Stockholm, Sweden-based metal outfit FACESHIFT is recording its second album for a tentative 2013 release via an as-yet-undetermined record label.

A couple of tracks that will appear on the new CD were mixed by Lars Chriss (LION'S SHARE) and they "showcase the band's crushing blend of massive riffs, earthquake drums and powerful, melodic vocals," according to a press release.

FACESHIFT's rhythm guitarist and bass player are both death metal musicians (ETERNAL OATH and GODPHOBIA), the drummer plays in one of Sweden's top prog metal bands (SEVENTH WONDER), the vocalist brings a melodic/power element to the table while the lead guitarist adds a really bluesy touch to the mix. "Combining all those influences could have proven a huge challenge, but in fact, once we started writing these new songs, everything fell right into place from the get-go," explains drummer Stefan Norgren. "The result is a handful of damn heavy, riff-driven tracks, with BIG choruses and tons of cool vocal harmonies. I'd say FACESHIFT will be well received by fans of such diverse bands as PANTERA, MUSTASCH, ALICE IN CHAINS, SYMPHONY X and DIO alike.”

Labels interested in releasing the new FACESHIFT album can contact the band via Facebook.

A five-and-a-half-minute minute video clip featuring STEEL PANTHER interview and professionally filmed performance footage from this year's edition of the Hellfest festival, which was held June 15-17 in Clisson, France, can be seen below.

STEEL PANTHER is the '80s metal/hard rock tribute band formerly known as METAL SKOOL. The group's lineup includes guitarist "Satchel" (real name Russ Parrish; ex-FIGHT) and singer "Michael Starr" (real name Ralph Saenz; ex-L.A. GUNS). Onstage, the band both pays tribute to and lampoons the heyday of '80s glam metal. The group's between-song comedy includes jests at conflict between bandmembers, discussions of drugs, sex, and improvised humor with the crowd.

STEEL PANTHER's sophomore album, "Balls Out", sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 40 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on November 1, 2011 via Universal Republic Records, the follow-up to 2009's "Feel The Steel" contains 14 soon-to-be classics such as "Just Like Tiger Woods", "Gold Digging Whore" and "Weenie Ride". The album also features cameos by Dane Cook on the album opener "In The Future" and NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and EXTREME axeman Nuno Bettencourt show up on an instant classic "It Won't Suck Itself". "Balls Out" was produced by Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Jay Ruston who produced the band's "Feel The Steel" debut and is known for his work with ANTHRAX, MEAT LOAF, THE DONNAS and MORRISSEY, to name a few.

STEEL PANTHER is Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums).

SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green and ex-SEPULTURA drummer Jean Dolabella collaborated on a song for the ending credits in the "Scooby-Doo" animated television series. The track, entitled "Mysteries. Inc.!" was written by Dolabella and Doug Langdale and was recorded by Dolabella at Garage Studios in São Paulo, Brazil. It was then mixed by Augusto Nogueira at Pacific Studio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Says Green, "What sucks is they used the same song with different vocals from the voice of one the characters in the cartoon and he sucks badly!!! Just saying."

Check it out in the YouTube clip below.

Dolabella left SEPULTURA last year because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time. He has since been replaced by Eloy Casagrande.

Swedish metallers DEATHDESTRUCTION have commenced the songwriting sessions for their sophomore album.

A short video clip from the studio can be seen below.

DEATHDESTRUCTION recently announced the addition of singer Tony Jelencovich to the group's ranks.

Commented the band: "Tony is a friend to the band, and he has truly made a mark in the Gothenburg scene with bands like B-THONG, TRANSPORT LEAGUE and MASSIVE AUDIO NERVE. He's also worked with bands like MNEMIC and the Russian band ICON IN ME.

"Tony has everything we look for in a lead singer and a frontman, so the choice was just so easy when we had to find ourselves a new singer. We're totally stoked about what he will contribute to DEATHDESTRUCTION! This is going to be so fucking good, people!!"

Added Tony: "I'm really happy and excited to be the new singer and frontman in DEATHDESTRUCTION! This is now, and the new tracks will swing, groove and be hard like God's own dick!!!"

Vocalist Jimmie Strimell quit DEATHDESTRUCTION in June in order to focus on his other band, DEAD BY APRIL.

DEATHDESTRUCTION last year inked a deal with the Swedish branch of Sony Music Entertainment. The band's three-song EP, "Fuck Yeah", was released in April 2011 and was followed by the group's self-titled debut album in August. The CD was recorded at IN FLAMES' IF Studios with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, LOK, SONIC SYNDICATE).

