DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — has changed the title of its upcoming album to "The Taking" from the previously announced "The Soundtrack". 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", 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.

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 "SIN-atra" house band features Bob Kulick (guitar); Brett Chassen (drums); Billy Sheehan (bass); Doug Katsaros (keyboards, orchestrations); Richie Kotzen (lead guitar on "That's Life").

"SIN-atra" will be in stores March 29 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline.com recently conducted an interview with Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA, ARSON ANTHEM, SUPERJOINT RITUAL). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

CraveOnline.com: There's a hot-button issue that's been messing with my head that I'd like to get your thoughts on. In the wake of this Arizona shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of all those people, Rush Limbaugh went out and said that the shooter's insane, and it's clear because he listens to heavy metal, among other things.

Anselmo: If Rush Limbaugh said something about the idea that someone murdered someone or is crazy because they listen to heavy metal, that's a kneejerk reaction. And from me especially, because motherfucker I create heavy metal and I don't have a murderous fuckin' bone in my body. Nothing that's gonna fuckin' take me somewhere and take the coward's way out. He's out of his mind. I think that's about the most shallow view you could possibly take. I think you really need to take a look at what ignited some stupid motherfucker to do something like this. Obviously it's a lot more than heavy metal. I don't know what the guy was listening to, but it wouldn't matter if he was listening to tapes of Osama Bin Laden preaching the goddamn jihad. Look at the guy first, don't look at the music. He's out of his fuckin' mind. Fuck Rush Limbaugh.

CraveOnline.com: Looking through the history of damnation of heavy metal music or rock music in general, it falls in line with Marilyn Manson being blamed for Columbine and so many more incidents that preceded it...

Anselmo: Even before that it was kids committing suicide and it getting blamed on JUDAS PRIEST, and Ozzy Osbourne's been through this whole thing too. As a matter of fact, there's been some isolated PANTERA fuckin' events where kids have done certain things and they were caught and they were wearing PANTERA shirts. People were alarmed and what-not, but I mentioned Ozzy and Rob Halford from JUDAS PRIEST actually went to court and spoke in an extremely sane way — he took the stand on behalf of all of us, before any of us had been blamed. At least ten years before all that blame really took off. But Rob Halford almost singlehandedly enlightened the court system to the fact that you cannot tie insanity, murder or anything into music people listen to. So Rob Halford definitely deserves a pat on the back for that one.

CraveOnline.com: Fans have been eager for news on "Down IV", but I hear there's not been a lot of time for that....

Anselmo: Yeah. Man, there will be a time for DOWN. Matter of fact we had a meeting this past week, and I know Jimmy's [Bower, drums] gotta go do an EYEHATEGOD tour in February. But after that, I think we're looking to do some shows starting in March. Maybe local around here, maybe even some Mardi Gras gigs. But yeah, last week we sat around and they played me some new stuff they're working on, and it sounds good. Sounds like it's got a lot of promise, and really they just need me in the fuckin' practice room. So all this is going to happen this year. It has to happen. I know there's a responsibility here. DOWN has a fan base and they are very, very, very loyal. So I don't want to let those people down. They deserve some new music, we have it. We've demoed other songs, there's songs that haven't even been released that people have never heard, so there's always DOWN there. For all you people out there, don't you stress. We got the DOWN coming.

Finnish metallers AMORPHIS have issued the following update:

"The [new AMORPHIS] album recordings are advancing straight and smoothly (whatever that means...). We are now working on the vocals and again we have Marco Hietala [NIGHTWISH, TAROT] producing Tomi [Joutsen, vocals]. This time everything else has been done at Sonic Pump Studios except for the vocals, which are currently in the works at Marco's home studio in Kuopio.

"We are emerging with roughly 15 new songs and on the album there’s most likely going to be 10-11 tracks.

"It’s again a great feeling to start realizing that the songs and ideas which have been in our heads are finally going to see the light of day.

"Pekka Kainulainen has worked really hard on the lyrics.

