A four-minute video clip in which Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek of German power metallers RUNNING WILD answers fan-submitted questions can be seen below.

RUNNING WILD will release its new album, "Resilient", on October 4 in Germany and October 7 in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV.

Kasparek has come up with twelve storm-proof numbers, ten of which are scheduled for release on the regular CD. Two bonus tracks and a poster will be included on the limited version of the album.

Kasparek was working full throttle on this new album since February 2013. Due to his intense involvement with GIANT X, his band with guitarist Peter Jordan, Rolf had consciously taken a break from RUNNING WILD and has now resumed work with the band with zest and lots of new ideas.

"The break was important and extremely refreshing for me," he explains. "I felt that renewed vigor as soon as I started writing the material for 'Resilient', tracks such as 'Fireheart' and 'Soldiers Of Fortune' just came pouring out of me. The dynamic pace of 'Soldiers Of Fortune' in particular kicked off a whole avalanche of creativity in me."

Rolf explains that "Resilient" is audibly tougher and more compact than its predecessor, "Shadowmaker", clearly enjoying his revived zest. "'Shadowmaker' happened to come about slightly unexpectedly and spontaneously, even for me," he says. "The album has brought back the fun I used to have with RUNNING WILD, and my fans will get to feel this fun when 'Resilient' comes out in October!"

The album's opener, "Soldiers Of Fortune", and the title track, "The Drift" and "Run Riot" will be three typical RUNNING WILD numbers. The most outstanding song on the album, however, is called "Bloody Island", with almost ten minutes playing time one of the longest tracks in RUNNING WILD's career to date. Rolf says: "As a composer, it's, of course, difficult for me to pigeonhole the new material stylistically, but friends who have heard the demo version of 'Bloody Island' claim that it would have fitted in on 'Pile Of Skulls'."

In terms of lyrics, there are the familiar fusillades that we've come to expect from RUNNING WILD: "Bloody Island" and the bonus track "Payola & Shenanigans" see Rock'n'Rolf criticize the curse of greed that we've seen specifically in the European banking crisis of recent years. "Crystal Gold" is about the obviously politically motivated privatization of drinking water, and "Fireheart" and "Run Riot" are warnings to RUNNING WILD's fans to be confident of themselves and vigilant towards authorities. Rolf says: "For me, that's the attitude which stands for that true rock'n'roll feeling."

"Resilient" was produced by Rock'n'Rolf himself, supported by Niki Nowy during the mixing and mastering process, as well as Katharina Nowy and Peter Jordan, who contributed a number of guitar solos. For the first time, Rolf worked with precise vocal lines during the demo recordings.

"The targeted use of lyrics and vocal melodies during the demo stage was new for me, but it worked out really well and I've never gone to the studio as well prepared as I did this time around," he says. "I didn't have to try and test things but only had to put a few finishing touches to my singing at the studio. A definite advantage!"

As to whether RUNNING WILD will present this brilliant album live on stage. Rolf says: "We've had a lot of festival offers for summer 2014, which we will look at carefully. We'll know more in a few months' time and will inform our fans as soon as we've made up our minds."

"Resilient" digipak track listing:

01. Soldiers Of Fortune02. Resilient03. Adventure Highway04. The Drift05. Desert Rose06. Fireheart07. Run Riot08. Down To The Wire09. Crystal Gold10. Bloody Island11. Payola & Shenanigans (bonus track)12. Premonition (bonus track)

"Resilient" jewel case track listing:

01. Soldiers Of Fortune02. Resilient03. Adventure Highway04. The Drift05. Desert Rose06. Fireheart07. Run Riot08. Down To The Wire09. Crystal Gold10. Bloody Island

"Resilient" LP track listing:

LP 1

Side 1

01. Soldiers Of Fortune02. Resilient03. Adventure Highway

Side 2

01. The Drift02. Desert Rose03. Fireheart

LP 2

Side 3

01. Run Riot02. Down To The Wire03. Crystal Gold

Side 4

01. Bloody Island

Experimental metal act EPHEL DUATH will return with its first album in five years, "Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness", on November 19 in Europe and November 26 in North America via Agonia Records.

