Peter Ruttan of MetalTitans.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Gary Holt of San Francisco thrash metal veterans EXODUS during the "Metal Alliance Tour" with ANTHRAX, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE and HOLY GRAIL. You can now watch the chat below.

Holt has spent the last two years filling in for SLAYER founding guitarist 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.

Asked if he would consider becoming a permanent member of SLAYER if Hanneman was unable to return to the band, Holt said: "Not if it meant the end of what I've been doing my whole life. If I could manage both [EXODUS and SLAYER], you know… But I've been filling in for just over two years now and I'm booked all year with them. But I'm just keeping the work going with EXODUS and I've been doing a lot of riff writing on tour. And on the summer [run] with SLAYER, I'm taking a little portable, digital recording rig with me so I can continue working on [new EXODUS] stuff in hotel rooms and shit."

Speaking to MetalObsession.net during the recent Soundwave festival tour in Australia, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King stated about Holt's position in the band: "I think Gary is in for the long haul. I haven't really discussed it with him. But he keeps his schedule free when he knows we're on tour. And I'm pretty sure, if Jeff all of a sudden came back in June, we would probably pay Gary for freeing up his time. I don't wanna treat somebody that's bailed us out for two years badly. But if Gary played with us forever? I'm OK with that. But if Jeff got better and said, 'Hey, man, I'm ready to play,' and he came to rehearsal and showed us he was good enough, that's his show."

Eddie Van Halen is featured on two songs on hip hop legend LL Cool J's upcoming album, "Authentic", due out on April 30.

The guitarist can be heard on the tracks "We're The Greatest" and "Not Leaving You Tonight".

Asked why he choose to reach out to the iconic guitarist, LL Cool J told GuitarWorld.com: "This album was born out of my true love for music and I knew Eddie shared that same vision for authentic music. I approached this song with the utmost respect for Eddie and his fans, and became friends with him through the process. I was humbled to watch a genius at work and collaborate with such a legendary and visionary artist as Eddie Van Halen, and to bring our two worlds together was an exciting opportunity. I am thrilled he was up for the ride."

Commenting on his involvement with the project, Eddie Van Halen said: "The thought of me playing guitar to hip hop was definitely left of center, but I was intrigued and I agreed to meet and listen to what he had. I was not only inspired by the songs I heard, but LL's enthusiasm, his down-to-earth personality, the freedom he gave me to co-create and his willingness to, for the very first time, sing the chorus on 'We're The Greatest'. It was like a breath of fresh air that I needed as an artist and an individual."

He added: "The diversity of the songs on this album and the other artists he has collaborated with is outstanding, appealing to multiple genres of music and maybe even creating a few of our own. I feel blessed to not only have had the opportunity to work with LL, but also to call him a great friend."

A 90-second audio sample of "We're The Greatest" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Authentic" is LL's 13th studio album and first in five years.

Among other guests appearing on the CD is RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, who can be heard on the song "Whaddup".

Eddie Van Halen famously made a guest appeance on Michael Jackson's masterpiece album, "Thriller". He was a surprise guest on "Beat It", the LP's third single. According to CNN, his blazing guitar solo lasted all of 20 seconds and took half an hour to record. He did it for free, as a favor to producer Quincy Jones, while the rest of his VAN HALEN bandmates were out of town.

"I said to myself, 'Who is going to know that I played on this kid's record, right? Nobody's going to find out.' Wrong!" Eddie recalled in a 2012 interview with CNN. "Big-time wrong. It ended up being Record Of The Year."

VAN HALEN will close out the annual Rock USA festival, scheduled for July 17 through July 20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Quality video footage of DEICIDE's mostly instrumental March 25 performance at Baroeg in Rotterdam, The Netherlands can be seen below. According to Metalfan.nl, DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton refused to sing during the concert because of technical problems with his microphone at the beginning of the set.

DEICIDE recently entered AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER) to begin recording its new album for a late 2013 release via Century Media Records.

DEICIDE's latest album, "To Hell With God", sold 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued on February 15, 2011 via Century Media Records. It was produced by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

DEICIDE's previous CD, "Till Death Do Us Part", opened with 2,900 copies back in May 2008.

DEICIDE's "Conviction" video was directed by David Brodsky and Tim Kellen (Brodsky also handled editing duties while Kellen animated the video) and produced by MyGoodEye LLC. The clip tells the story of frontman Glen Benton and his pursuit of Jesus, claymation-style.

DEICIDE last year completed the North American headlining "March Of Death 2012" trek, with support from JUNGLE ROT, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and LECHEROUS NOCTURNE.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2", the second part of STONE SOUR's two-album series, "House of Gold & Bones", is available for streaming in its entirety at StoneSour.com.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2" will be released on April 9 via Roadrunner Records. The albums were recorded at Sound Farm Studios just outside of the band's native Des Moines, Iowa with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE) at the helm.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2" track listing:

01. Red City
02. Black John
03. Sadist
04. Peckinpah
05. Stalemate
06. Gravesend
07. '82
08. The Uncanny Valley
09. Blue Smoke
10. Do Me A Favor
11. The Conflagration
12. The House Of Gold & Bones

STONE SOUR has issued a new music video for "Do Me A Favor", the first official single from "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2". A four-issue comic book series adapted from Taylor's story will come out this spring, with the first issue arriving on shelves on April 17.

The official synopsis for the comic book reads, "Trapped in an alternate reality, the Human must make his way to the House of Gold & Bones as he is chased by a crazed mob and taunted by mysterious ally Allen. What the Human discovers on his journey will be his salvation . . . or his destruction."

The second issue of the comic will arrive on May 22, with the publication dates of the third and fourth yet to be determined.

STONE SOUR will head out this month with IN THIS MOMENT on the first-ever "Road To The Golden Gods" tour, which will lead up the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards on May 2 in Los Angeles. The trek kicks off on April 2 in Portland, Maine, wrapping up in Nashville three weeks later.

"My Lust Your Fate", the new video from bluesy hard rockers BURNING RAIN, can be seen below. The clip was filmed last month with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

Check out photos from the video shoot at this location.

Frontiers Records will release BURNING RAIN's new album, "Epic Obsession", on May 21 in North America.

BURNING RAIN was founded by current WHITESNAKE axeman Doug Aldrich together with singer Keith St. John (ex-MONTROSE). The lineup for the new album is rounded out by Sean McNabb (QUIET RIOT, DOKKEN, HOUSE OF LORDS) on bass and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY) on drums.

"Epic Obsession" comes after a long hiatus from the release of the band's second album, "Pleasure To Burn", in 2000.

Of "Epic Obsession", Aldrich commented, "I think we have a good batch of songs that will stand up. It's a melodic blues rock approach to the sound. It's really the only thing I have done outside of WHITESNAKE in the last ten years."

"Epic Obsession" track listing:

01. Sweet Little Baby Thing
02. The Cure
03. Till You Die
04. Heaven Gets Me By
05. Pray Out Loud
06. Our Time Is Gonna Come
07. Too Hard To Break
08. My Lust Your Fate
09. Made For Your Heart
10. Ride The Monkey
11. Out In The Cold Again
12. When Can I Believe In Love
13. Kashmir *
14. Heaven Gets Me By (acoustic version) *

* Bonus tracks

Frontiers Records will also reissue the long-out-of-print first two albums from BURNING RAIN, the self-titled debut (released in 1999) and the aforementioned "Pleasure To Burn". Both LPs will be repackaged and remastered and will contain two added bonus tracks to each respective album.

