Polish southern metallers J.D. OVERDRIVE are currently working on the material for their sophomore studio album. The as-yet-untitled album is scheduled for release in late May via Metal Mind Productions.

The band commented: "Work on the new album is well underway - drum parts are already recorded, we are giving the finishing touches to the guitar and bass parts. Vocals will be recoded in early February. This time around we invited a few guests to be a part of the new album. The material will be heavier, more metal than on our first release."

A video update from the studio can be seen below:
Lineup:

Wojtek "Suse?" Ka?u?a - vocal
Micha? "Stempel" Stemplowski - guitar
?ukasz "Joorek" Jurewicz - drums
?ukasz "Peo" Pomiet?o - bass

OUTRE's debut EP, titled Tranquility, is scheduled for release this month. The core of the band; Damian Igielski (SERPENTIA) and Andrzej Nowak (FLESHWORLD) had created four compositions in the style of modern black metal with elements of thrash, death and even prog and post metal. The visuals were created by Marcin Gadomski from Upgrade Design Studio. Tranquility will be released as a limited digi-pack and as a digital release. You can buy this EP directly from the band here.
The band also released a teaser of the forthcoming EP, you can watch it here:

Candlelight Records has set ab April 23 North American release date for "Withdrawal", the third album from black metallers WOE. Produced by vocalist/guitarist Chris Grigg and mastered by Colin Marston, the CD features seven new songs with a running time of 43 minutes. It is the first new material by the band since 2010's widely regarded "Quietly, Undramatically". "Withdrawal" reunites the band with artist and longtime friend Justin Miller.

"I spent a ton of time focusing on the production," says Grigg in discussing the album's creation. "We examined what WOE created since its inception in 2007 and broke it down to its core elements. The result is something that is a synthesis of the strongest elements: the unstoppable black metal ferocity of 'A Spell For The Death Of Man' mixed with the bold dynamics and smarter, more direct and personal songwriting of 'Quietly, Undramatically'. It is our most intense, our most cohesive, our most personal."

Recorded at studios in New York and New Jersey during the latter months of 2012, "Withdrawal" is a robust and penetrating album. It benefits from 18 months of live performances; something unavailable to WOE in the early years.

"This is music that was made to be performed live," Grigg notes. "Working with other people keeps WOE fresh. They bring new ideas and perspectives, fill in the gaps of my own abilities, and keep things moving when I slow down. This is the first WOE album to include not just riffs written by others but entire songs. Ruston (Grosse, drums) wrote 'Ceaseless Jaws'. Ben (Brand, guitar) wrote the initial draft of 'Exhausted' and then we reworked it. It's also the first album to include vocals other than mine: Grzesiek (Czapla, bass/vocals) doesn't just do backups; he has entire verses in a number of songs and is more 'second vocalist' than anything else."

A/V Club calls WOE "one of the best of a strong wave of young American black metal bands willing to play around with the boundaries of the genre." Metal Sucks says, "sincere and relentlessly creative, WOE put a new spin on an old method. The band crafts something that gives you a good sense of the possibilities that still exist in the genre. This is the sound of black metal to come." Popdose adds, "WOE burns the black metal rule book to create something wholly unique and desirable."

Originally launched as a one-man project, WOE released their debut, "A Spell For The Death Of Man", before teaming with England's Candlelight Records in 2009. Their label debut, "Quietly, Undramatically", was released late October 2010 and immediately found praise. Decibel called the album "an intriguing, revolutionary blend of black metal and shoegaze-tinged post-rock sophistication." Terrorizer found it to be, "a raging slab of barely contained aggression, immeasurable parthos, and damn fine songwriting." Shortly after release, WOE was invited to perform at the March 2011 Scion Rock Fest in Pomona, California. The band would follow that up with a number of regional dates before heading out with MAYHEM for their American tour later that year.

"Withdrawal" track listing:

01. This Is The End Of The Story
02. Carried By Waves To Remorseless Shores Of The Truth
03. All Bridges Burned
04. Ceaseless Jaws
05. Song Of My Undoing
06. Exhausted
07. Withdrawal

According to The Pulse Of Radio, KORN made a sick fan's dream come true when the members of the band met with him last October, and now the fan has posted a video journal of that experience online (see below). KORN agreed to meet with a fan named Tyler Sims after receiving a request from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sims suffers from lupus, an auto-immune disease that leads to excruciating arthritic pain and other physical ailments.

Sims, who says he's always wanted to meet the group, traveled to Phoenix with his family to connect with them at a concert there. In his video, he describes being picked up in a limo and driven to the venue, where he got to watch from the side of the stage as the band went through their soundcheck. Sims then meets each band member, finally sitting down with singer Jonathan Davis to share stories about themselves.

Davis told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that ever since the group's earliest days, KORN's first and foremost priority has always been its fans. "We've always been a band about our fans, even when we first started out, when we playing clubs," he said. "I miss it so much. We'd play a gig, and we'd go out there and we'd hang out with the fans. We used to go to their houses, have barbecues, have parties, do all that stuff. Once the band got bigger, we weren't able to do that, so we're just continually trying to have that relationship with the fans."

Sims says in his video that Davis "really connected with me kind of deep. It felt good that they actually cared." He adds, "I've been a KORN fan since I was 10 years old. As I got older, I really connected with all the lyrics and I mean every song means something to me. It says something to me and it really gets me through a lot of the rough times I go through."

KORN spent much of 2012 on tour behind its 10th studio album, "The Path Of Totality", but plans to begin work on a new set of material early this year.

The group will reunite with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch for several festival shows next summer, with Welch playing full shows with the band for the first time since 2004.

THE MOANING’s only album, Blood From Stone, is one of those “I read about it, but never listened to it” albums. Why? Because the band comes from Luleå, which back in the days was quite isolated from any kind of metal scene. Because the band never toured outside of its home town. Because the cover artwork got delayed for quite some time although the album was already announced. Because all band members were still so young.

All those reasons might serve as an explanation why Blood From Stone never made it big. Still the album has managed to stand the test of time and nowadays is hailed as a classic piece of dark Swedish death metal with an evil melodic touch. Blood From Stone offers everything one can ask for: harsh vocals, somber riffs, eerie yet beautiful melodies, a grim production, a fantastic uncanny cover artwork.

Being out of print for many years now, Blood From Stone has become pretty sought-after nowadays. With the re-release of the album you now once more get the chance of listening to one rare, unjustly overlooked and excellent piece of Swedish death metal history. Kristian Wåhlin has supplied us with an excellent new scan of the outstandingly great cover artwork which now unfolds its pure beauty, especially on the LP cover and the 60x60 cm poster that comes with the vinyl. The entire layout has been reworked and includes lyrics and liner notes.

