Frontiers Records will release W.E.T.'s new studio album, "Rise Up", on February 22 in Europe and February 26 in North America.

W.E.T.'s 2009 debut CD was one of the rare occasions when a band, created by the vision of a record label president, managed to generate a wave of enthusiasm and interest from fans and the media alike. Not only did it go beyond the band's own expectations, but it pushed the musicians themselves to raise their own game, when in the beginning they thought no one would care except maybe the die-hard fans from the three bands the name W.E.T. came from.

The key element to the success of W.E.T. was to create a modern melodic hard rock sound and drive it into the future with powerhouse rhythm and production, making it an equally classic and contemporary release.

Robert Säll (the "W" from WORK OF ART), Erik Mårtensson (the "E" from ECLIPSE) and Jeff Scott Soto (the "T" from TALISMAN), along with returning ECLIPSE members Magnus Henriksson and Robban Bäck, accepted the daunting task to create a follow-up that could live up to the expectation of thousands of fans across the globe.

The album's release will be anticipated by the release of the single, "Learn To Live Again", on December 17 — an unbelievably radio-friendly song, which features for the first time a vocal duet between Mårtensson and Soto.

"Rise Up" presents again a massive production and equally impressive songwriting, which updates the term "classic rock" into the new century.

"The songs were written between December 2011 to February 2012 and were recorded between March through May. We then wrote/added three more songs in September, recorded them in October and the whole album was finally mixed and mastered," says Erik Mårtensson. "To me, this album sounds more like a 'band' verses the first album", adds Jeff Scott Soto. "The first album was great as it had a lot of great songs, but this one has great songs and a band personality, which shows growth as far as I'm concerned."

Hook after hook, "Rise Up" is another one of these albums where you can enjoy the dynamics of a brilliant partnership bringing out a unique result. Melodic bullet rockers are followed by haunting ballads and fabulous arena rockers in an album that will leave listeners in awe from start to finish.

"We took what we all loved about the first album and built the songwriting and sound from that," says Mårtensson. "We wanted to give the band more of an identity and tried to find 'our' own sound. I really think we achieved it with this album. Heavier and darker than the first album which we all in the band love. It's melodic rock for a new century!" Soto adds: "Strangely, my faves are the more uptempo songs and ballads on this album, W.E.T. do great AOR stuff naturally but to have more strength on some tracks and then get emotionally charged in others made those songs the more interesting for me."

W.E.T. plans to launch the new album through a special live show in Stockholm at the Debaser Club on January 17, 2013. The band so far has made only one live appearance at the annual Firefest event in the U.K. in October 2011, but in this new and special concert appearance, they will be showcasing for the first time new songs as well as digging some tracks from the now classic debut, plus some cool surprises.

"Rise Up" track listing:

01. Walk Away
02. Learn to Live Again
03. Rise Up
04. Love Heals
05. What You Want
06. The Moment
07. Bad Boy
08. On The Run
09. Broken Wings
10. Shot
11. Still Believe In Us
12. Still Unbroken

W.E.T. is:

Jeff Scott Soto: Lead Vocals
Erik Mårtensson: Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Robert Säll: Keyboards, Guitar
Robban Bäck: Drums
Magnus Henriksson: Guitar

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

In a posting on his official Facebook page, La Torre — who is also a member of Florida melodic metallers CRIMSON GLORY — wrote earlier today (Thursday, December 13): "Yes, QUEENSRŸCHE fans are very intelligent people, and this is why the majority go to QueensrycheOfficial.com for all of the latest news having to do with those that WROTE THE MUSIC for the last 30 years. That is the reality.

"Thank goodness I'm not a hired gun with only a voice. When I write a song, I can actually play all of the instruments.

"QUEENSRŸCHE has a new dynamic that it never had before. The cherry on top: We have the strongest artist management company in the business, the world-class producer/engineer James Barton on our new record, a wonderful new booking agency, QUEENSRŸCHE's crew and touring manager, have since shared the stage with the loved Pamela Moore, and re-establishing global contacts that are eager to book us. If that isn't a testament to what the majority of people and peers deem as the most valued version of today's QUEENSRŸCHE, then I don't know what is.

"Another reality is that we are moving forward with a new album while playing material off of the first five albums, which includes the EP.

"'Queen Of The Reich': Yes, people do stare speechless, because they are shocked to hear the song performed well, a song that 'broke out' this legendary pioneering band.

"Shame on anyone to deny the music that garnished fans in the first place and still resonates 30 years later.

"I couldn't be more proud to front my favorite band, sing with passion, and take time at every show to acknowledge every person I can.

"QUEENSRŸCHE is rising once again, respecting the fans first and foremost, which is why we (the band) all interact with the fans...a far cry from so many other artists' social sites.

"We all thank you all for embracing the change and positive new energy of the band, music, and growth. Thank you so much!"

