Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has posted the following message on his Facebook page:

"My mailbox blew up this morning with people asking about a European tour called 'Metal All-Stars', in which my name was listed. Although this looks like a fantastic tour, I know nothing about this tour at all, I do not know who the promoter is, or why he is using my name. I am not involved in this tour whatsoever.

"The good news is I will definitely be doing a proper tour of Europe and the U.S. in early-mid 2014, and all official info about that will be here when it is announced — and that will be very soon. I cannot wait to play for you all.

"Even better news is my new solo album is nearing completion (I'm actually in the studio today working on it), and it is to be the absolute mother of all my solo albums. So if you dig my solo stuff at all, I'm sure you will love it. If you don't like my solo stuff, well… you will probably hate it pretty bad… Guitar World in the U.S. will run a story about it in next month's issue.

"OK then, back to work!!"

Friedman told the "Metal Assault" radio show in September about the musical direction of his upcoming solo CD: "[This is] by far the most intense and the most heavy and the most… How do you say this…? It's the most… If you like any of my stuff, this would be the most 'Marty' of anything. So if you hate my stuff, you're gonna really hate this record a lot. It's very uncommercial.

"I wanted to make a record that, there's no dispute that, when people say they're a fan of my music, or they like my music, that this is the representative of my whole musical sound.

"I rarely listen to my previous stuff, but sometimes I listen back to it and see what was going on. And a song called 'Forbidden City' kind of made me think, 'I'm really still happy with this song, even though it was recorded a long, long time ago. I wanted to do something, not along the lines of 'Forbidden City', but much more intense, because that was a long time ago, and I've come so far since then, and I can do so much more, and I know how to do that kind of thing so much better than I did back then. So I wanted to do kind of like the 2014 version of just the deeper, heavier, more intense version of that kind of 'Forbidden City' kind of mood. And I remember, that type of mood was very, very uncommercial at that time, so it's probably way more uncommercial now, but it's just like, the hell with it, I'm just doing it my way. So that's kind of the theme of whole album — just all abandon, all bets off, just go crazy.

"I'm constantly evolving, so for better or for worse, this is the most evolved, most intense version of myself as a guitarist and as an artist and as a songwriter and all that. But this time, probably more of a metal spirit than ever before, so that might be a little bit different."

Based on longtime friendship, love for old-school death metal, and "a change of scenery," members of VOLBEAT, MNEMIC, HATESPHERE, ILLDISPOSED and RAUNCHY have teamed up in a brand new band entitled BLOOD EAGLE. The group'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's first music was recorded with longtime friend and producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, BEHEMOTH, DARK TRANQUILLITY) at the Antfarm Studios in Aarhus, Denmark and the very first song, "Death Sub Zero", can be heard at the band's Facebook page.

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

Richmond, Virigina metallers LAMB OF GOD will release a special 10th-anniversary edition of their "As The Palaces Burn" album in November.

After some serious detective work tracking down the original album master tapes, the band went in with producer Josh Wilbur (who also produced LAMB OF GOD's "Wrath" and "Resolution" CDs) and gave "Palaces" a full-on, ass-kicking remix and remaster, front to back, top to bottom. The remixed version of "Palaces" is now how they had originally intended it to be.

To go along with the album re-release, LAMB OF GOD also shot a brand new DVD documentary recounting the recording process and the stories behind the music which features new interviews with original producer Devin Townsend, the band members and current producer, Josh Wilbur.

A trailer for the above-mentioned DVD can be seen below.

LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler comments: "We are lucky to have the opportunity, a decade after our first attempt, to bring what I consider to be our master work up to speed sonically.

"Ever since the original release, we've been distraught about the sonic qualities of 'As The Palaces Burn'.

"The band had captured lightning in a bottle and the budget limitation of a sophomore album turned our lightning into a firefly in a jar.

"The songs are undeniable and we've always been very proud of how this album launched our career. It feels appropriate to revisit now that we can and give this very special album the chance to reach our original hopes and it's true potential."

"As The Palaces Burn" 10th-anniversary edition track listing:

01. Ruin 02. As The Palaces Burn 03. Purified 04. 11th Hour 05. For Your Malice 06. Boot Scraper 07. A Devil In God’s Country 08. In Defense Of Our Good Name 09. Blood Junkie 10. Vigil 11. Ruin (previously unreleased demo) 12. As The Palaces Burn (previously unreleased demo) 13. Blood Junkie (previously unreleased demo)

To order "As The Palaces Burn" 10th-anniversary edition, go to this location.

The "Vigil" video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Don Argott and edited by Demian Fenton, the team responsible for the forthcoming LAMB OF GOD feature film "As The Palaces Burn", which is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release in February 2014.

According to Box Office Mojo, METALLICA's new 3D IMAX concert movie, "Metallica Through The Never", has taken in just $3.4 million at the box office as of October 20. The film reportedly cost more than $20 million to make, with the band putting up most of the money for the project.

A recent video documenting the making of "Through The Never" showed Peter Mensch, one of METALLICA's managers at Q Prime, discussing with the band ways to save $2 million in order to get the film's budget down to $30 million, according to Bloomberg.com.

"It depends on what you count," METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said. "Are you counting the promotion, the marketing, the live record, the stage that we'll continue to use in future tours? This is way north of eight figures. It's a lot for us."

Marc Reiter, who works for Q Prime, told METALLICA's fan club magazine So What! that the movie was the biggest single expense in the band's history, more than the combined budgets of all their records to date. Q Prime also invested an undisclosed amount in the film.

Ulrich told The Quietus that he is not ready to write the film off as a flop. He explained, "That remains to be seen! Ask me when I come back and talk about the new record two years from now . . . I'm sure that if we don't make all the money back, then, I don't know, (we will in) T-shirt sales seven years down the line."

Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" is the highest-grossing concert movie ever with $73 million in the U.S., according to Box Office Mojo.

