The SIN CITY SINNERS have earned the title "hardest working band in Las Vegas" and with the upcoming release of their fourth CD, they are showing no signs of slowing down.

The SINNERS' latest effort, "Divebar Days Revisited", will be made available on November 1 and features guest performances by:

* Cheetah Chrome (DEAD BOYS)* Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.)* Danny "The Count" Koker (COUNTING CARS)* Dizzy Reed (GUNS N' ROSES)* Frank Dimino (ANGEL)* George Lynch (DOKKEN)* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES)* Michael Lardie (GREAT WHITE)* Phil Lewis (L.A. GUNS)* Robert Mason (WARRANT)* Ron Keel (KEEL)* Taime Downe (FASTER PUSSYCAT)* Todd Kerns (SLASH)

The first 1000 CDs include a SIN CITY SINNERS temporary tattoo and will be available at all SINNERS live shows beginning November 2. A limited amount of autographed copies will be available at TheSinCtySinners.com. "Divebar Days Revisited" will also be available on iTunes.

What began in 2007, led by FASTER PUSSYCAT's Brent Muscat, as a weekly "just for fun" jam at a local dive bar quickly evolved into standing room only shows featuring appearances by some of rock's hottest musicians and celebrities. As the band's reputation grew, so did the need for larger venues and the band quickly became one of Vegas' top headliners.

SIN CITY SINNERS have released three original CDs, the critically acclaimed "Exile On Fremont Street", the all-acoustic "Broken Record" and the future holiday favorite "A Sinners Christmas".

The SINNERS' local charitable efforts have raised well over $150,000 for various causes in the community, including the St Baldrick's Foundation to fight cancer and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

TESTAMENT/DRAGONLORD's Eric Peterson has just entered a new realm, combining brutal death vocals and dramatic singing with Celtic-metal vocalist/composer LEAH on her new track "Dreamland". The song is cut from LEAH's new EP, "Otherworld", dropping today. The EP is available now via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3, Google Play, Rdio and several other digital retailers. The cinematic character vocals from Eric Peterson on "Dreamland", a beautiful, symphonic progressive track with a fantasy twist, leave the listener electrified in his wake with "an echo's breath, a romance death!" "It was a real treat to have Eric's unique vocals on this track," states LEAH. "My original demo went from having a mellow, CLANNAD-type feel to now almost dancing on the line of black-metal. I hope this is the first of many collaborations to come!" "I've known LEAH for about 12 years; we've been friends since 2001," says Eric. "I jammed with her about eight years ago in Vancouver, and at the time it didn't work out because I was busy with TESTAMENT and DRAGONLORD, but we stayed in contact. This time around, LEAH contacted me to play on her new record and I thought she wanted me to play guitar. But when she told me she wanted me to sing, I was honored because LEAH is the kind of person that will sing right in the middle of a store and sound amazing, she's that kind of vocalist. She sent me the song and right away I knew exactly what I needed to do. She took my pattern, wrote some lyrics for me, we went into the studio and it was done! It was the easiest thing I've ever done.

"It's really great to finally be able to work together with LEAH and put out this great track. I can hear this song in a movie! A couple of people I've let hear thought it was the soundtrack to the new 'Snow White' movie! Ha!" Eric Peterson is currently recording the new DRAGONLORD album and can reveal that LEAH will be joining him on a track similar to "Dreamland", and will also be lending her angelic voice for the choir vocals on the record. In many circles, LEAH is described as a Celtic vocal goddess and the "Enya of heavy metal." LEAH's "Otherworld" is a five-song Celtic-metal masterpiece, which takes the listener from the stormy shores of an ancient era to fantasy landscapes to the battlefield of love and loss. LEAH's voice is utterly enchanting — exuding depth and control, yet ethereally fragile.

"Otherworld" was mixed by Christian "Moschus" Moos at Spacelab in Germany (DELAIN, EVERON, IMPERIA), and mastered at Eroc's Mastering Ranch. From the coast of British Columbia, Canada, auburn-haired symphonic metal artist LEAH is drawing attention from all over the globe. Inspired by Celtic and world music influences such as CLANNAD and Enya to European symphonic and progressive metal influences, LEAH creates something magical and refreshing. Her debut album, "Of Earth & Angels", received international critical acclaim, including landing on "Best Symphonic Metal Album" Metal Storm Awards for 2012.
Dreamland (Single) Feat. Eric Peterson by LEAH

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn has uploaded demo versions of the band's songs "Imperium", "Days Turn Blue To Gray" and "Descend The Shades Of Night" to the group's official YouTube channel. The final tracks were included on MACHINE HEAD's "Through The Ashes Of Empires" album, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this week.

In the latest installment of his online blog, "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings", Flynn offered up a lengthy explanation for how the demo recordings came to life.

"In May of 2002, not long after we finished the 'Supercharging America' tour, our-then-guitarist Ahrue Luster quit the band," Flynn wrote. "It seems weird even talking about the Ahrue era of the band as feels like a lifetime ago, probably because it WAS a lifetime ago! Literally thousands of bands have come and gone from that era he was with us ('98-'02). We get on fine now, so I don't have anything negative to say about him other than he was just really a bizarre choice to get in the band. However, to his credit, he did bring in a some cool songs ('Blood, Sweat And Tears', parts of 'The Burning Red', parts of 'Silver' and 'Blank Generation'), but yeah, when he quit no one in the band was surprised, and most Head Cases [MACHINE HEAD fans] just went, 'Meh.'

"Once he was gone, we decided to continue as a three-piece and to write and record the next album that way. It was a good decision as we weren't interested in bringing in another person, and truthfully, we couldn't think of anyone off hand if we wanted to. We figured we'd cross that bridge when touring came up, and guess what? We had some pending European festival dates coming up in June. Someone (possibly [then-bassist] Adam [Duce] or our manager Joseph [Huston]) brought up getting my old VIO-LENCE guitarist, drinking buddy and partner in crime Phil Demmel to fill in for the dates. Phil was recently back on our radar as Adam had filled in playing bass for VIO-LENCE in the summer of 2001. But Phil playing with us? At first I wasn't into the idea. After I'd quit VIO-LENCE, there was a long period where Phil and I didn't talk, things didn't end on a good note, and I blamed him for a lot of it. On top of that, I had also taken a personal vow to never to mention VIO-LENCE in interviews, advertisements, album covers, ANYTHING related to MACHINE HEAD. I wanted MACHINE HEAD to stand or fall on its own merits and I wouldn't use my previous band in any way to help sell or sink it.

"When VIO-LENCE broke up, [Demmel's] next band TORQUE opened for MACHINE HEAD a few times, and later his next band TECHNOCRACY would open some shows too, but we didn't really hang out anymore. It wasn't until almost eight years later than him and I had a real heart to heart (leaving an Oakland Raiders game) that we cleared the air, and after that, we hung out a lot. Usually at football games or shows.

"Once I was on board, we decided to see what he'd say, so Adam reached out to him (via AOL AIM... anyone remember that?) and Phil came back and said, 'Yes.' In fact, he told us that it would be perfect as he had decided he was retiring from the music business. He'd been doing it for 10 years since VIO-LENCE ended and he was frustrated. He had been married for a while, had a long-standing steady job and the band thing hadn't been working so what better way to end his music career than by jamming with one of his favorite bands? His choice was a good one, he'd be jamming with his old friends, touring the world for two weeks where he'd be playing over Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, headlining festivals to 20,000 people and then go and settle down.

