Progressive hard rock icons DREAM THEATER were honored to receive several awards from the leading Japanese rock magazine Burrn! while on their current Asian tour. The band's latest album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", won "Best Album" and "Best Front Cover" in the 2011 readers' poll. In addition to the album being chosen by Burrn! readers, Japanese heavy metal radio personality Masa Ito picked John Petrucci as "Best Guitarist" and Jordan Rudess as "Best Keyboardist" in the 2011 awards. Japan was one of the 14 countries where "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" had a Top Ten debut.

The band — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received the awards this week while on tour in Japan in support of "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which features the Grammy-nominated song "On The Backs Of Angels" ("Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). The Asian tour began April 19 in Seoul, Korea, bringing the group to Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Bangkok, Thailand, where it concludes May 8.

"We want to express a heartfelt thank you to Burrn! magazine, Masa Ito and all of our fans in Asia and around the world who not only voted for us in the readers poll but continue to support us every day," DREAM THEATER said in response to receiving the awards. "All of you keep the dream alive and for that we are eternally grateful."

Next up for DREAM THEATER is their North American summer tour which launches June 15 in Rochester, New York and wrap July 21 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The tour includes stops at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long Island, New York.

"Endless Summer", the new video from STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis, can be seen below.

Coming off his 2011 debut solo EP "Town Line" — which entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at #1 and produced the ACM-nominated, gold-selling single "Country Boy" — Lewis will release a much-anticipated full length album, "The Road", on June 26 via R&J Records.

Once again produced by James Stroud (TOBY KEITH, TIM MCGRAW, CHRIS YOUNG) and Lewis, "The Road" features 10 brand new songs including the uptempo feel-good first single "Endless Summer".

Lewis — who also fronts the multi-million-selling hard rock group STAIND — had originally planned to record five new songs to be paired with the songs from "Town Line", but decided to record a full album as more song ideas blossomed while recording in Nashville. Lewis wrote all of the songs on the album except "Grandaddy's Gun", penned by hit Nashville songwriters Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Bobby Pinson, marking the first time Lewis has ever recorded another artist’s music for an album. Lewis heard the song when on a hunting trip with Stroud and Akins and identified with the lyrics so much that he asked Akins for permission to cut it.

Lewis has earned two nominations in the "Vocal Event Of The Year" category at the upcoming ACM Awards for his work as artist and as co-producer on his debut solo single, "Country Boy", which was certified gold in September for sales in excess of 500,000 units. The singer, songwriter and guitarist was nominated in the category along with his guest artists, George Jones and Charlie Daniels. The video for the song has been viewed over 15 million times online alone. Last year, the single and video also earned Lewis his first two CMT Music Award nominations: "Collaborative Video of the Year" and "USAWeekend Breakthrough Video of the Year."

"Town Line" — which also entered at #7 on The Billboard 200 chart — drew critical praise from a wide variety of writers, including People's Chuck Arnold, who said, "He proves to be a natural on nostalgic ballads like 'The Story Never Ends'."

"The Road" track listing:

01. 75
02. The Road
03. Endless Summer
04. Red, White & Blue
05. Lessons Learned
06. Forever
07. Grandaddy's Gun
08. State Lines
09. Anywhere But Here

Quality fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's April 24 performance at Le Bikini in Toulouse, France 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.

"Zero To Rage", the new video from Irish metallers STORMZONE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "Zero To Rage", which was released in North America on January 17 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was made available in Europe last November.

"Zero To Rage" track listing:

01. Where We Belong
02. Zero To Rage
03. Jester's Laughter
04. This Is Our Victory
05. Fear Hotel
06. Hail The Brave
07. Uprising
08. Last Man Fighting
09. Empire Of Fear
10. Monsters
11. Voice Inside My Head
12. Cuchulainn's Story

STORMZONE recently parted ways with guitarist Keith Harris and replaced him with Andrew Baxter, formerly of LAST KNOWN ADDICTION.

Commented STORMZONE vocalist John "Harv" Harbinson: "Andrew and existing STORMZONE guitarist Steve Moore played together in Irish band FIRELAND so they have already built up a powerful partnership."

A photo of STORMZONE's new lineup can be seen below.

STORMZONE is:

Steve Moore - Guitar
Andrew Baxter - Guitar
John "Harv" Harbinson - Lead Vocals
Graham McNulty - Bass
Davy Bates - Drums

Oxygen are from Sweden that excel in high quality Melodic Rock with an 80’s tinge.

