The third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards presented by Epiphone — America's only hard-rock and heavy-metal award show — announced this year's winners last night at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. Highlights from the Revolver Golden Gods Awards will be broadcast on VH1 Classic on Saturday, May 28. Revolver will release a special Golden Gods issue of the magazine on May 24. The Golden Gods issue will include exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and interviews.

The full list of winners and presenters for the third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards is as follows:

* Golden God Award: Alice Cooper (presented by Rob Zombie)

* Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award: MÖTLEY CRÜE (presented by Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR)

* Honorary Headbanger Award: William Shatner (presented by Scott Ian of ANTHRAX and THE DAMNED THINGS and comedian Brian Posehn)

* Best Guitarists Award: Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance of AVENGED SEVENFOLD (presented by Robb Flynn of MACHINE HEAD and Wayne Static of STATIC X)

* Best Drummer Award: Mike Portnoy for his work with AVENGED SEVENFOLD (presented by Vinnie Paul of PANTERA/HELLYEAH)

* Best New Band Award: BLACK VEIL BRIDES (presented by Duff McKagan of LOADED/VELVET REVOLVER/GUNS N' ROSES)

* Most Metal Athlete Award: Skateboarder Mike Vallely (presented by Chino Moreno of Deftones)

* Best Vocalist Award: M. Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD (presented by Taylor Momsen of THE PRETTY RECKLESS and Sebastian Bach)

* Best Live Band Award: RAMMSTEIN (presented by Charlie Benante of ANTHRAX and Mike Portnoy)

* Comeback of the Year Award: MURDERDOLLS (presented by David Coverdale of WHITESNAKE)

* Album of the Year Award: AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare" (presented by Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez of ALICE IN CHAINS)

The show featured host Chris Jericho (WWE, FOZZY, "Dancing With The Stars") along with presenters, performers, nominees and attendees, including:

* Alice Cooper
* MÖTLEY CRÜE
* Rob Zombie
* Actor William Shatner
* Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL)
* Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, LOADED)
* Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR)
* Steve Jones (SEX PISTOLS)
* Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION)
* Chino Moreno (DEFTONES)
* Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA/HELLYEAH)
* Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, THE DAMNED THINGS)
* Actress Juliette Lewis
* David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE, DEEP PURPLE)
* Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES)
* Max Cavalera (SEPULTURA, SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY)
* Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED, KINGDOM OF SORROW)
* Taylor Momsen (THE PRETTY RECKLESS)
* Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD)
* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES)

And members of:

* ALICE IN CHAINS
* SLAYER
* MEGADETH
* STATIC-X
* DETHKLOK
* FEAR FACTORY
* MACHINE HEAD
* WE ARE THE FALLEN
* MURDERDOLLS
* SUICIDE SILENCE
* WINDS OF PLAGUE

Also appearing were comedian Brian Posehn, skateboarders Mike Vallely and Chris Cole, MMA fighters Dan Hardy and Josh Barnett, Wendy Dio (wife of Ronnie James Dio) and many more.

Live performances for the Revolver Golden Gods awards included musical sets from ALICE COOPER (fresh off their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and their first L.A. appearance in 40 years), LOADED (featuring Duff McKagan of GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER), Elvis Presley/Johnny Cash-inspired metal group VOLBEAT, host Chris Jericho's band FOZZY, fast-rising metalcore newcomers ASKING ALEXANDRIA, and hometown heroes AVENGED SEVENFOLD closed out the night.

Special collaborations that took place at the 2011 show included AVENGED SEVENFOLD performing PANTERA's "Mouth For War" with Vinnie Paul Abbott and GUNS N' ROSES' "It's So Easy" with Duff McKagan; Steve Jones and Corey Taylor performing JUDAS PRIEST's "Electric Eye" with LOADED; Sebastian Bach performing SKID ROW's "Youth Gone Wild" with ASKING ALEXANDRIA; Scott Ian of ANTHRAX performing DUSTY SPRINGFIELD's "I Only Want To Be With You" with VOLBEAT; Max Cavalera, Jamey Jasta, and Mike Vallely joining DEVILDRIVER for a salute to BLACK FLAG.

Shock-rock godfather Alice Cooper received the "Golden God Award" — which is given to one special honoree a year who embodies the spirit of hard rock and metal — at the third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place last night (Wednesday, April 20) at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles.

