As part of the ongoing celebration of their 20th anniversary, Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will release live footage and audio from the band's recent performance at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. "In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall", due on September 21 via Roadrunner Records, is a fierce testament to OPETH's continued success in the progressive metal community.

Twenty years and nine records into their legendary career, OPETH's "progressively creative spirit" (ARTISTdirect) remains unwavering, propelling the band through the "Evolution XX: An Opeth Anthology" tour, which brought the Swedish titans to six of the world's most unique venues, and now, with the release of "In Live Concert At The Royal Albert Hall", into the homes of their fans.

The performance at the Royal Albert Hall (recorded on April 5, 2010) includes two sets, the first consisting of the band performing 2000's now-classic, breakthrough epic "Blackwater Park" in its entirety, and the second, a chronologically arranged selection of material from the rest of OPETH's extensive catalogue, totaling almost three hours of music. It is, like the rest of OPETH's greatest work, "purposefully warped in all the right places" (Decibel). The front cover artwork concept pays tribute to DEEP PURPLE's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra", underlining the band's longstanding love for their prog-rock roots.

Thinking back to the concert, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt says "OPETH had a magical night playing the Royal Albert Hall. It was a dream come true, and now afterwards, it still feels like a dream. We got it all on film, and this, our third live recording and DVD, might be my personal favorite.

"One couldn't help to think of all the fantastic artists that played there over the years. Looking back at this night of celebration brings me fond memories of our 20th anniversary — this package is the delayed birthday present."

The release will be available as three very special configurations:

01. Limited-edition vinyl box set, which includes:

* Double-DVD set of OPETH's performance at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in its entirety. Bonus features include an exclusive interview and the behind-the-scenes documentary, "On Tour with Opeth". DVDs are in 5.1 Dolby surround sound, produced and mixed by Jens Bogren.

* A set of four 180-gram LPs of the concert's live audio in its entirety. The vinyl is pressed overseas to the highest of standards and housed in white poly lined inner sleeves which are packaged as two double gatefold set with exclusive artwork. Vinyl only available in this box set.

* Exclusive, numbered lithograph with artwork designed by Mikael Åkerfeldt and longtime OPETH designer Travis Smith.

* 20-page, LP sized booklet printed on coated paper stock that chronicles the night's events in photos.

* MP3 download of live audio in its entirety sent via e-mail on release day.

* Expanded, exclusive artwork and more.

* Content of this set is housed in a custom foil stamped slipcase.

02. Five-disc set that consists of two DVDs and three CDs. The set not only includes the legendary evening captured on video, but the concert's live audio in its entirety as well.

03. Double-DVD set of OPETH's performance at the legendary Royal Albert Hall, in its entirety, including bonus features.

Track listing is as follows:

Set 1

* The Leper Affinity
* Bleak
* Harvest
* The Drapery Falls
* Dirge For November
* The Funeral Portrait
* Patterns In The Ivy
* Blackwater Park

Set 2

* Forest Of October
* Advent
* April Ethereal
* The Moor
* Wreath
* Hope Leaves
* Harlequin Forest
* The Lotus Eater

Australian progressive metallers VANISHING POINT have issued the following update:

"This is kind of a hard letter to type because we like to focus on the positives and not get into negative thinking so we aren't going to leave you guys guessing anymore with what's happening with VANISHING POINT .

"Straight up, after much thought and telling it like it is , we wish to let you all know that Tommy [Vucur, guitar], Adrian [Alimic, bass] and Jake [Lowe, keyboards] are no longer members of VANISHING POINT .


"Sometimes musical directions and visions pull people in different directions and sometimes it brings people closer together musically. With Tommy and Adrian there was a growing gap in which they wanted to explore different avenues of music yet the rest of us wanted to keep writing melodic metal music , so after a while and much time passing it was evident that things weren't going well in regards to writing the new album and where the rest of us felt that VANISHING POINT should go. The end result was that Tommy and Adrian chose to leave the band , on good terms.

