DEF LEPPARD performed their classic song "Rock Of Ages" on last night's (Monday, June 4) edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on NBC. You can now watch the entire episode below. (Note: The DEF LEPPARD appearance begins around the 37-minute mark.)

To celebrate the summer of "Rock Of Ages", DEF LEPPARD has recorded new versions of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock Of Ages".

The soundtrack to the upcoming film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rock Of Ages", which showcases popular rock songs from the '70s and '80s, features the cast — Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough — singing some of the greatest hits of the "hair-band" era.

Due to be released June 5 — ten days before the film hits theatres — "Rock Of Ages: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" includes Cruise's renditions of DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and GUNS N' ROSES' "Paradise City".

DEF LEPPARD will make a return to the United States this June with a massive summer tour which will include fellow rockers POISON and LITA FORD.

DEF LEPPARD's influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums — including two of the best-selling albums of all time, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria". Most recently, the band released their first live album, "Mirror Ball: Live & More" last summer, which rose to the Top 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album captures the group's legendary concert experience, bringing together live versions of classic LEPPARD hits such as "Rock Of Ages", "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Foolin'".

With 100 million records sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, DEF LEPPARD — Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums) — continues to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group's spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name. For the past thirty years the band's concerts have become must-see events and have quickly made them an institution in the touring industry, as they continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

YOTANGOR, the French symphonic metal band featuring female singer Yngrid Allières, has released its sophomore album, "We Speak", via Brennus Music. The CD was recorded at frontman Jean-Guy Pichoustre's Laboratory Metal studio in Toulouse.

"We Speak" track listing:

01. Anonymous
02. Hold Me Tight
03. Save Me
04. Racism
05. Come And Fly
06. Enslaved
07. We Speak For The Voiceless
08. Eyes On
09. No Man's Land
10. Kings Of The Day
11. Thanks
12. I Keep Running
13. Love Is Passion

YOTANGOR's debut album, "King Of The Universe", was described in a press release as "an ambitious double CD with 26 tracks, a concept album that talks about King Yotangor, a modern dictator convinced to be good with his people while all what he does is perverted by money and stupidity."

"King Of The Universe" was released on October 3, 2009.

YOTANGOR is:

Yngrid Allières - Lead Vocals
Vincent Agar - Lead Guitar
Jean-Guy Pichoustre - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Patrice Hernandez - Bass, Backing Vocals
Tony Marcos - Drums, Lead and Backing Vocals

The fourth in a series of teaser clips for the forthcoming SLIPKNOT greatest-hits album, "Antennas To Hell", can be seen below. The latest clip focuses on the band's percussionist Chris Fehn .

"Antennas To Hell" is scheduled for release on July 17 via Roadrunner Records.

There is no word yet on which tracks will be included on "Antennas To Hell", and if it will contain any previously unheard music or other bonus content.

As previously reported, SLIPKNOT will headline its own festival-style concert called Knotfest. The event will consist of two dates, on August 17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa and August 18 in Somerset, Wisconsin. In addition to the headliners, both days will include sets from DEFTONES, LAMB OF GOD, DETHKLOK, 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. Tickets go on sale Friday (June 8).

Percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan said, "It's all about having fun and bringing something to the world of rock 'n' roll, bringing it to the standard it used to be. It's time for us to really engulf this idea known as Knotfest where we're in control, we make a day devoted to our mindset, our ideas, the people that we want to play with, the people that we think our fans want to be around."

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.

Crahan promised, "When everyone leaves, their senses (will be) overloaded... because that's what SLIPKNOT does." He added that Knotfest could become an annual event whether SLIPKNOT appears or not.

SLIPKNOT will tentatively enter the studio sometime in early 2013 to begin recording its fifth album.

Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD will enter Magpie Cage Studios at the end of the month to begin recording their fourth album, "Apocryphon", for an early fall release via their new label partners Razor & Tie. The CD will be produced and engineered by J. Robbins (CLUTCH, JAWBOX) and will feature cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea).

THE SWORD will commence a worldwide tour in support of "Apocryphon" in October.

In advance of last month's premiere of this year's movie "Marvel's The Avengers", THE SWORD released "Hammer Of Heaven", an early track dating back to 2003 that was not included on "Age Of Winters", which the band submitted for inclusion on "Avengers Assemble", a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film.

Due to severe space limitations, the song did not make the final track listing, but the band, along with their new label partners at Razor & Tie decided to make "Hammer Of Heaven" available digitally to coincide with the release of the film. Click here to download the song on iTunes.

THE SWORD's third album, "Warp Riders", sold around 8,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Warp Riders" marked the first release where the group has worked with an outside producer. Helmed by Matt Bayles (PEARL JAM, MASTODON, ISIS), the album was anchored by an epic science-fiction narrative. The storyline was a psychedelic space opera that explored temporal themes of death and rebirth. "Warp Riders" also found THE SWORD expanding its range from pure metal to include bone-crunching hard rock at large.

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — who late last year confirmed the recording of their first new album in more than 33 years and a worldwide headlining tour — had to put some plans on hold due to guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with lymphoma. At this time, BLACK SABBATH will perform only one show of this summer's previously scheduled European tour. It will take place Sunday, June 10 at the U.K.'s Download festival.

So as not to let the promoters and fans down, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne is now performing the majority of the previously scheduled BLACK SABBATH European dates (both festival performances and the headlining shows) billed as OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS. These "first-ever" OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS shows are featuring appearances by "special guest" musicians, including Geezer Butler (who is joining Ozzy for a special BLACK SABBATH set as a show of respect and support to their friend, Tony Iommi) and longtime former Ozzy bandmember Zakk Wylde. In addition, Ozzy is being accompanied by longtime collaborator and friend Slash at select shows, with other "special guests" set to join the tour at various stops along the way (full list of dates, appearances below).

