St. Louis, Missouri, metalcore outfit TEAR OUT THE HEART has set "Violence" as the title of its debut album, due on March 19 via Victory Records.

A clip of the song "Infamous Last Words", taken from "Violence", can be streamed below.

Upon inking deal with Victory in August 2012, TEAR OUT THE HEART began writing what would become one of the most dynamic, powerful releases of 2013. Utilizing vocalist Tyler Konersman's all-encompassing range, "Violence" boasts unrivaled clean singing alongside screams that are in a class of their own. "It's a record about deception and revenge," states Konersman. "It's about self enlightenment and growing into a much stronger, more receptive version of your previous self. 'Violence' is about no one being in your corner when times are at their hardest, who still want to celebrate with you at the end of the day as if they had a part in your success."

Complete with hauntingly catchy choruses and melodies that will shock and surprise you, "Violence" will be stuck in your head in the best way. Konersman continues, "I realize this is terribly cliché, but it is easily the heaviest, most melodic record we have ever written; orchestrated both maturely and tastefully. Like it or not, this album is going to take over the world."

With standouts like "Infamous Last Words", it is clear that producer Caleb Shomo, formerly of ATTACK! ATTACK!, has taken a very special interest in TEAR OUT THE HEART and their aggressive delivery. AOL's Noisecreep had this to say upon first listen: "'Violence' is teeming with soaring choruses, neck-snapping breakdowns and doomsday-kissed guitars. Don't be surprised if you see these guys headlining over some of their heroes soon."

For fans of ATREYU, A DAY TO REMEMBER, BRING ME THE HORIZON and AS I LAY DYING, TEAR OUT THE HEART has arrived to take the world by storm, one impossibly energetic song at a time. With album art beautifully executed by Dan Mumford (A DAY TO REMEMBER, PARKWAY DRIVE, GALLOWS), let the creepy, ominous castle set the stage for the chaotic, bewitching performance that is "Violence".

TEAR OUT THE HEART is:

Tyler Konersma - Vocals
Josh Spohr - Guitar
Mattieu Murphy - Guitar
Isaac Etter - Bass/ Vocals
Matt Epstein - Drums

Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING are 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."

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

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

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

"Inexorable Defiance" track listing:

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

BORNHOLM is:

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

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers KILL RITUAL have announced the addition of guitarist Mehl Anoma (ex-POTENTIAL THREAT) to the group's ranks. He takes over for the departing Roberto Proietti, who has stepped down because of a demanding professional career and new family. The band states: "Roberto will be missed and we all understand and support his decision. Mehl is a Bay Area metal veteran and we look forward to our future collaborations."

KILL RITUAL will embark on a U.S. tour in March. A list of confirmed dates can be found on the poster below.

KILL RITUAL is:

Josh Gibson - Vocals
Steven Rice (ex-IMAGIKA) – Lead Guitar
Mehl Anoma (ex-POTENTIAL THREAT) – Guitar
Wayne De Vecchi (ex-IMAGIKA, DOOM SOCIETY) – Drums
Danyael Williams (ex-DARK ANGEL) – Bass

KILL RITUAL's debut album, "The Serpentine Ritual", was released last October via Scarlet Records. The CD was recorded and engineered by KILL RITUAL lead guitarist Steve Rice at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California and Fossil Sound in San Jose, California. The mix and the mastering were handled by Andy La Rocque of KING DIAMOND fame at his Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque also makes a guest appearance on the CD with the ending solo on the track "Coat Of Blood".

The "The Serpentine Ritual" cover art was designed by Jobert Mello for Sledgehammer Graphix (SABATON, PRIMAL FEAR).

"Progressive death metallers SKYFIRE will see its first two albums, 2001’s Timeless Departure and 2003’s Mind Revolution, released digitally for the first time ever via Pivotal Rockordings.

Set for release on January 30th, 2013, the two albums are also expanded with the inclusion of the Haunted By Shadows EP tracks, a Japanese-only bonus track and the entire 1998 Within Reach demo which has never seen the light of day. The “Skyfire” and “By God Forsaken” tracks, originally labeled backwards due to a studio error while the band recorded alongside CHILDREN OF BODOM, have also been properly re-labeled."

Legendary cult prog-thrashers TOXIK have announced their reactivation. After an aborted attempt at a reunion in 2007, founding member Josh Christian has revealed TOXIK is once again active and ready for live action as well as preparing to work on a new full-length album. Christian comments: "I've been writing this crazy heavy stuff for the last year. In 2007 when we got together, the absence of new material made the reunion feel more like jam sessions. This time around its based like it was originally on a collection of songs with a vibe. The plan is record and perform"

Vocalist Mike Sanders and bassist Brian Bonini have also committed to taking part in the TOXIK reunion. However, the band is on the hunt for a drummer, as original drummer Tad Leger will not be joining the proggy armada in their resurrection. Christian had this to say about Leger's absence: "Tad is on the verge of something killer with his doom project/band LUCERTOLA. It's his baby as he writes the material and plays guitar essentially leading the band. We had planned on finishing the LUCERTOLA disc together and then beginning work on a TOXIK disc — at least that was discussed — but the reality is he can't walk away from his art, and I totally respect that decision, we all do. I'm still hoping Tad shows up on at least one track but either way best of luck to my brother Tad Leger and LUCERTOLA."

Hailing from New York's Hudson Valley area, TOXIK released a pair of classic thinking-man's thrash metal albums in the late '80s. An upstart record label named Roadrunner Records (later home to SLIPKNOT and NICKELBACK) released the band's two astounding masterworks, 1988's "World Circus" and 1989's "Think This". Both releases saw TOXIK take the aggression and brutality of speed metal and mix it with the technicality and proficiency of progressive hard rock.

TOXIK left the Hudson Valley region and toured the United States and the world, playing shows with the likes of PANTERA, SEPULTURA, EXODUS, KING DIAMOND and others in their quest for metal ascendancy before their premature implosion in 1992.

TOXIK released a DVD, "Think Again", in August 2010. The set contained both vintage and brand new never-before-seen footage. The main feature was a 1989 headlining set from the Paramount Theater in TOXIK's hometown of Peekskill, New York. This performance came shortly after the release of "World Circus" and the energy level of the band wa truly at its peak for TOXIK's first headlining show. The DVD contains all the tracks from "World Circus" and an early version of "Spontaneous" that later appeared on "Think This".

HATEFX, the Fresno/Livermore, California-based metal band featuring guitarist Glen Alvelais (FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT, LD/50), has set "Under Destruction" as the title of its new album. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Chilean/Italian digital artist- photographer Claudio Bergamin, who has previously worked with HALFORD, Arjen Lucassen, RATA BLANCA, CRIMINAL, DOGMA and other bands from Europe and America. Bergamin's style could be described as "fantasy illustration/photo manipulation."

