Guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA has commented on the recent announcement that SLAYER guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman died on May 2 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.

"When we were on the road [in Europe], we heard about the shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. I didn't expect that at all. My impression was that he was getting better and soon we will be able to see him killing with SLAYER again. It was so sad. The SEPULTURA family will miss him deeply. Without SLAYER, SEPULTURA would never be possible. Thanks for all the inspiration and the great music, Jeff. RIP."

Hanneman's official cause of death was revealed by his bandmates on May 9. In the statement, they also acknowledged Hanneman's "health struggles over the years" — including flesh-eating necrotizing fasciitis that rendered him unable to perform. But, the band said, "Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life."

The statement added that Hanneman was not on a transplant list and that "by all accounts it appeared he had been improving — he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record."

In 2011, British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST embarked on the "Epitaph" tour, their final massive world trek ever, but that doesn't mean the band is hanging it up. In fact, they're working on new music and singer Rob Halford told VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner what to expect from it.

"We have all the songs in our heads running right now as we're speaking to you, we can hear them," he said.

"It's coming along really well."

He continued: "We're in no rush. It'll be ready when it's ready. What we will say is we felt it was very important to follow up 'Nostradamus', the last release, and that was a concept experiment and it was a real success for us and the fans loved it, but I think our fans and ourselves as a band, we want to get back to the side of PRIEST that we haven't heard for a few years and reemphasize and remake those big, heavy metal statements again."

As for when fans can expect to get the new PRIEST album, Halford explained that he and his bandmates aren't going to set dates for themselves.

"I think that's the best way to approach it, because it would be wrong to say, 'On this date, at this moment, the record is coming out.' But where we're at now, we're very, very confident and, going out on a limb, I would say that we should have it wrapped up by the end of this year. We're forging ahead and everything's looking good, and yeah, it's looking right. So in the not-too-distant metal future, there will be new PRIEST to listen to."

Jon Dette (pictured below), who recently played with SLAYER and ANTHRAX (and previously with TESTAMENT), will be playing drums for HEATHEN on the San Francisco Bay Area thrash band's upcoming European tour with GENERATION KILL and DUST BOLT.

Comments HEATHEN: "As most of you know already, Darren [Minter] recently left the band. It was an amicable split and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

"For those of you concerned about our upcoming European tour, have no fear. Jon Dette will be filling in on drums for all dates on the tour. Jon played with us once before during our North American tour a couple of years ago and we are looking forward to touring with him again. Get ready for the chaos!"

HEATHEN's European tour is scheduled to kick off on June 7 in Berlin, Germany.

The band last year inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

HEATHEN's latest album, "The Evolution Of Chaos", was released in the U.S. on February 16, 2010. The CD was issued in Japan on December 23, 2009 via King Records and was made available on January 25 in Europe via Holland's Mascot Records.

"Suicide .. Are You F*cking Insane?", the new video from Finnish thrashers ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION, can be seen below. The clip was photographed and directed by Lasse Arkela of 4 LIFE.

"Suicide .. Are You F*cking Insane?" comes off ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION's latest album, "Gallery Of Pain", which was released in April 2010 via Violent Journey Records. The CD artwork was created by Juha Vuorma, who also designed covers for the first three KALMAH albums and for USURPER and METUJA, among others.

ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION in May 2011 announced the addition of vocalist Jarno Samppala and guitarist Jussi Arkela to the group's ranks.

Samppala, who is the brother of ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION drummer Jussi Samppala, replaced longtime vocalist and original bandmember Mika Luoma.

Arkela previously made a guest appearance on "Gallery Of Pain".

ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION is:

Jarno Samppala - Vocals
Kimmo Osmo - Guitar
Jussi Arkela -Guitar
Pasi Osmo - Bass
Jussi Samppala (TYRANT DISCIPLE) – Drums

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian has uploaded a new three-and-a-half-minute video clip called "Disarming Time Paintings." Check it out below.

Describing the project, Serj stated: "I have just embarked on a something really exciting and new called 'Disarming Time Musical Paintings.' What that is is I'm writing a piece of music first, as I usually do, and then I am making a painting from it and embedding the music — with speakers and MP3 players — within the actual frame of the painting. So this is really exciting for me, 'cause I've never painted in my life before."

He added: "The urge came to my in the discovery that music has become so temporal and devalued in the world today — even though we love music; anyone watching this and myself inclusive. So I wanted to create an exclusive experience. I wanted to create something unique for someone to hold, that they're the only person to get to experience that."

Tankian is releasing two albums this summer through his own label, Serjical Strike Records. First up on June 25 will be "Orca", Tankian's first true symphony, while July 23 will see the release of a collaborative jazz-inspired disc called "Jazz-iz Christ". Tankian recorded "Orca" in Linz, Austria last October with a symphony orchestra after a successful Kickstarter campaign helped fund the project.

Meanwhile, the 15 tracks on the mostly instrumental "Jazz-iz Christ" feature Tankian performing alongside guests like renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan, flautist Valeri Tolstov, trumpet player Tom Duprey, former POLICE drummer Stewart Copeland and actor/musician Davis Alpay.

Both albums will be available worldwide on iTunes, Amazon and other digital distributors. Various limited deluxe physical editions will be sold through Tankian's official web site and the Serjical Strike web site.

The musician, who has dabbled in film scoring and writing a musical as well, told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that all these projects are part of his diverse musical interests. "I've made enough rock records, I think, for a little while for me to be able to kind of go, okay, you know, I wanna try different things," he said. "I write all sorts of music, from electronic to noise to experimental to punk to hip-hop to you name it, you know. I do a lot of different things, so I'd like to explore different genres."

Following a concert in Los Angeles on July 29, SYSTEM OF A DOWN will tour Europe throughout the month of August. After that, Tankian will launch a series of solo orchestral tour dates on September 19 in Kiev, Ukraine, with performances scheduled for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities in Russia, along with stops in Rome, Florence and Padova, Italy.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN still does not have any plans to record in the near future.

