LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe's trial on charges of manslaughter in the death of a fan at a Prague concert got underway yesterday (Monday, February 4), with day one focusing on the singer's own testimony.

Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan, Daniel Nosek, attending a LAMB OF GOD show died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage.

Back in court on Tuesday, Blythe listened to testimony from nine eyewitnesses, some of whom were friends of Nosek while others were were friends of Milan Poranek, a concertgoer whom Blythe admitted to pushing off the stage during the same show. The witnesses described Blythe's demeanor at the May 24, 2010 concert as "extremely aggressive."

"[Daniel] climbed onto the stage, he turned to the audience and was thrown into the crowd. Blythe pushed him from behind with both hands, I'm one hundred percent sure," said witness Jan Jebavý.

Another witness stated that Randy asked the crowd if Daniel was okay and when told that he was, continued the concert.

Witnesses also disputed Blythe's assertion that the band warned the audience to stay off the stage and claimed that the security at the venue made little effort to control the crowd.

According to WTVR, many of the witnesses struggled to recall the events of that concert nearly three years ago.

Blythe gave a statement on Monday in front of the three presiding judges (there are no jury trials in the Czech Republic), telling the court that he was a man of his word and had returned to face his charge, just as he promised he would.

"The death of a fan is heartbreaking," he said. "I'm not a man who runs from his problems, but I do not wish to be punished and suffer the consequences of an act I did not commit.

"I never saw Daniel and I never came in contact with him," he added in court.

Also testifying in court yesterday were LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler and the band's manager, Larry Mazer, both of whom described Blythe as quiet and well read. They also explained that Blythe's aggressive stage persona was merely a part of the show.

The trial is expected to last until the end of the week.

The parents of Daniel Nosek are demanding compensation of 10 million Czech Koruna (approximately $530,000).

Blythe was imprisoned for five weeks in the Czech Republic after being detained on June 27, 2012 when the Grammy-nominated, Richmond, Virginia-based band arrived there for a show.

The singer was freed without charge in August but had to post $400,000 bail, then left the country, vowing to return for the trial.

Polish prog-rockers OSADA VIDA will release their new album Particles on March 25th in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and April 9th in USA via MVD. The new album includes nine tracks plus a brilliant cover of METALLICA's track, Master Of Puppets'.

The cover art for the album was created by the band's keyboardist Rafal Paluszek, and can be seen below:
Particles tracklisting:

'Hard-Boiled Wonderland'
'Stronger'
'Fear'
'Those Days'
'Shut'
'David's Wasp'
'Different Worlds'
'Until You're Gone'
'Mighty World'

Bonus track:
'Master Of Puppets' (Metallica cover)

Rafal Paluszek discusses the new material: "What's the album going to be like? It's going to differ in all respects from everything we've done before, starting with the cover (and all the artwork), which was meant to depart form the hackneyed gloomy aesthetics, adding more light, space, and buoyancy; through the songs themselves, which are much more accessible (but also more powerful and to-the-point); to the vocal parts of our new, fifth Osada member. The album is a result of what's been long ripening in our heads and hearts. It's permeated with our joy of playing music and it shows a different approach to music and composing.

I think this album might be a surprise to our fans but I'm convinced that it's going to be a surprise of the good sort. We gave a new meaning to the word "uncompromising". It's going to be melodious, rhythmical, powerful, and surprising. But it's still going to be Osada Vida. We've taken nothing away from the character of our music. We've just spiced it up quite a bit and we hope you'll find the spices to your liking. So, what it's going to be like? Find out soon!"

Osada Vida lineup:

Marek Majewski - vocal
Lukasz Lisiak - bass
Rafal Paluszek - keyboards
Bartek Bereska - guitars
Adam Podzimski - drums
More on Osada Vida at this location.

Tuomas Holopainen, keyboardist and main songwriter of the Finnish symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH, has commenced work on his "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck" project and will be in "hibernation" for the next three months. During this time, he will spend several weeks at a Disney park in the U.S. with his keyboards to aid in the creative process. "I'm very excited to start this project," Holopainen says.

Tuomas previously stated about how the idea for the project came about: "It was back in 1999, during the 'Oceanborn' tour, that I remember first having the idea of writing a 'soundtrack' to my all-time favorite piece of Disney comic, 'The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck', by Don Rosa, the apparent heir of the almighty Carl Barks. This book has had such an overwhelming effect on me throughout these years, and finally I have the means and the time to make that dream a reality.

