"Welcome To The Nightmare", the new video from ATKINS MAY PROJECT, the band featuring original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins and Christian guitarist and music artist Paul May, can be seen below. The song comes comes off the group's sophomore album, "Valley Of Shadows", which is available on Gonzo Multimedia. Here once again, the men from the "Black Country" industrial area in the Midlands of Great Britain have produced a CD of outstanding quality straight from the "home of metal." This excellent collection of songs sees Atkins deliver some standout vocal performances and May shred the axe like the old guitar masters.

"Valley Of Shadows" offers 10 "killer" tracks that burst with melody and metal mayhem. You'll take a journey through what seems to be an "evolution" of rock. With all the elements of "classic" hard rock and metal, yet retaining an underlying progressive core, "Valley Of Shadows" will not disappoint fans of the genre who decide to take the ride.

Says Al Atkins: "We have kept the same format for 'Valley Of Shadows' since it worked really well for our debut album, 'Serpent's Kiss', so we thought why change a winning formula." Paul May adds: "I think the new album definitely leans more towards that 'classic rock' feel, with some modern twists thrown in for good measure, retaining its metal edge."

Regarding the lyrical concepts covered on "Valley Of Shadows", May states: "The album is mainly about facing trials of life and the 'demons' you encounter on the way. It's about standing up and being counted when you understand who you are. The title 'Valley Of Shadows' relates to many things... that dark night of the soul that finds us all."

"Valley Of Shadows" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Nightmare
02. No Ordinary Man
03. Bitter Waters
04. Enslaved To Love
05. Stronger Is The Grace
06. Harder They Fall
07. Not Ready To Die
08. Messiah (Prelude)
09. Valley Of Shadows
10. The Shallowing (Return)

A five-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of the tracks that will appear on the CD can be found below.

ATKINS MAY PROJECT's first CD, "Serpent's Kiss", was released last November via Gonzo Multimedia.

Atkins is the co-writer of several PRIEST songs which are included on the band's first two albums, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings of Destiny", both of which eventually went gold. Atkins co-penned the heavy metal classic "Victim of Changes", which was a combination of Rob Halford's song "Red Light Lady" and Atkins' own "Whiskey Woman". He also co-wrote "Winter", "Never Satisfied", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Caviar and Meths".

In 1989 Atkins released his debut solo album, "Judgement Day", to great acclaim. But it was "Heavy Thoughts" and "Victim of Changes" (the latter being his collaborative album with ex-JUDAS PRIEST drummer Dave Holland) that brought him strong sales and critical acclaim around the world.

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill penned the foreword to Al Atkins's autobiography, titled "Dawn of the Metal Gods: My Life in Judas Priest and Heavy Metal". The book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith" (Omnibus Press) — was released in 2009 via Iron Pages.

"Welcome To The Nightmare" video:

Profanity TV has uploaded video footage of FEAR FACTORY performing the song "Shock" on November 30 at Kino Siska in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Check it out below.

FEAR FACTORY's video for the title track of their new album, "The Industrialist", was directed and edited by James Zahn. The clip utilizes live footage of the band from this past June's Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium against a visual backdrop that pulls topical subjects from the story written by vocalist Burton C. Bell that served as inspiration for the group's latest CD.

A part of "The Industrialist" video was revealed earlier this year leading up to the release of the album. Over half a million views of the excerpt has been logged to date. Now with the full video, the visual door to the concepts presented on the album are available for music fans to experience. Bell says, "We allowed James to take his time to create the video so that he could match his expertise with the conceptual imagery that was written in 'The Industrialist'. Being that he has been a long-time fan of FEAR FACTORY, he understood the nature of the FF machine; the concepts, imagery, and history. I believe he achieved a new era for FEAR FACTORY video concepts."

As a longtime fan of FEAR FACTORY, Zahn knew his work on "The Industrialist" would be enhanced by his extensive knowledge of the band.

"Growing up listening to FEAR FACTORY and being captivated with the heavy industrial scene of the 1990s, the one thing that always stuck with me was the accompanying visual aspect," he says. "Those videos that featured stock footage intercut with live performance clips were such a staple of the time and helped in editing 'The Industrialist'. Broken technology working alongside machinery in the midst of social change served as inspiration."

"The Industrialist" sold 9,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Mechanize", opened with 10,000 units back in February 2010 to land at No. 72.

German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION were joined by two of their former drummers, Oliver "Olly" Kaiser (1987-1999) and Sven Vormann (1999-2002) on stage on November 24 at the Täger Sporthalle in Wettingen, Switzerland for a performance of their classic track "Antichrist". Fan-filmed video footage of their appearance can be seen below. The show served as a record-release party for the band's 30th-anniversary album, "Spiritual Genocide", which was released on November 23 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The follow-up to 2011's "Day Of Reckoning", "Spiritual Genocide" was recorded at Gernhart Studios in Troisdorf, Germany with engineer Martin Buchwalter and was mixed by Andy Classen. The album features guest appearances by Thomas "Angelripper" Such (SODOM), Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (TANKARD) and Ol Drake (EVILE). In addition, the "Mad Butcher"/"Release From Agony" lineup of DESTRUCTION — featuring guitarist Harry Wilkens and drummer Oliver Kaiser — reunited for one song.

