Matthew McConaughey and Gerard Butler were just two of the celebrities who came to check out THE CULT at this year's SXSW (South By Southwest) festival in Austin, Texas. Butler was in the audience and hanging out backstage with THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy at Friday night's Chevy Sound Garage performance. On Saturday, THE CULT headlined the 25,000-capacity Auditorium Shores Stage Concert Series and brought actor Matthew McConaughey onstage who jammed on congas for a couple of songs.

THE CULT debuted a handful of new songs — "Honey From a Knife", "The Wolf", "Lucifer" and "For The Animals" — from their upcoming album, "Choice Of Weapon", due out May 22 on Cooking Vinyl, as well as peppering the set with some of their biggest hits — "She Sells Sanctuary", "Fire Woman" and "Wild Flower".

"Choice Of Weapon" is THE CULT's first new album in five years. It was written by founding members Astbury and Duffy, produced by Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY) and Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH and THE CULT's platinum-certified "Sonic Temple"), and recorded in New York, Los Angeles, the California high desert and the band's Witch Mountain studio with long-time members John Tempesta on drums and bassist Chris Wyse.

THE CULT has announced tour plans for Europe this summer and the U.K. in September; North American dates will be announced shortly.

"Talking In Whispers", the new video from RISE TO REMAIN — the up-and-coming London, England metalcore outfit featuring singer Austin Dickinson, the son of IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson — can be seen below. The clip was filmed around the band's native London streets and is the latest step in RISE TO REMAIN's remarkable ascendancy to the heights of British rock.

RISE TO REMAIN recently completed its biggest U.K. headlining tour to date and, as a thank-you to its fans, is giving away a free live MP3 of the towering, album-closing track "Bridges Will Burn", which was recorded in Bercy, Paris on June 28, 2011.

To download this exclusive track fans just have to sign up to the band's mailing list on Facebook, where they will also receive a 20 percent discount code to redeem with any version of "City Of Vultures" (CD/download/t-shirt bundle) available from the band's official store. Existing mailing list members just need to resubmit the form online to get the free download.

RISE TO REMAIN has been busy recording new material that will be featured on the forthcoming U.S. release of "City Of Vultures" on June 5. The U.S. edition will include two additional bonus tracks, as well as all of the band's videos as an exclusive download. Surrounding the release, RISE TO REMAIN will trek overseas to play the full Vans Warped Tour — their first time ever touring in the U.S.

RISE TO REMAIN recently announced the addition of bassist Joshua Hammond and drummer Adam Lewin to the group's ranks.

Swedish progressive/doom metallers MINORA are collaborating with former IN FLAMES and current THE RESISTANCE guitarist Jesper Strömblad on a few songs that MINORA is planning to release later this year.

MINORA's debut album, "Imago", was released about a year ago. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based band "adds unique aspects to their metal sound with a mix of alternative post-rock and progressive elements," according to a pres release. "The result has been turning the ears of many in the metal/rock scene after countless shows and re-invention."

"Imago" was recorded at Svenska Grammofonstudion (DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED) in Gothenburg and was mixed and mastered by David Castillo (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH, OPETH) at Ghost Ward in Stockholm during 2010. The album is full of dynamic, heavy, guitar-driven songs and even includes a cover of BJÖRK's "Jóga". The band also employed the design skills of Shelby Cinca, who has done work for THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and DARKEST HOUR.

"Tattoos & Misery", the new single from good-time rock and rollers TRIXTER, is now available on iTunes. Click here to purchase.

"Tattoos & Misery" was written by Steve Brown, PJ Farley, Mark "Gus" Scott and Xandy Barry (THE ROLLING STONES, PUDDLE OF MUDD, BACKSTREET BOYS, MILEY CYRUS), mixed by Corey Pensa and is featured on TRIXTER's forthcoming album, "New Audio Machine", which will be released on April 24 in North America via Frontiers Records. Featuring the band's original lineup, the CD was produced by Steve Brown with extra production and engineering by Chuck Alkazian (ELTON JOHN, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, TESLA) and includes songwriting contributions by SKID ROW's Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan and STYX's Glen Burtnik.

Commented TRIXTER frontman Pete Loran, "After all these years playing and recording with this band, I would say I am most proud of this record!" Lead guitarist Steve Brown added, "'New Audio Machine is everything TRIXTER was and everything we are now. I can't wait for the world to hear it!"

"New Audio Machine" track listing:

01. Drag Me Down
02. Get On It
03. Dirty Love
04. Machine
05. Live For The Day
06. Ride
07. Physical Attraction
08. Tattoos & Misery
09. The Coolest Thing
10. Save Your Soul
11. Walk With A Stranger
12. Heart Of Steel (bonus acoustic track)

Formed in Paramus, New Jersey in 1984, TRIXTER's self-titled debut album attained gold status (reaching #28 on The Billboard 200 in 1990), and spawned three minor hit singles: "Surrender" (#72), "One In A Million" (#75), and "Give It To Me Good" (#65). Despite the fact that none of the singles made the Top 40 or garnered much radio airplay, the videos for all three tunes were in heavy rotation on MTV (especially "Give It To Me Good", which was #1 on the channel for several weeks). A follow-up effort, "Hear", came out in 1992, but failed to reach the same commercial heights. The band recorded an album of cover songs, "Undercovers", in 1994, which garnered little commercial success, and TRIXTER broke up shortly after its release.

