Guitarist Adrian Belew (pictured below) has announced his departure from the new touring lineup of Trent Reznor's NINE INCH NAILS.

Belew wrote on Facebook: "Hey, folks, before this goes too far, let me say this: I greatly respect [NINE INCH NAILS mainman] Trent [Reznor] and the music he makes. No one is at fault. We both agreed it just was not working. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone. That really hurts. But NIN will do an amazing show and I am back where I belong: creating FLUX."

Bassist Eric Avery quit NINE INCH NAILS last month, writing on Facebook that he was "overwhelmed" at the thought of going out again with NIN after spending the last year on tour with GARBAGE.

NINE INCH NAILS will release its first new album in four years, titled "Hesitation Marks", on September 3 through Columbia Records. The disc was recorded in secret over the past 12 months and features "Came Back Haunted", the first single, which is available at iTunes on Thursday (June 6). In addition, the band has confirmed a lengthy North American tour called "Nine Inch Nails: Tension 2013" for the fall, beginning on September 28 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets for the arena outing will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, June 14 at LiveNation.com.

Reznor said about the tour, "'Tension' picks up where (2009 outing) 'Lights In The Sky' left off. This is the full-on NIN live experience realized as we never could before."

Fans who pre-order "Hesitation Marks" on iTunes will instantly receive a download of "Came Back Haunted". The single is also streaming at the official NIN web site.

Before the tour, NINE INCH NAILS will appear this summer at events like Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Leeds, Reading, Made In America and the Voodoo Festival.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of WHITESNAKE's June 2 performance at the HiRock Festival in Loreley Freilichtbühne, Germany can be seen below.

Regarding WHITESNAKE's upcoming touring plans, the band's mainman and lead singer David Coverdale recently told the Coventry Telegraph, "I absolutely love being at home with my family, so it has to be something exciting to get me out of my house. I enjoy performing, but the travelling sucks on ice. I am treated very nicely when I'm on the road these days, but if you could beam me to Birmingham or wherever, I would love it."

On the topic of WHITESNAKE's co-headlining tour with JOURNEY, whose hits include "Don't Stop Believin'", "Any Way You Want It" and "Faithfully", with the added attraction of English hard rockers THUNDER, Coverdale said: "JOURNEY I have known for decades. The difficulty of having a co-headliner is to find someone with an equal number of familiar songs, so that you give audiences more bang for their buck. In these difficult times, the more you can offer for the price of a ticket the better, I feel. And JOURNEY have a lot of great songs. As for my dear friends THUNDER, (guitarist and songwriter) Luke Morley has put the band back together specially for this tour."

Frontiers Records will release WHITESNAKE's "Made In Britain/The World Record" in Europe on July 5 and in North America on July 9. The album will be released in Japan on June 19 via Ward Records.

GUNS N' ROSES played an intimate show last night (Thursday, June 6) at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES is set to headline Governors Ball this Saturday, June 8.

Although the current version of GUNS N' ROSES has a few more shows coming up, the band's guitarist, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal told Rolling Stone that there is music ready to go for a follow-up to 2008's "Chinese Democracy". He explained, "There's a lot of stuff, it's just a question of all of us organizing. We're still doing shows, and I think once we clear our schedule and focus more on new music, it'll happen. We just have little things on the back burner, just waiting for the right time for us to organize and make something new out of it. Hopefully we can make more music — that's what it's about."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Thal believes that the group's fans want to hear something new from GUNS too, saying, "They want new music, and we can do it. It's not that we're done. I'm not ready for that. We need to keep making music. We have a great band that's ready to do it and can do it well."

Any chances of a new album, of course, depend on frontman Axl Rose. It took Rose 13 years to finish "Chinese Democracy", burning through hundreds of thousands of dollars, multiple producers, every last remaining original member of the group and a few replacements before he was done.

The finished product got mixed reviews and was a relative flop, moving less than one million copies in the U.S.

But Rose remains an enigma. He has not spoken about making a new album in any of his rare interviews, still insists on going onstage late, and skipped out on GUNS' induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012.

SLAYER played its second show yesterday (Thursday, June 6) since the passing of guitarist Jeff Hanneman and return of drummer Paul Bostaph at Muziektheater in Enschede, The Netherlands.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Hallowed Point
03. War Ensemble
04. Hate Worldwide
05. At Dawn They Sleep
06. Stain Of Mind
07. Disciple
08. Bloodline
09. Mandatory Suicide
10. Chemical Warfare
11. Payback
12. Seasons In The Abyss
13. The Antichrist
14. Dead Skin Mask
15. Hell Awaits
16. Raining Blood

Encore:

17. South Of Heaven
18. Angel Of Death

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

It was announced on May 30 by SLAYER's Tom Araya (bass, vocals) and Kerry King (guitar) that Bostaph would be behind the drum kit for the first leg of the band's 2013 international tour. EXODUS' Gary Holt is continuing to fill in for fallen guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died on May 2 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.