Philip Anselmo, legendary frontman of PANTERA and DOWN, will release his career-first solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", on July 16 via his own Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). "Walk Through Exits Only" will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.

Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) — "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album's eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from "Battalion Of Zero" to "Usurper's Bastard Rant", to the album's title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.

"Walk Through Exits Only" track listing:

01. Music Media Is My Whore
02. Battalion Of Zero
03. Betrayed
04. Usurper Bastard's Rant
05. Walk Through Exits Only
06. Bedroom Destroyer
07. Bedridden
08. Irrelevant Walls And Computer Screens

The album's title track is now available for streaming using the SoundCloud widget below. Also available is a stream of the song "Usurper's Bastard Rant".

"It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record," Anselmo explained about the project. "It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. On this album, there isn't any wordplay, there isn't any hidden message, it's all right there in front of you."

The genesis of "Walk Through Exits Only" proved both comfortable and natural for its architect. In fact, everything began to slowly come together in the frontman's New Orleans home back in 2010.

"It started right there in the fucking black bedroom where I haunt," he smiles. "When I get an itch, I've got to scratch it. The sole idea at the beginning was to be unorthodox. It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record. I've always believed there are different elements of groove. It's definitely not a cemented science. It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. I tried to portray it as personally as I possibly could."

Gonzales puts it best. "I think it's going to put the rock 'n' roll back in extreme music," he says. "That combination is very different. For as extreme as it is, it's controlled chaos."

"It's meant to be very unpredictable," Anselmo affirms. "When I hear enough of the same thing, I want to rebel. That was a key factor. Right when you think you've got it pegged, it goes in a different direction. That's what keeps things interesting."

In order to harness that unpredictability and realize his vision, he enlisted the talents of longtime friend Houston-based shredder Montazeri. Filling the seat behind the kit is Gonzales, who entered the fold at the tender age of 19. Back at Anselmo's studio Nodferatu's Lair, they recorded in spurts between DOWN's own rigorous recording and touring schedule. In the process of those intense sessions alongside engineer Stephen "The Big Fella" Berrigan, the record was born.

"There's nobody like Philip," says Montazeri. "For years, I've always wanted to do something completely original and meaningful with him. I'm just trying to bring something pure to this. Nothing gets in the way of this band's purity. When all of us get together, it's automatic. If I have an idea, Philip always welcomes it. We share a love for extreme music, and I feel like we've got an unbreakable bond."

Gonzales agrees, "These guys pushed me to limits I didn't even know I could be pushed to. We've been able to create something really special together."

The world's proper introduction to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS came on the "War Of The Gargantuas" split with WARBEAST at the top of 2013. The two songs included on the split — "Conflict" and "Family, Friends, and Associates" — were only a separate and small taste of what was come to come on the full-length though.

In many ways, "Walk Through Exits Only" embodies the same underground spirit and ethos that Anselmo has proudly possessed for his whole life. Since his career began, he consistently shined light on what was happening beneath the typical "surface" of music, whether by inviting MORBID ANGEL, EYEHATEGOD, CROWBAR, or NEUROSIS onto a PANTERA tour or donning a DARKTHRONE or MAYHEM t-shirt on television or in a major publication. He's gone against the grain, past the tides, and right through the exits. Now, that sentiment pipes through loud and clear on the record's viciously vital title track.

"It does create an unorthodox approach to things," Anselmo continues. "The hook is a powerful line. Why make music the 'right' way? There really aren't any fucking rules. You've got to simply take what’s there and make it your own."

The opener "Music Media Is My Whore" lays all speculation to rest with its focused pummeling. About the title, he laughs, "I've gotten my share of fucking licks from the media over the years. I figured I'd give them one back. Lyrically, there was always something driving me though. I couldn't put my finger on it for the longest time, but it's very reality-based. I didn't mince any words."

"The message comes across in a crazy way," adds Montazeri. "That goes for the entire record though. There's no similarity between this and any other band. It breaks from tradition."

Not only does "Walk Through Exits Only" break from tradition, it lays the groundwork for a new road.

"Fuck another chapter," concludes Anselmo. "This is a whole new book. Some might call it ambitious. I say it's natural. I can do anything I want with this, and I will. I want people to take that unpredictability with them. If you're in a younger band, I want you to realize you don't have to play by the fucking rules. I want everyone to see that there's a lot more to the story than they'd ever realized when it comes to me. You can't and won't be able to tell what comes next from the kid. You can't pin me down unless it's in my own fucking corner which will be painted black and say, 'Reserved for Philip H. Anselmo.' You're very welcome to do that."

Anselmo and THE ILLEGALS will support the new album with a major North American tour planned for this summer.

Legendary San Francisco Bay Area gore grind act AUTOPSY will release its sixth studio opus of horror and all-out madness, "The Headless Ritual", on July 2 via Peaceville Records. The cover art for the CD was painted by none other than the legendary Joe Petagno (MOTÖRHEAD, MARDUK), and it's safe to say he has outdone himself with this gruesome slice of horror.

Featuring the returning quartet of Chris Reifert, Eric Cutler, Danny Coralles and Joe Trevisano, "The Headless Ritual" is a relentless monster of violent and brutal death metal mastery delivered in the unmistakable AUTOPSY style of chaotic riffing, insane solos and doom-filled interludes, all served with the band's unhinged brand of vocal sickness. The CD was recorded and mixed in April at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California with Adam Munoz.

"The Headless Ritual" track listing:

01. Slaughter At Beast House
02. Mangled Far Below
03. She Is A Funeral
04. Coffin Crawlers
05. When Hammer Meets Bone
06. Thorns And Ashes
07. Arch Cadaver
08. Flesh Turns To Dust
09. Running From The Goathead
10. The Headless Ritual

The song "Arch Cadaver" can now be streamed at NPR.org.

