Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church has announced via Twitter that it will picket the public memorial celebration for late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, which will be held May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The event will be free and open to the public on a first-come, first-in basis (subject to venue capacity, which is listed at around 4,000 people). All ages are welcome, and paid parking will be available around the venue.

Westboro Baptist Church previously said that it would sing its "parody" of OZZY OSBOURNE's "Crazy Train" "at full voice" at Hanneman's funeral.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church — the fringe group which continues to make headlines for its anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers regardless of their sexuality — first used lyrics from "Crazy Train" at events surrounding the October 2011 Snyder v. Phelps Supreme Court hearing. An attorney — a daughter of the church's founder, along with her sister — paraphrased lyrics from the song at a post-Supreme Court hearing press conference in Washington D.C.

The Westboro Baptist Church is described by the Wall Street Journal as a "tiny Kansas church… [that] … preaches that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for American's tolerance of homosexuality and abortion." As Examiner.com noted of the church, "their flamboyant demonstrations at the funerals of non-gay service members, using the events to highlight their belief that military deaths overseas are justified punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality. ('You're Going to Hell,' 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' and 'God Hates You' are popular Westboro slogans.)."

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

The guitarist 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.

Hanneman recalled in a 2011 interview with Classic Rock magazine that he initially didn't even feel the spider bite, adding, "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill. I could see the flesh corrupting. The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was . . . At that point, I was an hour away from death."

Swimming With Sharks Records has announced the addition of the Atlanta, Georgia death metal act THE TERRIGEN MIST to it's roster of bands. The band recently completed work on their debut full length album, Leveyan, recorded in Athens, GA at Rising Tides Studio with Anthony Lunn.

Vocalist Ian Nix comments, "We are very happy to be working with Swimming With Sharks Records and we are quite proud to be releasing our first full length, Laveyan, through them. This label is definitely keeping the indie spirit alive and we look forward to all the positive things that are to come from our new partnership."
Laveyan tracklisting:

'Upon A Black Apex'
'Skeleton Grinder'
'The Eternal Equinox'
'Pyramid Head'
'Gilgamesh'
'Hymn Of The Goat'
'Alaris'
'The Lunar Mechanism'
'Yankee Rose'

Laveyan is available at this location. Listen to the album below:

Leveyan by The Terrigen Mist

The band formed in 2008 in Greenville, SC and have been making a name for themselves ever since through relentless performing and touring the East Coast. Prior to their full length album, Laveyan, The Terrigen Mist have released two EPs - A Requiem Infernal and Metaphysics. The band sites influences such as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CONVERGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, THE FACELESS, WATAIN, DEATHSPELL OMEGA, PANTERA, and more. Their sound can be described as death metal with heavy grindcore and black metal influence.

The band will be touring in early July, in support of Leveyan.
The Terrigen Mist is:

Ian Nix - vocals
Andrew Bryant - guitar
Brett Terrapin - drums
James Wakester - bass

More on The Terrigen Mist at this location.

Chicago doom-metal legends TROUBLE will release their first studio album in six years, "The Distortion Field", in North America on July 16 and in Europe on July 26 via FRW Records. The 12-song follow-up to 2007's "Simple Mind Condition" is being helmed by veteran producer Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., ARMORED SAINT, DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, D.R.I.) and marks the recording debut with TROUBLE of lead singer Kyle Thomas following the departure of the group's frontman of four years, Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL fame).

Says TROUBLE founder and guitarist Rick Wartell: "Kyle is one of the most impressive singers I've ever heard, and by far the most extraodinary singer I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's got incredible range, incredible power, and an incredible knowledge of TROUBLE, as he's been a fan for 20-something years. We've known him forever, and he innately understands what TROUBLE is about. He's like the perfect guy to come in and do this job. It's awesome."

He adds: "Musically, I think this album is a true TROUBLE record.

"In the early days, we used to just write what we felt and didn't really care about what anyone said. We just wrote heavy riffs and played our music our way. But outside influences can kind of get a hold of you and start telling you what to do.

"When we were writing this album, the thinking was, we don't care what anybody thinks. We're going to write what we write. So this is basically a return to our roots, while combining some reflections of our band's long history as well.

"With the two different music writers, Bruce [Franklin, guitar] and myself, we have a slight variation in our writing; Bruce has more of a '70s groove to his writing, and I'm more the old-school doomy metal thing. And when you put it together, you get TROUBLE."

Thomas, former lead vocalist for EXHORDER, FLOODGATE and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, was no stranger to TROUBLE as he previously fronted the band for four live shows between 1997 and 1999, including Stoner Hands Of Doom festival in Maryland and Expo Of The Extreme in Chicago. Thomas has also collaborated on projects with members of SLIPKNOT, DOWN, OBITUARY and DEICIDE.

In an interview with Metal Kaoz, Bruce Franklin stated about Kyle's addition to TROUBLE, "We didn't need to change any of the [new] music [to suit Kyle's vocals]. He really knows how to sing to TROUBLE stuff because he was a fan from way back."

Added Kyle: "They had given me four songs to work on when I was jamming with them in anticipation of possibly doing the album that came to be 'Simple Mind Condition'. I did demo one song, but nothing I did ever made it to the album. Things turned out the way that they have between then and now, and here I am."

He continued, "Bruce and Rick [Wartell, guitar] have always been great to me as people and business partners. I was made to feel an equal back then, and the same goes for now. That is monumental for me — I grew up listening to these guys and now I am a member of one of my favorite bands. You can't beat that."

