"When Worlds Collide", the full-length album from THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT — the solo project of GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot before his untimely death last fall — will be released on June 5 via Metal Balde Records.

THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT's CD was recorded in 2010 at Cory's Karma Studios, where GWAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE and many others have laid down tracks. The songs were originally meant for a concept album called "Religion Is Fiction". Cory was going to lay down all the tracks and then get some of his favorite singers from the internationally acclaimed Richmond metal scene to do the vocals, including GWAR lead singer Dave Brockie and LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe. Unfortunately, this didn't happen due to scheduling problems, but that didn't mean the end of the project. Cory went ahead and recorded the vocals himself and renamed the project THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT, completing the entire package just before his final tour with GWAR in the fall of 2012.

After his passing, GWAR and Metal Blade set up the Smoot Family Fund to help provide for Cory's family. All proceeds from this album will be donated to this fund.

Metal Blade Records Chairman and CEO Brian Slagel commented on the album's release: "Metal Blade Records is donating all the proceeds of the Cory Smoot solo album to the Smoot family. Please help us by getting the CD and enjoying the immense talent he was."

Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus, lead singer of GWAR, shared his memories of Cory: "Cory Smoot is one of the great unsung heroes of metal. His musical abilities transformed GWAR from a splatter-thrash phenomena into a top metal act. And though he may have left us way too early, he left us a lifetime of music to listen to. He tore it up like few others, and will always be remembered as the true Flattus Maximus. We really loved the man, and there is not a day that goes by or a GWAR show that is played where he is not sorely missed"

"When Worlds Collide" track listing:

01. The Blood Red
02. Fortunate Son
03. Religion is Fiction
04. Rebirth
05. Brainfade
06. Mandatory Purgatory
07. Countdown To Oblivion
08. The Gauntlet
09. When Worlds Collide
10. Mutilation
11. Hollow Tree
12. Sloth Loves Chunk

The song "Mutilation" can now be streamed using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of GuitarWorld.com).

Smoot died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease

Cory, who had played the character of Flattus Maximus for over ten years, was discovered dead on the band's tour bus on November 3, 2011. He was 34 years old.

Smoot joined GWAR in 2002 and first appeared on the band's 2004 album "War Party". He was the fifth guitarist to play the character of Flattus Maximus, known by his red face, white dreadlocks, dinosaur-head shoulder pads and reptile feet.

Born August 25, 1977, Smoot previously played in metal bands MISGUIDED and LOCUS FACTOR and continued to play with MENSREA, in addition to establishing his own solo project, THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT.

"Mutilation" audio stream:

Rolling Stone magazine conducted separate interviews with the four members of METALLICA — guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — during a recent visit to the band's headquarters in San Rafael, California. The full interviews can be found in Rolling Stone's "The Big Issue", available on newsstands now. A few excerpts follow below.

Rolling Stone: How far have you gotten into writing for a new album?

James Hetfield: "I only have 846 riffs."

Rolling Stone: Is that an exact figure?

James Hetfield: "In iTunes, you can see how many things you've got. And that does not include the soundchecks, the stuff we goof around with here. You plug in an amp. Suddenly it makes you feel good — you come up with a riff. 'Dude, did you get that?' You can't get away from being recorded here.

"But Lars, the hoarder of METALLICA, is obsessed with revisiting every stone, turning it over: 'That could be great!' Yeah, it could all be great. But I've got a new one right now. That's the Catch-22. You've got a riff from five years on tour that's amazing. Do I still feel it? Don't worry. Something better will show up."

Rolling Stone: Are there too many distractions — tours, the [Orion Music + More] festival, the [upcoming 3D] movie — that take you away from the primary business of…

James Hetfield: "Writing songs? Absolutely. This week is interviews, photo shoots, shooting videos for things. When are we going to start writing? 'We've got to rehearse the 'black' album.' I would love to sit and write without having to think of other stuff."

Rolling Stone: How much will playing [the "black" album in its entirety on METALLICA's current tour] affect your next album?

