Sharon Osbourne, the wife/manager of BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, has shot down Internet rumors that she has effectively "fired" founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who announced last week that he could not participate in the band's recording sessions or tour plans due to his unhappiness with the contract he was offered. Writing on Twitter, she said, "I am not in any position to hire or fire anyone in BLACK SABBATH. I don't manage the band, I manage my husband."

A source told the MetalTalk.net web site that the three remaining original members of BLACK SABBATH have recruited Tommy Clufetos, who plays drums in singer Ozzy's solo band, to sit behind the SABBATH kit for the foreseeable future.

Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler responded to Ward's February 2 statement by saying, "We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open."

The absence of Ward effectively prevents this from being the full-blown regrouping of the original SABBATH lineup that was first envisioned last year.

A number of SABBATH fans have rallied around Ward and have launched a new Facebook page dubbed "1,000,000 Black Sabbath Fans Say Yes To Bill Ward".

Ward said in his statement that he could not participate in the reunion, which was announced last November, unless presented with what he described as a "fair agreement" and a "signable contract" that financially reflected his contributions to SABBATH's history and his standing as a founding member of the band.

The recording sessions for what was meant to be the original band's first new album in 33 years were recently moved to London so that Iommi, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, could be close to his doctors.

SABBATH is scheduled to release its new album later this year and is confirmed to play the U.K.'s Download festival in June. All other tour plans, however, are up in the air pending Iommi's ability to overcome his illness.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, AEROSMITH producer Jack Douglas told Classic Rock magazine that he suggested recruiting author Stephen King to work with Steven Tyler on lyrics for the band's new album. Douglas said he threw his idea out there when he was asked by the record label if Tyler needed anyone to write with. Douglas explained, "They looked at me like I was crazy. I said, 'No, I'm serious. If there's anyone who's going to inspire him, it'd be Stephen King. Steven doesn't need melody — he needs someone who's going to inspire him as a wordsmith. I don't want a guy who's just writing hits right now.'"

The best-selling horror author is a huge rock 'n' roll fan and has even worked with John Mellencamp on a stage musical, but it's not known whether he has actually been approached by the AEROSMITH camp.

Douglas also said that AEROSMITH's first all-new album in over a decade, which is tentatively due out in May, "may take you back to places you used to know."

The band has recorded 15 songs with Douglas, who was behind the board for AEROSMITH classics like "Rocks" and "Toys In The Attic".

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry recently revealed via Twitter that the band will embark on a U.S. tour in June. Tickets will go on sale in March. Exact cities and dates will be announced during the coming weeks.

A six-year-old boy by the name of Jacob teamed up with the Melbourne, Florida-based two-piece post-hardcore band TERABRITE and smashed out "a brutal track" called "My First Hardcore Song" as a response to the recently released track from Juliet, an eight-year-old Brisbane, Australia girl. Check out the clip below.

Juliet became an Internet sensation after releasing her version of "My First Hardcore Song", a track about her pet fishes and dog.

According to Ninemsn, Juliet's mother Kristina Childs uploaded the video, which was put together by Queensland producer and family friend Rob Sharpe, on YouTube. The clip has since attracted nearly 20 million views.

Juliet's father, Steven Childs, is a musician in Australian rock band BRIGHT LIGHTS.

The music clip, filmed in a local park, opens with Juliet climbing trees and bashing at imaginary drums before shouting the opening lyrics, "Get your two step on!"

A three-minute preview of "Dusk...Subside", the forthcoming debut mini-LP from Melbourne, Australia's doom dwellers INVERLOCH, is available in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on April 10 via Relapse Records.

Featuring one half of the legendary diSEMBOWELMENT, INVERLOCH (Matthew Skarajew - guitar, Paul Mazziotta - drums, Ben James - vocals, Mark Cullen - guitar, Tony Bryant - bass) picks right up where diSEMBOWELMENT left off close to two decades ago, composing crawling, lurching, plodding and downtuned dirges, that are sure to be some of the most powerful and beautiful pieces of crust/death/doom heard in years!

As previously reported, INVERLOCH has been invited to play a pair of rare festival shows this spring, performing for a limited time under the name d.USK. They will be presenting diSEMBOWELMENT's legendary funeral doom opus "Transcendence Into The Peripheral" live in its entirety at Roadburn in the Netherlands and offering a different, though equally devastating set at the legendary Hellfest in France.

Commented drummer Paul Mazziotta: "It has been a pleasure to bring the old diSEMBOWELMENT songs to life, and along the journey we have discovered some new music inside of us that we felt compelled to capture. INVERLOCH is our musical voice of the past, re-discovered...combining heaviness and ambience once more …"

POISON singer Bret Michaels told RollingStone.com that his upcoming solo album, "Get Your Rock On", will include guest appearances by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, MY DARKEST DAYS axeman Sal Costa, Jimmy Buffett and country singer Loretta Lynn.

"Loretta Lynn and I are gonna redo [POISON's] 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' together," Bret told RollingStone.com. "And, for me, growing up in a family that my father loved country music and 'Coal Miner's Daughter', this is gonna be a really awesome time."

He added, "The song 'Get Your Rock On' has Phil Collen playing guitar with me and it also has Sal Costa from MY DARKEST DAYS — [a] really, really good guitar player and good friend. Jimmy Buffet and I did a live version of 'Margaritaville' together."

Michaels said the two duets, with Lynn and Buffett, will be "two bonus tracks." And of the rest of the record he said, "It is just straight-up in-your-face rock and roll."

Read more from RollingStone.com.

Weathermaker Music has set a February 28 release date for the CLUTCH double vinyl edition of "Blast Tyrant". This 180-gram expanded vinyl contains 16 songs and includes six mini-posters taken straight from "Blast Tyrant"'s "Atlas Of The Invisible World". Each illustrated poster is sized 8.5" x 11" and depicts one of the various characters featured within the "Blast Tyrant" storyline. Prior to February 28, the double vinyl edition of "Blast Tyrant" is exclusively available via www.clutchmerch.com.

