German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS have been forced to cancel their performance in Columbus, Ohio that was scheduled for Wednesday, June 30 at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion. Singer Klaus Meine is suffering from a chest cold and his throat doctor has instructed him to take three days of rest until the next scheduled show (Thursday, July 1 in Detroit, Michigan). His doctor advised him that performing six concerts in eight days will delay his recovery and the only solution is to, unfortunately, cancel Columbus. Worldwide tour scheduling prevents the group from being able to return to the area this year.

The band says, "It is with a heavy heart that we have to disappoint our longtime, devoted fans in Columbus, Ohio by not being able to perform there.

"Klaus' doctors have told him in no uncertain terms that he needs the proper rest so he can shake the bug and successfully continue the tour.

"We want to be able to play at the level that audiences have come to expect from us.

"We sincerely apologize to our fans in Columbus and regret any inconvenience this will cause. We truly thank you for years of support.

"Tickets will be refunded beginning July 1 at the original point of purchase.

A FREE show will go on for opener CINDERELLA. The band is in town and ready to rock. Local rockers AMERICAN DOG will kick off the party.

Bassist Jay Bentley of punk rock legends BAD RELIGION revealed in a new video interview (see below) conducted this past Saturday (June 26) at the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria, Spain that the band's new studio album will be titled "The Dissent Of Man".

Working again with producer Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL), BAD RELIGION entered the studio armed with 16 songs that are filled with deeply personal experiences, cautionary tales and a developing worldview, spanning the gauntlet from their signature high energy punk rock to a more introspective melodic sound.

"We wouldn't embark on this new creative endeavor, Brett [Gurewitz, guitar] wouldn't have embarked on parenthood, I wouldn't have embarked on writing a book, if we hadn't reached a place in our lives where we felt the confidence that we had something to offer and that's what these songs represent," said Graffin. "They represent a new found confidence that things are starting to make sense to us."

"Being a new parent has colored my whole world," added Gurewitz. "As a result I've written songs that at least for me, are somewhat less angsty and more introspective and vulnerable. The experience has emboldened me to take some creative risks as a songwriter that I've not allowed myself to take before."

Risks that nevertheless have already been embraced by the band's passionate fans, as evidenced by the overwhelming response to two new songs, "Resist Stance" and "Won't Somebody". The songs were debuted during a series of live shows celebrating BAD RELIGION's anniversary, recorded and given away as part of a free digital album, "30 Years Live", as a thank-you to their fans for their support over the last three decades. Rabid fans immediately lit up blogs and message boards with raves about the new material and excitement over the new record, which will be out this fall. In the meantime, BAD RELIGION continue to tour the world, bringing their amazing live show to more new countries and playing more shows with each passing year.

Florida-based melodic metal veterans CRIMSON GLORY have released the following statement:

"CRIMSON GLORY does not recognize nor sanction the new CD releases or box sets made by Metal Mind Records (Poland). They are producing our CDs illegally and thus have ZERO rights to market, promote, advertise, release, distribute or sell any of our material; therefore they have ZERO rights to make any profit from our image, likeness or music.

"This has been an ongoing battle between CRIMSON GLORY and Metal Mind ever since Roadrunner Records . . . illegally [sold] the rights (which they did not possess) to the Polish record company in 2007. It is a glaring example of what a shambles the music industry has become, and it is crucial to the band that their fans recognize the reality of the situation."

Commented CRIMSON GLORY lead guitarist and founding member Jon Drenning: "We have become disenfranchised from our own music, with everybody making a profit from our efforts but us! As a group of hard-working dedicated musicians who have now given 25 years of our lives and hearts to this band and this music, it is beyond heart-breaking to watch these companies profit from [these] actions. This music is our passion; creating each record has been a labor of love, and what's happening to us and our music right now is frustrating and insulting."

He added, "We wish to make it perfectly clear to our friends and fans out there, all over the world, that these and any other albums or releases are not being produced or distributed with our permission, and that the money they wish to spend on our records is money that we as a band have earned but will never see until this matter is properly resolved.

"In the meantime, CRIMSON GLORY is presently negotiating with other labels regarding the remastering, re-releasing and future distribution of all of our material, and anything to do with the band regarding album releases, tour dates, promotional material, etc., will be shared via official press releases and the CRIMSON GLORY MySpace and Facebook pages ONLY."

