A re-recorded version of the song "Blackmension" from Finnish melodic black metallers CATAMENIA is available for free download at this location. The track, which originally appeared on 2000's "Eternal Winter's Prophecy" album, is included on the "The Rewritten Chapters" collection, which contains re-recorded and rearranged versions of 14 songs from CATAMENIA's previous albums as well as a brand new cover version of BON JOVI's "Born To Be My Baby". According to a press release, "This six-piece band brings the old songs back with better sounds and giving them some new brutality, but still respecting enough the original versions." The cover art and booklet was designed by Riku Hopeakoski and Elsa Bergström.

Due on April 27 via Massacre Records, "The Rewritten Chapters" features the following track listing:

01. Hollow Out – ChaosBorn
02. Blackmension
03. Alive...Cold...Dead!
04. Cavalcade
05. Passing Moment of Twilight Time
06. The Day When The Sun Faded Away
07. My Blood Stained Path
08. Post Mortem
09. Morning Crimson
10. Eskhata
11. Coldbound
12. Lost in Bitterness
13. Pimeä Yö
14. Kuolon Tanssi
15. Born To Be My Baby (BON JOVI cover)

CATAMENIA in December 2010 announced the addition of vocalist Juha-Matti Perttunen (ALL AGAINST) to the group's ranks. The band also parted ways with Ari Nissilä (guitar, vocals), Toni Kansanoja (bass/backing vocals), Kari Vähäkuopus (clean vocals) and Mikko Nevanlahti (drums) and replaced them with Mikko Hepo-oja (bass), Tony Qvick (drums) and Sauli Jauhiainen (guitar).

The current CATAMENIA lineup is:

Riku Hopeakoski - Guitar
Mikko Hepo-oja - Bass
Tony Qvick - Drums
Sauli Jauhiainen - Guitar
Juha-Matti Perttunen - Vocals
Jussi Sauvola - Keyboards

CATAMENIA's most recent album, "Cavalcade", was released in February 2010 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded and mixed by Kari Vähäkuopus at Mastervox Studios in Oulu, Finland and was produced by CATAMENIA. POISONBLACK/ex-SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala makes a guest appearance on the album's opening track, "Blood Trails".

Norwegian black metallers DJEVEL (Norwegian word for "devil") have announced the addition of drummer Dirge Rep (GEHENNA, ENSLAVED, GORGOROTH, ORCUSTUS) to the group's ranks. The band has three songs written for its sophomore album, which it hopes to begin recording later in the year. Mainman T. Ciekals states, "The tracks are, as always, dark and infected with malicious Norwegian melodies."

DJEVEL's debut album, "Dødssanger", was released last year via Aftermath Music. The cover artwork was created by DJEVEL's T. Ciekals and Truls Espedal, who has previously worked with ENSLAVED.

DJEVEL was formed in June 2009 when T. Ciekals decided to disband his previous group, LJÅ. With a lot of material already composed for the next LJÅ album, he decided to put all this and more into DJEVEL. Initially DJEVEL was supposed to be a one-man project but it has slowly grown into something resembling a band.

In other news, Dirge Rep and T. Ciekals are also involved in another band, NETTLECARRIER, which entered Caliban Studio on March 23 to record its debut album. According to T. Ciekals, the CD will contain "eight tracks of infernal Norwegian black metal." The album should be completed within the next two weeks for a summer release.

NETTLECARRIER is:

T.Ciekals (DJEVEL, ex-LJÅ) - Guitar
Dirge Rep (GEHENNA, ORCUSTUS, ex-GORGOROTH) - Drums
Mannevond (KOLDBRANN, DJEVEL, ex-URGEHAL) - Bass

Swedish progressive death metallers DESCEND have commenced the songwriting process for their sophomore album, tentatively due before the end of the year.

A short video clip from the pre-production sessions can be found at this location.

DESCEND's debut album, "Through The Eyes Of The Burdened", was released last May via Supernova Records. The CD was recorded late summer 2010 at Escape Route Studios in Essex, United Kingdom and was produced by DESCEND, Daniel Abela and Joseph Smythe. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, KING DIAMOND, AMORPHIS).

DESCEND is:

Nima Farhadian L. - Vocals
Andreas Lindström - Guitar
Alexander Wijkman - Guitar
Jonathan Persson - Drums
Justin Biggs - Bass

Bassist Yves Huts has left Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA.

