Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT will release the "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" in Europe on November 21 via Vertigo/Universal on double DVD, Blu-ray, limited double DVD + audio CD, CD, digital download and VOD.

With engines revving, VOLBEAT takes "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" into overdrive and jacks up their musical ride with footage from their sold-out show in front of 10,000 fervent fans at the Forum in Copenhagen, to the House of Blues in Anaheim, California and the Rock Am Ring show in Germany. It's VOLBEAT conquering performance territory Stateside and across Europe, showing fans that the band is just as comfortable, charged and throttled in front of an audience as intimate as 1,100 or as vast as 80,000.

Filmed on 11 cameras, leaving no musical stone unturned, this is as close to a backstage pass as you can get. And joined by such musical greats as Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of ANTHRAX/THE DAMNED THINGS, Michael Denner (MERCYFUL FATE), Mille Petrozza (KREATOR), Jacob Øelund, and L.G. Petrov (ENTOMBED), viewers also witness VOLBEAT in a rock and metal Hall Of Fame.

The exact track listing for "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" and American/Canadian release dates will be announced soon.

German grindcore/death metal act MILKING THE GOATMACHINE will release its new concept album, "Clockwork Udder", on November 18 via NoiseArt Records.

According to a press release, "The killer production really nails it to the point; it's a hard-slamming, riff-shitting, grind-shouting record with a massive wall of guitars, goatdowns, mosh parts and ferocity. Tracks such as the epic brutal opener 'We Want You' probably the new anthem of the goat supporters around the world, the mighty 'Raise Your Horns' or the ingenious cover of CULTURE BEAT's 'Vain Killer' — simply goatastic! The humor of the band seems to be never ending and furthermore is exactly what their fans expect and love so much about them in the too-serious metal biz nowadays. Thank goat for MILKING THE GOATMACHINE!"

MILKING THE GOATMACHINE will take part in this year's Hatefest tour in December alongside KATAKLYSM, TRIPTYKON, MARDUK, AZARATH and DAWN OF DISEASE.

"Clockwork Udder" track listing:

01. We Want You
02. Greatest of All Times
03. Human Domestication
04. Knock Knock Vol. 1
05. Clockwork Udder
06. Trappings of Power
07. Raise Your Horns
08. Straw Palace
09. Knock Knock Vol. 2
10. In Combat Column March
11. The Milky Way
12. Make It Or Break It
13. Knock Knock Vol. 3
14. More Humour Than Human
15. New Broom Sweeps Clean
16. In Hardest Conditions

Digipack bonus tracks:

17. Vain Killer
18. Modus Vivendi
19. The Augury
20. The Shaped Ape Blues

"Time Machine", a brand new song from renowned Scottish singer Doogie White, who has worked with such bands as RAINBOW, CORNERSTONE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, MIDNIGHT BLUE and PRAYING MANTIS and TANK, can be streamed in the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off Doogie's solo album, "As Yet Untitled", which is scheduled for release on October 24 in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and November 7 in the U.S. through MVD.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Come Taste The Band
02. Time Machine
03. Dreams Lie Down And Die
04. Lonely
05. Land Of The Deceiver
06. Secret Jesus
07. Sea Of Emotion
08. Catz Got Yer Tongue
09. Living On The Cheap
10. Times Like These

THE MAN-EATING TREE — the atmospheric metal band featuring former SENTENCED drummer Vesa Ranta alongside current/former members of POISONBLACK, REFLEXION and EMBRAZE — has completed work on its sophomore album, "Harvest", to be released in the coming months via Century Media Records. The CD was once again helmed by producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, SENTENCED, AMORPHIS) and marks the recording debut of guitarist Antti Karhu.

Commented vocalist Tuomas Tuominen: "Some of you already got the chance to meet [Antti] briefly on our late summer shows. The fine young man was welcomed to our lineup during the spring to play some mean guitar. He brings a style of playing that ranges through the far reaches of our music with ease. Soulful in one moment, packing all the needed punch in the next.

"The new recording and the strengthened lineup are not the only things that have come to a completion during the past few months.

"The album will be released worldwide through Century Media Records, with whom we inked a record deal in the summer.

"Good to work with the Century Media people; the warmth and dedication in their work matches that of ours."

Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of GuitarWorld.com recently conducted an interview with German "metal queen" Doro Pesch. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

GuitarWorld.com: The "25 Years In Rock" DVD/CD package is set to release in North America very soon. It looks like you've put a lot of work into making it special, so it must be a good feeling that it's finally ready to release.

Doro: Yeah, I have been waiting for so long! It's a great package. It has two discs, and it has the anniversary concert we did a while ago with great guests Bobby Blitz from OVERKILL, Tarja Turunen and all the ladies of metal, and many others. It's a lot of metal and it's all in this package. I think the package is nice, it looks great and the artwork is done by my favorite artist, Geoffrey Gillespie, who painted some of the other artwork for my albums. I am happy that it's finally coming out in the States!

GuitarWorld.com: When you do shows that are being recorded for a DVD release, is it any different for the band on stage? I mean, do you perform better because it's being recorded?

Doro: Yeah, I think everybody expects something special from us in such cases, and they expect it to be the best show we've ever done. The shows we recorded are each over three-and-a-half hours long, with great guests and stuff, little WARLOCK reunions, lights and pyrotechnics and all of that stuff. Having the whole of WARLOCK on stage was really one of the biggest highlights for me. It was so huge, I can never do that again, but on the DVD you will see for yourself that it looks massive and very impressive. We normally give our 110 per cent for every single show, but I think that night in Dusseldorf we gave it 150 per cent.

GuitarWorld.com: Other than those two shows, what plans do you have in terms of touring, especially in the States?

Doro: Yeah, actually toward the end of the year, we're looking to book some more U.S. dates. Right now we are wrapping up the summer festivals in Russia, Czech Republic, Spain and of course Germany, and then we're coming back to the States. I hope it will be at the end of this year or at least may be the beginning of next year, but yeah, it's in the making. I am certainly pushing for it because I love playing in the States. We have great fans everywhere but playing here in the States means a lot to me and it's like playing at home.

GuitarWorld.com: Your last studio album, "Fear No Evil", came out two years back. You must be thinking of the next album now. Have you started writing songs for it?

Doro: Yes I am already working on it. I've got some really nice songs and ideas in the making. I'm super excited about it and I'm going to play one new song at Wacken to get all the metalheads into an anthem. The record is not done yet, but it's on the way. It's good stuff, about eight or nine songs, and may be it will come out at the beginning of next year and we will release a single or two before that. But it's really fun stuff but at the same time powerful and anthemic. We put our whole heart and soul into it, so it takes us a little while to finish the album.

NICKELBACK haben angekündigt, dass ihr neues Album den Titel „Here And Now" tragen und im November dieses Jahres erscheinen wird. Schon Ende September werden die ersten beiden Singleauskopplungen veröffentlicht: Mit „When We Stand Together" und „Bottoms Up" werden sowohl Rock- als auch Popfans gleichermaßen bedient. Für Anfang 2012 ist dann eine große Welttournee anberaumt, Infos dazu werden bald bekannt gegeben.

„Here And Now" ist das siebte Studioalbum von NICKELBACK und wurde in den Mountain View Studios in Vancouver aufgenommen und produziert.

Frontmann Chad Kroeger: "We're four people who love making music, the way we like to make it. We entered the studio this year with a vision, and it all came together. We're extremely happy with the results, and can't wait to share them with our fans."

Mit weltweit fast 50 Millionen verkauften Alben sind NICKELBACK mittlerweile zu einer der bedeutendsten Rockbands aufgestiegen. Seit ihrem Durchbruch mit „How You Remind Me" haben es bereits 18 ihrer Singles in die Charts geschafft.

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has commented on an article written by a longtime fan of the band which points out the alleged musical and structural similarities between DREAM THEATER's new album and the group's breakthrough 1992 release, "Images And Words".

Thiago Campos, the Brazilian guitarist/producer/mixer/editor of "VRA! Split-Screen Covers", an online collaborative project where different artists record cover performances and post them on YouTube, penned his article after arriving at the "wonderfully shocking conclusion" that the entire "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", album — or "at least six songs" — was "written based off the charts of 'Images And Words' songs." He writes, "I know this might come across as an absurd accusation to many of you, but I wouldn't be coming out in public with this information if I hadn't done my homework, and if I wasn't confident this approach to writing the new album was a conscious/intentional decision, maybe even humorous, by the band."

