Tony Choy, former bassist for the reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST, has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding his departure from the group:

"This is a courtesy statement to all my fans due to the surprising comments by ATHEIST concerning my absence on the new album.

"I would like to clarify that I was not dismissed from ATHEIST. I left on good terms and made a courtesy call to Steve Flynn [drums] ahead of time stating that my heart was not into the music and that I couldn't be a part of something that I just didn't feel right about.

"Also, I would like to make clear that the business logistics where never clear nor concrete from the word go in regards to this new album.

"This is a statement strictly for my fans so you know the truth and you hear my personal voice in this matter.

"I wish ATHEIST the best.

"I have always been a huge fan of the ATHEIST legacy and music and them saying that I just rode on the coattails of [late ATHEIST bassist] Roger Patterson left me very insulted and hurt by people who I considered friends.

"I have always respected and given credit to Roger and may he continue to rest in peace. He was not only a solid bass player but my friend as well.

"For the record, I do music for music. I embrace all styles of music and I play all styles of music. Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy anything that is good music.

"I am Tony Choy and I play bass like Tony Choy and I consider all musicians to be good musicians. As long as you have passion towards your music, regardless of style, then you are truly a good musician.

"I am not in this industry to be competitive. Like my father always says, 'Tony, there is always somebody better out there.' So I just seek to be original.

"I thank you all for always supporting me. Without the fans, we are nothing.

"I would like announce that I have my first official project called SYNCHRONICITY. The album should be done by the end of August we are looking for an october release. My fellow band members are guitarist Santiago Dobles from AGHORA, drummer Matt Thompson from KING DIAMOND and AGHORA, myself on bass, Arbise 'Motif' Gonzales on keys and programming, and some surprising guest artists.

"This is a metal album with many elements of all styles and our roots. It is a real fusion album loaded with 100% heavy metal balls , groove and tech.

"The band is managed my great friend and fellow musician Frank Watkins and Back From The Dead Productions.

"You will soon see us on tour to support our new release coming soon!"

CIRCLE II CIRCLE - led by former front man of SAVATAGE, Zak Stevens - have signed Management and Agency Deal with Arrowhead Productions.

“We are very excited to sign Circle II Circle to this deal, with the upcoming album release, Consequence Of Power and world tour starting this fall. It will be an exciting time for Circle II Circle.” states John Kunz President of Arrowhead Productions.

Circle II Circle drummer Johnny Osborn adds, “The band is really excited with this partnership. Arrowhead Productions is a leader in the music industry and will open new doors for us during the launch of this tour.”

In 2010 fans will see Circle II Circle on a trend of extensive touring, as well as the release of their fifth album Consequence Of Power. The band lineup consists of Zak Stevens, Mitch Stewart, Andy Lee and Johnny Osborn. This will mark the second concept album for the band in their five-album career.

Look for updates on Myspace.com/circleiicircle for upcoming news on the release of Consequence Of Power on AFM records.

Circle II Circle's European tour dates with PRIMAL FEAR are below:

October
5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Gotakollare
6 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
8 - Tampere, Finland - TBA
10 - Helsinki, Finland - Dantes Highlight
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Headbangers Ballroom
12 - Paris, France - La Scene Bastille
13 - Lyon, France - Marche Gare
14 - Mulhouse, France - Noumatrouf
15 - Speyer, Germany - Halle 101

Tour dates for Circle II Circle with VICIOUS RUMORS are as follows:

October
16 - Netherlands
17 - Belgium
19 - Czech Republic
20 - Czech Republic
21 - Czech Rep/Switzerland
22 - Austria/Switzerland
23 - Germany

German metallers WOLFCHANT have issued the following update:

"After five years, Derrmorh leaves the band for the time being. He’s heading straight to the USA to spend one semester there for his studies. We say thank you for the great time we had together and we wish him all the best as well as success for his future. As a consequence, we would like to introduce Ragnar (as seen on the picture) as our new guitarist who will play his first gigs with us in August.

Furthermore, we are working very hard on our new album which is going to be called Call Of The Black Winds. We will enter Markus Stock’s Klangschmiede E (EMPYRIUM, THE VISION BLEAK, ELUVEITIE) in November to record our new songs."

Romania's DORDEDUH, the new band from former NEGURA BUNGET members Hupogrammos and Sol Faur, have recently finished their first recordings.