DEATHDESTRUCTION is:

* Tony Jelencovich (B-THONG, TRANSPORT LEAGUE, MASSIVE AUDIO NERVE) - Vocals
* Henrik Danhage (ex-EVERGREY) - Guitar
* Fredrik "Loppan" Larsson (HAMMERFALL) - Bass
* Jonas Ekdahl (ex-EVERGREY) - Drums

NIGHTWISH's long-awaited "Imaginaerum" film — based on the band's album of the same name — will be released theatrically in Finland on November 23.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September 2011 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen explained that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production took place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Speaking to Loudwire, Holopainen stated about the plot of the "Imaginaerum" film, "Basically it's about this old guy who used to be a composer and he's really sick; he's lying on his death bed in a hospital and he's going through his life, through his dreams — that's the basic storyline. It's all about praising life and life's beauty, imagination and all the strife and the bad stuff we have to face.

"[The storyline] came from the director; I just had the twelve ideas, the twelve visions. He basically wrote the script and storyline around those originally visions and the only one we had to leave out was the 'Ghost River' part, because we didn't have the finance to realize that vision."

Asked if the band appears in the film at all, Tuomas said, "A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise."

"Imaginaerum" film cast:

* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen

Several photos from the "Imaginaerum" movie shoot can be found at this location. A couple of the pictures are also available below.

The "Imaginaerum" album was released in the U.S. on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.

Professionally filmed video footage of TESTAMENT's entire August 11 performance at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom can be seen below.

TESTAMENT's new album, "Dark Roots Of Earth", sold more than 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No, 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on July 31 via Nuclear Blast Records.

TESTAMENT's previous studio album, "The Formation of Damnation", opened with 11,400 units back in May 2008 to debut at position No. 59.

"Dark Roots Of Earth" was produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, ACCEPT, EXODUS). Special bonus tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER) at his Trident Studios. The cover artwork for the effort (see below) was painted by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

A three-minute trailer for "Re-Machined: A Tribute To Machine Head" — a compilation CD containing re-interpretations of songs from DEEP PURPLE's classic "Machine Head" album by METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, CHICKENFOOT and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, among others — can be seen below.

Due in North America on September 25 via Eagle Rock Entertainment, "Re-Machined: A Tribute To Machine Head" will initially be made available with Classic Rock magazine's upcoming DEEP PURPLE fanpack. Scheduled to hit newsstands in the U.K. on September 4, the fanpack also comes with an in-depth, official, band-endorsed 124-page magazine which includes exclusive new interviews with world-class guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Steve Vai and the members of METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN and CHICKENFOOT, among others, talking about recording these classic songs, plus brand new interviews with DEEP PURPLE — one of the last interviews with the late Jon Lord — on the making of their most well-loved album and exclusive and previously unpublished photographs and artefacts from the PURPLE archives.

Hearing of Jon Lord's sad passing, Glenn Hughes assembled some friends to cut "Highway Star" last week as a tribute to his dear friend. The performance is one of the greatest performances Glenn Hughes has committed to record.

Drummer Lars Ulrich of METALLICA, who are also recording a song for the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album, previously said, "We were asked if we'd contribute to the anniversary of 'Machine Head' — we can't turn that down. We're circling the Dio and PURPLE catalogs and hopefully we'll come up with something that is worthy of these wonderful men."

"Re-Machined: A Tribute To Machine Head" track listing:

01. Smoke On The Water - CARLOS SANTANA
02. Highway Star - CHICKENFOOT
03. Maybe I'm A Leo - GLENN HUGHES, CHAD SMITH, LUIS MALDONADO
04. Pictures Of Home - BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
05. Never Before - KINGS OF CHAOS (Joe Elliott, Steve Stevens, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Arlan Schierbaum)
06. Smoke On The Water - THE FLAMING LIPS
07. Lazy - JIMMY BARNES, JOE BONAMASSA
08. Space Truckin' - IRON MAIDEN
09. When A Blind Man Cries – METALLICA
10. Highway Star - GLENN HUGHES, STEVE VAI, CHAD SMITH, LACHLAN DOLEY (exclusive track)

Professionally filmed video footage of HATEBREED's entire August 11 performance at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom can be seen below.

HATEBREED in June announced the "10 Years Of Perseverance" fall tour, a United States headline trek to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the band's 2002 major-label debut, "Perseverance". The tour will feature direct support from WHITECHAPEL and special guests ALL SHALL PERISH and DEEZ NUTS, and kick off on September 13 in Clifton Park, New York.

HATEBREED recently entered the studio with co-producers Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA) and Chris "Zeuss" Harris to begin recording its new album for a late 2012/early 2013 release.

Regarding the musical direction of the new HATEBREED material, vocalist Jamey Jasta told "Maximum Threshold", "We did enough experimenting, I think, on the last record… A lot of people really liked that record and it did gain us a lot of new fans, but on this record, with the 10-year anniversary of [HATEBREED's 2002 album] 'Perseverance' and with Wayne [Lozinak, guitar] being back in the band — this will be his second record with us — it's just fun to kind of keep with the old-school influences. I hear more CRO-MAGS and KILLING TIME and SHEER TERROR and OBITUARY and BOLT THROWER and SLAYER and ENTOMBED and those kind of '80s and '90s influences in there. Which is fun for us, because we emulate the bands that we love. We try to make it our own sound and make it our own style, but at the end of the day, we're just fans of those styles of bands."

