As correctly predicted by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on April 11, Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA, ARSON ANTHEM, SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and legendary BLACK SABBATH/HEAVEN & HELL bassist Geezer Butler made special guest appearances at the third installment of Samson's "Metal Masters" series, which was held last night (Thursday, April 12) at the Key Club on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.

Anselmo joined David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER), Frank Bello (ANTHRAX), Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Kerry King (SLAYER) and Chris Broderick (MEGADETH) to perform SLAYER's "Raining Blood" and "Angel Of Death" as well as the PANTERA classics "A New Level", "Mouth For War", "Walk" and "This Love". Butler then got up on stage with all the other musicians to close out the night with a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Hole In The Sky" — complete with Anselmo on lead vocals.

Professionally filmed video footage of the entire event can be seen below.

Six years after publishing a collection of reinterpretations of famous rock and pop songs under the title "Cover To Cover", multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Neal Morse will release a second album of cover songs, "Cover 2 Cover", in May. Joining Neal once again during the CD's recording sessions were his longtime colleagues Mike Portnoy (drums; DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, FLYING COLORS, TRANSATLANTIC) and Randy George (bass).

An audio sample of Neal Morse's cover version of STYX's "Come Sail Away", taken from "Cover 2 Cover", can be streamed using the audio player below.

To mark Record Store Day on April 21, Rhino will offer three colored-vinyl versions of the MISFITS' LP "Walk Among Us", commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the band's 1982 full-length classic. It is a faithful reproduction of the original with music cut from the original analog masters and packaging that duplicates details down to the printed inner sleeve.

Limited to 3,000 total copies in the U.S., "Walk Among Us" will be available for a suggested list price of $17.98. The album will be pressed on red (1,250 pieces), blue (1,250 pieces) and clear (500) vinyl. Color variations will be distributed randomly. There will also be a purple vinyl pressing released internationally that will be limited to 1,500 copies.

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.

"Challenge Of The Undead", the new video from Austrian old-school death metallers ZOMBIE INC., can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "A Dreadful Decease", which was released in North America on February 14 via Massacre Records. The CD was made available in Europe last August.

ZOMBIE INC. may be a new name to the death metal scene, but some of the henchmen involved this gory, plodding debauchery will surely raise some interest... namely former PUNGENT STENCH vocalist Martin Schirenc's return to the death metal scene! Schirenc's guttural oral thunder is brutally backed by guitars from songwriting mastermind Wolfgang Rothbauer (DISBELIEF, EISBLUT) and Gerald Huber (COLLAPSE 7), low end from bassist Daniel Lechner (THE CASCADES, ex-LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE) and the percussive onslaught of Tomasz "Nefastus" Janiszewski (BELPHEGOR, FLESHCRAWL, DEBAUCHERY).

"A Dreadful Decease" is described in a press release as "a gore-obsessed 41-minute stompfest loaded with the instinctive, intuitive and aggressive stylings of the death metal of the '90s, bringing names like ENTOMBED, AUTOPSY, DISMEMBER, OBITUARY, DEICIDE, EDGE OF SANITY and GOREFEST to the chopping block. 'A Dreadful Decease' runs rampant with horrific, apocalyptic zombie themes, both lyrically, atmospherically and visually, bearing professional artwork by SeasonZero Design."

"A Dreadful Decease" was recorded and mixed by Martin Schirenc at Vato Loco in Austria, and mastered by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, BLOODBATH) at Unisound in Sweden.

"A Dreadful Decease" track Listing:

01. The Chaosbreed
02. Deadtribe Sinister
03. Challenge Of The Undead
04. Horde Unleashed
05. We Must Eat!
06. Bloodrain Overdose
07. Grim Brutality
08. Horror Fills This Hollow Earth
09. A Dreadful Decease
10. Planet Zombie

ZOMBIE INC. is:

* Martin Schirenc (HOLLENTHON, ex-PUNGENT STENCH) - Vocals
* Wolfgang Rothbauer (DISBELIEF, EISBLUT, IN SLUMBER, THIRDMOON, GODHATECODE) - Guitar
* Gerald Huber (COLLAPSE 7) - Guitar
* Daniel Lechner (THE CASCADES, ex-LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE) - Bass
* Tomasz "Nefastus" Janiszewski (BELPHEGOR, FLESHCRAWL, DEBAUCHERY) - Drums

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/zombieinc666.

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider interviewed legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) on the "black carpet" of the fourth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show, which took place last night (Wednesday, April 11) at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. During the brief chat, Dee commented on GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose's announcement that he will not attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this Saturday (April 14) in Cleveland and Axl's request to have his name withdrawn as a member of the group he co-founded and still fronts today.

"I'm gonna ask you the question, but I'm not gonna ask you to answer — I'm gonna give the answer," Dee told Slash. "Someone just [told me] that it's official Axl [Rose] is not gonna sing at the [GUNS N' ROSES] Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame [induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio], and I said it's crap. I said, if he can't put this this stuff aside for an event like that, for a recognition like that, to do the cool thing, and just in respect of what you guys have done, I think it's totally screwed up."