Tony Niva began his musical career 1987 with a metal act called Zanity. They only recorded one demo-tape which was never to be released for the public masses. Tony also appeared on the single Down Town released with Swedish Erotica somewhere around 1988. After the sessions in Gothenburg Tony was a member in several musical acts around on his home ground regions, such as Malibu Band, Tracy Goes Crazy and Axia.

The band NIVA released “No Capitulation” in Japan in 1994. After this first NIVA release there was not much activity in terms of live performances, instead Tony composed own made material during that period.

At that point Tony was moving his musical direction from the metal genre. He made an appearance with the band Lion’s Share and they released the album “Entrance”.

Niva have now changed their musical prowess to more of the AOR and Melodic Rock style of direction, the new band is called Oxygen and the album is “Final Warning”. What this album is all about is highly infectious melodies and great songs. Oxygen have a knack of turning out great tunes, in the manner of Treat and such other great Swedish bands but they seem to have captured that great American / Canadian vibe of the early eighties, and vocally Tony sounds a little like Lou Nadeau of “Wrabit” so you can be sure they stand out from the crowd!

Oxygen are like a breath of fresh air and they put so much passion into their songs, this fantastic album should be a big hit with all those who love Scandinavian Melodic rock but also love how it was originally done in the 80’s on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Norwegian rock band burst onto the Scandinavian rock scene with their self titled debut album in 2005. Led by hit single Lucifer’s Town the band was quickly labelled as one of the most promising underground rock acts and their fan base grew quickly with fan clubs and supporters in every corner of the world.

The quartet, renowned as a great energetic live act, toured in Norway and Europe and even played some very successful shows in China. In 2008 and 2009 the band lived partly in Finland were lots of concerts and TV performances were held. In 2010 the band withdraw from the spotlight, built their own recording studio and concentrated on writing and recording their sophomore album entitled “The Royal Brigade”.

“We had to take a step back and figure out what direction we wanted with the new album and with the band as a whole” frontman Chris Wicked reveals. “It`s been a long time since our debut. We also have a new line up now so there were several things we had to sort out, but I’ll tell you we are extremely pleased with how things have been progressing lately.”

Malice In Wonderland recently finished recording their sophomore album entitled “The Royal Brigade” and the band will now start looking for a suitable label to release the CD. Chris is positive about the future: “There is a whole new energy within in the group now! New music, new line up and a new area for Malice In Wonderland in general. The new album is filled with catchy, killer tracks that we are positive will please both new and old fans. We can’t wait to show people what we have been up to lately!”

If rock n’ roll is dead, someone must have forgotten to tell these Norwegians. With a new record full of bombastic high energetic quality rock songs, these guys are eager to prove that they indeed are a force to reckon with.

"Breathe", a new song from STONE TEMPLE PILOTS/ex-VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to this year's highly anticipated movie, "Marvel's The Avengers". "Breathe" is included on "Avengers Assemble", a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film. "Avengers Assemble" will be released on May 1.

In addition to Weiland' "Breathe", the "Avengers Assemble" collection features original songs inspired by the exciting and action-packed film event. The diverse range of artists includes SOUNDGARDEN, RISE AGAINST, SHINEDOWN, BUSH and REDLIGHT KING.

"Avengers Assemble" track listing:

01. Live To Rise - SOUNDGARDEN
02. I'm Alive - SHINEDOWN
03. Dirt And Roses - RISE AGAINST
04. Even If I Could - PAPA ROACH
05. Unbroken - BLACK VEIL BRIDES
06. Breathe - SCOTT WEILAND
07. Comeback - REDLIGHT KING
08. Into The Blue - BUSH
09. A New Way To Bleed (Photek Remix)" - EVANESCENCE
10. Count Me Out - PUSHERJONES
11. Shoot To Thrill - THEORY OF A DEADMAN
12. Wherever I Go - BUCKCHERRY
13. From Out Of Nowhere - FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
14. Shake The Ground - CHERRI BOMB

Additional track on the international release:

15. Pistols At Dawn - KASABIAN

"Breathe" can now be streamed below (courtesy of Spinner.com).