The original ALICE COOPER band — consisting of rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith, plus Steve Hunter standing-in for the late Glen Buxton — played four songs at the event: "Eighteen", "Under My Wheels", "Billion Dollar Babies" and "School's Out". Video footage of their performance can be viewed below.

Alice Cooper was inducted into the 2011 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on March 14 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria. Cooper was inducted by recent touring partner Rob Zombie, who said during his introduction, "Alice Cooper invented the rock show. Before Alice Cooper, there was no rock show. They're more than a band. They were more like a murderous gang of drag queens — in a good way."

Cooper and the original Alice Cooper band played "Eighteen", "Under My Wheels" and "School's Out", after which Alice gave his acceptance speech, "We've always been a hard-rock band," he said. "We just wanted to decorate it a little bit differently." He also saluted guitarist Glen Buxton, who died of complications from pneumonia in 1997, calling him "the heart and soul of the band, as black and dark as it may be."

Video footage of the brand new touring lineup of New Jersey thrashers WHIPLASH performing the song "The Burning Of Atlanta" live at An Club in Athens, Greece on April 4, 2011 can be viewed below.

Commented WHIPLASH guitarist/vocalist Tony Portaro: "It was an honor to unveil the new WHIPLASH 'Power And Pain 2011 Tour' in Greece. It was the maiden performance there for WHIPLASH and the reception was fantastic.

"We followed up the Athens and Thessaloniki shows with a performance in Italy where the crowd was also thrashing like mad. We cannot wait to return, but we are very much looking forward to this year's Hellfest, where we will be performing on Saturday, June 18 with SCORPIONS, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, THIN LIZZY, CORONER, KREATOR, SODOM, DESTRUCTION, BAD BRAINS, D.R.I. and many more."

WHIPLASH recently parted ways with the group's original drummer, Tony Scaglione, and replaced him with Dan Foord of the U.K.-based metal band SIKTH.

Commented Foord: "It's an honor to be asked to join one of the pioneers of thrash metal. I grew up on thrash so it wasn't a hard decision to make when I was asked to come and play with WHIPLASH. I'm looking forward to writing new music and getting on the road, doing my utmost to win over the WHIPLASH fans."

WHIPLASH is a three-piece power trio hailing from New Jersey. The band was assembled back in 1984 when Tony Portaro (guitar, vocals) and Scaglione joined forces, then recruited Tony Bono on bass.

"Unborn Again", the latest album from WHIPLASH, was released in 2009 via Pulverised Records. The CD was recorded at Mozart Studio with Harris Johns. The band mixed and mastered the album at The Music Lab in Berlin, Germany. The cover artwork was created by Ed Repka (DEATH, ATHEIST, MEGADETH, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, POSSESSED).

NEVERMORE guitar player Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams have announced their departure from the group. The two have released the following joint statement:

"In a mutual decision, Jeff Loomis and Van Williams have decided to leave NEVERMORE. The time has come to pursue our own paths from the group. Due to internal struggles and ongoing issues within the band, we feel it is our time to move on. We would like to thank all of our fans around the world for their years of love, support and enthusiasm. This was not an easy decision but a very necessary one at this point, may we all meet again someday, somewhere in time."

Loomis and Williams had been with NEVERMORE since the band's self-titled first album, which came out in 1995.

Gary Holt from veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS will once again act as SLAYER's guest guitarist for this Saturday's (April 23) "Big Four" show in Indio, California, temporary filling in for Jeff Hanneman who is still recovering from surgery.

In a recent interview with Austria's Stormbringer.at webzine, SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo stated about the decision to hire Holt as the initial temporary replacement for Hanneman, who is recovering from an infection thought to have been caused by a spider bite, "Well, that was a hard decision to make. We had to think to ourselves, 'Do we cancel — again? Or what do we do? Do we keep going?' It was a difficult decision, but we had to make it — to find a guitar player to take Jeff's place until Jeff gets better. And Gary, really, was a no-brainer — meaning, we didn't have to think about it. Because at Hellfest in France [in 2010], Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] and myself were watching EXODUS. And SLAYER and EXODUS go waaay back. We go back to '83 or '84 when we first got together and did shows up in San Francisco together. So we saw Gary play with EXODUS [again last year], and we loved it. And Gary's performance was outstanding. So the first person that came to our minds was Gary — to take the place for Jeff. Again, it was difficult to make that decision, but we had to do it to fulfill our shows; we couldn't cancel again."