The seventh OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS concert took place last night (Monday, June 4) at Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

Ozzy Osbourne (vocals)
Gus G. (guitar)
Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bass)
Tommy Clufetos (drums)

01. Bark At The Moon
02. Mr. Crowley
03. Suicide Solution
04. I Don't Know
05. Killer Of Giants
06. Shot In The Dark
07. Rat Salad (BLACK SABBATH song)

Ozzy Osbourne (vocals)
Slash (guitar)
Gus G. (guitar)
Geezer Butler (bass)
Tommy Clufetos (drums)

08. Iron Man (BLACK SABBATH song)
09. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH song)
10. N.I.B. (BLACK SABBATH song)

Ozzy Osbourne (vocals)
Zakk Wylde (guitar)
Geezer Butler (bass)
Tommy Clufetos (drums)

11. Fairies Wear Boots (BLACK SABBATH song)

Ozzy Osbourne (vocals)
Zakk Wylde (guitar)
Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bass)
Tommy Clufetos (drums)

12. I Don't Want To Change The World
13. Crazy Train

Encore:

14. Mama, I'm Coming Home

Everybody on stage:

15. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH song)

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

Professionally filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's May 27 performance at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma can be seen below.

As previously reported, RISING WEST, the new band featuring Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren of QUEENSRŸCHE, along with powerhouse vocalist Todd La Torre of CRIMSON GLORY, will make its live debut on Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 at the Hard Rock Café in Seattle, Washington. The band will perform rare and classic hits from the first five QUEENSRŸCHE albums — from the 1983 EP through 1990's "Empire" — and plans on hitting the studio sometime early summer to begin recording its first release.

QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate entered the studio on February 29 to begin recording his second solo album.

Tate released his first solo CD in 2002 on Sanctuary Records. Self-titled, the LP was a huge departure from the work he had previously done with QUEENSRŸCHE.

QUEENSRŸCHE's latest album, "Dedicated To Chaos", sold 8,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, the epic concept album "American Soldier", opened with 21,000 units back in April 2009 to enter the chart at No. 25. This was roughly half the first-week tally registered by QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime II" album, which shifted 44,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release back in April 2006 to debut at No. 14 on The Billboard 200 chart.

QUEENSRŸCHE's 2003 effort, "Tribe", sold 20,000 copies in the first week while 1999's "Q2K", opened with sales of 28,000.

QUEENSRŸCHE's top-selling album by far is 1990's "Empire", which was certified triple-platinum in October 1994 for sales in excess of three million copies in the United States. The original "Operation: Mindcrime" release (1988) attained platinum status in August 1991, while 1994's "Promised Land" reached the same plateau in December 1994.

Part 1:

"Unraveling", the new video from reformed Montreal, Quebec, Canada rockers SLAVES ON DOPE, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's latest album, "Over The Influence", which was released on February 28 via THC: Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The CD was produced and mixed by Kevin Jardine, features a guest appearance by Jonathan Cabana, lead singer of Quebec deathcore band BLIND WITNESS, on the track "Dear Enemies".

"Over The Influence" track listing:

01. No One To Blame
02. Burn The Evidence
03. Cavalry
04. The Jokes On You
05. Hollywood
06. Dear Enemies (featuring BLIND WITNESS singer Jonathan Cabana)
07. The Land Of Make Believe
08. Pork Sword
09. Unraveling
10. Careless Coma

SLAVES ON DOPE's digital-only EP, "Careless Coma", came out on November 1, 2011. The effort featured three new studio tracks, as well as remixes and a radio edit of the title cut.

SLAVES ON DOPE is:

Kevin Jardine - Guitar
Jason Rockman - Vocals
Peter Tzafaris - Drums
Sebastien Ducap - Bass

SLAVES ON DOPE's "Inches from the Mainline" album was released through Ozzy Osbourne's now-defunct Divine Recordings label. After Divine Recordings lost its distribution deal with EMI's Priority Records, the band was left without a label. After a long search, a deal was struck with Bieler Bros. Records. SLAVES ON DOPE's second major album, "Metafour", was released in 2003.

In March 2004, SLAVES ON DOPE announced it was going on hiatus due to Jason Rockman leaving the band. The group officially reformed in 2009.

For more information, visit www.slavesondope.com.

"Unraveling" video:

"Welcome To The Freakshow", the new single from Swedish hard rockers FATAL SMILE, which was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine, was certified gold in that country by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. (Note: Each copy of the magazine containing the CD sold in Sweden was counted towards the certification; the single itself was **not** sold separately.)

The members of FATAL SMILE were presented with "Welcome To The Freakshow" gold plaques at the Hard Rock Café in Stockholm (see photo of band with tour manager Ola Frankki below).

FATAL SMILE's new album, "21st Century Freaks", was released on May 14 via FS Records/GMR Music Group. The CD was produced by Mr. Y, engineered/recorded by Philty and mixed by the two of them together. The mastering duties were handled by Mats "Limpan" Lindfors at Cutting Room Studios.

"21st Century Freaks" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Freakshow
02. Nailed To The Wall
03. Raisning Hell In Heaven
04. Judgement Day
05. Broken Heart
06. My Private Hell
07. Scarecrow
08. Innocent
09. Break This Chains
10. Take It To The Limit
11. For The Last In Line

Check out audio samples at FatalSmile.com.

The "Welcome To The Freakshow" video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Owe Lingwall, who has previously worked with KAMELOT, MESHUGGAH and THE RASMUS, among others.

After playing 350 shows internationally during their "World Domination Tour" with such bands as DIO, W.A.S.P., QUEENSRŸCHE, DORO and LORDI in support of their last album, "World Domination", FATAL SMILE spent over a year writing and recording songs for the follow-up effort. Entitled "21st Century Freaks", the new CD was recorded in the tour buses, hotel rooms and studios all over the world before eleven songs were singled out and re-recorded during 2011.

Ten top names tried out for the mixing job, all mixing the song planned as the second single of the album. The band put together a jury of friends to pick out their favorite mix, which turned out to be mix No. 5, not knowing it was mixed by FATAL SMILE's own drummer Philty and guitarist Mr. Y!