BURNING RAIN's previous efforts received great acclaim in Japan and the U.K. prior to Aldrich being tapped as guitarist for WHITESNAKE in 2002, with MelodicRock.com declaring, "Great quality songwriting...fantastic production that rivals any others out there. For fans of classic blues influenced hard rock there will be few albums to rival this record..."

The title track of "Unwelcome", the fifth full-length album from Virginia-based melodic tech-death metal masters ARSIS, can be streamed using the widget below.

"Unwelcome" will be released on April 30 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2010's "Starve For The Devil" was tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER). The artwork was handled once again by longtime collaborator Mark Riddick.

"So, we've had 'Unwelcome' finished for quite some time now and we are happy to finally be able to share the finished product with everyone," commented founder and lead guitarist/vocalist James Malone.

"As a band/musician, it's sometimes difficult to separate yourself from your work and visualize how others are going to interpret your work. In other words, it's sometimes hard to know whether or not your ideas are relevant to anyone but yourself. With 'Unwelcome', we certainly put all of our everything into the writing and recording and stopped paying attention to what's trendy or what we think might appeal to a larger audience. In doing so, I feel we have created one of the most sincere ARSIS albums and perhaps one of the most relevant."

"Unwelcome" track listing:

01. Unwelcome
02. Carve My Cross
03. Handbook For The Recently Deceased
04. Choking On Sand
05. Let Me Be The One
06. Sunglasses At Night
07. Martyred Or Mourning
08. No One Lies To The Dead
09. I Share In Shame
10. Scornstar

Fans can hear the debut of new guitarist Brandon Ellis and drummer/longtime session member Shawn Priest on the "Lepers Caress" EP, which can be downloaded for free here. The effort was released via Scion Audio/Visual (a.k.a. Scion A/V), the in-house record label and lifestyle marketing division of the Scion marque produced by Toyota Motor Corporation for the North American market.

Brandon Ellis replaced guitarist Nick Cordle, who was tapped to replace Christopher Amott in the Swedish/German extreme metal act ARCH ENEMY.

ARSIS's 2010 album, "Starve For The Devil" (Nuclear Blast Records), sold 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, landing at No. 13 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart.

French metallers DAGOBA will release their fifth album, "Post Mortem Nihil Est", on May 27 via Verycords. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Seth Siro Anton and can be seen below.

"Post Mortem Nihil Est" track listing:

01. When Winter...
02. Oblivion Is For The Living
03. The Realm Black
04. Yes We Die
05. I, Reptile
06. Nevada
07. The Day After The Apocalypse
08. By The Sword
09. Kiss Me Kraken
10. The Great Wonder
11. Son Of A Ghost

Guitarist Izakar announced his departure from DAGOBA in July 2012 due to "irreconcilable differences with one of the [other] bandmembers."

DAGOBA's fourth album, "Poseidon", entered the official chart in France at position No. 41. Released on August 30, 2010 via the French label XIII Bis Records, the CD was recorded at Hyperion Studio in Marseille, France with "Brew" Varea and was mixed by Dave Chang at Philia Studio in the U.K.

Quebec-based occult metallers DOOM'S DAY are currently in pre-production for their second album, to be released in October via PRC Music. The new material, going for a little more doom and traditional metal, is darker and a bit more aggressive while keeping the band's original signature sound of the previous album, The Unholy

Leader/vocalist Doom states: “With the next album, we’re going one step further. Everything you know about Doom’s Day will be there, but expect to get an extra kick in the ass.”

The new album will be available on CD and in digital formats. Updates to follow.
Doom's Day lineup:

Doom - Vocals
Pat Gauvin - Bass
Dominique Verreault - Drums
Frank Breton - Guitar

More on Doom's Day at this location.

The official lyric video for the song "Quest For The Hammer Of Glory" from GLORYHAMMER, the "heroic fantasy power metal" project led by Christopher Bowes, the mastermind behind pirate metal sensation ALESTORM, with a desire to explore the more symphonic and epic side of metal, can be seen below. The song comes off GLORYHAMMER's debut album, "Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife", which was released on March 29 via Napalm Records. The CD, which tells an original story based in an alternate-history medieval Scotland, where magic and dark sorcery reigns supreme, was recorded at LSD Studios in Germany. A concept of such epic proportions requires a truly talented vocalist, and for this purpose Thomas L. Winkler from Swiss power metal band EMERALD was hired to provide majestic soaring vocals. The lineup is completed by Paul Templing, James Cartwright, and Ben Turk, who honed their battle skills in various underground U.K. metal bands.

GLORYHAMMER is:

Christopher Bowes - Keyboards
Thomas Winkler - Vocals
Paul Templing - Guitars
James Cartwright - Bass
Ben Turk - Drums

The cover artwork for "Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife" was "painstakingly handcrafted" by Dan Goldsworthy (ACCEPT, HELL, SYLOSIS). The art depicts the great hero Angus McFife, questing valiantly through the frozen highlands, wielding the Hammer of Glory.

"Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife" track listing:

01. Anstruther's Dark Prophecy
02. The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee
03. Angus McFife
04. Quest For The Hammer Of Glory
05. Magic Dragon
06. Silent Tears Of Frozen Princess
07. Amulet Of Justice
08. Hail To Crail
09. Beneath Cowdenbeath
10. The Epic Rage Of Furious Thunder

There is also a limited first-pressing "Heroic Edition" of the album, presented in a luxurious digipak format with alternate artwork, featuring the bonus track "Wizards!".

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST celebrate their 40th anniversary as recording artists this year with the release of the live concert "Epitaph". A unique live career retrospective, "Epitaph" will be made available on Blu-ray and separate DVD on May 28 through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. This release precedes a new studio album by JUDAS PRIEST which the band are working on now.

JUDAS PRIEST's current lineup comprises lead singer Rob Halford, lead guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis.

Heavy metal historians will regard "Epitaph" as the most far-reaching live concert recording in the band's career. The set revisits the climactic closing date of the 50-week "Epitaph" world tour, captured live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 26, 2012. Adding to the drama is the fact that this was JUDAS PRIEST's final large-scale world tour ever.

"Epitaph"'s 23 tracks represent at least one song from every one of the band's 14 studio albums, from 1974's "Rocka Rolla" ("Never Satisfied") to 2008's "Nostradamus" ("Prophecy"). In the special case of "British Steel", four songs are featured: "Rapid Fire", "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and perennial set closer "Living After Midnight". Others exempted from the one-song-quota are the LPs which appeared before and after "British Steel". The first of these is 1979's "Hell Bent For Leather" (U.K. title: "Killing Machine") which lends the title song as well as "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)". The other LP is 1982's "Screaming For Vengeance", source of "The Hellion", "Electric Eye" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming".

"They have epitomized the genre with their Harley riding frontman, rapid-fire guitar assaults, and spectacular stage shows," wrote journalist Bryan Reesman in his liner notes for 2004's leather-bound, metal-spiked "Metalogy" box set. "Influential, innovative, and exuberant in expression," he wrote, "they are the true Metal Gods who have been as unwavering in their desire to expand the boundaries of their music as they have been in crossing international borders to deliver it to their disciples.

