TAROT — the Finnish group led by NIGHTWISH/ex-SINERGY bassist Marco Hietala — is currently recording its ninth studio album, "Gravity Of Light", for a spring 2010 release. A tour will follow, including a stop in Moscow, Russia as well as a number of summer festival appearances.

TAROT has been confirmed for next year's ProgPower USA XI festival, set to take place September 8-11 in Atlanta, Georgia.

An e-card for "Undead Indeed", the latest DVD from TAROT, can be accessed at this location.

"Undead Indeed" topped the Music DVD chart in Finland in its first week of release.

The two-DVD and two-CD versions of "Undead Indeed" were made available in Finland on June 11, 2008.

"Undead Indeed" was filmed/recorded on August 17, 2007 at club Rupla in Kuopio, Finland with director Harri Mielonen.

A one-and-a-half-minute trailer for "Undead Indeed" can be viewed below.

TAROT released its latest album, entitled "Crows Fly Black", in continental Europe in January 2007. The CD was issued in Finland in October 2006.

TAROT's first single from "Crows Fly Black", "You", entered the national chart in Finland at position No. 1. The single contained two tracks: A straight-forward classic heavy metal song "You", taken from the CD, and a BLUE ÖYSTER CULT cover, "Veteran of the Psychic Wars".

"Triggering The Fear Reactor", the new video from Greek progressive math-death metallers TARDIVE DYSKINESIA, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "The Sea Of See Through Skins", which was released on October 12 via Coroner Records. The CD was mixed and mastered by Jochem Jacob at Split Second Sound Studio (TEXTURES, IN-QUEST, CHIRAW) in Holland.

"The Sea Of See Through Skins" track listing:

01. Triggering The Fear Reactor
02. Complicity
03. Downfall
04. Dog
05. The Sea Of See Through Skins
06. Brains Trust
07. Ask E Sea
09. Reverse Arms
10. Tinge Of Irony

TARDIVE DYSKINESIA is:

Manthos Stergiou - Vocals
Petros Nikiforakis - Guitar
Fotis Tsakos - Guitar
Kornilios Kiriakidis - Bass
Stavros Rigos - Drums

German metallers EMERGENCY GATE have inked a deal with Twilight Zone Records. The band will enter Dreamscape Studios in Munich on December 22 to begin record its new album for an early 2010 release.

EMERGENCY GATE recently parted ways with drummer Chris "The Machine" Widmann and replaced him with Dominik "Capricorn Khaos" Scholz. The band said, "Dominik has been the session drummer of LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE and the former drummer of ZOO ARMY. He already played with us as a session drummer during the Chaos Over Europe Tour with KREATOR."

"Gold & Glass", the latest video from EMERGENCY GATE, can be viewed below. The song comes off the group's most recent album, "Rewake", which was released in January via Silverwolf Productions.

EMERGENCY GATE last year announced the addition of singer Matthias Kupka (ex-SUIDAKRA) to the group's ranks.

The band's previous CD, "Nightly Ray", was released in 2006 via The Electric Co./ Universal.

To The Metal will be released via earMUSIC. EarMUSIC is a project of Edel.




The new Gamma Ray offering is thoroughbred and classy, fast-paced and deep, and holds a few surprises in store which distinguish the band from the mass of acts who try their hand at similar styles and sounds.



The line-up consisting of Kai Hansen (vocals/guitar), Dirk Schlächter (bass), Henjo Richter (guitar) and Daniel Zimmermann (drums) recorded a total of twelve new songs at their own studio in Hamburg in autumn 2009. Ten of them will feature on the regular album release, and two additional bonus tracks can be heard on different editions of the album, the band’s stylistic range including a full-throttle number such as ‘Rise’, the rhythmic and melodically diverse ‘Time To Live’, and the multilayered anthem ‘All You Need To Know’ (which has given rise to speculation about a spectacular guest singer), as well as the sensitive ballad ‘No Need To Cry’, composer/lyricist Dirk Schlächter’s attempt to come to terms with the untimely death of his father. Of course, there’s also the awesome title track – first introduced at the Wacken 2009 open-air and a number of festivals in Scandinavia and considered absolutely indispensible by the fans, which Gamma Ray recorded as a classic Metal track in the midtempo range, making it a real anthem.