"It all started with a story called 'Last Sled To Dawson', which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck magazine in the late '80s. It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald stories and also introduced Mr. Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual 'Life And Times' opus, though, but 'a companion story,' set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12-chapter piece was released in mid-'90s, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading 'The Lord Of The Rings' as an 8-year-old, or seeing 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.

"With Scrooge, there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags.

"This is a book about life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It's about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It's about love and family, gain and loss, darkness and rebirth.

"And on top of that, well, it's just your good old-fashioned storytelling fun!

"I have been twiddling around with certain themes for some months now and have an idea for five songs, but I will start working on this project 24/7 after the Australian leg of the tour, in February 2013. The demo recordings are scheduled for May 2013, just before the festival season starts and we're off with NIGHTWISH again. The actual recordings then start in August-September and should be finished by the end of the year, making a release during the first half of 2014 a possibility.

"Mr. Pip Williams has agreed to do the orchestral and choral arrangements and we will use pretty much the same London session musicians as we did on 'Imaginaerum'. Troy Donockley will bring Scrooge's Scottish origins to life with his pipes and whistles, and there will also be a few more guest musicians and singers involved.

"This journey is very, very dear and personal to me and I'm honored to have Mr. Rosa's approval on the project. It'll be a beautiful storytime, once again!"

"Pillars Of Perennity", the new single from the Swedish metallers COLOSSUS, can be streamed and downloaded using the SoundCloud player below. The track features Lars Göran Petrov of ENTOMBED on chorus guest vocals.

COLOSSUS is described in a press release as "a Swedish three-piece who performs their own brand of progressive, sludgy metal with a wide range of outside influences. The band have been buzzing in the Swedish metal community after the release of an extremely well-received EP, 'Spiritual Myiasis', 2011 and a large number of intensive gigs throughout Sweden and Europe, including a full set on the Sweden Rock Festival.

"True to their roots, this powerful trio who performs a headstrong metal with roots deep in the impenetrable mire of the stoner/doom/sludge tradition nuansed with streaks of progressive rock, post metal and psychadelica. A wide blend of influences are entwined and results in an accomplished and coherent music that is as direct and powerful as it is multi-layered and meandering. Names that are commonly mentioned in relation to COLOSSUS are MASTODON, NEUROSIS, KYUSS and TOOL, to name a few."

COLOSSUS is:

Niklas Eriksson - Guitar & Vocals
Magnus Stenvinkel - Bass
Thomas Norstedt - Drums

Reactivated '80s Dutch metal band PICTURE has announced the return of guitarist Andre Wullems to the group's ranks. Along with Chriz van Jaarsveld, Andre was the guitarist in PICTURE during the promotion period for the album "Traitor" back in 1985 and played live with PICTURE on a number of occasions in the past.

Commented PICTURE in a statement: "We're really pleased that Andre deceided to join the ranks again and we're looking forward to touring with him throughout Europe with the 'Warhorse' tour. We played with Andre for some time in the past and we knew his capabilities on guitar. It's great to have a familiar member of the band return. Together with Mike Ferguson, they form a formidable guitar duo."

PICTURE will kick off the "Warhorse" European tour in April.

The band's latest album, "Warhorse", was released in February 2012 via Artist Station Records. The CD was mixed by Oscar Holleman, who has previously worked with WITHIN TEMPTATION and AFTER FOREVER, among others.

PICTURE supported AC/DC, TED NUGENT and SAXON in the Netherlands. With SAXON, they did a full European tour in 1981. Later on they toured with ROSE TATTOO in Germany and headlined tours in Italy and Israel.

German rockers FAIR WARNING will release a new studio album, "Sundancer", in Germany on May 24, in the rest of Europe on May 27 and in the USA/Canada on May 28. The effort will be made available as a CD and digital download through SPV/Steamhammer worldwide except Asia.

FAIR WARNING's last studio album, "Aura", came out in 2009. A live CD/DVD, "Talking Ain't Enough - Fair Warning Live In Tokyo", followed in 2010. The band's best-of double album, "Best And More", came out last year.

FAIR WARNING celebrated its 20th anniversary with "Best And More", containing all of the band's classics on a double CD with 32 songs. Previously unreleased tracks and rare live and studio material plus a great booklet made "Best And More" a must-have for all new and old fans.

