Birmingham hardcore metallers ODESSA have announced that Jamie Wrighton has joined the band on guitar, replacing the recently departed Gary Stephens.

Lead vocalist Richard Lardner commented: "We're happy to announce Jamie Wrighton as the latest addition to the Odessa family after Gary Stephens recent departure. Jay knows our sound very well, I'm confident with his ability and know that he will bring something new to the table to help us evolve the sound that we already have."

Jamie Wrighton also commented: “Happy to say that I'm now going to be playing alongside my long-time friends in Odessa and taking over where Gary Stephens left off. I'm looking forward to adding a bit of my style to the Odessa sound and seeing what we can accomplish in the future.”

To celebrate the new addition, the band has recorded a play-through of current single ‘On The Outside’, featuring both Jamie and guitarist/vocalist Conor Anthony O'rourke. Check it out below:
Odessa will release their debut full-length album Carry The Weight on January 28 via Ghost Music.

Dutch vocalist ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN (ex-THE GATHERING) has checked in with the following update:

"Hey everybody! I'll be doing a small run of intimate acoustic performances in January with a bunch of new additions to my setlist. Extase, Tilburg NL plays host to the first show on January 15th, before I'll be heading up to Finland where I will be joined by my dear buddy, ANATHEMA's Danny Cavanagh (**)."
Anneke's complete tour schedule is now as follows.

December
13 - Paris, France - La Scene Bastille
14 - Limoges, France - Festival de Noel
15 - Lille, France -Le Splendid **

January
15 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Extase
28 - Helsinki, Finland - Semifinal **
29 - Helsinki, Finland - Semifinal **
30 - Jyvaskyla, Finland - Lutakko **

On September 19th, Van Giersbergen performed at The Borderline in London, England on her continuing Everything Is Changing tour. Fan filmed video featuring Anneke covering the EURHYTHMICS classic 'Here Comes The Rain Again' and joining the audience during 'Hope Pray Dance Play' is available below:

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil says that he was "misunderstood" on the subject of gun-control laws and mental-health policy in the wake of the tragedy that unfolded last Friday (December 14) in Newtown, Connecticut.

Following the mass shooting at a elementary school which resulted in the deaths of twenty-eight people, including 20 schoolchildren, Vince tweeted, "Sad day today. Prayers to all the families. Gun Control!!!"

A number of people responded unfavorably to Vince's comment, causing the singer to lash out: "Why is everyone so concerned with guns? What about the CHILDREN that were MURDERED today! Get your priorities straight!! Come on people!!"

He continued: "I did say gun control but I didn't think 90% of you would care more about your gun than dead children!!!

"FUCK YOU to EVERYONE who puts guns in front of kids!! Do not come to ANY shows! You are sick!!"

Earlier today (Tuesday, December 18), Vince sent out the following tweet: "I've been misunderstood on this subject. It was upsetting to me that the focus was not on the children and their families. I lost a child that age. I never said ban guns. I said gun control. Sorry if I offended anyone."

Friday's massacre in Newtown was the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting that left 32 dead.

Vince has two children, Elizabeth Ashley, 29, and Neil Wharton, 34. He has also a grandfather to Neil Wharton's son Trace, 1.

Vince's daughter Skylar Neil tragically died of cancer at the age of 4 in 1995.

The audio version of legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi's memoir, "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath", has just been released, with new chapters added bringing everything up to date, including Iommi's battle with lymphoma. The audiobook, with a listening time of 11 hours and 31 minutes, has also been issued for Kindle, iPhone, iPod, Android, or 500+ MP3 players.

Explained Iommi: "[It's] taken a bit of time, but we've all been busy! I had a go myself, but wasn't comfortable when I listened back. Normally, you just get an actor to voice it, but I didn't want someone who didn't know me or the music business, so I asked my old mate Bev Bevan [former BLACK SABBATH/ELO drummer] as he already has a radio show and lived some of the chapters with me! I'm really pleased how it's turned out."