Singer Geoff Tate, who was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in June after fronting the group for three decades, recently sought to prevent his former bandmates from touring and operating under the QUEENSRŸCHE name without him. While ruling against Tate, the presiding judge determined that there was no legal hurdle in Tate also using the name with an all-new lineup of musicians. "I don't see any reason that Mr. Tate can't have the benefit, if he gets other members, of whatever name he uses of using the brand," Superior Court Judge Carol A. Schapira said during the July 13 court hearing. "I think [doing that would be] inherently confusing, although I'm sure the market can get these things sorted out," she added.

Asked by Rock Show Critique in a recent interview with why QUEENSRŸCHE rarely performs "Queen Of The Reich" live despite it being one of the band's most popular tunes, Tate said, "Actually, it's not very popular at all. It's funny, actually — a lot of people don't know about that song. A lot of people don't care about that song. It's an early song that was written and it shows. It's funny the reaction you get, because it's a lot of blank stares. In fact, it's the same stare you get when you play a new song that nobody's heard before. People just aren't that familiar with it. Given there are a few hardcore fans that might know that song, or like that song, and know what it is, but the majority of the people there don't. So it's not really a song that I enjoy singing, strictly because, lyrically, it's pretty adolescent. It was the first song written thirty-some-odd years ago and obviously I cannot relate to it anymore. I think, for performance, it's always best for the performer to really believe in the material they're singing or playing. If you don't believe in it, it's really difficult to get behind a song, do it well and do it at a level that comes across with any kind of believability. For me, I honestly can't relate to the whole dungeons-and-dragons lyrical content of that song; it's really cartoonish and juvenile to me."

Geoff Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE will hit the road next year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group's epic 1988 release, "Operation: Mindcrime".

Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE also includes bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO), drummer Bobby Blotzer (RATT), guitarist Kelly Gray (MYTH) and keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH).

"The Quaternion", the new EP from the Chicago-based multinational extreme act AGAINST THE PLAGUES, which features in its ranks former members of MALEVOLENT CREATION and BEHEMOTH, will be made available digitally on December 21. Physical copies (CDs) will released in special limited-edition packaging in early 2013.

Commented AGAINST THE PLAGUES: "After much thought, we have decided that this EP will be released independently and available directly to you, the fans and supporters. We came to the conclusion (because much of you are widely spread out around the world) that we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to get this material at a fair price without having to make a special order or go through any other difficulties.

"This is the follow-up that our fans have asked for since 'Decoding The Mainframe' was released in 2010. We are confident that this new material will not let you down. Keep in mind that every person that purchases this EP supports us directly!"

AGAINST THE PLAGUES is:

* Varyen Chylinski (FOREST OF IMPALED, DAMNATION) - Drums
* Marco Martell (MALEVOLENT CREATION, DIVINE EMPIRE) - Guitar
* Marcin "Novy" Nowak (BEHEMOTH, VADER, ROAD'S END) - Bass
* Orlando Logan "Plague Healer" Perez (ex-VEX, WHORE OF BABYLON) - Vocals

AGAINST THE PLAGUES' debut album, "Decoding The Mainframe", was released in Europe on March 31, 2010 via Vic Records.

AGAINST THE PLAGUES in 2010 parted ways with guitarist Adrian Adamus (FOREST OF IMPALED, CORPHAGY). According to the band, Adrian left AGAINST THE PLAGUES "in order to focus on his personal/family life." Guitar duties in AGAINST THE PLAGUES are now being handled by Marco Martell (MALEVOLENT CREATION, DIVINE EMPIRE, KULT OF AZAZEL), who previously played bass for the group.

"Decoding The Mainframe" contains re-recorded versions of all eight songs from AGAINST THE PLAGUES' self-released CD, "Architecture of Oppression". The tracks were remastered and mixed by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, AEON, DISSECTION, KATATONIA, MARDUK).

For more information, go to this location.

"The Energy", the new video from Athens, Greece-based death/thrash metallers DESCENDING, can be seen below. The clip was directed by the band's frontman, Jon Simvonis.

"The Energy" comes off DESCENDING's sophomore album, "New Death Celebrity", which was released in October 2011 via Massacre Records.

Commented Jon: "The video is based on the album's concept. I named as 'New Death Celebrity' the fact when someone becomes a celebrity after his death. So each song of the album mirrors a life-state of this celebrity, but in vice versa. The last song of the album is about celebrity's birth, then we move to the rest of the album, as the celebrity grows up, gets a dogma, gets famous, got power, then become vain and finally dies in loneliness. The first track refers to the state, after death while his work has passed to the universe and the person is becoming a global celebrity. So in this video I tried to allegorically present these life states."

"New Death Celebrity" was produced by Fredrik Nordström, who has previously worked with IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR and ARCH ENEMY, among others. The album cover, which was created by Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST, SEPTICFLESH), can be seen below.