"The Distortion Field" track listing:

01. Sink Or Swim
02. Paranoid Conspiracy
03. Glass Of Lies
04. The Grey Chill Of Autumn
05. When The Sky Comes Down
06. Butterflies
07. Your Reflections
08. Have I Told You
09. The Apple From The Snake
10. Hunters Of Doom
11. Sucker
12. The Broken Have Spoken

TROUBLE 2013 is:

Kyle Thomas: Vocals
Bruce Franklin: Guitar
Rick Wartell: Guitar
Mark Lira: Drums

HELLION singer Ann Boleyn has posted the following update:

“There’s no truth to the rumors that the reason I have not performed recently is because my voice is blown. For the record, I have NEVER had ANY voice problems and certainly don't have them now. I will be recording new material in July with Hellion. Hellion has been invited to co-headline a number of major festivals in the USA and abroad. I will be issuing a statement on YouTube in a day or so.”

As previously reported, Hellion are having a contest for the best fan-made video. To enter, make a video about Hellion, upload it onto YouTube and send a copy to: newrenaissance@yahoo.com.

Examples of fan-made videos include: (1) live concert footage of Hellion that you shot; (2) a video of you performing a Hellion song; (3) a video of you lip-synching a Hellion song; (4) your own video of a Hellion song; (5) a video demonstrating why you should receive a free Hellion t-shirt; or, (6) anything that has to do with Hellion.

Hellion leader Ann Boleyn: “Over the last ten years, many people have kept Hellion’s name alive by producing their own Hellion videos. We would like to honor those people and encourage others to be creative."
Examples of previous fan-made Hellion videos can be viewed below:

Entries may be submitted at any time up to May 25th. Videos may include images that are in the “public domain” but should not knowingly include images that violate copyright laws.

All people who submit quality entries will receive a limited edition 2013 Hellion Party Crew t-shirt that reads Fuck Work, Let’s Rock! Hellion will feature the fan-made videos on its internet pages. The top entries will receive “special thanks” on one of the upcoming Hellion CDs, a special prize packet, and their video may be used in an upcoming Hellion release.

Guitarist Bryan Holland from Detroit, Michigan-based power metal band REVERENCE talks about the band's next release, this year's European and US tours and more:

"We're working on new songs for our follow up release from When Darkness Calls this spring and summer, we already have some working titles, though we are still in progress and may be subject to change but so far we have the titles ‘Man and Machine’, ‘My Evil Ways’, ‘NeedlesEye’, ‘Bury Your Dead’ and hopefully we will be ready to go to the studio around November/December this year."

Reverence's latest CD, When Darkness Calls, came out last May via Razar Ice Records. The cover artwork was created by Jobert Mello of Sledgehammer Graphix.
Reverence also features vocalist Todd Michael Hall (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, HARLET), drummer Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz (SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY), bassist Ned Meloni (Jack Starr's Burning Star, FUNNY MONEY) and guitarist Pete Rossi.

More on Reverence at this location.

Danish metal band DIAMOND DRIVE has signed a record deal with Austrian label Noisehead Records for the release of their new album Temporality, which will be released throughout Europe on June 7th.

Temporality is the band’s first full-length album. Since 2006 they’ve produced and released three EP’s and have spent the past few years working on the debut album.
“It’s been a difficult yet exciting process creating this album," says the band. "This time we’ve focused on what was the essence of Diamond Drive. Though the album has taken a more aggressive direction we’ve made no compromise with our melodic and atmospheric signature.”

The album was produced and mixed by former HATESPHERE singer Jacob Bredahl and mastered by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MNEMIC). The release will be followed by a European tour, where the band will visit Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Austria.

Also Diamond Drive has recently announced the music video for the first single 'Shadow Of A Ghost' which is available below:

Comatose Music has announced June 25th as the release date for NECROTIC DISGORGEMENT’s new album, Documentaries Of Dementia.

After nine years since their debut release, Necrotic Disgorgement welcomes the inevitable apocalypse with this second full length release. Now with the addition of a new vocalist and bassist the band has composed a death metal masterpiece that is certain to be the soundtrack for the extinction that awaits us all. The disc clocks in at over 40 minutes of technical blasting brutality, documenting the most ruthless torture killers. The album was uniquely crafted and designed for maximum torment with heinous rhythms and intricate lead guitar solos by veteran axemen Tony Tipton and Ben Deskins. If you dig bands like SUFFOCATION, DYING FETUS, and/or GORGASM, then Documentaries Of Dementia is the album for you.

Check out the track ‘Grotesque Skeletal Reconstruction below:

Documentaries Of Dementia tracklisting:

‘Intronitiation’
‘Pincushion Pussy’
‘Conceived For Incest’
‘Postmortem Fluid Evacuation’
‘Crack Whore Compost’
‘Anal Trauma’
‘Icepick Ear Sodomy’
‘Grotesque Skeletal Reconstruction’
‘Defecation Delicacy’
‘He Wears The Flesh’

Pre-orders for the album can be taken here.

Alpha Centauri, the debut EP from CORSAIR, is scheduled to be reissued by Shadow Kingdom Records on July 8th.

