Swedish death metallers DEMONICAL have issued the following update:

"Due to a few non-interesting reasons, we have postponed the recordings of our upcoming full-length attack until late January.

"As expected, our new material is clearly the best DEMONICAL stuff ever written and the next album will be a hellish journey into the world of Swedish death metal darkness and beyond.

"Street date in late May/early June through Cyclone Empire."

The recording sessions for DEMONICAL's new CD are expected to take place at Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, UNANIMATED, DESTRÖYER 666) in Alvik, Sweden.

DEMONICAL recently announced the addition of guitarist Daniel Gustavsson to the group's ranks. The band stated, "Daniel has been touring with us as session member since early spring, and as all admission tests executed on the road turned out nothing but excellent, he therefore became the obvious choice for our vacant axe position."

DEMONICAL's third album, "Death Infernal", was released in April 2011 via Cyclone Empire.

Two of the four members of New York City hardcore/speed metal legends STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH have set out to forge a new path of punishment in 2013.

UNITED FORCES unites S.O.D.'s bassist Danny Lilker (BRUTAL TRUTH, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, NUNFUCKRITUAL, LOCK UP, ex-ANTHRAX) and notorious frontman Billy Milano (METHOD OF DESTRUCTION), the longtime cohorts taking their mayhem to new turf. Milano and Lilker recruited two additional henchmen to help carry out their forthcoming disorder, with the thunderous Nick Barker (LOCK UP, ANCIENT, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, ex-DIMMU BORGIR) on percussive duties, and Anton Reisenegger (CRIMINAL, PENTAGRAM (Chile), EXTREME NOISE TERROR, LOCK UP) handling guitars.

With Lilker located in upstate New York, Milano in central Texas, Barker in England and Reisenegger in Spain, details on the outfit's plans concerning touring or recording remain unknown, but UNITED FORCES is, without question, a pending force with which to be dealt.

Notes Milano on the eclectic union of metal soldiers: "I'm not out to reinvent myself at my age. I just want to have a lot of fun with this. We called it UNITED FORCES because we're located all over the place, in different countries, but this is something we're going to come together for." Adds Lilker: "It's gonna be really fun to get together with some good friends — who are also great musicians — and play some earsplitting, hardcore-tinged thrash metal! And obviously, we know how to do just that."

At this year's installment of the Fun Fun Fun fest in Austin, Texas, modern thrash heavyweights MUNICIPAL WASTE were joined by Lilker and Milano onstage to help unleash the S.O.D. staple "United Forces". Check out the carnage below.

Future UNITED FORCES plans will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Sammy Hagar (CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN, MONTROSE) has revealed in a new holiday video message that CHICKENFOOT will take 2013 off to focus on other projects. He said: "Joe's [Satriani, CHICKENFOOT guitarist] doing his thing and Chad's [Smith, CHICKENFOOT drummer] just coming off a [RED HOT] CHILI PEPPERS tour and he's not gonna wanna go into the studio. So I think Mikey [CHICKENFOOT/ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony] and I and the WABOS, we'll just go out and do some stuff." That "stuff" will likely include "more shows, maybe a proper tour" and possibly even a new record."

In other news, Hagar will perform at the third-anniversary party of the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 9,. Wristbands free on a first-come-first-served basis.

CHICKENFOOT recently reissued its gold-selling 2009 self-titled debut as a double-disc set. The new version features bonus live tracks recorded on the group's tour behind its sophomore studio effort, "III"

CHICKENFOOT's most recent touring lineup included legendary drummer/musician Kenny Aronoff, who was filling in for Smith while Chad was on the road with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.

GIANT X, the new band formed by RUNNING WILD members Rolf Kasparek and Peter J. Jordan, will release its debut album, "I", on January 18 in Germany, January 21 in the rest of Europe and January 22 in USA/Canada via Steamhammer/SPV.

Audio samples of all the tracks that will appear on the CD can be streamed at SPV.de.

This sensational collaboration was sparked by the unexpectedly euphoric reactions from all over the world to the Kasparek/Jordan composition "Burning Wheels" (off EMI's rock/metal album), which featured Kasparek on vocals. Encouraged by those positive responses, Jordan and Kasparek decided to co-compose more tracks and offer them to interested record companies under the band name of GIANT X. They decided on the Hanover label Steamhammer/SPV, which previously released the latest RUNNING WILD opus, "Shadowmaker".

"GIANT X have a broader musical range which allows Rolf and myself to present ourselves from a totally different side," Jordan explains. "Our material consists of consciously multi-layered numbers, more in the tradition of KISS, QUEEN, THIN LIZZY, VAN HALEN but also BILLY TALENT. In other words: rock music in the tradition of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties — our shared musical roots. The main thing for us was that people would be able hear the lightness and spontaneity of our collaboration."

"I" contains a total of 13 brand new songs, all of them penned by Jordan and Kasparek. The recording was produced and mixed by Jordan, with lots of support from Kasparek and RUNNING WILD's live mixer Niki Nowy.

