Ohren auf! Nächsten Monat wird das neue und vierte Studioalbum von KOTTAK über SAOL / H’Art / Zebralution erscheinen. Am 27. Mai 2011 ist es soweit, und "Attack" wird überall in den Läden stehen. Nachdem wir euch letzte Woche bereits das Cover enthüllen konnten, präsentieren wir euch heute in aller frische die Tracklist! Viel Vergnügen!

"Attack" Tracklist:

01. Teenage Kix
02. Scandalous
03. Hit The Heartbrakes
04. Let’s Do It Tonite
05. Sexy Motherfucker
06. Perfect Defects
07. Bang Bang Baby
08. World War Love
09. So Disconnected
10. Time To Say Goodbye

Vocalist Tarek "MS" Maghary (METALFORCE, MAJESTY) has released the following statement:

"With this statement I want to tell all fans, friends and partners that we decided that it is time for MAJESTY to officially come back to the glorious heavy metal world.

"It might sound strange to some of you that after only three years when we said that the band is not existent anymore we return but I really want to try to explain to you all the thoughts, feelings and economic reasons which led to that decision.

"I know that many of you were shocked when we put MAJESTY to sleep in 2008 and I can never properly explain you the exact reasons why we did that step and honestly, I don't even know them myself. The only thing I know is that it was a decision which hurt the feelings of many dedicated and loyal fans standing together with us side by side through the years.

"I will never forget the sadness of a young fan coming to me after we stopped as MAJESTY. He had tears in his eyes and told me, that he does not know if he should be sad or angry but I knew that it was a mixture of both and I felt those exact same feelings in the last two years too many times.

"Don't misunderstand me, we also had a lot of fun as METALFORCE and played an incredible tour but we never could achieve the magic we had with MAJESTY and therefore we decided it is a wise step to recall that magic and return as the band which has always been our purpose in life.

"There is also one other side to it. Many promoters all around the world told us that they would love to book the band to come to their venues and festivals. But not as METALFORCE because we were told that the fans do not even know about that band. The people demand MAJESTY and now we will respond to their demands.

"We are all dedicated musicians and we are living to play live on stage not only a few limited shows a year like we had to do with METALFORCE but to hit the stages around the word as often as fucking possible. We need the direct contact with our brothers and sisters and therefore we will work as fucking hard as possible to come to your town.

"The first release as MAJESTY will already come out this summer. 'Own The Crown' which will among the greatest hits of the band feature two brand new songs, the rerecording of the demo song 'Snow Is On The Mountains' and the complete first demo tape of the band. Many more specials which will stir the blood of every fan can be found on the 2CD box set which will be sold for a 1CD unit price.

"I know that a bright future lies before us now and we will try to play as many shows as possible all over the planet and finally do again what we were born for: heavy metal — our strength and our religion."

Danish hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS have issued the following update:

"PRETTY MAIDS would like to announce Rene Shades as the new temporary bass player, replacing recently departed Hal Patino [KING DIAMOND]. Shades has been a longtime friend of the band, and did actually play a couple of gigs with us back in 2004 as a second guitarist. Through the years, Shades has played in various bands, Mike Tramp amongst others.

"To begin with, Shades has agreed to step in for the summer festival tour and will make his debut with the band in Tivoli (Copenhagen) on April 22.

"We're all happy to welcome Shades onboard and we hope that all our fans, friends and supporters will give him a warm welcome."

"I Am The King", the new video from Swedish death/thrashers IMPIOUS, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "Death Domination", which was released in North America in November 2009 via Metal Blade Records. The CD's cover artwork, which the band describes as "one of the most sinister and malignant-looking album covers ever," was created by Marcello Vasco.

Comments the band: "'I Am The King' is about the dangerous attributes of a so called 'one-man-show.' It criticizes religion and the restrictions of a free-thinking mind. The video was shot by Johan Gunnarsson after a wet night filled with uncountable pitchers of beer. So with a hangover from hell and a very strict budget, we managed to visually lift the song to a higher and more intense level, and that's what it's all about. Mission accomplished!"