The self-titled album from HATEBREED sold 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 37 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Hatebreed" was released in North America on September 29, 2009 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The effort was made available on CD, digital download, vinyl and special edition with a bonus 65-minute DVD. "Hatebreed" was issued on Roadrunner in all other territories.

MARILYN MANSON's new single, "Slo-Mo-Tion", will be released next week.

The cover artwork for the effort can be seen below.

The singer took to his Twitter last week to post a couple of photos from the "Slo-Mo-Tion" video shoot. The first tweet stated, "Just finished the #SloMoTion moving picture show." There is no information on who is directing the clip or when the video will be released.

"Slo-Mo-Tion" comes off MARILYN MANSON's new album, "Born Villain", which sold 38,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on May 1 via Cooking Vinyl and Manson's own label Hell, Etc.

MARILYN MANSON's previous album, "The High End Of Low", opened with 49,000 units back in May 2009 to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was roughly half of the first-week tally registered by 2007's "Eat Me, Drink Me", which landed at No. 8 after selling 88,000 copies.

MARILYN MANSON's 2003 album, "The Golden Age Of Grotesque", entered the chart at No. 1 with first-week sales of 118,000.

Video footage and photos of METALLICA frontman James Hetfield getting covered in cream pies for his 49th birthday at the conclusion of the band's August 2 concert in Mexico City can be seen below. This was the fourth show of the band's eight-date run at Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) .

METALLICA's setlist for the August 2 concert:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride The Lightning
05. One
06. Cyanide
07. The Memory Remains
08. The Four Horsemen
09. Sad But True
10. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
11. ...And Justice For All
12. Fade To Black
13. Master Of Puppets
14. Battery
15. Nothing Else Matters
16. Enter Sandman

Encore:

17. Helpless
18. Seek & Destroy

Two members of METALLICA's road crew caught fire during each of the first four Mexico concerts, as the two stagehands were seen struggling with a malfunctioning pyro launcher during "Enter Sandman" when both were suddenly engulfed in flame. As James Hetfield called for the band to stop playing, other crew members doused the men with fire extinguishers and took them off the stage in stretchers, with the band resuming its show a few minutes later.

A spokesperson for the promoter said the stunt was "all part of the show," and in fact METALLICA has staged this type of "accident" before during its 1997 tour, on which the show ended with the stage seemingly collapsing around the band as one crew member caught fire and another dangled upside down from the fallen lighting rig. The effect was caught on the band's "Cunning Stunts" DVD.

The show on July 28 marked the debut of a new 140-foot-by-50-foot stage that features "colossal components and striking visual elements spanning METALLICA's entire 30-year career," meaning that the "accident" stunt could be back for an encore.

At a press conference before the show, frontman James Hetfield said that the band was focused on "staying alive" while performing alongside the "dangerous elements" of the new production, with bassist Robert Trujillo adding, "Like James said, it's very dangerous — we've got stuff flying every which way."

A post in the "Tour Journal" section of METALLICA's official web site related that "shit really hit the fan (during 'Enter Sandman' with) loud bangs, random fireworks, falling towers, falling spot light guy, falling scaffolding, guy was caught on fire . . . then a complete blackout."

Following its Mexico City stand, METALLICA next plays the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco and then two shows in late August in Vancouver, which will be filmed for the band's upcoming 3D movie.

Photos and video footage below courtesy of Metallica.com.

Reunited '80s cult metal outfit SANCTUARY — which features in its ranks NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard — performed on August 6 at the Metalcamp festival in Tolmin, Slovenia. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

In an interview with Rock My Monkey TV, Dane stated about SANCTUARY's future plans, "We're gonna do a new record. We've got a lot of new songs written and we're working on a deal with Century Media; it's kind of an imminent thing. I've been with that label since 1995, so I know the people that work there, I trust them, and I have a very good working relationship with them, so it makes the most sense for me right now. And for the rest of the guys, too. So we'll see. Nothing's ever written in stone, but it looks like that's what's gonna happen."

Regarding how SANCTUARY's reformation came about, Dane said, "[SANCTUARY guitarist Lenny Rutledge and I] always talked to each other, but never really been friends again. And when the whole thing came about, that we were actually friends again, that's when we started talking more about doing it. And it definitely wasn't because NEVERMORE was imploding... which it was, at that point . . . We all just started talking with each other again. That was kind of the groundwork for it. And then we started saying, 'Well, gosh, let's make music again.' And my god! Lenny is writing some stuff that is so friggin great! Obviously, he's been bottling this up for years, because he really hasn't been doing anything... Well, he's had bands here and there. But he's really writing some great stuff that's really inspiring me, and making me fall in love with music again, with the creative process... everything that revolves around that. Really inspiring me to write really evil lyrics."

