The video for the song 'Thousands Carybdea', taken from French modern death-prog metallers ATLANTIS CHRONICLES' album, entitled Ten Miles Underwater and due for release on March 12th via Coroner Records, can be seen below:
Ten Miles Underwater will include the following tracklisting:

'Enter The Bathysphere...'
'... And Embrace The Abyss'
'Echoes Of Silence'
'Thousands Carybdea'
'Homocene'
'Ten Miles Underwater'
'L’Ivresse Des Profondeurs'
'Architeuthis Dux'
'Tales Of Atlantis'
'Stomias Boa'
'Behold Kraken'
'William Beebe'
Atlantis Chronicles tracklisting:

Antoine Bibent - Lead Vocals
Alex "Ash" Houngbo - Guitar/Vocals
Mikael Rumèbe - Bass
Jérôme Blazquez - Guitar
Sydney Taieb - Drums
More on Atlantis Chronicles at this location.

Horror maniacs STORY OF JADE have released a music video for the track ‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’. Check it out below:

‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’ comes off the band’s latest album The Damned Next Door ( Know Your Neighbors!).

Tracklisting is as follows:
‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’
‘Afterlife Confusion’
‘Enemy In Me’
‘H.M.K.M.’
‘C.F.Virus S01’
‘Confessions Of A Headless Man’
‘Bloodsuckers’
‘J.A.D.E.’
‘Lulladie’
‘New World Inquisition (When You Hear The Sirens)’

Vancouver death metal band ABRIOSIS have released their new EP entitled Vessel, today, February 1st.

The album is now available for free download in its entirety at the band’s website. Physical copies are also available for purchase their as well.

Guitarist Taylor Lipton commented: "Vessel is what we've been striving towards for year. We feel it truly defines the sound of Abriosis, and foreshadows our future endeavours."

Vessel marks the first Abriosis recording to feature the band's new vocalist, Alxs Ness (ex-WITHOUT MERCY). Ness' YouTube channel has attracted over one million views split between her death metal vocal covers and vocal technique/advice videos.

Artwork for the album was created by Alison Lilly.
Tracklisting is as follows:
‘Crypsis’
‘Vessel’
‘Peering Into Oblivion’
‘Aprochra’

The band previously released the track ‘Crypsis’ for streaming. Check it out below:
More on Abriosis here.

Platinum selling solo artist and iconic guitarist ORIANTHI is gearing up for the release of her new album, Heaven In This Hell. Orianthi will captivate fans with a record that delivers a mega-dose of rock and weaves elements of modern country and swampy blues. The album, produced by Dave Stewart, will be released on Robo Records (distributed by Universal/Fontana) and is scheduled to drop on March 12th. The first single, 'Frozen', was serviced to rock and classic rock radio on January 28th.

Fans can check out the songs 'Frozen' and 'You Don't Wanna Know' here.
From writing her first song at the age of 6, to being discovered and playing alongside her idols CARLOS SANTANA and STEVE VAI early in her career, Orianthi has made an enduring mark on the music industry. While many were introduced to this timid guitar goddess when she played the Grammy Awards in 2009 as part of CARRIE UNDERWOOD’s band, it was being selected for MICHAEL JACKSON’s ill-fated This Is It Tour that exposed her to mainstream audiences. In the Fall of 2009, Orianthi released According To You, her first solo single, which went platinum in the US and abroad. More than just a gifted guitarist, this success showed she had serious vocal chops as well.

In late 2011, between legs of ALICE COOPER's world tour (where she played lead guitar), she began work on her forthcoming project.

“I am so proud of this album because it really showcases my style of riff heavy rock and energetic blues,” Orianthi remarks. “The success of Believe [her previous CD] helped give me credibility and afforded me the freedom to create the kind of album I have been wanting to make, with musicians I respect, playing together live in a studio, creatively exchanging ideas... the way I want all my records to be made. My friend, collaborator and producer, Dave Stewart and I just jammed and hashed out a variety of songs and sounds until we found the grooves that inspired us”, she continued.

While Orianthi recorded a majority of Heaven In This Hell at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, she also recorded several songs and overdubs at Dave Stewart's Hollywood Studio.

“Working with Ori over the last year has been an inspiring experience for me,” said Stewart . “She is such a dedicated guitarist and focused songwriter; her enthusiasm is infectious and all the musicians who worked on the record were motivated to give her their best. When we went to Nashville, we knew we were about to embark on something exciting, something career altering,” he continued.

The time spent in Nashville left an indelible impression that can be heard in several of the tracks, which were mixed by Nashville resident John McBride. New tracks like 'Rock' and 'Another You' are examples of crossover country-AC songs that blend heartfelt harmonies and melodies with lyrics that showcase a more vulnerable, exposed emotional side, often veiled by her signature PRS axe. 'Heaven In This Hell' the title track, is a blues-rooted rock song which features swampy guitar riffs with an edgy Zeppelin-esque vibe. Songs like 'Frozen', the first single, and 'You Don’t Wanna Know' provide listeners with some insight into a couple of her primary musical influences with raw, crunchy guitar riffs reminiscent of JIMI HENDRIX and STEVIE RAY VAUGHN. 'If You Think You Know Me' is an arousing anthem with thunderous drums, meant to inspire and empower anyone who has ever felt alone. This track, which begs to be played in a large arena, asks listeners: “Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in?/Like there's somebody else inside your skin?/ Well you’re not alone/We all came here for something."