Bostaph was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified "Divine Intervention" (1994), the 1996 punk covers album "Undisputed Attitude", "Diabolus In Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", as well as the DVD "War At The Warfield" (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.

SLAYER's 2013 itinerary will have the band playing 35 dates that will include headline shows as well as a number of major summer festivals in Europe, Eastern Europe and South America between June and October.

"Paul's a great drummer and a good friend, and we're very happy that he's decided to rejoin the band," said Araya. "We're still pretty numb from the loss of Jeff, but we don't want to disappoint our European and South American fans, and we need to begin moving forward... Having Paul back in the band makes that a whole lot easier."

Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo sat out the band's recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).

"What Do You Say", the new video from the rock act FILTER, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's sixth studio album, "The Sun Comes Out Tonight", which was released on June 4 via Wind-Up Records. The CD was recorded in Los Angeles at Blue Room studios with producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, ATREYU, SALIVA). The follow-up to 2010's "The Trouble With Angels" was written and recorded by leader Richard Patrick and guitarist Jonny Radtke, as well as collaborator Marlette. There are also performances from touring members Jeff Friedl and Elias Mallin (drums) and Phil Buckman (bass).

"The Sun Comes Out Tonight" track listing:

01. We Hate It When You Get What You Want
02. What Do You Say
03. Surprise
04. Watch The Sun Come Out Tonight
05. It's Got To Be Right Now
06. This Finger's For You
07. Self Inflicted
08. First You Break It
09. Burn It
10. Take That Knife Out Of My Back
11. It's My Time
12. It's Just You

In a recent interview with ABC News Radio, Patrick said that the unique album title was inspired by his former drug use.

"In my lifetime, the sun definitely came out at night," he said. "I'm a recovering drug addict and a recovering alcoholic, but when I was taking drugs, there were a few nights where my blood turned into golden, beautiful sunshine. It was all chemical-based, and I knew it was a lie, but it was completely overwhelming, and it was like the sun had come out at night."

Patrick added that the CD deals with some heavy themes, which mirror issues that he's been forced to confront in his personal life. "Right now, I'm in a dark place," he explained. "I personally have been going through some really intense stuff and it's easy to just sit there and write about betrayal and no one listening, you know, so there's a lot of that on the record."

Reactivated cult classic prog-thrashers TOXIK have released a snippet of their first recorded song in twenty-four years. The fifty-second clip, which is available for streaming using the SoundCloud widget below, is a rough pre-mix demo — without vocals — of "Crooked Crosses" off the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 1989's "Think This".

TOXIK's founding member and lead guitarist Josh Christian comments on the new music: "I know it's been a long time, and one of the things I always think about is my own reaction when I hear about older bands recording. It's, like, 'Oh, no... not again,' because, let's be honest, it's usually an underwhelming listen and a lot of times it kills the band's legacy for the fans. But I have a feeling that people are going to be surprised by the intensity and power of our new material. The songwriting demos, which are really just me arranging the parts and programming drums, have been getting rave reviews from random listeners in the band's circle... It's so inspiring for us. We haven't spun off into nu-metal and we aren't trying to rewrite 'World Circus'. It's definitely TOXIK, but it isn't your dad's version."

TOXIK recently announced the addition of SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner to the group's ranks.

Hailing from New York's Hudson Valley area, TOXIK released a pair of classic thinking-man's thrash metal albums in the late '80s. An upstart record label named Roadrunner Records (later home to SLIPKNOT and NICKELBACK) released the band's two astounding masterworks, 1988's "World Circus" and 1989's "Think This". Both releases saw TOXIK take the aggression and brutality of speed metal and mix it with the technicality and proficiency of progressive hard rock.

TOXIK left the Hudson Valley region and toured the United States and the world, playing shows with the likes of PANTERA, SEPULTURA, EXODUS, KING DIAMOND and others in their quest for metal ascendancy before their premature implosion in 1992.

TOXIK released a DVD, "Think Again", in August 2010. The set contained both vintage and brand new never-before-seen footage. The main feature was a 1989 headlining set from the Paramount Theater in TOXIK's hometown of Peekskill, New York. This performance came shortly after the release of "World Circus" and the energy level of the band wa truly at its peak for TOXIK's first headlining show. The DVD contains all the tracks from "World Circus" and an early version of "Spontaneous" that later appeared on "Think This".

Decibel magazine’s July issue (on newsstands in June) features a nine-page tribute to late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman in the form of a moving retrospective obituary, some of Hanneman's most biting quotes, and a litany of heartfelt remembrances from EXODUS, Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA), AT THE GATES, TESTAMENT, CANNIBAL CORPSE and countless other contemporaries, including AT THE GATES and LOCK UP frontman Tomas Lindberg.

