New Jersey melodic thrash-metal warriors GOD FORBID have officially called it quits following the departure of guitarist/vocalist Doc Coyle.

Said guitarist Matt Wicklund in a statement: "As many of you have heard, GOD FORBID has broken up. It is a sad time for us and also a time of new beginnings.

"The past four years have been an amazing journey for me and I am forever thankful for the experiences I have gained and the the musical family that I was welcomed into. I have grown immensely from all of this as an artist and a person.

"I am very proud of the album 'Equilibrium' that I got to write and record with the guys and I loved every minute I got to play all of the songs, new and old, on stages around the world for all of the wild and loyal GOD FORBID fans. Thank you all again for the good times. . Cheers to all of you and to my brothers Doc Coyle, John Outcalt, Corey Pierce and Byron Davis.

"New chapters are unfolding for all of us and I am taking all I've learned forward into a new and exciting musical adventure. GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS is now my main musical outlet and I would be honored to see all of you again and share this new journey with you all!

"Here's to good memories and to amazing things yet to come!!!"

Added vocalist Byron Davis: "Yes, it's true, GOD FORBID is down. We are a family for the most part. Some move on while others keep it real like before the band began. I should feel sad, but I don't right now because a new chapter has begun. I'll be seeing you all around somewhere. Believe that."

Drummer Corey Pierce said simply: "No more suspense… GOD FORBID is over. Sorry."

"Equilibrium", sold 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 156 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 7 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.

"Equilibrium" was released on March 27, 2012 via Victory Records. The bulk of the CD was recorded by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM), with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER) stepping in during the the vocal-tracking stage. The effort was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH.

Official MetOnTour video recap of METALLICA's August 10 appearance at the Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo, Japan can be seen below. The 20-minute clip includes band at rehearsal the night before, guitarist Kirk Hammett in the meet-and-greet with a big fan, and a performance of "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" from the show.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. Holier Than Thou
04. The Four Horsemen
05. The Day That Never Comes
06. Carpe Diem Baby
07. I Disappear
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. Orion
11. One
12. For Whom The Bell Tolls
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Creeping Death
17. Battery
18. Seek & Destroy

METALLICA has revealed the details of "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)", the soundtrack companion to the forthcoming groundbreaking 3D feature film "Metallica Through The Never". The two-disc CD set will be released on the band's own record label Blackened Recordings on September 24 and highlights last year's career spanning sets at Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the band filmed all performance footage featured in the film. The soundtrack is available for digital pre-order tonight at midnight EST and both the CD and digital album will be available at all retailers. There will also be a vinyl edition of the soundtrack album available in both 33 1/3RPM and special limited numbered 45RPM versions later in the fall.

"Metallica Through The Never" stars METALLICA, one of the most popular, influential rock bands in history. In this music-driven, 3D motion picture event, award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal immerses audiences in a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience with spectacular live performance footage of METALLICA's most iconic songs — created exclusively for film — combined with a bold, narrative story featuring imagery drawn from the band's trailblazing iconography. Dane DeHaan portrays Trip, a young roadie sent on an urgent mission, during METALLICA's roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. The film features dazzling pyrotechnics, the most elaborate live-performance stage ever built and state-of-the-art 3-D photography, captured using up to 24 cameras simultaneously.

German TV channel ZDF Kultur spoke with SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan earlier tonight (Saturday, August 17) prior to the band's performance at the Rock 'N' Heim festival in Hockenheim, Germany. You can now watch the chat below.

At the conclusion of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's July 29 concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, Dolmayan announced that the band would release a new studio album prior to the group's next appearance in Los Angeles.

The following day, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian, shot down reports that the band is making plans to make a new studio album, telling fans in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session: "We really appreciate [the fact that the fans want a new studio album from us], but we have to make a record when we think it's time, not anyone else," Serj said.

"No, that is not true [that we have made plans to begin work on a new album]," he added. "A quick scan of press online will show that we have not yet agreed on a timetable for another record due to its time commitments."

Tankian also addressed the series of statements that were posted in May on SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian's Facebook page in which Shavo directly blamed Serj for the band's continued lack of new music, saying that the vocalist was holding the group back.

"Shavo's comments have been redacted by the author," Serj said. "The truth is above in my first answer."

