Argentinian metallers HELKER have inked a deal with AFM Records. The band's new album, "Somewhere In The Circle", will be released on February 15, 2013. The CD includes 11 tracks that were produced and co-written by Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) and mixed by Achim Köhler at Indiscreet Audio studios. Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR) make guest appearances on the album, sharing lead vocals with HELKER vocalist Diego Valdez on the epic "Begging For Forgiveness".

European audiences might be familiar with Valdez from his appearance on the latest Tarja Turunen live DVD/CD as a guest vocalist on the song "Phantom Of The Opera".

Commented HELKER: "We are excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work with AFM Records and Level 10 / ITM. This is the beginning of a new era full of new challenges and growth for HELKER! Thank you all!"

A video for the song "Wake Up" can be seen below.

French death metal maniacs NECROWRETCH will release their debut album, "Putrid Death Sorcery", on January 28 in Europe and February 5 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded in late August at Blackout Multimedia studios in Brussels, Belgium by Phorgath of ENTHRONED. The cover artwork, which was created by artist Milovan Novakovic (who also did the artwork for the band's previous releases), perfectly visualizes the musical aura of NECROWRETCH: rancid, filthy and dark death metal.

"Putrid Death Sorcery" track listing:

01. Ripping Souls Of Sinners
02. Purifying Torment
03. Goat-Headed
04. Putrid Death Sorcery
05. Impious Plague In Catacombs
06. Spewed From Hell
07. Defiler Of Sacrality
08. The Anthropomancer
09. Soiled Into A Crypt
10. Necrollections
11. Repugnizer

The song "Ripping Souls Of Sinners" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Reunited Dutch death metallers CENTURIAN will release their much-anticipated new album, "Contra Rationem", on January 28, 2013 via Listenable Records. The CD was recorded at the We Are (Music) Junkies studio in Eindhoven with producer/sound engineer Jo Peeters (ABORTED, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SEVERE TORTURE) and Ralph Timmermans (MINDPARK).

Commented guitarist Rob Oorthuis, CENTURIAN's founding member and writer/composer, "'Contra Rationem' is an adversive record in the broadest sense of the word. It lacks all the ethics of contemporary productions.
Leaving only the dynamic range of decay and rats exploring your skeleton.
Through the rattle of bones... One might even hear flesh on instruments.

"We keep our deathmetal underproduced. All songs were nailed with conviction, without hesitation. In one take. Guided only by tongues of fire descending upon our heads. Uncorrected. As real as we are not."

"Contra Rationem" track listing:

01. Thou Shallt Bleed For The Lord Thy God
02. Crown Of Bones
03. Feast Of The Cross
04. Judas Among Twelve
05. Antinomian
06. The Will Of The Torch
07. Sin Upon Man
08. Damnatio Memoriae
09. Adversus

The song "Judas Among Twelve" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Oorthuis previously stated about CENTURIAN's new material and decision to reform, "The new songs are more CENTURIAN-esque than they are NOX songs. The chemistry among the bandmembers, musically and technically, leans on an approach we had back in the CENTURIAN days. Because of this I coined the idea about changing back the name."

CENTURIAN is:

Niels Adams - Vocals
Rob Oorthuis - Guitars
Patrick Boleij - Bass
Seth Van De Loo - Drums

CENTURIAN's last album, "Liber Zarzax", was released in 2001 via Listenable Records.

Frontiers Records will release "The Savage Playground", the fourth album from Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET, on January 25 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22 in North America.

A leading force in the Swedish "sleaze rock" scene of the 2000s — a revival of the glam metal of the 1980s, but with a more pronounced punk element — CRASHDÏET for the first time manage to release their brand of down and dirty rock and roll simultaneously all over the world.

In April 2010, the band's third album "Generation Wild", pretty much summed up the extraordinary but yet tragic history of a band, determined to never give up their dream.

CRASHDÏET has become known as a band with a huge following of diehard fans, and the massive interest for them never seems to fade.

There has been extensive touring during the course of "Generation Wild" and the absolute highlight saw the band conquer Hollywood and New York City with sold-out shows at Whisky A Go Go and Webster Hall. The band also supported their heroes MÖTLEY CRÜE and OZZY OSBOURNE. "Supporting MÖTLEY CRÜE in Helsinki and headlining Whisky A Go Go have been the highlights of the 'Generation Wild' tour," says guitarist Martin Sweet.

With the "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.

"We will put a lot of effort into the U.S. for our new tour," continues Sweet. "We will start in Scandinavia in February, Then we head to the U.S. and Canada. Coming back end of April to do U.K. and then Europe and Japan will follow with festivals in the summer and then South America to kick off in the autumn."

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 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 first single, "Cocaine Cowboys", is now available on Spotify and can be streamed below.

CRASHDÏET will release 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.

CRASHDÏET performed a new song "Anarchy" for the first time on June 7 when they played at Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki, Finland as the support act for MÖTLEY CRÜE.

