Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have officially entered the studio to begin work on their first album without drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, writes on his Twitter profile, "First day in studio [and] the dawn of a new era for DREAM THEATER. Can't wait to get the music flowing."

DREAM THEATER has yet to announce a replacement for Portnoy, who left the band last September. Petrucci recently stated about the group's drummer search, "Auditions went great and we do have someone but we are spending some time getting everything in order before making an official announcement. Let me just say that we are all incredibly excited about our choice and just bursting at the seams to let the world know!"

DREAM THEATER will co-headline next year's edition of Classic Rock magazine's award-winning High Voltage festival, set to take place Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, 2011 in Victoria Park, London, England. The band will headline the main stage on July 24. High Voltage 2011 will mark the first U.K. performance of the group's new lineup following the departure of Portnoy.

Just days after it was announced that he'd been dismissed as the touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, and was rebuffed.

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

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and has toured with them since early summer.

Dutch symphonic rockers EPICA have checked in with the following update:

"2010 was a great year for Epica! We had great tours and met a lot of new friends on the road. Hopefully next year will be as great as the old one, with a lot of awesome shows all around the world. Epica wishes everyone a great and rocking new year and we hope to see you all soon!"

As previously reported, REVAMP - featuring ex-AFTER FOREVER singer Floor Jansen - will support Epica on their UK tour in March. Dates include:

March
10 - The Robin 2 - Wolverhampton, UK
11 - The Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, UK
12 - Corporation - Sheffield, UK
13 - Moho Live - Manchester, UK
15 - Scala - London, UK

UK heavy metallers CONQUEST OF STEEL have issued the following update:

"Happy Metal New Year to you all!

This year looks like it's gonna be a very busy and very Metal year for the UK's finest Heavy Metal Warriors Conquest of Steel.

The Steel Warriors return in February with their brand new 7" single entitled Victorious In Defeat featuring three brand new tracks recorded with Greg Chandler (ESOTERIC) at Priory Studios, UK, plus an as-yet-unconfirmed live track taken from one of the bands storming live performances.

The tracks are entitled: 'Paid In Steel', 'Man Of The Dragon' (RONNIE JAMES DIO Tribute track) and '1000 Lives'. The single will be limited to 333 copies and will be on Blood Red Vinyl. The single will be available direct from the band, from No Face Records, at gigs and from selected worldwide underground distro's. More details about release dates, price etc. very soon.

In Summer 2011 Conquest of Steel will re-enter the studio to record their, as yet untitled 4th full length album. Expect an album full of Metal-as-Hell Headbangfull Heavy Metal Songs!"

Die slowenischen Black-Metal-Avantgardisten DEKADENT hatten ursprünglich verkündet, ihr neues Album "Venera: Trial & Tribulation" im Herbst zu veröffentlichen. Aus diversen Gründen musste die Veröffentlichung allerdings auf Ende Januar 2011 verschoben werden.

Mittlerweile hat die Band jedoch eine neue Website (Link) veröffentlicht und wird dieser Tage über iTunes eine exklusive Single mit dem Titel "Black Love" veröffentlichen, die es nicht auf dem Album geben wird.

Die Tracklist von "Venera: Trial & Tribulation" liest sich wie folgt:

01. The Wound
02. Thralldom Decree
03. Raided
04. Paramours In Vain
05. Beautiful Fire
06. Craven
07. False Endearment
08. Providential Love
09. Sunday's Lament
10. In Pulchritude Adorned
11. Trial & Tribulation
12. Day Of Solace

LONG DISTANCE CALLING veröffentlichen am 18.02.2011 ihre inzwischen dritte Full Length, betitelt "Long Distance Calling". Nun gibt es dazu einen kleinen Album-Trailer, den ihr euch hier ansehen könnt: (Link).

Anbei auch die Trackliste:
1. Into The Black Wide Open
2. The Figrin D'an Boogie
3. Invisible Giants
4. Timebends
5. Arecibo [Long Distance Calling]
6. Middleville
7. Beyond The Void

Multinational metalheads POWERWOLF entered the studio last week to begin recording their new album for a 2011 release via Metal Blade Records.

