Eagle Rock has posted more pro-shot footage of DUFF McKAGAN's LOADED performing, this time of the song 'No More':
Steve Appleford of The Los Angeles Times recently interviewed Duff Mckagan; an excerpt follows:

Even before his dozen years as bassist for GUNS N' ROSES and his later collaborations with VELVET REVOLVER, Duff's days as a Seattle punk meant one transition after another. “It was 31 bands or something ridiculous by the time I was 19,” he recalls.

Now McKagan finds himself in another new band: THE WALKING PAPERS, which also includes SCREAMING TREES drummer Barrett Martin, plus singer Jeff Angell and keyboardist Benjamin Anderson, both of THE MISSIONARY POSITION. PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready also plays on the band’s album, Walking Papers.

McKagan describes the sound of the band as “dirty blues,” both bruising and contemporary. But he insists the sound is no departure, rather part of a larger repertoire of interests.

“If I’d had my druthers, I would of course love to be in the same band this whole time,” he says. “It’s not that I like moving around, but it’s just my lot in life. There’s plenty of things that I’ve passed up doing - but the thing that has always driven me since I started playing punk rock is that it’s got to mean something, you know.”

A seven-week Walking Papers US tour begins August 8th in Scranton, PA. “Playing bass with Barrett is challenging and killer,” McKagan says. “It’s really great to be 49 and to be really inspired on my instrument.”

To read the interview in its entirety, visit this location.

Vocalist AMANDA SOMERVILLE (TRILLIUM, AVANTASIA) has posted the following video blog from her tour supporting ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN:

"Hello once again, Somervillains!

I hope you're all doing well since last we "saw" each other. :-) I decided I hadn't been gone on tour enough this year, so I got the Trillium circus packed up and headed out on the road once more! This first video goes from airport to rehearsal to the first couple of shows and as crazy as it seems in the video bouncing from one thing to the next is exactly how it went for us. Sorry for not having any live footage in here, but there will be in the 2nd vlog.

So, welcome back to my traveling musical circus and enjoy a peek behind the scenes once again!

P.S.: I'm sorry to say to those who've been asking that I won't be uploading any more AVANTASIA videos for the time being!"
Somerville's schedule with Anneke van Giersberen is as follows:

October
26 - Divan du Monde - Paris, France
27 - Galery - Pratteln, Switzerland
29 - Knust - Hamburg, Germany
30 - Kleine Freiheit - Osnabrück, Germany
31 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands

November
1 - K17 - Berlin, Germany
2 - Stadthalle - Steinheim, Germany

Italian old-school thrashers BRAIN DEAD will release their new studio album, Menace From The Sickness, in December via Punishment 18 Records.

The cover artwork was created by Marco Hasmann (BEYOND CREATION, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE), who worked on the previous Brain Dead full-length.
Listen to the track 'Pay For A Better Life' below:
Complete album details to follow.

Brain Dead lineup:

Felix Liuni - Lead and Backing Vocals
Daniele Vitello - Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Davide Ricca- Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Alberto Rossetti- Bass
Daniel Giovanetto - Drums
More on Brain Dead at Facebook.

Danish thrash metal band BATTERY are currently working on Armed With Rage, their first full-length album that is planned to be released in the in the early months of 2014 by Punishment 18 Records.
Armed With Damage tracklisting:

‘Narcotic Mirage’
‘Armed With Rage’
‘Indirect Oppression’
‘Halo Of Hypocrisy’
‘Hostile By Content’
‘Vermin Of Fukushima’
‘Pyramids Of Decept’
‘Sense Eclipsed’
‘Zombestial Incantation’
‘Genocidal Gatlin Gunners’

Check out ‘Genocidal Gatlin Gunners’ below:
For more info visit Facebook.

Italian metallers MIND KEY are ready to enter the studio to start the recording of their third album, Inizio Registrazioni Terzo. The recording sessions for the drums will start in early December.



The band has released a preview of song titles to appear on the album:

‘Nonexistence’
‘Vertigo (Where The Cold Wind Blows)’
‘Angry Men’
‘Oblivion’
‘Hank (The Blazing Eyes)’
‘Alien In Wonderland’
‘Hands Off Cain’
‘Bepolar’

The band will soon reveal other songs from the recording sessions.

For more info visit MindKey.it.

On October 28th, Hellthrasher Productions will release a vinyl version of Aura Damage, the second full-length album from Polish blackened death metal quartet HELL UNITED.

The 12'' LP will be available in a limited edition of 300 black copies coming in a gatefold sleeve, designed by Bartek Kurzok. The tracklisting will feature all the songs previously available on the CD edition as well as an exclusive bonus track – the cover version of METALLICA's ‘Fight Fire With Fire’.

Aura Damage tracklisting:

Side A
‘Red Limitations’
‘Apostle Of Plague’
‘Deathlike Cold’
‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’
‘Aura Damage’

Side B
‘Hinterland’
‘Maelstorm's Gravity’
‘In Odore Sanctitatis’
‘Totality Of I’
‘Fight Fire With Fire’ (Metallica cover)

‘Deathlike Cold’ below:

German rock band DAILY THOMPSON has signed to Bilocation Records. The band will go into studio in the next weeks and record their first full length after the huge success of their three track demo, featuring their version of “superfuzzy heavyrock.” The debut album will be available in 2014.

A press release describes the band: “The three sound visionaries of Daily Thompson mix their personal influences from early grunge and best stoner rock combined with their special groove to a massive overridden, extremely fudgy Superfuzz-Bigmuff!