Blood From Stone will be released on January 28th as a standard CD jewelcase (initial print comes with a black bottom side CD) for midprice and on limited LP (180gr vinyl, printed innersleeve, 60x60cm poster, first time on vinyl). Be quick if you want to get a copy of the vinyl. Only 500 copies are available, of which 100 copies come on solid blue vinyl that can exclusively be purchased here.
Blood From Stone CD tracklisting:

'Blood From Stone'
'Stillborn'
'Of Darkness I Breed'
'Dying Internal Embers'
'A Dark Decade's Rising'
'Dreams In Black'
'Mirror Of The Soul'
'Dark Reflections'
'Blood From Stone' (demo 1995)
'A Battle To Win' (demo 1994)
'Blackened By Death' (demo 1994)
'Twilight Of Eternal Winter' (demo 1994)

Track 9 is previously unreleased. Tracks 10 - 12 are taken from the Promo 1994 demo, previously unreleased on CD and LP.
Blood From Stone LP tracklisting:

Side 1
'Blood From Stone'
'Stillborn'
'Of Darkness I Breed'
'Dying Internal Embers'

Side 2
'A Dark Decade's Rising'
'Dreams In Black'
'Mirror Of The Soul'
'Dark Reflections'

Hells Headbangers has announced April 16th as the release date for CEREKLOTH's In The Midst Of Life We Are In Death. A hottly tipped name in the death metal underground, In The Midst Of Life We Are In Death is the Danish quintet's debut album, which will see release on both CD and vinyl LP formats through Hells Headbangers, who've previously released the band's Halo Of Syringes and Pandemonium Prayers 7" EPs.
Defying the trends of time, Cerekloth are a band trying to capture their own timeless death metal sound on their long-brewing debut album, In The Midst Of Life We Are In Death. With emphasis on strong compositions and song structures, along with eerie, disharmonic moods and melodies to remember, Cerekloth tell the twisted tales of true death from the most bitter and darkest perspective, some even inspired by first-hand real-life experiences.

Formed in 2008 in Denmark, Cerekloth have two short releases behind them - 2008's Pandemonium Prayers and 2011's Halo Of Syringes, both released on 7" vinyl by Hells Headbangers - and after some changes in the lineup, the band now stand stronger than ever, consisting of five experienced musicians who lit the Cerekloth fire, preparing more material and forging plans for new releases as we await the release of In The Midst Of Life We Are In Death, which can currently be streamed below.

In The Midst Of Life We Are In Death tracklisting:

'Praeludium'
'Born Of The Void'
'Within The Hollow Crown'
'Halo Of Syringes'
'Nest Of Disease'
'Mesmerizing Holy Death'
'When Outcast Become Kings'
'The Reapers Instant Is Our Eternity'

In The Midst of Life We Are In Death by CEREKLOTH

More on Cerekloth at this location.

"Living Flesh", the first ever live performance from NADER SADEK's critically acclaimed "In The Flesh" project will be released independently on February 27. Capturing the inimitable stage presence of a unique collaboration of death metal and black metal giants, "Living Flesh" offers the heavy, haunting soundtrack of a society ever more soaked in the reanimated, decomposed bio-matter we know as petroleum. The November 20, 2011 show featured the original lineup of musicians from the "In The Flesh" record, as well as two new performers. The original lineup consisted of Flo Mounier (CRYPTOPSY); Rune Eriksen (AURA NOIR, AVA INFERI, ex-MAYHEM); Novy (ex-BEHEMOTH and ex-VADER); and Steve Tucker (ex-MORBID ANGEL) in his first and last live appearance for this project. Those greats are joined by Sean Frey as guest live guitarist and Carmen Simoes on backing vocals. "Living Flesh" also brings you photos of that evening, demonstrating why Nader Sadek has been a favorite set designer for the likes of SUNN O))) and MAYHEM. Nodding to the petroleum theme, the Egyptian artist brought the drums to the front of the stage as a metaphorical engine driving the music, while the disembodied voices of the singers emerge from the rear of the stage, behind the guitars and bass. Sadek himself takes the stage to baptize small, gut-like objects in a black tar-like liquid and throw them into the crowd. The songs themselves differ from the original studio album arrangements. Not only are they played at a much higher speed, but have been extended to allow the audience to sink into and absorb the relentless riffs. Carmen Simoes' operatic voice enhances the melodies and darkens the atmosphere. The live show also features one track that does not appear on the studio album: Flo Mounier's extraordinary drum solo that shifts from brutal mechanical noise to rhythmic musical patterns, paralleling the overlap of man and machine charted by Sadek's petroleum-based project. "Living Flesh" will also be released in a single, unique vinyl edition. Consisting of a very special packaging and extra content, this piece is limited to one exclusive copy worldwide. Details to be announced.

"Living Flesh" track listing:

01. Re:awakening (live)
02. Nigredo in Necromance (live)
03. Sulffer (live)
04. Mechanic Idolatry (live)
05. Soulless (live)
06. Rusted Skin / Drum Solo ( live)
07. Of this Flesh (live)
08. Re: exhaust (live)
09. Petrophilia (live)

"Living Flesh" recording lineup:

* Rune Eriksen (AURA NOIR, MAYHEM) - rhythm guitar
* Flo Mounier (CRYPTOPSY) - drums
* Novy Nowak (VADER, BEHEMOTH) - bass
* Sean Frey - lead guitar
* Steve Tucker (MORBID ANGEL) - main vocals
* Carmen Simoes (AVA INFERI) - female vocals
* Nader Sadek - vocals and samples

Legendary Canadian thrashers SOOTHSAYER will release "Troops Of Hate", the first album since their 2007 comeback, on February 12 via Galy Records. The effort was recorded with all the original founding members — Stephan Whitton on vocals, Martin Cyr on guitar, Simon Genest on bass and Daniel Clavet on drums — and it contains 10 songs, including reworked versions of two old tracks (released for the first time on an album). The CD and the "die-hard edition" (including a bonus DVD, limited to 100 numbered copies) are available now for pre-order at the Galy Records webstore.

"Troops Of Hate" track listing:

01. Govern Me
02. Over Myself
03. Narrow Minded (revisited)
04. Back To Evil
05. Where Are We
06. Dark Star
07. Grötte
08. Chicken Pie
09. Enough
10. Anatomy Is Dead Sickness (revisited)

SOOTHSAYER in 2007 released a CD containing the group's classic 1986 demo "To Be A Real Terrorist" along with a 1987 live concert recorded at Le Spectrum in Montreal, Canada — all remastered. Available on Galy Records, the CD came with a six-page, full-color booklet with rare pictures, flyers and liner notes from Rob Urbinati (SACRIFICE), Brian Lehfeldt (WEHRMACHT), James Plotkin and more.

