Legendary German thrashers DESTRUCTION have signed a new deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

Comments bassist/vocalist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer: "Sometimes I really hate the business side of my job.

"We have been through some very difficult decisions in the last couple of months. Now after some weeks of hard work, I can proudly announce that DESTRUCTION is back with Nuclear Blast Records!

"We really wanna thank AFM Records for the great co-operation in the last years! Cheers for supporting all our craziness; I know it wasn't always easy, folks!!

"Going back to Nuclear Blast feels like coming back home now.

"Working with old friends is one of the biggest achievements you can have in this music business known as a 'shark tank!'

"Almost eleven years ago, Markus Staiger and his label made it possible for DESTRUCTION to come back in a strong way. Those were some of the best years the band ever had!

"Hopefully this will be the last label change of the band's career.

"We have returned to our home port again and it feels absolutely fantastic!

"We are working on a fast AND furious new album that will kick ass in January 2011. Expect the roughest piece of THRASH you've heard from DESTRUCTION in many years!"

Added Nuclear Blast A&R manager Jaap Wagemaker: "We are very stoked to announce that legendary German thrashers DESTRUCTION will be rejoining the nuclear family again!

"After a small stint with another label, the band around scene icon Schmier has made the decision to return to their label home, Nuclear Blast!

"Everybody knows that Nuclear Blast was the label that brought back the band with a bang with their comeback album, 'All Hell Breaks Loose', and the following tour they did with KREATOR and SODOM, 'Hell Comes To Your Town!', was a huge success for the band as well.

"After releasing several more CDs and DVDs, the band decided to try something new, but over the years we have stayed in contact with both Schmier and Mike. When the time was right, we decided to sit around the table and realized that the future of both DESTRUCTION and Nuclear Blast should be a path we should walk together, and so DESTRUCTION is back home!!

"At the moment DESTRUCTION are hard at work to seal this deal with their most thrash-sounding album for a long time!

"The future belongs to DESTRUCTION — the mad butcher has returned!!"

Drummer Marc Reign recently left DESTRUCTION due to "personal and musical differences" caused by "tour stress," according to a statement released by the band. The group added, "Marc will concentrate on his rock project VOLCANO and wants to keep himself open for other musical styles. He wants to thank all the DESTRUCTION maniacs worldwide and the band for all the great fun and support over all those years!"

All previously announced shows will go ahead with a replacement drummer.

The five members of STONE SOUR took part in a press conference earlier today (Thursday, June 10) at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg in southern Sweden. You can watch raw video footage of the question-and-answer session in three parts below.

STONE SOUR has announced a September 7 release date for its much-buzzed-about new album, "Audio Secrecy". "It's probably the best thing I've done in a long time," lead singer Corey Taylor recently told MTV News. "We recorded 18 songs — and knowing that every tune not only has its own identity but is damn good, I'm very, very proud of that."

The band is giving fans a sneak preview of the album by offering a limited-time download of a new song titled "Mission Statement". Says Taylor, "In this day and age, it's important to be strong enough to know who you are. This song is not only a rallying cry for us, but it says everything about what this album means to us. This is just the beginning."

"Mission Statement" is available for 48 hours only beginning today (Thursday, June 10) at 11 a.m. EST. The track can be downloaded at www.stonesour.com.

Finnish power metallers STRATOVARIUS continue work on the follow-up to 2009's Polaris. Singer Timo Kotipelto checks in with BraveWords.com from the studio. "Right now we are recording some new demos," he reveals. "I think we have more than 20 songs sort of demoed out. I still have to sing the demo vocals, but all the other instruments are done, and in the next couple of weeks, I hope I'll do that. But of course, the next week we’re going to go to China and do some gigs over there, so nothing is going to happen that week. But then the plan is to start recording the actual album later this year, and the album should come out… it’s hard to say, maybe early next year between January and May, somewhere in there. But that’s the plan. Hopefully there will be a new Stratovarius album then."

So how would you describe the music?

"That’s a good question. Songs from Matias (Kupiainen - new guitarist) are more progressive, but then again, there is still some more traditional stuff. But the songs that will be on the final album, it’s hard to say. I think we are maybe following the path of the last album, but maybe more progressive stuff. We’ll see - I don’t know yet."