"We wish to point there is no bad blood or harsh words. Put simply, when it doesn't work, then why continue struggling and pushing friendships into the ground?

"We sincerely wish the guys well in their creative pursuits. We know that whatever they come up with in the future will be great. We sincerely hope that you guys out there will support them in the future as you have for many years.

"Now , what brings us forward. We want to let you guys know that we are not disbanding or shelving VANISHING POINT by any means. Although things have slowed up and some of the new songs had to have some small parts rearranged, we are still going strong and we have just under an album's worth of songs, many close to completion, many still with much to do and many already completed musically.

"We are planning in the near future to enter the studio and when we do we will let you guys know. So far the songs are sounding great (we think anyways, heh heh) and they are the type of songs you would expect from VANISHING POINT with some minor twists and turns musically .

"We can't say too much at the moment , yet we ask you to please be patient with us and understand that although things have slowed down a little for the time being , we are working on the next album right now and have been for the last few months .

"In regards to new members, we have nobody as yet and to be honest have not done much searching , yet if anybody is interested to try out for VANISHING POINT, then please forward on any info, bios, etc., to chrisvp71@bigpond.com. A hard-work ethic, can-do attitude is what we are looking for in a bass player and guitarist."

The new issue of Spin magazine features a SOUNDGARDEN cover story in which the four members of the reunited Seattle grunge legends discuss their reasons for coming back after a 13-year absence and their future plans. A couple of excerpts from the article follow.

On SOUNDGARDEN's split and eventual reunion:

Chris Cornell (vocals): "The one thing about SOUNDGARDEN most people don't get is that we always got along. We drank, and any band that drinks is going to have chaos, but we never had that internal negativity that usually spells the obvious reasons a band breaks up."

"A lot of times bands reform, and people have changed in ways that might be negative, and you're just fighting to be able to play the music with some degree of efficiency. We're not that."

On Cornell's New Year's Eve tweet — "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" — that was widely misinterpreted as an announcement of the band's reformation:

Kim Thayil (guitar): "We're not the Knights of the Soundtable, that was our fan club. We were just re-upping it with the new website. But the rumors generated offers. The demand was overwhelming. I wouldn't say we acquiesced, but we kind of warmed to the idea."

On the possibility of SOUNDGARDEN writing new music:

Chris Cornell: "It would be exciting to record one song, to hear how SOUNDGARDEN-ish that might be this much time later. But for me, it's been more of a trip relearning the songs and playing them together. Some of the songs we're approaching we've never played live."

On Cornell's 2009 solo album, "Scream", which bitterly divided fans over its urban pop sound:

Chris Cornell: "It felt natural to me. I had a good time doing it, and the only obstacle really was the perception of it. And perception is something I never spent too much time worrying about."

One of the most infamous and notorious names in metal, CRADLE OF FILTH continue to shock, excite, disgust and inspire in equal measures. On November 1, 2010, the latest chapter of the band's dark history is to be released through Peaceville Records on the band's own AbraCadaver imprint (November 9 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records). Titled "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa", their ninth studio album is, in the word's of CRADLE's infamous frontman Dani Filth, "without doubt the fastest and most brutal album we've created to date. As an acquaintance of the band so aptly noted, this is like 'IRON MAIDEN on crack in a graveyard of angels!' This album is CRADLE at our most sinister and darkened fairytale," continues Dani. "A gothic horror themed slay-ride of fervour and perversion; yet amidst the orchestral melodrama and lush, cinematic production, there sits stalwart a ravening beast of furious riffing, flesh ripping vocals and monstrous, unstoppable percussion."