Regarding the sound of SANCTUARY's upcoming studio album, tentatively titled "The Year The Sun Died", Dane said, "This record is not going to sound like the other two. It might sound very similar to the second one ('Into The Mirror Black'). It's definitely not going to sound like the first one, because we're all a little bit older and I can't come up with a c-clamp for a scrotum and a helium tank . . . It's not going to sound like the old ones... it's 2011. It's still gonna be that good, I think, and there's gonna be high-pitched screaming. I'm making sure of that. With NEVERMORE, high-pitched screaming was never really called for. You know, with SANCTUARY... of course it is."

SANCTUARY last year tapped Brad Hull (FORCED ENTRY) to play second guitar for the band.

Hull and Shannon Sharp, one of the moderators at Metalguitarist.org, were the top picks for the SANCTUARY second-guitarist position. Brad, having previously toured with SANCTUARY, was given the opportunity to play the dates in Atlanta (ProgPower USA XII festival) and Greece.

Hull has spent the last few years playing the role of "James Hetfield" in the METALLICA tribute band BLISTERED EARTH, which plays "classic songs ranging from 1983's 'Kill 'Em All' to 1991's self-titled 'Metallica'."

SANCTUARY's current touring lineup:

Warrel Dane - Vocals
Lenny Rutledge - Guitar
Brad Hull - Guitars
Jim Sheppard - Bass
Dave Budbill – Drums

Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY will embark on the "Rotting Slowly In Europe 2012" tour in November. The trek, which will feature, which will feature support from MACABRE, PSYCROPTIC and THE AMENTA, will see OBITUARY performing a classic 1989-1992 set, consisting of material culled solely from the "Slowly We Rot", "Cause Of Death" and "The End Complete" albums.

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 22 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
Nov. 23 - Trier, Germany - Exhaus
Nov. 24 - Leeuwared, Netherlands - Romein
Nov. 25 - Deventer, Netherlands - Burgerweeshuis
Nov. 27 - Berlin, Germany - K17
Nov. 28 - Ostrava, Czech Republic - Barrak Music Club
Nov. 29 - Wien, Austria - Szene
Nov. 30 - Cham, Germany - LA Club
Dec. 01 - Louvain Le Neuve, Belgium - Mass Deathtruction Fest
Dec. 02 - Paris, France - Divan Du Monde
Dec. 04 - Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory
Dec. 05 - London, UK - Garage
Dec. 06 - Essen, Germany - Turock
Dec. 07 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall
Dec. 09 - Colmar, France - Le Grillen
Dec. 11 - Lyon, France - C.C.O. Villeurbanne
Dec. 12 - Luzern, Switzerland - Konzerthaus Schuur
Dec. 13 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Halle
Dec. 14 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Eindhoven Metal Meeting
Dec. 15 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser

During a recent interview with MetalBlast.net, guitarist Trevor Peres revealed that OBITUARY was in the process of recording a three song EP, to be released as a picture disc and as a digital download. He said, "Before this [most recent European] tour, we started recording an EP. We were hoping to be finished recording before this tour, but a bunch of different personal things happened and we just didn't have time to finish it. But I've got all the guitar scratch tracks done and Donald [Tardy, drums] started doing scratch drum tracks. But when we get home from this, in one or two weeks we finish recording. It's like three new songs; it's an EP we're gonna do. We're actually gonna do a seven-inch picture disc — no CDs at all; just picture disc only. But then you [will be able to] download it from iTunes or Google Music and stuff. But then we've got another 10 songs we're gonna record after that. So, hopefully, by the end of the year — January, maybe — [there will be] a brand new full-length album."

Regarding how the new OBITUARY music is sounding, Trevor said, "It's pure OBITUARY. In fact, we've got some of the catchiest hooks on this album. These songs are so amazing. In fact, one of the first songs [we wrote] for it I'm always humming in my head. It pisses me off because it's stuck there all the time. So it's a good thing; it's, like, really catchy, groovy OBITUARY."

On the topc of OBITUARY's current record label situation, Trevor said, "We're between labels. We were hoping to do our own record label. We have a person who we're friends with who is interested in investing. I don't think it's gonna happen soon enough for us to be able to [release the next CD on our own]. So we're actually talking with Century Media. They're very interested. Without saying it's happened, [or that] it's done, 'cause we haven't signed a contract with them, [but] they've offered us a deal and they're really interested in OBITUARY."

A four-minute video clip featuring highlights from this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, which was held August 2-4 in Wacken, Germany, can be seen at this location.

DEEP PURPLE, NIGHTWISH, AMORPHIS, ARCH ENEMY, SABATON, DORO, ANTHRAX and SUBWAY TO SALLY are the first confirmed bands for next year's edition of Wacken Open Air, set to take place August 1-3, 2013. AMORPHIS will perform an acoustic set, while Doro will celebrate her 30th anniversary in the music business. More acts will be announced soon.

Wacken Open Air was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia.

Wacken Open Air is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.

Wacken Open Air, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, was honored with a Live Entertainment Award in 2008 in the "Festival Of The Year" category. This award recognizes distinguished achievements in live entertainment and is given out by Live Entertainment Award (LEA) committee.

