Video of CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer performing a solo track, "Ask Me Yesterday", at the FMQB Triple A Convention in Boulder, Colorado on August 8 can be seen below.

Keifer has inked a deal with Jack Ponti's Merovee Records, a joint venture with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, for the release of his long-awaited debut solo album. Due in early 2013, the as-yet-untitled CD will feature 14 tracks that are described by Ponti as “intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots." The lyrics will take an introspective look at the roller coaster ride that has been Keifer's life for the past 15 years. From being told that he would never sing again as a result of a partially paralyzed left vocal cord, to the emotional and personal battles that followed, his solo debut is a story of perseverance, a testament to the power of passion and will, when combined with a true love of music.

In a 2011 interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, Keifer was asked whether his solo album was going to be a whole lot different from CINDERELLA. Tom replied, "No, not really, because being the lead singer and the main songwriter and I did a lot of the guitar work in CINDERELLA, it's kind of hard to run from my sound. I had a lot of influence over those records so… I'm just doing what I do and that's hard rock inspired by blues and roots music. What I did in CINDERELLA is what I love to do and what I'm doing on my own is what I love to do. I try to be true to what I like. It's similar in that way, you know. Dynamically the records, the CINDERELLA records, and especially as they went on into 'Long Cold Winter' and 'Heartbreak Station', they had a lot of different flavors and colors and dynamics and different types of songs, which I always like because the bands that I grew up on, like, [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE [ROLLING] STONES, they really covered a lot of area musically. My solo record does that, too, and I think it makes for a more interesting record when it's not just the same song for 14 tracks."

"The Golden Square Mile", a brand new song from Canadian extreme metallers CRYPTOPSY, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Decibel magazine). The track will appear on the band's self-titled album, which will be released on September 14.

Commented CRYPTOPSY: "The song deals with an unexplained killing that took place in Montreal. This is the song that CRYPTOPSY will most likely choose for their first video of this new release. It's also the only song in which all of the musicians took part in writing, including ex-member Youri Raymond. Hope you enjoy!"

The cover artwork for "Cryptopsy" was created by Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (MNEMIC) and can be seen below.

"Cryptopsy" track listing:

01. Two-Pound Torch
02. Shag Harbour's Visitors
03. Red-Skinned Scapegoat
04. Damned Draft Dodgers
05. Amputated Enigma
06. The Golden Square Mile
07. Ominous
08. Cleansing The Hosts

CRYPTOPSY in January tapped bassist Olivier Pinard (NEURAXIS, VENGEFUL) as the replacement for guitarist-turned-bassist Youri Raymond.

Raymond left CRYPTOPSY in December, explaining in a statement that "it's in the best interest of both the band and I to part ways." He added, "As a musician, moving from guitar to bass was a great challenge, but honestly, I never really felt comfortable in that position and my motivation in general was stagnating."

Lead guitarist and songwriter Jon Levasseur rejoined CRYPTOPSY in May 2011.

"The Unspoken King", CRYPTOPSY's sixth full-length and first to feature new vocalist Matt McGachy, was released June 24, 2008 to a wide array of reactions. Drummer Flo Mounier explained his intention in reshaping the dynamics of the band to Decibel magazine: "I'm a fan of different sorts of music, and I think it's most fun when a band puts out an album that has elements of everything; you get this thing called diversity, not boredom. That's what we're trying to do. Still, I think people are going to be surprised how brutal this album is."

CRYPTOPSY is:

Flo Mounier: Drums/Vocals
Jon Levasseur: Lead, Rythm guitar
Chris Donaldson: Lead Guitar
Matt McGachy: Lead Vocals
Olivier Pinard: Bass Guitar

Canadian progressive metallers HEAVEN'S CRY will release their third album, "Wheels Of Impermanence", on September 25 via Prosthetic Records. The CD was mastered by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH) at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. The album artwork was created by Felipe Quinzanos (NEURAXIS).

"Wheels Of Impermanence" track listing:

01. Empire's Doll
02. Realigning
03. The Hollow
04. Wheels Of Impermanence
05. The Healing
06. Compass
07. The Mad Machine
08. Consequence
09. Catalyse
10. A Glimpse Of Hope

The official lyric video for "Compass" can be seen below.

HEAVEN'S CRY — which consists of Pierre St-Jean (vocals/guitar), Sylvain Auclair (vocals/bass), Eric Jarrin (guitar, ex-DESPISED ICON) and René Lacharité (drums) — is scheduled to headline the opening night of the ProgPower Europe festival in the Netherlands on October 5.