"Spiritual Genocide" track listing:

01. Exordium
02. Cyanide
03. Spiritual Genocide
04. Renegades
05. City Of Doom
06. No Signs Of Repentance
07. To Dust You Will Decay
08. Legacy Of The Past (feat. Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, Thomas "Angelripper" Such)
09. Carnivore
10. Riot Squad
11. Under Violent Sledge

Limited-edition digipack bonus tracks:

12. Princess Of The Night
13. Carnivore (feat. Harry Wilkens, Oliver Kaiser)

Asked how DESTRUCTION's sound has evolved over the years, the band'svocalist/bassist, Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, told Metal Assault, "We were 17-18 years old when we started, and we were young and wild. We didn't play that well at the time. Of course now, we have the experience of 30 years and our playing skills are totally different, so we cannot really compare, but I still compare the style of music and it's still thrash metal. We still do it with a lot of emotion and a lot of aggression, and those things will never change. I think we even came more brutal and more aggressive with this new album as compared to the old ones, actually. DESTRUCTION 2012 doesn't sound like an old band."

The official lyric video for "Signal Path", a brand new song from reunited West Virginia metallers BYZANTINE, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track will appear on the band's fourth, self-titled album, to be released on February 26, 2013 through Gravedancer Records, the new label formed by MuseBox VP of marketing, Josh Eldridge, in partnership with marketing company MuseBox.

The lyrical content of "Signal Path" is based on the unexpected massive heart attack that BYZANTINE's lead guitarist and founding member, Tony Rohrbough, experienced almost three years ago. Thankfully, he is onto a full recovery and back with the band.

Commented BYZANTINE guitarist/vocalist Chris "OJ" Ojeda: "To have a fourth BYZANTINE album recorded is a feat that none of us band members thought we could pull off. With families, new careers and living apart from each other and a five-year hiatus, we thought getting together and writing a new album would be impossible, but it came along famously. We truly are in our element tucked in the hills of West Virginia grinding out new tunes for the few select fans we have. It's been an honor to give you guys nine new songs to dig on!"

The "Byzantine" cover artwork was designed by David Friedmann, the winner of the contest the band launched on MetalSucks earlier this year. Check it out below.

BYZANTINE was first discovered by LAMB OF GOD and released three highly respected albums and completed several major tours before calling in quits in 2008, just after the release of their most respected effort, "Oblivion Beckons". Earlier this spring, the band entered the studio to begin work on the new CD featuring the following lineup:

Chris Ojeda: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Tony Rohrbough: Lead Guitar
Michael Cromer: Bass
Matt Wolfe: Drums

Swedish sleaze rockers 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.

"Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild" track listing:

01. Down With The Dust (live)
02. The Splits
03. Simon
04. Native Nature (live)
05. Queen Obscene (live)
06. First Taste Of Despair
07. Time To Record
08. Armageddon (live)
09. A Change Of Plans
10. So Alive (live)
11. Videoshoot
12. Generation Wild (music video)
13. Rebel (live)
14. Album Release
15. Save Her (live)
16. Random Madness I
17. Riot In Everyone
18. Random Madness II
19. Chemical (live)
20. Random Madness III
21. Breakin' The Chains (live)
22. Random Madness IV
23. It's A Miracle (live)
24. Random Madness V
25. In The Raw (live)
26. Random Madness VI
27. Generation Wild (live)

Extras/Unplugged

01. Breakin' The Chainz
02. Queen Obscene
03. Down With The Dust
04. So Alive
05. It's A Miracle
06. Native Nature
07. Bound To Fall
08. Chemical
09. Beautiful Pain

Videos

01. Anarchy (live)
02. Rebel (live)
03. Down With The Dust (music video)
04. Hollywood Teaze (music video)

The third and fourth trailers for the DVD can be seen below.

Frontiers Records will release "The Savage Playground", the fourth album from CRASHDÏET, on January 25 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22 in North America. The CD was recorded during summer/autumn 2012 at Kingside Studios outside Stockholm with producer Otto Wellton. The first single, "Cocaine Cowboys", will arrive on December 12.

During a brand new interview with Rock Music Star, KISS drummer Eric Singer (pictured below) was asked to respond to the comments the band's original drummer, Peter Criss, made about Singer in Peter's book, "Makeup To Breakup: My Life In And Out Of Kiss", in which he called Eric a "schlep" and claimed Eric was being disingenuous when he suggested to have Peter play at the 1995 Los Angeles KISS Konvention which then led to the KISS live performance that was recorded for "MTV Unplugged".