On September 3rd, these are going to be released under the title 'Valea Omului', a two-track vinyl single serving as a precursor to Dordeduh’s debut album, scheduled for the end of 2010.

The single is going to be released in a noble gatefold format containing an exclusive Dordeduh sticker and is limited to 500 copies.

Pre-order Dordeduh's 'Valea Omului' 7" here.

For more info on the band go to their MySpace page.

According to The Pulse of Radio, SEVENDUST and 10 YEARS will lead the lineup of the second annual HardDrive Live tour, with SINCE OCTOBER and ANEW REVOLUTION also appearing on the bill. Dates and venues will be unveiled on Monday, August 16. Last year's inaugural tour, sponsored by the nationally syndicated rock radio program "HardDrive", featured All THAT REMAINS, LACUNA COIL and others. Info on tickets, VIP packages, meet-and-greet passes and other details for this year are yet to be unveiled.

SEVENDUST and 10 YEARS have shared some wild times on the road in years past, but 10 YEARS singer Jesse Hasek told The Pulse of Radio his band is a little more mellow on tour these days. "In our experience and our age — we're getting a little bit older — you realize that this is a business and you can't jeopardize the performance by partying too much," he said. "For me, being the vocalist, I've really found the line. I can't do that stuff every night and expect to get up there and perform to the, my capabilities and everything."

"Cold Day Memory", the new album from SEVENDUST, sold around 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.

SEVENDUST's previous album, "Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow", opened with 25,000 units back in April 2008 to land at position No. 19.

"Cold Day Memory" was released on April 20 on the band's own 7Bros. Records, through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The CD — produced by Grammy Award winner Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, 3 DOORS DOWN, PLAIN WHITE T'S) — is the group's first new album with its original lineup back together with guitarist Clint Lowery's return after his departure in 2003

10 YEARS will release its new album, "Feeding The Wolves", on August 31, but the first single, "Shoot It Out", is already on the radio now. The title of the record is actually taken from a line in the song, which Hasek says is about the pressures the band has faced in the music business. "It's a very aggressive song and it's a little bit of angst towards just how they don't leave you alone to be the musicians you are," he tells The Pulse of Radio. "You hear it with a lot of bands, the whole 'jaded' scenario, but it's true, because we're a bunch of musicians that were writing music all on our own with no outside sources affecting us. And then you get, it turns into a profession and you get pulled in all sorts of directions. And we just said, 'Enough's enough, we're just gonna do what we want.'"

The band recently promised that "Feeding The Wolves" will be "the heaviest album they've made in nearly a decade."

SINCE OCTOBER recently released its sophomore effort, "Life, Scars, Apologies", which features the single "The Way You Move".

Spinner has issued the following report from Barnaby Smith:

ROBERT PLANT has revealed that the famous LED ZEPPELIN reunion show at the O2 Arena in 2007 was "too heavy" for him, and that after the show he had to slink away and have a few quiet drinks on his own.

He also described fobbing off the Gallagher brothers backstage after the gig, which was held to pay tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records.

Read the full report at Spinner.

Rob Zombie says that he has buried the hatchet with Ozzy Osbourne after recently airing his feelings about two of his more recent band members — bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and drummer Tommy Clufetos — being hired away by Ozzy Osbourne for Ozzy's touring band. Nicholson was hired by Ozzy in 2006 while Clufetos left just months ago, leaving Zombie in desperate need of a drummer.

In a posting on his MySpace page, Zombie writes, "I am very happy to put this Zombie-vs.- Ozzy crap to rest.

"I just got off the phone with Ozzy and all is good with us.

"I have known Ozzy and Sharon for many years and have never had any problems with them. In fact, they have always been very cool and easy to deal with. So, needless to say, I found this whole situation very strange and a real bummer.

"This whole thing was really always between my band and a certain ex-drummer, not between me and Ozzy.

"I wish Ozzy nothing but the best. End of story."

In a recent interview with the Artisan News Service (see video below), Zombie stated about his musicians being hired away by Ozzy, "I think there's ways to do things and I think there's ways to not do things and I think the way they've chosen to do things is not how I would do things; I think it's kind of rude."

Zombie added, "I mean, if my guys that I have wanna go play with other people, that's fine; I don't own them. But I think there's ways to do things in a respectful way and there's ways to just be shitty, and I feel that the way things have gone down lately has been pretty shitty . . . I'm just happy because every time I've lost somebody, I've gotten somebody ten times better, so I'm thankful for that. So if somebody's band wants to be made up of my cast-offs, enjoy."

