SYMPHONY X and ADRENALINE MOB singer Russell Allen will be part of the East Coast production of the legendary TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA this holiday season. His first show is scheduled for November 13 in Toledo, Ohio.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA is a rock orchestra founded in 1996 by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE). The band's musical style is often described in different terms, incorporating progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal, with influences from classical music.

In a 2010 interview, Oliva stated about TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA: "We are not restricted to just four or five people in a band. There are like 50-60 different musicians and singers, string players and choir people that we use.

"To me, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA is a very open canvas, because we have that comfort to be able to use whomever we want whenever we want. We're not working inside of a box.

"When it was called SAVATAGE, we couldn't do songs like 'Remnants Of A Lullaby' or things like that with a band of that name, because people just wouldn't have accepted it. I think TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA has opened up a lot of doors for us. I don't feel any kind of restrictions."

For a list of dates, click here.

Alternative rock pioneers JANE'S ADDICTION received the 2,509th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, in the category of "Recording," on Wednesday, October 30 at 11:30 a.m. PDT. Located at 6436 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of Playmates Of Hollywood, the event was live-streamed exclusively at WalkOfFame.com.

Emcee Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce helped JANE'S ADDICTION unveil the star.

Video footage of the ceremony can be seen below.

"We are excited to honor our hometown guys on our famous Walk!" stated Hollywood Walk Of Fame producer Ana Martinez. "They are one of the most popular rock bands around and we expect many fans at this exciting event," she added.

The Hollywood Walk Of Fame comprises more than 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others.

The Walk Of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust. It is a popular tourist destination, with a reported 10 million visitors in 2003.

JANE'S ADDICTION released a concert document called "Live In NYC" on June 25. The set was issued on DVD/CD, Blu-ray and double LP vinyl, as well as standalone DVD and CD. The show was filmed and recorded at New York City's Terminal 5 on July 25, 2011, while the band was touring in support of its first studio album in eight years, "The Great Escape Artist".

"The Great Escape Artist" sold around 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Great Escape Artist" is JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", which opened with more than 110,000 units to enter the chart at No. 4.

"The Great Escape Artist" is only JANE'S ADDICTION's fourth album of original material in 20 years.

The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Stephen Perkins, Perry Farrell on vocals and Dave Navarro on guitar.

Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.

Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced the new record, while Chris Chaney has returned as touring bassist.

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke to Canada's Metro about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's 12th studio album — the group's first since guitarist and founding member Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure on May 2.

"To me, it will be business as usual as it can be," King said.

"Usually by the time any idea was presented, I'd have finished it or Jeff would have it finished, so they were essentially finished songs. We'll just move forward like that.

"Musically, I'm sitting on roughly 14 tunes that we can pick from and I've finished seven of those lyrically. I'm way ahead of the game compared to where I was for 'World Painted Blood' [the band's 2009 album]."

Asked if SLAYER's current touring guitarist Gary Holt — who is also the lead axeman in San Francisco Bay Area's EXODUS — will play on the new SLAYER album, Kerry said: "I've told Gary that I'd like him to play some leads, just to keep it interesting.

"We've always been a two-guitar attack, so if you're looking to have a segment like the 'Angel Of Death' lead trade-off, you can't do that with one guitar.

"As far as Gary being a contributing writer, number one, fans aren't ready for it, and number two, that's like throwing somebody to the wolves.

"I think if there's another record after this one and Gary is still with us at that point, I think that will be a time where I say, ‘Hey dude, feel free to throw any riffs my way if you're interested'."

Regarding how the new SLAYER material is shaping up and whether fans can expect any surprises on the next album, Kerry said: "Fans don't want you to change.

"How many fans do you think METALLICA pissed off when they did 'Load' and 'Reload'?

"People like SLAYER because it's SLAYER.

"You grow as a musician within your genre, not try and flip genres and become something else."

In a recent interview with LA Weekly, King commented on the possibility of SLAYER's next album featuring previously unused material that was written by Hanneman prior to his death.

"There's been musicians historically that passed on and had a lot of stuff put out that was unreleased during their lives," he said. "But most of it was unreleased for a reason. I don't want the last thing for people to hear from Jeff be mediocre."

For his part, SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya has expressed more optimism about the prospect of the band's next effort containing some of Jeff's final ideas.

"I would want to do that," Tom told Steppin' Out magazine about revisiting Hanneman's material.

"When we did 'World Painted Blood', there was a Jeff composition that didn't make it on the album. We were working on trying to put that song together lyrically, but it wasn't happening, so it got shelved. But it's a great song, it's complete. We've just got to finish it lyrically. He also put a song together about a month before he passed away that I thought sounded great. His guitar abilities weren't all there, but you could hear what he was trying to do. He gave me an idea of where he wanted the verses and how he was phrasing the song."

