The self-titled debut album from UNISONIC — the band featuring former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) alongside Dennis Ward (bass) and Kosta Zafiriou (drums) of Germany's PINK CREAM 69 and Swiss guitarist Mandy Meyer (who has previously played with ASIA, GOTTHARD and KROKUS) — will be released on March 30 (nine days earlier in Japan) via earMUSIC/Edel. The effort will be made available in the following configurations:

Europe & rest of the world:

* CD jewel case
* CD limited edition Mediabook format with and extended booklet plus bonus track
* Vinyl and CD package limited edition

Japan:

*CD jewel case
* CD limited-edition digipack plus bonus track (exclusive for Japan)

The cover artwork, which was created by graphic artist Martin Häusler (MEAT LOAF, GOTTHARD, HELLOWEEN, MOTÖRHEAD), can be seen below.

UNISONIC's video for the song "Unisonic" can be seen below. According to a press release, the clip, which was directed by Häusler, "shows a powerful band performance at a magnificent ballroom in Heidelberg, Germany."

UNISONIC released its debut EP, "Ignition" on January 27 via earMUSIC/Edel. The effort includes the track "Unisonic" plus one demo song and a cover version of the HELLOWEEN classic "I Want Out", recorded live on October 15 at last year's edition of the Loud Park festival at Saitama Super Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Saitama City, Japan.

After the addition of Hansen to the group's lineup in early 2011, UNISONIC continued the songwriting process for its debut release, incorporating Kai's talent for writing great anthemic rock songs into its existing material. The recordings for the album started at end of September at ICP studios in Brussels, Belgium.

UNISONIC's music is very versatile and shows a broad approach to heavy rock without sacrificing the power and strong, catchy melodies that characterized the bandmembers' previous projects.

Commented Kiske: "It feels great to finally bring the band to the studio and record the songs we've been working on. We took our time to grow as a band, but it was definitely worth it and we are very proud of the result."

Added bassist/producer Ward: "We have a bunch of very strong songs and can't wait until people can hear them. Everyone in the band is now looking even more positive into the future."

Regarding Hansen's addition to UNISONIC, Kiske previously said, "After so many years of abstinence, I had a lot of fun doing my first live shows with UNISONIC in summer 2010, so I agreed to do the short world tour with AVANTASIA. It was a great experience to be on stage with all those great artists, but with Kai it was something different: We instantly felt the magic again and had a lot of fun together on and off stage. We both realized that we want to be together in band again. He was interested in the open musical concept of UNISONIC and finally asked me if he can join the band. I talked to my bandmates and they all felt great about it. His talent as a guitarist and songwriter is an enrichment for the band and we are looking forward to his contribution for the music of UNISONIC."

Kai Hansen's position in GAMMA RAY will be unaffected by his involvement with UNISONIC.

UNISONIC is:

Michael Kiske (vocals)
Mandy Meyer (guitar)
Kai Hansen (guitar)
Dennis Ward (bass)
Kosta Zafiriou (drums)

Having split with HELLOWEEN in late 1993, Kiske participated in various projects and released several solo albums but had not been part of a real group effort until now.

While collaborating with Ward and Zafiriou on the PLACE VENDOME project five years ago, Kiske found two musical soulmates. They ended up recording two PLACE VENDOME albums before deciding to join forces in a new brand new band. Ward, who had previously produced a record for KROKUS, suggested Meyer as the perfect addition to the group in the vacant guitarist slot.

Kiske, one of the finest and most unique voices in contemporary rock music, explains his motivation of becoming a part of a band again: "Since the PLACE VENDOME productions I was impressed by Dennis Ward's skills as a songwriter and producer. We were occasionally fooling around since then via email that we should do more together in the future, so the idea came up to do a new band. I was generally getting a bit tired of doing everything on my own for so many years, so it just felt like the right thing to do now."

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST will release their new album, "Tragic Idol", on April 24 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CDwas recorded in part at The Chapel studios in Lincolnshire, England and features cover art by by Parisian designer Valnoir, who has previously worked with MORBID ANGEL, LAIBACH, ULVER and WATAIN, among others.

Commented guitarist Gregor Mackintosh: "The [new CD was] again produced by Jens Bogren and is influenced by classic doom metal and classic metal. I would say it is more melodic than the last record whilst retaining the heaviness. There are lots of guitar solos and melodies. The album will contain such track titles as 'Honesty in Death', 'Theories from Another World', 'In this We Dwell' and the title track, 'Tragic Idol'."

In other news, PARADISE LOST will embark on a U.K. headlining tour this April. To celebrate the event, PARADISE LOST will have a very limited number of VIP tickets available (10 per show) which you can purchase online from the band's web site.

Commented singer Nick Holmes: "This is a pretty extensive U.K. tour for us. I'm speechless and excited. It's nice to know there's a WH Smith in every town we play"

The dates are as follows:

April 16 - Cardiff, England - Great Hall 2
April 17 - Southampton, England - The Brook
April 18 - Folkestone, England - Quarterhouse
April 19 - Colchester, England - Arts Centre
April 20 - Stoke, England - Sugarmill
April 22 - York, England - The Duchess
April 23 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts
April 24 - Sheffield, England - Corporation
April 25 - Wolverhampton, England - Slade Rooms
April 26 - Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
April 27 - Manchester, England - Club Academy
April 29 - London, England - Scala
April 30 - Norwich, England - Waterfront

PARADISE LOST's last full-length effort, "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us", came out in October 2009.