TRIXTER announced the reunion of its original lineup in 2007 and has since played a number of shows, including the Rocklahoma festival in 2008.

TRIXTER's current lineup features Pete Loran on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Brown on lead guitar, P.J. Farley on bass and Gus Scott on drums.

TRIXTER will take to the road beginning in May to support the new offering.

CARACH ANGREN präsentieren das Cover Artwork und die Tracklist von „Where The Corpses Sink Forever“, das am 18. Mai veröffentlicht wird.

1. An Ominous Recording
2. Lingering in an Imprint Haunting
3. Bitte tötet mich
4. The Funerary Dirge of a Violinist
5. Sir John
6. Spectral Infantry Battalions
7. General Nightmare
8. Little Hector what Have You Done?
9. These Fields Are Lurking (Seven Pairs of Demon Eyes)

ALTERNATIVE 4, the brainchild of Duncan Patterson (ANATHEMA), has inked a deal with Prophecy Productions. The band's new album will be entitled "The Obscurants" and will probably be recorded in late 2012.

Patterson is an icon of melancholic alternative rock music. With his crucial songwriting role on ANATHEMA's "Eternity" and "Alternative 4", he freed the Liverpool doomsters of their tight metal corset, he founded the likewise renowned ANTIMATTER whose first albums he shaped significantly, and he explored ethereal melancholia on two ÍON albums thus far.

With the band name derived from the ANATHEMA album from 1998, the musical and atmospheric direction of ALTERNATIVE 4 is described in a press release as "a solid rock foundation enriched with painful piano and string arrangements, sometimes on the verge of ambient music, sometimes offering the big influence of the rather dark and abysmal side of PINK FLOYD." All this can already be witnessed on last year's debut album, "The Brink", and will now be continued with further album releases on Prophecy Productions.

Commented Patterson: "It's good to be back onboard a label who have always had respect for my work, regardless of how obscure or 'uncommercial' it often turns out. In today's musical climate, it is difficult to find a decent label who are genuinely focused more on the artistic/innovative side than anything else. For me that is essential as I've no plans to start playing and writing fashionable music as a career move, not unless I do it accidentally that is."

"My Destiny", the new video from Seattle-based Christian metallers DEMON HUNTER, can be seen below. The clip was filmed with director Robby Starbuck, who has previously worked with TIMES OF GRACE, AUGUST BURNS RED, SILVERSTEIN, A STATIC LULLABY and A SKYLIT DRIVE.

Several photos from the video shoot can be found on the band's Facebook page.

"My Destiny" comes off DEMON HUNTER's sixth full-length album, "True Defiance", which will arrive on April 10 via Solid State Records.

Produced by Aaron Sprinkle (ANBERLIN, EMERY) and mixed by Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM), "True Defiance" finds DEMON HUNTER continuing in their hard rock evolution while embracing the components that have always formed the backbone of their music: true metal, dark rock and balladry.

The "True Defiance" album art, created by Ryan Clark, frontman and co-owner of Grammy-nominated design firm Invisible Creature with his brother (and former DEMON HUNTER guitarist) Don Clark, and illustrated by Angryblue (KORN, BLEEDING THROUGH, THE ACACIA STRAIN) shows continued commitment to excellence in all facets of the band.

"True Defiance" marks DEMON HUNTER's first outing since 2010's "The World Is A Thorn", which debuted in the Billboard Top 40 and was hailed as the heaviest, fastest, and most aggressive record of the band's career.

"True Defiance" track listing:

01. Crucifix
02. God Forsaken
03. My Destiny
04. Wake
05. Tomorrow Never Comes
06. Someone To Hate
07. This I Know
08. Means To An End
09. We Don't Care
10. Resistance
11. Dead Flowers

Providence, Rhode Island's metallic beasts HOWL have entered Planet Z studio in Hadley, Massachusetts with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SOULFLY, CROWBAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) to record their sophomore album. A fall release via Relapse Records is expected.

HOWL, who built a reputation for its unforgiving MASTODON-meets-LAMB OF GOD pummeling attack, previously released a full-length and EP via Relapse.

Commented HOWL guitarist/vocalist Vincent Hausman: "This is the meanest and heaviest thing we've ever done, and we feel like the songwriting is a big step forward since 'Full Of Hell'.

"We're super-psyched to team up with Zeuss, because we feel like he'll properly capture this monster of a record."

Northern Germany's DREADLINK has inked a deal with Massacre Records.

According to a press release, "The history of DREADLINK began in 2009, when five experienced musicians decided to form a band, which soon became more than a band. It became a philosophy.

"DREADLINK is authentic and deep and sounds more like an engine running rough than a conventional metal band. The band switches from brutal groovy passages to melodic melancholic parts that will still crawl under your skin even if you've heard it a thousand times.

"Good songwriting and songs with a high recognition value are really important to DREADLINK. They don't focus on technical finesses — because the song itself is the most important thing."

DREADLINK is:

Klas Mossakowski - Drums, Samples
Jannes Carstens-Behrens - Lead Guitar
Sascha Brüggert - Rhythm Guitar
Timo Herrmann - Bass
Raphael Adamek - Vocals

For more information, visit www.dreadlink.com.

Ex-METALLICA bassist Ron McGovney has slammed his former bandmate, ex-METALLICA guitarist and current MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine, for "dissing" him in interviews and "minimizing" McGovney's contributions to METALLICA.

Mustaine and McGovney joined METALLICA on stage on December 10, 2011 for the fourth and final intimate show at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the group's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only (see video below).

Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

Earlier this month, Mustaine was asked by noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones what it was like to perform with METALLICA again more than 25 years after he was fired from the band. "It's very cathartic, what took place," Mustaine replied. "When we started off, it was three guys that, we didn't know what we were gonna do. We just loved playing together, we loved fast and heavy music. If you would have told us we [were going to] change the world and that every guitar-playing kid from here to Timbuktu would be playng my style of guitar playing, I would have said you were out of your mind. But that's how it started. We were a three-piece — James [Hetfield] sang, I played guitar, Lars drummed and we had a bass player at the time that we changed for Cliff Burton, who we really wanted."

Writing on his official Facebook page late last night (Monday, March 19), McGovney addressed Mustaine's comments by saying, "I really don't understand why a certain former lead guitar player of a band that I played bass in still disses me in interviews. Saying that they were a 'three-piece' is just ridiculous."

He added, "I thought we got along well when we saw each other in December. We even shared a dressing room.

"He can minimize my contribution to the band all he wants. Sometimes he doesn't even mention my name. What he needs to realize is that he came to MY garage to try out for this band. The first song he learned was a song that the singer and I had already played in a previous band. He even got kicked out of the band when I was still a member, even though it only lasted a couple of days.

"I wish he would just tell the whole story if he is going to talk about that part of his career."

In a 2004 interview with AllMetallica.com, McGovney stated about his time with METALLICA, "All of the songs that are found on [METALLICA's debut album] 'Kill 'Em All' were written in my garage and we played all of them when I was in the band. We also did DIAMOND HEAD covers: 'The Prince', 'Sucking My Love', 'Am I Evil', and 'Helpless'. We covered 'Blitzkrieg' by BLITZKRIEG, 'Let It Loose' by SAVAGE and 'Killing Time' by SWEET SAVAGE. All of those songs can be found on bootlegs, but I have a practice tape of us doing some of those songs. I am going to put a copy up on eBay soon. I did do some arranging of the songs, but I was never credited with anything. I played at least 28 gigs with the band in the first year."

After their 2010 album "Harshlizer", which launched the band further in the forefront of the dark electro scene, the Italian/British combo Alien Vampires return with a 9-track EPCD announcing the band's forthcoming studio album. The EP features guest vocals by Sonya Scarlet (Théatres Des Vampires) and remixes by Amduscia, C-Lekktor, Chainreactor and Waste.

Only 500 copies will be made available worldwide.

You can listen to previews after the jump or right here. The EPCD is now on pre-order via the Alfa Matrix online shop. You can order it separately, in combination with previous Alien Vampires releases at a lower price or in combination with the 2 other new pre-orders from Alfa Matrix (Stray and Freakangel). The latter pack is offered a reduction price: 49,99 instead of 61,97 Euro. This offer is valid for 15 days only (ends on March 30th 2012).

Tracklist:
Harsh & Rotten
Clubbers Die Younger
Acid Orgy - feat. Sonya Scarlet (Theatres Des Vampires)
Dark Skies
Dark Skies - feat. Sonya Scarlet (Theatres Des Vampires)
Clubbers Die Younger - remix by WASTE
Clubbers Die Younger - remix by CHAINREACTOR
Clubbers Die Younger - remix by C-LEKKTOR
Harsh & Rotten - remix by AMDUSCIA

Connecticut/New York thrash metal band INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND has recruited a new full-time drummer, 19-year-old Berklee student Kyle Sheperd.

"It's amazing to think that I just left Berklee and the first band I get into is INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND and a couple months later we are playing with bands like GODSMACK and ONSLAUGHT. I am looking forward to this opportunity; it's going to be an amazing experience," states Sheperd.

INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND recently added brand new U.S. dates to its upcoming performance schedule. The band will make appearances on April 7 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York; April 14 at WJRR's Earthday Birthday at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida, and on April 19 at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey as part of Jose Mangin's Hard Attack Thursdayz. This is your only chance to see I.N.C. in the States this spring, so get your tickets now!

I.N.C. recently signed with Extreme Management Group (EMG), also known for representing SUFFOCATION, ORIGIN, and more.

INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND's latest album, "Heaven Sent… Hellbound", came out on August 23, 2011 via Rising Records with distribution through Candlelight Records.

'80s hard rock queen Lita Ford will release her new album, "Living Like A Runaway", on June 19 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort will be available in four configurations: double LP, limited-edition CD, standard CD and digital download.

Commented Lita: "This CD is truly a dream come true. It took me one year to write this CD along with producer Gary Hoey and songwriting partner Michael Dan Ehming. We have dumped out hearts and souls into this amazing CD. Along with a lot of tears, pain, heartache, laughter, ripping out hair, going hungry, losing sleep and a lot of frequent-flyer miles. 'Living Like a Runaway' is like being able to walk through fire and coming out the other side unscathed."

Coinciding with the album's release, Lita will hit the road this summer with DEF LEPPARD and POISON on the "Rock Of Ages Tour".

Lita is looking forward to the tour and getting to play the new songs live.

"We are honored with this awesome tour and being able to play with these brilliant musicians," she says. "So strap in tight, it's going to be one powerful journey."

Best known for her work with THE RUNAWAYS and her solo career, including hit singles "Kiss Me Deadly" and the Billboard-charting duet with Ozzy Osbourne, "Close My Eyes Forever", Lita is ready to make a return to the throne as the queen of metal.