Commented the band: "Yves has been with us from the start and has been of great value to the band.

"We want to thank Yves for his contribution to EPICA's success and wish him the very best in his future career, whether musically or in a different way. We will never forget the good times we shared together on the road!

"The silver lining to this cloud is that we can already announce an awesome successor. Fulfilling duties on bass from now on will be none other than Rob van der Loo. You might know Rob from his work with MAYAN or DELAIN. We are sure that Rob will fit perfectly as a musician and as a person, and we are looking forward to share the stage for the first time next week.

Stated Huts: "013 is the venue where we did our first show with EPICA and, almost a decade later, also my last.

"I'm leaving the band because I have another career opportunity that is not combinable with the schedule of a world-touring band. I've tried to live these two different lives simultaneously for as long as I could, but in the end I just had to make a choice, one of the most difficult ones in my life.

"I look back to these 10 years in EPICA satisfied and enriched with life experience. As a founding member, I'm proud of what we've achieved so far and I'm sure the future has a lot more great things in store for the band.

"I would like to thank the band, crew, fans and everybody else involved for the good times and I wish my successor good luck."

Commented Rob van der Loo: "A few days ago I spoke to Yves and he brought back a memory from the time when EPICA was still a support band for one of my former bands. At that time he would never have guessed that almost 10 years later I'd be his successor in EPICA... Well, neither did I... but I'm damn proud of it!

"I've been sharing the stage with the people from EPICA for almost ten years now, and becoming a member of MAYAN last year brought us even closer. So making the decision to join EPICA feels pretty good. Therefore I want to show my gratitude to the bandmembers (including Yves) and the crew for allowing me in the EPICA family!

"See you guys on the road! I won't let you down!"

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 last month and it "will show the band in a way you have never seen before," according to a press release.

Progressive instrumental pioneers ANIMALS AS LEADERS return to the road next weekend, when they will kick off their first European headlining tour in Tilburg, Holland on April 1. Their headlining dates will surround a week's worth of U.K. shows alongside MESHUGGAH, a band ANIMALS AS LEADERS mastermind Tosin Abasi cites as a major influence. Immediately after returning from Europe, ANIMALS AS LEADERS will embark on its first North American tour of the year as they support THRICE on that group's farewell tour.

These upcoming ANIMALS AS LEADERS shows will not include drummer Navene Koperweis, who has decided to leave the group. Koperweis says, "Tosin and Javier (Reyes, guitar) are the two most generous, caring and understanding individuals I've ever met and I look forward to a lifetime of friendship with the both of them. Over the past decade I have done nothing but music. Recording, writing, playing, practicing, touring and producing. It's taken me beyond what I could have dreamt of as a kid when I started. My new goals extend beyond the drum kit and I'm the type of person who will constantly chase new dreams. You'll be seeing a lot more of me soon."

Adds Abasi, "I've shared some of my most memorable musical experiences to date with Navene and truly consider him a brother. I commend him for following his own path in life, even if that means i'll no longer be sharing the stage with him. I feel blessed to have had the pleasure of working together and creating a lifelong friendship."

Filling in for Koperweis on ANIMALS AS LEADERS' European and North American tours will be the Boston-based Matt Garstka, a Berklee alumnus who has previously played with the groups GOKH BI SYSTEM, TWO MAN TRIO and VERSE THE FIRE.

"We see nothing but great potential with Matt, and look forward to performing with him on the upcoming tours," Abasi says. "We feel very excited for the future of ANIMALS AS LEADERS, which is brighter than ever. I'm beyond excited for our fans to hear some of the new music we already have brewing for the future!"

ANIMALS AS LEADERS' second full-length album, "Weightless", sold 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 92 on The Billboard 200 chart.

CIBOLA JUNCTION, the new Swedish hard rock band featuring Charles Rytkonen (vocals; ex-MORGANA LEFAY), Torsten Bengtsberg (guitar), Magnus Soderblom (guitar), Orjan Josefsson (bass) and Svante Hedstrom (drums; ex-BABYLON BOMBS) — will release a new EP, "Back To The Roots", as a digital download and very limited-edition physical CD on April 6.

CIBOLA JUNCTION released a single version of the track "Peace Out" in January and made available rough-mix versions of three of the other EP songs via the band's web site.

"We have received a lot of great feedback and we think the time is right for this EP record", the group says.