"One of the first records I waited for to come out was 'Hell Awaits'," Tomas said. "I still remember the process of buying it — and I mean the whole process of buying it — to this day.

"I was totally obsessed with the whole concept of the album. I sat with headphones on (you know, the big '70s kind) for days and days listening to it on repeat, staring at the pictures, reading the lyrics, learning them by heart.

"This will sound totally cheesy, but back in those days, I always had a favorite dude in every band — a dude you wanted to be or pretended to be when you listened to it (remember, I was 13 when 'Hell Awaits' came out). And in SLAYER, that person was Jeff Hanneman.

"I remember going to the hair parlor with the record under my arm, asking to get my hair cut like Jeff — the fact that he had longer and much thinner hair didn't seem to bother me. When I later learned that he had penned a lot of my favorite songs in the SLAYER catalog — including the groundbreaking 'South Of Heaven' album — the more I thought of him as a cornerstone of my metal upbringing. He was the Cliff Burton of SLAYER to me.

"I always had a hard time picturing SLAYER without Jeff, and when they had to continue for a while without him (with an exceptional temporary replacement in Gary Holt, I must say), it was hard to get my head around it. If you have someone like Kerry King in your band —you (in my world) need at least one Jeff Hanneman in it to [balance it out].

"I have had tons of great SLAYER moments in my life, some of them life-changing. It would be hard to come out with one special story, although finally getting the chance to see them live for the first time at age 16, on the 'South Of Heaven' tour, was amazing!

"Thank you for everything, Jeff, even if I never had the chance to actually meet you. You were an integral part of my life! I and the rest of AT THE GATES and LOCK UP will miss you immensely."

Decibel's Jeff Hanneman tribute issue can be purchased here.

Hanneman passed away on May 2 from liver failure at the age of 49.

Members of SLAYER released a statement on May 9 saying that Hanneman died of alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Hanneman had actually not been playing with SLAYER for more than two years since he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.

The official lyric video for the song "I Smell A Massacre" from the BUTCHER BABIES can be seen below. The track comes off the band's debut album, "Goliath", which will be released on July 9 via Century Media Records.

The Los Angeles-based band — frontwomen Carla Harvey and Heidi Shephard, guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chris Warner — wrapped its tour with MARILYN MANSON in late February and went straight into the studio with producer Josh Wilbur (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED).

"Working with Josh Wilbur was an incredible experience because he helped us explore ourselves as musicians and further develop the unique sound that is the BUTCHER BABIES," said the band of their recording experience. "Being a debut album, this has been in the works since we were young, and we are so proud to have created a collaboration of all our personal influences into one complete sound."

"Goliath" track listing:

01. I Smell A Massacre
02. Magnolia Blvd.
03. C8H18 (Gasoline)
04. Grim Sleeper
05. Goliath
06. In Denial
07. Give Me Reason
08. The Mirror Never Lies
09. Dead Poet
10. The Deathsurround
11. Axe Wound

In a recent interview with Rock Confidential, Carla said: "We're really excited for our full-length album through Century Media. We've been in the studio every single day writing. We're like little kids now, we're so excited." Heidi added: "To have it released through a label is going to be so awesome for us, especially a label we all looked up to. Century Media has always been like family to us. For them to take us on board and give us such high hopes and good support is really great." Carla continued: "We needed a label to take us to that next level. We're very proud of what we did on our own, but it was time to give the reins to someone else. We're very hands on. We run everything, but we need that machine behind us as well."

Despite the fact that Heidi and Carla often perform topless with nothing but nipple tape on, they believe that what they do is actually empowering to women. "I think we can definitely touch on that regardless of what we wear," Heidi said. "We can empower women or people in general to do what they want. Female empowerment is obviously where it started, but it can be about anybody that has a dream and a goal they really want to go for. It's never too late. We're not 21-year-old girls. We wish we were! We've had different careers, different paths in life. I got married once. We've done different things. We thought every time that was the end-all-be-all. It's never too late to follow your dreams. That's something that both of us really stand for."

BUTCHER BABIES will celebrate the album's release as part of this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, where they will be a mainstay on the Jägermeister stage and spend the summer alongside heavyweights ROB ZOMBIE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, MACHINE HEAD, MASTODON and AMON AMARTH. The tour kicks off June 29 at the San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, California and runs through August 4 in Dallas, Texas.

Frontiers Records has announced the signing of the British three-piece rock band called THREE LIONS. This new group consists of Vinny Burns (DARE, TEN, ASIA) on guitar, Greg Morgan (DARE, TEN) on drums and introduces the talents of Nigel Bailey on vocals and bass guitar.

THREE LIONS formed when Vinny, Greg and Nigel were introduced by Frontiers Records president Serafino Perugino to producer Alessandro Del Vecchio at Firefest in October 2012. The guys hit it off straight away and immediately set about writing new material for an album. The songs were written without an agenda and these songs were sent to Perugino for consideration, who loved the material and immediately commissioned an album. 12 songs were chosen, (two of which see the band collaborating with Del Vecchio) and recording commenced at The Viper Room and Coil Tap Studios in the U.K. and then at Ivory Tears Studio in Milan, Italy.