Zombie told The Pulse of Radio his current band, which features guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D. and SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, is the best he's ever had. "Yeah, this is the best it's ever been," he said. "I mean, it always gets better and better, but I really can't imagine it ever getting better than this because everybody in the band is such a perfect fit for what we need to do and, you know, there's been times where there's nice people in the band or good players, but they just sort of weren't the right person but they could fake it onstage. But this is the first time we've really had four people that are all like-minded. I don't know, it's just perfect. I mean, we would all be friends if we weren't in the band. We're all that same type of personality, it's great."

Clufetos said in a recent interview about his decision to join Ozzy's band, "Ozzy called me to join his band, and how could I say 'No' to Ozzy Osbourne? It's the pinnacle, so that's why I did it."

Zombie and Ozzy have been friends in the past. They collaborated on a song called "Iron Head" for Zombie's second solo album, 2001's "The Sinister Urge", and Zombie directed a video for Ozzy's 2001 single "Dreamer". Zombie has also toured with Ozzy several times.

Zombie is currently co-headlining the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with KORN and will hit the road with ALICE COOPER this fall.

Rockstar Weekly reports:

In a new announcement from its publishing company, VAN HALEN are reportedly back in the studio recording a new album with original vocalist DAVID LEE ROTH. The record, expected to be released in 2011, will be the band’s first full studio album since 1998’s Van Halen III, which featured vocals by EXTREME singer Gary Cherone.

Since forming in the early 70s, Van Halen have released 11 studio albums and have had an on-and-off relationship with Roth. From 1986 to 1997, Roth was replaced by the red rocker SAMMY HAGAR and Cherone was called in for one album after that. Roth’s return to the band in 2007 produced the largest grossing Van Halen tour in history.

Warner/Chappell Music has extended its administration agreements with two original members of the legendary rock band ( Eddie and Alex Van Halen). Under the agreement, Warner/Chappell will continue to administer their catalog of works, including any new releases.

German extreme metallers DEATH OF DESIRE have issued the following update from guitarist Morbid:

"I am fucking devastated by what has happened...

We met with this promoter asshole at a bar today, Dawn Desiree (vocals) and I went there, we were supposed to talk some business about live shows and shit like that... The scumbag went there with his so-called band (name I don't care to say), at the end of the night they all turned against me and tried to fucking beat me up. Some time after, Dawn Desiree, who was intoxicated with alcohol, was taken away and her car was stolen by them. I was left by myself in the middle of nowhere and had to steal a fucking bike to make my way home a faster trip, it wasn't... it sucked... fucking 5 hours of pedaling and walking like a maniac.

These are the longest hours I've ever had to go through... not only a good friend and band member is missing for me, but also a fucking soulmate. These people have destroyed me, I will take vengeance for this... blood will run.

I can only hope to see her again soon.... everyone out there pray for her safe return.

And note that PERVERSE PRODUCTIONS from San Diego are fucking cowards and feeble people... they are the losers responsible for all this... we took them in and considered them family, gave them our trust and a chance to promote themselves on our documentary and webpage, and at the end they fucking backstabbed us and kidnapped Dawn!

FUCK PERVERSE PRODUCTIONS AND FUCK THE LOWLIFE PEOPLE!"

Stay tuned for further updates on this situation.

Long-running Italian power metallers SECRET SPHERE have inked a deal with Scarlet Records for the European release of the band's new album, sixth album, "Archetype". Due in Europe in September, the CD was recorded at Authoma Studios and was produced by guitarist Aldo Lonobile and Federico Pennazzato. The album was mastered at Massive Arts Studio, while the cover artwork (see below) was handled by Gustavo Sazes.

"Archetype" was released in Japan on April 21 and it features the following track listing:

01. Pattern Of Thought (intro)
02. Line On Fire
03. Death From Above
04. The Scars That You Can't See
05. More Than Myself
06. Future
07. Mr. Sin
08. Into The Void
09. All In A Moment
10. Archetype

"Archetype" is the follow-u

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA guitarist Chris Caffery has issued the following update:

"Attention! The guitar I am holding in my profile photo (see image on left) has been stolen. It is a Gibson Les Paul Custom Ace Frehley model. Gibson made a limited run of these in the late 1990's. I am offering a substantial reward for information leading to its return and the arrest of the person who stole it."

