DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER have released a new documentary video band of their Bridges Are Born live DVD, released as a two-disc set on December 15th, 2012.
The footage for the Bridges Are Born DVD was shot in the band's hometown, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The first DVD in the release is a full live concert, with the second DVD containing a documentary featuring footage from the band's inception to today.

The DVD was produced by Resize Media , co-production with Mad Productions and Baracca Film and directed by Diamonds Are Forever drummer Marcu Dorin. The artwork for the release was created by Gabor Fetyko of Resize Media. Check it out below:

Documentary video:
'The Genocide':
Trailers:

Vocalist Martin Steene of Danish power metallers IRON FIRE recently released a new promo track (not final version) of the track 'Mind Apocalypse' from his group, MARTIN STEENE PROJECT. He has checked in with the following update:
"Just finished up writing and demoing the forthcoming MS Project album. I've been writing and recording for the better part of 2012/2013 and now this part of the journey has come to a close.

Never done a so extended pre-production of an album. Never spent so much time on improving my guitar skillls and relearning how to do death metal vocals (that one hurt ;-). Now I'm gonna send it out to the musicians involved and start planing for studio booking, and then it starts all over again, recording the real deal.

It's gonna be a long road this one, and I'm gonna try to include you all in the making as much as possible with pics and video. The waiting will be long, but it's gonna be worth it. This is by far the most original and sophisticated piece of metal music I have ever done.

Stay tuned, stay safe."
The lineup for the album is:

Martin Steene: Guitars and Vocals
Alexander Guth: Guitars (STORM WARRIOR)
Connie Andreszke: Bass (MYSTIC PROPHECY)
Nikita Merzlyakov: Keyboards (HAMMERFORCE)
Mads Volf: Drums (MANTICORA)
More on Martin Steene Project at Facebook.

Fans of melodic, progressive hard rock have been waiting a long time for this: "I Will Survive", the new album by SEVENTH KEY, and the first new CD of studio recordings since 2004's "The Raging Fire". Spearheaded by longtime KANSAS bassist/vocalist Billy Greer and guitarist/keyboardist Mike Slamer (ex-CITY BOY, STREETS, STEELHOUSE LANDE), they are joined by drummer Chet Wynd and a slew of special guests.

"I think the new CD is maybe a little bit more hard-edged and a little more progressive," says Greer, who remains an active member of KANSAS. " I was also able to enlist my KANSAS bandmate and friend, David Ragsdale, to play on four tracks. That, in itself, added a whole new element to the album."

Formed in 2001 as a side project for Greer and Slamer (the two had played together in the early 1980s in STREETS with KANSAS vocalist Steve Walsh), SEVENTH KEY released an acclaimed self-titled debut but then went dormant again due to the member's previous commitments. The group resurfaced in 2004 with the compelling album "The Raging Fire" and a live CD/DVD the following year.

"I Will Survive", with its prophetic title, re-establishes Greer and Slamer's commitment to SEVENTH KEY.

"I wanted to do more music with Mike," said Greer. "We have a great friendship and we have a strong work ethic. When we get in the studio, things seem to always click."

Part of SEVENTH KEY's musical magic comes in its ability to effectively blend both melodic hard rock and intricate progressive music. They deliver powerful songs and production values that always include big sonic landscapes.

"I Will Survive" is scheduled for release on Frontiers Records on November 1 in Europe and November 5 in North America and will include the following songs:

01. I Will Survive02. Lay In On The Line03. I See You There04. It's Just A State Of Mind05. Sea Of Dreams06. Time And Time Again07. When Love Sets You Free08. Down09. The Only One10. What Love's Supposed To Be11. I Want It All

SEVENTH KEY is:

* Billy Greer: Bass, Lead Vocals* Mike Slamer: Guitars, Keyboards, Programming* Chet Wynd: Drums

Special Guests:

* David Ragsdale: Violin* Billy Trudel, Terry Brock, Bobby Capps, Barry "The Blade" Johnson: Background Vocals* David Manion: Keyboards

WAXEN has returned. After an eight year hiatus guitarist TOBY KNAPP (ONWARD) finally has started working on the follow-up to the 2006 debut Fumaroth.
According to Knapp: "The as-yet-untitled recording picks up where Fumaroth left off, adding in a touch more progressive elements mixed with cold minimalism. The recording sessions are going great due to the warming up process that (Knapp's recently recorded album) Static Warfare has provided. This new album is not delegated to any record label as of yet, however, a few elite companies anxiously await the results. Stay tuned!!"

For more details visit TobyKnappMusic.com.

The debut full-length album by Israeli prog-metal super-group, KEY OF THE MOMENT, displays a new genre deriving from metal, but goes as far as prog-rock, alternative, and even jazz.