He continued: "I am not opposed to making a SYSTEM record at all. It just has to be the right time for us all in the band."

Tankian has just released two albums through his Serjical Strike Records. "Orca", Tankian's first true symphony, arrived on June 25, while July 23 saw the release of a collaborative jazz-inspired disc called "Jazz-iz Christ".

SYSTEM OF A DOWN will tour Europe throughout the month of August. After that, Tankian will launch a series of solo orchestral tour dates on September 19 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR are working on material for the follow-up to 2010's "Abrahadabra" for an early 2014 release via Nuclear Blast Records.

Writes the band on its Facebook page: "By the desire to achieve. Stoked about our new material, its shaping up nicely. Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected."

A few photos from the current writing sessions can be seen below.

DIMMU BORGIR was joined by an orchestra and a choir for an appearance at last year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, which was held August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany.

DIMMU BORGIR's current touring lineup includes Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

DIMMU BORGIR performed one very exclusive show on May 28, 2011 at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway with a special, never-to-be-repeated setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, "Abrahadabra". The concert, dubbed "Forces Of The Northern Night", was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

"Abrahadabra", the ninth album from DIMMU BORGIR, was released in Germany on September 24, 2010, in the rest of Europe on September 27, 2010, and it was made available in North America on October 12, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Circus", the new video from Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Rick-y.com and edited by John Morgan Studios. The song is the third single from the band's fourth album, "The Savage Playground", which entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2. The CD was released on January 25 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22 in North America via Frontiers Records.

With "The Savage Playground" recorded during summer/autumn 2012 at Kingside Studios outside Stockholm with producer Otto Wellton, the band has their minds set to break through on a worldwide basis with a tour that will see the band going back to the U.S. as well as going to Japan for the first time.

The new album sees CRASHDÏET going in a heavier and direction. "'The Savage Playground' is our playground, it's the beginning and the end, it's the place where we eat and breed," says guitarist Martin Sweet. "We thought the time was right for us to do a edgier and not-so-polished-sounding album, kinda like what we sound like live. It's more organic and rough-sounding. And, of course, we're always evolving as musicians and like to try new ways of expressing ourselves, and that can most definitely be heard this album."

CRASHDÏET released a new DVD entitled "Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild" on December 4, 2012. The disc features three hours of live and behind-the-scenes footage complied by the band with Bear Productions.

"Into The Black", a brand new song from American progressive metallers FATES WARNING, was premiered on the latest installment of the "11th Hour" podcast. You can now hear the track below. (Note: Skip to the 26:30 mark.)

"Into The Black" comes off FATES WARNING'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.
"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).

entury Media Records are very pleased to publish the first ever, all-encompassing "Complete Recordings" compilation of TREBLINKA, one of the most important Swedish Death / Black Metal bands of all time.

Founded in 1987 published by Johan "Lucifer Hellslaughter" Edlund and Jörgen "Juck the Ripper" Thullberg TREBLINKA in its brief existence of two years, two demos and a 7 "EP. After the infamous "Severe Abominations" EP, the lineup changed its name to TIAMAT and was one of the most successful and influential metal bands of the 90s.

Since then the band recording the entire TREBLINKA not touched himself, but was diligent exploitation of boot fitters.

But constant dripping wears away the stone, and now as the first authorized release of the band TREBLINKA "Shrine Of The Pentagram" appears on 4 October 2013 as King 3CD Media Book, Deluxe 5LP box set including fatty LP booklet and digital download.

Daniel Ekeroth, author of "Swedish Death Metal" conducted an extensive interview with Jörgen "Juck" Thullberg and Stefan "Emetic" Lagergren while Olivier Badin (Terrorizer / Iron Fist journalist), Johan "Hellslaughter" Edlund spoke to numerous entertaining anecdotes to light to promote and to trace the history of this legendary band. The result is a historical and essential release!