"Living Like A Runaway" was co-written and produced by Gary Hoey and represents a return to form for Lita, who drew inspiration from her "ugly divorce" from NITRO singer Jim Gillette.

"Gary Hoey and I wanted to approach this record by getting back to basics," she said. "We want to strip away all the electronics and plug-ins and keep it to vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. Going back to basics is going back to what punk, metal and THE RUNAWAYS was for me."

She added, "[The album title] 'Living Like A Runaway' means freedom and empowerment. To do what I want and to pursue my dreams while answering to no one."

In a 2011 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Lita said that "Living Like A Runaway" will be her "real comeback album." She explained, "The last album I did was called 'Wicked Wonderland', I put it out with Jim Gillette, and we were married at the time. It is kind of a Jim/Lita album and not a really true Lita album. I got a lot of spiel about that. A lot of people have told me that they want a real Lita album, and I know what they mean. They are going to get it."

She continued, "I really wasn't that comfortable with 'Wicked Wonderland' — not at all, to tell you the truth. There are parts of it that are good but it doesn't sound like a Lita record. When it got released, a lot of my fans felt weird about it and said it wasn't a Lita album. This time I want to do it on my own. The last one turned out to be more of a Jim album. We worked pretty well together. It doesn't suck, it's not a bad album; it's just not a Lita album."

Lita and Jim are the parents of two sons, Rocco and James.

DOWN, the acclaimed New Orleans band which features in its ranks CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist), bassist Patrick Bruders (CROWBAR), guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR), and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PANTERA) — entered the studio in October to begin recording the first in a series of four EPs, to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

The first six-song EP, which heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, is described by Anselmo as "a very pure doom metal record."

In a new posting on DOWN's Facebook page, Windstein writes, "Get ready for the new DOWN, it's almost finished being mixed... and it's gonna crush!"

The track listing for the effort is as follows (in no particular order):

01. Levitation
02. Witchtripper
03. The Misfortune Teller
04. The Curse Is A Lie
05. Open Coffins
06. This Work Is Timeless

Speaking to Jerel Johnson of Target Audience, Bower stated about DOWN's new EP, "We went for a really raw sound and went back to [the sound of the first DOWN album] 'Nola'. The songs are really SABBATH-ed-out. I'm really happy the way it came out. It's really aggressive and raw. All them rock n' roll adjectives in there, bro. It's doomy!"

He continued, "The idea is we're doing four EPs and the first one is pretty much cut-throat. The third one is supposed to be the acoustic one. But we're releasing four EPs within the next year and a half. They all coincide with one theme. Like the artwork and everything. It's like a big story. . . It was recorded at the Lair again (Anselmo's his barn studio, Nodferatu's Lair. The studio's name is a play on classic horror film vampire Nosferatu, altered to reflect certain musicians' tendency to nod off.), the same place we did 'Down II' and recorded it at a New Orleans studio. The last record, 'Over The Under', we recorded in L.A. because a lot of the studios weren't up and running after Katrina. So it was really nice to stay home and have that New Orleans vibe in the record to as well. Makes a difference, man."

When asked if there are any songs on the new EP that stand out, Bower said, "'Witchtripper'. It sounds like DOWN, and I'm really excited about it. I'm more excited about it than 'Over The Under'. 'Over The Under' was a great record, but I think the production was a little too much, and this takes us back to the raw roots and the songs are good. But 'Witchtripper' is my favorite one. We were in Spain for a festival, and walking around and we kept seeing rocks on people's doors. We were like, 'Dude, it must be to trip a witch.' At first, it seemed kind of silly, but once we wrote the song and lyrics — Philip wrote the lyrics — it was really cool. Hopefully we'll make a video for it, too."

Photo credit: Kate Richardson

German thrash metal veterans KREATOR revealed the cover artwork of the limited edition of the band's upcoming album, "Phantom Antichrist". The limited edition will be made available as two-disc digipack, including a bonus DVD.

Commented KREATOR guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza: "Jan Meininghaus, who did this one, is a cover artist from my hometown, Essen, Germany. I really love the artwork he came up with for the limited edition. It's pure mayhem, powerful and dark!"

"Phantom Antichrist" will be released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK, DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH).

The cover artwork for the standard edition of "Phantom Antichrist" was created by Wes Benscoter (SLAYER, DIO, BLACK SABBATH) and can be seen below.

KREATOR will release a seven-inch single containing the "Phantom Antichrist" title track on April 20. The collector's item will be available in colored red vinyl (limited to 250 pieces) as well as in clear vinyl (limited to 250 pieces, exclusively available at the Nuclear Blast mailorder).

A brand new promotional photo of KREATOR can be seen below (photo by Stefan Heilemann of Stuttgart, Germany's Heilemania).

When asked about the musical direction of KREATOR's new material, the band's guitarist/vocalist Miland "Mille" Petrozza stated in a recent interview, "The songs are coming along great and I think it's OK to say that this will be our most epic album so far. There's some classical, a lot of traditional metal, and, of course, a huge dose of thrash metal influences in the new stuff. Everyone in the band is very excited at this point. The demos sound killer so far. We have about 10 songs we're working on so far.

Regarding the lyrical and visual concept for the forthcoming CD, Petrozza said, "It's too early to talk about the lyrics yet; many are written, but they keep changing all the time. Visually, we have tapped Wes Benscoter [BLACK SABBATH, DIO, SLAYER, CATTLE DECAPITATION, BLOODBATH] for the cover art. I can tell you this much: The artwork will be insane!"

