"No Way Out", the new video from Canadian metal veterans ANNIHILATOR, can be seen below. The clip accompanies the band on their tour from the airport to the hotel room, from the rehearsal room to the stage at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany in front of over 80,000 metal fans.

"No Way Out" comes off ANNIHILATOR's 14th studio album, "Feast", which sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

Asked what the tipping point was in terms of ANNIHILATOR shifting its focus away from North America, ANNIHILATOR mainman Jeff Waters told Dead Rhetoric: "[ANNIHILATOR's original record label] Roadrunner dropped everything that was metal. There were no bands left from that purge — Canadian or United States — that had the word metal in it. You had Robb Flynn from VIO-LENCE turn into MACHINE HEAD. They didn't start off with the thrash they have been playing recently — they had red jumpsuits on and changed their sound/image. Bands lost their record deals — nobody was in a position to carry on. Most bands just got jobs, some bands adapted and got rid of their name, changed musicians and went on. For MACHINE HEAD, that worked. We said, this is what we do. We had the luck of Europe and Japan staying with these styles and still buying our music.

"My opinion would be much different if those two territories had not been there, I probably would have been quite bitter and depressed.

"We didn't have an option in North America unless I wanted to change the name of the band and play a different form of music. 'Set The World On Fire' didn't do well in North America, but it was the second-biggest album for us ever in Japan, and 'King Of The Kill' was the biggest one there. 'Set The World On Fire' had us headlining to 80,000 people at the Dynamo festival in Europe, so we were going up but North America didn't see that. I didn't have time to tour the world and try to break back in Canada and the United States. Playing this was not the kind of music the labels wanted to sign anyway, a traditional form of heavy metal and thrash metal. Fans may have wanted it, but the industry didn't, the clubs didn't, the booking agents didn't. They weren't having it in 1993. I just decided I would vacation here and live in Canada, but do my hobby and living where people wanted me in Europe and Japan.

"My son is over 18; I can now tour wherever I want. With the Internet, it is awesome. The fans are finding us and wondering why we haven't been releasing records in North America and touring there. They think I don't like them, which is another misconception. If a label would sign me there, I would gladly tour, and now we got a deal through UDR Music/EMI, so there are no excuses."

Regarding the state of the metal scene in 2013, Waters said: "We are in a slight little lull here. ANTHRAX, you had your singer switch with Joey Belladonna coming back, a great album and tour, so we are waiting for a new record and hoping it's going to be a kick-ass record. You've got SLAYER who has lost the amazing Jeff Hanneman, but Kerry King also wrote a lot of their big songs too. They lost the team but they still have the one guy who could bring them back and resurrect themselves if he wants to do it. Gary Holt is now in there as one of the best riff writers and players in the history of thrash; very underrated guy. If Gary and Kerry hook up, if they block out the outside world and write one of the best records, they could do it for SLAYER. You have METALLICA; there's no new record from them. MEGADETH are doing what they are doing. We are waiting, what's coming. That may be one reason why the new ANNIHILATOR record is unexpectedly doing a zillion times better than anything since 2001. Within four hours of the actual release in Europe, which got released on a Friday the record company scrambled, EMI knew we had a problem because the first run sold out. The next week the label got it back in the stores for the next round and it's selling out all over again. I never ever thought that would happen for this band over there. Our ticket sales for the upcoming tour have gone through the roof. In a way, there is nothing coming out. DEVILDRIVER has a record coming out. With the lull of the 'Big Four,' there is an emptiness. The timing of our record has helped, I hope some new records come out soon that kick ass. Metal fans are waiting for something. Where is the next wave coming from? Where is the next surge of five or six killer records in six months? People are starving for stuff. I am searching iTunes looking for something I don't already have that is all the old-school stuff."

ANNIHILATOR's current touring lineup:

Jeff Waters - Guitar, VocalsDave Padden - Lead VocalsMike Harshaw - DrumsAlberto Campuzano - Bass

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 song "Mindless Ones" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

The reunited METAL CHURCH — Ronny Munroe on vocals, Kurdt Vanderhoof and Rick Van Zandt on guitars, Steve Unger on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums — will release tenth studio album, "Generation Nothing", on October 22 via Kurdt's label Body Of Work Recordings in conjunction with Rat Pak Records.