"To say that we are excited about this record is a complete understatement" said Rob Christie, founder of Robo Records. "Not only is Orianthi one of the most gifted musicians I've heard, but she also has a heart of gold. She is extremely passionate about music, animals, family and her fans. She truly is an inspiration to adults and children, literally around the globe."

“I’m so excited to share Heaven In This Hell with the fans! It’s been a long time coming for me,” says Orianthi.
Heaven In This Hell tracklisting:

'Heaven In This Hell'
'You Don't Wanna Know'
'Fire'
'If You Think You Know Me'
'How Do You Sleep?'
'Frozen'
'Rock'
'Another You'
'How Does That Feel?'
'Filthy Blues'
'If You Were Here With Me'

A sneak peek into the making of Heaven In This Hell can be seen below:
More on Orianthi at this location.

The fifth solo album from TOBY KNAPP (ONWARD, GODLESS RISING) will be titled Static Warfare, and is entering it's second stage. The entire album is written and in demo format; all the drum tracks have been recorded as well.
Knapp has selected nine new compositions for the album and now the guitar and bass tracks begin. The album, due out this summer on Shredguy Records, is a summing up of the most ideal elements from the entire body of Knapp's work dating back 20 years. The odd meter thrash of 'Guitar Distortion', the addictive riffery from the Onward years, the darkness of Godless Rising and the neo-classical virtuosity displayed on 'Polarizing Lines'. Stay tuned as Knapp will be lining up some tour dates for the summer.

Germany’s SIX REASONS TO KILL have announced that they will release their fifth studio album We Are Ghosts, on March 22nd via Massacre Records.

On March 1st, the band will release the first single ‘The Damned’, off the new album. It will be a two -track single and will be available in digital form only.

A snippet of the track can be heard at this location.

Artwork for the album is below:



Previously released studio diaries from the making of the album can be seen below:





The band has also announced that they will join PRO-PAIN on their Straight To The Dome European tour 2013. Joining them in support will be UNDIVIDED and DON GATTO. Tour dates can be seen below:



February
14 – Berlin, Germany - SO36
15 – Bischofswerda, Germany - Eastclub
16 – Essen, Germany - Turock
17 – Almelo, The Netherlands - NAXT Stage
18 – Köln, Germany - MTC
19 – Roeselare, Belgium - De Verlichte Geest
20 - La Roche-Sur-Yon, France - Texas Café
22 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
23 – Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
24 – Freiburg, Germany - Cafe Atlantik
25 – Nürnberg, Germany - Kulturfactory
26 – Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal Club
27 – Zagreb, Croatia - KSET
28 – Belgrade, Russia - Gun Club

March
1 – Belgrade, Russia - Gun Club
2 – Slatina, Croatia - The Rock
3 - Cluj-Napoca, Russia - Gambrinus Pub
5 - Ostrava Czech Republic - Barrák Music Club
6 – Wroclaw, Poland - Alibi
7 - Schwäbisch Hall, Germany - Kantine 26
8 - Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
9 – Weinheim, Germany - Café Central

Norwegian death metal band NO DAWN have revealed the tracklisting to their upcoming, as-untitled new album, due out via Wormholedeath/Aural Music Group.

It is as follows:
'Preludium ex Chaos'
'Terror Divine'
'Dark Aura'
'Exit Sanity'
'The Human Curse'
'Inevitable Downfall'
'God ov Torment'
'The Voice Ov The Abyss'
'Hail The Burden'
'The Final Departure'
No Dawn will travel to Parma in Italy to record their debut album, due out later this year.

No Dawn hails from Steinkjer, in the middle parts of Norway. Formed back in 2002, as a thrash metal project, the band sounds quite different today opposed to the beginning, going from extreme thrash to being a more brutal and technical death metal act. The band has more and more frequently entered the stage and toured with bands like CANNIBAL CORPSE, SIX FEET UNDER and MASTER.
More on No Dawn at this location.

Chicago-based metal/rock supergroup SPILLAGE are the latest act confirmed for Days Of The Doomed Fest III, taking place June 21st and 22nd at the Blue Pig in Milwaukee, WI.
Combing the metal elements of early JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS, along with the bluesy feel of early AEROSMITH and even THREE DOG NIGHT, Spillage promise to deliver a unique sound experience like no other. With Bruce Franklin producing the record, Spillage will be entering Chicago’s Farview Recording Studios this spring, and are hoping for a late 2013 release of the debut album.

Spillage will be making their debut performance as part of Days Of The Doomed Fest III, also featuring HOLLOW LEG, MOON CURSE, KINGS DESTROY, VENOMOUS MAXIMUS, ORODRUIN, PENANCE, IRON MAN, VICTOR GRIFFIN'S IN~GRAVED, PALE DIVINE, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, EARTHEN GRAVE, LEATHER NUN, KING GIANT and SPYDERBONE.

Complete Days Of The Doomed Fest III details at this location.
Further Spillage live dates will be revealed soon.

Spillage lineup:

Tony Spillman (EARTHEN GRAVE) - Guitars
Bruce Franklin (TROUBLE, SUPERSHINE) - Guitars
Lothar Keller (THE SKULL, SACRED DAWN, DIVINITY COMPROMISED) - Vocals
Willie Max (SHADOZ EDGE) - Bass
Chris Martins (BAND OF BROTHERS) - Drums
Derrick Simpson - Keyboards
Check out a sample of the demo track 'Insomnia' below. More on Spillage at this location.