POWERWOLF organist Falk Maria Schlegel recently stated about the group's new material, "We spent the last three months in the rehearsal room working out stuff for the new album. Even though it's still in the making, we can already promise the songs are 100% POWERWOLF, taking off where 'Bible Of The Beast' ended. There's furious stuff, there's epic stuff — and all of it is catchy as hell."

He added, "For the production we're going to team up with exactly the same crew as for 'Bible Of The Beast' — Kohlekeller Studios for the recordings, any chapel we can haunt for organ and choir celebrations — and, of course, Studio Fredman and Fredrik Nordström for mix."

POWERWOLF last year parted ways with drummer Stefane Funebre and replaced him with Tom Diener.

"Bible Of The Beast", the latest album from POWERWOLF, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 76. The CD was released on April 27, 2009 in Europe via Metal Blade Records. Mixed by legendary producer Fredrik Nordström (IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, ARCH ENEMY) the opus was said to be POWERWOLF's heaviest album to date.

Swedish melodic metallers ASTRAL DOORS have posted the song "Victory" from their recently released collection, "Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors", on their MySpace page. The band states, "'Victory' was first made in Swedish to honor our favourite Swedish hockey team, Leksands I, but now, a year later, we wanna give the English version to the world. This version is more of a tribute to the game itself, not to a certain team. A rumor says that an unofficial homemade video to 'Victory' is in the making. If we like it, we'll [release it] as well!"

"Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors" was released on November 19 via Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The compilation contains 14 classics picked by ASTRAL DOORS.

"Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors" track listing:

01. Cloudbreaker
02. Time To Rock
03. Of The Son And The Father
04. Black Rain (remixed and remastered)
05. Power And The Glory
06. Bride Of Christ
07. New Revelation
08. Slay The Dragon
09. London Caves (remixed and remastered)
10. Evil Is Forever
11. Lionheart
12. Quisling
13. Testament of Rock
14. Victory (previously unreleased)

After months of speculation following their performance at Germany's Keep It True festival last April, the members of the reunited metal stalwarts FIFTH ANGEL have announced Arizona-based powerhouse David Fefolt as their new permanent lead vocalist.

Fefolt, who has fronted metal bands such as VALHALLA, HAWK, MASI, FORGOTTEN REALM and ANGELS OF BABYLON, has been a friend of FIFTH ANGEL for some time and is very excited to begin the next chapter in the group's saga. The band also launched a brand new official web site at midnight New Year's Eve to keep fans up to date on touring and recording news.

FIFTH ANGEL is currently demoing material in Seattle for what will be the group's third full-length album. A 2011 release is expected.

FIFTH ANGEL 2011 is:

Ed Archer: Guitar
Kendall Bechtel: Guitar
John Macko: Bass
Jeffrey McCormack: Drums
David Fefolt: Vocals

United Guttural will be officially releasing the second album from Swedish death metaller’s VOLTURYON. The album will be entitled Coordinated Mutilation and is expected to be released in February. Coordinated Mutilation will contain ten tracks recorded at Black Lounge and Abyss studio by Jonas Kjellgren (CARNAL FORGE, SCAR SYMMETRY,CENTINEX). The gruesome artwork and layout were provided by Lukasz Jaszak (LORDS OF CHAOS, BLOOD RED THRONE, WITCHMASTER). The music on the disc can be described as aggressive yet technical death metal with thrash elements. Straight-forward and well-played, 'Coordinated Mutilation' is one solid-structured song after the next with cool riffs, solos, intensely growled vocals and a tight rhythm section.

Samples of the upcoming album can be heard at MySpace.com/Volturyon. The CD will be available from website as well as many other fine distributors.

Volturyon's previous album, Blood Cure, was released by Obscure Domain Productions in 2008. Since then the band have spent the last couple of years playing shows, including at the Sweden Rock Festival where the band performed alongside AT THE GATES and CARCASS, among others.