Occasional BLABBERMOUTH.NET CD reviewer Don "Fang" Kaye once wrote in Kerrang! magazine that SOOTHSAYER has "obviously been to the SLAYER school of music, with side courses in VOIVOD and SACRIFICE."

SOOTHSAYER reunited for the first time in 17 years for an exclusive appearance at "1982 - 2007: 25 ans de Métal Québécois", a three-day festival celebrating 25 years of Quebec metal, which took place from August 31 to September 2, 2007 at Club Soda in Montreal. A total of 12 bands performed at the event, with eight among them reuniting specifically for the festival.

Australian melodic metallers LORD have set a February 22 Australian release date of their new album, "Digital Lies". Dates for New Zealand and Japan will follow, along with announcements for distribution partners for the rest of the world.

Stated LORD mainman Lord Tim: "Finally! It seems like a lifetime since we started this album until this point, but we're finally here.

"For this release, we thought long and hard about other options regarding labels and, frankly, it's a mess out there. The larger labels are doing everything they can to protect their revenue and are being very cautious about who they deal with, and the smaller labels are at the mercy of a very volatile and changing market, and you can never be sure they'll be still in business once the time to pay up comes around. We've unfortunately had to wear the consequences of that in the past.

"We've chosen once again to distribute this release via Riot! Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand and Rubicon Music for Japan since we had such a great experience with them for our previous album, 'Set In Stone'. For the rest of the world, however, we've chosen this time to keep as much control over our product as we can by planning to export to stores around the globe and sell directly from our own web store.

"As I mentioned before, the market is so fickle now, trusting a label to even be there let alone pay up is a risk we just can't afford to take if we want to keep touring and releasing albums — simple as that.

"Pre-sales from our online store begin from Monday, January 28 and the album will be available both as a physical product in Australia from February 22 as well as a digital download which will be available worldwide.

"So what does it sound like?

"If you know what LORD sounds like… well, that. We're not reinventing ourselves or the genre at all. We haven't tried to go off in any new and weird direction. There's definitely an underlying dark technology vibe throughout the album as a theme, but other than that, it's the same diverse sound that we've had since we were out there as DUNGEON.

"But don't take my word for it, make up your own mind! Here's samples from the entire album. We hope you like it!"

"Digital Lies" track listing:

01. Incipio
02. Betrayal Blind
03. Digital Lies
04. Point Of View
05. Walk Away
06. 2D Person In A 3D World
07. Final Seconds
08. The Last Encore
09. Because We Can
10. The Chalkboard Prophet
11. Battle Of Venarium

The cover art was once again created by Felipe Machado (BLIND GUARDIAN, IRON SAVIOR, ICED EARTH, GAMMA RAY).

LORD is essentially a continuation of DUNGEON, one of Australia's longest running and highest-profile heavy metal bands that disbanded in 2005. LORD has released three full-length albums, two EPs and a digital-only release live album, and continues to play the DUNGEON back catalog live. The band has shared the stage with the likes of GAMMA RAY, NIGHTWISH, QUEENSRŸCHE and most recently ICED EARTH and continues to tour internationally. Their last critically acclaimed album, 2009's "Set In Stone", featured guest appearances by Craig Goldy (ex-DIO), Pete Lesperance (HAREM SCAREM), Glen Drover (ex-MEGADETH), Felipe Andreoi (ANGRA), Olof Mörck (AMARANTHE) alongside a host of other well-known musicians.

"Digital Lies" audio samples:

Radio Metal recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Radio Metal: How do you feel about the last six months, after the release of "L'Enfant Sauvage"?

Joseph: Things have been mostly positive, I would say. Several aspects have to be taken into account: how do we feel about the songs, and how the public, the journalists and the labels react to them. The album is well received, the reviews are good too, it's a good sign. [laughs] There is some kind of argument about the record, but overall, and especially in foreign countries, it's very well received.

Radio Metal: What are these arguments you're talking about?

Joseph: It's about the fact that the band is now signed on Roadrunner, which means for some people the band has changed: "The first record will always be the best one," that kind of thing. But that's okay, that's normal, I don't really care, especially since what we live from the inside is totally different. Regarding Roadrunner, we're finally on a label that fits our position as an international band, and that we actually get something from, for instance in terms of promoting the record and so on. It's always a bit complicated to work with a big label — Roadrunner is now part of Warner — but our heads are still screwed on and we know the music business enough not to get eaten or let people get in our way. We're vigilant. We studied our contract for almost six months before signing it. We know what we're getting into. Now, what's important to us is to see if the songs work live: our focus is artistic above all, it's not about seeming honest or selling records. We make so much compromises in our everyday life to make this music, we can't get away with songs that disappoint us. It works: the tracks rock live and what's happening is amazing.

Radio Metal: "L'Enfant Sauvage" was released four years after "The Way Of All Flesh". After so long, the reactions of the public tend to be more extreme, whether it be positive or negative. Is this something you noticed?

Joseph: Yes. It's pretty much the same for every record: we wrote them with a lot of attention, and every record is a chapter in the band's story. Because of this, the whole thing's importance is very different than it would be if we'd have a record out every year or if we'd throw away new tracks all the time on the Internet. For us, each record is a big deal, then afterwards we usually spend a lot of time on the road. Between the release of "The Way Of All Flesh" and "L'Enfant Sauvage", there's been a lot of things changing around the band, our management or our signing on Roadrunner, for instance. All of this cost us time and energy to rebuild a team. All of these things took us about one year. We could have released "L'Enfant Sauvage" before if we didn't had to sign a new contract, to take care of the new management and so on. "The Way Of All Flesh" was the end of a cycle: with "L'Enfant Sauvage", a new one is starting. The next album won't take so long.

Radio Metal: Not long after you signed on Roadrunner, members of their staff and bands left the label too: what did you feel about that?