Out of this mentality, musical playfulness and the associated enthusiasm for absolute lunacy the band Daily Thompson was formed in late 2012. The listeners can hear from the live in the studio recording sessions the usual Fuzz-, WahWah- and distortion attacks of Daily Thompson in such a raw and honest manner that everybody will notice: this band from Dortmund,Germany takes no prisoners.”

Venezia symphonic metal band TEODASIA, now on tour with TARJA TURUNEN, has released the new video ‘Land Of Memories’, where the band’s new singer, Giulia Rubino, first appears.
The video, directed by Matteo Battellino and Veronica Presta, was partly filmed at the historical residence Tenuta Valgrande di Bibione.

Previous version of 'Land Of Memories', with former singer Priscilla Fiazza is included in TeodasiA's newest release Reflections (2013).
Teodasia dates with Tarja Turunen:

October
26 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Werk
27 – Wien, Austria – Arena
29 – Zurich, Switzerland – Z7 Konzertfabrik
30 – Nuremberg, Germany – Loewensaal

November
1 – Leipzig, Germany – Haus Auensee
2 – Koln, Germany – Gloria
4 – Paris, France – Le Bataclan

For more info visit Facebook.

New Jersey thrash n' roll devils HAMMER FIGHT will release their debut full-length album, Chug Of War, on November 12th via Horror Gore Pain Death Productions.

Chug Of War, which follows the band's 2011 self-titled EP, was recorded by Bobby Torres at The Machine Shop in Belleville, NJ. Artwork for the album came from collaboration between Hammer Fight bassist/vocalist Drew Murphy and Buz Hasson, tattoo artist and co-creator of the comic book The Living Corpse.
Chug Of War tracklisting:

‘Ruben’s Ride’
‘I Didn’t Feel Like Drinking (Until I Started Drinking)’
‘DisasTOUR’
‘Foot Chase’
‘Ginger Rails’
‘Get Wrecked’
‘Sleeping With The Enemy’
‘Queer Eye For The Scene Guy’
‘Down The Line’
‘Made In Rock’
‘Hella Weights’
‘Stellar Mass’
‘Bar Room Bully’

Listen to the track ‘I Didn’t Feel Like Drinking (Until I Start Drinking)’ below:

Guitarist Todd Stern comments on Chug Of War, "It's something we've all been looking forward to putting out forever. A record that isn't here to compete sonically with the current state of metal affairs. Rather than taking a crack at being the heaviest, the darkest, or the fastest... we aimed for a record that would serve as the catalyst that helps transform your boring day into a good fucking time. Listen loud, rock hard, and have fun kids. That's what counts most..."

This initial release will be limited to only 500 copies. Pre-orders for the CD and a CD + t-shirt bundle are available from the band's web store at this location.

In support of Chug of War, Hammer Fight has announced the 10-date "Chug of Tour Volume 2" tour, which kicks off November 14 in Philadelphia.

Dates are as follows:

November
14 – Philadelphia, PA – The M Room
15 – Richmond, VA – The Compound
16 – Chesapeake, VA – Rodger’s Sports Pub
17 – Raleigh, NC – Slim’s
18 – Nashville, TN – TBA
19 – Columbus, OH – The Shrunken Head
20 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
21 – Akron, OH – Annabelle’s Lounge
22 – Erie, PA – The Beer Mug
23 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint

After a few years with EURE ERBEN, Andreas “Lacky” Lackaw and Arnd Klink, two original members of German thrash metal commando DARKNESS, decided to resurrect the old spirit and bring Darkness back to life. Now the lineup includes “Lacky” and Arnd (who switched from guitars to vocals), guitar players Bony Fertigmensch and Meik Heitkamp and none other than Christian “Speesy” Giesler from KREATOR on bass guitar.
Darkness played their first show since their reunion at Ages Of Metal festival in Belgium on September 28th. Audio of the band performing 'Burial At Sea' and 'Iron Forces' can be heard below:
Video footage for 'Burial At Sea' follows:
Darkness released three albums between 1987 – 1989 (Death Squad, Defenders Of Justice and Conclusion & Revival) and split after European tour with MUCKY PUP. In 2004 Arnd and Lacky teamed together to play thrash metal with German lyrics in the band Eure Erben but after the Death Squad 25th anniversary show in Essen they felt it was the right moment to try out with Darkness once again.
The album Death Squad, which many fans consider as a masterpiece of Teutonic thrash metal, was reissued by High Roller Records on blue and black vinyl. Every copy includes lyrics sheet and huge poster. Details here.
More on Darkness at Facebook.

Thrash metal legends SLAYER kicked off their North American tour last night (Friday, October 25) at the The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SLAYER is performing many of the band's most classic and fan-favorite songs, all of which were originally written and released between the group's inception and the 1990 gold disc "Seasons In The Abyss".

SLAYER's "old-school night" set includes tracks from 1983's "Show No Mercy", 1985's "Hell Awaits", the genre-defining and gold-certified "Reign In Blood" (1986), 1988's "South of Heaven", also certified gold, and "Seasons".

The band's setlist for the Las Vegas show was as follows:

01. World Painted Blood 02. Necrophiliac03. At Dawn They Sleep04. Mandatory Suicide05. Captor Of Sin06. War Ensemble07. Disciple08. Threshold09. Postmortem 10. Altar Of Sacrifice11. Jesus Saves12. Seasons In The Abyss13. Hallowed Point14. Dead Skin Mask15. Raining Blood16. Black Magic17. Hate Worldwide

Encore:

18. South Of Heaven19. Angel Of Death

"We [were] having such a great time rehearsing this 'old-school' set, we've decided to play it on every one of our upcoming tour dates," announced SLAYER's Kerry King.

