Christian hard rockers STRYPER have set "No More Hell To Pay" as the title of their new studio album, due this fall via Frontiers Records.

Regarding the musical direction of STRYPER's new material, the band's guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet told Screamer Magazine: "The song 'God', which is on 'The Covering'; if you took that song along with 'Bleeding From Inside Out' and 'Blackened' [from 'Second Coming'], and you put it on the same album, that's a pretty good indication of where we are going and where we are at right now. But at the same time this album is all its own."

He added: "Every song has a hooky guitar riff. Everything is in minor keys, so it's a little darker sounding and a little tougher. It's definitely our heaviest record and I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

"The people who do like the poppier side of STRYPER, like 'Calling On You' and 'Holding On', this record isn't going to really give them that. There are a lot of vocal hooks and melodies going on, but it's a little darker, and a little edgier. To reference, there is less songs like 'Calling On You' and more songs like 'To Hell With The Devil'. It's more in that vein than the poppier vein."

As previously reported, STRYPER is recording a cover version of "Jesus Is Just Alright", a gospel song written by Arthur Reid Reynolds, for its next studio CD. Sweet said, "It rivals our cover of EARTH, WIND & FIRE's 'Shining Star' — riffs!"

"Jesus Is Just Alright" was first recorded by Reynolds' own group, THE ART REYNOLDS SINGERS, on their 1966 album, "Tellin' It Like It Is". It was later covered by THE BYRDS and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS.

Michael Sweet previously stated that the new STRYPER CD would contain "the best [songs] of our career [with] no pop or fluff musically or lyrically." He added: "I'm counting the days for its arrival and when it does arrive, it will be like a train speeding down the tracks — fast, heavy, unstoppable and loud! I get excited for every record, but I've never quite been this excited before. This record will be one for the books, and in my humble opinion, our best yet bar none. No pride here, just confidence that it's going to be great — really, really great."

In a 2012 interview with Guitar World, Michael Sweet stated about STRYPER's plans for the next album: "We're going into this new record with the mentality and thinking of making it like a 'To Hell With The Devil 2'. That's not to say it will actually sound like that album, but we really want it to be as great as 'To Hell With The Devil', which was our biggest album. We want people to put on this record and go; 'Whoa! Wow! This is as good as or better than 'To Hell With The Devil'!' We want the new album to be a powerhouse and we're going to do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Frontiers Records in January announced the signing of STRYPER to a multi-album deal. The first CD to be made available the agreement was a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, released in North America on March 26. Entitled "Second Coming" and produced by Michael Sweet, the album contains a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as two new tracks, "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened".

Photo credit: Tina Enos

California blues rockers RIVAL SONS recently took part in an interview and live performance and for Last.fm sessions in London, England.

Following their sold-out show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire in early April, RIVAL SONS joined Last.fm at the Gibson Studios for an exclusive live session, featuring performances of the tracks "Keep On Swinging" and "Jordan" from their new album, "Head Down". Check out the footage below.

"Head Down" arrived in stores in the U.S. on March 19 via the band's new affiliation with Century Media Records.

"Head Down" was released in Europe on September 17, 2012 via Earache Records. The CD was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb (JAMIE JOHNSON, SHOOTER JENNINGS) and Grammy-winning engineer Vance Powell (JACK WHITE, THE WHITE STRIPES, KINGS OF LEON). The artwork was created by Jason Holley (JOSH RITTER, RAY LAMONTAGNE).

In a recent interview with PureGrainAudio.com, guitarist Scott Holiday was asked if RIVAL SONS has ever considered the marketability of its sound at a time when the classic rock sound has disappeared from radio. "Obviously, everyone is conscious that it's a business and we want to be on the radio," he replied. "Essentially, you want to be pop music because 'pop' stands for popular. Popular means a lot of people listen to it, you get to play of shows and have a lot of fun. It becomes a widespread thing, but honestly, we're not tailoring it for that at all. We're conscious of it, but we're not thinking, 'Let's do something really retro.' We're thinking what is sonically most pleasing to our ears (the four of us and our producer, Dave Cobb). We're all big fans of analog recording. I'm a huge vinyl junkie. I like that gritty sound; it sounds like rock and roll. I like that sound. We can't go so gritty and grainy because it just won't translate."

Interview:

SOULFLY has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new division of Nuclear Blast formed by Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner. The band will enter the studio this month to begin recording its as-yet-untitled ninth album. The record will be produced by the world-renowned Terry Date, who is known for his work with such bands PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among many others.

Date previously mixed SOULFLY's "3" (2002), "Prophecy" (2004) and "Dark Ages" (2005) albums, but has never produced any of the group's CDs.

"I'm really excited to be signing SOULFLY to Nuclear Blast Records," commented SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera. "On top of it, we're going to be reunited with Monte Conner, who I've worked with for over 20 years at Roadrunner.

"SOULFLY's new album is going to be recorded in Seattle with the great producer Terry Date, and it's going to come out later in the year through Nuclear Blast worldwide. Keep it metal!"

"It feels so right to be reunited with Max Cavalera," added Monte Conner. "He is the second artist I signed and we've made 17 albums together over the years, including several metal classics.

"Max's voice remains just as unique and powerful as the day I met him and I felt the last SOULFLY album, 'Enslaved', was his strongest work since the band's gold-selling debut. I am honored to call him a friend and to continue to be a part of his mission."

The drum tracks on the new SOULFLY CD will be laid down by Max's 21-year-old son, Zyon Cavalera, who joined the band as its touring drummer for its recent rampage through North America.

Zyon previously played with SOULFLY during the band's tour of Brazil in February 2012.

It is Zyon's unborn heartbeat that can be heard during the intro of SEPULTURA's classic song "Refuse/Resist", which appeared on the band's RIAA-gold-certified "Chaos A.D." album, released three years before Max's departure from the group.

Drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), who played on SOULFLY's latest album, "Enslaved", left the band last October in order to focus on his personal life.

One of rock and roll's all-time powerhouse bands will be taking part in a special Walk Of Fame ceremony outside the Mohegan Sun Box Office on Saturday, May 18 at 4:30 p.m. MÖTLEY CRÜE will have a star placed alongside some of Mohegan Sun Arena's most beloved talents, some of which include BON JOVI, KISS, Rod Stewart, Toby Keith and Taylor Swift. Their upcoming show marks MÖTLEY CRÜE's third performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and they will also become the 25th entertainer inducted into the Walk Of Fame.

The Mohegan Sun Walk Of Fame honor seeks to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun as the Northeast's premier entertainment destination. All of the individuals inducted into the Mohegan Sun Walk Of Fame will have their name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently placed at the entrance to Mohegan Sun Arena.

