Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR performed one very exclusive show on May 28, 2011 at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway with a special, never-to-be-repeated setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, "Abrahadabra".

The concert, dubbed "Forces Of The Northern Night", was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

In a new posting on DIMMU BORGIR's Facebook page, the band writes, "We have noticed that a few different bootleg versions from the 'Forces Of The Northern Night' show in Oslo last year is in circulation and that it has also been falsely advertised for sale on various distribution sites on the net. We can assure every anticipating and impatient fan that this is nothing more than stuff filmed by the audience or in best case footage taken from the NRK TV broadcast in very low quality. We're still working on the DVD (release date to be announced) which will, of course, consist of the whole setlist, including documentaries and bonus material etc... Not only that but the sound has been totally remixed and enhanced since the broadcast and the footage has also been re-edited. We just want to let you guys know before you decide to waste your money on something that's fake and not an official DIMMU BORGIR DVD release."

Photos of the "Forces Of The Northern Night" concert from NRK:

* Per Ole Hagen
* Kim Erlandsen

The setlist was as follows:

01. Xibir
02. Born Treacherous
03. Gateways
04. Dimmu Borgir (orchestral)
05. Dimmu Borgir
06. Ritualist
07. A Jewel Traced Through Coal
08. Eradication Instincts Defined (orchestral)
09. Vredesbyrd
10. Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse
11. The Serpentine Offering
12. Fear And Wonder (orchestral)
13. Puritania
14. Kings Of The Carnival Creation
15. Mourning Palace
16. Perfection Or Vanity

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

"Abrahadabra", the ninth album from DIMMU BORGIR, sold 9,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "In Sorte Diaboli", opened with 14,000 units back in May 2007 to debut at No. 43. This was more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its predecessor, "Death Cult Armageddon", which came out in September 2003 and landed at position No. 169 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The word "abrahadabra" (which roughly translates into "I will create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of "Liber AL vel Legis" (commonly referred to as "The Book of the Law") written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.

"Abrahadabra" was released in Germany on September 24, 2010, in the rest of Europe on September 27, 2010, and it was made available in North America on October 12, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Pyro", the weekly hard rock/metal heavy metal show which airs on the national radio station NRK in Norway, recently conducted an interview with Dani "Filth" Davey (vocals; CRADLE OF FILTH), Rob Caggiano (guitar; ANTHRAX, THE DAMNED THINGS), Tom Cato Visnes (bass; a.k.a. King ov Hell; OV HELL, GOD SEED, GORGOROTH) about their collaborative project TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON. The five-minute chat, which includes audio snippets of songs that will appear on the band's forthcoming debut album, can be streamed at this location.

In addition to Filth, Caggiano and King, TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON features John Tempesta (drums; formerly of WHITE ZOMBIE and now drumming with THE CULT) and Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal (guitar; ENSLAVED).

Imagine a cauldron bubbling over with the unsavory flavors of TOOL and CELTIC FROST, and seasoned with the likes of IMMORTAL and AT THE GATES, and you'd be about halfway to describing the uncouth racket these guys have spat upon an unsuspecting planet.

Calling themselves the TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON, the group (who describe their output as "music for an evil film noir') are an eclectic stew of musicians/hell-raisers/miscreants who are putting the finishing touches on an album's worth of material in the darkest depths of Bergen, Norway. Songtitles thus far include "Infernal Desire Machine", "Don't Call Up What You Can't Put Down", "Dark Eyes For Trouble", "Beautifully Perverse" and "C.N.T (All That's Missing Is You)".

When asked about how the idea for the project came about, Caggiano said, "Years ago, I was in the U.K. working with CRADLE OF FILTH on the 'Nymphetamine' record. And I think it was at the end of the session, I was just about to go back to New York, I decided to stay in London for a couple of days. And GORGOROTH was actually playing. So I went to the show, and that's when Tom and I met; it was back in 2005, I think. We got really drunk and we started talking about working on music together, doing something different. Prior to that, Dani and I were talking about possibly doing something. One thing led to another, Tom and I started working on music, and we realized that we worked really well together and it just came naturally. . . But the whole thing is, we're all super busy with our other projects, so just scheduling has been a nightmare for a long time."

Regarding the TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON sound, Dani said, "A lot of people have speculated, 'Wow, it's got a guy from CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX and [GORGOROTH].' It's got a real rock base to it; and I know it sounds strange [to say]. It's heavy, but it's not too extreme. It's not [all] blast beats or anything like that, although we do have a couple of songs a bit like that — really fast. But it's catchy. I don't like using the word 'commercial,' because will think it's watered down, sort of, power pop, or pop rock. I think it's gonna surprise a lot of people. It's really hard to put it into context and say, it's a bit of CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX, GORGOROTH and THE CULT [laughs] . . . which sounds ridiculous." Caggiano added, "I don't think it sounds like any of our other bands. If it did, what would be the point?"

On the topic of TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON's plans for the immediate future, Filth said, "The reason we're here [in Norway] is to polish the songs. I mean, they've all been demoed extensively. It's just like putting the icing on the cake, really, so to speak. And, obviously, then to prepare the stuff for us to go into the studio, which is gonna be inevitable, soon. At the moment, we're just sort of negotiating with managers and labels. But the main important thing is the music stuff rather than the other way around. Rather than being on a label and then [going], 'Shit, we've gotta write an album now. We've got the funky hair, but we haven't got any songs.' We've got the funky hair and the songs."

