"Stairway To Hell", the latest EP from reunited hard rockers UGLY KID JOE, which was originally released independently last summer, will be reissued on April 16 through MRI with three bonus acoustic tracks and video content.

"Stairway To Hell" reissue track listing:

01. Devil's Paradise
02. You Make Me Sick
03. No One Survives
04. I'm Alright
05. Love Ain't True! (featuring Angelo Moore & Dirty Walt of FISHBONE)
06. Another Beer
07. Cats In the Cradle (acoustic)
08. Would You Like To Be There (acoustic)
09. No One Survives (acoustic)

The video for the song "I'm Alright" can be seen below.

"Stairway To Hell" heralds UGLY KID JOE's return, containing songs spanning the full repertoire of influences which made the band one of the prime soundtracks for young snowboarders, surfers, keggers and characters worldwide. Whether it's "Devil’s Paradise", with its hypnotic riffery and hook line, grooving and grinding its hips seductively, the melodic power-fueled darkness of "No One Survives" or the irrepressibly memorable chug-and-chorus of "I'm Alright" it's clear that UGLY KID JOE have everything they started with plus fatter chops and a (frankly) superior curve on songwriting.

UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane told Neuweltmusic, "17 years ago, we were excited to prove ourselves with our new, heavy music. Sometimes we'd leave 'Cat's In The Cradle' or 'Everything About You' out of the set. That was understandable in the sense of wanting to prove ourselves — it was also childish. It drove me crazy, but now it's all good. Now we embrace both our sides. They're part of our dynamic and our history."

UGLY KID JOE released three full-length albums and toured extensively throughout the 1990s before disbanding in 1997.

The epicenter of UGLY KID JOE is Crane, a wonderfully cathartic wrecking ball of rock 'n' roll energy as it used to be served, on the rocks with no need for tonic. He's joined by long-time co-conspirators, Klaus Eichstadt and Dave Fortman (guitars) as well as Cordell Crockett (bass) and Shannon Larkin (drums.) Several members have built pretty substantial resumes during UGLY KID JOE's break. Fortman produced albums by EVANESCENCE, SLIPKNOT and MUDVAYNE, while Larkin hit the skins for multi-platinum-sellers GODSMACK.

Asked what the catalyst was in bringing the band back together, Crane told Music-News.com, "I never thought it would go down personally, but Dave was producing a band called GODSMACK and in that band there's a magnificent drummer called Shannon Larkin who, of course, is the UGLY KID JOE drummer, so basically you had Dave Fortman producing Shannon's band, and those guys were just talking and having a good time. I guess they talked about it and called Klaus, my best friend and guitar player of UGLY KID JOE, they said, 'Hey, man, we should make some music.' Klaus shot me a call and asked me if I wanna play some heavy metal music, and obviously I said yes."

Regarding why UGLY KID JOE split up in the first place, Crane said: "In late '96 and January '97 when we officially spilt, no one was into it; you could feel the wind out of the sails. We were sick of each other and we had the courage to leave. It's okay to leave a toxic situation. So that said, fast forward 16 years later, and everyone wants to be in the room, we’re excited to be around each other and be creative. We've all gone off and done this myriad of stuff, some of us are married and have kids, so now we're armed with all these various experiences and it's really exciting and cathartic in some sense. We didn't know how it would work out, if we would get any shows, and being asked how we feel about being able to support ALICE COOPER [on a recent U.K. tour], we [were] blown away."

"I'm Alright" video:

Swedish abjection horde MAJALIS has inked a deal with Pulverised Records. The band's debut EP will be released later in the year.

With this project, group suspended for several years and ultimately resurrected by the group's pivotal figures Tobias Netzell and Björn Pettersson, also of IN MOURNING fame; MAJALIS is now ready to take the first leap forward and introduce the band's EP to the unsuspecting world of mournful harmonious scorn.

Much of the material for MAJALIS' first EP was written by Tobias and Björn several years ago. All four members are active musicians in other bands and are no strangers to playing live or writing music.

Comments MAJALIS six-stringer Björn Pettersson: "We are happy and proud to be able to work with Pulverised for our debut EP. Some of us have been working together before and it feels like both us and the Pulverised guys are pretty stoked about this project, so we have no doubts that this will be a good collaboration."

Adds Pulverised label manager Roy Yeo: "Having worked with IN MOURNING previously, we knew very clearly what Tobias, Björn and Co. were capable of for sure. MAJALIS, although are amongst the same musical territory with the likes of IN MOURNING, KATATONIA, etc. and its predecessors, they sound nothing like the aforementioned bands. There is really no better way to describe MAJALIS than somewhat sounding dangerously close to a funeral-like post rock band with unyielding depressive underlings."

MAJALIS is:

Daniel Jansson - Bass, Vocals
Tobias Netzell - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Björn Pettersson - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Jonas Martinsson - Drums

On April 1, Russell Allen and Mike Orlando of ADRENALINE MOB took a tour of the 50 Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. After seeing the GPS operations floor, the boys played an acoustic set for the airmen. Check out video footage below.

ADRENALINE MOB released "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12. Longtime fans of drummer Mike Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with DREAM THEATER and with Neal Morse. "Covertá" is the first CD of covers recorded by ADRENALINE MOB.

"Covertá" track listing:

01. High Wire (BADLANDS)
02. Stand Up And Shout (DIO)
03. Break on Through (THE DOORS)
04. Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN)
05. Barracuda (HEART)
06. Kill The King (RAINBOW)
07. The Lemon Song (LED ZEPPELIN)
08. The Mob Rules (BLACK SABBATH)

"Omertá" sold around 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in Europe on March 19, 2012 in Europe via Century Media Records and in the U.S. on March 13, 2012 through the newly formed Elm City Music in conjunction with EMI Label Services.

The 11-song effort — which was produced by ADRENALINE MOB and mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked on ANTHRAX's "Worship Music" and STEEL PANTHER's "Balls Out" — includes a blistering reinterpretation of DURAN DURAN's classic "Come Undone" featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM.

Brazilian/American thrashers 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.

"Monte was the guy who signed SEPULTURA to Roadrunner in 1988," SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser told Diario de Pernambuco. "It's been a nice experience working with him again. He always brought a good energy to the band."

SEPULTURA's upcoming CD will mark the first time the band will have recorded an album outside Brazil since 1998's "Against".

"It will be very good to record in a studio that Ross and Steve know so well," Andreas said.

To date, SEPULTURA has new 13 songs in various stages of completion.

"We are in the process of writing and we have already stared working on some of the lyrics. I am also working on guitar solos and other ideas," Andreas explained.

Asked what fans can fans expect from the upcoming SEPULTURA album, Andreas said: "I don't know; it's hard to say. This is the first time writing with [latest SEPULTURA addition] Eloy Casagrande on drums and everything sounds fresh. You'll just have to wait to hear it. It's very difficult to describe what we're doing, but I can say that will be one of the strongest SEPULTURA albums to date. It will be definitely one of the best albums in the history of SEPULTURA."

