With three weeks of dates booked throughout Europe and Asia, HAIL! — the supergroup featuring mainstays Tim "Ripper" Owens (BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA) — has announced that it will not cancel its tour in the wake of its bassist Paul Gray's (SLIPKNOT) untimely death.

The band has released the following statement regarding the matter:

"On Monday we were dealt a devastating blow with Paul's passing two days before our departure. We discussed the situation and unanimously thought that in the face of this tragedy we needed to remain strong and push forward because Paul would have vehemently insisted that the show must go on. In a desperate situation we made an emergency call to James Lomenzo and James responded with a Herculean effort, on only one day's notice, to fly to Portugal and rescue the Rock In Rio festival. His immediate and unselfish call to arms single-handedly saved this entire tour."

James Lomenzo has had a long and very successful career, having played with WHITE LION, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and, most recently, MEGADETH.

HAIL! has epitomized the old-school unity and brotherhood of the metal culture that its bandmembers have all grown out of and this is another example of that close-knit circle of friends coming together to help in a time of need.

HAIL! tour dates:

May 30 - Lisbon, Portugal - Rock In Rio Festival
Jun. 01 - Novosibirsk, Siberia - Izjum
Jun. 02 - Tomsk, Siberia - Fakal
Jun. 03 - Omsk, Siberia - Kristall
Jun. 04 - Ekaterinburg, Russia - TeleClub
Jun. 05 - Moscow, Russia - Tochka
Jun. 06 - Kiev, Ukraine - Bingo
Jun. 08 - Helsinki, Finland - Dante's Highlight
Jun. 09 - Tallin, Estonia - Rock Cafe
Jun. 11 - Kouvala, Finland - House Of Rock
Jun. 12 - Tampere, Finland - Sauna Open Air Festival
Jun. 14 - Madrid, Spain - Rock In Rio Festival

The Power metallers SECRET SPHERE Italiänischen on 6 occurred in December 2009 into the new Authoma studio and started recording the new album "Archetype". The band has been working about two months with guitarist Aldo Lonobile and Federico Pennazzato on the album. The album was mastered in the Massive Arts Studios and around the cover artwork was created by Alliance of Gustavo. The new album has now been published in Japan in the summer and is also with us come on the market.

"Archetype" Track List:

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

STONE SOUR — the band featuring SLIPKNOT members Corey Taylor (vocals) and Jim Root (guitar) — has released the following statement regarding the passing of SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray:

"We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Paul Gray. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and his brothers in SLIPKNOT. Paul was a true talent and just a great person to be around. We join the millions around the world expressing our intense grief over this loss. We'll miss you, Paul."

Prior to Gray's death, STONE SOUR was in the final stages of completing its third album, "Audio Secrecy", which is due for release this summer via Roadrunner Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Mission Statement" and "Hesitate".

STONE SOUR has been recording "Audio Secrecy" for the past two months at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

STONE SOUR's last album, "Come What(ever) May", debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard album chart and included the hits "Through Glass", "Sillyworld" and "Made Of Scars".

American/Norwegian power metallers KAMELOT have inked a deal with Marquee/Avalon Records for the Japanese release of their next album, tentatively due late summer. Marquee's Naohiro Yamazaki said in a statement, "Marquee/Avalon is happy to have KAMELOT — such a great band in our family and we are proud of announcing it. We all hope that KAMELOT's fame will be at a higher level with the next album. We trust the band a potential to become so."

KAMELOT vocalist Roy Khan added, "We are very excited about working with Marquee on the new album! We are also planning to return to Japan for some very special concerts with all the amazing fans there."

Greek guitarist Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND, DREAM EVIL, ARCH ENEMY), EPICA singer Simone Simons and Jon Oliva (mastermind of SAVATAGE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN, co-creator/songwriter of the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) are among the artists who are scheduled to make guest appearances on KAMELOT's forthcoming CD. Songtitles set to appear on the effort include "House On A Hill", "The Great Pandemonium" and "Hunters Season", the latter two of which were performed on the band's recently completed European headlining tour.

Simone — the longtime girlfriend of KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai — previously appeared on the song "The Haunting", which was included on KAMELOT's 2005 album "The Black Halo".

