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.

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 brand new 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.

According to The Courier, collector Neil McDonald has loaned more AC/DC memorabilia to the Gateway to the Glens Museum in Kirriemuir, Scotland — late AC/DC singer Bon Scott's birthplace and home of his family in his early years.

Neil told The Courier: "In addition to the permanent Bon Scott display, the museum has decided to use one additional case for Bon Fest [the annual event paying homage to one of Kirriemuir's most famous sons]. Consequently, I have provided them with several more rare items of memorabilia — some of which I have never displayed before. These include an extremely rare reel-to-reel tape from 1979 of tracks from the then forthcoming album 'Highway To Hell', which was produced at Basing Street Studios in London.

"To promote the continuing legacy of Bon Scott, there are also a number of Bon-related items which have been produced since he died in 1980.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend Bon Fest in person this year due to other commitments, but I am certain that both the existing exhibits and the new ones will generate considerable interest amongst Bon Scott and AC/DC fans alike."

Often regarded as the greatest frontman in the history of rock music, Bon Scott tragically died on February 19, 1980 but his memory lives through the music he created with AC/DC. From 1975's Australian album "High Voltage" to 1980's "Highway To Hell", Bon Scott and AC/DC were a global force to be reckoned with.

AC/DC formed in 1973 but it wasn't until the latter half of 1974 that Scottish-born singer Robert Belford Scott joined the fold. Scott would help take AC/DC to legendary heights of success. Although the bands success did not arrive quickly, they released a stream of stunning albums and were undoubtedly the most electrifying live rock band of the 1970s.

PALMS, the musical collaboration between DEFTONES vocalist Chino Moreno and former members of ISIS (Aaron Harris, Clifford Meyer and Jeff Caxide), will release its self-titled debut album on June 25 via Mike Patton's (FAITH NO MORE) Ipecac label.

A song from the CD, "Patagonia", can be streamed via Pitchfork.com.

The quartet has also announced its first tour dates: a four-date West Coast run this July, with stops in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and San Francisco:

July 10 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
July 11 - Santa Ana CA - The Observatory
July 12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
July 13 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s

Tickets for the shows are on sale as follows: Los Angeles on May 2, Orange County (Santa Ana) and San Diego on May 3 and San Francisco on May 5.

PALMS came together following the demise of ISIS, with Jeff Caxide (bass), Aaron Harris (drums) and Clifford Meyer (keyboards/guitar) electing to continue playing music together.

"After a little time, Jeff, Cliff, and I decided that it was insane that we all still lived here in Los Angeles and weren't playing together," Harris says. "It just sort of happened naturally, probably because we have been playing together for so long, and things started to come together. But we didn't want to be instrumental: We wanted vocals. We just weren't exactly sure who that would be at first." The band, knowing that Chino had been a fan of ISIS, thought he would be a great fit and he agreed.

"A chance to work with the guys from ISIS sounded like a lot of fun," Moreno says, "I've always been into the atmospheric sounds they had created with that project and felt my sense of melody would meld well with theirs."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan and drummer Danny Carey were interviewed this week by New Zealand publication Rip It Up, and naturally the subject of a new album came up. What did they have to say? Carey explained, "Maynard deals with the lyrical content. He's been pretty busy with his wine and other projects lately, but right now it's just Justin and Adam and I working on things and, you know, little bits and pieces, lots of musical things."

That sounds like very little progress has been made since TOOL's webmaster claimed to have heard about half an album's worth of music earlier this year.

Keenan was even more casual about the record's progress or lack thereof, talking more about balancing his other bands and his winemaking business.

He remarked, "Well, with the wine — it's attached — it's basically part of my house. And it's just my wife and I that work it . . . when I am working on any kind of music in terms of writing and recording, especially with PUSCIFER, it's right here . . . When it comes to writing with TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE, it's a whole different process and, uh, that requires a whole different set of patience."

TOOL has not released a new album since 2006's "10,000 Days".

Guitarist Adam Jones recently told Revolver magazine, "It's unfortunate that we haven't put anything out in a while, but you know, we've changed as a band . . . We've become even more eclectic and distant, so getting things done and getting together is very hard."

TOOL is playing in New Zealand, Australia and Japan during the first two weeks of May.

Swedish black metallers WATAIN have set "The Wild Hunt" as the title of their new album, due on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in USA via Century Media Records. The CD was once again mixed at the Necromorbus Studio in Alvik, Sweden by Tore Stjerna.

Comments the band: "After 120 nights of iron will and ardent magic, the fifth full-length album of WATAIN is now complete.

With broken bones and burning hearts, we have ploughed our way through deepest winter into a new wilderness, to which we will open the gates at summer's end.

Beware the rising star of dawn..."

Professionally filmed video footage of WATAIN's August 10, 2012 performance at last year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom can be seen below.

WATAIN released a new DVD, "Opus Diaboli", in North America on June 5. The production commemorates the band's 13 years of chaos by providing a visual and audio documentation of their ceremonial anniversary concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it. "Opus Diaboli" is an epic 90-minute journey into the forbidden realms of wild-hearted Satanic metal and the manifestation of a unique band that has truly chosen a path few have ever dared to tread upon.