Replied Slash: "I'm not gonna comment on all that, but I'll be there, so…"

In a lengthy open letter posted at GUNS N' ROSES' Facebook page, Rose wrote, "I respectfully decline my induction as a member of GUNS N' ROSES to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of 'GUNS N' ROSES.'"

Rose added that the entire situation left him feeling like he was in an awkward position, explaining, "This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn . . . Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' scenario all the way around."

The singer also reaffirmed that there is no chance of the original lineup reuniting, and seemed to speak directly to fans still hoping for a reunion when he added, "Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."

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

Rose's letter seems to have put the final nail in the coffin for fans hoping to see the original lineup perform at this weekend's ceremony. Speculation about such an event has been rampant since the band's induction was announced back in December.

Guitarist Izzy Stradlin is also not expected to attend, while Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum will be on hand. GREEN DAY will give the induction speech.

Along with GUNS, this year's class of inductees includes the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, Donovan, the FACES and Laura Nyro.

Guitar virtuoso and singer/songwriter Richie Kotzen (formerly of POISON and MR. BIG) has regretfully canceled his shows planned for later this month in New York City, Long Island, Baltimore, and Redondo.

"Since I came back from Europe I have been struggling with my voice," Richie said in a statement. "Last Saturday's gig in San Juan Cap was a vocal disaster.

"I thought it was fatigue from the brutal schedule in Europe. However, the voice is getting worse and now I am having pain even speaking.

"Today I went to my doctor in Beverly Hills. He is an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

"I was concerned I may have nodes. 16 years ago I had nodes... twice... two separate surgeries.

"Today he looked at me and it is very very bad news... My left vocal cord is hemorrhaged, bruised, and bleeding.

"The bottom line is I need to be on total voice rest for the next three weeks. This means no singing and limited talking.

"I explained I had gigs next week and he told me I am the only singer he ever treated that wanted to talk about doing shows with this condition.

"He explained that by trying to sing in this condition I would likely ruin my voice for good.

"I am very sorry but I must cancel all shows for April.

"The doctor assured me that if I rest and follow his advice my voice will return back to normal within three weeks from now.

"Those of you who purchased VIP tickets will be refunded through PayPal.

"Sorry for this bad news."

Kotzen burst onto the heavy metal scene as a teenager with a lightning-fast guitar techniques. With his talents, Kotzen has played with some of the best musicians; including renowned jazz great Stanley Clarke and a three-year stint in the band MR. BIG.

"I have been lucky in the sense that I have been able to play with guys who I could learn from," explains Kotzen. "The biggest musical lesson for me was playing in a band with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. Obviously, these guys are jazz musicians and I am not, but I learned so much from the time we recorded and toured together. My favorite rock bassist is Billy Sheehan, and we were in MR. BIG together for three years, which was awesome."

Canadian guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, TESTAMENT, EIDOLON) has issued the following update:

"We started work on the new GLEN DROVER BAND album recently, and have just finished the first track completely. This album will follow the last album's [2011's 'Metalusion'] style, but will contain more metal stuff this time around. There won't be as many covers on this album, but one track that will be featured is a cover of an instrumental song that OZZY OSBOURNE played on the 'Diary Of A Madman' tour before Randy [Rhoads] died. it was never featured on any of the Ozzy albums, but can be found on various bootlegs from that tour. It's a really cool metal/classical piece that they played surrounding Tommy's [Aldridge] drum solo. I extended the track and turned it into a full song. This is the track that we just finished and we are all super happy with the results!

"Aside from that, I pretty much have all the material for this next album in various files in the studio here to work on. All tracks were written by myself, Jim Gilmour and Paul Yee. Some killer shit going on, that I can promise!

"Finally, there have been a lot of people asking me if there will ever be another EIDOLON record, and although I don't see that happening, we are doing something cool with this new GLEN DROVER BAND album as far as EIDOLON goes, which is aside from all the instrumental tracks that will be recorded for the album, I'm having all three past EIDOLON singers do one track each for the album! It's a mix of tracks that were written years ago, but hiding in the song archives in my studio until the other day... I was in one of my many cleaning moods, sorting through stuff and found these lost tracks. WHOA!!!! Very excited about this to say the least, as the tracks are killer!! Also, there maybe a song from the original 'Seven Spirits' album, fully re-recorded with new vocals and lyrics. The re-recording of that album has been in my head for years, as it is one of my fave albums musically. Not sure if that will ever happen, but grabbing a song or two and doing justice to it sounds good to me!"

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

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

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

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

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will induct GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose with the rest of the band's classic lineup despite the fact that he has asked to have his name withdrawn as a member of the group he co-founded and still fronts today.

In an open letter released on GN'R's official web site on Wednesday, Rose wrote that after listening to fans and reading "various public comments and jabs from former members" of the band, as well as assorted press coverage, he has decided to "respectfully decline [his] induction as a member of GUNS N' ROSES to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame." He added, "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf."

"We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his induction in person," Lauren Bishop, a spokeswoman for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, said in a statement.

Rose closed his letter saying, "as ironic as it may seem, I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for GUNS' induction."

