Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh), the former BURZUM mastermind who was convicted of murdering MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) in August 1993 and setting fire to three churches, is a free man.

"I can confirm that I have been released from prison," Vikernes told Norway's Dagbladet.

Although his parole application was denied four times — most recently in September 2008 — Vikernes received word in February that he would be released after serving almost 16 years in prison. He was finally allowed to leave a couple of weeks ago, according to Dagbladet.

"I will have to report [to the parole officer] for one year — initially every two weeks, and then once a month," Vikernes said.

For the past couple of years, Varg had been allowed to leave the prison regularly to walk around Tromsø, Norway (where the prison is located) and visit his family.

Last year it was reported that case workers at the Justice Ministry feared that Vikernes would be unable to adjust to life on the outside after his years in jail.

"I'm ready for society — and I have been for many years," Vikernes told Dagbladet last July. "I have learned from my mistakes and become older. Now I just want to be together with my family."

He added, "My mind has never been in prison; I think all the time about what I should do on the day that I am released.

"I have barely seen my son since he came into the world. Even though I hear his voice on the phone almost every day, it is very tough to not be present while he is growing up.

"I miss my family. And I look forward the day that I could work on my farm, create music, write books and be with the wife and kids around the clock — and live a normal life.

A photo of Varg Vikernes's new home in Bø, a municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway, can be viewed below (picture courtesy of Varden.no). Vikernes purchased the farm sometime last year and is planning to spend most of his time on the property with his French wife and son, both of whom had already been living at the home for quite some time.

"As I respect others, I want others to respect me," Varg told Varden.no last summer. "We are really quite ordinary people, and we do not want any more attention than anyone else."

Jackson Rathbone, the teen heartthrob from "Twilight", has reportedly agreed to play Vikernes in the upcoming movie "Lords Of Chaos".

Based on Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind's book of the same name, the film depicts true events and revolves around the black metal sub-culture that spawned a wave of murders and church arsons across Norway in the early 1990s.

Making his English-language debut with "Lords Of Chaos" will be hot Japanese director Sion Sono.

Stuart Pollok of Los Angeles-based Saltire Entertainment, Ko Mori of Eleven Arts and Oh Jungwan of Korea's Bom Productions are producing the film, which starts shooting in Norway in mid-September.

In a 2004 statement posted on the Burzum.org web site, Vikernes slammed the "Lord Of Chaos" book as "a pool of mud," insisting that "the vast majority of all the statements made in this book are either misinterpretations; taken out of context; misunderstandings; malicious lies made by enemies; a result of ignorance; extreme exaggerations; and/or third-hand information at best. This includes the statements attributed to me!" He went on to say, "This book serves only one single purpose and that is to create a myth around my name and to mystify me. If that was their objective they have indeed succeeded with their work. Well, the book seems to have served one other purpose too. The authors have managed to fill the heads of a generation of metal fans with lies. What could have been a righteous revolt has been made into some pathetic, embarrassing, brain-dead, impotent and traditional poser-culture best exemplified by bands like DIMMU BORGIR — and indeed VENOM!"

Varg's new home see here.

Several Polish tabloids are reporting that Adam "Nergal" Darski, the 31-year-old guitarist/vocalist of extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, has been photographed (1, 2, 3) stepping out with 25-year-old Polish pop singer Doda (real name: Dorota Rabczewska).

In 2000, at the age of 16, Rabczewska became the vocalist of the Polish rock band VIRGIN. She posed nude for the Polish edition of Playboy magazine in December 2005 and October 2007. She was also featured in the CKM adult magazine several times, which reportedly caused some controversy in Poland.

In 2007, Doda left VIRGIN to begin a solo career. Her first solo album, which came out that same year, was certified gold the day before its official release. Her sophomore CD, titled "Diamond Bitch", was certified double platinum in Poland in 2008 for sales in excess of 60,000 copies.

In a 2005 interview with Metal Warrants, Darski was asked if his beliefs in Satanism were true or if they were just geared towards the genre of music BEHEMOTH plays. "It's not that we're Satanic for the sake of being Satanic," he replied. "Satanism is more like being. . . I don't like labeling things or myself. Or categorize a certain genre. I'm sorry for the Christians 'cause they already did it. Being Satanic is just being on a secular level. Having a discussion with certain kind of people. With my friends and people who are spiritual in connection, we don't really speak on a Satanic level. We are far above that. We don't need to do that. Satanism is more or less like a weapon. And it's very material. It's so much easier to live the Satanic way just so you can deal with the people of the world. . . I would say it's sort of a way of respect to ourselves. Our nature. Our listings. . . Satanism is a weapon. Or a tool to make your life easier for the here and now. That's just one of the levels I deal with."

