"Possession", the brand new studio album from the Polish female-fronted heavy metal act CRYSTAL VIPER, will be released on December 13 via AFM Records as a CD, limited-edition LP and as a digital download. The cover artwork was painted by Michal Oracz — who is the most famous Polish author of RPG and board games (including the bestseller Neuroshima) — and includes many impressive details which will be noticed by fans after listening to the album.

On "Possession" — which was once again produced by Bart Gabriel (SACRED STEEL, SABATON, BURNING STARR, MORTICIAN) — CRYSTAL VIPER decided to cross the borders of traditional heavy metal, and while there are still fast and melodic songs that bring references to such classic bands as JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH (with Ronnie James Dio) and JAG PANZER, the epic and dark parts bring comparisons to acts such as CANDLEMASS, MERCYFUL FATE and even BATHORY.

CRYSTAL VIPER again invited members of other bands to sing guest parts on new album: the song "Fight Evil With Evil" features the legendary American singer Harry Conklin (JAG PANZER, TITAN FORCE, SATAN'S HOST), while "Julia Is Possessed" contains the growling voice of Sataniac, vocalist of the German black/thrash metal act DESASTER. In addition, one of the songs features more than 50 fans of the band, who were invited via band's official Facebook page to "scream" on the new album.

CRYSTAL VIPER is also known for one more tradition: recording cover songs of their favorite artists. While the limited vinyl LP version of "Possession" will include hidden surprise track, the regular CD version will include cover version of the RIOT classic "Thundersteel".

Australian extreme metallers TRUTH CORRODED have signed a worldwide deal with AFM Records. The band's new album, "The Saviours Slain", will be released in late November.

"You work hard, stay true to your aim and opportunities will eventually come your way, " comments TRUTH CORRODED bassist Greg Shaw on signing with the label.

"We are very grateful to AFM for this chance to take our music to a new level, they have been incredible to work with and we look forward to a successful partnership."

The cover art for "The Saviours Slain" was created by Björn Gooses from Killustrations who also worked with the band on its previous album, "Worship The Bled".

"Björn has once again captured the imagery that defines our band and the message we want to communicate," comments TRUTH CORRODED vocalist Jason North. "Like 'Worship', the design is controversial, but it will make people look deeper at what the title and image is really depicting."

"The Saviours Slain" was mixed and mastered at Audiohammer in Sanford, Florida by acclaimed producer Mark Lewis, who has worked on recent albums by DEVILDRIVER, WHITECHAPEL, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, BATTLECROSS and UNEARTH. The album features guest appearances by Craig Locicero of FORBIDDEN, Bret Hoffman of MALEVOLENT CREATION, and Kevin Talley (CHIMAIRA, MISERY INDEX, DAATH) on session drums.

Gain Music Entertainment has announced the worldwide release of a new album from Swedish rockers MUSTASCH. The band has been working all summer to record new songs and only left the studio to play as many festivals as possible.

The new CD, titled "Thank You For The Demon", will be released in January 2014. On November 20, the first single will kick off MUSTASCH's "Thank You For The Demon" European tour.

MUSTASCH's latest album, "Sounds Like Hell, Looks Like Heaven", was released in North America on February 26 via Metalville Records. The CD, which was released in Sweden in February 2012 via Gain Music Entertainment, was produced by guitarist/vocalist Ralf Gyllenhammar and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, PARADISE LOST, WITHIN TEMPTATION). The cover artwork was created by Martin Westerstrand (LILLASYSTER singer).

MUSTASCH in 2011 parted ways with drummer Danne McKenzie due to personal differences and replaced him with Jejo Perkovic (INFINITE MASS, CANDLEMASS, BEAR QUARTET).

In early 2011, MUSTASCH celebrated its 10th anniversary with the release of "The New Sound Of The True Best", a compilation album featuring re-recorded versions of some of the band's best songs along with a new track, "Angels Share". That album will also receive a North American release on February 26 via Metalville.

The official video for the song "My Mother Said" from former THE GATHERING singer Anneke Van Giersbergen can be seen below. The track comes off her new solo album, "Drive", which was released on September 23 in Europe and will be made available on October 15 in North America via InsideOut Music.

Anneke had this to say about the album: "In a time when entire albums are being created by transferring files online, I really wanted to do things the old-fashioned way and record an album together with a group of musicians in a studio.

"The album is infused with enthusiasm and freshness. I'm really happy with it."