"Unabashedly committed to their cause, and unrepentant in proclaiming themselves a true heavy metal band even when others have shied away from the term, Judas Priest have forever been defenders of the faith."

"Epitaph" track listing

01. Battle Hymn (L)
02. Rapid Fire (F)
03. Metal Gods (F)
04. Heading Out To The Highway (G)
05. Judas Rising (M)
06. Starbreaker (C)
07. Victim Of Changes (B)
08. Never Satisfied (A)
09. Diamonds And Rust (C)
10. Prophecy (N)
11. Night Crawler (L)
12. Turbo Lover (J)
13. Beyond The Realms Of Death (D)
14. The Sentinel (I)
15. Blood Red Skies (K)
16. The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) (E)
17. Breaking The Law (F)
18. Painkiller (L)
19. The Hellion (H)
20. Electric Eye (H)
21. Hell Bent For Leather (E)
22. You've Got Another Thing Coming (H)
23. Living After Midnight (F)

Album index:

A - from "Rocka Rolla (originally issued 1974, on Gull Records)
B - from "Sad Wings Of Destiny (originally issued 1976, on Gull Records)
C - from "Sin After Sin (originally issued 1977, on Columbia Records)
D - from "Stained Class (originally issued 1978, on Columbia)
E - from "Hell Bent For Leather (originally issued 1979, on Columbia; aka Killing Machine in UK)
F - from "British Steel (originally issued 1980, on Columbia)
G - from "Point Of Entry (originally issued 1981, on Columbia)
H - from "Screaming For Vengeance (originally issued 1982, on Columbia)
I - from "Defenders Of the Faith (originally issued 1984, on Columbia)
J - from "Turbo (originally issued 1986, on Columbia)
K - from "Ram It Down (originally issued 1988, on Columbia)
L - from "Painkiller (originally issued 1990, on Columbia)
M - from "Angel Of Retribution (originally issued 2005, on Epic Records)
N - from "Nostradamus (originally issued 2008, on Epic)

PRIEST's forthcoming album will mark the recording and songwriting debut of the band's new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, who replaced co-founder K.K. Downing in 2011.

Asked what fans can fans expect from the group's next CD, JUDAS PRIEST lead singer Rob Halford said in an August 2012 interview, "We've already got a strong cross-section of ideas, some of them complete, some of them in bits and pieces. It's shaping up to be quite intense, in terms of the riffage and the strength of certain tracks. Much like every time you try and talk about music, it's practically impossible to capture it. You can only point it in the direction of where things are shaping up, and it's just glorious. If I try to pinpoint it, there are elements of 'British Steel' and there elements of 'Painkiller' in terms of the vibe. We've got a really solid record coming together slowly in a strong metal way that will make all of our PRIEST fans around the world very happy and content. At least I hope it does."

Regarding a possible release date for the new PRIEST album, Halford said, "I'm not really sure. It'll be ready when it's ready. We're not under the same clock as we used to be. I remember in the '80s we were banging out a record almost every year, and that was on top of putting in a world tour. We have the luxury now, if you want to call it that, of taking our time. And that's just because that's the way it is. We're just as eager to get this done as ever, but we do it at a slower pace. It's that British thing, you know? [laughs] It's that monarchy thing. Let's look forward to that moment for another PRIEST record for everyone to bang their heads to."

In a November 2011 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Halford stated about PRIEST's plans for the upcoming CD, "Glenn and I started to write in the early part of January [of 2011]. We just went to it from the heart really, there was no specific agenda or idea, as opposed to what we had to do with 'Nostradamus', which was very focused and a real anchor of a project. This one has just been some straight-forward, classic British heavy metal. Some of it feels a bit like 'Painkiller', some of it feels like 'Sad Wings Of Destiny', some like 'British Steel'. We didn't do much research, we didn't bother checking some of our previous releases, we didn't do any homework, we just sat down and played, you know? Glenn came up with riffs and I came up with vocal melodies. There was no outside influence or interference in the writing sessions. We just started the day, plugged in some amps, got the mic up and made the metal that way. It's a very pure record, in that respect."

The new album from progressive hard rock outfit BORDONI is now streaming in full and is available for purchase as a limited edition CD and as a digital download at this location.

Songs of Future Past features performances by Joel Hoekstra (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, NIGHT RANGER, Rock Of Ages), Arjen Anthony Lucassen (AYREON), Joe Stump (HOLY HELL, REIGN OF TERROR) Lars Eric Mattsson (MATTSSON, BOOK OF REFLECTIONS), Dave Reffett (SHREDDING THE ENVELOPE), Scott Tipping (MAGIC BOX) and Bill Fornari (CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY) with the core of the band consisting of Andrew Bordoni on guitar, Scott Stevenson on keys, Shawn Sommer on bass and Tom Hipskind on drums.
Tracklisting:

'Genesis: Part 1'
'Forever Sunshine'
'August Rain'
'Evolution'
'New World'
'Who Are We Now?'
'Going Crazy'
'Look to the Sky'
'Mammoth'
'Genesis: Part 2'

Listen to the album below:

Songs of Future Past by BORDONI

Bordoni will be performing a free all-ages release party and concert at the EvenFlow in Geneva, IL on April 28th. More info on the event flyer below:

Dutch vocalist ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN (ex-THE GATHERING) has been tapped to support PAIN OF SALVATION on their European acoustic tour this month. She will be doing solo acoustic sets for the duration of the tour. The schedule can be viewed below:
April
3 - Krakow, Poland - Kwadrat
4 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
5 - Prague, Czech Republic - Klub Nova Chmelnice
6 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
7 - Budapest, Hungary - Club 202
8 - Wien, Austria - Szene
10 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
11 - Rome, Italy - Orion
12 - Milano, Italy - Magazzini Generali
13 - Yverdon, Switzerland - Amalgame
14 - Toulouse, France - Chez Paulette
15 - London, UK - The Garage
17 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo
18 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
19 - Weert, The Netherlands - De Bosuil
20 - Zoetermeer, The Netherlands - Boerderij
21 - Essen, Germany - Turock

On September 19th, 2012 Van Giersbergen performed at The Borderline in London, England on her continuing Everything Is Changing tour. Fan filmed video featuring Anneke covering the EURHYTHMICS classic 'Here Comes The Rain Again' and joining the audience during 'Hope Pray Dance Play' is available below:

British power metal mercenaries TANK have tapped former DRAGONFORCE and current I AM I singer ZP Theart to front the band for their upcoming shows while TANK's most recent vocalist, Doogie White, is out on tour and recording in the studio with Michael Schenker.

Comments TANK guitarist Mick Tucker: "We thrive on bringing fresh blood into the band. It gives us a good kick in the ass and breathes new life into our songs.

"We've worked very hard over the past few years and have been rewarded with the success of our 'War Machine' and 'War Nation' albums and the release of our first official DVD, 'War Machine Live'. Bringing in a world-class vocalist like ZP is a great privilege for us and a real treat for metal fans."

Adds TANK guitarist Cliff Evans: "Mick and me have been playing together for a long time. We know what we want when it comes to making good music.

"We're very proud of the albums we made with Doogie and the response we received from the fans and press has proved that we are a band that can deliver the goods when it comes to it.

"We've been rehearsing with ZP this week and we can't wait to get on stage and do what we do best — play British rock/metal the way it should be played."