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

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

Eloy is a 21-year-old drum prodigy from São Paulo, Brazil who won the Modern Drummer "Undiscovered Drummer" contest as a teenager in 2006.

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

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

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

The second trailer for "Halo Of Blood", the eighth studio album from Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM, can be seen below.

"Halo Of Blood" 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".

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 CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi 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."

Added CHILDREN OF BODOM bass player Henkka Seppälä about the artwork: "We wanted to have a winter scene. Somehow it fits well with the atmosphere of the music and the composing session. It could be Lake Bodom, actually, frozen, with people trapped under the ice. Very Finnish looking scene. We were really happy how Sami created the whole imagery!"

"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

"Halo Of Blood" is expected to feature a guest appearance by ANNIHILATOR mainman Jeff Waters.

"I played on ANNIHILATOR's album 'Metal' in 2007, so the way I see it, Jeff Waters owes BODOM a solo or two! It's payback time," Laiho told Soundi magazine.

Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records has released "Cold", the new single from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, via iTunes. The track, which was mixed by Anthony Focx (NEWSTED, AEROSMITH, NIGHT RANGER, TED NUGENT), will also be released as a special limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single with a newly recorded version of the QUEENSRŸCHE classic "Silent Lucidity" — mixed by Jürgen Engler (DORO, DIE KRUPPS) — on the B-side.

"Cold" comes off QUEENSRŸCHE's new album, "Frequency Unknown", which is scheduled for release on April 23 via Deadline Music/Cleopatra. The CD was produced by Jason Slater at a studio in Northern California.

Acclaimed musician, record producer and engineer Billy Sherwood last week "withdrew" from remixing "Frequency Unknown", citing "scheduling issues."

After Sherwood's involvement with the project first became public, Deadline Music/Cleopatra released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which the record company explained that "some of the response" to previews of the CD were less than positive. "Some complained about the overall quality of the recordings, and in particular the mix," the statement read. "We here at Deadline Music have the utmost confidence in the powerful songwriting and outstanding performances from Geoff Tate and crew on this album, but we also want the fans to know that we are listening to them as well! So, in the interest of democratic free choice, Deadline Music has commissioned the superbly talented musician/producer Billy Sherwood (formerly of YES) to remix the album. Now fans will be able to decide which mix they feel best represents the album: the original mix, which will be released on April 23rd, or the new mix … that will be made available at a future date to be announced…. WE REMIX, YOU DECIDE!"

In a post on his official blog, Slater wrote: "Anybody that was around while we were making the record knows how slammed we were for time. In the end, the mixes suffered. As they're the last part of the process, we didn't really have time to mix them properly. It was more of a race against the clock than a mix situation. Much to Cleopatra's credit, they've given us extra time to get things right.

"Back when there was lots of money in the record business, it was pretty common to go back and do recalls on mixes, but as the margins have gotten tighter, it almost never happens anymore. All that being said, I have to commend Cleopatra for putting the record first and letting us go back and recall the mixes. It's been quite awhile since a label spent the time and money to go back and get things right.

"I'm going back and doing three or four. A few of the mixes were fine and another mixer is doing one or two.

"I wanna thank the folks at Cleopatra for the opportunity to make this record right. Most labels nowadays will just throw the record on the shelves (iTunes) instead of spending the money/time to do recalls. The record will be much better for it, and that’s all that really matters."

Although a lineup for Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE was originally announced in the fall of 2012, things have changed. The band will now feature Tate along with bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, DIO, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT), guitarist Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE 1998-2001), keyboardist Randy Gane and new additions, guitarist Robert Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, HURRICANE) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET). Guest musicians on the CD include K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST), Chris Poland (MEGADETH), Ty Tabor (KING'S X), Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS), Lita Ford, Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER), Dave Meniketti (Y&T) and Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN).

"Frequency Unknown" is packaged with bonus tracks — four QUEENSRŸCHE classics, newly recorded, including the smash hit single "Silent Lucidity".

"Frequency Unknown" track listing:

01. When Lightning Strikes
02. Running Backwards
03. Fallen
04. Life Without You
05. In The Hands Of God
06. Cold
07. The Weight Of The World
08. Slave
09. Dare
10. Everything

Bonus tracks: (2013 versions)

11. Silent Lucidity
12. Empire
13. Jet City Woman
14. I Don t Believe In Love

The lyric video for the song "Atonement In Blood" from the German black/death quintet NEGATOR can be seen below. The track comes off the band's fourth album, "Gates To The Pantheon", will be released this spring in North America via Prosthetic Records. The CD will be made available physically on May 14 and digitally on April 23 to coincide with its European release through Viva Hate Records.

"Gates To The Pantheon", NEGATOR's first new music in over three years, is the follow-up to their highly acclaimed third album "Panzer Metal". That release caught the attention of Swedish legends DARK FUNERAL, who subsequently enlisted NEGATOR vocalist Nachtgarm to front their band throughout 2011 and 2012. The new album — recorded at Hammer Studios in Hamburg with producer Eike Freese (GAMMA RAY, CALLEJON, DARK AGE) — features nine bloodthirsty tracks of pounding blackened death, hailed by JOB FOR A COWBOY guitarist Alan Glassman as "one of the angriest-sounding releases I've ever heard — a black metal masterpiece."

"Gates To The Pantheon" track listing

01. Epiclesis
02. Bringer Of War
03. The Last Sermon
04. Serpents Court
05. Nergal, The Raging King
06. Carnal Malefactor
07. The Urge For Battle
08. Atonement In Blood
09. Revelation 9:11

What was considered as Orwellian fiction back in 1984 has become reality in 2013 — the surveillance society. In times of Facebook and Skype, true privacy seems to exist only where exposure through the media is consistently rejected. "There's almost a kind of hysteria when it comes to the Internet and digital pseudo-realities," POWERWORLD mastermind Ilker Ersin explains the background of the band's latest album title, "Cybersteria", a combination — you might have guessed it — of the words "cyber" and "hysteria."

"Our new songs aren't a concept album in the narrower sense, but as usual the whole album is held together by a central theme," he continues. "This time the leitmotif is emotional impoverishment which is increasingly supported by the new media. At the end of the day, social networks have the opposite effect of what they suggest: they make people grow lonely." Stirring words by a musician who has composed an album which is stirring in every respect, because "Cybersteria" presents that typical intelligent mélange of melodic heavy metal and progressive elements that we've come to expect from POWERWORLD.

The album's opener, "Children Of The Universe", a brilliant piece featuring a powerful guitar riff and an intricately complex structure, is typical of this unique combination and refers to the global effects of the actions of every single one of us, be it in a media or a technical context. "Slave To The Powerworld", with its ambiguous title, sketches in detail how powerful and at the same time merciless the world of the Internet has become.

