"Darkest Legacy", the new video from the Swedish metal band CLOUDSCAPE, can be viewed here. The clip was filmed, directed and edited by Rainer Holmgren (PAIN OF SALVATION, ARSIS).

"Darkest Legacy" comes off the group's third album, "Global Drama" (cover), which was released this past summer in Europe through Goldencore/Roastinghouse Records and in North America through Nightmare Records.

CLOUDSCAPE previously described "Global Drama" as "the most varied and interesting album by CLOUDSCAPE so far. It contains a few really hard and raw metal songs and there will also be a few more atmospheric and dynamic songs progressively spiced."

The CD was produced by Pontus Lindmark and recorded at RoastingHouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden.

CLOUDSCAPE's sophomore CD, "Crimson Skies", was released in the U.S. in July 2006 via Nightmare Records.

Boston, Massachusetts-based up-and-coming "shred" guitarist Todd Seitz has finalized the track listing for the debut album from his STYGIA project, entitled "Divine Allegiance". It is as follows:

01. Colossus
02. The Hunter
03. Journey Through The Sea
04. Spirit Bomb
05. Moonlight
06. Oblivion Overcome
07. Egg of the King
08. A Circle Undone
09. Divine Allegiance

Recording lineup for the debut STYGIA album:

Todd Seitz (STYGIA) - Guitar
Michael Vescera (ex-LOUDNESS, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Vocals
John Macaluso (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-ARK, ex-TNT) - Drums
Michael LePond (SYMPHONY X) - Bass
Hank Shermann (MERCYFUL FATE, FORCE OF EVIL, DEMONICA) - Guest Guitar Solo

The band intends to do some live performances after the LP release.

"To The Rivers End", the new video from the Germany-based epic black metal band SYCRONOMICA, can be viewed here. The clip was shot at the Ragnarök Festival on March 30, 2007 in Lichtenfels, Germany.

SYCRONOMICA recently announced the addition of bassist Robin Fischer (ex-HAGGARD) to the group's ranks. The band was also rejoined by drummer Michael Bayer. SYCRONOMICA's new lineup made its live debut at the Helion Festival in Munich on October 4.

The band's second album, "Gate", was released in November 2006 via Armageddon Music.

Liechtenstein-based gothic metallers ELIS recently entered Mastersound Studio in Germany with producer Alex Krull (ATROCITY, LEAVES' EYES) to begin recording their new album. The follow-up to 2006's "Griefshire" will mark the band's first full-length recording with new singer Sandra Schleret, who joined ELIS in December 2006. An early 2009 release via Napalm Records is expected.

Commented Sandra: "It is the first full-length album we are recording together, and an important step for us. For me this album is something very special, because I was able to contribute a lot, and I developed a very personal concept for it, even though it will not be a real concept album. I'm having great fun at the recordings, and I can't wait to hold the final result in my hands."

ELIS released a single, "Show Me the Way", on November 2, 2007 in Europe and November 6, 2007 in North America via Napalm Records. The single's title cut, which originally appeared on 2006's "Griefshire" album, features lead vocals by Schleret. Also included on the single are several previously unreleased songs from the "Griefshire" recording sessions.

ELIS' previous vocalist, Sabine Dünser, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on July 7, 2006 during rehearsal and passed away the following day in hospital.

"Griefshire" was released in Europe on November 24, 2006 via Napalm Records (the U.S. received the album on January 16). The recordings for the CD were completed prior to the death of Dünser, who came up with the original concept for the album.

The follow-up to 2004's "Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky", "Griefshire" was completed at Mastersound Studios in Stuttgart with producer Alexander Krull (ATROCITY, LEAVES' EYES).

Italian black metal band MASSEMORD will release its new, self-titled album on November 17 as a limited-edition digipack. The LP won't be sold in stores and will only be available online via the MASSEMORD MySpace page. The digipack CD is limited to 100 pieces. Next year Blackmetal.com Records will release a jewel case version of the album that will be sold in stores.

The digipack track listing is as follows:

01. Dark Essence Lifeless
02. Blood Fucking Night
03. Eternal Punishment
04. Goddess Of Perversion
05. Raintime Depression
06. Iron Fist
07. In The Realm Of Death
08. C.H.A.O.S.
09. Hate Generation
10. Le Porte Dell'inferno (Bonus)

Lord Hastur Warmachine earlier in the year announced his departure from MASSEMORD, the black metal project he formed in 1993. After 15 years and five albums, Lord Hastur Warmachine decided to part ways with "his creature, leaving this inheritance in Der Henker's hands, the Italian former singer," according to a press release.