Hanneman underwent emergency surgery on his right arm in January. He is now recuperating at home and is expected to make a full recovery. He will return to the SLAYER lineup as soon as he has fully recovered.

While Hanneman's doctors were not able to definitively identify the infection's origin, they diagnosed necrotizing fasciitis, an infection caused by bacteria. According to WebMD, necrotizing fasciitis can destroy skin, fat, and the tissue covering the muscles. The disease sometimes is called "flesh-eating" bacteria.

Virginia-based classic metal outfit TWISTED TOWER DIRE has completed work on its fifth full-length album, "Make It Dark", for a May 3 North American release via Italy's Cruz Del Sur Music. According to a press release, the CD is "probably the most mature album the band has written to date. With a direct approach, the band has been able to write a very compact-sounding release, made of some immediate hit songs as well as others marked with more traditional TWISTED TOWER DIRE taste. 'Make It Dark' is the sum of those elements which are the pillars of rock/metal music in general and that are so greatly expressed by the band in this release: guitar and vocal melodies above the standards, catchy refrains and most important of all, the feeling that each and every one of these songs bears the potential to become a new metal classic! Strengthened by Chris Salamone's (WHILE HEAVEN WEPT) post-studio work, it features cover art by U.K. artist Martin Hanford (SLOUGH FEG, BAL-SAGOTH, WARHAMMER)."

The song "White Ghost" from "Make It Dark" is available for streaming at Apochs.net.

TWISTED TOWER DIRE's name ha

German death metallers DAWN OF DISEASE will release their debut album, "Legends Of Brutality", on April 29 via Noise Art Records. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studio (GOD DETHRONED, DEW-SCENTED, SINISTER) with producer Jörg Uken.

A trailer for the album can be viewed below.

"Legends Of Brutality" track listing:

01. Gasping For Life (intro)
02. Above The Gods *
03. Impervious Mind
04. Legends Of Brutality
05. Soul Harvest
06. When White Turns Red
07. Death Shall Be Mine
08. Justified Retaliation
09. Out Of Breath
10. Sinister Rapture *
11. Bitter Fate
12. Silence Prevails (outro)

* Featuring guest vocals by Henri Sattler of Dutch melodic death metallers GOD DETHRONED

"Legends Of Brutality" (song) audio stream:

POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — will release its fifth album, now titled "Drive" (working title was "Lead & Roll Vol. 5"), in Scandinavia on April 27 via Hype Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST).

"Drive" track listing:

01. Piston Head
02. Mercury Falling
03. A Good Day For The Crows
04. Maggot Song
05. From Now-Here to Nowhere
06. Sycophant
07. The Dead-End Stream
08. Futile Man
09. Scars
10. Driftwood

"Drive" is available for streaming in its entirety on the POISONBLACK Facebook page. Simply click "Like" for your chance to hear the CD.

Former and current members of HEAVEN & HELL, DIO, GUNS N' ROSES, WHITESNAKE and RATT, are among the musicians who took part in the '80s Rockers For Japan benefit concert on Saturday, April 16 at Harper's in Tarzana, California. Organized by singer Terry Ilous (XYZ, GREAT WHITE), the show featured musicians from some of the '80s most popular rock and metal bands.

Video footage of the "Over The Mountain" performance from the '80s Rockers For Japan concert can be viewed below. The band lineup for the song was as follows:

* Robin McAuley (SURVIVOR, MSG) - Vocals
* Mitch Perry (MSG, ASIA, EDGAR WINTER) - Guitar
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL) - Drums
* Rudy Sarzo (DIO, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) - Bass
* Robert Sarzo (HURRICANE) - Guitar

Ilous and Jeff Paris wrote a song and are created a video that featured many of the participating musicians. The song was recorded, and the video shot, live at the benefit event. It will subsequently be available on iTunes. Proceeds from the event and sales of the track and video will be donated to the American Red Cross Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts.

"Japan has always been very supportive of our kind of music, and this is our small way of giving back," said Ilous.