The band, which formed in the early '90s, last played the festival 10 years ago in support of its acclaimed DVS release "Primal Power Addiction", which also earned the band spots supporting ANVIL, PLANET X, NIGHTWISH and more.

After a seven-year hiatus, the group reformed in 2011 and soon began writing what would become "Wheels Of Impermanence".

Belgian sorcerers AMENRA have completed work on their fourth full-length album, "Mass V", at La Chapelle studio with producer Billy Anderson (EYEHATEGOD, NEUROSIS, OM, SWANS) for a November 26 European release via Neurot Recordings.

Video footage of the recording process cane be seen below.

The "Mass V" record-release show will take place on December 22 in Belgium.

AMENRA has pulverized audiences abroad since the turn of the 21st century via an arsenal of split and mini-releases, as well as three full-length albums to date. They have proven themselves in the live setting as well, having toured with the likes of NEUROSIS, CONVERGE, PELICAN, STARKWEATHER, BATTLEFIELDS and countless others, and via notable performances at massive festivals, including Roadburn, Eurosonic and more.

Greek Satanic blackened thrash outfit SATAN'S WRATH will release its debut album, "Galloping Blasphemy", on September 25 (one day earlier interntationally) via Metal Blade Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Leonard Rising - Night Of The Whip
02. Between Belial And Satan
03. One Thousand Goats In Sodom
04. Hail Tritone, Hail Lucifer
05. Galloping Blasphemy
06. Death Possessed
07. Death To Life
08. Slaves Of The Inverted Cross
09. Satan's Wrath

The song "Between Belial And Satan" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Formed in 2011 by multi-instrumentalist Tas Danazoglou (vocals, drums and bass) and Stamos K (guitar), SATAN'S WRATH deal in a style of heavy metal music which harks back to the times when the death, black and thrash genres were all considered one in the same, and only leather, spikes and bullets were real!

According to a press release, "Galloping Blasphemy" contains "relentless blasphemy, unholy sacraments of evil made by dwellers of the twilight, horrors that will make priests vomit in agony, abominations that the prophecies of old kept hidden!!! SATAN'S WRATH is the only band in the world in communication with thy master through ceremonial black magic and necromantic rituals."

Dutch death metal veterans THANATOS have inked a deal with Century Media Records for the re-release of the band's back catalogue.

In the scope of the label's massive Death Certificate campaign, the first two THANATOS albums will be made available again: the classic debut, "Emerging From The Netherworlds", as well as the equally great second release, "Realm Of Ecstasy", both boosted with extra tracks (CD only), new layouts, liner notes, lyrics and a killer re-mastered sound by Dan Swanö. Both albums doubtlessly range among the classic releases of the heyday of death metal in the late '80s/early '90s.

"Emerging From The Netherworlds" track listing:

01. Dawn Of The Dead
02. Outward Of The Inward
03. Bodily Dismemberment
04. Internal Deceit
05. The Day Before Tomorrow
06. War
07. Rebirth
08. Progressive Destructor
09. Impostors' Infiltration
10. Omnicoitor / Dolor Satanae
11. The Meaning Of Life
12. War (demo)
13. The Meaning Of Life (demo)
14. Bodily Dismemberment (demo)
15. A-Thanasia (demo)

Tracks 12-15 are taken from the "Omnicoitor" demo (only on the CD version)

"Realm Of Ecstasy" track listing:

01. And Jesus Wept
02. Tied Up, Sliced Up
03. Realm Of Ecstasy
04. Mankind's Afterbirth
05. In Praise Of Lust
06. Perpetual Misery
07. Human Combustion
08. Reincarnation
09. Terminal Breath
10. And Jesus Wept (demo)
11. Tied Up, Sliced Up (demo)
12. Realm Of Ecstasy (demo)
13. In Praise Of Lust (demo)
14. Human Combustion (demo)

Tracks 10-14 are taken from the "Demo 1992" pre-productions tape (only on the CD version)

Both "Emerging From The Netherworlds" and "Realm Of Ecstasy" will be released on LP (180g vinyl, printed inner sleeve) and CD. The CD version will be made available for mid-price right from the start.