He continues, "When I say the songs were 'written off the charts,' I mean arrangement-wise, their structures, sometimes even orchestrations and nuances that make the parts what they are, and their roles within the songs. This doesn't mean they will sound alike at all, because within a given guideline for arrangement, you could write virtually an infinite amount of different songs, and mainstream/pop has been doing so for decades to back me up on this statement. :)

"Some of these songs are so equal in terms of arrangements that I'm surprised more people didn't catch on to this nugget yet. Others just follow a rougher guideline (or so it seems to me at this point)."

After reading Thiago's article, Portnoy took to his own forum to write, "Well done, Thiago.... Great post and spot-on! I *immediately* noticed everything you wrote about upon my first listen... and found it all incredibly strange... If they are indeed intentional 'nuggets,' then I guess that's a pretty cool idea... However, if they were desperate attempts of secretly re-writing the past... hmm, maybe not so much... I guess only they [presumably referring to the current members of DREAM THEATER. — Ed.] will know the real reason for it..."

"A Dramatic Turn Of Events" — which marks new DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini's recorded debut — will be released in North America on September 13 via Roadrunner Records.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band last summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

SLIPKNOT DJ Sid Wilson will release his debut solo album, "Sid", on September 13 via iTunes, Amazon.com and various other major online retailers. The CD marks Wilson's first attempt at lead vocals and sees him departing from his usual role as a DJ in both SLIPKNOT and as DJ Starscream.

"Sid" was mixed by Ross Robinson (SLIPKNOT, KORN, LIMP BIZKIT) and Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, MUSTACH) and mastered by Chris Gehringer (CEE-LO GREEN, DRAKE, RIHANNA).

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Wilson described the disc as "an eclectic mix of all the different styles of music I grew up listening to. There's a strong B-Boy influence in my music, 'cause I'm a DJ. I used to listen to a lot of SKINNY PUPPY and more mainstream things that came out of industrial, like NINE INCH NAILS. I was always influenced by the BEASTIE BOYS a lot and RUN-DMC and the way they mixed their rock influences in their hip-hop stuff." Songtitles set to appear on the CD include the planned first single "Nervous Central" and "Flat Lace", which Wilson wrote five years ago for SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray, who died of an accidental drug overdose on May 24, 2010.

"It's just about the different struggles in his life," Wilson told Billboard.com, "and it was just my way of letting him know that I was always there for him and that I was aware of the things he had to deal with. It's definitely difficult (to sing). It's hard for me to even talk about it."

Be on the lookout for the forthcoming EP from Sid, "The Miami Vice Sound Crack", which is rumored to already be completed.

"De Praestigiis Daemonum", a brand new song from guitarist Stéphan Forté of French neo-classical metallers ADAGIO, can be streamed at this location. The track, which features a guest appearance by Mattias IA Eklundh from FREAK KITCHEN, comes off Stéphan's first instrumental solo album, "The Shadows Compendium", which will be released in February via Listenable Records. The CD was mixed by Kevin Codfert at XFade studio in Paris, France. Stéphan and Kevin already worked together on the production of ADAGIO's fourth album, "Archangels In Black".

Commented Stéphan: "When I decided to record this album, it was obvious that I wanted to work with Kevin again. We both know each other so well that sometimes we don't even need to talk while mixing. Kev knows perfectly what I want and I am 100 percent happy with the mix he did on this album. It has been a real work in common since not only he mixed it, but also did the drums programming and, of course, played all the keyboards and piano. On the bass, same thing — it was clear that Franck [Hermanny] would do the bass. He is one of the most skilled bass player I know in metal, he is in ADAGIO with me since day one and just like Kevin, he's one of my best friends, so it could not have been done differently!"

Regarding the song "De Praestigiis Daemonum", Forté said, "This is probably the most shredding song of the album. I guess it is not the easiest one to listen to, but since it's the very first song we're offering to the guitar fans, I wanted to give them an 'in-your-face' kinda track. This is also a song I've made as a tribute for Jason Becker. He is one of my biggest guitar influences ever and it's been a while since I wanted to do it, so I am very glad to share this track with you guys!"