Stratovarius' brand new studio album will be released in early 2011 through JVC in Asia and Edel throughout the rest of the world. 2011 will see another Stratovarius world tour.

In other news, Stratovarius' highly acclaimed Infinite album (from 2000) will be re-released on June 26th internationally after the band recently reacquired the rights to the album.

According to the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine, former DIMMU BORGIR bassist/clean vocalist I.C.S. Vortex (real name: Simen Hestnæs) has rejoined BORKNAGAR as the band's new bassist/singer.

Commented I.C.S. Vortex: "I am looking forward to see all you old-school helmet-wearing mofos on the road and to spend some quality time once again with my favorite vikings. Let's make this event 'a really special BM party, come on!!'"

Added BORKNAGAR's Øystein G. Brun: "As stated in several interviews the last couple of months, it's our firm intention to bring the band's live activities up a notch — in respect for all our fans. There is just no way we can dismiss all the requests we get all over the world.

"We are currently working on some really interesting touring plans, but unfortunately our brother in music, Vintersorg, is not able to come along for the moment being due to private commitments. So Vortex being a previous member and always a good friend of the band, it feels great to have him back in the fold in order to execute these plans. Also, I would like to express my deepest admiration for Vintersorg's open-minded and supportive attitude, embracing the idea to pull this off with Vortex in his absence — to make this a genuine and worthy solution for BORKNAGAR."

Vintersorg commented: "This is just what the band need at the moment. I'm not leaving the band or anything like that, but my work situation is holding me back for doing these shows. I know I.C.S Vortex will bring all his personality and skills into this to make it perfect! I wish I could be there."

All-star band HAIL! - featuring vocalist Tim Ripper Owens (BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-JUDAS PRIEST), guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), drummer Paul Bostaph (ex-SLAYER, TESTAMENT) and James Lomenzo (ex-MEGADETH) filling in, in the wake of their bassist Paul Gray’s (SLIPKNOT) untimely death - have issued the following update:

"Helsinki, Finland. (Last night's) show was like no other – an exclusive and intimate fan experience that will never be repeated. We played an extra twelve songs, most that were completely improvised off the cuff that we have never played before! They were:

LED ZEPPELIN - 'Moby Dick'
DEEP PURPLE – 'Highway Star'
STEPPENWOLF – 'Born To Be Wild' (sung by Andreas)
RAINBOW – 'Man On The Silver' Mountain
PINK FLOYD – 'Money' (sung by Andreas)
Pink Floyd – 'The Wall'
AC/DC – 'TNT'
BLACK SABBATH – 'Children Of The Sea'
Black Sabbath – 'Mob Rules'
Deep Purple – 'Child In Time'
JUDAS PRIEST – 'Breaking The Law'
Judas Priest – 'Green Manalishi'

This was the pure essence of HAIL! – just having an amazingly fun night of jamming with the boys!

…And if that wasn’t enough, we also had Marco Hietala from NIGHTWISH/TAROT come up and sing Neon Knights with us!"

Legendary German metal queen Doro Pesch, who played her 2,500th concert on March 13, will make her Japanese debut this fall with three special dates in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.

Oct. 08 - Holiday Shinjuku - Tokyo, Japan
Oct. 10 - Holiday Nagoya - Nagoya, Japan
Oct. 11 - Holiday Osaka - Osaka, Japan

Said an excited Pesch of the upcoming shows, "I always knew we had a strong fanbase in Japan and I'm so happy to finally be able to play there. I can't believe it! I'm so excited and so looking forward to meeting everybody, putting on great shows and rocking together with the fans!"

Back On Black, which specializes in vinyl editions of classic metal albums and is dedicated to providing top-quality releases for record collectors and metal fans worldwide, has announced that 2010 will see the release of the original classic RAINBOW albums on vinyl. All records will be 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeves. The first 1,000 copies of each title will come in limited-edition colored vinyl.