According to the Rock Hall, only the SEX PISTOLS have declined induction before.

A Rock Hall spokesperson confirmed with Billboard that GREEN DAY is still scheduled to introduce GUNS N' ROSES into the Hall's ranks.

The 27th annual Hall Of Fame ceremony will be held on April 14. In addition to GUNS N' ROSES, other artists being inducted include the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, the FACES/SMALL FACES, DONOVAN and LAURA NYRO.

The ceremony will be taped for broadcast by HBO, which plans to air it at 9 p.m. EST/PST on May 5.

Danish thrash metal veterans ARTILLERY will perform in the U.S. for the first time ever next month.

ARTILLERY will play gigs in May in New York and at the Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore. They will then move to South America to perform in Argentina, Chile and Brazil. At the end of the year, ARTILLERY will return to U.S. to play on the Barge To Hell cruise ship from Miami, Florida to the Bahamas.

Year 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of ARTILLERY. A celebration party will be held on May 4 at Kings And Lions in Copenhagen, Denmark, with some special guests and prizes. The gig at Lions And Barrels will also be ARTILLERY's last Danish gig with drummer and founding member Carsten Nielsen, who has decided to leave the band for personal reasons.

Commente Nielsen: "For personal reasons, I have chosen to leave the Danish thrash metal band ARTILLERY. It's something I've thought about for a long time and I have already informed the guys in the band and I can announce that the last shows I'm playing with ARTILLERY will be in South America. And to all the nice people I have met during my time in ARTILLERY, I will just say a huge thank you to; I will never forget the good reception and response I have received.

"After the last show, I will take a little break and then I'll probably go back to my roots and try to find some guys in the Copenhagen area who want to play some good old-fashioned punk rock together with me..."

ARTILLERY U.S. tour dates:

May 25 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest
May 26 - New York, NY - Saint Vitus Bar

ARTILLERY's "Warrior Blood" video can be viewed below. The clip was filmed in February 2011 with Morten Madsen as producer. According to ARTILLERY vocalist Søren Adamsen, the song's lyrics were written "about fighting. Soldiers, prize-fighters, people who are struggling with deadly diseases."

"Warrior Blood" is the first single/video from ARTILLERY's sixth album, "My Blood", which was released in Europe on March 21, 2011 via Metal Mind Productions (April 5 in the U.S. through MVD and March 9 in Japan via King Records). 14 songs were laid down during the sessions at Medley Studios in Copenhagen — 10 brand new tracks, a remake of "Ain't Giving In" (from 1992's "Mind Factory" demo) and three bonus tracks which are all new versions of timeless classics from the 1985 album "Fear Of Tomorrow" ("The Eternal War", "The Almighty" and "Show Your Hate"). The cover artwork was created by well-known Polish graphic designer Graal, who has previously worked with VITAL REMANS, SINISTER, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and BULLDOZER. Graal was also responsible for the covers of ARTILLERY's "Through The Years" box and "When Death Comes".

"Intersections", a collection of re-recorded classics by the legendary German progressive thrash outfit MEKONG DELTA, will be released in Germany on April 20, in the rest of Europe on April 23 and in the U.S./Canada in early May via SPV/Steamhammer.

MEKONG DELTA — founded in the '80s by producer and bass player Ralf Hubert — plays unconventional and technical thrash metal whose list of former members includes Jörg Michael (STRATOVARIUS) and Uli Kusch (ex-HELLOWEEN). Outstanding and critically acclaimed albums like "The Music of Erich Zann", "Dances Of Death" and their latest effort, "Wanderer On The Edge of Time", were said to be milestones of the genre.

"Intersections" track listing:

01. Prophecy
02. The Cure
03. Memories Of Tomorrow
04. Heroes Grief
05. Shades Of Doom
06. The Healer
07. Transgressor
08. Sphere Eclipse
09. Heartbeat
10. Innocent

Audio snippets of "The Cure" and "The Healer" can be streamed in YouTube clips below.

MEKONG DELTA in 2008 announced the addition of vocalist Martin LeMar (TOMORROW'S EVE) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR) to the group's ranks.

MEKONG DELTA's current lineup:

Ralf Hubert - Bass
Benedikt Zimniak - guitar
Erik Grösch - guitar
Martin LeMar - vocals
Alex Landenburg - drums

Nach fünf Jahren der Abwesenheit werden die progressiven Kultrocker THE FLOWER KINGS am 18. Juni 2012 (Europa/ US – Release 19. Juni 2012) endlich ihr neues Album veröffentlichen. Der neue Silberling der Truppe um Mastermind Roine Stolt (Transatlantic) wird den Namen "Banks Of Eden" tragen und bei InsideOut Music (Century Media/ EMI) erscheinen. Das Material ist im klassischen Flower Kings-Stil gehalten, mit all den träumerisch-melodischen und filmischen Elementen, welche die Fans über die Jahre lieben gelernt haben. Härtere wie auch psychedelische und dunklere Passagen werden auf dem Album zu finden sein, welche "Banks Of Eden" in einem Prog-Sound-Gewand der späten 60er gemischt mit modernen Klängen der "New Generation Of Art Rock" verschmelzen lassen.