Added Caggiano: "We are in the process of buiding our team right now, and obviously, it starts with the music. So that's kind of why we're here — just tightening up some of these songs so that we have a real solid representation of where we're at to show people. We could sit here all day and project when we're gonna do this record; none of it matters, 'cause there's so much stuff out of our hands."

Explaining the origins of the name, Filth had this to mutter on the subject: "We had an innumerable amount of names that never seemed likely to stick, that was until we put our proverbial heads together and narrowed it down to just three or four, and then tossed for it (proverbially of course) using a silver Norwegian crown (we couldn't find any proper money). The name TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON represents the rigorous worship of desire, (the black moon astrologically has always held association with the dark Goddess Lilith) and of course the ramifications of the lunar eclipse, always a herald for death and ill-omen."

Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) has commented on the rumors that he has been tapped by Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) and Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the recent departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Said Kotzen in a post on his Facebook page: "I wanted to address the recent rumor about the project with Billy, Mike, and I... Although we did throw some ideas around, neither of us decided to make any public announcements, so today's Internet buzz was a surprise. I will say I am a fan of both Mike and Billy. I'm sure a collaboration would produce some interesting results."

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio last year, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration. Portnoy explained on Twitter, "Sad but true... I tried my best to make it work... Me and [Billy Sheehan] couldn't wait around any longer... [Billy] and I are moving on and have already begun work with another guitarist/vocalist, keeping the original 'power trio' concept."

Portnoy and Sheehan were joined by guitarist Tony Macalpine and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, PLANET X, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) for an appearance at the SABIAN Live event on Friday, January 20 at the Sheraton Park Hotel (next to the Hilton) in Anaheim, California as part of the the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show. Portnoy, Sheehan, Macalpine and Sherinian also performed together on January 14 at the twenty-third annual Guitar Center's Drum-Off, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered drummer, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

Portnoy played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and toured with them for the entire second half of 2010.

Italian death metal band HOUR OF PENANCE has set "Sedition" as the title of its fifth album, due on March 27 in North America, April 2 in the U.K. and April 6 in mainland Europe via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2010's "Paradogma" (Unique Leader) was recorded at Cellar Studio in Rome with producer Stefano Morabito.

The band will hit North American shores for the first time the week of release, to support THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NILE and SKELETONWITCH on a full U.S. tour, which includes a stop at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival.

HOUR OF PENANCE's fourth album, "Paradogma", came out in March 2010 via Unique Leader Records. The CD cover art was created by Gyula Havancsàk, who has previously worked with such acts as ANNIHILATOR and DESTRUCTION.

"Paradogma" was recorded at 16th Cellar studios in Rome with producer Stefano Morabito and was mastered at Hertz Studios in Poland.

HOUR OF PENANCE's current lineup:

Giulio Moschini - Guitar
Simone Piras - Drums
Silvano Leone - Bass
Paolo Pieri - Vocals

British heavy metal legends SAXON are about to begin writing sessions for the follow-up to last year's acclaimed "Call To Arms" effort. The band's drummer, Nigel Glockler, writes on Facebook: "Working on getting the home studio tidy and then off next week for writing sessions for the next SAXON album…busy busy busy!"

SAXON will release a new concert DVD, "Heavy Metal Thunder Live: Eagles Over Wacken", in early 2012. According to Classic Rock, it will feature performances from Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

"There are five in all, from 2002 to 2009," Byford told Classic Rock magazine. "But we've not got all five shows, in their entirety, because even I would get bored watching that! The most interesting one is 2009, which was Wacken's 20th anniversary and our 30th. We did a set that included songs from all of our studio albums, as voted for by the fans. And we did it with the most recent at the start working backwards to our debut album, 'Saxon', at the end."

SAXON's new album, "Call To Arms", sold around 700 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 51 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. The digipack version of "Call To Arms" includes a glorious bonus — a free seven-track CD, "Live At Donington 1980".

NEOANDERTALS, METSATÖLL and X-PANDA have been nominated in the "Metal" category at the 15th annual Estonian Music Awards (the Estonian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Estonian music awards show will be held Thursday, February 2 at the Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn, Estonia and will be broadcast live on the Estonian channel TV3.

The nominees in the "Metal" category are as follows:

* NEOANDERTALS - "Ebu Gogo Gutting the Child"
* METSATÖLL - "Ulg"
* X-PANDA - "Flight Of Fancy"

For more information (in Estonian), visit www.muusikaauhinnad.eu.

Already named peta2's "Sexiest Female Vegetarian" and one of Revolver magazine's "Hottest Chicks In Metal" in 2011, THE AGONIST's Alissa White-Gluz can now add yet another title to her ever-growing list of achievements: MTV "Made" coach! As one of the leading women in extreme metal, Alissa coached Julia, a straight-laced high school junior who's been bullied since middle school, on how to be a hardcore metal screamer — and more importantly — how to gain the confidence she needs to stand up for herself.

The full episode, which originally aired on Monday, January 23, can be seen in its entirety below.

