my view, everybody in the band just did a killer job and Jacob was fantastic choice to mix the album!"

The arrival of "Delivering The Black" is preceded by the release of the digital-only single/video "When Death Comes Knocking" on December 2 — a song which sets the pace for the outstanding quality of production and songwriting displayed on the full album.

Check out the "When Death Comes Knocking" video below.

"Delivering The Black" will be made available in a regular CD edition, deluxe edition with two bonus tracks and — in cooperation with Soulfood Music — vinyl edition and DVD and limited edition (666 copies only!) of a super-deluxe version, including a metallic eagle.

"Delivering The Black" track listing:

01. King For A Day02. Rebel Faction03. When Death Comes Knocking04. Alive & On Fire05. Delivering The Black06. Road To Asylum07. One Night In December08. Never Pray For Justice09. Born With A Broken Heart10. Innocent Man *11. Inseminoid12. Man Without Shadow *13. When Death Comes Knocking (Single Edit) *

* Only available on deluxe edition

DVD (only available with deluxe edition)

* When Death Comes Knocking (video)* King For A Day (video)* Making Of The Album (video)

PRIMAL FEAR's "Eagles And Lions Tour 2014" will kick off in Germany on January 24 and will include stops in 10 European countries. Support on the trek will come from Swedish hard rockers BULLET.

PRIMAL FEAR will return to North America in the spring with a headlining run that is scheduled to launch April 29 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap on May 24 in Rochester, New York.

Frontiers and PRIMAL FEAR in January announced that they have renewed their partnership for another multi-album deal, which will include two more studio releases and one live CD and DVD. PRIMAL FEAR's latest album, "Unbreakable", landed at position No. 44 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Clandestine", the crushing second album from Swedish death metal legends ENTOMBED, is available now on Full Dynamic Range vinyl LP including an embossed sleeve.

Originally released in 1991, "Clandestine" has been specially remastered from the original tapes in Full Dynamic Range (FDR) audio, allowing the music's nuances to shine through and giving the album a more ferocious, immersive and dynamic sound than ever before.

The limited-edition "Clandestine" Full Dynamic Range vinyl is available now in the following quantities and colors:

* 100 - Blessed Be White (sold out)* 200 - Burnt Orange* 300 - Swedish Split (sold out)* 400 - Sinner's Blood* 900 - Black

Get the "Clandestine" Full Dynamic Range vinyl with embossed sleeve now from the Earache webstore in Europe or in North America.

Lita Ford has partnered up with her former RUNAWAYS bandmate Cherie Currie to record a special holiday song. "Rock This Christmas Down" marks the first time Lita and Cherie have recorded new music together since 1977. An exclusive premiere of "Rock This Christmas Down", as well as an interview with the Lita and Cherie, can be found at USAToday.com. The single will be released on iTunes tomorrow, December 3. Tired of the same old Christmas songs, Lita was ready for something new. "I thought the world could use a new Christmas song," she said.

"The song was written by Mitch Perry, my guitarist and Michael Dan Ehmig, my lyricist, along with Marty O'Brien on bass, and Rodger Carter on drums. We so rocked it! "What I didn't know is that I'd be singing it as a duet with my long-lost sister, Cherie Currie.

"I am blessed to have her back in my life, and what an appropriate time and song to rehash an old friendship. Christmas!!! "Cherie hopped a plane from Chicago to L.A., and drove straight to the studio and threw down her vocal track on this rocking song! Needless to say, it was magic and history in the making. "We were left with such a smoking track for everyone to hear, every Christmas, every year!

"Let's rock this Christmas down!" Cherie was equally excited about reuniting and working with Lita again. "I have dreamed, literally, of seeing Lita again for over three decades," she said. "Even after all that time, I still thought of her often.

"THE RUNAWAYS was something that was always left unfinished to me. Especially when it came to Lita, but I only knew her as a child. "What floored me more then the unbelievable gift of working with her again was the woman she had become. She is the bravest, kindest, strongest, most loving human being I have met. "Lita asking me to be a part of this amazing song and a part of her astonishing life has filled that void, that hole I had in my heart that maybe we both shared. It is now filled with love, support and admiration for a dear and wonderful friend whom I am so proud to say is Lita Ford. "'Rock This Christmas Down' has the flare of our RUNAWAYS legacy, but it's pure Lita. It rocks like only she can.

"We took a dim, negative and unfinished past and turned it into a positive future. It doesn't get any better than that.

"I know this will be the best Christmas I have had in decades. Thank you, sister!"