"That's funny because it wasn't disingenuous," Eric said. "At the time when that happened in '95, Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] asked me, saying 'Eric, Peter Criss wants to come down to the expo and bring his daughter. Do you have a problem with that?' I am the one that actually said, 'You should have him come up to play.'"

He continued, "Let's just put it this way, Peter doesn't know me. Peter's met me a couple of times, through all the years that I've been around. It was literally like, 'Hi. How ya doin'?' Other than when we did 'MTV Unplugged', where we were at rehearsals on and off together, that one week, other than that, Peter does not know me. He doesn't know my character. He doesn't know what type of person I am. If he wants to take it that way, then that's fine. That's his prerogative. I don't have nothing against the guy; he's done nothing to me personally. I may have my own personal opinions of how I feel about him as a drummer, or how he's conducted himself, that I may or may not agree with everything, but that's really their [Peter and Gene and Paul Stanley's] beef.

"For some reason, Peter really hates [current KISS guitarist] Tommy Thayer. Why? I don't know? All that Tommy ever did was try to help the guy. When Peter came back to the band in the very beginning, for the reunion, Tommy's the one who that sat in a room with him and Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist], teaching them the songs, and working them through the routines, before they even got together with Gene and Paul. He put the time into helping the guy, and now for some reason, he's got some real venom towards Tommy, and I don't know what that's about.

"The sad thing is that the fans who like a particular person, or a particular band member, they're going to believe everything the person says, whether it's true or not.

"You've gotta remember, this is Peter's chance to get some more attention for himself. Because, he really hasn't done much since he's been out of KISS.

"Obviously, Peter has his point of view on his time and his experiences, on what he feels and how he feels about his time in KISS, and all of the players that are all part of it.

"I think the ultimate good way is to take the high road in life.

"We've all had good and bad things happen in our lives. A lot of times, when things don't go our way, it's understandable why people become negative, or bitter, or cynical about something, but hopefully, they say that time heals, and I do believe that's true. Hopefully we all get to that place in our lives when we look back at our experiences, and we try to remember the positive and the better things about them, rather than the negative and bad things about them. We do get affected by what happens in a given situation, but we make the conscious choice about how we wanna deal with those experiences. If we want to turn them into a learning experience, and be able to look back on the accomplishments and things we've done in our lives, and maybe crack a smile, that's hopefully what we should all be able to do. We're supposed to learn from life and learn from our experiences.

"I think everyone who's been involved with KISS has done some pretty remarkable experiences that they should be able to be proud of, and look back and smile on."

Legendary NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) band SATAN has inked a deal with the French label Listenable Records. The group is currently putting the finishing touches to an album entirely of new material written over the last 18 months. This is the culmination of a process that began when the original "Court In The Act" lineup got together for an exclusive "one-off" reunion show at Germany's Keep It True festival last year in what marked their first performance together in 28 years. The band was somewhat overwhelmed with the response — 10 minutes into headliners CRIMSON GLORY's set, the crowd could still be heard chanting, "Satan! Satan!" The SATAN bandmembers immediately booked more shows in Germany, Holland, Belgium and London, and have since kept in close contact with each other, writing songs and making demos.

The new album, to be titled "Life Sentence", is scheduled for release March/April 2013.

The full track listing is as follows:

01. Time To Die
02. Twenty Twenty Five
03. Cenotaph
04. Siege Mentality
05. Incantations
06. Testimony
07. Tears Of Blood
08. Life Sentence
09. Personal Demons
10. Another Universe

Fittingly, this will mark the 30th anniversary of the "Court In The Act" release.

The recording lineup for "Life Sentence" will be the same as that on "Court In The Act":

Brian Ross (vocals)
Steve Ramsey (guitar)
Russ Tippins (guitar)
Graeme English (bass)
Sean Taylor (drums)

SATAN is one of the most important groups that emerged in the early NWOBHM era. Their unique mixture of heavy and power metal spirit with thrash riffage brought a handful of unforgettable tunes and revolutionized heavy music as we know it.

"Court in the Act" was SATAN's debut release and was considered a true milestone at the time of its release (1983). The songs were melodic, but at the same time very aggressive. The band's two guitarists, Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey, delivered a truly amazing performance; although their styles were completely different, they managed to perfectly complement each other's playing and introduced a handful of timeless riffs and solos.

A digipack reissue of "Court In The Act" was made available in November 2008 featuring three bonus tracks.

Fan-filmed video footage of SATAN's performance at the Keep It True XIV festival, which was held April 29-30, 2011 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, can be seen below.

For more information, visit www.satanmusic.com.

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam", the new album from New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION, 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" will feature 10 genre-defining-bone-crushing tracks and also marks the return of drummer Dave Culross, who previously played on the "Despise The Sun" EP.

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.

