Lisa Respers from CNN is reporting:

If you think the musical compact disc is dying or dead, you're probably younger than it is.

"Show me a teenager buying a SUSAN BOYLE album on CD and I'll show you someone buying a gift for their grandparent - for Christmas," jokes Billboard senior chart manager and analyst Keith Caulfield. "There is definitely an age component to the consumption of music."

As the music industry as a whole struggles in a down economy and direct download business models like iTunes flourish, the compact disc - which was commercially introduced in 1982 - has the appearance of going the way of vinyl.

And contrary to the recent declaration of singer PRINCE - who said that the internet is dead and released his latest CD for free via European newspapers - there's some evidence that consumers aren't as enamored with ripping the cellophane off that new CD as they once were.

According to data from Nielsen SoundScan, in 2007 CDs accounted for 90 percent of album sales in the United States, with digital accounting for the other 10 percent. Just two years later, that number had shifted to 79 percent CDs and 20 percent digital, with the remaining percentage point being made up of vinyl and other media.

Billboard's Caulfield said that so far this year, about 44 million digital albums have been sold, compared with 40 million during the same time frame last year. But while digital sales have increased slightly, CD sales have dropped from 147 million last year to 114 million this year for the same time period.

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have tapped Matt Hyde (HATEBREED, MONSTER MAGNET, FU MANCHU) to produce their new album, which is currently being recorded at a studio in Helsinki, Finland. Drummer Jaska Raatikainen has finished laying down his tracks and is scheduled to return to the studio tomorrow to record a couple of as-yet-undisclosed cover tunes. He says, "Recordings for me went good and I'm super-excited about the new songs. They ARE killer. I'm sure you will love the new material. And yes, there's gonna be nine new tracks on the album."

CHILDREN OF BODOM will support BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on the "Black Label Berzerkus" tour this fall. Also scheduled to appear on the two-month North American trek are CLUTCH and 2CENTS, with CLUTCH and CHILDREN OF BODOM sharing the main-support slot.

"Skeletons In The Closet", the latest album from CHILDREN OF BODOM, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 9.

"Skeletons In The Closet" was released on September 23, 2009 through Spinefarm. The follow-up to 2008's "Blooddrunk" is a selection of cover versions, some of them existing recordings, others specially laid down for this release.

CHILDREN OF BODOM has been recording covers since the early days of its career, some predictably heavy ("Silent Scream" by SLAYER, for example), others reflecting an altogether broader taste ("Talk Dirty To Me" by POISON).

CHILDREN OF BODOM last fall completed a month-long North American headlining tour. The 20-city trek launched on September 18, 2009 at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island and wrapped on October 14, 2009 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Support on the tour came from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and SKELETONWITCH.

Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI will release their fifth studio album, "Babez For Breakfast", on September 14 in the U.S., September 15 in Europe and on October 27 in Japan. The CD was recorded in early 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee with highly regarded producer Michael Wagener, who has produced albums for artists as varied as OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER and JANET JACKSON and mixed METALLICA's classic "Master of Puppets".

Check out the cover artwork below.

In other news, LORDI will release a game for a popular iPhone mobile phone. The game, titled Lordi The Game, will be made available worldwide on Monday, August 9, 2010, the day before the album's first single, "This Is Heavy Metal", is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. The game features two songs from "Babez for Breakfast": "This Is Heavy Metal" and a song titled "I Am Bigger Than You".

In Lordi The Game, the player takes the role of Mr. Lordi, who has to banish the undead from the underworld. The player plays to the beat of LORDI's songs. The milieu of the game varies from a cemetery to a flight crash area. At each level of the game, monsters are seen in a different look.

The game includes six levels with three levels of difficulty each. When the player has passed one level of difficulty, the game will present exclusive images of the band members. This material is not available elsewhere.

Mr. Lordi, who lent his voice to the game, commented: "The entire band is happy to be able to step into the game world. The nicest thing in this game is that the player is able to step into Mr. Lordi's imaginary boots and swing the ax, which I swing on stage. This is LORDI's life, a continuous battle from day to day."

He added, "We are happy that we are able to serve our fans on this sector too."