Comments Ersin: "There have even been cases where governments were overthrown through the power of the Internet." "Cybersteria" also holds a number of stylistic surprises in store: "Black Ash" is unusually cheerful for this band, featuring consciously selected major chords which create a very individual, open atmosphere. Ersin says: "Our roots are in the blues, so we usually prefer minor atmospheres, but in this instance the major chords complement the melodic line perfectly." And all those interested in finding out which direction this band is likely to opt for in the future will be able to find out more on "Coast Of Tears", a skilful refinement of that typical POWERWORLD sound.

Ersin produced and mixed "Cybersteria" at his MusikundWeb studios in Hirschaid, near Bamberg. The CD was mastered by Tommy Newton (VICTORY, UFO), and the instruments were recorded by Ersin, guitarist Andreas Rippelmeier, keyboardist Marco Grasshoff and drummer Guido Gallus. The biggest surprise: the vocal parts were recorded by Michael Bormann (ex-JADED HEART), who stepped in on short notice after David Reece (ex-ACCEPT, BANGALORE CHOIR) exited the group. Ersin explains: "It transpired during the recordings that David and I have different approaches which cannot be combined under the moniker of POWERWORLD. As a result, we decided to end our collaboration. There were no hard feelings between David and me; it was simply a decision by two grown men who agreed to follow their gut instincts."

In Michael Bormann, POWERWORLD have found an ideal replacement, particularly since Bormann had already successfully filled in during their most recent tour for former POWERWORLD vocalist Andrew McDermott, who suffered from ill health (he died in August 2011), and had also been scheduled as a choir singer on "Cybersteria". "Michael did a brilliant job and even rewrote the lyrics with me. We're not only totally thrilled, but also very grateful for his support," says Ersin.

"Cybersteria" track listing:

01. Children Of The Universe
02. Slave To The Powerworld
03. Back On Me
04. World Knows Your Secrets - Virtuality
05. You Gotta Hold On
06. Am I Digital? (intro)
07. Coast Of Tears
08. Black Ash
09. Like A Shadow
10. Cybersteria
11. You Will Find A Way
12. Not Bound To The Evil

"Cybersteria" will be released in Germany on May 24, in the rest of Europe on May 27 and in the U.S./Canada on June 4 through SPV/Steamhammer.

POWERWORLD is:

Michael Bormann (BONFIRE, JADED HEART) - Vocals
Ilker Ersin (FREEDOM CALL, MOON'DOC) - Bass
Marco Grashoff - Keyboards
Andreas Rippelmeier - Guitar
Guido Gallus - Drums

Swedish "Viking metal" act MÅNEGARM has set "Legions Of The North" as the title of its new album, due in late June via Napalm Records.

Commented guitarist Markus Andé: "'Legions Of The North' is an album full of hard hitting melodies and ear catching refrains, all spiced with the special MÅNEGARM flavor and served to you all in the best way. We're very proud to present this new album and we really hope that you will enjoy it. The Wolf is back…prepare for war!!"

"Legions Of The North" track listing:

01. Arise
02. Legions Of The North
03. Eternity Awaits
04. Helvegr
05. Hordes Of Hel
06. Tor Hjälpe
07. Wake The Gods - Bonus Track
08. Vigverk
09. Sons Of War
10. Echoes From The Past
11. Fallen
12. Forged In Fire
13. Raadh

Violin player Janne Liljekvist has left MÅNEGARM in June 2012 "due to lack of motivation."

MÅNEGARM's most recent CD, "Nattväsen", was released in November 2009 via Regain Records.

The avant-garde Norwegian group SHINING — whose unique "blackjazz" hybrid of extreme progressive metal, experimental jazz-fusion and industrial precision has earned extensive international acclaim — will release "One One One", its first studio album in three years, this spring. The CD, which is available now for pre-order, will be released by Prosthetic Records in North America digitally on April 23, with physical releases on CD and gatefold LP to follow soon after. A teaser for the forthcoming music video for first single "I Won't Forget" can be seen below.

Mixed and co-produced by Sean Beaven (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON, SLAYER) and mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEFTONES, MINISTRY), "One One One" sees SHINING expanding on the musical palettes introduced on 2010's landmark "Blackjazz". That album — hailed by the New York Times as "a radioactive alloy of jazz and black metal" — scored a Norwegian Spellemann nomination (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards), cracked the Norwegian Top 10 and saw the group tour around the globe, from high-profile U.S. events like South By Southwest and CMJ to the large stages of European summer festivals. One such performance was captured on "Live Blackjazz", an ambitious CD/DVD released on 11.11.11 that saw the group perform the album in full before a sold-out crowd in their home country.

SHINING has already performed "One One One" live in its entirety in Norway, after which they were awarded the prestigious Statoil scholarship — essentially a grant to be used toward international touring. Accordingly, the band is already making plans to return to America, where their 2012 South By Southwest performance earned rave reviews ("SHINING are true rock stars...the best thing about the entire festival up until that point," wrote MetalSucks).

It will be the latest step on an unorthodox career path that began with two acoustic jazz albums released at the turn of the century. From there, SHINING began to incorporate progressive rock and experimental metal influences on their next two releases, after which they famously collaborated with progressive black metal Vikings ENSLAVED on a concerto commissioned by a top European jazz festival. That union helped to influence the musical direction of "Blackjazz", which in turn begat "One One One".

"While 'One One One' is meant to complete the 'Blackjazz Trilogy,' it's also definitely the catchiest and most immediate music we've ever recorded, thereby paving the way for another bright and brand new version of ourselves," says SHINING frontman Jørgen Munkeby. "The idea this time around was to make a series of jazz-metal hits with no fillers, hence the name of the album, and I believe we've managed to do just that. I have never been as proud of an album as I am with this one."

"One One One" track listing:

01. I Won't Forget
02. The One Inside
03. My Dying Drive
04. Off The Hook
05. Blackjazz Rebels
06. How Your Story Ends
07. The Hurting Game
08. Walk Away
09. Paint The Sky Black

Frontiers Records will release "Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall" on June 11 in North America and June 14 in Europe.

Karlsson started his cooperation with Frontiers Records in the year 2000 when his band LAST TRIBE was signed by the Italian label. After two more records with this group, Magnus was asked by Serafino Perugino, Frontiers Records label president, to write and produce some of their artists. This started a successful journey of collaborations with some of the greatest singers and musicians in the hard rock/metal world. The list includes the successful ALLEN/LANDE trilogy, STARBREAKER, BOB CATLEY, KISKE/SOMERVILLE and the list goes on and on. He finally joined the German heavy metal icons PRIMAL FEAR in 2008 and with them he toured the world and recorded two successful albums that climbed high on the charts in several countries.