"Back To The Roots" EP track listing:

01. Peace Out
02. Coming Back For More
03. With My Powers
04. Cibola City
05. Back To The Roots

According to a press release, CIBOLA JUNCTION's "desire to go back to the roots can be heard as an influence from the '70s hard rock, but with innovative ways of thinking. Some call their music power groove, others retro hard rock." "We believe it's a kind of rootless music, yet there is something new. But if you going to put a label on it, it's hard rock," the group declares.

For more information, visit CibolaJunction.com.

San Francisco's malevolent death metal overlords ACEPHALIX are preparing to release their second official full-length album via Southern Lord this April, delivering with it some of the most uncompromised, old-school death metal brutality of the year.

While their first few releases bore a more metal-edged crustpunk sound, the ACEPHALIX attack has undeniably shown more death metal influence with each passing release. After the cult crust/metal scene success of their "Aporia" LP, released via Prank Records in 2010, the band dropped two brutal demos — 2010's "Interminable Night" and 2011's "Flesh Torn In Twilight", Southern Lord brought the two demos together and released a one-time CD pressing of 2000 copies which sold out rapidly. Over the past two years ACEPHALIX have toured relentlessly, doing the Western U.S. with Danish death metal horde UNDERGANG and also taking part in the "Power Of The Riff" 2011 summer tour alongside BLACK BREATH, WINTER, NOOTHGRUSH, EYEHATEGOD, PENTAGRAM and more.

Now officially a part of the Southern Lord roster and a major priority for the label, ACEPHALIX are preparing to assault the planet with their second official full-length, bringing out their most pulverizing, low-end deathcrushing riffage and cavernous vocal malevolence yet with "Deathless Master". With an incredibly evil, thundering delivery, the eight hymns harnessed on "Deathless Master" were recorded with VÖETSEK's Jef Leppard, who also recorded "Interminable Night". While their punk/crust heritage is still detectable in their songwriting, but the primal delivery of the riffs and guttural, horrifying tone of the vocals on "Deathless Master" sees the band make the final transition from into a full-fledged, disgustingly behemoth death metal unit.

"Deathless Master" will hit North America April 24 on CD and sometime in June on vinyl. Expect massive touring from ACEPHALIX beginning in the months just ahead and all through the year.

"Deathless Master" track listing:

01. Bastard Self
02. Deathless Master
03. Tomb Of Our Fathers
04. On Wings...
05. Raw Life
06. Blood Of Desire
07. In Arms Of Nothing
08. The Hunger

Zak Stevens (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, SAVATAGE) earlier this month completed a Brazilian tour dubbed "An Evening With Zak Stevens" where he performed acoustic versions of CIRCLE II CIRCLE and SAVATAGE classics. Joining Zak during the trek were Mitch Stewart (CIRCLE II CIRCLE bassist) on guitar, Mauricio del Bianco (SOULSPELL) on keyboards and Leandro Caçoilo (SOULSPELL) on guest vocals.

A 14-minute video recap of the tour — courtesy of Mitch Stewart — can be seen below.

The setlist for Zak's March 10 performance at Manifesto Bar in São Paulo, Brazil was as follows:

01. The Ocean
02. Welcome
03. Taking Back Yesterday
04. Watching You Fall
05. Believe
06. All That I Bleed
07. Edge Of Thorns
08. Handful Of Rain (w/ Leandro Caçoilo)
09. Into The Wind
10. Desiree
11. Watching In Silence (w/ Leandro Caçoilo)
12. Alone You Breathe (w/ Leandro Caçoilo)
13. Gutter Ballet
14. Sleep
15. The Storm (Mauricio del Bianco)
16. Sarajevo
17. This Is The Time

Encore:

18. If I Go Away

CIRCLE II CIRCLE's sixth album, "Seasons Will Fall" , will be released in the spring/summer.

The band's fifth CD, "Consequence Of Power" , came out in September 2010 via AFM Records .

"Spiral Effect", the new video from the reunited heavy metal band SLEEPY HOLLOW, can be seen below. The clip was filmed on location in Middletown, Delaware between February 2 and February 3.

"Spiral Effect" comes off SLEEPY HOLLOW's new album, "Skull 13", which was released on March 23 via Pure Steel Records and High Roller Records. The effort is being released on vinyl (limited 500 copies) through High Roller and on CD/DDL through Pure Steel.