No plans for GIANT X's future have yet been made, but according to Jordan and Kasparek, they are happy to "take things as they come. We don't rule anything out at this point."

"I" track listing:

01. The Rise Of The Giant X (intro)
02. On A Blind Flight
03. Don't Quit Till Tomorrow
04. Badland Blues
05. Now Or Never
06. Nameless Heroes
07. Go 4 It
08. The Count
09. Rough Ride
10. Friendly Fire
11. Let's Dance
12. Soulsurvivors
13. R.O.C.K.

Audio samples of all the songs that will appear on "Symphonic", the very special album from Norwegian hard rock singer Jorn Lande, can be streamed at MelodicRock.com. The CD will be released on January 25 in Europe and January 22 in North America via Frontiers Records.

"Symphonic" is not a proper new album, but rather a selection of tracks taken from Jorn's previous studio releases, which have been carefully selected by the Norwegian singer himself and painstakingly remixed in order to add a grandiose classical orchestra arrangement to the existing hard rock structure.

"I didn't want to choose the most obvious Jorn songs, as I didn't want this album to come out as a typical 'best-of' release," explains the former MASTERPLAN frontman. "Some songs that are not too typical in a Jorn context, were chosen simply because some great songs often tend to be forgotten and therefore deserve a second chance."

Tracks like "I Came to Rock", "Burn Your Flame" and "Behind The Clown" are presented in a very intriguing and different new dressing, which enhances the variety and depth of Jorn's classic songwriting and performance style. In Jorn's words: "'I Came To Rock' might now even remind the listener of a Broadway musical, not coming from a heavy rock band like Jorn. The new version of 'Behind The Clown' shows how much as a young boy I have been fascinated by Kate Bush. 'Burn Your Flame' instead came out really fresh and different, compared to the original version on 'Spirit Black' from 2009." "Symphonic" also includes a previously unreleased track: a cover version of DIO's "Rock And Roll Children".

"I hope you will enjoy the album and maybe you will even rediscover some songs you had forgotten…" concludes Jorn.

"Symphonic" track listing:

01. I Came To Rock
02. Rock And Roll Children
03. The World I See
04. Burn Your Flame
05. Man Of The Dark
06. My Road
07. Time To Be King
08. Black Morning
09. Like Stone In Water
10. Vision Eyes
11. War Of The World
12. Behind The Clown
13. A Thousand Cuts
14. The Mob Rules

"I Came To Rock" audio sample:

Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES premiered their brand new movie, "Legion Of The Black", this past Friday, December 21 at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Directed by Patrick Fogarty, written by Andy Biersack, Patrick Fogarty and Richard Villa III, "Legion Of The Black" tells the visual story of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' upcoming album, "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones". The film follows a group of rebels known as "The Wild Ones" as they defend their hearts, minds and bodies against F.E.A.R.

A video report from the movie premiere — which includes interviews with the band and Fogarty — can be seen below.

"Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones" will be released on January 8 via Lava/Universal Republic. The CD was produced by by John Feldmann (PAPA ROACH, THE USED, ATREYU) and is a full-fledged concept effort, though the band's lead singer, Andy Biersack, has not revealed the exact narrative just yet. "Lyrically, the most important thing for me is, how can I tell a cohesive story?" he told Revolver magazine. "How can I take the story and kind of weave it into songs that are written otherwise about a lot of personal experiences and the band's experiences?"

BLACK VEIL BRIDES will launch the first leg of "The Church Of The Wild Ones" world tour on January 4 in Las Vegas. The trek will wrap in San Francisco on March 8.

MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13 will release his fifth solo album, "The Dixie Dead", on February 18 in The UK and on February 19 in North America.

"The Dixie Dead" limited-edition packing with expanded artwork is available only in the U.S. or througn a U.S. source for initial orders. Retail limited edition will have a pullout poster and expanded artwork, which comes in DVD packaging. The version ordered during the web site pre-orders comes with the above and an exclusive patch and an exclusive sticker.

"The Dixie Dead" track listing:

01. Death Arise (intro)
02. Bloodsucker
03. Get Your Grave On
04. Curse The Living
05. Too Fast For Blood
06. Hail Ming
07. Coming Attractions
08. The Dixie Dead
09. Ghost Stories
10. Fuck You (In Memory Of...)
11. Carol Anne... They're Here
12. Hands Of The Ripper
13. Death Arise (overture)

In a recent interview with Metalkrant, Wednesday 13 stated about "The Dixie Dead": "I think it's the best CD I have ever made. It's a great combination of everything I have done over the years. It's heavy, it's still catchy and singalong songs, it's a full horror record."