Said AUTOPSY drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert: "Expect nothing less than the monstrous brutality that AUTOPSY has been known to offer. Laurels will not be rested upon, trends will not be followed and mercy will not be shown. Mark your calendars for July and pick out a coffin to lie down and die in. Darkness and death await..."

AUTOPSY released a DVD, "Born Undead", in June 2012 in the U.S. via Peaceville Records. The set charts AUTOPSY's birth, death and rebirth with an extensive documentary conducted with the bandmembers themselves, as they describe how the beast came to be, and the impact their music has had on the metal world over a span of more than 20 years. The film also documents the band's long-awaited return to the studio and stage, and includes rehearsal footage of both new tracks and old classics for their live comeback assault.

"Macabre Eternal", the first full-length album from AUTOPSY since 1995's "Shitfun", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 67 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.

AUTOPSY had previously decided to make an official comeback after working together on two songs for the special 20th-anniversary edition of debut album, "Severed Survival", in late 2008; the band having originally split before the release of its fourth album, "Shitfun", in 1995.

AUTOPSY is:

Chris Reifert - Drums/Vocals
Danny Coralles - Guitar
Eric Cutler - Guitar
Joe Trevisano - Bass

Fan-filmed video footage of Yngwie Malmsteen's May 9 concert at House Of Blues in Anaheim, California can be seen below.

Malmsteen has just released his autobiography entitled "Relentless: The Memoir" via Wiley.

How does a kid from Sweden make his way to America at the tender age of eighteen and, within a month, have people lining up to hear him play guitar? Where did he get those chops? How did he develop his singular style of playing? And what happened next?

In "Relentless", Malmsteen relives the greatest and worst moments of his storied career as one of the most admired, talked about, and emulated guitarists in the world — from how he managed to buy his first Strat and assemble his first wall of Marshall amps to the truth behind the title of his 2005 "Unleash The Fury" album and beyond.

At the center of Yngwie's story is his lifelong rebellion against the conventions and restrictions of the Sweden in which he was raised. "Don't stand out," he was told when he dreamed of being a professional musician. "That won't work," he was warned when he wanted to play loud or little-known songs. His entire musical career has been a proclamation that he will stand out, and it will work.

That determination drove the fourteen-year-old Yngwie to make his now legendary "Powerhouse" demo tape, the recording that later caught the ear of Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, who brought Yngwie to America in 1982. It drove Yngwie to become the de facto leader of two already existing bands before launching a solo career just eighteen months later. It also drove him to act out in sometimes bizarre ways and develop a reputation as a mercurial, perhaps unstable, personality.

Yngwie recounts these incidents with neither pride nor apology, but with a great deal of color. And he gets into the seedy and unscrupulous side of rock and roll, revealing how managers, record companies, and others ripped him off, before his wife, April, rescued both him and his business.

Musicians will be drawn to Yngwie's descriptions of how he composed his greatest songs and his overall approach to composition and to band dynamics. He writes with admiration about musicians, from DEEP PURPLE's Ritchie Blackmore to nineteenth-century violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini, who influenced his playing and the development of his unique neoclassical-metal style.

Whether you're a total metal freak, an aspiring musician, or someone who just loves a pull-out-all-the-stops rock-and-roll biography, you will read "Relentless" relentlessly from first page to last.

The 288-page book is available for order via Amazon.

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about "13", the first SABBATH record in 35 years to feature Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together.

"I've not been this happy about an album in years," Ozzy said. "I'm not trying to sell my home. If this record was just OK, I'd fucking say it. But honestly, hand on heart, it's one of the best things I've done in my entire life."

Ozzy also offered some thoughts on the situation surrounding original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who backed out of the band's reunion last year.

"It would have been great to have Bill — all of us said that," said Ozzy. "But you can't expect someone of Bill's age to be as agile as he used to be. He's had heart attacks. If he'd turned up and played like he used to, or nearly as well, maybe we'd have worked something out… But we decided that if we were ever going to do this fucking album, you've got to be on the case. It got to the point where we said, 'Are we just going to sit and wait for him to get off his fucking arse or what?' We had to decide — we couldn't just keep the fans waiting any fucking longer."

In a recent interview with Mojo magazine, Ozzy offered more information about the reasons behind SABBATH's split with Ward. "I guess it's to do with finances or something," he explained. "But there was also another side to it. When Bill came along, we all had to ask, 'Can he do an hour-and-a-half, two-hour gig? Can he cope?' My suggestion was that we run through a set and see how he got on because he was so out of condition and the drummer is the most demanding job in the whole band. We looked at Bill, and he couldn't remember what the fuck we were doing."

Ozzy added that it "would have been cool" for the band to tour with a back-up drummer or just have Ward play a portion of the set, but that Ward "didn't come clean and say, 'I can't cut this gig.'"

Ozzy continued, "I get where he's coming from, though. His pride was hurt and I get it. I really do get it. The guy will always be a dear, dear friend and a brother to me . . . I'm not gonna give Bill a hatchet job, but at the same time we haven't got the patience to deal with it."

Ward was on board for the reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after, claiming that he was given contractual terms that were not fair.

SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on "13", due out June 11.

SABBATH finished the Australian leg of its world tour earlier in the month and played Japan's first-ever Ozzfest on May 12. A North American trek begins on July 25 in the Woodlands, Texas.

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has revealed that he and MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine may perform a classic METALLICA song on the upcoming Gigantour.

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

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

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

Gigantour made its return last year for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by Mustaine — kicked off on January 26, 2012 in Camden, New Jersey and wrapped on March 3, 2012 in Austin.

Fan-filmed video footage of Finnish/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH performing at the Loud & Metal Attack on May 25 at Studio Coast in Tokyo, Japan can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen told Finland's MTV.fi in November that he was pleased with the addition of Dutch singer Floor Jansen to the group and that she was only getting better with each performance.