Formed by keyboardist Eden Rabin (ORPHANED LAND), KOTM features some of the top musicians in the field: vocalist Iris Sternberg (back-up singer for ZVIKA PIK), guitarist Alon “Tewl” Tamir, bassist Jonathan Maimon (PROJECT RNL), and drummer Yinon Tal (RIGHT ON TIME).
Key Of The Moment' debut album The Switch is out now and features the following tracklist:

'Autumn'
'Rage'
'The Switch'
'Angel'
'Pills'
'Spring'
'That’s You'
'Thanks'
'Heat of the Night'
'Meaningless'
'Winter'
'The Tale of K&L'
'My Song'
'Summer'

For more details visit Key Of The Moment on Facebook.

UK progressive death metallers DE PROFUNDIS have parted ways with guitarist Roman Subbotin.

Vocalist Craig Land comments on the split: ”It was a very tough decision, but it had to be made due to a conflict of priorities. The band thanks him for his immense contribution over the years, and wishes him all the best for his future endeavours.”
A replacement is yet to be named, but De Profundis will honour all their forthcoming shows, with Paul Nazarkardeh (PHYREXIA, ex-CARPATHIA) stepping in, and will continue to work on their fourth album, tentatively due out early in 2014.

De Profundis live:

September
26 - The Black Heart - London, UK
27 - 13th Note - Glasgow, UK
28 - Hordes of Belial Festival - Dundee, UK
29 - tba - Leicester, UK

October
3 - The Cavern - Exeter, UK

ALICE IN CHAINS' videos for the songs "Voices" and "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" can be seen below. Both tracks appear on the band's fifth studio album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", which sold 62,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. The disc follows up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which was the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years. That CD opened with 126,000 units back in October 2009 to debut at No. 5.

ALICE IN CHAINS was last in the Top Two with its self-titled 1995 set, which debuted at No. 1 on that year's November 25 chart, according to Billboard.com. It would be their final studio release with singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002.

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" is ALICE IN CHAINS' second album with William DuVall on vocals.

DuVall began touring with the group in 2006, four years after the death of Layne Staley from a drug overdose.

ALICE IN CHAINS began working on the new disc in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when guitarist Jerry Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.

Canadian band PROTEST THE HERO, which recently made headlines when its Indiegogo campaign to fund a new album more than doubled its $125,000 goal with time to spare, will release its fourth studio CD, "Volition", on October 29 (one day earlier internationally). On the same day as the commercial release, the band will fulfill all of the orders associated with the Indiegogo campaign. Those CD and vinyl copies will feature artwork different from the commercial release and additionally will include the perks that were offered during the Indiegogo campaign. The long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Scurrilous" (Vagrant), "Volition" has been licensed to series of worldwide partners who will help distribute and market it to both traditional stores alongside digital service providers, thus making the new record available on a worldwide scale. PROTEST THE HERO and Razor & Tie will join forces for the United States, while the album will be released in Canada through Sony Music and in the rest of the word via Spinefarm.

"Volition" track listing:

01. Clarity 02. Drum-Head Trial 03. Tilting Against Windmills 04. Without Prejudice 05. Yellow Teeth 06. Plato’s Tripartite 07. A Life Embossed 08. Mist 09. Underbite 10. Animal Bones 11. Skies

The cover artwork can be seen below. The band explains: "Our successful crowdfunding campaign allowed us a new level of both artistic and business minded freedom.

"We had the pleasure of recording an album with budgets and deadlines created only by ourselves and we think the project benefited the world over because of that.

"We can't thank our dedicated contributors enough for putting us in the driver seat. It has been an arduous process because we have had to create two completely different packages for this album. One will be the exclusive release which will only go to people who contributed to our campaign. The other is going to be the more standard release which we hope everyone will see on record store shelves (and digitally, of course).

"We realized pretty quickly after recording that we were going to need some help with the distribution of the traditional release. We knew we wanted our album to be available around the world in as many formats as possible. With this in mind, and with our new found sense of control we have teamed up with some new pals. All of which are completely on board with our non-traditional view moving forward. No advances, no multi-record deals, no hidden agendas.

"We hope you are able to get your hands on at least one of these versions of our new album, regardless of where you are in the world. It's scary, but wonderful to say...this album absolutely would not have been possible without the generosity and support of those who contributed to the making of our new album. We will forever be in your debt!” PROTEST THE HERO recently parted ways with its longtime drummer Moe Carlson.

