Century Media has set a November 13 release date for SENTENCED's complete discography in a coffin-styled box set. Entitled "Coffin - The Complete Discography", the set will include 16 CDs (144 audio tracks), 2 DVDs (42 videos) and a book.

Limited to 4,000 copies worldwide, "Coffin - The Complete Discography" contains:

CD 1 - "When Death Joins Us" (demo)
CD 2 - "Rotting Ways To Misery" (demo)
CD 3 - "Shadows Of The Past"
CD 4 - "Journey To Pohjola" (demo)
CD 5 - "North From Here"
CD 6 - "The Trooper"
CD 7 - "Amok"
CD 8 - "Love & Death"
CD 9 - "Down"
CD 10 - "Frozen"
CD 11 - "Crimson"
CD 12 - "The Cold White Light"
CD 13 - "The Funeral Album"
CD 14 - "Buried Alive I"
CD 15 - "Buried Alive II"
CD 16 - "Dead Leaves" (A Collection Of B-Sides And Rarities)
DVD 1 - "Buried Alive I"
DVD 2 - "Buried Alive II"

The September 2009 issue of U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine (see cover image below) includes an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine conducted by Jenn Selby. An excerpt from the chat follows.

Terrorizer: Is [MEGADETH's new album] "Endgame" better than [METALLICA's latest CD] "Death Magnetic"?

Mustaine: "Yes."

Terrorizer: Why?

Mustaine: "To me, one sounds like a record and the other sounds like a jam. Plus we have two lead guitar players. In METALLICA you've got one [referring to Kirk Hammett. — Ed], and he ripped me off anyway.

"I was just speaking to Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] about the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame thing [Mustaine was invited to attend METALLICA's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in April, but didn't get inducted along with his former bandmates. — Ed.], and I said, 'You know what?! I don't give a fuck about you anymore.'

"I used to have this thing that I was secretly pining over one day, getting up there and playing with them again. And I'm thinking, what song would I play? And how could I even stand it?

"I like playing with guys who can keep time.

"I've heard people say that some of the best METALLICA songs they ever heard was when the guy from SLIPKNOT was playing the drums." (SLIPKNOT's Joey Jordison famously sat in for Ulrich when the METALLICA drummer fell ill and could not make it to U.K.'s Download festival in the summer of 2004.)

Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for around 11 months before being dismissed in 1983 and replaced by Hammett. He did not play on any METALLICA albums and did not attend their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame earlier this year.

Mustaine went on to form MEGADETH. The band's 12th studio album, "Endgame", was released in September.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS were forced to halt their show last night (Tuesday, October 13) in Maracay, Venezuela for around 15 minutes after the crowd reportedly went nuts and broke the barricade in front of the stage.

Fan-filmed video footage of the incident, which occurred during the song "Fabulous Disaster", can be viewed here. (Note: EXODUS vocalist Rob Dukes can be seen/heard asking for the rest of the band to stop playing around the 3:30 mark.)

EXODUS is currently touring Mexico and South America with German thrashers KREATOR.

Nuclear Blast Records has set a January 15 release date for "Shovel Headed Tour Machine (Live At Wacken And Other Assorted Atrocities)" from 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.

It turns out that the road collision that OPETH's tour bus was involved in earlier this week was no accident. Mikael Åkerfeldt, the guitarist/vocalist for the Swedish progressive metal band, who was not travelling on the bus at the time of the incident, writes on his MySpace page, "I just got a text from [Martin] Mendez [OPETH bassist] who's saying that the driver of the other car (who made the U-turn [in the middle of the highway]) that our bus crashed into, sadly passed away from his injuries. On top of that it seems as if it was a deliberate death stunt from his side as the police had found a suicide letter in the car wreck."

Mikael adds, "I've no idea who he was, but I have to say our condolences goes out to his family and loved ones."

OPETH's tour bus was travelling from Dublin, Ireland to Brussels, Belgium when the incident occurred.

Mendez and keyboardist Per Wiberg were the only two members of OPETH that were present on the bus at the time of the crash.

Åkerfeldt, drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot and guitarist Fredrik Åkesson had opted to fly home to their families for a few days while the band had three days off before its next concert (October 17 in Brussels as part of the Progressive Nation 2009 tour with DREAM THEATER, BIGELF and UNEXPECT).