States ZP Theart: "Good music is good music — end of story — and being asked to fill Doogie's boots for these TANK shows is an honor I'm very much looking forward to. While I AM I is still my priority, we've managed to fit these shows in with both our schedules so we can go out there and kick some ass, and if rehearsals are anything to go by, then we've got something very special coming your way!"

Upcoming TANK shows:

Apr. 14 - PPM Festival - Mons, Belgium
May 19 – Rock Hard Festival - Gelsenkirchen, Germany
May 31 – O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London UK
Jun. 23 - R-MINE Festival – Tongeren, Belgium

ZP will be on the road with I AM I, supporting SKID ROW on their U.K. tour from April 4 until April 13 and will also be appearing at this year's Download festival on June 15.

KINGDOM COME, the German hard rock band led by singer Lenny Wolf, will release its new album, "Outlier", in Germany on April 26, in the rest of Europe on April 29 and in the U.S./Canada on May 7 through SPV/Steamhammer.

"Outlier" track listing:

01. God Does Not Sing Our Song (04:05)
02. Running High Distortion (04:14)
03. Rough Ride Ralleye (04:35)
04. Let The Silence Talk (03:29)
05. Holy Curtain (03:59)
06. The Trap Is Alive (04:41)
07. Skip The Cover And Feel (03:37)
08. Don`t Want You To Wait (04:31)
09. Such A Shame (03:18)
10. When Colors Break The Grey (05:03)

A single, "God Does Not Sing Our Song", will be released digitally worldwide on April 5.

"God Does Not Sing Our Song" single track listing:

01. God Does Not Sing Our Song (radio version)
02. God Does Not Sing Our Song (album version) (taken from "Outlier")
03. Should I (taken from "Rendered Waters")

An audio sample of "God Does Not Sing Our Song" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Commented Lenny: "Some people asked me to share a few thoughts about my single called 'God Does Not Sing Our Song'. I think the song itself speaks louder than words, but I will try to share some thoughts behind the obvious.

'Why did I write that song? Because I am a musician.

"Why that title? The title is reflecting my thoughts about people abusing the 'name of God' to justify their sick and often very destructive behavior. God may be watching, but I'm sure he is 'NOT always singing along.'

"What makes you decide in which form you create a song? I got no master plan. I am more like a five-year-old plugging the guitar chord into the endless audio universe hoping to catch some cool frequencies. Lately I caught a lot of heavy guitar signals which were asking to be used in a powerful song. I tried my best.

"Do I believe in God? I believe in a higher force which can be called God or orange shoe. I don't need to sit in a man-made building with steep roofs to 'feel closer or more connected,' but if that works for other people, that, of course, is perfectly alright. In whichever direction or whatever name people are praying to, I rather follow a good heart than thousands of pre-written phrases.

"What is my outlook on our future? Fanaticism and ignorance is a deadly combination. We got a lot of this around poisoning our planet. I don't have the answer to it all, but I think it would be a great first step to go by a simple saying: 'Live and let live' — with enough space and respect for one another. As long as people trying to force their believes onto others, we are bound to have conflicts coming our way. Some should remember weather they are guests or locals before wanting to change the furniture!

"In case I bored you, next time I will write about something much more original like: Oohh babe, I will never leave you, I'll do anything for you, tonight is the night, I'm so sorry, please let me bend over so that you can find the perfect place to kick me harder than ever, etc. etc."

Fame and fortune have always played a minor role in KINGDOM COME mastermind Lenny Wolf's longstanding career. In fact, his more than 30 years as an artist have been fuelled first and foremost by musical challenges and the desire to keep evolving. His credo has always been authenticity before commercial considerations.

"Naturally, nobody is happier than I am when my music is loved by as many fans as possible," he says, "but these kinds of aspects are irrelevant when it comes to creating a new album. The only thing that matters is testing myself as an artist and embarking on new paths."

To avoid any misunderstandings: the new KINGDOM COME album, "Outlier", presents flawless rock music with a welcome tendency towards melancholia and a gift for anthems. But with "Outlier", Lenny is starting a new chapter of his diverse creative career, expertly positioning his charismatic voice between traditional rock structures and modern sound elements, which add a third dimension to this album.

"I simply felt the need to delve deep inside of me and run riot in the infinite expanse of the audio cosmos. The result is a friction of mercilessly mechanical, heartless sound collages, combined with my typical melancholy-melodious style," Wolf explains the album's artfully interwoven experimental approach to his sound, which never detracts from the familiar atmospheric basic mood of his songs. "A whole number of souls happen to dwell in my breast, which is why experimentation and the development of my musical existence simply belong together." Lenny purposely takes into account that this approach may also lead to friction and requires an open mind of its listeners: "It's of secondary importance to me whether this is clever in business terms. To me, it's all about creating optimum varieties of sound signals which go through the ear straight into the heart. Some call it a vocation. Hallelujah."

A vocation which is reflected in ten haunting, stirring and diverse songs. Some numbers are welcome reminders of KINGDOM COME's glorious past, other songs document a future-oriented direction.

"I could have written a track such as 'Let The Silence Talk' back in 1988 during our 'In Your Face' period, whereas listening to 'Rough Ride Rallye' and 'When Colors Break The Grey' for the first time may have you think: Oops, what's all this about," Lenny confesses, knowing fully well that it's precisely those opposite poles which make "Outlier" a very special album. Especially since "one song by itself cannot reflect the character of a whole album. To understand this record, you have to take time and become one with those compositions, some of which are extremely diverse."

"Outlier" is well worth the effort, especially in view of the album's deep lyrical content. As ever, Lenny's lyrics are personal snapshots straight from his soul, touching on autobiographical subjects on "Don't Want You To Wait" and documenting — for example on "God Does Not Sing Our Song" and "Skip The Cover And Feel" — an attitude which is as fierce as ever and deeply rooted in Lenny Wolf. He has also consciously chosen the album title in line with this: "The term 'Outlier' suits me to a tee. It symbolizes my whole personality, the musical media I work with, the story of my life."

"Outlier" was recorded at Wolf's own Hamburg studio, the Two Square Noise Factory. With the exception of the solo guitar parts contributed by Eric Förster, all instruments were recorded by the KINGDOM COME boss himself. In addition, Wolf produced, engineered, mixed and mastered his new album.

"Eighteen months of struggle and madness lie behind me, a period which saw me go through the usual alternating bath of euphoria and doubt," he says. "As an artist, you can never be quite sure just what you've cooked up, but I happen to be an idealist and simply have to keep embarking on new adventurous journeys. The path of predictability has never satisfied me."

"Outlier" is KINGDOM COME's first studio album featuring completely new material since the arrival of their 2009 release, "Magnified". The album is bound to provoke discussion, in every respect, which is precisely the intention Lenny has with his compositions: "I never write to please anybody, I simply stretch my means of expression as a musician as far as possible. Always in the hope that others will like the result."

The stoner doom band from Quebec City, STONED HORSES, is currently recording its debut album, which will be released this summer.

Featuring members from FISTFUCK, BOMBNATION and DISSED, Stoned Horses has already played live numerous times including a great concert opening for JUCIFER.

Taking influences from doom, stoner, prog and psychedelic rock, the band is an absolute must for fans of old BLACK SABBATH, DOWN and GRAVEYARD, according to a press release.
The new album, a co-operation between PRC MUSIC and D7I Records, will be available in CD Format, Limited Diehard CD edition, in digital and in limited edition vinyl.