THANATOS's "Angelic Encounters", "Undead.Unholy.Divine" and "Justified Genocide" albums will be re-released in 2013.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers KILL RITUAL have inked a worldwide deal with Scarlet Records. The band's debut album, "The Serpentine Ritual", will be released on October 30. The CD was recorded and engineered by KILL RITUAL lead guitarist Steve Rice at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California and Fossil Sound in San Jose, California. The mix and the mastering were handled by Andy La Rocque of KING DIAMOND fame at his Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque also makes a guest appearance on the CD with the ending solo on the track "Coat Of Blood".

KILL RITUAL recently filmed a video for the first single, "Old School Thrasher", on July 13 at Soundwave Studios in Oakland, California. Mike Sloat (MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT) is handling the production, directing and editing.

The "The Serpentine Ritual" cover art was designed by Jobert Mello for Sledgehammer Graffix (SABATON, PRIMAL FEAR).

Commented Rice: "Well, the KILL RITUAL debut will at last see the light of day and we are psyched to have Scarlet Records on board for the release of the CD. The label has a ton of great bands on their roster and excellent distribution worldwide, so we can reach as many metal maniacs as possible. Get ready for some San Francisco Bay Area thrash and roll!"

"The Serpentine Ritual" track listing:

01. The Serpentine Ritual
02. Torn Down
03. Time To Kill
04. Ambush
05. Old School Thrasher
06. Coat Of Blood *
07. Cold Hard Floor
08. Law Of The Land
09. Prisoner Of The Flesh
10. My Neighborhood (bonus track)

* Featuring guest solo by Andy La Rocque

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's A LIFE ONCE LOST will release its sixth opus, "Ecstatic Trance", on October 23 in North America and on November 16 in the rest of the world via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Planet Red studios in Richmond, Virginia with producer Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, IMPENDING DOOM).

The first in a series of video clips featuring footage from the "Ecstatic Trance" recording sessions can be seen below.

A LIFE ONCE LOST vocalist Bob Meadows recently stated about the band's forthcoming album, "It's going to be a beast of a record and fans can expect a little more honesty both musically and lyrically with an amalgamation of the ALOL signature style and some other surprises that have yet to be over played within the metal community. We are making this record because we enjoy the art of making music, not because we have to make a new record. As long as we are happy playing in ALOL, we will continue to grow and take our sound further."

MEGADETH has once again tapped Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, to produce the band's new album, tentatively due in early 2013.

According to MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine, Johnny "is arriving tomorrow to start pre-production" on the new CD. He adds, "This should be a very interesting record."

Johnny K produced MEGADETH's last album, 2011's "TH1RT3EN", which was recorded at Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California. Mustaine previously stated about the recording process for "TH1RT3EN", "We've got a great new partner with Johnny K. I mean, I was satisfied with our last co-producer, with Andy Sneap, and Andy really took us — and he even admits — as far as he could take us, and it was great because we wanted to go back to the big leagues where we were, and we feel that Johnny is, obviously, a big-league producer; not that Andy isn't — don't get me wrong. But we feel that this record is definitely one of our best. It's a great feeling, because, you know, finishing some of the last record, I can honestly say, in my heart I knew that it wouldn't contend with some of the great records in the past, just because of the timing, the label that we were on and stuff like that. Lineup changes and stuff… But I really think that everything just lined up for this record."

"TH1RT3EN", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The CD marked the recorded return of bassist David Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. In a move that delighted the band's legion of diehards, Ellefson returned to performing live with MEGADETH in early 2010 and has remained a fixture on the stage ever since. This was the first time Ellefson has played on a MEGADETH record since 2002's "Rude Awakening".

CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer has inked a deal with Jack Ponti's Merovee Records, a joint venture with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, for the release of his long-awaited debut solo album. Due in early 2013, the as-yet-untitled CD will feature 14 tracks that are described by Ponti as “intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots." The lyrics will take an introspective look at the roller coaster ride that has been Keifer's life for the past 15 years. From being told that he would never sing again as a result of a partially paralyzed left vocal cord, to the emotional and personal battles that followed, his solo debut is a story of perseverance, a testament to the power of passion and will, when combined with a true love of music.

In a 2011 interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, Keifer was asked whether his solo album was going to be a whole lot different from CINDERELLA. Tom replied, "No, not really, because being the lead singer and the main songwriter and I did a lot of the guitar work in CINDERELLA, it's kind of hard to run from my sound. I had a lot of influence over those records so… I'm just doing what I do and that's hard rock inspired by blues and roots music. What I did in CINDERELLA is what I love to do and what I'm doing on my own is what I love to do. I try to be true to what I like. It's similar in that way, you know. Dynamically the records, the CINDERELLA records, and especially as they went on into 'Long Cold Winter' and 'Heartbreak Station', they had a lot of different flavors and colors and dynamics and different types of songs, which I always like because the bands that I grew up on, like, [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE [ROLLING] STONES, they really covered a lot of area musically. My solo record does that, too, and I think it makes for a more interesting record when it's not just the same song for 14 tracks."

Behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions for "Rest In Keys", the forthcoming fourth solo album from keyboardist/guitarist Bob Katsionis of Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND, can be seen below.

FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. will make a guest appearance on one of the tracks on the CD, which will initially be independently released sometimes this fall.

Songtitles set to appear on the album, which was recorded in part at Sound Symmetry Studio in Athens, include "Game Of Drones", "In My Little Big Planet", "Gravity Dance" and "Rendez-Vous In The Sky".

Katsionis's third solo album, "Noemon", came out in 2008.

Washington, D.C.-based metallers A SOUND OF THUNDER have entered Assembly Line Studios with producer Kevin "131" Gutierrez (SHINEDOWN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, RAVEN) to record their third full-length album entitled "Time's Arrow". Due in early 2013, the CD will feature the same band lineup, producer and studio that created 2012's acclaimed "Out Of The Darkness" release (Nightmare Records).

"Time's Arrow" will contain 11 new songs "combining rousing and catchy traditional metal with crushing modern production," according to a press release. The centerpiece of the album is the nine-minute sci-fi-themed title track. Guitarist and composer Josh Schwartz describes the song as "a high-octane headbanger with an unforgettable riff and an engaging story. Stylistically, it's IRON MAIDEN meets RUSH with a bit of MEAT LOAF thrown in for bombast." The tale begun in the lyrics is expanded in a short story by drummer Chris Haren, available in the limited box-set edition of "Time's Arrow".

On August 20, A SOUND OF THUNDER started a Kickstarter.com fundraiser campaign for the recording of "Time's Arrow". The campaign will run for 30 days and offers fans a chance to pre-order the album, have their name printed in the album booklet, reserve an ultra-limited box set edition of the album, and acquire unique and rare items from the band. Video at the band's Kickstarter.com page contains the first clips from the new album.

The band has also announced a second new release, "The Queen Of Hell" EP, due out in November. Also recorded at Assembly Line with Gutierrez, it contains four new tracks and is only available via the band's Kickstarter.com campaign. The cover art was provided by Serbian artist Dušan Markovic.

"We've always wanted to do an homage to classic swords-and-sorcery-themed metal album covers," says lead vocalist Nina Osegueda. "As you can see, we've gone horns up with 'The Queen Of Hell' art...I finally have the throne of skulls I've always wanted!"

"The Queen Of Hell" track listing:

01. The Queen Of Hell (album version)
02. The Queen Of Hell (Two Queens Mix)
03. Trashed (BLACK SABBATH cover)
04. Let's Start A Fire

Includes:

* Red vinyl
* Download card included
* 12" full color sleeve
* 2 new paintings by Dusan Markovic
* Exclusive "Legion of Thunder - The Queen's Guard" embroidered patch
* Limited to 250 copies worldwide

Israel-based old-school death metallers SONNE ADAM will release a CD collection of their three vinyl-only EPs in September. "Messengers Of Desolate Ways" will consist of the EPs "Armed With Hammers", "The Sun Is Dead" and "Doctrines Of Dark Devotion" (a brand new MLP to be released on vinyl through Imperium Productions) as well as three previously unreleased songs.

Containing a total of 15 tracks, an overall playing time of more than 80 minutes and magnificent cover artwork by Metastasis.com (PARADISE LOST, ULVER, MORBID ANGEL, WATAIN), "Messengers Of Desolate Ways" "will be another prime example of dark sepulchral death metal," according to a press release.

"Messengers Of Desolate Ways" track listing:

01. Hater Of Mankind
02. The Day I Chose To Rot
03. World Of Everlasting Darkness
04. Bestow The Crown Of Death
05. The Deceiver Of The Desolations
06. Olam Belehavoth
07. Funeral Marches To The Grave (originally by THORNS)
08. The Way
09. Armed With Hammers
10. The Serpents Harvest
11. I Dream The Devil Sign
12. No Blood Flow
13. The Sun Is Dead
14. Inside His Mark
15. Funeral Marches To The Grave (originally bv THORNS, Melek-Tha mix)

Track 1-6 are taken from the "Doctrines Of Dark Devotion" MLP
Tracks 8-11 are taken from the "Armed With Hammers" EP
Tracks 13-14 are taken from the "The Sun Is Dead" EP
Tracks, 7, 12 and 15 are previously unreleased tracks

"Messengers Of Desolate Ways" will be sold only on SONNE ADAM's upcoming European tour with GRAVE, which kicks off in early September. It will be made available through regular distribution later in 2012.

