"Firefly", a brand new song from American progressive metallers FATES WARNING, can be streamed below. The track comes off the band's eleventh studio album, "Darkness In A Different Light", which will be released on September 27 via InsideOut Music. Featuring founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic-lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek, the CD was produced by Matheos and mixed by longtime FATES WARNING engineer Phil Magnotti. The effort was mastered by mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA, ANVIL) at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California. The cover artwork was designed by Conte di San Pietro.

Says Alder: "'Firefly' is very personal to me in more ways than one....

"After I had written the melody for this song, I knew immediately what the title was going to be, as well as the subject; it just fit the mood.

"As for the subject, I'm pretty sure we've all felt this way at one time or another.

"Sometimes things just don't work out the way you think they would, but that's okay, that's part of life... We move on. Ironically, while recording 'Firefly' in New Hampshire, I was outside the studio late one night, and there they were, floating through the trees in the forest! I hadn't seen a single firefly for at least fifteen years since I had left my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, so I kinda took it as a sign. A sign of what, I don't know... But very ironic nonetheless..."

"Darkness In A Different Light" track listing:

CD 1

01. One Thousand
02. Firefly
03. Desire
04. Falling
05. I Am
06. Lighthouse
07. Into The Black
08. Kneel And Obey
09. O Chloroform
10. And Yet It Moves

CD 2

01. Firefly (extended)
02. Falling Further
03. One (live)
04. Life In Still Water (live)

Commented Alder: "'Darkness In A Different Light' is the result of almost two years of very hard work from everyone in the band.

"I believe that this lineup is the best that FATES WARNING has ever had, and I also think that it comes through in the music on this album.

"It's been almost nine years since our last studio album and I couldn't be more proud of what we've accomplished here.

"We are looking very much forward to playing some new songs for our fans who have stuck by us over all these years.

"We plan on touring as much as possible for 'Darkness In A Different Light' and hopefully we'll hit a few places we've never been."

FATES WARNING will embark on a North American tour in November. The trek will launch November 15 in Joliet, Illinois and wrap December 14 in Seattle, Washington.

The "Parallels" lineup of FATES WARNING played a number of shows in 2010 in support of the released special edition of the album, which was made available through Metal Blade Records. In addition to remastered audio, there is a second audio disc of live and demo material. The package also includes a DVD with nearly three hours of material, including a complete live show from the 1992 "Parallels" tour and a documentary on the making of "Parallels" which includes live, studio, and current day interview footage with all the band members, Terry Brown (producer) and Brian Slagel (CEO of Metal Blade Records).

FATES WARNING's last CD, "X", was released in 2004 on Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2000's "Disconnected" was recorded at Carriage House studios in Stamford, Connecticut and features cover artwork by renowned record-cover artist Ioannis (DREAM THEATER, SEPULTURA, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, KING CRIMSON, BIOHAZARD, VOIVOD, UFO, OVERKILL).

In November and December of 2012, MEGADETH blazed hot on the band's "Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour", ripping through their entire double platinum 1992 album from start to finish before performing other classics from their recorded catalog. Recorded and filmed at Los Angeles' Fox Theatre last December, "Countdown to Extinction: Live" is a definitive document of the acclaimed, sold-out tour.

In addition to MEGADETH's blistering performance of the entire "Countdown To Extinction" album, including the essential "Symphony Of Destruction", "Foreclosure Of A Dream", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin O' My Teeth", "Countdown to Extinction: Live" features all of the other MEGADETH classics the band performed at the epic concert, including "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" from 1990's "Rust In Peace", "Peace Sells" from the band's influential, platinum-certified 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", and "Trust" from 1997's platinum certified "Cryptic Writings".

On September 24, "Countdown To Extinction: Live" will be released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray via Capitol.

"Countdown To Extinction: Live" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Architecture Of Aggression
03. Ashes In Your Mouth
04. Captive Honour
05. Countdown To Extinction
06. Foreclosure Of A Dream
07. Hangar 18
08. High Speed Dirt
09. Holy Wars
10. Peace Sells
11. Psychotron
12. Public Enemy
13. She Wolf
14. Skin O' My Teeth
15. Sweating Bullets
16. Symphony Of Destruction
17. This Was My Life
18. Trust
19. Outro

The first part of a new video interview with frontman Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven of Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON can be seen below.

SATYRICON will release its new, self-titled studio album on September 9 in Norway via Indie Recordings, on September 8 in the rest of Europe through Roadrunner Records, and on September 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven and was recorded in Norway, and mixed by Adam Kasper. The effort features a guest appearance by Sivert Høyem, the Norwegian singer best known as the vocalist of the rock band MADRUGADA.

