SONIC YOUTH frontman Thurston Moore has reportedly joined TWILIGHT, the black metal supergroup featuring NACHTMYSTIUM mainman Blake Judd.

TWILIGHT's current lineup is rounded out by THE ATLAS MOTH's Stavros Giannopoulos, producer Sanford Parker, Wrest (a.k.a. Jef Whitehead) from LEVIATHAN and Imperial (a.k.a. Neil Jameson) from KRIEG.

TWILIGHT is scheduled to enter the studio later this month to begin recording a new album for a fall release via Century Media Records.

"I had SONIC YOUTH records when I was 12," Judd told The 1st Five in an interview. "And to now know that, not only am I having a dialogue with this person about anything, but dude's gonna join a band I started, and it's like . . . whoah. Fucking amazing, amazing feeling."

He added, "I've done so much shit, and worked with so many cool people, and I'll get to work with Thurston. You know Century Media could offer us $100,000 to make that TWILIGHT record and say: 'Blake, you get ninety percent of that money but Thurston Moore's not gonna be on the record, or, you can be on it and we'll give you 10 grand and that's what you have to make it work.' And I would, I would take the 10 grand and work with Thurston. That's like how much I love SONIC YOUTH."

MACHINE HEAD has been added to SLIPKNOT's first-ever Knotfest, an extraordinary two-date metal and hard rock festival set to take place on August 17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa and August 18 in Somerset, Wisconsin.

Commented the festival organizers: "The mighty MACHINE HEAD has been tapped as one of the artists to replace the cancelation of LAMB OF GOD and DETHKLOK. We are very excited that MACHINE HEAD is rushing back from Europe to play Knotfest. They will perform at both the Iowa and Somerset/Minneapolis Knotfest shows."

Said MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, "We are deeply saddened by the fact that our brother Randy [Blythe] of LAMB OF GOD remains incarcerated — he is innocent — and we continue to put our thoughts out to him so that he may be free soon.

"While we are extremely excited to be a part of the first annual Knotfest (which will be HUGE), we can't help feel it is a bittersweet moment. We will do our best to honor DETHKLOK, Randy, and LAMB OF GOD's absence by playing a blistering set, and should Randy still be in jail, we will have Knotfest singing our songs loud enough for him to hear in Prague.

"FREE RANDY BLYTHE!!!"

In addition to the headliners, both days will include sets from DEFTONES, SERJ TANKIAN and PRONG.

Also playing at the Iowa show will be THE URGE and DIRTFEDD, while the Wisconsin show will also feature CANNIBAL CORPSE, GOJIRA and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

SLIPKNOT mastermind/percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan told The Pulse Of Radio that the Knotfest idea has been around for a long time. "We wanted to do it from the very, very beginning, but we accepted that there was a lot of things we wanted to accomplish for ourselves," he said. "And we figure, right before we take a little hiatus and get ourselves together for this next record, which is gonna be phenomenal, that we would end it with two shows called Knotfest. So we're very excited, and we're gonna bring rock 'n' roll back to some kind of level of conceptual thinking, and we know everybody's gonna have a blast."

Knotfest is being positioned as a "dark carnival experience," and the event will feature circus tents, pillars of fire, amusement park rides, burlesque performers, fire-breathers, stilt walkers, drum circles made of junkyard cars, graffiti walls and even a SLIPKNOT museum.

The festival will mark the end of a two-year grieving period for the band following the May 2010 death of bassist Paul Gray from an overdose of drugs.

To view all ticket and VIP options for both dates, visit www.knotfest.com.

On Tuesday, October 9, a second volume of DIO's best tracks will be unleashed via Niji Entertainment — "The Very Beast Of Dio Vol. 2" – a follow-up to the gold-certified "The Very Beast Of Dio". The 17-track CD picks up exactly where the first volume left off — from 1996 onward. And in addition to featuring such latter-day DIO classics as "Killing The Dragon", "Push" and "Fever Dreams", the compilation will also include several rarities that fans have long requested on a single disc — "Electra" (which previously was only a part of the ultra-rare "Tournado" box set), "Prisoner of Paradise" and "Metal Will Never Die".

As the Ronnie James Dio Facebook page administrator raves, "I absolutely know that every single Dio fan is going to want 'The Very Beast Of Dio Vol. 2'! I'm a HUGE Dio fan, just like all of you, and I can't tell you how excited I am about this CD. I had the pleasure of listening to the CD that was produced, mixed, and remastered by Ronnie's longtime engineer, Wyn Davis, and it sounds BLOODY INSANE!!!"