The band recently released the "Draconian Times MMXI" DVD via Century Media.

Sony Music reissued PARADISE LOST's seminal 1995 album "Draconian Times" through the "Legacy" series; featuring the entire digitally remastered album, including a 5.1 Dolby Surround mix in a brand-new collector's edition digipak box set, so fans could hear the album like never before. Along with this release, the band performed "Draconian Times" live at a series of seven exclusive gigs this past spring in Utrecht, Bochum, London, Paris, Athens, and Thessaloniki.

"Draconian Times MMXI" features the London show at The Forum on April 1, 2011, a documentary from the whole tour filmed by the band's bass player Steve Edmondson, interviews about the history of "Draconian Times" with producer Simon Efemey, Nick Holmes (vocals), Greg Mackintosh (guitar), Aaron Aedy (guitar), Steve Edmondson (bass) and Andy Farrow (manager since 1990) and the two promo videos from PARADISE LOST's latest album, "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us".

METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH, ARCH ENEMY, DIMMU BORGIR, HIM, CHILDREN OF BODOM and SARCOFAGUS are among the artists whose music is featured in "Out Of The Darkness", the new spectacular from Australia's "premiere metal ballet company" Brutal Ballet, which combines classical ballet with heavy metal.

Brutal Ballet founder, choreographer and dancer Bridie Mayfield's unique performance style, bringing the separate sides of the dark beauty of ballet and metal together has been previously described as "a captivating visual extravaganza that would titilate an audience regardless of musical accompaniment... music and ballet comparing and contrasting with remarkable sophistication."

"Out Of The Darkness" is a journey through the various genres of metal, from the dark and brutal to the classic and melodic, featuring music from some of the best metal bands in the world.

"Out Of The Darkness" will make its European debut on February 7 at Sello Sali in Espoo, Finland.

Mayfield last year wowed audiences in the U.S. when she opened the Heavy Metal Film Festival in Los Angeles, performing classical ballet to a song by FEAR FACTORY (see video below).

According to Gothic Beauty magazine, Mayfield came up with the inspiration to dance classical ballet to heavy metal music from her love of metal and her experience from Ballet Deviare, which is New York's premier heavy metal ballet company.

"Since I was small I always made up dances to music I loved, so when I started getting into metal it was no different to me," she said. "When I heard about Ballet Deviare in New York, I realized dancing to metal was accepted by metal fans and knew I had to either join them or start something myself, and I knew someone else wasn't going to start a metal ballet company here. I managed to pull together enough dancers to start trying out some of the choreography."

Vocalist Brandan Schieppati of Orange County, California's BLEEDING THROUGH has shared his feelings on the current state of the underground music industry, saying that "playing hardcore and metal is not a career move" and that none of the up-and-coming bands will ever become "rich" through making this kind of music.

In an interview with AOL's Noisecreep to promote BLEEDING THROUGH's just-released new CD, "The Great Fire", Schieppati revealed, "There's a track on the new album called 'Goodbye To Death' which is about how bands, record labels, and management companies, pat themselves on the back before they even really accomplish anything."

He continued, "When BLEEDING THROUGH first starting doing this, you would hear people gloat about stuff like selling 400,000 albums, or selling out huge venues, but it's so different now. Now you'll hear bands say, 'We made it! We sold $700 in merch tonight!' It's a joke.

"I think people are too busy celebrating the short term, rather than the long term — and that's [disconcerting]. I've never wanted to be in a band that had a few fantastic years and then went away. We've definitely had years that were better than others. It's never been the kind of thing where we would break up as soon as we stopped drawing 1000 people at our shows. We've always done this to please ourselves, and not as some delusion of grandeur."

He added, "I hear about bands dropping out of high school because someone told them they had to do that so they can tour full time and become rich. It's scary. This stuff — hardcore, metal, punk — it has a short shelf life. So you're going to throw your education away so someone else can make money off of you? It's just wrong.

"No one is buying records anymore. So these newer bands need to know that there won't be another METALLICA. Those level bands are just not going to pop up anymore. You have to play this kind of music because you love it. Playing hardcore and metal is not a career move."

BLEEDING THROUGH's 2010 self-titled CD sold around 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 143 on The Billboard 200 chart.

BLEEDING THROUGH's 2008 effort, "Declaration", opened with 6,000 units to land at No. 101.

According to the Birmingham Post, Philip Parkin of the Birmingham City Council has written a letter of recommendation urging city officials in Birmingham, England create a "Black Sabbath Day" to highlight the legendary rock band's contribution to music.

The "Destination Birmingham" document said: "BLACK SABBATH's reunion and their agreement to headline Download Festival in June is an opportunity we should not miss.

"Early discussions are taking place about how best the city should celebrate this and the council should be supporting any celebrations."

"The report is saying that BLACK SABBATH reforming is significant, BLACK SABBATH are huge and metal is huge," Parkin said. "Given this, it is us saying to the council that we need to celebrate the fact these people come from Birmingham and there could be various ways we could do it."

Organizers of England's Download festival said earlier in the month that BLACK SABBATH still intends to perform at the event, scheduled for June 8-10, despite guitarist Tony Iommi's cancer diagnosis.

SABBATH was reportedly also slated to play at this April's Coachella festival in California, but pulled out of that show one day before its lineup was announced when Iommi's illness was revealed.