"[Moe] approached me one day — he approached everyone individually — and said, 'Just to let you know, I'm going back to school,' and I was like, 'Good for you. That's awesome,'" PROTEST THE HERO singer Rody Walker told AUX. "And then he said he didn't have any intentions of touring ever again. That kind of sucked. It was a shock, obviously, but he's been really good about the whole thing."

The band explained in a post on its Facebook page: "When our gruelling studio schedule just wouldn't work with [Moe's] gruelling school schedule, we realized we would need to find a session player for the new album. With Moe's guidance and approval, we found us a nice match in [LAMB OF GOD's] Chris Adler! Having known Chris for a few years, and with he and Moe being drum buddies, it seemed like a perfect fit. We are happy to say that Chris has already come and gone from Canada and has left us with some beautiful drum tracks."

Speaking to AUX, Walker explained how Adler's influence could make the new PROTEST THE HERO record its heaviest to date.

"He's coming from such a different spot than us," Walker said. "We come to heavy metal through punk rock. It must have been strange for him playing some punk beats, and some of the punk beats he plays in a heavy metal way. This may come out being one of our more heavy-sounding records, or more metal-sounding record."

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

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 lyric video for the song "The Order" from Swedish death metallers DEMONICAL can be seen below. The track comes off the band's fourth full-length album, "Darkness Unbound", which will be released on September 20 via Cyclone Empire. The CD, which will be available as a limited first-pressing digipack and LP, was once again recorded at Necromorbus Studios in Stockholm.

Comments the band: "We are confident that 'Darkness Unbound' will be an important milestone not only for us as a band but also an album that will have a certain impact on the current death metal scene and especially the Swedish old-school wave.

"The artwork and visual concept of the album follows the same somber path as the music, making it a solid entity of perpetual death metal darkness."

"Darkness Unbound" track listing:

01. Darkness Unbound02. The Order03. An Endless Celebration04. Contempt and Conquest05. King of All06. The Healing Control07. Hellfire Empire08. Words Are Death09. Deathcrown10. The Great Praise 11. World Beyond (KREATOR cover) *12. Burned Alive (re-recording) **

* bonus track on the limited digi-CD and LP** bonus track on the limited digi-CD

DEMONICAL's new lineup is as follows (left to right in photo):

Daniel Gustavsson - GuitarJohan Haglund - GuitarSverker Widgren - VocalsÄmir Batar - Drums Martin Schulman - Bass

Audio samples of the songs that are set to appear on "A Shade Of My Former Self", the new album from Dutch female-fronted metallers THE CHARM THE FURY, can be streamed below. The CD will be released on September 17 in North America via Pavement Entertainment and on September 16 in the rest of the world through Listenable Records.

"A Shade Of My Former Self" track listing:

01. The Unveiling 02. A Testament 03. Carte Blanche 04. A Shade Of My Former Self 05. The Enemy (feat. Jamie Graham) 06. Colorblind (feat. Daniël de Jongh) 07. In The Wake Of Pride 08. Living Saints 09. Heartless, Breathless 10. Virtue Of Leadership 11. A New State Of Mind 12. Deliverance

THE CHARM THE FURY's debut CD, "The Social Meltdown", saw a frenzy of hype surround the band, with extensive coverage across national radio, including BBC Radio One, and in Europe's acclaimed music magazines such as Metal Hammer and Kerrang! THE CHARM THE FURY graced stages with the likes of I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN, OH SLEEPER and TEXTURES during 2012 and put on a memorable performance at Groezrock festival that raised the bar and offered a greater platform to reach new fans.

The female-fronted quintet not only offers something creatively different with its female screamer but a collection of high-energy monstrous anthems that have hooked the industry with full effect.

Says vocalist Caroline Westendorp: "It is so exciting to see how fast the band has grown in such a short space of time. Reactions have been so positive and it is great to welcome the two labels on board and make the next release a real big deal across seas. You can expect some cool surprises in the new record and we cannot wait to show the fans what we have in store for them." THE CHARM THE FURY is:

Caroline Westendorp - VocalsMathijs Parent - GuitarRolf Perdok - GuitarLucas Arnoldussen - BassMathijs Tieken - Drums

Southern California metallers WINDS OF PLAGUE have completed work on their fourth album, "Resistance", for an Octoebr 29 release via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Will Putney, who has previously worked with SHADOWS FALL and SUICIDE SILENCE, among others.

WINDS OF PLAGUE last year parted ways with drummer Art Cruz due to creative differences. Sitting behind the kit during the studio sessions for the new album was Brandon Gallindo (ex-DEAD IN EXISTENCE).

WINDS OF PLAGUE will embark on a tour with BLEEDING THROUGH in early November. VIP tickets are on sale today and general-admission tickets are on sale Monday, September 9.