"Generation Nothing" track listing:

01. Bullet Proof 02. Dead City 03. Generation Nothing 04. Noises In The Wall 05. Jump The Gun 06. Suiciety 07. Scream 08. Hits Keep Comin' 09. Close To The Bone 10. The Media Horse

Audio samples of the songs "Hits Keep Comin'" and "Scream" can be streamed below.

According to Vanderhoof, "Generation Nothing" — which was recorded at Kurdt's English Channel studio in Washingtion — marks a "return to [METAL CHURCH's] classic metal sound. It has elements of the first album and 'The Dark', but still embraces the new sound of the band without chasing the past."

Munroe said in a recent interview with Metal Assault that the new METAL CHURCH effort would contain material that is "very reminiscent of the old days with some stuff that's very 'now.'" He added: "There's a bit of… I'm not going to say 'prog' because it's not, but there's a couple of elements in there that are a little bit progressive. For the most part, out of this batch of songs, they really sound more reminiscent of the early days than anything we've done before with this lineup. This excites me very much, and I think the fans are really going to dig it."

Regarding the circumstances that led to METAL CHURCH's breakup in 2009, Ronny said: "Well, in a nutshell, without going into a huge and long story here, it was certain aspects of things that had continued to happen to the band throughout its career. Not having the proper management and the proper people in place that were handling us. You know, we ended up taking some shows we shouldn't have taken and that just led to where Kurdt was really getting fed up and then we all kind of got that way. Basically, we figured before we end up disbanding because of other reasons such as maybe starting to fight with one another or whatnot, we decided to go ahead and end it then. We all ended up friends and we wanted to keep it that way. So I won't go into specifics, but we all know what the music industry is like now compared to what it was like back then. We just didn't have the right people in our camp."

Asked what the band is going to do differently this time around to avoid falling into the same trap, Ronny said: "This time around we're going to release this next record on Kurdt's label. Basically, Kurdt and the band and whatnot are taking a lot more control of the situation. Yes, maybe the downloading thing is even worse than 2009, but also on the other hand, if you know what you're doing and you use the Internet correctly, you can actually have success. Kurdt's been doing that with his prog band PRESTO BALLET and whatnot. In this day and age, the time is right to go and try something on your own. If it doesn't work, you can always end up going out and searching for a label or something. We're going to take a shot at it and see what happens and I think we're probably going to have some decent success."

"I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived)", the new video from Ohio metallers SKELETONWITCH, can be seen below.

Says SKELETONWITCH guitarist Nate Garnette: "It's never a bad time when you combine 100 beers, several bloody sheep skulls, murder in the woods and five headbanging maniacs. It's an even better time when the end result is a killer classic/slasher video. This time we went with the 'even better time.' Enjoy!"

"I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived)" comes off SKELETONWITCH's new album, "Serpents Unleashed", which will be released on October 29 via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Forever Abomination" was recorded this past spring at GodCity Studio with Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, KVELERTAK, HIGH ON FIRE). The cover artwork for the CD was created by John Baizley (BARONESS, KYLESA, KVELERTAK), who previously worked with 'WITCH on 2007's "Beyond The Permafrost".

"Serpents Unleashed" track listing:

01. Serpents Unleashed02. Beneath Dead Leaves03. I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived)04. From a Cloudless Sky05. Burned From Bone06. Unending, Everliving07. Blade On The Flesh, Blood On My Hands08. This Evil Embrace09. Unwept10. Born of the Light That Does Not Shine11. More Cruel Than Weak

Pre-order "Serpents Unleashed" digitally via Bandcamp now or physically on CD, audio cassette, three different 180-gram LP variants (black, clear or red) and a limited-edition seven-inch collector's box via www.skeletonwitch.com. Also available for pre-order now is a new vinyl pressing of "Beyond The Permafrost", which is back in print on 180-gram black vinyl as well as a new 180-gram clear vinyl variant. Over the past decade, SKELETONWITCH has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe with a who's who of modern heavy metal and performed at some of the genre's largest festivals (Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting, Summer Breeze, Ozzfest, Tuska, Bloodstock), in the process gaining a dedicated legion of fans on both sides of the stage. The band recently completed a successful run of high-profile dates opening for Sweden's GHOST, a group they will again perform alongside this fall.

LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — will release its new album, "Symphonies Of The Night", on November 13 in Spain, Sweden and Norway; November 15 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Benelux; November 18 in the rest of Europe; and on November 26 in North America via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Liv's husband, ATROCITY singer and LEAVES' EYES co-vocalist Alexander Krull, at his Mastersound Studio in Germany. The cover artwork was created by Heile (a.k.a. Stefan Heilemann).

"Symphonies Of The Night" track listing:

01. Hell To The Heavens02. Fading Earth03. Maid Of Lorraine04. Galswintha05. Symphony Of The Night06. Saint Cecelia07. Hymn To The Lone Sands08. Angel And The Ghost09. Éléonore De Provence10. Nightshade11. Ophelia12. Eileen's Ardency (bonus track)*13. One Caress (bonus track)**

* feat. Carmen Elise Espenæs (MIDNATTSOL, SAVN)** DEPECHE MODE cover

Says LEAVES' EYES: "We couldn't be more proud of the final result.

"Expect this album to be the heaviest and most epic LEAVES' EYES experience to date: it will haunt you, even in your dreams."

Liv previously stated about the upcoming LEAVES' EYES CD : "We have taken a great inspirational step since the production of 'Meredead', both sound-wise and vocal-wise.

"It has been such a pleasure evolving in my singing techniques and knowledge and I thank my band members for giving me an inspirational kick when I needed to gain momentum behind the microphone.

"'Symphonies Of The Night' is hauntingly dream-like and heavy to the core!"

LEAVES' EYES released a digital-only EP, "Melusine", on December 16, 2011 in Europe and December 20, 2011 in the U.S. via Napalm Records. The five-track EP effort included no less than four previously unreleased songs.

LEAVES' EYES' latest album, "Meredead", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 32. Released on April 22, 2011 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via Napalm Records, the effort was made available exclusively as limited-edition mediabook CD, including bonus track and bonus DVD "Live At The Metal Female Voices Fest", strictly limited-edition deluxe box set and regular jewel case.

Los Angeles-based thashers WARBRINGER will release their fourth studio album, "IV: Empires Collapse", on October 28 in Europe and October 29 in North America via Century Media Records.

"IV: Empires Collapse", the studio recording debut for former MANTIC RITUAL members Jeff Potts (guitar) and Ben Mottsman (bass) rounding off WARBRINGER's five-piece lineup, was recorded with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SUICIDE SILENCE), mixed by Brett Eliason (PEARL JAM, HEART) and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATEBREED, CONVERGE). The album's cover artwork, which can be seen below, was designed by Adrienne Rozzi.

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

"IV: Empires Collapse" track listing:

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

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

WARBRINGER will tour North America with KREATOR and OVERKILL between October 27 and November 29. Additionally, WARBRINGER has just been announced to appear at IRON MAIDEN's The Battle Of San Bernardino event on September 13, with additional performances by MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, SABATON and OVERKILL, making it a night to remember for fans of heavy/thrash metal.

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

The official video for the song "Blood Host" from SCAR THE MARTYR, the new band led by SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, can be seen below. The track comes off SCAR THE MARTYR's self-titled debut album, which will be released on October 1 via Roadrunner Records.

Recorded at Sound Farm Studios in Des Moines, Iowa, SCAR THE MARTYR's CD was helmed by Rhys Fulber, whose production and mixing credits include FEAR FACTORY, ROB ZOMBIE, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY and more. The album was written by Joey and lead vocalist Henry Derek Bonner (BLOOD PROMISE), and joining them in the studio were keyboardist Chris Vrenna (NINE INCH NAILS), as well as Simon and Norris, who collectively handled all lead guitars on the album.