Dutch thrash metal band LEGION OF THE DAMNED has posted a new song, "Pray And Suffer" (along with the intro, "Sermon Of Sacrilege"), on its MySpace page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Cult of the Dead", due on December 19 via Massacre Records. The LP will be made available in three different formats: as three-disc deluxe edition (cover) including a bonus CD and a bonus DVD; a limited-edition digipack with a bonus DVD and as regular jewel case CD (cover). The three-disc deluxe edition will include a CD containing a recording of the band's performance at Germany's Rock Hard festival in 2006 and a DVD featuring footage of LEGION OF THE DAMNED playing the entire "Cult of the Dead" album in the band's rehearsal room plus interview clips.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Sermon Of Sacrilege (intro)
02. Pray And Suffer
03. Black Templar
04. House Of Possession
05. Black Wings Of Yog Sothoth
06. Cult Of The Dead
07. Necrosophic Rapture
08. Enslaver Of Souls
09. Solar Overlord
10. Lucifer Saviour
11. Final Godsend

According to Massacre Records, LEGION OF THE DAMNED has been confirmed to play at next year's Graspop Metal Meeting on June 27, 2009 in Dessel, Belgium.

"Feel the Blade", a reissue of LEGION OF THE DAMNED's "Elegy for the Weak" CD (originally released under the band's previous moniker OCCULT), entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 70. Released on January 4, 2008 via Massacre Records, the new version of the LP contains two new songs that didn't appear on the original "Elegy for the Weak" album, a new cover and a bonus DVD.

Audio Savant is a small project studio owned and operated by AGALLOCH bassist Jason Walton that specializes in tracking/mixing/mastering as well as restoration and archiving of any audio information. Audio Savant strongly believes that audio engineering and production is an art form, and should be treated as such. If you are looking for Top 40 overly compressed and limited drivel for your release, look elsewhere.

Says Walton: "We revel in experimentation and unusual mixing techniques, as well as working in a complimentary fashion with your music to let it breathe and develop on its own. We have too much respect for recordings to treat them unfairly. We can work with you in person, or remotely via FTP and since the studio is home-based, we can afford to give you very reasonable prices."

Email ears.are.ringing@gmail.com for more information, quotes or to book time.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/audio_savant.

On November 25, Versailles Records will return to retail with "Misty Mountain Hop: A Millennium Tribute To Led Zeppelin", which features current/former members of the following bands:

MEGADETH
KISS
BLACK SABBATH
DIO
BADLANDS
THE CIRCLE JERKS
THE CULT
RATT
LILLIAN AXE
DEEP PURPLE
L.A. GUNS
WARRANT
WHITE LION
ROBERT PLANT'S THE HONEYDRIPPERS
IGGY POP BAND
HANOI ROCKS
ALICE COOPER BAND
SLASH'S SNAKEPIT
DANGEROUS TOYS
JOHNNY THUNDERS BAND
ZEBRA
DAVID BOWIE BAND
ACE FREHLEY BAND
RAINBOW
BILLY IDOL BAND
ROGER DALTREY BAND
QUIET RIOT
CIRCLE II CIRCLE
RIOT

The set also includes liner notes by legendary record producer Ron Nevison (LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHO) and a bonus CD sampler featuring millennium rock/metal bands influenced by LED ZEPPELIN.

For more information, visit www.versaillesrecords.com.

"Night Electric Night", the third album from the Swedish industrial goth metal band DEATHSTARS, will be released on January 30, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD, which was mixed at Toytown studios in Stockholm, Sweden with Stefan Glaumann, will be released in a deluxe package called "Gold Edition" featuring bonus tracks as well as a bonus DVD featuring six video clips, "making-of" footage and more. The "Gold Edition" will be released as a digibook with new cover artwork (see below).

Commented guitarist, songwriter and producer Emil "Nightmare Industries" Nödtveidt: "This album is the very mirror of our last years and our struggle through this time up until now. It deals with a whole spectrum of emotions, but without losing that straightforward nerve of raw dark feverish rock music a la DEATHSTARS. Even though the songs vary more now, from the ripping 'Night Electric Night' to the seriousness in 'Via the End', which I wrote the very night I found out about my brother's suicide [Emil's brother was DISSECTION frontman Jon Nödtveidt — Ed.], it holds an honest consequence right through the album."