According to a press release, "this time [the bandmembers] have done everything on their own to make it the ultimate FATAL SMILE album, from recording and engineering to producing and mixing the album and the result is massive, with 'in-your-face' songs and a 'larger-than-life' sound!"

FATAL SMILE is:

Mr. Y - Guitar
Blade - Vocals
Alx - Bass
Philty - Drums

Photo credit: Thomas Mead

When singer Per "Dead" Ohlin of Norwegian black metal pioneers MAYHEM committed suicide in April 1991, it was widely reported that the band's founding guitarist Euronymous — who discovered the body — made necklaces from pieces of the skull.

Dead's suicide became the stuff of black metal legend. Euronymous reportedly took several pictures of the body and allegedly sent one of the pictures to the owner of Warmaster Records in Colombia, who then used it as the cover of the bootleg live album "Dawn Of The Black Hearts", released in 1995.

During Loudwire's recent interview with MARDUK's Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson, the guitarist confirmed that he does indeed possess a piece of Dead's skull a s well as lead fragments from the bullet which killed Dead and a piece of his brain matter.

"Yeah, sure," Morgan confirmed. "I got it way back, right after he died. Back in those days they [MAYHEM] were living in a house and didn't have the best financial aspects, so they didn't even have a telephone. So I remember I was celebrating New Year's in 1991 with Dead back home in Sweden. Then he got back, he wrote one letter [to me], then someone told me he's killed himself."

Morgan continued, "So I wrote a letter [to MAYHEM] and then I got the reply back from the guitar player [Euronymous] — 'Well he just shot himself and here's a piece of his skull.' It was a shotgun, you know? So [he also sent me] two pieces of the lead and a piece of the wet brain. I've still got it. I keep it well protected. . . He sent it to all these former comrades of Dead. A few of them. There were not that many people … maybe five."

New York hardcore legends MADBALL recently spent five days at the Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersberg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL) recording their new EP, "Rebellion", to be released later this month via The BNB Label, a brand extension of frontman Freddy Cricien's Black N Blue Productions group. The six-song effort contains four new tracks and newly recorded versions of two cuts from the band's legendary 1989 seven-inch single, "Ball Of Destruction".

"Rebellion" marks the first MADBALL recording with former UNEARTH and THE RED CHORD member Mike Justian, who has served as MADBALL's touring drummer for the past year.

Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep, MADBALL vocalist Freddy Cricien stated about the process of re-recording 23-year-old material, "I was 12 when we did that original recording, and I don't have the best memory when it comes to a lot of things, but I do remember that session."

He added, "We recorded 'Ball Of Destruction' at Don Fury's studio on two tracks, live, with no overdubs. You went there, paid him a few hundred dollars and bang everything out. That session had me, Vinnie Stigma (AGNOSTIC FRONT) on guitars, my brother Roger (Miret, AGNOSTIC FRONT) on bass and Will Shepler (ex-AGNOSTIC FRONT) on drums. We also had Craig Setari (SICK OF IT ALL) and Mark Ryan (SUPERTOUCH) on backing vocals. As gritty as the original recording was, it was cool to be able to go in and re-record a couple of the tracks for this new EP."

"Rebellion" EP track listing

01. Reap What You Sow
02. The Beast
03. Get Out ("Ball Of Destruction" re-recording)
04. Rebellion
05. My Blood
06. It’s My Life ("Ball Of Destruction" re-recording)

The song "The Beast" can now be streamed using the audio player below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).

"Cornucopia", a brand new song from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian, is available for free download at SerjTankian.com (e-mail sign-up required). The track comes off Serj's new studio album, "Harakiri", which will be released July 10 on Reprise Records/Serjical Strike.

"Harakiri", a Japanese word meaning ritual suicide, is the follow-up to 2010's critically acclaimed "Imperfect Harmonies", and the third solo release from the SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman. As with 2007's "Elect The Dead" and "Imperfect Harmonies", Serj produced "Harakiri" himself at his home studio in Los Angeles. He tried to approach writing a little differently this time around. "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record," explains Serj. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results." The album will also feature performances by Serj's touring band, THE F.C.C. — Dan Monti on guitar, Mario Pagliarulo on bass, and Troy Zeigler on drums. Dan Monti is also co-mixing and co-engineering the album with Serj. The album was mastered by Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, KANYE WEST, BEASTIE BOYS).

Much of the new record was written in 2011, which was an incredibly busy year for the diversely talented musician and what Serj describes as "the busiest, most productive year of my life so far." In February, the rock musical "Prometheus Bound", which he composed all of the music for, opened at the Oberon Theater at Harvard in Boston to rave reviews. 2011 also saw Serj release his second poetry book, "Glaring Through Oblivion". He toured with SYSTEM OF A DOWN across three continents, performed with the Opera Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia, where he also had political meetings with heads of state and hosted non-profit events. He then performed his first ever concert in Lebanon, the place of his birth, with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra. When he returned to the U.S., he finished writing four records: a jazz record, an electronic record he wrote with his friend Jimmy Urine of MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, a full classical symphony called "Orca", and the new solo rock record that he is currently mastering.

"The year 2011 started with a fire. Some kids in Piha, New Zealand were setting off fireworks that landed on my neighbor's property and lit the whole hill on fire. I knew it was going to be a hell of a year and it certainly was," says Tankian. "Within five days of that, reports came out about birds and fish dying in massive numbers globally. The omen was not lost on me. Varied creatures on earth were committing massive hara-kiri (the Japanese term signifying ritualistic suicide.) Do they know something we don't about the coming times or the sustainability of the environment? That is the day I started writing this record."

The symbolism of entire species eradicating themselves on a large scale struck Serj emotionally, and is an underlying theme on the entire record. He took that idea and went to work writing, incorporating all of the experiences of his chaotic year to make a different kind of record. "The record is different than any I've made as a solo artist," he says. "It is much more driving and punk-oriented, with influences ranging from goth to electronic to '80s vibes, dynamically heavy rock to epic melodic songs. Lyrically, it spans the gauntlet of themes from personal, political and philosophical to spiritual, humor and love."