Also included as part of the release will be liner notes penned by long-time supporter and friend of Ronnie's, Eddie Trunk from VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show", as well as an awesome front cover painting by artist Marc Sasso (who previously created the covers for DIO's "Killing The Dragon" and "Master Of The Moon" albums).

"The Very Beast Of Dio Vol. 2" will also be receiving a significant promotional push, as it will be promoted on Trunk's radio program, and will be given away via the infamous "Box Of Junk" on an episode of "That Metal Show". And, of course, the very popular official Ronnie James Dio Facebook page will get behind the release — which has over 735,000 fans (and receives between 800,000 to 1,000,000 hits per month).

As the Dio Facebook page administrator notes, "Just to let you know, the first 'Beast Of Dio' was only released in the USA and Canada, and has sold over 800,000 CDs to date! This CD will be in EVERY COUNTRY and our Dio store too!"

"The Very Beast Of Dio Vol. 2" track listing:

01. Killing the Dragon
02. Push
03. The Eyes
04. Along Comes A Spider
05. Better In The Dark
06. Fever Dreams
07. Black
08. Feed My Head
09. Shivers
10. Hunter Of The Heart (live)
11. One More For The Road
12. Lord Of The Last Day
13. Electra (bonus track)
14. As Long As It's Not About Love
15. This Is Your Life
16. Metal Will Never Die (bonus track)
17. Prisoner Of Paradise (bonus track)

Capital Chaos has quality video footage of BLEEDING THROUGH's July 27 performance at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California. Check it out below.

BLEEDING THROUGH was forced to drop off the North American tour with DEMON HUNTER and CANCER BATS afer the band's vocalist, Brandan Schieppati, had to undergo and emergency orthodontic surgery.

BLEEDING THROUGH's new album, "The Great Fire", was released on January 31 via Rise Records. The band's guitarist, Dave Nassie, described the CD in a recent interview as "a mix of everything. It has a strong, classic SLAYER element to it — because, you know, who doesn't like that? That's something as a band that we all like. It has a heavy black metal and thrash influence in it. This record is an example of what BLEEDING THROUGH like to do. We follow each other. Nobody really picked a direction and said, 'Hey, we want to sound like this.' Brandan came in with a bunch of really aggressive songs, [Guitarist] Brian [Leppke] had a bunch of aggressive songs. My songs kind of lightened it up a little bit, because we started listening back and realized that there were like 15 songs that were just pissed with no break in it at all. [laughs]"

Singer Tommy "Vext" Cummings (VEXT, DIVINE HERESY, SNOT) has issued the following update:

Due to personal reasons, Andrew Jacobs [ex-MUTINY WITHIN] has been forced to step down from his responsibilities as the bassist of VEXT.

"I love AJ like family and we all hope he can resolve the situations he's dealing with and get back to doing what he loves most which is making music.

"That being, said VEXT will be holding bass player auditions this August through September. VEXT is also looking for a second guitarist. Preferably a songwriter, but shredders are, of course, welcome.

"To set up auditions, send MP3s or YouTube videos, please email Tommyvext@yahoo.com. I will be corresponding directly.

VEXT's "Crush" video can be seen below. The song comes off the group's debut EP, "Impermanence", which was released on July 3.

"Impermanence" track listing:

01. Exit Wounds
02. In The End
03. Crush
04. Hourglass

These four musicians came together in search of a different sound since they had all been previously involved with more extreme metal projects. How they came to know one another is a quite unconventional.

On the evening of September 19, 2010, Vext was the victim of a brutal attack at his home in Brooklyn. Having suffered severe injuries to his skull, abdomen and an open compound fracture to his left arm, Tommy was rushed to the ER. With medical bills soaring above seventy-five thousand dollars, his friends in the music scene banded together to help raise funds.

Enter Roadrunner recording artists MUTINY WITHIN. "We heard that GOD FORBID was doing a benefit concert for Tommy and when we found out why, we immediately jumped on the bill," says Jacobs. A few months later, Andrew introduced Tommy to Bill. After seeing Fore perform with the Angel Vivaldi band, it became apparent to Tommy that Angel and Bill were the missing pieces to this new musical effort.

Rockabye Baby! — which transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies — will release "Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of Kiss" on August 28.