In conjunction with the release of Serj Tankian's new album, "Harakiri", Warner Bros. Records has teamed up with the creators of popular beat making app IAmBeatBox to put out a custom iOs app called I Am Serj. The $0.99 app is now available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and gives fans a chance to rework, remix and create their own music utilizing the new songs that appear on "Harakiri" through the I Am Serj app.

Serj used the IAmBeatBox app to help sketch a couple songs off his new album and liked the iPad experience so much, he felt compelled to reach out to IAmBeatBox to see if they'd be into making one specifically for him.

"iAmBeatBox and all the Savage I Am apps have created an innovative way to sketch out music using beats and samples on the iPad," explains Serj. "I used the programs to sketch out three of the songs from 'Harakiri' and am excited about launching my own app with them titled, I Am Serj, utilizing the music from 'Harakiri', my new solo record."

The I Am Serj app takes the same app engine used for IAmBeatBox and fills it with loops and samples from all of Serj's solo records allowing people to create their own remixes of Serj's music utilizing the features and interface that iAmBeatBox has.

Tankian's video demonstration of the I Am Serj app can be seen below.

A sneak peek of the "Road To Knotfest" bonus content that fans will receive when they sign up for the "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" pay-per-view event from Somerset, Wisconsin in partnership with TODOCAST and Event View Live is available below.

"One of our long-time dreams, is finally coming to fruition with the creation of Knotfest," says M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) of SLIPKNOT. "Our goal was to create a festival experience which screamed our vision. It means everything for everyone to see the live spectacle we're creating in the flesh, but we understand some fans around the world can't be at the show. We've now made it possible for you to be there in spirit — so join us live on August 18th."

The "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event will include all the insanity that goes on backstage. Fans can pause it. Rewind it. Re-watch it. Day-of-show footage includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the festival grounds, pre-show interviews with Knotfest artists and Mistress Juliya, the stunning high definition main-stage performance of SLIPKNOT as well as exclusive post-show interviews with the band. The entire "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event package is available to purchasers for on-demand viewing for 30 days following the event.

August 18, 2012 - Minneapolis, MN (Somerset Amphitheater)

Doors: 1:30 p.m.

Main Stage

SLIPKNOT: 10:20 p.m.-12:00 p.m.
DEFTONES: 8:10 p.m.-9:10 p.m.
SERJ TANKIAN: 6:10 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN: 4:30 p.m.-5:10 p.m.

Second Stage

LAMB OF GOD: 9:15 p.m.-10:15 p.m.
MACHINE HEAD: 7:05 p.m.-8:05 p.m.
CANNIBAL CORPSE: 5:15 p.m.-6:05 p.m.
PRONG: 3:45 p.m.-4:25 p.m.
GOJIRA: 3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

"Untouchable (Part 1)", the new video from the U.K. atmospheric rock band ANATHEMA, can be seen below. The clip, which reflects the themes created in the band's new album, "Weather Systems", was edited together by Lasse Hoile, the acclaimed director and filmmaker, best known for his work with Steven Wilson and PORCUPINE TREE.

"Weather Systems" sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 22 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.

"Weather Systems" was released on April 24 via The End Records. The follow-up to 2010's "We're Here Because We're Here" was recorded in Liverpool, North Wales and Oslo, each place significant to ANATHEMA past, present and future. The record was produced and mastered by Christer-André Cederberg (ANIMAL ALPHA, IN THE WOODS..., DRAWN), whom ANATHEMA's Daniel Cavanagh has described as "a revelation. His calmness and brilliance has helped to bring about the greatest inter-band chemistry that ANATHEMA have experienced together in their career."

"Weather Systems" track listing:

01. Untouchable (Part 1)
02. Untouchable (Part 2)
03. The Gathering Of The Clouds
04. Lightning Song
05. Sunlight
06. The Storm Before The Calm
07. The Beginning And The End
08. The Lost Child
09. Internal Landscapes

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," will release "Lullaby Versions Of Slayer" on August 14 via Roma Music Group.

"Lullaby Versions Of Slayer" track listing:

01. South Of Heaven
02. Seasons In The Abyss
03. Spill The Blood
04. World Painted Blood
05. Raining Blood
06. Disciple
07. Skeletons Of Society
08. War Ensemble
09. Dead Skin Mask
10. Angel Of Death
11. Hell Awaits
12. Black Magic

Check out audio samples at Amazon.com.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the premier pop music lullaby line, with 56 titles to choose from across soundtracks, pop, rock, metal, country, alternative and more. Be sure to also check out the company's METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and RUSH lullabies.

In its mission statement, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star says, "We feel our lullaby line fills a vacant musical niche. There are other lines of pop music lullabies but we decided to take the approach of being high end musically rather than simply doing these as a novelty. After all, just because the music is for a baby it doesn’t have to sound unsophisticated. We feel we owe it to the artists that we are covering to do their music justice and our standard of quality transcends the lullaby genre. In fact, in addition to soothing babies our fans use our music for yoga, massage and sleep therapy or just general relaxation. We like to call them 'lullabies for all ages' and the diversity of use is testament to that."