He also tried to approach writing a little differently this time around. "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record," he says. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results."

"Figure It Out" video:

Finnish thrashers HATEFORM will enter the studio this summer to record their as-yet-untitled third album for a late 2012 release via Spinefarm Records. Drums are scheduled to be recorded at Petrax Studios (CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHTWISH, ENSIFERUM) with engineer Santeri Salmi. Guitars, bass, and vocals will be recorded at Ansa Studio with engineer Jori Haukio. The CD will be mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (WATAIN, ESKIMO CALLBOY, SCAR SYMMETRY, GRAVEWORM, MORS PRINCIPIUM EST, AS YOU DROWN) and will be mastered by Mika Jussila (NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM) at Finnvox Studios.

HATEFORM signed a deal with Spinefarm Records in the fall of 2011.

The band's previous albums, "Dominance" and "Origin Of Plague", were released via 7:45 Records.

HATEFORM is:

Tomy Laisto (guitar)
Petri Nyström (vocals)
Tom Gardiner (guitar)
Tuomo Latvala (drums)
Joni Suodenjärvi (bass)

"Make Total Destroy", a brand new song from Maryland-based experimental, progressive metallers PERIPHERY, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's highly anticipated sophomore album, "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", which will be released released in North America on July 3 via Sumerian Records. The CD, which will be made available in Europe on July 16 through Century Media Records, will feature guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).

Commented PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor: "We put so much hard work and time into this album and we thank all of you for your continued support and patience. The album clocks in at sixty-nine minutes exactly and has tons of brand new material, so I assure you it is well worth the wait."

"Periphery II: This Time It's Personal" track listing:

01. Muramasa
02. Have A Blast (feat. Guthrie Govan)
03. Facepalm Mute
04. Ji
05. Scarlet
06. Luck As A Constant
07. Ragnarok
08. The Gods Must Be Crazy!
09. Make Total Destroy
10. Erised (feat. John Petrucci)
11. Epoch
12. Froggin' Bullfish
13. Mile Zero (feat. Wes Hauch)
14. Masamune

PERIPHERY supported DREAM THEATER for two U.S. shows last October and a full-length European tour in January and February.

In a September 2011 interview with Metal Assault, Mansoor stated about Petrucci, "John Petrucci is the reason why I have a seven-string. John Petrucci is who I wanted to be when I started taking guitar seriously. I learned all the songs off [1999's] 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory' and played them horribly. But it really challenged me and showed me… I wanted to be him… I wanted to be John Petrucci so badly. I didn't even wanna be like him; I just wanted to be him. And I figured if I learned every song and solo, I'd get in his head and figure out how he wrote the amazing parts that he did and I'd understand how to be a better musician. I kind of got over that eventually when I realized I just didn't have the technical prowess to pull that off. But it definitely made a very big mark on me in many ways — in his approach to lead playing and arrangements and songwriting, in riff writing… everything. He's just such a balanced player and such a huge influence to me."

Bassist Tom Murphy last year announced his departure from PERIPHERY "to pursue something new." Adam "Nolly" Getgood of RED SEAS FIRE has been filling in on bass while Mark Holcomb took up his position as the full-time guitarist on the band's most recent tour.

To celebrate the arrival of Metal Hammer's immense 172-page BLACK SABBATH tribute, the magazine asked TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson to name his favorite BLACK SABBATH tracks.

"BLACK SABBATH are one of my favorite bands of all time," he said. "It's so hard to pick a favorite track… I guess 'Into The Void' is my favourite because it kicks into this high gear and then has all these crazy time changes; it's where the elements of thrash metal started. I also love 'Heaven And Hell' because they really reinvented themselves and made it work. You can't forget about 'Symptom Of The Universe' either!

"You can sing all their riffs, that's how amazing they are.

"Can you imagine a world without BLACK SABBATH? We'd still be psychedelic, groovy and far out, man! They got rid of all the peace people. [Laughs]

"We just finished doing shows with IRON MAIDEN on the 'Fear Of The Dark' tour and then got invited to do some shows with BLACK SABBATH on their 'Dehumanizer' tour. We got to do something like 15 shows in the U.K. I didn't even know you could play that many shows in the U.K., which was amazing.

"BLACK SABBATH were so cool. On the first night, we walked around backstage and bumped into Geezer [Butler, bass] and Tony [Iommi, guitar]. They shared a joint with us! I was literally shaking… I couldn't believe I was about to smoke the same 'sweet leaf' as Tony Iommi. I think I dropped it, got on my knees and told them I wasn't worthy!

"[They are] still the coolest guys, really humble and down to earth after all these years."

Ahead of BLACK SABBATH's history-making Download festival appearance, the massive, 172-page new issue of Metal Hammer is a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, paying homage to one of the greatest, heaviest and most influential bands to ever walk this earth. Metal Hammer talks to SABBATH members themselves as they look back on an unmatched legacy as the most influential and innovative band in metal's history, and looks to some of the biggest names in rock music to help them commemorate the masters' return. Members of METALLICA, SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, PANTERA, MANOWAR, MASTODON, DIMMU BORGIR, DEVILDRIVER, KISS, RUSH, BEHEMOTH, SLASH, ALICE COOPER, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, RAMMSTEIN, GHOST, STEEL PANTHER and more all join Metal Hammer in gauging BLACK SABBATH's seminal impact on rock 'n' roll, and well as picking their favorite SABBATH hits and memories.

And, to top off the SABBATH worship, Metal Hammer is giving away a free "Sons Of Sabbath" CD with the issue, featuring choice, riff-filled, heavy-as-a-philosophizing-T-fucking-Rex cuts from the discographies of some of the finest bands to have been inspired by the hand of Iommi et al, including ELECTRIC WIZARD, CHURCH OF MISERY, BLOOD CEREMONY, WITCHCRAFT, GRAVEYARD, REVEREND BIZARRE and many more.