Brazilian power metallers DREAMSTATE, who recently called it a day, have decided to release their newest album, When Shadows Fall, as a free digital download. The album, which marks the band's entire career, was officially released on December 28th, 2010. Head to this location to download the ten songs, booklet, and files for printing.

For convenience, the songs are also available at Myspace.com.

When Shadows Fall tracklisting:

'Shadows Fall'
'Painland'
'Damn My Name'
'The Black Knight'
'Swamps'
'Impossible Angel'
'Raven's Eyes'
'Eternal Cold Hell'
'The Yearning For Silence'
'Disease And Desires'

Professionally filmed video footage of OZZY OSBOURNE's September 18 performance at London's O2 Arena as part of the U.K. edition of Osbourne's travelling festival, Ozzfest, can be viewed below.

Ozzy's setlist was as follows:

01. Bark At The Moon
02. Let Me Hear You Scream
03. Mr. Crowley
04. I Don't Know
05. Fairies Wear Boots (BLACK SABBATH cover)
06. Suicide Solution
07. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH cover)
08. Road To Nowhere
09. Shot in the Dark
10. Rat Salad (BLACK SABBATH cover)
11. Iron Man (BLACK SABBATH cover)
12. Killer Of Giants
13. Into The Void (BLACK SABBATH cover)
14. I Don't Want To Change The World
15. Crazy Train

Encore:

16. Mama, I'm Coming Home
17. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH cover)

MONARCH, the new band featuring drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR), guitarist Marco Martell (MALEVOLENT CREATION, DIVINE EMPIRE) and vocalist Jarret Roberts of Chicago's KASTASYDE, has made its first three songs from its upcoming EP, "Fear - Hate - Love & Pain", available for streaming via the group's official YouTube channel. Check out the "The Grand Scheme", "Mundane" and "Through These Eyes" below.

Commented Kinkade: "'The Grand Scheme' is one of our heavy tunes which has been getting a ton of air play on radio stations in Louisiana. A lot of people have been saying it fits in the lines of PANTERA mixed with STONE SOUR so check it out and draw your own conclusion.

"'Through These Eyes' is the first song I wrote over a decade ago. It's definitely the 'radio tune' out of the bunch.

"The third track, 'Mundane', is very different, written to be more of a 'palate cleanser' from the rest of the songs. Lead guitarist Justin Doan, who is also a piano wiz, really shines on this track.

"These songs should really be able to give you a good understanding to the different sides of our music and what we are about."

DEATH's seventh and final album, "The Sound Of Perseverance", will be reissued on February 15, 2011 in North America (February 21 internationally) via Relapse Records. The first in a series of official DEATH reissues slated for 2011, "The Sound Of Perseverance" has been remastered and expanded to include a second disc of previously unreleased demo material. The reissue will also include enhanced artwork (see below) and liner notes from the original cover artist, Travis Smith, as well as liner notes from DEATH guitarist Shannon Hamm and never-before-seen photographs from "The Sound Of Perseverance" era. A special deluxe version of the "The Sound Of Perseverance" reissue will also be made available exclusively via Relapse mailorder and digitally via iTunes. The deluxe version will include a third bonus disc of unreleased material. Additional reissue details, including pre-order options, will be announced shortly.

In a recent interview with BW&BK scribe Carl Begai, SODOM frontman Tom Angelripped offered some insight into his forthcoming ONKEL TOM album:

“We’re in the studio right now working on a new Onkel Tom record. We’ve got 18 news songs, the drums are recorded and we’re working on the guitars now. I also have a deal with Drakkar, which is where Onkel Tom started back in the ‘90s. You’ll be surprised; you won’t be able to compare it to the early days of Onkel Tom. I have a second guitarist in the band, a new drummer, a new bass player, and it’s brilliant music. It’s punk, it’s metal, it’s death metal, it’s schlager, everything. Andy Brings (ex-Sodom guitarist) is the producer. I asked him to be a part of it because he’s a great singer and guitarist; he’s a real musician so he knows what he’s doing. It’s a co-production, really, but I definitely wanted Andy’s ears for this. It’ll be a bigger explosion than the new Sodom album (laughs).”