Due out on July 12 are the following titles:

* Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)
* Rising (1976)
* On Stage (1977)
* Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)
* Down To Earth (1979)
* Difficult to Cure (1981)
* Straight Between the Eyes (1982)
* Finyl Vinyl (1986)

Norwegian gothic metallers TRISTANIA have set "Rubicon" as the title of their sixth album, which will be released via Austria's Napalm Records on the following dates:

Aug. 25 - Spain
Aug. 27 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy, Sweden
Aug. 30 - Rest of Europe
Aug. 31 - USA/Canada

Commented the band: "We think the result has turned out amazing, and we're extremely eager to get this album released."

"Rubicon" track listing:

01. Year Of The Rat
02. Protection
03. Patriot Games
04. The Passing
05. Exile
06. Sirens
07. The Emerald Piper (bonus track)
08. Vulture
09. Amnesia
10. Magical Fix
11. Illumination

RollingStone.com reports that AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died on December 28, 2009 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol. Toxicology reports indicate that Sullivan suffered "acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Diazepam/Nordiazepam and ethanol," according to Orange County Deputy Coroner Mitchell Sigal. Sigal added that Sullivan also had cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart), which was marked in the coroner's report as a "significant condition" that may have played a role in the drummer's death. The Coroner's Department conducted "five or six" different tests to verify the cause of death, Sigal added.

"To all of us who loved Jimmy, the only thing relevant about December 28 is that is the night we lost, too soon, a son, brother, friend and one of the most talented artists in the world," the band's manager Larry Jacobson tells RollingStone.com. "Every day, his parents and sisters, and his brothers in AVENGED SEVENFOLD smile at the many memories they have of Jimmy and his fans around the world revel in the musical legacy he left them."

The latest issue of So What!, the official METALLICA fan club magazine, features a brand new interview with the band's frontman, James Hetfield, in which he discusses his tattoos. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

So What!: (Caught by a tattoo)… that's a new one, right? Sorry-

Hetfield: Straight edge? Yeah.

So What!: You're not getting away with the last comment, incidentally. We'll have to go back to that. But anyways, the straight-edge X.

Hetfield: Right. Well, straight edge, this was certainly a design of my own. You know, the old straight-edge tattoo, it's just like a big X on your hand. No drinking, and I don't drink. It's like when you go into the clubs, they put and X on your hand…

So What!: Right. It's because you haven't shown your ID.

Hetfield: And I don't need drink or drugs. That's straight-edge life. Obviously I'm not straight edge — a true, hardcore straight-edge has never had any of it in her or her whole life. But I'm a reborn straight-edge.

So What!: I always associated MINOR THREAT and Ian MacKaye and those guys with straight-edge punk. That's what they were all about.

Hetfield: Absolutely. There's some hardcore people that are straight edge from birth. So this was my take on the straight-edge X, you know? Straight razors. A straight edge is what that was all about.

Hot on the heels of its Top 5 rock single "Feel Like I Do", DROWNING POOL is premiering the video for its next radio track, "Turn So Cold". The clip was directed by Matt Cooper, and DROWNING POOL bassist Stevie Benton told The Pulse of Radio that the director took the song's title a bit too literally. "The guy had the idea — now get this — the song's called 'Turn So Cold', so let's put the guys in an icebox," he said. "It's about 13 degrees in there. So he took it very literally and we've decided as a band that the next song we write is gonna be called 'Turn So Rich', and then we're gonna have him throw money at us during the video."


Cooper also directed the video for "Feel Like I Do".

IMPELLITTERI mainman Chris Impellitteri has issued the following update:

"I am currently working on music for film.

"I did a demo for the 'Iron Man' movie featuring Robert Downey Jr. and became intrigued with the world of film. I got to do this amazing shredding guitar solo and had so much fun that I thought I would take some time and see how I progress in the scoring world. So, I am writing some scores that may or may not be used at some point in the future.

"Also, IMPELLITTERI are writing material for future release and waiting to go back and tour!

"Lastly, IMPELLITTERI will release a different version of 'Wicked Maiden' for the United States in early 2011. By then the economy should be improving!"

Ozzy Osbourne was one of the featured guests on the recently released solo album from former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. The Prince of Darkness sings on a track called "Crucify The Dead" and as Ozzy told VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner, the legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman helped with the lyrics, too. In fact, Osbourne says the song is about what he would tell GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose if he were in Slash's shoes.