Italian dark gothic progressive metal act RESONANCE ROOM will release their new album, Untouchable Failure, on March 18th via My Kingdom Music. The album artwork is below:
Untouchable Failure tracklisting:

'The Great Insomnia'
'Cages Of Dust'
'So Precious'
'New Life'
'Naivety And Oblivion'
'Outside The Maze'
'A Picture'
'Unending Loss'
'Prometheus'
'Faded'

Watch an official album trailer below:
Resonance Room lineup:

Alessandro Consoli (Vocals)
Riccardo Failla (Guitars)
Alfio Timoniere (Bass)
Sandro Galati (Drums)
More on Resonance Room at this location.

Finnish metal band NO SIGN OF LIFE have premiered their new video, for the track 'Enemies Of Choice'. The video was directed by Ristomatti Rinne and filmed over two days in Helsinki in early November 2012.

The band states: "We're extremely satisfied with the video and the way it turned out to be. Hopefully we can work with Ristomatti Rinne and his team with our future projects as well!"

Watch the clip below:
'Enemies of Choice' is featured on the new album, Embrace Your Demons, released in December 2012 via Mighty Music.
Embrace Your Demons tracklist:

'Ghost'
'Walls Melt Down'
'Nothing To Say'
'Enemies Of Choice'
'Behind The Scenes'
'SymPathetic'
'Embrace Your Demons'
'Meaning Of Life'
'The Wounds Of Nature'
'Light At The End Of The Tunnel'

The video for 'Meaning of Life' can be seen below:
More on No Sign Of Life at this location.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has returned to the Czech Republic to stand trial on charges of manslaughter in the death of a fan at a Prague concert more than two years ago.

The court originally had three months to set a trial date after announcing on December 3, 2012 that Blythe was officially indicted on manslaughter charges.

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. Blythe's predicament has galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.

Blythe arrived in court this morning (Monday, February 4) about a quarter hour before the scheduled start time and was described by Blesk.cz as "unrecognizable" — sporting slick short hair and a "humble" expression. He did not address reporters before the court session and spoke only with his lawyer.

"And so it begins. I am calm and prepared," Randy wrote on his Instagram account. "Everyone, thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. Have a nice day, y'all!"

Speaking in court, Randy said: "I've kept my word. I said that I would come back to court today and I did. I do not shy away from responsibility. I'm not a person who runs away from problems. But I do not want to be punished for something I did not do."

Randy explained that fans are normally prohibited from jumping on stage, but the Prague show was different. People climbed up on stage and found themselves standing next to bandmembers.

"The fan's death breaks my heart," Randy said.

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

According to the singer, LAMB OF GOD never encouraged anyone to get up on stage and has security guards and barriers around the stage to prevent fans from getting up on stage and possibly bumping into the musicians.

The club Abaton where the LAMB OF GOD concert on May 24, 2010 took place was had inadequate security, according to Blythe, and there was general chaos on stage during the performance.

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

"I'm not rich, and if I had to pay for something, I would have to earn it first," said Blythe, who makes about $200,000 a year. Most of the earnings reportedly come from the sale of T-shirts and other merchandise.

Jonathan Crane, a reporter from the Prague Post, told WTVR-TV that a legal expert believes the Blythe's defense team should have quite a strong case. "Even if Randy was responsible for the alleged attack, the expert said that who is to say that he wasn't accidentally kicked or trodden on or left without help by fans below the stage," Crane said.

Check out video footage from today's court session at this location. Photos can be found at Blesk.cz.

"A Question Of God", the new video from the NERGARD — the Norwegan melodic metal act led by musician and composer Andreas Nergård — can be seen below. The song was co-written with legendary British singer Tony Mills (TNT, SHY), who also appears in the clip, which was filmed and edited by Sondre Sivertsen.

"A Question Of God" comes off NERGARD's album, "Memorial For A Wish", which will be released this spring through the Australian label Battlegod Productions.

"Memorial For A Wish" features guest appearances by the following musicians:

* Åge Sten Nilsen (WIG WAM) - Vocals
* Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-GAMMA RAY) - Vocals
* Göran Edman (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Vocals
* Mike Vescera (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS) - Vocals
* Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND) - Vocals
* Michele Luppi (SECRET SPHERE) - Vocals
* Andi Kravljaca (SILENT CALL, AEON ZEN) - Vocals
* David Reece (POWERWORLD, ex-ACCEPT) - Vocals
* Tony Mills (TNT, SHY) - Vocals
* Helge Engelke (FAIR WARNING) - Guitar Solos
* Stig Nergård (TELLUS REQUIEM) - Guitar Solos

A promo EP entitled "In The Beginning" was released in 2011 containing three tracks from "Memorial For A Wish", with special guest appearances by Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, GAMMA RAY), Tony Mills (TNT, SHY), Mike Vescera (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS).

The story of "Memorial For A Wish" is set in Dublin, Ireland, in 1890. A young man by the name of Peter O'Donnell is arrested and wrongfully accused of a burglary which he did not commit. After a short trial, he is sentenced to prison for twenty years. In desperation he is forced to leave his pregnant wife behind and live in solitude behind the prison walls. Twenty long years pass by and Peter is released from jail, only to find out that his beloved wife died many years ago while giving birth to their daughter. The friends he once had turn their backs on him and let him face the grief all alone. This eventually tears him apart. As the sorrow and despair become too much to handle, he ends up committing suicide.

