"Just Like Charlie Sheen", a brand new song from the hard-rocking Ohio trio AMERICAN DOG — consisting of Michael Hannon (lead vocals, electric bass), Steve Theado (guitar, vocals) and Michael "Hazard" Harris (drums) — can be streamed below. The track comes off the band's sixth studio album, "Poison Smile", which will be released on June 6 via Colonial Canine in North America and Bad Reputation in Europe. The CD is now available for pre-order on AMERICAN DOG's web site in two different packages. The seluxe version of "Poison Smile" comes with an autographed poster, a three-piece collectors' button set, a sticker and an embroidered patch.

"Poison Smile" features a "Dogatized" version of THE CRAMPS classic "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?"

A video for "Just Like Charlie Sheen" will debut on the June 8 release date.

AMERICAN DOG will celebrate the release of the CD with a free show on Saturday, June 9 at the Cock-n-Bull in Summit Station, Ohio.

"Poison Smile" track listing:

01. Devil Dog
02. Just Like Charlie Sheen
03. Old Dog, New Tricks
04. The Real Nitty Gritty
05. 2012 A.D.
06. Poison Smile
07. Lust And Greed
08. Bathroom Romance
09. Splinterin' Sally
10. Off The Chain
11. Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?

Swedish dark rockers KATATONIA have set "Dead End Kings" as the title of their new album, due on August 28 (one day earlier internationally) via Peaceville Records. The CD, which will feature a guest appearance by Norwegian singer Silje Wergeland (THE GATHERING), was recorded over a two-month period at Stockholm's Ghost Ward studios and the band's new, as-yet-unnamed headquarters. David Castillo returned to "twiddle the knobs," while band co-founders Anders "Blakkheim" Nystrm and Jonas Renkse handled the rest of the production duties.

Commented Renkse: "'Dead End Kings' is about the corridors of our mind from where there is no return. Be a king or queen in your own right in these hallways, even at the dead end. Carry your burden with pride. That's what we are doing, twenty years and counting. Kings, because we believe in what we are creating, in our own disturbing faith."

Added Anders: "This album has doors revolving into many different genres of music but remain disguised within the KATATONIA trademark. We have walked the fine line between attempting not to repeat ourselves but also not to distance us away from what people know and love. We're now ready to hand over the evidence and whatever the direction this has taken is now for you to decide. We're confident the creativity and passion on this album is something that will be echoing even beyond the dead end."

"Dead End Kings" track listing (not final running order)

01. The Parting
02. Hypnone
03. Undo You
04. The Racing Heart
05. Buildings
06. Leech
07. The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here (with Silje Wergeland)
08. First Prayer
09. Ambitions
10. Lethean
11. Dead Letters

"Our seal of identity is on here for sure," Nystrm told Decibel magazine. "We haven't gone and changed our sound, but we've further explored some different angles of good music, and that's what we need to do to keep the focus. It might not be so obvious to some, but to others it will be a bigger deal. So, sure, a few surprises and a few songs going off territory are in there, but overall this album is a natural follow-up to [2009's] 'Night Is The New Day', and that is what we wanted to do."

In a recent interview with Loud TV (audio available below), Nystrm stated about the overall musical direction of the band's new CD, "It sounds definitely like KATATONIA; it's a KATATONIA album — solely KATATONIA album. The difference this time is that we maybe even pushed the differences even further. If you compare some of the songs, they could be almost in difference categories of genres, but the interesting thing here is that we have managed with our sound and the production and our performances to make it sound like it's not that far apart; it sounds like it's the same band. But if we would give the songs to some other band, it would sound very, very different. So I'm really happy with that. It was a big challenge. Like, for instance, you could have a song that is going totally off into this singer-songwriter territory, and you could have another song that goes into one of the most aggressive, heavy songs we've ever done, but when I listen to those both songs back to back, I can hear it's the same band doing [them]."

When asked if the new KATATONIA album is the kind of record that will take several airings to really register with the listener, Nystrm said, "Yes. It might be even more like that this time [than in the past], probably, which is a good thing. I was nervous in the beginning and a little bit insecure with how we were gonna pull this album off and what people were gonna think and everything, but now I have this total calm about it; I am totally positive and confident that we have made the album that we needed to do and also what people expect from us. It might take a few listenings to get into the whole thing, but that will stay longer in your listening collection — you will not get tired of it in the first place; I am totally sure of it."

Regarding the upcoming CD's cover artwork — which is once again being created by Travis Smith of Seempieces (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND) — Nystrm said, "It's also gonna be a little bit different. It's actually a really big piece that we're splitting into four, and one of those four is gonna be on the cover. So there will be more to it than what you see first. I don't want to describe too much what's on it yet — you're gonna see that when it's [unveiled] pretty soon — but we're changing the color theme this time. We have been doing the black and the red for a long time now, and we're going totally the opposite and we're doing, actually… The basic color is, actually, white on the new one, but it's not solid white — it's like shades of frost whites and a little bit grey and mixed with black."