German death metal and hardcore fusionists HEAVEN SHALL BURN have shot down as false rumors that their drummer, Matthias Voigt (pictured below), is playing on the upcoming comeback album from reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS.

In a statement posted on the HEAVEN SHALL BURN Facebook page, the band writes: "BLABBERMOUTH.NET is really cool, but sometimes rumors are just rumors. Matthias is 100% NOT playing for CARCASS! Everybody in HEAVEN SHALL BURN maintains the status as devoted CARCASS fan and does not even dare to dream of being involved with this legend!"

As reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET yesterday (Thursday, November 29), CARCASS is putting the finishing touches on its first studio album in 17 years with acclaimed producer Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE). The band has yet to secure a label home for the effort, which is expected in early 2013.

Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who have been touring with CARCASS since the band's reunion was announced in 2007, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, ARCH ENEMY.

CARCASS is in the process of booking a number of live shows for 2013, including appearances at next year's Maryland Deathfest and Chile's Metal Fest.

Finnish dark metallers HANGING GARDEN will release their third album, "At Every Door", on January 28 in Europe and February 5 in North America via Lifeforce Records.

Musically, the CD "has much more variety than the previous two, combining influences from CULT OF LUNA all the way to SIGUR ROS," according to a press release. "When it comes to lyrical themes, HANGING GARDEN has always been about dystopic visions of the ouroborean fate that quite likely awaits man. Before, Matti Reinola was mostly responsible for the lyrics, but on this album they were mostly done by Toni [Toivonen, vocals]."

Says Toni: "Continuing the lyrical themes that have been prevalent on the first two albums came quite naturally for me. This album concentrates on different stories, protagonists and viewpoints of what might come after, should our future take a turn for the worse and end in cataclysmic consequences that spring from our actions. As the music, the lyrical atmosphere is likewise quite sombre, with a few glimpses of lighter tones. A great influence for myself came from a lengthy trip to the Far East, and visiting some sites that have once witnessed great destruction and human suffering. Thus, intertextuality is present here, but I'll leave it for the listener to discover."

The song "Ash And Dust" from "At Every Door" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

HANGING GARDEN is:

Jussi Kirves - Bass
Jussi Hämäläinen - Guitar, Vocals
Mikko Kolari - Guitar
Antti Ruokola - Drums
Toni Toivonen - Vocals
Nino Hynninen - Keyboards

Swedish sleaze rockers HARDCORE SUPERSTAR will release a new album, "C'mon Take On Me", in Europe on March 1, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2010's "Split Your Lip" was produced by the bandmembers themselves and mixed by Randy Staub (METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE CULT).

Commented the band: "We found this cool abandoned studio that we took over, where we spent the entire summer tracking songs in between the shows.

"Speaking of shows — we'll start rehearsing in January so that we'll be ready to play live everywhere again soon. If there's a stage, we'll rock it!!!"

HARDCORE SUPERSTAR celebrated its 10th anniversary last year with a best-of album, "The Party Ain't Over 'Til We Say So". The collection contained songs from all the records that the band released between 2000 and 2010 along with a newly written track, "We Don't Need A Cure".

"Split Your Lip" was released in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records except in Scandinavia, where it was made available through Gain Records.

International film star and musician Johnny Depp joined Alice Cooper on stage last night (Thursday, November 29) at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles for the "Raise The Dead" tribute section of the rocker's show through the end.

Johnny and Cooper's band — which consists of Alice on vocals, Ryan Roxie, Orianthi and Tommy Henriksen on guitars, Chuck Garric on bass and Glen Sobel on drums — ripped through covers of "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", "Revolution", "Foxy Lady" and "My Generation", plus Cooper classics "I'm Eighteen", "Under My Wheels" and "Poison". "School's Out" rounded out the set as the encore, with Johnny out with the band straight to the end.

Check out photos at AliceCooper.com. A short video clip is available below.

Depp will also jam with Alice Cooper at the rocker's 12th annual Christmas Pudding on December 8 at Comerica Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. Johnny will join Alice and his band, along with other scheduled performers Don Felder and L.A. GUNS, and special guest host John O'Hurley for a night of music, dance, and mayhem.

JON OLIVA'S PAIN and SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva will release first-ever solo album in early 2013 via AFM Records. Drum recordings for the CD will begin mid-December at the Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida.

Commented JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer/producer Christopher Kinder: "Jon has assembled a collection of ideas from the past 4-5 years and wants the opportunity to present them as his own work. Jon will be recording nearly all the instrument tracks and vocals himself and also playing drums on several tracks. Once again, I have the honor of recording the bulk of the drum tracks on the new CD, but this record will have been created from start to finish with Jon being completely at the helm."

