NEVERMORE's Van Williams will record the drums for the band's new album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", between August 7 and August 14 in the band's hometown of Seattle with producer (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers (who previously worked with NEVERMORE vocalist Warrel Dane on Dane's solo debut, "Praises to the War Machine"). The rest of the instruments will be tracked at Wichers' studio in North Carolina. Longtime friend and collaborator Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD) will once again be handling mixing duties.

The follow-up to 2005's "This Godless Endeavor" is tentatively due in early 2010 via Century Media Records.

Commented Dane: "These songs are full of newfound rage, lyrically and musically. Jeff Loomis has come up with some amazing new riffs that will no doubt please old and new fans alike. Also, I think the combination of Peter and Andy will result in something very, very special."

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Emptiness Unobstructed" and "Without Morals".

NEVERMORE's "The Year Of The Voyager" DVD last year entered the German DVD chart at position No. 82.

The Pulse of Radio reports that LINKIN PARK vocalist Mike Shinoda will open a new solo art exhibition called "Glorious Excess (Dies)" at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles next month. The new 17-painting show will open on August 29 with a public reception at 8:00 p.m., with Shinoda in attendance, and will remain at the museum through October 4. The new show is a sequel of sorts to his 2008 exhibition, "Glorious Excess (Born)", and Shinoda told The Pulse of Radio how it's different. "It's gonna be a bigger show with twice as many pieces, and it's gonna be a lot of fun," he said. "We had an amazing reception on the first show and I can't wait for people to see the new one."

Both "Glorious Excess" shows offer up a mix of paintings and digital works that explore society's obsession with celebrity culture, consumer addiction, and fascination with excess.

A collectible, limited-edition book chronicling the "Glorious Excess" series will be launched on opening night, while a documentary short film will run during the course of the exhibition. Series-based merchandise, including skateboard decks, will be on sale at the museum as well. All proceeds from the sale of both artwork and merchandise will go toward the Michael K. Shinoda Endowed Scholarship at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

In other LINKIN PARK news, singer Chester Bennington's side band, DEAD BY SUNRISE, will perform a special three-song set as part of LINKIN PARK's show on four upcoming festival dates in the U.K., Germany and Japan, as well as the Epicenter festival in Pomona, California on August 22. The group's debut album, "Out Of Ashes", arrives on September 29.

Former EMPEROR vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn has set "After" as the title of his third solo album, tentatively due in early 2010 via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records. More information about the CD will be made available during the coming months.

Ihsahn played his first-ever concert as a solo artist, supporting OPETH at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway on March 10.

Video footage of the "Scarab" performance can be viewed below.

Ihsahn stated about the gig, "I felt well prepared for the show, and luckily all technical aspects worked out to our advantage, so that the overall experience for me and my band was extremely positive. The feedback from the audience was amazing, and many thought that the songs gained an extra dimension by being performed in a live setting."

Ihsahn's setlist was as follows:

01. Invocation
02. Called By The Fire
03. Scarab (Live video)
04. Emancipation
05. Unhealer
06. Misanthrope
07. Thus Spake The Nightspirit

Ihsahn was supposed to support OPETH for the majority of shows on the Swedish band's Norwegian tour in March. However, more detailed production planning revealed technical and practical difficulties at many of the smaller venues, and it proved nearly impossible for Ihsahn to play any of the other dates on the trek.

Ihsahn's second solo album, "angL", was released in May 2008 via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records. The CD features a guest appearance by OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt on the track "Unhealer" while Asgeir Mickelson and Lars Norberg (both of SPIRAL ARCHITECT) were responsible for laying down the drum and bass tracks on the album, respectively.

Reunited Norwegian black metallers IMMORTAL will release their new album, "All Shall Fall", in North America on October 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD, which will be issued in Europe on September 25, was recorded at Grieghallen and Abyss studios in Norway and Sweden, respectively.

"All Shall Fall" will be made available in the following formats:

* Standard jewelcase CD
* Limited-edition digipack
* Limited-edition 180g vinyl
* Limited-edition picture disc
* Limited-edition box, only available through Nuclear Blast webshop.

Photos of the digipack and the vinyl can be viewed below. Stay tuned for an update on the limited edition box, which will be "spectacular," according to the band.