"Scar The Martyr" track listing:

01. Intro02. Blood Host03. My Retribution04. Soul Disintegration05. Cruel Ocean06. Dark Ages07. Sign Of The Omeneye08. Anatomy Of Erinyes09. Prayer For Prey10. White Nights In A Day Room11. Effigy Unborn12. Never Forgive Never Forget13. Mind’s Eye14. Last Night On Earth

Bonus tracks:

01. Flatline & Fracture02. Digging For Truth03. Coat Of Arms04. Complications

SCAR THE MARTYR was recently on the road as the support act for DANZIG on a North American tour which also included performances by former MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and HUNTRESS. The trek kicked off August 9 at Sound Academy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and wrapped up on August 31 at Tempe, Arizona's Marquee Theatre.

In addition to Jordison, SCAR THE MARTYR's lineup for the tour featured singer Henry Derek Bonner (BLOOD PROMISE), guitarists Jed Simon (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and Kris Norris (DARKEST HOUR), keyboardist Joey Blush and bassist Kyle Konkiel (IN THIS MOMENT).

"With this project, I focused my efforts on writing for the better of the song," said Jordison. "I wasn't worried about flash or persona... It's all about writing a good solid song. I'm writing music that people can grasp and hold on to...something that resonates. If you don't have that, then you have nothing."

"I'd been working on new SLIPKNOT material since the end of the 'All Hope Is Gone' tour cycle, but I ended up with so much stuff I had to take a step back and stop working on it," he explained to Metal Hammer magazine. "The time wasn't right. But I came up with a bunch of material that was really killer and heavy and started taking some of it in a different direction. I started focusing on a lot of the post-punk and industrial stuff that I've always loved and started putting super heavy and brutal guitars over the top of it. That's how it started. It's taken me a couple of years to get to this point, but I can honestly say this is the most satisfied I've ever been in the studio. I can't wait for everyone to hear this shit."

SCAR THE MARTYR will support ALICE IN CHAINS on their U.K. tour in November.

For a complete list of dates, visit ScarTheMartyr.com.

BLACK SABBATH has been nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award in the "Best Rock" category alongside QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, GREEN DAY, KINGS OF LEON, THE KILLERS.

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) take place on November 10 at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The program will be hosted by Will Ferrell in character as "Anchorman" star Ron Burgundy and will be broadcast live on the night.

BLACK SABBATH will release a new DVD, "Live... Gathered In Their Masses", on November 26 via Vertigo/Republic. The set will contain footage of the band's April 29 and May 1, 2013 concerts in Melbourne, Australia in support of SABBATH's long-awaited reunion album, "13".

The disc, which came out this past June, became the first SABBATH album in the band's 43-year history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

1984 saw the long-awaited reunion of the classic DEEP PURPLE Mark II lineup of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. It was the first time they had been together since 1973. They recorded a brand new studio album, "Perfect Strangers", and headed out on tour. The band's show in Melbourne, Australia was professionally filmed and is the only full-length concert recording of the band at this time.

The "Perfect Strangers Live" DVD — due out October 14 via Eagle Vision — is a stunning concert with the band in incendiary form. The setlist mixes then new tracks from the "Perfect Strangers" album with favourites from the early seventies culminating in the brilliant "Smoke On The Water" finale. This is without doubt one of the finest DEEP PURPLE concerts ever filmed and a must have for their legions of fans.

"Perfect Strangers Live" is 141 minutes long and features the following tracks:

01. Highway Star02. Nobody’s Home 03. Strange Kind Of Woman04. A Gypsy’s Kiss 05. Perfect Strangers 06. Under The Gun 07. Knocking At Your Back Door 08. Lazy (including Ian Paice drum solo) 09. Child In Time10. Difficult To Cure 11. Jon Lord Keyboard Solo 12. Space Truckin' (with Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo) 13. Black Night 14. Speed King 15. Smoke On The Water

Bonus feature: Tour documentary

A performance clip of the song "Perfect Strangers" from "Perfect Strangers Live" can be seen below.

Unique Leader Records has announced the signing of ALTERBEAST to a multi-album deal.