Now in its eleventh season, MTV's two-time Emmy-award-winning series "Made" is all about making dreams come true. The series' producers want to demonstrate that with hard work (and a little help from MTV), any goal is attainable.

There are numerous kids out there with unlimited potential. However, in their eyes, intimidating obstacles exist that keep them from pursuing their dreams. Perhaps they're painfully shy or fall short on self-confidence. Maybe they feel as though they don’t fit in or lack the right look. Perhaps they've been told that they lack the skills; and then there's plain old fear.

MTV seeks out the kids who are eager to overcome those obstacles! These kids want to be "Made."

Once the producers find their "Made kids," they allow for at least one month of intensive training towards achieving their goals. This includes providing a mentor or life coach who will support them and plot out personalized training schedules. Such training could consist of counseling on confidence or attitude, personal training sessions, or specialized lessons in whatever task they're trying to achieve.

Whether they succeed at their goal or not, the "Made" producers strive to give these kids a chance at a dream. Ideally, they learn valuable traits and lessons about themselves and others along the way. They ultimately realize that it takes hard work, persistence, and commitment to make one's dreams come true.

Currently finishing up the vocal tracking for their new melodic death metal masterpiece, THE AGONIST recently released "The Escape" EP, which features two songs from this upcoming full-length release. Mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TRANQUILITY, SUICIDE SILENCE), "The Escape" is fans' first taste of what's to come from THE AGONIST in the New Year.

After successfully completing their North American run with KAMELOT last year, THE AGONIST will be back on the road again this spring with the heavy metal maidens in KITTIE.

A six-minute trailer for "XI: The Days Before Tomorrow", the new album from LILLIAN AXE, can be seen below. The CD will be released in Europe on January 27 through Germany's AFM Records and in North America on February 14 via CME Records.

"XI: The Days Before Tomorrow" was recorded at Sound Landing Studio in Covington, Louisiana, with the band's guitarist/songwriter Steve Blaze acting as producer and Rob Hovey engineering. The mixing duties were handled by Sylvia Massey (TOOL, JOHNNY CASH, DEFTONES, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, PRINCE, BLACK CROWES).

"XI: The Days Before Tomorrow" track listing:

01. Babylon
02. Death Comes Tomorrow
03. Gather Up The Snow
04. The Great Divide
05. Take The Bullet
06. Bow Your Head
07. Caged In
08. Soul Disease
09. Lava On My Tongue
10. My Apologies
11. Angels Among Us (European bonus track)

"This is the best record I have ever written for LILLIAN AXE," says Blaze.

"XI: The Days Before Tomorrow" marks the debut of new lead vocalist Brian Jones of Jackson, Mississippi.

LILLIAN AXE has recorded an impressive amount of songs, earned the loyalty of a devout fan base worldwide and amassed an extensive amount of effusive critical acclaim from their peers. Brian Jones brings an amazing new voice and incredible vocal range to LILLIAN AXE. His vocal style complements Steve Blaze's songwriting and in turn has inspired Steve to write some of his most passionate, deep and soulful new songs to date.

The songs on "XI: The Days Before Tomorrow" reflect Steve Blaze's passionate beliefs in the power of music. Steve's compositions are as emotional as they are infectious. They are in your face songs of truth, war, neglect, Mother Nature, the innocent victim, the state of the world, current issues and spirituality. Personally charged rock 'n' roll is what makes Steve's songwriting so melodic and drenched with deep lyrical insight.

With the creative momentum in the studio, LILLIAN AXE took seven months to write and record the new album. Blaze recounts, "I had so many ideas and we experimented with a lot of sounds, we took our time to make the album we wanted to for ourselves and the fans. We took no shortcuts recording this album."

Although LILLIAN AXE has been through some tough times and taken the long road; they still create new music that is both relevant and exciting and continue to tour while others have forsaken the live performances. LILLIAN AXE respects its past but looks forward to the future by reinventing themselves with the current times. Steve Blaze reflects, "I continue to learn about writing songs, recording, performing and growing as a complete human being. My life experiences are those that make its way into the songs I write for LILLIAN AXE."

VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash was part of the NFL on Fox broadcast of the NFC Championship game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday, January 22. Shot on location last week at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Slash's segment saw him performing a "unique intro," which can now be seen in the YouTube clip below.

As previously reported, the first feature film produced by Slash, called "Nothing To Fear", has been picked up for distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie is the first of a proposed series of horror films produced by Slash's company, called Slasher Films, which he launched last year in partnership with two other producers. The film will begin shooting next month in Louisiana under the direction of Anthony Leonardi III, with Anne Heche and others confirmed for the cast.

Slash is currently recording his second solo album for release in April.

A CANCEROUS AFFAIR, the new project featuring ex-DARKEST HOUR members Kris Norris and Ryan Parrish, has announced the addition of keyboardist/vocalist Kristen Randall (ex-WINDS OF PLAGUE) to the group's ranks. They are currently in the pre-production phase with their new material and are set to release a video with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

According to a press release, A CANCEROUS AFFAIR's music has been described as "melodic swedish metal with a touch of prog, ambient, and rock. Fans of Kris and Ryan's work together on 'Undoing Ruin' and 'Deliver Us' will have a lot of new music to enjoy with some suprises and twists, including the varying vocal talents of Dave Sheldon."

