MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine says that he is "ready" to perform the classic METALLICA song "Metal Militia" with former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted on stage at one of the upcoming shows on this summer's Gigantour.

Newsted, who quit METALLICA in February 2001, is the frontman of a new band, simply called NEWSTED, which is taking part in this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by Mustaine.

NEWSTED is being forced to miss this week's Gigantour dates in Canada after Jason was diagnosed with "walking pneumonia."

In a new message on his Twitter profile, Mustaine writes: " I hope you are feeling better @JasonCNewsted. We miss you and are ready to do #MetalMilitia when you get back. @Gigantour2013"

Mustaine previously hinted that he would invite Newsted up on stage to perform a song Dave co-wrote during his short tenure with the band.

Addressing his followers on Twitter, Mustaine wrote: "If I play a song I wrote in @Metallica w/@JasonCNewsted, which should it be?"

Mustaine then listed the following METALLICA tracks for fans to choose from:

* Ride The Lightning
* The Call Of Ktulu
* Metal Militia
* Phantom Lord
* Jump In The Fire
* The Four Horsemen

Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

In a recent interview with SkullsNBones.com, Newsted said: "There is a chance that Mustaine and I will bust out some old METALLICA that he was a part of [on the upcoming Gigantour]… There is a chance. It has been talked about. Whatever happens for sure, I don't know [laughs], but I'm willing to throw down 'Phantom Lord'. Actually, whatever he calls out, I'm gonna throw down."

Canadian band PROTEST THE HERO, which recently made headlines when its Indiegogo campaign to fund a new album more than doubled its $125,000 goal with time to spare, has announced the completion of its new studio album. The long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Scurrilous" (Vagrant) has been licensed to series of worldwide partners who will help distribute and market it to both traditional stores alongside digital service providers, thus making the new record available on a worldwide scale this fall.

PROTEST THE HERO and Razor & Tie will join forces for the United States, while the album will be released in Canada through Sony Music and in the rest of the word via Spinefarm.

The forthcoming, as-yet-untitled release will be supported by extensive global touring that will stretch well into 2014.

The band explains: "Our successful crowdfunding campaign allowed us a new level of both artistic and business minded freedom.

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

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

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

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

PROTEST THE HERO recently parted ways with its longtime drummer Moe Carlson.

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

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

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

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

Pictured below: PROTEST THE HERO in the studio with Chris Adler

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

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

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

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

Bonus feature: Tour documentary

Polish female fronted heavy metal act CRYSTAL VIPER is recording its fifth studio album, "Possession", for a December 13 release via AFM Records. The concept effort will be available as CD, limited-edition LP and digital download. The CD and LP editions will include alternate bonus tracks.

CRYSTAL VIPER has also prepared unique, and one-of-a-kind surprise for its fans: everyone can be special guest on the new CRYSTAL VIPER album!

"It seems people really enjoy concept albums we do, so our next release will be concept album as well, but even more twisted you all can imagine," says vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter Marta Gabriel.

"Inviting special guests that were recording with us is already kind of tradition for CRYSTAL VIPER, but this time we decided to go one step further, and we decided to invite people who are most important for us, people who give us energy and strenght to continue: our fans!"

"Here's the deal: we want to have YOUR scream on the next CRYSTAL VIPER album! And ANY scream is welcomed! How to do it? Simply record yourself screaming: use your iPhone, smart phone, computer, or any other recording device you can find, and send mp3 or wav file with the recording to mail@skolrecords.com. Just type 'CRYSTAL VIPER SCREAM' in the subject line — and don't forget to tell us your full name, as you will be listed in the booklet of the next CRYSTAL VIPER album as a special guest!" Fans can submit their recordings until August 15.

In other news, CRYSTAL VIPER recently confirmed two live shows in Germany as the special guest of the U.S. epic metal legends MANILLA ROAD: on September 25 in Russelsheim and on September 26 in Ludwigsburg. On August 17, the band will also appear at the Sabaton Open Air in Falun, Sweden.

It has been three years since ALTER BRIDGE's last studio album, "ABIII", was released in the U.S., but it is clear their fans have been waiting for them to return. Now the rock juggernaut band comprised of Myles Kennedy on vocals, Mark Tremonti on guitar, Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums return with their fourth album, "Fortress", slated for release on October 8 via EMI Label Services. The latest record builds upon the sound that ALTER BRIDGE has been known for with their uncompromised vocal melodies, untouchable dueling guitar work and pounding rhythm section. The album was helmed by longtime ALTER BRIDGE producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with FALLING IN REVERSE, STORY OF THE YEAR and INCUBUS, to name a few.

"When we started pre-production on this album, we pushed ourselves harder and further than we ever have previously in order to make the most out of every individual arrangement. We wanted this album to be our most unpredictable and exciting one yet. From the early feedback we have received, it looks like we have achieved what we set out to do," exclaims Tremonti.

From the opening acoustic guitar work on "Cry Of Achilles" through the other 12 songs on "Fortress", it is clear ALTER BRIDGE are back to reclaim their place as one of hard rock's marquee bands. The band showcases some of their heaviest material ever in tracks like "Bleed It Dry" and "Farther Than The Sun", but also shows their signature softer side with songs like "All Ends Well" and the epic title track "Fortress". "Fortress" is 13 tracks of unapologetic, searing hard rock that ALTER BRIDGE has come to be synonymous with around the globe.

ALTER BRIDGE recently announced their only US show in 2013 in Orlando, Florida on October 4 at the House of Blues. Tickets for this show will go on sale on Friday, July 26 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. The band then heads over to Europe where they will begin an extensive headlining world tour that will run from October 16 through November 16 and will feature SHINEDOWN and HALESTORM joining the band on select dates. ALTER BRIDGE will also make a triumphant return to Wembley Arena in London on October 18, a venue they sold out on "ABIII" and documented with the CD/DVD, "Alter Bridge Live At Wembley".

Guitarist Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID) and vocalist Ravi (PHYLLOTAXIS) have started a new rock band with drummer Moe Watson and multi-instrumentalist Aden Oxenreider. The as-yet-unnamed project is currently seeking a second guitar player.

