What many have recently been speculating about we're now happy to confirm. Tobias is indeed working on a new AVANTASIA epic that is planned to be released in spring 2013. Concept wise the album will be a classic Rock-Opera / Metal Opera. It's going to be a timeless fairytale, that despite its fantasy appeal, was inspired by happenings of our modern age and society. You‘ll find plenty of further details here at tobiassammet.com in the near future.

Originally Tobias wanted to lay AVANTASIA to rest after the release of its live DVD "Flying Opera" in April 2011, which topped the charts in Germany, Austria and Sweden and went Top 10 all over Europe, respectively after its headliner appearance at Wacken Open Air 2011 in front of more than 100,000 fans. About the surprising return of AVANTASIA Tobias says:

"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! - Cheerz, Tobi"

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was released from a prison in Prague, the Czech Republic, last Thursday (August 2), more than a month after he was arrested and incarcerated on charges of alleged manslaughter. Blythe was facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan attending a LAMB OF GOD show died two weeks later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe's predicament galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.

Although Blythe paid $200,000 bail shortly after his arrest, prosecutors challenged the bail action and forced Blythe to remain behind bars.

A judge doubled the bail to $400,000 and this time ordered that Blythe go free once it was paid.

Blythe was set free Thursday afternoon and boarded a flight home to the U.S. on Friday (August 3).

Earlier today (Monday, August 5), Blythe released the following statement:

"Greetings. This is D. Randall Blythe, checking in from my beloved hometown of Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.

"I was recently released on bail from Pankrác Prison in Prague, Czech Republic, after over a month of incarceration. Now that I am out for the moment, I would like to say a few things.

"While in prison, I had minimal knowledge of how my case was viewed anywhere but the Czech Republic. I was told by my attorney that I had a lot support from peers in the music industry, my hometown, fans, and, of course, my family.

"I cannot express how emotional it made me upon my release to read about even a fraction of the voices that were raised on my behalf. From legends in my music community, to fans across the world, and even people who were previously unaware of my existence but sympathized with my plight — I am truly humbled. I cannot thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers. I would especially like to thank the people of Richmond, Virginia, for standing by me.

"In the 48 hours I have been home, many people I have never met before have stopped me on the street, waved and smiled as I passed by, or said hello in a restaurant. All have said, 'We are glad you are home, Randy.' You all make me proud and grateful that I call Richmond home.

"I would like state that I suffered no abuse, from either authorities or inmates, during my incarceration in Pankrác. I received no special treatment, and was in general population with everyone else. Make no mistake, it was prison, not some celebrity-rehab TV show. But I was treated fairly by the guards and kindly by my fellow inmates.

"People are dying of starvation all over the world. Men and women are losing their lives daily in the Middle East and other war-torn regions. I had food, clothes, shelter, and no one was trying to kill me. I cannot complain over a short stay in prison while many people elsewhere fight to survive on a daily basis.

"If it is deemed necessary for me to do so, I WILL return to Prague to stand trial. While I maintain my innocence 100%, and will do so steadfastly, I will NOT hide in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution.

"As I write this, the family of a fan of my band suffers through the indescribably tragic loss of their child. They have to deal with constantly varying media reports about the circumstances surrounding his death. I am charged with maliciously causing severe bodily harm to this young man, resulting in his death. While I consider the charge leveled against me ludicrous and without qualification, my opinion makes no difference in this matter. The charge exists, and for the family of this young man, questions remain. The worst possible pain remains.

"It is fairly common knowledge amongst fans of my band that I once lost a child as well. I, unfortunately, am intimately familiar with what their pain is like. Therefore, I know all too well that in their time of grief, this family needs and deserves some real answers, not a media explosion followed by the accused killer of their son hiding like a coward thousands of miles away while they suffer.

"I am a man. I was raised to face my problems head on, not run from them like a petulant child.

"I hope that justice is done, and the family of Daniel N. will receive the closure they undoubtably need to facilitate healing.

"I feel VERY STRONGLY that as an adult, it would be both irresponsible and immoral for me not to return to Prague if I am summoned.

"This is not about bail money. This is about a young man who lost his life. I will act with honor, and I will fight to clear my good name in this matter.

"Thank you for reading this, and I wish you all peace."

Blythe and his bandmates will now appear at Knotfest later this month and are already rescheduling a canceled U.S. tour for October.

According to the Daily News, the man who shot six people to death and wounded three others during a rampage at a Sikh temple in a Milwaukee suburb played guitar and sang for the hardcore band END APATHY.