In other CLUTCH news, you will be hearing the band's music in the mid-season premiere of "The Walking Dead" on February 12 on AMC. A sneak preview of the episode is available below. CLUTCH music will also be featured in the soon-to-be-released film "The Baytown Disco" starring Andre Braugher, Billy Bob Thornton, and Eva Longoria. A six-minute preview of the film, featuring CLUTCH music, can be viewed below. And for all you hockey fans, CLUTCH's "Electric Worry" is still the goal music for the Vancouver Canucks.

CLUTCH is about to confirm a North American spring tour. The band will also be returning to Europe this festival season.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will enter a Thailand studio next week to begin work on their fourth album. More details will be made available soon.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE released a deluxe CD/DVD edition of its third full-length album, "Fever", titled "Fever Tour Edition", in February 2011. The set featured three new songs recorded live at Xfm radio in the U.K. ("Fever", "The Last Fight" and "Bittersweet Memories") and a DVD of "Your Betrayal", "Fever" and "Waking the Demon", recorded live from Graspop Metal Meeting 2010 in Dessel, Belgium. The DVD also included videos for "Your Betrayal", "The Last Fight" and "The Making of The Last Fight" as well as a BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE track-by-track commentary of "Fever".

"Fever" sold 71,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. "Fever" also landed in the Top Five in Australia, the U.K., Japan, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

In a September 2011 interview with Lithium Magazine, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist Michael "Padge" Paget stated about "Fever", "As opposed to the other albums, this is right up there. This is definitely where we wanted to go as a band and it's definitely the right record when it comes to maturing. It's the third album; it's definitely where we wanted to go and has taken us where we want to be. It's ticking all the boxes so far and hopefully the next record does the same thing . . . We strive to write great songs and I think 'Fever' comes across as a great album, not just songs, and a complete album. You can sit down and listen to the whole thing as opposed to 'Scream, Aim, Fire'. We tried to take it back to the roots to the 'Poison' sort of thing on the new album, if you know what I mean."

Dutch progressive technical metallers TEXTURES have released a video podcast recapping their recent North American tour with PERIPHERY, THE HUMAN ABSTRACT and THE CONTORTIONIST. Their first-ever North American trek saw them play 32 shows over the course of five weeks to packed houses from New York to California, Canada, Mexico and everywhere in between. Check out the eight-minute clip below.

TEXTURES will tour Europe in March and April with support on different dates from SYLOSIS, UNEVEN STRUCTURE and MY OWN PRIVATE ALASKA, culminating in several shows in their native Holland in April and May. They'll hit the European festival circuit this summer with appearances at Tuska (Finland), Vagos Open Air (Portugal), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) and more.

TEXTURES's new album, "Dualism", was released on September 23, 2011 in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia and September 27 in North America. The CD was recorded at Split Second Sound Studio in Amsterdam and was produced by TEXTURES guitar player Jochem Jacobs, who helmed all of the band's previous albums. The cover artwork was designed by former TEXTURES frontman Eric Kalsbeek and the band's bass player Remko Tielemans.

Video footage of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL performing during the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise — which set sail on January 23 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, Florida to George Town, Cayman Islands and returned four days later — can be seen below.

OVERKILL utilized a stand-in drummer — their soundman Eddy Garcia, who was previously a member of the El Paso, Texas band PISSING RAZORS — for the 70000 Tons Of Metal shows after their regular drummer, Ron Lipnicki, broke his hand.

Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner conducted an interview with OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth during the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. You can watch the chat below.

OVERKILL will release its new album, "The Electric Age", in North America on March 27 via eOne Music. The CD will be made available in Europe on March 30 through Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Electric Age" was recorded and mixed at Gain Studios in New Jersey, owned and operated by OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni.

OVERKILL will embark on the "Killfest 2" headlining tour in April/May. Support on the trek will come from BELPHEGOR, BLACKGUARD and DIAMOND PLATE.

OVERKILL is Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (vocals), D.D. Verni (bass, backing vocals), Derek "The Skull" Tailer (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dave Linsk (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Ron Lipnicki (drums).

Performance:

Florida-based melodic metal veterans CRIMSON GLORY are working on getting their hands on professionally filmed video footage of their appearance at last year's edition of Bang Your Head!!! festival — which was held July 15-16, 2011 in Balingen, Germany — to release as a full-length concert DVD.

Fan-filmed footage of CRIMSON GLORY's performance at the 2011 installment of Bang Your Head!!! can be seen below.

In a November 2011 interview with Sakis Fragos, publisher and chief editor of the Greek edition of Rock Hard magazine, CRIMSON GLORY guitarist Jon Drenning stated about the fans' reaction to the band's 25th-anniversary European tour and new singer Todd La Torre, "The fans have been really supportive and receptive to Todd, and I think that much of it is due to the fact that Todd gives them the same things that [late CRIMSON GLORY singer] Midnight gave them: A real sense of emotional connectivity, and the beautiful, ethereal, haunting sounds that were so unique to Midnight and to CRIMSON GLORY. I think that it's kind of cathartic for the fans, because they can have their closure without really having to let go of the idea that Midnight is still with us, at least in spirit. There were fans who we met on tour who expressed such a profound love and gratitude to Todd, and I really think that he was a bit surprised, and very much honored and flattered, by the outpouring of acceptance by the fans around the world. This tour has been the most appropriate introduction to Todd and the next chapter of CRIMSON GLORY, while still being the proper send-off to Midnight with all of the respect and reverence deserved."

When asked if he is taking part in the creative process for CRIMSON GLORY's next album, Todd said, "Yes, I am an equal writer in the new material. It was very important for the band to not have 'just' a singer, but a songwriter as well. Being able to play guitar, drums, and sing, clearly gives me and advantage with the creative process, and an understanding with regard to all of the intricacies that go into songwriting. Drumming helps with vocal phrasing, and guitar playing with melody. Being a viable creative member also allows me to truly feel what we are writing, as opposed to singing what someone has already written for me. I have ideas; some will work, while others may not be conducive to that particular feel or sound. I'm very open-minded. That's the beauty of true collaboration; otherwise I'd just put out my own record. I'm very much looking forward to putting my stamp on the new material and bridging the past 25 years of CRIMSON GLORY into the future."

Aron, the son of original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, has posted the following message on Facebook regarding his father's recent announcement that he could not participate in the group's reunion due to his unhappiness with the contract he was offered:

"The press is spinning this shitstorm to read as if my dad has quit. This is not true. The guys know that. That's why they said the door is ALWAYS open.

"My dad hasn't 'declined' playing with BLACK SABBATH or 'threatened' to pull out of this reunion. As he stated, his bags are packed and he's ready to go. He says it loud and clear, he definitely wants to play on the album and he definitely wants to tour. I know he's been committed to this project from the beginning all the way to the point everyone else flew off to the U.K. When I saw him over the summer, he had this little CD case with him that had all the rehearsals and song ideas. Each CD was Sharpie scrawled with rough titles and ideas they had been working on.

"About a month ago, my dad called me to let me know that Tony [Iommi, guitar] had been diagnosed with cancer. He said they were all flying over in the next couple of weeks to continue recording the album in the U.K. and begin rehearsals for the summer tours. He'd been rehearsing more than I've ever known him to.

"Up 'till about three weeks ago, he was working extremely hard and close with the other three on this album/reunion tour. He was in very good spirits and sounded excited to be writing with Tony, Geezer [Butler, bass] and Ozzy [Osbourne, vocals] again.

"I know if they sort this shit out, you guys won't be disappointed.

"I've always stayed out of my dad's business and would like nothing more than for everything to be worked out swiftly between the guys. Unfortunately, it's become personal with all these idiots slagging off my dad, so this is for the fucking morons saying, 'Get over it, Bill': My dad has 'gotten over it' again and again. He's risen above this bullshit thing called showbiz for the last 30 years. He's respected because he's real and honest, not just because he's a complete bad-ass on the drums. He's been there for other musicians. In all kinds of circles — punk rock, hardcore, metal whatever. He was one of the first to get his head screwed back on after the '70s and get cleaned up. He's given so much support to so many people trying to pull themselves out of the hell called addiction. He tries so hard to stay in touch with the fans. He'll talk your ear off if you get a chance. He is humbled by your support and loves you.

"'Can't believe he needs to make this public' or 'it's not the first time': you're an idiot and have no idea what the hell's really going on. Just shut the fuck up and keep the speculation and lies to yourself. What my dad posted was from his heart, on the level and as usual completely honest. He wants you to know what's really going on. That he has been given a contract that he can't sign. Nothing more to it. No hidden agenda. Disappointingly, someone else is trying to shroud everything in some kind of X factor 'yeah, it's full steam ahead — we have no choice' bullshit. Of course they have a choice.

"'Don't be so greedy': he is by no means greedy, man. If he was, he would have settled with whatever contract given him. It's kind of obvious someone else is greedy. Wake up. He lives in a modest home in Southern California. Pays rent like the rest of us. In case you're still blind, look at it this way — sadly, the current 'SABBATH' statement reads as if someone would rather see the remaining members play in front of thousands of disappointed, confused and resentful fans then give my dad a dignified agreement. Additionally, the record sales will be severely affected because it isn't the promised original lineup. All this because of someone's inability to respect him as the committed founding member he is. This has derailed the fans' hopes of seeing the original lineup and strongly divided the fans. What a way to fuck up such a powerful, influential and inspirational legacy for the rest of time.

"'Who cares? It's just a bunch pensioners': I'm just as cynical about old rock legends getting back on the road 'one more time' as anyone, but this is BLACK SABBATH. They've never been a conventional band. Thing is, I know these guys have been rehearsing loads. Over the last couple months. When I've caught up with my dad, he's been talking about how heavy the jams have been and how hard he's been playing. Do you think people were looking at Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman or Max Roach going, 'Man, these guys are boring and old?' No! It's the music that's important, played by the masters themselves. That's what we want. They're here to teach us, inspire us and make us flip out.

"I saw the (CAPTAIN BEEFHEART) MAGIC BAND recently on tour and they were clearly the definite article. Legends. Completely schooled any new, hip shiny, processed, hyped out mush you've been exposed to in the last couple years. There's no doubt that there are loads of new heavy as fuck bands out there, but to me, BLACK SABBATH are still totally relevant. It's pointless to bitch about their age. They will kick serious fucking ass. Trust.

"To Terry ([a.k.a. Geezer] my godfather), Ozzy (my friend when I was little) and Tony (towering hero), I hope that you will listen to your fans. They want all of you together. As YOU are BLACK SABBATH, so is my Dad. I hope you guys can work it out."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, a source has told MetalTalk.net that the three remaining original members of BLACK SABBATH have recruited Tommy Clufetos, who plays drums in singer Ozzy Osbourne's solo band, to sit behind the SABBATH kit for the foreseeable future. The source added that manager Sharon Osbourne has effectively "fired" Ward, although this has not yet been corroborated by an official source.

Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler responded to Ward's February 2 statement by saying, "We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open."

The absence of Ward effectively prevents this from being the full-blown regrouping of the original SABBATH lineup that was first envisioned last year.

SABBATH is scheduled to release its new album later this year and is confirmed to play the U.K.'s Download festival in June. All other tour plans, however, are up in the air pending Iommi's ability to overcome his illness.