A 46-minute collection of fan-filmed video clips of BLACK SABBATH's April 27 concert at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia can be seen below.

Featured songs:

0:00 - War Pigs
4:40 - Into The Void
6:20 - Under The Sun
8:22 - Snowblind
10:47 - Black Sabbath
14:40 - Behind The Wall Of Sleep
16:29 - N.I.B.
17:51 - End Of The Beginning
21:00 - Fairies Wear Boots
24:00 - Symptom Of The Universe
26:30 - Drum Solo
29:00 - Iron Man
32:00 - God Is Dead?
37:10 - Dirty Women
41:30 - Children Of The Grave
44:05 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Paranoid

Note: Missing from the footage is "Electric Funeral", which was performed after "Snowblind" and before "Black Sabbath"

"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, is due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".

Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.

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

Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single, "God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."

Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.

NEWSTED, the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted, 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); 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. More acts will be announced soon.

Quality video footage of NEWSTED's entire April 27 performance at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California can be seen below.

NEWSTED kicked off its first-ever U.S. tour on Friday, April 19 at Red House in Walnut Creek, California. The 14-date trek will conclude on May 23 in Asbury Park, New Jersey and will lead into a number of European festival appearances for the band, which is completed by STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth.

NEWSTED has just completed recording its first full-length album, to be released later this year. NEWSTED began mixing the effort earlier in the month, with more details to be announced soon.

NEWSTED's debut EP, "Metal", sold around 6,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart.

NEWSTED is:

Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals
Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums
Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice
Mike Mushok (STAIND) – Guitar

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.

"Sacrificing The Worm", a brand new track from the Seattle metal quintet INTO THE FLOOD, can be streamed below. The song is taken from the band's debut album, "Vices", which will be released on June 11 via Century Media Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Vices
02. The Destroyer
03. David Scheinost
04. Sacrificing The Worm
05. Mirrors
06. Regret
07. Disconnected
08. 21:4
09. Sufferer
10. Your Judgment Is What Condemns You
11. Faitheater
12. Eye For An Eye
13. By Way Of The Snake

The band lyric video for the song "Your Judgment Is What Condemns You" can be seen below.

INTO THE FLOOD will take part in the "Till Death Tour". Sponsored by New Noise magazine, the trek will primarily hit the West Coast, and will also feature LORDS OF WAR and THE WRATH OF VESUVIUS.

Savannah-based quintet KYLESA will release its new album, "Ultraviolet", on May 24 in Europe and May 28 in North America via Season Of Mist. The follow-up to "Spiral Shadow" was recorded at The Jam Room in Columbia, South Carolina, with the band's guitar player/songwriter and sought-after producer, Phillip Cope (BARONESS, BLACK TUSK), once again overseeing production.

"We're Taking This", a new song from the eleven-track album, is available now for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

The cover artwork for "Ultraviolet" was created by Sean Beaudry and can be seen below. Beaudry, a fellow Savannah resident, did the artwork for the band's "Time Will Fuse Its Worth" reissue.

"Ultraviolet" track listing:

01. Exhale
02. Unspoken
03. Grounded
04. We're Taking This
05. Long Gone
06. What Does It Take
07. Steady Breakdown
08. Low Tide
09. Vulture's Landing
10. Quicksand
11. Drifting

KYLESA will play a free, all-ages show in its hometown of Savannah at The Dollhouse on April 19 as a way to thank fans for their ongoing support.

"Whereas 'Spiral Shadow' was a warm album suggesting concepts of hope, 'Ultraviolet' is a bit colder and darker," explains KYLESA songwriter/guitar player Laura Pleasants. "All of our studio albums have their own unique identity and we've always been a band who strives for something different than what current fads suggest. With 'Ultraviolet', we took a step inward and wrote music that we felt we had to write; this album centers around the multiple themes of loss and you can feel it in the music. Everyone goes through it during their lifetime and this record reflects that experience."

KYLESA issued a rarities collection in November titled "From The Vaults, Vol. 1", which featured previously unreleased, new and alternate versions of songs spanning the band's catalog as well as one new song titled "End Truth". Cope and Pleasants spent over a year going through their archives preparing the release.

FREYA, the Syracuse, New York-based band fronted by Karl Buechner (EARTH CRISIS, PATH OF RESISTANCE), has inked a deal with the French label Deadlight Entertainment for the European/Asian release of its forthcoming album, "Paragon Of The Crucible". The cover artwork for the CD Was conceived by Brendon Flynn and can be seen below

Commented Deadlight Entertainment's Alex Martinez: "We are truly honored to welcome FREYA to our family. They posses an extremely high quality of songwriting and musicianship. All that music coupled with Karl's lyrics and vocals makes for an intensely epic sound! Working with FREYA was a no-brainer, especially because Karl's work has been a huge inspiration for our bands PRIMAL AGE and MARTYRS."