KAMELOT spent time at various studios — including the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany — under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth and Miro as producers working on the highly anticipated follow-up to "Ghost Opera".

"The new songs are really inspiring," stated guitarist Thomas Youngblood. "We feel the long touring and time away from writing has been perfect for new ideas and an aggressive approach to the new songs."

Final release dates will be announced in the near future.

Due to "previously scheduled commitments," bassist Sean Tibbetts will be unable to join KAMELOT for the band's upcoming appearances at this year's Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, set to take place June 4-6, 2010 in the German towns of Nürburgring and Nürnberg, respectively. Temporarily replacing him for these gigs will be KAMELOT's longtime producer Sascha Paeth.

KAMELOT will embark on its first North American tour in two years this fall. Support on the trek will come from LEAVES' EYES and BLACKGUARD.

Brazilian gothic metallers ...IN DEVILTRY will enter the studio to record their debut in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July.

A new press release reads: "As the band is brand new and do not have any record label present, it will be 100% self-financed
which will result in a limited distribution for the EP.

After the recording the band will post 50% of the material available for registered users on this page under the menu Audio. The real EP will also be available for mail order through this site.

From the band's point of view, this recording will be a first presentation of their work and will be posted to various record-labels across Europe and North America with the intention to make an agreement between the band and the record label. If an agreement is present, the first full CD will be released through that record label, as soon all details have been arranged. All work with arranging and writing material is nearly over, but they have not released the title of the EP yet."

DIR EN GREY's new CD / DVD package Uroboros - With The Proof In The Name Of Living... At Nippon Budokan is now available via most difital retailers. The physical release has been pushed from the original May 25th date to June 22nd via The End Records. Following is an updated press release:

On January 9th and 10th, 2010, Dir En Grey took flight into the Nippon Budokan and played to thousands of their fans from all over the world. Capturing every angle from this sold out, two night event, Uroboros - With The Proof In The Name Of Living... At Nippon Budokan (available today digitally, in stores on June 22nd on The End Records), lets us into the kaleidoscopic world of Dir En Grey. Highly-charged visuals bring Dir En Grey shows to new heights, making this event one of the five-piece Japanese metal band’s most unforgettable live performances to date.

Dir En Grey just launched their own channel on U-Stream and their first post is a video of D.E.G. guitarist Kaoru commenting on the new DVD, what it was like performing in front of over 14,000 fans each night, as well as discussing the band’s future plans (see below). Fans can also view the trailer for the DVD today to get a glimpse of these legendary performances that went on to receive a rare, full star “5K” rating from Kerrang! Magazine.

The brand new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE video for 'Save Me', from their latest self-titled album can be viewed below.

The clip features KsE – singer Howard Jones, guitarist Adam D., bassist Mike D’Antonio, guitarist Joel Stroetzel and drummer Justin Foley - in full Claymation mode.

The video has an alien abduction plot and also shows the band performing. Only it’s all Claymation, all of the time. The video was directed by Jim Starace.

Of the video, bassist Mike D., said, "We are pretty excited about our new video for the song ‘Save Me’. It is the first time since ‘Holy Diver’ that we get to show our funny side in a video. We think our fans are gonna love it. There are alien abductions, rocket ships and space suits. Who knew being a Claymation character was this fun?"

OZZY OSBOURNE filmed a video for his new single, "Let Me Hear You Scream", earlier this month with renowned Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, who has previously worked with METALLICA, SATYRICON, RAMMSTEIN, MADONNA and THE PRODIGY, among others. According to RollingStone.com, fans should expect the clip to be "an over-the-top spectacle . . . replete with fake blood and giant injectable needles."

Check out a preview below.
"Scream" — OZZY OSBOURNE's first album in almost three years and 10th studio album overall — will be released on June 22 in North America via Epic Records. The CD will be issued in Japan on June 23 with the exclusive bonus track "Jump The Moon". A special iTunes pre-order is available which includes the bonus track, "One More Time" .Once the album is released, the song will be unavailable.

LORDI will release their highly anticipated fifth studio album on September 14th in the US on The End Records. The new album is titled Babez For Breakfast and will be released simultaneously in Europe, Japan and the USA. The first single, 'This Is Heavy Metal', will be released on August 6th.