"Yesterday Is Dead And Gone", the new video from Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY, can be viewed at www.khaoslegions.com. The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. The song comes off the band's new album, "Khaos Legions", which will be released on May 30 in Europe and June 7 in the U.S. via Century Media Records. The CD marks the band's return to new, original material, after the release of the "Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan" live DVD/CD (2008) and the re-recordings album, "The Root Of All Evil" (2009). The effort was tracked at Sweet Spot Studio in the south of Sweden with engineer Rickard Bengtsson (who produced 2005's "Doomsday Machine").

The "Khaos Legions" artwork, which comes courtesy of renowned artist Brent Elliott White (MEGADETH, DEATH ANGEL), can be viewed below.

"Khaos Legions" track listing:

01. Khaos Overture (instrumental)
02. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
03. Bloodstained Cross
04. Under Black Flags We March
05. No Gods, No Masters
06. City Of The Dead
07. Through The Eyes Of A Raven
08. Cruelty Without Beauty
09. We Are A Godless Entity (instrumental)
10. Cult Of Chaos
11. Thorns In My Flesh
12. Turn To Dust (instrumental)
13. Vengeance Is Mine
14. Secrets
15. The Zoo
16. Snow Bound (acoustic)

Commented ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott: "Here's the visual companion to our new song, 'Yesterday Is Dead And Gone'. As you will see, we had a riot making it!!!

"The new 'Khaos Legions' album is to my ears our most diverse and musical creation to date.

"I'm looking forward to unleashing the 'Khaos' worldwide a few weeks from now!"

ARCH ENEMY drummer Daniel Erlandsson previously stated about the new CD, "We had a very inspiring and creative time writing this album. I think this is definitely evident when listening to the new songs. There's tons of variation in the material, ranging all the way from very melodic to extremely heavy.

"As you can expect there's no shortage of killer riffs and intricate guitar work; the Amott brothers [Michael and Chris] have come up with some very cool yet demanding ideas!

"This album has some of the fastest songs I've ever recorded, along with a bunch of heavy pounding mid-tempo songs.

"As always, it's difficult to describe music in words, but rest assured — this album will be one heavy fucker!"

ARCH ENEMY has teamed up with the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine (out now) and Sweden's Close Up Magazine (out May 3) to offer you the perfect appetizer for the upcoming album, "Khaos Legions", which will be in stores later this spring all across Europe. Both magazines are featuring a special ARCH ENEMY CD compilation with the title "Dawn Of Khaos", which includes two exclusive new songs of their upcoming album, "Khaos Legions", a rare KISS cover song, two previously unreleased live tracks and seven classic songs taken from previous ARCH ENEMY albums.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone (new song)
02. No Gods, No Masters (new song)
03. The Oath (KISS cover)
04. My Apocalypse ("Doomsday Machine", 2005)
05. Nemesis ("Doomsday Machine", 2005)
06. Dead Eyes See No Future ("Tyrants Of The Rising Sun – Live", 2008)
07. We Will Rise ("Anthems Of Rebellion", 2003)
08. Revolution Begins ("Rise Of The Tyrant", 2007)
09. Ravenous ("Wages Of Sin", 2001)
10. Beast Of Man ("The Root Of All Evil", 2009)
11. Dark Insanity (Live From Metal Female Voices Festival, 2010)
12. I Will Live Again (Live From Metal Female Voices Festival, 2010)

"We are proud that our Swedish brothers in metal return with another great album! And we are glad to present two new songs and 10 more tracks in our upcoming magazine," said Robban Becirovic, chief editor of Close-Up Magazine.

British melodic death metal act THE SOULLESS (formerly IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION) will release its new album, "Isolated", in Europe on May 16 and North America on June 7 via Earache Records.

