According to the web site of the Brazilian newspaper Diario de Pernambuco, Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA have revealed the cover artwork and track listing of their new album, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", which which will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Alexandre Wagner, who specializes in charcoal drawing techniques.

Guitarist Andreas Kisser commented on how he discovered the work of Alexandre Wagner. "It was through Silvio Bibika, who was my roadie for a long time," he said. "He always shows me things in general that SEPULTURA might need. Alexandre, who is from Belo Horizonte, Silvio showed me a year ago. So before we went to the United States, to record the album, I was at his house to talk about the cover, tell him the album title, talk about the concept of the film 'Metropolis', so he could do something original. But when I saw the picture with the drawing, I thought it was all about what we wanted and we did not need something new. I asked him to do a tribal S in the style of the cover. The S made by Alexandre will be on the back cover."

Said Alexandre: "I did this series of charcoal drawing work when I still lived in Belo Horizonte. They were all made there. They were quick drawings without much reference, almost an experimentation that may have came from a desire to use the most basic of basic materials — coal, paper and wood. The cover design was already done, Andreas saw it and liked it. We talked a little more and I also sent some other pictures for the booklet. I was pleased with the choice of the theme of the album, I like Fritz Lang very much, and not only 'Metropolis'. 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler' is a fucking great movie."

As a Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte like SEPULTURA, Alexandre was glad to be part of the band’s history. "It's impossible to be from Belo Horizonte and not know the band," he said. "Some of their albums followed me for a long time, especially 'Chaos A.D.' I remember seeing 'Refuse/Resist' on TV and thinking it was wonderful. It’s really cool to work with the guys, being part of something together. It is somehow a shared history."

"The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" track listing:

01. Trauma Of War02. The Vatican03. Impending Doom04. Manipulation Of Tragedy05. Tsunami06. The Bliss of Ignorants07. Grief08. The Age Of The Atheist09. Obsessed10. Da Lama ao Caos (CHICO SCIENCE & NAÇÃO ZUMBI cover)

Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", the CD, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange").

"The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and is being mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

SEPULTURA recorded a total of 14 songs for the follow-up to 2011's "Kairos", including a cover version of DEATH's "Zombie Ritual". The CD will also feature a guest appearance by former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo. In a recent interview with JacksonGuitars.com, Kisser stated about the direction of the new SEPULTURA album: "I write stuff all the time — riffs or ideas on an acoustic guitar. But we really started working on this album in February of this year, so it was pretty quick. We have Eloy Casagrande as our drummer, and he's 22 years old. The guy's a beast. One of the best drummers I've seen on the planet Earth. He has this metal blood that has so much energy and brings so many possibilities for riffs and stuff like that. It is a SEPULTURA album, but like every SEPULTURA album, there is something different. I think the main difference now is the drummer. It's the first time we've worked in the studio with him. It's been almost two years [since the last album], and it's very exciting."

Asked about SEPULTURA's decision to include a bonus track covering DEATH's "Zombie Ritual", Kisser said: "Without DEATH, there wouldn't be a SEPULTURA — especially in the beginning. The very early albums — like 'Morbid Visions' and 'Schizophrenia' — there's a lot of influence from Chuck Schuldiner and his riffs. You can hear that very clearly in our early music. And we never really had the opportunity or idea to play that. We really play our idols, like BLACK SABBATH or MOTÖRHEAD and some Brazilian stuff, but because we covered so many different bands, I think it was time for this tribute to this great band."

SEPULTURA's upcoming CD will mark the first time the band will have recorded an album outside Brazil since "Against".

The reunion between SEPULTURA and Robinson was first suggested by Monte Conner, the former Roadrunner Records A&R chief who is now the head of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a U.S. partnership with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

Robinson produced SEPULTURA's classic "Roots" album in 1995. Released in February 1996 by Roadrunner, it was the band's last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera.

A new video created by Rob Fenn for The Carnival Of Madness tour, featuring SHINEDOWN, SKILLET, PAPA ROACH, IN THIS MOMENT, and WE AS HUMAN is now streaming below. The in-progress tour concludes September 18th in Puyallup, WA.