Download organizer Andy Copping said, "I've been told that BLACK SABBATH are going to be playing Download. I don't want people to worry unduly about that, we should all just send our thoughts and best wishes to Tony Iommi."

Other acts on the bill include METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, THE PRODIGY, ANTHRAX, LAMB OF GOD, UGLY KID JOE and more.

Iommi's bandmate in SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL, legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.

According to the Los Angeles Times, guitarist-songwriter Billy Howerdel (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ASHES DIVIDE) has put his Studio City house on the market at $1.799 million.

The property, which Howerdel bought in 2008 for $1.685 million, features 10-foot ceilings, formal dining and living rooms, three fireplaces, five en suite bedrooms and a powder room in its 4,000 square feet. Outdoor features include a kitchen with granite counters and barbecue, a patio misting system, a fireplace, a swimming pool and a spa.

A PERFECT CIRCLE toured North America for the first time in six years last summer. These were the band's first live dates since a mini-tour they did in the fall of 2010, in which they played each of their three studio albums over the course of three nights in five cities.

The 2010-2011 lineup of A PERFECT CIRCLE included singer Maynard James Keenan, Howerdel, drummer Josh Freese, former SMASHING PUMPKINS guitarist James Iha and bassist Matt McJunkins.

A PERFECT CIRCLE currently does not have a record deal.

Reformed Swedish hard rockers SKINTRADE will release a "best-of" album on March 21 via Universal Music. The CD will include three new songs and 12 classics.

SKINTRADE was formed in 1992 by Matti Alfonzetti (vocals), George Bravo (guitar, backing vocals), Stefan Bergström (guitar, backing vocals), Hakan Calmroth (bass) and Håkan Persson (drums, backing vocals). The group's self-titled debut was released in 1993 and received overwhelmingly positive respnse from both media and audience. The singles "Sick As A Dog" and "One By One" were played frequently on the radio and their videos spun on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". The same year, SKINTRADE was honored with a Zeppelin award for "Best Hard Rock Album" and was nominated for a Swedish Grammis (Grammy equivalent) in the category of "Best Video." The follow-up CD, "Roach Powder", came out in 1995 with Thomas Skogsberg as a producer (ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER). The videos for the singles "Snap Goes Your Mind" and "Flies" were played regularly on MTV.

Between 1993 and 1995, SKINTRADE embarked on several tours of Europe and played at some of Sweden's and Europe's biggest festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hultsfred, Dala Rock, Dynamo Open Air (Holland) and Rock Am Ring (Germany). SKINTRADE also supported the Danish band D-A-D on their European tour in 1995. One of their last and most memorable gigs took place in late 1995 with the Irish band THERAPY? during a live radio show in Amsterdam, Netherlands. SKINTRADE disbanded shortly thereafter.

The idea for the SKINTRADE members to collaborate again came about as they got more and more requests from fans asking them to make new music. During the first rehearsal in May 2011, it became obvious that the band's chemistry was very much intact.

In the summer and autumn of 2011, SKINTRADE recorded four new songs at Sound Trade Studios with their old friend and partner Ronny Lahti, engineer and producer who previously worked with the band on all the recordings in the '90s.

SKINTRADE 2012 is:

Matti Alfonzetti - Vocals, Guitar
Stefan Bergström - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Håkan Calmroth - Bass
Håkan Persson - Drums, Backing Vocals

German death metallers FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING have entered the studio to begin recording their fifth album, tentatively titled "The Art Of Coming Apart", for a 2012 release via Cyclone Empire. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Trapping The Unseen", "Hours Of Suffering" and "Memorial Stone".

The drums for the new FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING album were recorded at the band's own Soundtunnel studio in November 2011, with Stefan Weimar and Sascha Ehrich currently in the process of laying down the guitars.

Commented Sascha: "The guitar tracks [are turning] out great. We are very happy giving life to each of the songs, adding melody licks and gimmicks. Actually, even we are curious how the new songs will finally sound like. In any case, it's typical FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING stuff."

FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING's fourth album, "The Everhaunting Past / Chapter IV - A Splendid Retrospection", came out in October 2009 via Cyclone Empire. The CD's cover artwork was once again created by Sascha Ehrich.

FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING in 2009 announced the addition of bassist Christopher Körtgen (SMILODON, CHAOS HD) to the group's ranks.

The band's third album, "Sterling Black Icon", was released in March 2006 via Metal Blade.

A promotional trailer for "This Harmonic Consonance", the forthcoming sixth album from German power metallers LANFEAR, can be seen below. The CD will be released on February 24 via Pure Steel Records. The group previously described the effort as "the heaviest LANFEAR album until now. [It contains] some pretty fast tracks but also the very first doom song in our history! The end result will blow your heads off! You can definitely achieve a natural and authentic production without sounding as if the recording sessions were held in a garbage can!"

LANFEAR's fifth album, "X to the Power of Ten", was released in August 2008 via Locomotive Records.

According to LANFEAR's official bio, the band "play[s] powerful and melodic metal with a progressive edge. Originality, subliminal details and intelligent songwriting combined with haunting melodies and the constant urge to evolve — that’s what it's all about! Certainly not the easy way to success in the superficial pseudo-scene of these days — but LANFEAR don't give a fuck! No breakdowns, no kilts, no horns, no makeup, no image, no rockstar-dom, no support by mass media — no hot air! LANFEAR play[s] 100% underrated metal exclusively!"