"Slash sent me the music of it and I worked on the melody and some lyrics for him and what I did with the lyrics, I thought, what's always gotten me about the GUNS N' ROSES guys and I say to Slash all the time, 'Do you realize what you guys did? You'll never understand. You guys could've been the next ROLLING STONES, the next superband,'" Ozzy said. "And what I wrote in the song, 'Crucify The Dead', is if I were Slash, what I would send in a message to Axl.

"I've never met Axl but I would be pissed off and the lyrics are about that."

In a recent interview, Slash denied that the "Crucify The Dead" lyrics had anything to do with Axl, explaining, "It was an Ozzy thing. He says the song represents the situation he's had in his relationships with other musicians."

Slash continued, "Yes, there were some key lines in there that were very suggestive of my own experience — but, no, this is just an overall picture of the issues."

"Crucify The Dead" lyrics (written by Ozzy Osbourne):

The fire started long ago
The flames burned out, still embers glow
So charred and black
There's nothing left to burn, to burn

We had the same dream
Lived life to extreme
A loaded gun jammed by a rose

The thorns are knots around your head
Your ego cursed you till you bled
You cannot crucify the dead
To me you're dead, yeah

The future is unset in stone
Decisions past leave you alone
Betrayed us all with your own selfish greed, your greed, yeah

New soldiers now say
That your beggars collect
Re-crucified and paid by you

The thorns are knots around your head
Your ego cursed you till you bled
You cannot crucify the dead
To me you're dead, yeah

We were like brothers with the world in our hands
You always have too much to say
Someday you look back and you wonder why
You let it all slip away, yeah

[Solo]

Crucify the dead
Crucify the dead

The thorns are knots around your head
Your ego cursed you till you bled
You cannot crucify the dead
To me you're dead, yeah

EDEN — a group of musicians which includes Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT, W.A.S.P.), Jeff Fenholt ("Jesus Christ Superstar"), Craig Goldy (DIO, GIUFFRIA) and Craig Gruber (ELF and founding member of RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW) — will pay tribute to legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio by performing DIO, RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH classics at The Market Block Party, located at 2100 Park St. in Syracuse, New York, on Thursday, June 24.

The Chain Of Prayer benefit tour is a concept developed between Craig Gruber and Tina Duquette (French-Canadian recording artist, CEO and president of EMG-Edge Marketing Group and the founder of The Edge Learning Centre foundation), who joined forces in January of 2010 through the music industry network. Craig presented the idea to Tina regarding the Chain Of Prayer tour and through their combined efforts they were able to establish a brilliant lineup of multi-platinum musicians.

A significant portion of the benefit tour will be donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in New York, the Sick Kids Foundation and Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund".

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION — the Anglo/American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, TRAPEZE), drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa — has confirmed the track listing and release date of its debut album, "Black Country".

Released by Mascot Records in Europe on Monday, September 20, followed by a North American release through J&R Adventures on Tuesday, September 21, the album was produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (BLACK CROWES, AEROSMITH, LED ZEPPELIN), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig. The CD was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in early 2010.

All songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of "Song Of Yesterday" and "The Revolution In Me", which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on "Sista Jane" and "Too Late For The Sun". Also included is a new version of "Medusa", the rock classic Hughes originally recorded with his first band TRAPEZE.

"Black Country" track listing:

01. Black Country
02. One Last Soul
03. The Great Divide
04. Down Again
05. Beggarman
06. Song Of Yesterday
07. No Time
08. Medusa
09. The Revolution In Me
10. Stand (At The Burning Tree)
11. Sista Jane
12. Too Late For The Sun

Finnish melodic death metallers MYGRAIN have entered Seawolf Studios in Helsinki with producer Janne Joutsenniemi (SUBURBAN TRIBE, STONE) to begin recording their third, self-titled album for an early 2011 release via Spinefarm Records.

Commented the band: "The last year and a half or so that we have been writing and putting the new songs together hasn't been the easiest time for the band.

"As our sound has taken huge steps forward to more progressive and complex direction, it has meant that finding the last forms of the songs has been way more difficult than before. All this has taken a lot more effort than we could have imagined when the first chords were composed and we're relieved that the biggest work is now behind. All we have to do now is to try to play the hard shit we've been working with during this long period, ha! The forthcoming months will show us, whether we have trained enough or not.

"So, what can we tell you about the new album at this point? The album won't be named at all — it will simply be 'MyGrain', as we feel this is a new start for all of us. Above all, it is a new start musically, as we have a new awesome guitarist Mr. Downhill who has played a huge role in writing the new songs.

"We, ourselves, are really excited about the new stuff 'cause it offers us and the listeners some challenges. Everything won't necessarily open up instantly, but the reward stands in the end. Where there is progressive touch, there's also catchy riffs and choruses as there's always been. Where there are songs that you can hear that are written with guitar in hand, there are riffs that you can hear their origins lie in keyboards. So there will be a lot of new and also familiar things to spot.

"We have been very lucky to get a really professional crew to work with this time. As you may remember, we haven't had an actual 'producer' on the previous albums, but this time we do. We've been honored to work with Janne Joutsenniemi, who you most likely know from SUBURBAN TRIBE and the legendary Finnish band STONE. As a producer, he has worked with bands like STAM1NA, ENSIFERUM and KIUAS.

"Although we have always been very skeptical towards anyone else than ourselves touching the songs the six of us have written together (yes, on this modern era of technology we still make all the songs in our rehearsal room), this time we took the chance of making things a bit differently than before. I guess sometimes it's good for you to listen to the others as well when making decisions (greetings to Alec at Spinefarm!), because so far our collaboration with Janne has worked like a dream.

"Let's see how we all feel after the recordings, hehe!

"We will also record the album differently than before. 'Orbit Dance' and 'Signs of Existence' were recorded and mixed at the same studio (Sound Supreme), only mastered at a different place (Finnvox). This time only the drums will be recorded in a studio (Seawolf) and for the rest of the recordings we have rented a place from Herttoniemi, Helsinki where we will build a studio and spend the rest of the summer recording everything else. This provides us an easygoing recording session: we will have more time and even save a couple of dimes at the same time.

"The mixing and mastering will be handled at Unisound, Sweden by the legendary Dan Swanö. From behalf of myself I can say, that working with him feels surreal. I've been spending my years by listening to EDGE OF SANITY and the other bands he has had his fingers on (KATATONIA, OPETH, NOVEMBRE, DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE, PAIN... to start with) — not forgetting NIGHTINGALE or the timeless MOONTOWER solo album. Never could I have even dreamed that one day we will be working together.

"Lucky bastards are we!"

A medley of four new MYGRAIN songs can be heard in the YouTube clip below (clip shot by Toni Salminen of Metalscope).

Commented the band: "These versions ARE NOT final and they have been recorded at once but we're sure you'll have something out of them. Hopefully this will ease the long wait for the upcoming album."

Swedish metallers SOILWORK will release a "best-of" collection entitled "The Sledgehammer Files" on June 30 in Japan via Marquee/Avalon Records.

Commented the band: "We're proud and stoked to unleash the first-ever official collection of classic SOILWORK tunes!

"The only way we could imagine our 'best-of' album was as a complete chronological retrospective, and that's exactly what 'The Sledgehammer Files' is, from the raw-and-relentless 'Steelbath Suicide' days to the modern majesty of 'Sworn To A Great Divide'. We made sure to include the lyrics and cover art for each album, rare promo and live shots from each era, and a bonus DVD with most our official videos. Topped off with remastered songs from the first two albums and a new mix of 'Exile', this package is 100% SOILWORK!"

"The Sledgehammer Files" track listing:

01. Sadistic Lullabye (remastered version)
02. Steelbath Suicide (remastered version)
03. The Chainheart Machine (remastered version)
04. Bulletbeast (remastered version)
05. Generation Speedkill (remastered version)
06. Bastard Chain
07. Needlefeast
08. Grand Failure Anthem
09. Follow The Hollow
10. As We Speak
11. Black Star Deceiver
12. Rejection Role
13. Figure Number Five
14. Light The Torch
15. Stabbing The Drama
16. One With The Flies
17. Nerve
18. Sworn To A Great Divide
19. Exile (Orchestral Mix) – previously unreleased version

Official videos - bonus DVD:

01. As We Speak
02. Rejection Role
03. Light The Torch
04. Stabbing The Drama
05. Nerve
06. Exile

Let the onlsaught begin. Footage from IRON MAIDEN's June 9th kick-off show in Dallas, TX for The Final Frontier North American tour is available below:

The setlist on the night was as follows:

'The Wicker Man'
'The Ghost Of The Navigator'
'Brighter Than a Thousand Suns'
'El Dorado'
'Paschendale'
'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg'
'These Colours Don't Run'
'Blood Brothers'
'Wildest Dreams'
'No More Lies'
'Brave New World'
'Fear Of The Dark'
'Iron Maiden'

Encore:
'Number Of the Beast'
'Hallowed Be Thy Name'
'Running Free'

Guitarist Cédric "Cede" Dupont (SYMPHORCE, DOWNSPIRIT, ex-FREEDOM CALL) will release an instrumental solo album, "Melodrama", on June 21. The effort will be available as a digipack through Dupont's MySpace page and as a digital download via the usual digital music providers (including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, LastFM, Napster). Swiss fans will also have the option to purchase the album at www.cede.ch.

"Melodrama" track listing:

01. Melodrama
02. Atmosfear
03. Tandoori Symphony
04. The Magic Dragon
05. Mysterious
06. Southern BBQ Style
07. Rockumental
08. A Bongo and a Tree
09. One Planet is Not Enough
10. The Magic Dragon (cinemix)
11. Tandoori Symphony (cinemix)

Austrian female-fronted symphonic metal band EDENBRIDGE will release its seventh album, "Solitaire", on the following dates:

June 30: Spain
July 2: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy, Sweden
July 5: Rest of Europe
July 13: USA/Canada

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Entree Unique
02. Solitaire
03. Higher
04. Skyline's End
05. Bon Voyage Vagabond
06. Come Undone
07. Out Of This World
08. Further Afield
09. A Virtual Dream?
10. Brothers On Diamir
11. Exit Unique

Three-time Grammy nominees STONE SOUR have announced a September 7 release date for their much-buzzed-about new album, "Audio Secrecy". "It's probably the best thing I've done in a long time," lead singer Corey Taylor recently told MTV News. "We recorded 18 songs — and knowing that every tune not only has its own identity but is damn good, I'm very, very proud of that."

The band is giving fans a sneak preview of the album by offering a limited-time download of a new song titled "Mission Statement". Says Taylor, "In this day and age, it's important to be strong enough to know who you are. This song is not only a rallying cry for us, but it says everything about what this album means to us. This is just the beginning."

"Mission Statement" will be available for 48 hours only beginning this Thursday, June 10 at 11 a.m. EST. The track can be downloaded at www.stonesour.com.

The album's first commercial single will be "Say You'll Haunt Me", which ships to modern rock and rock radio on Tuesday, July 6.

STONE SOUR (Taylor, guitarists James Root and Josh Rand, bassist Shawn Economaki and drummer Roy Mayorga) and producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES) recorded "Audio Secrecy" at Blackbird Studios in Nashville during the destructive storms and devastating floods that hit the historic heart of Music City.

"Recording during the flood was crazy," says Taylor. "Luckily the studio and the band weren't affected too greatly. The studio was untouched and the neighborhood we were living in just missed being flooded. But a lot of the areas around us were decimated. Whole houses were submerged and for a week, the roads in and out of Old Hickory were completely covered with water. I've been getting the word out to people to contact Nashville Flood Relief if they would like to donate money to help the people of Nashville. Also, they can contact the Gibson Foundation to do the same. We were lucky, but so many people were not. I hope can pull together and do what we can for Nashville."

While making the album, STONE SOUR has been taping webisodes covering the recording process and answering fan questions. They can be viewed at www.stonesour.com.

The quintet will be previewing select songs from the album during this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival. The 36-date tour launches August 17 in Minneapolis, MN and will visit arenas and amphitheatres across North America before wrapping October 4 in Madison, WI.