"Roots", a brand new song from Norwegian avantgarde metallers BORKNAGAR, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Germany's Metal Hammer magazine). The track comes off the band's new album, "Urd", which will be released on March 26 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, KATATONIA) in Örebro, Sweden.

Commented BORKNAGAR mastermind Øystein G. Brun: "In regards to the depth, diversity and magnitude of our new album, 'Urd', it almost feels painful to slice off just a tiny bit of the bloody roast for the very first official 'starter.' I would argue that each and every song on the new album stands on solid ground, but as usual with our music, the songs empower each other in the context of a full album. That said, 'Roots' is probably the song on the album that gives you the most representative impression of 'Urd'. Musically, it contains most of the elements that framework the musical universe of BORKNAGAR, and lyrically this song is gnawing on the very spine of our lyrical tradition."

He added, "Hope you enjoy this song, the first tiny glimpse into our new opus. The beast is about to be unleashed…"

The "Urd" artwork was designed by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, who has not only already worked on BORKNAGAR's previous "Universal" release but also with artists such as SOULFLY, BELPHEGOR, EINHERJER and KEEP OF KALESSIN.

Commented Brun: "The cover and design for 'Urd' is spot on when it comes to portraying the very core of the band. This time around we wanted an earthly expression through our cover and general design to support and empower the main themes on the album. You can almost smell and feel the texture of the old Norse wooden carvings — still there is a sophisticated and eclectic approach to the expression that entwines perfectly into the music. Marcelo Vasco enhanced our ideas into brilliance, he painted the face of the beast that is about to be unleashed..."

"Urd" track listing:

01. Epochalypse
02. Roots
03. The Beauty Of Dead Cities
04. The Earthling
05. The Plains Of Memories
06. Mount Regency
07. Frostrite
08. The Winter Eclipse
09. In A Deeper World

Brun previously stated about the upcoming CD, "Our new album, 'Urd', was finished in mid December and all in all we spent about six months to record, produce and mix it. In the 'Bork-World' this isn't really long, but I can assure you that we have never before invested so much time, energy and effort into one single production. It has been a tough, yet inspiring ride.

"Since June 2011 I have constantly been working with this album, recording, editing and so forth — day and night. The same goes for my comrades. Never before have we made an album where everybody in the band has been so heavily involved and dedicated as this time around.

"'Urd' is surely the peak of our musical journey so far and we are extremely proud to have made this giant of an album! It's massive, it's emotional, it's fast, it's slow, it's epic, and it's progressive… all the ingredients that we have crafted our musical world on! And not to mention the 'golden threesome' on vocals (Vintersorg, Mr. Vortex and Lazare) really shines on this album… Do I need to say more?!"

Regarding where the album title fits in within BORKNAGAR's historical context, Øystein explained, "Our previous album was called 'Universal' and where should we go after an album title with such a magnitude? Well, we decided to head back home to earth. We really wanted to get back to the core of the band, where it all started - the admiration and pondering about nature and mankind's place therein. 'Urd' is the name of one of the norns that according to northern mythology stands under Yggdrasill and weaves the lifeline of mankind. 'Urd' is representing the past, while 'Verdande' is representing the present and 'Skuld' is representing the future. You might very well say that this is an ancient expression of what we today know as DNA. And I have always been very fascinated by the fact that parts and bits of our DNA actually derive from the very beginning of time. All living creatures are somewhat connected to the very first organic cell. That is some of the story behind the album title…"

BORKNAGAR 2012 is:

* Øystein G. Brun (Cronian, ex-Molested) – Clean and Electric Guitar
* Vintersorg (VINTERSORG, FISSION) - Grim Vocals, Clean Vocals and Choirs
* Lars A. Nedland (SOLEFALD, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST) - Keyboards, Clean Vocals, Choirs
* Jens F. Ryland (ICS VORTEX) - Lead Guitar
* ICS Vortex (ex-DIMNMU BORGIR, ARCTURUS, ICS VORTEX) - Bass, Clean Vocals and Choirs

Drums and percussion on "Urd" were performed by David Kinkade (SOULFLY, ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).

Finnish death metallers SADISTIK FOREST will release their second album, "Death, Doom, Radiation", on March 21 via Violent Journey Records. The CD was produced by Samu Männikkö and features cover artwork by legendary artist Juha Vuorma (AUTOPSY, EDGE OF SANITY, USURPER).

"'Death, Doom, Radiation' is a big step ahead for us," says SADISTIK FOREST vocalist/bassist Markus Makkonen. "Matti [Salo, guitar] was now along through the whole creative process and his input was crucial while making 'Death, Doom, Radiation' the monster it is. He brought along more individual sound, musicianship and wider musical vision, so the new one will definitely surprise some people."

"Death, Doom, Radiation" track listing:

01. Radiation Cloud
02. Fabrics Of Lies
03. Code For Liberation
04. Down Pours The Rain Of Blood
05. Pit Of Debris
06. Entrapment
07. It's Raining Napalm
08. Lacking Capacity
09. Violent Confrontation

SADISTIK FOREST will celebrate the release of "Death, Doom, Radiation" by playing a headlining show in Helsinki on March 23.

SADISTIK FOREST is:

Antti Heikkinen - Guitar
Markus Makkonen – Vocals, Bass
Vesa Mutka - Drums
Matti Salo - Guitar

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

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

Comments PRONG guitarist, vocalist and founder Tommy Victor: "It was hardest I've ever worked in the studio on any record I've ever been involved with."

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

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

"Carved Into Stone" track listing

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

PRONG will be touring throughout 2012 in support of "Carved Into Stone". The initial dates have been confirmed, including two shows supporting Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT in February, followed by a string of headlining gigs in March. More dates will be announced shortly.

