The vinyl reissue of "Strappado", the debut album from Canadian death/thrash metal pioneers SLAUGHTER, will be made available through the Canadian vinyl label War On Music Records.

"Strappado" is an essential classic and cult masterpiece of Canadian metal, long out of print. SLAUGHTER famously included Chuck Shuldiner on guitar for a brief moment in the mid-'80s before Shuldiner resumed his frontman duties in DEATH.

The War On Music release of "Strappado" will be the first-ever vinyl pressing using the remixed/remastered 1986 Fringe audio, and features tree additional tracks not included on the original LP.

Track listing:

01. Disintegrator / Incinerator
02. Nocturnal Hell
03. F.O.D. (Fuck Of Death)
04. Tortured Souls
05. Parasites
06. The Curse
07. Strappado
08. Maim to Please
09. One Foot in the Grave
10. Tyrant of Hell
11. Death Dealer
12. Tales of the Macabre

American beer masters New Belgium brewing company have teamed up with Maryland-based veteran songwriters and touring icons CLUTCH to brew, bottle and distribute the brand new CLUTCH beer! The 9% alcohol by volume dark sour ale joins New Belgium's Lips Of Faith Series, adding to a beer family which already includes the highly popular Fat Tire Ale, which is now sold in over 32 of the 48 continental United States. The beer is available in 22 oz. bottles and a limited amount of kegs.

New Belgium and CLUTCH (the band) officially unleashed the ale last Sunday night (September 18) at a very special kickoff event at the Red Palace in Washington D.C. at which members of CLUTCH and their label Weathermaker Music were present.

CLUTCH initially intended to play just a six-or-so-song acoustic set, including a new track at this time called "Newt". But since everyone was in rather good spirits, the crowd was treated to several full-on electric numbers such as "The Devil And Me", "The Yeti", "Elephant Riders", "Big News I" and "Big News II".

Video footage of CLUTCH performing the above-mentioned new song — which was listed simply as "Newt" on the band's setlist — at last Sunday's event can be seen below (courtesy of Metal Chris of DCHeavyMetal.com).

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMON AMARTH
AXEL RUDI PELL
CRADLE OF FILTH
DARK FUNERAL
DIMMU BORGIR
ENDSTILLE
FORBIDDEN
GAMMA RAY
HAMMERFALL
HENRY ROLLINS (spoken word)
IN EXTREMO
MACHINE HEAD
MINISTRY
MOONSPELL
NAPALM DEATH
PARADISE LOST
SCORPIONS
SICK OF IT ALL
SIX FEET UNDER
U.D.O.
WATAIN
WINTERFYLLETH

Legendary rock band RUSH has announced details for the first offerings through their recently announced partnership with Roadrunner Records. On November 7, Anthem/Roadrunner will simultaneously release a two-disc live album entitled "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" as well as "Moving Pictures: Live 2011" on vinyl and digital formats.

Captured in April at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena during the renowned trio's extensive "Time Machine" world tour, "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" marks the band's first live album recorded at a U.S show, a deliberate nod of gratitude to the first city to support Rush on its radio airwaves. The wildly popular tour featured a set filled with classic hits, fan favorites, and a glimpse into RUSH's forthcoming 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels". As a centerpiece for the concerts, the band performed their landmark album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety — a first in the band's long and illustrious career. Rave reviews of the tour included The Hollywood Reporter's declaration that "the current 'Time Machine' jaunt is nothing less than a must see… for nearly three hours, with intermission, RUSH proved why it remains among rock's elite live acts."

"Moving Pictures: Live 2011" marks the first live recording of the band's most successful album to date. Originally released in 1981, this year marks the 30th anniversary of "Moving Pictures", which features some of RUSH's most well-known songs like "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight" and "YYZ".

In related news, RUSH is also releasing "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" on Blu-ray and DVD formats on November 8 via Rounder Records in the U.S. and Eagle Rock Entertainment abroad. VH1 will be airing a two-hour concert culled from the footage as part of their annual "Rushashana" program on September 29.

This fall, RUSH will be returning to the studio to resume work on their highly anticipated 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels", due out in 2012.