More details with regards to the theft will be released soon. Anyone with information on the stolen guitar should contact Caffery via this email address: biffranger@aol.com.

As previously reported, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra recently confirmed their first ever European tour dates for March 2011. A new date has been added to the schedule for Amsterdam, Holland on March 26th. The schedule is currently as follows:

March
17 - München, Germany - Zenith
18 - Wien, Austria - Stadthalle
19 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyerhalle
22 - Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom
23 - Hamburg, Germany - CCH2
24 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Philipshalle
26 - Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall

Long-running UK progressive rockers MAGNUM have been busy at Mad Hat's Studio working on their new album, The Visitation.

SPV / Steamhammer will release the album on the following dates:

Germany / Austria / Switzerland - January 14th
Europe - January 17th
USA/Canada - January 25th

The Visitation will be available in the following formats:

- Limited Edition Digipak
- Jewel Case
- Double Gatefold Vinyl
- Download

The Visitation tracklisting:

'Freedom Day'
'Like Midnight Kings'
'The Visitation'
'Mother Natures Final Dance'
'Eyes Like Fire'
'Fatal Embrace'
'The Doors To Nowhere'
'The Last Frontier'

U.D.O., the German heavy metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, has recorded the official "anthem" of the Wacken Open Air festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. According to the event organizers, you will be able to find "Wacken Hymne 2010" all over this year's festival, which kicked off today (Thursday, August 5) and is scheduled to run through Satuday (August 7). Also included on the CD is the U.D.O. song "Bogeyman" (taken from the band's most recent album, "Dominator"), SUBWAY TO SALLY's version of the D.A.D. track "It's After Dark", and the VICTIMS OF MADNESS tune "The Burning Anniversary".

Commented Holger Hübner of Wacken Open Air: "Udo Dirkschneider has been a companion of the Wacken Open Air for years. Therefore U.D.O. were the obvious choice to follow in the tradition that Doro began last year. Well, we accept only U.D.O.!"

Added U.D.O.'s Udo Dirkschneider and Stefan Kaufmann: "The Wacken Open Air stands for THE family gathering of the metal scene. It holds its very own fascination. Therefore we have immediately agreed to the proposal of Holger and Thomas to perform the new Wacken anthem!"

Stated Enno Heymann, Chairman of the Wacken Foundation, "This festival hymn represents a special boon to the Wacken Foundation. We are glad to see the Wacken forum band VICTIMS OF MADNESS having the chance to get on a single with three well-established and renowned acts. This is forging a link between established musicians and young hopefuls. Additionally there will be 2 € given to the Wacken Foundation for each sold copy."

German "a cappella metal" band VAN CANTO — which consists of five singers and one drummer (no guitars, no bass, no keyboards) — has released a video for its cover version of the GRAVE DIGGER song "Rebellion". Check it out below.

Commented the band, "This is the best, most professional and most expensive video ever shot. We had more than 300 professional actors and shot more than 20 different locations from Germany to China.

"We apologize for VAN CANTO's faces appearing in this clip but we definitely wanted to be a part of it because it makes us feel like rock stars! Yeah!"

VAN CANTO's version of "Rebellion" (featuring a guest appearance by GRAVE DIGGER frontman Chris Boltendahl) is included on the band's latest album, "Tribe Of Force", which was released in February via Napalm Records.

In addition to Chris, the CD features guest appearances by RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski and SONATA ARCTICA frontman Tony Kakko.

"Mercy For Today", the new video from Santa Cruz, California-based technical death metallers SON OF AURELIUS, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "The Farthest Reaches", which was released on April 13 via Good Fight Music. The CD was produced by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland, California and was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (CONVERGE, HATEBREED, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) in New Windsor, New York.

SON OF AURELIUS will head out on the road with AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK, OCEANO and as part of the "Over The Limit Tour" starting this coming Monday, August 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After wrapping this trek, SON OF AURELIUS will join CATTLE DECAPITATION on tour for about a month, starting in Tempe, Arizona on September 29.

The deluxe edition of "The Farthest Reaches" came out on July 6. The digital-only release, which includes five brand-new, never-before -heard tracks, is available with a special low pricing of $9.99.

SON OF AURELIUS' new material picks up where the band left off on "The Farthest Reaches", with a progressive mix of blazing technical death metal while showcasing a strong sense of development and cohesiveness in the group's songwriting.