"We set out to write good songs, the only criteria was that all of us liked them," said Nigel Bailey. "Working with Vinny and Greg has been a blast and we were all determined to make the best album possible and are immensely proud of the songs that have made it onto the final record."

From the Eastern-influenced "Kathmandu", to the driving power of "Hellfire Highway" and "Twisted Soul", to the heartfelt ballads "Made For One Another" and "Don't Let Me Fall", this new album in the works promises to deliver passionate performances from the guys. Vinny's trademark guitar work is, as you would expect, filled with emotion and feel.

"I wanted to start with a blank canvas for the guitars," says Vinny. "This album allowed me to show a different side to my playing whilst retaining the familiar sound and feel fans of DARE and TEN will recognize."

"Working with Vinny again has been great fun and Nigel brings something new to the table," said Greg. "This is definitely a record made by a band, not just a studio project, and that really comes across in the songs. We had an instant connection as musicians but also as people and we cannot wait to get out and perform these songs live soon."

THREE LIONS WILL make its live debut supporting SNAKECHARMER at the Manchester Academy on Friday, June 21.

THREE LIONS is:

Vinny Burns - Guitar
Nigel Bailey - Vocals, Bass
Greg Morgan - Drums

Veteran New Jersey thrashers WHIPLASH have released a new song from their upcoming EP titled "Old School American Way, Volume 1". The single, "Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword", was produced by WHIPLASH mainman Tony Portaro at his Concrete Island Studio. All drums were recorded and engineered by Kostadin "Mozart" Kamcev at Studio Mozart in Clifton, New Jersey. The single was mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris of Planet Z Recording (ALL THAT REMAINS, CROWBAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, SUFFOCATION).

With Tony Portaro (guitar/vocals) and Dank DeLong (bass) on the U.S. East Coast, and drummer Dan "Loord" Foord located in London, U.K., the band has been juggling writing and recording in between touring.

"Old School American Way, Vol. 1" track listing:

01. Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword
02. Red Tape Riot
03. Prophet of Lies
04. Dead Man Calling
05. Power Thrashing Death *

* A re-recorded, remixed, remastered version of WHIPLASH's classic song from "Power And Pain"

"I am very confident that this record will be seen as the return to the thrash core that WHIPLASH started out doing," Portaro said in a recent interview.

He added: "WHIPLASH now has a strong foundation with Dan 'Loord' Foord [SIKTH] — one of the best drummers in England — and Dank De Long, a solid bassist from New York that makes WHIPLASH thrash harder than ever."

WHIPLASH is a three-piece power trio hailing from New Jersey. The band was assembled back in 1984 when Portaro and Tony Scaglione (drums) joined forces, then recruited Tony Bono on bass.

"Unborn Again", the latest album from WHIPLASH, was released in 2009 via Pulverised Records.

A 35-second snippet of "Dot Your Eyes", a brand new song from Las Vegas metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's fourth studio effort, which will be a double album that they will release in two installments. The first volume, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1", will now arrive on July 30 (one week later than previously announced), with the second half, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 2", to surface sometime later this fall. The deluxe edition of "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1" will come with a bonus 15-track live CD, "Purgatory [Tales From The Pit]", alongside the 14 songs featured on the album. The release will be accompanied by a redeemable limited-edition t-shirt with the physical pressing only. On June 18, a collectible limited-edition box set featuring a FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH lunch box, the deluxe version of the album with the bonus live CD, an early free download of an exclusive new track from "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1" and assorted collectible items will be available for pre-sale exclusively through the band's webstore.

"The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1" features guest appearances by JUDAS PRIEST vocalist Rob Halford, SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera, HATEBREED singer Jamey Jasta, IN THIS MOMENT frontwoman Maria Brink and rapper Tech N9ne (on a cover version of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out").

The imagery for both "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell" albums was created by legendary comic book artist and illustrator Greg Capullo ("Batman", "Spawn").

Says guitarist Zoltan Bathory: "The album artwork was done by one of my favorite illustrators, Greg Capullo, the 'Dark Lord' of ink-splattered violence. Greg is a metalhead and he is funny as hell so it was riot working with him…"

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will co-headline the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival this summer alongside ROB ZOMBIE, with the tour kicking off in San Bernardino, California on June 29.

The new double disc follows up 2011's "American Capitalist", the group's third studio album and its third consecutive release to reach gold status for sales of half a million copies or more.

As part of the continuing series of reissues of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' acclaimed catalog via Virgin/UMe, the iconic alternative band is set to release four separate versions, all fully remastered, of their platinum-selling 1996 box set "The Aeroplane Flies High": 6-CD +1 DVD; 5-LPs and Deluxe Digital and Standard Digital editions. The CD/DVD, 5-LP version and digital configurations will be released July 23.