Ignited by commitment and passion, "Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness" is a multi-layered hybrid of death metal, jazz and post rock, and a strong statement from a band never bounded by rules. With intuition set as the only significant parameter, EPHEL DUATH takes an uncompromising will to experiment, to a whole new level of intensity. "This album holds together all that EPHEL DUATH's music has touched in the last fifteen years and pushes its boundaries even further," comments EPHEL DUATH mainman Davide Tiso. "Lyrically, the new songs dig deep in higher self subject matters, combining brutally visual imagery with a painfully honest soul-searching quest." Featuring eight new songs and reaching over 50 minutes of total length, "Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness" includes a unique line-up of: Marco Minnemann (KREATOR, NECROPHAGIST, JOE SATRIANI) behind the drums, Bryan Beller (DETHKLOK, JOE SATRIANI) on bass, lead singer Karyn Crisis (CRISIS) along with Tiso. The album was produced by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATE ETERNAL) at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Studios in New York. "Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness" track listing:

01. Feathers Under My Skin02. Tracing The Path Of Blood03. When Mind Escapes Flesh04. Within This Soil05. Those Gates To Nothing06. Through Flames I Shield07. Hemmed By Light08. Shaped by Darkness

The song "Feathers Under My Skin" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. "Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness" will be available in digipack CD, double LP and digital formats.

A video trailer for the CD featuring album artwork created by visionary artists Dehn Sora and Aeron Alfrey can be seen below.

"Hatred", the new video from the British heavy metal singer Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), can be seen below. The track is one of two new songs that are featured on Blaze's career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", which is due for release on October 31.

The track listing is as follows:

Disc 1

01. Man Who Would Not Die02. Ghost In The Machine03. Stare At The Sun04. Robot 05. Kill & Destroy06. Silicon Messiah 07. The Brave 08. The Launch09. King Of Metal (remixed by Rick Plester)10. Rainbow Fades To Black11. Samurai12. Blackmailer13. Watching The Night Sky 14. Speed Of Light 15. Soundtrack Of My Life

Disc 2

16. Russian Holiday (acoustic feat. Thomas Zwijsen)17. Clansman (acoustic feat. Thomas Zwijsen)18. Voices From The Past19. Tenth Dimension20. Blood And Belief21. 10 Seconds22. Leap Of Faith23. Tough As Steel (Blaze version)24. Comfortable In Darkness25. Living Someone Elses Life26. The Day I Fell To Earth27. Motherfuckers R Us28. Wonderful Life (SINNERGOD feat. Blaze Bayley)29. Hatred (new song)30. Eating Children (new song)

All songs have been remastered by Rick Plester.

Says Blaze: "This double-disc set contains 30 recordings that have been very important to me in my life and 30-year career. Some of the songs included have not been widely available before. I have also had time to write two new songs with Rick Plester (former BLACK SYMPHONY guitarist). The set will come with a 28-page booklet and slipcase. Artwork is by Andreas Sandberg, who also did the artwork for 'King Of Metal'."

Pre-order options:

* Silver package - £15: Album signed * Gold package - £17: Album signed + your name in CD booklet * Platinum package - £25: Album signed + your name in CD booklet + 40-page book "Albums Of My LIfe" + your name in book + fridge magnet + button badge + certificate

There will only be 300 copies of the platinum package available. The "Albums Of My Life" book will contain rare photos, tour dates and autobiographical account of the recordings, written by Blaze. This book is only limited to the Platinum package and will not be sold separately afterwards.

Metal Mind Productions recently released the two-CD version of Blaze Bayley's "Alive In Poland" (previously available only as part of the limited-edition "Alive In Poland" DVD) in Europe and North America.

"Alive In Poland" was recorded in Poland in April 2007 during the 21st edition of Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland. It features a fantastic, over-one-and-a-half-hour show during which Blaze presented the best tracks from his discography, as well as select tracks from IRON MAIDEN ("Man On The Edge", "Futureal").

Bayley's latest studio album, "The King Of Metal", was released in March 2012. The CD was recorded at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy.

The 50-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to replace Bruce Dickinson as the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN.