"We're going to give the fans what amounts to 'decades of aggression,'" added bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. " It's going to be a great night of music and moshing for everyone."

Confirmed dates for SLAYER's 2013 fall North American tour are accessible here.

SLAYER's five-week North American headline tour — the band's first in two years — features support on all dates from GOJIRA and 4ARM.

SLAYER's current touring lineup consists of King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph, and guitarist Gary Holt (EXODUS), who continues to fill in for the late founding member Jeff Hanneman. Bostaph was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified "Divine Intervention" (1994), the 1996 punk covers album "Undisputed Attitude", "Diabolus In Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", as well as the DVD "War At The Warfield" (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.

Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo sat out the band's Australian tour in February/March due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).

The five members of KORN celebrated Halloween early last night (Friday, October 25) by performing in costume at the Freakers Ball in Grand Prairie, Texas. A couple of photos can be seen below.

KORN's 11th studio album, "The Paradigm Shift", sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8 via Prospect Park.

"The Paradigm Shift" is the first KORN disc to feature original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror" and follows up 2011's dubstep experiment, "The Path Of Totality". Frontman Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio that Welch's return on guitar was a good balance to Davis' own continued fascination with electronic music. "We wanted to make a record that everybody was happy with, and Head coming back, I think, was great, 'cause me and him butted heads. 'Cause he really is on the rock side and I was on the electronic side, and it was good having the compromise on both sides. It was just good for the creative process, I think."

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

Welch left KORN in 2005 after he converted to Christianity and got off drugs. He rejoined them for a handful of live performances last year before officially becoming part of the lineup again in early 2013.

Davis recently revealed that he was dealing with personal issues during the early stages of the new disc, including his son being diagnosed with diabetes and his own struggle to kick an addiction to anti-depression medication.

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

Photos courtesy of KORN's Facebook page and Brian "Head" Welch's Instagram

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN's October 25 performance at at Emo's East in Austin, Texas as part of DOWN singer Philip Anselmo's Housecore Horror Film & Metal Festival can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking about the band's new material, DOWN guitarist Pepper Keenan told the "Metal Hammer" radio show: "It's kind of slight continuation of the first EP, but it's a little bit more… It's hard to say, man… It's more… I wouldn't say 'aggressive,' but it's definitely got some freaky guitar stuff on it. And it's definitely got a pretty good groove factor. And we spent a lot of time trying to make all the songs [fit together stylistically]. We had several songs that didn't quite match it, so we kind of [set them aside] and we're gonna move them to another EP. But it's got a super-heavy vibe to it, man. I mean, I'm really excited about it. Everybody in the band is excited about it."

He continued: "We wrote it kind of like we did the 'NOLA' record. Each one of us had some riffs and we got in a room and we just hashed it out like the old days — just going off each person's experiences and ideas. Everybody's ideas were valid, and it really ended up being well rounded and slamming. It was [a] very creative [process], let's put it that way. Actually, it was surprising some of us how much we really still got it."

Pepper also spoke about the cover theme for the next DOWN EP and how it will be connected to last year's "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP".

"When the second [EP] comes out, you'll see it as being an extension of the last cover," Pepper said. "So number 2 is gonna connect sideways to number 1, and you'll start to see a morphing kind of process. There's some kind of liquid light kind of thing that's kind of melding across as you go… I hate to quote the overall color, but I believe it's something like orange. I haven't looked at it in a while. It might not be orange yet, but it's heading in that direction."

Released in September 2012, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" was DOWN's first in a series of four EPs to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

"Down IV Part I" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale joined ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy on stage on October 24 at Le Zenith in Paris, France to perform an acoustic rendition of the ALTER BRIDGE song "Watch Over You". Check out RockMeeting's multicam video footage of her appearance below.

HALESTORM is currently on tour in Europe as the support act for ALTER BRIDGE and SHINEDOWN.

HALESTORM's new EP, "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP", was released on October 15 via Atlantic. The EP marks the acclaimed hard rock band's first new release since their stunning Grammy Awards triumph earlier this year, as well as the follow-up to 2011's "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP". As with its predecessor, "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP" sees HALESTORM putting their distinctive brand on a strikingly eclectic collection of classic songs, including legendary tracks by JUDAS PRIEST, AC/DC, PAT BENATAR, FLEETWOOD MAC, MARILYN MANSON, and DAFT PUNK.

ALTER BRIDGE's fourth album, "Fortress", sold 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8 via EMI Label Services.

Fan-filmed video footage of SKID ROW's October 25 concert at Rock City in Nottingham, England 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."

A European version of DEEP PURPLE's latest studio album, "Now What?!", will be released at the end of November. This edition celebrates the success of the CD and the great spirit and excitement of the "Now What?!" tour that keeps bringing joy to many music lovers from country to country.

The record company and the artist would like to stress out that the double CD will be sold to retailers for a price which is lower than the usual price for any new stand-alone live release.Fans who have purchased "Now What?!" will have the chance to buy the double pack, paying it less than a newly released live album.

Fans of vinyl will have the chance to purchase the live album as a limited heavy vinyl double LP.The "Now What?! Live Tapes" will be available on all digital stores (bundled with "Now What?!" or available singularly) and all streaming platforms.