Frontiers Records last month announced the signing of iconic Christian rockers STRYPER to a multi-album deal. The first CD to be made available the agreement will be a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, due in North America on March 26. Entitled "Second Coming" and produced by frontman Michael Sweet, the CD will contain a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as two new tracks, "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened".

Commented Sweet: "We're really excited about this record. The re-recorded songs are sounding awesome... better than the originals in many ways! One word to describe the record? Heavier."

He added: "Why did we re-record old songs? That's a multiple-answer question.

"First, because we wanted to cut out the middle men and have a little more control over our own songs.

"Second, we wanted to 'fix' some things that have annoyed the 'hell' out of us for the past 30 years such as: no bass in the mix of 'The Yellow And Black Attack' or 'Soldiers Under Command', and no Tim [Gaines, bass] on the mix of 'To Hell With The Devil'. The fact that I sound a little more like a man instead of a helium-induced kid at Disneyland. :-) The sheer joy of still loving these songs and still being able to perform these songs (well, we'll let the experts be the judge of that). And last but not certainly least? We did it just because we wanted to :-)

"So there you go, the mystery is over and the reasons have been revealed.

"Seriously, we're really excited about this record. It's one of the few re-records that I believe will stand against any of the originals if not surpass them.

"If you liked 'The Covering', you'll love 'Second Coming'!"

"Second Coming" track listing:

01. Loud N' Clear
02. Loving You
03. Soldiers Under Command
04. Makes Me Wanna Sing
05. First Love
06. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
07. Reach Out
08. Surrender
09. To Hell With The Devil
10. Calling On You
11. Free
12. The Way
13. Sing Along Song
14. More Than A Man
15. Bleeding From Inside Out (new track)
16. Blackened (new track)

"Soldiers Under Command" (new version) audio clip:

Former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano has joined Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT. Caggiano served as producer on VOLBEAT's latest album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", alongside longtime production partner Jacob Hansen, who produced and mixed the band's prior four albums. Caggiano's other producer credits include THE DAMNED THINGS, BLEEDING THROUGH and ANTHRAX, and he was a member of ANTHRAX for two tenures — from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2007 to 2013.

Comments VOLBEAT singer and guitarist Michael Poulsen: "The band is very proud and happy to announce that he will also be the new guitar player in VOLBEAT. The collaboration with Rob in the studio was so inspiring and in good spirit that we the decided to keep him. Basically we went into the studio as a three-piece and came out as a whole band!”

Adds Caggiano: "Wow! I have to say I'm completely blown away by the turn of events over the last few weeks here in Denmark and at this point an update is definitely in order.

"To start with, I came to Denmark about a month ago to produce the new VOLBEAT record which in and of itself has been an incredibly exciting adventure from a producer's perspective thus far. However, I'm extremely happy to say my relationship with these guys will not end there as it turns out... it's just beginning!

"Michael had asked me on the phone before I got out here if I would play some guest solos on the new album in addition to my other duties, and, of course, I was thrilled about that and agreed to do so. When I actually got to Denmark and started going through the material, this turned out to be so much more than that.

"After weeks of collaboration between Michael and I, it became quite clear that we had an amazing creative chemistry together and a huge mutual respect for one another.

"It's so refreshing and inspiring to be creative again on a songwriting level that words can't even describe it and the vibe between Anders, Jon, Michael and I is just awesome. I'd say an artistic relationship like this one is very rare and it's also something I don't take for granted.

"When the guys asked me if I was interested in joining VOLBEAT the other day, my jaw just about hit the floor! It actually didn't even register in my brain properly until the next morning, but I gotta say, it also didn't take me long to decide. It really isn't the way I envisioned the rest of my year to play out but at the same time, THIS feels more 'right' to me than anything I could have possibly imagined and I'm going for it!

"To all my fans, family, friends and overall supporters that have reached out to me over this last month wondering if I'm ever gonna play guitar again or what I'm up to in general etc., see you all soon my friends and get ready for a wild ride!!!"

VOLBEAT's fifth album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", will be released on April 9 (one day earlier internationally) via Spinefarm/Universal Music.

Says Poulsen: "Half of the album tracks will take you into the world of outlaw gunslinger stories sometime in the 1800s. Some of the characters are true legends, while others are fiction. The listener will hear inspiration from classic spaghetti western movies which gives you a clue to the album title and cover artwork."

He adds: "We are still ‘rocking out’ in the studio, and working on the last details. We are very excited about this album. We feel that we’ve achieved the goals we set out. The heavy stuff on the album is perhaps more old-school heavy riffs than earlier, and the rock songs rock out with tons of melodies and take us into unchartered territory. All that without losing the VOLBEAT sound that is the cornerstone of our band."

VOLBEAT will embark on a North American headlining tour in the spring. The trek, which will feature support from DANKO JONES, will kick off on March 6 in Dallas, Texas.

VOLBEAT in 2011 parted ways with guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who had been a member of the band since 2006. He was replaced on the road by MERCYFUL FATE's Hank Shermann

VOLBEAT's fourth album, "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven", has sold more than 170,000 copies in the United States since its December 2010 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD was once again recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen. The cover artwork was created by illustrator Karsten Wrysand.

VOLBEAT in 2011 released "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" via Vertigo/Universal on double DVD, Blu-ray, limited double DVD + audio CD, CD, digital download and VOD. The set included footage from VOLBEAT's sold-out show in front of 10,000 fervent fans at the Forum in Copenhagen, to the House of Blues in Anaheim, California and the Rock Am Ring show in Germany.

