Nach zehn Jahren musikalischer Schaffenspause kehrt der ehemalige ANGEL DUST Sänger Dirk Thurisch endlich mit seinem nun gänzlich zur Band gewachsenem Projekt MERCURY TIDE zurück. Das neue Album "Killing Saw" setzt genau dort an, wo Dirk mit dem großartigen Album "Why" aufhörte. Denn nun ist es endlich soweit: Wie ein Phönix aus der Asche kehrt einer der wichtigsten deutschen Melodic Metal Sänger zurück!

Am 25.05.2012 wird das neue MERCURY TIDE Album "Killing Saw" in Europa und am 10.07.2012 in den USA über Limited Access Records erscheinen und kann ab sofort u.a. bei Amazon oder EMP vorbestellt werden. Die zwölf Songs beinhalten großartige Melodien, die auf verspielte Gitarrenriffs und eingängige Refrains treffen, die sich sofort im Ohr festsetzen!

Für LITA FORD hat der Titel ihres neuen Soloalbums "Living Like A Runaway" gleich zwei tiefere, dabei aber ganz unterschiedliche Bedeutungen: Eine davon bezieht sich natürlich auf die All-Girls-Band The Runaways, der sie in den Jahren 1975 bis 1980 angehörte und mit der ihr der internationale Durchbruch gelang.

Der zweite Grund für die Wahl dieses aussagekräftigen Titels geht dagegen ins Private: "Es gab Tage in meinem Leben, in denen ich flüchtete, in denen ich unglücklich war und aus meinem bisherigen Leben aussteigen musste", gesteht sie, "es war wie durchs Feuer zugehen, aber unverletzt wieder herauszukommen." Dann fährt sie fort: "Ich wollte ein Album schreiben, dass Menschen ermutigt, sie inspiriert und ihnen neue Kraft gibt, nämlich die Kraft der Musik. So wie auch mir an schweren Tagen soll diese Musik Menschen dabei helfen, einen Teil ihrer Sorgen und Nöte zu vergessen und sich wieder an glückliche Zeiten zu erinnern. Ich habe das schon oft erlebt: Fans sprechen mich an und versichern mir, wie sehr ihnen meine Lieder in schwierigen Situationen geholfen haben. Auf eine bestimmte Weise sind sie fast so etwas wie der Soundtrack ihres Lebens."

"Living Like A Runaway" wird am 15. Juni 2012 (Europa: 18. Juni; USA/Kanada: 19. Juni) über Steamhammer/SPV veröffentlicht. Die Scheibe erscheint in fünf unterschiedlichen Formaten: Als Limited Edition Digipak mit zwei Bonustracks und einem Poster, als Gatefold Doppel-LP, zudem in einer Jewel Case Version und darüber hinaus als exklusive iTunes-Version inklusive eines Bonustracks sowie als Download.

LITA FORD hat bei den Arbeiten an Living Like A Runaway eng mit Produzent Gary Hoey und Texter Michael Dan Ehmig kooperiert. Dieses Team hat ungeheuer viel Arbeit in das packende Projekt investiert: "Wir haben lange und sehr intensiv an den Texten gefeilt, um den Songs wirklich große Bedeutung und eine besondere emotionale Tiefe zu geben. Ich denke, dass man auf "Living Like A Runaway" einige der besten Texte finden kann, die ich jemals verfasst habe." FORD spricht von Nummern wie "Devil In My Head", "Hate" oder "The Asylum", in denen die Amerikanerin ihre Seele so schonungslos wie nie zuvor offenlegt.

Fan-filmed video footage of OBITUARY's April 14 performance at Hangar 110 in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

OBITUARY's current touring lineup includes MONSTROSITY drummer Lee Harrison on second guitar.

Guitarist Ralph Santolla, who joined OBITUARY in 2007 as the replacement for Allen West, has not played any shows with the group since last year.

OBITUARY is currently writing material for the follow-up to the "Darkest Day" full-length CD, released in 2009 via Candlelight Records.

"Darkest Day" landed at position No. 32 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.

Danish extreme metallers ILLDISPOSED will enter Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark on May 18 with producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL) to begin recording their new album for a late 2012 release.

ILLDISPOSED last year parted ways with guitarist Franz Hellboss and replaced him with Ken Holst.

The band's most recent album, "There Is Light (But It's Not For Me)", entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 78. Released on April 1, 2011 via Massacre Records, the CD was recorded at Antfarm with Tue Madsen.

ILLDISPOSED's previous album, "To Those Who Walk Behind Us", entered the official chart in Denmark at No. 32. This was the group's highest-ever chart position in Denmark.