Based in Nashville, North Carolina, the group — which released music on the white supremacist Label 56 — describes its message on its MySpace page as "a sad commentary on our sick society and the problems that prevent true progress."

In a 2010 interview for the Label 56 web site, Wade Michael Page, 40, said his lyrics focused on "sociological issues, religion, and how the value of human life has been degraded by being submissive to tyranny and hypocrisy that we are subjugated to."

Page is suspected of ambushing the temple in Oak Creek with a semiautomatic 9mm handgun, dressed in a white T-shirt and black pants with pockets to store ammunition. He allegedly shot people inside and outside the temple, including a police officer. A police officer with a rifle then shot Page, who died at the scene.

JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently spoke to Billboard.com about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to their 2008 concept album "Nostradamus".

According to Halford, "a tremendous amount of material" has already been accumulated for the new CD, with the band currently "ramping things up to get back into full writing and recording mode" in England.

PRIEST's forthcoming album will mark the recording and songwriting debut of the band's new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, who replaced co-founder K.K. Downing in 2011.

"As we were proceeding on this world tour, [Richie] was taking this little mini-studio into his dressing room and we could hear him riffing away," Halford said. "It's going to be really thrilling moment to get together in a new writing dimension, Glenn [Tipton] and myself and Richie, putting all of these ideas together. We'll see what we can do over the next couple of months, look at everything, lay it all out and then start the hard work of picking out the best material."

Although Halford is hopeful that PRIEST will release some of its new music next year, "I'm of the attitude it'll be ready when it's ready," he explained. "I don't think we're going to slack off. We're determined to do a lot of work and be just as dedicated as we've always been and take a lot of care and attention with all the songs. We're not going to just bang this one out, so to speak."

In a November 2011 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Halford stated about PRIEST's plans for the upcoming album, "Glenn and I started to write in the early part of January [of 2011]. We just went to it from the heart really, there was no specific agenda or idea, as opposed to what we had to do with 'Nostradamus', which was very focused and a real anchor of a project. This one has just been some straight-forward, classic British heavy metal. Some of it feels a bit like 'Painkiller', some of it feels like 'Sad Wings Of Destiny', some like 'British Steel'. We didn't do much research, we didn't bother checking some of our previous releases, we didn't do any homework, we just sat down and played, you know? Glenn came up with riffs and I came up with vocal melodies. There was no outside influence or interference in the writing sessions. We just started the day, plugged in some amps, got the mic up and made the metal that way. It's a very pure record, in that respect."

JUDAS PRIEST played the final show of its "Epitaph" world tour on May 26 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. The sold-out concert was professionally filmed for a 2013 DVD release.

During a brand new interview with The Montreal Gazette, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan was asked when fans can expect to hear a new studio album from the reunited band. "We don't know what will happen next," he said, "but I'd like to be in the studio at this time next year … possibly making an album by 2014."

As for whether he is concerned that SYSTEM OF A DOWN's continued eclectic experimentation will result in a possible backlash from the group's fans, Dolmayan said, "If we were concerned about what people think, SYSTEM wouldn't exist. I have no concerns about what the album will sound like. I just worry about when it will come out."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on a five-year on hiatus in 2006 while its members pursued various personal projects. The band announced in late 2010 that it was reuniting "simply because we want to play together again."

"It was time," Dolmayan told The Montreal Gazette. "While I do think the hiatus was good for the band, I wish it wasn't so long."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN is fronted by Serj Tankian, who is not afraid to share his political views both on and off the stage. In addition to co-founding (with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello) the non-profit political activist organization Axis Of Justice, Serj is an activist for such causes as anti-globalism anti-militarism, and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Although SYSTEM OF A DOWN's lyrical themes often cover progressive politics and social-justice causes, Dolmayan told The Montreal Gazette that the band isn't interested in preaching. "That's not what people pay for," he said. "They pay to come see us play live, create magic on stage, not to be told how to live their lives. … If someone takes something positive out of our music, or what we say on stage, that's great. But we don't ever want to force them."

The "unofficial" video for "Lucky Animals", a song that will appear on "Epicloud", the next album from Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend to be released under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT banner, can be seen below.

"Epicloud" will be issued on September 18 in North America and September 24 in Europe via InsideOut Music. The CD features a guest appearance by former THE GATHERING frontwoman and previous Devin collaborator Anneke Van Giersbergen.

The first taste of "Epicloud", featuring the album's intro, "Effervescent!", is available in the YouTube clip below. Also available is the CD's cover artwork.