"Isolated" track listing:

01. Unaltered
02. The Path
03. Earthbound
04. 13th Morning
05. New Perspective
06. Clones
07. Revelation
08. Our Return
09. Unite Us
10. You Are Nothing To Me
11. Without Heart

"The Taking", the new album from DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — is available for streaming in its entirety at AOL Music. Due on April 19 via Eagle Rock Entertainment, the CD was recorded at a Seattle-area studio with veteran rock producer Terry Date (SOUNDGARDEN, PANTERA, DEFTONES). Two tracks from "The Taking", were previously made available digitally. Anthemic rocker "We Win" was played during the World Series and riled up football fans for McKagan's hometown Seattle Seahawks. "Fight On" draws inspiration from our military veterans, and proceeds from these downloads go exclusively to the Puget Sound Healthcare System.

Die Irischen Celtic/Folk Metaller CRUACHAN veröffentlichen morgen ihr neues Album "Blood On The Black Robe" bei uns kommt das Album via Candlelight Records in den Handel. Auf Facebook wurde der neue Song "I Am Warrior" zum probehören online gestellt und HIER könnt Ihr unser CD Review zum neuen Album "Blood On The Black Robe" lesen.

"Blood On The Black Robe" Track List:

01. To War [Intro]
02. I Am Warrior
03. The Column
04. Thy Kingdom Gone
05. An Bean Sidhe
06. Blood On The Black Robe
07. Primeval Odium
08. The Voyage Of Bran
09. Brian Boru's March
10. Pagan Hate
11. The Nine Year War

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers DELAIN have announced the addition of guitarist Timo Somers to the group's ranks. The band states, "Timo's been rehearsing with us for quite some time and we're very confident that we've found the best possible new DELAIN team member in him; this guy's got music in his blood.

"You'll be getting to know more about Timo in the upcoming weeks through our updated member profiles [on our official web site] and through the shows of our upcoming European tour, where he'll make his debut.

"We're looking forward to our first shows with Timo on tour."

DELAIN will release its third album later in the year via Roadrunner Records.

"Bergtagen", the new video from Swedish folk metal masters YGGDRASIL, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Irrbloss" (English translation: "Will-o-wisps"), which will be released on April 25 via Grand Master Music. The long-awaited follow up to 2008's "Vedergällning" was recorded, mixed and mastered at Grand Master Audio in Sweden.

"Irrbloss" track listing:

01. Höstmörkrets Natt
02. Bergtagen
03. Skaldefader
04. Irrbloss
05. Tokikvad
06. Norrland
07. Uppåkra
08. Kungabål

"Irrbloss" is now available for streaming in its entirety at this location.

The album cover artwork was created by Mellergardh Design and can be viewed below.

The song "Uppåkra" is available for free download at this location.

Today Uppåkra is a small town in southern Sweden but it was once one of the greatest cities in northern Europe. Archeological findings in recent years have proved Uppåkra to be one of the oldest and most long-lived cities in northern Europe, dating back to the 1st century BCE and surviving as a great centre of commerce until the
11th century CE.

On "Irrbloss" YGGDRASIL pays tribute to this old town, where the band's guitarist/vocalist Magnus Wohlfart was born. In return, Uppåkra's Archeological Centre supports YGGDRASIL by making the song "Uppåkra" available for free download on its web site.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the band, the first two YGGDRASIL albums — "Kvällningsvindar Över Nordrönt Land" and "Vedergällning" — will be reissued on April 25. The new editions will include previously unreleased bonus material and expanded booklets including, for the very first time, all lyrics in both English and their original Swedish.

Vocalist Biff Byford of British heavy metal legends SAXON has revealed to RockAAA that the band's next project will see SAXON collaborating with Polish Philharmonic Orchestra to give some of the group's most popular songs an orchestral overhaul. The entire event will be filmed for a DVD and a documentary will be made featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the preparations for the big concert.

"We're going to do a show with an orchestra next year in Warsaw," Biff said. "The guy who runs the Philharmonic Orchestra asked us to do and we fancied it as we have a quite few songs which are scored to orchestra, like 'Call To Arms' on the new album and we've just done 'Crusader' with an orchestra which sounds fantastic, so it will be a bit unplugged and a bit orchestra and a bit if heavy metal, too. It will be filmed and we'll do a making-of too. We don't know exactly when that will be but we're trying to work it out now as it is a nightmare logistically."

