"Lies", the new video from the Los Angeles-based rock band MARK KNIGHT AND THE UNSUNG HEROES, can be seen below. The track is the first single from the group's new studio album, "Road Sick Eyes", which is set for release in the spring.

"Lies" was directed by Drew Fortier and includes footage shot during MARK KNIGHT AND THE UNSUNG HEROES' recent mini-tour of Kentucky, Tennessee and other Southern states. The video also includes scenes of the band recording "Road Sick Eyes" in an L.A. studio.

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Mark Knight is an L.A. native who began performing professionally when he was only 16. In 1987, Knight founded the hard rock band BANG TANGO, whose debut album for MCA Records, "Psycho Café", garnered worldwide attention after the video for the single "Someone Like You" was placed into heavy rotation on MTV in 1989.

Members of THE UNSUNG HEROES are guitarist Mark Tremalgia, drummer Tigg Ketler, and bassist Reeve Downes. Ex-BANG TANGO member Tremalgia has collaborated with Knight on many projects, including their stint in the Southern rock-influenced band WORRY BEADS. Ketler is also a former member of BANG TANGO. Reeves is also the bassist for the California-based rock band RHINO BUCKET.

Australia's hottest new extreme metal export THY ART IS MURDER has signed to Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the new U.S. partnership between Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner Records A&R chief Monte Conner. The band's second album, "Hate", was recently released in Australia, where it came in at No. 35 on the Top 40 ARIA chart, making it the highest debut of any Aussie death metal band ever.

Nuclear Blast Entertainment will release "Hate" in the U.S. on April 2 and in Europe on April 5. The CD was produced and mixed by Will Putney (SUICIDE SILENCE, BORN OF OSIRIS, FOR TODAY), with artwork created by Brent Elliot White (CARNIFEX, DEATH ANGEL).

"Nuclear Blast has always represented the pinnacle of extreme metal, a last bastion in an ever-evolving industry," commented THY ART IS MURDER guitarist Andy Marsh. "To say we now share a label with the greatest extreme metal bands of all time is ridiculous. It was never a dream, it was impossible. But we've done it. The future will be heavy."

Rising from the unhallowed wastes of Western Sydney, THY ART IS MURDER has carved a trail of bloody mayhem since their inception in 2006. With an acclaimed EP and debut album in "Infinite Death" and "The Adversary" to their name, the band have traversed the highways and autobahns of Australia and Europe on a relentless crusade to destroy every venue and audience they can with like-minded peers in a who's who of heavy metal.

Simply titled "Hate", the band's second full-length is the pointed result of THY ART IS MURDER's growing dissatisfaction with all aspects of modern life — political, religious, social and environmental — everyone is to blame.

Fusing the blasting technicality of metal luminaries THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER with thunderous breakdowns and the intensity born of their nascent hometown scene; the blackened grandeur of BEHEMOTH and the pit-churning groove of Tampa originators MORBID ANGEL and CANNIBAL CORPSE, the furious musical arrangements provide a bloody canvas for vocalist CJ McMahon's outpourings of bile.

No strangers to stoking controversy and criticism, the band have not toned down their art for the sake of palatability and have introduced a morose melodicism into their maelstrom - the rumination before pulling the trigger.

With their best work to date ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world, THY ART IS MURDER will once again take to the road to unleash the Hate with one simple message — get in the pit or get out of the way.

THY ART IS MURDER is:

Chris McMahon - Vocals
Tom Brown - Guitar
Andy Marsh - Guitar
Sean Delander - Bass
Lee Stanton - Drums

Former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed in April 2012 that he is planning to join forces with three other original DIO members to play "some gigs" that will see the musicians performing material from the early DIO records that Campbell appeared on. Dubbed LAST IN LINE, Campbell, Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass) and Claude Schnell (keyboards) will be accompanied by singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB.

Professionally filmed video footage of Freeman singing the DIO classic "Stand Up And Shout" this past Wednesday, January 23 as part of the NAMM Metal Jam 2013 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below. Also available is footage of some of the other performance from the night, including appearances by current and former members of QUEENSRŸCHE, ANTHRAX, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and SAVATAGE.

For more information on the event, click here.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has begun writing material for its next album, the follow-up to the well-received self-titled record issued via Candlelight Records in late February 2012, the reissue of their "Eye For An Eye" debut, and the recently released Scion A/V EP "Megalodon". The forthcoming CD, untitled at this time, will again feature the trio of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woodroe Weatherman, and drummer Reed Mullin.

Last week, the band announced their first live performance for the New Year at the annual Metal Fest Chile on April 13. It will be the first CORROSION OF CONFORMITY appearance ever in the South American country. Dean comments: "We have been talking about going to South American forever and with Chile being a big source of so much of our Facebook traffic, I know it's going to be epic. Another chance for us to do a festival with DOWN is always a very good thing."

The festival follows the completion of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's recent U.S. tour that concluded in southern California alongside HIGH ON FIRE. The trio was also a featured participant on Barge From Hell that left Florida shores on December 7. Dean notes: "The cruise was pretty awesome. We had Rick and Jonathan from TORCHE masquerading as our crew and watching their antics alone was worth the trip. The seas were calm so there was no hurling over the bow."

Formed in Raleigh in 1982, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY quickly transformed heavy music. Politically charged and socially aware, the band has influenced countless others and today remains humble about their accomplishments. With over 1.1 million albums sold in the United States, the band continues to find new fans via nonstop touring.

"Consummate", a brand new song from French progressive death metallers SUPURATION, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Cube 3", which will be released on February 25 in Europe via Listenable Records. The artwork for the CD was created by the band's longtime collaborator and designer Matthieu Carton. The effort was mastered by Sweden's Dan Swanö.