Says Coyle: "I started working on material with Ravi almost two years ago by trading files over the Internet. I was tied up with GOD FORBID, but now we finally have the time to put together a full band.

"We've [posted] a small music sample [hear audio below] and you will hear that it is not metal, although there are some heavy overtones.

"I am very picky about what kind of guitar player I want in this project, so I will lay out some guidelines. You need to live in the area between New York City, Central New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Rehearsing and playing gigs will require travel so the person must have a car. You need adequate and professional equipment including effects.

"The band is very ambient and will need someone who understands and likes to create soundscapes. There are some technical aspects to the music as well so you will need some chops.

"I have to emphasize that this is a rock band, not a metal band.

"I would prefer a non-metal guitar player, but I'm fine with anyone as long as you understand it's not about sweeping picking at 220 BPM and playing 8-string guitar breakdowns.

"Our influences for this band are TOOL, MUSE, DEFTONES, RADIOHEAD, PINK FLOYD, KARNIVOOL, etc.

"It's also important that I emphasize that this is a passion project. We are here for music and art first, and being signed or getting on the radio takes a back seat to doing something that is meaningful and being part of something that is special."

All interested musicians should send a written or video statement about themselves, a photo of themselves, along with any examples of any music they've created or videos of live performances to doc4bid@gmail.com.

Danish sluggish rock/metal band HELHORSE will release its second album, "Oh Death", on September 23.

The references are vast and many, when you talk about HELHORSE. The band that was formed out of the backyards and dingy rock bars of Copenhagen has from the very beginning seen itself as a true bastard, that refuses to submit to narrow minded genre conventions or pre-conceived ideas on how it's "supposed" to sound."

After playing a series of significant shows with bands like BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and MONSTER MAGNET, as well as festivals such as the Spot Festival, HELHORSE recorded its first album, "For Wolves And Vultures". With the raw, almost unholy, mixture of dirty metal, punk and classic rock, HELHORSE positioned itself on the Nordic rock/metal stage as a band to be noticed. As one of Denmark's biggest newspapers, Information, said: "HELHORSE sounds like the bastard child of BLACK SABBATH and BLACK FLAG."

Wiser, stronger and more focused, HELHORSE entered the studio in 2012 to record its second album. But something had happened and it was obvious for the band that they were at a crossroad. Should they sound even more dirty, messed up and brutal or should they go a different path? The answer was obvious — expansion with no limitations! There was simply to many things to say, to many emotions and too big a universe available between the six members to allow themselves to do the same album twice.

Ballads, punk explosions, heavy, meaty riffs are all aspects on "Oh Death", but there is a common denominator. Namely, the love of the riff, the good melody and a tight song composition. If you listen more closely, you will hear darkness, a more somber tone, deeper lyrics and a more serious band. All this is wrapped in a the massive a heavy production of Emil Buss (Grapehouse Studios) and shows a band that is firing at all cylinders and a dense, hard rocking sound that jumps out of the speakers.

After finishing up a full European tour in May 2013 (that included support dates for the stellar rock band KADAVAR), HELHORSE will embark on the Headbangers Ball tour in autumn 2013, covering Denmark as well as Germany.

"Oh Death" track listing:

01. Fuck Art, Let's Kill
02. Hell Hath No Fury
03. The Seams Of Life
04. The Carnal Rage
05. Red Eye
06. Climb Through Fire
07. Kill Your Self
08. Diggin' A Hole, Waiting To Die
09. Death Comes To The Sleeping
10. And His Name Is Death
11. Scorch The Earth

With STONE TEMPLE PILOTS moving full steam ahead on a new EP and a full slate of fall tour dates with new singer Chester Bennington, The Pulse Of Radio asked guitarist Dean DeLeo how the group chose the LINKIN PARK frontman for the job in the first place. "We simply did not have a list of guys we were thinking of, we didn't hold auditions, we thought of Chester and that was it," he said. "It's very interesting, honestly, because Chester told me a story that when he was dating his wife about nine years ago, he told her that one day he was gonna get a call from us to be the singer of this band."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS will release an EP this fall, in conjunction with a North American tour that kicks off on September 4 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and winds down on September 27 in Las Vegas.

This will be the first major run of live dates, as well as the first official recording, since STONE TEMPLE PILOTS fired founding vocalist Scott Weiland earlier this year and recruited Bennington to take over.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS will release the new EP through their own label. It will contain five songs, including the previously released "Out Of Time".

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS fired Weiland in February and sued him in May, accusing him of using the band's name to advance his solo career, while claiming that his poor performances, late arrivals, and addiction struggles harmed the band's career.

Bassist Robert DeLeo said in a recent radio interview that Weiland's dismissal was a "quality-of-life decision. . . we want to be able to come to town and give you everything we've got and it was getting to a point where we were unable to do that."

"MMXIII", the debut EP from DEATH DIVISION — the heavy, technically aggressive and melodic band founded by bassist Jerry Montano (HELLYEAH, DANZIG, NOTHINGFACE), drummer Tim Yeung (MORBID ANGEL, DIVINE HERESY, HATE ETERNAL, NILE), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and lead guitarist Rick Di Marco — is now available on iTunes.

"MMXIII" track listing:

01. I've Had Enough
02. We Are the Fallen
03. The Day She Left
04. All Hope Is Lost
05. Demons

DEATH DIVISION is taking part in this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also appearing on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, HELLYEAH, DEVICE and NEWSTED.

DEATH DIVISION is managed by Dave Mustaine's son, Justis Mustaine.

In a recent interview with the Colorado Springs, Colorado radio station 94.3 KILO, Dave Mustaine stated about DEATH DIVISION: "One band that I did hear recently that I really liked was the opening band on Gigantour. It's an unknown band. The bass player from DANZIG and the drummer from MORBID ANGEL formed this band called DEATH DIVISION. And they're opening up Gigantour. My son manages them and if Tradecraft [Mustaine's label imprint] could sign anybody, I would sign them. They're that good. When I heard them, I said, 'Well, who's their label?' And Justis said they don't have a label. And I said, 'Really? Well, you know what? They can open Gigantour if they want to.' And they're on it. And the band's got one of the best guitar players I've heard in a very, very, very long time."