A five-minute collection of audio samples of the audio version of "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" can be streamed below.

Due to scheduling conflicts, singer Antony Hämäläinen will be unable to perform with multinational thrashers NIGHTRAGE at the Gothenburg Sound Festival on January 5 at Trädgårn in Gothenburg, Sweden. His replacement for this show only will be NIGHTRAGE's former frontman Tomas Lindberg (pictured below) from AT THE GATES. NIGHTRAGE states: "We are super-excited about this!"

Comments Hämäläinen: "So, as some of you may already know, the band has been selected to play the Gothenburg Sound Festival in January. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling conflicts I was unable to resolve, I will have to miss this show. It will be the first NIGHTRAGE show in six years that I will miss and it completely sucks!

"This festival's lineup is of legendary proportions (CEREMONIAL OATH, GARDENIAN). But fear not... I am proud to announce that we are going to just tack one more to that list of legends for our friends and fans in Sweden. That's right, the one and only Tomas Lindberg will be helping us for this one-off show. And it's safe to say I am jealous as fuck not to see this take place. I have also seen the setlist for this show, and let me tell you, no one will be disappointed."

Lindberg — who is also known for his work with THE CROWN and LOCK UP — appeared on NIGHTRAGE's first two albums (2003's "Sweet Vengeance" and 2005's "Descent Into Chaos") before being replaced by Jimmie Strimell, who sang on 2007's "A New Disease Is Born".

NIGHTRAGE's fifth album, "Insidious", was released in September 2011 via Lifeforce Records. The CD featured guest appearances by Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Tomas S. Englund (EVERGREY), Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS), John K (BIOMECHANICAL) and Lindberg.

Spanish goth/rock metal combo L'ENDEVÍ has released their new music video for the track ‘Red Ivy’.

The video was directed by Simón Fariza from Terreta Films, and produced by L'endeví and Terreta Films. Recorded at different locations, The video features NOCTEM vocalist Beleth. Check it out below:



‘Red Ivy’ comes off the band’s latest album An Eternity which was released in March.

Italian metalcorers TERMINAL SICK has released a teaser video for their new albu entitled Nothing more which will be released on December 21st. Check it out below:
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:

WINTERSUN's "Time I" is nominated in the "Metal Album Of The Year" category at next year's Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent), which will be held on March 1, 2013 at Barona Areena in Espoo, Finland. They will be going up against MOKOMA ("180 Astetta"), NIGHTWISH ("Imaginaerum"), TERVEET KÄDET ("Musta Hetki"), and STAM1NA ("Nocebo").

Commented WINTERSUN: "2012 has been a great year for us so far. Besides two successful tours and chart entries in Europe and North America, we were extremely thrilled to see the amazing reception 'Time I' got in our native Finland. We're feeling really honored for the Emma nomination and want to thank everybody who has supported us and made it possible!"

"Time I" sold nearly 4,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States to land at position No. 109 on The Billboard 200 chart.

According to mainman Jari Mäenpää, there are several reasons why the band's new effort, "Time" is being released as two separate albums, titled "Time I" and "Time II". He says:

* "All the 80 minutes of material won't fit on a regular CD and we didn't want to cut anything out.
* "We want you to be able to hear new material sooner and not wait any longer and we want to go on tour sooner.
* "The music is very full and complex, so listening this kind of 'hard listening (not easy listening)' material straight for 80 minutes is a bit too much (even for me).
* "Both albums will be approximately. Nice 40-minute epic packages of fireworks.
* "We like the idea of releasing two albums within one year, so the band will stay more visible longer, which is important in these 'modern times.' No more years of silence for us!"

"Time II" will be released in 2013.

WINTERSUN recently headlined this year's edition of the Heidenfest tour. Support on the trek came from KORPIKLAANI, VARG, TROLLFEST and KRAMPUS.

WINTERSUN's debut CD was released in September 2004 through Nuclear Blast Records.