Details about the content of a different version of this expanded edition for the U.S. market, to be released in 2014, will be announced later in the year.

The "Now What?! Live Tapes" (European version) track listing:

01. Strange Kind Of Woman02. Hard Loving Man03. Vincent Price04. Contact Lost05. All The Time in The World06. No One Came07. Bodyline08. Perfect Strangers09. Above And Beyond10. Lazy 11. Black Night12. Smoke On The Water

The 12 live songs have been recorded in Rome, Milan, Gaevle and Aalborg. The live material has been carefully mixed to reflect the sounds and the emotions that came out of the speakers every night. 100% live, 100% real.

"Now What?!", the 19th studio album from DEEP PURPLE, was released in North America on April 30 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

After various songwriting sessions in Europe, the band recorded and mixed the album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER, KANSAS). The CD contain 11 tracks, including "Out Of Hand", "Weirdistan", "Uncommon Man" and "Above And Beyond". The latter song references the band's late keyboard player, Jon Lord, in the lyric "Souls having touched are forever entwined."

In a recent interview with RadioMetal.com, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan stated about the songwriting process for "Now What?!": "There were no rules. We started with nothing, except the right attitude; that's all. Every day, it was the same routine: the guys walked in at noon and we all worked until 6 o'clock on the writing sessions. We just stopped at 3 o'clock for a cup of tea. After 6 o'clock, we would go home, have a shower, some dinner and go to bed early, even if I'm always up in the middle of the night, writing lyrics. We start at 10 o' clock the next morning when we're recording. But the writing is always noon until six. It starts with nothing. Ian [Paice, drummer] and Roger [Glover, bassist] would start jamming, playing for an hour non-stop and trying out some rhythms or grooves. They would stop and say, 'No, that's not good,' then start something else and say, 'Remember that. Maybe on Thursday we'll try this again and maybe it'll be a song.' Everything emerged from jamming sessions."

A 30-second "making-of" featurette teaser from the deluxe edition of the original score from "Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera" can be seen below. The clip includes interviews with musicians and actors involved in the special and soundtrack, as well as information involving every step from the writing to recording process. The deluxe edition of the "Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera" soundtrack will also include the full libretto (the opera script in text form). The original score in regular format will be released on Tuesday, October 29 via iTunes, but only the deluxe edition will be available two days early via www.brendonsmall.com and his Topspin store on October 27.

Created by Brendon Small, the animated one-hour special "Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera" airs Sunday, October 27 at midnight (ET/PT) on Adult Swim. This once-in-a-lifetime DETHKLOK experience includes special guests Jack Black, Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and CANNIBAL CORPSE's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.

In "Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera", we pick up directly after the abduction of DETHKLOK guitarist Toki Wartooth in the season four finale. With his life in danger, his only salvation can come from the four most selfish human celebrities on Earth — his bandmates, extreme metal band DETHKLOK. Will they be able to get past their own egos to help someone besides themselves? Find out in this one-hour heavy metal rock opera special with a completely original score. The original score from "Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera" will be released as a full-length album on October 29. And this isn’t just your average metal record — this is a full-blown musical featuring a fifty-piece orchestra. This full-length album features the bonus DETHKLOK single "Blazing Star" and orchestral movements (produced by Brendon Small and Emmy-winning composer Bear McCreary ("Battlestar Galactica", "Walking Dead"). Legendary powerhouse metal drummer Gene Hoglan returns to join Brendon and DETHKLOK. Other musicians include bassist Bryan Beller (DETHKLOK, THE ARISTOCRATS, Joe Satriani), and Mike Keneally (DETHKLOK, Frank Zappa, Joe Satriani).

"Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera" soundtrack track listing:

01. The Birth/ Fata Sidus Oritur / One of Us Must Die02. Magnus and the Assassin03. Partying around the World04. Tracking/ Ishnifus and the Challenge05. How Can I Be a Hero?06. The Fans are Chatting07. Abigail's Lullaby08. Some Time Ago…09. The Duel10. I Believe11. A Traitor Amongst Them12. Training/ Do it All for My Brother13. The Answer is in Your Past14. The Depths of Humanity15. Givin' Back to You16. En Antris et Stella Fatum Cruenti17. The Crossroads18. Morte Lumina19. Blazing Star20. The DOOMSTAR Orchestra

Says Small: "This is not like anything we've ever done. This is a full-blown musical — metal combined with symphonic passages, classic musical theatre, high-stakes drama, emotional moments, and yes, totally ridiculous comedy.

"I drew from all of my influences to make this the most unique project I could dream of.

"This is easily the best thing we've ever done with the show and the music. I can't wait for you to hear it." States McCreary: "I have been a fan of 'Metalocalypse' for many years, and I am fortunate to call Brendon Small my friend. 'Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem A Klok Opera' provided us the opportunity to collaborate that we'd always been looking for.

"I had a blast helping Brendon realize his vision for a fully-produced orchestral score to accompany his drop-tuned guitars and pounding double kicks. This opera takes his catchy songwriting to a whole new level, and I was thrilled to help out."

Fan-filmed video footage of the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE performing the song "Empire" on October 23 at Club 202 in Budapest, Hungary can be seen below.

The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE recently filmed a "mini movie," with the tracks "Spore", "Midnight Lullaby", "A World Without" and "X2" providing the score to a 10-plus minute story, dubbed "Queensrÿche: Ad Lucem". The film was created by Veva Entertainment Co. with director Daniel Andres Gomez Bagby and producer Marco De Molina and was filmed last month on location at Central City Stages in Los Angeles.