FAIR WARNING is:

Tommy Heart - Vocals
Helge Engelke - Guitar
Ule W. Ritgen - Bass
C.C. Behrens - Drums

The official lyric video for "Earth Rocker", the title track of the new album from Maryland rockers CLUTCH, can be seen below.

Produced by Machine (LAMB OF GOD, FOUR YEAR STRONG, FALL OUT BOY) at the Machine Shop studio in Belleville, New Jersey, "Earth Rocker" will be released on March 19 via CLUTCH's own Weathermaker Music label. The CD was described by CLUTCH vocalist Neil Fallon in a recent interview with DCHeavyMetal.com as "probably faster than most of our recent albums. Maybe compared to some other bands, it's not the fastest thing on planet Earth. For us it was definitely a step up in the tempo. And I think the other thing that kind of stands out about this one is the blues influences that we've been flirting with over the past couple records is more or less absent in this record, which didn't really happen intentionally until we looked back at it. As a whole, it's just much more of a straight-up rock and roll record."

The artwork for "Earth Rocker" was created by Nick Lakiotes, longtime CLUTCH art director, who has worked on previous efforts, including "Robot Hive/Exodus" and "Strange Cousins From The West".

CLUTCH's North American dates kick off March 8 in Cincinnati, Ohio and are currently slated to run through April 20 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reunited '80s metallers WARLORD, featuring guitarist William J. Tsamis and drummer Mark S. Zonder (FATES WARNING), will release their new album, "The Holy Empire", in March. The effort will be made available on CD and digitally via Sons Of A Dream Music/Battle Hymns Music.

"The Holy Empire" was engineered and mastered by the multi-Grammy Award winner Phil Magnotti (FATES WARNING, OVERKILL, ARCH/MATHEOS, OSI).

Says WARLORD: "WARLORD is returning to Phil after his excellent work on the 'Rising Out Of The Ashes' album, as well as several FATES WARNING projects. Rest assured that the new WARLORD album will be of the highest-quality production."

As previously reported, WARLORD will perform at the Keep It True XVI festival, set to take place April 19-20 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany. This will mark the group's first appearance in eleven years — having last performed in 2002 in Itzehoe, Germany and at the Wacken Open Air festival.

WARLORD's last album, "Rising Out Of The Ashes", was released in July 2002 via Atrheia/Drakkar. The CD featured Tsamis and Zonder alongside HAMMERFALL vocalist Joacim Cans.

Great vocal melodies with anthemic potential, virtuoso guitar and keyboard passages, including spectacular solos, in addition to a blistering rhythm section which gives the songs their pace, groove and dynamics: the very ingredients which guaranteed seven brilliant releases in ten years from the American-Swiss cult act ARTENSION and caused a global stir on "The End Of Never", the only album by ARTENSION's successor ANGEL OF EDEN, also inspire listeners on ARTLANTICA's debut album "Across The Seven Seas".

This doesn't really come as a surprise: after all, ARTLANTICA features three of the most important driving forces behind ANGEL OF EDEN in guitarist Roger Staffelbach, frontman John West and keyboardist Mistheria. In addition, Staffelbach and West (ARTENSION, ROYAL HUNT) belonged to were the driving forces and founding members of ARTENSION (together with Vitalij Kuprij, now of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) and Mistheria has made a name for himself with his collaborations with Bruce Dickinson and Rob Rock. All three are, without a doubt, real masters of their trade who have combined their talents to present ten brilliant new songs. Staffelbach describes the result as "powerful, heavy, occasionally majestic, grooving, melodious and timeless. Each instrument has its place, none of them sounds too dominant, everything has only one purpose, to serve the song."

Staffelbach, West and Mistheria enjoy an excellent reputation among their colleagues and can pick and choose when it comes to selecting their guest musicians: "Across The Seven Seas" features Dani Löble (HELLOWEEN) and John Macaluso (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TNT, ARK) on drums, the bass parts were recorded by bass icon Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT), who also previously worked with ARTENSION and ANGEL OF EDEN. And last but by no means least, ARTLANTICA succeeded in enlisting none less than Chris Caffery of SAVATAGE and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA as their guest guitarist. The result of this high-calibre collaboration was mixed and mastered at Tommy Newton's (HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY) Area 51 studios, with Newton also adding his extensive expertise.

"Across The Seven Seas" will be released in the USA on May 21 and in Europe on May 27 through SPV/Steamhammer as a CD and digital download (including one bonus track).

Norwegian doom rockers DEVIL return with their second opus, after pleasantly surprising many with their 2011 debut, "Time to Repent".