The original "The Aeroplane Flies High" was a five-disc box set that featured expanded versions of singles from their acclaimed 1995 double album "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness", including "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", "Tonight" and "Thirty-Three". "Mellon Collie" achieved Diamond certification by the RIAA for sales of 10,000,000 discs and digital equivalent per disc (5 million copies of the double album).

These new limited edition box sets of "The Aeroplane Flies High" feature the original 33-track version — remastered by Bob Ludwig — and expanded to 104 tracks (90 audio and 14 audio-visual) encompassing unreleased demos, alternative versions and live recordings. In addition to expanded versions of "Aeroplane"'s original 5 discs, a sixth disc contains live recordings from the 1996 "Mellon Collie" tour, while the DVD content is taken from a July 4, 1997 performance in Belfort, France. Included is a 46-page book with liner notes written by David Wild, plus extensive track-by-track notes by THE SMASHING PUMPKINS founder-singer-songwriter-guitarist Billy Corgan — for the original release's 33 tracks. The box set has unique packaging with embossed foil wrap & twinkle stock for jackets.

To view the full tracklisting of each box set and DVD, go here.

As David Wild writes, "'The Aeroplane Flies High' is a trip, and perhaps fittingly for Billy Corgan, it was an exciting, exhausting and scary one that reveals a lot about THE SMASHING PUMPKINS at this point in their musical journey."

Notes Corgan in the 46-page book: "What I like about 'The Aeroplane Flies High' is that it's almost the existential backwater of the 'Mellon Collie' album," Corgan says today. "Listening to the music gathered here is a little bit like seeing what goes on behind the walls of Disneyland. I've always been fascinated with places that are very well constructed, and finding out what's really going on just over the fence. You look over that gate and notice that things on the other side are not well painted — or maybe you spot that guy dressed as some character sneaking a smoke on his break. At least for me, the behind the scenes feel heard on 'The Aeroplane Flies High' represents something revealing not found on the main album. In retrospect, it's a nice document of how we arrived at the apex of 'Mellon Collie' — and also what standing on that apex did to us personally."

"The Aeroplane Flies High" follows 2011's acclaimed reissues of the band's groundbreaking first two albums, "Gish" (1991) and "Siamese Dream" (1993), as well as 2012's "Pisces Iscariot" (1994), the band's third album, as well as their fourth album, "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness" (1995). *

As THE SMASHING PUMPKINS get the fully remastered treatment via these reissues, the band is excited to be moving forward by creating new music. They will soon start recording the follow-up to 2012's acclaimed album "Oceania". The band launched their 2013 world tour in Mexico this past March and is heading to Europe and Japan for summer dates through August 11.

Voodoo Dawn, the third album from death/doom metal act SKELETAL SPECTRE, will be released on June 25th in North America on Pulverised Records.

With the entire full-length effort written and recorded at Morbid Apparition Studios while mixing and mastering duties were reined under the watchful eye of Patrick Bruss (RIBSPREADER, ACID WITCH, CIANIDE, IMPETIGO), and with the artistic scarring by Adam Geyer (BONE GNAWER, FONDLECORPSE, WOODEN STAKE) Voodoo Dawn is a tormenting solace of the most hideous hex-ridden death metal to ever cross one's path.

Voodoo Dawn tracklisting:

‘Voodoo Dawn’
‘Altar Of Damballah’
‘Serpent Moon’
‘Bone Dust’
‘Shallow Grave’
‘Black Augury Hollow’
‘She-Wolf Of Devil’s River’
‘Haunted Gallows’
‘The Flip-Side Of Satan’

Massachusetts metallers THE ACACIA STRAIN have announced the addition of two new full-time members, Devin Shidaker and Richard Gomez, both on guitar. After many years of service, Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz will no longer be writing music for THE ACACIA STRAIN and the band wishes him the best in all of his future endeavors.

Comments THE ACACIA STRAIN: "As a band, our perspective is for all of us to be involved and be a team, not only on the road but for every aspect of the band and all be a part of it. Richie and Devin bring experience and passion to the table and offer a forward-thinking perspective to this band which has been wanted and needed for some time. We plan on getting started right away with the writing process to give you some new songs soon, and, of course, a new album. We are excited to start this new chapter of THE ACACIA STRAIN and look forward to seeing you all on tour!"

During THE ACACIA STRAIN's tenure with Prosthetic Records, the band released four acclaimed studio albums — two of which, 2008's "Continent" and 2010's "Wormwood", cracked the Billboard chart — as well as a Top 10 live DVD. To commemorate the end of an era, Prosthetic has assembled "Money For Nothing", a compilation of rarities, B-sides and previously unheard tracks by the band. The six-track release, which was released on February 19, was made available as a specially priced digital EP and a limited-edition digipak.

