THE AGONIST out of Montreal have posted the following statement on the cancellation on CRADLE OF FILTH's North American tour, which they were supposed to be a part of:
"We are truly sorry to those of you who were coming out to see us live. This cancellation was beyond our control and we are devastated by this news, both emotionally and financially. We devoted so much to this tour that to say we are disappointed would be an immense understatement. Please accept our sincere apologies and we hope to see you all again soon."

Shortly after the cancellation was confirmed, The Agonist announced they have been added to DANZIG's 25th Anniversary Tour alongside CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.

Dates include:

April
17 - Las Vegas, NV- House of Blues
19 - Denver, CO- Ogden Theater
20 - Albuquerque, NM- Sunshine Theater
22 - Austin, TX- Stubb’s
23 - Corpus Christi, TX- Concrete Street
24 - Dallas, TX- Palladium
26 - Phoenix, AZ- Marquee Theater
27 - Pomona, CA- Fox Theater
28 - Ventura, CA- Ventura Theater

Fan pre-sales start Friday, February 15th at noon local time at this location.

GODLESS RISING mastermind Jeff Gruslin recently announced plans for a new EP titled Coven of Secrecy for the summer of 2013. Guitarist Toby Knapp will once again be handling guitars, bass and drums as on Godless Rising's previous release Trumpet of Triumph (2010 Moribund Records). The band are currently unsigned but will begin shopping to labels upon completion of the project.
"There is a possibility for a limited pressing for diehard fans on my own label Spectral Evidence Records," states guitarist Toby Knapp. "Spectral Evidence has always been a home to my releases until they are licensed to larger labels, I've done this with ONWARD, WAXEN and a few of my solo albums."

Godless Rising updates can be found on Knapp's official website Tobyknappmusic.com.

The YouTube audio link for Godless Rising's 'Christ Cadaver' can be heard below:

German symphonic black metallers TOTENGEFLÜSTER have released their debut full-length album, entitled Vom Seelensterben.
The album, produced by Marc Globig (CHAOSPHERE) at Warroom Studios in Spaichingen, includes the following tracklisting:

'Die Prophezeiung'
'Ein Traumgespinst'
'Ein Monolog im Mondschein'
'Gefrorene Tränen'
'Vom Seelensterben'
'Der Pakt'
'Blutsegen - Die strömende Erkenntnis'
'Ein neuer Pfad'
'Im Tau der toten Morgensonne'

Bonus Track:
'Ein Monolog im Mondschein' (Orchestral Version)

More on Totengeflüster at this location.

Pennsylvania metal act THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE has launched an Indiegogo campaign to try and stay on the road. The band, which is currently between tours supporting its recently released LP, "Dead Years", explains in a statement: "We are THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, an internationally touring band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. On our way home from our 30th U.S. tour at about 3:00 a.m., our van lit on fire and we broke down at a rest stop an hour away from home. After waiting 8 hours, we found someone to pick up and our trailer up and take us home while our van was towed to a garage. After inspecting the van, we were notified that it was far beyond repairable.

"For any of you who have never followed us in the past, last winter we broke down in Canada and spent over $3K rebuilding our fuel pump, which took over a week. We spent that week hopping from trains, vans, taxis and fans cars from show to show so that we didn't have to cancel any dates on the tour.

"Unfortunately, at this time, with buying flights to Europe and dealing with other debts and personal expenses, we simply cannot afford to buy a new van. So we are asking our fans to help with donations that all will go towards getting us a new van to get back on tour and promote our new album 'Dead Years' even more.

"We put together a great list of incentives to say thank you for your help. We will also be filming a web documentary about the band and the life of being a touring musician as well as a music video for the song "Americans" where we will be BLOWING UP our old van.

"If you are unable to help us financially, Indiegogo has great tools that help you share our cause with your friends, which is just as big of a help to us. Through your donations and promotion we can get a new vehicle and get back on the road and continue touring.

"We really cannot express how much we appreciate all of your help."

"Hate The Ones You Love", the new video from THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, can be seen below. Directed by David Brodsky of Brooklyn's MyGoodEye Music Visuals (HELLYEAH, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GOATWHORE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, SUFFOCATION), the clip is about a group of young post-society survivors unable to cope with the task of killing a stranger who wanders into their territory. All of their coping mechanisms start to unravel.

"Dead Years", the third album from the THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, sold around 1,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 14 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Dead Years" was released in Europe on September 24, 2012 via Lifeforce Records. Produced by Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, HASTE THE DAY), the CD was made available in North America one day later through eOne Music.

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE is: Rick Armellino (vocals), Jack Esbenshade (guitar), Matthew Marcellus (bass, vocals) and Rodney Phillips (guitar, vocals).