The release of SHINEDOWN's fourth studio album, titled "Amaryllis", was accompanied by an e-book called "For Your Sake: Inside The Making Of Amaryllis", a 75-page, "completely interactive" e-book that contains commentary, photos, video footage and other content exclusively chronicling the creation of the new record.

A two-and-a-half-minute video clip in which SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith walks fans through "For Your Sake: Inside The Making Of Amaryllis" can be seen below.

"Amaryllis" sold 106,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SHINEDOWN landed the biggest debut of its career in July 2008 when its third album, "The Sound Of Madness", sold 50,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at No. 8 on the Billboard Top 200. This marked the first Top 10 album of the band's career.

SHINEDOWN performed two songs — "Bully" and "Unity" — on the March 26 episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

"Amaryllis" arrived in stores almost four years after the band issued "The Sound Of Madness". Brent Smith told The Pulse Of Radio that even though the band really came together on that last effort, they didn't want to rest on their laurels while making "Amaryllis". "We're never really a band that's gonna ever be satisfied," he said. "We're never gonna be complacent with 'Oh, well, that'll do.' We're the band that's looking for the doors that everyone is afraid to find, because we like that. We like pushing the envelope constantly. It keeps us on our toes."

The first single from "Amaryllis", "Bully", has already topped the rock radio charts. The new single is called "Unity".

The million-selling "The Sound Of Madness" yielded six chart-topping singles like "Second Chance", "Devour", "If You Only Knew" and the title track. It debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, spending 120 weeks on the album chart.

SHINEDOWN is headlining the 2012 edition of the Avalanche Tour, which kicked off on March 27 in Anaheim, California, with ADELITAS WAY, NEW MEDICINE and ART OF DYING also on the bill.

MEGADETH will perform its 1992 album, "Countdown To Extinction", in its entirety on September 7 at Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile.

MEGADETH's fifth LP, "Countdown To Extinction" was released on July 14, 1992 through Capitol Records. The band's best-selling full-length CD to date, it was certified double-platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of two million copies. The album also produced the band's most successful hit singles, "Symphony Of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", "Skin O' My Teeth" and "Foreclosure Of A Dream".

Gigantour — the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH — made its highly anticipated return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill kicked off on January 26 in Camden, New Jersey and wrapped on March 3 in Austin.

MEGADETH was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's tenth Grammy nomination was for its new single, "Public Enemy No. 1", off MEGADETH's latest album, "TH1RT3EN", which came out on November 1, 2011.

"Public Enemy No. 1" actually marked the second Grammy nomination for music from "TH1RT3EN", as the song "Sudden Death" was first unveiled in the 2010 video game "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" and received a "Best Metal Performance" nod.

Swedish metal band FRANTIC AMBER has scrapped its previously announced plans to release a second EP and will now begin work on a full-length album instead. The song "Bleeding Sanity" will be released as a single, but re-recorded for the album sessions. The cover artwork for "Bleeding Sanity" was designed by Vladimir Chebakov and can be seen below along with the recently released video. Producer Ralph Santolla (former guitarist for DEATH, DEICIDE, OBITUARY and ICED EARTH, among others) will helm the upcoming album sessions.

The "Bleeding Sanity" song was mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge Studio.

Commented FRANTIC AMBER guitarist and founder Mary Säfstrand: "When we were working of the EP, more and more songs started to come out and now we feel ready to do an album. Therefore it feels unnecessary for us to put the cost and time to release another EP when we can record an album.The wait will be longer, but we think it will be worth it!"

FRANTIC AMBER is participating in the Emergenza Music competition and has several spring shows booked, including an appearance called at the Nemis Metal Night event in Stockholm alongside THE RESISTANCE (new Swedish supergroup featuring former member of IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED and GRAVE) on May 12 at Bryggarsalen, Odenplan.

FRANTIC AMBER's last video, "Wrath Of Judgement", was viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube in less than one year and paved the way for the international digital release of the then-unknown-band's debut five-track EP, "Wrath Of Judgement", which came out in 2011.

FRANTIC AMBER recently recruited a new drummer — and its first male member — Erik Röjås. Erik has been performing with the band since last year's Sweden Rock Festival and accompanied the group on its second tour of Russia in September.

FRANTIC AMBER performed the song "Doomed To Walk This Earth" at "P3 Guld" — Swedish radio station P3's annual music awards ceremony — on January 21 at Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For more information, visit www.franticamber.com.

New Jersey "classic/true" metallers ATTACKER will enter the studio today to lay down vocals on the track "Steel Vengeance", formerly known as "Condemned". The song was never officially made available any ATTACKER album but was released as an extremely limited quantity single for the band's 2008 Keep It True X festival performance.

"Steel Vengeance" will be featured on ATTACKER's next release.

ATTACKER recently recruited Bobby "Leatherlungs" Lucas (SEVEN WITCHES, OVERLORDE, MORBID SIN) as its new vocalist. Lucas is still a member of OVERLORDE, which is currently working on a new album.