“Shrine Of The Pentagram” Tracklist (3CD):

Disc 1:

CRAWLING IN VOMITS (demo)

1. Crawling In Vomits
2. Earwigs In Your Veins
3. Hail To Cruelty
4. Cadaverous Odour

THE SIGN OF THE PENTAGRAM (demo)

5. Nocturnal Funeral
6. Evilized
7. Necrophagous Shadows
8. Mould In Hell

SEVERE ABOMINATIONS (7inch)

9. Severe Abominations
10. Earwigs In Your Veins

REHEARSALS

11. Hail To Cruelty (1989)
12. Earwigs In Your Veins (1989)
13. Mould In Hell (1989)
14. Evilized (1989)
15. Hail To Cruelty (2008)

Disc 2:

LIVE AT ROY (November 20th 1988)

1. Crawling In Vomits
2. Earwigs In Your Veins
3. Hail To Cruelty
4. Cadaverous Odour

LIVE AT VITA HUSET (February 25th 1989)

5. Intro
6. Necrophagous Shadows
7. Crawling In Vomits
8. Mould In Hell
9. Hail To Cruelty
10. Earwigs In Your Veins
11. Evilized
12. Cadaverous Odour

Disc 3:

LIVE SOMEWHERE IN STOCKHOLM (April 7th 1989)

1. Nocturnal Funeral
2. Crawling in Vomits
3. Cadaverous Odour
4. Necrophagous Shadows
5. Evilized
6. Hail To Cruelty
7. Earwigs In Your Veins

“SUMERIAN CRY” INSTRUMENTAL STUDIO OUTTAKES

8. Apotheosis Of Morbidity
9. Necrophagous Shadows
10. The Malicious Paradise
11. In The Shrines Of The Kingly Dead
12. Altar Flame
13. Evilized
14. Nocturnal Funeral
15. Where The Serpents Ever Dwell

“Shrine Of The Pentagram” Tracklist (5LP):

Side A

CRAWLING IN VOMITS (demo)

1. Crawling In Vomits
2. Earwigs In Your Veins
3. Hail To Cruelty
4. Cadaverous Odour

Side B

THE SIGN OF THE PENTAGRAM (demo)

1. Nocturnal Funeral
2. Evilized
3. Necrophagous Shadows
4. Mould In Hell

Side C

SEVERE ABOMINATIONS (7inch)

1. Severe Abominations
2. Earwigs In Your Veins

Side D

REHEARSALS

1. Hail To Cruelty (1989)
2. Earwigs In Your Veins (1989)
3. Mould In Hell (1989)
4. Evilized (1989)
5. Hail To Cruelty (2008)

Side E

SOMEWHERE LIVE IN STOCKHOLM (April 7th 1989) – Part I

1. Nocturnal Funeral
2. Crawling in Vomits
3. Cadaverous Odour
4. Necrophagous Shadows
5. Evilized

Side F

SOMEWHERE LIVE IN STOCKHOLM (April 7th 1989) – Part II

1. Hail To Cruelty
2. Earwigs In Your Veins

LIVE AT ROY (November 20th 1988)

3. Crawling In Vomits
4. Earwigs In Your Veins
5. Hail To Cruelty
6. Cadaverous Odour

Side G:

LIVE AT VITA HUSET (February 25th 1989) – Part I

1. Intro
2. Necrophagous Shadows
3. Crawling In Vomits
4. Mould In Hell

Side H:

LIVE AT VITA HUSET (February 25th 1989) – Part II

1. Hail To Cruelty
2. Earwigs In Your Veins
3. Evilized
4. Cadaverous Odour

Side I:

INSTRUMENTAL STUDIO OUTTAKES – Part I

1. Apotheosis Of Morbidity
2. Necrophagous Shadows
3. The Malicious Paradise
4. In The Shrines Of The Kingly Dead

Side J:

INSTRUMENTAL STUDIO OUTTAKES – Part II

1. Altar Flame
2. Evilized
3. Nocturnal Funeral
4. Where The Serpents Ever Dwell

Georgia's THE CHARIOT has announced plans to disband after a 10-year career. The band will embark on the "All's Well That Ends Well" farewell tour, set to run from October 10 until November 16. Support on the trek will come from GLASS CLOUD, BIRDS IN A ROW, TO THE WIND and REBUKER.

A message from the band, which was accompanied by the video clip below, reads as follows: "Thank you. To everyone on this planet Earth that has ever supported us, helped us, watched us, hung out with us, given us a place to stay, given food, prayed over us, loaned us equipment, advised us, booked us, or given us a chance, no matter how big or small...we are forever grateful."

THE CHARIOT's fifth album, "One Wing", sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 85 on The Billboard 200 chart. The was released in the U.S. on August 28, 2012 via eOne Music / Good Fight Music.

