San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION will release a seven-inch single this summer. "Your Disposal" features the B-side "An Exposition of Insides", which was previously available only as a Japanese bonus track on the band's most recent album, "Monolith Of Inhumanity". The single is available (both black and clear vinyl) for order on-line on IndieMerchStore.com for $5.50, as well as in a bundle with a t-shirt for $18.99. Fans attending this year's Summer Slaughter Tour can grab their copy at the band's merch booth throughout the tour.

Vocalist Travis Ryan comments: "We noticed a lot of people were dismayed to find out there was a track available out there on a Japanese version of 'Monolith Of Inhumanity' that nobody outside of Japan had ever heard before. When it hit YouTube, that's when we started getting emails from fans. We noticed the lyrics weren't inside that version or available anywhere at all so that gave us the idea of throwing it on a B-side and releasing a 7" vinyl single for 'Your Disposal' with the song 'An Exposition Of Insides'! We feel that 'Monolith' is the mother of all of our releases so far and I thought it'd be funny to make it look like she just squirted out a baby and that's what this little guy looks like. Just in time for Summer Slaughter!"

The most extreme tour of the year has returned with its most devastating and anticipated lineup yet. The seventh annual Summer Slaughter Tour, presented by Indie Merch Store, ESP and Guitar World, is now officially slated to run from July 19 through August 24. It features such heavyweights as THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, ANIMALS AS LEADERS, PERIPHERY, NORMA JEAN, CATTLE DECAPITATION, THE OCEAN, REVOCATION, AEON and two other bands.

CATTLE DECAPITATION's latest album, "Monolith Of Inhumanity", sold around 2,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 6 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.

Released on May 8, 2012, "Monolith Of Inhumanity" was produced by Dave Otero of Denver's Flatline Audio and sees the band exploring innovative new techniques in songwriting without abandoning their signature formula of confrontational audio wreckage and self-loathing lyrical content.

DEPRECATED has inked a multi-album deal with Unique Leader Records. The band's latest album, "Deriding His Creation", will be re-released on October 1.

Cast from members of the mighty SUFFOCATION, DECREPIT BIRTH and DISGORGE, DEPRECATED is the embodiment of agonizing brutality.

While the solid foundation of original members AJ Magaña, Derek Boyer and Torrey Moores oversees the composition of DEPRECATED's material, the addition of Terrence Hobbs and Matt Sotelo fuse to be one of death metals more formidable string sections to date. Terrence and Matt, being of polar opposite styles in their respective bands, bring their influential talents and unyielding ferocity together with that of DEPRECATED's old-school approach to exploit and pulverize ones adrenal gland in its vice.

After the tracks for the "Deriding His Creation" re-release were recorded, the final piece was to be put in place by utilizing one of the industry's top engineers to ensure the albums message was clearly stated. Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate studios, known for engineering releases for bands such as SUICIDE SILENCE, SEVERED SAVIOR, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION, IMMOLATION and SIX FEET UNDER, just to mention a few, brings the over indulgent aggression of DEPRECATED's music to a mirrored finish ensuring fans of all that is heavy to question the direction that death metal has so unfortunately taken.

Norwegian metallers SUSPERIA will release the first single from their upcoming album soon as a free download here the band's official web site. The group states: "We are working our asses of right now and we think the song will be ready for you in early August."

SUSPERIA in November 2011 released a CD celebrating its 10-year anniversary as a recording artist, "We Are The Ones". According to a press release, the "mark[ed] 10 years of releases, and at the same time a nice end of a circle where Mustis (ex-DIMMU BORGIR), who participated on SUSPERIA's first demo in 1999, now return[ed] after 12 years to once again put his magical touch on new, as well as old songs. A very fruitful cooperation which now has led to some fantastic re-recordings of some very popular, classic songs, now in complete symphonic versions. A brand new song has been recorded, with a massive orchestral theme."

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based female-fronted melodic death metallers THE AGONIST have posted behind-the-scenes footage from their recent visit to Mexico City, where they supported CANNIBAL CORPSE for one show. Check out the two clips below.

THE AGONIST's third album, "Prisoners", debuted at No. 19 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.