According to a press release, "Night Electric Night" is about DEATHSTARS' "lives and their experiences, their personal issues and the action/horror drama which represents the manic environment that the band exists within. It deals a lot with reflections of situations right then and there."

"Night Electric Night" track listing:

CD:

01. Chertograd
02. Night Electric Night
03. Death Dies Hard
04. Mark Of The Gun
05. Via The End
06. Blood Stains Blondes
07. Babylon
08. The Fuel Ignites
09. Arclight
10. Venus In Arms
11. Opium

Bonus Tracks: (only on limited gold edition)

12. Night Electric Night (Skinny remix)
13. Via The End (piano version)
14. Night Electric Night (feat. Adrian Erlandsson)

DVD:

Clip Selection:

* Death Dies Hard
* Virtue To Vice
* Blitzkrieg
* Cyanide
* Syndrome
* Synthetic Generation

Bonus Material:

* Making of "Death Dies Hard"
* Making of "Virtue to Vice"
* Making of "Blitzkrieg"
* Making of "Cyanide"

Includes screensaver and wallpapers

Picture LP in gatefold:

Side A:

01. Chertograd
02. Night Electric Night
03. Death Dies Hard
04. The Mark Of The Gun
05. Via The End
06. Blood Stains Blondes

Side B:

01. Babylon
02. The Fuel Ignites
03. Arclight
04. Venus In Arms
05. Opium

The first single, "Death Dies Hard", will be released as a digital download only on January 2.

Video footage of Christoph Schneider from German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN laying down tracks for the group's new CD earlier this month at a studio in Los Angeles can be viewed here.

RAMMSTEIN is recording the initial tracks for the new album in Los Angeles with b>Jacob Hellner and the production team of Ulf Kruckenberg and Florian Ammon. A studio has been rented near San Francisco for the bulk of the main recording work, which will be completed before the end of the year. An early 2009 release is expected.

RAMMSTEIN's "Völkerball" DVD was released in North America in September 2007. The disc features performances from France, England, Japan and Russia. The DVD was released in three different formats. The standard two-disc DVD/CD package contains a 140-minute live video and 75-minute live CD. The special-edition package also includes a tour documentary and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Reise, Reise". Finally, the limited collectors' edition contains four discs packaged in a 190-page book with photos from the tour.

RAMMSTEIN's last album, "Rosenrot", received its long-overdue U.S. release in March 2006 via Universal Music. The CD, which was certified platinum in Germany for sales in excess of 200,000 copies within two weeks of release in October 2005, topped the official album chart in Germany, Austria and Finland, and landed at No. 2 in Sweden and Denmark, No. 4 in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, No. 5 in France, No. 6 in Mexico, No. 11 in Italy and No. 29 in the U.K. In addition, "Rosenrot" achieved gold status in Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

British metal legends SAXON will release their new new studio album, "Into The Labyrinth" (cover) in Europe on January 12, 2009 (Germany: January 9; USA: January 13) via SPV Records. The CD was recorded at the Twilight Hall in Krefeld, Germany, under the direction of Charlie Bauerfeind. SAXON laid down 13 new songs at BLIND GUARDIAN's studio, starting with monumental opener "Battalions Of Steel" through "Demon Sweeney Todd" and "Valley Of The Kings", which both cover historic events, to the final slide guitar blues track "Coming Home" (fans are already familiar with the electric version of this track from SAXON's "Killing Ground" album).

"The new material was written in England and at my house in France," singer Biff Byford explained. "Stylistically, I would describe the album as an even balance between 'Lionheart' and 'The Inner Sanctum', a mix of powerful, in-your-face rock songs and pure heavy metal tracks. We're very happy with the production and proud of 'Into The Labyrinth'."

Check out audio samples of the entire album at SPV.de.