During the same interview, Byford indicated that it is important for SAXON to keep trying new ideas and not relying on former glories helps keep the band motivated.

"I believe it is writing new songs which refresh the band," he said. "Every new album does that and gives us a burst of ideas and energy. I think it would be different if we were just touring the old songs. But we don't, and we always try and play songs off our most recent albums.

"I think it is a big mistake for bands to do that because you just become known for your old songs. There is nothing in itself wrong with that as songs like 'Wheels Of Steel', 'Crusader' and '747', are all fantastic songs, but I think bands have to write new songs and not be afraid of not selling as many. I think some bands are worried they won't sell as many records as they did in the 1980s, so that means they are a bit scared of writing new albums. Bands like ourselves, MOTÖRHEAD and JUDAS PRIEST are doing it and I think it is important."

ARTISTdirect.com editor Rick Florino recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

ARTISTdirect.com: What is the significance of the "Big Four" to you personally?

Scott Ian: For me, it's the culmination of many years of work. It feels really great to know that people all over this planet still care so much about what these four bands do after all these years. In all modesty, the four of us are at the top of our game. We're better than we've ever been as bands. Many great heavy metal bands have come along over the years. It seems like every generation gets its own crop of bands. Since METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, and ANTHRAX started thrash metal back in the '80s, nothing really ever came along to — for lack of a better word — usurp what we did. Other than maybe the grunge movement and some of the nu metal in the '90s, I still think there's never been anything that's better as far as the music we make goes. Sure there are a ton of great bands out there that you could put under the same umbrella as us, but there will never be METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, and ANTHRAX again in the scene we started and created. With grunge, you could obviously look at NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, and PEARL JAM. They were four giant bands, and they're all great in their own way. What we did was really special back then and it stands up and holds true today. There's a whole new generation of kids who are coming with their older brothers, their dads, or by themselves. Whatever it is we did really connects with people in a big way.

ARTISTdirect.com: This is the first show in America, too. Does that heighten anticipation since you're all from the U.S.?

Scott Ian: In a way, this definitely has the vibe of being even more special than the first show we did in Poland. That was obviously the first gig we were doing as the "Big Four," so there was a crazy energy ramping up into that show. With the Indio date, it's definitely even more so. Even though we played seven shows last year, this is the first show in America. The fact that we're doing it in Southern California makes sense because, outside of ANTHRAX, the other three bands got their start in Southern California. I couldn't be more excited about getting to do this at home. It's an incredible feeling.

ARTISTdirect.com: Where are you at on the new ANTHRAX album?

Scott Ian: The record is almost done. Joey's [Belladonna, vocals] been singing. He's got about seven or eight songs pretty much finished at this point. We've got some other tracking to do — some guitars and lead breaks. Overall, I would think the record will be finished and mixed before the summer and we're looking at a fall release.

Guitarist Christian Muenzner (OBSCURA) has revealed the cover artwork and track listing for his upcoming, all-instrumental solo album, "Timewarp". The CD features Hannes Grossmann (OBSCURA, BLOTTED SCIENCE) on drums and Daniel Galmarini (MERCURY FALLING) on keyboards, with bass duties split between Steve DiGiorgio (DEATH, SADUS, ex-TESTAMENT, ex-ICED EARTH) and Jacob Schmidt (DEFEATED SANITY). Due by the end of April, it features guest appearances by Shrapnel recording artists Derek Taylor, Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY, KAIPA), Ryan Knight (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ex-ARSIS), Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND) and Alex Guth (STORMWARRIOR).

"Timewarp" track listing:

01. Maybe Tomorrow
02. Confusion
03. The Tell-Tale Heart
04. Timewarp
05. Victory
06. Rocket Shop
07. Soulmates
08. Over The Mountains
09. Wastelands
10. Dawn Of The Shred
11. The Gunslinger
12. Endless Caravan

The cover artwork was created by Anestis Goudas and can be seen below.

"Omnivium", the new album from OBSCURA, sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 11 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

OBSCURA's previous album, "Cosmogenesis", opened with 900 units to debut at No. 71 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart.