Vocalist Skin and guitarist Ace from UK-based SKUNK ANANSIE recently performed an acoustic version of their new single 'I Hope You Get To Meet Your Hero' for The Telegraph, taken from their new album Black Traffic. The performance is prefaced by an explanation of what the song is about. Check out the clip below:
Skin recently spoke with Greece-based Rock Overdose about the new album. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

Rockoverdose.gr: What is the first feedback you get from Black Traffic?

Skin: "Surprisingly everyone loves how heavy and in-ya-face it is. A lot of people think it's our best album yet, promoters and fans alike, new songs have been going down exceptionally well, better than some of the classics."

Rockoverdose.gr: Many talked about a return to a heavy rock sound, was it intentional?

Skin: "We really wanted to do a big fat rock album because that's how we feel, and to be honest a big rock sound right now is sorely missed! We have a lot of influences, we love everything from techno to drum & bass but we don't want those influences to be so obvious when you listen to our music. We did a load of sampling of ourselves and in the way the album is constructed to us, it feels very electronic and tight, but we're a little tired of repetitive commercial Dubstep, and so went in the opposite direction, as we want our music to be timeless. It's still really important to us that our songs have melody."
Rockoverdose.gr: Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD) loves you, though you implied in an interview that there are other artists that do so too but never express it on the media, why is that happening do you think?

Skin: "The underlying truth is we've never been up there with the cool kids, it's safe to say how much of an influence we've been on you to our face, but few artists have the balls to say it in an interview cos they're scared of not looking cool by biggin' up a band that the NME doesn't like. Lemmy doesn't give a flying fuck-wit what anyone thinks, he's one of the most honest people I've ever met and I've learnt that lesson from him. I am who I am and I speaketh the truth!"

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Candlelight USA's Cult Series will release the new album from London-based underground black metal band NINE COVENS, entitled On The Dawning Of Light, on January 8th, 2013.
On The Dawning Of Light is the band's second album, and their first with proper distribution in North America. Nine Covens came together to explore the darker, more brooding aspects of black metal and in doing so have created a virulent, belligerent and passionate account of the weakness that exists in humanity. Nine Covens offer a sonic confrontation to the eternally weak and all who follow without question to reflect on themselves and consider an alternative. Named after noted English witch/magician George Pickingill, Nine Covens shroud their identities to focus on the music.
On The Dawning Of Light tracklisting:

'Origin Of Light'
'As Fire Consumes'
'At The Ocean’s Strand'
'The Mist Of Death'
'The Fog Of Deceit'
'To Quench A Raging'
'White Star Acception'
'Over The Ocean’s Way'
'A Burning Ember'

The track, ''As Fire Consumes', is streaming below:

As Fire Consumes by Nine Covens

Italian hard rockers SEVENTH VEIL have inked a deal with Street Symphonies to publish their debut album, White Trash Attitude. The band will enter the Atomic Stuff Studios (Isorella, Brescia, Italy) in December to start the recording sessions for the album.
Right before summer 2012, Seventh Veil released a 3-track EP called Nasty Skin, getting some excellent reviews by press and critics and good feedback by the audience.
Seventh Veil are:

Steven Brixx - vocals
Holly - guitar
Jack - guitar
Jeff "The Hammer" Lee - bass
Eric Roxx - drums

More on Seventh Veil at this location.

Croatian doom/gothic metallers ASHES YOU LEAVE will release their sixth full-length album, The Cure For Happiness, on November 29th worldwide via Rock N Growl Records.
The album track, ''For The Heart, Soul And Mind', is now streaming below:
The band recently announced that they will offer a limited edition version of The Cure For Happiness, with the first 100 orders to receive a hand signed copy by the entire band.
The CD was recorded in the G.I.S. studios, by Matej Zec and featureds vocals by Giada “Jade” Etro.
The Cure For Happiness tracklisting:

'Devil in Disguise'
'Only Ashes You Leave'
'For the Heart, Soul and Mind'
'The Ever-changing'
'Meant to Stray'
'Summer’s End'
'Reality Sad'
'The Cure'
'…For Happiness'

The song 'Summer’s End' can be streamed below
The Cure For Happiness will be available as digital download and on CD only at the band’s Rock N Growl Records website.
The band lineup:

Giada “Jada” Etro – lead vocals
Berislav “Bero” Poje – vocals and lead guitar
Matija Rempesic – guitar
Marta Batinic – violin
Luka Petrovic – bass guitar
Sasa Vukosav – drums

For more details visit Ashesyouleave.org.