The members of LIMP BIZKIT dressed up as the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES for their Halloween (October 31) headlining performance at Metro in Perth, Australia. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

LIMP BIZKIT and Lil Wayne's collaborative single, "Ready To Go", was made available this past July. The track was released via LIMP BIZKIT's new label home, Cash Money, Lil Wayne's longtime record company.

LIMP BIZKIT is putting the finishing touches on its new studio album, "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants", for a 2014 release.

Regarding the musical direction of LIMP BIZKIT's new CD, the band's guitarist, Wes Borland, told Billboard that the songs on "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants" have a "very live and sort of wild" feel. Moreover, fans shouldn't expect the same old LIMP BIZKIT on the album; instead, there will be quite a bit of experimentation on the effort. "I think it's a little bit more, sort of playful, taking chances, a little less pop, structured type of stuff," Borland said. "I don't want to say it [sounds] younger, but maybe a little more carefree, musically, to where we don't over-think what we're doing."

LIMP BIZKIT in 2011 parted ways with Interscope, the label that released all of the band's records thus far through its subsidiaries Flip, Geffen and Suretone Records.

Fan-filmed video footage of Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based metallers KOBRA AND THE LOTUS performing a brand new song, "Warhorse", on October 25 at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Full Throttle Rock, KOBRA AND THE LOTUS vocalist Brittany Paige stated about the band's upcoming album: "Oh, I am so excited. The end of January (2014) is [when we plan to release the CD] and I do not see any reason why it won't be because we have almost fully wrapped it. We are back in the studio, there are just final little cleanups now, so in the New Year there is going to be a new album.

"The new album is really interesting, because it is absolutely eclectic, but there is still consistency, but you almost cannot figure it out all the time why it is inconsistent because there are that many different things. I mean, there are a lot of different expressions on this album. You have a lot of really traditional, in-your-face metal, you know, just straight-up heavy metal songs, but then we have some things that steer more towards Nordic-sounding and maybe even Canadian, which I do not even know what that means, but it just sounds different. [laughs] It is different from our last album, which is crazy, because you try not to be different, you do not want to change you sound or anything, but every time you write new music, it all has to do with what is just pouring out of you at that time. There is even some more rock/metal thing that goes back to more close to the roots of KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, when we first started, which was in between rock and metal; there is a little bit of that in there, too. So it is interesting. It is very heavy still, but it is eclectic and I cannot wait. There are some songs that I am not sure what to tell you it is, because I do not know what the label would be for it. It is still metal, [but] I do not know what kind of metal. [laughs]

Regaring KOBRA AND THE LOTUS' overall sound, Brittany said: "We are definitely a kind of metal that is traditional, I would say. We do have that vibe and some off that nostalgic sound, with the riffs and the vocal style, but we also bring our own twist. I would not say it is a rebirth of that kind of music, but rather just turning the music forward that was of that style, where it included people from all different types of genres who could enjoy this kind of metal, no matter what kind of metal or rock they listen to, just like [bands like IRON MAIDEN, DIO and ICED EARTH]. [A band] like IRON MAIDEN is a really wide umbrella for people in the metal world; it really brings everyone together."

Brittany also spoke about her classical training and her jump to singing metal. "Actually it is not a very big jump," she said. "When I was 15, I saw JUDAS PRIEST play, and I had stopped being classical by then, because it was not for me anymore, and when I saw JUDAS PRIEST and I saw [Rob] Halford, I knew there was a place for me, but it did not have to be completely operatic or classical to be in metal. I think that is the two genres of music, classical and metal, that are actually pretty strongly correlated more than we know."

She added: "There are definitely similarities [between singing classical and singing metal] and there are a lot of things that have helped me be a stronger singer. Like the utilization of your breath. Knowing breath techniques, I think, is very important so you can get the notes better, especially when you are holding a note forever, but you want there to be power behind it and know how to not strain your voice, you know. You do not want to strain it because you have only got one voice and if you blow that you are dead in the water, so I think those things really help around the technique of protecting your voice and getting the most out of it."

Fan-filmed video footage of SKID ROW's October 29 performance at The Limelight in Belfest, Northern Ireland can be seen below.

SKID ROW's latest EP, "United World Rebellion - Chapter One", was released in Europe on May 24 via Germany's UDR Music. The European version of the EP includes two bonus tracks, both of them cover tunes: "Fire Fire" (EZO) and "United" (JUDAS PRIEST).

"United World Rebellion - Chapter One" sold around 1,500 copies in the Unted States in its first week of release. Released in North America on April 16 via MRI, the effort is the first in a series of EPs that the reincarnated band — Dave "Snake" Sabo (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass), Scotti Hill (guitar), Johnny Solinger (vocals) and Rob Hammersmith (drums) — plans to release in the near future.

In a recent interview with Legendary Rock Interviews, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked if SKID ROW intentionally recaptured the sound and feel of its early records on the new EP. "You know, I'd like to say that we are that smart and we could think of that [laughs], but I think we knew we should go back to our roots," he said.