"In Dark Places… 1986-2000" track listing:

CD 1 - "Crimson Glory"

01. Valhalla
02. Dragon Lady
03. Heart Of Steel
04. Azrael
05. Mayday
06. Queen Of The Masquerade
07. Angels Of War
08. Lost Reflection

Bonus track:

09. Dream Dancer

CD 2 - "Transcendence"

01. Lady Of Winter
02. Red Sharks
03. Painted Skies
04. Masque Of The Red Death
05. In Dark Places
06. Where Dragons Rule
07. Lonely
08. Burning Bridges
09. Eternal World
10. Transcendence

Bonus Tracks:

11. Lonely (remix)
12. Lonely (videoclip)

CD 3 - "Strange And Beautiful"

01. Strange And Beautiful
02. Promise Land
03. Love And Dreams
04. The Chant
05. Dance On Fire
06. Song For Angels
07. In The Mood
08. Starchamber
09. Deep Inside Your Heart
10. Make You Love Me
11. Far Away

Bonus Track:

12. The Chant (videoclip)

CD 4 - "Astronomica"

01. March To Glory (instrumental)
02. War Of The Worlds
03. New World Machine
04. Astronomica
05. Edge Of Forever
06. Touch The Sun
07. Lucifer's Hammer
08. The Other Side Od Midnight
09. Cyber-Christ
10. Cydonia

CD 5 - "Astronomica"

01. War Of The Worlds (remake)
02. Astronomica (demo version)
03. Touch The Sun (demo version)
04. Edge Of Forever (demo version) (bonus track)
05. Dragon Lady (live)
06. Eternal World (live)
07. Painted Skies (live)
08. Queen Of The Masquerade (live)
09. Lost Reflection (live)

Swedish viking folk/death metal band KING OF ASGARD recently completed work on its debut album, "Fi'mbulvintr", for a tentative August European release via Metal Blade Records.

Commented the band: "It's been a while now and the debut album was recorded way back now.

"On the 19th of March, KING OF ASGARD went their way to Varberg, Sweden, and Sonic Train Studios. The recording was done during two intense weeks with Andy La Rocque [KING DIAMOND guitarist] as engineer and co-producer. We worked really hard, nights and days, using both A and B studios for the ultimate outcome of our stay. All of us with the aim to make this release as satisfying as possible, leaving nothing to chance. Thirteen songs were nailed on track, including intro and outro. The arrangements are well thought through and the vocal tracks being laid down with a lot of thought behind. The production has a somewhat organic sound to it, simple and raw, yet allowing everything shine through and bring the production to its full justice.

"Both recording, mixing and mastering took place at Sonic Train Studios and we had eyes and ears to it all the way, along with the great support and professionalism from Andy La Rocque. So with all efforts put down in this we are very proud and anxious to get this out and see from where to start."

KING OF ASGARD was formed in 2008 by Karl Beckman (ex-MITHOTYN) after he dissolved his latest musical projects. He teamed up with Karsten Larsson (FALCONER), a one-time accomplice in the defunct viking horde MITHOTYN, and the decision was made to go back to their roots both musically as well as heading for their Norse heritage in lyrical approach. With creativity flowing, numerous songs were written and KING OF ASGARD recorded a seven-track demo, "Prince Of Märing", at Lotang Studio. In late 2009 Jonas Albrektsson joined the ranks on bass to strengthen the lineup further.

KING OF ASGARD features members of such acts as MITHOTYN, FALCONER, THY PRIMORDIAL, INDUNGEON and DAWN.

KING OF ASGARD is:

Karl Beckman - Guitar, Vocals
Jonas Albrektsson - Bass
Karsten Larsson - Drums

SAHG, the Norwegian heavy rockers who feature in their ranks current/former members of GORGOROTH, MANNGARD and AUDREY HORNE, will release their third album, "Sahg III", on August 30 through Indie Recordings. According to a posting on the band's MySpace page, "The explosive follow-up to 'Sahg I' and 'Sahg II', features ten blistering new songs."

SAHG previously stated about its new material, "There are a lot more of the fast songs, but on the other hand, the groovy ones are heavier than ever."