Swiss extreme metallers ZATOKREV will release their new album, The Bat The Wheel And The Long Road To Nowhere, on January 8th, 2013 via Candlelight USA's Cult Series.

The Bat The Wheel And The Long Road To Nowhere is the band's third full-length. Their self-dubbed “sludge-apocalypse” takes you on an transcendental musical journey that clocks in over an hour in length and features lyrics sung in English, Czech, and Slovak.
The Bat The Wheel And The Long Road To Nowhere tracklisting:

'Goddamn Lights'
'9'
'Rodeo With Snakes'
'Medium'
'The Wheel'
'Feel The Fire Pt. 1'
'Feel The Fire Pt. 2'
'The Bat'
'Angels Of Cross'

Check out the video for the album track, 'Goddamn Lights', below:

Spanish high-energy thrashers ANGELUS APATRIDA continue to promote their newest studio album The Call, which entered the charts in Spain at #14 spot upon release in April of 2012 via Century Media Records. The band has launched a lyric-video for the album track 'Killer Instinct', which can be seen below:
After performing a successful European tour together with labelmates 3 INCHES OF BLOOD and HAVOK in May 2012 as well as having played more than a dozen shows in their native Spain, the band is now announcing their next live shows in Iberia to be as follows:

November
16 - Donosti, Spain - Sala Akua
17 - Zamora, Spain - La Nube
23 - Oviedo, Spain - Tribeca
24 - Parla / Madrid, Spain - A Saco Metal Fest, Casa de la Juventud de Parla

December
22 - Barcelona, Spain - Music Hall

January
12 - Mallorca, Spain - Es Gremi

February
15 - Oporto, Poertugal - Hardclub
16 - Leira, Portugal - Beatclub
17 - Lisboa, Portugal - Republica da Música

More international dates will be announced soon.

Most recently, Spanish National TV has posted online the special show that Angelusa Patrida played in their studios in Madrid earlier this year. Check it out at this location.

For more details visit Angelusapatrida.com.

Since quitting SOULFLY and retiring from music last month, drummer David Kinkade — who has also played with BORKNAGAR, ARSIS and MALEVOLENT CREATION — has made the decision to sell all of his equipment. He says: "I no longer need any of it; therefore I would like to make it available to everyone. I have a lot of stuff and I'd prefer that it goes to people who will appreciate and use it rather than just have it collect dust in my home.

"So far, a large portion of my Sabian cymbal collection is listed on eBay along with the snare drum that I used on BORKNAGAR's 'Universal', 'Urd' and SOULFLY's 'Enslaved'... along with the COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN EP and a bunch of other stuff. I've taken it all over the world with me and, honestly, it's kinda hard to part with it but my fiancée and I are expecting a baby girl who is due in early April so I'm trying to save as much money as I can right now.

"In two weeks, I will be collecting my Pearl Masters Premium drumkit from SOULFLY in Phoenix and that will also be made available on eBay. Once it's listed, I will try to inform everyone but if anyone is interested now, you can also contact me directly.

"I also have a SHITLOAD of my Promark signature drumsticks with the SOULFLY logo that I no longer have any use for. I've had lots of requests from people and have been shipping them all over the world these past few weeks. I know I'm not John Bonham or anything, but if you're a SOULFLY collector, it might be something cool to add to your collection.

"I really appreciate all of the kind words and comments that I've gotten from everyone since announcing that I've retired. It was a hard decision but too many things were thrown on my plate and I felt it was the best move for my family and myself.

"Those interested in possibly acquiring items from my collection can visit my eBay or contact me directly: Davidkinkade2012@gmail.com."

Former MEGADETH and KING DIAMOND guitarist Glen Drover has left the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE before playing a single show with the band. He says in a statement: "I am really sorry to say that I have decided to bow out of Geoff Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE. I was very excited about doing this gig initially, but learned in the past week or so that it's in my best interest not to do this right now. I feel really bad for those who were excited about the idea, and to Geoff himself, who, I have to say, was very nice to me on my past trip to Seattle. I, of course, am very disappointed for arriving at this point, and making this decision, to say the least. I sincerely wish the Geoff and the band all the luck on what they do in the future."

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.

On September 2, Tate announced that he was launching his own version of QUEENSRŸCHE with RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer, former QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE and WHITESNAKE bassist Rudy Sarzo and Drover. Also on board in the new group are returning QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Kelly Gray — who played with the band from 1998 until 2001 and also produced several of their albums — and keyboardist Randy Gane, who has toured and recorded with QUEENSRŸCHE and Geoff's solo group in the past.