"It was perfect situation. We didn't want a band member and he didn't want to join a band and it was a simple agreement. Phil wheeled his stuff over from the VIO-LENCE rehearsal room (they'd recently reunited and had done a string of weekend shows, but were also getting ready to retire) and when we jammed together, it was just awesome! There was a chemistry. Something was different about the energy in the room. We all felt it.

"And while I felt something, I didn't voice it, I didn't want to.

"We went on tour and the first show was in Dublin, Ireland with EVILE and GAMA BOMB opening. The show was nutzo!!! About halfway through the show, I looked to my right and thought, 'Hey, I remember that guy!' There he was, stage right muggin' it up and smiling like a Cheshire cat every chance he got. The next show was a 'secret' TEN TON HAMMER show in London at The Garage (or as the Brits say 'the gair-ige') and hanging out on that small stage, jamming cover songs, annihilated on vodka, having onstage chug-a-lugs with hammered fans, and playing to a frankly insane group of Head Cases, there was something happening, something real, a connection.

"And it wasn't OK to talk about it...

"Because he was retiring...

"And we didn't want someone in the band...

"Right...?

"While we were at the London show, Mark Palmer and his team from Roadrunner U.K. came out. They supported the show, they arranged press, helped spread the word. Before the gig even began, Mark pulled me aside and said, 'We'd still like to work with MACHINE HEAD. Would you consider signing another deal with us?' The Roadrunner U.K. office had always kicked ass for us, but I said, 'What about the American office? They'll be pissed,' he said, 'Fuck them. They're idiots. They don't know what they're losing. We've always had a great relationship. Think about it.'

"And think we did.

"On a side note; A dickhead journalist for Kerrang! magazine would review the show, he did a quick chat with us before the show, and I knew he was gonna slam us, and we'd soon cross paths again later on.

"We played Germany's With Full Force festival and the Roadrunner Germany office came out, arranged press, pulled me aside and said the same things as Mark: 'The Americans don't know what they're losing. Would you consider re-signing with us?' We debated it a lot. Some people were against it. But as we traveled back from Northern Finland on a dangerously rickety bus with plywood bunks, while Phil slept, the three of us talked in the back, and agreed. Maybe the best thing to do is continue a great relationship with Roadrunner in these territories and we could just look for an American-only deal once home. So that became the plan, get signed in America, release the record simultaneous overseas on Roadrunner Europe.

"When the tour ended, we said our goodbyes to Phil. We were in the back lounge of the bus trying to make eye contact with the guy who brought in the magic chemistry we needed. It was the strangest goodbye we'd ever been a part of: 'All right, well, thanks, and er, uh, happy retirement, it was uh... great...' He wished us well and we went our separate ways for what seemed like the last time.

"We made a four-song demo, we wrote a song that we thought could 'get us signed in America.' A horribly cheesy radio track called 'Pins And Needles'. We then made a cringe-worthy video (EPK) to sell our band to labels as our lawyer solicited us to every major label in existence. David Draiman courted us to sign to DISTURBED's new label imprint through Warner Bros., and [drummer Dave] McClain and I brought the CD demo to Draiman when they played in San Jose, California on the Music As A Weapon Tour.

"I specifically remember this show not for this, but because my friend Mike Parker had burned me a copy of a new band called LAMB OF GOD, the CD was 'As The Palaces Burn'. As I picked up Dave to drive down to the show, I threw it in and when it got the song '11th Hour', Dave and my respective jaws just hit the fucking floor. We both looked at each other and went 'HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!', 'PLAY THAT AGAIN!!!' That album floored us, it signaled a change in the guard. As we got to the show and watched all these also-ran radio acts opening for DISTURBED, I knew right then and there I didn't want any part of that world.

"It may not have happened immediately, but about four months later, LAMB OF GOD's '11th Hour' would give some inspiration to the fast end section of 'Imperium'.

"And so we waited to hear back from the labels. We waited and waited, and waited. Months went by with no word, nothing. Finally David Draiman did what was, I'm sure a difficult thing to do, and called me back and said, 'They (Warner Bros.) are gonna pass on the record.' I was pissed, but looking back, he was the only guy who manned up and called me back. I'm sure it wasn't easy, and he deserves respect for doing it the right way.

"In the music biz, when people don't want to sign you, they just ignore you, it's like you don't exist. It silently says, 'the door is closed,' 'you don't belong anymore.' At the end of the day, MACHINE HEAD, with four albums, a consistent sales record, a large die-hard fan base would be passed on by 35 different American record labels.

"No one wanted to sign MACHINE HEAD.

"Sure, there were smaller independent labels as well as bigger independent labels, but at the time, labels like Century Media and Earache, while damn respectable labels, would have been a step down, and to us if it wasn't a step up, or even sideways...

"Roadrunner U.K. told us we needed put the record out in October. We needed to hit the studio in July.

"Which was great news, but we were still a three-piece. From time to time, I'd run into Phil at shows or parties, he stumble up all hammered, put on that big ol' 'aw-schucks' smile of his and be like, 'So when are gonna jam again?' I'd be like, 'Uh, I don't know Mr. 'I-retired-from-the-music-business-and-aren't-making-music-anymore.' We'd laugh, and then it'd happen again, and we'd laugh. Then one day he said, "Hey, I really want to do this, that tour was one of the best moments of my life, and well... look... my wife and I... we're getting divorced... it's not working out... I want to make music for a living... what do you think?'

"It seemed inevitable. Sure, the previous nine months had been some long drawn out tease, a bizarre courtship playing out. Of course I wanted him in the band. I had reservations about him re-adjusting to band life after being out of the game for so long, quite a few reservations about him now joining MY band where I'm the boss, as opposed me joining HIS band (ala VIO-LENCE) but in the end, it was the right choice. We made a goddamned formidable guitar team, and had gotten along in the most grueling conditions on van tours in VIO-LENCE, so we said, 'Let's do it!'

"We made Phil a full band member and announced him joining publicly in April 2003 on Nikki Blakk's 'Metal Zone' show on (local station) 107.7 The Bone. Around the same time, we signed with Roadrunner Europe and focused on writing the rest of the album. During those sessions, several U.S. labels threatened to sign us, but for various reasons didn't work out. When Phil joined, a lot of the record was written already but he brought the main verse riff and intro for 'In The Presence Of My Enemies' (aka 'Davidian Jr.'), 'Days Turn Blue To Gray' (aka 'Natural Science II', since we stole the middle section from the RUSH song) and I think parts of 'Vim'. At this point, 'Imperium' and 'Descend' were largely unfinished, only the verses and chorus of 'Imperium' were written musically, with no intro and no second half explosion, it was was largely forgettable. 'Descend', in particular, was a horrible four-minute DEFTONES rip-off, but it had 'that' chorus and 'that' middle section and I knew it was something special.

"But dammit, I was an island, shit, I was a fucking sandbar in the middle of the ocean! As we got two weeks away from the recording date, we were at practice that Phil wasn't at, Dave and Adam said they wanted to drop 'Descend' from the album. I was like, 'WHAT??!! Guys, this song is amazing, c'mon!?' They were united, 'Nope it sucks.' We argued for a bit and I said, 'Gimme 24 hours, I'll bring in a version of this that blows it away!' They said, 'Oh, ooooo-k, pffft!' I had been listening to the first two COLDPLAY records a lot and had since written a bunch of acoustic stuff that I'd demoed but never showed the band 'cause I thought it was 'too gay.' But I dug into it, and the next day I brought in, essentially the version you hear on the album Everyone went, 'Fuck, that's way better.'