According to a press release, DESCENDING combines "both bombastic aggressive metal riffage and melodic hook lines in their songs. Their debut album 'Enter Annihilation' [shakes] the foundations of modern metal community! This modern metal masterpiece features astonishing belting vocals by Jon Simvonis giving a deadly touch with his wide range of vocal palette, from deep growls-to ecstatic emotional screams. Also blazing rhythm/lead guitar work by a new guitar hero Constantine (ex-NIGHTRAGE) who combines his fast and furious solo pyrotechnics along with his strong melodic phrasing giving to the album a unique flavour of his own shredcore fashion."

Greece-based metallers CRYSTAL TEARS have finished recording their third album with producer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (MYSTIC PROPHECY, SUICIDAL ANGELS, DEVIL'S TRAIN) for an early 2013 release.

Commented CRYSTAL TEARS drummer Chrisafis Tantanozis: "It has been such a looong, but very interesting procedure. Now, while I can sit back and listen to the first results that come out of the speakers, all I can think is the final massive wall of sound that Prophecy & Music Factory studio knows well to produce, a fuckin' kick in the face!"

CRYSTAL TEARS is working on the first of two videos in support of the new album.

The band's last CD, "Generation X", was released in June 2010 via 7Hard.

CRYSTAL TEARS' lineup includes Ian Parry (ELEGY, VENGEANCE, AYREON) on vocals, Dimitris Goutziamanis and Kostas Sotos on guitar, Alex Chamalidis on bass and Chrisafis Tantanozis on drums.

Swedish metallers ENFORCER will release a seven-inch single, "Mesmerized By Fire", on January 18, 2013.

The track listing for the effort will be as follows:

Side A: "Mesmerized By Fire"
Side B: "You Can Be" (non-album track)

In addition to the limited-edition vinyl, there will also be a digital release.

Commented ENFORCER guitarist/vocalist Olof Wikstrand: "'Mesmerized By Fire' is more or less the title track from the 'Death By Fire' album. I think within four minutes it captures pretty much everything about ENFORCER: intensity and power mixed with a touch of melody and melancholy. The B-side is a cover of NAGAZAKI's 'You Can Be'. It is a track with mega potential from a band that unfortunately never made it in the '80s."

ENFORCER will release its new album, "Death By Fire", on February 1, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD artwork was created by Jonathan Hultèn of Necromantic Art and can be seen below.

"Death By Fire" track listing:

01. Bells Of Hades
02. Death Rides This Night
03. Run For Your Life
04. Mesmerized By Fire
05. Take Me Out Of This Nightmare
06. Crystal Suite
07. Sacrificed
08. Silent Hour / The Conjugation
09. Satan

ENFORCER will will hit the road with GRAND MAGUS and the NWOBHM legends ANGEL WITCH in February.

ENFORCER's second album, "Diamonds", was released in May 2010 in Europe by Earache Records and in the rest of the world through Heavy Artillery.

Having released its debut album, "Into the Night", in November 2008, ENFORCER kicked open the floodgates for the return of traditional heavy metal, paving the way for many other young bands to follow. With critical acclaim pouring in from fans and the international music press, ENFORCER wasted no time taking their show to the road for their first European and American tours as well as a litany of appearances at many of Europe's most highly regarded festivals.

Italian metallers STRIKE will release their new album, Back In Flames, in late January 2013 via Jolly Roger Records.

The album contains the band’s self-titled album, originally released in 1981, plus four bonus tracks, all remastered.
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Short Cut To Hell’
‘Head Out’
‘I Want To Rock’
‘Hot Wheels’
‘Heavy Metal Army’
‘Go Your Way’
‘Fire's Goin' Higher’
‘Running The Race’
‘We've Got The Music’
‘Flames’ (Demo)
‘Let Me Go’ (Demo)
‘C'mon Let's Rock’ (Demo)
‘Fly’

The track ‘Short Cut To Hell’ can be heard below:

Porvoo, Finland-based metallers BATON ROGUE MORGUE will release a six-track EP, "Hat Trick", on December 21 via Secret Entertainment. The EP is bundled with a DVD containing music videos for the songs "Crystal City" and "Hellride" and a live clip for "Midnight Rose", shot at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

"Hat Trick" track listing:

CD

01. Hat Trick
02. Crystal City
03. Tokyo Nights
04. Black Ink
05. Massacre of St. Valentine's Day
06. Hellride

DVD

01. Crystal City
02. Hellride
03. Midnight Rose (live at Whisky A Go Go, West Hollywood, California)

BATON ROGUE MORGUE previously toured the USA, Australia, Croatia and Italy in support of their 2009 debut, "High End of the Season", which received good reviews around the world.

BATON ROGUE MORGUE is:

Lee Angel Morgue - Vocals
Domino De La Rogue - Guitar
Francesco Gasoline Mattei - Guitar
Timothy Baton - Bass
Danger Ranger - Drums

"Carry Over", the new video from TENPOINT, the project including vocalist Mike DiMeo (RIOT, THE LIZARDS, MASTERPLAN), can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, which is tentatively due in 2013.