Lars Ulrich: "I've been sitting with [the songs from the 'black' album] for a month now, listening to them while I'm driving, immersing myself before we play them: 'Why did we go one key up there? Why did we repeat that thing four times instead of two?' I was thinking about it again today. There was a moment in 'Sad But True' with that half-chorus in the middle. Then it went back to the guitar solo, and then there was a little break before it goes into the third verse.

"I couldn't help thinking, 'Why was it put together like that?' Maybe we can slightly borrow that?' If you can't rip yourself off, what's the [oint? It will be interesting to see, once we take this album out to people in different countries, what we'll come back with for the writing sessions in the fall."

Rolling Stone: You do have a lot of projects that get in the way of making new music.

Lars Ulrich: "I don't want to be that band that just does record, tour; record, tour. I will say to my dying day, 'Who wouldn't want to make a record with Lou Reed?' They are adventures, uncharted territory, places where you do more than just use muscle memory. I want to get away from that model, that the sole reason for a band to exist is to just make another record."

Rolling Stone: How do you look at your long-term future? You just celebrated your 30th anniversary. Another 30 years might be optimistic.

Lars Ulrich: "I still don't feel we've challenged ourselves enough. We still talk about 'the next album.' We can do whatever we want with our music. 'We've hidden a new METALLICA CD in each ZIP code in America. Go find it!' There's nothing but options.

"Just don't mention the word 'work.' The a.m. grind, getting my three kids ready for school — that is the work part of my day. When I come in here, that's when the fun starts."

Rolling Stone: You've fallen way behind in making new music, because you're so busy with touring, the festival and the 3D movie.

Kirk Hammett: "We've known for at least two years that we have to start writing songs. It feels like I'm standing on the side of a hill: There's this big boulder at the top that I know is going to start rolling one of these days. And when it does, we won't be able to stop it. But it hasn't started rolling yet.

"It's on everybody's mind. When we finished [playing the 30th-anniversary shows] at the Fillmore [in San Francisco] last year, I thought, 'A year from now, I'm going to be 50. At this rate, does that mean I have two albums left in me? Three?' But if we run at a different rate, who knows? Five? The one thing I've learned is you can't be too prophectic in this band, because something happens, and things completely change."

Rolling Stone: How much have you written, riff-wise, for the next record?

Robert Trujillo: I have about 20 ideas that I feel really good about, whereas on 'Death Magnetic' I had one or two. But one of them ended up being 'Suicide And Redemption'. Hetfield — he's a writing machine. Kirk has over 300 ideas. There's so much stuff from the tuning-room jams, from all those years of touring. I like to think I have 20 ideas I believe in."

Rolling Stone: What's the best one so far?

Robert Trujillo: "[Grins] There's one that reminds me of something off BLACK SABBATH's 'Vol. 4'."

BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has released the following statement:

"Dear SABBATH fans and musicians,

"I have read Geezer's [Butler, BLACK SABBATH bassist] statement of May 19, 2012 titled 'Heavy Heart.' Out of respect for the Birmingham gig, I wanted to wait 24 hours before releasing this statement. There are some points he brought up which I want to respond to.

"1) I had indeed notified Ozzy [Osbourne, BLACK SABBATH singer], Tony [Iommi, BLACK SABBATH guitarist] and Geezer well before my first public statement that I was having contractual difficulties.

"2) I came out into a public forum to be accountable to the fans primarily, and to say at a public level there's a problem. The band members stopped talking and corresponding with me some time ago, with the exception of a nice letter from Tony on my birthday. Prior to that, Geezer and I were corresponding, but that stopped abruptly in late February after I emailed a specific question to him.

"3) In my statement of May 15, I clearly stated I would play Birmingham for free. That was not a problem — charity or otherwise.

"4) My Download fee was not an extravagant amount. Originally, when Download was part of a full tour, I had asked for a decent fee. More recently, as we were negotiating just Download/Birmingham and Lollapalooza, I told my attorney that I would accept the proposed small Download fee, but there were other parts of the offer that were unsatisfactory.

"I will continue to be honest and respectful towards the band and our fans. I will also confront any untruths about me, and any fault-finding missions aimed at me that come to my attention.

"I hope the band and the fans had a good gig in Brum."

"Stay safe/stay strong."