"Black'N'Roll", the sophomore album from BLACK RIVER, the Polish rock band featuring Orion (BEHEMOTH, VESANIA), Daray (DIMMU BORGIR, ex-VADER), Taff (ROOTWATER), Kay (ex-NEOLITHIC) and Art (SOULBURNERS), has entered the national chart in the group's home country at position No. 20.

The follow-up to the band's 2008 self-titled debut, "Black'N'Roll" was recorded in Studio Sonus and Studio Gdansk and was engineered by Malta (BEHEMOTH). It consists of 11 adrenaline-fuelled songs in vein of THE CULT, MONSTER MAGNET and DANZIG. Kay states, "It has the taste of good whisky, it smells with sweat of girls dancing at the strip bar and with odor of car tires burnt on tarmac."

"Black'N'Roll" (cover) track listing:

01. Barf Bag
02. Isabel
03. Lucky In Hell
04. Black'N'roll
05. Breaking The Wall
06. Jumping Queenny Flash
07. Too Far Away
08. Loaded Weapon
09. Morphine
10. Like A Bitch
11. Young'N'Drunk

BLACK RIVER has just returned from a successful tour with BEHEMOTH, where they played 10 shows for over 10,000 fans.

Four songs from the CD are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Mystic Production will release "Black'N'Roll" in other parts of the world in January 2010.

Swedish death metallers HYPOCRISY have enlisted CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho to play guitar on their upcoming North American tour. Alexi will temporarily fill the currently vacant guitarist spot on the trek, which will also include headliners ENSIFERUM alongside EX DEO, BLACKGUARD and SWASHBUCKLE.

Commented HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren: "We're very happy to bring Alexi along on this tour and that he's helping us out with filling the second guitarist position.

"Funny, the first CHILDREN OF BODOM show was a support gig for HYPOCRISY on the Nuclear Blast festival in '98. Since then, me and Alexi have become very good friends. I've helped him with producing and he's helped me by contributing a guitar solo on one of my records with my other band PAIN.

"There will be no shortage of alcohol on this tour, that's for sure."

Rob Zombie's fourth solo studio album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool", will be released on November 17 via Geffen Records. "Hellbilly Deluxe" was the name of Zombie's first and most successful solo outing, issued back in 1998.

"The plan was always to make this kind of like the sequel to 'Hellbilly Deluxe', but I didn't want to force it," Zombie tells AOL's Noisecreep. "I always figure records dictate their own journey. You might say, 'Oh, we're going to write the heaviest thing ever.' But you get in there and, you know, you might write things that aren't heavy that are great, so you kind of go with it. But this one seems like a great follow-up to that record."

"The record's really varied, just like the first one," Zombie says of the new CD. "There are huge, epic songs with 100-piece orchestras. And then there's something like 'What,' which is just the four of us in a garage literally playing live together and making a big noise."

"Hellbilly Deluxe 2" track listing:

01. Jesus Frankenstein
02. Sick Bubblegum
03. What?
04. Mars Needs Women
05. Werewolf, Baby!
06. Virgin Witch
07. Death and Destiny Inside The Dream Factory
08. Burn
09. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs

Mike Williams, vocalist for EYEHATEGOD, OUTLAW ORDER and ARSON ANTHEM and author of "Cancer as a Social Activity: Affirmations of World's End", delivers anti-social misanthropic spoken-word and power electronics on a new limited-edition seven-inch single, available from Chrome Peeler Records.

Side Zero: "That's What the Obituary Said" is a spoken prose piece with ambient backing by Ryan McKern (Williams' bandmate in noise/electro punk duo called THE GUILT OF…). The other Side Zero: "Ten Suicides" was originally a BLOODYMINDED track with vocals by Mike Williams and now newly remixed by Mark Solotroff (INTRINSIC ACTION, BLOODYMINDED).

* Original artwork by Mike Williams is presented in an 11" x 17" poster and lyric booklet
* Black with yellow splatter colored vinyl
* Limited to 500 copies

Orders will ship at the end of October 2009.

Pre-order the Mike Williams seven-inch directly from Chrome Peeler Records at this location.

FIREBIRD, the British power trio led by CARCASS/ex-NAPALM DEATH guitarist Bill Steer, has issued the following update:

"It is with sadness that we announce the departure of Smok Smoczkiewicz [bass] from FIREBIRD.