As previously reported, three different versions of "Metallica Through The Never" will be contained on the Blu-ray/DVD release of the film. In addition to the theatrical version, the disc will feature a separate cut of just the narrative portion of the film, which stars Dane DeHaan as a METALLICA roadie named Trip sent on a mission for the band in an increasingly dangerous urban landscape. The third cut will be just the footage of the band in concert, with three or four songs added that were not seen in the theatrical edition. Trujillo told The Pulse Of Radio that director Nimród Antal was ready and willing to come up with a fictional story that would distinguish the movie from other concert films. "We interviewed quite a few directors, a lot of A-listers, and a lot of the directors thought we were crazy because it just was — it was a different approach to making a film," he said. "But Nimród literally, he was excited about the challenge and he went and prepared and wrote the thread basically, this storyline, and created the character Trip and this journey that could co-exist with the performance."

The standalone narrative footage from the movie will feature an all-new soundtrack composed by METALLICA and producer Greg Fidelman.

The package will also contain "'Tallica Parking Lot", an animated film created by Robert Trujillo and Titmouse Animation Studio.

A release date for the Blu-ray/DVD has yet to be announced.

Guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE spoke to U.K.'s Rock Sound magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to this year's "Temper Temper".

"We're actually going to start working on the new record before the [U.K.] arena dates [in early December]. We've got [producer] Terry Date [PANTERA, DEFTONES, SOULFLY] coming over from America, we'd like to work with him, he'd like to work with us so we're gonna have a bonding session, write a couple of songs and see how it goes."

Regarding the decision to work with Terry Date this time around, Tuck said: "We're not looking for someone to take control, we're looking for someone with an outside perspective to push where things need to be pushed. When we worked with Don [Gilmore, producer of 2010's 'Fever' and 2013's 'Temper Temper'] he was very much focused on chopping parts out and making things concentrated, now we want to work with someone who has worked with bands like PANTERA and DEFTONES where that mentality was probably not in the game at all. We want someone to go 'it's not big enough' or 'it's not metal enough' and keep us focused on our talents. We want a different mindset this time and having someone focus us that way will be good."

On the topic of the sound of the new material, Tuck said: "We've got four or five song ideas down as we've been recording on the road. I don't want people to get something in their heads from my description of what we've got but it's riff after riff after riff after riff so far. We're very much concentrating on musical ability, we're showing off basically! We pulled back a bit from it on the last couple of records, on this one if we do work with Terry Date, I think it'll be a no-holds barred display of what we're about."

Three of the leading gear/technology companies for both musicians and consumers alike will return on Wednesday, January 22 at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California with their successful "Metal Masters" clinic series. "Metal Masters 5" will bring back some of the classic "masters" while adding a couple of new members to the list.

Musicians scheduled to perform:

* Kerry King (SLAYER)* Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX)* Frank Bello (ANTHRAX)* David Ellefson (MEGADETH)* Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG)* Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS)* Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER)* Chris Broderick (MEGADETH)* Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN)* Rex Brown (KILL DEVIL HILL, PANTERA, DOWN)

King previously stated about his motivation for taking part in "Metal Masters": "The reason I still do it to this day is to get Phil involved, because I think the world misses him. He's good at what he does and I'm one of the few guys he looks up to to the point where he'd come out and do it. And I'm not blowing sunshine up my ass; it's just a fact. And everybody wants to see Phil. Everybody loves Phil. When I come out, it's a huge applause. When Phil comes out, it's like somebody came back from the dead; they're not expecting it. And it's cool."

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie, Anselmo stated about performing PANTERA songs at "Metal Masters": "I'm up there with guys that I've known since the '80s who have a good five, six years on me of playing music and being successful, people that I looked up to and still look up to… The thing is just being up there with those guys is overwhelming enough, but then playing the PANTERA songs, don't get me wrong, it feels great, it feels fantastic, and it does bring me back to a very powerful place, a very unique place in history. I guess, growing up and cuttin' my chops and growing up with the guys in PANTERA, we always played with a chip on our shoulder and you get that rush of memory when you're up there doing it, but it's a lot of emotions balled up into one, but they're all pretty damn good. For me, the most fun thing about it of all is just seeing the fan reaction. I've always said that PANTERA fans were the best in the world, and I truly meant that and I still mean it. That's why 'Metal Masters' keeps the pulse of the whole thing going."

Speaking to Artisan News prior to the "Metal Masters 4" event in September 2012, Sheehan and the other musicians spoke about what it was like for Billy to come in and play heavier stuff than he is used to.

"I've been prepped," said Sheehan. "And it's great. I actually love it. It's like being on another planet. It's like an adventure into another land, and it's really cool. It's challenging to play this stuff."

Added Bello: "It's great seeing [Billy] come into this world, and step up as he did. I mean, Billy Sheehan is playing [chuckles] he's playing SLAYER and EXODUS tonight — without a pick. Just think about those lines right there. He totally kicks ass in it, too. The guy stepped up to it, and you can't ask for more than that. So for these kids, seeing a treat like that, man, it's a good time."

Said Holt: "[If you had told me that] this guy here [pointing at Billy], who is one of the greatest musicians in rock history, would be standing there watching my fingers as I'm playing [EXODUS's song] 'Piranha', I would havee called you a stone-faced liar and said, 'Get outta here!'"

Nuclear Blast Entertainment has announced the signing of DEVIL YOU KNOW. DEVIL YOU KNOW is the intersection of three undeniable talents from the world of heavy music. Howard Jones: the former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED frontman, who garnered two gold records and a Grammy nomination during his decade-long tenure with the Massachusetts band. Francesco Artusato: celebrated solo artist and guitarist with THE FRANCESCO ARTUSATO PROJECT and ALL SHALL PERISH. And John Sankey: drummer for the Australian band DEVOLVED, who has also worked with FEAR FACTORY and DIVINE HERESY. The sum total of the three has come together as DEVIL YOU KNOW, yielding a sound as singular as it is unforgettable.