A video is already available for the song 'Calumet'. Check t out below:
You can also download the band's first demo on their band camp here.

The official lyric video for "Live It Up", a brand new song from Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE, can be seen at this location. The track comes off the band's third album, "Black Dog Barking", which 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.

Said the band: "A lot of thought and effort has gone into this record not only by the band, but by the production crew who worked countless hours, seven days a week, even through Christmas and New Year's Eve to achieve the best possible performances, backed by real undying tones. Now we're handing it over to you... so crank it up, crack a beer and stick some rock 'n' roll in your ear!"

The Full Throttle edition of a new AIRBOURNE song, "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 track will be released to rock radio in late spring, followed by its in-park debut at Six Flags Magic Mountain with the ride opening. 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.

"Theme music is synonymous with television, movies and even sports. It's a natural extension to bring original music to a world-class roller coaster, like Full Throttle," said David McKillips, Senior Vice President of Corporate Alliances, Six Flags Entertainment. "Roadrunner Records had the creative vision and talent to match the heart-pounding speed and adrenaline the ride experience delivers, backed with a content partnership that provides best-in-class entertainment to our guests."

In addition to the song's release, Six Flags and Roadrunner will be working together on programming to be featured on Six Flags digital networks, which includes the Nielsen-measured Six Flags Television Network. The content partnership will air Roadrunner videos in ride-line televisions and help drive awareness, music downloads, and sales for Roadrunner's breadth of rock artists.

"This is an innovative partnership that brings together two great brands and allows Roadrunner to bring music to millions of entertainment-seeking consumers in a new way," said Michael Easterlin, General Manager of Roadrunner Records. "Six Flags' ability to generate awareness through the Full Throttle attraction and its national media network provides a unique outlet for fans to instantly access our music."

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).

"Live It Up" audio stream:

STONE SOUR have released another song premiere from their forthcoming release, House Of Gold & Bones Part 2, which arrives everywhere on April 9th via Roadrunner Records. Listen to 'The Conflagration' using the audio player below:
Stone Sour has also debuted the official trailer for the House Of Gold & Bones comic book series, inspired by the two part album and written entirely by Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor (watch the clip below). The first issue, House of Gold & Bones No. 1, will be available on April 17th and is currently available for pre-order at here.
Stone Sour recently premiered their new music video, for ‘Do Me A Favor', the first single off House Of Gold & Bones Part 2.
The clip, which was directed by Phil Mucci, is the first official music video to be released off of House of Gold & Bones Part 2 , the second installment of the group’s House of Gold & Bones two part concept album, following the story written by singer Corey Taylor. ‘Do Me A Favor,’ which is currently climbing the Active Rock building chart (set to break into the Top 10 this week) will be one of two songs in the Active Top Ten that feature Stone Sour's Corey Taylor – the other track being 'From Can To Can’t', a collaboration with DAVE GROHL featured on Sound City: Real To Reel, the soundtrack to Grohl’s recently released Sound City documentary.

Watch the new video below:



Stone Sour are set to run a spring trek in support of House of Gold & Bones Part 2. The spring tour begins on April 2nd in Portland, ME and another performance will be included at the 5th annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards presented by Epiphone on May 2nd in Los Angeles, CA.
Support for Stone Sour will be IN THIS MOMENT and HELL OR HIGHWATER.

Stone Sour dates:

April
2 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
3 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
5 - Montclair, NJ - The Wellmont Theatre
6 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
7 - Lancaster, PA - Freedom Hall
10 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theatre
11 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
13 - Orlando, FL - Tinker Field (WJRR’s Earthday Birthday 20)
14 - Ft. Myers, FL - Jet Blue Park (Fort Rock Fest)
17 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park
20 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (94.5 The Buzz Buzzfest 30)
24 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
27 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Metro Park (Welcome To Rockville)

May
4 - Mesa, AZ - Quail Run Park (98 KUPD Ufiesta)
16 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center (105.7 The X Spring Fling)
18 - Columbus, OH - Crew Stadium (Rock On The Range 2013)

For more info visit Stone Sour.com.

Brazilian thrashers SLASHER have revealed the digipack artwork and tracklisting of their second album, Katharsis, which will be self-released later this year. The CD will be produced, mixed and mastered at Antfarm Studio in Aarhus, Denmark by Tue Madsen, who has previously worked with HALFORD, DARK TRANQUILLITY, VADER, BEHEMOTH and KATAKLYSM, among others.

The Katharsis digipack cover artwork can be seen below. It was signed by the french designer Stan W Decker, who has previously worked with TIMMO TOLKKI.

Katharsis tracklisting:

'Katharsis'
'Disposable God'
'Final Day'
'All Covered In Blood'
'Overcome'
'Hostile'
'Face The Facts'
'Inflicted'
'Jamais Me Entregar'
'Suffocated' (MOSH cover)

Commented guitarist Lucas Bagatella: "The album's title refers to the catharsis under a psychological optic. This is a very used term in many different contexts, like religion and arts. Our idea is an allusion to an emotional collapse which results in renewal and liberation, a change of the point of view."

Guitarist Lúcio Nunes added: "Our approach of the concept is explicit in the cover artwork. It exposes the inner hell of the one who experiences the tragedy. It contextualizes the suffering that corrupts and shatters the human being. The idea is to materialize a break of paradigm in that artwork and I believe that Stan did it perfectly."

Recently, the single 'Overcome" was self-released by the band and it's available for streaming below and download on SoundCloud here.

"The Distance", the new video from the German rock band GLOOMBALL, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the group's debut album, which will be released in Germany on April 26, in the rest of Europe on April 29 and in North America on May 7 via SPV/Steamhammer.

"The Distance" track listing:

01. Overcome
02. Burning Gasoline
03. The Distance
04. Blown Away And Gone
05. More and More
06. No Easy Way Out
07. Bitter Place
08. Long Time Gone
09. We Do Belong
10. Your Sorrow Inside Me
11. Hands In Blood
12. Living With My Tender Pain

According to a press release, "The Distance" documents an amazing diversity of styles, influences and ingredients.

"We refer to our material simply as rock music, but you could also call it alternative metal or modern rock," GLOOMBALL guitarist Björn Daigger, who composed the majority of the tracks together with vocalist Alen Ljubic, explains, adding: "At the end of the day, our range includes elements from pop to death metal. In addition, there are classic orchestra parts as well as ultra-deep seven-string guitars. There are no stylistic taboos in GLOOMBALL."

Driven by hard-as-nails guitar riffs courtesy of Daigger and fellow-stringsman Jossi Lenk, Basti Moser (bass) and Danny Joe's (drums) uncompromising rhythm section and Alen Ljubic's haunting, never pushy melodies, the twelve songs on "The Distance" drill themselves like barbs into your aural tract. All those who prefer their music really nasty will love "Blown Away And Gone", while "Your Sorrow Inside" sees GLOOMBALL opt for a different style, producing progressive sounds for a change.

A lot of the music on "The Distance" has deep lyrics and a personal note. "Buried all my hopes, throw it overboard, I'll go on without you, I'm better off alone, can't stand your lies, hate the way you hide, I'll kill you quick, you are no more on my mind," sings Ljubic on "More And More", delving deep into interpersonal themes and problematic relationships. The intensity of these lyrics suits the urgency of the overall sound, which is tough yet transparent and rich in detail.