WINDS OF PLAGUE's third full-length CD, "Against The World", sold 8,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 60 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on April 19, 2011 via Century Media Records, the effort featured guest appearances from members of HATEBREED, TERROR, FOR TODAY, STRAY FROM THE PATH and former world heavyweight wrestling champion and sports entertainment legend Ultimate Warrior (who performs an epic spoken-word track entitled "The Warrior Code").

Cult German thrashers DARKNESS have reformed with a new lineup featuring two original members, Andreas "Lacky" Lackaw and Arnd Klink, alongside guitar players Bony Fertigmensch and Meik Heitkamp and bassist Christian "Speesy" Giesler of fellow German thrashers KREATOR.

After a few years with EURE ERBEN, Lackaw and Klink decided to resurrect the old spirit and bring DARKNESS back to life.

DARKNESS released three albums between 1987 and 1989 ("Death Squad", "Defenders Of Justice" and "Conclusion & Revival") and split after European tour with MUCKY PUP. In 2004, Arnd and Lacky teamed together to play thrash metal with German lyrics in the band EURE ERBEN but after the "Death Squad" 25th-anniversary show in Essen, they felt it was the right moment to reform DARKNESS.

DARKNESS' "Death Squad" album, which many fans consider to be a Teutonic thrash metal masterpiece, was reissued by High Roller Records on blue and black vinyl. Every copy includes a lyric sheet and a huge poster.

Nathan Carson of Willamette Week recently spoke to BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi about the making of the band's new album, "13" — the first in 35 years to feature Tony, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler.

Asked about how SABBATH decided to recruit RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk to play on "13" following the decision by original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward to bow out of the band's reunion, Iommi said: "[Producer] Rick [Rubin] suggested Ginger Baker, which we put a stop on. We didn't think Ginger Baker would have been… We didn't want to go in the studio and have, um, problems. And we did try some big-name drummers, some very big-name drummers. And they were great. But Rick particularly suggested Brad Wilk. And it was great because Brad had no idea what we were gonna be doing. We wouldn't let him hear the tracks with drums. We just wanted to see what he was gonna put to it. And Brad was a really nice guy. He did work hard, you know, because he was thrown in the deep end so much, and he was very nervous. And then he got used to us. He got used to our jokes, the way we prank around."

Iommi also spoke about his health status more than a year a half after he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

"Ronnie [James Dio, who fronted the BLACK SABBATH offshoot band HEAVEN & HELL on its 2009 tour and died in 2010] was getting stomach pains, and he was telling me before we were going onstage some nights, 'Oh, my stomach's really playing up,' and he'd ask me if I've got any Tums or anything. And I said, 'You should get it checked, you know, Ronnie.' Of course, he did, but it was too late. And that's the problem. It's easy to overlook these things. I mean, I'm probably more over the top than I ever have been now. I check everything every day. You just don't know. A lump pops up and you've gotta get it sorted."

Regarding whether there is a chance BLACK SABBATH will follow up "13" with another studio album, Iommi said: "It all depends on my health, really. But I don't think it would be hard to do another album, because we work so well together once we start cracking. And I've got plenty of ideas and stuff. But we'll have to see what happens at the end of the year, after tour. I mean, for me, this is a whole new venture, because it's the first time I've been out on tour since I've been ill for the last two years. And I have to treat things very differently to how I did five years ago. I've always put the band first, but now, of course, I have to put my health first."

Read more at Willamette Week.

"Magnolia Blvd.", the new video from BUTCHER BABIES, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Daniel Andres Gomez Bagby, who has previously worked with BUCKCHERRY.

"Magnolia Blvd." comes off BUTCHER BABIES' debut album, "Goliath", which sold around 3,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 107 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD came out on July 9 via Century Media Records. The Los Angeles-based band — frontwomen Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chris Warner — wrapped its tour with MARILYN MANSON in late February and went straight into the studio with producer Josh Wilbur (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED).

In a recent interview with CrypticRock.com, Shepherd stated about "Goliath": "The album, as a whole, is very diverse. There is basically something for everybody. We all have different influences and everything is portrayed on this album. Jason [Klein, bass] loves death metal; Henry [Flury, guitar], in general, metal; I love nu-metal; and Carla loves classic metal. We all love every [kind of] metal but those are our favorite and those are where we came from. All our influences shine bright on this album. It's definitely a coloration of everybody's influences and everybody's love. We're all very proud of it in one way or another. There is something for everybody in it."