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" features the following track listing:

01. Paradise City (Tom Cruise)
02. Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin' But a Good Time (Diego Boneta)
03. Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock 'N' Roll (Diego Boneta)
04. Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
05. Waiting For A Girl Like You Diego Boneta
06. More Than Words/Heaven (Diego Boneta)
07. Wanted Dead Or Alive (Julianne Hough)
08. I Want To Know What Love Is (Malin Akerman)
09. I Wanna Rock (Diego Boneta)
10. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Tom Cruise)
11. Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
12. Shadows Of The Night/Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
13. Here I Go Again (Diego Boneta)
14. Can't Fight This Feeling (Russell Brand)
15. Any Way You Want It (Julianne Hough)
16. Undercover Love (Diego Boneta)
17. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Diego Boneta)
18. Rock You Like A Hurricane (Julianne Hough)
19. We Built This City/We're Not Gonna Take It (Russell Brand)
20. Don't Stop Believin' (Diego Boneta)

Tom Cruise stars in "Rock Of Ages" as Stacee Jaxx, an aging musician whose glory days are long past. Among the tunes Cruise performs are DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", SCORPIONS' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", BON JOVI's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and STYX's "Renegade".

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen recently told VH1 Classic Rock Nights that he and his bandmates got to meet Cruise and that the actor "was a super-lovely guy." Collen added, "I was so impressed because he hadn't sung before and he had vocal lessons. He was literally doing five hours a day, five days a week, like truly real, getting in there and doing it. And we saw him and he was amazing, it was like Iggy Pop meets someone else and he's in great shape and it was like, 'What!?!' It was surreal, but he really pulls it off and it was like he's a total rock star."

It was previously reported that Cruise was preparing for his role by training with Axl Rose's vocal coach. "He's been studying with — seriously — Axl Rose's voice teacher like five hours a day," director Adam Shankman told The Wrap in April. "The prognosis is more than excellent."

The movie is a love story told through the music of PAT BENATAR, BON JOVI, JOURNEY, POISON, TWISTED SISTER and other artists from the 1980s.

"Rock Of Ages" also stars Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman and many others. It scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 15.

Norwegian metallers PURIFIED IN BLOOD will release their new album, "Flight Of A Dying Sun", in Europe on June 15 via Indie Recordings. A single, "Mot Grav", was made available today and can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

"This is the missing link between 'Reaper Of Souls' and 'Under Black Skies'," says PURIFIED IN BLOOD singer Hallgeir S. Enoksen.

PURIFIED IN BLOOD's new album was recorded with Jacob Bredahl, who previously worked with band on 2006's "Reaper Of Souls", a CD known for its rawness and intensity.

This time around, PURIFIED IN BLOOD's second singer Glenn Reaper was not involved in the recording process and Hallgeir faced a new challenge being the band's sole vocalist — a challenge he stepped up to for the past one and a half year with no problems whatsoever. His voice range has developed a lot the past year singing alone and he takes on the task "with no remorse, no repent."

"Flight Of A Dying Sun" features guest appearances by Glenn Reaper on the power anthem "Iron Hands"; Erlend Hjelvik (KVELERTAK) on "Mot Grav"; Kjetil Møster (DATAROCK, ULTRALYD, MØSTER) on saxophone, Ådne Sæverud on organ and Jens Borge (SKADNE KREK) on double bass. Last but certainly not least they have Siberian throat singer Albert Kuvezin on board to start the whole album with his voice of war.

"Flight Of A Dying Sun" track listing:

01. The Absolute
02. Storm Of Blood
03. Mot Grav
04. Iron Hands
05. Mind Is Fire
06. Escape To Solace
07. Void
08. Flight Of A Dying Sun

PunkNews.org recently conducted an interview with MOTÖRHEAD mainman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

PunkNews.org: MOTÖRHEAD has a very unique, identifiable sound. They've never released, say, a rock opera or techno album. Why?

Lemmy: Well, 'cause if you have a good sound, why fuck with it? I always thought that we sounded good. We've done some experimental pieces. "1916" is experimental. We did that track with Ozzy [Osbourne]. Mostly rock and roll is what I wanted to do, so I did it. It's what I want to do, so I still play. We'll always do what we want to do. I don't give a fuck about what other people think we should do.


PunkNews.org: You're known as a great lover of women, but you're also known as a great lover of women in rock music. You've been very vocal of your support of Joan Jett, Skin of SKUNK ANANSIE, and many others. In punk rock, it seems there is a disconnect between appreciating a woman's talents and appreciating her attractiveness. Can one appreciate a female musician's attractiveness without objectifying her?

Lemmy: Well, why the fuck can't you do it? Is that impossible? There are certainly people who have an axe to grind. Someone might be bitching about it, but I don't care. I never objectified women. I've always been honest. I treat people as I expect to be treated. Women, they're the same as me with tits. If they want to be crazy, well, that's all right, because I'm a little crazy myself, sometimes. If they want to play rock music, that's great, because I like to play rock music, too. You should treat people the way you like to be treated. If it's good art, then it's good art. Shit, I like women.