Album description: "There will never be a better show opener than 'Detroit Rock City'. 'Beth' is the gold standard for power ballads. And 'Rock And Roll All Nite' is the quintessential rock 'n' roll national anthem. Given Rockabye's kid-tested, parent-approved lullaby treatment, these KISS Klassics are as alive as ever — just as thrilling when xylophones and bells replace Ace Frehley's Gibson Les Paul and Gene Simmons' demonic snarl. Except come bedtime, junior won't be able to keep partying into the 'nite;' these lullabies will have him counting a veritable KISS Army of sheep."

"Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of Kiss" track listing:

01. Shout It Out Loud
02. Rock and Roll All Nite
03. C'mon and Love Me
04. Calling Dr. Love
05. Deuce
06. Strutter
07. Love Gun
08. Detroit Rock City
09. I Was Made for Lovin' You
10. Sure Know Something
11. Hard Luck Woman
12. Beth

Check out audio samples of all the tracks at Amazon.com.

Rockabye Baby! was created by VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth's sister Lisa Roth in conjunction with CMH Records. The label turns popular rock songs into lullabyes — songs from artists like PEARL JAM, BLACK SABBATH, GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA and JOURNEY, just to name a few.

"It's more for the parent than the child but it calms the child at the same time," Lisa Roth told Forbes magazine.

She added, "When I knew I'd really hit something right was when I saw an interview of Kirk Hammett of METALLICA talking about playing it for his child, and he said that it works."

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON and Canadian singer-songwriter Feist have announced that they have released a digital version of their popular seven-inch vinyl single, "A Commotion" / "Black Tongue" via Warner Bros. Records and Cherrytree/Interscope Records. The tracks are available at all participating digital retailers. This highly sought-after release also includes a special interactive "A Commotion" music video directed by Vice Cooler, and also premiere today on www.listentofeist.com and www.mastodonrocks.com. The video is launched by an HTML5 "Feistodon" video app that allows users to crossfade between Feist and MASTODON's versions of the "A Commotion" to make their own unique versions.

The "Feistodon" split-single was one of the most in-demand exclusives during Record Store Day this past April 21. It features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", from her current highly acclaimed current album "Metals" (Interscope) while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue" — a track from the rock band's critically lauded present album "The Hunter". Only 5000 color vinyl seven-inch singles were pressed up and sold out instantly.

"It's a wet dream to have MASTODON take one of my songs and put it into their massive machine," Feist told RollingStone.com.

"We didn't tell her what to do, and she didn't tell us what to do," says MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher. "'A Commotion' just kind of stuck out to me. I could hear the opening riff, a single A-note."

Feist told RollingStone.com that she based her decision on which MASTODON song to cover by finding a track whose lyrics resonated with her the most. "MASTODON fans would probably be disappointed to know that I actually didn't know MASTODON very well," She says. "I actually went onto one of those lyric websites, and I scrolled through 50 songs and just narrowed it down to the ones I thought I could wrap myself around the words. 'Black Tongue' is speaking in my kind of elemental language — about diamond and earth and sky. It's all just in a language that I already sort of speak lyrically. It was pretty easy to climb into that one."

In a recent interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor explained how the single idea came about. "We did [the BBC television show 'Later... With Jools Holland'], and right after we got off stage, we went backstage and and we were in the hallway with [Feist], and she was talking to [MASTODON vocalist/guitarist] Brent [Hinds]. They were involved in a conversation and were just like, 'Yeah, let's do that! We should do it for Record Store Day!' Something out of left field and something we'd like to be involved with more of."

He added, "It's fun for us. I mean, most times we end up doing covers of bands that are already sort of heavy or that is already in that vein, like the MELVINS, THIN LIZZY, METALLICA, you know what I mean? What are you gonna do to those songs to make them your own? It's kinda difficult and especially with stuff like METALLICA or the MELVINS where we're so kinda familiar and in love with the versions that METALLICA and the MELVINS and THIN LIZZY have created, you wanna make it sound like theirs because that's what you're so used to hearing. You don't really wanna mess with it. With Feist, it's something that we could really play with and do something different with."

Former MARTYR and current VOIVOD guitarist Daniel Mongrain was invited to perform a 15-song set of METALLICA classics with the Academis Les Estacades symphonic orchestra from his hometown of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada under the direction of Sebastien Lepine (SLP) and longtime friends Martin Carbonneau (guitar), Bob St-Laurent (vocals), Rock Laroche (bass) and Simon Lanoglois (drums). The setlist was based on the METALLICA "S&M" album but also featured other tracks which were specially arranged by Pierre Peterson for the occasion.