"The album is going to tell the story of the most important character of Finnish mythology and folklore. He is Finnish god Väinämöinen, who was described to be an extremely powerful, wise old man who had a magical voice. Some believe that Väinämöinen was the creator of the world, an ancient hero and a very influential shaman.

"Having a subject as strong as this, it was pretty obvious that making music for the album was going to be a challenge. There are lots of musical elements that have been heard on previous albums, but there is also much more.

"Needless to say, we are keen to hand all the material over to Mikko Karmila, who is going to start the mixing at the end of this month.

"Travis Smith is currently working on the album cover and the coming artwork so far looks no less than amazing."

"The Chevalier", the new video from Austrian symphonic melodic metallers SERENITY, can be viewed below. The song, which features a guest appearance by Ailyn (SIRENIA), comes off the band's third album, "Death & Legacy", due on February 25 via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Oliver Philipps, Jan Vacik, Thomas Buchberger and Georg Neuhauser and it features additional guest appearances by Amanda Somerville (AVANTASIA, EPICA, KISKE/SOMERVILLE) and Charlotte Wessels (DELAIN). The album was mixed and mastered by Jan Vacik at Dreamsound Studios in Munich, Germany. The artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann (LEAVES' EYES, ATROCITY, SONS OF SEASONS) and it "represents the historical based concept dealing with famous characters such as Galileo Galilei, Sir Francis Drake, Marco Polo and many more," acording to the band. "An angel of of death holding the book of time, symbolizing their legacy."

According to FoxNews.com, POISON frontman Bret Michaels's personal 1969 Camaro snagged a whopping $200,000 — with a signature guitar and lifetime backstage pass to his concerts thrown in for good measure — at the 40th annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction on Saturday, January 22 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

An avid car and motorcycle enthusiast, Michaels was recently named People magazine's "Survivor of the Year" and Fox411's "Celebrity of the Year." In May 2010, he was hand-picked as Donald Trump's Season 3 winner on "The Celebrity Apprentice".

Michaels owned this tight, fast and fun 1969 Camaro that has been featured on MTV's "Cribs", VH1's "Rock Of Love", VH1's "Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It", and in his latest video "Driven". This custom dream machine sports a custom Moonbeam silver paint job with black racing stripes and black leather interior.

As frontman of legendary rock band POISON, Michaels has sold over 29 million records and scored an amazing 14 Top 40 hits, including the timeless #1 smash single "Every Rose Has its Thorn", his solo country crossover hit "All I Ever Needed", and his rock hit "Go That Far". As an actor, Michaels has made regular appearances on multiple hit television shows and starred in his hit reality show, "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels", which became the highest rated series on VH1. His most recent show, "Bret Michaels: Life As I know It", still remains one of the top-ranking shows on the network.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Christian metalcore quintet AUGUST BURNS RED will enter Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida on February 14 to begin recording its fourth album for a late 2011 release.

Suecof is no stranger to AUGUST BURNS RED's brand of metalcore, having produced the band's last album, 2009's "Constellations". The CD — whose sales have soared past 90,000 — established in no uncertain terms that AUGUST BURNS RED was a leader of its genre, a band that was quietly outselling, outdrawing and garnering more praise than peers who've been gracing magazine covers for years.

"We can't wait to get back to Florida to start recording with Suecof," says AUGUST BURNS RED guitarist and principal songwriter JB Brubaker. "We're just about finished writing and it's shaping up to be a huge sounding album. I can't ever recall feeling this excited to get started when getting ready for past albums."

"Home", the new DVD/CD from AUGUST BURNS RED, was released on September 28, 2010 via the band's longtime label Solid State Records.

The "Home" DVD/CD captures AUGUST BURNS RED's June 4, 2010 concert at Warehouse 54 in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The DVD/CD shoot drew a sold-out crowd of 1,250 people who wanted to participate in the exciting performance, including some who traveled internationally, from as close as Montreal to as far as away as Amsterdam. Shot and edited by Space Monkey Studios, whose phenomenal work has been seen on releases by acts like COHEED AND CAMBRIA, LAMB OF GOD, EVERY TIME I DIE and more, the live show is accompanied by a documentary on the band detailing life on the road and at home and featuring many fans discussing the ways in which AUGUST BURNS RED have impacted their lives in a positive, meaningful way.