"Skull 13" track listing:

01. Death Of The Horseman
02. Facemelter
03. Black Passage
04. Bleed Steel
05. Rear Window
06. Inquisition
07. Epic (The Legend Retold)
08. Eternal Bridge
09. Misery Waltz
10. Spiral Effect
11. Midnight

"Skull 13" was recorded primarily at No Oulet Studio in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania with producers Steve Stegg and Eric Fisher.

Bassist Mike LePond left SLEEPY HOLLOW in December due to his commitments with SYMPHONY X. He has since been replaced by Alan D'Angelo.

SLEEPY HOLLOW is:

Bob Mitchell - Vocals
Steve Stegg - Guitar
Alan D'Angelo - Bass
Tom Wassman - Drums

A three-minute trailer for "Drumming Colors", the new DVD from drummer Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) featuring drum-cam footage from the recording sessions for FLYING COLORS' self-titled debut album, can be seen below. The DVD is available exclusively from www.mikeportnoy.com.

FLYING COLORS is the spectacular new virtuoso prog/pop/metal rock band formed by Portnoy and guitarist Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE). The group's self-titled debut album will be released via Music Theories Recordings in the U.K. on Monday, March 26, followed by a U.S. release on Tuesday, March 27.

FLYING COLORS is Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (lead vocals, guitar), and Steve Morse (lead guitar).

"I think if most people looked at this band on piece of paper, they would think that it would be very progressive and instrumentally based music, but I think once we started playing together, we got taken into all new directions," Portnoy told Audio Ink Radio. "I think a lot of that had to do with Casey, because Casey comes from a more modern rock and alternative rock background, so I think that really helped take the entire band in new directions."

He added, "The diversity element is pretty crazy. It ranges from poppy classic rock sounds like THE BEATLES and QUEEN all the way to modern rock and alternative bands like RADIOHEAD, MUSE and COLDPLAY, and everything in-between. There’s some prog stuff like YES thrown in, as well, and then there are moments that are like the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS or FOO FIGHTERS. So, it really runs the gamut from track to track."

"Flying Colors" track listing:

01. Blue Ocean
02. Shoulda Coulda Woulda
03. Love Is What I’m Waiting For
04. The Storm
05. Kayla
06. Forever In A Daze
07. Everything Changes
08. Better Than Walking
09. All Falls Down
10. Fool In My Heart
11. Infinite Fire

The formation of FLYING COLORS began with a simple idea: virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joining together to make new-fashioned music the old-fashioned way. Refreshing, classic, old and new, the recordings are saturated with the many styles, tones and hues of the players who in becoming a band have delivered a unique fusion of vintage craftsmanship and contemporary music.

In 2008, executive producer Bill Evans brought the idea to the world-renowned musicians and producer Peter Collins. Intrigued by the idea and the prospect of working together, the four musicians signed on to form a band and record a first album.

Steve Morse and Dave LaRue have developed magical music chemistry over the years that began early in their careers as partners in DIXIE DREGS. In 1995, Morse subsequently became a member of DEEP PURPLE, while LaRue's ongoing musical adventures include Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Steve Vai, and the aforementioned Portnoy.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Neal Morse is one of the leading figures in progressive rock, whose notoriety follows his co-founding of the seminal band, SPOCK'S BEARD in 1995, recordings as a solo artist, and contributions to the super-group TRANSATLANTIC.

Mike Portnoy is one of the most popular and respected drummers in both metal and rock, and an accomplished writer and producer. He is the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including 26 Modern Drummer awards, Revolver magazine's Golden God award for "Best Drummer" and Drum magazine's "Drummer Of The Year". He rose to prominence as the leader, drummer, producer, and co-writer for metal/prog juggernaut DREAM THEATER, before moving on in 2010. That same year, he worked on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's #1 album "Nightmare" and their subsequent tour.

It was Portnoy who recommended ALPHA REV's emotive singer Casey McPherson as a contender to join FLYING COLORS. McPherson, whose 2010 Hollywood/Disney album "New Morning" debuted in the Top 5 on two Billboard charts, enjoyed major success at radio with multiple hits. The track "New Morning" spent 17 weeks in the Top 10 on Triple A Radio, and enjoyed a run on VH1's Top 20 Countdown for months. Steve Morse offers, "Casey was a glorious find, because he could make anything sound fantastic, and is a multitalented like the others."

FLYING COLORS convened for just nine days in early 2011, and composed and recorded this album during a short and intense session.