For more information, visit www.ttlrs.com.

Multinational metallers POWERWOLF have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's as-yet-untitled new album is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2013 release.

Commented POWERWOLF guitarist Mattew Greywolf: "We're blessed to have found a mighty and truely believing partner for crusades to come. Among all the labels we had been takling to, Napalm Records were the ones who stood out in means of faith, spirit and dedication to the wolves. We're looking forward to spreading the word of metal together with them in the future. Be prepared!"

Added Markus Riedler, CEO of Napalm Records: "Captain Napalm, the mighty twin-headed eagle, and the wolves have joined forces in order to begin the crusade for the power metal throne. There is no doubt that the ultimate victory of the band cannot be stopped. We are very proud to build a great future together with POWERWOLF. The album will be released in the summer of 2013 and the deafening howl of the wolves will make the competitors freeze with fear."

POWERWOLF's first live album, "Alive In The Night", was recorded exclusively for Metal Hammer, Germany's leading metal magazine. The CD was only available with the April 2012 issue of Metal Hammer.

POWERWOLFs' "We Drink Your Blood" video can be seen below (courtesy of Metal Hammer magazine). The clip was filmed in an ancient monastery church.

"We Drink Your Blood" comes off POWERWOLF's fourth album, "Blood Of The Saints", which was released last August via Metal Blade Records. The CD was made available as a regular CD, a limited-edition digibook 2-CD and on vinyl. The cover art was created by POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew Greywolf.

After a warmly approved debut release ("Nihilistic Vision" from 2009) and a major European tour with SODOM, DIE HARD returns with nine new compositions of old-school thrash metal. The Swedes' new album, "Conjure The Legions", will be released in Europe on September 25 and in North America on November 6 via Agonia Records.

A promotional video teaser featuring song samples from "Conjure The Legions" can be viewed below.

"Conjure The Legions" will be made available as a digital download, jewel-case CD and on black vinyl and limited to 66 copies yellow vinyl. Prior to the album's arrival, Agonia Records will also release a special EP from DIE HARD entitled "Antichrist". The EP includes two exclusive tracks: an alternate version of song "Antichrist" and a VENOM cover.

"Conjure The Legions" track listing:

01. Conjure The Legions
02. Masters Of Deceit
03. Satanic Uprise
04. Thrash Them All
05. Cold Scythe
06. Sanctify The Morbid
07. Antichrist
08. Stand Up
09. Robe And Crown

DIE HARD is:

Harry - Bass/Vocals
Simon - Guitar/Vocals
Perra - Drums

Svart Records has set an August 24 release date for "Symphony Of Shadows", the first-ever set of all-new material by BEDEMON, the band regarded by many as the original true U.S. doom band.

Inspired by the goriest of fright films and the most menacing of music at the time, guitarist/composer/journalist/author Randy Palmer churned out the very first doom songs written on North American soil. This understated innovator recruited the help of his bandmates, PENTAGRAM co-founders Geof O'Keefe (drums) and Bobby Liebling (vocals) as well as schoolmate Mike Matthews (bass). Throughout the 1970s, the band recorded numerous sinister, doom-drenched slabs of metallic gold — BLACK SABBATH were Palmer's idols — that illegally floated around on sub-standard bootlegs for decades. Finally, in 2004 to much fanfare, these rough, never-intended-for-public recordings were collected, repaired, and released as "Child Of Darkness: From The Original Master Tapes".

Since then, BEDEMON has seen a surge in popularity due to their intertwined history with the original PENTAGRAM, in addition to their music being featured in the critically acclaimed award-winning documentary, "Last Days Here" (Sundance Selects/914 Pictures), chronicling the life and times of PENTAGRAM and original BEDEMON vocalist Bobby Liebling.

Literally a decade in the making, BEDEMON now proudly issues their sophomore release, "Symphony Of Shadows". Shortly after completing recording of the basic rhythm tracks in April 2002, band founder Randy Palmer was involved in a tragic car accident and passed away in August of that year. O'Keefe, Matthews, and new vocalist Craig Junghandel worked with recording engineer Shawn Hafley over the next decade to finish the project both in tribute to Randy and also because they felt so passionately about the strength of the material; the result is nine bone-crushingly heavy slices of pure '70s-flavored doom metal.

Clocking in at just under 60 minutes, "Symphony Of Shadows" will be released as both a single CD and deluxe 2-LP vinyl set, chock-full of photos, lyrics, liner notes, and intimate stories from the surviving members of this very special band.

Of the album, drummer/guitarist/composer Geof O'Keefe says, "This is dedicated to Randy. His songwriting is so far advanced beyond the 'Child Of Darkness' material. The album sounds like a classic '70s metal release, which is very intentional!'

Svart Records president Tomi Pulkki heard the album and knew it was perfect for Svart, saying, "As a label that is perhaps best known for releasing PENTAGRAM and REVEREND BIZARRE on vinyl, I didn't think twice when the chance to work with BEDEMON was offered. We're happy to help bring their final opus to the world."