SAHG last year announced the addition of drummer Thomas Lönnheim to the group's ranks.

Regarding the group's collaboration with Indie, vocalist/guitarist Olav Iversen previously said, "The best thing about Indie is that they are passionate about what they do. They really care more about the music than the money, unlike most others in this business. That was crucial for our decision. Indie has been in close relation to SAHG and given very valuable support since day one. So signing with Indie Recordings seems like the most natural thing in the universe. Indie made a very good effort handling distribution and promotion for both our previous albums in Norway. And they have always been very supportive towards where we have been going musically. Being based in the same country, we have at times had a closer connection to Indie than to our previous label, Sweden-based Regain Records. We want to work with a record company that is genuinely interested in what we do, and we believe that Indie Recordings is such a record company. We believe this is the right place for SAHG to develop further and keep on expressing what we want musically."

Canadian rock legends RUSH kicked off a 40-date North American tour earlier tonight (Tuesday, June 29) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trek features the band's first-ever performance of its classic 1981 album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety.

The band's setlist was as follows:

Set 1:

01. The Spirit Of Radio
02. Time Stand Still
03. Presto
04. Stick It Out
05. Leave That Thing Alone
06. Workin' Them Angels
07. Faithless
08. BU2B
09. Freewill
10. Marathon
11. Subdivisions

Intermission

Set 2:

12. Tom Sawyer
13. Red Barchetta
14. YYZ
15. Limelight
16. The Camera Eye
17. Witch Hunt
18. Vital Signs
19. Caravan
20. Love 4 Sale
21. Closer To The Heart
22. 2112 Overture / Temples Of Syrinx
23. Far Cry

Encore:

24. La Villa Strangiato
25. Working Man

Ashland, Kentucky based hard-rock/metal group HYDROGYN, which now consists of Julie Westlake (vocals), Jeff Westlake (guitar), Jeff Young (guitar; ex-MEGADETH), Joe Migz (drums), and James Lomenzo (bass; ex-MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, WHITE LION), has completed work on its new album, "Judgement", for a late 2010 release via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The CD was produced by Jeff Westlake and Jeff Young, except the song "Right Thing Now", which was produced by Michael Wagener and Jeff Westlake. It was mixed by Jeff Westlake, except "Right Thing Now", which was mixed by Michael Wagener, Jeff Westlake and Julie Westlake.

"Judgement" track listing:

01. Medicate
02. Big Star (feat. Doug Pinnick)
03. Self Destruct
04. Alone
05. Rusted Love
06. Gold Dust Woman
07. New Messiah
08. Drowning
09. Right Thing Now
10. Lost Reality

Motstanderen the new album from Norwegian black metallers AVSTAND has been released on Misantrof AntiRecords. Preferring to see itself as an “anti” label, and headed by its founder, CARPATHIAN FOREST bass player Daniel Vrangsinn, Misantrof’s aim is to offer an alternative to mainstream labels. Beyond covering its usually very minimal expenses, Misantrof ensures that it takes no profits and that the artists themselves retain complete control of every aspect of their releases and benefit from all the revenue generated by sales, something that is virtually unheard of with usual labels. Having previously restricted itself to releases available via free download only, Avstand’s Motstanderen” is the first Misantrof release to also be available to buy in CD format. More information about the album can be found at Avstand.misantrof.net.

Tracklisting for Motstanderen, which is currently limited to 100 copies, is as follows:

'Intro, Begravelse'
'Open the Gate'
'The Beginning'
'Reveal Yourself To Me'
'Walk With Me And Open Your Eyes'
'Hand Me My Spear'
'Essence of Negativity, The Beginning'

Avstand was formed as a solo project in 2005 by Antiminister (FRAMFERD), as a means of expressing thoughts and feelings that he couldn’t express in any other artistic medium. The name, which means “distance” in English, was chosen because it best expressed Anti’s way of writing music and lyrics. In 2006, the first tracks, which were recorded on a BOSS 8 track, appeared on the internet and it was not long before Avstand hit controversy with the song 'Muhammed' which garnered massive support from some quarters and death threats from others. Guess What’s Burning, the first full-length album from Avstand was released in 2009 on Forces of Satan Records.

