Richie Kotzen (ex-MR. BIG, POISON) will release a new album called "Peace Sign" in Japan on September 9.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. My Messiah
02. Paying Dues
03. Best Of Times
04. Lie To Me
05. Peace Sign
06. We're All Famous
07. You Got Me
08. Long Way From Home
09. Catch Up To Me
10. Your Entertainer
11. Larger Than Life
12. Holding On
13. I Want You Back (THE JACKSON 5 cover)

* Japanese bonus track

Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL entered the Abyss studio on July 10 with producer Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) to begin recording their as-yet-untitled new album.

Commented guitarist Lord Ahriman: "It's been a really tough and hectic schedule for us during the past couple of weeks, but I shall not complain. It actually feels amazingly good to be super-busy again with the band, and especially spending time in the studio recording a new album.

"On the weekends, we have played festivals around Europe. It's been a blast indeed! And on the weekdays we have, and are still, located at the Abyss Studio, recording what surely will become yet another masterpiece, no doubt!

"I must admit that while I/we have been writing for this album my personal impression has been that the material is somewhat slower, not as technical etc., compared to our previous albums. And I actually thought it would become like a 50/50 split with fast and non blast beat songs. I couldn't have been more wrong.

"BPM-wise [beats per minute], we have, in all honestly, toned it down a bit compared to it precursor, but now, when all the music is recorded, my impressions have changed drastically. This is for sure our most intense and technical album to date. It is also our most varied album. And each song surly offers its own unique and personal touch.

"Dominator, our new drummer, offers the most amazing drum work ever on a DARK FUNERAL record. And whether you like our kind of music or not, I'm absolutely sure that you will be totally stunned when you hear what this beast can, and do behind the kit.

"At this very moment E.M Caligula is working on the vocals. Unfortunately I can't tell much about that just yet, but for what I know he will put on his best and most varied vocal performance ever. And I'm as curious as all of you to hear the final result. I'm however totally confident that he'll blow us all away!"

On November 10, 2009, fans will be able to get their hands on the new deluxe version of UNEARTH's latest album, "The March". The CD will come with a bonus DVD featuring a tour documentary entitled "The Three Day March", with footage shot by acclaimed director Doug Spangenberg (LAMB OF GOD, EVERY TIME I DIE, JOB FOR A COWBOY) during UNEARTH's recent tour of the northeastern U.S. The DVD will also contain footage from inside the studio during the band's recording sessions for "The March" as well as party material from the band's recent tour with TESTAMENT, entitled "Gig Life". In addition to the candid behind-the-scenes clips, performance footage of four songs will be included from last year's Wacken Open Air festival. Rounding out the DVD are the three music videos shot for "The March" — "My Will Be Done", "Grave Of Opportunity" and "Crow Killer".

Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) is preparing to release "Addicted" (cover), the second in a series of albums to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker.

Commented Townsend: "With 'Ki' [the first DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT album], I kind of strode out in uncharted territories for myself musically, and loved the experience. But during the course of writing this four-record project, it was inevitable that I would end up writing a selection of tunes that were very much in line with my back catalogue. This group of songs is the second record in the series, and it is called 'Addicted'.

"Musically, 'Addicted' is along the lines of the big, wall-of-sound hard rock/heavy metal of OCEAN MACHINE and [THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND's] 'Accelerated Evolution' — even PHYSICIST at points. It is a very direct and 'to-the-point' album with an emphasis on groove and the chorus.

"In the past, lots of my records end up taking a kind of PINK FLOYD-ish route (between song meandering etc.). 'Addicted' is really simple: 11 rocking songs and no bullshit. I wanted to make a record that was heavy, without being dark or depressing.

"When I got into metal, it was for the energy behind it, but somewhere along the way, that energy started getting really negative.

"In music right now, there's a ton of heavy bands that are really depressing to listen to loudly. I wanted to make a record without any real deep metaphor on the surface. Something that sounds good, has a good beat, and a positive feeling. It is still heavy as all-get-out, but I think there's a differentiation to be made between being 'peaceful', and being peaceful but wanting to celebrate loud, crushing music.

"The vocal duties on this record are handled by myself and Anneke van Giersbergen [ex-THE GATHERING]. (I wanted to have male and female vocals kind of 'tell the story' so to speak) It's an honour to work with her and she has a lovely, lovely energy. The other musicians on this record are Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, Brian Waddell on bass, and Mark Cimino on guitars.