Metal Mind Productions has set a July 6 European release date (August 11 in North America via MVD) for the reissues of four albums from the veteran Dutch death metal act SINISTER — "Cross The Styx" (1992), "Diabolical Summoning" (1993), "Hate" (1995) and "Bastard Saints" (1996). The reisues will be digitally remastered using 24-bit technology and released on golden discs. Each digipack title is limited to 1,000 copies.

"Cross The Styx" bonus tracks:

13. Barbaric Order (live)
14. (Enslaved The Weak Intro) (live)
15. Enslaved The Weak (live)

"Diabolical Summoning" bonus tracks:

09. Into The Forgotten (live)
10. Bleeding Towards The Wendigo (live)

"Hate / Bastard Saints" bonus tracks:

15. Men Down (live)
16. Afterburner (live)
17. Altruistic Suicide (live)
18. The Grey Massacre (live)

All bonus tracks were recorded live at Stodola Club in Warsaw on August 24, 2006.

Sonic Cathedral webzine recently conducted an interview with former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Sonic Cathedral: This is your first time touring solo [without NIGHTWISH] in the United States. What made you decide to come out here finally?

Tarja: You know, this is my third try, I think, already to come here, so I'm actually really, really happy it finally came true. My wishes were fulfilled. You know, I have lots of followers here in the United States and they have been supporting me a lot in my solo career as well as in my previous career with NIGHTWISH. So it has been really marvelous to get their support and now it's very important for me to give my best for them. Back to them somehow. This gratitude that I have.

Sonic Cathedral: Speaking of NIGHTWISH, you were let go in a very bad public way. It's been a few years since the letter and you seem much happier now. How have things been for you after going through that experience?

Tarja: Well, many things have changed. Actually, the whole career as a solo artist is radically different than being a member of a band. I mean, everything is different. The whole organization around me. I have to be deciding more things on my own. I mean, there is so many things. Also the responsibility that I'm carrying on my own is, of course, very different than before. But the thing is that I have learned so many things. Every day is such a different day and I'm also writing songs on my own today so I'm really happy to be able to do that. To have that sort of freedom to explore what is inside of my soul and my heart. Then let people hear that. What's really there. That has been a really beautiful thing.

Sonic Cathedral: So you're doing a lot more writing. What is it like to be more involved in that process rather than just being the singer?

Tarja: Of course it gets more personal. That's what it all is. I mean, it gets really personal and, you know, it's just very rewarding. I have to be so honest with the music today; that's because I believe in that. I don't know if this is a very naive thought in a way, but I believe if you are honest with the music then people can reach the message easier and the music touches them. I mean, music is the emotion for me and that's all about it. I want to deliver emotions for the audience. For the listeners. That is it. That's the beauty in it. It's so lovely to be a musician. It's a privilege today to be an artist.

Sonic Cathedral: You have a second album you have been working on called "What Lies Beneath".

Tarja: Yes.

Sonic Cathedral: How has that been coming along and when can we expect it?

Tarja: Well, I have quite many songs already. (Laughs) Actually I wrote around 20 songs already which are not all going to be the album, of course. (Laughs) Otherwise I need to make a double album again. (Laughs) But, I mean, that there are lots of good songs. Kind of a same continuance process from "My Winter Storm" to the next one but the radical difference is the variety of songs that will be offered but more or less radical with the heavier guitars and with overall heavier songs. Then also some moody sounds...So I still want to keep on the same line but make a radical difference to the songs even more than "My Winter Storm".

Sonic Cathedral: So you're going to stay in the heavy metal genre for this one?

Tarja: Yeah, of course. Of course. Come on. (Laughs) It's part of me. But you know part of me. (Laughs)

Former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has told Noisecreep that he is fully happy with his decision to leave the band in 2005 and has not considered a return to the group that made him famous. "If I ever felt God lead me back to KORN for some reason, I'd go," he said.