Anneke Van Giersbergen will take part in the first annual Progressive Nation At Sea, which is due to take place between February 18 and February 22, 2014. The cruise also includes frequent collaborator Devin Townsend, as well as TRANSATLANTIC, SPOCK'S BEARD, KING'S X and many more,

Anneke had this to say about joining the InsideOut roster, where she joins Devin Townsend: "I look forward to a long and prosperous collaboration with InsideOut Music. We share a genuine passion for music and it's great to become labelmates with my friend Devin Townsend and many more talented musicians. I am incredibly happy with my new album and I am stoked it will be available all over the world!"

"Drive" track listing:

01. We Live On02. Treat Me Like A Lady03. She04. Drive05. My Mother Said06. Forgive Me07. You Will Never Change08. Mental Jungle09. Shooting For The Stars10. The Best Is Yet To Come

Anneke played two exclusive U.S. shows in Chicago at the end of March. Also appearing on the bill both nights were Anneke's "dear friends" NOVEMBERS DOOM.

Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released four albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project: "Air" (2007), "Pure Air" (2009), "In Your Room" (2009) and "Everything Is Changing" (2012).

"Everything Is Changing" was released on January 20, 2012 via PIAS Holland. The CD was recorded at Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal with producer Daniel Cardoso.

"Coming Home", the new video from Irish metallers STORMZONE, can be seen below. The track was recorded specifically for U.S. rock and metal radio stations and is not included on the band's new album, "Three Kings". It deals with life in hostile environments and thoughts and memories of family, friends and loved ones helping to get people through difficult circumstances until reunited.

"Three Kings" was released on September 2 via the U.K. label Metal Nation Ltd.

Formed in 2006, STORMZONE originally signed to U.K. hard rock label Escape Music. 2007 saw this company release the band's debut album, "Caught In The Act", in Europe where its impact gained the band attention in Japan and the CD saw a release there shortly afterwards.

Over the next few years, STORMZONE concentrated on extensive touring and supported bands such as Y&T, TESLA, STRYPER, SAXON, CINDERELLA, L.A. GUNS, WINGER and WHITE LION as well as securing great positions at festivals in Europe, including Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock, Lorca Rock in Spain and Headbangers Open Air. The band developed a heavier sound over the years and recorded its second album, "Death Dealer", which was released by German metal label SPV/Steamhammer. This CD was produced by the legendary Neal Kaye, the man widely regarded as the person who discovered IRON MAIDEN. The live work continued in support of this new album, and while touring with TESLA in the U.K., the band came to the attention of head of Metal Nation Ltd., Jess Cox. Jess was the original singer in NWOBHM band TYGERS OF PAN TANG and he formed a lasting bond with the band, which was to see him eventually become their manager. Jess secured a deal with SPV for the band's third album, "Zero To Rage", and this was released throughout Europe to great reviews in 2011.

And so to album number four for this Irish metal five-piece. Free of all contracts in 2013, the band wrote and recorded "Three Kings" and with regards to which label was going to release it there was no doubt in the minds of STORMZONE as to who that was going to be. Seeing as the band had just signed a management deal with Steve Simms at Blink Music Management, as that company were based in Belfast, this allowed Jess Cox to sign the band to his Metal Nation label to maintain the relationship he had built with them and now he could put all his efforts into promoting STORMZONE and "Three Kings" as head of their record label. Jess and the band met at the Metal Assault festival in Germany earlier in 2013 and agreed that there would be no better label than Metal Nation to have the best interests of STORMZONE at heart. A great relationship had already been formed and the legacy of Jess and the label in the world of the NWOBHM was important to the everyone's decision to sign the five-year, three-album deal he offered them.

STORMZONE is:

Steve Moore – GuitarJohn "Harv" Harbinson - Lead VocalsGraham McNulty - BassDavy Bates - DrumsDavid Shields - Guitar

North American metallers ICED EARTH will make a special 12-inch vinyl EP available on their upcoming European tour with VOLBEAT, which kicks off October 11 in Milan, Italy and wraps December 1 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The details are as follows:

* A 12" 180g vinyl EP * Limited, hand-numbered edition (1000 units only) * Blood-red vinyl * Heavy-duty cardboard sleeve with matte print

Featuring the world premiere of the following songs:

* Plagues Of Babylon* If I Could See You* Peacemaker

Says ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer: "This is our own project and we are really excited about it. This will be for sale only at the VOLBEAT shows, first come, first served!"

He adds: "Band and crew have gathered and we have begun rehearsals for the VOLBEAT tour that kicks off this Friday in Milan. We are really excited to begin this new touring cycle even though it feels like the previous one only ended yesterday. It will certainly be killer to see you guys out there and hang with my brother Michael and the guys in VOLBEAT and their team."