On the topic of the lyrical themes cover on the new KATATONIA album, Nystrm said, "The lyrics are, actually, a mixture of trying to be as direct and easy as possible but also remaining a very cryptic feel at the same time, which is a very cool paradox. We're not trying to make it too complicated, but it might be… I mean, the words aren't too complicated, but the meaning of the songs is encrypted. And that we are very eager to see how people will react to and how they will define the meanings of these lyrics. 'Cause they're easy to read, easy to access, but the meaning itself might not be that easy [to decipher]."

IRON MAIDEN's classic 1982 LP "The Number Of The Beast" was named best British album of the past 60 years in an HMV poll to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

IRON MAIDEN's third full-length effort, which saw the recording debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and the final appearance of drummer Clive Burr in the band, took a whopping 9.2% share of the 30,000 votes cast — being selected 2,754 times.

This landmark recording, which, to date, has sold over 14 million copies worldwide and features the anthemic U.K. Top-10 single "Run To The Hills", gave the band their first U.K. No. 1 album. Dickinson comments: "We're astonished and delighted to hear 'The Number Of The Beast' has been named No.1 in HMV's Diamond Jubilee survey for the greatest British album category. Some of the most influential and classic albums from the past 60 years were in the running so it's a testament to our incredibly loyal and ever-supportive fans who voted for us. IRON MAIDEN is a proudly British band, so to win this category as voted for by the British public, in Jubilee year, is very special. Thank you to all our wonderful fans!"

The month-long poll met with a remarkable response from music and film fans alike, with 54,545 votes cast in total across albums and film categories (split approx 30,000 for albums and 24,000 for films) and more than 330,000 Facebook mentions and likes generated in the process. In arguably one of the largest ever surveys of its kind — driven primarily by social media, people were able to select their favorites by using a simple but innovative voting app on the retailer's Facebook page that could also be accessed via www.hmv.com/jubilee.

HMV's Gennaro Castaldo, comments: "You often tend to see the same artists and albums dominate album polls, but with social media increasingly giving the most ardent and passionate fans a powerful voice, I think that's all going to change, and so it's no surprise that IRON MAIDEN have come out on top as their fans are renowned for being the most loyal and dedicated around. Congratulations to IRON MAIDEN — we now know the number of the beast is, I fact, ….1.

"The beginning of Elizabeth II's reign, and the bright new future it represented, didn't just coincide with a flowering of British popular culture, it helped to provide the very spark that lit the touch-paper for an explosion in music and film talent. Since then, the Queen has presided over the richest period of cultural achievement in our nation's history, so it's only right that her Diamond Jubilee, which ironically also encapsulates sixty years of the official charts, should be a period when we reflect on the greatest British albums and films of the past six decades."

Compared to some critics' polls, which are often dominated by the same titles, the HMV survey for the Diamond Jubilee has been entirely determined by a public vote, and so arguably throws up one or two surprises. In doing so, however, it demonstrates the compelling and growing power of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to engage with fans and give them an interactive platform to express their passion for their favourite artists and recordings.

Equally impressive in second spot and with 6.3% of the votes (1,892 votes) are electronic music legends DEPECHE MODE, with, for many people, their career-defining album "Violator". The most popular artists overall, however, are THE BEATLES, who, with "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at No. 3 (5.69%), have four albums in the top 10 and five in the top 20 — accounting for just over 20% or approximately 6,000 of the 30,000 votes cast in the albums category.

Top 10 British albums of the past 60 years, according to the poll hosted by HMV to mark the Diamond Jubilee:

01. IRON MAIDEN - The Number Of The Beast (9.18%)
02. DEPECHE MODE - Violator (6.30%)
03. THE BEATLES - Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (5.69)
04. THE BEATLES - Abbey Road (5.67%)
05. PINK FLOYD - The Dark Side Of The Moon (5.23%)
06. THE BEATLES - Revolver (4.01%)
07. QUEEN - A Night At The Opera (3.98%)
08. OASIS - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? (3.91%)
09. ADELE - 21 (3.07%)
10. THE BEATLES - White Album (2.60%)

Quality video footage of SHADOWS FALL's entire May 21 concert at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California as the support act for FEAR FACTORY can be seen below.

SHADOWS FALL's new album, "Fire From The Sky", sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Retribution", opened with 13,000 units in September 2009 to land at No. 35.

"Fire From The Sky" was released on May 15 via Razor & Tie. Recorded at Zing Studios in late 2011, the CD reunites SHADOWS FALL with longtime friend, producer/engineer and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/TIMES OF GRACE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, ALL THAT REMAINS). The album was mixed by Brian Virtue and features some of the band's most complex and melodic material in years.