Commented Devin: "This record is unique to me in that I became interested in simpler, commercial structures based on (I suppose) a reaction to [the previous the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT albums] 'Deconstruction' and 'Ghost'. I admit, it's not too far removed, but far enough to take a few people off guard, I think.

"With 'Epicloud', I wanted something catchy as the flu, but with a sentiment that is romantic, positive and beautiful. Spiritual without religion and set to heavy music.

"Again, because some structures are 'common' (but new to me), this record is my take on what a big, epic, commercial sounding record that sings about nice stuff would sound like in Dev-land. Please don't take it as a 'sell-out' move, because it truly surprised me as well and is a 'transition' between the four DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT records and my upcoming musical, 'Z2'."

Townsend debuted a song from "Epicloud" called "Back Where We Belong" during an acoustic performance on March 31 at Club Saw in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as part of this year's Junofest.

The idea for "Epicloud" came about while Devin was attempting to write material for the follow-up to his 2007 "Ziltoid The Omniscient" concept album about a fictional extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9.

In a recent interview with Soundwave TV, Devin stated about how "Epicloud" was conceived, "In this sort of process of writing that I've discovered that I guess I'm capable of now, with a sober frame of mind, part of that is just not second-guessing it, so if I write something like that, I just do it, and just finish it."

He continued, "Over the past couple of years, I thought, 'OK, I've gotta write this next 'Ziltoid' thing; I'm inspired to make this epic space opera and, like, really overdo it, and [make it] really dark. And so I sat down to write, but every time I went to write, I'd write some poppy hard rock thing. And I was like, 'OK, we'll get that one out of the way and then I'll write 'Ziltoid'.' And I got it out of the way and I'd go write 'Ziltoid'. And I'd write another one. So I'm thinking, 'OK, it's pretty obvious to me that I've got this that wants to come out before that.'"

Regarding the musical direction of "Epicloud", Devin told Noisecreep, "Over the course of the full record, there's sort of new agey stuff, jazzy stuff, really heavy stuff. We basically cover the gamut. 'Epicloud' is the first record that I felt confident enough to include all those things on one record so it goes between melodic hard rock to schizophrenic heavy metal to country to really ambient stuff and it's all in one place. I'm using a gospel choir, a string section and a horn section for this one as well. On [the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT album] 'Deconstruction', I got to use the Prague Philharmonic [orchestra] and really go far into making an absurd album as over the top as possible and on 'Epicloud' I'm trying to take the same advantages to make some things musically very pleasing, as opposed to just claustrophobic."

On the topic of his decision to re-record "Kingdom", a song from his PHYSICIST album, which came out in 2000 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records, Devin said, "We re-did 'Kingdom' because it's a live set staple, and so much better now than the PHYSICIST recording."

The official trailer for "The British Invasion", the forthcoming DVD from Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER, 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.

Dailymotion, the world's second largest video portal, is exclusively streaming the Bloodstock Open Air metal music festival live, globally, from August 9 through August 12. The annual event, staged at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom, is one of the leading outdoor metal music festivals in the summer calendar.

Bloodstock will feature performances by artists and bands such as ALICE COOPER, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA, PARADISE LOST, ANVIL, ORANGE GOBLIN and DREAMCATCHER. The festival has been running since 2001, originating from an indoor festival. It now boasts three stages of cutting edge metal performance, with an attending audience of over 10,000.

Building on a diverse range of entertainment screened live, Dailymotion's streaming of Bloodstock Open Air will allow thousands of metal music fans to watch all the action from the comfort of their armchairs for the first time.

Daniel Adams, VP International Content at Dailymotion, commented: "We're keen to showcase a variety of live music gigs and festivals to ensure we're catering for the widest possible audience. Bloodstock Open Air is a well-respected metal music event and we're delighted to be able to screen it live for those unable to make the event in person."

Dailymotion's live feed of Bloodstock Open Air can be viewed at this location.

Norwegian grindcore metallers BEATEN TO DEATH, who feature in their ranks members of INSENSE, SHE SAID DESTROY and TSJUDER, will release their first official live DVD on October 26 via Mas-Kina Recordings.

Entitled "At Rockefeller", the DVD will include footage of the band's performance at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway on June 17, 2012, as the support act for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. The setlist sees the band playing all the songs from their acclaimed debut album, "Xes And Strokes", as well as new tracks that will appear on their forthcoming second effort. According to the band, the DVD will include the entire show, unedited and uncut, so that fans can experience the raw energy of BEATEN TO DEATH's live performance.