"Satyricon" is available for preorder in the following formats:

* Red transparent vinyl
* Clear vinyl
* Mixed color vinyl
* Black vinyl
* Digipack CD

"Satyricon" track listing:

01. Voice Of Shadows
02. Tro Og Kraft
03. Our World, It Rumbles Tonight
04. Nocturnal Flare
05. Phoenix
06. Walker Upon The Wind
07. Nekrohaven
08. Ageless Northern Spirit
09. The Infinity Of Time And Space
10. Natt

Limited-edition CD digipack bonus tracks:

11. Phoenix (Recording Session Mix)
12. Our World, It Rumbles Tonight (Deeper Low Mix)
13. Natt (Wet Mix)

The song "Our World, It Rumbles Tonight" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Comments Satyr: "We are back! Sorry it took so long, but we needed the time to be able pull off a record like this.

"Comparing this one to previous records is time wasted, it is SATYRICON; constantly on the move.

"Naming this record 'Satyricon' was the most obvious thing in the world. We have never done a record which captures the spirit of this band in such a way. Ever. It will demand a lot from you as a listener, but I know you will love it. It will grow on you and that is why it will stay with you forever.

"We won't tour as much in the future as we used to, and that will just make every tour more special. This album and this tour is for you and ourselves. It is our moment!"

Check out photos from the studio at this location.

Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep at this year's Inferno festival, Satyr stated about SATYRICON's upcoming album: "To me, it sounds very authentic, it's organic-sounding. And in this digital age where music is mostly played through computers, a lot of that analog vibe gets lost in translation when you play music through medias like that, but I still wanna do it because there's nothing quite like it. To me, it just makes everything sound the way it's supposed to sound — it's dynamical; the music is alive, it's not overly compressed, the levels are not pushed. So, musically speaking, it's a very atmospheric record… This record is full of life. There are a lot of surprises here, but I think it's gonna be a record that's gonna help the black metal movement perhaps find a new way for the future."

SATYRICON has always pushed boundaries and never conformed to what was "expected". That mindset continues to this day, as they awill take part in a very special, exclusive show on September 8 at Oslo's Norwegian National Opera House, where they will perform together with Norway's 55-strong National Opera Chorus.

The special event is part of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, and fans of both SATYRICON and the National Opera Chorus can look forward to a very unique and exciting evening, which coincides with the worldwide release of SATYRICON's new CD.

Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF have entered the studio to begin recording their new album for an early 2014 release via AFM Records.

The latest two webisodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the studio can be seen below.

EKTOMORF's most recent CD, "Black Flag", was released on August 31, 2012 via AFM. The cover was once again created by German illustrator and designer Tim Eckhorst, who previously did illustrations for the Wacken Open Air festival and various other bands.

EKTOMORF's very special "acoustic" album, "The Acoustic", was released on February 17, 2012 via AFM Records. The CD contained cover versions (LYNYRD SKYNYRD's "Simple Man" and "Folsom Prison Blues" by JOHNNY CASH), re-recorded EKTOMORF classics ("I Know Them", "Redemption", "Who Can I Trust", "Stigmatized" and "I'm In Hate"), plus five brand new tracks, written specially for this release.

Drummer Chris Adler of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has posted the following update on his Facebook page:

"Things have been going really well on this [European] trip for us. The band is playing well and much of the hard work we have put in is being rewarded with great slots on the festivals we are doing and huge side shows in between.

"I feel very lucky to be a part of where we are right now and am enjoying it quite a bit.

"I've now heard the PROTEST THE HERO record and it's fantastic! [Editor's note: Adler recorded the drum tracks for the new PROTEST THE HERO CD.] I love listening to it and hope you all do as well.

"I've been asked many times on this tour that since I played drums on the record if I will be touring with them or would consider playing on other projects. I'm fairly sure my schedule won't allow for me to properly join their band and tour. As much as I love the music, I love being with my family too! LOL. We shall see, as it's not even something we have discussed.

"As for other projects, it's hard to answer that. I was a fan of PROTEST THE HERO and jumped at the chance to step out of my box a little bit, push myself and explore my capabilities. It turned into quite a daunting task, but I'm much better off for it. I think I'd have to evaluate every opportunity in the same way. Obviously my main focus is LAMB OF GOD, it's still my heart and soul and I'm loving being able to get out and share it with you.

"We've got a few big announcements coming soon regarding tours that will end the 'Resolution' cycle and a little surprise before the end of the year.

"Stay tuned — and stay metal!"

Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) will contribute guest vocals to one song on the forthcoming album from Scottish extreme metal maniacs MAN MUST DIE, tentatively due in late October via Lifeforce Records. The band states: "Super-stoked doesn't even begin to explain it!"

A photo of Max in the studio putting his tracks down can be seen below.

MAN MUST DIE are an extreme metal band hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 2002 and originally born of the founding members' desire to push their music to new levels of intensity and brutality, the band's dedication to their craft has since manifested itself in a rich touring history, sharing stages with such acts as EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD and DECAPITATED.