In a recent interview with Screamer Magazine, Geoff stated about how he recruited Drover for his version of QUEENSRŸCHE: "Glen I've known for a while and I came at him more as a fan. I love his guitar playing. He's just a really special guitar player and a very fluid player. And I thought that he and Kelly Gray would be a really interesting guitar team because they're complete opposites in their style. Glen is very fluid and Kelly, every time he picks up a guitar he picks a fight with it — it's just this chunky, kind of forceful style — and I thought that would be an interesting juxtaposition of styles."

MÖTLEY CRÜE recently released a brand new song called "Sex" to coincide with the launch of the band's North American co-headlining tour with KISS.

Written when the band was together during their residency in Las Vegas last February, "Sex" was the first studio track from the CRÜE since their June 2008 release of "Saints Of Los Angeles".

In a brand new posting on his Facebook page, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixs writes, "So glad we recorded the new MÖTLEY CRÜE track 'Sex' and actually got it out in time for the last tour for you to hear live. Obviously, there is much more to come (as always). [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] Mick Mars told me he has so many riffs ready to go to... But 'Sex' was just a taste of some 'new CRÜE.' I've personally been writing my ass off for months now. Feeling really inspired to follow it up with the rest of the songs from the band, too."

In an August interview with Billboard.com, Sixx said that there were no plans for the group to record a full album's worth of material.

"It takes time to put together music," Sixx said. "Right now we're just writing music. There's tons of material always there — there's riffs for days, ideas, choruses here, verses there. For us, it's how many songs have we written (and) how many do we love and what do we want to do with them? It's about finding the time to go home, be off the road, get everybody in a room and start riffing and see where it does."

Regarding how"Sex" came together, Sixx said, "We happened to have this song everyone was really excited about, so instead of saying, 'Let's add it to the pile of songs we have and we'll sort 'em out later,' we were, 'Hey, let's finish this one up.' We got it out there for the fans, for the tour, and it's exciting for the band to play something new. We love the classics and the hits, and I know the fans love that, too, but to be able to play something new is great.

"We wanted to save that big push for when we do (an album)," he added, "but the way the song is connecting with people feels like the way the music used to connect with people when we were a baby band and just had our first record out. The song really seems to work."

"Spiritual Genocide", the 30th-anniversary album from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud player below. Released on November 23 via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD 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."

EDGUY mainman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project is planning to embark on a headlining tour for in April 2013. Also in the works are several summer festival appearances, as well as South American and Asian tours at the end of the summer.

Commented Tobias: "I know I once said we weren't gonna do it again, but then I don't see a reason to let this die. I wanna put on the biggest thing you have ever seen, I wanna bring more vocalists, play longer shows, and just make it a giant rock opera.

"I love to headline festivals — you run over people in 90 minutes and kick ass. But I also like to do our own AVANTASIA indoor tour, because we can make it much more AVANTASIA-oriented and play almost three hours without caring about anything else but AVANTASIA. So we said we have to do a giant indoor tour as well, and it's going to happen in April. I am so looking forward to it. The stage designer has just showed me his stage and light design, and it looks absolutely killer. It will be huge.

"2013 will be a major year for AVANTASIA, and people don't have a clue how big things are actually going to be! I am very excited — the album will be amazingly epic, and the tour will be, too!"

Sammet entered VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany late last month with producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, EDGUY, EPICA, RHAPSODY) to begin recording the new album from AVANTASIA for a spring 2013 release. The CD will once again be a rock opera based on a conceptual story very similar to the early AVANTASIA albums and will feature "a legion of guest instrumentalists and vocalists," according to a press release.

The drum tracks for the new AVANTASIA album were laid down by Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP.

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

"Escalation", a brand new song from German metallers PARADOX, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Tales Of The Weird", which will be released on December 14 via AFM Records. The CD was produced by PARADOX mainman Charly Steinhauer and was mixed and mastered by Victor Bullok (a.k.a. V. Santura; TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS) at Woodshed Studio in Landshut, Germany. The cover art was created by Claudio Bergamin.

"Tales Of The Weird" features guest appearances by Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND) and Gus Drax (SUNBURST).