The new album 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.

Mr. Lordi comments on the new album: “We are very proud of this album. We went back to the basics and beyond. The new material is more rocking and melodic, but we have not forgotten the horror elements, either. As our producer says - each song includes a lot of energy, emotion and entertainment. We are eager to go back on the road and meet our fans with new songs, outfits and tricks!”

An important part of this album, as always, will be the new costumes designed by Mr. Lordi, which will be premiering soon.

THE WRETCHED END, the new Norway-based band featuring guitarist Samoth (EMPEROR, ZYKLON) and bassist Cosmo (MINDGRINDER) alongside Swedish drummer Nils Fjellström (DARK FUNERAL, IN BATTLE, AEON), will release its debut album, tentatively entitled "Ominous", in the fall through Samoth's own imprint label, Nocturnal Art Productions, and marketed and distributed worldwide by Candlelight Records.

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include:

* Zoo Human Syndrome
* Red Forest Alienation
* Residing in Limbo
* Human Corporation
* Numbered Days
* Of Men and Wolves
* The Juggernaut Theory
* Fleshbomb
* The Armageddonist
* With Ravenous Hunger
* Last Judgement

The members of the SLIPKNOT have announced that they will address the death of their bassist, Paul Gray, during a news conference today (Tuesday, May 25) at 4:30 p.m. PT. TMZ.com will be streaming the entire thing live.

As previously reported, an autopsy of Paul Gray has revealed no cause of death, Urbandale, Iowa police said this afternoon.

The cause of death is still under investigation, and the Polk County Medical Examiner is awaiting the results of toxicology testing.

Dr. Gregory Schmunk said it could be four to six weeks before all of the test results are complete and the cause of death can be determined, according to police.

The autopsy reportedly did confirm that there was no evidence of foul play or trauma, and that Gray had been dead for several hours before his body was discovered.

Gray was found dead in a hotel room in Urbandale, Iowa on Monday morning (May 24). The 38-year-old musician's body was discovered at 10:50 a.m. local time by an employee of the TownePlace Suites.

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

"In God We Trust", the new video from reunited California metallers DÉTENTE — featuring original members Dennis Butler (drums), Caleb Quinn (guitar) and Steve Hochheiser (bass) alongside new vocalist Tiina Teal — can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Decline", which is scheduled for release on June 8 in the U.S. via the band's own Cognitive label with MVD Audio distribution. MusicBuyMail.eu will handle distribution for the CD in Europe, where "Decline" arrived on May 21.

"Decline" was recorded with engineer Bill Metoyer, who has previously worked with SLAYER, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, D.R.I. and SACRED REICH, among others.

Teal joined DÉTENTE as the replacement for Ann Boleyn (HELLION).

German power metallers RUNNING WILD played their farewell show at last year's edition of Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany. The band's July 30 "best-of" performance was filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD and CD.

RUNNING WILD's mainman, Rock'n'Rolf Kasparek, has issued the following update on the delay in the release of the above-mentioned DVD/CD:

"I want to sincerely thank all RUNNING WILD fans who attended the show in Wacken and made it an unforgettable moment for me and the band. As you have kept up with that weather, respect! Really. Awesome! But I want also welcome all other RUNNING WILD fans who were not in Wacken, for you will certainly already been waiting on the live DVD and have to wonder why it is not appearing.

"There are a few problems. The company that was responsible for the recordings, unfortunately, messed up the individual tracks. They are lost and the company tried to recover the data for three months. Unfortunately, now we only have a stereo track, and we had to consider alternative ways in which we want to edit the whole thing and what we can do with it.

"I just started to sift through the material, and we will probably — as it looks like by now — to be finished with this work in March. There are many bonus features: many interviews with myself, there are many other things from my private archives, that is, recordings of the old tours, backstage stuff, fun stuff and so on. So this DVD will be a work of art. That is why you have to wait a little longer for it to be released.

"The problem, as I said, was that we first have to see now what we do with all this material, what we can use and what we cannot. That was just the thing, and so I just wanted to briefly explain why it takes so long because everyone has probably already asked: 'What are they doing? Do they have too much time now?' It's just that we have much work with it, and this will take some time.