"I love this record; it affects me in a way that I wasn't prepared for. It's a fully rocking album of optimism.

"If you just want to 'play it loud' without any crazy metaphor, this album might be for you!

"On other notes: I have been rehearsing with a new band, and we will start touring in early 2010, representing all the back catalogue of solo material, from 'Ki', 'Addicted', PHYSICIST, ZILTOID, TERRIA, OCEAN MACHINE, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND, INFINITY etc... I have some big plans for this and rehearsals are sounding amazing. The touring entity will be called 'DEVIN TOWNSEND' and is essentially a way for me to get out there and interact again and showcase 15 years of music that never really got its fair shake. We look forward to seeing you out there!

"I will start the work on the fourth record, 'Deconstruction', in Los Angeles in October. Some great plans for that... (and by the way, THAT is a heavy record with a lot of metaphor...). News on that as it comes!

"So I hope you will enjoy 'Addicted', in the theme of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. The reason 'Addicted' exists is maybe a little deeper than what the record sounds like upfront. But upfront, it kind of states: 'Life is tough, the world can be an ugly place...so let's forget about the dramas and ROCK — here's some heavy guitars, big choruses and killer beats."

"Addicted" track listing:

01. Addicted
02. Universe In A Ball
03. Bend It Like Bender!
04. Beautiful Crush
05. Hyperdrive
06. Wild Hearts
07. Ih-Ah!
08. The Way Home
09. Numbered
10. Souls Awake!
11. Om

"Ki", the first in a series of albums from Devin Townsend to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, was released in Europe on May 25 in North America on June 19 via InsideOut Music.

German "noble power metal" hopefuls CRYSTALLION will release their third album, "Hundred Days", on November 13 via Dockyard 1. The CD is said to be "a concept album about the return of Napoleon (after his first exile) until his complete defeat in the battle of Waterloo."

"Hundred Days" track listing:

01. Cloak And Dagger
02. The Sleeping Giant
03. A Cry In The Night
04. Sole Survivors In Ligny
05. Nations Falling
06. Hougoumont
07. Under Heavy Fire
08. We Stand Aligned
09. Hundred Days
10. The Bravest Of The Brave

Ash Curtis of the Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide blog recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the band's constant touring:

"I think we need a break. Since 2004, we never stopped. Between 'From Mars To Sirius' and 'The Way Of All Flesh', we didn't take a break. Just five days break, and that was five days in my bed! So now I think we need a break, the band needs to do something else for a little bit. In 2010, maybe for six months. After that, we'll compose, we'll feel fresh because for the moment we're a bit… there's saturation. It's a fatigue, but very deep. We need to really think about something else. Even if we love it and every night on stage we're like, 'Arrgh this is our life!' y'know, and after the show we're in the dressing room and we feel good to be playing on stage. It'll benefit to this band to have a break."

On LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe, who makes a guest appearance on the GOJIRA track "Adoration For None" (from the "The Way Of All Flesh" album):

"He is a big GOJIRA fan and he would get on stage every night and sing a song with us, and I would get on stage and sing a LAMB OF GOD song. I was in America before the tour. I was spending some time there to see some friends and the guys from LAMB OF GOD because we became friends, and he told me, 'Hey, I want to scream on the record, motherfucker!' and I was like, 'No problem.' (laughs). He came to France to record the song just for one week and he slept in my apartment on the couch with my cat. (laughs) It was very funny because I was like, 'Take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch,' and he was like, 'No way! It's your bed, I'll sleep on the couch.' So I took him to the mountains and to the ocean. We live in the southwest of France; it's a pretty nice area. He ate some French food and he said, 'Oh my god, this is amazing!' So, really, really good atmosphere in the studio and we had a lot of fun. He is really easy going."

On the lyrical content of "The Way of All Flesh":

"I'm considering the state of the planet. The fact that we destroy everything all the time as a race. We build, we try to think, and there is good in humanity but there is also destruction and bad things and competition and anger. So this album talks about the idea of death and decay and the fact that we have to accept that part of us. We also have to accept that one day we will disappear. Our body will return to dust. There is a question — what is the soul? I like to talk about the soul remaining in the afterlife. I believe in reincarnation. It's a personal belief that I have, but probably 80% of the planet is into that belief also. It must be something, it means something. We need to consider that we are more than just bones and flesh and blood, y'know, there is something else, there is consciousness and memory and somehow that we remain after death."