"Tales Of The Weird" track listing:

01. Tales Of The Weird
02. Day Of Judgement
03. Brutalized
04. Fragile Alliance
05. Slashdead
06. Drowning In Lies
07. Zeitgeist
08. Escalation
09. Brainwashed
10. The Downward Spiral
11. A Light In The Black (RAINBOW cover) (Japanese bonus track)

The new PARADOX lineup is as follows:

Charly Steinhauer (vocals, guitar)
Christian Muenzner (guitar)
Olly Keller (bass)
Daniel "Evil Ewald" Buld (drums)

Commented new PARADOX guitarist Christian Muenzner (also of OBSCURA): "I already applied for PARADOX 10 years ago, even before I was in the band NECROPHAGIST. Logisitically, this is even the closest band to where I live; we're not even 45 minutes apart, so this makes a lot of sense. Been a fan of that band for years and always wanted to play thrash, so here we go. The new songs sound fucking amazing, I'm stoked to be a part of this!"

Fan-filmed video footage of the acoustic portion of LACUNA COIL's November 21 performance on November 21 at at Flex in Vienna, Austria can be seen below.

On October 17, LACUNA COIL filmed a video for an as-yet-undisclosed song with Italian director Roberto Cinardi (a.k.a. Saku).

LACUNA COIL previously worked with Saku on the clips for the songs "Spellbound" and "I Won't Tell You", taken from the band's 2009 album "Shallow Life".

LACUNA COIL earlier in the year completed the "Dark Legacy" North American tour. The band's only headlining run in the United States in 2012 featured a set of more than two hours, with material spanning all of LACUNA COIL's albums.

LACUNA COIL's new album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Professionally filmed video footage of WATAIN's August 10 performance at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom can be seen below.

WATAIN recently inked a deal with Century Media Records. The band's much-anticipated fifth studio album will be made available next year via His Master's Noise in collaboration with Century Media.

Commented WATAIN: "We are writing this from a magical place of desolation and desert-like vastness, where wondrous things are at this very moment taking place. Things that will come to colour our world as well as yours in the strangest hues for many years to come. We are entering this new chapter of WATAIN with a will and confidence to make it the most diverse and rememberable so far. And with the things that we have in mind for the future, it looks like it will be just so. Just wait and see, fuckers! Loud and terrible shall the trumpets of Devil's sound..."

WATAIN released a new DVD, "Opus Diaboli", in North America on June 5. The production commemorates the band's 13 years of chaos by providing a visual and audio documentation of their ceremonial anniversary concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it. "Opus Diaboli" is an epic 90-minute journey into the forbidden realms of wild-hearted Satanic metal and the manifestation of a unique band that has truly chosen a path few have ever dared to tread upon.

Pro-shot footage:

U.K.-based modern hard rockers TAINTED NATION have reworked the song "Bimbo", originally written by Max Martin (BACKSTREET BOYS, BRITNEY SPEARS, KELLY CLARKSON, PINK), Alexander Kronlund and Per Aldeheim for the Swedish pop-rock band LAMBRETTA. The new version of the track, now re-titled "Loser", will appear on TAINTED NATION's debut album, "F.E.A.R.", which will be released on January 25, 2013 via Massacre Records.

"Bimbo" reached position No. 2 on the Swedish singles chart in 2001 and was covered by Finnish melodic death/black metallers NORTHER on the limited-edition version of their 2011 album, "Circle Regenerated".

TAINTED NATION, which recently signed a worldwide management deal with Germany's Rock N Growl Management, consists of the following musicians:

* Pete Newdeck (EDEN'S CURSE, GRIM REAPER, KILLERS, STEVE GRIMMETT) - Vocals
* Pontus Egberg (THE POODLES, LION'S SHARE, ZAN CLAN) - Bass
* Ian Nash (STEVE GRIMMETT, LIONSHEART) - Guitar
* Mark Cross (FIREWIND, OUTLOUD, HELLOWEEN, KINGDOM COME) - Drums

"F.E.A.R." was produced by Pete Newdeck and mixed/mastered by Dennis Ward.

Newdeck, who is mostly known for his work with EDEN'S CURSE and bands like GRIM REAPER, KILLERS and Steve Grimmett, started writing songs with bandmate and friend Ian Nash, who also played guitar for Grimmett, in 2009.

While with EDEN'S CURSE and supporting STRATOVARIOUS and FIREWIND in May 2009 on their U.K. tour, Pete and then-FIREWIND drummer Mark Cross became close friends and discussed the idea of forming a new band, only this time with Newdeck as the lead singer.

Newdeck's vocal abilities were truly convincing and in the spring of 2010, Pontus Egberg, bass player for Swedish hard rockers THE POODLES, completed the lineup.

Newdeck, Nash, Cross and Egberg recorded the TAINTED NATION debut album in the U.K. and mixed and mastered it in Germany under the supervision of Dennis Ward, producer of many successful international artists.