Joseph: I can say it on the radio: it pissed me off. [laughs] We were just back from a big, 10-day-long promotion tour all over Europe and guys from the New York office, Monte Conner [one of Roadrunner's former vice president of A&R], for instance, who signed SEPULTURA, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD at the time, who came to the studio while we were recording the record, left. I've met wonderful people at Roadrunner, I've even been surprised to find out how much they loved music and how much they were involved with their bands. It really boosted me, I was like: "Awesome, we took the right decision!" and then there's been a change of direction. Long story short, the owner of Roadrunner sold his company to Warner. It was time for him to move on. Of course, it unsettled me a little bit because every time something change, you don't know what's going on and where you're going. Some people have been fired, too, and among them were some of the oldest art directors. Even now, nobody understand what happened and why all these changes happened. I was really shaken when I heard about that; these people had a strong character and were what made Roadrunner special. On the other hand, all the people who were working on specific tasks, for instance the Internet, the design, the promoting of the bands and so on, the second teams if you wish, stayed. Roadrunner's entity remains thanks to these people who've been working for the label for twenty or thirty years. We deal with them on a daily basis, like Karine and Manon in France, for instance, who've been working with these bands for years and years. There's a family spirit at Roadrunner, even if it belongs to Warner. I think that all these changes in the labels are the consequence of the situation of the music business all over the world: everything is changing and transforming. No money comes from the record sales anymore: everybody's freaking out a little bit. We tend to demonize the labels, especially when they're successful, but we have to remember that the people who are working to get the records out in stores, who are working with metal bands and who are having the current situation of music business blowing up in their face are music fans too. I don't want to dig down further to know why these people have been fired, it's not my job. I concentrate on the music. New people have come, it takes time to meet everybody. We'll see.

Read the entire interview from Radio Metal.

According to Denver Westword Blogs, vocalist Anders Fridén of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES last month visited the Denver brewery Great Divide Brewing, which has been distributing its beers to Sweden for years via Great Brands — a craft-beer-focused Swedish distributor that carries a handful of American brews, including those from Avery, Left Hand, Oskar Blues and Ska. Anders, who says he is "a huge fan of good beer," got in touch with Great Divide's owner, Brian Dunn, through a friend who works for Great Brands.

The band and brewers became fast friends, and when brewer Chris Kirk learned that IN FLAMES was going to be in town, he invited Anders to the brewery to help put together a final pilot batch of HeyDay — a Belgian-style White ale that will be released this spring.

"Music and beer are so fucking similar," noted Fridén. "We put our heart and soul into what we do, and so do these guys. We're ambassadors. It's all about spreading the love...life's too short to drink shit."

Anders previously collaborated with several Swedish breweries under a brand he started with a friend called FrEQuency.

Skol Records has set an April 19 release date for "Strong As Steel - A Tribute To Anvil", the first-ever ANVIL tribute compilation. The effort will be limited to only 666 CD units, and will include ANVIL cover versions performed by such bands as MAVERICK (Japan), SINISTER REALM (USA), STORMZONE (Ireland), SATANICA (Japan), IRON KOBRA (Germany), DEXTER WARD (Greece), CONVIXION (Greece), SAVAGE BLADE (Canada), SKELATOR (USA), CAYM (Canadian band featuring ANVIL drummer Robb Reiner's son Tyler on drums), CRYSTAL VIPER (Poland) and others. The album is being produced by Bart Gabriel (pictured below with ANVIL frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow), who — in addition to helming albums by such bands as JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, CRYSTAL VIPER, LONEWOLF and SACRED STEEL — has produced the "A Tribute To Cirith Ungol", "A Tribute To Metalucifer" And "A Tribute To Sabbat" compilations, as well as several other cover songs which later landed on tribute albums to such acts as W.A.S.P., ANGEL WITCH, MANILLA ROAD, WARLOCK and RUNNING WILD.

Commented Gabriel: "This will be a real tribute, a really high-quality release, because ANVIL deserve to have one. I realize it won't be a bestseller, but all those who have seen 'Anvil! The Story Of Anvil' movie will understand what's the driving force behind this project."

He added, "I'm one of those guys who got inspired by ANVIL to continue, to follow my dreams, to never give up. And I know there are many, many bands around who feel like the movie is about them as well. It's all about positive energy, and I'm truly honored that the project was approved and blessed by ANVIL members, [which is what] makes it even more special!"

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" was named one of 2009's best documentaries by a slew of film critics associations across the continent, including critics in Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, and Las Vegas, as well as the International Documentary Association, the Online Film Critics Society, and the National Society of Film Critics. It also made the year-end Top 10 lists in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and Village Voice.

Indie Recordings has announce the signing of BLOOD TSUNAMI, the Oslo, Norway-based thrash metal band featuring drummer Bård G. Eithun (a.k.a. Faust; SCUM, ABORYM, EMPEROR). The band's new album, "For Faen", will be releasedMarch 8 in Norway, March 15 in Germany and Austria and March 11 in the rest of Europe.

The first single from the CD, "Metal Fang", can be streamed below.

According to a press release, "For Faen" "shows a band that has stripped their metal to the bone. Harder, meaner, dirtier and way more aggressive! This album is a relentless sonic beating. The songs are thrown at you, one by one, with an infernal speed that threathens to rip off chunks of flesh from your whole upper body. Rampant dogs is jumping out of your loudspeakers, daggers and bullets comes at you like a wall of horizontal rain. This is metal the way it was meant to be. Totally vicious and utterly dangerous! 'For Faen' is a monster of an album that will break your legs off by the knee and use them to beat the skull straight off your spine. You are in for some sickening tales from the dark side of humanity. Grotesque stories about some of the worlds worst serial killers, detailed information about horrendous ancient torture methods, war crimes, mass murder and chemicals, addiction and rotten human skin."

BLOOD TSUNAMI is:

Bård "Faust" Eithun - Drums
Kristoffer "Dor" Sørensen - Lead Guitar
Peter "Pete" Michael Kolstad Vegem - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
Carl "Calle" Janfalk - Bass, Backing Vocals

CROWN has inked a deal with Candlelight Records.

Hailing from France, CROWN are two men and a machine who tune their neutron guitars to the Richter scale, and deliver the sound of a molten universe collapsing. Touching on early ISIS, GODFLESH, FLOOR and even KILLING JOKE, CROWN explore the depths of slow tempos on their début album, "The One", and their split EP with ST VALLEY through sheer exuberant heaviness.

The duo's depth-charging guitars and buried melodic tendencies snake around hissing electronics, a tribal / military percussive thwack, and the splashing cymbals of a minimal-yet-completely-effective drum-machine. Their sound is further emboldened by a massive bestial roar, heavy and oppressive, leading to an abyss of nothingness…. Welcome to the dark, spiralling, and obscure experiments of CROWN.

Fan-filmed video footage of Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING performing on January 19 at Groene Engel in Oss, The Netherlands can be seen below.

THE GATHERING is working on the CD version of "Afterlights", a collection of reworked versions of tracks from the band's latest album, "Disclosure", which came out last September. The group states: "The songs are inspired by 'Disclosure' songs but totally rebuilt/remade. It's like listening to a new album. People who have the 'Afterlights' 10" vinyl [which came out last year] know what [we] mean."