The "There Is Light (But It's Not For Me)" artwork was created by Lasse Hoile, who previously worked with ILLDISPOSED on the "1-800 Vindication" and "Burn Me Wicked" releases.

ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer has issued the following update:

"Just wanted to write a thank you to all the fans on the last leg of the tour. You guys were amazing every single night, no matter where in the world we were. It was a truly special run, and one that will remain high in my memories for years to come.

"We will start songwriting in the fall this year and will continue that, and the subsequent production for the new album, in between and around upcoming tour plans for the remainder of 2012-2013. Busy, focused, and energizing times lie ahead, but we are stoked and ready! Count on it!

"I'm currently in South America, hanging with friends, and taking care of some personal business here. Home sweet home is just around the corner, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! AHHHHH!!!!

"I'd also like to say good luck to [former ICED EARTH bassist] Freddie Vidales. We had a lot of fun through the years and I wish him all the best for his future. We totally understand his decision and support it 100%. Best to you, brother!

"Until next time, thank you once again... take care, and I wish you all the very best life has to offer!"

Vidales left ICED EARTH after the Chinese shows earlier this month. Due to the band's massive touring commitments, there was immediate need for a replacement, and Luke Appleton (of FURY UK, with whom ICED EARTH toured in Europe last winter) has stepped up to the plate and will be joining the tour in time for the June 16 show in Bangalore, India.

ICED EARTH's concert in Bangalore is a first visit to India for the band and the show on August 19 in Limassol marks a much-clamored return to Cyprus, only eight months after their last show there. The show is being filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD/CD release.

ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.

Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.

ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.

ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman's most recent two studio albums, "Bad D.N.A." and "Tokyo Jukebox 2", will be released in Europe as a deluxe two-disc set. The package will feature an all-new design and booklet as well as special a bonus track (not available elsewhere) — the guitar-karaoke version of the song "Bad D.N.A.", so for the first time you can hear in detail everything that is going on underneath Marty's lead guitar, and add some yourself, if you are so inclined. This is the first "backing track" Marty has released outside of Japan.

The European release will be through Verycords, a French label with distribution by Warner Bros. The release dates are May 7 in France and the U.K. and May 11 in the rest of Europe.

"Tokyo Jukebox 2" was released in Japan last September via Avex. The CD picks up where Friedman's 2009 effort, "Tokyo Jukebox", left off, with even more adventurous arrangements of his favorite Japanese songs. Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, the album features Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL) on drums.

"Bad D.N.A." was released in Japan on August 25, 2010 via Avex. The CD was produced by Marty and engineered by Steve Hardy and Shinnosuke Miyazawa (LADY GAGA, GUNS N' ROSES) at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, California.

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have just released a split seven-inch single with Canadian singer-songwriter Feist to celebrate Record Store Day. This very exclusive and highly anticipated pressing features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue". Both tracks are now available for streaming below.

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

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

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

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

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

The cover artwork for the MASTODON and Feist split seven-inch single can be seen below.

About Record Store Day: Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance Of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale.

Record Store Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of April.

According to Musica Metal, EPICA singer Simone Simons was hit in the face by a flying drumstick that slipped out of drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek's hands during the opening song of the band's April 17 concert at Alcatraz in Milan, Italy. Simone briefly left the stage to regain her composure before returning a few moments later to finish singing the track "Monopoly On Truth" with no problems and no apparent injuries.

Two separate fan-filmed video clips of the incident can be seen below (cued to about five seconds before the stick goes airborne).

Photos of the show are available on Musica Metal.

The band's setlist for the night was as follows:

01. Karma
02. Monopoly On Truth
03. Sensorium
04. Internal Warfare
05. Serenade Of Self-Destruction
06. Sancta Terra
07. Delirium
08. Blank Infinity
09. The Obsessive Devotion
10. Storm The Sorrow
11. The Phantom Agony
-------------------------
12. Cry For The Moon
13. Unleashed
14. Consign To Oblivion

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.

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.

A video for "Storm The Sorrow" was filmed in February and it "will show the band in a way you have never seen before," according to a press release.

Audio samples of the tracks that will appear on "Spell Eater", the debut album from Los Angeles-based female-fronted metallers HUNTRESS, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on April 27 via Napalm Records.

"Spell Eater" track listing:

01. Spell Eater
02. Senecide
03. Sleep and Death
04. Snow Witch
05. Eight of Swords
06. Aradia
07. Night Rape
08. Children
09. Terror
10. The Tower
11. The Dark

HUNTRESS vocalist Jill Janus told AOL's Noisecreep about the "Spell Eater" artwork, "The album cover captures the beauty and brutality of HUNTRESS. Vance Kelly is a warlock and he took our vision and created a magical illustration that breathes glory into the old crone. We contemplated having either a sultry sorceress or decrepit forest witch as our cover babe. Ultimately, the crone won because she is the true Huntress."