CRADLE OF FILTH — consisting of Dani Filth on vocals, Paul Allender and James McIlroy on guitar, David Pybus on bass, Martin Skaroupka on drums and Ashley Ellyllon on keyboards — recorded the follow-up to 2008's "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" at Monkey Puzzle studios near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The bandmembers remain stalwarts to the satanic horror ethos by again composing a fully blown concept album, this time based on Adam's first wife, the lascivious Demoness Lilith; throwing Medieval nuns, Knights Templars, Greek mythology and lashings of sex, occult lore and violent bloodshed into the smelting pot, to create a darkly erotic nightmare set to their unique scope of supreme vampyric metal. And with an as-near-as-dammit release date of All Hallow's Eve 2010, CRADLE OF FILTH are snarling at the leash to get out to all of their fans across the world. "We can't wait to play this shit live," admits Dani.

For this release, the band wanted mastery of their own destiny, choosing to release the album on their very own AbraCadaver label in conjunction with Peaceville Records, home to such illicit luminaries as DARKTHRONE, KATATONIA, MY DYING BRIDE, BLOODBATH and GALLHAMMER, among many others. Vocalist Dani Filth has described the move as being "a choice to move away from the artistic restrictions/mindless inhibitions imposed by dwelling on a major label" and cites the current financial clime as "the perfect opportunity to start doing things our own way again, with the added benefit of being a far bigger fish in a proverbial pool, surrounded by people who have been handpicked to get the job best done. And more importantly... who still are hungry for the taste of music."

Click here to go to the new CRADLE OF FILTH microsite and sign up to the mailing list to receive your free MP3 download of the new song "Lilith Immaculate".

"Bestial Atrocity" and "Devoured Cunt", two brand new songs from reactivated Dutch death metal veterans HOUWITSER, are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The tracks come off the group's fifth album, "Bestial Atrocity", which is due in early September via Sevared Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Bestial Atrocity
02. Devoured Cunt
03. Conviction Through Torture
04. Sledgehammer Redemption
05. Vision Of Blood
06. Hatred Vindicated
07. Shredded To Pieces
08. Lynch The Cancer
09. The Lingering Death
10. Flayed, Beheaded And Quartered
11. Demolish The Deformed

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's August 18, 2010 performance at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey as part of the band's current Queensrÿche Cabaret tour can be viewed below.

QUEENSRŸCHE's Queensrÿche Cabaret tour is being filmed for future DVD release. The trek, which kicked off in late July, was previously described by the group as "Teatro ZinZanni meets Cirque du Soleil, with the band performing their hits and never-heard-before selections accompanied by go-go dancers, burlesque dancers, drag queens, a juggler, ballet dancer, trapeze artist, a contortionist and others. Definitely a fun-filled evening like no other full of freaks and shrieks!"

QUEENSRŸCHE's twelfth studio LP, the epic concept album "American Soldier", was made available from Atco/Rhino in March 2009. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts — from World War II to Iraq — Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war.

SPV GmbH has announced a new distribution agreement in the U.K. with Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd. The agreement, which covers HMV and other stores, is for the house owned labels Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and Red.

The first frontline titles in autumn on Steamhammer will be the new studio albums of ZODIAC MINDWARP, ANGRA, VIRGIN STEELE, KINGDOM COME, EVERGREY and SODOM as well as a best of CD of UFO and a live album/DVD by melodic rock icons FAIR WARNING. 2011 will start with new studio albums from English bombast rock heroes MAGNUM and JAG PANZER, as well as re-releases of VIRGIN STEELE, SODOM and DESTRUCTION. Frontline artists on Steamhammer are also AXEL RUDI PELL, MOLLY HATCHET, FREEDOM CALL, GLYDER, RAVEN, THUNDERSTONE, THE OTHER, STORMZONE and many more.

The first frontline titles in autumn on Synthetic Symphony will be new studio albums of COVENANT and FUNKER VOGT as well as re-releases of DIE KRUPPS. 2011 will start with the new studio album of EBM heroes SKINNY PUPPY and DIE KRUPPS.

SPV was established in 1984 and is one of the largest independent record companies in the world. With distribution all over the world, SPV has an unparalleled reputation for audio quality, archive research and visual presentation. Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and red holds a massive back-catalogue from artists like MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, KREATOR, KAMELOT, ICED EARTH, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, TYPE O NEGATIVE, DIO, THE MISSION, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, BAD ENGLISH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, PRONG and many others.