DEVIL YOU KNOW was born out of Artusato and Sankey's creative quest to stretch beyond their extreme metal backgrounds. The two had written over a dozen songs before even attempting to lock down a singer. "We were unsure if Howard would be interested," says Sankey." Yet, when KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's former frontman received the material, a creative ideal began to solidify.

Finally connecting in Los Angeles during the last months of 2012, a highly distinctive sound began to become apparent. "It turned from bare-bones musical ideas into something that surpassed any of our expectations" says Jones. "It went from something we thought was going to be a fun, heavy project into something very real." It was during a recording session at the start of 2013 with producer and former MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader (who has previously worked with GOJIRA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) that DEVIL YOU KNOW's ideas began to alchemize into something none of the bands members would ever expect. "It became a departure from what I'm known for," says Artusato. "I wasn't focusing on technical guitar parts (even though I still love that aspect of writing) but simply on writing what felt best for each individual song."

"World-class vocalists like Howard Jones are the rarest commodity in metal music these days," says Nuclear Blast Entertainment's Monte Conner, whose recent NBE signings include San Francisco Bay Area metal legends MACHINE HEAD and European superstars WITHIN TEMPTATION. "Howard has a tonality and richness to his voice that very few singers have. The band's initial demos got me very excited but sometimes you strike gold. DEVIL YOU KNOW just made an incredible record that has surpassed all expectations. The vocals are everything fans have come to expect from Howard but at the same time there is a depth, dimension and variety to his singing that shows incredible growth and elevates him in every way. Add to that world-class musical talents like Francesco Artusato and John Sankey both as players and songwriters. This is ground zero of something really exciting!" "I had worked with Monte before I left KILLSWITCH and have long known and respected him," says Jones of the former Roadrunner Records A&R chief. "He has a vision for both music and business that is second to none and made it an easy choice when it came to signing to the label. Monte and the Nuclear Blast staff understand who we are, what we have individually accomplished and where we are going as a band."

While the finishing touches are being put on DEVIL YOU KNOW's debut album, the writing and recording process "was surprisingly easy," states Artusato. "When we get together it just works." The band is also quick to sum up the studio vibe with producer Mader as "intensely creative," says Sankey. "Logan definitely helped us realize and define the DEVIL YOU KNOW sound." Jones agrees: "He went from producer, to unsung member, to friend."

"It's a different style of music for me," says Jones of DEVIL YOU KNOW's unique sound. "It's heavy as anything any of us are known for but I get to do some different things people won't expect. I've been singing almost all my life. Being around good songwriters and musicians in my former bands really helped mold me into who I am now."

DEVIL YOU KNOW's Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut is currently slated for an early 2014 release, with international touring plans and a full touring lineup to be announced shortly.

Visit the band's Facebook page to hear a demo version of the song "Shut It Down" and get a small taste of what's to come.

The undisputed kings of grind PIG DESTROYER have added a new member to the fold. Adam Jarvis' cousin John Jarvis has joined PIG DESTROYER as the band's first bass player. John will make his PIG DESTROYER live debut at the Housecore Horror Film Festival — curated by Phillip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN) — in Austin, Texas on October 27 at Antone's. John commented on joining PIG DESTROYER: "It's an honor to be a part of PIG DESTROYER. I'm looking forward to making new music with the guys, as well as adding some 'low end' to the older material live.

"After being able to see every incarnation of the band live in the past, I can honestly say that the guys are at the top of their game.

"See you at Big Phil's Housecore Horror Fest!!!" Founding member and guitarist Scott Hull added: "Having John come into the band adds the ability to expand musically into new territories that we haven't explored yet.

"For many years, we haven't had a bass player or second guitarist because, as JR once put it; 'mo people, mo problems.' But a band is a living organism. Change is good. New blood. New energy.

"We've had great experiences adding Blake before 'Phantom Limb' and Adam before 'Book Burner'. Both additions to the family have had huge positive impacts on the band.

"We'd thought about adding a bassist for some time, but it always seemed like it would be more of a hassle than anything else.

"John has come in like a soldier and has mastered everything we've thrown his way.

"We're excited for you guys to hear how the older material sounds with an expanded low end and can't wait to get to work on new material." PIG DESTROYER released its fifth studio album, "Book Burner", last October via Relapse Records. The CD features 19 tracks with a return to the band's raw, misanthropic sound.

"Book Burner" is available on multiple formats, including CD, deluxe 2xCD, LP, deluxe 2xLP, cassette and digital.

Photo credit: Josh Sisk

Legendary guitarist Slash stopped by the "Larry King Now" studio last week for a taping with Larry King. Several clips from the show can now be seen below.

Asked if there is any possibility of a reunion of the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES, Slash replied: "That's the $64,000 question. But it's not something that any of us have reached out to each other and said that we wanted to do thus far. So, rather than be a pessimist and say, 'No, it'll never happen,' it's not like I'm harboring a lot of resentment. But it's not something that we're all thinking about doing. So if it happens one day, it happens. If it doesn't, I don't think anybody's, you know, losing any sleep over it."

Slash told Rolling Stone in April 2012 that GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose "hates my guts." The two have not performed together since 1993. Rose currently tours with a completely different version of GUNS N' ROSES featuring no original members but him.

During a 2009 interview with longtime friend and former road manager Del James, first published on Spinner, Rose called Slash a "cancer."

HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris has returned with his first solo album since 1999. Not so much a solo effort in its original sense, but recorded in a band envoirement to achieve a real band feeling, "Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" will be released on November 22 via earMUSIC.

Written and composed by Andi Deris himself, "Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" has a crispy, modern sound to it. The diverse, high-class production is snotty, dirty and brutally honest and is described in a press release as "a healthy mixture of HELLOWEEN's recent records combined with 'Master Of The Rings' tradition (Andi's first HELLOWEEN album)."