"A few days later, I got the flu, and not just any flu, but I'm talking some goddamn S.A.R.S bird flu shit or something, I mean, this thing took me down and I ended up being the sickest I've been in years! Alone while my wife was at work, feeling like dog shit, I picked up my acoustic guitar and started playing. I soon hit on the intro chords to 'Imperium', I just wanted something simple before I added the next bit. Then I thought, 'Maybe I can make a heavy version of that quiet part?' Hmmm... it works, what if this goes into that song that Dave wrote (the verses/chorus of 'Imperium')? I sat there jamming it thinking, 'Fuck, this is pretty cool, hopefully it's not because I feel so shitty.' I have no idea where the fast section at the end came from, I was inspired by '11th Hour', for sure, all I know is that somewhere at 418 42nd St. in Richmond, California, some dude, who was sick as a fuckin' dog, finished what he thought, 'Might be a pretty cool song.'

"I walked into practice a couple days later and said, 'I think I got the album opener.' As soon as we were done playing it, we all looked at each and went, 'FUCK YEAH!! Let's play that again!!'

"In a bizarre twist, not soon after, Roadrunner U.S. came back into the picture and our longtime A&R man Monte Conner reached out and said they 'might want to re-sign the band.' 'Huh?' I asked, 'OK, what's the deal?' He said, 'We want to hear some new stuff. Can you whip out a demo?' I explained we were going into record the record NEXT WEEK, so not really. Monte said, 'Well, see what you can do.' So, I'll admit the idea having a simultaneous release with Europe on our old label in the States the excitement levels ran high.

"We entered Sharkbite Studios in July 2003 with Mark Keaton engineering, me producing for the first time and the first thing we did was track drums and I decided to do a quick pass of guitars and bass on tape for the Monte demo. Now even though 'Imperium', 'Days Turn Blue To Gray' and, to some degree, 'Descend...' had been 'finished' musically only a week prior to this, I had never really even sang these songs. I busted ass and wrote as many lyrics as possible, sang some lyrics I had about [Robb's wife] Genevra's heroin addict father over the verses to 'Days', wrote the quiet middle section of 'Days' after hearing the Gregorian chant at the beginning to Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River', and somehow barely pulled off some acceptable, but corny lyrics in 'Imperium' but the end of the demo is pretty much just me jumbling sounds together to sound like words.

"We sent it to Roadrunner U.S., and hoped for the best."

"I'll stop here and leave you with that three-song demo. For the record, this has never been released publicly, it is the first time anyone outside of Roadrunner U.S. has heard these versions.

"Enjoy, Head Cases."

Florida-based death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION have finished mixing a brand new song called "Corporate Weaponry". The track, which is currently being mastered by Eric Koondel, will be made available — along with the previously released new cut "Face Your Fear" — for download on iTunes and other online outlets within a few weeks. A full-length album will follow next year.

"Face Your Fear", which can be streamed below, was recorded, produced and mixed at drummer Gus Rios' studio, Riversound Productions, except for the vocals, which were laid down with Jim Nickles at his Shredly Studios.

"This is only one song of many Phil [Fasciana, guitar] and I are working on," Gus Rios told Decibel back in August.

"We are still debating how we are going to go about releasing new music.

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

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

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

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

"Invidious Dominion" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The CD's cover art was created by renowned artist Pär Olofsson (THE FACELESS, IMMORTAL, ABYSMAL DAWN).

HELLSPEAK, the Massachusetts metal band featuring drummer Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, TOXIK), vocalist Marc Lopes (MELIAH RAGE, DARK DAY SUNDAY), bassist Chris Rapoza (MACHINES OF GRACE) and guitarist Matt Leff (MACHINES OF GRACE), has released its debut EP, "The Slaughter Rule Of Agony". The CD was mixed and produced by Paul David Hager (VAN HALEN, GOO GOO DOLLS, PINK) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (SLAYER, RUSH, PANTERA). According to a press release, "this foursome has concocted their own formula of infectious, fast, furious, dynamic and unforgiving metal."

Lopes, Rapoza and Leff have a lengthy history, spanning back to their days in Boston's TRIGGER EFFECT, which nailed a run of opening slots with IRON MAIDEN, QUEENSRŸCHE and HALFORD. Bittner came into the fold after working with Lopes in DARK DAY SUNDAY, which opened for DREAM THEATER on several dates.

The vocal chops delivered by Lopes are a true heavy metal Olympics, full of emotion packed vocal runs, memorable melodies and demonic screams. Leff, Rapoza and Bittner provide the perfect backdrop of scorching guitar leads, battering ram drums and thunderous bass. The passion, control, intensity and groove of this band are undeniably infectious.

"The Slaughter Rule Of Agony" track listing:

01. The Slaughter Rule Of Agony02. Until The Light Takes Us03. My Annihilation04. Me, Myself And Demons05. Killing Angels With Silence06. Words From A Dying God

The song "Until The Light Takes Us" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE will enter the studio next week to begin recording their new album with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, WARBRINGER). The group's first CD with new vocalist Eddie Hermida (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) will be released next summer via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a division of Nuclear Blast Records formed by Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner.

"This record will be the grittiest, most meaningful piece of work we've ever stood behind,” commented guitarist Mark Heylmun. “We cannot wait for everyone to hear it.

"Steve Evetts is someone we've worked closely with for a long while, not only on 'The Black Crown', but also on some instrumental demos just prior to the tragedy last fall. Here we are a year later prepping to record the nastiest, heaviest, most disgusting work we've ever done. Expect the unexpected. This is for Mitch."

An audio snippet of the SUICIDE SILENCE song "You Only Live Once" featuring Hermida can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

SUICIDE SILENCE singer Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach on Halloween night.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucker struck a light pole near the intersection of Main and 13th streets and was thrown from his 2013 Harley Davidson. The motorcycle continued sliding south on Main Street and struck a northbound 2007 Nissan Titan pickup.

Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD), Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD) and Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA) were among the "surprise" guests who performed with with the surviving members of SUICIDE SILENCE at a special show on December 21, 2012 at the Fox theater in Pomona, California as a tribute Mitch Lucker. All proceeds from the event went towards the education of Mitch's six-year-old daughter, Kenadee Lucker.

The Pomona concert was professionally filmed for a DVD that is expected to surface before the end of the year.

SUICIDE SILENCE is:

Eddie Hermida - VocalsChris Garza - GuitarMark Heylmun - GuitarAlex Lopez - DrumsDan Kenny - Bass

Acclaimed guitarist Ron Jarzombek (BLOTTED SCIENCE, WATCHTOWER, SPASTIC INK) has announced the November 1 digital release of two new tracks, available via iTunes, Amazon, and other digital outlets. Following the "Beyond Life and Cosmic Kinetics" (a.k.a. B.L.A.C.K.) app/digital release in November 2012, Jarzombek has re-worked a couple of tracks from his 2009 archives release "PHHHP! Plus", "Razor Blade Baby" and "Blessed Corpse". Retitled "Razor Blade Babies" and "B. C. 2013", both songs have been re-recorded with current sounds, production, and with a few extras thrown in. "I had planned on releasing these two 'remakes' as multi-tracking apps months ago," Ron says. "Due to an M.I.A. programmer and Apple's ever-changing requirements for submitting apps and problems with iOS7, I have not been able to release them. When 'B.L.A.C.K.' was released, the app came first, then months later the four digital singles. Rather than continue to wait for something to happen with the songs as multitracking apps, I just decided to release them as digital singles. If the apps happen at a later time, great, if not, oh well." Jarzombek is currently focusing on finishing up his instructional DVD, "Dissecting Bugs", on which he will play all guitar parts, and explain all of the music theory involved in the writing of the BLOTTED SCIENCE "The Animation Of Entomology" EP.