French symphonic gothic ensemble WHYZDOM, which recently announced the addition of singer Clémentine Delauney to the group's ranks, has set "Blind?" as the title of its upcoming second album. The band states, "It is dedicated to people who follow misleading paths, misguided by the ones who love or hate or try to control them, or even sometimes by their own pride.

"We are pretty convinced that each and every one of us can recognize him or herself in this situation one way or the other."

WHYZDOM will enter the studio on February 21 to begin recording the new CD for a late 2011 release. The group says, "The whole week (and more if needed) will be dedicated to drums. Other sessions will follow until spring. Mix and mastering should be done during summer."

WHYZDOM has scheduled the following dates:

* May 10 - Paris, FRA - La Scène Bastille (with ELYOSE, AZYLYA)
* May 30 - Birmingham, UK - The Asylum (Femme Metal Fest with REVAMP as headliner)

Commented the band: "We will play songs from [WHYZDOM's debut CD, 'From The Brink Of Infinity'], but also some new songs [from] our forthcoming album!"

Current/former members of RWAKE, SHREDDED CORPSE and SHITFIRE have joined forces in a new band called NAPALM CHRIST.

A demo version of the group's first song with vocals, "The Seasons Of Dirt", can be heard in the YouTube clip below.

NAPALM CHRIST is:

Mountain Mike (SHITFIRE) - Guitar
Kiffin (RWAKE) - Guitar
Allan Wells (SHITFIRE) - Bass
Dookie Dave (SHREDDED CORPSE) - Drums

Cleveland, Ohio metallers CHIMAIRA have inked a new deal with eOne Music for North America, South America and Japan. The band is currently in the studio working on its next full-length album, which will be released later this year.

Commented CHIMAIRA frontman Mark Hunter: "We would like to thank Scott Givens and eOne.

"We are excited to start the new decade with a team that believes in our music, has our back and thinks outside the box.

"eOne are one of the very few labels out there who still give a damn about the genre and CHIMAIRA are proud to be a part of that. Expect great things in 2011."

According to JonLord.org, former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord will perform four concerts in Russia in April, taking in both Moscow and St. Petersburg but also Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar. The shows will feature Hungarian DEEP PURPLE tribute band CRY FREE, and two different orchestras (depending on the city) as well as singers to be confirmed.

The dates are as follows:

April 12 - Krasnodar, Russia - DI Primiera
April 14 - Rostov-On-Don, Russia - KSK Express
April 17 - St Petersburg, Russia - BKZ Oktyabrskiy Concert Hall
April 20 - Moscow, Russia - Crocus City Hall

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Robert Plant says that BAND OF JOY's next studio set won't rely on cover songs and will be the band's first to feature newly-written original material. Plant and the band are currently out on the road and dipping into his solo catalogue and including his 1988 solo hit "Tall Cool One" in the show's setlists, along with revamped versions of such LED ZEPPELIN classics as "Ramble On", "Houses Of The Holy", "Tangerine", "Gallows Pole", "Thank You" and "Rock And Roll".

Plant told The Pulse Of Radio that for BAND OF JOY to continue to grow as a band, they need to hunker down and start creating new original music. "We're talking, we have to write songs now," he said. "It's all very well celebrating other people's songwriting, and I know there are other artists who have had an entire career; whether it be Elvis (Presley) or (Frank) Sinatra, or a lot of the country artists who never write. But we've got to be heading that way soon."

"Band of Joy" sold 49,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Plant's first release since recording the six-time Grammy-winning bluegrass album "Raising Sand" with collaborator Alison Krauss in 2007, the "Band of Joy" CD enlists the help of an array of U.S. musicians, all of whom are performing with Plant on tour.

The new lineup of BAND OF JOY includes: Patty Griffin on vocals; Darrell Scott on multiple instruments and vocals; Byron House on bass and vocals; Marco Giovino on drums, percussion and vocals; and co-producer Buddy Miller on guitar and vocals.