GLOOMBALL has brought a fresh breeze and surprising complexity to the rock music scene, which you will be able to witness for yourself during their impending tour. As Daigger says: "This music belongs on the stage, and we can hardly wait to present 'The Distance' live to our fans as often as possible in the coming months."

GLOOMBALL is:

Alen Ljubic - Vocals
Björn Daigger - Guitars
Jossi Lenk - Guitars
Basti Moser - Bass
Danny Joe - Drums

The Oink Chen-designed cover artwork for "Bú-Tik", the new album from Taiwanese extreme metallers CHTHONIC, can be seen below.

As the new CD from CHTHONIC underwent mixing at Sweet Spot studio in Halmstad, Sweden with producer Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY), the work on the CD's cover also began in Taiwan. After nearly 100 hopeful candidates replied to a casting call, which called for girls who were "at least 160cm tall, skinny, with light skin, and are ok with full-body painting," CHTHONIC bassist Doris Yeh and the art design team decided on Bu to represent the album's cover girl.

"It's certainly not an easy job for ancient Chinese emperors to choose their wives," said Yeh jokingly after several sleepless nights of deliberation. "I was even looking through the pictures in my dreams!"

With a concept in mind to have an elder, a girl and a child as the cover picture, and visualize the idea of armed body and mind through special makeup and computer graphics, the search began for candidates to represent the theme. Embodiments for the roles of the elder and the child were quickly decided. Hsu Ching-fu, a clergyman from the Gikong Presbyterian Church, and A-Chi, son of a well-known tattooist Ah-J, were picked to represent these figures.

The shooting of the album cover photo was completed in February. The new album, the band's seventh overall, is slotted to be released in Europe, North America, and Asia in June on Spinefarm/Universal Music.

In the meantime, the band has been hard at work promoting its new mobile app game, the first of its kind to use exclusively heavy metal music, "Chthonic - Rhythm Crusher".

Last month, following two Japan performances, CHTHONIC joined fans in Tokyo at Rockaholic for a live battle of the game. Fans from all around the world were invited to join the festivities via the game's online "Vs. Mode," with the winning fan in attendance taking home a brand new iPad Mini. CHTHONIC fan Satoshi Mukaide took home the grand prize, despite losing the final match to CHTHONIC vocalist Freddy Lim.

Said Lim, "When I'm playing 'Rhythm Crusher', I can feel the energy from the music even more! I think that's why I'm so addicted to it."

CHTHONIC continues to battle online against fans every day. The bandmembers can be identified by their personal screen names: FreddyLimTT, dorisyeh0919 and Jessefilth, so be sure to keep an eye out for the chance to battle the current "Chthonic - Rhythm Crusher" world champion, vocalist Freddy Lim!

Canadian Death metal band MISANTHROPY have released the first song off of their forthcoming EP Part V: A New Beginning. This album is a hilarious death metal parody of the movie Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning. The first track on the album is called 'Axe To The Bald Spot' and is available for free download and streaming via Misanthropy's ReverbNation page and below:

Learn how to get your music heard at ReverbNation.com

Back in February 2012, Misanthropy released three videos from their July 16th, 2011 show at Vern's Tavern in Calgary, Alberta. Check out the footage below:

'Last Chance Forever'
'Ancient Sanctuary'
'The Kings Of Forest Lawn'

San Francisco-based doom rockers ORCHID have released the second trailer for their upcoming album, "The Mouths Of Madness". Check it out footage of singer Theo Mindell talking the songwriting process and his influences below.

"The Mouths Of Madness" will be released on April 26 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Comments Mindell: "I wanted the cover of the album to be really classic and strong, like one of the records from my childhood where when you'd see the colors and shapes on it from across the room, you'd immediately recognize it. A classic 'icon' ...so it's very simple, really. But then I did a really elaborate painting for the inside that is totally ornate. I wanted people to open this kind of sparse, plain thing and be drawn into another world that kind of visually told the story of some of the emotions of the record. Kind of like peeling a weird fruit open... the inner painting was really inspired by some of the Latino psychedelic murals that were done around San Francisco in the late '60s-early '70s... like the cover of 'Abraxas' by SANTANA, which is a record I grew up on and always loved. So, it's the 'ORCHID version' of those murals."

Guitarist Mark Thomas Baker stated about the extensive "The Mouths Of Madness" production process: "Most of the tracks on 'The Mouths Of Madness' were cut in early June 2012. We were pretty fresh off of our European tour and full of confidence. The basics done at that time were the best recording experience that we've had so far. Everybody got along great and did great work.

"We did this album with a completely different guitar sound than 'Capricorn'. I think it sounds much heavier in that regard. We take a lot of time to get things right. I hope people enjoy it and let it sink in. I think it's miles above our past efforts."

Mastering engineer Richard Whittaker, who also took care of the latest BLACK SABBATH and THIN LIZZY rereleases/analogue transfers, comments: "I've been a huge fan of ORCHID since I first heard their debut EP back in 2009, and they've certainly come a long way since then. So, as you can imagine, to be asked to work with ORCHID on their records was an honour and a pleasure. They're a great bunch of guys and a stellar band to be involved with.

"'The Mouths Of Madness' is such a well-crafted and awe-inspiring album. Sonically, its 1974 meets 2013 which, for me, takes the SABBATH/PENTAGRAM vibe to whole new level."

As an appetizer for "The Mouths Of Madness", ORCHID recently released the exclusive 10-inch vinyl EP "Wizard Of War", containing a brand new track, a rare bonus track as well as one song off the band's stunning debut album, "Capricorn".

ORCHID was named "the best and most important doom band of the past five years" by Rock Hard Germany's editor-in-chief Götz Kühnemund. In addition, BEHEMOTH mainman Adam "Nergal" Darski stated: "BLACK SABBATH should do an album like 'The Mouths Of Madness'!"

Since its inception in 2006, ORCHID — which features in its ranks well-known tattoo artist Theo Mindell on vocals — has achieved massive global awareness with their stunning releases "Through The Devil's Doorway" (EP, 2009) and "Capricorn" (full-length, 2011).

ORCHID is:

Theo Mindell: Vocals
Carter Kennedy: Drums
Mark Thomas Baker: Guitar
Keith Nickel: Bass

"Ruins", the new video from Finnish metallers SHADE EMPIRE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Omega Arcane", which will be released on May 3 via Candlelight Records. The CD consists of 11 songs and totals over 74 minutes in length. It is described in a press release as "massive, a heavily orchestrated concept album [which] takes the band's sound to a whole new level."

"Omega Arcane" track listing:

01. Ruins
02. Dawnless Days
03. Until No Life Breeds
04. Ash Statues
05. Disembodiment
06. Malicious Winds
07. Traveler of Unlight
08. Devolution
09. Slumbering Giant
10. Nomad
11. Omega Arcane

Formed in Kuopio in 1999, SHADE EMPIRE has developed its own genre. After three demos they inked deal with Italian label Avantgarde Records. Soon after that SHADE EMPIRE was ready to record the first full-length album, "Sinthetic" (2004). The CD received race reviews from all over the world and the band's fan base grew worldwide.

In January 2006, SHADE EMPIRE entered the Studio Perkele to record the follow-up to "Sinthetic". Released in May 2006, "Intoxicate O.S." was a huge success, having debuted at position No. 25 on the Finnish chart. The single "Slitwrist Ecstacy" entered the chart at No. 3.