The atmospherically dense ‘Empathy’ sees Gamma Ray prove their amazing musical potential again, which keeps manifesting itself in exceptional and eminently interesting compositions. This song includes all the features of a diverse, exciting and multi-faceted number, in other words: sweeping sounds, cool grooves, a progressive touch and then – almost as if from nowhere – a chorus which seriously bowls you over. Subsequently, the band soar up to an almost oriental-sounding solo part, changing key several times within the track.

The album will be available in four versions:

1) as a regular jewel case CD
2) as a limited edition featuring an additional DVD (including an exciting making-of)
3) as a red vinyl in gatefold packaging
4) as a collectors’ edition featuring CD and 7” vinyl with 2 unreleased tracks, completely hand-signed



The elaborate cover was designed by Herve Monjeaud, so the visual side of the new album is perfectly covered. Gamma Ray will present all this and much more from 6th February 2010, precisely one week after the release of their latest album, as part of an extensive world tour. Freedom Call had just been confirmed as special guests of the “To The Metal” tour, with Secret Sphere as support act.

Reactivated '80s hard rockers KEEL will release their new album, "Streets Of Rock & Roll", on January 29, 2010 in Europe and February 9 in the USA on Frontiers Records.

The new recording contains twelve new rock anthems in the tradition of KEEL's classic "The Final Frontier", "Keel", and "Lay Down The Law" albums: commercial hard rock featuring the twin-guitar attack of Marc Ferrari and Bryan Jay, drummer Dwain Miller and bassist Geno Arce's rock solid groove, Ron Keel's powerful vocals, and a collection of songs which the band feels is their best ever.

"We are not reinventing our style — 'Streets Of Rock & Roll' is a perfect follow-up to our previous albums," says Ron Keel. "The only real evolution is in the quality of the songwriting, musicianship, and production; the excitement and energy of the reunion really ignited our creativity and Marc, Bryan, and I were able to collaborate as a songwriting team like we've never done before. One characteristic this album shares with our classic releases is diversity — there are power anthems, relentless metal, and commercial hard rock. Some of the songs are designed to make you pump your fist and stomp your feet, some have lyrical content that is a little deeper and aims for the heart. There is a power ballad, 'Does Anybody Believe', which I think is an instant classic and will be a very important song for us, one of those rare compositions that capture magic and translates it into words and music."

The new album was produced by Pat Regan (KISS, DEEP PURPLE, WARRANT) and features guest background vocals by Jaime St. James (BLACK 'N BLUE, WARRANT) and Paul Shortino, who produced and recorded Ron's lead vocal tracks.

"The feeling in the band is triumphant," concludes Ron Keel. "We've been back together for over a year now, we've got some great shows under our belt, and the new album is finished and ready for release. We are thankful to all the fans for the incredible response to the reunion, and we're very proud of our new music. We can move forward with the confidence that we've accomplished a lot of our goals and done it on our own terms."

"Streets Of Rock & Roll" track listing:

01. Streets Of Rock & Roll
02. Hit The Ground Running
03. Come Hell Or High Water
04. Push & Pull
05. Does Anybody Believe
06. No More Lonely Nights
07. The Devil May Care (But I Don't)
08. Lookin' For A Good Time
09. Gimme That
10. Hold Steady
11. Live
12. Brothers In Blood

Former ELEGY/VENGEANCE singer Ian Parry has set "Species" as the title of the fifth and final part of the CONSORTIUM PROJECT concept story. Joining Ian in the studio will be KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo, DAWN OF DESTINY bass player Jens Faber and INFINITY OVERTURE guitarist Niels Vejlyt, who has already laid down some ripping guitar tracks on a number of CONSORTIUM V songs during Ian's recent visit to Copenhagen in October.

Newcomers to CONSORTIUM PROJECT are two female vocalists — Bulgarian rock singer Anna Lozanova and gothic metal vocalist Lene Petersen (INFINITY OVERTURE).

Ian hopes to have the CONSORTIUM V "Species" album finished by the middle of next year, with a release — which will include his Consortium Quadrilogy — around September 2010.

Commented Ian: "It is a challenge this time around to write and produce the best and heaviest of all five CONSORTIUM albums. I really want to emphasis the fact that in my conceptual story women save the world. This is why I want more involvement from the great female vocalists on CONSORTIUM V 'Species'.