2013 Carnival of Madness from Rob Fenn on Vimeo.

Carnival Of Madness dates:

August
25 - Cedar Rapids, IA - U.S. Cellular Center
27 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
28 - Big Flats, NY - Tags
30 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
31 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live

September
1 - Raleigh, NC - The Red Hat Amphitheater
5 – Memphis, TN – Mud Island Amphitheater
6 - Allegan, MI - Allegan County Fair
7 – St. Louis, MO – Verizon Wireless
8 – Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheater
10 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
12 – Spokane, WA – Spokane County Interstate Fair
14 - Sacramento, CA - Discovery Park
15 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
18 – Puyallup, WA – Washington State Fair
For more info visit CarnivalOfMadness.com.

Italian grind brutalists EXHUMER will release their second full-length album, Degraded By Sepsis, on October 15th via Comatose Music.

Ruthless and calculating, Degraded By Sepsis marks the first recorded output from one of Italy's sickest death metal exports since their 2008 full-length debut, Bloodcurdling Tool Of Digestion. This new release displays rabid skills of technical brutality, inhuman speed and supreme aggression while leaving a trail of blood-soaked anguish in the unavoidable aftermath. Artwork by Zig.

Check out an album teaser below:

Next month, Exhumer will join forces with PSYCROPTIC, HOUR OF PENANCE and DYSCARNATE for The Inherited Sedition European Tour. The tour kicks off on September 20th in Aarshot, Belguim.
Dates are as follows:

September
20 - Aarshot, Belgium - JC De Klinker
21 - Essen, Germany - Turock
22 - London UK - Electrowerkz
23 - Dublin, Ireland - The Pint
24 - Glasgow, UK - Ivory Blacks
25 - Cardiff, UK - Bogiez Rock Club
26 - Margate, UK - Westcoast
27 - Paris, France - Glazart
28 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Metal Assault Festival
29 - Zurich, Switzerland - Planet 5
30 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk Kranhalle

October
1 - Kosice, Slovakia - Collosseum
2 - Ostrava, Czech Rep - Barrack Music Club
4 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark – Beta

To preorder the album visit this location.

Brooklyn's industrial blackened doomsmiths, BATILLUS, have unveiled their work of cinematic grimness in the form of ‘Concrete’. An ultra bleak, narrative story that brings the track to life in a most uncomfortable fashion, ‘Concrete’ was directed by Gretchen Heinel, features actors Candice Freshko, David McManamon, Rush Aaron Hicks, Mockingbird Girl, Jane Marguerite and La Luna and serves as the band's first ever music video.

‘Concrete’ opens Batillus' mammoth Concrete Sustain full-length, released via Seventh Rule Recordings earlier this year. With songs that range from relentless mid-tempo churns to subterranean crawls, Batillus combines the extremes of heavy music into a surge of massive riffing, rolling over and descending upon the listener with the force and intensity of steel dropping from the sky.

For more info visit Facebook.

SAFETY FIRE will release their second album, Mouth Of Swords, on September 3rd in North America via InsideOut Music. The album is streaming in full below:
Mouth Of Swords tracklisting:

'Mouth Of Swords'
'Glass Crush'
'Yellowism'
'Beware The Leopard (Jagwar)' (featuring Tommy Rogers)
'Red Hatchet'
'Wise Hands'
'The Ghosts That Wait For Spring'
'I Am Time, The Destroyer'
'Old Souls'

'Yellowism' video:
'Red Hatchet' video:
Mouth Of Swords was once again produced by the band's own Derya "Dez" Nagle (guitar), who previously worked with Frank Turner (MONGOL HORDE), RISE TO REMAIN, and THE HAARP MACHINE. It follows the release of last year's debut album, Grind The Ocean, which saw the band tour the world with the likes PERIPHERY, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, GOJIRA, PROTEST THE HERO, amongst others.

American extreme prog giants BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME will hit the road in North America this fall, performing Future Sequence in it's entirety. Dates stretch coast to coast kicking off in Winston Salem, NC on September 13th and will wrap up more than a month later in Nashville, TN. THE CONTORTIONIST, THE FACELESS and The Safety Fire round out the support slots.
Tour dates:

September
13 - Winston Salem, NC - Ziggy's
14 - Knoxville, TN - NV
15 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
16 - Jacksonville, FL - Brewsters Roc Bar
17 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
19 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
20 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
21 - Dallas, TX - Houst Of Blues
23 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Murray Theater
26 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile
27 - W. Hollywood, CA - Houst Of Blues
28 - San Diego, CA - Houst Of Blues
29 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
30 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom

October
1 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades
3 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
4 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
5 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
7 - Calgary, AB - The Republik
8 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
9 - Winnipeg, MN - Garrick Centre
11 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
12 - Chicago, IL - Metro
13 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theater
14 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
16 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater
17 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
18 - Sayerville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
19 - Philadelphia, PA - Theater of the Living Arts
20 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's Downunder
21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls Theater
23 - Baltimore, MD - Sound Stage
24 - Ashville, NC - The Orange Peel
25 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom

'Carved Time' is the third single from Portuguese heavy rockers THE FUZZ DRIVERS. The video comes shortly after the announcement of their worldwide deal with Ripple Music. The band will be appearing live in The UK, Scotland, Belgium and Germany throughout September. Their self-titled debut is available for free at TheFuzzDrivers.com.

Influences from music of the past four decades rages to the forefront of The Fuzz Drivers' sound creating a definite Southern Rock vibe that is then blended through the hard rock cannon of SOUNDGARDEN and LED ZEPPELIN. Plowing the same massively heavy fields of '70s/'80s classic hard rock that fueled their self-titled debut, The Fuzz Drivers aim to build upon that first release and take their rocking brand of heaviness to a new level with their Ripple Music debut, which will be released world-wide in 2014. The band plans to follow up with a full-scale European tour and hit all the major heavy rock festivals.

The Fuzz Drivers are gearing up to hit the road with KING LIZARD and THE SCAMS, confirmed dates are as follows:

September
11 - Grimsby, UK - Yardbirds
12 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Bannerman's
13 - Bradford, UK - Gasworks
14 - Southampton, UK - ROXX
15 - London, UK - The Underworld
16 - Tongeren, Belgium - Club Sodom
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Rock Café St. Pauli
19 - Cologne, Germany - MTC
20 - Hamminkeln, Germany - KuBa

According to an update from Radio Tangra Mega Rock, legendary proggers ASIA are confirmed to play a special show on September 21st at the Roman Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. On some of the songs during the band's set, Asia will be joined by The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Levon Manukian.

Tickets are now on sale here.

Asia are:
John Wetton (KING CRIMSON, URIAH AHEEP ROXY MUSIC)
Carl Palmer (EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER)
Geoff Downes (YES)
Sam Coulson

The magnificent 2nd century Roman Theater will host the Sounds Of The Ages forum for the third consecutive year. The huge open air stage has played host to TARJA TURUNEN and MIKE TERRANA's Beauty And The Beat show in 2011, FISH and his band, plus ANATHEMA and Orchestra in 2012.

Anathema are now releasing the live footage as a special concert movie called Universal in September via KSkope. See the trailer below:

Twin Cities, Minnesota metallers REFLECTIONS will release their new album, Exi(s)t, on October 22nd via eOne / Good Fight Music. To celebrate, the band has released a short teaser via Instagram video, seen here..
Produced by Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, UNEARTH), this is the band's follow-up to last year's The Fantasy Effect, and is some of their most progressive material to date.

Vocalist Jake Foster weighs in with his own words on what their fans can expect: "We're really stoked to release our debut album through eOne/Good Fight Music. We're even more excited for you all to hear how we've grown as a band."

Reflections just wrapped up the South Of The Border tour supporting ALL SHALL PERISH and label mates WITHIN THE RUINS, on their way to Heavy MTL Festival. The band is currently trekking across the country along with OCEANO and will be announcing more touring plans soon.
Reflections is:

Jake Foster (Vocals)
Patrick Somoulay (Guitar)
Charles Caswell (Guitar)
Francis Xayana (Bass)
Cam Murray (Drums)

More on Reflections at this location.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of JANE'S ADDICTION performing a new song entitled "Another Soulmate" on August 22 at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois during the fourth annual Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival can be seen below.

"Being that we have a tour, I'm really happy that we have a good song that will serve as our calling card when we hit various cities," JANE'S ADDICTION frontman Perry Farrell told RollingStone,com. "JANE'S is kind of known for long songs; being this is a one-song single, I thought it'd be interesting to try and write a BEATLES-esque short song that would be fast and furious and it would just be fun, dig it and move on, short attention span."

In addition to JANE'S ADDICTION, Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival features ALICE IN CHAINS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, WALKING PAPERS and DANKO JONES, among others.