DiMeo, regarded as one of the finest vocalists in the heavy rock scene, first came to prominence after joining the legendary New York City band RIOT prior to the recording of 1994's "Nightbreaker". He went on to record six studio albums and one live album with the group before departing to join MASTERPLAN for the recording of "MK II" in 2006.

In other DiMeo-related news, the vocalist is in the process of recording the keyboard tracks for rock and blues guitar legend Johnny Winter's upcoming album, tentatively titled "Roots II". The follow-up to Winter's highly acclaimed "Roots" album, which also featured DiMeo on keyboards, has a projected March 2013 release date via the Megaforce label. Featuring a "who's who" of today's most notable musicians as guests "Roots 2" will once again be produced by Paul Nelson and will also include Winter's band of Nelson, bassist Scott Spray (EDGAR WINTER, PETER CRISS), drummer Tommy Curiale (RICK DERRINGER) and DiMeo on keyboards.

Swedish death metallers NECROCURSE have set "Grip Of The Dead" as the title of their debut full-length effort , due in early 2013 via Pulverised Records. The vinyl version of the effort — which will include a re-recorded version of the track "Souls Of A Thousand Funerals", from the "Shape Of Death" MCD, as a bonus track — will be a joint collaboration between Blood Harvest Records and To The Death Records.

According to a press release, "Grip Of The Dead" contains "eleven tracks of uncompromising and haunting death metal in the true spirit of the ancient dark heavy metal attitude.

"Grip Of The Dead" track listing:

01. Preludium Of Devastation
02. Necrocurse
03. Rotten In The Dark
04. The Devil Cobra
05. Ripping Darkness (The Destroyer)
06. Death Metal Rebels
07. Morbid Maniacs
08. Speed To The Grave
09. Grip Of The Dead
10. Coffin Breakers
11. Infernal Rebellion

The song "Rotten In The Dark" is available for streaming below.

NECROCURSE is:

Hellbutcher - Vocals
Rotting Vomitor - Electric Guitar
Mörda - Electric Guitar
Basstard - Bassphemy
Terror - Drums

Swedish death metallers OVERTORTURE will release their debut album, "At The End The Dead Await", on January 25, 2013 via Apostasy Records. The CD was mixed and mastered by Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) and features cover artwork by Gustav Germann of GugerArt. The layout was handled by Seiya Ogino of Ensamvarg Design. The band states, "You're in for a lethal injection of some heavy Swedish death metal with both brutality and melody!"

"At The End The Dead Await" track listing:

01. Black Shrouds Of Dementia
02. Murder For The Masses
03. Slaves To The Atom
04. The Outer Limits
05. Targets
06. The Strain
07. The Coming Doom
08. Towards The Within
09. Suffer As One
10. At the End The Dead Await

The song "The Outer Limits" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

OVERTORTURE was formed in 2011 by Magnus Martinsson, Joel Fornbrant, Fredrik Widigs and Jonas Torndal, known from bands like GRAVE, COLDWORKER and WITCHERY, with the mission to deliver new, fresh, groovy and pure crushing death metal.

OVERTORTURE is:

Joel Fornbrant (COLDWORKER) - Vocals
Magnus Martinsson (ex-GRAVE, ex-INSISION) - Guitar
Andreas Hemmander - Guitar
Jonas Torndal (ex-GRAVE) - Bass
Fredrik Widigs (THE UGLY, session WITCHERY) - Drums

"Blood Stained Canvas", the new video from the Croatia-based thrash metal act INFERNAL TENEBRA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest CD, "New Formed Revelations", which was released on December 7 via Massacre Records.

Brutally honest, creative and constantly evolving, INFERNAL TENEBRA withstood the test of time in the metal underground, originating with pure black metal in 1999, adding a death metal foundation in the following years.

INFERNAL TENEBRA has shared the stage with a vast number of metal icons, including KREATOR, VADER, SYMPHONY X, EXODUS, BLIND GUARDIAN, AGATHODAIMON, PRO-PAIN and GRAVE DIGGER, and played festivals like Bloodstock Open Air, Metalcamp and Metalfest.

INFERNAL TENEBRA had two independently released albums, "Beneath The Twilight" and "The Essence Of Chaos", under its belt before signing with Massacre.

INFERNAL TENEBRA is:

Darko Etinger - Guitar, Vocals
Paolo Grizonic - Bass
Ivo Petrovic - Guitars
Sandi Orbanic - Drums

According to The Guardian, more than 6,000 citizens of of England and Wales have registered the religion they actively follow as "heavy metal" in the most recent U.K. census.

More people registered heavy metal than they did Satanism, with only 1,893 declaring that they follow the church of Satan.