Lordi The Game will be released through Lapland Studio Oy Ltd. The company CEO Ilkka Immonen stated about their new cooperation with LORDI, "I find it great that we are able to work together in the game world. Mr. Lordi and I have known each other for a long time and this is only a beginning to our long partnership. Our story will continue also on other game formats."

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness: So what's new on the horizon for Tom Angelripper?

Tom: [SODOM is] working on a new album. We have a new producer, Waldemar Sorychta of GRIP INC. He's like a fourth bandmember. I told him I wanted SODOM to go back to our roots, and it's important to create an album with an old sound. I don't like productions where the bands sound like all the others. He has many ideas on how to arrange the album, and vocal lines, etc.

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness: So what do you think of the "Big Four" tour that recently happened in Europe?

Tom: I saw SLAYER recently. I think it is a very good package. I am not sure about METALLICA though. I think the (three) would be enough — ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and SLAYER. I think METALLICA is a bit commercial nowadays. If I find the time, I'll see this tour if it happens again. SLAYER is (always) my most important band to see. I was a METALLICA fan in the Eighties but it's a different band now though they are still a good band.

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness: Any chance of a "Teutonic Three" tour featuring SODOM, KREATOR and DESTRUCTION any time soon?

Tom: Haha! People ask me about this tour, but there's all sorts of business involved. Different record companies and publishers have their own interests. We have to find a good point to do it. They (the bands) all go their own way; it would be great to see the three bands for a low cost ticket. It is a dream, but business is (always) king.

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness: What do you think of this current "retro thrash" scene?

Tom: In America and Europe you have many new thrash bands coming out. I can't explain it. Many of the bands have a metalcore influence. You cannot repeat it — the music was the music from that time — you cannot bring the spirit of the Eighties to this time. Like with us — SODOM were never interested in what other bands were doing. SODOM were "do what you want" without the commercialism. If you have a new band, try to create something new.

Mattowarrior's Metal Madness: What do you think of metalcore?

Tom: Some of the bands are very good musicians, but you cannot compare it to thrash metal. It's watered down. It's not really thrash metal, it's a completely different style of music.

The officially licensed Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, RAINBOW, DIO) Rock Iconz limited edition statue by KnuckleBonz is now available for pre-order. Limited quantities ship late 2010. (Actual product shots will be released in the coming weeks.)

The sculpture of Dio is displayed with his signature devil horns and iconic crouched stance.

All figures in the Rock Iconz series are limited editions and the Ronnie James Dio statue is very exclusive with only 3,000 pieces slated for production. A portion of all sales from www.knucklebonz.com will be donated to the "Stand Up and Shout" Cancer Fund created in honor of Ronnie James Dio.

The Dio statue by KnuckleBonz is created using a team of highly skilled artists to sculpt a remarkable likeness. The limited-edition figure will be cast in a poly-resin and hand-paint in fine detail. Each sculpture in the Rock Iconz series is hand-numbered and displayed on an attractive wooden base.

Commented KnuckleBonz: "To say it's a great honor and privilege to be working with Ronnie's family and friends at the Niji Entertainment Group would be the understatement of the year.

"While there is much excitement here about this new statue, it's not without mixed emotion.

"It was not a matter of 'if' we would try to get with Ronnie to create a limited-edition piece for our Rock Iconz series, it was just 'when.'

"During an internal meeting on new projects, just after Thanksgiving 2009, we discussed the design for a Dio statue at length as this is an obvious fit for the Rock Iconz series. Just a short time after this meeting, we learned of Ronnie James Dio's illness so we thought it best to wait for his recovery to approach Niji for a project.

"Two weeks ago, Dio's management group asked us to do a piece in tribute to Ronnie James Dio. This is something that Ronnie wanted to do, and we are honored that his wife, Wendy, along with Dio's long time friends over at Niji Entertainment have selected us to create this statue in honor of the great metal and hard rock legend.

"We will take great care to make sure the attention to detail and quality of the statue design is a true tribute to Dio.

"Most of us here at KnuckleBonz were onto Dio early with the first RAINBOW records. Ronnie's soaring vocals and unrivaled talent on top of the mystical elements of that band were a one-of-a kind combo. We never left Ronnie's music from that point on and we never will."