The band's third CD, "Generation Wild", was recently released on vinyl. This gatefold LP features the new bonus track "Hollywood Teaze" as well as updated artwork.

"Generation Wild" entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 3.

CRASHDÏET in 2009 announced the addition of Simon "Simme" Cruz from the Stockholm act JAILBAIT as the group's new lead singer.

The band parted ways with its previous vocalist, the Finland-based H. Olliver Twisted, in July 2008.

CRASHDÏET is:

Martin Sweet - Guitar
Peter London - Bass
Eric Young - Drums
Simon Cruz - Vocals

"Cocaine Cowboys" audio stream:

According to The Pulse Of Radio, at least one person was not entertained and excited about the jam that took place at Wednesday night's (December 12) massive 12-12-12 benefit concert featuring Paul McCartney and the surviving members of NIRVANA. That person was late NIRVANA frontman Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, who took to Facebook even before the event to say she was "not amused" by McCartney's involvement, adding, "Look, if John [Lennon] were alive it would be cool."

After McCartney, drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and guitarist Pat Smear performed a newly written song called "Cut Me Some Slack", Love returned online to post a series of trademark incoherent comments. She followed those up by saying specifically about the performance, "if they dont do songs they didnt write (nirvana songs they dont own) i dont care."

Love finished by taking a dig at Novoselic's bass playing in response to a comment from a Facebook user named Scott, who enjoyed the performance. Love replied, "scott really? i will repeat, with krists bass playing? lets be clear hes not exactly known for its brilliance."

The song that McCartney and the NIRVANA members performed was written during a jam session that took place during the filming of Dave Grohl's upcoming documentary, "Sound City".

According to the the Prague Post, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe will stand trial February 4, 2013, on charges of manslaughter in the death of a fan at a Prague, Czech Republic concert two years ago. That date was confirmed by the Municipal Court, according to the site.

The court originally had three months to set a trial date after announcing on December 3 that Blythe was officially indicted on manslaughter charges.

"We have issued Randy Blythe with a court summons, and he is obliged to attend the hearing in person," said court spokeswoman Martina Lhotáková. "The trial will determine the culpability of Blythe, and his potential punishment."

Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan attending a LAMB OF GOD show died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe's predicament has galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.

Shortly after being released from the Pankrác prison in Prague in early August, Blythe sat down with Mark Holmberg of WTVR-TV — the CBS television affiliate based in Richmond, Virginia — to discuss his 37-day stay at the notorious Czech Republic penitentiary (see video below).

Asked about his vow to go back to Prague if there is a trial, Randy said, "I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge. [The victim's] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through, I think .. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know. That's what I do. I'm not going to hide here. I'm an innocent man. I'm going to go to court and see what happens."

Regarding what the "worst-case scenario" is if he returns to Prague for a trial, Blythe told Metal Hammer magazine, "Ten years with no time off for good behavior. For my particular charge — we're saying manslaughter, but it's assault in the fourth degree with intent, resulting in the death of this young man — the sentence for that is five to 10 years with no time off. So the worst-case scenario is that get out when I'm 51, 52 years old. It's not something I really try to dwell on too much, because it's scary. I don't want to go to prison, I don't want that to happen, but the fact of the matter is it could happen. I will deal with it as it comes, that's all! can do. If you have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, you're pissing on the present. And right now, all! have is the present so I prepare myself the best I can. My band is behind me and my family's behind me and we're gonna do our best to prove my innocence. But worrying about a nebulous uncertain future, or being super-bummed out that l went to prison for 37 days does me no good."

LAMB OF GOD's manager, Larry Mazer, confirmed in a statement earlier this month that Blythe will defend himself in the case. "We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day, a number of them captured on videos that have been posted on the internet," Mazer said. "We have testimony from the venue operator that acknowledges lax security and an improper barricade being used that evening. Numerous testimonies from fans also were contradictory as to the actions of the multiple fans that tried to access the stage."

German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA have set "Eternal Defiance" as the title of their new album, which is scheduled for a mid-2013 release.

Commented SUIDAKRA singer Arkadius Antonik: "As on the previous two releases, it will be a concept album again, created by [famous Belgian graphic artist] Kris Verwimp in cooperation with us. Our new concept includes a lot of new elements and suprises which will be reflected in the music as well. More info, pics, artwork and videos will be revealed soon!"

SUIDAKRA is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio in January to begin recording its new CD. Antonik recently told Metal Kaoz, "The songs we have finished [so far] are bombastic and we also finished the first song with Tina's [Stabel] female vocals. This time, it's gonna be a faster song with a real epic and catchy chorus."

Bassist Marcus Riewaldt recently announced his departure from SUIDAKRA. He said in a statement, "After more than 250 shows and 10 years being in the band, I feel that now time has come to change my priorities a bit and see what else life has to offer for me. No hard feelings involved; it's just that I cannot motivate myself for another writing-rehearsing-recording-promoting-touring cycle and that I'm really annoyed by some of the music business mechanisms that one has to deal with in order to continue this beautiful and exciting, but at the same time very time- and energy-consuming hobby. I wish SUIDAKRA much luck and success for the future — it would all be well deserved!"