Track listing:

Set One

* The 'Real' History of Rush Episode No. 2 "Don't Be Rash"
* The Spirit of Radio
* Time Stand Still
* Presto
* Stick It Out
* Workin' Them Angels
* Leave That Thing Alone
* Faithless
* BU2B
* Free Will
* Marathon
* Subdivisions

Set Two

The 'Real'' History of Rush Episode No. 17 "...and Rock and Roll is my name."

* Tom Sawyer
* Red Barchetta
* YYZ
* Limelight
* The Camera Eye
* Witch Hunt
* Vital Signs
* Caravan
* Moto Perpetuo (featuring Love For Sale)
* O'Malley's Break
* Closer To The Heart
* 2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx
* Far Cry

Encore

* La Villa Strangiato
* Working Man

Bonus Material

* Outtakes from "History of Rush, Episode 2 & 17"
* "Tom Sawyer" featuring the cast of "History of Rush, Episode 17"
* "Need Some Love" Live from Laura Secord Secondary School
* "Anthem" Live from Passaic New Jersey

Some of the lyrics from the song "The View" — taken from the forthcoming musical collaboration between Lou Reed and METALLICA, "Lulu" — can be found below. Also available is a 90-second audio preview of the track.

I Want To See You Give It Up
I Have No Morals
Some Think Me Cheap
And Someone Who Despises
The Normalcy Of Heartbreak
The Purity Of Love

But I Worship The Young
And Just Formed Angel

Who Sits Upon The Pin Of Lust
Everything Else...
Bores Me

I Want To See Your Suicide
I Want To See You Give It Up
Your Life Of Reason

I Want You On The Floor
And In A Coffin Your Soul Shaking

I Want To Have You Doubting
Every Meaning You’ve Amassed
Like A Fortune

Oh Throw It Away
For Worship Someone
Who Actively Despises You

For Worship Someone
Who Actively Despises You

Nach Veröffentlichung ihres Jubiläumsalbums „Branded“, das Anfang des Jahres direkt in die offiziellen deutschen Charts einstieg, überraschen Bayerns Vorzeigerocker BONFIRE ihre zahlreichen Fans mit einem zweiten Geburtstagfest und einem besonderen Geschenk.

Bei Jubiläumskonzerten in Schweden, Tschechien, Rumänien, der Schweiz, aber auch in Bremen oder auf dem Festival „Rock The Nation“ auf der Loreley, auf dem sich BONFIRE die Bühne mit Legenden wie JOURNEY, FOREIGNER, NIGHT RANGER oder KANSAS teilten, entstanden die Konzertaufnahmen zu „Fireworks - Still Alive“.

Das Studioalbum von 1987 verkaufte sich in Deutschland über 250.000 Mal und wurde dafür mit Gold ausgezeichnet. Die seit Jahren konstante Bandbesetzung mit Claus Lessmann (Gesang, Gitarre), Hans Ziller (Gitarre), Chris „Yps“ Limburg (Gitarre), Uwe Köhler (Bass) und Dominik Hülshorst (Schlagzeug) spielte während der oben genannten Auftritte sämtliche Tracks des Albums ein, wobei die Arrangements an Aktualität durchaus gewonnen haben.

Als Bonus enthält die neue CD den Titel „I’m On My Way“ - ein bewegendes Tribut an den verstorbenen GOTTHARD-Sänger Steve Lee, sowie die Live-Versionen der Hits „You Make Me Feel“, „Sword And Stone“, „Just Follow The Rainbow“ und die bislang nur digital erhältliche Edit-Version der Single „Let It Grow“ vom aktuellen Studioalbum „Branded“.

Die CD-Taufe des Albums „Fireworks-Still Alive“ erfolgt am 8. Oktober auf dem diesjährigen „Masters Of Rockantenne“- Festival in Augsburg. Am 7. Oktober wird das Album offiziell veröffentlicht.

Tracklist:
1. Ready For Action
2. Never Mind
3. Sleeping All Alone
4. Don't Get Me Wrong
5. Give It A Try
6. Fantasy
7. American Nights
8. Obsessive Intro
9. Sweet Obsession
10. Rock Me Now
11. Champion
12. You Make Me Feel
13. Sword And Stone
14. Just Follow The Rainbow
15. I'm On My Way
16. Let It Grow

British grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH have re-signed with Century Media Records. The band's as-yet-untitled 14th studio album was recorded earlier this year at Parlour Studio in Kettering, U.K. with longtime producer Russ Russell and is scheduled for release in early 2012.