Moribund Records has set a November 9 release date for SARGEIST's long-awaited third album, "Let The Devil In".

Dedicated Moribund terrorists right from the start, SARGEIST's last full-length album was 2005's critically acclaimed "Disciple Of The Heinous Path", preceded by the band's classic "Satanic Black Devotion" debut in 2003.

Featuring vocalist Torog and drummer Horns of cult Finnish horde BEHEXEN as well as the six-string sorcery of HORNA mastermind Shatraug, SARGEIST's new CD proves "that black metalled orthodoxy need not spell creative death, that occult mysticism is still ripe for exploration if the words match the deeds — and especially if you have the songs to back them up," according to a press release. "One anthem to the horned one after another, 'Let The Devil In' masterfully balances raw, bloodcurdling passion with poised, steely-eyed professionalism: a new classic of traditional black metal is born!

Commented Shatraug, "The forthcoming SARGEIST album took us more than five years to make. After two albums, the standard we had raised was needed to be met with a liturgy surpassing the previous works, and for that reason alone, it took such a long time to complete the new work. Finally, when everything started to fall in place, it didn't take long. Lyrically, 'Let The Devil In' is a continuation of the heinous path we had chosen — that of black magic, necromancy, and worship of Satan. The result is definitely the strongest of SARGEIST yet, taking all the assets of our past with a new Satanic illumination."

Welsh "ragga metal" act SKINDRED has inked a worldwide publishing deal with BMG.

Commented SKINDRED's manager Seven Webster at 7pm Management: "We are really excited to be working with Tony Moss and the worldwide BMG team.

"After all the nominations the band have received at various awards in the last couple of weeks, and seeing the band play to around 40,000 people at the weekend at Knebworth, it helps highlight the importance of this act as a fast-growing global concern and is a key part in our strategy going forwards."

The deal takes into account all songs written by all four band members to date as well as their individual work as writers with frontman Benji Webb also penning cuts on BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's last album and new Roadrunner Records signing REVOKER, whom he is also producing.

Tony Moss, MD of BMG, said: "[SKINDRED is] a fantastic band with great songs and a phenomenal fanbase. It's a great deal for us as we have nothing like them in the roster — but then I'm not sure there is anyone like them!"

"Shark Bites and Dog Fights", the latest mini-album from SKINDRED, sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 21 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.

"Shark Bites and Dog Fights" was released on September 22, 2009 via Bieler Bros. Records. The record contains eight songs, including "Who Are You?" and "Calling All Stations". It was produced by Matt LaPlant (SIKTH) at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida.

The "deluxe edition" of Slash's (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) self-titled solo album will released in Australia and New Zealand on August 13. In addition to the songs featured on the regular CD, the deluxe edition will include three extra tracks — cover versions of GUNS N' ROSES' "Paradise City" (featuring Fergie and CYPRESS HILL) and "Sweet Child O' Mine" (performed acoustically, with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy on vocals) and acoustic rendition of "Back From Cali". The deluxe edition also comes packaged with a 52-minute DVD featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the album, performance footage from Australia and Los Angeles, video clips and more.

The cover artwork for "The Epigenesis", the forthcoming fifth album from Sumerian thrashing black metallers MELECHESH, can be viewed below. The cover art was created by the U.K.-based renowned occult artist John Coulthart, who had already collaborated with MELECHESH in the past.

Commented mainman and founding member Ashmedi: "The art was meticulously discussed over several phone calls and John like a real credible artist worked in utmost professionalism while having a real short deadline.

"The cover art perfectly represents our music and themes. It portrays an occult, mystical Near Eastern/ Mesopotamian atmosphere while strictly adhering to a non-cliché standard.

"Aside from the mutual understanding between myself and John, The Golden Ratio principle was the starting and defining point for this sublime art.

"I am extremely satisfied with this cover art."

"The Epigenesis" will be released on October 1 via Nuclear Blast Records. The 11-song effort was recorded in the newly built Babajim Studios in Istanbul, Turkey and was mixed by Reuben de Lautour and mastered by Pieter Snapper.

A "viral video" for "Frontlines", the new single from the South Florida hard rock quartet NONPOINT, can be viewed below.