MAN MUST DIE has released three full-length studio albums thus far: 2004's "...Start Killing" (Retribute Records), "The Human Condition" (2007, Relapse Records) and "No Tolerance For Imperfection" (2009, Relapse Records). Their music manages to incorporate the heaviest elements of extreme metal whilst retaining an attuned sense of melody, confidently shifting from epic, uplifting passages to pure sickness. Augmented by a keen compositional flair and furious, socially aware vocals, MAN MUST DIE is a highly focused musical force.

MAN MUST DIE is:

Joe McGlynn - Vocals
Alan McFarland - Guitar
Dan Firth - Bass
James Burke - Drums


(Thanks: NJthrasher)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's new album, "Hail To The King", is available for streaming in its entirety via iTunes.

Says AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows: "We have been waiting to show you all our brand new album, 'Hail To The King', for far too long. It took us nine months of writing, recording and preparation so that we could put out an album we are all proud of from start to finish.

"Well, I’m excited to announce that the wait is over. We have teamed up with our friends at iTunes to start streaming the full album right now until it's released. The stream is high quality and you can listen to the whole album as many times as you'd like.

"So plug in your best set of headphones and turn it up to 10. Head over there now to listen and preorder. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. See you all on the road!"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's video for the song "Hail To The King" can be seen below. The clip was directed by Syndrome, an award-winning design and live-action directing studio.

"Hail To The King" will be released on August 27. The long-awaited follow-up to 2010's "Nightmare" was once again produced by Mike Elizondo and is the first to be wholly written without drummer and key songwriter James "The Rev" Sullivan, who died in December 2009. Sullivan has since been replaced by Arin Ilejay, a former member of CONFIDE.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has announced the "Hail To The King" tour — a massive headlining U.S. arena tour to take place this October and the band's first full scale American tour since 2011. The run of dates will kick off in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, October 3 and wrap up on October 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Supporting the band on all dates will be special guests DEFTONES and GHOST B.C.

"Hail To The King" track listing:

01. Shepherd Of Fire
02. Hail To The King
03. Doing Time
04. This Means War
05. Requiem
06. Crimson Day
07. Heretic
08. Coming Home
09. Planets
10. Acid Rain

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will celebrate the album release by playing a free show at the Hollywood Palladium on August 26.

"Hail To The King" lyrics:

Watch your tongue or have it cut from your head
Save your life by keeping whispers unsaid
Children roam the streets now orphans of war
Bodies hanging in the streets to adore
Royal flames will carve a path in chaos, bringing daylight to the night
Death is riding into town with armor, they've come to take all your rights

Hail to the King
Hail to the One
Kneel to the crown
Stand in the sun
Hail to the King
Hail, Hail, Hail the King

Blood is spilt while holding keys to the throne.
Born again but it's too late to atone.
No mercy — from the edge of the blade
Dare escape and learn the price to be paid
Let the water flow with shades of red now, Arrows black out all the light
Death is riding into town with armor, they've come to grant you your rights

Hail to the King
Hail to the One
Kneel to the crown
Stand in the sun
Hail to the King
Hail, Hail, Hail the King

There's a taste of fear
When the henchmen call
Iron fist to tame the land
Iron fist to claim it all

Hail to the King
Hail to the One
Kneel to the crown
Stand in the sun
Hail to the King
Hail, Hail, Hail the King

Fan-filmed video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's August 15 performance at Vetter Stone Amphitheater in Mankato, Minnesota can be seen below.

Bach is currently in the studio working on his next album with producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, ALICE COOPER), who helmed the singer's last solo CD, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming". Sebastian recently told fans in an online post to "expect high-energy music.... perfect for driving quickly, or jack-hammering concrete." He added about his lyrical approach on the new songs: "[I] don't want to beat you over the head with sobriety, or ex-wives, or ex-bandmembers, or any of the other constant bullshit that I seem to be personally dealing with. So I am choosing my words carefully... because this music is straight-up, balls-to-the-wall, kick-you-in-the-nuts rock 'n' roll. And I need the words to reflect that."

Bach's next solo CD, which is tentatively due in early 2014 via Frontiers Records, is expected to feature contributions from Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Los Angeles-based guitarist Jeff George, who previously played with ASKING ALEXANDRIA's lead vocalist Danny Worsnop. Making a guest appearance on the album will also be bassist Duff McKagan (DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES).

Bach's brand new CD/DVD package, "ABachalypse Now", was released in North America on March 26 via Frontiers Records. The "ABachalypse Now" Ultimate CD/DVD Edition includes never-before-seen footage from last year's Graspop Metal Meeting festival in Dessel, Belgium, the full never-before-seen Hellfest set from France and the fully-remixed and remastered Nokia show from Los Angeles (originally broadcast on AXS TV), as well as bonus music videos. The DVD contains a running time of nearly 160 minutes. "ABachalypse Now" was made available in two configurations: the Ultimate CD/DVD Edition (2 CDs + DVD) and a standalone DVD.