TAINTED NATION's music is described in a press release as "a commercial, modern and powerful-sounding rock mix."

TAINTED NATION's "Loser":

Quality fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's entire November 21 performance at Backstage Live in San Antonio, Texas can be seen at this location. A couple of the clips are available below.

EPICA last month kicked off an extensive North American tour. Support on the trek is coming from ALESTORM, INSOMNIUM, SYSTEM DIVIDE and DESTINY POTATO.

EPICA will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special performance, dubbed "Retrospect", which will take place on March 23, 2013 at Klokgebouw in Eindhoven, Holland.

"Retrospect" will be EPICA's most ambitious project to date, joined by a 70-piece symphonic orchestra and choir, international guests and lots of special effects.

Specially for this show, EPICA will be joined by the Hungarian Extended Remenyi Ede Chamber Orchestra and Choir of Miskolc National Theatre, the same orchestra and choir with whom EPICA recorded the highly acclaimed live album "The Classical Conspiracy". This anniversary show will be a "Retrospect" on EPICA's career and will contain all trademark elements you can expect from EPICA.

EPICA's fifth full-length album, "Requiem For The Indifferent", sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Requiem For The Indifferent" was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

Virtuoso keyboardist Mistheria (ROB ROCK, BRUCE DICKINSON) is working on an instrumental album titled "Gemini", to be released in early 2013. According to the musician, "Gemini" is an instrumental metal effort which, unlike his previously released classical instrumental CDs — "Solo Piano" (2007) and "Keys Of Eternity" (2011) — definitely "marks" his "double-sided artistic career shared between the 'dark' metal side and the 'bright' classical side."

Joining Mistheria on the new album are the following three musicians:

* Roger Staffelbach (ARTENSION, ANGEL OF EDEN) - Guitar
* Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT, DEATH, ICED EARTH) - Bass
* John Macaluso (JAMES LABRIE, ARK, TNT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, RIOT, STARBREAKER, HOLYHELL) - Drums

The drums have already been laid down for the CD, and according to Mistheria, "the recording session with John Macaluso was, once again, amazing and epic!"

A clip of John in action in this studio can be seen below.

The bass and guitar recording sessions are scheduled for between December 2012 and January 2013.

Regarding the album title, Mistheria says, "Gemini is my Zodiac sign which perfectly represents my musical soul."

Hotfoot Records has announced the signing of Panama City, Florida's DENOUNCER. The band will release its new album in the spring. The CD will be the follow-up to "Separation", which was released earlier this year via We Are Triumphant.

DENOUNCER's new single, "Bastard", is available for streaming below. The track was recorded by Javan Irving and was mixed and mastered by Jamie King. The single cover art was created by Rob Sather.

According to a press release, DENOUNCER "brings darkened hardcore to the table with a mixture of straight aggression and misery. With powerful vocals and chaotic guitar riffs, DENOUNCER puts on an energetic live performance that is impossible to ignore."

Bastard (NEW) by DENOUNCER

Matias Kupiainen: "’Unbreakable’ is a very important song to me and the lyrics have a lot of personal meaning. Sometimes you can snap out of your day to day fog and see what is important. And when you are in that special moment, when you have that special feeling, you are invincible, unbreakable; you should really stop and enjoy the feeling. Even, if the whole world falls apart tomorrow."

Timo Kotipelto: “This album has a darker and more modern sound. We, as a band, have gone through a lot and we have matured as songwriters. The making of this album was easier than before, because we could give it as much time as needed."

"Unbreakable" Track List:

01. Unbreakable (taken from the brand new studio album “Nemesis”)
02. Falling Star (taken from “Polaris”)
03. The Game Never Ends (taken from “Elysium”)
04. Freedom (taken from “Infinite”)
05. Why Are We Here (taken from “Intermission”)

Songs 2-5 remastered by Mika Jussila in 2012.

Leslie Wilson Jr. of GulfNews.com's Tabloid! recently conducted an interview with DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

GulfNews.com: How do you keep up the enthusiasm and energy over the tours and the years? What's the secret?

Gillan: Well, I don't really know. We never planned this far ahead. Possibly it's the way we set ourselves up in the beginning. We had no ambition, except to make the band as good as possible. Every street where I lived in the south of England had a band, so you try and steal the guitar player or the drummer from the band in the next street, just to improve your own band and all we cared about was just playing music that we loved. We didn't give much thought to image. In fact, we don't have a publicist — never had one — and we never [gave] thought to the normal business things. So there's a basic simplicity to the ethos of the band which has survived and I don't think it's changed in any way. The music's kinda matured with us — it's grown up a little bit, I suppose — but it's still got all the energy and enthusiasm that we had as kids. Apart from that, I couldn't answer your question because I'm too close to it. All I know is that it's full of energy and we still love it.