"Disclosure" was released on September 12, 2012 via the band's own Psychonaut Records. The CD cover artwork was created by the Chilean artist Carlos Vergara Rivera.

THE GATHERING's previous album, "The West Pole", was released in North America on June 2, 2009 via Season of Mist. The CD was issued in most of Europe on May 4, 2009 via the group's own label, Psychonaut Records.

"The West Pole" marked the recording debut of new THE GATHERING singer Silje Wergeland, who was previously in the Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine, Wergeland stated that "Disclosure" is "fresher, braver, more confident, honest, deeper [and] newer" than "The West Pole".

Regarding THE GATHERING's decision to release the "Heroes For Ghosts" single so far ahead of the full-length album, Silje said, "We decided to not do it for any other reason than release it because we wanted to! The song is way too long for a 'normal' single, but that didn't matter. We never released it to try to get it on radio or on TV. We know their limits of about three minutes to get airplay, and knew we'll never get there anyways. It was only marketed through our Facebook, Twitter and webpage, so very low key. THE GATHERING has its own label [Psychonaut], but we are not very business-focused. It is still all about the music and art. We were just so happy with it and wanted to share it with the world."

"Smells Like A Freakshow", the new video from Swedish metallers AVATAR, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth full-length album, "Black Waltz", which was released on February 14, 2012 via eOne Music. The CD was produced by Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, MUSTASCH, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR) and includes songs from a limited-edition EP that was released in Sweden at the end of October 2011.

Commented AVATAR frontman Johannes Eckerström: "The video illustrates inner conflict in an explicit manner, using abuse of unjust power in different contexts. The lyrical themes of downfall, embracing of decadence and failed attempts to escape are pointed out by the fact that ultimately the bad guys win."

AVATAR will support SEVENDUST and LACUNA COIL this winter. This is the very first time the band will play the U.S., with dates stretching up and down the East Coast.

Stated AVATAR drummer John Alfredsson: "It feels truly amazing to get the opportunity to make our first strike in the U.S. with SEVENDUST and LACUNA COIL. 2013 will be the year of AVATAR in the states and we are excited to bring the madness to you!"

"Black Waltz" track listing:

01. Let Us Die
02. Torn Apart
03. Ready For The Ride
04. In Napalm
05. Black Waltz
06. Blod
07. Let It Burn
08. One Touch
09. Paint Me Red
10. Smells Like A Freakshow
11. Use Your Tongue

AVATAR is:

Johannes Eckerström - Vocals
John Alfredsson - Drums
Jonas Jarlsby - Guitars
Simon Andersson - Guitars
Henrik Sandelin - Bass

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM are hard at work at an undisclosed location in Helsinki recording ten new tracks which will comprise the band's eighth album.

"It's a nice change to the regular method where we lock ourselves up at a studio in the middle of the woods, usually also during the darkest time of the year," CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho tells Soundi magazine. "However, we did track drums at the tried-and-tested Petrax studio in Hollola this time as well, so we got our fix of that modus operandi too. But for the guitar and bass, we don't require a big facility in the countryside, so we decided to stay closer to home for this part of the session."

Laiho is finishing up the lyrics for the songs so that they are ready when phase 3 kicks in at the beginning of February. Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, HYPOCRISY) will then travel over for a period of ten days to oversee the keyboard and vocal recordings.

"It will be great to have Peter come over for a good stretch this time so we can really concentrate on the vocals," Alexi says. "At the moment, I'm done with the lyrics for two tracks: 'All Twisted' and 'Slowdance On Nails'. So far all the other tunes go by working titles such as 'Moto GP', 'FC Pettymys', 'Kananmuisti-ilmiö' and 'Trondheim'."

In in-depth interview with Soundi last September, CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Roope Latvala expressed interest in taking a more prominent role in the arranging of the band material.

"In my opinion many guitar parts could be made more interesting and balanced with just minor tweaks," Roope said, perhaps inspired by his recent work with Finn composer Anssi Tikanmäki's national anthem album project.

Has this comment led to Alexi giving the former STONE axeman more leeway and responsibility in the fine-tuning of the songwriting process?

"Now that you mention it, Roope did voice his opinions more than usual this time around," Alexi says. "And maybe the others, too. As far as the actual question goes, the usual rule applies: all good ideas are taken into consideration."

The new CHILDREN OF BODOM album may also feature a special guest appearance, as Alexi reveals exclusively to Soundi, where he was once again named "Musician Of The Year" in the annual readers' poll.

"I played on ANNIHILATOR's album 'Metal' in 2007, so the way I see it, [ANNIHILATOR mainman] Jeff Waters owes BODOM a solo or two! It's payback time."

And finally, CHILDREN OF BODOM wouldn't be CHILDREN OF BODOM without some new off-the-wall cover tracks recorded during the sessions for later use as bonus tracks for the as-of-yet untitled disc, due out before the summer.

"We will be doing our versions of songs by BANANARAMA and ROXETTE, and a track chosen for us by the readers of the Japanese magazine Burrn!" Alexi says.

Professionally filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH performing the song "Ghost Love Score" on December 14, 2012 at Teatro de Flores in Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen told Finland's MTV.fi in November that he was pleased with the addition of singer Floor Jansen to the group and that she was only getting better with each performance.

"We have done 13 shows with her [so far] and every concert has been better than the last," he said. "We are taking it day by day as much as we can. The vibe in the band is marvellous. We are enjoying every moment."

Holopainen has known Jansen, who is Dutch, for more than 10 years already, having previously toured with her former band, AFTER FOREVER.

"We are very much on the same wavelength and we have a similar sense of humor," Holopainen said of his new bandmate.

Stepping into NIGHTWISH was made easier for Jansen by the fact that she has extensive experience in both classical and rock music.

Following AFTER FOREVER's split, Jansen launched a brand new project called REVAMP, which has thus far released one album and recently entered the studio to record a follow-up effort.

"We have been in the same circles since the late '90s," says Tuomas. "She has toured a lot and has spent a lot of time recording and performing this genre of music. So it was easier for her to come into the band."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of the past five years, Anette Olzon.

"[Floor is] a vocal coach herself, so she's very professional," said Tuomas. "The fact that she had about 40 hours to learn 15 songs is quite revealing. She practically learned our tour set on the flight from Amsterdam to Seattle. We're talking about a high-level professional and her attitude is fabulous as well. It can be seen in her stage presence. She clearly enjoys what she does."

Asked about the reasons for Olzon's sudden exit from the group, Tuomas told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine: "I'm sure it came as a shock to everybody. We came out with a statement [regarding the split], which pretty much says it all. It still is a private matter, and that's all we wanna say about it, like, ever. It was an amicable divorce, so to say, and made in good spirit, and we are just looking to the future. There really is no reason to go back into all the details and all that. I mean, this is not politics, this is a rock band."