Added Oliva: "I’ve got some weird ideas that I wanna try and I’ve got some time to do it. I don’t want do just 'another' JON OLIVA'S PAIN record. I’ve done four of those already. I wanna do something different. I have some material that I've wanted to put out for a while, that I'll talk with the record company about, maybe putting something out quickly, like in the next four or five months, to give me more time to do this JON OLIVA'S PAIN record. I want the next JON OLIVA'S PAIN CD to be very special. I've got some great friends from other bands that are going to be a significant part of the next JON OLIVA'S PAIN release. We are going to do a killer JON OLIVA'S PAIN record and then an additional bonus CD with guest stars... kind of like the AVANTASIA thing, but not in a story line. [EDGUY and AVANTASIA mastermind] Tobias Sammet does a magnificent job with it, but I don't have that much time to write a whole story, so I'll just have some powerhouse friends from various bands come in and take it over the top."

This past summer, JON OLIVA'S PAIN toured Europe where it celebrated the 25th anniversary of one of heavy metal's most iconic records, "Hall Of The Mountain King" by SAVATAGE. The band performed the entire album as a special one-time-only treat for the still massive amount of loyal fans, along with songs from the DOCTOR BUTCHER album (by Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery, released in 1995), SAVATAGE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN.

Professionally filmed video footage of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA performing live at Estúdio Trama in São Paulo, Brazil on November 29 can be viewed at this location. A few of the clips are available below.

SEPULTURA has been confirmed for next year's edition of the Rock In Rio festival, set to take place in September 2013. The band will be joined on stage by Les Tambours Du Bronx, featuring sixteen drummers from France.

Founded in 1987, Les Tambours Du Bronx beat 225-liter barrels with beech wood bats or even axe handles. In more than 1000 concerts they've smashed about 16,000 barrels and more than 110,000 broken "drum sticks!"

SEPULTURA's concert at Rock In Rio will be professionally filmed for the band's next DVD, to be released sometime in 2014.

21-year-old drummer Eloy Casagrande joined SEPULTURA last year as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time.

Dolabella exited SEPULTURA after a five-year run of relentless touring and two studio albums. He joined SEPULTURA in 2006 following the departure of the band's original drummer, Igor Cavalera.

SEPULTURA is continuing to tour in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.

MPIRE OF EVIL (formerly PRIMEVIL) — the band formed in 2010 by ex-VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals) — performed an acoustic set of VENOM covers earlier today (Friday, November 30) at the Discpier Nippombashi shop in Osaka, Japan.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Black Metal
02. Welcome To Hell
03. Bloodlust
04. Witching Hour
05. Countess Bathory
06. Teacher's Pet
07. Sons Of Satan
08. Leave Me In Hell
09. Blackened Are The Priests
10. Carnivorous
11. Die Hard
12. In League With Satan

Amateur video footage of the performance can be seen below.

MPIRE OF EVIL's new album, "Crucified", will contain re-recorded versions of VENOM tracks from Dolan's time with the group.

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

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

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

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

British rockers THE DARKNESS recently stopped by Yahoo! Music to play acoustic versions of the songs "I Believe In A Thing Called Love", "Every Inch Of You" and "Love Is Not The Answer". The band also sat down for an in-depth interview. Check out the footage below.

THE DARKNESS's third studio album, "Hot Cakes", was released on August 21 via Wind-Up (North and South America) and PIAS (U.K. and rest of the world). After a seven-year wait, "Hot Cakes" — produced by the band's Justin and Dan Hawkins with longtime collaborator Nick Brine and mixed by Bob Ezrin — delivers the epic rock anthems and infectious pop choruses the band has become renowned for worldwide.

Since THE DARKNESS — Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars), Dan Hawkins (guitars/backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums) — resumed active service more than a year ago on the main stage of 2011's Download festival with their original lineup, the British group have accomplished a lot. They've completed sold-out tours of the U.K. and North America; were featured in a Superbowl ad (broadcast to over 100 million viewers in the tense fourth quarter of the game); finished recording "Hot Cakes" and released a free teaser track and video, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us".

Former OBSCENITY frontman Oliver Jauch has launched a one-man project called SHELLSHOCK. All instruments and vocal parts are performed by Jauch himself.

According to a press release, "the sound of SHELLSHOCK is influenced by bands like BOLT THROWER and SIX FEET UNDER."

A rehearsal recording of the song "Thunderbolt" can be streamed below.

Thunderbolt by Shellshock

Cult British underground heavyweights AMEBIX have officially called it a day.

Commented AMEBIX singer/bassist Rob Miller (a.k.a. The Baron): "To my deep regret, AMEBIX has now come to a point where we can no longer continue as a band. We have spent the past five years engaged in a process of resurrecting this group from the ashes and feel very proud of what we have managed to achieve in that time, both in the live performances and also in the album that resulted from this extraordinary time. 'Sonic Mass' is a worthy successor to all of our earlier work, bringing a lot of our original impetus and ideas into clear focus. It was an unparalleled success for us both critically and artistically.

