After 18 years, guitarist Ed Mundell has left MONSTER MAGNET for "personal reasons." The band's mainman, Dave Wyndorf, states, "What can I say? [Ed] told me this two months ago and I gave him some time for him to perhaps reconsider but no go. It's a bummer, yeah but we've been through this kind of thing before. Make no mistake, MAGNET goes on. We start the 'Mastermind' tour tonight [Wednesday, November 3] in Cologne, Germany with Phil Caivano and Garrett Sweeny handling dual guitar chores." He adds, "I'd like to thank Ed for the immense talent he's brought to the band over the years and wish him good luck in whatever he decides to do next. Good luck, Ed, we'll miss you!"

Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have released new artwork for their latest album, "Abrahadabra", in conjunction with the launch of the band's North American tour. The group's record label, Nuclear Blast, states in a press release, "Art-wise, it's a subtle change and will IN NO WAY alter the musical content of this album. Moving forward, this new cover will grace all the different versions once the album is re-pressed, so the original pressing is now — you've got it — a collector's item! Again, it is ABSOLUTELY the same album musically with the same content. ONLY the artwork has changed."

"Abrahadabra" sold 9,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "In Sorte Diaboli", opened with 14,000 units back in May 2007 to debut at No. 43. This was more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its predecessor, "Death Cult Armageddon", which came out in September 2003 and landed at position No. 169 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Abrahadabra" first-week chart positions:

Norway: #2
Germany: #15
Sweden: #17
Ireland: #19
Austria: #20
Switzerland: #24
Canada: #30
USA: #42
France: #43
Finland: #48
Belgium: #52

The word "abrahadabra" (which roughly translates into "I will create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of "Liber AL vel Legis" (commonly referred to as "The Book of the Law") written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.

"Abrahadabra" track listing:

01. Xibir (2:50)
02. Born Treacherous (5:02)
03. Gateways (5:10)
04. Chess With The Abyss (4:08)
05. Dimmu Borgir (5:35)
06. Ritualist (5:13)
07. The Demiurge Molecule (5:29)
08. A Jewel Traced Through Coal (5:16)
09. Renewal (4:11)
10. Endings And Continuations (5:58)

In a recent interview with the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine, DIMMU BORGIR vocalist Shagrath (real name: Stian Tomt Thoresen) was asked why the band chose to break the tradition of using a three-word title for a DIMMU BORGIR album on its latest effort. "It was a tradition for the last records to use a three-word title, basically, for the fact that it represents much more of a unity thing than just one word," he replied. "'Abrahadabra' is more about the transfusion of new blood, I would say, in a way that we have chosen to do a lot of things differently from what we had done before. We wanted to break out of the patterns in many ways, including the people who play on the record, and also the studios we have used for the record — everything is basically different, so therefore we felt it was more right to use a one-word title instead of a [three-word one]."

When asked why DIMMU BORGIR chose to hire almost 100 guest musicians to replace two former members — bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex (real name: Simen Hestnæs) and keyboardist Mustis (real name: Øyvind Mustaparta) — Shagrath said, "Well, you can't see it like that; it's a stupid way of saying it. I wouldn't phrase the question like that. It doesn't make sense, really, because the orchestration has nothing to do with the firing of the two members at all. That's just a stupid question. We have used an orchestra before, but this time we're going for a bigger orchestra to make it more epic and sound bigger, and that's the way we want to go and that has, basically, nothing to do with any previous members leaving or being fired."

Some more details have surfaced regarding the much-ballyhooed 
Propagandhi and Sacrifice split seven-inch. The record will contain Propagandhi's cover of Corrosion of Conformity's hardcore/metal crossover classic "Technocracy" and Sacrifice's take on "Anthem," Rush's classic piece of Canadian prog rock. Word has dropped that this little slice of punk/metal heaven now has a release date and the suitably awesome cover art has been unveiled.

The record, which is limited to 1,000 copies, is due out December 10 through Winnipeg's War on Music Records. The label will be taking pre-orders on their website in a couple of weeks. For the time being, you can email them directly at waronmusicrecords@gmail.com to place a pre-order.

The cover art, as seen above, pays awesome homage to iconic Rush and Corrosion of Conformity album covers, and was hand-drawn by Propagandhi bassist/vocalist Todd Kowalski.

The third, self-titled full-length album from the Atlanta-based quintet DAATH sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 89 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.

"Shatter", the new five-track EP from TRIPTYKON — the group formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Warrior — sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 90 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.

"Spiral Shadow", the fifth album from KYLESA, the psych-rock co-ed Georgians, sold around 1,500 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.

"Dead New World", the fifth album from New Jersey/New York's ILL NIÑO, sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 164 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous effort, "Enigma", opened with 5,000 units to land at No. 145 back in March 2008.

"Mastermind", the long-awaited new album from MONSTER MAGNET, sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 165 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous effort, "4-Way Diablo", opened with 1,800 units back in November 2007.

"Omega Wave", the new album from reactivated San Francisco Bay Area thrashers FORBIDDEN, sold around 950 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 27 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.

"Judgement", the third album from Ashland, Kentucky based hard rockers HYDROGYN, sold around 1,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 10 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.

(HED)P.E.'s new album, "Truth Rising", sold around 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 98 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 26 through Suburban Noize Records.

According to MusicWeek.com, MOTÖRHEAD has signed on for Future Publishing's magazine-plus-CD initiative for the U.K. release of the band's new album, "The Wörld Is Yours".

Following the release of Slash's eponymous solo CD with Future's Classic Rock magazine earlier this year, MOTÖRHEAD's new LP will hit newsstands on December 14 as a Classic Rock Presents… Motörhead fan-pack. This will comprise a 132-page magazine plus the album on CD and will sell at £14.99.

Following a four-week period of exclusivity, the album will then be released generally on January 17 in a standard CD format.

It's official: MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil is one of six celebrities who will appear on the brand new show "Skating With The Stars", which is described as "Dancing With The Stars" on ice (and comes from the same producers). The other contenders are Sean Young ("Blade Runner", "No Way Out"), reality star Bethenny Frankel, Olympic gold medal skier Jonny Moseley, "All My Children" actress Rebecca Budig and Brandon Mychal Smith of the Disney Channel sitcom "Sonny With a Chance".

"I was a figure skater when I was 12," Neil told People.com. "When they called the people in my office were laughing but I told them, 'I actually used to skate. I haven't skated for a long, long time. I like to do things that sound like fun and this sounds like fun.'"

"I've been known to be one of the bad boys of rock and roll," Neil said in a promo clip for the show (see below). "I think I'm gonna leave all that behind right now and just be the baddest guy on ice."

You've seen what happens when celebrities take on the ballroom... Now see what happens when they hit the ice on blades of steel, in "Skating With The Stars". The new series from BBC Worldwide Productions will pair celebrities with a world-class ice skater as they prepare to compete in front of a live audience in a televised ice skating competition. The skating pairs will be critiqued by a panel of expert judges and will receive a set of scores based on artistry and technique, and also by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week.

"Skating With The Stars" will kick off its six-episode run with a live premiere episode on Monday, November 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC television network.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently told Steve Newton of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Straight web site that his favorite BLACK SABBATH album is the band's self-titled debut of 1970. "It took 24 hours to make," Halford said, "believe it or not, but the sound is absolutely mindblowing. If you just listen to the sound, how they were able to do that work in such a short space of time is extraordinary.

"I think a lot of musicians agree that generally your first record is very, very important," he added, "because you're really coming from a very pure, new, uncluttered source. You've got nothing to prove because you've proved nothing yet; you haven't really got a massive fanbase, so you're searching to build that. Your record company's not interfering with your music as they tend to do when you become successful — same with managers, agents, promoters. You're really coming into your existence at a different level.

"If you look back at the history of your favourite band, generally the first couple are the ones that really kind of grab you. So that's why I feel that first SABBATH album for me — much like 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' for JUDAS PRIEST — is a very important release."

Halford joined SABBATH for two gigs to support Ozzy Osbourne on his last shows for the "No More Tours" tour in November 1992 in Costa Mesa, California after SABBATH's singer at the time, Ronnie James Dio, refused to take the stage. Rob also performed with SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on August 26, 2004 at the Camden, New Jersey stop of Ozzfest after Ozzy came down with an "attack of bronchitis" and was unable to take part in the concert.

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH entered the studio late last month to begin recording the follow-up to 2007's "Dark Passion Play".

Writing on her official blog, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon states about the upcoming CD, "I can't say too much, as I am sure you all understand since it's always hush-hush in this business. But the album will come out late 2011 as we know for now. Emppu [Vuorinen] is recording his guitars at the moment and then Marco [Hietala, bass/vocals] will do his bass after that, then the orchestra in London in February (where I will go and check it out). And then I do my recordings in March and then Tuomas [Holopainen. keyboards] will do his before mixing and mastering. So the schedule is the same as we have said before."

Italian thrash-and-rollers IDOLS ARE DEAD are recording a new EP at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy with producer Gabriele Ravaglia. According to a press release, fans should expect the follow-up to 2008's "Mean" "to have a much more brutal and aggressive sound, while at the same time, plenty of catchy hooks."

IDOLS ARE DEAD features former members of ADDICTION CREW as well as other influential Italian metal bands such as ELECTROCUTION and FOLDER.

Comments singer Mana: "We think [the new EP is] pretty much a [progression from] 'Mean'. The new songs have more melodic choruses but at the same time more aggressive verses."

FLYLEAF vocalist Lacey Mosley Sturm makes an appearance in the video for the song "Courage" from Orianthi Panagaris (who uses only her first name professionally), the 25-year-old guitar virtuoso from Adelaide, Australia who was rehearsing with Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" concerts before his death. You can now watch the clip below.

When asked in a recent interview with ARTISTdirect how her collaboration with Orianthi came about, Lacey said, "It's definitely different from our style. Howard Benson produced our record and Orianthi's record. He suggested that I sing on that song because we've hung out so much for so long that he knows my heart and my personality. He knew that I'd love the message of 'Courage'.

"It was such a crazy thing for that song to come along when it did because we had done some mission trip work for Samaritan's Purse — which is a charitable organization that Billy Graham supports. They help people around the world. They were in this one very small community that has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation — especially among teens. There's this weird philosophy going around there where if somebody commits suicide, you'll hear someone say, 'I wish I was brave enough to do that.'

"How can you say you want to give up on life in a simple way, though? Everyone deals with depression and feeling like they want to give up. It's about being brave enough to live though.

"When 'Courage' came via email to me, I was thinking about this. The lyrics of the song straight-up said, 'Courage is when you're in pain and you keep on living anyway.' I was like, 'This is important to do.' So I did it.

"It was fun working with Orianthi. She's a really cool girl, and she has a great voice. When we were in between takes, she was sitting there with her guitar shredding for fun and talking to me at the same time [Laughs]. She's really talented!"

"Antigod", the new EP from Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL, will be released on November 19 in the following territories:

* Via Nuclear Blast in Europe on seven-inch single (two tracks), CD-digipack and digital download (six tracks)

* Via Season Of Mist in North America as digital dowload (six tracks)

* Via Musikvertrieb in Switzerland on seven-inch single (two tracks) and on CD-digipack (six tracks)

The "Antigod" title track is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

"Antigod" track listing:

01. Antigod
02. Into The Pentagram (2010)
03. Reign Of Light (Live)
04. Slavocracy (Live)
05. Antigod (Dark Night Remix)
06. Ten Thousand Years

POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — has inked a deal with Hype Records. The group will enter Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark in January 2011 with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST) to begin recording its fifth album, tentatively titled "Lead & Roll Vol. 5". A spring release is expected.

"We've been through some rough spots, but now we're completely recharged and ready to roll on with our new killer songs and our new label partners," says Laihiala.