According to a press release, "Cube 3" "represents the end of the lyrical theme , a decade after the previous album, and 20 years after the band's debut initiating the beginning of the story."

Commented the band: "'Cu3e' (2013): The end of the enigmatic trilogy started twenty years ago, after 'The Cube' (1993) and 'Incubation' (2003), 'Cu3e': out of time, in outer space, machines take care of the reincarnated soul, an amazing journey with an unexpected ending to this metaphysical concept which started in 1993."

SUPURATION will celebrate the release of the new album at the Splendid in Lille (north of France) on February 24 with DYLAH TEEN and OUTCAST.

"Cube 3" track listing:

01. Sinergy Awakes
02. Introversion
03. The Disenthrall
04. Consummate
05. The Incongruents
06. The Delegation
07. Datadance
08. The Flight
09. The Climax

Don't be fooled by the band monicker, SUPURATION do not specialize in unleashing short grind-gore blasts but deliver more of measured yet muscular balanced metal through a more profound, subtile and enigmatic musical world.

Formed in Valenciennes in the north of France in 1989, SUPURATION, or its more progressive incarnation S.U.P., has issued a number of records over its 20-year career, developing a series of conceptual releases called "The Cube". "The Cube 3" will see the light of day in 2013, exactly 20 years after the debut album release, which launched the story of "The Cube" and 10 years after a conceptually similar release "Incubation" in 2003.

Popular for its massive wall of guitars and tasteful vocal delivery making it sound like an unexpected mixture of a crushing CARCASS and an intimate PINK FLOYD, SUPURATION has become a cult name in the live circuit by not playing out very frequently and delivering mesmerizing and unique performances.

Brazilian metallers TORTURE SQUAD have announced that their next release will be a concept album about the period when Brazil was under a military dictatorship that lasted for over 21 years, from 1964 to 1985.

Commented TORTURE SQUAD drummer Amilcar Christófaro: "Something was telling me that our next album should talk about a strong issue, therefore we then started to think soon enough it came to my mind the Brazilian military dictatorship.

"I had just a superficial knowledge about the whole dimension of the subject, and we believe that most of the Brazilians also do. It was a time in which Brazil was governed by the military after a coup in 1964 the regime enforced strict censorship and limited the freedom, while opposition faced torture and exile. I personally started to realize that the subject is still very present. Our current president Ms. Dilma Rousseff, is a living vitness of that time, she was amongst those who endure torture and humiliation. Ironically, what goes around comes around, and nowadays, she is the head of state of the country and over those that, one day, tortured her.

"Of course, we won't be able to tell the history of 21 years in just one album, but the idea is to try to make those who take interest in reading the lyrics to understand a little bit about what happened during this period. We are talking about the American influence on the coup d'etat, in 1964, the institutional acts, the formation of the armed guerrillas, methods of torture, missing persons, mentioning Mariguella, the Araguaia guerrilla and more.

"In the band, André [Evaristo, guitar/vocals] was the one who knew the most about the subject, so all of us started to study and talk about it, also researching on the Internet, reading books and talking, personally, to historian Alexandre Rossi Carneiro and to Roniwalter Jatobá, a Brazilian journalist and writer who wrote several books on the subject and lived in the military dictatorship era.

"We have never done a conceptual lyrical work on a subject, this will be the first one and I believe that it will be a great and honest work. I hope all head bangers can enjoy it."

TORTURE SQUAD's latest album, "Aequilibrium", was released in 2010 via Wacken Records.

MASTERCASTLE guitarist Pier Gonella has posted a solo performance of the instrumental track 'Space Trip', taken from the Italian band's second album Last Desire from 2011. Check it out below:
The band are currently putting the finishing touches to their fourth release - and first to feature new drummer John Macaluso - which will see release in the first half of 2013 on Lion Music.

Gonella recently commeted on adding Macaluso to the line-up:

"It’s fantastic to have John in the band. His playing style has long been admired by all Mastercastle members and to have his signature drum sound driving the new material is something we can’t wait to introduce to our fanbase."

U.K.-based modern hard rockers TAINTED NATION have reworked the song "Bimbo", originally written by Max Martin (BACKSTREET BOYS, BRITNEY SPEARS, KELLY CLARKSON, PINK), Alexander Kronlund and Per Aldeheim for the Swedish pop-rock band LAMBRETTA. The new version of the track, now re-titled "Loser", will appear on TAINTED NATION's debut album, "F.E.A.R.", which will be released on January 25, 2013 via Massacre Records.

The official video for TAINTED NATION's "Loser" can be seen below.

"Bimbo" reached position No. 2 on the Swedish singles chart in 2001 and was covered by Finnish melodic death/black metallers NORTHER on the limited-edition version of their 2011 album, "Circle Regenerated".

TAINTED NATION, which recently signed a worldwide management deal with Germany's Rock N Growl Management, consists of the following musicians:

* Pete Newdeck (EDEN'S CURSE, GRIM REAPER, KILLERS, STEVE GRIMMETT) - Vocals
* Pontus Egberg (THE POODLES, LION'S SHARE, ZAN CLAN) - Bass
* Ian Nash (STEVE GRIMMETT, LIONSHEART) - Guitar
* Mark Cross (FIREWIND, OUTLOUD, HELLOWEEN, KINGDOM COME) - Drums

"F.E.A.R." was produced by Pete Newdeck and mixed/mastered by Dennis Ward.

Newdeck, who is mostly known for his work with EDEN'S CURSE and bands like GRIM REAPER, KILLERS and Steve Grimmett, started writing songs with bandmate and friend Ian Nash, who also played guitar for Grimmett, in 2009.

While with EDEN'S CURSE and supporting STRATOVARIOUS and FIREWIND in May 2009 on their U.K. tour, Pete and then-FIREWIND drummer Mark Cross became close friends and discussed the idea of forming a new band, only this time with Newdeck as the lead singer.