DEATH DIVISION has been working with Eclipse Media on the group's official logo and artwork.

For more information, visit the DEATH DIVISION Facebook page.

RED FANG will return this October with its third studio album titled "Whales And Leeches" on Relapse Records. For the new album, the Portland, Oregon-based group worked with producer Chris Funk (DECEMBERISTS) and mixer Vance Powell (THE WHITE STRIPES, RACONTEURS, KINGS OF LEON). This same team helmed RED FANG's last CD, "Murder The Mountains", which Alternative Press magazine hailed as "a near-masterpiece of tangled tar pit riffs and whisky-and-bong-hit vocals."

The cover artwork for "Whales And Leeches" was designed by graphic artist Orion Landau and can be seen below.

On Saturday August 17, RED FANG will head to Missoula, Montana to headline the 12th annual TotalFest. After blistering performances at Sasquatch! and major European festivals all summer long, including Sonisphere, Download, Hellfest and With Full Force, RED FANG will announce a full U.S. tour for fall next week.

Formed in 2005, RED FANG — Bryan Giles (guitar/vocals), Aaron Beam (bass/vocals), David Sullivan (guitar), John Sherman (drums) — has two albums under its belt: the 2009 self-titled debut on Sargent House and 2011's "Murder The Mountains" on Relapse Records.

RED FANG quickly became known for its series of hilarious videos directed by Whitey McConnaughy (BAND OF HORSES, FLOGGING MOLLY, TURBONEGRO). Each clip was picked up by Reddit and went viral, garnering over one million views.

New Jersey-based death metallers FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY have inked a deal with eOne Music/Good Fight Music. The band's new album, "Hellbound", will be released on September 10.

Commented FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY guitarist Will Putney: "We're extremely happy to be working with eOne/GoodFight. I can remember buying MARTYR A.D. and FORTHELOVEOF CDs from [Good Fight Music founder and president] Carl [Severson] when I was a teenager so to have a record released by the man himself is very humbling.

"We love Guy [Kozowyk] at Black Market [Activities] and everything he's done for us during our time with Black Market Activities. He took a chance on us when Nate and I had some demos in a computer and we owe a lot to that dude. Everyone please support that catalogue, Black Market has the coolest bands!"

He continued: "Our new album, 'Hellbound', is an accumulation of everything we love about heavy music. You'll find nods to CONVERGE, GOJIRA, ISIS, ION DISSONANCE, '90s Florida death metal, Swedish melodic death and modern deathcore (the good kind, if thats such a thing). It's hard to classify but it's extremely aggressive and I feel very uncomfortable yet very satisfied listening to it. We hope you enjoy it too."

FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY IS:

Nate Johnson - Vocals
Will Putney - Guitar
Patrick Sheridan - Guitar
Tim Howley - Guitar
Shane Slade - Bass
Josean Orta - Drums

David Draiman (DISTURBED, DEVICE) joined MEGADETH on stage this this past Monday night (July 22) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to contribute guest vocals on MEGADETH's song "Dance In The Rain" from the album "Super Collider". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Loudwire, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine stated about the band's collaboration with Draiman on "Super Collider": "Well, David had come out to the studio and we looked at four different songs and his ideas were all great but some of them made MEGADETH sound more like DISTURBED or DEVICE and it wasn't really a suggestion I could pull off. It would sound like me trying to be like David. But there were a couple moments where he did something and I would be like, 'Ooh, I like that,' and one of them was the little whispering part in 'Forget To Remember'. Right before the choruses, there's kind of a scat, adlib kind of thing and I never really did that kind of stuff. Then the chorus for 'Dance In The Rain', he and I came up with a melody for the chorus which I thought was a risk for me, because I don't sing and hold notes for very long — I'll do a bunch of different notes, because I don't have a huge lung capacity from my years of smoking as much as I did. I'm not going to tell people not to smoke, but man, if I had to do it over again, I never would have done it, because it affects my singing. We were just in Switzerland, and God, talk about needing an iron lung, but I digress.

"Dave lives out in Austin and I hooked up with him out there because we had talked about him doing Gigantour with us, and I love his new project. We had dinner, went over to his house and he wanted to show me some band he produce,d and I like TRIVIUM, so I listened to it and he plays his new DEVICE stuff, and I'm like, 'Do it, Dave. Do it. Go and ask him. Don't be a chicken.' And so I'm like, 'What do you think about singing on 'Dance In The Rain'?' and he goes [in his best Draiman voice] 'I would be delighted. It would be an honor.'

"I had told him that I was changing one word because one word has the power of changing the interpretation of something. People are so obsessed with everything I say right now, trying to dissect it and turn it into something awful and so I was just taking a look at how I'm wording stuff. The implication is still there, but it can't be misinterpreted. I told him about it and he re-sang it and I loved his part.

"The ending of 'Dance In The Rain', I wanted to give the impression that all hell has broken loose and we're living in that Orwellian kind of future where we're being told what to do with all intensive purpose with all the monitoring and everything that's going on it's looking like that's happening. I had done the part that he sang and I liked it, it was good enough, but when he did it, it just took on a whole new character and it was cool because I just pictured Dave in his normal vibe. If that song connects with the public and ends up being a video, I can imagine his participation, and I'm sure he'll be just as great visually as he is vocally.

"Exiting The Hall Of Vapor And Light", the new video from the experimental, dark ambient/noise trio LOCRIAN, can be seen below. The clip is an abstract interpretation directed by George Moore of the instrumental track that appears on the band's new new album, "Return To Annihilation", which was released on June 25 via Relapse Records. The CD was recorded by Greg Norman (PELICAN, RUSSIAN, CIRCLES, SERENA MANEESH) at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago and was mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service.

A two-part concept album inspired by LOCRIAN's love for prog-rock progenitors GENESIS, YES and KING CRIMSON, "Return To Annihilation" is described in a press release as "the group's most ambitious recordings to date."