Avstand then returned to the studio to begin work on the next album, and, after seeing a performance by Death Metallers ZAREPTHRA, Antiminister approached drummer Krutt with a view to him playing drums on the album, a cooperation that turned out so well that Krutt became a permanent member of the band. Daniel Vrangsinn, who had heard Avstand’s previous work, had always kept the band at the back of his mind, and by chance contacted the band in late 2009. After hearing an unmastered track, he offered Avstand a contract with Misantrof, and also agreed to master the album, as well as designing the cover artwork and producing a promo video.

Santa Cruz, California-based progressive hardcore/death metallers ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS have commenced the songwriting process for their new album, tentatively due next year via Century Media Records.

Commented guitarist Arthur Alvarez: "We already have about three rough songs and a million crazy ideas." He added, "This album is going to be our hardest-hitting yet!"

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS is preparing to hit the road as part of the "Over The Limit" North American tour alongside AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK, OCEANO, THE TONY DANZA TAPDANCE EXTRAVAGANZA, THICK AS BLOOD, BURNING THE MASSES, CIRCLE OF CONTEMPT and BLIND WITNESS. This massive trek, which kicks off on July 23 and runs through August 21, also features SON OF AURELIUS and THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE on select dates.

TMZ.com reports that Jimmy Page is being sued by a folk singer who claims the LED ZEPPELIN guitarist "copied" the 1967 folk song "Dazed and Confused" for the 1969 ZEPPELIN classic of the same name.

According to the federal lawsuit (court documents in PDF format) obtained by TMZ.com, folk singer Jake Holmes says he snagged a copyright for "Dazed and Confused" in 1967, two years before ZEPPELIN recorded its version that sounds suspiciously similar.

According to TMZ.com, even if a court decides Page "ripped off" Holmes, the folk singer can only sue for damages from the last three years, because of statute of limitations.

Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD will release their third full-length album, "Warp Riders", on August 24 via Kemado Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Acheron/Unearthing the Orb
02. Tres Brujas
03. Arrows in the Dark
04. The Chronomancer I: Hubris
05. Lawless Lands
06. Astraea's Dream
07. The Warp Riders
08. Night City
09. The Chronomancer II: Nemesis
10. (The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire

"Godhate", the brand new video from Swedish death metallers GODHATE, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Equal In The Eyes Of Death", which was released in January via Metal Age Productions.

Commented GODHATE guitarist/vocalist Tony Freed: "This is the first video I made for GODHATE and it was intended to be just a test to see if I could manage the editing program and later on make a real video for the song 'In Praise Of Sin'. But as some of you know me, it turned out to be a more serious project than I planned for. And now that it is finished it would be a pity not letting this thing out.

"Anyhow, I'm pretty satisfied with the result. It has a good background story that goes in line with the lyrics and it is as dark and raw as I wanted it to be."

"We Are Future Housing Developements For Maggots", a brand new song from Canadian death metallers THE LAST FELONY, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's sophomore album, "Too Many Humans", which is scheduled for release in North America on August 17 via Lifeforce Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Aeon Of Suffering" (Galy Records) was recorded, engineered, and mixed at Montreal's Garage Studio by Chris Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS) and was mastered by Pierre Remillard (MISERY INDEX, DESPISED ICON, ION DISSONANCE, BENEATH THE MASSACRE). Artwork comes courtesy of Felix Rancourt (DESPISED ICON, BENEATH THE MASSACRE).

"Too Many Humans" track listing:

01. We Are Future Housing Developements For Maggots
02. Too Many Humans
03. No One Would Notice If You Died
04. Do Not Defend Me
05. Quandary
06. Most Unclean
07. Overrated Existence
08. Televisionary
09. Water Cooler Suicide

A press release states: "Combining the speed and catchiness of new school death, the grooves and brutality of old-school death, the dark atmosphere of black metal, with a dose of deathcore to complete their signature sound, THE LAST FELONY has stepped up the intensity level on 'Too Many Humans'. The quintet's craft of morbid melodies, intricate guitar work, and extreme drumming will surely rank THE LAST FELONY as one of Canada's elite metal outfits."

Swedish hard rock band ALL ENDS has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the release of its sophomore album, "A Road To Depression". The CD marks the recording debut of the group's new singer, Jonna Sailon, who replaced Emma Gelotte (sister of IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte) in March 2009.