Newdeck's vocal abilities were truly convincing and in the spring of 2010, Pontus Egberg, bass player for Swedish hard rockers THE POODLES, completed the lineup.

Newdeck, Nash, Cross and Egberg recorded the TAINTED NATION debut album in the U.K. and mixed and mastered it in Germany under the supervision of Dennis Ward, producer of many successful international artists.

TAINTED NATION's music is described in a press release as "a commercial, modern and powerful-sounding rock mix."

TAINTED NATION's "Loser" video:

The first photo of the new L.A. GUNS lineup — featuring the band's latest addition, guitarist Michael Grant from ENDEVERAFTER — can be seen below.

L.A. GUNS last week parted ways with its guitarist of one month, Frankie Wilsey (SEA HAGS, ARCADE), and replaced him with Grant. Michael made his live debut with L.A. GUNS last weekend in Chicago and Detroit.

Due to "extenuating circumstances and musical differences," guitarist Stacey Blades announced his departure from L.A. GUNS in early December.

Blades played on four L.A. GUNS albums: "Rips The Covers Off" (2004), "Tales Trom The Strip" (2005), "Loud And Dangerous: Live From Hollywood" (2006) and "Hollywood Forever" (2012). He also authored a book, "Confessions Of A Replacement Rockstar", which was published in 2009.

Katowice, Poland's KRZAK EXPERIENCE will release their self-titled debut album on March 25th in Europe, and April 9th in North America, via Metal Mind Productions.
The year 2013 will witness the release of a most unique album. Heavy riffs, brilliant violin parts and guitar solos make this release a must-have for all fans of music in the vein of APOCALYPTICA. Two musicians from the Polish band KRZAK – Jan B??dowski and Leszek Winder, previously associated only with blues music – joined forces with Rafa? Cioro?, Dominik Durlik and Piotr Wierzba from the metal band SEPSIS and, under the name of Krzak Experience, created a new quality in music. Their self-titled debut album is heavy, intriguing and full of mutual inspirations. As B??dowski and Winder say, they are not afraid to abandon the safe musical paths they usually follow.

"The idea for this album had been growing in me for the last 10 years...", says Jan B??dowski. "A heavy metal section, and our violin-guitar duo - I had this vision in my head. And I actually did hear that music! I was only looking for the right band to make the album happen. Guitar, bass guitar, drums, no vocals of course. We did like Sepsis, the band suggested by Metal Mind Productions. They had this ‘something’ that we were looking for, and also they were open for changes. We only had to re-arrange the guitars a bit. We did like a lot of the innovations introduced by their guitarist Dominik Durlik. His arrangements brought a lot to the final result."

Krzak Experience includes 10 tracks, some of them constituting new, completely re-arraanged versions of songs taken from Krzak's discography. It’s an album that will appeal to fans of such bands as FEAR FACTORY and TESTAMENT, but also to those of blues music.
Krzak Experience tracklisting:

1. Krzak
2. Oriental Xes
3. Blue Thunder
4. Czakus
5. Extrim
6. Existence in Possesion
7. Rumble-Tumble
8. D'Rocks
9. Kattowitz
10. ?ciepka

More information at this location.

Brendan Crabb of Australia's Loud magazine recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Loud: On the topic of "Worship Music", the new cover songs are being released soon, but have you started writing for another full-length record yet?

Scott: Not like, not really started writing, but there certainly are ideas. There's stuff that we never finished from "Worship Music" and some new stuff that we've been coming up with. But we haven't actually gotten in the room yet to start arranging stuff. That'll probably really start over the next few months, and then certainly after August, 'cause that's when we finish touring this year. After that we'll be really focused on writing and getting back in the studio.

Loud: How much, if at all, has the writing process changed within the band throughout the past three decades?

Scott: It hasn't changed at all. The writing process hasn't changed since "Among The Living". It's very much the same. I don't know really how it works. [laughs] Somehow magically Charlie [Benante, drums] and I come up with songs. But you know, it's not just Charlie and I, it certainly… It's always been a band. It's not just us, even though maybe sometimes the initial idea or something could be coming from Charlie or myself. But everybody's involved in arranging, coming up with melody ideas. Everybody is involved and everybody has a say. It's a very democratic process; I guess that would be the best way to put it.

Loud: You have Jon Donais [SHADOWS FALL] filling on guitar for that U.S. run and the Soundwave [festival] shows [in Australia] too. Are you still evaluating the situation with regard to a new, permanent player?

Scott: Yeah, we're not really thinking about it at all right now. Jon's filling in for Rob [Caggiano] and that's about as much as we're thinking about. We've known Jon for a long time; we've hung out with him a bunch over the years. I've actually worked with him before so, yeah, it kinda was a pretty easy decision to have him come and play with us.

Loud: Labels seem to be falling by the wayside in the current musical climate. What's your take on the future of the music industry?

Scott: I don't even know — I don't care; I have no idea. [laughs] I really don't give a shit about the industry. If anything, nothing would make me happier than… other than some of the good people who actually have jobs that would be hurting if they lost their gigs. But as far as I'm concerned, I can only hope that the whole industry collapses and has to start over, or figure out something else, because I really have nothing good to say about the record industry. When you think about the billions and billions of dollars that labels ripped off from bands from the 1940s all the way through to the 1990s, and now they complain about nobody buys records anymore. Well, whose fault is that, you know? These companies, corporations and individuals literally stole billions of dollars and you've got artists, bands who no longer exist and are literally like, a step away from being homeless, or living in assisted-living places, whatever it is. But you don't see most musicians retiring and living out the rest of their lives because they got some millions and millions of dollars' cash settlement, just to leave a record label. The whole fucking thing is insanity, the way record labels were run. Especially in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s when bands were really getting ripped off.

Read the entire interview from Loud magazine.

"Kata Ton Demona Eaftou" ("Do What Thou Wilt"), the title track of the eleventh full-length studio album from Greek extreme metal veterans ROTTING CHRIST, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The CD will be released on March 5 (four days earlier in Europe) via Season Of Mist. The band spent more than four months at Deva Soundz studios in Athens crafting what it says "may be its darkest and more mystical and occult outcome ever." The CD was mixed by Jens Borgen (AMON AMARTH, PARADISE LOST, KATATONIA, OPETH) at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.

"Kata Ton Demona Eaftou" track listing:

01. In Yumen - Xibalba
02. P'unchaw Kachun - Tuta Kachun
03. Grandis Spiritus Diavolos
04. Kata Ton Demona Eaftou
05. Cine Iubeste Si Lasa
06. Iwa Woodoo
07. Gilgames
08. Rusalka
09. Ahura Mazda Anra Mainiuu
10. 666

The album will be made available as jewel case CD, double gatefold LP and limited-edition digibox, including a digipak CD with bonus track "Welcome To Hel", a pendant in velvet bag and a flag.

In a recent interview with RockOverdose.gr, ROTTING CHRIST mainman Sakis Tolis stated about the band's new CD, "The album was recorded entirely by me, except, of course, the drums which were taken care of by my brother."

ROTTING CHRIST's last album, "Aealo", came out in March 2010. The CD sold around 400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 144 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Kata Ton Demona Eaftou" (song) audio stream:

Swedish melodic metallers AMARANTHE will release their sophomore album, "The Nexus", at the end of March via Spinefarm. The cover artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes and can be seen below. The album was once again recorded at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen.

"The Nexus" track listing:

01. Afterlife
02. Invincible
03. The Nexus
04. Theory Of Everything
05. Stardust
06. Burn With Me
07. Mechanical Illusion
08. Razorblade
09. Future On Hold
10. Electroheart
11. Transhuman
12. Infinity

The album's title track has just been released as the first single single via iTunes and the video the track was directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. Check out the clip below.

Commented AMARANTHE guitarist Olof Mörck: "The moment has come to let loose 'The Nexus' on an unsuspecting world! This time we went all the way with our futuristic dream-nightmare — a no-compromise vision steeped in deep contrast between the mechanically ultra-heavy and shimmering serene melody. 'The Nexus' is everything we dreamed about doing with our debut album; we laboured to make this offering as diverse as it is direct and catchy… and remember, no-one can be told what 'The Nexus' is — you have to hear it for yourself!"

He added: "Our main inspiration behind the ['The Nexus'] video was to create a decidedly cinematic feel, in the vein of a Hollywood action movie, with a slightly darker angle than our previous videos. We wanted to have lots of extras and explosive action scenes, and we wanted it to be done well; we knew Patric Ullaeus was the right man for the job. The end result is a dynamic, intense and entertaining music video with an original flair."

The guitarist previously stated about the upcoming CD: "We have lived and breathed the same 12 songs from the first album every day for a year now, and to introduce a number of completely fresh tracks will really lift AMARANTHE to the next level!

"The theme and atmosphere of the album is futuristic and ultra modern, [and] the music itself [is] instantly recognizable as AMARANTHE, but there is definitely a new and unique twist to the songs.

"People often ask us if there is a big pressure to follow up such a successful album, and always say 'no, not one bit.' Not when you sit down and listen to new tracks such as 'Invincible', 'Burn With Me' and 'Stardust'. We simply cannot wait to hit the road all over the world with these new babies!"

AMARANTHE's self-titled debut album was released in Europe in April 2011 via Spinefarm Records.

AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd has been filling the female singer spot on KAMELOT's European, South and North American tours.

AMARANTHE is:

* Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND) - Guitar, Keyboards
* Jake E (ex-DREAM EVIL, DREAMLAND) - Clean Vocals
* Andy Solveström (WITHIN Y, EVILDOER, CIPHER SYSTEM) - Screams
* Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION) - Drums
* Johan Andreassen (ex-ENGEL) - Bass
* Elize Ryd - Female Vocals

Guitarist Selim "SL" Lemouchi and vocalist Farida "F. The Mouth of Satan" of the Dutch occult rock act THE DEVIL'S BLOOD have posted the following message on the band's Facebook page:

"As of the 22nd of January 2013 THE DEVIL'S BLOOD has returned into nothingness. All planned rituals will be cancelled. No interviews will be done. Consummatum est.

-SL & F

"The Devil's Blood - 2007 / 2013"

THE DEVIL'S BLOOD's latest full-length album, "The Thousandfold Epicentre", was made available in North America on January 17, 2012. The 11-song CD was produced with the help of Pieter Kloos at Void Studios in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

WHITESNAKE has announced the return of drummer Tommy Aldridge to the group's ranks.

Commented WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale: "When I asked all the bandmembers to put together their wish-list of potential drummers for us, everyone, without exception, had Tommy Aldridge at the top of the list. Also, most of the fans who communicated their suggestions on Whitesnake.com wanted Tommy back in the band. So, without further ado, we are delighted to welcome him back with us. It seems it is our destiny to work together... this is going to be so much fun. Welcome back, Tommy Aldridge!!!"

Added Aldridge: "I can't express how honored and grateful I am to be back in the SNAKE fold. Working with David Coverdale & Co. has always been a labor of love. SO stoked to be back and finish what we started!!"

Said the band in a collective statement: "WHITESNAKE would like to thank all the amazing musicians who honored us by applying for the position of drummer. We were blown away by so much incredible talent and we wish each and every one the very best in their lives and careers."