Summer 2006 was quite a hectic time for the band as they played several gigs and festival shows in Finland and that continued until autumn due to fact that SHADE EMPIRE was chosen to headline Popkomm's Metal Evening, held in Berlin in October 2006. In spring 2007, SHADE EMPIRE started to write new material and did only a few, select shows during that time (i.e. Tuska). In October 2007, the band entered Studio 33 to record its third album, "Zero Nexus", a conceptual effort which took the band to new dimensions. Released in the spring of 2008, it opened at position No. 15 on the Finnish chart and was followed by a Finnish tour and successful shows at Tuska in 2008 and the main stage of Nummirock.

2008 concluded with a European tour featuring UNLEASHED, KRISIUN and ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET. The trek was a success and the fans over Europe were left aching for more.

Video footage of DAVID SHANKLE GROUP, the band led by former MANOWAR guitarist David "The Shred Demon" Shankle, performing on February 23 at Penny Road Pub in Barrington, Illinois can be seen below.

DAVID SHANKLE GROUP has inked a deal with Pure Steel Records. The group's third album will be released in the summer/fall.

"David Shankle has long been one of my personal faves," says Pure Steel's Andreas Lorenz. "For our label, it's an important step to get the confidence of a well-known artist like David. The new album is a hammer — I can promise already."

Adds Shankle: "I am very excited about releasing this new album in 2013, myself and the DAVID SHANKLE GROUP band have found true metal brothers with Pure Steel Records. This has allowed us to create an epic metal record."

A new DAVID SHANKLE GROUP song, "Ressecution", can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

David was a member of MANOWAR from 1988 to 1994, playing on the epic album "The Triumph Of Steel" and co-writing "Master Of The Wind", "The Burning", "Ride The Dragon" and "Demon's Whip". David left in 1994, after countless sold-out tours all over the world, and attended Roosevelt Music University in Chicago to improve his jazz and classical guitar skills.

DAVID SHANKLE GROUP vocalist Warren Halvarson is a Chicago native who began his singing career in the mid-1980s while fronting a band called CRYSTAL AXE. Warren is one of the most respected and talented vocalists in the Chicago metal scene today. His range, power, clarity and dynamic stage presence are well known to legions of fans.

On bass is Mike Dooley, who grew up and lived entire life in or near the southwest side of Chicago. Currently the frontman for SLAYER tribute act HELL AWAITS, he was recruited this past May to dominate the art of shred with the DAVID SHANKLE GROUP.

DAVID SHANKLE GROUP drummer Gabriel Anthony is a true force in the music industry. Gabriel was so good that at the age of 17, he was already performing in clubs all over the Chicago area.

DSG's debut album, "Ashes To Ashes", was released in 2003 on Magic Circle Music. A sophomore effort, "Hellborn", followed in 2007.

DAVID SHANKLE GROUP is:

Guitar - David Shankle
Drums - Gabriel Anthony
Vocals - Warren Halvarson
Bass - Mike Dooley

Performance:

According to Robin Leach of VegasDeluxe.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE will return for a second Las Vegas residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino between September 18 and October 6. More details will be made available tomorrow (Tuesday, April 2).

MÖTLEY CRÜE launched Las Vegas' first-ever hard rock residency "Mötley Crüe Takes On Sin City", in February 12. The 12-show run featured elements of CRÜE's arena show, including Tommy Lee's 360 drum coaster and the biggest lighting and sound production ever brought into The Joint, including over-the-top signature pyrotechnics which fittingly incorporated a Vegas feel. The stage set contained special costuming — which included Vince Neil's illuminated poker-hand belt buckle and rogue carnival-styled seat ushers — and showgirl dancers, female aerialists, little people, macabre clowns and stilt walkers, each element dazzled the eye throughout. zthe band also dedicated a portion of the show to an acoustic performance. The shows were produced and promoted by AEG Live.

In a February 2012 interview with the Huffington Post, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx stated about the band's first Vegas residency: "To play in one place is really different because we can do all sorts of crazy stuff we can't usually do because certain pyrotechnics and pieces of equipment are not movable. It is also particularly nice in bad economic time. I think things are going to get worse before they get better, so I'm happy that people can go stay at a Vegas hotel and enjoy our band. I want people to relax and go over the top in Vegas with MÖTLEY CRÜE."

"Terror Regime", the new video from Wisconsin death metallers JUNGLE ROT, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's eighth studio album, which was released on March 19 via Victory Records. Recording took place at Bell City Recording in Racine, Wisconsin with longtime friend and engineer Chris Djuricic. The artwork was once again completed by Gyula Havancsák (DESTRUCTION, ANNIHILATOR, GRAVE DIGGER).

"'Terror Regime' has lots of speed, groove and hate coming your way", warns frontman Dave Matrise.

"Terror Regime" track listing:

01. Voice Your Disgust
02. Terror Regime
03. Utter Chaos
04. I Am Hatred
05. Blind Devotion
06. Scorn
07. Rage Through The Wasteland
08. Ruthless Omnipotence
09. I Don't Need Society
10. Carpet Bombing
11. Pronounced Dead

In a recent interview with Target Audience Magazine, Matrise stated about JUNGLE ROT's new CD: "It's a lot thrashier; we've been doing a lot of touring. We've toured a lot more than we ever did on the 'Kill On Command' record. We played some songs every night we could see which ones go over with the fans. I think just by touring it just gave us a little hint to do on the next one."

Asked if there was any pressure to outdo "Kill On Command", Matrise said: "No, there was no pressure. It was a great record, but like all of them, we try to top every one of them. I think a lot of it had to do with our new drummer, Jesse. We've finally found a drummer that can play anything. This kid is unbelievable; whatever we throw at him, he can do it."

Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of NIFELHEIM's March 28 performance at Maxim in Gävle, Sweden can be seen below (courtesy of Metalist908).

NIFELHEIM released its latest album, "Envoy of Lucifer", in November 2007 via Regain Records.

NIFELHEIM in 2006 released a split EP with VULCANO via I Hate Records. NIFELHEIM's songs "Sepulcral Fornication" and "Raging Flames" were recorded at a Swedish studio in May 2006 and were described by NIFELHEIM guitarist Vengeance From Beyond (a.k.a. Sebastian Ramstedt; also in NECROPHOBIC) as "a total attack of satanic black metal." He added that "this split [is] the true synergy of evil."

NIFELHEIM's current lineup features former ENTOMBED drummer Peter Stjärnvind, who left the long-running Swedish metallers in order to concentrate on his membership in NIFELHEIM.

One of the more prolific acts of the blood-boiling mid-late-'90s metallic hardcore scene, INTEGRITY will release new LP through a joint collaboration with A389 Recordings and Magic Bullet Records.

Legions of converted souls worldwide have hailed the name INTEGRITY for two and a half decades. Formed in 1988, the band surged out of the Cleveland underground with a seething style of metal hellbent on murder, revenge, the occult and beyond, and has continually drawn more flies into the flames every step of the way. Having toured most inhabited realms of the planet, INTEGRITY has not only become a household name over the years, but its devotees have helped maintain the name as one of the most notorious and revered. Amidst countless eras and lineup shifts, founding member Dwid Hellion continues to carry the band forward, forming his own Holy Terror Empire, and becoming as iconic within the extreme music underworld as David Koresh, Jim Jones and Pol Pot are to population control.