The new project featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) has completed work on its debut album for a 2013 release. Sheehah says: "I'm really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It's a] really cool, unique record."

Late last year, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio last year, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.

During an interview that aired on the July 13 edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, "I love John personally, and we get along great — he's a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar and move forward and get them done, and John's kind of just a 'wait, wait, wait' guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, 'Look, let's do something.' And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he's an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he's really capable of."

He continued, "Me and Billy have already done two writing sessions with Richie, with the three of us, and we have about eight songs done and written and we've got another handful that are ready to go, so we're gonna start the album next month."

When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, "It's a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early '70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It's in that vein; it's kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you've got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so... And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing."

Austria's MASTIC SCUM are currently working on their new album, which they plan to release in spring 2013 via Massacre Records. Three years after their last album, Dust, Mastic Scum are back with a heavy load of new riffs and structures.

The band stated: "The new songs are shaping up in a new brutal style and also on a higher technical level. With this release we went back to our roots and also made a step forward to new structures and rhythms. Be prepared!"

As previously reported, Mastic Scum has covered PANTERA's 'Reprise - Sandblasted Skin' for their upcoming fifth album. Check it out below:

On October 11th, an awe-inspiring display of progressive/melodic metal called Limitless Life Reflections was independently released by Monterrey, Mexico's THE ADVENT EQUATION. The time is now for the rest of the world to experience this 60-minute juggernaut, one sure to appeal to fans of OPETH and KATATONIA.
Limitless Life Reflections was mixed and produced by Alberto "Charles" Leal at Psicofonia Productions with studio mastering by Jens Bogren (AMON AMARTH, DEVIN TOWNSEND) at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden. The striking artwork, pictured above, was created by Colin Marks (NEVERMORE, SCAR SYMMETRY).

Check out the song 'Purification Lapse':



Limitless Life Reflections contains the following eight songs:

'Glimpse Of What May Be'
'On Darkness'
'Purification Lapse'
'A Descent Into The Unreal'
'Visions Of Pain'
'Afterlife Evolutionary'
'Hopeless'
'A Violent Motion'

The Advent Equation has been officially active since 2008 and released an EP, Sounds From Within, that same year. The EP was recorded in their hometown of Monterrey and mastered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was released through Asenath Records with national distribution.

Seattle metal band SHADED ENMITY will enter the studio later this month with producer/engineer Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) to record a demo/teaser track for its new full-length album, "Forsaken And Forgotten", which is scheduled for a spring release.

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

The new song will be available for download by December 25.

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."

Torino, Italy-based modern metallers SIX-POINT LEAD have released their debut full-length album, Light Lies, via Buil2kill Records.
Light Lies tracklisting:

'Dog Of War'
'Red'
'Altar Boy'
'Pitch Black'
'Dissolve Me'
'So Slow'
'Respect'
'Divine'
'Together We'll Rot'
'Slowmotion'
'The Road Not Taken'
'Wrong'
'Light Lies'

Check out a trailer for the album below:
Six-Point Lead lineup:

Benny Bianco Chinto - Vocals
Sergio Costa - Guitars
Cosimo De Nola - Drums
Alessandro Martinengo - Guitars
Salvatore Lumetta - Bass
More on Six-Point Lead at this location.

Reno, NV blackened death metal band BLASPHEMOUS CREATION's second album, Battle Of The Ancients, will be released on December 27th via Russian label HeadXplode Records.

The album was recorded by Josh Williams at Metal Works Recording Studio in Folsom, CA. Album art was done by Tony Koehl of Sketch The Soul Studios (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER). Check it out below:
According to a press release: “Battle Of The Ancients is a concept album based on the ancient Sumerian gods the Anunnaki, who were actually flesh and blood extraterrestrials from a planet called Nibiru. It is a fictional story based on lead guitarist/vocalist Isaac Wilson's own beliefs in ancient astronaut theory, that ancient gods were actually aliens from other planets with superior technology and were able to travel through space. The album tells the story of great battles fought between the Anunnaki and a humanoid race called the Plejaren, who were genetically engineered by the Anunnaki to be used as slaves. After defeating them, the ‘Gods’ came to Earth and once again created human beings to serve them as slaves.”