Commented singer Brian Fair, "'Fire From The Sky' is not a concept album by any means, but a few common themes do link these songs together. These days, the world seems to be spiraling out of control into a frantic state of confusion, corruption and chaos. It's as if we are living under the shadow of an impending apocalypse. The songs on this album were inspired by this chaos and the struggle to find answers in these dark days."

The cover artwork for "Fire From The Sky" was designed by Aaron Marsh of Forefathers.

Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of VAN HALEN's entire March 30 concert at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Unchained
02. Runnin' With The Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. Romeo Delight
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. Jamie's Cryin'
10. Oh, Pretty Woman (ROY ORBISON cover)
11. Drum Solo
12. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
13. Blood and Fire
14. Dance The Night Away
15. I'll Wait
16. Hot For Teacher
17. Women In Love
18. Girl Gone Bad
19. Beautiful Girls
20. Ice Cream Man (JOHN BRIM cover)
21. Panama
22. Guitar Solo
23. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
24. Jump

According to The Pulse Of Radio, VAN HALEN has not canceled the final 31 dates on its current North American tour due to poor ticket sales, illness or internal turmoil. Singer David Lee Roth posted a video message online earlier in the month, saying that "the band is getting along famously, better than we have in quite some time, and I think the shows reveal that through the miracle of YouTube." But, Roth added, "As usual we bit off more than we can chew when it came to scheduling. The band is winning but our schedule has been sidelined for unnecessary roughness. If we continue past July 4 and all the way into Australia and Japan then we're asking for the robot zombie tour."

The frontman admitted that the band is taking a break now to avoid greater exhaustion later on, saying that they plan to be on the road for two years. He finished, "Stay tuned, and we'll see you down the road in just a little bit."

According to Billboard, a reliable source close to the VAN HALEN camp corroborated Roth's message, saying that "fatigue" is the reason for the dates being scrapped. The source also said that the shows will not be canceled outright, but will be rescheduled.

The source said, "(The band is) doing great with ticket sales. They're not fighting. They're just burnt and they want to take some time off. They got so excited and everything was going so well, they said, 'let's add more dates,' and I don't think they realized how tired they were. That may not sound like the truth, but it is."

VAN HALEN will still play 15 more dates on the current leg of the trek, ending on June 26 in New Orleans. The source said that more shows will be booked, but "we just don't know when yet."

VAN HALEN is touring behind "A Different Kind Of Truth", its first album in 14 years and first with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984.

The Billboard story follows a similar report at VHND.com, widely regarded as the authoritative VAN HALEN fan site. That site reports that the band has been "working tirelessly for the last 18 months" and "wants the second leg (of the tour) to be as awesome as the first."

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST played the final show of their "Epitaph" word tour this past Saturday, May 26 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. The sold-out concert was professionally filmed for a 2013 DVD release.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Heading Out To The Highway
04. Judas Rising
05. Starbreaker
06. Victim Of Changes
07. Never Satisfied
08. Diamonds & Rust (JOAN BAEZ cover)
09. Prophecy
10. Night Crawler
11. Turbo Lover
12. Beyond The Realms Of Death
13. The Sentinel
14. Blood Red Skies
15. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
16. Breaking The Law
17. Drum Solo
18. Painkiller

Encore:

19. The Hellion (taped intro) / Electric Eye

Encore 2:

20. Hell Bent For Leather
21. You've Got Another Thing Comin'

Encore 3:

22. Living After Midnight

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

Regarding JUDAS PRIEST's farewell world tour, singer Rob Halford previously said, "We're pulling out all the stops. We've built a brand new stage set, we've got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It's just a full-on metal extravaganza."

As for whether this is really the end of JUDAS PRIEST's touring days, guitarist Glenn Tipton said, "We don't plan on retiring. We've said that this is our last world tour. It takes a chunk out of your life — 18 months. We won't be doing any more world tours as such and in many parts of the world, it will be the last time people will get a chance to see us. But we're not gonna stop. We've got an album in the can now, we will start to write with [new guitarist] Richie [Faulkner], there will be more albums, and who knows?! There might be a string of dates that we can manage to do. We're just not gonna do another major world tour. We've been doing it for 40 years and it's time to let the younger bands have the chance."

Video footage of Norwegian seven-string guitarist/singer/songwriter The Commander-In-Chief performing the song "Thou" on May 14 at Water Rats in London, England can be seen below.

A press release states: "When The Commander-In-Chief recorded this song some months ago, PANTERA producer Sterling Winfield called it her musical mission statement. He made a written statement afterwards confirming it was all done by HER, with NO Pro Tools magic and NO Auto-Tune or copy/paste of any kind. Still, people have been asking if it is possible to perform this song LIVE, with all the technical rhythm and lead guitars, the epic arpeggio part in the bridge and the very challenging vocal line on top of that — all done by one person."