BLACK SABBATH played a hometown concert last night (Saturday, May 19) at the intimate 3,800-capacity O2 Academy in Birmingham, England as a warm-up show for the band's appearance at the Download festival at Donington next month. The band's first performance in Birmingham in 13 years — and their first concert since 2005 — featured three-quarters of the legendary heavy metal act's original lineup — Iommi, Osbourne and Butler. Tommy Clufetos, a member of Ozzy's solo band, is filling in for Ward, who is sitting out the group's reunion shows due to a contractual dispute with his bandmates.

BLACK SABBATH was supposed to tour the Europe and North America this year as part of a worldwide trek in support of a new album, but Iommi's cancer diagnosis put those plans on hold.

Ozzy, Iommi and Butler recently spent time in London recording their first album together in 33 years, although without drummer Bill Ward it is not the original SABBATH reunion announced last November.

SWALLOW THE SUN writer and guitarist Juha Raivio's female-fronted side project with singer Aleah Stanbridge, TREES OF ETERNITY, recently signed a publishing deal with AMF Music — a U.K.-based servicing publishing company that also offers management services, synchronization opportunities and additional marketing. Andy Farrow, who manages bands such as PARADISE LOST, OPETH, Devin Townsend and KATATONIA, is head of the company and now in charge of finalizing the album deal TREES OF ETERNITY has on the table. "The current plan is to record the album with Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios in Sweden, and hopefully a recording date and more details can be announced soon," he says.

TREES OF ETERNITY's musical style is described in a press release as "down-tempo, doom/death inspired melancholia with ghostly female vocals." The full band's recording lineup will include three more musicians (whose identities will not be revealed until album recording details are released), as well as some acclaimed guest musicians.

TREES OF ETERNITY came into being when Raivio and Stanbridge got together in the studio to work on the song "Lights On The Lake" for SWALLOW THE SUN's album "New Moon". The plan was to to feature Aleah's vocals on part of the song already prepared by Juha, but when they instead began to experiment with a vocal line Aleah had written for the occasion, the session quickly headed off in a new direction and the project took on a life of its own.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/treesofeternity.

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' May 19 concert at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose skipped the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last month and declined to be inducted along with the rest of the group. The singer also reaffirmed that there is no chance of the original lineup reuniting, and seemed to speak directly to fans still hoping for a reunion when he added, "Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."

In at least a partial nod to his former bandmates, however, Rose wrote, "For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from GUNS their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show, not mine."

Original GN'R members Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan, along with later members Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, performed three songs at the induction ceremony in Cleveland. They were joined on vocals by Myles Kennedy, who sings in Slash's solo band.

In addition sole original member Axl Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

"An Honourable Reign", the new video from the U.K. metalcore act BURY TOMORROW, can be seen below. The clip was directed and produced by Sitcom Soldiers. The song comes off the band's second album, "The Union Of Crowns", which will be released on July 16 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"An Honourable Reign" lyrics:

Reign upon me, show me how I will survive.
Try and tell me a way to feel alive.
Bring it back to life, to whole new heights and tell me what is needed.
I know you'll guide me home down this darkened road.
Rain upon me, shower me with the tears of salvation.
Hold me close, hold me near.

I find myself another year spent facing a wall...
My life; our path has never been shown, but we move on.
Fighting to keep our reign from them.

We will fall into the blacker sense of reason.
Choose your side.
I hope to God you pick the right one this time.

We are The Crown!
We are The Crown!
Stand up and scream it loud!
Triumphant; immovable.

In darkness we find ourselves.

I knew we would pursue the right path, even if it was long.
We haven't changed, we stay the same; ever strong.

Show me the new day...know as long as our hearts are beating,
we will always find our way. (End of lyrics.)

"The Union Of Crowns" track listing:

01. Redeemer
02. The Maiden
03. Lionheart
04. Message to a King
05. An Honourable Reign
06. Knight Life
07. Royal Blood
08. Bitemarks
09. Abdication of Power
10. Kingdom
11. 1603
12. Sceptres
13. Vacant Throne
14. A Curse

"We are unbelievably honored to be signing to Nuclear Blast," said the the group in a statement. "It feels unreal to be part of a label with such immense pedigree that has so much faith in our music. From the first demo they were sent, the guys at Nuclear Blast were just as stoked on the potential of the record as we were, and that means an awful lot to us.