"Gather The Sinners" will be released on March 22 through Soulseller Records — on CD, limited gatefold LP and digital format.

The new album is a step up both in song writing, performance and production. It also varies from the doomiest they've ever done to the most classic heavy metal they ever done, and if that's not enough: the most garage they've ever done. Fans of DEVIL will not be disappointed, and with a higher standard on all accounts, everyone can be confident that "Gather The Sinners" will be a worthy sophomore album.

"Gather The Sinners" track listing:

01. Coffin Regatta
02. Beyond the Gate
03. They Pale
04. Legacy
05. Restless Wanderer
06. Ladies of the Night
07. Darkest Day
08. Mother Shipton Pt. I
09. Mother Shipton Pt. II
10. Demons on Wheels
11. Southern Sun

DEVIL is:

Stian Fossum - Guitar
Ronny Østli - Drums
Thomas Ljosaak - Bass
Kai Wanderås - Guitar
Joakim Trangsrud - Vocals

Ronan McGreevy of The Irish Times recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Irish Times: How did you feel about GUNS N' ROSES being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Axl Rose [vocals] not showing up?

Slash: I wasn't disappointed. I was more relieved at the time because prior to that it was such a negative subject. At one point I thought, if we all show up, then what? When he said he wasn't coming, I thought, "Good, at least I can do something." Duff [McKagan, bass] and I spoke and we rehearsed what we did together. That in itself was a good thing.

The Irish Times: Do you think his non-appearance finally put to bed the expectations that the original GUNS N' ROSES lineup would ever reform?

Slash: I think more than anything it put it to bed for Steven Adler [original GUNS N' ROSES drummer]. He was trying the hardest to make it happen because he missed a lot of it. He was finally resigned to the idea that it was never going to happen. I knew in my heart it was never going to happen because I left the band in the early 1990s. I have never really had any expectations since then.

The Irish Times: Do you feel any resentment towards the GUNS N' ROSES who are touring the world at the moment?

Slash: No, I just want to get on with what I'm doing. It's been a long time. I'm really happy that Axl seems to be happy. He's probably at the same place that I'm at. Whether he calls it GUNS or something else I don't care. I signed that name away a long time ago.

Read the entire interview from The Irish Times.

The official web site of guitarist/vocalist John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY) has been updated with the following message:

"Since John left the THIN LIZZY reunion band a few years back, he has been immersed in the studio writing and arranging new tracks. He has written well over 30 tracks up to now and has also had new equipment fitted in his studio, where he records all his own material.

"John is currently working on a fifth studio album that is due for release 2013. The title of this album is yet undisclosed, but we are told that this has had a lot of time taken on it and there are some fantastic guest musicians on board."

Sykes's much-hyped collaborative project with drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) came to an abrupt end in January 2012. Portnoy later blamed the split on the fact that he "couldn't wait around any longer" for Sykes to get ready to enter the studio.

Portnoy and Sykes announced they were working together during a July 2011 taping of season eight of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show". The program's co-host Eddie Trunk tweeted about the project at the time, "I heard demos. Sounds like killer BLUE MURDER meets '1987' WHITESNAKE. Amazing!" He also said that the new group would perform some BLUE MURDER material when it hits the road.

The project in 2011 demoed more than a dozen songs at a Los Angeles studio, with Portnoy describing one track as "copping the [LED] ZEPPELIN/[BLACK] SABBATH vibe" and another as "[PINK] FLOYD meets [DEEP] PURPLE!!! Some serious old-school classic rock."

Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music."

Marta Gabriel of CRYSTAL VIPER joined the legendary epic metal act MANILLA ROAD on stage this past Saturday (February 2), at the Metal Assault festival in Würzburg, Germany, to perform the song "Flaming Metal Systems". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

CRYSTAL VIPER recorded a cover version of "Flaming Metal Systems" for "The Riddle Masters - A Tribute To Manilla Road" album, which was released in 2008.

MANILLA ROAD's performance at Metal Assault saw the group play a double headlining set celebrating 30 years of the "Crystal Logic" album (featuring original drummer Rick Fisher) and release of the new studio album, "Mysterium".

The new MANILLA ROAD album, "Mysterium", was released on February 2 via Zyx Music (CD) and High Roller Records (LP), and is the the first MANILLA ROAD album recorded with new drummer Neudi (ROXXCALIBUR, JAMESON RAID, ex-SAVAGE GRACE). A limited digipak version of the album includes a bonus DVD with full MANILLA ROAD live show recorded at the Hammer Of Doom festival in 2011.

