According to New Zealand's 3 News, METALLICA performed with the instrumental track "Orion" in full for the first time since 2007 earlier tonight (Thursday, October 14) during the band's concert at the Vector Arena in Auckland.

"We were certainly treated to something special in having 'Orion' performed in its entirety — a fantastic tribute to [late METALLICA bassist] Cliff [Burton, who co-penned the track] and the Auckland crowds," The Rock FM's Riccardo Ball said.

Fan-filmed video footage of the "Orion" performance can be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. Cyanide
03. Ride The Lightning
04. Fuel
05. Fade To Black
06. Of Wolf and Man
07. All Nightmare Long
08. Sad But True
09. The Unforgiven
10. Orion
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Am I Evil?
17. Phantom Lord
18. Seek and Destroy

W.A.S.P. kicked off its European tour this past Wednesday night (October 13) at Kvarteret in Bergen, Norway. According to Roy Hilmar Svendsen of NRK.no, "The intimate show (capacity: 400) was stopped only seconds after the band took the stage, because of a fire alarm. The whole building was evacuated, but everyone was let in again after only a few minutes. W.A.S.P. came back on and started playing without their usual smoke-filled intro, which probably set off the fire alarm."

The band's setlist was as follows

01. On Your Knees
02. The Real Me
03. L.O.V.E. Machine
04. Crazy
05. Live To Die Another Day
06. Wild Child
07. The Hellion
08. I Don't Need No Doctor
09. Scream Until You Like It
10. Babylon's Burning
11. The Idol
12. I Wanna Be Somebody
--------
13. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue)
14. Heaven's Hung In Black
15. Blind In Texas

Joey Tempest, best known as the lead singer for Sweden's biggest multi-million album selling hard rock band EUROPE, will host his ownradio show on U.K.'s leading classic rock radio station Planet Rock.

Joey will be joining Planet Rock's star-studded line up of DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, Alice Cooper and Rick Wakeman, who all have shows on the station.

Joey Tempest commented: "Rock music has been a major part of my life, whether I am recording, touring or just listening to it. This time I'm heading into a different kind of studio and get to play the music that I love and that has influenced me over the years."

The series will run on Planet Rock on Sunday evenings from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. starting Sunday, November 7.

CONTROL DENIED's legendary first album, "The Fragile Art of Existence", will get the deluxe reissue treatment through Relapse Records this fall.

"The Fragile Art of Existence", originally released in 1999 to critical acclaim, has been remastered, repackaged and features liner notes from CONTROL DENIED drummer Richard Christy, never-before-seen photographs, as well as over an hour of previously unreleased demo and rehearsal tracks.

Two versions of the "The Fragile Art of Existence" reissue will be available starting October 26. The worldwide version is a two-CD set including the original album plus a bonus CD of early demo material. The second version will be limited to 1,000 copies and is a three-disc set including an extra bonus disc of demo tracks, many of which have CONTROL DENIED mainman — and DEATH mastermind — Chuck Schuldiner on vocals. The three-disc set will be available at Relapse.com exclusively. Pre-order options and additional release information can be found here.

"The Fragile Art Of Existence" deluxe 3-disc reissue track listing:

Disc 1:

01. Consumed
02. Breaking The Broken
03. Expect The Unexpected
04. What If...?
05. When The Link Becomes Missing
06. Believe
07. Cut Down
08. The Fragile Art Of Existence

Disc 2:

01. Consumed (1999 Demos)
02. When The Link Becomes Missing (1999 Demo)
03. The Fragile Art Of Existence (1999 Demo)
04. Breaking The Broken (1999 Demo)
05. Breaking The Broken (1999 Demo) (w/ Chuck Schuldiner on vocals)
06. Believe (1997 Demo)
07. What If…? (1997 Demo)
08. Cut Down (1997 Demo)
09. Tune Of Evil (Comedy Demo)

Disc 3:

01. What If...? (1996 Demo)
02. Cut Down (1996 Demo)
03. Expect The Unexpected (1996 Demo)
04. Believe (1996 Demo)
05. The Fragile Art Of Existence (1996 Demo)
06. What If...? (1996 Demo)
07. Expect The Unexpected (1996 Demos) (w/ Chuck Schuldiner on vocals)
08. What If...? (1996 Demos) (w/ Chuck Schuldiner on vocals)
09. Cut Down (1996 Demos) (w/ Chuck Schuldiner on vocals)

Swedish metallers ASTRAL DOORS will release a new collection, "Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors", on November 19 via Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The compilation will contain 14 classics picked by the band. A very special bonus will come in the shape of the English-language version a song previously only released as a Swedish-language single in Sweden, "Victory".