"The Shadows Compendium" features several other guests, such as Jeff Loomis, Glen Drover, Daniele Gottardo and Derek Taylor.

Stéphan will embark for a masterclass and showcase tour in Europe this October, introducing the album and his new LÂG signature seven-string guitar.

ADAGIO will enter in studio in January to begin recording its fifth album.

Chicago instrumental trio RUSSIAN CIRCLES have revealed the title, cover art, tracklisting and release date for their forthcoming new album. The band's fourth full-length, titled Empros, will be available worldwide via Sargent House on October 25th.

The hard working band remains on the road this fall with tour dates in Australia and New Zealand in September, followed by North American headlining shows in October and November - including a performance on the Black Stage at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX in early November. See all current dates below; more details to be announced soon.

Russian Circles return with not only their fourth and heaviest album to date - but also with Empros they're poised to take the crown as innovators reinvigorating the staid trappings of genre. Empros picks up where the anthemic riffs and melodies of 2009's Geneva left off and injects evermore slithering rhythms amid skull-crushing heft with all the visceral intensity of GODFLESH, SWANS and NEUROSIS. Put simply, Empros is Russian Circles' Master Of Reality: a radical revision of both heavy and melody that is monolithic in its clarity and perfection. Or, like a lone surviving wooly beast emerging from a brutal winter's frost, Empros is the sound of a band shaking the ages from its shoulders with all the brutal force of a behemoth awakened.

Taking to Chicago's Phantom Manor studio once again with producer Brandon Curtis of THE SECRET MACHINES and INTERPOL - who also helmed the band's previous album Geneva - Russian Circles set out to experiment with their sound in new ways that would still reflect their live sound. In so doing, the band reached a new creative apex in which each of the musicians, guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz and bassist Brian Cook impart a streamlined and intensified attack to their songs that pummels even as it shifts throughout a range of moods and tempos.

The album opens with an imposing mechanical drone leading into funereal guitar notes that are abruptly interrupted by a propulsive drum beat as the proceedings of "309" erupt into something akin to a neo-industrial revision of CELTIC FROST. The song lunges through nearly 9 minutes of masterful rhythmic shifts and brutal guitar warfare with such assertive grace it sounds as though the band is throwing down a gauntlet defying all challengers. 'Mladek' kicks off with the soaring notes of Sullivan's signature hammer-on guitar arpeggios as Cook's volume-swelling bass notes surge like bubbling molten lava. Turncrantz's innovative rephrasing of the drum pattern elevates the song as it slinks from part to part, guided by the syncopated chatter traded between chiming guitar notes and churning bass. Elsewhere, there are beautiful moments of melodic respite, helping to underscore the album's majestic strength. And, there may even be a few surprises awaiting within the album's six tracks. There are riffs, yes - many of them. But, with Empros the entire band seems to be the embodiment of the riff itself.

Empros is Russian Circles' first full-length to be released worldwide exclusively via Sargent House, the band's longtime management company and record label that had previously released only the vinyl editions of its three prior albums. It will be available everywhere on LP, CD and Digital Download on October 25th.

'309'
'Mladek'
'Schipol'
'Atackla'
'Batu'
'Praise Be Man'

JETHRO TULL's Ian Anderson will perform Thick As A Brick in its entirety for the first time since 1972, going out for a world tour commencing in Great Britain in mid-April. Then, it's on to European countries in the late spring and summer before landing in the USA for two tours spanning September, October and early November.

This tour will feature a more theatrical production with video and additional musicians.

In 1972, Ian wrote the music (and the lyrics which were credited at the time to the fictitious character, eight year-old Gerald Bostock, whose parents lied about his age) and recorded with Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick. The record became a number one Billboard album and enjoyed huge commercial success in most countries of the world. The album featured only one song, lasting nearly 45 minutes. To accommodate the album on LP vinyl and cassette, the seamless track was split on both sides of the record. It reached number one on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Tull then dutifully took the somewhat theatrical show on the road in the Great Britain, USA, and other world markets.