Commented guitarist Tommy Hjelm: "The only rule we have is that we're not going to follow the set trends. So the idea to make a live album came up and we figured, why not? Record the whole thing from beginning to end, without brushing out all the mistakes? Why not? With new songs not yet released? Why not? And really! Why not? We are so tired of the perfect-pitch, soulless stuff that overruns the market these days. This is the exact opposite of that. It's gritty, dirty, it follows no metronome, it hides no evidence and it abides by no rules. The mixing should reflect that, and I think it does."

A brief teaser for the DVD release can be seen below.

BEATEN TO DEATH's setlist for the Rockfeller show was as follows:

01. Intro
02. Pointless Testament
03. Winston Churchill
04. On Running
05. Vinni Butterfly
06. Soulless Alarm
07. Krepsekamp
08. 3-2-1, It's On
09. Obliteration Of Nekromantheon
10. Cat Olympics
11. A Word To The Wise
12. Groundhog Day
13. Xes And Strokes
14. Erik Og Skrik

In addition, an audio version of "At Rockefeller" will also available for download via Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, WiMP, etc.

BEATEN TO DEATH is working on its as-yet-untitled second album, due later this year.

On the topic of the musical direction of the new CD, bassist Mika Martinussen said: "We already have, like, 15 songs, but the next album will probably be more or less just as short and intense as the last one. It looks like the songs will be more varied on this release than on 'Xes', with weird ideas, stronger elements of other genres than grind/death metal, more melodic stuff, arrangements that are both simpler and more complex."

Seit drei Jahren läuft die UNZUCHT und nimmt stetig mehr und mehr Fahrt auf! Pünktlich bevor die niedersächsische Gothic/Industrial-Rock-Formation im Oktober mit ihren Freunden von MONO INC. auf Tour geht und dabei 11 Shows in G/A/S spielen wird, erscheint mit "Todsünde 8" bereits am 21. September 2012 endlich das lang erwartete UNZUCHTt Albumdebüt via NoCut/SPV!

Schon mit der EP "Deine Zeit läuft ab" machte sich UNZUCHT diesen Sommer wochenlang in den Deutschen Alternative Charts breit. Und auf "Todsünde 8" tobt sich die UNZUCHT endgültig ungehemmt in ihrer kompletten Bandbreite aus: Die Underground-Hits "Engel der Vernichtung" und "Meine Liebe" sind hier ebenso vertreten wie brachiale Dampfwalzen ("Schwarzes Blut", "Das belgische Inferno") und düster-melancholische Atmospären-Monster ("Während wir uns verlieren", "Wie alles anfing"). Metallische Riffs, pumpende Beats und ein dunkel-melodischer Gesang vom Allerfeinsten: Die Unzucht lädt zum Tanz!

Auf der Special Edition im edlen Digipak finden sich zudem neben dem Bonustrack "Kleine geile Nonne" gleich noch drei exklusive Remixe von Star-DJ Mark van Linden, Gecko Sector und MONO INC..

Als saftiger Vorgeschmack auf das Album erblickt am 24.08.2012 die Digital-Only-Single "Engel der Vernichtung" das Licht der Download-Portale, die neben dem Titeltrack auch noch ein exklusives Duett mit Subway To Sally-Frontmann Eric Fish sowie einen elektronischen PAKT-Remix beinhalten wird.

"Das ist erst der Anfang!" freut sich UNZUCHT Sänger Der Schulz. "Wir waren ja schon immer live sehr aktiv, aber jetzt legen wir mit dem neuen Album „Todsünde 8“ im Gepäck so richtig los: Nach der Tour mit MONO INC. spielen wir erst eine komplette Deutschland-Tour mit Megaherz, dann Ende des Jahres fünf Dark End Festivals und ab Januar unsere erste gemeinsame Co-Headliner-Tour mit Lord Of The Lost! Es wird spannend!“

Line - Up:
Der Schulz (Vocals), De Clercq (Guitar), Blaschke (Bass), Fuhrmann (Drums)

"Todsünde 8" Track List:

01. ALLEIN
02 .ENGEL DER VERNICHTUNG
03 .DAS BELGISCHE INFERNO
04 .AUF STURM
05 .WAEHREND WIR UNS VERLIEREN
06 .UNZUCHT
07 .MEINE LIEBE
08 .TODSUENDE 8
09. DER LETZTE TANZ
10. DEINE ZEIT LAEUFT AB
11. UNGESICHT
12. SCHWARZES BLUT
13. WIE ALLES ANFING

A seven-minute video clip featuring highlights from AMARANTHE's appearance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which took place August 2-4 in Wacken, Germany, can be seen below.

