Chicago heavy rockers SOIL will enter the studio in late February to begin recording their new album for a tentative summer release. The band is currently working on 13 songs in pre-production with engineer Don Byczynski at BOTA Studio in Lake In The Hills, Illinois.

In a recent interview with Metal Forces, SOIL frontman Ryan McCombs stated about the band's next CD: "This is the first time Adam [Zadel, guitar], Tim [King, bass] and I have been writing together since 'Redefine', so you have the key component of what made those records. I was always the lyric writer of those albums, and if I stumbled somewhere, Adam was always there to give me a little boost, and give me a little direction here and there. You've got us back together as far as the lyrics that I write go. You've got Adam too; he was 98.9% of the music on those records, and if he ever had any struggle with whatever — if he ever had any questions — I was always there to help with the arrangement of the songs. We really got the key components of those albums back together again, and I feel like the material that we're coming up with is that perfect anchor to where you had 'Scars' and 'Redefine'. I think this album is the next stage, the next album in line for SOIL."

SOIL recently launched an interactive pre-sale campaign on Kickstarter to enable fans to participate in the release of the band's forthcoming album. Fans will receive exclusive shirts, a chance to have dinner with the band, autographed merchandise, attend studio sessions, an exclusive new MP3 download of the first studio song with McCombs since 2004's "Redefine" album and more. They also will be the first to receive the new album when it's released.

"Enemy", the latest video from the Australian female-fronted hard rock band HEAVEN THE AXE, can be seen below. The clip was financed by the band after they secured approximately $30,000 worth of sponsorship from various community and private organizations.

Based in Melbourne, HEAVEN THE AXE is described in a press release as "a juxtaposition between the illustrious, hypnotic, powerful and beautiful female vocals of songwriter Phoebe Pinnock, twisting their way around a stomping Aussie riff factory! The fellas in the riff machine are an Aussie metal supergroup from notorious and groundbreaking Aussie metal bands such as MANTICORE, DAMAGED, HOUSE OF THUMBS and TERRORUST."

HEAVEN THE AXE is nine members strong, with musicians playing live at any one time.

The band released its debut record, "Sex, Chugs & Rock 'N' Roll", independently in late 2011 and has played solid headlining shows around Australia, filling venues and gathering glowing industry reviews about their high-energy live performance. In addition, HEAVEN THE AXE has played as main support on a string of shows with ROSE TATTOO and CRASHDIET.

"Target Earth", the new album from Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD, is available for streaming in its entirety at CBC.ca. The CD will be released via the band's own company, Iron Gang Factory, and Century Media on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway: Friday, January 18
North America, Spain, Italy: Tuesday, January 22
Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, January 23
Australia, New Zealand, Finland: Friday, January 25
Rest Of Europe: Monday, January 21

The CD was recorded in January 2012 at Pierre Rémillard's (OBLIVEON, CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN, MISERY INDEX) Wild Studio in a small town called St-Zénon in Quebec, Canada and was mixed by Sanford Parker (PELICAN, NACHTMYSTIUM). The follow-up to 2009's "Infini" contains the band's first music to be written with Mongrain (MARTYR) following the passing of original axeman Denis "Piggy" D'Amour in 2005. The original art was once again drawn by Langevin and features color schemes from each one of the band's previous albums.

"Target Earth" standard CD and digital download track listing:

01. Target Earth
02. Kluskap O'Kom
03. Empathy For The Enemy
04. Mechanical Mind
05. Warchaic
06. Resistance
07. Kaleidos
08. Corps Étranger
09. Artefact
10. Defiance

"Target Earth" will also be available in the same track listing as gatefold-2LP with 180-gram vinyl in the following versions/colors:

* Black (Unlimited)
* Transparent Red (200 copies, Century Media webshop Europe)
* Transparent Blue (200 copies, Nuclear Blast mailorder)
* Orange (400 copies, Century Media USA)
* Purple (6000 copies, Century Media USA)

Additionally, there will be a limited-edition deluxe pressing of "Target Earth" as a mediabook-CD with alternate frontcover (silver on black), two quality stickers, expanded booklet as well as the two live bonus tracks recorded at the band's triumphant appearance at Roadburn festival 2012, which VOIVOD helped curate: "Target Earth" and "Man In The Trees".

"Man In The Trees" is a very special DIE KREUZEN cover version, featuring Daniel Kubinski of DIE KREUZEN on vocals, who commented on the track and his appearance: "I'm truly honored and thankful to have shared the stage with VOIVOD at Roadburn 2012 and I'm completely stoked we were able to cover one of Piggy's favorite DIE KREUZEN songs, 'Man In The Trees'. The melding of VOIVOD and DIE KREUZEN has been a long time coming and I am so glad we had the opportunity to play and record our performance together. I think our bands are open-minded within our creativity and like-minded in our approach to always stretch the boundaries and take our music to the next step!"