After playing 350 shows internationally during their "World Domination Tour" with such bands as DIO, W.A.S.P., QUEENSRŸCHE, DORO and LORDI in support of their last album, "World Domination", Swedish hard rockers FATAL SMILE spent over a year writing and recording songs for the follow-up effort. Entitled "21st Century Freaks", the new CD was recorded in the tour buses, hotel rooms and studios all over the world before eleven songs were singled out and re-recorded during 2011.

Ten top names tried out for the mixing job, all mixing the song planned as the second single of the album. The band put together a jury of friends to pick out their favorite mix, which turned out to be mix No. 5, not knowing it was mixed by FATAL SMILE's own drummer Philty and guitarist Mr. Y!

According to a press release, "this time [the bandmembers] have done everything on their own to make it the ultimate FATAL SMILE album, from recording and engineering to producing and mixing the album and the result is massive, with 'in-your-face' songs and a 'larger-than-life' sound!"

"21st Century Freaks" was produced by Mr. Y, engineered/recorded by Philty and mixed by the two of them together. The mastering duties were handled by Mats "Limpan" Lindfors at Cutting Room Studios.

The first single, "Welcome To The Freakshow", will be released in March, to be followed by the full-length album on April 27 via Metallville Records. A massive world tour will follow.

FATAL SMILE is:

Mr. Y - Guitar
Blade - Vocals
Alx - Bass
Philty - Drums

Guitarist Rudolf Schenker of German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS tells Billboard.com that fans can expect to see a slew of "special" releases from the band after it completes its massive farewell tour in early 2013.

"We have a library in our warehouse where we have a lot of old songs, especially from the days where you had only the possibility of putting eight or nine songs on vinyl," the guitarist says. "We always recorded 13 or 14 songs, so (the rest) are hanging out somewhere in our warehouse. We also have 800, 900 hours of film material from different festivals, from places like (Moscow's) Red Square, the Amazon, the pyramids, going through Russia in 2002..."

He adds, "Of course we want to give this material to the fans. It would be terrible for this material to be hanging in our warehouse and not get out. So when we are finished (touring), we'll take our time and give people some special stuff."

In January 2010, SCORPIONS announced that the group's "Get Your Sting And Blackout" tour, an epic ongoing worldwide rock 'n' roll odyssey in support of 2010's "Sting In The Tail", would be the group's last before retirement. The tour is slated to run through early 2013 with a string of historic farewell blowouts and festival performances scheduled Europe culminating with shows at the Wacken Open Air festival (August 4, 2012) and Munich's Olympiahalle (October 13, 2012).

MODELSAINT — the Los Angeles, California-based band featuring vocalist/guitarist Skyla Talon (KILLINGBIRD, SCUM OF THE EARTH) and drummer Dan Laudo (PRONG) — will release its debut album, "Into The Dirt", on May 1 through their own Famous & Faithless label. The CD will feature a guest appearance by BLACK VEIL BRIDES guitarist Jinxx on the track "Never Be Sober".

"Into The Dirt" track listing:

01. Starin' Down A Loaded Barrel
02. The Devil Is Real
03. Top Of The World
04. Never Be Sober (feat. Jinxx)
05. The Fallout
06. Simple Life
07. Sin
08. Deadlove
09. 1, 2, 3 (We're Ready To Go)
10. Powerless

MODELSAINT was conceived from the mind of Hollywood musician Skyla Talon. Most recently Skyla was on full time guitar duty as a member of SCUM OF THE EARTH, a band fronted by guitarist Riggs, formerly of ROB ZOMBIE.

Drummer Dan Laudo, from the legendary metal band PRONG, teamed up with Skyla early 2010 to help create what true hard rock fans have been demanding.

Early 2011, the band added Kevin Lewis to the mix. With extensive touring under his belt in previous bands such as FACTORY 81 and LIFTPOINT, and working as a tattoo artist at Kat Von D's High Voltage Tattoo, he's no stranger to rock and roll!

Rounding out the lineup is the Chicago-based guitarist K Kyle, who's barely old enough to drink but ready to kill.

Heavily influenced by the hard rock of the '80s, MODELSAINT has updated the style into its own.

For more information, visit www.modelsaint.com.

Longtime guitarist Adam Carroll has left Los Angeles thrashers WARBRINGER. The band enlisted friend and talented young guitarist Andrew Bennett for the upcoming North American tour with ICED EARTH, with the hope that he may become a permanent member of the group.

Commented Carroll: "To all fans and friends, I, Adam Carroll, have officially quit WARBRINGER. I have financial issues at home that have to be addressed sooner than later. I hope you all can understand and respect my decision. It's been some of the best years of my life and I appreciate all the support you the fans have given us and continue to give. I will forever be part of the WARBRINGER family. Many thanks and until I see the rest of you again, keep the metal alive."

The band enlisted friend and talented, young guitarist Andrew Bennett for the purpose of filling in live for this tour with the hope that he may become a permanent member of the group as he continues his audition process where it matters most-- on the stage and in the van.

Added Bennett, "Last month I received a message from the guys, which basically stated that Adam was requesting to step out. As a result, they were searching for a possible replacement who could learn the material in time for the upcoming ICED EARTH and SYMPHONY X tour. I jumped at the opportunity and started learning some tracks. Around the beginning of this month I went down and jammed with the guys and the rest is history.