Progressive-rock supergroup TRANSATLANTIC, featuring Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Roine Stolt and Pete Trewavas, will release its fourth studio album, "Kaleidoscope", on January 27, 2014 via InsideOut Music.

The official video for the song "Shine" can be seen below. The clip was filmed in September in London, England.

"Kaleidoscope" will be released on four different formats, including a limited-edition deluxe artbook with 2CDs, DVD and bonus 5.1 mix DVD-video in an LP-sized book with loads of pictures, liner notes and a lenticular card cover. There will also be 2CD and DVD mediabook, standard 2CD jewelcase and a 3LP and 2CD in slipcase. Pre-orders for the album will begin on the InsideOut shop on December 27.

The full track listing for both discs can be found below.

CD1:

01. Into The Blue (25:13)02. Shine (7:28)03. Black As the Sky (6:45)04. Beyond The Sun (4:31)05. Kaleidoscope (31:53)

CD2 (Bonus CD):

01. And You And I (YES cover) (10:45)02. Can't Get It Out Of My Head (ELO cover) (4:46)03. Conquistador (PROCOL HARUM cover) (4:13)04. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (ELTON JOHN) (3:20)05. Tin Soldier (SMALL FACES cover) (3:22)06. Sylvia (FOCUS cover) (3:49)07. Indiscipline (KING CRIMSON cover) (4:45)08. Nights In White Satin (THE MOODY BLUES cover) (6:13)

TRANSATLANTIC will embark on a six-week world tour that will see them joined once again by PAIN OF SALVATION's Daniel Gildenlöw as a fifth touring member. As part of the extensive tour, the band will also headline the Progressive Nation At Sea 2014 cruise from February 18 until February 22 alongside 22 other leading prog acts. This unique performance will see the band performing a very special encore of classic YES material with the legendary Jon Anderson on vocals.

KAYSER, the Swedish band featuring former SPIRITUAL BEGGARS frontman Spice and ex-THE MUSHROOM RIVER BAND drummer Bob Ruben, will release its new album, "Read Your Enemy", in early 2014 via Listenable Records.

Says band: "Incorporating the fundementals of rock and metal with vivid musicianship, KAYSER bring you 'Read Your Enemy'.

"With a track listing of songs that have always been there but you would not find anywhere else, the album boasts organic stamina and confidence. With superior riffing and catchiness a mass appeal is to expect.

"The neck-breaker title track, 'Read Your Enemy', originated from Swaney [guitar] as a double-stomp, classic palm muted heavy riffer. The chorus riff with its time change was added together with Jokke [guitar] to display contrast to the main riff. A sign of opposites which is commonly ubiquitous in KAYSER's song writing. The playful trade-off solos seal the songwriting marksmanship. Lyrically, Spice takes on humanity's ever lasting stupidity when diving into religious and ideological fundamentalism."

"Read Your Enemy" track listing:

01. Bark And Bow02. Bring Out The Clown03. I'll Deny You04. Dreams Bent Clockwise05. Read Your Enemy06. Almost Home07. Where I Belong08. He Knows Your Secrets09. Forever In Doubts10. Carve The Stone11. Roll The Dice12. The Fake Rose

The "Read Your Enemy" title track can be streamed at this location.

KAYSER is working with Sinemax Productions on a video for an as-yet-undisclosed track.

KAYSER saw the first ray of light in early June 2004 when Spice, Mattias Svensson (also of THE DEFACED), Bob Ruben and Fredrik Finnander decided to join forces to create a pure metal band. The band's sound is fully immersed in true original heavy/thrash metal genre with emphasis on the muscular songwriting: hammering blistering and catchy riffs one after another, delivering the goods through scorching witty arrangements with fluid virtuosity. Focus always lies on the song, easily identifiable through the supreme vocals by Spice, though the emotional and musical expressions stretch from heavy introvert pounding to pure hate driven ferocity.

"No boundaries and no limits... and that goes for everything," the members stated initially to set the aim straight. As for comparisons, it might be best described as a mutation of BLACK SABBATH, MEGADETH and SLAYER with dips from different good bowls of classic and modern metal.

Popular for its incendiary shows, KAYSER enforces the pillars of metal with absolute authority.

KAYSER became a much-talked-about live act among the metal fans, rampaging cities across Europe with bands like VOLBEAT and more.