"Paragon of the Crucible" will be released later this year by Holy Mountain Music in America and Deadlight Entertaiment internationally. A song from the CD, "Serpentine", featuring a guest solo by Paul Waggoner of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

Commented Paul: "I was truly honored to be asked to be a part of this record, and the 'Serpentine' track specifically. I have great respect for the FREYA guys and their musicianship, and it was a real privilege to be able to add my little touch with a guitar solo. Ultimately, this song is a balance of heavy, aggressive riffing and emotive, driving melodies. So it was my goal to encapsulate the overall vibe of tune by creating a part that added some contrast, but one that was still complementary to the music and vocals."

FREYA has been crushing it out for more than ten years. They released three full-length albums and a split with Victory Records. The follow-up to 2010's "All Hail The End" was recorded with Jason "Jocko" Randall at Moresound Studio in Syracuse New York. Delving deep and giving a unique re-imagining to classic thrash and death metal, FREYA builds an epic post-apocalyptic wasteland where enormous beasts have destroyed the Earth and left man to create myths to explain the scarred world around them. On top of the destructive riffing, melodic and more progressive textures have been added to create an intense and vibrant setting.

FREYA is:

Karl Buechner (vocals)
Brendon Flynn (guitar)
Thom Turner (guitar)
Joseph Murphy (drums)
Brett Walts (bass)

According to MaidenRevelations.com, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson faced off with the much taller Olympic winner Bartosz Piasecki just prior to the start of the Norwegian fencing championship.

Dickinson, 54, did well during the warm-up sessions at Bygdøhus in Oslo, but was thoroughly defeated as soon as the match kicked into gear.

"I had two points in a row," Dickinson told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

"He's kick-ass," Piasecki said about the singer. "He is short but incredibly fast, that's his weapon. He looked like Rocky when he arrived in a brown robe with his fencing kit in a shoulder bag."

After the match got serious, Piasecki took 5 points on Dickinson. The singer got stuck with 0 points in the final round.

"For me, fencing is training," Dickinson told Aftenposten. "I gave up competing in tournaments when I was 23, at that point I was ranked No. 7 in Britain."

"I fence because I enjoy it, and the by-product is that I end up getting in reasonably good shape. Actually, fencing is very similar to the way I run around on stage. Or maybe I run around on stage like that because I fence. Either way, it works for me."

Bruce started out fencing at the age of 13 in school, but only after being convinced by a teacher to try it. When he got into fencing, he discovered that it not only was about physical training, but giving the brain some exercise as well.

When he was 15, he became captain of the school team fencers and this gave him the opportunity to go to London to start a professional career. But he felt that he didn't really fit in there and also found it more interesting meeting friends down the pub.

The less he trained, the worse he became, and the more he wanted to do something else. In his late teens music started taking over his time and he pretty much quit fencing totally, until 1983 when one of the IRON MAIDEN roadies brought back his interest in the sport.

"I'm an aggressive defensive fencer," Bruce previously said about his style of fencing. "Since I'm rather short I have to try and get the opponent to make mistakes all the time. I am irritating, very intense and energic."

Long-running Swedish metaleads GRANDEXIT will release their new album, "The Dead Justifies The Means", on July 8 in Europe and July 23 in North America via Lifeforce Records. The CD was produced by David Castillo at Ghostward Studios (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH) and features "a mix of vibrant death metal and progressive rock," according to a press release. "Think MASTODON meets THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, or DISMEMBER meets SYSTEM OF A DOWN."

GRANDEXIT will support DECREPIT BIRTH and JUNGLE ROT for five dates in August in Europe. They will also take part in the Scandinavian Aggression tour that hits Sweden, Norway and Finland in September. Plans are being made for another European tour in October supporting some great bands

A track entitled "Judgement Of the Wicked" off "The Dead Justifies The Means" can be streamed below.

Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin has announced the signing of the Liverpool, England-based "caveman battle doom" act, CONAN.

CONAN's unique style of doom/drone/stoner metal won over audiences at the Roadburn festival 2012, consequently resulting in the release of the live album "Mount Wrath: Live at Roadburn 2012". Past shows with label mates AHAB and an invitation to play Desertfest London 2013 have further established CONAN as the doom powerhouse to watch out for.

Says the band: "We are very happy to associated with a label such as Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin and are looking forward to seeing how the new record comes out. We turned down two other record deals, both from labels that we could have quite justifiably agreed terms with, but for several reasons we wanted to move on with Napalm once they showed interest.

"We have enjoyed excellent relationships with every label we have worked with and it would have taken something extremely special to convince us to move away from Burning World Records, with whom we have enjoyed a particularly happy period. Thanks to JP, Jurgen and Desiree for helping us into this position and supporting us so far.

"Everything that comes our way is a huge bonus, for we give everything and expect nothing. To be considered worthy of a label such as Napalm Records is a pretty big thing for us so we'll give it our best shot."

Video footage of CONAN performing the track "Gravity Chasm" during their recent U.K. tour with BONGRIPPER and HUMANFLY can be seen below.