"I am eternally grateful to my friends in WARBRINGER for giving me the opportunity to play with them and I am very excited about what the future may hold. But one thing that I would like to make clear is that I don't view myself as Adam's replacement, as much as I view myself as filling the position instead of him. Adam's work with the band and time with them is not something that can be erased and I would just like to make it clear that I respect him greatly. He has left big shoes to fill and I have a lot of work ahead of me if I am going to honor his legacy with the band.

"I'm looking forward to interacting with, and playing for, the fans on the road! It's time to shred!"

WARBRINGER's third album, "Worlds Torn Asunder", sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 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.

WARBRINGER's sophomore CD, "Waking Into Nightmares", also opened with around 2,000 units back in May 2009 to debut at No. 14 on the Heatseekers chart.

"Worlds Torn Asunder" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SUICIDE SILENCE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SYMPHONY X), and features artwork by Dan Seagrave, who designed WARBRINGER's previous album cover (in addition to art for bands such as ENTOMBED, SUFFOCATION and MORBID ANGEL).

Danish metallers MERCENARY will be heading to Russia this March to play the first Russian shows ever in their career.

A band update reads: "We're happy and proud to kick off 2012 in a great way by announcing our first ever shows in Russia this March! We are psyched about performing in both Moscow and St. Petersburg - and to sample large quantities of the excellent and cheap vodka!

Moreover, we have begun to meet up this month to write new material for the follow-up to Metamorphosis from 2011. We feel that this new incarnation of Mercenary got off to a perfect start last year with two amazing tours with (among others) SYMPHONY X, NEVERMORE and DARK TRANQUILLITY and we can't wait to write and release the next album and get out on the road again!

The most perceptive of our fans might have noticed that we have only been joined by drummer Morten Løwe for a few shows in 2011. Morten was unable to commit to our touring schedule, so we had the excellent drummer Peter Mathiesen fill in. As he's an all-round nice guy and we have a great chemistry with him musically and personally, we have asked him to join the band as a regular member. Please give him a warm welcome and buy him a beer the next time we play in your town! We are one - The Black Brigade!“

Tour dates:

March
24 - Moscow, Russia - Relax
25 - St.Petersburg, Russia - Orlandina

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM are scheduled to commence the songwriting sessions for their next album late spring, according to the band's bassist, Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith).

Speaking to Plug'd In Magazine, Henkka stated about CHILDREN OF BODOM's plans for the immediate future, "We'll [complete the current North American] tour, and then we go home. And then we will actually start writing new songs for an album in May and then we'll go back on tour for summer and keep writing for the that album. Hopefully we can start recording at the end of the year."

CHILDREN OF BODOM's last album, "Relentless Reckless Forever", sold nearly 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2008's "Blooddrunk", opened with 19,000 units to land at No. 22. This number was roughly four times the opening tally of "Blooddrunk"'s predecessor, "Are You Dead Yet?", which premiered with 5,000 units back in October 2005 to enter the chart at No. 195.

"Relentless Reckless Forever" was certified gold in the band's home country for first-day sales of over 10,000 copies. The CD was recorded in Finland's Petrax Studios with famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET).

San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL have posted a new video blog from their current North American tour with ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT. The 12-minute clip, which can be seen below, focuses on the two shows DEATH ANGEL members Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar played with ANTHRAX, filling in for that band's guitarist Scott Ian, who was taken ill and was unable to perform.

Ian contracted a bad viral infection on Wednesday, January 25 that caused him to be hospitalized near his home in Los Angeles. He was put though a battery of tests, and received fluids intravenously. While he was allowed to go home to await the test results, ER doctors told him he could not fly for at least 24 hours; consequently Ian missed Thursday's show in Kansas City and missed the following night's Indianapolis concert. He rejoined the band in Fort Wayne on Saturday.

ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante is taking a short leave from the band's concert tour to be with his mother who is terminally ill. Immediately following Thursday's show Kansas City, Benante flew to New York to join his family at his mother's bedside.

In Ian's absence, guitarists from TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL stepped in to play his parts on various songs; starting with Friday's show in Indianapolis, TESTAMENT's drummer Gene Hoglan is filling in for Benante.

"We didn't want to cancel any of the concerts, we didn't want to let anyone down," said ANTHRAX's Rob Caggiano, "so we decided to figure out a way to keep the show on the road. We're so grateful to the guys in TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL for stepping up."

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry performed "Man of Peace" live on last night's (Monday, January 30) edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno". You can now watch the entire episode below. (Note: Perry's performance can be seen starting around the 38-minute mark.)

Perry recently joined Amnesty International's latest music project, Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, by recording "Man Of Peace" for the compilation.

Chimes Of Freedom, which supports Amnesty's life-saving human rights work, features over 80 musicians across the generational and musical spectruym who have donated their time to support Amnesty International. The album is dedicated to people worldwide who are unjustly imprisoned or threatened for the peaceful expression of their beliefs.

Fan-filmed video footage of legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth's (SCORPIONS) January 26 concert at the Shank Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin can be viewed below (courtesy of Arthur Creech).

In 2007, Uli Jon Roth conduceted his Sky Academy in Hollywood, California. Two concerts highlighted the week-long event. Soon after, many recordings of the show surfaced. Combining these sources, Uli and his team were able to capture the magic of one of these nights.

"Live In Hollywood" is an NTSC-only DVD which contains footage of Uli playing material from the SCORPIONS, solo and ELECTRIC SUN. This is a very limited pressing and is only being made available for Uli's North American tour in January and February. Once sold out, it will not be pressed again.