"We have done 13 shows with her [so far] and every concert has been better than the last," he said. "We are taking it day by day as much as we can. The vibe in the band is marvellous. We are enjoying every moment."

Holopainen has known Jansen, who is Dutch, for more than 10 years already, having previously toured with her former band, AFTER FOREVER.

"We are very much on the same wavelength and we have a similar sense of humor," Holopainen said of his new bandmate.

Stepping into NIGHTWISH was made easier for Jansen by the fact that she has extensive experience in both classical and rock music.

Following AFTER FOREVER's split, Jansen launched a brand new project called REVAMP, which has thus far released one album and recently entered the studio to record a follow-up effort.

"We have been in the same circles since the late '90s," says Tuomas. "She has toured a lot and has spent a lot of time recording and performing this genre of music. So it was easier for her to come into the band."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of the past five years, Anette Olzon.

"[Floor is] a vocal coach herself, so she's very professional," said Tuomas. "The fact that she had about 40 hours to learn 15 songs is quite revealing. She practically learned our tour set on the flight from Amsterdam to Seattle. We're talking about a high-level professional and her attitude is fabulous as well. It can be seen in her stage presence. She clearly enjoys what she does."

Asked about the reasons for Olzon's sudden exit from the group, Tuomas told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine: "I'm sure it came as a shock to everybody. We came out with a statement [regarding the split], which pretty much says it all. It still is a private matter, and that's all we wanna say about it, like, ever. It was an amicable divorce, so to say, and made in good spirit, and we are just looking to the future. There really is no reason to go back into all the details and all that. I mean, this is not politics, this is a rock band."

Regarding whether there is a chance that Floor will become the official new NIGHTWISH lead singer, Tuomas said: "The way that we have decided is that we're gonna continue with her until the end of the festival season in 2013 — just have fun, just do the shows the best we can. I mean, the atmosphere in the band is so good at the moment, [we want to] just enjoy this what we have right now. They try not to think about NIGHTWISH at all for a few months. Everybody take a little vacation. And we already have the rehearsal place for the next album booked in 2014 — from July to September. So that's how far we have planned. But when we do the last festival show next August, after that, it's gonna be total nothing for a few months. So I would say everything is possible, but that's really not the thing that we want to be thinking about right now, because there's absolutely no reason to."

Blood Music has announced the signing of Germany's NONEUCLID.

This underground "supergroup," which consists of key members from OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS and TRIPTYKON, plays indescribable compositions that fall somewhere in the realm of stone-faced thrash mixed with experimental progressive death metal.

NONEUCLID's long-awaited sophomore album, "Metatheosis", was completed in 2007 and didn't find a home until now, six years later!

Comments the band: "It's a condensed, multifaceted missile of hyperbolic extreme metal — utterly uncompromising, straight from the heart, and hopefully again a key to unlock very different doors into the psychic multiverse."

NONEUCLID is:

Morean - Guitar, Vocals
V Santura - Guitar
Linus - Bass
Seraph - Drums

In 2010, NONEUCLID received an invite from Tom G. Warrior to play at the Roadburn festival. In November of the same year, a second symphonic project "Transition Metal" was premiered in collaboration with newly founded Orchester des 13. Tons, conducted by Ulf Klausenitzer. In additition to a brand new work for orchestra and metal band, music of Richard Wagner and NONEUCLID were interpreted in different versions by both band and orchestra.

Photo by: Natalia Kempin

Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES have released the lyric video for their previously unreleased track "Revelation". The song comes from the band's upcoming set, "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones (Ultimate Edition)", which will be released on June 11 via Lava/Republic Records.

"Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones (Ultimate Edition)" features three previously unreleased tracks as well as a DVD of the band's "Legion Of The Black" movie that was screeneed prior to last year's release. There will also be an Ultimate Black Box Edition that will feature all of the contents of the Ultimate Edition including the CD with alternate artwork plus three new songs, "Legion Of The Black" DVD, an expanded booklet and a solid black BVB rosary that can be ordered here.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES are enjoying newfound success with the song "In The End", which has resulted in the band's highest chart position to date. The track currently stands at position No. 11 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES screened "Legion Of The Black" at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles, California in December.

Directed by Patrick Fogarty, written by Andy Biersack, Patrick Fogarty and Richard Villa III, "Legion Of The Black" tells the visual story of "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones". The film follows a group of rebels known as "The Wild Ones" as they defend their hearts, minds and bodies against F.E.A.R.

"Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones" sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on January 8 via Lava/Universal Republic, the CD was produced by by John Feldmann (PAPA ROACH, THE USED, ATREYU) and is a full-fledged concept effort. The cover artwork for the album was created by the band's longtime friend, artist Richard Villa.

After eight years of being away from the metal scene, CEMETARY mainman Mathias Lodmalm, who now resides in Berlin, Germany, is back with his new band LORDS OF SATURN. The rest of the group's members live in Sweden.

LORDS OF SATURN is:

Mathias Lodmalm - Vocals, Guitar
Jonas Clefström - Drums
Teo Dahnberg - Bass
Bo Pettersson - Guitar
Alex Molin - Percussion

LORDS OF SATURN's vinyl single, "Pillars Of Deception", will be released on June 14 via Some Other Records.

A lyric video for the LORDS OF SATURN song "Black Triangles" can be seen below.

In related news, CEMETARY's debut demo, "Incarnation Of Morbidity", will be released as a vinyl single on To The Death Records, most likely also on June 14.

Sweden Rock Magazine will run a three-page interview with Lodmalm in issue #105, out on June 11. It's Mathias' first interview with a Swedish music magazine in many years.

For more information, visit www.lordsofsaturn.com.

A five-minute teaser for the self-titled fifth album from the reactivated Norwegian metal band EXTOL can be seen below. The CD will be released on June 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Indie Recordings.

According to a press release, EXTOL's new CD "is a like a complex metallic alloy. The playfulness of the songs and the brutal bonding of genres are transformed into a fusion of atmospheric and harmonic prog rock, merged with the tempered thrash and death metal that EXTOL so uniquely master. This album leads us straight to the core of EXTOL."

