According to the Fakt.pl web site, Adam "Nergal" Darski, the 33-year-old leukemia-stricken guitarist/vocalist of the Polish extreme metal act BEHEMOTH, has been readmitted to the hematology division of Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK) in Gdansk because he developed an infection six weeks after he underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure.

"The patient was taken to hospital again because he did not care proper care of himself," Dr. Maria Bieniaszewska, assistant professor in the Department of Hematology, was quoted as saying.

It is not presently clear if the infection will affect Nergal's adoption of the bone marrow transplant and how long he will have to remain in hospital. In his condition, when the immune system is weakened, such infections could even be life-threatening.

According to Marrow.org, most infections happen in the first 100 days after a transplant, but they remain a risk as long as the patient's immune system is weak.

Dutch singer Anneke Van Giersbergen (AGUA DE ANNIQUE, ex-THE GATHERING) has entered Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal with producer Daniel Cardoso to begin recording her new album for a tentative late 2011/early 2012 release. A single will precede the full-length effort just before the summer.

Commented Anneke: "Last October Daniel went to see ANATHEMA in Paris. He's also a friend of the band. I was a guest on that tour and we met after the show (small world: both of us have worked with ULVER's Kristoffer Rygg, by the way). I spoke with him about my ideas for a new album and it turned out we shared a lot of the same views.

"When I got home after that tour, Daniel had sent me a demo without vocals. I totally loved it and it sounded a lot like the material I was already working on: upbeat rock, combined with electronic sounds and a touch of dark melancholy. That same night I wrote a vocal melody and lyrics to the song and within a week we were working together.

"We've written and completed demos for about five songs already.

"I'm planning to release a single with a bit of extra material before the summer.

"I'm so excited for you guys to hear the new stuff!!! It will be a lot more multi-layered than most of my recent music. Yes, I'm ready to start a new chapter, stay tuned!"

Swedish progressive rock band WOLVERINE will release its new studio album, "Communication Lost", on May 23 in Europe via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded at various locations in Sweden between February and August 2010. It was mixed by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark in July/August 2010 and mastered by Eroc at Eroc's Mastering Ranch in Germany in December 2010/January 2011.

"Communication Lost", which was produced by the band, features 11 tracks and has a running time of approximately 70 minutes:

01. Downfall
02. Into The Great Nothing
03. Poison Ivy
04. Your Favourite War
05. Embrace
06. Pulse
07. What Remains
08. In Memory Of Me
09. In The Quiet Of Dawn
10. Communication Lost
11. A Beginning

Guitarist Rich Walker of the U.K. epic doom band SOLSTICE has issued the following update:

"After our first couple of shows, Paul Britton has decided that he will end his tenure as the vocalist for SOLSTICE. We're all very sad to lose him, and it's not a reflection of the quality of Paul's voice or his incredible ability as a frontman.

"As we get older, we all lose our hearing to a certain degree, and even more so for people like Paul and myself who have had decades of Marshall abuse, and it's this that has caused the problem. Studio work with SOLSTICE is not a problem for him, but the live environment where things can be hit or miss in terms of quality of sound onstage is. Paul's pitching had suffered on these first couple of gigs, and we felt we were all struggling."

Added Paul: "It's with sadness that I'm out of the new SOLSTICE project. After two gigs it's clear that my voice isn't fitting in. There's no 'in fighting,' no 'musical differences,' just common sense. I don't feel 100 percent and it's not fair on the band to continue trying to blag my way though the hearing and pitching problems I'm having on stage.

"I know that Rich Walker and I will remain friends and I'm sure we'll work together again at some point this year. Until then I going to get stuck into the solo album that up till now has only had 50 percent of my attention.

"I hope SOLSTICE fans around the world understand the decision that's been made and I can only apologize for the European dates getting cancelled because of it."

The band added, "As Paul says, we intend to collaborate in the summer and make a racket togther, but this time I think it will be more on Paul's home ground where we all know he can excel and hold his own.

SOLSTICE is currently searching for a new full-time vocalist. All applicants should have the following qualities:

* Powerful and unique voice
* Stage presence, and the ability to talk to an audience
* A love of the loud and heavy
* A black sense of humour
* Be willing to travel in the U.K. and Europe for shows
* Be willing to get a round in
* Be over 30 years of age.