"Since I will be taking apart everything, it will appropriately be called 'Dissecting Bugs'," Ron says. "Many thanks to the fans who have shown interest in the DVD, have been asking me where to pick it up, and about a release date. At this point, I'd say possibly early 2014, but as usual, don't hold me to any definite release dates."

He continues: "BLOTTED SCIENCE is in the early stages of writing for a third release, which will be a full-length CD. At this time, Alex [Webster, bass; CANNIBAL CORPSE], Hannes [Grossman, drums; OBSCURA] and I all have other projects happening, but come early 2014 we will kick it in to high gear."

Florida-based label Antithetic Records recently issued both BLOTTED SCIENCE titles on limited-edition vinyl. In other news, Jarzombek is a featured guest on the new PROTEST THE HERO album, "Volition", trading licks with PROTEST THE HERO's Luke Hoskin on the song "Drumhead Trial".

"I've been a fan of these guys for several years, so it's really cool to have been asked to contribute and be a part of this album," Ron says. "It was also great playing with Chris [Adler, LAMB OF GOD drummer, who played on 'Volition'] again." Jarzombek has also tracked a guitar solo for Grossmann's upcoming solo CD, "The Radial Covenant", which is the subject of an ongoing IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign.

The self-titled debut album from AVATARIUM, the new project led by Leif Edling, founding bassist and main songwriter of Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of Terrorizer.com).

"Avatarium" will be released in Europe on November 1 via Nuclear Blast.

In addition to Edling, AVATARIUM features Marcus Jidell (ROYAL HUNT, EVERGREY) on guitar, Lars Sköld (TIAMAT) on drums, Carl Westholm on keyboards and Jennie-Ann Smith on vocals.

AVATARIUM's first release was a 12-inch mini-LP, "Moonhorse", featuring the title track, the B-side "Boneflower" as well as an acoustic cover version of BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs". It arrived on September 20.

The cover artwork for "Avatarium" was created by Swedish artist Erik Rovamperä, who has previously worked with CANDLEMASS.

Edling describes the tracks on "Avatarium" in his own words:

"Moonhorse":

Edling: "The first song I wrote. It's about a little sick kid lying in bed daydreaming, and wanting to be out playing with his friends. Lots of dynamics and contrast in this song. Light and shade. One of the best songs I have written, I think." "Pandora's Egg":

Edling: "About the sickness in the world. Collected by the gods and locked in, but now in free flow. Jennie-Ann sings it like a female Ronnie James Dio. Great!" "Avatarium":

Edling: "Very twisted and a bit proggy. To me, anyway. Mainly describes what an 'avatarium' is: a place anywhere, of any size, where you can worship your demi-gods. Could be that singer, a politian, Tony Iommi, an actor, a historical figure, porn actress, etc." "Boneflower":

Edling: "THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS meets BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. '60s pop vs heavy rock… melody contra prog in the mid part. Cool song describing the beauty in suicide. A forest where lovers go to commit unified suicide when the world denies them their love." "Bird Of Prey":

Edling: "I took the London Ripper out of context here and put him in modern day Berlin. I've been to Berlin every summer for a number of years now, and I really like the old 'east' Berlin. It's like what the London Soho was in 1980. Fantastic place with lots of bars, culture, food, cool people and music. Thought it was a nice idea to put the Berlin Ripper there. Yes… before you say anything…. I'm aware of the fact that there actullay was a real Berlin Ripper in the '20s or something like that. A guy having a butcher shop where he made sausage of his victims and sold it to his customers… hu…. Lovely song, though…" "Tides Of Telepathy":

Edling: "Nice semi-progressive track about a guy in a tower with an iron helmet on, enhancing his telepathic waves, sending them like tsunamis of fire to a parallel world they are at war with. Of course he puts his own world into ruins except his own tower. Leaving him totally alone there." "Lady In The Lamp":

Edling: "The beautiful ballad! A girl is trapped by a wizard and is forced to sing for him. If she stops, she dies. Fantastic end solo by Marcus!"

Commented Erik Rovamperä: "As opposed to many contemporary artists eager to express their inner emotional turmoil, my ambitions as a painter stand first and foremost from a lifelong love of hard-rockin' music and the inherently darker iconography of that genre.

"I'm seldom one to channel personal experiences in my art but rather view my work as part of the heavy metal tradition forged by likes of Derek Riggs, Ken Kelly and many more.

"In the specific chase of AVATARIUM, my sources of inspiration have come to include the heretical idolatry of the pre-Christianized cults throughout ancient Europe and esoteric allegories of the late medieval secret societies."

Jidell had the following to say about the birth of "Avatarium": "We are very proud to present the first, but not the last, AVATARIUM album to you.

"When we started to demo the songs on this album, we had one thing that we thought was extremely important: we wanted to make music that was heavy, dark and poetic. Also, we had an urge to make an album with a very organic sound and no fixing and trixing in computers but just try to make great emotional music.

"During the whole process, we have been looking for feeling rather than trying to make everything technically perfect. "I think that everything really came together the first day Jennie-Ann came in the studio and sung 'Moonhorse'. She had everything we looked for in a singer: rock 'n' roll attitude, jazz and blues feel, a big and powerful voice and yet so able to be fragile and extremely tender in her interpretation of the songs.

"If you like heavy, dark riffs and big guitars, emotional, raw and bluesy vocals, thunderous and groovy drums, I am quite sure that you'll like AVATARIUM." "Avatarium" track listing: CD:

01. Moonhorse02. Pandora's Egg03. Avatarium04. Boneflower05. Bird Of Prey06. Tides Of Telepathy07. Lady In The Lamp 2LP:

Side A

01. Moonhorse02. Pandora's Egg

Side B

01. Avatarium02. Boneflower

Side C

01. Bird Of Prey02. Tides Of Telepathy

Side D

01. Lady In The Lamp

AVATARIUM is:

Leif Edling: BassJennie-Ann Smith: VocalsMarcus Jidell: GuitarLars Sköld: DrumsCarl Westholm: Keyboards

Estonian folk-metal band METSATÖLL will release three albums from its catalog — "Äio" (2010), "Ulg" (2011) and "Tuska" (2012) — digitally on November 5. In addition, group's the new single, "Lööme Mesti" ("Together"), will be made available on November 19. The track will appear on METSATÖLL's upcoming CD, due out in March.

If you're not familiar with this unique and difficult-to-classify band, which is a badge of honor and a nod to their genre-bending, flip-the-script style, here's a brief history lesson.

Their humble beginnings are as such: On February 24, 1999, three men held a meeting at the borders of the Pääsküla bog (Tallinn suburbs), in the singer and guitar player Markus' basement, one of whom could play a little bit of guitar, another who knew how to play a little bit of drums, and a third who had come up with a sufficiently ancient-sounding name that would be just right for a heavy metal band — METSATÖLL.

The name "Metsatöll" is an ancient Estonian euphemism for wolf.

The thought soon turned into reality and over the next few days four or five songs were composed and a couple of months later, there was an entire album's worth of material.

The demo album "Terast Mis Hangunud Me Hinge" was released in the autumn of 1999. Soon afterwards, Lauri joined the band, bringing with him a second guitar, the torupill (bagpipes), kannels, zithers and flutes. METSATÖLL's current lineup was finalized in 2004, when drummer Atso took up the place behind the kit. That same year, the band crushed all previous sales records for an Estonian metal artist and won METSATÖLL the "Best Metal Act" 2005 award at the Estonian Music Awards ceremony. They have won the award five times in a row.

METSATÖLL — which has already toured the U.S. three times — will embark on another U.S. run this fall alongside FINNTROLL and BLACKGUARD.