SUIDAKRA has already secured a replacement bassist in Tim Siebrecht, who was a stand-in guitar player for SUIDAKRA on several occasions in recent years.

SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records.

"Who's To Blame?", the new video from U.S. East Coast doom metallers HOUR OF 13, can be seen below. The clip was filmed in Waterbury, Connecticut with director Eric Schrader.

Commented HOUR OF 13 frontman Phil Swanson: "Making a video for some reason has always been a personal goal — maybe it's my interest in film that brings that on — and thankfully Earache has allowed me to finally fulfil that dream.

"I've known our director, Eric Schrader, for almost fifteen years when I met him working in the local video store. We would talk 'B' movies and underground music until one day he shared one of his own movies, a crudely written script with fake moustaches and plastic guns, yet the editing was unbelievably professional. Eventually, he started making his own 'B' films, one of which my daughter had a small role in. So whenever I thought video, I thought of Eric. I'm happy to have the chance to work with him as he is now becoming a seasoned pro on his way to L.A. and we were lucky enough to catch him before he left.

"For the concept, Eric and I shared some initial ideas until he took hold and pieced it all together, finding the perfect location chock-full of bums, broken bottles and bats. Eric did his magic in the editing room and turned it all into something brilliant. We needed some bodies on bass and drums, so I invited Jason Tarpey and Arthur Rizk to join us, as they were slated at one time to be the U.S. live lineup. It was an amazing night, good times had and Eric's crew was great company.

"For me, making this video was as rewarding as making the record. I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as we did making it!"

HOUR OF 13's latest album, "333", is available now worldwide.

According to India TV, GUNS N' ROSES paid tribute to late sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar during the band's Delhi performance last night (Wednesday, December 12). The group's lead singer, Axl Rose, told the crowd during the concert, "We dedicate this show to Pandit Ravi Shankar, who passed away today."

Three-time Grammy winner Ravi Shankar died at the age of 92 in a La Jolla, California hospital, where he underwent heart-related surgery last Thursday.

In addition sole original member Axl Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

SONS OF AEON, the new Jyväskylä, Finland-based metal band featuring members of GHOST BRIGADE, SWALLOW THE SUN, CODE FOR SILENCE and ENDSTAND, will release its self-titled debut album via Lifeforce Records on the following dates:

January 18, 201: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland + Digital worldwide
January 21, 2013: Rest of Europe
January 22, 2013: North America
March 11, 2013: Limited vinyl version

Another song from the upcoming CD, "Burden", can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

Commented SONS OF AEON guitarist Wille Naukkarinen: "I always thought the standard band biographies were a waste of time and space, so when the time came to write one for SONS OF AEON, I decided to skip it for now and tell you about our band from a little bit different, more personal and hopefully more interesting perspective.

"I grew up on Nineties death metal. It was interesting to me because that was the era when death metal really started evolving and bands started showing different colors instead of all just being part of the same grey mass. Seemed like the un-death metal-ish elements fascinated me more than the other, 'normal' side.

"EDGE OF SANITY would write straight up goth hits like 'Sacrificed' or 'Black Tears' where as bands like ENTOMBED and XYSMA discovered a more vintage rock sound and incorporated that into their music. CARCASS released the more commercial, yet soulful 'Heartwork', AT THE GATES delivered the goosebump-choruses with 'Terminal Spirit Disease'. NAPALM DEATH caused some confusion with the brilliant 'Diatribes' and CATHEDRAL… well, they just did what the hell they wanted and released several great albums, 'Ethereal Mirror' leading the way.

"BOLT THROWER were always true to themselves and their punk-attitude left its mark to this young teenager forever. And even a small detail like the dude from GOREFEST wearing a 'Fuck Racism' T-shirt in 'False'-era photos made a huge impact on me and my friends. Death metal became more than just brutal music. It literally changed something in us.

"Then there was this local band called PARAXISM. They were this strange mix of challenging, yet melodic quality death metal spiced with electric violins and a moog. It was something I had never heard before. Their '93 demo is still the most important extreme metal release for me and played a huge part in my youth.

"Come to think of it, it's actually pretty odd that I never had a band like this before. I played in a stoner rock band for ten years and then we formed GHOST BRIGADE seven years ago. But I guess it was always in the back of my head to do something like this one day.

"And that 'one day' didn't happen overnight; to be able to write and perform this kind of music took us three years. It was almost like learning to play guitar all over again. There were countless moments when I just wanted to give up. Luckily, I didn't.

"With a few exceptions, I'm not personally interested in today's extreme metal. I like my metal with nuances and soul. Math-based, vacuum-packed bursts of anger just don't do the trick for me. I like when the drums are played by a musician and not a computer and albums that sound like they are a result of team work, instead of just being solo efforts of five different musicians. Technical abilities or robot-like preciseness are not a synonyms for quality in my books. And, off the record, having famous guest musicians in your album just for the sake of selling a few more copies is just lame.