And last but certainly not least, "Target Earth" will be released as a CM Distro exclusive mailorder boxset in a numbered limited worldwide edition of 1,000 copies with the following content:

* "Target Earth" mediabook CD (incl. two live bonus tracks and expanded artwork/alternate frontcover)
* "Live At Roadburn 2011" CD (exclusive 10-song live CD with a four-page booklet in jewel case; previously only released by Roadburn Records as limited LP version)
* VOIVOD belt
* 1 poster (DINA3, Design of the mediabook CD cover artwork)
* 2 stickers (included in the mediabook CD)
* 3 exclusive postcards with artwork by VOIVOD's Away

The four members of VOIVOD — vocalist Denis "Snake" Bélanger, Mongrain, bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault and drummer Michel "Away" Langevin — will attend a listening party for their new album, "Target Earth", on January 24 at Café Chaos in Montreal, Quebec, Canada starting at 8 p.m. Admission to this 18-and-over event is free.

For more information, go to this location.

L.A. GUNS will release a new concert DVD, "Live In Concert", on February 12 via Cleopatra Records. The DVD contains footage of the band's uncut M3 Rock Festival performance on May 12, 2012 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland with songs not included in the HDNet live broadcast. Also included are behind-the-scenes, studio and interview extras as well as three studio music videos from their latest album, "Hollywood Forever". The accompanying CD provides the audio tracks for the M3 concert.

For the bonus material, documentarian Jack Foster interviewed Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades and Scotty Griffin about songwriting, collaboration, and the band's history. In-studio footage throughout the recording process was also captured, including clips of legendary record producer Andy Johns (LED ZEPPELIN, THE ROLLING STONES, VAN HALEN). Former L.A. GUNS member Kelly Nickels makes a special appearance as well.

"Live In Concert" track listing:

Live At The M3 Rock Festival

01. Sex Action
02. Never Enough
03. You Better Not Love Me
04. Sweet Mystery
05. Revolution
06. Sleazy Come, Easy Go
07. Electric Gypsy
08. The Ballad Of Jayne
09. Rip N Tear

Studio Videos

10. You Better Not Love Me
11. Araña Negra
12. Requiem (Hollywood Forever)

The Making Of Hollywood Forever

13. The Beginning
14. Bookends
15. Writing Songs
16. Working Together
17. Time Crunch
18. Phil s Songs
19. Hot Rods & Strippers
20. Treasure Chest
21. Vinyl Spider
22. Hot Take

L.A. GUNS' "Requiem (Hollywood Forever)" video can be seen below. The song comes off L.A. GUNS' new album, "Hollywood Forever", which was released on June 5, 2012 via Cleopatra Records.

L.A. GUNS spent a few days in Los Angeles shooting three videos to support the record. Videos for "Araña Negra" and "You Better Not Love Me" were also filmed. Videographer Jack Foster was behind the lens for the shoot at the legendary Circus Disco in Hollywood. With an LED logo in the background, the band meshed theatrics with its expected rock energy on the big stage. Later, additional scenes were filmed in L.A.'s colorful Little Mexico and the landmark Hollywood Forever cemetery.

L.A. GUNS last month announced the addition of guitarist Frankie Wilsey to the group's ranks.

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.

British band DOOGIE WHITE & LA PAZ has renewed its recording contract with Metal Mind Productions. The group's next studio album, entitled "The Dark And The Light", will be released late spring.

LA PAZ was formed in Lanarkshire, Scotland in the summer of 1984 by Chic McSherry (guitar), Doogie White (vocals) and Alex Carmichael (bass). At the first rehearsal together, they hit it off immediately on a personal level. They also liked the same music and they had the same influences and heroes (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, JOURNEY, Gary Moore) so they started to recruit other members to try to form a band and go do some gigs. Andy Mason (keyboards) joined the trio and he fitted in from the start, even though he was still at school when he joined. Drummers were always a problem, and, over the life of the band, LA PAZ went through almost as many as SPINAL TAP. Unquestionably the loudest and the most accomplished was/is their current drummer, Paul McManus. LA PAZ played live regularly, sometimes playing up to a hundred gigs in a year. They appeared at the world-famous Marquee Club in London as well as at some festivals in Milton Keynes and they were featured regularly in Kerrang! (Derek Oliver becoming a big fan of the band) and attracted interest from a number of U.K. and U.S. record companies, finally agreeing terms with one of them for a three-album deal. But it was not to be — for reasons which were never explained by the record label, the deal fell through at the very last minute. Sadly, the band didn't survive for very long after that. They did their last gig on October 15, 1988 and then Doogie moved to London to join MIDNITE BLUE, RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW, CORNERSTONE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and now the mighty TANK. And then legendary DJ Tom Russell of 96.3 Rock Radio called Doogie and asked him if he would do some acoustic numbers at The Garage in Glasgow for Rock Radio's birthday bash in January 2008. Doogie agreed and asked Chic to play guitar. Almost 1000 people attended, with Doogie singing alone and Chic with one flamenco guitar!

"We had such a blast though and it woke up so many great memories in both of us that we decided to give it a go with the full band for my 50th birthday," said Chic.

And so the full band started to rehearse and it was clear that they could still play a bit. The band just gelled: just like old times and the gigs were a terrific success. And so the idea of re-recording some of the favourites from the set that had never had a proper production job was conceived. The final result could be heard on the album "Granite", released on February 13, 2012 in Europe and March 6, 2012 in USA. It was an album with its roots in the past but its energy in the present.