This time, Magnus created his own album with his strongest melodic metal and hard rock set of songs ever and invited both old and new friends to sing them. The list includes Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ADRENALINE MOB), Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, GAMMA RAY), Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER), Mark Boals (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THE CODEX), Rick Altzi (MASTERPLAN, AT VANCE), Mike Andersson (STAR ONE, FULL FORCE), Rickard Bengtsson (LAST TRIBE), Herman Saming (A.C.T.), David Readman (PINK CREAM 69, VODOO CIRCLE). Rounding up the line-up on the album is Daniel Flores on drums.

"I've had the honor to collaborate with some of the greatest singers and musicians in the world," says Magnus. "Artists who have made my life richer with their magical music. On this album, I got the chance to write tailor made songs for some of my absolute favorite singers. I was thinking, what would I really like to hear from this or that guy, and then I wrote the songs. It’s like if I'm missing a song with my favourite singer in my record collection, then I just make that song for him! I listen like a fan and I write like a fan, well…I am a fan!"

"Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall" track listing:

01. Free Fall (lead vocals: Russell Allen)
02. Higher (lead vocals: Ralf Scheepers)
03. Heading Out (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson)
04. Stronger (lead vocals: Tony Harnell)
05. Not My Saviour (lead vocals: Rick Altzi)
06. Us Against The World (lead vocals: David Readman)
07. Our Time Has Come (lead vocals: Mark Boals)
08. Ready Or Not (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson)
09. Last Tribe (lead vocals: Rickard Bengtsson)
10. Fighting (lead vocals: Herman Saming)
11. Dreamers & Hunters (lead vocals: Mike Andersson)
12. On Fire (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson)

Four of the songs can be sampled in the YouTube clip below.

SEVEN WITCHES has completed work on its ninth studio album, "The Rebirth", to be released later in the year through Entertainment One's FrostByte Media imprint. The CD was recorded at Canyon Music in Toms River, New Jersey and is currently being mixed at Sonorous studio in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

A three-and-a-half-minute clip featuring snippets of the songs that will appear on "The Rebirth" is available below.

Alan Tecchio last year stepped down as the SEVEN WITCHES lead vocalist, feeling that he could not be fully committed to the project. The band's new CD will, however, feature Alan singing his version of one of the new cuts (same music, different lyrics and melodies) as a bonus track.

"We are very excited to unveil the latest incarnation of the band," exlaims vocalist Anthony Cross (a.k.a. Anthony Regalbuto), who is said to have "a completely different approach to the SEVEN WITCHES brand.

"I'm happy to be a part of the band and look forward to continue in the history that is SEVEN WITCHES.

"We've been reviewing mixes taking photos and even shooting a couple of videos in the past few weeks. Going over all the last-minute details to get this out as quickly as possible.

"Grab your leather and howl at the moon cause there’s a rumor that a vicious tour is being planned in the states this fall."

In other news, SEVEN WITCHES guitarist Jack Frost's instructional DVD is near release.

After over 20 different vocalist submissions, Cross was chosen to bring a different dimension to the already well-known WITCHES sound. In recent years, he spent time singing for bands like LIVESAY, SHADOW IMAGE, FISCHEL'S BEAST, ATTACKER, and most recently, the IRON MAIDEN tribute act SANCTUARY. Rounding out the new lineup is the massive rhythm team of Ronnie Parkes (SLIPPERY WHEN WET, FARCRY) on bass and Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE, DANZIG, SEVENTH VOID, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH) on drums.

SEVEN WITCHES states: "Our goal is to bring you something unpredictable that you can sink your teeth into and walk away feeling 'till the next morning."

Vocalist James Rivera (HELSTAR, VICIOUS RUMORS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) announced his departure from SEVEN WITCHES in September 2011.

Rivera sang on SEVEN WITCHES' "Passage To The Other Side" (2003), "Year Of The Witch" (2004) and "Call Upon The Wicked" (2011) albums.

"Call Upon The Wicked" was released on June 3, 2011 via Massacre Records.

Relapse Records has announced the signing of Brooklyn, New York's blackened sludge trio MORTALS. The band will enter the studio this summer to record the follow-up to the independently released "Death Ritual" EP.

Formed in 2010, MORTALS (Elizabeth Cline, guitar and vocals; Lesley Wolf, bass and vocals; Caryn Havlik, drums) have quickly built a reputation for their harrowing concoction of black metal, stoner-swamp-sludge and doom metal, being described by MSN's Headbang blog as an "engrossing and devastating version of modern metal," and by Meat Mead Metal as "massive and crushing."

The group commented on the signing: "It's unbelievable that we now have the support and backing of a label like Relapse whose roster of incredible talent is one we've long followed. We're so excited that this label is offering us the opportunity to share what we're doing with the world. Pass the whiskey!"

MORTALS will hit the road for a string of East Coast shows starting May 3 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including dates with MUTILATION RITES, EAST OF THE WALL, WOE and FUCK THE FACTS.

According to Guardian.co.uk, long-running U.K. rock/metal magazines Classic Rock and Metal Hammer have been sold for £10.2 million (approximately $15.44 million) to TeamRock, a new venture headed by former GMG Radio chief executive John Myers.

The deal includes the brand extensions for both stations such as the magazines and their events, the Golden Gods and Classic Rock Roll Of Honour.

Mark Wood, chief executive of Future PLC, which sold the two titles to TeamRock, said: "Classic Rock and Metal Hammer are highly successful and well-managed parts of Future, but they have not been centre stage in our current growth strategy.

"They are great brands with a great team and I am confident they will continue to flourish under new investment from TeamRock."

TeamRock describes itself as a "new international multimedia content creation and distribution business" to "provide and create premium content to rock-music fans across the world via digital platforms and through the Classic Rock and Metal Hammer titles".

Billy Anderson, former GMG Radio regional director who is TeamRock's chief executive, said: "We are delighted to acquire these wonderful brands that will play a significant part in the development of our larger business. They come with a great team led by Chris Ingham and we look forward to investing further in their development."

According to Future, Classic Rock and Metal Hammer generated revenue of £8.6 million and an adjusted pre-tax profit of £0.2 million as of the end of September 2012, with an underlying profit of £2 million.

BLACK SABBATH's new album, "13" — the first in 35 years to feature bassist Geeezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Ozzy Osbourne — will be released on June 11 via Vertigo/Universal Republic in the U.S. and Vertigo in all other territories. The drum tracks on the group's first LP with Osbourne since 1978 were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

The cover artwork for "13", along with a snippet of a new song from the CD, can be seen in the YouTube clip below.

Osbourne, Iommi and Butler recorded the album primarily in Los Angeles with producer Rick Rubin. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include three seven-plus-minute behemoths "End Of The Beginning", "God Is Dead" and "Epic", as well as a track about killing pedophile priests ("Dear Father") and another about the scourge of methamphetamine addiction ("Methademic"). Iommi said about the album, "You can't always repeat what you've done, you've just got to go on. It'll be today's version of how it was 40 years ago, I suppose." Ozzy stated, "This BLACK SABBATH album is quite possibly the most important album of my career," while Butler added, "We'll probably all be dead soon, so while we still can play and sing, then we've got to do it."

