Video footage of the limited-edition collectible Loki bust (appoximately 10 inches tall) which will be included in the deluxe version of "Deceiver Of The Gods", the ninth studio album from Swedish melodic death metallers AMON AMARTH, can be seen below.

Recorded at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, and produced, mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap (OPETH, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2011 "Surtur Rising" full-length delivers ten fiery battle hymns made of buzzsaw riffs and epic harmonies all driven by vocalist Johan Hegg's commanding Viking roar and absorbing accounts of Norse crusades and treachery.

"Deceiver Of The Gods" comes adorned with another outstanding Tom Thiel-created cover portraying a mythical battle between the Norse Gods Loki and Thor. As an added bonus, Messiah Marcolin (CANDLEMASS) makes an appearance as guest vocalist on eighth track, "Hel".

"Deceiver Of The Gods" will be released in North America via Metal Blade Records on June 25, in Europe June 24 and Japan on June 26.

"Deceiver Of The Gods" deluxe-edition track listing:

CD 1 - "Deceiver Of The Gods"

01. Deceiver Of The Gods
02. As Loke Falls
03. Father Of The Wolf
04. Shape Shifter
05. Under Siege
06. Blood Eagle
07. We Shall Destroy
08. Hel
09. Coming Of The Tide
10. Warriors Of The North

CD 2 - "Under The Influence" Bonus EP

01. Burning Anvil Of Steel
02. Satan Rising
03. Snake Eyes
04. Stand Up To Go Down

* Limited-edition collectible Loki bust (appoximately 10 inches tall)
* Multi-Panel digipak with 16-page full-color booklet
* "Under The Influence" mini poster
* Limited-edition fliptop keep case

Following a run of European festival dates, AMON AMARTH will open the main stage of this year's edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, set to commence June 29 in San Bernardino.

Will C. Franklin of FairfaxTimes.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

FairfaxTimes.com: I don't know how much you can talk about it, but can you talk a little from your perspective about the band breakup and how damaging it may be having two QUEENSRŸCHEs out there?

Tate: Well, I think that it's definitely challenging, yeah, definitely. In a business sense, you know? We're basically competing against each other right now, which is no fun. I mean, it's hard enough out there, you know, touring and competing against other bands and that kind of thing for the touring dollar. It's hard enough doing that without competing against yourselves, basically. Yeah, very difficult. But November is the date for the reconciliation, we hope, of the lawsuit. So hopefully it'll all be over by then.

FairfaxTimes.com: I don't know what your plans are with how long you plan on doing this, but is there something for you after QUEENSRŸCHE? At some point, do you say, "I've had enough. I want to do something else now"?

Tate: [laughs] I've had enough and I want out? [laughs] You know, I don't know. I enjoy it. I like making music. I write all the time. I have tons and tons of songs and projects I'm working on — I'm already working on a new QUEENSRŸCHE record. I started about a month ago. It's in the works. It's what I do, you know? I write and I make songs and I make records and I perform live. I don't know how else to define myself. [laughs] Maybe I'll get to a point, you know, where I'm interested in something else as much, but I have a passion for it. For me, it's important to follow my passions.

FairfaxTimes.com: Is there any chance whatsoever of the core group getting back together?

Tate: I don't think so. I think we've completed our chapter as a group. It's moved on and probably went too long as it was. It's a good thing that it's done and we're all moving on. I wish that we could have settled this whole thing in a much more gentlemanly way and not have it plastered all over the Internet every day. [laughs] That's something I really wish would have happened. But it is what it is, and we work with what we have and we'll get through it and get to the other side. Which is what I'm doing. I'm just waiting for November to come and in the meantime continuing to make records and tour and having a good time doing it.

Read the entire interview from FairfaxTimes.com.

Jason Roche of LA Weekly recently conducted an interview with legendary LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant. An excerpt from from the chat follows below.

LA Weekly: What are your reflections on LED ZEPPELIN being honored at last year's Kennedy Center Honors?

Plant: I knew we did a lot of damage to people's brains and ear drums, and I knew we wrote some great songs, but it was a very humbling experience. When I saw HEART perform "Stairway To Heaven", I just couldn't believe that song had anything to do with this 64-year old man that was sitting next to John Paul Jones. I thought to myself, "This is me... How did this happen?" The charm of the people involved in the project, from the president and across the board...it was mind-altering. I've been thrust in front of royalty all over the world, kings and queens and princes...but these guys were actually having a good time! The three of us were amazed that that sort of thing happened. That wouldn't happen with Prince Charles!

LA Weekly: What still motivates you to keep pursuing musical endeavors in 2013?

Plant: The sound of a new project. The sound of music developing. 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... Over the years, I've seen all of these artists that I respect that are able to create all of these amalgamations with other artists. I've watched the way John Paul Jones has worked throughout his life as a musician. I have great respect for him. He's right in the middle of writing an opera right now and people are taking him seriously as a writer in the classical mode. But he can also play in THEM CROOKED VULTURES and play mandolin with Seasick Steve. I've learned that it's good to keep moving and keep smiling!

Read the entire interview from LA Weekly.

TRIPTYKON — the group formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — is working on material for its sophomore full-length CD, tentatively due in early 2014.

In a series of online messages, Fischer states: "I am writing much music for the new album, however. As of right now, it is very dark and very varied.

"The title of the album, the artwork, and the general design have all been chosen. I do hope to see it finished approximately by the end of the year."