Jens Prüter, head of A&R at Century Media Records in Europe, states: "NAPALM DEATH is not only one of the most important and influential extreme metal bands, they are also a band that always raises their voice against social ills — and even against record companies (remember 'Enemy Of Music Business'). Therefore I'm even more glad about NAPALM DEATH re-signing to Century Media for more great albums of intelligent and meaningful noise.

"Have you ever seen a weak NAPALM DEATH show? I haven't, and I have seen them MANY times and will never get tired to see them again and again.

"Thanks to Mitch, Danny, Shane and Barney for their resilience and resistance — and a special thanks to Marc from M.A.D. for fighting on their side."

Added NAPALM DEATH vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway: "We're very happy to be re-signing to Century Media. In fact, I think it's the first time we've actually re-signed on a longer term deal with anybody since the days when we didn't strictly know that we could be digging ourselves a big hole with labels...

"It's important for NAPALM to stay with an independent and Century proved to us with their overall enthusiasm and attention that this is where we needed to be. There's a perfect balance of getting the band out there in people's faces whilst still understanding the point that not everything is acceptable or 'ethical' promotion. It's more like working with friends who actually care, and who could argue with that?"

Renowned as one of the most reliable and hardest-working bands in extreme music, NAPALM DEATH is currently on the road all across Russia, will head over to Canada in October and has already confirmed appearances at the 2012 editions of the Wacken Open Air (Germany), Neurotic Deathfest (Netherlands) and Maryland Deathfest (USA) festivals.

NAPALM DEATH earlier in the year contributed a brand new track called "Legacy Was Yesterday" to Decibel magazine's monthly flexi disc series. The song — the band's first new material since 2009's "Time Waits for No Slave" LP — was recorded at Rapture Audio with James Walford and mastered by Russ Russell.

"Time Waits For No Slave" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 95. The CD, which was released in the U.S. in February 2009 via Century Media Records, was recorded with producer Russ Russell. Drums were tracked at Parlour Studios in Kettering and guitars, bass and vocals were done at Foel Studios in Wales. The band then returned to Parlour for the mixing sessions.

VENOM, the hugely influential U.K. outfit now celebrating a full 30 years since the release of its "Welcome To Hell" debut, will have a brand new studio album released on November 28 via Spinefarm Records/Universal. Titled "Fallen Angels" and featuring 13 fresh recordings produced by mainman/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant, this is the follow-up to 2008's "Hell" release, and sees the trio (completed by guitarist Rage and drummer Dante) adopting a style highly redolent of classic early VENOM with modern studio technology employed only to increase the general level of nastiness.

The first limited edition pressing of "Fallen Angels" will come with two bonus tracks, "Annunaki Legacy" and "Blackened Blues".
Prior to the album's release, on October 31, a double-A side single, "Hammerhead" / "Hail Satanas", will be made available on 12-inch vinyl and digital download, also through Spinefarm/Universal.

Says Cronos: "When we make an album, it usually takes a few tracks to get into the vibe, although this album's vibe was very much present during the ideas stage… everything came together so naturally.

"We all started throwing ideas together on the South American tour, and then again during the live shows of 2010, and so we knew from the start that we had some amazing new songs to make a great album.

"With any new album, you look for a few songs to put into the live set, although that is going to be very difficult with this record, as we can nail the entire album live if we want!

"'Fallen Angels' is the result of a band that has spent nearly two years touring and growing as a unit, and as the band grows tighter, so the songs get better and heavier, and we instinctively know what each other is thinking, and the ideas flow easier.

"This album is only the very start for this lineup; there will be many more albums and live shows to come for VENOM.

"It has taken a long time and a lot of changes to finally deliver a VENOM that can attack black metal the way it should be — fast, furious, tight and terrifying. All hell breaks loose… hell fucking yeah!!!!!"