James Minton of U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine recently posted an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of "All Shall Fall".

"All Shall Fall" track listing:

01. All Shall Fall
02. The Rise Of Darkness
03. Hordes To War
04. Norden On Fire
05. Arctic Swarm
06. Mount North
07. Unearthly Kingdom

Suicide Commando. A name that, like no other, is held synonymous with hard electronic dance music. The new single “Die Motherfucker Die” (whose provocative title will surely have no one expecting light Pop muzak) showcases the Belgian cult band from its most uncompromising side. Mastermind Johan van Roy stirs up a catchy, yet relentlessly aggressive cocktail of thudding beats, brutal shouts and melodic Trance- and Techno-licks to create an altogether unique Alternative-Dance-Floor-Sound. Gone are the days when electronic music was predominantly associated with love, peace and robots. With their pounding, electronic tracks, Suicide Commando sound more like the Jigsaw-killer on a joyride in a Techno-club than the post-Hippie-dreams of the Love Parade. Life’s hard and merciless and Suicide Commando provide the ideal club soundtrack for a messed-up world. This formidable appetizer for the soon-to-be-released new album is topped off with two dance-floor-optimized remixes from Noisuf-X and C-Lekktor plus one unreleased B-side and will be released as a limited first edition in a classy Digipak!

Out 18.09.2009 on Out of Line.

A two-minute video clip featuring the unveiling of the deluxe CD/DVD packaging of OTEP's fourth full-length studio album, "Smash the Control Machine", can be viewed below.

The deluxe CD/DVD package includes:

* DVD includes interviews, poetry readings and more
*CD/DVD deluxe edition includes: holographic cover, digipack, 52-page booklet with lyrics, poems and illustrations from Otep Shamaya

"Smash the Control Machine" is scheduled for release on August 18 via Victory Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Rise, Rebel, Resist
02. Sweet Tooth
03. Smash The Control Machine
04. Head
05. Numb And Dumb
06. Oh, So Surreal
07. Run For Cover
08. Kisses & Kerosene
09. Unveiled
10. UR A WMN NOW
11. Serv Asat
12. Where The River Ends
13. I Remember

Santa Cruz, California's over-the-top technical metal phenoms BRAIN DRILL have posted a brand new track entitled "Monumental Failure" on their MySpace page.

The band is currently writing material for its sophomore album with a new lineup featuring the group's latest additions, bassist Ivan Munguia and drummer Ron Casey.

BRAIN DRILL 2009 is:

Dylan Ruskin - Guitar
Steve Rathjen - Vocals
Ivan Munguia - Bass
Ron Casey - Drums

BRAIN DRILL's debut album, "Apocalyptic Feasting", was released in February 2008 via Metal Blade Records.

Former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske is collaborating with American singer Amanda Somerville on a brand new melodic hard rock/metal project for Frontiers Records. Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) and Magnus Karlsson (PLACE VENDOME, PRIMAL FEAR) are handling most of the songwriting for the CD, which is tentatively due in early 2010.

Commented Kiske: "This is another idea by Serafino (Frontiers owner). I did a duet with a female singer on 'Breathing Water' by INDIGO DYING. It was so nice that he offered me a chance to make an album of all duet songs with a famous female singer."

Sinner added: "We're working hard on the songwriting for the first [Kiske/Somerville] album. It's a pleasure to write and produce Michael's next album, and with Amanda as the co-singer, it's something very special. I wrote songs with Magnus and Jimmy Kresic for the album, and we're really excited about the songs. Eight tracks are pre-produced now and we need another two songs before we will start the real recordings. AFTER FOREVER mainman Sander Gommans plans to join us and he's working on new songs with Amanda at the moment! Look out for a melodic metal masterpiece in early 2010!"

De Oppresso Liber", the new video from Los Angeles-based black metallers SOTHIS, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Los Angeles with director Joe Suarez, who had previously worked with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, AS I LAY DYING and EVANESCENCE, among others.

"De Oppresso Liber" is the title track of SOTHIS' new album, which was mixed by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque at his Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden.

SOTHIS drummer Dross says of "De Oppresso Liber", "If you are into aggressive, polished black metal that is well executed then you're going to love 'De Oppresso Liber'. We've been able to capture some incredible performances and couple them with some very talented engineers. We wanted to make a record that we would be genuinely proud of and we've accomplished that."