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, MÖTLEY CRÜE — Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitars), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums) — has commandeered the rock pantheon for over 30 years. In that time, they have accumulated worldwide album sales exceeding 80 million, seven platinum or multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles, a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, three Grammy nominations for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and countless sold-out tours across the globe, playing to millions of fans. The first rock band in history to have completed an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, MÖTLEY CRÜE is best known for continuing to reinvent not only their live show (with mind-blowing elements such as Tommy Lee's 360 drum roller coaster) and music (brand new song "Sex", released in summer 2012), but remain on the forefront of entertainment via cutting edge social media interaction. The band was featured in the award winning Super Bowl commercial for the KIA Optima. MÖTLEY CRÜE's New York Times bestselling memoir, "The Dirt", is currently being adapted into a major motion picture.

Experimental, dark ambient/noise trio LOCRIAN will release its new album, "Return To Annihilation", on June 25 via Relapse Records. The CD was recorded by Greg Norman (PELICAN, RUSSIAN, CIRCLES, SERENA MANEESH) at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago and was mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service.

A two-part concept album inspired by LOCRIAN's love for prog-rock progenitors GENESIS, YES and KING CRIMSON, "Return To Annihilation" is sure to be the group's most ambitious recordings to date.

LOCRIAN lyricist/multi-instrumentalist Terrence Hannum comments on the album's concept: "I think for the album concept we were inspired by GENESIS' 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' and how it is a surreal narrative telling a story. We sought to make our own but we wanted to give our nod to the prog bands that inspired us; KING CRIMSON or YES with the multi-part songs. So we had looked at the novel 'Dhalgren' by sci-fi writer Samuel Delaney as a big influence too. How it is a circular narrative, ours is more of a mirror of itself, one that changes and shifts. It also borrows extensively from Walter Benjamin's 'Arcades Project'.

"Our story is about a cataclysm that changes the world and all manner of perception in two parts. I would say the real and the perceived. And it is all told to you through a narrator, one who you cannot tell if he is asleep or dreaming or sleepwalking through this shifting landscape. Part 1 begins at the end of a song whose lyrics discuss a dawn in which all of our monuments dissolved, the next track the wrath of heaven (a massive cataclysm) visits earth, then two moons appear in the sky (perhaps the most direct reference to Delaney's novel but also an homage to Nick Drake). It ends with the first multi-part track 'Return to Annihilation', a more metaphysical description of the changes apparent in the world. One in which minerals work against man, there is only evolution. We also gain insight into that what we've been told may be unreliable as the narrator admits to 'noctambulism' (sleepwalking). But it is intentionally unclear if this is his state or the state of everyone. Part 2 is a view back through this mirror or lens of Part 1. We exit the hall or vapor and light and enter a panorama of mirror, the entire world as reflection. It ends with a four-part piece about worshiping equilibrium in a world where it has been extinct (isostasy), discussing the qualities of the air that is now poisoned, witnessing the burial of urns (hydriotaphia) and finally awaking to awareness.

"One of the things we wanted to accomplish was a sense of texture with mirrors, prisms, lenses, etc. being referenced in the sounds and tone. I think it does."

Formed in late 2005, LOCRIAN consists of André Foisy (electric and acoustic guitars, arp avatar, electronics), Terence Hannum (vocals, synthesizers, piano, organ, mellotron and tapes) and Steven Hess (drums, electronics). The group, located in Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland, has released over 20 recordings on an eclectic array of labels in their relatively short but prolific career, including a recent split with labelmates HORSEBACK.

"Return To Annihilation" track listing:

A:

Part I

01. Eternal Return
02. A Visitation From The Wrath Of Heaven
03. Two Moons
04. Return To Annihilation
a. Into One Light
b. Anathemata
c. All Mineral in Upheaval

B:

Part II

05. Exiting The Hall Of Vapor And Light
06. Panorama Of Mirror
07. Obsolete Elegies
a. Isostasy
b. Digression of Air
c. Hydriotaphia
d. In Felsic Splendor

Classic rockers GREAT WHITE — Mark Kendall (lead guitar), Scott Snyder (bass), Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Terry Ilous — took a different approach for their new video, for the "Elation" album track "Shotgun Willie's": they let their audience helm the clip.

Filmed over the course of this past March's Monsters Of Rock cruise, where the band headlined the floating rock festival, the "Shotgun Willie's" video encapsulates the vessel’s high energy and the five-piece band's bond. Check it out below.

"Elation" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. Issued on May 22, 2012 via Frontiers Records, the 12-song CD marks GREAT WHITE's first effort with Ilous following the band's split with founding singer Jack Russell.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with GREAT WHITE FEATURING JACK RUSSELL (formerly JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE), which features Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Matthew Johnson (DOCTOR M, JACK RUSSELL) on guitar, Dario Seixas (FIREHOUSE, STEPHEN PEARCY) on bass and Derrick Pontier (GREAT WHITE, SAMANTHA 7) on drums.

GREAT WHITE released a live album, "30 Years - Live From The Sunset Strip", on February 22 in Europe and February 26 in North America via Frontiers Records.

To mark its 30th anniversary live on March 22, 2012, GREAT WHITE celebrated the only logical way — on stage. In a nod to its early days, GREAT WHITE returned to the infamous Sunset Strip, where a storied past of music's biggest fans are fused into the walls of the Key Club. GREAT WHITE delivered its entire repertoire to a packed house, pining for the band's raw energy and cheering its illustrious history track after track.

Bassist/vocalist Ross Dolan of veteran New York death metallers IMMOLATION has paid tribute to SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away on Thursday (May 2) from liver failure at the age of 49.

While introducing the new song "All That Awaits Us" during IMMOLATION's May 4 performance at the Neurotic Deathfest at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands (see video below), Dolan said: "I'd like to make a quick mention of the passing of a fucking true metal legend, man — Jeff Hanneman at 49, man. What a fucking sad loss for this scene. Probably, I think every one of you in here is a fucking die-hard SLAYER fanatic, like all of us. SLAYER is a band we grew up listening to. I remember seeing them in 1985 on the 'Hell Awaits' tour and throughout the years, man, and every time I'd seen those motherfuckers, they fucking laid waste and tore the fucking house down, man. So I'd like to mention now the passing of a true legend — Jeff Hanneman, man. You guys remember that fucker, always."

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

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

It is not clear whether the cause of his death was linked to his struggle with the flesh-eating infection.

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."

Drummer Eloy Casagrande of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA was injured on May 1 while he was performing with the band in Bourg-en-Bresse, France and was forced to sit out SEPULTURA's next four shows in order to recover from his injury. His roadie Dedé sat behind the drum kit for SEPULTURA during this period.

Fan-filmed video footage of SEPULTURA's May 4 performance at the Viña Rock 2013 festival at Auditorio Municipal in Villarrobledo, Spain can be seen below.

Casagrande is expected to rejoin SEPULTURA on stage on May 7 in Poitiers, France.

SEPULTURA played its first show with Casagrande on November 25, 2011 in Lichtenfels, Germany.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time.

Eloy is a 22-year-old drum prodigy from São Paulo, Brazil who won the Modern Drummer "Undiscovered Drummer" contest as a teenager in 2006.