PunkNews.org: Certainly, you're a rock legend by now, but, unlike some other rock legends, you seem to be portrayed as a very human person, unlike, say, Kurt Cobain or Janis Joplin. Why do you think people think of you as a person as opposed to an ideal?

Lemmy: People approach me all the time, but I don't always get noticed. It's 'cause when I go out, I don't have two bodyguards with me. I just go out by myself. People that go out with bodyguards baffle me. No one would notice them without them. It's really an attention thing, isn't it? It's a ploy to get noticed. I've never had a problem with it.

Read the entire interview from PunkNews.org.

SPV/Steamhammer has set a June 18 European release date (three days earlier in Germany) for "30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012", a brand new career retrospective from German thrash veterans SODOM compiled by bassist/vocalist, and sole remaining original member, Thomas "Angelripper" Such.

"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set features the single CD "Official Bootleg - The Witchhunter Decade" and double-CD "Thirty Years War", along with 30th-anniversary posters, postcards, stickers and the 32-page book in CD format on the band's history. "The Official Bootleg - The Witch Hunter Decade" will also be made available on colored vinyl.

"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set track listing:

CD - Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade:

01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
05. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
06. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
07. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
08. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)
09. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
10. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
11. Shellfire Defense (Pre-production, 1990)
12. The Saw Is The Law (Pre-production, 1990)
13. Bloodtrails (Pre-production, 1990)
14. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
15. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At WDR Festival, 1992)
16. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)

Thirty Years War Double-CD

CD 1:

01. Burst Command 'Til War
02. Brandish The Sceptre
03. My Atonement
04. Electrocution
05. Christ Passion
06. Tired And Red
07. Baptism Of Fire
08. The Saw Is The Law (Splatting Version)
09. Shellfire Defense
10. Tarred Anf Feathered
11. The Crippler
12. Reincarnation
13. Sodomized
14. Delight In Slaying
15. Into Perdition

CD 2:

01. Gathering Of Minds
02. Unwanted Youth
03. Politoximaniac
04. That's What An Unknown Killer Diarized
05. Warlike Conspiracy
06. Spiritual Demise
07. Book Burning
08. Minejumper
09. Genocide
10. Where Angels Die
11. Hatred Of The Gods
12. Lords Of Depravity
13. Kamikaze Terrorrizer
14. In War And Pieces
15. Hellfire

Double-LP: Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade

Side A:

01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)

Side B:

01. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
02. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
03. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
04. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)

Side C:

01. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
02. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
03. Shellfire Defense (Preproduction, 1990)
04. The Saw Is The Law (Preproduction, 1990)

Side D:

01. Bloodtrails (Preproduction, 1990)
02. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
03. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At Wdr Festival, 1992)
04. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)

To order the box set, visit NuclearBlast.de.

Former SODOM drummer Chris "Witchhunter" Dudek died on September 8, 2008 due to vital organ failure.

SODOM in 2010 announced the addition of drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald to the group's ranks.

Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.

SODOM in November 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.

SODOM's latest album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.

"Unbroken", a new song from Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to this year's highly anticipated movie, "Marvel's The Avengers". "Unbroken" is included on "Avengers Assemble", a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film. "Avengers Assemble" will be released on May 1.

In addition to BLACK VEIL BRIDES' "Unbroken", the "Avengers Assemble" collection features original songs inspired by the exciting and action-packed film event. The diverse range of artists includes SOUNDGARDEN, RISE AGAINST, SHINEDOWN, BUSH and REDLIGHT KING.

"Avengers Assemble" track listing:

01. Live To Rise - SOUNDGARDEN
02. I'm Alive - SHINEDOWN
03. Dirt And Roses - RISE AGAINST
04. Even If I Could - PAPA ROACH
05. Unbroken - BLACK VEIL BRIDES
06. Breath - SCOTT WEILAND
07. Comeback - REDLIGHT KING
08. Into The Blue - BUSH
09. A New Way To Bleed (Photek Remix)" - EVANESCENCE
10. Count Me Out - PUSHERJONES
11. Shoot To Thrill - THEORY OF A DEADMAN
12. Wherever I Go - BUCKCHERRY
13. From Out Of Nowhere - FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
14. Shake The Ground - CHERRI BOMB

Additional track on the international release:

15. Pistols At Dawn - KASABIAN

The official lyric video for "Unbroken" can be seen below.

