"Carriers Of The Plague", a brand new song from Australian technical death metallers PSYCROPTIC, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off the band's fifth studio album, "The Inherited Repression", which will be released on February 7 in North America and February 10 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented PSYCROPTIC guitarist Joe Haley: "'The Inherited Repression' is far and away my favorite PSYCROPTIC record thus far — all of us in the band think this.

"It's the age-old cliché from bands when they talk about their new album as being the best of their career, blah, blah, but I have to say it because it's true. We wouldn't think there is a point of going on if we couldn't outdo each record prior. We are certainly not playing music for anything else than the love of creating it and performing it.

"'The Inherited Repression' is quite different from anything we have done in terms of songwriting and structure, and we spent a lot longer writing and demoing the songs before we recorded it, which you can tell. It's a very dynamic album — the fast elements faster, the slow elements slower, and a lot of light and dark binding it together. It's a very catchy album as well — you can tap your foot, bang your head or anything else you want. Basically, it has a lot of groove on it from start to finish."

"The Inherited Repression" was produced, engineered and mixed by Haley, while Alan Douches will handle mastering duties.

"We had the luxury of recording in my home studio without deadlines, so we spent a long time on getting it how we wanted," said Haley. "We can't wait for people to hear it, and get out and play the songs live!"

Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR released their sixth album, "Samsara", on December 14. In the U.S. and Canada, the CD will be made available on January 17, 20120, and in Mexico on January 19, 2012.

"Samsara" track listing:

01. Kissing The Flames (4:49)
02. Damned Rapture (5:12)
03. Cry For Love (IGGY POP cover) (4:21)
04. Death Comes in March (3:13)
05. Folie á Deux (7:11)
06. Hail Of Bullets (4:25)
07. Love's A Sickness (5:54)
08. Raving Hearts (3:48)
09. Oblivion: Vision (6:13)
10. Someday Somewhere Somehow (6:38)

A video for the song "Hail Of Bullets" can be seen below.

FInnish hard rockers HUMAN TEMPLE are releasing their new album, Halfway To Heartache, on February 24th via Escape Music.

According to a press release, the album "is an extension of the Human Temple sound, and they bring us 11 tracks of brilliant tunes that range from quirky rockers to powerful ballads. Songs like 'Run Away', 'Misery' and 'Bleeding Through' just ooze with class. This is a new age in the history of Human Temple and its going to set 2012 off with a bang."

Halfway To Heartache features NIGHTWISH guitarist Emppu Vuorinen as a guest.

IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, OPETH and THE HAUNTED are among the five final nominees that are competing for the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which will be held February 14, 2010 at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm. The bands are all nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2011.

"Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees:

* GRAVEYARD - "Hisingen Blues"
* HAMMERFALL - "Infected"
* IN FLAMES - "Sounds Of A Playground Fading"
* OPETH - "Heritage"
* THE HAUNTED - "Unseen"

Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White and ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill (ZODIAC MINDWARP) — will have their March 9, 2012 at Stodola in Warsaw, Poland professionally recorded and filmed for future release.

Commented Evans: "We're really looking forward to making our first-ever official TANK live DVD. It's something we've wanted to do for a long time and gives us the chance to show our fans around the world what a TANK show is all about. The DVD will include old favorites such as 'This Means War', 'Echoes Of A Distant Battle' and 'Power Of The Hunter' plus future classics such as 'Judgement Day' and 'Phoenix Rising' plus many more. Get ready for 'War Machine Live!' DVD."

Ex-METALLICA guitarist and current MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine joined his former bandmates on stage this past Saturday night (December 10) for the fourth and final intimate show at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

When asked by Music Radar if it "felt nice to have mended all fences with" METALLICA, Mustaine said, "You know, there's still going to be some dumb fucker who says to me, 'So, do you guys get along?' [laughs] I just know it. The world is full of idiots, and I seem to run into a lot of them. It does feel good, though.

"It was very cathartic to go up there last weekend. I was pretty unsure of what was going to happen. I wasn't nervous; I just didn't know what to expect. Those guys are a lot different from MEGADETH. We like to know what songs we're going to do. They play pretty loose from the hip — which is cool.