Renowned drummer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Tichy, known for his tours of duty with BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER and OZZY OSBOURNE, announced his departure from WHITESNAKE on January 4 in order to focus on SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING (S.U.N.), the band he started with Sass Jordan, a Canadian icon and Juno Award winner. Bassist and singer Michael Devin, also a participant in S.U.N., will remain with WHITESNAKE.

KORN will reunite with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch for several festival shows this summer, including two dates in Germany, one concert in the United Kingdom and at the upcoming Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Welch joined KORN onstage for the song "Blind" last May at the Carolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, North Carolina, marking the first time in eight years that KORN played with Welch.

Welch, who has just released an album with his new band LOVE & DEATH, is looking forward to performing full shows with his former bandmates for the first time since 2004. He tells ARTISTdirect, "This is going to be crazy for me in a great way."

He adds: "It's a bit surreal because I didn't expect it to happen. We have no hate for each other like some of these other bands that haven't talked in years. People grew. Everyone went to different places in life. I don't know. It was so long that I didn't see it happening, but then when it crept up on me last May during Carolina Rebellion, I saw the emotion. Nothing else mattered except reconciliation, brotherly love, and that family feel with the guys and the fans. People were in tears. I thought, 'This is a really good thing.'"

"When they hit me up about the shows this year, to me, it was time. This is the proper time. The reason I felt like it would never happen because it wasn't the proper time yet. As soon as the day hit when I felt it was right, it felt so good. I'm really excited about this year with them."

Welch left KORN in 2005 to become a born-again Christian. The band never officially replaced him and stayed a four-piece, although they've used several touring guitarists for live work.

Welch and bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu have said in interviews that a full reunion could be possible one day.

KORN has been touring for much of the past year behind its 10th studio album, "The Path Of Totality", but has also begun work on a new set of material.

Pagan metallers DRAUGR have parted ways with vocalist Augur Svafnir. The band has released the following on the split:

“After ten years of collaboration we communicate today the separation from Augur Svafnir.

Since 2002 we lived together many fundamental experiences for the growth of Draugr and for this reason we wish Svafnir all the best for his future projects, artistic and professional.

To avoid any misunderstanding in this regard, we would like to specify that the split occurred by mutual agreement and in future there will be collaborations of various types with the Augur.

The name of new Draugr’s frontman is Nemesis, already mastermind of GRIMORIUM.

Nemesis has worked as session vocalist in all our live show of 2012 and has already joined us in the composition of the new full-length that is in full speed.”

The second trailer for "Inexorable Defiance", the third album from the Hungarian black metal horde BORNHOLM, can be seen below. The CD will be released on January 25 via NoiseArt Records.

According to a press release, BORNHOLM "offers an extremely cold, evil version of black metal which has been made even richer by sickening, epic and mind-blowingly aggressive elements. With their incredible, fantastic visual components such as front cover, booklet artwork as well as the official pictures BORNHOLM are way beyond the generic crowd and look down on them from a 'throne of crows.'"

Commented the band: "Since we have began to work on the new album, we felt that is a turning point in our history. We wanted new possibilities, new goals and a higher level of playing this kind of music. Now we proudly announce that we have signed to , NoiseArt Records/Rock The Nation and this new era has begun. We want much more concerts in the future and a more professional management and we feel that can be a perfect solution. Our third album, 'Inexorable Defiance', is on the way, we are very proud of it, this is a blueprint of the last years full of majesty, medieval feelings and a unique atmosphere."

"Inexorable Defiance" track listing:

01. Fear Of Wonders
02. Swordbearer
03. Flaming Pride And Inexorable Defiance
04. Walk On Pagan Ways
05. Archaic Pale Visions
06. Throne Of Crows
07. Moonlight Wanderer
08. Equinox
09. The Spiral Path
10. Fiery Golden Dawn
11. Towards The Golden Halls

BORNHOLM is:

Sahsnot - Guitar
Vozargh - Guitar
Renfield - Vocal
Hjules - Bass
D - Drums

Frankie DiVita, radio personality at Southern California's 96.7 KCAL Rocks, conducted an interview with BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below. A few excerpts from the chat follow.

On BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi's cancer treatment:

Butler: "Tony's responding really well. He's been having his treatment now for 14 months, and he's really responding well to it. So he'll be alright. You can never stop Tony."

On the incident at SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne's home in Beverly Hills earlier this month which resulted in Ozzy burning his hand:

Butler: "He's doing alright. He burnt his hand when he was putting the fire out. He's got it in a plaster cast."

On BLACK SABBATH's new album title, "13":

Butler: "Well, it was sort of a temporary name, that we had something to refer to the album as, and I think it kind of stuck. But I don't know if that's gonna be the final title or not. [It was named partly because it's coming out in the year 2013] and originally, we were gonna put 13 tracks on the album. We ended up doing 16 tracks, so I'm not sure what's gonna on the album and what isn't."

On the recording process for "13":

Butler: "This is the first time we've done an album together sober; none of us have been drinking or doing drugs or anything, so it's been more professional in that way. And we've stuck to a schedule every day. We'd go in at one o'clock and finish at six, just to keep everything fresh. Five hours a day — that's it."

On the inspiration for the new BLACK SABBATH album:

Butler: "It's sort of got the feel of the first three albums — back to the basic rawness. And the lyrics are very… They're just about life…. Life and death and doom and everything else. You get Prozac with every album."

On BLACK SABBATH's touring plans:

Butler: "We start in New Zealand and Australia in April, and then we do Japan. Then we do album promotion in June and then USA in July and August. Then South America and then Europe … [The USA trek] will be strictly [a] BLACK SABBATH [tour and not an Ozzfest run]."