CRYSTAL VIPER's new album, "Crimen Excepta", was released in April 2012 via AFM Records. The concept effort about holy inquisition, black magic and witches, where fiction is mixed with historical facts, was produced by Bart Gabriel (SACRED STEEL, JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR). "Crimen Excepta" features two special guests: David Bower, vocalist of HELL, appears in the title track, while VADER mainman Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek can be heard in the cover version of the classic VADER song "Tyrani Piekiel", which is available as the bonus track on the first, limited edition of the album.

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia is among the musicians who took part in an all-star jam aboard 70000 Tons Of Metal — the world's biggest heavy metal cruise — which sailed Monday, 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 last Friday, February 1. Video footage of Scabbia performing a cover version of the VAN HALEN classic "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" with a backing band that included ANNIHILATOR's Jeff Waters on guitar, and DORO's Nick Douglas on bass and Johnny Dee on drums and can be seen below.

A previously unreleased MESHUGGAH track, "Pitch Black", can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The song, which was recorded in July 2003 (around the time MESHUGGAH's "I" EP was released) at Fear And Loathing studios in Stockholm, Sweden by MESHUGGAH guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, is available for free download as a two-track EP from 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. In addition to the "Pitch Black" title cut, the EP includes a live recording of the "obZen" song "Dancers To A Discordant System".

MESHUGGAH will embark on a North American headlining tour later this month with ANIMALS AS LEADERS as direct support and INTRONAUT opening each evening.

This continent-shifting, sonically devastating tour will launch in Orlando, Florida on February 11 and will run through March 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Commented MESHUGGAH guitarist Mårten Hagström: "Finally we're getting our asses back over the pond to deliver a second helping of the Ophidian trek across North America. We are excited. We WILL see you there!"

MESHUGGAH's latest album, "Koloss", has sold more than 40,000 copies in the United States since its March 2012 release.

A new trailer for "The Lords Of Salem", Rob Zombie's long-awaited new film, can be seen below. The horror movie, Zombie's fifth live-action feature, stars his wife Sheri Moon Zombie as a Massachusetts DJ who discovers that playing a mysterious record somehow activates a curse placed on her town by a coven of witches 300 years ago.

The film premiered in September 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival and will hit theaters in the U.S. on April 26. On top of that, the rocker-turned-director has teamed up with multiple-award-winning horror author B.K. Evenson to pen the official movie tie-in book for the film. The book will be released in March and promises to plunge readers into a nightmarish world where the sins of Salem are paid for in today’s blood. Zombie says: "The book offers a different experience from the film since it can obviously go into much more detail. The book and the film really complement each other."

The book will be published by Grand Central Publishing and their executive editor Ben Greenberg is excited about the release too. "As a horror junkie and a fan of Rob's work, I am thrilled that GCP will be publishing this novel," said Greenberg. "'The Lords Of Salem' is Rob's first original horror story since the great 'The Devil's Rejects', and it delivers exactly what his fans have been waiting for."

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that this is the first time he's made a movie with explicitly supernatural overtones. "Yeah, the other ones aren't at all, I don't think," he said. "' [House Of 1000] Corpses' was just this crazy, bloody, you know, 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' thing, and 'Devil's Rejects' was always meant to be sort of like a post-modern Western, and the 'Halloween' films, I tried to make them not supernatural on purpose. So yeah, this will be the first one that's sort of about supernatural things coming back to life. It's good. I'm excited. It's gonna be very different than the other films."

"The Lords Of Salem" trailer:

Mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST has been forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

In the year of 13, the second phase of GHOST B.C. begins with the release of the sophomore psalm, "Infestissumam", on April 9 via Loma Vista Recordings. Papa Emeritus II succeeded Papa Emeritus at the conclusion of phase one in the year of 12, and the Nameless Ghouls joined him under the unholy church's current moniker. Make no mistake, though. The rituals still demand the same reverence and praise, fortified through a delivery of sweetly satanic melodies, snaking distorted riffs, and vaudevillian keyboards.

GHOST B.C.'s tour, Haze Over North America 2013, will bow at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 14 and the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. The band will also appear during the second weekend on April 21. All fans subscribed to the GHOST B.C. mailing list before Tuesday, February 6 at 6:00 p.m. EST will be sent a password for access to an exclusive tour pre-sale to take place February 6-7. Tickets will be available for purchase to the general public beginning February 8.