"Our last record (2006's 'Revolutions Per Minute') was so experimental. People thought it was weird. We did too, but it's just a thing where every now and then in your career you've gotta make a weird record.

"When Snake and I were writing for this first EP, we purposely didn't listen to the radio and instead we listened to the stuff that influenced us growing up, the stuff that, basically, helped us write the first two records. That's how we did it this time around, and this is what came out of it, and the more stuff we write, the more it feels like we're back in the groove of things.

"It's weird, man — when you have a career that spans a long time, it becomes really easy to get far away from your roots. If you make a conscious effort to try and pay attention to what your musical roots were, it seems like stuff starts coming out.

"I'm really glad to hear [people] say that [it sounds like the follow-up release to] 'Slave', because as we were recording that, we all kept saying that, like, Man, this is kinda like 'Slave To The Grind'.' We are stoked."

As part of Record Store Day's "Black Friday" event on November 29, METALLICA will release a 4xLP 45rpm 180-gram numbered limited vinyl edition of "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)", the soundtrack companion to the groundbreaking 3D feature film "Metallica Through The Never". The release is limited to only 4000 copies.

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.

For a list of participating retail outlets, visit www.recordstoreday.com.

Asked about the fact that METALLICA was the first big band to support Record Store Day, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Q magazine: "Speaking just for me, I've been collecting records since I was nine, and records have just been such a significant part of my life. It's the reason I wanted to be in a band, so stepping up and helping out Record Store Day is what METALLICA call a 'no-brainer.'"

Added METALLICA frontman James Hetfield: "For me, it was when my daughter wanted a turntable. I was, like, [shouts] 'Yes!' I took her to Amoeba Records in San Francisco. She got home and played some vinyl albums on her new turntable. Then about two days later, she said, 'Dad, there's songs on the other side!' [laughs] Yeah, alright!"

"Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)" sold around 25,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on September 24 via the band's own record label Blackened Recordings.

A two-disc CD set, "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)" highlights last year's career-spanning concerts at Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the band filmed all performance footage featured in the film. "Metallica Through The Never" stars METALLICA, one of the most popular, influential rock bands in history. In this music-driven, 3D motion picture event, award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal immerses audiences in a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience with spectacular live performance footage of METALLICA's most iconic songs — created exclusively for film — combined with a bold, narrative story featuring imagery drawn from the band's trailblazing iconography. Dane DeHaan portrays Trip, a young roadie sent on an urgent mission, during METALLICA's roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. The film features dazzling pyrotechnics, the most elaborate live-performance stage ever built and state-of-the-art 3-D photography, captured using up to 24 cameras simultaneously.

Picturehouse released "Metallica Through The Never" in North America on September 27 exclusively in over 300 IMAX 3D Theatres, and it expanded into additional theaters on October 4. "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)" CD track listing: Disc 1

01. The Ecstasy Of Gold 02. Creeping Death 03. For Whom The Bell Tolls 04. Fuel 05. Ride The Lightning 06. One 07. The Memory Remains 08. Wherever I May Roam 09. Cyanide 10. ...And Justice For All

Disc 2

01. Master Of Puppets 02. Battery 03. Nothing Else Matters 04. Enter Sandman 05. Hit The Lights 06. Orion

Greek groove metallers BEWIZED released their sophomore album, "Undead Legacy", on October 28 via NoiseHead Records. The CD was recorded at StelthSound/Red House Studios by Stelios "Stelth" Koslidis (HUMAN REJECTION, HEAD CLEANER) and Emmanouil Hermano Tselepis. The mixing and mastering were handled by Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL, ARKAEA) at Woodward Avenue Studios in Ontario, Canada. In addition, Howard made a guest appearance on the second track, "Medusa's Head", while Björn "Speed" Strid from SOILWORK contributed his vocals to "Heart Bled Dry".

The official "Heart Bled Dry" lyric video can be seen below.

According to BEWIZED guitarist/singer/songwriter Paschalis Theotokis, "Undead Legacy" is "constructed on Homer's poems. Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets.

"The album has three main parts; It kicks in with 'War I Wage' (track 1) which is based on the Iliad. The Iliad relates a part of the Trojan War, the siege of Troy. It runs through some songs to meet the second station which is 'The Tempest' (track 5), fully based on the Odyssey. The Odyssey describes Odysseus' rough journey home. The album finishes with the last part of the Odyssey, Odysseus return to Ithaca, slaying of the suitors to find his own peace of mind 'Vindication' (track 11)."

BEWIZED released its debut album, "The Scorch of Rage", on April 25 in 2011 via Casket Music. A video for the track "Laceration Of Innocence" was helmed in late 2010 by Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND, NIGHTRAGE, ROTTING CHRIST, SUICIDAL ANGELS).