Madsen previously mixed POISONBLACK's 2006 effort "Lust-Stained Despair".

MIDNATTSOL — the German-Norwegian band featuring vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes (the younger sister of LEAVES' EYES singer Liv Kristine) — has set "The Metamorphosis Melody" as the title of its third album, tentatively due in early 2011. The CD was recorded at Studio E (THE VISION BLEAK, LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE, SECRETS OF THE MOON) with producer Markus Stock.

Regarding the new album's title, Carmen states in a new video message (see below), "On one side it stands as a great symbol for what we in MIDNATTSOL have experienced in the last months since the release of our last album.

"We've gone through a big change regarding band structure, and like you know, we've got a fantastic new guitarist, Alex [Kautz], and this had an immense influence on our music; I think you can hear that in the new songs. And at the same time it stands as great symbol for the individual change that each single member of MIDNATTSOL has gone through, so it's like a personal change as well. But like on all our albums, there is a deeper meaning of the title as well, and the thing is that I don't want to reveal too much because I want you, the listeners, to make your own interpretations. But what I can say is that the new album should be an encouragement to change, both personally and globally.

"All of the bandmembers in MIDNATTSOL think that this album is the best album we have ever made, so I really, really hope that you feel that as well."

MIDNATTSOL's second album, "Nordlys" (translated: Northern Light), was released in March 2009 via Napalm Records. The CD was mixed by Tue Madsen and was mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland with Mika Jusilla.

Crypt Magazine recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Crypt Magazine: Do you have plans for the next record yet?

Drover: Yeah, we're certainly talking about it. Right now we're in tour mode, but we're starting to discuss our game plan for next year, and I envision next year we'll be recording a new record. So there's no end in sight as far as we're concerned. We're just going to keep rolling, and things are going really well for us right now, and we're just seizing every opportunity that we can.

Crypt Magazine: Right, now the "Big Four" shows you did (with METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX)… seems to me that'd be a gigantic-selling thing, so why has it just been seven shows in Europe so far?

Drover: Well, it's a good question. I mean, we can theorize about why and all that stuff… my theory is, maybe it was just to test the waters, see how everything went, see if it was going to be as successful as everyone hoped it would be. And, of course, it was. And we filmed a DVD which will be out November 2, "The Big Four" DVD. And once we did that in Europe, now everyone around the world's screaming for it. So hopefully we'll be able to do it next year, or whenever that's gonna be. But right now, we really don't know, y'know, there's talk, you hear things, people say things, but until it actually presents itself… We're all really hopeful that it will. We'll see what happens with it.

Crypt Magazine: I understand you brought out (MEGADETH mascot) Vic Rattlehead onstage for a couple shows. Is he going to be coming back more often?

Drover: We started doing that halfway through the last tour leg we did with SLAYER and TESTAMENT. We started doing it, and we've been doing it every night since. It went over so well, we incorporated it into the show. Yeah, it's a cool thing, it went over really well with the fans, so we don't see any reason not to continue it.

Crypt Magazine: Yeah, 'cause I always thought that MEGADETH should do the same thing with Vic that IRON MAIDEN does with Eddie. Now, I just discovered that you and I were born in the same year, so your influences as a drummer, would they be THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, bands like that?

Drover: Well, those two, certainly, yeah. Y'know, growing up in the '70s, I was exposed to a lot of different types of music, the rock stuff, DEEP PURPLE, RUSH, VAN HALEN, THIN LIZZY, all that stuff. But at the same time I was listening to a lot of jazz stuff. A lot of Al Dimeola, "Return To Forever", that stuff. There's so many great drummers in the jazz field. I got absorbed in all that stuff, so it was cool. And when I was growing up, it wasn't weird to listen to different types of music. Even on radio, you'd hear a DEEP PURPLE song, and then a FLEETWOOD MAC song, and no one would blink an eye. Now, I don't know if they even do that on rock radio now…but I was exposed to a lot of different styles of music. But certainly Neil (Peart) from RUSH was one of my main influences, certainly to this day.

Crypt Magazine: Is "Head Crusher" your favorite song to play? 'Cause you co-wrote that, I understand.

Drover: Yeah, I did co-write that song. Certainly, I love playing it, it's a fun song to play, but I like playing all the songs, to be honest with you. Like I said before, it's a challenging set to play, and you really gotta focus on what you're doing, but that's part of the fun, and I enjoy doing that. But yeah, "Head Crusher" is one of my favorites and I like playing it.

U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist Paul Allender of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Hammer: It has been your undertaking for some time now to compose most of the music for CRADLE OF FILTH albums. Was that the case this time round?

Paul: Yes, normally I write most of the music. This time it was a team effort on the behalf of James Mcllroy [guitar], David Pybus [bass] and myself. We wanted to see what we could come up with. We are beyond pleased with the outcome.

Metal Hammer: As a metalhead, I often find asking myself if musicians ever think of how there music will be received by their fans, or is it not a part of their creative process?

Paul: It is very much a part of my process. When I write a riff that I think rocks like fuck, I always think of fans doing what they do when they really dig it. When I can envision this, I know that they [fans] will probably like it. When I was younger and I loved a piece of music, the hairs on the back of my neck would stand straight up. It used to happen all the time listening to IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST… actually still does to this day. So when I write something and get those chills up my spine… then I know it's good. I don't mind saying that there are loads of riffs on this record that have this effect on me. When I write music, I don't do it get paid. Don't get me wrong, it is my job and I do have to pay the bills… but ultimately I write because I am truly into it.

Metal Hammer: What happened between CRADLE OF FILTH and Roadrunner Records?

Paul: Basically, we left. We held our end and did the three records agreed upon. We felt the commitment level was lacking and dropping on their part. It seems as if their sole interest lies with two bands who shall remain nameless. Bottom line is, it just didn't fucking work for us anymore.

Metal Hammer: How did you end up in bed with Peaceville Records?

Paul: They displayed some interest and approached us. When we thought about it, when with Roadrunner we were a small fish in a big pond. So we thought we'd try and reverse it and be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and as a result we will have more material coming out worldwide than we did before.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was recently invited to take part in a unique project instigated by the Royal British Legion for its official charity single "2 Minutes Silence".

The single features noiseless contributions from representatives of our society, including some very famous faces, harnessing the sound of silence in a bid to raise much-needed funds exclusively for the Royal British Legion, a registered charity which supports serving and ex-serving members of the armed forces community who need assistance.

The single takes the form of a silent video with participants shown in quiet reflection and will be on sale from November 7 and the Legion hopes to get it to number one for Remembrance Sunday (November 14), the day Britain pays tribute to members of the armed forces community who have made sacrifices, including today's Afghan generation. It can be downloaded from iTunes on November 7, costing 99p. The concept behind the single being silent is that the Legion felt that the British public would recognize the poignancy of silence and its clear association with remembrance and Remembrance Sunday in particular, or "Poppy Day," as it is often called.

Says Bruce: "When I first heard about the concept of the '2 Minutes Silence' single, my first thought was it was the work of a madman... my second thought was, no — it's the work of a genius! Many people have forgotten what Remembrance Sunday is really about. Hopefully this will serve to create more awareness of this and of those who risk paying the ultimate sacrifice. It's an honor to be involved with this project"

Among others who appear in the video are: Prime Minister David Cameron, the actors David Tennant and Bob Hoskins, Thom Yorke from RADIOHEAD, Bryan Ferry, Alex James, Mark Ronson, tennis star Andy Murray, rugby legend Martin Johnson, comedians Paul O'Grady, Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee and services personnel, including Paul McClintock and Simon Brown, Lance Corporal Ram Patten and Captain Rupert Stevens.

The Royal British Legion is the nation's leading armed forces charity and is best known for the annual Poppy Appeal.

For more information and details of how to download the single, join the official Facebook group.

U.S. melodic power metallers ARTIZAN have tapped "world-class shredder" Tony Smotherman to lay down the guitar solos on the band's forthcoming full-length debut.

Commented ARTIZAN founder/drummer Ty Tammeus: "Tony constructed some very intense, melodic solos that take our material to another level. He can shred and apply the musicality that we need."

Video footage of Smotherman in the studio with ARTIZAN can be viewed below.

Smotherman recently signed with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label.

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research celebrated its 35th annual awards gala on Wednesday, October 27 at the New York Marriott Marquis and raised a total of $1.45 million. Artists Colbie Caillat, Enrique Iglesias, 3 DOORS DOWN, Erin McCarley, Kenny Loggins and Charlie Daniels performed for the crowd of music and entertainment leaders, business and media executives, and celebrities; other attendees included radio host Stephanie Miller, country artist JARON AND THE LONG ROAD TO LOVE, Sam Tsui, Kelli Tomashoff, Dalal Bruchmann and Jackson Kelly.

Wendy Dio, the wife of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio who recently succumbed to cancer, made a generous donation of $100,000 for a stomach cancer research program in her late husband's name at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; she also urged the audience to be vigilant about cancer screenings and checkups.

The event included a live and silent auction, which raised a combined $122,000 for cancer and AIDS research; several items, like lunch with fashion guru Tim Gunn, are also being auctioned now at CharityFolks.com.

The T.J. Martell Foundation is proud to partner with Wines That Rock, who was on hand conducting a wine tasting and distribute door prizes to several lucky winners. Visit www.wines-that-rock.com/tjmartell to purchase wine and have a portion of the proceeds benefit cancer and AIDS research.

Artisan News Service has uploaded a three-minute video report on T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research's 35th annual awards gala, which includes a short interview with Wendy Dio. Watch it below.

Three-quarters of KYUSS — the influential American stoner rock/metal band, originally from Palm Desert, California — will reunite for a European tour under the moniker KYUSS LIVES. Bassist Nick Olivieri, drummer Brant Bjork and singer John Garcia will be joined by guitarist Bruno Fevery, who most recently played with Garcia in the GARCIA PLAYS KYUSS project.

Confirmed dates so far:

Mar. 11 - Bergen, Norway @ Rökeriet
Mar. 12 - Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller
Mar. 13 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Medis
Mar. 15 - Hamburg, Germany @ Docks
Mar. 16 - Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Halle
Mar. 17 - Saarbrücken, Germany @ Garage
Mar. 18 - Basel, Switzerland @ Z7
Mar. 19 - München, Bayern, Germany @ Backstage Werk
Mar. 20 - Budapest, Hungary @ Gödör
Mar. 22 - Vienna, Austria @ Arena
Mar. 23 - Milan, Italy, @ Live Club
Mar. 24 - Frankfurt, Germany @ Hugenottenhalle
Mar. 25 - Paris, France @ Elysee Montmartre
Mar. 26 - Athens, Greece @ Fuss Club
Mar. 27 - Brussels, Belgium @ AB
Mar. 28 - Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall
Mar. 29 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
Mar. 31 - Nottingham, ., United Kingdom @ Rock City
Apr. 01 - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom @ Wulfrun Hall
Apr. 02 - London, United Kingdom @ The Forum

Los Angeles, California's ABYSMAL DAWN has set "Leveling The Plane Of Existence" as the title of its new album, due in North America on February 1 via Relapse Records (February 7 in the U.K.; February 11 in Germany, Benelux; and February 14 in the rest of Europe). The drums for the follow-up 2008's "Programmed To Consume" were recorded at Trench Studios in Corona, California with John Haddad (PHOBIA, INTRONAUT, HIRAX), with the rest of the instrumentation being produced and recorded by Mike Bear (ARTISAN, ex-PROTOTYPE) at Artisan Road Studios in Encino, California. The CD is being mixed and mastered by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, GOATWHORE, HATE ETERNAL) at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida

Commented ABYSMAL DAWN guitarist/vocalist Charles Elliott: "After a series of setbacks, illness, and going through a world of shit in our personal lives, we had no choice but to make this record our revenge and the defining moment for ABYSMAL DAWN. We've had the finished mixes for about a week now and everyone that has heard it has been just blown away. We can already tell that this will be the record that the band will become known for. It's a very varied, extreme, technical, and melodic record and I can promise you that no one will be disappointed."

IRON MAIDEN, with their crew and many tons of equipment, will once again be boarding Ed Force One in February 2011 to fly 50,000 miles round the globe on their continuing mammoth Final Frontier World Tour, playing 29 shows and visiting 26 cities in thirteen countries across 5 continents with Bruce again in the pilot's seat, and heading into more new Frontiers of uncharted Maiden territory!!!

The first show will be on Feb 11th in Moscow's Olympic Stadium, after which the Boeing 757, which will have new designs to tie in with the new album and tour, will fly the band to Singapore and Indonesia for Maiden's first ever shows there, before arriving in Australia to headline two arena dates and five Soundwave Festivals. Ed Force One then turns its attention briefly to the Northern Hemisphere with a first show ever in South Korea and two shows in Tokyo, before heading all the way across the Pacific, a journey which (believe it or not!) is 6660 miles for two shows in Mexico. An extensive series of stadium shows through five South American countries follows, including a first visit to Belem, Northern Brazil, and, via Puerto Rico, the band will play the final show on this leg of the tour in Tampa, Florida, USA on April 17th, exactly 66 days after Moscow! (full dates below)

Says Bruce, "We were taken aback by the fantastic reaction from everyone to Ed Force One during the 2008/09 World Tour. As our fans all know from the "Flight 666" film, which documented the trials and tribulations we underwent in order to get the whole project literally off the ground, the end result was well worth all the effort and complex logistics we had to deal with! The band and crew enjoyed themselves so much travelling that way, it seemed only logical to set up this part of The Final Frontier tour in the same way so we could get to see as many fans as possible all over the World, only this time we're pushing the boundaries even further and going to more places Maiden has never been before... in true Frontier style!! We very much look forward to playing in Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea for the first time, as well as revisiting our fans everywhere else.

"The set list will be different to this year's tour. Of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we will include a healthy dose of older fan favourites as we will be playing to so many new faces who we know will want to hear those songs live for the first time. We will cram into the plane as much of the production we used this year as is physically possible, including of course Eddie, and intend to replicate the spectacular light show in as many places as we are able. All in all it promises to be a fantastic trip for everyone!! So see you all soon".

Since its release in August on EMI (UME in the US), "The Final Frontier" -- the band's 15th studio album - has proved their most successful chart album to date, registering the #1 sales chart slot in 28 countries around the globe; from Lebanon, Arabia and India in the East, to Canada in the West, New Zealand down South, throughout UK and Europe and across Latin America, as well as reaching No.1 in Billboard's European, Tastemaker and Rock Charts, and No.4 in the USA, which is the band's highest position ever there.

Having already played an extensive 25 date North American Tour and some selected European shows this year, Maiden will undertake a full European Tour in the summer of 2011. Some dates (as below) have already been announced but keep an eye on this site over the next few weeks and months for many more announcements.

The dates for IRON MAIDEN'S Round The World Trip on Ed Force One and current European dates for The Final Frontier World Tour are:FEBRUARY
Fri 11
Tue 15
Thu 17
Sun 20
Wed 23
Thu 24
Sat 26
Sun 27
Moscow, RUSSIA
SINGAPORE
Jakarta, INDONESIA
Bali, INDONESIA
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Olympiski
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Stadium Utama Gelaro Bung Karno Senayan
Garuda Wisnu Kencana
Hisense Arena
Entertainment Centre
Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)
Eastern Creek Raceway (Soundwave Festival)

MARCH
Fri 4
Sat 5
Mon 7
Thu 10
Sat 12
Sun 13
Thu 17
Fri 18
Sun 20
Wed 23
Sat 26
Sun 27
Wed 30

