METALLICA is less than two weeks away from its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the band has confirmed that former bassist Jason Newsted will attend the ceremony. Guitarist Kirk Hammett also told The Pulse of Radio that Newsted will perform with the group at the event as well. "Jason Newsted will be there, and he will be playing with us at one point," he said. "We went as a band when BLACK SABBATH was being inducted, and at that time BLONDIE was also being inducted that night. And there was so many politics and so much drama that, you know, we collectively said to each other, 'We don't want any of that,' because it kind of, it puts a really bad, sour note on the whole celebration itself."

Hammett also told The Pulse of Radio that the band is in the midst of deciding what songs it will play at the ceremony.

The Hall of Fame induction will take place on April 4 at the Hall's Public Auditorium in Cleveland. METALLICA will be inducted by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke with the Los Angeles Times about several topics, including whether or not the band needs a major label to move forward with its career now that its contract with Warner Bros. Records is done. Ulrich replied, "Without offending any of the good people from the record company in the room, no . . .We're doing a bunch of shows with Trent (Reznor, NINE INCH NAILS) this summer in Europe. I look forward to sitting down and talking to him about what's on his radar."

On the proposed merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, Ulrich said, "We haven't sold out to Live Nation, and we are certainly not planning on it. And we are very, very fortunate that we do not need what they offer to continue to be who we are." Ulrich added that the recent scandal involving Ticketmaster redirecting ticket buyers to its official "scalping" site was "very distasteful," adding, "It's just ripping people off. It's impure. So obviously I'd stand up and scream from every rooftop that I think that's . . . impure."

A three-and-a-half-minute trailer for "Fucking With F*** - Live", the new DVD and separate 2-CD package from German melodic metallers EDGUY, can be viewed here. The footage for the DVD was shot on November 3, 2006 at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil and "presents a mind-blowing performance of Tobias Sammet [vocals] and his team," according to a press release. "More than 100 minutes including all hymns, as well as lots of bonus material featuring all video clips, road movies and interviews. Besides the DVD, there will be also a double live CD, separate, as well as part of a noble package along with the DVD."

"Fucking With F*** - Live" track listing:

01. Catch Of The Century
02. Sacrifice
03. Babylon
04. Lavatory Love Machine
05. Land Of the Miracle
06. Tears Of A Mandrake
07. Vain Glory Opera
08. Drum Solo
09. Superheroes
10. Fucking With Fire
11. Save Me
12. Mysteria
13. Out Of Control
14. Avantasia
15. King Of Fools

Check out the cover artwork here.

UNANIMATED, the reunited Swedish melodic death metal band featuring former members of ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER, will release its new album, "In The Light (The Covenant Of Death)", in April via Regain Records. The CD was mixed by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studios (WATAIN, FUNERAL MIST). The album layout was handled by Erik Danielsson (WATAIN).

Check out the track "Serpents Curse" on the band's MySpace page.

UNANIMATED's first two albums — 1993's "In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead" (Pavement Records) and 1995's "Ancient God of Evil" (No Fashion Records) — were remastered and re-released in June 2008 with bonus tracks.

"Spellbound", the new video from Italian rock/metal act LACUNA COIL, has been posted at ARTISTdirect. It can also be viewed below. The clip was shot at the Dolce & Gabbana Gold restaurant in the band's hometown of Milan, Italy with director Saku. It was produced by Apnea Film and the wardrobe was provided by Dolce & Gabbana.

Commented LACUNA COIL vocalist Cristina Scabbia: "We had a great time shooting the video for 'Spellbound' and it also marks our first time working with acclaimed Italian director Saku in a location that's really peculiar. It was filmed in a very fashionable place: the restaurant Gold located in Milan, Italy, which owned by the fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana, who kindly gave us the permission to film over there! The location provides the perfect atmosphere to express the 'Shallow Life' theme. Everything is really shiny and 'bling bling' and the band is performing in the middle of a golden room full of mirrors and giant chandeliers. The story is rounded out by some actors that are interpreting different aspects of being under a spell of something: the girl obsessed by her weight and look, the guy who wants to be a superman, the politician etc."

New England-based death metallers VITAL REMAINS have issued the following update:

"Tuesday night [March 24] thieves broke into our trailer at our hotel in Austin, Texas and stole some of our gear (Gator's bass and Tony's guitar) and 300+ shirts. A make-up date is in the works for the canceled performance at the Riot Room in Kansas City and will be announced shortly...

"Please send any info you may have to james@cs3enetrtainment.com or vitalremains2000@aol.com. A reward will be offered for any information leading to an arrest of the individual or individuals involved with NO QUESTIONS ASKED."

Montreal's rambunctious and unique classical/black metal ensemble UNEXPECT will enter Badass Studio on April 14 with producer Jef Fortin (ANONYMUS, NEURAXIS, THE LAST FELONY) to begin recording its new album for a late 2009 release.

UNEXPECT will take part in the European installment of DREAM THEATER's Progressive Nation tour, set to take place throughout September, October and November 2009. Also appearing on the bill are OPETH and BIGELF

Video footage of UNEXPECT performing at the Vlaze Media studios can be viewed here.

UNEXPECT released its debut album, "In a Flesh Aquarium", in the summer of 2006 via The End Records.

Orlando, Florida-based power metal band SEVEN KINGDOMS will enter Tampa's Morrisound Studios in late July to record its sophomore album. The CD will mark the recording debut of new singer Sabrina Valentine and will include guest appearances by Wade Black (CRIMSON GLORY, LEATHERWOLF) and Glen Alvelais (FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT).

Commented guitarist Camden Cruz," We can't wait for you guys to hear the new stuff. The new album has a more focused SEVEN KINGDOMS sound this time around. I know some of you guys are worried that we will be going softer since we have a chick singer, but let me assure you there will be plenty of epic triumphant-ness on this one as well."

SEVEN KINGDOMS will hit the road in September/October for a small Southeast tour, followed next summer by a full East Coast trek.

Listenable Records will re-release the classic first albums from Swedish metallers SOILWORK. "Steelbath Suicide" (1998) and "The Chainheart Machine" (1999) will be reissued in deluxe super jewelcases with revamped artwork and contain bonus tracks. Out of print for a while, these re-releases are a "must-have for any SOILWORK fan who missed the originals while the various bonus materials make it worth for die-hard fans to get these gems again," the label says in a press release.

"Steelbath Suicide" bonus tracks:

01. Sadistic Lullabye (Live in Tilburg, 1999)
02. The Aardvark Trail (Live in Tilburg, 1999)

"The Chainheart Machine" bonus tracks:

01. Machinegun Majesty (Live in Tilburg, 1999)
02. Neon Rebels (Live in Tilburg, 1999)

Vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid and drummer Dirk Verbeuren of SOILWORK were interviewed for the "Rock Circus" video show on February 18, 2009 at the Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Watch the eight-minute chat below.

In a recent interview with SuicideGirls.com, SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers spoke about what direction the band might take musically with its next album. "We talked about maybe taking a little bit of a different approach for the next record," he said. "Having me and Sylvain [Coudret, guitar] back in the band, I think that we're probably going to try to do stuff that might be a little more technical. We want to keep the element of the catchy chorus but at the same time maybe have bit more guitar solos than on "Sworn to a Great Divide" and also let Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] get more space on the record for drumming. That was one of the things I think that "Sworn to a Great Divide" was lacking a little bit. It's a good record but I think that with such talented musicians the next album definitely needs to have more performance."

German extreme metal outfit NEAERA will release its fourth album, "Omnicide - Creation Unleashed" on May 25 in Europe via Metal Blade Records (except in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, where it will arrive on May 22). The CD was recorded at the Rape Of Harmonies studio with producer Alexander Dietz. The artwork, which was once again created by Terje Johnsen, can be viewed here. The mixing and mastering was handled by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, WHITECHAPEL).

"Omnicide - Creation Unleashed" track listing:

01. I Loathe
02. Prey to Anguish
03. The Wretched of The Earth
04. Grave New World
05. Age of Hunger
06. Caesura
07. Omnicide
08. In Near Ruins
09. The Nothing Doctrine
10. I am The Rape

The limited first edition will be released as a double digipack, including an exclusive cover version of CROWBAR's "The Lasting Dose" and a bonus DVD with a band documentary.

NEAERA recently extended its worldwide record deal with Metal Blade for another three albums. The signing of the contract took place after the band's show in Karlsruhe, Germany on December 28.

"Armamentarium", the latest album from NEAERA, entered the German Media Control chart in September 2007 at position No. 65. The limited first edition of the album contained a bonus DVD recorded live at the band's sold-out show on May 19, 2007 in their hometown of Münster. Recorded at Hansen Studios in Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen, "Armamentarium" is "the most aggressive, focused and best sounding NEAERA album to date," according to a press release.

German death metallers LAY DOWN ROTTEN have finished recording and mixing their fifth album, "Gospel Of The Wretched", for a May 11 European release via Metal Blade Records (May 8 in Germany). The CD was recorded at the Desert Inn studios in Germany and was mixed by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) at Unisound studios in Örebro, Sweden.

According to a press release, "'Gospel Of The Wretched' not only features nine songs of supreme death metal but also guest appearances by three of the most legendary death metal singers in history: Martin van Drunen (HAIL OF BULLETS, ASPHYX, PESTILENCE), Marc Grewe (MORGOTH) and Dan Swanö. Guitarist Daniel Jakobi says, "This is like a dream come true for all of us since we grew up listening to those masterpieces they appeared on." He adds, "This is easily our most ambitious album so far offering the best sound quality of all albums we recorded yet!"

"Gospel Of The Wretched" track listing:

01. Gospel Of The Wretched
02. Thy Won't Be Done
03. Hours Of Infinity
04. Altering The Whore
05. Conditioning The Weak
06. He Who Sows Hate
07. Beyond Damnation
08. When All Becomes Nothing
09. Where Spirits Lie Dead

Björn Gooses of Killustrations created the cover art (see here) for "Gospel Of The Wretched".

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE — the "horror-death rock" side-project of MARDUK guitarist Morgan Håkansson — will release its new full-length album, "Blood & Ashes", on April 13 via Regain Records.

"Blood & Ashes" track listing:

01. Oceans Turn To Blood
02. Wicked One
03. Speak The Name Of The Dead
04. The Cult Of Death
05. Werewolf
06. Demons Of The Flesh/Tight White Ropes
07. Shadows Never Change
08. Smell Of The Ancient Ones
09. Face The Master
10. Werewolf Nation
11. Snakes Out The Mouth Of Hell

Check out the track "Wicked One" on the band's MySpace page.

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE will perform at the Fiendforce festival in Solingen, Germany on April 25.

After a lengthy hiatus, DEVILS WHOREHOUSE, returned this past fall with the release of an EP titled "Werewolf". The effort was made available in three different formats — CD, 7" and 12" picture disc.

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE current linup:

Morgan - Bass
Makko - Guitar
Maelstrom - Vocals
Hrafn - Drums

German melodic metallers SAIDIAN will release their third album, "Evercircle", on May 29 via Blistering Records. The CD was recorded between March and September of 2008 with producer Axel Heckert, (now also SAIDIAN's live engineer) and it "showcases a broader musical spectrum for SAIDIAN, including a mix of headbanging anthems, melodic rockers, powerful ballads and the band's first cover song, the 1981 hit 'Tokyo' from the German hard rock band of the same name (later known as CRAAFT)," accordign to a press release. "One listen to songs like the mystic 'Solomon’s Dance', the powerful 'Pale Moon Rider' or the barnstorming opener 'Out Of The Shadows' and you’ll hear what the European festival scene has been raising their ale horns to for half a decade."

Founded in 2004, SAIDIAN's debut album, "For Those Who Walked The Path Forlorn", was promoted by a full European tour with JON OLIVA'S PAIN. The SAVATAGE mastermind liked the band so much he contributed guest vocals to their sophomore LP, "Phoenix", which was released in September 2006. Hitting the club and festival circuit, SAIDIAN's meteoric rise peaked with an earth-shaking performance at the first Magic Circle Festival in the summer of 2007 — documented on the "Magic Circle Festival Vol. 1 DVD".

Finnish melodic death metal band ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW has set "Children of the Dark Waters" as the title of its sixth album, due in May via Suomen Musiikki (Finland), Massacre Records (rest of Europe) and Marquee/Avalon (Asia). As was the case with the band's previous five LPs, the forthcoming effort was recorded at Tico-Tico Studio in Kemi, Finland.

"Children of the Dark Waters" track listing:

01. Children of the Dark Waters (Act II)
02. Baptized by the Blood of Angels
03. Tears of Autumn Rain
04. Summon the Wild
05. Sea of Whispers
06. Midnight Bird
07. Diary of Demonic Dreams
08. When the Darkest Night Falls
09. Nocturne Thule

SAVAGE CIRCUS, the multinational project featuring Jens Karlsson (vocals; PERSUADER), Emil Norberg (lead guitar; PERSUADER), Piet Sielck (guitar, bass, backing vocals; IRON SAVIOR) and Mike Terrana (drums; AXEL RUDI PELL, RAGE, YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN, MASTERPLAN), has posted a pre-production/demo version of a new song, "The Ordeal", on the band's MySpace page. The song will appear on SAVAGE CIRCUS's long-awaited second album, tentatively due before the end of the via Dockyard 1 Records.

SAVAGE CIRCUS' current lineup:

Jens Carlsson (lead vocals)
Emil Norberg (guitar)
Piet Sielck (guitar, backing vocals)
Yenz Leonhardt (bass guitar, backing vocals)
Mike Terrana (drums, percussion)

SAVAGE CIRCUS fired drummer Thomen Stauch (ex-BLIND GUARDIAN) in August 2007 due to personal differences.

The band recently released a DVD, entitled "Live in Atlanta", through Dockyard 1. The live footage was filmed in 2006 at the ProgPower USA VII festival in Atlanta, GA.

SAVAGE CIRCUS issued its debut album, "Dreamland Manor", in North America in March 2006 via Century Media Records. The North American version of the CD, which was issued in Europe in August 2005, includes the "Evil Eyes" video.

Montreal extreme metallers DESPISED ICON have started work on their new album, due later in the year via Century Media Records.

Commented vocalist Alex Erian: "We're done writing and the new shit is packed with brutality. Can't wait to play these songs live! As always, our longtime buddy Yannick St-Amand will produce the whole thing and we got Zeuss and Alan Douches to take care of the mixing and mastering, so the result should sound monstrous! Our boy Felix Rancourt, the evil mastermind behind all our imagery, promised us his sickest album artwork to date."

DESPISED ICON has just released a new DVD entitled "Montreal Assault Live". The disc features a "stellar" multi-camera shoot from the band's sold-out hometown show, alongside a new hour-long documentary and all of the band's promotional video clips.

QUEENSRŸCHE's twelfth studio release, the epic concept album "American Soldier", is available for streaming in its entirety at VH1.com.

"American Soldier" track listing

01. Sliver
02. Unafraid
03. Hundred Mile Stare
04. At 30,000 Ft.
05. A Dead Man's Words
06. The Killer
07. Middle Of Hell
08. If I Were King
09. Man Down!
10. Remember Me
11. Home Again
12. The Voice

"American Soldier" will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital). The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts — from World War II to Iraq — Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war.

Dutch progressive rock band CIRRHA NIVA has posted a new song called "Dreamon" on the group's MySpace page. The track, which features a guest appearance by female vocalist Manda Ophuis from the Dutch act NEMESEA, is available for streaming at this location.

CIRRHA NIVA's new CD was recorded in part at Excess studio (AYREON, AFTER FOREVER) in Rotterdam, Holland under the guidance of Split Second Sound (TEXTURES, AUTUMN).

Currently unsigned, CIRRHA NIVA in 2007 announced the addition of singer Legrand to the group's ranks. The band stated at the time, "[Legrand] learned the songs in only a few weeks and was very convincing while performing them for and with us. It felt good the minute we started playing the first song, it felt so good that we offered him the job right after the audition. Besides learning all the songs we already have written, he can prove himself also in the writing process."

CIRRHA NIVA's last CD, "Liaison de la Morte", was released in 2001.

Former CELTIC FROST frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer has issued the following update on his current TRIPTYKON project:

"Of course, my own opinion is biased, and of course I am not really entitled to rate the results of our own work. But it is difficult not to emerge from our sessions at TRIPTYKON's rehearsal bunker deeply intoxicated by the heaviness of the dark, overwhelming, and morbid miasma that is the riffs of 'The Prolonging'. Although the path towards completion is still significant, be it for this new song, its title and lyrics, or the album proper it will appear on, it all transpires as it should. It is as it has to be."

TRIPTYKON's lineup also features Reed St. Mark (ex-CELTIC FROST), V. Santura (DARK FORTRESS) and Vanja Slay. The first audio sample, a track called "Crucifixus", can be heard on TRIPTYKON's official MySpace page.

Commented Fischer: "TRIPTYKON will sound as close to CELTIC FROST as is humanly possible, and the album I am working on will feature all the material I envisioned for the successor to [CELTIC FROST's] 'Monotheist'. I desire the album to be a darker, heavier, and slightly more experimental development of 'Monotheist'.

"'Crucifixus' is but one of many compositions to that end. TRIPTYKON is not defined by just this one song, however, just like CELTIC FROST was not defined by 'Totengott' alone."

Fischer announced his departure from CELTIC FROST in April 2008, citing "the irresolvable, severe erosion of the personal basis so urgently required to collaborate within a band so unique, volatile, and ambitious."

Fischer recently spent time in Norway as an invited guest of the Norwegian black metallers 1349 while they were recording their new album, "Revelations Of The Black Flame". He previously joined 1349 on stage during the band's appearance at the Inferno festival on March 22, 2008 in Oslo for a rendition of the CELTIC FROST classic "The Usurper".

U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist Adrian Smith of British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Metal Hammer: Talking to everybody else, the attention seems to be now turning to a new album…

Adrian Smith: "Yeah, we were talking about it briefly the other day and I've been thinking about it every day since because there are so many ways we can go with it. It'd be nice if we had the songs now and we could come off tour and go straight into the studio match-fit, as it were. Usually we have a long time off, and the way we play in the studio is as live, so it's always a bit tense at first because we haven't played for six months. I'd ideally like to go in [soon]. Again, it's a day-to-day thing, you go in, take it as you find it, try and do the best job you can.”

Metal Hammer: We've noticed one thing that was different from 12 months ago, when we interviewed Steve [Harris, bass], he said, "We've always said, 'We're only going to do 15 albums, we're coming up to it, there's going to be an ending point.'" Is everyone seeing things a little differently now?

Adrian: "Look, we write music, we're musicians, we'll carry on. The great thing is that there's clearly a huge audience out there waiting to hear what we're going to do right now; and in the real world, that's not a very common situation, so you have to appreciate it. It's not always easy to make an album; you've got six guys with their own ideas and focusing it into one outcome is quite difficult."

Metal Hammer: Is it the case that you use up every idea for an album each time, and that there's never anything left over from that for next time?

Adrian: "I know a lot of bands who demo stuff from 30 songs or something and then break up when they're trying to pick 10 because you get the ego and the each guy wants to get their ideas in, so we just try to write 10 or 12 songs, and get everybody's best ideas in there. You soon know when you start playing it whether it's going to fly or not. You just have to do the best you can. It's difficult for everybody to be happy with the album: there's always a compromise, but as long as you can get through it and come out the other side and still be a band that's what it's all about. Sometimes creative conflict is good in songwriting, it brings out the best in everyone."

According to the San Bernardino County Sun, the trial of a woman accused of helping her boyfriend stab a friend to death after listening to SLIPKNOT started last Thursday.

Terry Ray Taylor, 21, was stabbed more than 20 times, and his neck was slashed, authorities said.

Deputy District Attorney Karen Khim told jurors that Amber Rose Riley, now 22, and her boyfriend, Jason Lamar Harris, lured Taylor to the park, where they attacked him with butcher knives about 1:30 a.m. May 23, 2003.

A previous prosecutor in the case, Doug Poston, said at a 2004 court hearing that Harris and Riley were listening to a SLIPKNOT CD before and after they killed Taylor.

They particularly listened to "Disasterpiece", which has lyrics discussing slitting a victim's throat, Poston said.

Riley also admitted watching a horror movie titled "Satan's School for Girls" before the slaying, Poston said.

One motive for the killing was Riley's desire to see a dead body, the prosecutor said.

Swedish/Texan doom legends CANDLEMASS have made their new album, "Death Magic Doom", available for streaming in its entirety on their MySpace page.

Due in Europe on April 3 and in North America on May 5 via Nuclear Blast Records, "Death Magic Doom" features the following track listing:

01. If I Ever Die
02. Hammer Of Doom
03. The Bleeding Baroness
04. Demon Of The Deep
05. House Of 1000 Voices
06. Dead Angel
07. Clouds Of Dementia
08. My Funeral Dreams

Commented bassist/main songwriter Leif Edling: "The songs [on the new album] are about immortality, depressions, demons, vampires, funerals and the almighty devil that we all know very well, hehe. I love the way we perform here. Rob's [Lowe] singing and Lasse's [Lars Johansson, guitar] soloing are nothing but amazing!! The production is also outstanding! The name 'Death Magic Doom' captures it perfectly! Great name! Love it! It is very suitable for an album of this magnitude AND it also describes what CANDLEMASS is about; Heavy, hard, epic, colossal metal!!! I would say that 'Death Magic Doom' is the best album we have done since 'Nightfall' [1987]!! In all, [the LP contains] nearly 50 minutes of bone-crushing and mind-blowing doom metal!!"

Nuclear Blast mailorder is offering a limited-edition "Death Magic Doom" box set featuring the band's new album, an exclusive "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" poster flag and a numbered certificate of authenticity. It is limited to 500 copies and available for pre-order at this location.

CANDLEMASS' last full-length CD, "King of the Grey Islands", was released June 22, 2007 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Atlanta-based quintet DAATH filmed a video for the track "Day Of Endless Light" this past weekend in the band's hometown with director Robin Fuller (GHOST OF A THOUSAND, SHAPED BY FATE). Pictures are available at this location.

Commented guitarist Eyal Levi: "I hate music videos. Always have. There's been a few exceptions over the years like the old TOOL videos or WHITE STRIPES videos but for the most part they suck. Especially metal videos. How many times can we watch a group of burly dudes throwing down in a warehouse or abandoned building? With this video that was the LAST thing I wanted for us. I set out to find a team that would give us an actual work of art which could be watched and enjoyed regardless of the music. We ended up with Robin Fuller directing. We chose him because of his amazing animation skills and overall enthusiasm for the vision. The vision was to have a video shot in the style of a Frank Miller film ('Sin City') and have those shots interwoven with the art and design that Jorden Haley has created for us with [the new DAATH album] 'The Concealers'. This will not be your typical metal video."

"The Concealers" is scheduled for release on April 20 in Europe and April 21 in the U.S. through Century Media Records (via a partnership with Roadrunner Records). The CD was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER).

"Delight and Angers", the new video from Swedish metallers IN FLAMES, can be viewed here. The clip was once again directed and produced by Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL) of Revolver Film Company, who has helmed a number of IN FLAMES videos in the past, including "Take This Life", "My Sweet Shadow", "The Quiet Place" and "Alias".

The cover art for the "Delight and Angers" single was created by Alex Pardee, who was responsible for all artwork on IN FLAMES' latest album, "A Sense of Purpose".

IN FLAMES recently cancelled its tour of the U.K. and Ireland, which was scheduled to take place in April. The band explained, "As you already know, Jesper [Strömblad, guitar] is currently at an alcohol rehabilitation clinic and is taking some time off to get better. Peter [Iwers, bass] is about to become a dad. We obviously knew about Peter becoming a dad and originally planned to have a replacement bassist, but with the recent events surrounding Jesper, we simply feel that it is not fair on the fans to see a completely different lineup, which, in our eyes, is not IN FLAMES."

Strömblad sat out IN FLAMES' tour of South America, Australia and Japan after checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic in order to receive treatment for his alcohol addiction. On this tour, Niclas Engelin from the Swedish band ENGEL filled in on guitar. Niclas has helped IN FLAMES on a couple of occasions in the past and is no stranger to the band's songs or the touring life.

The group previously said in a statement: "Jesper has struggled for some time with alcoholic abuse, and decided to sit this [tour] out in order to seek help and focus on rehabilitation and all that comes with it. We all talked about it and together with Jesper, we chose to ask our longtime friend Niclas Engelin, who helped us before, to complete the tour. We are all sad that it needed to come to this, but health comes first. This is something Jesper needed to do for himself and we wish Jesper all the best with his recovery and hope to have him back on the road with us again very, very soon!"

Former GORGOROTH bassist King (real name: Tom Cato Visnes), who recently lost a court battle against guitarist Infernus (real name: Roger Tiegs) over the rights to the GORGOROTH band name, recently spoke to Imhotep webzine about his newly launched project with fellow ex-GORGOROTH member Gaahl (vocals), dubbed GOD SEED. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Imhotep: So, the obvious thing is of course, why the name GOD SEED? The way I see it, it is a name that has some irony to it…

King: "I am fully aware that this name will be made fun out of because of Gaahl's sexual preferences. I couldn't care less about that part. People with a mind set of 13 year old kids would do that to him anyway. GOD SEED represent a more spiritual side to us than what GORGOROTH would. 'God Seed' is also the title of a track from our last album released under the 'GORGOROTH' banner and in that respect it symbolizes what is brought from the past. GOD SEED represents the will to grow; the will to be the super man so to speak. I think it's a suitable name for what we will represent in the future. I am also aware of the fact that we use the word God in the name. It will challenge the weak minded in the respect that we in the past used the word Satan a lot, but it's all about the same thing. The God within man and the God within nature. I never believed in a Christian force named Satan. I believe in the God within man."

Imhotep: You have signed to Indie Recordings, a label that is the biggest Norwegian metal label and which is very professional. How did you choose to go for Indie now? What advantages do you see belonging to a native label?

King: "I know the people who work for Indie for several years. I know they are good people and easy to work with. I have high hopes in working with them in the future. The communication will of course be better with a native label than with a label from abroad. They seem very eager on giving their best for me and Gaahl, whether we called us GORGOROTH, GOD SEED or another name."

Imhotep: Concerning the upcoming album, has Gaahl recorded the vocals? And, do you have to do any adjustments musically speaking? I mean, don't you think people will just thinking GORGOROTH no matter, since the music was created under the GORGOROTH banner from the start?

King: "Gaahl has not recorded the vocals yet. He is in Spain as we speak working on lyrics and vocal arrangements. I've always made the music I want to make, and I haven't made any adjustments just because of a name change. If people think of what we made under the GORGOROTH banner in context of what we are doing now as GOD SEED, there's nothing I can do about it. We will of course bring with us what we created in GORGOROTH during the 10 years we worked together as well. So it makes sense..., but now all energy will be put into GOD SEED. GORGOROTH is dead from my side and Gaahl's too."

Imhotep: I know most people, for some wicked reason, are most interested in Gaahl's sexuality and also what you think now in retrospect concerning what happened back in autumn 2007. Personally I think more or less everything has been said and done and said over again. And it seems now that Infernus wish the best for you and that you wish the best for him, despite that there are some economic matters still to be sorted out. Looking forward to seeing both bands on tour together, hehe… Seriously, what's next for GOD SEED, besides the finishing voices on the album?

King: "I couldn't care less about Gaahl's sexual orientation. It has nothing to do with me or the art we are doing together. I never had any problems with Infernus on a personal level and of course I'm hoping he is actually able to bring forward what we created in GORGOROTH. I'm sure he will. GOD SEED will be the banner we'll use for spreading our ideas through interviews, music and live performances. Nothing has changed but a name. I guess GORGOROTH will look more different than us in the future."

Reactivated Swedish death metallers GODHATE (formerly THRONEAEON) have parted ways with drummer Mike Geerberg and have replaced him with Simon Granath. The band says, "Simon was a part of the Swedish tour and has proven to be the best drummer GODHATE has ever had."

Regarding Mike's departure, the group writes on its MySpace page, "From the moment when Mike began in GODHATE, in spring 2007, until today he has made a great progress in playing drums. Still, after 18 month's of intense training, he couldn't deliver our songs neither on album nor live, and in the end he told us he no longer had the same ambition as the others. Work, friends, party and slalom was big parts in his life and all this together this didn't fit perfect with the schedule. I'm sure Mik had the will to in the beginning... I mean, he has spent several hours in the rehearsal room beating up his drumkit, and this must have been for a cause. In fall 2008 we all came to the conclusion that Mike had to be replaced. We have had really great times that none of the 2008 lineup will forget, and we wish Mike all the luck in finding a new band that will fit his capacity."

BETHLEHEM has announced its first release since "Mein Weg" in 2004, a 7" split with U.S. black metallers BENIGHTED IN SODOM, who have just returned from their first U.S. tour with FROSTMOON ECLIPSE, CHAOS MOON, and VELNIAS.

BETHLEHEM contributes a new version of "Du Sollst Dich Töten" from its 1998 album "S.U.i.Z.i.D.", featuring guest vocals by Jonathan Théry from ATARAXIE, and all other instruments handled by Jürgen Bartsch, Klaus Matton, and Marcus Losen, respectively. BENIGHTED IN SODOM appears with an updated version of "Uncomfortable Serenity (The Opiate)" from the band's second full-length album, "In Hora Maledictus - Part I", with Thorn performing all instruments as usual.

Scheduled for an April release on Obscure Abhorrence Productions, this album is already highly anticipated by those waiting for a preview of BETHLEHEM's upcoming "S.U.i.Z.i.D." remake, which will include Niklas Kvarforth of SHINING on vocals, as well as third BENIGHTED IN SODOM full-length album, "In Hora Maledictus - Part II". The album is limited to 1,000 copies, and the first 200 will be a rarity on colored vinyl. Pre-orders are being accepted at the Obscure Abhorrence Productions web site.

Norwegian death metal tyrants BLOOD RED THRONE have finished recording their fifth album, "Souls Of Damnation", for a June 1 release in Europe and June 30 in the U.S. via Earache Records. The limited-edition first pressing of the CD, which will coincide with the band's 10th anniversary, will include two bonus tracks, plus a special DVD featuring an exclusive new interview with the band, along with an in-depth studio diary documenting the album's recording process.

"Souls Of Damnation" track listing:

01. The Light, The Hate
02. Harme
03. Your Cold Flesh
04. Human Fraud
05. Demand
06. Throne Of Damnation
07. Prove Yourself Dead
08. Not Turgenjev, But Close
09. Ten Steps Of Purgatory
10. Manifest Of Lies *
11. Affiliated With The Suffering *

* Limited edition bonus tracks

BLOOD RED THRONE guitarist Død comments: "11 years since BLOOD RED THRONE was started and our fifth full-length album is ready to be released along with a DVD. It feels really great. The songs we've made this time kick even more ass than ever and the album has a top-notch production. Can't wait to take this out on the road!" Vocalist Vald adds: "This album contains some of the best BRT material ever made. Get ready to bang your heads!"

A new song from German death metallers DISBELIEF entitled "Hate Aggression Schedule" is available for streaming at this location. The track comes off the band's new album, "Protected Hell", which is scheduled for release on April 17 via Massacre Records. The LP, which was recorded at MX studio in Buchen, Germany with producer Michael Mainx, will be available as a limited-edition digipack and regular jewel case CD. Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Nemesis Rising", "The Hell Goes On", "Room 309", "A Place To Hide" and "The Dark Soundscapes".

The cover artwork for "Protected Hell" can be viewed below.

In other news, DISBELIEF has announced the addition of Spanish guitarist Alejandro Varela to the group's ranks. The band said in a statement, "[Varela] kicked our asses during the rehearsals and is a really nice guy!! Of course, it means a big step for him concerning the distance, but he is willing to take the risk and we will support him in any way!! The following months we will use to let everything grow and to built a newDISBELIEF basement!!"