Quietly arriving onto the scene in 2010, Alpha Centauri is Corsair's first EP and constitutes the foundation of what would be in the coming years a classic progressive rock/heavy metal band. Heavily rooted in the sounds of classic '70's rock and metal, the EP has splashes of just about every 70's band you can imagine, from KISS, LED ZEPPELIN, and DAVID BOWIE to BLACK SABBATH. Corsair didn't really lather up on the THIN LIZZY sound until later, but the debut EP is a unique and quality product in its own right, attributes upon which Shadow Kingdom Records always places the highest value.

Alpha Centauri tracklisting:
‘Skykrakken’
‘Black Ships’
‘Last Night On Earth’
‘Space Is A Lonely Place’
‘Starcophagus’

Stream Alpha Centauri at Bandcamp.

Italian horror rockers/metallers ZOMBIE SAM has signed a deal with Coroner Records for the release of their forthcoming album entitled Self Conscious Insanity scheduled on June 4th.
The album has been mixed and mastered by Ettore Rigotti at The Metal House Studio (DISARMONIA MUNDI, BLOOD STAIN CHILD, SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE, DESTRAGE), produced, recorded and arranged by Alessio Neroargento at AExeron Media Studio. Sophia (former Blood Stain Child) and Alessio Neroargento appear as guest vocals on some tracks.

Self Conscious Insanity tracklisting:
‘A Hallow Tale’
‘Woman In White’
‘Never Betray’
‘Family Portrait’
‘Through The Looking Glass’
‘Retry’
‘The Awake’
‘Brake The Fate’
‘A Beautiful Zombie’
‘Stay Away From Me’
‘Unreal’
‘The End, For Now…’
‘A Hallow Tale’ (orchestral version, exclusive digipak bonus track)

A trailer of ‘A Hallow Tale’ video can be seen below:

One of the most historic concert events of the early '70s, the Dutch Woodstock, also called the Holland Pop Festival, has now been released on a double CD/DVD set by UK's Gonzo MultiMedia.

Featuring rare and exciting performances by PINK FLOYD, SANTANA, T.REX, THE BYRDS, CANNED HEAT, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, SOFT MACHINE, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY, FAMILY, COUNTRY JOE, DR. JOHN & THE NIGHT TRIPPERS, FLOCK and AL STEWART, makes this extraordinary release a must for fans of music everywhere.

The three-day festival was held in August 1970 at the Kralingse Bos (Kralingse Forest) in Rotterdam, and despite the rain, an estimated 100,000 people attended the astounding event.
Tracklisting:

PINK FLOYD - 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun', 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'
SANTANA – 'Gumbo', 'Savor', 'Jingo'
THE BYRDS - 'Old Blue'
CANNED HEAT - 'Human Condition', 'So Sad'
T-REX - 'Pavillions Of Sun'
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - 'Saturday Afternoon', 'White Rabbit', 'Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil' plus interviews with Paul Kanter & Grace Slick
SOFT MACHINE - 'Esther's Nose Job'
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY - 'Wasted Union Blues', 'Open Up Your Hearts'
FAMILY - 'Drowned In Wine'
COUNTRY JOE - 'Freedom Is A Constant'
DR. JOHN & THE NIGHT TRIPPERS - 'Mardi Gras Day'
FLOCK - 'Big Bird'
AL STEWART - 'Zero She Flies'
To buy the double CD/DVD set in the UK, head to this location.

In North America, purchase via the Amazon link below:

Swedish thrash band INVASION have signed a deal with Pure Steel Records. After two demos the band is ready to attack the metal world with their first full-length album. The trio celebrate raging old-school thrash with slight death metal influences without compromises.
It all began early 2006 in Karlstad Sweden when Kalle Sundin (guitar) hooked up with Andreas Tömte (bass/vocals) to play post-apocalyptic thrash metal like no one did properly at this time. With three songs already written by Kalle they hit the studio almost immediately and it was there they found their drummer Martin “Metal” Svensson who at this point was the sound technician at the studio they recorded in, which of course was no coincidence.

With Svensson talked into the band they recorded their first demo in May 2006. After a year of songwriting, rehearsing and a few live performances they entered the studio a second time in the later half of 2007 to record another release, the result was a 4-song demo called Dystopia Arise, which was released officially in April 2008. But it took almost three years until Invasion went into the studio again, but this time for real. In 2011 they recorded what would end up to be their debut album.
Invasion lineup:

Andreas Tömte - Vocals, bass
Kalle "Charles" Sundin (GEHENNAH) - Guitars
Martin "Metal" Svensson (THE GENERALS) - Drums

Hailing from Paris, France, technical death metal band DYSMORPHIC has joined the Unique Leader family. Formed in 2008, Dysmorphic creates music in the vein of NECROPHAGIST and GOROD.
After releasing a pair of EPs: Necroticism, Orphans Of Shoel (2008), and their self-titled release Dysmorphic (2010), in 2012 the quintet was ready to enter the studio to record its first full length, A Notion Of Casualty.

The album displays progressive influences, while still maintaining a powerful atmospheric quality. It will be released later in 2013; an exact street date is still pending.

Further details can be found on Facebook.

France's avantgarde black metal outfit GLORIOR BELLI has inked a worldwide record deal with Agonia Records. The band's fifth full-length album, will be released in the fall.

Consequently climbing the ladder of innovation and artistic development, the French quartet managed to work out a very own sound and view in the often stiff frames found within the black metal genre. Descriptions such as "avant-garde black metal bluesmen" (Pitchfork) or "bluesy doom-sludge" (Metal Sucks) are only the two sides of the same coin that will reveal a new flip this autumn.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have the chance to work with Agonia Records and it's only fair given the efforts and determination of both GLORIOR BELLI and Agonia Records into making genuine music that stands the test of time," commented the band.