SONNE ADAM's debut album, "Transformation", was released in April 2011 via Century Media Records.

The history of SONNE ADAM (which roughly translates into "hate humanity" in Hebrew) dates back to 2007 when a young Israeli duo consisting of Davidov (all instruments) and Dahan (vocals) started a musical project to create "death metal in the vein of early PARADISE LOST but with a more shamelessly evil and blasphemous touch and some MORBID ANGEL thrown in the mix." The band's first recording was an EP titled "The Sun Is Dead" (which so far remains unreleased), followed by another EP called "Armed With Hammers", which caught the attention of underground label Imperium Productions from Germany, which subsequently released it on seven-inch vinyl in 2010. The resulting underground buzz culminated in renowned German magazine Rock Hard naming it "Demo Of The Month" and predicting the band to become a hot topic among all death metal maniacs.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/sonneadam.

COAL CHAMBER bassist Chela Rhea Harper has released the second EP from her solo project, SARASVATI, via Bandcamp. The effort, which was originally issued in 2008, is now available for purchase for the first time in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire. Chela says, "Those of you who buy the full EP will also get a bonus track with me on guitar featuring Vishal Singh from AMOGH SYMPHONY on drums and Mark Hawkins from DEVOLVED on bass."

The track listing for the EP is as follows:

01. A Distant Mirror (03:48)
02. Oceans Can Wait (03:28)
03. Crystalline (02:35)
04. Point Of No Return (03:44)

In an October 2011 interview with Full Metal Jackie, COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara stated about Chela, "She's Canadian and she's a bad-ass player. She's been playing for nearly 12 years. She plays five-string and . . . she grew up with COAL CHAMBER. She's only 26-27 years old. She knows the songs, and just hearing her on the phone, the excitement [in her voice], that's really what I wanted brought to the table. Where Meegs [guitar] and Mikey [drums] and I am right now, we're really excited so we needed someone that filled that excitement drawer and she did for sure; she's stoked."

ALMAH — the Brazilian metal band led by former ANGRA singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi — has scheduled three shows in Brazil in September. The band will play two headline concerts — on September 8 at Manifesto Bar in São Paulo and on September 6 at Tribal Club in Santos — and will participate in one of the biggest Brazilian rock festivals, Porão do Rock in Brasília, on September 7.

Playing bass for ALMAH at the upcoming shows will be session musician Raphael Dafras.

Dafras started his musical career at the end of 1997, playing in local bands in the Paraná state. His most significant accomplishment so far has been his collaboration with German Pascual (NARNIA) on the singer's debut album, "A New Beginning", as a bass player and producer.

ALMAH's third studio album, "Motion", was released in Europe in October 2011 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded in May-June 2011 at Norcal Studios in São Paulo, Brazil and was mixed and mastered in July at Split Second Sound Studios in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Jochem Jacobs (TEXTURES).

ALMAH is:

Edu Falaschi - Vocals
Marcelo Barbosa - Guitar
Marcelo Moreira - drums
Gustavo Di Padua - Guitar
[to be announced] - Bass

"The Art Of Mourning", the new video from the Los Angeles-based metal quartet ALL HAIL THE YETI, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released in North America on August 28 via AFM Records.

"The Art Of Mourning" is about a gunslinger who wants out of his "deviant" lifestyle, and is trying to settle down with his wife and kids, but the people above him don't want to lose their best gun. So they murder his kids, rape and hang his wife, and leave them for dead on the porch of his burnt-down ranch. Now this torn man with nothing left, has to decide whether to come to terms with the consequences of a life that he chose. Or take revenge on the men that took everything from him.

Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia with director Rob Cantin, the video combines close-up performance footage of ALL HAIL THE YETI cut into a gritty, Western movie storyline chock full of old-school debauchery, brutal gunfights and gory head-shots utilizing actual .45 revolvers, a full-on lynching and all kinds of high-action entertainment!