"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)

Finnish singer Ari Koivunen (AMORAL) took part in a charity concert called Millstones 2010 on October 13 in Helsinki. The event's goal was to raise awareness and funds for treatment for persons suffering from intoxicant addiction.

Fan-filmed video footage of Ari performing cover versions of DIO's "Don't Talk To Streangers" and DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke On The Water" (with Koivunen on drums and vocals!) can be viewed below.

Koivunen is best known as the winner of the 2007 Finnish national TV talent competition "Idols". He has released two solo albums thus far — 2007's "Fuel For The Fire" and 2008's "Becoming".

Ari's first album with AMORAL, "Show Your Colors", was released in the U.S. on June 9, 2009 through Spinefarm Records via Fontana distribution. Available in Finland since May 6, 2009, the CD was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland.

Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside three new recruits, ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White, ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and ex-ZODIAC MINDWARP drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill — will release their new album, "War Machine", on October 25 in Europe via Metal Mind Productions (December 7 in the U.S. through MVD). The production was handled by Pedro Ferreira (THE DARKNESS, THERAPY?, MEAT LOAF) and the bulk of the recording was done at Pedrock Studios in London. Drums were laid down by Tony Newton at Steve Harris' (IRON MAIDEN) Barnyard Studios.

"War Machine" will be released in four different versions: as a jewel case CD, a limited-edition digipak CD including two bonus tracks and LP with one bonus track. The Japanese edition of the album will include two exclusive bonus tracks which won't be available elsewhere.

The track listing for the standard CD edition is as follows:

01. Judgement Day
02. Feast Of The Devil
03. Phoenix Rising
04. War Machine
05. Great Expectations
06. After All
07. The Last Laugh
08. World Without Pity
09. My Insanity

CKY returns to the music scene with the release of a new single, "The Afterworld". The song, which builds upon the band's signature sound, is used during the closing credits of Paramount Pictures/MTV Films' "Jackass 3D", opening nationwide on October 15. The track will also be featured on the "Jackass 3D" soundtrack, which will be released on October 26 via Epitaph Records. The single is currently available digitally via iTunes.

After playing at Sonisphere and touring across Australia and New Zealand, CKY has an intensive tour lined up for their North American fans. The band will hit the road on October 29, starting off in New Jersey and wrapping up on November 13 in Maryland.

The origins of CKY can be traced all the way back to 1992 when Jess and Deron met in high school and decided to begin writing music together. The band has gone through various names and lineups before settling on the current version, with one clear mission statement. According to the band "CKY's goal is clear: To force change within the music industry and bring rock back to an acceptable state."

CKY's fourth album, "Carver City", sold 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 46 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in May 2009 via Roadrunner Records.

A public memorial for GOTTHARD singer Steve Lee, who was killed in a motorcycle accident last week, will be held in Switzerland on October 17 at the Gotthard Pass Hospice at 10:00. A eulogy will be given by two Capucine monks at about 13:00.

The surviving members of GOTTHARD have released the following statement regarding their singer's death:

"On the afternoon of October 5th 2010 our group, consisting of 22 male and female bikers on 12 Harley-Davidsons, was on its way from Las Vegas to St. George, Utah, in bright weather.

"About 15 miles from Mesquite, a severe thunderstorm began. One of the bikes started to have some technical problems with its ignition, so we stopped on the breakdown lane and switched on our warning lights. The last guy in the group was reminding us to be very careful with the traffic passing by, so we paid attention. At the same time it started to rain more heavily, so the group decided to put on rain gear.

"A truck was speeding towards the group. For some inexplicable reason, the very heavy truck crashed into several of our bikes. The impact was so severe that one of the bikes was thrown into the air, hit Steve and crushed him to the ground. The group immediately secured the accident area and started to give him first aid.