Touring plans for FLYING COLORS will be announced in the coming months.

"Drumming Colors" trailer:

Video highlights of MORTAD's performance at this year's Hammerfest, which was held March 15-18, 2012 in Prestatyn, North Wales, can be seen below.

MORTAD will enter the studio in November with producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR, EVILE) to begin recording its sophomore album for a 2013 release.

MORTAD's debut CD, "The Myth Of Purity", was made available last month with the February 2012 issue of Metal Hammer magazine and will receive a more "official" release later in the year. The album was recorded last October with Russ Russell.

MORTAD was formed in 2009 by Iranian vocalist Somi Arian , whose lyrics take aim at the hypocrisy of religion and the government as well as seeking inner truth and strength in the face of such oppression.

MORTAD released a music video and an EP, entitled "Pandemic Paranoia", in early 2011. This effort brought the band immense attention on the social media sites, placing the group as the No. 1 metal band on ReverbNation London metal chart, and attracting over 40,000 Facebook fans.

MORTAD's "Waste Of My Rage" video was sponsored by the Alchemy apparel clothing brand and produced by the Manchester-based video production company Video Ink. More than a dozen actors were cast for the clip, including Collette Von Tora, who agreed to have her head shaved for this video shoot.

Video footage of HAIL! — the supergroup featuring vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, BEYOND FEAR), guitarist Dave Linsk (OVERKILL), drummer Paul Bostaph (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN) and bassist James Lomenzo (MEGADETH) — performing on March 23, 2012 at Virgin Oil Co. in Helsinki, Finland can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD cover)
02. Stand Up And Shout (DIO cover)
03. South Of Heaven (SLAYER cover)
04. Walk (PANTERA cover)
05. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST cover)
06. Desert Plains (JUDAS PRIEST cover)
07. Rotten To The Core (OVERKILL cover)
08. The Mob Rules (BLACK SABBATH cover)
09. Symphony Of Destruction (MEGADETH cover)
10. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN cover)
11. Creeping Death (METALLICA cover)
12. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (BLACK SABBATH cover)
13. Peace Sells (MEGADETH cover)
14. Heaven And Hell (BLACK SABBATH cover)

Linsk is filling in for HAIL!'s regular guitarist, Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), who was unable to make the band's current European dates due to scheduling conflicts.

Owens, Bostaph, Lomenzo and Kisser completed a South American HAIL! tour in early March.

A slightly different lineup of HAIL! — featuring Owens, Bostaph, Lomenzo and guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND) — played in China and Taiwan in December.

HAIL! is planning to release a DVD that will capture the band's entire history and spotlight all of its live shows and special guests and contain exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from its travels, rehearsals, soundchecks, interviews, meet-and-greets.

Video footage of ANNIHILATOR mainman Jeff Waters performing at the Musikmesse Frankfurt 2012 fair, which is taking place March 21-24 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, can be seen below.

ANNIHLATOR is currently working on its 14th studio release as well as a "special" recording that Waters describes as "a treat for the faithful ANNIHILATOR fans and a welcoming to our new fans." The band is also in talks with labels about a record deal for Canada and the USA.

ANNIHILATOR's self-titled album was released in Europe on May 17, 2010. The CD was made available in Europe via Earache Records, in Japan through Marquee and in Australia via Riot Entertainment. It was also released in the U.S. and Canada via iTunes and most all other digital/online outlets.

Legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) returned to this year's Slacker Canadian Music Week to participate in a celebrity interview on Friday, March 23 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada before a sold-out performance later that evening at The Phoenix Concert Theatre.

After the concert, Slash wrote on his Facebook page, "Toronto was the perfect spot to kick the tour off. Great crowd and vibe, as always. Don't want to leave now."

Slash's setlist was as follows:

01. Ghost
02. Mean Bone (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT song)
03. Sucker Train Blues (VELVET REVOLVER song)
04. Back From Cali
05. Nightrain (GUNS N' ROSES song)
06. Civil War (GUNS N' ROSES song)
07. Rocket Queen (GUNS N' ROSES song)
08. You're A Lie (First time played live)
09. Promise
10. Starlight
11. Nothing to Say
12. Doctor Alibi
13. Speed Parade (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT song)
14. Mr. Brownstone (GUNS N' ROSES song)
15. Just Like Anything (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT song)
16. Guitar Solo / Godfather Theme
17. Sweet Child O' Mine (GUNS N' ROSES song)
18. Slither (VELVET REVOLVER song)

Encore:

19. By the Sword
20. Paradise City (GUNS N' ROSES song)

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

Slash's second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", will be released on May 22 via his own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI.

