BLACK STAR RIDERS, the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar), Damon Johnson (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums, will enter a Los Angeles studio next week with producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) to begin recording its debut album for a May 2013 release via Nuclear Blast.

In October 2012, THIN LIZZY announced that they would not be recording new material under the THIN LIZZY monicker. The last incarnation of the band — Gorham, Brian Downey, Wharton, Warwick, Johnson and Mendoza — would be looking to form a new project.

According to a press release, Brian Downey decided to not become involved with BLACK STAR RIDERS because he didn't want to commit to the touring cycle a new album would entail and Darren Wharton wanted to concentrate on DARE and other music and film projects.

The BLACK STAR RIDERS album will feature material the band wrote while touring as THIN LIZZY and the sound retains that classic feel but is very much its own as well. The BLACK STAR RIDERS record is the next step in the evolution of the THIN LIZZY story.

"We are all very excited about the music that we have created for BLACK STAR RIDERS. The synergy between the five of us has been phenomenal and I can't wait for the world to hear these songs," says Warwick.

BLACK STAR RIDERS was signed to Nuclear Blast by Monte Conner — the former Roadrunner A&R guru who has worked with such acts as SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA and RUSH. Conner recently joined Nuclear Blast as the president of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new U.S. partnership he co-founded with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

Says Conner: "As a lifelong THIN LIZZY fan, I was floored by this line-up's new material. Not only do the new songs sound like THIN LIZZY but they sound like CLASSIC THIN LIZZY. BLACK STAR RIDERS totally captures the essence of what was great about the original band while at the same time adding something totally fresh and modern. Even when I heard the band decided to change their name, my interest in signing them did not waver for one second."

The band are looking to support their May album release with European festivals shows in the summer of 2013 and follow this up with worldwide touring. The setlist will consist of material from the new album and classic THIN LIZZY material.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of HEART played "Stairway To Heaven" as the finale of a star-studded musical tribute to LED ZEPPELIN during the Kennedy Center Honors, which were broadcast last night (Wednesday, December 26) on CBS after being taped earlier in the month. They were joined on stage by late LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham's son Jason on drums, as well as a massive house band consisting of string and horn sections as well as a vocal choir.

During a December 3 appearance on CBS' "The Late Show With David Letterman", LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page stated about the Wilson sisters' performance: "They did a version of 'Stairway' that had a choir and an orchestra. Ann and Nancy Wilson started it up and it was building and building. Then a scrim goes up and it started really rocking. It was great."

Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, along with Letterman, were awarded the Kennedy Center Honor on December 1 in Washington, D.C.

The bandmembers were promoting their new live collection, "Celebration Day", which features ZEPPELIN's entire 2007 London reunion concert.

During a recent interview with TV Rock Live for the new HELLOWEEN album Straight Out Of Hell, frontman Andi Deris commented on the upcoming Hellish Rock II tour with GAMMA RAY:

Deris: "My personal dream would be a Hellish Rock Part III together with (original singer) Michael Kiske maybe the next time we would have support of UNISONIC. And maybe then we could fulfill the dream for everybody it would be the whole old Helloween band, unfortunately without Ingo, but it would be a dream come true for the people."

Check out the inteview below:
The Hellish Rock Tour in 2007/2008 featured Helloween and their very special guests Gamma Ray, which played 95 shows in 34 countries and left ecstatic metal fans in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America in their wake. Hellish Rock Tour Part II has been announced and will start in February 2013 in Europe and go around the globe, once again featuring Gamma Ray.
Photo by 3gramy.pl

Dates for Russia and Japan have now been confirmed. They are as follows:

June
1 - Moscow, Russia - Arena
2 - St Petersburg - Kosmonavt
5 - Tokyo, Japan - ZEPP
6 - Yokohama, Japan - Blitz
7 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya AX
9 - Osaka, Japan - IMP Hall
10 - Nagoya, Japan - ZEPP

Previously announced dates for Europe, featuring SHADOWSIDE as support, are as follows:

February
28 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1

March
1 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
2 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
4 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
5 - Milan, Italy Alcatraz
6 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
9 - Athens, Greece - t.b.a.
10 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal
12 - Istanbul, Turkey - Refresh the Venue
15 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arena Armeec
16 - Bucharest, Romania - Arenele Romane
18 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Media Park Club
19 - Budapest, Hungary - Pesca Music Hall
21 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Sport Hall
22 - Prague, Czech Republic - Tesla Aréna
23 - Zlín, Czech Republic - Hala Euronics
24 - Brezno, Slovakia - Sport Hall
26 - Krakow, Poland - Studio
27 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
29 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus
30 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
31 - Oulu, Finland - Teatria
April
2 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
4 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
5 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken
6 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Lisebergshallen
8 - Paris, France - Olympia
9 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
10 - Langen, Germany - Neue Stadthalle
12 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - Allgäu Event Center
13 - Bochum, Germany - Ruhrcongress
14 - Mons, Belgium - PPM-Fest
16 - London, UK - HMV Forum
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
19 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
20 - Balingen, Germany - Volksbankmesse
21 - Schwandorf, Germany - Oberpfalzhalle

Italy's MESMERIZE has revealed the tracklisting to their fifth album, Paintropy, will include 11 original tracks, plus a cover version of the CRANBERRIES classic Promises, revisited in a power/thrash metal style.
Paintropy tracklisting:
'It Happened Tomorrow'
'2.0.3.6.'
'A Desperate Way Out'
'Monkey In Sunday Best'
'Midnight Oil / Within Without'
'One Door Away'
'Paintropy'
'Shadows At The Edge Of Perception'
'Mrs. Judas'
'You Know I Know'
'Masterplan'
'Promises' (The Cranberries cover)

"Paintropy is a word that combines the concepts of Pain and Entropy" - says guitarist Piero Paravidino, "and it refers to a chaotic and painful state of mind, coming from the aggregation of negative events or emotions. In turn, this state can cause a reaction of total inertia or the exact
opposite, unleashing a downright furious transformation. These concepts will be depicted both in the songs and in the graphics of the album."

