Metal Mayhem Music will release Condemned To Burn - The UK Tour Collection EP from EDEN'S CURSE on November 30th to coincide with the band's imminent UK Tour.

The band have pulled out some true hidden gems from their personal archives to create a true collector's item for all fans of Eden's Curse, coupling as a great introduction to the band's music with songs from both the self-titled debut and sophomore record The Second Coming, being featured as well as some live recordings from the May 2009 UK Tour with STRATOVARIUS and FIREWIND.

The Condemned To Burn - UK Tour Collection EP features the following tracks:

'Prisoner Of The Past' (US bonus track)
'Angels & Demons' (demo)
'Sail On' (acoustic version)
'Man Against The World' (demo)
'Judgement Day' (demo)
'Eyes Of The World' (demo)
'Stronger Than The Flame' (demo - featuring Carsten Lizard Schulz)
'Masquerade Ball' (live)
'Just Like Judas' (live)

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has issued the following update:

"In addition to the full songs 'No Friend of Mine', 'And I Know', and 'Between the Lines', samples from three more songs from BK3 are now available to whet your appetite for the February 16th release of BK3 on Twenty 4 Records /Rocket Science Ventures.

You will find clips from 'Ain't Gonna Die' (featuring Gene Simmons), 'Final Mile', and 'I'm The Animal' (featuring Tobias Sammet and Eric Singer) in the audio player on the home page and BK3 album page. Enjoy!"

As previously reported, Kulick has inked a deal with Frontier's Records, for the European release of his new BK3 album, on January 29th.

BK3 will be released February 16th in North America on Twenty 4 Records /Rocket Science Ventures.

Bassist and producer Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) is currently recording the vocals of Amanda Somerville (AVANTASIA) in Audiospezialist Studio in Stuttgart, Germany with drummer Martin Schmidt for the new project KISKE/SOMERVILLE (tentative project name). Guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) just recorded his parts at his own studio Stuntguitar in Sweden and Sander Gommans (AFTER FOREVER, HDK) will record some additional lead guitars. The album is scheduled for release in spring/summer 2010 via Frontiers Records.

This is the final track listing with the composers in parenthesis:

'Nothing Left To Say' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'Silence' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'If I Had A Wish' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'One Night Burning' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'Arise' (Sander Gommans and Amanda Somerville)
'End Of The Road' (Mat Sinner and Jimmy Kresic)
'Don't Walk Away' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'Devil In Her Heart' (Mat Sinner and Jimmy Kresic)
'Rain' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)
'A Thousand Suns' (Sander Gommans and Amanda Somerville)
'Second Chance' (Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson)

Bonus track:
'Set A Fire' (Sander Gommans and Amanda Somerville)

There will be a promotional video clip for this release. Mat Sinner told the Kiske Official Fanclub in the next few weeks they'll make a decision about who will create the artwork for the CD and also the video clip director.

German black metallers DARK FORTRESS will release their new album, Ylem, via Century Media Records on the following dates:

Germany/Austria/Switzerland - January 22nd, 2010
Europe - January 25th, 2010
North America - February 9th, 2010

The album will feature the following tracklisting:

'Ylem'
'As The World Keels Over'
'Osiris'
'Silence'
'Evenfall'
'Redivider'
'Satan Bled'
'Hirundineans'
'Nemesis'
'The Valley'
'Wraith'

Cenury Media Records recently reported:

Tampa-based death metallers DIABOLIC have completed recording their fifth full-length CD, Excisions Of Exorcisms. The band’s current lineup includes founding members Aantar Coates (drums), Paul Ouellette (bass/vocals), and guitarists Kelly McLauchlin (UNHOLY GHOST, PESSIMIST) and Jeff Parrish (BLASTMASTERS).

The CD was recorded at D.O.W. Studios in Seffner, FL with producer Juan “Punchy” Gonzalez (MORBID ANGEL, TERRORIZER, UNHOLY GHOST, live sound for NILE).

Tracklisting is as follows:
'Excisions Of Exorcisms'
'Hellish World'
'Entombed'
'Venomous Habitations'
'Evil in Disguise'
'Bloodwashed'
'False Belief'
'Fragmented Kreations'

Artwork is being completed by Joe Petagno (MOTORHEAD, MARDUK, KRISIUN, ANGELCORPSE). A label will be announced shortly, and the band expecting a Feb/Mar 2010 release date.