On having RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk play on the new BLACK SABBATH album:

Butler: "That was [producer] Rick Rubin's idea, 'cause he wanted to have… He didn't want a typical heavy metal drummer on the album, 'cause it's not really a heavy metal album; it's more of a rock… heavy rock. And Rick Rubin suggested having Brad, 'cause he's more in the vein of [original BLACK SABBATH drummer] Bill Ward. So we jammed with him and he sounded great with the stuff, so we went with that … It's sort of back to the way we used to be in the '70s; that's his feel — sort of a jazzy, bluesy feel to him, and that's the way the music is now. It was great working with him."

On who the touring drummer will be:

Butler: "We haven't decided yet."

BLACK SABBATH first LP with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978 will be released in June via Vertigo/Universal Republic in the U.S. and Vertigo in all other territories.

Ward in May 2012 announced again that he was declining to join his former bandmates for its scheduled 2012 dates, as well as the recording of a new album, due to a contractual dispute.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was on hand yesterday (Wednesday, January 23) at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, to show off his new Dean double-neck guitar.

Originally a one-off which was built for Dave to play at the "Big Four" shows, the guitar will go into full production this year.

A six-minute video interview with Mustaine conducted by VintageRock.com after yesterday's press conference can be seen below.

On what the artwork on his new guitar represents:

Mustaine: "It's basically the battle of good and evil. I think a lot of people misinterpret heavy metal fans as all of us being lost and deranged and being drug addicts and alcoholics and being satanic and stuff like that. I mean, we all have a little bit of darkness in us. But as far as the battle of good and evil, that's something that everybody encounters every day. The stop sign: do I roll through it or do I stop?

"The guy that did this artwork is a guy named John Lorenzi. He's done a lot of artwork with us in the past. When you tell somebody something and they have the vision to be able to do it without you having to go, 'OK, dude, listen…' I mean, there's a lot of really great artists out there, but sometimes their vision, it doesn't really line up with what the artists' visions are, and I think we've been really fortunate with him.

"We're in the studio right now doing a new record, and we were just talking about the artwork for the new record. It's not gonna be an illustration; it's actually a think that we're naming the record after. So we're trying to figure out how to use illustration in that. But if it's something that looks cooler when you take a picture of it, why draw it?"

On MEGADETH's current record-company situation following the band's split with Roadrunner Records:

Mustaine: "We're with a great new label. We're doing a press release about it soon. I can't say who it is; I'd love to tell you who it is. But we're not with Roadrunner anymore. That was some good years for us there, and we really look back with great fondness on our times with Roadrunner. But the excitement level for us right now is just insane."

On MEGADETH's touring plans:

Mustaine: "Yeah, we've got some dates this summer with [IRON] MAIDEN over in Spain, Italy and France and some headlining shows in the U.K. and we're coming back to the States and doing some concerts here. And we've got some stuff lined up at the end of the year with Gigantour — not only in here in the States, but also down in South America. We've got some really interesting lineups for that. Most people would look at the lineup and they would think, like, 'Dave's not gonna tolerate your crap at all.' Because there's a couple of people that we have that are on the lineup — and we're hoping for the best — but they're notorious bad boys. But when people grow up, they kind of grow up; they don't just grow old. And we're hoping that the music is gonna be the most important thing so that the fans will get what they want. Because it's undoubtedly… The people that we have, so far, as far as we know, for Gigantour, they've got great music. We're really looking forward to that.

On MEGADETH's upcoming album

Mustaine: "We're almost done with it. We've been doing it with [producer] Johnny K, doing it down in San Diego where I live. And he's gonna be mixing it out in Chicago at his studio out there. You know, it's really incredible the way… Last night, [MEGADETH bassist] David Ellefson — he'll probably not appreciate me telling this story — but he was sitting in a chair and his hand was hanging over the side of the chair, and I said, 'What's the matter?' And he goes, like, 'Man, I haven't played this much in a long time.' And I was, like, 'Good.' So that was really exciting for me, 'cause David, he's a monster on bass guitar, and for him to be saying stuff like that and just showing that he's a litte tired because there's so much activity with the songs, I think the fans are really gonna respond to that."

Italian "cinematic" metallers LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY have announced a special long-term collaboration with the amazing Czech conductor Petr Pololanik and his Capellen Orchestra & Choir. Nominated for Hollywood Music In Media award in 2011, Petr and his orchestra worked for acclaimed music composers (Thomas Bergersen, Trevor Morris, Jo Blankenburg, Henry Lai), leading trailer music companies (Two Steps From Hell, Position Music, Audiomachine) and revolutionary sample libraries (Garritan, Sonokinetic, 8Dio). His recordings were featured in award winning movies and videogames ("Sin City 4", "Transformers" and many others).

"I had the chance to know my friend Petr some years ago, while I and my old bandmates were recording some orchestral parts for the RHAPSODY album 'Symphony Of Enchanted Lands - Part 2'," says Luca Turilli. "In the meantime, he and his orchestra became a 'must’ for many Hollywood composers and in the last couple of years, also thanks to his new recording studio featuring cutting-edge technology, he established himself as one of the 'main men' of the whole soundtrack-related music scene. Therefore, it is a true honor for me, Alessandro, Patrice, Alex and Dominique, to have joined our forces with such an inspiring and wonderful person."

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY singer Alessandro Conti adds: "This magic collaboration will lead to many artistic surprises and special live and studio events that will be revealed in the months to come. Moreover, our fans will have the possibility to enjoy the majestic sound of the full orchestra and choir, featuring all in all more than 100 people, on our next full-length release! Yes, I am speaking about the new RHAPSODY album, planned to be released by Nuclear Blast in the late spring of 2014. Be ready and stay cinematic!"