"Symphony Of Shadows" track listing:

01. Saviour
02. Lord of Desolation
03. Son of Darkness
04. The Plague
05. D.E.D.
06. Kill You Now
07. Godless
08. Hopeless
09. Eternally Unhuman

"Sin And Bones", the new album from FOZZY — the band featuring WWE wrestling superstar Chris Jericho and STUCK MOJO mastermind Rich "The Duke" Ward — is available for streaming in its entirety below (courtesy of Loudwire). The CD will be released on August 14 (one day earlier internationally) via the group's new label, Century Media Records.

"Sandpaper", the lead single from "Sin And Bones", features a guest appearance by AVENGED SEVENFOLD lead singer M. Shadows. The song was released via iTunes on July 17.

"Sin And Bones" track listing:

01. Spider In My Mouth
02. Sandpaper
03. Blood Happens
04. Inside My Head
05. Sin And Bones
06. A Passed Life
07. She's My Addiction
08. Shine Forever
09. Dark Passenger
10. Storm The Beaches

Speaking to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Jericho stated about how the new album title came about, "It's actually pretty funny. It's such a deep title and it can mean a lot of things. But how it really came about was Rich was texting me, saying, 'Man, I've gotta eat something on this tour. I'm all skin and bones.' And 'skin and bones,' he missed the [letter] 'k' and it came out [as] 'sin and bones.' And I showed it to him. I go, 'Dude, what do you think of this as an album title?' And he was like, 'Yeah, it's perfect.'"

In an interview with Sophie K of Total Rock at this year's Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, Jericho said about FOZZY's new CD, "Every artist says this, but it's definitely the best thing we've ever done. It kind of takes the FOZZY concept of what we do best, which is very heavy with very melodic choruses and a lot of harmonies. We're just super-proud of it. We worked on it for the last eight months."

He added, "We said we wanna make this like our 'black' album where all the songs kind of fit the same vibe. They're kind of darker lyrically, darker songs, but still catchy and hooky. So I'm really proud of the lyrics that I wrote for this. When I write lyrics, I give them to Rich Ward, and he takes them and writes riffs and songs based around what he feels the tone of the songs are. And I guess the lyrics I wrote are very dark, because it's a very dark record."

When asked if the "darker" vibe of the new album is reflection of personal things that might have gone on in his life, Jericho said, "I don't think so. I've just always been more attuned to that. Like, I write by songtitles. I read somewhere something about somebody woke up with a spider in their mouth. And I was like, 'Spider In My Mouth'. That's like the best title I could ever think of. So I wrote a bunch of lyrics that kind of fit that vibe. So a songtitle will lead… The first single is called 'Sandpaper'. And it's not about a piece of paper that you rub on your face that chafes you, it's just about an abrasive type of a feeling that you might have toward somebody. So it's just stuff like that. But we still sing it with a smile on our faces."

Speaking about some of the individual songs that make up the new FOZZY album, Jericho said, "We've been playing 'Sandpaper' live, and right off the bat people are bobbing their heads. So people can get into it right away, which is cool. I mean, there are so many great songs. There's another song called 'She's My Addiction', which is kind of a more [THE ROLLING] STONES-y, GUNS N' ROSES-type thing, but also very dark. Phil Campbell played a solo for it, from MOTÖRHEAD; he's been a very good friend of the band. There's a song called 'Inside My Head'. There's an 11-minute song about D-Day called 'Storm The Beaches'. 'Blood Happens'… that's a heavy one."

Elaborating further on how the "Spider In My Mouth" songtitle came about, Jericho said, "I read it in a Stephen King book. It said, 'He couldn't have been more disgusted if he woke up with a spider in his mouth. And I was like, 'Ahhh… Dude, how heavy is that?' And I wrote it down in my little songtitles book and about a year or two later, I went back and I looked through and it was like, 'Boom, I could do something with that.' So…"

"Sin And Bones" full-album audio stream (courtesy of Loudwire):

An audio snippet of "Just A Beautiful Day", the first single from "Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue", the new album from Canadian rockers DANKO JONES, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue" will be released in North America on October 9.

Over the course of six full-length albums, DANKO JONES has forged a singular sound that draws equally from the blues, '60s garage, '70s hard rock, '80s hardcore, punky power-pop, Scandinavian metal, and classic stand-up comedy records without ever being fully defined by any of those sources. But while built from the same rudiments, each DANKO JONES record possesses a distinct sonic identity. "Born A Lion" (2002) brought the boogie and sledgehammer soul; "We Sweat Blood" (2003) was, by contrast, more anxious and aggro. "Sleep Is The Enemy" (2006) wielded the sharpest hooks. "Never Too Loud" (2008) was as slick as "Below The Belt" (2010) was stripped-down. But, compared to all that's come before, "Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue" is, hands down, the most emotional and, as a result, the most epic DANKO JONES album to date.