ICED EARTH will release its new album, "Plagues Of Babylon", for a January 2014 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS, GWAR).

Says ICED EARTH vocalist/guitarist Jon Schaffer: "This is a seriously heavy album with a seriously brutal album cover. I'm sure it will go down as a classic in the epic ICED EARTH catalog."

"Plagues Of Babylon" track listing:

01. Plagues Of Babylon02. Democide03. The Culling04. Among The Living Dead05. Resistance06. The End? 07. If I Could See You08. Cthulhu09. Peacemaker10. Parasite11. Spirit Of The Times12. Highwayman

Speaking to Metal4 magazine at the Rockharz open-air festival in Germany in July, Schaffer said about the upcoming CD: "It's a bit of a different thing for us, because it's half of a concept and the other half is [standalone] tracks. Musically, I think it's just another step in the right direction. It's really heavy, it's very melodic. It has a really epic feeling. Even though there isn't, like, a monster, long epic track, the overall feel of the songs is very epic. I mean, there's no 'Dante's Inferno' or 'Gettysburg' or the 'Something Wicked' trilogy or something like that on here, but I'm really happy with it."

ICED EARTH recently parted ways with drummer Brent Smedley for "personal family reasons." He has since been replaced by Raphael Saini (CHAOSWAVE).

ICED EARTH has been hitting it relentlessly, with the recent studio album, "Dystopia", being the most toured album in the band's illustrious history.

One of the many highlights of the "World Dystopia Tour", a headline show at the historic Kourion Amphitheatre in Cyprus, was recently released on Blu-ray, DVD and in many other formats under the title "Live In Ancient Kourion".

"Dystopia" was released in October 2011 via Century Media Records. The CD marked the band's recording debut with singer Stu Block (INTO ETERNITY), who joined ICED EARTH in March 2011 following the departure of Matt Barlow.

The second trailer for "The Dream Calls For Blood", the seventh album from San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL, can be seen below. Due on October 11 in Europe (except for the U.K. where it will arrive three days later) and October 15 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records, the follow-up to 2010's "Relentless Retribution" was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER), and once again features cover art by Brent Elliot White (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CARNIFEX, WHITECHAPEL). Fans will be able to purchase a standard jewelcase version of the album or digipak edition that includes a bonus track and bonus DVD.

"The Dream Calls For Blood" track listing:

01. Left For Dead02. Son Of The Morning03. Fallen04. The Dream Calls For Blood05. Succubus06. Execution - Don’t Save Me07. Caster Of Shame08. Detonate09. Empty10. Territorial Instinct / Bloodlust11. Heaven And Hell (digipak bonus track)

Digipak bonus DVD

* The Making Of "The Dream Calls For Blood"

In a recent interview with Metal Covenant, DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany stated about "The Dream Calls For Blood": "The title is basically our motto. It's what we're talking about, you know. In our point of view the dream being our band and keeping the band going and making music for your life. The blood is all the sacrifice and all hard work that goes into it and that's the metaphor for that. It's not only meant for music. It's also meant for other people to relate in their own life and goals that they're trying to achieve and the sacrifices that it takes to achieve these goals. And along with that, there's also a tinge of aggression in there about other people that cut corners and don't quite go through all the steps it takes to achieve the goal the right way. So there's a little bit of a middle finger to those people that go about it that way and don't fully respect what it takes."

DEATH ANGEL's North American headlining tour in support of "The Dream Calls For Blood" will kick off on October 18 in San Francisco. Support on the trek will come from 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, BATTLECROSS, REVOCATION and DIAMOND PLATE.

Metal Blade Records has set a November 26 release date for ARTILLERY's new album, "Legions". Fans can stream the first single, "Chill My Bones", in the YouTube clip below.

ARTILLERY comments: "With the release of 'Legions' we feel that we have played our strongest card since the early days of 'By Inheritance'. With a killer production, some great new songs done by a strong and dedicated lineup, we are looking forward to support 'Legions' all the way! We can't wait to tour and meet the legions of thrashers out there! This album is for you!"

Since the release of its last album, "My Blood", in 2011 ARTILLERY has played European and South American tours and appeared at several festivals and the Barge To Hell cruise. In 2012 ARTILLERY saw the departure of Carsten N. Nielsen and Søren Adamsen. Two new members were recruited, making Josua Madsen the new drummer and Michael Bastholm Dahl the new singer.

In a recent interview with StageReport.ro, ARTILLERY guitarist Michael Stützer stated about the upcoming CD: "I personally think it's the best production we ever had on a ARTILLERY album. It's very raw and heavy."