At the last census in 2001 there was a campaign to encourage people to answer the question with Jedi — named after the fictional good guys in the "Star Wars" films. Around 390,000 people across England and Wales claimed to be devoted followers of the Jedi "faith" made famous by the blockbuster films. The number of self-described Jedi Knights has since dropped to 176,632, Tuesday's figures show.

Despite the drop in numbers, "Jedi" remains the top alternative faith and ranks seventh overall after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism.

Nearly three years ago, U.K. rock magazine Metal Hammer launched a campaign urging heavy metal fans to officially register their faith as "heavy metal" while filling in the Census questionnaire.

The move gained the backing of SAXON frontman Biff Byford, who the magazine said would become the proposed faith's "world metal peace ambassador" if the campaign proved successful.

Alexander Milas, editor of Metal Hammer, said at the time: "Like a lot of good ideas, this one came about in a pub and the response online has been overwhelming. It only reinforces the belief that heavy metal remains strong in its U.K. birthplace and across the globe. If the Jedi can do it, then we can too. The only requirement to join our campaign is that you listen to heavy metal, our commandment: everything louder than everyone else."

Byford stopped by the Metal Hammer office yesterday to celebrate the news that heavy metal was officially recognized as a U.K. religion and recorded a one-minute congratulatory video message, which can be seen below.

Guitarist Stacey Blades has announced his departure from L.A. GUNS. His official statement reads as follows:

"This isn't an easy announcement, but as of this month, I will no longer be playing guitar for L.A. GUNS. I dearly wish Phil [Lewis, vocals], Scotty [Griffin, bass] and Steve [Riley, drums] much continued success.

"It's been a crazy ten-year ride filled with some amazing tours, albums and memories to last a lifetime!

"Due to extenuating circumstances and musical differences, I have decided not to continue with the band.

"L.A. GUNS was a dream come true, but life is full of new beginnings and journeys.

"I will be taking some time off and have some different things lined up that I will share with you in the near future.

"I would like to first and foremost thank the fans for allowing me into your hearts! You guys rule!! Hope to see you all soon!"

Blades played on four L.A. GUNS albums: "Rips The Covers Off" (2004), "Tales Trom The Strip" (2005), "Loud And Dangerous: Live From Hollywood" (2006) and "Hollywood Forever" (2012). He also authored a book, "Confessions Of A Replacement Rockstar", which was published in 2009.

In an April 2012 interview with Geeks Of Doom, L.A. GUNS frontman Phil Lewis stated about Blades, "He's brilliant; he really is. He's just [an] amazing guitarist. I've seen him develop; first thing he did when he came in was work on a cover record that we did and he was good then but he's just knocked it out the park as far as I'm concerned. He's just such a brilliant guitar player, in fact if anything he needs to pull back because he's starting to touch on the [Joe] Satriani kind of style! He's really motivated, he knows that he's going to be compared to a very iconic guitarist and a lot of people love the old guy, so Stacey knows he's got his work cut out replacing a bit of an icon and he's rose to the challenge. He sounds great, he's playing great. Brought in some good songs. He's got the title track of the [the latest L.A. GUNS album, "Hollywood Forever"] so that's pretty good for someone that hasn't had a great deal of recording experience. Certainly not as much as me and Steve, so he aced that. He aced the opening title track so good for him."

Icelandic tech-death metallers OPHIDIAN I have announced the addition of guitarist Máni Konráðsson from GRUESOME GLORY to the group's ranks. Máni, who was tapped to replace Unnar Sigurdsson, will make his live debut with the band this Friday, December 14 at the Fjandinn Metal Fest in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Despite hailing from Iceland, a land that doesn't have a strong tradition in heavy music, OPHIDIAN I delivers a crushingly technical and precise death metal sound that can rival with some of the more well-known names in the genre. Their full-length debut, "Solvet Saeclum", contains well-crafted and brutally intense death metal tunes with enough of technical details and complex time signatures to keep Guitar World subscribers fully occupied. However, these tracks aren't overly technical just for the sake of it, as OPHIDIAN I have crafted solid and inspired tunes that not only showcase their advanced musicianship, but are also catchy and capable of resonating in your mind.

While this type of fusion has been attempted with varying degrees of success in the past, OPHIDIAN I really crafted a stunning record that gives us a very refreshing take on the technical death metal genre and should be must a must-have work for fans of OBSCURA, NECROPHAGIST and THE FACELESS.

Italian "symphonic power epic" metal band THY MAJESTIE has released video footage of its entire performance at the 2008 edition of the Brainstorm Festival, which took place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.

Commented the group: "Unfortunately, the [proposed] live DVD [of the Brainstorm concert] will never be released. So after such hard job was a shame to leave it at the dust, after four years since its production we decided to put it on line to make people able to watch it. Many things have changed since then, we have a new singer and a new keyboard player, but THY MAJESTIE's songs are still there, enjoy it and share it, as much as you can!"