Since 1972, the album has never been performed in its entirety although a few minutes of the material have been a regular repertoire staple in both Tull and IA solo shows over the years.

Now, scheduled for performance again in 2012, Ian will take the original album to a theatre near you. It will be performed in its entirety in a theatrical setting with band, and additional guests.

After eight years of touring and three records, bassist Sean Delson has left FOZZY by mutual decision.

"Ever since the success of 'Chasing The Grail' and the subsequent world tours that followed, it became apparent that Sean's mindset and goals for FOZZY were different from ours," says frontman Chris Jericho. "So we decided it would be best to make a change now rather than later and he agreed. But we love Sean as a brother and a player and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

Effective immediately, FOZZY is proud to announce the addition of Paul DiLeo as their new four-stringer. Paul is a seasoned veteran who's played with such legendary performers as Billy Joel and Joe Lynn Turner and currently plays with FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward in ADRENALINE MOB.

"Paul DiLeo is a greasy groovin', power-pocket, monster-tone producing, master showman of the highest caliber," says Rich. "Together onstage over the last few months we have become the Wonder Twins of metal and I know he's gonna blow our fan's minds!!"

Chris continues, "I'm excited and honored to have such a talented player and performer like Paul in FOZZY! I'm convinced he's a big piece of the puzzle who's going to help us continue to rise to the next level worldwide."

DiLeo will join FOZZY at the end of September when the band headlines the second stage of Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar in Calgary, Edmonton, Canada and Seattle, Washington and on the The Madness Returns European tour in November.

Dutch female-fronted rock/metal outfit NEMESEA will release their third album, "The Quiet Resistance", via Napalm Records on the following dates:

* Spain, Finland, Sweden: November 17
* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy: November 18
* Rest Of Europe: November 21
* USA, Canada: November 22

"The Quiet Resistance" was produced and mixed by Joost van den Broek, who has previously played with AFTER FOREVER, AYREON, SUN CAGED and VANDENBERG.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. The Quiet Resistance
02. Caught In The Middle
03. Afterlife
04. Whenever
05. If You Could
06. High Enough
07. Say
08. It's Over
09. I Live
10. Stay With Me
11. Rush
12. Release Me
13. 2012
14. Allein (bonus track)

THERION mainman Christofer Johnsson has issued the following update:

"We are happy to announce that Lori Lewis (AESMA DAEVA singer) has obtained permanent status in Therion. She has been a fantastic partner of the band being a great friend and making the best operatic performance known to the metal world for several years. Now she will also be an active part of the creative process behind the making of our future releases. We know fans will agree when we say she is one of a kind and have a natural place in the band now and in the future."

Lewis hails from Salem, Oregon and was one of the live members for Therion's Gothic Kabbalah world tour, the 20 Year Celebration Tour in 2007 and the Sitra Ahra tour in 2010 in support of Therion's CD release, Sitra Ahra.

MPIRE OF EVIL (formerly PRIMEVIL) — the new band featuring former VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar), Antony "Antton" Lant (drums; brother of VENOM frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals) — has posted two new songs, "Hellspawn" and "Reptile", on the group's Facebook page. The tracks will appear on MPIRE OF EVIL's debut mini-album, "The Creatures Of The Black", which will be released later this year via Scarlet Records. The CD will also feature cover versions of four songs that influenced the members of MPIRE OF EVIL ("Exciter" by JUDAS PRIEST, "God Of Thunder" by KISS, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" by AC/DC and "Motörhead" by MOTÖRHEAD). A full-length effort will follow sometime in 2012.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe joined Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED, KINGDOM OF SORROW) on stage last night (Thursday, September 8) at the Webster Theater in Hartford, Connecticut to perform the song "Enslaved, Dead Or Depraved" from Jasta's recently released solo album, simply entitled "Jasta".

Fan-filmed footage of Blythe's appearance

ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte joined Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED, KINGDOM OF SORROW) on stage this past Thursday night (September 8) at the Webster Theater in Hartford, Connecticut to perform the song "Something You Should Know" from Jasta's recently released solo album, simply entitled "Jasta".

"We are very sad to report that yesterday our bandmate and brother B has passed away.

The concerts today and tomorrow are still to be performed, but in a different form in his honor. This information is valid and in its extreme sadness true.