And today the band is working on their sophomore album entitled "The Dark And The Light". The drums and most of the bass guitar were recorded in Gorbals Sound in Glasgow. The guitars, additional bass parts and keyboards were done at The Farm owned by Chic McSherry, while the vocals will be recorded at Kinman Studio in London. Mixing will be done again by Rolf Munkes at Empire Studios in Germany.

DOOGIE WHITE & LA PAZ is:

Doogie White - Vocals
Chic McSherry - Guitar
Alex Carmichael - Bass
Andy Mason - Keyboards
Paul McManus - Drums

Cult death/doom outfit MORGION canceled its appearance at this year's edition of the Maryland Deathfest, set to take place May 23-26 at Former Sonar Compound in Baltimore.

The band has now released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"There will be no reunions, no shows, no new recordings. MORGION tried to work together again for Maryland Deathfest 2013, but things did not work out between us (had nothing to do with Jeremy's [Peto, bass/vocals] injury; he is better now) so MORGION was laid to rest R.I.P. Maryland Deathfest had no clue that we were not going to play this year until last week, so no fault to Maryland Deathfest; it's all our fault due to issues between us we cannot resolve. Thanks to all the fans who supported us over the years. We thought we could tuff it out for Maryland Deathfest 2013 for one last go-around, but things just did not work out."

"God of Death & Decay", which features MORGION's earliest recorded material, the "Rabid Decay" and live rehearsal demos as well as the "Travesty" seven-inch single, was released last year via Dark Descent Records. Cover artwork was done by famed artist Mark Riddick.

Los Angeles hardcore/metal band TERROR has inked a deal with Victory Records. The group's sixth studio album, "Live By The Code", will be released in April.

TERROR vocalist Scott Vogel comments: "When I was in high school, I would go to Home Of The Hits Records in Buffalo, New York and every week I would check for new Victory releases.

"Growing up, Victory Records always had the best hardcore bands, period. They had this awesome packaging and vibe that I loved. INTEGRITY, STRIFE, BLOODLET, EARTH CRISIS — it was a fucking amazing time for hardcore. Later, I met [Victory Records founder] Tony [Brummel] when he came to Buffalo to see SNAPCASE. We stayed in contact and made plans for my second band, DESPAIR, but soon after we broke up.

"Victory and my band BURIED ALIVE worked together for years. They also had HATEBREED, BLOOD FOR BLOOD, ALL OUT WAR and REACH THE SKY, all bands I've always respected and held in the highest regard.

"This summer, I hung out with Tony and we had a wild night in Chicago. We talked about the good and bad of hardcore today and just had a blast. No business talk, no nonsense. We were under contract at the time so there wasn't even room for it.

"As we got ready to release 'Live By The Code', TERROR and Century Media debated on how to release the record right and Victory Records seemed like the best fit.

"Tony and I are both insane. We both come from the same place. We both scratch and fight to stay afloat. We still believe in the essence of hardcore and still love WARZONE. This is pretty fucking exciting."

Vogel claims "Live By The Code" "hits harder than 'Keepers Of The Faith'," calling it the "dirtiest, rawest and most hardcore record we've done since 'Lowest Of The Low'." While the album is set for an April release date, fans can expect to pre-order their copy of the album soon along with other merch packages. A brand new music video for the album's title track is also in the works.

"TERROR are the biggest hardcore band in the world," said Brummel.

"I have known Scott for twenty years and he has remained true to what he believes in, cherishes and helps keep alive which is first and foremost: hardcore.

"If you are just discovering hardcore or have loved it since the movement started in the late 1970s, this album is for you."

TERROR will finish up January in Japan before returning to the States to begin a February tour with H20, BACKTRACK and CODE ORANGE KIDS. They will then pack their bags once more and trek across Europe for the Rebellion Tour with MADBALL in March.

Candlelight Records has announced the signing of EARTH CRISIS to a worldwide deal. The Syracuse-based band, featuring vocalist Karl Buechner, guitarists Scott Crouse and Erick Edwards, bassist Ian Edwards, and drummer Dennis Merrick, is currently writing and demoing material for its ninth studio album. Recording is expected to begin in June.

No hardcore or metal fan can be unaware of EARTH CRISIS or the contributions the band has made to heavy music since their founding in 1989. Championing the weak and the voiceless, the band has over 200,000 catalogue sales to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Regardless of passing trends, the five-piece has maintained their vision, dedication to their craft (and causes), and most importantly respected their fans in the 20-plus years of their performing career. In 2013, the band embarks on a new chapter delivering mission music as only they can.

Crouse says: "We are excited to be working on a new album, and equally as excited to be working on it with Candlelight. Their roster speaks for itself. It's an honor to be alongside bands like FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, and our old friends in VISION OF DISORDER." Buechner adds, "I'm really looking forward to sharing this next chapter of EARTH CRISIS with Candlelight Records. I think they've proven to know the genre well, and will help push us in the right direction." Candlelight co-owner Steve Beatty notes: "I am very proud to have EARTH CRISIS on Candlelight. I hope our partnership sees the band retain their rightful place in extreme music."