In an interview with Aftonbladet journalist Mattias Kling, Petrozza stated about KREATOR's collaboration with Jens Bogren, "He's really good; I like him. I like the sounds that he gets. And I think the combination — Jens Bogren and KREATOR — it will be pretty heavy."

On the topic of how the new material is different from KREATOR's previous output, Mille said, "It's always a little hard for me to talk about music has been written but is not released yet. It will definitely have all the KREATOR trademarks. The lyrics will talk about nowadays stuff, as usual, so it will be like a photography of the year 2012. Also the lyrics will deal a lot of things that are actually happening at this point in time. It will be like reading a newspaper or something [laughs], with all the stuff happening. And, of course, the music will be typical KREATOR, and we also wanna expand the sound and progress as musicians. I mean, this lineup has been the strongest lineup KREATOR ever had since ten years, and now I think we're ready to come out with an album that blows everyone away."

KREATOR has selected Poland's Grupa 13 (BEHEMOTH, ELUVEITIE, SONATA ARCTICA, DECAPITATED) to helm the video for the title track of their forthcoming album, "Phantom Antichrist".

Commented KREATOR guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza: "The clips produced by Grupa 13 are groundbreaking visual trips that justify the existence of music videos in this day and age. In support of the lyrical concept of our new album, I could not think of a better creative solution than a collaboration with these great visionaries."

KREATOR is:

Miland "Mille" Petrozza – Vocals, Guitrar
Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar
Christian "Speesy" Giesler - Bass
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil - Drums

"Phantom Antichrist" limited-edition artwork:

"I Am Colossus", a brand new song from Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH, is available for streaming and free download at the Scion Audio Visual web site. The track comes off the band's new album, "Koloss", which will be released in Germany on March 23 and the rest of Europe on March 26 (March 27 in North America) as a CD digi, limited-edition Magic Cube (CD digi plus DVD exclusive to Nuclear Blast mail order) and two-LP brown vinyl via Nuclear Blast Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. I Am Colossus
02. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
03. Do Not Look Down
04. Behind The Sun
05. The Hurt That Finds You First
06. Marrow
07. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
08. Swarm
09. Demiurge
10. The Last Vigil

In a recent interview with MSN's metal music section Headbang, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake stated about the band's decision to call the new album "Koloss", "It's not so much like a theme, it's kind of how the overall album is more towards something heavier than anything that we've ever done. We wanted something that had that sound to it, something monolithic, something huge. Also a few things that tied into that was the stress and anxiety that a few of us went through up until we started recording this album because of previous sessions where we felt we were doing things the wrong way. That lingers with you, you don't want to do the same mistakes again, you want to save the mental health of a few in the band as well, try to do things another way. So it felt like a colossal thing to get out of the hat this time, even though it went smoother in a lot of ways. Also once we knew what artwork we were using, because it's not artwork that was designed for this album, it was an existing piece of art by this Russian artist Luminokaya, we just fell in love with the piece and we found out it hadn't been used for anything, so we could buy the rights for it. Once we saw that, and we already had the title 'Colossus', we had that song in there, we just felt like this creature on the cover looks like, is it a god, is it a devil, what is it? The word 'Koloss' just fit for some reason."

On the topic of how the band found the album artwork, Haake said, "I don't even remember, I think I was just looking through random art online probably three or four years ago I saw this guy's art the first time. I got in contact with him, and initially he was supposed to do something for the album but we trailed off into other things and we didn't stay in touch for a while. I just took for granted that the piece had been used for something already, but when I finally asked him he said no, it was up for grabs. He's done a lot of additions and renditions and versions of it for the whole layout, so he's spent a lot of time on it too, and we're really stoked that we ended up using this art."

Regarding the suggestion that "Koloss" sounds like MESHUGGAH deliberately tried to expand its sound even more than on "ObZen", Haake said, "We definitely pushed ourselves hard with 'ObZen', too, but maybe that one feels even more like a flirtatious thing with the stuff we were doing earlier on and the stuff we grew up with. I still feel there's some of that on this one too, with the different tunings, and a couple of the songs are actually written for six-string guitar and not all of them being really down-tuned eight-stringed stuff. That's definitely to get that old-school thrash vibe in there, even though the music is different, of course. There's definitely a little bit of that going on this album, too. But apart from that, we basically tried to create something that we find intriguing. We always try to find new ways of writing our own music, so to speak, to see if there's an additional lateral movement, a sideways step that we can take for ourselves to feel that we did something new with this one and that we pushed ourselves into doing something that came out cool and refreshing. That's kind of what we always aim for, and this time it came out like this."

Veteran female-fronted German thrashers HOLY MOSES will release the "30th Anniversary - In The Power Of Now" double album on April 30 in Germany, April 23 in the rest of Europe and early May in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD contains re-recorded versions of 20 of the most important songs in HOLY MOSES' 30-year catalog along with two brand new tracks.