The video for the track ‘The Final Battle’, off the album, was directed by AGENT STEEL’s Bernie Versailles and can be seen below:
Blasphemous Creation is:

Isaac Wilson - guitar/vocals
Joe Amos - guitar
TJ Laughlin - bass
Travis Edwards - drums

Two years after the bone marrow procedure that saved his life, guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH finally met the donor for the first time.

Nergal had previously expressed his desire to meet the person who donated bone marrow to him, but because of strict regulations, that was not possible until today (Monday, December 17).

"Thank you for my life," Nergal told 25-year-old Grzegorz Kajto at a gathering in Sopot in northern Poland.

Before Nergal met his donor, he watched a short film in which Grzegorz revealed that he didn't know the identity of his recipent but was eager to help nonetheless.

The two men hugged each other and Nergal asked whether Grzegorz had any siblings, to which Kajto replied, "I do now."

You can watch video footage of the meeting at TVN24.pl.

In a March 2011 interview with MetalSucks, Nergal stated about the response from the metal community to the news of his illness: "I never expected such massive feedback, to be honest. Not only from friends and [BEHEMOTH supporters], but people who haven't been in touch for years. They were like, 'Is there anything we can do to help?' There were plenty of people applying for bone marrow tests — you have to be tested first — and these people were trying to contribute. Which was awesome. And the metal community reacted continuously and immediately; it was massive. I received, like, thousands of emails when the news got out, and the response to this news… there was not a single comment that was negative. I didn't really expect the extreme metal community to be very sympathetic, to be this empathetic, to be this [pauses]… caring. But they were totally into it; they were all ready to stand behind me and help me out."

He continued: "I didn't really need money; my health insurance covered pretty much everything. But I'd get offers from people, like 'We'll collect money and send you cash.' And I was like, 'I don't need money, guys. But what you can do is talk to other people and raise awareness of what leukemia is. Talk to them about bone marrow donations and about [getting registered to donate.]' That's all I needed. I can tell you this now [pauses]… that it was very early after I got sick that the foundation found a perfect donor match. But we didn't want to reveal this to the public because of [the movement to help] was so awesome. The ball was rolling! And everyone was into it, so I was like, 'Fuck, no! I don't want to fucking stop this!' It was madness to me! People went crazy doing anything to help. It was just awesome. I can tell you — not just to make people fuckin' cry — but there were times that I'd be reading comments and emails from people, and there were tears in my eyes. It was very humanitarian. Shit, I don't know what you call it, but it was awesome. There are lots of people who appreciate what you do musically, they fuckin' appreciate you as a person and individual, and they have faith in you. That is awesome. [laughs] It really brought back a lot of faith in human beings after what happened. I'd been very skeptical about the whole human race; I still am. There is more that pisses me off and makes me [pauses] pessimistic about the future of the human race. But now it's like, fuck, it's not all lost! There are still real humans out there that feel, that are real. That's a lesson that I'm very thankful for."

FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl, who recently confirmed that he laid down the drum tracks for QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's forthcoming sixth album, told CBS Local in a new interview that he won't be touring with the band in support of the record.

Grohl stepped in to play on the album, which is expected in early 2013, following the departure of Joey Castillo. Grohl last played drums for QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE on 2002's "Songs For The Deaf".

Grohl and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE mainman Josh Homme also teamed up in 2009 with LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones in the band THEM CROOKED VULTURES.

Jones had played on the FOO FIGHTERS' 2005 album "In Your Honor" (playing mandolin on "Another Round" and piano on "Miracle"), and at the 2008 Grammy Awards, he conducted an orchestra that backed the FOO FIGHTERS on their performance of "The Pretender". But Grohl told CBS Local that actually being in a band with the man meant a great deal to him.