Founded by Buechner, EARTH CRISIS has enjoyed two chapters in their musical journey. From 1991 to 2001, the straight-edge, vegan band would cultivate a global fanbase. Enduring numerous line-up changes, van accidents, and the natural up-and-down of music industry fads, the band released five full-length albums, two EPs, and two live albums before saying goodbye before a sold out audience at the sixth annual Hellfest in 2001. Six years later, the band would reunite and perform at the Maryland Metal And Hardcore Festival January 2007. It would open the door to additional performances in the U.S. and Europe, later leading to the band’s headline appearance at 2008’s Firestorm Fest. A rejuvenated EARTH CRISIS would later record two albums, "To The Death" (2008) and "Neutralize The Threat" (2011). Each followed by extensive international touring. Revealing a bit about the new album and its focus, Buechner conveys: "Lyrically this new record is going to focus strictly on an animal rights/anti-vivisection theme. Of course, this is what the band is known for, but we've actually never solely dedicated an entire album to the topic."

EARTH CRISIS will break from songwriting at month's end to perform four shows for their Australian fans.

Dutch death metal newcomers ICONS OF BRUTALITY have inked a deal with Cyclone Empire. The band's debut album, "Between Glory And Despair", will be released on February 22.

A Cyclone Empire press release states: "Hailing from the north of Holland from the city of Hoogeveen, ICONS OF BRUTALITY are the newest members of the Cyclone Empire family and we're sure they will prove quickly their force. They describe their style as old-school death metal influenced by bands such as BOLT THROWER, VADER, DISMEMBER or GOREFEST and by stuff llike horror movies, war documentaries and stories about serial killers."

Adds the band: "We are very proud to announce that we have signed with German record label Cyclone Empire. Our recordings for our debut album were finished in 2012 and after contacting several labels, we were very excited when Martin of Cyclone Empire contacted us. Cyclone Empire has great bands on their label like DEMIURG, DEMONICAL, ONHEIL, etc. and we are very honoured to be a part of this family. We believe this corporation could mean a lot to us and we are very thankful to Martin and the rest of the guys of the label to give us their trust and the chance to develop ourselves and launch ICONS OF BRUTALITY to the world. We hope 2013 will be a great year for us and looking forward to the release of our debut album, 'Between Glory And Despair', which appears, as it seems right now, on the 22nd of February. Cheers to all of you and we hope to see you this year."

New Jersey progressive extreme metallers DARK EMPIRE have announced the addition of guitarist Christian Colabelli to the group's ranks. Christian replaces Andrew Atwood, who split from the band just prior to the recording of last year's album, "From Refuge To Ruin".

A video clip of Christian and fellow DARK EMPIRE guitarist Matt Moliti running through some new riffs the band is preparing for a free five-track download EP for later this year can be seen below.

Christian had this to say about joining DARK EMPIRE: "It's an honor to be an official member of DARK EMPIRE. Since I've known Matt, we've had a mutual respect and admiration for each other's playing. When he initially asked me to fill in on guitar for live performances, I quickly recognized the chemistry, power, and potential of the lineup and was amazed at how natural it felt. I know Matt and I will challenge each other as guitarists and I expect huge accomplishments for DARK EMPIRE in 2013."

Added Moliti: "I'm really excited to have Christian a part of DARK EMPIRE. His technical ability and songwriting skills are definitely going to take things to the next level, and fans can now expect a dual lead guitar attack reminiscent of bands like RACER X and CACOPHONY on the new material. Yes, we have already started writing some new riffs with the intention of releasing a free five-track EP by the end of 2013. Stay tuned to the DARK EMPIRE Facebook page as we will be periodically updating with videos of the writing, rehearsal and recording process!"

DARK EMPIRE will open for NILE on March 10 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.

U.K. metallers DARK FOREST have parted ways with guitarist James Lees and have replaced him with Patrick Jenkins (pictured below). The band states: "[James] decided to call it a day, saying that he feels his time in the band has run its course and he wants to explore and concentrate on other areas in his life. We respect his decision and would like to thank Jim for his huge contribution in making DARK FOREST what it is and for all the fun we've had over the last ten years!

"Pat has been our friend for many years and has supported the band since the early days. His guitar skills have blown us away, his sense of melody and song writing are completely akin to DARK FOREST and he has been playing guitar with Christian in their folk project GRENE KNYGHT for a number of years so he was always the perfect choice to fill Jim's shoes."

DARK FOREST is currently writing and rehearsing material for its third album, to be released later this year.

The band's second full-length CD, "Dawn Of Infinity", came out in 2011 via Cruz del Sur Music.

A young band based out of Birmingham, England, DARK FOREST has been knocking skulls around for a few years now, after the release of its self-titled debut album on Eyes Like Snow Records in January 2009. Their traditional take on heavy metal is as British-sounding as some of the best NWOBHM bands, reinterpreted with a modern production's punch able to make them stand out alone.

If your heart has a soft spot for IRON MAIDEN, ANGEL WITCH, ISEN TORR or early DEEP PURPLE, DARK FOREST boasts the kind of fist-pumping old-school classic metal to make your day.

PROTEST THE HERO, the Canadian five-piece whose quirky humour and virtuoso playing has gained it a fevered following worldwide, is planning to enter the studio in March or April to begin recording its new album for a tentative summer release. The band states: "The material is more challenging than ever before and we know we'll have to work hard to bring it to life."