"This split has come quite unexpectedly, and is due to personal reasons.

"We would like to wish him the very best in all his endeavors. It's safe to say you'll be hearing more from this outstanding musician in the future.

"As our appearances at Loud Park [in Japan on October 17] and Damnation [in Leeds, U.K. on October 24] festivals are almost upon us, we have spoken to a couple of old friends who have kindly offered to help out. We'll give you more details shortly."

Swiss noise-mongers KRUGER recently entered Déclanché studio in Yverdon, Switzerland to begin recording their fourth album, "For Death, Glory And The End Of The World". The drum-recording sessions were scheduled to take three days before the band was to move back to its hometown of Lausanne to lay down the guitar, bass and vocals. A posting on KRUGER's MySpace page reads, "After splitting hairs for the past ten months on this upcoming album, the band is pretty excited to finally lay on tape the nine new tracks, which are due for a February 2010 release on the spirited label Listenable Records."

KRUGER's third album "Redemption through Looseness" was mixed at Godcity Recordings by Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, CAVE IN, OLD MAN GLOOM) and mastered by Alan Douches (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, NILE, MASTODON). It was released in 2007 in Europe and North America via Listenable Records.

"These Woods Breathe Evil", a brand new song from Finnish doom metallers SWALLOW THE SUN, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's fifth album, "New Moon", which is scheduled for release on November 10 via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH. Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, ex-ROTTEN SOUND) has been recruited to play drums on the album following the recent departure of longtime skinsman Pasi Pasanen.

"New Moon" (cover) track listing:

01. These Woods Breathe Evil
02. Falling World
03. Sleepless Swans
04. And Heavens Cried Blood
05. Lights on the Lake (Horror Pt. III)
06. New Moon
07. Servant of Sorrow
08. Weight of the Dead

A mini-site for the CD can be accessed at this location.

German death metallers FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING will release their long-awaited fourth album, "The Everhaunting Past / Chapter IV - A Splendid Retrospection", on October 16 via Cyclone Empire Records. The CD's cover artwork, which was once again created by Sascha Ehrich, can be viewed below.

"The Everhaunting Past / Chapter IV - A Splendid Retrospection" (cover) track listing:

01. Ahead! (Prologue) (01:36)
02. Vast (05:49)
03. Run Ashored In The Yesteryears (04:50)
04. Destination: Outcast (04:49)
05. Deadlight (04:29)
06. A Raintime Illustration (02:48)
07. A Voice Says: "Destroy!" (04:02)
08. The Exiled Choir (05:13)
09. Below All That Is Mortal (05:06)
10. It's Me, The Grotesque (05:11)
11. Diabolical Monologue (04:38)
12. One Last Border Yet To Cross (Epilogue) (04:04)

FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING recently announced the addition of bassist Christopher Körtgen (SMILODON, CHAOS HD) to the group's ranks.

The band's last album, "Sterling Black Icon", was released in March 2006 via Metal Blade.

David Marchese of SPIN.com recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford. A couple of excepts from the chat follow below.

SPIN.com: Have you always been interested in designing clothing?

Halford: Everything that you've seen me wear over the years comes from sitting down with the people who make my clothes and putting the designs together. I've always been interested in clothing. I'm not a fashionista, but I enjoy wearing cool clothes so it seemed like a natural thing to do. It's also a good extension for my Metal God production company. We want to be a broad-based platform for all production ideas — whether it be music or DVDs or clothing.

SPIN.com: Was it difficult to avoid the cliché of heavy metal style? Stuff like pentagrams and gothic lettering?

Halford: We want to provide something that everyone can relate to. Tremendous amounts of forethought went into the launch phase, so the imagery carries a rock and roll spirit — it's edgy, it's exciting to look at, it's vibrant — but the appeal is broad-based. We want to be very mainstream.

SPIN.com: So there are no plans to put out Rob Halford-brand leather chaps?

Halford: Who knows?! In my gay world, it's all fashion. [Halford came out in 1998.] It's all, "What are you wearing? Where are you going out tonight?" Blah blah blah. I don't mean that to be stereotypical! Anything's possible though.

SPIN.com: Tell me about the holiday album. You've wanted to do this for a while?