From the team that brought you "We Wish You A Metal Xmas" comes "SIN-atra", heavy metal's tribute to the genius of Frank Sinatra. Twelve songs made famous by Ol' Blue Eyes are given a radical and individual new treatment from some of the finest voices in rock including members of ANTHRAX, TWISTED SISTER, DEEP PURPLE, QUEENSRŸCHE, MR. BIG, WARRANT, NONPOINT, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, KING'S X and CHEAP TRICK with the backing of a superb band led by guitarist Bob Kulick (KISS, MEAT LOAF). The songs are known to everyone but you've never heard them quite like this before!

"SIN-atra" track listing:

01. New York, New York (Devin Townsend)
02. I've Got You Under My Skin (Glenn Hughes)
03. Summerwind (Geoff Tate)
04. It Was A Very Good Year (Dee Snider)
05. Witchcraft (Tim "Ripper" Owens)
06. Fly Me To The Moon (Robin Zander)
07. Lady Is A Tramp (Eric Martin)
08. I've Got The World On A String (Doug Pinnick)
09. Love And Marriage (Elias Soriano)
10. Strangers In The Night (Joey Belladonna)
11. High Hopes (Franky Perez)
12. That's Life (Jani Lane)

The third and last chapter in funeral doom band COLOSSEUM's history shall be released in Finland on March 9 and in the rest of the world on March 25. The CD is being made available in honor of the memory of band's frontman Juhani Palomäki, who was found dead last year, only a few weeks after the recordings for the CD were completed.

Commented the surviving members of COLOSSEUM: "We have lost a brilliant musician and a true friend, who will be greatly missed not only by us, but by his loved ones and countless people all around the world who have been touched by his art."

"Chapter 3: Parasomnia" was recorded on April 2010, and was mixed and mastered during the autumn and winter of 2010. Containing five lengthy epics and contributions from a number of session musicians, the album marks the end of COLOSSEUM as a band, bringing the listener the whole scale of darkness in funeral doom as extreme as it gets.

"Chapter 3: Parasomnia" track listing:

01. Dilapidation and Death
02. Questioning Existence
03. Passage To Eternity
04. On The Strand Of Nightmares
05. Parasomnia

DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — will release its new album, "The Taking", 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", both available on all digital service providers, are already making a splash with the public. 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.

"The Taking" cover artwork can be viewed below. Also available are audio streams of three songs from the CD — "Cocaine", "We Win" and "Dead Skin".

"The Taking" track listing:

01. Lords Of Abaddon
02. Executioner's Song
03. Dead Skin
04. We Win
05. Easier Lying
06. She's An Anchor
07. Wrecking Ball
08. King Of The World
09. Cocaine
10. Your Name
11. Follow Me To Hell

Regarding the band's split with Century Media Records, which released one EP (2008's "Wasted Heart") and one full-length album (2009's "Sick") from DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, guitarist Mike Squires told the Oregon Music News, "A lot of things happened there. We felt that we made a great album and we had a good relationship with them. In the end things just didn't work out. Collectively, we missed the mark on a number of things and the record didn't get a fair shot. We thought that 'Sick' could have done very well, but it didn't get a shot. There were just so many missed opportunities. With the release of 'The Taking' I think people will get some awareness and go back and give 'Sick' a look."

A trailer for the upcoming feature-length film about Duff McKagan and LOADED can be viewed below. The movie is based on "The Taking" and is being helmed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin.

Eagle Rock Entertainment will re-release DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED's 2009 album "Sick" in May. This special reissue of the CD also packs a bonus DVD, featuring 11 tracks from a live set at The Garage in Glasgow filmed in December 2008.

Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet conducted an interview with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich last month at the band's headquarters in San Rafael, California. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. (Note: All original Danish-language quotes were translated into English by BLABBERMOUTH.NET.)

On when the band plans on returning to the studio to begin work on the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic":

"There's a really good vibe in the band at the moment. In the past, we would be fed up with METALLICA whenever we returned home after a gigantic world tour, but this time it's different. Therefore it won't be that long before we start working on a new album. I think that we'll probably already get the creative process going in March or April and go into the studio. We really want to get back to METALLICA quickly because we are enjoying it so much right now."

On how the relationship between the METALLICA bandmembers has changed over the years:

"It helps our relationships that we've all got families and children and they all get along with each other. We really fucking like each other at the moment. There were a few years when things were really bad. We never really got to talk to each other; we would just grab a bottle of vodka and go out looking for girls. That meant that we weren't sharing our feelings with each other. Today we talk a lot about our children and our families. And the fact that we have something to talk about other than tonight's setlist is or if someone made a mistake during yesterday's show makes a big difference. In the last five or six years, we've found out where our limits are and we've made some rules regarding METALLICA. That's been necessary in order to make sure the entire thing doesn't collapse. For instance, we have a rule that we cannot be on the road for more than two weeks at a time during the school year and we make sure that we spend two weeks at home before going back on tour. That prevents us from burning out and falling into the trap that you can sometimes fall into when you are tired and worn out."

On playing 215 concerts in 45 countries in support of "Death Magnetic":

"Of course it's still hard to play that many shows, but the older you get, the less you take success for granted. It's beginning to dawn on us that what we have together is very special and that we're not gonna live forever. It's awesome that a bunch if semi-old farts like us can still travel around the world and thousands of people wanna share that experience with us."

On the 30th anniversary of his meeting with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield and the band's formation:

"It's been totally awesome. When I look back, what I'm most proud of is that we've actually survived, that we've lived through the last 30 years and come out of it relatively unscathed and that we are now able to function as a unit, as people and as fathers. We found solutions to the problems that we've had instead of letting internal squabbles destroy the band, which, for instance, happened to our friends in GUNS N' ROSES."

On whether Danish fans can expect to see METALLICA again anytime soon:

"The tour schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but as of right now, there are no plans to play Denmark. But let's see what happens. We usually come around every two or three years and our friends from the Roskilde festival also call us every now and then and ask us to play. If it doesn't happen this year, we will play in Denmark in 2012."

Keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH has issued the following update:

"In the excitement of Yuletide magic I wrote there would be secrets revealed at the end of January.

"There are big things happening within and around the NIGHTWISH camp but the Big Boys and Bosses just sent me an ultimatum to keep my mouth shut for a couple more months, or I would wake up with a horse's head in my bed.

"I truly am very sorry about needing to keep future plans and sights still in secrecy. The purpose is not to annoy anybody or cause a carefully planned hype over the matter. Due to the changes in the schedule, things will be revealed later during the spring.

"The recordings [for the new NIGHTWISH album] continue.

"I'm off to E-Major Studios next weekend to put together all the files for the orchestral and choir sessions in London. I'm in daily contact with Mr. Pip Williams, going over the arrangements and new ideas for the songs. The demos he has sent me sound simply otherworldly! Beautiful, twisted, tribal and cinematic stuff. And with a theme album coming up, the mood changes seem to be more present than ever before.

"Yup, it still is the Burton-Gaiman-Dali — amusement park we are about to enter.

"More coming up once the mobsters grant me permission."

"Your Everyday Disaster", a brand new song from Washington D.C.-based metallers DARKEST HOUR, can be streamed at ArtistDirect.com. The track comes off the band's new album, "The Human Romance", which will be released in Europe on March 7 via Century Media Records and in North America on February 22 through eOne Music. The CD was recorded at a North Carolina studio with producer (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers.

This time around, the DARKEST HOUR songs were composed a bit differently than was the case in the past. Guitarist Mike Schleibaum explains, "We have been working on these tunes ever since we left the studio last April.

"'The Eternal Return' was written during a very dark, bleak time for the band and I think that record matches that in both tone and character. Our vision was for it to be an in-your-face, no-frills aggressive assault. The new material shares in that aggression and pushes DARKEST HOUR beyond the unknown."

Wichers previously helmed such acclaimed albums as ALL THAT REMAINS' "The Fall of Ideals" and SOILWORK's latest effort, "The Panic Broadcast".

"The Human Romance" track listing:

01. Terra Nocturnus
02. The World Engulfed In Flames
03. Savor The Kill
04. Man And Swine
05. Love As A Weapon
06. Your Everyday Disaster
07. Violent By Nature
08. Purgatory
09. Severed Separates
10. Wound
11. Terra Solaris
12. Beyond The Life You Know

Former EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) has contributed guest vocals to "Deconstruction" — the third in a series of albums from Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) to be made available under THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker.

Commented Ihsahn: "I have been a longtime fan of Devin and his work, and when he asked me to do some vocals for his upcoming 'Deconstruction' album, I said yes right away.

"Devin is one of those few uncompromising artists who goes anywhere with their music, wherever that takes them. Nothing but respect!"

Townsend has tapped Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH) to mix "Deconstruction". The sessions will take place in late February at Fascination Street studio in Örebro, Sweden.