To finance the recording of the new CD, PROTEST THE HERO has launched an Indiegogo campaign and has begun accepting donations. The group states: "We have completed all of our obligations to record labels. It's time to go it alone and take control of our careers. It's now or never!

"We will no longer be accepting monetary advances from labels to fund albums. We now turn to our friends, family, and our fans to help us make this album. Please take a look at our campaign — then decide whether to throw us a couple bucks or a couple of middle fingers!"

A total fundraising goal of $125,000 has been set, around $107,000 of which has been raised thus far. Special contribution"perks" include a private pizza party at a bandmember's house ($1,250), a cover song of your choice recorded by the group ($2,500), and the opportunity to contribute vocals to the new album ($5,000).

PROTEST THE HERO's latest studio album, "Scurrilous", was released in March 2011 in North America via Vagrant Records.

Italian female-fronted death/doom metal outfit INTO DARKNESS will release the CD version of its self-titled debut EP in February via Hellthrasher Productions. The vinyl version of the EP was recently made available through Iron Bonehead Productions, while the cassette tape edition was issued last fall via Unholy Domain Records. Each version features different cover artwork.

"Into Darkness" consists of four songs in the vein of early ASPHYX and DERKETA, clocking in at around 25 minutes, with the lyrical concept about the cosmic disasters and astronomy.

The entire EP is available for streaming below.

INTO DARKNESS was formed in September 2011 in Milan by D. Warrior (vocal/guitar) and Nor (guitar/bass).

ANTI TANK NUN, the band formed by Tomek "Titus" Pukacki, the vocalist and bass guitarist of ACID DRINKERS, and 15-year-old guitarist Igor "Iggy" Wadera, will enter the studio in February to record its second studio album, "Fire Follow Me".

ANTI TANK NUN created a stir on the Polish metal last year following the release of its debut album, "Hang 'Em High". The new CD promises to be "more melodic and mature," according to a press release.

"I do believe that with this album we will prove that we do feel what we play" says Titus. "Do we experiment? I guess not. What inspires us still lies exactly in the same place where it did when we recorded our debut album. The new tracks are more solid and, at the same time, more clear."

"We were all bringing ideas to our rehearsals," adds Igor. "Even Titus, previously responsible only for the arrangements and production, brought his ideas for tracks. This way the album will be pretty diverse and more melodic."

Igor is a student of the well-known Polish musician Jarek Chilkiewicz (BRACIA, MY RIOT) and from the beginning of his education, he displayed incredible talent. There was no one on the Polish music scene who at the age of 14 could play guitar so well. He is able to perform his own solo parts as well as those of Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell, Randy Rhoads and Glenn Tipton.

ANTI TANK NUN is:

Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki - Bass, Vocals
Igor "Iggy" Gwadera - Guitar
Adam Bielczuk - Guitar
Bogumil Krakowski - Drums

Mirai Kawashima (vocals, keyboards) and Dr. Mikannibal (saxophone, vocals) of Japan's SIGH are expecting their first child. The couple got engaged last October.

SIGH released its ninth album, "In Somniphobia", in March 2012 via Candlelight Records.

Founded in 1990 in Tokyo, Japan, SIGH is known for its nontraditional approach to metal and music in general and such is the case with their latest endeavor. Their most musically varied and plainly enthralling recording to date "In Somniphobia" incorporates everything from heavy metal, classical, jazz, traditional Indian music, Stockhausen, and Xenakis. It's a pure, sonic nightmare that lasts more than an hour and an album long time fans are sure to embrace.

Commented Mirai: "This is your sonic nightmare. This is the music that lies somewhere between your reality and imagination. This is the heaviest, scariest, craziest and by far the best album by SIGH in every aspect. Be sure to smoke first then listen to this with headphones. Bad trip guaranteed."

The cover artwork for "In Somniphobia" was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

TRIVIUM bassist Paolo Gregoletto has confirmed to Metal Injection that the band's new album will be produced by DISTURBED/DEVICE frontman David Draiman at a studio in Austin, Texas.

In a recent interview with PitCam.TV, TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next CD: "I can tell you we do have a title, we do have songtitles, we do have 20 to 25 songs demoed, we do have a producer, we do have a location, we do have an artist. Everything is set up — all the visuals and everything — but it's all secret. Hopefully it comes out the third quarter of next year. We're recording in January, February and March in Austin, Texas; that's all I can say [about] that. It's gonna be great; it's gonna be really, really great. It's too difficult to describe in metal adjectives, like 'heavy,' 'brutal,' melodic,' all this stuff, like every band does. Also, the classic phrase: 'our best album ever.' I can say that with 'In Waves', it was finally an album that all the fans of the previous four… We've got very divided fans: 'I just like 'Ember'.' 'I just like 'Crusade'.' 'I just like 'Ascendancy'.' 'I just like 'Shogun'.' Everyone could agree on 'In Waves'. And simultaneously, everywhere in the world, 'In Waves' received the biggest reaction. With the next record, people can expect the best parts of everything we've ever done across all five records on one."

TRIVIUM's latest album, "In Waves", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

Pictured below: TRIVIUM in pre-production in Austin with David Draiman

German black metallers IMPERIUM DEKADENZ will release their new album, "Meadows Of Nostalgia", on March 15 in Europe and March 19 in North America via Season Of Mist.