"But, of course, there's another reason why I am sending you this message today: I would like to wish you all a nice 2010, with much luck and many good things for you all.

"We will see each other! And I have to do something now... Take care. Bye!"

Kasparek's video message in German can be viewed below.

As a special bonus, RUNNING WILD will make available alternate artwork for the DVD, created by none other than Felipe Machado Franco, who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, GAMMA RAY and ICED EARTH. This artwork will be available for free download exclusively on www.running-wild.net as soon as the live DVD is released.

Versailles Records' forthcoming "Rock & Roll Train: A Millennium Tribute to AC/DC" will feature former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade alongside LIZZY BORDEN guitarist Ira Black on the Bon Scott-era classic "Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll)". Black co-produced the track, along with album producers Richard Kendrick and Jake Brown, who commented of Slade's inclusion that "it's one of the true highlights for Rik and I, in over 10 years of producing these albums, to be working with a member of the greatest hard rock band of all time on this record — coupled with the fact this will be our first tribute LP ever issued on vinyl."

In addition to Slade, "Rock & Roll Train: A Millennium Tribute to AC/DC" will feature current/former members of such acts as GUNS N' ROSES, MEGADETH, LIZZY BORDEN, BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION, RAINBOW, HANOI ROCKS, DANGEROUS TOYS, WARRANT and L.A. GUNS, as well as a number of original artists, including THE SKYSCREAMERS (which features vocalist Rose Reiter), KATET, LOADED DICE, ATTICA and MARTIAN HONEY. The album will be issued with a bonus sampler featuring up-and-coming millennium rock and metal bands influenced by AC/DC. A fall release is expected.

Tommy Lee has rocked every continent multiple times, sold millions of records with MÖTLEY CRÜE and on his own, done everything a musician dreams of doing, except he's never made a record with the entire world. The new METHODS OF MAYHEM album, now entitled "A Public Disservice Announcement", is set for release on September 21 and features Tommy Lee collaborating with the world. Lee commented, "When I founded METHODS in 1999, the whole purpose of the band was to be all over the place. In keeping with that, this METHODS isn't anything like the last one. There's no hip hop and there's no roster of guest stars. This time, it's me, my band, and the world."

Tommy Lee and his team, including producer Scott Humphrey, singer-guitarist J3 and others, wrote and recorded the songs for the new album, then made the core components of each available for download on www.thepublicrecord.com to anyone who wished to add their playing or otherwise re-interpret the music however they saw fit. Lee listened to every single submission that was uploaded, chose the best, and integrated the actual audio tracks into the album's final cuts. Every single musician whose part was used is credited and thanked on the album.

The song files were made available on The Public Record web site on October 5, 2009. By the end of the submission period in February, 2010, the page was viewed over 1 million times and over 10,000 submissions were uploaded. What came back once the public got its hands on the raw ingredients was truly all over the map — just as Tommy Lee had hoped. The diverse submissions included techno tracks sent in from Japan, hand drum rhythms from India and searing guitar solos from as close to home as San Diego.

METHODS OF MAYHEM self-titled debut was released in 1999 and was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States alone. The album featured Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock and Fred Durst, among others. METHODS OF MAYHEM's set was a featured highlight of 2000's Ozzfest.

"A Public Disservice Announcement" track listing:

01. Drunk Uncle Pete
02. Time Bomb
03. Louder
04. Fight Song
05. Blame
06. Two Ways
07. Talk Me Off The Ledge
08. Only One
09. All I Wanna Do
10. Back To Before
11. Party Instructions

Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE paid tribute to legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) by performing their version of the classic DIO song "Holy Diver" on May 22, 2010 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Prior to launching into the track, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz said from the stage, "On a serious note, real quick — you all know we lost somebody fucking so important to the metal community. And we are so fucking proud to be able to play one of his songs. So do me a favor — make a fuckload of noise for Ronnie James Dio."

Fan-filmed video footage of the "Holy Diver" performance from the Rock On The Range festival can be viewed below.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE originally recorded a cover of DIO's "Holy Diver" for a 2006 Kerrang! magazine-commissioned compilation, "High Voltage", which was made up of classic rock and metal songs covered by contemporary bands, with 10 of the tracks recorded exclusively for the CD.