Regarding the approach to his guitar playing on the new TRIPTYKON material, Fischer said: "My guitar tone/sound will likely continue to evolve, albeit within the limits of a certain direction.

"My current guitar tone is the result of a continuous effort to achieve a tone which represents me, i.e., my emotional landscape, perfectly. I have never been able to identify more with my guitar tone than in recent years (on 'Monotheist' and, particularly, 'Eparistera Daimones' and the associated tours). I have spent some three decades pursuing this a tone/sound, and I feel etremely comfortable with it now, and I see little impetus to change it at this time. Above all, it yields the heaviness and darkness I seek. To me, this type of a continuous mutation within a certain frame of mind can best be explained when one looks at the three consecutive versions of the song 'Triumph Of Death'… The simple reason is that I am not 'youthful' anymore at this point in my life, and it is logical that my music and approach is thus different. I will turn 50 this year, and it would be utterly naive to expect that my sound is exactly the same 31 years after I started HELLHAMMER as a teenager. If it was, it would be an act, i.e., a lie… My 'aggression' is [still] there. It has changed, though. It is of a very different kind nowadays. If anything, it is far more profound."

In other news, Fischer has revealed that he is also working on "another musical project" which he promises is "equally dark and heavy on various levels."

He added: "There are only a handful of people who know of this project at this time.

"The new TRIPTYKON album is my priority. It is very likely that any other project will be completed only after it is finished."

"Shatter", the latest five-track EP from TRIPTYKON, sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 90 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.

"Shatter" was released on October 25, 2010 (Europe) and October 26, 2010 (North America).

At a playing time of approximately 28 minutes, "Shatter" consists almost entirely of previously unreleased music.

TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass), and Tom Gabriel Fischer (voice, guitars). The group has unambiguously stated that it pursues the continuation and further development of the path Warrior began in HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine used a homophobic slur and had a fan ejected from the band's concert last night (Wednesday, June 5) in Manchester, England in an incident that was captured on video.

According to online reports, MEGADETH was dealing with technical and lighting issues during the early part of its set at the Academy and was forced to go off stage for about 10 minutes after the sixth song, "Architecture Of Aggression", while the problems were being fixed. When the band returned, a angry fan was apparently booing Mustaine and flipping off the MEGADETH leader for having made everyone wait. This promoted Mustaine to launch into a minute-long tirade during whch he said: "You look like Eminem, you stupid cunt."

He continued: "Listen, you guys pay a lot of money to see us play, and I don't wanna stand here in the dark. I mean, part of the whole MEGADETH show is us smiling and making that connection with you."

He then once again addressed the fan directly, telling him: "Get the fuck out of here! Get this guy out of here! You blonde bitch. C'mon up here. I've got a big cock for your face. [Making kissing sounds.] Here it comes… Stick that finger right up your ass, you little f****t."

Fan-filmed video footage of Mustaine's rant can be seen below.

MEGADETH is touring in support of its new album, "Super Collider", which is likely to sell between 28,000 and 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on June 4 via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).

Berlin-based classic/psychedelic rockers KADAVAR have parted ways with bassist Mammut. The group comments: "After almost three years of band history, Mammut left the band due to musical and personal reasons. We believe that this decision was for the good of us all and wish him only the best for his future."

Mammut sat out KADAVAR's recent tour dates and was replaced by a stand-in musician who also happens to be an old friend of the band and has now officially been named as KADAVAR's new bassist: Simon Bouteloup.

"For us, Simon Bouteloup was the only replacement imaginable all along," the band says. "We've toured with his ex-band AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR in the past and recorded a split record with them. Afterwards, he accompanied our tours on a regular basis. In autumn of 2012 he moved from Paris to Berlin and joined THE OATH. We're happy to have him on board as a permanent member now!"

KADAVAR's new lineup:

Christoph "Lupus" Lindemann - Vocals, Guitar
Christoph "Tiger" Bartelt - Drums
Simon "Dragon" Bouteloup - Bass

KADAVAR's second full-length album, "Abra Kadavar", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 42. The CD was released in Europe on April 12 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Abra Kadavar" was made available as a limited digi version, including a bonus track, as well on different vinyl versions.

Photo by Matias Corral

California rockers TESLA spent the last two days (June 5-6) tracking a new song titled "Taste My Pain" at J Street Recorders in Sacramento, with plans to digitally release it sometime this summer and include it on a forthcoming album. The tune has all the bandmembers excited to keep working on the new album during breaks in touring and have the full album released in 2014. According to the group, "It's a heavier song with a hard -driving beat and TESLA trademark blazing guitars."

A photo from the studio can be seen below.

TESLA's latest album, "Twisted Wires And The Acoustic Sessions", was released in July 2011 via Scarlet Records. The CD featured six songs that were recorded back in 2005 at bassist Brian Wheat's J Street Recorders studio — which also serve as the last recordings with original member Tommy Skeoch — and six newly recorded tracks, including acoustic remakes of songs from TESLA's entire catalog and two brand new songs, "Second Street" and "Better Off Without You".

TESLA released a live album, "Alive In Europe!", in Europe on April 23, 2010 via Frontiers Records.

TESLA's latest studio album, "Forever More", sold more than 16,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 33 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 7, 2008 on Tesla Electric Company Recordings. The European version of the album, which was made available on November 7 via Frontiers Records, contains two bonus tracks not found on the American version.

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.