"Death Is The Only Mortal", the latest album from THE ACACIA STRAIN, sold 8,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on October 9, 2012 via Rise Records, the CD was produced by Laskiewicz at his Western Massachusetts studio.

Guitarist Mike Dykins of Welsh metallers IMPALED EXISTENCE is leaving the band. His statement follows:
Statement from Mike Dykins Guitarist for Impaled Existence.

''After over 12 yrs and the founding member of Impaled Existence, the time has finally come for me to part ways with the band. This has been a very difficult decision for me to make, unfortunately I have been finding my position in Impaled Existence stressful, I have had a lot of responsibility within the band and of late I have been finding it hard to manage with my family and work life.

Impaled Existence have a busy schedule ahead for the next year and this has been the realisation for me that I just cannot commit enough of my time. I have seen the band come so far, from start-up as a GREEN DAY/METALLLICA/IRON MAIDEN style cover band (and yes we were called Impaled Existence for that!) - to today's modern progressive direction.

It has been a blast on all fronts, as a band and as band mates we have been through so much and this time within Impaled will be remembered until the day I die with fond memories! I wish the guys Craig, Danny, Nathan and Andy all the best for the future, and I wait with ears open on what is coming our way. I look forward to honouring the next three shows Impaled existence have coming up, a big thanks to all who have supported Impaled Existence and to those who made it possible, the promoters, the sound engineers, family.

As I take a back-step from the stage I will be moving forward at live shows to see these guys!!

Much love and much appreciation, Mike 'Tweek' Dykins."

Stay tuned for updates. More on Impaled Existence at this location.

Louisville, Kentucky-based black metal perpetrators ANAGNORISIS have completed the recording of their second LP, the beast now in the final stages of preparation before being released this summer.
Their first full-length since 2007, Anagnorisis now confirm the title of the new opus as Beyond All Light, the album containing the band’s most expansive material to date, following months of production as the band recorded everything themselves at guitarist Zak Denham’s own One by One Studios. Now completely harnessed, the masters have been passed to Ken Sorceron (ABIGAIL WILLIAMS) who is currently handling mixing and mastering duties. The band will unleash Beyond All Light on their own in a plethora of configurations, including CD, LP, cassette and digital formats. Confirmed release dates will be announced in the coming days.

Additionally, Anagnorisis will take their terror back to the highways coinciding with the release of Beyond All Light, with a tour from late July through mid-August in the devising stages.

Anagnorisis live:

July
27 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Deathfest
28 – Westland, MI – Token Lounge

At the inaugural installment of the Beastival festival — which took place from May 30 to June 1 in Geiselwind, Germany — "The Big Teutonic 4", the legendary quartet of German thrash metal bands that shaped the European heavy metal scene like no other since the '80s and established "thrash made in Germany" as a quality seal all around the world, shared the same stage on the same evening, performing in front of thousands of enthusiastic metalheads. Now, all four bands share their memories and thoughts of this memorable night.

KREATOR's Mille Petrozza: "My personal highlight were the fans! We had real bad luck with the weather and during our gig, there was not just heavy rain but also a real storm so that it would rain on stage all the time. Our fans once more proved to be the toughest and best in the world and partied with us till the end. Touching and impressive at the same time. Beastival was a KILLER festival overall!"

SODOM's Thomas "Angelripper" Such: "Beastival was a special event for SODOM. The Big Teutonic 4 sharing the same stage... this event will go down in history. Aside of that, everything else was just classy as well. I've barely experienced a festival as well-organized as this. And a special thank you also goes out to all the metalheads that stuck with us despite the heavy rain and made this festival a memorable and great experience for all of us! We're hoping on a repetition!"

DESTRUCTION's Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer: "Wow, the day finally had come — after more than 30 years! I had only one thing on my mind all the time: why the hell did it take so long for all of us to play at the same festival? It was truly legendary! This gathering of Germany's four thrash initiators was a class reunion with a killer audience who had a hard time because of the constant rain. My deep respect for as much love for uncompromising rock music! KILLER! Personally, I would be very delighted to do a mutual tour with the so-called Big Teutonic 4! DESTRUCTION would definitely be on board... metal fans worldwide are waiting for this, that's for sure! Thanks, Beastival, for this food for thought and the amazing time! Let's hope that whatever comes afterwards will go down in history as well!"

TANKARD's Andreas "Gerre" Geremia: "It was amazing to see The Big Teutonic 4 share a stage after more than 30 years! Many thanks to the fantastic crowd that made this event a memorable one — despite the constant rain! This definitely demands more! Thrash metal will never die!“

An exclusive photo that was taken after the shows by renowned artist Stefan "Heile" Heilemann of Heilemania can be seen below.