"Under Destruction" was recorded at Green Bird studios in Fresno, California with remote supervision of Chilean producer Javier Bassino (Estudios Bassino). Javier engineered and is in the process of mixing and mastering the CD, which marks Alvelais' recording debut with the band.

"The road to this new recording has been very organic," HATEFX frontman G says. "This is the strongest lineup of the band and has given us a fresh outlook and a powerful edge to the music itself. Javier is doing a great job in capturing our vision through the sound." Glen comments: "I can't say enough how excited I am to bring this sound and show to people. We're hoping to get the right distribution deal and get our asses touring. I'm pretty sure that radio will love this and we're ready to tour!"

HATEFX is currently lining up shows in support of the new release and will be playing a number of events this year, including release parties in Fresno and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD has updated his online "journal" at MachineHead1.com with the following entry:

"Just to refresh everyone who may not have read the first journal I wrote, I have started up my diary/journals again after taking a much-needed break from it. They're now called 'The General Journals: Diary of a Frontman... and Other Ramblings.'

"For a little background, I started doing these journals/diaries 11 years ago in 2002, between 'Supercharger' and 'Through The Ashes'. It was the first wave of the Internet, and we jumped on board, were one of the first (if not the first) to start the text/video diaries, and we fully embraced it. It was awesome, and enabled our band (that had been completely written off by the major U.S. metal press, and continues to be) to connect with our fans in a really unique way. And that's what these are for/about: the connection. I need this connection, and from what you've told me over the years, you need it too.

"I find myself looking back on my life and so much of it is about searching for a connection, any connection, through music, through shows, through jamming, through partying, through girls/sex, through friends, and oftentimes, down all the wrong paths. Maybe we all are. And maybe some of us don't need to be. Some of us had great normal lives, lives that kept the need for this fucking endless search at bay. I'm certain that part of it with me is, being adopted at 6 months and never feeling truly 'connected' to anyone (3 foster families in the first 6 months of life), but hey, that's a whole other story.

"Side note: If you're reading this on a website other than [MachineHead1.com] or our Facebook page, please know that this is not a 'press release.' These are my 'journals,' 'ramblings,' 'brain dumps,' etc. There seems to be some confusion about that. If you're not a fan of the band, feel free to ignore these, I'll be doing them often, sometimes twice a week. I'm not trying to win anyone over here, I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion of MACHINE HEAD or me, I don't expect, or even need, everyone to like me or the music we make. This is for the diehard MACHINE HEAD fans (the Head Cases, The Undesirables) who follow the band closely. It's for our main site, MachineHead1.com, our Facebook, and the PHPList that I've started. Its purpose is to give said fans updates, thoughts on life, and life in a band.

"No immediate tour plans, but [MACHINE HEAD] will officially begin writing this week or next. No one has really sat down and discussed where we'd like to go in depth, but we have talked about shorter songs (LOL). The last TEN TON HAMMER show we did in London really got us thinking about cool, short songs. In particular, 'Postmortem' by SLAYER seemed to really get our blood flowing. We all talked about it afterward, how they managed to squeeze so many AWESOME riffs into 3 minutes and 28 seconds is just freakin' mind-boggling (or as our drum tech Mudbilly says, 'mind-bottling'). 'Everlong' and 'Sad Statue' were also cool nuggets of shortness (videos of us covering those songs are up on YouTube, check 'em out).

"Phil [Demmel, guitar] has told me he has some riffs, [Dave] McClain [drums] e-mailed some cool riffs, I have some pretty awesome riffs tuned down to F that I'm stoked on... so, who knows where it's all going yet, but it's definitely starting to bubble. Can't really tell where it's all gonna end up, you can't really plan that out, but that's some of what we've been bouncing around.

'In other news, we've successfully finished our recording contract with Roadrunner and are currently free agents. It's an exciting time for us right now, the world is our oyster and we can dictate a lot of fair terms in exchange for our art. There's been a lot of talk as to what we should and/or shouldn't do; the music business has changed dramatically since the last deal we signed for 'Through The Ashes' back in 2003 (let alone our first deal in 1993), and what we're looking for in a deal here in 2013 is different.

"I used to be a staunch believer that the world isn't waiting for a quickly delivered MACHINE HEAD album, they're just waiting for a great MACHINE HEAD album. And while I still believe that, in the 10 years between 'Through The Ashes Of Empires', 'The Blackening' and 'Unto The Locust', the world stopped caring as much about great 'albums.' People want great songs, and while great albums are appreciated, they don't mean what they used to. People have been burned by too many lousy CDs / albums / downloads. I know I have (the new MUSE record blows, I LOVE that band, but the last 2 have been pretty meh).

"Plus, if you're making music these days, there's a hell of a lot of chatter to cut through between Facebook, Twitter, gaming, movies, Instagram, YouTube, social everything, mobile everything... listening to an album front to back ain't what it used to be. Songs resonate more, it's easier to get to the point. I don't even want to listen to most albums all the way through anymore, most have too many songs / are too damn long. Gimme 'Paranoid' ANY DAY — 41 minutes, 8 songs (one of which is a drum solo!), a masterpiece. Gimme 'Moving Pictures' — 39 minutes, 7 songs, PERFECT!! Remember when SLAYER's 'Reign In Blood' was so short you could squeeze the whole album on one side of a cassette?! The official Def Jam cassette had the whole album repeated on side 2 cause it's 29 minutes!! People were up in arms, they actually felt ripped off. Today, it's regarded as a masterpiece.

"Is anyone saying, 'Man, I wish 'Reign In Blood' had 9 more songs'?

"We don't need 19 songs and 72 minutes of music on a CD. And where would you even get most CD's nowadays? Between my iPhone, iTunes, and Spotify, I just download or stream it, it's too easy. I can say without a shred of doubt that I will never buy another physical CD again. Ever. I have found so many new bands on iTunes and Spotify (I use the $9-a-month premium version) it is absolutely incredible. The entire history of recorded music is at your fingertips, at all times. Sure, there are a few holdouts, but they'll be on board within the year. Even METALLICA just hopped on the Spotify train. The world has gone streaming. It's just too easy. Hell, I've found more new AND old bands on YouTube just surfing around than I ever have going to a record store.

"And so we as a band ask ourselves a lot of unique questions about what we should do. I am absolutely not interested in selling CDs first week of release for $16, $17 or $18 dollars/euros/pounds. I'm not interested in selling CDs at all, frankly, though I realize people still buy and appreciate them... but hey, change is inevitable, especially in this business. Just like cassettes became obsolete, just like CD longboxes became obsolete. I remember when people were pissed that we didn't offer vinyl for 'The More Things Change...', and then really pissed when we didn't offer cassettes for 'The Burning Red', and I mean PISSED about those cassettes! Does anyone miss cassettes now? Hell no.