"Prisoners", was released on June 4, 2012 in Europe and June 5, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY) and mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TRANQUILLITY, SUICIDE SILENCE) and it "picks right up where 2009's 'Lullabies For The Dormant Mind' left off, with soaring melodies over complex metal passages that fans of thinking-man's metal can appreciate," according to a press release.

In regards to the album artwork, singer Alissa White-Gluz stated: "We wanted to really include a chaotic visual to reflect the chaotic sound of the band, but we also wanted to show that the lyrics on this album are a lot more introverted…The human face was left non-descript on purpose — it doesn't belong to any particular person, but we could call him the Lonely Solipsist."

Los Angeles death metallers ABYSMAL DAWN have entered the studio to begin work on the follow-up to their 2011 release "Leveling The Plane Of Existence".

Comments ABYSMAL DAWN frontman Charles Elliott: "The time has finally come to exorcise the demons once again.

"It's been a while, but we'll be entering the studio very soon to begin recording the follow-up to 'Leveling The Plane Of Existence'.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure we could top that record at first. After a couple tracks into the demoing process, though, all my doubts were washed clean away.

"This is definitely a worthy successor, if not something even greater, and I'm sure fans will agree.

"We aren't always to most optimistic bunch, but in this case I think we'll make an exception.

"There's definitely some faster stuff here, as well as some super groovy and atmospheric material. It's slightly different, but as always with us, 'the riff' and song craft are what we tried to bring to the forefront here. All these songs were meant to pummel audiences in a live setting, and I think we've achieved that.

"We look forward to playing these on tour for you guys whenever the album comes out!

"We'll start recording drums at Trench Studios (EXHUMED, INTRONAUT) [in Corona, California] this weekend with John Haddad, then head over to Artisan Road Studios with Mike Bear to track everything else, before returning to Trench again to reamp everything. Once that's all done, we'll send it off to the good people at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH, SOILWORK, THE FORSAKEN) in Sweden to mix and master.

"Time to crush!"

ABYSMAL DAWN's "In Service Of Time" video can be seen below. The track comes off "Leveling The Plane Of Existence", which was released in February 2011 via Relapse Records.

On the creation of the dark and sinister new video, Charles Elliott said: "It was directed and edited by Robert Mestas, who won a contest a while back for making a video clip for our song 'My Own Savior'. He did such a great job with that track that we decided to give him a shot at making a full-fledged epic video for us. Being a self-financed production, though, I think at some point we all realized we'd bitten off a bit more than we could chew. Several favors we're called in and many plans would fall apart, causing the video to be delayed for a very long time. We have to say, though, the end result did turn out pretty amazing. It's a very dark dystopian piece, which you'd expect from us, with a nod to the classic silent German film 'Metropolis'."

Elliott previously stated about the "In Service Of Time" track: "Lyrically, the song is about trying not to repeat your same mistakes, and trying to find purpose in life in the time that you're given.

"When I was writing the lyrics, I was very inspired by the infectious mechanized rhythm of the song. I could visualize the gears of clocks ticking away and it got me thinking about my own mortality."

Fan-filmed video footage of IRON MAIDEN's July 10 performance at Malmö Stadion in Malmö, Sweden can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Moonchild
02. Can I Play With Madness
03. The Prisoner
04. 2 Minutes To Midnight
05. Afraid To Shoot Strangers
06. The Trooper
07. The Number Of The Beast
08. Phantom Of The Opera
09. Run To The Hills
10. Wasted Years
11. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
12. The Clairvoyant
13. Fear Of The Dark
14. Iron Maiden

Encore:

15. Aces High
16. The Evil That Men Do
17. Running Free

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson recently told the Swedish web site Talarforum (Speakers' Forum) that there are plans for the band to enter the studio to record a new album for a tentative 2014 release.

MAIDEN's 15th studio CD, 2010's "The Final Frontier", featured 10 tracks that had an average running time of seven minutes and 40 seconds, with the shortest song, "The Alchemist", clocking in at four minutes and 29 seconds, and the longest, "When The Wild Wind Blows", lasting ten minutes and 59 seconds.