"30th Anniversary - In The Power Of Now" track listing:

CD 1

01. Clash My Soul (02:36)
02. Jungle Of Lies (03:46)
03. Finished With The Dogs (02:29)
04. Symbol Of Spirit (03:42)
05. World Chaos (03:12)
06. SSP (03:40)
07. Borderland (03:27) (brand new song)
08. Lost In The Maze (05:51)
09. Walpurgisnight (02:58)
10. Welcome To The Real World (03:31)
11. Near Dark (05:30)

CD 2

01. Reborn Dogs (03:50)
02. DefCon II (04:26)
03. I Feel Sick (03:48)
04. Nothing For My Mum (03:51)
05. Disorder Of The Order (04:14)
06. Corroded Dreams (04:04)
07. Entering The Now (03:40) (brand new song)
08. Creation Of Violation (03:56)
09. Panic (03:13)
10. Decapitated Minds (03:40)
11. Master Of Disaster (03:45)

A snippet of the new song "Borderland" can be streamed below.

HOLY MOSES recently parted ways with longtime guitarist Michael Hankel and have replaced him with Peter "Pete" Geltat (ex-DESILENCE).

HOLY MOSES is:

Sabina Classen - Vocals
Michael Hankel - Guitars
Oliver Jaath - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Gerd Lücking - Drums
Thomas Neitsch - Bass

"Agony of Death", the latest album from HOLY MOSES, was released in September 2008 in Europe via Wacken Records/SPV. The CD was recorded at the Blue Castle Studio near Hamburg with producer/guitar player Michael Hankel. DESTRUCTION, OBITUARY and AXEL RUDI PELL members are among the guest musicians who appear on the album.

"Vermin Of The Sky", a brand new song from German thrash metal veterans EXUMER, can be streamed below. The track comes off the band's first album in 24 years , "Fire & Damnation", which will be released in North America on April 10 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-track CD, which was recorded with renowned producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., THERION, SODOM, MOONSPELL), "combines a punishing production with aggressive songwriting," according to a press release. "EXUMER manages to capture the intensity and feel of the 1980s thrash metal gems and yet sound up to date on their latest output."

Comments EXUMER singer Mem V. Stein: "'Vermin Of The Sky' is a perfect example of how we maintained a very 1980s songwriting approach, incorporating catchy hooks and a memorable breakdown that is reminiscent of our work from the '80s. I tried to use strong imagery throughout the record and this track is inspired by the consequences of last year's earthquake and subsequent tsunami that almost caused a complete fall-out at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. The 'vermin of the sky' refers to the radiation and other airborne dangers that we are exposed to, not only in emergency zones, but also in our daily lives."

"Fire & Damnation" track listing:

01. Fire & Damnation
02. Vermin Of The Sky
03. The Weakest Limb
04. A New Morality
05. Waking The Fire
06. Fallen Saint
07. Crushing Point
08. Devil Chaser
09. I Dare You
10. Tribal Furies
11. Destructive Solution (bonus live track)
12. A Mortal In Black (bonus live track)
13. Xiron Darkstar (bonus live track)

Comments singer Mem V. Stein: "With 'Fire & Damnation', we tried to create the most punishing and dominant thrash metal album of our career. No lackluster songs, no fillers, no lazy performance and no compromises. It moves straight forward from the the very first song to the last, delivering a vibrant mix of skilled musicianship with the urgency of the classic thrash records from the 1980s!"

EXUMER is:

Mem V. Stein - Vocals
Ray Mensh - Guitar
T. Schiavo - Bass
H.K. - Guitar
Matthias Kassner - Drums

Formed in 1985 by Mem V. Stein and guitarist Ray Mensh, EXUMER went on to release two albums (1986's "Possessed By Fire" and 1987's "Rising From The Sea") that are regarded as some of the most cult thrash metal releases ever to come out of Germany. EXUMER was also one of the first thrash metal acts to capture exotic, foreign markets like Poland and Brazil, where their albums were domestically released in the 1980s. The subsequent tours that followed those releases secured the band live shows in front of thousands of fans and an unusually large following outside of Germany.

Plagued by lineup changes and internal turmoil, the band broke up in 1990, and did not perform live, with the exception of 2001 appearance at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival, until 2009.

Mem and Ray decided to re-activate EXUMER in 2008, and the band embarked on their first tour since 1988. The "5 Nights of Fire Tour", took the band through Europe (Germany, Holland, Greece), and the USA, where they headlined the "Thrasho de Mayo Festival" in front of 1,300 fans in Los Angeles.

EXUMER returned to Europe in spring and the fall of 2010, where the band appeared at Norway's Inferno Festival, among other stops in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Bulgaria during the "European Ignition Tour Part I & II".

"Vermin Of The Sky" audio stream:

"Dilated Disappointment", the new video from Charlotte, North Carolina-based metallers WRETCHED, can be seen below. The song, which is now available on iTunes and AmazonMP3, comes off the band's third full-length album, "Son Of Perdition", which is scheduled for a March 27 release via Victory Records. The CD was produced by Jamie King (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, HE IS LEGEND, FOR TODAY) at The Basement Studio in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

"Son Of Perdition" track listing:

01. Oblivion
02. Imminent Growth
03. At The First Sign Of Rust
04. Dilated Disappointment
05. Repeat? The End Is Near
06. Dreams Of Chaos
07. The Stellar Sunset Of Evolution Pt. 1 (The Silence)
08. The Stellar Sunset Of Evolution Pt. 2 (The Rise)
09. The Stellar Sunset Of Evolution Pt. 3 (The Son Of Perdition)
10. Karma Accomplished
11. Decimation

Last year, WRETCHED solidified its lineup with the addition of industry veterans Adam Cody (GLASS CASKET) and Andrew Grevey (LOCULUS) taking the positions of vocalist and bassist, respectively. "Son Of Perdition" marks the first official appearances by Cody and Grevey since their inception into WRETCHED.