The free concert, which took place on July 28 at Portuaire park, was attended by around 4,000 people, ranging in age "from 7 to 77 years old," according to Mongrain.

The setlist was as follows:

01. The Ectasy Of Gold
02. The Call Of Ktulu
03. Master Of Puppets
04. Fade To Black
05. Until It Sleeps
06. Bleeding Me
07. Battery
08. Fight Fire With Fire
09. Blackened
10. Anasthesia Pulling Teeth/Whiplash
11. Nothing Else Matters
12. One

Encore:

13. The Unforgiven
14. Enter Sandman

Video footage of the "Fight Fire With Fire" performance can be seen below.

"Firebox", the new video from Swedish hard rockers EUROPE, can be seen below. The clip was filmed in Gothenburg, Sweden with Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE, KAMELOT), who previously worked on the last three EUROPE videos.

"Firebox" comes off EUROPE's ninth studio album, "Bag Of Bones", whicih was recently certified gold in the group's home country for sales in excess of 20,000 copies. According to the band, the CD entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2 and "has since then continued to sell steadily." The group added, "'Bag Of Bones' is fast becoming the most successful record since the reunion."

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.

"Bag Of Bones" was released in Europe on April 27 via earMusic/Edel. The CD, which features a guest appearance by blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), was produced by Kevin Shirley, who has previously worked with IRON MAIDEN, JOE BONAMASSA, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, BLACK STONE CHERRY and JOURNEY, among others.

Vocalist Chuck Billy (pictured below) of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT is one of a number of musicians who have come out in support of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe, who is facing manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

Blythe, 41, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer allegedly either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. — a guitarist in a local metal band — and that person died almost a month later of bleeding in the brain.

Randy has been charged with causing "bodily harm of the fourth degree, resulting in the death of a fan" and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Speaking to Full Metal Jackie on this past weekend's edition of her nationally syndicated radio show, Billy said (via Loudwire), "When you're onstage — in Randy's situation, he's a guy that wears glasses, and I've read that it's hard to really see, especially in the dark when things are going crazy and you're banging your head. I've had guys come up, banging my head, and next thing you know they're almost tackling me. It's surprising and you can handle it different ways."

He continued, "In my young years, there's forty people offstage onto the top of the crowd and you don't really think about that, about the impact. In Randy's case, it's unfortunate because you really don't know what happened beyond that stage, you don't know what happened after the kid was off the stage. Something else could have happened or [been] involved in [causing] the end result. It's just a really bad situation, even thought the parents are maybe lookin' for justice, but to bring it onto the band like that… It's not like Randy assaulted somebody or was purposely coming after someone. It was almost kind of [like he was] just protecting himself from being either pushed out into the crowd or somebody actually really up there to hurt him, so you're put in a weird situation and it's happened to us before. I've gotten sued for hitting someone with my mic stand and made it through it, but it makes you think, 'Wow, what kind of protection do you have up here?' Ever since those days, I've told promoters, we got to have a barricade, we got to have security. We're not playing unless we have it, because it's so out of control. It's just a sad situation."

Asked if he feels like there are going to be big changes implemented in the way venues handle security due to what's been going on in the Blythe case, Billy said, "I hope. It's just a shame when you go buy a ticket for this concert that there's not some sort of clause or something at the back of the ticket and you're buying the ticket at your own risk. There needs to be something like that, some sort of protection. If there was something like that, and someone who violated who came up and been approached three times, it'd be pretty cut-and-dried, but there doesn't seem to be anything that protects the musician, artist, or venue [from] that kind of situation. . . It's like me up there getting up there saying, 'Okay, I want everybody in the pit or do the 'Wall Of Death' [where crowds split into two groups and then charge each other like a battle in the movie 'Braveheart'. — Ed.], and somebody gets hurt. It's the old saying, 'If I told you to jump off a bridge, would you jump?' So it's a really tough spot to be in."

**UPDATE**: JOB FOR A COWBOY drummer Jon "Charn" Rice has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding today's events:

"Just to clarify the events that happened this evening, a note was passed to the bartender stating that during our set a man with two knives and a gun was going to hurt people. Cops were called and after the proper precautions were taken, the show set off again, albeit a bit behind. No one was hurt and everyone involved is safe."

The original article follows below.