Norris previously stated about A CANCEROUS AFFAIR, "I love all styles of music — from pop and jazz to black metal — and with this being a project band with no intentions other than to write music we enjoy, I'm not pigeonholed into oh this song needs a fast riff or a crazy solo. It's a nice relief from the other projects and bands I'm involved in and have been involved in. I get to take my experiences from all of them and combine it into one."

Regarding the project's name, Norris said, "The title comes from Dave. I liked it alot because it fits what we are doing. Just a bunch of musicians from different parts of the world, getting together behind their other various music projects backs almost, and creating something. His voice to me is just infectious, so when he said the name, I was, like, 'Hmmm, that's it.'"

A 90-second sample of "Stay Frosty", a brand new song from VAN HALEN, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", which will arrive on February 7 via Interscope.

"A Different Kind Of Truth" track listing:

01. Tattoo
02. She's The Woman
03. You And Your Blues
04. China Town
05. Blood And Fire
06. Bullethead
07. As Is
08. Honeybabysweetiedoll
09. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin'

VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth last week posted a video in which he took several minutes to explain what the lyrics of "Tattoo", the band's new single, are about. Roth's handwritten lyrics for the tune have already been posted online by VHLinks.com.

Last week, VAN HALEN posted an acoustic performance of the band's cover of THE KINKS' "You Really Got Me" online via Yahoo! Music.

That clip was taken from "The Downtown Sessions", a bonus DVD of four acoustic numbers that will be included with the deluxe edition of "A Different Kind Of Truth". The other three tracks on the DVD are "Panama", "You And Your Blues" and "Beautiful Girls".

"A Different Kind Of Truth" is the first VAN HALEN album in 13 years and first with singer David Lee Roth in 28 years.

VAN HALEN's 2012 tour kicks off on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Braunschweig, Germany-based, female-fronted death metallers D.A.M.N. (DIARY ABOUT MY NIGHTMARES) have entered the studio to begin recording their sophomore album for a late 2012 release. The band states, "The drum recordings for the follow-up [to] 'Forbidden Anger' are done. We will go back to Denmark/Sweden in February to record the guitars, bass and vocals. Be prepared! Be sure the new record will be even darker than the last one."

Video footage of D.A.M.N. performing a new song, "Going Down Your Way" — which will be included on the forthcoming CD — can be seen below.

D.A.M.N.'s debut album, "Forbidden Anger", was released in Japan in January 2010 via Spiritual Beast Records. The Japanese version of the CD, which was issued in Europe in October 2009 via the Swedish record label Unexploded Records, included two bonus tracks.

"Forbidden Anger" was recorded with Jakob Batten (ILLDISPOSED) and Ziggy (ILLDISPOSED, BEHEMOTH, MERCENARY, AS WE FIGHT).

Eulogy Recordings has announced the signing of REVENGE. The band's new album, "Hymns Of Annihilation", will be released in the spring.

Straight out of Western Massachusetts, REVENGE formed in the fall of 2008. Since their inception, they have released two records, toured the U.S. and played Canada with DEATH THREAT and TRAPPED UNDER ICE.

With a sound often compared to bands such as INTEGRITY, RINGWORM, ALL OUT WAR and SLAYER, REVENGE offers raw, unapologetic, metallic hardcore with absolutely no remorse.

REVENGE is:

Dan McIntyre - Vocals
George Barroso - Guitar
Jorden Singleton - Guitar
Justin Kirkland - Bass
Will Hirst - Drums

Knoxville, Tennessee extreme metallers WHITECHAPEL have entered Audiohammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) to begin recording their fourth full-length album for a summer release via Metal Blade Records.

WHITECHAPEL's most recent EP, "Recorrupted", came out in November. The effort features a brand new track titled "Section 8", a cover of PANTERA's "Strength Beyond Strength", an acoustic version of "End OF Flesh", and remixes of "Breeding Violence" by BIG CHOCOLATE and "This Is Exile" by Ben Weinman from THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

"Section 8" and "Strength Beyond Strength" mark WHITECHAPEL's very first recordings with drummer Ben Harclerode of the Glendale, Arizona band KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS, who replaced Kevin Lane last year.

WHITECHAPEL's third album, "A New Era Of Corruption", sold around 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 43 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on June 8, 2010 via Metal Blade Records, the CD was recorded at Audiohammer with acclaimed producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER).

WHITECHAPEL's previous album, "This Is Exile", opened with 5,900 copies in July 2008 to land at No. 117.

Australia's I EXIST has posted a video teaser for its forthcoming release, "II: The Broken Passage", due out January 31 in North America and February 6 and February 10 in the U.K. and rest of Europe, respectively, on Lost Shepherd/Prosthetic Records. The CD was made available in Australia last summer via Resist Records.

The seven-piece band recorded "II: The Broken Passage" at Melbourne's Goatsound Studios with American producer Billy Anderson, whose credits include SLEEP's "Holy Mountain" and EYEHATEGOD's "Dopesick", both hugely influential records for the band, as well as albums for groups as diverse as the MELVINS, JAWBREAKER, HIGH ON FIRE, SICK OF IT ALL and ACID KING.