A fixture on the Los Angeles area, SOTHIS released through independent channels its four-song mini-album in late 2004. A regional tour was set up with performances throughout the Southwest; the shows inspiring two limited-release DVDs that capture the band's impressive stage personnae.

LEAFBLADE, the Liverpool, England-based side project of Danny Cavanagh from ANATHEMA, will release its debut album, "Beyond, Beyond", on September 10 through Angelic Recordings.

According to a press release, "The band has implemented a sound mixing a variety of genres, maybe especially leaning towards the Celtic, folk and spiritual themes in their music. Or, as they like to say it, LEAFBLADE is music from the forest of the heart.

LEAFBLADE has already numerous tours under the belt, with the likes of ANATHEMA and ANTIMATTER.

Two tracks from the CD are streaming on www.myspace.com/leafblade.

Angelic Recordings is a co-operation between Danny Cavanagh and Aftermath Music.

LEAFBLADE is:

Sean Jude
Vocals, Guitars, Tin Whistle

Daniel Cavanagh
Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

A new INSOMNIUM track entitled "Where The Last Wave Broke" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song, which features clean vocals by Jules Näveri (PROFANE OMEN, ENEMY OF THE SUN), comes off the Finnish metal group's fourth album, "Across The Dark", which is scheduled for release on September 7 via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded at Fantom studio (where the group recorded its 2006 LP, "Above the Weeping World").

"Across The Dark" track listing:

01. Equivalence (03:18)
02. Down With The Sun (04:22)
03. Where The Last Wave Broke (05:03)
04. The Harrowing Years (06:39)
05. Against The Stream (06:11)
06. Lay Of The Autumn (09:08)
07. Into The Woods (05:08)
08. Weighted Down With Sorrow (05:51)
09. The New Beginning *
10. Into The Evernight *

* Bonus track (limited-edition only)


Guitarist Ville Friman previously described the new songs as follows: "One is really epic one with clock ticking almost over 10 minutes. Great song with vibe of last two AMORPHIS albums with more heavier edge and INSOMNIUM style of lead work. The second new song turned out to be quite long one as well but in my opinion this one holds more 'hit' potential in it, mainly because of simple arrangement and catchy melodies. Could be maybe described as being somewhere between 'Bereavement' and 'Last Statement'?!? Or what the hell I know; sounds good though. Third song sounds bit like a tribute to SENTENCED because the melodies bear similarity to the melancholy heard in 'Amok' or 'Down' albums. Otherwise the song is pretty slow, depressing and quite doomy. Just the way we like it. Fourth song ready is bit faster and riff-orientated. Composed partly in the last North American tour. Potentially a good live song. We'll see."

Oakland, California's HIGH ON FIRE will begin work on its long-awaited fifth studio album this August. The band will commence pre-production in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLAYER, JOHNNY CASH), with the goal of capturing "the ultimate HIGH ON FIRE experience." An early 2010 release via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records) is expected.

In a February 2009 interview with Swigged!, HIGH ON FIRE vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike stated about the song writing process for the band's new album, "We're getting more intricate in our songwriting and actual playing. Some of it is rudimentary — not as difficult as it seems — but at the same time there is complicated chord work, key changes, and other really cool things. It's been going good — we're leaning on the whole BLACK SABBATH kind of thing."

Regarding how the group has been able to draw from its experiences working with such producers as Steve Albini and jack Endino, Pike said, "It's going to definitely help us more when we're actually recording than anywhere else. There are different sounds you can get — clean, dirty, close-up sounds. You can get cave-like sounds, like you're on the side of a mountain. There are just so many things you can do, and all the producers we've worked with just have a different style and a different way of showing it. It's taught us how to mic things a certain way to get what we want to hear. It's all still an experiment; you never know what you're going to come up with when you have that much experience behind you."

Prior to entering the studio, HIGH ON FIRE will embark on a string of California live dates beginning on August 7 in Eureka. The group is expected to preview some of its new material live for the very first time at these shows.

LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — will make its new album, "Njord", available as a very special-edition. Strictly limited to 500 copies, the deluxe box set (see image below) contains a premium Viking longship model ( 31.5 cm long x 28 cm high x 22 cm wide with an approximate weight of 0.65 kg) with the LEAVES' EYES logo on the sail and the limited-edition digipack CD, including two bonus tracks plus an extra sticker.

"Njord" will be released via Napalm Records on the following dates:

Finland, Spain: August 26
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Benelux, France, Italy: August 28
Rest Of Europe: August 31
Canada: September 1
USA: September 29

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Njord
02. My Destiny
03. Emerald Island
04. Take The Devil In Me
05. Scarborough Fair (Acoustic Version)
06. Through Our Veins
07. Irish Rain
08. Northbound
09. Ragnarok
10. Morgenland
11. The Holy Bond
12. Forya's Theme
13. Landscape Of The Dead (limited-edition bonus track)
14. Les Champs De Lavande (limited-edition bonus track)

LEAVES' EYES has commenced work on the video for the new single, "My Destiny", with Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL) of Revolver Film Company in Gothenburg, Sweden.

HYPOCRISY, the Swedish extreme metal band led by guitarist/vocalist Peter Tägtgren (also of PAIN), will release its new album, "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity", in Europe on October 23 and in the U.S. on November 10 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Valley Of The Damned
02. Hang Him High
03. Solar Empire
04. Weed Out The Week
05. No Tomorrow
06. Global Domination
07. Taste The Extreme Divinity
08. Alive
09. The Quest
10. Tamed "Filled With Fear"
11. Sky Is Falling Down

Check out the CD cover artwork here

Mircea Gabriel Eftemie, guitarist and songwriter of Danish modern metallers MNEMIC, has issued the following update:

"We have chosen our long time friend and producer Tue Madsen (HALFORD, BEHEMOTH, KATAKLYSM, THE HAUNTED), who worked with us on 'Mechanical Spin Phenomena' and 'The Audio Injected Soul', as the producer for the new album, 'Sons Of The System'. He has been to our rehearsal space and we started talking about the direction and sound for the new music. We gave him half of the demo songs so far and now he is doing his evaluation of the 14 songs we have given him. There are 12 more. So far, the demos are ONLY working titles. The first song that is more or less finished title-wise is 'March Of The Tripods'. We are entering the studio in September, and the album will be released in January 2010."

MNEMIC recently performed at the Heavy Sands festival in Sardinia with a stand-in guitarist after Rune Stigart had to undergo surgery for an old wrist injury.

The cover artwork for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's forthcoming sophomore album, "War Is The Answer", can be viewed below (courtesy of U.K.'s Metal Hammer). Due in the U.S. on September 22 via Prospect Park Records, the CD was produced by the band and Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, IN THIS MOMENT), and was mixed by Randy Staub (METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, NICKELBACK). According to a press release, "the record evolves the band's already mature sound, ranging from the undeniable melodies in 'Hard to See' to the brutally nihilistic 'Burn It Down' [available for streaming below] — destined to please fans both new and old."

Bassist/vocalist Steve Rowe of Australian Christian metallers MORTIFICATION has issued the following update:

"I have had the opportunity this month to work with Warren Hammond at Penny Drop Studio mixing the re-recorded MORTIFICATION classics for our upcoming 20th-anniversary CD, 'Twenty Years In The Underground'. The result is very pleasing. We referenced some more modern death metal like AMON AMARTH to find an up-to-date approach to our old-school death metal songs, especially 'Nocturnal', 'Grind Planetarium' and 'Impulsation'. 'Hammer Of God' and 'The Majestic Infiltration Of Order (God Rulz)' have also been re-recorded.

"Initially, I was hesitant to re-record what was not broken but the end result sounds killer! The early songs obviously lend themselves well to the more brutal death metal vocal and production. I think the old-school MORT fans will be stoked. But you will all need to wait until early next year. The 15 rare live tracks are yet to be added to the mix.

"The 20th-anniversary album will initially be available for pay download in early February next year."

"Twenty Years In The Underground" will feature five re-recorded MORTIFICATION classics along with 15 rare live tracks from standout shows in the band's history: "The very first show (June 1990), Lincoln [Bowen, guitar] and Keith's [Bannister, drums] first show (1995) including a rippingly intense rendition of 'Scrolls Of The Megilloth', 'Live Street Mission' work as we performed on the streets of Christchurch City Square New Zealand (1996), Revolution Metal Fest Mexico City (2004) with Spanish Interpretation and Nordic Fest Norway (2007)!" according to Rowe.