Now, don't be scared off by those E-words — there's not a children's choir, orchestra or piano ballad to be found within a 500-mile radius of this album. But what you hear on "Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue" is the DANKO JONES ideal blown up to skyscraping proportions, resulting in 13 tracks that are bolder, brasher, and brawnier than anything they've attempted before. The album is produced in full by their longtime partner in crime Matt DeMatteo and was mixed by Mike Fraser, known for his work with AC/DC, AEROSMITH, FRANZ FERDINAND and ELVIS COSTELLO, to name a few. It is also the first album recorded with "new" drummer Atom Willard — the sixth person in DANKO JONES history to hold the "drummer" title, but the first to stand on equal creative footing with Danko and his longtime foil, bassist John "JC" Calabrese. The man's résumé speaks for itself: Not only was Willard the driving percussive force behind Danko's all-time favorite San Diegan garage-punk armada ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, he's also been keeping time for the multi-platinum likes of THE OFFSPRING, SOCIAL DISTORTION and ANGELS & AIRWAVES, so he knows how to drum his way around a massive tune.

The new DANKO JONES album follows the June release of "Bring On The Mountain" — a two-disc DVD featuring a 90-minute documentary, a short film, exclusive live clips from around the world and all the music videos they have ever done. A lengthy European tour scheduled for October/November was announced during spring. Tour dates in Canada, U.S. and Australia will be announced soon, with more European touring and a busy festival summer in 2013 also on the horizon.

"Häxagram", the new video from Swedish hard rockers THE GRAVIATORS, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's sophomore album, "Evil Deeds", which will be released on August 31 via Napalm Records.

According to a press release, THE GRAVIATORS "revitalize the spirit of the '70s without sounding like a dusty retro band, because the Swedes skillfully give each track their own character. Besides obvious hard rock musical influences, THE GRAVIATORS combine various doom and stoner rock elements to give each track a pleasant level of heaviness."

"Evil Deeds" track listing:

01. Soulstealer
02. Evil Deeds
03. Morning Star
04. The Great Deception
05. Feelin' Low
06. Häxagram
07. Presence
08. A Different Moon
09. Forlorn
10. The Infidel

THE GRAVIATORS' self-titled debut came out in 2009.

The band was featured with the track "The Magician" on the Planet Fuzz compilation "Cowbells & Cobwebs".

In 2010 Dutch label Clear Spot/Headspin Records released "The Graviators" as an exclusive double splatter vinyl. The artwork for this vinyl release (and the second pressing of the album on CD) was made by the artist Vance Kelly.

THE GRAVIATORS is:

Niklas Sjöberg: Vocals
Martin Fairbanks: Guitar
Johan Holm: Bass
Henrik Bergman: Drums

According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready and ex-GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER bass player Duff McKagan have begun working with WALKING PAPERS, a new Seattle band launched by former SCREAMING TREES drummer Barrett Martin and longtime Seattle musician Jeff Angell. McKagan plays bass on the band's entire debut disc, while McCready contributes lead guitar solos. The record is due out in October and the first single, "Your Secret's Safe With Me", is streaming at the band's Facebook page.

Martin and McCready previously played together in MAD SEASON, alongside late ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley. The band is currently being reactivated with new vocals being recorded over tracks originally laid down for an abandoned second MAD SEASON album.

McKagan was born and raised in Seattle and played in a punk band there called 10 MINUTE WARNING before migrating to Los Angeles and joining GUNS.

McCready and the rest of PEARL JAM are also working on their 10th studio album, which should be out sometime in 2013.

"Unscarred", a brand new song from Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track, which is available for download at all digital retailers, comes off the band's new album, "Black Flag", to be released on August 31 via AFM Records. The cover was once again created by German illustrator and designer Tim Eckhorst, who previously did illustrations for the Wacken Open Air festival and various other bands.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. War Is My Way
02. Unscarred
03. The Cross
04. Cut It Out
05. Black Flag
06. Private Hell
07. 12 Angels
08. Enemy
09. Fuck Your God
10. Never Surrender
11. Sick Love
12. Feel Like This
13. Kill It

EKTOMORF's very special "acoustic" album, "The Acoustic", was released on February 17 via AFM Records. The CD contained cover versions (LYNYRD SKYNYRD's "Simple Man" and "Folsom Prison Blues" by JOHNNY CASH), re-recorded EKTOMORF classics ("I Know Them", "Redemption", "Who Can I Trust", "Stigmatized" and "I'm In Hate"), plus five brand new tracks, written specially for this release.

Commented EKTOMORF frontman Zoltán "Zoli" Farkas: "To make 'The Acoustic' album was a great experience for EKTOMORF. I’m still very happy with what we created and I want to thank all the fans for supporting us. But now with the new album we go back to the heavy stuff. The tons-of-bricks sound that is typical EKTOMORF, but with a few surprises here and there."

EKTOMORF's last studio CD, "Redemption", was released on December 17, 2010 via AFM Records.