Regarding whether there is a chance that Floor will become the official new NIGHTWISH lead singer, Tuomas said: "The way that we have decided is that we're gonna continue with her until the end of the festival season in 2013 — just have fun, just do the shows the best we can. I mean, the atmosphere in the band is so good at the moment, [we want to] just enjoy this what we have right now. They try not to think about NIGHTWISH at all for a few months. Everybody take a little vacation. And we already have the rehearsal place for the next album booked in 2014 — from July to September. So that's how far we have planned. But when we do the last festival show next August, after that, it's gonna be total nothing for a few months. So I would say everything is possible, but that's really not the thing that we want to be thinking about right now, because there's absolutely no reason to."

"Why Should We Say Goodbye?", a brand new song from the Brazilian female-fronted progressive power metal band VANDROYA, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the group's debut album, "One", which was released on January 18 via Inner Wound Recordings. The Japanese edition of the album wasmade available on December 19 through Spiritual Beast and the Brazilian edition will follow on February 4 via Voice Music. The CD artwork was created by Felipe Machado Franco (BLIND GUARDIAN, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ICED EARTH) and can be seen below.

VANDROYA is one of the best-kept secrets from Brazil, led by the fantastic vocalist Daísa Munhoz (SOULSPELL). According to a press release, the band "should be a perfect fit for fans of KAMELOT, SYMPHONY X, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA."

"One" track listing:

01. All Becomes One
02. The Last Free Land
03. No Oblivion For Eternity
04. Within Shadows
05. Anthem (For The Sun)
06. Why Should We Say Goodbye?
07. Change The Tide
08. When Heaven Decides To Call
09. This World Of Yours
10. Solar Night

The song "The Last Free Land" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"One" can be pre-ordered at the Inner Wound store.

VANDROYA is:

Daísa Munhoz (vocals)
Marco Lambert (guitar)
Rodolfo Pagotto (guitar)
Giovanni Perlati (bass)
Otávio Nuñez (drums)

America's premier destination rock festival Rock On The Range — which has expanded to three days this year — will hit hard with performances from some of rock's biggest names. The 2013 lineup features:

SOUNDGARDEN
ALICE IN CHAINS
SMASHING PUMPKINS
KORN
BUSH
STONE SOUR
THREE DAYS GRACE
PAPA ROACH
CHEAP TRICK
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
VOLBEAT
LAMB OF GOD
SKILLET
A DAY TO REMEMBER
BUCKCHERRY
HALESTORM
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
ALL THAT REMAINS
DEVICE
STEEL PANTHER
SEVENDUST
SICK PUPPIES
ASKING ALEXANDRIA
POP EVIL
IN FLAMES
CLUTCH
IN THIS MOMENT
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
THE SWORD
GHOST
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
RED
DEUCE
MIDDLE CLASS RUT
BIG WRECK
OLEANDER
OTHERWISE
RED LINE CHEMISTRY
YOUNG GUNS
THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH
MINDSET EVOLUTION
TRACER
BEWARE OF DARKNESS
HEAVEN'S BASEMENT
AMERICAN FANGS
LOVE AND DEATH
GEMINI SYNDROME

"We're really looking forward to returning to Rock On The Range with a batch of brand new killer ALICE tunes to play for everyone!" says Jerry Cantrell, ALICE IN CHAINS.

"Head is back!!," says KORN's Jonathan Davis. "Rock On The Range is going to start it all off!! Get ready, we are going to hit it hard!!"

"BUSH are thrilled to be playing Rock On The Range with such great bands," says BUSH's Gavin Rosdale. "We look forward to seeing you all out there."

"This massive lineup has scratched our seven-year itch!" says Gary Spivack, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment. "Getting SOUNDGARDEN for their first Ohio play in two decades and having seminal acts ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, VOLBEAT and PAPA ROACH return along with bands new to Rock On The Range that include SMASHING PUMPKINS and BUSH, and everything in between — the spectrum of rock n roll is covered…three days of constant energy. Rock On The Range is truly where rock lives."

Now in its seventh year, Rock On The Range will again take place at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, May 17, Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, 2013. With the addition of a full slate of artists performing on Friday, festival organizers are also adding a series of additional enhancements for Rock On The Range 2013, including the new Rock On The Range Comedy Tent.

"Our goal with Rock On The Range is to constantly create new and interesting ways to expand the event and give even more value to our fans," comments Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the event for AEG Live. "In 2013, we've added a comedy tent within the site that will be curated by The Funny Bone comedy club. Having a slate of incredible, up-and-coming comedians to riff on the rock experience will be a great change of pace for the weekend. The site layout is also changing dramatically in 2013 to create better event flow, to add more interactive fan activity to the festival, and to allow even more people to experience the higher caliber of talent on the second stage this year."

As a special limited offer, pre-sale weekend tickets startat a low price of $89.50 (plus fees), for Stadium GA tickets only, from Wednesday, January 30 through Thursday, January 31 at 10 p.m. EST. Additionally, a limited number of Stadium GA "4-ticket packs" are also available for $299 — a savings of nearly 25% — beginning on Wednesday, January 30, while supplies last.

Pre-sale tickets are available at RockOnTheRange.com. Tickets go on-sale to the general public Friday, February 1 at 10 a.m. ET. Rock On The Range is again offering premiere VIP Packages, Hotel and Ticket Bundles and Camping packages.

"Rock On The Range strives to deliver an outstanding lineup for an affordable price and this year is no different," said Ryan Smith, General Manager of Crew Stadium, co-executive producer of Rock On The Range. "With the creation of the special $89 pre-sale ticket and 4-pack bundle, rock fans can see over 40 of their favorite bands for an unprecedented value."

Presented by Right Arm Entertainment, AEG LIVE and Crew Stadium, Rock On The Range is a multi-stage music and lifestyle event featuring a potent lineup of bands on three stages and is proud to be sponsored by Monster Energy, Jägermeister, f.y.e. and U.S. Army. The nationally renowned festival, centrally located in the heart of the country, has annually drawn weekend crowds in excess of 70,000 since its inception in 2007.

Canada's black/death destroyers WEAPON have unleashed a brand new music video for the title track from their Relapse Records debut, "Embers And Revelations". Check it out below.

Vetis Monarch, leader of the horde, commented on the concept and making of the clip: "This is the first official, professionally done WEAPON music video.