LOCRIAN lyricist/multi-instrumentalist Terrence Hannum comments on the album's concept: "I think for the album concept we were inspired by GENESIS' 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' and how it is a surreal narrative telling a story. We sought to make our own but we wanted to give our nod to the prog bands that inspired us; KING CRIMSON or YES with the multi-part songs. So we had looked at the novel 'Dhalgren' by sci-fi writer Samuel Delaney as a big influence too. How it is a circular narrative, ours is more of a mirror of itself, one that changes and shifts. It also borrows extensively from Walter Benjamin's 'Arcades Project'.

"Our story is about a cataclysm that changes the world and all manner of perception in two parts. I would say the real and the perceived. And it is all told to you through a narrator, one who you cannot tell if he is asleep or dreaming or sleepwalking through this shifting landscape. Part 1 begins at the end of a song whose lyrics discuss a dawn in which all of our monuments dissolved, the next track the wrath of heaven (a massive cataclysm) visits earth, then two moons appear in the sky (perhaps the most direct reference to Delaney's novel but also an homage to Nick Drake). It ends with the first multi-part track 'Return to Annihilation', a more metaphysical description of the changes apparent in the world. One in which minerals work against man, there is only evolution. We also gain insight into that what we've been told may be unreliable as the narrator admits to 'noctambulism' (sleepwalking). But it is intentionally unclear if this is his state or the state of everyone. Part 2 is a view back through this mirror or lens of Part 1. We exit the hall or vapor and light and enter a panorama of mirror, the entire world as reflection. It ends with a four-part piece about worshiping equilibrium in a world where it has been extinct (isostasy), discussing the qualities of the air that is now poisoned, witnessing the burial of urns (hydriotaphia) and finally awaking to awareness.

"One of the things we wanted to accomplish was a sense of texture with mirrors, prisms, lenses, etc. being referenced in the sounds and tone. I think it does."

Formed in late 2005, LOCRIAN consists of André Foisy (electric and acoustic guitars, arp avatar, electronics), Terence Hannum (vocals, synthesizers, piano, organ, mellotron and tapes) and Steven Hess (drums, electronics). The group, located in Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland, has released over 20 recordings on an eclectic array of labels in their relatively short but prolific career, including a recent split with labelmates HORSEBACK.

"Return To Annihilation" track listing:

A:

Part I

01. Eternal Return
02. A Visitation From The Wrath Of Heaven
03. Two Moons
04. Return To Annihilation
a. Into One Light
b. Anathemata
c. All Mineral in Upheaval

B:

Part II

05. Exiting The Hall Of Vapor And Light
06. Panorama Of Mirror
07. Obsolete Elegies
a. Isostasy
b. Digression of Air
c. Hydriotaphia
d. In Felsic Splendor

CADAVERIA — the Italian band featuring former OPERA IX vocalist Cadaveria and ex-OPERA IX drummer/NECRODEATH vocalist Marçelo Santos (a.k.a. Flegias) — has signed a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of its first retrospective DVD. Due in the fall, the disc will feature live and backstage video material, unreleased interviews and much more, spanning the group's entire career.

CADAVERIA's "Death Vision" video can be seen below. The song comes off CADAVERIA's fourth album, "Horror Metal", which was released on January 31, 2012 via Bakerteam Records, a division of Scarlet Records.

The group's long-awaited follow-up 2007's "In Your Blood" (released on French extreme metal label Season Of Mist) has been described by Cadaveria as "the most obscure, raw and horror-filled work ever produced by the group."

German black metallers KING FEAR will release their first full-length album, "Frostbite", on September 27 via Quality Steel Records/Soulfood.

After issuing its first five-track EP in 2012, the KING FEAR members went separate ways while singer Nachtgarm toured the world performing with NEGATOR and DARK FUNERAL, main composer Mål Dæth moved to the Austrian wilderness to create new music. Once winter struck again, the band gathered with their drummer BoneInn (ex-EISENVATER) in their hometown of Hamburg to start working on what was to become their first full-length album.

Inspired by the history of mountaineering, KING FEAR has created a full-length concept albumbased on the "conquest of the useless" — mankind's possessive desire of reaching the highest mountain peaks.

Driven by the realization of how well these old tales of desire, passion, myth, ancient belief and frigid heights fit the KING FEAR version of black metal, they decided to call it "Frostbite".

Musically, "Frostbite" is rooted in straight-forward black metal with a slap of black'n'roll. Great artists such as SATYRICON, KHOLD, SHINING (Sweden), CELTIC FROST and even ENTOMBED and TIAMAT have proven before: The fastest band is not necessarily the darkest band.

KING FEAR is:

Nachtgarm - Vocals
Mål Dæth - Strings
BoneInn - Drums

AEROSMITH's latest concert film, "Rock For The Rising Sun", was released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on July 23. The group's connection with Japan began in 1977, when the band first played to capacity crowds in the Far East. And as evidenced by "Rock For The Rising Sun", the band-fan bond remains strong to this day. The director behind the release, Casey Patrick Tebo, is well-versed in not only his 'SMITH (he directed their music video for "Legendary Child"), but has also worked with such renowned acts as MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, STEVIE NICKS, LADY ANTEBELLUM, THE AVETT BROTHERS, and RUN-DMC, among countless others.

Tebo first began working with AEROSMITH in 2006, when Steven Tyler and Tebo met through a colleague, and the singer invited the up-and-coming director (who was in film school at the time) to shoot a few of the band's shows — for just the band's personal viewing. Soon after, the band was so impressed with Tebo's work that they hired him to start directing their live shows.

Fast forward to 2011, and AEROSMITH was hard at work on their 15th studio album, "Music From Another Dimension!", but took a break from recording to play shows in Latin America and Japan. Sadly, the Japanese dates occurred not long after tragedy struck the region, as the country experienced a massive earthquake, a monstrous tsunami, and the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Despite warnings about possibly being exposed to radiation, AEROSMITH and crew, including Tebo, braved the risks and followed through with their visit to Japan. "I shot all this stuff and interviewed all these fans, and realized there is a love affair between AEROSMITH and the Japanese fans that was like nothing I'd ever seen," states Tebo. "It was almost like AEROSMITH was there helping people heal."