Asked what Casagrande has added to the band, SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green told Metal Hammer, "Definitely the fact that he's young and that energy helps a lot. He's a very disciplined drummer — he's been playing since he was seven. And he's been doing a lot of things by himself and playing with different people, and that's really, really impressive. He had a lot of things put together before we even met him; he's already done so much. And I think with us, a combination us together, it's a great learning process for him to grow and at the same time, we're learning a lot from him, so we can do this together. And this is something extremely important when you're doing a band that's been together for so long, to have this connection. And we felt this connection with him immediately. And we could tell that he was very focused and very committed to doing extremely good music."

Dolabella left SEPULTURA after a five-year run of relentless touring and two studio albums. He joined SEPULTURA in 2006 following the departure of the band's original drummer, Igor Cavalera.

SEPULTURA has spent most of the past two years on tour in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.

Spanish death metal veterans AVULSED recently entered Madrid's La Casa del Ruido Studios by Dani Blanco to begin recording their long-awaited sixth full-length album, "Ritual Zombi". A conceptual effort dealing with zombies, the CD will contain nine new songs, including three instrumentals, plus a cover version of the DEATH classic "Zombie Ritual". The first AVULSED album to feature new drummer Osckar Bravo will be mixed in Barcelona at Moontower Studios by Javi Félez. Mastering duties will be handled by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound studios in Örebro, Sweden. The cover artwork, which can be seen below, was created by Juanjo Castellano, who worked on the latest PUTREVORE album and is said to be "the perfect choice to conceive the most putrid transcription of AVULSED's sound."

"Ritual Zombi" is scheduled for release on August 31 via Xtreem Music in Europe and Sevared in the U.S.

AVULSED parted ways with drummer Ricardo "Riky" Mena in March 2012 "due to differences on how to deal with different internal issues within the band."

AVULSED in 2011 scrapped plans to release a 20th-anniversary CD, "Fleshcube", due to "several problems regarding the recording sessions that delayed the whole project, to the point that it was going to be impossible to release it [in 2011]."

"Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace", the new video from Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's seventh studio album, "Bú-Tik", which will be released on June 3 via Spinefarm Records (June 18 in North America)

Recorded at Sweden's Sweetspot Studio by producer Rickard Bengtson, who also worked on 2011's "Takasago Army", "Bú-Tik" sees the band returning to the scene with their signature brand of symphonic "orient metal," as they choose to define it. As usual, the musicians continue on their mission to build awareness of the myths of Taiwan and thetragic events in their country's history.

"Bú-Tik" — based around the story of the 228 Massacre, the Bú-Tik Palace and the Mirror Of Retribution — highlights "righteous violence and justifiable defence"; once more, it takes the listener deep into the folklore and history of exotic Taiwan.

Says CHTHONIC bassist and band spokesperson Doris Yeh: "We are very proud to present 'Bú-Tik' to the world. It talks about self-defense, righteous violence and the armed spirits! With this album, we have pushed ourselves to achieve new heights — heights we've never imagined before! We are leading metal fans to the next episode of CHTHONIC!"

"Bú-Tik" track listing:

01. Arising Armament (intro)
02. Supreme Pain For The Tyrant
03. Sail Into The Sunset's Fire
04. Next Republic
05. Rage Of My Sword
06. Between Silence And Death
07. Resurrection Pyre
08. Set Fire To The Island
09. Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace
10. Undying Rearmament (outro)

The song "Next Republic" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

The first single, "Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace", will be made available digitally shortly, with a very special video to follow.

"For this clip, the first in a series of four, we decided to put ourselves through one month of martial arts training, to prepare ourselves properly," explains Doris. "Finally, a couple of days ago, we filmed the video over a 24-hour period, and we are all now covered in bruises and completely exhausted… it's not easy to go at it for such an extended period!"

On the live front, CHTHONIC is confirmed to play on the Pepsi Max Stage on Saturday, June 15 at the Download festival at its historical stamping ground of Donington Park.

CHTHONIC last appeared at Download in 2011, but for this follow-up show, they are returning in greater numbers, the plan being to utilize the skills of the oriental orchestra.

Says Doris: "This is the first time we’ll have played with the orchestra outside of Taiwan. We're really hoping to present a show that people will be talking about for some time to come."

Swedish thrashers DARKANE will release their sixth album, "The Sinister Supremacy", on the following dates:

* June 28 in Europe through Massacre Records
* July 2 in North America through Prosthetic Records
* June 19 in Japan through Trooper Entertainment

The first photo of the current lineup of DARKANE — featuring returning vocalist Lawrence Mackrory — can be seen below.

Vocalist Jens Broman left DARKANE in August 2011 due to "personal issues." He explained in a statement, "At the moment my life is in a phase where I'm unable to find inspiration for new adventures with DARKANE and therefore it's best for me to pass on the mic."

Mackrory sang on DARKANE's debut album, "Rusted Angel" (1999), and made a guest appearance on the song "Chaos vs. Order" on the band's 2002 effort "Expanding Senses".

"Demonic Art", the fifth album from DARKANE, debuted at No. 104 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.

"Demonic Art" was released in North America in February 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The North America version of the CD, which came out in Europe on October 24, 2008 via Massacre Records, contains a bonus track and a bonus DVD.

For Flavio Mezzodi, a childhood dream has come true. The musician from Solothurn, where Swiss hard rock legends KROKUS are from, has been officially named the band's new drummer.

"At age 10 I wanted nothing more than to play in a rock band and play all over the world," he states. "And now that dream has become reality".

KROKUS bassist and producer Chris Von Rohr says: "The precision and groove of Flavio's drum work is exactly what our band needed. We are extremely happy that we found him."

Adds KROKUS singer Marc "The Voice" Storace: "Flavio is a great human being and musically fits perfectly into our lineup. With him on drums, we will rock with even more power.

"Now we are complete again."

Flavio learned his drum skills at the Dante Agostini Drum School in Paris. He also teaches at numerous drumming schools. He played professionally with Swiss acts STEFANIE HEINZMANN and the band FOX.

Mezzodi grew up listening to KROKUS. One of the first records he ever heard was the band's 1980 "Metal Rendez-Vous" release.

Over the almost four decades, KROKUS' drummer slot has been often vacant. Freddy Steady left the band multiple times. The other Swiss drummer, Dani Crivelli, tragically died about three weeks ago.

KROKUS' 17th studio album, "Dirty Dynamite", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 17. This marked the first time in KROKUS' history that the band has landed in the Top 20 of the German chart.

Two years after their current release "Juggernaut Of Justice", Canadian metal legends ANVIL are back with their latest studio album. "Hope In Hell", an impressive metal recording featuring 13 haunting songs, is for release on May 27 in Europe and May 24 in Germany on SPV/Steamhammer and will be available in four different formats: as a limited-edition digipak including two bonus tracks, as a jewel case CD, double gatefold colored vinyl LP and as a digital download. These are the first cuts featuring ANVIL's new bassist Sal Italiano, who joined the band a year ago.