He continued: "The album is going to look like a 1980s horror movie. It's a special way we did it. I'm more excited about that than everything I can remember that I put out. We have some different sounds, too, that we've tried. There's some really heavy stuff. Heavy for me — I don't mean like SLAYER heavy. [laughs] But for me, it's heavy. There's a track on the record that reminds me of BLACK SABBATH and there's one that reminds me of MINISTRY and METALLICA. There are a lot of influences in there and it showcases my lineup that I have now. I didn't play anything on the record, but vocals and keyboards. It's the first time I haven't played guitar on a record. I wrote everything, but I let the band play it. So to me, that definitely added something to it. I think I have a great band and my guitar player is amazing. The things he does and what he brought to the table… It's the perfect record for me. I feel like it's taken me 10 years to… Not that I didn't like what I did before, but I feel like this is finally the one that we got where I wanted it to be. I'm super excited and I hope people will embrace it the same way."

2013 is a special year for Wednesday 13 as it marks 20 years of him releasing recorded music and 10 years of the band WEDNESDAY 13.

Video footage of SCORPIONS' November 30 performance at Le Dome in Marseille, France can be seen below.

Check out photos at the ChurchOfNowhere.com web site.

SCORPIONS' "Comeblack", a new album of classic rock covers and fresh performances of signature repertoire recorded last year, sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 90 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SCORPIONS' last collection of all-original material, "Sting In The Tail", opened with 18,500 units to land at No. 23. This marked the band's highest chart debut in over 20 years. The CD also landed at No. 6 on the Rock Albums chart.

German grindcore/death metal act MILKING THE GOATMACHINE will release its new concept album, "Stallzeit", on March 1, 2013 via NoiseArt Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Only Goat Can Judge Me
02. Goatriders In The Sky
03. Stallzeit
04. 3 Room Shed
05. Goatpainter
06. The Day I Lost My Bell
07. Salt Lick City
08. Milk 'Em All
09. Hornbreaker
10. Whoola Hoove Groove
11. Strawless
12. Look @ These
13. When A Goat Loves A Woman
14. Udder Infection
15. In 10 Years We Are Old School
16. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD cover; bonus track)

MILKING THE GOATMACHINE's cover version of MOTÖRHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

According to a press release, "With 'Stallzeit', MILKING THE GOATMACHINE sets new standards. The killer production really nails it to the point, it's a hard-slamming, riff-sh*tting, grind shouting record with a massive wall of guitars, goatdowns, mosh parts and ferocity. A true fest of grind/death with a twist of nonsense and craziness, the trademark of them goats."

Commented the band: "The album will be, like all other MILKING THE GOATMACHINE albums, a concept album. The topics are the experiences that we've made on your planet and how we narrate everything to our Goatlord on planet GoatEborg...it's effectively a goat diary! The song 'When A Goat Loves A Woman', for example, describes the difficulty when you receive a phone number from an earth-doe and you try to dial the number with hooves on your touchscreen smart phone... Musically, we stayed true to ourselves and we grind down everything that we are up against."

Austrian death/ black metal metallers BELPHEGOR have commissioned Greek artist Anthon Siro Seth to create the artwork for the band's new album. Seth has already started working on the cover art and some magical images. He says in a statement: "It will be a great challenge creating the artwork for BELPHEGOR's new masterpiece. My mission is clear: creating the most disturbing artwork I have ever made!"

Commented BELPHEGOR mainman Helmuth: "It’s good to have Seth recruited again. He did the 'Pestapokalypse VI' graphics back in 2006.

"The lyrical content deals with blasphemy, exorcism, and blackest romantic. He's the perfect choice for the atmosphere we are looking for."

BELPHEGOR's new album is tentatively due in August 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The third and last recording session for the CD took place from November 29 through December 14, with Helmuth laying down the final vocals, overdubs and the guitar solos. The follow-up to 2011's "Blood Magick Necromance" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE).

Commented Helmuth: "This album is gonna be brutal, way more death metal blasphemy than the last records. The nine sound collages will reveal a new dimension of chaos, with the uttermost aggressive soundwall possible."

He added, "It's fantastic to work with Erik; this dude is really challenging, to give the best... 'cause you demons deserve it."

Quality fan-filmed video footage of DEATH ANGEL's December 9 performance at the Distortion festival in Eindhoven, Holland can be seen below.

DEATH ANGEL's long-awaited DVD, "A Thrashumentary", will be released in early 2013. Guitarist Ted Aguilar recently stated about the set, "It's gonna cover the history of DEATH ANGEL from the very beginning all the way up to the current version of DEATH ANGEL now. It's gonna be jam-packed with a lot of old footage, stuff from early D.A., even their side projects after D.A., when D.A. broke up and THE ORGANIZATION formed, and the reformation of the band [for an appearance at] Thrash Of The Titans [festival in 2001]."

According to a press release, "A Thrashumentary" is a combination live video and documentary, all wrapped up in one thrashing DVD. The footage was directed by Tommy Jones (SOILWORK, KATAKLYSM) and mixed by Chris Clancy of The Studio. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into one of the longest-running thrash acts out of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region known for turning out historic thrash bands such as METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS.