I EXIST toured Australia last year with DOOMRIDERS and expect to hit North America and Europe later in 2012.

Mark Reale, the founding guitarist of the legendary metal band RIOT, passed away earlier today (Wednesday, January 25) in a San Antonio hospital due to complications of Crohn's disease — an ailment he has 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.

RIOT said in a statement: "To friends and fans of Mark Reale and RIOT, we are deeply saddened to confirm that Mark has lost his battle with a lifelong illness. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated by Mark's family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time."

Upon learning of Mark's passing, Brian Slagel, founder and CEO of Metal Blade Records, said, "I was a huge fan of RIOT's 'Fire Down Under' album and got to interview them for my fanzine. Great guys and I was lucky enough to finally reissue 'Fire Down Under' and the other early RIOT albums on Metal Blade. We signed the band for their second run, so to speak, and put out some records in the '90s that did well, especially in Europe and Japan. It was a pleasure working with them and Mark was always a kind soul — an AMAZING player who really has a big time place in the history of metal. One of the really nice guys who put out some incredible stuff."

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

RIOT played two shows without Reale last week — on January 18 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City and on January 20 at Montage Music Hall in Rochester, New York — and is currently taking part in 70,000 Tons Of Metal, a four-day all-heavy metal cruise which set sail on Monday, January 23 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, Florida.

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.

RIOT's original singer Guy Speranza died on November 8, 2003 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 47 years old. Often regarded as the best RIOT vocalist, he sang on the group's first three full-length albums — "Rock City" (1977), "Narita" (1979) and "Fire Down Under" (1981) — before being replaced by Rhett Forrester. Forrester himself left in the mid-'80s to pursue a solo career, only to be murdered on January 22, 1994 in Atlanta.

Singer Mike Tirelli, who toured with RIOT after Mike DiMeo officially left the band in 2007, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2008 and underwent treatment for this life-threatening illness. All the treatments were reportedly a huge success in eradicating the disease.

British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH will release their 14th studio album (excluding the cover album "Leaders Not Followers"), "Utilitarian", on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records. The cover artwork (see below) perfectly fits the album's theme and was created by the Danish artist Frode Sylthe, who is also responsible for THE HAUNTED's "rEVOLVEr" artwork.

In anticipation of this release, the band has now launched an "Occupy Napalm" Facebook tab to show their support for the Occupy movement and to provide fans with the latest news about their politically-charged "Utilitarian". With downloadable Occupy-themed stencils and screensavers, plus a special video teaser for "Utilitarian" created by Mitch Harris (guitar, vocals), this Facebook tab is the place to go for everything NAPALM DEATH!

"Utilitarian" track listing

01. Circumspect
02. Errors In The Signals
03. Everyday Pox
04. Protection Racket
05. The Wolf I Feed
06. Quarantined
07. Fall On Their Swords
08. Collision Course
09. Orders Of Magnitude
10. Think Tank Trials
11. Blank Look About Face
12. Leper Colony
13. Nom De Guerre
14. Analysis Paralysis
15. Opposite Repellent
16. A Gag Reflex
17. Aim Without An Aim (bonus track)
18. Everything In Mono (bonus track)

Upon "Utilitarian"'s release, NAPALM DEATH's limited-edition "Analysis Paralysis" seen-inch EP will also be available for purchase at CM Distro in black and clear vinyl. Its B-side includes the exclusive track "Youth Offender", making this a very collectable piece for any diehard NAPALM DEATH fan.

NAPALM DEATH vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway recently spoke to U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine about five of his favorite songs from "Utilitarian". You can now check out the footage below.

Greenway explains the album title and concept: "After some deliberation, we have decided on 'Utilitarian' as the album title. We generally try to avoid generic titles, and this seemed to have a lot of scope to it. I won't explain the full meaning of utilitarianism here because it's an ethical theory, and as ethical theories go, the depth and debate around it is quite heavy at times. It has a certain 'morality' aspect to it and that isn't something that drives me, so I also certainly have issues with it."

"So, rather than just nail that straight to the mast, of course we wanted to put our own spin on it by suggesting that those (i.e. the utilitarian in us, perhaps) who try to challenge everything, or fight against conventions, well, we go through periods of real self-doubt where we wonder if we're really making a difference. I suppose the conclusion is that, for the sake of all our freedoms, you should never stop, as even the feeling of resistance is at least a signal to those who would like to entirely control and dominate us — meaning everything from our instinctive behavior to our human entitlement to walk the earth unprovoked.

"Regarding the album overall, the final creases should be ironed out fairly soon, and immediately after that, we thought it would be good to top it off with a few U.K. dates. We've been playing one new song ('Quarantined') out on a tour of Canada and it's been well received, so we hope to perhaps throw in another one for now. Either way, we'll be bouncing off the walls again near you very soon."

Bulgarian death metallers ENTHRALLMENT have unveiled the cover and track listing for their forthcoming album, "People From The Lands Of Vit". The CD will be released later this year by the American label United Guttural. The cover art, entitled "Hell", was created by the Bulgarian artist Stefan Stefanov.