"Undead Legacy" track listing:

01. War I Wage02. Medusa's Head (feat. Jon Howard)03. Pray Last Sin04. Monster In Your Closet05. The Tempest06. Heart Bled Dry (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid)07. Crus[he]ader08. The Prodigal Son09. Judas Kiss10. Break Of Dawn11. Vindication

BEWIZED is:

Paschalis Theotokis - Vocals/GuitarOrestis Georgiadis - GuitarPantazis Theotokis - BassAkis Tsiantis - Drums

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST will have their November 3 concert at Camden Roundhouse in London recorded by Abbey Road. The recording will be available as an MP3 and also in CD format which will feature exclusive live photos from the gig. Plus, if you pre-order before December 1, you can even get your name in the booklet. Pre-order your copy from AbbeyRoadLive.uk. Also to attend the show and for your chance to be in the live photos that will feature in the CD.

PARADISE LOST recently confirmed that its 25th-anniversary "Tragic Illusion" tour in November has been extended to now include a number of European dates. As with the U.K. shows, the band will be supported by both LACUNA COIL and KATATONIA (who will be playing the entire "Viva Emptiness" album at the shows).

From the harrowing doom of their 1990 debut, "Lost Paradise", to 1991's genre-defining "Gothic", to 1995's break-out masterpiece "Draconian Times", to 1997's electronically tinged "One Second", to 2007's return to a heavier form "In Requiem", to last year's opus "Tragic Idol", PARADISE LOST have continued to evolve since their inception in 1988, inspiring countless artists throughout the years. To celebrate their influence on the scene, a special compilation will be released this fall to commemorate the band's 25th-anniversary landmark. Entitled "Tragic Illusion 25 (The Rarities)" , this album was released on October 21 in Europe (digitally on October 29 in North America) and features artwork by Parisian designer Valnoir, who has worked with artists such as ORPHANED LAND, MORBID ANGEL, WATAIN, and more than 150 others. All tracks found on the compilation are previously released rarities — except the new track "Loneliness Remains", and newly recorded "Gothic 2013" and "Our Saviour 2013".

Thomas Schwarzkopf of Myglobalmind webzine recently conducted an interview with former HELLOWEEN and current UNISONIC singer Michael Kiske. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Myglobalmind: What is the current status on the new UNISONIC album?

Kiske: Songwriting. Basically, we're all writing songs and we also have to wait for Kai [Hansen] until he gets done with his GAMMA RAY [new album] production, which I think will be finished somewhere around November. I just wrote three songs together with my best friend, actually, for UNISONIC. I can write songs together with him very well. We can't exactly say when everything is done, but the goal is to have a new record released in early summer, you know. So, we are already booking festivals for next year. It would be great to have a new record out then.

Myglobalmind: After you left HELLOWEEN, you know many metalheads were offended about your statements about heavy metal in general.

Kiske: It was not about metal, it was just about the satanic crap that goes on there. The thing is there was a lot of anger in me, because of bad experiences. I was very disappointed about how things went down with HELLOWEEN and then I was doing my records and certain critics were just bitching about it because I was not trying to sound like HELLOWEEN or whatever. There were so many things that came together and maybe this disappointed how I felt about the scene and everything. I was always a very spiritual person and when I took my years off I was diving into books and I was reading and reading and I got even more spiritual, I got very serious about certain issues in terms of humanity and thinks like that and that made it even more hard for me to not be against certain satanic and inhumanity glorifying crap that goes on in that scene, but it's not the whole scene. The [average] heavy metal fan is quite sweet. I need to go on tour again, I need to meet audiences — see them, hear them and talk to them. In the magazines, it also looks like the majority of the hard rock and metal scene is satanic, but it's not. Most people don't give a shit about that stuff. It's just nice and sweet, it's just guitar music and they even agree with how I'm seeing things. I had that experience. My anger is gone. I'm still against these bands and these kind of things, because I think it's wrong. Even those people who put themselves on a stage and sing about hate and spit out this negative vibe, even they want love! When they have a girlfriend, they wanna be loved, they wanted to be loved by their mother when they were babies, you know it's just the same. They portray this cold image when they play like they don't have a heart but in the end every human being wants to be loved.

Myglobalmind: Of course, we are all humans. So now you are totally back on track, when it comes to metal and hard rock and all that stuff. My question is: which role did AVANTASIA played in this context?

Kiske: A very big role. When you look at the first AVANTASIA record we recorded in 1998 — that was in a phase where I was still pretty angry and I did not want to have much to do with the metal scene anymore. It was just the time where I wasn't ready, so I didn't want to do it at first. But I liked [AVANTASIA mainman] Tobi [Sammet], I just liked his attitude, I just liked the way he just called me up and he was just straight-forward and I liked his sense of humor and I just liked his personality. So I said, "OK, I'll do it, but I'll do it just for you and you call me Earny on the record." I know, it's quite funny, but in those days it was something I wanted to have there. When you look at it, how successful AVANTASIA got over all the years. We can headline festivals all over the world and play venues with 4,000 people, which not many bands can do. It's beautiful and the thing is: 2010 I said finally "yes" to play live with them. Tobi asked me before the first tour, because I was part of the first record already, but I wasn't ready. He offered me a lot of money, but I turned it down, because I just wasn't ready, I didn't want to go on tour. But in 2010, I said, "Yes, OK." That was like medicine to me, it just felt right, and then there was Kai on stage and we started to talk to do something again and that's how UNISONIC got Kai into the band. So I'm now very happy to be part of AVANTASIA. It is just too much fun to tour the world with them. It was the first time I got on stage again.

Myglobalmind: Are you satisfied how everything turned out in your career or are there some things you are still bitter regret?

Kiske: I must say that even the negative things have turned out good in the end. I learned a lot by it and I've grown as a person. There is just one thing I find very sad and that is I think that the HELLOWEEN of the "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" years with Kai Hansen, [drummer] Ingo [Schwichtenberg]… you know, the HELLOWEEN of the "Keeper" time was very short-lived. I think we just started and then it was over. I think we should have done at least two more records. That's the thing I find really sad. Bands like IRON MAIDEN, they've gone full circle, you know. The have had their peak and they made their best records, they have told the story. They have said everything that they can say musically, in my opinion. HELLOWEEN… I mean HELLOWEEN of the "Keeper" time, because today's HELLOWEEN is a different band… I think the HELLOWEEN of that era, we never really said everything we had to say artistically, and that's very sad.

Read the entire interview at Myglobalmind.

Guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD has posted the following message on the band's Facebook page:

"For those of you just tuning in today, in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of our fifth album, 'Through The Ashes Of Empires', I've written a multi-part story in my General Journals, today is Part 3 of the story. I've decided to do a Part 4 and 5 to 'Through The Ashes Turns 10', because I realize there is more of the story that needs to be told, so most likely on Tuesday and Thursday of next week, I'll throw them up.

"Part 3 goes into the feud that happened between Kerry King [SLAYER] and I back in 2002.

'For the record: I'm not re-telling this to start and/or dig up old shit. I love Kerry, he fuckin' rules! We hung out two nights ago when SLAYER played in San Jose, we had a blast, got HAMMERED! But 10/11 years ago? Things were different, and in order to paint an accurate picture of where our heads were at for the writing of 'Through The Ashes Of Empires', this part of the story has to be told. It played a role. Consciously or unconsciously it definitely played a role.

"In 2002, Kerry King of SLAYER and I got into a public war words over disrespectful comments he'd made about MACHINE HEAD. For over a year, I had bit my tongue in hopes that he would lay off, and just give it a rest, but he didn't, and after a particularly brutal stab at us and me in particular, I went for the jugular. I fucking roasted him. Things got ugly in a hurry in public and behind the scenes it was even worse. The feud would last for 5 years until 2007, when at the Metal Hammer Awards in London it was squashed.

"I hated every minute of it.

"To have someone who had shaped your musical life so much, who took MACHINE HEAD on their second and third tours ever, who was a former friend and mentor to me, just ripping on you… it was tough. But after a while, you have to say 'fuck this.' It doesn't matter who it is, you have to stick up for yourself. I couldn't let the things being said go unanswered. It might've gotten truly ugly, but I think we both earned each other's respect a little more in the long run. I respected him for calling us out publicly, when so many people in the music business just talk shit and plot behind people's backs, he gave his opinion and what can I say? It stung. However, once squashed, I like to think he respected me for standing my ground and protecting what was mine. Maybe it was tough love from Kerry King? Maybe, but one thing's for sure, in some ways it fueled a lot of anger in me. Maybe it worked.

"In and around this same timeframe, Kerrang! magazine had shredded us in a slew of articles and show reviews. The U.K. magazine was famous for building bands up just to tear them down. At this stage in MACHINE HEAD's career, believe me, they were in full-on tear down mode.

"I had mentioned in an earlier journal about the U.S. press and how they essentially had blacklisted us. Coverage in any magazine was just about nil, nada, zilch. To this day, we've only had one major cover story and that was back in '99 for the now-defunct Metal Maniacs. American journalists were asking me during interviews to 'apologize to our fans for 'Supercharger'.'

"Tours still did well and despite what the press has repeated over and over again, our fans stood by us. Sure, there was complaints from Head Cases [MACHINE HEAD fans], often times they said them respectfully to my face, or on the Internet, but they stood by MACHINE HEAD, and the ticket sales for those tours (thankfully) proved it.

"But regardless of all that, we had hit a wall in the music business. Sure, we had just re-signed with Roadrunner in Europe but our future in the U.S. was terribly uncertain. Silently getting turned down by 35 U.S. labels... man... it was a lot of rejection. It weighed on me. I began to doubt myself.

"Other bands were talking shit; ex-band members were talking shit (and still do).

"We'd gotten a little merchandise advance, but we were living month to month and about to be broke again at any day.