"Live In Hollywood" track listing:

01. Intro Jam
02. Firewind
03. Land Of Dawn
04. We'll Burn The Sky
05. Fly To The Rainbow
06. Pictured Life
07. In Trance
08. Polar Nights
09. Going Down
10. Sails Of Charon
11. Catch Your Train

To order a copy, go to this location (scroll down).

Sky Academy was conceived by Uli to provide knowledge and inspiration to those who take guitar seriously and to help them reach a new plateau.

The seminars are designed to open people's eyes to new possibilities and to trigger an awakening of the student's full awareness.

The philosophy and approach of Sky Academy is consistent with the ideals of its founder.

The teaching center on achieving the student's transition to a noticeably higher level of ability. This includes raising their general and specific musical awareness, as well as facilitating an increase in their technical abilities. The participants are able to receive invaluable direct insights into the way Uli approaches the art of guitar playing, as well as concerning his philosophy of music in general.

On January 30, Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault conducted an interview with drummer Andy Parker of legendary British hard rockers UFO. You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud player below.

UFO will release its new album, "Seven Deadly", on February 28 (one day earlier internationally) via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort, which was recorded with producer Tommy Newton at his Area 51 studio in Celle, Germany, will be made available as a limited-edition digipack (including two bonus tracks), a double gatefold LP with printed innersleeves and colored vinyl, standard-edition CD and as a digital download.

"Seven Deadly" track listing:

01. Fight Night
02. Wonderland
03. Mojo Town
04. Angel Station
05. Year Of The Gun
06. The Last Stone Rider
07. Steal Yourself
08. Burn Your House Down
09. The Fear
10. Waving Good Bye
11. Other Men's Wives (bonus track)
12. Bag O' Blues (bonus track)

The song "Fight Night" is now available for streaming at GuitarWorld.com.

According to a press release, "Seven Deadly" is "an atmospherically dense fabric consisting of classy guitars, tight rock grooves and vocals which are unique to UFO. The classic rock of 'Burn Your House Down' features all the important UFO strengths, 'Going Down To Mojotown' sees the musicians sound tougher than ever, and last but not least, 'Wonderland' features a pointed reference to UFO's early days. 'Angel Station' sees the band prove how classic rock music is complemented perfectly with epic elements, while 'Fight Night' is an excellent track to be performed in a live context."

UFO's latest best-of collection, "Best Of A Decade", was released in North America on September 28, 2010 via SPV/Steamhammer.

The band's most recent studio album, "The Visitor", came out in June 2009.

The current lineup continues to consist of the three original members, Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Raymond (guitar, keyboards), and Andy Parker (drums), as well as American world-class guitarist Vinnie Moore.

The long-awaited new album from U.S. doom legends SAINT VITUS, "Lillie: F-65", will hit the stores this spring via Season Of Mist. Due to "manufacturing issues," the North American release date will be announced later. The CD is tentatively due on April 13 in the rest of the world.

In the meantime, SAINT VITUS will release a seven-inch single featuring "Blessed Night", a track from "Lillie: F-65". The B-side is a live version of classic VITUS tune "Look Behind You", recorded in December 2010 at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland.

The "Blessed Night" seven-inch single is limited to 1,000 hand-numbered copies. Pre-order it at this location.

Speaking to Terrorizer magazine, SAINT VITUS frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich stated about the band's new album title, "Y'know the reason we called it 'Lillie: F-65'? It was a powerful downer back in our day and well, Dave [Chandler, guitar] really had a thing for his downers."

SAINT VITUS' current lineup features Chandler, drummer Henry Vasquez, bassist Mark Adams and Weinrich.

"Making this album was really a blast," said Chandler. "Being able to live in an environment where all we had to concentrate on was the new material, became very inspiring. And along with our new drummer, Henry Vasquez, and label, Season Of Mist, this record has given us a new opportunity to show everyone that we still have more to shove in your face."

When asked why he thinks SAINT VITUS' music continues to resonate, Wino said in an interview, "Because it comes from the gut. The music has that low tone and it hits you in those emotional places. I've always tried to make the lyrics just as interesting as the music. It's always been a little bit dark but I'm not drawn to the happy stuff. I like music that grabs you by the balls."

"Superskum" (web site) has uploaded quality video footage of SAINT VITUS performing the song "Blessed Night" on March 29, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Check out the clip below.

AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson took part in the 50th running of the Rolex 24, which was run over January 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The BMW Riley car driven by Johnson, Byron Defoor, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Jim Pace and Carlos de Quesada finished 32nd, after completing 672 laps.

Eagerly anticipated by drivers, auto manufacturers and race fans everywhere, the Rolex 24 at Daytona is the first major race of the international motor sport season. Every January, the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida comes to life in celebration of this incredible endurance race, recognized by leading drivers as one of the most difficult in the world to win.

Video footage of Johnson talking about the race can be seen below.

During the 24 hours of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hours Of Daytona, Brian raised funds to provide services to families affected by pediatric cancer.

German thrash metal veterans SODOM are currently writing material for their next studio album, which they plan to record in May. A tentative late summer release is expected, to be followed by a celebration of the band's 30th anniversary.

SODOM in 2010 announced the addition of drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald to the group's ranks.

Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.

SODOM in November 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.

SODOM's latest album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.

Photo credit: Anton York

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada traditional metallers 3 INCHES OF BLOOD will release their fifth studio album, "Long Live Heavy Metal", on March 27 via Century Media Records. According to a press release, "fans can expect a blast of pure metal assured to leave no face unmelted."