"Why I am writing this is because on some strange spiritual level, I find similarities between some of the Nineties groups and SONS OF AEON. Just like with these bands, there is something 'adventurous' and child-like innocence in us.

"It's hard to explain the heart and soul of SONS OF AEON in few sentences, because I feel that the core idea lies more in constant sense of change and exploring, rather than just being a part of a certain genre and settling in. I think that once you hear the album, my words start to make sense. There is everything from old-school death metal to chilled out melancholia and from dark hardcore to mid-tempo metal and they're all equally important parts of what this band is about.

"I feel fortunate to be a part of this."

SONS OF AEON is:

Tony Kaikkonen (CODE FOR SILENCE) - Vocals
Tapio Vartiainen - Guitar
Wille Naukkarinen (GHOST BRIGADE) - Guitar
Tommi Kiviniemi (GHOST BRIGADE) - Bass
Pasi Pasanen (PLUTONIUM ORANGE, ex-SWALLOW THE SUN) - Drums

Swedish metallers ASTRAL DOORS have tapped SABATON drummer Robban Bäck for their appearance at Xmas Metal Fest, set to take place December 14-15 in Valencia, Spain.

Commented ASTRAL DOORS: "Due to illness in his family, drummer Johan Lindstedt had to say no to this Spain Xmas-fest gig. We support Johan's decision 100%! This gig is for you, man!!! We also wanna thank the drum master, SABATON's Robban Bäck, for standing in for Johan on this gig. Thanks, mate!"

ASTRAL DOORS's latest album, "Jerusalem", was be released in October 2011 via Metalville. The CD, which was made available as a jewelcase, digipack and on vinyl, was mixed by Daniel Bergstrand, who has previously worked with BEHEMOTH, MESHUGGAH, DIMMU BORGIR, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and SOILWORK, among others. The cover art was designed by Mattias Eriksson.

NEWSTED, the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted, will release a four-song EP, entitled "Metal", exclusively via iTunes on January 8, 2013. Pre-orders begin on Tuesday, December 18.

"Metal" will contain the following tracks:

* Soldierhead
* Godsnake
* King Of The Underdogs
* Skyscraper

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

NEWSTED will film its first-ever video on Saturday, December 15.

In a recent interview with Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Newsted stated about his plans to release original music via his newly launched official web site, "Whatever it ends up being — if it's five songs, 20 songs, 50 songs… I don't even know what the heck I'm gonna do. I have so much music from over the years. I have a bunch of new stuff, I have so many mixes of projects with people — new players, young players, old-school players like myself — so I'm just trying to figure out exactly what I wanna unleash on everybody first. That's kind of what it's coming down to — the timing of things and how I wanna hit people with it, and which stuff [to release first]."

Asked how he plans to release his music, Jason said, "I see a couple of the old avenues still being there that will always be there in the purest form — making the vinyl and everybody having the special-edition vinyl to be able to read the lyrics, stuff like you and I loved the most, that's the closest to us that's the most endearing and the most personal. So that's always gonna be there and I never wanna dismiss that, so that will be percentage of it for the fans that really dig the real American kick-ass guitar music … And then the newest avenues that I'm just really now learning about as I expose myself to all this stuff… I saw a piece of one of ['That Metal Show' espisodes on VH1 Classic] and somebody talked about DOWN and some other bands doing four tracks at a time in EP form every few months, letting people have some fresh metal. I think that's a pretty good concept, a pretty good formula — I'm hip to that, [and] I'd like to warm up to that. Since it is new territory for me, I'm really open to that idea; I think it's a good way to spread stuff."

Fan-filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH's December 10 performance at Circo Voador in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Storytime
02. Dark Chest Of Wonders
03. Wish I Had An Angel
04. Amaranth
05. Scaretale
06. I Want My Tears Back (with Troy Donockley)
07. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove (with Troy Donockley)
08. Nemo
09. Last Of The Wilds (with Troy Donockley)
10. Wishmaster
11. Ever Dream
12. Over The Hills And Far Away (GARY MOORE cover)
13. Ghost Love Score
14. Song Of Myself
15. Last Ride Of The Day

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."

Fan-filmed video footage of CLUB COVERDOSE, the cover band featuring acclaimed Swedish hard rock vocalist Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, THERION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TREAT, KRUX), perfoming on November 24 at On The Rocks in Helsinki, Finland can be seen below.

Levén's first official CANDLEMASS recording since he took over from the recently departed Robert Lowe will come in the shape of the CD single sent exclusively to Sweden Rock Magazine's subscribers with issue #100, out January 8, 2013. It will not be available elsewhere. The single features CANDLEMASS and ENTOMBED covering each other's songs. CANDLEMASS recorded a heavy version of ENTOMBED's classic death'n'roll song "To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth".

CANDLEMASS played its first show with Levén on June 5 at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm, Sweden.