"We have always said that this album would be how we defined the genre we've grown up in; what better place to start this path on, than with the world's biggest heavy metal label!"

Jaap Wagemaker at Nuclear Blast says, "After listening to the first music that was sent to us, we decided that we HAD to work with this young band immediately! Having just finished recording their debut album for Nuclear Blast, 'The Union Of Crowns'… this incredible record clearly shows that this band has everything to make it big in today's metal scene and go far beyond that! We at Nuclear Blast are looking forward to bring this band to the next level!"

BURY TOMORROW is:

Davyd Winter Bates - Bass
Mehdi Vismara - Guitar
Daniel Winter Bates - Vocals
Adam Jackson - Drums
Jason Cameron - Vocals/Guitar

Former HANOI ROCKS vocalist Michael Monroe played a last-minute show last night (Sunday, May 20) at The Bowery Electric in New York City. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Michael's latest album, "Sensory Overdrive", was released in the U.S. and Canada in August 2011 via Spinefarm/Universal. The CD, which was released in Europe in March 2011 via Universal Music subsidiary Spinefarm Records, features guest appearances by MOTÖRHEAD's Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and three-time Grammy-winning country/folk singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams.

"Sensory Overdrive" was recorded in Los Angeles with legendary producer Jack Douglas, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CLUTCH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and NEW YORK DOLLS, among many others.

Monroe in June 2011 recruited Dregen (real name: Andreas Tyrone Svensson) of Swedish sleaze rockers BACKYARD BABIES to be the guitarist of Monroe's solo band following the departure of Ginger (THE WILDHEARTS).

Canadian rock legends RUSH have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 5-8, 2013 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. It will mark the band's first appearance at a European festival in 35 years (since they played at Pinkpop in Holland in 1977).

Sweden Rock Festival 2013 will be a four-day festival featuring a total of 80 bands performing on five outdoor stages.

Tickets will be made available September 25.

In 2004, RUSH played in Sweden for the first time in 25 years, selling out the Globe Arena in Stockholm. The overwhelming audience response marked the beginning of a passionate love story between the band and Sweden, and on June 8, 2013 they will be back again. The event promises to be a magnificent assault on all senses — Geddy Lee (vocals/bass), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums) tell the Sweden Rock organizers that the stage production will be one of the greatest in RUSH's entire history, and the biggest they have ever brought to Europe.

RUSH's first new collection of original material in over five years and their first studio release via Anthem/Roadrunner Records, "Clockwork Angels" will be released on June 12.

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN performing an impromptu cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Breaking The Law" at the opening show of DOWN's current mini-tour this past Friday, May 18 at The Station in Broussard, Lousiana 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

Official Metallica.com footage of METALLICA's pre-show meet-and-greet, tuning-room jam and "The God That Failed" performance at the May 10 show of the band's European tour at the Sonisphere festival at the Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland can be viewed below.

METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety at the Warsaw concert. As they have done on all the shows on their current European tour, the band played the LP backwards, starting with closing number "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. The Shortest Straw
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. Fight Fire With Fire
06. The Struggle Within
07. My Friend Of Misery
08. The God That Failed
09. Of Wolf & Man
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Through The Never
12. Don't Tread On Me
13. Wherever I May Roam
14. The Unforgiven
15. Holier Than Thou
16. Sad But True
17. Enter Sandman

Encore:

18. Creeping Death
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

Asked whose idea it was for METALLICA to play the "black" album in reverse on the current tour, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Rolling Stone magazine, "If you like the idea, it was mine. If you don't, it was James' [Hetfield, guitar/vocals]. For better or worse, I'm the setlist guy. This is all subject to change if it doesn't work. But the idea of starting off with the lesser-known songs buried down there and ending up with 'Sad But True' and 'Enter Sandman' seems like a winner. You finish with the money shot, which is the first song."

On the topic of the "black" album's shift away from sped metal to shorter, simpler songs, which set the tone for the rest of METALLICA's career, Lars said, "I'm a big believer that the records all thread together. That straighter, four-on-the-floor thing was present on earlier records, in 'Harvester Of Sorrow' and 'Ride The Lightning'. But we went all-out because there was nowhere else to go. Where do you go after 'Dyer's Eve'? You can't get faster. You can't get more pissed off than Hetfield barking at his parents. That was the end of the Eighties for us."