KAYSER is:

Spice (ex-SPIRITUAL BEGGARS) - Vocals Swaney - GuitarJokke - GuitarBiff - BassBob Ruben - DrumsSimon Mårtensson - Organ, Rhodes, Mellotron (session musician)

Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK SABBATH's November 30 concert at Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. War Pigs 02. Into The Void 03. Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes 04. Snowblind 05. Age Of Reason 06. Black Sabbath 07. Behind The Wall Of Sleep 08. N.I.B. 09. End Of The Beginning 10. Fairies Wear Boots 11. Rat Salad 12. Tommy Clufetos Drum Solo13. Iron Man 14. God Is Dead? 15. Dirty Women 16. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

17. Paranoid

According to The Pulse Of Radio, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi is not sure if making a follow-up to this year's reunion album, "13", would be a good idea for the group. Iommi said in Revolver magazine, "I don't know if that would be an anticlimax if we wrote another album. I'd like to, but we haven't actually spoken about it, you know? I don't know if that would be a good idea after this one, because this one's done so well. I'm sure we'd all like to do one. But I don't know. Maybe I should talk to the others about it." Bassist Geezer Butler added, "I really haven't thought about it. I'm just glad that we made this one. It can't be something where you go in and go, 'Well, that one was No. 1, so let's do another No. 1 album.' I think we'll know if we can do it or if we can't. If we have to force it, then we won't be doing it."

"13", the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature Iommi, Butler and singer Ozzy Osbourne recording together, went No. 1 around the world, earning the band their first chart-topper ever in the U.S.

Ozzy said about the prospects of making another record, "I don't want to say there's going to be another album, because I don't want you to ask me in another year, 'What happened when you said you were going to do another record?' I'll leave it open. I'm open for anything. I have three albums to deliver of my own solo thing to my record label."

Ozzy added, "We'll all still be doing music. It's been a lot of fun doing it with BLACK SABBATH, and I'm not sorry at all for getting back together."

The making of "13" was marked by several dramatic events, including drummer Bill Ward's withdrawal from the project over a contractual dispute and Iommi's cancer diagnosis.

Butler told Revolver that he started writing a song for "13", called "Hanging By A Thread", that was inspired by Iommi's illness. He explained, "It was very much about dying, about giving your last breath and passing your spirit on." But the track didn't make it onto the album because, Butler said, "We never came up with the finished thing."

BLACK SABBATH will return to North America in 2014 for 10 shows that will be among the last in support of "13".

"Huldra", the new video from Swedish guitar master Marcus Jidell (AVATARIUM, EVERGREY, ROYAL HUNT), can be seen below. The song is taken from his debut instrumental album, "Pictures From A Time Traveller", which was released in August via Lion Music.

Marcus wanted something a little different to the thousands of "mimed" guitar videos, and with the help of video producers Steff Granström and Andreas Hillerborg, came up with a video which both manages to deliver the feel of this particular track but also give fans something new.

Says Marcus: "To catch a different vibe, I brought a mobile studio and a Marshall stack to the country side one early morning in November where we recorded and filmed a one-take of 'Huldra'. I didn't want the regular 'mimed' video thing, so I just played it once again. I wanted it to be raw and honest and to show how I improvise around themes when playing guitar live. I think that we captured the spirit of the song both playing-wise and with the way it was filmed and I hope people who see this will think the same."

Jidell is one of the most respected metal guitarists to have come out of Sweden since Yngwie Malmsteen. With a guitar style that has won him universal acclaim, Marcus is a current member of one of Sweden's biggest and hardest touring metal acts, EVERGREY, and previously has worked with prog-metallers ROYAL HUNT.

Marcus has a very personalized sound, extremely heavy at one end, yet extremely melodic at the other, all the time with a superb feel for phrasing and originality of song craft, and its these traits which are evident throughout "Pictures From A Time Traveller". On his goal for the album, Marcus says: "I wanted to make an instrumental album that was more then just shred. I wanted to make compositions that were interesting to listen to even if you're not a guitar player. In short, I wanted to write good music with electric instruments that didn't sound like anything I heard before".

While there is no doubt this is a guitar album, "Pictures From A Time Traveller" has its own unique voice boasting incredible utilization of dynamics and a variety of styles all of which paint a vast number of picture in the listeners mind, something Marcus was keen to express while writing.

"When I write I see a lot of pictures and colors and that's what I've been trying to make the listener feel," he says. "If you listen carefully to 'Arctica', for example, you might feel the cold wind, the ice and snow, the silence of the Arctic winter that suddenly breaks when you discover the big polar bear that has been sneaking upon you.. And you start to run."