With the band surviving a span of 30 years of activity, and 25 years since the release of the classic album "The Ultra-Violence", now was the time to tell the story. Filmed on the "Relentless Retribution" world tour, the film shows the bands energetic live performance, cut with documentary-style interview footage. "Fly-on-the-wall" filming of the band talking about their career and footage of the band on the road give the viewer a personal connection to what is known as the mighty DEATH ANGEL.

RIGOR MORTIS frontman Bruce Corbitt has announced plans to start an online fundraiser for the family of the band's guitarist, Mike Scaccia, who died this past Saturday night (December 22) while performing with RIGOR MORTIS at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas at Corbitt's 50th-birthday celebration. Bruce states: "Also, there will possibly be a Scaccia tribute/benefit show put together for them to honor Mike and also raise money to help them. It could be as soon as this coming weekend. So I will also need to know what bands are interested in being part of this or if anyone can help in any way. "

He adds: "I also understand that it is Christmas time and I know Mike wouldn't want this to ruin that for anyone. He would want us all to know he went out doing what he loved doing surrounded by everyone he loved. He would want us to block this out and enjoy our Christmas with our families and loved ones."

Scaccia, who is also known for his work with MINISTRY and the REVOLTING COCKS, died of a sudden heart attack brought on by a heart disease (official cause of death: atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease), according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Officials ruled it a natural death. He was 47 years old.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, police responded to a call from the club at 11:45 p.m. Saturday, and Sciacca was pronounced dead at 12:26 a.m. in the emergency room at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.

His daughter Sarah posted a message on his Facebook page at 3 a.m. Dallas time on Sunday, saying, "I love you so much dad. I love you so much."

Mike is survived by his wife Jenny Rowen Scaccia, with whom he has two toddlers, and daughters Sarah Scaccia and Taarna Scaccia Hopkins.

"I'm The One", the new video from SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING (S.U.N.) — the band featuring the whiskey-soaked voice of Sass Jordan, a Canadian icon and Juno Award winner, alongside music partner, renowned drummer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Tichy, known for his tours of duty with BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, OZZY OSBOURNE and currently WHITESNAKE — can be seen below.

SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING recently inked a deal with Robo Records (a division of Waterfront Ent. Group), which released the band's self-titled debut album digitally on November 20. On Tuesday, January 15, 2013 the CD will be made available physically, with distribution through Fontana.

Previously working together is what brought Jordan and Tichy together in collaboration of the new music. "I had played drums on Sass's 'Rats' record," explains Tichy. "I knew she was one of the best rock singers going. So after many years, we reconnected and tried a bit of writing together." Both felt that in order to write the best, trend-free music they could, they needed to get away. They chose the mountains of Canyon Country and in an old, deserted shack S.U.N. was born. "We didn't realize where we going when we started out," says Jordan. "As we continued the songwriting path from 'Burned' to 'Mobile Again' to 'Nomad' and on ... The whole thing started to take shape in the form of a '70s odyssey, a time travel trajectory."

Completing the band that drives this music home is Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE, JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD) on bass and Tommy Stewart (GODSMACK, LO PRO, EVERCLEAR, FUEL) on drums.

For more information on S.U.N., go to this location.

"Abused", the new video from German melodic death metallers DYING HUMANITY, can be seen below. The clip was produced by Ambitious Films (EVOCATION, POWERWOLF, TERROR).

"Abused" comes off DYING HUMANITY's third album, "Living On The Razor's Edge", which was released last year via Bastardized Recordings.

According to a press release, "Living On The Razor's Edge" is DYING HUMANITY's first concept album, which, in contrast to the band's rather typical death metal band name, does not explore the depths of gore and violence but actually deals with a story that is an ideal, all too common example of how we humans ruin our existence daily. Visually supported by a stunning comic-styled artwork, "Living On The Razor's Edge" tells the tale of a woman that experiences all the hardships mankind is able to provide from a broken home over drugs, hypocrisy and abuse until a bitter end. Unfortunately, a story that is all too real nowadays especially in our rich, well-stuffed society. Mixed and mastered by Jörg Uken at Soundlodge Studio in Germany, this excursion into the abyss called "reality" comes across in powerful sounding and smartly arranged songs. Like its predecessor, the album once again features cover artwork by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, KRISIUN, GOD FORBID) and ultimately offers extreme music with lyrical substance that is a refreshing difference to tons of superficial, mediocre and forgettable releases.

DYING HUMANITY is:

Marcus Dietzsch - Vocals
Kai Seidel - Guitar
Simeon Keller - Guitar
Hendrik Wetzel - Bass
Danny Vanis - Drums

Greek/German heavy metallers MYSTIC PROPHECY are preparing to enter the studio to begin recording their eighth album for an early 2013 release. The recording process will once again take place at the Prophecy & Music Factory Studios in Germany, with singer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (SUICIDAL ANGELS, VALLEY'S EVE, INSIDEAD) in the producer's chair. The set will also contain a bonus live DVD from MYSTIC PROPHECY's ProgPower USA performance, and will be made available in various limited-edition formats.