Ozzy has consistently said over the years that any new SABBATH project had to live up to the standards of the band's early, classic records. "If I had an album which blew 'Master Of Reality' off the map, I'd be crazy not to do it," he said. "I don't want to put an album out, just for the sake of us four being on an album."

"13" is available for pre-order on a variety of formats via BlackSabbath.com.

Pre-order options:

* Standard CD album
* Deluxe double CD album in a deluxe soft-pack (includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio material)
* Vinyl: a 12-inch heavyweight (180g) vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve
* Super Deluxe Box Set: a limited-edition 12-inch clamshell box set which contains: deluxe double CD album, 12-inch heavyweight (180g) vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve, exclusive DVD containing "Black Sabbath - The Reunion" documentary, plus five behind-the-scenes videos, download card containing exclusive track-by-track interview with BLACK SABBATH, "13" exclusive photographic prints and handwritten album lyrics.

In addition, anyone who pre-orders any of these formats via BlackSabbath.com will be entered into a drawing to win a pair of VIP tickets to an official "13" album launch event in London, including a meet-and-greet with the band, flights and accommodation. Additional details and full terms and conditions on the contest can be found at BlackSabbath.com.

German gothic death pioneers ATROCITY have unveiled the cover artwork and track listing for part one of their album trilogy, "Okkult". The CD will feature a three-continent treasure hunt where the band will hide a track for one fan to find for each of the three releases, the first in Europe this year (first evidence and code of the treasure hunt are hidden in the booklet of the limited-edition digipak and in the iTunes version).

"Okkult" will be released via Napalm Records on the following dates:

April 24: Spain/Sweden/Norway
April 26: GAS/BeNeLux/Finland
April 29: Rest of the world
May 7: USA/Canada

The album was produced by vocalist Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studio. The cover art (see below) was created by Stefan Heilemann.

"Okkult" track listing:

01. Pandaemonium
02. Death By Metal
03. March of the Undying
04. Haunted By Demons
05. Murder Blood Assasination
06. Necromancy Divine
07. Satan's Braut
08. Todesstimmen
09. Masaya (Boca Del Infierno)
10. When Empires Fall to Dust
11. Beyond Perpetual Ice
12. La Voisine

The song "Pandaemonium" can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Commentes ATROCITY singer and producer Alex Krull: "With 'Okkult', we want to start a very special album trilogy. Most recently with the 'Die Gottlosen Jahre (The Godless Years)' DVD, a splendid film documentary was released commemorating our longer-than-25-year career, which even now is to run at film festivals. Reason enough now to usher in a new era of ATROCITY! Musically, no prisoners will be taken, the 'Okkult' series is also brutal, bombastic and dark. These will not only be the heaviest and most brutal albums of ATROCITY since years, but also the darkest works of our band's history. Lovers of our harder material like 'Hallucinations', 'Todessehnsucht', 'Blut' or 'Atlantis' will surely be delighted with the 'Okkult' series at their expense, although the 'Okkult' songs have their own trademarks, of course."

The new ATROCITY opus, "Okkult". is described in a press release as "the kickstart to an album trilogy as it has not been seen before in the metal scene! Musically, ATROCITY show an enormous tension width, and deliver a very powerful, homogeneous and atmospheric album: On the one hand with much bombast and big choirs a la 'March Of The Undying'; on the other hand, ATROCITY deliver equally purist, brutal metal songs, which get under your skin just as intensely, closely and authentically. The overall sound is perfectly harmonized. The earthy, brilliant production sounds intoxicating and gives the musical pieces the necessary energy, atmosphere and roughness to dive immediately into the lyrical concept. This is anything but one-dimensional. The lyrics relate to occult magic, mysterious places, conspiracy theories and mysteries that are still unsolved. Thus, ATROCITY turn John Milton's vision of 'Pandemonium' into reality in an imposing way. With 'Death By Metal', a mystical tale from long ago, ATROCITY have composed a tribute to their own musical roots, as well as it is their own band anthem. The band takes us with 'Haunted By Demons' on a Scottish haunted castle, and brings in 'Necromancy Divine' the ancient necromancer Erictho back to life. Moreover, the 'Okkult' cover motif is dedicated to her. With overwhelming power the gates of hell are opened in 'Masaya (Boca del Inferno)'. The epic 'When Empires Fall To Dust' set the mystical prophecies of a mysterious, French Freemason from the First World War to music. Never before has the Ides of March been staged musically as gripping as in 'Murder Blood Assassination'. Also the myths surrounding the Antarctic have never before been turned into such a hymnic piece of music ('Beyond Perpetual Ice'). As a culmination the poisoner and witch 'La Voisine' does her mischief in the Paris of the 17th Century: What could fit better than a smashing, furious metal song of the brand ATROCITY?"

In keeping with the dark atmosphere of "Okkult", ATROCITY got the Canadian sound designer Katie Halliday on board. She worked for movies like "Saw V", "Saw VI", "Saw 3D (VII)", "The Devil's Carnival" and "Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil", and already could reap some awards for her work. The orchestral parts were recorded by the Lingua Mortis Orchestra under the direction of Victor Smolski (RAGE) in Minsk, Belarus. Besides all harshness and bombast, ATROCITY again show their excellent sense of very good, catchy songs — "Satan's Braut" is definitely a pure club hit.

Adds Krull: "For our fans, we've come up with something very special: There will be no conventional bonus tracks on the 'Okkult' albums! In return, all fans can actively engage in a kind of treasure hunt. For the respective 'Okkult' albums, we will hide one song on an 'occult site,' which is the 'missing track' to each album. For the first 'Okkult' record, that certain place will be in Europe. All original recording tracks and mixes of these songs will be destroyed by our own hands, that also means we as a band will also not be able to listen to these songs until they are found. They are in the truest sense of the word: Unique."

ATROCITY 2013 is:

Alexander Krull - Vocals
Thorsten Bauer - Guitar, Bass
Sander Van Der Meer - Guitar
Joris Nijenhuis - Drums

The title track of "Tears On Tape", the new album from from Finnish "love metallers" HIM, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).

"Tears On Tape" will be released on April 30 via Razor & Tie in North America and on April 29 through DoubleCross (Cooking Vinyl's specialist rock imprint) in the U.K. and Ireland. The "love metal" act's eighth official album was recorded at Helsinki's Finnvox Studios with longtime producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) and was mixed in London, England by Tim Palmer, who previously helmed 2005's "Dark Light" and 2007's "Venus Doom".

"Tears On Tape" track listing:

01. Unleash The Red
02. All Lips Go Blue
03. Love Without Tears
04. I Will Be The End Of You
05. Tears On Tape
06. Into The Night
07. Hearts At War
08. Trapped In Autumn
09. No Love
10. Drawn & Quartered
11. Lucifer's Chorale
12. W.L.S.T.D.
13. Kiss The Void

"All Lips Go Blue" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. A music video for the song will be helmed by Eugene Riecansky, a multi-award-winning director and animation and motion graphics who has previously worked on music clips for Madonna and THE PRODIGY, directed television commercials for MUSE, MTV Europe and MASTODON, and worked with international partners such as Warner Brother Records and the BBC.