According to ATTACKER drummer Mike Sabatini, the band will focus on writing and recording material for its as-yet-untitled next album which it expects to release by year's end. He states, "We are extremely excited to have Bobby in the ranks bringing his talent to the table, we couldn't have asked for a better addition to the band."

He adds, "We've had a long but well-needed break and are looking forward to playing shows again. We do what we do for the love of it and for the fans
that do appreciate it and for no other reason than that. This stuff is in our blood!"

Comments Lucas: "I am very happy and excited to be a part of the amazing ATTACKER! This is a band I have been a fan of since first hearing them on 'Metal Massacre V' back in '86! I was hoping the right gig would eventually come along...I have been out of the original scene far too long, and here we are! It all seemed to fall into place. This band is right up my alley, classic true power metal!"

In other news, ATTACKER has been confirmed for the Metal Assault III festival, set to take place in January 2013 at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.

Indie Recordings has announced the signing of the Norwegian black metal band BLODHEMN.

BLODHEMN saw the light of night in 2004 as a one-man black metal band formed by Invisus as an outlet for his need to spread his music and lyrics. The first demos raised a lot of eyebrows in the underground scene in 2008, and the critically acclaimed EP "Brenn Alle Bruer" from 2010 made it clear that Invisus and BLODHEMN were very serious about what they were doing. BLODHEMN became an underground phenomena, and also earned a reputation as a stunning live band which amongst others resulted in them being handpicked to play the Norwegian industry festival By:Larm in 2011 at the main stage. The title track from "Brenn Alle Bruer" was also played a lot on national rock radio.

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose has released the following open letter to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, GUNS N' ROSES fans and "whom it may concern":

"When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced, I had mixed emotions, but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if GUNS N' ROSES were to be inducted, it'd be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.

"Since then we've listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of GUNS N' ROSES, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists' comments weighing in publicly on GUNS and the Hall with their thoughts.

"Under the circumstances, I feel we've been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of GUNS N' ROSES, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in 'our' induction (that, for the record, are decisions I don't agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things... no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected.

"For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from GUNS their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine.

"That said, I won't be attending the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction 2012 ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of GUNS N' ROSES to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

"I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of 'GUNS N' ROSES.'

"This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I'm sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I'll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' scenario all the way around.

"In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the 'Appetite' or 'Illusion' lineups, I've publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing's changed.

"The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of 'for the fans' or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and DJ Ashba.

"Izzy came out with us a few times back in '06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in '06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in '11 along with his band, LOADED, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that's enough.

"There's a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn't room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.

"Maybe if it were you it'd be different. Maybe you'd do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We're there for each other when the going get's rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.

"So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.

"But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the 'no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn't care about the fans' crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let's move on. No one's taking the ball and going home. Don't get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we've endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball's never been in our court.

"In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for GUNS' induction. More importantly I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting GUNS N' ROSES music.

"I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

"Sincerely,

"Axl Rose

"P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III"

The 27th annual Hall Of Fame ceremony will be held on April 14. In addition to GUNS N' ROSES, other artists being inducted include the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, the FACES/SMALL FACES, DONOVAN and LAURA NYRO.

The ceremony will be taped for broadcast by HBO, which plans to air it in early May.

While combing the PANTERA vaults for the 20th anniversary reissue of "Vulgar Display Of Power", drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott made an astounding discovery: "Piss", an incendiary blast of vintage PANTERA from the original recording sessions that had long been forgotten. After 20 years, "Piss" finally made its debut yesterday (Wednesday, April 11), when the newly created video for the song premiered at the Revolver Golden Gods awards in Los Angeles, which was broadcast live on Xbox Live, as well as on the Xbox and Revolver Facebook pages. The song was then released to radio outlets and all digital music retailers. PANTERA is also the subject of a Revolver special issue, which hits newsstands everywhere on April 15.

For the "Piss" video, PANTERA, which can be seen below, put out a call through their Facebook page for fans to submit home videos of them rocking out to the band or attend a video shoot in Los Angeles. The resulting video is an amazing collection of fans of all ages, from around the world, moshing, jumping, punching, kicking, and just plain rocking out to PANTERA. The video, directed by Zach Merck, also features some amazing slow-motion shots that recreate the face punch from the iconic cover of "Vulgar Display Of Power".

"'Piss' is the only unheard complete PANTERA track in existence, "said Vinnie. "It was recorded at the same time as 'Vulgar Display Of Power' and it's 100 percent PANTERA with attitude and our signature groove! After mixing it, I can't believe it didn't make the record! So it's 2012 and 20 years later and new PANTERA music has been delivered."

In anticipation of the reissue of one of the greatest metal albums of all time, PANTERA's 1992 masterpiece "Vulgar Display Of Power", Revolver magazine has created a PANTERA special issue, which includes the whole story of the band, an in-depth look at the making of "Vulgar", fallen guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's final interview, and more.