GLORIOR BELLI was founded in Paris, in 2002 and has thus far released four full-length albums, the last of which, "The Great Southern Darkness", came out in 2011 on Metal Blade Records.

The band will make its North American tour debut in May. The trek will include an appearance at this year's Maryland Deathfest.

Southern California's BRAIN DEAD will enter the studio with legendary metal producer Bill Metoyer (TROUBLE's "The Skull", SLAYER's "Show No Mercy" and "Hell Awaits", D.R.I.'s "Thrash Zone") to begin recording its debut album for a late summer release.

Said BRAIN DEAD guitarist Adam Axe: "It is such a fucking honor to be working with Bill. When you consider his history in metal and that BRAIN DEAD will be added to a roster that includes SLAYER, TROUBLE, SACRED REICH and tons of others, I still can't believe it."

Formed in 2010, BRAIN DEAD has been annihilating audiences up and down the West Coast with its unique hybrid brand of thrash, classic metal and hardcore punk. Based in Los Angeles, the band consists of Adam Axe (guitar), Rez Peterson (bass), Josh Angel (drums), and Joey Dalo (vocals).

For more information, visit BrainDeadThrash.com.

Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DIO DISCIPLES) joined veteran Ohio metallers DAMIEN — who are celebrating their 30th anniversary — on stage on April 13 at Rocket Bar in Toledo to perform a cover version of the DIO classic "Holy Diver". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Owens is without doubt among the most important metal vocalists of the past 15 years. When he succeeded Rob Halford, joining JUDAS PRIEST in May 1996, the press rubbed their eyes, surprised as well as impressed: Owens had previously been a fairly unknown quantity to international music journalists and only a few new of him from the band WINTERS BANE, but he recorded his first PRIEST album, the Grammy-nominated "Jugulator" (1997) with more aplomb than even insiders had expected. Following successful tours with the British metal legends, the strong studio recording "Demolition" (2001), and the live recordings, "Meltdown - 98 Live" (1998) and "Live In London" (2003), and the movie "Rock Star" that was loosely based on Tim's experience with JUDAS PRIEST, Halford's return put an end to Owens' stint with JUDAS PRIEST. More or less immediately, he was enlisted by Jon Schaffer to team up with ICED EARTH and sang on "The Glorious Burden" in spring 2004. Three years later, Owens followed suit with the ICED EARTH album "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Pt. I)", which succeeded the self-titled highly praised debut by his own band BEYOND FEAR. Spring 2008 saw Owens move on to join one of the world's best guitar players Yngwie Malmsteen, debuting with a sensational vocal performance on "Perpetual Flame".

Southern California juggernauts IMPENDING DOOM have entered The Machine Shop (SUICIDE SILENCE, LAMB OF GOD) in Belleville, New Jersey to start recording their next LP with producer Will Putney.

Comments bass player David Sittig: "The material is our best and heaviest work, without a doubt.

"The chemistry between the five of us this time has been different and very unique.

"Our original guitarist, Manny Contreras, rejoined the band and we all could not be happier with what he has brought to the table.

"This is the IMPENDING DOOM album you have been waiting for!"

IMPENDING DOOM's fourth full-length album, "Baptized In Filth", sold 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 106 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on March 13, 2012, the CD was produced by Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE FAMINE) and was mixed by Machine, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD, SUICIDE SILENCE and DEMON HUNTER, among others.

BLACK SABBATH made a rare television appearance when the band performed a new song on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". The episode aired last night (Wednesday, May 15) on CBS-TV and can now be viewed in its entirety at CBS.com. The band world premiered a song called "End Of The Beginning" from their upcoming album "13". The episode's plot follows the CSI team as they investigate a series of murder that resemble the sins in "Dante's Inferno", with the trail leading the detectives played by Ted Danson and Marc Vann to attend a SABBATH concert.

"I'm not an actor," said SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. "It's like a hurry-up-and-wait. When you see it on TV, it's all done, but when you're filming, there's a lot of stuff going on."

He added about the band's return to the spotlight: "It's been a long time, but the wait has been well worth it, 'cause the album is really good. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

"It's good fun and it's a good way of telling people that we're back together, you know?"

"13" is due out on June 11 and is the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature Ozzy, bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi.

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that the new album is "mindblowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is nearing the end of its 13th season and regularly wins its time period with nearly 12 million viewers per episode.

It is also a global ratings hit, earning the International TV Audience Award for the "most-watched show in the world" for the third consecutive year and its fifth time in seven years.

"If I Had A Tail", a brand new song from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "...Like Clockwork", which is due out June 4 on Matador Records.

"...Like Clockwork" track listing:

01. Keep Your Eyes Peeled
02. I Sat By The Ocean
03. The Vampyre Of Time And Memory
04. If I Had A Tail
05. My God Is The Sun
06. Kalopsia
07. Fairweather Friends
08. Smooth Sailing
09. I Appear Missing
10. …Like Clockwork

Described by QUEENS principal Joshua Homme as "an audio documentary of a manic year," "...Like Clockwork" is the band¹s first full-length collection of all new material since 2007's "Era Vulgaris", as well as its debut release on new label partner Matador. The record can be pre-ordered on CD and vinyl. iTunes pre-orders will immediately receive "My God Is The Sun", which has been generating some early heat.