He continued: "Our new drummer, Josua [Madsen] and new vocalist, Michael [Bastholm Dahl], really deliver the goods on this album, Josua is an amazing drummer and real nice guy and Michael is the singer in ARTILLERY who is the closest ever to [original ARTLLERY vocalist] Flemming Ronsdorf beside putting a lot of new elements in the band because of his vocal range. He is also writing some great lyrics. So this band is a very complete unit."

Regarding what qualities they were looking for in a singer following last year's departure of Søren Adamsen, Michael said: "You will never hear ARTILLERY with a growler or a pop singer, but sung vocals with melody and rawness at the same time. Actually, we headhunted Michael from a cover band who played MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND covers, so we knew he could sing the old ARTILLERY songs very good."

"Legions" track listing:

01. Chill My Bones02. God Feather03. Legions04. Wardrum Heartbeat05. Global Flatline06. Dies Irae07. Anno Requiem08. Enslaved To The Nether09. Doctor Evil10. Ethos Of Wrath

ARTILLERY is:

Michael Bastholm Dahl - VocalsMichael Stützer - GuitarMorten Stützer - GuitarPeter Thorslund - BassJosua Madsen - Drums

Following on from last year's resurrection of "Darby Crash Rides Again" and "The Fatal Erection Years", Southern Lord present to you POISON IDEA's 1986 album "Kings Of Punk"! The Portland hardcore berzerkers rip through 11 freshly remastered studio tracks, as well as three live sets spread over two CDs, brought kicking, screaming and thrashing back to life by Jack Control (WORLD BURNS TO DEATH). As well as the unhinged audio content, this reissue is full to the brim with liner notes, archive flyers and photos of the band from the era.

"Kings Of Punk" is an unmistakeable righteous rage of an album — having tightened up from the nailbomb eruptions of noise of their early material, POISON IDEA really start hitting their stride on this, their second full-length album. Kicking off with the riff DISCHARGE wish they had wrote, "Kings Of Punk" is a big, bold slab of premium U.S. hardcore, with undertones of the hard rockin' bombast which would define their later works. From the crazed splutter of "God Not God", tripping over itself in a wonderful mess of distress, to the sneering, cheering blast of "Made To Be Broken", this is POISON IDEA at their unparalleled, grittiest, snottiest best.

Fans of hardcore punk — this is a must. "Kings Of Punk" perfectly encapsulates one of the most important bands of the era who took the template of the early '80s and perverted it to fit their own twisted desires. The three live sets, taken from the years '84-'86, offer an even more revealing snapshot of POISON IDEA in their destructive prime, drawling insults at the audience, the world and themselves. This 2CD bloated edition package is due for a November 11 release in Europe.

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch recently spoke to Artisan News about how much of a priority his band LOVE & DEATH will be going forward while he continues to tour in support of KORN's 11th studio album, "The Paradigm Shift". Check out the report below.

LOVE & DEATH's debut album, "Between Here & Lost", was re-released on September 24 as a "deluxe" edition containing a brand new track, "Empty", along with remixes of the songs "The Abandoning" and "Meltdown" by the CD's producer, Jasen Rauch (RED, BREAKING BENJAMIN).

"Between Here & Lost" sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 95 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was originally issued on January 22 via Tooth & Nail Records.

Recorded in Nashville with Rauch and mixed by Paul Pavao, Ben Grosse (MARILYN MANSON, DISTURBED) and Jim Monti (KORN), "Between Here & Lost" consists of 11 tracks, ranging from songs about personal struggle and triumph ("Chemicals", "My Disaster", "Paralyzed") to emotionally charged anthems ("Fading Away", "Watching The Bottom Fall") to a riff-heavy rendition of DEVO's 1980 hit "Whip It".

LOVE AND DEATH is comprised of Welch, lead guitarist JR Bareis, bassist Michael Valentine, and drummer Dan Johnson.

LOVE AND DEATH formed when Welch decided to have open auditions on YouTube in 2009.

"Vengeance Falls", the new album from Florida metallers TRIVIUM, is available for streaming in its entirety at Trivium.org. Due on October 15 via Roadrunner Records, the the follow-up to 2011's "In Waves" was produced by David Draiman (DISTURBED, DEVICE). The first single, "Strife", is available as an instant download with all pre-orders.