"Omen Of Disease", the sixth album from reformed Chicago death metallers BROKEN HOPE, is available for streaming using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of Loudwire.com). Released on October 1 (September 30 internationally) via Century Media Records, the CD's drum tracks were laid down at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin with engineer Chris Wisco (LAZARUS A.D., JUNGLE ROT, ORIGIN, GORGASM), while the remaining instruments were tracked at Mercenary Digital Studios in Zion, Illinois with engineer Scott Creekmore (DIRGE WITHIN, PUTRID PILE, LIVIDITY).

"Omen Of Disease" features a special guest appearance by Trevor Strnad of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER on the new BROKEN HOPE track "Rendered Into Lard". The cover painting for the CD was created by world-renowned horror artist Wes Benscoter (SLAYER, CATTLE DECAPITATION, AUTOPSY, KREATOR). Comments Wagner: "Wes Benscoter is one of my favorite artists, EVER. In my opinion, he's right up there with Frank Frazetta, Michael Whelan and Todd Schorr.

"Ever since Benscoter did our 'Repulsive Conception' and 'Loathing' album covers, I've wanted to work with him again. I was beyond thrilled when Benscoter agreed to take on the 'Omen Of Disease' project… and he nailed it! He's captured the vile essence, putrid vibe, and apocalyptic, disease-laden horror of 'Omen Of Disease'." BROKEN HOPE tapped James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY, TESTAMENT) to mix and master "Omen Of Disease" at Murphy's studio, Safehouse Production. "Omen Of Disease" — a title conceived by chief lyricist and guitarist Jeremy Wagner — is also a song on the new album, marking the first BROKEN HOPE "title track" since their 1991 debut LP, "Swamped In Gore". BROKEN HOPE will support DEICIDE on the "No Salvation Tour 2013" in October. Also appearing on the bill will be DISGORGE and NECRONOMICON. BROKEN HOPE 2013 is:

Damian Leski - VocalsJeremy Wagner - GuitarsShaun Glass - BassChuck Wepfer - Lead GuitarsMike Miczek - Drums

In the new four-minute clip below, guitarist John Petrucci of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER shows you what's in the limited-edition collector's box set version of the band's new, self-titled album.

"Dream Theater" is likely to sell between 30,000 and 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on September 24 via Roadrunner The nine-track disc was recorded at Cove City Studio in Glen Cove, Long Island, with Petrucci producing and Richard Chycki engineering and mixing. It's the band's second album with drummer Mike Mangini, and the first one on which he was a part of the writing process from Day One.

DREAM THEATER's previous CD, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", opened with 36,000 units to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8. The band's 2009 effort, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", premiered with 40,000 copies to land at No. 6. This was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Systematic Chaos", which shifted 36,000 copies in 2007 to enter the chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.

"Dream Theater" track listing:

01. False Awakening SuiteI. Sleep ParalysisII. Night TerrorsIII. Lucid Dream02. The Enemy Inside03. The Looking Glass04. Enigma Machine05. The Bigger Picture06. Behind The Veil07. Surrender To Reason08. Along For The Ride09. Illumination TheoryI. Paradoxe de la Lumière NoireII. Live, Die, KillIII. The Embracing CircleIV. The Pursuit of TruthV. Surrender, Trust & Passion

"Dream Theater" was made available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180-gram double LP, and a limited-edition box set.

The video for the song "The Enemy Inside" was directed by Bill Fishman (RAMONES, STEVE RAY VAUGHAN). The strictly conceptual clip deals with the torment of a soldier who's struggling with reintegrating into his life back home due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

New Orleans sludge metal veterans CROWBAR have announced the addition of bassist Jeff Golden to the group's ranks.

Jeff (pictured all the way left in photo above), 32, is from Bolton, Connecticut, but currently resides in Estero, Florida.

CROWBAR will enter the studio in December to begin recording its new album for an early 2014 release.

Bassist Patrick Bruders quit CROWBAR earlier in the month. No reason was given for his departure.

Said CROWBAR guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein: "I'm more hurt than anyone about Pat leaving CROWBAR, but keep in mind that there were years that I was the only member in CROWBAR."