The Commander-In-Chief released her debut EP, "Evolution", digitally on February 15 via Commander Records/The Commander-In-Chief Ltd. The effort was produced by Sterling Winfield (PANTERA, HATEBREED, HELLYEAH), who previously mixed The Commander-In-Chiefs' "brutal, adrenalin-fueled" cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid".

"Evolution" track listing:

01. Thou
02. Famous
03. Evolution
04. Let It Go

In a 2010 interview with Metal Express Radio, The Commander-In-Chief stated about her music, "I used to call it hybrid rock; the power of rock with the message of punk, and the catchiness of pop inspired by metal techniques. NOW my music has taken a more heavy direction than last year, so it's less punk and more metal."

Regarding her name, The Commander-In-Chief, she said, "I wanted a powerful artist name, since I've always been doing my own thing and still am. I do all the songwriting, guitar playing, singing and I write all the lyrics. For the first demo I made in Chicago I also made my own animated music video which generated quite a buzz on MySpace and gave me all my first fans. I also created illustrations for all my songs, mixing the music with visual arts. I don't do that anymore though, as I just don't have the time."

For more information, go to this location.

The new lineup of NONPOINT made its live debut yesterday (Sunday, May 27) at the Rock Monkey Ruckus at Rockford Speedway in Rockford, Illinois.

Video footage of NONPOINT performing a new song, "I Said It", during yesterday's concert can be seen below.

NONPOINT recently finished recording its seventh album at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Illinois with Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, MEGADETH). The CD will be released later in the year via the band's new label home, Razor & Tie.

Founding NONPOINT members Elias Soriano (vocals) and Robb Rivera (drums) last year welcomed three new members to the family: Dave Lizzio (guitar), Adam Wolosyzn (bass), and Rasheed Thomas (guitar). All three musicians come from the Chicago-based rock act INN CINEMA.

NONPOINT's latest album, "Miracle", sold around 8,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 60 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Miracle" was released in Europe on June 14, 2010 via Powerage Records. The CD was made available in the U.S. on May 4, 2010 via the band's own 954 Records in partnership with Rocket Science Ventures / RED / Sony.

NONPOINT's current lineup:

Elias Soriano - Vocals
Robb Rivera - Drums
Rasheed Thomas - Guitar
Dave Lizzio - Guitar
Adam Woloszyn - Bass

Finnish death metallers PYURIA wll release their third album, "Incarnadine Revelry", on June 13 via Violent Journey Records. The CD was recorded by Henri Virsell and features the following track listing:

01. Immolate
02. Eradicate The Parasites
03. Flesh Grotesque
04. Skeletonized
05. I Am Pain
06. The Enemy
07. Incarnadine Revelry
08. The Dead Will Devour Us All

Formed in 1996 and playing "sick and groovy" death metal, PYURIA was joined by original TORTURE KILLER vocalist Matti Liuke to forge yet another brutal piece of psychopathic murder music.

PYURIA's second album, "ubliette Ontology", was released in 2007.

PYURIA is:

Matti Liuke - Vocals
Antti Kauri - Bass
Tuukka Franck - Drums
Oskari Mäki - Guitar
Ville Lahtivirta - Guitar

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's May 18 concert at Masters of Rock Café in Zlín, Czech Republic can be seen below.

EPICA's fifth full-length album, "Requiem For The Indifferent", sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Design Your Universe", opened with 2,100 units to land at position No. 12 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.

"Requiem For The Indifferent" was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

EPICA will embark on an extensive North American tour this fall. Support on the trek will come from ALESTORM, INSOMNIUM, SYSTEM DIVIDE, DESTINY POTATO. EPICA will offer special VIP tickets to all shows, which include VIP meet-and-greet, one-hour-early entry and commemorative poster signed by the band. Tickets are on sale now exclusively via EnterTheVault.com until May 9, at which point they will be made available through all regular ticketing outlets.

Bassist Rob van der Loo (MAYAN, DELAIN) recently joined EPICA as the replacement for Yves Huts.

Greek black metallers NAER MATARON will release their new album, the title of which translates to "Long Live Death", on July 6. The CD was produced at Hertz Studio, the cover art was created by George "Grin" Prasinis and the entire layout was handled by Mentalporn.com. The album will be released as a digipak and black 180-gram vinyl with gatefold cover limited to 333 units.

"Long Live Death" track listing:

01. Long Live Death (intro)
02. Apocalypse Of The Ancient One
03. Sleepless Beings
04. I Am Lucifer, Messenger Of Your Death
05. Goat Worship
06. Faceless Wrath Of Oblivion
07. Parade Into Centuries
08. Whisper Of Begotten Premonition
09. The Cult Of Doom And Dagger
10. Ode To Death (The Way Of All Flesh)

NAER MATARON is:

Kaiadas - Bass, Vocals
Indra - Guitar
Asmodevs Draco Dvx - Drums

"Ode To Death (The Way Of All Flesh)" can be streamed at this location.