"Choosing one song off 'Embers And Revelations' was tough, but we finally decided on the title track of the album because it represents WEAPON in 2013 so aptly: violent, mystical, cathartic. The video was filmed/edited by Dan Wilberg and his cohorts (who also filmed the entire making-the-album series of 'Embers And Revelations'); suffice to say, the experience was quite different for us, being in front of a bunch of cameras and such... very different from a live concert setting.

"The underlying theme of the video is that of rebirth, which is in essence the underlying theme of the new album, and WEAPON itself. We also hint at some Aghori-esque elements, and we have expanded on my appreciation of daemonic principles of the female form. This video is truly a great visualization of the ideology within our music."

WEAPON's third full-length album, "Embers And Revelations", was released in October. The CD was recorded with producer Terry Paholek at The Physics Lab in their hometown of Edmonton, Canada.

French "tortured entity" CHAOS ECHŒS, which was formed out of the ashes of the cult death metal act BLOODY SIGN, has inked a deal with Debemur Morti Productions.

Debemur Morti will unleash a vinyl version of CHAOS ECHŒS' debut, the highly-regarded "Tone Of Things To Come", in the coming weeks. In the meanwhile, you can listen to the song "The Innermost Depths Of Knowledge" on the band's Bandcamp page and buy the CD version here.

According to a press release, CHAOS ECHŒS was forned "with the intent to transport their dark death metal to a black hole of improvisations, psychedelia and trance. Another distinctive feature is their will to extract the material out of its formal and acoustic envelope to generate a hybrid vitality. Thus, from the CHAOS ECHŒS entity, various shapes can emanate: solo, duo, art installation…"

CHAOS ECHŒS is:

Kalevi Uibo - Guitar, Effects, Vocals
Ilmar Uibo - Drums, Vocals
Etienne Testart - Guitar, Effects, Vocals
Stefan Thanneur - Bass, Effects, Vocals

Hi there,

…first a late, but still fresh, Happy New Year to everyone. After getting rid of some bonus pounds gained over the last few months due to live abstinence we are now getting ready for a very busy and exciting year of creativity and efficiency. Wishful thinking, you think? Blasphemy, I would reply! As most of you may have recognized, we have been busy all during 2012 with some additional touring activity and some extra missions, such as the completion of A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time, which is a great legacy. It features all of our material from the Virgin era in a new and accurate framework, beautifully designed by Felipe Machado. The whole box offers a great insight about that particular part of our career. Even though it took us more time than expected, we are really pleased with the final result. It’s something we are really proud of and something which you hopefully are going to enjoy as much as we do. I just got my sample yesterday, and am really blown away.

This, of course, has not been the only thing we were doing during the last year. For the sake of fun and leisure we were working on new stuff and progressed far quicker than we would have expected. Not that this means a lot in the generous production time frame of Blind Guardian. But it might secure a late 2014 release for at least one BG album. As you may have read in interviews we are intending to bring a long story to a well deserved and hopefully happy end. As already announced with A Twist in the Myth and also with At the Edge of Time, apart from a regular album there finally will also be the release of the orchestral album. Why am I so sure about not being wrong again this time? I have no idea. Nothing new here, one could say.

The difference might be that throughout the last 18 months we have recorded 7 songs in Prague. There probably is a handful of additional songs to record during this year, but they are also already finalized with regard to composition. In theory we do not need any further songs for this album but ideas simply seem to flow endlessly… The reason why this album is still far from being released is partly based on the regular album, which we definitely would like to release first. At this point in time I am in a very tricky situation. How to continue from here? I think it is probably easiest to simply continue by telling you something about the regular album since this would be next anyway. Keep in mind that “next” is relative!

Well, we have started working on four songs and already were able to finish two songs musically. The working titles are “Encrypted Time” (I think this title is inspired by André’s passion for World of Warcraft or so – I can only guess…) and “The Ocean” (here, André has been inspired by my undefined mumbling in the song). “Encrypted Time” is a modern speed metal song with some tribal aspects and some 70′s inspirations, while “The Ocean” is a very progressive (this time I talk about ELP meets Savatage art rock when I say progressive) orchestra dominated song which will give you a further glimpse of what to expect from the orchestral album. I am clueless about the right story board for “Encrypted Time” but “The Ocean” could be used as a theme opener for the orchestral project. We will see… The other four songs seem to turn out very special and obviously very different. Working titles: “The Irish Hill”, “Prophecies”, “Soundtrack 2″ and “Midtempo Song”. I cannot tell you exactly about how many times we have had a song over the years which was first called “Midtempo Song”. I am pretty sure we are not the only band abusing this spectacular title over and over again. Thank God, the title is not copyright protected, yet. We would be in trouble then. Maybe it is and that’s the reason why it barely ever ended up as a title on the album.

Out of those tracks “Prophecies” is the one which is developed the most. It is almost straight forward, has a very strong pre and main chorus and offers some “Queensrÿchish” prog (this time I do mean Queensrÿche when I say prog) elements in combination with some Blind Guardian fantasy metal. A nice one. I’ll keep it short from here: “Irish Hills” might be a surprise with some Irish melodies, which none would expect in a song with such a name… “Midtempo Song” is a great song of misunderstandings and technical failures, the result so far is a little surprising to everyone involved and has nothing to do at all with a song entitled “Midtempo Song”. I enjoy this one a lot, because I cannot remember us doing something like this. The song is still in a very early phase and André has kept it hidden from me for a while now. “Soundtrack 2″ has been the first song fragment for the new album. We had put that aside for a while, but it contains some very heavy elements, almost thrash metal like. Let’s see how this is going to end up. You see, there is a lot in the pipeline already. But there certainly will be more new stuff during the year. Even though we have already started to record some drums for the album at the end of the last year, the whole thing is going to keep us busy until the spring/summer of 2014 for sure.

Going to Prague to see how the orchestra songs come alive is a very special and intense moment for us. Thanks to “Sacred Worlds” and “Wheel of Time” I can say that we have learnt a lot about scoring, recording and mixing when it comes to such music. You will notice a great improvement when you listen to the final result of this adventurous trip we have started so long ago. Last week some of us went there again to record “The Ocean” , a pure orchestral song called “Misty Mountain” and some more stuff. We once again had to realize how ambitious this whole project is and how time demanding! Luckily, everyone who is involved has understood, that there will be no compromises. We would never accept “second best” or “we fix it in the mix” here. This means that even though we can see the end of the road here, it still is a long and winding one and will demand our full concentration for the next 12 to 18 months. Charlie (Bauerfiend) and I already did some demo recordings for four of the earlier recorded orchestra songs sometime last year. We all consider this session and its result a very promising experience. Now I am ready to start proper album recordings for this one. I will do my best to finish most of the vocals during the year. This seems a very ambitious goal but is not impossible. I say that in the first days of January… Apart from the music and the concept we will also work on some additional surprises. Keep yourself prepared. One thing is for sure there will be nothing comparable to this on the market. It’s not a typical soundtrack, a typical musical, nor it is a rock opera. It is typical Blind Guardian – more or less without band. At that point, I would say this is going to stay unique until we will release part 2. The good thing: we already have some material for it and another 15-17 years before it has to be released. Chinese Democracy was yesterday.