ALTERBEAST is a technical death metal band hailing from Sacramento, California, formed in 2011 under the name GARY BUSEY AMBER ALERT (GBAA). ALTERBEAST quickly began writing songs, combining influences from favorites such as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NECROPHAGIST and SPAWN OF POSSESSION, along with numerous other classic death metal acts like DISSECTION and MORBID ANGEL. After a year of dedicated writing, ALTERBEAST released a demo in the winter of 2012 and played countless shows alongside such greats as DEICIDE, DYING FETUS, TESTAMENT, REVOCATION, EXHUMED, SEVERED SAVIOR and many others. They soon began gaining momentum in the death metal community and became known for their intense riffs, blistering drums, elaborate guitar solos and a very developed stage show.

One year after releasing their demo, they entered Augmented Audio at Sound Temple Studios to record their debut album, "Immortal", with former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER bassist Ryan "Bart" Williams engineering. After recording at Sound Temple, the band acquired Gabe Seeber (THE KENNEDY VEIL) for drum duties. Deciding that it was a must to have Gabe's talents on this record, ALTERBEAST booked time at Castle Ultimate with engineer Zack Ohren to record drums and mix and master.

Due in early 2014, "Immortal" will consist of eight tracks of extreme, melodic, brutal, and uncompromising death metal.

"Electric Punishment", the video for the title track of of the new album from San Francisco Bay Area metallers VICIOUS RUMORS, can be seen below. The CD was released on April 29 in Europe and May 7 in U.S./Canada via Steamhammer/SPV.

Guitarist Geoff Thorpe, vocalist Brian Allen, bassist Stephen Goodwin and drummer Larry Howe were supported during the new CD recording sessions by guitarist Thean Rasmussen, who returned to the VICIOUS RUMORS fold after "Razorback Killers". In addition, Thorpe & Co. invited a number of former allies to the studio as guest musicians: Brad Gillis features on "D-Block", "Together We Unite" and "Eternally", Marc McGhee on "Escape (From Hell)", and last but not least, tour guitarist Bob Capka helped out at the studio with a number of rhythm guitars and a haunting solo on "D-Block". Thorpe said: "I had a few problems with my fingers; that's why I was glad that Bob was there to help. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been possible to stick to our tight production schedule." VICIOUS RUMORS released a live album, "Live You To Death", on November 27, 2012 through SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded by Pontus Norgren of HAMMERFALL, mixed by Juan Urteaga and produced by VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe.

VICIOUS RUMORS will kick off the "American Punishment Tour" on September 19 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Support on the trek will come from SEVEN WITCHES and POWER THEORY.

"Stand Or Fall", the new video from SEVEN WITCHES, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's ninth studio album, "The Rebirth", which was released on July 16 through Entertainment One's FrostByte Media imprint. The CD was recorded at Canyon Music in Toms River, New Jersey and was mixed at Sonorous studio in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

"The Rebirth" track listing:

01. Man In The Mirror (Enemy Within)02. Claustrophobic (No Way Out)03. Nightmare Man04. Stand Or Fall05. Hang 'Em High06. True Blood07. Head First08. Rebirth09. Riders Of Doom10. Poison All The People

Alan Tecchio last year stepped down as the SEVEN WITCHES lead vocalist, feeling that he could not be fully committed to the project. The band's new CD, however, features Alan singing his version of one of the new cuts (same music, different lyrics and melodies) as a bonus track.

"We are very excited to unveil the latest incarnation of the band," exlaims vocalist Anthony Cross (a.k.a. Anthony Regalbuto), who is said to have "a completely different approach to the SEVEN WITCHES brand.

"I'm happy to be a part of the band and look forward to continue in the history that is SEVEN WITCHES."

After over 20 different vocalist submissions, Cross was chosen to bring a different dimension to the already well-known WITCHES sound. In recent years, he spent time singing for bands like LIVESAY, SHADOW IMAGE, FISCHEL'S BEAST, ATTACKER, and most recently, the IRON MAIDEN tribute act SANCTUARY. Rounding out the new lineup is the massive rhythm team of Ronnie Parkes (SLIPPERY WHEN WET, FARCRY) on bass and Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE, DANZIG, SEVENTH VOID, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH) on drums.

SEVEN WITCHES states: "Our goal is to bring you something unpredictable that you can sink your teeth into and walk away feeling 'till the next morning."

Vocalist James Rivera (HELSTAR, VICIOUS RUMORS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) announced his departure from SEVEN WITCHES in September 2011.

Rivera sang on SEVEN WITCHES' "Passage To The Other Side" (2003), "Year Of The Witch" (2004) and "Call Upon The Wicked" (2011) albums.

"Call Upon The Wicked" was released on June 3, 2011 via Massacre Records.

Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis performed at the Schecter Guitarfest this past Saturday, September 14 in Valparaiso, Chile. Fan-filmed video video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

The special tour edition of Loomis' latest album, "Plains Of Oblivion", was released on April 16 via Century Media Records.

"Plains Of Oblivion - Tour Edition" features three bonus tracks, in addition to the original "Plains Of Oblivion" disc that was released last year.

Loomis's second solo album, "Plains Of Oblivion", sold 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 179 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 2 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.

"Plains Of Oblivion" was released on April 10, 2012 in North America (one day earlier in Europe) via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) and features cover artwork by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design, who has previously worked with ALL SHALL PERISH, THE END and XERATH.

Digital Tour Bus, which gives fans "an all-access pass" to the tour buses that their favorite bands travel in, has posted its latest episode, focusing on MEGADETH. The seven-minute clip, which was filmed on July 19, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can be seen below.

Says MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover in the video: "You're on our tour bus.

"This is our home away from home.

"We're probably the cleanest band in the history of heavy metal; I'll go on record as saying that. We're a well-kept band. We don't make a big mess. It's like having six people in your bedroom making a huge mess. After a while, it would accumulate and stink, and it probably woudn't be real cool, so…"

He added: "A big part, actually, of being on tour and sharing a bus or what have you is respecting each other with all that. It's the little things that can accumulate into big things over the course of time. We've been doing this so long, obviously, you learn how to respect how everybody else kinda… can join and make sure we have a clean bus."

Sebastian Bach has posted a link to a 1994 interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx which the former SKID ROW singer apparently feels supports Bach's claim that he was once asked to replace Vince Neil as the frontman of MÖTLEY CRÜE.

"Here is a fascinating interview with @nikkisixx where he describes the band MÖTLEY CRÜE rehearsing with Sebastian Bach. Enjoy!" Sebastian wrote on his Facebook page, before following it up with: "ABSOLUTLEY TRUE. @nikkisixx tells it like it is! Sebastian Bach Book on Book Shelves Soon... #ForTheWin #NoBullshit #Oops #YouCantMakeThisStuffUp #IAintMadAtYa #NotLying #ItsOK #SomeoneOwesSomeoneAnApology #ThanksForTheHype #IRememberYou"

In the above-mentioned clip (which can be seen below; skip to 3:50 mark), Nikki can be heard telling host Riki Rachtman of MTV's "Headbanger's Ball": "We said we owed it to ourselves to at least see what it felt like [to have a different singer]. At times when Vince was out of town or off doing whatever he was into doing, Sebastian Bach would come down and hang out with us. And we'd be rehearsing. We need a singer to rehearse. So he'd sing. Steve Perry from JOURNEY came down one time just to hang out and meet everybody. And he was singing. So we kind of had a feeling what it would be like to have a different singer. And we said, the least we could do is try it on for size before we, you know, end it. And we met John [Corabi] and it was magic."

Neil was fired from MÖTLEY CRÜE in 1992 due to personal differences and was replaced by John Corabi. With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top-Ten placing on the album chart.