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Perth, AUSTRALIA
Seoul, KOREA
Tokyo, JAPAN
Tokyo, JAPAN
Monterrey, MEXICO
Mexico City, MEXICO
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Lima, PERU
Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL
Brasilia, BRAZIL


Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)
Bonython Park (Soundwave Festival)
Steel Blue Oval (Soundwave Festival)
Chamsil Gymnasium
Super Arena
Super Arena
Banamex Theatre
Foro Sol
CC Sapo
Estadio San Marcos
Morumbi Stadium
HSBC Arena
Nilson Nelson Parking Lot

APRIL
Fri 1
Sun 3
Tue 5
Fri 8
Sun 10
Wed 14
Sat 16
Sun 17

Belem, BRAZIL
Recife, BRAZIL
Curitiba, BRAZIL
Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Santiago, CHILE
San Juan, PUERTO RICO
Sunrise, Florida, USA
Tampa, Florida USA

Parque De Exposicoes
Parque De Exposicoes
Expotrade
Velez Sarsfield
Estadio Nacional
Coliseo De Puerto Rico
Bank Atlantic Center
St Pete Times Forum

JULY
Jun 30 - Jul 3
Fri 1
Wed 6
Fri 8
Sun 10

Roskilde, DENMARK
Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Oslo, NORWAY
Helsinki, FINLAND
St Petersburg, RUSSIA

Roskilde Festival
Ullevi Stadium
Telenor
Olympic Stadium
SKK Peterburgskiy


As always we hope to facilitate 'First to the Barrier' for our fan club members at as many shows as possible, and exclusive ticket pre-sales in some countries (such as the USA), and details of these will be announced nearer the time here on IronMaiden.com.

According to The Pulse of Radio, LINKIN PARK frontman Chester Bennington told Reuters in a new interview that he is such a big fan of the "Saw" horror film franchise that he has been known to take breaks in the middle of a tour to catch the latest one at a local theatre. Well, Bennington's enthusiasm has paid off with a small role in "Saw 3D", the seventh and reportedly final entry in the gruesome series, which opens on Friday (October 29). Bennington said about his role, "I'm not allowed to say much about the scene, but it was a lot of fun to do. I spent about seven to eight hours a day getting in and out of makeup."

The "Saw" series focuses on a psychopath named Jigsaw and his minions, who design elaborate physical and psychological traps for their victims to escape from, often at the price of a few limbs, if not their lives.

Bennington said about his scene, "What makes this particular trap unique is how complex it is. There are multiple people involved in this trap, which is very atypical for Jigsaw."

The 34-year-old Bennington got an invite to appear in the movie after a "Saw" producer, Mark Burg, moved next door to one of the guys in LINKIN PARK and learned about the singer's obsession with the films.

A song called "Condemned" from Bennington's side band, DEAD BY SUNRISE, is included on the movie's soundtrack, which came out on Tuesday (October 26).

Bennington, who previously appeared in the two "Crank" movies, hopes to use his role in "Saw 3D" as a springboard to other acting gigs. He said, "When I was younger, I did a lot of theater and was actually training myself to become an actor, taking courses in TV and film."

LINKIN PARK's new album, "A Thousand Suns", has sold 438,000 copies since coming out last month. The band will tour the U.S. in early 2011.

Long-running D.C. doom legends PENTAGRAM, with riff-meister Victor Griffin back in the fold, will record their new album, "Last Rites", between November 29 and December 21 for a late March/early April release via Metal Blade Records. The effort will be a double-disc set consisting of the new studio album and a DVD of the band's performance at this year's Maryland Deathfest, which was held on May 28-30, 2010 at Sonar in Baltimore.

Working songtitles set to appear on the CD:

* Walk In The Blue Light
* Horseman
* Virgin Death
* Figure Eight
* Everything's Turning To Night
* Mark My Word
* Sunday's Child
* Old Man
* Thrill Of The Kill

PENTAGRAM's current lineup:

Bobby Liebling - Vocals
Victor Griffin - Guitar
Greg Turley - Bass
Gary Isom (SPIRIT CARAVAN) - Drums