"The hope was that we would be able to tour the album and get our music out to a broadening audience, but there are factors within the band dynamic which will not allow for that in the foreseeable future. Personally, I feel a great disappointment over this and that has in turn led me to this difficult decision.

"AMEBIX was and is the creation and brainchild of both myself and my brother Stig. With either of us absent, it is no longer AMEBIX.

"However, the intention is to continue moving onwards and upwards. Roy [Mayorga, STONE SOUR/AMEBIX drummer, engineer and producer] and I are currently working together on new material, with a view to a new incarnation of the AMEBIX legacy, flying under a different banner. We hope to be in a position to make further announcements in the coming year via www.amebix.net."

Formed in the late Seventies and hailed as the godfathers of crust punk and extreme metal, AMEBIX had long lain dormant until the addition of drummer Roy Mayorga (NAUSEA, CRISIS, SOULFLY, STONE SOUR), a DVD release, and a string of 2009 reunion shows reignited the flame. The band's resurrection first resulted in the release of 2010's "Redux" EP, which featured live and re-recorded versions of several of the band's best-loved classics, including "Winter", "Chain Reaction", and the immortal battle cry, "Arise!".

END OF THE SUN, the Hollywood, California-based band featuring former AM CONSPIRACY guitarist Mike Farole, has parted ways with ex-SEV/PRIMER 55 bassist Chris Mullen and has replaced him with Indy Delgadillo. The group is working on its debut record with producer Shaun Evans, who has previously worked with Ben Grosse (SEVENDUST, DARK NEW DAY, ALTER BRIDGE). A single, "The New Energy", is tentatively due in February/March 2013, with an accompanying video to follow.

END OF THE SUN is:

Michael Farole - Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Joseph Berg - Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Indy Delgadillo - Bass/Vocals
Paul Pasciak - Drums
Steven Jackson - Vocals

METALLICA announced today that they have taken ownership of all their master recordings including all music and long-form videos, a move almost unprecedented for musicians signed to recording contracts. Under provision of their renegotiated joint venture agreement with the Warner Music Group in 1994, all masters revert back to the band as of today, November 30, 2012.

"We would like to thank everyone at the Warner Music Group for 28 years of a fantastic relationship, particularly since 1994 where we truly felt we had partners in every aspect of our business in North America," said the band's James Hetfield.

METALLICA also announced the launch of their new record label, Blackened Recordings. Blackened Recordings was created by the band as a home for all of their recordings, both audio and visual, and anything else that suits them. Blackened Recordings will handle all marketing and promotion duties and will enter into a deal with Rhino Entertainment, who will manufacture and distribute its releases in North America. Blackened Recordings will license their releases to the Universal Music Group internationally.

"It's always been about control for us as a band," said METALLICA's Lars Ulrich. "Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, giving us 100% control and putting us in the driver's seat of our own creative destiny."

The first release from Blackened will be "Quebec Magnetic" on Monday, December 10, 2012. "Quebec Magnetic" is a live DVD capturing the two World Magnetic live shows from Quebec City in the fall of 2009. The setlist for the DVD was voted on by over 35,000 fans at Metallica.com this past September. Fans can order it from the band's web site, www.metallica.com.

A message from METALLICA to the band's fans: "We like to make it a point here not to bore you with the not-so-exciting business aspects of making and sharing music, but we're so psyched about our new adventure that we just had to tell you about it as we officially launch our very own record label, Blackened Recordings.

"Some of you, who have followed along throughout the years, are aware that in 1994 we renegotiated our contract with the Warner Music Group, which resulted in a joint venture with our record company for releasing all of our recordings including longform videos. Per that agreement, as of today we have taken ownership of all of our master recordings and Blackened Recordings will be the home of all of our current albums and videos along with all future releases including the December 10 release of the 'Quebec Magnetic' DVD and Blu-ray.

"You may have heard us say it once or twice or a thousand times before, but it's always been about us taking control of all things 'TALLICA to give you 110% on every single level every single time. Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, putting us in the driver's seat of our own creative destiny. We're looking forward to making more music and getting it all out to you in our own unique way."

Avinash Mittur of Metal Assault conducted an interview with the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE before the band's November 24 concert at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Assault: The band released a teaser for the new record a little over a week ago. Are there any plans to release a follow-up to the teaser with more new material being featured?

Scott Rockenfield (drums): Well, we were pretty bold in putting that out in the first place, but listen, the plan is that came out because we're going into the studio and we start recording next week. The record is completely written, and we're going to head in and start tracking. Our plan is to have it out sometime at the end of the first quarter of next year, hopefully spring. That's the whole gist of why we put that teaser out. Are there going to be any more teasers? I don't know. You never know!

Metal Assault: You're working with [producer/engineer] Jimbo Barton again on the new album. It's been eighteen years since the QUEENSRŸCHE last album he worked on, "Promised Land". What's it like working with him after so many years?