Tonight's Summer Slaughter concert at the Ritz in Tampa, Florida was delayed by "a couple of hours" after someone was reportedly overheard threatening to shoot the singer of JOB FOR A COWBOY, the Arizona extreme metal band which is one of almost a dozen acts taking part in the traveling festival. The security was notified and the police were called, resulting in the venue being evacuated while concertgoers were being searched for weapons. The show was eventually allowed to proceed.

Stephen Rafferty of The Metal Observer, who is in attendance at tonight's concert, tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "JOB FOR A COWBOY finished their set but we're almost two hours behind." He adds, "VEIL OF MAYA just did 25 minutes. Lots of people came late and had no idea what was going on. Crowd and police were tremendous."

Photos below courtesy of Stephen Rafferty from The Metal Observer

According to People.com, POISON singer Bret Michaels and his longtime girlfriend Kristi Gibson have called off their engagement.

"Although the couple have separated, they remain great friends and are committed to jointly raising their two daughters," a spokesperson for Bret tells the magazine.

Michaels, 49, and Gibson, 41, have two children together, Raine Elizabeth, 12, and Jorja Bleu, 7.

Michaels proposed to Gibson on the December 2, 2010, finale of his VH1 show "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It". After getting down on one knee, Michaels said, "I want you to know that I love you and you've been unbelievably a big part of my life and we have two beautiful girls together. I know we love and respect each other and I hope we can find that inner love that we can have forever. I want you to be my wife." He then jokingly added, 'Please say yes or the rejection will kill me right now."

KILLING JOKE frontman Jaz Coleman has allegedly gone missing after a mysterious announcement was posted online that the group was canceling its U.K. tour.

Last week, a statement appeared on KILLING JOKE's Facebook page explaining that the band was pulling out of its trek with with THE CULT and THE MISSION, which was due to start on September 10 at the O2 Apollo in Manchester. It was first thought to have been posted by Coleman, but is now alleged to have been the work of a fan.

The announcement, which has since been deleted, said: "It gives me great pleasure to announce the cancellation of the upcoming gigs with THE CULT and THE MISSION. Frankly, playing at a gig with THE CULT never appealed to me in the first place. Gatherers [as KILLING JOKE are affectionately known] would only get to listen to a one-hour set. Then there would be a problem with the dressing room and witnessing THE CULT charge the fans $200 per head for a meet-and-greet.

"Lastly, all their songs suck! They clearly have no integrity (they refer to their hometown as L.A.)."

KILLING JOKE members Geordie Walker, Martin "Youth" Glover and Paul Ferguson have since taken to Facebook to say that they haven't heard from Coleman since the previous announcement was made.

"A statement was posted on Facebook, reputedly by our singer, maligning both THE CULT and THE MISSION and pulling us out of the shows," they wrote. "He is now AWOL and has not contacted any of his band mates.

"We are deeply embarrassed by this and offer our sincere apologies to all involved.

"We are all concerned about our missing singer's welfare.

"KILLING JOKE made a collective decision to play with THE CULT and THE MISSION in September.

"It was agreed by all of the band that we would do these shows. Indeed, we thought that they were something to look forward to, even though they were downsized.

"We would still like to honour our commitment to this tour, the other bands, and all the Gatherers and people who have already bought tickets and made travel arrangements.

"If this proves not possible, KILLING JOKE will make alternative arrangements to compensate for the trouble caused.

"Meanwhile we are doing everything we can to make this tour happen and locate our missing singer."

The original lineup of KILLING JOKE released its latest album, "MMXII" on April 2 via Spinefarm Records.

Swedish blues rockers GRAVEYARD have set "Lights Out" as the title of their next album, due on October 26 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented drummer Axel Sjöberg: "The title 'Lights Out' sums up the feeling of the new album, and a feeling that we have. That these times that we live in are strange times, where no one really sees anything straight/the way they are."

He added, "We all know that both we and pretty much everyone was really excited about the cover of 'Hisingen Blues'. So we had to come up with a really strong idea to match the strength of that cover. It's just about finished now, but even without having seen the final version, we are convinced that no one will be disappointed by the cover to 'Lights Out'. We've worked with several people that all added their part, and as the saying goes in Sweden: the sum of the parts is bigger than the parts alone. So sharpen your raven's hatches and get ready for 'Lights Out'."

GRAVEYARD was honored with the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" award at the Swedish "Grammis" gala, which was held on February 14 at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm.

GRAVEYARD's second full-length album, "Hisingen Blues", sold 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 48 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.