A final statement with further details is to come.

Kim, Henrik (H.), Felix (Fix), Kral".

Vocalist Johan Lindstrand has rejoined reactivated Swedish death/thrash metallers THE CROWN.

THE CROWN's current lineup:

Johan Lindstrand - Vocals
Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
Marko Tervonen - Rhythm Guitar
Janne Saarenpää - Drums
Marcus Sunesson - Lead Guitar

Commented the band: "We would like to thank our metal brother Jonas Stålhammar for the amazing teamwork for the last couple of years!!! Respect!!! Next week we'll start rehearsing new material (6-7 news songs written at this point). We hope to enter the studio early 2012.

"We are thinking of doing a few Swedish dates within a couple of months (most likely a first reunion show in our hometown Trollhättan, this time in a proper club) and then focus on doing some kick-ass festivals in 2012."

Added Lindstrand: "Once again I have been blessed with the opportunity to join my oldest friends and brothers in arms Marko, Janne, Magnus and Markus. I'm am so grateful for this and I will do my best to make the original lineup live up to all expectations and we will definitely have a total blast together while rippin' the world to pieces with a lot more years to come.

"Yeah, from now on I am the lead singer in this classic death metal outfit called THE CROWN. Damn! That feels good to say. I will also take some time here to thank Jonas Stålhammar, 'cause he did an amazing job on 'Doomsday King'. You rule, dude!

"Other than that I have to say: THE ORIGINAL FIVE HAS RETURNED!!! Go hide your children."

Jonas Stålhammar stated: "Come in Number 51, your time is up! It's fitting quoting the classic PINK FLOYD song right about now.

"My time with THE CROWN comes to an end with the return of the true voice of THE CROWN, Johan Lindstrand.

"It's been a bumpy but really enjoyable ride for me being a member of THE CROWN. It's with great respect I step down to let Johan take his rightful place in the band again. I wish them all the best and they are truly my brothers still."

According to WorldScreen.com, the 3D version of ALICE COOPER's "Halloween Night Of Fear" will be offered to broadcasters at MIPCOM from BBC Worldwide. The "Halloween Night Of Fear" will be filmed on October 29, with the set including classics such as "School's Out", as well as tracks from Cooper's new album. The two-hour mix will be available on October 30 for Halloween broadcasts.

Commented Salim Mukaddam, the VP of music television at BBC Worldwide: "Capturing music performances in 3D brings a whole new experience to the viewer and arguably benefits from the technology more than any other genre, allowing the viewer to really feel as if they were at the live event. For BBC Worldwide to be able to launch its 3D offering with titles of this caliber is truly fantastic."

The first-ever single released by Swedish extreme metallers SHINING, which was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine, was certified gold in the band's home country in August by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. (Note: Each copy of the magazine containing the CD sold in Sweden was counted towards the certification; the single itself was **not** sold separately.)

The two-track CD single was released by Spinefarm Records and featured "Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel", taken from SHINING's new album, "VII / Född Förlorare", on the "A" side, while a previously unreleased cover of ALICE COOPER's "Prince Of Darkness" appeared on the "B" side.

Commented SHINING frontman and founder Niklas Kvarforth: "I never thought I would have a SHINING gold record hanging on my bathroom wall. I want thank all our past, present and future fans for helping us turn our world into a worse place to live, and pray for the day we will be able to infect other countries on such a big scale!"

SHINING will enter KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden in January to begin work on the band's eighth album. SHINING mainman Niklas Kvarforth said, "I am a huge KING DIAMOND fan, and working with Andy was an opportunity I wasn't going to pass up. He will be attending some of our rehearsals and it will be interesting to see what his input will be to the almost finished album and to SHINING's particular sound. Whilst we're there, we also plan to record some covers for future release. As to the direction 'VIII' will take, well, for the time being let's just say that it will be blacker and more sinister than our previous releases."

SHINING's first-ever video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Martin Strandberg and Niklas Kvarforth, produced by Martin Strandberg and created by Black Shadows Filmproductions and Hill Fifty and uses the track "Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel" from the group's new album, "VII / Född Förlorare". It has been released in both censored and uncensored versions given the graphic nature of some of the scenes.