Bruders' exit from CROWBAR does not appear to have affected his position with DOWN, a band that also features Windstein on guitar.

CROWBAR's latest album, "Sever The Wicked Hand", sold around 3,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 4 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.

CROWBAR's previous album, "Lifesblood For The Downtrodden", premiered with 1,900 copies back in February 2005.

"Sever The Wicked Hand" was released in the U.S. on February 8, 2011 through E1 Music and in Europe on February 14, 2011 via Century Media Records.

CROWBAR's "The Cemetery Angels" video was filmed on December 5, 2010 in New York City with director Dale "Rage" Resteghini.

Eleven Seven Music has set an October 29 release date for "The Best Of Buckcherry".

"The Best Of Buckcherry" is the culmination of 15 years of non-stop hard work that has resulted in unprecedented success and has made BUCKCHERRY the standard for the great American rock band.

Not many bands have been successful in merging punk grit, gutter attitude, honest-to-God storytelling and razor-sharp hooks and see the overwhelming success that BUCKCHERRY has had throughout their careers. Somewhere between reaching gold status with their self-titled debut and achieving the status of an international platinum-selling phenomenon, BUCKCHERRY has also supplanted themselves as pop icons with party radio hits that spread throughout their entire catalog.

The liner notes for "The Best Of Buckcherry" were written by renowed by radio personality and "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk.

"The Best Of Buckcherry" track listing:

01. Lit Up02. For the Movies03. Ridin'04. Sorry05. Next 2 You06. Everything07. Crazy Bitch08. Rescue Me09. Rose10. All Night Long11. Gluttony12. Nothing Left But Tears

BUCKCHERRY's sixth studio album, "Confessions", sold 18,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was produced by guitarist Keith Nelson and Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE) and features eclectic CD artwork by graffiti artist Ewok.

The band's previous CD, "All Night Long", opened with around 28,000 units in August 2010 to debut at No. 10.

BUCKCHERRY's fourth studio effort, titled "Black Butterfly", premiered with around 47,000 copies back in September 2008 to enter the chart at No. 8.

Hollywood.TV and Dread Central have uploaded video footage of BLACK SABBATH's Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler being honored at the Eyegore Awards show at the Universal Studios themepark in California on September 20. They were recognized for their achievements in horror and sci-fi entertainment.

Sharon Osbourne introduced her husband and his band and talked about the group's comeback album, "13", saying, "Rock and roll from the very beginning has always been very, very dangerous... and over the past 45 years, one legendary band has not only lived up to this reputation and more, but with their extreme volume, riff-based songs and dark, demonic subject matters, BLACK SABBATH have enjoyed their well-deserved stature as the darkest performers in rock and roll. The band literally invented the words heavy metal."

In his acceptance speech, Ozzy said: "I don’t know what to say, really. It’s been an amazing year, as Sharon just said. We had a No. 1 record and a No. 1 world tour, and now this. What more can I say? Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you."

Following the awards show, Universal launched its annual annual Halloween Horror Nights attraction, which this year features a BLACK SABBATH-inspired haunted maze. The maze is based on the darkest lyrics from BLACK SABBATH's biggest hit songs and is the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video. It also includes scenes inspired by "13".

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

The "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP" cover artwork can be seen below.

"Like our first 'ReAniMate' EP, the songs included here are a collection of both our favorite songs and songs to challenge ourselves," said HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. We decided to go more 'bare bones' with this EP, meaning minimal production with live, gritty performances. We recorded this EP the week of the Grammys, so the excitement and debauchery you hear through your speakers is very real. We hope all our fans have as much fun with 'ReAniMate: 2.0' as we did!"

"ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP" track listing: 01. Dissident Aggressor (originally performed by JUDAS PRIEST)02. Get Lucky (originally performed by DAFT PUNK)03. Shoot To Thrill (originally performed by AC/DC)04. Hell Is For Children (originally performed by PAT BENATAR)05. Gold Dust Woman (originally performed by FLEETWOOD MAC)06. 1996 (originally performed by MARILYN MANSON)

Order now and get an immediate MP3 download of "Get Lucky".

The "Get Lucky" cover is now available for streaming using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of RevolverMag.com).

2011's "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP" contained covers of tracks from SKID ROW, LADY GAGA and GUNS N' ROSES. Singer Lzzy Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that recording other artists' songs helps her own writing. "There's just nothing like singing and playing and picking apart an already proven amazing song," she said. "I think it helps you as a songwriter. I'll write a song and be like, 'Well, is that as good as HEART's 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You', and I'll have to be like, 'No, back to the drawing board.'"

"Fields Of Dreams", the new video from Swedish metallers ETERNAL OATH, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Ghostlands", which was released in June. The CD was recorded at Fear And Loathing studios in Stockholm with producer Jocke Skog.

The new ETERNAL OATH lineup features four founding members — Peter Nagy-Eklof (ex-MÖRK GRYNING) and Petri Tarvainen on guitar, Ted Jonsson on drums and Joni Mäensivu on vocals — along with Johan Adler (DEVAN) on keyboards. ETERNAL OATH's third full-length album, "Wither", came out in March 2005 via Black Lodge Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Righteous" was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg and was mastered at Polar studios in Stockholm.

ETERNAL OATH in 2006 released its first two albums on one CD. The set, entitled "Re-Released Hatred", included the band's debut mini-CD, "So Silent" (1996), as well as its follow-up, "Through the Eyes of Hatred" (1998), both of which have been hard to come by for several years. In addition, it featured a bonus track: a "mind-blowing" cover of AT THE GATES' "The Fevered Circle". All tracks were re-mastered with greatly enhanced sound and the CD also included a completely new, re-designed booklet.

Originally scheduled for September 30, the first two THE ALMIGHTY reissues — "Blood, Fire & Love" (first released in 1989) and "Soul Destruction" (first released in 1991) — have now been rescheduled for January 20, 2014. In an effort to make these new versions as complete as possible, the release date has been put back, and extra attention given to the early work of a band (formed in Scotland in 1988) who have long been regarded as influential, splicing elements of rock, punk and metal, and notching up a Top 5 U.K. album and successive Top 30 singles. Musically, THE ALMIGHTY staked their ground between MOTÖRHEAD and "Electric"-era THE CULT, which made their early Polydor releases — five albums, starting with "Blood, Fire & Love" — a breath of fresh air for riff-hungry rock fans the world over; and now, with their reputation continuing to flourish, Spinefarm has taken over from Polydor (the band's original home) as the label co-ordinating the reissue campaign. The initial batch of reissues (fully official and put together under band supervision) will appear beneath the "Re-F**kin'-Issues" banner and be divided into two parts — the first pair of titles coming out on January 20 and the following releases a couple of months later. All of the reissues will come complete with extensive bonus content, including live, studio, remix and acoustic recordings, plus liner notes, special packaging and track-by-track comments from THE ALMIGHTY mainman Ricky Warwick, now fronting BLACK STAR RIDERS and THIN LIZZY. There is also talk of live THE ALMIGHTY shows featuring key original members, along with a brand new studio album.

U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine recently got the chance to chat to SLIPKNOT and SCAR THE MARTYR drummer Joey Jordison and asked him for his thoughts on some of metal's big-hitters that have been grabbing headlines this year. Here’s what he had to say.

On AVENGED SEVENFOLD:

Jordison: "Honestly, I don't own any AVENGED SEVENFOLD records and I've not heard the new record. I've read about comparisons to METALLICA on the new record, and I guess there's a certain controversy around that, but I've not paid that much attention to it. Nothing against them, I'm not knocking them, but I was just never a fan: not that they're bad, they're just one of those bands that kinda bypassed me."

On METALLICA:

Jordison: "That's the fucking band. Without METALLICA, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing. I have every METALLICA record, of course, and I would spend hours on drums in my parents' basement, with the stereo behind me, cranking those records and learning Lars' [Ulrich] drum beats, beat by beat. And nowadays, for me, METALLICA can do whatever the fuck they want. I'm not sure that 'Lulu' is something I'd be getting into, but METALLICA have a free pass from me to do anything, I can't really knock anything they do. I mean [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO passed the torch to METALLICA; they're that band for our generation. Everything they do now is going to be met with a little bit of a backlash just because they're so big, but without METALLICA, there would be no heavy bands, hardly. People have a hard time saying that, and obviously there's a ton of other great bands, but there's a reason that they're huge and have been able to expand their audience to millions and millions and millions of people. I have nothing but praise for them."