"'Long Live Heavy Metal' is the fifth chapter in the book of 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, and we couldn't be more pleased and proud of our new onslaught of honest heavy metal," says guitarist Justin Hagberg.

For "Long Live Heavy Metal", 3 INCHES OF BLOOD reunited with producer and engineer Terry "Sho" Murray (CITY OF FIRE, EXHIBITIONISTS), who worked with the band on their seven-inch single, "Anthems For The Victorious".

"When a band is releasing a new record, they often speak about it being their most important work or best album to date," explains vocalist Cam Pipes. "Regardless of how clichéd either statement may sound, I think we would say both apply to this album. All of us have a special feeling about this one. We're more committed than ever to the cause of real, honest, no-bullshit heavy metal. No trends, no fucking around!"

3 INCHES OF BLOOD teamed up with Kim Thiessen to perfect their artistic vision for the album, which will be released as a digipack and when opened, lays out similar to that of a book.

"Long Live Heavy Metal" track listing:

01. Metal Woman
02. My Sword Will Not Sleep
03. Leather Lord
04. Chief And The Blade
05. Dark Messenger
06. Look Out
07. 4000 Torches
08. Leave It On The Ice
09. Die For Gold (Upon The Boiling Sea IV)
10. Storming Juno
11. Men Of Fortune
12. One For The Ditch

Check out photos from the studio on the 3 INCHES OF BLOOD Facebook page (all photos by Aaron Aubrey).

3 INCHES OF BLOOD recently recruited Byron Stroud (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY) as its new bassist.

Stroud and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD have been working together on a variety of things, and Stroud is beyond pleased shift his involvement to a creative level.

Beginning March 16, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD will head out on the "Metal Alliance Tour 2012" alongside DEVILDRIVER, THE FACELESS, DYING FETUS, JOB FOR A COWBOY, IMPENDING DOOM and WRETCHED.

"Beaten And Left Blind", the new video from Arizona grind masters LANDMINE MARATHON, can be seem below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Gallows", which was released on September 27 via Prosthetic Records. The CD was recorded by LANDMINE MARATHON guitarist Ryan Butler at Arcane Digital Recording Studio (EXHUMED, NIGHTRAGE, MISERY INDEX, PHOBIA) and mastered by Dave Shirk at Sonorous Mastering. The album features the debut of the band's new drummer, Andy York.

The "Gallows" cover art was created by U.K. artist Rob "Mid " Middleton, who has previously worked with NAPALM DEATH, EXTREME NOISE TERROR and DEVIATED INSTINCT (in which Middleton plays guitar), among others.

"Gallows" track listing:

01. Three Snake Leaves
02. Cutting Flesh And Bone
03. Knife From My Sleeve
04. Liver And Lungs
05. Dead Horses
06. Cloaked In Red
07. Beaten And Left Blind
08. Morbidity

Fronted by vocalist Grace Perry, once heralded by MTV as a "dynamic she-beast" and widely considered one of the most captivating live performers in the metal scene, LANDMINE MARATHON has ascended steadily since its 2006 debut. Much like the apocalyptic sandstorms seen in recent newscasts from LANDMINE's hometown of Phoenix, the quintet brings a raw, destructive power to its grinding anthems, revitalizing the sound pioneered by bands like BOLT THROWER and ENTOMBED.

Bassist Jason Christopher — who filled in for Shawn Economaki during STONE SOUR's spring 2011 tour and who previously played with SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor in the JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND — has joined former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's solo group. Bach says, "I have known Jason for years, ever since he tried to pickpocket me at the Rainbow [in West Hollywood] aeons ago."

Bach will kick off a short run of North American dates tomorrow night (Wednesday, February 1) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Bach's "TunnelVision" video can be seen below. The clip is one of three videos that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

"TunnelVision" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

"Devil's Messenger", the title track from the new album from Riverside, California's THE DEVASTATED, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Described as a "gross, grimy, groove metal masterpiece," the CD will be released on February 14 via Century Media Records.

The brainchild of former IMPENDING DOOM and OBLIGE members, THE DEVASTATED already has two brutal singles available — "Devil's Messenger" and "Roof Top Drop". Produced by the bandmembers themselves, Chris Eck and co-produced/mixed by Daniel Castleman (AS I LAY DYING), the music was not written with the intent of impressing anyone except the band members themselves.

"Our state of mind was... let's play what we want to hear," says vocalist Greg Wilburn. "Let's write the heaviest, grooviest and ugliest songs we possibly can, and bring something fresh to this extremely watered down scene. If people 'get it' awesome... If not, fuck 'em."

"Devil's Messenger" features a guest appearance by SUICIDE SILENCE frontman Mitch Lucker in the song "Spit Vitriol".

Commented Lucker: "Greg has been a close friend for years. When he reached out to me for the part I was ecstatic! His band is amazing and I can't wait for this record to drop. It's the best shit I've heard in a long fucking time; super original and crushing from start to finish."

"Devil's Messenger" track listing:

01. Drip. Drip.
02. Pseudo Smile Campaign
03. Swallowing Tumors
04. Failure To Thrive
05. Roof Top Panty Drop
06. Devil’s Messenger
07. Spit Vitriol
08. Zombies
09. Bloody Bag Drag
10. Tongue In Cheek
11. Caprice
12. Conductor
13. Hollowed

A 13-year-old MACHINE HEAD fan by the name of Anthony Potenza joined the band on stage this past Sunday, January 29 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, New York to perform their song "Aesthetics Of Hate".