New tracks featured on deluxe version of "The Farthest Reaches":

01. They Have Fallen
02. Slaughter The Immortals
03. Throne of Broken Gods
04. Feast of Feminine Flesh
05. Divine Are Slain

Video footage of former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott performing the PANTERA song "Cowboys From Hell" with the PANTERA tribute act COWBOYS FROM HELL PASO on March 9, 2010 at The Aardvark in Fort Worth, Texas can be viewed below.

The brainchild of Ed Razor (formery of PISSING RAZORS and MINISTRY), COWBOYS FROM HELL PASO was formed in January 2009 as a tribute to Ed's friends "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and Vinnie. His vision was simple: "recreate what it was like to be at a PANTERA show." COWBOYS FROM HELL PASO accomplishes this by boasting a "huge stage production," including monster stage lighting and a drum riser like Vinnie Paul used to have.

COWBOYS FROM HELL PASO performed at this year's Ride For Dime — an annual charity remembrance ride and concert event held in memory of the victims of the December 2004 Alrosa Villa shooting ("Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Jeff Thompson, Nathan Bray and Erin Halk) — on July 31 at Dreamworld Music Complex in Arlington, Texas.

Video footage of former ANTHRAX and current BLACKGATES singer Dan Nelson joining GOD FORBID on stage on May 22, 2010 at Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, New York to perform a cover of the PANTERA classic "Mouth For War" can be viewed below.

As previously reported, Nelson has uploaded several songs that were recorded with a lineup of musicians that includes members of LIFE OF AGONY and ARSIS.

The tracks that are currently available for streaming are as follows:

* "Burden's Crown"
* "Troll"
* "You"
* "Task At Hand"
* "New Damnation"
* "New Found Noose"

Says Nelson: "This is not a band, but a bunch of songs written with some friends that we recorded in my garage studio."

Recording lineup:

* Dan Nelson (BLACKGATES, ex-ANTHRAX) - Vocals/Bass
* Joey Z. (LIFE OF AGONY) - Guitars/Drum Programming
* James Malone (ARSIS) - Guitars/Drum Programming
* Crock LaRock (AUNT HILDEGARD) - Drums

Regarding his split with ANTHRAX in July 2009, Nelson told The Metal Den, "I never live my life with any regrets and never look back and wish I did something different. I chose instead to look forward to the future. We did some great things in the time we wrote and performed together, and I am very proud of that."

Nelson's new band BLACKGATES also features drummer Paul Bostaph (TESTAMENT, ex-EXODUS, SLAYER, FORBIDDEN), guitarist Jeremy Epp (THE VENTING MACHINE) and bassist Uriah Duffy (WHITESNAKE). Dan previously stated about BLACKGATES's musical direction, "It's thrashy and heavy, so it will appeal to ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT fans. But has the groove and brutality of PANTERA, and is also very melodic. The guitarist is a kid from the Bay Area named Jeremy Epp, who's an unknown, but sensational. People are gonna love him."

According to Nelson, he has also been working on his own music on his home turf in Long Island, New York with his drummer of the last seven years from INSIDE HOLLOW, Frankie Apicelli. Dan said, "The project will be called CHILDE OF HALE. The music is very dark, ala BLACK SABBATH/THE DOORS meets something pissed off at everything!"

New Jersey's MONSTER MAGNET will release its long-awaited new album, "Mastermind", this October via Austria's Napalm Records..

In celebration of the record's impending release, the band has re-launched its web site: MonsterMagnet.net. Focused around the late October worldwide release of "Mastermind", the re-launch also serves as the world premiere of the new album's cover artwork, designed by Invisible Creature (WOLFMOTHER, CHRIS CORNELL, FOO FIGHTERS).

"I'm extremely proud of this new album," says MONSTER MAGNET frontman Dave Wyndorf. "It's been an amazing process, the songs are exactly what I wanted them to be, and I'm proud to begin presenting this new phase of the band on our new website."

"Mastermind" track listing:

01. Hallucination Bomb
02. Bored With Sorcery
03. Dig That Hole
04. Gods and Punks
05. The Titan Who Cried Like A Baby
06. Mastermind
07. 100 Million Miles
08. Perish In Fire
09. Time Machine
10. When The Planes Fall From The Sky
11. Ghost Story
12. All Outta Nothin'

Speaking to Metal Injection at this past April's Revolver Golden Gods Awards in downtown Los Angeles, guitarist Ed Mundell said about the new CD's musical direction, "It's more like space rock and THE STOOGES. There's no hit singles — it's all just rocking, lots of crazy effects. And Dave's singing better than ever. Lots of guitars. Four weeks of tracking guitars — nothing but guitars."