"…Like Clockwork" features guest appearances from Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl and other luminaries, including the legendary Elton John. The Pulse Of Radio asked QUEENS frontman Josh Homme how he snagged the iconic singer/songwriter to play on the record. "It actually stemmed from an old roommate of mine, who drives really high-end folks around now, and Elton was in the car listening to THEM CROOKED VULTURES, I guess," he said. "And his assistant was saying, 'Oh, you've got to hear QUEENS, the other band of this guy,' you know. And because my old roommate was driving the car, it was like, 'Do you want to talk to him?' And I just got a phone call at my house on a Sunday. You know, he said, 'The only thing missing from your band is an actual queen,' and I said, 'Honey, you have no idea.'"

The track that Elton plays on is called "Fairweather Friends".

Although it was initially reported that Dave Grohl played all the drum tracks on the new CD, Grohl only appears on selected songs. The rest of the drums are handled by Joey Castillo and Jon Theodore.

Other guests on the record include SCISSOR SISTERS singer Jake Shears, ARCTIC MONKEYS frontman Alex Turner and one-time QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE members Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri.

British thrashers EVILE will release their fourth album, "Skull", on May 27 in Europe on Earache Records and in North America via Century Media/Earache Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Five Serpent's Teeth" was once again recorded with producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR) at Parlour Studios in Kettering, England. The artwork for the album was painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, SODOM, HATEBREED).

A brand new track EVILE track, "Head Of The Demon", taken from "Skull", premiere last month on the U.K.'s BBC Radio 1 "Rock Show", hosted by Daniel P. Carter and can now be streamed below. Also available is the official lyric video for "Underworld".

Commented EVILE frontman Matt Drake: "'Underworld' is a title I've wanted to use for a very long time but hadn't found the right song for it; it's named after the venue in London of the same name as it's been one of my favorite places to play for years now. The song itself isn't directly about the venue, but it's definitely dedicated to it. The song is inspired by a short sci-fi story I read about the earth's surface becoming uninhabitable and people being forced to live deep underground. It ties in to one of the overall themes of the album which is about things being hidden, be it thoughts, feelings, motivations or truths. At the same time it's about something else but I don't want to give everything away all at once; it's better if you make up your own mind!"

As previously reported, EVILE celebrated this year's Record Store Day by releasing a split seven-inch picture disc vinyl with Swedish death metal legends ENTOMBED.

The limited-edition release features ENTOMBED's classic 1990 track, "Drowned", along with EVILE's 2012 cover version, available on vinyl for the first time. The seven-inch was available in independent record stores on April 20 in strictly limited quantities.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen will release her new album, "Colours In The Dark", in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group. The CD wil be made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records.

The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below.

Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance.

With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes.

Following up on the success of the multi-platinum and gold-awarded previous records "My Winterstorm" (2007) and "What Lies Beneath" (2010), Tarja finally returns with her long-awaited new rock album.

Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely going to be one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013.

A lyric video for the song "Never Enough" was recently filmed in Zlin, Czech Republic and will make its online debut soon. Tarja says: "I didn't want to make a traditional, boring lyric video for the song, so I am going to appear on the video not just the lyrics of the song…. This video is not what we can call the official first music video from my new album, but just an improved version of a lyric video. The filming took only couple hours with Martin, who worked also on directing my first solo live rock DVD, 'Act I'."

In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her upcoming CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other.

"I am not stressed at all this time, even though I am producing the album on my own again. I have been lucky to gather around a group of musicians who are willing to work with me, so everything is going smoothly."

Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.

"Act I" was released in North America on September 4, 2012 in 2-CD, 2-DVD and Blu-ray format via the Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records, in conjunction with earMUSIC.

Tarja's sophomore solo album, "What Lies Beneath", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 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.

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, died of stomach cancer three years ago on Thursday (May 16) at the age of 67.

His wife and manager, Wendy Dio, who still oversees all projects and releases related to the career and music of her late husband, posted the following message earlier today:

"Today is a difficult day for all of us. It has been three years since Ronnie's passing. Sometimes it feels like only yesterday and sometimes it feels like an eternity ago.

"Please take a moment of silence sometime in the day to remember him on this anniversary of his death. I know you all loved him, and I thank you for keeping his music and his memory alive.

"I take comfort in this old prayer I would like to share with you.

I cannot speak, but I can listen,
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard,
I am in the song you hear,
I am in the breeze you feel...
I am in the stars you see
I am still with you.

"Peace be with all of us."

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

A free public memorial service was held on May 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, attended by more than 1,500 fans, friends and fellow musicians.

In March 2011, it was announced that the surviving members of the final lineup of DIO would embark on a project with former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens under the name DIO DISCIPLES.

Ronnie James Dio, real name Ronald James Padavona, was born in New Hampshire on July 10, 1942.

He moved to Cortland, New York at a young age, where he began playing with local acts. A street in Cortland, Dio Way, was named after him in 1988.

He released his first single, with a band called RONNIE AND THE REDCAPS, in 1959.

His first heavy rock act, ELF, released three albums and opened for DEEP PURPLE, where Dio's voice caught the ear of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore recruited Dio for his own band, RAINBOW, after leaving PURPLE in 1975.

Dio recorded three studio albums and one live set with RAINBOW before exiting in 1978, including "Rising" and "Long Live Rock And Roll".