For more information, click here.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's video for the song "I'm Alive" can be seen below. The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

Commented Bach: "This song is more of a ballad than the first two and I am excited for you all to see it!" He added, "We are sending the video to TV channels such as VH1 and Fuse, etc., but the Internet is king."

"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

Bassist Jason Christopher — who filled in for Shawn Economaki during STONE SOUR's spring 2011 tour and who previously played with SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor in the JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND — recently joined Bach's solo group.

Legendary mastering engineer George Marino, who has worked on such multi-platinum projects as METALLICA's "Metallica", AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction" and BON JOVI's "Slippery When Wet", has died after a year-long battle with lung cancer. He has also mastered albums from such hard rock and heavy metal artists as OZZY OSBOURNE, IRON MAIDEN, DEEP PURPLE, DIO, DOKKEN, ANTHRAX, SAXON, SEPULTURA, DANZIG, DEATH ANGEL, OVERKILL, W.A.S.P., EXODUS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, HELLOWEEN and KROKUS.

George joined Sterling Sound in the summer of 1973 where he has worked on many of the industry's most influential albums, including recent Billboard chart toppers like COLDPLAY's "Parachutes", BON JOVI's "Lost Highway", THE OFFSPRING's "Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace", THREE DOORS DOWN's eponymous release and ARCTIC MONKEY's "Favourite Worst Nightmare" as well as Billboard classics, including JOURNEY's "Frontiers", CYNDI LAUPER's "She's So Unusual", eponymous releases by both KISS and THE CARS, and MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Dr. Feelgood".

George started as a musician, playing rock n' roll guitar in New York City bands. His first job in the industry was as a librarian and assistant at Capitol Studios in 1967. He then apprenticed in the mastering department, helping cut rock, pop, jazz and classical albums. When Capitol shut down its New York studio, and before heading to Sterling Sound, George joined the fledgling Record Plant, eventually becoming a partner in the recording-mastering studio. There he quickly established his reputation with projects such as DON MCLEAN's "American Pie" and classic albums by the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND and STEVIE WONDER.

According to NME.com, a fan attending GUNS N' ROSES' concert at London, England's O2 Arena last night (May 31) revealed that he was told to remove his shirt before entering the venue because no one was allowed in wearing merchandise bearing the likeness of the band's former guitarist Slash. NME.com's source then asked security if this was the case and was told by a member of the venue's team, "We were told by the management not to allow anyone into the O2 Arena who is wearing a Slash T-shirt and we are asking anyone who is to remove it, and if they refuse, they will be turned away."

Speaking to NME.com today (June 1) about his ordeal, 18-year old James Revell — the fan that was allegedly forced to remove his Slash shirt — described what had happened. He said, "I felt very angry because I was looking after my little brotther at the time and felt as though my freedom to wear what I want had been taken away from me. However, I did not react angrily as I didn't want to spoil the show for him."

A photo of the T-shirt in question can be seen below.

In January 2010, Fernando Lebeis, the son of Beta Lebeis — GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose's personal assistant — denied reports that security at GN'R's Winnipeg concert banned fans from wearing Slash gear inside the show.

According to TMZ.com, concert security informed fans at the January 13, 2010 show that they were required to turn their Slash t-shirts inside out .... and leave their top hats outside.

TMZ.com spoke with a member of the concert security team who "confirmed the marching orders — and told [the web site] the instructions were passed down from a producer for the band."

However, Fernando Lebeis denied that any such ban ever took place. Writing on a GN'R message board, he said, "We did not advise any security to ban any sort of apparel.... If they did, they did it on their own accord, or under someone else's order — from within their management."

"Last Parade", the debut album from CALL ME NO ONE — the new project featuring SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery — is available for streaming in its entirety at AOL Music.

CALL ME NO ONE's lineup is rounded out by bassist Rek Mohr (HURT) and guitarist Alan Price (SOULS HARBOR, SHINEDOWN).

"Last Parade" will arrive on June 5. The CD's first single, "Biggest Fan", was made available to purchase on iTunes on April 24.

"Last Parade" track listing:

01. The World Is Dead
02. Thunderbird
03. Soapbox
04. Hillbilly
05. Alls Well
06. Biggest Fan
07. Please To Meet You
08. Broken Record
09. War Song
10. Last Parade

The record will also include two bonus tracks.

Rose told The Pulse Of Radio that CALL ME NO ONE has turned into something bigger than he and Lowery first envisioned. "This isn't really a side project. This is another band," he said. "I mean, other people have done it, but I guess that the closest thing we could compare it to is like STONE SOUR to SLIPKNOT, you know. I mean, we're gonna go ahead and do this, then when this runs its course, it should be right on time for SEVENDUST to get back and rolling."

Lowery recently described the sound of CALL ME NO ONE as "kind of NINE INCH NAILS meets FOO FIGHTERS."

CALL ME NO ONE will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, June 4 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with CALL ME NO ONE by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the "Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.

For more information, visit RocklineRadio.com.

New performance footage of HELL'S DOMAIN — the Danish thrash metal band featuring former members of HATESPEHERE, KOLDBORN, EXMORTEM and ARTILLERY — can be seen below. The clips were filmed on May 12 when HELL'S DOMAIN supported Swedish death'n'roll kings ENTOMBED and Danish veterans ILLDISPOSED in Århus, Denmark.

HELL'S DOMAIN is currently wrapping up the songwriting for its as-yet-untitled debut album. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Hangman's Fracture", "Dead Civilization", "The Walls Come Tumblin' Down" and "The Needle And The Vein".

HELL'S DOMAIN was formed by guitarist Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, BOIL) and bassist Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) in 2007 with the intention of churning out some catchy Bay Area-inspired thrash metal. Soon joined by Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY) on drums and Alex Clausen (MONSTAH) on vocals, the band completed its lineup in 2011 with the addition of former EXMORTEM axeman Andreas Schubert.

HELL'S DOMAIN released a three-song demo in 2011. The effort can be streamed at the band's Facebook page.