"Hisingen Blues" entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 1. The CD, which was released in North America on April 19, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records, was produced, recorded, and mixed in 100 percent analog by Don Alsterberg (JOSÉ GONZALES, JUNIP, SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES, THE INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY) at Don Pierre Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

French metallers ALCEST check in with the following update from Neige (guitars/bass, synths, vocals):

"Some days ago Winterhalter (drums) and I recorded demos for the next Alcest album, for which I have almost finished the songwriting. Only a few arrangements are missing, and the lyrics as well... In our case they always come late in the process.




"As I said in recent interviews, you can expect something different from Alcest's previous releases. I don't think there are any metal music elements anymore, though a lot of very intense parts and dynamics are still there. Things are just done in another way, and the core remains the same. That album will come back to the nostalgic side of Alcest, it's very dreamy, aquatic and a bit less progressive than the last two albums. Melodies are taking their time to grow, if you see what I mean.




"I feel very excited about these songs and this new approach feels very refreshing to me. I also can tell that the album will be recorded next March in Iceland at Sundlaugin, Sigur Rós' studios, with producer Birgir Jón Birgisson. There will also be guests appearances - more infos about this will come later. I will keep you posted!"

"The Malady", the new video from the Norwegian progressive black metal outfit KHONSU, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's debut album, "Anomalia", which will be released on August 28 via Season Of Mist. The effort will be made available as a CD digipack limited to the first pressing and hand-numbered double gatefold LP.

S. Gronbech, the man behind the mask, orchestrates the ancient traveller's return. The last public appearance of the mysterious mastermind was the collaboration with his brother A. "Obsidian C." Gronbech on KEEP OF KALESSIN's highly acclaimed "Reclaim" EP (2003). Being one of Norway's foremost guitarists himself, Obsidian C. comments: "If you think that I am a good guitarist, wait until you hear my brother." The renowned string wizard also produced and engineered all electric guitars played by his sibling in his own Morningstar studio. Adding vocals in an amazing range from the clear and gentle to the venomous and growling, Thebon of KEEP OF KALESSIN fame joins S. Gronbech in his dark quest.

Under their former name MERAH, KHONSU already performed at this year's edition of the prestigious Inferno festival in Oslo. Even without an album out, the band from Trondheim was invited on the strength of their demo alone. Their musically and visually impressive performance gained the Norwegians excellent reviews. Now KHONSU reveal their true strength with "Anomalia". Let this sinister blend of rock, metal, and electronic elements enchant you with its epic and desolate atmospheres!

The official trailer for "The Taking", the upcoming feature film starring DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — can be seen below. A total of 10 vignettes/music videos will tell a tale of totally bizarre adventures, imprisoned band members, and kids-size ice cream cones. Helmed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin, the series explores the lyrical content of LOADED's studio album of the same title. A fall launch date is expected.

In a November 2010 interview with West Seattle Herald, Chamberlin said that the film "will be a contemporary version of, say, [THE BEATLES'] 'Hard Day's Night' meets [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'The Song Remains the Same', with aspects of documentary, music video, and live performance, all interconnected by an underlying motivation. The album will serve as the soundtrack." He added, "Everything will be shot in Seattle and the Northwest. We hope to use locations in West Seattle and other familiar settings to create these vignettes that develop organically within them."

Chamberlin told the West Seattle Herald that McKagan may push to have the piece released in the film festival circuit to offer exposure to a wider audience beyond his music fans.

"Not a lot of artists out there are interested in going to this extreme of having their music interpreted in film," said Chamberlin. "This project wouldn't be happening without Duff's vision, and the support of people like Rick Canny at Sanctuary management, LOADED's manager.

"Duff is a super guy, one of the nicest guys you could meet. He has shown a strong commitment to getting this project off the ground. He's got a great business sensibility and is totally creative, qualities that draw me to him as an artist. He's just a classy cat."

"The Taking" will feature cameos by Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS), Sean Kinney (ALICE IN CHAINS), Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES), Steve Jones (SEX PISTOLS) and Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), among others.

Los Angeles metallers WINDS OF PLAGUE have parted ways with drummer Art Cruz due to creative differences.

"After many years of having Art Cruz with us we have decided its best for both parties involved to go our separate ways," states WINDS OF PLAGUE vocalist Johnny Plague. "Art is a great drummer and I'm sure he will be back behind the drums one way or another soon."

Adds Cruz, "I'm very thankful for the experience. I love those dudes. I will continue to play drums and on the business side, I am currently pursuing artist management. To keep up with what I'm doing, follow me on twitter at twitter.com/artimusplague."