The Pulse Of Radio reports that CHICKENFOOT is scheduled to begin recording its second album on January 29, according to bassist Michael Anthony. Anthony told Rich's Music Exchange that the band will "hopefully" tour later this year, saying, "If people want to hear it, we're out there to play it." Anthony added that CHICKENFOOT was still fun for him, saying, "At this point in my life and career, I won't do it unless it's fun. One of the great things . . . is that I can do what I love to do. The other guys in CHICKENFOOT feel the same way."

Drummer Chad Smith told The Pulse Of Radio that playing with Anthony, singer Sammy Hagar and guitarist Joe Satriani just for fun was how CHICKENFOOT started out. "I mean, it's funny 'cause this thing started as just like me and Sam down in Mexico, and I'd always see him and we'd jam and it was always fun, and then it just turned into this, 'Oh, now it's like a band,' you know, where it was just gonna be this thing to do while I had time down from the PEPPERS," he said. "They're all like, 'Oh yeah, you're in another band.' I'm like, 'Yeah!'"

Smith is recording right now with his main band, the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, and although he has said in interviews that he has set time aside to work on the second CHICKENFOOT album, it's not clear if that is still the case.

Legendary hard rock singer Joe Lynn Turner (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) is featured on the new album from THE JAN HOLBERG PROJECT, "Sense Of Time", which is being released in Norway on March 28 via Nordic Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Sense Of Time
02. Mesmerized
03. Sorry
04. Heart Of Summer
05. Wild Eyes
06. The Meadow (instrumental)
07. Invincible
08. Vision Of Lust
09. Come Rain Come Shine
10. Mother Nature (instrumental)

Five songs from the CD can be streamed at NordicRecords.no.

The musicians on the album are:

* Jan E. Holberg - Bass
* Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Vocals
* Gulli Briem (MEZZOFORTE, EARTH AFFAIR) - Drums
* Eythor Gunnarsson (MEZZOFORTE) - Keyboards
* Skalg Mikaelson Raaen (SAMBANDET, ESPEN LIND) - Guitar
* Bente Smaavik (BLONDE ON BLONDE, PERFECT CRIME) - Backing Vocals

Led by Norwegian bassist Jan E. Holberg, THE JAN HOLBERG PROJECT will play three shows in Norway in April in support of the CD. In addition to showcasing songs from "Sense Of Time", the band will perform material from Joe Lynn Turner's time as a frontman in RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE, plus a few songs from Joe's solo career.

The dates are as follows:

April 27 - Blaest - Trondheim, Norway
April 28 - John Dee - Oslo, Norway
April 30 - Hemnehallen - Hemne, Norway

Jan says, "The idea behind the album is that music should be free, there are no musical borders, on this album. You can hear ballads, pop songs, instrumentals and funk. This is what I am all about as a musician."

Turner adds, "I had a great time stretching out the vocal style on Jan's songs. I'm always interested in something different with quality. Looking forward to the concert dates!"

A studio/session bassist for many years, Holberg in 2008 decided to start writing his own music. After laying down the initial tracks, he came up with the idea to contact some of the musicians that have been a major influence to him. In the spring of 2010 he went to Reykjavik, Iceland to record the "Sense Of Time" album. Joe Lynn Turner did all the vocals a studio in New Jersey.

Reunited Heavy Metal band SLEEPY HOLLOW will enter the studio on Sunday, January 30th to begin recording their anticipated return album Skull Thirteen. The LP album will first be released, this May, through German vinyl specialists High Roller Records.

The CD and DDL versions will be announced in the coming weeks. A source close to the band states that they are currently seeking a label that will accommodate these versions. However, if a suitable label is not found, the band will opt to release the CD and DDL version of the album, independently, in the fall of 2011.