Commented Liapakis: "After a successful tour last spring, summer festivals and an amazing trip to ProgPower USA, the time has come for us to enter the studio for our next album. The band is even stronger and united, with more versatility and depth in our new compositions, and with even more power, we couldn't imagine it any better."

MYSTIC PROPHECY is already scheduling its 2013 concerts.

The band's seventh album, "Ravenlord", was released in November 2011 via Massacre Records.

A "fan-made" roadtrip video from MERCENARY's trip to the Czech Republic this past summer to perform at the Basinfire Festival can be seen below. The band states: "[The 'Black Brigade' clip] was made by our friend Don G, whom we've previously coorporated with for the cover of 'Metamorphosis'. He kindly filmed the raw material for this vid and put it together for his own sake but we thought it was way too great not to share with you. More footage from the Basinfire Festival performance will be used for another video coming in early 2013."

MERCENARY is currently working on material for its seventh album for an early 2013 release via NoiseArt Records in Europe and Prosthetic Records in North America.

"Metamorphosis", the sixth album from MERCENARY, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 42. The CD was released in the U.S. on March 29, 2011 via Prosthetic.

"Metamorphosis" was produced by Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, VOLBEAT, NIGHTRAGE, HATESPHERE, PYRAMAZE).

MERCENARY 2012 is:

Jakob Mølbjerg - Guitar
René Pedersen - Bass, Vocals
Martin Buus - Lead Guitar
Peter Mathiesen - Drums

"Noche Acasador", the new video from former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 (real name: John William Lowery), can be seen below. This 2D version of the clip (3D version to be made available in 2013) was directed by Jonny Coffin (owner of the iconic Coffin Case brand), features camera work by Jason Dunlop and is presented by Coffin Case and Panasonic. The video also features John 5's wife Rita.

Says John 5: "This is a very special video for a very special piece of music and I hope you all like it. Thanks to Jonny and his team for their involvement in this, and helping to bring this track to life."

"Noche Acasador" comes off John 5's new full-length solo CD/DVD, "God Told Me To", which was released on May 8 via Rocket Science Ventures.

"God Told Me To" was recorded and produced by John 5, Chris Baseford (ROB ZOMBIE, TOMMY LEE) and Bob Marlette (SEBASTIAN BACH, BLACK SABBATH) in 2011. The cover art for the album is illustrated by none other than Rob Zombie, who is also tapping John 5 to score the entirety of his upcoming film, "The Lords Of Salem".

The CD portion of "God Told Me To" features ten painstakingly handcrafted pieces transcending multiple styles — an equal combination of acoustic and electronically influenced tracks — each designed to gradually reveal John 5's innovative interpretation of his instrument. The orchestration of "God Told Me To" showcases John 5's ability to master the subtlety of dynamics, thus emphasizing the overall production value of this body of work.

The DVD portion of "God Told Me To" is hosted by retro-style horror-host Mike Odd and takes a look inside the world of John 5 during his terrifying trip into the realm of "God Told Me To". The DVD features footage of John 5 in the studio while working on the new album, exclusive videos taken on tour, a peek inside the photo shoot for his 2011 remix album "Remixploitation", and more.

Seattle metal band SHADED ENMITY has released a teaser track from its upcoming full-length album, "Forsaken And Forgotten". Entitled "And Life Was Great", the song was recorded, mixed and mastered by Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) at Envisage Audio. Aaron will also be working with SHADED ENMITY on "Forsaken And Forgotten", which will be recorded in February.

"And Life Was Great" will be made available through iTunes and other digital music providers within the next few days.

The follow-up to 2011's "Hijo Perdido", "Forsaken And Forgotten" will feature cover artwork by Dan Arena.

Commented SHADED ENMITY vocalist/guitarist Joe Nurre: "We were a little late in getting around to recording/writing this album as I spent most of this year on the road playing guitar with Jeff Loomis [ex-NEVERMORE].

"The new material really flowed naturally from us, and it gave us time to write a really unique album.

"Our previous album, 'Hijo Perdido', had some really intense drumming on it, and the songs were faster and more to the point. This time we decided to take our time a little more with the writing, which has resulted in longer songs, with more melodies and solos.

"Originally we had decided to just do an EP, but we didn't want to cheat our fans, so we decided to do a full-length."

Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, HELLOWEEN) has been confirmed as one of the guest musicians who will appear on "The Mystery Of Time", the new album from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project. Also scheduled to make appearances on the CD are SAXON frontman Biff Byford, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick and drummer Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP.

Commented Sammet: "Of course, Michael Kiske is on board again! I bet you expected this. You can hear him loud and clear, and he is still the number one vocalist in that range — unbelievable! But, what is really new: For the first time in the history of AVANTASIA, we're working with a real symphonic orchestra: The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg! You may remember it, they have worked with RAMMSTEIN, BRYAN ADAMS, SHANIA TWAIN, and also with EDGUY on the 'Hellfire Club' album. It's an enchanting fairytale we are working on, so we really have no choice but to finally have a real orchestra — after all, it's an epic rock, or probably metal, opera!"