British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH were forced to cut their set short this past Saturday night (August 15) at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in Derbyshire, England after guitarist Paul Allender was hit by an object thrown by a member of the audience, resulting in Paul being unable to finish the performance and requiring medical attention.

The band has issued the following statement regarding the incident:

"CRADLE OF FILTH would just like to apologise to all CRADLE OF FILTH fans at Bloodstock for not being able to perform the full length of set on Saturday. This was due to a selfish and stupid person in the crowd throwing dangerous objects at the band and injuring Paul, who then had to be hospitalised.

"This person threw what were being sold at the site as 'gobstoppers,' but which were actually heavy, solid, pieces of candy, approximately the size of a cricket ball and weighing close to a pound, at the band. Approximately six of these were thrown, one narrowly missed hitting Ashley in the face and also a terminally ill young fan in a wheelchair sitting side of the stage, a couple just missed Dani [Filth, vocals] and then one hit Paul in the spine, causing him to collapse. The paramedics called an ambulance and Paul was taken to hospital with suspected spinal damage; where he was subjected to numerous tests before the doctors said they didn’t think Paul had sustained any lasting damage.

"This act of stupidity caused the show to finish prior to the encore, caused Paul serious pain and everyone else a lot of anxiety. This person is lucky that no one was seriously injured or worse, which could easily have been the case and a serious police matter.

"Why does someone buy a ticket for a festival where everyone should be enjoying the weekend and having a good time and then have to ruin it for other people? A very selfish, sad person, one can only imagine.

"So again, full apologies to everyone who was at Bloodstock to have a good time and to see the band and if you think you know who the person was that spoiled everyone else’s evening, please let us, the Bloodstock staff or the police know as soon as possible, because next time someone may not be so lucky."

CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth had this to say about the event: "'No-one could be more disappointed than I about the ridiculous and callous incident that happened on Saturday night. Bloodstock is an event that we have long endorsed and looked forward to headlining due to its united European metal vibe, its growing popularity and of course, it being one of the better festivals held on English soil.

"The crowd, as expected, were great and we were playing well with an arsenal of songs yet to deliver, when the stupidity started. I actually thought one of the balls thrown was an apple and was going to head-butt it as it flew past my head and on toward Ashley, then luckily thought twice about it. The missiles were the size of cricket balls but solid and almost a pound in weight. Enough to kill a person at that speed, according to a medic who attended Paul behind stage.

"Of all the years I have spent touring the world, nothing comes even close to this for downright sheer stupidity. My ten-year-old daughter Luna was also standing side of stage when the missiles came and although, thank the stars, she was unhurt, the incident indelibly left her frightened and more than a little shook up. This is NOT the reason I brought her along to witness a metal festival and this is certainly NOT the image I want her to take away from Bloodstock or indeed any other metal festival for that matter. I hope the perpetrator(s) are really proud of themselves (sic).

"So again, I apologise to all our fans who were awaiting our encore and can only hope that this selfish bastard who TRIED to ruin the night for everyone is caught and sorted out.

"Hail CRADLE! Hail Bloodstock! Hail metal unity!'

Time magazine has compiled a list of the "10 greatest electric guitar players." They are as follows:

01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Slash
03. B.B. King
04. Keith Richards
05. Eric Clapton
06. Jimmy Page
07. Chuck Berry
08. Les Paul
09. Yngwie Malmsteen
10. Prince

Metal Storm conducted an interview with guitarist André Olbrich of German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held August 14-16, 2009 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, England.

In an interview with Metalpaths, Olbrich stated about BLIND GUARDIAN's forthcoming album, "We started the songwriting one year ago and we have almost seven songs ready so far. We have already recorded two songs last year and now, for since like two months, we are recording four more. The drums are ready already so we started the guitar work now and I think that we will be recording the whole summer. In between, though, we are going to play in some really big festivals in Europe so we are rehearsing again, focused on some songs we didn't play so far. After the summer activities, we want to do another break for songwriting and write some more songs for the album which is planned for 2010 . . . It will be out on the end of 2010, that's for sure. But we hope we can manage to accomplish everything in the first half of 2010."