"It felt like the world wanted us to stop.

"The vultures were circling.

"I was 35 years old, and a very public failure. MACHINE HEAD had never gotten 'over the hump,' as they say in the 'biz.' In many people's eyes, we were over. We were simply just another band eaten alive and spit out dead by the music business. As the band leader, main songwriter / lyricist, that failure rested squarely on my shoulders. I felt every jab, insult and barb thrown our way and each had the tendency to draw blood.

"These thoughts were swirling around in my head as I sat down to write the lyrics to 'Imperium' (then-called 'Buh-duh-duh-duh' after the snare drum pattern in the intro).

"'Fuckin' Kerry King. Fuckin' music business. Fuckin' Roadrunner. Fuckin' cocksucker journalists.' "Apologize? Fuckin' APOLOGIZE!? Motherfucker, I ain't apologizing for SHIT!! Fuck you! Fuck everyone! Fuck the whole human race!'

"As I sat in my car outside of Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, with the recently smashed-out window and the missing stereo, with the air conditioner blasting the suffocatingly hot summer heat away, I glared at the blank pages of my notebook. With pen in hand, I wrote down the words 'HEAR ME NOW, WORDS I VOW, NO FUCKING REGRETS!' The words poured out of me! Just pure fucking venom, spit and rage. 'Challenge the whole human race, MY SPIRIT YOU CANNOT BREAK!' 'I'LL STAND HERE DEFIANTLY, MY MIDDLE FINGER RAISED, FUCK YOUR PREJUDICE!!!' 'Don't succumb to the doubts inside,' 'every rage, every tear.' It all came pouring out, 'All my life, always I've felt alone!' 'I will fight for those I love, and I will fight for those I care, I will fight at any time, I will fight ANYWHERE!'

"Inside my head I was consumed with the thought we may never get to make music again after this. This might be our last fucking chance. And if it is? We're going down fucking swinging! We're going down screaming 'FUCK YOU' to the entire world at the top of our lungs.

"I went in and sang them, and when I was done doing the last screech in the last line 'my spirit you cannot breeeeeeeak,' my engineer Mark Keaton just looked at me and said '... JESUS!!??...'

"Some of the words I originally wrote for 'Imperium' ended in a song our drummer Dave had written, the song 'Wipe The Tears'. And with that, I'd like to take this chance to give props to Dave right now. Much has been made of Phil Demmel's contribution to MACHINE HEAD, and there's no doubt that Phil has brought nothing but good to MACHINE HEAD. I would never want anything to take that away. BUT, Dave McClain deserves A LOT of mention! Go ahead, check the writing credits. Dave borrowed my guitar (for like eight fuckin' years!) and taught himself how to play. It worked out for the better. It's one of the best things he's ever done for the band.

"Dave and I wrote the music for 'Imperium'. No one else. Dave wrote the chorus for 'Descend', Dave wrote the main riffs in 'Wipe', the opening riff and chorus to 'Elegy', and the intro riff / chorus for 'Vim'. It was Dave who dug up the old 'The More Things Change' riff tapes and unearthed my old 'All Falls Down' riff and the 'Days Turn Blue To Grey' main riff and showed 'em (back) to me. Both of these riffs were written in 1996 and since forgotten about. It was Dave who said let's 'borrow' the 'Natural Science' bit in the middle of 'Days'.

"And it was Dave who wrote the chorus riff in 'Pins And Needles', and in a larger sense it was Dave who, after getting rejected by 35 labels said, 'Fuck this song, fuck trying to write radio shit for these stupid record labels.' He then added, 'I just want to be a metal band!'

"Those last words really resonated.

"Most of 'Ashes' was written in some form or another before Phil joined, Phil gave us the glue to believe we could pull it off again.

"I know I've complained wildly about how shitty this song 'Pins And Needles' is, and really, after just listening to it for the first time in 10 years, it's still just fucking awful!! One of the worst songs I've ever written when it comes to my vocals and vocal ideas, WHEW!!! I always thought the music was cool though and eventually used this as part of the 2005 'Roadrunner United' sessions. I had originally enlisted Brock from 36 CRAZYFISTS to sing it and he didn't do too much better than me, so I fired him. I got Tim Williams from VISION OF DISORDER to sing on it, and after rejecting his first couple attempts, he nailed one of the best vocals I've ever heard, he totally KILLED it! He crushed my version into the dust and allowed me to be able to listen to this song again. His version is called 'Army Of The Sun'.

"I'd like to say Thank You to Dave McClain for saying 'fuck this song.' Why I'm putting this out I have no idea, I cringe listening to this, AGH! **barfs**. So here goes!

"Without further ado, here is the song that never made it on to 'Through The Ashes…' Ladies and gentlemen, I give you 'Pins And Needles'.

"Happy birthday, 'Through The Ashes Of Empires'.