NONPOINT lead singer Elias Soriano, who put together the clip, commented, "'Frontlines' is for our country's armed forces. They risk their lives every day to protect the rights, liberties and lives of people whose names they don't even know.

"After hours of looking at photos online of soldiers, solely for the sake of a picture to be used in the artwork for 'Frontlines, I was so moved and inspired by their commitment. The emotional and physical risk our soldiers take for strangers every day — I had to create this as a reminder.

"We are blessed that we are protected by such strong hearts."

As a "thank-you" to the men and women of our armed forces, NONPOINT will donate a portion of the proceeds from "Frontlines" to various military charities.

Guitarist Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (ENTOMBED, MORBID, MURDER SQUAD, NIHILIST, DISFEAR, HAYSTACK) has joined ATLANTIC TIDE, the new Swedish project featuring guitarist Freddie Eugene (UNLEASHED, TERRA FIRMA, LOUD PIPES, HARMS WAY) alongside ex-TERRA FIRMA bassist Izmo Ledderfejs and former BLACKSHINE axeman Stabel Miserabel.

ATLANTIC TIDE released its first-ever seven-inch single, "Bad Acid Queen", last November through High Roller Records. The single, which includes the title track and a song called "Eyestroids", comes in two different versions — green and black — and features layout by Trident Arts. It is strictly limited to 500 copies.

To get your copy, visit www.high-roller-records.de.

ATLANTIC TIDE is:

* Freddie Eugene (UNLEASHED, TERRA FIRMA, LOUD PIPES, HARMS WAY) - Guitar/Vocals
* Izmo Ledderfejs (TERRA FIRMA) - Bass
* Stabel Miserabel (BLACKSHINE) - Guitar
* Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (ENTOMBED, DISFEAR) - Guitar

ATLANTIC TIDE is currently working on material for a full-length album.

Bassist Karin Axelsson of the Swedish/British modern metallers SONIC SYNDICATE "has made a brilliant recovery and is back on her feet with only mild headaches" after being "seriously injured" during the filming of the band's new video, "Turn It Up". According to a press release, the incident occurred while the group was shooting a scene where the members of SONIC SYNDICATE were being murdered with a guitar by a "sexy girl." Although the scene was intended to be staged, Karin actually got hit in the head with the instrument, causing a laceration as well as a brain concussion.

Karin has every intention of making the trip to Lithuania this Saturday to join her SONIC SYNIDCATE bandmates as they perform at the Rocknights festival.

The "Turn It Up" video will be released in late September.

According to CDJapan.co.jp, 30th-anniversary editions of OZZY OSBOURNE's classic "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary Of A Madman" albums will be made available in Japan on October 13. The "30th Anniversary Legacy Edition" of "Blizzard Of Ozz" will include a bonus disc featuring more than 10 tracks. The three-album reissue series will also include "Blizzard Of Ozz" ("30th Anniversary Edition") and "Diary Of A Madman" ("30th Anniversary Edition").

To pre-order these two items, follow these links:

* "Blizzard Of Ozz" (pre-order)
* "Diary Of A Madman" (pre-order)

When asked about Ozzy's upcoming 30th-anniversary editions of his first two albums at a Toronto press conference in May, Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon said, "They are coming out for Thanksgiving and they will be on the market then. . . It's going back to the original recordings with [Bob] Daisley [bass] and [Lee] Kerslake [drums]. And there will be a lot of stuff that you haven't heard before in the packages. Like certain conversations that were going on in the studio with the guys just messing around while the tape was still rolling. All of that will be added into it."

Norwegian extreme metallers PANTHEON I have issued the following update:

"PANTHEON I is looking for an extreme vocalist for both recording and live appearances.

"We have just finished writing the new album which will be recorded this year, and we have a very good recorder on board. Live appearances are also being considered.

"The right person will have a flamboyant stage personality and MUST BE ABLE TO REHEARSE IN OSLO TWICE A WEEK. Basically, you must be very good at extreme vocals, but it is also an advantage if you can sing clean vocals and help with the lyrics. Experience is not as important as the right attitude and what you can do.