THY MAJESTIE's fifth album, "ShiHuangDi", was released earlier in the year via Scarlet Records. The CD, which marks the first THY MAJESTIE release since 2009's "Dawn", was recorded at Wreck Studios in Palermo, Italy, mixed by Giuseppe Orlando (NOVEMBRE) at Outer Sound Studios in Rome, Italy and mastered by Mika Jussila (NIGHTWISH, SONATA ARCTICA, STRATOVARIUS) at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland. The effort also features a very special guest appearance by renowned singer Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE, VISION DIVINE, KAMELOT).

"ShiHuangDi" is described in a press release as "another epic conceptual record, in the vein of THY MAJESTIE's acclaimed albums 'The Lasting Power' (2000) and 'Hastings 1066' (2002). [It] marks another important chapter in the band's career, this time dealing with the life of the legendary Qin Shi Huang, who became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC.

"'ShiHuangDi' [sees] THY MAJESTIE returning to their trademark sound, made of epic atmospheres, massive orchestral and operatic parts and — most of all — genuinely devastating metal."

Although it has been reported that legendary LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant has written one new album with his backing band THE SENSATIONAL SHAPE SHIFTERS and another with singer/songwriter Buddy Miller, he tells Brian Ives of CBS Local that he will take it easy during the coming months.

"I think I might just chill for a while, to be honest," he says. "I'm enjoying life and spending more time in America now. I really enjoy it. I'm becoming way more aware and opinionated and stimulated by these new adventures. Everybody says I'm workaholic, and I just keep going and going. And I will do that [again]. But I want to explore more. When I think about how I was writing when I was a kid, when I was 20 or whatever, it was all about travel and journey and stimulus. I'm getting on a bit now, but I have to look at more stuff to be able to write cohesively."

Plant has also contributed to the next record from his girlfriend, singer/songwriter Patty Griffin, who was part of his backing group on his BAND OF JOY tour. "It's a brilliant record," said Plant. "It's produced by Craig Ross. I just joined her on a couple of songs, which we wrote together. It's great stuff, it's really good."

Read more from CBS Local.

Polish old-school death metallers ULCER will release their new full-length album, "Grant Us Death", on February 19 (January 28 in Europe) via Pulverised Records. The CD is described in a press release as "truly an unspeakable act of zombie-invoking riffs, heavily dosed with horror-theme inspired melody lines but yet spewing forth some of the most extremely well-(de)composed filthy-as-fuck death metal in the recent years."

Featuring the exclusive macabre painting by Bartek Kurzok (ABIGAIL, DEMONIC SLAUGHTER, GOAT TYRANT) and alluring layout by Kontamination Design, "Grant Us Death" was recorded, mixed and mastered at Sinquest Sound Studio (BLAZE OF PERDITION, MOON) in Lublin by Grzegorz Kulawiak and ULCER.

"Grant Us Death" track listing:

01. Grant Us Death
02. Devilspeed
03. Bloodpainted Salvation
04. The Love Song
05. Godcremation
06. Thanatoeuphoria
07. Devialize
08. The Pact
09. My Lord Has Horns
10. When Horror Comes

"The Love Song" can be streamed on the band's Facebook page.

THE BEATLES legend Paul McCartney performed with the surviving members of NIRVANA at last night's (Wednesday, December 12) Hurricane Sandy benefit gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

McCartney joined Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear to play a new track titled "Cut Me Some Slack" at the 12.12.12 Concert, which also featured appearances by THE ROLLING STONES, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, BON JOVI, GREEN DAY, KANYE WEST and THE WHO.

Introducing the song, McCartney told the crowd: "Recently some guys asked me to go and jam with them. So I showed up... and in the middle of it, these guys kept saying, 'We haven't played together for years, you know?'

"The penny finally dropped, I finally understood that I was in the middle of a NIRVANA reunion."

The track will be available to purchase as part of a live compilation album of songs from the evening. It will also be included on the soundtrack of Grohl's new movie, "Sound City Movie".

Novoselic tweeted earlier that "Cut Me Some Slack" was "kind of 'Helter Skelter' meets 'Scentless Apprentice'. It rocks with a heavy groove. St. Paul is powerful.” Novoselic also tweeted out the photo below of himself with Grohl and Smear.

Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Oregon Music News: Since we last spoke, there was a falling out with QUEENSRŸCHE and you. There had been rumblings that things were "tense" within the band. When did things begin to sour between you and your bandmates?

Tate: [pauses] Uh, it all came down in May (2012); that was the "big explosion," I guess. It just came out of the blue and from out of nowhere and bah-boom! It came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting it. It caught me off guard and since then I've been rolling with it. [laughs] Life goes on and I was readying this album so I just put all my energy and positive thoughts into [my new solo album] "Kings & Thieves".

Oregon Music News: How much of a factor in the break-up was communication between you and Michael [Wilton] with Scott [Rockenfield] and Eddie [Jackson]?