AmbPirate of Capital Chaos conducted an interview with the reunited 1984-1986 lineup of SENTINEL BEAST last week before the band's show in Sacramento as a warm-up for their appearance at the Keep It True XV festival, set to take place April 27-28 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Sacramento concert.

SENTINEL BEAST was formed in Sacramento in 1984 by Debbie Gunn, Mike Spencer (bass), and Scott Awes (drums). During this time, the axes were played by Greg Williams and Jerry Fraiser, later to be replaced by Barry Fischel and Mark Koyasako. Discovered by Kerry King of SLAYER, the band recorded and released the influential "Depths of Death" album, on Metal Blade Records, in 1986 and the band later went on to open shows for the likes of SLAYER, EXODUS, MEGADETH, MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND, and others. The band broke up and Debbie Gunn departed for Chicago shortly after to front ZNOWHITE, then relocated to Europe to join the all-female thrash pioneers, ICE AGE.

Interview:

RED LAMB, the new band featuring former ANTHRAX guitarist Dan Spitz, has released the video for the song "Puzzle Box" in an effort to raise awareness for autism.

According to a press release, "Puzzle Box" is a walk through the daily life of a family with identical mirror image twins who are both autistic. It is a moving experience of reality that the Spitz family lives. The video is a short movie with statistical data, showing thousands of autistic families, including the CEO of AutismSpeaks.org Suzanne and Bob Wright."

The lyrics to "Puzzle Box" are co-written by MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine and Spitz, with additional performances by MARILYN MANSON's Chris Vrenna.

RED LAMB's entire debut CD was co-produced by Mustaine and Spitz.

Dan Spitz and his wife, Candi, spoke to Metal Motivation about their own personal experience with raising two identical mirror image twin boys that both suffer from autism. You can watch the chat below.

According to Autism Key, Spitz's twin sons were born in 2007 and both have since been diagnosed with autism. During that time, he has used his celebrity to help raise awareness about the disorder, particularly among those within the music community. Additionally, Spitz and his wife are strong supporters of Autism Speaks and have recently been featured in one of the organization’s videos promoting its autism walks.

Dealing with autism hasn't been the only challenge Spitz has faced in recent years. In 2009, he underwent open heart surgery to repair a main artery in his heart that was said to be "almost completely closed."

Spitz is a born-again Christian and Messianic Jew and in interviews, has frequently cited his faith as an influential component to his life.

Spitz took part in the reunion of ANTHRAX's classic lineup in 2005 and 2006 but left the band after ANTHRAX's most recent split with singer Joey Belladonna.

In a January 2007 interview with Eddie Trunk of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian stated about Spitz, "Whether people are aware or not, Danny's, like, a big deal in the really, really fancy, expensive watch world — like crazy, super-high-end watches — and he's got his own line of watches coming out. It's weird, because before the reunion I would read this stuff online, and I would just kind of be like, 'What the hell…?' But then like after hanging out with the guy for 20 months and you actually talk to him and see the watches and what-not, I was like, 'Holy crap!' It's a pretty big deal."

"Puzzle Box" video:

"Superskum" (web site) conducted an interview with PRONG mainman Tommy Victor when the band played at the Marquis Theater in Denver, Colorado with CROWBAR. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is quality performance footage from the Denver concert.

PRONG's new album, "Carved Into Stone", was released on April 24 in North America via Long Branch Records/SPV. The CD was recorded with producer Steve Evetts, who has previously worked with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SYMPHONY X, SEPULTURA and HATEBREED, among others. The cover artwork was created by Vance Kelly (DOWN, THE SWORD) and can be seen below.

According to a press release, "Carved Into Stone" "is quintessentially PRONG. It stretches into the band's earliest and dirtiest foundations on which the band was founded on New York's Lower East Side to the present as a staple of today's post-metal and rock scenes."

Comments Tommy Victor: "It was hardest I've ever worked in the studio on any record I've ever been involved with."

PRONG — whose lineup is rounded out by bassist Tony Campos and drummer Alexei Rodriguez — has taken a major step forward in their constantly evolving brand of sonic schematics.

"I always believed there were many dimensions to PRONG," says Tommy. "Every record we've been associated with different scenes — hardcore, metal, industrial — even dance! I think this record brings all of that together and sounds very modern at the same time."