In a recent interview with ARTISTdirect, TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy stated about "Vengeance Falls": "Going into this record, the initial goal was to write the absolute best songs we possibly could. We didn't go into it thinking, 'We need to be technical, we need to be brutal," or anything like that. It was about making the best possible music. Looking at it in retrospect, I feel it does encompass TRIVIUM fans have loved over the years through our first five records. Then, it expands upon those tools with the new music. It's a great summary of everything we've done, taking the listener to another place at the same time. I think it's really awesome it does. Maybe 'Ascendancy' and 'Ember To Inferno' were similar, but 'The Crusade' was the exact opposite. 'Shogun' was technical. 'In Waves' was simple. This one has everything, which I really appreciate."

Asked what Draiman brought out of him, Heafy said: "We've never had a producer who was also a singer in a touring metal band before. That was a huge thing for us.

"Lyrics were a huge thing for me. I've had producers before who would say, 'Oh, this doesn't rhyme.' Never before have I had a producer say, 'What does this song mean to you?' I remember the very first time he asked that, I said, 'Well, I leave every song up to the interpretation of the listener.' He was like, 'No, but what does it mean to you?' That was great, because, if from there I didn't have a direct answer, he'd be like, 'Maybe you should think about rewriting some of these parts.'

"I've never been more proud of lyrics than I am on this record. We delved into these lyrics more than ever before to figure out what I'm trying to say.

"The vocal coaching was huge for me too. I've had vocal coaching from a couple of different teachers, but it didn't make sense to me coming from someone who wasn't in a band and didn't know how to translate it into metal. When it came from David, whether it was proper standing, breath technique, or other etiquette, it worked.

"Taking care of my voice is something I learned from David in 2011 on the Australian tour with DISTURBED. He told me about cut-off times, when to stop eating or when to stop laying down when you're playing a show. I carried those things to this day, as well as breath control and proper technique, like where to push from and where not to push from. Those are things people can see I'm using every day on our shows."

TRIVIUM's "Strife" video was filmed in July at Studio One in Orlando and was directed by Ramon Boutviseth, who has previously worked with NONPOINT, DARKEST HOUR, INCUBUS and ALL THAT REMAINS, among others.

TRIVIUM is currently touring North America with DEVILDRIVER and AFTER THE BURIAL.

MONSTER MAGNET will release its new album, "Last Patrol", in North America on October 15 via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Dave Wyndorf and Phil Caivano, while "Evil" Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, BAD RELIGION) mixed the album, with additional production duties handled by Matt Hyde. The artwork was created by Johun Sumrow with consultation coming from Chris Ryall and designs by Ryan Clark for Invisible Creatures Inc. The album will be available as a limited edition CD, standard CD, 2LP and digital format.

In support of "Last Patrol", MONSTER MAGNET will embark on a full-blown North American tour. Although the band has toured Europe relentlessly over the past decade, this is MONSTER MAGNET's first full North American tour in over 10 years. Support will come from Prosthetic artist ZODIAC. The tour is scheduled to kick off November 14 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and will run through December 14 in New York City.

Frontman and MONSTER MAGNET mastermind Dave Wyndorf checked in with his thoughts about "Last Patrol": "'Last Patrol' is a return to our roots in terms of vibe and recording style. It's full-on psychedelic space-rock with a '60s garage feel, recorded almost exclusively with vintage guitars, amps and effects in our hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey. The songs are a kind of space-noir, tales of cosmic revenge, peaking libidos, alienation and epic strangeness. It's a weird trip through the back alleys of a dark, retro-future, which not by coincidence very much resembles my own life. [laughs] The lyrics aren't fantasy really, rather a recounting of my musings on, observations of and general emotional reaction to my life and environment during a 1 week writing period in February of 2013. But I tend to use the vernacular and imagery of science fiction and surrealism to express myself and that's where these lyrics get trippy. There's also our cover version of DONOVAN's 'Three Kingfishers', which I thought fit the mood of the album."

He continued: "'Last Patrol' was produced by Phil Caivano and myself with an effort to bring a homegrown feel to the whole affair. We had been doing smaller projects out of Phil's Studio 13 recording space and I really felt comfortable there so it was the natural choice on where to record the next full-scale MONSTER MAGNET album. Phil and I grew up together and have a shared love of some very particular vintage music and styles. And everybody in the band played their asses off on this one."

"Last Patrol" track listing:

01. I Live Behind The Clouds02. Last Patrol03. Three King Fishers04. Paradise05. Hallelujah06. Mindless Ones07. The Duke08. End Of Time09. Stay Tuned

The video for the song "Mindless Ones" can be seen below.

After the success of TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON's debut album, "The Land Of New Hope", which entered the Top 100 album charts in seven European countries (including a Top 10 entry in Tolkki's home country Finland), Timo Tolkki has started working on a sequel to his first metal opera, slated for a 2014 release on Frontiers Records.

Fans can follow the progress of the making of the album, including writing and recording sessions and special cameos from the musicians and singers involved, from the new web site at this location.

The entire cast of musicians will be revealed one by one in separate video blogs. Fans will be able to interact and take part to different phases of the production through the web site and in the social media pages.

The confirmed cast of musicians/singers is once again full of internationally acclaimed artists, with some interesting twists and surprises. It will surely guarantee another masterpiece from one of the forefathers of symphonic melodic power metal.

The first singer from the cast is Simone Simons of EPICA. She is one of the leading ladies in the female voices category in the world. However, she is not singing the main role on "Avalon II", which is a working title for the album. The final name will be revealed later.

To date, Timo Tolkki has sold over two million records in his career, has won a Finnish Grammy-equivalent and has been chosen by the readers of the American Guitar World magazine to Top 100 as "the fastest guitar player in the world" and "the most influential metal guitar player in the world." He has released 20 albums in his career and toured the world for over 3000 shows in 52 countries.

Metal XS has uploaded quality multi-camera video footage of THE WINERY DOGS — the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) — performing the song "Elevate" on September 15 La Maroquinerie in Paris, France. Check it out below.

THE WINERY DOGS' self-titled debut album sold around 10,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on July 23 via Loud & Proud Records and in Japan on May 15 via Victor Entertainment, the CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER.

"Bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO, THE [ROLLING] STONES, and THE BEATLES, CREAM, and [Jimi] Hendrix. I mean, I grew up with that stuff," Portnoy told Voice Of America. "And, although I've been able to pay tribute to it throughout my career with tribute bands and things like that, I've never been in an all-original band that was kind of playing classic rock power trio stuff. That's how I describe this band: just a straight-up rock band."

Regarding the songwriting process for THE WINERY DOGS' album, Portnoy said: "In all cases, the music was the very first element and from there, Richie would start melodies on top of it. Sometimes the final lyrics were there, coming up on the spot, and other times he would take the melodies and write lyrics later. There were a couple of examples of Richie having something and bringing it in. In those cases, like 'Damaged' and 'Regret', we just left them. Because in those two particular cases, the songs were great as they were."

Portnoy was full of praise for his THE WINERY DOGS bandmates, telling Voice Of America: "Billy Sheehan is my favorite bass player on earth and he has been for almost 30 years now. So to work with him and make music with him for me is an honor. And Richie is someone I have the utmost respect for as an artist. I mean, he is just so underappreciated, not only as a guitarist, but as a singer and a writer as well. I think for me, the most exciting aspect of this band is for people to discover Richie that aren't aware of what a musical genius he is."

"Dark Roots Of Thrash", a DVD/2CD release documenting Bay Area veterans TESTAMENT's sold-out headlining performance at the Paramount in Huntington, New York this past February, will be made available on October 18 (Europe) and October 29 (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records. "Dark Roots Of Thrash" was produced by Get Hammered Productions, directed by Tommy Jones (DEATH ANGEL, KATAKLYSM, SOILWORK) and mixed by Juan Urteaga (VILE, EXODUS, SADUS, MACHINE HEAD). It captures a total of 19 live tracks with countless cams onstage and high above the audience, plus a special moshpit cam that makes you feel like you're a part of the show.

A trailer for "Dark Roots Of Thrash" can be seen below.

Commented TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson: "Metalheads! In case you've missed us on our 'Dark Roots' campaign tour, here's a day in the life and good representation of our show! Check it out, and put on your list of metal to get!"

Vocalist Chuck Billy added: "For all you diehard metal heads out there, 'Dark Roots Of Thrash' is a must-have for your collection. This live DVD and CD is something you can put in you player and crank up for the feeling of a live TESTAMENT performance! You will get 18 songs from the early days of thrash metal to where we are today. Heavy metal forever!"