"People From The Lands Of Vit" track listing:

01. Chronicle Of Sorrow
02. Devoted To Delusion
03. Psychological Storm
04. A Full Land Of Worms... From The River To The Void
05. Chemical Romance
06. Obsessed By Just Anger
07. Walking Through The Thorns
08. Fruits Of Pain And Blue Sky
09. Punishment For Baneful
10. Unholy Diviners

ENTHRALLMENT's music can be described as brutal-yet-technical, early-'90's-era death metal. All instruments play a major role in the formation of every intense song. The string section is totally heavy and sick, delivering riff after memorable riff. Driving percussion blasts and pounds and ultimately reinterprets shredding riffs into headbang inducing hooks while intensely pissed off guttural vocals deliver the sadistic sermon. Their sound has been compared to SUFFOCATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEVOURMENT.

Over the years, ENTHRALLMENT have toured extensively throughout Europe as a headlining act and as support with bands like MALEVOLENT CREATION, ROTTING CHRIST, ROTTEN SOUND and DEICIDE. They have shared the stage with OBITUARY, SINISTER, MYSTIC CIRCLE, NAPALM DEATH, DESTRUCTION, VITAL REMAINS, DEAD INFECTION and MISERY INDEX and have been featured at several festivals, including Hellhammer Fest and Obscene Extreme.

"World Scum", a brand new song from SOULFLY, is available for free download for 48 hours at this location. The track comes off the band's eighth album, "Enslaved", which will be released on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at TallCat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more.

"Enslaved" standard CD features the following 11 tracks:

01. Resistance
02. World Scum
03. Intervention
04. Gladiator
05. Legions
06. American Steel
07. Redemption of Man By God
08. Treachery
09. Plata O Plomo
10. Chains
11. Revengeance

The digital-only edition includes the following three bonus tracks:

12. Slave
13. Bastard
14. Soulfly VIII

SOULFLY has tapped Thomas Mignone (MEGADETH, SEPULTURA, DANZIG) of Doom Incorporated to direct the video for the song "World Scum".

SOULFLY's current lineup features Max and guitar dynamo Marc Rizzo, with STATIC-X's Tony Campos taking up the bass. The lineup is rounded out by drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), a new-school, extreme skinsman whose brutality behind the kit brings a new flavor to the band.

While many groups barely make it to a third album, SOULFLY is still going strong two decades deep. 2012 also marks the band's 15th anniversary of making a tribally-influenced metallic racket and what better way to celebrate than with a new record? The album will be released via longtime label Roadrunner, which has been SOULFLY's home for the course of its career. The label has also been Cavalera's home for the duration of his career, which began in the '80s as a member of SEPULTURA, who essentially rewrote the rules of heavy music when they arrived on the scene; Max continues to do the same today.

As is customary with SOULFLY, the band will introduce some new and unexpected elements into the mix, including a guest violinist. SOULFLY also collaborates with two metal veterans: Dez Fafara of DEVILDRIVER and Travis Ryan of CATTLE DECAPITATION. With Dez and Max sharing a longtime connection through the Roadrunner family, it was only a matter of time before Fafara guested on a SOULFLY album.

Cavalera wrote a song, "Revengeance", about his slain stepson Dana Wells, whose death was the catalyst for the creation of SOULFLY. He partners with his sons Igor and Richie on vocals, while his other son Zyon plays drums. It is the first time Max has performed with three of his sons.

Travis Ryan — who was a replacement for SOULFLY's original choice, OCEANO's Adam Warren — recorded his portion of the vocals at Frick'in Studios in San Marcos, California with engineer Dan Frick.

Commented Ryan: "It's an honor to receive a call from someone you had pictures of on your wall as a kid asking you to be on a new album of theirs. I literally had a picture of Max [Cavalera, SOULFLY mainman] and Gloria [Max's wife and manager] holding [Gloria's son] Richie in her arms that I ripped out of a copy of Metal Maniacs on my wall when I was 15 or 16. Now they're asking for my artistic hand in one of their creations; [it] just doesn't get much more surreal than that. Very honored and the song is very 'death metal-ish' and completely crushes. Happy to be a part of it!"

Zeuss stated about Travis' contribution, "The vocals fucking rule!!!! Fits the song perfect… Very refreshing for me to hear these days."

On February 24 (February 28 in North America), Season of Mist will release a compilation of remixed tracks from MORBID ANGEL's latest album, "Illud Divinum Insanus". Far from being just revamped versions of the seminal extreme metal band's newest songs, this collection will present the work of 39 artists from the electro / industrial, techno and club scene.

"Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes" track listing:

CD 1:

* LAIBACH - "I Am Morbid" (Wall Of Morbid Mix)
* CEVIN KEY/HIWATT MARSHALL - "Omnidead"
* BRAIN LEISURE - "Too Extreme" (Black Symphony Edition)
* THE TOXIC AVENGER - "10 More Dead"
* MALAKWA - "I Am Morbid"
* SYNAPSCAPE - "Too Extreme"
* PUNISH YOURSELF VS. SONIC AREA - "Destructos Vs The Earth" (Doomsdaymarchmix)
* HIV+ - "Too Extreme"
* MICROPOINT - "I Am Morbid"
* JOHN LORD FONDA - "Too Extreme" (Metallyzer Remix)
* EVIL ACTIVITIES - "Radikult"
* MIXHELL - "Too Extreme"
* BLACK LUNG - "I Am Morbid"
* MONDKOPF - "Radikult"
* XYTRAS - "Existo Vulgoré"
* TOXIC ENGINE - "I Am Morbid"