HELL'S DOMAIN 2012 is:

* Alex Clausen (ex-GROPE, MONSTAH) - Vocals
* Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, HORNED ALMIGHTY) - Guitar
* Andreas Schubert (ex-EXMORTEM) - Guitar
* Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) - Bass
* Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY, GROPE) - Drums

"Dropping Like Flies", the new video from SPIRALARMS, the San Francisco Bay Area-based heavy rock band featuring Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN, ex-MANMADEGOD) on guitar, Tim Narducci (ex-SYSTEMATIC) on vocals, Chris "Cornbread" Lombardo on bass, Brad Barth on keyboards, Anthony Traslavina on rhythm guitar and Ron Redeen (THE ESSENESS PROJECT) on drums, can be seen below. The song is the first single from the SPIRALARMS' sophomore album, "Freedom", which will be released this summer.

Commented Craig: "The clip rocks hard and shows our raw energy. It also showcases our ability to pull off some dramatic dynamics within a song. No confines or rules here, all beast and beauty!

"We're all very excited by the reaction 'Freedom' is getting so far and can't wait for everyone else to hear it. I know I'm looking forward to properly supporting a SPIRALARMS record!"

Added Narducci: "This performance captures the band's beautifully gritty heavy rock. If you are not familiar with who we are and what we do, this sums it up...enjoy."

SPIRALARMS released its full-length debut, "Highest Society", in June 2010 through Luxury Buzz, the label started by Narducci and Barth, in association with Apache Productions.

SPIRALARMS is:

Tim Narducci - Vocals/Guitar
Craig Locicero - Guitar
Anthony Traslavina - Guitar
Chris "Cornbread" Lombardo - Bass/Vocals
Brad Barth - Keyboards
Ron Redeen - Drums

"Sworn To Obey" a brand new song from German thrashers DEW-SCENTED, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Icarus", which will be released on July 31 in North America via Prosthetic Records (one day earlier internationally through Metal Blade Records).

DEW-SCENTED vocalist Leif Jensen previously described the "Icarus" main theme as "a modern-times, very apocalyptic adaption of elements of the Icarus myth, using a lot of its symbolism while interlinking with several other personal or observant subjects in true DEW-SCENTED fashion." While the album — recorded at Soundlodge Studio and produced by Jörg Uken (NIGHTFALL, SUICIDAL ANGELS, GOD DETHRONED) — is not quite a concept album per se, Jensen said "Icarus" "has a pretty coherent lyrical flow, and that helps to enhance and also to intentionally enlarge the atmosphere and vibe created by the music." The "Icarus" cover artwork was once created by Björn Goosses of Killustrations.

DEW-SCENTED's new lineup is as follows (pictured from left to right in photo below):

Rory Hansen - Guitar
Marvin Vriesde - Guitar
Leif Jensen - Vocals
Joost van der Graaf - Bass
Koen Herfst - Drums

Commented Jensen: "The new lineup re-introduces Marvin Vriesde (SEVERE TORTURE, BLO.TORCH) as main guitarist and songwriter. Not a stranger to DEW-SCENTED's path of life, Vriesde's ties with the band go as far as back as 1996, when he played lead guitars for DEW-SCENTED on the band's first-ever proper tour (with EDGE OF SANITY, LAKE OF TEARS and SADIST), as well as for some additional shows supporting MORBID ANGEL. He later returned as the session guitarist for a European tour with CANNIBAL CORPSE in 2002 or also for various other dates in Europe, Japan and North America all throughout 2005, as well as to appear as a guest guitarist on the "Issue VI" album and in the "Turn To Ash" video.

Added Jensen: "I'm truly happy to have finally managed to team up with my buddy Marvin in DEW-SCENTED. Being one of my closest friends in music and the band's 'longest-running companion,' it's amazing to be able to finally put the band's musical present and future in his hands, giving our music a new safe home with his talent and dedication. I can't wait for you all to hear the great start-up results we achieved with 'Icarus'!"

Drummer Koen Herfst (I CHAOS, EPICA) and bassist Joost van der Graaf (I CHAOS, CREEPMIME) rounded off the "Icarus" lineup organically, as Vriesde explains in regards to the pre-production process for the new album: "The writing process went really smooth and focused. Me and Leif were bouncing all these awesome ideas around. We realized that these songs deserved to be recorded in the best form possible. That's why I asked a good local friend of mine, Koen Herfst, to handle the drums. On his turn he brought in Joost van der Graaf to handle the bass duties for the album. Both are amazing musicians… and that's what sets 'Icarus' apart for me. I think everyone brought something extra to the table, which really took the album to a higher level. 'Icarus' is a really heavy album, but it somehow has a darker feel to it in comparison to the previous DEW-SCENTED albums."

The new DEW-SCENTED lineup will make their debut shows on July 20 at Metalsplash festival and July 21st at Queens Of Metal festival.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of STEEL PANTHER's June 2 performance at FortaRock at Park Brakkenstein in Nijmegen, Netherlands can be seen below.

Check out photos from Metal-Experience.com.

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.

When asked what lessons STEEL PANTHER learned from its 2009 debut, "Feel The Steel", that he and his bandmates applied to this new album, guitarist Satchel told Guitar International, "It's funny because we haven't learned any lessons from our first record. We don't even think of it as our sophomore album, we think of it as our second debut release. Many bands will try to make a different-sounding record for their second release, but we couldn't really get any better than our first record. Our first record was awesome, so we decided to go in and make the same record for our second album, just better. We didn't really grow as writers. We didn't grow as musicians. In fact, I think I got a little bit worse . . . But because of that it's much better. It's kind of like a fine wine. If you let it sit there and let it get moldy, that's what they do with wine, right? Then you let the mold fester in the bottom of the bottle, that's what our music is like on this record. We're like a moldy cheese that's been left out in the sun all summer. You wouldn't think that it would taste good at the end of the summer, but surprisingly, it does. That's us in a nutshell."

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

British melodic rock legends MAGNUM are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "On The 13th Day", for a September 25 release (one day earlier internationally) through SPV/Steamhammer. A single, "So Let It Rain", will precede the full-length effort at the end of August.