"I was trying to figure out, 'Do I learn the demo versions of the [METALLICA] songs or the 'Kill 'Em All' versions of the songs?' Well, I found out it was the 'Kill 'Em All' versions. OK, 'Do I learn my solos from the demos, or Kirk's [Hammett] solos? What solos should I play?' Then, when I got there, Kirk said, 'You know, why don't you play all the solos?' And I was like, 'Oooh!' [laughs] I had to quickly go through my bag of tricks. In the end, I got up on stage, and everything came together. I was making it much too difficult for myself.

"It was fun, I had a good time, everybody smiled a lot. Gave out a bunch of high-five knuckles and hugs. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] kissed me a couple of times...[laughs]

"It's neat that people are able to see what this whole thing is about.

"The media made this so ugly for so long.

"We all still really care about each other.

"Everything has come full circle. It's 30 years later, and here we are. It's really weird, the whole mythology to this."

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

CHICKENFOOT performed at this year's Mark And Brian Christmas Show on Thursday (December 15) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Singer Sammy Hagar kicked things off with a rousing rendition of "Santa's Going South For Christmas" with the MARK AND BRIAN ALL-STAR BAND. Guitarist Joe Satriani later teamed up with the ALL-STAR BAND to perform "Satch Boogie" before Sammy and bassst Michael Anthony took the stage to play "Poundcake" and "I Can't Drive 55". CHICKENFOOT then hit the stage together, performing a four-song set that had the crowd at the sold-out theater on its feet and pumping its fists.

ORANGE GOBLIN, the heavy-hitting British metal band, will release its brand new studio album, "A Eulogy For The Damned", on February 14 (one day earlier internationally) via Candlelight Records. The ten-track offering was recorded at The Animal Farm studio in South London, produced and engineered by Jamie Dodd and mastered two-time Grammy-nominated PINK FLOYD engineer Andy Jackson at Tube Mastering.

"A Eulogy For The Damned" will be released on CD and limited-edition colored vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

"A Eulogy For The Damned" track listing:

01. Red Tide Rising
02. Stand For Something
03. Acid Trial
04. The Filthy & The Few
05. Save Me From Myself
06. The Fog
07. Return To Mars
08. Death Of Aquarius
09. The Bishops Wolf
10. A Eulogy For The Damned

Current and former members of DOKKEN — George Lynch (guitar), Jeff Pilson (bass), and Mick Brown (drums) — have joined forces in a new project called TOOTH AND NAIL. The band is currently in the studio recording on album featuring new original material as well as reworked versions of around five or six DOKKEN classics. The lead vocal duties on the CD — which is tentatively due in march 2012 — will be handled by former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach (on DOKKEN's "Alone Again"), Doug Pinnick (KING'S X), Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown (on DOKKEN's "When Heaven Comes Down"). The drum tracks on the new, original compositions will be handled by Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER).

Quality fan-filmed video footage of MORBID ANGEL's December 16, 2011 performance at La Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris, France can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Immortal Rites
02. Fall From Grace
03. Rapture
04. Day Of Suffering
05. Blasphemy
06. Maze Of Torment
07. Existo Vulgoré
08. Nevermore
09. I Am Morbid
10. Angel Of Disease
11. Lord Of All Fevers And Plague
12. Chapel Of Ghouls

Encore:

13. Intro (tape)
14. Where The Slime Live
15. God Of Emptiness
16. World Of Shit (The Promised Land)

According to the Shropshire Star, two cars owned by former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing were sold in an auction for nearly £63,000 (approximately $98,000).

Auctioneers Brightwells said Downing's "highly original 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII sparked an intense bidding war before finally going to a Belgian buyer for £35,750."

They said: "While his somewhat scruffy 1959 Jensen 541R made a huge £26,950, almost twice the pre-sale estimate and showing what great gains this rare model has made in recent years."

The auction was held at Brightwells in Leominster, England.

Earlier this year, Downing revealed that he be leaving JUDAS PRIEST prior to the band's "Epitaph" world tour. Downing recently spoke to Valley Radio Online about what happened, although he declined to go into specifics.

"It was a set of circumstances that led me to not go out [on tour with PRIEST] this year," Downing said. "I was kind of geared up for it, but there was a multitude of reasons. It pretty much came down to an unsettlement on my part with working relationships.

"It's like anything else. If anybody out there is thinking it's hard to live with one woman, they should try to live with four guys and hold it together. [Laughs]"

Billboard magazine has put together a tasting at New York's City Winery and invited a panel of experts — three winos and Billboard's own editorial director, who puts it all in musical perspective — to sound off on 12 artist-branded wines, including those from AC/DC, MOTÖRHEAD, WARRANT, RATT and WHITESNAKE.