"Into The Labyrinth" track listing:

Limited-Edition Digipack (only available in Europe):

01. Battalions Of Steel
02. Live To Rock
03. Demon Sweeney Todd
04. The Letter
05. Valley Of The Kings
06. Slow Lane Blues
07. Crime Of Passion
08. Premonition in D Minor
09. Voice
10. Protect Yourselves
11. Hellcat
12. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
13. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)

Bonus DVD:

* Parzival movie with Biff acting as King Arthur
* Tour Documentary
* "Live To Rock" video clip
* Audio Interview with Biff Byford

Running time: approximately 70 minutes

Jewel Case Version:

01. Battalions Of Steel
02. Live To Rock
03. Demon Sweeney Todd
04. The Letter
05. Valley Of The Kings
06. Slow Lane Blues
07. Crime Of Passion
08. Premonition in D Minor
09. Voice
10. Protect Yourselves
11. Hellcat
12. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
13. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)

2-LP Gatefold:

Side 1:

01. Battalions Of Steel
02. Live To Rock
03. Demon Sweeney Todd

Side 2:

01. The Letter
02. Valley Of The Kings
03. Slow Lane Blues
04. Crime Of Passion

Side 3:

01. Premonition in D Minor
02. Voice
03. Protect Yourselves

Side 4:

01. Hellcat
02. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
03. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)

Aestheticom's Bill Schacht, who has previously directed music videos for DIO, KING DIAMOND, AMON AMARTH, FATAL SMILE, LIBERTY X/REV RUN, ZAKK WYLDE and SISTER SIN, among others, recently completed filming footage for the "Live To Rock" clip.

UK doom metal band MY DYING BRIDE has set "For Lies I Sire" as the title of its new album, due in ealy 2009 via Peaceville Records. The follow-up to 2006's "A Line of Deathless Kings" was recorded with longtime producer Mags.

"For Lies I Sire" track listing:

01. Fall With Me
02. My Body, A Funeral
03. The Lies I Sire
04. Bring Me Victory
05. Echoes From A Hollow Soul
06. ShadowHaunt
07. Santuario Di Sangue
08. A Chapter in Loathing
09. Death Triumphant

German metal queen Doro Pesch will release a new single, "Herzblut", on December 12 via AFM Records. It will feature four versions of the title track, each recorded in a different language.

"Herzblut" track listing:

01. Herzblut (Single Version)
02. Herzblut (Album Version)
03. A Fond Le Coeur - Herzblut (French)
04. Te Doy Mi Corazon - Herzblut (Spanish)
05. Eu Dou-Te O Meu Coração - Herzblut (Portuguese)
06. Share My Fate

Another song off GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited new album, "Chinese Democracy", "Better", received its world premier this morning (Monday, November 17) on a number of U.S. stations, including Q104.3 FM, which is currently streaming the track at this location.

"Chinese Democracy" will be released in the U.S. on November 23 exclusively through Best Buy. The 14-song set will be available on CD, vinyl, and as a download. While singer Axl Rose has remained silent, co-managers Irving Azoff and Andy Gould said in a statement, "The release of 'Chinese Democracy' marks a historic moment in rock n'roll. We're launching with a monumental campaign...that matches the groundbreaking sound of the album itself. GUNS N' ROSES fans have every reason to celebrate, for this is only the beginning."

One new song, "Shackler's Revenge", debuted on September 14 through the Rock Band 2 video game, while another, called "If The World", can be heard in the new film "Body of Lies".

NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen has commented on the band's abbreviated performance in in Belo Horizonte, Brazil Monday night (November 10) which ended shortly after the group's singer, Anette Olzon, suddenly appeared to start crying at the end of the song "The Poet And The Pendulum" (about six tracks into the group's set) and walked off stage. The rest of the band finished the song with bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala attempting to handle some of the lead-vocal parts (see video below). The group then played two more cover tracks and ended the show, explaining to the crowd that Anette was "really not up to doing this kind of heavy shit right now." (See video below.) Olzon — who joined NIGHTWISH in early 2007 as the replacement for the band's hugely popular operatic singer Tarja Turunen — has since reportedly released a statement to the Brazilian media in which she blamed the incident on "an excessive amount of smoke" inside the Belo Horizonte venue, which "was irritating my vocal cords." She explained, "When I felt my voice was beginning to go, I ended up panicking and had to leave the stage. The band tried to give me some time to recover but I had no way of coming back since I was not able to sing."