After Bach revealed in a a three-word tweet to a fan on August 29 that he was asked to join MÖTLEY CRÜE more than two decades ago, Sixx quickly retorted that Bach's version of events never happened. Sebastian then took to his Facebook page to describe in some detail the circumstances behind his being asked to join the CRÜE, which included taking part in a full day's rehearsal with the band and a slew of phone calls between various managers, agents and label executives. "I was driven to rehearsal by Tommy Lee, and I spent a full day singing the MÖTLEY CRÜE set with the band MÖTLEY CRÜE," Bach wrote. "I remember the songs that Nikki asked me to sing that day. I remember the whole road crew's ecstatic reaction to us jamming together all day. And I remember Nikki's very generous, kind offer, at the end of our rehearsal, for me to join the band MÖTLEY CRÜE. I remember his exact words that he said to me in front of his whole road crew, Tommy and Mick [Mars] as well. It's not every day that your hero asks you to join his band."

Bach didn't reveal the full details of what went down that day, promising his Facebook followers that he "will tell the complete story of Nikki offering me to join MÖTLEY CRÜE in my upcoming book, which will be arriving on bookshelves soon."

He added: "I am not simply 'making this up'… I am not a liar. I am working on my book right now and I look forward to you all reading it. I plan on my book having even more information in it than one of my tweets does."

On Friday (September 13), Nikki tweeted what appeared to be a short response to Bach's online rant: "Someone needs attention to try and sell some books." He then added: "I always liked the term 'washed up.'"

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain spoke to The Press-Enterprise ahead of the band's September 13 concert in San Bernardino, California. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On playing in California again:

McBrain: "We love San Bernardino. Mainly, [we] just [remember playing] fantastic gigs [there in front of] fantastic crowds. I think 2005 was a little bit rough for us, but that was something that's been very well documented and we shan't talk about now." [Referring to the band's final gig on the 2005 Ozzfest in which they ended up with power cut off during the set and eggs thrown at them.]

"It's always nice playing in California. We always used to stay uptown around the Sunset Strip area … we've calmed down from the party days. It's a nicer pace of life in Santa Monica. It's lovely being next to the ocean and the pier."

On the "Maiden England" tour, which went worldwide in 2012 and brought back some of the band's classics that haven't been performed live in a while:

McBrain: "We dusted the cobwebs off of 'Phantom Of The Opera'; we hadn't played that in about five or six years. The one that really gets me is 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'. It's a very tricky song to play. It's got a lot of different moves and moods in it. That one I find really hard but challenging, and it's really great to play because it's a stunning piece of music."

On support act MEGADETH:

McBrain: "They've got a great show. They've got these wonderful Jumbotron tellies and screens and they're sounding really, really good."

On the possibility of IRON MAIDEN staging its own festival:

McBrain: "You never know, you just never know in this game. I think it would be great to do a Maiden Fest."

Read the entire interview at The Press-Enterprise.

Germany's GAMMA RAY have posted a short video update on their upcoming new album, Empire Of The Undead, which they began recording in August:
Gamma Ray and HELLOWEEN have confirmed all dates for the Latin American leg of their Hellish Rock Part II tour. They are as follows:

November
21 - Monterrey, Mexico - Arena Santa Lucia
23 - Mexico City, Mexico - Circo Volador
26 - San Jose, Costa Rica - Peppers
28 - Bogota, Colombia - Teatro Metropol

December
1 - São Paulo, Brazil - Espaço das Americas
5 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Venue TBA
7 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Groove

Gamma Ray wrapped up the European leg of their Hellish Rock Tour Part II with HELLOWEEN and SHADOWSIDE on April 21st in Schwandorf, Germany. The band has posted a recap of the tour online, which can be viewed below:

Karisma Records have revealed more details of the upcoming album from Norwegian prog rockers AIRBAG. Titled The Greatest Show On Earth, the six-track album comes in at just over 50 minutes and will be available as a standard jewel case CD and a limited edition vinyl replica style CD, as well as a double vinyl gatefold in both black and limited edition white version. The album will also be available digitally.
Full tracklisting for The Greatest Show On Earth which will be released on the 4th of November, is as follows:
'Surveillance (Part 1)'
'Redemption'
'Silence Grows'
'Call Me Back'
'The Greatest Show on Earth'
'Surveillance (Part 2-3)'

According to a press release, The Greatest Show On Earth sees Airbag continue to pull the listener into their world and bring out in them a range of emotions by creating cinematic pictures with their use of atmospheric sounds. Airbag’s lyrics explore the growing sense of alienation and distrust that the individual feels when confronted by society and authority, whilst at the same time being manipulated and misled into believing that everyone is in control of their self-absorbed lives. This is an exploration that is accompanied by a sonic experience that ranges from massive walls of sound, to ambient textures and soulful soundscapes. .