Guitarist Gary Rossington of US southern rock band LYNYRD SKYNYRD has been hospitalized, forcing the band to cancel this weekends live shows.
A message reads: "Skynyrd Nation, regrettably, our shows at the Hard Rock Biloxi this weekend on February 15th and 16th have been cancelled. Gary Rossington has been hospitalized in Wyoming with an abdominal infection. We are awaiting further tests and treatment, once we receive information on Gary’s status we will release additional information. Thank you for your understanding and support."

This year, the third annual Monster Energy’s Welcome To Rockville expands to two days - April 27th and 28th - at Jacksonville’s scenic Metropolitan Park along the beautiful St. Johns River.
The region’s biggest rock event will feature headlining performances from ALICE IN CHAINS and LIMP BIZKIT (marking the band’s first hometown show in over a decade), as well as Jacksonville legends Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The power-packed lineup for Monster Energy’s Welcome To Rockville also includes: 3 DOORS DOWN, SHINEDOWN, STONE SOUR, THREE DAYS GRACE, PAPA ROACH, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, HALESTORM, BUCKCHERRY, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, SKILLET, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVICE (featuring David Draiman from DISTURBED), ASKING ALEXANDRIA, ESCAPE THE FATE, FILTER, IN THIS MOMENT, STEEL PANTHER, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, POP EVIL, OTHERWISE, SAVING ABEL, NONPOINT, RED, YOUNG GUNS, THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH, GEMINI SYNDROME, GIRL ON FIRE, and more.
Tickets are on sale now at WelcomeToRockvilleFestival.com, all Ticketmaster locations and select Metro PCS stores.

Two-day General Admission tickets are just $99.50 plus service fees and single day General Admission tickets are $54.50 plus service fees. A limited number of two-day VIP tickets and hotel packages is also be available.

For full details, visit this location.

Lynyrd Skynyrd recently released the lyric video for the track ‘Good Teacher’, from their latest album, Last Of A Dyin' Breed'. Check it out below:
The band previoulsy released the music video for the track 'Homegrown', seen below:
Last Of A Dyin' Breed debuted at #14 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart upon it's release, the highest charting for a Skynyrd album since 1977.

Finnish all-girl band BARBE-Q-BARBIES will release their new album, Breaking All The Rules, on February 15th in their native Finland, and on February 25th in the rest of Europe. The cover art and tracklisting can be found below:
'Crashing Down'
'One More (And I'll Be Gone)'
'Whole Lotta You'
'Breaking All The Rules'
'Stfu'
'Due Time'
'Love Machine'
'Can't Get What You're Looking For'
'Gun In My Hand'
'Shout It Out'
'Friday'

Barbe-Q-Barbies is:

Ekkis - guitar
Kaisa - guitar
Minttu - bass
Niki - vocals
Niina - drums
Further details can be found on Facebook.

Norwegian Viking metal veterans EINHERJER have cancelled their headlining appearance at this year's US viking/folk/pagan metal festival, Heathen Crusade 4, will take place on March 9th at Station 4 in St Paul, MN.

A band statement reads: "Ok, it seems we need to clear up any misunderstandings regarding the cancellation of our performance at Heathen Crusade. We are not able to perform because we didn't get any money from the promoter. No money for flights, no money for visas. We've tried our best to find a solution, but the deadline for the working visa application left us no choice but to cancel. We're really sorry it came to this....and we are just as pissed off as you are!"
Acts on the bill now include: WAYLANDER, ULVEHEIM, VANIR, ASHAENA, TRELLEBORG, HAMMER HORDE, BOLEROS, SIG:AR:TYR, BATTLESOUL, WINTERHYMN, MINOS, VESPERIA.

Further details at this location.

Argentina’s power metal force HELKER will release their new album, Somewhere In The Circle, tomorrow (February 15th) via AFM. Check out the artwork and tracklisting below:
The album includes 11 tracks and was produced and co-written by Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) and mixed by Achim Koehler (Primal Fear, AMON AMARTH, SODOM) at Indiscreet Audio studios.

Tracklist:
'Modern Roman Circus'
'Just Be Yourself'
'No Chance To Be Reborn'
'Begging For Forgiveness'
'Wake Up'
'At The End Of The Journey'
'Ghosts From The Past'
'Still Alive'
'Flying'
'Inside Of Me'
'Dreams' (bonus track)
'Wake Up' (video clip)
'Flying' (video clip)

A trailer featuring snippets of all songs is available below:
The official of the song 'No Chance To Be Reborn' has also debuted and can viewed streaming below:
The video clip for the song 'Wake Up' is also available:
Tim ”Ripper” Owens (DIO DISCIPLES, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) are featured as guests on the album, sharing the lead vocals with Diego on the epic 'Begging For Forgiveness'.