According to a press release, "HUNTRESS lead singer Jill Janus is an operatic banshee with an unparalleled four-octave range and lust for the occult. Born and raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she toured Europe as a teenage opera starlet. Upon her return to the States, Janus embraced Manhattan nightlife, creating Felliniesque cabarets and parties in a nihilistic club scene. Years later, Janus moved to Los Angeles and began the gestation period of HUNTRESS. In 2009 she met underground metal band PROFESSOR. The universe spread her legs and delivered HUNTRESS to Janus, combining former members of PROFESSOR, DARK BLACK and SKELETONWITCH."

HUNTRESS will support DRAGONFORCE on a North American tour starting on April 21 at the annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts.

HUNTRESS is:

Vocals: Jill Janus
Lead Guitar: Blake Meahl
Rhythm Guitar: Ian Alden
Drums: Carl Wierzbicky
Bass: Eric Harris

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

American death metallers VORE have inked a deal with AFM Records. The band's latest album, "Gravehammer", will be re-released on July 20.

VORE has been cranking out its unique blend of crushing, doom-laden death metal since 1994. The band draws upon death, thrash and traditional metal influences to create an onslaught of titanic power and heaviness.

VORE's mid-paced rhythmic style is built around strong riffs and songcraft, rather than all out speed, which sets them apart from current trends in death metal. Over this soundscape, themes of doom, darkness, conquest and sorcery roar in a savage vocal attack.

VORE consists of guitarist/vocalist Page Townsley, drummer Remy Cameron and bassist Jeremy Partin. The band has released four self-financed CDs — "Dead Kings Eyes" in 1997, "Lord Of Storms" in 2001, "Maleficus" in 2005 and "Gravehammer", which was unleashed in late 2011.

In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, and singer Alessandro Conti (TRICK OR TREAT).

Commented LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY: "We tried it but we understood in a short time that it would have been really impossible to have our friend and drummer Alex Holzwarth playing for both RHAPSODY and RHAPSODY OF FIRE. In these conditions, there was simply no way to go on and right now, having two tour agencies working for us and starting the planning of the live activity, we agreed that the best is to keep the two bands completely independent from each other. That's why some time ago we found the only possible solution. Alex Holzwarth will go on playing for RHAPSODY OF FIRE, and this makes sense because also his brother is playing in that band, too. From our side, after thanking Alex for all the wonderful moments shared together and to have recorded the new album showing once more all his great technical skill, we started looking around trying to find a special person that could have taken his important place. Well, we can tell you that we found that person and it is surely special, very special… honestly one of the best drummers around we had the chance to listen to. Therefore we are really proud to announce that the new drummer and permanent band member of RHAPSODY will be Mr. Alex Landenburg. We are honored to have Alex with us, we admire his unique talent and we are sure we will have a lot of fun together, in the years to come, on the stages of the whole world!"

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY's new album, "Ascending To Infinity", will be released on June 29 via Nuclear Blast..

A three-and-a-half-minute YouTube clip containing audio snippets of the forthcoming CD can be found below.

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY recently finished filming a video for the song "Dark Fate Of Atlantis" in Stockholm, Sweden with director Owe Lingvall of Dream Day Media (THE RASMUS, KAMELOT's "The Great Pandemonium").

Commented the group: "We are impressed by the visionary style of Owe's works. For a band willing to sound and look cinematic like RHAPSODY, there was no better choice possible. The video will be spread for free around the world in the beginning of April. Our friend Owe will also be responsible for a bonus DVD including the video, the 'making-of' documentary related with it, and exclusive interviews with all the RHAPSODY bandmembers. Nuclear Blast will release this extra DVD with a playtime of more than one hour in the limited edition of the new upcoming album, 'Ascending To Infinity', to be released worldwide on June 29. An additional gift to all our fans around the world!"

"Ascending To Infinity" track listing:

01. Quantum X
02. Ascending To Infinity
03. Dante's Inferno
04. Excalibur
05. Tormento E Passione
06. Dark Fate Of Atlantis
07. Fantasia Gotica
08. Clash Of The Titans
09. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall
I. Alma Mundi
II. Fatum Mortalis
III. Ignis Divinus

You can check out the "Ascending To Infinity" cover artwork below.

The album will have a running time of around 65 minutes.