Recorded together with his band BAD BANKERS, "Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" sees Deris criticizing the economic system and its corruption. Although the topic may seem a bit dull, the heavy guitar riffs and Deris' recognizable voice clearly make a point: "fuck banks, fuck managers, fuck bankers." He explains: "Obviously we despise everything around banks, managers and bankers who are clearly responsible for the shit that goes on nowadays (and most certainly in our future), so it felt very good to vocally tell them what we think about them. Sure, therefore it's highly explicit but hey… who gives a fuck? That's what they deserve... and it helps the music to really kick some ass."

"Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" standard CD track listing:

01. Cock02. Will We Ever Change 03. Banker's Delight (DOA) 04. Blind 05. Don't Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938) 06. Who Am I 07. Must Be Dreaming08. The Last Days Of Rain09. Enamoria 1.810. This Could Go On Forever11. I Sing Myself Away

"Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" limited-edition digipak track listing:

CD1

01. Cock02. Will We Ever Change03. Banker's Delight (DOA)04. Blind 05. Don't Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938)06. Who Am I07. Must Be Dreaming08. The Last Days Of Rain09. Enamoria 1.810. This Could Go On Forever11. I Sing Myself Away

CD2

01. Behind Dead Eyes (unreleased track; demo)02. Little Lies (unreleased track; demo)03. TWOTW 1938 (Don't Listen To The Radio) (unreleased demo version)04. Must Be Dreaming (unreleased demo version)05. EnAmoria (unreleased demo version)

"Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads" vinyl track listing:

A1. CockA2. Will We Ever ChangeA3. Banker's Delight (DOA)A4. BlindA5. Don't Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938)

B1. Who Am IB2. Must Be DreamingB3. The Last Days Of RainB4. Enamoria 1.8B5. This Could Go On ForeverB6. I Sing Myself Away

ANDI DERIS AND THE BAD BANKERS lineup:

Andi Deris (Bad Vocals, Bad Guitars)Nico Martin (Bad Guitars)Jezoar Marrero (Bad Bass)Nasim López-Palacios (Bad Drums)

The song "Don't Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938)" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Gabe Reed Productions and Kendra Helms Media have joined forces to create the Metal Allstars tour, which will hit Europe in March/April 2014. The Metal Allstars tour will feature "some of the biggest contributors to the heavy metal genre along with some of the most technical musicians in the industry," according to a press release.

So far, the following European dates have been announced:

April 03 - Stockholm, SWE @ HovetApril 05 - Riga, LAT @ Arena RigaApril 06 - Helsinki, FIN @ Hartwal AreenaApril 08 - Saint Petersburg, RUS @ SK YubileynyApril 09 - Moscow, RUS @ Stadium Live

Metal Allstars will be offering unique items and experiences to be auctioned off in order to raise funds for Ride For Dime. Ride For Dime Inc., a 501 (c) 3, charitable organization, honors the lives of guitar hero and friend, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (PANTERA), Jeff Thompson, Nathan Bray and Erin Halk. Ride For Dime has proudly given back to charities that were of interest to Darrell during his life as well as charities he would have been proud to be a part of, like Little Kids Rock, Toys For Tots, IAVA and many more. Ride For Dime was formed in 2010 and began funding its own Ride For Dime Scholarship Fund.

Originally formed in Arlington, Texas, in 2005 by Darrell's friends and family, the organization has now grown to having six nationwide chapters. Each chapter holds its own event, and all proceeds go directly to the Ride For Dime Scholarship Fund. Their current chapters include: Texas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Florida, Wisconsin, Nashville, Minnesota and the U.K.

Confirmed artists so far:

* Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST)* Tom Araya (SLAYER)* Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN)* Marty Friedman (MEGADETH)* Nick Menza (MEGADETH)* Joey Belladonna (ANTHRAX)* Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA)* Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ACCEPT)* Brian Fair (SHADOWS FALL)* Jon Donais (ANTHRAX, SHADOWS FALL)* Matt Bachand (SHADOWS FALL)* Jasin Todd (SHINEDOWN)* Aaron Rossi (MINISTRY)* Conrad "Cronos" Lant (VENOM)* Ross "The Boss" Friedman (MANOWAR)

German guitarist Alex Beyrodt (PRIMAL FEAR) has completed work on the first SILENT FORCE studio album in nearly seven years, Entitled "Rising From Ashes", the follow-up to 2007's "Walk The Earth" will be released on December 13 via AFM Records. The first single and accompanying video, "Circle Of Trust", will precede the full-length effort.

New SILENT FORCE lineup:

* Alex Beyrodt (PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE) - Guitar * Michael Bormann (POWERWORLD, ex-BLOODBOUND) - Vocals * Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) - Bass * Alessandro Del Vecchio (EDGE OF FOREVER, ex-EDEN'S CURSE) - Keyboards * André Hilgers (RAGE, SINNER) - Drums

The cover artwork for "Rising From Ashes" can be seen below. The CD was mixed by Achim Köhler, who has previously worked with EDGUY, MASTERPLAN, SINNER and PRIMAL FEAR.

Says Sinner: "In my view, it's a killer album and all the guys did a great job."

Band photo above by Valentin Zwick

U.K. black metallers HECATE ENTHRONED recently inked a deal with Crank Music Group for the release of their upcoming album. The long-awaited follow-up to 2004's "Redimus", entitled "Virulent Rapture", is due on November 25. A short U.K. tour to promote the upcoming opus will kick off at the beginning of December.

HECATE ENTHRONED recently announced the addition of vocalist Elliot Beaver (AETERNUM) and drummer Gareth Hardy to the group's ranks. The band states: "This heralds a new start as well as a new lineup for the band."

HECATE ENTHRONED bassist, Dylan Hughes previously stated about the band's upcoming CD: "The new material is very much guitar-driven, lots of heavy and fast riffs (tuned to C#), giving a relentless feeling to the tracks which we have tempered with a big orchestral sound. The choirs and orchestras have always been a big part of the sound with HECATE and that is very true with this material. In some parts, it recaptures some of the moods from the very early releases. Because of the fact we are recording ourselves, we aren't pressured too much by time constraints and can spend more time on getting the right sound and mix as we feel in the past we have had to sacrifice certain things to reach a recording deadline."