"It was one of the highlights of my life when John Paul Jones said, 'Now I've been in two great bands,'" Grohl said. "That was a huge deal for me!"

Grohl, who recently directed his first documentary, "Sound City", is confident that THEM CROOKED VULTURES will become active again. "We've talked about it," he said. "I know that someday we'll get back together and do stuff, because we love playing with each other."

Grohl recently told BBC Radio One about recording the sixth QUEENS album, "There were no boundaries with that band, there were no limits with them . . . I'll do something so completely ridiculous, I'll just, like, 'There's no way that that Josh is going to let me do that,' and he'll say, 'Do that for forty-five seconds, over and over again, that's become, like, part of the song, that is a big part of the song,' and that's the way they work."

Fan-filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH's December 14 performance at Teatro de Flores in Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen told Finland's MTV.fi last month that he was pleased with the addition of singer Floor Jansen to the group and that she was only getting better with each performance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Guitar virtuoso Mike Martin (ex-FOZZY, STUCK MOJO) has released his new Christmas single, "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel", digitally on iTunes and CDbaby.

Says Mike: "I sincerely hope that my emotional intention comes across through this. My reinterpretation of one of my favorite Christmas melodies (one that is so widely beloved!) and humbly represents what this holiday means for me, as it means so much to so many."

Martin's solo instrumental album, "2 Of 5", was originally released in the summer of 2006 independently on Serpa Records, and is now available worldwide through Steve Vai's Digital Nations division of the Favored Nations record label.

Season Of Mist has announced the signing of Swiss metallers THIS MISERY GARDEN.

Formed in Geneva in 2005, THIS MISERY GARDEN is a dark rock/metal act influenced by such bands as KATATONIA, TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE, delivering genuinely intense music.

Melancholy and hope, anger defying serenity, love and death, all of those blend together to create a vivid and illuminating sound on THIS MISERY GARDEN’s second album, "Cornerstone", to be released on in 2013. The band has already filmed a video for the song "Warning Zone", taken from "Cornerstone". Check it out below.

"It's an honor for THIS MISERY GARDEN to join the Season Of Mist crew!" the band comments. "We are confident that our new album, 'Cornerstone', will be released under the best conditions to allow our music to be listened widely! We are looking forward to hit the road to support the album live."

DEF LEPPARD has released a special medley of acoustic versions of songs that were performed during the band's 2012 live shows. The seven-and-a-half-minute medley, which is available exclusively on iTunes starting today, includes snippets of the following tracks:

* "Where Does Love Go When It Dies"
* "Now"
* "When Love and Hate Collide"
* "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad"
* "Two Steps Behind"

"We decided to change the acoustic section of the set for the Rock Of Ages tour, and what we ended up with just grew into a really magical experience every night," DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott told AOL's Noisecreep. "We all enjoyed doing it so much and it was so well received by our audience, we decided to do a studio recording of it. I think it complements our main body of work very well."

You can now stream the medley below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).

DEF LEPPARD will play its 1987 album "Hysteria" in its entirety as part of the Las Vegas residency, which is scheduled to kick off at the end of March.

Viva Hysteria! follows Hard Rock residencies from MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES.

Tickets are on sale now and start at $49.50, with floor seats going for $125.

Chris Epting of AOL's Noisecreep conducted an interview with ADLER, the new band led by former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler, last night (Monday, December 17) prior to the group's first-ever Los Angeles-area concert at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood as the opening act for STEEL PANTHER. The six-minute clip, which includes performance footage, can be seen below.

ADLER's debut album, "Back From The Dead", was released in North America on November 26 via New Ocean Media. The CD was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, DOKKEN) and was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR). The effort consists of 11 tracks, ranging from adrenaline-pumping rockers ("Back From The Dead", "Own Worst Enemy", "Another Version Of The Truth") to arena-rock anthems ("Good To Be Bad", "Blown Away") to powerful, heartfelt ballads ("Waterfall", "Just Don't Ask"). The album features guest appearances by Adler's former GUNS N' ROSES bandmate Slash and ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5.