Six songs from INFINIKA, the new band featuring former KORN drummer David Silveria alongside ANYONE members Riz Story and Miles Martin, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The tracks available for listening are: "Sensitive", "Beautiful World", "Yesterday's Gone", "Crash", "Undone" and "Down".

INFINIKA's "Beautiful World" video was directed by Story and was ironically shot in the very same room that KORN's debut video, "Blind", was filmed in.

"Beautiful World", which is available for digital purchase via iTunes and Amazon, comes off INFINIKA's forthcoming album, "Echoes And Traces".

INFINIKA is:

Riz Story (ANYONE): Lead Vocals, Guitars
Rob Patterson (KORN, FILTER): Guitar
Miles Martin (ANYONE): Bass
David Silveria (KORN): Drums

Silveria surfaced recently to answer fan questions on his Facebook page, during which he gave the current version of the group a little bit of a slam while emphasizing how important he was to the group's original sound and even how they came together. Asked if he had heard the new KORN single, "Never Never", Silveria replied, "For all the fans asking the answer is no I have not heard a new KORN song. All I can say is I'm sure it's not funky and groovy like the original KORN. I don't even need to hear it to know that."

Silveria added, "I am a funky groove drummer and Ray [Luzier, current KORN drummer) is a heavy metal drummer. That's why KORN will never sound as unique as we used to . . . KORN lost their groove."

Silveria claimed he wasn't "talking crap" about his former group, but then went on to say, "Until they have the real 'funky drummer' it's just not gonna groove the way it could. I've made it clear that I would come back and restore the groove."

Silveria was the second member of KORN's original lineup to depart, leaving in late 2006. Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch exited the group in 2005. But while Welch continued as a solo artist until rejoining KORN this year, Silveria retired to Huntington Beach, California and opened a restaurant.

Singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he believed Silveria lost his passion for music. "David was there to write beats but he wasn't really there," he said. "He really didn't like playing drums. The first two albums, I think, he really enjoyed playing drums and then after that he just lost his love for playing drums. It happens. Okay, good for him, he wanted to move on and do something else."

In other comments at his Facebook page, Silveria took credit for bringing Davis and Welch into the band, as well as getting them their management, saying, "None of them want to admit it was me . . . There are a lot of things I did for the band that they don't like to admit I did."

Silveria in February pleaded guilty to a charge of allegedly driving under the influence. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the hit-and-run charge in connection with the March 2012 incident in which the 40-year-old musician — who played with KORN for 13 years — rear-ended another car on his way to breakfast in Huntington Beach, California.

Silveria was sentenced to three years of informal probation, a three-month first offender program, and he was ordeded to attend a M.A.D.D. victim impact panel.

"Ninja", the brand new single from the Welsh "ragga metal" act SKINDRED, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The song comes off the band's forthcoming album, "Kill The Power", which will be available for preorder from August 27.

"Kill The Power" was recorded at The Chairworks studio in Leeds, United Kingdom with producer James "LeRock" Loughrey (PAGE & PLANT, FLUX PAVILION), who previously worked with the band on their 2011 album, "Union Black".

"'Kill The Power' is our fifth studio album," says SKINDRED frontman Benji Webbe.

"We are more than excited to unleash this SKINDRED bomb on the world!

"'Kill The Power' is for all them that are sick of being the underdog, and wanna step up and destroy all those who oppress and hold them down! Use this album as a backdrop to overcome and take your life back!

"We ain't fighting the power no more — we are definitely killing it!!"

"Kill The Power" will be released through DoubleCross, the rock/metal imprint of Cooking Vinyl.

SKINDRED's distinctive mix of reggae, metal, punk and electronic has favored them throughout their career, having won Kerrang!'s Devotion Award and Metal Hammer's Golden God for Best Live Act in the past.

"Union Black" came out in April 2011 via BMG/7PM Records. The CD was recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London.

The official lyric video for a new JANE'S ADDICTION song entitled "Another Soulmate" can be seen below. The track was released in time for JANE'S ADDICTION's co-headlining appearance at the fourth annual Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival, which kicked off on August 9 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

"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 tells 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".

EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet has issued the following recap of the just-completed world tour from his AVANTASIA project:

"Friends, finally I have cooled down a little after this extensive AVANTASIA world tour. Finally I have found a few moments to write down my thoughts on the tour.

"I have been on several world tours — I must have played something like 700 concerts in my life — and I have to say: it's never been so difficult to say goodbye after a tour.