Paintropy is scheduled for a spring 2013 release via Punishment 18 Records, marking the 25th anniversary of Mesmerize.

Vocalist LIV KRISTINE (LEAVES' EYES) has issued the following update:

"Dear fans and friends,

A warm thank you to all of you who attended my solo shows during my tour, which ended in Nagold, Germany, with many fantastic highlights. Thank you especially to all of you who travelled from far away to share these moments with me and my band. I wish you all a peaceful Christmas and many more wonderful moments to come in 2013."

Liv performed in Pratteln, Switzerland at Galery on December 20th. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below:
Liv is featured in a new interview with BW&BK's Carl Begai discussing her new solo album, Libertine. An excerpt from the story is available below:

First single ‘Paris Paris’ is sure to test anyone who has a preference for Liv’s heavier side with Leaves’ Eyes. Anyone that’s followed her career through the ups and downs of Theatre Of Tragedy – from doom-goth to pop-industrial – will find some striking references to the old days. In the case of these old ears and as strange as it may sound, ‘Paris Paris’ bears a similar vibe to Theatre’s single from 2000, ‘Image’.

“I’ll tell you why; I wrote the song for the Musique album,” Liv reveals. “Ray (Rohonyi / vocals) had an idea and we worked out something very simple for it, made it sort of like a synth pop song. I still had it in my mind and I thought it was too bad we never used it, and when I was putting Libertine together I saw it becoming a little bit more rock oriented than I had originally planned. When I played the song ‘Libertine’ in Nagold, which has a Theatre Of Tragedy touch (circa the Aegis album), just to see how the people would react and the people went crazy, so that’s the direction I decided to take for this album. So, because I had the song ‘Paris Paris’ left over, I decided to rework it with my garage band (laughs). I showed it to the guys and what you hear now is what we came up with.”
The Nagold show is a conversation piece in many of the interviews Liv has done since the December 2011 performance. A small, intimate club show in Germany, the setlist featured material from her first three solo albums, a couple Leaves’ Eyes and Theatre Of Tragedy tunes, capped off with a first ever live performance of the song ‘Libertine’. Liv looks back fondly on the night.

“It was a very special evening for me because half of the audience were Theatre Of Tragedy fans. There were some Leaves’ Eyes fans and some solo project fans, but for the Theatre fans it was like (deep sigh), ‘Finally! She’s keeping the spirit alive…’ (laughs). I felt that, too. Now, getting over the whole issue of being kicked out of the band, when I look back now I think it’s such a shame everything went down the drain. Theatre Of Tragedy was a great band and I’m very happy I was a part of it. The experience made me become the artist that I am.”

Go to this location for the complete story.
The Libertine tracklist is as follows:

'Interlude (Intro)'
'Solve Me'
'Silence'
'Vanilla Skin Delight' (Duet With Tobias Regner)
'Panic'
'Paris Paris'
'Wait For Rain'
'Love Crime'
'Libertine'
'Meet Me In The Red Sky'
'The Man With A Child In His Eyes' (KATE BUSH Cover)

About the album Liv recently commented: "Libertine is truly a milestone in my career; it sums up my most important artistic experiences in my creative journey through life.The more rock and metal-based songs like 'Vanilla Skin Delight' (incl. superb male vocals from Tobias Regner), 'Paris Paris', 'Solve Me' and title track 'Libertine' certainly expose some of those magic moments which fans of Theatre Of Tragedy enjoyed and treasured on Aegis and Musique. The ballads 'Silence', 'Love Crime' and 'Meet Me in the Red Sky' will go straight into you hearts, each of them being absolute individual in their emotional expressions and musical compositions. Alex (Krull; ATROCITY, Leaves' Eyes) gave each track a perfect sound in the mix by emphasizing on each song’s characteristic accent and atmosphere. I can’t wait to let you hear this album; it is exceptional to me both personally and in my artistic career, and I can’t wait to play these songs for you live! The cover- and booklet artwork is completed as well. It took a while for me, personally, to find the artistic expression I wished to expose in my pictures, however, Heile and Alex guided me into the right direction, for which I am so happy and grateful."

The second album of the Greek female fronted metallers DIMLIGHT entitled, Psychosynthesis, is out now and features guest appearances by SEPTIC FLESH bassist/vocalist Spiros "Seth" Antoniou and Iliana Tsakiraki from MEDEN AGAN who appears on the song 'Mind's Game' streaming on Rock Overdose here.
Psychosynthesis tracklisting:
'Agonize'
'Quest Of The Fallen'
'Lucid Dreams'
'Black Hole'
'Cardinal Sins'
'Mind's Game'
'Stillborn Debris'
'Unify'
'Masters Of Our Fate'
'Absence Of Light' (Acoustic Bonus Track)
More information about Dimlight can be found on Facebook.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA were the featured guests on US nationally syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn on Christmas Eve (December 24th). A replay of the show is now available at this location.

TSO's new EP, Dreams Of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night) recently debuted at #9 on the US Billboard 200 charts.
Dreams Of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night) tracklist is as follows:
'Winter Palace'
'Dreams Of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night)'
'I Had a Memory'
'Someday'
Time You Should Be Sleeping'

Confirmed TSO tour dates are listed below:



December
26 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
26 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
27 - Buffalo, NY - First Niagara Center
27 - St Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
29 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
29 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
30 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
30 - Milwaukee, WI - BMO Harris Bradley Center

Long-running German pirate metallers RUNNING WILD have made a brief announcement that 2013 will see a new studio album from the band, the follow-up to 2012's Shadowmaker. More news will be revealed soon.
In the meantime, GIANT X, the band founded by Running Wild’s Rolf Kasparek and Peter J. Jordan, will release their debut album, entitled I, on January 18th in Germany, January 21st in Europe and January 22nd in US/Canada via Steamhammer/SPV. Audio samples of all tracks can be heard at this location.
I tracklisting:
'The Rise Of The Giant X' (Intro)
'On A Blind Flight'
'Don`t Quit Till Tomorrow'
'Badland Blues'
'Now Or Never'
'Nameless Heroes'
'Go 4 It'
'The Count'
'Rough Ride'
'Friendly Fire'
'Let`s Dance'
'Soulsurvivors'
'R.O.C.K.'

Check out two video clips below, documenting the making of the album:
Giant X has also announced an in-store signing session for January 18th 2013 at 5:30 PM at Hot Shot Records in Hannover, Germany. For more info visit this location.

French glam rockers BLACKRAIN are currently finalists on the talent competition France Has A New Talent. The season finally for the show airs today, December 26th at 8:50PM (CET). The band will perform live on the show.

For the time being the band has released a pre-mixed version of a new song entitled ‘Blast Me Up’ as free MP3 download at this location.

The final version of this song will appear on It Begins, their new album to be release in Spring 2013 and produced by American producer Jack Douglas (AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK, ALICE COOPER).
BlackRain entered Marcadet Studios in Paris, France in August to begin work on the new album.

The final mix was completed in October in Los Angeles, CA. The band is talking to a several labels for a Worldwide release early 2013.

Video of BlackRain performing on France Has A New Talent can be seen at this location.

Dutch classical guitarist THOMAS ZWIJSEN has released a video for his classical arrangement of IRON MAIDEN’s ‘The Clansman’ which features former Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley (WOLFSBANE) on vocals. Check it out below:



Zwijsen will release Nylon Maiden, his album of unique arrangements of Iron Maiden tracks on classical guitar, on January 8th. Additional musicians on the album are Anne Bakker (violin), Nathanael Taekema (drums), Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX; bass) and Blaze Bayley.

Nylon Maiden tracklisting:
'Aces High'
'Rainmaker'
'The Trooper'
'Dance Of Death'
'Can I Play With Madness'
'Blood Brothers'
'The Clairvoyant'
'Wasting Love'
'Wasted Years'
'The Clansman' (featuring Blaze Bayley)
'The Talisman' (featuring Tony Newton)

Nylon Maiden will be released on CD and as digital download. Zwijsen released a single with 2 non-album tracks ('The Evil That Men Do'/'Run To The Hills') on red vinyl and as digital download on November 26th.

Zwijsen has worked closely with Blaze Bayley; as composer, co-producer and lead guitarist on Blaze's most recent The King Of Metal album and tour and the following acoustic UK tour. He is, however, better known for his Nylon Maiden videos have had two million views on YouTube.

Supporting this album Zwijsen played with Maiden uniteD in November/December and he will tour with Blaze Bayley from January 2013. Dates have been booked in South America, Europe and Australia.

For tour dates, album information and pre-ordering, visit ThomasZwijsen.com.

Italian metalcorers TERMINAL SICK new album entitled Nothing More, has now been released on CD and digital version.

The album can now be streamed and downloaded at the React Records’ BandCamp page.

The new album was produced, recorded and mixed by Dualized and Eddy Cavazza (dysFUNCTION Productions) and mastered by Troy Glassner at Spectre Studio in Seattle.



Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Hibernation’
‘Red Eyes’
‘Alive In Memory’
‘Broken Family’
‘A New Opportunity’
‘Everlasting’
‘No Glory For The Heroes’
‘On The Ocean Floor’
‘My Dimise’
‘Iridescence’

The track ‘Red Eyes’ can be heard below:

In 2013 the band will be releasing a new official video and will be going on tour in Europe.

As a way to celebrate a successful 2012 and say "thank you" to all of his fans, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal is offering an unreleased, heavier version of the song "Misery" from his "Abnormal" album as free download to everyone who joins his brand new e-mail list at Bumblefoot.com. Bumblefoot wants to keep you updated on his 2013 plans with GUNS N' ROSES, his work with ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell, new products such as the Bumblefoot hot sauces, and much more.

Bumblefoot has 20 years of releasing music, international festivals and headlining solo tours, and covers of guitar magazines. Bumblefoot's latest releases were an innovative song-a-month series that include transcriptions and backing tracks for guitarists and recording stems for remixers, including a cover of "The Pink Panther Theme" featuring members of GUNS N' ROSES. Lead guitarist of GUNS N' ROSES since 2006, Bumblefoot has toured sold-out shows in over 40 countries, headlining festivals with crowds of 150,000. Bumblefoot's unique "fretless guitar" can be heard throughout GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" album.

Bumblefoot has collaborated as a songwriter/producer with many artists, his music often heard in TV, film and video games including theme songs to Spike TV's "MXC" and VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show", "So You Think You Can Dance", Oprah Winfrey, ESPN, UFC, WWE, NFL, dozens of MTV/VH1 shows and more. Bumblefoot has appeared on stage with Joe Satriani, Nancy Sinatra, Chris Jericho and FOZZY, Cyndi Lauper, members of BADFINGER, Paul McCartney & WINGS, and on recordings with diverse artists such as DREAM THEATER's Jordan Rudess, ANVIL's Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Jessica Simpson, rapper Scarface, comedian Don Jamieson and many more.

Studying music since age 7, he began teaching at age 13 and for the last 10 years has taught music production at SUNY Purchase College. He teaches master-classes at schools and venues around the world, and has been a guest music coach on MTV's "Made".