"Darks Roots Of Thrash" will be made available in a variety of different formats, including the standard DVD+2CD and 2CD versions. A limited Blu-ray+2CD (Europe only), LP (Europe only), as well as Nuclear Blast mail-order-only items (LP colored in gatefold, DVD+2CD digi + tour pass and limited Blue-ray+2CD digi + tourpass) will also be for sale via shop.nuclearblast.com. "Dark Roots Of Earth" DVD/2CD track listing:

DVD:

01. Intro02. Rise Up03. More Than Meets The Eye04. Burnt Offerings05. Native Blood06. True American Hate07. Dark Roots Of Earth08. Into The Pit09. Practice What You Preach10. Riding The Snake11. Eyes Of Wrath12. Trial By Fire13. The Haunting14. The New Order15. Do Not Resuscitate16. Three Days In Darkness17. The Formation Of Damnation18. Over The Wall19. Disciples Of The Watch20. Credits

Bonus content:

21. Backstage Footage22. Native Blood (video clip)

CD1:

01. Intro02. Rise Up03. More Than Meets The Eye04. Burnt Offerings05. Native Blood06. True American Hate07. Dark Roots Of Earth08. Into The Pit09. Practice What You Preach

CD2:

01. Riding The Snake02. Eyes Of Wrath03. Trial By Fire04. The Haunting05. The New Order06. Do Not Resuscitate07. Three Days In Darkness08. The Formation Of Damnation09. Over The Wall10. Disciples Of The Watch

"Dark Roots Of Earth" 2CD track listing:

CD1:

01. Intro02. Rise Up03. More Than Meets The Eye04. Burnt Offerings05. Native Blood06. True American Hate07. Dark Roots Of Earth08. Into The Pit09. Practice What You Preach

CD2:

01. Riding The Snake02. Eyes Of Wrath03. Trial By Fire04. The Haunting05. The New Order06. Do Not Resuscitate07. Three Days In Darkness08. The Formation Of Damnation09. Over The Wall10. Disciples Of The Watch Pre-order your copy here.

TESTAMENT will hit the road alongside LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGANGE and HUNTRESS starting on October 22. A limited number of TESTAMENT V.I.P. packages are currently available now for each show and include: * A souvenir TESTAMENT V.I.P. Laminate* A TESTAMENT poster* An 8" x 10" photo of the band* A coupon for discounted online merchandise* Individual photo opportunities with band members* A group photo with the entire V.I.P. group and TESTAMENT members In addition, each V.I.P. purchaser will be entered into a raffle to win Chuck Billy's stage vest worn throughout this tour. The winner of the vest will be personally contacted by Chuck and will also receive two tickets to the next local TESTAMENT show with passes to come backstage and more.

"The Shoe Collector", the new video from U.K. glam metal legends TIGERTAILZ, can be seen below. The clip was inspired by a short film written and directed by the band's late bassist Pepsi Tate, who died of cancer in 2007. Guitarist Jay Pepper tells Classic Rock: "We thought the 'TAILZ fans across the world would love to see the film and it would be a great idea to write a song to go with it. That led to the idea of releasing a video containing clips of the film — then to releasing the film as it was originally made by Pepsi. We also want to keep the focus on the charity started by his wife Shan, called Amser Justin Time."

"The Shoe Collector" comes off TIGERTAILZ's new EP, "Knives", which will be released on October 15 via Scarlet Records. The CD was recorded at Red Rock Studios in South Wales.

"Knives" track listing:

01. The Shoe Collector 02. One Life 03. Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You 04. Spit It Out 05. Punched In The Gutz

"Knives" is the first new music from TIGERTAILZ in almost six years, a new dawn that sees the band step it up on every level.

Drummer Matt Blakout recently rejoined the 'TAILZ lineup after a three-year absence and teamed up with Jules Millis (vocals), Rob Wylde (bass) and Jay Pepper (guitar).

Pepper tells Classic Rock: "Despite being 'punched in the gutz' a million times and suffering more setbacks than most people experience in their lifetime… we're back!

"If you loved [1990's] 'Bezerk' and that big 'TAILZ sound of the '80s and '90s, 'Knives' ticks all the boxes. It's back to our roots with big melodic hooks, big choruses and even bigger guitar riffs."

SAVAGE MESSIAH have completed recording their as-yet untitled new album, which is due to be released in early 2014. The follow-up to 2012's Plague Of Conscience was recorded at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England with producer Scott Atkins (AMON AMARTH, SYLOSIS, BEHEMOTH), who also worked on the band's last two albums.
Frontman Dave Silver comments: "Finally, after almost seven weeks of brutal hard work, we can proudly say that our third album is complete! Every note has been played, every lyric sung and now we await the finished mixes from producer Scott Atkins. We've had a lot of laughs making this record, and despite it being a labour-intensive effort, we had no major disruptions and the whole experience has been really enjoyable. We're genuinely excited to get this album out into the world and start the promotion! We look forward to releasing more details over the coming months as well as the various touring activities we have planned! See ya on the road!"
Savage Messiah recently announced a European tour with US thrashers HAVOK. The Unnatural Selection European tour is due to kick off on November 23rd in Edegem, Belgium, shortly after Savage Messiah's headlining UK mini tour. The European trek also features support from ANGELUS APATRIDA.