Commented Todd: "We decided to take a different approach with this video, which is comprised of four pieces of music from our latest self-titled release, 'Queensrÿche'. It's a conceptual mini-movie music video that invites the audience to scratch beneath the surface a bit, rather than the usual 'chewed food' that so many are used to being fed. We really wanted to deviate from a performance type of video so the music and story-line could be the main focus." He added: "The overall theme of the song 'Spore' is one that deals with personal demons, relationship struggles, career pressures, personal/professional morals and ethical dilemmas. These are issues we all face on some level and the video touches upon them all.

"'Midnight Lullaby'/'A World Without' deals with the loss of a mother during childbirth, leaving a father as a single parent and struggling to move forward through the turmoil.

"'X2', though it opens up our album, provides for a nice outro to it all. The end result is a roller coaster of emotion in an effort to find a healthy resolve.

"Given our history, we feel that this multifaceted conceptual video, along with a great cast of actors to suit, will really resonate with our fans."

QUEENSRŸCHE's new, self-titled album sold around 13,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 25 via Century Media Records.

"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of Todd La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.

BLOODGOD, is a new Utrecht, The Netherlands-based death metal band featuring former and current members of HYMIR, CENOTAPH, PLAYER (SLAYER tribute band), NUESTROS DERECHOS and AGENTS OF ENTROPY, will release its debut EP, "Pseudologia Phantastica", on November 2 at the Big Ass Metal Fest Part 2 in Utrecht. The EP was recorded and mixed by Quintijn Verhoef at Studio Independent Recordings (INCARNATE, LED ASTRAY, T.C.F., TERZIJ DE HORDE, DIVINE SINS, THE FIFTH ALLIANCE) and it "contains three death metal-infused songs on which BLOODGOD let their imagination run free, hence the title 'Pseudologia Phantastica'," according to a press release. "Pseudologia Phantastica" is available as online stream and/or download at bloodgod.bandcamp.com.

The track listing for the EP is as follows:

01. Heist02. Wrecking Ball Surprise03. Bloodgod The video for opening track, "Heist", can be seen below.

DEATH PENALTY, the new band formed by ex-CATHEDRAL guitarist Garry "Gaz" Jennings, featuring Belgian female vocalist Michelle Nocon (ex-SERPENTCULT) and guests, has inked a deal with Rise Above Records. This is Gaz's first serious venture following the mournful demise of the U.K.'s doom metal giants with their final album, "The Last Spire" (via Rise Above), earlier in 20013. He has been working on songs for his new venture for some time and had the idea of a strong female vocalist, which led him to Michelle and the pair have been working together since the summer.

Says Jennings on DEATH PENALTY: "DEATH PENALTY is a project I have been working on for over a year and a half.

"After the burial of CATHEDRAL I continued to write songs where I have now in excess of 20.

"This is a different beast to CATHEDRAL — more heavy metal, but still with elements of my former band.

"I had only one vocalist in mind for this project, and luckily, Michelle agreed to do it. Wait 'till you hear what she can do. An incredible voice and a fantastic talent."

On signing to Rise Above Records and the appearance at the label's forthcoming 25th-anniversary event, Jennings said: "I am truly honored to sign with Rise Above Records.

"Having been in CATHEDRAL from the very beginning and having a friendship that has lasted 25 year, I'm in the right hands.

"We hope to record our debut album in March/April 2014. We have 13 songs planned. We will have a limited seven-inch single released before that.

"As for the anniversary gig, again looking forward to playing what will be our first-ever show on such a great bill.

"At the moment, we are working as a four-piece but hope to add another guitar player in the near future. Besides Michelle and myself, we have Frederik 'Cozy' Cosemans on drums and Raf Meukens on bass.

"My dream of having a Belgian metal band has finally been realized!

"We look forward to seeing everyone there and having a blast...

"And where do you think I got the band name from..?"

The bill for the Rise Above-anniversary shows is now shaping up to be an all time classic event not to be missed. There will be one more announcement, hopefully confirmed next week, then the label will announce the billing not long after that. The event takes place at The Garage, Highbury & Islington on December 27-28 from 4 p.m.

THE SKULL — the new band featuring original TROUBLE members vocaist Eric Wagner and drummer Jeff "Oly" Olson alongside TROUBLE's longtime bassist Ron Holzner and SACRED DAWN guitarists Michael Carpenter and Lothar Keller — peformed at Loaded Hollywood on October 19 in Hollywood, California. Fan filmed footage of the concert can be seen below.

Olson rejoined THE SKULL in August, explaining in a statement: "I know that I've mentioned that I wouldn't perform TROUBLE's music anymore unless it's with the other original members, but I've had a change of heart. I want to rock again.

"Although I have been having a great time playing keys for IN-GRAVED (led by former PENTAGRAM guitarist Victor Griffin), I miss the drums and playing classic TROUBLE songs. I'm still going to jam with Victor, but there is room for THE SKULL too."

He added: "In just a few short months, 2014 will mark the 30th anniversary year for TROUBLE's debut record, 'Psalm 9'. TROUBLE guitarists Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin are having fun with their new record, and I had fun writing some intros for it. It's just that Eric, Ron, and myself want to jam too and celebrate our 30th anniversary as well with a tour and a new record. We've worked just as hard as Bruce and Rick over the years and we feel that we've earned the privilege to celebrate with the fans as well. There is no animosity between the two bands and we intend to keep it that way."