"Contact us at pantheoni@hotmail.com if you are interested and feel you have what it takes. (Feel free to send us recording / demo-tracks, etc. that demonstrates your vocals.)

"To hear some PANTHEON I tracks, [go to] this location."

The members of FEAR FACTORY and their road crew escaped safely Thursday morning (August 5) when their tour bus caught fire and burned to a crisp on the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire, England.

Commented FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares: "We just finished playing a sold-out show in Sheffield, England and we were on our way to London airport to drop someone off. Everyone was asleep except [for] two [members of the road] crew.

"At about 3:30 a.m. the bus driver noticed smoke coming from the back right wheel. He stopped, jumped out and noticed a flame underneath the wheel well. He tried to extinguish it, but the flames were too much.

"Everyone was woken up by one of our crew yelling get everyone up and out of the bus. Everyone grabbed there bags and ran off the bus. We stood on the side of the freeway going, 'Thank god we all made it out' until someone noticed our merchandise guy was still asleep on the bus so our good friend ran back on the smoke-filled bus and got him out just minutes before the bus was completely in flames.

"Our eyes are burning and we were all coughing from the smoke. Some of us lost wallets, money, computers etc.. But that's not important compared to our lives.

"It only took about 20 to 30 minutes for the bus to be completely covered in flames.

"The fire trucks and the police finally arrived, but it was too late to save anything on the bus.

"I hope they saved our trailer with the gear.

"A coach bus picked us up and brought us to a nearby hotel.

"We found out early this morning that the trailer was saved and the bus is just a metal frame on the side of the road. They had to scrape up what was left of the bus from the road because it melted into the pavement."

According to The Pulse of Radio, word has begun to spread across the web that A PERFECT CIRCLE has officially been reactivated. On Tuesday (August 3), the group's recently launched Twitter account began posting tweets tagging various band members with cryptic messages like "Go tell aunt Rosie...The old grey goose is not dead."

Meanwhile, guitarist and founder Billy Howerdel tweeted, "The APC dust is shaking off!" and drummer Josh Freese posted on Facebook, "I'm happy to report that A PERFECT CIRCLE is waking up from its six-year slumber...and we're going to be 'doing stuff' soon."

There's been no official word yet on the band's re-emergence.

Singer Maynard James Keenan has been promoting his PUSCIFER project and "Blood Into Wine", the documentary about his Arizona vineyard business, while also touring with TOOL and reportedly prepping a new album with them.

Keenan hinted to The Pulse of Radio last year that A PERFECT CIRCLE could be making new music in 2010, although whether a full-length album was in the works remained to be seen.

Keenan made a surprise appearance during a show by Howerdel's other band, ASHES DIVIDE, at the Viper Room in Los Angeles in June, and the pair also performed together a few days earlier at the E3 video game convention.

The last A PERFECT CIRCLE record, a collection of political cover songs called "Emotive", was released in 2004.

California metallers LIZZY BORDEN have recruited guitarist AC Alexander (WARRIOR, HATETIMESNINE) for their upcoming European tour. The trek kicks off this Friday, August 6 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany and ends September 10 at the Stockholm Rock Out festival in Stockholm, Sweden.

Commented LIZZY BORDEN frontman and namesake: "AC played the Rock N' America festival in Oklahoma last week with us [see video below] and was the shot out of a cannon ball of fire we were looking for. Along with Dario Lorina, this guitar team is second to none, and with Marten Andersson on bass and Joey Scott on the drums, LIZZY BORDEN is all set to blast though the rest of 2010 and beyond.

"We are rehearsing and gearing up for what promises to be an amazing trek around Europe. Playing a different country almost every night is such a cool thing to do, something we have not done since 2008 and we all can't wait to get on that plane!"

SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, who's out with ROB ZOMBIE on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, told The Pulse of Radio that there have actually been talks about SLIPKNOT's future following the death this past May of bassist Paul Gray. "Shawn (Crahan) just came out, the 'Clown,' he just came out to the Mayhem festival, and we sat down and we talked and we're starting to map out the game plan right now," he said. "So there is another SLIPKNOT record already kinda in the making. You know, we're getting timelines set and, you know, it's gonna be a little bit but there's definitely another record. Paul would always want us to make another record. He wouldn't want the band to stop — SLIPKNOT was his life."