"The Mystery World Tour was an amazing experience for me. Never before an AVANTASIA tour has been spread out over four months, never before I heard so many bad jokes (from anyone other than me) and never before I came home missing touring so much that it actually hurt, although I was happy to be back with my loved ones and get some rest. I wondered myself what it is that makes the difference between earlier tours and this tour, and I guess it's simple: first of all, the tour was long enough to get used to being around those lovely fellow Avantasians. Second, if I compare it to EDGUY tours: whenever we say goodbye, we know we'll meet a couple of months later to conquer the world again. With AVANTASIA, the future is completely uncertain.

"I was accused of lying when I hit the road for The Mystery World Tour after I had announced the end in 2011. But you can imagine it is not that easy to rely on a return of AVANTASIA, it depends on a lot of parameters, not at least all the musicians and their personal schedules.

"I thank God that He gave us the chance to bring that lineup together and do this tour, I hope we will do it again some day, but you can never take that for granted, nor plan it, let alone expect it to happen again. I just hope one day it will happen. For sure, there will be another album in a couple of years. But as much as I would love to do a tour, I do not know if we'll ever find a timeframe in the future that will allow us to bring the project on the road again. The organisation, the schedules, everyone's individual obligations with their individual bands, it's grinding... That's why I am rather thankful that I was given that chance.

"I wanna thank my agency, All Access, and my road manager, AC, in particular for making the impossible possible. I wanna thank my production manager, FD, for administrating everything with a vengeance and a whip, sending trucks from Slovakia to England and making the show look great from Costa Rica to Canada to Russia to Japan and back. I wanna thank the whole crew, who are the best technicians from East Bumfuck to Bali, and, of course, I wanna thank the immortals who I was given the chance to share the stage with. I will miss everyone of you (even Achim), and I will never forget that tour! I love you all!

"I also wanna thank YOU people out there who made this tour a very successful tour, who came in thousands to our shows, I enjoyed playing for each and everyone of you! Don't think I take it for granted, I had the time of my life, and I know that I am blessed — having fans and friends like YOU!"

AVANTASIA made its North American debut on July 7 at the Quebec City Summer Festival (Festival D'été De Québec) in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

AVANTASIA's new album, "The Mystery Of Time", was released on March 30. The effort was made available as a regular CD, limited-edition vinyl and limited-edition hardcover book with a 28-page booklet containing ten regular songs and two bonus tracks ("The Cross And You", "Death Is Just A Feeling"). The cover artwork was hand-painted by world acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Among Rodney's most famous artworks are not only album covers for rock legends such as MAGNUM, THIN LIZZY, ASIA and NAZARETH, he has also designed the characters for the TV series "Lavender Castle" and created the covers for novels by British fantasy author Michael Moorcock and many more.

Flagstaff, Arizona metallers BLACK ORCHID are streaming their new song 'Good Intentions'. The track is the first single from the band's forthcoming full-length, Wake. The record will be released on September 6th and will celebrated with a special show at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff, directly supporting HEMLOCK.

On the new album, vocalist Matt Babcock comments: "Wake, reflects a very difficult time in our lives. It expresses the challenges and hardships we have survived over the past few years. In addition to being brutally honest and introspective, Wake is extremely well recorded and proves that Black Orchid will never move in any other direction than forward. After 11 years of perseverance this album leaves Black Orchid proud, humble, and as hungry as ever."
Wake tracklisting:

'Bloom'
'Deserve To Die'
'There Go I'
'Annastacia'
'Ichthus'
'Crestfallen'
'The Blue(s)'
'Good Intentions'
'Anomaly' (Live)
'Depths Of Despair' (Live)
'Rape The Willing'
'CWE' (Dedicated to our brother Russell Price)

'Good Intentions':
Black Orchid is:

Matt Babcock - Vocals and Bass
Ryan Smith - Guitar
Steven Haigh - Guitar
Stephen Brannen - Drums

More on Black Orchid at this location.

Hells Headbangers has announced November 26th as the international release date for PROFANATICA's new album, Thy Kingdom Cum, on both CD and LP formats.
As one of earliest American black metal bands, during the dark 'n' bloody days of the early 1990s, Profanatica set out upon a course of utter blasphemy and barbaric primitivism, then retreating into the shadows as a cult icon, only to be resurrected years later once the black metal scene had finally caught up with their invention/degradation. When they returned, with Profanatitas de Domonatia in 2007, the signature Profanatica sound was firmly in place, and yet masters Paul Ledney and John Gelso continued to challenge themselves and push this pulsing primitivism to uncharted waters of sin 'n' sickness.
Three years later, Disgusting Blasphemies Against God pushed the envelope even further - and yet three more years, and now Thy Kingdom Cum absolutely desecrates that envelope. Profaners of the pure, defilers of Dog's creation, fornicators upon the altar: Thy Kingdom Cum is Profanatica's most vile and virulent creation yet. Tense, veritgo-inducing riffing from Gelso malforms minds while Ledney's charred-black throat vomits forth visions only Profanatica can create/desecrate. This is black metal incarnate, and then black metal defied/defiled.