Skull Thirteen will contain ten tracks featuring the four original members: Bob Mitchell - vocals, Steve Stegg - guitars, Steve Brink - bass and Tom Wassman -

This message was posted on PATRIA MySpace page:

"We proudly announce that we have signed to the french cult label Drakkar Productions for our next three albums, including the upcoming one "Liturgia Haeresis" that's already recorded and planned to be released in the first semester of 2011. We're very excited with this new deal and we would like to cheers Cyril from Drakkar for the big support and beginning of a great partnership as also a huge hail to Dmitry from Monokrom for all the efforts, supporting Patria for these last two years! The new material contains nine exclusive songs plus a cover version for "Black Winter Day" [Amorphis]. The album will be available in a DIGICD, 300 limited copies in LP + POSTER and also as DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. More coming soon!

We're launching our Official Website!

A new PATRIA song was posted. "Death's Empire Conqueror" was taken from the upcoming album "Liturgia Haeresis" planned to be released in this first semester of 2011 by the french cult label DRAKKAR PRODUCTIONS. Hope you enjoy the pest!".

Bob Zerull of Zoiks! Online recently conducted an interview with KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Zoiks! Online: What I liked most about your last album was it was a return to your roots, but at the same time it was still new and fresh. What were you going for with the last album?

Munky: I think we were trying to capture the live element, playing as a band, recording onto tape. We just wanted to get that fire and excitement back about recording a record and not knowing what's going to happen, being in the moment as your writing and tracking, the excitement it captures, as opposed to getting everything into the computer.

Zoiks! Online: What did Ray [Luzier, drums] bring to the album?

Munky: Ray brought a lot of…a lot of killer beats (laughs). He's just a really great drummer and in this business there are very few drummers who can play like him. It was nice to have someone new, fresh blood in the mix, bringing his talent into what we already had. It was refreshing and really exciting. He'd been playing all of our songs, the old catalogue, stuff that he hadn't written, so it was nice to see him write his own stuff and see the passion behind his performance. Really, he gave more than anybody thought.

Zoiks! Online: While preparing for this interview I came across an interview with [KORN bassist] Fieldy and he said that you had already begun recording demos for the next album. How far along are you with that process?

Munky: We have probably three songs we wrote a couple, two, three months ago. We went into the studio, we wrote some songs, Jon [singer Jonathan Davis] demoed the songs on his computer, and then we took them into the studio and played them live and tweaked them a little bit. Then we put those down and recorded them. They're cool. They kind of remind me a little bit of the SOUNDGARDEN style, that sort of Seattle sound… just one of them. The other songs are sort of different, a little more in the experimental stage right now. I don't want to give too much away. We're definitely moving forward, we'll probably start recording in April to try and finetune this sound we're developing.

Zoiks! Online: Speaking of new albums I was researching on the always-reliable Wikipedia and it said that your side project FEAR AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM was on pace to release its first album this year.

Munky: Yeah, yeah. It's getting closer. There are just three more songs to mix, find somebody to distribute it and go from there. I still have to talk to my manager and ask him what he thinks about it. I've done this up to this whole point all on my own with the other guys in the band. I didn't want anybody — a manager, a record company — looking over my shoulders saying I don't hear a single here. This is an album, these are the songs. I didn't want anybody standing over me telling me creatively which direction to go. It just took on a life of its own. I really need advice on what's the best way to release it, and get it to as many people on an independent level, whether it be Roadrunner or somebody else. But yeah, it should be ready hopefully by the summer.

A brand new song from Japanese rock band DIR EN GREY's upcoming EP, "Lotus", will premiere on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter" this Tuesday.

14 months after the release of "Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami", also a track on the "Saw 3D" soundtrack and DVD, DIR EN GREY is back with a new single called "Lotus". The title track stands out with its heavy chords and vocals that are unreserved in presence making it a beautiful yet intense number. Defying the stereotypical definition of melodic, the song leaves a new type of impression with a sound that is unlike something from before that would remind you of a new process of evolution. This track brings a sense of an unrelenting self-depiction together with an expanding personification of the band.

DIR EN GREY joined forces with mix engineer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER) and Tue Madsen (AUGUST BURNS RED, SUICIDE SILENCE, THE HAUNTED) on this track. The single was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York.

"Lotus" will be released via iTunes on January 26.

"Lotus" track listing:

01. Lotus
02. Obscure
03. Reiketsu Nariseba (live)