A YouTube clip containing footage of the orchestra recordings as well as a rough-mix sample of a song featuring Kiske is available below.

Bruce previously appeared on AVANTASIA's "The Wicked Symphony" and "Angel Of Babylon" CDs and Tobias contributed guest vocals to Bruce's last solo release, "BK3".

The new AVANTASIA CD is being recorded in part at VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, EDGUY, EPICA, RHAPSODY).

Immediately after the release of "The Mystery Of Time", a metal opera based on a story written by Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage.

Since the performances will embrace all the different eras and history of AVANTASIA, these shows will feature an extended playing time and the entire evening will be dedicated to AVANTASIA with no support acts.

Tobias originally wanted to put AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, "Even though I love to record and tour with EDGUY, I didn't foresee how much I need AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of KISS, etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of AVANTASIA. But that's not what AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!"

MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen has releasd the following statement regarding the passing of the band's guitarist, Mike Scaccia:

"I just lost my lil' brother and my best friend. The 13th Planet compound is devastated, completely in shock and shattered. Mikey was not only the best guitar player in the history of music, but he was a close, close, close part of our family — and I just lost a huge chunk of my heart today. Our lives are forever changed. Life without Mikey is like orange juice without pulp — kind of bland. I have no words to express what this guy meant to me, my family, my career... everything!

"Get to know his lead parts — for they are in the pantheon of music! Unfortunately, most of you didn't get to know Mikey's soul — which is in the pantheon of humanity. He is my hero, my friend and my idol. Mikey was always beside me — my right-hand man — through thick and thin, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful.

"Rest in peace my brother, my friend, my heart.

"Please pray for Mike Scaccia and Jenny, his wife and their children, and his family."

Scaccia, who is also known for his work with RIGOR MORTIS and the REVOLTING COCKS, died last night (Saturday, December 22) after suffering a seizure on stage from what was reported by some friends to be a heart attack. He was 47 years old.

Scaccia was performing with RIGOR MORTIS at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas at the 50th-birthday celebration for RIGOR MORTIS singer Bruce Corbitt when he reportedly asked for the strobe lights to be turned off moments before he collapsed onstage and could not be revived. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

His daughter Sarah posted a message on his Facebook page at 3 a.m. Dallas time, saying, "I love you so much dad. I love you so much."

Mike is survived by his wife Jenny Rowen Scaccia, with whom he has two toddlers, and daughters Sarah Scaccia and Taarna Scaccia Hopkins.

In 1989, Scaccia was asked by Jourgensen to join MINISTRY for their 1989-1990 "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" tour. Jourgensen was so impressed by Scaccia's talents that he included him into the band full time. Scaccia left RIGOR MORTIS in 1991 and went on to record and tour for MINISTRY's next album, the platinum-selling smash "Psalm 69" throughout 1992. He also recorded MINISTRY's follow-up effort, "Filth Pig", before leaving the band in 1996.

In early 2003, Scaccia reformed RIGOR MORTIS and around the same time rejoined MINISTRY on the road in support of their "Animositisomina" album. He left MINISTRY again in 2006 but rejoined Jourgensen in the studio and on the road in support of the band's latest album, "Relapse".

Pictured below (left to right): Mike Scaccia and Al Jourgensen

Tina of MetalTalk.net conducted an interview with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach at the Hard Rock Hell festival, which took place between November 29 and December 3 at Hafan-y-Mor Holiday Camp in North Wales, United Kingdom. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud player below.

Asked to name his personal highlights of this past summer's touring season, Bach said: "Download [festival in the United Kingdom] was amazing. Sweden Rock [Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden] was amazing."

He continued: "It's great when I play Download with my solo band. We get more people than… like, as many as any other band. It's completely been filled as far as you can see. And I'm not gonna name names, but some of the bands that came on after us, we blew their fucking ass out, as far as attendance. So that's very satisfying for me. Like Sweden Rock — it was our show. We opened for another band. When we played, there had to have been 65,000 people there. And then, when the next band played, who were supposedly bigger than us, I swear, 30,000 people fucking left. I mean, I'm not exaggerating. Maybe more. It was, like, absolutely shocking.

"So, a lot of people say, 'When are you getting back with your old band [SKID ROW]?' I'm doing great on my own. [laughs] You can't do better than selling out Sweden Rock or Download. I mean, I don't need those fucking guys."

According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Bach played in front of 14,000 people on June 7 between 9:45 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. on the "Rock" stage at this year's Sweden Rock Festival. The same paper also reports that SOUNDGARDEN performed in front of roughly 20,000 fans at the start of their Sweden Rock set, which kicked off at 11:30 p.m. later that night on the "Festival" stage.

The capacity of Sweden Rock Festival has been around 33,000 for the past couple of years.