"And as I write this I'm thinking — as I'm sure many of you are — just how counterproductive the things I'm saying are. I mean, MACHINE HEAD are in the business of selling CDs, right? But at the same time, we're in the business of making music, for people to listen to, however they want to. We find ways to generate money to pay back the people who loaned us the money to record, to re-invest in our band, to make better records, to put on better light shows, to bring better sound systems, to keep the lights on at MACHINE HEAD, to live our lives, so that we can make more music. We don't want to get in bed with a bunch of corporate sponsors, we've already dabbled in that and it's a nightmare, worse than the record companies. Who knows, maybe we'll end up signing with a traditional record company after all, because there is A LOT of stuff that we're just not interested in doing. Maybe we do something radical instead, I've heard a lot of great things about these Kickstarter projects, Amanda Palmer in particular has done amazing...

"I don't know where I'm even going with this. It's part vent, part ramble, part trying-to-figure-it-out-as-I'm-typing. But in saying that, let me put it out to you: How do YOU want MACHINE HEAD's music? Do YOU want a CD? Do YOU want a Spotify stream? Do YOU want the ease of an iTunes download? Do YOU want vinyl with that digital download? Do YOU want a new/different configuration no one has thought about/offered? A guitar that plays the whole record through a USB plug? A calendar-sized booklet with nothing but a download code?

"Write me at TheGeneralJournals@gmail.com, post on our Facebook page, tweet it to me, post a Blabbermouth comment, I'll read it all. Because to me, it's all about making the best music we can, about striving to be better than the rest, not just good, but absolutely bad-fucking-ass. Making something so powerful, it can't help but be heard. And frankly, that's all that matters. The rest will sort itself out."

METALLICA's much-anticipated 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never", will make its theatrical debut on August 9.

"Metallica Through The Never" will be the first new release via Picturehouse, the full-service independent film marketing and distribution company started in 2005, which is reopening its doors with founder Bob Berney at the helm. The film, written and directed by Nimród Antal ("Kontroll", "Predators"), stars members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle", "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"). DeHaan plays a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down.

Commented METALLICA: "Like your friends in 'TALLICA, Picturehouse is truly independent, take big chances and often think outside of the box. Founder Bob Berney has overseen the releases of two of the most successful independent films ever, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' and 'The Passion of the Christ', as well as many other cutting-edge, critically acclaimed and award-winning films.

"It goes without saying that we are really just getting rolling here and will have many more updates for you. And of course, we can't wait for you to see the film!"

"Nim and the band have made a film that really captures the spirit of METALLICA and their millions of loyal fans," said Berney. "It's an entertaining genre film with a concert inside it, a fun ride featuring an exciting young actor, Dane DeHaan. It's a very cool project to reboot Picturehouse with."

Added METALLICA drummer and founding member Lars Ulrich: "METALLICA's way of doing things is to jump into unexplored creative endeavors with no safety net whatsoever. Putting this movie together for the last couple of years has been a pretty wild ride, and we've definitely done our share of flying without a net! Bringing Bob and Jeanne and the new Picturehouse team in at this point provides us with a much needed level of security for the distribution of the film. Their spirit of independence and desire to work outside the box is something we can relate to in every way, and this makes them both a welcome addition and a natural fit in the METALLICA family."

Ulrich revealed in a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine some more details about "Metallica Through The Never", which will combine concert footage with a fictional storyline. Ulrich cited the 1976 LED ZEPPELIN movie "The Song Remains The Same" as a major influence, explaining, "There are four members in LED ZEPPELIN, four members in METALLICA, it's a full-length movie, and there's a lot in this film that does not take place onstage. The major difference is that the stuff that takes place offstage in the METALLICA movie does not feature any members of METALLICA. It's two separate worlds — a METALLICA show and a story that unfolds in a parallel universe — and at some point they intertwine."

The ZEPPELIN film interspersed concert footage with fantasy sequences starring each member of the group.

The concert sequences for METALLICA's movie were shot last August at two shows in Vancouver, Canada.

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that making a movie has been one of the most daunting challenges METALLICA has ever taken on. "It's sort of fun, it's intimidating, it's a little overwhelming, to be honest, because it's a whole different league," he said. "You know, when we go down to [the METALLICA headquarters in San Rafael, California] and record and make a record, it's kind of — you know, we can manage the size of that. [laughs] When you're talking about doing, like, a 3D movie that you're gonna, like, play all over the world, that's a little bit of a bigger undertaking, so obviously we're treading a little more carefully."

YVRShoots.com uploaded photos of a riot scene that was filmed in September 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for "Metallica Through The Never".

According to a post on the site, the filmmakers were shooting all over downtown Vancouver in Arch Alley near Victory Square, a couple of Burrard intersections and on Dunsmuir near the Burrard station. The scene that is captured in the gallery on YVRShoots.com featured "400 extras as rioters and riot police, things on fire and riders on horses."

Antal is best known for writing and directing the Hungarian-language film "Kontroll" (2003) that won several awards, including the Award of Youth at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and the Gold Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival. He also received a European Film Award nomination for Best Director. His credits include "Vacancy", starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, and "Armored", starring Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne. In 2010 he was hired by Robert Rodriguez to direct "Predators", featuring Adrien Brody.

Vocalist Apollo Papathanasio has left Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND and has been temporarily replaced by American singer Kelly Sundown Carpenter (pictured below; BEYOND TWILIGHT, OUTWORLD, DARKOLOGY, ADAGIO).

Even though Papathanasio has been temporarily replaced for some touring activities in the past, he has appeared on all FIREWIND releases since 2006's "Allegiance" album and the band's upcoming live CD will feature recordings from his recent final shows with the group.

Commented FIREWIND: "Today we are in the unfortunate position to announce that Apollo has decided to step down permanently from the vocal duties in FIREWIND.

"For the past few years, it was evident that Apollo could not keep up with FIREWIND's ever-growing and demanding touring and promotional schedule. Several times we've had to recruit replacements in order to continue touring the world and keep playing for our fans. We're lucky enough to have worked with some of the best metal singers out there!

"Although we're sad to announce Apollo's departure and we sure will miss him, at the same time we feel that the show must go on!

"FIREWIND is a band that has gone through lots of ups and downs the past 10 years, but is still going strong! With that said, we're happy to announce that Kelly Sundown Carpenter will be singing for us on the upcoming North American tour with TURISAS! This guy's a phenomenal singer and we can't wait to get out there and rock!

"We're looking forward to our return in America. See you all soon!"

FIREWIND — which features in its ranks current OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) — will kick off the "Guards Of Glory - North American Tour 2013" with TURISAS and STOLEN BABIES on February 2 in Jacksonville, Florida.