Thy Kingdom Cum tracklisting:

'Ruptureholyhymen'
'Foul The Air With Blasphemy'
'Denounce Him'
'False Doctrina'
'Definite Atonement'
'Thy Kingdom Cum'
'Ropes Of Hatred'
'Water To Blood'

'Ropes Of Hatred':

Thy Kingdom Cum by PROFANATICA

Order at this location.

Wormholedeath will distribute and market the new album, entitled I, Against, from Belgian-based metal combo AGE OF TORMENT, worldwide excluding Benelux which will be exclusively out via Spinal Records. Release date is set for early fall, 2013.
The band stated: “We're proud and pleased to announce we're working with Wormholedeath & Spinal records (BENELUX only) for the release of our new album entitled "I, Against", follow-up of our debute full-length "Dying Breed Reborn”. We spent three years composing and arranging this new album. It is a true product of dedication and chemistry between all of us in the band, and we didn't want to give it away to some careless sharks..It's hard to find dedicated people who still believe in the scene and handle their signed bands without sparing effort. We had several offers and discussions with a several labels, but going into business with WHD was an easy and logical choice. AGE OF TORMENT & WHD speak the same language & look into the same direction. This was the most adequate choice to make and we’re looking forward to what the future might behold.”
Album trailer:
'My Own Disease' lyric video:

More on Age Of Torment at Facebook.

After a quiet year, Halifax, Nova Scotia-based progressive metal act LAST CALL CHERNOBYL have announced a change in their vocal department.

The band issued the following statement: "We've recently gone through some big changes and realizations. Unfortunately we had to part ways with our long time singer Kyle Mahar. It was in both parties best interest in order for the band and Kyle to move forward and we wish him the very best. Taking his place will be Tyler Morrison, previously a temporary vocalist in the band. To showcase Tyler's abilities we've begun re-recording our EP Set Adrift. This will be a free online release, available for download in the near future. Thanks for everyone's continued support. We truly believe Last Call Chernobyl's best chapters are to come."
Updates to follow. More on Last Call Chernobyl at Facebook.

Century Media has announced the license of the entire catalogue of France’s biggest death metal band ever, MASSACRA.

“After so many years, we finally agreed to re-release our old material, our first demos and our albums including some bonus and exclusive stuff. To be honest, going revival is not our cup of tea at all but we must admit that the Century Media team has been so persistent and convinced us to release something official, of high quality, enhanced by some old stuff, original and personal...” - Jean-Marc Tristani, August 2013

The first of various Massacra releases will be the demo compilation, Day Of The Massacra, which includes all tracks of the three legendary demos Legion Of Torture, Final Holocaust and Nearer From Death. All tracks have been remastered at DMS by Ulf Horbelt who is well known for his outstanding remastering skills (MORBID, ASPHYX, GRAVE, NECROPSY and many more). Nathaniel Colas did a great in-depth interview with original Massacra guitarist Jean-Marc Tristani and Thomas Westphal of the infamous Necromaniac Zine (Germany) will create a killer artwork for the release. Day Of The Massacra will be released as standard CD jewelcase (on midprice) and standard LP (with 180g vinyl and inlay). The release date has been set for November 4th.
From 2013 onwards, the long sold out albums Final Holocaust, Enjoy The Violence, Signs Of The Decline, Sick and Humanize Human will be made available step by step. All five albums will get the same treatment as the aforementioned demo compilation: Remastered sound, bonus material, unreleased and exclusive songs, liner notes, reworked layouts, high quality cover artworks (no cheap and blurry scans), rare photos and whatever else there is a fan of real death metal could ask for.

Note: These reissues are the only versions done with full support of the band and will be the definite editions of such death metal classics so don’t spend a buck on bootlegs that suck!

Italian folk metallers KRAMPUS recently finished recording new material with Tommy Vetterli (CORONER, 69 CHAMBERS). Frontman Filippo Gianotti has checked in with the following update:
"After we couldn't find a deal that was right for us and allowed us to realize our vision, we decided to take matters into our own hands and book a week with Tommy Vetterli to record what we think is the best material we have so far - not just from this writing period, but our whole career. We've finally found our sound and we're ready and eager to show it to the the world! We are also aware of the changes in the music industry, and are determined to make the best of it all. We feel strongly that part of this is openness and sharing with our fans. We want them to get a deep insight into our creative process and to hear the music we've been writing for them. So that's why we will not sell the songs we've recorded in July - instead we will release them for free to everyone as a digital download on September 4th, 2013!"

Krampus is currently planning future touring activity and is set to appear at Germany's Wolfszeit Festival on August 30th, 2013.

More on Krampus at this location.