British rockers VOODOO SIX will release a new album, "Songs To Invade Countries To", on April 29 via Universal Music. The band will then embark on the biggest tour of its career so far as main support to metal legends IRON MAIDEN on their European dates.

"Songs To Invade Countries To" will consist of 11 tracks mixed by Tony Newton and Pedro Ferreira (THE DARKNESS, ENTER SHIKARI, THERAPY?) and mastered by Ade Emsley (IRON MAIDEN, STEVE HARRIS). A single, "Sink Or Swim", will precede the full-length effort on March 4.

"Songs To Invade Countries To" track listing:

01. Falling Knives
02. All That Glitters
03. Lead Me On
04. Sink Or Swim
05. You Don’t Know
06. Your Way
07. Sharp Sand
08. Stop
09. Brick Wall
10. Waiting In Line
11. Higher Ground

VOODOO SIX will join IRON MAIDEN in Portugal for their European summer tour dates, heading through Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Poland and Sweden. The band has already been announced for major summer festivals such as Sonisphere Spain (Barcelona and Madrid), Sonisphere Italy and Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium), with many more yet to come.

IRON MAIDEN founder and bassist Steve Harris comments: "I've been keeping an eye on VOODOO SIX for a while now and they've produced a cracking new album with real promise. It's great to support true British up and coming talent such as theirs and it'll be a pleasure to have them out with us on tour."

VOODOO SIX vocalist Luke Purdie adds: “This is a huge deal for us and an amazing opportunity to support arguably the most iconic band in metal history.

"We came up with the album title 'Songs To Invade Countries To' ages ago since we've been wanting to get our music across to European shores for a long time — but it's been made a reality now that we've been chosen to support IRON MAIDEN on these dates. It's going to be a very exciting year!"

Prior to the dates with IRON MAIDEN, VOODOO SIX will head out on a run of headline U.K. club shows throughout March and April.

Author and music journalist Martin Popoff will following up his 2004 RUSH biography "Contents Under Pressure" with a new illustrative history of the band titled "Rush: The Unauthorized Illustrated History", which is slated for release in May via Voyageur Press.

The book's official description: "Formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1968 under the heavy influence of British blues, RUSH solidified its lineup in 1974 and has gone on to record 18 studio albums (and counting). Notable for bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee's high register, Neil Peart's virtuosic drumming and inventive lyrics, and the guitar heroics of Alex Lifeson, the multiplatinum band melds a diverse range of influences and along the way has amassed a large, notably loyal following worldwide. RUSH is bigger than ever before with the hit 2011 documentary 'Beyond the Lighted Stage' and [last] year's new album, 'Clockwork Angels', and tour.

"Now, for the first time, RUSH is treated to the epic visual celebration they so richly deserve in a beautifully designed and profusely illustrated history following the band's entire career. A chronological overview history written by noted music scribe and RUSH authority Martin Popoff spans the band's entire career from 1968 to today. A complete RUSH discography chronicles all their albums, from the debut album to '2112', 'Moving Pictures', and 'Signals' to 'Grace Under Pressure', 'Vapor Trails', and more. The authoritative text is complemented by album reviews written by well-known music journalists from around the globe, commentary from fellow musicians, a discography, tour dates, and hundreds of photographs and pieces of memorabilia, including picture sleeves, gig posters, rare vinyl, handbills, ticket stubs, and much more."

Germany's Legacy magazine in December included an exclusive four-track compilation of "The Big Teutonic 4". This unique CD in a slipcase presented the Teutonic thrash legends KREATOR, TANKARD, DESTRUCTION and SODOM performing cover versions of four metal classics. Now this terrific tribute is being released in the form of a 10-inch mini LP. It will be available in black as well as in red and yellow (the latter two exclusive to the Nuclear Blast mailorder) and will contain a different song by SODOM as compared to the compilation CD ("Ace Of Spades" instead of "Iron Fist").

"The Big Teutonic 4" 10-inch mini LP track listing:

Side A:

01. KREATOR - "The Number Of The Beast" (by IRON MAIDEN)
02. SODOM - "Ace Of Spades" (by MOTÖRHEAD)

Side B:

01. DESTRUCTION - "The Hammer" (by MOTÖRHEAD)
02. TANKARD - "The Prisoner" (by IRON MAIDEN)

You can purchase a copy of the 10-inch mini LP at the Nuclear Blast web shop.

At the inaugural installment of the Beastival festival — set to take place from May 30 to June 1 in Geiselwind, Germany — "The Big Teutonic 4", the legendary quartet of German thrash metal bands that shaped the European heavy metal scene like no other since the '80s and established "thrash made in Germany" as a quality seal all around the world, will share the same stage on the same evening! Be there when KREATOR, SODOM, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD tear down the venue and thrash you into the ground!

The Beastival 2013 billing also includes such acts SABATON, WINTERSUN, KATAKLYSM, SATYRICON, U.D.O. and DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER.

For more information, visit www.beastival.com.

In a recent interview with Greece's Metal Kaoz, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza stated about the possibility of a full-fledged tour with SODOM and DESTRUCTION: "We have been talking about this all the time. We have been having this discussion since the last time we were in Greece along with SODOM and DESTRUCTION about getting that tour in the U.S. But this never happened and you wanna know why? … There are certain people who don't want to tour. [DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist] Schmier wants to tour, we want to tour but Tom [Angelripper] from SODOM does not. And, as you can understand, we can only do this tour with the three bands onboard because otherwise it would not be the same. So, without SODOM, this will never happen and I am really sorry to say this."