On BLACK SABBATH:

Jordison: "Proper SABBATH is SABBATH with Bill Ward. I'm sorry, it just is. Bill Ward is one of the most underrated drummers ever — the dude is fucking unreal, such a great, great player. And I just can't bring myself to see SABBATH without Bill Ward, because he was such an integral part of that band. He's like John Bonham or Keith Moon, one of those drummers who made the drum parts of those classic songs just as special as the guitar riffs or the vocals. I respect those guys doing what they're doing, but sorry, count me out."

Legendary Boston metal band WARGASM is commemorating the 25th anniversary of its debut album, "Why Play Around?", by readying an album comprised of its mid-'80s demos for release before the end of this year. The 11 songs that are featured on the album were taken directly from the original cassettes, and the record will include every track from the band's four demos: "Satan Stole My Lunch Money", "Your Dog's Teeth", "Gasm It" and "Spirit In Decay". "Whoever owns the rights to 'Why Play Around?' will probably never re-release it," says WARGASM bassist/vocalist Bob Mayo. "Half the songs on 'Why Play Around?' are on this demos album, so it's a pretty cool way to celebrate the 25th anniversary."

Now considered a thrash classic, "Why Play Around?" has been out of print for two decades, though original LP, cassette and CD versions of the album sell for hefty prices in the aftermarket. Mayo continues: "We were amazed that the cassettes still sounded so great. We did have to do a little work on them because remixing them was out of the question. They don't sound perfect, but they sound better now than they did on those original demo tapes."

WARGASM's demos were traded extensively in the '80s metal underground, and one of them, 1986's legendary "Satan Stole My Lunch Money", led to WARGASM's first record deal and the release of "Why Play Around?".

"Working on this record definitely brought me back to those days," says Mayo. "Thrash was just evolving and the tape-trading underground was a really powerful way to get your band heard all over the world. Those times were really special to us and so are these tapes. They're part of the metal underground's history and we're psyched to be able to release them all together this way." WARGASM released three albums and one EP between 1985 and 1995.

In a brand new interview with The Verge, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about whether stretching beyond straight rock albums for METALLICA, such as making the "Through The Never" movie, is an important part of staying engaged after all this time.

"Well, it's great because these are like extracurricular projects," he said. "They're cool things for us to do, that we feel that we can totally get into and really make something really cool and different. And we know we're late on this new album, and we probably would've been halfway through it if this whole movie thing didn't come up. But for us, this is fun. It's a new creative challenge for us. We like being challenged, we like going down new creative avenues in the name of METALLICA."

Asked if fan reactions ever factor in when METALLICA is deciding what to do next, Kirk said: "No, because we're doing it for ourselves, man. 'Lulu' [METALLICA's collaborative album with Lou Reed] is a really good example. I think that 'Lulu' is some of the best stuff we've done. I mean, the song 'Junior Dad' moves me to tears, and working with Lou Reed was such a cool, unique, and special thing for us. Maybe it's not for everyone. Maybe it's a challenge for our fans, but for us — Lars [Ulrich, drums], James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals], Rob [Trujillo, bass], and myself — we loved doing it and it was such a great experience. We look back at it very positively."

In an interview with SPIN magazine, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked if he was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reaction to "Lulu". "It was more spiteful than anyone was prepared for," Lars replied. "Especially against Lou. He is such a sweet man. But when METALLICA do impulsive riffing and Lou Reed is reciting abstract poetry about German bohemians from 150 years ago, it can be difficult to embrace."

Lars also said that he never had second thoughts when sweet Lou came in with lyrics like "I swallow your sharpest cutter / Like a colored man's dick". "I understand that to some 13-year-old in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, it can all seem a little cringe-worthy, but to someone raised in an art community in Copenhagen in the late '60s, that was expected," he said.