Following is an excerpt from the interview with Angelripper about Sodom's new record, In War And Pieces:

“It sounds a little bit old school, some people have said it sounds like the Agent Orange album (from 1989). I don’t really hear that, but okay, people hear different things. What’s the difference between old school and a modern sound, anyway? I think Agent Orange sounds as if it has a modern edge. It’s got a big production, the songs are very dynamic. The important thing for me on the new album was the sound of the drums. I listen to some albums and the drums sound like a computer or triggers, and I wanted a big and natural drum sound. For the guitars I wanted to have them closer to the ear, if you know what I mean, and I wanted more aggressive vocals. I always want to make Sodom sound like a band is supposed to sound it was very important to me to have Waldemar working with us for this album.”

At first glance Sorychta seems like an odd choice as producer for the album given that he made his name as a producer working with bands like Lacuna Coil, Moonspell and The Gathering. There’s a tendency to forget he’s a guitarist as well, heading up Grip Inc. through the ‘90s and now Enemy Of The Sun, both acts offering up much heavier fare.

“He knows exactly what we want,” says Angelripper, content with his choice. “I’ve known him for years and I really like the production work he did with Grip Inc.; they always had a good sound. Waldemar told us that it doesn’t matter what kind of metal he’s working with – thrash, death metal, gothic – the important thing is that it sounds good at the end. He was also very interested in the actual songs on the album, so we did pre-production three months before we recorded anything. He had the chance to really listen to the music, work on some arrangements, and then we went into the studio. It wasn’t even a real studio; it was a rehearsal room because I didn’t want to be paying 1,000 euros a day so that we had to work quickly to get out before we went broke (laughs). I had the money to pay Waldemar, and we had as much time as we needed to record.”

Thirty years after KROKUS' original lineup conquered the world with its straight-forward, no-nonsense rock 'n' roll, the band's new studio album, "Hoodoo", was released last year and it reportedly sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide. Vocalist Marc Storace states, "It exceeded our boldest expectations; we never expected such a huge success!"

With all of KROKUS' commercial success since the reunion of the band's original lineup, there is most importantly total harmony among the bandmembers. Gone are the heated arguments and heavy disputes that troubled the group in the past and resulted in constant lineup changes. KROKUS founder and bassist Chris Von Rohr sums it up best: "We finally learned to accept the flaws and individual characteristics of each other and live with it."

And what will the immediate future bring? The only Swiss rock band ever to have sold 13 million albums worldwide since 1976 is planning a follow-up to "Hoodoo". Chris Von Rohr confirms: "Beginning of the year we start writing new songs."

Once the first step of writing songs is completed, recording will start most likely in the second half of 2011 with a release date in 2012 at the latest. By then the rockers from Solothurn, Switzerland will be — on average — 60 years old. Asked by Switzerland's largest boulevard paper if they were slowing down, Chris Von Rohr answered quickly, "No way." Reflecting for a moment, he laughed and added, "We are the prime example that rock music keeps you young — besides AC/DC and THE ROLLING STONES, of course."

"Hoodoo" was made available in the U.S. on May 25, 2010 via SonyMusic Independent Network (SIN). The CD was produced by bassist and founding member Chris Von Rohr and was recorded by Dennis Ward (who previously worked on KROKUS' "Hellraiser" album) at House of Music Studios in Winterbach, Germany, with additional recordings at Pink Bild and Ton (engineered by ex-KROKUS member Jürg Naegeli) in Solothurn, Switzerland and Henson Studios, Los Angeles. Photography, artwork and graphic design was handled by Martin Häusler.

CAMP FREDDY brought in the New Year at the world-famous The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California last night (December 31) with a show that featured drummer Matt Sorum introducing original GUNS N' ROSES timekeeper Steven Adler for a version of "Paradise City", guitarists Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) being joined by THE CULT's Billy Duffy for the BILLY IDOL song "Rebel Yell", and an ear-splitting finale that brought both Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD) and Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD) onto the stage with Steve Jones (SEX PISTOLS) for versions of "God Save The Queen" and the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Bomber".