The first part of a new "Rock Climbing" feature with Joel O'Keeffe (vocals/lead guitar) of Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE can be seen below.

AIRBOURNE's third album, "Black Dog Barking", will be released on May 21 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2010's "No Guts. No Glory." was produced by Brian Howes, who has previously worked with HINDER, DAUGHTRY and PUDDLE OF MUDD.

The Full Throttle edition of AIRBOURNE's new single, "Live It Up", will be made available for the opening of Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, the tallest, fastest looping roller coaster in the world. The Full Throttle edition of "Live It Up" will be featured throughout the newly themed five-acre section of the park where guests will experience high-energy action through fast-paced imagery, sound and lights, with additional music featuring various Roadrunner artists. The launch will be further supported nationally in all theme parks, Roadrunner and Six Flags online and social media channels, live events and press outreach.

AIRBOURNE's infectious music has been used in more than 20 video games, countless films, trailers and more.

AIRBOURNE is Joel O'Keeffe (vocals/lead guitar), Ryan O'Keeffe (drums), David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass).

DEATH DEALER, the new band featuring MANOWAR and the DICTATORS guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman alongside vocalist Sean Peck (CAGE), guitarist Stu Marshall (producer and guitarist for such voices as Udo Dirkschneider and Steve Grimmett), bassist Mike Davis (HALFORD, LIZZY BORDEN), and drummer Kenny "Rhino" Earl (MANOWAR), has inked a deal with Rubicon for the Japanese release of the band's debut album, "War Master". The Japanese version of the CD will contain two bonus tracks and feature special Japanese liner notes.

DEATH DEALER will embark on a Japanese headlining tour later in 2013 and will film the shows for a live DVD.

The cover artwork for "War Master" can be seen below. Also available is a full-length stream of the track "Death Dealer".

"The DEATH DEALER sound is a mighty combination of five very talented, seasoned musicians," explained Ross. "It's classic power metal with the brutal edge of thrash, speed, and precision."

Formed last year via correspondence over the Internet, as soon as work commenced on the material, Ross knew he had met his metallic match. "Well, after they sent the first tune over, I was blown away, then Stu and Sean tell me they want me to join this band, called DEATH DEALER. I say, 'Who else is in the band? They say, 'Rhino on drums.' I'm in! Stu goes, 'It was either you or we would have asked KK Downing to be on guitar.' Wow!"

As evidenced by such tunes as "Death Dealer", "Never to Kneel" and "The Devil's Mile", for fans of authentic, no-holds-barred, manly heavy metal, "War Master" is an absolute godsend. And soon, DEATH DEALER will be converting metalheads worldwide to their cause. "Our future plans? Obviously to put DEATH DEALER on the worldwide metal map, and to engage large crowds and render them shocked and satisfied," said Ross.

For more information, visit www.deathdealer.co.

Quality video footage of NEWSTED's entire April 27 performance at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California can be seen below.

NEWSTED is the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted.

NEWSTED kicked off its first-ever U.S. tour on Friday, April 19 at Red House in Walnut Creek, California. The 14-date trek will conclude on May 23 in Asbury Park, New Jersey and will lead into a number of European festival appearances for the band, which is completed by STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth.

NEWSTED has just completed recording its first full-length album, to be released later this year. NEWSTED began mixing the effort earlier in the month, with more details to be announced soon.

Mushok had said earlier when he joined the group, "I loved the old-school vibe of [NEWSTED's] 'Metal' EP, and when we got together to jam, it really felt great. STAIND is taking a break for a while, so when Jason asked if I was interested in joining them to record an album and play on the upcoming tour, it was perfect timing. All I could say was, 'Hell yeah! I'm totally down for this.'"

Newsted himself told ARTISTdirect.com about Mushok: "Before we even played, I knew he was the dude. For the first five or ten minutes, we were just hanging around. Sense of humor-wise, professionally, clear-eyed, hardworking and determined — he was all of those things. It was like check, check, check. That's what I do and he does. Nobody is stupid drunk or on drugs or any of that retarded shit. Every night we have dinner together. We'll drink a bottle of wine together. We have our fun, but we choose our time for it. We'll get a good one on, but we take our music very seriously. Once Mike started playing with us, it was on. It didn't take long at all. He makes the heavy music heavier. I didn't think that was possible. Because he plays seven-string, baritone, and all of these fucking psycho tunings, he reminds me so much of Piggy [VOIVOD] in so many ways. We set up for the auditions so we could see each other when we jam. That way we could communicate and fucking rock 'n' roll. I watched him, and I was like, "Oh my God!" With the way he was swinging his head and playing all of those psycho chords, he reminded me of Piggy. I miss Piggy so much. He was a great teacher and friend. He was taken way too fucking early. Mike brings that color and flavor. He knew the songs right away. He puts some great energy into the new songs. It's fucking amazing. There's no weak link on this stage."

"Metal" sold around 6,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart.