In addition to the 13 new tracks, the very exclusive and very limited "fanpack", presented by Metal Hammer magazine and DoubleCross Records features some not-to-be-found-anywhere-else content. Exclusively available from April 29 for four weeks, it comes with a bespoke 132-page magazine edited by frontman Ville Valo himself that plays as the ultimate sleeve notes to the album, including:

* Full studio album + 2 bonus tracks ("Buried Alive By Love" and "The Kiss Of Dawn" recorded live in the studio)
* Giant double-sided door poster
* Exclusive interviews with Ville Valo and all members of HIM
* An extended track-by-track guide to "Tears On Tape"
* An interview with the architects behind the sound of "love metal" Hiili Hiilesmaa and Tim Palmer
* A detailed guide to HIM's extensive back catalog
* The true, exclusive story of the Heartagram
* An exclusive gallery from the band's own private collections
* Interviews by the band with as assortment of their own heroes

The album's artwork, which artist Daniel P. Carter describes as having come about via "a series of strange coincidences involving Lee Dorrian, sacred geometry and the ramblings of a madman," is revealed below.

HIM's current lineup is Ville Valo (vocals), Mikko "Linde" Lindström (guitar), Mikko "Migé" Paananen (bass), Janne "Burton" Puurtinen (keyboards), and Mika "Gas" Karppinen (drums). The band is managed by Seppo Vesterinen at Hinterland, Inc. and represented for U.S. touring by Justin Hirschman/AGI.

"Tears On Tape" (song) audio stream:

Greek/Danish metallers CRYSTAL TEARS have have inked a deal with Massacre Records. The band recently completed recording its third album with producer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (MYSTIC PROPHECY, SUICIDAL ANGELS, DEVIL'S TRAIN), to be released later in the year. The effort was mixed and mastered at Prophecy & Music Factory Studios in Germany.

CRYSTAL TEARS was formed in the late '90s in Greece and issued several demos before the arrival of the band's debut album, "Choirs Of Immortal", in 2006 via Pure Steel Records. It didn't take long until they shared stages with bands such as W.A.S.P., RIOT and JAG PANZER.

CRYSTAL TEARS has left its mark as one of Greece's best heavy metal acts and has proven to be a persistent, innovative and unstoppable force. Their musical roots can be traced back to the good ol' heavy metal of the '80s up to modern metal.

CRYSTAL TEARS recently announced the addition of Danish singer Søren Adamsen (ex-ARTILLERY) and Hungarian guitarist Matt Nagy to the group's ranks.

New CRYSTAL TEARS lineup:

Søren Adamsen - Vocals
Kostas Sotos - Guitar
Mate Nagy - Guitar
Alex Hamalidis - Bass
Chrisafis Tantanozis - Drums

CRYSTAL TEARS is working on the first of two videos in support of the new album.

The band's last CD, "Generation X", was released in June 2010 via 7Hard.

"Dirty", the sixth full-length album from Italo-Norwegian hard-industrial-electro extreme metallers ABORYM, will be released on May 28 in Europe and June 11 in North America via Agonia Records. The 10-track double album (cover below) will be made available in digipak, jewel case and gatefold double LP formats.

The song "Irreversible Crisis" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Dirty" was recorded at the Fear No One Studios in Italy with Emiliano Natali, reprising his sound engineer role from the band's "Psychogrotesque" album, and was helmed by Marc Urselli of New York's Eastside Sound Studio, who previously worked with the likes of Mike Patton and Lou Reed. The electronic part of the album was engineered by D. Loop (KEBABTRAUME, LIMBO). R.G. Narchost (STORMCROW, DEMON'S SHADE, DROWNING ASHES) created "The Spiral Shaped Chamber" custom sounds library for the band. Artwork for the album is by ABORYM's Fabban.

The first CD of the album features new material, while the second CD features two tracks from previous albums, which have been completely re-arranged and re-recorded, covers of tracks by IRON MAIDEN, PINK FLOYD and NINE INCH NAILS, and a previously unreleased track performed by both musicians such as Agonia BV, Tamara Picardo, Samuel Heru Ra Ha MK, Hostis, Ulven, Mike Bizzini, David Cholasta, Tobias Dünnebacke, Jonathan Butcher, Jessy Lavallee, Thomas Hochstetler, Mary J. Rooks, Amanda Neilson and Mark Llewellyn, as well as several fans. The song was written by Alberto Penzin (CO2, ex-SCHIZO) and was spliced together from all the different sources.

"Dirty" track listing:

CD 1

01. Irreversible Crisis
02. Across The Universe
03. Dirty
04. Bleedthrough
05. Raped By Daddy
06. I Don't Know
07. The Factory Of Death
08. Helter Skelter Youth
09. Face The Reptile
10. The Day The Sun Stopped Shining

CD2

01. Fire Walk With Us (new version originally released on “Fire Walk With Us”)
02. Roma Divina Urbs (new version originally released on “Kali Yuga Bizarre”)
03. Hallowed Be Thy Name (IRON MAIDEN Cover)
04. Comfortably Numb (PINK FLOYD Cover)
05. Hurt (NINE INCH NAILS Cover)
06. Need For Limited Loss (new track)

Formed in 1992 by frontman Fabban, ABORYM started life as a covers band and went through several transformations, eventually pioneering what the band calls hard-industrial-electro extreme metal. Today's line up consists of Italians Fabban on vocals, bass and synths and Paolo Pieri (HOUR OF PENANCE) on guitars, keyboards and programming, along with Norway's Bård G. "Faust" Eithun (BLOOD TSUNAMI, MONGO NINJA, ex-EMPEROR) on drums.

With "Dirty" being the band's first release since 2010's "Psychogrotesque", all three musicians have something to say about it.

Pieri: "This is definitely the most schizoid and experimental ABORYM work so far. This time we focused on pushing the boundaries of electronic music one step forward while retaining the ruthless brutality of extreme metal in a way totally ahead of the times."

Eithun: "This time around, ABORYM push everything further; the electronic and industrial elements have never been so present. Rest assured, no matter how sick, twisted and beyond everything it sounds, it is still ABORYM."

Fabban: "I believe that 'Dirty' represents the best material ever written by ABORYM from 1992 until today. Given that it wasn't that easy to go beyond an album such as 'Psychogrotesque', I strongly believe that this time we did exceed every limit and every concept of experimentation — manipulating all the clichès of extreme metal, industrial or electronic music and pushing together elements that are so far away from each other. As a result, we achieved something really innovative, powerful, refined and of a really high standard. The quality of sounds, the nuances, the details passing through the recording quality; the quality of the machines that we used and abused, the quality of the lyrics, the artwork and the performances of each of us and of all the people who have worked with us, are definitely all at the top. 'Dirty' is a record that simply expands the range of our listeners, it's an album that everyone can enjoy and really appreciate. I am personally very excited and, at the same time, really proud of what you'll soon be able to listen to. We worked so hard for the past two years on this double album that we have no words to really explain how excited we are to finally see it released. It's an album that will further change the history of extreme music. Of that, I have no doubt."