Halford: Putting this side of me onto an album is something I've wanted to do forever. When the idea first came out, it wasn't like, "Let's do 'Do Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'." No, I'm not going to do that. We been very selective in picking some beautiful, timeless classics and giving them some great heavy arrangements.

Keyboardist Kristen Randall has announced her departure from the Los Angeles-based symphonic hardcore death metal outfit WINDS OF PLAGUE.

"I have decided to leave my current position as keyboardist with WINDS OF PLAGUE and I'd like to personally thank each member of the band, as well as all of our fans," Kristen said. "These experiences we shared have been such a huge part of my life the past couple years and I will cherish that forever. I wish the band the best of luck in their future endeavors. As for myself, music is my deepest passion and I look forward to working with musicians who have the same work ethic and honorable disposition."

Belgian black metallers GORATH have inked a multi-album deal with Germany's Twilight Vertrieb. The band's fourth CD, "MXCII", is due in early 2010. According to the group, the effort is "a concept album all about local history, facts and religious items — all seen through the eyes of the heretic."

"MXCII" was mixed at Shumcot Studio by Renier Schenk and was mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound.

"MXCII" (cover) track listing:

01. Tombeveld
02. Thiedenbecke
03. Doed over't Galgeveld
04. Do ut Des
05. Godsgerecht Geschiedde
07. Heidewake
08. Gesta Sancti Servatii

GORATH is:

F. Dupont: vocals, guitars
B. Put: guitars
D. Grondelaers: bass
K. De Leener: drums

"Repulsive Salvation", the new video from Ohio extreme metallers SKELETONWITCH, can be viewed here. The clip was filmed in September by director David Brodsky at the Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn, NewYork.

"Repulsive Salvation" comes off SKELETONWITCH's new album, "Breathing the Fire", which was released on October 13 via Prosthetic Records. The CD's cover artwork was designed by Andrei Bouzikov, who has previously worked with MUNICIPAL WASTE and many others.

SKELETONWITCH began recording "Breathing The Fire" on June 14 in Seattle at both Studio Litho (owned by PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard) and producer Jack Endino's own Soundhouse Recording.

SKELETONWITCH has just completed a tour with CHILDREN OF BODOM and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The band will now head to Europe for a rotating co-headline run with TOXIC HOLOCAUST and GOATWHORE.

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 — is scheduled to enter the studio today (Tuesday, October 13) to begin recording its second album for an early 2010 release. "As has happened before, the band has too many songs and no filler that could easily be discarded," reads a press release. " And that's a good thing. So far things are shaping up to be heavy and slightly unusual. Which is also a good thing. There's also an album title floating around, but we can't tell you quite yet..."

The new CD is once again being produced by Sorychta.

ENEMY OF THE SUN's latest 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."

Reformed German thrashers EXUMER released their first new song in 23 years, titled "Waking The Fire", featuring founding member Mem V. Stein on vocals. The track is taken from the band's new two-track demo, which was partially recorded in Hawaii and Germany during the last tour earlier this year.

Commented Stein: "I tracked the vocals for 'Waking the Fire' in Hawaii with Paul (guitars/vocals) last year and the entire band tracked the rest of the music in Germany during our '5 Nights of Fire' tour. This should give people an idea of how committed we are to the project and the logistical challenges involved with keeping the band going. Nevertheless, we find the results nothing short of amazing and the song's aggression and energy speaks for itself.

"At this point, we have written over half of the new album and I think we should be able to record the whole CD early next year. Right now, we will start looking for a recording or label deal and there are also concrete plans for a European tour next April/May, as well as festival appearances in summer 2010".

You can listen to "Waking the Fire" at this location.

Pittsburgh melodic thrashers CROWN THE LOST have parted ways with bassist Dom Scarano and have replaced him with Tim Boyle. The band states, "Tim comes to us via GRAVE DESIRE (who coincidentally have our producer and current MANTIC RITUAL singer/guitarist Dave Watson in the ranks) and is well-versed in the CROWN THE LOST catalog, so it was a natural decision."

CROWN THE LOST's latest album, "Blind Faith Loyalty", was released in April via Italy-based Cruz del Sur Music. The follow-up to 2006's critically-acclaimed "Reverence Dies Within" expands upon CROWN THE LOST's intricate and memorable blend of progressively tinged thrash and melodic metal, this time with a greater emphasis on vocal dynamics and instrumental breaks.