"We are currently writing a debut record, set for release in 2014 and I've already submitted several songs to the guys. Excitement is in the air."

THE SKULL's debut CD will be produced by Billy Anderson (HIGH ON FIRE, SLEEP, NEUROSIS) this autumn in Portland, Oregon and will be released via as-yet-undetermined record label.

THE SKULL is:

Eric Wagner - vocalsJeff Olson - drumsRon Holzner - bassMichael Capenter - guitarLothar Keller - guitar

Justin Beckner of Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Classic Rock Revisited: Let's start by talking about how the new [self-titled] DREAM THEATER album came together.

Jordan: Well, the way DREAM THEATER usually handles the whole process is, we start by sitting down and discussing where we're all at and where we want to go musically — what we want to create. We do sort of a check-in on where we are personally and musically and decide what we want to create. We've always been very conceptual about things before we start the process of writing. It's been that way ever since I've been in the group and I'd imagine even before that, there was a lot of intricate planning that goes into a DREAM THEATER album.

Classic Rock Revisited: It's got to be an amazing experience to sit in a room with so many great songwriters and see everything come together.

Jordan: It's super exciting. On this particular album, we had the addition of our fairly new drummer, Mike Mangini. It was really cool to have him involved in the writing sessions for the first time. It's a very intense, energy-driven experience that moves from going very fast when we're composing together — sometimes we're blown away at how fast the ideas are coming out — to the slower more analytical parts of the process where we comb over details. The slower parts of making records are usually when I might go write some music down with a pen and paper very slowly and the other guys will go into their own world and take a break or something.

Classic Rock Revisited: I suppose I should ask how the two Mikes [former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and current DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini] measure up to each other.

Jordan: Well, the two Mikes, the new Mike and the old Mike, are both very different people and they're both very different players. Both of them are great drummers, but a lot did change, both personally and musically, for us. Musically, the new Mike has certain skills that the other one does not. For example, he's incredible with mathematics, especially related to music. He was able to bring us some architectural structure that we've never had to this extent before, as far as meters and how different instruments will interact — that was a totally new element that we got to work with. Also, Mangini has a technique on drums unlike any other human on the planet, so that brings an element of change. He also is really fun in the studio has tons of energy which we feed off of. I'm not saying that in any way to put down our last drummer, Mike Portnoy, who is an exceptional talent and a world-class drummer, but I'm saying that some new things were offered to the group.

Classic Rock Revisited: Was there any plans for what this album was going to become before you started writing it?

Jordan: One of the ways we looked at it was that we wanted to make sure that the music that we played was not only what we all thought DREAM THEATER represents but also really be honest about who we are as people and where we're coming from and make sure that we're making music we feel comfortable with. We wanted to be really true to that instead of letting outside influences that don't really relate to who we are as people dictate our music. We wanted to say, "OK, we are DREAM THEATER in 2013 and we are going to be true to the music and true to what we feel this group is," and as long as that mentality is in place, I'm very comfortable with anything that happens.

Read the entire interview at Classic Rock Revisited.

"Final Sacrifice", the new album from Swedish rockers NOCTUM, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on October 29 via Metal Blade Records, the CD's cover art was painted by Timo Ketola (SUNN O))), ARKTAU EOS) and fits perfectly with the album's raw, natural sound.

"Final Sacrifice" is a fictional horror story where each song communicates a portion of the overall narrative. The "final sacrifice" is like a red thread that ties the songs together and is the concept behind the art. "Final Sacrifice" is an analog piece of art in both audio and visual aspects.

In the town of Uppsala, Sweden in the year 2009, a band called SÉANCE was formed. Moving at breakneck speed the band formed in September, recorded a two-song demo after adding guitarist Per Wikström to the lineup in October, and by November had changed their name to NOCTUM. Within those three months, the band signed an LP deal with High Roller Records, and a CD deal with Stormspell Records.

NOCTUM's debut album, "The Séance", was released in September 2010 via High Roller and in December by Stormspell. The band finally embarked on its first European tour in July of 2011, and followed that up with a new EP, "The Fiddler".

By August of 2011, NOCTUM created enough buzz in the underground to gain the attention of Metal Blade Records, which led to a new worldwide record deal.

With a new record deal in place with a global label, NOCTUM spent the majority of 2012 refining their sound and writing new songs. Their search for original and interesting material led them to a heavier and darker sound. The progression came very naturally for the band and differs from the typical '70s vibe. The new material successfully evokes a heaviness and emotion one might not expect from a "retro"-sounding band.

NOCTUM toured Europe again in 2012, and then welcomed the addition of drummer Fredrik Jansson after Gustaf's departure. Jansson, who spent time in WITCHCRAFT, COUNT RAVEN, and ABRAMIS BRAMA, was added to the lineup in time to record "Final Sacrifice" in April 2013.

"Final Sacrifice" track listing:

01. Conflagration02. Liberty In Death03. Resurrected In Evil04. Deadly Connection05. Void of Emptiness06. The Revisit07. A Burning Will08. Temple Of The Living Dead09. Azoth

NOCTUM is:

David Indelöf - Guitar/VocalsDaniel Johansson - GuitarTobias Rosén - BassFredrik Jansson – Drums

Maryland rockers CLUTCH have set a November 26 release date for "Earth Rocker Live" via Weathermaker Music.

"Earth Rocker Live" is a double-vinyl picture-disc set. The first LP is the studio version of CLUTCH's latest album, "Earth Rocker". The second LP consists of live versions of the same tracks in the same sequence as the original.

