A five-minute teaser for "Doombound", the sixth full-length album from Finnish fantasy metallers BATTLELORE, can be viewed below. The CD will be released on the following dates:

Jan. 26 - Spain, Finland, Sweden
Jan. 28 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, BeNeLux, Italy
Jan. 31 - rest of Europe
Feb. 08 - Canada, U.S.

"Doombound" features 11 new songs, one of which is instrumental. As was the case with previous BATTLELORE albums, there will be a jewel-case edition of "Doombound" and a special limited-edition digipack including some rare material. This time around the extra material is more special than ever before — as a "thank you" to all BATTLELORE fans and followers for their enormous support over the past 10 years, the band has compiled a bonus DVD from their personal archives. "10 Years Of Battlelore" includes footage from two live shows, two tour videos, a huge photo gallery and all of BATTLELORE's music videos.

The band's first conceptual effort, "Doombound" features lyrics which "tell the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's tragic hero Túrin Turambar and his kin," according to a press release. "One of the songs is sung completely in Finnish in appreciation to BATTLELORE's beautiful home country Finland and Kalevala, the national Finnish epic. The songs themselves are more dynamic, atmospheric and epic than ever before — prepare for the ultimate music experience and a life-long journey through the eyes of a fallen hero!"

Swedish hard rockers BONAFIDE will release a new EP, "Fill Your Head With Rock - Old, New, Tried & True", on January 28, 2011. The band states, "[We] decided to go for a EP instead of the ordinary radio single format this time around. The reasons were many, but first and foremost it shows a band vitalized by the addition of drummer Niklas Matsson (RAGING SLAB, BACKDRAFT), and what better way to introduce a new member than to buy some studio time and record a couple of favorite tracks live in the studio!

"'Fill Your Head With Rock' and 'No Doubt About It' are both taken from [BONAFIDE's] second album, 'Something's Dripping'. We gave the opener, 'Fill Your Head…', a little 'haircut,' making it more representable for radio. This is a true anthem, and a song that has grown into a live favorite. 'No Doubt About It' was picked to be included in the new Atari game 'Test Drive Unlimited 2', released for various platforms early 2011.

"The six-track EP also includes the song 'Kick Me Out' that, for some unknown reason, was not included on the final version of 'Something's Dripping'. We feel this song is a fantastic representation of a band that for the last two years has gained an ever-growing audience around Europe by extensive touring. 'I Don't Need No Doctor', 'I Can't Explain' and 'Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock 'N' Roll)' sees BONAFIDE paying homage to some rock giants. THE WHO's 'I Can't Explain' is another live favorite, often played as an encore. HUMBLE PIE's 'I Don't Need No Doctor' lets singer and frontman Pontus Snibb show off his golden vocal cords, and 'Nice Boys', which was recorded in one take, is two minutes of pure adrenalin. Also included are two videos: 'Hard Livin' Man' and the brand new 'No Doubt About It'."

"Fill Your Head With Rock - Old, New, Tried & True" EP track listing:

01. Fill Your Head With Rock (radio edit)
02. No Doubt About It
03. Kick Me Out
04. I Dont Need No Doctor
05. I Cant Explain
06. Nice Boys (Dont Play Rock 'N' Roll)
07. Hard Livin Man (video)
08. No Doubt About It (video)

Spanish metal band CHILDRAIN will release its debut album, "Life Show", on January 21. The CD was recorded at Lamina studios during September 2010 and is described by the group as "a 100 percent metal album."

01. Cursed
02. There Will Be
03. No One Left To Blame
04. Portrait Of Submission
05. Misery
06. The End Of Days
07. Life Show
08. Sinner
09. The End Of Illusion

Leader Eric Syre from Quebec-based black/thrash metallers THESYRE has issued the following update:

"We are still writing material for Thesyre's next album. We will record, produce and release it ourselves when we are ready. I am looking forward to some limited physical formats as well as sharing it for free online, as usual.

Speaking of online material, I am glad to report we had an average of six people a day downloading from our archive in the last year. Those numbers are tiny, of course, when compared to bigger bands but I think it's good enough for a band like us with no promotion, no touring, no presence in the press in the last 18 months. There's no way we could sell six CDs or LPs a day on our own and on a steady basis, so those numbers please me enough to keep the archive thing going in 2011.

Artwork-wise I had very little time to work on covers and logos. Yet, I managed to come up with a logo for Atavism Records and I am completing the artwork and layout for the upcoming NKVD album. I also got a request from a merch company to come up with a design for a MOTÖRHEAD t-shirt; not sure if they'll use it or not. More on this soon... If you'd like me to work on something for you, keep in mind that I need some time to come up with anything. Go ahead and contact me.

AKITSA released Au Crepuscule De L'esperance in 2010. The album received good reviews and made it on the top lists of a few writers and fans. There is also a 7" coming up on which I played the drums."

Former SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns has slammed the band's mainman Max Cavalera for allegedly "talking shit" and "lying" to the press about the circumstances surrounding Bobby's departure from the group.

In a November 18, 2010 interview with MetalSickness.com (see video below), Max stated about SOULFLY's split with Burns, "Well, we're still friends. It was really a friendly split."

He continued, "SOULFLY is a very demanding band that demands of you to really... You've gotta be some kind of soldier to be in SOULFLY and it's really not an easy band to be in, and I'll be the first one to say that. We go to places a lot of people don't go, and we play places a lot of people don't play. But on the side of the coin, we get to see the world and get to travel the world and meet many people and it's great life for a musician. It was my dream from the beginning to do this. And when somebody is not feeling the same way as us...

"I always said from the beginning: If you're not 100 percent here with us, then you should not be here at all. And Bobby wasn't like that anymore; he was, really... It was a situation where nobody was even talking to him in the end, and he was not talking to anybody. It was really strange. I never had that in a band before like that. It was really kind of, like, 'What's going on with this guy?' And it got to the point where he started to drink a lot, too, and that was another problem. He started missing a lot of notes and not playing the bass so good live.

"That's another thing that cannot happen; we have to make sure that we play good at night — a lot of people want to see us, so we've gotta be... If there's 10 people at the show or 10,000, I want SOULFLY to perform the same; I always that to the other guys. Even though it's hard sometimes — if there's less people there, if there's no vibe, or the vibe sucks, you still [get into] it. Those people there are your hardcore fans because they came here. Maybe there's only 100 of them, [but] they are 100 of your most hardcore fans that came to see you, so it's very special that you play the same. And Bobby was not feeling like that anymore, so it was better for us to say to him, 'We think it's better for you to go and we'll get somebody there that's gonna be hungry again to be in the band,' and that's what we're looking for right now."

(Reuters) - Bon Jovi may have recently been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the veteran band still ended the year as the world's top concert attraction, according to a trade publication.

The group sold $201.1 million (£130.6 million) worth of tickets, split almost evenly between North America and the rest of the world, said Pollstar magazine. Its success was noteworthy given that it was promoting a 2009 album that did not sell strongly.

Bon Jovi also shone even as overall sales slid in a tough economy. Pollstar said sales for the top 50 tours worldwide fell 12 percent to $2.93 billion. In North America, the top 50 tours dropped 15 percent to $1.69 billion.

Overseas tours are increasingly becoming more lucrative for musicians, especially as infrastructure improves across Asia and the former Soviet bloc, Pollstar said.

Indeed, hard rockers AC/DC came in at No. 2 and Irish foursome U2 at No. 3 after making all their money overseas. AC/DC grossed $177 million, and U2 $160.9 million. U2 was the top worldwide act in 2009 with $311 million, followed by AC/DC with $227 million.

In a field dominated by rock acts, flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga was No. 4 this year with $133.6 million. The "Poker Face" singer worked harder than any other musician in the top 10, playing 138 shows, two-thirds of which were overseas.

Bon Jovi, by contrast, played 80 shows. AC/DC (40 shows) and U2 (32 shows) took it relatively easy.

Metallica was No. 5 with $110.1 million from 60 overseas shows. Both Metallica and AC/DC last released albums in 2008, relying on their extensive catalogues of headbanging favourites to keep drawing fans.

The field was rounded out by Canadian singer Michael Buble (No. 6, $104.2 million), the "Walking with Dinosaurs" live family show (No. 7, $104.1 million), Paul McCartney (No. 8, $93 million), the Eagles (No. 9, $92.3 million) and former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters (No. 10, $89.5 million).

Waters earned all his money in North America, where his acclaimed restaging of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" was the No. 2 draw behind Bon Jovi with $108.2 million. Among all-time North American tours, the Bon Jovi trek ranks at No. 9, Pollstar said. The Rolling Stones hold the record with $162 million from their 2005 outing. The publication has been collecting worldwide data for only two years.

The Dave Matthews Band was No. 3 in North America with $72.9 million. Buble followed with $65.7 million and the Eagles with $64.5 million.

Bon Jovi's previous best performance in North America was in 2008, when the band was fifth with ticket sales of $70.4 million. The New Jersey rockers, led by singer Jon Bon Jovi, were on the ballot for inclusion in the 2011 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, but failed to make the cut. Critics have largely been dismissive of the group's catchy "soft-rock" tunes, even as the band has little problem selling out stadiums and arenas to its female-skewing fan base. Its 2009 album "The Circle" debuted at No. 1 in the United States, but ended up selling relatively poorly.

Brenna Gray, the widow of SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray, has paid tribute to her late husband in the new issue of Revolver magazine, which remembers many of hard rock and metal's most dearly departed.

Paul Gray's body was found on May 24 in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb. A coroner ruled that the 38-year-old musician died of an accidental overdose of morphine.

"I don't want people to judge him for the mistake that he made," Brenna told the magazine. "He wasn't just a drug addict. That was a little part of his life that he couldn't overcome," she explained.

"He was a great guy, a great musician, a great husband, a great friend, a great brother, a great son. And I just want people to know that."

Brenna went on to reveal that she hopes to help others learn from the tragedy via advocacy work.

"I've been working with the organization MusiCares, and if they can get my story out there, as hard as it is to tell... if one person can save their life with my husband losing his, that's what matters," she said.

Brenna Gray gave birth to Paul Gray's first and only child, a baby daughter named October Dedrick Gray, on August 17.

The cover of the new issue of Revolver magazine features a stunning painting by legendary comic-book artist J.G. Jones (Superman, Batman, Wanted). Jones depicts Ronnie James Dio, SLIPKNOT's Paul Gray, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's The Rev, TYPE O NEGATIVE's Peter Steele, PANTERA's Dimebag Darrell, METALLICA's Cliff Burton, NIRVANA's Kurt Cobain, OZZY OSBOURNE's Randy Rhoads, QUEEN's Freddie Mercury, and ALICE IN CHAINS' Layne Staley rocking together in heaven. The cover painting also appears as a free poster with the issue.

Inside the issue, Revolver remembers the cover artists and many of hard rock and metal's other fallen heroes via exclusive interviews with members of SLIPKNOT and TYPE O NEGATIVE, Dio's wife and manager Wendy Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford, ALICE IN CHAINS' Mike Inez, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's Zakk Wylde, RAMONES' Marky Ramone, MELVINS' Buzz Osborne, rapper Ice-T, and more.

As a tie-in to the issue and a special tribute to PANTERA's Dimebag Darrell, Revolver has produced a highly limited-edition commemorative coin in his honor. The coin comes free with the magazine when purchased at Barnes & Noble. Otherwise, it is available with the issue and an antiqued metal coin holder at this location, where a portion of the sale proceeds will go to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison said last month that he and other members of the eight-piece band were already separately recording demos of new material, which he hoped to begin recording sometime in early 2011.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor has maintained for months that he has no desire at this point to make a new record without Paul Gray.

Taylor and SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root have been on the road with their other band, STONE SOUR, since early summer.

Jordison has toured with ROB ZOMBIE and recorded a new album with his band MURDERDOLLS, although that group recently canceled a tour.

Swedish hard rockers THE POODLES check in with the following update:

"2010 is coming to a close, a great and eventful year with highlights such as the Sweden Rocks Europe Tour in April/May together with TREAT and H.E.A.T, the Graspop festival in Belgium and a number of other simply fantastic shows. Also the signing of a new world wide record deal with Frontiers Records, the release of the live DVD In The Flesh and the live CD No Quarter as well as an intense recording period during the fall of our new and awesome studio album Performocracy due for release on April 15th. Thank you everyone for making 2010 such a memorable year for us and I hope to see each and everyone of you somewhere on the road next year."

STARGAZERY, the Finnish hard rock band fronted by the ex-MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalist Jari Tiura, has inked a deal with Pure Legend Records, the new sublabel of Pure Steel Records. The group's debut album, "Eye On The Sky", will be released in the first quarter of 2011. The CD was recorded and mixed at the HellGate and Reindeer Horns studios in Oulu, Finland and was mastered at the Bazement Studios. The cover artwork was created by Felipe Machado, who has previously worked with AXEL RUDI PELL, BLIND GUARDIAN, ICED EARTH and BLAZE BAYLEY.

Commented the band: "We all are very excited and happy to sign to Germany's Pure Legend Records, an specialized sublabel of the well-known Pure Steel Records. We've seen that the label has been raising their profile year after year and we are really looking forward to work with them in the future."

Added Pure Legend Records: "It's a dream to release such a gem as first release. STARGAZERY are playing exactly the honest kind of music we want to support with Pure Legend Records. Anything (instruments, compositions and sound) can only be called excellent. You hear and practically feel the professionalism of the individual musicians. A perfect album in this genre!"