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

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

HOLLOW EARTH was a thought between members Mike Moynihan (guitar) Steve Muczynski (vocals) and Aaron Goodrich (drums) during their stint of touring with legendary hardcore band SHAI HULUD in November 2010.

One year later, almost to the date, the three friends decided to take that thought more seriously. Rearranging their lives so they would be in the same location in Michigan, the members moved in together and put things in motion to become a real band. Their objective with HOLLOW EARTH was to write sincere music and begin touring as much as possible.

Quickly recruiting Dave Giandiletti (guitar) and Jake Hicks (bass) to complete the lineup, they wrote a six-song EP entitled "We Are Not Humanity" within the two and half months of their inception and headed off to record at Getaway Group in Massachusetts with Jay Maas (DEFEATER, VERSE, SHIPWRECK).

On "We Are Not Humanity", HOLLOW EARTH draws on the influence of legendary bands like TURMOIL and BURIED ALIVE, capturing the energy and anger of hardcore that has been lost on so many new bands. HOLLOW EARTH's lyrics are dark with thought-provoking premonitions that paint a picture of impending doom that threatens the human existence.

"We Are Not Humanity" will be released on April 17 through Panic Records on CD, vinyl and digital formats.

Listen to two new songs from "We Are Not Humanity" now on HOLLOW EARTH's Facebook page.

MEGADETH will play a short acoustic set for around 50 contest winners chosen by Detroit, Michigan's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station. The performance will take place today (Thursday, February 9) at 3:00 p.m. EST backstage at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan and it will be streamed online at WRIF.com.

A short video clip of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson talking about today's acoustic set can be seen below. Also available is footage of MEGADETH's April 28, 2010 acoustic performance on the "Cual Es?" show at the Rock & Pop 95.9 studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Gigantour — the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH — is making its highly anticipated return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine — kicked off on January 26 in Camden, New Jersey. Before wrapping February 28 in Denver, Colorado, the tour will make stops all across the U.S. and Canada, including a February 24 show in Los Angeles.

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

"Public Enemy No. 1" actually marks 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.

Los Angeles-based, female-fronted metallers HUNTRESS will release their debut album, "Spell Eater", on April 27 via Napalm Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

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

The official video for the CD's first single, "Eight Of Swords", can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Simon Chan of Artificial Army and was produced/engineered by Chris Rakestraw of Sunset Lodge Recording.

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

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

HUNTRESS is:

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

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

After a four-year break since her last album, Lana Lane is back with her most powerful release to date, "El Dorado Hotel". The veteran symphonic rock diva delivers a 10-song tour-de-force of finely crafted original tracks in an audiophile production by husband/keyboardist, Erik Norlander. "El Dorado Hotel" hosts Lane's usual broad spectrum of musical styles and genres with a cohesiveness that fans of the artist will recognize instantly. The opener, "A Dream Full Of Fire", is a new Lana Lane classic that blurs the line between prog metal and jazz stylings in a mélange that only she can deliver. "Maybe We'll Meet Again" is a European-styled melodic AOR radio anthem blending classic rock with modern sensibilities. The song "El Dorado" is a Lana Lane epic with a soaring chorus reminiscent of her classic, "Queen Of Ocean". The robust "Darkness Falls" introduces an Irish folk style combined with a gothic metal element with its haunting choral vocals and arena-crafted chorus. Then "Hotels" is an acoustic track that evokes jazz standards like "Autumn Leaves". The tracks "Believe", "Life Of The Party", "Gone Are The Days" and "Moon God" add further threads to the "El Dorado Hotel" tapestry. The album closes with the 11-1/2 minute opus "In Exile" that producer Erik Norlander describes as a "vintage progressive rock epic."

The musicians of "El Dorado Hotel" are a top-notch group of artists including both new and familiar faces. Lane says about the musicians, "Both Freddy DeMarco and Mark Matthews did some fantastic work on Erik's solo project, "The Galactic Collective". I then had the opportunity to play with them both during some live appearances in 2011 when I sang with the band. After having played with the guys and getting to know them, I knew that I wanted them to be a part of this project as well. Then for John Payne, Jay Schellen, Guthrie Govan and Bruce Bouillet (ex-RACER X), as you know, Erik has playing with John Payne for about five years now. When the original 1982 lineup of ASIA reformed a few years back, John Payne formed his own separate band to continue all the work that he had done with ASIA during his 14-year run and many albums with them. So John and Erik tour as "ASIA featuring John Payne," and they've probably played over a hundred shows together. Jay is the drummer in the band, and both Guthrie and Bruce have been the guitarists. Bruce is working with them currently. I of course go to a lot of their shows and have become friends with all of them. It is a great group of people, and they are all very talented musicians. Since we see them so much and Erik plays with them constantly, it was only natural to work with them on this album. And then finally for Mark McCrite, Neil Citron and Don Schiff, all three of them have been on so many Lana Lane albums going all the back to my very first album in 1995. It's great to continue working with them through all these years."

Songs for "El Dorado Hotel" were written by Lana Lane, Erik Norlander and longtime collaborator Mark McCrite, who comments, "My favorite songs on the album are 'El Dorado' (with the fantastic Spanish guitar) and 'A Dream Full of Fire' — that's a really killer 'classic' Lana Lane track."

"El Dorado Hotel" musicians:

* Lana Lane - vocals
* Erik Norlander - keyboards, additional guitars, bass and programming

With

* John Payne - harmony and choral vocals, mandolin
* Mark McCrite - guitars, bass, choral vocals, programming
* Bruce Bouillet - guitars
* Neil Citron - guitars
* Freddy DeMarco - guitars
* Guthrie Govan - guitar
* Don Schiff - NS/Stick
* Mark Matthews - bass
* Jay Schellen - drums

"El Dorado Hotel" track listing:

01. A Dream Full Of Fire [8:25]
02. Maybe We'll Meet Again [5:39]
03. El Dorado [6:12]
04. Darkness Falls [5:12]
05. Hotels [3:40]
06. Believe [6:03]
07. Life Of The Party [4:03]
08. Gone Are The Days [6:23]
09. Moon God [5:08]
10. In Exile [11:43]

"El Dorado Hotel" will be released on January 25 via Think Tank Media (Avalon in Japan).