Frank Uhle (GM of SPV): "It´s great to be working with Plastic Head, a strong company that totally understands our artists and repertoire. We share the same visions and will forge a unique partnership with what we think to be the U.K.'s best rock distributor."

Steve Beatty (Plastic Head Director): "We welcome with open arms SPV to Plastic Head, SPV brings to PHD a super strong label roster that compliments us. SPV is a company that for over twenty-five years has been a major player in the European rock and metal scene. We look forward to a long and solid relationship."

BILLY IDOL / CAMP FREDDY guitarist Billy Morrison has checked in with the following update:

"What started out as a beautiful sunset, a nice quality meal at an oceanside restaurant, and a slow night walk into town quickly turned into multiple police cars, eleven Santa Barbara PD officers, cameras from the show COPS, and myself, drummer Jeremy Colson and band security Steve Vacarro getting the tried and true 'hands on the hood NOW!….turn around….face forward….spread your legs…NO TALKING!'

As we walked out of CVS, we noticed the camera first. My thought was maybe some Santa Barbara reality TV show was being filmed, but when the officers surrounded us, I realized – maybe not! At first we thought they were joking, but they weren’t.

'We need to search you for weapons.'

What’s really weird is that even though it’s been 15 years since I did anything remotely resembling this kind of over-reaction, my head started going. What if I’d forgotten something? Had I….dunno….done anything?? Maybe there’s a 15 year old bag of something wedged in my jeans (even though I only bought them six months ago!!). Old memories come flooding back and the adrenaline starts to pound. Jeremy starts getting into it with one of the cops and I demanding an explanation. At one point I suggest that the tattoos and spikey hair have something to do with it. This goes down like a lead balloon and gets flatly denied! Eventually, things calm down, the cops explain that it’s a case of mistaken identity, and we chill. By the time our details come back over the radio, it’s all cool, we’re chatting to the officers about the tour, and we’re on our way.

All I can think about on the way back to the hotel is the CVS store we were in. Twenty minutes wandering around the store waiting for Jeremy to buy a toothbrush, buying a bag of pretzels, using the rest room….and all the time, the staff of the store have called the cops, thinking we’re the bad guys! Never a dull moment around here!!"

"Reaping Death", the new CD single from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, which was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine, was certified gold in the band's home country on April 21 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. (Note: Each copy of the magazine sold in Sweden counted towards the certification.)

Earlier this week, the members of WATAIN were presented with their gold award in Stockholm in the presence of press and various guests. WATAIN frontman Erik "E" Danielsson stated at the presentation, "'Reaping Death' is a song written as a tribute to the first murderer and Satanist, Cain. Through the murder of his brother Abel, he was the first to break the shackles of creation and went against the will of God. Therefore, he was pushed away and found his way to his true father, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also known as Satan. To openly praise Cain, his origin, his works and his offspring is something that never would have been possible, say 300 years ago. 300 years ago they tied people such as us up and burned them alive. Now we are awarded gold discs and praise in the media. This is an encouraging proof that this road is leading to hell.

"Through black metal," he continued, "we now have a forum, in which we, without being persecuted and tortured, can celebrate the ancient ruin forces, revolutions and the gods of total liberation, and thus give them additional force. This gold disc is proof that the genre as such is one to be reckoned with, and with fire, fanaticism and passion as the driving force, we intend to take it even further, deep down in still unexplored abysses.We also would like to thank Sound Pollution, Season of Mist, Sweden Rock and 'Boss' at Black Mark."

A photo of Danielsson with the award can be viewed below.

"Reaping Death" comes off WATAIN's fourth album, "Lawless Darkness", which entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 26 and dropped to No. 37 the following week.

"Lawless Darkness" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 42 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.

"Lawless Darkness" was released in Europe on June 7 in a limited three-panel digipack edition with die-cut and a cover of DEATH SS' "Chains of Death" as a bonus track.

WATAIN will embark on a European headlining tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from DESTROYER 666.