"On The 13th Day" will be made available as a limited-edition digipak with a bonus CD featuring previously unreleased, acoustic and live tracks from the MAGNUM vaults; a double gatefold LP version with colored vinyl; standard edition; and as a digital download. The cover will be created once more by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY).

A new video message from MAGNUM singer Bob Catley in which he reveals more details about the upcoming album can be seen below.

MAGNUM will embark on a full European tour in late October.

MAGNUM is:

Tony Clarkin - Guitar
Bob Catley - Vocals
Mark Stanway - Keyboards
Al Barrow - Bass
Harry James - Drums

Swedish Viking metallers KING OF ASGARD recently finished recording their second album, "…To North", at Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden with engineer Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND guitarist) at the helm. A July 30 release via Metal Blade Records is expected.

"…To North" track listing:

01. Intro
02. The Nine Worlds Burn
03. The Dispossessed
04. Gap of Ginnungs
05. Bound to Reunite
06. Nordvegr
07. Up on the Mountain
08. Plague-ridden Rebirth
09. Harvest (The End)
10. …to North
11. Vinterskugge (European digipack bonus track)

The song "The Nine Worlds Burn" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"…To North" will feature two guest musicians. The band states: "First out is female vocalist Heléne Blad, who did a guest appearance on 'Fi'mbulvintr' as well. This time around she's present on the album opener, 'The Nine Worlds Burn', doing an epic folk inspired vocal part. She's been a longtime friend of the band and is a professionally schooled folk singer et cetera. She was also once, for a short while, the keyboardist of the KING OF ASGARD predecessor MITHOTYN. The second appearance on '…to North' presents the extremely talented guitarist Jimmy Hedlund. Yet another friend known from bands such as FALCONER and SUPREME MAJESTY. He shreds two guitar solos on the song 'Gap Of Ginnungs'. Least say, amazing stuff and truly breathtaking!"

The first in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the "…To North" recording sessions can be seen below.

Comments bassist Jonas Albrektsson: "The '…To North' master sounds astonishing! Andy La Rocque made a great job on the production and the mastering along with Olof Berggren. It's upright and powerful. We feel very proud of what we achieved on this recording and merely the sound of it makes it a worthy follow-up to the firstborn 'Fi'mbulvintr'. Songs and sounds came out much as of what we planned, with power and a great variety. '…To North' takes off pretty much where 'Fi'mbulvintr' left off, so to say, with a natural development, more varied songs and structures. It's a development of our sound which will be recognized by old fans as well as bring some new ones to the horde. This time around I've been more involved in the writing process along with Karl, which kind of shines through, giving the songs a wider perspective. Expect some very strong songs on '…To North', where epic meets with brutality! The lyrical theme this time is basically in the same vein but has different twists. Not as obvious as before. '…To North' will make The Nine Worlds Burn… and Varberg was just left behind."

Songtitles set to appear on "…To North" include "Gap Of Ginnungs", "Plague-Ridden Rebirth", "Nordvegr", "Upon The Mountain" and "The Nine Worlds Burn".

"…To North" is the first KING OF ASGARD album to feature second guitar player Lars Tängmark.

KING OF ASGARD is:

Karl Beckman - Vocals/Guitars
Lars Tängmark - Guitars
Jonas Albrektsson – Bass
Karsten Larsson - Drums

In a brand new interview with Guitar International, legendary guitarist George Lynch spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the debut album from T&N (formerly TOOTH AND NAIL), the new project featuring current and former members of DOKKEN, Lynch, Jeff Pilson (bass), and Mick Brown (drums). "The record, 'Slave To The Empire', is being mixed as we speak," he said. "We actually did two records. The first one, which will be released in September, and then the band will go out on the road at the beginning of October. We’ll do a short West Coast tour, then play Loud Park festival in Japan as well as visit a few other Asian cities before heading to Europe for a couple weeks. Then it’s back to the States and we will finish up before Christmas."

A four-minute promotional video for T&N can be seen below.

T&N was recently forced to shorten its name from TOOTH AND NAIL for legal reasons. The band stated, "We cannot keep [the name] as TOOTH AND NAIL as there is a label that has it trademarked. [Fans] can still call us TO$%H AND NA$L... We can't."

T&N's debut album is expected to feature new original material as well as reworked versions of around five or six DOKKEN classics. Pilson has contributed vocals to a new track title "When Eagles Die", with additional lead vocal duties on the CD by former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach (on DOKKEN's "Alone Again"), Doug Pinnick (KING'S X), Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, DIO DISCIPLES on a killer new version of DOKKEN's "Kiss Of Death" in what is described as a Ronnie James Dio-inspired performance) and Mick Brown (on DOKKEN's "When Heaven Comes Down"). The drum tracks on the new, original compositions were laid down by Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER).

Regarding how T&N came together, Pilson said in an August 2011 interview, "The DOKKEN [original lineup] reunion has been scrapped, and I take a lot of the initial responsibility for that because of my schedule and commitment to FOREIGNER. . . Then George asked me about working with him on the next LYNCH MOB record — and I jumped at the chance. He and I started writing, got into a groove and wrote an album's worth of stuff, all with the intention of Oni [Logan, LYNCH MOB singer] writing lyrics and it being their next record. Brian Tichy laid down some incredible drums at his studio (and co-wrote some music on one track) and we had an incredibly strong start. Then Oni just wasn't feeling the music as being LYNCH MOB, so it was shelved. We figured it'd be the start of another LYNCH/PILSON record some day. Then, actually, it was Brian who had the idea that Mick, George and I should do a band, similar to what HEAVEN & HELL was to BLACK SABBATH, and call it TOOTH AND NAIL. Because of everything else we have going, it'll be just a recording project at first, but sure sounds fun. We'd record the classics keeping true to the originals but make them fresh and organic. Then the idea of doing new songs came up, and it grew from there."

He added, "I have absolute belief that the music George and I make together (along with Brian Tichy in this case) is real and inspired, and that's what it's really all about. So out of a mess of a reunion attempt, I think we'll end up with a really fabulous record, and what could be better than that?"