Scott: Good research; that's awesome! You know, it is eighteen years, isn't it? 1994 was when we did that record, so yeah, it's been eighteen years. Listen, it's a great thing — we're really excited about it, he's really excited about it. We've wanted to work with him for a while, but for whatever reason, we just hadn't gone there yet. This is a great time for us to do that, though. We all discussed who we wanted to do the record with, and he was one of the first names that came up. It was easy for us to pick up the phone and call him. It was like our relationship picked up right where it left off, so it's gonna be a lot of fun. He's a very creative guy that did some great records with us in the past. I think that's one of the most important things when it comes to why we want to work with him.

Metal Assault: About the new album: are we going to see a return to the progressive metal sound QUEENSRŸCHE had in the '80s? And what kind of modern elements, if any, are we going to see in the new material?

Scott: What we're trying to do, and what has been really interesting since Todd has jumped into the band, we're trying to revisit the old QUEENSRŸCHE catalog — stuff off of the EP and "The Warning". That's always been a part of what we are, so yeah, definitely! I think in my opinion, we're really revisiting that vibe of why that music was special back then for us. There will be a modern flair to it, though, just because we're in the modern age. The fun thing about Jimbo being a part of it is that he can help tie together the two sides. He does come from our past and some of the great records and some of the great sounds that we're known for, but he's also living in the modern age and doing some interesting things as well. I think it's going to be a really great QUEENSRŸCHE record. People are going to go, "Wow, that's QUEENSRŸCHE! That sounds just like what we've known them to be, and what we would expect them to now be." That's what I think peple will get out of it.

Metal Assault: Parker [Lundgren], I think you've been tracking some guitars lately?

Parker: Yeah, we're all kind of working on stuff every day. The songs are just about done; we've got just about enough material for the record and right now it's more like shooting ideas around. Scott will write a song, and it'll be made up of samples for the most part. He'll send it to Todd, he'll say, "Wow, that sounds great. I'm gonna sing on it right away," and then Michael [Wilton, guitar], Ed [Jackson, bass] and I will get it and track guitar ideas and send stuff back and forth. There's been a lot of that, but they're still just demos. I'm excited to see what the songs turn out like once we head into the studio and we have all this nice gear and sounds and a great console and everything. Yeah, we're just plugging away every day.

Metal Assault: You've been primarily playing rhythm guitar and helping Michael with harmonies live, but are we going to be hearing any soloing from you on the new record?

Parker: Yeah! There are already a couple of double solos that Michael and I have written and it's kind of cool to bring that back a bit more. We've been doing some cool harmonized dual solos. We're trying to avoid just shredding gibberish, we're really thinking out the solos and making them melodic. That's something that the band's done a lot in the past.

Scott: One thing about this record, is that it's completely written and performed by us five in QUEENSRŸCHE, which for whatever it's worth, was not the case as of the last few records that we made. We're really excited. That was one of the things that we really needed to work on and change and that we weren't really happy with. The whole record is us doing our thing, and you're going to get the energy that comes out of that. It's been a lot of fun because we've been tossing some great ideas around. The results will be when it's finally done and you can listen to it, but we're really excited about it and I think everyone else is gonna have a good time once they hear it.

Fan-filmed video footage of THIN LIZZY's November 25 performance at Skråen in Aalborg, Denmark can be seen below.

After a very successful two-year run with the current lineup, THIN LIZZY recently made a decision to not release a new album under the THIN LIZZY name.

Commented guitarist Scott Gorham: "Out of respect to [late THIN LIZZY frontman] Phil Lynott and the legacy he created, we have decided that we should not release a new album under the THIN LIZZY name. It was a very difficult decision as we put a lot of time and effort into rebuilding the THIN LIZZY brand over recent years. Releasing a new album was the only way to continue this success.

"We all know how much Phil meant to this band and the fans.

"We have written 20 songs that we all feel very strongly do the band and THIN LIZZY name credit. We believe Phil would have been proud of them.

"We always knew a new record was a touchy subject with some people and as such really want the quality of these songs to be heard by everyone without any judgment or prejudice. To that end, we have decided not to release these songs under the name THIN LIZZY.

"We want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the years and to all our fans. We will release this material soon and you will be hearing some great new music with the classic THIN LIZZY sound intact. We will announce future plans early in the New Year."

Added frontman Ricky Warwick: "Our plan always was to put out new music to keep the name THIN LIZZY alive and fresh with all the band's fans — old and new.

"Nobody respects Phil as much as I do and singing his songs for the past two years has been an incredible honor and something I will never forget.

"Our plan was to always keep the band on top of their game, with great shows and great production to honor all that was Phil Lynott and his iconic body of work.