Speaking to O Povo Online about the incident, Tuomas said, "[Anette] freaked out because she couldn't handle the different mannerisms of the fans here. There were a lot of people screaming the former vocalist's name, making obscene gestures (with the middle finger). Normally she can shake that stuff off, she has good self-esteem, but it's been hard to deal with the fans and the critics. I guess it was a sudden breakdown; she just... lost her mind for a second. It's kind of scary, and we all feel for her and understand what she is going through. We hope she can put her mind at ease and make the rest of the shows. So far it's been fine; she's feeling much better."

NIGHTWISH cancelled the last four shows of its recent North American tour — September 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee; September 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina; September 26 in Baltimore, Maryland; and September 27 in New York City — due to Anette Olzon's "sudden severe illness," according to a posting on the band's web site.

Finnish metallers KALMAH have issued the following update:

"As many of you might have noticed, there has been a media silence for a while in KALMAH camp and there is a reason. We have been writing material for the sixth KALMAH album which will be recorded during spring 2009.

"Inspiration has not let us down and we have all in all five songs in the process. So where we are going with the new stuff? At this point, all I can say we like the new songs and if we like them we know there will be some fans to feel likewise.

"If you want to hear the new material be sure to get on board Spinefeast At Sea [January 29-30, 2009]. I'm pretty sure we will play at least one new song live."

KALMAH's fifth studio album, "For The Revolution", was released in the UK on July 14 via Spinefarm.

For the UK version of "Revolution", selected bonus audio/visual content was added to the mix, along with a slipcase bearing exclusive new artwork. The bonus audio track is a cover of SEPULTURA's "Arise", while on the visual side, "The Groan Of Wind" (a song from 2006's "Black Waltz") has also been included as an enhanced video.

"For the Revolution" in May landed at position No. 17 on the Finnish national album chart. This was the band's strongest chart showing to date in Finland.

The CD's cover artwork was designed by former SENTENCED drummer Vesa Ranta, who was also responsible for the artwork of KALMAH's previous album, "The Black Waltz".

In a recent interview with MetalReview.com, KALMAH guitarist Antti Kokko stated about the band's decision to cover the SEPULTURA track, "There were plenty of songs to think about, but that album as a whole [SEPULTURA's 'Arise'] is one of the milestones for us in metal history, so it was kind of obvious for me and Pekka [Kokko, guitarist/vocalist and Antti's brother]. Some of the other guys were not so pleased with that decision, but [laughs] we recorded it."

"For the Revolution" was recorded at Tico Tico studio in Kemi, Finland with producer Ahti Kortelainen and was mastered at the Cutting Room in Sweden.

KALMAH took part in the Canadian "For the Revolution" tour with support from Montreal's TALAMYUS.

Fan-filmed video footage of KALMAH's April 29, 2008 concert in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada can be viewed here (courtesy of "DarthGrimby").

Steven Patrick of Uweekly.com recently conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, ex-SEPULTURA). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Uweekly.com: Now that you've reconciled with your brother Igor [ex-SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer], do you see a SEPULTURA reunion happening in the future?

Max: Well, it's not impossible, you know? But it's also something that we're not spending too much time on now because there is really a long way to go to that. I'm just happy to make peace with Igor, really… and doing the CONSPIRACY album. Playing with Igor again is great. Maybe. Everybody knows we would like to have a reunion, and even to the person who said it would happen … to be fair to the hardcore fans, it would also be good to invite the other players, not just the classic lineup … some of the guys from the first period of the band, which was the first 10 years — it was more death metal, you know, SEPULTURA … it really was a death-metal band in the beginning — and have these guys come out and do some of the reunion. If it happens … if it happens, I would want to do it this way. It would be more … it would have more integrity than just the SEPULTURA that everybody knows.

Uweekly.com: As a good friend of the late "Dimebag" Darrell, what are your thoughts on playing the Alrosa Villa [in Columbus, Ohio, where Dimebag was murdered]?

Max: There was a huge amount of respect between me and him. He really understood what I was doing and was a big fan and always showed that. He came to see me all the time, especially after my breakup with SEPULTURA, which a lot of times I'd play cities with SOULFLY and not many people came out to see me with SOULFLY because it wasn't SEPULTURA or whatever. But Dimebag and Vinnie [Paul] were one of the few people that came out right after I broke up with SEPULTURA. He gave me a pair of camouflage pants once, which I thought was really cool. Not many people knew how much I love camouflage pants, but somehow he found out and gave me a pair with a style that ‘'d never seen before. It made an impression on me and touched me very deeply. A lot of people don't pay attention to details. I was very sad when he died. It has been on my mind since I saw the confirmation of the tour, but in another way, I think that maybe it's another way for me to pay my tribute to him maybe by doing the show there. I'm going to try to make a really cool night, and if Dimebag was there, he would love it. But his presence will be there anyway, you know? I like to look at things that are negative and turn them around. I'll try to turn this show that is in that place that this horrible thing happened … try to make something cool out of it with the utmost respect to Dimebag — but try to make a cool night that should be an awesome thing for everybody.

Watch SOULFLY's "Unleash" video here.

Two new solo tracks from guitarist/vocalist Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) — "Madonna" and "The Fleas" — are available for streaming on his MySpace page. Both songs come off Caffery's new solo album, "House Of Insanity", which was released digitally last month. The effort, which will receive a physical CD release in February 2009, features "a really cool metal cover of 'Get Up, Stand Up' by BOB MARLEY," according to Chris. He added, "It is actually a cool metal anthem!"

"House Of Insanity" (cover) track listing:

01. Seasons Change
02. House Of Insanity
03. I Won't Know
04. The Fleas
05. Madonna
06. Big Brother
07. Back's To The Wall
08. Solitaire
09. I'm Sorry
10. Shame
11. Winter In Hamburg
12. No Matter What
13. Get Up, Stand Up

Chris Caffery's last solo album, "Pins and Needles", was released in Europe in March 2007 via Metal Heaven Records. The CD arrived in North America in June 2007 via Locomotive.

HardTimes.ca conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier of the French progressive metallers GOJIRA on November 6, 2008 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

GOJIRA is currently touring North America with IN FLAMES, ALL THAT REMAINS and 36 CRAZYFISTS.

GOJIRA sold around 4,200 copies of the band's new album, "The Way of All Flesh", in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 138 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD's cover artwork was created by Joseph Duplantier, who was also responsible for the artwork for GOJIRA's previous album, 2005's "From Mars to Sirius".

GOJIRA recently shot a video for the song "Vacuity" with French producers Julien Mokrani and Samuel Bodin of Six Pieds Sous Terre Productions. The location of the shoot was in the Basque country where GOJIRA resides. Joseph Duplantier told the UK's Rock Sound magazine about the clip, ''It is a fantastic, mind-blowing video. The song is about the Buddhist meaning of the word which is emptiness not nothingness, the ultimate presence. It was very hard to picture that concept in a video so we told the story of a girl carrying her own casket as the whole album is about facing your death and your pain. It seemed fitting."

For the third consecutive year, RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson auctioned one of his original paintings 9se image here) on eBay to support The Kidney Foundation of Canada. The winning bid was $1,225. Lifeson stated regarding the painting, "It was painted from a photo I'd taken at a friend's cottage in Muskoka looking out at Georgian Bay at dusk during the summer of 2006. The painting is done in acrylic and I used a sheet of paper towel fixed to the board to add texture."

Lifeson, along with a number of other Canadian celebrities, created paintings to help bring attention to the crisis surrounding kidney disease and kidney-related illness, not only in Canada, but around the globe. All funds raised through the sale of these paintings will be used by The Kidney Foundation to fund innovative research so that we can reduce the burden of kidney disease.

MEGADETH is in the early stages of the songwriting process for the band's new album, which is tentatively expected sometime next year via Roadrunner Records. The CD is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy "Undie" Sneap, who produced MEGADETH's last album, "United Abominations" (May 2007, Roadrunner Records).

MEGADETH's forthcoming LP will be the group's first with guitarist Chris Broderick, who replaced Glen Drover at the end of last year.

Commented drummer Shawn Drover (Glen's brother): "So I am once again leaving for San Diego and to Vic's Garage [MEGADETH's studio], which is about 95% done now and looking totally killer, I must say. So many people have lent their talents to making this such a nice and comfortable studio; all of us in the band are very appreciative of their efforts.

"Now that we have jumped into all the riff tapes and put them into ProTools format, it will make it much easier for the band and Andy Sneap to sift through, demo and eventually record for the next MEGADETH record — a process that I really enjoy.

"To answer the main question we are hearing as to 'WHEN' the record will be released, the answer is 'When it is ready.' You cannot rush things like this and we have no intention of doing so.