Revolver will host a release party for the issue on April 12 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California. Plus, cover illustrator Tim Bradstreet will be on hand to sign copies of the issue. Providing the soundtrack for the evening will be members of SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, and some very special guests, who will all be putting on the "Metal Masters 3" clinic for musicians, presented by Samson, Zoom, and Hartke.

February 25 marked the 20-year anniversary for PANTERA's "Vulgar Display Of Power", a landmark album widely acknowledged as one of metal's most enduring and influential masterworks. Recorded by singer Philip Anselmo, guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, bassist Rex Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, the album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA and features several of the group's most iconic songs including "Walk", "Mouth For War", "This Love" and "Fucking Hostile".

To celebrate, Rhino channels the album's relentless blitzkrieg of musical aggression onto a two-disc Deluxe Edition. The CD includes the original album remastered and "Piss", a recently discovered unreleased track from the recording sessions. The DVD contains an unreleased live performance filmed in Italy in September of 1992 plus the three official music videos from the album.

Due out May 15, 2012 from Rhino, the CD/DVD set will be available at retail outlets, including Pantera.com and Rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $19.98. A version of the release will also be available digitally.

Along with the unreleased song, "Vulgar Display Of Power (Deluxe Edition)" also features unreleased video of the quartet performing six songs at the Monsters Of Rock show in Reggio Emilia, Italy on September 12, 1992. The set list draws almost exclusively from "Vulgar" ("This Love", "Rise", "Mouth For War"), but also includes the title track from their previous album, "Cowboys From Hell", and a melding of "Vulgar"'s "Hollow" and "Cowboys"' "Domination", which was a live staple of the band. Video of PANTERA performing live during this era is extremely rare, making the DVD one of the few ways to see them in their prime.

"Vulgar Display Of Power (Deluxe Edition)" track listing:

CD

* "Mouth For War"
* "A New Level"
* "Walk"
* "Fucking Hostile"
* "This Love"
* "Rise"
* "No Good (Attack The Radical)"
* "Live In A Hole"
* "Regular People (Conceit)"
* "By Demons Be Driven"
* "Hollow"
* "Piss" - Previously Unreleased

DVD

* "Mouth For War" - Live In Italy
* "Domination/Hollow" - Live In Italy
* "Rise" - Live In Italy
* "This Love" - Live In Italy
* "Cowboys From Hell" - Live In Italy
* "Mouth For War" - Video
* "This Love" - Video
* "Walk" - Video

Dimebag Darrell was co-founder and lead guitarist for PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul formed DAMAGEPLAN. On Dec. 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

America's only hard-rock and heavy-metal award show — the fourth annual Revolver Golden Gods award show presented by Epiphone — took place last night (Wednesday, April 11) at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. For the first time ever, the event was broadcast live in its entirety on Xbox LIVE, as well as on the Xbox and Revolver Facebook pages.

Hosting duties for the Golden Gods awards show were handled by FOZZY frontman and WWE pro-wrestling legend Chris Jericho, who returned for the third consecutive year. The nominees in 11 different categories, plus the recipient of this year's prestigious "Golden God Award," were revealed on February 15 at a press conference held at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

The Golden God Award, given to one special honoree a year who embodies the spirit of hard rock and metal, went to KISS demon Gene Simmons, whose band will release their highly anticipated 20th studio album, "Monster", this summer. (Previous honorees include hard-rock and metal legends Alice Cooper, Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST and Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH.)

Adding to the celebration, The 2012 Revolver Golden Gods awards show featured one-of-a-kind special performances and collaborations that honored both the past, present and future of heavy music. The night's hard-rocking musical performances included sets by MARILYN MANSON (in his first U.S. performance in nearly three years); iconic Grammy-winning guitarist Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS; EVANESCENCE; SIXX: A.M. featuring Nikki Sixx of MÖTLEY CRÜE, James Michael, acclaimed rock producer and songwriter, and DJ Ashba of GUNS N' ROSES (in their first performance in almost four years); and 2011 "Best New Band" Golden Gods Award winner BLACK VEIL BRIDES, who performed their only U.S. show of 2012 so far.

Revolver Golden Gods winners:

* Best Guitarists: Jinxx and Jake Pitts (BLACK VEIL BRIDES)
* Best Drummer: Jeremy Spencer (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH)
* Paul Gray Best Bassist: Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M.)
* Riff Lord: Slash
* Comeback Of The Year: SLIPKNOT
* Best International Band: X JAPAN
* Best Live Band: AVENGED SEVENFOLD
* Best Vocalist: Amy Lee (EVANESCENCE)
* Most Metal Athlete: CM Punk (WWE wrestling)
* Most Dedicated Fans: AVENGED SEVENFOLD
* Album Of The Year: KORN's "The Path Of Totality"
* Golden God: Gene Simmons (KISS)
* Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award: RUSH

Duff McKagan presented the "Riff Lord" award to his former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER bandmate Slash at the fourth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show, which was held last night (Wednesday, April 11) at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. Video footage of the award presentation can be seen below. Also available is footage of Slash's performance at the event.

For the first time ever, Revolver Golden Gods Awards was broadcast live in its entirety on Xbox LIVE, as well as on the Xbox and Revolver Facebook pages.