NAER MATARON recently made headlines around the world when it was revealed that their bassist/bassist has been has been elected to Greece's parliament.

Giorgos Germenis, who is known by the stage name "Kaiadas," will represent the extremist Golden Dawn party, which is described as perhaps the most extreme of the far-right parties in all of Europe. Comparisons are made to Germany's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party and many say Golden Dawn's logo resembles a swastika.

Golden Dawn, an extreme right nationalist party with patriotic symbolism and an anti-immigrant stance, won between 5 and 7 percent of the vote in Greece's general elections on May 6, enough for them to gain representation in parliament for the first time in Greek history.

In a statement, the members of NAER MATARON say, "NAER MATARON has been and still remains a pure-blooded black metal band, and as such, a non-political one. Any member of the band has the right to keep on to his personal beliefs and act accordingly. Therefore, any kind of legal political activity of any member, is a matter of personal choice and is respected as such. Attempts to put NAER MATARON under any political agenda are rejected by the band. In addition, any false accusations against the band will come across with legal actions on our behalf. The band stands only for black metal, and black metal is extreme music, not politics. Closing, anyone who is into the extreme music and thematology, but for any reason feels shocked or offended by non-extreme views and/or beliefs is not of our concern."

Icelandic ambient metallers KONTINUUM have inked a deal with Candlelight Records for the release of their debut album, "Earth Blood Magic".

KONTINUUM originated more than 10 years ago from a project featuring Birgir Thorgerisson (POTENTIAM) and Kristjan Heidarsson (ex-POTENTIAM, CHANGER, DARK HARVEST).

It was in 2010 that KONTINUUM was officially born with the aim to make hypnotic and spiritual musical noise.

"I wanted to make music I liked, honest music with less constraints and room for various genre influences but without leaving my musical roots, one that could surprise, tell me something and take me somewhere," says Thorgerisson. "It was, and is, a spiritual process."

After focusing on their other bands for a decade, they entered Sundlaugin Studio in Iceland last year to record their first full-length.

"We are honored and excited about joining the impressive family of artists at Candlelight," says KONTINUUM. "We see our music as being diverse and perhaps not always predictable. That is why it was important to us to team up with a label that understood the source of the vision we express. We look forward to the release of our debut on the world and our future co-operation with Candlelight."

KONTINUUM's current lineup is completed by Ingi Thor Palsson (I ADAPT) and Engilbert Hauksson (POTENTIAM).

Italian "symphonic power epic" metal band THY MAJESTIE will release its long-waited fifth album, "ShiHuangDi", later in the year via Scarlet Records. The CD, which marks the first THY MAJESTIE release since 2009's "Dawn", was recorded at Wreck Studios in Palermo, Italy, mixed by Giuseppe Orlando (NOVEMBRE) at Outer Sound Studios in Rome, Italy and mastered by Mika Jussila (NIGHTWISH, SONATA ARCTICA, STRATOVARIUS) at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

"ShiHuangDi" is described in a press release as "another epic conceptual record, in the vein of THY MAJESTIE's acclaimed albums 'The Lasting Power' (2000) and 'Hastings 1066' (2002). [It] marks another important chapter in the band's career, this time dealing with the life of the legendary Qin Shi Huang, who became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC.

"'ShiHuangDi' will see THY MAJESTIE returning to their trademark sound, made of epic atmospheres, massive orchestral and operatic parts and — most of all — genuinely devastating metal. A very special guest appearance by renowned singer Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE, VISION DIVINE, KAMELOT) has also been announced."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA lead guitarist Kirk Hammett candidly admitted in a new interview with Rolling Stone that the band has to tour pretty continuously in order to pay for its huge overhead, which includes their own studio, salaries for their staff and crew, and their live show production. He explained, "The cycles of taking two years off don't exist anymore. We were able to do that because we had record royalties coming in consistently. Now you put out an album, and you have a windfall maybe once or twice but not the way it used to be — a check every three months."

Things were not so different a few years back, when frontman James Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio that the band would continue to tour extensively despite wanting to dial back on road work. "We've been like a live band, we've had to get out there and play, play, play," he said. "And it's kind of tough, because, you know, nowadays, that was the area we wanted to kind of lay back on a little bit, and kind of enjoy our families and things. But, you know, it is what it is, and we can't change that. We can do our best and that's all we can do."

Asked if the band finances its own recording studio in Northern California with cash earned from touring, Hammett said, "Yeah. The merchandise. We basically take funds from wherever we can. This is a real luxury. But great things come out of this."

Hammett also told Rolling Stone that the band is not staging its upcoming Orion Music + More festival for the money, saying, "Whenever we go on these kinds of endeavors, it's never to make money. We want it to be fun and exciting. Maybe break even. Or lose money. Whatever. It's not a financial thing. We're trying to come up with something cool."