Joining Marcus for the album is a stellar cast of backing musicians including his fellow EVERGREY bandmates Hannes Van Dahl and Johan Niemann, keyboardists Andre Andersen (ROYAL HUNT) and Rickard Nilsson, Svante Henrysson played some cello (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith (AVATARIUM) added some backing vocals and even Marcus' father Rolf Jiddel threw down some cello. Marcus says: "I had the privilege to have some great musicians playing on this album and every one of them really put in their own feel in the songs which really made the songs grow! On some of the songs, I play everything except the drums. But I think that it is a great thing to put in other musicians now and then in the recording process, to get some fresh ideas and widen your view. Svante Henryson really put in some magic with his cello, for example."

The origins of "Pictures From A Time Traveller" date back some eight years from some demos Marcus put together in 2005. Then in 2008 began recording drums for the songs with Andreas Johansson. But Marcus wasn't happy with the results. "I worked for a month with the songs but just couldn't get the feel and sound I was looking for working by myself and without the knowledge and studio equipment that I needed, so I just got tired of it and stopped the process," he says.

In between touring, Marcus continued to work with other studio productions for ROYAL HUNT and EVERGREY, which saw his knowledge improve in how to record and mix music. Then in 2012, everything fell into place. "I found the old recordings and listened to the songs and felt they were rather good and it relit the fuse," he says. "I started to work on the songs again to finish the recordings that Andreas had played drums on. We used the drums we recorded five years ago on three of the songs but we had to re-record drums on 'Huldra' to get the groove right. That had nothing to do with how Andreas played originally, but how it was recorded. While on tour with EVERGREY, Hannes Van Dahl and I talked about him playing on some songs on the album too, so when we found the time we recorded those. Hannes plays drums on two of the songs and did a great job. Andre Andersen, Svante Henrysson, Rickard Nilsson, Jennie-Ann Smith and my father Rolf Jidell all helped me to make this album something special and I am thankful for their input."

DARKOLOGY, the Texas-based band featuring guitarist Michael Harris (VITALIJ KUPRIJ), drummer Brian Harris (ex-FIREWIND), bassist Mike Neal and vocalist Kelly "Sundown" Carpenter (FIREWIND, BEYOND TWILIGHT, OUTWORLD), will release its sophomore album, "Fated To Burn", in early 2014 through Prime Eon Media. The follow-up to 2009's "Altered Reflections" was mixed and mastered by legendary producer Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, ANVIL, THIN LIZZY) at his studio in the U.K.

"This is album is a tribute to the old school and it’s our hope that what we've done here will remind the listener why they got into metal in the first place," says the band.

"Fated To Burn" is filled with great songwriting, powerhouse performances and amazing vocals courtesy of Carpenter, who has recently been seen tearing it up across the world stages with FIREWIND. Likewise, the amazing Harris brothers have again put their indelible stamp on these songs. Michael, arguably one of the best guitarists in metal and beyond, brings the killer riffs, solos and big atmosphere as Brian, his younger brother, punishes the skins like there's no tomorrow. Finally, the always-dynamic and melodic Mike Neal (BLACK WIDOW, MEDIEVAL STEEL, SALEM'S LOT) has not only played some mean bass and done a lot of backing vocals but has also written most of the lyrics on this album, proving this to be a total group effort.

The CD's eleven songs seem to cover everything, from almost cinematic run-throughs with prisoners on death-row who refuse to die, witches from beyond the grave calling to the living, robot rebellions being put down by mankind and vampires just being the nocturnal terrors they are meant to be, through to fear about dystopian future social developments (with the group not forgetting to take a critical stance towards how religion manipulates the masses), cosmic supernovas and everything in-between.

Rainer Kalwitz, the illustrator for bands such as SHADOW GALLERY, DARE, PRAYING MANTIS and more, has provided DARKOLOGY with an eye-catching and very fitting cover painting.

"Fated To Burn" track listing:

01. Kill Me If You Can02. Beyond The Grave03. On Morrows Break04. The Eyes Of The Machine05. Quantum Genocide 06. The Shadows Of Oth07. Fated To Burn08. 21st Century Frankensteins (Nobot 2)09. Festival Of Fear10. Holy11. Nightmare Kingi. Shadows Of The Abyssii. The Summoningiii. The Constructiv. Eternus Nocturne: The Dark Domain12. Your Hollow Soul (work in progress; instrumental mix) (bonus track for Japan)

The "Fated To Burn" title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Altered Reflections" was released in November 2009 via Rockaholics Records.

Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF will release their new album, "Retribution", on January 31, 2014 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2012's "Black Flag" is described in a press release as a "first-class fist-in-your-face album, displaying heavy grooves and sheer power in the best of ways. Refining and bringing things to perfection was the goal, and this has been achieved impressively."

On the song "Numb And Sick", EKTOMORF welcomes ILL NINO vocalist Cristian Machado as a guest, and his duet with Zoltán "Zoli" Farkas gives another new flavor to a record that clearly points out that EKTOMORF, even 20 years after its foundation in 1993, is still a raging, energetic force with the intensity of a bulldozer.

"Retribution" was again mixed and mastered by the band's longtime producer Tue Madsen (Antfarm Studios).

"Retribution" track listing:

01. You Can’t Control Me02. Ten Plagues03. Face Your Fear04. Escape05. Who The Fuck Are You06. Numb And Sick07. Lost And Destroyed08. Souls Of Fire09. I Hate You10. Watch Me11. Mass Ignorance12. Save Me13. Whisper14. Collapsed Bridge

EKTOMORF's lyrics reflect this situation and deal with discrimination, society, pain and anger but show a strong will to survive and overcome all problems. Their music combines the burning fire of the primal gypsy music with modern elements: groovy, downtuned guitar riffs and aggressive drums, supplemented by powerful and raw screaming vocals became their trademarks.

CIRCLE OF CHAOS haben kürzlich die Arbeiten an ihrem kommenden Album "Crossing The Line" beendet und verkündeten: "Wir sind mit dem Resultat extrem zufrieden, weil es einfach großartig geworden ist! "Crossing The Line" wird euch ohne Zweifel die Schuhe ausziehen. Das ist ein Versprechen!"

Aufgenommen wurde das Album von HG Hogström, dem Bassisten der Band, im Studio Stora Skuggan in Stockholm. Den Mix und das Mastering übernahm Linus Nirbrant (Amon Amarth, General Surgery) im Audiogrind Studio. Ab sofort kann man sich auch einen brandneuen Song der Schweden in kompletter Länge im Stream anhören!

Hier geht es zum Stream von "Ascending Disorder":

The official lyric video for the song "You're Not Alone" from the California-based rock quintet OF MICE & MEN can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's third studio album, "Restoring Force", which will be released on January 28, 2014 via Rise Records. The follow-up to the band's 2011's "The Flood" was recorded at House Of Loud in New Jersey and was produced by David Bendeth (PARAMORE, PAPA ROACH, A DAY TO REMEMBER, BREAKING BENJAMIN).

"What happens after a disaster? What happens after 'The Flood'?" asks the band's frontman Austin Carlile. "You return to normal. You find balance again. That's what we felt like we were doing with this album. We wanted this record to bring equilibrium back to our band and music. We're letting everyone know that we're here to stay. We're 'Restoring Force'." The band also unveiled various "Restoring Force" pre-order bundles, including limited edition items such as a shell shaped pewter pendant necklace, autographed promotional posters, limited edition colored 12-inch LPs, and more. Visit www.ofmiceandmenofficial.com for more details. OF MICE & MEN recently announced that they will join BRING ME THE HORIZON for "The American Dream Tour" — an extensive run of North American dates that will kick off on February 3 in Orlando, Florida. Tickets for the tour are on sale now. "The Flood" was originally released on June 14, 2011 and received a re-release on July 24, 2012 and included four new tracks. "The Flood" debuted at No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart and was hailed by the New York Times as "one of the year's most bruising rock debuts." Alternative Press called the album a "genuine statement of artistic purpose." Rock Sound declared the release "a truly memorable, hip-shaking face-breaker of epic proportions." To this date, "The Flood" has sold over 125,000 copies and has been streamed nearly 16,000,000 times on YouTube, making it one of the most successful releases in Rise Records' 22 years of operation. The band has brought their memorable live show to audiences around the world having sold out multiple headlining tours domestically and internationally. OF MICE & MEN is Austin Carlile (vocals), Alan Ashby (guitar), Valentino Arteaga (drums), Aaron Pauley (vocals / bass) and Phil Manansala (guitar).

Fan-filmed video footage of BATTLE BEAST's entire performance on this year's Sabaton Cruise — which took place November 28 aboard the Silja Galaxy on the Baltic Sea — can be seen below.