"We Rule The Night", the new album from the Swedish modern rock/metal act SONIC SYNDICATE, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. Due in Europe on August 27 via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was recorded at Bohus Sound studios in Kungälv, Sweden with producer Toby Wright, who has previously worked with KORN, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KISS, FEAR FACTORY, IN FLAMES, STONE SOUR and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others.

"We Rule The Night" track listing:

01. Beauty And The Freak
02. Revolution, Baby
03. Turn It Up
04. My Own Life
05. Burn This City
06. Black And Blue
07. Miles Apart
08. Plans Are For People
09. Leave Me Alone
10. Break Of Day
11. We Rule The Night

SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo has contributed to the soundtrack of "9191", a sideways introspective into the bewildering snow-covered dreamscape of international time traveler and mystic of the shred — Gigi Rüf. Every year, Gigi circles the stratosphere in the name of snowboarding and "9191" is the accumulation of his visions from a season, documented in 16mm film, super 8, and highly defined video.

"9191" is a 22-minute film with an original soundtrack composed by Piers Baron. It is the first-ever snowboard movie to have an original score from start to finish and features many high-profile musical guests, including Lombardo, Oliver Ackermann (A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS), Mike Conte (EARLY MAN), Hesta Prynn, and Jaime Lynn (KANDI CODED).

"9191" was filmed around the globe in New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Jackson Hole, Chile and Alaska. Throughout the film, Gigi was joined by friends and teammates: Wille Yli-Luoma, Bryan Iguchi, Luke Mitrani, Curtis Ciszek, Blair Habenicht, Nicolas Muller, Jake Blauvelt, Wolle Nyvelt and others.

The "9191" original soundtrack was produced and composed by Baron, exclusively for Volcom Entertainment.

Legendary rock band WHITESNAKE has announced the addition of bassist Michael Devin (pictured below) to the group's ranks.

Devin, 35, most recently played in LYNCH MOB alongside new WHITESNAKE drummer Brian Tichy (FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE, VELVET REVOLVER).

Commented Michael: "It's an honor to be welcomed into the WHITESNAKE family. I'm a big fan.

"WHITESNAKE is notorious for exciting musicianship, David's [Coverdale, vocals] history is rich, and I'm very proud to be here."

WHITESNAKE's current lineup is rounded out by guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, and keyboardist Timothy Drury.

NORTHERN KINGS — the Finnish band consisting of four well-known metal musicians (Jarkko Ahola [TERÄSBETONI], Marco Hietala [TAROT, NIGHTWISH], Tony Kakko [SONATA ARCTICA], Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto [CHARON]) — played its first-ever full-length show last night (Wednesday, August 18) at the Tavastia club in Helsinki, Finland.

NORTHERN KINGS' backing musicians at the Tavastia gig were as follows:

Erkka Korhonen (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Guitars
Erkki Silvennoinen (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Bass
Vili Ollila (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Keyboards
Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN) - Drums

For decades research has shown that listening to music alleviates anxiety and depression, enhances mood, and can increase cognitive functioning, such as spatial awareness. However, until now, research has not addressed how we listen to music. For instance, is the cognitive benefit still the same if we listen to music while performing a task, rather than before it? Further, how does our preference for a particular type of music affect performance? A new study from Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that listening to music that one likes whilst performing a serial recall task does not help performance any more than listening to music one does not enjoy.

The researchers explored the "irrelevant sound effect" by requiring participants to perform serial recall (recall a list of eight consonants in presentation order) in the presence of five sound environments: quiet, liked music (e.g., RIHANNA, LADY GAGA, STRANGLERS and ARCADE FIRE), disliked music (the track "Thrashers" by DEATH ANGEL), changing-state (a sequence of random digits such as "4, 7, 1, 6") and steady-state ("3, 3, 3"). Recall ability was approximately the same, and poorest, for the music and changing-state conditions. The most accurate recall occurred when participants performed the task in the quieter, steady-state environments. Thus listening to music, regardless of whether people liked or disliked it, impaired their concurrent performance.