STARGAZERY is:

* Jari Tiura (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, MASTERSTROKE, SNAKEGOD) - Vocals
* Pete Ahonen (BURNING POINT, GHOST MACHINERY) - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Jukka Jokikokko (BURNING POINT) - Bass, Backing Vocals
* Marco Sneck (POISONBLACK, KALMAH) - Keyboards
* Jussi Ontero (BURNING POINT, GHOST MACHINERY) - Drums

01. Dying
02. Puppet On A String
03. I Am The Night
04. Eye On The Sky
05. How Many Miles
06. Judah
07. S.O.S.
08. Every Day I Dream Of You
09. Jester Of Kings
10. Headless Cross (BLACK SABBATH cover)

Swedish progressive metallers WOLVERINE recently finished mixing their long-awaited new album, "Communication Lost", with Danish producer Jacob Hansen at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark for a tentative early 2011 release. The band states, "The album is right now being mastered by Eroc. Because of administrative problems, from our label's end, the recording got stuck at Jacob Hansen's studio for quite some time so we didn't start mastering until December instead of September, which was the original plan.

"The actual mastering has been taking a while because we've been sending ideas back and forth on different approaches to the album's overall sound. We came to a conclusion about a week ago but then came Christmas and the holidays. We can only hope that you all understand we're taking this long because we want the album to be perfect when it finally does come out."

Marple from German's pitXplorer magazine conducted an interview with Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI before the band's December 12, 2010 concert at LKA in Stuttgart, Germany. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked what the differences are between LORDI and GWAR, LORDI mainman Mr. Lordi replied, "We're LORDI and they're GWAR. I mean, everything is different. I guess they're not that serious. I guess the only thing in common, actually, with GWAR and LORDI is that they're both rock bands and dressed up as monsters. Even though GWAR says that they're not human beings, but I can tell you a secret: They are."

Norwegian melodic metallers PICTURES OF PAIN have issued the following year-end update:

"Just a few hours left of 2010, and it’s time to resume the year: 2010 has been a real interesting and satisfying year for the band, releasing the debut album,The Reckoning, on November 26th. As far, the reviews and feedbacks have been very positive. This gives inspiration, working even harder in 2011. The major priorities for the coming year, will be to do some live shows and continue to produce even more new material.

At last, we want to thank Phivos Papadopoulos & Pitch Black Records for believing in the band and releasing the album. Also a big hail to Mario Pereira for great booklet artwork, Andy LaRocque for excellent mastering and of course: all of you that supported the release-party, have bought the album and showed support for the band!

You’re the best, a great 2011 to you all!"

The Reckoning was mastered by legendary KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy LaRocque at his own Sonic Train Studios.

Norwegian metallers TOMORROW'S OUTLOOK have issued the following update in regards to their forthcoming debut album, 34613:

"We have been listening through the Master a couple of times and there is nothing we would like to change. It all sounds killer@#%$!!!

We would like to thank our engineer for beeing patient with us and for doing such a great job. We didn't expect the recordings to turn out as great as they did. Colin Davis is a true magician, and I have been wondering lately why he ain't up there with the best metal/hardrock producers of today!

Well, yesterday I started to shop for labels. I shipped out 13 promo packs. 7 of them to Germany: Century Media Records, Limb Music, Nuclear Blast, Massacre Records, Pure Steel Records, Avenue Of Allies and Rock N Growl. The rest to: Lion Music (Finland), Spinefarm Records (Finland), Mascot Records (Holland), Inferno Records (France) and last but not least Rockadrome Records (USA).

If you represent a serious record-label or know of someone who do let me know (theband@tomorrowsoutlook.com) and I will definitely ship out another promo pack.

The more interest the better! And if we still can't secure a good deal we will release the album ourselves. This way we'll get more money and there's a bigger chance for a follow-up sometime soon. Wish us luck, friends... and have a great remaining Christmas and forthcoming new year. All the best from Sörvik "Rock" City and Northern Norway."

A previous update from the group states: : "34613 has been in the works for the past three years, so it feels real good to complete the tracklist with a new song called 'Ice Mountain'. 'Ice Mountain' is about one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. It's about how the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time (1912), struck an iceberg and sank... resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.

I guess you've all figured by now the song is about The RMS Titanic. Graham Bonnet (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, ALCATRAZZ, RAINBOW) was upon our request writing the lyrics and he did a killer job on vocals. 'Ice Mountain' doesn't sound that far off something he did back in the days with ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI, and it will definitely be one of the highlights on the album."

Further updates to follow.