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY guitarist Dominique Leurquin recently underwent surgery after he injured his hand while working at home with a circular saw. The other members of the group decided not to replace Dominique with another guitar player on their recent tour but to simply add his parts to the backing tracks at lower volume and mixed on the right side, as if he were up on stage performing with his bandmates.

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY's "Ascending To Infinity Cinematic Tour" launched in early November with support from FREEDOM CALL, ORDEN OGAN and VEXILLUM.

In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli is continuing under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, is making his efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he is joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, singer Alessandro Conti (TRICK OR TREAT) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR, MEKONG DELTA, STRATOVARIUS).

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY's new album, "Ascending To Infinity", entered the German Media Control chart at the position No. 32.

Swedish melodic gloom lords OCTOBER TIDE have set "Tunnel Of No Light" as the title of their fourth album, due later in the year via Pulverised Records. The CD was recorded at Black Lounge Studio (SCAR SYMMETRY, CARNAL FORGE, IN MOURNING, CENTINEX) in Avesta, Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren.

"Tunnel Of No Light" track listing:

01. Of Wounds To Come
02. Our Constellation
03. Emptiness Fulfilled
04. Caught In Silence
05. The Day I Dissolved
06. Watching The Drowners
07. In Hopeless Pursuit
08. Adoring Ashes

Vocalist Tobias Netzell and bassist Pierre Stam last year left OCTOBER TIDE in order to focus on their family lives and other projects and have since been replaced by Mattias Norrman (ex-KATATONIA) and Alexander Högbom (VOLTURYON, SPASMODIC), respectively.

OCTOBER TIDE's current lineup:

Fredrik Norrman (KATATONIA, UNCANNY) - Guitar
Mattias Norrman (KATATONIA, DELLAMORTE) - Bass
Alexander Högbom (VOLTURYON, SPASMODIC) - Vocals
Robin Bergh (AMARAN, GOREMENT) - Drums
Emil Alstermark (MANDYLON) - Guitar

OCTOBER TIDE's latest album, "A Thin Shell", was released in North America in September 2010 via Candlelight Records. The band's first CD in ten years followed the 2009 reissue of its debut, "Rain Without End" (Candlelight).

Formed in 1995 by then-KATATONIA guitarist Norrman and KATATONIA/BLOODBATH vocalist Jonas Renkse, OCTOBER TIDE quickly made a mark with two albums recorded and released during the years 1997 and 1999 ("Rain Without End" and "Grey Dawn", respectively). Much of the band's music was written during a short break up of KATATONIA which later proved only temporary as the band would reform and continues today. OCTOBER TIDE would not perform live during this short period of activity and few interviews with the members were granted despite praise from both media and fans. The band, until reforming in late 2009, would maintain a cult status throughout the doom/metal community.

A trailer for "Eternal Defiance", the new albnum from German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA, can be seen below. The CD will be released in May via AFM Records.

Commented SUIDAKRA singer Arkadius Antonik: "As on the previous two releases, it will be a concept album again, created by [famous Belgian graphic artist] Kris Verwimp in cooperation with us. Our new concept includes a lot of new elements and suprises which will be reflected in the music as well."

In a 2012 interview with Metal Kaoz, Antonik stated about SUIDAKRA's new material: "The songs we have finished [so far] are bombastic and we also finished the first song with Tina's [Stabel] female vocals. This time, it's gonna be a faster song with a real epic and catchy chorus."

Bassist Marcus Riewaldt last year announced his departure from SUIDAKRA. He said in a statement, "After more than 250 shows and 10 years being in the band, I feel that now time has come to change my priorities a bit and see what else life has to offer for me. No hard feelings involved; it's just that I cannot motivate myself for another writing-rehearsing-recording-promoting-touring cycle and that I'm really annoyed by some of the music business mechanisms that one has to deal with in order to continue this beautiful and exciting, but at the same time very time- and energy-consuming hobby. I wish SUIDAKRA much luck and success for the future — it would all be well deserved!"

SUIDAKRA has already secured a replacement bassist in Tim Siebrecht, who was a stand-in guitar player for SUIDAKRA on several occasions in recent years.

SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records.

Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI will release their new album, "To Beast Or Not To Beast", on March 1 in Europe (excluding Finland) via AFM Records. The CD will be made available in North America on March 19 through The End Records. The album's first single, "The Riff", will be issued on February 9. You can see the single cover artwork below.

"To Beast Or Not To Beast" was recorded last fall at WireWorld Studio in Nashville, Tennessee with renowned producer Michael Wagener (METALLICA, OZZY OSBOURNE, SKID ROW, DOKKEN, RAVEN, MEGADETH). The CD marks the recording debut of LORDI's new members, keyboardist Hella (replacing Awa) and drummer Mana (replacing Otus).

"The road to this album has truly been paved by hardships," LORDI leader Mr. Lordi says. "However, the new lineup of the band has given us new and fresh touch and an energetic edge to the recording process, and to the album itself."

He added: "The album cover painting is actually a part of a larger picture. The original artwork had this vintage-styled lady holding a horned skull, which, however, was not the main point of the art piece. There was something not quite right with the setting, so I made experiments with various versions and framings. Album title was 'Upgradead' at that point in time, and the painting was done with that title in mind. But now, with a changed concept of the artwork, the title did not seem to fit anymore. We did not consider it an A-class name either. Our guitarist Amen came up with the final title, which we felt suitable and perfect both for the cover artwork and the album."