"The Art Of Being A Coward", the new video from Finnish melodic death metallers CODE FOR SILENCE, can be seen below. According to a press release, the clip is "a story-like piece that presents a view to music mafia's efforts at middle-sized city in Finland."

"The Art Of Being A Coward" comes off CODE FOR SILENCE's second album, "Eyes World Shut", which was released in October via Inverse Records. The CD was described as "a mixture of groovy riffs, catchy choruses, crazy carnival-like sounds, industrial elements and fast blast-beats."

"Eyes World Shut", released in digital format only, is notable for its impressive drum work by Rolf Pilve, who is also the new drummer of the power metal band STRATOVARIUS.

"Eyes World Shut" track listing:

01. Rose Blooms In Bloodred
02. Flashbacking One Night Stand
03. Death Bringer
04. Brothers
05. The Art Of Being A Coward
06. Eye For An Eye
07. Neo-Synchronized Capone Dance
08. Release The Hounds
09. Deathrace
10. On The Streets Of A Sleeping City

CODE FOR SILENCE is:

* Tony Kaikkonen (DARK DAYS AHEAD, SONS OF AEON, REDELEVEN) - Vocals
* Antti Ström (NO SIGN OF LIFE, BLOOD-STAINED) - Vocals
* Teemu Liekkala (MANUFACTURER'S PRIDE, RedEleven, BEYOND THE DREAM) - Guitar, Programming
* Tero Luukkonen (Blood-Stained) - Guitar
* Petteri Kattainen (Beyond The Dream) - Bass
* Anssi Komi - Keyboards
* Rolf Pilve (Stratovarius, SOLUTION .45) - Drums

"Grime Of The Century", the new video from ORGY — the reactivated "death pop" band from California — can be seen below. The clip was filmed in September in Los Angeles with Matt Zane, an acclaimed adult-film director and frontman for the metal band SOCIETY 1.

ORGY filmed the live portion of the "Grime Of The Century" video on September 23 at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood.

A two-and-a-half-minute clip in which the members of ORGY talk about "Grime Of The Century", can be seen below.

"Grime Of The Century", the first new single in over seven years from ORGY, was recorded at NRG Recording and Entourage studios in North Hollywood, California. It is now available digitally on iTunes.

Joining vocalist and sole remaining original member Jay Gordon in ORGY's new lineup are Carlton Bost (DEADSY, THE DREAMING, LUNARCLICK) on guitar, Ashburn Miller (DEADSY) on guitar, Nic Speck (RUN RUN RUN) on bass and Jamie Miller (SNOT, THE START) on drums.

In an nterview with Icon Vs. Icon, Gordon was asked what the catalyst was for rebooting and moving forward with the project. "Ya know, it had just been too long," he said. "I was really interested in getting back out on the road. That was the first thing I wanted to do. It had been so long, I just wanted to get out there, brush the rust off and roll with it to see what happens. To do that you have to have a band and start playing gigs right away and that is exactly what I did."

On the topic of ORGY's new members, Jay said, "The new lineup is amazing! I don't plan on looking back, let's put it that way, they are that good. They are all amazing artists. Both guitar players, Carlton Bost and Ashburn Miller, came from DEADSY. The bass player, Nic Speck came from RUN RUN RUN. The drummer, Jamie Miller, is from SNOT and THE START. He is an amazing drummer! All of the guys are truly amazing performers and we get along great."

"I Live For Your Pain", the new video from Swedish female-fronted melodic progressive metallers DISDAINED, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "Kill My Only Enemy", which came out last year via Disdained Entertainment/Rambo Music. According to a press release, the clip "features a healthy dose of fire and death!"

Fronted by the beautiful vocals and mind-tearing growls of Therese Thomsson, DISDAINED features Niklas Dahlin and Johan Hartman on guitar, Tomas Stolt on bass and Johan Persson on drums.

With lyrics revolving around social and emotional dilemmas and musical arrangements of the darker variety, the band's repertoire leaves no mind untouched.

A former thater acress, Therése has lots of experience with several well-known Swedish musicians. Johan played drums in various constellations, mainly in southeastern parts of Sweden, with members of SATANIC SURFERS and others. Prior to joining DISDAINED, Hartman was a fixture on the non-mainstream scene, "focusing on progressive self-indulgence."

Century Media Records has announced the signing of the melodic death metal band STARKILL.

"Sword, Spear, Blood, Fire", a track from the group's forthcoming debut album, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

No further details are currently available.

The first video teaser for SEVENDUST's ninth album, "Black Out The Sun", can be seen below. Due on March 26, 2013 via the band's 7Bros. Records label (through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group), the CD's first single, "Decay", will be sent to radio and available for download at online retail outlets January 22, 2013. The effort was recorded at Architekt Music studios in Butler, New Jersey with engineer Mike Ferretti.

"The craziest thing about this record is finishing it in about a month," guitarist John Connolly told Revolver magazine. "We haven't done that since our debut album [1997's self-titled effort]. This is one of the fastest records we've ever made, but also one of the strongest — working off instinct mostly."