Regarding the forthcoming album's musical direction, Olbrich said, "All songs have their own characteristics; you can't really compare them. It's a real BLIND GUARDIAN album, we have a mixture of songs and so far right now we just finished a song which is very fast, a speed metal song from the old qualities but with new techniques. It's my favorite song. For me, it's a masterpiece so far and we have another power metal song that it's really brilliant and reminds me the style of the 'Nightfall' album very much; it's a little bit different but very good as well. We also have a very nice ballad but it's not finally a real ballad; it will be hard in the end! So we have a real good mixture so far. It's working very good between Hansi and me right now because we have a new system that we can exchange our ideas every day over the Internet, we don't need to meet each other. In the last songwriting process from the 'A Twist In The Myth' we met like once a week and now we can exchange our ideas, like, every day, we have a much better and faster feedback, so we can react better our ideas and I think that this makes the songs really better."

Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED will release their self-titled new album in North America on September 29 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The effort will be available on CD, digital download, vinyl and special edition with a bonus 65-minute DVD. The follow-up to 2006's "Supremacy" will be issued on Roadrunner in all other territories.

"Hatebreed" track listing:

01. Become The Fuse
02. Not My Master
03. Between Hell And A Heartbeat
04. In Ashes They Shall Reap
05. Hands Of A Dying Man
06. Everyone Bleeds Now
07. No Halos For The Heartless
08. Through The Thorns
09. Every Lasting Scar
10. As Damaged As Me
11. Words Became Untruth
12. Undiminished
13. Merciless Tide
14. Pollution Of The Soul
15. Escape (New Diehard Edit)

CHILDREN OF BODOM's cover version of the CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL classic "Lookin' Out My Back Door" is available for streaming on the Spinefarm Records MySpace page (scroll down in audio player). The song comes off the Finnish metallers' new album, titled "Skeletons In The Closet", which is scheduled for release on September 23 through Spinefarm. The follow-up to last year's "Blooddrunk" is a selection of cover versions, some of them existing recordings, others specially laid down for this release.

CHILDREN OF BODOM has been recording covers since the early days of its career, some predictably heavy ("Silent Scream" by SLAYER, for example), others reflecting an altogether broader taste ("Talk Dirty To Me" by POISON).

"Skeletons In The Closet" track listing (split by territory):

Europe:

01. Lookin' Out My Back Door (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL)
02. Hell Is For Children (PAT BENATAR)*
03. Somebody Put Something In My Drink (RAMONES)
04. Mass Hypnosis (SEPULTURA)
05. Don´t Stop At The Top (SCORPIONS)
06. Silent Scream (SLAYER)
07. She Is Beautiful (ANDREW W.K.)
08. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (KENNY ROGERS)
09. Bed Of Nails (ALICE COOPER)
10. Hellion (W.A.S.P.)
11. Aces High (IRON MAIDEN)
12. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL)
13. No Commands (STONE)
14. Antisocial (TRUST/ANTHRAX)*
15. Talk Dirty To Me (POISON)
16. War Inside My Head (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES)**
17. Ooops!… I Did It Again (BRITNEY SPEARS)

USA:

01. Lookin' Out My Back Door (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL)
02. Hell Is For Children (PAT BENATAR)*
03. Somebody Put Something In My Drink (RAMONES)
04. Mass Hypnosis (SEPULTURA)
05. Don´t Stop At The Top (SCORPIONS)
06. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (KENNY ROGERS)
07. Hellion (W.A.S.P.)
08. Aces High (IRON MAIDEN)
09. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL)
10. No Commands (STONE)
11. Antisocial (TRUST/ANTHRAX)
12. Talk Dirty To Me (POISON)
13. Ghost Riders In The Sky (STAN JONES)
14. War Inside My Head (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES)**
15. Ooops!… I Did It Again (BRITNEY SPEARS)

Japan:

01. Lookin' Out My Back Door (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL)
02. Hell Is For Children (PAT BENATAR)*
03. Somebody Put Something In My Drink (RAMONES)
04. Don´t Stop At The Top (SCORPIONS)
05. Silent Scream (SLAYER)
06. She Is Beautiful (ANDREW W.K.)
07. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (KENNY ROGERS)
08. Bed Of Nails (ALICE COOPER)
09. Aces High (IRON MAIDEN)
10. Antisocial (TRUST/ANTHRAX)*
11. Talk Dirty To Me (POISON)
12. Ghost Riders In The Sky (STAN JONES)
13. War Inside My Head (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES)**
14. Ooops!… I Did It Again (BRITNEY SPEARS)

* Previously unreleased track recorded at Beyond Abilities studios, summer 2009
** Previously unreleased track recorded at Petrax studios, fall 2007

"Modern Day Delilah", a brand new song from KISS, is available for streaming in its entirety here. The track comes off KISS' first new studio album in over a decade, called "Sonic Boom", whcih will be released on October 6 exclusively at Wal-Mart properties. The collection, which costs only $12, will also feature the band's re-recordings of their greatest hits which was previously available as a Japanese import, and a 2009 concert featuring current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cover for "Sonic Boom" is by veteran artist Michael Doret, who created the cover for the band's 1976 album "Rock And Roll Over".

"We tried to do a KISS album, and it was an ill-fated attempt because there was no real band," guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley tells RollingStone.com. "For a band to make a great album, it has to share a common purpose, and we didn't have it."

He continued, "Things happen when they're ready. We couldn't have made this album without Eric and Tommy. I've known Eric now for 20 years. He's been in and out of the band, and the best times are when he's in."

Ace Frehley (KISS), Corey Taylor (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT), Aaron Lewis (STAIND), Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN, HELLYEAH), Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD), Bob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN, HELLYEAH) and Mikey Doling (SNOT, SOULFLY) are among the musicians who took part in an all-star jam this past Sunday (August 16) at the fifth annual Ride For Dime, an annual charity remembrance ride and concert event held in memory of the victims of the December 2004 Alrosa Villa shooting ("Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Jeff Thompson, Nathan Bray and Erin Halk).

Watch video footage of the performance here: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Ride For Dime was first organized in 2005 by local Dallas members/moderators of DAMAGEPLAN's official forum as an event which would not only honor Dimebag Darrell, but also raise money to help with the massive expenses incurred by all of the victims that tragic night. The organizers have since shifted their donations to benefit a charity organization of the Abbott family's choice.

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA recently launched a fan contest where people could design the cover artwork for the band's promotional single for the song "Flag In The Ground".

The contest has now come to an end and the group has picked its personal favorites.

The winning piece was created by Simo Heikkinen (Finland). Second-prize winner was Dilyana Delcheva (Bulgaria), while the third prize went to Rodrigo Larreteguy (Argentina).

The winner will also get tickets to an upcoming SONATA ARCTICA show as well as an opportunity to meet the band. The second- and third-prize winners will get signed SONATA ARCTICA items.

Commented singer Tony Kakko: "On behalf of the whole SONATA ARCTICA [band], I would like to thank all of you, who sent artwork suggestions for our promotional single 'Flag In The Ground'! Fantastic!"

He added, "The range of different ideas and styles was staggering and our decision was far from easy. I think at the end we all had our own personal favorites! But there can be only one! In this case one winner, one second and one third. So we actually had to build an extremely complex voting system to come up with the winner and even then it was not all that easy. And honestly, I think you are all winners, and you should think so too. You worked hard to complete the artwork in extremely limited time frame. And you did it. Ovations."

The single "Flag In The Ground" will have its premiere on the band's MySpace page on September 4.

'Ultima Ratio'' is the new masterpiece from X-FUSION. With Ultima Ratio X-FUSION demonstrate their premier position in the Harsh Electro Scene. In an extraordinary way Jan L. combines at the highest level various styles of electronic music to a complex unity. Intelligent samples, catchy melodies and hard beats blend with a sinister soundscape. The result is the best X-FUSION album of all-time. Including the club-smashers Leave no seed, Follow your Leader, Daily Dose, House of Mirrors & Exspes - Ultima Ratio will be available as limited 2CD digipak edition, which contains the bonus disc "Beyond Reality" (The orchestral works) and as regular edition in a jewel-case.

CHICKENFOOT's video for the song "Soap On A Rope" can be viewed here. The clip combines recent live performance, rehearsal footage, and sees the members of the band working through their rather unusual cabling issues.