Tthe follow-up to 2010's "Procella Vadens" will feature the following track listing:

01. Durch Das Tor
02. Brigobannis
03. Aue Der Nostalgie
04. Ave Danuvi
05. Memoria
06. Aura Silvae
07. Der Unweg
08. Striga
09. Tränen Des Bacchus

Commented the band: "A travelling salesman, marked by a hard life, wanders lost in his thoughts over the high passes of the Black Forest. Despite all, he follows his path without hesitation through harsh landscapes and yet the mountains stand proudly and the epic scenery might even be called romantic. This cover reflects all the emotions, impressions and facets of IMPERIUM DEKADENZ. It is an imperial Black Forest symphony!"

"Species At War", the new EP from Finnish grindcore maniacs ROTTEN SOUND, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Inferno). Due on January 18 on CD, etched vinyl and digital via Season Of Mist, the effort was recorded at Nordic Audio Labs last summer and was mixed and mastered by drummer Sami Latva at Latva Studios.

"Species At War" track listing:

01. Cause
02. The Game
03. War
04. The Solution
05. Salvation
06. Peace

"Finding a strong label to release the EP and next full-length in Europe was our priority for [2012]," ROTTEN SOUND vocalist Keijo Niinimaa said. "We are very excited about this deal with Season Of Mist and we can't wait to get back on the road with the EP. Take a deep breath, get exhausted with 'Species At War' and see you at the shows!"

Season Of Mist has announced the signing of death metal powerhouse CANNABIS CORPSE. The Richmond, Virginia-based band is currently recording its new album for a late spring release.

Regarding the new deal, the group said: "CANNABIS CORPSE cannot express how excited we are to join the ranks of Season Of Mist, as so many groundbreaking metal bands are on the roster.

"We are knee deep in recording our new album and feel like this material is our most original and memorable to date.

"We were founded as a way to honor the Floridian fathers of death metal and this new record will be no exception. We're looking forward to seeing what the future has in store!"

CANNABIS CORPSE is the project of MUNICIPAL WASTE bassist Phil "LandPhil" Hall and his brother Josh "Hallhammer" Hall. The band, rounded out by guitarist Brent Purgason (a.k.a. Pustulus Maximus of GWAR), has released three well-received full-length albums, and toured the world alongside THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, REVOCATION, HATE ETERNAL, SKELETONWITCH and more.

Maryland rockers POLKADOT CADAVER — who feature in their ranks members of DOG FASHION DISCO — are hard at work on their third full-length album, "Last Call In Jonestown", for a May 7 release via the band's own Razor To Wrist Records. The CD, which features a guest appearance from Neil Fallon of CLUTCH, was produced by POLKADOT CADAVER, Steve Wright and Drew Lamond at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore, Maryland.

POLKADOT CADAVER has toured with the likes of WEDNESDAY 13, VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE!, KORPIKLAANI, WAYNE STATIC, DEUCE, WILLIAM CONTROL and many more.

Vocalist/guitarist Todd Smith of POLKADOT CADAVER comments on the new album: "We are really beyond psyched with the way our new album, 'Last Call In Jonestown', has come together. These songs are made to play live, [with] high energy, tons of twists and turns and HEAVY as Zeus's balls!"

UPON WINGS will release its new EP, "Afterlife", on March 5 via Sword Of The Spirit Records LLC. The CD features guest vocals and production from Brett Hestla (ex-CREED, DARK NEW DAY).

"Afterlife" track listing:

01. Afterlife
02. You Are My Weapon
03. Take Away
04. The Dream (I'm Only Happy When I'm Sleeping)

The EP's debut single and title track can be heard below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).

Rock and metal fans will recognize plenty of names on "Afterlife". KID ROCK recording engineer and Grammy-nominated mixing engineer Glenn Brown mastered the single, while Hestla provided guest vocals and production talents. More metal assistance for the upcoming EP came from producer and guitarist Kevin Jardine, best known as the guitarist of Canadian nu metal giants SLAVES ON DOPE, formerly on Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's Divine Recordings label. Drummer Peter Tzaferis also contributed to the EP.

Recording sessions for "Afterlife" took place at Johnny K's Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, where DISTURBED, 3 DOORS DOWN, STAIND and countless other heavy music-makers have laid down tracks.

UPON WINGS combines operatic, female-fronted goth-pop with rousing rock and metal in a unique, ethereal fashion. Frontwoman Anne Autumn Erickson is a classically-trained dramatic mezzo-soprano, and her lyrics take listeners down a path of heartfelt introspection, pain, joy and faith.

UPON WINGS's debut single, "The Dream", was made available in March 2012 via iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Google Music. "The Dream" was the result of a collaboration between Erickson and Grammy-nominated producer Glenn Brown (EVANS BLUE, SPINAL TAP, THE VERVE PIPE).

UPON WINGS hails from the U.S. and can be described as symphonic metal with a classical influence.

Erickson is also a music journalist for Gannett, Gibson, Loudwire and radio host and managing editor of Audio Ink Radio.

For more information, visit www.uponwings.com.