Bumblefoot is continuously donating songs and performances to fundraising CDs, often making appearances and donating autographed items for charities. He often performs at events for medical research, disaster relief, and children's health issues, visiting patients at children's hospitals all over the world with guitar in hand.

Upcoming projects in 2013 include accompanying vocalist Tony Harnell and THE WILDFLOWERS on acoustic guitar, releasing his own line of Bumblefoot hot sauces.

MEGADETH recently resumed work on its fourteenth studio album with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND. The CD is currently being recorded at MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California for an early 2013 release via an as-yet-undisclosed label following the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.

In a tweet earlier today, Mustaine wrote: "Cutting vocals today! Some inspiration! Jesus and Clint Eastwood!"

Mustaine also attached a photo with his tweet (see below) which appears to reveal a new songtitle: "Nothing To Remember".

Mustaine previously told NME about the direction of MEGADETH's new material, "Some of it's a little darker, some of it's a little faster. Being in this position right now, not knowing where we're gonna go or what we're gonna do, it's kind of like the world's ours to do what we want. Are we gonna go back to the speed and thrash metal roots that made us who we are? Are we gonna experiment and rely on the melody that we've discovered in MEGADETH songs?"

Mustaine also spoke about how he likes to keep MEGADETH's music more melodic than that of most thrash bands. "We've tried to do that in MEGADETH, have a little melody so that it's not just the same old grinding music like everybody else has," he said. "We're just happy to get going and get to the studio."

Johnny K produced MEGADETH's last album, 2011's "TH1RT3EN", which was also recorded at Vic's Garage. Mustaine previously stated about the recording process for "TH1RT3EN", "We've got a great new partner with Johnny K. I mean, I was satisfied with our last co-producer, with Andy Sneap, and Andy really took us — and he even admits — as far as he could take us, and it was great because we wanted to go back to the big leagues where we were, and we feel that Johnny is, obviously, a big-league producer; not that Andy isn't — don't get me wrong. But we feel that this record is definitely one of our best. It's a great feeling, because, you know, finishing some of the last record, I can honestly say, in my heart I knew that it wouldn't contend with some of the great records in the past, just because of the timing, the label that we were on and stuff like that. Lineup changes and stuff… But I really think that everything just lined up for this record."

"TH1RT3EN" sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD marked the recorded return of bassist David Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. In a move that delighted the band's legion of diehards, Ellefson returned to performing live with MEGADETH in early 2010 and has remained a fixture on the stage ever since. This was the first time Ellefson has played on a MEGADETH record since 2002's "Rude Awakening".

Long Beach, New York-based hard rock band TERRA STIGMA will enter the studio in January with producer John Moyer (bassist for DISTURBED and ADRENALINE MOB) to record new material.

"We are thrilled to have a chance to work with such an accomplished music industry veteran on this record," said TERRA STIGMA bassist and songwriter Shawn Stuart. "We look forward to finally getting our new songs out there as they are our most meaningful, powerful songs to date."

TERRA STIGMA previously released two well-received CD EPs in 2008 and 2011, produced by Marc Jordan (VELVET REVOLVER, THE CULT) and mastered by Tom Baker (DEFTONES, SEETHER). The gained a reputation for hitting the streets hard, playing over 200 venues and scoring opening slots for such national acts as REV THEORY, TAPROOT, ADEMA, REACH 454 and PHANTOM PLANET over the past several years. With the recent addition of lead guitarist Jared Elliot, more of the same is expected in 2013.

Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH will begin 2013 in a big way on tour alongside WHITECHAPEL and EMMURE. The "Brothers Of Brutality Tour" will kick off on January 8 in Knoxville, Tennessee and wrap up February 11 in New York, New York.

Commented UNEARTH vocalist Trevor Phipps: "[Bassist] John 'Slo' Maggard will, unfortunately, be sitting out the 'Brothers Of Brutality Tour' this coming January/February. His absence is simply to take care of personal matters at home and is only temporary. Slo will remain a member of UNEARTH moving forward and is actively involved in the writing process for our next album, which we plan to record and release some time in 2013. Luckily, our longtime friend Matt DeVries (FEAR FACTORY, ex-CHIMAIRA) will be taking over bass duties for the tour. Slo will certainly be missed on this tour, but having DeVries on board is something we are all looking forward to. He's a true pro, a great performer and one of our closest friends in the business. Good times ahead!"

Added DeVries: "I couldn't be more excited to be filling in on bass for my longtime friends in UNEARTH on the upcoming 'Brothers Of Brutality Tour'. They are like family to me, and I'm extremely happy to step up to the plate for my good buddy Slo!"

UNEARTH's new album, "Darkness In The Light", sold 6,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 72 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "The March", opened with around 11,000 units back in October 2008 to land at No. 45.

"Darkness In The Light" was recorded at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts with producer (and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist) Adam Dutkiewicz. The effort was mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) from Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

HALCYON WAY guitarist Jon Bodan is gearing up for the debut release from his electronic/industrial side project KARBONBLACK, entitled Deadlights Shine. It is currently in mixdown for an early 2013 release.

Bodan: "This remix below was done in summer/fall 2011 for the band RAUNCHY from Denmark. The album this came from, A Discord Electric, is one of my favorite albums ever, and this is one of my favorite tracks on there, so this was a lot of fun. The song has a brilliant hook and a great main riff so I focused in on those two elements to build the remix around."
Halcyon Way's latest album, IndoctriNation, is the sequel to 2010's Building The Towers and continues the sound and theme of that album. The tracklisting is as follows:

‘On Black Wings’
‘Our Finest Hour’
‘IndoctriNation’
‘Revolution Is Now’
‘The Wages Of War’
‘Stand Up’ (Sammy Hagar Cover)
‘The Age Of Betrayal’ (radio Edit)
‘The System’

BW&BK scribe Carl Begai caught up with Bodan in September 2011 to discuss the album and his battle with cancer. An excerpt is available below:

Bodan reveals the new album features material that was penned during the Building The Towers sessions and polished while he was being treated for lymphoma over the last 10 months. The material has been on the backburner for quite some time.