The song "Badass Rock N Roll" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

The "Hope In Hell" title track can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"We're really happy with Sal. His style is powerful and amazingly imaginative," says ANVIL guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow, who composed the entire album along with drummer Robb Reiner. "It's a little as if we'd enlisted Steve Harris."

"Hope In Hell" was written and recorded following an 18-month world tour which took ANVIL around the globe. "We hadn't expected this kind of extensive tour when we brought out 'Juggernaut Of Justice'," Kudlow confesses. "Time just flew by. I could hardly believe it when I found myself in the studio again after the tour, ready to work on the next album. The reactions to 'Juggernaut Of Justice' and the shows had been so positive that we had plenty of ideas and inspiration for new material."

Kudlow is referring to typical ANVIL tracks such as "Hope In Hell", which the ANVIL guitarist considers a logical continuation of legendary numbers like "Forged In Fire", "Metal On Metal" and "Plenty Of Power". He also mentions "Eat Your Words", according to Kudlow a "hybrid between 'Jackhammer' and '666', in other words pure ANVIL, like in our early days." Pretty much the same applies to haunting new tracks like "The Fight Is Never Won" and "Call Of Duty", which present ANVIL true to form. But there are also a number of real surprises on "Hope In Hell": "A song like 'Badass Rock'n'Roll' with its rock'n'roll groove surprised even me," Kudlow admits. "It shows our great respect for bands like AC/DC and MOTÖRHEAD. I'm sure that all ANVIL fans will love this song because it's the best we've done in this direction." "Mankind Machine" sees Kudlow & Co. break new ground: never before has this band sounded so mechanical (like the title suggests). And never before has it sounded as oriented to the classic rock feel of the seventies as in "Time Shows No Mercy".

So ANVIL are proud to present the kind of album that ANVIL fans will love: no concessions to short-lived trends, no modern frills but traditional metal with lots of classic rock music elements.

"What we do is totally timeless," says ANVIL's frontman. "We've never tried to change our sound or experiment with trends and fashions. We live in our own world and have maintained our individuality and own identity."

Like "Juggernaut Of Justice", "Hope In Hell" was produced by Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, AIRBOURNE, ALICE COOPER) at the NRG Recording studios in North Hollywood, California and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA).

"The album's flair reminds me of the beginnings of classic heavy metal in the most positive sense of the term," says Kudlow. "I grew up in the Seventies, and I still like what I listened to back then.

"You can always rely on ANVIL. We don't write our music for the radio and we don't want to break any records. Some media criticize our uncompromising attitude, but we're proud of never having betrayed our ideals and having remained faithful to our roots.

"We're really proud and already love the new album just as much as our early releases from the beginning of the Eighties, because 'Hope In Hell' sounds like ANVIL live on stage: natural, honest, unvarnished, never over-produced and straight from the heart."

"Hope In Hell" track listing:

01. Hope In Hell
02. Eat Your Words
03. Through With You
04. The Fight Is Never Won
05. Pay The Toll
06. Flying
07. Call Of Duty
08. Badass Rock N Roll
09. Time Shows No Mercy
10. Mankind Machine
11. Shut The Fuck Up
12. Hard Wired (bonus track)
13. Fire At Will (bonus track)

"Badass Rock N Roll" audio stream:

Norwegian/Spanish symphonic gothic metallers SIRENIA will release their sixth studio album, "Perils Of The Deep Blue", on June 28 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Comments SIRENIA vocalist and guitarist Morten Veland: "The entire band and all the people we are working with are absolutely ecstatic about it! This album takes SIRENIA to the next level and brings many new sides of us to the table. There's typical tried-and-tested SIRENIA stuff but also approaches that you've never heard from us before. I think I've never felt so good about an album throughout my entire career. I mean, I love them all, but this one is something special. It's the result of two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears. I've literally put my heart and soul into this record, so I am very curious to see what our fans as well as the press will think about it!"

"Perils Of The Deep Blue" was produced by the SIRENIA mastermind himself, while the mixing and mastering was handled by Endre Kirkesola at Dub Studios in Oslo.

"The writing process has been going on for about two years," states Veland. "I always have ideas for new stuff, so I started writing even before we had released our previous album, 'The Enigma Of Life'. Most of it has been recorded in my own studio. I love to work there as I always feel inspired — plus we can take our time with whatever we do, for there is no time pressure. Just like for all of our previous albums, we also dropped by Sound Suite Studios in France — a great place that feels like home, too. This time we recorded the Marseille choir there that one can always hear on our records, as well as some of my acoustic guitar parts."

The album artwork was originally painted by Anne Stokes — though it wasn't intentionally created to be used as such, as Morten explains: "came across the artwork on the Internet and immediately fell in love with it for obvious reasons — it's no secret that I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology and sirens. So we got in touch with Anne and luckily she granted us the permits to use it for the record. I actually drew the inspiration for the album title, 'Perils Of The Deep Blue', from the artwork. In my opinion, it's the perfect SIRENIA cover — there was no way we could have let that opportunity slip away!"

"Perils Of The Deep Blue" track listing:

01. Ducere Me In Lucem
02. Seven Widows Weep
03. My Destiny Coming To Pass
04. Ditt Endelikt
05. Cold Caress
06. Darkling
07. Decadence
08. Stille Kom Døden
09. The Funeral March
10. Profound Scars
11. A Blizzard Is Storming

Limited-edition-digipak bonus tracks:

12. Chains
13. Blue Colleen

SIRENIA's last album, "The Enigma Of Life", was released on January 21, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

In 2008, SIRENIA recruited singer Ailyn (born: Pilar Giménez García) as the replacement for Monika Pedersen, who left the group a year earlier after only one album due to "musical differences."

Ailyn was best known as a former contestant on the Spanish version of "The X Factor", the biggest television talent competition in Europe.

MetalBlast.net recently caught up with GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen and Dirk Schlächter in Mons, Belgium at the PPM Fest 2013. Check out the interview below. A transcript is available here.
Gamma Ray recently unveiled a teaser for their new EP, Master Of Confusion, released on March 15th via earMUSIC. Check it out below along with a lyric video for the title track:
The two new tracks on the EP, ‘Master Of Confusion’ and ‘Empire Of The Undead’, are the first two new studio songs by Gamma Ray to be released after the successful studio album To The Metal!, which brought the band to the highest positions in the charts worldwide.
“We have been away for quite some time,” declared guitarist and founding member Kai Hansen. “We have released what we consider a very beautiful live product, Live – Skeletons and Majesties, but we felt it was time to release some new music by the Rayz… Yes, we planned to have an album ready by now but deadlines are not our best friends. No, seriously, although we have already started working on the new album (Empire Of The Undead; expected in late 2013/early 2014), we did not want to wait any longer and thought we should let the fans listen to these two new songs before the world tour with HELLOWEEN. We have also recorded cover versions of two songs we have always loved and… before anybody could say that a CD can feature more minutes of music… we are also releasing the live material recorded for the Skeletons Blu-ray that could not be included on the live CD. OK, it’s not a new album. But it’s 60 minutes of music… call it the longest single in metal, if you like!”
With its 60 minutes of pure and raw Gamma Ray, Master Of Confusion is a great way to wait for the new album, scheduled for the end of 2013. Gamma Ray always takes its music and the relationship with their fans very seriously, and the band wanted this release to be priced as a mid price mini-album.