"Without a new album to gain new press and keep the momentum we have built up over the past two years, we are worried the THIN LIZZY brand and all it stands for will diminish to a point we would never want to see. Therefore, our regular touring as THIN LIZZY will cease at the end of this year after our European tour. I do want to stress that this does not necessarily mean we will never play together again as THIN LIZZY. If there are options for other parts of the world, in territories that this line up has never visited then, we may still play odd shows in 2013 and beyond if people want to see us."

For a list of upcoming THIN LIZZY shows, go to this location.

Frontiers Records has set a January 22, 2013 North American release date (three dates later in Europe) for SNAKECHARMER's self-titled debut album.

Formed in 2011 by former WHITESNAKE members Micky Moody and Neil Murray, SNAKECHARMER also includes Chris Ousey (HEARTLAND), Laurie Wisefield (ex-WISHBONE ASH, TINA TURNER), Adam Wakeman (OZZY OSBOURNE) and Harry James (THUNDER). With members gigging record breaking tours, earning double-platinum-selling albums and playing to crowds of 100,000.

"I met up with Neil Murray a couple of years ago and we spoke about playing a few gigs together for fun and old times' sake," says Micky Moody. "The obvious choice was early WHITESNAKE material, so when Neil suggested Laurie Wisefield and Harry James, I jumped at it. Chris Ousey was highly recommended and Adam had depped for COMPANY OF SNAKES some years back. We went out as MONSTERS OF BRITISH ROCK mostly performing the songs of early WHITESNAKE, THUNDER, HEARTLANDS and a Laurie Wisefield original and we caught the attention of Martin Darvill, head of QEDG Management, who suggested we record an album of original material, which we did. The result is SNAKECHARMER on the Frontiers label."

Musically, this debut album is everything you would expect from musicians with such a pedigree: a finely crafted hard rock album with blues and melodic overtones, akin to WHITESNAKE (1979-'81 era), BAD COMPANY and with hints of early FOREIGNER as well.

"The songs on our debut album reflect the kind of music that the members of the band want to play, which is melodic rock with a blues influence," says Neil Murray. "Each of us has played many different styles of music, and our influences are varied, but SNAKECHARME originally came together to play mainly early WHITESNAKE songs, so that is our starting point. There wasn't a deliberate plan to write songs in a particular style; each song on the album started as a basic idea by one or two band members, and if the other guys were enthusiastic about the idea, then the song would be worked up into a finished song."

"Snakecharmer" track listing:

01. My Angel
02. Accident Prone
03. To The Rescue
04. Falling Leaves
05. A Little Rock & Roll
06. Turn Of The Screw
07. Smoking Gun
08. Stand Up
09. Guilty As Charged
10. Nothing To Lose
11. Cover Me In You
12. White Boy Blues *

* bonus track

SNAKECHARMER is:

Chris Ousey - Lead Vocals
Micky Moody - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals
Laurie Wisefield - Guitar, Vocals
Adam Wakeman - Keyboards, Vocals
Neil Murray - Bass
Harry James - Drums, Vocals

MOTÖRHEAD, the hardest-working, hardest-touring band in the world, loves when fans buy their records, but not this time. A new box set, called "Complete Early Years Box Set", has just come out by the company who has the rights to the band's early recordings, and they are charging over $600 for it!

Earlier this year, the band was able to temporarily halt the product from coming out, but now MOTÖRHEAD has learned that the label is moving ahead with the project, which is scheduled for release in December. MOTÖRHEAD have no control over what's done with these early songs, and they want to make sure fans are completely aware that they have no involvement whatsoever in releasing such an expensive box set.

Before the initial release was blocked, MOTÖRHEAD's iconic frontman Lemmy said: "Unfortunately, greed once again rears its yapping head. I would advise against it even for the most rabid completists!"

He now adds: "It really bothers me that these people would put this out at these prices especially in this day and age, when money is tight. There you go again labels, trying to squeeze out every last dime you can from our fans.

"But they reap what they sow, don't they? Look what's going on with the music business. These are fine examples of corporate greed: reissuing the same stuff over and over again, overcharging the customers with outrageous pricing, basically trying to rape our fanbase.

"Although we still make money from record sales, this is not the way I ever intended it. I don't like to see fans getting ripped off or taken advantage of. And that's what's happening here."

If fans do want to gift a loved one with some new MOTÖRHEAD product this holiday, by all means, please pick up the band's most recent "The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2 - Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else", the follow-up to 2011's "The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1 - Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else".

Like its sibling, "Anyplace Crazy…" is packed with more magnificent Motörmaterial from "The Wörld Is Yours" tour, including the triumphant 2011 Wacken headline appearance as well as highlights from the Sonisphere and Rio shows. More than anything, these are new recordings, new releases and compiled with care and attention from the band themselves.

If you want to support MOTÖRHEAD, then this is the way to do it. And if you do have a hankering for the old material, remember, it is still available piecemeal, and not simply via the outrageously overpriced box set.

For more information on "Complete Early Years Box Set", go to this location.