The official lyric video for the song "Transference" from Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM can be seen below. The track comes off the band's eighth album, "Halo Of Blood", which will be released on June 11 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

Pre-order the CD (including the bonus track and digital booklet) now and get the single "Transference" instantly.

Comments CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho: "'Transference' is a straight-up CHILDREN OF BODOM to-the-core-type song and therefore was a good pick for a video and obviously is one of our favorite tracks. It always had an evil vibe to it, which I wish I knew how to explain because it still gives me chills… Enjoy!"

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Commented Laiho: "'Halo Of Blood' is the eighth studio album from CHILDREN OF BODOM, and believe it or not, but we still managed to keep it fresh and new while still maintaining the elements that make COB sound recognizable. It's got the fastest and the slowest song we ever made and lyrics wise there are themes we had never had before. It's 10 new songs of pure Nordic metal and whether you enjoy it with a beer or a glass of water, I'm sure you will have a good time."

"Halo Of Blood" track listing:

01. Waste Of Skin
02. Halo Of Blood
03. Scream For Silence
04. Transference
05. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
06. The Days Are Numbered
07. Dead Man's Hand On You
08. Damage Beyond Repair
09. All Twisted
10. One Bottle And A Knee Deep

According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard has revealed in a new interview that the 10th studio album from the band is nearing completion. Speaking with GuerillaCandy.com, Gossard said, "It's almost done and as far as what it sounds like, it sounds like PEARL JAM. You're going to hear some rock songs and you're going to hear some quiet songs and you'll hear some song in between. That's all I can really say about it because we aren't talking about it yet, so it doesn't make much sense for me to say anything."

Gossard did not give any hint of when the record, the first from the band since 2009's "Backspacer", would come out.

Guitarist Mike McCready discussed the disc recently, saying some of the songs were "pretty amazing." He added that drummer Matt Cameron had written "a really cool one that's kind of ethereal meets U2-ness, I wrote kind of a punk rock one and a PINK FLOYD thing, so there's all these kinds of things going on . . . We'll put all of those things in the PEARL JAM thing, and hit mix, and mix it up."

The new album will reportedly come out in late 2013 or early 2014.

Meanwhile, Gossard will release a new solo album called "Moonlander" on June 25, his second solo effort and first since 2001's "Bayleaf".

PEARL JAM will play in London, Ontario on July 16, Chicago's Wrigley Field on July 19, and at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans in early November.

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 "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)

"Hope In Hell" (song) audio stream:

DISTURBED and DEVICE singer David Draiman joined HALESTORM on stage last night (Thursday, May 2) at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show presented by Epiphone at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California to perform the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Whole Lotta Love". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale is one of many guests appearing on the self-titled debut album from DEVICE, the new industrial rock act led by David Draiman. Hale, who duets with Draiman on a cover of the Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford song "Close My Eyes Forever", told Artisan News: "David Draiman has been such an amazing mentor over the years. I've always felt like a little sister in heavy metal to him. And we had talked about doing that song for years, and we just never had any time to do it. And so I kind of thought that he had forgotten all about it. And then I got a call one day and he was, like, 'I know you're on tour, but can we make this happen?' So I literally flew to New York and got into this tiny, little studio and we did it."

She added: "[David is] an amazing man. Talk about a hard-working band. DISTURBED has been around for so long and really got us into new metal."

Draiman stated about his collaboration with Hale on "Close My Eyes Forever": "It's a song I've wanted to cover for many years, and I'm glad we were able to do it with this project, because it definitely took on its own unique identity and its own unique reformation of the song. Having Lzzy Hale be the guest female vocalist on the track is about as true to form as it could have been. There's nobody better in the music field to be the modern day embodiment of Lita Ford. She has got riot girl in her and she is, in my opinion, one of the best voices, if not the best female voice, in modern rock. And I was very very honored to have her sing. I can only hope that Ozzy and Sharon are as happy with it and proud of it as I am. It's definitely part of an homage to the greatness of who I consider to be one of, if not the, most seminal frontmen of all time, the godfather of heavy metal, and a guy I look up to so much, and to a family that's done so much for me and for DISTURBED over the years. I can only hope that it makes them proud."

He added: "I actually gave [Lzzy] even more to sing than the original version. Initially in the original arrangement they each had their own specific choruses instead of trading off. I gave Lzzy a lot more because I love her voice. I think she's amazing and I just thought it would be a cooler dynamic for my version of the song to incorporate more of the female voice in this version of the cover. I'm really glad it ended up happening the way that it did with the DEVICE project as opposed to with DISTURBED, because it enabled me to go to that place with my voice that really wouldn't have been appropriate on a DISTURBED record.

"I loved doing it, it's that classical delivery and technique and that part of me that harkens back to the early cantorial days. I had tracked all of these songs completely beforehand and I had tracked Lzzy's parts ahead of the time and brought them with me to New York when I tracked her so I had given her a guide the whole way through the song. We did everything very efficiently, very effectively to the extent where one of her label guys came in to take a peek at what was going on and he said, 'Oh, man, you're a real taskmaster, you're making her go take after take.' I'm not pushing her beyond her limits — it's only because she knows where she needs to go and there's no experimentation, it's very easy.

"It was great and Lzzy did make a bunch of the parts her own, different emphasis and slight changes of cadence — and she's very talented. She's bulletproof. I've never seen her have a bad night."

DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno joined THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN on stage last night (Thursday, May 2) at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show presented by Epiphone at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California to perform a rocked out version of DEPECHE MODE's "Behind The Wheel". Video footage of the band's appearance can be seen below.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's fifth full-length album, "One Of Us Is The Killer", 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).

Joe Satriani, the incomparable guitar aficionado, will release his 14th studio album, "Unstoppable Momentum", on May 7 through Epic Records. You can now listen to the entire CDD before it is released, exclusively at MSN Music's Listening Booth, at this location.

Produced by Satriani and Mike Fraser (AC/DC), "Unstoppable Momentum" features an amazing array of talented players, including Vinnie Colauita (STING, JEFF BECK) on drums, Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) on bass and on keyboards, Mike Keneally (DETHKLOK). All band members and Satriani are featured in various stages of the sessions.

Fans are encouraged to pre-order "Unstoppable Momentum" via Sony Music and Satriani's own website store. When pre-ordering through the Epic Records store, fans will be given the chance to bundle new signed copies of the album with exclusive t-shirts and guitar straps. At Satriani.com, fans will receive an exclusive, never-before-seen art book featuring years of drawings, doodles and sketches that Satriani has done over the years.

"Some of my drawings have made their way on to guitars, straps and picks, LP and CD booklets, t-shirts, hats, keychains, etc…and even my live stage productions," explains Satriani. "This book represents my first effort to finally compile my oddly drawn friends into one place, a wildly colorful portfolio of sorts. A collection of drawings meant to inspire and entertain."

After returning from the South American G3 tour last October, Satriani got down to writing new music over the next two months. As he recalls, "A very prolific and cathartic two months followed resulting in a bundle of new music I was very excited to get recorded!"

Eleven songs were selected to record, all "heading in different directions and touching on a variety of musical influences." With that in mind, Satriani decided to assemble a new studio band. "The idea was to crank up the energy level of the sessions, and allow for more individual expression of the material from each player. The chemistry with Mike, Chris and Vinnie was fantastic and we blazed through all of the tracks with everyone laying down amazing performances."

For two decades, Satriani has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star "G3" guitar extravaganza. His studio and live recordings have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide to date and of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them. His side project, CHICKENFOOT, featuring former VAN HALEN frontman Sammy Hagar, former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' drummer Chad Smith saw their debut album certified gold and their second studio album debuted at No. 9. In late 2010, music sensation Nicki Minaj sampled the classic Satriani track "Always With Me Always With You" in her song "Right Through Me" from her multi-platinum debut album. In 2011, Satriani recreated his national anthem performance for the opening day of the Oakland A's historic 2002 season in the Brad Pitt movie "Moneyball".

"Unstoppable Momentum" track listing:

01. Unstoppable Momentum
02. Can't Go Back
03. Lies And Truths
04. Three Sheets To The Wind
05. I'll Put A Stone On Your Cairn
06. A Door Into Summer
07. Shine On American Dreamer
08. Jumpin' In
09. Jumpin' Out
10. The Weight Of The World
11. A Celebration

The "A Door Into Summer" video, conceived as a musical journey of sorts, was actually shot as Satriani and his band made their way to the legendary Skywalker Sound studio, on the famed Skywalker Ranch in the Bay Area. The clip features a behind-the-scenes look at the band arriving, setting up and starting the album recording process intercut with a collage of stills from the album cover photo shoot.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined METALLICA on stage last night (Thursday, May 2) at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show presented by Epiphone at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California to perform the PRIEST classic "Rapid Fire". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

METALLICA played a four-song set at Revolver Golden Gods: "Disposable Heroes", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Rapid Fire" and "Seek And Destroy".

Halford previously performed "Rapid Fire" with METALLICA at one of the band's four intimate shows in December 2011 at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of METALLICA's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

This Friday (May 3) has been declared Metallica Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of baseball's San Francisco Giants. According to a press release issued by the team, members of METALLICA will participate in pre-game festivities which will include throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett performing the National Anthem. The custom Giants-themed guitars that will be played by the pair will be signed immediately following the National Anthem and auctioned off at the Giants Community Clubhouse, with proceeds being shared by the Giants Community Fund and the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation.

METALLICA is also gearing up to headline its second annual Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 8-9 in Detroit.

Former PANTERA members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) joined ANTHRAX on stage last night (Thursday, May 2) at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show presented by Epiphone at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California to perform the PANTERA classic "This Love". Video footage of their appearance, which was dedicated by Anselmo to late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, can be seen below.

Asked by France's Radio Metal in a recent interview if he is fed up having to answer questions about the possibility of a PANTERA reunion with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) filling in for the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott on guitar, Anselmo said: "I'm not fed up with it. I understand the…. I understand. I'm a music fan myself. I love music. I love bands, I love collecting music. And for your average fan out there, if you're a PANTERA fan, of course, you want to see it. And, really, if you think about it, our career was pretty short. And here we are in 2013 and we're still talking about PANTERA. Obviously there's a great strength there, obviously there's a great memory there. But as far as us reforming or anything like that, the only thing… Look, I've said it in the past… It's not a very hopeful thing to think about, because I would guess Vinnie Paul [Abbott, former PANTERA drummer and Dimebag's brother] and I would have to sit down and talk, and right now, I don't think he wants to talk about that at all. And he definitely, sure as hell, doesn't wanna talk to me. Put it this way: my door is open always; his door is closed and locked. And until we can sort the situation out — if we can ever sort the situation out — then I would pretty much forget about a PANTERA reunion."

"Death Vision", the new video from CADAVERIA — the Italian band featuring former OPERA IX vocalist Cadaveria and ex-OPERA IX drummer/NECRODEATH vocalist Marçelo Santos (a.k.a. Flegias) — can be seen below. The song comes off CADAVERIA's fourth album, "Horror Metal", which was released on January 31, 2012 via Bakerteam Records, a division of Scarlet Records.

"Horror Metal" track listing:

01. Flowers In Fire
02. The Night's Theatre
03. Death Vision
04. Whispers Of Sin
05. Assassin
06. The Days Of The After And Behind
07. Apocalypse
08. The Oracle (Of The Fog)
09. Requiem
10. This Is Not The Silence
11. Hypnotic Psychosis

The "Flowers In Fire" video was filmed in September 2012 in three different locations in Piedmont, North Italy, by director Alberto Maria Gotti of Morbid Vision.

The group's long-awaited follow-up 2007's "In Your Blood" (released on French extreme metal label Season Of Mist) has been described by Cadaveria as "the most obscure, raw and horror-filled work ever produced by the group."

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions has signed the female-fronted sludge trio SERPENT CROWN. The band's new self-titled album will be released on CD format on May 28.