European audiences might know Diego Valdez from his appearance on the latest TARJA Live DVD/CD as guest vocalist on the song 'Phantom Of The Opera'.

For more details visit Helker.com.ar.

U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine will release the exclusive fanpack version of new HIM album, "Tears On Tape".

"Metal Hammer Presents HIM: Tears On Tape" is a 100% official collectors' fanpack that includes the eighth studio album from Finnish love metal icons HIM, a 132-page magazine edited by frontman Ville Valo himself, a giant, double-sided door-sized poster, and two exclusive bonus tracks.

The collectors magazine will include exclusive interviews with Ville Valo and all members of HIM, an extended track-by-track guide to "Tears On Tape", an interview with the architect´s behind the sound of love metal Hiili Hiilesmaa and Tim Palmer, a detailed guide to HIM's extensive back catalogue, the true, exclusive story of the Heartagram, an exclusive gallery from the band's own private collections, and the band themselves will interview an assortment of their own heroes.

Fanpack Includes:

* Full studio album + 2 bonus tracks
* 132-page magazine
* Giant double-sided door poster
* Exclusive to My Favourite Magazines

Order from MyFavouriteMagazines.co.uk and you will receive a high-quality HIM drawstring bag that you won't find anywhere else and you will also be in with a chance of receiving one of 1,000 HIM postcards signed by the band which will be hidden in copies at random.

"Tears On Tape" will be released on April 30 on Razor & Tie in North America and on April 29 on DoubleCross (Cooking Vinyl's specialist rock imprint) in the U.K. and Ireland.

The "love metal" band's eighth official album, "Tears On Tape" 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".

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).

A 10-minute video recap of SCARS ON BROADWAY' fall 2012 tour as the support act for the DEFTONES can be seen below.

SCARS ON BROADWAY drummer Jules Pampena, who posted the footage, described the clip in the following way: "Long drives, loud music, passionate crowds, late night eats and newfound friends."

He added: "This was my first tour as SCARS ON BROADWAY's drummer, and I want share the experience with you. This clip is made from my own home videos, mixed with YouTube performance footage from our fans.

"Thank you to DEFTONES, SCARS and the fans for an unforgettable time."

SCARS ON BROADWAY is led by SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian.

In October 2008, Malakian announced via SCARS ON BROADWAY's web site that the band's headlining tour — which included an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" — was being canceled, with no plans of rescheduling. Malakian cited his lack of enthusiasm and "his heart not being into touring" as the chief reasons behind the decision to call off the trek.

According to the guitarist, a number of factors contributed to his pulling back. "The main one was that after SYSTEM split up, I think it was almost too soon for me to jump back into something," he told Revolver magazine. "But I kind of felt like I had to. And then there were some things going on in my personal life that made it impossible for me to be on the road. So for two or three years, I was basically just chilling."

SCARS ON BROADWAY's upcoming album, on which Malakian sings and plays all the instruments, including, for the first time, drums, will feature such tracks as "Dictator", "Till The End" and "Fuck N Kill".

Of the record's themes, Malakian said, "The songs are never just about one thing. They're usually about five different things." Take, he says, "Fuck N Kill": "It's about a few emotions that blend together and make a person maybe want to do both-maybe at the same time, or one after the other, who knows? Like, you watch television and you see on the news that there's a war going on, but the girl that's explaining it to you is fucking gorgeous. How does your brain take that? Or there's a line that says, 'Let's take drugs and go to war. You have these soldiers that come home from combat with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and we just give them pills and send them back out. So there are a lot of different ideas going on."

The new lineup of SCARS ON BROADWAY made its live debut on September 22, 2012 at the Epicenter festival at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California.

SCARS ON BROADWAY 2013 is:

* Daron Malakian - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
* Danny Shamoun - Keyboards, Percussion
* Dominic Cifarelli - Bass Guitar
* Jules Pampena - Drums, Percussion

SCARS ON BROADWAY's lineup previously included SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan.

"KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)", the new video from Finnish thrashers LOST SOCIETY, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "Fast Loud Death", which will be released on March 15 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios (FINNTROLL, SONATA ARCTICA, OMNIUM GATHERUM) in Helsinki, Finland with producer Nino Laurenne (AMORPHIS, ENSIFERUM, LORDI) and it features cover artwork by Ed Repka (MEGADETH, DEATH, SANCTUARY, VENOM).

Regarding the album's first single, "Trash All Over You" — a song that perfectly captures what LOST SOCIETY are all about: speed, toughness and huge fun — LOST SOCIETY vocalist/guitarist Samy Elbanna previously said: "Many people have asked us why we misspelled the song title. We always give the same answer: It's not about the thrash genre, but depicts how the whole world is collapsing on you. All the problems in the world seem to pile up and you get trashed all over. The song carries the feeling of being mad at everything and everyone at the same time — it's something we all can relate to."

On the topic of the album's artwork, Elbanna said: "When we heard that the one and only Ed Repka would be responsible for the album art, we were thrilled, as he created some of the most killer album covers of all times! The result looks absolutely amazing and truly captures the album's theme — a bus full of crazy people who blew it up big time!"

Added Repka: "This was a lot of work but a fun project, since both the band and the label were great to work with and very receptive to my input. LOST SOCIETY's comical concept of their tour bus leaving a town destroyed was cool, but to make it even more crazy, I added the pop-culture 'monster in car' aspect, giving the whole image a distinct, aggressive presence. Another tongue-in-cheek metal masterpiece is born!"

"Fast Loud Death" will be available as a limited digipak, deluxe digital download via iTunes and black vinyl in gatefold, all of them including two bonus tracks. Moreover, a limited digipak plus a t-shirt bundle as well as a limited blue-transparent 2LP in gatefold will be exclusively available via the Nuclear Blast mail order. Pre-order your copy now at this location.

"Fast Loud Death" track listing:

01. N.W.L.
02. Trash All Over You
03. E.A.G.
04. KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)
05. Bitch, Out' My Way
06. Fast Loud Death
07. Lead Through The Head
08. Diary Of A Thrashman
09. Toxic Avenger
10. This Is Me
11. Braindead Metalhead
12. Piss Out My Ass
13. Fatal Anoxia

Bonus tracks:

14. Escape From Delirium
15. I Stole Your Love (KISS cover song)

Founded in early 2010 by thrash/speed metal enthusiast Samy Elbanna in the Finnish town of Jyväskylä, LOST SOCIETY played a number of gigs around Finland before taking part in the world-renowned GBOB (Global Battle Of the Bands). After winning the preliminary round in their hometown, they were invited to the finals held in Helsinki, where they prevailed over 13 other contestants. The grand finals of GBOB 2012 took place at The Scala in London on December 9, 2012 and featured 18 bands from all over the world, including LOST SOCIETY.

LOST SOCIETY is:

Samy Elbanna - Vocals, Guitar
Arttu Lesonen - Guitar
Mirko Lehtinen - Bass
Ossi Paananen - Drums

The third trailer for "The Living Infinite", the ninth studio album and first dual-disc release from Swedish metallers SOILWORK, can be seen below. Check out what singer Björn "Speed" Strid has to say about about the CD's lyrics, guest appearances, the musical approach and his personal favorite tracks.

"The Living Infinite" will be unleashed on February 27 in Asia (via license to Marquee Records), in Europe on March 1, and in North America on March 5 through Nuclear Blast Records. Produced by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH), the CD features artwork by MNEMIC's Mircea Eftemie Gabrie.

"The Living Infinite" features Justin Sullivan — lead singer of the English band NEW MODEL ARMY — as a guest vocalist on the track "The Windswept Mercy" and also marks the recording debut of longtime SOILWORK touring guitarist David Andersson (also of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).

SOILWORK's world tour launches with a 55-show headlining trek through the U.S. and Canada this March. Support will come from JEFF LOOMIS, BLACKGUARD, THE BROWNING and WRETCHED.

"The Living Infinite" track listing:

CD 1

01. Spectrum Of Eternity
02. Memories Confined
03. This Momentary Bliss
04. Tongue
05. The Living Infinite I
06. Let The First Wave Rise
07. Vesta
08. Realm Of The Wasted
09. The Windswept Mercy
10. Whispers And Lights

CD 2

01. Entering Aeons
02. Long Live The Misanthrope
03. Drowning With Silence
04. Antidotes In Passing
05. Leech
06. The Living Infinite II
07. Loyal Shadow
08. Rise Above The Sentiment
09. Parasite Blues
10. Owls Predict, Oracles Stand Guard

Trailer #3:

The original lineup of U.K. thrashers XENTRIX has reunited and is currently rehearsing for upcoming shows as well as preparing to write new material. So far, they have announced three dates with KREATOR and EVILE in April:

April 26 - Dublin @ The Academy
April 27 - Manchester @ Ritz
April 28 - London @ Forum

XENTRIX previously reunited with their original lineup in 2006 for a two gigs in their home country.

XENTRIX released four albums on Roadrunner Records: "Shattered Existence" (1989), "For Whose Advantage" (1990), "Dilute to Taste" (1991) and "Kin" (1992). They also issued "Scourge" (1996) on Heavy Metal Records with Simon Gordon on vocals and Andy Rudd on guitar.

AC4, the Swedish hardcore punk band fronted by Dennis Lyxzén, best known as the singer of REFUSED and THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, will release its second album, "Burn The World", on March 22 via Ny Våg Records. Lyxzén is backed in the group by guitarist Karl Backman, bassist Christoffer Röstlund Jonsson and drummer Jens Nordén, all Umeå hardcore mainstays from bands like STEP FORWARD, D.S.-13, REGULATIONS and THE VECTORS.

According to a press release, "Burn The World" features 16 songs that can be described as "classic early '80s hardcore punk like DEAD KENNEDYS, BAD BRAINS and G.B.H. mixed with a bit of MOTÖRHEAD. In other words: the music the band members grew up with."

AC4 originally started in 2008, released its debut album, "AC4", in 2009 and toured all over Europe and Australia the following years. During REFUSED's reunion tour of 2012, AC4 took a break from live gigs and focused on the recording of "Burn The World".

The new CD release will be followed by AC4's first tours since 2011, including performances at Groezrock in Belgium and the two Monster Bash festivals in Germany in April.

HALESTORM was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 55th annual Grammy Awards, which was held this past Sunday night (February 10) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. HALESTORM was nominated for the track "Love Bites (So Do I)" , from the band's 2012 album "The Strange Case Of…" The group was up against ANTHRAX, IRON MAIDEN, LAMB OF GOD, MARILYN MANSON and MEGADETH in the category.

Asked about how he feels about other artists griping about HALESTORM's victory, drummer Arejay Hale tells AOL's Noisecreep: "We're not offended by that stuff at all. We think people should be as honest as they want to be. Honestly, I thought LAMB OF GOD would've won. What's interesting is that they influenced the song we won for. We love LAMB OF GOD; in fact, all the other nominees are bands we grew up looking up to. There were such legendary artists in that category and maybe we're just the ones that got picked to would represent the new guard. But that's not our call."

He continued: "As far as people criticizing us, I learned a long time ago that you have to embrace the hater because it means that the bands get is getting bigger. Like NICKELBACK. I love them and I see people hate on them and all it says to me is that the have become massively huge, and what's wrong with that? So if people have to take the time to say something hateful or mean for whatever reason, it means the band is growing more and more and that more fans are finding out about us and that's a valuable thing. My sister [HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale] and I have been doing this for 16 years and that's a long time. This was like a vindication, this Grammy, this was something that said to us, we did it. That's really important because this is all we know how to do. This is it. There is no backup plan."

SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner said in an online posting that HALESTORM winning a Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" proves that "shit is rotten in the music business" and is more upsetting than METALLICA losing the nod in the same category to JETHRO TULL more than 20 years ago.

Seattle-based Christian metallers DEMON HUNTER (pictured below) have commented on a new article in Esquire magazine about the raid on Osama Bin Laden in which the Navy SEAL who killed the Al Qaeda leader mentions that he wore a DEMON HUNTER patch during the mission. The SEAL, who is only referred to as "the Shooter" in the article, also reveals that he used the music of METALLICA on prisoners before interrogations — until the band asked them to stop.

The Shooter explained, "When we first started the war in Iraq, we were using METALLICA music to soften people up before we interrogated them. METALLICA got wind of this and they said, 'Hey, please don't use our music because we don't want to promote violence.' I thought, 'Dude, you have an album called 'Kill 'Em All'.'"

He added, "We stopped using their music, and then a band called DEMON HUNTER got in touch and said, 'We're all about promoting what you do.' They sent us CDs and patches. I wore my DEMON HUNTER patch on every mission. I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden."

"The Shooter" insisted that he did not torture prisoners, but that "repetitive questioning and leveraging fear was as aggressive as he'd go."

Earlier today (Tuesday, February 12), DEMON HUNTER released the following statement regarding the Esquire article:

"As you can imagine, our inboxes and phones (and those of our representatives) have been flooded with messages asking us how we feel about the Esquire article on the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice that began circulating yesterday. Specifically, the person identified in the story as 'The Shooter' said that Seal Team 6 wore the DEMON HUNTER emblem on their uniforms and 'I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden.'

"Over the years, we have been overwhelmed by the personal (and unofficial) emails and letters we've received from members of the U.S. military. We have been humbled and honored by the troops who've told us our music has offered them some comfort while overseas, while missing loved ones, while doing what they do best in order to keep America safe and protect the freedoms we enjoy. We've met many servicemen and women at our shows and they've shared their stories with us in person, as well. We wrote 'The Soldier's Song' back in 2005 to pay tribute to these folks who've reached out to us. We included one such veteran among the DEMON HUNTER fans we profiled in our documentary film, '45 Days'.

"We have seen our symbol, a demon skull with a bullet hole in its forehead, tattooed on fans around the world. We've seen it made into sculptures, painted onto motorcycles, even spray-painted onto tanks and military planes. We often post these pictures on our Facebook page when we receive them. One such email, a few years ago, came from a special operations team who had crafted homemade DEMON HUNTER patches and put them on their uniforms. They asked us if it was OK if they did this and we of course told them 'YES,' because we are unapologetic supporters of our troops. In the last 24 hours, we have come to believe this team who contacted us a few years ago must have been Seal Team 6.

"As for the talk about enhanced interrogation techniques that has sprung up in the media in the last 24 hours surrounding this story, we feel that it is an unnecessary distraction. It's been widely reported for years that heavy metal music has sometimes been used in these situations. We have no specific knowledge of our music being used for this, nor have we ever volunteered it to be used as such, nor are we commenting on it beyond that. The debate about enhanced interrogation techniques is for politicians, military intelligence, pundits and others of the like to have.

"The members of Seal Team 6 and The Shooter are American heroes who deserve our support. We were among the Americans and people around the world abroad who supported the bringing to justice of one of the biggest mass murderers in history, who planned and executed some of the most horrific acts imaginable. All of the military who risk their lives to protect our freedoms earn our respect each and every single day. We are honored, humbled and blessed that DEMON HUNTER was of any support or comfort to Seal Team 6 or anyone in the U.S. military at any time."

In a 2009 appearance on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show", METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said that the band did not "advocate or condone" the use of the band's music for torture, adding that if someone really wanted to use music to torture others, there were groups that were far more extreme: "If there are people that are dumb enough to use METALLICA to interrogate prisoners, you're forgetting about all the music that's to the left of us. I can name, you know, 30 Norwegian death metal bands that would make METALLICA sound like SIMON AND GARFUNKEL."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was asked by a German TV network in 2008 how he felt about the band's music being used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He replied, "Part of me is proud is because they chose METALLICA . . . And then part of me is kind of bummed about it that people worry about us being attached to some political statement because of that."

South America has provided quite a few important historical moments in rock n' roll over the years. Case in point, KISS performing their final concert in make-up before unmasking in 1983; or QUEEN headlining the first-ever Rock in Rio Festival in 1985; or the continent spawning one of the world's most renowned metal bands, SEPULTURA. And South America is also home to prog metal vets ANGRA, who have steadily issued challenging yet heavy albums on a regular basis since 1993.
And now comes the fourth solo album overall from that band's leader, guitarist extraordinaire KIKO LOUREIRO, entitled Sounds Of Innocence. Running counter to today’s hard-rock scene, the album, like its predecessors, is completely instrumental. And according to Loureiro, it is an incredibly personal piece of music, one that will finally establish him firmly in the US - the country which Loureiro now calls home.

Kiko states: "All the reflective moments during the past year of my life are somehow represented in the ten songs from Sounds Of Innocence. These compositions depict my experiences in perfect form. They connect my past to what I am now - remembering the innocent times of a distant past but simultaneously being humble enough to keep innocence as an important value at present. It keeps me learning, exploring, developing and sharing. I love what I do, and this involves a unique feeling that music is something that unites us universally. Music doesn't belong to me nor anyone. The more I create, the more innocent and free I feel to present and share my music."

As a result, the tracks that comprise Sounds Of Innocence run the gamut of tranquility ('Awakening Prelude', 'A Perfect Rhyme') to over-the-top shredfests ('Conflicted', 'El Guajiro'), and some tracks that lay somewhere in between ('Ray of Life'). And as its creator explains, there is a perfectly good reason for an album that resembles a hard rock rollercoaster ride.

"Sounds of Innocence is my inner voice, whispering constantly, sounds and melodies, textures and harmonies."
Sounds Of Innocence tracklisting:

'Awakening Prelude'
'Gray Stone Gateway'
'Conflicted'
'Reflective'
'El Guajiro'
'Ray Of Life'
'The Hymn'
'Mãe D'Água'
'Twisted Horizon'
'A Perfect Rhyme'
Loureiro recently announced the first dates for his upcoming tour of Brazil with Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums. Venues for each event are yet to be announced.

Tour dates can be seen below:

March
12 – Volta Redonda, Brazil
15 – Maceió, Brazil
16 – Recife, Brazil
17 – João Pessoa, Brazil
More on Kiko Loureiro at this location.

earMUSIC/Eagle Rock Entertainment have announced that Poland’s biggest rock band, COMA, will release their new album Don’t Set Your Dogs On Me on February 19th in North America.

In their home country, Coma has achieved everything there is to achieve for any artist, let alone a heavy rock band. With several number one hits in the single and album charts, Gold and Platinum awards are a constant every time the rock band releases new work. The band has won several Fryderk Awards (the Polish equivalent of The Brit Awards) in the categories “Best Album” and “Best Band”. Every year they play over 100 sold out shows and have been special guests for artists like PEARL JAM, LINKIN PARK and TOOL.