Stated ALL HAIL THE YETI vocalist Connor Garritty on the video's inception and creation: "Rob and I have been friends for many years and we share a love for the Old West and the gunfighters of the late 1800s.

"We have done a couple paranormal investigations of hot spots like tombstone's birdcage theater, and Bisbee Arizona, trying to get some sort of glimpse of what life would have been like back then.

"We had a blast making this clip and this is just the beginning for us. We are already in talks about the next one. With these ventures you learn new things every time, and each moment becomes a memory. That is the most important thing to us!"

Uniting elements of sludge metal, hardcore and groove-laden hard rock, ALL HAIL THE YETI unify these influences into their own diverse, modern style which is delivered in a way to make people move.

ALL HAIL THE YETI's self-titled debut album captures the act's most crushing tunes to date, with over a solid hour of energized thunderous riffage. The band has documented the creation of the album as well as the band's overall whiskey-soaked, fight-fueled, locked-cocked-and-ready-to-rock approach, liberated through a killer new trailer viewable below.

Featuring well-known tattoo artist Connor Garritty of Timeless Tattoos in L.A., ALL HAIL THE YETI have forged their own path through what they see as a desolate Hollywood music scene, the hard-working unit dead-set against burning out like so many bands from the same town and scene have over the past few decades of heavy music. Coinciding with their 2010-released "Trees On Fire With Songs Of Blood" EP, the band broke into the local scene with a surge of shows which led them to support slots for major national acts including TIMES OF GRACE, SOULFLY, FEAR FACTORY, SUICIDE SILENCE and more. With no record deal in place at the time, last year AHTY took it upon themselves to get things moving and entered the studio with producers Tommy Decker and Mike Sarkisyan to record their self-titled, debut LP. Upon its completion, the album received attention from several labels, and after some talks with AFM about the direction and goals of the band, happily took the deal the label offered them for the release of "All Hail The Yeti".

"All Hail The Yeti Track" Listing:

01. Deep Creek
02. When The Sky Falls
03. Suicide Woods
04. The Weak and Wounded (Prelude to Flames)
05. After The Great Fire
06. Bloodguilt
07. The Art Of Mourning
08. I Am Wendigod
09. Axe Murder Hollow
10. Ruby Ridge (Every Knee Shall Bow)
11. Judas Cradle

Swedish death metallers EVOCATION have announced the addition of bassist Gustaf Jorde (RAUBTIER, DEFLESHED) to the group's ranks.

EVOCATION will release its fourth studio album, "Illusions Of Grandeur", in Europe on September 24 via Century Media Records. The CD includes "ten tracks of supreme Swedish death metal, a perfect mélange of Stockholm rawness and Gothenburg epics," according to a press release.

The "Illusions Of Grandeur" title track can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Cover artist Xaay, who previously worked with EVOCATION on the "Apocalyptic" album, has proven to be the best choice for the job, delivering a dark and desolate yet beautiful piece of art for the new album.

"Illusions Of Grandeur" was recorded at IF Studios (IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED) and Evocation Studios with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES) and mixed at IF Studios by Laghi. It was mastered at Bohus Sound Studios by Dragan Tanaskovic.

As a very special guest, Johan Hegg of AMON AMARTH laid down vocals on the song "Into Submission".

"Illusions Of Grandeur" will be released on CD, limited-edition digipak CD (including three studio bonus tracks) and on LP (including a big-size poster of the album artwork).

"Illusions Of Grandeur" track listing:

01. Illusions Of Grandeur
02. Well Of Despair
03. Divide And Conquer
04. Perception Of Reality
05. Metus Odium
06. I’ll Be Your Suicide
07. Crimson Skies
08. Into Submission
09. The Seven Faces Of God
10. Final Disclosure
11. Shades Of Shame (digipak bonus track)
12. Dark Day Dawn (digipak bonus track)
13. Dead Without A Trace (digipak bonus track)

EVOCATION's third album, "Apocalyptic", was released on October 29, 2010 via Cyclone Empire Records.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach says that he is "friends" with Jon Bon Jovi again after he didn't speak to the BON JOVI frontman for many years following a dispute over money.

Despite the fact that the 1989 debut album from the Bach-fronted SKID ROW went five times platinum and produced several hit singes — including "18 And Life", "I Remember You" and "Youth Gone Wild", there was a lot of bitterness surrounding its success, largely due to the fact that in return for the helping hands of Jon Bon Jovi, SKID ROW reportedly had to enter a publishing deal with Jon's newly established Underground Music Company in which they waived their rights to publishing royalties. All money was paid to Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. After a public dispute, Richie Sambora gave his share of the money back to SKID ROW.