In an interview with Greece's Metal Kaoz, Petrozza stated about the possibility of a full-fledged tour with SODOM and DESTRUCTION: "We have been talking about this all the time. We have been having this discussion since the last time we were in Greece along with SODOM and DESTRUCTION about getting that tour in the U.S. But this never happened and you wanna know why? … There are certain people who don't want to tour. [DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist] Schmier wants to tour, we want to tour but Tom [Angelripper] from SODOM does not. And, as you can understand, we can only do this tour with the three bands onboard because otherwise it would not be the same. So, without SODOM, this will never happen and I am really sorry to say this."

U.K. metallers HEART OF A COWARD have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The quintet, hailing from Milton Keynes, recently hit the studio to record its second ferocious album and follow-up to its debut CD, "Hope & Hindrance", that was released in 2012. The as-yet-untitled effort is scheduled for release before the end of 2013.

Jamie Graham (vocals) comments on joining the team: "Century Media are on our wavelength in terms of where we want to take HEART OF A COWARD, as well as boasting releases from some of our favourite bands and influences. It's an honour to be a part of the CM family and we are really excited to have such an awesome label on board."

HEART OF A COWARD can look back to memorable performances at the likes of Ghostfest, followed by joining the Metal Hammer Razor Tour alongside DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL and HEIGHTS in 2012 as well as supporting their new label mates in BLEED FROM WITHIN throughout the U.K. in April 2013. While they are still working on their upcoming Century Media Records debut HEART OF A COWARD have already lined up an impressive list of forthcoming events and tours in the coming months including Download festival and Summerjam festival. Not to mention an anticipated return to the main stage of Ghostfest for the second round. With interest in the band spreading overseas fast, the band will also cross over to Russia later this year as main support to BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. HEART OF A COWARD’s live show does not only deliver complete aggression across any venue, but brings forward a sound that fans can relate straight back to the record to relive their tight, precise sound.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones has his sights on a new opera — not a reunion with his former bandmates. The ZEPPELIN fan-base has been drooling over Robert Plant's recent comments to Australia's "60 Minutes", which insinuated that it wasn't him who's holding the band back from reuniting and that his 2014 schedule is clear. Jones revealed to Red Carpet TV News that his upcoming original opera is based on August Strindberg's "The Ghost Sonata", and admitting, "It's unlike anything else. It's the emotion, the passion."

Jones, who is halfway through the opera's first act, revealed that he has no time for any serious live work, saying, that he only has time "to do little gigs that I don't have to prepare too much for." Regarding the prospects of ZEPPELIN reuniting in 2014, Jones said, flat out: "2014's full of opera for me at the moment."

John Paul Jones told The Pulse Of Radio that writing on his own is entirely different than collaborating as part of a band. "It's just a different process," he said. "You really can fine-tune an idea that you have, and take care of every aspect, exactly the way you want it. The downside is, of course, that you don't get the input that will change it into something else entirely. You don't know how it's gonna end up. If you do a song yourself, you've got a pretty good idea of how it's gonna end up."

Robert Plant meanwhile, credits his creative resurgence to the people and musicians in the Nashville scene, telling LA Weekly, "I have had an amazing education the last few years. The time I spent around all of those men and women was an eye-opening experience. The thing about working with musicians in Nashville is that they generally are always moving on to the next thing.. . . For the last year or so I've been writing quite a lot, and I like the way my voice sounds now. It's not the same as it was years ago. I'm not a castrato anymore but I've learned to get down into that pocket and have it sound good. So here I go again."

Sumerian thrashing metal pioneers MELECHESH will embark on a North American headlining tour later this month, with support from VREID, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH and REIGN OF LIES. Ralph Santolla (DEATH, DEICIDE, OBITUARY, ICED EARTH) will be filling the second-guitarist slot in MELECHESH for the trek, which will include the band's first-ever appearance in Mexico.

Commented Ralph: "I'm psyched to be doing the MELECHESH tour. We've been talking about it for a while , and this was the perfect time. [MELECHESH mainman] Ashmedi and I are good friends, and I love the music. Looking forward to seeing all of my friends in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada soon!"

Added Ashmedi: "We are looking forward to touring North America and this time as headliners. The crowd made us feel very welcome on previous occasions. It will be a great tour with special and talented guests playing with us. Naturally, this time we will have the chance to extend our live set, offering Sumerian sonic magick. Last but not least, it will be our first time playing Mexico; about time! Having Ralph on board will positively add to the MELECHESH dynamics; he is a very talented guitar player."

MELECHESH released a digital EP called "Mystics Of The Pillar II" in April 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort contained a different version of the song "Mystics Of The Pillar" and instrumental versions of the tracks "The Epigenesis" and "Sacred Geometry".

MELECHESH's latest album, "The Epigenesis", was recorded at Babajim Studios in Istanbul, Turkey, was mixed by Reuben de Lautour and mastered by Pieter Snapper.

The "The Epigenesis" cover art was created by the U.K.-based renowned occult artist John Coulthart, who had already collaborated with MELECHESH in the past.