"A Mandatory Sacrifice", the new video from Chicago deathcore heavyweights OCEANO, can be viewed here. Shot during one of the band's pummeling live performances over the course of last summer's trek with DEVILDRIVER and EMMURE, this clip captures the group in its element, playing to a packed room full of fans who demand nothing less than the band's intense best.

"A Mandatory Sacrifice" comes off OCEANO's debut album, "Depths", which sold 2,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at No. 16 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.

"Depths" was recorded with producer Joey Sturgis (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, MY CHILDREN MY BRIDE) at The Foundation Studios in Connersville, Indiana, and features artwork from Colin Marks (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, ABORTED, WHITECHAPEL). The CD contains 13 tracks of the angriest deathcore cuts ever committed to record, alongside a limited-edition bonus DVD, and is also available as a limited-edition version with two exclusive bonus tracks.

OCEANO will embark on another North American tour in late November. Dubbed the "California Love Tour", the trek will also feature CIRCLE OF CONTEMPT, SLEEPING GIANT, STICK TO YOUR GUNS and WINDS OF PLAGUE.

The all-star band, HAIL! is at it again. Fresh off their tour of Scandinavia, they have announced the that heralded drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN) will join them for their upcoming dates in November and December.

Bostaph will perform alongside bassist David Ellefson, singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH) and guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA) in what could be the most iconic metal lineup ever.

Asked how Bostaph came to play with HAIL!, Ellefson replied, "After Jimmy DeGrasso became unavailable due to his touring commitments with ALICE COOPER, Roy Mayorga came aboard and just slammed for us. His playing throughout the Scandinavian dates was unbelievable, but now he's heading back into the studio with STONE SOUR, so he's unavailable for the next round of shows. We immediately thought of Paul. With Alex Skolnick out playing with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA a small window opened in the TESTAMENT schedule where Paul became available and we jumped at the opportunity."

Kisser chimed in, "Come on, he's Paul Bostaph! Think about it, he's played with three of the greatest thrash bands of all-time, SLAYER, TESTAMENT and EXODUS. What symbolizes more of the spirit of HAIL! than that?! It's an honor to play with him."

Ripper added, "Our goal is to make every HAIL! show a special once-in-a-lifetime event. We strive to make every show different and no two shows have been the same. Look at our set lists on this last run; we must have played 15-20 new songs and half of them we never even rehearsed! I even played a guitar solo one night! We had guest jams with friends from DIMMU BORGIR, MERCYFUL FATE, GORGOROTH, MESHUGGAH, DRAIN STH, KING DIAMOND and we want every fan to know that what they experience at a HAIL! concert will never happen again. We will continue to keep it fresh and exciting and playing with Paul will certainly do that."

Bostaph shared his excitement: "To play with Tim, Andreas and Dave? Talk about an honor, these guys are metal gods! I thought it was super-cool when I first heard about HAIL! and what they were doing. Now to be a part of it is amazing. I'm really looking forward to it and can’t wait."

HAIL! plans to announce more tour dates shortly. Stay tuned.

The group's setlist for the Scandinavian tour consisted of the following classics:

01. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD)
02. Territory (SEPULTURA)
03. Symphony Of Destruction (MEGADETH)
04. Grinder (JUDAS PRIEST)
05. Stand Up And Shout (DIO)
06. Walk (PANTERA)
07. Balls To The Wall (ACCEPT)
08. Neon Knights (BLACK SABBATH)
09. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN)
10. Run To The Hills (IRON MAIDEN)
11. Black Metal (VENOM) (with Andreas on vocals)
12. Green Manalishi (JUDAS PRIEST)
13. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST) / Symptom Of The Universe (BLACK SABBATH)
14. South Of Heaven (SLAYER)
15. Peace Sells (MEGADETH)
16. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH)

Encore:

17. Refuse/Resist (SEPULTURA)
18. Whiplash (METALLICA)

For a musician as talented as guitar maestro Steve Morse, there are no boundaries between genres; there is only his unique sound. On November 17, the STEVE MORSE BAND will release a new studio album, "Out Standing In Their Field", via Eagle Rock Entertainment. This will also be released digitally on October 13.

Morse, who got his start in the DIXIE DREGS in the 1970s, has enjoyed a fruitful career, earning himself a reputation as a "musician's musician." He's spent the last sixteen years shredding for the legendary DEEP PURPLE, in addition to fronting his own band. The release of "Out Standing In Their Field" will be the 12th album to date for the STEVE MORSE BAND.