He continued, "We played a show with AEROSMITH in the summer of 1990, right at the time we started writing the 'black' album. I remember sitting under the grandstand with [co-manager] Cliff Burnstein. He said, 'The MISFITS are a huge part of your influence — 'Last Caress' is a minute and a half long, [THE ROLLING STONES'] 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' is part of who you are. You just haven't released it yet.'

"I went back to San Francisco and there was a riff on Kirk's [Hammett, guitar] on tape [hums the 'Enter Sandman' lick]. The whole thing is just that riff. 'Enter Sandman' was the blueprint. The rest of the record appeared over two months."

METALLICA will play the complete "black album" at its own Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 23-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. METALLICA is headlining both days and will perform its entire 1984 album "Ride The Lightning" for the first time ever on the other day of the festival.

"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold 15,776,000 copies in the United States.

Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.

Citizen Brick prides itself creating Minifigs for collectors of all sorts. Even if they happen to love Satan. This guy may or may not have a sacrificial alter in his apartment storage unit, yet still embodies the Norwegian black metal aesthetic in sinister detail. Perfect for your dystopian horrorscapes or as a gift for your metalhead cousin.

Citizen Brick premium printed LEGO-compatible Minifigs are said to be the finest quality Minifigs and bricks around. They feature no labels, decals, hand painting, or ink jet digital. Printed like the real thing using authentic LEGO parts.

For more information, visit CitizenBrick.com.

Millions and millions of fans all over the world have enjoyed the amazing music from classic rock bands such as JOURNEY, TOTO, CHICAGO, DEEP PURPLE, STARSHIP, RAINBOW and FOREIGNER. The songs that truly are the soundtrack of generations.

Imagine that you could see a live concert with not only one but up to four of the legendary singers, performing their biggest hits together backed by a world-class band of famous top musicians!!

Welcome to Legends: Voices Of Rock. The legendary singers include Grammy-winning and million-selling names like Bobby Kimball (TOTO), Fergie Frederiksen (TOTO), Joe Lynn Turner (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW), Bill Champlin (CHICAGO), Steve Augeri (JOURNEY) and more!!!

The two guys behind Legends are Swedish guitar players Tommy Denander and Sayit Dölen.

Tommy Denander is a Grammy-nominated, world-famous top guitarist who has played on more than 2,000 albums with superstars like Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Paul Stanley, Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, Peter Cetera, B.B. King, Carlos Santana and many more.

Sayit Dölen has a long career of studio and live work with stars like Enrique Iglesias, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jimi Jamison, Bobby Kimball, Kate Melua and many more.

With handpicked top musicians and a serious effort to play the hits with the original
quality — and sometimes better — Legends: Voices Of Rock offers a top-quality show for any part of the world.

The project is currently on tour and next up is Japan in June and various festivals in Scandinavia this summer. Shows for all over Europe, Russia, Australia, China and
America are in the making for 2012 and 2013.

For more information, visit www.legends-vor.com.

Slash has once again shot down the possibility of VELVET REVOLVER reuniting with singer Scott Weiland for a new album and tour.

Weiland told ABC News Radio last week that he was making new music with VELVET REVOLVER four years after he was unceremoniously kicked out of the band at the end of a U.K. tour. "We've all grown a lot," Weiland said. "We're able to put egos and differences and old… conflicts aside and so that's really cool."

He added, "They gave me a couple of [new] songs and myself and [guitarist] Dave [Kushner] and [bassist] Duff [McKagan] are gonna be getting together for a songwriting session next week."

Weiland also claimed that VELVET REVOLVER would hit the road for a short tour before the end of the year. "Slash's solo album gets released [on May 22] and so he's gonna do some touring on that and then we're gonna go and do some [VELVET REVOLVER] shows in the later part of summer into early fall," the singer said.

During an appearance on last night's (Friday, May 18) edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Slash was asked about Weiland's comments and whether there is any truth to the reports that VELVET REVOLVER was once again working with the STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman.