MONSTER MAGNET's last CD, "4-Way Diablo", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 81. The album, which was also produced by Hyde and featured a cover version of THE ROLLING STONES' "2,000 Light Years from Home", landed on the Swedish chart at No. 51. It sold 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

The reunited SOUNDGARDEN played last night (Thursday, August 5) at the intimate Vic Theatre in Chicago, just three days before it headlines the third day of the Lollapalooza festival in the Windy City's Grant Park on Sunday, August 8.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Searching With My Good Eye Closed
02. Spoonman
03. Gun
04. Rusty Cage
05. Let Me Drown
06. Jesus Christ Pose
07. Flower
08. Outshined
09. Fell On Black Days
10. Ugly Truth
11. Get On The Snake
12. Burden In My Hand
13. Pretty Noose
14. Head Down
15. Face Pollution
16. Superunknown
17. Black Hole Sun
18. Mailmain
19. Slaves And Bulldozers

Encore:

20. 4th Of July
21. Blow Up The Outside
22. Like Suicide

Kyle Anderson of MTV.com writes in his review of the concert, "Though the show was not without hiccups (hot microphones seemed to dog them all night), SOUNDGARDEN proved that their catalog of tunes has withstood the test of time. Old favorites like 'Let Me Drown' and 'Get on the Snake' laid out SOUNDGARDEN's whole aesthetic: thick, burly riffs, deep rhythmic thrusts and Chris Cornell's towering yelp of a voice. It's no wonder that, when combined with a killer chorus, songs like 'Black Hole Sun' and 'Pretty Noose' — both of which showed up in Thursday night's set — became such gigantic mainstream rock hits."

Cornell told USA Today in his first interview since SOUNDGARDEN reunited earlier this year that the group is taking its return one day at a time, saying, "I think our goal now is to do what we always wanted to do, which is to — at our own pace and in our own time -- just do what we want when we want to do it. Whether it's shows, songs, whatever it might be, records, we'll know when we get there."

SOUNDGARDEN's gig at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago will be only its third gig since the reunion was announced in January. The band will release a hits collection called "Telephantasm" on September 28.

The set will be bundled exclusively for one week with copies of Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock, marking the first time that a full-length music retail CD has been made available as part of a video game package.

Cornell said that the partnership with Guitar Hero is a way to re-introduce the band — which broke up 13 years ago — to new audiences, explaining, "There are a lot of different ways to get your music out (and) . . . this clearly to me is one way to do that. Guitar Hero has actually turned on a lot of young music fans to music that they otherwise might not have ever heard."

"Telephantasm" will include one previously unreleased song, "Black Rain", which was recorded during the sessions for 1991's "Badmotorfinger" album. Cornell said that the track captures "that super heavy version (of the band) we were finally realizing to its fullest potential about 1991." Expanded editions of "Telephantasm" will also be available on September 28.

"Reborn To Darkness", a brand new recording from Danish metallers IRON FIRE, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the band's new album, "Metalmorphosized", which will be released on the following dates:

Sep. 29: Spain
Oct. 1: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Benelux
Oct. 4: Rest of Europe
Oct. 12: USA/Canada

THE MAN-EATING TREE — the new atmospheric metal band featuring former SENTENCED drummer Vesa Ranta alongside current/former members of POISONBLACK, REFLEXION and EMBRAZE — recently filmed a video for the song "Out Of The Wind".

Check out photos from the video shoot at this location.

In other news, THE MAN-EATING TREE will tour Europe in October and November with their fellow Finns TAROT.

Commented THE MAN-EATING TREE vocalist Tuomas Tuominen: "It is no rocket science; this is music. It is simple elements pieced together with sincerity.

"I have to say we were on fire about how the atmosphere of our first shows in Finland turned out. Now we are pleased to announce that we are going to deliver our stuff also to continental Europe!

"The upcoming tour holds 14 shows together with legendary TAROT. Can't wait to meet you there."

"Out Of The Wind" comes off THE MAN-EATING TREE's debut album, "Vine", which will be released in Finland on September 22 via Cobra Records and in other territories through Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Mastervox Studio in Oulu, Finland with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, SENTENCED, AMORPHIS).