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.

When asked why the new CD is billed as "Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators", Slash told Metro News, "The first solo record I did was called 'Slash' but when we took the band on the road, I called it 'Slash featuring Myles Kennedy'. That became a bigger event than I expected. So when I thought about doing another record with Brent and Todd, I needed to give some kind of credit to the guys who were the backline."

MPIRE OF EVIL (formerly PRIMEVIL) — the band formed in 2010 by ex-VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals) — is currently touring North American tour with fellow British thrashers ONSLAUGHT.

Fan-filmed video footage of MPIRE OF EVIL performing the classic VENOM song "Black Metal" on March 22 at the Echoplex in Los Angeles, California can be seen below.

MPIRE OF EVIL will release its full-length debut, "Hell To The Holy", on March 26 via Scarlet Records. The CD boasts 10 brand-new tracks displaying the band's infectious and groovy heavy metal assault, conveying Mantas' thunderous riffs, a huge rhythm section and Dolan's abrasive vocals into a monstrous musical holocaust which will appeal to both old-school and modern metal fans.

Produced by Mantas himself and featuring stunning cover artwork by Gyula Havancsák (ANNIHILATOR, DESTRUCTION, GRAVE DIGGER), "Hell To The Holy" is without any doubts a "must have" album for 2012.

Despite having played on the MPIRE OF EVIL album, drummer Antony "Antton" Lant (ex-VENOM) has since left the band for personal reasons.

"Hell To The Holy" track listing:

01. Hellspawn
02. Metal Messiah
03. Waking Up Dead
04. Hell To The Holy
05. Snake Pit
06. All Hail
07. Devil
08. Shockwave
09. The 8th Gate
10. M-pire (Prelude)

The song "Hellspawn" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

MPIRE OF EVIL released its debut mini-album, "Creatures Of The Black", on October 21, 2011 via Scarlet Records. The CD featured cover versions of four songs that influenced the members of M-PIRE OF EVIL ("Exciter" by JUDAS PRIEST, "God Of Thunder" by KISS, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" by AC/DC and "Motörhead" by MOTÖRHEAD), plus two new songs, "Hellspawn" and "Reptile".

In a 2010 interview with Metality, Dolan stated about the formation of M-PIRE OF EVIL,"Well, I think it came about as Mantas and Antton who were both doing separate music projects (DRYLL and DEF-CON-ONE) came together in DRYLL. Mantas needed a drummer and Antton offered his services. People kept wondering what it would be like if Mantas and Antton played with me and it was kind of, 'Oh, yeah that would be fun perhaps,' but then DRYLL played a show and performed the VENOM track 'Black Metal' [with Antton] and that was kind of it. People started saying I had to come in and play, too. So I got a phone call and had a few chats with Mantas and that was that; we decided we'd see if it worked. It does, very well, but then again myself and Mantas have always been friends and played well together. The addition of a drummer as good as Antton was something too cool to pass up! [M-PIRE OF EVIL] is old school, I guess, melodic, heavy, powerful. [As to how MPIRE OF EVIL is] different from VENOM, [I'm] not sure. We will inevitably be compared, as we are all ex-VENOM [members] and, of course, Mantas was the main songwriter for VENOM, so... But I feel we are more like classic metal. MOTÖRHEAD, BLACK SABBATH.... PRIEST and VENOM."

Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of VAN HALEN's two New York City performances at Madison Square Garden — on February 28 and March 1 — can be seen below.

The band's setlist for the March 1 concert was as follows:

01. Unchained
02. Runnin' With the Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. The Full Bug
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. Hear About It Later
10. Oh, Pretty Woman (ROY ORBISON cover)
11. Drum Solo
12. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
13. The Trouble with Never
14. Dance The Night Away
15. I'll Wait
16. Hot For Teacher
17. Women In Love
18. Outta Love Again
19. Beautiful Girls
20. Ice Cream Man (JOHN BRIM cover)
21. Panama
22. Guitar Solo (including "Eruption" and "Cathedral")
23. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
24. Jump

VAN HALEN's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", sold 187,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"A Different Kind Of Truth" is the band's first full-length offering with original singer David Lee Roth since "1984" was released in January 1984.