"Carved Into Stone" track listing

01. Eternal Heat
02. Keep On Living In Pain
03. Ammunition
04. Revenge ... Best Served Cold
05. State of Rebellion
06. Put Myself to Sleep
07. List of Grievances
08. Carved Into Stone
09. Subtract
10. Path of Least Resistance
11. Reinvestigate

Founded in 1986, PRONG is considered to be a pioneer of the American post-hardcore and post-metal scenes whose influence is still being felt today.

PRONG's last release was "Power Of The Damn Mixxxer", the remix counterpart to the band's 2007 album "Power of The Damager".

Interview:

ALTER BRIDGE and CREED axesmith/songwriter Mark Tremonti is gearing up for his first-ever solo project this summer. "All I Was" is scheduled for release on July 10 via Fret 12 Records, a company Mark started with his brother, Daniel Tremonti, and Tom Stanley.

Mark's solo effort, being released under the name TREMONTI, showcases his acclaimed guitar playing and incomparable songwriting. The release also marks his debut on lead vocals.

TREMONTI features Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar and Garrett Whitlock on drums. Mark's ALTER BRIDGE and CREED bandmate Brian Marshal will be stepping in for the bass duties when Tremonti takes to the road later this year. Longtime friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with ALTER BRIDGE, CHEVELLE and TRIVIUM, produced the album.

From the first riffs of album opener "Leave It Alone" to the final notes of the closer "Decay", it is apparent that Mark's playing and songwriting are at a new level. The metal music influences he grew up on ring throughout the album on songs like "So You're Afraid", "Wish You Well" and "Giving Up". Mark finds his voice; literally, stepping up to the microphone for the first time in his career as a lead vocalist. The depth of his voice carries the melodies on songs like "New Way Out" and "Proof". The first single, "You Waste Your Time", will be unleashed at Active Rock radio over the next few weeks and will continue the success at the format that Mark has achieved with both of his other projects.

Mark Tremonti is the Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter known for hiswork in multi-platinum rock juggernaut CREED and with the critically acclaimed, fan favorite ALTER BRIDGE. Having sold over 40 million records worldwide, this is the man behind massive hits like "My Own Prison", "Higher", and "Isolation" — just to name a few. His sound is recognizable and has garnered him a loyal fan base worldwide. Guitar World dubbed him "Guitarist of the Year" three consecutive years in a row, and he ranked as the "fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist ever" in Total Guitar.

"All I Was" track listing:

01. Leave It Alone
02. So You'e Afraid
03. Wish You Well
04. Brains
05. The Things I've Seen
06. You Waste Your Time
07. New Way Out
08. Giving Up
09. Proof
10. All I Was
11. Doesn't Matter
12. Decay

AFFECTOR, die neue multinationale Progressive Rock / Metal-Band um den deutschen Gitarristen Daniel Fries, dem niederländischen Schlagzeuger Collin Leijenaar (Neal Morse / Dilemma), sowie dem US-amerikanischen Bassisten Mike LePond (Symphony X) und Sänger Ted Leonard (Spock‘s Beard / Enchant / Thought Chamber), haben den Europa-Release ihres Debüt-Albums "Harmagedon" für den 21. Mai 2012 (22. Mai 2012 in Nordamerika) angekündigt. Das Album wird über InsideOutMusic erscheinen. Jetzt wurde HIER der neue Song "New Jerusalem" zum probehören online gestellt.

Um schon mal vorab einen genaueren Eindruck dieses atmosphärischen und sehr intensiven Longplayers zu vermitteln, hat die Band einen 5-minütigen Online-Teaser zusammengestellt, der Ausschnitte aus den verschiedenen Songs von "Harmagedon" beinhaltet. Diesen kann man sich ab sofort über YouTub hier anschauen:

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Marilyn Manson has the lead role in a short film called "Wrong Cops", which will premiere as part of the festivities at the Cannes Film Festival in France next month. The movie was directed by Quentin Dupieux, whose full-length 2011 feature "Rubber" was a surreal tale about an intelligent tire that murders people. His latest movie, "Wrong", debuted last January at the Sundance Film Festival.

Manson, who recently performed with actor Johnny Depp at the Revolver Golden Gods awards in Los Angeles, told The Pulse Of Radio about his part in "Wrong Cops" and other upcoming projects, "I play a street hustler with braces on my teeth, which was an interesting, fun experience (laughs). I'm working on something with Johnny. Working on something with my friend Eli Roth also. And I'm basically just on a roll of having a good time at being bad and I just want to continue doing it."

Manson has previously had roles in movies such as "Jawbreaker" — with then-fiancée Rose McGowan — "Party Monster" and "Lost Highway".