He replaced Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner in 2006. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

He has also recorded 10 studio albums with his own band, DIO, including a classic 1983 debut, "Holy Diver", and an equally renowned follow-up, 1984's "The Last In Line".

Dio was also behind the HEAR N' AID project, a collection of metal artists who recorded the track "Stars" in 1985 to raise funds for African famine relief.

Rock and metal musicians around the world paid tribute to Dio in the weeks and months following his death. STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor shared his feelings with The Pulse Of Radio about the fallen metal icon. "When I got that news that he had passed away, man, it seriously — it broke my heart. It broke it in two. Because honestly, I just feel like there will never be another Ronnie James Dio. He had such a pure voice — and still singing his ass off. I just know he'll be missed, and I will miss him as well."

Ex-VAN HALEN and current CHICKENFOOT bassist Michael Anthony also shared his memories of Dio with The Pulse Of Radio. "I don't know anybody that didn't grow up listening to his stuff," he said. "You know, VAN HALEN, we used to do from the first RAINBOW album, we did 'Man On The Silver Mountain'. I remember one time, the second VAN HALEN tour we were doing some festivals in Europe, and we actually played on the same show as Ronnie's band. Real powerful voice, you know, and definitely a driving force in hard rock music, that guy was."

Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that he felt the loss of Dio very keenly. "He's just somebody I was influenced by," he said. " I played all the RAINBOW stuff, I played the DIO stuff, the SABBATH stuff when I was in, you know, high school. I don't think that it's really set in what a, you know, huge figure in rock 'n' roll we lost, you know. Really major. Probably one of the most influential heavy metal singers of all time."

Reactivated French death metallers MERCYLESS — who are responsible for releasing one of the most underrated death albums of all time in the shape of 1992's "Abject Offerings" — will issue their long-awaited new CD, "Unholy Black Splendor", on May 17 in France and June 7 in the rest of the world via Trendkill Recordings. The CD was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö (ASPHYX, OPETH, DISSECTION) and contains "nine tracks of pure old-school death metal," according to a press release.

"Unholy Black Splendor" track listing:

01. At The Coming Of Dawn (intro)
02. I Vomit This World
03. Unholy Black Splendor
04. God Is Dreaming
05. Goat Of Mendes
06. Infamy
07. Probably Impure
08. Absent Belief
09. Bless Me Father

A trailer for the CD can be seen below.

"Unholy Black Splendor" can be pre-ordered at this location.

To celebrate MERCYLESS' reformation, a collectors' double CD was made available in 2011 via Legion Of Death Records. Entitled "In Memory Of Agrazabeth", it featured demos and live recordings from the 1988-1993 period.

On May 14, Knoxville, Tennessee hard rockers 10 YEARS took part in an interview and short acoustic performance at the studios of the 95.1 WIIL Rock radio station in Kenosha, Wisconsin. You can now watch video footage of their appearance below.

10 YEARS' sixth studio album, "Minus The Machine", was released on August 7, 2012 via the band's own label, Palehorse Records. The disc follows up the band's last effort for a major label, 2010's "Feeding The Wolves", and bassist Lewis Cosby told The Pulse Of Radio that becoming independent again gave the band a new jolt of energy. "This time around, it felt like we were an unsigned artist again and we were able to do whatever the hell we wanted to do," he said. "Complete freedom, complete control — there's not a track on this record that we're not just super-proud of. It was such a pleasant experience this time, we really had fun."

Singer Jesse Hasek said about the album, "We're proud of this album in its entirety. That speaks volumes to us because we're our own worst critics. We pick everything apart. An album is your child, it's your baby, and you know it better than anyone. To sit back and be 100 percent proud of what we've accomplished is so gratifying, and we think everything else will fall into place."

"Feeding The Wolves" featured the hit singles "Shoot It Out" and "Fix Me". The band's previous hits include "Beautiful" and the chart-topping "Wasteland".

KORN played its first full show in eight years with original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch last night (Wednesday, May 15) at Rostraver Ice Garden in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Welch, who left the group in 2005, first appeared onstage with them for one song at last year's Carolina Rebellion festival.

KORN's setlist for last night's concert was as follows:

01. Blind
02. Ball Tongue
03. Twist
04. Chi
05. Falling Away from Me
06. Narcissistic Cannibal
07. Dead Bodies Everywhere
08. Coming Undone
09. Did My Time
10. Shoots And Ladders / Somebody Someone
11. Here To Stay
12. Kill Mercy Within
13. Helmet In The Bush
14. No Place to Hide
15. Need To
16. Lies
17. Another Brick In The Wall (PINK FLOYD cover)

Encore:

18. 4 U
19. Get Up!
20. Got The Life
21. Freak On A Leash

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

Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer told The Pulse Of Radio that he's thrilled to have Welch join KORN on tour again. "Even more than any KORN fan, I'm probably more excited to see Head play the songs with us again," he said. "I don't know, I think there's gonna be more with him up front again, and it's gonna add to the live show, I think. 'Cause now there's another guy up there and it's not just another guy, it's Brian, you know — he's one of the guys that helped create this band."

KORN singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio he never felt completely comfortable without Welch in the group. "He's like my other half, you know," he said. "I got Munky here and I got, I always had Head there. It's always been missing something. I mean, we'd been doing fine, we've had guitar players come in and everything, but you know, there's that magic, you know what I mean?"

Welch left KORN in 2005 to become a born-again Christian. The band never officially replaced him and stayed a four-piece, although they've used several touring guitarists for live work.