Farrell talked to RollingStone.com about some of the other bands on the bill. "I've met the COHEED AND CAMBRIA kids; I like them a lot," he said. "I like how creative they are with their comic-book stuff; it's amazing that they're so into making comics and superheroes and things like that. It reminds me a little bit of the TOOL guys when I first met them and they were really into doing interesting and bizarre things with video. The ALICE [IN CHAINS] guys I've known forever; I knew them in their heyday and I've continued to stay in touch with Jerry Cantrell."

JANE'S ADDICTION released a concert document called "Live In NYC" on June 25. The set was issued on DVD/CD, Blu-ray and double LP vinyl, as well as standalone DVD and CD. The show was filmed and recorded at New York City's Terminal 5 on July 25, 2011, while the band was touring in support of its first studio album in eight years, "The Great Escape Artist".

"Another Soulmate" performance:

Danish death metallers FEROCITY have just released their second music video from their upcoming album, The Sovereign. The video is for the album's title track and it was directed, filmed and edited by MNEMIC guitarist, Mircea G. Eftemie.

Bassist Lars Ole Bogel, had the following to say about the video and album:

"After releasing our first single and live video for 'And the Rest is Silence' this video is our first studio music video from the album The Sovereign. The video was shot at The Wax Factory in Copenhagen and was directed, filmed and edited by Mircea G. Eftemie who also did the cover artwork for The Sovereign. Mircea has previously done videos for big acts as HATESPHERE, ILLDISPOSED and VOLBEAT just to mention a few, so we are extremely proud to finally be able to share his work with our fans!"

Ferocity will be hitting the road with label mates CORPUS MORTALE in September and October, the dates are as follows:

September
6 - Konfus - Esbjerg, Denmark
13 - Gyngen - Aarhus, Denmark
14 - Rockstjernen - Herning, Denmark
21 - TBA - Aalborg, Denmark

October
12 - Drivh uset - Skive, Denmark

The Sovereign will be released worldwide through Deepsend Records on September 3rd.

Ferocity recently signed a record deal with Deepsend Records. The musical style is brutal and uncompromising, yet with a melodic touch that has been Ferocity's trademark for years. With Nikolaj KjÊrgaard on the drums as the newest addition to the band, Ferocity are now focusing a lot more on grind and blast beats than when they first started out. Where other bands go from brutal to more mainstream, Ferocity is doing the opposite. With inspiration from both N.Y. death metal, Swedish and Polish death metal bands, Ferocity are creating a style of their own...

The Sovereign tracklisting:

'...And the Rest is Silence'
'Chain of Command'
'Human Game'
'Son of Sam'
'XIIth Legion'
'Abrupt Desolation' (Instrumental)
'The Sovereign'
'Blind Disciple'
'No Rest for the Wicked'
'Blood Trophy'
The music video for 'And The Rest Is Silence' can be found below:

The Brazilian (German based) old school death metallers of INCARCERATION released a new video clip for the song ‘Forsaken And Forgotten’ taken from their debut-EP Sacrifice. The video was recorded in Hamburg,Germany and produced by Mike Lorenz.

"It was recorded at our Rehearsal Room in Hamburg, and it's great because it's a very special place for us and now we can share it with all of you who (are) following our activities. This is the place where almost every week we meet ourselves to rehearse, drink some beers, to laugh with the jokes and stories of Micha, and bang our heads while doing our death metal ritual." says Daniel Duracell, singer/guitarist of the band.

The band is also announcing the dates of their upcoming Euro tour. The Terror Over Europe Tour 2013 will be together with the Brazilian band ESCARNIUM, and they have already 17 gigs through Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Czech Republic, Italy and Switzerland. This tour aims to promote the EP Sacrifice, released in tape format by FDA Rekotz (Germany) and in 7" Vinyl by Dawnbreed Records (Netherlands).

Terror Over Europe dates:

September
13 – Wolfsburg, Germany – SVJH Ost
14 – Hoogeveen, Netherlands – Alien Music Cave
15 – Groningen, Netherlands – The Pit
16 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – The Rambler
17 – Arnhem, Netherlands – Willemeen
20 – Katwijk, Netherlands – Scum
21 – Wermelskirchen, Germany – NRW Deathfest
23 – Milan, Italy – Blue Rose Saloon
25 – Toulouse, France – La Derniere Chance
26 – Deinze, Belarus – Muziekcafe Elpee
27 – Hamburg, Germany – Bambi Galore
28 – Gottingen, Germany – Juzi

October
1 – Geneva, Switzerland – L’ecurie
2 – Leipzig, Germany – Bandhaus Leipzig
3 – Prague, Czech Republic – Modra Vopice
4 – Breclav, Czech Republic – Piksla
5 – Berlin, Germany – Berlin Deathfest

For more info visit Facebook.

Mexican powerhouse SPLIT HEAVEN have revealed the tracklisting of their upcoming album The Devil's Bandit, to be released November 22nd via Pure Steel Records.
The Devil's Bandit tracklisting:

'The Arrival Of The Gunslinger (intro)'
'Danger Zone'
'False Martyr'
'March Of The Dead'
'The Devil's Bandit'
'Waiting For The Angel Of Death'
'Runaway'
'Diamond Gaze'
'Sinner'
'Right To Rule'

The band recently released their new song, 'Danger Zone', as a preview from their upcoming album.
The Devil's Bandit was recorded in the band's hometown city Queretaro and mastered by Achim Koehler in Germany, whoís know for working with bands like PRIMAL FEAR, BRAINSTORM, AMON AMARTH and SODOM.

The band recently played in Vive Latino Festival 2013 one of the biggest Latin American festivals and in 2012 the band returned from their second tour around Europe where they played in the renowned Heavy Metal festivals Swordbrothers in Germany and Metal Mania in Netherlands.
For more details visit Splitheaven.net.

Swedish progressive death metallers DESCEND return with their sophomore effort entitled Wither. The album was recorded at Legacy London in August 2012.

Wither is the follow-up to 2011's Through The Eyes Of The Burdened, out now through Supernova Records.
The band comments: "We sure would like to give you a release date but are as of yet still working on the distribution deal. We hope to get back to you with more info soon!"

Listen to the new song 'Diabolic' below.
Head to the official Facebook page for more information.

The second promotional video from the Danish old-school thrash act IMPALERS have now been released. This time around the band releases a lyric video for the title track of their debut album ‘Power Behind The Throne”, out now via HPGD Productions.

Singer and frontman, Søren Crawack, had the following to say about the video: "It was pretty much the obvious choice for a lyric video. I mean, the song stands for itself, I'd say, but if you make a lyric video, then you need a song that has lyrics worth exposing. With this song we felt we had more of a message than perhaps any of the others, and it also ties in really well with the artwork for the album, which we then used as the background art for the video. It turned out pretty good, and I hope people like it."

Impalers have just returned from their summer break after a triumphant show at Denmark's largest metal festival, Copenhell, alongside DANZIG, KING DIAMOND and DOWN, receiving praising words from none other than a certain Jason NEWSTED for their performance. The band will spend the rest of the year gigging and touring in Europe and their native country and early next year they will start focusing on a follow-up album to Power Behind The Throne.

For more info visit Facebook.

It's with much sadness and heavy hearts that we have to announce that our bass player for the past decade Marko Paasikoski is no longer in the band.

States Marko:

"I have come to a situation in my life where being a part of a touring band is not an option for me anymore and it's time to explore other things. I wish to thank all the fans and my bandmates for all the good times, great shows and adventures that we have had over the last decade.
The memories from this time will stay with me forever but at the moment I don't have the motivation or the passion that is required to be in the band so it's better for all parties involved that we go our separate ways. I wish all the best for the guys ! -Marko"

We understand Marko's decision and this is of course a thing that we have talked about during the last tour. We appreciate Marko being a stand up guy and finishing up the Stones Grow Her Name- World Tour. Thank you Marko for all these years and best of luck and fortunes with your future endeaveurs, we'll miss you bro !!

Our new bass player is Pasi Kauppinen (Silent Voices, ex-Requiem, Winterborn). We've known him for many years and he has mixed both our DVDs as well as recorded parts of our last 3 studio albums. He will join the band starting with the upcoming album.

Sonata Arctica will start rehearsing in September and enter the studio in October. The new studio album will be out next spring with a world tour to follow.

cheers,
Sonata Arctica

Vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has uploaded a short film called "Prague: The Devil Is The Details", which he shot earlier this year while he was on trial for manslaughter in the Czech Republic in connection with the death of a fan more than three years ago.