AMARANTHE's self-titled debut album was released in Europe in April 2011 via Spinefarm Records.

AMARANTHE is the project featuring Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND), Jake E (ex-DREAM EVIL, DREAMLAND), Andy Solveström (WITHIN Y, EVILDOER, CIPHER SYSTEM), Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION) and Johan Andreassen (ex-ENGEL).

"Amaranthe" track listing:

01. Leave Everything Behind
02. Hunger
03. 1.000.000 Lightyears
04. Automatic
05. My Transition
06. Amaranthine
07. Rain
08. Call Out My Name
09. Enter The Maze
10. Director's Cut
11. Act Of Desperation
12. Serendipity

AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd has been filling the female singer spot on KAMELOT's European, South and North American tours.

AMARANTHE is:

* Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND) - Guitar, Keyboards
* Jake E (ex-DREAM EVIL, DREAMLAND) - Clean Vocals
* Andy Solveström (WITHIN Y, EVILDOER, CIPHER SYSTEM) - Screams
* Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION) - Drums
* Johan Andreassen (ex-ENGEL) - Bass
* Elize Ryd - Female Vocals

"King For A Day", the new video from the California-based progressive post-hardcore band PIERCE THE VEIL, can be seen below. The clip, which was first revealed on "MTV Buzzworthy", features the guys' tongue-in-cheek take on a heist movie.

"We wanted something that mixes 'Ocean's Eleven' with the old-school '80s heist movies like 'Point Break' and 'Gleaming The Cube'," said PIERCE THE VEIL vocalist Vic Fuentes. "It was so much fun shooting all the action in a real bank and getting to work with real actors and actresses. Definitely our best video yet!"

"King For A Day" comes off PIERCE THE VEIL's third album, "Collide With The Sky", which sold 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. Recorded with producers Dan Korneff and Kato Khandwala (MAYDAY PARADE, PARAMORE, A DAY TO REMEMBER), the CD embraces the San Diego quartet's unique blend of incendiary guitar lines and soaring melodies. The album was tipped by Alternative Press in their rundown of the "Most Anticipated Music Of 2012."

Following a colossal summer on the main stage of Vans Warped Tour and a U.K. headline run in September, PIERCE THE VEIL will charge into fall to headline the "Rockstar Energy Presents The Collide With The Sky Tour" with direct support from SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, labelmates TONIGHT ALIVE and HANDS LIKE HOUSES.

"DMB (FDP)", the new video from British progressive metallers THE SAFETY FIRE, can be seen below. The clip features footage from the band's recent U.K. tour with French metal titans GOJIRA.

"DMB (FDP)" comes off THE SAFETY FIRE's debut album, "Grind The Ocean", which was released in April via InsideOut Music.

THE SAFETY FIRE has always pushed the boundaries of technical, progressive metal since its inception. With their expansive atmospheres and soaring melodies, it's easy to see why vocalist Sean McWeeney, bassist Lori Peri, drummer Calvin Smith and guitarists Derya "Dez" Nagle and Joaquin "Jo" Ardiles are now at the forefront of their ever-growing genre.

Commented Dez: "'DMB (FDP)' is one of our favourite songs to play live and was an obvious choice for this video. We love touring, and wanted to give a wider audience a glimpse into what our live show is all about. We filmed over several U.K. dates, including our performance at Download and our recent run with GOJIRA. We were lucky enough to have our good friend Jamie Carter produce the video, whose eclectic credits include RISE TO REMAIN, CONOR MAYNARD, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND and PROFESSOR GREEN, to name a few. Other filming duties were handled by our friends and crew, including our brü Adam Nolly Getgood, who recently joined PERIPHERY. More importantly this video will help spread the message of #FDP. Jokes."

Pure Steel Records has set a September 28 release date for "Saved From The Truth", the third studio album from Iranian power metallers ANGBAND. As was the case with 2010's "Visions Of The Seeker", the mixing and mastering for the new CD was handled by Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, AMON AMARTH, BRAINSTORM).

ANGBAND promises that the new album is "no less heavy but more melodic" than its predecessor.

"Saved From The Truth" track listing:

01. Seasons Of My Pain
02. Fight For Life
03. Man Of The New Time
04. Saved From The Truth
05. Angel
06. Persia
07. Kill The Hatred
08. Fearless Dream
09. Bitter Truth

ANGBAND released its debut album, "Rising from Apadana", in August 2008.

The band is believed to be the first Iranian metal act to release its work intenationally through a European label.

ANGBAND is:

Mahyar Dean (Guitars)
Ashkan Yazdani (Vocals)
Ramin Rahimi (Drums)
Farshad Shokuhfar (Bass)

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH performing the song "She-Wolf" on August 5 at ATT Show Box in Taipei, Taiwan can be seen below. Also available is MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's 12-minute video recap of the concert.

During a recent interview with Infowars.com, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine stated about the band's plans for the immediate future, "Well, we're really excited about what's going on. We're getting ready to do a new record. We're leaving in a couple of days for Asia, and we'll be coming back and continuing work on this new record. And we'll go to South America in September and come back and continue to do work on the new record. We're looking for a new release the beginning of next spring, hopefully."

He continued, "We're super, super excited about what's going on for us. We've continued to congeal as a band, with [bassist] David Ellefson coming back and he and [drummer] Shawn Drover as our rhythm section. It's very important that the bass player and the drummer are tight. And David is such an excellent bassist and Shawn is such a great drummer, the two of them just needed to be familiar with one another. They spend time together all day long when we're on tour, travelling and doing things — mostly seeking out Starbucks around the world. [laughs]"

He added, "I'm excited about the music that we're gonna be writing. We just changed agencies; we're with the prestigious CAA agency in Beverly Hills. We're gonna be going to sign a new contract for our recording career. Our contract with Roadrunner's up. We haven't really notified anybody what our decision is; we're still kind of deciding. But for the most part, we're getting ready to record this next record and I'm sure it's gonna be chock-full of all kinds of subject matter that our Class Of 2008 has given us."

MEGADETH's latest album, "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 was recorded at Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others. The artwork was once again created by artist John Lorenzi, who worked on the last two MEGADETH studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame", as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest".

Video recap:

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM will release their photo book, "Roadkill", on Wednesday, August 8 via Hatecrew.com. The first 666 copies of the book have been personally signed by the band.

CHILDREN OF BODOM previously stated about the book, "It's dedicated to the whole worldwide Hate Crew [COB fans]. We've been shooting life on the road, the Hate Crew and all kinds of crazy shit for over two years."

A trailer for the book can be seen below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM was forced to cancel several shows last month — including those in Oslo, Norway and Malmö, Sweden — after guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho was rushed to the hospital with extreme stomach pain.

After spending a week and a half receiving treatment in Oslo, Alexi was released from the hospital and the band performed at this year's Ilosaarirock festival, which was held July 13-15 in Joensuu, Finland.

CHILDREN OF BODOM recently inked a worldwide deal (excluding Japan) with Nuclear Blast Records.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania quintet THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE will release its third album, "Dead Years", in Europe on September 24 via Lifeforce Records. The CD will be made available in North America through eOne Music.

According to a press release, "troubled, heavy and emotive songs in between metal and melodic hardcore . . . is exactly what you can expect from 'Dead Years', but this time singer Ricky is truly pissed and you can hear that! [THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE] combines agile catchiness, striking technical ability and a good amount of metalcore ingredients along with dense rock grooves." Produced by Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, HASTE THE DAY), "Dead Years" "consists of ten hymns exploring the fields of metal, hardcore and rock in their own way. The quintet does not think too much. The guys just play what feels right and follow their gut instinct. This is the way THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE succeeds."

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE's forthcoming CD will be the band's first release since "Haunt What's Left", produced by Josh Wilbur and LAMB OF GOD's own Chris Adler in 2010.

Having originally released its debut record, "Monuments", in 2007 the band has not slowed down since. With a few dozen tours under their belt with bands like WE CAME AS ROMANS, PERIPHERY and BORN OF OSIRIS, the band is hardly new to the hands-on approach. Things like giving lessons while on tour and actively taking a role in their day to day is what sets THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE apart.

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE is: Rick Armellino (vocals), Jack Esbenshade (guitar), Matthew Marcellus (bass, vocals) and Rodney Phillips (guitar, vocals).

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have revealed via Twitter that they are scheduled to finish recording their new album today.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck previously said that those have heard some of the group's new music say it sounds like "a very confident, focused rock band."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE released a deluxe CD/DVD edition of its third full-length album, "Fever", titled "Fever Tour Edition", in February 2011. The set featured three new songs recorded live at Xfm radio in the U.K. ("Fever", "The Last Fight" and "Bittersweet Memories") and a DVD of "Your Betrayal", "Fever" and "Waking the Demon", recorded live from Graspop Metal Meeting 2010 in Dessel, Belgium. The DVD also included videos for "Your Betrayal", "The Last Fight" and "The Making of The Last Fight" as well as a BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE track-by-track commentary of "Fever".