CD 2:

* AHNST ANDERS - "I Am Morbid"
* NACHTMAHR - "Destructos Vs. The Earth"
* TIM SKOLD - "Profundis / Mea Culpa"
* BLACK STROBE - "10 More Dead"
* CHRIS POHL - "Too Extreme"
* PROJECT PITCHFORK - "Destructos Vs. The Earth"
* TREPONEM PAL - "10 More Dead"
* SCOTT BROWN - "I Am Morbid"
* FIXHEAD - "Radikult"
* DJ RUFFNECK - "I Am Morbid"
* IGORRR - "Remixou Morbidou"
* TAMTRUM - "I Am Morbid"
* TEK-ONE - "10 More Dead"
* ADRIAN - "I Am Morbid"
* THE HORRORIST - "Existo Vulgoré"

Digital Download Card:

* COMBICHRIST - "Destructos Vs. The Earth"
* CHRYSALIDE - "Nevermore"
* ASCHE - "Destructos Vs. The Earth"
* SYLVGHEIST MAELSTROM - "10 More Dead " (Deconstructed)
* DEAD SEXY INC. - "I Am Morbid"
* ROGER ROTOR - "Radikult"
* THE PROCESSUS - "I Am Morbid"
* MULK - "Existo Vulgoré"

JOHN LORD FONDA's "Too Extreme" (Metallyzer Remix) is available for streaming at this location.

A trailer for the release can be seen below.

MORBID ANGEL's latest album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 141. The effort marks MORBID ANGEL's first CD to feature bassist/vocalist David Vincent since 1995's "Domination".

MORBID ANGEL's previous album, "Heretic", opened with around 3,900 units back in October 2003. That CD has shifted more than 30,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Illud Divinum Insanus" was released on June 7 (one day earlier internationally) via Season of Mist. The cover artwork was designed by Gustavo Sazes.

When asked in a recent interview with Finland's Kaaos TV how the material from "Illud Divinum Insanus", has been going over live, David Vincent said, "[The fans] love it live. A few people, maybe some of the songs on the record are a bit too extreme for them, but by and large it's a great record. It's doing really well. A lot of excitement. We're happy to play all these songs live. Obviously, [in] the set we also include a lot of the other classics. This way everyone will have a chance to hear a lot of the different songs that they wanna hear."

Regarding whether he and his bandmates expected to get such a mixed reaction to "Illud Divinum Insanus" during the making of the CD, Vincent said, "Well, the only thing we do is make music and we're creative. We don't think about these things so much. We do what we do. My work is done, other than we perform. But the studio is done. We made a record that broke down a lot of boundaries and included some stuff that was never included before. But we've always done these kind of things. It should be no surprise to anyone that we always do crazy things, 'cause we are crazy."

A 90-second sample of "Blood And Fire", a brand new song from VAN HALEN, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", which will arrive on February 7 via Interscope.

"A Different Kind Of Truth" track listing:

01. Tattoo
02. She's The Woman
03. You And Your Blues
04. China Town
05. Blood And Fire
06. Bullethead
07. As Is
08. Honeybabysweetiedoll
09. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin'

The deluxe-edition version of "A Different Kind Of Truth" will contain a bonus DVD featuring four brand new acoustic-performance videos titled "The Downtown Sessions" including the songs "Panama", "You And Your Blues", "You Really Got Me" and "Beautiful Girls".

The album's first single, "Tattoo", came out on January 10. The song itself said to be is a rewrite of a very old VAN HALEN track "Down In Flames", which the band used to play in its late Seventies club days but never recorded for any of its albums. The new version has a slightly different arrangement and fresh lyrics from singer David Lee Roth.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, at least two other songs on the new record, "She's The Woman" and "Bullethead", date back to the band's early days as well. "She's The Woman" appeared on a 1976 VAN HALEN demo produced by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, and was performed by the group last week during its show at the tiny Cafe Wha? in New York City.

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen has said in numerous interviews over the years that he has "10 albums" worth of unreleased material in his archives from throughout the band's career.

Ironically, it was former singer Sammy Hagar who hinted that VAN HALEN might be digging into the vaults on the new album. Hagar recently told Rolling Stone, "I heard this record is old outtakes from the old days. I mean, stuff from before I even joined the band . . . Because from what I heard, they aren't working with new material. Ed and Dave didn't actually write new songs."

VAN HALEN will kick off a North American tour on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky. KOOL AND THE GANG will open for VAN HALEN on selected tour stops.

Finnish melancholic melodic death metal outfit BEFORE THE DAWN returns after living through a phase of changes and uncertainty – cleansed, renewed and stronger than ever. Leaving pieces of both the musical and personal past behind, mastermind Tuomas Saukkonen, lead guitarist Juho Räihä and their new companions get ready for conquering your ears with the finest blend of northern gloom and harsh melodic death metal.

Their seventh studio album and at the same time second release via Nuclear Blast Records is entitled Rise Of The Phoenix, and will arise from the ashes on April 27th.