Hailing from San Francisco, SERPENT CROWN plays aggressive, ultra-heavy, riff-driven metal. Skilled guitarist and spectral vocalist Dara Santhai leads the charge on this self-titled debut album, which features drummer Will Carroll of thrash metal veterans DEATH ANGEL blasting behind the kit. Undertones of '80s thrash metal, hardcore and heavy atmospheric rock are prevalent and compliment the rocking yet haunting aural landscape.

"Serpent Crown" is an unearthly journey to the dark side with songs of the apocalypse, ruminations of death and destruction.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. No Beacon Of Light
02. Prelude To The Netherworld
03. To Leave This Land
04. The Trickster
05. Doomsayer
06. Children Of The Night

Finnish metallers KALMAH will release their new studio album, "Seventh Swamphony", on June 17 via Spinefarm Records. The follow-up to 2010's "12 Gauge" was recorded at Tico-Tico Studios in Kemi, Finland, and was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden by Jens Bogren (OPETH, SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST). The new CD will feature cover artwork by Juha Vuorma, who worked on the first three KALMAH albums as well as releases from USURPER, METUJA, DEATHMARCHED and ALTARS OF DESTRUCTION. The CD's first single, "Seventh Swamphony", is scheduled for digital release on May 6.

After 15 years together, with six full-length albums under their collective belt, 2013 sees the Finnish musicians delivering album No. 7 — an eight-track release showcasing this Oulu outfit's trademark frantic, yet melodic death metal style, tempered here by a newfound "epic mournfulness."

Commented KALMAH lead guitarist Antti Kokko: "This album marks a milestone in our careers. We have a new keyboard player, which has given a fresh edge to the music, and we are, of course, very satisfied with the new material. That is why we wanted to give the songs the best possible chance without compromise; we feel very lucky and privileged to have worked with Jens Bogren."

"Seventh Swamphony" track listing:

01. Seventh Swamphony
02. Deadfall
03. Pikemaster
04. Hollo
05. Windlake Tale
06. Wolves on the Throne
07. Black Marten´s Trace
08. The Trapper

The official video for the title track, "Seventh Swamphony", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Jukka Vidgren.

Keyboardist Marco Sneck left KALMAH in 2011 after seven years and three albums with the band.

KALMAH's sixth album, "12 Gauge", entered the official chart in the Finland at position No. 15.

Jeb Wright at Classic Rock Revisited recently caught up with former FOREIGNER frontman Lou Gramm to dicuss the singer's new book, Juke Box Hero. An excerpt from the interview is available below:
Jeb: Tell me why you decided to write the book, Juke Box Hero, at this time in your life.

Lou: "Plenty of time had gone by and I’ve had a full career. I still want to stay active in a number of ways, but in-between all of the history of the band, my solo albums and all of the exciting truck crashes and things like that; I thought I had enough material to do a book. I contacted a fellow named Scott Pitoniak, who is also from Rochester, New York. He does sports biographies, so this is a little left of center of him. I enjoy his style of writing and I thought we could collaborate, so I contacted him and it has been nothing but good."

Jeb: There are a lot of rock and roll biographies coming out at this time. Your story is unique, as you have the story of coming up and joining Foreigner, your health and drug addiction.

Lou: "It was interesting when it happened. Some parts were very emotional to talk about and some were very cathartic. Some parts really pumped me up and some made me angry. It was really a cross section of emotions to talk about it all."

Jeb: Talk about breaking up with Foreigner.

Lou: "I left the band three times and the third time was the final time. The first two times were because I wasn’t given much artistic freedom within the band when it came to my ability to co-write. Every time I came up with an idea it had to be critiqued by Mick (Jones) before he would decide whether he was going to use it or not. It was like I was raising my hand to tell the teacher something. It really did a lot of damage to my self-confidence. When the opportunity came to do my own album, I jumped at it. I did it to show him that I was certainly capable of doing this, but mostly, I did it for myself and to show myself I had what it took."

Jeb: Do you ever see a day where you and Mick could be back in Foreigner together?

Lou: "His management and my management are tossing around the idea of a farewell tour. I would really like to do that. It would be really great to do that instead of leaving it with such a bitter and unfinished ending."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

"Come Back Life", the new video from German psychedelic hard rockers KADAVAR, can be seen below. The clip was directed, filmed and edited by Nathini van der Meer and Annikki Heinemann of Oddisee Films.

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

Comments the band: "It almost appears a little inappropriate to us that we've entered the charts with music like ours in this day and age. However, we're absolutely delighted, of course — especially since we've worked so hard on the album. In particular, our gratitude goes out to all the people who are interested in our music and thus support us. Thank you!"

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

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Come Back Life
02. Doomsday Machine
03. Eye Of The Storm
04. Black Snake
05. Dust
06. Fire
07. Liquid Dream
08. Rhythm For Endless Minds
09. Abra Kadabra

Bonus track:

10. The Man I Shot

The photo for the cover artwork, which was taken by photographer and ex-STEREOLAB drummer Joe Dilworth, can be seen below.

Comments KADAVAR frontman Lupus Lindemann: "Joe had already worked with us for our debut album. He's one of the best photographers I know and always understood our ideas, which is why we wanted to cooperate with him again. He proudly brought an old camera from the '60s and a color film that had been expired for ten years to the shooting — hard to get and highly coveted, because it causes unpredictable deviants as far as color and contrast are concerned. As one can see: We’ve used this very film!"

As far as the album recordings are concerned, KADAVAR drummer Tiger explains: "After last year's final show had been played in mid-December, we started writing new songs. We've already had a couple of finished tracks in May 2012, but those were eventually released on a split LP with AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR in November 2012, which is why we started at square one again. As we knew that there was no procrastination and no going back for us, we sat down for two weeks straight to finish composing with total commitment. We're perfectly happy with the outcome — I'd even say that 'Abra Kadavar' comprises the best compositions we've created to date. The songs are more diversified, the ideas feel more spontaneous. Moreover, we've tried to capture much more of our live energy, which is why we've recorded almost everything all together in one room, with the amps turned up to the max — solely the vocals and a handful of guitar solos were added afterwards."