What Tebo was able to create is a film that not only captures AEROSMITH at their rocking best, but also, shows the group's human side away from the spotlight. "I captured all this stuff, and when I got home to the States, I was like, 'I know I can make something of this, I'm just going to start putting something together,'" states Tebo. "While Steven and Joe were in L.A., making an album with Jack Douglas, I rented out a theater, and emailed Steven and Joe, saying, 'I need you guys to come to this theater. I've got to show you something.' I played them the whole movie, and when the movie was over, Joe stood up, walked over to me, hugged me, and was like, 'That was f-ing amazing, unbelievable.' And Steven was really emotional as well."

Tebo is confident that "Rock For The Rising Sun" matches up well to AEROSMITH's earlier classic home video releases. "There was a part of me — as a fan — loving these guys and seeing them live, that said, 'Man, I would love other people to see this as well,'" he says. Soon, fans will get to experience the legendary AEROSMITH through the revealing lens of Casey Patrick Tebo.

"Steven and Joe once taught me a great lesson in life, it’s called 'Dare to Suck' — it means, if you don't have the balls to just go and do something, then you'll never know what great thing you might have missed out on. This movie was my 'Dare to Suck' moment."

Tebo is currently in pre-production on his first narrative feature film, and has since directed other large-scale television productions, most recently CMT's "Crossroads".

"Rock For The Rising Sun" track listing:

01. Draw The Line
02. Love In An Elevator
03. Livin' On The Edge
04. Hangman Jury
05. No More No More
06. Mama Kin
07. Monkey On My Back
08. Toys In The Attic
09. Sweet Emotion
10. Boogie Man
11. Rats In The Cellar
12. Movin' Out
13. Last Child
14. S.O.S. (Too Bad)
15. Walk This Way
16. Train Kept A Rollin' (credits)

The "Sweet Emotion" performance clip, taken from the "Rock For The Rising Sun" DVD, can be seen below.

Arizona's EYES SET TO KILL will release its fifth full-length album, "Masks", on September 17 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Steve Evetts, who has previously worked with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SUICIDE SILENCE and SEPULTURA, among others.

"I felt like we were wearing a bunch of masks to impress people," admits EYES SET TO KILL singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alexia Rodriguez. "At one point, I had a bit of a revelation. We have gone through so many changes over the years, but it wasn't about anybody else. It was about us — we've really found the band's face at this point. We aren't wearing masks anymore."

"Masks" track listing:

01. Masks
02. Killing In Your Name
03. Lost And Forgotten
04. Where I Want To Be
05. True Colors
06. Surface
07. Little Liar
08. Nothing Left to Say
09. The New Plague
10. Infected
11. Secrets Between
12. Haze
13. Forbidden Line

The official lyric video for the song "Lost And Forgotten" can be seen below.

EYES SET TO KILL's fourth studio album, "White Lotus", came out in August 2011 through a joint venture between the band's management, Maphia Entertainment, and the group's label, Forsee.

EYES SET TO KILL has been prominently featured in a number of publications, with inclusions on numerous "bands to know" lists and is a favorite in Revolver magazine's annual "Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock And Metal" issue. With critical acclaim and three previous releases landing on the Billboard charts, listeners will undoubtedly have lofty expectations for the upcoming EYES SET TO KILL CD.

New York rockers VOICES OF EXTREME will release their second album, "Break The Silence", on November 15.

VOICES OF EXTREME was created by childhood friends Don Chaffin and Bob Brennan. They started working on the recordings for their second release in late 2009 when Brennan and Nick Gertsson returned to New York. The 2013 lineup includes Chaffin on vocals, Brennan on bass, Gertsson on guitar, and John Cappadona on drums.

Says Chaffin: "'Break The Silence' is a culmination of the band's collective influences and various individual styles of the band members and a direct outreach to the fans who have come to love and support our music and live performances."

VOICES OF EXTREME debuted in 2005 with "Hypocrite", a record that was produced by Dan Spitz (ANTHRAX). More recently, Chaffin performed with Spitz in the band RED LAMB, which embarked on a seven-week tour in early 2013.

"Break the Silence" track listing:

01. Damned
02. Tell Me What It Takes
03. Apocalypse
04. Break The Silence
05. Numb
06. Did It Again
07. Hollow
08. Made Of Stone
09. Blown Away
10. Sorry
11. Pain
12. More Than Anything

VOICES OF EXTREME is:

Don Chaffin - Lead Vocals
Bob Brennan - Bass
Nick Gertsson – Guitar
John Cappadona - Drums

Swedish death metallers DEMONICAL have released the following statement:

"It is with great enthusiasm we can now reveal that guitarist Johan Haglund (SPASMODIC) and drummer Ämir Batar (TORMENTION) have officially joined DEMONICAL as full-time members, making the lineup solid, determinate and ready to unleash death and decay over several continents during MMXIII and MMXIV. Choose your side!"

Says Haglund: "It will be a true pleasure to team up with the guys in DEMONICAL and spread their Swedish death metal darkness."

Adds Batar: "I'm very excited to be the new drummer in DEMONICAL and it will be an honor to bash some Swedish old-school death metal drums."

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

Daniel Gustavsson - Guitar
Johan Haglund - Guitar
Sverker Widgren - Vocals
Ämir Batar - Drums
Martin Schulman - Bass

DEMONICAL will release its fourth full-length album, "Darkness Unbound", on September 20 via Cyclone Empire. The CD, which will be available as a limited first-pressing digipack and LP, was once again recorded at Necromorbus Studios in Stockholm.

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

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

"Darkness Unbound" track listing:

01. Darkness Unbound
02. The Order
03. An Endless Celebration
04. Contempt and Conquest
05. King of All
06. The Healing Control
07. Hellfire Empire
08. Words Are Death
09. Deathcrown
10. The Great Praise
11. World Beyond (KREATOR cover) *
12. Burned Alive (re-recording) **

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

DEMONICAL will embark on an extensive European tour in October to support "Darkness Unbound". The crusade will tentatively hit Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic. Support on the first part of the trek will come from DAEMONICUS and Austrian black reapers GROTESKH, while on part II, DEMONICAL will be joined by their Swedish comrades SPASMODIC and German melo-masters HAILSTONE.