KORN has completed work on its 11th studio CD and first with Welch back in the fold since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror".

Welch told Rolling Stone, "We knew we would have a blast playing together, because we love each other so much, but we really wanted to make sure the music felt right before we committed to making a whole album together. But since we got in the studio, everything just started pouring out, now I can't wait until our fans hear this stuff!"

The band made Welch's return to the studio official with a new video posted online.

The new KORN set is due out in late summer and will follow up 2011's "The Path Of Totality", which found the group experimenting with dubstep.

The new record will feature four-fifths of the original KORN lineup, with only founding drummer David Silveria not on board.

"Black Ninja", the new video from Finnish metallers BATTLE BEAST — who last fall parted ways with lead singer Nitte Vänskä and replaced her with Noora Louhimo — can be seen at RadioRock.fi. The song comes off the band's second, self-titled full-length album, which will be released on May 17 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced and mixed by the band at JKB Studios in Helsinki and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The cover artwork was created by Claudio Bergamin (HALFORD, ARJEN A. LUCASSEN, MAGICA) and can be seen below.

"Battle Beast" track listing:

01. Let It Roar
02. Out Of Control
03. Out On The Streets
04. Neuromancer
05. Raven
06. Into The Heart Of Danger
07. Machine Revolution
08. Golden Age
09. Kingdom
10. Over The Top
11. Fight, Kill, Die
12. Black Ninja
13. Rain Man
14. Shutdown (bonus track)

BATTLE BEAST recently toured Europe as the support act for SONATA ARCTICA.

Regarding Vänskä's departure from the band, BATTLE BEAST previously said: "On August 19th [20120], Nitte sent the rest of the band an e-mail stating that she was leaving the band, effective immediately. As the reason for her leaving, she cited her will to focus on her family life. As this happened without any prior notice, the rest us were slightly disappointed. But what's done is done, and we're thrilled to announce the new BATTLE BEAST vocalist with a voice and character to take the band to heights of glory."

According to a press release, Louhimo "is already experienced in performing some of the most demanding rock songs in existence and is now ready to take her big step into the metal world. With lungs of leather and a voice to order gods with, Noora possesses all the requirements to deliver the kind of power needed for performing BATTLE BEAST's music."

BATTLE BEAST's debut album, "Steel" — which was originally released in Finland in 2011 via Hype Records — was made available internationally on January 27, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Formed in 2008, BATTLE BEAST won the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle contest in Finland last year, enabling the band to perform at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and represent its home country in the international Metal Battle finals. The group beat out 26 other acts from all around the world, which led to a record deal with the world's biggest independent heavy metal label.

German rockers FAIR WARNING will release a new studio album, "Sundancer", in Germany on May 24, in the rest of Europe on May 27 and in the USA/Canada on May 28. The effort will be made available as a CD and digital download through SPV/Steamhammer worldwide except Asia.

The "Sundancer" cover artwork can be seen below. Also available is a brand new band photo.

"Sundancer" track listing:

01. Troubled Love
02. Keep It In The Dark
03. Real Love
04. Hit And Run
05. Man In The Mirror
06. Natural High
07. Jealous Heart
08. Touch My Soul
09. Send Me A Dream
10. Pride
11. Get Real
12. How Does It Feel
13. Living On The Streets
14. Cool
15. Just As She Smiles (digipak bonus track)

The song "Hit And Run" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Four years after their last studio release, "Aura", a live double DVD (2010) and a best-of album (2011), FAIR WARNING is back with "Sundancer". In all, 15 songs were recorded by the group, whose lineup after 23 years still comprises the founding members Tommy Heart (vocals), Helge Engelke (guitar), Ule Ritgen (bass) and CC Behrens (drums). As usual, "Sundancer" was produced by the FAIR WARNING bandmembers themselves.

"Even if our music can still be classed as melodic rock, the new songs nevertheless document a broader stylistic range than our previous releases," explains Ritgen, adding, "We make a point of avoiding any particular stylistic agenda, we're open to influences from all directions. After all, it doesn't matter what inspires an idea, it'll always end up a typical FAIR WARNING song.”

Both the album title and the sleeve artwork for "Sundancer" are a deliberate nod to "Rainmaker", FAIR WARNING's successful album from 1995 which gave the band its international breakthrough. "Now, as then, the new songs and the record's artwork reflect modern life in an increasingly virtual world where we find ourselves wondering how real our own lives actually are,” explains Ritgen.

For the first time in FAIR WARNING's history, several tracks on "Sundancer" were composed by the whole band together. Ritgen says: "This approach was new to us and it was certainly accompanied by one or two doubts, because you never know if something like that is going to work out. But, to our own surprise, we had an incredible amount of fun, resulting in three excellent songs." The other 12 tracks on the album were penned by Ritgen and Engelke.

FAIR WARNING's last studio album, "Aura", came out in 2009. A live CD/DVD, "Talking Ain't Enough - Fair Warning Live In Tokyo", followed in 2010. The band's best-of double album, "Best And More", came out last year.

FAIR WARNING celebrated its 20th anniversary with "Best And More", containing all of the band's classics on a double CD with 32 songs. Previously unreleased tracks and rare live and studio material plus a great booklet made "Best And More" a must-have for all new and old fans.

"We Are One", a brand new song from THE WINERY DOGS, the new project featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), is available for free download using the widget below (e-mail sign-up required). The track comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released in Japan on May 15 via Victor Entertainment. The CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER. Sheehan previously stated about the effort: "I'm really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It's a] really cool, unique record."