Tate: (pauses) Uh, honestly, Ruben, I don't know. It hard for me to speculate how they are or were thinking, you know what I mean? It's all a mystery to me. Up until this happened in May, we had touring plans for this year, plans to make a new record and plans for to tour in 2013. Everything was business as usual. It all changed drastically and I've been playing "catch-up" since.

Oregon Music News: Currently you can use the name "QUEENSRŸCHE," as can Scott, Michael and Eddie. You put together an all-star line-up that will tour under the name QUEENSRŸCHE. How confusing do you think this will be to the casual fans and will this hurt the brand?

Tate: Oh, yeah, it will be. That's why I tried to file an injunction to stop everyone from using the name until we settled our differences. They didn't want that they wanted to keep touring. They couldn't sell their other project without the name "QUEENSRŸCHE." I think that is what caused them to fire me and go through such extreme measures. They're operating in "survival mode,"' which is really too bad. This isn't the way I envisioned the ending of the band. I do think this will be confusing for the "casual fan," but I think most QUEENSRŸCHE fans are very intelligent people can go to Queensryche.com or GeoffTate.com and get a clearer picture of what's happening. I think this will allow them to make an informed decision on what they'd like to do.

Oregon Music News: So, Geoff, how much of the breakup has to do with money?

Tate: Oh, it's all about money! It's all about money. It's unfortunate that some people are able to see the picture of where they are at. They have this misinformed of idea of what "reality" is. So these people make these bad decisions on this "misinformation" and then they have to justify their actions. I really believe that is what is happening here.

Oregon Music News: Out curiosity, have you heard or viewed any of the clips of Todd La Torre performing "classic" QUEENSRŸCHE material? If so what did you think?

Tate: Oh, no. I'm not even interested in that.

Oregon Music News: Do you hope to at some point reunite with QUEENSRŸCHE in the future or are things beyond repair at this point?

Tate: I never like to say never. [Long pause] I will tell you that there will have to be a lot of discussion before there could be any decision like that. Honestly, Ruben, I feel completely free right now. I love the feeling of being able to work with people that I like. I get to work people that are happy and that really love to be doing what they are doing. I get to work with some very creative people that I don't have to drag along because they can't be bothered to show up. I like not having to operate with my hands tied behind my back.

Read the entire interview from Oregon Music News.

Quality video footage of DEICIDE's November 4 performance at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio can be seen below.

DEICIDE's latest album, "To Hell With God", sold 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued on February 15, 2011 via Century Media Records. It was produced by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

DEICIDE's previous CD, "Till Death Do Us Part", opened with 2,900 copies back in May 2008.

DEICIDE's "Conviction" video was directed by David Brodsky and Tim Kellen (Brodsky also handled editing duties while Kellen animated the video) and produced by MyGoodEye LLC. The clip tells the story of frontman Glen Benton and his pursuit of Jesus, claymation-style.

DEICIDE earlier in the year completed the North American headlining "March Of Death 2012" trek, with support from JUNGLE ROT, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and LECHEROUS NOCTURNE.

At the inaugural installment of the Beastival festival — set to take place from May 30 to June 1, 2013 in Geiselwind, Germany — "The Big Teutonic 4", the legendary quartet of German thrash metal bands that shaped the European heavy metal scene like no other since the '80s and established "thrash made in Germany" as a quality seal all around the world, will share the same stage on the same evening! Be there when KREATOR, SODOM, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD tear down the venue and thrash you into the ground!

The Beastival 2013 billing also includes such acts SABATON, WINTERSUN, KATAKLYSM, SATYRICON, U.D.O. and DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER.

For more information, visit www.beastival.com.

In a recent interview with Greece's Metal Kaoz, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza stated about the possibility of a full-fledged tour with SODOM and DESTRUCTION: "We have been talking about this all the time. We have been having this discussion since the last time we were in Greece along with SODOM and DESTRUCTION about getting that tour in the U.S. But this never happened and you wanna know why? … There are certain people who don't want to tour. [DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist] Schmier wants to tour, we want to tour but Tom [Angelripper] from SODOM does not. And, as you can understand, we can only do this tour with the three bands onboard because otherwise it would not be the same. So, without SODOM, this will never happen and I am really sorry to say this."

Mitch Harris and Mark "Barney" Greenway of NAPALM DEATH joined the reactivated late 1980s Portland, Oregon-based thrash metal/hardcore band WEHRMACHT on stage on November 11 at the Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon to perform the WEHRMACHT song "Night Of Pain". Video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

NAPALM DEATH covered "Night of Pain" on their 2004 release, "Leaders Not Followers Part 2".

WEHRMACHT is currently demoing songs for a new album, due out in 2013. The band is also preparing for a week of West Coast dates in February, ending at the Key Club in Hollywood on February 23 as direct support for SACRED REICH.