It was already with 2012's eponymous debut album that the three-piece from Berlin casted a spell on all fans of solid riff-driven-yet-doom-like '70s hard rock à la BLACK SABBATH and PENTAGRAM. Marrying this with the spacy psychedelic approach of early HAWKWIND and mixing in a distinct own touch while preserving their icons' warm vintage charm can doubtlessly be considered the trio's key to success. Astoundingly high vinyl sales and support slots with such bands as SLEEP, SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM and ELECTRIC WIZARD as well as festival appearances at Stoned From The Underground, Yellowstock and Fusion, among others, underline KADAVAR's status as one of the scene's most exciting acts to watch in 2013.

KADAVAR is:

Lupus Lindemann - vocals, guitar
Mammut - bass
Tiger - drums

A number of rock and heavy metal musicians have reacted to the news of the passing of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died at about 11 a.m. today (Thursday, May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.

Neil Portnow (President/CEO, The Recording Academy): "Two-time Grammy winner Jeff Hanneman was an intense and powerful guitarist and a force to be reckoned with on stage. A founding member of the legendary metal band SLAYER, he was a key architect in their ferocious and uncompromising sound, which earned the band legions of loyal followers, tremendous respect among their peers, and a lasting impact on the genre. The music industry has lost a true trailblazer, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his bandmates and fans around the world who mourn his untimely passing."

Slash: "Tragic & shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. He is going to missed by so many. What a sad day for metal. RIP man."

David Draiman (DISTURBED, DEVICE): "RIP to a titan of metal."

PAPA ROACH: "We're saddened by the death of SLAYER guitarist, Jeff Hanneman. Our prayers and best wishes to SLAYER and Jeff's family."

TESTAMENT: "R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman, brother in thrash."

METALLICA: "R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman"

HATEBREED: "We are extremely saddened by the news of Jeff Hanneman's passing. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, fans and the entire SLAYER camp and their road crew. We would not be the band we are today without him and SLAYER. Rest in peace, Jeff!"

Dan Spitz (ex-ANTHRAX): "Changing the world through music isn't easy... Mission accomplished. Glad to be a part of all we did together through the years. RIP Jeff Hanneman."

DOWN: "Our brother Jeff Hanneman, may he rest in peace (1964 - 2013)"

ANVIL: "ANVIL send their condolences to the SLAYER and the Jeff Hanneman family. R.I.P."

SUFFOCATION: "Rest in peace, Jeff Hanneman. You will surely be missed."

Former NASHVILLE PUSSY bassist Karen Cuda: "Jeff Hanneman — I'm at a loss for words. Thanks for always laughing at my dumb jokes, thanks for your generosity in donating a bunch of signed SLAYER stuff to help me with my neck surgery costs, thanks for making my bandmate so happy. I'm so sad to hear you're gone! RIP buddy. (And for anyone inclined please stop by the NASHVILLE PUSSY page and send Ruyter some love. Her heart is no doubt broken to pieces.)"

David Ellefson (MEGADETH): "My condolences to SLAYER and the Jeff Hanneman family today."

HELLYEAH: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Hanneman family and SLAYER. R.I.P. our friend"

IN FLAMES: "We are so devasted to hear about the passing of Jeff Hanneman. One of the greatest have passed on and please, stop for a moment and pay your respect to this fantastic man. This is a tragedy."

Todd Kerns (SLASH):"Sad news about Jeff Hanneman. He was a good man."

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH: "Our thoughts are with the Hanneman family! #Slayer #GodSpeed"

Ted Kirkpatrick of Christian metallers TOURNIQUET has paid tribute to SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died at about 11 a.m. today (Thursday, May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.

Says Kirkpatrick: "I was very sorry to hear that SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away today. He wrote and performed some killer tunes for sure — and for my brief interaction with him — he was really cool."

"Soon after I moved to L.A. in 1986, I got a phone call from [producer] Rick Rubin. He asked if I was interested in auditioning for SLAYER. Their excellent drummer Dave Lombardo was out of the band and they needed a drummer. I had dropped off a drumming demo video at Metal Blade and a cool guy named Bill (not Bill Metoyer, but he's cool too) who used to work there gave my video to Rick. The SLAYER guys checked it out and I guess they liked it OK. So Rick gave me the songs to learn — 'Criminally Insane', 'Raining Blood', 'Postmortem', 'Epidemic', 'At Dawn They Sleep', and, of course, 'Angel Of Death'. So I got to work learning the tunes and went to SIR studios in West Hollywood for the audition. When I walked into the huge rehearsal room — I was a little surprised to see them... playing basketball. So we shot a few hoops together. They were all very nice and I remember Jeff was quite polite.

"I got on the stage and saw Dave's drums still set up there. I had, of course, brought (my own). Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] said I could just play on Dave's kit. I told them I had one problem — I'm left-handed. So they said just switch everything around however I wanted, which I did. They asked what song I wanted to start with. I said, 'How about 'Criminally Insane'?' So away we went — and man, was it loud. They were super tight and it sounded like a 1000 times louder version of listening to the record on my stereo. When we finished 'At Dawn They Sleep', they said I was the only one who got it right. It does have a few trippy time signature parts.

"The next week I got a call to return for a second audition. We did the same tunes — but this time when we finished playing 'Angel Of Death', Tom said, 'Hey, Ted, do you think you can play it again? I said Ah... OK. You drummers know this song is a little exhausting. So we played it twice — it ruled.

"Anyways, later on they worked things out with Dave Lombardo so he returned to the band.

"Well, this is just my little tribute to one of the thrash metal greats.

"RIP Jeff."

Having previously released the first song, 'Bull Of The Woods', off their upcoming album Graveyard Dead, Charlottetown, PEI-based metallers DEATH VALLEY DRIVER have now posted the album art and tracklisting for their sophomore album, which will be released on Diminished Fifth Records later this year.