Papa Emeritus II recently emerged on the 100th issue of Decibel magazine for an extensive feature detailing the making of the forthcoming "Infestissumam" in which a nameless ghoul declared, "Regardless of your religious beliefs, we like to trigger the imagination of the listener so they can become a devout burner in Hell or a keen participant of devil worship for at least an hour or two. That's the GHOST experience." Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian said, "For the cover of our 100th issue, we wanted to spotlight a band that embodies the ideals of the magazine: theatricality, black humor, love for both the past and present of extreme music. GHOST meets and exceeds all of those criteria, and we couldn't be more excited to reveal the exclusive story of the making of their sophomore album."

Video footage of GHOST performing its new single, "Secular Haze" on January 19 at "P3 Guld" — Swedish radio station P3's annual music awards ceremony — at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below.

"Infestissumam" track listing:

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

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

French electro/industrial/gothic band AD INFERNA, which features in its ranks SETH mainman/vocalist Vicomte Vampyr Arkames, last month released its sixth album, "Im Mortelle", via DSM Records. According to a press release, the CD — which features a guest appeance by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based singer Melissa Ferlaak (PLAGUE OF STARS, AESMA DAEVA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, ECHOTERRA) — sees AD INFERNA "unveil[ing] an intimistic and very personal part of their soul. Their trip into space takes us where the reason ends & where the madness begins. Magic, bewitching, disturbing and so sensual, 'Im Mortelle' won't leave you indifferent."

"Im Mortelle" track listing:

01. Eternity Regained (feat. Melissa Ferlaak)
02. The Freezing Light (feat. MyLucina)
03. Extra Life
04. ReBirth (feat. Annie Bertram)
05. One Million Miles Away
06. Equinoxe (feat. Alina Dunaevskaya)
07. In-Human
08. Moïra (Bewitched by Jana Cova)
09. Ad Vitam (feat. Melissa Ferlaak)
10. Eternity Regained (acoustic version) (bonus track)

Gothenburg, Sweden-based rockers GERM BOMB return with their second album, "Sound Of Horns", out now through Heavy Steel Records (tape edition) from Portugal. The CD version of the effort will be released soon via the Chinese label Area Death Productions.
According to a press release, the follow-up to "Infected From Birth" "contains eight tracks of apocalyptic rock n' roll and analog power! Songs like 'Broken Bones', 'We Own The Night', 'Among Maniacs' are inspired from various artists such as MOTÖRHEAD, MIDNIGHT, GBH, ENTOMBED, SAINT VITUS! Kicking tracks of fast, punk fueled, hard-rocking metal sounding like it could have come straight from the '80s."

The artwork for "Sound Of Horns" was created by Chany Pilote from INEPSY and can be seen below.

Texas thrashers WARBEAST will release their sophomore full-length album, "Destroy", on April 2 via Housecore Records. The CD was produced by former PANTERA frontman, and Housecore owner, Philip H. Anselmo, and engineered by Stephen "The Big Fella" Berrigan at Anselmo's Nodferatu's Lair studios in Louisiana in May and July 2012. The effort was mixed by Anselmo and Berrigan. The album artwork and concept were designed by "Carcass" John Fossum with graphic and technical adviser John Deleon.

A CD-release show for "Destroy" will take place at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas on April 6. This is currently the first live date WARBEAST has planned for 2013 after the close of the band's current tour, "The Weed & Speed Tour: West Coast Throwdown In The Year Of XIII", with headliners DOWN. The tour ends today in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In other news, bassist Dré Karst has announced his departure from WARBEAST because he is unable to keep up with the band's busy touring schedule due to his full-time job. WARBEAST vocalist Bruce Corbitt states: "We are saddened that Dré has to leave the band. But we will be the first to acknowledge that Dré did an amazing job while he was in WARBEAST. He only had two weeks to prepare to record our upcoming full-length album, 'Destroy'. He also kicked ass at all of the shows and on the three tours with DOWN. So please everyone… join us in giving Dré his props for what he accomplished in his time in WARBEAST. Thanks so much, Dré!!! We will miss ya, bro… Thanks for being part of our family."

Corbitt continues: "So, obviously, that means that WARBEAST is now on the hunt for our next bass player. Please only serious musicians contact us about this. Obviously, we need someone that can tour constantly and that has a schedule that will work with WARBEAST. So for those interested please send an email to brucecorbitt@yahoo.com."