DEATH AUDIO gitarist Will Borland has checked in with the following update via the band's official Facebook page:

"It took me a long time to come up with how I wanted to say this, but then I thought it was best to just speak the truth. The reason it took me a while to write this is because Karl (Steller) has decided to part ways with Death Audio. He was not only a drummer to me, but he was a brother. Someone I would take a bullet for. I do wish the best for Karl, and for him to succeed in his future musical projects.
We are going to miss Karl playing drums. However we won't miss his presence, because we are still friend and friends last forever...

We have advertised for auditions already and have filled up a couple of audition dates. So if you think you got what it takes, hit me up on will@fawrecords.com or just simply reply to this email ASAP.

We are also taking submissions from interstate and overseas, but you must be able to make the move to Melbourne, Australia."

Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE in January entered AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER) to begin recording their new album for a late 2013 release via Century Media Records.

In a new Facebook message, the band states: "Vocals [are] done! Steve [Asheim, drums] goes in this week to complete drum edits and then the mixing process begins and then on to mastering, Century Media will be doing a press release shortly to announce the title and track listing and cover art... [We] can't wait to unleash this beast upon you."

Asheim recently told Decibel magazine about DEICIDE's working relationship with Suecof: "It's awesome! I've known Jason since '08. I had been going out to do the ORDER OF ENNEAD records with him. The last DEICIDE record we did with Mark [Lewis], but I've known Jason a long time, so I asked him if he was into it. He said, 'Absolutely!' I wanted to get one done ovith him before something happens. You never know."

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on the new DEICIDE album, Asheim said: "[The lyrics] are typical Glen Benton. Blasphemous, brutal rhetoric. We're going to get down and dirty this Blasphemous, brutal rhetoric. We're going to get down and dirty this time around, so expect the lyrics to be brutal."

According to Asheim, longtime fans will pick up on nuances inspired by the almighty "Legion" effort. "Jason wanted to capture the 'Legion' feel," the drummer said. "We're wanting Glen's vocals to sound more old-school. So, it's a bit of the new with a little throwback action."

As for DEICIDE's time at Audiohammer, Asheim said: "It's pretty cut-and-dried these days. I've known Jason a few years. I kind of know his methodology, how he works. It's a far drive, so we'll spend two or three nights there. Once we knock it out, we'll end up partying. We repeat that the next day."

"To Hell With God" sold 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

DEICIDE's previous CD, "Till Death Do Us Part", opened with 2,900 copies back in May 2008.

"Invidious", the new video from Massachusetts metallers REVOCATION, can be seen below. The clip was directed by David Brodsky (MUNICIPAL WASTE, WHITECHAPEL, KYLESA) at a sold-out show in Boston.

"Invidious" comes off REVOCATION's self-titled album, which was released on August 6 via Relapse Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Chaos Of Forms" will be the first full-length album with bass player Brett Bamberger, who joined the band in 2012 and was featured on the group's last EP, "Teratogenesis", which was released by Scion A/V. The cover artwork for the new CD was created by Orion Landau (DYING FETUS, OBSCURA, NILE).

"Revocation" track listing:

01. The Hive
02. Scattering the Flock
03. Arch Fiend
04. Numbing Agents
05. Fracked
06. The Gift You Gave
07. Invidious
08. Spastic
09. Entombed By Wealth
10. A Visitation

REVOCATION is taking part in this year's Summer Slaughter Tour alongside THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, CATTLE DECAPITATION and others. The trek kicked off on July 19 in San Francisco, California and will run through August 20 in Portland, Oregon.

"Chaos Of Forms" was released in August 16, 2011 in North America and September 5, 2011 internationally via Relapse. The follow-up to 2009's "Existence Is Futile" was recorded at Damage Studios in Southbridge, Massachusetts with engineer Pete Rutcho.

A playthrough video of THE HAUNTED song "D.O.A." (from the band's "One Kill Wonder" album) featuring THE HAUNTED guitarists Patrik Jensen and Ola Englund can be seen below.

Says the band: "The MIDI drum track we found online is insanely rigid and stiff, lacking the dynamics the song would have when the whole band plays the song, but hey... It's all in the name of good fun, right? Anyway, we enjoyed making this clip. We hope you enjoy watching it too."

THE HAUNTED recently returned to the spotlight after almost a year without public activity and restructuring behind closed doors, following a major switch of lineups around fall of 2012.

THE HAUNTED's 2013 lineup (from left to right in photo below):

* Patrik Jensen - Guitar
* Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) - Guitar
* Marco Aro (THE RESISTANCE, FACE DOWN) - Vocals
* Jonas Björler - Bass
* Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST) - Drums

A video introduction to the new lineup with interviews and fresh rehearsal room footage can be seen below.