According to Connolly, SEVENDUST's forthcoming CD finds the band exploring "a darker vibe," but "there's still plenty of melody," he added. "The record fits right in with 'Animosity' [2002], 'Alpha' [2007], and our self-titled album. Lots of heavy stuff and some more mellow, moody songs as well It's a nice balance of what makes for the SEVENDUST sound."

Songtitles set to appear on the 12-track CD, which was produced by the bandmembers themselves, include "Mountain" and "Murder Bar". The latter was reportedly inspired by a Butler, New Jersey bar across from the hotel where SEVENDUST was staying while recording the new CD. Rumor had it the place was popular with many of New Jersey's murderers.

"It's a basic SEVENDUST record," guitarist Clint Lowery recently told "Source Of The Sound With Wendy Campbell". "There's nothing, like, too completely different than anything we've done before. It's got a darker vibe to it. We've got a good amount of the programming element in there. It's a lot of what we do — it's heavy and it's got its melodic element in it. So if you're a SEVENDUST fan, it's more along the lines of the second and third records we did — it's kind of like that. It's got a couple of throwback vibes to it. 'Animosity' and 'Home' [1999], if I can put those two records together, it would [sound similar to the new CD]."

SEVENDUST and LACUNA COIL will join forces for a U.S. tour in early 2013. The bands will head out on a 17-date run throughout the month of February. The trek kicks off on February 2 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Brazilian metallers ANGRA have tapped acclaimed Italian vocalist Fabio Lione (VISION DIVINE, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT) to ffront the band for their next performance, to be held on board 70000 Tons Of Metal, the world's biggest heavy metal cruise.

Singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi quit ANGRA in May. He explained in a statement, "There comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy."

Falaschi joined ANGRA in 2000 and appeared on the band's last four studio albums — 2001's "Rebirth", 2004's "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua".

In January 2013, 40 heavy metal bands and 2,000 fans from all over the world will go to the Caribbean to take over the luxury cruise ship "Majesty Of The Seas" for 5 days and 4 nights.

70000 Tons Of Metal will sail Monday, January 28, 2013 aboard the Royal Caribbean "Majesty Of The Seas" from Miami, Florida and will not return you to the real world for four days until Friday, February 1, 2013.

Metal Injection and HardRockChick have posted separate video recaps of Barge To Hell — the world's most extreme metal cruise, which sailed Monday, December 3, 2012 from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas and returned to the real world on Friday, December 7. Check out the footage below.

Make no mistake, this is not one of the cruises where you share the ship with regular cruise guests... It's like everyone has a backstage pass and you can mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison.

See every band play two live shows on three stages, each with its own unique atmosphere: The luxurious "A Chorus Line" theater, the cozy "Spectrum" club and the jewel: the open-air stage on the pool deck. Get all your memorabilia signed at the meet-and-greet sessions. Be part of the infamous "metal karaoke" and many other very special activities with the artists on board. Last but not least: Don't forget that there are bars on board that never close!

For more information, visit www.bargetohell.com.

"As Grace Descends", a brand new song from New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION, can be streamed using the SoundCloud. player below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Pinnacle Of Bedlam", which will be released on February 15, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was handled this time around by Raymond Swanland and can be found below.

Commented SUFFOCATION bassist Derek Boyer: "This artwork is a perfect portrayal of our music. The cover depicts lyrical content like 'scales tip in degradation' and 'hooded messenger of death is now set forth, punishment for all.' Raymond is an absolute BEAST of an artist!"

Added SUFFOCATION guitarist Guy Marchais: "The artwork for 'Pinnacle' brings another element to an already brutal album. Raymond knew exactly what we were looking for and delivered!"

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" was produced by the band at Full Force Studios in New York with longtime collaborator Joe Cincotta. The mixing and mastering of the effort was handled by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, ARSIS, SUICIDE SILENCE).

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" features 10 genre-defining-bone-crushing tracks and also marks the return of drummer Dave Culross, who previously played on the "Despise The Sun" EP. Founding member and former drummer Mike Smith also makes a special guest appearance on the re-recorded "Breeding The Spawn" track "Beginning Of Sorrow".

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" track listing:

01. Cycles Of Suffering
02. Purgatorial Punishment
03. Eminent Wrath
04. As Grace Descends
05. Sullen Days
06. Pinnacle Of Bedlam
07. My Demise
08. Inversion
09. Rapture Of Revocation
10. Beginning Of Sorrow

Stated guitarist Terrance Hobbs: "The meaning of the album title 'Pinnacle Of Bedlam', is the tipping point or most elevated moment as we approach the chaotic climax of this existence. The cosmic scale teeters and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

"People should expect nothing less than sheer brutality, as we perform together with this incredible lineup! We feel this CD will be the best SUFFOCATION album ever to have been released and are confident the fans will love it."

SUFFOCATION was among the inductees for this year's class of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider received the Harry Chapin Award at the event, which was held on October 18 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York.