The festival will take place on June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, with METALLICA headlining both nights over lineups that include AVENGED SEVENFOLD, MODEST MOUSE, VOLBEAT, SEPULTURA and many other acts.

Rolling Stone interviewed all four members of METALLICA separately for a cover story that's on sale now.

Tommy Carroll of the South Bend, Indiana radio station 103.9 The Bear conducted an interview with "American Idol" finalist James Durbin at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which was held May 18-20 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked about his soulful singing style, Durbin said, "I listen to a lot of different music, a lot of rock. Just from the ages… HUMBLE PIE, Steve Marriott. He just got inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame [as part of the SMALL FACES], actually… [LED] ZEPPELIN, QUEEN… I love THE DARKNESS, man. AEROSMITH, THE BEATLES, especially. Look at Axl Rose. He's got soul. He may be a dick, but he's got soul. You can't deny that. And talent. But he's a dick, definitely."

James Durbin's debut album, "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 36 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which was released on November 21, 2011 via Wind-Up Records, contains contributions from songwriters James Michael (SIXX: A.M., MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, BUCKCHERRY, OZZY OSBOURNE), along with Swedish rock band HARDCORE SUPERSTAR.

Durbin's current touring band includes former IN THIS MOMENT drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel.

Interview:

Quality video footage of FEAR FACTORY's entire May 21 concert at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California can be seen below.

FEAR FACTORY's new album, "The Industrialist", will be released in North America on June 5 via Candlelight Records. The CD is a conceptual record based around a story written by vocalist Burton C. Bell. Lyrics to the album's ten songs divulge the narrative as discussed recently by Bell with Decibel magazine. The album's artwork was created by American designer Anthony Clarkson with additional direction from the band. The album will be available on three formats — standard CD, a limited edition deluxe digi-book (featuring two additional songs), and 180-gram double vinyl.

Bell notes, "The protagonist (The Industrialist) is the incarnation of all industries in the form of an automaton. The mechanical, technological, and scientific advances through the industrial age led to the creation of The Industrialist. In the story, the automaton becomes sentient as it collects memories with each passing day. Through observation and learning, it gains the will to exist. What was meant to help man, will eventually be man's demise."

"The Industrialist" again pairs FEAR FACTORY with producer Rhys Fulber. Mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, SKINNY PUPPY, MACHINE HEAD), with additional tracking by Logan Mader (GOJIRA, DIVINE HERESY), the album is the second written by Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares since reuniting in 2009 after a seven-year split. Cazares says, "Collaborating with Burton again on the new album was like magic. Everything just fell into place naturally. It felt good to recapture the true sound of FEAR FACTORY, taking it back to where it all started while raising it to new levels." Regarding Fulber, Cazares says, "Rhys has been our secret member. He is the one producer who has been able to understand what we have been trying to accomplish from the beginning and has opened our eyes to new things without sacrificing our original sound. His production and keyboard talents has made FEAR FACTORY stand out amongst the many bands of our genre."

"The Industrialist" track listing:

01. The Industrialist
02. Recharger
03. New Messiah
04. God Eater
05. Depraved Mind Murder
06. Virus of Faith
07. Difference Engine
08. Dissemble
09. Religion is Flawed Because Man is Flawed
10. Human Augmentation
11. Blush Response (Difference Engine) *
12. Landfill *

* Available on deluxe digibook only

"Recharger" can be purchased via iTunes.

FEAR FACTORY recently enlisted Matt DeVries as the band's new bass player. DeVries, previously of CHIMAIRA (where he played guitar) and most recently SIX FEET UNDER, joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for Byron Stroud (now with 3 INCHES OF BLOOD).

FEAR FACTORY has tapped Mike Heller (MALIGNANCY, SYSTEM DIVIDE) as its new touring drummer.

Capital Chaos has uploaded multi-camera video footage of DECREPIT BIRTH's May 9 performance at The Plea For Peace Center in Stockton, California. Check it out below.

DECREPIT BIRTH's third album, "Polarity", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 18 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.

"Polarity" was released on July 27, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD artwork was completed by cult artist Dan Seagrave (MORBID ANGEL, ENTOMBED, SUFFOCATION).

Drums for "Polarity" were tracked at Sharkbite Studios (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS) in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren (ALL SHALL PERISH, SUFFOCATION, IMMOLATION) while the rest of the recordings were overseen by guitarist Matt Sotelo before the entire effort was mixed by Ohren at Castle Ultimate Studios.

This past Friday's (May 25) TRIVIUM concert at Exit/In in Nashville, Tennessee was streamed live at Livestream.com. You can now watch the entire performance (including the pre-show soundcheck) below.