"To Beast Or Not To Beast" track listing:

01. We're Not Bad For The Kids (We're Worse)
02. I Luv Ugly
03. The Riff
04. Something Wicked This Way Comes
05. I'm The Best
06. Horrifiction
07. Happy New Fear
08. Schizo Doll
09. Candy For The Cannibal
10. Sincerely With Love
11. SCG6: Otus' Butcher Clinic

LORDI previously worked with Wagener on 2010's "Babez For Breakfast", which sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 43 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Colorado brutalists EXPURGATE have allied with Comatose Music for the release of their debut full-length, Dementia Tremens, on February 12th.
Spewing from the Rocky Mountains like an avalanche of violence comes the guttural slamming madness known as Expurgate. The band formed in 2010 and, after numerous delays, they are finally ready to discharge their debut album. Although currently on hiatus, it is mandatory that this album sees the light of day. Dementia Tremens is a ruthless display of bone shattering calamity.

Artwork by the very talented Kahori Takeda can be seen below:
Select tracks from Dementia Tremens as well as free downloads of the band's 2010 and 2011 demos can be found at their Facebook page.

Pre-orders for Dementia Tremens are available here.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS — the Swedish band featuring ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, along with vocalist Apollo Papathanasio (ex-FIREWIND) — is putting the finishing touches on its eighth studio album, "Earth Blues", for a spring release via InsideOut Music.

The band will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the CD and by playing shows, including a European tour in April.

Commented Amott: "We started the recording process of 'Earth Blues' with an eight-day-long session at Fat Guitar Studios (Sweden) with knob-twiddler Roberth Ekholm, a truly great dude who really knows how to capture a band jamming live, sadly a rare quality in recording engineers nowadays! We continued with some overdubs at various studios in Sweden, and it's all come together super easy this time. We're finishing up the mixes now with Staffan Karlsson (SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, SHINING, etc.) at his studio in Halmstad, Sweden. Sonically, I think this might be our finest hour yet. It's a raw, heavy and honest record."

In order to promote this upcoming release as well as the band's anniversary, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS have confirmed a European tour for April with support by German rockers ZODIAC, as well as some European summer festivals.

European tour dates:

April 15 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
April 16 - Köln, Germany - Underground
April 17 - Ludwigburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
April 18 - München, Germany - Backstage
April 19 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Galery
April 20 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rockfabrik
April 21 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - 013 / Roadburn Festival
April 22 - Paris, France - La Scene Bastille
April 25 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
April 26 - Barcelona, Spain - Apollo 2
April 27 - Erandio / Bilbao, Spain - Sonora

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS in 2011 released a live CD entitled "Return To Live: Loud Park 2010" in Japan via Trooper Entertainment. The disc features eight songs, capturing the bands high-energy performance at Loud Park 10 at Saitama Super Arena, Japan on October 17, 2010. The live recording was mixed in Sweden by Staffan Karlsson and Rickard Bengtsson at Studio Landgren 5.3 and The Sweet Spot Studio in December 2010. The artwork and design was handled by Hippograffix.

The new lineup of SPIRITUAL BEGGARS made its live debut on October 1, 2010 at Kyttaro club in Athens, Greece.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS's seventh studio album, "Return To Zero", was released in Japan on August 25, 2010 via Trooper Entertainment Inc. — the label founded by legendary Japanese heavy metal music industry guru Tetsu Miyamoto. The Japanese special edition comes in a glossy paper box with a poster and a sticker of the CD front cover. The Japanese edition also features a bonus track, a thunderous cover of URIAH HEEP's "Time To Live" off the legendary U.K. band's 1971 "Salisbury" record.

"Return To Zero" was released in North America on October 12, 2010 via InsideOut Music. The follow-up to 2005's "Demons" was recorded at Sweetspot Studio with producer Rickard Bengtsson.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS 2013 is:

Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS) - Guitar
Ludwig Witt (FIREBIRD) - Drums
Per Wiberg (OPETH) - Keyboards
Sharlee D'Angelo (ARCH ENEMY, MERCYFUL FATE) - Bass
Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND) – Vocals

RollingStone.com has uploaded an exclusive multimedia collection of pictures from photographer and lifetime MOTÖRHEAD fan Pep Bonet, who traveled around the world with Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee during 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, capturing everything from soundchecks and backstage antics to studio time and intimate personal moments. Bonet's photos are compiled in a new book, "Röadkill", which you can order on his web site. The 10-minute clip was narrated by the photographer himself.

"I admired these people before I met them," says Bonet in the clip, "and I can say I admire them more now because I've seen the reality of the best rock and roll band in the world."

Bakersfield, California rock band ADEMA has inked a deal with Pavement Entertainment for the release of its new album, "Topple The Giants". The group's first CD since 2007's "Kill The Headlights" is due on April 2 and will contain brand new tracks plus re-worked versions of ADEMA's chart-topping hits "Giving In" and "Unstable".

With original ADEMA guitarist Tim Fluckey handling vocal duties over the last three years, the band has kept busy with an intense and rigorous touring schedule.

"Topple The Giants" marks a new chapter in the band's 13-year career and solidifies ADEMA as one of the hardest-working acts of its time.

Vocalist Marky Chavez left ADEMA in January 2011 in order to pursue his "solo project."

Original ADEMA guitarist Mike Ransom exited the band in 2010 in order to focus on BLACK HEART VACANCY.

ADEMA's latest album, "Kill the Headlights", was released in August 2007 via Immortal Records. The CD was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Marshall Altman (MARC BROUSSARD, ZEBRAHEAD). Mastering duties were handled by Eddie Schreyer at Oasis Mastering in Burbank.

ADEMA in 2006 announced the addition of vocalist Bobby Reeves of the Los Angeles-based band LEVEL to the group's ranks. Reeves joined ADEMA as the replacement for Luke Caraccioli, who left the band in October 2005 — only six months after the release of their first album ("Planets") without the contributions of Chavez.

ADEMA is:

Kris Kohls: Drums
Dave Deroo: Bass/Vocals
Tim Fluckey: Guitar/Vocals
Marc DeLeon: Guitar