"Audio Secrecy" is the follow-up to the gold-certified "Come What(ever) May", which was also produced by Raskulinecz and debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart and spawned three radio hits, including the No. 1 smash hit single "Through Glass", "Sillyworld" and "Made of Scars". STONE SOUR's self-titled debut, also certified gold, spawned the band's first breakthrough hit "Bother", which was spotlighted on "Spider-Man" soundtrack.

STONE SOUR debuted three brand new songs — "Mission Statement", "The Bitter End" and "Digital" — during the band's June 7, 2010 concert at Columbia in Berlin, Germany.

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

Guitarist Sami Vauhkonen of the Finnish female-fronted heavy rock outfit LULLACRY has issued the following update:

"It's been a while since the last update from the LULLACRY camp.

"After a hard and complicated fourth album, we took some time off. In 2008 we were ready to record some new material, with a new interesting record deal with quite a big German label. Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, MOONSPELL, APOCALYPTICA) was going to be the producer for that album. But then, suddenly, just before the studio, without any warning, we lost the connection to the label. After a couple of months, I read from the newspapers that they went bankrupt.

"F**k that.

"Now, when I look back, I can say that it was a blessing in disguise. Compared to the new songs, the older material was not as good. It wasn't the right time, I guess..

"Now it's a fresh new start.

"I've written some killer songs and I must say that a new era of LULLACRY has begun!

"We are currently recording a couple of those songs and we'll put them online as soon as possible.

"Stay tuned and rock with LULLACRY!

Any labels interested in LULLACRY, please email Sami (at) lullacry.com

"We'll play live at Dante's Highlight, Helsinki, on Saturday, July 24, 2010. Come and check out the new songs!"

LULLACRY's fourth studio album, "Vol. 4", was released in the U.S. in February 2006 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Astia Studios with Anssi Kippo (CHILDREN OF BODOM, ENTWINE) and at Finnvox Studio with Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS).

LULLACRY's first single off the album, "Stranger in You", entered the Finnish single chart at position No. 16 upon its release in July 2005. The title cut was backed by a cover of KISS' "I Stole Your Love".

LULLACRY's video for the song "King of Pain" (taken from "Vol. 4") can be viewed below.

According to The Pulse of Radio, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack de la Rocha told NME.com on Sunday night (June 6) that the chances of the band recording a new album are better now than they have been before. De la Rocha said, "I think it's a genuine possibility. We have to get our heads around what we're going to do towards the end of the year and finish up on some other projects and we'll take it from there."

That's a different song than the one guitarist Tom Morello has been singing ever since the politically charged act reunited in 2007 after a seven-year break. Morello told The Pulse of Radio a while back that fans shouldn't hold their breath for a new RAGE album. "There are no plans to do that," he said. "That's a whole other ball of wax right there. Writing and recording albums is a whole different thing than getting back on the bike (laughs), you know, and playing these songs. But I think that the one thing about the RAGE catalog is that to me none of it feels dated. You know, it doesn't feel at all like a nostalgia show. It feels like these are songs that were born and bred to be played now."

RAGE's last set of all-new material was 1999's "The Battle Of Los Angeles". The band issued a collection of covers called "Renegades" in 2000 before splitting.

De la Rocha made his comments following a free show by RAGE at Finsbury Park in London for 40,000 fans.

The band pledged to play the gig as a thank-you to fans for making their classic song "Killing In The Name" the No. 1 single at Christmas in the U.K. last December, beating out a tune by Simon Cowell-controlled "X Factor" winner Joe McElderry.

Californian rockers RATT have released the following statement:

"RATT have been forced to cancel their upcoming European tour dates. Vocalist Stephen Pearcy will be undergoing urgent hernia surgery this week. The band regrets missing the European dates on the heels of the release of their first album in 11 years, 'Infestation', which enjoyed a high chart debut in European territories.

"RATT shares this disappointment with all their European fans who planned to attend the shows at Sweden Rock, Sauna Open Air festival, U.K. Download, Hellfest, Graspop and Gods of Metal as well as their other dates. The band is looking into rescheduling as many of the shows as possible.

"Pearcy's doctors anticipate a full recovery in time for RATT's North American touring schedule, which includes a run with the SCORPIONS, beginning in July and running through September."