The album artwork was created by local tattoo artist John Dohe, who also did the art for the bands previous album. Choke The River.

"Once again John Dohe has totally brought our lyrics to life with his amazing artwork", commented the band's vocalist Dan Hodgson. "We wanted a real 1950s style comic/sci-fi feel and he delivered. John has always been like the unofficial sixth member of this band."
Graveyard Dead tracklisting:

'Black Vein'
'Bloodfeud'
'Ice Serpents'
'Crimson Mask'
'Graveyard Dead'
'Smoke Whip'
'Iron Jaw'
'Bull Of The Woods'

Stream/download 'Bull Of The Woods' below:

Bull of the Woods by Death Valley Driver
Graveyard Dead was recorded at Lukas Raine Recordings by Dave Skinner and mixed and mastered by Billy Anderson (SLEEP, HIGH ON FIRE, NEUROSIS).
Death Valley Driver lineup:

Dan Hodgson - Vocals
Ryan P. Gallant - Drums
Nick Doucette - Guitar
Ray Blacquire - Guitar
Adam Praught - Bass

More on Death Valley Driver at this location.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording his next solo album for a late 2013/early 2014 release via Frontiers Records.

Says Bach in a new online posting: "Yesterday was a gigantic step forward in the process of completing the next studio record! We had a meeting with producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, ALICE COOPER), who did 'Kicking & Screaming', and [guitarists] Jeff George and Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL).

"We are all ready to tackle this project right now! We have tons of musical ideas and we are starting with Bob on the new studio record this week, I am happy to say!! There are lots of killer riffs and grooves that are ready for me to scream over and Bob is leading the way as far as helping us get this done right!

"So get ready for studio updates and a front row seat to the mayhem, because here it comes!"

Asked of he feels his latest album, "Kicking & Screaing", got enough credit from the rock community and the fans, Bach told "The Classic Metal Show" in a recent interview: "Yeah. To be on the Billboard chart again is enough credit for me. I like being on the chart. It's cool that I can put out an album that competes on the charts in this day and age.

He added: "I'm not trying to remind anybody of the past; that's the opposite of what I'm trying to do. I never was doing that.

"I don't understand the nostalgia factor of rock and roll fans at all. When SKID ROW came out in 1989, we weren't singing songs that were 20 years old, we were singing songs that we just wrote. That's what I'm doing today; that's what I was doing then. So I don't get that whole idea at all."

Bach's brand new CD/DVD package, "ABachalypse Now", was released in North America on March 26 via Frontiers Records. The "ABachalypse Now" Ultimate CD/DVD Edition includes never-before-seen footage from last year's Graspop Metal Meeting festival in Dessel, Belgium, the full never-before-seen Hellfest set from France and the fully-remixed and remastered Nokia show from Los Angeles (originally broadcast on AXS TV), as well as bonus music videos. The DVD contains a running time of nearly 160 minutes. "ABachalypse Now" was made available in two configurations: the Ultimate CD/DVD Edition (2 CDs + DVD) and a standalone DVD.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY has been confirmed for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with DEVICE, the new band fronted by DISTURBED singer David Draiman; HELLYEAH, featuring Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE), Tom Maxwell (NOTHINGFACE) and Bob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN); NEWSTED, the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted; and DEATH DIVISION, the heavy, technically aggressive and melodic band founded by bassist Jerry Montano (HELLYEAH, DANZIG, NOTHINGFACE), drummer Tim Yeung (MORBID ANGEL, DIVINE HERESY, HATE ETERNAL, NILE), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and lead guitarist Rick Di Marco.

Gigantour billing:

MEGADETH
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
DEVICE
HELLYEAH
NEWSTED
DEATH DIVISION

Gigantour dates:

Jul. 03 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook
Jul. 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 06 - Canandaigua, NY - Marvin Sands PAC
Jul. 08 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul. 09 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
Jul. 10 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center
Jul. 12 - Dallas, TX - [to be announced]
Jul. 13 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Amphitheatre
Jul. 14 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
Jul. 16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
Jul. 18 - Bloomington, IL - US Cellular Coliseum
Jul. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Jul. 20 - Cadott, WI - Chippewa Valley Music Festival
Jul. 22 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center
Jul. 23 - Calgary, AB - Stampede Corral
Jul. 26 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jul. 27 - Dawson Creek, BC - EnCana Events Centre
Jul. 29 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Entertainment Center
Jul. 30 - Everett, WA - Comcast Arena
Aug. 01 - West Valley City, UT - Maverik Center
Aug. 02 - Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center
Aug. 04 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
Aug. 07 - New York, NY - [to be announced]
Aug. 09 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 10 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL
Aug. 11 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

Speaking to "Saturday Night Scream" earlier this month, Dave Mustaine stated about the rest of the lineup for this year's Gigantour: "I think [fans] are gonna be pretty stoked, because each one of the other bands on there, they're new bands comprised of a person who was a major celebrity from a really large band that went on to do something new — [which is] another really good clue for you and your listeners."

In a January 2013 interview with VintageRock.com, Mustaine said about his plans for Gigantour: "We've got some stuff lined up at the end of the year with Gigantour — not only in here in the States, but also down in South America. We've got some really interesting lineups for that. Most people would look at the lineup and they would think, like, 'Dave's not gonna tolerate your crap at all.' Because there's a couple of people that we have that are on the lineup — and we're hoping for the best — but they're notorious bad boys. But when people grow up, they kind of grow up; they don't just grow old. And we're hoping that the music is gonna be the most important thing so that the fans will get what they want. Because it's undoubtedly… The people that we have, so far, as far as we know, for Gigantour, they've got great music. We're really looking forward to that."

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

Sensory Records has announced the signing of LALU, the all-star backed project under the direction of French composer Vivien Lalu.