In addition to the brand new studio song, 'Master Of Confusion' features a second new studio track: ‘Empire Of The Undead’, showing the heavier side of the band, with an explosion of energy and pure Gamma Ray sound at its best. The release is not free from tasty rarities: a brand new studio cover versions of British glam rock band SWEET (‘Lost Angels’ - “the reason I have joined a band many years ago”, stated Hansen) and a hidden treasure of NWOBHM (‘Death Or Glory’ by HOLOCAUST).

Master Of Confusion is rounded off with six live versions (‘The Spirit,’ ‘Wings Of Destiny,’ ‘Farewell,’ ‘Gamma Ray,’ ‘Time To Break Free’ and ‘Insurrection’ recorded in Bochum) that were already included on the Blu-ray Live – Skeletons and Majesties but were not featured on the CD release (which included the show recorded in Pratteln).

Tracklist:

A Side
'Empire Of The Undead' (new studio track)
'Master Of Confusion' (new studio track)

B Side
'Death Or Glory' (Holocaust studio cover version)
'Lost Angels' (Sweet studio cover version)

C Side*
'The Spirit'
'Wings Of Destiny'
'Gamma Ray '
'Farewell'
'Time To Break Free'
'Insurrection'
*Recorded live in Bochum.

Master Of Confusion will be released as a digital bundle only in the US on March 19th.

According to an update via Gamma Ray's official Facebook page, Kai Hansen has confirmed claims made last month by Greece-based Rock Overdose that the band's new album will be called Empire Of The Undead. The full length album is due to be released in January 2014.

For more details visit Gammaray.org.

Professionally filmed video footage of DANZIG's performance at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California can be seen below. Glenn Danzig took the stage at this year's show with fellow MISFITS legend Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein for a very special live MISFITS set.

This year marks DANZIG's 25th anniversary and the band is playing a series of live dates in the U.S. and in Europe. All dates feature DANZIG, plus Glenn Danzig and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein performing the music of the MISFITS.

DANZIG is putting the finishing touches on the as-yet-untitled covers record for a late 2013 release.

On Friday, August 2, LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA will release its new album titled "LMO".

During the past month, the three RAGE musicians — Victor Smolski (guitar), Peavy Wagner (vocals and bass) and André Hilgers (drums) — worked at full stretch to finish their opulent orchestral project that can be considered a continuation of 1996's "Lingua Mortis" album, back then a true piece of pioneering work.

The entire album was composed by Victor Smolski, who cooperated with two orchestras from Spain and Russia, enlarging the number of this mammoth project's participants to more than 100. Together with longtime co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, HAMMERFALL), Victor Smolski produced and mixed the record in Twilight Hall Studio in Krefeld, Germany. The final mastering will be done within the next days.

"LMO" follows an exciting concept on the burning of witches in Gelnhausen in 1599, written by vocalist Peavy Wagner and based on a true story. Apart from the three RAGE musicians, two female vocalists belong to LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA's regular cast: Jeannette Marchewka and soprano singer Dana Harnge. Guest vocals were contributed by Henning Basse (ex-METALLIUM), among others.

"LMO" track listing:

01. Cleansed By Fire
a) Convert The Pagans Pt. 1
b) The Inquisition (instrumental)
c) Convert The Pagans Pt. 2
02. Scapegoat
03. The Devil's Bride
04. Lament
05. Oremus (instrumental)
06. Witches' Judge
07. Eye For An Eye
08. Afterglow

The cover artwork was created by Felipe Machado Franco who's also been responsible for the latest RAGE artwork, "21". The band photos were shot by Pia Kintrup.

This past Saturday, May 4, a rough mix of "LMO" was presented to a group of international journalists. Journalist Martin Stark of Germany's Rock It magazine describes the record as an "opulent metal opera, more orchestral than anything else, partly heavier than RAGE and melodic beyond my wildest dreams from end to end." Guitar editor Nico Ernst states: "Never before has the combination of band and orchestra worked that well." Metal.de writer Florian Schörg takes the thought further and judges: "The perfect symbiosis of two worlds sparkles with both fantastic melodies and heaviness. The gigantic spectrum of emotions can be considered the cream topping on this extraordinarily delicious sound cocktail."

A ten-minute studio trailer can be seen below.

KING'S X frontman Doug "Dug" Pinnick will release his new solo album, "Naked", on May 7 via RockArmy Records. Check out the Ken Winkler-directed video for the song "That Great Big Thing" below.

According to a press release, "'Naked' is deeply personal and overflowing with [Pinnick's] unmistakable tone, groove, and heart-wrenching vocals. PEARL JAM's Jeff Ament said that 'heavy music didn't start in Seattle, it started in Katy, Texas with KING'S X' and 'Naked' is proof that Pinnick remains at the top of his game."

Pinnick in December released a special holiday-themed digital-only single via RockArmy Records and his own dUgtone imprint featuring the songs "Holiday" and "Ho Ho Ho". This single came right on the heels of the release of the first single from "Naked", featuring the songs "What You Gonna Do?" and "Courage".

"Naked" will be Pinnick's sixth solo album, including two released under the moniker POUNDHOUND. Pinnick wrote, performed, produced, and mixed the CD and the new single on his own in his home studio in Los Angeles.

RockArmy Records is owned by Paul Soroski, the bassist for PODUNK, who have done numerous national tours alongside KING'S X, TESLA, and others. Soroski's studio credits include 2010's "Dead New World" by ILL NINO and 2009's "Reflections" by RAZR13, which features Pinnick on lead vocals.

Pinnick is best known as the vocalist/bassist for KING'S X, the influential hard rock act that also features guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill. KING'S X celebrated 32 years of activity as a band in 2012 with a run of U.S. dates alongside KANSAS. The band's most recent studio album, "XV", was released in 2008 and was their highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy". In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock."

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren have launched a new project called FIGHT OR FLIGHT, with the band's debut album, "A Life By Design?", due out on July 23. The first single, "First Of The Last", will arrive at radio on May 21. In addition to Donegan and Wengren, the group features EVANS BLUE singer Dan Chandler, Sean Corcoran of RA on bass and Jeremy Jayson on guitar.

The official lyric video for "First Of The Last" can now be seen below.

Donegan began writing songs on his own last year and approached Chandler about a possible collaboration. The two began emailing music to each other and getting together to write whenever Chandler was in Chicago, where Donegan lives, until they had enough material to record a full album.

In a posting on the DISTURBED Facebook page, Donegan writes: "[I] just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to check out mine and Mike's new side-project FIGHT OR FLIGHT! No, this does NOT mean the end of DISTURBED, as David [Draiman, DISTURBED singer] has also made that clear.