Comments EXTOL drummer David Husvik: "'Extol' is the album that was planned all the way, but never materialized. Partly due to changes in the lineup, but also because of the band´s urge to always reach for something new. The album is the recap of 20 years of Extolhistory, both musically and lyrically."

With a long-awaited creative collaboration with Jens Bogren (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, ENSLAVED) and some truly magnificent artwork by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, OPETH, DEATH), EXTOL has managed to create a timeless masterpiece and the vision of the band seems clearer than ever.

Mastermind Ole Børud has returned, and along with Husvik and Peter Espevoll, the trio now constitutes the 2013 lineup of EXTOL.

"Extol" track listing:

01. Betrayal
02. Open The Gates
03. Wastelands
04. A Gift Beyond Human Reach
05. Faltering Moves
06. Behold The Sun
07. Dawn Of Redemption
08. Ministers
09. Extol
10. Unveiling The Obscure

Check out the song "Open The Gates" in the YouTube clip below.

SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his new project.

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

He continued: "I've done the bulk of the work in the studio but now I've got Jed [Simon, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD] and Kris [Norris, DARKEST HOUR] to play lead guitar on everything," he adds. "Chris [Vrenna, NINE INCH NAILS] is doing the keyboards and synths and all that stuff and I have an unknown guy on vocals. His name's Henry [Derek Bonner of BLOOD PROMISE] and he's super talented and a great vocalist. I didn't want someone from a known band singing in this band, because then it just becomes some supergroup thing and that's not what this is."

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor has been ambivalent about working on new material following the death in May 2010 of the group's bassist, Paul Gray, although percussionist Shawn Crahan and Jordison have been much more confident about the band recording again.

SLIPKNOT's last U.S. performances were its own Knotfest shows, which took place last August in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Somerset, Wisconsin.

Jordison said in 2011 that SLIPKNOT can carry on "with or without" Taylor.

MURDERDOLLS — the band consisting of Jordison and Wednesday 13 — issued its sophomore album, "Women And Children Last", in August 2010 via Roadrunner Records.

Bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM was interviewed by Kaaos TV at the Steelfest Open Air 2013, which was held May 24-25 in Hyvinkää, Finland. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked for his thoughts on the death of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, Angelripper said: "At first, I was shocked, because I thought that he was in the hospital because of this spider attack and problems with the skin. But I know that he drank a lot of alcohol [although] I never saw him drinking."

He continued: "I met him the first time in 1985 when they played in Bochum with DESTRUCTION on tour. And Witchhunter [SODOM's former drummer] was playing in DESTRUCTION at this time just for a tour. I met [Jeff] and he was a very nice guy.

"I was shocked [when I heard Jeff died], because he's SLAYER — he's the main songwriter, the main lyric writer.

"It's unbelievable, because he was 48 or 49 — younger than me…

"I hope SLAYER keep on going, I hope SLAYER get back Dave Lombardo on the drums and restart the band. But it's not all the same.

"Jeff Hanneman, I think he was better than Kerry King sometimes…

"I'm still shocked, because he was a young man."

SODOM's new album, "Epitome Of Torture", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 25 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.

"Epitome Of Torture" was made available on April 29 in Europe and May 7 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. Bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such, guitarist Bernd "Bernemann" Kost and new drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald recorded a total of twelve new tracks (plus a MOTÖRHEAD cover) which "present SODOM as more diverse and multi-faceted than ever," according to a press release.

Swedish melodic death metallers AMON AMARTH have released part one of their mini-documentary, "Forging Mjölnir". Filmed and directed by Luke Daley, the up-close-and-personal clip — which includes stunning black and white nature footage and Norse artwork — celebrates the imminent release of the band's ninth studio offering, "Deceiver Of The Gods". Watch the six-and-a-half minute segment where vocalist Johan Hegg and bassist Ted Lundström elaborate on the mythological themes found within their latest epic.

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.

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.

In a recent interview with France's LoudTV.net, Hegg stated about the recording process for "Deceiver Of The Gods": "It was pretty much six or seven weeks in January and February this year. So it went pretty quick. But when we went into the studio, we were very well prepared; we had all the songs written, we were well rehearsed. It went really quickly. We didn't have to change much. Everything was pretty much written. Every time you record something, there's always gonna be small changes, obviously, with songs, because when you rehearse it, maybe you don't hear that it didn't work perfectly, so you have to find another way. Or you come up with an idea of how something could be a little bit better. But all the songs were 99 percent ready, basically."

Asked if it was weird getting Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) to produce "Deceiver Of The Gods", Hegg said: "I don't think so. I mean, if you know where Andy comes from — HELL and SABBAT. He kind of has the same musical background as us; we were listening to the same stuff. And for us, we realized that his style of producing would fit the band. So when we decided to go for a new producer, Andy was a pretty definite choice, because we liked the stuff that he's done recently with ACCEPT, for instance, and KREATOR, and we felt that he could contribute something to our sound, and I think he did; I think it was a good choice. It was good for us to work with [previous producer] Jens [Bogren], but you know, after three albums, it felt like we needed a new challenge, a new voice in the whole production. For us, it felt natural to go with Andy. Especially after meeting him the first time… We were actually on tour and we met him in Wales. We just sat down and had a couple of beers and talked, and I think we hit it off straight away; it really felt good. So I think it was a good choice to work with Andy; he's a great producer and I think he did a perfect job."