Lead researcher Nick Perham explains: "The poorer performance of the music and changing-state sounds are due to the acoustical variation within those environments. This impairs the ability to recall the order of items, via rehearsal, within the presented list. Mental arithmetic also requires the ability to retain order information in the short-term via rehearsal, and may be similarly affected by their performance in the presence of changing-state, background environments."

Although music can have a very positive effect on our general mental health, music can, in the circumstances described, also have negative effects on cognitive performance. Perham remarks, "Most people listen to music at the same time as, rather than prior to performing a task. To reduce the negative effects of background music when recalling information in order one should either perform the task in quiet or only listen to music prior to performing the task."

Perham explained his reasoning for using DEATH ANGEL's song "Thrashers" as the "disliked" music in the study: "We needed a track that most participants would say they did not like. Having been a fan of metal music since my teens, I was pretty confident that a thrash metal song would do the trick as most people never seemed to like the music I liked. In choosing a thrash metal song, I needed a song that was heavy but also allowed the listener to hear many of the different components of the song — the acoustical variation between the successive sound items. We chose 'Thrashers'. Participants were only allowed to participate in the study if they disliked thrash metal as a musical genre.

"Personally, I have been a fan of DEATH ANGEL since 'The Ultra-Violence' and saw them at the Bristol Bierkeller around 1990 supporting the 'Act III' album."

This study is published in the September 2010 issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Nick Perham is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. He has published and presented widely on the effects of auditory distraction on short-term memory and general task performance.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen has firmly established himself worldwide as driving force in progressive rock. While best known for his rock opera project AYREON, the multi-talented Dutchman also regularly embarks on musical side projects, which explore different aspects of Lucassen's musical personality. As his previous project (GUILT MACHINE's "On This Perfect Day", 2009) was a relatively relaxed and subtle affair, Lucassen's muses responded by urging him to record something loud, heavy and anything but subtle for this new release. Thus it was a perfect opportunity to launch his musical spacecraft towards the galaxy of bombastic sci-fi rock by revisiting his STAR ONE project.

The result is the album "Victims Of The Modern Age", the follow-up to the STAR ONE debut album, "Space Metal" (2002). Compared to "Space Metal", the overall sound of "Victims Of The Modern Age" is darker, heavier, more guitar-oriented, and slightly less "spacey". Arjen has also raised the bar significantly when it comes to the album's sound. "I think it's my best sounding album to date; it's a huge difference compared to the first STAR ONE," he says. "For the guitars I spent weeks experimenting with different amps and settings in every combination imaginable — and it was worth it. The drums sound fantastic, and the vocalists all outdid themselves, putting in even stronger performances than they did the first time around."

"Victims Of The Modern Age" will be released on InsideOut Music in North America on October 26 . With its stellar musicianship, strong melodies, meticulous production and compelling concept, STAR ONE "Victims of the Modern Age" is yet another exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries.

Arjen's video message presenting the "Victims Of The Modern Age" cast of lead vocalists and album concept can be viewed below.

"Victims Of The Modern Age" guest singers:

* Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X)
* Damian Wilson (HEADSPACE, THRESHOLD)
* Floor Jansen (REVAMP, AFTER FOREVER)
* Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, SECOND SKY, EDGE OF SANITY)

Next month's issue of Metal Hammer magazine will include a very special BLACK SABBATH tribute CD featuring cover versions of SABBATH classics performed by such artists as CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, AMON AMARTH, APOCALYPTICA and TURISAS. Each track was recorded especially for Metal Hammer and won't be available elsewhere.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. TURISAS - "Supernaut"
02. ABSOLUTE POWER - "Hole In The Sky"
03. CAVALERA CONSPIRACY - "Electric Funeral"
04. AMON AMARTH - "Children Of The Grave"
05. APOCALYPTICA - "Spiral Architect"
06. KARMA TO BURN - "Never Say Die"
07. ORANGE GOBLIN - "Symptom Of The Universe"
08. TURBOWOLF - "The Wizard"
09. TED MAUL - "Killing Yourself To Live"