Roth exited the group in 1985, a year after its "1984" album was released. According to Billboard.com, "1984" spent five weeks at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 — VAN HALEN's highest charting set with Roth. (1996's "Best Of Volume 1" hits album, which included two new songs with Roth, debuted at No. 1 with 233,000 sold in its first week.)

VAN HALEN's other four other No. 1s were their four studio albums with Roth's replacement, Sammy Hagar: "5150" (1986), "OU812" (1988), "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (1991) and "Balance" (1995).

VAN HALEN's previous all-new album, 1998's "Van Halen III", debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart and was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies, a disappointment compared to their previous platinum efforts.

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.

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.

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.

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."

"For The Animals", the first single from THE CULT's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", is available for streaming at RollingStone.com. The song will go to radio on Monday, March 26.

Fan-filmed video footage of THE CULT performing "For The Animals" at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 17 is available at this location.

One of the finest British rock acts to have enjoyed worldwide success over the last few decades, THE CULT will release its first studio album in five years, "Choice Of Weapon", on May 22 via the band's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This" that the U.K.'s Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse.

Speaking to Austin360.com, Astbury said of "Choice Of Weapon", "I think we went back to a place of instinct. There were no predetermined agendas. We've had periods of stagnation and being stale and repeating ourselves, but I think that's common. With 'Choice Of Weapon', we just said, '(Screw) it! We're going to grab every jewel we can find. We're going to play the ace and go as deep as we can.' There's definitely hard rock moments on this record, but then again, there's moments that are kind of pastoral."

"Choice Of Weapon" is aimed at the heart of THE CULT's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives.

"We're still growing and still developing," Astbury told Austin360.com. "We're still students; we're still inquisitive; we're still passionate. I still think what we're doing is relevant. We still have an awareness of what's going on around us. It's not like I live in a cave."

Former THE HAUNTED singer Peter Dolving has resumed work on his much-anticipated O project, which also features Jesper Liveröd (NASUM, BURST) and Scott Reeder (KYUSS). The group has been collaborating on material, on and off, for the past several years with producer Fredrik Reinedahl (OPETH, IN FLAMES, GADGET, BURST).

In a new posting on his Facebook page, Dolving writes, "[I have finished recording] basic guitar tracks on a song called 'Pigshit And Vomit' for the O project. I can't wait to get vocals laid down so I can send these three tracks off to Fredrik Reinedahl, and then on to Scott Reeder." A short time later, Reeder added the following comment: "I can't fucking wait to get it. I have a sweet new bass and I'm pissed — ready to unleash."

In a 2009 interview with Metal Hammer, Dolving stated about O, "O is a friendship project. I've worked on the music — like, the initial pieces of the music — that's been done for over a year. And I've been working on trying to set together a good construction of people who are really good friends and who are also very, very skilled musicians. It's not just about being skilled musicians; it's about understanding the music and understanding the kind of... I don't know... humanity... It's very heavy music. It would be somewhere... I don't know... NEUROSIS meets RADIOHEAD. It's very eclectic. It's not like a 'band' band; it's a project of friends."

He added, "There is at least one instrumental piece. What we're concentrating now on are the 15 songs that are the strongest. There's a couple of songs that are very long, but most of the stuff is around three-and-a-half to five minutes. It's pretty basic songs, as far as length goes."

He continued, "The idea is to do something that's not a traditional rock or metal construction. Instead we go about it as if it's an orchestra — like a classical orchestra, but we happen to play electrical instruments. And that's how I composed the pieces. If we ever get the possibility to play live, if we do that, it will be eight to ten musicians on stage, because that's the only way to perform it.

"I've been holding on to this project for, like, three years. It's a dream come true. For me, it's something that... it's fun. I've really wanted to do something that's very different from what I do; it's kind of artistically a change.

"We don't have a record company. I've shopped this stuff around to record companies over the last three years, and everyone... no one believes... 'cause everyone's like... they're looking after their money. So, in a way, I'm feeling like, 'Well, fuck you!' 'Cause I can just put that stuff out on iTunes and not have to fucking worry about it."

Dolving announced his departure from THE HAUNTED on February 29, writing on his Facebook page, "I have had it. I will NOT answer questions to why. It's no one else's business. I am looking forward to seeing you people at other shows with other projects."