BATTLE BEAST's self-titled sophomore album entered the official chart in the band's home country of Finland at position No. 5. Released in Europe on May 17 via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was produced and mixed by the band at JKB Studios in Helsinki and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The cover artwork was created by Claudio Bergamin (HALFORD, ARJEN A. LUCASSEN, MAGICA).

BATTLE BEAST last year parted ways with lead singer Nitte Vänskä and replaced her with Noora Louhimo.

In an interview with Metal Divas, Noora explained how she ended up fronting BATTLE BEAST: "Last September (2012), I got a call from Anton [Kabanen, guitar] that they want me to join BATTLE BEAST. I had heard their music and loved the sound and the vocals, so the next day I called Anton and said I'm in.

"Anton found me by accident on YouTube when he was searching for the new vocalist. He had been looking for a vocalist — male or female; [it did not] matter. The only thing that mattered was can that [he or she could] sing his songs without compromises.

"I've been singing since I was 4 years old. While being a huge fan of heavy metal of '80s and a teenager, I had some classical singing lessons when I was 16 years old. Then at the age of 19, I started studying music in pop/jazz line. At the same time, I started doing some jam sessions at bars. There I found my first band (ADMIRAL OCTOPUS) in the blues bar. We used to play rock and blues music from '60s-'70s and Janis Joplin was the reason I got the rasp in my voice. After ADMIRAL OCTOPUS, in 2011, I took part in a singing competition ('Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star') at Henry's Pub of Tampere and won it with Janis Joplin's 'Piece Of My Heart'. That's how my single 'Relax' was born."

BATTLE BEAST's debut album, "Steel" — which was originally released in Finland in 2011 via Hype Records — was made available internationally on January 27, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Professionally filmed video footage of DOWN performing three more songs — "Ghosts Along The Mississippi", "Losing All" and "Underneath Everything" — on May 31, 2013 at the House Of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana can be seen below. The footage was shot by Mike Holderbeast and the Cement Level crew.

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

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

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

In a recent interview with the "Devil Horns" podcast, Windstein stated about his decision to leave DOWN: "My life's changed a lot in the last year. With being married, I wanna concentrate a lot more on my family first and foremost. And DOWN, with us getting older and Philip's voice and now DOWN has to take a fairly amount of days off in order for Phil to rest his voice properly, which is totally, absolutely understandable and well respected. It's just, for me, I like to go out 15 shows in a row and get it done. With DOWN, a lot of the [touring], especially internationally, is fly dates and things like that and there's so many days off. And really, for me, to be blunt, on those off days, man… I mean, show days are great, I have a responsibility, of course I love every second being on stage, but on those off days, I have absolutely nothing to do and it just ends up turning into drinking too goddamn much and wanting to not be there… The guys could see I was kind of not really getting into it, they could see me on the off days hitting the sauce harder than I should have been — no doubt about it."

He added: "It was kind of a mutual thing — no hard feelings or anything whatsoever like that. There's absolutely zero drama, zero gossip that I know of, at least from my side. I doubt there's any from their side. I've spoken to the guys. In fact, Bobby Landgraf from HONKY, that's taking my spot, is a very good friend of mine; he teched for me for awhile and he's been teching for Pepper [Keenan, DOWN guitarist]. I spoke to him the other day and he can use my rig that I used with DOWN for [DOWN's appearance at the Housecore Horror Film Festival] coming up, and he's actually gonna come and me and him are gonna jam a little bit on some tunes. He's got a few questions. He's an amazing guitar player, but it's hard to get every little lick down of somebody else's stuff, so he asked me if I could pop by and jam with him a bit. I said, 'Absolutely.' Anything I could do to help out would be great."

DOWN entered Anselmo's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, on October 7 to begin recording a new EP that is tentatively due in early 2014.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine will be a featured soloist with the San Diego Symphony in April 2014 in a program that will include Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries" from "Die Walküre", Vivaldi's "Winter" from "The Four Seasons" and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (the "New World" symphony). The classical special concert, billed as "Symphony Interrupted" will take place at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, California on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. Ticket are on sale now at SanDiegoSymphony.org.

In a brand new interview with the Phoenix New Times, Mustaine stated about the upcoming San Diego Symphony concert: "Yeah, that is pretty bizarre." He continued: "When we first started talking about that, it was kind of in passing. I was in England, actually, and someone said they would be interested in seeing my interpretation of the classics, because I'm very classically influenced. It's what I like to listen to, but it's not like I played it. It was tossed around and it went from me being someone who would do a narrative of classical stuff to someone actually playing it. I was pretty excited, but then they sent over their first two songs that they want me to play, which was some Vivaldi stuff, and as I listened to it I was, like, 'This is really difficult stuff.'