GulfNews.com: You have been screaming rock music for over 40 years. How do you do it?

Gillan: I think it's quite natural, I do a lot of it, and so I keep myself fairly fit. My mates who were singers they quit to enjoy their success or raise families and they didn't continue. Then they tried to come back years later but it was very difficult because vocal cords, unlike guitar strings, are unforgiving, you can't change them. So I think I've been singing all my life, and therefore I'm pretty match-fit, so to speak. Most things are within my scope, I sing pretty naturally so it's not a strain, never has been.

GulfNews.com: Befitting the success DEEP PURPLE has achieved, the band has been nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. How much of an honor is this, or is it?

Gillan: [laughs] Without being asked, I was nominated for an MBE a little while ago and I was a bit fed up with these sorts of things and then I rationalized the situation. When I was a kid, the last thing that I wanted was to be institutionalized and sort of fought against the establishment all my life. However, when I had a chance to think about the nomination, I realized I saw people getting excited about it around me and I realized it's for family and friends and it's not for me alone, it's for the people who have supported us all through these years, particularly through the bad times. So I look at it in a different way now, with a certain amount of humility.

Read the entire interview from GulfNews.com.

English rockers GLAMOUR OF THE KILL are "about halfway through" recording their new album for an early 2013 release via eOne Music. According to a posting on the band's Facebook page, "It's sounding fucking huge already. Y'all are in for a treat."

GLAMOUR OF THE KILL has been generating buzz ever since its debut EP, "Through The Dark They March", came out in 2007. The success of the EP led to tours with BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, DRAGONFORCE, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and most notably a performance on the main stage of Download festival in 2008. A full-length studio album called "The Summoning" followed in 2011.

GLAMOUR OF THE KILL is: Davey Richmond (lead vocals, bass), Chris Gomerson (guitar, backing vocals), Mike Kingswood (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Ben Thomson (drums, backing vocals).

ALICE COOPER guitarist/collaborator Dick Wagner will make a guest appearance on the sophomore album from Danish rock singer Maryann Cotton (born Jackie Patino), the son of KING DIAMOND bassist Hal Patino. Maryann (pictured below), who calls Wagner "one of my biggest heroes and inspirations ever," is currently working on material for the follow-up to this year's "Free Falling Angels", which will feature contributions from his father. Maryann says, "The last album, 'Free Falling Angels', was a very classic rock-inspired album, and the idea is to go darker one the next one, and show a more darker side of the character. We expect to be ready in February next year, to go in the studio and start the recordings for the album."

Maryann Cotton debuted his new band on September 14 at Amager Bio in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The group's lineup for the show consisted of the following musicians:

* Maryann Cotton - Vocals
* Hal Patino - Bass
* Sebastian Sly - Guitar
* Soren Berlev - Drums
* Ronni Clasen - Piano/Keyboards

"Free Falling Angels" was released on June 15 via Pure Steel Records. The CD featured guest appearances by four musicians who performed on KING DIAMOND's 1990 album, "The Eye" — Hal Patino, guitarists Andy La Rocque and Pete Blakk, and drummer Snowy Shaw.

Maryann Cotton's career was launched in 2006 when he performed live on Danish TV as part of the "Scenen Er Din" program (Danish version of "Star Search").

HUMBUCKER, the solo project of Robert Pehrsson, the DEATH BREATH guitarist and former member of DUNDERTÅGET and THUNDER EXPRESS, will release its debut album next year via High Roller Records. The CD was recorded at Gutterview Recorders and it features guest appearances by Nicke Andersson (ENTOMBED, HELLACOPTERS, IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC), Dolf De Borst and Tomas Eriksson from IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC, Peter Stjärnvind (NIFELHEIM, BLACK TRIP), Joseph Tholl (ENFORCER, BLACK TRIP) and Johan Bäckman (NECROCOURSE). The music combines yearning THIN LIZZY-esque guitar harmonies with tight classic rock hooks. Heartfelt and honest, it hits with confessional hymns to lost age of guitar-driven pop.

A rough-mix version of the track "Falling Into Darkness" from HUMBUCKER can be streamed below. The song features Robert Pehrsson (vocals, guitar), Tomas Eriksson (drums), Nicke Andersson (bass, backing vocals) and Dolf De Borst (backing vocals).