Fan-filmed video footage of FIREWIND's February 3 performance at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia as the support act for TURISAS can be seen below.

Vocalist Apollo Papathanasio left FIREWIND and left last month and 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."

German symphonic metallers XANDRIA have recruited Steven Wussow (DOMAIN, SHYLOCK, ILLECTRONIC ROCK) as their new bassist.

Wussow (pictured below), 32, will make his live debut with XANDRIA in April and May when the band is scheduled to perform in Russia, Belarus, Argentina and Brazil.

Comments the bassist: "On stage I feel at home and it's the streets where my heart is. Having passed a few lights and crossroads in my search, I am happy to finally have found my partners in crime I was looking for."

Says XANDRIA: "We are thrilled to have found THE candidate we had been chasing for over the past months and we are excited to start our upcoming live and recording endeavors with Steven."

XANDRIA will hit the studio later this year to record the follow-up album to last year's critically acclaimed "Neverworld's End".

"Neverworld's End" was released in North America on March 6, 2012 via Napalm Records.

The band in December 2010 announced the addition of singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks.

Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

On the recording sessions for MEGADETH's new studio album:

Ellefson: "It's really coming well. In fact, right before I cam here, I was just down [in the studio] playing some bass. We have ten tracks done as of now, at least the bass and drum tracks, and you can really hear the songs coming together now at this point. And boy, there's some great stuff. I mean, it really takes me back to some of the real origins of the MEGADETH sound from back in the very beginning, which I'm thrilled about."

"It's too early to [talk about individual songs], unfortunately, But all I can say is there's a pretty wide range [of music], as I think our best MEGADETH records have — we've got a very wide span of our musical history. But we are our best when we just get in a room and just start crushing and throwing it down, and that's where we're at right now. 'Cause when you go in the studio, you go, 'I've got this idea,' 'I've got this idea,' you kind of throw them out, and sometimes it's a process of elimination. And all of sudden, you find in the middle there's the heart and soul of it. And that's really where we're at right now. And I tell you, these last few days I've been playing bass on it, and it's a workout and it's just freakin' ripping. I hope my passion tells you the story. Yeah, I am excited; it's great."

On how MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine being a born-again Christian has changed MEGADETH's life on the road:

Ellefson: "I think it's been great. I mean, look, our story is out there. We've been a very open book about our lives, about the history of the band. I think it's the thing our fans appreciate about us — whether you like it or not, we speak it. And so to be open about that with our lives, 'cause our personal lives really are our professional lives by and large. Because being in MEGADETH, it's who we are — it's not just a band, it's who we are as people. For Dave, obviously, that was a great conversion for him and a great thing for his life. And I've done kind of a similar thing myself years ago. By the time I was 25, the drugs and the booze kicked me, and I was done. But the funny thing is that was right before we recorded 'Rust In Peace', and then from then on, I've had the best years of my bass-playing career and certainly of the MEGADETH career. So, for me, keeping my nose clean — for the real desire and not because I have to and not white-knuckling it, 'cause I have a real desire to… I'm a bass player first and foremost and a bandmember, and there's a lot of things that come along with that. My craft, being a bass player in MEGADETH, has been its best when I've kept my nose clean."

On whether the lifestyle of hard partying and excessive drug use gets old after a while:

Ellefson: "I couldn't even imagine, having done this now — 30 years of MEGADETH this year, actually, so to think back, at this point, to have lived a life like I used to back in the day, I don't know that we'd still be here having this conversation. So, for me, really, I had to really get back to just the real passion of why I even am here doing any of this, which is, I just love being a bass player in a killer metal band — that was my goal from age 11. When I picked the thing up, that's what I wanted to do. And I guess maybe if there's any inspiration from that, when you lock on to something you really like, man, just go for it — whether you're playing bass or whatever line of work it is — just really go for it and give it your all. I never had a back-up plan, and that seemed to work out pretty good."

On whether being sober has allowed him to connect with the MEGADETH audience better:

Ellefson: "Oh, sure, without a doubt. I mean, to actually look people in the eyes and see the whites of their eyes and see that front-row passion. Obviously, in the back of the arena, it's kind of the abyss and you don't have that personal contact. But, yeah, to be present and be in the moment. The fans pay a lot of money for a ticket, it's a special moment in their lives to be there to see us perform, so the least I can do is be present for them."

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD held their first jam session a few days ago in hopes of sparking material for their next album. Writing in the latest installment of his "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings", MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn stated: "Dave [McClain, drums], Phil [Demmel, guitar] and I practiced the other day and it was a really productive first jam session. McClain had about five rockin' riffs, Demmel brought in the skeleton of what feels like a great song and I had a few riffs that we rocked on, no full songs, but solid riffs. It felt good, good to be moving on from [2011's 'Unto The Locust']. Super proud of that record, but it's time to move on, and we're ready to move on. Bring on the future with an open embrace."

Flynn last month played five acoustic solo shows around his appearance at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 25-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Regarding the performances, he said: "The shows were awesome — really, really, REALLY awesome! I needed this so bad.

"To everyone who came out to these shows and made them such a special and intense event, thank you. They got heavy, really heavy and I had no idea how heavy these would get. Therapeutic. I didn't know what to expect or what they would be like. I made no setlist except the opening and closing song. Chose songs we probably won't play live again or at least haven't played live in a reeeeeeeally long time, and cover songs we would never cover.