"When you're playing out of a guitar, it's a different mentality, and when you play it on a violin, the strings are tuned differently, so it's like going from playing tennis to handball. The same principle still, but a totally different finesse."

Mustaine also spoke about how his involvement with the San Diego Symphony might change perceptions about heavy metal musicians in general. "I think that it helps again, like in 1992, when I covered the Democratic National Convention, it really helps our genre," he said. "Because people don't really think very highly or widely, for another variable on that, when they think about heavy metal people. They think we're limited on the scope of how we are educated and what we're made up like. And I think doing this will be really great, because a lot of metal people are gonna see some really cool music, and a lot of stuffy old classical people will see some great guitar playing. I think it will be really weird seeing people in the audience with monacles and tuxedos and some guy will stand up and yell, 'Fuck yeah, Dave!' [laughs]"

Swedish female-fronted sleaze/hard rock quartet VANITY BLVD has completed work on its second full-length album, "Wicked Temptation", for an early 2014 release via Noisehead Records.

Recorded at Deep Blue Studios with producer Nicko Di Marino (STEELWING) and mastered at Black Lounge Studios by Jonas Kjellgren (AMORPHIS, PAIN, OVERKILL), the CD contains 11 tracks of "high-octane hard rock deeply rooted in the late '80s Sunset Boulevard sound, all driven forth by the energetic and charismatic frontlady Anna Savage," according to a press release.

"Wicked Temptation" track listing:

01. Dirty Rat02. Miss Dangerous03. Do or Die04. Hot Teaser05. Had Enough06. Soulshaker07. Scream Out 08. Thrills in the Night09. Falling Down10. Desperate Heart11. Dirty Action

American metallers STEEL PROPHET will release their long-awaited new album, "Omniscient", next year via Cruz Del Sur Music, both on compact disc and vinyl formats.

STEEL PROPHET needs no introduction to the heavy metal world: with a long history, the band is particularly known for the technical and versatile guitar work of founding member Steve Kachinsky Blakmoor. And let's not forget the soaring vocals of Rick Mythiasin, who has returned to sing with STEEL PROPHET for the first time since 2002's "Unseen" album.

"Omniscient" is a conceptual, science-fiction-themed album, with a heavy dose of unusual philosophies and ideas, that will appeal to all fans of STEEL PROPHET's early works, especially the "Dark Hallucinations" period. This new album will have a visually outstanding package that will read like a graphic novel to highlight the story that underlines the music.

"Omniscient" will be released in June 2014 to coincide with STEEL PROPHET's planned return to Europe after their successful 2013 headlining show at the German cult festival Keep It True.

"Ghost Society", the new video from French female-fronted symphonic metallers KERION, can be seen below. The clip was directed, produced, filmed and realised by Willdric Lievin of You Will Production at Studio de la Victorine in Nice, France.

"Ghost Society" comes off KERION's third album, "CloudRiders Part 1: Road To Skycity", which was released in September 2012 via Metalodic Records. The CD features guest appearances by CARAVELLUS' Raphael Dantas, FAIRYLAND's Phil Giordana and SILENT FALL's Adrien Eyraud. Also featured on the album is the 40-person Rimiez Choir.

"CloudRiders Part 1: Road To Skycity" was produced by Will Lievin (HAMKA). The artwork for the album was created by Genzo (World Of Warcraft) and contains characters and scenes of the story.

"CloudRiders Part 1: Road To Skycity" track listing:

01. Rider's Theme (intro)02. The Map03. Everlasting Flight04. Bounty Hunter05. The Sky Is My Ocean06. Fireblast07. Tribal Vibes08. Never More09. Celticia's Song10. Ghost Society11. The Fall Of Skycity Pt. 112. The Fall Of Skycity Pt. 213. Rider's Theme (outro)

"Take It Or Leave It", the new video from German rock 'n' rollers CROSSPLANE, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's full-length debut, "Class Of Hellhound High", which was released on November 29 via 7Hard Records.

CROSSPLANE recruited three high-profile guest singers to appear on "Class Of Hellhound High". Shagrath, vocalist of Norwegian black metal heroes DIMMU BORGIR and guitarist for biker rock gang CHROME DIVISION shows his rock 'n' roll skills in the song "I Will Be King"; Marc Grewe of German death metal legends MORGOTH does a nice duet with CROSSPLANE frontman Celli in "Bring The Fire"; and Sebi from MASSENDEFEKT contributes to "Dirty Woman".