After collaborating with SHADOW GALLERY for a song on their Digital Ghosts album, and working with Canadian drummer Chris Nalbandian for his Paralysis Of Analysis solo album -- recording all keys and sharing solos with Derek Sherinian and Alex Argento -- Vivien finally settled in and began work on the second LALU opus. Handling all composition and songwriting duties, as well as all keyboards on the massive production, Vivien weaved the cloth of the new album with vocalist Martin LeMar (MEKONG DELTA), bassist Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X), guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), drummer Virgil Donati (PLANET X), the album’s parts recorded in several countries including the United States (Los Angeles and New York), Germany and Italy, produced by Lalu in his own studio, and mixed at Boumbox Studio in Paris by Yan Memmi (DIO’s Lock Up The Wolves, MARCUS MILLER’s The Sun Don't Lie). Additional contributions from Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS), Joop Wolters (SHADRANE), Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER), Marco Sfogli (JAMES LABRIE), Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE) and Peter Wildoer (James LaBrie) were also carefully built into the album, the final product boasting over fifty minutes of exceptional, massive cinematic, atmospheric metal Lalu has dubbed, Atomic Ark.

Check out a teaser below:

Atomic Ark is scheduled for release for September 9th in Europe and September 10th in North America. More details will be announced as the release draws near.

Atomic Ark tracklisting:

‘Greed’
‘War On Animals’
‘Tatonka’
‘Mirror Prison’
‘Deep Blue’
‘Bast’
‘Momento’
‘Follow The Line’
‘Slaughtered’
‘Revelations’

For more info visit VivienLalu.com.

Scion A/V has released a special two-track, 15 minute EP featuring the sounds of Philadelphia sci-fi thrash metal band VEKTOR.
Recorded this past January at The Glass House in Pomona, California as part of the Scion-presented Earache Records label showcase (that also featured OCEANO, BONDED BY BLOOD and WHITE WIZZARD), the free EP features Vektor performing the tracks 'Cosmic Cortex' and 'Tetrastructural Minds'. The EP is available as a free download now at this location.

"Earache has introduced metal fans to many great bands over the years," comments Jeri Yoshizu, manager of sales promotion for Scion. "Vektor is a band that creates metal for fans of metal. We're happy to work with them on this release."

Singer James LaBrie of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER is putting the finishing touches on his new solo album for a late 2013 release. The follow-up to 2010's "Static Impulse" will feature songwriting contributions from former SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers as well as appearances by LaBrie's longtime songwriting partner and keyboardist Matt Guillory, Peter Wildoer from Swedish thrashers DARKANE on drums and screaming vocals; Marco Sfogli on guitar; and Ray Riendeau (HALFORD) on bass.

Says Wildoer: "Just heard the first track that Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios mixed for the new James LaBrie album.

"This album will be great!

"Matt Guillory, Marco Sfogli, Ray Riendeau and James LaBrie all set the bar really high this time and their musicianship is stunning. Matt's and Peter Wichers songwriting are also equally mindblowing.

"I had such a great time recording this album and it was a pleasure to track it with one of the best engineers around, Johan Örnborg.

"[I am] honored to be part of this band and I can't wait to hear all you guys reactions to this album!"

"Static Impulse" sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 14 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.

"Static Impulse" was released on September 28, 2010 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music. The CD was LaBrie's first solo effort in over five years.

Pictured below: James LaBrie and Matt Guillory

MelodicRock Records has announced a collaboration with Spain's purveyors of melodic rock GÜRU.

MRR will release the band's brand new album White as a Deluxe Edition CD - strictly limited to 500 units only. The album features the album's original 12 tracks and adds a further four bonus tracks; two acoustic versions of the ballads 'The Voice Inside' and 'If You Go' plus the band's two recent MR. BIG covers 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy' and 'Addicted To That Rush'. The Deluxe Edition is also manufactured in a jewel case, rather than the digipak of the regular release.

The White Deluxe Edition CD is officially released May 17. And the only place to purchase this limited edition release will be via AOR Heaven in May.



White tracklist:

'White'
'Straight To Your Heart'
'It's All Different Now'
'If You Go'
'In My Life'
'Break The Spell'
'Won't B 2Gether'
'Angry Song'
'My Rocker Ass'
'Ray Of Light'
'The Voice Inside'
'I Don't Give A Damn'

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:

'The Voice Inside'
'If I Go'
'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy'
'Addicted To That Rush'

Check out the 'White' video clip below:

Mysterious death metal band REPTILIAN DEATH, side project of Demonstealer (DEMONIC RESURRECTION) have revealed the artwork and tracklist of their new album, titled The Dawn Of Consummation And Emergence.

The artwork was done by Michal ‘Xaay’ Loranc, who has previously worked with bands like BEHEMOTH, Demonic Resurrection, NILE, VADER, etc. The album features 12 tracks of pure old-school death metal. band is also now fronted by Vinay Venkatesh who also fronts one of India’s most popular metal band, BHAYANAK MAUT.
Tracklisting:

'PrimEvil'
'Inchoate'
'Stimulate. Hike. Impel. Tear'
'Soaked With The Imperfections Of Puerile Blood'
'Emerge, Hatred, Emerge'
'Distorted By Bondage, Blood & Bestiality'
'Unnervingly Perverted At The Altar'
'Patchwork And The Art Of Skinning'
'O'
'Now You Graze Upon Me'
'Marvelous Gods – The Apple Of My Eye'
'Emergence – The World, Your Playground'

The album will be released in India on May 25th via Universal Music India. Dates for the worldwide release are yet to be announced.
Said Devraj Sanyal, MD Universal Music group, South Asia, “Metal is a burgeoning scene in South Asia and often ignored. At UMG we believe that this scene must be supported fully and Reptilian Death's new album, The Dawn of Consummation And Emergence, is a fierce statement to every metal fan. Brilliantly produced and madly brutal, Reptilian Death is UMG's foray into the metal publishing domain and this will lead the path for many indie bands to follow."

The album is available for fans in India to pre-order at this location.