Arizona metal veterans FLOTSAM AND JETSAM have completed mixing their new album, "Ugly Noise", and the CD has been "handed over to mastering," according to the band.

Audio samples of two songs from the effort — "Ugly Noise" and "Play Your Part" — can be streamed below.

"Ugly Noise" will be released digitally on December 21.

Funding for the new FLOTSAM AND JETSAM album was aided by the PledgeMusic.com project, which encourages fans to contribute funds to the recording of albums and the artists themselves to donate to charity as a part of their fundraising.

"Ugly Noise" audio sample:

Swiss hard rock veterans KROKUS will release their new album, "Dirty Dynamite", on February 22, 2013.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Hallelujah Rock'n'Roll
02. Go Baby Go
03. Rattlesnake Rumble
04. Dirty Dynamite
05. Let The Good Times Roll
06. Help
07. Better Than Sex
08. Dög Song
09. Yellow Mary
10. Bailout Blues
11. Live Ma Life
12. Hardrocking Man

Sony Music is offering a free download of the title track at this location (e-mail sign-up required). It was the last song that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England at 5 o'clock in the morning. Bassist Chris Von Rohr added some honky tonk piano licks on the original "Lady Madonna" piano at the studio.

"Dirty Dynamite" marks the return of b>KROKUS guitarist Mandy Meyer after 30 years.

Founder Chris Von Rohr and Fernando Von Arb are thrilled to have him back in the fold. Fernando says: "Now the KROKUS family is complete again."

Meyer replaced original KROKUS guitarist Tommy Kiefer for the remainder of 1980's "Metal Rendez-Vous" tour and 1981's "Hardware" tour and witnessed the growing popularity of KROKUS worldwide, including the band's first U.S. tour. Those two albums sold millions of copies around the world.

Mandy left KROKUS and moved at the tender age of 22 years old to Los Angeles to pursue his musical dreams. And it worked out pretty good, as time would tell.

In the mid-Nineties, Mandy moved back to Switzerland and joined GOTTHARD, another successful Swiss band. In 2004 he left that band and concentrated on his solo career. Between 2005 and 2007, he toured with KROKUS in support of the "Hellraiser" album, which he recorded and contributed to.

In 2009, Meyer joined forces with vocalist Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN) with Dennis Ward (bass) and Kosta Zafiriou (drums) of Germany's PINK CREAM 69 in UNISONIC.

Towards the end of 2011, Chris Von Rohr approached Mandy and asked him whether he would be game to play a couple of shows in Japan. Mandy recalls: "I agreed in a New York minute". The concerts proved to be totally successful. "And we got along great, it was as if time stood still," he adds.

Chris Von Rohr, along with vocalist Marc Storace, recently laid down bass and vocal tracks at London, England's Abbey Road Studios for the band's 17th album, "Dirty Dynamite". Sound engineer for the recording sessions is again Dennis Ward, who also recorded the band's last album, "Hoodoo".

Von Rohr promises: "The new songs sound like dirty dynamite: pure, dirty, in-your-face hard rock with a touch of blues."

Adds Storace: "We've been taking the time it needs writing for our next rock album and we guarantee that it definitely will contain no fillers!"

KROKUS 2012 is:

Marc Storace - Vocals
Chris Von Rohr - bass
Fernando Von Arb - Lead Guitar
Mark Kohler - Rhythm Guitar
Mandy Meyer - Guitar

The official video for "Nabataea", the first single from "Straight Out Of Hell", the new album from German power metallers HELLOWEEN, can be seen below. The seven minute-plus composition about the legendary kingdom, located in today's Middle East, where the first real democracy existed over 3000 years ago, develops on several levels, including 3-D animation at motion picture level. The secret Nabatean city, Petra, only discovered last century, is the backdrop for many myths and legends, and here it provides the ideal subject matter for a set of lyrics far removed from the rock 'n' roll norm. HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris was inspired to write the song during a holiday.

"Straight Out Of Hell" will be released in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22, 2013. The cover artwork for the CD was once again created by Martin Häusler, who previously worked with the band on the "7 Sinners" and "Gambling With The Devil" CDs.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who also worked on "7 Sinners", and sees the five musicians maintaining a rawer edge throughout, working quickly in the studio (MiSueno Studio in Tenerife) and delivering 13 brand new compositions that, in the words of founding member, guitarist Michael Weikath, will "kick even the laziest listener's ass!"

Bristling with positive energy, songs such as "Make Fire Catch The Fly", "Far From The Stars" and the title track itself, written by bassist Markus Grosskopf, show that when HELLOWEEN push their collective foot to the floor they are never too keen to ease off the gas; and they take chances, ever willing to use their well-documented virtuosity to break out of the mould..