Potenza — who has been playing guitar for two and a half years and says he is "self taught" — was brought up on stage after he held up a sign that said "Let This 13-Year-Old Play 'Aesthetics Of Hate' With You."

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

In a post on his Facebook page, Potenza wrote about the experience of playing with MACHINE HEAD, "It was so fun just looking up and seeing only people like it never ended; it was amazing." He added, "[The band] hung out with me after the show they were all so nice. I can't wait for them to come back."

MACHINE HEAD is currently headlining a North American tour with support from SUICIDE SILENCE and DARKEST HOUR.

More details on "Oro: Opus Primum" — the first installment of the new two-album series from Italy's supernatural doom sorcerers UFOMAMMUT — have this week been confirmed.

Already known for their attention to detail with each release, including incredibly detailed and quality artwork and packaging, as expansive and layered as every obliterating UFOMAMMUT release is musically, this time they take it one notch higher and have completed a massive two-part album, set for release months apart.

Now confirmed for release in the U.K. on April 9, throughout the rest of Europe on April 13, and in North America April 17, this week the artwork and track listing for the incredibly anticipated first installment of the series — "Oro: Opus Primum" — have been unveiled for the first time.

"Oro: Opus Primum" track listing:

01. Empireum
02. Aureum
03. Infearnatural
04. Magickon
05. Mindomine

The second chapter in this monolithic two-part album, "Oro: Opus Alter", will be released sometime in September with more details to be unveiled throughout the months following "Opus Primum".

2012 will see UFOMAMMUT expanding their touring circles wider across the face of the planet in support of "Oro". Stay tuned throughout the year as more details on the release and the act's tour schedule are confirmed.

Vocalist Jesse Leach, who left Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2002, was asked by Australia's Loud magazine if he has been approach to rejoin the band following the recent exit of his replacement, Howard Jones. "I'm not going to comment," he responded. "Everyone wants to know… I'd rather those guys go through what they've got to go through and whenever they make that decision… They're good friends of mine, so I'm respecting their space at the moment. It's more fun, more mystery, too; you don't have to know everything. These days everybody is on Facebook and tweeting everything that happens. What's happened to the mystery of music and not knowing everything?"

He added, "My viewpoint is to respectfully step back from the situation and support them. Whatever decision they make will be the right one for them and I look forward to what it is."

Leach spent most of the past year touring with TIMES OF GRACE, his collaborative project with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE members Adam Dutkiewicz (guitar) and Joel Stroeltzel (guitar). That band's debut album, "Hymn Of A Broken Man", came out in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records.

Jones issued a statement regarding his departure from the group, which was announced earlier in the month. Jones wrote in part, "I've had a pretty interesting couple of years, to say the least, battling with some personal issues. One of the low points being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes that went unchecked for years. The rest of the band stuck with me through it, and, to be honest, they are the ones that kept me going. The whole experience definitely put a scare in me."

He continued, "Recently we've all been in writing mode, but somehow I couldn't get excited about the new album and all the touring that would go with it. The guys saw it before I did. In hindsight, I now realize that my heart wasn't in it."

Jones thanked the rest of the band for "an amazing decade," adding, "I have so many good memories, and those are the ones that I will keep."

The band said in its statement, "We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we've had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well."

No replacement has been found yet for the 41-year-old Jones, who joined KILLSWITCH in 2002. Jones sang on the band's last three studio efforts, including 2009's self-titled set.

RIOT guitarist Mike Flyntz has issued the following statement regarding the passing of his bandmate, RIOT's founding guitarist Mark Reale:

"I would like to thank everyone for the support and love regarding the passing of my dear friend Mark Reale. I have had the honor to stand next to him on the stage and in the studio for over 22 years. Mark gave me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of recording and writing records, and also touring in support of those records. I was a fan first, getting his autograph after a RIOT show at L'Amour [in Brooklyn, New York] when I was in college. Mark was a shy man who didn't talk much unless he was being interviewed or on the phone. Lord knows he could talk on the phone. Mark also loved to laugh. One part of our special relationship was that we could laugh until we were crying, and he would be lying on the floor yelling 'please stop' and after five minutes of silence, all I had to do was look at him and it would start all over. I will forever cherish those moments. As far as a musician, he is the most underrated guitarist, songwriter, riff-creator, visionary in rock music. He should be in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for his vibrato alone. Listen to his vibrato. His sense of melody was incredible. He taught me so much.

"There is so much more I need to say about my friend, but I have been at a loss of words since his passing. The only comfort I have is that he is out of pain."

Reale died Wednesday (January 25) in a San Antonio hospital due to complications of Crohn's disease — an ailment he had battled for most of his life. He was 56 years old.

Reale had reportedly been in a coma for the past two weeks after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage on January 11.

Mark is survived by his father, Anthony Reale, and was preceded in death by his mother, Frances Reale.

Mark spent most of his life working and performing while enduring almost constant pain and the side effects of treatment for Crohn's disease. He was in Texas bravely attempting to practice for the shows, but was felled by a severe onset of Crohn's symptoms, leaving him in the Intensive Care Unit at an undisclosed facility. Mark was struggling with these symptoms throughout the production of RIOT's new album, "Immortal Soul", and guitarist Mike Flyntz recorded a major portion of the guitars on the LP with Mark's creative direction while Reale was unable to perform.