Musicians who appeared at the event, among others:

* Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES, ADLER'S APPETITE)
* Vinny Appice (HEAVEN & HELL, DIO, BLACK SABBATH)
* Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, ROD STEWART, OZZY OSBOURNE)
* Rudy Sarzo (DIO, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT)
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL)
* Richie Kotzen (POISON, MR. BIG)
* Juan Croucier (RATT)
* John Payne (ASIA)
* Teddy Zigzag (GUNS N' ROSES)
* Robin McAuley (SURVIVOR, MSG)
* Simon Wright (DIO, AC/DC, UFO)
* Robert Sarzo (HURRICANE)
* Mitch Perry (MSG, ASIA, EDGAR WINTER)
* Tony Marcus (XYZ)

Drummer Michael Harris has net BraveWords.com the following update:

"I had recently auditioned for Columbus, Ohio rockers AMERICAN DOG and became part of the line-up taking over drum duties. The band is rounded off by Michael Hannon (bass/lead vocals; former SALTY DOG and DANGEROUS TOYS), Steve Theado (guitar/vocals).

American Dog has added select tour dates (Schedule) and a full U.S. tour is in the works as well as a possible European and U.K. tour. Check for additional tour dates and news at Americandog.us or check for upcoming tour dates here.




I am very excited to a part of such a talented, hard rockin' band. Michael and Steve are two of the greatest guys you could meet and I look forward to tearin' it up on the road with them!

I will be adding tons of photo's, videos and other stuff from the tour as it progresses. I'm working on setting up a live podcasts/video feed from the concerts as well.

Also, the sophomore album titled Inject The Infection from my former metal band H.A.T.E., is expected to be released sometime in April via Auburn Records. I am very proud of the work and drumming I put into this album along with the rest of the band, and I expect it should do really well. You can pick up a copy from Auburn Records website.

Take care and have a fantastic day!"

U.K. rock veterans STATUS QUO will release their new album, "Quid Pro Quo", in the U.K. on May 30 through Tesco Entertainment, and in the rest of the world on May 27 via earMUSIC/Edel. The CD contains 14 brand new tracks plus the 2010 version of "In The Army Now" and is packaged with a second disc, "The Official Bootleg - Greatest Hits Live", making this serious value for money. "The Official Bootleg" was recorded in Amsterdam and Melbourne last year and offers 10 classic hits specially remixed by Gregg Jackman.

"Quid Pro Quo" will also be available as a limited run of 1,000 deluxe box sets comprising a vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve, the 2xCD version featuring special artwork and 2 extra live tracks, a QUO poster, individually numbered "Quo Quid" banknote, a T-shirt and a set of badges (unavailable elsewhere). The deluxe box sets will retail at £50 and will be available worldwide, with only 500 available exclusively from StatusQuo.co.uk.

The 14 new tracks on "Quid Pro Quo" were produced by Francis Rossi and Mike Paxman, the 2010 version of "In The Army Now" was produced by Pip Williams.

"Quid Pro Quo" track listing:

01. Two Way Traffic
02. Rock 'N' Roll 'N' You
03. Dust To Gold
04. Let's Rock
05. Can't See for Looking
06. Better Than That
07. Movin' On
08. Leave A Little Light On
09. Anyway You Like It
10. Frozen Hero
11. Reality Cheque
12. The Winner
13. It's All About You
14. My Old Ways
15. In The Army Now (2010)

"The Official Bootleg - Greatest Hits Live" track listing:

01. Whatever You Want
02. Down Down
03. Don't Drive My Car
04. Hold You Back
05. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
06. Ice In The Sun
07. Beginning Of The End
08. Roll Over Lay Down
09. Caroline
10. Rocking All Over The World

Extra Tracks (Deluxe Edition):

11. Paper Plane
12. Softer Ride

Tony Wakeford Neofolk/Prog Heros SOL INVICTUS veröffentlichen am 10. Mai 2011 den "The Bad Luck Bird" Nachfolger mit dem Titel "The Cruellest Month" über das neue Label Prophecy Productions / Auerbach Tonträger. Jetzt wurde das "The Cruellest Month" Cover Artwork und die Track List des Prophecy Productions Debut Albums enthüllt. Mehr Infos werden in Kürze bekannt gegeben.

"The Cruellest Month" Track List:

01. Raining in April
02. To Kill all Kings
03. The Sailor's Aria
04. Fools' Ship
05. Toys
06. Edward
07. The Bad Luck Bird
08. April Rain
09. Cruel Lincoln
10. Something's Coming
11. Stella Maris
12. The Cruellest Month
13. The Blackleg Miner

TAAKE, one of Norway's leading black metal bands, will release a mini-CD on April 26 which will serve as a taster for the new full-length album, due in September. "Kveld" contains five tracks, four of which are classic TAAKE songs which have been especially recorded live in the studio with the band's current live lineup, and a new track, "Nordbundet", which will also feature on the upcoming fifth full-length CD, "Noregs Vaapen".