Commented the band: "We're glad we finally found a label with global potential who can give ALL ENDS what we aimed for the last years and that is to be a band of international heights.

"We are proud to be a part of Nuclear Blast, with its team and their impressive current roster.

"Our new album, 'A Road To Depression', is far the best stuff we have ever produced and we've become a new band in all sense of the word. Looking for greater success and no less than world domination is the goal."

ALL ENDS's forthcoming album was produced by Roberto Laghi, who is said to be one of the most successful engineers and producers in Sweden (having worked on recordings that have collectively sold more than two million copies). He has recorded, mixed and produced such artists as IN FLAMES, MUSTASCH, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR and DIA PSALMA and has mixed the latest album from SONIC SYNDICATE. He primarily works out of IF (In Flames) Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The self-titled debut album from ALL ENDS was released in Germany on September 26, 2008 via GUN Records. The package contains a special feature and a bonus DVD with several videos.

Dutch death/thrash metal act OBSIDIAN will release its new album, "Point Of Infinity", on September 20 via Candlelight Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Emerging" will contain "nine new brutal and grooving tracks, revealing a more evolved OBSIDIAN," according to the group. "Also, it will feature beautiful artwork [see below] by Robbe K [vocals]."

OBSIDIAN's new CD was recorded at Excess studios in Rotterdam.

A trailer for the album can be viewed below.

Formed in 1998, OBSIDIAN's current lineup is as follows:

Robbe K - Vocals
Sjaak Kassies - Guitar
Melle Kramer - Drums
Simon Lawford - Guitar
Gerben Van Der Bij - Bass

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler spoke with Nekesa Mumbi Moody from AP recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

AP: What has it been like to play with the band after the tumultuous last year?

Tyler: It's been a great tour. You know it's a little hard for me. Being in Aerosmith is like living on the tail of a comet. I've had a lot of injuries over the last couple of the years. I had ACL reconstruction on my knee ... operations on my feet, my mom passed away. A lot of things came to play that made it easy for me to abuse some things. ... Even though some of the people in the band were going public with some of the stuff which turned very ugly, I managed to pull it all back together again and say, 'Look, let's just get out there and be the band that we know we are and not argue about this crap anymore.'"

AP: How easy was that after the ugliness?

Tyler: "I realize that certain people that decide to go in the press with dirty laundry, I just have to look the other way and realize I need to keep my side of the street clean, and they do what they do. It's really unfortunate that certain people were Twittering and going to the press. It got really ugly, but you know, again, I just went back to them and I said ... "More than anything, I really want to play with this band. I really love this band and I love who I've become because of the band." ... Everyone's got their problems and their demons, but when we get onstage and play as five, that really all goes away, and that's really all I look at now."

AP: Is a new Aerosmith album coming?

Tyler: "The truth is I've never stopped writing. I've got 12 songs I'm sitting on right now for a solo record. Aerosmith has to finish a studio album; we're gonna do that first."

Quality fan-filmed video footage of NILE's June 27, 2010 performance at P60 in Amstelveen, The Netherlands can be viewed at this location (courtesy of "letthedeathmetalflow"). A couple of the clips are available below.

"Those Whom The Gods Detest", the latest album from NILE, sold 3,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 160 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 3 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.

Produced and mixed by Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE), along with a drum-recording job by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE), "Those Whom the Gods Detest" features the band's strongest production and perhaps its best material to date. The cover artwork was created by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, whom NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders had previously worked with on his second solo album, "Saurian Exorcisms".

"After The Storm", the new "project album" from Germany's ATROCITY featuring frontman Alexander Krull's sister Yasmin, will be released on the following dates:

Sep. 1 - Spain
Sep. 4 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Sweden
Sep. 6 - Rest of Europe
Sep. 14 - USA, Canada

The CD was produced by Krull at Mastersound Studio and it features the following track listing:

01. A New Arrival
02. Call Of Yesteryear
03. After The Storm
04. Silvan Spirit
05. Black Mountain
06. As The Sun Kissed The Sky
07. Transilvania
08. The Flight Of Abbas Ibn Firnas
09. Goddess Of Fortune And Sorrow
10. The Otherworld
11. Eternal Nightside

The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann and can be viewed below.