Details on the 13-minute "Wrong Cops" are under wraps at the moment.

Manson and Depp recently teamed up to record a new version of Carly Simon's classic song "You're So Vain". The track will be included on Manson's upcoming album "Born Villain", which is due out on May 1.

German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION were honored with their own star in Quito, Ecuador yesterday (April 25). DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist Schmier states, "Pretty fuckin cool to see they appreciate fuckin German metal high up here in the Andes mountains!!! It shows again: the Latin American metal scene is the best in the world! Thank you, motherfuckers, for your support!"

DESTRUCTION is scheduled to perform tonight (Thursday, April 26) at Estadio Chaupicruz in Quito with VENOM and OBITUARY.

DESTRUCTION will embark on the North American "30th Year Anniversary Tour" in May with support from WARBRINGER, VITAL REMAINS (who will be alternating each night) and PATHOLOGY.

DESTRUCTION recently commenced work on its 30th-anniversary album. The CD is due later in the year.

Inspired by IRON MAIDEN, MERCYFUL FATE, MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM, DESTRUCTION was formed as KNIGHT OF DEMON in 1982. The band's original lineup included vocalist and bassist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, drummer Tommy Sandmann, and guitarist Mike Sifringer. They soon changed their name to DESTRUCTION and released a demo titled "Bestial Invasion Of Hell" in 1984.

"Day Of Reckoning", the latest album from DESTRUCTION, sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 58 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.

"Day Of Reckoning" was the first album to feature DESTRUCTION's new drummer Vaaver (INDUKTI, ex-UNSUN).

Dave Pehling of KTVU.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

KTVU.com: "Heritage" seems the biggest departure sonically for OPETH since "Damnation". Was the absence of death metal elements — specifically the brutal guitar riffs and your trademark growl — a conscious aim to step away from that at the outset, or did you find your songwriting moving naturally in that direction?

Mikael: More or less naturally. I felt that we couldn't really do more with that sound. I felt as a songwriter I had kind of perfected that formula and couldn't really take it anywhere else. And I didn't really want to. I tried a little bit, but it didn't really work out. I was just gravitating towards something else when I was writing this record and ended up with an album that was a bit more rootsy. I'm tired of contemporary metal production. It sounds so fucking slick and there's a lack of dynamics. I wanted to record in a different way too. So having that in mind, I guess the songs took shape in a different way than they have before. It's also a matter of me not listening to death metal. I haven't been listening to death metal since the early '90s, you know? Even when we did the first record ["Orchid" in 1994], I was more or less done with listening to metal. I didn't anything interesting was coming out. Yet we were just finding our feet and starting a career of our own, and we were a part of the whole genre. But ever since that basically, I've been gravitating towards liking this type of stuff more and more.

KTVU.com: Given the intricacy of OPETH's music, do you generally stick with a specific, rehearsed setlist for a whole tour, or do the songs change from night to night?

Mikael: Generally we are a little bit of both. Lately we've been going out on a limb a lot. We might not have practiced a song as much as we should have, but we'll be like, "Let's just play it tonight," just to get it over with. Because that's the best practice, just to play it live. But on this tour, we are sticking a little bit to the same setlist because there's such a strict time thing going on. We have to play exactly one hour and ten minutes. The first couple of shows we went over by five minutes every night and our tour manager was saying, "You have to do something! You have to change," because people are getting pissed or whatever. So now we have a set list that's perfect for the timing and it also happens to be perfect for us. We love playing these songs that we're playing and it really showcases all of the aspects of this band. It's a lot of new material and some very calm songs and in the end we play three rather heavier songs. By doing that, it kind of shows that we're quite versatile. It almost sounds like a different band. As a spectator, I think that would be interesting. I'd like to think that we come across as interesting at least.

KTVU.com: One aspect of your concerts I've always enjoyed is the contrast between these dark, brutal epics you play and your hilariously deadpan stage banter. I've had more laughs at OPETH shows than at all other metal bands' shows combined. Do you think much about what you are going to say? Is it all off the cuff? And is that a way to provide some comic relief to the intensity of the songs?