"To my surprise, I ended up telling a lot of stories before each song. Every time I thought I'd been going on too long with a story ('Am I talking too much?') people would ask for more. In Fullerton, I got a 'sto-ry, sto-ry, sto-ry' chant. It was hilarious.

"It was surprising how fun these shows were. Hell, I'm playing a bunch of acoustic songs, not party metal! But it was a party here and there, and more than anything for our small group of 100 to 200 each night, it was a release. A massive communal release. I was choked up more than a few times, sing-a-longs were life-affirming and in San Diego I got an encore!! San Diego was amazing."

"Machine Fucking Head Live", the new live album from MACHINE HEAD, sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It's the band's second live effort; "Hellalive" came out in 2003.

MACHINE HEAD's most recent studio album, "Unto The Locust", sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It features songs from throughout the band's expansive catalog, including crowd favorites like "Imperium", "Aesthetics of Hate", "Locust", "Ten Ton Hammer", "This is the End" and "Halo".

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was mixed and mastered at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga and Robb Flynn.

MACHINE HEAD is currently seeking a new label home following the expiration of the band's contract with longtime record company Roadrunner Records.

"Cherry Bomb", the new video from Australian rockers DE LA CRUZ, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut full-length album, "Street Level", which will be released on March 22 in Europe and March 26 in North America via Frontiers Records.

Hailing from the Gold Coast, Australia, DE LA CRUZ is easily one of the most promising hard rock acts to come out of underground scene. They came to the attention of the fans when Geoff Barton of Classic Rock magazine described their sound as "a pomptastic, hyper-active [DEF] LEPPARD!" in his review of the band’s self-financed EP.

DE LA CRUZ was formed after a meeting between guitarist Casey Jones and Auckland-born singer Roxxi Catalano. With Catalano's air-raid siren vocals, street-level attitude and Jones' fretboard-melting riffs and string-searing shred, the pair instantly clicked musically and through a shared passion for '80s arena-style rock and musical respect, the dream was started. Jones and Catalano went on to record several demos via the Internet over the next few years until they put together the right lineup, adding Rory Joy on guitar, Grant Daniell on bass and Lacey Lane on drums.

"This album talks about our highs, the lows, the parties and all of the crazy times we've had!" says Jones. "We aimed for a killer album to introduce DE LA CRUZ to the world and this is the height of our musical existence thus far and we cannot wait for everyone to have the CD in their hands. This is DE LA CRUZ!"

DE LA CRUZ has kept the musical coordinates of its debut EP and developed into something new and exciting.

"DE LA CRUZ means anthemic rock!" continues Casey, "We make hard-hitting, yell-it-out-loud arena rock with a blast from the past and a twist of something new!"

"Street Level" track listing:

01. Street Level
02. Girls Go Wild
03. Turn It Up
04. Legions Of Love
05. Gimme Love
06. Cherry Bomb
07. Dreaming
08. Invincible
09. Worlds Collide
10. S.E.X.
11. Set The Night
12. Shine

The digital release of the first single, "Cherry Bomb", is scheduled for February 4.

DE LA CRUZ is:

Roxxi Catalano - Lead Vocals
Casey Jones - Guitar
Rory Joy - Guitar
Grant Daniell - Bass
Lacey Lane - Drums

The eagerly awaited new ROB ZOMBIE album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", will be released on April 23 on Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

"I think for the first time this new album perfectly merges the old days of WHITE ZOMBIE with the future of what I am doing now," says Rob. "I think fans of both will agree that this is the perfect combo of both worlds."

A rock icon and auteur filmmaker with insight and unlimited vision, Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of music, film, and publishing. Now, the seven-time Grammy-nominated recording artist releases his fifth solo album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", which includes the first single, "Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Super Town", along with such tracks as "Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga", "Lucifer Rising", "Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures" and a heavy-duty cover of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD's "We're an American Band".

"Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" is the first release on Rob's new label, Zodiac Swan, through T-Boy Records/UMe.

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio what goals he set for himself in making the new album. "I wanted someone to hear it and go, 'Wow, I haven't heard that before,'" he said. "I wanted it to be just different. We really went out of our way with the sounds, so every song has a very different sound, a very different guitar sound, drum sound, just everything, where the sound, the actual sound becomes very important. You know, after all these years you want to still try to feel that you can break through new, creative areas in your own mind, and that's really what we're just trying to do, you know."

T-Boy Records is veteran rock manager Andy Gould's new partnership with Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) which will serve as an umbrella label releasing new music and albums from established iconic hard-rock bands with major followings.

Gould, who currently heads his own Spectacle Entertainment Group, has managed Rob Zombie since his days in WHITE ZOMBIE. Gould's track record includes sales exceeding fifteen million worldwide and seven Grammy nominations with Zombie, including securing deals for Zombie to become one of only a handful of people to have unprecedented success for six feature films as the writer and director.

"We have had a great deal of success in the past with Rob Zombie," explains Gould about his decision to take the new venture to UMe. "We want to sign rock bands with brand names that do good business on the road, and have been underserved by the major label system. The idea I had arose out of discussions with the other managers of major hard-rock acts who all felt their artists could benefit from an improved label experience. We're looking to super-serve this niche audience, which is tremendously loyal, and is often even larger internationally than here in the States."