This is not a live recording of one show. The individual tracks of the live version were recorded at different shows throughout the band's May 2013 U.S. tour: Houston and San Antonio (Texas), Lincoln (Nebraska), Indianapolis (Indiana) and Fargo (North Dakota). The stunning artwork displays the four Indian heads from the original package in all their colorful beauty: one for each side. This special collectors' item will be limited to the initial print run and is expected to sell out quickly. CLUTCH will kick off the next leg of the "Earth Rocker" world tour tonight in Hampton Beach, new Hampshire, immediately followed by a festival appearance in Virginia Beach, Virginia at Localpalooza. These tour dates run through November 23 in Detroit, Michigan. CLUTCH will then hit the road for their annual holiday shows and continue on tour through January 18 in Huntington, West Virginia. For the first time ever, CLUTCH will perform live on AXS TV Concerts Thursday November 14 at 11:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. PST from the Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado. The band will play tracks from "Earth Rocker" as well as CLUTCH favorites and rarities during the live unedited performance on AXS TV.

"Black Sun, Black Moon", a new song from Los Angeles metallers WARBRINGER, can be streamed at this location. The track comes off the band's fourth studio album, "IV: Empires Collapse", which will be released on October 28 in Europe and October 29 in North America via Century Media Records. The studio recording debut for former MANTIC RITUAL members Jeff Potts (guitar) and Ben Mottsman (bass) rounding off WARBRINGER's five-piece lineup, was recorded with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SUICIDE SILENCE), mixed by Brett Eliason (PEARL JAM, HEART) and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATEBREED, CONVERGE). The album's cover artwork, which can be seen below, was designed by Adrienne Rozzi.

WARBRINGER recently filmed a video for "Black Sun, Black Moon" with directorDean Ciocca.

Says WARBRINGER vocalist John Kevill: "We went out to the most desolate stretch of highway we could find out in the Mojave desert. It's a fitting location for this song, which is a motorin' heavy metal tune, with a PRIEST highway-rollin' type feel crossed with the forbidding mysticism of the night!"

He adds: "The director Dean Ciocca is an old friend of ours and a talented filmmaker. He came up with the treatment for the song based off the lyrics. He put a great crew together and we shot all through the night!"

Footage from the "Black Sun, Black Moon" video shoot can be seen below.

"IV: Empires Collapse" track listing:

01. Horizon02. The Turning Of The Gears 03. One Dimension 04. Hunter-Seeker 05. Black Sun, Black Moon 06. Scars Remain 07. Dying Light 08. Iron City 09. Leviathan 10. Off With Their Heads! 11. Towers Of The Serpent

Comments WARBRINGER: "The artwork for 'Empires Collapse' came about from wanting to take a much more focused and simplistic approach. Previous WARBRINGER album covers are extremely detailed, busy works, so it was a conscious decision to have art that was the antithesis of what we had done before. John Laux came up with the concept, so we had our friend Adrienne Rozzi make up a sketch, which led to us having her follow through with the final piece. It's incredibly different from what most fans would expect for a WARBRINGER album cover, but we wanted the art to visually reflect the music. The piece reminds me of a tarot card illustration and sets a very cryptic, somber vibe which associates well with the music that ties into the album's title."

The lyric video for the song "Hunter-Seeker" can be seen below.

WARBRINGER will tour North America with KREATOR and OVERKILL between October 27 and November 29.

Said WARBRINGER about the opportunity: "It's an honor to be able to perform alongside one of heavy metal's most influential bands and we want to thank everyone who has given us their support in order to achieve this opportunity. It will be a monumental concert for us and all attending. Up the irons!"

"When Death Comes Knocking", the new single from German/Swedish power metallers PRIMAL FEAR, will be released on December 3 via Frontiers Records. The song comes off the band's forthcoming tenth studio album, "Delivering The Black", which will arrive in January. The CD was mixed with Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, DESTRUCTION) at his Hansen studio in Ribe, Denmark. 12 tracks were recorded during the new album sessions, including "two epic songs, one guitar ballad, and nine crushing metal songs with all the trademarks you know and love to hear from PRIMAL FEAR," according to the band. The effort was engineered by Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN) and was produced by PRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner.

PRIMAL FEAR recently filmed music videos for "When Death Comes Knocking" and another new song, "King For A Day".

"Delivering The Black" features a guest appearance by Norwegian singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (LEAVES' EYES, ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) on the song "Born With A Broken Heart".

In a recent interview with Jump Metal, PRIMAL FEAR vocalist Ralf Scheepers stated about the musical direction of the band's upcoming album: "It's not so far away [from what we've done in the past], because we have our style, you know. It was hard for us to imagine… because [2012's] 'Unbreakable' was a pretty tough... and really, in our ears, pretty great album, and for us, it was somehow hard to top it. But as soon as we started to write the new songs, and as soon as I heard what Mat and Magnus [Karlsson, guitar] did in the first place — because then they sent me some stuff and I added my ideas on it — I just thought, 'Wow, this is amazing.' And in the end, it really turned out to be a better album than 'Unbreakable'."

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

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

"The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", the new album from Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. The CD will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser recently gave the Brazilian newspaper Diario de Pernambuco a track-by-track breakdown of "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart". Check it out below.

"Intro"

Andreas: "Actually, the intro is the demo we did just before we went to the studio, with all the songs played at the same time! It's like you are listening to all the songs that you will hear separately on the album at once. It sounds so great, noisy and powerful and it was a result of an accident that I had on my computer. Each song had its track so when I accidentally played the tracks together they came strong and beautiful so I decided to show the guys and they all liked it!"