MASSENDEFEKT is well known in its home country of Germany for its high-octane punk 'n' roll sung in the band's native language. They have shared stages with TURBONEGRO, BROILERS and THE BOSS HOSS.

A 15-minute question-and-answer session with MY ETERNEL, the new band featuring Voa Voxyd (AD INFERNA) and Melissa Ferlaak (PLAGUE OF STARS, ex-AESMA DAEVA, ex-VISIONS OF ATLANTIS), can be seen below.

MY ETERNEL will release its debut album, "Pursuit Of A Higher Throne", on December 16. The limited-edition digipack will include a bonus song, numbering, personalization and customers in the U.S. will receive samples of the custom MY ETERNEL his and her fragrances created by Aziza World Fragrances. Songs will go on sale via iTunes on December 16 (note: bonus song only available to those who purchase the album in hard copy).

You can purchase the limited-edition album now at MyEternel.net.

"Pursuit Of A Higher Throne" track listing:

01. Prologue02. Dreams03. Horizon04. Carmen05. Eternelove06. Harmonic Union07. Les Flammes d'une Passion08. The Crystal Ship (hard copy album only)09. Epilogue: Absent Horizon

All songs were produced by DSM Music and recorded at Akamaradara Studios.

Voxyd and Ferlaak have united to create music to transcend to another place and time where true home exists in the hearts of those on their personal journey towards an eternal existence.

An audio preview of all the tracks that are set to appear on "CTRL", the fifth album from Austrian extreme metallers MASTIC SCUM, is available in the YouTube clip below. Due on December 6 via Massacre Records, the CD will contain 11 tracks, including a re-recorded aong from the band's 1994 demo. The effort was mixed at Metalforge Studio by Mike Kronstorfer. The artwork was designed by Isisdesignstudio and can be seen below.

Says the band: "The concept of the album depicts a futuristic vision of the technological evolution and development of society — the need to control and the inevitable collapse of a system!"

"CTRL" track listing:

01. Controlled Collapse02. Dehumanized03. Cause & Effect04. Brute-Force-Methode05. D1s3mb0d1m3nt06. Rebornation07. Perceptive Illusion08. Hyper-Detection 2.009. Create/Negate10. The Vortex Within11. Resurrection

MASTIC SCUM's last album, "Dust", was released on November 13, 2009 via Twilight Distribution.

The band in 2009 parted ways with vocalist Will due to "musical differences" and replaced him with Maggo Wenzel (INZEST, TRISTWOOD, WATCH ME BLEED).

In a brand new interview with the Detroit Metro Times, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was asked why he thinks critics have been harsh on the band's new CD, "Super Collider", while fans seem to "love the new album." Mustaine replied: "Critics have to listen to a whole bunch of records and don't really have time to live with them like they used to when we were younger. They'll listen to a record once. If it grabs them, they'll say something about it. If it doesn't, they'll say something else about it. If somebody has said something good about it before, journalists nowadays can be impressed by a mob mentality. They'll jump on the bandwagon instead of being an individual and having their own opinions. There's also that psychosis where, if a guy doesn't like a person and he listens to the record, then it can be a masterpiece and they'll say it sucks. I know there have been a lot of misconceptions about me over the years and my autobiography cleared a lot of that up, but not everybody's read it."

Mustaine was also asked if popularity on social media is a mark of success for bands now, more so than chart placing. "I think it's pretty relevant because it shows you that some bands have a couple of hundred following, some have a couple of thousand, some have 100,000," he said. "Then there are the players who really have a large following. So as much as I hate to say it, Facebook and the social media sites are really a living organism."

"Super Collider" has sold around 72,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).

Multi-camera, fan-filmed video footage of LACUNA COIL's October 19 performance at this year's edition of the Metal Female Voices Fest at Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium can be seen below.

LACUNA COIL has just finished taking part in the "Tragic Illusion Tour" that celebrated PARADISE LOST's 25th anniversary.

LACUNA COIL has completed recording its new album with producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) for an early 2014 release via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL singer Andrea Ferro previously stated about the new CD: "We met Jay a few years ago in L.A. and had a really positive feeling about him, as he has produced and mixed some of my favourite records and some very relevant rock/metal albums.

"We decided to work with him, because he has the ability to work together with the band towards a common vision without driving the band away from their sound.

"In the studio, there is the right energy that allows common people to achieve uncommon results!"

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's second CD with producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) at the helm.