"It's great to have Casey Grillo back on drums doing an incredible job like he did on CONSORTIUM III and my solo CD, 'Visions', and this time I have a fantastic young kick-ass bass player Jens Faber completing the rhythm section. So with rip-roaring solos from Danish guitarist Niels Vejlyt, it's going to be a killer album with a mix of everything that is cool in rock and metal."

ENEMY OF THE SUN, the German band featuring guitarist Waldemar Sorychta — former member of GRIP INC./DESPAIR and producer for such bands as LACUNA COIL and MOONSPELL — entered the studio on October 13 to begin recording its second album for an early 2010 release. Vocalist Jules Näveri (also in PROFANE OMEN) states, "We had seven days booked for the [vocal] parts and I'm proud to say that we only needed six.

"First couple of days were a bit difficult. Too much stress because of the rush I'm in at the moment but thanks to the competent skills of our producer/songwriter/guitarist [Waldemar], we got the train on the right track.

"We recorded 14 songs plus intro and outro. Most likely we're putting 12 songs on the album and it's not going to be an easy pick. I like all of 'em and it's going to be a battle of choosing the best ones 'cause they're all the best ones.

"I have to say what we're doing at the moment is very spectacular. So much emotions in this album. As you probably agree with me, we have never done things the most ordinary way — ordinary equals boring.

"This album is definately going to be much heavier than the debut. It has parts for you to scream for, it has parts for you to cry for. We also have a very strong working title for the album which we're most probably going to keep."

ENEMY OF THE SUN's last album, "Shadows", was released in North America via The End Records on January 22, 2008 with an exclusive bonus track called "Enemigo del Sol".

Sorychta previously stated about the band, "I call ENEMY OF THE SUN my family because in a family you have to feel comfortable. If not, it's not a good family. ENEMY is a good one. It's the way I wake up and feel the excitment about this band. It's the way I go to bed and want to stay awake because of this band. Music without limits, pure power saved in every note, deepest emotions bound in tones, burning pleasure in each single tune."

MARILYN MANSON has parted ways with longtime record label Interscope following the disappointing sales performance of the shock-rocker's latest album, entitled "The High End Of Low". "We've just been released from our record contract with Interscope so I think a lot of the creative control on which my hands were tied on a lot of choices — the music videos — things like that," Manson told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "And the first example is the newest video, they clearly wouldn't have allowed me to make that video. So we started writing new songs on the road — a bit like [David Bowie's album] 'Aladdin Sane' — I think people can expect a new record a lot sooner than we [expected].

When told that he doesn't seem like someone who wouldn't put his foot down with a label, Manson said, "You'd be surprised how much restraint my creativity had which ended up often times in my life, not want to make music because I was so restrained from the music that I wanted to make — what they would allow, they would put out, what ideas they would allow to be conveyed in these videos. At least half of my creative output has been squashed, so now I think people can expect a whole lot more."

Trent Reznor of NINE INCH NAILS signed MARILYN MANSON to his label Nothing Records, a vanity label of Interscope, in 1993. Nothing Records became defunct in 2004, and MARILYN MANSON remained signed solely to Interscope.

"The High End Of Low" sold 49,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart.

MARILYN MANSON's previous album, "Eat Me, Drink Me", opened with 88,000 units to land at No. 8. This marked a significant drop from the 118,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "The Golden Age Of Grotesque", which entered the chart at No. 1 back in May 2003.

"The High End Of Low" was Manson's first album with longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez since 2000's "Holy Wood".

Swedish melancholic metallers IN MOURNING have set "Monolith" as the title of their second full-length album, due in February 2010 via Pulverised Records. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered at Black Lounge Studio in Avesta, Sweden in with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, CENTINEX, WORLD BELOW). The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, KING DIAMOND, AMORPHIS).

"Monolith" track listing:

01. For You To Know
02. Debris
03. The Poet And The Painter Of Souls
04. The Smoke
05. A Shade Of Plague
06. With You Came Silence
07. Pale Eye Revelation
08. The Final Solution (Entering The Black Lodge)

IRON LAMB — the new Stockholm, Sweden-based band formed by underground metal veterans Johan Wallin (GENERAL SURGERY, SCURVY, BOMBSTRIKE, ex-REPUGNANT), Grga Lindström (ex-REPUGNANT), Thomas Daun (DISMEMBER, ex-REPUGNANT, ex-INSISION) and Daniel Ekeroth (TYRANT, ex-INSISION, ex-DELLAMORTE, author of "Swedish Death Metal" book) — will enter Studio Royale this weekend to record several new tracks for a split seven-inch single with MOTORBREATH and another single of IRON LAMB's own, both to be released by the Austrian label Hellrocker Records.