"The Final Frontier" sold 63,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 4.

IRON MAIDEN's previous album, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", opened with 56,000 units to land at No. 9. This was a notable increase from the 40,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2003's "Dance of Death" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and that of "Brave New World", which moved 38,000 copies in June 2000 to land at No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Final Frontier" was IRON MAIDEN's fourth U.K. No. 1 album. The band previously topped the chart in 1982 with "The Number of the Beast", in 1988 with "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and in 1992 with "Fear of the Dark".

Fan-filmed video footage of Slash's July 5 headlining performance at Ribfest in Naperville, Illinois can be seen below.

Slash's second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", came out in May 2012 and was certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales in excess of 35,000 copies.

"[The album has] been really well received and I was really pleased with the record in the first place; it's great," Slash said. "You never know what exactly is going to happen and I never have any what you'd call expectations, but once it's out there and people sort of dig it for the right reasons, it's always a good feeling."

Slash recently revealed that he and singer Myles Kennedy have already begun working on music for the guitarist's next album, to be recorded sometime this year.

Kennedy divides his time between ALTER BRIDGE, who are working on their fourth studio set, and Slash, for whom he fronts Slash's touring and recording group MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS.

"Between Here & Lost", the debut album from LOVE & DEATH, the band led by KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, will be re-released soon as a "deluxe" edition containing as-yet-undisclosed bonus material.

Professionally filmed video footage of LOVE & DEATH's appearance at this year's edition of the Rock Am Ring festival on June 7 in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below (courtesy of Dasding).

"Between Here & Lost" sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 95 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was originally issued on January 22 via Tooth & Nail Records.

Recorded in Nashville with producer Jasen Rauch (RED, BREAKING BENJAMIN) and mixed by Paul Pavao, Ben Grosse (MARILYN MANSON, DISTURBED) and Jim Monti (KORN), "Between Here & Lost" consists of 11 tracks, ranging from songs about personal struggle and triumph ("Chemicals", "My Disaster", "Paralyzed") to emotionally charged anthems ("Fading Away", "Watching The Bottom Fall") to a riff-heavy rendition of DEVO's 1980 hit "Whip It".

LOVE AND DEATH is comprised of Welch, lead guitarist JR Bareis, bassist Michael Valentine, and drummer Dan Johnson.

Like the album title suggests, "Between Here & Lost" captures the honesty of light and darkness, beauty and tragedy, good and evil, delivered by a band with intense passion and commitment to the message of its music.

"This record was birthed from trials, tribulations, pain, suffering, anxiety, depression, and drama," stated Welch. "However, we came out on top and the end result is a very real, raw and honest record. We are so stoked for people to hear it! From our opening song, 'The Abandoning', to our cover of DEVO's 'Whip it', to our collaboration with Mattie Montgomery from FOR TODAY on 'I W8 4 U', It's an exciting piece of art and the listener will feel the different range of emotions with the lyrics and melodies of each song."

LOVE AND DEATH formed when Welch decided to have open auditions on YouTube in 2009. "I picked the guys and then had a jam session in Phoenix," says Welch. "Over the last couple of years, there have been a few lineup changes as we went through normal growing pains. The current band has been together and touring for a while now and they are a big part of the new music and the future of LOVE AND DEATH."

SALIVA will release its eighth full-length album, "In It To Win It", in North America on September 3 via Rum Bum Records. The first single from the CD, the aggressively anthemic title track, is now available on iTunes.

"In It To Win It" was produced by Bobby Huff (known for his songwriting work with MEAT LOAF, HALESTORM, DROWNING POOL, PAPA ROACH, 3 DOORS DOWN and more) and executive-produced by Rum Bum Records owner Luis Bacardi and new SALIVA lead singer Bobby Amaru.

"In It To Win It" track listing:

01. Animal
02. She Can Sure Hide Crazy
03. In It To Win It
04. Choke
05. Redneck Freakshow
06. Lost
07. 1000 Eyes
08. Flesh
09. The Enemy
10. Rise Up
11. I Don't Want It
12. I.D.N.A.E.
13. No One But Me

Since forming in Memphis in 1996, SALIVA has produced a number of chart-topping hits and earned a Grammy nomination for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for their record "Your Disease". A number of tracks from records have also been featured in major films, including "The Fast And The Furious" and "Talladega Nights" as well as successful games like Tiger Woods PGA.