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw was joined by bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (ARCH ENEMY, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, ILLWILL, MERCYFUL FATE), legendary MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND guitarist Michael Denner and former KING DIAMOND guitarist Pete Blakk during Snowy's special concert event on November 3 at Sparbankshallen in Varberg, Sweden.

Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Shaw was backed by the following musicians during the concert:

* Mark U Black (M.A.N., ex-DREAM EVIL, KUNG DIAMANT) - Lead Guitar
* Petter Karlsson (ex-THERION, DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA) - Drums
* Vikki Valkyrie (ex-ICE AGE, THEM SLUTS) - Bass

Shaw's live album, "Snowy Shaw Is Alive!", was released last December via iTunes. The CD was recorded during his May 27, 2011 concert at the Brew House in Gothenburg, Sweden , which saw Snowy performing "all his favorite songs" from "all his former bands" — including KING DIAMOND, NOTRE DAME, DREAM EVIL, MERCYFUL FATE, THERION, MEMENTO MORI, ILLWILL, XXX and DIMMU BORGIR — and featured guest appearances by La Rocque, Wead, Hal Patino (KING DIAMOND), Mats Levén (THERION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TREAT, KRUX), Thomas Vikström (CANDLEMASS), Kee Marcello (EUROPE) and Jackie Patino (a.k.a. Maryann Cotton).

Fan-filmed video footage of HELLYEAH's November 10 concert at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be seen below.

HELLYEAH's third album, "Band Of Brothers", sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Released on July 17 via HELLYEAH's new label home, Eleven Seven Music, "Band Of Brothers" was recorded in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul Abbott's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE), who also served as engineer. Gray told The Pulse Of Radio that the album represents the first time that the members of the band have fully embraced their musical roots. "It's definitely my favorite HELLYEAH record to date, for sure," he said. "I think the first couple were kind of experiments and stuff, and I think we kind of kept what we've done individually away from HELLYEAH, with our, you know, previous bands and stuff, and this time it was like we just kind of said, 'Screw it,' we just kind of quit being afraid to be ourselves. I'm really, really proud of it, I think we all are."

The band has stated that "Band Of Brothers" is a heavier, more metal-sounding effort that either its self-titled 2007 debut or 2010's "Stampede".

Finnish extreme metallers IMPALED NAZARENE recently teamed up with the Vakka-Suomen Panimo brewery in Uusikaupunki, Finland to produce the Goat Brew beer. According to the band, the beer is only available in Finland "due to well-understood bureaucracy factors and legal terms."

In other news, IMPALED NAZARENE's new DVD, "1990-2012", has entered the "Music DVD" chart in Finland at position No. 1. The two-disc set contains professionally filmed video footage of two separate concerts filmed nearly two years apart.

Disk I: 20th-anniversary show at Henry's Pub, Kuopio, Finland on November 20, 2010

01. Intro
02. Condemned To Hell
03. The Crucified
04. Disgust Suite O:P I
05. Disgust Suite O:P II
06. Let's Fucking Die
07. Penis Et Circes
08. Ghettoblaster
09. Quasb/The Burning
10. Apolokia
11. I Al Purg Vonpo
12. My Blessing (The Beginning Of The End)
13. In The Name Of Satan
14. Impure Orgies
15. Noisrevrep Taog
16. Sadogoat
17. Enlightenment Process
18. Kuolema Kaikille (Paitsi Meille)
19. Zero Tolerance
20. Leucorrhea
21. Kut
22. Hardboiled And Still Hellbound
23. For Those Who Have Fallen
24. I Am The Killer Of Trolls
25. Kali-Yuga
26. Original Pig Rig
27. 66.6 S Of Foreplay
28. 1999: Karmageddon Warriors
29. Blood Is Thicker Than Water
30. Under Attack
31. We're Satan's Generation
32. The Horny And The Horned
33. Intro SFP
34. Vitutuksen Multihuipennus
35. Armageddon Death Squad
36. Coraxo
37. Soul Rape
38. Sadhu Satana
39. Total War - Winter War

Disk II: Live at Steelfest, Hyvinkää, Finland on May 18, 2012

01. Intro SFP
02. The Horny And The Horned
03. Gott Ist Tot
04. Enlightenment Process
05. Weapons To Tame A Land
06. Ghettoblaster
07. Quasb/The Burning
08. Nyrkillä Tapettava Huora
09. Corpses
10. Noisrevrep Taog
11. Convulsing Uncontrollably
12. Armageddon Death Squad
13. The Day Of Reckoning
14. Lost Art Of The Goat Sacrificing
15. Tentacles Of The Octagon
16. Funeral For Despicable Pigs
17. Motorpenis
18. Total War - Winter War

IMPALED NAZARENE's eleventh full-length album, "Road To The Octagon", was released in November 2010 via Osmose Productions. The CD was recorded at Hellhole studio in Helsinki with the band's soundman Tero Kostermaa and was mastered by Mika Jussila. The artwork for the album was created by Darkgrove Design and can be viewed below.

Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS has inked a deal with Germany's Massacre Records. The band's seventh full-length album, "Oscillation", will be released on March 22, 2013. The CD was recorded earlier in the year at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes.

Comments TRAIL OF TEARS' Ronny Thorsen: "After a recording process full of challenges, we are very happy to announce the signing to Massacre Records for our seventh album, 'Oscillation'. Massacre has a long history and a strong reputation and has shown interest and support towards the band for a long time. We look forward to detonate 'Oscillation' upon you all through the channels of Massacre!"

The "Oscillation" cover art was created by Finnish artist Jan Yrlund and can be seen below.

Fan-filmed video footage of Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS performing a brand new song, "Eradicate", at this year's edition of the Metal Female Voices Fest, which was held on October 19-21 at the Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium.

Commented the band: "Cathrine [Paulsen] came through the extreme schedule with flying colours, putting the finishing vocals on the end result and delivered a performance for the history books!

"We believe that we have created something extraordinary and can't wait to share it with you all. Never before has a recording process involved so much blood, sweat and tears!"

TRAIL OF TEARS in March announced the addition of drummer Bjørn to the group's ranks.

The band's longtime drummer Cato Jensen left the band in January in order to focus on other priorities.

TRAIL OF TEARS in 2010 parted ways with guitarist Pål Olsen and opted to carry on as a five-piece.

TRAIL OF TEARS's sixth album, "Bloodstained Endurance", was recorded and mixed over a six-week period at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes.

In 2007, TRAIL OF TEARS was rejoined by vocalist Cathrine Paulsen, who sang on the group's 2002 album, "A New Dimension of Might".

French metallers MYSTERY BLUE will release their seventh album, "Conquer The World", on December 21 via Road Show Productions. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered by Uwe Lulis (GRAVE DIGGER, REBELLION) at Black Solaris Studios in Frankfurt, Germany. The artwork and booklet were created by Jobert Mello of Sledgehammer Graphix (SABATON, PRIMAL FEAR, THUNDERBOLT, BENEDICTUM). Andreas Babuschkin of PARAGON contributed special guest vocals to the song "Running With The Pack".

A rough studio version of "Running With The Pack" can be streamed below.

"Conquer The World" track listing:

01. Conquer The World
02. Innocent Crime
03. Running With The Pack
04. Evil Spell
05. Cruel Obession
06. Ticket To Hell
07. Keep On Dreaming
08. Road Of Despair
09. Behind Those Walls
10. Guardian Angel
11. Accroche-Toi À Tes Reves (bonus track)

MYSTERY BLUE's current lineup includes female singer Nathalie Geyer, guitarist Frenzy Philippon, bassist Matt Gabnai and drummer Vince Koehler.

NoiseArt Records and Rock The Nation booking agenecy have announced the signing of the Oslo, Norway-based black metal quintet SVARTTJERN. The band is currently working on a new album for an early 2013 release.

SVARTTJERN's aptly titled debut, "Misanthropic Path Of Madness", was released in 2009 and a follow-up effort, "Towards The Ultimate", came out in 2011. Both albums offer the finest material for fans of traditional tunes à la EMPEROR, IMMORTAL and CARPATHIAN FOREST.

Commented the band: "The dawn of the Snake is near, and so is an new era of SVARTTJERN, as future releases will be trough NoiseArt Records. Our next full-length is in the final phase of recording, and is due to release first half of 2013 — Year of the Snake. Gather the sinners! Alongside we have also joined forces with Rock The Nation, which will take care of booking and management in the future."

Added NoiseArt: “We are proud to welcome the band SVARTTJERN in our roster and we expect a lot from this aiming high band! The SVARTTJERN release will definitively become a black metal highlight in 2013."

SVARTTJERN is:

HansFyrste - Vocals
HaaN - Guitar
Fjellnord - Guitar
GrimmDun - Drums
Sgt. V - Bass

SVARTTJERN is comfirmed for the Extremefest 2013, which will take place May 23-25 in Hünxe, Germany.