Finnish melodic black metallers CATAMENIA will release "The Rewritten Chapters" on April 27 via Massacre Records. The collection, which was recorded last fall at Mastervox Studios in Oulu, Finland with Kari Vähäkuopus, contains re-recorded and rearranged versions of 14 songs from CATAMENIA's previous albums as well as a brand new cover version of BON JOVI's "Born To Be My Baby". According to a press release, "This six-piece band brings the old songs back with better sounds and giving them some new brutality, but still respecting enough the original versions." The cover art and booklet was designed by Riku Hopeakoski and Elsa Bergström.

"The Rewritten Chapters" track listing:

01. Hollow Out – ChaosBorn
02. Blackmension
03. Alive...Cold...Dead!
04. Cavalcade
05. Passing Moment of Twilight Time
06. The Day When The Sun Faded Away
07. My Blood Stained Path
08. Post Mortem
09. Morning Crimson
10. Eskhata
11. Coldbound
12. Lost in Bitterness
13. Pimeä Yö
14. Kuolon Tanssi
15. Born To Be My Baby (BON JOVI cover)

CATAMENIA in December 2010 announced the addition of vocalist Juha-Matti Perttunen (ALL AGAINST) to the group's ranks. The band also parted ways with Ari Nissilä (guitar, vocals), Toni Kansanoja (bass/backing vocals), Kari Vähäkuopus (clean vocals) and Mikko Nevanlahti (drums) and replaced them with Mikko Hepo-oja (bass), Tony Qvick (drums) and Sauli Jauhiainen (guitar).

The current CATAMENIA lineup is:

Riku Hopeakoski - Guitar
Mikko Hepo-oja - Bass
Tony Qvick - Drums
Sauli Jauhiainen - Guitar
Juha-Matti Perttunen - Vocals
Jussi Sauvola - Keyboards

CATAMENIA's most recent album, "Cavalcade", was released in February 2010 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded and mixed by Kari Vähäkuopus at Mastervox Studios in Oulu, Finland and was produced by CATAMENIA. POISONBLACK/ex-SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala makes a guest appearance on the album's opening track, "Blood Trails".

Long-running French extreme metal band NO RETURN will release its eighth album, "Inner Madness", on April 23 via Great Dane Records. The CD was recorded at the Sainte Marthe studio with producer Francis Caste.

"Inner Madness" track listing:

01. N.I.L. 2
02. Inquisitive Hegemony (S€v€n)
03. Backdoor
04. Near Death Experiences
05. Morgane's Song
06. Inner Madness
07. Borderline
08. The Dead Inside
09. Death Scars

Great Dane Records is a young label from the north of France created by Raph and Geoff (ex-DISGUST guitarist).

NO RETURN's seventh album, "Manipulated Mind", came out in 2008 via Dockyard 1.

NO RETURN is:

David Barbosa: Bass
Boban Tomic: Drums
Nicolas Coudert: Guitar
Alain Clement: Guitar
L. Chuck D.: Vocals

"Caligvla", the sophomore album from KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono's Ancient Roman-themed arsenal EX DEO, si scheduled for release on August 31 via Austria's Napalm Records.

In addition to the previously announced guest appearances by ALL SHALL PERISH guitarist Francesco Artusato and TRISTANIA singer Mariangela Demurtas, the CD will feature contributions from SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton and GRAVEWORM's Stefano Fiori. Every invited guest on the album is of Roman or Greek descent.

"Caligvla" is being mixed by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-François Dagenais, who has previously worked with MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX and DESPISED ICON, among others. The artwork and layout for the album will be handled by SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton.

"Caligvla" track listing:

01. I, Caligvla
02. The Tiberius Cliff (Exile To Capri)
03. Per Oculos Aquila
04. Pollice Verso (Damnatio Ad Bestia)
05. Divide Et Impera
06. Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Light
07. Teutuborg (Ambush Of Varus)
08. Along The Appian Way
09. Once Were Romans
10. Evocatio: The Temple Of Castor & Pollux

EX DEO recently canceled its participation in the "Paganfest America Part III" tour with TURISAS, ALESTORM, ARKONA and HUNTRESS due to delays in the production of "Caligvla". The band will still perform with Paganfest on April 1 in Montreal at Club Soda and April 2 in Toronto at The Opera House.

EX DEO last year completed a North American tour with NILE, PSYCROPTIC and KEEP OF KALESSIN.

"Romulus", the debut album from EX DEO, landed at position No. 90 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.