Bonus tracks:

10. MOURNING TIDE - "We The Creeple"
11. SPIRYTUS - "Bullet Ride"
12. WHAT THE NIGHT BRINGS - "Sewn Shut"
13. DEMAGOGUE - "Encounter"
14. THE BENDAL INTERLUDE - "Cat Spats"
15. RAVENFACE - "The Resurrection"

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have entered Finland's Petrax Studios to begin work on their as-yet-untitled seventh studio album. The band has enlisted famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET) to oversee the new recording and will remain in the studio through late September. The new record will see release in early 2011.

"We're very excited to let everyone hear what we're creating with this new record," said the band in a statement. "Everything you love about CHILDREN OF BODOM has been magnified tenfold and we're pushing ourselves harder than ever before. Expect nothing less than 'the perfect storm!'"

MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicRadar.com: You've had No. 1 albums in the past in the U.K. and other countries, but it looks as though "The Final Frontier" could debut at the top spot in the U.S. What would that mean for the band?

McBrain: "It would mean that our American fans listened! [laughs] You know, [singer] Bruce [Dickinson] made it quite clear to all of our fans in America and Canada when we were on tour there during the summer that it would be great to go to No. 1, so hopefully everybody paid attention.

"Going No. 1 would be amazing, a great accolade, of course. Would it mean the same now as it might have 15 or 20 years ago? I can't say. But at the end of the day, I know we have a great album. I think it's a work of art. If it's not the No. 1 album the first week, then hopefully it will be the second or third week — once people give it a listen, you know? Obviously, it would be nice now that I'm…well, I'm not really a citizen. What am I, a 'legal alien' or something?" [laughs]

MusicRadar.com: Sounds about right.

McBrain: "People have called me that before I moved to America, so I'm used to it. Don't get me wrong — it would be great to go No. 1 in the U.S., and I hope it happens. Really, that would be amazing. If it doesn't, though, hey, it's not the end of the world."

MusicRadar.com: Musically, what were your goals on this record? There's so many unexpected moments, and many of them are prog rock in nature.

McBrain: "I would say my first and foremost goal was to finish the record without keeling over dead! [laughs] In all seriousness, though, we rehearsed seven tracks in Paris before we went to record them. Three of the other ones we had the sketches for, but we had to work them up once we got in the studio. For me, the big expectation was working on the three songs that we didn't rehearse; I wanted to get their vibe as quickly as I could and really nail them without taking a whole lot of time.

"In terms of figuring out the progressions on the album, it was very much like it was in the old days. It was us together in one room going, 'Okay, how are we going to get from this bit to that bit?' You know what I mean? It was natural, a band working as one. We were all looking at one another and communicating and feeling at home, if you like."

MusicRadar.com: What did you think when you got some of the demos, particularly the one for the song "When The Wild Wind Blows"? That song is quite an epic.

McBrain: "It sure is. That was one of the songs we did in the studio. When Steve [Harris] brought the song in, he showed it to us, gave the guitarists the chord progressions and everything. I could tell right off it was something special. Because of the kind of song it is, though, I looked at Harry [editor's note: the nickname for Steve Harris] and said, 'What do you want from the drums, busy or straight?' And he said, 'Let's have it straight. We need some real groove on this track.'

"That's all he needed to say. I told him, 'Let me have what you're playing on the bass,' and we worked that part out. Then we went for the second part, then we had the segue breakdown and it went from there. When we finished recording the song, I turned to Steven and said, 'Next to 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', I think this is the best song you've ever written.' And he went, 'Nahhh!' And I said, 'To me it is.' That's how I feel — I think it's just immense.

"The funny thing is, there wasn't a lot of preparation for that song or any of the other ones, really. It was just learn it, feel it and play it. That's what we did on this record. It was true to its form, without a lot of contrived pieces. And there's even a couple of mistakes on it, to boot, which I think is great."