Mikael: Well, I don't really think about what I say. Sometimes I can say stupid things. People will kind of remind me afterwards, like "What the fuck did you say there?" and I'm like "Uh, I don't know. I can't remember." I have some type of sense of humor, but I think what makes it funny is that it's unexpected. People don't expect that ... well, now they do when they go to the shows. They're like "Tell a fucking joke, Mike!" and then I don't know what to say. But I think the fun thing about what I'm saying — if you write it down, it's not really funny — it's just that in that situation and because it's a bit unexpected, it becomes funny. People are more used to going to metal shows where the front man is doing the cliche type of talk, like, "Get your horns in the air!" or "You guys are the fucking best!" That kind of stuff. I can't really find that in myself. I can't do that and keep a straight face. I think it's fucking ridiculous, you know? So the way I am onstage when I talk between songs is a bit of a distorted and boosted version of me offstage I guess. And that's all it is. I'm not really funny like a comedian. But sometimes the vibe is right and it becomes a fun situation. I especially like to make fun of myself and the band members and metal in general.

Read the entire interview from KTVU.com.

"Harakiri", the new studio album from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian, will be released July 10 on Reprise Records/Serjical Strike. A teaser video with a snippet of the first single, "Figure It Out", is available below.

"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).

Serj reveals each of the songtitles in a statement describing "Harakiri" below. The song names are in order and in bold:

"The Cornucopia of love/hate affairs with Gaia have made us scream 'Figure It Out! CEOs are the disease." Where abusive capitalism's only fate is human/environmental devastation. The Ching Chime, diminutive drama of a gangsta Butterfly revealed that humanity's tears actually outweigh yearly rainfall on the planet.

"We have witnessed Harakiri on a grand scale tearing out the Occupied Tears of victims preyed on by victims turned aggressors creating a Deafening Silence through which we hear a voice plead, 'Forget Me Knot, my child.'

"Reality TV has become the searing indictment of a society best described as the Uneducated Democracy. The daughters of the evolution Weave On with blood dripping down their guilty hands onto the flag as the word republic is replaced by empire."

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."

Fan-filmed video footage of DRAGONFORCE's April 25 concert at Le National in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be seen below.

DRAGONFORCE's new album, "The Power Within", sold 5,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 74 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "Ultra Beatdown", opened with 24,000 units back in September 2008 to land at No. 18.

DRAGONFORCE has just returned to North America for a spring tour. This outing marks the band's first trek with brand new singer Marc Hudson, who also makes his recorded debut on "The Power Within".

The tour kicked off April 21 at the annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts and will make several stops on the East Coast before winding through Canada and into the Midwest before wrapping out west on May 11 in Anaheim, California.

"The Power Within" was released in the U.K. on April 16 via the band's own Electric Generation Recordings, distributed by Essential Music.

Guitarist Herman Li recently stated about "The Power Within", "The last two years have been the most fun we ever had making an album. Through writing, jamming and touring together, we have built this incredible energy and it has been fully captured on the new album.

"This time around we've really brought our metal side to the surface and made some of the best music of our career. From the fastest song we've ever recorded ['Fallen World'] to the slower songs, and some things you would never expect from us, this is by far the most diverse DRAGONFORCE album yet."

Li added, "This is an exciting new era for DRAGONFORCE with Marc joining the band, so we figured this was an ideal time to take full control of our own destiny and establish our own record label for Europe. It's all hands on deck running it, but a great buzz!"

Heute müssen wir uns leider mit einer traurigen Nachricht an euch wenden. Thalia wird das Projekt, bei dem sie seit dem Jahr 2000 fester Bestandteil war, auf unabsehbare Zeit verlassen. Wir bedauern diesen Schritt und blicken auf eine sehr schöne, gemeinsame und erfolgreiche Zeit mit 11 produzierten Studioalben und 3 EP’s zurück, haben aber natürlich Verständnis für Ihre Entscheidung. Auf Thalias Wunsch hin, werden wir an dieser Stelle nicht ausführlich auf ihre Beweggründe zu sprechen kommen und können deshalb nur sagen, daß es rein persönliche Gründe, die nichts mit dem Projekt als solches zu tun haben, sind, die sie zu diesem Schritt bewogen haben.

Diese Entscheidung betrifft auch bereits die anstehende Live Tour, zusammen mit dem Headliner ASP, im Herbst...

Mag auch der Ausstieg von Thalia sehr bedauerlich sein, wurde doch direkt fieberhaft, eben z.B. wegen der anstehenden Live Tour, nach einer neuen weiblichen Stimme für MANTUS gesucht und schließlich auch in „Chiara Amberia“ gefunden. Durch ihren weichen und gleichermaßen sehr ausdrucksstarken Gesang fügt sie sich wunderbar in den atmosphärischen Kontext von MANTUS ein und verleiht den Songs doch eine neue, individuelle Note aus leidenschaftlichem Tiefgang und dunkler Tristesse.