Guitarist Joff Bailey comments: "We're really excited to announce the news that we'll be hitting the road across Europe this November/December with Havok! We really can't wait to hit European shores again and tear it up with all the Savages over there! We've been shut away in the studio all summer working on the new record (which is sounding absolutely brutal by the way!) so when they finally let us loose for our headline tour in October and now across Europe a couple of weeks later with Havok, well, needless to say, we'll burst out fuckin' swinging! I may even put in place a strict diet of Maiden, Metallica and Rocky montage scenes to fire us up even more! See you on the road! STAY SAVAGE!!"

See Savage Messiah live on tour at the following shows:

October
19 - Hillegom, Netherlands - Plug In Festival
20 - Tilburg, Netherlands - The Little Devil
29 - Manchester, UK - Sound Control
30 - York, UK - Fibbers
31 - Birmingham, UK - The Temple

November
1 - London, UK - Borderline

November (with Havok)
23 - Edegem, Belgium - JH Nootuitgang
24 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Distortionfest
25 - London, UK - Underworld
26 - Cardiff, UK - Clwb Ifor Bach
27 - Norwich, UK - Epic Studios
28 - Glasgow, UK - Cathouse
29 - Plymouth, UK - White Rabbit
30 - Chalons en Champagne, France - Contre Point

December (with Havok)
1 - Nantes, France - Le Ferrailleur
2 - Toulouse, France - Le Saint des Seins
3 - Bilbao, Spain - Kafe Antzokia
4 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Caracol
5 - Valencia, Spain - Rock City
6 - Barcelona, Spain - Music Hall
7 - Zurich, Switzerland - TBA
8 - München, Germany - Feierwerk
9 - Wien, Austria - Arena
10 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse
11 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Orto Bar
12 - Borkovany, Czech Republic - Republica San Bonigo
13- Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
14 - Essen, Germany - Café Nova
15 - Berlin, Germany - Magnet

ADRENALINE MOB members Russell Allen (vocals; also of SYMPHONY X) and Mike Orlando (guitar) are in the studio recording material for their sophomore album, tentatively due in early 2014. Orlando states: "Day 2 of tracking vocals with fellow mobster Russell Allen for the new ADRENALINE MOB album is complete! Two and a half more weeks of tracking left then it's time to wrap it up. Stay tuned ...because the best is yet to come!"

Drummer Mike Portnoy (FLYING COLORS, THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) quit ADRENALINE MOB in June due to "scheduling conflicts." A replacement drummer has not yet been announced.

In a recent interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal", Allen stated about Portnoy's departure from ADRENALINE MOB: "He's been, obviously, real busy with THE WINERY DOGS. The truth of it is we wanna keep working, we wanna keep doing ADRENALINE MOB and we don't wanna wait around for Mike to have the time [to put into ADRENALINE MOB]. And he doesn't know when he will have the time again, so that's really what's going down. Mike Portnoy was asked to be in the band by myself. Me and Orlando had already written all the material, so [ADRENALINE MOB's debut album] 'Omertá' was completely finished before Mike joined the act. And it's a bummer, but he's got his sights on other things, and he's not gonna stick around. So we wish him the best of luck, but the MOB's gotta go on."

ADRENALINE MOB's most recent touring lineup also included DISTURBED bassist John Moyer.

ADRENALINE MOB released "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12.

Oakland, California-based extreme metallers ALL SHALL PERISH have released the following statement:

"Earlier today, the official announcement came out that [singer] Hernan 'Eddie' Hermida has joined SUICIDE SILENCE.

"Eddie has quit ALL SHALL PERISH to join SUICIDE SILENCE full time.

"To all our fans who want to know about the future of ALL SHALL PERISH, keep this in mind: Mike Tiner [bass] has been a major writer in the band and will continue to be.

"We had big shoes to fill when guys like Chris Storey and original vocalist Craig Betit left ALL SHALL PERISH, but we were able to rebound with the addition of massive talents like Adam Pierce, Francesco Artusato and Eddie Hermida. Eddie has big shoes to fill himself, stepping in for our fallen brother Mitch Lucker.

"ALL SHALL PERISH has continued before and will continue now.

"We wish SUICIDE SILENCE all the best." ALL SHALL PERISH's fourth full-length album, "This Is Where It Ends", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Awaken The Dreamers", opened with 5,000 copies back in 2008 to land at No. 126.

"This Is Where It Ends" was released in July 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The majority of the effort was recorded and mixed once again at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren (LIGHT THIS CITY, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION).