American/German/Swedish symphonic metallers KAMELOT will release a new digital single tomorrow (Friday, February 8). Acording to a press release, "Falling Like The Fahrenheit" "combines everything what the band stands for: melody, epic and melancholy atmospheres, and the unique voice of the new singer Tommy Karevik."

The "Falling Like The Fahrenheit" single will feature a special radio edit of the title track as well as the full album version.

"Falling Like The Fahrenheit" comes off KAMELOT's new album, "Silverthorn", which sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 79 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Poetry For The Poisoned", opened with around 6,100 units in September 2010 to enter the chart at No. 74.

"Silverthorn" was released on October 30, 2012 in North America, October 26, 2012 in Germany and October 29, 2012 in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD marks the band's first release with Tommy Karevik, the Swedish vocalist who previously fronted SEVENTH WONDER (a group that he is still a member of).

Tommy first appeared as one of the guest singers on KAMELOT's very successful 2011 Pandemonium World Tour.

KAMELOT supported Finnish/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on their North American tour last summer.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones revealed some of the details following the LED ZEPPELIN jam sessions following their 2007 reunion. It's no secret that Page, Jones, and Jason Bonham were all geared up for more live work with the band, but the pair has now revealed that following Robert Plant's decision to not join in, the trio were working up original material for a new band.

Although both Steven Tyler (AEROSMITH) and Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE, SLASH) have gone public about their time working with the ZEP members, it seems now that the majority of the work was done before any vocalist entered the picture. Jimmy Page explained to Ultimate Classic Rock, "Certainly for Jason, myself, and John Paul Jones; Robert had his Alison Krauss project to promote. It seemed the right thing to go in and start playing new material. I thought we really should play to our strengths here, which was the music. But there were a lot of movements to bring in singers and do this, that and the other. And that would've changed the character too early from what we were doing. I won't say there was pressure, but there was a lot of hinting about this singer and that singer. For me it was more a question of, let's see what we can really do. And I don't think we got a chance to do that. Of course we would've played LED ZEPPELIN material, but you want to be playing some really, really good new music beforehand."

John Paul Jones added that once it was clear that Robert Plant was not going to be joining the exploratory rehearsals featuring the new material, it was never going to be merely a LED ZEPPELIN project with a new lead singer. "Not at all," he said. "That's a total misunderstanding. I said, 'Of course, if we go out (on the road), we're going to have to do some ZEPPELIN numbers.' And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, we rehearsed 'Carouselambra' (from 'In Through The Out Door'), which we've never done live before, and we had a bunch of new material done. But Jimmy and I couldn't agree on singers. . . I quite liked Myles Kennedy. He's got the range, but his voice is completely different than Robert's. Which was fine by me, because it was going to be a completely different band. But it didn't work out and we all moved on."

John Paul Jones has often made light of the fact that Page and Plant reunited in the mid-'90s for two albums and a world tour without him. He recalled that despite being partners with the pair in LED ZEPPELIN — he found out about their team-up through a third party. "I was kind of disappointed that I found out about. . . I read about it in the newspapers," he said. "I called up somebody who works with all of us at the time and said, 'I see the rumors are getting strong again,' because there's always rumors about reunions and stuff. And they said, 'Oh didn't they tell you?' And I went, 'Well, tell me what?' And he said, 'Well, they're getting back on the road again.' 'Oh, well, OK, (laughs) whatever.'"

Santiago, Chile-based death/thrash metal act TORTURER will release their new self-titled double album this March, via Ausatralis Records. As a promotion for the new album, the band created a promotional video for the first single, 'Guerras'.

This new video clip, directed by Daniel Duarte, shows a mix of outdoor scenes with apocalyptical and macabre images, alluding to the lyrics of the promotional single. Check it out below:

Torturer lineup:

Francisco Cautín - Vocals/ Bass
Pablo Navarrete - Guitars
Francisco Garcés - Guitars
Rodrigo Zuñiga - Drums
More on Torturer at this location.

The reunited METAL CHURCH — Ronny Munroe on vocals, Kurdt Vanderhoof and Jay Reynolds on guitars, Steve Unger on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums — celebrated its official reunion on board 70000 Tons Of Metal, the world's biggest heavy metal cruise.

For one of their two shows on board, they played their debut album, "Metal Church", in its entirety. The other show was a "greatest-hits" set.

Fan-filmed video footage of their performance can be seen below.

Speaking to Metal As Fuck, Munroe stated about the possibility of a new studio album from METAL CHURCH: "We've got plans. We're going to start working on a new record and maybe do some festivals this summer. We'll keep everyone posted as soon as we make up our minds on that. We wanted to see how this went, and it went very very well. Kurdt has sent me a couple of things here and there, but it's nothing really that has stuck yet. We pretty much stopped doing that to focus on [70000 Tons Of Metal]. So when he gets back, he's got a few things to do, and then he's going to bury his head in writing some new stuff. It'll be phenomenal. He's a great writer. I'm really looking forward to it."

Asked if this is a permanent reunion, Munroe said: "Well, time will tell. We'll do a record, and we're just not going to do things the way that we did before. We're not 25 anymore. [I'm] not saying that we're old, but we need to do things the right way."

Added Plate: "Everybody understands that this is a complicated business. A lot of things had to fall into place. We gotta get a good record put together and done first; to be honest, that's the first thing. There's a distance between some of the bandmembers, but that's really not so much of an issue. It’s really getting the music to the ears of the fans, in their hands and then getting with someone who can put us in the right environment, at the right show, working with the right band."

METAL CHURCH called it quits after performing at the Rocklahoma festival in July 2009 in Pryor, Oklahoma.

"This Present Wasteland", the latest album from METAL CHURCH, sold 920 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD artwork was submitted by a fan via a MySpace contest.

METAL CHURCH's previous album, "A Light in the Dark", came out in June 2006 via SPV. The LP included a new version of the classic "Watch The Children Pray" as a tribute to vocalist David Wayne, who passed away in May 2005.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke to Loudwire about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next studio album.

Sixx and his bandmates last year released a brand new song called "Sex" to coincide with the launch of MÖTLEY CRÜE's North American co-headlining tour with KISS.

Written when the band was together during their residency in Las Vegas in February 2012, "Sex" was the first studio track from the CRÜE since their June 2008 release of "Saints Of Los Angeles".

"We've been writing," Sixx said. "We started the record with the song 'Sex' and I have a ton of riffs. I know Mick [Mars, guitar] has told me he has a ton of riffs and it's just a matter of now collecting riffs. For a while, it was only writing segments of music and getting together and collaborating but now I'm starting to finish music more like I used to more — like I used to in the old days — and finish it top to bottom. So I look forward to getting in the room with my band and going, 'Here's ten of my ideas, what have you got?' and then we kind of let that process happen."

Asked about MÖTLEY CRÜE's long-term future, Sixx said: "We haven't been shy that MÖTLEY CRÜE has been talking about somewhere in the near future doing a farewell tour. We talked about it on 'Piers Morgan' and different interviews. It's not that we hate each other or we don't work together well. I think it's just at some point we want to leave it with some sort of a legacy that's leaving it in a good way. I just see some bands that keep fucking beating a dead horse and I'm like, 'Get off the horse, dude, it's dead.' And MÖTLEY CRÜE is really at one of our highest points we've been and I would like to see us even climb higher by seeing us finish our movie, an album and then maybe announcing a farewell tour and going out at the top. It would be a really nice look."

Fan-filmed video footage of FIREWIND's February 6 performance at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City as the support act for TURISAS can be seen below.

Vocalist Apollo Papathanasio left FIREWIND last month and is being temporarily replaced by American singer Kelly Sundown Carpenter (BEYOND TWILIGHT, OUTWORLD, DARKOLOGY, ADAGIO).

In a recent interview with Blastzone Online, FIREWIND guitarist Gus G. (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) stated about Kelly Sundown Carpenter: "Kelly is an amazing singer. We jammed with Kelly recently and he did a great job on our songs. Looking forward to playing some gigs with him and we'll see what happens."

Asked how the FIREWIND fans have reacted to Carpenter's addition to the band, Gus said: "I expected it to be a lot worse. Apparently, there are lots of fans out there who are looking forward to the change for various reasons. There's some that took it really bad, which was expected, but to be honest, even with Apollo in the band, we had to recruit replacement singers for our tours. In 2007, Apollo missed the whole second leg of the "Allegiance" tour and that was a whole around-the-world run! Also, in 2011, he missed our European headline tour, which was also important, 'cause it was FIREWIND's first tour since 2009 when I joined Ozzy. So, changing singers is not a new thing for us! But it's amazing, 'cause I can't think of any other band that would be able to get away with shit like this. I think we do, because our fans come to the shows to listen to the songs, they connect with the music first and foremost and that's a very strong thing. And that means a lot to the rest of us in the band."

Esquire.com has compiled a list of the 10 Craziest Drummers Ever which includes METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham, BLACK SABBATH's Bill Ward, HELLYEAH's Vinnie Paul,. CREAM's Ginger Baker, THE WHO's Keith Moon, THE CLASH's Topper Headon, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Tommy Lee, Terry Bozzio (FRANK ZAPPA, MISSING PERSONS) and Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE, GUNS N' ROSES).

Read the entertaining article at Esquire.com.

According to an update from ADRENALINE MOB drummer Mike Portnoy (ex-DREAM THEATER) the band's cover of DURAN DURAN's 'Come Undone' has gone to radio in the US. He has listed the first round of stations that have the song in circulation via his official Facebook page and is asking fans to call their local stations to request the track.

'Come Undone' - fearturing HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale as a guest vocalist - is taken from Adrenaline Mob's 2012 album, Omerta. Check out the song below:
In support of their album Omerta and 'Come Undone', Adrenaline Mob - featuring Portnoy, Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X) and Mike Orlando (SONIC PUMP) - will be commencing a US tour on March 12th. Additionally on that day, the band will be releasing Coverta, an 8-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the band’s favorite songs.

Long time fans of Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with Dream Theater and with Neal Morse. Coverta is the first CD of covers recorded by Adrenaline Mob.

Coverta tracklisting:

'High Wire' (BADLANDS)
'Stand Up And Shout' (DIO)
'Break On Through' (THE DOORS)
'Romeo Delight' (VAN HALEN)
'Barracuda' (HEART)
'Kill The King' (RAINBOW)
'The Lemon Song' (LED ZEPPELIN)
'The Mob Rules' (BLACK SABBATH)
The tour will consist of two legs this spring. The dates for the first leg are as follows:

March
12 - New Haven CT - Toads Place
13 - New York NY - Marlin - Webster Hall
14 - Pittsburgh PA - Altar Bar
15 - Allentown PA - Crocodile Rock
16 - West Springfield VA - Empire
18 - Jacksonville FL - Brewster’s Roc Bar
19 - Tampa FL - Orpheum
20 - Orlando FL - The Haven
22 - Houston TX - Scout Bar
23 - San Antonio TX - Backstage Live
24 - Dallas TX - Trees
26 - Albuquerque NM - Launch Pad
27 - Phoenix AZ - Joe's Grotto
28 - San Diego CA - Brick By Brick
29 - Las Vegas NV - Cheyenne Saloon
30 - Los Angeles CA - Roxy

April
1 - Colorado Springs CO - Black Sheep
2 - Kansas City KS - The Voodoo Lounge
4 - St Louis MO - Fubar
5 - Nashville TN - Exit IN
6 - Atlanta GA - Masquerade
7 - Richmond VA - Kingdom

Tickets for all shows go on sale this weekend. NOTHING MORE will be the support act on the first leg.

'From the Dead', a track from the upcoming album from Norwegian black metallers CREST OF DARKNESS has debuted on the band’s SoundCloud page. The new album, titled In the Presence Of Death, will be the band’s sixth full-length release, and is set to appear on My Kingdom Music on the 25th February. 'From the Dead' can be heard below:



Crest Of Darkness was formed in the mid-nineties by frontman Ingar Amlien, at a time when his then-band CONCEPTION was at the peak of its popularity. Unlike Conception, which tended more towards the progressive side of power metal, Crest Of Darkness allowed Amlien to explore his interest in Vampirism and Satanic ideology, which, combined with his passion for sonic brutality, created a much more extreme sound that has grown in power and intensity over the 18 years since the band’s inception.

The lineup on In the Presence of Death includes Amlien on vocals and bass, Rebo on lead guitars, Kjetil Hektoen on drums and Kjell Arne Hubred on rhythm guitars. Hubred recently left the band and and was replaced by DJEVELKULT guitarist Jan Fredrik Solheim.
Tracklisting for In The Presence Of Death is as follows:
'Intro'
'In The Presence Of Death'
'Demon Child'
'Redemption'
'The Priest From Hell'
'Welcome To My Funeral'
'Womb Of The Wolf'
'Vampire Dreams'
'From The Dead'
'The Day Before She Died'

Check out an album trailer below:
For more details visit Crestofdarkness.com.

Reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS have begun mixing 15 new songs for their first studio album in 17 years with acclaimed producer Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE). The band has yet to secure a label home for the effort, which is expected later this year.

Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who have been touring with CARCASS since the band's reunion was announced in 2007, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, ARCH ENEMY. Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in the studio for the new CD recording sessions was drummer Daniel Wilding of TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED. "For live, we'll obviously add another guitarist — we have someone in mind but we are not interested in a 'name' player," Walker told Decibel magazine in December.

Regarding the sound of the forthcoming CARCASS album, Walker stated: "We've taken stylistic cues from all the albums because it's in our blood, but it's no rehash or mess of ideas. I think it sounds almost like the missing link between the third and forth albums but with some groove in there. I've jokingly christened some parts 'trad blast' and some 'death sleaze'… don't think for a minute this is just some nostalgic throwback album — we're setting up another 17 years of ideas for other bands to copy and clean up on. [laughs]"

Asked if this means we'll be hearing some death metal vocals out of Bill for the first time since "Necroticism", Walker told Decibel, "Yes, already in the can. It's more along the lines of how I envisioned him backing me up on 'Heartwork'. That said, my own vocals have a hell of a lot more range than they did in the past solely down to the luxury of having time to record them — I did all the vox for 'Heartwork' in two days and it shows! Also, (hopefully) [drummer] Ken [Owen] [who is not involved in the band's current reunion because he suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage in February 1999 and has had some rather serious health problems since then. — Ed.] will make an appearance — we just need to tidy a few loose ends before the mix."

CARCASS is in the process of booking a number of live shows for 2013, including appearances at year's Maryland Deathfest, Germany's Party.San Open Air, Czech Republic's Brutal Assault, U.K.'s Damnation, The Netherlands' Neurotic Deathfest and Chile's Metal Fest.

CARCASS' last album, 1996's "Swansong", was re-released in July 2008 via Earache Records. The reissue came fully remastered on a DualDisc (combined CD and DVD) in a deluxe digipak with extra artwork and a free sticker sheet featuring exclusive CARCASS designs, and included part 5 of a mini-documentary series entitled "The Pathologist's Report" as bonus video material, plus an exclusive bonus track, "Deathrider Da".

Translation Loss Records has announced the signing of LESBIAN. The Seattle, Washington band's third full-length offering, "Forestelevision", is a single-song, 44-plus-minute all-encompassing force of nature. Never has an album sifted through the deepest trenches of prog-influenced epic-doom and blackened metal to produce such an awe-inspiring aural assault to the senses. Recorded at Avast! Studios with longtime producing collaborator Randall Dunn (WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, EARTH, BORIS) and featuring gorgeous artwork by Arik Roper, the effort will see an early/mid-2013 release on CD (digipack), digital and 2xLP. The 2xLP version will come housed in deluxe gatefold packaging and include an exclusive vinyl-only extended outro bonus track.

Consisting of guitarists Arran McInnis and Daniel La Rochelle, bassist/vocalist Dorando Hodous and drummer Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy, LESBIAN has grown accustomed to composing lengthy eclectic journeys that take the listener through myriad genres ranging anywhere from doom to prog to psyche to '70s rock to black metal to grunge and beyond. "Forestelevision" continues LESBIAN's music genre-defying journey from their prior full-length on Holy Mountain Records called "Power Hor", a split 10-inch with OCEAN on Roadburn Records, an independently released two-song tour EP, and a second full-length on Important Records called "Stratospheria Cubensis".

U.K. mainstays and international cult act CATHEDRAL has released its first new recorded material in three years exclusively via Decibel magazine's subscriber-only Decibel Flexi Series. The song, "Vengeance Of The Blind Dead", can be heard in the flexi included in this month's issue, which hits newsstands today. The track is also streaming on Decibel's SoundCloud page. Limited quantities of the issue with the flexi can be ordered on DecibelMagazine.com.

CATHEDRAL will be the featured cover story for Decibel magazine's May issue, on newsstands in April. The feature will highlight the band's storied career, as well as discuss their final studio release, "The Last Spire". The CD is due in April/May.

In 2011, CATHEDRAL released "Anniversary", a two-disc live album captured during a special show at the Islington Academy in London. Disc one features the band's original lineup performing its 1991 debut, "Forest Of Equilibrium", in its entirety. The second set featured the longstanding lineup of Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings, Brian Dixon and Leo Smee, in which they performed a raucous selection of songs old and new.

German power metallers HELLOWEEN have posted a three-minute video recap of their appearance aboard 70000 Tons Of Metal — the world's biggest heavy metal cruise — which sailedon January 28 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, Florida to Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island, and returned to the real world on February 1. Check out the clip below.

HELLOWEEN's new album, "Straight Out Of Hell", sold around 4,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 97 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD entered the Media Control chart in Germany at position No. 4 — the highest chart position in the band's history. It also landed at No. 4 in Finland and No. 2 on the international album chart in Japan.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was released in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22. The cover artwork for the CD was once again created by Martin Häusler, who previously worked with the band on the "7 Sinners" and "Gambling With The Devil" CDs.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who also worked on "7 Sinners", and sees the five musicians maintaining a rawer edge throughout, working quickly in the studio (MiSueno Studio in Tenerife) and delivering 13 brand new compositions that, in the words of founding member, guitarist Michael Weikath, will "kick even the laziest listener's ass!"

NIGHT RANGER guitarist Brad Gillis has recorded a guest solo on a track on the new album from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, due later in the year via the Los Angeles-based independent label Cleopatra Records. Tate says: "Brad is an amazing player and completely shredded through the entire track."

Although a lineup for Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE was originally announced in the fall of 2012, things have changed. The band will now feature Tate along with bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, DIO, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT), guitarist Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE 1998-2001), keyboardist Randy Gane and new additions, guitarist Robert Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, HURRICANE) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET).

Wright takes over for previously announced drummer Bobby Blotzer, who will be returning to RATT as an integral part of the band that made him famous.

"I'm very much looking forward to being involved in the QUEENSRŸCHE project with Geoff," stated Wright. "I've always admired his singing and songwriting and working with Rudy Sarzo again is going to be cool! Between this and my other project, DIO DISCIPLES, I look forward to a very busy year!"

Other guest musicians on the new album from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE include legendary guitar slinger K.K. Downing of JUDAS PRIEST, KING'S X guitarist Ty Tabor and Blotzer.

Tabor comments, "I'm very happy that Geoff considered me for this record. It will be great to play with all of these great musicians."

Beginning in early April, Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE will be hitting the road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band's epic 1988 release, "Operation: Mindcrime", performing all fifteen songs from the album along with other well-known hits and rarities from the catalog they've compiled over the past 30 years.

"I try to surround myself with the best players available and feel our longtime fans deserve nothing less," says Tate. "I expect the forthcoming effort to be one of our best yet."

Tate, who was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 after fronting the group for three decades, last year sought to prevent his former bandmates from touring and operating under the QUEENSRŸCHE name without him. While ruling against Tate, the presiding judge determined that there was no legal hurdle in Tate also using the name with an all-new lineup of musicians. "I don't see any reason that Mr. Tate can't have the benefit, if he gets other members, of whatever name he uses of using the brand," Superior Court Judge Carol A. Schapira said during the July 13, 2012 court hearing. "I think [doing that would be] inherently confusing, although I'm sure the market can get these things sorted out," she added.

Last November, Tate released his first solo CD in over a decade titled "Kings & Thieves" (InsideOut Music) and toured with his solo band in support of the CD, which included dates with the legendary ALICE COOPER.

By "Metal" Tim Henderson

Is it wrong to approach an interview with the sheer terror that you may not escape alive? Or be kidnapped and find oneself onstage as part of some ritualistic pledge to beings south of heaven? Yes, you find these horrific images dancing around your head when MAYHEM is the band in question. It's bizarre when what you'd think would become a Stephen King novel excerpt, becomes a slapstick comedy routine. But that's the loose vibe on Barge To Hell, when BraveWords matched wits with Norwegian black metal forefather and Mayhem founder Jørn Stubberud (aka Necrobutcher) and former CRADLE OF FILTH/IMPERIAL VENGEANCE axeman Charles Hedger.
And truly, given their reputation, the cruise should be renamed Barge To Mayhem, as they have been the epitome of hell since their formation in the mid-'80s, being associated with such grisly characters as Euronymous (murdered guitarist Øystein Aarseth), Count Grishnackh (bassist/BURZUM's Varg Vikernes out on parole now after serving nearly 15 years in jail for Euronymous' murder) and Dead (late singer Per Yngve Ohlin who killed himself in 1991). Hence me making sure my last will and testament was written before I entered the room!

The question is, how does such black metal extremity fit in the tropical Caribbean? The band's over-the-top live spectacle was by far the most extreme and hellish during the entire cruise.
"This is the place for us," Necrobutcher confirms strongly about the Barge To Hell experience!

But do you think it affects the image? "Maybe for idiots," Hedger hits back. "Some people think the band like this is never going to smile, never going to have a good time, never going to enjoy the sun. C'mon…"

Necrobutcher adds: "The one thing is that we play this kind of music, but somebody has to do it! But this is what comes out when we make music. We've always been on the edge of exploring the darkness, on the wrong side of everything you know. Maybe that created some kind of image. I tell you when people meet me, they say 'I thought you were bigger.' Or I thought you were higher. I'm way past that now. All I say is 'thanks for having high thoughts about me.' So that's how it is. But it's easy math. Heavy-metal started around 1980 and then extreme metal came in at 1985. All these guys are in their 40s now. Of course they want to go on a cruise! Of course they want to see their favourite bands. That's why."

"And people have money now in the metal scene," Hedger continues. "People are grown-up, people have jobs. It's not a kids scene anymore. Of course there's still a lot of young people, but there's a lot more money. So eventually this is going to happen. Metal is not that much of a taboo thing anymore. It is an excepted art form."
Necrobutcher: "Society is getting tougher, and they need more tougher art, and that is where we step in."

So let's get off the ship, and take a peek into your musical brains. What is the update on a new album. "We are just in the middle of pre-production on the new album," Necrobutcher reveals. "We did a session recently in Budapest, Hungary the hometown of Attila (Csihar). We stayed there for three weeks, did a gig to finance the studio and stuff, which worked out well. So we will probably have a new session soon in Norway, to finish the songs and then when we we are good and ready, we will go to the studio. We are well on the way with getting the new album sorted, and it's been six years."

Are you still with Season Of Mist?
"We always go for the best offer," says the bassist. "They are one of the names… We're also thinking about Pledge Music, so we will go where we think is best. We're not going to rush into anything and not before we have to. All the record companies are stressing, but we don't need that extra stress. If they would've paid, then we would have double the stress. But we're getting to the point, that very very soon we will need some money to pay for the studio. And the one that is going to pick up that bill, will be the record label and will represent us."
And what is the status of your catalog?
Necrobutcher: "It's a fucking mess."

That's why I'm asking!
Necrobutcher: "We are Norway's most bootlegged band. There's no other band in Norway. And were talking about A-HA and all of those fuckers. So it's all spiralled out of control, the whole fucking thing. I don't know if I want to fucking shoot 'em, or send them the bill. If bootleggers really do a good job, like a good layout, nice photos, a poster, colored vinyl. And print the song titles correctly or have material from some cool gig with some good sound. I don't give a fuck, then I probably would like to collect it. But what I don't like is when I see a product that looks exactly like the original product, that's a different type of bootlegging. And I find that more and more now. But now with all the downloading and shit everything is going straight down the toilet anyways."

"It's merchandise and gigs that's the only way to band can make money now," Hedger closes. "That's the only thing people can't download, t-shirts and being in the room with you."
Photos above:
#1 - Necrobutcher live on Barge To Hell Pool Stage - Håkon Grav
#2 - Attila Csihar live on Barge To Hell Pool Stage - Charlene Tupper
#3 - Mayhem during Barge To Hell signing session - Charlene Tupper
#4 - Mayhem live on Barge To Hell Pool Stage - "Metal" Tim

In a continuing creative partnership, Vans and iconic rock band METALLICA proudly introduce a four-piece signature collection designed by each band member delivering to stores in February. Each METALLICA member — James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo — had free rein to choose any iconic Vans shoe style and make it their own while drawing from their favorite influences in the worlds of music, action sports and art to create Vans shoes reflecting their personal style.

Each shoe release is accompanied by a video capturing the unique shared passions between Kirk, James, Robert and Lars and favorite Vans team riders. The first edition highlights the "Trujillo Trio," the result of Robert's introduction to Vans' skater Tony Trujillo and the musical mayhem that follows.

The Vans x Metallica Signature Shoes:

James Hetfield: Inspired by his favorite black boots, James added hex-bolt eyelets and a personal take on the skull and cross-bones, illustrated by Hetfield himself, to "Metallicize" this Vans Sk8-Hi Deconstruct.

Lars Ulrich: Putting a twist on one of Vans' original Classics, Lars updated the Era Laceless with brushed twill materials and a print taken from the diamond plate pattern on his snare drum. He finished his shoe with a Dirty Donny character on the inside heel.

Kirk Hammett: Tying back to a love of surfing and nature, Kirk chose an all-natural upper made of hemp for his collapsible Slip-On. The inside heel is accented with a guitar pick inspired by his Ouija guitar and designed by one of METALLICA's favorite artists, Dirty Donny.

Robert Trujillo: Robert grew up wearing Vans as a young skater in Venice Beach, California. For his shoe, he took Aztec calendar artwork, designed by his wife Chloe, which is carved in one of his bass guitars and placed it in blue, on the side of this Escuela.

In March, Vans and METALLICA introduce "Kill 'Em All" theme shoes featuring two of Vans' all-time favorite styles, the Classic Slip-On and the Sk8-Hi, each emblazoned with artwork marking the 30 years since the release of METALLICA's debut album.

PASADENA NAPALM DIVISION, the Houston, Texas-based thrash metal outfit that features D.R.I. singer Kurt Brecht and members of DEAD HORSE, will release its self-titled debut on April 9 via Minus Head Records. The 13-song CD was recorded at the Music Lab in Austin and features guest vocals from Tony Foresta (MUNICIPAL WASTE) and Argo (DEAD HORSE).

"Fans of D.R.I. and DEAD HORSE will rejoice. PASADENA NAPALM DIVISION is what thrash metal should sound like in 2013," said Brecht.

"Working together with some of the members of Texas based cult band DEAD HORSE, we have come up with some hard-hitting tunes that span genres and will withstand the test of time.

"I can't wait to take the PASADENA NAPALM DIVISION machine on the road in support of our first LP on Minus Head Records."

Brecht asked Foresta in 2011 if he would consider helping out on the PASADENA NAPALM DIVISION CD. There was also talk of Brecht making a guest appearance on an upcoming release from Tony's side project IRON REAGAN.

"I had one tune on the album that I was really having problems with," said Brecht. "I was not happy with my lyrics or the delivery on the studio recording. I knew the song deserved better. Tony wrote new words and changed the phrasing to really save the day."

PASADENA NAPALM DIVISION is:

Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.) - Vocals
Greg Martin (DEAD HORSE) - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Ronnie Guyote (DEAD HORSE) - Drums/Backing Vocals
Scott Sevall (DEAD HORSE) - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Bubba D. (VERBAL ABUSE) - Bass/Backing Vocals

VAN HALEN is one of the world's most legendary rock bands, having sold over 75 million albums worldwide since its revolutionary debut in 1978. Driven by Eddie Van Halen, the guitarist widely regarded as second only to Jimi Hendrix, VAN HALEN has produced some of rock's most unforgettable rock songs.

Van Halen Store, in association with Warner Bros./Rhino, is proud to announce that "Van Halen: The Studio Albums 1978-1984" is due for release March 26. This limited-edition 6CD box set documents the band's indelible history, from their self-titled 1978 debut until the "1984" album, which was to be singer David Lee Roth's last record with the band until 2012. Included in this box are many of the band's best-known songs — "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Runnin' With The Devil", "Jump", "Dance The Night Away", "Unchained", "Everybody Wants Some", "Hot For Teacher" and "Panama".

"The Studio Albums 1978-1984" is a no-frills package of VAN HALEN's incredible era with original vocalist David Lee Roth at the helm, remastered and neatly packaged in clamshell box. Featuring the now-immortal six-string styles of Eddie Van Halen, the devastating rhythm section of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen and the clean production of Ted Templeman, this box is a crash course in big rock.

If you're looking for a gift for a new (or maybe even an old) VAN HALEN fan, this six-disc box is the perfect way to own a slice of HALEN history!

Pre-order yours now at VanHalenStore.com. This limited-edition item won't last.

Savannah, Georgia-based quartet BARONESS was involved in a road accident on August 15, 2012 in England when the band's tour bus reportedly plummeted for 30 feet over a viaduct after going through a security barrier during heavy rain. Nine people, including the four members of the group, were sent to the hospital, two of them with serious injuries.

According to BBC News, the driver of the bus — a German national by the name of Norman Markus — will be charged with dangerous driving. The 39-year-old also faces charges of using a vehicle with defective brakes and breaching a 7.5-ton weight limit, iinsufficient daily and weekly rest periods and using a vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger of injury. He has also been charged with not having the correct license entitlement to drive the coach involved in the crash.

Markus is due to appear before Bath Magistrates' Court on April 5.

BARONESS member John Baizley (guitar, vocals) broke his left arm and left leg in the accident. Allen Blickle (drums) and Matt Maggioni (bass) each suffered fractured vertebrae.

Photo credit: Avon & Somerset Police

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris will take his new solo/side project BRITISH LION out on the road this month, visiting fourteen countries and twenty-four cities across Europe. For the first time ever, and as a major surprise to many, MAIDEN's bass player, founding member and leader will take temporary leave from his MAIDEN activities and heading out on a full European club tour.

BRITISH LION will open its 2013 European tour with a special charity show at the Moto Clube de Faro, Portugal on February 20. All tickets will be priced at €10 with profits going to the Red Cross.

As MAIDEN fans will know, the Moto Clube de Faro and Steve Harris have a long and cherished history via mutual friend Manu DaSilva, who sadly passed away in 2006, and as a tribute to whom IRON MAIDEN headlined the 30th International Motorcyle Convention Portugal as guests of the Moto Clube de Faro during their Final Frontier World Tour in 2011.

Says Harris: "We’re really looking forward to starting off the tour at the Moto Clube de Faro. They have a brand new 600-capacity Clubhouse, which makes an ideal warm-up venue for our first-ever live BRITISH LION show, and we’re very pleased to be donating all profits from this show to the Red Cross."

Regarding the upcoming BRITISH LION tour, Steve previously said: "I love touring and live shows and I'm very excited about touring with BRITISH LION. It's fantastic to get out there and once again experience the sheer vibrancy of small clubs with the fans right up front and in your face. I think the fans will enjoy that too. It's exciting, going back to the roots, and it's going to be fantastic. We are taking this to clubs all round Europe — a full club tour, with club shows at club prices, hot, sweaty and loud. We have no idea how many people will turn out to see us, as it's obviously very recent and very new, so we have kept the venues small with tickets priced accordingly as low as we reasonably could.

"I've known all the guys in the band for ages and, besides being great musicians, they are also good friends, which is lucky because this has been an ongoing project for many years! They've had to be very patient with me as, of course, I'm so involved with MAIDEN I don't really get a lot of free time to work on other stuff. So it's great to finally have the opportunity to get out and do all these shows. The reaction to the album has been really good and I think it will sound great live. We're all planning to have a lot of fun on this tour!"

"Us Against The World", the latest video from Steve Harris's BRITISH LION, can be seen below. The song comes off his first-ever solo release, "British Lion", which sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 3 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.

"British Lion" was released in the U.S. on September 25, 2012 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Mixed by Kevin Shirley — whose credits include IRON MAIDEN as well as Led ZEPPELIN, JOURNEY and RUSH, among many others — the CD, which features Harris alongside vocalist Richard Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins and drummer Simon Dawson, presents a different side of the bassist's musical visions.

"British Lion" comprises ten songs that Steve and his collaborators have been working on between IRON MAIDEN tours and releases and is described by Harris as "'70s-influenced, British-sounding hard rock." "I'd say it's more mainstream rock than metal... and quite commercial… but good commercial," he said. "There's all kinds of stuff going on, with nods to THE WHO and UFO and some classic British rock bands, but it's not the progressive rock album some might be expecting."

"British Lion" track listing:

01. This Is My God
02. Lost Worlds
03. Karma Killer
04. Us Against The World
05. The Chosen Ones
06. A World Without Heaven
07. Judas
08. Eyes Of The Young
09. These Are The Hands
10. The Lesson

Spanish death metal veterans AVULSED enter the studio next week to begin recording their long-awaited sixth full-length album, "Ritual Zombi". A conceptual effort dealing with zombies, the CD will contain nine new songs, including three instrumentals, plus a cover version of the DEATH classic "Zombie Ritual". The first AVULSED album to feature new drummer Osckar Bravo will be tracked in February/March at Madrid's La Casa del Ruido Studios by Dani Blanco and AVULSED and will be mixed in Barcelona at Moontower Studios by Javi Félez. Mastering duties will be handled by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound studios in Örebro, Sweden. The cover artwork will be created by Juanjo Castellano, who worked on the latest PUTREVORE album and is said to be "the perfect choice to conceive the most putrid transcription of AVULSED's sound."

AVULSED will capture the recording process on video and will post clips every week at the band's official Facebook page.

"Ritual Zombi" is tentateively scheduled for release in June. A party, dubbed "Ritual Zombi Fest", will take place on October 12 in Madrid.

AVULSED parted ways with drummer Ricardo "Riky" Mena in March 2012 "due to differences on how to deal with different internal issues within the band."

AVULSED in 2011 scrapped plans to release a 20th-anniversary CD, "Fleshcube", due to "several problems regarding the recording sessions that delayed the whole project, to the point that it was going to be impossible to release it [in 2011]."

Candlelight Records has set a May 6 European release date for "False Prism", the full-length début from SADGIQACEA. Produced by Chris Grigg (WOE), the album's four mammoth songs will pummel listeners for close to 40 minutes. The CD follows the band's 2011 EP, "Submerged In Manichea" (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions), and two regarded split recordings with OMINOUS BLACK and GRASS (Anthropic).

Recorded early September 2012 at Gradwell House in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, "False Prism" features sparring use of overdubs; the band wishing to preserve the authentic recording quality of the live performance. Writing and performing as a duo, the unique band is committed to their craft. SADGIQACEA says, "The album has themes of inner struggle, spirituality, and our own reflections on the dualistic nature of the evil that we all see and experience in our lives."

"False Prism" track listing:

01. False Segments
02. False Cross
03. False Prism
04. True Darkness

Heavy Planet says, "While destroying everything in their path, Philadelphia-based SADGIQACEA creates an inspiring assault of devastation. Crushing riffs and ambient beauty swirl as the vocals bark… epic and full-on sludge." Fueled by the duo of Evan Schaefer (vocals/guitar) and Fred Grabosky (vocals/drums), the band has already proven themselves road savvy. Plans are already in order to return to the road for the album's springtime release.

"We are honoured to be working with Candlelight Records and ready to spread our music to masses with their support," says the band. "We are currently planning our second full American tour with our Philadelphia brothers HIVELORDS for summer 2013."

Formed in 2010, SADGIQACEA (pronounced sad-juh-kay-sha) forge a diverse sonic palette that has been likened at times to NEUROSIS, INTRONAUT, WEAKLING and KYLESA. Musically and artistically, the band draws from a melting pot of influences that together presents a lush yet tension-filled sound. They call it "music for our trodden minds and sodden souls."

SADGIQACEA has performed alongside 40 WATT SUN, FLOOR, COUGH, WEEDEATER, FIGHT AMP, MOSE GIGANTICUS, ASG, FUNERAL PYRE, HULL and countless others in their still-short history.