"Covenant", the classic album from Floridian death metal legends MORBID ANGEL, is due to be reissued in Europe on limited edition Full Dynamic Range vinyl LP to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LP's release.

Originally issued in 1993, "Covenant" is the band's third album and 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.

MORBID ANGEL vocalist/bassist David Vincent comments: "'Covenant' was and still remains a very important release in our career.

"We are all excited to revisit this album in celebration of its 20th anniversary, both on stage and on wax.

"For purists and vinyl aficionados alike, this new full dynamic master pressing is sure to illuminate the analog sonic fury that we captured in 1993."

The vinyl will be available in the following quantities and colours:

100 - Green (Earache Webstore exclusive) **200 - Clear (Earache Webstore exclusive) **200 - Dark Blue with Light Blue Splatter *300 - Clear with Black Marble *300 - White with Black Splatter **400 - Clear with Red Marble **1400 - Black *

* includes free sticker** includes free sticker and slipmat

The "Covenant" Full Dynamic Range vinyl is due to be released on November 4 through the Earache European webstore, and will also be available in limited quantities directly from the band on the band's "Covenant" 20th-anniversary U.S. tour.

The vinyl will be available for pre-order on Friday, October 18 from the Earache webstore at this location.

The first look at the Full Dynamic Range edition of "Covenant" — which will also be released in Europe on iTunes on November 4 — can be seen below.

The official video for Rob Zombie's cover version of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD's classic "We're An American Band" can be seen below.

Asked how they decided to cover "We're An American Band" for Zombie's latest album, "Venomous Rat Generation Vendor", Zombie guitarist John 5 told Live-Metal.net: "We were thinking about covers, and I can picture me and Rob talking about this. I was like, 'Yeah, what if we did this one or this one?' We were going back and forth for a little while, and Rob goes, 'Man, 'We're an American band.' And I was like, 'That's it. We have to do it, we have to do it.' And a cool part of that song is, in the original, there's a lyric that goes, 'Up all night with Freddie King, poker is his thing;' in the Rob Zombie version, it says, 'Up all night with Kerry King.' We kind of snuck that in, so the next time you listen to it, listen for Kerry King's name."

Rob Zombie's fifth album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 23 via Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

Rob Zombie will guest on the Halloween (Thursday, October 31) edition of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Watch as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" celebrates the spooky holiday in costume with the show's "Half & Half Halloween Pageant", guest Ray Romano and a musical performance from Rob Zombie. Rob and his band will perform two songs on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Each year, Jimmy has dressed up as a different character — Donkey Kong, Big Bird, Thor, Count Chocula, an oversized version of himself, a ghost, and he has even hosted the show just as his severed head. Tune in to find out what Jimmy Kimmel will dress up as this year.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m./10:35 p.m. CT on the ABC television network.

Zombie will next co-headline the "Night Of The Living Dreads" tour with KORN. The 17-date run begins on November 3 in Reno, Nevada and wraps on November 26 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

His "Great American Nightmare" Halloween music and horror event opened on October 10. The event is being held every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through November 2 at FEARPlex in Pomona, California with 15 nights of music, culminating with a November 2 headlining performance by Zombie himself.

The centerpiece is one of the most advanced haunted house attractions in the world, with three separate areas each named after a film directed by Zombie.

Guitar Center, the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, and DirecTV, one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services, will spotlight KORN in the award-winning music series Guitar Center Sessions on November 1 on DirecTV's Audience Network (Channel 239). Guitar Center Sessions features exclusive performances and intimate, enlightening conversations conducted by revered musical tastemaker Nic Harcourt.

Video footage of the "Got The Life" performance from KORN's Guitar Center Sessions episode can be seen below.

"With 'Guitar Center Sessions', it all begins with the curation process. From legends like Peter Gabriel and Joe Walsh to buzzworthy up-and-comers like Gary Clark Jr. and FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, this wide variety of musical acts creates a broad and unique musical journey simply unmatched anywhere on television," says Harcourt.

"With millions of viewers tuning in each month, it is clear that there is an audience seeking the type of quality music programming that has otherwise virtually disappeared from television in the past decade," says Dustin Hinz, director of music and entertainment marketing for Guitar Center.

"'Guitar Center Sessions' aims to fill that void while providing musicians with a world-class television platform that exposes their music to the masses, and inspires music enthusiasts and fans across the globe."

"Guitar Center and DirecTV have created a unique venue for these artists whereby the taping of these shows takes place directly on the premises at Guitar Center in Hollywood as they create a personal and intimate experience for our customers," said Christopher Long, senior vice president of original content and production, DirecTV.

"It's like a private concert and discussion that happens in your living room."

As part of its new agreement with AXS TV, encore performances from "Guitar Center Sessions" will begin airing on AXS TV this month, Monday nights at 9 p.m., bringing the series to a wider audience than ever before.

"AXS TV is committed to broadcasting a diverse slate of musical content that showcases today's top artists in some of the coolest settings and with interesting hosts. 'Guitar Center Sessions' with Nic Harcourt is exactly the type of series that will resonate with our audience as our channel brings music back to television,"

"Guitar Center Sessions" captures exclusive live performances and interviews from noteworthy and influential artists in stunning hi-definition and 5.1 Surround Sound in Guitar Center's iconic location on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. In addition to show-stopping performances, each episode features intimate interviews conducted by renowned journalist Nic Harcourt, offering rare insights into the celebrated careers of these icons and the inspirations behind their music. "Guitar Center Sessions" is but one example of the music retailer's efforts to support artists by creating new avenues to expose their music to large audiences in an ever-changing music industry.

"Got The Life" performance:

Fan-filmed video footage of KILL DEVIL HILL's October 29 CD-release concert at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

KILL DEVIL HILL is the band featuring legendary drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) alongside Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) on bass, Mark Zavon (RATT, W.A.S.P., 40 CYCLE HUM) on guitar and Bragg (PISSING RAZORS) on vocals.

The group's sophomore album, "Revolution Rise", was released in North America on October 29 via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by KILL DEVIL HILL and Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER, DIO) and was mixed by Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER). The cover artwork was created by Sam Shearon, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, IRON MAIDEN and FEAR FACTORY, to name just a few.

"Revolution Rise" track listing:

01. No Way Out02. Crown Of Thorns03. Leave It All Behind04. Why?05. Wake Up The Dead06. Long Way From Home07. Where Angels Dare To Roam08. Stained Glass Sadness09. Endless Static10. Stealing Days11. Life Goes On

Says Brown of the new album: "This new KILL DEVIL HILL record is definitely one of my favorite moments of my career — it's got balls, great melodies, awesome guitar riffing and a low end that'll set your ass on fire! The album far exceeds our wildest expectations and we can't wait to take this music out on the road and share it with all of our friends and fans. Buckle your seat belts, we're all in for one hell of a ride!"

KILL DEVIL HILL is taking its new material on the road for a headlining club tour that kicked off October 26 in Ramona, California and runs through the month of November with support from labelmates EYES SET TO KILL and GIRL ON FIRE, as well as BLACK WATER RISING. Exclusive KILL DEVIL HILL VIP packages, including early admission to soundcheck and the show, a meet-and-greet with the band, a VIP laminate and t-shirt, and an autographed 8x10 are available for all shows by visiting www.killdevilhillmusic.com/vippackages. KILL DEVIL HILL's self-titled debut album was released last year via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD landed at position No. 9 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.

"Kill Devil Hill" was produced by Warren Riker, who is best known for his work with DOWN, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SUBLIME and CATHEDRAL.