CHICKENFOOT's self-titled debut album has sold 286,000 copies in the United States since its June 5 release. The LP is packaged in heat-sensitive artwork, which means when you put your hand on the CD inlay, photos of the band members are revealed behind the CHICKENFOOT band logo.

CHICKENFOOT first got together more than a year ago when they started jamming in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Although they called the band CHICKENFOOT at the time, guitarist Joe Satriani told The Pulse of Radio that nobody thought the name would stick. "Sammy's [Hagar] saying, 'Oh, you know, we can call it CHICKENFOOT,' and everybody laughs and says, 'Yeah, okay, it'll never be called CHICKENFOOT, of course, that's a horrible name.' And that's the way it was for about nine months, until finally someone said, 'You know, you can't change it now, everyone's calling you guys CHICKENFOOT.' So we wound up with that name, I think, quite by accident."

Finnish thrashers DEAD SHAPE FIGURE have posted a new track entitled "Felix Culpa" on their MySpace page. According to the band, "[this is] the first song we composed with our drummer Mohkis when he came back last year. It's kind of a 'traditional' thrashy DEAD SHAPE FIGURE song but with a little bit of a melodic twist. The chorus section features some multi-harmony singing ala ALICE IN CHAINS by our singer Galzi and it came by a surprise for us that he is capable of delivering those kind of vocals... We are probably going to use that kind of singing more often in our songs so that some big label will sign us and give us a shitloads of cash so we can buy some good crack and old American cars."

DEAD SHAPE FIGURE's full-length debut, "The Grand Karoshi", was released in May 2008 via Season of Mist. Download the song "Blithering Icon" at this location.

SHRINEBUILDER, the project that features in its ranks Scott "Wino" Weinrich (ST. VITUS, THE HIDDEN HAND), Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS), Al Cisneros (OM, SLEEP), and Dale Crover (MELVINS), will release its self-titled debut album in October via Neurot Recordings. According to a press release, the CD is "a powerful culmination of its members' distinct styles that coalesce into an entity of its own. Comprised of five epic passages showcasing this group's grandiose merging of soulful doom dirges, spiritual mantras, monstrous buildups and chest-collapsing grooves, the debut is truly a must-hear album of 2009."

"Shrinebuilder" track listing:

01. Solar Benediction
02. Pyramid Of The Moon
03. Blind For All To See
04. The Architect
05. Science Of Anger

The record's stunning cover art from Josh Graham (A STORM OF LIGHT, NEUROSIS' visual media artist) can be viewed here.

With industrial behemoths Rammstein almost ready to unleash a new slab of sonic terror Terrorizer’s princess of the dark Joy Lasher snuck a listen to eight tracks from their brand new, as yet untitled album.

‘Rammlied’
Billed as a celebration of all things Rammstein, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that ‘Rammlied’ is just the sort of dark gung-ho industrial metal we’ve come to love from the German band. Reminiscent of their early years, the song mixes traditional mittelalter with the industrial revolution.

‘Ich Tu Dir Weh’
Literally translated as ‘I Hurt You’, this is a no-shit, fuck you that sits on top of some particularly dirty, S&M-infused electro beats. With its brute-force chorus, you just know this is going to be a floor-filler once it hits the clubs. “Ich liebe dich nicht,” spits frontman Till Lindemann, which means “I don’t love you” and boy does he mean it!

‘Waidmanns Heil’
This is apparently what hunters said to each other in the olden days to wish them luck in their game and those naughty Rammstein boys have used it as a sexual innuendo here. It’s a full-on marching anthem, in the same kind of vein as ‘Links 2-3-4’ but with added military fanfare. Expect more unwarranted accusations of them being Nazis to follow….

‘Pussy’
WTF! Rammstein go Steel Panther on us! “You’ve got a pussy/I’ve got a dick/So what’s the problem?/Let’s do it quick!” sings Till with his tongue firmly in his cheek (We think that’s his tongue anyway). Hearing Rammstein sing such overtly sexual lyrics in English is quite surreal and it does beg the question of how serious they really are with this song. The music behind it is equally as cheesy as tonka beats mix with harder edged electro-industrial. And who says Germans don’t have a sense of humour?