THE HAUNTED's founding member and guitarist Patrik Jensen checked in to comment on the recent developments as follows: "THE HAUNTED went through some difficult times last year. Losing three band members is a pretty huge blow to any band. Jonas and I agreed immediately that we wanted to continue with the band, but we wanted to take our time and not rush into anything. Meanwhile, news from THE HAUNTED's camp have been pretty scarce.

"We are very happy to be able to present you a full band lineup. Some of you might recognize a few faces, some of you might not. Adrian Erlandsson is back on drums and Marco Aro is back on vocals. Adrian you might know from playing on our first album and Marco sang on 'The Haunted Made Me Do It', 'Live Rounds In Tokyo' and 'One Kill Wonder'. On guitar we also have Ola Englund bringing some pretty heavy chops to the band.

"We're all VERY excited about having THE HAUNTED back in working shape again and we can't wait to get back out on the road to play for our very patient and faithful fans again. A new album is also already in the works and if you are familiar with the individual band members of this new lineup, you can be assured that the new material will grab you by the throat from the get-go!"

Vocalist Marco Aro (ex-FACE DOWN, also in THE RESISTANCE) was previously involved with THE HAUNTED for three acclaimed releases between 1999 and 2003 as well as for several worldwide touring campaigns. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (also in AT THE GATES and PARADISE LOST) belonged to the original lineup of THE HAUNTED together the Björler twins after the demise of their previous legendary group, AT THE GATES. Together with Jensen, they launched THE HAUNTED's self-titled debut in 1998, an album which has been widely considered as the kick-start for a new era in the thrash metal movement and which, despite its initial underground status, climbed to be a massively inspirational record for a whole new generation of musicians and bands in the following decade. Guitarist Ola Englund is a highly talented young player from Sweden, who has recently been active as touring and recording member of U.S. death metal institution SIX FEET UNDER. Together with guitarist Jensen and bassist Jonas Björler, THE HAUNTED's announcement of this new formation promises to be only the beginning of greater things to come.

Expect more news about THE HAUNTED's next album and their upcoming touring plans soon.

On September 3, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" on a triple DVD set, as an SD Blu-ray — with upscaled standard definition original material with uncompressed stereo and DTS-HD surround sound for the best possible quality — and digital. This release boasts newly remastered sound across both sections of the concert and represents the first time the opening acts' performances have been made available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Check out a trailer for the set below.

On April 20, 1992, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon, the surviving members of QUEEN, took to the stage at Wembley Stadium for the start of one of the biggest events in rock history, which the band had organized to pay tribute to their former colleague — the incomparable Freddie Mercury. QUEEN were joined by some of the greatest musical talent in the world to celebrate Freddie's life and work and to increase public awareness of AIDS, the disease that had prematurely ended his life the previous year.

"The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" features many QUEEN classics in unique performances, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Hammer To Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want To Break Free", "Under Pressure", "Somebody To Love", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions". Special guests include David Bowie, Roger Daltrey, DEF LEPPARD, EXTREME, Bob Geldof, GUNS N' ROSES, Ian Hunter, Tony Iommi, Elton John, Annie Lennox, METALLICA, George Michael, Liza Minnelli, Robert Plant, Mick Ronson, Seal, Lisa Stansfield, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Young and Zucchero.

As well as being great entertainment, the concert raised a huge and still growing sum of money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity formed at the time by Roger Taylor, Brian May and QUEEN's longtime manager Jim Beach whose charter is the relief of suffering from AIDS throughout the world. Profits from this release will be donated by the Mercury Phoenix Trust to AIDS charities around the globe.

AXEWOUND, the project featuring Matt Tuck (BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) on guitar and vocals, Liam Cormier (CANCER BATS) on lead vocals, Mike Kingswood (GLAMOUR OF THE KILL) on guitar, Joe Copcutt (RISE TO REMAIN) on bass, and Jason Bowld (PITCHSHIFTER, KILLING JOKE) on drums, has commenced work on material for its sophomore album. Tuck tweeted earlier today (Monday, August 19): "Can't wait to get back in studio with the ladz."

AXEWOUND was forced to cancel its North American tour at the end of 2012 because the bandmembers were "unable to obtain the proper visas" in time for the trek.

The group's debut album, "Vultures", was released in the U.S. last October via The End.

AXEWOUND is an outlet for the musicians to make music that is more extreme than they can and do in their regular bands. Their inspirations for doing so hark back to a golden generation of metal acts — to such heavyweight names as PANTERA and SLIPKNOT.

The roots of AXEWOUND go back to 2010, when Jason Bowld filled in for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas on a brace of shows. He and Tuck kept in touch and last year began discussing working together on a project separate from the hugely successful Welsh metallers. They eventually got together in December 2011 to write the songs that make up AXEWOUND's debut album, "Vultures".

Cormier was the obvious choice to front and pen lyrics for these songs. He and Tuck had been friends for years, CANCER BATS having supported BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE on numerous tours.