"Afterlife" song audio stream (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep):

Relapse Records has announced the signing of Portland, Oregon riff worshippers LORD DYING. The band's full-length debut was recorded in September with Sanford Parker (NACHTMYSTIUM, YOB, RWAKE) and is currently being mixed and mastered for a summer release.

Formed in 2010, LORD DYING are veterans of the heavy music scene, having played in bands such as BLACK ELK, PORTALS, LE FORCE, and CREMAINS. The band has so far released a sold-out seven-inch single and a self-titled tour EP. The song "In a Frightful State Of Gnawed Dismemberment" from both releases can be heard below.

LORD DYING has built up a reputation with their ear-shattering live shows, having recently trekked across the U.S. with labelmates RED FANG and BLACK TUSK in addition to being direct support for BLACK COBRA, WITCH MOUNTAIN and GAZA. Now they will be hitting the road for a string of shows with DOWN and WARBEAST starting on January 22 in Seattle, Washington

Commented the band: "We are honored to be a part of the Relapse family. Throughout the years, Relapse has released some of the most intriguing records in the world of extreme music. While it is intimidating to join the ranks of the Relapse roster, we look forward to the future. The gloves are off."

Warsaw, Poland's cutting-edge grindcore squad ANTIGAMA has entered the studio to record its sixth full-length album, "Meteor", for a late spring release via Selfmadegod Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Warning" as well as last year's "Stop The Chaos" EP is being recorded at Progresja Sound Studio with producer Pawel "Janos" Grabowski. Founding ANTIGAMA guitarist Sebastian Rokicki says: "This is going to be the most mature, and at the same time most diverse album in the band’s whole career."

The current ANTIGAMA lineup includes guitarist Sebastian Rokicki, vocalist Lukasz Myszkowski, bassist Michal Zawadzki, and drummer Pawel Jaroszewicz. This is the first studio session in ANTIGAMA's history to without Szymon Czech, who passed away in November 2012 due to illness.

ANTIGAMA will perform a show in honor of Szymon Czech on January 26 in Olsztyn, Poland alongside THIRD DEGREE, PROPHECY, and more.

A three-minute trailer for "The Divinity Of Purpose", the new album from Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED, in which the band's frontman, Jamey Jasta discusses the CD's songwriting process, can be seen below.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" is available for pre-order on iTunes (in the United States and Canada). When fans pre-order the album, they'll also receive an instant download of the opening track, "Put It To The Torch".

"The Divinity Of Purpose" will be released on January 29 in North America via Razor & Tie and on January 25 in Europe through Nuclear Blast. The CD was co-produced by HATEBREED, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SUICIDE SILENCE, ALL THAT REMAINS, SHADOWS FALL) and Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), with Wilbur also handling mixing duties. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS, GWAR) and can be seen below.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" track listing:

01. Put It To the Torch
02. Honor Never Dies
03. Own Your World
04. The Language
05. Before The Fight Ends You
06. Indivisible
07. Dead Man Breathing
08. The Divinity Of Purpose
09. Nothing Scars Me
10. Bitter Truth
11. Boundless (Time To Murder It)
12. Idolized And Vilified

Regarding the musical direction of the new HATEBREED material, singer Jamey Jasta told "Maximum Threshold", "We did enough experimenting, I think, on the last record… A lot of people really liked that record and it did gain us a lot of new fans, but on this record, with the 10-year anniversary of [HATEBREED's 2002 album] 'Perseverance' and with Wayne [Lozinak, guitar] being back in the band — this will be his second record with us — it's just fun to kind of keep with the old-school influences. I hear more CRO-MAGS and KILLING TIME and SHEER TERROR and OBITUARY and BOLT THROWER and SLAYER and ENTOMBED and those kind of '80s and '90s influences in there. Which is fun for us, because we emulate the bands that we love. We try to make it our own sound and make it our own style, but at the end of the day, we're just fans of those styles of bands."

"The Divinity Of Purpose" will be supported by extensive global touring that will stretch well into 2014.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" trailer #3:

Finnish melancholic dark metal forerunners AMORPHIS have set "Circle" as the title of their eleventh album, due on April 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. Production and mixing duties for the follow-up to 2011's "The Beginning Of Times" were handled by HYPOCRISY and PAIN mastermind Peter Tägtgren, who has previously worked with such bands as CHILDREN OF BODOM, CELTIC FROST, IMMORTAL and DIMMU BORGIR. The recordings took place at Petrax Studio (NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, KORPIKLAANI) in Hollola and 5K Studios in Helsinki.

A short summary about the album's concept/story that spreads throught out the lyrics by Pekka Kainulainen, who wrote the lyrics for most recent AMORPHIS albums: "The protagonist has been dealt a bad hand at birth. He’s always felt himself an outsider with strong potential to become marginalized. Through an accident, after a crisis, he finds a connection with his inner powers. A guide is sent to him, from some other time and place. He gets a chance to take hold of his own life and change his destiny. From the past of Carelian Finland he finds his own spiritual tribe and the power to turn the course of his doomed life. This is a story of survival."

AMORPHIS singer Tomi Joutsen adds about the album title: "'Circle' represents integrity. Back in the days, when there was something special to talk about, wise men used to sit in circle. Not everyone was invited to join them. But in this story, the protagonist was invited among the wise men's circle."

Fan-filmed video footage of AMORPHIS performing a brand new song — tentatively titled "Mehtä" (English-language translation: "The Forest") — on December 14, 2012 at Klubi in Turku, Finland can be seen below.

Regarding the band's decision to perform a brand new track during their Finnish tour, Tomi said: "We just wanted to try how it worked, and it went [over] really well.

"We don't want to play too many [new] songs, because people are recording [the shows with their phone cameras] and [posting] it on the Internet, and we don't wanna spoil the album [for everyone].

"I was really nervous, of course, when we played it the first time, but it went over great. I think it's gonna be an awesome live song."

Regarding the direction of the new AMORPHIS material, the band's guitarist and founding member Esa Holopainen said: "While promoting 'The Beginning Of Times', we started to feel that we were giving the same explanations over and over again when people asked about the studio process and how the songs came about. Even though the music was very strong, the making process didn't offer any surprises and appeared to be quite secured. Now the addition of a new dimension to the developing process has inspired us to focus on our material even more. The songs are extremely strong, bombastic and skull-pummelling."

"The Beginning Of Times" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 16 — the best chart position ever scored by an AMORPHIS album in that country. The CD also landed at position No. 1 on the Finnish chart.

"Mehtä" (working title) performance:

According to MusicTAP, RUSH's "Clockwork Angels Live" DVD, which was last week erroneously reported to be scheduled for a May 21 release via Concord, does not yet have an official release date in place. However, it will likely arrive sometime in the fall.

RUSH captured the "Clockwork Angels" tour by filming in Phoenix and Dallas on November 25, 2012 and November 28, 2012, respectively. Reports at the time indicated that the Dallas show would be the primary source for the film, with the Phoenix footage used mainly as a backup.

The official Billboard Boxscore attendance and sales figures for the Phoenix and Dallas shows are as follows:

* Show Date: November 25
* Show Venue: US Airways Center
* City/State: Phoenix, AZ
* Attendance: 8,858
* Capacity: 10,121
* Gross Ticket Sales: $604,667

* Show Date: November 28
* Show Venue: American Airlines Center
* City/State: Dallas, TX
* Attendance: 10,509
* Capacity: 10,509
* Gross Ticket Sales: $764,483

The North American leg of the "Clockwork Angels" tour kicked off on September 7 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire and wrapped on December 2 in Houston, Texas.

In addition to adding a lot of rarely played songs to their opening set, RUSH brought a string ensemble out on tour with the band for the first time ever in its career. Orchestrations provided by well-known arranger David Campbell were used on several tracks from the band's new album, "Clockwork Angels", and RUSH recreated that sound during the tour.

"Clockwork Angels" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, selling 103,000 copies in its first week of release. The disc marked RUSH 's highest chart debut since 1993's "Counterparts", which also entered at No. 2.

Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC have returned to Sweet Spot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden with producer Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY, NEMESIS) to begin recording their seventh album for a late 2013 release.

A few photos from the studio can be found at this location.

CHTHONIC's sixth full-length effort, "Takasago Army", was released in North America in September 2011 via Spinefarm Records. Produced by Bengtsson, this 10-track outing completes a trilogy of CHTHONIC releases, telling a story that binds together the band's "Seediq Bale" and "Mirror Of Retribution" albums, released in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Coinciding with the North American release of "Takasago Army", CHTHONIC embarked on a three-week tour as one of the opening acts for ARCH ENEMY. The North American Khaos 2011 trek featured additional support from DEVILDRIVER and SKELETONWITCH.

The official video for the song "Gluttony" from Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY can be seen below. The clip was shot in November in Los Angeles, with the band putting out an open casting call for fans to appear in the video.

"Gluttony" is the first single from BUCKCHERRY's sixth studio album, "Confessions", which is due on February 13. The disc will be BUCKCHERRY's first domestic release with new label Century Media Records. The CD will be made available via Eleven Seven Music in other parts of the world.

"It's just about trying to control your behavior," BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd tells Loudwire about "Gluttony". "They always say that you have to do everything in moderation and that's never been my experience. One is okay, two is better, three is fantastic and four is the best. I want to consume everything, I want to go big or go home. I'm either on 11 or I'm asleep."

He continued: "That's my problem, that's my struggle, trying to moderate — that's what 'Gluttony' is about. It's like, 'I want it, I need it, I love it' and everything that feels good to me, I want to overdo it. It's just who I am and I don't understand why I can't do it."

"Confessions" is a loose concept album that revolves around the notion of the seven deadly sins and is inspired by events in Todd's childhood.

"Confessions" track listing:

01. Gluttony
02. Wrath
03. Nothing Left But Tears
04. The Truth
05. Greed
06. Water
07. Seven Ways To Die
08. Air
09. Sloth
10. Pride
11. Envy
12. Lust
13. Dreamin' Of You

Todd has helped co-write a short film that will come out around the same time as the album and expand upon the record's themes. It's not clear yet how the film will be distributed.

Todd said that "Confessions" is "definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it. It's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day."

The band will join KID ROCK as special guests on his upcoming "Rebel Soul" tour, beginning February 2 in Kansas City, Missouri.