"Wake Up The Dead", a brand new song from KILL DEVIL HILL — 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 Jason "Dewey" Bragg (PISSING RAZORS) on vocals — can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track comes off the band's sophomore album, "Revolution Rise", which will be 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. Pre-order bundles are now on-sale exclusively through both CM Distro and the KILL DEVIL HILL online store. Each site has their own unique pre-order options for fans to choose.

Says Brown about the "Wake Up The Dead" track: "This is from the our first writing sessions for the album. It's got that doomy BLACK SABBATH vibe to it — open, ringing notes with eerie vocal on top, but heavy."

"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

The songs "No Way Out" and "Leave It All Behind" can be streamed on KILL DEVIL HILL's Facebook page.

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 kicks 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.

KILL DEVIL HILL is:

* Jason "Dewey" Bragg (PISSING RAZORS) - Vocals* Mark Zavon (RATT, W.A.S.P., 40 CYCLE HUM) - Guitar* Rex Brown (DOWN, PANTERA) - Bass* Vinny Appice (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, DIO) – Drums

BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL has signed a worldwide deal with Siege Of Amida / Century Media Records. The quintet, whose distinctive blend of stomping attack with menacing groove and snarling, downtempo riffs has slowly but surely turned them into kings of the U.K. underground, have spent the past 12 months touring in support of their critically lauded third album, "Scatter The Ashes".

From the familiar soils of Europe (countries long converted to the BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL cult since the release of breakthrough album, 2010's "The Root Of All Evil") to Australia, Japan, Russia and South East Asia, BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL's relentless drive, ever-progressing strength of material and intense live performances caught the attention of the Century Media / Siege Of Amida alliance. And, following a triumphant U.K. run with CANCER BATS and an attention-grabbing set at Download festival 2013, the labels snapped the band up.

The first strike of this newly forged partnership is a deluxe reissue of "Scatter The Ashes" on gatefold 12-inch vinyl and 21-track, double CD set, which is set for release on November 18. This definitive edition of "Scatter The Ashes" features the album in its entirety, but boasts a leviathan 11 bonus tracks, taken from "The Root Of All Evil" album and 2011's hard-to-find "Sleep Paralysis" EP, marking the first time that much of this material has been made available on CD.

Further, the quintet will enter Monnowvalley Studios in Wales this month to begin the recording of their fourth album with producer Gethin Pearson, with mixing duties to be handled by CONVERGE's Kurt Ballou (BARONESS, KVELERTAK, CONVERGE, CAVE IN) at GodCity Studios in Massachusetts towards the end of the year. The album, which is scheduled for a spring 2014 release, will be the recorded debut of vocalist Louis Gauthier and drummer Craig Reynolds, who joined BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL at the start of the "Scatter The Ashes" touring cycle in January 2013.

To celebrate the re-issue of "Scatter..." and to mark the end of their most exciting year to date, BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL will emerge from the studio in December to play a handful of shows.

Professionally filmed video footage of RATT performing its classic song "Round And Round" on October 20 at the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

Speaking to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" this past January, RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer stated about the band's current status: "We're getting ready to do a new record with Brian Howes, this producer that produced NICKELBACK, we have new management, we have Juan Croucier [bass] back in the band, and we're gonna tour this summer and hopefully get along and be happy, which would be amazing."

He added: "Brian Howes is a great guy, great producer, and he's top notch, dude. He's a current A-lister, and we're very excited."

Regarding the songwriting process for the new RATT album, Blotzer said: "Everybody's been writing and everybody has a backlog of material. So we'll just get in like we did with the last record, and there's, like, boom, 35 songs, and then we'll let the producer go, 'OK, let's work these up.' He's got the final say on that. I mean, the last record we worked up in two weeks."

He continued: "I don't think [the new RATT CD is] gonna be super overproduced. I think we're trying to do something new, and really, on all levels of RATT — have everything come out and be a new RATT. [We'll still have] classic-sounding songs, but it's gonna be, obviously, a twist in the production with the way that [Brian] produces."

Original RATT bassist Juan Croucier rejoined the Californian rockers for their show at the M3 Rock Festival on May 12, 2012 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland and he has been performing with them ever since.

RATT's first studio record in 11 years, "Infestation", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was issued on April 20, 2010 via Loud & Proud.

"Infestation" has sold more than 50,000 copies in the U.S. so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In the midst of an extraordinary career as drummer for multiple heavy metal legends such as FIFTH ANGEL, HEIR APPARENT and NIGHTSHADE, Jeffrey McCormack was thrown a curveball. It was suggested that Jeffrey hum some melody lines on demo material he had been working on with Seattle guitarist Craig Church. It was immediately and overwhelmingly decided that Jeffrey would become the lead vocalist for the band. Once the material had solidified, they recruited Jeffrey's longtime friend, Kai Chinn, to take over the drum duties, followed shortly after by bassist Anthony Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rollie Fisher, and former HEIR APPARENT bandmate Op Sakiya on keyboards, all veterans of the historic Seattle heavy metal community. Though the band seemed complete, Church became increasingly busy with his other musical endeavors, including guitar duties with Pamela Moore ("Sister Mary" from QUEENSRŸCHE), so he resigned his post. Enter the brilliant Alan Nesbitt on lead guitar, and the band was ready to bring its energetic brand of melodic power metal to the masses! SCREAMS OF ANGELS then wowed audiences with its live shows, opening for such legends as LOUDNESS, LYNCH MOB, SAXON and WHERE ANGELS SUFFER (featuring Randy Piper and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P.), and they received worldwide acclaim through reviews of the demo recordings.