Earlier this year, WEHRMACHT parted ways with vocalist Tito Matos and replaced him with Eric Helzer.

In the mid-'80s when most West Coast metal bands in America were copying either METALLICA or MÖTLEY CRÜE, WEHRMACHT had a different approach which set them apart! By 1986 the band's self-distributed demo cassette and an appearance on the "Speed Metal Hell" compilation series had gained the group considerable acclaim in the metal underground. Music publications such as England's Metal Forces and the Netherlands' Aardschok were among many to praise WEHRMACHT's original sound.

In 1987, New Renaissance Records released WEHRMACHT's debut album entitled "Shark Attack". Although "Shark Attack" was well received by the metal underground, until 1999, it was never available in America on compact disc.

After "Shark Attack", the band set out to record their second album. That album, "Biermacht", was released in spring of 1988 on CD, LP, and cassette. Despite substantial pre-orders for "Biermacht", many record shops and distributors returned the products to the record company after discovering a song entitled "Suck My Dick" was listed on the album's cover. Many distributors also complained about the cover artwork.

Impericon has uploaded a nine-minute documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the November 7 concert at Huxleys in Berlin, Germany featuring TRIVIUM, AS I LAY DYING, CALIBAN and UPON A BURNING BODY. Check it out below.

TRIVIUM's latest album, "In Waves", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

AS I LAY DYING's sixth album, "Awakened", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on September 25 via Metal Blade Records, the CD was produced by Bill Stevenson, who has played drums for both the DESCENDENTS and BLACK FLAG and is one of the most highly renowned producers in rock. His production credits include work on records by RISE AGAINST, NOFX, PROPAGANDHI, THE CASUALTIES, ANTI-FLAG and many more. The album was mixed by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT).

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

The BLACK VEIL BRIDES are also going bigger in the range of musical influences
they're drawing from this time out. "We've tapped into some of the influences that,
as songwriters, we haven't really played with yet," the singer told the magazine. "The record has just as much influence from SISTERS OF MERCY or NINE INCH NAILS as it does SOCIAL DISTORTION, as it does METALLICA or SLAYER or anything else."

BLACK VEIL BRIDES will screen their brand new movie, "Legion Of The Black", at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles, California on December 21, December 22 and December 23.

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

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

"Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones" track listing:

01. Exordium
02. I Am Bulletproof
03. New Year's Day
04. F.E.A.R. Transmission 1: Stay Close
05. Wretched And Divine
06. We Don't Belong
07. F.E.A.R. Transmission 2: Trust
08. Devil's Choir
09. Resurrect The Sun
10. Overture
11. Shadows Die
12. Abeyance
13. Days Are Numbered
14. Done For You
15. Nobody's Hero
16. Lost It All
17. F.E.A.R. Transmission 3: As War Fades
18. In The End
19. F.E.A.R. Final Transmission

The cover artwork for the CD was created by the band's longtime friend, artist Richard Villa, and can be seen below.

Video footage of EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting performing a karaoke-style cover version of the 1960s classic "Soul Man" aboard 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 — can be seen below.

The members of EXODUS donned tuxedos for their closing set on Barge To Hell.

EXODUS' latest album, "Exhibit B: The Human Condition", was released in North America on May 18, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The CD sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 114 on The Billboard 200 chart.

EXODUS' previous album, "The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A", opened with 3,600 units back in October 2007.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, HALESTORM is considering heading back into the studio to whip up another EP of cover songs. The band issued its first set of remakes, "Reanimate", in 2011, and singer Lzzy Hale said in a new post at their Facebook page, "The boys and I are tossing around the idea of putting out another cover EP. We know a lot of you have ideas . . . so let's hear 'em! What songs would you love to hear us record? Thank you for being such a big part of our lives!"

Hale said that the band will choose the top entries and then let fans vote to see which ones will end up on the EP.

"Reanimate" contained covers of tracks from SKID ROW, LADY GAGA and GUNS N' ROSES. Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that recording other artists' songs helps her own writing. "There's just nothing like singing and playing and picking apart an already proven amazing song," she said. "I think it helps you as a songwriter. I'll write a song and be like, 'Well, is that as good as HEART's 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You', and I'll have to be like, 'No, back to the drawing board.'"

HALESTORM is nominated for a Grammy Award this year for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance", for the song "Love Bites (So Do I)" from the band's second album, "The Strange Case Of…"

The song hit No. 1, making HALESTORM the first female-fronted act in history to top the Active Rock chart.

The band is currently headlining the Jägermeister Presents Tour, which pulls into Asheville, North Carolina on Wednesday night (December 11).

HALESTORM will close out 2012 with three special holiday performances billed as "An Evening With" the band. The shows will take place on December 27 at Philadelphia's Electric Factory, December 29 at Montclair, New Jersey's Wellmont Theater and December 31 at Soundstage in Baltimore.