Bach in July posted a letter on his Facebook page in which he said he was willing to reunite with SKID ROW. "For the fans, I would be willing to put my ego aside and do something that would be special for the people who put us where we are today," he wrote. "I do not personally want it myself. But it's not always about 'what I want.' If the fans really want to see us together, I would do it for the fans. Sometimes you can do things for people other than yourself."

Bach said he wanted to write the letter in response to current SKID ROW singer Johnny Solinger's interview in which Johnny said a recent tweet by Bach about a possible SKID ROW reunion was an attempt to "get attention."

Bach's most recent solo album, "Kicking & Screaming", sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

According to drummer Jaska Raatikainen of Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM, the songwriting process for the band's next album has been completed. He states: "Next step after holidays is that I'm gonna start sweating my ass off in the studio."

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD is tentatively due in late spring/early summer 2013 via Marquee Inc. in Japan and Nuclear Blast in other parts of the world.

Raatikainen recently described the band's new material as "very inspiring, dark and also little 'black' [metal]-ish."

CHILDREN OF BODOM in November canceled its appearance at next year's edition of the Tuska festival, set to take place June 28-30, 2013 in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland, "in order to be able to be part of a big tour in USA," according to the group's bassist, Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith).

CHILDREN OF BODOM released a photo book, "Roadkill", on August 8 via Hatecrew.com. The first 666 copies are numbered and personally signed by the band.

Photography for "Roadkill" started in 2007. It includes exclusive material of life on the road, shows, promo shoots, recording sessions, album cover production and the worldwide "hate crew," as the band's fans are affectionately known. The book also contains comments and diary entries by the band and the photographer, Jussi Hyttinen of FLC415.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's most recent release was "Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth)" , a very special CD+DVD career retrospective in celebration of the band's 15th anniversary.

Relax Live! has uploaded a video report on the December 5 concert in Vilnius, Lithuania featuring KREATOR, MORBID ANGEL, NILE and FUELED BY FIRE. The 17-minute clip includes short interviews and performance footage of all the bands.

KREATOR's new album, "Phantom Antichrist", sold 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 1 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.

MORBID ANGEL's latest album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 141. The effort marked MORBID ANGEL's first CD to feature bassist/vocalist David Vincent since 1995's "Domination".

NILE's seventh full-length album, "At The Gate Of Sethu", sold 3,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 131 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 2 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.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has posted the following message on his Facebook page:

"25 years ago today I had two almost-fatal drug overdoses that changed my life forever. I can't even see myself these days as that kid who was running head strong into the abyss, but I know he taught me how to live when he finally decided to do it for himself. I would of [sic] never seen the birth of my four beautiful children and had such a wonderful life (even with its adversity) if I had not kicked drugs.

"I can't say it loud enough, if your [sic] into them or considering doing them: DRUGS DON'T WORK. The downside is NEVER pretty.

"I am extremely grateful to be able to look back over these last 25 years and have all the memories that would of [sic] otherwise gone down up flames.

"Today I am going over more script material for 'The Heroin Diaries' for the Broadway play.

"Life really is a crazy and fun journey, isn't it?

"Have a great holiday season wherever you are. Live in the moment."

As previously reported, Sixx's memoir, "The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star", is being turned into a Broadway play. Sixx stated in an online posting last month, "We’re getting pretty far down the road. We hope for a late 2013 or early 2014 for it to open."

"The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star", which was supposedly taken from actual journals Sixx kept in the late '80s while in the grip of a near-fatal heroin addiction, was originally released September 18, 2007 via MTV Pocketbooks/Simon & Schuster and debuted at #7 on the New York Times Book Review non-fiction best-seller list.

The 400-plus page book, written in part with journalist Ian Gittins, was previously described as "a brutally honest look at Sixx's hellish year, one which saw him overdose and be declared clinically dead at one point while MÖTLEY CRÜE toured behind its 'Girls, Girls, Girls' album."

Guitarist Mike Scaccia, who is best known for his work with MINISTRY, RIGOR MORTIS and the REVOLTING COCKS, died last night (Saturday, December 22) after suffering a seizure on stage from what was reported by some friends to be a heart attack. He was 47 years old.

Scaccia was performing with RIGOR MORTIS at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas at the 50th-birthday celebration for RIGOR MORTIS singer Bruce Corbitt when he reportedly asked for the strobe lights to be turned off moments before he collapsed onstage and could not be revived. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Corbitt stated via Facebook: "My brother is gone! The only reason I am who I am is because of this man. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be in a band.

"RIP, Mike — the greatest guitar player I ever knew. I'm proud to say that I was always Mike Scaccia's biggest fan, and always will be."

Said MINISTRY in a statement: "Michael Ralph Scaccia... Our dearest friend. We love you. We miss you. God rest your precious soul. We cannot fathom this loss."

In Scaccia's last Facebook update, he wrote, "These next 2 shows is what I worked my whole life for... Look out Mother Fuckers...hahha"

His daughter Sarah posted a message on his Facebook page at 3 a.m. Dallas time, saying, "I love you so much dad. I love you so much."