"P.S. - The art on the YouTube clip is the original picture that was on the CD cover of the demo sent out to labels."

"Pins And Needles":

On November 5, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release "Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park" on 2DVD, Blu-ray, visual digital formats and a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition is an 11.5" square 60 page hardback photobook containing the Blu-ray, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs presenting all the key physical formats in one release; the CDs are only available in this deluxe edition.

These releases boast the 160 minute main show — accompanied by a wealth of bonus material — and feature many of the band's classic tracks, including "Metropolis Pt. 1", "The Silent Man", "Pull Me Under", "The Root Of All Evil", "The Test That Stumped Them All", "The Spirit Carries On" and the recent "On The Backs Of Angels".

A two-minute video giving an inside look at the deluxe edition of "Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park" can be seen below.

DREAM THEATER began their mammoth "A Dramatic Tour Of Events" world trek in July 2011 with the final leg in South America taking place in August 2012. It was here at the Luna Park Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that they decided to film the two nights that make up this DVD release. The "Live At Luna Park" band lineup for this show is James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); and Mike Mangini (drums). This was DREAM THEATER's first tour and album with their new drummer and all the tracks from that album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", are included in either the main show or the bonus performances.

The bonus features offer live versions of six great tracks: "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under". Also on "Live At Luna Park" is a documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "behind-the-scenes" feature and the cartoon intro that ran on big screens prior to the band taking to the stage in Buenos Aires. The Blu-ray additionally features six multi-angle options on "Outcry".

The "Pull Me Under" performance clip taken from "Live At Luna Park" can be seen below.

Roadrunner Records e-mailed guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to get their thoughts on these special shows.

Roadrunner Records: You played four songs with a string quartet over the two nights. Who did the arrangements?

Jordan Rudess: All the string parts were written by Eren Basbug, the young and talented Turkish musician that I discovered online through his beautiful orchestrations of DREAM THEATER's music and then his great work orchestrating and conducting the premiere of my own composition, "Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra". For two of the songs we did live with the quartet ("Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven") I had originally arranged and recorded quartet-like string parts from my keyboard, and that is what you hear on "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". Eren was able to take those two songs and really make sure what I wrote worked for real players, as well as add some nice touches! For the other two songs, "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep", he created original quartet arrangements.

Roadrunner Records: How much rehearsal time did you have with the quartet?

John Petrucci: We played through each song with them a couple of times at soundcheck. We probably spent about an hour in total making sure they were comfortable and that they knew certain cues, etc.

Jordan Rudess: We had one rehearsal before the first show. I had sent all the music to coordinator Luis Gorelik (who is a well known conductor in South America) and he helped organize the players.

Roadrunner Records: How did their presence alter the way you guys in the band played those songs? Obviously they weren't just sawing away in the background; they were integral to the music, so…in what ways?

John Petrucci: Honestly, we played the songs just as we have been and they followed us. On "Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven", they basically played the arrangements that are on the album. Original arrangements were created for "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep".

Jordan Rudess: In our rehearsal, I was literally conducting them and we all worked quickly to get things into shape and make sure the players really understood the music and what was going to happen in the chain of events on stage. The good thing was that these four songs all really are totally suitable for real strings, so it was an easy conceptual/musical addition to our presentation.

Roadrunner Records: Other than the new album (which was played almost in its entirety each night), the albums you played the most material from were "Images And Words", "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and "Awake". Why those albums, from your perspective?

John Petrucci: We try to create a show that has a certain curve to it. The way that it begins, unfolds and concludes are all carefully thought about. We have so much material at this point that it's difficult to fit in songs from each album. Based on what we played on past tours as well as the flow and arc of the show, we thought these were the strongest choices.

Jordan Rudess: There are so many factors that are in play to create a setlist. Generally, we all felt that we offered a night of music that was a well-balanced mixture of our material that not only spanned a lot of our albums but also flowed really well for the course of the evening.

Roadrunner Records: On the second night, you guys played "Pull Me Under" as the encore, which you've been playing a lot more on tour this year than in the past few years… but only outside the U.S. Is that a song foreign audiences want to hear more than fans at home?

John Petrucci: "Pull Me Under" always goes over, no matter what country we are in. It just has that kind of power and familiarity, I guess. We really thought that it sounded great with [new drummer] Mike Mangini playing it and wanted to share that with our listeners.

Jordan Rudess: I don't know — but I will tell you that they literally were trying to rush the stage in Buenos Aires when we played it. It was nuts!

APOCALYPTICA — the groundbreaking Finnish orchestral rock group — will release "Wagner Reloaded - Live In Leipzig", an epic live collaboration with the acclaimed MDR Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, November 19 on BMG. The album's release is perfectly timed since 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of iconic German composer Richard Wagner.

A 16-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit) about the making of "Wagner Reloaded - Live In Leipzig" can be seen below.