"Trauma Of War"

Andreas: "This will be the first song on the album and is one of the fastest and most brutal songs we ever did. The performance of our drummer, Eloy [Casagrande], is fantastic, it gave such an energy to the song that the guitars, bass and vocals had to top that level of brutality, for sure our strongest opener so far. I wrote the lyrics inspired by friends that went to war and came back with some kind of trauma, some kind of disturbance that they have to live with for the rest of their lives."

"The Vatican"

Andreas: "An ironic tribute to the conclave that elected Argentinian Pope Francis I as the successor of Benedict XVI. This track has some death metal influences. The lyric tells the story of how the Vatican was created, filled with blood, orgy, murders, corruption, adultery. It's one of the most evil and perverse lyrics I ever wrote."

"Impending Doom"

Andreas: "Song with a very slowed tempo, with heavy picks and a low-tuned rhythm. Its nickname was 'Puxada', because of the guitar's riff characteristic. This track is very heavy. The lyrics are Derrick's [Green, vocals]. And it talks about cursed inheritances that are left from generation to generation. What world we are going to leave for ours heirs?"

"Manipulation Of Tragedy"

Andreas: "Another of Derrick's lyric. Talks about collective manipulation through a culture of fear, creating tragic and drastic situations in order to justify certain decisions made by the governors, legitimizing some limitations to the society. The manufactured consent. The song was born from Eloy's double-bass drumming rhythm. It sounds very SEPULTURA, with influence from several periods of the band."

"Tsunami"

Andreas: "Derrick wrote the lyrics for it, part inspired by the natural phenomena and part by the 'tsunami' of information we receive nowadays through the worldwide web and the media in general. A tsunami is the most powerful force of nature, stronger than any earthquake, tornado or a storm. It simply destroys everything in its path. The result is total destruction but also total cleanup, a new beginning."

"The Bliss Of Ignorants"

Andreas: "Derrick's lyric. It's about the illusion created in society that we are free to do whatever we want, but, in fact, it is not like that. Freedom is limited and part of the society lives under ignorance, euphoric, without awareness of everything that surrounds us. The song opens with percussive drum, low tuning and groovy sound. Its nickname was 'Brasuca'. It's kind of a mix of 'Roots' and 'Chaos A.D.' rhythm. Ross [Robinson, producer] influenced us to explore more this Brazilian side. With participation of percussionist Fred Ortiz (BEASTIE BOYS' former drummer who plays with Derrick in MAXIMUM HEDRUM)."

"Grief"

Andreas: "It is a song that starts with clean guitars in a way that we never attempted before, I think it was our biggest challenge on this album and it came out amazing. I wrote the song inspired by a tragic incident that happened in Brazil in January 2013. More than 200 kids died in a fire inside a night club. The place didn't have the proper emergency exits and most of the people died asphyxiated, it was horrible. The small town at the south of the country, where most of the people were from, was in total grief. I wrote this song to honor the victims and their families."

"The Age Of The Atheist"

Andreas: "This is a song I wrote inspired by the hard times we live today and how difficult is to believe in things. So many theories of conspiracies against the official reports that make your head turn with so much confusion, all religions that are pushing each other away like never before, making disagreements instead of unity. We have to believe in our strength. We, as people, have the power to change everything and we are losing this belief, becoming numb and hopeless."

"Obsessed"

Andreas: "Deals with the shopping anxiety. The compulsive purchase of unnecessary goods and the consequent accumulation of things produced by the unruled and uncontrolled thirst. People do not worry with the origin of what they consume. There is an eternal search for satisfaction through the consumption, preventing people from evolving in the way that they should. This is the track that has the participation of Dave Lombardo [former SLAYER drummer], a fill on the song with Dave's rhythmic characteristics. It's a great honor having this idol and master in our song."

Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange").

"The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and was mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

A video teaser for "Futile", the debut full-length album from EUDAIMONY, the band formed by former DARK FORTRESS frontman Matthias Jell and NAGLFAR's Marcus E. Norman (BEWITCHED, HAVAYOTH, ANCIENT WISDOM) can be seen below. The clip was created by Sebastian Schneider of Sonic Room Recordings and features excerpts from all the songs from the eight-track album, as well as some of the album artwork which was designed by Ben Borucki from the German band SONIC REIGN. Aside from Jell on vocals and Norman on guitars, bass, synthesizer and programming, EUDAIMONY's German/Swedish lineup also includes Jörg Heemann (SECRETS OF THE MOON) on drums and Peter Honsalek (NACHTREICH) on viola. Despite a lineup that could suggest a style of music that belongs somewhere within the black metal/DSBM genres, EUDAIMONY charts its own individual path as the band explores the hopelessness and futility of life, musically, visually and lyrically, with the use of rich melodies that are at times gentle and haunting and at times dark and brooding. Guests on the album, which was mixed and mastered by Markus Stock at the Klangschmiede Studio E, include Mick Moss of ANTIMATTER and Schwadorf of EMPYRIUM and THE VISION BLEAK. Track listing for "Futile", which will hit the streets on the Cold Dimensions label on November 29, is as follows: 01. Ways to Indifference02. Mute03. A Window in the Attic04. Futile05. Portraits (guest vocals by Mick Moss)06. Cold07. Godforsaken08. December's Hearse (guest vocals by Schwadorf)