"I was doing a radio interview [with the 'Half-Assed Morning Show' on the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X on Monday, May 14] and we just rolled into town," Slash said. "I got out of my [tour bus] bunk and I dropped my guys off and went straight to this radio station. So I'm acclimating to the morning show, which you know the energy levels of those morning guys. I'm trying to get the coffee in my system. And [the radio show host] starts saying something at one point where he goes, 'So Scott Weiland's back in VELVET REVOLVER. And how does that feel?' And I was like, 'Woah! What?' And he goes, 'Yeah, Scott said you guys are writing together and you're gonna be on the road by the end of the year.' And I was just like, 'Am I delirious? What are you saying?'"

He continued, "Anyway, then, which was a good thing, he played me a tape of the actual conversation with Scott saying all this stuff. I was like, 'What the f…?' And that was it. And I called Duff, and I was like, 'Duff, do you know anything about this?' And Duff says, 'I have no idea.' So that was it. I was just in a state of shock."

"I talked to Dave Kushner and he said that he and Scott had some conversations at some point about getting back together. But I remember that was sort of Scott's M.O. when we did that reunion thing [VELVET REVOLVER reunited for a short performance at the January 'Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien' at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. (see video below) — Ed.] So he's been interested in burying the hatchet and getting back together and sort of juggling this whole STP/VELVET REVOLVER perfect-world thing. And I'm, like, there's no way that's gonna happen. I love Scott — he's a great guy when I'm not in a band with him. I'd just like to keep it that way. So there's no truth to this whole thing. [It's been given] way more attention than it even deserves."

When asked by RollingStone.com whether he would be open to a full-fledged VELVET REVOLVER reunion at some point down the road, Weiland said, "Yeah, I definitely would, some time. If Maynard [James Keenan] can do it with A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL, then there's no reason why I shouldn't go and do it with both bands [STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER]."

Weiland reunited with his original band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, just as his run with VELVET REVOLVER was coming to a close. STP has toured constantly since and recorded a new album in 2010.

According to The Australian, Sydney, Australia-based quintet OUROBOROS may be the first death-metal band to receive support from the Australian government through the Australia Council For The Arts.

The Australia Council For The Arts offers a broad range of grants for Australian artists and arts organizations. In 2010-2011, the arts-funding body invested over AUD 163 million (approximately $160 million) in artists and arts organizations to support Australian artists to make art for Australian and international audiences.

OUROBOROS' AUD 20,000 grant (approximately $19,670) is to help the band write new songs for its next album that will include a symphony orchestra.

"This is amazing for us," drummer David Horgan told The Australian. "We couldn't consider hiring an orchestra to do this without this kind of support."

Composer Matthew Hindson, chair of the Australia Council music board which approved the grant, said of OUROBOROS: "They have a degree of technical virtuosity and musicianship. No matter what kind of music you are involved in, that comes through."

Read more from The Australian.

Canadian hard rockers HELIX will release a compilation CD entitled "1983-2012" in September. Singer Brian Vollmer states, "It will feature 19 tracks from various HELIX CDs over the years plus one brand new track, the Christmas track that Sean [Kelly; CRASH KELLY] and I wrote. We're keeping the name of the song under wraps for the time present, but as we get into the later part of the summer I'll let everyone know what it is. Last Friday, I was at Brent's [Doerner, guitar] place in Kitchener and we were working on the video and it was looking good. The game plan is to have the song go to radio the first week of September and the video to be released on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and [the] Planet Helix [web site] at the same time. At the end of the video will be the Christmas tour dates plus a link to the Heavy Mental Christmas web site where fans will be able to buy tickets online. I'm very excited about this and everyone who has heard the song thinks it's going to get lots of airplay/video play. We'll see..."

"1983-2012" CD tentative track listing:

01. Danger Zone
02. Running Wild In The 21st Century
03. Give It To You
04. Jaws Of The Tiger
05. Deep Cuts The Knife
06. Skin In The Game
07. Good To The Last Drop
08. The Same Room
09. Heavy Metal Love
10. Fill Your Head With Rock
11. Get Up!
12. Wild In The Streets
13. Six Feet Underground
14. Rock You
15. Champagne Communist
16. Animal Inside
17. Make 'Em Dance
18. I'm A Live Frankenstein
19. You Got The Love That I Like
20. Mystery Christmas Song

HELIX last year released the "Skin In The Game" EP. The CD was mixed by Aaron Murray and was mastered at Carvello Mastering in Toronto, Ontario. The artwork was once again created by Babyjack Design, who previously worked with the band on the "Vagabond Bones" and "Smash Hits Unplugged" releases.