Photo credit: Eva Lammi

"Surgical Steel", the new full-length album from reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS, will be released on September 16 in the U.K., September 13 in the rest of Europe and September 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was produced by Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) and mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY).

"Surgical Steel" will be made available in the following formats: CD, CD-Digi, Double-LP Black, Double-LP White (pictured below) and Nuclear Blast Mail Order Edition (pictured below).

The "Surgical Steel" Mailorder Edition is limited to 666 units and is packaged as a first aid-kit.

Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in CARCASS' current incarnation are new drummer Dan Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

CARCASS' first studio LP since 1996's "Swansong" will feature guest vocals from original sticksman Ken Owen.

In a recent interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Walker stated about the new CARCASS CD: "We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think."

He continued: "It sounds like CARCASS. Even the drumming sounds like CARCASS. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds like CARCASS, I think it's good."

Regarding the direction of the forthcoming CARCASS album, Walker previously stated: "We've taken stylistic cues from all the albums because it's in our blood, but it's no rehash or mess of ideas. I think it sounds almost like the missing link between the third and forth albums but with some groove in there. I've jokingly christened some parts 'trad blast' and some 'death sleaze'… don't think for a minute this is just some nostalgic throwback album — we're setting up another 17 years of ideas for other bands to copy and clean up on. [laughs]"

SCAR THE MARTYR, the new band led by SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, will release its self-titled debut album on October 1 via Roadrunner Records. SCAR THE MARTYR will film a music video to accompany the CD's lead single, which will be announced in the coming weeks along with a full album track listing.

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 CD is slated to arrive this fall via Roadrunner Records.

SCAR THE MARTYR will support DANZIG on a North American tour which will also include performances by former MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and HUNTRESS. The trek kicks off August 9 at Sound Academy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and wraps up on August 31 at Tempe, Arizona’s Marquee Theatre.

In addition to Jordison, SCAR THE MARTYR's lineup for the tour will feature lead vocalist 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).

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

Recognized globally as one of the best drummers in rock, Jordison is both a primary songwriter and the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning SLIPKNOT. The SCAR THE MARTYR recording sessions saw him behind the drum kit, while also playing bass on all songs, and rhythm guitar on all but two songs. 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 sees Jordison treading in new sonic territory and expanding upon his already remarkable abilities as songwriter and performer. A searing rock record that draws elements from post-punk and industrial music to create an immersive and modern attack, SCAR THE MARTYR creates a menacing and enveloping palette of surging synthesizers layered under heavy guitars and Jordison's trademark precision drumming.

"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."

The career of Joey Jordison is one that, by any measure, stands among the most creative, and impressive in the history of modern American rock and metal. It is a career that really has been many careers — musician, songwriter, and producer — from small town beginnings to global stardom. Jordison's journey has included an extraordinary string of hits, 11 platinum and 40 gold records, and a Grammy Award with SLIPKNOT as well as numerous industry accolades for his top tier musicianship and, above all, an immeasurable influence on countless fellow artists and passionate fans around the world.

In addition to making its first-ever visit this week to San Diego for the massive geek culture event known as Comic-Con, METALLICA also played a surprise show last Friday night (July 19) at the Spreckels Theatre.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride The Lightning
05. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
06. Sad But True
07. One
08. Master Of Puppets
09. Blackened
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Enter Sandman

Encore:

12. Last Caress
13. Seek & Destroy

Official MetOnTour footage of the pre-show rehearsal and "Seek & Destroy" from the San Diego concert can be seen below.

Writer Ryan J. Downey, who attended the concert, tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Bradley Cooper, the Oscar-nominated star of 'Silver Linings Playbook' and 'The Hangover' movies, spent the entire show rocking out (and playing air guitar) in one of the small theater's balconies. He was visibly excited by even just the intro to 'Blackened', jumping up and down as the familiar notes of the taped intro hit the sound system. Across from him, seated in the balcony in front of stage left, sat Rob Halford. He was nodding his head along to the tunes.

"Norman Reedus, who plays crossbow-wielding fan-favorite Daryl Dixon on 'The Walking Dead', was also in attendance. 'True Blood' werewolf Joe Manganiello posed for pictures with fans inside. Comedian and actor Brian Posehn, no stranger to comic books or heavy metal, took pictures with onlookers outside after the show, as well.

"People from Nuclear Blast (who once again has a booth at Comic-Con) and Century Media were at the show, plus Brian Balchack from IGNITE/INTO ANOTHER, Curtis Mead from SPLIT LIP/CHAMBERLAIN, probably more folks I didn't see.

"For a brief moment, Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] got on drums and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] grabbed Kirk's guitar. Lars played a tiny bit of 'Am I Evil?' as the other dudes played along. Then Lars stuck Kirk's flying V over the crowd, a la 'Cliff 'Em All'. James joked about it being just like 'Chicago' again and Kirk wagged his finger and shook his head 'no' at Lars.

"And of course, James changed the lyric to 'scanning the scene at Comic-Con tonight!' in 'Seek And Destroy'."

METALLICA appeared on Friday at the San Diego Convention Center for a panel and preview of their upcoming IMAX 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never", which arrives in theaters this fall. The group was in Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center at 6 p.m. PT, joined by the movie's director, Nimród Antal; the star of the film, Dane DeHaan; and producer Charlotte Huggins.

According to Billboard.com, Antal jokingly said he "had the most compromising photos of the band" in response to a question about how he got involved with the film, then added, "I was approached by Charlotte and she wanted to bring in a narrative element [to a concert film] and was looking for a collaborative partner. It seemed like a challenge."

He continued, "When fucking METALLICA calls you, you go."

Huggins added, "I sat down with [the band] and they immediately presented an idea, which included this amazing stage, so I thought it was really interesting. The idea was to do a narrative movie where a concert takes place."