In a posting on his Randonesia blog, Blythe stated about the film: "This is a movie I made in Prague during my trial. I filmed the footage with a Canon EOS 60D, edited it with Final Cut Pro X, and wrote the music using Reason.

"I wanted to release a slightly different version of the film right before my judgement was rendered by the court (the very last shot in this version was not there until after I was pronounced innocent). My idea was to show my mind set through film and music during the process of my trial, and have a more ambiguous ending heading into my final day in court.

"I did not know what was going to happen to me, only that I felt I was doing the right thing by being there. Working in a creative capacity during the trial helped me to remain calm — it is what I know how to do, so I wanted to share it with people.

"I showed the clip to my lawyer and he advised against releasing it until after the trial was over, thinking the authorities might not understand what I was trying to say with the movie. It is all over now, so here is my poor attempt to try and create art in a time of great personal uncertainty.

"Note: the Devil plays an important part in Czech fairytales, and marionettes are a bit of Czech folk culture I came to love while I was there — the marionette hangs in my study now.

"The Devil is different in Czech fairy tales though, to my understanding — the puppet is representative of me, the way I viewed myself, the way I was viewed by society at different times — all sorts of things. It is not representative of evil — just wanted to clarify that."

"Prague: The Devil Is The Details" can be viewed at this location.

Prague, Czech Republic's High Court upheld Blythe's "not guilty" verdict on June 5 in connection with the aforemention death. The court's decision is final.

Blythe was facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a May 2010 incident in which Daniel Nosek, who attended a LAMB OF GOD performance in Prague, died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage.

Though Blythe faced up to 10 years in prison, during the closing argument, prosecutors only asked the judge for the minimum sentence of five years.

New York death metal veterans SKINLESS have reformed after a two-year hiatus to headline the third day of Delaware Deathfest this October alongside DEICIDE, SUFFOCATION, BROKEN HOPE, BRUTALITY, DYING FETUS, EXHUMED and many more. The second annual Delaware Deathfest takes place October 4-6 in Wilmington at Mojo 13.

Commented vocalist Sherwood Webber: "We're back. The classic SKINLESS lineup has always had an undeniable live chemistry and it's time to unleash the beast again. We're all old buddies and if we have the opportunity to destroy some stages around the world again, it feels right…. who knows what's next?!? In keeping with the old SKINLESS credo of not giving a fuck… we're back to destroy…. we can't let EXHUMED have ALL the fun!

"Also… if you ever told me that we'd be playing with BRUTALITY when I was 15 years old listening to the 'Screams Of Anguish' tape in Noah’s Camaro, I would never have believed it. This is awesome!!!!"

Added guitarist Noah Carpenter: "This is the lineup that put SKINLESS on the metal map, so it's great to be back. We won't be the road dogs of the past, but we'll be playing some select festivals and drinking all their beer. So sit back, slip on your absorbent undergarments, and let the mayhem begin… again!!!"

The 20th-anniversary edition of PANTERA's "Far Beyond Driven" album will be in made available sometime in 2014.

The seventh LP by PANTERA, "Far Beyond Driven" was released on March 22, 1994 through East West Records. Upon its release, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it the first extreme metal album to top the chart.

"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," former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo tells Artisan News (see video below). "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]."

Asked what he thinks made "Far Beyond Driven" so special, Anselmo said: "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."

PANTERA manager Kimberly Zide Davis, who joined Concrete Management in 1994, and served as vice president of artist management until the organization ceased operations in 2003, was interviewed for Guitar World's January 2010 issue, which paid tribute to late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. During the chat she stated, "I wish there was more [previously unreleased material], but that's one thing about PANTERA; they didn't do extra material. What they did is what everybody got. They didn't do throwaway songs."

Dimebag Darrell was co-founder and lead guitarist for PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

Danish old-school death metallers INBREEDING REDNECKS — who consist of experienced metal musicians from bands like AUTUMN LEAVES, MEMORIAL, FRAMELESS SCAR and MERCENARY — will release their debut album, "Abnormal Life Portrayed", on October 14 via Mighty Music/Target. The CD was recorded at CB Studios by Christian Bonde (DAWN OF DEMISE) and was mixed by Sebastian Wolff from KELLERMENSCH.

INBREEDING REDNECKS has roots in the seaport Esbjerg and is inspired by "old-school" metal and therefore attaches great importance to those areas are the prominent elements of music. Bands like SUFFOCATION, MORBID ANGEL and HYPOCRISY are the source of inspiration as well as modern metallers like GOJIRA, among others.