When asked if T&N is basically DOKKEN without Don, Pilson said, "Don is, and will always be, the singer of DOKKEN and an invaluable part of the DOKKEN chemistry. No one ever wants to take that away or dispute it one iota. But the three of us do have time tested amazing chemistry, and because we were writers on these songs, I feel we have a lot to express. If anything I think this will be a show of respect for Don, not some kind of competition. I only hope people enjoy it in the spirit for which it's intended . . . Don't think of this as DOKKEN without Don... that's misleading. Think of it as a band with great chemistry coming up with new music that excites them, and also paying tribute to DOKKEN — music which the members all are heavily invested in emotionally."

GLEN DROVER BAND, the Canadian group led by acclaimed guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, EIDOLON) has entered the studio to begin recording its sophomore album, tentatively titled "Between Sea And Sky". Glen states, "So far we have completed two instrumental songs for the album and I'm extremely happy with what we have accomplished so far." He adds, "I have decided to take a different approach in terms of recording this time around, which is to work on one piece and finish it 100 percent before moving on the next tune. Because of our situation, we are able to do this easily, and so far it's working out awesome."

GLEN DROVER BAND's forthcoming CD will feature guest appearances by singers Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS) and Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND, EIDOLON), among others.

Comments Glen: "[Henning] is a singer I have wanted to work with for many years. Killer singer and a really cool guy. Nils will be on the album 100%, and I can safely say that because of what we accomplished on the EIDOLON album we did together back in 06, which I am very proud of." He adds, "I would like to say that all singers that I'm talking to will be on the album, but only time will tell if we can record a song together that will be a strong as the rest of the album will be."

Drover was replaced in MEGADETH by Chris Broderick, who has previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

Glen's debut solo album, "Metalusion", was released in April 2011 via Magna Carta Records.

On September 25, 2011, Drover took part in a historic performance that was webcast worldwide as part of the "Live At Metalworks" series from Mississauga, Canada.

Glen's "Live At Metalworks" performance will be released as a DVD in June via Magna Carta.

Finnish metallers DEAD SHAPE FIGURE have entered D-Studio in Nurmijärvi, Finland to begin recording their third album with producer Alexandre Locher (also known as Xytras or Xy) of Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL.

Commented DEAD SHAPE FIGURE: "This is the first time ever DEAD SHAPE FIGURE has used a real producer and done a proper pre-production. It is a fact you can really hear when the album is ready.

"We are super-psyched about Mr. Xy's dedication for these new songs.

"The pre-production-stage took a week, 12 hours a day. That period with Mr. Xy was mentally really interesting yet challenging. He made us push ourselves as a band further and deeper than we would normally go. Xy made us act as a band and not as a mob."

While recording the new album, DEAD SHAPE FIGURE will make select festival appearances during the summer. The band states, "We were not supposed to play any shows before the release of the next album but we got offered a few summer shows, so we thought why not?"

It's been years since Xy produced an album for another band; it started with MISERY's "Mystic" CD in 1993; he would later produce two albums for Greek death/black metal veterans ROTTING CHRIST (1997's "A Dead Poem" and 1999's "Sleep Of The Angel") as well as the first two LPs from Germany's MY INSANITY.

A short video clip of Xy in the studio with DEAD SHAPE FIGURE can be seen below.

DEAD SHAPE FIGURE's mini-CD, "Dev!lle Ride", was released via Dynamic Arts Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Strangle The Hero
02. And They Adore The Replacement
03. Leave Your Buildings
04. Dead Again

Guitarist Kride Lahti left DEAD SHAPE FIGURE last year "due to personal reasons and lack of motivation." He has since been replaced by Silver Ots (THE NIBIRUAN, ex-AMORAL).

DEAD SHAPE FIGURE's second full-length album, "The Disease Of St. Vitus", was released in October 2010 via Dynamic Arts Records. The CD was mastered at Virtalähde Analog Audio Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

The band's debut album, "The Grand Karoshi", came out in 2008 via Season Of Mist. The CD's lyrical content was translated by Kallio into Finnish as a book of poetry, entitled "Loppusäkeet".

WORLD FIRE BRIGADE, the new band featuring Brett Scallions (frontman of FUEL, as well as lead vocalist with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of THE DOORS), Sean Danielsen (lead singer/guitarist of SMILE EMPTY SOUL) and Eddie Wohl (producer/mixer for ANTHRAX, ILL NINO, SMILE EMPTY SOUL, JESSE MALIN, 36 CRAZYFISTS and more), has inked a deal with FrostByte Media. The group's debut album, "Spreading My Wings", will be released on August 28.

Of "Spreading My Wings", Scallions commented, "This is a record filled with all emotions, songs that fall back and forth from major to minor. I love that it's a heavy record with sing-a-long melodies. You don't hear that too much in this style of music."

Originally conceived as a songwriting vehicle for delivering world-class hard rock songs to other artists, WORLD FIRE BRIGADE evolved into its own group when it became clear that their powerful material was meant to be performed by Scallions, Danielsen and Wohl themselves. Ken Schalk (FUEL, CANDIRIA) provides all the drums on "Spreading My Wings" and the album also features guest appearances by PEARL JAM's Mike McCready, ANTHRAX's Rob Caggiano, and Andy Andersson (FUEL, BLACK ROBOT).

WORLD FIRE BRIGADE is: Brett Scallions (vocals), Sean Danielsen (vocals/lead guitar) and Eddie Wohl (keyboards).

"Spreading My Wings" track listing:

01. The End Of Silence
02. Spreading My Wings
03. All You Know
04. Weight Of The World
05. Shell Of Me (featuring Mike McCready)
06. Fly
07. Don't Walk Away
08. Take Me Away (featuring Rob Caggiano)
09. Shot Down
10. All My Demands
11. The Beginning Of Madness
12. Never Saw The Wall (featuring Rob Caggiano)
13. Free And Sane (featuring Andy Andersson)
14. One