"We love you the fans that have given us this life and the outlet to express ourselves for many years now. This has just become another extension of us.

"I get it, I understand why some of you may be mad that we are all doing other things right now, but let me assure you that all of us are looking forward to the day we return as DISTURBED to show you how much you mean to us. But in the meantime, we are all focused and giving 110% to our individual projects.

"Whether you love it or hate it, we all pour our blood, sweat and tears into making music for us and the satisfaction we get from it. We hope you find a connection with it as well …

"Music has always been therapeutic for everyone. That’s why we do it. It makes me feel good and any worries go away. It brings me peace in my life and I cannot live without it.

"I look forward to hopefully seeing some familiar faces once we hit the road with FIGHT OR FLIGHT and then again with DISTURBED someday!"

Donegan told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he liked the idea of playing with other musicians. "This whole career with DISTURBED, I've always been jamming with the same people, which has been amazing. But I want to feel that I can actually, you know, just continue to expand and explore, you know, different paths as we progress, hopefully, in the future, maybe if there is another album from us."

Donegan said in a statement about the FIGHT OR FLIGHT album, "This is more hard rock. It's got edgy moments, but there's more melody across the board. We had the chance to experiment as well. There are acoustic guitars and some electronics even. It's different all around."

Dan Chandler has been the vocalist for EVANS BLUE since 2009, when he replaced original singer Kevin Matisyn. The band's most recent offering was 2012's "Graveyard Of Empires".

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman released the self-titled debut album from his new project, DEVICE, earlier this month. The record entered the Billboard album chart No. 11. The act, which also features members of DOPE and EVANESCENCE, is on tour now.

ANTHRAX's May 10 concert at Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile will be professionally filmed for a live DVD. The show will consist of a special extended set featuring tracks from the band's whole catalog. Also scheduled to appear is TESTAMENT.

Fans are advised to get to the venue early as doors are at 7 p.m., with the concert starting at 8:30 p.m. sharp.

SHADOWS FALL guitarist Jon Donais, who has been touring with ANTHRAX since Rob Caggiano's departure in January, will handle the lead-guitar parts at the Santiago show.

ANTHRAX has just completed the "Metal Alliance Tour", which also featured EXODUS, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE and HOLY GRAIL.

"Anthems", ANTHRAX's long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s, sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 52 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast).

ANTHRAX's latest full-length album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at No. 12. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

The official lyric video for the song "Prancer" from the New Jersey-based "mathcore" act THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN can be seen below. The track comes off the band's fifth full-length album, "One Of Us Is The Killer", which will be released on May 14 through the band's own Party Smasher Inc., in partnership with Sumerian Records in North America. Party Smasher's partnership with BMG covers the rest of the world, including licensing deals with Grind House for Japan and Remote Control in Australia.

"One Of Us Is The Killer" was recorded in Southern California with longtime producer Steve Evetts (GLASSJAW, THE CURE, SUICIDE SILENCE), with additional production at guitarist/co-founder Ben Weinman's studio. Mastering will be handled by Tom Baker (DEFTONES, NINE INCH NAILS, BEASTIE BOYS).

The album represents a new holistic pinnacle of the band's constantly evolving and engaging dynamics.

Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep, singer Greg Puciato stated about the recording process for the band's forthcoming CD: "DILLINGER is a different beast in tracking than most normal bands. Even Steve has told me that there's no other band that he has recorded that requires this amount of attention to detail. We take a longer amount of time to do one thing than most bands take to do ten. At this point, talking to Ben about it, we only do this once every three years on average so ten years from now I don't want to look back and think, 'Fuck man, we should have finished that one three weeks earlier!' Who cares? You want it to be right and you want it to be the thing that was the closest to what your vision actually was."

Regarding the direction of the new THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN material, Puciato said: "I can hear [the influence of old punk and hardcore records] a lot. I can definitely hear that in some of the riffs, which are really aggressive. It's not a blatant hardcore record or anything like that. I actually think this is the most all over the place and weirdest record we've ever written. It's the first one since I joined the band where Ben has sent me songs and I've been like, 'What the fuck is happening? This sounds like a beehive!'"

"Prancer" lyric video:

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have issued the following update:

"For those of you who are interested, yes, we have been VERY busy writing and putting songs together for the next studio MASTODON album. We are down at our space hammering out riffs that can be friends and working our fingers to the bone to put out another great album."

Regarding the sound of the new MASTODON music he is pumping out, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds told MTV Hive last year: "A lot of the stuff I'm writing is in open G-minor. I'm playing a lot of slide guitar and just getting really Jimmy Page-y on the place and getting really eerie and RADIOHEAD-ish and very spooky-sounding."

On the topic of the songwriting process in MASTODON, Hinds said: "There's never really a shortage of music with MASTODON because all of us are working on something musically. I'm in good company. Just because they might [see me] stand in the middle of the stage or something, people might think this is the leader. He must conduct everything, but we're all the leaders. We spread the weight around."

As previously reported, MASTODON wrote and recorded a song for the upcoming animated film "Monsters University".

Due out in July, "Monsters University" is the prequel to 2001's "Monsters, Inc." Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles in the prequel as the wise-cracking Mike Wazowski and lovable Sulley.

MASTODON's latest album, "The Hunter", came out in September 2011 through Reprise Records.

MASTODON was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination was for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from "The Hunter".

ABC News is reporting:

SLAYER co-founder Jeff Hanneman's death from liver failure on Thursday is still something of a mystery, but that hasn't stopped fans from speculating as to why his liver failed when he was only 49. One of the more dramatic theories making the rounds on Twitter and in the media is that it was a spider bite two years ago that led to an infection and ultimately to his death.

Not so, say experts.

The spider bite was alleged to have happened in 2011. It was then that Hannemen had been sidelined from performing after contracting necrotizing fasciitis, commonly called the "flesh-eating" bacteria.

But doctors say it's unlikely that such a past infection would have directly led to liver failure -- and his assumed spider bite might never have occurred. (Slayer spokeswoman Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald said the band was not currently releasing more information on Hannemen's health and was consulting with a doctor to determine what could have led to his liver failure.)

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and chair of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that in spite of Hannemen's injuries from the infection -- physical therapy and operations on his arm -- the original infection would not have lasted this long.

Hannemen first contracted the infection after a friend's hot tub in the Inland Empire region of California. He felt what he thought was a spider bite, although he didn't see the insect. His wound quickly worsened, Hanneman went to seek medical help, and doctors diagnosed him with necrotizing fasciitis. The disease is a bacterial infection that destroys the body's soft tissue.

The effects were so devastating for the guitarist that he was only able to perform with Slayer once before his death, when he played two songs during a 2011 concert.