FIREWIND successfully wrapped up the calendar year 2012 with four packed club shows in their native Greece (two nights in Thessaloniki and two nights in Athens), commencing the celebration of the band's 10th anniversary. Additionally, and right before the end-of-the-year festivities, FIREWIND entered the studio in order to mix recordings from last year's "Few Against Many" tour for an upcoming live album, to be released before the summer.

FIREWIND's new album, "Few Against Many", entered the official chart in Greece at No. 42 and in Germany at No. 90. Released in Europe on May 21, 2012 via Century Media Records and in North America on May 22 through DisManic, Inc. via eOne Distribution, the CD was mixed by Jason Suecof and Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEATH ANGEL) in Sanford, Florida.

ROBOT LORDS OF TOKYO have returned to deliver their third album of ten-ton riffage and whiskey-fueled vocals, available on CD and download January 15. Entitled "Virtue & Vice", the record features numerous guest six-stringers, including Chris Poland (MEGADETH), Tracy G (DIO), Wayne Findlay (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) and Steve Theado (AMERICAN DOG). Production duties were once again handled by Joe Viers (BOBAFLEX, NO SKY TODAY), with mastering by Rickard Bengsston (OPETH, ARCH ENEMY)

ROBOT LORDS OF TOKYO is the brainchild of Ohio-based songwriting duo Rick Ritzler (drums, guitar) and Paul Jones (vocals, guitar), who came up with the idea for the guest-laden project in 2006 and have since released two critically acclaimed albums on their own RLOT Records. Renowned metal scribe Martin Popoff called their 2009 sophomore effort, "Whiskey, Blood & Napalm" "the best indie I've heard in a decade. Like an ass-kickin' BLACK LABEL SOCIETY crossed with THE SWORD, it's a masterpiece of bludgeoning perfection and it will knock you on your ass." His colleague Bob Nalbandian of Shockwaves/HardRadio called Jones "one of the most powerful new vocalists in metal today," while Classic Rock magazine named "Whiskey, Blood & Napalm" one of their Top 50 Albums of 2009.

For "Virtue & Vice", Ritzler and Jones have once again teamed up with producer Viers to cook up their unique combination of classic metal riffing, stoner/doom grooves and southern swagger, sprinkled with just the right amount of shredding lead guitar pyrotechnics. In addition to the record's nine new sonic sledgehammers, the ROBOT LORDS have once again reworked an obscure classic from the hard rock vaults, this time tackling the title track from CINDERELLA's 1986 debut, "Night Songs".

"From Can To Can't", the collaboration between SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor (pictured below) and FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl, was premiered on BBC radio earlier today and is now available for streaming in the YouTube clip below .

"From Can To Can't" will appear on "Sound City: Real To Reel", the soundtrack to Grohl's upcoming documentary. The track also features CHEAP TRICK guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Scott Reeder, formerly of KYUSS.

Taylor will perform with Grohl as part of a new band called the SOUND CITY PLAYERS on January 18 at a concert in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. Also scheduled to appear are QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes, fellow FOO FIGHTERS members Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffe, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, Grohl's onetime NIRVANA partner Krist Novoselic, Chris Goss (MASTERS OF REALITY), RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk, John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, CHEAP TRICK's Rick Nielsen, Rick Springfield, FEAR's Lee Ving and violinist Jessy Greene. The show will feature what a publicist described as "core musicians" as well as "special guests" who appear in, "Sound City: Real To Reel".

The film, which marks Grohl's debut as a feature director, will premiere at the Sundance festival before becoming available in theaters, on DVD and on demand on February 1, according to The Pulse Of Radio. The movie chronicles the history of Sound City, a legendary Los Angeles recording studio where acts ranging from FLEETWOOD MAC to NIRVANA cut some of rock's most classic albums.

In addition to conducting numerous interviews with musicians and producers for the film, Grohl brought together a selection of older and more contemporary artists to create new music together for the movie and its soundtrack.

The first of these collaborations, a song called "Cut Me Some Slack", features Grohl and several other former members of NIRVANA backing up Paul McCartney.

Grohl was inspired to make the film last year after purchasing Sound City's custom-built Neve 8028 recording console, considered by many to be the crown jewel of analog recording equipment.

The film and soundtrack will include contributions from Stevie Nicks, Trent Reznor, Rick Springfield, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Joshua Homme of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and more.

In a recent interview with Shan Man of the Phoenix, Arizona radio station 98 KUPD, Taylor spoke about his involvement with the "Sound City" documentary.

Taylor revealed: "[Grohl] sent an email to me, basically explaining this huge project he was doing — the documentary around the infamous board that he got from Sound City [studios], which so many people have recorded on, myself included; [SLIPKNOT] did 'Iowa' on that board… He bought it, and I loved the idea that he was like, 'How many albums have been made on this board?'"

He added: "He wrote the song, he sent me a demo of it and I was like, 'This is fantastic,' and I just basically wrote the first thing that came off the top of my head. He didn't even hear it until I went down there to record it. And I laid it down, and he was just like, 'Wow.' Because we did it old school — two-inch tape, take after take after take. And with that board, man. It was really, really cool."

Swedish webshop Bengans.se, which delivers to every country in the world, is accepting preorders for the strictly limited 10-inch clear vinyl version of "Secular Haze", the new single from the mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST. Featured on the single's B-side is GHOST's cover version of ABBA's "I'm A Marionette" with none other than Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) handling production duties and sitting behind the drum kit.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine, one of the Nameless Ghouls stated about GHOST's decision to record an ABBA' cover: "We are Swedish, and ABBA has always been a very, very strong part of our modern musical heritage. We all grew up with their music very present. Not only that-ABBA basically took a few hundred years of traditional Swedish music and made it into pop songs. I'm talking about folk music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Anybody outside Scandinavia probably isn't familiar with those tones or musical language. But one of the reasons ABBA broke through so enormously first in Sweden was probably because of their folk music influences. I think anyone from Scandinavia is easily infatuated with that sort of music, so ABBA has a deeper meaning to us, I think."

GHOST will release its sophomore album, "Infestissumam", in the spring via Loma Vista Recordings, the new record label founded by Tom Whalley in partnership with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. Frontman Papa Emeritus and his Nameless Ghouls summoned Nashville-based Grammy Award-winning Nick Raskulinecz (DEATH ANGEL, DEFTONES, FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH) to produce this offering.

"Infestissumam" track listing:

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

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

Fan-filmed video footage of the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE performing on January 12, 2013 at Vegas Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Queen Of The Reich
02. Speak
03. Walk In The Shadows
04. The Whisper
05. En Force
06. Child Of Fire
07. Warning
08. The Needle Lies
09. Prophecy
10. Roads To Madness
11. I Don't Believe In Love
12. My Empty Room
13. Eyes Of A Stranger

Encore:

14. Take Hold Of The Flame
15. Jet City Woman
16. Silent Lucidity
17. Empire

QUEENSRŸCHE has finished recording the drums for its new album at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals are being laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.