The original lineup of Texan thrash metal veterans RIGOR MORTIS — Mike Scaccia (guitar), Casey Orr (bass), Harden Harrison (drums), and Bruce Corbitt (vocals) — has entered the studio to begin layinig down its first new album since 1991's "Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth". The band is recording at 13th Planet Studios in El Paso, Texas, home to MINISTRY and BUCK SATAN AND THE 666 SHOOTERS. Production duties are being handled by Sammy D'Ambruoso and MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen.

Commented Orr: "Expect a brutally fast, sick and twisted record. We're not fucking around."

The RIGOR MORTIS members have been feverishly writing new material in between other projects. Scaccia and Orr recently contributed songs to the upcoming MINISTRY record, "Relapse", and are gearing up for the "Defibrillatour" this summer. Corbitt has been busy touring with his band, WARBEAST, most recently in support of the mighty GWAR. Harrison was recently in the studio recording with his band MITRA.

The return of RIGOR MORTIS has been a long time coming. Though the band has reunited for a handful of shows over the last several years, schedules and personal lives just wouldn't allow for the time and commitment necessary for the band to properly reemerge with new material and a determination to take RIGOR to the next level.

RIGOR MORTIS lineup:

Mike Scaccia - Guitar
Casey Orr - Bass/Vocals
Harden Harrison - Drums
Bruce Corbitt - Vocals

Don de Leaumont of The Great Southern Brainfart recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Great Southern Brainfart: You've expressed in the past that there needs to be a serious change in how the industry is doing things. In your opinion, what needs to change to make things better again?

Rob: Well, it's hard to say. This new generation of kids just doesn't seem to respect music. They don't respect it as an artform like they did years ago. To these young kids, they don't understand the concept that this is our lives. This is our career and it costs a lot of money to make a good record. When you go on the computer and hit a fucking button and download something for free, you're stealing, but the kids don't realize that. Somehow that needs to change and I think it will. I think musicians need to take the power back at some point soon because it's just getting worse and worse. This is how we make our living and pretty soon bands won't be able to survive and then what? [laughs]

The Great Southern Brainfart: Do you think that bands have started to take that power back by not going with major labels and starting their own record labels and handling distribution and what not?

Rob: Yeah. I just think that everything is going to be different at some point soon. I don't even know what "major labels" are anymore. [laughs]

The Great Southern Brainfart: Oh yeah. That's because so many major labels are gone and independent labels are now the new major labels with different names and so on. It's confusing.

Rob: [laughs] Major labels these days have like 10 people working for them [laughs]. It's just a huge mess. There just needs to be a way for them to figure out how to make sure the musicians are getting paid properly and this whole Internet piracy thing needs to be controlled.

The Great Southern Brainfart: We've talked about how you feel about the piracy aspect, but how about buying music online? How do you feel about that? It's like the magic of going to a record store is long gone so this is the only alternative it seems.

Rob: There are barely even any record stores left anymore. In New York City, there's Bleecker Bob's and Generation Records. Those are the only two record stores I know of and they're around the corner from each other, so that's convenient. [laughs] Other than that, I don't even know where to go. I mean, Walmart carries music, but they don't carry the music I want. Best Buy. Same shit. It's all online. These days I buy most of my shit on iTunes.

The Great Southern Brainfart: How do you feel that this seems to be the best way to get music these days?

Rob: My only problem with downloading music from iTunes is that the music doesn't sound good. The files are not full bandwidth. That, to me, is just weird. It's like we go through all of this trouble to make an album sound really awesome, and then it goes on iTunes and it gets compressed and then it's playing on someone's broken iPod and shit, so what's the point. [laughs] Honestly, I have no problem with iTunes, but I do miss going to record stores and picking up the CDs, feeling it in my hands, and seeing the artwork.

Read the entire interview from The Great Southern Brainfart.

Swedish MANOWAR-inspired all-female metal band HYSTERICA will release its sophomore album, "The Art Of Metal", on March 9 via Black Lodge. The CD was produced by Pontus Norgren (HAMMERFALL) and Marcus Jidell (EVERGREY).

According to a press release, "The Art Of Metal" sees HYSTERICA taking "a huge leap forward. They've developed tremendously since the debut, 'Metalwar', released in 2009. HYSTERICA is all about classic melodic doom and power metal, with keyboard, extreme vocals and grandiose choirs being added to the mix on this album."

"HYSTERICA wanted to broaden their horizon with this release — they wanted to mix music with other art outputs. They came up with the idea of letting seven different artists interpret one song each, with the song being turned into an art object. Work has been done by a metal sculpturer, a horror cartoonist, a photographer, a writer, an oil painter and a tattoo artist. The artists were given carte blanche to do what they wanted. During 2011, four digital singles have been released, and with the release the artwork has been presented."

"The Art Of Metal" track listing:

01. Breaking The Walls
02. Fighters Of The Century
03. Live Or Die
04. Spirit Of The Age
05. Message
06. Fear Of The Light
07. Force Of Metal
08. Heels Of Steel
09. Hysterica
10. Daughters Of The Night

A five-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of all the tracks from "The Art Of Metal" is available below.

HYSTERICA has toured Sweden and Russia, and has played at both clubs and big festivals like Sweden Rock and Hard Rock Hell (United Kingdom).

Video footage of HYSTERICA performing the new songs "Force Of Metal" and "Heels Of Steel" can be seen below.

HYSTERICA gained notoriety after the release of its debut album, "Metalwar", which was mixed by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, HYPOCRISY).