NEWSTED is:

Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals
Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums
Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice
Mike Mushok (STAIND) – Guitar

According to BocaNewsNow.com, Justin McBrain, the 20-year-old son of IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain, was arrested early this morning for allegedly burglarizing an occupied dwelling and 2nd degree petit theft. He is being held on $25,000 bond in the Palm Beach County Jail.

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson tells BocaNewsNow.com that deputies responded to a West Boca home after receiving a call that McBrain forced his way inside. The female homeowner reported that McBrain knocked repeatedly and then pushed his way in when the door was opened. McBrain allegedly rifled through the woman’s purse, taking a half-eaten chocolate bunny, half of an orange — which he consumed in the home — a belly ring, cosmetics, and a freezer pack.

As previously reported, Nicko McBrain's wife Rebecca is due in court on May 3 to defend herself against allegations that she attempted to stab a man, then threw logs at him at her Boca Raton, Florida home. It is unclear if the man was Nicko.

Rebecca McBrain, 50, was arrested on February 24 and charged with battery after she allegedly tried to stab the man with a decorative lance. Although the stabbing attempt failed, Rebecca was allegedly successful in hitting the man with logs that had been sitting in a firepit behind the house, causing minor injuries. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on bond.

She has entered a plea of "not guilty."

On March 2, Nicko McBrain performed at The Classic Rock & Roll Party at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Proceeds from the event went to HomeSafe, a non-profit organization helping society's most vulnerable residents — victims of severe child abuse and domestic violence in Palm Beach County and South Florida.

According to a 1994 article in the Sun Sentinel, Nicko and Rebecca met in 1984 at the Button South in Fort Lauderdale. They married five years later and have made a home in Boca Raton around their son, Justin.

"It's very peaceful here. And there are great golf courses," Nicko said about living in Boca Raton.

He added: "This is a great community. After the humdrum life on the road, the last thing I want to come home to is craziness."

Rebecca comes from a big family in West Virginia and did some modeling while studying at Marshall University in Huntington. In 1985, she was a finalist in the Miss West Virginia Pageant.

Back in July 2003, Nicko McBrain was arrested for allegedly hitting a parking lot attendant — on purpose — with his black Jaguar after a disagreement over McBrain's VIP credentials before a concert at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York. "It's one of those things that happened that shouldn't have happened, but it did, and over time, you sort of look at it and go, 'Gosh, that was silly,'" Nicko said in an August 2004 interview. "And the other guy that was involved with it, I'm sure he's sitting there thinking [the same thing]."

Justin McBrain police booking photo:

Psychedelic extreme metal vanguard GIGAN will begin recording its newest studio offering next month. Titled "Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery And Super-Science", the band's third full-length, and second to be released through legendary, forward-thinking label imprint, Willowtip Records, will once again be recorded with long-time friend and acclaimed engineer Sanford Parker and will be unleashed sometime this fall.

Elaborates GIGAN mastermind, Eric Hersemann: "This third GIGAN record is proving to be the most concise and deadly so far. I'm very pleased with the overall dynamics and vibe the current music is creating within our minds. This is the first GIGAN record I have written outside of Florida and my new environment here in Chicago has provided unique inspiration that resulted in some complex and bizarre results. Psychedelic brutality at its finest."

In related news, GIGAN's first show of 2013 will come in the form of the Scion Rock Fest 2013 set to take place in Memphis, Tennessee on June 1. The band will be performing alongside an illustrious lineup that includes TESTAMENT, MELVINS, ARSIS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, WHITECHAPEL, SIX FEET UNDER, VEKTOR and more.

The brainchild of left-handed lead guitarist and founding member Eric Hersemann, GIGAN has been challenging the mortal laws of extreme music and creativity since early 2006. Forged around the simple notion that the imagination should be art's only limit, GIGAN's style of creative delivery has simultaneously invoked reactions of amazement, disbelief, shock, awe and ultimately, respect.

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

"Breath Of The Pit" track listing:

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

You can check out the "Breath Of The Pit" cover below.

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

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

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

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

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

Professionally filmed video footage of the British metalcore act ASKING ALEXANDRIA performing the song "Closure" during the band's early 2013 European tour with BETRAYING THE MARTYRS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE and WHILE SHE SLEEPS can be seen below.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA's new song "The Death Of Me" was recently released digitally via iTunes, Google Play and Amazon MP3. The track comes off the band's third album, "From Death To Destiny", which will be released this summer via Sumerian Records. The CD was recorded with renowned producer Joey Sturgis (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, EMMURE).

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce revealed that the follow-up to 2011's "Reckless & Relentless" will contain 13-15 songs, six of which will be "radio-friendly" while the rest will be "our usual balls-to-the-wall kind of stuff."

"We spent a long time honing in on song structures and writing techniques and stuff like that, but there are still heavy songs on the record," Bruce said. "We're not just going to throw that away and kick our original fan base in the teeth by getting rid of all that. There will still be a lot of riffing and screaming. But we feel like we did find a happy medium between being heavy and then being light enough to be on radio, but still keeping the balls in the song."