The perfectly fitting phoenix symbolism was chosen prudently as main man, vocalist and guitarist Tuomas explains: "Massive changes in the line-up during 2011 ended an era of great frustration and brought back 110% dedication and professionalism into the band. The newfound energy and motivation steered us into a victorious European tour and made it possible to produce the strongest, fastest, heaviest and definitely the most epic Before The Dawn album so far!"

Los Angeles cyber metallers FEAR FACTORY have set "The Industrialist" as the title of their new album, due in May in Europe via AFM Records and in the U.S. through Candlelight. The CD is once again being co-produced by the band with Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, PARADISE LOST). The mixing duties will be handled by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY).

In a January 2011 interview with SkullsNBones.com, FEAR FACTORY vocalist Burton C. Bell stated about the band's plans to go into the studio to record the follow-up to 2010's "Mechanize", "We wanna take our time doing it. Personally... 'Mechanize', don't get me wrong, is a good record — I'm very proud of it — but it's gotta be better than that. I've got plans where I'd like to do a full-on concept again — story, artwork. Just make it real cerebral. But there'll definitely be another FEAR FACTORY record, maybe in 2012."

FEAR FACTORY's most recent touring lineup — featuring original FF members Dino Cazares (guitar) and Burton C. Bell (vocals) alongside bassist Byron Stroud (who was credited on the last three FEAR FACTORY albums in addition to touring and recording with STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and ZIMMERS HOLE) and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, TESTAMENT) — made its live debut on December 4, 2009 at Espaço Lux in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil.

According to SickThingsUK, RUNAWAY PHOENIX — the Phoenix, Arizona-based band fronted by Dash Cooper, son of legendary rocker Alice Cooper — has released its first EP, simply entitled "The E.P.". The six-song effort includes a guest appearance by the shock rocker himself in the lead-off cut "Tug Of War".

"The E.P." track listing:

01. Tug Of War (featuring Alice Cooper)
02. Ladies Of The 80's
03. Win You Over
04. Destination Unknown
05. Invisible To You
06. What I Left Behind

Originally formed in 2002, RUNAWAY PHOENIX "has compiled the hottest new talent to become one of Arizona's most sought-after rock bands," according to the group's official bio. "RUNAWAY PHOENIX puts a modern spin on the sounds of classic metal rock... it's sweet and ballsy and a new sound people cannot get enough of!"

RUNAWAY PHOENIX is:

Dash Cooper - Vocals
Scot Savale - Lead Guitar
Mark Savale - Drums
Chiko Wolf - Rhythm Guitar
Jimmy Baldwin - Bass

For more information, visit www.runawayphoenix.com.

Alternative rock pioneers JANE'S ADDICTION recently filmed a video for the song "Underground" off the band's latest album, "The Great Escape Artist". Shot with director Robert Hales (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, NINE INCH NAILS, BRITNEY SPEARS, MILEY CYRUS, KID ROCK) in Los Angeles at the club Fais Do-Do, originally a speakeasy from the 1920s with a New Orleans ambience, the clip shows frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, along with Chris Chaney on bass performing while a cast of vaudevillian characters lurk around the dark, smoky setting.

"JANE'S ADDICTION perform in a Los Angeles brothel built in the 1920s," singer Perry Farrell tells Spinner.com of the concept. "There are Siamese Gargoyles, séances, card games and a man in a white fedora who was also on the cover of 'In Through The Out Door'. People get made love to and murdered in the backrooms while the band plays on."

An explicit version of the video will debut at Playboy.com this Friday, January 27 at 10:00 a.m. EST.

"The Great Escape Artist" sold around 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Great Escape Artist" is JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", which opened with more than 110,000 units to enter the chart at No. 4.

"The Great Escape Artist" is only JANE'S ADDICTION's fourth album of original material in 20 years. Like other bands that have reunited in recent years such as BLINK-182, the members of JANE'S ADDICTION recorded a lot of the album in separate studios. Drummer Stephen Perkins told The Pulse Of Radio why this worked in JANE'S' favor. "Back in the day, we spent all our time together playing," he said. "Now we have a big pie. JANE'S is just a slice of that pie. But we still want to work and be efficient musicians, so hey, you can't make it to Burbank, you're in Santa Monica? I'll send you the tracks, let's get to work. So it is still just as raw and as emotional as being in the same room together, but it also lets, I guess, a more efficient way of making the record nowadays that we have different things going on in our life."

The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Stephen Perkins, Perry Farrell on vocals and Dave Navarro on guitar.

Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.

Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced the new record, while Chris Chaney has returned as touring bassist.

Ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan also contributed to the album and has songwriting credits on three songs.

HOUWITSER has announced that their original singer and frontman Mike van Mastrigt (SINISTER) is back in their line-up.

According to a band update, "together with their new drummer Marten van Kruijssen (DICTATED, NIBIRUS) and frontman Mike van
Mastrigt, Houwitser will march on to Russia this February to do some shows. The new line-up is writing songs for the sixth full length CD. More news about the progress and release of this album can be expected in the near future."

Houwitser 2012:
Mike van Mastrigt: vocals
Michel Alderliefsten: guitar
Richard Gielen: guitar
Marten van Kruijssen: drums
Ramon Ploeg: bass