BLACK SABBATH played a hometown concert last night (Saturday, May 19) at the intimate 3,800-capacity O2 Academy in Birmingham, England as a warm-up show for the band's appearance at the Download festival at Donington next month.

Reviews of last night's concert can be found by following the links below:

* Kerrang!
* Rolling Stone
* The Midlands Rocks
* Counteract Magazine
* Classic Rock
* Terrorizer

BLACK SABBATH's setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Into The Void
02. Under The Sun
03. Snowblind
04. War Pigs
05. Wheels Of Confusion
06. Electric Funeral
07. Black Sabbath
08. The Wizard
09. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
10. N.I.B.
11. Fairies Wear Boots
12. Tomorrow's Dream
13. Sweet Leaf
14. Symptom Of The Universe (intro only)
15. Drum Solo
16. Iron Man
17. Dirty Women
18. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

19. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (intro only)
20. Paranoid

Fan-filmed video footage is available below.

BLACK SABBATH's first performance in the band's hometown in 13 years — and their first concert since 2005 — featured three-quarters of the legendary heavy metal act's original lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler. Tommy Clufetos, a member of Ozzy's solo band, is filling in for original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who is sitting out the group's reunion shows due to a contractual dispute with his bandmates.

Commented Butler after the concert: "Thank you, thank you, thank you Birmingham. Best fans ever — you brought out the best in us. It was a privilege playing for you tonight. Tony [Iommi, SABBATH guitarist] was a hero — you were the best medicine he has had. Proud to be a Brummie."

According to Black-Sabbath.com, last night's concert was professionally recorded and filmed.

All tickets for last night's show reportedly sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale on May 4.

BLACK SABBATH was supposed to tour the Europe and North America this year as part of a worldwide trek in support of a new album, but Iommi's cancer diagnosis put those plans on hold.

Ozzy, Iommi and Butler recently spent time in London recording their first album together in 33 years, although without drummer Bill Ward it is not the original SABBATH reunion announced last November.

BLACK SABBATH has been confirmed for this year's Lollapalooza festival, which takes place on August 3-5 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.

French-Canadian technical death masters MARTYR, who feature in their ranks current VOIVOD guitarist Daniel Mongrain, have issued the following update:

"After 14 years of great musical adventures, drummer Pat Hamelin has decided to leave the band MARTYR due to personal reasons. We all wish him well. The remaining members of MARTYR are unsure about the future of the band, as there has been a lot of undergoing tensions through the last years that was not taken care of, thus resulting in a frustrating negative vibe that would stagnate creativity and motivation. MARTYR is on hold for now. More news to come later. Thanks for your support over all these years!!"

MARTYR's third studio album, "Feeding the Abscess", was released in October 2006 via Galy Records. The CD was recorded and mixed by Pierre Rémillard (ANVIL, GORGUTS, CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN) and was mastered by Alan Douches. MARTYR's back catalog was also reissued through Galy Records. The "Hopeless Hopes" (1997) album was re-released with a stunning new booklet, while both "Hopeless Hopes" and "Warp Zone" (2000) were remastered by Yannick St-Amand and contain four bonus tracks.

San Diego's Rock Act PIERCE THE VEIL werden ihr neues Album "Collide With The Sky" am 17. Juli 2012 via Fearless Records veröffentlichen. Aufgenommen wurde das Album mit Dan Korneff und Kato Khandwala (Mayday Parade, Paramore, A Day To Remember). Jetzt wurde das "Collide With The Sky" Cover Artwork und die Track List enthüllt.