"Soul Disintegration", a brand new song from SCAR THE MARTYR, the new band led by SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, can be streamed at this location. The track comes off SCAR THE MARTYR's self-titled debut album, which will be released on October 1 via Roadrunner Records. SCAR THE MARTYR will film a music video to accompany the CD's lead single, "Blood Host", which can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Norwegian psychedelic quartet SAHG, which specializes in doom-infused '70s rock, will release their new album, "Delusions Of Grandeur", on October 25 via Indie Recordings.

"Delusions Of Grandeur" is a concept record "about a person, whose delusions of grandeur escalate to the level where they consume him completely," explains SAHG's Olav Iversen (vocals, guitar). "From becoming increasingly psychopathic and dominant, he loses touch with everyone around him and isolates into his own imaginary, psychotic world, where he becomes the almighty ruler of the universe. As he stands on the highest peak of his domain and beholds all that he has conquered, he suddenly slips off the edge and floats away, weightless. Helpless and stripped of all power, he drifts further into the open space, until he disappears into the darkness. It's an album about how desire for power and property can distort and destroy who we are."

SAHG's new CD was recorded at Duper studio in Bergen, Norway.

SAHG's third album, "Sahg III", came out on August 30, 2010 through Indie.

SAHG is:

Olav Iversen - Vocals/Guitar
Tony Vetaas - Bass
Thomas Tofthagen - Guitar
Thomas Lønnheim - Drum

Swedish hard rockers DAGGER have just issued their debut seven-inch EP entitled "Mainline Riders" via High Roller Records. This is the first release by the recently founded Stockholm-based group which features the following lineup:

* Jani Kataja (SIDEBURN) - Vocals
* Fred Estby (NECRONAUT, ex-DISMEMBER) - Drums
* David Blomqvist (ex-DISMEMBER) - Electric Guitar
* Tobias Cristiansson (GRAVE, ex-DISMEMBER) - Electric Bass

The A-side of the EP spotlights the title track "Mainline Riders", a cover version of NWOBHM pioneers QUARTZ, while the B-side features a demo version of DAGGER's own "Dark Cloud".

The EP is limited to 1000 copies (300 x gold vinyl, 700 x black vinyl) and can be purchased from the High Roller shop.

Says Estby: "DAGGER was formed by me, David and Tobias in early 2009. I had some material that I thought didn't really fit for NECRONAUT, but was still too good to chuck away. When I talked to David about this, he told me he also had material that wouldn't work for DISMEMBER, which made us think about writing songs together in a different way than before. At the same time, Tobias was also writing more hard rock-oriented songs and was immediately into playing them with us. So I think the three of us really wanted to do something we hadn't done before."

Even though all three of them were into doing something new and different, no one was rushing things. "We have been rehearsing and writing songs not wanting to force anything," Estby says. "It also took a long time to find the perfect singer for the band. It was really worth the wait, though. Jani suits this band perfectly both musically and personally."

Given the "confession" Fred makes about the band member's personal taste in music, DAGGER suddenly seem less of a surprise than before. "The last couple of years on tour with DISMEMBER, we almost only listened to the classic hard rock albums we love," he says. "We also talked about how many bands tried to sound like that but never really succeeded, in our opinion."

Now with the lineup complete, DAGGER is here to play "hard rock the way we think it should be played." The EP is meant to serve as an appetizer for DAGGER's debut album, which is currently being recorded at Gutterview Recorders (BULLET, '77, IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC) in Stockholm, Sweden for an early 2014 release via an as-yet-undetermined record label.

"We started recording our debut album in May this year," says Estby. "While recording, we and our manager Leif from Clandestine Music thought it would be cool to release a 7" before the album just to bring out our name and sound.

"High Roller Records is a cool label, and we knew from experience that it would be fast and smooth to work with them."

Dave, Tobias and Fred are all equally involved in the songwriting for DAGGER, whose sound contains no audible traces of DISMEMBER, GRAVE or NECRONAUT.

"We write different kind of songs but within the same framework," Estby explains. "This fact allows us to help each other out when one of us doesn't have a whole song from scratch.

"Jani joined the band when the album was already written, so he will be much more involved in the songwriting for the next one."