ADLER is comprised of Adler, frontman Jacob Bunton (LYNAM, MARS ELECTRIC), guitarist Lonny Paul (ADLER'S APPETITE), and bassist Johnny Martin (CHELSEA SMILES).

Reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN are filming the official music video for the song "By Crooked Steps" today (Tuesday, December 18) with Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) at the helm.

"By Crooked Steps" comes off "King Animal", the first collection of all-new material in 16 years from SOUNDGARDEN, and first since the group reunited in 2010, which sold 83,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on November 13 via Tom Whalley's new record label, a partnership between his Seven Four Entertainment and Republic Records.

Audio snippets of "By Crooked Steps", along with commentary from SOUNDGARDEN vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell and drummer Matt Cameron, are available in the YouTube clip below.

The band reunited in 2010 after a 13-year break, releasing a retrospective collection called "Telephantasm" and a concert album titled "Live On I-5".

SOUNDGARDEN was the musical guest on the November 26 edition ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band performed two songs — "By Crooked Steps" and "Been Away Too Long" — on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Dallas, Texas-based death metallers DEVOURMENT have released a teaser for their upcoming album, "Conceived In Sewage", due out on February 19 in North America, February 22 in Germany/Benelux and February 25 in the rest of Europe on CD, LP and digital via Relapse Records.

"Conceived In Sewage" was tracked at Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida with legendary death metal icon Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL). Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Fucked With Rats" and "Fifty Ton War Machine".

Commented DEVOURMENT frontman Mike Majewski: "This will be the deepest album we have done, for sure. Definitely expect the intensity, but also more thought-out song structures. I would say a bit of a throwback to old-school brutal bands, but with the signature DEVOURMENT elements."

DEVOURMENT's calling card is absolute brutality, and the band's three previous albums and international touring and festival appearance have made them one of the more-talked-about acts in the worldwide death metal underground.

A new ALICE IN CHAINS song called "Hollow" can be streamed below. The YouTube clip contains photos fans have taken or created that were inspired by the track's lyrics after the band post lyrical phrases from the song via Instagram.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell recently confirmed to Guitar World that the band had finished recording its fifth studio album and second without original vocalist Layne Staley.

"I don't think you'll be surprised by anything you hear," Cantrell told Revolver about the new CD's musical direction. "It's us. But it's also really unique. It's got all the elements of any record we've put out, but it's unlike any record we've put out. Basically, it's the next chapter in the ALICE IN CHAINS book, and it's going to be a big one."

The new disc will follow up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which ended a 14-year gap between studio efforts for the group and featured singer/guitarist William DuVall.

DuVall told The Pulse Of Radio while the band was touring behind that album that he was seeing a new generation of ALICE fans at the shows. "There's a lot of young people showing up, so that this thing has become a generational band now," he said. "So you've got people, 15, 16, 17 years old, that are coming of their own volition. I mean, they're not being brought there by their parents or anything. They're coming on their own. They're bringing their friends. So that's one thing that's a real sign that perhaps you're onto something."
ALICE IN CHAINS began working on new material in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.

Although no official release date has been confirmed yet for the new album, it is likely that the disc will make its debut in early 2013.

With a little bit more than three months left before the release of CLUTCH's highly anticipated new studio effort, "Earth Rocker", the Maryland rockers have unveiled the album's artwork and has announced the initial dates for the first leg of the North American "Earth Rocker" world tour.

The artwork was created by Nick Lakiotes, longtime CLUTCH art director, who has worked on previous efforts, including "Robot Hive/Exodus" and "Strange Cousins From The West".

"Earth Rocker" will be released in March 2013 via CLUTCH's own Weathermaker Music label. The CD was produced by Machine (LAMB OF GOD, FOUR YEAR STRONG, FALL OUT BOY) and is described by CLUTCH guitarist Tim Sult as "the heaviest and fastest CLUTCH album to date."