"Fallen Angels" will feature the following songs:

* Hammerhead
* Nemesis
* Pedal To The Metal
* Lap Of The Gods
* Damnation Of Souls
* Beggarman
* Hail Satanas
* Sin
* Punk's Not Dead
* Death Be Thy Name
* Lest We Forget
* Valley Of The Kings
* Fallen Angels

Regarding what fans can expect to hear from the next VENOM studio LP, Cronos told The Quietus, "The new tracks are tremendous. Basically, if you think of the way [former VENOM drummer] Antton [Antony Lant, who is also Cronos' brother] was playing, especially on the last album 'Hell', he is a nu-metal drummer and comes from that kind of background. He's hung 'round VENOM most of his life and it was just good to introduce him to the whole VENOM concept of playing like the way [original VENOM drummer] Abaddon used to play. Basically Abaddon came from a rock background and then basically developed a black metal, speed metal, thrash metal style. The nu-metal drumming is very different and it was a steep learning curve for him. At the end of the day he's got his own style and he wants to be known for what he's done and not be in my shadow, which is totally understandable. Some of the guys we had coming to the rehearsals were not ex-CRADLE OF FILTH but they were still, 'I've been in this band, I've been in that band,' but they were all far too young, you know. We were looking for someone in their thirties upwards who understood rock music."

When asked how the new songs compare to those off "Hell", Cronos said, "I would say more like those off 'Metal Black'. More like our earlier stuff. 'Hell' was getting a bit too much like session tracks. Too . . . polished. And polish isn't a good word for VENOM songs. VENOM songs need to be off the cuff, loose, a little bit thrash. Once you start polishing songs up a bit much you end up going in the wrong direction. There's a spontaneity about VENOM songs that I've always loved. When we're coming up with new VENOM songs there's one thing that I always try and keep in mind: 'Is that kid in his bedroom on his knees playing air guitar and going 'Yeah! Get in!'' You know? I'm not interested in Joe Satriani sitting there and discussing whether it's technically correct or not! That's the last thing on my mind."

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to their new album, "Imaginaerum", but also planning a movie of the same name.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September 8 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen revealed that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie will be done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production will take place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Several photos from the "Imaginaerum" movie shoot can be found at this location. A couple of the pictures are also available below.

Pünktlich zum 35-jährigen Bandjubiläum und zum 60sten Geburtstag von Bandgründer und Sänger David Coverdale veröffentlicht die EMI am 4. November die ultimative WHITESNAKE Box über die Frühphase der Band unter dem Titel ''Box 'O' Snakes: The Sunburst Years 1978-1982''.
Die edel aufgemachte Box in LP Größe enthält die ersten fünf Studioalben ''Trouble'', ''Lovehunter'', ''Ready An’ Willing'', ''Come An’ Get It'' und ''Saints & Sinners'' sowie die beiden Live-Alben ''Live At Hammersmith'' und ''Live...In The Heart Of The City'' in remasterter Version. Zusätzlich gibt es mit ''Live At Reading Rock ’79'' und ''Live At Reading Rock ’80'' zwei bis dato unveröffentlichte Konzerte auf CD.
Die DVD beinhaltet zehn Videoclips, vier rare BBC TV Auftritte und eine bislang unveröffentlichte US Show, die während der ''Ready An’ Willing Tour'' gefilmt wurde. Abgerundet wird diese Box durch eine Nachpressung der ersten WHITESNAKE 7“ EP ''Snakebite'' in weißem Vinyl, einem großen Poster und einem 90-seitigen Buch im Hardcover, dass ein neues Interview mit David Coverdale und Bernie Mardsen über die Frühphase der Band enthält sowie viele bis dato unveröffentlichte Photos aus Mardsens Sammlung.

Disc One: TROUBLE (1978)

1. Take Me With You (2011 - Remaster)
2. Love To Keep You Warm (2011 - Remaster)
3. Lie Down (A Modern Love Song) (2011 - Remaster)
4. Day Tripper (2011 - Remaster)
5. Nighthawk (Vampire Blues) (2011 - Remaster)
6. The Time Is Right For Love (2011 - Remaster)
7. Trouble (2011 - Remaster)
8. Belgian Tom's Hat Trick (2011 - Remaster)
9. Free Flight (2011 - Remaster)
10. Don't Mess With Me (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Two: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH (1978)

1. Come On (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
2. Might Just Take Your Life (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
3. Lie Down (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
4. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
5. Trouble (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
6. Mistreated (Live) (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Three: LOVEHUNTER (1979)

1. Long Way From Home (2011 - Remaster)
2. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (2011 - Remaster)
3. Help Me Thro' The Day (2011 - Remaster)
4. Medicine Man (2011 - Remaster)
5. You 'n' Me (2011 - Remaster)
6. Mean Business (2011 - Remaster)
7. Love Hunter (2011 - Remaster)
8. Outlaw (2011 - Remaster)
9. Rock 'n' Roll Women (2011 - Remaster)
10. We Wish You Well (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Four: READY AN’WILLING (1980)

1. Fool For Your Loving (1980 Recording) (2011 - Remaster)
2. Sweet Talker (2011 - Remaster)
3. Ready An' Willing (2011 - Remaster)
4. Carry Your Load (2011 - Remaster)
5. Blindman (2011 - Remaster)
6. Ain't Gonna Cry No More (2011 - Remaster)
7. Love Man (2011 - Remaster)
8. Black And Blue (2011 - Remaster)
9. She's A Woman (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Five: LIVE.... IN THE HEART OF THE CITY (1980)

1. Come On (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
2. Sweet Talker (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
3. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
4. Love Hunter (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
5. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (2011 - Remaster)
6. Fool For Your Loving (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
7. Ain't Gonna Cry No More (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
8. Ready An' Willing (Live) (2011 - Remaster)
9. Take Me With You (Live) (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Six: COME AN’ GET IT (1981)

1. Come An' Get It (2011 - Remaster)
2. Hot Stuff (2011 - Remaster)
3. Don't Break My Heart Again (2011 - Remaster)
4. Lonely Days Lonely Nights (2011 - Remaster)
5. Wine, Women An' Song (2011 - Remaster)
6. Child Of Babylon (2011 - Remaster)
7. Would I Lie To You (2011 - Remaster)
8. Girl (2011 - Remaster)
9. Hit An' Run (2011 - Remaster)
10. Till The Day I Die (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Seven: SAINTS & SINNERS (1982)

1. Young Blood (2011 - Remaster)
2. Rough An' Ready (2011 - Remaster)
3. Bloody Luxury (2011 - Remaster)
4. Victim Of Love (2011 - Remaster)
5. Crying In The Rain (2011 - Remaster)
6. Here I Go Again (2011 - Remaster)
7. Love An' Affection (2011 - Remaster)
8. Rock An' Roll Angels (2011 - Remaster)
9. Dancing Girls (2011 - Remaster)
10. Saints An' Sinners (2011 - Remaster)

Disc Eight: LIVE AT READING ROCK ’79 (1979)

1. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
2. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
3. Steal Away (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
4. Belgium Tom's Hat Trick (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
5. Mistreated/Soldier Of Fortune (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
6. Love Hunter (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)
7. Breakdown (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 26 August 1979)

Disc Nine: LIVE AT READING ROCK ’80 (1980)

1. Sweet Talker (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
2. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
3. Ain't Gonna Cry No More (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
4. Love Hunter (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
5. Mistreated/Soldier Of Fortune (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
6. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)
7. Fool For Your Loving (BBC In Concert Live At Reading Festival, 24 August 1980)

DVD

1. Come On (2011 - Remaster)
2. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (2011 - Remaster)
3. Bloody Mary (2011 - Remaster)
4. Steal Away (2011 - Remaster)
5. Day Tripper (2011 - Remaster)
6. Long Way From Home (2011 - Remaster)
7. Fool For Your Loving (2011 - Remaster)
8. Don't Break My Heart Again (2011 - Remaster)
9. Would I Lie To You (2011 - Remaster)
10. Here I Go Again (2011 - Remaster)
11. Lie Down (A Modern Love Song) (Old Grey Whistle Test 1978)
12. Trouble (Old Grey Whistle Test 1978)
13. Bloody Mary (Top Of The Pops 1978)
14. Here I Go Again (Top Of The Pops 1982)
15. Come On (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
16. Sweet Talker (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
17. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
18. Ain't Gonna Cry No More (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
19. Love Hunter (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
20. Belgian Tom's Hat Trick (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
21. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)
22. Fool For Your Loving (Live at Capital Centre, Washington 1980) (2011 - Remaster)

Component 11 - SNAKEBITE EP (1978) 33rpm 7” White Vinyl

Side 1

1. Bloody Mary (2011 - Remaster)
2. Steal Away (2011 - Remaster)

Side 2

1. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City (2011 - Remaster)
2. Come On (2011 - Remaster)

In the two-minute clip below, Meat & Potatoes creative director Todd Gallopo walks you through the optically enhanced features of the CHICKENFOOT "III" packaging.