"Magnolia Blvd." video:

On November 5, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release "Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park" on 2DVD, Blu-ray, visual digital formats and a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition is an 11.5" square 60 page hardback photobook containing the Blu-ray, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs presenting all the key physical formats in one release; the CDs are only available in this deluxe edition. These releases boast the 160 minute main show — accompanied by a wealth of bonus material — and feature many of the band's classic tracks, including "Metropolis Pt. 1", "The Silent Man", "Pull Me Under", "The Root Of All Evil", "The Test That Stumped Them All", "The Spirit Carries On" and the recent "On The Backs Of Angels".

DREAM THEATER began their mammoth "A Dramatic Tour Of Events" world trek in July 2011 with the final leg in South America taking place in August 2012. It was here at the Luna Park Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that they decided to film the two nights that make up this DVD release. The "Live At Luna Park" band lineup for this show is James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); and Mike Mangini (drums). This was DREAM THEATER's first tour and album with their new drummer and all the tracks from that album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", are included in either the main show or the bonus performances.

The bonus features offer live versions of six great tracks: "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under". Also on "Live At Luna Park" is a documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "behind-the-scenes" feature and the cartoon intro that ran on big screens prior to the band taking to the stage in Buenos Aires. The Blu-ray additionally features six multi-angle options on "Outcry".

"Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park" track listing:

01. Bridges In The Sky 02. 6:00 03. The Dark Eternal Night 04. This Is The Life 05. The Root Of All Evil 06. Lost Not Forgotten 07. Drum Solo 08. A Fortune In Lies 09. The Silent Man 10. Beneath The Surface 11. Outcry 12. Piano Solo 13. Surrounded 14. On The Backs Of Angels 15. War Inside My Head 16. The Test That Stumped Them All 17. Guitar Solo 18. The Spirit Carries On 19. Breaking All Illusions 20. Metropolis Pt. 1

Roadrunner Records e-mailed guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to get their thoughts on these special shows.

Roadrunner Records: You played four songs with a string quartet over the two nights. Who did the arrangements?

Jordan Rudess: All the string parts were written by Eren Basbug, the young and talented Turkish musician that I discovered online through his beautiful orchestrations of DREAM THEATER's music and then his great work orchestrating and conducting the premiere of my own composition, "Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra". For two of the songs we did live with the quartet ("Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven") I had originally arranged and recorded quartet-like string parts from my keyboard, and that is what you hear on "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". Eren was able to take those two songs and really make sure what I wrote worked for real players, as well as add some nice touches! For the other two songs, "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep", he created original quartet arrangements.

Roadrunner Records: How much rehearsal time did you have with the quartet?

John Petrucci: We played through each song with them a couple of times at soundcheck. We probably spent about an hour in total making sure they were comfortable and that they knew certain cues, etc.

Jordan Rudess: We had one rehearsal before the first show. I had sent all the music to coordinator Luis Gorelik (who is a well known conductor in South America) and he helped organize the players.

Roadrunner Records: How did their presence alter the way you guys in the band played those songs? Obviously they weren't just sawing away in the background; they were integral to the music, so…in what ways?

John Petrucci: Honestly, we played the songs just as we have been and they followed us. On "Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven", they basically played the arrangements that are on the album. Original arrangements were created for "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep".

Jordan Rudess: In our rehearsal, I was literally conducting them and we all worked quickly to get things into shape and make sure the players really understood the music and what was going to happen in the chain of events on stage. The good thing was that these four songs all really are totally suitable for real strings, so it was an easy conceptual/musical addition to our presentation.

Roadrunner Records: Other than the new album (which was played almost in its entirety each night), the albums you played the most material from were "Images And Words", "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and "Awake". Why those albums, from your perspective?

John Petrucci: We try to create a show that has a certain curve to it. The way that it begins, unfolds and concludes are all carefully thought about. We have so much material at this point that it's difficult to fit in songs from each album. Based on what we played on past tours as well as the flow and arc of the show, we thought these were the strongest choices.

Jordan Rudess: There are so many factors that are in play to create a setlist. Generally, we all felt that we offered a night of music that was a well-balanced mixture of our material that not only spanned a lot of our albums but also flowed really well for the course of the evening.

Roadrunner Records: On the second night, you guys played "Pull Me Under" as the encore, which you've been playing a lot more on tour this year than in the past few years… but only outside the U.S. Is that a song foreign audiences want to hear more than fans at home?

John Petrucci: "Pull Me Under" always goes over, no matter what country we are in. It just has that kind of power and familiarity, I guess. We really thought that it sounded great with [new drummer] Mike Mangini playing it and wanted to share that with our listeners.

Jordan Rudess: I don't know — but I will tell you that they literally were trying to rush the stage in Buenos Aires when we played it. It was nuts!

Drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) was interviewed on the latest edition of "The Classic Metal Show", which is heard live on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. EST at TheClassicMetalShow.com. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Asked why he bothers still answering DREAM THEATER-related questions in interviews when he seems to get criticized no matter what he says, Portnoy replied: "Because when I get asked it, and then I say, 'I don't wanna talk about it,' then that's what goes in print and that becomes the headline and then I'm still a bad guy; there's no winning."

He continued: "My problem is that I care too much and I'm too honest; to be honest, that's the problem. I wish I could say I have thick skin and I don't give a shit what people say, but the reality is I do care what people say, and I've always been that way. I read the Internet, and I care what the fans have to say, and when they tear me apart, I wish I could say it doesn't bother me, but the reality is I'm human. I guess that's the bad that comes with the good. The good is that I do care and I read the Internet and I try to be a very fan-oriented artist. But the bad that comes with that is that I'm also subject to all the ridicule and the criticism and things like that.

"So, what can I say?! It is what it is, and I try my best to ignore it and try to… The reality is that for every one person that tears me apart and hates me, I see 99 other people that are supportive and get it and are behind me. And I guess that's what I really need to focus on and appreciate."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 27 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

Portnoy played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2010 album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and toured with them for the entire second half of that year.

Portnoy announced his departure from ADRENALINE MOB in June due to "scheduling conflicts." A replacement drummer has not yet been announced.

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.

Interview (audio):

Mascot Label Group will release FLYING COLORS "Live In Europe" on October 14 via the Music Theories Recordings label on Blu-ray, DVD, 2CD, limited-edition 3LP Vinyl and digital download (iTunes, mastered for iTunes, Amazon MP3).

A performance clip of the song "The Storm", taken from FLYING COLORS "Live In Europe" can be seen below.

FLYING COLORS features Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (vocals, guitars) and Steve Morse (guitars).

The concert release captures the band live in Tilburg, Netherlands at 013 on September 20, 2012. Directed and edited by Bernhard Baran (GUNS 'N' ROSES, THE CURE, PORCUPINE TREE) with Bill Evans as executive producer, the concert presents the entire studio album, alongside popular favorites performed by the individual members of the band.

The limited edition vinyl set includes 3 LPs on 180-gram colored vinyl, a LP-sized booklet and an exclusive bonus track. The Blu-ray and DVD include stereo and 5.1 surround mixes. Every effort has been made to assure the highest audio quality. All Blu-ray audio being uncompressed, mastered for iTunes is prepared from a 96KHz/24-Bit master, and the vinyl edition spans three audiophile-grade LPs.

The Blu-ray and DVD includes the 45-minute documentary "First Flight" featuring exclusive interviews with the band members, meet-and-greet footage and candid moments on the road captured backstage, in the dressing rooms, the band bus, and during tour rehearsals. The documentary also features excerpts from songs recorded during the band's very first show (Los Angeles, California), first show in Europe (Hamburg, Germany) and final show (London, U.K.) of the tour.

The self-titled debut album from FLYING COLORS sold 6,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 81 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"I think if most people looked at this band on piece of paper, they would think that it would be very progressive and instrumentally based music, but I think once we started playing together, we got taken into all new directions," Portnoy told Audio Ink Radio. "I think a lot of that had to do with Casey, because Casey comes from a more modern rock and alternative rock background, so I think that really helped take the entire band in new directions."

He added, "The diversity element is pretty crazy. It ranges from poppy classic rock sounds like THE BEATLES and QUEEN all the way to modern rock and alternative bands like RADIOHEAD, MUSE and COLDPLAY, and everything in-between. There’s some prog stuff like YES thrown in, as well, and then there are moments that are like the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS or FOO FIGHTERS. So, it really runs the gamut from track to track."

The formation of FLYING COLORS began with a simple idea: virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joining together to make new-fashioned music the old-fashioned way. Refreshing, classic, old and new, the recordings are saturated with the many styles, tones and hues of the players who in becoming a band have delivered a unique fusion of vintage craftsmanship and contemporary music.

In 2008, executive producer Bill Evans brought the idea to the world-renowned musicians and producer Peter Collins. Intrigued by the idea and the prospect of working together, the four musicians signed on to form a band and record a first album.

Steve Morse and Dave LaRue have developed magical music chemistry over the years that began early in their careers as partners in DIXIE DREGS. In 1995, Morse subsequently became a member of DEEP PURPLE, while LaRue's ongoing musical adventures include Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Steve Vai, and the aforementioned Portnoy.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Neal Morse is one of the leading figures in progressive rock, whose notoriety follows his co-founding of the seminal band, SPOCK'S BEARD in 1995, recordings as a solo artist, and contributions to the super-group TRANSATLANTIC.