Regarding how THE WINERY DOGS got its name, Portnoy said: "It was Richie's name. We had a list of about 50 names. I had about 10 that I preferred over THE WINERY DOGS, but you know, when you're in a band, you have to give and take and choose your battles, and Richie really, really loved this band name. So, you know, it was, like, 'OK.' A name is a name. If you feel that strongly about it, then go for it. So that's who we are."

THE WINERY DOGS will kick off its world tour by playing two shows in Japan this summer: July 16 in Osaka and July 17 in Tokyo. Dates for the rest of the world will be announced soon.

"The Winery Dogs" track listing:

CD:

01. Elevate
02. Desire
03. We Are One
04. I'm No Angel
05. The Other Side
06. You Saved Me
07. Not Hopeless
08. One More Time
09. Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11. Criminal
12. The Dying
13. Regret

DVD (limited edition):

01. Elevate
02. Desire
03. I'm No Angel

At the end of 2011, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio in 2011, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.

During an interview that aired on the July 13, 2012 edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, "I love John personally, and we get along great — he's a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar and move forward and get them done, and John's kind of just a 'wait, wait, wait' guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, 'Look, let's do something.' And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he's an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he's really capable of."

When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, "It's a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early '70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It's in that vein; it's kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you've got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so... And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing."

Irish metallers STORMZONE will release their fourth album, "Three Kings", on July 22 via the U.K. label Metal Nation Ltd.

Formed in 2006, STORMZONE originally signed to U.K. hard rock label Escape Music. 2007 saw this company release the band's debut album, "Caught In The Act", in Europe where its impact gained the band attention in Japan and the CD saw a release there shortly afterwards.

Over the next few years, STORMZONE concentrated on extensive touring and supported bands such as Y&T, TESLA, STRYPER, SAXON, CINDERELLA, L.A. GUNS, WINGER and WHITE LION as well as securing great positions at festivals in Europe, including Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock, Lorca Rock in Spain and Headbangers Open Air. The band developed a heavier sound over the years and recorded its second album, "Death Dealer", which was released by German metal label SPV/Steamhammer. This CD was produced by the legendary Neal Kaye, the man widely regarded as the person who discovered IRON MAIDEN. The live work continued in support of this new album, and while touring with TESLA in the U.K., the band came to the attention of head of Metal Nation Ltd., Jess Cox. Jess was the original singer in NWOBHM band TYGERS OF PAN TANG and he formed a lasting bond with the band, which was to see him eventually become their manager. Jess secured a deal with SPV for the band's third album, "Zero To Rage", and this was released throughout Europe to great reviews in 2011.

And so to album number four for this Irish metal five-piece. Free of all contracts in 2013, the band wrote and recorded "Three Kings" and with regards to which label was going to release it there was no doubt in the minds of STORMZONE as to who that was going to be. Seeing as the band had just signed a management deal with Steve Simms at Blink Music Management, as that company were based in Belfast, this allowed Jess Cox to sign the band to his Metal Nation label to maintain the relationship he had built with them and now he could put all his efforts into promoting STORMZONE and "Three Kings" as head of their record label. Jess and the band met at the Metal Assault festival in Germany earlier in 2013 and agreed that there would be no better label than Metal Nation to have the best interests of STORMZONE at heart. A great relationship had already been formed and the legacy of Jess and the label in the world of the NWOBHM was important to the everyone's decision to sign the five-year, three-album deal he offered them.

"Three Kings" track listing:

01. The Pass Loning
02. Night Of The Storm
03. Stone Heart
04. Three Kings
05. Alive
06. B.Y.H.
07. Beware In Time
08. Wallbreaker
09. I Am The One
10. Never Trust
11. Out Of Eden
12. The Pain Inside
13. Spectre

STORMZONE is:

Steve Moore – Guitar
John "Harv" Harbinson - Lead Vocals
Graham McNulty - Bass
Davy Bates - Drums
David Shields - Guitar

Robert Plant and his SENSATIONAL SHAPE SHIFTERS recently added 16 new stops to their summer itinerary, which now makes 21 gigs spread over five weeks in late June and July. Plant and the band — who have recently been playing a LED ZEPPELIN-heavy setlist, kick things off on June 20 in Dallas, Texas and eventually wind the trek down in Brooklyn, New York on July 27.

On March 23 in Australia, Plant and the SHIFTERS' 14-song opening night setlist featured nine ZEPPELIN classics, with Plant tackling "Heartbreaker", "Friends", "Black Dog", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", "Ramble On", "Bron Y Aur Stomp", "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock And Roll".

An exclusive clip that shows footage from Robert Plant and SENSATIONAL SHAPE SHIFTERS' Australian and South American shows, as well as audio of Plant and company performing the WILLIE DIXON blues classic "Spoonful" can be seen below.

Robert Plant told The Pulse Of Radio that in his solo career, the music he tends to cover traces a different historical path than ZEPPELIN's tried and true blues reinterpretations. "LED ZEPPELIN played quite a lot of tunes which we took from the Chicago genre, and this is me taking tunes from perhaps an area which I probably wasn't able to touch on quite so much, previously," he said. "In '68, '69, we were looking directly back into one particular, physical area of music, whereas this is a kind of a reflection — or I'm seeing the reflection — of so much, so many of my early inspirational sources."