DeHaan said: "I started listening to [the band] when I was working on 'The Place Beyond the Pines'. This was months before he saw the script to "Through The Never", which he says "was 15 pages of nothing but paragraphs and paragraphs of story, I didn't have any lines at all."

"Nimrod let me know what the film means to him," he added. "I go on this journey for a bag in the movie. And [the film] is about what you would go through for someone you love. And I got to hang out with METALLICA for three weeks!"

"Metallica Through The Never" will open on IMAX screens in the U.S. on September 27, with a wider release following on October 4.

Dayton, Ohio Christian metalcore band THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has set "8:18" as the title of its new album, due on September 17 via Roadrunner Records. The effort will be available for pre-order at THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's official webstore beginning July 30. The collection, which was recorded at Atlanta's Glow In The Dark Studios and executive-produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, with producer/engineer Matt Goldman, marks the first LP to be released by THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA since 2011's "Dead Throne", which debuted at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 and cemented the group as one of the most electrifying acts in modern metal. Songtitles set to appear on the new disc include "Gloom" and "Martyrs", both of which the band has been performing live at recent shows.

Asked how the new effort compares to 2011's "Dead Throne", vocalist Mike Hranica told Music Feeds: "I think it's kind of a totally new animal. It definitely is a very cohesive record. A lot of the times, I feel like we'll write songs and a lot of them are really cool songs and they'll all have kind of a theme, but sometimes they stray from that path of the theme that we originally intended. And I think that this album as a whole, it all sounds like the album, it all is a cohesive idea. Which, don't get me wrong — I don't mean to say that all the songs sound the same, because they definitely, each has their own unique personality. But as far as 'Dead Throne', our progression from 'Dead Throne', I definitely do think that this album is just a more mature record and has a lot more thought put into it. As always — we're always gonna put a little bit more effort and thought into the new record than our previous effort."

Back in January, Hranica told Loudwire about the songwriting process for the new album: "For me, I definitely feel a little bit of a carry-over from 'Dead Throne', particularly because it was a very cool record for me learning, for me learning to write better and that was working with a new [producer] … working with Adam for the first time and having [A DAY TO REMEMBER's] Jeremy McKinnon working on some of the songs with us, and I feel I took a lot from that. On 'Dead Throne', there were better vocal parts and everything was more cohesive and understandable and made for better song structure and everything and that had had a big impact on me creatively and so it's definitely carried over into this."

He added: "Conceptually, the concepts of 'Dead Throne' didn't carry over. I feel like that would be repetitive and monotonous to keep going at the same subject matter, but obviously, it all comes from the same place and I can say that nothing got more happy or uplifting, really. So I think it's very much THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, but also it's got a bit of freshness and originality to it and I think that even musically we started approaching the songs differently. Like, this song could be more like this and working off of a base we never really worked off of before."

"Dead Throne" sold 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Through Our Darkest Days", the seventh album from Danish melodic death metallers MERCENARY, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on July 26 via NoiseArt Records, the CD was recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with longtime producer Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, VOLBEAT, NIGHTRAGE, HATESPHERE, PYRAMAZE). The cover art was created by Mircea Eftemie (guitarist of MNEMIC), who has previously worked with SOILWORK, ILLDISPOSED and others.

"Through Our Darkest Days" track listing:

01. A New Dawn
02. Welcome The Sickness
03. Through Our Darkest Days
04. Dreamstate Machine
05. A Moment Of Clarity
06. Beyond This Night
07. Starving Eyes
08. Generation Hate
09. Forever The Unknown
10. Holding On To Serenity (bonus track)

MERCENARY comments on the cover: "Last year when we were busy with pre-productions, we considered reaching out to Mircea to ask if he'd like to give our new cover a shot, because we liked his recent stuff and wanted to try someone with a fresh approach. Against all odds, however, he actually beat us to it and contacted us first with the exact same offer, so it very much seemed as a collaboration that was meant to be.

"After a few sketches, we quickly locked on to the main motive of the cover, which we felt was both iconic, mysterious, and not least, oddly disturbing. Most importantly perhaps, we also felt that Mircea's artwork had managed in a natural way to combine something fresh with the style of our older album covers and their dark and atmospheric vibes.

"As our new album is very much a combination our latest material with a lot of the more traditional melodic and melancholic elements of previous MERCENARY albums, we felt that this was a perfect visual expression of MERCENARY's sound and identity in 2013.

"The cover symbolizes a darkness that we have gone through as a band, which we feel that we have finally been able to put behind us.

"The title of the album is meant very positively and thematizes both the journey through existential darkness as a general theme and the ability to break through it.

"The lyrical universe is very much about making the most of life and not getting caught up in negativity."

Adds Eftemie: "I wanted to make something that had a direct visual relation to the album title, but also follow the design patterns of the older MERCENARY album covers, to keep their identity and brand intact. After swapping ideas back and forth, we ended with a piece not too abstract, but dark and disturbing enough to portray the concept of the new album. It was absolutely a pleasure working on this piece!"

MERCENARY 2013 is:

Jakob Mølbjerg - Guitar
René Pedersen - Bass, Vocals
Martin Buus - Lead Guitar
Peter Mathiesen - Drums

Cult Swedish black/death metal act NECROPHOBIC will release its seventh full-length album, "Womb Of Lilithu", on October 29 (four days earlier in Europe) via Season Of Mist. A digital single featuring the new song "Splendour Nigri Solis", taken from the forthcoming CD, will be released exclusively through Spotify on August 19 (September 3 in North America).

The cover artwork for the "Splendour Nigri Solis" single can be seen below.

In 2011, NECROPHOBIC was joined by guitarists Robert Sennebäck (DISMEMBER, UNLEASHED) and Fredrik Folkare (UNLEASHED).

The band's current lineup is as follows:

Joakim Sterner - Drums
Tobias Sidegård - Vocals
Alexander Friberg - Bass
Robert Sennebäck - Guitar
Fredrik Folkare – Guitar

NECROPHOBIC supported MORBID ANGEL on a European tour in November/December 2011.

NECROPHOBIC's latest album, "Death To All", was released in Europe in May 2009 via Regain Records.