In a recent interview with Metal Assault, drummer Scott Rockenfield stated about QUEENSRŸCHE's renewed collaboration with Barton: "It's a great thing — we're really excited about it, he's really excited about it. We've wanted to work with him for a while, but for whatever reason, we just hadn't gone there yet. This is a great time for us to do that, though. We all discussed who we wanted to do the record with, and he was one of the first names that came up. It was easy for us to pick up the phone and call him. It was like our relationship picked up right where it left off, so it's gonna be a lot of fun. He's a very creative guy that did some great records with us in the past. I think that's one of the most important things when it comes to why we want to work with him."

Asked if fans will see a return to the progressive metal sound QUEENSRŸCHE had in the '80s, Scott said: "What we're trying to do, and what has been really interesting since Todd has jumped into the band, we're trying to revisit the old QUEENSRŸCHE catalog — stuff off of the EP and "The Warning". That's always been a part of what we are, so yeah, definitely! I think in my opinion, we're really revisiting that vibe of why that music was special back then for us. There will be a modern flair to it, though, just because we're in the modern age. The fun thing about Jimbo being a part of it is that he can help tie together the two sides. He does come from our past and some of the great records and some of the great sounds that we're known for, but he's also living in the modern age and doing some interesting things as well. I think it's going to be a really great QUEENSRŸCHE record. People are going to go, 'Wow, that's QUEENSRŸCHE! That sounds just like what we've known them to be, and what we would expect them to now be.' That's what I think peple will get out of it."

U.D.O. — the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider — has announced the addition of guitarist Andrey Smirnov (pictured below) to the group's ranks. He replaces Stefan Kaufmann, who left the group late last year for health reasons.

Commented U.D.O.: "It was a long search and we met a lot of talented musicians. But at the end, it was an easy decision since Andrey is the perfect fit for the band (as a friend and as a musician). Everybody in the band and around is very happy to have met Andrey just in perfect timing.

"Andrey Smirnov (born December 31, 1983) is the Russian rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter and founder of the Russian modern metal band EVERLOST. He is also the session guitarist of PAUL DI'ANNO, BLAZE BAYLEY (ex-IRON MAIDEN) and once was a part of famous Russian metal bands MASTER, EPIDEMIA and few others. Andrey is a well-respected studio musician. His major label releases only in 2012 consist of EVERLOST single, famous Russian rock star Artur Berkut album, popular Soviet hair-metal legend of the '80s GALAXY and his own solo album, 'Adrenaline'. For most of these albums Andrey worked as the sound producer, arranger and guitarist. Also, for the last few years Smirnov is touring guitarist of Russian retro-heroes ZEMLYANE.

"Andrey was with us in the studio recording the new album and was already a very important part of team. His live debut with U.D.O. will be the U.S. tour scheduled for April. The band is really looking forward to come back to their fans in the U.S. after such a long time. Even better to present something very special to the U.S. fans now."

Confirmed dates are as follows:

April 09 - Amityville, NY - Ollie's Point
April 10 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
April 11 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
April 12 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques
April 13 - St-Ferdinand, QC - Style Metal
April 14 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
April 18 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
April 19 - Detroit, MI - Harpo's
April 20 - Joliet, IL - Mojoe's
April 21 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
April 23 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go

Stefan will continue to work with U.D.O. behind the scenes and produce other bands at his Roxx studio.

Kaufmann was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run due to health problems.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and has recorded nine albums with them.

"Live In Sofia", the new DVD+CD and Blu-ray+CD from U.D.O., entered the Music DVD chart in Finland at position No. 1 and in Germany at No. 4.

"Live In Sofia" contains footage of U.D.O.'s November 16, 2011 concert at Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria.

U.D.O. 's latest album, "Rev-Raptor", was released on May 20, 2011 via AFM Records.

British metalcore act BRING ME THE HORIZON will release its fourth album, "Sempiternal", on April 29 in Europe via RCA and one day later in North America through Epitaph.

Proving to be perpetual favorites among fans, the CD's first single, "Shadow Moses", came charging out of the gates last week after premiering on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show, forcing Epitaph to post the song on YouTube a week in advance due to popular demand.

"There's a very euphoric sound coursing through the album, a very uplifting but yet sad sound," says BRING ME THE HORIZON frontman Oliver Sykes. "Electronically, it's far more advanced than anything we've done before."

The five-piece, consisting of Oliver Sykes, Lee Malia, Matt Kean, Matt Nicholls and Jordan Fish, recorded "Sempiternal" over a three-month period with super producer Terry Date (LINKIN PARK, DEFTONES, SOUNDGARDEN). The band also brought in David Bendeth (A DAY TO REMEMBER, PARAMORE) to add to the all-star production lineup and mix the album.

"Writing 'Sempiternal' was a completely different process," comments Sykes. "We worked from a computer, laying down ideas and riffs and working on them tirelessly until we had what we wanted." For the first time, "Sempiternal" sees a new member appearing on the record, Jordan Fish, who takes on keyboard duties on the record as well as during live performances. "Bringing Jordan into the mix changed things completely; he opened up so many more possibilities."

Sykes goes on to say: "The lyrical theme is everything. My head was a lot clearer when writing this time and it allowed me to write from a different perspective. It's the best stuff I've ever written, in my opinion. It's very dramatic, quite blunt, and at times sarcastic, but the biggest part of it — is how it is combined with the music to bring the listener vivid imagery and emotion. I think we really managed to pull that off."

"Sempiternal" is an embracing ride through soaring vocals, supercharged melodies and what can only be described as spine tingling metal anthems.

After the critical and commercial success of their previous albums, "There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" (2010) and their breakout success "Suicide Season" (2008), BRING ME THE HORIZON plans to take heavy music to the next level, incorporating the most dynamic elements of hard music to create one of the most exhilarating albums of the year.

"Sempiternal" track listing:

01. Can You Feel My Heart
02. The House Of Wolves
03. Empire (Let Them Sing)
04. Sleepwalking
05. Go To Hell, For Heaven's Sake
06. Shadow Moses
07. And The Snakes Start To Sing
08. Seen It All Before
09. Anti-vist
10. Crooked Young
11. Hospitals For Souls

BRING ME THE HORIZON recently parted ways with guitarist Jona Weinhofen. A replacement axeman has not yet been announced.

Frontiers Records will release "Motherland", the new album from veteran Danish hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS, on March 22 in Europe and March 26 in North America.

After their successful and highly acclaimed 2010 album "Pandemonium", PRETTY MAIDS celebrated their 30th anniversary with their debut visual release, "It Comes Alive (Maid in Switzerland)", in 2012. "Pandemonium" showed the world that PRETTY MAIDS were in a creative spring again, with the band in their finest moment. The melodic approach brought a return to the "Future World" / "Red Hot And Heavy" era of the Eighties, but with an updated sound and freshness that consolidated PRETTY MAIDS as strong as ever.