The band took "a huge step forward, musically," on the new record, confirms guitarist, and one of the two founding members, Steven Funderbunk. He adds, "Lyrically, the fans can expect an apocalyptic-type theme that portrays a very personal experience. This record will include some of our darkest and most mature material written to date." "Son Of Perdition" also exposes a "more melodic approach to the Wretched sound," says Funderbunk. "A lot of the drums are harmonically matched with a lot of the guitar riffs. We also used a lot of cool chords we haven't used in the past. It's far more rhythmic and grooves more than our previous records."

WRETCHED is currently touring North America with DEVILDRIVER, THE FACELESS, JOB FOR A COWBOY, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, IMPENDING DOOM and DYING FETUS as part of the Metal Alliance Tour.

Sick Drummer Magazine and Perseverance Holdings Ltd. have announced the "Death To All Tour 2012" in benefit of Sweet Relief. This five-city tour will feature a majority of DEATH's amazing musicians, as well as special guests. This tour is to celebrate the life and music of Chuck Schuldiner, as well as to raise awareness of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a charity that provides financial assistance to career musicians faced with illness, disability or age-related problems.

This tour will kick off in San Francisco, California and work its way to Orlando, Florida — stopping in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York along the way.

The drums will be handled by Gene Hoglan ("Individual Thought Patterns", "Symbolic") and Sean Reinert ("Human"). On bass will be Steve DiGiorgio ("Human", "Individual Thought Patterns") and Scott Clendenin ("The Sound Of Perseverance"). Guitar duties will be shared by Paul Masvidal ("Human"), Shannon Hamm ("The Sound of Perseverance") and Bobby Koelble ("Symbolic").

Commented Hoglan: "I am fully stoked to be a part of this landmark metal event! 'Death To All' promises to be the highlight of the summer and for me, getting to play with my old friends Steve DiGiorgio and Bobby Koeble, as well as seeing the mighty Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal ripping it up, as well as the boatload of surprises I'm sure will be in store is more than enough to have me chomping at the bit to kick this thing off. What a great way to pay tribute to the man who brought all of us together, Mr. Chuck Schuldiner. And, it's hopefully bringing a spotlight to an amazing cause, SweetRelief.org. Check it out. It's a good thing. And 'Death To All'? It's gonna be a great thing."

The dates are as follows:

June 22 - The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
June 23 - House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA
June 26 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL
June 28 - Irving Plaza – New York, NY
June 30 - The Beacham - Orlando, FL

For more information, go to this location.

Chuck died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Trisol is re-releasing a bunch of albums which were sold out or deleted. Included in the packet are albums by Rome, Spiritual Front, Project Pitchfork, Sopor Aeternus and the Sopor Aeternus side project Nenia C'Alladhan.

Rome's "Nos Chants Perdus" comes re-release in digipak and holds the same tracklisting as the limited digibook edition. Spiritual Front's "Rotten Roma Casino" still holds the bonus-DVD but is now packaged in a regular jewel box. From Project Pitchfork we get the re-release of "Continuum Ride". The re-print comes in the 6-panel digipak with a 28 pages booklet. The Sopor Aeternus side project Nenia C'Alladhan sees is eponymous album re-released which was deleted for almost 2 years. And from Sopor Aeternus comes "Dead Lovers Sarabande Face 1" which was deleted for more than 2 years. It comes in a re-print of the 2004 re-mastered version.

"Pest", the new video from Polish extreme metal veterans DECAPITATED, can be seen below. The clip was filmed on February 10 with Grupa 13 (BEHEMOTH, ELUVEITIE, SONATA ARCTICA) in charge of production; Dariusz Szermanowicz is the director.

Behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot can be viewed at this location.

"Pest" is the seventh track on DECAPITATED's 2011 album, "Carnival Is Forever", which sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 11 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.

"Carnival Is Forever" was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD's cover art was created by Lukasz Jaszak and can be seen below. The follow-up to 2006's "Organic Hallucinosis" was recorded at Radio Gdansk Studio in Poland with producer Wacek Kieltyka and engineer Arkadiusz "Malta" Malczewski. Drums were tracked with Daniel Bergstrand (BEHEMOTH, MESHUGGAH, DIMMU BORGIR, KEEP OF KALESSIN, DEFLESHED), who also handled mixing duties.

DECAPITATED's lineup includes Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka on guitar, Kerim "Krimh" Lechner (THORNS OF IVY, TONE INTIMACY) on drums, Rafal Piotrowski (KETHA, FORGOTTEN SOULS) on lead vocals, and Filip "Heinrich" Halucha (VESENIA, ROOTWATER, UNSUN, MASACHIST) on bass.

DECAPITATED will be the opening band on "The Ophidian Trek" tour with headliners MESHUGGAH. The tour, which will feature additional support from BARONESS, is scheduled to launch April 29.

METALLICA's 1991 self-titled fifth album, commonly known as "the black album," is among the ten LPs that have spent the most time on The Billboard 200 chart, according to Billboard.com.

"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold 15,757,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

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

Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone in 1991 about the record's musical shift, "We felt inadequate as musicians and as songwriters (early in our career). That made us go too far, around 'Master Of Puppets' and on '...And Justice For All', in the direction of trying to prove ourselves. We'll do all this weird-ass shit sideways to prove that we are capable musicians and songwriters."