Ulrich told Brazil's Wikimetal in September 2011 that he felt good about recording "Lulu", which came out to poor sales and disastrous reviews in November 2011. Ulrich said, "It's definitely very unique, and whether it's unique in a good way or unique in a not-so-good way, I have no idea yet. The people whose opinions I trust say it's very good. It feels very good; it's a lot of fun to do. But whether it's making a new sound, or paving a new way, I have no idea."

The drummer added that METALLICA's success has given them the freedom to try new things, which is essential to the band's longevity. He explained, "I think that 30 years in, we have to kind of do these things to keep us alive. If we get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, it becomes automatic . . . that's not the band I'd like METALLICA to be. I know some people would like METALLICA to make the same record every two years, but that's not what I want METALLICA to do, and I'm not interested in doing that."

"Lulu" polarized fans around the world and earned METALLICA some of the most scathing reviews of its career. The effort features the former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman's spoken-word poetry and lyrics combined with METALLICA's musical assault for a jarring experience that doesn't sound like anything METALLICA has ever attempted before. A concept album based on two early 20th century plays by German author Frank Wedekind, the CD was co-produced by Reed, METALLICA, Hal Willner — who has produced albums for Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Laurie Anderson, among others — and Greg Fidelman. Fidelman also mixed the record.

The collaboration between METALLICA and Reed was sparked by their performance together of Reed's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009.

The songs were all written by Reed with extensive arrangement contributions by METALLICA.

Only two songs on the album are under five minutes in length, while two are more than 11 minutes long and the closing cut, "Junior Dad", clocks in at 19 minutes.

Danish/American hard rockers ROYAL HUNT will release their twelfth studio album, "A Life To Die For", on November 29 in Europe and December 3 in North America via Frontiers. The CD is described in a press release as "a concept album not in the lyrical sense but musically, which sees the band expand their musical boundaries and bring their symphonic and grandiose musical element to the max employing a large number of classical/orchestra players in the studio as well as a large choir. "Once again, the U.S. singer DC Cooper sees his trademark vocals shine throughout the songs penned by keyboard maestro Andre Andersen. The songwriting and performances are absolutely top notch and this is ROYAL HUNT at their symphonic best! In short, 'A Life To Die For' is another trademark release from ROYAL HUNT and truly an essential addition to any fan of progressive metal." Andre Andersen said: "This album is all that any fan of this kind of music might dream about: strong songs with huge choruses, infectious riffs, technical yet memorable instrumental parts, stellar production this time mighty reinforced by classical instruments and — of course — instantly recognizable style." "A Life To Die For" will be mde available in three different versions:

* Digipack CD + DVD (containing live footage from the band's last year tour, tour documentary and interviews)* Regular CD* 180-gram vinyl, gatefold "A Life To Die For" track listing: 01. Hell Comes Down From Heaven02. A Bullet's Tale03. Running Out Of Tears04. One Minute Left To Live05. Sign Of Yesterday06. Won't Trust, Won't Fear, Won't Beg07. A Life To Die For

The cover artwork was created by Kai Brockschmidt (PINK CREAM 69, PRETTY MAIDS) and can be seen below.

ROYAL HUNT is:

Andre Andersen - KeyboardsDC Cooper - Lead VocalsAllan Sorensen - DrumsAndreas Passmark - BassJonas Larsen - Lead Guitar

Guest musicians:

* Kenny Lubcke, Alexandra Popova - backing vocals * Jacob Kjær - guitar solo on "Running Out Of Tears" * Soma Allpass, Christina Lund, Patricia Skovgaard, Christina Larsen - strings * Erik Rosenqvist, Mads Kofoed - brass/woodwinds * CV Company - choir

Nicholas Leptos of epic power metallers ARRAYAN PATH has been named the new lead singer of reunited '80s metallers WARLORD.

Comments WARLORD's William J. Tsamis (guitar, keyboards): "Although Rick Anderson did a phenomenal job for us on 'The Holy Empire' and Giles Lavery performed extremely well during the WARLORD shows in April 2013, I have had my eye on Nicholas Leptos now for a long time for a few reasons:

"The music for the next WARLORD album will offer a heavier, epic power metal soundscape in which the voice of Nicholas will elevate our sound into a whole new realm. His vocals are ideal for the powerful epic material that I am composing for the next WARLORD album.