Hellion has stripped the birthing process of INTEGRITY's output to even more cult depths, and for the past five years and all micro releases within, has musically collaborated with multi-instrumentalist Robert Orr alone. Taking past trades forward and culminating those staples with newer practices, Hellion and Orr's latest effigy has been carved, and on June 11 — the vinyl pressing A389 and the CD via Magic Bullet — "Suicide Black Snake" will deliver the endtime yearnings of the longtime INTEGRITY message into the general public like never before.

A track from "Suicide Black Snake" entitled "Beasts As Gods" is available for free download via A389 Recordings' ninth annual label mixtape/digital compilation. The owners of Baltimore-based A389 have been offering similar free mixtapes every year since the label's foundation in 2004, utilizing it to unleash music from their most high-profile acts, as well as to shed some light on releases lying in the dark corners of their intense roster.

Nearly two hours long, the "A389 Recordings Digital Mixtape MMXIII" is was mastered at Audiosiege by Brad Boatright (FROM ASHES RISE) and features original artwork by Joshy Brettell (ILSA, EXODUS). This newest installment boasts the best yet in this ongoing series, showcasing A389 as an extremely hard-working extreme D.I.Y. label which continues to expand its horde and further infiltrate the planet with prime hardcore and metal releases.

"A389 Recordings Digital Mixtape MMXIII" track listing:

01. EYEHATEGOD - "New Orleans Is The New Vietnam"
02. IRON REAGAN - "Drop The Gun"
03. HOMEWRECKER - "Chained Hanging Victim"
04. NO ONE SURVIVES - "Fuckin' Pigs"
05. INTEGRITY - "Beasts As Gods"
06. ILSA - "Foreign Lander"
07. FULL OF HELL - "Coven Of The Larynx"
08. NOISEM - "Severed"
09. WEEKEND NACHOS - "Watch You Suffer"
10. EMPIRE OF RATS - "Untitled"
11. PICK YOUR SIDE - "Bleeding Out"
12. GOD'S AMERICA - "Fill The Cracks"
13. LIKE RATS - "Red Dawn"
14. MOLOKEN - "Casus"
15. THE GUILT OF... - "Election Of The Severed Hand"
16. SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP - "Ghost Plains”
17. YOUNG AND IN THE WAY - "Psychopathy"
18. SICK FIX - "Beyond The Map"
19. ANCIENT SHORES - "Omen"
20. SHIN TO SHIN - "Shin To Shin"
21. VILIPEND - "Fool's Gold"
22. LEFT FOR DEAD - "Kept In Line"
23. GEHENNA - "Baptized In Fallout"
24. BLIND TO FAITH - "Blood Like Water"
25. RINGWORM - "Necropolis" (1991 Demo)
26. CYNARAE - "Harbinger"
27. JARHEAD FERTILIZER - "Drowning"
28. THE LOVE BELOW - "Let Them Eat Shit"
29. EDDIE BROCK - "Boys Of Summer"
30. COUNTDOWN TO OBLVION - "Spray P.E.C."
31. UNHOLY MAJESTY - "Night Of Lead"
32. CLASSHOLE - "Full Of Hate"
33. OLD LINES - "Temple"
34. CALM THE FIRE - "Chce Mi Siê Wyæ"
35. ENFORCERS - "The End Is Near"
36. PHARAOH - "Spared"
37. JUNIOR BRUCE - "The Burden"
38. WITHDRAWAL - "Guardian Angel"
39. NOTHING - "The Rites Of Love And Death"
40. PLEASANT LIVING - "Friday Night"

INTEGRITY will embark on an extensive tour offensive leading up to and straight through the release of "Suicide Black Snake". The action begins with a one-off in New Haven, Connecticut May 23 alongside OVERCAST. The next two days will take the band's wrath to our northern allies to the first time ever as the A389 Canadian Invasion slams Montreal and Toronto. Support from HOMEWRECKER and ILSA will be provided for all three of these shows. Directly following the Canadian invasion, INTEGRITY will take part in the massive annual Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore, performing the final night of the gala. A brutal tour through the Southeast states with GEHENNA and FULL OF HELL follow, as all three acts trek to Chaos In Tejas. A massive European festival assault will consume much of July and August as well.

ANTHRAX's "Fistful Of Metal" (1984) and HALLOWS EVE's "The Neverending Sleep" (2008) are on the list of "200 Embarrassingly Bad Album Covers," one of the longer compilations in "The Merciless Book of Metal Lists", which is to be released on April 9 by Abrams Image.

A look at some of the artwork on the list, with commentary from Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins, the book's co-authors and New York City music scene veterans, can be found at NYTimes.com.

Touted as "the most opinionated compendium ever written concerning heavy metal," "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" is comprised of 208 jam-packed pages representing all that is glorious across the world of heavy metal.

Presented in the form of dozens of factual, random and often outrageous lists, this book flies the flag for true metalheads, as well as the curious observer. Where others have ventured to simply focus on who is best, "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" dares to call many out for being the worst. It points out the triumphs, as well as the miserable failures concerning metal, and recklessly opines on each and every aspect of it, from a diehard fan's point of view.

Abrams will appear on the "Black N Blue Takeover" online radio show on April 2 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET to discuss lists from the book and more. Howie appeared on a recent edition of the show and had so much fun, he's coming back for more. Listen to Part II on April 2 on EastVillageRadio.com.

The requisite collections of the mightiest guitarists, drummers, vocalists, etc., are in there, however, "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" leaves no stone unturned, often blurring the lines separating fact and hilarity. You want to know about album covers that feature goats on them? What MOTÖRHEAD icon Lemmy's warts might tell you if they could speak? The achievements IRON MAIDEN would never have reached had their original vocalist Paul Di'Anno remained in the band? Well then, this book is for you.

The foreword for "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" comes from one of the most respected names in the genre, SLAYER guitarist extraordinaire Kerry King, with a candid and passionate afterword from PANTERA/DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo. There are numerous other contributions from band members the likes of Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Gary Holt (EXODUS), Max Cavalera (SEPULTURA, SOULFLY), Danny Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH), Katon W. De Pena (HIRAX) and many others. Additionally, several lists have been contributed by industry luminaries such as Jon and Marsha Zazula; the very people responsible for first bringing groups like METALLICA, ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT to the world at large, Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel, radio personality Eddie Trunk, former Roadrunner Records (current Nuclear Blast) A&R guru Monte Conner and more. Hell, even rapper MC Serch is featured talking about his days weeding through SLAYER's fan mail while working at Def Jam.

"This book will appeal to metalheads because it's what they love. They'll get to laugh at the industry and at themselves. Any information is good information, and metal kids want it." - Kerry King (SLAYER)

"I am an unabashed heavy metal fan, and I know as well as anyone, that metal fans can be an extremely loyal lot. But we are a very critical lot too. With each new movement, a new, defiant, outspoken, and sovereign audience is born. Music is older than all of us, so its history is ours to writhe in and absorb." - Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN)

There is no music community on earth quite like that of heavy metal, and "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" is its bible. Metal fans thrive on debating each and every detail about the music and it's performers, from recording production, to album cover art, to band members' appearance — no stone is left unturned... EVER. "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists" is designed for the lot, who enthusiastically engage in and thrive on such arguments.

To pre-order "The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists", please visit Amazon.com.