WARBEAST recently released a split album with Anselmo, entitled "War Of The Gargantuas". The split, released via Housecore, includes two songs from each artist. This album serves as the first release of any solo work by Anselmo during the span of his nearly 30-year legacy. Also, the two WARBEAST tracks on the split feature former bassist Alan Bovee before his amicable departure from the band.

The reunited original lineup of the acclaimed 1990s rock band SAIGON KICK has parted ways with bassist Tom DeFile before playing a single show. According to Tom, the split happened because of "personalities and other reasons."

Chris McLernon, who was not a part of the original SAIGON KICK lineup, but came aboard as the band's bassist for the "Water" album in 1993 and remained with the group until they unofficially called it quits in 1999, will play bass on SAIGON KICK's upcoming reunion tour.

SAIGON KICK has announced three shows so far: Las Vegas, Navada on March 29; Hollywood, California on March 30 and New York City on April 11.

Guitarist Jason Bieler, who last year launched a new project called OWL STRETCHING, stated in a 2012 interview about the prospect of a SAIGON KICK reunion, "My only thing about SAIGON KICK is that I wouldn't want it to be a 'will-work-for-food' tour. I hate that, and I expressed to the guys that whatever and if ever we do something, I want to do it at a level that's higher and better than it was. You tend to remember the best things about a band when they're younger, and when you see them when you're older you think 'Oh, man, they suck! Maybe they're still the same band and just never got any better.' I'd want to go out there and capture something, do something great. If we're going to do some shows, I don't want to show up with one flashlight and rip off the fans to make an extra $200. That's not what I'm interested in."

SAIGON KICK is perhaps best remembered for its second album, 1992's "The Lizard", which spawned the band's biggest hit single, "Love Is On The Way". The track reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its accompanying video was in the top 10 MTV countdown for many weeks. Just before touring for the LP commenced, DeFile was fired and was replaced by ex-COLD SWEAT bassist Chris McLernon. They toured from summer 1992 to spring 1993 and "The Lizard" was eventually certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

The official lyric video for the song "Feeding Frenzy" from Massachusetts heavyweights WITHIN THE RUINS can be seen below. The track comes off the band's third album, "Elite", which will be released on February 26 via eOne/Good Fight Music.

Commented WITHIN THE RUINS vocalist Tim Goergen: "This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, lyrically and musically. It explores a little bit more of our groove side while still keeping true to our sound. Enjoy!"

"Elite" track listing:

01. Terminal
02. Solice
03. Feeding Frenzy
04. New Holy War
05. The Charm
06. Ataxia II
07. Elite
08. I, Blashpheme
09. Absolute Hell
10. Weightless
11. Dreamland

WITHIN THE RUINS filmed music videos for the songs "Feeding Frenzy" and "New Holy War" this past weekend with veteran director Kevin J. Custer.

Commented WITHIN THE RUINS guitarist Joe Cocchi: "These two songs are the best representation of the new album as a whole. We chose a very melodic/groove-oriented song ('Feeding Frenzy') which is something this album has a lot more of. The other ('New Holy War') displays our more familiar fast paced and to-the-point sound and lyrically focusing on religion. With Kevin's help, we've come up with two pretty kick-ass ideas. Two back-to-back days of shooting will require tremendous amounts of alcohol, so we are looking for a beer sponsor as well. Just kidding, but not really."

In existence for nearly 10 years, WITHIN THE RUINS has released two full-length albums and has amassed an impressive touring resume.

WITHIN THE RUINS is: Tim Goergen (vocals), Joe Cocchi (guitar), Andrew Tate (bass), Kevin McGuill (drums).

HARASAI has inked a deal with Quality Steel Records. The band's second album, "Psychotic Kingdom", will be released in April. The CD was recorded and mixed by ORDEN OGAN's Sebastian Levermann. Mastering duties were handled by Dennis Koehne (CALIBAN, TIAMAT, LACUNA COIL).

The "Psychotic Kingdom" title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Hailing from Altenessen, which is said to be "Germany's capital of metal," the youngsters in HARASAI present a sound no one would expect of a Teutonian metal band: progressive melodic death metal.

With their highly acclaimed debut album, 2010's "The I-Conception" (produced by Dan Swanö), the band already built up a strong worldwide following. The release was followed by countless shows and festival appearances inside and outside of Germany with such acts as DARK TRANQUILLITY, ENTOMBED, SODOM, ICED EARTH, INSOMNIUM and GHOST BRIGADE.