IRON LAMB's full-length debut will be recorded in May/June 2010 for an August/September 2010 release via Pulverised Records.

LAETHORA, the Swedish death/grind band featuring DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin, will release its econd album, "The Light In Which We All Burn", on April 27, 2010 via The End Records.

Mastered by Peter In de Betou (DARK FUNERAL, MESHUGGAH, HYPOCRISY), "The Light In Which We All Burn" is an epic thirteen-track album taking into account all of the members' eclectic tastes in music, featuring violent and powerful death/grind metal performed with intense passion and ferocity.

From the opening calm-before-the-storm beginning of "Ekpyrosis" to the thrashing rage of "World Deluge" and the open-chord ecstasy of "Humanae", the album truly shines in its diversity and dedication. The instrumentation is flawlessly executed with an organic and vibrant approach far from today's sterile extreme metal delivery.

"The Light In Which We All Burn" track listing:

01. Ekpyrosis
02. I as Infernal
03. A.S.K.E
04. World Deluge
05. A New Day
06. Humanae
07. The Sightless
08. Saevio
09. Uproar
10. Cast to Ruin
11. To the Point
12. Damnable Doctrine
13. Alogia

The song "Humanae" is now available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Swedish female-fronted heavy rock band THE MURDER OF MY SWEET will release its debut album, "Divanity", will be released on January 29 in Europe and February 9 in the USA on Frontiers Records.

THE MURDER OF MY SWEET is an exciting new band formed in early 2007, when drummer/producer and songwriter Daniel Flores met the awesome singer Angelica Rylin. "There was a rumour that Angelica was the finest vocalist in Stockholm and I wanted to see if that was true," says Daniel. "To my amazement, she was!" Daniel had already hooked up with Daniel Palmqvist on guitar, Johan Niemann on bass and Andreas Lindahl on keyboards, so the next step was to start writing songs. "Angelica's voice needed another sort of songs than what we had on the table," continues Daniel. "So we wrote more than 25 songs with 12 of them that will end up being on the album."

As band names go, perhaps there's never been a more fitting, so apropos than THE MURDER OF MY SWEET — a moniker inspired by the 1944 movie "Murder, My Sweet". "We love all film noir movie styles (specially the old ones) and we wanted to combine that with our rock music," explains Angelica.

THE MURDER OF MY SWEET's aim is to create a distorted film noir vibe and experience — put the wonder, sadness, humour and sheer zest of life into their music tour de force. The band offers a rich and cinematic musical landscape covering a wide spectrum of the rock genre and reflecting the diversity of the five members own musical experiences.

The material selected for the band's debut album "Divanity" (a title describing a personal interpretation of diva, divine and vanity — all of them being essential ingredients in the record) includes all: from dark subject matters to pure fiction. "Kiss of Death" takes a glimpse into the state of love where you give up yourself for the desire to have or to do something that you know you should avoid, while "Bleed Me Dry" describes the feeling of being different and wanting to go your own way in life. "Follow The Rain" is all about breaking a pattern from where you make the same mistakes over and over again into becoming a person with control of your life, "Storms Of The Sea" is a beautiful tale of a young woman on her quest around the world to seek her long lost lover and "No Evil" is the band's encouragement to embrace the dark rather than being afraid of it.

The grand finale of the album is the larger than life — described by Rylin and Flores as THE MURDER OF MY SWEET's own "Bohemian Rhapsody" — track called "Death Of A Movie Star". A massive piece of music showcasing THE MURDER OF MY SWEET's dynamics with a sense of playfulness by switching from soft, rippling sounds and beats to limitless rage with beautiful melodies!

The first single off "Divanity", "Bleed Me Dry", was launched on November 13 on the Swedish markets, and entered the national chart at position No. 14 (highest new entry of the week). The song was also on No. 2 on the single download chart. "I was truly excited and happy to see that our music gained some good impact and that there is already a lot of music fans aware of THE MURDER OF MY SWEET," says Angelica, "It was such a great, happy moment to hear that our debut single actually made the top 20 in the Swedish single chart. Me and the guys are so thrilled with the attention and great early feedback were getting from media, press and radio and were looking forward to an exciting and big adventure to start in 2010."