Skol Records CEO Bart Gabriel states: "Skol Records started as a label that would support bands and artists related to Gabriel Management. Some time later we decided to focus on reissues of forgotten and classic heavy metal albums from the past, as the truth is all guys from Skol Records crew are dedicated metal fans, you know, bunch of die-hard maniacs in leather, surrounded by piles of vinyl records, who wear old OMEN, MERCYFUL FATE and AGENT STEEL t-shirts. We didn't plan to sign any current bands. But after we heard SCREAMS OF ANGELS' demo, our jaws landed on the floor, and we had no other choice: we knew we have to sign them, or someone else will do it. They are the real deal: great, strong vocals, massive riffs, and first of all good songs. It's all there." SCREAMS OF ANGELS' debut album, "Into The Warzone", will be released on December 27. The CD is a collection of high-energy metal anthems such as the title track, a fast-paced homage to Marvel comics The Punisher, the galloping epic "Cycle Of The Moon" and the snarling metal monster "Eyes Of The Serpent".

"Into The Warzone" — like all other Skol Records releases — will be distributed in North and South America via Shadow Kingdom Records.

On November 15, Skol Records will release album's title track as free download single.

Prosthetic Records has announced the worldwide signing of SSS (SHORT SHARP SHOCK).

Formed in Liverpool in 2005, SSS is an uncompromising crossover outfit with three albums on Earache Records already under its belt, alongside years of venomous live shows and an urgent socio-political message that is more important today than ever. With a background deeply rooted within the U.K. hardcore underground, SSS truly embodies the "crossover" tag, bringing together an aggressive hardcore attitude, punk/crust defiance, metal precision and grindcore's raw intensity. The band's gritty style draws from such heavyweights as DISCHARGE, D.R.I., NAPALM DEATH, INFEST, TERRORIZER and MOTÖRHEAD. Nonplussed as always, the enraged lyrical content of SSS rails against a misanthropic modern age while never losing their self-effacing sarcasm that can cut the self-righteous down to size. Here is a band that asks you to finally open your eyes and look around. To celebrate the signing, Prosthetic will issue a special limited seven-inch by the band on November 2 to coincide with the appearance of SSS at this year's Damnation Festival in Leeds. Entitled "Manipulated Living" and featuring three new recordings exclusive to this vinyl, this is a one-time pressing of 500 copies. Once it's sold out, it's dead.

Foxy, SSS vocalist, commented on the signing: "We are excited to finally announce that we've signed on with Prosthetic Records, a label whose roster proves its dedication to all facets of heavy music. It's a great opportunity as they really believe in what we're doing."

Duncan Dinsdale, Prosthetic European label manager, added: "It's a pleasure to be working with such an urgent band as SSS. While most bands have nothing to say, SSS stand tall as a potent voice in extreme music. They write the meanest riffs too. We're all chuffed to be working with this mob."

Candlelight Records has announced the signing of U.K. thrashers SHRAPNEL. The band's new album will be released in early 2014. SHRAPNEL had this to say about the signing: "We are honored and excited about Becoming part of the Candlelight family. We are extremely proud of the album we have out together and can't wait for everyone to hear it. It's going to be an exciting new year for us!" Formed in April 2009, SHRAPNEL began its campaign of destruction disgusted with the lack of a vibrant local metal scene. Driven to provide what few others seemed to be doing, SHRAPNEL pooled their myriad influences and came up with a sound that revolves around formidable core of pure-to-the-bone thrash and speed metal, but that never fails to keep one eye on the future of the genre too. Proudly citing the likes of MEGADETH, SLAYER, TESTAMENT and EXODUS as influences, the band have also assimilated elements of everything from traditional heavy metal to modern death metal. The result is a thrilling lesson in neck-wrecking sonic violence.

"The energy in thrash is just so much more satisfying than anything else," says guitarist Chris Martin. "It's technically challenging and exhausting to play live and it gives you that buzz, that rush of adrenaline that few other genres do for me personally. Individually we are pretty different in our tastes but when you throw it all together it works. It's got to have balls and it's got to have attitude. When you find a band that has that bite to them, that testosterone driven aggression, then it's killer. And that's what we do!"

With a lineup completed by lead guitarist Nathan Sadd, bassist Shaun Mcelhinney, drummer Simon Jackson and frontman Jae Hadley, SHRAPNEL recorded and released its first EP, "No Saviours", in 2009 and received widespread acclaim and support from metalheads and metal media alike, proving that this young band are already hitting the nail squarely on the head. A second EP, "The Devastation To Come", was recorded with revered studio wizard Russ Russell (EVILE, NAPALM DEATH) at the controls, and emerged in 2010 to great acclaim. Songs like skull-smashing opener "Eternal War" and the scything, heads-down "Toxic Slaughter" proved beyond doubt that SHRAPNEL were operating on a higher level of skill and creativity than most of their peers, while Russell's skyscraper-levelling production job cranks added a final layer of aural aggravation to the whole brutal enterprise. The band were so thrilled with their first collaboration with Russ that they committed to spending a whole month at Parlour Studios in the autumn of 2012 to piece together their debut full-length album. "We went into the studio wanting to find out what makes bands great, what makes them great on record and what makes them stand out," explains Chris Martin. "Russ has the knowledge and experience and the opportunity came up. Did you hear EVILE's 'Infected Nations' album or NAPALM's 'Time Waits For No Slave'? Woah! We knew we could get what we were after with Russ and the end results have been beyond our expectations."

ORGY, the reactivated "death pop" band from California, has parted ways with guitarist Ashburn Miller.

Said Miller in a statement: "Over the past few months, I've come to a tough decision to step away from ORGY to focus on production/engineering. With new acts and the amount of energy I put into things I work on, it wouldn't be fair to ORGY to have one foot in and that just isn't how I work, unfortunately.

"There's nothing negative here — the guys understand and know that I will always be in their lives creatively as well as personally, and there is nothing but love for everyone of them as well as all of you that Ive met out there on the road during my amazing time with the guys.

"I wasn't going to say anything and just kind of disappear into space, but you've all been so supportive of this new lineup and what we are trying to accomplish out there that I felt like at least if nothing else saying THANK YOU!!!!