"At the same time we dialed the emergency number 911 and after a few minutes the first police car arrived. The patrolman had brought a defibrillator and, with our help, he immediately started to apply it. In the meantime, in the pouring rain, we all started working together to try to save Steve's life. A couple of minutes later, a second police car arrived and brought a complete set of first aid equipment. A helicopter also arrived. During all that time resuscitation attempts were maintained. After long minutes of trying, the doctor had to confirm that Steve was dead.

"Miraculously, no other person in the group was injured. We are all aware that it could have been any one of us — and it could have even been the whole group.

"Together with the local police, our tour guides organized the transport for us all to a nearby hotel in Mesquite. The hotel offered us a quiet room in which we could mourn, talk to each other and cry together.

"We all agree that the tour guides prepared and handled our trip very professionally. Our group still trusts the guides 100%.

"Steve's loss is an incredible tragedy for all of us. Together we are trying to get over all the grieving and the pain and to be there for each other. It is a very hard time for all of us.

"Steve Lee's lifelong dream to drive just once through the USA, on a Harley, should have come true during these two weeks. After we started our trip in Los Angeles, we passed Death Valley and Las Vegas. Our next stop would have been St. George in Utah, from where we had planned to head for Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley. This was to have been the place where Steve planned to surprise [his longtime girlfriend] Brigitte [Voss-Balzarini] with some very special Indian jewellery. To show her Las Vegas and to enjoy together the special atmosphere there was one of his greatest wishes for the trip."

Lee, who had a British father and Swiss mother, was 47 years old.

Formed in 1990, GOTTHARD's last 11 albums all charted at No. 1 in Switzerland. The band's latest CD, "Need To Believe", was certified platinum in the group's home country for sales in excess of 30,000 copies.

GOTTHARD was presented with the platinum-award plaques on January 9, 2010 at the "Swiss Awards 2009", which also included the TV premiere of the band's radio single, "Don't Let Me Down".

"Need To Believe" was released on September 4, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan recently spoke to Sirius XM satellite radio (see video below) about the band's future following the passing of the band's bassist, Paul Gray.

"Starting the band with Paul, I have a heavy responsibility every day to honestly think about what he would have liked for what we started together," he said.

"What we started together isn't what it is without all nine — it's not just Paul and I in this band, let's make that clear — but we started something together and it's very hard to wake up every day and do this without having to take one second to think what he would have liked out of it. And what I know he wants out of it is... He's already bigger than... [chuckles] He's so big right now, so now it's time for the rest of us to get what we've always needed to get, and that's all the big bands need to get the fuck out of my face and all the industry needs to get the fuck out of my face and everybody needs to get out of our way 'cause we're gonna spread the seed. And I mean that. And it's gonna be a minute. But this is a threat, you know what I mean?! Today is a threat. Today is a new beginning. And that's how I want it to live. That's how I want it to be.

"I understand more of what we are now by losing one of my best friends, and it's horrible, but at the same time he speaks in volumes. He's motivating so much, and it feels good what's being motivated. I don't feel like I'm going crazy. I feel like... As bad as this sounds, everything happens for a reason. And I'm gonna miss him every day of my life and there's not gonna be a day that I'm not gonna mention Paul Gray's name, but at the same time, I just had a birthday a couple of days ago, and I bring it up because I'm many years older than Paul was, so every day I wake up is a blessing. And I wanna remember that, and I want everybody in the world to remember that, 'cause when you say the world is an angrier place... It's on its way out, and we will be the band that will play the music for its way out."

SLIPKNOT's "(sic)nesses" DVD sold 9,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart. The disc features footage of the band's headlining appearance at the annual Download festival in the U.K., where they performed in front of 80,000 of their rabid fans.

"'(sic)nesses' was one of the single hardest pieces of art for us to complete, given the circumstances," Crahan told ARTISTdirect. "It's a testament to our evolution and proof of accomplishing exactly what we set out to do over 10 years ago. We will never be the same. You will never be the same. Here's to the future and our continuing evolution."

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.

German metal queen Doro Pesch has completed work on her biggest project to date — the 2DVD/CD set "25 Years In Rock", featuring the entire 25-year anniversary concert, including guest performances in front of about 10,000 enthusiastic fans in Düsseldorf, Germany as well as a China special, outtakes from Doro's 2500th concert and a whole lot more. The DVD will be released in Europe via Nuclear Blast on November 26, 2010 and in the rest of the world sometime in 2011.