"Divanity" (cover) track listing:

01. No Evil
02. Follow The Rain
03. Bleed Me Dry
04. Chemical Attraction
05. Kiss of Death
06. One Bullet
07. Tonight
08. Storms of the Sea
09. Destiny
10. Revolution
11. Valerie
12. Death of a Movie Star

The limited first edition in a digipack includes the bonus video clip "Bleed Me Dry". The digital edition on iTunes includes the exclusive bonus track "Mistaken".

"We are currently planning new gigs here in Sweden and in Europe and we are soon flying to Paris, France and Cologne, Germany to do promotion for radio, TV and magazines," says Angelica. "There lots of ideas floating around but we must be smart and make the best out of the time we have right now. We are also planning to write new songs next year together with Jesper Strömblad from IN FLAMES for our next album. That will be big fun!"

German power thrashers PSYCHOTRON have issued the following update:

"It seems that there was almost one year without any updates from us but that is not true. We have moved again to a new practice room this year and had to renovate it.

In the meantime we completed our website and fixed our broken guestbook. We updated our discography and added all old photos again to our photo section. In the next couple of days we will add many reviews of our actual CD, Pray For Salvation.

We'd like to introduce our new man behind the drums. His name is Chris Fuchs and he is a very close friend of the band who played around 1993 with two of the founding members of Psychotron. He really is a maniac and a very funny guy. You have to check him out.

On the other hand we had to not just to replace one musician, but two of them (we think you knew that)… After decades of searching we finally found the right person. His name will be revealed after our next and first concert in 2 years.

We really worked hard to complete our setlist and of course we’re working on new material. This turns out to be amazing. The new songs are even more progressive (but we don’t forget where we come from) and always hard (even to play ;-/ ). By the way we have to say that the band never sounded better before.

This month we’re playing on our Banging the X-Mas-Tree Festival that takes place on 18th and 19th of December at the Jugendhaus Anna in Stuttgart Bad Canstatt. It’s again a two day festival with a bunch of really cool metal bands out there. They are waiting to kick your ass. So head over to our Festival site on myspace and have a look for yourself: myspace.com/btxt .

We would love to see you guys and have a little party together.

Cheers, your Psychoheads."

RETRO GRAVE, the project led by former TROUBLE drummer Jeff "Oly" Olson, will release its full-length debut, "Again", on February 9, 2010. The cover artwork for the CD, which can be viewed here, was created by graphic designer Ben Crowley and it features Van Gogh's "Skull."

Olson composed all the music for "Again" with lyricist Paull Goodchild.

Commented Olson: "I released this album initially as a download only last year, but I've since made some changes by adding another player to the mix (Michael Leonard Maiewski) with an additional song. In addition, I felt the need to change the artwork due to cover similarities of writer and comedian David Sedaris's latest book, 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames'. Sedaris's cover was also of Van Gogh's 'Smoking Skull', so I scrapped it and came up with something else. I suppose this is why it's called 'Again'. Moreover, I had determined that I wanted something different (musically) for the future of RETRO GRAVE and, therefore, Mike Schermuly and J. Cortes are now departed. I wish them well in their future projects. They are great guys and I appreciate their contributions to the record. Right now, I'm currently writing for my sophomore album, 'Skullduggery', with future collaborations and cameos to be disclosed in the very near future."

"Again" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Monstah
03 Lie Quickly Down
04. Mind March
05. Liar
06. Dead Ol Harp
07. Belly Crawl
08. Bad Train
09. So So Souls
10. Doldrums
11. Abomination
12. Entropy

In other news, Olson is offering a free download of his non-metal Christmas jingle "Ale in My Christmas Stocking", written for Buzzards Bay Brewing in 2001 alongside fellow Brewers Harry Smith, Dan Kahn, and Paull Goodchild. Visit RetroGraveMusic.com for the download.

Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of Swedish heavy rockers GRAND MAGUS.

GRAND MAGUS is a three-piece band featuring "JB" Christofferson (guitar, lead vocals), Fox Skinner (bass, backing vocals) and Sebastian "Seb" Sippola (drums).

During the band's 10-year history, GRAND MAGUS has released two demos, one split EP and four full-length albums, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews throughout. Their last opus, "Iron Will", was voted "Album of The Month" in the German Metal Hammer and Rock Hard magazines.