"We want to sell 10 million records," said Amaru. "In the end, what's most important is coming out with songs that we're excited to play, that our fans are excited to hear and that the combination of the two results in a great tour. That's what it's all about."

SALIVA's last studio album was 2011's "Under Your Skin", which featured the Top 5 rock single "Never Should've Let You Go".

Vocalist Josey Scott left SALIVA in 2011 to pursue a solo Christian recording career.

Rum Bum Records is an independent record label based in South Florida. Led by a team of industry veterans dedicated to finding original talent of all genres, the label offers worldwide distribution, and provides artists with the resources necessary to develop and expand their careers.

Chicago's DIAMOND PLATE has set "Pulse" as the title of its sophomore album, due on August 20 in the USA via Century Media/Earache and on digital formats in Europe on August 19. The follow-up to 2011's "Generation Why?" was recorded with producer Neil Kernon (JUDAS PRIEST, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) at Studio Chicago.

Comments DIAMOND PLATE: "During the months of recording, the album took on a life of its own. Our goal was to capture the energy of a live band, and working with Neil gave us the freedom to create the music we've always wanted to play.

"A straightforward explanation of the title 'Pulse' is that it represents music, or life, in its purest form. The real meaning behind the album can only be discovered by the person using his/her ears."

The artwork for "Pulse" was created by artist Gustavo Sazes (MORBID ANGEL, ARCH ENEMY, SEPULTURA).

PEARL JAM will release its new album, "Lightning Bolt", on October 15. The CD's first single "Mind Your Manners", is available for download on PearlJam.com.

The band has been working intermittently on the follow-up to 2009's "Backspacer" for the past eighteen months with producer Brendan O'Brien.

In May, guitarist Stone Gossard told Billboard.com the album was "sounding great. I think people are going to be excited about it."

PEARL JAM's North American arena tour in support of "Lightning Bolt" will kick off on October 11 and run through December 6.

Danish thrash metal veterans ARTILLERY have inked a deal with Metal Blade Records. The band's new album has already been recorded and in the process of being mixed and mastered. The CD was tracked at Medley Studios in Copenhagen with producer Søren Andersen and will include such songs as "Anno Requirem", "Dies Irae", "Define Your Sins" and "Wardrum Heartbeat". A late 2013 release is expected.

Comments ARTILLERY on the signing: "ARTILLERY is very proud to have signed with legendary Metal Blade Records!

"Metal Blade is the company who released METALLICA's first song, SLAYER's and TROUBLE's debut records and who in their lineup have our fellow Danes MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND signed. With their over 30 years of experience in the business, this is a big step forward for ARTILLERY.

"We can't wait to have our new album released on Metal Blade, and we are looking forward to promote it with our first American tour ever. We also want to thank Metal Mind and Agnieszka for the last 5 years!"

Singer Søren Adamsen left ARTILLERY last year for personal reasons and was replaced by Michael Bastholm Dahl.

ARTILLERY 2013 is:

Michael Bastholm Dahl - Vocals
Michael Stützer - Guitar
Morten Stützer - Guitar
Peter Thorslund - Bass
Josua Madsen - Drums

Fan-filmed video footage of ARTILLERY's May 19 performance in Prague, Czech Republic can be seen below.

WDR's (German public TV) series "Rockpalast" recently aired professionally filmed video footage of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA performing at the Rock Hard Festival, which was held May 17-19 at Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. You an now watch the clip below.

SEPULTURA has completed recording its new album for a tentative October release via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and will be mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

The follow-up to 2011's "Kairos" will contain nine songs, including "The Age Of The Atheist", "Tsunami", "The Vatican" and "Trauma Of War", and two bonus tracks (covers of DEATH's "Zombie Ritual" and a song from the Brazilian group CHICO SCIENCE E NAÇÃO ZUMBI). The CD will also feature a guest appearance by former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo.