“When we did A Manifesto For Domination, from the time we started tracking it to the time it came out, it was nearly five years. We changed vocalists, there were other line-up changes, so it took a long time. That whole time we were writing new material, so we had a ton of new songs written for Building The Towers ready to go. We actually tracked 16 songs during the Building The Towers sessions and were kind of torn the whole time, because we felt very strongly about all the material. We didn’t know if we were going to put out a double CD, which would have been too long, or if we should put out two albums. We ultimately decided to go with two albums, putting them out as a Part 1 and Part 2. It was just a matter of hashing out the details once Building The Towers came out.”

IndoctriNation continues Halcyon Way’s “equal parts prog and metal” direction, a sound that has roped in fans from both sides of the fence. For every DREAM THEATER or FATES WARNING fan that may be put off by bassist Kris Maltenieks’ death-inspired growls, the band’s melodic assault is attractive. Likewise, traditional metal fans that get off on acts like CAGE or PRIMAL FEAR can find worth in Halcyon Way’s no-nonsense crush groove in spite of their technical overtones. None of it is a put-on; Bodan and Company come by their musical schizophrenia honestly.

“I grew up as a fan of Bay Area thrash, went from there and got into death metal. But at the same time I veered off and got into prog metal as well. I’m really into stuff like old QUEENSRYCHE and Fates Warning, things along those lines that are technical yet song-oriented. Our bass player and drummer have a black metal side project, my first band was a death metal band, so we’re definitely geared in a heavier direction rather than music featuring frilly keyboards and accompanied by silk shirts and lace-up leather pants (laughs).”

Go to this location for the full story.

Hells Headbangers has announced the signing of BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY and PERDITION TEMPLE. Both bands are helmed by guitarist Gene Palubicki, founder/songwriter of the legendary ANGELCORPSE.

Commented Palubicki: "Been a while since there has been any actual 'production' news concerning either of my active works, namely PERDITION TEMPLE and BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY. It is official at this point that both bands are no longer part of the Osmose Productions roster. It was not a bad split with my longtime former label, simply the direction the label and my bands are pursuing differs enough to make it time for a change.

"I'm quite happy to announce the new home for BOTH bands is Hells Headbangers Records! Of the several labels who contacted me and made various offers, Hells Headbangers clearly shares my vision for the course I wish to go for both bands. Hells Headbangers has a dedication to releasing the sort of products that are very much a best fit for my bands. In development currently are the sophomore full-length from PERDITION TEMPLE, and a forthcoming MLP of new BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY material."

Palubicki continued: "For lineups concerning both bands, I couldn't be more satisfied! In PERDITION TEMPLE I've got drummer Ronnie Parmer, who's been tearing it up with devilish precision with me for all the shows we've been doing for the last year now, as well as Gabriel Gozainy on bass, who completely shreds my riffs and gives our sound just that much more mayhem! And in a somewhat recent development, the lineup is now also joined by my former bandmate from past ANGELCORPSE times, Bill Taylor on second guitar! So on the forthcoming album, it will have been nearly 15 years ago that we both appeared on an album together [1998's 'Exterminate' by ANGELCORPSE]! So the feeling going into this new is right where it needs to be!

"For BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY, the lineup remains unchanged from the previous record. I am once agained joined by both Alex Blume on bass/vocals and drummer Gina Ambrosio on drums, and anyone who might have caught our debut live show a few months ago knows that we clearly give no quarter and no compromise on our lightning warfare attack! The new material of BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY will appear in the form of a MLP/MCD to feature three or four new original songs and maybe one or two cover tracks of our liking."

According to New York Natives, charges against New York hardcore veteran Harley Flanagan in connection with an alleged assault of several members of the new CRO-MAGS lineup have been dismissed.

Flanagan, who founded the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14 and toured with the band for some twenty years, was arrested in New York City on July 6 on charges of attacking several musicians fromf the current version of the CRO-MAGS during the CBGB Festival. Flanagan, who had been a panelist at one of the event's seminars, allegedly attempted to attend the concert of his former band. Neither Harley Flanagan nor Parris Mayhew, the two founding members of the band, is still in the CRO-MAGS.

Over the past five months, Flanagan has appeared before the court in New York City on three separate occasions facing four second degree felony assault charges and weapons possession, each resulting in an adjournment.

In a New York Natives exclusive video interview, which can be seen below, Flanagan appeared happy to get back to his life, clearly, yet humbly confident that things would turn out as they have.

Said Flanagan: "I'm very glad to have all this behind me … It wasn't until I was in the hospital that I realized that I was the one getting charged with attacking them, which was a surprise to me. I thought we were all going to get charged with having a fight or whatever. I didn't see how it could make sense that one person could attack a room full of people. It didn't make sense then and it makes no sense now, 'cause it just didn't happen, and that's basically why I'm getting off today is because they had a lot people making statements then saying that I did this and I did that, but it all started falling apart because they were all giving conflicting statements."

Arizona grinders LANDMINE MARATHON recently re-recorded two songs — "Bile Towers" and "Dead Horses" — with new vocalist Krysta Martinez (TRANSIENT) that are now available digitally worldwide through iTunes. Martinez recorded the vocals for both tracks remotely from Haywire Studios in Portland, Oregon.