Most of the new CD was recorded at Sturgis' studio in Indiana, while the vocals and strings and choir parts were laid down at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. "On the last one a lot of that extra stuff was all fake; we did it on computer," Bruce said. "This time we wanted to be more organic, so we got a live orchestra conducted by the brilliant Stevie Black (ALICE IN CHAINS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and did all the strings. Then we got a live church gospel choir to come into the studio for a few days to sing over a few tracks. It really sounds special."

ASKING ALEXANDRIA's remix record, "Stepped Up And Scratched", came out in November 2011.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA is:

Danny Worsnop - Vocals
Ben Bruce - Guitar
Cameron Liddell - Guitar
Sam Bettley - Bass
James Cassells - Drums

According to The Local, an elderly Swedish couple who took revenge on their noisy neighbors by booming IRON MAIDEN at top volume face a charge of harassment.

A 71-year-old woman and her 81-year-old husband responded to a "whistling sound" coming from their neighbor's property by placing a music system on the balcony, pointed at the neighbor, and blasting IRON MAIDEN's "Afraid To Shoot Strangers". They also positioned another music system in the cellar directed towards the neighbor's bedroom wall.

The dispute last throughout the winter, with the pensioners playing music from their terraced house in the Stockholm area until as late as 4 a.m., Aftonbladet reported.

"The harassment has just carried on, I am completely broken down. How can I keep living here," the neighbor said in police interviews.

The woman told police that she was forced to take sleeping pills in order to overcome the noise.

"We wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine," her husband said.

Earlier this week, Channel24 spoke to METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich in Cape Town when the band returned to South Africa for three shows — one in Johannesburg and two in Cape Town. Ulrich spoke about tennis, drumming and the secret formula of keeping it together for more than 30 years. You can watch the chat below.

Asked when fans can expect to hear a new METALLICA album, Ulrich said: "It would surprise me if the next full-length METALLICA record would come out before 2015. It takes us awhile to make records, and we're also so busy with so many other things. But we'll get around to it eventually."

On the topic of METALLICA's longevity, Ulrich said: "You have to learn to compromise. In any kind of relationship, there has to be a give-and-take. And so, somehow, we sort of figured out how to do that. It hasn't always been easy.

"When you're younger, you're a bit more fit for fight, or ready to kind of… it's either your way or no way. But I think as you get older, you start realizing that what you have is special. [We realized] that at least in this band, METALLICA is the sum of all parts, so if all the parts are not there, it's not METALLICA. So you have to find a way to kind of give and take and balance and compromise, and sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow, and sometimes you dig your heels in and other times you let go. It takes some time to figure that out."

He continued: "I think a really big help in our situation was the fact that we all had kids more or less around the same time. So when you have no kids — and this is the 'sound bite' version of this — you think primarily of yourself. When you have children, you think primarily of others before yourself. So, I think some of the things about the way you relate to your children and put your children first, you learn to, kind of, put your own needs secondary. And I think the fact that we all had kids at the same time helped instill that in us. And so you try to, sort of, sometimes just put your own needs second and learn to trust that you can go with somebody else's thought and opinion."

As previously reported, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told the United Arab Emirates' GulfNews.com that making headway on the band's next album is "a pretty slow process." Although band members have said in other interviews that they're aiming for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" to come out next year, Hammett explained, "That's what we're hoping would happen. Whether that's a reality, we'll see. We're recording stuff here and there, but it's a pretty slow process."

Hammett also said that METALLICA's upcoming 3D feature film, "Metallica Through The Never", is "kind of taking precedence over anything else at the moment. We want to make sure that this movie gets our full attention and it turns out the way we want it to turn out."

He added, "From the footage we've seen, it looks pretty amazing. It is a trip seeing yourself in 3D, that's for sure! Actually, it's a trip seeing yourself on a 25-feet cinema screen to begin with. The 3D aspect makes it all that much intense."

"Metallica Through The Never" will now come out on September 27 and not August 9 as originally announced. The film will be digitally remastered into IMAX 3D and play for one week exclusively in IMAX theaters in North America before expanding into additional theaters on October 4. The film stars the band, thousands of its fans and acclaimed young actor Dane DeHaan in a story that follows a member of METALLICA's road crew — played by DeHaan — who is sent on a mission during the band's concert that turns his life upside down.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian will independently release two albums this summer through his own Serjical Strike Records.

"Orca", Tankian's first true symphony, will be made available on June 25 and the collaborative jazz-infused album "Jazz-iz Christ" will arrive on July 23.

Recorded in Linz, Austria in October of 2012, "Orca" was composed and demoed in Tankian's home studio and fully realized after a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped fund a recording and debut performance at the regal Brucknerhaus with the Das Karussell Ensemble. With conductor Werner Steinmetz at the helm, the four acts of "Orca" mix influences from early 20th-century composers with modern film compositional dynamics showing influences ranging from Ennio Morricone to Philip Glass. Listeners are met with a mingling of sounds and intertwining pieces that are both serene and bombastic at the same time, offering a fresh interpretation to the classical art.