Don’t Set Your Dogs On Me features 13 new songs covering struggle with personal demons, obsessions and twisted feelings. It’s a collection of powerful energetic songs that in true Coma style cannot be pigeonholed. From the catchy 'With You' to the heavy rock 'Rainy Song' and the heart-wrenching 'Better Man', the band manages to bring together beautiful melodies with a hard, straight forward rock sound.

Don’t Set Your Dogs On Me tracklisting:

'Keep The Peace'
'With You'
'Always Summer'
'Dance With A Queen'
'Rainy Song'
'Late'
'Lion'
'Furious Fate'
'Don't Set Your Dogs On Me'
'Song 4 Boys'
'Moscow'
'A Better Man'
'When The Music Is A Flame'

The video for 'Don't Set Your Dogs On Me' can be seen below:
Coma is:

Piotr Rogucki - vocals
Marcin Kobza - guitar
Dominik Witczak - guitar
Rafa? Matuszak - bass
Adam Marsza?kowski - drums
More on Coma at this location.

Italian atmospheric metal quartet NERO DI MARTE will release their self-titled debut album on March 19th in North America, March 18th in the UK and March 22nd in continental Europe.
Featuring six expansive tracks alongside perfectly complementing aesthetics created by designer Alex Eckman-Lawnwill, Nero Di Marte present a creative, evolved take on progressive, avantgarde and technically precise metal / death metal that recalls the genre-defying spirits of GOJIRA, INTRONAUT, THE OCEAN, MASTODON and ULCERATE.
The track listing for the album - the cover art for which appears above - is as follows:

'Convergence'
'Time Dissolves'
'Resilient'
'Nero Di Marte'
'Drawn Back'
'Anoptikon'
The band recorded the album at Italy's Regrexion Studios with producer Michele Trasforini. Mixing and mastering was completed at Studio73 with producer Riccardo "Paso" Pasini (EPHEL DUATH, THE SECRET, EXTREMA, AT THE SOUNDAWN).

Formerly known as Murder Therapy, Nero Di Marte has played extensively throughout Europe, including several festivals and appearances with acts such as CYNIC, DECAPITATED, SVART CROWN, RED FANG, CARCASS and IMMOLATION. They will perform a record release show alongside GODFLESH in their hometown of Bologna on March 22nd.
Check out a teaser video for the new album below:
More on the band at this location.

Ripple Music has announced the signing of Portland-based rockers APE MACHINE to their ever-expanding roster. The band's third album, Mangled By The Machine, is set for worldwide release on Ripple Music in the coming months as the band takes off to plow over the masses on a full-scale European Tour, including appearances in all the major heavy rock festivals.

Ape Machine commented yesterday upon the new alliance: "We are very excited to be a part of the Ripple family and to work with one of the most genuine heavy rock labels in the world! It's clear that these guys don't compromise in terms of putting out creative music and are true believers of heavy rock. The variety of bands and the sheer quality of music they've released speaks for itself. We're very honored that our music earned its place among their ranks!"

Cover art for Mangled By The Machine can be seen below:
Ape Machine have established a worldwide reputation with their effortless blending of rock n' roll, blues, stoner-rock, and psychedelia. Ape Machine is out to pound the apathy out of otherwise jaded listeners with a wall of heavy rock n' roll. The name Ape Machine is a nod to the days of reel-to-reel magnetic tape audio recording; a fitting moniker for the heavy-hitting quartet as the band plays through vintage tube amplifiers and lays down its songs using exclusively throwback quality studio equipment. With a heady mix of animal aggression and technical precision, Ape Machine's music carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock's glorious early years (or your Dad's bad ass record collection) infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the mystical lyrics of vocalist Caleb Heinze lock in with the band's stone-cold groove, Ape Machine demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock.

Keeping in line with their proud "retro" heritage, the new album, Mangled By The Machine, was recorded on analog tape and is being pressed from analog lacquers and plates, which will ensure the highest quality analog sound and fidelity.

With a catalog of underground releases, Ape Machine has gained accolades, awards and a hard earned cult-like status. They have established themselves as the go-to band for those searching out more than just a few killer riffs; a foundation of heavy that will flourish under the Ripple Music banner.
More on Ape Machine at this location.