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

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

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

Sammy Hagar has enlisted three legendary musicians — Toby Keith, Mickey Hart and Taj Mahal — to round out the final three tracks on his first-ever rock collaborations album: "Sammy Hagar And Friends". The highly anticipated effort is set for release by Frontiers Records on September 24 in North America, September 29 in the U.K., and September 27 in the rest of Europe, and will be preceded by the CD's first single and video for the high-voltage track "Knockdown Dragout" featuring Kid Rock, Joe Satriani and Denny Carmassi.

In addition to the 10-track standard edition album, fans will also have an opportunity to purchase a deluxe edition of "Sammy Hagar And Friends", packaged in a high-gloss digipak. The deluxe CD/DVD package includes an exclusive bonus audio track, "Space Station #5", recorded live at the Ronnie Montrose Tribute Concert held on April 29, 2012 in San Francisco, as well as the "making-of" album documentary which includes bonus video of the first single "Knockdown Dragout", and more.

"Sammy Hagar And Friends" track listing:

01. Winding Down (with Taj Mahal)
02. Not Going Down (with Bill Church & Denny Carmassi)
03. Personal Jesus (with Neal Schon, Michael Anthony & Chad Smith)
04. Father Sun (with Denny Carmassi & Aaron Hagar)
05. Knockdown Dragout (with Kid Rock, Joe Satriani, Denny Carmassi)
06. Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (with David Lauser, Mona Gnader & Vic Johnson)
07. Bad On Fords and Chevrolets (with Ronnie Dunn, David Lauser, Mona Gnader & Vic Johnson)
08. Margaritaville (with Toby Keith)
09. All We Need Is An Island (with Nancy Wilson & Mickey Hart)
10. Going Down (with Neal Schon, Michael Anthony & Chad Smith)
11. Space Station #5 (with Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Joe Satriani) (Live from Ronnie Montrose Tribute * Exclusively available on Deluxe Edition CD)

From new originals like "Knockdown Dragout" with Kid Rock, "Bad On Fords And Chevrolets" with Ronnie Dunn, "All We Need Is An Island" with Nancy Wilson, "Going Down" with Neal Schon, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith, and "Father Sun", a duet with his son Aaron Hagar — to reimagined covers of classics like BOB SEGER's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" and DEPECHE MODE's "Personal Jesus" — Hagar has masterfully assembled an album that delves into rock, country, blues and pop. "Sammy Hagar And Friends" is Hagar's first solo album since 2008. Full details, including a complete artist list, cover art, track listing and presale information will be announced shortly.

The release of "Sammy Hagar And Friends" will follow on the heels of his "Four Decades of Rock" summer tour which kicks off July 26 in Tucson and wraps September 7 in his hometown of San Francisco. The 14-city tour celebrates Hagar's arsenal of hits from his career-spanning success as a solo artist, songwriter and frontman for VAN HALEN, MONTROSE and CHICKENFOOT. The tour, which features Hagar and his band, THE WABOS, will also see influential bandmates from his career, including Michael Anthony, Denny Carmassi, Bill Church and more joining him on select dates. Hagar and his lineup of guest stars will take fans on a hit-filled retrospective from the Red Rocker's prolific career. Fans can also expect some surprise "friends" to join Hagar on stage for a sneak peek of tracks from the new album.

According to the Las Vegas Informer, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and his fiancée, Jessica Miller, celebrated their recent engagement Monday evening (July 8) alongside a close-knit group of family members — including the bride-to-be's father and Ulrich's son — at N9NE Steakhouse at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jessica Miller, 29, who was previously in a relationship with SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian, is a professional model, and has appeared on the cover of various international editions of Vogue magazine. She has also been a model for Gap, H&M and Chanel, among others.

Ulrich, 49, has two sons, Myles, 14, and Layne, 12, with former wife Skylar Satenstein, and a third boy, Bryce, 6, with Danish actress Connie Nielsen.

A photo of Ulrich with his fiancée, taken this past May on the red carpet at the "Jimmy P. (Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian)" premiere at the Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, can be found at Getty Images. Video footage of them posing for photographers at the same event can be seen below.