"Be patient, people; good things come to those who wait.

"I am also looking forward to getting the best drum sound possible with Andy. I have an arsenal of snare drums to try out, etc. Maybe certain snares will sound better in a particular song, but it's all part of the fun for me."

MEGADETH will embark on the "Priest Feast" European tour in February 2009 with headliners JUDAS PRIEST and openers TESTAMENT.

MEGADETH's "Anthology: Set The World Afire" (Capitol/EMI) career-spanning 2-CD and digital collection sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Mick Moss and Duncan Patterson of ANTIMATTER and ÍON were interviewed by MetalheadTV.com on November 5, 2008 when ANTIMATTER performed in Bucharest, Romania. Footage of the performance can be found at this location.

In the wake of the recent union tours of ANTIMATTER and ÍON, Mick Moss and Duncan Patterson will record new versions of select ANTIMATTER tracks for the forthcoming retrospective compilation "Alternative Matter", a planned 2CD/1DVD set. They will be joined by drummer/percussionist Colin Fromont (AVERSE, CINNAMON SCREEN). Also planned are some new remixes by both Moss and Patterson, as well as an in-depth interview/documentary for the DVD. A mid-to-late 2009 release is expected.

ANTIMATTER is the UK project whose recording/touring lineup has included current and former members of ANATHEMA. The group's fourth album, "Leaving Eden", was released in April 2007.

After Duncan Patterson left the band in 2005, Mick Moss gathered a number of guest musicians around him — among others Danny Cavanagh (ANATHEMA) — to record the most depressive and heaviest album of ANTIMATTER's discography. This is attested by the dynamics of "Leaving Eden", the increased use of electric guitars and forceful drumming.

Metalhead.ro recently conducted an interview with Mick Moss about his renewed collaboration with Patterson and their future plans. An excerpt from the question-and-answer session follows below.

Metalhead.ro: I would like to talk to you about this news that came as a surprise for fans, friends and press: You and Duncan playing a couple of shows in Europe, where you will perform acoustic versions of ANTIMATTER, ÍON and ANATHEMA. I guess everyone wants to know what the story is behind this surprising event.

Moss: Me and Duncan have kept in contact since he left ANTIMATTER, as he is one of my friends and our relationship wasn't based purely on music. During a talk one day in 2007, I suggested to him that we could form an alliance of our music, and perform kind of a masterworks tour of ANTIMATTER, ÍON and ANATHEMA material, but heading the bill as ourselves rather than a particular project name to avoid confusion. He agreed that it was a good idea, and we then put a set together and looked out for concert organizers who were willing to put it on, hence a tour in September and one later in November.

Metalhead.ro: Should we think of a permanent reunion? I know that Duncan is deeply involved in ÍON, his most personal project until now.

Moss: I don't think anything in the music scene is permanent, but for the time being it is rewarding both for ourselves and the audience for us to do this, so there is no reason why it shouldn't continue in the immediate future. Of course, ÍON is Duncan's project, and I am continuing to write and release under the ANTIMATTER name. Just because we're touring together doesn't mean we're in bed together as far as recording and writing is concerned, that's all separate.

A ringtone for the TESTAMENT song "More Than Meets The Eye" is available at this location. The track comes off the long-running San Francisco Bay Area metal band's new album, "The Formation of Damnation", which is available on limited-edition green vinyl at www.testamentlegions.com. Supplies are limited to 2,500 copies worldwide, so order your copies today before they sell out! "The Formation of Damnation" limited-edition green vinyl also ships with a bonus poster and band logo patch.

Professionally filmed video footage of TESTAMENT's September 21, 2008 performance at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan can be viewed here and here. The band was in Japan taking part in the two-night Thrash Domination 2008 event alongside FORBIDDEN and VOIVOD.

TESTAMENT recruited guitarist Glen Drover (ex-MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND) to fill in for Alex Skolnick on the band's recent Mexican tour dates with JUDAS PRIEST.

"The Formation of Damnation" debuted at #59 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and is TESTAMENT's highest-charting release in the band's 24-year history. The album, which has sold more than 50,000 copies in the U.S. so far (according to Nielsen SoundScan) also dominated at radio, holding the #1 spot on both CMJ and FMQB for several consecutive weeks.