Mike Portnoy is one of the most popular and respected drummers in both metal and rock, and an accomplished writer and producer. He is the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including 26 Modern Drummer awards, Revolver magazine's Golden God award for "Best Drummer" and Drum magazine's "Drummer Of The Year". He rose to prominence as the leader, drummer, producer, and co-writer for metal/prog juggernaut DREAM THEATER, before moving on in 2010. That same year, he worked on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's #1 album "Nightmare" and their subsequent tour.

It was Portnoy who recommended ALPHA REV's emotive singer Casey McPherson as a contender to join FLYING COLORS. McPherson, whose 2010 Hollywood/Disney album "New Morning" debuted in the Top 5 on two Billboard charts, enjoyed major success at radio with multiple hits. The track "New Morning" spent 17 weeks in the Top 10 on Triple A Radio, and enjoyed a run on VH1's Top 20 Countdown for months. Steve Morse offers, "Casey was a glorious find, because he could make anything sound fantastic, and is a multitalented like the others."

FLYING COLORS convened for just nine days in early 2011, and composed and recorded this album during a short and intense session.

The video for "Point Zero Solution", the title track of the third album from Swedish melodic death metallers DEALS DEATH, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.

Comments DEALS DEATH guitarist Erik Jacobson: "'Point Zero Solution' introduces the factors that lie behind a weakened society, a failed state. The lyrics deal with our human behaviour and our quest for comfort and luxury, at any cost."

DEALS DEATH vocalist and lyricist Olle Ekman says about the album as a whole. "It's a step-by-step description of the process which breaks down the systems of nature and society, our false hopes, our credulity towards authority and the belief in eternal growth."

"Point Zero Solution" will be released on September 13 via Spinefarm Records. The CD, which was forged in the deep woods of Grangärde, Sweden, "contains 11 songs packed with a lyrical edge, delivered with all our blood, sweat and toil," says the band.

Having introduced themselves to a wider audience with last year's "Elite", the new CD shows DEALS DEATH's staying power and musical evolution with lush arrangements, deadlier output through and through and melodic hooks catchier than ever before.

"Point Zero Solution" track listing:

01. Point Zero Solution02. Facing The Echoes03. Escalation04. Flatline05. Passion For Infinity06. The Separation07. Paramount Authority08. Beyond Reason09. Dark Dream Dawn10. Back To Consciousness11. Author Of Arts

The story of DEALS DEATH began in a music college called Boomtown, where guitarist Erik Jacobson met a couple of other students. With some further twists to the story, with which we need not bother, the band released its self-financed debut, "Internal Demons", in 2009 to rave reviews.

In 2009, DEALS DEATH recruited new members in Gothenburg and made the city their base. The second album, "Elite", was recorded in May 2010 in Gothenburg and mixed by Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY). A promo video was shot for the song "Fortified" and released in April 2011. The clip made waves on the metal scene (surpassing already half a million views) and then, a fortuitous bounce launched DEALS DEATH to a larger-than-just-metal audience, when vocalist Olle Ekman's 'Death Metal Vocal Exercises" video became a surprise YouTube hit.

"Addicted To Pain", the new video from ALTER BRIDGE, can be seen below. The clip was shot by award-winning director Dan Catullo.

"Addicted To Pain"comes off ALTER BRIDGE's long-awaited fourth album, "Fortress", which will be released on October 8 via EMI Label Services.

From the opening acoustic guitar work on "Cry Of Achilles" to the closing riff of the epic title track, it is clear ALTER BRIDGE are back to reclaim their place as one of hard rock's standout acts. The album was helmed by longtime ALTER BRIDGE producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with FALLING IN REVERSE, STORY OF THE YEAR and INCUBUS, to name a few. The debut single, "Addicted To Pain", is currently impacting radio and is looking to continue the chart-topping success ALTER BRIDGE has come to know around the world. The band released a visualizer video on YouTube on August 7 so fans could hear the new single and that has been viewed over 340,000 times to date.

"Fortress" track listing:

01. Cry Of Achilles02. Addicted To Pain03. Bleed It Dry04. Lover05. The Uninvited06. Peace Is Broken07. Calm The Fire08. Waters Rising09. Farther Than The Sun10. Cry A River11. All Ends Well12. Fortress ALTER BRIDGE recently announced its only U.S. show of 2013, set to take place on October 4 at the House Of Blues in Orlando, Florida. The band will then head over to Europe where they will begin an extensive headlining world tour that will run from October 16 through November 16 and will feature SHINEDOWN and HALESTORM joining the band on select dates. ALTER BRIDGE will also make a triumphant return to Wembley Arena in London on October 18, a venue they sold out on the "ABIII" tour cycle and documented with the CD/DVD "Alter Bridge Live At Wembley".

Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING will release their new 43-minute album, "Afterwords", in September on CD, vinyl and other formats. In addition to the three songs that originally appeared on the "Afterlights" EP in 2012, the new disc contains two fresh "Disclosure" remakes as well as three brand new THE GATHERING tracks and a cover version of a song called "Areas". The album's title track, "Afterwords", features a guest appearance on vocals by founding THE GATHERING member Bart Smits and it "shows the 'other' side of Bart's dynamic voice," according to the band. Contributing "great trumpet parts" to the CD once again is Noel Hofman.

"Afterwords" track listing:

01. S.I.B.A.L.D.02. Echoes Keep Growing03. Afterwords04. Tuning In, Fading Out05. Areas06. Gemini III07. Afterlights08. Sleep Paralysis09. Bärenfels

The song "Echoes Keep Growing" can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

THE GATHERING has scheduled shows in The Netherlands, Norway and France in November. This will mark the band's first time playing in Norway since 2001, and the first THE GATHERING show for singer Silje Wergeland — who was previously in the Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI — on her home turf.

THE GATHERING's latest album, "Disclosure", was released on September 12, 2012 via the band's own Psychonaut Records. The CD cover artwork was created by the Chilean artist Carlos Vergara Rivera.

Audio samples of all the songs that are set to appear on "New Horizon", the fourth studio album from Irish rockers THE ANSWER, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD, which features mixes from rock icon Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA), will be released on September 27 in Europe and October 1 in North America via Napalm Records.

Since its third studio album in late 2011, THE ANSWER iinstigated a major shakeup in its circumstances and with new management, live booking agents and with new record label on board, late 2012 saw them enter the studio with ex-LITTLE ANGELS vocalist Toby Jepson at the production helm.

The band was honored and privileged that the late Storm Thorgerson and his team designed the artwork for "New Horizon" and Storm was working on the album cover design just before his sad passing. In a statement released by Storm Studios, they said: "Never one for looking back or resting on his laurels, Storm always got a thrill from working with young bands and from the idea of 'newness' in general. In his last few months, Storm and the Storm Studios team threw ourselves wholeheartedly into many new projects and 'New Horizon' was one of the last covers we designed together. As is our usual modus operandi, we interrogated the band at length about their music and lives, and listened to the album on repeat for a month. Our final designs were submitted to THE ANSWER very shortly before Storm died. The image itself came from our thoughts about endings and new beginnings, very poignant for all concerned." THE ANSWER consists of Cormac Neeson (vocals), Paul Mahon (guitar), Micky Waters (bass) and James Heatley (drums) and their U.K. tour will kick off in Belfast on October 11. Australian band TRACER will perform as very special guests on the U.K. mainland run in what promises to be one of the finest rock tours at the end of 2013.

Multi-camera video footage of Philip Anselmo's (DOWN, PANTERA) August 22 performance at Tipitina's in New Orleans can be seen below.

2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of PANTERA's seventh album, "Far Beyond Driven", and the band is planning to re-release a special edition for fans. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Anselmo chatted about the album with Artisan News saying, "Considering its contents, it is the heaviest record to come in at No. 1, and yes, there is a fucking goddamn re-release coming up. I don't know anything, really, about it other than, yes, it's gonna re-released with live footage from said show, but I can't name the show yet, because I think it's a fight between two different shows. And you never know. I'm trying to think of specialties or whatnot that will be included as well."

Anselmo went on to discuss the band's success saying, "The chemistry within PANTERA...In the early days, they were very guarded about what I said here and there. And then, finally, by 'Vulgar Display Of Power', it was, like, 'Just let me handle the lyrics.' And then by 'Far Beyond Driven', I was saying anything I fucking wanted to fucking really fucking sing about, man."

Anselmo's first-ever solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", sold around 8,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and José Manuel Gonzales — "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo.

Italian technical death metallers GORY BLISTER have commenced work on their fifth album for a 2014 release. According to a press release, "the new songs have the classic style GORY BLISTER, but with a darker sound and refined, which pays attention to new arrangements and harmonic solutions. These unpublished directions taken by the band that will lead them to a new chapter of their careers, which will include eight new songs and a couple of live bonuses."

GORY BLISTER's latest album, "Earth-Sick", was released in April 2012 via Bakerteam Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Graveyard Of Angels" featured a guest appearance by NILE's Karl Sanders on two tracks, including "Soul-Borne Maladies".

Commented GORY BLISTER guitarist Raff: "Death metal is not about money, nor about fashion; it's a way of life that requires no compromises. We do this because we believe in it and we want to keep the flame high."