Detroit's WILSON will be releasing their debut album, Full Blast Fuckery, on July 9th via Easy Killer Records. The band has premiered the first music video from Full Blast Fuckery, for the track 'Viking Pussies Fuck Off'. Watch the clip below:
After a successful tour with GWAR and WARBEAST, Wilson will be hitting the road supporting NEWSTED this May. Wilson is a band that has toured relentlessly since since 2010, through big cities and little podunks. A band that records its albums the ol' fashioned way: with instruments. And analog gear. Fifth and sixth and twentieth takes. A band that brings that last Friday night on Earth mentality equally to huge crowds and audiences of two solitary dudes.
Wilson tour dates:

May (with Newsted):
15 - Battle Creek, MI - Planet Rock
17 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot
18 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
21 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
22 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East Downstairs
23 - Asbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony
Festivals:

May
25 - Howell, MI - Bled Fest (with Anti-Flag, Andrew WK and more)

July
10 - Lansing, MI - Common Ground Music Festival (with Slash, Monster Truck and more)

More on Wilson at this location.

Reformed Chicago death metallers BROKEN HOPE will release their sixth album, "Omen Of Disease", in late summer via Century Media Records. The drums for the CD were laid down at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin with engineer Chris Wisco (LAZARUS A.D., JUNGLE ROT, ORIGIN, GORGASM), while the remaining instruments were tracked at Mercenary Digital Studios in Zion, Illinois with engineer Scott Creekmore (DIRGE WITHIN, PUTRID PILE, LIVIDITY).

"Omen Of Disease" will feature a special guest appearance by Trevor Strnad of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER on the new BROKEN HOPE track "Rendered Into Lard".

Comments Strnad: "I am beyond excited to be involved in the rebirth of this legendary death metal monster. BROKEN HOPE has been one of my favorite bands since I was a young metalhead, and it's an absolute honor and pleasure to be a small piece of the action! The best part is that my contribution allowed me to hear a new song before everyone else, and I can proudly say this: They're baaaacccckkk!!!!"

BROKEN HOPE has also tapped James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY, TESTAMENT) to mix and master "Omen Of Disease" at Murphy's studio, Safehouse Production.

BROKEN HOPE's Shaun Glass comments: "We're pretty pumped to have longtime friend and shred lord James Murphy on board for his über-sick mixing skills to complete the 'Omen Of Disease' sessions. He has been part of BROKEN HOPE history as he first appeared on our 'Repulsive Conception' album with a crushing guest solo...and now years later, Murphy will be on board to taking our finest works yet to a new level."

"Omen Of Disease" — a title conceived by chief lyricist and guitarist Jeremy Wagner — is also a song on the new album, marking the first BROKEN HOPE "title track" since their 1991 debut LP, "Swamped In Gore". Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Flesh Mechanic" and "Give Me The Bottom Half".

Comments Wagner: "Some time ago, a festering death metal prophecy indicated something sick and brutal was coming back from the dead. The malignant signs became evident when BROKEN HOPE first resurrected from the grave and then went on tour. A more sinister foreboding followed when BROKEN HOPE wrote a new death metal album for the world to hear. Today, I'm a harbinger, here to alert everyone of a 'death metal omen' that is upon us...I speak of the new BROKEN HOPE album, 'Omen Of Disease'. The album title itself reeks of a musical offering that is nothing short of gruesome. 'Omen Of Disease' will be released to infect everyone worldwide this summer. I promise: this death metal album is a most savage, feral, pestilential, and lethal creation. You've been warned..."

BROKEN HOPE was formed in 1988 by Wagner, while he was in high school. Shortly after formation, they recorded two demo tapes and signed with indie label, Grind-Core Records. Then in 1991, they released their debut album, "Swamped In Gore", launching the band out of the underground and into the mainstream. From there, the band signed to Metal Blade Records and released three more albums, all stellar examples of BROKEN HOPE's fury, which etched their place in death-metal history.

After BROKEN HOPE's last album (1999's "Grotesque Blessings") and world tours, Wagner cleaned house and put BROKEN HOPE into "metal hibernation" in 2000. On January 20, 2010, original BROKEN HOPE vocalist Joe Ptacek tragically committed suicide. He was only 37 years old. Before his death, Ptacek met with Wagner and Glass and discussed the resurrection of BROKEN HOPE. With Ptacek's death, Wagner and Glass took time off to reconsider their next moves.

In 2012, BROKEN HOPE signed with Hard Impact Management and vowed to make BROKEN HOPE a full-time monster. Wagner and Glass recruited longtime friend and GORGASM vocalist Damian Leski as their new frontman and shortly after marked their return on the highly successful Carnival Of Death tour. BROKEN HOPE's high-intensity concerts received top praise, and confirmed the band was back and more rabid than ever.

BROKEN HOPE 2013 is:

Damian Leski - Vocals
Jeremy Wagner - Guitars
Shaun Glass - Bass
Chuck Wepfer - Lead Guitars
Mike Miczek - Drums

Performance:

ADLER, the new band led by former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler, has postponed its previously announced summer tour due to Steven checking into an undisclosed rehabilitation center to continue working on his sobriety.

"We are truly sorry to all of the fans and promoters who were looking forward to seeing us on the road, but right now Steven's health is the most important thing," states ADLER frontman Jacob Bunton. "We hope to make it up to everyone when Steven recovers."

U.S. dates are currently being rescheduled to early fall.

Adler appeared on season two of on the "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" show and the first season of the spin-off program "Sober House" back in late 2008 and early 2009. Adler then went on to stints in real rehab centers after being ordered to by a judge as part of a DUI bust. He subsequently returned for Season 5 of "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" alongside Michael Lohan, Dwight Gooden and Bai Ling, among others.

"Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House" included footage of Adler being arrested on July 18, 2008 after he showed up at a sober-living home high and in possession of heroin.

Having been kicked out of his mother's house on numerous occasions before he was old enough to vote, Steven Adler reportedly started skipping school and doing drugs when he was 11.

Steven Adler was the drummer for GUNS N' ROSES from 1985 to 1990. He was eventually fired from the band due to his drug addiction, which caused him to spiral down into depression and more drug use.