Regarding whether Sneap has made AMON AMARTH sound more dynamic on the new album, Hegg said: "I think so. I think that the whole recording process, and the sound, and everything, is more organic, it feels more 'live,' [there's] a better groove to it than with Jens. I mean, Jens is a great producer — he has a very, very good ear for music — but somehow his productions are a little bit too clinical sometimes; they're too bang-on. I mean, some people love that. I wanna have that little groovy… so you get that live feeling, and I think that's important for a band like us as well. So I think it was a good choice to work with Andy for this album. Especially, also, when you consider the material that we had. There is a bit more groove to it, there is more ups and downs in the tempo, and I think it's easier to get that across if you do, as I said, a more organic, more natural flow kind of recording. Like I said, great job from him, and I'm glad that we lived up to it as well. [laughs]"

On the topic of whether "Deceiver Of The Gods" is AMON AMARTH's most diverse album to date, Hegg said: "I think so, yeah. And I think that's going back to what I said before — that we decided to let our influences shine through a lot more than we used to in the past. I mean, our influences have always been there, but we always kind of tried to keep them on the low side, not too evident, but now we let them come up in the production much more, and I think that was a good choice because it definitely gave the album a wide range."

"Deceiver Of The Gods" track listing:

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

The song "Shape Shifter" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Ohio metallers SKELETONWITCH have set "Serpents Unleashed" as the title of their new album, due this fall via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Forever Abomination" was recorded this spring at GodCity Studio with Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, KVELERTAK, HIGH ON FIRE).

SKELETONWITCH is currently headlining a primarily Canadian tour that includes an appearance at the annual Calgary Metal Fest on June 8. Shortly after it wraps up, the band will play its first-ever show in Puerto Rico at La Respuesta on July 13.

The follow-up to 2009's "Breathing The Fire", SKELETONWITCH's latest album, "Forever Abomination", was recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, KREATOR).

"Goat Of Departure", a brand new song from Michigan's unstoppable sons of molten melodic death metal THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track comes off the band's sixth full-length album, "Everblack", which will be released on June 11 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Audiohammer Studios (lead guitars and vocals), Rustbelt Studios (drums), and Regal Fecal (guitar and bass). Mixing was handled by Jason Suecof and Ryan Williams, mastering was completed by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York. Frontman Trevor Strnad's horror-inspired lyrics persist on "Everblack", beginning with "In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me", a reference to the murder from which the band took for its moniker. The cover artwork was painted by renowned artist Nick Keller.

Strnad elaborates on the lyrical concepts: "The opening track is the first actual song we've done about the Black Dahlia. This one is for the fans… they've been asking for this to happen for a long time. The story takes place at the Elizabeth Short's rain drenched funeral, where her killer in attendance… just one of the many macabre tales woven into the fabric of 'Everblack'. Subterranean flesh-farming vampires, vine rape, Jeffery Dahmer, amputation… it's all here! With this sixth slab of sickness I tried my best to honor the band's legacy and write lyrics that will keep the legions of horror fiends perspiring with fear."

Available at MetalBlade.com/bdm are a variety of limited edition pre-order bundles. Fans can grab "Everblack" on a triple gatefold double LP with purple/white marbled vinyl, along with "crime scene bundles." An evidence pack, which includes toe tags, deceased band member photos, spent shotgun shells, and more can be viewed now. These bundles are extremely limited and expected to sell out quickly.

"Everblack" track listing:

01. In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me
02. Goat Of Departure
03. Into The Everblack
04. Raped In Hatred By Vines Of Thorn
05. Phantom Limb Masturbation
06. Control
07. Blood Mine
08. Every Rope a Noose
09. Their Beloved Absentee
10. Map Of Scars

In a recent interview with Kaaos TV, Strnad stated about "Everblack": "The writing was still taken care of Ryan [Knight] and Brian [Eschbach] — the guitar players. It was split pretty much 50/50 — pretty much like 'Ritual' [2011] was; half the songs by Ryan, half the songs by Brian. I think what Max [Lavelle, bass] brought to this record is a really, really crushing bass sound that's a little bit new for us, like a little bit more overdriven and distorted and it's really energetic and heavy as fuck. And Max killed it in the studio; he did great. [New drummer] Alan [Cassidy] also did great. He didn't really have as much time to study the songs, because he came into the band so quickly, you know what I mean?! We needed him to come on tour with us to take Shannon's [Lucas] place, and things worked out so great with him that we asked him to stay. But he had to learn the songs for the album really fast. He was at home in Wyoming playing drums for 10 hours a day, he said, getting prepared for the album. He brought a lot to the drums; he's a got a really awesome style, I think his fills are bit more busy than Shannon's. I think that there's gonna be some stuff that makes him really stand out and will get people excited about him. 'Cause I know right now people are, like, 'Wow, they suffered a huge loss, losing Shannon.' Shannon is a great drummer, definitely, but he's gonna like what Alan has done on this record, too; it's really impressive stuff and I definitely feel like we found the right guy for the band. So his playing is exciting and people are gonna take notice, for sure, as soon as that record drops. And I'm excited to get it out for that reason, you know — to kind of say to everyone, 'We're back.' [laughs]"

Regarding whether drummer Alan Cassidy is now a full-fledged member of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, Strnad said: "It's very, very recently we asked him to join [the band as a member] — even after the album [was completed]. But he's a great dude, great positive energy. He's young, man — 23 years old — and he's a monster at the kit. So it's a good relationship, it's been a lot of fun, he's very positive and a really hard worker, and we've never had to ask him to do anything twice. He couldn't have played on the album, he couldn't have come on the tour if he wouldn't have been a psychopath workhose, but he really was — he really worked really hard and exceeded our expectations and now he's here with us and we're definitely proud to have him."

On the topic of how "Everblack" compares to "Ritual", Strnad said: "I think that it kind of took what we learned with 'Ritual' and pushed it even further, I think. The biggest change for me, writing 'Ritual', was having more surprises in the songs and more dynamics — buildups, some quiet parts, samples, different kinds of instruments incorporated into the album. That has all carried over to this new one. And better solos, more solos, more time to solo. Ryan's guitar work on this album is mindblowing. He shocks us, pretty much, every time we come back to do an album with what he's learned and he really sets the bar high for himself. So there's definitely some fretboard fireworks on this one. I don't know, man. People that liked 'Ritual', I think they're gonna love the new one; it's just us taking it further — darker music, more melody…. The melody that was really prevalent in 'Ritual' is there. But there's also some heavy stuff, too — some slow, MORBID ANGEL-esque kind of slimy stuff. So I think people are gonna be really happy with it… [It's[ a good mixture of all things DAHLIA. We [wanted to] keep it kind of raw with the mix — not too polished. Keep things sounding 'real' — like 'Ritual' was; I think that was a good move."