CHICKENFOOT will offer fans a free live concert webcast on September 27, the same day that "Chickenfoot III" comes out. The band will perform tracks from the disc at 9:00 p.m. ET at TRI Studios in Marin County, California, followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session with fans at the band's official web site. Fans can submit questions through the site and should stay tuned to CHICKENFOOT's social sites to find out how to become a member of the studio audience.

The webcast will be rebroadcast on the the band's official web site on September 28 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

CHICKENFOOT will hit the road sometime later in the fall to promote the new record, although singer Sammy Hagar told The Pulse Of Radio he wasn't interested in playing live for a while until he heard how well the record turned out. "I don't want to tour," he said. "I do not want to pack my bags up for six weeks and go out and come home for two weeks and go out for six weeks. I do not want to get on a plane and go to South America or Japan to work. I'll go with my family and hang out, but I don't want to do any of that. But when I listen to this music, I go, 'I got to.'"

France's Radio Metal recently conducted an interview with ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Radio Metal: Do you think a dystopia is where our world is heading at?

Schaffer: I do, yeah. I think we're very close to that, especially in the West. In the United States, it's terrible actually. Things are so bad there, and they've been going that way for a long time, but it's just gotten worse and worse and worse at a record pace. It's turned into a police state, we're going to have a major financial crash, we have martial law, we have military on the streets, and you can't fly in a fucking airplane without either going through the radiation thing or getting your balls felt up by a TSA agent. It's just tyranny, that's what it is: there's no liberty left in America. It's time for a revolution.

Radio Metal: Actually, many people think that the world crisis we're going through is the sign that we have reached the limits of the capitalist system upon which the American economic system is based. What's your opinion about that?

Schaffer: I think that what we have is not real and certainly not free market capitalism. We have corporatism, we have fascism, we have communism, we have all these different forms of totalitarianism, but we certainly don't have free markets, and that's the problem, and this has been a rigged game for a long time by the global elite that have seized control of the American monetary system through fraud and deception back in 1913 with the signing of the Federal Reserve Act. When that institution was established, the United States of America ceased to exist and now it's accelerating. The collapse is coming because none of these fiat currencies ever last. They never last. A hundred years is about as long as anyone has ever lasted and we're getting close to that point, so I think that what needs to happen is an honest monetary system, instead of this fraudulent paper system, needs to be put back into place. We need to go back to some kind of commodity-based currency, whether it's gold and silver or whatever, something that takes effort and that governments can't just create money out of thin air and spread the warfare and the welfare empires that they are doing. I mean, all of our governments are involved in some really brutal criminal stuff, and it's based on this fraudulent monetary system, and that's what it roots from. So if we have sound money and free markets, then I think we would have prosperity and peace, but with a criminal monetary institution like the Federal Reserve which really owns and runs the United States, Bush has no power, Obama has no power, Clinton… these guys were just puppets for the banks. They may come out and tell you whatever rhetoric they want to tell you, politicians are professional liars, so they're going to come out and say what the people are going to hear, but it's divide and conquer tactics man, the only way to turn the world around is to get smart about monetary policies and to go back to a more sound and honest monetary system and to stop the wars and stop the welfare state and work towards liberty and prosperity.

Radio Metal: I know you have always been very proud of your own country, but when I hear you talking right now about it, I hear some disappointment in your words…

Schaffer: I'm proud of what America stood for in the beginning, what the founding ideals were. I mean, I didn't realize until a few years ago what my country has really become. I mean, we are being deceived in America; you are, too. Your government's deceiving you, too, and so is Germany, so is the U.K. I mean, the whole West is going down the shitter. And we're all being deceived by the same group of people, it's a hostile corporate take-over of the Western world they call the New World Order and they're trying to put about a world government. They're talking about it openly now. So the people in the United States and in the West are victims of high tech propaganda. It's worse in the United States, clearly, people have become far too trusting of the government. For me, my big wake-up was when I learned about the financial system and how fraudulent it is. And then everything started to make sense of how all of this deception is going on, it's very disturbing when you do the research, and that's what the SONS OF LIBERTY project was all about. If you go to the web site, there's a great booklist there, there are great documentaries to watch and it will let people know what's going on and inspire them to learn and to get prepared, because I think we've got the Fourth Reich rising, and I don't like it.