In 2010 HYSTERICA was honored with the "Best Newcomer" award at the Swedish Metal Awards.

For more information, visit www.hysterica.se.

Galy Records has announced the signing of Montreal death metallers DEPTHS OF HATRED. Due on on March 10, the band's debut album, "Aversionist", was recorded throughout 2011 and was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS, THE LAST FELONY).

Commented the group: "We've laid low in 2011 but it's great to finally be releasing all the stuff we've been hard at work on this past year. Galy has been great with us, it's an honor to be with a label who put so many of the bands we listen to today on the map. We're excited for 2012."

DEPTHS OF HATRED video for the song "Revocation" will be released in the coming weeks. The clip features a guest appearance by Elliot Desgagnes (BENEATH THE MASSACRE).

DEPTHS OF HATRED is:

Dominic D.D.: Vocals
Martin Trottier: Guitar
Karl Desjardins: Drums
Antoine Millette: Bass

Atlanta-based band PRIMER 55 — featuring Bobby Burns (guitar, bass, vocals), The DRP (vocals), Heath Shaw (drums), and Mattytime (bass) — will release "The Big Fuck You" on February 14 via Family For Life/THC: Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The 16-song effort is a collection of retrospective B-sides and rarities from PRIMER 55's classic lineup, including the band's long-out-of-print independent LP "As Seen On TV".

"The Big Fuck You" track listing:

01. Loose
02. Bullshit
03. Supa Freak Love
04. Stain
05. Violence
06. The Big Fuck You
07. Drive It
08. Release
09. G's
10. Slip Away
11. Against The Wall
12. Tripinthehead
13. Profanity (And A Lot Of It)
14. Texas (acoustic)
15. This Life (acoustic)
16. My Girl (acoustic)

* "Loose" audio stream
* "The Big Fuck You" audio stream

PRIMER 55 has begun work on its self-titled fourth studio LP, tentatively due this summer.

After relasing three albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s, PRIMER 55 went on hiatus while Burns focused on recording and touring with SOULFLY as the band's bassist, a position he held until 2010. In 2007, PRIMER 55 reformed to release "Family For Life", afer which original vocalist J-Sin left the band and Milwaukee MC The DRP soon came into the fold.

Capital Chaos has uploaded quality multi-camera footage of EARTH CRISIS's November 4, 2011 performance at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California. Check out the clip below.

EARTH CRISIS's seventh album, "Neutralize The Threat", was released on July 12, 2011 via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED). The cover artwork was created by Ryan Clark and can be seen below.

"Neutralize The Threat" track listing:

01. Raise
02. Neutralize The Threat
03. Total War
04. 100-Kiloton Blast
05. Counterstrike
06. By Conscience Compelled
07. Black Talons Tear
08. Askari
09. The Eradicators
10. Raze

Commented the band: "We are very happy with how 'Neutralize The Threat' came out. Musically, it resembles the song structures on 'To The Death', but with a 'Gomorah's Season Ends' vibe thrown in. Every song is lyrically inspired by real-life vigilante actions that have taken place around the globe. The topics range from The Black Panther party to Bernard Goetz and we think it's an original lyrical concept for the band, while also retaining some subject matter we are known for dealing with in the past. Zeuss is the man and definitely delivered the best-sounding record we have ever had!"

Due to medical treatment, Benoît David is missing the April dates in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Hawaii, with Glass Hammer’s Jon Davison filling in.

The band then plan to return to North America and possibly Europe in the summer. Whether Benoît returns is not known at this time!

Vocalist Benoît David, a native of Montreal, Canada, has been singing with Yes since 2008. Benoît has also been the lead singer of Mystery since 1999, and has appeared on two albums: Beneath the Veil of Winter’s Face and One Among the Living. Fly From Here is Benoît’s first studio recording with Yes.

“Jon Davison is coming in because of Benoit’s departure. I always hope that when there is a member change in the band that it will be a permanent thing. Only time will tell really”, founding member Chris Squire told Noise11.com this morning.
“I don’t know if I’m meant to be telling you this yet, so I guess you’ve got a scoop,”

Like Benoit David, Jon Davison was discovered fronting a Yes covers band. Benoit had joined Yes after the departure of original singer Jon Anderson. He has been suffering from respiratory failure this year and could not continue on for the Australia tour in April. However, his departure is permanent.

“Yes, he has officially left Yes,” Chris says.

German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA have uploaded a 14-minute video recap of their recent trip to India where they performed two shows: February 4 in Vellore and February 5 in Bangalore. Check out the clip below.

SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Gernhart Studio in Siegburg, Germany with producer Martin Buchwalter. Famous Belgian graphic artist Kris Verwimp once again created the cover artwork and lyrical concept.

Inspired by the darker side of Celtic lore, the concept of "Book Of Dowth" chronicles the mythology of a mysterious race of demonic beings known as the "Fomor." Starting with the discovery of an ancient book at the excavation of Dowth (a Neolithic passage tomb in the Boyne Valley, Ireland), it unveils the yet untold story of the rise and fall of the Fomorian horde throughout history and far, far beyond…

Virginia crossover thrash metal band MUNICIPAL WASTE will release its fifth studio album, "The Fatal Feast", on April 10 in North America and April 13 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the cD was created by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design and can be seen below.

"The Fatal Feast" track listing:

01. Waste In Space
02. Repossession
03. New Dead Masters
04. Unholy Abductor
05. Idiot Check
06. Covered In Sick/The Barfer
07. You're Cut Off
08. Authority Complex
09. Standards And Practices
10. Crushing Chest Wound
11. The Monster With 21 Faces
12. Jesus Freaks
13. The Fatal Feast
14. 12 Step Program
15. Death Tax
16. Residential Disaster

Both the digipack and vinyl editions will include the bonus track "Eviction Party".