Slash's second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", will be released on May 22 via Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI. In the U.K., the album will be made available on May 21 in exclusive Classic Rock Fan Pack form — providing a unique collectable package containing the studio album with bonus tracks alongside a specially created magazine with unseen behind-the-scenes content put together by Classic Rock. The Fan Pack format will also come with free gifts, including a pin badge and artwork poster and will be available to buy via more than 2000 retail outlets on newsstands nationally as well as the traditional high street and online music retailers. Roadrunner Records will simultaneously release the record digitally. The standard physical release of the Slash album will follow through Roadrunner Records on June 18.

For the new album, Slash — along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass) — teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the "Slash" disc. All the songs were written together by Slash and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album.

On Saturday, April 7, Slash shot a "dark" video for the song "You're A Lie" with director Anthony Leonardi III. Leonardi is also helming the first feature film produced by Slash, called "Nothing To Fear", which was recently picked up for distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie is the first of a proposed series of horror films produced by Slash's company, called Slasher Films, which he launched last year in partnership with two other producers. The film began shooting last month in Louisiana, with Anne Heche and others confirmed for the cast.

Video footage of ACCEPT's performance at the PPM Fest, which was held April 6-8 at the Lotto Mons Expo in Mons, Belgium can be seen below.

ACCEPT's new album, "Stalingrad", was released on April 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was once again helmed by British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY), who worked on the band's critically acclaimed comeback effort, "Blood Of The Nations".

"Stalingrad" was made available in the following formats:

* Limited CD+DVD
* CD
* 2LP (red) in gatefold
* 2LP (white/red) in gatefold - exclusive Nuclear Blast mailorder edition

Commented ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffman: "ACCEPT and Andy Sneap have the perfect synergy. This was so clear with 'Blood Of The Nations' and we are excited to continue on that path. Andy is not only an amazing and prolific producer but also a very good friend who has long become a member of the ACCEPT family."

Regarding the musical direction of ACCEPT's new album, Hoffmann told The Rock Pit last year, "We're just gonna have the same attitude, the approach; we're just gonna do more of the same, you know, without it being the same. More similar-style stuff, hopefully fresh new ideas. And I mean, we're not gonna… The intention is not to change it right now. I mean, why would we? . . . But I have to say, it's always easier said than done. It's incredibly difficult to write songs that are sort of reminiscent of the past but they're not, you know, rip-offs of your own music. That sounds incredibly very simple, but it's really not, especially if you have a sort of history of 15 albums or whatever we have. Then there are always similarities that you have to avoid. It can't be too close, but it can't be too far away from it. So it's a pretty fine line that you have to walk sometimes, but, you know, hopefully we'll manage again."

ACCEPT 2012 is:

Wolf Hoffmann: Guitar
Peter Baltes: Bass
Herman Frank: Guitar
Mark Tornillo: Vocals
Stefan Schwarzmann: Drums

Die griechischen Metaller FIREWIND um den Saitenhexer und Ozzy Osbourne Gitarristen Gus. G. haben vor kurzem die Studioarbeiten an ihrem neusten Album „Few Against Many" beendet und bekannt gegeben, dass ihr neues Werk am 18. Mai via Century Media Records erscheinen wird.

Vor dem Release des Albums wird es aber auch bereits eine digitale Veröffentlichung der ersten Single “Wall Of Sound” über euren digitalen Händler des Vertrauens am 20.04. geben.

FIREWIND haben als Vorgeschmack auf die Single und auf das Album nun einen Trailer online gestellt. Hört euch Ausschnitte der Songs „Wall Of Sound” und „Losing My Mind” in diesem Videoclip an:

Die Frankfurter Thrash-Metal-Urgesteine TANKARD haben nun den Titel ihres kommenden Albums veröffentlicht.

Der Name der Jubiläums-Scheibe lautet: „A Girl Called Cerveza“

Derzeit wird die Platte im berühmten Studio 23 in Frankfurt gemeinsam mit dem renommierten Produzenten Michael Mainx (BÖHSE ONKELZ, DER W, DISBELIEF, D-A-D) aufgenommen.

Wie bereits angekündigt, hat die Band nun auch den ersten Teil des Covers enthüllt!

Haltet die Augen offen, der zweite Teil wird schon bald veröffentlicht.

„A Girl Called Cerveza“ wird Ende Juli via Nuclear Blast erscheinen.

MARILYN MANSON was joined by Taylor Momsen (THE PRETTY RECKLESS) and actor Johnny Depp during the band's four-song set at the fourth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show, which took place last night (Wednesday, April 11) at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. Momsen appeared during "The Dope Show" while Depp hit the stage for "The Beautiful People" and Manson's cover version of the EURYTHMICS' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" . Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Depp and Manson recently recorded a cover of Carly Simon's 1972 hit "You're So Vain" for the singer's upcoming eighth studio album, "Born Villain", which is due out on May 1. Depp reportedly played both the lead guitar and drums on the track, while Manson handled the vocal duties.