"Obviously I'll continue writing music and who knows where it all ends up in the future? I don't pretend to know, but right now I just wanted to make sure to say thank you!! And wish nothing but great things for the band as well as you amazing fans out there."

Added the remaining members of the group: "Ashburn is and will always be family!! He has brought a replacement player that looks great, plays great and sings his butt off, so he has not run off and left the band high and dry. He has been working with the new member for some time teaching him all his parts etc. Ash has tons of class!!"

ORGY recently launched an Indiegogo campaign with a goal set of raising $100,000 in 60 days. Money raised will be spent on recording, production, distribution, music videos, touring and even starting a new record label to bring new music to the rest of the world. So far the campaign has raised less than $8,000, with three days remaining. Originally formed in 1997, ORGY was signed to KORN's label Elementree Records and released its debut album, "Candyass", in 1998. Featuring two hit singles — a cover of the NEW ORDER song "Blue Monday" and "Stitches" — along with the song "Revival" featuring Jonathan Davis of KORN, the CD went on to sell almost two million copies. ORGY appeared on the Family Values Tour with KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, ICE CUBE, INCUBUS and RAMMSTEIN and was featured on the live compilation album from the tour released in 1999. Their second album, the science fiction-themed "Vapor Transmission", was released in 2000 featuring the singles "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" and "Opticon" and the band later released the song "Faces" for the soundtrack to the movie "Zoolander". Joining vocalist and sole remaining original member Jay Gordon in ORGY's current lineup are Carlton Bost (DEADSY, THE DREAMING, LUNARCLICK) on guitar, Nic Speck (RUN RUN RUN) on bass and Bobby Amaro on drums.

TRIPTYKON — the occult/avant-garde metal project formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — will release its second album, "Melana Chasmata", on April 15, 2014 (one day earlier internationally). The CD will be made available through a collaboration between the group's own label, Prowling Death Records Ltd., and renowned metal giant Century Media Records. This is the same label partnership already responsible for CELTIC FROST's final album, "Monotheist" (2006), HELLHAMMER's "Demon Entrails" demo compendium (2008), and TRIPTYKON's debut album, "Eparistera Daimones", and "Shatter" EP (2010).

"Melana Chasmata" is evolving to be a vastly varied and strikingly dark and heavy album. The album's title may be translated, approximately, as "black, deep depressions/valleys."

Songwriting, arrangement, and recording sessions for "Melana Chasmata" have occurred, intermittently, since 2011. Among the music available for inclusion on the album are songs such as "Boleskine House", "Stasis", "Gate To My Own Death", "Demon Pact", "Gehinnam", "Tree Of Suffocated Souls", "Unchristian Anthem", and many more. A final track listing for "Melana Chasmata" will be issued in due course, along with further details on both album and artwork.

Much like "Eparistera Daimones", "Melana Chasmata" is being produced by Warrior and TRIPTYKON guitarist V. Santura, and recorded and engineered by V. Santura at his own Woodshed Studio in Bavaria, Germany, as well as at TRIPTYKON's bunker in Zurich, Switzerland.

Says Warrior: "We have been working on 'Melana Chasmata' for some three years, in various shapes and forms. It's not an easy album by any means, and to me personally it reflects an extremely complex gestation period, musically, spiritually, and, due to certain circumstances in my life, emotionally. At the same time, the album unquestionably reflects the continuity I was longing for so much during CELTIC FROST's period of self-destruction and demise. Hearing TRIPTYKON creating such utter darkness again and exploring the potential of these new songs has been incredibly invigorating and inspiring."

TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass), and Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice, guitars).

A special deluxe edition of P.O.D.'s current album, "Murdered Love", has just been made available digitally via iTunes. Highlights include two previously unreleased studio tracks, "Burn It Down" and "Find A Way" (recorded with producer Howard Benson) and an acoustic version of the band's Top 5 hit "Beautiful". Additional audio tracks include an acoustic version of "West Coast Rock Steady", an alternate version of "On Fire" and their #1 song "Lost In Forever (Scream)" plus various music videos and behind-the-scenes footage from the "Murdered Love" album cycle.

"Murdered Love (Deluxe Edition)" track listing:

01. Eyez (feat. Jamey Jasta)02. Murdered Love03. Higher04. Lost In Forever05. West Coast Rock Steady06. Beautiful07. Babylon The Murderer08. On Fire09. Bad Boy10. Panic & Run11. Burn it Down (bonus track)12. Find A Way (bonus track)13. Beautiful (Acoustic Version) (bonus track)14. West Coast Rock Steady (acoustic version) (bonus track)15. On Fire (Chris Blackwood Mix) (bonus track)16. Lost In Forever (Scream)17. Beautiful (music video)18. Beautiful (making of video)19. Murdered Love (music video)20. Murdered Love (making of video)21. Higher (music video)22. Lost In Forever (Scream) (music video)23. Lost In Forever (making of video)

"Murdered Love" was released on July 10, 2012 via Razor & Tie. The band's long-awaited follow-up to "When Angels & Serpents Dance" sees them reunited with longtime producer Howard Benson, who also produced the group's massive "Satellite" album as well as hit CDs for Kelly Clarkson, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, DAUGHTRY, THE ALL AMERICAN REJECTS and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE. The CD cover and packaging was illustrated and designed by Invisible Creature, whose previous credits include the FOO FIGHTERS, NORMA JEAN, Chris Cornell and many more.

In a 2012 interview with PureGrainAudio, vocalist Sonny Sandoval stated about the "Murdered Love" album title: "When we started PAYABLE ON DEATH, we were young kids at the time. It's a religious term, y'know, when someone passes on, what they leave behind — we've always related that to our faith in Christ. We believe in faith in the ultimate sacrifice for sin and doing that, we have redemption. So that's the pathway to our music. 'Murdered Love' is a very similar concept. It started out with the song 'The Day We Murdered Love', which was based on the idea that the moment Christ was crucified, how dark, how somber and sad it was. The earth quaked, the sky went black. It's talking about desperation for the people who believed in him, just the anguish that must've been felt. Y'know, just the idea that we crucified the Savior of the world; we murdered... love!"