Ulrich added about the eight months it took to make the album, "[Recording] should have gone quicker, in theory, than trying to get everything note-perfect like we have before. But as usual with METALLICA, all those theories and normalities go straight out the window. It took us twice as long to make a record that is twice as loose."

Frontman James Hetfield said, "It was [once] a challenge for us to jam every riff in the universe into one song and make it work. Now we're pretty much doing the opposite. Which is even more of a challenge."

The album was the first of four collaborations with producer Bob Rock, with whom the band clashed throughout the recording of the disc. Rock recalled to Music Radar, "The first three months were difficult. They were all very suspicious of me. It wasn't a fun, easy record to make. I told the guys when we were done that I'd never work with them again. They felt the same way about me."

Ulrich said about Rock in NME, "We'd never really had anybody push us before . . . We've always thought of ourselves as 'Big Bad Metallica,' but Bob taught us a new word none of us had ever heard before: soulful."

METALLICA will perform "the black album" in its entirety at a number of European festivals this summer.

Albums that have spent the most time on The Billboard 200 chart:

* 800 weeks - "Dark Side of the Moon" - PINK FLOYD, 1973
* 490 weeks - "Johnny's Greatest Hits" - JOHNNY MATHIS, 1958
* 480 weeks - "My Fair Lady" - Original Cast, 1956
* 331 weeks - "Highlights From The Phantom Of The Opera" - Original Cast, 1992
* 305 weeks - "Oklahoma!" Soundtrack, 1956
* 302 weeks - "Tapestry" - CAROLE KING, 1971
* 295 weeks - "Heavenly" - JOHNNY MATHIS, 1959
* 282 weeks - "MCMXC a.D." - ENIGMA, 1991
* 282 weeks - "Metallica" - METALLICA, 1991
* 277 weeks - "The King And I" Soundtrack, 1956

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has revealed via a series of tweets that he is working on a new musical project while the band is on hiatus. According to the singer, the as-yet-unnamed project will feature a more "industrial" sound in the vein of NINE INCH NAILS and MINISTRY.

Draiman first spoke about the new project last week during the taping of a "That Metal Show" episode which will air on May 26 on VH1 Classic.

DISTURBED went on an open-ended hiatus last fall, following the completion of the touring cycle for its 2010 album "Asylum".

DISTURBED has not indicated when it plans to return, although all four members say it's not likely that the group will stay away for good.

DISTURBED released its first-ever collection of B-sides and rarities, titled "The Lost Children", last November. The set includes a previously unreleased song called "Mine" as well as a benefit track for the West Memphis Three titled "3", plus tunes that previously appeared only on soundtracks or as bonus cuts on international editions of the group's albums.

Ross "The Boss" Friedman (MANOWAR, THE DICTATORS), Jack Starr (VIRGIN STEELE, BURNING STARR, GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME), Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER, IGNITOR, BROKEN TEETH) and Martin DeBourge (DAMIEN THORNE) will make guest appearances on "Witching Metal Ritual", the new album from Austin, Texas-based traditional metallers WITCHES MARK. The follow up to the band's 2009 debut EP, "A Grim Apparition", is tentatively late summer/early fall via Heaven And Hell Records.

Recorded and engineered by Stuart Laurence (AGONY COLUMN, IGNITOR) at Isotope Studios and featuring the stunning artwork of Canadian artist Yannick Bouchard of Illusory Dreams, "Witching Metal Ritual" features guitarist Robb Bockman on lead vocals for the first time as well as new drummer Scott Palmer (OF THE FALLEN, DEMONTUARY).

WITCHES MARK is:

Robb Bockman - Guitar, Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Andy Gonzalez - Bass
Scott Palmer - Drums

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

Described by Kerrang! Radio's Alex Baker as a band possessing "killer riffs, monstrous vocals and more hooks than a slaughterhouse", London's powerhouse heavy-rock innovators THE MERCY HOUSE have unleashed their debut video for "Greed" — a song that Kerrang! magazine's Simon Young described as "dripping with menace." This track becomes available in digital format and on the Rock Band videogame network from April 9.

Having won audiences over across the country with their unique brand of alternative heavy rock and one of the most energetic live shows around, the band is now poised to strike at the heart of the rock scene with an iron fist.

After battling against health issues that almost brought the band to the brink of destruction, THE MERCY HOUSE return more determined than ever with their debut album, "A Broken State Of Bliss"; set for release April 23 through the band's own label TMH Records and with distribution from Code 7. Carefully crafted during much of last year at The Death Dojo with production team The Picasso Brothers, the album was mixed by Donald Clark (GUNS N' ROSES, KORN, MUSE) and mastered by Mandy Parnell (DEPECHE MODE, THE PRODIGY, BJÖRK). A trend- and scene-defying record, it possesses a dark, gritty and visceral post-apocalyptic quality that pioneers what is quickly being labelled as the "black grunge" sound.

Californian rockers RATT are preparing to release a digital-only compilation album via iTunes containing "music from their vaults, unreleased and live tracks from 1983 to 1991." More details will be made available soon.

"Infestation", the first studio record in 11 years from RATT, sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on April 20, 2010 via Loud & Proud.

"Infestation" was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (CHEVELLE, ALTER BRIDGE) at his Virginia studio, marking the first time the band has recorded outside of Los Angeles. The album is full of attitude and of reflection, cycling through a range of emotions. There are party anthems that RATT are known for alongside more contemplative, thoughtful tunes.

RATT is currently working on a new album for a tentative late summer release.