Says Deris: "We've always followed our own path when it comes to music… and if someone had ever tried to stop us, well, we'd have done what we wanted, anyway! Some of our moves have attracted negative reactions at first, but in time they've gone on to reap success and reward, and that's the kind of freedom you can feel on this new album – we don't allow ourselves to be put under pressure…"

With Deris, Weikath, Grosskopf (also a founding member) and guitarist Sascha Gerstner all providing material, "Straight…" is a passionate, multi-layered affair, complete with a limited-edition premium package featuring a special Hammond organ run-through of Weikath outing, "Burning Sun" — this version conceived as a tribute to DEEP PURPLE's Jon Lord.

On the live front, meanwhile, HELLOWEEN (fresh from appearing at prestigious Japanese festival Loud Park) will be returning to the road in March 2013 — the first part of a world tour set to kick off in mainland Europe, with GAMMA RAY as special guests. The follow-up to the "Hellish Rock Tour" of 2007-2008, this extended outing, dubbed "Hellish Rock Part II", will bring the band to the U.K. on April 16 for a one-off date at the London Forum.

"Straight Out Of Hell" track listing:

01. Nabataea
02. World Of War
03. Live Now!
04. Far From The Stars
05. Burning Sun
06. Waiting For The Thunder
07. Hold Me In Your Arms
08. Wanna Be God
09. Straight Out Of Hell
10. Asshole
11. Years
12. Make Fire Catch The Fly
13. Church Breaks Down

Limited-edition bonus tracks:

14. Another Shot Of Life
15. Burning Sun (Hammond version; dedicated to Jon Lord)

According to Finland's Soundi magazine, the special edition of "Beyond", the new album from Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM, will contain the band's brand new cover version of "Subdivisions" by RUSH.

"Beyond" will be released on February 25 in Europe and March 5 in North America via Lifeforce Records. The CD was recorded by Teemu Aalto and mixed and mastered once again by Dan Swanö. The artwork for the follow-up to 2011's "New World Shadows" was created by Olli Lappalainen and can be seen below.

"Beyond" track listing:

01. Luoto
02. New Dynamic
03. In The Rim
04. Nightwalkers
05. Formidable
06. The Sonic Sign
07. Who Could Say
08. The Unknowing
09. Living In Me
10. White Palace

Commented OMNIUM GATHERUM guitarist Markus Vanhala: "It's now been approximately 10 years since our debut full-length album, 'Spirits And August Light', was released and the world was waiting. The latest 2011 album, 'New World Shadows', was a good breakthrough for us and lots of good things happened after that record, so, of course, we had some pressures to do a decent successor for that great record as the world was waiting again.

"Well, I think we managed on mastering that task and now we're back again with the OMNIUM GATHERUM's sixth album called 'Beyond', the album that is really going beyond all limits of melodic death metal from the winter wonderland! The album follows the good known path of 'New World Shadows' and 'The Redshift', but adds a lot of new flavors and spices to the good ol' melting pot to lift the band to a new heights. It's our most melodic and versatile album so far, but at the same time, it still holds for example the most brutal death metal growls in our career yet as also some really tasteful clean vocals between the lines. I'm sure everyone who gives the album many spins can find something new with every turn, so this should be a album that hold up the sands of time and rewards the listeners who are digging deeper and searching something more than just a one hit wonders of the day!

"Lyrically told, 'Beyond' is about the culmination point of one's existence. It is a coming-home story where the mysteries of duality are melted into oneness but without losing one single point of individuality along the arrival.

"As you can see from the cover, there's also a strong sense of sea on the album, as we're the sons of the sea from Kotka!"

OMNIUM GATHERUM recently announced the addition of bassist Erkki Silvennoinen to the group's ranks.

"New World Shadows" entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 5. This marked the highest chart entry in the group's history, having previously landed at No. 24 with 2008's "The Redshift" and No. 31 with 2007's "Stuck Here On Snakes Way".

"Introspective", the debut album from the Victoria, Australia-based project VESSEL, will be released on December 21. The CD features a guest appearance by British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) on five tracks, including the opening cut, "Werewolf", which can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

In addition to Bayley, "Introspective" features guest appearances by Lord Tim (LORD, ex-DUNGEON), who also mixed and mastered the album), and members of the Australian death metal band ORDNANCE.

"Introspective" track listing:

01. Werewolf
02. Desire Disdain
03. Masterpiece
04. This Cage
05. Introspective
06. Elements

The song "Desire Disdain" can now be streamed below.

For more information, visit the VESSEL Bandcamp page.

A newly discovered species of tarantula, a hairy and very large arachnid belonging to the Theraphosidae family of spiders, has been named after MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine.

The spider, which was given the Latin-sounding name Aphonopelma Davemustainei, was recently discovered in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona by Brent E. Hendrixson, Ph.D.

Mustaine posted a picture of both the male and female Aphonopelma Davemustainei on Twitter and Facebook with the following words: "How cool is this? I got my own tarantula named after me! Totally metal!!!"

Currently, there are more than 850 formally recognized tarantula species in the world. It is speculated that there are at least double that amount actually in existence. As more expeditions are conducted into the remote regions of the world, more are discovered every year.