Diabolic is scheduled to appear at Michigan Deathfest 20th Anniversary, July 16th and 17th 2010 along with DECEASED, NATRON, GODHATE, ACHERON, GODLESS RISING and more.

Austrian black metallers VALFEANOR have released their sophomore album on Swiss label Black Tower Productions. Titled Noreia, the album is named after the ancient city in the Eastern Alps, whose location is much disputed, and is often thought to have been situated in the Austrian region of Styria, where Valfeanor is based. The ten-track album is the follow up to Valfeanor’s 2007 release En Ny Tid.


Tracklisting as follows:

'Noreia'
'Christian Eclipse'
'Emptiness/Dolorosus/Hate'
'A Wintry Sea'
'Glacially Ancient Existence'
'Forsaken'
'Aeon Der Schatten'
'Soil of Wisdom'
'Region des Nebels und des Regens'
'Deepression'

Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED have entered guitarist Fredrik Folkare's Chrome studio to begin recording their tenth full-length album for an early 2010 release via Nuclear Blast Records. According to the band, the musical direction of the forthcoming CD will be "the logical continuation from 'Midvinterblot' [2006] and 'Hammer Battalion' [2008]. Lyrically, you will recognize what has become the UNLEASHED trademark since more than 20 years, the combination of the past, present and future of viking struggle and way of life. A few of the songs also mark the beginning of a story never before told."

Dr Rock from Thequietus.com spoke with shock rock legend ALICE COOPER recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Thequietus.com: For a period of time you drank heavily. Would it be fair to assume that the character of Alice Cooper swallowed you up?

Cooper: "I was probably the most efficient alcoholic around - I never missed a show, I never slurred a word. When I was doing acting, I never missed my lines. And then I started realising why that was – when I went to the hospital the doctor would sit there and question me about my drinking and he would ask 'How much did you drink on stage?' and I’d go 'I don’t drink on stage.' And he said 'What?' I went 'When I’m working I never drink.' 'So when you’re up there for a few hours you never drink?' I said 'No.' 'With your acting do you drink when you’re on film?' I said 'No.' So he said 'Alice isn’t the alcoholic, you are. You’re blaming everything on Alice and Alice doesn’t even drink.' I had to sit there for a minute and go “You’re absolutely right." When I was actually working I never did drink. So it’s really funny that I pushed the blame on Alice Cooper when Alice wasn’t the problem at all. I was the problem."

Thequietus.com: Why did the original Alice Cooper band break up in the mid '70s? After all you were on a high, popularity-wise.

Cooper: "The reason why we broke up was because I wanted to keep doing theatrics and they wanted to take all that down and not really work on theatrics anymore. They just wanted to be a band. I said 'People are eating out of our hands just now, we won that war. The war that we couldn’t win we won and now you wanna go back?!' I said 'I want a ticket now to a place that nobody’s ever seen before.' I was already thinking of Welcome To My Nightmare and they were going 'Nah, we wanna go back in the other direction.' That was really the reason the band broke up. But we never broke up with any sort of negative feelings. There was never a time when Dennis, Neil and I were yelling at each other."

Thequietus.com: Please tell me about your new album that’s due to come out in 2010. What can we expect?

Cooper: "I’m not gonna be very specific with you but I’m gonna say this – I’m creating this new character that Alice will be playing. Also a villain. At the same time it’s going to be a character that’s going to allow Alice to stretch out musically a little bit more. He’s a bit of a phantom but what he does allows the music to do a lot of things. It’ll be pretty interesting.

FEAR FACTORY — the newly revamped band featuring original FF members Dino Cazares (guitar) and Burton C. Bell (vocals) alongside bassist Byron Stroud (who played on the last two FEAR FACTORY albums in addition to touring and recording with STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and ZIMMERS HOLE) and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, TESTAMENT) — will release its new album, "Mechanize", in the U.S. on February 9, 2010 via Candlelight Records and February 5, 2010 in Europe via AFM Records. The CD, which was co-produced by the band with Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, PARADISE LOST), was recently mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY).

"Mechanize" track listing:

01. Mechanize
02. Industrial Discipline
03. Fear Campaign
04. Powershifter
05. Christploitation
06. Oxidizer
07. Controlled Demolition
08. Designing The Enemy
09. Metallic Division
10. Final Exit

Regarding the new album's lyrical approach, Bell stated, "In the past, the lyrical concept was of a futuristic, 'sci-fi' nature. An attempt to protect the ideas and logic of those involved in FEAR FACTORY; because those who incite progressive thought are always chastised and persecuted. By placing the 'story' into a futuristic, fictional narrative, the words and ideas may not have seemed threatening. Not so for 'Mechanize'. These are the words of a reality that once seemed distant, that are now apparently, and evidently real. These are the words of the world in which we live; for what once seemed like a story of another time, has come to be our reality today. Welcome to the world of 'Mechanize'."