In late spring 2012, the band gathered to finally write the follow-up album. Singer Ronnie Atkins states: "We knew it was going to be a tough one to follow. I remember back in the day when we had to follow-up albums like 'Future World', we tried more or less to copy the songs from the previous album to keep the same kind of balance. But this time we just wrote what came natural to us and that's what became 'Motherland'."

The band teamed up again with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE) for the new CD. Ronnie says: "Jacob was a natural choice since we had a great experience with him producing the 'Pandemonium' album. The recordings went smooth to begin with, but then we had to start touring again during the weekends and this created some stress. Though I really feel strongly about 'Motherland'. In my view, it has all the ingredients of a good PRETTY MAIDS album, maybe even more melodic than 'Pandemonium' and absolutely, as far as I'm concerned a worthy follow-up."

"Motherland" track listing:

01. Mother Of All Lies
02. To Fool A Natio
03. Confession
04. The Iceman
05. Sad To See You Suffer
06. Hooligan
07. Infinity
08. Why So Serious
09. Motherland
10. I See Ghosts
11. Bullet For You
12. Who What Where When Why
13. Wasted

The release of the new album will be preceded by the release of the single/video "Mother of All Lies", which will arrive on January 22.

PRETTY MAIDS will play numerous festivals this summer, such as Wacken Open Air and Bang Your Head!!!, followed by an extensive world tour in support of "Motherland".

PRETTY MAIDS is:

Ronnie Atkins - Vocals
Ken Hammer - Guitars
Morten Sandager - Keyboards
Allan Tschicaja - Drums
Rene Shades - Bass

"Anthems", ANTHRAX's long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s, will be released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast).

"Anthems" track listing

01. Anthem (RUSH cover)
02. Jailbreak (THIN LIZZY cover)
03. TNT (AC/DC cover)
04. Smokin' (BOSTON cover)
05. Big Eyes (CHEAP TRICK cover)
06. Keep On Runnin' (JOURNEY cover)
07. Crawl (album version)
08. Crawl (special remix)

Said ANTHRAX vocalist Joey Belladonna, "These are all bands I grew up with and have listened to forever. It's just great music. I had fun singing these songs and I was happy recording together with ANTHRAX, doing classic rock songs. Fun stuff!"

On BOSTON's "Smokin'", ANTHRAX brought in a special guest to play keyboards — Fred Mandel, who has played with ALICE COOPER, QUEEN, ELTON JOHN, CHEAP TRICK, SUPERTRAMP and on PINK FLOYD's "The Wall". About the track, drummer Charlie Benante said, "If ever there were a perfect first album, it's BOSTON's first album. The harmony leads they did would later be heard by IRON MAIDEN, which, of course, would lead to thrash metal."

"It was a lot of fun, especially because a lot of those [songs] aren't, I guess, normal for us or like so much of our repertoire — although they are because they're songs we all knew," guitarist Scott Ian told Billboard.com. "Maybe on paper the idea of us doing something like that seems weird, until you hear them and then it makes sense. And Joey's performance on the JOURNEY song, specifically, really blows my mind. Someone mentioned that [JOURNEY guitarist] Neal Schon better not hear this or we might lose our singer." ANTHRAX also also laid down a cover version of BLACK SABBATH's "Neon Knights" for the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album which is being assembled by the singer's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio.

Asked how the band selected which songs to cover, Ian said, "Like everything else, it's kind of like someone says a song and everyone else is like, 'Yeah, that's a good one.' It's really as simple as that. It's songs that in some shape or form we've been playing or jamming on for our whole lives. Because you really don't wanna have to work too hard on these things, although the RUSH song is a bit of a bitch; I can't say that's an easy one. But it's a song we all know and we're all familiar with, so then, of course, you take on the challenge of just really trying to nail it and do it justice."

According to ANTHRAX, they paid particular attention to the cover of RUSH's "Anthem" in order to recreate the nuances of the original song.

"I have to get every little part of Geddy [Lee, RUSH bassist/vocalist] down, 'cause I'm a fanatic with that stuff, and I have to," bassist Frank Bello said. "It's great. I love it."

Added Scott: "Charlie [Benante, ANTHRAX drummer] bumped into [RUSH drummer] Neil Peart at the [Revolver] Golden Gods Awards a few months ago, and Neil actually said to Charlie, 'Yeah, we heard you guys are covering 'Anthem'. That's so cool. We put the clip of you playing drums [to the song] up on our web site.' And Charlie, I swear to God, he was like, the light, the glow that was coming off him after that was… I'd never seen anything quite like it."

The "Anthems" EP will be available on CD as well as digitally via iTunes and other online retailers. In addition to "Anthems"' cover art, Benante and artist Stephen Thompson have subtly redesigned each track's original album cover art to "Anthrax" it. The "Anthems" EP will first be housed in one of the "re-imagined" digipak covers, and then inserted inside the main CD cover sleeve. The main cover sleeve has been designed in such a way so fans will be able to see which one of the six "re-imagined" covers is inside.

"Anthems" was produced by ANTHRAX, Jay Ruston and Rob Caggiano and recorded for the most part throughout 2012 literally all over the world: at Benante's home studio, in Ruston's New York studio, on the band's tour bus while on last summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, in hotel rooms, and backstage at their Berlin show last December.

The Grammy-nominated ANTHRAX will hit the road in support "Anthems" on February 16 with dates in India and Australia, and then return to North America to headline the Metal Alliance Tour that kicks off March 22. For all of these dates, ANTHRAX will be joined by SHADOWS FALL guitarist Jon Donais.

"Ride The Void", the sophomore album from Southern California traditional metallers HOLY GRAIL, can be streamed in its entirety below. Due in Europe on January 18 via Nuclear Blast Records and in North America on January 22 through Prosthetic Records, the effort will be made available as a limited CD version including a bonus track, a black 2LP version and a strictly limited clear 2LP version.

The follow-up to 2010's "Crisis In Utopia", "Ride The Void" was recorded with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, CHILDREN OF BODOM) throughout the year, working around national tours with DRAGONFORCE and VALIENT THORR. The cover artwork was created by famous American digital matte artist Dylan Cole, who is well-known for his work on movies like "The Lord Of The Rings", "Avatar" and "Daredevil".

"Ride The Void" track listing:

01. Archeus
02. Bestia Triumphans
03. Dark Passenger
04. Bleeding Stone
05. Ride The Void
06. Too Decayed To Wait
07. Crosswinds
08. Take It To The Grave
09. Sleep Of Virtue
10. Silence The Scream
11. The Great Artifice
12. Wake Me When It's Over
13. Rains Of Sorrow
14. Can't Hide The Wolf (bonus track)

The artwork for the "Dark Passenger" single was designed by Sam Turner (3 INCHES OF BLOOD), who also did the art for the band's 2011 holiday EP "Seasons Bleedings". The seven-inch edition also includes an unreleased B-side, "Go Down Swinging", which does not appear on "Ride The Void".