Speaking to ArtScenics TV this past June at the Hellfest festival in Clisson, France, Bach stated about his relationship with Jon Bon Jovi (see video below), "Bon Jovi took us on our first tour and we signed some papers with him that he got a cut of, if we made it big, that he would get compensated for helping us out. Nobody expected us to get as big as we got. Nobody thought that we would become a big band. That happens all the time in the music industry. Jon was like, 'We'll take you on tour, but if you guys make it big,' then he gets a cut of it. So I was bitter about that for awhile, but then I realized that we probably wouldn't have made it as big, or maybe at all, if he didn't take us."

He continued, "I actually had dinner with Jon a couple of years ago. We were staying at the Mandarin Oriental in London — me and Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES singer] — and we were sitting there. And the waitress says, 'Hey, guess who's over in the corner.' And me and Axl go, 'Who?' She said, 'Jon Bon Jovi.' And I go, 'Get the fuck out of here.' He was in the corner. And I didn't know what to do. 'Cause we had had words… Most of them were mine. [laughs] So I go, 'You know what?! Fuck this. I'm gonna go over there and say 'Hi' to him.' 'Cause we used to be great, great friends; I had Christmas dinner at his house and stuff. So I stood up and walked over towards Jon, and Jon was looking at me, going, 'Are you gonna be a dick or are you gonna be nice?' He's looking at me, like, 'What are you gonna do? What are you gonna say?' And I was like, 'Hey, man, how is it going?' And he was, like, 'Hey, man?' And we stood up and we hugged and then he came over to me and Axl's table and we drank about 15 bottles of red wine, had a great time. He gave me his phone number and I've texted him a couple of times. He's a good guy. We're friends again."

Reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN have set "King Animal" as the title of their new album, tentatively due on November 13.

A short preview of a new SOUNDGARDEN song entitled "Worse Dreams" is available in the YouTube clip below.

SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil recently told Rolling Stone magazine about the upcoming CD, "It re-establishes that we still rock, we're still heavy, and we're still a little weird."

Other tracks set to appear on the album include "Blood On The Valley Floor" and "A Thousand Days Before", the latter of which "has a little Indian thing and some chicken-pickin'," Thayil said. "We call it 'country and eastern.'"

After reuniting in 2010, SOUNDGARDEN completed recording earlier this year on its first set of all-new material since 1996's "Down On The Upside".

The group's new song "Live To Rise" recently topped the Active Rock radio chart. The tune was taken from "Avengers Assemble", the companion soundtrack to the blockbuster movie "The Avengers".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell recently revealed in an interview with the New York Times that there are some 15 songs from the band's earliest days that have yet to be released in any form. Cornell explained, "It was the first 15 we wrote. It was on a cassette that Kim [Thayil, guitarist] always referred to as 'The First 15.'" He added, "We were a band for a couple of years before we really did much (recording) . . . when we would go in to record, we tended to record the newest things we had written, because it was what we were most excited about."

Cornell continued that as a result, some of that earlier material fell by the wayside. He said, "We just got together in our room and started writing songs and did it very quickly. And then we would sit around and discuss what that sounds like, and then over time, I think we would maybe be critical about some of the things we were writing and playing and excited about some of the new stuff we were bringing into the band."

Drummer Matt Cameron told The Pulse Of Radio that the band's approach to making music hasn't changed that dramatically since its early days. "We started out very humbly here in the Northwest and I don't think we've ever really gone too far from those sort of ideals, which were, you know, real do-it-yourself, kind of '80s underground ideals," he said. "And it just feels good to lock up in a room together and write music together and play together that is uniquely our own thing."

Professionally filmed video footage of reunited British rockers THE DARKNESS performing a brand new song, "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us", live on July 14 at High Lodge, Thetford, England can be seen below.

THE DARKNESS's third studio album, "Hot Cakes", is being released today (Tuesday, 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.

Just a day after the release of "Hot Cakes", THE DARKNESS will take over the @Rhapsody twitter handle live on Wednesday, August 22 at 10 a.m. PT to answer questions from fans. Fans can start sending their questions in to the @Rhapsody page with the hashtag #DarknessRhap at any time and the band will bring their sense of humor to the table to answer as many questions as they can come Wednesday morning.

Since THE DARKNESS — Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars), Dan Hawkins (guitars/backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums) — resumed active service 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".

Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH have issued the following update:

"Out of respect for and loyalty to GORGOROTH's audience and collaborators, Infernus [guitar] has kicked Pest [vocals] out of the band, effective immediately. This after Pest informed the band that he would not be prioritizing doing the upcoming Latin American tour after all, just two weeks before the band was set to depart for Brazil.

"Infernus has decided that the tour will go on as planned, though, and Hoest of TAAKE will replace Pest as vocalist on the tour starting on September 7th.

"As for the next GORGOROTH studio album, 'Instinctus Bestalis', vocal duties will be handled by a Serbian Satanist known as Atterigner, of the band TRIUMFALL (Forces of Satan Records)."

GORGOROTH's upcoming tour in September has been extended to also include dates in Central America.

On the Brazil leg of the tour — the Setembro Negro Festival 2012 — GORGOROTH will be joined by KEEP OF KALESSIN. Two of these concerts will also see GORGOROTH co-headlining with AUTOPSY. After this, the tour will continue through Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala, with local support.

Argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon, who currently resides in Hollywood, California, conducted an interview with vocalist Simon "Simme" Cruz of Swedish glam rockers CRASHDÏET when the band played at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California on August 15. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is footage of the Whisky concert.

CRASHDÏET recently spent time in the studio outside Stockholm, Sweden recording the follow-up to 2010's "Generation Wild" album for a tentative January 2013 release.

The new CD can be preordered at this location.

CRASHDÏET has been touring quite a bit in the last two and a half years, opening up for such bands as MÖTLEY CRÜE, OZZY OSBOURNE, MICHAEL MONROE and WEDNESDAY 13, and traveling everywhere from Australia to USA to Brazil.

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

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

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

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

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

Interview:

"Now And Forever", the third album from Swedish female-fronted heavy rockers SISTER SIN, will be released on October 23 via Victory Records. The CD was recorded at Standstraight Studios in Stockholm with producer Chris Snyder and was mixed by Cameron Webb (MOTÖRHEAD, SOCIAL DISTORTION, DANZIG).

"Now And Forever" track listing:

01. MMXII
02. End Of The Line
03. Fight Song
04. In It For Life
05. Hearts Of Cold
06. The Chosen Few
07. Hang 'Em High
08. I'm Not You
09. Running Low
10. Shades Of Black
11. Morning After

The official lyric video for "End Of The Line" can be seen below. The track was released on August 7 via all digital platforms worldwide.

Various pre-order options for "Now And Forever" can be found at VictoryRecords.com.

On August 16, Natalie of Natalie's World conducted an interview with SISTER SIN vocalist Liv Jagrell. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

SISTER SIN last fall released a video for its cover version of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Rock 'N' Roll". The track, which was made available on all digital platforms worldwide via Victory Records in September, features guest vocals from the German metal queen Doro Pesch. It was produced by Snyder at Standstraight and was mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.

SISTER SIN's second album, "True Sound Of The Underground", landed at position No. 97 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

SISTER SIN in November 2010 announced the addition of bassist Andreas Strandh to the group's ranks.

"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22, 2010 via Victory Records and was issued in Europe on July 23, 2010 through Metal Heaven Records.

For more information, visit www.sistersin.com.

Interview:

Melodic metal band ARTIZAN recently finished recording the title track of its new album, "Ancestral Energy", featuring a guest appearance by former ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow.

"Ancestral Energy" will be released in April 2013 via Pure Steel Records.

Commented ARTIZAN founder/drummer Ty Tammeus: "Matt absolutely blew us away! He walked up to the mic and nailed the entire piece that we wrote for him — amazing. We can't wait for the fans to hear 'Ancestral Energy'."

A photo of Tammeus and Barlow at Tampa, Florida's Morrisound Studios during the recording sessions for the new CD can be seen below.

The song "Ancestral Energy" reveals an intriguing back story for the original ARTIZAN track "Curse Of The Artizan", which was released in 2011. Matt performs the voice of the Artizan's ancestors.

Commented Barlow: "If you have followed what ["ARTIZAN] has recorded previously, you know that they are very much into 'storytelling' and that's something that has always interested me in this genre. As another benefit, I get to work with producer Jim Morris again as he puts the guys through their paces at Morrisound Recording."

Pictured below (left to right): Matt Barlow, ARTIZAN singer Tom Braden, drummer Ty Tammeus, guitarist Shamus McConney, bassist Jon Jennings