Welch will launch the first solo U.S. tour this month in support of his debut album, "Save Me From Myself", which was released September 9 on his Driven Music Group label. Later this summer, Welch will appear on the main stage at the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois on July 2, and in Las Vegas at the 20,000-seat Thomas & Mack Arena in August (exact date and billing to be announced May 1). More tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Welch's backing band will consist of the following musicians:

Scott Von Heldt (guitar)
Ralph Patlan (guitar)
Michael Valentine (bass)
Dan Johnson (drums)
Brian Ruedy (keyboards/programming)

Head is very excited about hitting the tour circuit again. "I did my first show in Phoenix last weekend and it was nuts," he told Noisecreep. "Besides the normal crowd, the promoter bused in a bunch of drug-addicted kids that lived on the streets and you could see them change right before your eyes. They were jumping up and down. At the end of the show, we all shouted together like an army, 'Jesus Christ, change me. Make me a new person.'"

Head also shared the story of overcoming drug addiction with the crowd before launching into the title track. "That was emotional and there were a lot of tears," he recalled. "Overall, it's a very draining experience, with kids jumping up and down, sweating, crying, hugging and screaming for change. It's like a huge heavy metal party with God."

"Save Me From Myself" sold 7,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 63 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 9 through Driven Music Group (distribution by Ryko/Warner Music Group), the label Welch co-founded with music execs Greg Shanaberger and Mark Nawara.

"Save Me From Myself" was produced by Head, who recorded the music off and on for the past two years in Phoenix, Arizona. It features renowned musicians Tony Levin (PETER GABRIEL, DAVID BOWIE) and Josh Freese (A PERFECT CIRCLE, NINE INCH NAILS), and was mixed by Ralph Patlan and Bob Clearmountain. It's a testimony of Head's life as he battled with drug addiction and leaving KORN, and finding spirituality.

A new SEVENTH ANGEL track titled "Chaos Of Dreams" is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off the reformed British metal band's new album, "The Dust of Years", which will be made available in on June 23 as a deluxe digipack via Bombworks Records. Artwork (see here) was handled by Matt Vickerstaff of Darkwave Art, who has previously worked with MY DYING BRIDE and MY SILENT WAKE.

SEVENTH ANGEL's first album since the release of "Lament for the Weary" was recorded at Priory studios in Birmingham with producer Greg Chandler.

SEVENTH ANGEL's current lineup is a mixture of the early and final lineup of the band before it split in 1992:

Ian Arkley (MY SILENT WAKE, PARAMAECIUM, CENTURY SLEEPER, THE OTHER WINDOW, ASHEN MORTALITY) - Vocals Guitar
Tank (SUK MUNKY, FREEKSPERT) - Drums
Simon Bibby (FIRE FLY, EXORIA, AMARANTH) - Guitar
Mark Broomhead (FIRE FLY, EXORIA, DETRITUS) - Bass

Each member of SEVENTH ANGEL has been on his own musical and spiritual journey since the split, and the reformation has produced a band of increased depth and maturity, with all the musical intensity that made SEVENTH ANGEL such an international success.

Before its split, SEVENTH ANGEL produced two highly acclaimed internationally released studio albums and continued interest in the band prompted the release of early demos and live recordings in 2005. Throughout its career, SEVENTH ANGEL was the focus of much media attention within the music press and beyond, having appeared on the BBC, Channel 4 and featured in the Daily Telegraph.

Santa Cruz, California-based progressive hardcore/death metallers ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS have completed work on their new album, "Portals", for a July 14 release via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded by Zack Ohren (AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK, ALL SHALL PERISH) and features 11 glorious grinders like "My Cup's Half Empty" and "Violence in Fluid - Triceratops".

According to a press release, "Portals" sees ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS "in new form, now using only one vocalist instead of their previous two-singer attack. The presence of the one vocalist serves to sharpen the band's straight-ahead metal attack and more importantly creates a cohesive album the flows perfectly from start to finish."

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS will headline the No Care Ever Tour in June/July. On the Canadian leg, direct support will come from labelmates THE AGONIST along with appearances by APFP, CHELSEA GRIN, ATTILA and EXECUTE THE SINNER. SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY will provide direct support in the U.S., with KNIVES EXCHANGING HANDS, ATTILA and FELL SILENT also appearing on the bill.

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS has just completed the European Thrash & Burn tour. Drummer Garin Rosen comments: "This whole tour is a dream come true. Finally coming to Europe and watching kids that can't speak a word of English singing along to every word. I can't wait to come back and bang my head with the crazy Europeans yet again!"

The self-titled fourth album (cover) from Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, which is scheduled for release on June 30 via Roadrunner Records, will feature the following track listing:

01. Never Again
02. Starting Over
03. The Forgotten
04. Reckoning
05. The Return
06. A Light In A Darkened World
07. Take Me Away
08. I Would Do Anything
09. Save Me
10. Lost
11. This Is Goodbye

Bonus tracks (deluxe edition):

12. In A Dead World
13. My Curse [Live]
14. Rose Of Sharyn [Live]
15. Holy Diver [Live]

Disc Two - DVD (deluxe edition):

01. "Making Of" Footage
02. Interviews

The CD was produced by Brendan O'Brien (AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and co-produced by guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.

Commented vocalist Howard Jones: "It was time for us to step outside of our comfort zone and try something a little different with this record. It definitely still sounds like us, but we needed to be refreshed and take things a little further."

Regarding the fact that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's new album is the second self-titled effort of the band's career, Jones said, "When we all couldn’t agree on an album title, someone suggested we just keep it self-titled and we all pretty much agreed…gives it the feeling of a fresh new beginning."

FULL FORCE, the new Swedish melodic metal project featuring Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE, SILENT MEMORIAL, PLANET ALLIANCE) on vocals, Stefan Elmgren (HAMMERFALL) on guitar and Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL, X-WORLD/5) on bass, has uploaded the first demo sample, "Heart & Soul", on the band's MySpace page.

According to FULL FORCE's official bio, "Mike and Magnus met for the first time in 2006 during the recordings of the PLANET ALLIANCE album. They became very good friends right away both musically and personally so, since the recording of that album Mike and Magnus have often talked about working more together. Same thing goes with long time friend Stefan Elmgren and Magnus after the departure of the well-known metal band called HAMMERFALL. They also talked often about starting up a new band together, so the course was more or less set in late 2008 when Magnus gave Mike a phone call asking him if he was interested in starting up a new band with him and Stefan. A drummer for FULL FORCE is already recruited for the band but they won't make him official until later this year. They will also get either a second guitar player or a keyboard player later on. Right now the main focus is writing songs for the album and they have come a long way already. There are already labels interested in signing FULL FORCE but all these details will be announced in appropriate time."

A "micro-site" for MARILYN MANSON's new album, "The High End Of Low", has been launched at this location.

The CD is due out on May 26 and is his first with longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez since 2000's "Holy Wood".

The official track listing for "The High End Of Low" is as follows:

01. Devour
02. Pretty As A Swastika
03. Leave A Scar
04. Four Rusted Horses
05. Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin'-Geddon
06. Blank And White
07. Running To The Edge Of The World
08. I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies
09. WOW
10. Wight Spider
11. Unkillable Monster
12. We're From America
13. I Have To Look Up Just To See Hell
14. Into The Fire
15. 15

AVALANCHE, the new project featuring Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND), Jake E (ex-DREAM EVIL, DREAMLAND), Andy Solveström (WITHIN Y, EVILDOER, CIPHER SYSTEM) and Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION), has changed its name to AMARANTHE.

Commented Mörck: "Due to a legal dispute and copyright claims, we have decided to change our name to AMARANTHE. The mysterious and aesthetic ring of the name fits our name even more perfectly than AVALANCHE, and we hope that you will like it too! All current AMARANTHE activities will remain unaffected by this, and you can expect to hear news about the upcoming album very soon!"

AMARANTHE recently posted video footage from the pre-production sessions for the band's debut album. The four-minute clip below features the creation of the brand new AMARANTHE song "Hunger".

IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers and EVERGREY keyboardist Rickard Zander are among the guest musicians who will appear on the upcoming AVALANCHE CD

Boston, Massachusetts-based hardcore/metal band BURY YOUR DEAD has posted a new song, "Broken Body", on the group's MySpace page. The track comes off BURY YOUR DEAD's new album,"It's Nothing Personal", which is scheduled for release on May 26 via Victory Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Hurting Not Helping
02. Without You
03. Broken Body
04. The Great Demonizer
05. Dead End Lovesong
06. Swan Song
07. Lakota
08. The Forgotten
09. Lion's Den
10. Legacy of Ashes
11. Closed Eyes
12. Enough

"Germany", the new video from Orange County, California's BLEEDING THROUGH, can be viewed at this location. The song comes off the band's latest album, "Declaration", which sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 101 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in September 2008, the CD was recorded in Vancouver, Canada with producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, LAMB OF GOD, SOILWORK, DARKEST HOUR) and is said to be thematically the band's most diverse album to date, addressing a variety of topics on tracks like "There Was a Flood" and "Death Anxiety".

EX DEO — the band led by KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono — is a streaming a new song, "Legio XIII", on the group's MySpace page. The track comes off EX DEO's debut album, "Romulus", which is scheduled for release on June 19 (Europe) and June 30 (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded with producer (and KATAKLYSM guitarist) Jean-Francois Dagenais (MISERY INDEX, DESPISED ICON, MALEVOLENT CREATION).

"Romulus" track listing:

01. Romulus
02. Storm the Gates of Alesia
03. Cry Havoc
04. In Her Dark Embrace
05. Invictus
06. The Final War (Battle of Actium)
07. Legio XIII
08. Blood, Courage and The God's That Walk The Earth
09. Cruor Nostri Abbas
10. Surrender The Sun
11. The Pantheon (Jupiter's Reign)

Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS has posted another new song, "Bloodstained Endurance", on the band's MySpace page. The track is the title cut of the group's sixth album, "Bloodstained Endurance", which will be released this spring via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded and mixed over a six-week period at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes. Mastering duties were handled by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Finland.

"Bloodstained Endurance" release dates:

May 27 - Finland, Spain
May 29 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, France, Italy, Sweden
Jun. 01 - Rest of Europe
Jun. 02 - USA, Canada

The cover artwork for the album, which was designed by acclaimed artist Travis Smith (AMORPHIS, OPETH, NEVERMORE), can be viewed below.

Commented TRAIL OF TEARS: "The band, as well as producer Terje Refsnes, have worked our asses off for the past few months and while sitting here listening to the end result we can't help but feel that we have outdone ourselves and managed to create something quite special."

"Bloodstained Endurance" track listing:

01. The Feverish Alliance
02. Once Kissed By The Serpent (Twice Bitten By Truth)
03. Bloodstained Endurance
04. Triumphant Gleam
05. In The Valley Of Ashes
06. A Storm At Will
07. Take Aim.Reclaim.Prevail
08. The Desperation Corridors
09. Farewell To Sanity
10. Dead End Gaze
11. Faith Comes Knocking

Guitarist Tchort has announced his departure from the Norwegian black metal band CARPATHIAN FOREST. He says in a statement, "It's been more than 10 years with perversion and provocation and I have seen, heard and done shit I didn't even know existed and the past decade has been like a rollercoaster from hell! And since I got too addicted to this shit, I can also announce that I am starting a brand new band and I can't wait to see unexplored depths of hell with the new stuff. I am confident that I will find a killer lineup and be back to fuck you up! My deepest respect and grattitude goes to Nattefrost for letting me into his personal hell and keeping me there for a decade!"

CARPATHIAN FOREST performed at this year's Inferno festival, which was held April 8-11, 2009 in Oslo. Fan-filmed video footage of the cocnert can be viewed below.

The band is busy writing the follow-up album to "Fuck You All!!!!" and is currently negotiating with various record labels.

"Fuck You All!!!!" entered the Norwegian album chart at position No. 25. The band has since ended its collaboration with France's Season of Mist Records.

Norwegian "ompa-party-trollish" metallers TROLLFEST, featuring members of PANTHEON I and SARKOM, will release a new mini-CD, "Uraltes Elemente", on July 17 via Twilight-Vertrieb.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Uraltes Elemente
02. Byttedyr
03. Grublegjoken
04. Prost der Welt
05. Ich Libe Zug (Zug Über Alles)
06. Bassen til Tor

"Skyforger", the new album from Finnish metallers AMORPHIS, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. Due on May 29 via Nuclear Blast Records (May 27 in Finland), the follow-up to the "Eclipse" and "Silent Waters" LPs, both of which were certified gold in the band's native Finland, was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Sampo
02. Silver Bride
03. From The Heaven Of My Heart
04. Sky Is Mine
05. Majestic Beast
06. My Sun
07. Highest Star
08. Skyforger
09. Course Of Fate
10. From Earth I Rose
11. Godlike Machine (bonus track; digipack only)

Diena, the largest morning newspaper in Latvia, conducted an interview with LIMP BIZKIT's DJ Lethal prior to the first show of the band's "Unicorns N' Rainbows" reunion tour, which kicked off earlier tonight (Wednesday, May 20) in Riga, Latvia. Watch the chat below. Also available is early fan-filmed video footage from the concert.

LIMP BIZKIT's setlist for the Riga show was as follows:

01. Space Odyssey (intro)
02. My Generation
03. Livin' It Up
04. Show Me What You Got
05. Hot Dog
06. Almost Over
07. Rearranged
08. Break Stuff
09. The Truth
10. Boiler
11. Just Like This
12. Full Nelson
13. Counterfeit
14. My Way
15. Faith
16. Behind Blue Eyes
17. Nookie
18. Take A Look Around
19. Rollin'

"Shame", the new video from DROWNING POOL, is available for vieweing below. The song comes off the band's 2007 album, "Full Circle".

After two years of supporting "Full Circle", DROWNING POOL will take part in the highly anticipated Crüe Fest 2 tour which stars MÖTLEY CRÜE and features additional support from GODSMACK, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, and introduces CHARM CITY DEVILS. DROWNING POOL will take a break from the studio where they are recording their next studio album in Dallas.

DROWNING POOL — Ryan McCombs (vocals), CJ Pierce (guitar), Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums) — has overcome its fair share of adversity: tragedy, internal struggles, leaving their major record label and multiple incidents of theft over the last few years.

Says DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce, "We have been through the ups and downs of this business, but stayed true to our goal of bringing kick-ass rock music to our fans around the world. We’ve never given up when we felt down for the count. Now we have Crüe Fest 2 and we are grateful for the opportunity to reach a new audience. It’s pretty unbelievable where are right now."

Eleven Seven Music President Nikki Sixx (of MÖTLEY CRÜE) remarks, "DROWNING POOL is one of the best survival stories in rock right now. For a band to be on its third album, with their third lead singer and finally reaching the Top 10 with their third single from an album released almost two years ago, is a remarkable feat. I'm excited that DROWNING POOL will have the opportunity to play in front of hundreds of thousands of dedicated rock fans across America as part of Crüe Fest 2 tour this summer."

"Tomorrow Has No Sunrise", the new video from the Swedish death metal band EVOCATION, can be viewed below. The clip was directed by René U Valdes (HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, AVATAR) of Greenworks and was shot at Kvarnbyn in Gothenburg on April 14.

"Tomorrow Has No Sunrise" comes off EVOCATION's new album, "Dead Calm Chaos", which was released on October 31, 2008 via Cyclone Empire. The CD features guest appearances by Anders Björler (AT THE GATES, THE HAUNTED) and Swedish producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (BLOODBATH, EDGE OF SANITY). The album was recorded in the band's own studio under the watchful eye of guitarist Vesa Kenttäkumpu.

EVOCATION is:

Thomas Josefsson – Vocals
Janne K. Bodén – Drums
Vesa Kenttäkumpu – Guitar
Marko Palmén – Guitar
Martin Toresson – Bass

"Severed Reality", the new video from Los Angeles thrashers WARBRINGER, can be viewed below. The clip was filmed on February 22 at The Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Dave Brodsky (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, SUICIDE SILENCE) during WARBRINGER's tour with DARKANE and SOILWORK.

Commented vocalist John Kevill: "The video for 'Severed Reality' got done in the middle of a tour, and it was done mostly live at the venue we were playing at that night in Milwaukee. We did a couple shots on the stage before anyone showed up, and then just shot the whole show for the video. As it turns out, the show was fucking insane, we couldn't even fit all the stage divers in the video! David Brodsky went to put the whole thing together and it came out great; I think it is the strongest video we have had so far."

WARBRINGER's sophomore album, "Waking Into Nightmares", is scheduled for release on May 19 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Zack Ohren (SUFFOCATION, ALL SHALL PERISH) and the cover artwork was created by esteemed artist Dan Seagrave (MORBID ANGEL, ENTOMBED).