WINDS OF PLAGUE recently entered the studio with producer Will Putney (SHADOWS FALL, SUICIDE SILENCE) to begin recording its fourth album for a late 2012 release via Century Media Records. Sitting behind the kit during the studio sessions and for upcoming The All Stars Tour is Brandon Gallindo (ex-DEAD IN EXISTENCE).

WINDS OF PLAGUE's third full-length CD, "Against The World", sold 8,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 60 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on April 19, 2011 via Century Media Records, the effort featured guest appearances from members of HATEBREED, TERROR, FOR TODAY, STRAY FROM THE PATH and former world heavyweight wrestling champion and sports entertainment legend Ultimate Warrior (who performs an epic spoken-word track entitled "The Warrior Code"). It was described in a press release as "the heaviest-hitting record of the band's already heralded career."

"Darkness Within", the new video from San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD, can be seen below (courtesy of Loudwire). The clip was filmed in the Czech Republic between May 4 and May 9. The song comes off the band's new album, "Unto The Locust", which sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.

Regarding the making of the "Darkness Within" video, MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn said, "The first time I visited Prague was on the 'Burn My Eyes' tour cycle in 1994 as support to SLAYER. I'll never forget the city. I was blown away, I'd never seen anything like it before or since. The baroque and gothic architecture, the religious symbolism everywhere, the Charles Bridge, St. Vitus's cathedral, but also the Eastern Block feel it still carried, it was one of the most unique and beautiful cities I'd ever seen and still is.

"And yet, it had a dark underbelly to it that ran through her streets. Heroin use was open and rampant back then, and having dabbled in that, and having had friends who did more than dabble, I was all too aware of it. But there was something about that that charmed me. That there could be that dark side within such a beautiful, religious place. I said right there and then, 'I want to do a video here someday.'

"When our label, Roadrunner Records, approached us about shooting a video for 'Darkness Within', I already had a lofty concept. It tied in perfectly with the fact that we were hitting Prague opening for METALLICA, so I wrote a pretty fucked up treatment for the video, and then refined it over the next two days, sent it to the band, and they loved it.

"I got sent a bunch of video by other bands to look at directors, and honestly, I fuckin' HATE most videos nowadays, especially metal bands' videos. They're boring, thoughtless and pointless. Dudes in a warehouse playing. But there have been two bands in particular who have always impressed me with their videos. RAMMSTEIN and BEHEMOTH. RAMMSTEIN, with their insanely creative, movie-like, performance-less videos. They've been pushing the video concept for years, from the bizarro-world of 'Sonne', to the stark sadness of 'Ohne Dich', or the flat-out controversial awesomeness of 'Pussy'. These dudes know how to make people care about a video. It's art.

"And BEHEMOTH, too, they continue to make videos that blow me away. 'At Left Hand Ov God' was huge, but 'Lucifer', man, 'Lucifer', it was a game changer. I remember seeing 'Lucifer' for the first time, we were just about done editing the 'Locust' video (which we were very happy with), we had one scene left to shoot, fly in and it was done. I took a break and stumbled on 'Lucifer', loaded it up and watched it with my video director Mike Sloat, it blew my head off. I looked at Mike and said, 'That is the future of videos, in one fell swoop, Nergal just changed why bands make videos.' It was dark and beautiful, weird and cool, erotic and evil, and totally fucked.

"It was inspiring, not in the sense that I wanted to make a video that looked like 'Lucifer', I didn't, but in the way that it became so crystal clear that the former restrictions and guidelines that bands used to have placed on them from MTV no longer applied. There is no reason for a metal band to make a video for MTV anymore. They don't play videos, and if they do, it won't be metal.

"'Headbangers Ball' is on MTV2.com!? I love Jose [Mangin], and the interviews are great, but who goes there to watch their video playlist when you can go to YouTube and watch exactly what you want in an instant? Music videos are for the Internet, Vimeo, and YouTube… or in the case of RAMMSTEIN's 'Pussy', YouPorn! You're free to go as crazy, or artful, or weird, or provocative as you want. There is NO REASON for a band to stand in a warehouse and play their instruments. Those days are gone. They're not coming back.