EMG TV has uploaded video footage of Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) performing a solo acoustic version of the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY song "Lovin' Woman". Check it out below.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's new live DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video, "Unblackened", was released on September 24 by Eagle Rock Entertainment. Wylde's label home, eOne Music, also released the audio version of the "Unblackened" DVD under the same name. The double disc release has six additional tracks not found on the DVD, including two acoustic versions of "Queen Of Sorrow" and "Won't Find It Here", and covers of LEON RUSSELL's "Song For You" and BILL WITHERS' "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone".

Since their early Nineties inception, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, formed and helmed by guitar legend Zakk Wylde, has been at the forefront of hard rock. Their penchant for hard riffs and blazing solos has resulted in a slew of hugely successful albums and a reputation as one of the most powerful live bands of their generation. "Unblackened", however, unveils another side of the band.

Filmed and recorded on March 6 in high definition at Los Angeles' Club Nokia, "Unblackened" is BLACK LABEL SOCIETY presenting their songs in a whole new light, with greater use of acoustic instrumentation. Wylde plays both guitar and piano, with Nick Catanase on guitar, John DeServio on bass/vocals, Chad Szeliga on drums, Derek Sherinian on keyboards/piano, and Greg Locascio providing additional vocals.

Their stripped-down approach highlights the subtler nuances of the songwriting, without losing any of the fire or intensity. Classic tracks like "Stillborn", "The Blessed Hellride", "In This River", "Throwin' It All Away", "Losin' Your Mind" and many others are still punctuated by the stinging, searing solos that fans know and love, while showcasing the versatility of the band.

In addition to the concert, "Unblackened" is rich in bonus material. A new interview with Zakk, photo gallery, music video for "Losin' Your Mind", and a feature with Wylde visiting HM Prison Stocken in the U.K . are all included.

In the latest issue of Q magazine, the members of METALLICA were asked if recording "Lulu" — their collaborative album with former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND fronman Lou Reed — was "the barrel of laughs" that they were expecting.

"It was a barrel of laughs, semi-full," guitarist Kirk Hammett replied. Drummer Lars Ulrich added: "Lou's got a pretty twisted sense of humor. It was a pretty crazy run of different experiences.] had a great time doing it.

"With Lou, once you break the ice, he's human like everybody else."

Continued Hammett: "He always had a lot to say, good and bad. The most hilarious thing would be going out to dinner with him. He'd grab the menu and start chanting, 'No sugar! No sugar! I don't want sugar, no sugar!' He's so adamant because of his diabetes, but he'd make everyone in the restaurant know sugar couldn't come within 200 miles of his food. He was very adamant about the sugar thing."

Reed died on Sunday (October 27) at the age of 71 from complications due to liver disease. Although Reed got a liver transplant last spring, the affliction could not be beaten despite continued treatment and Reed returned to Long Island to spend his final days at home.

At press time, METALLICA had notably yet to issue a comment on Reed's passing.

"Lulu" was a commercial failure and widely panned by fans and critics.

Nevertheless, the disc was the last recorded work released by Reed, and the members of METALLICA may have been the last musicians to work with him in the studio.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he did not know the German plays on which the "Lulu" storyline was based and simply let Reed take charge. "He put together his modern poet version of it, and when he played us the soundtrack to that play, his lyrics were unbelievable," James said. "There was basically a soundscape behind it, and he wanted us to add music to it and that's what we did."

New Zealand's brutal metallic hardcore band SAVING GRACE has entered Parachute Studios in Auckland with producer Zack Ohren (ALL SHALL PERISH, CARNIFEX, THE GHOST INSIDE, FIRST BLOOD) to track its fourth album.

Having signed with U.S.-based Crimson Management (VANNA, SHADOWS FALL, JOB FOR A COWBOY) immediately after their third North American tour and appearances at 2013's Facedown Fest and 15th annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, the band returned to its homeland in May to begin work on brand new material for a follow up to 2011's "The King Is Coming".

Comments SAVING GRACE lead guitarist and co-founder Vasely Sapunov: "We are psyched for the opportunity to have Zack work on this new record with us and we are grateful to our label for flying him out to New Zealand from San Francisco. We are huge fans of his work and are excited to have him help take our sound to the next level.

"We realize that almost every single band says this with every new release (ourselves included), but this will easily be our sickest record yet.

"With each new album, we only ever have one goal and that is to create music which is harder, heavier, darker and more aurally disgusting than the previous and this is by far the darkest and most pissed-off record we have ever created.

"You will never hear anything like clean singing, trendy down-tuned guitars or a more commercially friendly approach from SAVING GRACE and that is a promise. We will continue to push the boundaries of how we define 'heavy' and that's by crafting the most aggressive music that we are capable of and filling it with sincere, passionate and truthful lyrics.

"On this record, you can expect to hear the classic sound of SAVING GRACE, but taken to the absolute extreme with all of our early musical influences dissected to create the ultimate blend of metallic hardcore.

"We wear our combined influences proudly on our sleeve from classics like SLAYER, REPRISAL, EARTH CRISIS, PANTERA and ARKANGEL to bands like MARTYR AD and SLIPKNOT all the way through to death metal acts that we grew up listening to like MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION and DECAPITATED."

SAVING GRACE was recently listed in the first announcement of headliners for New Zealand's massive annual Parachute Festival alongside the likes of MXPX and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.

Further details, including the record's title, cover art, global release date and tour dates, are scheduled to surface by early December.

Bassist/vocalist Phil Rind of Arizona thrashers SACRED REICH has posted the following message on the band's Facebook page:

"So the number one question we get is 'When are you going to do a new record?' (The #2 question is 'When are you going to play-insert name of your city?').

"The answer is we are not going to do a new record. The follow-up question would be 'Never?' The follow-up answer is we know better than to say 'never.' I never thought we would even be playing any shows. So you just don't know what the future holds.

"I can confidently say we have no plans to record, no songs to record and no idea what SACRED REICH even would sound like in 2013. We appreciate the fact that any of you even care about hearing a new record.

"We thank each and every one of you for supporting and continuing to support the band. We think it's amazing that after 25 years, and 16 years since a new record anyone still remembers who we are. So we thank you.

"Enjoy the old records. That's what we can offer you. If we ever change our minds, you will be the first to know."

SACRED REICH's "Live At Wacken" DVD+CD package was released in North America in November 2012 through Metal Blade. The set contains professionally filmed and recorded footage of the band's August 4, 2007 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany in front of 60,000 heavy metal fans.

In an interview with MetalRecusants.com, Rind was asked why the band hasn't made a new studio album after reuniting for sporadic live shows seven years ago. "Our lives are different now," he said. "I mean, it's funny… Our old drummer Dave's [McClain] in MACHINE HEAD and they're touring and doing great; they're very successful. And I said [to the other guys in SACRED REICH recently], I wouldn't even wanna [get back into a full recording and touring cycle]. I wouldn't wanna be gone from my family. I have four kids. As much as I like this, as much as I appreciate the fans, what's important — the family or playing live music? I mean, really?! What's important — being a dad to my kids? My kids need their dad more than the fans need a new SACRED REICH record. And that's really the bottom line. It's a choice. We have a choice to make. What do you wanna do? You have kids now. What are you gonna do — blow it off or are you gonna be their dad? The world will be a better place if I'm [my kids'] dad."

The remastered edition of SACRED REICH's classic 1992 album "Independent" was released as a digipack and jewelbox on March 15, 2010 via Displeased Records. The first 2,500 copies contain a free SACRED REICH patch.

Displeased Records' reissue of SACRED REICH's classic album "The American Way" came out in February 2009. With upgraded layout, to-the-point remastering plus unreleased pre-production demo bonus tracks and a video clip, this new and improved CD reissue is an essential addition to every thrash metal collection.