Spanish death metal band PHOBOS PREACHER have released their debut album, entitled Humanos. The album contains 10 tracks of death metal with lyrics in Spanish.
Humanos was recorded at Aggressive studios in Barcelona. The band, who recently signed with Downn Music booking agency, will shoot a video clip later this month.
Humanos tracklisting:

'Preludio'
'Agonía'
'La Perdición'
'Hipocresía'
'Humanos'
'Lágrimas De Arena'
'La última Cena'
'Abre Tu Mente'
'Ahogado En Mi Adicción'
'Doctrina Odiada'

'Ahogado En Mi Adicción' is streaming below:
More on Phobos Preacher at this location.

British extreme metal veterans CRADLE OF FILTH have released the following statement:

"CRADLE OF FILTH are really sorry to tell all of their fans that their U.S. tour '28 Days Closer To Hell' is going to have to be cancelled, due to U.S. immigration issues beyond the band’s control.

"They have been desperately trying to solve these problems, but it has become evident they are not going to be resolved in time for the band to embark on a tour that starts next week.

"The band sincerely apologise to all their fans and to the other acts on the tour and want to assure people they have made every effort possible to go ahead with the tour."

CRADLE OF FILTH's tenth studio album, "The Manticore And Other Horrors", sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous full-length effort, "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa", opened with 5,800 units in November 2010 to land at No. 99.

CRADLE OF FILTH's 2008 CD, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder", premiered with a little over 11,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 48. This was slightly less than the first-week tally registered by 2006's "Thornography", which shifted nearly 13,000 copies the first week out to enter The Billboard chart at No. 66, and "Nymphetamine", which premiered with almost 14,000 copies back in October 2004.

"The Manticore And Other Horrors" was released in North America on October 30, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Recorded in eight weeks at both Springvale and Grindstone studios (where it was also mixed by Scott Atkins), Suffolk, "The Manticore And Other Horrors" is a testament to the longevity of the 'FILTH, as not only does it reek of CRADLE's (feared or revered) brand of delicious metal vamperotica, but this thoroughly modern album places the band firmly in fresh killing fields anew.

Italian symphonic metallers SILENT OPERA have announced the addition of singer Francesca Zaff and second guitarist Alex Lombardi to the group's ranks.

A video for the band's single "Symphony Of Time" featuring the new lineup can be seen below.

Commented SILENT OPERA: "After ups and downs, we are happy to present Francesca Zaff as our new singer today and Alex Lombardi on guitars. The new concept of the band doesn't require some alter ego figures to create a story; that's why the real names of the members are going to be used for now."

SILENT OPERA is working on material for a new album, which the band promises will be more aggressive but theatrical, with "more voices and choruses" incorporated into the group's sound.

SILENT OPERA's music is described as ageless symphonic metal, traversing the terrain between the rhapsodic romance of "Mother Earth"/"Silent Force"-era WITHIN TEMPTATION, the dynamic drama of NIGHTWISH and the theatrical thrill of "Phantom Of The Opera".

SILENT OPERA is: Francesca Zaff (vocals), Marco Clari (guitars), Loris Volcizzi (drums), Andrea Pin (bass), Alex Lombardi (guitar).

Spanish metallers KILMARA recently entered Roland Grapow's (MASTERPLAN, ex-HELLOWEEN) studios in Slovakia to record their third album, "Love Songs And Other Nightmares".

Commented the band: "We want to inform our fans that the realease of our new album 'Love Songs And Other Nightmares' need longer as expected. After listening the pre-mix, we've realized that it's not only the third record in our career, we want it to be the most perfect album we've ever recorded, that's why we started thinking about new collaborations and elements. We cannot announce a release date yet, we'll do things in the best way, our goal is to create a great piece of heavy metal."

KILMARA has enlisted former XERU, CHAMAN and DM X PROJECT guitarist David Muñoz to lay down guitar solos on the song "Devil's Eye" and former RESILIENCE guitarist and singer Pilar Villatobas to record guest vocals with her guttural voice on the song "Fantasy".

"Love Songs And Other Nightmares" will feature eguest appearances by Dave Imbernön from ENUMA ELISH on keyboards and Kaleb from young Spanish pagan death metal band DRAKUM on the violin.

KILMARA is:

Christian Wolfgang Kohl (vocals)
Jonathan Portillo (guitar)
Enrique Torres (guitar)
Javier Morillo (drums)
Raul Ruiz (bass guitar)

In existence since 2003 (when they were known as JADDE), KILMARA's latest album, "Don't Fear The Wolf" was released in May 2010 via Maldito Records.

In November 2010, KILMARA signed a deal with the U.K. label Rising Records, which re-released "Don't Fear The Wolf" worldwide in February 2011.

Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE have 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 their new album for a late 2012 release via Century Media Records.

A photo of DEICIDE and Suecof in the studio can be seen below.

DEICIDE will embark on "The End Of The Word Tour 2013" in March, with support from DESTINITY, KARNAK, SWEETEST DEVILRY and ARVAS (March 1-10 only).

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.