"Fever" sold 71,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. "Fever" also landed in the Top Five in Australia, the U.K., Japan, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

On September 24, Steamhammer/SPV will re-release three albums from the legendary Canadian metal band ANVIL, all featuring new booklets containing new liner notes from guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner plus new photos.

"Back To Basics" (2004) and "Still Going Strong" (2002) will be available again as a high-class "2 in 1" double digipak CD, while 2007's "This Is Thirteen" opus will be re-released as a digipak CD, as well as a double gatefold LP, both with an exclusive bonus track.

"Back To Basics / Still Going Strong" track listing:

CD1 - Back To Basics

01. Fuel For The Fire
02. Keep It Up
03. Song Of Pain
04. You Get What You Pay For
05. The Chainsaw
06. Can't Catch Me
07. Go Away
08. Bottom Feeder
09. Cruel World
10. Fast Driver

CD2 - Still Going Strong

01. Race Against Time
02. In Hell
03. Holy Wood
04. Still Going Strong
05. Don't Ask Me
06. Waiting
07. White Rhino
08. What I'm About
09. Sativa
10. Defiant

"This Is Thirteen" track listing:

CD

01. This Is Thirteen
02. Bombs Away
03. Burning Bridges
04. Ready To Fight
05. Flying Blind
06. Room #9
07. Axe To Grind
08. Feed The Greed
09. Big Business
10. Should'A Would'A Could'A
11. Worry
12. Game Over
13. American Refugee
14. Thumb Hang (bonus track)

ANVIL's latest album, "Juggernaut Of Justice", was released in Europe on June 20, 2011 (three days earlier in Germany) via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was made available as a limited-edition digipak (including two bonus tracks), double gatefold LP in blue vinyl, standard version and a digital download.

In an interview with MusicFrenzy.net, Lips stated about the departure of the band's longtime bassist Glenn Gyorffy (a.k.a. Glenn Five or G5) and the addition of Sal Italiano, "It's so much more a relaxed, comfortable feeling on the stage. Sal steps back for me to do the front thing rather than trying to compete with it, or be a distraction to it. It's comfortable — it makes it very comfortable when everybody realizes what it all is and there's no bad vibes, which is… I mean, vibes between the members is everything and the ill feelings that we had around us are gone."

Italiano is a member of the Long Island, New York IRON MAIDEN tribute band LIVE AFTER DEATH and original progressive metal act THE NIGHTMARE STAGE, as well as a former member of the acclaimed '80s heavy metal group CITIES.

Glenn Five joined ANVIL in 1996 and has appeared on seven of the band's albums, including "This Is Thirteen" and the group's latest release, "Juggernaut Of Justice", on which he wrote and sang the song "This Ride".

During a brand new interview with Loudwire, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian was asked when fans can expect to hear a new studio album from the reunited band. "It's a good question and the answer is the same — we haven't made plans of recording the new record as of yet," he said. "When we do, everyone will know. We haven't really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It's something that, when it's the right time, we'll do it. Right now I'm busy with my own stuff and that's gonna take me a bit, but when it's the right time, everyone will know. I don't even want to say there's [a new SYSTEM OF A DOWN album] coming because we haven't really talked about it. I just assume when it's the right time, it'll materialize, like everything else in the universe."

On the topic of what the band's chemistry has been like since reuniting after a lengthy hiatus, Tankian said, "We've had a fuckin' blast playing all of these shows. I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great. We're having a great time doing it. We got two weeks on the East Coast in August that we're gonna do with DEFTONES and it's gonna be exciting. DEFTONES are great; they're friends of ours, obviously. It's going to be a fun tour."

SYSTEM's last two albums, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize", were released in 2005.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan previously told Straight.com about the band's five-year hiatus, "I personally don't like breaks — I like to continue playing. But it was nice to go off and be John Dolmayan, as opposed to John from SYSTEM, for a while. I think everybody had similar feelings."

The drummer explained that a desire to pull off the road for a while and reconnect with their lives is what led SYSTEM to take an extended vacation from each other, saying, "When you're on the road and in the studio all the time, it's kind of like traveling at light speed. When you come back, it's like 20 years have passed by, and you're only one or two hours older . . . You're living a nomadic life, and you lose touch with people because they have grown away from you. People get older, get married, die — life is still going on."

Anders Björler of AT THE GATES and THE HAUNTED has recorded a guest solo for a song called "Ocean" from Gothenburg, Sweden-based metallers COLDTEARS. The track, which will be released via iTunes in a few weeks, will appear on the new COLDTEARS album, "Silence Them All", along with 20 other cuts.