"Collide With The Sky" Track List:

01. May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight
02. Hell Above
03. A Match Into Water
04. King For A Day
05. Bulls In The Bronx
06. Props & Mayhem
07. Tangled In The Great Escape
08. I'm Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket
09. The First Punch
10. One Hundred Sleepless Nights
11. Stained Glass Eyes And Colorful Tears
12. Hold On Till May
Pierce The Veil Official Homepage

Die Band hat ein Statement veröffentlicht: "Der größte ist weg. Trondr Nefas, unser liebster Freund und Begleiter für mehr als 20 Jahren, starb plötzlich letzte Woche. Er starb einen ruhigen und natürlichen Tod an einem seiner Lieblingsplätze, umgeben von Wäldern und kristallklaren Seen.

Danke für all die Jahre, Freundschaft, Musik und Wahnsinn. Für die guten Zeiten und schlechten Zeiten. Für die dunkle Hingabe zum Black Metal, du hast uns so inspiriert. Du warst ein wahrer Pionier. Wir werden dich vermissen, aber nie vergessen, weil dein Vermächtnis weiter leben wird. Unser tiefstes Mitgefühl gilt Trond Verlobte Octavia, und den Familien. Wir freuen uns über all die Anteilnahme und Unterstützung, die uns nach seinem tragischen Tod erreichten.

Sammen var vi dynamitt!"

Trondr Nefas wurde nur 35 Jahre alt. Auch unsere Anteilnahme gilt den Familien der Angehörigen! "RIP" Trondr!

Deutschlands Horror Punks THE OTHER, melden sich bald mit einem neuen Gruselkabinett zurück: Mitte Juni veröffentlicht die Band ihr neue Album "The Devils you Know". Das schaurige Cover Artwork wurde einmal mehr von STEFAN HEILEMANN (unter anderem EPICA, KREATOR) gezeichnet. Man darf sich also wohl abermals auf eine Vollbedienung in Sachen blutigen Horror Punks freuen.

"The Devils you Know" Track List:

01. The Devils You Know
02. My Home Is My Casket
03. Take You Down
04. Skeletons In The Closet
05. Fright Night
06. Puppet On A String
07. In My Veins
08. Nice Day For A Funeral
09. Nightmare On Halloween
10. The Phantom Of The Opera
11. Fire From Outer Space
12. Where Is Your Saviour Now
13. Hell Is A Place On Earth
14. In The Shadows
15. Ewigkeit

Original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) and Geezer Butler (bass) have released the following statement:

"At the request of [original BLACK SABBATH drummer] Bill Ward, through his attorney, so as to not give the public the wrong impression about his involvement in the current BLACK SABBATH lineup, we have temporarily removed Bill Ward's images from the main pages of the BlackSabbath.com official website. In accordance with Bill Ward's attorney's request, we are doing so for the duration of the forthcoming shows."

BLACK SABBATH played a hometown concert in Birmingham, England earlier tonight (Saturday, May 19) as a warm-up show for the band's appearance at the Download festival at Donington next month. Tommy Clufetos, a member of Ozzy's solo band, is filling in for original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who is sitting out the group's reunion shows due to a contractual dispute with his bandmates.

A furor erupted online in 2007 after photos of Michael Anthony at the official VAN HALEN web site were either removed or replaced by an image of guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, who played bass on the group's recent album and tour. The photos were restored less than two days later.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, werden am 26. Juni 2012 ihre neue Live CD/DVD mit dem Titel "Dead & Alive" via Ferret Music veröffentlichen. Aufgenommen wurde das Konzert am 14. Dezember 2011 in Worcester in den USA. Außerdem werden noch Fotos, Behind the Scenes Videos, Interviews uns soweiter auf der DVD enthalten sein!

"Dead & Alive" Track List:

Disc 1:
01. Dead Throne
02. Untidaled
03. Escape
04. Sassafras
05. Born To Lose
06. Mammoth
07. Kansas
08. Hey John, What's Your Name Again?
09. Outnumbered
10. Assistant To the Regional Manager
11. Dez Moines
12. Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over
13. Chicago
14. Constance
15. Danger:Wildman

Disc 2:
1. DVD

Liebe Freunde des gepflegten Rocks, das französische Label Bad Reputation veröffentlicht in Deutschland mit Vertrieb Cargo am 08.06.2012 das neue Album der amerikanischen Rocker AMERICAN DOG. Es trägt den Namen "Poison Smile" und kommt mit folgender Track List in den Handel.

"Poison Smile" Track list:

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?