Steven Adler's autobiography, "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses", came out in July 2010. In the book, Adler tells all, fearlessly addressing his struggles with heroin and crack addiction; his financial ruin after being kicked out of GN'R; his shattered marriage; and the severe health problems that nearly claimed his life on several occasions.

SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away at about 11 a.m. today (Thursday, May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.

Hanneman — who in January 2011 contracted necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite, and has been undergoing surgeries, skin grafts and intense rehab since — spoke to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine in December 2011 about his recovery which has seen him sit out an entire two years' worth of touring with the band.

Hanneman was kicking back in a hot tub with a couple of beers when noticed a spider bite him on the arm.

"Didn't even feel it," he said. "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill." On his way to the hospital, "I could see the flesh corrupting," he recalled. "The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was. By chance, although it's pretty rare, she had seen a case a little while before. At that point, I was an hour away from death."

Although the spider bite itself was not serious, it had caused bacterial infection in the deeper layers of the skin and tissues of the arm.

"Unbelievably, the doctor was a SLAYER fan," said Hanneman, "First thing he said to me was: 'First I am going to save your life. Then I am going to save your arm. Then I am going to save your career.'"

Hanneman underwent emergency surgery to remove the dead and dying tissue. The doctor was able to save the muscles and the tendons, but the guitarist had a large open wound on his arm. He spent the next two months in hospital, having extensive skin grafts and heavy doses of antibiotics to suppress the infection.

"I had to learn to walk again," Hanneman said: "I hadn't stood up for a month, apart from anything else. The skin grafts were very painful and all the muscles and tendons in the arm where very weak. That was ok though. I count myself lucky that the nurse and doctor knew right away what had happened to me, because things could have been a whole lot worse."

At the April 2011 "Big Four" concert in Indio, California, Hanneman joined SLAYER onstage for a two-song encore, but he hasn't yet been able to tour again.

In a March 1, 2013 interview with MetalObsession.net's Nick Tevelis, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King stated about Jeff Hanneman's health status: "I don't have an update. I haven't seen Jeff in forever. He's always been a recluse, and he's even been more of a recluse since he's mot going on tour with us. But our manager talks to him from time to time and sees him in L.A. just randomly. But I'm far from L.A., so I'm not in that loop. But I guess he's just getting better. It's just one of those things where he can do anything in life. He could be hanging here having a good time with us. He can probably play 'South Of Heaven', but he's not gonna be playing 'Jihad', you know what I mean?! So it's just a muscle memory kind of thing, I guess, at this point."

Asked whether Jeff had been involved in the songwriting process for the new SLAYER album, Kerry said: "It's just all my stuff for now. But I did that just in case, 'cause I don't know what Jeff's intentions are. So I wanted to have SLAYER covered in case he doesn't come to the party. If he comes to the party, then we've got tons of songs."

Regarding whether contingencies had been made in case Jeff doesn't make it back to SLAYER in the near future, Kerry said: "I think Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist who has been filling in for Jeff for the past couple of years] is in for the long haul. I haven't really discussed it with him. But he keeps his schedule free when he knows we're on tour. And I'm pretty sure, if Jeff all of a sudden came back in June, we would probably pay Gary for freeing up his time. I don't wanna treat somebody that's bailed us out for two years badly. But if Gary played with us forever? I'm OK with that. But if Jeff got better and said, 'Hey, man, I'm ready to play,' and he came to rehearsal and showed us he was good enough, that's his show."

Pictured below: Jeff Hanneman on April 23, 2011 in Indio, California (photo credit: Andrew Stuart)

U.K. doom metal veterans MY DYING BRIDE will release a new EP, "The Manuscript", on May 13 via Peaceville Records on CD and vinyl.

Check out audio samples in the YouTube clip below.

"The Manuscript" contains four new and exclusive songs; a dark voyage spanning over 27 minutes of supreme doom in the unmistakable MY DYING BRIDE style of heaviness mixed with dark tales of foreboding. It was recorded and mixed at Futureworks Studios in Manchester, U.K. with the band's long-time producer, Rob "Mags" Magoolagan.

Comments the band: "'The Manuscript' features four monstrous tracks of brilliantly crafted metal that only MY DYING BRIDE can do, with swathes of doom laden melancholy, harmonic beauty and thundering death metal all combined in their trademark sound. Four tales of tragedy, loss and bitter vengeance greet the listener with an added assault on the emotions too, leaving the soul grey and limp. There is beauty here, but it's carrying a dark blade."

In a recent interview with Metal Forces, MY DYING BRIDE vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe stated about the songs that will appear on "The Manuscript": "They're very similar to 'A Map Of All Our Failures', because they were written and recorded at the same time, except for one song. That really stands out… [laughs] It's full-on sort of epic death metal; it's swords and axes, a proper warrior battle kind of track that's almost medieval in flavor. You can almost picture the scene; it's set in a snowy kind of mountainous landscape. There are sound effects and all sorts of mayhem going on in it, and death metal vocals not quite all the way through it, but near enough. It even has a Swedish title which because my Swedish isn't great, I'm not gonna repeat here. [laughs] I need to get the pronunciation right before I do that."

MY DYING BRIDE's latest album, "A Map Of All Our Failures", was released on October 15, 2012 in Europe and October 16, 2012 in the U.S. via Peaceville Records on CD, double vinyl and special-edition CD+DVD.

Canadian metal act UNDERCURRENTS will release their debut album, Empty Throne, in May via HammerDown Records and has now revealed the artwork and tracklisting for the album.

Empty Throne tracklisting:

‘The Separation’
‘Your End Is Near’
‘Unearthed On The Banks Of Mortality’
‘The Reconstructionist’
‘Dust To Dust’
‘The Change Up’
‘Sleep Walking In A Dream’
‘Babylon Will Burn’
‘The Many Vs. The Few’
‘The Other Side’
‘Troubled Roads Lead To Freedom’
‘As We Are’
‘The Skies Are Burning’
‘The End Of The Beginning’
Bonus tracks:
‘Vanity’
‘Synchronicity II' (download only)

Check out the song ‘Your End Is Near’ below:

For more info visit Facebook.