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will embark on the "Ascending To Infinity" headlining tour in the fall.

In a recent interview, Turilli stated about "Ascending To Infinity", "Honestly, this album is very important for me, Alex Holzwarth, Patrice and Dominique and personally it is the one I always dreamed to record. The basic composition process lasted around five months. In this period of time I worked at the rhythm of 12-14 hours per day and, while very hard because very demanding mentally and spiritually, this was one of the most rewarding sessions of composition of my whole life. It rarely happened I had so much fun playing the guitar, the keyboards or my beloved piano and creating original classical parts, cinematic interludes, orchestrations and all the rest. Now all the songs are ready and I am actually in the process of arranging everything. As you know, I don't hire external people to orchestrate the music, but I do all by myself writing the music for each section of the orchestra, the choirs etc. and this sometimes can be a very long and hard process stealing a lot of time and energy. I cannot deny that this is a very ambitious album, because of the investment, artistic vision etc., and all the people working on it, Nuclear Blast included, are thinking the same. That's why in the upcoming months of intensive studio work I want to go on dedicating myself night and day to it, without thinking to anything else."

Regarding the change in the production team for the LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY album, Luca said, "After many years of work in Wolfsburg at the court of our friend Sascha Paeth, I decided to start this new artistic adventure with a different team of people. Sascha and the other friends of the Gate Studio (Miro, Olaf, Robert, Simon, etc.) are a winning team and their help in the past was really important for RHAPSODY. But it's since many years already that Alex and I took the productions in our hands becoming producers of our own albums, despite Sascha remaining always fundamental as engineer and mixer man. His mixes will remain legendary and our list of thanks will be never long enough for all the professional contribution he gave. All the years of work, fun and sufferance in the Gate studios of Wolfsburg will surely remain unforgettable and are carved in our heart. For LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY and the new band adventure I decided to change the studio and the main man behind the console. We are now recording the new album at the Backyard Studio of Kempten, Germany. Our new engineer and main mixer man is the same owner of the studio and his name is Sebastian Roeder, the person who worked for RHAPSODY OF FIRE in the last worldwide tour making real miracles while mixing our music live. Apart from being a talented engineer, he is a great person and he shares with us the love for this style of music. To resume, the new album will be produced by me as usual, while Sebastian will take care of the engineering, mixing and mastering process."

Fan-filmed video footage of SOIL's April 14 performance at Earthday Birthday 19 at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida can be seen below.

SOIL will release its first-ever DVD, entitled "Re-LIVE-Ing The Scars", on May 8 via Bieler Bros. Records. The two-disc set, which was recorded live on October 14, 2011 at Electric Ballroom in London, England, will contain an audio CD version of the same concert. Also included is over one hour of backstage and behind-the-scenes bonus footage and photos.

SOIL's current lineup consists of founding members Ryan McCombs (vocals; ex-DROWNING POOL), Tim King (bass) and Adam Zadel (guitar) alongside former STAIND drummer Jon Wysocki.

"Re-LIVE-Ing The Scars" track listing:

01. Breaking Me Down
02. Need To Feel
03. My Own
04. Redefine
05. Cross My Heart
06. Inside
07. The One
08. Wide Open
09. Black 7
10. Unreal
11. Halo
12. Pride

The 10th-anniversary edition of SOIL's breakthrough album "Scars" — featuring the hits "Halo" and "Unreal" — was made available digitally on October 10, 2011 through Sony Music. The release features the rare B-side "Center" and the previously unreleased track "Damaged You" from the "Scars" recording sessions.

METALLICA has confirmed that it has signed on to be part of the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album which is being assembled by the singer's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio.

"We reached out to Wendy Dio about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that's getting put together," METALLICA singer James Hetfield tells U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "We're very honoured to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie's life and his great contribution, man."

"We're definitely looking to do the record Wendy's putting together for Ronnie," adds Lars. "We were asked if we'd contribute to the anniversary of [classic DEEP PURPLE album] 'Machine Head', too — we can't turn that down. We're circling the Dio and PURPLE catalogues and hopefully we'll come up with something that is worthy of these wonderful men."

Other artists that will appear on the Dio tribute album include ANTHRAX, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford, MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister, DEEP PURPLE's Ian Gillan, Alice Cooper, Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Chris Jericho (FOZZY) and Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS).

"I'm letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it," Wendy told Artisan News at this past December's Dimebash event in Hollywood, California.

Tentatively due before the end of the year, the Dio tribute album will see Grohl covering BLACK SABBATH's "The Mob Rules" and Halford contributing a version of RAINBOW's "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll".