HARASAI is:

Martin Wittsieker - Vocals
Yannick Becker - Guitar
Arne Laßen - Bass, Voice, Piano
Nicolas Becker - Drums
Patrick Wassenberg - Guitar

"Quietly", the first video from "Going Postal", the debut album from Swedish groove metallers DEATHEMBER, can be seen below. The CD, which features guest appearances by guitarist Ralph Santolla (DEICIDE, OBITUARY, ICED EARTH) and vocalist Daniel Ädel (VILDHJARTA, UNEVEN STRUCTURE), will be made available on April 5 via Violent Groove Music Group.

"Going Postal" track listing:

01. Going Postal
02. Spirals
03. Quietly
04. Unending Thirst
05. Let Us Flip A Few Pages Back (Part 1)
06. Where I Evade (Part 2)
07. The Deprivation (Part 3) (feat. Daniel Ädel)
08. Repeat & Remind
09. Hailing Down (feat. Ralph Santolla)
10. Amnesiac
11. By Damnation (limited-edition bonus track)

Commented DEATHEMBER: "It was a huge honor for us to have Ralph and Daniel on two separate songs on the album. Ralph is one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time and Daniel's band VILDHJARTA is one of the most important bands today in modern metal."

DEATHEMBER is:

Simon Tarasewicz - Vocals
Elias Ryen-Rafstedt - Drums
Pontus Wicklander - Bass
Staffan Birkedal - Guitars
Rikard Bonander - Guitars

Tampa Bay-based death thrashers GENERICHRIST have released their official video for the track 'Nazi In Blue'. The video was produced by Underground Florida film maker Josh Antonelli who has worked with the band through the years . This is the first video the band has done in two years but will not be the last in 2013.

Founder and frontman Tony Anderson states: "We are already throwing ideas around for the next video and plan to start shooting in March and there are also talks for a DVD this year with live footage and some of the old videos and so on its going to be a very busy 2013."
The band is currently finishing two releases; one being a record that will be titled Taste Of Death that will be released on Horror Pain Gore Productions out of Philadelphia and a special edition Asian release titled House Of Ill Repute that will be released on AreaDeath Productions/Xmusick China.

Both of the new albums will feature guest appearances by horror icon Bill Moseley and the artwork of Mark Cooper who did covers for several of the bands prior releases.

For more details visit Generichrist.com.

German power metallers GAMMA RAY have confirmed that they will release a new EP called Master Of Confusion on March 15 via EarMUSIC. The EP is actually close to an album as it has a length of 60 minutes, including two brand new songs, plus two covers (HOLOCAUST, SWEET) and six live tracks.

There will be a new album later this year; it's kind of a teaser and a perfect tool for the upcoming tour, which starts later this month. More news will be announced shortly.

A photo of frontman Kai Hansen and bassist Dirk Schlächter from the studio in Hamburg, Germany can be viewed below. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks.
Following is an excerpt from BraveWords' recent interview with Hansen about the new Gamma Ray live CD/DVD, Skeletons & Majesties Live:

“From a fan’s point of view, I’d be happy to see one of my favourite bands doing a completely different setlist because I know all their songs. If I go to a JUDAS PRIEST show, rather than hearing ‘Living After Midnight’ I’d rather hear stuff like ‘Dreamer Deceiver’. That’s much more interesting even for a diehard fan that knows all the songs in a band’s catalogue.”

And there you have the motivation behind Gamma Ray's new outing Skeletons & Majesties Live courtesy of frontman/founder Kai Hansen. Call it a case of the band challenging themselves and the fans by daring to be different, building a tour setlist in 2011 that reached all the way back to their 1990 debut Heading For Tomorrow and dusted off some of their more obscure tracks for the stage.

“It was really cool,” Hansen says. “And the great part of it was seeing that it actually works, that those songs aren’t weaker than the ones we play all the time. They just don’t get the attention they deserve. There are always the album favourites and the ‘real’ great songs, but that doesn’t mean the other songs are shit. When you do festivals and tours, sure, you include your ‘Best Of’ songs to make most of the people happy, but it was a lot of fun for us to do things this way.”

“That was especially at the rehearsals, when we were saying ‘Do we really have to practice ‘Send Me A Sign’ again?’ We’ve been playing that song for a long time and it’s quite simple, so there was no real need to go over it again. The songs that we hadn’t played in such a long time – or never – there was a totally different motivation to rehearsing them and improving ourselves.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.