P.O.D.'s lineup consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels.

German drummer Hannes Grossmann (OBSCURA, BLOTTED SCIENCE, ex-NECROPHAGIST) will release his first solo album, entitled "The Radial Covenant", in December. In order to finance the album, Grossmann launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com.

On his official web site, Grossmann states: "The music on the album sounds a lot like my band OBSCURA, but that's just how I compose. The reason not to release it as an OBSCURA album is simple: OBSCURA is a band, which means that four people work together and create music as a collective. If I write 45 minutes of music on my own, it has to be a solo record. It's probably gonna take another year until a new OBSCURA album will see the light of day, so here's your chance to make time pass more quickly."

"The Radial Covenant" was mixed and mastered at Woodshed Studios by V. Santura (TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS) and features prominent guest artists such as:

* Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE)* Christian Muenzner (OBSCURA, SPAWN OF POSSESSION)* Linus Klausenitzer (OBSCURA)* Florian Magnus Meier (NONEUCLID, DARK FORTRESS)* Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY)* Ron Jarzombek (SPASTIC INK, WATCHTOWER)* Jimmy Pitts (SPASTIC INK, PITTS/MINNEMANN)* Danny Tunker (ABORTED)* Fountainhead

One of the songs can be heard below.

"Shadow Of The Damned", the new video from the reactivated '80s Dutch metal band PICTURE, can be seen below. The song comes off the group's latest album, "Warhorse", which was released in February 2012 via Artist Station Records. The CD was mixed by Oscar Holleman, who has previously worked with WITHIN TEMPTATION and AFTER FOREVER, among others.

PICTURE in February announced the return of guitarist Andre Wullems to the group's ranks. Along with Chriz van Jaarsveld, Andre was the guitarist in PICTURE during the promotion period for the album "Traitor" back in 1985 and played live with PICTURE on a number of occasions in the past.

Commented PICTURE in a statement: "We're really pleased that Andre decided to join the ranks again. We played with Andre for some time in the past and we knew his capabilities on guitar. It's great to have a familiar member of the band return. Together with Mike Ferguson, they form a formidable guitar duo."

PICTURE supported AC/DC, TED NUGENT and SAXON in the Netherlands. With SAXON, they did a full European tour in 1981. Later on they toured with ROSE TATTOO in Germany and headlined tours in Italy and Israel.

On October 20, the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE was interviewed on Brazil's "Multi Show" after the band's appearance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is professionally filmed video footage of the Monsters Of Rock performance.

During a recent interview with WashingtonTimes.com, Tate was asked if he has noticed any sort of fan backlash due to the split with the other original members of QUEENSRŸCHE. "I hardly have noticed a difference, really," he said. "It's been really kind of smooth sailing. The shows have been well-attended and the energy at the shows is really intense with the band and the interaction with the audience. It's probably actually a little more emotional now than it has been. I think change is probably a good thing."

Asked if it is strange playing QUEENSRŸCHE songs without the other original members of the band, Tate replied: "Oh, not at all, no. Actually, it's a lot more organic now and there's a real camaraderie in the band now. This group of people, we have a real positive kind of energy surrounding the band now that I find really very pleasing. I think that translates to an audience when you're up on stage together and everyone in the band is happy and excited to be there. That translates to the audience. They pick up on that energy too, you know?"

Tate also revealed that he has been "in the studio for the last couple months" working on a new record. He added: "I don't know when it's going to come out yet, probably after the first of the year sometime. I'm not sure yet. [It's] going great, though. A lot of the music's cool. [laughs] I'm enjoying it."

Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE now features Tate along with guitarist Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE 1998-2001), keyboardist Randy Gane and the band's latest additions, guitarist Robert Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, HURRICANE) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET).

The Todd La Torre-fronted version of 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.

"Frequency Unknown", the latest album from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, opened with around 5,500 units to debut at No. 82.

"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).

Interview:

Fan-filmed video footage of the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHEperforming on October 21 at Retro Music Hall in Prague, Czech Republic 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.

The current lineup of DEEP PURPLE have been officially confirmed to appear at the JON LORD Memorial Concert in April next year.
TheSunflowerJam.com states: "Following their recent and hugely successful run of London shows at The Roundhouse, fans of Deep Purple will get a chance to see them again… pretty cool huh? You’re welcome! Deep Purple will be performing songs that honour and remember Jon Lord and the band will also perform with the Orion Orchestra, led by conductor Paul Mann, meaning that we are offering you a chance to experience a special, unique, one-off performance by Deep Purple."
Originally planned for 2013, this special concert, organised by the Sunflower Jam people, has now been confirmed for the Royal Albert Hall, on April 4th, 2014, under the title Celebrating Jon Lord.

IRON MAIDEN frontman and long-time support of The Sunflower Jam, BRUCE DICKINSON will also be performing along with Rick Wakeman, Joe Brown and Alfie Boe. The evening will also be compered by the great Bob Harris.

Further details at this location.

Italy’s ATOMIC BLAST are working hard for next year. First of all, the debut album - which follows the Noise Of Revolution EP - is expected to be released. The band won't announce its title, but some songs are already being performed live.
"It will be a researched album, we can't leave anything to chance", vocalist Francesco Vogli explains. "And at the same time it will be evil and different from the EP."

In the meantime, the band will continue to tour Italy searching for support during their winter tour, scheduled between November and January. The band has also revealed that they're already planning their first European tour.

Atomic Blast recently released a video for ‘Revenge Again!’, taken from their debut EP, Noise Of Revolution. The clip was directed by Ares Brunelli.

Atomic Blast lineup:

Francesco "French" Vogli (lead vocals)
Daniele "Dani" Lambertini (lead and rhythm guitar)
Simone "Simo" Sangiorgi (rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals)
Mattia "Met" Emiliani (bass guitar, backing vocals)
Tobia "Toba" Caradonna (drums)



More on Atomic Blast at this location.