"Cold", the new single from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, can be streamed in its entirety in the YouTube clip below. The track was produced by by Jason Slater at a studio in Northern California and was mixed by Anthony Focx, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH, NEWSTED, VINCE NEIL and BUCKCHERRY.

"Cold" comes off QUEENSRŸCHE's new album, "Frequency Unknown", which is scheduled for release on April 23 via Deadline Music/Cleopatra.

Acclaimed musician, record producer and engineer Billy Sherwood last week "withdrew" from remixing "Frequency Unknown", citing "scheduling issues."

After Sherwood's involvement with the project first became public, Deadline Music/Cleopatra released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which the record company explained that "some of the response" to previews of the CD were less than positive. "Some complained about the overall quality of the recordings, and in particular the mix," the statement read. "We here at Deadline Music have the utmost confidence in the powerful songwriting and outstanding performances from Geoff Tate and crew on this album, but we also want the fans to know that we are listening to them as well! So, in the interest of democratic free choice, Deadline Music has commissioned the superbly talented musician/producer Billy Sherwood (formerly of YES) to remix the album. Now fans will be able to decide which mix they feel best represents the album: the original mix, which will be released on April 23rd, or the new mix … that will be made available at a future date to be announced…. WE REMIX, YOU DECIDE!"

Although a lineup for Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE was originally announced in the fall of 2012, things have changed. The band will now feature Tate along with bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, DIO, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT), guitarist Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE 1998-2001), keyboardist Randy Gane and new additions, guitarist Robert Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, HURRICANE) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET). Guest musicians on the CD include K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST), Chris Poland (MEGADETH), Ty Tabor (KING'S X), Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS), Lita Ford, Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER), Dave Meniketti (Y&T) and Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN).

"Frequency Unknown" is packaged with bonus tracks — four QUEENSRŸCHE classics, newly recorded, including the smash hit single "Silent Lucidity".

"Frequency Unknown" track listing:

01. When Lightning Strikes
02. Running Backwards
03. Fallen
04. Life Without You
05. In The Hands Of God
06. Cold
07. The Weight Of The World
08. Slave
09. Dare
10. Everything

Bonus tracks: (2013 versions)

11. Silent Lucidity
12. Empire
13. Jet City Woman
14. I Don t Believe In Love

A brand new full-length album from SACRED OATH is scheduled for worldwide release on May 28. "Fallen" is the sixth studio release from the power metal quartet currently celebrating 25 years in the business.

Produced by SACRED OATH lead singer/guitarist Rob Thorne at his studio in Connecticut, all 10 songs on "Fallen" were recorded with the band's original 1988 lineup, including Pete Altieri (bass), Kenny Evans (drums) and Glen Cruciani (guitar).

"The four of us haven't recorded anything together since 'Darkness Visible' for a variety of reasons," says Thorne, who has produced six of the band's more recent albums. "I threw the idea out there of doing an EP together to celebrate our 25th anniversary, and everyone jumped on board. It quickly escalate! d into a monstrous LP. It's very exciting."

There are ten songs on "Fallen", with writing contributions from all four members:

* King Of Your World
* Death Knell
* Lurking Fear
* Misery Loves Company
* Aradia
* Get Your Wings
* The Way Of All Flesh
* Dream Death
* Snake Eyes
* Fallen

The band chose to once again collaborate with artist Jason Beam, whose artwork also appears on "Darkness Visible" (2007), "Till Death Do Us Part" (2008), and most recently "Spells And Incantations" (2012).

"Fallen" will be released by Angel Thorne Music and distributed by MVD Entertainment.

Strap on your axe for an extreme-metal bootcamp as guitarist "Metal" Mike Chlasciak (HALFORD, SEBASTIAN BACH, TESTAMENT) helps you hone your chops to perfection. You'll learn how to traverse the fretboard with ever-essential minor pentatonic scale, incorporate minor scales into riffs and rhythm parts, build power-chord variations for maximum sonic effect and much more. Plus, you'll get a first-hand tutorial in playing black and death metal and creating licks in the styles of METALLICA, TESTAMENT, PANTERA and more. The "Metal For Life: Mastering Heavy Metal Guitar" DVD also features 10 essential metal licks every guitarist should know.

With over two hours of lessons, this DVD is perfect for any skill-level in the heavy metal genre and is available now from Guitar World.

A longtime contributor to Guitar World magazine with his "Metal For Life" instructional column, Chlasciak's latest release, "This Is War", is available from MetalMike.net.

Mike's new solo album, "The Metalworker", is due later this spring.

Asked in a 2004 interview what he has learned from playing with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, Chlasciak replied: "Too many things to even mention. Many of them I probably will not even understand in the near future.

"Playing with HALFORD was the best thing that could have ever happen to me, my career and my personal growth. I guess the bottom line is to really do everything with all that you've got, and that great things sometimes can not be rushed. I also realized that after you sell over 30 million records the world doesn't give you a free license to become as asshole, as Rob was one of the most professional people I have ever met.

"After my time with HALFORD, I seriously feel that I'm prepared to take on anything this business will offer. I have been through a lot in that band, from highest of highs to lowest of lows and after the smoke has cleared and the backstabbers, shit talkers and non-believers stopped talking, I'm still standing here."

Progressive instrumentalists SCALE THE SUMMIT will release their new album, "The Migration", in North America on June 11 via Prosthetic Records. Recorded earlier this year at North Carolina's Basement Studios with producer Jamie King (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, HE IS LEGEND, FOR TODAY), the CD will contain the following 10 tracks:

01. Odyssey
02. Atlas Novus
03. The Olive Tree
04. Narrow Salient
05. Oracle
06. Evergreen
07. The Dark Horse
08. Willow
09. Sabrosa
10. The Traveler

"The Migration" marks the recording debut of new SCALE THE SUMMIT bassist Mark Michell. The album will be released just days after SCALE THE SUMMIT hits the road with INTRONAUT on a summer North American tour.

SCALE THE SUMMIT's 2011 effort, "The Collective", saw the band tour alongside the likes of PERIPHERY, CYNIC, FAIR TO MIDLAND, THE CONTORTIONIST, THE HUMAN ABSTRACT, PROTEST THE HERO and TRIOSCAPES. Since that album's touring cycle ended late last year, the band has kept busy, with guitarist Chris Letchford launching his own signature series Strandberg guitar and bassist Mark Michell releasing an instructional book.

SCALE THE SUMMIT's third album, "The Collective", sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 39 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.