Cheers,

Hansi

According to The Pulse Of Radio, former THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier has spoken out about his reasons for leaving the band he co-founded after 20 years together. The original announcement by the band and his follow-up statement seemed to have conflicting views regarding Gontier's health and his motivations, so The Pulse Of Radio asked him why he made this move now. "For me, I think the thing that broke the camel's back was, I had enough of the money coming before the music," he said. "It's not perfect timing, but it had to be done, you know. For the sake of my own mental health and well-being, I had to do it."

Gontier elaborated on what went wrong for him after playing in THREE DAYS GRACE for two decades. "You know, the music really wasn't coming from the heart," he said. "I can say that on the record 'Transit Of Venus', there's maybe one or two songs that actually do come from my heart, but a lot of songs have been written just for radio and for fans, you know, to relate to. Quite a bit of it just adds up to the fakeness of the whole industry and how you're writing hits for other people and not yourself — and that's really what the band was, has been all about."

THREE DAYS GRACE announced Gontier's departure from the group earlier this week, although he officially resigned on December 21.

The band claims that he told them he was leaving through a letter from his lawyer, with no personal discussion or contact between Gontier and his bandmates.

THREE DAYS GRACE will appear as planned on a co-headlining tour with SHINEDOWN that starts on February 1, with Matt Walst of MY DARKEST DAYS filling in on vocals. The group will announce its future plans after the tour.

The tour is in support of the band's fourth album, "Transit Of Venus", which includes the No. 1 rock radio hit "Chalk Outline".

Gontier played a benefit show in New York City on Thursday night (January 17) and plans to begin work on a solo album in the near future.

Pictured below: THREE DAYS GRACE

Max Lilja (HEVEIN, TARJA TURUNEN, ex-APOCALYPTICA) will release his solo album, "Plays Electronica By One Cello", in February.

The track listing for the CD — which showcases Max's talents as a songwriter and a master of electrified cello — is as follows:

01. I Sound My Sound
02. In SoS
03. Like This
04. Qualified
05. A State Of Mind
06. Count Phase
07. It Is In
08. You Me
09. Now
10. The End

Max was a founding member of APOCALYPTICA, and has been recording and touring with former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen since 2007. In his career, Max has played hundreds of concerts in over fifty countries.

For more information, visit www.maxthecello.com.

New York progressive rockers COHEED AND CAMBRIA performed the song "Dark Side Of Me" live on last night's (Monday, January 21) episode of Conan O'Brien's nighttime talk show on TBS, "Conan". You can now watch video footage of their appearance below.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA's latest album, "The Afterman: Ascension", sold 49,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Afterman" is being released in two separate full-length volumes. The first volume, "The Afterman: Ascension", was made available on both physical and digital platforms in the U.S. on October 9, 2012 via Hundred Handed/Everything Evil, and distributed through Fontana/Ingrooves (available in Canada via Universal Music Canada). The second volume, "The Afterman: Descension", is due in February.

A deluxe version of "The Afterman" includes a hardcover coffee-table book with expansive art by Heidi Taillefer and Nathan Spoor with collaborative written work from singer/creator Claudio Sanchez and writer Peter David that creates a song-by-song experience.

The two records follow-up to 2010's "Year Of The Black Rainbow", and feature new bassist Zach Cooper and returning drummer Josh Eppard, who have replaced Michael Todd and Chris Pennie, respectively.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA frontman Claudio Sanchez said of the album: "This is, without a doubt, the most honest record I've ever written. Though all the songs can be interpreted through our main character in the story, they were initially written in a very spontaneous manner. In the past, I've always had a predetermined idea of what the story was going to be when I approached the songs. With 'The Afterman' being a new story within 'The Amory Wars' arc, I allowed the events of my life to drive the concept, and therefore opened up the songwriting to a fuller degree."

ANTHRAX recently tapped SHADOWS FALL's Jon Donais to play second guitar on all currently scheduled tour dates following the departure of Rob Caggiano. Donais will temporarily fill in for ANTHRAX's upcoming shows in India, the series of Soundwave festival dates in Australia, and the North American Metal Alliance Tour.

Caggiano announced his departure from ANTHRAX on January 4 to focus on his other passion: producing records.

Asked if Caggiano's departure was a surprise, Ian told MTV Hive: "We didn't know he was planning on leaving while we were tracking [the new covers EP, 'Anthems']. He was literally finishing solos in Berlin on the last days of the tour. It wasn't until after the tour ended and we started having conversations, and just to put it in a nutshell, he just needs to do his own thing at this point in time. We knew he had a record that he was going to be doing possibly [referring to the new VOLBEAT album, which Caggiano is co-producing. — Ed.]. We had already told him, if you need to take a hiatus, that's fine. The best thing I can say is that he's on a mission to do his own thing at this point. And I'm certainly not going to stand in his way."

Regarding how ANTHRAX ended up picking Donais to fill in for the upcoming tour, Ian said: "It was actually Rob. He had already spoken to Jon and had kind of filled him in about what his plan was. He didn't want to leave us hanging. As much as it sucks, this whole thing has been friendly. I may think Rob has made a mistake by leaving the band, but at the same time he's my friend and I back his decision all the way in whatever he needs to do. He feels the same about us. We all know Jon. I've actually worked with him before on [comedian] Brian Posehn's record. We all know he's a great lead guitar player. And Jon said absolutely he wanted to do it."

Ian also revealed that ANTHRAX has started compiling ideas for the follow-up to 2011's "Worship Music", which recently passed the 100,000 sales mark in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"We did demo a song while we were over in Germany," Ian said. "We thought might get used in this TV show. So that kind of gave us the kick in the ass to start working. We also had a song that we never finished for 'Worship Music', because it just needed some rewriting. At the time, we were happy with the album and didn't think it was missing anything, but then we started reworking this track on the tour in Europe and we finished it. I'd say it's about 90 percent now. Once that one gets finished, I can say we started writing. I'm pretty sure this song will be on the next record. And I know Charlie's [Benante, drums] got a pretty good vault of ideas built up from over the last year, and I certainly have ideas. It's just a case of getting together at some point in 2013. We're not doing much touring this year. By August, we're done and the rest of the year we're off, so we'll be in writing mode and hopefully in recording mode by the end of the year."