The Panel

* Michael Dorf, owner of City Winery & founder of the Knitting Factory
* Robert Haynes-Peterson, wine & spirits journalist (Beverage Media, Vegas Magazine, etc.)
* Matt Weiss, professional sommelier (formerly of BLT Prime)
* Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director

The Rolling Stones "Forty Licks" Merlot

Train "Drops of Jupiter" Petite Sirah

The Police "Synchronicity" Red Blend

Warrant "Cherry Pie" Red Blend

Motorhead Shiraz

Pink Floyd "Dark Side Of The Moon" Cabernet Sauvignon

Ratt "Body Talk" Chardonnay

Grateful Dead "Steal Your Face" Red Blend

AC/DC "Back In Black" Shiraz

AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long" Moscato

Whitesnake Zinfandel

Santana Brut Sparkling

Little Rock, Arkansas doom metal disciples PALLBEARER have completed work on their debut album, "Sorrow And Extinction", for a February 21, 2012 release via Profound Lore Records.

With the band's style of epic traditional doom treading the fine line of colossal amplifier-worship heaviness and introspective searing melodicism (in which a lot of said element is due to vocalist Brett Campbell's enigmatic and memorable distinct vocals), "Sorrow And Extinction" culls from a sound picture that also references '70s prog and the old-school Peaceville doom era (i.e. early PARADISE LOST and ANATHEMA), all while upholding the tradition of '80s classic doom (i.e. CANDLEMASS and TROUBLE).

"Sorrow And Extinction" track listing:

01. Foreigner
02. Devoid Of Redemption
03. The Legend
04. An Offering Of Grief
05. Given To The Grave

British rock legends UFO will release their new album, "Seven Deadly", on February 28, 2012 (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)

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."

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has just finished a solo tour where he combined acoustic performances with audience interaction and readings from his book "Seven Deadly Sins". But Taylor raised eyebrows on the tour by calling STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland a "lazy piece of shit" at one stop and bashing legendary producer Rick Rubin — with whom he worked on SLIPKNOT's 2004 album, "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)" — as "overrated" and "overpaid" at another, saying he'd never work with Rubin again "as long as I fucking live."

Rubin has previously produced a number of platinum- and gold-selling releases — including those from RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SLAYER, AUDIOSLAVE, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and METALLICA — and is currently helming the first studio album in 33 years from the reunited original lineup of BLACK SABBATH.

Despite Taylor's less-than-glowing opinion of Rubin's collaboration with SLIPKNOT, the singer tells Loudwire that the famed producer will likely work well with SABBATH members Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.

"This is one of those instances I actually think Rick Rubin is perfect for," Taylor says. "He gets out of the way and will let them get down to it."

Taylor adds, "I can only hope they record it in the right way. I can only hope they get to do something righteous and not just something to make a buck. I think with Geezer and Tony pushing it forward, and, obviously, Bill and Ozzy, I think it will be fantastic. I am looking forward to a riff fest!"

Taylor also revealed that he's about to dig into Iommi's memoir, "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath", which landed at position No. 35 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list.

"I just got Tony Iommi's book. It was actually sent to me and signed personally signed by Tony Iommi," he reveals. "And it was completely unexpected. It says, 'To Corey, all the warmest regards, Tony.' That was really, really cool, man. That was really cool. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'm really looking forward to it."

Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that he doesn't regret what he previously said about Rubin at all. "It's an honest answer to a perfectly reasonable question," he said. "That was my take on it. Now if you asked somebody like Clown [Shawn 'Clown' Crahan, SLIPKNOT percussionist] about the Rick Rubin experience, you'd get a totally different answer. But it is what it is. It's my opinion. At the end of the day it's not scripture. I'm gonna say what I'm gonna say — I don't think enough people do. And if it gets me in trouble, it gets me in trouble. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But I'm just gonna keep walking it."

Taylor will tour Australia and North America with SLIPKNOT next year, and also plans to head into the studio with STONE SOUR.

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy has released "Alive & Unplugged", a collection of the band's hits recorded "live and unplugged," via his Top Fuel Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Lovin You's A Dirty Job
02. Back For More
03. Mother Blues
04. Way Cool Jr.
05. You Think You're Tough
06. You're In Love
07. Round & Round
08. Wanted Man