Commented Krull: "Fans and musicians of the band have been waiting much too long for the continuation of 'Calling The Rain'. Now time has finally come and we just can't wait to let our fans hear and enjoy the new songs.

"We are incredibly happy with the result. The songs contain great rhythms, the music is sounding very special and organic, moreover, the energetic vocals together with the mythological based lyrics convey a magic atmosphere.

"Well, once more it's time to take blinkers off! Just listen, and it will take you away!"

Santa Barbara, California metallers DEVILDRIVER recently finished recording their fifth album at Sonic Ranch studios in Tornillo, Texas for a tentative early 2011 release through Roadrunner Records. According to drummer John Boecklin, acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY) will mix the effort in late July at Andy's Backstage studio in Derbyshire, England.

Regarding the new album's musical direction, Boecklin stated, "It's interesting to me — it's not the fastest shit we have done, nor the slowest, [but it] just [has] lots of groove. But to me, when people say 'it's got groove,' I think it's a nice way of saying simple and boring these days. We wanted to avoid this.

"Our record has a great contrast of dark riffs, stomp bouncing drums with the right amount of blasts and double bass, and outstanding vocal delivery from Dez [Fafara] that takes it past your average approach of the metal attempt. I'm not talking about reinventing the wheel or nothing. I just think our new album sits in its own corner from any of our other albums."

Montreal extreme metal purists ION DISSONANCE will release their new album, "Cursed", in North America on August 24 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at .357 Productions with ION DISSONANCE guitar player Antoine Lussier at the production helm.

"Cursed" track listing:

01. Cursed
02. You People Are Messed Up
03. The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
04. This is The Last Time I Repeat Myself
05. No Care Ever
06. After Everything That's Happened, What Did You Expect
07. We Like to Call This One...Fuck Off
08. Can Someone Please Explain This to Me?
09. Disaster in Sight
10. This is Considered Mere Formality
11. This Feels Like The End…
12. They'll Never Know
13. Pallor (iTunes bonus track)
14. After Everything That's Happened, What Did You Expect (Big Chocolate remix) (Japanese bonus track)
15. You People Are Messed Up (Big Chocolate remix) (European bonus track)

MY RUIN and ANA KEFR frontman Rhiis D. Lopez recently covered the rap classic 'Natural Born Killaz' under the moniker DEATH WORK PROFESSIONALS. Video footage is available below, the track is available for free download at this location.

Following is My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy's account of how the cover came about, reaching back to her early days as a rap artist:

"Hello Everyone!

I wanted to check in and let you know what we've been up to. In the next few weeks you will be seeing more dates announced on our page as we get ready behind the scenes for our album release and tour in September. In the meantime, we’ve been doing all sorts of interesting things which brings us to this post today!

Last week Mick (Murphy) and I went into the studio with our friends Rhiis Lopez of the band ANA KEFR and Josh Lynch [who co-produced My Ruin’s upcoming album]. As most of you know, I started my music career back in 1989 as a rap artist on Eazy E’s Ruthless/Comptown Records label. Well, I may have traded one style of vocals for another over the years but I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the fine art of rapping. I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I rocked a serious rhyme on a record and I’m not really a fan of anything rap related getting radio or video play today but I am and will always be a fan of the true hip hop classics and old school gangster rap.

Over the years a few closed minded people in the rock world have felt the need to bring up my past and talk a little sh!t about what I used to do or try to disrespect me by calling me a bandwagon jumper for switching my musical genre from hip hop to metal but the truth is, metal just spoke to me on a deeper level and allowed me to do things with my voice that I couldn’t do as a rap artist. Metal helped develop me both as a lyricist and a vocalist and over time gave me a different kind of confidence on the microphone and on stage. I came from the NWA camp. I wasn’t hanging out with the likes of Vanilla Ice. I was on a label with the SLAYER of rap. They always came hard and controversial dressed in black and never flashy, just skilled in their delivery over hardcore beats and samples that sounded doomy and sick as opposed to the type of watered down, auto-tuned, lightweight, commercialized crap that's on the radio today. I can't relate to any of it or any of the rappers I see.

I taught myself how to rap the same way I taught myself how to scream – by watching some of the guys I admired like Phil Anselmo & Henry Rollins because there were no women doing guttural howls when I started my first band and no one I could relate to but a few good men to inspire me including Ice T who formed BODY COUNT and stepped out of the rap world and into metal for a moment. I like to think that over the years of recording and releasing albums dating back to my days in MANHOLE to present day in My Ruin I can proudly say that my style is all my own and I own it. I also own the fact that a small part of me will always be a rapper and while I suppose that might be a little weird for a chick in metal to admit, I’m not ashamed to say it. I’ve never tried to hide my past, who I am or where I came from. Why would I? I know there are plenty of metal *purists* who might object to hearing this and that’s understandable but many artists have different sides to themselves and that is the true beauty of being an artist – having the ability to create and experiment musically instead of limiting yourself. Someone posted me a short but profound comment when I shared this video and a few words about our new side project on our Facebook pages Friday. It said – 'First rule of engagement, never ask permission. Just appear.' What a great quote. I suppose that’s how I’ve always felt when it comes to my music and my art. I’ve never asked permission and I’ve never apologized.

I asked Rhiis, Mick and Josh to record this cover with me to see what it would be like to rock a rhyme after so many years spent screaming and doing spoken word recordings. We all really dig the original track but obviously there were certain things we couldn’t say, so Rhiis and I decided to change it up a bit to fit who we are individually and bring the track up to date and relevant to 2010 lyrically while Josh reproduced and added his flavor to the music and Mick laid some live guitar and bass on it. Mick also put together this cool little studio video of us recording it so we could share it with you. Who knows if we’ll record anything else like this in the future but if we decide to it would most likely be an original or two however, don’t worry friends, My Ruin is not turning into a rap band. That would never happen. We love what we do too much. Side projects are simply good for the creative soul, not to mention fun as hell and this was something we had a great time doing as we get ready for the release of our new album Ghosts and Good Stories which is due out in August on Tiefdruck-Musik.

We hope you guys enjoy the track and the video and since we have gotten such an amazing response on our Facebook pages when we posted this on Friday and so many people asking us to make it available so we have a set up a special page online where you can download it for free and share it with your friends so if you dig it, click the photo at the top of the page and go get it! So on that note: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you DEATH WORK PROFESSIONALS and our cover of the rap classic ‘Natural Born Killaz’ for your listening pleasure."

"Deliverance is Mine", a brand new song from Swedish metallers SOILWORK, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off SOILWORK's new album, "The Panic Broadcast", which will be released in Europe on July 2 and in North America on July 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed at Fascination Street studio in Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH).

"The Panic Broadcast" deluxe edition track listing:

01. Late for the Kill, Early for the Slaughter
02. Two Lives Worth of Reckoning
03. The Thrill
04. Deliverance is Mine
05. Night Comes Clean
06. King of the Threshold
07. Let This River Flow
08. Epitome
09. The Akuma Afterglow
10. Enter Dog Of Pavlov
11. Sweet Demise (bonus track)

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA's June 22, 2010 performance at the Sonisphere festival in Sofia, Bulgaria can be viewed at this location. A couple of the clips are available below.

METALLICA's setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. Fade To Black
06. That Was Just Your Life
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Am I Evil? (w/ Big Four)
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy

On June 29 (one day earlier internationally), Season of Mist will release a new compilation album from Californian thrashers HIRAX, "Noise Chaos War". Consisting of three thrashing EPs — remastered, remixed and available on CD for the first time — this release also includes a video for "Bombs of Death", filmed live in Japan last year.

A promotional video for the "Noise Chaos War" collection can be viewed below.

Originally signed to Metal Blade in 1985, HIRAX has been at the forefront of the thrash movement for over 25 years. Their music has stood the test of time and their legions of fans continue to grow.

"Barrage of Noise" EP:
01. Murder One
02. Barrage of Noise
03. Walk With Death
04. Broken Neck
05. Jade
06. Mouth Sewn Shut
07. Beyond the Church
08. French Pearl

"Chaos and Brutality" EP:

01. Chaos and Brutality
02. Walk With Death (re-recorded)
03. 100,000 Strong
04. Lucifer's Infierno (reprise)

"Assassins of War" EP:

01. Lucifer's Infierno
02. Summon the Death Dealers
03. City of the Dead
04. Invasion
05. Assassins of War
06. Bombs of Death (live video)