"Kveld" track listing:

01. Nordbundet
02. Motpol
03. Hordalands Doedskvad 1
04. Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik 4
05. Nattestid Ser Porten Vid 1

"Kveld" will be released in digipack format and limited to 500 copies on founder and frontman Hoest's own label Svartekunst Produksjoner. The digital version of the MCD will be available through Dark Essence Records, which will also release "Noregs Vaapen" later in the year.

"Kveld" was recorded at the Conclave and Earshot Studios in Bergen with producer Bjornar E. Nilsen,

Florida-based blackened death metal warriors INFERNAEON have announced the departure of vocalist Brian Werner.

Commented the band: After much forethought, INFERNAEON has decided to part ways with our singer Brian Werner. He was planning on leaving the band after our appearance at the Babylon Rising festival in Puerto Rico, and it was decided afterwards that it would be beneficial if he carried out those plans.

"INFERNAEON is in no way breaking up, and we would like to thank our fans and tell them that we are working on some new material and we plan to be back on the road as soon as possible."

MAN RAZE — the rock outfit featuring Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD, Simon Laffy from GIRL and Paul Cook of THE SEX PISTOLS — will release a new single, "Over My Dead Body", on May 31 via iTunes worldwide through Rocket Science. The brand new song will be available as a double header, with both electric and acoustic versions.

A video message from MAN RAZE in which the guys discuss the arrival of their new album (currently untitled), due out this summer on Rocket Science, can be viewed below.

MAN RAZE's debut album, "Surreal", was re-released in June 2009 via VH1 Classic Records as a deluxe edition with five previously unreleased bonus tracks.

LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — will be direct support for former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen on the following dates:

May 3 - Stuttgart, Germany - Longhorn
May 04 - Erlangen, Germany - E-Werk
May 06 - München, Germany - Backstage
May 07 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Festhalle Durlach
May 10 - Bonn, Germany - Brückenforum
May 11 - Osnabrück, Germany - Rosenhof
May 13 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
May 16 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
May 17 - Neu Isenburg, Germany - Hugenottenhalle
May 19 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
May 20 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol

A video interview with Tarja and Liv Kristine can be seen below.

CANNABIS CORPSE — the Richmond, Virginia-based old-school death metal band featuring Philip "Landphil" Hall (bass) from MUNICIPAL WASTE and his brother Josh "HallHammer" Hall (drums) — has completed work on its brand-new full-length album, "Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise". The CD will be issued on July 12 via Tankcrimes, the label that issued the band's "The Weeding" EP back in 2009.

On "Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise", CANNABIS CORPSE has ventured even further down the left-hand path to pay homage to those other masters of death, MORBID ANGEL and DEICIDE. Tongue-in-cotton-mouthed-cheek titles like "Lunatic of Pot's Creation" and "Immortal Pipes" keep the party rolling, but don't be fooled: CANNABIS CORPSE is not a joke band. Sure, they'll fire up a bowl and chug a beer, but then they'll rip your face off with a brutal old-school death metal assault, the likes of which haven't been seen since the seeds of the genre first began to grow.

British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, EXODUS) has revealed to Radio Metalthat he will enter the studio this summer with San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT to begin work on the follow-up to 2008's "The Formation Of Damnation". A late 2011/early 2012 release is expected.

"The new album will most likely be a culmination of 'The Gathering' [1999] and 'The Formation of Damnation', but we're definitely not going to forget who we are or our roots. I think we've found a comfortable spot in our writing style," TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy stated in a 2010 interview.

"Ordsmedar av Rang", the new video from Norwegian blackened punk metallers KVELERTAK, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which was released June 21, 2010 via Indie Recordings and continues to receive rave reviews from mainstream media and metal web sites alike for its unique TURBONEGRO/black metal/punk/classic rock/blues elements. Produced by Kurt Ballou and mixed by Alan Douches with artwork by John Baizley and guest appearances by Hoest (TAAKE), Andreas Tylden (JR Ewing and ALTAAR), Ivar Nikolaisen (SILVER), and Ryan McKenney (TRAP THEM), "Kvelertak" has been dubbed "the best Norwegian debut album of all time," and the band "the new MASTODON."