"The American Way" was made available in a limited digipak version and standard jewel case version. The first 2,500 copies came with a free logo patch.

According to a posting on MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Hank Shermann's Facebook page, Shermann and fellow MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Michael Denner recently got back together to play the band's "Melissa" album. A video of the session — which took place at Denner's apartment in Copenhagen, Denmark — has just been released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the LP. Check it out below.

MERCYFUL FATE will always be remembered for their unquestionable mark on the history of metal, with their new innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and their influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights, according to Wikipedia.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Entitled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of "Return of the Vampire" on the "In the Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.

BLACKGATES — the East San Francisco Bay Area metal outfit featuring drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, ex-TESTAMENT, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN) and guitarist Jeremy Von Epp (THE VENTING MACHINE) — has been rejoined by former ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson.

In a brand new interview with Greece's Metal Kaoz, Bostaph was asked if he has any other projects going on besides his current full-time gig with SLAYER. "I still have my other band, BLACKGATES," he replied. "And we're talking about… I mean, I haven't had any time. SLAYER is main priority, but if I have some free time, I'm gonna try to do a five- or six-song EP with BLACKGATES. We have our original singer back, Dan Nelson, so we're really happy about that. I just need some time to get together with my guitar player, Jeremy Epp, and we're gonna put the material together and try to get something out. We've put, like… Jeremy and I and Dan Nelson have put, like, over four years into the material we have, so I think we just wanna put it out there. And just move on with SLAYER. And if I can do some stuff with BLACKGATES, I will, and if I can't, then at least we've put the music out there."

BLACKGATES made its live debut on May 5, 2012 at Rooster's Roadhouse in Alameda, California as part of the Cinco De Mayo Metal Throwdown.

BLACKGATES last year parted ways with bassist Uriah Duffy (ex-WHITESNAKE) and replaced him with Luis Barillas (THE VENTING MACHINE). BLACKGATES's first demo was recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area with producer Tim Narducci (SYSTEMATIC, SPIRALARMS).

Nelson in 2012 settled a lawsuit he filed against ANTHRAX over the fallout from his departure from the veteran metal group. Details of the settlement were not made public.

Nelson, who was in ANTHRAX for nearly two years — from late 2007 until July 2009 — filed a lawsuit in November 2011 claiming that Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass) and Scott Ian (guitar) falsely stated in "numerous interviews" that he had "abruptly resigned" after getting sick, forcing a cancelation of a tour. The $2.65-million suit also alleged that Benante told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that Nelson "was a bully."

The Long Island native said his ex-bandmates' "intentional defamation" has caused him a loss of income and damaged his reputation.

According to a post on the official web site of ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello and Ian are "working hard" on material for the next ANTHRAX album. Ian writes: "We've had a couple of writing sessions and things are moving along well — fast for us, actually. We've got seven songs arranged musically and we're getting together again in a week and a half."

He adds: "The new stuff is aggressive, fast, even riffier than the last record and some of it is difficult to play. Nothing like writing parts that are above my ability as a guitar player! When that happens, the drill sergeant in my brain yells, 'PRACTICE, YOU LAZY FUCK!' So I do. And I nail that shit.

"I'm just getting into lyrics, songtitles, nothing to talk about yet."

Benante recently spent time recovering from surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. He rejoined his bandmates for their September 13 performance at "The Battle Of San Bernardino" festival in San Bernardino, California alongside IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL and SABATON.

The first photo of the new ANTHRAX lineup — featuring the band's latest addition, guitarist Jon Donais (SHADOWS FALL) — can be seen below (photo by Stephanie Cabral).

Donais has been touring with ANTHRAX since Rob Caggiano's departure in January, and will continue to play with ANTHRAX for the foreseeable future.

Speaking to Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas for the "Metal Hammer" radio show on TeamRock Radio, Ian stated about the band's current second-guitarist situation: "Jon's been with us since February, and I think I can safely say he's passed the audition… [laughs]. I know we haven't said anything official yet, but in my mind, he's the guy. I'm sure some type of official announcement… because in this world, people apparently need that kind of information so they can sleep well at night. But as far as I'm concerned, Jon is the guitar player in ANTHRAX."

Donais previously stated about playing with ANTHRAX: "I grew up on ANTHRAX, they're the thrash scene, they're one of the 'Big Four,' I'd be crazy to not want to play with them. Initially, Rob called and told me he was leaving the band, and asked if I'd be interested in filling in. Then Scott called me and everything fell into place."

ANTHRAX's latest studio album, "Worship Music", has sold more than 100,000 copies in the United States since its September 2011 release.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) legends BLITZKRIEG will release their eighth full-length studio album, "Back From Hell", on November 5. The band's first CD since 2007 will be made available via Metal Nation Records (previously Neat Records) after recently signing a three-album deal with ex-Neat Records boss and TYGERS OF PAN TANG founder/vocalist Jess Cox. It will be released in Japan the same month on Spiritual Beast Records and on double vinyl LP on German label High Roller Records.

Formed in 1980, BLITZKRIEG has gone through a lineup change since the last release, with three members leaving. Mainman/vocalist Brian Ross's son, Alan Ross, takes over from Guy Laverick on guitar. BLITZKRIEG's current incarnation still includes longtime member Ken Johnson on lead guitar, with new drummer Micky Kerrigan and bassist Bill Baxter replacing the departed Brewis brothers, Phil and Paul.

"Back From Hell" track listing:

01. Jack's Back / Back From Hell02. Buried Alive03. Complicated Issue04. V05. Return To The Village06. Sahara07. 4U08. One Last Time09. Call For The Priest10. Sleepy Hollow11. S&D12. We Have Assumed Control

BLITZKRIEG revisits popular themes like Jack The Ripper and the famous U.K. TV show "The Prisoner" on this new album and also continues its TV and film obsession with material written about the movie "V or Vengence", "Stargate" and "Sleepy Hollow". They also eventually got round to honoring METALLICA by covering "Seek And Destroy" as a belated tip of the cap towards the Americans who recorded the track "Blitzkrieg" from BLITZKRIEG's self-titled seven-inch single on three separate occasions over their career.

An interest for long-term BLITZKRIEG fans may also be a rerecording of the band's A side to that first single, "Buried Alive", which now sells for hundreds of pounds on various sites on line not to mention a tribute to the U.K. metal gods in "Call For The Priest", which covers as many JUDAS PRIEST titles that can be crammed into one song.

BLITZKRIEG has just returned from a tour in Germany/Holland, and more dates are being finalized now.

BLITZKRIEG's last album, "Theatre Of The Damned", was released on August 10, 2007 via Germany's Armageddon Music. The CD was recorded at Absurd Studio in Hamburg with producer Schrödey and co-producer Biff Byford (SAXON).

"Theatre Of The Damned" was the follow-up to "Sins And Greed", which was released in July 2005 via Metal Nation Records.

"500 Letters", the new video from former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen, can be seen below. Shot in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, Argentina by Florian Kaltenbach who also directed the clip for "Victim Of Ritual", the video is a new landmark in Tarja's video collection to date. For the first time in Tarja's history, the singer herself is the main character in the story line. No wonder, since "500 Letters" is, in many ways, Tarja's most private song ever. With its very personal songwriting and delicate topic, it offers a great emotional insight into the artist herself. Touching the sensitive topic of "stalkers," Tarja allows her fans a closer look into her thoughts. "500 Letters" is open to interpretation — being a mix of reality and fiction. The heavy-yet-highly-melodic song gets stuck in your mind after the first listen with its haunting melody and touching, exceptional vocals. Despite its very catchy key note, the bombastic sound still is full of darkness and dramatic structure and takes Tarja's songwriting one step further.