MORTIFICATION recently completed work on the band's new album, "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine", which is now available via the group's own Rowe Productions.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine
02. A Sense Of Eternity
03. Elasticised Outrage
04. Pushing The Envelope Of The Red Sonrise
05. I'm Not Confused
06. The Master Of Reinvention
07. Pilots Hanging From Shoulder Dust
08. One Man With Courage Makes A Majority
09. Alexander The Metalworker
10. Resurrection Band (A Tribute To Rez)

Following the debut of "das EP", Komor Kommando returns this Winter with the first long awaited full length album "Where flesh meets metal". The release features all new Komor Kommando tracks plus guest vocals by Jean-Luc DeMeyer from Front 242 (a follow up to the " John the Revelator" collaboration). A full tracklist of the album and the limited edition companion will be announced in the next few weeks.

Komor Kommando also completed a new remix for an upcoming Grendel track, "Chemicals and Circuitry" in a Devil's Dandruff Mix by Komor Kommando. The track is from Grendel's upcoming new album.

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have issued the following update on their upcoming activities:

South America:

Ralf Scheepers (vocals): "It's so cool that we can add Colombia to our map and rock there for the first time. We're really sad that we can't play Chile this time, but to come back in three beloved countries like Mexico, Argentina and Brazil is always a huge pleasure. I'm looking forward to present the songs of our new album to our loyal fans and rock the night. The communication and their enthusiasm in South America is always very special. There's just one word to explain the atmosphere of a PRIMAL FEAR concert in South America: Electrifying!"

North America:

Henny Wolter (guitar): "This will be an absolute highlight of my career. There can't be one European musician out there who isn't thrilled to tour the U.S. with his own songs and music. Our target in PRIMAL FEAR was always to be known as a worldwide touring act and for me personally, it's a real pleasure, that our focus is on North America in the coming month and in the next year. I know that the worldwide metal fans appreciate the consequence and tenacity of our course!"

Alex Beyrodt (touring guitarist): "I must add, that I'm really excited to play with PRIMAL FEAR in South and North America. It's a dream come true! I did a special workout during the last month to be in top shape for the shows and you know that the stage is my life. I will give more than 100% every day and I will enjoy every minute! It's so great to be part of this tour!"

Canada:

Randy Black (drums): "Coming home :-)... For me, coming back to Canada to play with PRIMAL FEAR is a big thrill, not only because I'm from there, but because we've played there so little since I've been in the band. It will be great to finally play to the North American PRIMAL FEAR fans again too! I'm sure the shows will be rockin'. I've only played in Canada ONCE since I moved over to Germany in '98, I can't wait, and see you all soon!"

New PRIMAL FEAR video clip:

Mat Sinner (bass): "We will shoot two new video clips during the next weeks. The first one will be released in September in connection with our TV campaign on iMusic TV and the second video clip will be released during the European tour in mid-November! We will shoot a lot of interesting footage filmed in the forthcoming weeks, so we can present two really interesting clips for songs from the new album '16.6'. Which songs? The first clip will have a South American, the second a North American vibe."

European tour:

Ralf: "It's the same feeling and vibe this time as for all other territories. The difference is, that Europe is our home and especially this time, with the new '16.6' songs in the setlist, it will be something special. We feel so strong in the band now, that nothing can stop us!"

Mat: "I agree, it feels really good on stage and the new songs are perfect additions to our current best-of live set and our new found metal attitude. Even I miss my friend Magnus [Karlsson, PRIMAL FEAR guitarist], Alex is doing a killer job. With BRAINSTORM on the bill in Europe, we have a fantastic second band with us and we're working on another third great band to present an overall strong package for our fans. And it feels really good to have some good friends like Duce and Martin back in the team again!"

Plans for 2010:

Frank Suepfle from ITM Agency: We're already working on a second and longer run through North America and another European leg on the '16.6' tour before the festival season starts and we will play a lot of open air festivals next year!"