‘B******’
Drop-kick drums, grinding riffs and horror-driven keyboards – it could almost be a Rob Zombie song were it not for Till’s unmistakable vocals. Whatever those stars might stand for, this is a real foot-tapper.

‘Haifisch’
Meaning shark, this is another floor-filler with its cheesy keyboards, orchestral touches and even a harp. There’s definitely a touch of ‘Mutter’ about this one.

‘Wiener Blut’
‘Mein Teil Part 2, this is Rammstein’s take on the Josef Fritzl case complete with a bombastic industrial metal racket chorus. More orchestral parts and even some strings demonstrate how the band’s sound has matured over the years.

‘Mehr’
About as close as Rammstein are going to get to a ballad this time round, ‘Mehr’ mixes the band’s classic thundering beats with those distinctive vocals and chucks in some strings to complement the whole thing. OK, so it’s not even remotely like a ballad – thank fuck for that!

Richie Kotzen's (ex-MR. BIG, POISON) will issue a new album called "Peace Sign" this fall. The exact release date for the effort will be announced soon.

Check out the cover artwork here.

Two songs from the CD — "Paying Dues" and "Lie To Me" — are available for streaming on Richie's MySpace page.

Quality video footage of Kotzen's August 14, 2009 "unplugged" performance in Habach, Germany can be viewed below (courtesy of "eblinternational").
Richie Kotzen'd first-ever live DVD, "Bootlegged In Brazil", was released in Europe on December 5, 2008 via Frontiers Records.

A perfect complement to the recent CD-only release "Live In Sao Paulo", "Bootlegged In Brazil" is the first official live performance to be made available by the acclaimed guitarist/vocalist.

The DVD features a performance from Kotzen's South American tour in 2007 and includes classic tracks from his repertoire: from the rhythmic labors of "A Love Divine" to "Go Faster" (off Kotzen's last studio album, "Return Of The Mother Head's Family Reunion") and the great "Doin' What The Devils Says To Do".

Richie Kotzen's sound is influenced by such classic artists as BAD COMPANY, FREE, early VAN HALEN and CREAM. They are the inspiration for his songs, but having deep Philadelphia roots, Kotzen tends to combine rock with the Motown influences he heard as a kid, offering the fans a soulful and timeless approach to the music.

The cover artwork for "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", the ninth album from GORGOROTH, can be viewed here. Due on October 21 in Europe and November 11 in the U.S. via Regain Records, the CD was recorded at Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio and features Infernus on guitar, Frank Watkins (OBITUARY) on bass, Pest on vocals and Tomas Asklund on drums.

Since Infernus wrote all the music for the album and extensive rehearsals and a pre-production recording had also been completed before second guitarist Tormentor rejoined the band last year, it was decided that it would be more convenient for Infernus to record all the guitars on the LP.

"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.

"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" track listing:

01. Aneuthanasia
02. Prayer
03. Rebirth
04. Building a Man
05. New Breed
06. Cleansing Fire
07. Human Sacrifice
08. Satan-Prometheus
09. Introibo ad Alatare Satanas

As previously reported, GORGOROTH recently spent time at Threeman Recordings in Stockholm with producer Nico Elgstrand (ENTOMBED). During the sessions, GORGOROTH frontman Pest replaced Gaahl's vocals for the "True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen" album, which was originally released in June 2008 via Regain Records. According to a posting on the group's web site, Infernus (guitar) "has already consulted legal representatives regarding this album, and is prepared to support Regain Records in the label's ongoing legal conflict with two of the band's ex-members, if any such support is needed."

Infernus recently won a court battle against vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell over the rights to the GORGOROTH band name. According to a posting on Infernus' MySpace page, "The court has decided that King ov Hell's trademark registration of the band name GORGOROTH is NOT valid and shall therefore be deleted. The court states that King ov Hell and Gaahl excluded themselves from the band GORGOROTH when they tried to fire Infernus in October 2007. The court further states that Infernus cannot be excluded from GORGOROTH, unless he himself decides to quit."

Infernus filed a lawsuit against King ov Hell in September 2008 claiming that King (the sixth bass player in GORGOROTH's history) went behind his back in September 2007 and secretly applied for trademark protection of the GORGOROTH bandname and logo, which Infernus had been using since 1992.