As a musician, Rob Zombie has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide to date. His last studio album was "Hellbilly Deluxe 2". The CD came a decade after its predecessor, "Hellbilly Deluxe", the album that established Zombie as a solo artist after the breakup of multi-platinum group WHITE ZOMBIE. That triple-platinum album also yielded a string of successful radio singles, namely "Dragula", "Superbeast" and "Living Dead Girl", which dominated the airwaves.

The rocker-turned-film director is the only artist to experience unprecedented success in both music and film as the writer/director of five feature films, with a worldwide gross totaling more than $100 million dollars. The week of his album release, Zombie will premiere his sixth motion picture, "The Lords Of Salem", that he wrote, directed and produced in tandem with the producers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise, on April 26, with Anchor Bay Films.

Last year, in addition to working on his film, Zombie also dominated the touring world in 2012, blowing away audiences on the road with MEGADETH, then with MARILYN MANSON for the "Twins Of Evil Tour". Zombie and his band of maniacs — John 5 on guitar, Piggy D on bass and Ginger Fish on drums — brought their elaborate, multi-media production, complete with hair-raising theatrics, animatronic robots, oversized LED screens, a non-stop collage of psychotronic monster film clips, a spectacular light show, a gigantic robot with flames shooting out of its body, pyrotechnics, insane guitar riffs and vicious beats to audiences and festivals around the world.

Video footage of legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth's (ex-SCORPIONS) February 2 performance at the Pirates Cove in Cleveland, Ohio can be seen below.

Uli is currently on the road in North America as part of a tour commemorating the 40th anniversary of his joining the SCORPIONS.

In a recent interview with Patrick Prince of Powerline, Roth stated about the SCORPIONS songs that he is performing on the current tour: "It is mostly the stuff that I've written or my favorites from then. I was involved in virtually every track back then, even if there's not a writer's credit. Very often I would contribute quite a lot of things to it — the guitar leads or whatever. We're playing a track like "In Trance", for instance, which was written by Rudolf (Schenker) and Klaus (Meine), but then again, the way I wrote the guitar parts for many of Rudolf's songs they somehow feel like a composition within a composition and those parts came from me. These songs wouldn't have the same feel without them. Back then I could have had co-writer's credits for these, but it didn't seem important. I'm playing long sets anyway. We're doing other stuff as well but in every show we'll include several pieces from every SCORPIONS album that I've played on. And that's quite a few, so … yes, it will amount to an entire SCORPIONS set. You'll definitely get at least an hour's worth, maybe even more, of just that old stuff."

He added: "I take this tour very seriously — also because we're recording it and we're going to be doing a live double album. So I want to come up with something that's at least kind of, like, from my point of view, the definitive version of these tracks for what I can do now. And that means, yes, we have rewritten certain sections and I've even rewritten certain pieces of lyrics a little bit. Expand certain songs, edited down others, to get the best out of them in the live environment. And some of them have really revealed a lot of new life that I never knew existed. And so I started looking at them in a different way. I enjoy playing them live and I have to say that wasn't always the case. I found a new way into that."

The band lineup for Uli's 40th-anniversary U.S. tour is:

* Uli Jon Roth: guitars, vocals
* Henning Basse: lead vocals
* Ali Clinton: guitars, vocals
* Niklas Turmann: guitars, lead vocals
* Ule W. Ritgen, Elliott Rubinson: - bass
* Jamie Little, Peter Holmes: drums
* Paul Rahme, Corvin Bahn: keyboards, vocals

Superskum conducted an interview with guitarist Lord Ahriman of Swedish/German black metallers DARK FUNERAL prior to the band's October 7 concert at Gothic Theatre in Englewood, Colorado during the band's North American tour with MORBID ANGEL and GRAVE. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage of the Englewood show.

DARK FUNERAL will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year by offering up "several surprises," including "new and special 20th-anniversary releases." More information will be made available soon

DARK FUNERAL recently inked a three-album deal with Century Media Records.

The new lineup of DARK FUNERAL — featuring the group's latest additions, vocalist Nachtgarm (NEGATOR) and bassist Zornheym — made its live debut on last year's Sweden Rock Cruise.

DARK FUNERAL in 2011 parted ways with Regain Records. Lord Ahriman stated at the time, "Time went by and we didn't see any future whatsoever to continue to work with them."

DARK FUNERAL 2012 is:

Nachtgarm - Vocals
Lord Ahriman - Guitar
Chaq Mol - Guitar
Zornheym- Bass
Dominator - Drums

Interview:

Belgium-based metallers THURISAZ have announced the addition of bassist Bjorn "Bud" Vandewalle to the group's ranks.

Comments the band: "Bjorn is a great bass player, with a warm personality and a very enthusiastic attitude, just the way we like it! He also plays in the band OMERTA from Bruges and played in several music projects in the past!

"Bjorn's first live performances will be on March 1st in Wuustwezel and March 16th in Menen, his hometown!"

THURISAZ's third album, "The Cimmerian Years", was released in May 2011 via Greece's Sleaszy Rider Records. The CD was recorded and mixed at CCR Studio in Zulte, Belgium with producer Kris Belean. The artwork was created by the Dutch artist Geert van Mook.

THURISAZ in 2009 parted ways with bassist Lars Vereecke and replaced him with Hannes Leroy.

The band had its 2004 debut album, "Scent of a Dream", reissued in April 2008 through Shiver Records. The LP was remastered and contains an acoustic live version of "Years of Silence" as the bonus track.

THURISAZ' second full-length album, "Circadian Rhythm", was released in 2007 via Shiver.