"Vine" track listing:

01. Lathing A New Man
02. The White Plateau
03. This Longitude Of Sleep
04. King Of July
05. Of Birth For Passing
06. Out Of The Wind
07. Nights In White Satin
08. Tide Shift
09. Instead Of Sand And Stone
10. Amended

Check out the cover artwork below.

"Out Of The Wind" recently entered the official single chart in the group's home country at position No. 3.

According to the group's official bio, THE MAN-EATING TREE was formed when "Vesa Ranta, having taken a break from music after SENTENCED, began to overcome his post-SENTENCED battle fatigue and lack of musical motivation. The idea of a new band — or bands — was eventually brainstormed over a period of time between Vesa and his friends, including gentlemen Miika Tenkula, Aaron Rantonen, Janne Markus and Mikko Uusimaa. Plans were made reality in 2009; the outfit was completed by the addition of Tuomas Tuominen as a vocalist and Heidi Määttä as a keyboard player. First demo recordings were made in the spring and summer of 2009.

"The bulk of compositions are the origin of Janne Markus, with some contribution also from Aaron Rantonen. Much of the lyrical input is contributed by Tuomas Tuominen. These are the building blocks of the music, which is finally arranged hands-on at the band house by the entire group."

PRISTINA will release its full-length debut, "The Drought (Ov Salt And Sorrow)" , on September 28 via Trendkill Recordings. The CD was recorded, mixed, and mastered by TODAY IS THE DAY's Steve Austin (CONVERGE, DEADGUY) at Austin Enterprise.

A track from the album, "Salt Water Cthulhu", is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Another highlight of "The Drought (Ov Salt And Sorrow)" is the 23-minute title track which boasts guest appearances by Austin, BLOODLET's Scott Angelacos and STARKWEATHER's Rennie Resmini.

Based in Connecticut, PRISTINA features former members of a diverse list of Northeast bands, including 100 DEMONS, INVOCATION OF NEHEK, A THOUSAND FALLING SKIES, BORN UNDER SATURN, and more. Revitalizing the best elements of the '90s metallic hardcore boom, PRISTINA lays down the gauntlet with a menacing sound that is equally dark, driving, and hypnotic.

Revolver magazine has described PRISTINA as "a chaotic surge of hardcore intimidation, atonal riff bombardment, and sound-collage psych ops."

The album can be pre-ordered now through Trendkill Recordings, both on CD and vinyl (the vinyl is a split release between Trendkill, The Path Less Traveled Records and Bombfarm Records).

Based in France, Trendkill Recordings is the European label home of SPYLACOPA, CANDIRIA and more.

Trendkill is exclusively distributed in the U.S. via Relapse Records.

Greek metallers FIREWIND, who feature in their ranks current OZZY OSBOURNE guitairst Gus G., will release their new album, "Days Of Defiance", on October 26 via Century Media Records (one day earlier internationally). The CD is described in a press release as "a truly ambitious and dynamic opus featuring some of the most brilliant guitar playing the genre has seen in many years.

A new video trailer featuring a clip of the FIREWIND singe, "World On Fire", can be viewed below.

The "World On Fire" single will be available for purchase on digital platforms starting on August 17.

Commented Gus G.: "Usually when we write an album we let the music come to us and go with the flow. Maybe that's why our albums have variety and you can hear everything from super heavy songs to speed metal shredding to rock anthems and ballads. 'Days Of Defiance' wasn't much different in the making, but this time we recorded almost all of it in our home studios, which allowed us to be more relaxed. That's why I feel the new album features the best performances by all of us. One of our main goals, though, was to get a bit more of an 'unpolished' sound and be more raw. I think we achieved it and that gives an extra heaviness to the overall sound.

"We mixed the album in Helsinki, Finland at Sonic Pump Studios. Nino Laurenne (THUNDERSTONE) and Tapio Pennanen mixed it and they did a killer job.

"We hope you enjoy it as much as we do."

In a recent interview, Gus G. stated about the forthcoming effort, "I think it's a little bit more of an angry record, lyric-wise [than 'The Premonition']. It's not like it's a concept [album] or anything, but it's [got] a lot of stuff about the way the world's going and all that bullshit we put up with.