Video footage of Doro performing the SCORPIONS classic "Rock You Like A Hurricane" with SCORPIONS members Klaus Meine (vocals) and Rudolf Schenker (guitar) — taken from the "25 Years In Rock" DVD — can be viewed at this location.

Rob Laing of U.K.'s Guitarist magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. A acouple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Guitarist: Difficult question but 20 years in, what are your proudest achievements so far?

Åkerfeldt: That is a difficult question. I don't ever feel particularly proud in the sense of, "Look at me. I did this and that." I'm happy with every new album.

Guitarist: And it's all without compromise…

Åkerfeldt: Yes, definitely. Musically, I don't compromise for anyone. If you ask me to do it a certain way, you can just fuck off, if you know what I mean. Once the music and the lyrics are done, I can be a bit of a whore. If that's what the label wants me to do — I'll do their interviews, I'll do whatever they tell me to do in order to promote the record and work. But when it comes to the music, it's sacred to me. I can be like the Antichrist when it comes to people interfering with the music. Not the band — that's not a problem at all — but if a record label executive came up to me and said, "That riff is not good," I would probably headbutt him. "Shut the fuck up and sell the record."

Guitarist: You've mentioned recently that there's a possibility of you making a solo acoustic album – is this still on your mind?

Åkerfeldt: Yes, it is. I'm actually working on a song for it now. I'm working on one OPETH song and a solo song. But I did a vocal line and it was horrible! I'll have to do something better. The thing with this so-called solo album is it might not be released but it's something I want to do for me — to produce an album from scratch in my home studio without any help."

Guitarist: OPETH are getting bigger all the time. Are the pressures of the business greater on you now personally?

Åkerfeldt: Yes, there's a lot of pressure. Once the album is done, it's relentless. I immediately go into four weeks of press trips and another two weeks of "phoners." Then the tour and interviews every day on the tour. And a lot of people want to speak to me because I write most of the music and I write the lyrics; I'm the frontman. So I understand, but it's fucking tedious. So, for me personally, there's massive pressure on me at all times. But I'm trying to get the other guys involved — especially in the interviews part, helping me out and I think it's important for them because I tend to be such a control freak about the music and it's important for them to have an opinion. I want them to do more interviews. They don't necessarily want to, but I want to do less! When OPETH is in the magazine, I don't just want it to be me on the cover, I want it to be the band.

Eagle Vision has set a November 16 release date for the "Live In Houston" DVD from VELVET REVOLVER. Footage for the set was filmed in Houston, Texas in 2005 during the tour in support of the band's debut album, "Contraband". The full-length live tracks are intercut with snippets of interview with the various bandmembers talking about how VELVET REVOLVER came into being. The set list, naturally, focuses on that debut release but is complemented by two tracks from the GUNS N' ROSES catalog and two songs from STONE TEMPLE PILOTS debut album, highlighting the history of the VR bandmembers.

"Live In Houston" track listing:

01. Sucker Train Blues
02. Do It For The Kids
03. Headspace
04. Crackerman
05. Illegal I
06. It's So Easy
07. Fall To Pieces
08. Big Machine
09. Set Me Free
10. Used To Love Her
11. Slither
12. Sex Type Thing

OZZY OSBOURNE/FIREWIND guitarist Gus G.'s new instructional DVD for Rock House, "Lead & Rhythm Techniques", will be released on October 17. In this program, Gus reveals the secrets that have propelled him into the guitar stratosphere and shows you how to incorporate them into your playing. Learn the natural minor and Phrygian major scales, patterns, scale sequences and full neck runs he uses to take control of the fret board to form soulful leads that rip into shred masterpieces. Learn diminished sweep and chromatic arpeggios, emotional bending techniques and how to create a minor 3rd harmony lead. Gus reveals the chords, voicings, syncopated, pivoting staccato, interval, and clean picked rhythms that form the foundation of his style. He analyzes many of his FIREWIND leads and song structures complete with full band backing tracks that you can use the apply what you learn.

DVD includes:

* More than 40 lessons
* 46-page interactive tab book you print from DVD
* Free lifetime web membership for online support
* Behind-the-scenes photos and video
* Interview, live performances & more
* iPod-ready video

Language: English
Length: 120 minutes
Zones: The DVD is zoned to play anywhere in the world

A sample of the "Miles Of Machines" lesson from "Extreme Lead Guitar: Dissonant Scales & Arpeggios", the new guitar instruction DVD from NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, can be viewed below.