U.K-based metallers POWER QUEST have completed work on their new album, "Blood Alliance", at Foel Studios (PAUL RODGERS, NAPALM DEATH, THE WILDHEARTS) in Wales next for a late March European release via Napalm Records (early April in the U.S. and January 19 in Japan through Marquee/Avalon). Eleven songs were laid down for the follow-up to 2008's "Master Of Illusion", including one bonus track. The CD cover artwork was once again designed by Felipe Machado (BLIND GUARDIAN, SILENT FORCE)and can be viewed below.

Commented keyboardist Steve Williams: "Well, it has been a long time coming but finally the fifth POWER QUEST album is done and I don't think I have ever been so excited about releasing an album. All the guys have given 110% to this record and I'm proud of them all. It's without doubt the heaviest POWER QUEST album yet but without sacrificing the POWER QUEST melodic tradition. I just can't wait for you all to hear it!"

"Blood Alliance" track listing:

01. Battle Stations
02. Rising Anew
03. Glorious
04. Sacrifice
05. Survive
06. Better Days
07. Crunching The Numbers
08. Only In My Dreams
09. Blood Alliance
10. City Of Lies
11. Time To Burn (Japanese bonus track)

German metal act REBELLION have parted ways with guitarist Uwe Lulis (ex-GRAVE DIGGER), drummer Gerd Lücking and guitarist Simone Wenzel.

Lulis commented: "Rebellion was also my band and I would be pleased, if Tomi (Göttlich; ex-Grave Digger) and Micha (singer Michael Seifert) will continue successfully."

Göttlich remarks about the Rebellion situation: "We ask ourselves whether Rebellion without Uwe can still be Rebellion,
a band on the other hand one always depends on their fans, we would be pleased, if our fans told us their opinion about it (check www.Rebellion.st for a listing of the band's various internet profiles)."

Guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Gerd Lücking have teamed up for an as-yet unnamed project, meanwhile guitarist Simone Wenzel has joined the band VERNISSAGE.

An interview should be published in January where Tomi Göttlich will answer your questions about Rebellion's future

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently spoke to Ultimate-Guitar.com's Robert Gray about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next studio album, tentatively due in late 2011 via Roadrunner Records. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On how much new material has been accumulated at this stage of the songwriting process:

Ellefson: "There's some ideas that we're now starting to individually compose. We're starting to put some things together, but the actual getting together in the studio to really get things started for the next record as far as all of us being in a room with a producer and all that, that is something we're gonna start [in January]."

On how the new songs are sounding:

Ellefson: "We're at a stage where we're just compiling ideas — riffs, lyrics, things like that. Those early ideas often turn many corners and take many new twists before they're finalized on the final album. The seeds of the ideas I think are great, and I think they're really heavy and they're powerful. I don't think MEGADETH fans will be disappointed at all. If the final outcome of what I'm hearing at this point with these seeds of ideas, if these come to fruition like they should, I think we're gonna have ourselves a smoking record. . . . I think, more than the actual material, though... because again, at this point everybody has some individual ideas or some collective ideas that are at least established... More than anything though, I think we're excited about it because we've had such a great year of reconnecting. There've been some huge successes with the 'Rust In Peace' tour and the 'Big Four' DVD, and just coming off of that, it's an exciting time for us to start and carve out the next chapter of MEGADETH."

On whether his return to MEGADETH after an eight-year hiatus will add a different flavor to proceedings:

Ellefson: "I think so. I think what's nice to a large degree is that Dave [Mustaine] was really the primary writer, if not the only writer, of the past few MEGADETH records, and I think when a band works together as a unit, regardless of who writes it, there tends to be a different flavor and a different style. I think that one of the cool things about where the band is right now as a unit is that it isn't only... Obviously, Shawn Drover [drums] now has been there for awhile, so he's got some experience. He knows how MEGADETH writes, records and operates; he knows how Dave writes, he understands Dave's compositional style, and as well, Shawn has started to contribute some of his own material, like on 'Head Crusher' from the [2009] 'Endgame' record. Now it's kinda cool, though, because there's now me and Dave who both can go back to the seed of MEGADETH, to the origins of it. I think that there's a really cool chemistry right now with Dave and I being back together. I think our playing has a certain style, and adds a certain tonal quality to MEGADETH. There's a really cool mixture of all the ingredients right now in the kitchen to really whip up something pretty tasty."

On how the next MEGADETH album will compare to "Endgame":

Ellefson: "This much I do know. I'm sure that after playing the 'Rust In Peace' album for the last year, that that will definitely have an influence on the sound of MEGADETH moving forward."