New PRIMAL FEAR DVD and live CD:

Mat: "We will film footage with three cameras during every part of the forthcoming tour this year. We will start in South America, the U.S., Canada, Europe and later this year in Japan. The show in Sao Paulo will be filmed by Patrick Kolb. We will shoot additional shows in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Montreal. Good friend Bomber and his Visions In Fear team will film two shows in Switzerland and Germany. Achim Köhler will record selected shows on pro audio material. If everything will work out cool, we plan to work on a forthcoming DVD and live CD for 2010 and if all involved people and companies will support this release for the fans."

Japan:

Ralf: "First of all, we want to thank all our loyal fans for all the super positive e-mails we've received about a forthcoming tour in Japan. '16.6' reached the best chart entry in Japan of the entire PRIMAL FEAR career. We've got the word from our record company, King Records, and our agency that everybody is working hard on the subject! We are ready for our fans in Japan and if everything works out well, we will play some concerts during the next months!"

Alex Beyrodt's last words:

"I'm totally happy and satisfied to be back with PRIMAL FEAR and I'm proud to be a part of PRIMAL FEAR family! We know each other for so long, shared a lot of great memories and hotel rooms. We've travelled thousands of miles together and Mat is my friend for a lifetime. The PRIMAL FEAR / U.D.O. tour was one of the best experiences of my career The new songs are killer and new setlist is even more exciting than ever. I can't wait to enter the stage in Mexico City and start my engine!"

Henny Wolter's last words:

"It's my best time in PRIMAL FEAR! It feels really good and I'm enjoying every day in the band! If we're on tour with the band, it makes me a lot of younger in seconds, it's just like a big party with a lot of good friends. We're working hard on every matter, but it's always a pleasure, friendly, funny and creative. My comeback with the band was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. In the meantime, I know the guys very well and they are very talented and have a great humor!"

KISS' much-anticipated new album is rumored to be entitled "Sonic Boom". The editor of Guitar Player magazine, who had a chance to preview five songs off the LP last week, wrote on Facebook that this was the title "they had on the studio TV monitors while they were playing the audio files." In addition, an update on MelodicRock.com's Twitter account states that the effort, which has a tentative release date of October 6, will be issued as a triple-disc set through Wal-Mart featuring the new album, a CD of re-recorded KISS hits (which was recently released in Japan), and a DVD. However, it should be noted that none of this information has yet been corroborated by an official source and should be treated as a rumor only.

The editor of Guitar Player magazine wrote about the new KISS material, "Paul [Stanley, KISS guitarist/vocalist] sings his ass off. Eric [Singer] plays some amazingly powerful drums. Gene [Simmons] was finally made to play all of his bass parts (apparently, in the past, if someone had a cool bass idea, he let them play it), and he DOES have a pretty driving sound. Finally, Paul and Tommy's [Thayer] guitars sound HUGE — with some fab riffs and '70s-style solos."

Songtitles set to appear on the new KISS CD include "Russian Roulette", "Modern Day Delilah" and "Stand".

Thayer wrote and sang his first song on the album, while Singer also got his first opportunity to sing a lead vocal on an original song.

Simmons recently told The Canadian Press that there were no outside writers working on the Paul Stanley-produced disc. He also described the album's sound as "no strings, no keyboards, no synths, no tambourines, no nothing — just meat and potatoes."

Simmons confirmed during a recent radio appearance that a deal is in the works with Wal-Mart that will result in an "entire section" of the giant retailer's stores across the country (apparently dubbed "Kiss Korner") being dedicated to KISS.

There has been no official announcement of a KISS deal with Wal-Mart for the band's next CD, although artists such as THE EAGLES and AC/DC have both issued recent albums exclusively through the giant retailer. In addition, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry may have inadvertently let it slip that the band's next studio album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart.

Drummer Tomas Nilsén has left Swedish metallers MACHINAE SUPREMACY due to "personal reasons."

Commented the band: "As unfortunate as this is, Tomas could not have picked a better time [to leave]. We are currently focused on producing material for our upcoming album and can therefore take our time finding a replacement for Tomas without it interfering too much with our plans for the near future."

MACHINAE SUPREMACY's video for the song "Edge and Pearl" can be viewed below. The track comes off the group's third album, "Overworld", which was released in February 2008 via Spinefarm Records.

Based in Luleå, Sweden, MACHINAE SUPREMACY's first commercial album was released in 2004 through U.K.'s MBD Records.