Raymond Legendre of DailyComet.com reports that a 15-year-old student at Larose-Cut Off Middle School in the Lafourche Parish of Louisiana shot himself in the head on school grounds this morning (Monday, May 18), moments after firing an errant shot at a teacher who refused his order to praise Marilyn Manson.

The eighth-grade student, who is in critical condition at Terrebonne General Medical Center, left behind a suicide note in which he detailed how he planned to kill others and then himself, Sheriff Craig Webre said.

Classmates of the gunman, who they identified as Justin Doucet, said they were surprised by his actions, but noted they found his love for Marilyn Manson and knowledge of Adolf Hitler facts to be odd.

Arizona's EYES SET TO KILL will release its sophomore album, "The World Outside", on June 2 via BreakSilence Recordings. Written and recorded by the band in Los Angeles with producer Dave Aguilera (ex-OTEP, BLEED THE DREAM) and mixed by Thom Flowers (THE ATARIS), the CD showcases the band's evolution from their screamo beginnings into powerful songwriters that resonate raw emotion.

"The World Outside" (cover) track listing:

01. Heights ( 3:25)
02. Hourglass ( 3:26)
03. Deadly Weapons ( 3:35)
04. Interlude ( 0:59)
05. The World Outside ( 3:46)
06. March Of The Dead ( 4:19)
07. Wake Me Up ( 4:07)
08. The Hollow Pt. 1 ( 0:55)
09. The Hollow ( 3:19)
10. Risen ( 2:49)
11. Her Eyes Hold The Apocalypse ( 3:00)
12. Come Home ( 4:15)

"Our debut album was great, but I feel like we got signed so quickly that we didn't have time to really write everything that I wanted," says singer Alexia Rodriguez. "We were fresh out of high school and on the road playing shows every day and then we jumped straight from the road into the studio. There was no time for the songs to breathe or evolve. With this record, I just put all the raw emotions I've kept to myself and let them bleed out into the music."

Ten years ago, in the early summer of 1999, Autumnblaze released their lyrical and epic debut album "DämmerElbenTragödie". To celebrate this anniversary, Prophecy Productions will release - in parallel with the new Autumnblaze studio album "Perdition Diaries" - a special edition of "DämmerElbenTragödie" as a double CD containing all official recordings by Autumnblaze preceding the "Bleak" era.

The "DämmerElbenTragödie" bonus CD includes:
- "Dreaming Moonspark Fairylands" (Autumnblaze's 1997 seven-track demo, for the first time available on CD!)
- "Every Silent Moment I Weep" (7" EP from 1998 with two tracks, for the first time available on CD!)
- "My Ebony Wound" (previously unreleased song from the "DämmerElbenTragödie" sessions!)

An extended booklet with a three-pages essay on Autumnblaze's early years and liner notes by Alvar Eldron rounds off this re-release. A comprehensive compilation of Autumnblaze's early oeuvre!

Norwegian melodic metal band ASPERA has completed work on its debut album, "Ripples", due later in the year via an as-yet-undetermined record label. 10 solid songs will be released on the CD once a suitable record/publishing deal has been finalized. The tracks were mixed at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden by Jens Bogren, who is well known for his work with OPETH, SYMPHONY X, HAMMERFALL, AMON AMARTH and PARADISE LOST. Vocalist Atle Pettersen comments: "We are very satisfied with our first album and are lucky enough to have a number of options with interest from labels and publishers. To put the first album out is still a huge and important decision for a new band, even in this digitalized age. So we want to make sure we do it right first time!"

The five aspiring young musicians from Skien are already starting to compete with more established bands in the international metal scene. Under the name ILLUSION, ASPERA previously released three self-recorded EPs and has 40+ live shows under its belt. But being just 19 years old, the bandmembers have not only a long and healthy future ahead of them but also a talent and creativity which belies their relative youth. On "Ripples", they deliver to a consistently high standard, and in Atle Pettersen, the band has a frontman with an outstanding and very unique voice.

Catch ASPERA live on May 29, supporting PAGAN'S MIND in Kristiansand, Norway. ASPERA will also play at the annual festival Sluserock in Lunde, Telemark on June 6.

ASPERA is:

Robin Ognedal - Guitar
Nickolas Pettersen - Keyboards
Joachim Strøm - Drums
Atle Pettersen - Vocals
Rein Blomquist - Bass