According to Tankian, "Orca is known as the killer whale, but is really a dark dolphin, a symbolism for human dichotomy."

"Jazz-iz Christ" is Serj's brainchild, but truly is a collaborative effort between many musicians that Tankian curated to be part of the group and self-titled album. Among others, there are considerable contributions from renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan, flautist Valeri Tolstov, and trumpet player Tom Duprey. Additional performances from Stewart Copeland and actor/musician Davis Alpay and Vincent Pedulla make for a very unique collaboration. The 15 tracks that comprise "Jazz-iz Christ", a mostly instrumental effort except for four songs, are an amalgam of progressive jazz, electronic, ethnic and even rock elements, displaying a unique presentation of the genre itself.

Both albums will be available worldwide on iTunes, Amazon and other popular digital distributors and will be available for sale in various limited deluxe physical formats through Tankian's official website and the web site for Serjical Strike Records. Pre-orders for the deluxe limited editions of "Orca", which includes a 180 gram picture disc, merchandise, and a signed version of the actual score, will begin on May 1, while pre-orders for "Jazz-iz Christ" will commence on May 15. Audio samples from both releases are available for preview on Serj's official web site.

Upon completion of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's summer touring in August, Tankian will hang back in Europe until the commencement of his own solo orchestral tour dates that begin on September 19 in Kiev, Ukraine. The concert program will include all four acts of "Orca", but will also incorporate performances of many songs from "Elect The Dead Symphony", which achieved critical and commercial success upon its initial release and tour in 2010.

Danish melodic death metallers MERCENARY have completed mixing their seventh album, "Through Our Darkest Days", for a July 26 release via NoiseArt Records. The CD was recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with longtime producer Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, VOLBEAT, NIGHTRAGE, HATESPHERE, PYRAMAZE). The cover art was created by Mircea Eftemie (guitarist of MNEMIC), who has previously worked with SOILWORK, ILLDISPOSED and others.

MERCENARY comments on the cover: "Last year when we were busy with pre-productions, we considered reaching out to Mircea to ask if he'd like to give our new cover a shot, because we liked his recent stuff and wanted to try someone with a fresh approach. Against all odds, however, he actually beat us to it and contacted us first with the exact same offer, so it very much seemed as a collaboration that was meant to be.

"After a few sketches, we quickly locked on to the main motive of the cover, which we felt was both iconic, mysterious, and not least, oddly disturbing. Most importantly perhaps, we also felt that Mircea's artwork had managed in a natural way to combine something fresh with the style of our older album covers and their dark and atmospheric vibes.

"As our new album is very much a combination our latest material with a lot of the more traditional melodic and melancholic elements of previous MERCENARY albums, we felt that this was a perfect visual expression of MERCENARY's sound and identity in 2013.
"The cover symbolizes a darkness that we have gone through as a band, which we feel that we have finally been able to put behind us.

"The title of the album is meant very positively and thematizes both the journey through existential darkness as a general theme and the ability to break through it.

"The lyrical universe is very much about making the most of life and not getting caught up in negativity."

Adds Eftemie: "I wanted to make something that had a direct visual relation to the album title, but also follow the design patterns of the older MERCENARY album covers, to keep their identity and brand intact. After swapping ideas back and forth, we ended with a piece not too abstract, but dark and disturbing enough to portray the concept of the new album. It was absolutely a pleasure working on this piece!"

The second in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions can be seen below.

"Metamorphosis", the sixth album from MERCENARY, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 42. The CD was released in the U.S. on March 29, 2011 via Prosthetic.

MERCENARY 2013 is:

Jakob Mølbjerg - Guitar
René Pedersen - Bass, Vocals
Martin Buus - Lead Guitar
Peter Mathiesen - Drums

The long-awaited documentary about SEPULTURA’s incredible journey from Brazil to the world is coming to life with help of Kickstarter. Filmmaker Otavio Juliano has been following the band for the better part of 2010-2013, a time of tension and triumph for SEPULTURA, as they toured and recorded their album "Kairos". Nothing has been off limits. This amazing story will go through SEPULTURA's history, myths, conflicts, personnel changes and struggles with the Internet economy in the early 2000s as well interviews and rare footage. This documentary is certain to bring fans closer to the band they love.

According to the documentary makers, "About 50% of the film has been shot so far. We have witnessed this historic band experiencing wrenching transformations and unprecedented growth. We opened SEPULTURA's vault and dig into the best rare and unseen footage of the last 30 years. We will see them at their most vulnerable and human, and also as idols of the heavy metal genre. Those elements make the overall film an uncommonly powerful statement."

SEPULTURA will reunite with producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) to record their next album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will be tracked in June at Robinson's studio in Venice, California and will be co-produced by Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

The reunion between SEPULTURA and Robinson was first suggested by Monte Conner, the former Roadrunner Records A&R chief who is now the head of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a U.S. partnership with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

SEPULTURA's upcoming CD will mark the first time the band will have recorded an album outside Brazil since "Against".