On October 17, CLUTCH played a "super-secret" party to celebrate the completion of "Earth Rocker". Check out footage from the event below.

CLUTCH's North American dates kick off March 8 in Cincinnati, Ohio and are currently slated to run through March 24 in Anaheim, California. Support on the trek will come from ORANGE GOBLIN, LIONIZE and KYNG. Tickets for fan club members go on sale today via Pro-Rock.com and tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 21. Look for more dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

Before they hit the road for their annual holiday run, CLUTCH will headline the KBPI "When Hell Freezes Over" event on December 21 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado.

CLUTCH's holiday dates kick off December 26 in Washington, D.C. and conclude with a special New Year's Eve performance in Worcester, Massachusetts at The Palladium. The show originally scheduled for December 30 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey has been moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania at Crocodile Rock due to damage sustained from Hurricane Sandy.

Johnathan "Johnny Plague" Cooke (WINDS OF PLAGUE) and Brook Reeves (IMPENDING DOOM) are the newly confirmed guest singers who will perform with the surviving members of SUICIDE SILENCE at a special show on December 21 at the Fox theater in Pomona, California as a tribute to their late frontman, Mitch Lucker, who died November 1, after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach on Halloween night. All proceeds from the event will go towards the education of Mitch's five-year-old daughter, Kenadee Lucker. The concert announcement was made on November 24 during the sixth annual California Metalfest at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California.

Official multi-camera video footage of the announcement can be seen below.

Speaking to the audience, SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Mark Heylmun said, "We fucking lost our brother; I'm sure you all know that. We all miss him more than anything in the fucking world."

He continued, "I think something that is really important to us is that we consider SUICIDE SILENCE a family — as far as the band goes, as far as any crew member we've ever had, anybody that has ever worked for us, and the fans… Everyone is family; and that is the greatest thing that's ever happened to us and we are so grateful to be a part of this.

"This is the most difficult thing we've ever had to deal with. I really don't know where to start. We're just dealing with it day by day, and I hope everybody else is dealing with it. It's just unreal to have to be up here right now talking about this.

"We wanna say thank you all so much for donating to Kenadee's education fund.

"If there was anything that Mitch gave a fuck about in the world besides SUICIDE SILENCE, it would obviously be his daughter; he cared more about her than anything in the fucking world. We're here and we're gonna make sure that she's taken care of, and that's what we have to do. And we thank you guys for donating all the money you have.

"Everybody's been asking what we're gonna do as a band. We're putting together a show. It's gonna be at Fox Theater on December 21. Just kind of the best event, the best show that you could possibly imagine. Obviously, Mitch is not gonna be there. We're gonna have a different singer every single song. We're gonna put the best show that we possibly can together. It's already in the works. Tickets go on sale [on Tuesday, December 4]. Hopefully everybody can make it out. It's gonna be really fucking special. And all the money that is going towards the show is going to Kenadee's educational fund. So it's going to a good cause and Mitch would really appreciate it and we'd really appreciate it. So thank you, guys, very much."

Confirmed singers so far:

* Johnathan "Johnny Plague" Cooke (WINDS OF PLAGUE)
* Brook Reeves (IMPENDING DOOM)
* Chad Gray (HELLYEAH, MUDVAYNE)
* Danny Worsnop (ASKING ALEXANDRIA)
* Tim Lambesis (AS I LAY DYING)
* Eddie Hermida (ALL SHALL PERISH)
* Phil Bozeman (WHITECHAPEL)
* Austin Carlile (OF MICE & MEN)
* Anthony Notarmaso (AFTER THE BURIAL)
* Cameron "Big Chocolate" Argon (DISFIGURING THE GODDESS)
* Myke Terry (ex-BURY YOUR DEAD)
* Ricky Hoover (ex-SUFFOKATE)

A funeral service for Mitch Lucker was held on November 8. The ceremony was attended by family and friends, including SUICIDE SILENCE bassist Dan Kenny, who tweeted afterwards, "Had to bury my brother today, he looked peaceful when I saw him. It was very hard but it was needed! To the fans just know Mitch loved yall"

SUICIDE SILENCE has launched a memorial fund to provide assistance to Lucker's family. Those who donate $20 or more will receive a commemorative t-shirt.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucker struck a light pole near the intersection of Main and 13th streets and was thrown from his 2013 Harley Davidson. The motorcycle continued sliding south on Main Street and struck a northbound 2007 Nissan Titan pickup.