Speaking about the collaboration, Manson told MTV News that the duo decided on doing "a cover of a song which we thought was ironic for each other." He added, "[Johnny] played drums and lead guitar, and I played guitar and sang. It's a bonus track on my new record and the video will probably be us looking at each other in a mirror."

Depp and Manson first collaborated in 2001 when Manson contributed the song "The Nobodies" to Depp's Jack the Ripper movie "From Hell".

Marilyn Manson's new single, "No Reflection", was premiered on March 7 on the Los Angeles radio station KROQ.

Manson's U.S. theater tour is scheduled to kick off April 27.

The singer last September unveiled a new music video for the song "Born Villain" directed by actor Shia LaBeouf.

Independent Music Press has set a May 28 release date for "Metallica: The Early Years And The Rise Of Metal" by Neil Daniels. This is the first and only book to look at the massive impact of METALLICA's first four albums on the international metal scene. The 208-page book shows the birth and rise of the monster known as METALLICA and will link the band — and the American metal scene — with the famed New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement in the U.K. and metal originators such as BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST.

METALLICA's early success was built on strong live performances and fierce
thrash metal riffs. The group would eventually become the biggest American metal
band in the world and the legacy of those first four albums — "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets" plus "…And Justice For All" — lives on to this day.

American thrash metal produced four major bands — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — dubbed the Big Four, but METALLICA are the kings. This book tells the story of how that remarkable global triumph started, complete with examples of very early memorabilia and exclusive interviews from people who saw those early gigs and can provide eyewitness accounts of this incredible story.

Daniels has written about classic rock and heavy metal for a wide range of magazines, fanzines and websites. He has written books on JUDAS PRIEST, Robert Plant, BON JOVI, LINKIN PARK and JOURNEY.

SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR vocalist Corey Taylor and MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn joined Florida metallers TRIVIUM on stage last night (Wednesday, April 11) at the fourth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles to perform a cover version of METALLICA's "Creeping Death". Video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

In a 2010 interview, TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy was asked who inspired him the most when he was first starting out as a musician. "If it weren't for James Hetfield [METALLICA], I literally wouldn't be here," he said. "I mean, I know that there are a lot of other musicians, in that band as well, especially from the 'Black Album' era, but it was Hetfield who really brought me into metal. To see their live shows and see what a commanding presence he was, and to see how good of a guitar player he is. So, he got me into everything, then I bridged out from there."

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

Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, GUNS N' ROSES) has penned the latest installment of his weekly sports column for ESPN.com. An excerpt follows below.

"The one reason that I am going to Cleveland this weekend [for GUNS N' ROSES' Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction] is not to savor in some polite accolade or because an award show is that important to me. I am going because I have realized how important this is all to those many, many fans that supported us and believed in us, and showed up for us in droves.

"Music is not like sports, and hence, a Hall Of Fame in music is almost a false pedestal to sit upon. There are no statistics in music and art. No band or artist is 'better' than another. Music comes from a primal place. Thin air. Dreams. And a lot of really hard damn work.

"No one worked harder than [GUNS N' ROSES] back then, and we were very fortunate to have met each other in those dirty back alleys of Hollywood sometime in 1984. We meshed and wrote, created thunder and beauty, and parlayed our real-life experience into an album that somehow related to a whole angsty world that felt just like us right then and there. It was a brilliant time.

"I, too, now hope that we can just play a couple of songs there, and just sort of throw the microphone down on the stage and walk off. The rock-and-roll world would be set ablaze once again ... and we could make a bunch of fans happy and sated to some degree.

"But alas, I am only responsible for me, and can only speak for me. I have forgiven and forgotten. I have grown up and manned up. Part of me growing has been to realize I am powerless over others."

Read Duff's entire column at ESPN.com.

BARONESS, the Savannah, Georgia-based quartet whose two prior releases ("Red Album" and "Blue Record") were awarded record of the year honors from both Revolver and Decibel magazines as well as repeatedly placing on year-end best of lists from Pitchfork and Village Voice, return with a new album titled "Yellow & Green" on July 17 via Relapse Records.

"Yellow & Green" reunites BARONESS with "Blue Record" producer John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, ST. VINCENT, XIU XIU) following both the band's busiest period (multiple worldwide tours including stops at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Soundwave) and most luxurious year, having taken nearly all of 2011 off to freely write and demo for the 2CD/LP album.

"We had been on tour for eight years, and we decided to take a break from our adventure to dig our heels in at home and write a new record," explains John Baizley, frontman for the band and the artist responsible for BARONESS' now-iconic album art. "We spent the entirety of the past year dedicating ourselves to the new album. Without the break from touring and the time we took to rest and reflect, we would have been entirely unable to write this new record. We have become re-inspired. Now it's time to get back out on the road."

Baizley also recently spoke with Alternative Press regarding the recording of "Yellow & Green".

BARONESS will embark on their first tour dates since 2010 as they join MESHUGGAH for a spring trek across North America, previewing material from "Yellow & Green".

BARONESS is John Baizley (guitars, vocals), Pete Adams (guitar, vocals), Allen Blickle (drums) and Matt Maggioni (bass).