Jordison will continue his gig as Zombie's touring drummer into the fall, while also promoting a new record from his band MURDERDOLLS.

Meanwhile, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor — out on the road now with his other band, STONE SOUR — has been saying in recent interviews that it's "too soon" for SLIPKNOT to decide its next steps. Taylor told England's NME TV, "As far the future . . . it's really soon to tell. None of us can even fathom what to do yet. But as soon as we do, the world will be the first to know. It's not that we don't want to, it's just like, how do you do what makes sense when such a big piece of that puzzle is gone?"

Taylor added that Gray "was the spirit of SLIPKNOT. He wrote most of the music. Not a lot of people know that, so I've really been trying to get the word out about him and give him the recognition that he deserves."

The singer also said that he and his wife "have been taking care of" Gray's family. The late bass player's wife is expecting their first child next month.

The new STONE SOUR album, "Audio Secrecy", arrives on September 7. That band also features SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root.

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

Finnish power metallers CELESTY have parted ways with guitarist Tapani Kangas. According to the band, "There's no friction or drama behind the scenes; the decision was deliberate and mutual."

CELESTY is not seeking a replacement for Tapani and will carry on as a five-piece.

Rhythm-guitar duties at upcoming CELESTY shows will be handled by Tuomas Laasanen.

Commented Tapani: "12 awesome years, four albums, people, fans, shows and great memories.
"Unfortunately, after a long concideration, I have decided to separate ways with CELESTY. I can't give the full concentration that the band deserves because of my personal schedules with work/music.

"CELESTY and guys will always be in my heart, and these memories, years and friendship for life will never be taken away from me!"

Ozzy Osbourne visited the KNAC.COM studios this afternoon (Wednesday, August 4) to chat with Junkman about Ozzfest, Osbourne's new album ("Scream") and everything else going on in Ozzy-land.

When asked about his future plans, Ozzy remarked he wanted to write another book and possibly call it "I'm Still Ozzy". He also said he'd like to make a movie based on his current book, "I Am Ozzy", and joked that actor Denzel Washington could play him. He then added, "It's very, very possible that the original SABBATH [members] are gonna finally [get together and] do the ultimate SABBATH album. And we're gonna do a tour, I think. When, I don't know. I spoke to Bill Ward [original SABBATH drummer] yesterday, and we both say we never say 'never' anymore."

ARSON ANTHEM — the project featuring Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA, SUPERJOINT RITUAL) on guitar, Mike IX Williams (EYEHATEGOD) on vocals, Hank Williams III (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, ASSJACK) on drums and Collin Yeo (PONYKILLER) on bass — will release its full-length debut, "Insecurity Notoriety", on October 12 via Anselmo's Housecore Records.

"I'm not sure what it is... but when Hank III, Colin, Mike and I get into 'ARSON' mode, time stops," Anselmo states.

"We know the mission is to write unforgiving hardcore inspired by a slew of '80s bands... but the result is its own animal, yet not too terrible removed from the genuine article.

"With that said, 'Insecurity Notoriety' is like listening to an old favorite blast from the skanking past... vicious, snotty, grating and anthemic!

"I know it's typical to call a modern-day hardcore band 'fresh' or 'different,' especially when it's your band, but... it is!

"This effort makes our first EP sound like child's play, as it should.

"Play it over and over! Piss everyone off!"

ARSON ANTHEM was brought together in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with Mike Williams moving into Anselmo's spare apartment after his home and possessions were destroyed. Through this connection, Williams and Anselmo spent time listening to Anselmo's irreplaceable hardcore music collection. The members relived the days of early '80s hardcore bands, such as DISCHARGE, NEGATIVE APPROACH, SHEER TERROR, and many others. It didn't take long for the music to squash their cabin fever, and inspire them to create a new venture that is now ARSON ANTHEM. Anselmo knew of the underrated-yet-unbridled percussion skills that his and Williams' mutual friend Hank Williams III possessed, causing the contact to be made and the band to come together. Finally, bassist Collin Yeo was recruited, and the sound was born.

"All we had to do was meet and jam," states Anselmo. "Fucking perfect, fucking real, fuck all."