Roadrunner Records has announced the eagerly anticipated new album from progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER. "Dream Theater" — the first self-titled collection in the Grammy-nominated band's nearly three decade career — arrives at last on September 24.

"Dream Theater" was recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with founding guitarist John Petrucci producing and studio luminary Richard Chycki (AEROSMITH, RUSH) engineering and mixing. The album marks a brilliant new chapter for the always adventurous band, their first to have been written and recorded with drummer Mike Mangini wholly integrated into the creative process from the start.

"I see every new album as an opportunity to start over," says Petrucci. "To either build or improve upon a direction that has been evolving over time or to completely break new ground. This is the first self-titled album of our career and there is nothing I can think of that makes a statement of musical and creative identity stronger than that. We've fully explored all of the elements that make us unique, from the epic and intense to the atmospheric and cinematic. We're incredibly excited about 'Dream Theater' and can't wait for everyone to hear it.”

"Dream Theater" will be available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special-edition CDs, 180-gram vinyl double LP, and a limited-edition box set. Pre-orders are scheduled to get underway sometime in July at the Roadrunner Records webstore.

Asked whether having drummer Mike Mangini involved in the songwriting process this time around has made a difference in the new CD's overall sound, keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently said: "It really has. This is the first album where Mike Mangini [who joined the band in Ocober 2010] has been there and really part of the writing process. He's such a sweet guy and he has so much energy, and it's just great to have that energy involved when we're writing the music, 'cause he'll come up with stuff that's really cool. We'll be composing along our merry way and stop to maybe look at the next part, and he offers this other perspective which we never had in the same way that we have it with him, which is that he has a super math brain — a rhythmic math brain; he's really an expert in that field, more so than myself or [guitarist] John Petrucci or anybody in the band — so he can say, 'Guys, if you play 10 measures at 7, and if you play triplets five times, and you do this and that, it's all gonna equal out in 21 measures. Go ahead and try it.' And at first, we're , like, 'What?' But he kind of sees that; he sees that map."

In a recent interview with Roadrunner Records, Petrucci stated about the making of DREAM THEATER's new CD: "First of all, it's been going great with [Mangini], and as much as we've been a band together for about 15 years, we haven't really experienced that process together. We've been in the studio for a few weeks now, and he's been amazing. Chemistry is great, the writing process and the whole vibe is great, and his role is to let his personality shine as a drummer, creatively and to have his input and his musical personality really come through. And I gotta tell you, it's happening. When people hear the drumming on this album, they're gonna be pretty freaked out. On the last album, he did a great job, but he wasn't there for the writing process and he was interpreting drum parts that I had programmed. Even though he used his creativity, of course, to change them up and do his thing, I feel like now he's just Mike Mangini unleashed. It's all him. It's all his creativity, all his decisions and ideas and man, the guy's an animal."

"Live At Luna Park", DREAM THEATER's live concert, which was previously scheduled for release in May via Eagle Rock Entertainment, will now drop in North America on November 5 as a Blu-ray, 2DVD, 2DVD + 3CD, Blu-ray + 3CD, deluxe edition with 40-page book, Blu-ray + 2DVD + 3CD, and digital video via iTunes.

"Live At Luna Park" was filmed over two nights in South America — home to one of DREAM THEATER's most ardent fanbases. The DVD was filmed August 19 and August 20, 2012 at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a 15-month world tour, hitting 35 countries.

Reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS have inked a deal with Trooper Entertainment for the Japanese release of the band's comeback album, "Surgical Steel".

Commented CARCASS guitarist Bill Steer: "As many of you will be aware, this is the first CARCASS album for eighteen years. We have not taken this venture lightly, and finding the right home for this recording has been crucial to us.

"In all honesty, when it came to a Japanese release, from the beginning there was only one name that we gave serious thought to — Trooper. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, over the last few years, Trooper has established an enviable reputation as a metal label with integrity. But also on a personal note, I have been fortunate enough to consider Tetsu Miyamoto a friend for some time now. He's an impressive human being and a genuine connoisseur of heavy metal music. We are genuinely looking forward to working with him and the rest of the Trooper team."

CARCASS has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the worldwide release (outside Japan) of "Surgical Steel". Due in the fall, the CD was mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY) after the project's producer, Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE), quit the project two weeks into the mixing process. During a March 2013 concert at the Underworld in London, CARCASS bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker claimed that Richardson walked away from the mix in order to work on the new TRIVIUM album.

The first official photo of the new lineup of CARCASS can be seen below (courtesy of Adrian Erlandsson of Murder Mile Studios). Joining guitarist Bill Steer and Walker in the band's current incarnation are Wilding 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."

Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who had been touring with CARCASS since the band's reunion was announced in 2007, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, ARCH ENEMY.

Photo credit: Adrian Erlandsson of Murder Mile Studios