COLDTEARS guitarist David Johansson wrote the music for the chorus of the title track of the latest THE HAUNTED album, "Unseen". In addition, former THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving was a guest vocalist on the first COLDTEARS EP, "Warning", in the song "No Ordinary Ghost", which he also wrote the lyrics for.

Pictured below: Anders Björler

Professionally filmed video footage of EDGUY's entire August 4 performance as the "surprise" closing act at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

As previously reported, EDGUY vocalist Tobias Sammet slipped off the stage this on July 14 during the fifth song of the band's performance at the Bang Your Head!!!festival in Balingen, Germany. While the rest of the band continued to play, Tobias fell into the photographers' pit, hit the concrete ground and sustained a number of injuries: a fracture of the nose, a severe hip contusion, a severe rib contusion and several abrasions and cuts. Despite the fact that Tobias was in severe pain, EDGUY performed its full set, which went on for another hour.

EDGUY's new album, "Age Of The Joker", sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 21 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.

EDGUY's previous CD, "Tinnitus Sanctus", opened with 600 units back in February 2009 to land at No. 88 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

"Age Of The Joker" was released in Europe on August 29, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Peppermint Park studio (SCORPIONS, PHIL COLLINS) in Hannover, which was previously described by the group as "a recording temple with a tremendously great-sounding room." The album features 11 songs with a total running time of over one hour. The limited-edition digipack contains a bonus disc with six additional songs.

Professionally filmed video footage of AMON AMARTH's entire August 4 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

AMON AMARTH recently launched its very own interactive fan club, called Mobile Backstage, for smartphones, Facebook and for the Web.

"This will allow us to have a more direct communication with our fans, and will speed up the information process for everything such as news and tour dates, as well as give our fans some special peeks behind the scenes of future tours and festivals," said AMON AMARTH vocalist Johan Hegg.

"When we first thought of creating our own app, we pretty soon realized that the mobile backstage solution was the right thing for us. It's a combination of mobile and Facebook apps and a web interface that creates a digital fan club and allows us to reach all our fans no matter where they are," added AMON AMARTH drummer Fredrik Andersson.

"We're very excited to bring Mobile Backstage to AMON AMARTH," stated Paavo Bäckman, the CEO of Mobile Backstage.

With Mobile Backstage, AMON AMARTH and their fans can exchange news, pictures, videos, audio clips and messages in an intimate and personal environment, far from the noise and clutter of other social media. Fans can send messages to other fans, find and check into gigs, see the location of other fans and their online posts, play audio, and purchase tracks and tickets.

Join AMON AMARTH Mobile Backstage now — on the web, Facebook app and mobile devices.

Professionally filmed video footage of DARK FUNERAL's August 4 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

DARK FUNERAL recently inked a three-album deal with Century Media Records.

Commented DARK FUNERAL guitarist and founding member Lord Ahriman: "Our bad luck with labels in the past has for sure been very frustrating. So it is with great pleasure to finally be able to turn the page, move on and start a new dark chapter in the DARK FUNERAL saga, as we join the great Century Media family. Century Media has more than enough proven to be a stable and highly professional label. And we are totally looking forward to this new cooperation, which I'm sure will prove to be very satisfying and successful for both parts. Hail the goat!"

Added Jens Prüter, head of A&R at Century Media in Europe: "I always respected DARK FUNERAL for their endurance and integrity. They've gone through some hard times, but never gave up and also never gave in to compromise on their musical and aesthetic vision. Almost 20 years after their formation, it's still the same powerhouse of unmerciful black metal and the new lineup is stronger and more focused than in the past. Thanks to Lord Ahriman and the whole band! Looking forward to their 20th anniversary in 2013 with a new album."

The new lineup of DARK FUNERAL — featuring the group's latest additions, vocalist Nachtgarm (NEGATOR) and bassist Zornheym — made its live debut on the Sweden Rock Cruise. The ship Tallink Silja Galaxy set sail from Stockholm, Sweden on October 6, 2011 and made a round trip to Turku, Finland before returning to Stockholm 23 hours later.

DARK FUNERAL last year parted ways with Regain Records. Lord Ahriman stated at the time, "Time went by and we didn't see any future whatsoever to continue to work with them."

DARK FUNERAL 2012 is:

Nachtgarm - Vocals
Lord Ahriman - Guitar
Chaq Mol - Guitar
Zornheym- Bass
Dominator - Drums