The funeral for longtime URIAH HEEP bassist Trevor Bolder — who died of cancer at the age of 62 — will be held on June 3 at 11 a.m. at St Mary's Church in Beverley, Hull, United Kingdom. Fans and friends are welcome.

A message from the Bolder family reads as follows: "All other proceedings will be a private affair, and we appreciate your understanding with this, and that the family and close friends are left in peace to carry on with the day in such privacy."

Cards and condolences can be sent to :

Trevor Bolder Memoriam
PO Box 6249
Liscombe Park
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU70WS

Bolder joined HEEP in 1976 as the replacement for John Wetton and made his recording debut with the band on 1977's "Firefly" LP. He played on three more albums before joining WISHBONE ASH. In 1983, he returned to URIAH HEEP and has appeared on all of the band's studio albums since then, including their most recent outing, 2011's "Into The Wild".

Said URIAH HEEP in a statement: "It is with great sadness that URIAH HEEP announce the passing of our friend the amazing Trevor Bolder, who has passed away after his long fight with cancer. Trevor was an all time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced. His longtime membership of URIAH HEEP brought the band's music, and Trevor's virtuosity and enthusiasm, to hundreds of thousands of fans across the world. He joined the band in 1976 and, barring one short break, was a fixture until his ill health forced him to take a step back early this year. Prior to joining HEEP, he was a founder and ever-present member of David Bowie's legendary SPIDERS FROM MARS band, performing on all of their key albums and at countless shows. He also performed with WISHBONE ASH, CYBERNAUTS and THE RATS."

Added URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box: "Trevor was a world-class bass player, singer and songwriter, and more importantly a world-class friend. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core."

An audio sample of the song "Ready To Rumble" recorded by Axl Rose' pre-GUNS N' ROSES band RAPIDFIRE can be streamed in the YouTube clip below (uploaded by former RAPIDFIRE guitarist Kevin Lawrence).

The RAPIDFIRE tapes, which were purportedly recorded in May 1983, have been in storage in the original eight-track format for more than 20 years. The songs featured on the tape are as follows:

01. Ready To Rumble
02. All Night Long
03. The Prowler
04. On the Run
05. Closure

RAPIDFIRE's lineup was as follows:

Axl Rose - Vocals
Kevin Lawrence - Guitar
Mike Hammernik - Bass
Chuck Gordon – Drums

According to Lawrence, Axl's voice on the RAPIDFIRE recording sounds a bit "more Rob Halford"-ish compared to his vocals on "Appetite for Destruction".

For more information, visit Rapidfire1983.com.

Algy Ward, founder and frontman of British metal legands TANK, will release "the definitive" new TANK album entitled "Breath Of The Pit", on June 3 via 4Worlds Media. The CD will feature 10 brand new recordings that "will blow your face off in true filth hounds tradition," according to a press release. Algy himself produced the effort, which is being described as "a real TANK album for genuine TANK fans."

"Breath Of The Pit" track listing:

01. Breath Of The Pit
02. T-34
03. Kill Or Be Killed
04. Healing The Wounds Of War
05. Stalingrad (Time Is Blood)
06. Victim
07. Crawl Back Into Your Hole
08. Retribution
09. Conflict Primeval
10. Circle Of Willis

Audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on "Breath Of The Pit" can be streamed at Amazon.com.

All songs were written, played and shouted by Ward. The CD was engineered and recorded by Ward and Guy Denning at the Tankroom Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England and The Granary Lamberhurst, Kent, England. The album was mixed and produced by Ward and Denning. Mastered duties were handled by Tim Turan.

Algy's TANK is not to be confused with the other version of the band — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White and ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and former HELLOWEEN drummer Mark Cross — which released a new DVD, "War Machine Live", last December in the USA through MVD. The set, which came out in Europe in November via Metal Mind Productions, features live performances filmed on March 9, 2012 at Stodola in Warsaw, Poland and August 10, 2011 at Metal Hammer Festival in Katowice, Poland, plus band interviews, on-the-road footage and the promotional video for "War Nation", the title track of the band's most recent studio album.

In a 2009 statement to Classic Rock magazine, Ward slammed his former bandmates for taking a version of the band out on the road in Europe without him. He said: "I wish the loyal TANK fans around the world to know that the band playing various European festivals under the name of 'TANK' do so without my consent.

"The band name TANK, associated logos and images are my sole intellectual property and copyright.

"I am currently unable to perform live due to poor health but continue to write and record."

Reactivated NINE INCH NAILS has signed to Columbia Records, home to NIN mainman Trent Reznor's other band HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS, for the release of a new studio album, tentatively due later this year.

"I've been less than honest about what I've really been up to lately," Reznor said in a statement. "For the last year I've been secretly working non-stop with Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder on a new, full-length NINE INCH NAILS record, which I am happy to say is finished and frankly fucking great. This is the real impetus and motivation behind the decision to assemble a new band and tour again. My forays into film, HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS and other projects really stimulated me creatively and I decided to focus that energy on taking NINE INCH NAILS to a new place. Here we go!"

Reznor reformed NINE INCH NAILS earlier this year with KING CRIMSON guitarist Adrian Belew, TELEFON TEL AVIV's Josh Eustis, and former NIN touring partners Robin Finck, Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin. The band has a series of festival dates planned for the rest of the year.