"Nicholas has also proven that he can perfectly cover every WARLORD singer 'live.'

"In short, Nicholas Leptos will not only be able to carry WARLORD into an even more epic future, but he will also be able to present the classic WARLORD material in a 'live context,' perfectly covering every WARLORD vocalist that has come before him.

"Needless to say, we are very excited to have Nicholas on board. In a word, he is the ideal Damien King that we had been looking for since the inception of WARLORD."

Leptos' WARLORD audition recordings can be downloaded from Mediafire.

WARLORD released its new album, "The Holy Empire", in March. The effort was made available on CD and digitally via Sons Of A Dream Music/Battle Hymns Music.

"The Holy Empire" was engineered and mastered by the multi-Grammy Award winner Phil Magnotti (FATES WARNING, OVERKILL, ARCH/MATHEOS, OSI).

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded multi-camera video footage of POSSESSED performing the song "The Exorcist" live at Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California on September 28. Check out the clip below.

Guitarist Kelly McLauchlin of recently announced his departure from POSSESSED due to his "busy work/travel schedule with [his] audio-visual career." He has since been replaced by Mike Pardi.

POSSESSED's current lineup:

* Jeff Becerra - Vocals* Emilio Marquez (SADISTIC INTENT) - Drums* Robert Cardenas (AGENT STEEL, COFFIN TEXTS) - Bass* Mike Pardi - Guitar* Daniel Gonzalez (NAILSHITTER, OCCISAS) – Guitar

In the October 2008 issue of Guitar World magazine, Becerra talked candidly about the 1989 shooting that left him paralyzed from the chest down, his battle with drugs and alcohol, the early days of the Bay Area thrash metal scene and his future as a wheelchair-bound frontman for the death metal legends.

Regarding the robbery that left him paralyzed, Becerra said: "The first bullet went into my chest about six inches above the nipple, went through the lung and stuck on the inside of my spine. I put my hand up as I was going down, and the second bullet clipped the top of my ring finger off. But at least it didn't hit me in the head. So I was on the ground, and the first guy put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger, and the gun jammed — luckily for me, some criminals don't know how to clean their automatic weapons."

"The Crucifier", the new Jérôme Piel-Desruisseaux-directed video from the Swedish all-girl hard rock quartet CRUCIFIED BARBARA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "The Midnight Chase", which was released in May 2012 in Europe and in July 2012 in North America via Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded at Music-A-Matic Vintage Recording Studio in Gothenberg, Sweden with sound engineer Henryk Lipp and producer Chips Kiesby.

"It feels like a beginning," guitarist/vocalist Mia Coldheart told Metalholic.com about the new album. "It was a really special experience to record it. It was a lot of stress but it was so much more fun than the previous [albums]. We worked really hard, and I think we've become better song writers. I'm really proud of it, and it's so much fun to play the songs. It feels more natural. I think we found our way to write songs, and working together, it was much easier. I think we learn something from every time we enter the studio."

Added guitarist Klara Force: "Recording this album it felt like sound-wise, song-wise, like we were finding a home. We're mature enough to know exactly what we're doing. It turned out the way we wanted, and it's sort of like we found the key on how to do it — and we did it. I think we were a little bit more daring with this album as well."

Formed in Stockholm in 1998 by bassist Ida Evileye (now-wife of MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake) and Force, CRUCIFIED BARBARA plays a fiery brand of rock 'n' roll tinged with metal and lashings of punk, pop, thrash, and whatever else dares to cross their path. Ida Evileye dominates her trusty Sandberg bass, Force rocks steady on her '76 Gibson Explorer, Coldheart belts out her unapologetic vocals while riffing all over her Gibson Gothic Flying V, and Nicki Wicked pounds on her hot pink sparkle Yamaha Maple drum kit until you're splayed across the floor with a bull's-eye knock-out punch that'll make you spit your teeth out. Now you know what happens when MOTÖRHEAD mates with THE RUNAWAYS.