INBREEDING REDNECKS writes about critical events in society, which are characterized by everyday frustrations and supports it with the brutality of death metal. This universe consists of an equally brutal instrumentation — '90s-inspired growl vocals are delivered in a convincing manner, a high technical level on the drums and lyrics with a clear-cut message. The riffs are written with consideration to the simple and harmonious.

The band pays homage to the old way of making albums, but has found its own way to make it work in today's metal world. With these elements in focus, the band knows that the messages will strike the listener as hard as the songs suggests.

"Abnormal Life Portrayed" track listing:

01. World Of Haste02. An Observation03. Eyes Of Deception04. The Grand Misconception05. Wilted Flowers06. Defeated Demons?07. Division Wreckage08. Misery The Agenda09. The Law Of Man Betrayed

INBREEDING REDNECKS are:

Thue Schmidt - GuitarBrian Jakobsen - GuitarPeter Mathiesen - DrumsRune Sinnbeck - BassTorsten Madsen - Vocals

HELLOWEEN/ex-PINK CREAM 69 frontman Andi Deris has lancuhed a brand new project called ANDI DERIS & BAD BANKERS.

Says Andi: "It's been years I was looking for a band (all over the planet) that I could actually ask to record an album with me, only to find it on the little island I live on just a few months ago. Even more thrilling is the fact that the guys are between 19 and 22 years old. You won't believe it when you listen to the songs!

"We all had and have a lot of fun with the image, even more during the photo session.

"Obviously, we despise everything around banks, managers and bankers who are clearly responsible for the shit that goes on nowadays (and most certainly in our future), so it felt very good to vocally tell them what we think about them. Sure, therefore it's highly explicit, but, who gives a f... that's what they deserve, and it helps the music to really kick some ass."

HELLOWEEN's new album, "Straight Out Of Hell", sold around 4,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 97 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD entered the Media Control chart in Germany at position No. 4 — the highest chart position in the band's history. It also landed at No. 4 in Finland and No. 2 on the international album chart in Japan.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was released in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22.

German power metallers GAMMA RAY have issued the following update:

"After a successful tour across Europe and Asia, it is time now to finish what had been started with 'Master Of Confusion' EP beginning of this year: the band will enter their studio tomorrow looking through and carrying together new material for the new album, 'Empire Of The Undead', which is supposed to be completed right before the band heads out for the South American leg of the Hellish Rock II tour [with HELLOWEEN in late November]."

GAMMA RAY's new EP, "Master Of Confusion", was released on March 15 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

In addition to the brand new title cut, "Master Of Confusion" features a second new studio track, "Empire Of The Undead", showing the heavier side of the band, with an explosion of energy and pure GAMMA RAY sound at its best.

The release is not free from tasty rarities: a brand new studio cover versions of British glam rock band SWEET ("Lost Angels" — "the reason I have joined a band many years ago," stated GAMMA RAY frontman Kai Hansen) and a hidden treasure of NWOBHM ("Death Or Glory" by HOLOCAUST).

"Master Of Confusion" is rounded off with six live versions ("The Spirit", "Wings Of Destiny", "Farewell", "Gamma Ray", "Time To Break Free" and "Insurrection", recorded in Bochum) that were already included on the Blu-ray "Skeletons & Majesties Live" but were not featured on the CD release (which included the show recorded in Pratteln).

EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn will release his new solo album, "Das Seelenbrechen", on October 22. The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

Ihsahn's April 21 performance at this year's edition of the Roadburn festival at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland was professionally recorded and can now be streamed using the audio player below.

Ihsahn's debut solo album, "The Adversary", was re-released as a limited two-LP edition, including layout by Trine + Kim Design Studio, last November via Blood Music.

"The Adversary" was originally released in April 2006 via Mnemosyne/Candlelight Records.

All music and lyrics for "The Adversary" were written and performed by Ihsahn with exception of drums, which were played by Asgeir Mickelson (BORKNAGAR, SPIRAL ARCHITECT).

"The Adversary" was written and recorded over a one-year period at Symphonique Studios in Norway and features a guest appearance by Garm from ULVER on one song.

Ihsahn's fourth album, "Eremita", sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 32 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.

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

RUNNING WILD mainman Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" 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