TRIVIUM's latest album, "In Waves", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

"In Waves" was recorded primarily at Paint It Black Studios in Orlando, Florida (with only the drums having been tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida) with the production/mixing team of Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY) and Martin "Ginge" Ford, along with engineer Carl Bown. A two-disc special edition is also available. It features five bonus tracks, plus a DVD with a 40-minute, behind-the-scenes documentary, as well as an exclusive concert filmed in a warehouse located in Orlando, Florida, which is the band's stomping grounds. This concert features the first performances of tracks from "In Waves", along with TRIVIUM classics.

"A Silhouette", the new video from the Denmark-based symphonic metal band EVIL MASQUERADE, can be seen below. The song comes off the group's fifth album, "Pentagram", which was released on May 21 via Dark Minstrel Music. The CD was once again produced by guitarist Henrik Flyman and mixed by Tommy Hansen (JORN, HELLOWEEN) at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Pentagram
02. A Silhouette
03. Perfect Disgrace
04. The Spirits of the Dead
05. Moonlight Fantasy
06. Unholy Water
07. Pray For Mercy On Our Souls
08. Soul Taker
09. On a Bed of Thorns
10. Strangers Might Fool Ya
11. When the Fire Dies
12. The Golden Ratio

A video teaser for "Pentagram" can be seen below. Also available is the final CD artwork.

The music on "Pentagram" is described as heavily influenced by such bands as DIO, BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW.

EVIL MASQUERADE is:

* Henrik Flyman (MOAHNI MOAHNA, ZOOL, WUTHERING HEIGHTS) - Guitar
* Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS) - Vocals
* Dennis Buhl - Drums
* Thor Jeppesen - Bass
* Artur Meinild - Keyboards

EVIL MASQUERADE's fourth album, "Fade To Black", was released in January 2009 via Escape Music. The follow-up to 2006's "Third Act" was mixed and mastered by Tommy Hansen and featured a guest appearance by former RAINBOW keyboardist Tony Carey.

According to JonLord.org, former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord will make his first live appearance this year on July 6 during a special performance of the Durham Concerto in Hagen, Germany.

The concert is rounding off Jon's stretch as this year's "composer in residence" with the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra near Dortmund. To this end, the orchestra has been performing several of his pieces over the past few months, most recently a breathtaking performance of "From Darkness To Light", which was broadcast by German radio WDR3 on May 15.

About that performance, Jon later wrote to Hagen's conductor Florian Ludwig: "It was a truly wonderful and emotional experience sitting in my house in England and listening to the glorious sounds you were making in Hagen — wanting to be there and yet in a way happy that you could not see me with the tears in my eyes. The piece means a very great deal to me, and you played it as if you had looked into my heart and soul and found what I was thinking and feeling as I wrote it."

For the concert on July 6, and subject to the continued progress of his recovery from cancer, Jon will play Hammond organ on his Durham Concerto and piano on a further selection of his solo pieces mixed with works by other composers connected to Jon and his music.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser joined German thrash veterans KREATOR on stage this past Friday (May 25) at the Rock In Rio Lisboa festival in Lisbon, Portugal to perform the songs "Extreme Aggression" and "People Of The Lie". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

KREATOR's new album, "Phantom Antichrist", will be released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK, DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH).

SEPULTURA is touring in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.

Australian industrial djent metallers SYNTHETIC BREED will release a new EP, "Zero Degrees Freedom", on May 29 via the San Francisco, California-based indie metal label Rogue Records America. The four-piece signed with the label in September 2011 and the new five-track EP is their first release for Rogue Records with new material. The digital-only release will be available for purchase through Amazon, Bandcamp, and other digital retailers. The EP package comes complete with PDF booklet, desktop background and Facebook timeline banner.

"Zero Degrees Freedom" was mastered by Mike Spreitzer of DEVILDRIVER at his studio in Santa Barbara, California. Having heard the band, thanks to his friendship with Rogue Records founder and President Dean Martinetti, Mike was eager to get on board and lend his hand to the production. The EP contains five blistering industrial metal cuts fronted by stand-in female vocalist M. Refalaeda. In addition to completely reworking fan favorites like "Resilience", the EP also contains the brand new single "Dimension Zero".

Commented SYNTHETIC BREED drummer Daniel Luttick, "It's been a couple of years since we've released new material. It's a great feeling to be releasing new and re-worked material. I'm a big fan of DEVILDRIVER and Mike's work adds a bit of polish that really brings out the best of what we've done. 'Zero Degrees Freedom' is just preview of what people can expect from our next full-feature album."

Rogue Records previously released the double album "Convergence" and "Perpetual Motion Machine" digitally. The latter album was also released for mail order through Rogue Records physical distribution with Century Media's CM Distro.

Early pioneers of Norwegian black metal, ULVER have continually evolved throughout their career and now stand as living legends of the dark music industry, blending rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions along with noise and experimental music to create groundbreaking material.