"Obviously, I come from Greece, so my country is in a pretty tough spot right now — out of all the European Union countries. Not to really get political — I'm not interested in that — but it's a general thing. It started with the whole recession a couple of years ago, and everybody's been hit by it. Now, we're not talking about people losing jobs or anything, but it's just the whole general vibe of where this whole thing is leading. [It has] a lot of kind of heavier songs, a bit more raw production this time. So you'll get the vibe that it's a little bit of a heavier record, a bit more angrier . . .

"The new one is a bit more raw — kind of a bit more of an organic sound. It's one of those productions where you can hear every instrument very clear, almost like the band is playing in front of you.

"It's a pretty interesting production for a FIREWIND record. We actually moved out from [Sweden's] Studio Fredman where he [Fredrik Nordström] mixed all our albums. We did it in a different studio, so we kind of wanted a little bit of a different approach to it, a different vibe."

FIREWIND's 2010 lineup (from left to right in photo below):

Michael Ehre - Drums
Petros Christo - Bass
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals
Gus G. - Guitar
Bob Katsionis - Keyboards

"The Premonition", the latest album from FIREWIND, was released on vinyl on March 8 via Century Media Records. The band's first-ever vinyl release contains one bonus track.

FIREWIND recently parted ways with drummer Mark Cross (ex-HELLOWEEN, METALIUM) due to personal differences.

FIREWIND's first-ever live effort, "Live Premonition", was released all across Europe in December 2008 and is available as DVD, 2CD and deluxe DVD+2CD set offering a stunning 22-song set filmed and recorded in 2008 in the band's hometown of Thessaloniki.

The 2CD version of "Live Premonition" consists of the audio portion of the main show on two separate CDs, available for the price of one CD. The DVD also features many extras such as behind-the-scenes footage, special acoustic live performances, promo clips and much more.

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL will re-release their "Immortalis" album and "Live at Wacken Open Air" DVD on October 5, 2010 via eOne Music. This will be a CD/DVD combo release with three new unreleased live tracks:

* Within Your Eyes (from "Relix" CD)
* Blood and Iron (from "Feel The Fire" CD)
* Nice Day...For a Funeral (from "Horrorscope" CD)

OVERKILL has announced the second leg of its Killfest 2010 tour. The trek will consist of stops in markets where the band has not been in a long time, including several dates in the North Carolina and Florida. Support on the tour will come from FORBIDDEN, EVILE, GAMA BOMB and BONDED BY BLOOD.

OVERKILL's new album, "Ironbound", sold 4,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 192 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at No. 4 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.

OVERKILL's previous album, "Immortalis", opened with 2,800 units back in October 2007 .

"Ironbound" was released on February 9 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD, which was issued in Europe on January 29 via Nuclear Blast Records, was mixed by PAIN/HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren and is described in a press release as "a true thrasher-piece."

OVERKILL filmed a video for the song "Bring Me The Night" on January 9 in Brooklyn, New York with director Kevin Custer (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, SUFFOCATION).

Vocalist/guitarist Skyla Talon (KILLINGBIRD) and drummer Dan Laudo (PRONG) have teamed up to form MODELSAINT. The band, which also features Finn Zigo on guitar and J.Sinn on bass, recently completed work on its debut album.

More details, including a release date for the CD, will be made available soon.

MODELSAINT is:

Skyla Talon - Vocals/Guitar
Finn Zigo - Guitar
J.Sinn - Bass
Dan Laudo - Drums

"Heaven's Venom", the new album from Canadian extreme metallers KATAKLYSM, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. The CD will be released on August 13 in Europe and August 24 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Prevail" was produced by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais (MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX) and was mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MNEMIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY).

"Heaven's Venom" track listing:

01. A Soulless God
02. Determined (Vows Of Vengeance)
03. Faith Made Of Shrapnel
04. Push The Venom
05. Hail The Renegade
06. As The Walls Collapse
07. Numb & Intoxicated
08. At The Edge Of The World
09. Suicide River
10. Blind Savior

Dagenais previously stated about the new CD, "Everything you wish for in a KATAKLYSM album is here and some unexpected musical adventures as well. Everyone here has given 150% of themselves!

"As KATAKLYSM turns twenty next year, we want to be remembered as the band who never gave up and faced the odds. This explosive slab of metal will lead scene for future conquests and not be forgotten ever. The music, the vocals and the production are all top notch."

KATAKLYSM filmed a video for the song "Push The Venom" last month in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic (TYPE O NEGATIVE, UNLEASHED, DEATHSTARS, EX DEO).