Despite having planned his career meticulously over the past 25 years or so, even in the camp of German hard rock master Axel Rudi Pell surprises cannot be ruled out: Before playing in front of a sold-out Cologne crowd on the second leg of his wildly successful "Circle Of The Oath" tour, the opportunity arose for taping the whole show, with cameras being all over. Well, Axel gave it a try. And that was a good move. Ten years after his last live album "Knights Live" (2002), you can — again — be a witness of a complete concert from the Bochum-based guitar virtuoso and his German-American all-star band. To round out the Axel Rudi Pell live package, the recording of the co-headlining gig at last year's Rock Of Ages festival was added to "Live On Fire", the name of his newest live oeuvre.

Obviously, a live album doesn't have the same importance and significance as a new studio output, but it nevertheless is a perfect snapshot in time, because 2012 was the most successful year in Axel Rudi Pell's solo career by far. "Circle Of The Oath", album No. 14, was released on March 23 and rode high on the charts all over Europe: in his homeland Germany, the critically acclaimed disc made it up to No. 16 in the first week, Switzerland welcomed good old Axel on No. 30, Austria on No. 55, Norway on No. 69 and in Sweden he went up to No. 51. And last but not least, he received another gold award for selling out three consecutive nights at the famous Zeche venue in his native Bochum. Apart from that, he rocked the summer crowds at the legendary Sweden Rock and Wacken Open Air festivals, as well as the open-air Rock Of Ages in Germany together with his band.

Even though Axel loves the composing part at home and the recording business in the studio, home is where the heart is and that's being on stage. Being musically socialized in the Golden Age of hard rock (the Seventies) he's probably a bigger fan of live albums than he would admit. As they say: applause is the performer's meat and drink. But without sometimes being anarchistic spontaneously and playing with the audience's emotions, without the sweat coming off the ceiling and the priceless energy being trapped in the middle of an adventure that is called live concert, when the lights go down and every amp is on fire — the life of a true rocker would be incomplete. Speaking of which: besides his success, Axel Rudi Pell has always been that down-to-earth guy and mainly the fan he was turned into when he first heard DEEP PURPLE's "Fireball" back in the day. With "Live On Fire", he accomplishes a long-desired wish and gives his fans what they desperately want for quite some time.

No surprise at all that the main focus is set on the newbies: here's the striking chords of fast and furious opener "Ghost In The Black", the hard rocking pounding of "Before I Die" and without a doubt one of Axel's best songs written in a decade: the brilliant "Circle Of The Oath", which would make Jimmy Page cry out loud. But there's more to listen to on "Live On Fire": the passion for medleys ("The Masquerade Ball"/"Casbah"/"Dreaming Dead") combined with some all-time classics here and there (ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love" or PURPLE's "Mistreated").

And they aren't finished yet and will enter the studio in autumn of 2013, with a tour coming up in February/March of 2014. This could be something, as after a quarter of a century as a successful solo artist, Axel Rudi Pell and his mates are still "Live On Fire"!

"Live On Fire" track listing:

Cologne, Essigfabrik (October 18, 2012)

01. The Guillotine Suite (intro)
02. Ghost In The Black
03. Strong As A Rock
04. Before I Die
05. The Masquerade Ball / Casbah / Dreaming Dead / Whole Lotta Love / Dreaming Dead
06. Drum Solo
07. Mystica / Mistreated / Mystica
08. Oceans Of Time
09. Circle Of The Oath
10. Fool Fool
11. Keyboard Solo / Carousel / Jam / Carousel
12. Tear Down The Walls / Nasty Reputation
13. Rock The Nation

Rock Of Ages Festival (July 28, 2012)

01. The Guillotine Suite (intro)
02. Ghost In The Black
03. Strong As A Rock
04. Before I Die
05. The Masquerade Ball / Casbah / Dreaming Dead / Whole Lotta Love / Dreaming Dead
06. Drum Solo
07. Mystica / Mistreated / Mystica
08. Oceans Of Time
09. Circle Of The Oath
10. Tear Down The Walls / Nasty Reputation
11. Rock The Nation

"Live On Fire" will be released on March 26 (one day earlier internationally) via SPV/Steamhammer.

"Live On Fire" recording lineup:

Johnny Gioeli - Lead Vocals
Axel Rudi Pell - Guitar
Ferdy Doernberg - Keyboards/Backing Vocals
Volker Krawczak - Bass/Backing Vocals
Mike Terrana - Drums

Configurations:

* Limited Digipak 2CD / 2DVD plus poster and tour pass; Bonus: new interview with Axel Rudi Pell, home story Axel Rudi Pell, "Hallelujah" video clip
* 3LP in colored vinyl (Cologne, Essigfabrik)
* Digipak 2CD (Cologne, Essigfabrik)
* Digipak 2DVD (Cologne, Essigfabrik, Rock Of Ages festival) (also on Blu-ray: release to be announced); Bonus: new interview with Axel Rudi Pell, home story Axel Rudi Pell, "Hallelujah" video clip
* Download (Cologne, Essigfabrik)

"A Silent Void", a new song from Swedish death metallers SYN:DROM, can be streamed using the audio player below. The track comes off the band's sophomore album, "Iconoclasm", which will be released on February 15 via ViciSolum Productions. The CD was recorded in part at Nevo Studios in Sundsvall, Sweden and was mixed by Roger Bergsten (guitar) and Daniel Mikaelsson (drums). The artwork was created by Pär Olofsson and can be seen below.

"Iconoclasm" track listing:

01. Black Dawn
02. A Silent Void
03. Cold Existence
04. The Filth Unmasked
05. Solitude Breeds Death
06. 13th Serpent
07. Reversion
08. Through Divine Intoxication
09. Iconoclastic View
10. Imposing As Gods Amongst Men

The follow-up to 2009's "With Flesh Unbound" includes "10 tracks of furious death metal and is the result of over a year of hard work and a proof of great songwriting skills and musicianship," according to a press release. "The songs on this album are more dynamic than on 'With Flesh Unbound'. There are new dimensions added to the songs and the fact that we have evolved as songwriters since then resulted into a killer album that will blow your mind. It has everything from very fast blast beats and sick guitar parts to heavier groundshaking pieces. Still the main focus is bone-crushing death metal as it should be."

Regarding the artwork for the new CD, SYN:DROM drummer Daniel Mikaelsson states, "We had Pär in mind for 'With Flesh Unbound' as well, but it didn't work out that time. We are extremely pleased with the work he has put in to it and it came out exactly as we wanted it to be from the start. It's a classic already!"

The video for the song "Black Dawn" can be seen below. The clip was directed and edited by Håkan Sjöström.

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "One",, the debut album from the Brazilian female-fronted progressive power metal band VANDROYA, can be seen below. The CD will be released on January 18 via Inner Wound Recordings. The Japanese edition of the album will be made 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)

"Soldierhead", the first video from NEWSTED, the band fronted by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted, can be seen below. Directed by Leon Melas, the clip was filmed on December 15, 2012 in an abandoned factory in California.

In a recent interview with Sonic Excess, Newsted stated about the video shoot: "It's just a simple thing, and I just wanted to capture the band. There is no heavy concept, no literal thing about bullets chasing your head or any of those things. It's old-school metal and most likely will be black and white. It was shot in an old factory. It was a gnarly, dusty, old factory and it had energy. That is what I will describe it as. I haven't got to play to the camera like that for a long time, and I was really going for it. The soldier version is something everyone will have. An HD version will be available on iTunes, but I want everyone to have it for free across the world. I want it to be the tip of the spear for everybody to see and hear what exactly it's all about."

"Soldierhead" was premiered on the December 17, 2012 edition of the "Eddie Trunk Live" show on SiriusXM satellite radio. The song comes off NEWSTED's four-song EP, entitled "Metal", which was released on January 8 exclusively via iTunes. The EP will be made available as a physical CD on January 15.

"Metal" contains the following tracks:

* Soldierhead
* Godsnake
* King Of The Underdogs
* Skyscraper

By purchasing all four songs, you will receive a copy of Jason's handwritten lyrics.

NEWSTED is:

Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals
Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums
Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice

"The Bad Day", the first video from 6008 DAYS, the new Italian rock band featuring singer Roberto Messina (SECRET SPHERE), drummer Marco Lazzarini (LUCKY BASTARDZ), guitarist Valerio Bulzoni (LINES N' NOSES) and bassist Enrico Carducci (OVRHOL), can be seen below. The clip was written, directed and produced by celebrated visionary Antonio Masiello, whose interest "is oriented towards opportunities that, involving several aspects of education and personal experience, use new technologies as a way of expression and a vehicle of ideas in an image — communication world," according to a press release.

The artistic interaction between the band and the director represents the perfect match between the two styles. Lyrics, music and images merge into an author-marked concept video clip born from the vision of the band to apply a countdown of 6008 days to our existence, through which our sleepy consciousness can be awaken. 6008 days left to free one self, to realize and atone everyone's faults towards a world that is destined to self-destruction. 6008 days to think of a new approach to reality, too often marked by the idealism of "need" and too much into the loop "produce – use – die" introduced by the consumerism and multinational corporations.

Video description: "A modern Messiah (Roberto Messina) resuscitates — unaware — in our days and in his roaming he finds himself in situations (unfortunately) dramatically "normal". Moral and physical downfall, paradoxical circumstances reveal the truth behind the consumer era and the media distortion of reality; "the medium becomes the real message" [cit. McLuhan] and the final sentence is the total paradox of supporting the watcher to never lose hope for his own salvation. A dreamlike trip, through the metaphor of a resurrected Christ, to find each one of us aware and so to blame. An invitation to think about the reality, to change the rules of the establishment and build a new sustainable world. The age of Own without Being is going to an end, the countdown just started, up to the last one Bad Day."

According to the press release, "6008 DAYS play rock as defined by grit and melody together, fine and essential arrangements, a musical proposal of immediate impact that still holds a depth and variety of musical ideas gradually unveiled by the listener."

"We come from the metal and hard rock background, out of which we keep the huge energy and freedom of expression that we use to communicate with a large and wide variety of listeners; basically, anyone who really loves ROCK in its widest terms," the band states.

"Second Skin", the Jakob Arevarn-directed video from Maryland extreme metallers DYING FETUS can be seen below (courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting.com). The song comes off the band's latest album, "Reign Supreme", which sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 186 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 5 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

DYING FETUS's previous collection of original material, "Descend Into Depravity", opened with around 2,700 units to land at No. 166.

Released on June 19, 2012 via Relapse Records, "Reign Supreme" was recorded at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore with longtime producer Steve Wright (SLIPKNOT, MISERY INDEX). It will feature nine tracks and is "a 'return to roots,' with production focused slightly more on slam than in the band's last few works," according to a press release. "Thematically, the album is set to be a good old-fashioned piece of social and political commentary in the style of DYING FETUS as we have come to know."

Commented DYING FETUS guitarist/vocalist John Gallagher: "The last album had some groove in it, but [it] was basically a lot of tech; this one is a return to form of older DYING FETUS albums, so to speak — more modern production, though, of course. Everything's tight, the sound is crushing, the drums are amazing."

"My Misery", the new video from veteran Italian metallers EXTREMA, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Mauro Tettamanzi for Creative Comics.

Commented the band: "And finally here is 'My Misery', the video clip. This song has been chosen by the director for the horror/western movie 'Undead Men' to be part of the soundtrack. The film will be released in February 2013. Please note, Tommy [Massara; guitar] plays a small role in the movie, The Gravedigger/Philosopher/Zombie."

"My Misery" comes off EXTREMA's latest album, "Pound For Pound", which came out in May 2009 via Scarlet Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Set The World On Fire" saw EXTREMA going back to its thrash metal roots, with a very special guest apearance by HELMET's Page Hamilton on the track "You Make Me Sick".

EXTREMA entered Fear Studio in Alfonsine (RA), Italy in May 2012 to begin recording the follow-up to 2009's "Pound For Pound" with producers Tommy Massara (EXTREMA guitarist) and Gabry Ravaglia.

"It took almost two years to write and arrange the songs," said Massara. He added, "These are the heaviest songs we've ever written."

In September 2010, EXTREMA announced the addition of bassist Gabri Giovanna (FUZZ FUZZ MACHINE) to the group's ranks.

Giovanna previously filled in for bassist Mattia Bigi during EXTREMA's summer 2010 tour.

Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have entered the studio to begin recording their fifth album for a spring release via on Spinefarm Records/Universal Music. Titled "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", the sessions are being helmed by former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano, alongside Jacob Hansen, who has a long history with VOLBEAT, having produced and mixed the band's prior four releases. Caggiano's producer credits include CRADLE OF FILTH, THE DAMNED THINGS, BLEEDING THROUGH and ANTHRAX, among others.

Commented VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen: "We're back in the studio, this time breaking some of our old habits and this sometimes means leaving our comfort zone. We are recording in a new environment, producing with a new setup, breaking new sonic ground and it's exciting! Together with our longtime collaborator Jacob Hansen, we also have the honor of having producer Rob Caggiano on board in the producer's seat. Expect lots of surprises and some of our most rocking heavy songs to date. We feel more than ever that we are taking the VOLBEAT sound to another level without changing what we're all about. Can't wait for it to get out there!"

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

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

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

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