"He was still working to regain dexterity needed," said Slayer spokeswoman Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald of Hanneman."If [Slayer] had played slow songs, he could have done it."
(Photo above: Hanneman making a special appearance at the Big 4 concert in Indio, CA in April 2011)

Although Hannemen's type of injury led him to believe that the infection was the result of an untreated bite from a brown recluse spider, insect experts say that is unlikely. Brown recluse spiders, also called the violin spider, are found almost exclusively in the Midwest and the South.

Dr. Doug Yanega, senior museum scientist at the Entomology Research Museum at the University of California-Riverside, said virtually all sightings of the brown recluse spider in Southern California were related to someone having accidentally transported the dangerous insect into the area.

Recluse spiders usually avoid humans when people are active, added Yanega. They're more likely to be bitten when they're sleeping and the spider can move without feeling threatened.

"They're named recluses for a reason, they don't come out," said Yanega. "If he was up and about and walking around, it was unlikely to be a spider bite."

Read more at ABC News and watch a video report below:

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with guitarist Kiko Loureiro (ANGRA) who talked about his new solo album, Sounds Of Innocence and his touring plans, revealing that Angra's current singer is Fabio Leone (VISION DIVINE, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT), with whom Angra will tour Brazil. An excerpt from the interview follows:
Q: Two years ago Angra had a legal dispute with the band PARANGOLÉ, so how this was resolved?

A: "You know how fast legal disputes can be. Nothing really happened because the blame was on the guitarist and not on the management... we’re still waiting to see."

Q: And talking about Angra, what is the current status of the band? Edu Falaschi left the lineup but he did not announce the reasons; can you shed some light on this issue?

A: "We're playing some shows with Fabio Lione from Italy; great singer."
Q: Is Angra searching for a singer? Can we expect a new album or even a tour?

A: "We have Fabio now. We will tour with him in Brazil and then continue the search for a Brazilian singer."

You can read the entire interview at this location.

In a recent interview with Lokaos Rock Show (see below), members of Angra issue an offer to reunite with original singer Andres Matos (ex-SHAAMAN) for a 20th anniversary concert, recreating their Angels Cry debut. Previously, the singer has stated he has no interest in any such performance, but apparently there is now some major promotional money behind the effort. Time will tell.

Germany's A MILLION MILES, who recently signed with Abandon Records for their long awaited debut album What's Left Behind, have issued the following announcement:
"This is a very sad day for us. After five years of pouring our hearts and souls into this band, after years of heavily touring and making the best experiences and memories for us as a band and family, and after we have just released our first album, with a heavy heart but due to personal reasons and difficulties inside our band camp, A Million Miles have split. Like in a marriage, deep relationship or longtime love, sometimes things just don´t work out. This is a very dark day for us, but this is NOT the end of A Million Miles. Our girl Mona (Miluski/vocals) is going to keep the spirit of AMM alive; there will be a new band line up soon and A Million Miles will be back!

Thanks to everyone for the support and rock love over all these years, everyone who believed in us and our music, and everyone who just got the chance to discover us. Although times are tough at the moment, we like to ask those of you who have bought a copy of our new album What's Left Behind to please continue to listen to it in the spirit of which it was recorded and enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. For those who haven´t got a copy yet you can purchase one via Amazon, EMP or iTunes and stay tuned to our page for future updates. We’re very sorry, but there was no other way to go, please stay strong with us and keep supporting A Million Miles."

For all updates and future plans of A Million Miles, follow the band via their official website and on Facebook.

Former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his split with the band and his brand new project.

"Finding out you're diabetic is pretty dramatic," Jones said of his surprise diagnosis last year, following dizzy spells and blackouts that led him to wake up in a hospital bed. "I just started feeling weird, and then I started getting really clumsy. I fell down some stairs and broke a finger, then fell down some other stairs and broke a toe. Then I collapsed. I was in a coma for three days. They basically told me I had the highest sugar level they'd ever seen. Afterwards, they told me I had a 50/50 chance of coming out with brain damage."

He also gave the magazine a glimpse into his brand new band, featuring Francesco Artusato, celebrated solo artist and guitarist with ALL SHALL PERISH and THE FRANCESCO ARTUSATO PROJECT; and John Sankey, drummer for the Australian band DEVOLVED, who has also worked with FEAR FACTORY and DIVINE HERESY.

"It's fun to branch out and do some different stuff," he said. "I got to write a little more deep and a little more dark. It's been fascinating so far."

Jones was among the musicians who performed at the launch event for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on February 18 at GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Universal City, California.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was rejoined by singer Jesse Leach early last year following the departure of Jones after nine years and three successful albums.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told BostonGlobe.com that the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him," D'Antonio said. "Howard didn't quit."

In a statement regarding his departure from the group, Jones wrote in part, "I've had a pretty interesting couple of years, to say the least, battling with some personal issues. One of the low points being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes that went unchecked for years. The rest of the band stuck with me through it, and, to be honest, they are the ones that kept me going. The whole experience definitely put a scare in me."

He continued, "Recently we've all been in writing mode, but somehow I couldn't get excited about the new album and all the touring that would go with it. The guys saw it before I did. In hindsight, I now realize that my heart wasn't in it."

Jones thanked the rest of the band for "an amazing decade," adding, "I have so many good memories, and those are the ones that I will keep."

Ronan McGreevy of The Irish Times recently conducted an interview with Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Irish Times: You've had 25 albums and counting. How do you keep up the pace?

Devin: I've been doing it for so long now. I've had a month to reflect on it. Every step of the way is like a rebirth for me. It is an obscene amount of work and the worst part of it is that I'm still trying to figure it out. It is not like it is 25 completed statements. It is 25 ideas that just keep progressing hopefully to a point where I finally get it. At this point of my life I'm asking myself: why do I make so much music? I've got tons of music I've been writing recently, but my desire to pound out records is all but gone. I come from a blue collar background. I don't have a lot of time for people who don't take care of their own problems. Everything that needs to be done takes effort.

The Irish Times: In an ideal world, musicians should only release a record and tour when they are ready to do so, but has the collapse in record sales made that something which is now impossible?

Devin: That really is it. There is a certain inspiration that comes from that. I don't think anything that I have done has been forced by commerce exclusively. This is what I do for a living. I've got a band on salary and I haven't picked a lucrative genre. Luckily, my creative juices are pretty much on tap. If I'm compelled to do something, I can go for it and get it done. Given the option, I wonder would it be more in line with my personal nature to be doing a record every three years and touring every now and then. Money up to this point has prevented that.

The Irish Times: I saw a recent interview with METALLICA where Kirk Hammett said they have to tour for financial reasons, yet they are multi-millionaires. Why do you think that is?

Devin: I'm sure METALLICA have got more money than God, but they have got a group of people who rely on them. They've become like a family over the years. There are lots of people who are heavily invested in the project. In order to keep the boat floating to allow them to do what they do with these people, they've got to make sure that everybody makes a living.

Read the entire interview from The Irish Times.

Maria Voutyriadou of Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with TURISAS violinist Olli Vänskä, who talked about the band's upcoming album. An excerpt follows:
Q: And the obvious question: what is the latest update on the recordings of the new album?