"500 Letters" comes off Tarja's latest album, "Colours In The Dark", which came out in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC. The CD was made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records.

The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below.

Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance.

With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes.

Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013.

In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her new CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other."

Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.

"Say Hello To The Undertaker", the new video from Southern California metallers WINDS OF PLAGUE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Resistance", which was released on October 29 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Will Putney, who has previously worked with SHADOWS FALL and SUICIDE SILENCE, among others.

"We wrote and recorded our fourth full-length record in late 2012," the band told AltPress.com in a statement. "For various reasons, we decided to wait until late 2013 to release it, not the least of which was to ensure that we had given enough time to listen to, analyze and absorb the record for ourselves. It was an extremely odd way to go about preparing for a record release, but it allowed us to be 100 percent certain that this was the record that best represented what we have become as a band.

"It's definitely a cliche these days, but after a year of listening to the record and anticipating it's release, I can say with complete honesty that this is the best WINDS OF PLAGUE record to date.

"We are confident that old fans will be able to really dig into the new record and we're hopeful that new listeners can find this record and see something in WINDS OF PLAGUE that is new and fresh.

"Thank you to everyone that has stuck with us and been patient while we prepared to release this record, we are extremely grateful. We hope that everyone who listens to it finds something they enjoy, and we look forward to seeing new and old fans on the road in the coming months.

"Without further ado, we are extremely proud to finally share with you: 'Resistance'."

"Resistance" track listing:

01. Open The Gates02. Say Hello To The Undertaker03. Sewer Mouth04. Left For Dead05. One Foot In The Grave06. Time To Reap07. United Through Hatred08. Good Ol' Fashion Bloodbath09. No Man Is My Master10. Snake Eyes11. Looking For A Better Day

WINDS OF PLAGUE last year parted ways with drummer Art Cruz due to creative differences. Sitting behind the kit during the studio sessions for the new album was Brandon Gallindo (ex-DEAD IN EXISTENCE).

WINDS OF PLAGUE will embark on a tour with BLEEDING THROUGH in early November.

WINDS OF PLAGUE's third full-length CD, "Against The World", sold 8,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 60 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Christian metal veterans LIVING SACRIFICE will release their eighth studio album, "Ghost Thief", on November 12 via Solid State Records. The CD marks the Little Rock, Arkansas band's first release since returning from a multi-year hiatus with 2010's "The Infinite Order", an album that led Alternative Press to declare the band "back at full strength." Pop Matters called the band "masters of their craft," adding that "'The Infinite Order' is proof of why LIVING SACRIFICE is one of the most influential Christian metal bands of all time."

Running the extremes from blisteringly fast to mid-tempo thrash with groove to spare, "Ghost Thief" is a clinic on how a band with a 20-plus-year career can continue to make relevant metal. While the music stretches out sonically, the songs are held together thematically through one dark motif: the fleeting quickness of this life and the idea of an afterlife.

"'Ghost Thief' is a reference to the personification of Death," guitarist/vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh explains. "Depending on the circumstance, death can be greeted as an enemy or a friend. We have a few songs that deal with the suddenness and finality of death. 'Ghost Thief' and 'Sudden' both are inspired by people who died suddenly and unexpectedly. Friends of ours or family members that we were close to."

Produced by DEMON HUNTER's Jeremiah Scott, "Ghost Thief" marks the eighth studio album LIVING SACRIFICE has issued since 1989, when a teenage Fitzhugh and Lance Garvin (drums) first united with friend DJ Johnson and later Jason Truby, determined to create a metal band as musically uncompromising as the secular groups of the day with a positive lyrical message. Practically unheard of at the time and to many quite controversial, the result blew open doors and crossed preconceived boundaries with a mix of thrash and death metal across their first three albums.

The band went through natural shifts over the ensuing years, with some members going on to join bands like P.O.D. and EVANESCENCE. Through the years, however, the constants of Fitzhugh and Garvin, and then mainstays Rocky Gray (guitar) and Arthur Green (bass) since 1998, steered the ship, and LIVING SACRIFICE achieved its goal of helping Christian metal transcend its own boundaries to become something respected and admired throughout the metal realm — a fact evident today in the countless bands LIVING SACRIFICE has influenced. "Ghost Thief" track listing:

01. Screwtape (featuring Ryan Clark)02. Ghost Thief03. The Reaping04. Straw Man05. Sudden06. Mask07. American Made08. Before09. Your War10. Despair (featuring Dave Peters)

The song "Screwtape" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Professionally filmed video footaged of BIOHAZARD's August 3 performance at the Resurrection Fest in Viveiro, Spain can be seen at this location. A couple of the clips are available below.

BIOHAZARD recently began writing and demoing material for the follow-up to last year's "Reborn In Defiance".

"Reborn In Defiance" was released in Europe on January 20, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Not only was "Reborn In Defiance" BIOHAZARD's first original lineup album in 18 years, it also marked the last LP recorded by the band before the departure of bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. The effort remains a testament to the four founding members (Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel, Evan Seinfeld and Danny Schuler) and their unique chemistry.

Seinfeld left the band in June 2011 after the band's new CD was completed and was replaced by Scott Roberts, who played on the band's 2005 "Means To An End" album and has been part of the BIOHAZARD extended family since.

"Serpent Thoughts", a brand new song from BLOOD EAGLE, the Danish death metal band featuring members of VOLBEAT, MNEMIC, HATESPHERE, ILLDISPOSED and RAUNCHY, can be streamed at this location.

Says the group: "We thought it was about time to share some more music, and give you a better perception of our style. This one is our heavy ballsy balled, entitled 'Serpent Thoughts', recorded at the AntFarm Studios [in Aarhus, Denmark] with [producer] Tue Madsen [THE HAUNTED, BEHEMOTH, DARK TRANQUILLITY].

"Do not despair, there are more grindcrushing tunes heading your way, very soon."

BLOOD EAGLE's name — which represents the method of torture and execution in Nordic mythology, performed by cutting the ribs of the victim by the spine, breaking the ribs so they resembled blood-stained wings — was chosen due to the members' Scandinavian roots,.

BLOOD EAGLE will make its live debut on Friday, November 7 at the Aalborg Metal Festival alongisde AT THE GATES, NAPALM DEATH, SOILWORK and many more.

BLOOD EAGLE is: Michael Olsson: Vocals Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (MNEMIC) - GuitarFranz Hellboss (ex-VOLBEAT, ILLDISPOSED) - GuitarMikael Ehlert (ex-HATESPHERE) - BassMorten Toft Hansen (ex-HATESPHERE, RAUNCHY) - Drums

Quality fan-filmed video footage of BLACK STAR RIDERS' October 29 performance at Batschkapp in Frankfurt, Germany can be seen below.

BLACK STAR RIDERS is the band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (guitar, vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums.

BLACK STAR RIDERS' debut album, "All Hell Breaks Loose", sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 5 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.

The "All Hell Breaks Loose" artwork features a painting by Gil Elvgren (March 15, 1914 - February 29, 1980), the legendary U.S. painter best known for his work on pin-up girls, advertising and illustration.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded and mixed by producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) at his The Cave studios in Malibu, California. Mastering duties were handled by Bob Ludwig (JIMI HENDRIX, RUSH, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN) at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.

The album was released as a standard CD and also as a special-edition digipak featuring a bonus track, "Right To Be Wrong", and a "making-of" DVD.

BLACK STAR RIDERS made its live debut on May 30 at The Marshall Theatre in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. The set featured a mix of music from "All Hell Breaks Loose" along with classic THIN LIZZY tracks.