An e-card for "The Formation of Damnation" can be accessed at this location.

Finnish hard rockers ANCARA entered Matrixtor Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland on November 3 to begin recording their third album with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, LORDI, THE 69 EYES, SENTENCED, SEPULTURA). The follow-up to last year's "Beyond the Dark", will once again be released via High and Loud, the record label owned by STRATOVARIUS singer Timo Kotipelto.

"Beyond the Dark" entered the Finnish chart at position No. 9 upon its release in August 2007.

Kotipelto previously stated about ANCARA: "After seeing a couple of gigs by the band and listening to their new material I was convinced: this band has to be signed!"

He added, "ANCARA plays honest hard rock and are not running after any trends. Sammy [Salminen] has a very strong voice backed up by excellent backing vocals by the other guys. The songs are catchy and the band rocks the house when playing live!"

ANCARA video for the song "Deny" — taken from "Beyond the Dark" — can be viewed here.

Reactivated hard rockers STEELHEART, led by vocalist Miljenko Matijevic, have posted a video (see here) for their new single, "LOL". The track comes off the band's new album, "Good 2B Alive", which was released on November 11.

"Good 2B Alive" (cover) track listing:

01. Samurai
02. LOL
03. Buried Unkind
04. Twisted Future (Orchestra)
05. I Breathe
06. Shine a Light for Me
07. Underground
08. You Showed Me How to Love
09. Good 2B Alive (String Version)
10. G2BA

According to a press release, "Miljenko Matijevic has taken rock music to a whole new level. Fusing the past, present and the future together, he has created an undeniable piece of art. Matijevic's vocals are better than ever, every song takes you on a journey; a journey that paints a portrait of his life and in doing so enables the listener to feel the song as if it were his own. A voice full of passion, power and depth, this is one album that seriously rocks. The album consists of everything from raw heavy guitars to a full orchestra which was recorded at Sky Walker Sound. Written, produced, designed and conceived by himself, he truly has embarked on a new beginning."

STEELHEART performed at this year's Rocklahoma festival on July 13 at the Catch The Fever Festival Grounds, four miles north of Pryor, Oklahoma.

"Burden", the new video from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, can be viewed here. While Danish director Lasse Hoile (DREAM THEATER, PORCUPINE TREE, STEVEN WILSON) shot and directed the storyline in Denmark, OPETH filmed the band performance at the Vogue theater in Vancouver, Canada.

"The Roundhouse Tapes", the long-awaited new DVD from OPETH, was released in Europe on October 27 and in the U.S. on November 11 via Peaceville Records.

"The Roundhouse Tapes" contains a critically acclaimed OPETH performance recorded at The Roundhouse, London in 2006. Described by Rock Sound as "a show of spectacular greatness in this legendary venue … an amazing performance by one of Europe's premier epic metal bands," the DVD perfectly captures the band in scintillating form playing a selection of classics from throughout their career.

Israel's ORPHANED LAND has issued the following update:

"ORPHANED LAND guitarist Yossi Sassi-Sa'aron broke his left clavicle and is expected a healing period of at least six weeks, in which he'll probably won't be able to play the guitar at all. The accident happened during a relaxful sabbath in the park, while Sassi-Sa'aron was walking on his hands during a game, tripped and landed badly on his left shoulder. The specific fraction is in the left clavicle near the acromion, and as a result his left arm was fixed to his chest and he cannot move it, and of course cannot play musical instruments. Friends reported he's suffering from severe pain, yet he's constantly smiling as usual, and he is laughing with his doctors. Sassi-Sa'aron composes and plays on various instruments in ORPHANED LAND, including bouzouki, oud, saz, electric and classic guitars."

ORPHANED LAND is continuing work on its long-awaited album, "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR", for a tentative 2009 release. The group's vocalist Kobi Farhi said, "We have more than 90 minutes of written music. We don't like to repeat ourselves, so do not expect a 'Mabool Vol. 2'! Of course, the female vocals and the oriental instruments will be there as always, but 'ORwarriOR' is different and I can say for sure that it is more extreme, powerful and less progressive. Still, like all our albums, it is ORPHANED LAND and you'll all notice that. Watch out for the first single, which is the opener of the album called: 'Sapari'."

Fan-filmed video footage of ORPHANED LAND's April 12, 2008 performance at club Tochka in Moscow, Russia can be viewed here.