Last year they released the critically acclaimed War Of The Roses album which was described by Zero Tolerance as 'a quite beautiful record of startlingly powerful depth'. They return in April with Childhood's End, a collection of classic psychedelic tracks recorded by the band in late 2011.

The album includes Ulver's unique versions of tracks from The 13th Floor Elevators, Electric Prunes, Jefferson Airplane, The Pretty Things and more.

Release Date 28th May 2012

Chapters:
Bracelets of Fingers (The Pretty Things)
Everybody's Been Burned (Byrds)
The Trap (Bonniwell's Music Machine)
In the Past (Chocolate Watchband)
Today (Jefferson Airplane)
Can You Travel in the Dark Alone? (Gandalf)
I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night (Electric Prunes)
Street Song (13th Floor Elevators)
66-5-4-3-2-1 (Troggs)
Dark is the Bark (Left Banke)
Magic Hollow (Beau Brummels)
Soon There Will Be Thunder (Common People)
Velvet Sunsets (Music Emporium)
Lament of the Astral Cowboy (Curt Boettcher)
I Can See the Light (Les Fleur De Lys)
Where is Yesterday (United States Of America)

Professionally filmed video footage of LIMP BIZKIT's entire performance at this year's edition of the Rock In Rio Lisbon festival — shot earlier today (Saturday, May 26) in Lisbon, Portugal — can be seen below.

LIMP BIZKIT's DJ Lethal is sitting out the band's current European tour after he and drummer John Otto reportedly became estranged from the band's frontman, Fred Durst, because "Fred doesn't approve of our lifestyle which includes partying and fun," DJ Lethal said last month. Otto has since apparently patched things up with Durst and is currently on the road with Fred and the rest of the group.

Handling the DJ duties on LIMP BIZKIT's current run of dates is Franko Carino (a.k.a. DJ Skelator), who is said to be the band's former sound tech. He is also formerly a member of the electronic duo PARTY SLAYERZ, which reportedly included DJ Lethal.

Two pictures of Franko Carino — who wears a skull mask as part of his DJ Skelator persona — can be seen below. The first is a picture of him on stage. The second is a picture of him huddling with the other members of LIMP BIZKIT.

The latest installment of the CANDLEMASS biography "Candlemass Chronicles" has just been released. In this fifth issue, focus is set on the self-titled album (Nuclear Blast Records, 2005) and the period from the band's reunion in 2002 up until the final split of the classic lineup in 2006. Former vocalist Messiah Marcolin has been kind enough to go on the record for the first time about his final time and ultimate exit from CANDLEMASS. So in this issue and nowhere else, CANDLEMASS fans will get the entire story told from both sides. The people interviewed in this issue are Marcolin, lead guitar player Lars Johansson, rhythm guitar player Mats "Mappe" Björkman, bass player Leif Edling, drummer Janne Lindh, recording engineer and co-producer Pontus Norgren and album cover artist Tomas Arfert.

The issue can be ordered using PayPal via candlemasschronicles@yahoo.com. Price is 7 U.S. dollars. Postage is 2 dollars (within the U.S.) or 6 dollars (rest of the world).

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/candlemasschronicles.

Established in 2008, the purpose of the Candlemass Chronicles is to create an in-depth biography of the legendary Swedish doom metal band CANDLEMASS in the form of magazines. Each issue focuses on one album from the CANDLEMASS catalog and goes into great detail about the recording process and that particular period of the band's history. Albums that have so far been covered in previous issues of Candlemass Chronicles are "From The 13th Sun", "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and "Chapter VI" and "King Of The Grey Islands".

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/candlemasschronicles.

CANDLEMASS bassist/mainman Leif Edling with Candlemass Chronicles co-creator John Gaffney:

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN performing a brand new song, "The Misfortune Teller", on May 25 at New Daisy Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee can be seen below.

DOWN entered the studio last October to begin recording the first in a series of four EPs, to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

The first six-song EP, which heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, will be released "late summer," according to guitarist Kirk Windstein. "[It's] kind of a throwback to what we were doing at the very beginning, on the 'Nola' record [DOWN's 1995 debut]," he said. "I think the fans are going to love it."

DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo recently described the band's new EP as "very stripped down. Nothing flashy. Straight to the point… really just DOWN music. If you liked the first record, the demos… something like that… This record, we're pretty dead straight and honest and on the money as far as making it as simple and direct as possible and I think we did that. . . It has that practice-room vibe to it. We didn't really try and fucking slick it out and anything. We went the more raw route, as far as an approach."for yourselves and you guys will be better judges than myself at this point."

The track listing for the effort is as follows (in no particular order):

01. Levitation
02. Witchtripper
03. The Misfortune Teller
04. The Curse Is A Lie
05. Open Coffins
06. This Work Is Timeless