Jeff is the lead guitar player and main songwriter of NEVERMORE, a band that has certainly made its mark on modern music by forging a unique sound that fuses different forms of metal that has given birth to an authentic and very influential style. His recent solo CD, "Zero Order Phase", took the #4 spot in a April 2009 Guitar World magazine's readers' poll in the "Best Shred Album Of The Year" category — a notable accomplishment when you consider the top three vote-getters, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. Jeff has become one of his generation's most recognizable guitarists and the source of many of the last decade's best riffs.

Jeff's complex shredding has been a central part of the progressive power guitar scene since 1992 and is responsible for some of the most awe-inspiring riffs modern metal has ever heard. Nearly every aspiring musician who has been listening to metal for the past 10 years or so has undoubtedly had the pleasure of hearing Jeff Loomis' progressive and technically superior playing. "Jeff epitomizes the very essence of modern guitar playing; there is a huge fan base that has waited a long time for this type of product from him," stated Joe Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House.

Egyptian-born artist Nader Sadek will soon enter the studio to begin working on his next project: a full-length LP. The upcoming album will feature compositions and performances by some of extreme music's most innovative players. The group will consist of Steve Tucker (formerly of MORBID ANGEL) on vocals, Flo Mounier (CRYPTOPSY) on drums, and Rune Eriksen (AURA NOIR, AVA INFERI and formerly of MAYHEM) on guitar. Guest musicians will be announced soon. Sadek himself will play on and develop all album artwork and concepts. The project represents a continuation of the work showcased on his art installation "Ageless", which took place last November at New York's Santos Party House and consisted of a live death metal performance enshrined in Sadek's nightmarish stage landscape. Some of the songs performed during the installation, will be featured in the upcoming release. The album will be produced by Sadek, recorded and mixed by Steve Tucker, and mastered by Colin Marston (KRALLICE, GORGUTS, JARBOE). The recording will take place in Brooklyn, New York and will be released in the fall on Greyhaze Records.

Says Tucker: "I've been looking forward to doing this recording for months. Nader does some very interesting art and I enjoy helping him achieve his twisted vision. It's rare to get to play alongside a drummer with the abilities that Flo possesses. It's a bonus that I get the opportunity to jam with professionals such as Rune and Flo. It'll be brutal."

Says Mounier: "It's amazing that artists with different backgrounds can come together to create something so extreme and so dark but yet have so much fun doing so! It has been a pleasure working with Nader and Steve in the past and I'm looking forward to experimenting with Rune's unique style, I can't wait to start laying down the extreme with my boys."

Says Eriksen: "When first being approached by Nader to collaborate with him, Steve and Flo, I was immediately caught up by the idea of it. Not only is Nader's concept and reasons for doing this of an inspirational character in itself, but also the very thought of collaborating with musicians such as Steve and Flo seemed like an opportunity not to miss."

Through his association with Attila Csihar (SUNN O))), MAYHEM), Sadek gained considerable exposure as the artist responsible for the stage imagery on MAYHEM's 2009 U.S. tour. The stage sets featured silicone-based sculptures, which resembled entrails and impaled heads, with the centerpiece being a fully detailed flesh-like rendering of the MAYHEM logo. Sadek's work has also included the costumes and silicone "earth masks" worn by Csihar on all his bands. Sadek's use of petroleum-based raw materials is not coincidental. His work revolves around the notion that all petroleum energy originates from death and, in a morbid vicious cycle, also ends in death, where human lives are expendable and sold for the support of an unending addiction to money and power.

Before his work with MAYHEM, Sadek had implemented two very successful interconnecting art projects: "B'Doun Wag'h", a live performance event; and "Faceless", a drawing exhibit featuring recorded music.

Says Sadek: "My general association with death metal deals with the notion of false perceptions, and how great individuality can be smothered by the weight of an overwhelming environment. This idea is ever-present throughout all my work. Each of the players in this album played key roles in their respective bands, facing difficult challenges, and yet taking their bands to higher levels. Their talent as well as their tenacity has always intrigued me. As such, they fit perfectly in this project."