Fan-filmed video footage of ROB ZOMBIE's July 17 performance in Bangor, Maine during this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival can be seen below.

Rob Zombie's fifth album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 23 via Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

Zombie told Artist Direct in an interview that "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" could one day make it to the big screen as a Zombie-directed film. The rocker and filmmaker explained, "I think it could. I made it with that in mind. At least in my mind — no one else knows this — I wanted to have a storyline that runs through the record so if someday I wanted to make it into a movie musical like THE WHO's 'Tommy' or 'Quadrophenia', there was a structure to follow. I'm not really talking about what it is because I think it's sort of relevant at this point."

Behind-the-scenes footage from SABATON's July 18 concert in Moscow, Russia as the support act for IRON MAIDEN can be seen below.

SABATON's latest album, "Carolus Rex", was recently certified gold in Poland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. The band was presented with gold plaques during their signing session in Warsaw. The CD was also certified gold in Sweden for sales in excess of 20,000 copies. (Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [IFPI] in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last 11 years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.)

"Carolus Rex" was released on May 22, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records. The lyrics for the CD, which was made available in both English and Swedish, deal with the Swedish Empire (referring to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721).

SABATON's entire November 16, 2012 headlining concert at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden was professionally filmed and recorded for the band's upcoming DVD and Blu-ray, tentatively due later this year.

SABATON last year parted ways with guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, drummer Daniel Mulback and keyboardist Daniel Mÿhr.

"Serpent Reaper", the new video from Cleveland, Ohio-based thrashers SOULLESS, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth full-length album, "In Death's Grip", which was released on April 23 via Auburn Records. The clip, which was directed by Kristoff Bates for Black Arts Media, was filmed on location in Cleveland at the House Of Wills, an abandoned former funeral home built in the early 1900s and rumored to be a place of very active paranormal activity.

"You have to see this place to believe it," says Auburn Records president Bill Peters. "It's a massive structure that was originally built in 1900 as a German opera house. 35 rooms in an abandoned funeral home with multiple basements, attics, hidden passageways, rotting floors, unexplained cold temperatures, no water or electricity, empty caskets and a crematorium. It looks as if the funeral home owners literally left in the middle of the night some 20 years ago. Many of their things are still there.

"This is officially the creepiest and craziest place I have ever been to in my life. The real deal in horror. Words cannot even begin to describe.

"Being locked up in that place for two full nights was a mind-altering experience — let me tell you! The smell of evil is everywhere. The perfect location for a SOULLESS video shoot."

Asked his opinion about the strongest material on "In Death's Grip", SOULLESS vocalist Jim Lippuci doesn't hesitate. "'Serpent Reaper' is one of my favorites," he says.

"I utilized some lyrics I had kicking around, a ghost story.

"The name actually comes from a nickname that a friend of our guitarist Wayne (Richards) gave me. I have no idea what it means, but thought it sounded cool as hell, so I incorporated it into the song.

"That one has all the stuff we like about SOULLESS. It has melody, slower parts, faster stuff.

"Most people agree that's one of the stronger songs on the album."

"In Death's Grip" was recorded by SOULLESS bassist David Johnson at Bad Back Studios in Cleveland, Ohio. The cover illustration was done by Matt Cavotta. Jim Lippucci handled the design and layout.

"In Death's Grip" track listing:

01. Vindictae Dei (intro)
02. The Crippler
03. Serpent Reaper
04. It Ends Tonight
05. Bleed You Dry
06. Bury The Cross
07. In Darkness Consumed
08. Death's Icy Grip
09. Burnt Earth
10. Sinner Without A Soul
11. World Of Ruin
12. Take Command (bonus track)

The album is distributed in North America by CD Baby, Century Media, The End, Sentinel Steel, Amazon and iTunes.

"Younger kids might call us death metal," adds Lippucci, "but I'd say we're sort of German thrash meets IRON MAIDEN. It's not brutal, in the death metal sense, and there's no breakdowns.

"We grew up on the original thrash movement.

"Back in the day, you didn't have the delineation of the music. POSSESSED, VENOM, EXODUS, they were all just called 'thrash.'

"We try to have a couple songs on each record that also have some doomy parts. We love TROUBLE and try to pay homage to our predecessors."

SOULLESS will appear at this year's sold-out Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 1-3 in Wacken, Germany. This will be SOULLESS' first time performing live overseas. It has been their dream to play in Europe one day since forming the band in 1997.

"Germany has a reputation for fine metal and even finer ales, lagers and dunkels," says Lippucci. "These are the things we find best in life.

"We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to take our little freakshow abroad, not only to sample the noble culture of this amazing country, but also to show them that our little corner of the world can bring the steel as well. Teutonic thrash über alles!"

SOULLESS is:

Wayne Richards - Guitar
Dave Johnson - Bass
Jim Lippucci - Vocals
Chris Dora - Drums
Matt Sorg - Guitar

MOTÖRHEAD has set "Aftershock" as the title of its new album, tentatively due in the fall. The follow-up to 2010's "The Wörld Is Yours" was recorded at Maple Sound Studios in Santa Ana, California with longtime producer Cameron Webb and will feature the following 13 songs:

01. Death Machine
02. Heartbreaker
03. Coming Back To You
04. Going To Mexico
05. Courage
06. Queen Of The Damned
07. Lost Woman Blues
08. Crying Shame
09. Paralyzed
10. Dust And Glass
11. Coup De Grace
12. Silence When You Speak To Me
13. Knife

MOTÖRHEAD canceled a handful of shows on its European festival tour earlier this month after the band's frontman, Lemmy Kilmister, suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel). The news of Lemmy's latest medical issue followed reports that he was also recently fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems.

MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell will bring his new project, the PHIL CAMPBELL ALL STAR BAND, to the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 8-11 at Catton Hall in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, England.

Says Phil: "I am very excited to announce that I will be playing Bloodstock on August 11th with my new band, featuring members of STRAIGHT LINES, THE PEOPLE THE POET, DOPAMINE and ATTACK ATTACK. It's gonna be a lot of fun so come along and rock out with us!"