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

The Rock 'N' Roll Allstars tour kicked off its tour of South and Central America this past Thursdya, April 19 at Jockey Club in Asunción, Paraguay. The band played a two-hour show featuring the biggest hits from all the musicians involved, including DEF LEPPARD's "Pure Some Sugar on Me" and "Animal", KISS' "Rock and Roll All Nite", SKID ROW's "I Remember You" along with several GUNS N' ROSES hits such as "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O Mine", with Sebastian Bach singing.

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

Check put photos at Paraguay.com.

Comprised of musicians from some of the biggest bands in recent rock history, the Rock 'N' Roll Allstars is a live show unlike any before. Bandmembers include:

* Gene Simmons (KISS)
* Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
* Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES)
* Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES)
* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA)
* Glenn Hughes (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH)
* Ed Roland (COLLECTIVE SOUL)
* Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL)
* Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS)
* Billy Duffy (THE CULT)

Promoter Gabe Reed hosted a press conference on March 1 at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California to officially announce the Rock 'N' Roll Allstars tour. Also attending the press conference were Simmons, Sorum, McKagan, Clarke, Bach and Hughes, among others.

"This is going to be a great time, a time for us to pay tribute to the fans," Simmons said. "This is an important honor to step on sacred holy ground with a project like this, and all of it is for the fans. It harkens back to the old days of rock and roll, the 'Legends Of Rock' when Chuck Berry, Little Richard, all of them got together to put on the best show possible for the fans. . . We're trying to follow a great trend in rock and roll, and we're going to have a great time. So stay tuned."

Commented Bach: "For me to be the singer in Gene Simmons' first-EVER side project is amazing to me! Dreams come true, indeed. If you would have told me when I was a boy that some day Gene Simmons, Glenn Hughes and myself would be in a band together, my reply would have been, No, we will not,' and I would have been wrong, haha!! We are gonna rock the best of KISS, DEEP PURPLE, GUNS N' ROSES, SKID ROW and DEF LEPPARD!"

Added Hughes: "It's going to be quite a spectacle. For me, this collective of rockers is a fan's dream come true. It's a great lineup with players from a lot of great bands."

"We'll play all the biggest hits from each band," Sorum, who is one of the tour's organizers, said. "It's going to be a good time. The hits will keep coming."

"If you look at who's been doing something a long time, if you look at who is still around, they're usually the best guys to hang with," McKagan said. "I wasn't the easiest one to get into the camp, but this is going to be great."

For more information, visit www.rnrallstars.com.

Asunción press conference:

"Breakin' Brains", the new video from legendary Swedish metallers SILVER MOUNTAIN, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's brand new album, which is tentatively scheduled for release this fall.

SILVER MOUNTAIN is:

Jonas Hansson - Guitars & Vocals
Per Stadin - Bass
Erik Björn Nielsen - Keyboards
Mats Bergentz - Drums

The music for "Breakin' Brains" was written by Hansson, while the lyrics were penned by Hansson and Bergentz. The clip was directed by Jonas Hansson

SILVER MOUNTAIN has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Headbangers Open Air festival, set to take place July 26-28 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany.

SILVER MOUNTAIN's September 4, 2010 reunion show at Friluftsteatern in in Malmö, Sweden was filmed for a DVD release. The concert featured five different lineups and was captured using five cameras and a 24-track unit. This resulted in a 117-minute-long DVD, "A Reunion Live", which can be ordered at this location.

Formed in 1978, SILVER MOUNTAIN was initially an instrumental group based around the duo of bassist Pär Stadin and vocalist/guitarist Jonas Hansson. Among the band's earliest members were keyboard player Jens Johansson and his drummer brother Anders Johansson, both of whom would later join Yngwie Malmsteen.

According to MusicMight, SILVER MOUNTAIN's debut commercial release with the Johansson brothers came in the form of the track "She Needs" on the 1982 GS Music compilation "Skånsk Rock".

The brothers quit to join Yngwie Malmsteen after the "Shakin' Brains" album came out in 1984. There are bootlegs culled from jam sessions circulating from this period that feature the Johansson brothers, Yngwie Malmsteen and Per Stadin.

For 1985's "Universe" album SILVER MOUNTAIN added NORDEN LIGHT singer Christer Mentzer and re-recruited Martin Hedener on drums.

A SILVER MOUNTAIN reformation album, "Breakin' Chains", was issued by the Japanese Avalon Marquee label in 2001.

A one-minute audio sample of "Wherever I Go", a brand new song from California rockers BUCKCHERRY, can be streamed using the ReverbNation player below. The track will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to this year's highly anticipated movie, "Marvel's The Avengers". "Wherever I Go" 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.