Drawing hefty influences from the hand-on-heart grandeur of the NWOBHM and the inspirational mythology of their forbears, GRAND MAGUS is steeped in pre-Christian tales of triumph, vengeance, betrayal, wisdom and death. But GRAND MAGUS also stands for energetic live performances, as seen at this year's European festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hellfest, Wacken, Summer Breeze and on tour in Europe with bands like AT THE GATES, CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, TYRANT, SERPENTCULT and ELECTRIC WIZARD.

Roadrunner Records will release GRAND MAGUS' new album, "Hammer Of The North", in spring/early summer of 2010. On this CD, GRAND MAGUS has perfected its own style of full-on metal assault with fantastic heavy riffing and stomping songs, strong hook-lines, epic vocals/lyrics and rousing solo guitars.

Commented GRAND MAGUS: "We are thrilled with working with Roadrunner Records. We regard this both as a great sign of recognition and most importantly a chance for us to really push ourselves and the music to the point of perfection. We are confident that the team of us and Roadrunner will be something really special."

Henk Hakker (MD, Roadrunner Records/Germany): "It is very exciting for Roadrunner Germany to sign excellent European bands like GRAND MAGUS, in order to prove that not only American metal can be successful worldwide. I am confident that we will be able to create the right infrastructure around GRAND MAGUS in order to support the best records in their career and to get them on to the next level."

Chris Klimek (A&R, Roadrunner Records): "I'm very happy and proud about the fact that this fantastic band has finally signed to Roadrunner, as we haven't been the only label grabbing at them. All members in GRAND MAGUS are fantastic musicians: JB is a marvellous singer and guitarist. Seb and Fox are great instrumentalists and the steam-rolling backing in this band. The natural, organic and timeless sound of GRAND MAGUS, plus their 100% eager, authentic and passionate heavy metal attitude and coolness marks them out as absolutely special in the whole scene! I'm really looking forward to a mutually rewarding future with these great guys!"

Lorenzo Antonucci (guitar, vocals) of the Queens, New York-based hardcore/metal act SWORN ENEMY has announced his departure from the band. He will focus his efforts on his new endeavor SMASHFACE, who will soon begin recording its debut effort at Rockhard Studios in Austria with acclaimed producer Daniel Castleman (DESTROY THE RUNNER, WINDS OF PLAGUE).

Commented Antonucci: "After a decade of being in SWORN ENEMY, I've come to an extremely hard decision: parting ways with the band and longtime friend/partner Sal LoCoco (vocals).

"This band has allowed me the opportunity to see the world and provided many countless, good memories that I will never forget. SWORN ENEMY has been my baby since the beginning in 2000 and I've put everything that I had into it, giving it my all.

"It took me a long time to think this through, but after a grueling 75-day tour in the States, I just lost it and had had enough.

"I will always love the band and will always be a part of SWORN ENEMY, as well as try to write as much as I can for the band if they continue on without me.

"I will continue on with music and as some of you may have heard already, I have a new project with Chris Storey (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) and another amazing shredder Sean Swafford. The band is called SMASHFACE and I'm handling all the vocal duties. I also have a recording studio with my girlfriend (Lidija Lychee) and am also taking guitar lessons from Chris Storey, the man that got me shredding."

Tampa, Florida's kings of groove-laden death metal SIX FEET UNDER are back with the third installment of the band's cover series, "Graveyard Classics 3", due out via Metal Blade Records on January 19, 2010. "Graveyard Classics 3" was recorded at D.O.I. Digital Audio in Tampa, Florida, was mixed at Audiohammer Studios by Mark Lewis, and was produced by vocalist Chris Barnes.

Metal Blade Records is offering fans the chance to pre-order the CD at a special low rate. In addition to this pre-order, fans will also have the option to order "Graveyard Classics 3" with a SIX FEET UNDER t-shirt for a special low rate.

Head over to Metal Blade's online store to check out details on the album, view the t-shirt, and purchase your copy of "Graveyard Classics 3".

"Graveyard Classics 3" (cover) track listing:

01. A Dangerous Meeting - MERCYFUL FATE
02. Metal On Metal - ANVIL
03. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity - METALLICA
04. At Dawn They Sleep - SLAYER
05. Not Fragile - BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE
06. On Fire - VAN HALEN
07. Pounding Metal - EXCITER
08. Destroyer - TWISTED SISTER
09. Psychotherapy - RAMONES
10. Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck - PRONG

Commented Barnes: "We went about picking the tracks for this installment of 'Graveyard Classics' by really just trying to search out songs from early on in our musical upbringing, as well as tracks from when we were just fans of heavy music, before we started playing in a band. Once again choosing songs that have really stuck with us over the years, also choosing the songs that we felt would sound interesting when played in the SFU 'death groove' style.

"Through the years of doing covers, many of our fans have inquired about us covering a SLAYER or a METALLICA song. It was really something we wanted to do for some time, those two bands being our biggest influences, as well as influencing a generation of death metal musicians.

"To sum it up... this is a tribute to honor the great teachers that have influenced us as well as the world of metal we all belong to. We hope our fans will enjoy."

SIX FEET UNDER covered AC/DC's entire "Back In Black" album for "Graveyard Classics 2", which came out in October 2004.

The original "Graveyard Classics" LP, was released in October 2000. It included cover versions of BLACK SABBATH's "Sweet Leaf", DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke on the Water" and JIMI HENDRIX's "Purple Haze".

"Death Rituals" (2008), the latest album from SIX FEET UNDER, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD sold around 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The LP debuted at No. 14 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.

Former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER members John Kempainen (lead guitar) and Cory Grady (drums) have joined forces in a new project called GRAVES ABLAZE. The band's first song, which was recorded in part by Alex Merzin at Allure Sound, has been posted in instrumental form on the group's MySpace page. John states, "We're currently searching for a second guitarist, vocalist, and bassist.

"If you'd like to be a part of GRAVES ABLAZE, just record a video of yourself performing the song on either vocals, guitar, or bass, and then contact us through our MySpace page or at gravesablaze@gmail.com!

"We're basically looking for dudes that are at least 21, have their own gear, have an incredible sense of humor, and are ready to tour their asses off by this summer after writing the debut!"

"American Dream", a brand new song from CAPRICORN — the new project featuring Todd Youth (MURPHY'S LAW, D-GENERATION, DANZIG), Phil Caivano (MONSTER MAGNET) and Karl Rosqvist (STEEL PROPHET) — can be heard in the YouTube clip below.

CAPRICORN will release a seven-inch single on Deleted Art Records in early 2010. The two-song effort single will feature "American Dream" on side A and "Nothing For Nothing" on side B.

CAPRICORN is a project that Youth and Caivano have been working on for a while and which was originally set to feature ex-MOTÖRHEAD drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor and former NASHVILLE PUSSY bassist Corey Parks.

"I've been trying to get CAPRICORN off the ground ever since I filled in on guitar for MOTÖRHEAD on the 'Hammered' tour," said Youth. "We finally made it into the studio last month and recorded a few songs."

He added, "After a couple of false starts, we decided to record it as a trio with Phil and myself doing all the guitars and bass, along with my right-hand man Karl Rosqvist on drums."

CAPRICORN's music is described by Youth as "killer dirty, speed-freak rock 'n' roll."

A trailer for "A Savage Symphony - The History Of Annihilation", the forthcoming DVD from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, can be viewed below. Due in February 2010, the disc was produced by Berlin, Germany's Roax Films and will include footage of the group 25th-anniversary concert at the 2007 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany (featuring many special guests, including former bandmembers), a band documentary and tons of bonus live material.

"The Curse Of The Antichrist - Live In Agony", the new double live album from DESTRUCTION, was released in North America on October 13 and in Europe on September 25 via AFM Records.

DESTRUCTION recently completed the "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. - 25 Years Of Total Destruction" North American trek with KRISIUN and MANTIC RITUAL.

"D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.", the latest studio album from DESTRUCTION, last year entered the Media Control chart in the band's home country at position No. 65. The CD was released on August 22, 2008 via AFM Records and features guest appearances by Gary Holt (EXODUS), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) and Vinnie Moore (UFO).

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada-based death metallers AETERNAM will release their debut album, "Disciples Of The Unseen", on February 16, 2010 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was produced by Jef Fortin (NEURAXIS, THE LAST FELONY) and contains "10 tracks of pure intensity, crushing riffs, pounding bass lines and brutal growls paving the way for epic solos, acoustic melodies, ambient keyboards and large vocal harmonies," according to a press release. "Fans of BEHEMOTH, NILE and MELECHESH will most certainly find something about this band to enjoy."

"Disciples Of The Unseen" (cover) track listing:

01. Ars Almadel
02. Angel Horned
03. Esoteric Formulae
04. The Coronation Of Seth
05. Hamunaptra
06. Iteru
07. Goddess Of Masr
08. Ouroboros
09. Circle In Flames
10. Through The Eyes Of Ea

AETERNAM is:

Achraf Loudiy - Vocals, Guitar
Alex Loignon - Guitar
Jonas Lapointe - Bass & Vocals
Samuel Dubois - Keyboards
Antoine Guertin - Drums

eactivated hard rockers EUROPE are among the artists that are competing for the "Best Rock" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards, which will be held January 15, 2010 at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm. The bands are all in the running to be nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2009.

The award is based partly on votes. Of the ten acts in the running, only five will be nominated as official candidates for the award.

The following artists are up for a nomination in the "Best Rock" category:

* [INGENTING] - Tomhet, Idel Tomhet
* BOB HUND - Folkmusik För Folk Som Inte Kan Bete Sig Som Folk
* DEPORTEES - Under The Pavement - The Beach
* DUNDERTÅGET - Skaffa Ny Frisyr
* EUROPE - Last Look At Eden
* FLORENCE VALENTIN - Spring Ricco
* KENT - Röd
* MANDO DIAO - Give Me Fire!
* TAKIDA - The Darker Instinct
* THE BEAR QUARTET - 89

The final nominees in each category will be announced on December 16.

The first-ever photos of Sebastian Bach's new solo band have been posted online at this location. A few of the pictures can be seen below.

Bach's current solo band includes guitarists Nick Sterling and Johnny Chromatic, drummer Bobby Jarzombek and bassist Rob DeLuca.

Commented Bach: "I can't tell ya how happy I am with my band and my new guitar player Nick Sterling! This dude is gonna blow you all away! He plays incredible and we got some new jams that will kick your ass! The whole band is rockin' and we can't wait to see you all LIVE on tour!!"

Bach and DANKO JONES will support GUNS N' ROSES on their upcoming Canadian tour in January/February.

SEBASTIAN BACH tour dates:

Dec. 11 - Helsinki, Finland - Espoo Arena (w/ ALICE COOPER)
Dec. 12 - Turku, Finland - Carabia
Dec. 13 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahoune
Dec. 15 - Budapest, Hingary - Club Diesel
Dec. 17 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
Dec. 18 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
Dec. 19 - Treviso, Italy - New Age
Dec. 20 - Rome, Italy - Alpheus
Dec. 21 - Moscow, Russia - Maximum Concert Hall

Dominick Tancredi will play bass for Bach on December 21 in Moscow, Russia.

Sebastian was interviewed on the December 4, 2009 edition of "The Rock Report", which airs on the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada radio station Power 97. Bach talks about his upcoming solo album, which he plans to record in March, his friendship with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose and the possibility of him joining AEROSMITH as the band's new lead singer.

Sebastian recently collaborated with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta on several tracks for Bach's new solo album, with Nick and Charlie Bellmore of the Connecticut band PHANTOMS assisting during the pre-production process. The singer has also written material with John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON).

Bach is best known for selling 20 million albums as the former lead singer of SKID ROW. He has gone on to star on Broadway and television, including five seasons on CW's "Gilmore Girls", as well as hit shows on VH1, MTV and CMT. Bach's most recent studio project was "Angel Down", his first solo album since 1999. The record features 14 songs with a guest appearance by GUNS N' ROSES front man Axl Rose on three cuts, including a blistering version of AEROSMITH's "Back In The Saddle".

Finnish modern thrash/death-influenced metal band DEAD SHAPE FIGURE has entered D-Studio in Nurmijärvi, Finland to begin recording its second album, "The Disease Of St. Vitus", for a spring 2010 release via Dynamic Arts Records.

Commented the group, "We have already recorded drum tracks for five songs.

"The recording process has gone smooth and we have three days left for the drums. Should be no problem to finish those tracks without a hurry... After that, we will have a one-week break and then we come back to D-Studio and record the guitars and the bass.

"Vocals will be done with Mikko Herranen (RUST, MISERY INC., VELCRA) in a secret lair with a help of a mysterious producer. After that, Mr. Herranen will mix the album and then the mastering process and after that we should have a print-ready album to go-go."