A: "We had an ambitious goal to finish the recordings before the tour and have the album released already in May, but there were a few things we didn’t manage to solve in time. I think we’ll need another week or so in Finland to finish it and it will come out in July-August. Promise!"

Q: Do you have a title for this or at least a working title to reveal to our readers?

A: "Nope. We’ll post all the information mainly on our Reddit and Facebook pages, so you guys should keep an eye on those... Mixing should be done pretty soon!"

Q: How many tracks are we talking about? Are there any live orchestrations this time? I remember that you really enjoyed this process in 'Stand Up And Fight'.

A: "I think it’s going to be 9 or 10 tracks, and good stuff, too! We do have some live orchestrations, yes, but all in all the production is bit
more stripped and raw than eg. on 'SUAF'. We’re done with the ultra-Broadway stuff for a while and throw in some punk."

Q: Are there any guest musicians in the new album?

A: "We had musician friends joining us in the choir sessions, such as Teemu Mäntysaari from WINTERSUN and Mikko Salovaara from KIUAS. We also did some guitar leads with a friend of ours."

Q: What about the lyrics: is there a concept or a general theme behind them?

A: "This time we didn’t want to tie ourselves too tightly into a storyline or historical time and space... I wouldn’t call it a concept album, it’s more like a collection of songs revolving around themes that we’ve discussed also earlier. It’s not so much about sword-waving than thoughts about the choices we make and how we act."

You can read the entire interview at this location.

In the last couple of years, the Heidenfest turned out to be a unique and not-to-be-missed tour package when it comes to the biggest names in the field of heathen / Viking metal and bands offering you the best in between war anthems and drinking horn frenzy. Which is why the 2013 lineup again looks like the wet dream of every heathen metal warrior:

Headlining will be mighty genre legends ENSIFERUM from Finland. These much-loved Viking and folk metallers definitely know how to get a good party going and have recently released their opus magnum Unsung Jeroes in 2012. Travelling with them will be fellow countrymen Turisas.

Germans EQUILIBRIUM must be considered as true stars of the German pagan metal genre: they`ve set fire to every club so far with their explosive mixture of catchiness and heaviness. These guys and girls are also working on a new album right now. SUIDAKRA combine melody with death metal and folk parts - Eternal Defiance will be released end of May 2013.

A "special guest" for the whole tour will be announced soon. Furthermore there will be two more acts at the "Extended Shows" which will also be announced before long!.Keep your eyes peeled and check Heidenfest.eu regularly - there you will find further news soon. Get your tickets and fan packs (ticket + shirt+ CD) here.
Tour dates:

September
20 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
21 - Giessen, Germany - Hessenhallen *Extended*
22 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix *Extended*
23 - Paris, France - Bataclan
24 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
25 - Milano, Italy - Live Club
26 - Wien, Austria - Arena
27 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall *Extended*
28 - München, Germany - Backstage *Extended*
29 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
30 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle

October
1 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof
4 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn *Extended*
5 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle *Extended*
6 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13 *Extended*

More info at this location.

Vic Records has releasied the early material of late ASPHYX singer/bassist Theo Loomans under his band monicker SWAZAFIX, which was named after a classic CARNIVORE track. Loomans was one of the very early (and influential with his characteristic vocal style) members of Asphyx and sang and played bass on the famous Embrace The Death debut album (1989) and on the legendary Crush The Cenotaph demo (1989) and the Mutilating Process EP (1989).

Together with drummer Bob Bagchus, Loomans was the main composer for these old Asphyx songs. In 1996 Loomans and Bob Bagchus reformed Asphyx (after the split in 1995) and recorded the God Cries album.
Swazafix played pure and raw death metal inspired by old school bands such as POSSESSED, SLAYER, VENOM and CELTIC FROST. Both demo ‘92 and promo ‘91 were recorded at Franky’s Recording Kitchen with Berthus Westerhuis (where all the early Asphyx releases were recorded). The old tapes are remastered and restored by producer/engineer Berthus Westerhuis last fall; eight tracks in total.
The album cover is designed by Ivan Bragin (HEARSE, PAGANIZER, OCTOBER TIDE). The booklets contains rare pictures and liner notes from Bob Bagchus (Asphyx, GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT), Berthus Westerhuis (Franky’s Recording Kitchen) and Eric Daniels (Grand Supreme Blood Court, ex-Asphyx).

Check out a promo video below:

Christian hard rockers STRYPER recently entered the studio to begin recording their next studio album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Frontiers Records.

Regarding the musical direction of STRYPER's new material, the band's guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet tells Screamer Magazine: "The song 'God', which is on 'The Covering'; if you took that song along with 'Bleeding From Inside Out' and 'Blackened' [from 'Second Coming'], and you put it on the same album, that's a pretty good indication of where we are going and where we are at right now. But at the same time this album is all its own."

He adds: "Every song has a hooky guitar riff. Everything is in minor keys, so it's a little darker sounding and a little tougher. It's definitely our heaviest record and I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

"The people who do like the poppier side of STRYPER, like 'Calling On You' and 'Holding On', this record isn't going to really give them that. There are a lot of vocal hooks and melodies going on, but it's a little darker, and a little edgier. To reference, there is less songs like 'Calling On You' and more songs like 'To Hell With The Devil'. It's more in that vein than the poppier vein."

As previously reported, STRYPER is recording a cover version of "Jesus Is Just Alright", a gospel song written by Arthur Reid Reynolds, for its next studio CD. Sweet, says, "It rivals our cover of EARTH, WIND & FIRE's 'Shining Star' — riffs!"

"Jesus Is Just Alright" was first recorded by Reynolds' own group, THE ART REYNOLDS SINGERS, on their 1966 album, "Tellin' It Like It Is". It was later covered by THE BYRDS and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS.

Michael Sweet previously stated that the new STRYPER CD would contain "the best [songs] of our career [with] no pop or fluff musically or lyrically." He added: "I'm counting the days for its arrival and when it does arrive, it will be like a train speeding down the tracks — fast, heavy, unstoppable and loud! I get excited for every record, but I've never quite been this excited before. This record will be one for the books, and in my humble opinion, our best yet bar none. No pride here, just confidence that it's going to be great — really, really great."

In a 2012 interview with Guitar World, Michael Sweet stated about STRYPER's plans for the next album: "We're going into this new record with the mentality and thinking of making it like a 'To Hell With The Devil 2'. That's not to say it will actually sound like that album, but we really want it to be as great as 'To Hell With The Devil', which was our biggest album. We want people to put on this record and go; 'Whoa! Wow! This is as good as or better than 'To Hell With The Devil'!' We want the new album to be a powerhouse and we're going to do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Frontiers Records in January announced the signing of STRYPER to a multi-album deal. The first CD to be made available the agreement was a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, released in North America on March 26. Entitled "Second Coming" and produced by Michael Sweet, the album contains a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as two new tracks, "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened".

Photo credit: Tina Enos