Says the band: "The song was written specifically for the film, and was recorded during the sessions for our upcoming album. Check it out and hope you dig it!"

"The Avengers" original motion picture soundtrack, with score by Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Alan Silvestri ("Captain America: The First Avenger", "Forrest Gump", the "Back To The Future" trilogy) will be available at online retailers on May 1.

In addition to BUCKCHERRY's "Wherever I Go", 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

BUCKCHERRY is currently in the midst of recording its sixth studio album for a late 2012 release. The CD will follow up 2010's "All Night Long" and is said to possibly be a concept record.

BUCKCHERRY will hit the road this spring on a headlining tour beginning on April 21 in San Antonio, Texas. The band will be joined by "American Idol" alumnus James Durbin and REDLIGHT KING for a North American jaunt throughout over 30 cities. BUCKCHERRY will also be performing on the main stage at this year's Bamboozle along with GASLIGHT ANTHEM and BON JOVI on May 20.

CREED and ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti will release his debut solo album, "All I Was", in July via Fret 12.

Audio samples of three songs from the CD — "So You're Afraid", "The Things I've Seen" and "You Waste Your Time" — are available for streaming below.

Tremonti handles all lead vocals on the CD, with additional contributions from Eric Friedman (backing vocals, guitar, bass) and Garrett Whitlock (drums).

Tremonti recently said that his upcoming solo album will be heavier than both CREED and ALTER BRIDGE — and contain even more lead guitar solos than he does with either group. Speaking with ARTISTdirect, Tremonti explained, "It's a dynamic record. It's probably heavier than either CREED or ALTER BRIDGE, but it's still melody-driven. Most of the stuff is more up-tempo and heavy-riffing though. I had to write eleven solos for this record so it took me a long time. There's lots of soloing."

With regards to his vocal performance on the CD, Tremonti told IHeartGuitarBlog.com, "It's the first time I've ever sang on a record, so it was a good challenge for me. . . I've always been a songwriter, so I've sung while I was playing, but I write in my falsetto, so I'm hitting very high notes and all over the place, but I've always had a low range, so for my solo stuff I tune it way down. Y'know, I just never had the confidence before. I think the more I've sang over the years, the more I've developed the confidence in my voice, and I'm finally ready to do it on my own. But it's a whole different world."

A 30-second video clip in which Tremonti introduces his solo band — comprised of Eric Friedman on guitar, Brian Marshall (CREED, ALTER BRIDGE) on bass, and Garrett Whitlock on drums — can be seen below.

"Childhood's End" sees progressive Norwegian rock/metal band ULVER re-interpret classic psychedelic tracks from the late 1960s. The album includes ULVER's unique versions of tracks from THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, ELECTRIC PRUNES, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE PRETTY THINGS and more.

The Sunshine era gets the "dark music" treatment!

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."

All copies ordered from the Kscope store will come with a download card which features a unique code to download a digital version of the album. Pre-order now for May 28 release.

"Childhood's End" track listing:

CD:

01. Bracelets Of Fingers (originally recorded by THE PRETTY THINGS)
02. Everybody's Been Burned (THE BYRDS)
03. The Trap (BONNIWELL'S MUSIC MACHINE)
04. In The Past (CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND)
05. Today (JEFFERSON AIRPLANE)
06. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone? (GANDALF)
07. I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night (ELECTRIC PRUNES)
08. Street Song (THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS)
09. 66-5-4-3-2-1 (THE TROGGS)
10. Dark Is The Bark (LEFT BANKE)
11. Magic Hollow (BEAU BRUMMELS)
12. Soon There'll Be Thunder (COMMON PEOPLE)
13. Velvet Sunsets (MUSIC EMPORIUM)
14. Lament Of The Astral Cowboy (CURT BOETTCHER)
15. I Can See The Light (LES FLEUR DE LYS)
16. Where Is Yesterday (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

Vinyl:

Side A

1. Bracelets Of Fingers
2. Everybody's Been Burned
3. The Trap
4. In The Past
5. Today

Side B

01. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone?
02. I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night
03. Street Song
04. 66-5-4-3-2-1

Side C

01. Dark Is The Bark
02. Magic Hollow
03. Soon There'll Be Thunder
04. Velvet Sunsets

Side D

01. Lament Of The Astral Cowboy
02. I Can See The Light
03. Where Is Yesterday

On March 12, a select group of special MANOWAR fans known as The Circle, who represent the band's worldwide fan base, were invited to a private pre-listening session of the forthcoming MANOWAR album, as well as a tour of Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands where the album will be mixed and mastered.

MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio, and longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper, provided insight into the making of a record, and the specific requirements in the production for a band that is world-renowned for a sound that is louder than any other band and yet equally clear and perfect.

Fans from all over the world were chosen to represent their countries and receive news and updates to share them with their fellow brothers and sisters, and listen to first songs from the new album that is set for release in June/July.

"It was important to us that the fans should be the first to hear the new music. After all, it is all for them!" explained DeMaio.

The new album will be "everything you've come to know and to love about MANOWAR; and more," DeMaio recently said in a press conference.

A second preview of the new CD has been posted online. A snippet of the track "Expendable" can be heard in the YouTube clip below.

When asked about the long gap between MANOWAR's last CD and upcoming effort, DeMaio said, "I know that a lot of people don't wanna wait another five years for a MANOWAR record, but we hope that people are gonna think that it was worth waiting the time. Because, you know, you go to a restaurant and you order dinner, if the waiter walks in the kitchen and comes back out two seconds later and puts the dinner on the table, I really don't know what you're gonna get. Every now and then I like McDonald's, too — it doesn't mean something fast is not good — but we're not a fast-food restaurant with MANOWAR. We think it's quality, so we hope you're gonna feel the same way."

DeMaio promised that the story behind the song "El Gringo", which could not yet be explained due to confidentiality clauses, will soon be revealed and asked the fans to stay tuned on Facebook. He did mention the word "movie" after the song was played.

"Expendable" rough mix:

According to Wikimetal, one of the greatest Brazilian heavy metal bands has rejoined forces with its original lead singer after 22 years. VIPER will reunite with vocalist André Matos (ANGRA, SHAAMAN) in order to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of the release of the group's album "Soldiers Of Sunrise". For the first time ever, VIPER will play its first two LPs, "Soldiers Of Sunrise" and "Theater Of Fate", in their entirety.

In addition to Matos, VIPER's lineup will include Pit Passarell (bass, vocals), Felipe Machado (guitar) and Guilherme Martin (drums). Hugo Mariutti will replace Yves Passarell during the trek, the setlist for which "will contain nice surprises for the fans."

The "To Live Again Tour 2012" will take place in July 2012 and will be the only opportunity for fans to check out VIPER in this formation.

The first "To Live Again Tour 2012" date has already been announced: July 1 in São Paulo, Brazil. Other cities will be announced shortly.

A photo of VIPER's 2012 lineup can be seen below.

Portuguese gothic metallers MOONSPELL will release their new album, "Alpha Noir", on April 27 via the band's new label home, Napalm Records. The cover artwork for the CD — an intricate, marvellous and symbolic creation by Seth Siro Anton, the Greek artist who collaborated with the band on "Night Eternal" — can be seen below. Also available is a preview image of the strictly limited edition "Alpha Noir" deluxe box set containing the limited-edition double album mediabook, including two album covers, and "Alpha Noir"'s counterpart "Omega White" and an exclusive MOONSPELL logo pendant.

"Alpha Noir" deluxe box set track listing:

CD 1

01. Axis Mundi
02. Lickanthrope
03. Versus
04. Alpha Noir
05. En Nome Do Medo
06. Opera Carne
07. Love is Blasphemy
08. Grand Stand
09. Sine Missione

CD 2

01. White Omega
02. White Skies
03. Fireseason
04. New Tears Eve
05. Herodisiac
06. Incantatrix
07. Sacrificial
08. A Greater Darkness

The "Alpha Noir" and "Omega White" preview clips can be seen below.

MOONSPELL's new video, "Lickanthrope", was directed by Filipe Melo, who worked with the band on the "I Will See You In My Dreams" clip ten years ago. The shoot took place in Nandufe, Tondela, in the central region of Portugal.

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers DELAIN will release their long-awaited third album, "We Are The Others", on June 1 in the Benelux and Germany; and on June 4 in the U.K. and France through CNR Entertainment and Roadrunner Records. The lead single, "Get The Devil Out Of Me", hit stores on April 13 (April 15 for U.K.) to coincide with the start of the band's European tour.

The "Get The Devil Out Of Me" video can be seen below. The clip features footage from the recording sessions for the new CD and live material, including footage from the Sonisphere festival in the U.K. (used with kind permission of BlinkTV).

Commented DELAIN singer Charlotte Wessels: "Getting 'We Are The Others' recorded has been a challenging process. However, I'm absolutely sure that it forced the best out of us. I'm in love with so many of the tracks on this record! Our fans have shown massive support in the run up to the release. Thank you all so much for that! Now that we've got the date fixed and this great new team behind us, I can't wait to get onstage and blow your minds with our new songs. You rock!!"