Robinson produced SEPULTURA's classic "Roots" album in 1995. Released in February 1996 by Roadrunner, it was the band's last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera.

"Roots" sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 units.

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.

Revolution Harmony, the brainchild of British music lecturer/journalist Ray Holroyd, has set a July 18 release date for its debut all-star charity single, "We Are". The song features vocals from Serj Tankian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN) and Ihsahn (EMPEROR), as well as guitar solos by Devin Townsend.

Composed, arranged, programmed and produced by Ray Holroyd in Vancouver, the complex international studio project was recorded in North America, England, Norway and New Zealand, then mixed by Rohan Onraet (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD) in London, and mastered by Ted Jensen (GREEN DAY, MUSE) in New York. The single also features Stefan Loh (WE CLAIMED SENTIENCE ONCE) on guitar, and additional vocals from the young up-and-coming U.K. singer Abbie Johnson.

Vancouver-based non-profit record label Revolution Harmony was launched in 2011 by Holroyd. After founding the non-profit Grade 9 Records in 2008 and growing the label over three successful years, Holroyd decided to expand upon what he had originally established as a means for his students to sell their music and donate the profits to charity, and Revolution Harmony was born. Revolution Harmony acts as a two-way channel, providing an outlet for artists to release their music worldwide and earn money from it, and providing an inlet for the label profits from that music to be redirected to charities that restore harmony between all people, animals and the environment.

The lyrical theme in "We Are" is based on the concept behind Revolution Harmony, which is essentially the belief that musical harmony has the power to inspire a revolution towards societal harmony. The single is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and the memory of Lucky Dube, regarded as South Africa's Bob Marley, and will be released worldwide on Mandela Day (July 18), with all proceeds donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa.

For more information on Revolution Harmony, visit RevolutionHarmony.org.

BLACK SABBATH debuted a brand new song, "Methademic", earlier tonight (Monday, April 29) at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below. The track is featured on the deluxe edition of "13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, which is due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on Friday (April 19), with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".

Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.

"13" track listing:

01. End Of The Beginning (8:05)
02. God Is Dead? (8:52)
03. Loner (4:59)
04. Zeitgeist (4:37)
05. Age Of Reason (7:01)
06. Live Forever (4:46)
07. Damaged Soul (7:51)
08. Dear Father (7:20)

Deluxe-edition bonus tracks:

09. Methademic (5:57)
10. Peace Of Mind (3:40)
11. Pariah (5:34)

Total running time (with bonus tracks): 68 minutes, 42 seconds

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

Scott Kara of The New Zealand Herald has written a track-by-track review of "13". Check it out at this location.

Regarding "End Of The Beginning", which SABBATH will perform on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS, Kara wrote: "The first thing you notice — apart from Tony Iommi's glorious, grinding guitar licks, and the brain-rattling bass and rumbling drums — is that unique SABBATH tempo. For any other band, it would sound plodding, but they somehow turn it into a fearsome lurch. While 'End Of The Beginning' is no 'War Pigs', it's an impressive epic that moves from foot-planting heaviness, to eerie tranquility, and then into one of Ozzy's tender serenades."

On the topic of "God Is Dead?", Kara wrote: "The first single off the album — which, at almost nine minutes and the longest on the record, isn't exactly radio friendly — comes creeping and crawling out of the speakers like a prowler. But then it rumbles and pummels its way to an early crescendo like a brawler. And you can't help but laugh and throw a cheeky heavy metal goat salute when Ozzy sings a line like, 'Out of the gloom, I rise up out of my tomb, into the impending doom.'"

Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single, "God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."

Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.

"Methademic" performance:

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER are in the studio recording the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". Members John Petrucci, John Myung, Jordan Rudess, Mike Mangini and James LaBrie sat down and answered some questions from their fans on Twitter. Check out the latest clip below.

In a recent interview with Roadrunner Records, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci stated about the making of the band's new CD: "First of all, it's been going great with [drummer Mike Mangini, who joined the group in 2010], and as much as we've been a band together for about 15 years, we haven't really experienced that process together. We've been in the studio for a few weeks now, and he's been amazing. Amazing chemistry is great, the writing process and the whole vibe is great, and his role is to let his personality shine as a drummer, creatively and to have his input and his musical personality really come through. And I gotta tell you, it's happening. When people hear the drumming on this album, they're gonna be pretty freaked out. On the last album, he did a great job, but he wasn't there for the writing process and he was interpreting drum parts that I had programmed. Even though he used his creativity, of course, to change them up and do his thing, I feel like now he's just Mike Mangini unleashed. It's all him. It's all his creativity, all his decisions and ideas and man, the guy's an animal."

"Live At Luna Park", DREAM THEATER's live concert captured on 2DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Video, 2DVD/3CD, Blu-ray/3CD, and a deluxe edition (2DVD/Blu-ray/3CD), will drop in May via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

"Live At Luna Park" was filmed over two nights in South America — home to one of DREAM THEATER's most ardent fanbases. The DVD was filmed August 19 and August 20, 2012 at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a 15-month world tour, hitting 35 countries.