"The Fatal Feast" features guest appearances by John Connelly (guitarist and vocalist for NUCLEAR ASSAULT), Steve Moore (who plays bass and synthesizers for ZOMBI), and vocalist Tim Barry (ex-AVAIL).

Osbourn recently answered a few questions about the artistic process for his masterpiece.

Q: Did you hear any new music before you created this bad boy?

Osbourn: Nope, I wasn't given any of the new song demos beforehand. Ryan [Waste, guitarist] kinda gave me an overall theme and certain elements that they wanted to see in the artwork. Being a fan of the band, I just took that and added what I thought would enhance it further.

Q: Why does the guy being eaten resemble Captain James Tiberius Kirk?

Osbourn: It's kinda weird that you say that... I happen to be quite the fan of the original "Star Trek" series. It would have totally made sense for that to be Captain Kirk being devoured, but unfortunately, that was never my intent. Perhaps it was subconsciously, though? How 'bout we just tell everyone it is.

Q: Anything hidden in the artwork (a la Derek Riggs/IRON MAIDEN covers) that fans should keep an eye out for?

Osbourn: Sorta. The number of cheap beer cans/bottles laying around on the cover are just about the right number I would drink on a night I would call a Pretty Damn Good Night. Oh, and there's an empty half pint of Viaka Vodka in there as well; it's just that it's laying behind The Waste-oids devouring Captain Kirk. Ha ha.

"Massive Aggressive", the last album from MUNICIPAL WASTE, landed at No. 10 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.

"Massive Aggressive" was released on August 25, 2009 via Earache Records.

Norwegian progressive metallers OCEANS OF TIME have just released their debut album, "Faces", via Melodic Revolution Records. Two years in the making, the CD contains 10 original songs with a running time of 55 minutes. It was recorded at Oceans Studios and was mixed and mastered by Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, PRETTY MAIDS, IRON FIRE, JORN) at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark.

Formed in 2005 by guitarist Lazz Jensen, OCEANS OF TIME played a lot of gigs between 2005 and 2008 which helped them establish themselves as one of the premier local bands. In 2009 OCEANS OF TIME took a break from touring to concentrate on writing and recording its debut CD.

"Faces" track listing:

01. Quest For Mystery
02. Walls Of Silence
03. The Beast
04. Faces
05. Kingdom Falls
06. A Touch Of Insanity
07. Roar Of Organs
08. Uncertainty
09. Panic
10. You're So Cold

OCEANS OF TIME is:

Ken Lyngfoss - Vocals
Lasse "Lazz" Jensen - Guitar
Nickolas Main Henriksen - Synth
Geir Nilsen - Bass
Baard Kolstad - Drums

"Valtiaan uudet vaateet", the new Tuomas Petsalo-directed video from Lemi, Finland-based metallers STAM1NA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fifth album, "Nocebo", which was released on February 8 via Sakara Records. The CD was recorded at Petrax studios with producer Joe Barresi (TOOL, BAD RELIGION, APOCALYPTICA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, WOLFMOTHER).

"Nocebo" track listing:

01. Pirunpaska
02. Valtiaan uudet vaateet
03. Tavastia palamaan!
04. Puolikas ihminen
05. Aivohalvaus
06. Rabies
07. Lepositeet
08. Nomad
09. Ei encorea
10. Arveton on arvoton

The digipack version of "Nocebo" comes with an extended booklet and a DVD containing a half-hour "making-of" documentary, filmed at Petrax studios and produced by STAM1NA's bassist, Kai-Pekka Kangasmäki.

STAM1NA will promote the release of "Nocebo" by embarking on a spring 2012 tour of Finland, dubbed "Irti arjesta".

For an updated list of tour dates, go to this location.

According to a press release, the collaboration between Barresi and STAM1NA came about as a result of a meeting the producer had with the band in February 2010 when Joe was in Helsinki working on the latest APOCALYPTICA album.

STAM1NA was honored in the "Metal Album Of The Year" and "Band Of The Year" categories at last year's Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent), which was held on February 26, 2011 at Barona Areena in Espoo, Finland.

STAM1NA's fourth full-length album, "Viimeinen Atlantis", entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 1. The CD, which was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies, was recorded at Astia Studios in Lappeenranta, Finland and was produced by Miitri Aaltonen, who helmed the first two STAM1NA albums.

Finnish metallers TRACEDAWN will release their new album, "Lizard Dusk", on February 15 via Redhouse. The CD was produced and co-recorded by Tuomas Yli-Jaskari, Perttu Kurttila and Vili Itäpelto at Seawolf and Redhouse Studios, mixed by Henrik Udd at Studio Fredman in Sweden and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.

"Lizard Dusk" marks TRACEDAWN's first recorded output since the departure of singer Antti Lappalainen (vocal duties are presently shared between Niko Kalliojärvi [LITHURIA, ex-AMORAL] and guitarist Tuomas Yli-Jaskari).

"Lizard Dusk" track listing:

01. Arabian Nights
02. Breed Insane
03. Sick Fire
04. The Crawl
05. You're Fired!
06. Machine
07. Nothing And Nowhere
08. Thanks For Asking, I'm Just Obsessed
09. Taught My Eyes To Lie

The "Breed Insane" video can be seen below.

A video for the track "Machine" was recently completed and will make its online debut on Friday, February 10 via Finland's Radio Rock.

TRACEDAWN is:

Niko Kalliojärvi (LITHURIA, ex-AMORAL) - Vocals
Tuomas Yli-Jaskari (LITHURIA) - Guitar/Vocals
Roni Seppänen - Guitar
Pekko Heikkilä - Bass
Vili Itäpelto (SERAPHIEL, FRIENDS WITH ENEMIES) - Keyboards
Perttu Kurttila (LITHURIA) - Drums