Mike is survived by his wife Jenny Rowen Scaccia, with whom he has two toddlers, and daughters Sarah Scaccia and Taarna Scaccia Hopkins.

According to a posting on the Facebook page of The Rail Club, "somebody stole a camera from upstairs that was recording the show when [the Scaccia incident] happened." The club management is asking "whoever took the camera" to call them "and save your ass a lot of grief!" The management adds: "How anyone could steal it with everything happening on stage?! What a fucking lowlife piece of shit!"

In 1989, Scaccia was asked by Al Jourgensen to join his band MINISTRY for their 1989-1990 "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" tour. Jourgensen was so impressed by Scaccia's talents that he included him into the band full time. Scaccia left RIGOR MORTIS in 1991 and went on to record and tour for MINISTRY's next album, the platinum-selling smash "Psalm 69" throughout 1992. He also recorded MINISTRY's follow-up effort, "Filth Pig", before leaving the band in 1996.

In early 2003, Scaccia reformed RIGOR MORTIS and around the same time rejoined MINISTRY on the road in support of their "Animositisomina" album. He left MINISTRY again in 2006 but rejoined Jourgensen in the studio and on the road in support of the band's latest album, "Relapse".

Video below: Mike Scaccia interviewed before MINISTRY's July 20, 2012 concert in London, England

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian has written the full musical score for the upcoming video game Morning Star. Industrial Toys, the studio producing the game, is set to release Morning Star in spring of 2013, initially for iOS devices.

"I'm really enjoying working on Morning Star because it gives me the ability to create new musical worlds to complement the new visual worlds in the game," explains Tankian. "Though most of the gameplay will be action oriented cues, the stunning artwork and static scenes have inspired unique sounds unheard before."

This is Serj's second venture into the world of writing music for video games. He previously composed portions of the score for John Woo's critically acclaimed Stranglehold video game, released in 2007 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows.

Industrial Toys released a trailer for Morning Star featuring music from Tankian last week that can be viewed below.

"We've been big fans of Serj's for quite some time," said Industrial Toys CEO Alex Seropian. "The opportunity to collaborate with him on Morning Star gave us a way to take the game to a whole new level. We knew his score would be unique, but it's his ability to interpret a scene or gameplay element and come up with something that makes it moodier, more dramatic or just more awesome that's really got us pumped."

Set 120 years into our future, Morning Star takes players aboard the MSRV-Joplin, a research vessel newly outfitted with military weaponry to explore a mysterious signal coming from within our solar system. When inevitable disaster strikes, Serj's accompanying musical score provides the thrilling musical backdrop as players are transported across the cosmos to engage in an epic battle for the ages. The looming threat that awaits is unlike anything humanity has ever seen before.

The game is a complete reimagining of the science fiction shooter, combining pillars of the genre such as deep immersion and intense action with controls, community and competitive multiplayer specifically designed for mobile platforms.

Quebec-based metallers MERKABAH have been teasing the new cover artwork for their upcoming album for about 24 hours (12:21 pm yesterday). The album, which is entitled Ubiquity, is set for release early in 2013. Stay tuned, as further info and details will be posted regularly.

Watch the album teaser below:
Ubiquity was produced at Wild Studio with renowned producer Pierre Rémillard (VOIVOD, MISERY INDEX, KRISIUN) and the tracklisting is as follows:
'Mythomania'
'Divine Sparks'
'Red Letter Days'
'Agartha'
'Circles of Despair'
'Deadly Prophets Of The Printed Page'
'Brothers From The Seed Of Cain'
'Ubiquity'

For more details visit Merkabah.ca.

To wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Italian melodic/math/death metallers IGNITION CODE have rearranged and recorded a cover of the song 'And So This Is Christmas'. Check out Ignition Code's metal re-edit of the track below:
Earlier this year, the band released the video for the track ‘Nothing Left’, off their debut album, NewTek Lie, out via To React Records. Watch the video below:
New Tek Lie was recorded at UnderRoom Studios and mastered at Cutting Room Studios in Sweden.
Tracklisting for New Tek Lie is as follows:

‘NewTek Lie’
‘Nothing Left’
‘Organic Program Failure’
‘The Illusion Of The Observable’
‘M.S.P.’
‘Human B.P.M.’
‘Biological Prospect’
‘MikroKid’
‘GameGear’
‘The Silent Judge’

Delayed from the originally planned release date of January 1st, San Marcos/Austin, TX-based progressive death/black metal horde VEX have now set February 5th as the release date for the follow-up to the 2010 full-length, Thanatopsis. The band's sophomore offering is entitled Memorious, and will be released through Horror Pain Gore Death Productions.
Memorious tracklisting:

'Terra Soar'
'Carve My Eyes'
'Astride A Grave'
'No Such Thing'
'Spectral Nation'
'Away From The Sun'
'Wasteland (How Long Ago...)'
'Solace In Sleep'
'Those Days Are Gone'
'A Drinking Song'
More on Vex at this location.