The follow-up to 2009's "Carving Desert Canyons", "The Collective" was recorded at Paint It Black Studios in Orlando, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (DEVILDRIVER, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER).

SCALE THE SUMMIT formed in 2005 while attending the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. The band relocated to Texas in 2006, where they recorded their first, self-released album. After signing with Prosthetic, they issued "Carving Desert Canyons", which Revolver called "a cinematic blast of intricately melodic fretwork and pummeling percussion," in 2009.

Video footage of the mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST performing on March 24 at the O2 Academy Brixton in London can be seen below.

According to SPIN.com, the release date of GHOST's sophomore album, "Infestissumam", has been pushed back a week to April 16 after four compact disc manufacturers allegedly refused to print a piece of artwork that was meant for the deluxe version of the new CD. The manufacturers all took issue with the sacrilegious imagery, inspired by the work of Gustave Dore, which showcases what looks like a forest nymph orgy.

"We kept on getting turned down because of the CD art, which is basically a 16th century illustration of an orgy," a source close to the band told SPIN.com. "[The bandmembers] weren't surprised. The comment was 'Well, I thought this would have happened sooner.' The artwork was meant to provoke some sort of thought, but it's been one obstacle after another."

The controversial art can still be found on both the vinyl and European copies of the "Infestissuman" CD. "Vinyl manufacturers don't have a problem with the artwork. Neither does Europe," the source told SPIN.com.

"Infestissumam" track listing:

01. Infestissumam
02. Per Aspera Ad Inferi
03. Secular Haze
04. Jigolo Har Megiddo
05. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen
06. Year Zero
07. Idolatrine
08. Body And Blood
09. Depth Of Satans Eyes
10. Monstrance Clock

GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

The band's debut album, "Opus Eponymous", was released in late 2010 in Europe and in early 2011 in North America via Rise Above Records.

Victory Records has announced the signing of the Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based symphonic black metal unit ERIMHA. The band's new album will be released this summer.

ERIMHA, which means army or legion coming from Sumerian culture, bases its haunting, melodic, merciless and operatic sound on ancient mythology and spirituality. Their mantra and mission is one of inner strength and how the individual can be as powerful as an entire army.

Formed in 2010, ERIMHA's punishingly fresh and savage take on symphonic black metal is spawning a loyal legion of followers in the Canadian metal scene. They released their first full-length album, "Irkalla", in September 2010 which featured guest vocals from THE AGONIST's frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. The band, consisting of Gore (vocals), Kthien (rhythm guitar), Ksaos (drums) and Diusternas (bass), is going to be an extreme force to be reckoned with on the international metal battlefield.

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS have released the following statement:

"We have recently observed a whirlwind of speculation, conspiracy theories, and just plain ole dumb-assed comments on the Internet regarding EXODUS' future and that of [guitarist] Gary Holt's commitment to this band. The following is an attempt to shed some light on actual facts, as well as trying to clear the air.

"The reason we cancelled our appearance at this years Maryland Deathfest was, in fact, due to Gary's commitment to his sudden and seriously ill father. Actually, just days prior to the start of the Metal Alliance tour, we were making arrangements to have someone fill in for Gary due to his unknown status. As things worked out, his father was able to recover to a somewhat stable condition, yet he is still not 'out of the woods' and continues to be a closely monitored. This was obviously a private and personal matter that didn't warrant public knowledge, but it seems the press release from Maryland Deathfest and then the interview given by Gary about not quitting EXODUS was just a random coincidence and we felt it necessary to inform people of the real story.

"EXODUS is not disbanding! Gary will continue to perform on the current Metal Alliance tour, as well as splitting his time between EXODUS and SLAYER in the future. The band (with Holt) will be appearing at this year's Hell & Heaven fest in Guadalajara, Mexico, as advertised, on May 19th. After which, Gary will return home to support and care for his family.

"Our apologies to the Maryland Deathfest staff, as well as to the EXODUS fans who were eager to see us, and we hope everyone understands that family and loved ones comes first."

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt has spent the last two years filling in for SLAYER founding axeman Jeff 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.

EXODUS' latest album, "Exhibit B: The Human Condition", was released in North America on May 18, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The CD sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 114 on The Billboard 200 chart.

EXODUS' previous album, "The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A", opened with 3,600 units back in October 2007.

German power metallers WINTERSTORM have inked a deal with NoiseArt Records and Rock The Nation Booking. The band's new album is scheduled for release in early 2014.

Comments the group: "Nearly three years have gone since the release of our first album, 'A Coming Storm', and since our first show.

"After dozens of gigs (among others one at the Wacken festival of 2012) and after the release of our second album, 'Kings Will Fall', we are very proud to have found so many wonderful fans and to have experienced such a lot of positive responses.

"After several offers from various labels, one long-awaited target has come true: we have signed with NoiseArt Records and in addition with the booking company Rock The Nation.

"Although we were excellently supported by Cargo Records and by Edition Two Louder/BMG Rights Management when we released our first two albums ourselves, we are glad to have found another two high-quality partners. That means that in the long run we can concentrate on the things that have motivated us to make music for many years now, i.e. to write songs and to play for the large number of our fans, the 'stormsons and stormdaughters,' who have remained so admirably faithful to us for years and thanks to whom we have never had a minute of boredom.

"We are all looking forward to working together successfully and stormily, to lots of new shows and albums. This summer we will start studio recordings and therefore won't be able to play the same number of gigs as otherwise."

WINTERSTORM is comfirmed for Beastival 2013, set to take place May 30 - June 1 in Geiselwind, Germany.

Marseille, France-based metalcore band ETHS has announced the addition of singer Rachel Aspe to the group's ranks.

"I am very proud to be a part of ETHS," says Rachel. "I have been a fan of the group for years and it is a real honor for me to find myself singing the songs that have I listened to for so long."

ETHS last year recruited Virginie Goncalves (KELLS) and Nelly Wood-Hasselhoff to handle lead vocals at the group's shows following the departure of Candice Clot.

"We are delighted to welcome Rachel to the group," said ETHS. "She is a great girl with an amazing voice!

"Thank you, Virginie and Nelly, for helping us out on stage in recent months.

"A new chapter in the career of ETHS is about to be written.

"Needless to say, we are lookiing forward to introducing you to Rachel in the live settting."

Aspe made headlines in France last November when she performed the SYBREED song "Emma-0" on an episode of "La France À Un Incroyable Talent", the French reality television series which is part of the global British "Got Talent" franchise (see video below). A member of the melodic death metal band DIVIDEAD, she also made a guest appearance on the latest KERÍON CD entitled "Cloudriders" on the track "Fireblast".

Aspe will make her live debut with ETHS on April 10 at Le Ninkasi Kao in Lyon, France.

Clot played her final show as a member of ETHS on October 13, 2012 at L'Arcade in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France.

ETHS' third album, "III", was released on April 6, 2012 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY, ARCH ENEMY, SOILWORK and BRING ME THE HORIZON, among others.