On this entirely instrumental album, Morse joins forces with bassist Dave LaRue and drummer Van Romaine to pound out un-tethered creativity. A multi-faceted blend of Morse's influences, "Out Standing In Their Field" is a diverse sound spectrum, twisting together elements of rock, country, jazz, funk and classical. Unencumbered by lyrics, Morse's guitar acts as a wailing, exploring siren, channeling emotion and raw power through the language of riffs. In addition to the ten brand new tracks boasted on "Out Standing In Their Field", the band threw in an extra treat: a live recording of their song "Rising Power". This bonus track invokes the goosebump-inducing power the STEVE MORSE BAND conjures on stage.

"Out Standing In Their Field" (cover) track listing:

01. Name Dropping
02. Brink Of The Edge
03. Here and Now and Then
04. Relentless Encroachment
05. John Deere Letter
06. More To The Point
07. Time Junction
08. Unnamed Source
09. Flight Of The Osprey
10. Baroque 'N Dreams
11. Rising Power (Live)

Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR will play in Lebanon on November 13 at Forum De Beyrouth. Vocalist Jape Perätalo states, "We still do not have a new guitarist, so we are using session guitarists [for] this show. There is one guy you already might know, and he is...dadadaaaa... Mika 'Alli' Ahtiainen. Another guitarist will be Toni Toikkanen from Helsinki. We are very thankful for their help with this show!"

TO/DIE/FOR's lineup for the Lebanon concert will be as follows:

Jape Perätalo - Vocals
Tonmi Lillman - Drums
Josey Strandman - Bass
Toni Toikkanen - Guitar
Mika Ahtiainen - Guitar

TO/DIE/FOR is putting the finishing touches on four new songs — "Angelica", "Unknown III", "My Hysteria" and "Sad" (working title) — which will be used to procure new management and a record deal. Perätalo previously stated that "most of the guitars [on the new album] will be played by Krisse. He is not a band member. He is doing this as a session musician and he is Tonmi's [Lillman; TO/DIE/FOR drummer] friend from Helsinki." He added, "We still do not know who will be TO/DIE/FOR guitarist in future, but now we have 'one' who could be."

TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).

"Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)", the new video from DECADENCE — the Sweden-based melodic thrash metal quintet fronted by Kitty Saric (a.k.a. Metallic Kitty) — can be viewed here. The clip was shot earlier in the year with producer Helena Starenby.

"Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)" comes off DECADENCE's fourth album, "Chargepoint", which will be released on October 14 via the Japanese label Spiritual Beast.

"Chargepoint" track listing:

01. Discharge
02. Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)
03. Out Of Ashes
04. Point Of No Return
05. Strength Of Mind
06. Fast Forward
07. Challenge
08. Be Home When I'm Gone
09. The Demons Run (instrumental) (bonus track)

DECADENCE's third album, "3rd Stage of Decay", which was originally released in 2006 through HTI Records, was reissued on August 28, 2008 via Massacre.

About.com's Justin M. Norton chatted with MARDUK founder/guitarist Morgan Håkansson from Sweden recently during a slate of practices preparing for European shows. They discussed the meaning of "Wormwood"; vocalist Mortuus' contributions to the band; the beginning of the black metal scene in Sweden and the release of BURZUM mastermind Varg Vikernes from a Norwegian prison. Excerpts follow below.

About.com: Is there a concept or a story behind "Wormwood"?

Morgan: The title has nothing to do with drinking absinthe. It comes from the Book of Revelations where it says that the stars fall from heaven to earth and poison one third of the water to make it bitter for humans to drink. And if you translate the word "wormwood" to Russian you get "Chernobyl." You know, that was the place of a big nuclear disaster in 1986. A lot of Christians foresaw that as the Book of Revelations taking form and predicted it as the beginning of the end of the world. So, the meaning of this album is a doomsday celebration.

About.com: Considering that your song "Untrodden Paths" was included on the famous "Nordic Metal" tribute compilation for [late MAYHEM mainman] Euronymous, how do you feel about Varg Vikernes being released from prison this year?

Morgan: It was a dispute between them and it wasn't20part of my business. Of course, it was a big thing when it happened. But he was released and that's the way the system works in Scandinavia. I don't really care at all. I haven't even sat down and thought about it. I'm fully occupied with my own business.

About.com: This is Mortuus' third album with the band but he seems to have given his most fierce performance since joining MARDUK. Do you agree?

Morgan: I agree. He's grown a lot into the band. His voice is like an instrument — it's so powerful. This time we used different vocal arrangements to suit his voice. It was a great pleasure to work with him again in the studio. He really paints a picture of what the lyrics are about with his voice. He's the perfect vocalist for what we're doing.

About.com: What happened with the Blackenedfest over the summer?

Morgan: We were all set to go. Everything was set and prepared. Three of us got our visas in time and Mortuus didn't get it in time. And all of the sudden they wanted his papers translated into English even though they didn't want our papers translated. So it was delayed and delayed and when we finally got the visa there were three days left on the tour. So, it was a big disaster. But we were happy to come and do three shows and it was a blast to be in the country after so many years. Now we have a full tour coming up for November and December.

"Storm to Pass", the new video from Orange County, California's ATREYU, can be viewed here. The clip was shot September 22-23 in the desert near Palm Springs, California and was directed by Sean Stiegemeier, who has worked with the band on clips for "Falling Down", "Doomsday", "The Crimson" and "Lip Gloss and Black".

"Storm to Pass" comes off the band's new album, "Congregation of the Damned", which is scheduled for release on October 27. The CD follows up the Southern California act's 2007 major label debut, "Lead Sails Paper Anchor", and contains songs such as "Bleeding Is A Luxury", "Black Days Begin", "You Were King Now You're Unconscious", and "Insatiable". Frontman Alex Varkatzas told The Pulse of Radio what fans can expect from the album. "It's gonna be awesome," he said. "It's gonna be a little more eclectic, I think a lot heavier, and my vocals especially are gonna be a lot more aggressive on this record. I think we've learned a lesson over the course of our four full-lengths, and I think this is gonna be the perfect blend of all of them."

"Congregation Of The Damned" (cover) track listing:

01. Stop! Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed it All
02. Bleeding Is A Luxury
03. Congregation Of The Damned
04. Coffin Nails
05. Black Days Begin
06. Gallows
07. Storm To Pass
08. You Were King Now You're Unconscious
09. Insatiable
10. So Wrong
11. Ravenous
12. Lonely
13. Wait For You

San Francisco Bay Area power/thrashers IMAGIKA have completed recording their new album, "Portrait Of A Hanged Man", at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California. Guitarist Steve Rice will head to KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's Sonic Train Studios on October 26 to mix the CD for an early 2010 release via Metalville. In addition to mixing the effort, La Rocque will make a guest appearance on the instrumental "A God No More".

Commented Steve: "After working with Andy on our two previous CDs, I thought it was time we got him to play a little something on this album. At first I thought about having him play a couple solos here and there, but I had this short instrumental song that I wanted to include on this release and decided it would be great for him to have a go at it. Since it's an acoustic track with fretless bass, etc. I imagined he'd be more into it than just doing the typical guest spot solo. The song has that creepy KING DIAMOND feel already and having Andy play on it will be perfect. It reminds me of the track 'Insanity' from 'The Eye'."

The final track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Scared To Death
02. Keep The Wolves At Bay
03. Shadow Of The Cross
04. Portrait Of A Hanged Man
05. The Hit
06. My Final Hour
07. One Word
08. Simple Servant
09. GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid)
10. A God No More (feat. Andy La Rocque)
11. Halo Of Flies

Metalville is the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG.

IMAGIKA's last album, "Feast for the Hated" was released in the U.S. on May 20, 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD was mixed at Sweden's Sonic Train Studio with Andy La Rocque.

According to a posting on MASTODON's official Twitter profile, the band's October 17, 2009 concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois will be recorded for future release. More information will be made available soon.

MASTODON recently confirmed that they are working with composer John Powell and director Jimmy Hayward on the score to "Jonah Hex", the comic-book Western/horror film starring Josh Brolin in the lead role, with support from John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Michael Fassbender and Michael Shannon. The movie is based on the DC comic series about a horribly scarred antihero who is "a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood."

MASTODON guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds makes a cameo appearance in the film, which is being directed by former Pixar animator Jimmy Hayward for a June 18, 2010 release.