A follow up to 2009’s Identity and 2011’s All Rights Removed, both also released on Karisma Records, it has taken 18 months of painstaking work on the part of Bjørn Riis (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, bass, co-producer), Asle Tostrup (vocals, keyboards, programming, producer, graphic design), Henrik Fossum (drums), Jørgen Hagen (programming, keyboards) and Anders Hovdan (bass), together with engineer and co-producer Vegard Sleipnes, to perfect the sound on the band’s third full-length album. There is a rougher edge to The Greatest Show On Earth and some heavier parts than their previous releases would suggest, but the classic Airbag sound is still present, and the quality and musical craftsmanship that marks the band’s work are very much in evidence, bringing this new release to a whole new level.

More information about Airbag can be found on the band’s website here.

A video teaser for 'The Greatest Show On Earth' can be seen on the band’s YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/21aX1UuuZK0 or embedded using the following code:

French death metallers AFFLICTION GATE are currently working on new material for their next release titled Dying Alone. At first, planned as a 7" EP with two new tracks, they will extend it to another mini-CD / mini-LP since they now have composed a total of four tracks. The band are still working on arrangements and lyrics as well as vocals, yet they hope to have the songs fully completed by the end of the year and to record them during the first part of 2014.
In other news, the limited 10" mini-LP version of their latest release, Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions, will be out this autumn through Gospel Of Death Records (France) and which includes guest appearance of Eric Daniels (ex-ASPHYX, GRAND SUPREME BLOODCOURT) as well as collaboration work with Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER, ex-EDGE OF SANITY).

For more infos, visit their new Facebook page here.

Norway’s SHINING has issued the following update on Facebook:

“Here's a fun little video we did with the NRK P3 at the Norwegian National TV. Filmed in one take with only three mics (we usually use 25), with no editing, no mixing. Straight ahead! What you see is what you get. But we think it's still pretty cool!

The reason we chose this location is that this is the buildings where Shining's studio and rehearsal rooms have been for the last seven years. As you see, it's all about to be torn down and/or converted into apartments, just like they do all over the city now, since investors earn much more money on building apartments than preserving cool buildings with arts and music.

PS: The government (Byutviklingskomiteen, Oslo Kommune) will look over the case for these buildings on Wednesday, September 18th to see if they have allowed too many apartments in this case. They promised a limit of 20% back in 2009, but fucked it up by mistake when writing the regulations for the area. Let's hope they can get this case back on track, as they meant it to be! Munkeby has written a letter asking them to straighten things out once and for all.”



For more info visit Facebook.

British blues rockers THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT will release their self-titled debut album on September 16th via Earache Records.
Tracklisting:

'Only Friend'
'Ain't No Telling'
'Pride'
'Be Lucky'
'Midnight Black'
'Chinese Lanterns'
'Know for Sure'
'Morning Riders'
'Loves and Fighters'
'Take It Back'
'Smouldering'
'Serenity'

The band have released a video for 'Midnight Black'. Guitarist Luke Potashnick comments: "We're excited to reveal the video for 'Midnight Black'. We recorded it in East London with a load of friends in a basement club a few weeks ago. We wanted to try and capture the feel of our live shows and the spirit of the early videos we put up. Thanks once again to Charlie Miller for his amazing work. The support so far behind our debut album has been unbelievable and we're eager for the release next week! We're then off on tour and get back to what we know best. Really hope to see you out there, and enjoy the video!"
The album is available to pre-order now on CD, cassette and standard black vinyl LP, as well as limited edition coloured vinyl LP in the following quantities and colours:

100 - White
200 - Blue
300 - Clear
More on The Temperance Movement at this location.