"So with that mindset, at 3 a.m. on a jet-lagged, sleepless morning, I had a burst of inspiration and I wrote a treatment that made a crazy, warped, poetic, epic, dark story that's partially attached to the lyrics, but also adds a visual meant more to evoke images, to disturb, to arouse vague, uncomfortable feelings, primal feelings. We shot it over six days in Prague with a great company called Meija Productions, I co-directed it along with Milan Basel and Jorge Nunez. It was shot in three locations: downtown Prague, a small village called Krashov (which means 'fadeless'), an awesome rock bar in Prague run by a great dude named Jakob called Mighty Bar, and briefly at the infamous Bone Church in Korta Huna.

"The scenes in front of and inside St. Vitus cathedral were shot on location; we actually snuck into St Vitus at 6:30 a.m. to shoot the scenes and got kicked out by a very angry, eerily calm priest, who walked up to us with unblinking eyes locked, and said four words that chilled me to the bone: 'You must leave now.' My director of photography protested, and in the same intensely calm voice, the priest stared into our souls and repeated, 'You must leave now.'

"I was fuckin' outta there!

"The rest was shot in a small village about five hours outside of Prague where myself and our man-of-many-hats Pando stayed with me in what we called 'the Russian bunker,' a hotel (really a converted farm house) that was straight out of post-World War II Russia; no heater, woodburning stove, but it was homey with a friendly non-English-speaking staff. The church we filmed in had been abandoned for about 100 years, but still had German plaques from when the Germans still controlled that part of the Czech Republic. It was fucking cold!! Three days in a row we shot 20-hour days, getting three hours of sleep, wake up and repeat. I talked some locals (an all-girl horse-breeding team) into hiring their horses to us, and they rode them nearly four miles to where we were, and they were bad-ass horses, much like the ladies who rented them.

"The rest of the guys came in a few days later, and did a great job, Dave [McClain, drums] nearly got thrown from his horse, and then later it tried to kick him! Adam [Duce, bass], in particular, rode really well. Their crew was great, and we all became quite fond of the make-up artist. The rest of the cast were hired by the directors and they froze along with us and they did a fantastic job, though none of them spoke a single word of English. It was strange, fun and vastly huge undertaking, and I am certain the Head Cases of the world will love it! SO proud of the end result."

"Darkness Within" video:

A nine-minute clip containing a multi-camera mix of the "best effects" captured at Saturday night's (July 28) opening show of METALLICA's eight-concert run at Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) in Mexico City can be seen below.

Did two members of METALLICA's road crew catch fire and suffer burns on Saturday night? According to The Pulse Of Radio, video footage posted online suggests that's the case, as the two stagehands were seen struggling with a malfunctioning pyro launcher during "Enter Sandman" when both were suddenly engulfed in flame. As frontman 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.

But was it real? A spokesperson for the promoter said it 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 Saturday 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.

METALLICA's setlist for Saturday night's 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. Wherever I May Roam
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. Die, Die My Darling
18. Seek & Destroy

Photos of Saturday night's show can be found at Metallica.com. A few of the pictures are also available below.

Legendary rockers KISS will release their 20th studio album, "Monster", on October 16 through Universal Music Enterprises. Described in a press release as a "12-track, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll album," the CD features collaborations among all four members — including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — in an album that shows the band at the top of its game.

"Monster" track listing (iTunes version):

01. Hell Or Hallelujah
02. Wall Of Sound
03. Freak
04. Back To The Stone Age
05. Shout Mercy
06. Long Way Down
07. Eat Your Heart Out
08. The Devil Is Me
09. Outta This World
10. All For The Love Of Rock & Roll
11. Take Me Down Below
12. Last Chance
13. Right Here Right Now

"Monster" is the group's first studio album since the band's 2009 smash success, "Sonic Boom", and was also produced by Paul Stanley with Greg Collins at Conway Studios in Hollywood, California, and The Nook in Studio City, California.

"Monster" represents KISS' nod to the music that first inspired them to pick up their guitars and flame-throwers and don makeup to entertain millions. The group goes back to their own beginnings with THE WHO-like "Freak", while Gene lives up to the title track's declaration on the raucous rock of "Back To The Stone Age" and the bludgeoning "The Devil is Me". Even guitarist Thayer takes a turn on his own with "Outta This World". a tribute to his KISS "spaceman" character, while drummer Singer provides the vocals (and the back story) for the arena anthem "All For The Love Of Rock & Roll".

"There are no symphony orchestras, boy choirs, keyboards, outside producers or songwriters on this album," promises Gene Simmons. "The best thing we did was to turn inwards to ourselves. Tommy and Eric have revitalized this band, with a work ethic and the talent to back it up. This is a real band effort. KISS has become a behemoth. We're going where no bands have gone before."