"Mechanize" track-by-track guide by Burton C. Bell:

01. Mechanize

Bell: "The title track describes our world as the soulless program that it is.
Every part serves a purpose. There is no such concept as individuality within the
machine. We have carved our place inside the machine. We have grown banal
within our apathy. We have become mechanized."

02. Industrial Discipline

Bell: "The term was taken from the book 'The Third Wave'. It explains the path in which the industrial complex, and it's construct, initiated the path of conformity. Everyone worked for the benefit of the machine, not for themselves. The discipline begins in mass education, determining time and placement, superiors and subordinates, rank and file. Humanity has been disciplined to do the work for the machine, therefore becoming the machine."

02. Fear Campaign

Bell: "It was not necessary to camouflage the insanity of the world of today within a science fiction setting. The world today has become the world that writers predicted long ago. The controlling authorities are constantly, and successfully, utilizing the fear tactic to control the masses, through misinformation and distraction. Fear is bondage. Fear is slavery. Fear is Hell. Fear is control."

04. Powershifter

Bell: "Change is an inevitable course in nature and humanity. This world has seen much change as of late, and it is true globally, nationally, and personally. This is a true story of a personal struggle against a controlling and ineffectual organization. There is always a choice, and the choice is never easy."

05. Christploitation

Bell: "Christianity has become a parody of itself. Through the ages, exploitation of myths, words, and the use of the fear tactic, have ruled the masses. We have seen so much death and destruction in the name of a man made god that it means nothing. What is faith, but the belief in an archaic superstition; an overwhelming fear to face reality of the world today. Invoking the name of Christ has become a common practice The original concept does not apply. This is control through conformity and a false sense of morality."

06. Oxidizer

Bell: "One molecule of oxygen can alter the course of the world. It can start the deterioration slowly through rust, or it can quickly incinerate everything in
it's path. Either way, change is going to happen. This is about the trial by fire."

07. Controlled Demolition

Bell: "So many questions, so many lies, so perfect a destruction. All one has to do is consider the theories. Why is it so difficult to believe that our elected officials are above destructive corruption? History has proved that absolute control through violence and deception is a common theme. Consider the alternative thought, and you may see there is truth behind the False Flag."

08. Designing The Enemy

Bell: "Everything that occurs is a direct consequence of our own actions, creations, and manifestations. The machine that creates will ultimately be our demise. It is coming, the future is here."

09. Metallic Division

Bell: "The rhythm of mechanical death..."

10. Final Exit

Bell: "Based on the organization of the same name. A group of individuals with enough compassion to assist those who are interested in 'self-deliverance' from their intolerable pain. Is it compassion that drives the ability to help one commit suicide? This is a statement about the world in which we live, when the only cure for cancer, AIDS, MS ( and any other debilitating disease ) is death. Where is compassion to to assist our fellow human being in their time of unbearable pain, to keep them alive without hope of survival? Where is the compassion to find a cure, or to eliminate the diseases entirely? There is no profit in the cure... only pain and suffering."

*** "Powershifter" *** lyrics:

Feared your control and excessive greed
Abuse of your power disgraced me
You want war
You got war
More than you bargained for
I damn you and leave defiantly
Cut you out and take it all with me
You want war
You got war
More than you bargained for
Always question authority, control my own destiny
Forcing change, breaking free
From the gears of the machine
Changing my world so I can live
Execution powershift
I will forge my place in this time
Contention is sharply refined
I will expose you and force your demise
To take control of what is truly mine

Regarding "Mechanize"'s musical direction, Bell told Sergio Alvite of Mexico's Search & Destroy, "It has the raw aggression of what 'Soul Of A New Machine' [1992] was but it has... I would say it has the maturity of 'Obsolete' [1998]. When I say 'maturity,' I mean that it has the songwriting skills that 'Soul Of A New Machine' did not have whereas 'Obsolete' did."

Swedish death metallers GODHATE have inked a three-album deal with Metal Age Productions. The band's new CD, "Equal In The Eyes Of Death", will be released before the end of the year.

Commented the band: "From the very beginning we had a very good feeling about Metal Age Productions. The way they acted and their attitude towards us was more than we expected. They were simply the underground label we were looking for. A label with great ambitions and down-to-earth attitude. They were serious and ready to tell us about their visions whenever we wanted to.

"We have had this record deal in the works for quite long and we are both relieved to have this contract sealed as much as eager to begin the journey towards higher levels."

GODHATE guitarist/vocalist Tony Freed previously stated about the band's new album, "It sounds very harsh and raw but still with a very good production and a production which is far better than we have ever had. It contains some of the best songs we have ever written and this is, by far, the best CD we have ever recorded. This is the masterpiece!"

The new GODHATE album was engineered by Dino Medanhodzic (CARNAL FORGE guitarist) at Elastic studio.

Four years on from the Hordes Of The Brave album, IRON MASK are back on January 15th, 2010 with their most potent release yet in Shadow Of The Red Baron (Lion Music).

Home to a fine collection of melodic neo-classical tracks, this album is full of first class material from start to finish. Chief songwriter and guitar virtuoso Dushan Petrossi’s particular focus this time was to create superb songs first and foremost where the excellent musicianship only lift the music to an even higher level. This is perfectly exemplified by the first single and video of 'Forever In The Dark'.

'Forever In The Dark' is a dark yet commercial rock track with neo-classical and melodic power metal influences with first class performances from all involved. The video produced by Thomas Neumann is now available for viewing below.

More information on the new album coming soon.

Danish metallers ROYAL HUNT have issued the following fall tour diary update:

"We don’t usually do any shows while working on a new album, but this time around couldn’t pass on an opportunity to play ProgPower and LoudPark; never played these two festivals before and our curiosity level was too high to resist the temptation :-)… and in order to make these events even more special we decided to play one song ('Back To Square One') from our yet-to-be-released new album.

It seemed to be a little odd to include an “unknown” song in our live set (otherwise completed for a festival audience) but what the hell… we are an odd bunch :-).

So here we go – after five days of rehearsals in Copenhagen we’re on the way to..."

Read the full report and check out more photos at this location.

A recent video update from the studio can be seen below.

Cleveland, Ohio metallers ETERNAL LEGACY will release their new album, "Lifeless Alive", on December 8, 2009 via Auburn Records. The CD was recorded at the band's own Mercinary Studios in Cleveland and produced by guitarist/vocalist Jason Vanek. The album's cover art was designed by German artist Frank Fiedler, with additional art design by Alex Yarborough.

Commented Vanek: "This album has more attitude and power in a heavier more polished direction with less keys. It's a good mix of driving, dark metal with killer melodies and a heavier edge than our debut. The sound of LEGACY is born!"

"Lifeless Alive" track listing:

01. Purblind
02. Lifeless Alive
03. Souls Of Prey
04. Abbadon
05. Visionary Sin
06. Misery's End
07. Lost But Not Alone
08. Fight The Heavens
09. Wicked Glory
10. Braindead
11. The Dead Matter (bonus track)

Nuclear Blast Records has set a January 15 release date for "Shovel Headed Tour Machine (Live At Wacken And Other Assorted Atrocities)" from San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans EXODUS. The package will contain the band's July 2008 performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, plus a documentary following the band through the last five years of touring as well as bonus footage, with photo galleries and all of the group's promotional videos. The set will consist of two DVDs plus an audio CD of the Wacken performance.

"Shovel Headed Tour Machine (Live At Wacken And Other Assorted Atrocities)" limited three-disc digipack:

Disc 1: Concert DVD / Disc 2: Concert CD

01. Bonded By Blood
02. Iconoclasm
03. Funeral Hymn
04. A Lesson In Violence
05. Children Of A Worthless God
06. Piranha
07. Deathamphetamine
08. Blacklist
09. War Is My Shepherd
10. Strike Of The Beast
11. Shovel Headed Kill Machine

Total running time: 68 minutes

Disc 3: Documentary DVD

Steven Rosen of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Do you listen to new bands in any serious way?

Kerry: I get CDs probably more than anybody in the band because I do more signings than anybody and people always bring 'em out. My rule of thumb is if somebody has time to give me a disc, I got time to listen to at least a couple songs eventually. So, yeah, I listen to a lot of stuff.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What about touring with bands like LAMB OF GOD and CHILDREN OF BODOM? Does what they do rub off on SLAYER at all?

Kerry: We've played with LAMB OF GOD and BODOM. I just saw BODOM in Japan; they played the same show we did. I loved 'em. We've been on tour with them many times.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: "World Painted Blood" presented a slightly different wrinkle inasmuch as you wrote the record in the studio instead of having the material prepared before you started recording? Do you think that lent more of an organic and cohesive feel to the record?

Kerry: Yeah, that, and also what I think really affected us was consciously making sure nothing sounded the same. We wrote so quickly that it's really easy for songs to sound similar. So I know I went out of my way to make up riffs that sounded different than songs I'd already done for this album. So I think that made it overall more cohesive.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: As a songwriter and a guitar player, you were trying to stretch yourself?

Kerry: I think that's just part of being a guitar player and making up new music. Like I always try to think of things that I don't think I've heard before or haven't necessarily heard SLAYER do. Like on this album, "Snuff" opens with a tradeoff lead in the beginning. And I know we've started songs off with leads but I don't think we've started one with a tradeoff. Even in that song there's a recurring double lead later in the song which I know we've never done. So even though people have done that, we haven't. And if I can ever think of something I've never heard anybody do, yeah, I'll definitely try to get that happening as well.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Because you write so many of the riffs in the songs, do you already have a sort of pre-conceived idea of what the solo is going to be? Do you come in with solo ideas or are they off the cuff?

Kerry: I generally go in with like 75 or 80 per cent figured out and then I go into record one that I made up in my room. Even though it sounds cool in my room, once you get in there playing it to the track, it may not be as cool as you thought it was so that might have to morph once I'm in there recording. And then there's ones where if it's gonna be a whammy fest, have fun on the trem bar, I might have a couple notes that I'll get to. But Dime told me ages ago as one of my pieces of advice that I kept from Dime, "Do what you do. Don't make up everything when you've had success. Just go in there wreaking havoc with the whammy bar." So I kind of do that today. I go in like I said maybe 80 per cent ready to rock and then room for embellishment.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: On the other side of things, are there times when a section really doesn't work or you've missed the mark with the solo?

Kerry: Oh, absolutely. I look back at "South of Heaven" as one of my low-points as a lead player because I just went in there and half-assed everything. I saw myself turning up on guitar polls and I understand they're popularity contests but if enough people are paying attention, I should be paying attention and I should be doing something better with what I'm doin'. That's why I went back and took some lessons before "Seasons in the Abyss" and brushed up on how I should be approaching leads and stuff like that.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Going back to the beginning, what does "Show No Mercy" mean to you now?

Kerry: Well, sonically it's pretty horrible [laughs]. People ask me if I ever get bummed out by people that sound like SLAYER on their first album? I'm like, "Why would I? Our first album is fuckin' IRON MAIDEN here and there." It's essential to emulate your heroes to help you find what you need to become. And I don't think we really landed on that until "Reign in Blood". I think we were still lookin' for it and that one kind of filled it up for us. I think people gotta start somewhere and emulating a hero is a good place to start.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Where would you have been if SLAYER hadn't won the Grammys and sold all those records? Would you still be doing it without the success?

Kerry: It's hard to say. That's a very open question with lots of ways for things to go down. But it's safe to say that. I mean if this ended tomorrow, I would probably continue to play with Dave [Lombardo] because Dave has loads of fire left. And I've got loads of friends in this business who would be stoked to play with me and I'd be stoked to play with them. There's so many options for me to play with. People talked about me, Dime, and Zakk for a long time; and people talk about me and Zakk or me and this guy or me and that guy. And that may happen at some point.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: You bring up Zakk so certainly you heard about Ozzy firing him. Any feelings about that?

Kerry: Yeah, mostly bitter. Zakk is my friend and Ozzy's an acquaintance but Zakk is such a superstar, to see anybody in his place doesn't make sense to me. And just introducing a new guitar player with Ozzy now doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. What's Ozzy gonna do that he hasn't done?

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Have you heard Gus G. play?

Kerry: I'm sure he's awesome for Ozzy to even breathe his name but there's such a legacy with Zakk. He's such a Rhoads disciple. Hopefully it works out well for Ozz and Zakk's got BLACK LABEL, for sure. But I just don't know. I did the Ozzfest in '08, the one they had in Dallas when they had the Dime tribute. I went up and played with Vinnie Paul and Mike Inez and Chad from MUDVAYNE and later on, of course, there's Zakk playing with Ozzy and he was killing and running around and doing his Zakk Wylde thing. That's a big thing to replace.