Described as "the band's most powerful, most atmospheric and intoxicating album to date," "We Are The Others" was helmed by producer Jacob Hellner — renowned for his work with RAMMSTEIN, CLAWFINGER and APOCALYPTICA — while the vocals were tracked with the Epicentre team of Fredrik Thomander and Anders Wikström (SCORPIONS, BACKYARD BABIES).

A new video interview with DELAIN frontwoman Charlotte Wessels about "We Are The Others" can be seen below (courtesy of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine).

DELAIN previously stated about "We Are The Others": "As you might expect from us, this album again offers some interesting collaborations, both in musical and visual terms.

"This record features none less than FEAR FACTORY shouter Burton C. Bell as a guest singer, and visual artist Glenn Arthur provided the cover artwork [see below].

"We met Burton at the Wacken Open Air festival a year ago and stayed in touch afterwards. When we were working on [the song] 'Where Is The Blood', we didn't hesitate to contact him for cooperation. He's done such an amazing job on the song turning the song into a most violent duet; his exceptional, raw voice fits perfectly to this song!

"The cover artwork was created by Glenn Arthur, a California-based visual artist whose work is inspired by art nouveau design and steampunk imagery. Charlotte [Wessels, vocals] is a big admirer of Glenn's work and she dedicated multiple blogs to his art.

"For the artwork of 'We Are The Others', we gave Glenn the lyrics to the song as inspiration.

"We're incredibly happy with how the cover turned out."

Added Charlotte: "From the first time I saw [Glenn's] work, I've been imagining it as cover artwork; something in the way his work is both esthetically very delicate, but always with a dark undertone, fits our music very well."

"We Are The Others" track listing:

01. Mother Machine
02. Electricity
03. We Are The Others
04. Milk And Honey
05. Hit Me With Your Best Shot
06. I Want You
07. Where Is The Blood (feat. Burton C. Bell)
08. Generation Me
09. Babylon
10. Are You Done With Me
11. Get The Devil Out Of Me
12. Not Enough

At first glance, some songtitles on "We Are The Others" may sound mysterious and conspiratorial, but there is a very serious background: The lyrics to the title track were inspired by the hate crime against a British girl named Sophie Lancaster in 2007. She and her boyfriend were beaten comatose by a gang of youths, because of their goth looks, and Sophie later died from her injuries. This tragedy sent shockwaves throughout the world.

Commented Charlotte: "Sophie's story hit close to home for us, being part of a subculture ourselves but it's in no way an individual case; people are discriminated against — all the time, to the point of violence — based on their cultural or ethnic background everywhere.

"'We Are The Others' is our own 'outsiders anthem' for everybody who, deliberately or not, diverts from the norm. Whether it's by looking different, acting different, or choosing a different path in life then is expected from you."

DELAIN will embark on a European headlining tour in April with support from TRILLIUM, the metal project masterminded by American singer/songwriter Amanda Somerville.

"Get The Devil Out Of Me" video:

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have released the "Zero Distance" digital EP via iTunes.

Commented the band: "For those of you who don't want to buy the tour edition of 'Where Death Is Most Alive' just to get the bonus songs, we've decided to release them digitally."

"Zero Distance" EP track listing:

01. Zero Distance
02. Out Of Gravity
03. Star Of Nothingness
04. To Where Fires Cannot Feed
05. The Bow And The Arrow

DARK TRANQUILLITY's ninth album, "We Are The Void", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 15 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.

"We Are The Void" was released in North America on March 9, 2010 via Century Media Records. The LP was made available in Europe as a CD, digital download and strictly limited-edition die-cut digipak featuring two bonus songs ("Stars Of Nothingness" and "To Where Fires Cannot Feed") and a bonus DVD.

Sweden's TIAMAT is currently recording its tenth studio album, "The Scarred People", at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany with producer Siggi Bemm. An October release via the band's new label, Napalm Records, is expected.

TIAMAT's latest CD, "Amanethes", was produced by Johan Edlund and was recorded mainly at The Mansion in Greece, with additional recordings taking place at Studio Mega in Sweden and Cue in Greece. The album was mixed and mastered by Siggi Bemm in Woodhouse Studios, Germany in January 2008.

Century Media Records released a limited-edition collector's box from TIAMAT entitled "The Ark of the Covenant - The Complete Century Media Years". Limited to 3,000 copies worldwide, this noble box set also includes two exclusive audio CDs, a numbered authenticity certificate, as well as a comprehensive 74-page booklet with all lyrics, terrific artwork, rare photos and extensive liner notes by Anders Iwers.