Commented Devin: "'Deconstruction' is brutal in a lot of parts, but pretty glorious in others. It rides the fence of negativity but ultimately ends supremely positive.

"There are two drummers on this one, Ryan Van Poederooyen [TERROR SYNDROME, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND] for the crushing stuff, and Dirk Verbeuren [SOILWORK, SCARVE, ABORTED] for the inhuman stuff.

"This is a record I have been working up to for some time, and while doing it, I realize that not only am I in control of it (totally) but that this newfound control allows me to take it to places I would have never been able to a decade ago. I pretty much believe that this will be one of our finest hours, and although there is some funny moments, it's a pretty 'pointed' record (if ya know what I mean)..."

Several songs into last night's (Thursday, January 27) MURDERDOLLS concert in Bordeaux, France, the band's guitarist, Joey Jordison (who also plays drums for SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE), suddenly threw his guitar towards the drum set and walked off stage (see video below). The rest of the group finished the track before leaving the stage. The full band came back five minutes later, with singer Wednesday 13 apologizing to the crowd for "technical problems." But after another couple of numbers, Joey walked off stage a second time. After the song ended, the rest of the band left the stage again. They came back five minutes later, this time without Joey, stating that he wouldn't be back on stage but that the rest of the band would finish the show, apologizing once again for "technical issues" and asking the crowd for understanding. They played a few more songs as a four-piece band before exiting the stage one final time, leaving the crow surprised and frustrated.

MURDERDOLLS guitarist Joey Jordison (who also plays drums for SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE) has released the following statement regarding the band's abbreviated performance last night (Thursday, January 27) in Bordeaux, France:

"Hello to all our fans and friends in France.

"I'm writing to address the situation which took place in Bordeaux on Thursday night.

"As it has been seen in videos online [see below], I threw my guitar and walked off stage.

"I want to clear up what exactly happened.

"I have a condition with my ears called tinnitus, which in my case is very severe, and has been causing me excruciating pain for two years now. That night in Bordeaux, my tinnitus was at an extreme.

"I wanted to come out and play the best show that I could. However, due to technical difficulties, and high-end feedback that persisted in the monitors, the pain within my ears became unbearable. I tried to attempt to play after I walked off the first time but it got worse.

"I'm okay, but I have to watch my ears so as not to cause any permanent damage.

"I want to apologize to the fans in attendance in Bordeaux; I meant no disrespect whatsoever and I hope that my fans understand this."

Vocalist Chris Barnes of Florida death metallers SIX FEET UNDER has issued the following update:

"To the loyal fans of SIX FEET UNDER, our longtime friends and bandmates Terry Butler (bass) and Greg Gall (drums) have decided to move on and depart from SIX FEET UNDER [as first reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET yesterday]. Steve Swanson (guitar) and myself are grateful for all the fun times we've shared together through the years, and wish them the best of luck in their musical endeavors.

"Just to fill you all in, Steve and myself are very excited about the future of SIX FEET UNDER, and I have been working hard on writing the new SIX FEET UNDER material for the past four months with a new writing partner.

"I will make this guarantee and promise to all the fans of SIX FEET UNDER: the new lineup will be a death metal force to be dealt with, with the long-awaited addition of a brutal-as-fuck drummer and riffs that will rip your face off, vocals ala 1993-1995...

"Thank you all for your continued support and devotion, see you soon!"

Indian death metal band EXHUMATION will release its second album, "Consider This", on March 7. The CD will be released as a free download on the group's ReverbNation page and will contain eight tracks of brutal death metal. The band has also inked a deal with retail store CDRack.in to release a limited edition of the album on CD for diehard fans who would like to own a physical copy. The CDs will be limited to 200 copies and will be hand-numbered. The artwork was created by guitarist Prashant Shah, who has handled all of the band's previous artwork as well as art for bands like SCRIBE and DEMONIC RESURRECTION.

01. All That Is
02. Blood-Drenched Flags
03. Black Plague
04. Worship Thyself
05. Consider This
06. Hell Forbid
07. Absolute Power Now
08. Alpha Omega

Commented Shah: "'Consider This' is about choice — you have two paths, there are external forces from each paths that are trying for you to consider them. Artwork-wise I deviated from the actual lyrical story which is about the darker side of the universe is trying to convince man by giving him valid reasons to consider it over the other side of the universe, and the man chooses the darker side. My interpretation is the opposite, where the brighter side is trying to convince man and prevails. The lyrical content and artwork are choices as well."