"The biggest obstacle," stated Martinez, "was in making certain the tracks didn't sound robotic because these tracks were written by Grace [Perry, former LANDMINE MARATHON vocalist].

"The lyrics for the songs contain some great images and emotions. I really had to study and absorb the content quickly and fully to ensure that I could project that catharsis.

"Any careful listener will know that there's some intense emotion driving these songs. It's really important to me to do justice to the songs as they exist while still making them my own, and I loved the process of recording them."

Added guitarist Ryan Butler: "We are so excited to be working with Krysta. She's breathing new life into the band, has brought a new level of power to our tracks and is a pleasure to be around. I am really excited for 2013 and releasing new material, but these tracks are a great idea of where the future will lead us."

On her vocal technique, Martinez commented: "In the studio setting, the room is often somewhat sterile, as there's no energy from a crowd and there's definitely a risk of that sterility carrying over into the sound. You have to make a point to overcome that and scream and growl into the mic like you're in terrible agony or attack mode."

LANDMINE MARATHON's next scheduled performance is alongside NAPALM DEATH, PHOBIA, MACABRE, DISGORGE and DYING FETUS at Mexico's Obscene Extreme festival in late March.

LANDMINE MARATHON's fourth album, "Gallows", was released in September 2011 via Prosthetic Records. The CD was recorded by LANDMINE MARATHON guitarist Ryan Butler at Arcane Digital Recording Studio (EXHUMED, NIGHTRAGE, MISERY INDEX, PHOBIA) and mastered by Dave Shirk at Sonorous Mastering. The album features the debut of the band's new drummer, Andy York.

The "Gallows" cover art was created by U.K. artist Rob "Mid " Middleton, who has previously worked with NAPALM DEATH, EXTREME NOISE TERROR and DEVIATED INSTINCT (in which Middleton plays guitar), among others.

"Astro Khaos 2012 - Official Live Bootleg", a brand new CD+DVD release from Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY, has just been made available in Japan.

Says the band: "At the end of our Japan tour in April 2012, we played two suddenly announced special intimate shows with setlists voted by the Japanese fans... The CD+DVD captures these very special moments…"

"Astro Khaos 2012 - Official Live Bootleg" track listing:

01. Enemy Within
02. In This Shallow Grave
03. Fields of Desolation
04. Nemesis
05. Bury Me An Angel
06. Dead Eyes See No Future
07. The Immortal
08. Bridge Of Destiny
09. Blood On Your Hands
10. Silverwing
11. Khaos Overture
12. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
13. We Will Rise

ARCH ENEMY's front-of-house engineer Clem Bennett posted a five-minute video recap of the band's Japanese tour. Check it out below.

ARCH ENEMY's recent tour of South America and Mexico was documented for the band's next DVD, to be released in late 2013. German production company Filmefahrer Pictures, known for its work on "2012 - The Movie" and THE VERY END's music video for "A Hole In The Sun", filmed the shows, conducted interviews with the bandmember and shot backstage footage, fans and other incidentals during the tour.

ARCH ENEMY's ninth album, "Khaos Legions", sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 78.

The band earlier in the year amicably parted ways with guitarist Christopher Amott and replaced him with American musician Nick Cordle (ARSIS).

Audio samples of all the tracks that will appear on "The Savage Playground", the fourth album from Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET, can be streamed at Amazon.co.uk. The CD will be released on January 25 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22 in North America via Frontiers Records.

With "The Savage Playground" recorded during summer/autumn 2012 at Kingside Studios outside Stockholm with producer Otto Wellton, the band has their minds set to break through on a worldwide basis with a tour that will see the band going back to the U.S. as well as going to Japan for the first time.

The new album sees CRASHDÏET going in a heavier and direction. "'The Savage Playground' is our playground, it's the beginning and the end, it's the place where we eat and breed," says guitarist Martin Sweet. "We thought the time was right for us to do a edgier and not-so-polished-sounding album, kinda like what we sound like live. It's more organic and rough-sounding. And, of course, we're always evolving as musicians and like to try new ways of expressing ourselves, and that can most definitely be heard this album."

"The Savage Playground" track listing:

01. Change The World
02. Cocaine Cowboys
03. Anarchy
04. California
05. Lickin' Dog
06. Circus
07. Sin City
08. Got A Reason
09. Drinkin' Without You
10. Snakes In Paradise
11. Damaged Kid
12. Excited
13. Garden Of Babylon

The official Richard "Rick-y" Frantzén-directed video for "Cocaine Cowboys", the first single from "The Savage Playground", can be seen below.

CRASHDÏET released a new DVD entitled "Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild" on December 4. The disc features three hours of live and behind-the-scenes footage complied by the band with Bear Productions.

Ruben Mosqueda of Sleaze Roxx recently conducted an interview with John Corabi, former lead singer of MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM and UNION. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Sleaze Roxx: Moving on to the "Mötley Crüe" album; Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) sang background vocals on "Misunderstood". How did he wind up on that and is he featured in other songs?

John Corabi: He basically just did "Misunderstood". That was such a fluke. I'm a huge DEEP PURPLE fan, so when I first met Glenn, I was probably in the band about three weeks. Glenn and his girlfriend came in and I didn't recognize him right away. It's common knowledge that in the past Glenn has had "substance" issues. He had gone into rehab, cleaned himself up, and had gained some weight and cut his hair. I said, "Who is that English guy over there?" Tommy Lee said, "Dude, that's Glenn Hughes!" I'm like, "What?!" I went over introduced myself. At one of the rehearsals Glenn and I started jamming to some blues and we became friends. When we did the record, we recorded it in Vancouver and we were doing overdubs and mixing it in L.A. Glenn found out that we were at A&M Studios and he decided to come by the studio. Bob Rock is also a huge DEEP PURPLE fan and we're all sitting around bullshitting when Bob said, "Would you guys be cool if we had Glenn do some vocals?" I said, "Yeah that would be awesome! I'd love that!" It just so happen that the reels were up and that was the song that was on at the time because Bob had been working on that particular song. Bob said, "Hey, Glenn, would you like to do some vocals?" Glenn said, "Yeah, man, sure." Bob said, "Well how about this one?" Glenn said, "Yeah great." I swear to God, dude, if you know anything about recording at all — we were standing in the control room. Glenn went into the next room, the engineer set up a pair of headphones for him and a microphone, and he begins to test his vocals. Glenn said, "Alright, run it down one time. Let me hear it." So they play the song for him one time top to bottom and he's sitting there with his eye closed listening to the song. Glenn said, "Okay, cool, man, that's great. I got it. Awesome. Roll tape." He went through the song ONE TIME! What you hear on the record is what he came up with off the top of his head!

Sleaze Roxx: Are you saying it was one take?

John Corabi: Dude, it was one... is this being taped?

Sleaze Roxx: Yeah.

John Corabi: Okay, cool. ONE FUCKING TAKE! I'm like, "Holy shit! How? Are you fucking kidding me?" I could not believe that he had done this off the cuff and laid down this amazing vocal. We were sitting there looking at each other. Bob Rock was sitting there pissing himself laughing, saying, "I can't believe what just came out of this guy's mouth!" I got a chance to record with one of my heroes as far as rock and roll goes but also one of my vocal heroes. I'm a huge Glenn Hughes fan. From a vocal standpoint, Glenn Hughes is just a God. Ten days later, we had Billy Preston come in a play a bunch of keyboards for us on a bunch of shit. I was in my glory hanging out doing this record. It was amazing.

Sleaze Roxx: You're friendly with the guys in MÖTLEY CRÜE, right? How do you maintain a relationship after suing them?

John Corabi: To be quite honest with you, a lot of people don't realize that Nikki Sixx and I did BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION after the lawsuit. Nikki and I would fuck with each other during the writing of the BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION record and we'd have a disagreement. Nikki would look at me and say, "What are you gonna do? Sue me?!" We'd do that back and forth jokingly. I would look at him and say, "Only if you give me reason to!" [laughs] I know why I did it. I think Nikki knows why I did it. So does Tommy Lee and Mick Mars. We don't talk a lot on the phone. If I saw any of those guys, including Vince Neil, right now... Vince would say, "Hey, buddy, how are you doing? Let's go have a beer." We'd be fine. Nikki and I still have our moments when we get pissy with each other, but we're like brothers. I don't agree with everything that he does and he doesn't agree with everything that I do. You gotta do what's right for you and they gotta do what's right for them. I don't have any ill will — nothing at all toward those guys. Mick and I, about three months ago, had a three hour conversation about life, ours kids, our girlfriends, our health and there was some stuff that I never had a chance to sit down with Mick and discuss at great length. I wanted to explain to him things related to my exit from the band so he knew. He totally understood what I said and why I did some of the things that I did. We're fine. It's funny, Mick just did an interview for a music magazine and he was asked what his favorite album that he's recorded he said, "The one we did with John." We're fine. It's not like we're hanging out having dinner together, but we're fine.

Read the entire interview from Sleaze Roxx.

MEGADETH has posted the following message on its official Facebook page:

"[MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine will be moving his studio, Vic's Garage in San Marcos, California, to a new location in the New Year. There will be a huge clearance of studio gear and professional audio equipment available at MEGADETH's official eBay store coming soon. There will also be guitars going up, and Mustaine is considering offers on his Jackson No. 1! Check out all the items currently up at the store. The store is stocked with rare and hard-to-find promotional items, photos, stage equipment, oddities, personal items, shirts, used strings, set lists, and much more! If you are looking for MEGADETH, look no further!"

MEGADETH's 14th album is currently being recorded at Vic's Garage with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis) for an early 2013 release via an as-yet-undisclosed label following the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.

Johnny K produced MEGADETH's last album, 2011's "TH1RT3EN", which was also recorded at Vic's Garage.

"TH1RT3EN" sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD marked the recorded return of bassist David Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002.

"Death Comes To The Sleeping", the new video from Danish heavy rockers HELHORSE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Rasmus G. Sejersen of THE PSYKE PROJECT, who has previously worked with EMMURE, NASUM, THE CHARIOT and THE KANDIDATE.

"Death Comes To The Sleeping" comes off HELHORSE's sophomore album, "Oh, Death", which was recorded this past summer at Grapehouse Studios in Copenhagen and was produced, mixed and mastered by Emil Buus Saur. According to a press release, the CD "shows a band that is intensely focused, brimming with self-confidence, but at the same time are not afraid to show vulnerability, ferocity and enormous love for music. "

Lyrically, "Oh, Death" is a concept album circling around the theme of death. However, it is not death in a normal "metal" interpretation with fire and brimstone. The focus is death as catharsis. It is about cleansing the things that drag you down; the impossible expectations, dying love, the warped idea of perfection and to celebrate our mistakes and shortcomings, because they are the ones that create life and give us an identity.Therefore, the CD was given the title "Oh, Death", taken from the poem "Oh, Death", an old Appalachian Mountain funeral dirge that beautifully describes death in all its complexity.

Regarding the "Death Comes To The Sleeping" video, HELHORSE vocalist Mikkel Wad Larsen said: "Just like our new album, we wanted our visual expression to be more direct, honest and show the band where it's best — LIVE!

"We are blown away by Rasmus's work and the way he taps into the very core of the band is simply amazing."

"Oh, Death" is tentatively due in the spring.

Reactivated German metallers MAJESTY will release their comeback studio album, "Thunder Rider", on January 4 In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and on January 25 in the rest of Europe via Austria's NoiseArt Records. In addition to a standard CD release, "Thunder Rider" will be made available as a special edition, including a bonus track and a DVD with the "Metal Union" documentary, along with a vinyl edition.

"Thunder Rider" track listing:

01. Thunder Rider
02. Warlords Of The Sea
03. Anthem Of Glory
04. Make Some Noise
05. Metalliator
06. Raise The Beast
07. New Era
08. Asteria
09. Young And Free (special-edition bonus track)
10. Rebellion Of Steel
11. Metal Union

The video for the album's title track, "Thunder Rider", can now be seen below.

Commented MAJESTY vocalist Tarek "MS" Maghary: "We are already excited about the dedication, the enthusiasm and the professionalism of NoiseArt. Those guys are true metalheads like ourselves who fight with full force for heavy metal.
"It's the beginning of a new era for MAJESTY and 'Thunder Rider' is a mighty kick in the ass for everybody who had doubts about MAJESTY and our will for victory. We are back — stronger than ever and with NoiseArt we have a mighty partner on our side!"

Added NoiseArt: "We are proud to welcome the band MAJESTY in our roster! We were tracking the activities of the band for years and are looking forward to successfully work together with MAJESTY in the future!"

The song "Metal Union", which ends the "Thunder Rider" album, is the musical conversion of that theme. Along with Tarek, Sven D'Anna (WIZARD), Hannes Braun (KISSIN' DYNAMITE), Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER), Patrick Fuchs (ROSS THE BOSS), Andreas Babushkin (PARAGON) and Marta Gabriel (CRYSTAL VIPER) sing on the track.

Germany's southern groove metal machine DIRT released its sophomore album, "Rock 'N Roll Accident", on November 23 via Massacre Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Seven Days
02. Dirty
03. Rock 'N' Roll Accident
04. Fast Lane
05. Face Down
06. Never Change
07. Crush
08. Breathe In
09. One Step Away
10. Nice To See You

The video for the song "Fast Lane" can be seen below.

Vocalist Sven Zaklikowski founded DIRT back in 2008. Thiemo Hille was the first to join the group as guitarist. He was followed by Marius Rebmann (bass), Florian Stollberg (guitars) and Marcel Unger (drums).

DIRT's debut album, "Suicide Blues", was released in July 2009 via the band's own label, Dirt Rock Records.

The band played gigs at various clubs and local festivals between 2010 and 2011, where they gained new fans.

DIRT's sound can be described as sludge/doom metal with strong blues and southern rock influences, even though they prefer to call their style "southern groove metal."

DIRT is:

Sven Zaklikowski: Vocals
Thiemo Hille: Guitar
Florian Stollberg: Guitar
Marius Rebmann: Bass
Marcel Unger: Drums

"Crucified", the new album from MPIRE OF EVIL (formerly PRIMEVIL) — the band formed in 2010 by ex-VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals) — will contain re-recorded versions of VENOM tracks from Dolan's time with the group.

"Crucified" track listing:

01. Temples Of Ice
02. Parasite
03. Kissing The Beast
04. Blackened Are The Priests
05. Carnivorous
06. Black Legions
07. Need To Kill
08. Wolverine
09. Crucified
10. Demone

The song "Demone" can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

After completing a successful U.S. tour with drummer Marc Jackson (who replaced Antony "Antton" Lant earlier this year), MPIRE OF EVIL in May announced that Marc had joined the group on a permanent basis.

MPIRE OF EVIL released its full-length debut, "Hell To The Holy", on March 26 via Scarlet Records. The CD boasts 10 brand-new tracks displaying the band's infectious and groovy heavy metal assault, conveying Mantas' thunderous riffs, a huge rhythm section and Dolan's abrasive vocals into a monstrous musical holocaust which will appeal to both old-school and modern metal fans.

Produced by Mantas himself and featuring stunning cover artwork by Gyula Havancsák (ANNIHILATOR, DESTRUCTION, GRAVE DIGGER), "Hell To The Holy" is without any doubts a "must have" album for 2012.

MPIRE OF EVIL earlier in the year completed a North American tour with fellow British thrashers ONSLAUGHT.

Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! conducted an interview with bassist Mike D'Antonio of Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE prior to the band's December 16 performance at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. You can now watch the chat below.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach announced during the Brooklyn show that the band's new studio album will be released in April 2013 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, an acclaimed producer who has previously worked with ALL THAT REMAINS, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and AS I LAY DYING, among others. The mixing sessions were overseen by veteran British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE).

Asked for more information about the status of the upcoming CD and how it came together, D'Antonio said: "We've got the title, I've got all the artwork finished for it. I've just gotta fit in the lyrics. [There are] 12 songs on it. It was hard to whittle down which songs were actually gonna make it on the record, 'cause we like them all; we're really excited about it."

He continued: "It was weird. Jesse did two songs and then kind of wanted to get a feel for how the band was communicating and hanging out together. And he was, like, 'Let's go out on tour and see how it is and then I can come back and finish the rest of the record and really have a better headspace for what's going on with the band.' So he did two songs, we went out on tour, came back and all of a sudden, he started doing all this new stuff — like, eight or nine different, new voices we had never heard before. And we were were, like, 'Wait a minute, man! Now you're gonan have to redo the last stuff we did, because this stuff sounds so great.' So he just blew us away. This guy… I don't know if he's got split personalities or what's going on in his head, but he's got a million different voices going on there, and it sounds really cool on the record."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's forthcoming album will mark the return of Leach, who rejoined the group earlier this year following the departure of Howard Jones after nine years and three successful albums.

Leach sang on the band's first self-titled album, which came out in 2000, and on their landmark release, 2002's genre-defining "Alive Or Just Breathing".