In early 2009, Reznor announced that NINE INCH NAILS was embarking on a 20th-anniversary farewell tour, after which he stayed busy recording with HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS, writing music for "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" and scoring "The Social Network" and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" with composer Atticus Ross.

Fan-filmed video footage o MEGADETH performing a new song, "Kingmaker", on May 27 at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Super Collider", which is scheduled for a June 4 release via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).

"Super Collider" track listing:

01. Kingmaker
02. Super Collider
03. Burn!
04. Built For War
05. Off The Edge
06. Dance In The Rain
07. Beginning Of Sorrow
08. The Blackest Crow
09. Forget To Remember
10. Don't Turn Your Back…
11. Cold Sweat

The album will be available as a limited-edition CD with 3-D cover and bonus tracks, regular CD, regular LP, limited LP plus seven-inch vinyl and as a digital download.

In a recent interview with the "Shockwaves"/"HardRadio" podcast, Mustaine stated about "Kingmaker": "[That song] is about the epidemic we're having in our nation right now with hillbilly heroin, with everybody taking pain pills.

"It's no secret that I had surgery on my neck. I think that when I showed up at the 'Big Four' show [at the Yankee stadium in September 2011] with a neck brace on, people kind of figured out that there was something wrong with me. It turns out that I had a broken bone in my neck and a shard of my vertebrae got into my spinal cord and was causing me tremendous pain for a very long time. I had started taking pain pills and became chemically dependent on it.

"With my substance-abuse history, it was really hard for me to go from being an addict and an alcoholic and then getting set free from all that stuff. 'Cause I went to the whole twelve-step thing, which was really beneficial for me, but unfortunately, for me it wasn't an anonymous program; I would go in there and whatever I would say, people would talk about. So it really violated my anonymity. It's also a program that is based on God, but when I would talk about God in there, they would say, 'Ah, G.O.D. stands for Group Of Drunks.' And it's, like, 'No, it doesn't. Can't you spell, you retard? That's why you're in here.' But at the time, it was very influential in my life and very important and I respect it tremendously and I wish anybody who needs a twelve-step program will find one...

"The song 'Kingmaker' is about how people are running from their problems… And there's a lot of that on this particular record — just looking at, like, 'Here's what I've got. What are you gonna do with it?' It's talking a lot about this generation, how people, their lives are falling apart and they just take pills. Instead of sucking up and doing what I did and going and getting the surgery and getting off the medication, they'll continue to just trudge it out until the end of their life where they just take pills until their body is eaten… And the other thing that's part of that song is talking about how when you take these things how they make you feel different. Some people, they get into that 'cause they like the way it makes you feel, 'cause it makes you kind of feel warm and fuzzy. In the song, it talks about wanting to fly and being ten feet tall. Booze does that to some people. And this is just something that, I think, if there is a way that I can help educate a lot of our fans, especially the younger ones that still have their whole life ahead of them, it's not as glamorous as you think it is to go down that path of just checking it out and drugging yourself up and not facing reality…

"Part of what 'Kingmaker' means to me is that I am able to look back now on this whole episode of my life, being a slave to Big Pharma. You have no idea what a pain in the ass it was. In order to travel to go overseas, and I needed the medication with me, to know that if my backpack would have been stolen and my medication would have been gone, that I would have gone into serious withdrawals and been hospitalized and the tour would have been over. That kind of stuff; it's horrifying. And my heart goes out to the people that are stuck in that vicious circle and slavery to narcotics. Granted, you need it if you're in pain, but…"

As previously reported, MEGADETH will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with MEGADETH by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the "Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.

"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.

"Kingmaker" performance in Brussels:

Marek Greschek, former guitarist for the German technical thrash band DESPAIR, died on May 15 at the age of 45.

Marek's former DESPAIR bandmate, producer/guitarist Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., LACUNA COIL, MOONSPELL, SAMAEL), has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"Marek made a suicide.

"I have no words.

"He showed me the first chord on a guitar.

"We shared for over six years DESPAIR history. We went to the darkest and happiest moments.

"[A] FRIEND but even more importantly... [a] BROTHER left this world.

"I totaly diagree with his decision, but I have to live with the consequences.

"R.I.P. Marek"

Sorychta was the musical mastermind of the first Century Media band DESPAIR, which released its first album, "History of Hate" in 1988 with Century Media founder Robert Kampf on vocals.

Former DESPAIR drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald joined German thrash metal veterans SODOM in December 2010 as the replacement for Bobby Schottkowski.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off their European leg of the "Maiden England" tour last night (Monday, May 27) at Bilbao Exhibition Centre in Barakaldo, Bilbao, Spain. The trek is based on the band's "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour", with a setlist almost exclusively from the 1980s featuring all the classic songs and hits. The same spectacular stage set as was used on the original 1988 tour has been recreated, complete with a magnificent light show, pyro and a newly reincarnated Eddie!

The band's setlist for last night's concert was as follows:

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

Encore:

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

Check out photos from RafaBasa.com. Fan-filmed video footage is available below.

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

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

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

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

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

"The Final Frontier" was released in North America on August 17, 2010 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The effort was made available in a unique limited-edition collectors' "Mission Edition" CD case and features access to extra bonus content, including the director's cut of a video for the edited version of the opening song on the album, entitled "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier"; band "Mission Debrief" interview footage; wallpapers; photos; and the exclusive game "Mission II : Rescue & Revenge". MAIDEN also for the first time made the album available as an iTunes LP with bonus content as well as the traditional digital format. There was also a limited-edition double picture disc.

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' May 26 performance at the River City Rockfest at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.

Although the current version of GUNS N' ROSES has a few 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.

Keyboardist Dizzy Reed, not an original member of GUNS but a 20-year veteran of the group, told The Pulse Of Radio that unpredictability has always been part of being in the band. "The volatility is definitely still there, especially for me, because I've seen a lot," he said. "It keeps you on your toes for sure. I just show up every night as prepared as possible to do my job, and anything else that happens is out of my control. There's really no way to truly deal with that."