For "Wagner Reloaded - Live In Leipzig", APOCALYPTICA created new compositions based on Wagner's body of work and his life, teaming with award-winning choreographer and dancer Gregor Seyffert to stage a brilliant and magical, cross-genre event featuring a live concert and theatrical production.

"We've been asked many times to do this type of project, but this is the first one we got excited about," explains APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen. "The mission was to celebrate Wagner, [so] we took elements of his life and used his original music and rearranged it," Toppinen adds. "It was like writing a score for a movie, I had a list of themes and I had to think about the length of scenes and write the music while envisioning APOCALYPTICA performing on a massive stage with the symphony, choir and one-hundred dancers."

"Ludwig Wonderland", the first clip for "Wagner Reloaded", can be seen below. It is the first in a chronological set of three clips total to be published in shorter intervals towards the release of the live CD.

May 22, 2013 was the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer Richard Wagner. The Berlin choreographer, award-winning dancer and artistic director of the Berlin State School of Ballet Gregor Seyffert (best dancer in the world, winner of the German dance award) staged an exceptional cross-genre spectacle with a combination of dance, artistry, object theatre, audiovisual media and a live concert that enabled audiences to experience the oeuvre of Richard Wagner. The focus was not on individual works or dramas but on visual presentation of the unique life and work of Richard Wagner, presented on stage in this form for the very first time.

To stage the theme and Wagner's biography in a contemporary way, Gregor Seyffert wanted to create new musical highlights by bringing today's popular rock music together with compositions by Richard Wagner. A contemporary equivalent was created by the compositions of the Finnish cello-rock band APOCALYPTICA, which, with its unmistakable sound, provides a bridge to modern popular music.

DEDVOLT, the Sacramento, California-based rock/metal band featuring SKINLAB frontman Steev Esquivel on guitar, has entered Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with producer Juan Urteaga to begin recording its debut album for an early 2014 release via via Felony1 Records.

An eight-minute video clip featuring footage of the drum-tracking sessions for the DEDVOLT CD can be seen below.

DEDVOLT plays "aggressively heavy yet melodic music, feeding off each other to form a cohesive and dynamic sound," according to the band's official bio. "Their mission is to offset limitations and explore the many different influences within the band and sharing it with a wide array of their fans. Sharing the musical stylings of SEVENDUST, SHINEDOWN and CHEVELLE, DEDVOLT has a sound of their own that will surely grab the attention of even the heaviest metal fan.

Writing music that will stand the test of time is the goal for DEDVOLT. "Our songs are infused with emotion, at times painful emotion...It's real," says Esquivel. "We're all driven by passion and fueled by dedication and we prove it in our show."

Since the band's formation in December 2011, DEDVOLT has been putting miles on the road playing shows throughout the West Coast and their relentless dedication is slowly paying off.

DEDVOLT's debut EP, "Let It Burn", was released in February.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/dedvolt.

After wrapping up a momentous summer that included a Billboard Top 10 debut for its latest album, "Rescue & Restore", and a mainstage spot on Warped Tour, AUGUST BURNS RED is preparing to unveil its next offering, a brand-new CD/DVD entitled "Foreign & Familiar". Due on December 3, the documentary chronicles the entire 18-month touring cycle behind the band's breakout 2011 album "Leveler", whose critical and commercial success catapulted the band to the forefront of the modern heavy music scene.

From headlining tours of North America, Europe, Japan and Australia — with stops in New Zealand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and more along the way — "Foreign & Familiar" shows the globetrotting metal titans doing what they do best in settings all over the world.

"'Foreign & Familiar' has literally been three years in the making," explains guitarist JB Brubaker.

"It's no small task to try and squeeze 18 months of touring into a two-hour package, but that's exactly what we have here.

"I am grateful that we were able to pull this DVD together, as this is something we'll all be able to look back on as old men and remember the good ol' days.

"I think anyone who cares about this band will find 'Foreign & Familiar' to be an entertaining and insightful behind the scenes look at AUGUST BURNS RED on the road."

"Foreign & Familiar" CD track listing:

01. Provision02. Treatment03. Spirit Breaker04. Count It All As Lost05. Sincerity06. Creative Captivity07. Faultline08. Beauty In Tragedy09. Animals10. Echoes11. The First Step

AUGUST BURNS RED is also pleased to announce the Endless Chicago Weekend event on November 22 and 23, featuring back-to-back shows at Chicago's House of Blues and, for fans holding a weekend pass, early entry on Saturday to attend an exclusive screening of "Foreign & Familiar", followed by a question-and-answer session and meet-and-greet with the band.

"Chicago has almost been a home away from home for AUGUST BURNS RED," says Brubaker. "From the Beat Kitchen and Reggie's to our many stops at the House of Blues and even Riot Fest, Chicago has consistently been a tour stop we most look forward to playing. We wanted to make our stop in Chicago this fall extra special. Certainly looking forward to spending some extra time in the Windy City!"

A trailer for "Foreign & Familiar" can be seen below.