Lucker, who was treated at the scene by paramedics, died shortly after 6 a.m. at UC Irvine Medical Center.

"Yours Forever", the new video from the Sacramento, California-based Christian post-hardcore band THE SEEKING, can be seen below. The clip was directed by DJay Brawner (FOO FIGHTERS, GYM CLASS HEROES) for Anthem Films. The song is the title cut of the band's debut album, which was recently released via Razor & Tie.

"Yours Forever" was produced by Colby Wedgeworth (THE MAINE, BURN HALO, THIS CENTURY, AUSTIN GIBBS) and "fuses together precise metal intensity with impenetrable melodic sensibility, yielding a sound that's utterly undeniable and often uplifting," according to a press release.

THE SEEKING just wrapped its first U.S. tour opening for WOE, IS ME, CHUNK! NO CAPTAIN CHUNK, OUR LAST NIGHT, SECRETS and CAPTURE THE CROWN.

THE SEEKING is:

Taylor Green: Vocals
Dylan Housewright: Guitar/Vocals
Grayson Smith: Guitar
Shane Tiller: Bass
Ben Wood: Drums

Acclaimed Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK have set "Meir" as the title of their sophomore album, tentatively due in March 2013 via an as-yet-undisclosed record label. The CD was recorded late summer/early fall at Godcity studios in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE).

"Meir" track listing:

01. Åpenbaring
02. Spring Fra Livet
03. Trepan
04. Bruane Brenn
05. Evig Vandrar
06. Snilepisk
07. Månelyst
08. Nekrokosmos
09. Undertro
10. Tordenbrak
11. Kvelertak

KVELERTAK recently completed a U.S tour alongside CONVERGE and TORCHE.

Featuring iconic artwork by John Dyer Baizley (BARONESS, KYLESA), KVELERTAK's self-titled 2010 debut album — which was certified gold in the band's home country — has earned the band extensive worldwide acclaim, with Kerrang! going so far as to call the sextet "the best Norwegian band since A-HA." The album, which features vocals entirely in the band's native language, recieved 9/10 ratings from Metal Hammer, Decibel and Rock Hard magazines and earned the group an invitation to perform a live session on BBC Radio 1.

Guitarist Ralph Santolla (DEICIDE, OBITUARY, ICED EARTH) and vocalist Daniel Ädel (VILDHJARTA, UNEVEN STRUCTURE) will make guest appearances on the debut album from Swedish groove metallers DEATHEMBER. Entitled "Going Postal", the CD will be released in early 2013 via Violent Groove Music Group.

Commented DEATHEMBER: "It was a huge honor for us to have Ralph and Daniel on two separate songs on the album. Ralph is one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time and Daniel's band VILDHJARTA is one of the most important bands today in modern metal."

"Going Postal" track listing:

01. Going Postal
02. Spirals
03. Quietly
04. Unending Thirst
05. Let Us Flip A Few Pages Back (Part 1)
06. Where I Evade (Part 2)
07. The Deprivation (Part 3) (feat. Daniel Ädel)
08. Repeat & Remind
09. Hailing Down (feat. Ralph Santolla)
10. Amnesiac
11. By Damnation (limited-edition bonus track)

DEATHEMBER is:

Simon Tarasewicz - Vocals
Elias Ryen-Rafstedt - Drums
Pontus Wicklander - Bass
Staffan Birkedal - Guitars
Rikard Bonander - Guitars

A pre-production version of a new DEATHEMBER song entitled "Spirals" can be streamed below.